Prologue

The Melody of The Heart

Prologue

Written by Star Origin

Following the changeling invasion in Canterlot two weeks ago, the security around Canterlot had been heavily fortified. The Royal Guard even went as far as to recruit soldiers from the surrounding towns of Equestria. They were picky about who they chose, though, and mostly went after ponies that were already skilled at maintaining peace, such as nightclub bouncers or security guards.

Among those ponies was Star Blaze, a white-coated unicorn that used to be head of security at a laboratory located in Manehattan. He was never the best magician, and he was a bit messy, too. His orange mane was untidy, and strands of orange hair stuck to his fur after a day spent in Canterlot patrolling in search of any anomaly.

The only issue was that, if foals decided to pull a prank on him, he would technically have to give chase until he caught up with them. He usually managed to find the troublemakers, but after a while, the original trio had told other foals about him. His days since then were even more hectic than before.

His blue eyes stared absentmindedly at the landscape in front of him while waiting for the train that would take him back to Manehattan. The many bags under his eyes were proof enough that the last few nights he had hadn't exactly been the best of his life.

That aside, while his facial expression reeked of fatigue and depression, his musculature wasn’t all that bad. He doubted he would ever be qualified to star in some mature magazines sold across Equestria, but his physical attributes weren’t that bad when compared to some of the other ponies waiting for a train.

To be fair, he was built a lot more physically than most ponies around him. Of course, having been trained as a guard since he left high school had helped him a lot, and ever since the death of his parents when he was still in high school, he had needed to pick some jobs to keep himself alive and to pay his educational bills.

That alone had given him a strong and stable personality but also strengthened his social abilities in the sense that he needed to adapt to them to survive. Many other races thought that Equestria was a haven compared to the other kingdoms around the globe, but in fact, it was just as cruel economically to ponies as to anyone else. The only advantage ponies had over some others was that they had the princesses to keep wars and internal conflicts at bay.

Star Blaze’s gaze was slowly directed on the ground of the train station platform. The floor, made up of bricks like most of Canterlot, was colored with a monotonous white. It wouldn’t have been that bad if only the floor were like this, but the entire train station was built that way; all the walls were white, and in only two weeks, Star Blaze had already gotten annoyed by the monotony of the capital.

It was a majestic city in his opinion. The main complaint he had about Canterlot was that it was too monotonous for his tastes, and even after he had gotten used to Canterlot, the color scheme of the town still made him cringe a bit on the inside.

While the Star Blaze was lost in his thoughts, he had completely ignored the stallion that had just called him from afar. His ears had perked up, but he ignored them and resumed his train of thought. The other pony had to tap on Star’s shoulder to finally have his presence acknowledged.

Star Blaze jumped a bit and instinctively took a few steps backward. He looked up to find who or what had startled him. He was not a bit surprised when he saw a stallion with a golden coat and a dark blue mane. The pegasus in front of him snickered and put a hoof over his mouth in an attempt to remain respectful towards the white unicorn but failed.

“Oh, you should see the look on your face right now, Blazey!” the pegasus exclaimed through several bursts of laughter. “It’s priceless!”

Star Blaze snorted, glaring at his new companion. “Shut it, Flash. I’m not in the mood. I had to chase down kids again today, and I’m not exactly amused by how they constantly keep doing this every single day. Plus, my body feels sore, and I’m so tired right now. The last thing I need is an annoying pest shadowing me all the time.”

“Don’t be like that, Blazey,” Flash replied. The coldness contained in Star’s voice had managed to make the pegasus pout. “I was just kidding around.”

The unicorn continued to glare. “Not in the mood, Sentry. Unless you have a question of some importance, please leave me be for the moment.”

“I’ve always wondered what your cutie mark meant. Can you tell me exactly what it represents?” Flash Sentry asked with a grin on his lips.

“Why do you care?” Star replied emotionlessly.

“Isn’t it what friends normally ask to get to know their friends?

Star Blaze groaned at his reply and then let out a long sigh. He took a deep breath and said, “If you must know, I used to be good with fire magic before the death of my parents, and since then, I’ve been unable to summon my fire magic. According to the doctors, it could be due to a PTSD.

“I can’t be sure myself, but I do know I’ve lost the ability I used to have with fire magic, so this cutie mark isn’t accurate anymore.”

“Well, that’s no fun,” Flash said. “I would’ve liked to see you use some fire magic.”

“If I could use my old magic, you’d be the first one I’d test it on, believe me,” Star said with a grin and let out a snicker.

“Seriously?!” Flash let out in an overreacting manner as if he was hurt. “I thought I meant more to you than just a target!”

“Don’t worry, you’re not a regular target, friend. You’re a moving target, and I do love a moving target every once in a while.”

“Jerk!”

Star Blaze shrugged and continued the conversation. They talked about this and that while Star waited for his train. They both still wore their Royal Guard attire, armor and all, but now that they were done with their day, they had taken off their helmets. The bulges in their saddlebags attested to that.

Soon enough, Star Blaze bid Flash Sentry goodbye as he saw his train enter the station. Star wasted no time in boarding the train once it had stopped at the platform and showing his ticket to the train conductor. Once he had been given the green light, he moved to his usual spot in the passenger wagon he boarded and peacefully sat down to look out the window and wait for the train to finish boarding and depart.

He was eager to return home. After all, who wouldn’t look forward to their only weekend off in the month? He could also count himself lucky they never asked him for night shifts on top of all the hours he already did weekly. Some guards didn’t have his luck. There would be a lot for him to catch up when he would arrive at Manehattan’s train station

----

Once the train had finally reached its destination, Star Blaze took his belongings and walked out onto the boarding platform of the Manehattan. He looked up at the clock in the station and saw the time. It was six in the evening. His eyes widened, and the realization hit him with full force.

He was late!

Without wasting a second, he bolted off, climbed the stairs, and ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the streets of Manehattan. The sole question he asked himself was why he had agreed to work late.

Ten minutes had passed before he reached his second destination, and Star Blaze was heavily panting. His throat was sore from all the running he had done, and trails of sweat stained his fur around his face. He took a few minutes to calm himself and to regain his stature before he entered the building in front of him: The Manehattan Elementary School.

The white stallion walked to the secretariat and stood at the front desk. The secretary, a red unicorn with an orange mane, never raised her head, but her ears perked up upon hearing the sound of Star’s hooves on the ceramic floor. The clang his armor produced each time he took a step didn’t lend itself to silence.

“Sorry, but whatever business you have right now will have to wait until tomorrow.”

“That’s not going to be an issue, ma’am. I just came here to pick up Melody,” Star replied with a warm smile, hoping he could get the mare’s attention.

As if on cue, the secretary looked up at Star Blaze with a surprised look on her face. “Thank goodness! I was beginning to wonder what I’d do with the poor thing. She was constantly saying that her brother would come and pick her up. Couldn’t you have asked your parents to pick her up instead?” Star’s gaze quickly dropped, and he heaved a heavy sigh, averting his eyes from the secretary. As if on cue, her pupils dilated, and she gasped, raising a hoof to cover her mouth. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m so sorry!”

Star just shook his head and managed to lift his head up and stare in the mare’s hazel eyes. Silence fell between them and both looked at each other, their eyes shuffling around the room in the hopes the other would break this pregnant silence.

Finally, Star shrugged, having regained his composure. “So, um, do you think I could take Melody home now?”

The mare followed with a nod of her own, and she got up from her chair in a flash. She grabbed the key and kicked her chair back in front of her desk.

With a small gesture of her hoof, the mare led Star Blaze to the back of her office while he followed close behind and quickly found a white filly with a green mane and tail asleep on a chair in a large room with a single round table. Probably the meeting room or something close to that, Star Blaze thought.

The stallion wasted no time in igniting his horn and grabbing the filly in his telekinetic hold. After he had made sure Melody was secured on his back and comfortable, the unicorn thanked the secretary, made his way out of the school, and began walking back home.

The road wasn’t long or complicated because, although he lived on the western outskirts whereas the elementary school was located to the east, there were few obstacles between the two, and besides, the streets were starting to empty as time went by them. When Star Blaze arrived home, the night was beginning to settle in, and the streets had emptied themselves as per usual.

He unlocked the door using the key he put in his saddlebags when he left for Canterlot in the morning. Once it was closed behind him, he flicked the lights open with his magic and walked upstairs with the filly still on his back. Despite the fact he constantly said it was just a typical house, Star Blaze couldn’t deny that mahogany cost a lot to buy.

His economic situation wasn’t the best with the house and when Melody was still just a foal, it was common for him to be left without any spending money after paying his bills. Nowadays, with the salary he earned, he was able to keep up with the taxes and all the other bills that needed to be taken care of, but he still considered himself far from rich.

Star switched on the lights upstairs and was welcomed by the green walls of the second floor. Only the main room of the second floor bore that color. Melody’s room had also been painted green, but for reasons other than the coloration or her mane and tail. Oddly enough, she requested for her bedroom to be painted green because of changelings.

Instead of being afraid of changelings and the rumors running around them since their failed invasion two weeks ago, Melody was a big fan of them. She had even called them “cute” and “awesome” in her class. Following that, they had summoned Star Blaze at the school to discuss her behavior and their family background to have a better understanding of the filly out of concern for her.

Despite that, Melody had asked her brother if they could paint her room green and make it changeling themed. Truly, Star Blaze was jealous of his sister’s innocence.

He tucked her in bed and headed to his room, ready to call it a night himself. The day had been rough on him, and all he wished for was a good night’s rest. He entered his room without turning the lights on and unfastened his armor’s straps with his magic. With that out of the way, he grabbed his armor and stored it inside of the dresser in the back of his room.

Once that was done, he headed over to where his bed was instinctively and found his way under the blankets. It did not take long for him to fall prey to slumber once he laid his head on his pillow.

----

The next morning, Star was roused from his sleep by the joyful laughter of his sister who was currently jumping all over his bed with the biggest of smiles on her face.

“Melody…?” Star asked while still half-asleep, his eyes not fully open yet. “What are you doing? I’m trying to sleep here.”

“You’ve had enough sleep for this morning!” Melody exclaimed defiantly. “You promised you’d come and play with me in the meadows of Neighagra Falls.”

“Augh. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be out of bed, Melody.”

“Yay!” Melody’s happy shout alongside the hug she gave her brother made his heart melt.

Melody Swiftsong, or simply Melody, could barely keep her eagerness and joy to herself. Her jumps were ecstatic with anticipation, and she hummed a soft tune as she danced around the living room downstairs.

It was only after a cup of coffee that he had remembered the promise he made to his sister the week before. Now fully awake, Star began packing the necessary food for their trip to the Neighagra Falls and asked Melody if she had decided on what she wanted to eat for the day while they would be gone.

“I don’t mind having whatever it is you’re having, big bro!” Melody chimed playfully. Her golden eyes didn’t help Star’s case in finding her demeanor adorable. She just continued to jump around the living room as Star was preparing the last of their supplies.

Star Blaze made a mental list of what he was to bring while he looked that the content that lay inside the basket. There were two daisy sandwiches, a few apples, and two bottles of fresh apple juice still sealed tight along with some cheese. The stallion closed the lid of the basket when he confirmed he had everything he wanted to bring.

He ignited his horn, grabbed the basket’s handle with his telekinetic hold and moved it behind his head to gently place it on his back. After that was done, the stallion grabbed two pieces of rope and steadied the basket on his back so it wouldn’t fall when making his way to the Neighagra Falls.

“Melody!” The stallion called out to be sure the filly could hear him. She had that nasty habit of being oblivious to everypony around her once excited.

“Yes?” Melody replied back in a sweet chime. A few seconds later, her head appeared in the framing of the hallway leading to the front door. “Are we ready to go now?”

“Indeed, we are, little one,” Star Blaze told her with a soft smile.

“Yay! We’re going on an adventure!” The little filly ran through the hallway and stopped right next to her brother before giving him another grin.

That filly loves to make my heart melt, Star thought as he opened the door.

How It All Began

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The Melody of The Heart

Chapter One: How It All Began

Written by Star Origin

The pair of ponies left their houses a few hours after the crack of dawn. Star Blaze let out a yawn and brought a hoof to his mouth. Despite the two cups of coffee, getting up this early was still unbelievably harsh on him. He locked the door behind and made sure to check if the lunch basket was secured on his back.

His hours in Canterlot, coupled with the long hours of commuting every day, barely helped his condition. But a promise was a promise. He looked back at her sister, who was currently hopping left and right, and he couldn’t help but smile. She was a precious thing indeed, what with the skip in her gait and her broad smile. She did make sure to stay close to him, though.

Star looked into the distance as he guided himself and his sister to the train station. By this time, the train station was sure to be open, and trains would likely be departing. His only problem with their trip to Neighara Falls was that they would have to get off at the Hollow Shades station. He hated the prospect of going to the Hollow Shades.

He shook his head when he felt the negative thoughts pour in his mind. This wasn’t the time to sulk on having to go to the Hollow Shades. They’d only be there for a few moments anyway. As Star watched the streets come up empty at every turn, he could have sworn it wasn’t all that early anymore.. No doubt a consequence of the weekend syndrome, he reasoned as he shrugged and continued on his way.

The stroll through the streets of Manehattan was uneventful; it was rather pleasant, if anything. Apart from the sun glaring straight into his eyes, which he cursed at a few times under his breath, the light breeze that brushed through his mane was refreshing, and it offered an opportunity to change his mood.

“I’m so glad those bullies aren’t out today,” Melody squeaked from behind Star with a fragile voice.

Star nodded, keeping his smile curled on his lips. Inside, however, he boiled. That wasn’t the first time she had mentioned bullies, and he had talked to the principal multiple times. Nothing had been done so far, and it angered Star, resulting in him blowing a few puffs of smoke out of his nose. There was no need for her to be so apprehensive.

“Tell you what, Melody. Next time they try to bully you, just stand your ground and give them a stern talking to. That’ll take them by surprise. Stay calm, but speak your mind. Okay?”

Melody nodded and skidded up ahead. Star lowered his head and nuzzled Melody’s cheek. Her ears eventually fell atop her mane, and she looked back down. Looked like his little piece of advice met a stone wall.

“I tried to stand up to myself before, but this other filly, Glimmer Heart, still made fun of me. She keeps teasing me for liking different things.”

He’d heard of that one too. Glimmer Heart was the grade’s bully. Most of the children were scared of her and her gang. Star hadn’t been the first one to complain to the principal about that filly, but nothing was done about it.

He was about to say something in return when he spotted the train station in the distance and nudged Melody. Her ears perked, and her smile grew wider again, creeping all the way to her ears almost. She bounced up ahead before Star tugged her back by the tail with his magic.

She looked back at him with a frown and pout, before exploding in a bundle of giggles when she noticed his smile. “You’re lucky you’re big and strong or else I’d get you back for that, mister!”

He nodded, and he scooped her up in his magic. He sat her just in front of the food basket he balanced on his back. “Yes, yes. You can still tussle my mane and claim a victory if you want.”

He caught her poking out her tongue at him, and he flicked one of his ears and offered her a quick wink. Her reaction was priceless. She froze, her cheeks turning pink.

Objective accomplished! Star looked at the schedule board for the trains and slid a hoof against the glass until he saw what he was looking for. Departures for Hollow Shade. There was one departure bound in half an hour. They were going to board that one for sure. The only other departure wasn’t until another three hours.

He looked at the clock by the ticket booth and noted the time. Eight and a half. If the train ride was approximately an hour and a half, and walking to Neighara Falls took three hours at best, they would be at their destination come the middle of the afternoon or so. He winced when he considered the time he would get back with Melody. Way too late for a filly her age.

But a promise was a promise. Star walked to the booth and greeted the pony sitting behind the glass.

“Two roundtrip tickets for Hollow Shades, please.”

♫

Star stretched his legs the moment he stepped out of the train car. He took a look around and sighed. Hollow Shades was just so glum and dark. The Deepwoods was not a place he liked to visit. Through all of his few visits in the past, he always felt like there was animosity directed at him. This time was no exception, either.

Melody didn’t share the same apprehension to the Hollow Shades by the way she glanced at the ponies that strolled through the paths of the town. The city of Hollow Shades was not mighty or impressive like Manehattan, but for a town in the middle of the woods, it wasn’t too shabby. Their houses were mostly built with wood and other materials. There were barely any traces of cement or concrete anywhere, which made it impressive that the city was so lively, to begin with.

“Are those bat ponies, Star?” Melody asked, eyes wide and mouth agape. She was too busy gawking at the seemingly old town to notice, or hear, the ponies grumbling behind her as they tried to worm their way around and between the pair.

“They are. We are in the Hollow Shades, Melody. I don’t know if you saw that in class, but it’s where most bat ponies live.” He put her on his back looked up at the time. Fifteen before eleven. “Anyway, hang on tight. We’re going for a stroll!”

He bolted forward, and he heard Melody squeak in surprise. She wrapped her hooves around his neck and pulled herself against his back. He made a mental note about this, but he kept running as fast as he could. The wind blew past his orange mane as he followed the railroad, each one of his stomps slightly sinking in the soil beneath his hooves.

The faster he was out of the Deepwoods, the better he would feel. Time was lost to Star by the time he galloped out of the forest, and he was greeted by the sun’s warm light. He squinted and kept his head down. Right. The sun was likely near its zenith. No wonder its light was so unbearable.

He slowed his gallop into gentle trots and stared at the vast green distance as well at the massive waterfall that he could faintly hear from his spot. He stopped in his tracks and took a long breath. He flared his nostrils and exhaled slowly. The refreshing breeze of the outside world was a much welcome treat to the stallion.

Star gave his back a small bump, turning his head to look at Melody with a smile. She answered with a smile of her own. With a gesture of his eyes, he said, “All right. You can climb down now, Melody. From here, it’s just a matter of walking to the meadows. It shouldn’t take that long either.”

True to his words, once they began walking towards their destination, time began to fly off. They talked about everything and nothing, sometimes cracking a joke. The wind treated them fairly, and the occasional clouds spared them the sun’s harsh glare. It was the ideal day to spend some quality time with his sister.

When the sun became too much to bear, and Star took notice of Melody’s exhaustion, he stopped, yanked her up in his magic and pulled her close despite her insistence on continuing.

“Melody,” he said firmly. “The last thing I need is to have you collapse.” He gestured to the outskirts of a forest and arched an eyebrow. “We can afford to take a little break. The meadows aren’t going anywhere.”

Melody puffed her cheeks and crossed her little legs over her chest, staring harshly at her brother. Star pulled out his tongue and pressed a hoof against her belly. She burst in squeaks and giggled when he did, using all of her legs to try and push him back, but to no avail. She squirmed helplessly at his mercy until he gave her respite. She quickly scurried away from him, glaring at him once she had dried the tears in her eyes.

“No fair! You know I’m ticklish there!” she exclaimed, giggles still plaguing her voice.

“Yes, yes. I’m the big bad. Now, get to those trees before I tickle you again,” Star said, taking a quick step forward.

She leaped back and cried with a hearty laughter, scampering to the spot her brother had gestured some brief minutes before he assaulted her with tickles. With a nod, he followed behind with a slow and relaxed gait.

He looked up and immediately squinted his eyes. Too bright! He splayed his ears and let out a curse under his breath. He kept his head down as he joined his sister’s side beneath a large fir tree. Once he sat down, Melody leaned against him and poked her head up at him.

“Can I help you, princess?” he asked with a grin, to which she responded with a roll of her eyes, and a giggle nonetheless.

She nodded, taking a few deep breaths while he arched an eyebrow. What she wanted exactly, he didn’t know, but he’d likely find out soon enough.

“Do you think Mom and Dad are gonna come home anytime soon?” she asked, those golden eyes of her practically begging him for an answer.

He bit his lip and looked away for a moment. Think fast, he reminded himself. He lifted his head and took a deep breath. Try to look emotional too. After all, she didn’t need to know. Not yet.

“Maybe? I dunno, sis. You know how it is with them, they just come and go. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them too. I’m starting to worry work’s gotten the better of their time.”

Her ears splayed, and she looked down, resting her head on his hind legs. She sighed, looking away from him. Sweat rolled down his brow, and he continued looking down at her, dragging a hoof to parse through her mane. She jumped a bit, but she was quick to melt under gentle caresses on her head.

“Oh… I just want to see them and tell them all about what I’ve learned in school. Do you think they heard about the changelings?! I’m gonna tell them all about the changelings if they haven’t.”

Star chuckled, perking an eyebrow at her excitement, but he did nothing else. It wasn’t his place to crush her happiness. She deserved to be happy for as long as the world allowed her to be. In need of a change of mind, he roused his magic and dug through the small basket he had been carrying with his magic until now, getting a pair of sandwiches.

Melody gave him an odd stare, and she frowned. “H-hey! Those are for the meadow!” she squeaked angrily.

“I packed for lunch and dinner, Melody,” Star answered with a smug smile, wiggling his ears. “Now, eat up before I decide to eat your lunch.”

She squealed and wrangled the sandwich from his magic, stuffing it in her mouth and munching loudly, staring back at him and offering a single wink with a broad smile

♫

By the time they reached Neighara Falls or at least the general area where the meadows were most famous for, the sun had begun to set. Star guessed it was late afternoon by the way the sun still shone in the sky, but that was soon going to change.

There wasn’t much to be afraid of the immediate area. Neighara Falls wasn’t some kind of freaky forest like the Everfree. It was just a peaceful place, away from most ponies and dangers. It was essentially the safest place to enjoy dinner with friends and family.

As the pair walked through the forest, rambling and teasing each other, the sun finally set. Darkness soon began to creep on them, forcing them to hurry up. They would have continued on their path if Star hadn’t stopped dead in his track. Melody noticed it, and she turned back to stare at him, but before any sound came out of her, he pulled her behind him with his magical aura.

“H-hey! What are you doing? We need to hurry up before it gets too dark!” She cried, struggling to break away from his magic.

He gestured to his mouth and glared at her. She instantly went dead quiet. He rarely glared this intensely at her, and he wished he never had to do it, but this time was different.

His ears were perched high on his head, eyes scanning the forest around them. He knew he had seen figures dancing through the darkness the trees provided and he didn’t like that one bit. If it had been other ponies on the track, he would have ignored it, but this wasn’t normal. Normal ponies didn’t move this efficiently through the darkness.

“Stay quiet and stay back!” he hissed at Melody. Right now, her safety was number one, and whether or not she appreciated how he acted at the moment was way above his current list of priority. He needed to make sure nothing happened to her.

He charged his horn, rearing up, and then brought all of his weight down, hurling an orb of light in the forest until it hit a tree and illuminated the whole area. Star spotted some of the ponies under his spell’s light: ponies that wore midnight black garbs, masks included in that too.

“Come out! I know you’re there. Identify yourself, and no one will get hurt,” Star shouted, his voice echoing through the whole area. “I am a royal guard. Come out where I can see your faces.”

To his dismay, the ponies did as he ordered. The all made their way out of the bushes and the shadows the trees gave them. And each and every single one of them was armed. Mercenaries, no doubt about that! But what were mercenaries doing in the middle of nowhere?

“’Fraid we’re gonna have our differences if you’re with the guards, lad. Don’t struggle and we won’t hurt you. Now, step aside and let us through.”

“Go back to Salvation. Your kind isn’t welcome in Equestria!” barked Star, pawing his hoof on the ground and flaring his nostrils.

“Heh. Fine. Your funeral, then. Get him, boys. And grab that filly after you’re gone. She might fetch a good price at the trading house.”

Fury swelled in Star’s chest, and he shot a magical projectile at the presumed leader. The missile hit its mark straight in the face and sent the masked pony rolling back several feet away, grunting and hacking all the while.

All five ponies scattered to the darkness of the forest, leaving Star to rely only on his ears. He whipped his head left and right, extending his legs into an offensive stance. He pushed himself back when he heard the rustling of leaves near him, and barely dodged a blade aimed at his throat.

He charged his horn again and shot a magical bolt at the ground the moment he was back on all four hooves, pushing himself forward once the dust rose in the air. Star caught a glimpse of the assaulting figure, and spun on his front hooves, rearing his hind legs and striking that pony with a mighty buck. He heard a scream and the sound of something grinding against the ground

However, he was too slow on the uptake when the leader of those ponies emerged from the dust, blade in his mouth. Star did manage to evade the first strike, barely. His build was extremely restraining regarding mobility, and when that pony flared his wings and burst at him once more, Star was unable to save himself from the stinging bite of the blade.

The dagger sank into the fur and flesh of his flank, leaving a trail of blood trailing down his hind leg. He grunted and cursed loudly at the pain, charging his horn again when a loud roar split the air. All ponies, himself included, froze at the sound. Whatever creature that was, it was scaring every single one of them. One of the masked ponies fidgeted, while the others hauled the unconscious one over another’s back and then flocked to the leader.

“Boss! We didn’t sign up for this! Let’s take the filly and scram.”

“You heard him, boys. On your hooves and out of here!” the leader exclaimed as he began to run past Star.

But Star wouldn’t have any of that. Just as quick as he was to turn around, the stallion raised a barrier around Melody and glared at the ponies trying to break said shield. “Give it up. With each passing moment you spend trying to break this, the closer whatever this is will get to you all.”

The cloaked stallion scoffed and bared his teeth before he turned to his ponies and ran away. Star smiled and released the magic that shielded Melody. He huffed and panted once that was done, turning the other way to face whatever was coming.

To say he was overly surprised when a manticore burst into his vision was a massive understatement. He tried to move his body as the massive beast rushed at him, bloodlust in its eyes, but his legs refused to comply. Star’s eyes widened at the distance that separated him from the creature. Not only was a manticore the last thing he expected in Neighara Falls, he now found his body unresponsive to his every command.

No matter how much he willed legs to avoid the claw that quickly swooped down at him, he was left utterly helpless when it hit him, and he was sent flying into a tree. The air was knocked out of his lungs, and he felt the warm trickle of blood on his belly. With his breathing quickening, he looked down to see several gashes running all along his barrel, blood oozing out profusely from them.

His eyes shot up to Melody when Star heard her scream, and his heart clenched in his chest. He tried to get up, but whatever was plaguing his body held him in place, plus the pain of his wound was slowly starting to get more intense. Had the blade of that mercenary been dipped in paralyzing poison? Whatever that was, it was really potent.

He was forced to watch the manticore press its giant paw over Melody’s body. Its tail snaked through the air, the stinger sinking toward Melody and into her chest. The filly screamed, tears forming in her eyes before the pain and the ordeal knocked her unconscious. Star tried to move to get to Melody, but his body still refused to move.

Finally, his efforts yielded a result, and he fell forward, his chest and neck collapsing on the dirt, his eyelids growing heavy. As he kept struggling, keeping his gaze locked on the manticore and his sister, he blinked and noticed an array of swords stuck in the manticore’s back after his vision cleared. The creature roared again, the sounds deafening Star before his vision ultimately failed him and everything went black.

♫

Melody's eyes shot open, and she squirmed in the grass she lay in. Her back was moist and damp. Her eyes weakly traveled along her body to observed the crimson tint that adorned the white of her fur. Her eyes went wide when she finally noticed the hole in her leg. Her mind raced, and she wanted to cry. She wanted to screech and call out for her brother so much, but no sounds came from her. She weakly turned her head to look for Star. He had to be somewhere. He had to.

The right side? Nothing on that side. She painfully turned her head forward to let it fall on her left side. Then, her eyes went wide. Her brother was lying on the grass as she did, covered in blood as well. What shocked her the most was the changeling queen that was towering in front of him. She did not know what was going on, but she wanted her gone. She couldn't touch her brother. She needed him.

For the longest time, nothing seemed to happen between the two, except for the stares they exchanged. Were they talking to each other, or was it just something else? Or maybe— No! He was not dead! Her brother was not dead! Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw his chest rise. He was still alive. Thank Celestia.

That still didn't explain why that changeling was looming over him. Why was she there? What was her purpose here? Melody raised a hoof tentatively as if it could somehow reach her brother and stop that changeling from doing whatever she was up to. Her eyelids grew heavy once more, and as she watched the changeling lower her body and head to touch horns with her brother's, Melody wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but all that came out was a weak dried out gasp that barely resounded without the clearing.

Before she could see much else, her eyelids fell over her eyes, but not before she saw a hint of green in the changeling's direction. She tried to struggle against her aching body, but eventually, her muscles gave up, and her body shut down, leg falling on the grass with barely enough sound to scare a small critter.

Brutal Awakening

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The Melody of The Heart

Chapter Two: Brutal Awakening

Written by Star Origin

“Let’s begin with the simple notions. As you’ve seen when you woke up, changeling hives aren’t just a series of tunnels where we live. Some are like that, while some others are built on the surface, and hives such as ours form an underground kingdom.

“On top of being a kingdom, this hive has another peculiarity: my changelings have individuality. However, the downside to that is that the hive is divided into two factions: those who live by the old ways of my mother and those that want nothing more than peace with Equestria. This makes my role as queen much more complicated than it should be.

“And then there’s the issue of you being in the hive. My changelings have been restless ever since I brought you here, and the council has been questioning me about my motives for turning you into a changeling and integrating your brother into the Voice. That said, I made a promise, and I am not about to break it. Starting today, you are under my jurisdiction. Did you get a— Melody, are you even listening?!” Queen Occento asked the filly, who had apparently not paid attention to anything the queen had told her.

The white changeling slowly raised her head, revealing her puffy eyes and the tear stains on her cheeks. With a weak and tired voice, she said, “Oh, sorry… it’s just... my mind is elsewhere right now. My life will never be the same, will it?”

“I don’t think so, little one, but that isn’t a reason to feel discouraged. Not everything has been lost,” Occento told the filly. “I know you miss your brother right now, but that is not a reason to feel depressed. In time, you’ll like living here.”

“If you say so,” Melody replied with a long sigh, her head hung low again.

Occento looked at the young changeling and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. Her whole world had crumbled around her in the timespan of a single day, and now she was a changeling living in a hive. She didn’t know exactly how to comfort Melody or how to even approach her.

If only things could be easier, Occento thought as she heaved a deep sigh. She didn’t have the best of awakenings ever either.

----

Queen Occento was walking through the halls of her palace with an advisor following behind her. The tall changeling royal answered his numerous questions with a stoic face, and the smaller changeling used his magic to show his queen the various reports and charts about their current love reserves.

The changeling queen didn’t exactly have a good night, and her nerves and patience were not to be trifled with. The advisor, Arconon, often used his political standing as one of the queen’s advisors to blatantly gloat to the other castes of the hive.

Though Occento had tried to do what she could to get rid of the caste system her mother had created, she was having a hard time with that task, and her subjects were not yet ready to part with it.

“And so if we could manage to gather ten more kilograms of our most potent type of transformed love, we’ll be good enough to last until next year. Now that this is out of the way, I have a question for you, Your Majesty,” Arconon told his queen with all the due respects.

Occento groaned internally. She hated snobs like Arconon with a passion, and anypony that tried to lick her hooves could just as well disappear from her sight because putting a hoof on their faces was something she resisted doing.

As the queen, she could do it, but what image would that send to her hive? Occento wasn’t there to be a tyrant. She was ruling her changelings benevolently, except for the few tantrums she threw occasionally. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself.

“My Queen?” Arconon asked with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“I heard you, Arconon,” she replied dryly. “I am not well-rested, so if you’ll please refrain from jumping to the unnecessary details, I would greatly appreciate it. Now, ask your question.”

“Yes, about that. The general populace is still wondering why you brought back that pony with you last year and why they felt a stranger being integrated into the Voice. On a related note, I pray you didn’t intend on making her a changeling?”

“And what if I did?” Occento asked him in reply. The smaller changeling’s breathing stopped momentarily, and he looked at his queen with a frown.

“But, Your Majesty, do you have any idea how much this could affect your position if the public learned of this decision?!”

“I do, Advisor. However, I cannot deviate from my promise. I gave a pony my word that I would save his sister and that is what I have done. There were no other alternatives. She’s lucky enough I managed to find a medical team that was willing to keep the healing pod from turning her into a full changeling, otherwise she may not have been able to handle the love diet.”

“My Queen, that is not a wise decision! I know you count on the changelings of the new ways to welcome this idea, but what about the traditional changelings? They will not be happy about this. All you need to do is get rid of that filly, send her back home and be done with this whole situation,” Arconon finished with a sly smile.

All intellectual activities came to a halt in Occento’s brain for a few seconds as she looked at Arconon dead in the eye. The changeling queen grabbed him in her magical hold and furiously glared at him. Hot air blew from her nostrils as she snarled at him. With a harsh voice, she said, “If I ever hear you say something like that again, I’ll throw you in exile! That filly lost everything! Everything! She doesn’t even know that her brother is dead yet. What do you think will happen to her when she learns? He was the only relative she had. I know, I checked their memories. She’ll be placed under my jurisdiction, and that is final!”

“B-but Your Majesty! Surely you—”

“Are you questioning my decisions, Arconon?” She asked as she glared at him.

“My Queen, this is not a good idea. This can only end badly!”

“Enough!” Occento roared. Arconon yelped and shrank when she lowered her head and shoved her snout against his. “I will not tolerate your insubordination. Begone! You are dismissed!”

“B-b-but what about the reports?” Arconon asked, stammering and letting out a small whimper as Occento glared at him.

“Give them to the council. Right now, I have other things that require my attention, and you’ll not delay me from my schedule!”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

Once Occento was out of his sight, Arconon gave out a sigh of relief, and his legs collapsed under him. He let himself fall to the ground and heaved a second sigh.

----

Upon leaving Arconon to himself in the palace, Queen Occento made a beeline for her personal quarters. Her steps were hasty and lacked in finesse, and she passed by most of the palace staff without even greeting them. She made herself alert to her surroundings, ready to dash to her chambers if she heard anything concerning Melody.

Unfortunately, Occento had prepared for many things, but a high-pitched scream was not one of them. She rushed to the doors of her chambers and burst them open with her magic just in time to see three changelings gathered around a white changeling that looked utterly terrified.

Stop it, you fools! Don’t you see that you’re scaring her?

The three changelings turned around to face their queen, and the one on the left stepped forward and said through the Voice, We’re trying to get her to stop, Your Majesty, but she just won’t.

Of course, she won’t. She has just awakened, and frankly, it must be a terrifying for a foal her age to wake up with just about any stranger gathered around her. For now, you’re all dismissed before all these negative emotions get to you. I will summon you three once things have been taken care of.

As you command, Your Highness.

The three changelings bowed before walking out of Occento’s private quarters. Once the door had been closed behind her, the changeling queen slowly approached the filly and knelt in front of her, using one of her hooves to lift her chin so the queen could have a better look at the filly’s face.

Occento could see that Melody was scared just by looking into her golden eyes. The filly’s cheeks were moist from the tears she had shed. Melody quickly looked around for a way to get out of the room, but she soon found out that, other than the door, there was no escaping the changeling in front of her.

“Do not fear, child. I will not harm you, nor do I wish any harm upon you,” Occento began, wearing a warm smile on her face. “I can see in your eyes that you have questions. Do not fear in asking them; I am not here to harm you.”

“W-who are y-you? W-what have you d-done to my b-brother?” Melody weakly asked through sobs.

“My name is Queen Occento, or simply Occento, and I am the ruler of this hive. As for your brother, I’m afraid to say the news I have concerning him won’t be incredibly joyous.

“Your brother was gravely wounded in the Neighagra Falls, and I tried the best I could to help him. Sadly, he was so worried about you that he valued your safety above his. I tried to make him see reason, but he only refused. I had no other choices than to strike a deal with him,” Occento explained the filly with a guilt-ridden voice. “I am so sorry I couldn’t help him furthermore. You have my deepest condolences, small one.”

“Star’s dead?” Melody repeated absentmindedly, her gaze empty and devoid of cognition. Was that what that flash of green was back then? She killed him. Sadness and anger poured down in her heart as she stared at the queen helplessly. “That’s not true! You’re lying! My brother can’t be dead; he’s the bestest unicorn I know! He can’t die because he said he’d always be there for me!”

The changeling queen’s heart felt like it was being impaled by several blades when she saw the filly burst into tears. Occento hesitantly put a foreleg on Melody’s shoulder and tried to comfort her as best she could.

“Despair not, child. As I have said, your brother’s conscience is still alive and well in the Voice. In due time, you’ll be able to converse with him when you want, but for now, you should be patient. Now, I sense you have more questions for me. Am I right to assume so?” Occento inquired with her unwavering smile.

“W-why does my voice feel different now? Why do I have holes in my hooves? Are those things healthy for me? Am I sick or something? Am I going to die?”

“That brings me to my second point. After making the… offer to your brother, I told him that, to save you, I would need to seal your flesh wounds and bring you back to this hive to begin heavy treatment. Normally, manticore poison is fatal to ponies, but changelings seem to be immune. Simply put, we’ve transformed you into a changeling but not in entirety. I tried my best to find a medical team to help with your recovery, and I assumed the role of songstress for your recovery. It has been a year since we brought you into this hive and put you in stasis. The reason your voice feels so different is because of your new changeling blood on top of your body’s development while you were in stasis.”

“So I’m a year older?” Melody asked, to which Occento answered with a simple nod. “But what about all of my friends in Manehattan? If I’ve been gone for a year, wouldn’t they have come looking for us?”

“They did. The Royal Guards sent a team to investigate Star Blaze’s disappearance from his post in Canterlot, but they never found his body. Since then, you’ve been declared missing, and the searches were eventually called off,” Occento told the filly.

As reassuring as Occento tried to be, most of her efforts were in vain. The filly was still tense and frightened. Occento could smell that much coming from her. The changeling queen tried her hardest to comfort Melody, but it was not enough to quell the filly's emotions.

Seeing that the filly was on the verge of tears, the royal changeling closed her eyes and took a deep breath before rising back to her feet. It was obvious that what Melody needed wasn’t comfort, albeit she could certainly use some, but some time to accept her new reality.

For the moment, leave the filly alone. She needs time, Occento said to the three changelings before she barged out of her quarters,

----

Queen Occento quickly reviewed the recent events in her mind while she sat next to Melody Swiftsong, although the filly was staring blanking at the ground. It was understandable after what she had learned.

Occento remained in silence after Melody responded to her a few minutes before, one part because she didn’t know what to say and the other because she felt any other comment would be out of place. The way this situation was headed, she would need the help of the filly’s brother.

As the thought of involving Star Blaze became enticing to her, an idea formed itself within the queen’s mind. If she were unable to converse with the filly under normal circumstances, perhaps she could have her brother do it for her. For a few seconds, she closed her eyes and plunged her mind into the vast ocean of thoughts that made up the Voice in search of the stallion’s conscience.

Could I have a word with you for a few seconds, Star Blaze? Queen Occento asked.

Is it about my sister? Star queried amusingly. Occento swore she heard him chuckle.

How did you—

I’m her big brother, so I should know the important stuff about her. First off, she’s an extrovert. She has no real issues making friends or anything else for that matter, but she does have a hard time accepting change. You also need to know that, while she likes changelings, she has never seen one before until today. On top of that, you turned her into a changeling so she will need time to adapt, and like I just said, she doesn’t exactly like change all that much. It’s just a matter of knowing how to deal with her, Star Blaze told the queen thoroughly.

Actually, I was thinking about using you as a medium to talk to her to get her to open up. I placed her under my jurisdiction so it would be better if I had your support to make this happen.

Oh, by all means, go right ahead. It’s been a while since I’ve spoken with my sister, Star Blaze answered cheerfully if his tone meant anything.

Occento pulled Star’s conscience out of the Voice when she withdrew and nodded to herself. She turned to face Melody, who was still pouting and looking down at the ground.

“Would you like to converse with your brother, Melody?”

Melody’s ears roused to life when she heard the mention of the word ‘brother’, and she instantly turned to face Occento. The filly nodded excitedly before her ears drooped and she averted her eyes from Occento. She had told her he was dead? How could she talk to him?

"B-b-but, you said that he died and that they never found his body!"

She had a point. That was exactly what Occento had implied. But she'd said too much already. She needed the filly to trust her. She knelt down and put her hoof under her chin so she could look deep in Melody golden eyes. "Queens can sometimes keep conscious minds alive within their own for some time. The pony named Star Blaze still lives on, but in a different way. If you let me in, I can show you."

A tingling sensation rippled through Melody's body when Occento forcefully pressed the tip of her horn on her brow. Shivers ran through her spine, but they were soon replaced by a warmth that felt awfully familiar to her. Trying as best she could, she simply could not identify to whom it belonged to.

This feels weird. It’s like somepony entered in my mind.

In a way, I did, but because I brought somepony along with me. You will find out for yourself soon.

The voice of the queen that resonated in the Melody’s mind left her even more confused than she was just a few seconds ago.

What did she mean?

Melody, whatever you do, do not panic!

Melody had not expected to hear the voice that had just echoed through her mind. Just earlier that day, Occento had told her that her brother had died, and she had now just heard the voice of her brother for reasons she could not fathom. She brought a hoof to her mouth in shock, her lips quivering.

Tears formed in her eyes, and a few of them rolled down her cheeks, staining the sheets of the bed. She tried to form thoughts, but her every attempt failed.

It made no sense. How could a dead pony interact with her? Various questions swirled around in her head concerning what was happening to her, and the more she tried to figure them out, the more she hurt herself.

Are you so surprised that you’ve lost your ability to speak, let alone think?

But how? Melody asked herself, confused. The whole situation made no sense to the small changeling. Isn’t he supposed to be dead or something?

Well, yes and no. I’m talking to you, so that’s proof I’m not dead, but that’s as far as it goes. I’m just another conscience in the Voice. The good thing is that I can easily be contacted. You’ll have to thank Queen Occento for that, Star Blaze replied, his mental tone joyful and cheery.

Please, you’re making me blush, young one. I merely gave you a choice and you took it, that’s all. In any case, I do believe you have something to tell her, Star Blaze? Occento asked calmly.

I’m dreaming! That’s it, this is all a nightmare that I’m going to wake up from any time soon, and when I do, Star’s gonna be next to me, and he’ll try to comfort me like he always does. I just need to wake up!

Melody jumped in surprise when she heard the queen chuckle softly, breaking the link connecting Occento to her mind. The filly looked up to the taller changeling and saw Occento looking down at her form with a simple smile and unreadable eyes.

If it had not been for the wall behind her, Melody would have tried to escape from the queen’s gaze, but on top of being mesmerizing, the queen’s gaze froze her in place.

Queen Occento licked her fangs playfully before she said, “Your fears are unfounded, small one. Had I wanted to make you into a mindless slave, what advantage would I gain from leaving you free will?”

“That’s—” Melody began just before she stopped herself. The queen had a point, and it was hard to refute.

“I told you earlier, I do not wish to bring harm upon you. I made a promise to your brother, and I want to uphold it,” Occento replied.

“I still don’t have a reason to trust you!” Melody snapped, pursing her lips into a pout and lowering her eyes to avoid Occento’s piercing gaze who just smiled back at her joyfully.

“Perhaps so, but let me ask you this: why would I turn you into a slave if I said that my changelings had been granted individuality earlier?”

“I–uh–I… I don’t know!”

“Then let me shed some light on the matter,” Queen Occento announced with a calm voice and demeanor. “The voice you heard in your head was your brother’s, and there is little doubt of that. I integrated him into the Voice with his consent. Since you emerged from your pod yesterday, it was safe to assume you would take time to get used to the Voice and the endless stream of thoughts echoing in its every corner.

“The reason I used my horn and touched your brow with it was so I could manually link you into the Voice so you could have a conversation with your brother,” Occento continued. “Isn’t it your deepest desire to at least talk to him again, small one?”

“It is, but I-I’m not sure if I can trust you,” Melody answered softly, rubbing her little legs against each other sheepishly as she kept her gaze locked on the ground. She refused to raise it to meet Occento’s.

The smaller changeling was taken by surprise when Occento’s chest heaved with laughter. “You are intriguing, small one. Your entire body radiates with contradicting emotions.”

Melody was taken aback by the queen’s comment. She quickly brought a hoof to her mouth in a swift ark of her left leg.

“W-w-what do y-y-you m-mean?” Melody asked aghast. Her voice had grown fearful, and her stammering had increased considerably.

“At ease, small one,” Queen Occento whispered softly, her voice sounding like a lullaby in Melody’s ears. “You are intriguing because you want to trust me and yet, you don’t want to do so at the same time. You need not fear me, for I am here to support you in adapting to your new life.”

“S-so… d-does that m-mean I can s-speak to my b-brother? Really?” Melody asked meekly, her facial expression showing nothing but a frown. She lowered her gaze to the ground until she could hear confirmation from the changeling queen.

Though the queen never answered Melody’s inquiry directly, she did something else. She only brought her horn against Melody’s and let her warm and soft breath caress the filly’s mane, softly blowing it aside. The filly closed her eyes when Queen Occento brought her horn against hers and let another wave of warmth fill her body.

She felt all her stress that had accumulated over the day get washed away by the warmth. The queen’s soft breath against her mane and forehead made her remember all the times Star Blaze had tucked her into bed, and how the soft kisses he gave her on the forehead would simply lull her to sleep.

There was no other way to describe this feeling that was coursing through her body: she felt at peace.

So, how’s my little sunshine doing? Star Blaze asked his sister through the telepathic link Occento was providing, his deep voice echoing through the link and almost reverberating continuously through Melody’s mind, effectively causing another wave of this peaceful feeling she felt to wash all over her mind and body again.

His voice and the memories of what had happened a year before came back rushing into her mind, and all the memories crashed against her brain. Her golden eyes slightly swelled in size, and tears formed at the base of her new golden lenses. They soon began to dribble on her cheeks, staining her pure white coat, just as she started to sob and sniffle.

I’m so sorry, Star! It’s all my fault!

~End of Chapter Two~

The Hive

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The Melody of the Heart

Chapter Three: The Hive
Written by Star Origin

As Melody Swiftsong continued bawling her eyes out, both Queen Occento and Star Blaze tried to calm her down. Occento attempted to do that by sitting on her stomach and silently placing a hoof on her shoulder. The queen began to sing the same lullaby her mother used to sing to her in the hopes it would appease Melody.

Still, the filly firmly believed that it was because of her that her life had taken a sudden turn. It was true that she had always liked changelings, and she was quite open about that fact, but she didn’t know what to think now that she was one inside a hive.

None of this was your fault, Melody. Don’t you dare believe that for even a second. Fate just had a different plan in store for us, Star Blaze told his sister firmly, and yet softly at the same time. I’ll always be there for you, little sister. But for now, I can’t follow you where you’re going, not in the state I am anyway. You need to have faith in Queen Occento. She’ll take care of you where I can’t physically anymore. You’ll see, she’s kind, especially towards younglings.

But she looks kind of scary. She looks exactly like Queen Chrysalis from when she invaded Canterlot, Melody retorted, bringing a valid point.

She may have the looks, but she told me they are nothing alike.

It was true. Apart from her mane, the shell on her back, her tail, and her eyes, Queen Occento and Queen Chrysalis had the same body structure. What really distinguished the two queens was that Occento’s mane and tail were done braids and her dark purple eyes. The shell on her back was golden and her overall gaze and facial expressions were usually calm, kind and peaceful.

But that was as far as their resemblances went. From what Melody had seen in the newspaper, Chrysalis looked more devious than anything she had seen from Occento. The queen that stood in front of her was merely looking at her, her long mane softly caressing Melody’s fore hooves, with her mesmerizing purple eyes.

I guess I can give her a chance.

That’s the spirit!

I’m sorry for intruding in your family moment, but I should probably mention that even though I am the queen of this hive, ripping a single conscience from the Voice consumes a considerable amount of energy. This is as long as I can drag Star Blaze until you get used to the Voice, Occento told the siblings.

Aw! Melody began, pursing her lips in a pout and furrowing her brow. Was that really all the time we had?

I’m afraid so, small one. Worry not, for before long, you’ll be able to freely access the Voice.

As Melody wiped her tears away, she let out a long yawn, surprising her all the while. A smile crept across Occento’s mouth. The queen let out a chuckle at the scene in front of her, simply choosing to ignite her horn and taking the filly to the bed she had asked to be brought to her chambers a month before.

“I’m sure today has been extremely draining for you emotionally speaking. You deserve a good night’s rest. Tomorrow, I’ll show you my hive. I promise you, you’ll like how it looks,” Occento told Melody.

The changeling queen leaned down and gave Melody a soft kiss on her forehead. The filly gave Occento an uncertain smile but otherwise seemed to now trust Occento. At least more than Melody did earlier. Queen Occento grasped the sheets of Melody’s bed with her telekinetic hold and pulled them over the filly before the former closed the lights and opened the doors of her chambers.

Occento cleared her throat and sweetly said, “Sweet dreams, little one.”

With that, Melody closed her golden eyes, squirming from one side to another in a quest to find a comfortable position on this new bed. About an hour had passed before exhaustion got to her and her world slowly faded away in the dreamscape.

That night, she would dream of herself playing in a large field with Star Blaze without a care in the world.

————

The next morning, Melody awoke slowly. She felt like pebbles were perched on her eyebrows so much it was difficult for her to open them. Fragments of her dream were floating around in her mind. She was about to call Star to see if he was going to respond.

Her ears fell flat against her head when she finally opened her eyes. She was in Queen Occento’s chambers. Somehow, the architectural patterns of her chambers had made Melody forget she was actually in an underground kingdom to begin with. The only other sound audible was a soft breathing, Occento’s if Melody had to guess.

Still, Occento’s soft breathing was relaxing enough for the filly. The only disadvantage she found with the hive right now was that she was unable to guess the time by looking outside. She looked around in hopes of finding something that could indicate her the time. When she could not find such an item, she pursed her lips in a pout and furrowed her brow.

Melody thought about asking Occento about the time, but just as she opened her mouth, the words coiled in her throat and she found herself unable to produce a single sound. She considered her options and eventually opted out for returning to sleep until Occento would be up too. After a few rolls in her bed, her mind drifted away again.

Melody was woken up a few hours later by the sound of somepony marching back and forth in the queen’s chambers. She had an easier time opening her eyes this time around. In front of her was Queen Occento, strolling back and forth nervously. Beads of sweat, barely noticeable against her smooth chitin, were making their way down her face and neck.

Her eyelids seemed nonexistent. Her pupils had shrunk to the size of peas and her pacing looked completely frantic. Melody was no expert in sensing distress, but it was more than clear that the queen in front of her was not taking things easy this morning.

“Umm,” Melody began, her voice sounding no louder than a whisper, “I don’t think I asked yesterday, but how should I call you? With you being queen around here, I mean.”

Occento was caught by surprise by Melody’s soft voice and she suddenly jumped a few inches off the ground. She looked at Melody, wide-eyed, and looked at herself in her mirror a moment later. Her mane was a mess. It was a mess and it was undone rather than in braids as she usually styled her mane.

“Oh dear. I want to clarify: I am not always like that in the mornings. I just received rather dire news upon waking up,” Occento explained carefully, her mouth barely keeping up with what she was saying. “As for your question, when it’s just us, you can call me Occento. I don’t mind. The only changelings you should address me by my title are the chancellors and my advisors. Every other changeling prefers to use my title before my name as a proof of respect. I also don’t plan on involving you in a lot of politics, little one.”

“Wha—” Melody began before she was interrupted by somepony knocking at the door,

“What is it? I thought I had specifically asked to not be disturbed for the moment.”

“My Queen, Crescere has just arrived,” the guard told Occento.

Occento’s warm smile faded away in a matter of seconds. The moment she heard those words, her entire facial expression became serious. She quickly processed the information, acknowledging it through a simple and brief now, and then replied, “Very well. Give me a few minutes to get prepared and I’ll be heading down there. No, actually, lead him into the palace and accommodate him in Room 225. Bring him some snacks as well and refine two love crystals from my personal reserve in case he’s been starved.”

“As you command, my Queen.”

A few hoofsteps were heard before they dissipated into the distance. After that was done, Occento ignited her horn and grabbed a brush standing on her overly large dressing table. With her magic, she caught several locks of hair from her mane and started weaving them together, lacing the first section of her braid.

“Occento, who’s this Crescere he was talking about?” Melody inquired from where she was sitting on her bed.

“Crescere is one of my changeling that left the hive to go live with his mate in the Crystal Empire. Apparently, Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza found out that he was a changeling, interrogated him and obtained valuable information about our hive’s location. I was told they sent him back with an ultimatum: they want to meet with me. If I don’t come, the Crystal Empire will go to war against our hive and I have until the end of the week to give out an answer,” Occento explained slowly to allow the filly to understand everything and keep it simple altogether. “It seems Prince Shining Armor still holds a grudge against changelings after what Chrysalis did in Canterlot.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Melody asked, her head slightly craned to her right and her left hoof softly touching her lower lip.

“Well, if I go out there and meet with them to see what they actually want, things should be okay. Whatever the matter is, though, I will not let this hive go to war.”

“How come?”

“Because we can’t go to war. Apart from the few guards we have here in the palace and those patrolling the outskirts of the hive, we have no military organization. I disbanded those my mother had created a few decades ago. This hive is a peaceful one, despite what ponies may say about us,” Occento said, lacing the last locks of her mane into the final section of her braid and finishing it with a knot all the while.

“I still don’t understand most of it, but you don’t want your changelings to fight, right?” Melody inquired.

“I want to avoid so at all costs. Now come, we’re going to see Crescere.” When Occento saw that Melody seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea of being near another changeling, she walked up to the filly and gently whispered, “Don’t worry, little one. He loves foals, on top of him having his own with his mate right now.”

“If you say so, Occento. When are we going?”

“Just as soon as I’m done with your mane; it’s all messed up. If I had to say, you roll in your sleep.”

Occento grabbed Melody in her telekinetic hold and brought her to her dressing table. There, she grabbed a smaller brush and she began straightening Melody’s mane, which looked like a tornado had gone through it.

The filly squirmed at the firm touch of the brush several times and complained that Occento was too rough. Sadly, her complaint went over Occento and the queen just kept brushing her mane with the same force. Finally, Melody’s torment ended when Occento put down the brush and began grabbing locks of hair from Melody’s mane, attaching ribbons to each lock and tying them in small ponytails, just the way Melody liked her mane.

“There, all done!” Occento let out, giggling all the while. “Now, are you ready?”

A nod from Melody was all that Occento needed to ignite her horn again, grabbing the door knobs and pushing open the doors to her chambers, Melody following behind.

————

“I do hope you feel comfortable, being back at the hive again, Crescere,” Occento began, once she had sat in front of the purple-eyed changeling.

“Of course, I do, Occento. I hope you don’t mind me using your name so casually,” Crescere told Occento, rubbing his hooves together. "I was planning on visiting and maybe present my wife to the hive, but recent events have made things tough for the both of us,

“So, I take it she has seen your natural form then?”

“Of course, she has! I showed it to her before we became engaged. You should see my daughter, she’s so cute, just like the little one over there,” Crescere said, glancing towards Melody, who shied away from his gaze. “Speaking of which, who is this little one right here, Occento?”

“This is Melody Swiftsong. She is the newest addition to the hive, although certainly not by her choice.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

Occento looked down at Melody and remained in silence until the filly gave a quick nod. Then, Occento explained, “She was with her brother in the Neighagra Falls region when they were attacked by slave traders and eventually left off to fight with a manticore. Her brother managed to ward off the manticore, although not before being mortally wounded. As for her, she was poisoned. Her brother cared more about her life than he did his, so I offered to integrate him within the Voice. I had no choice but to turn Melody into a changeling, but I didn’t want her to change her diet to love entirely. While I know pony food has a taste for us, it offers no nourishment for changelings so I attended her transformation as the songstress and only made her a hybrid. That way, she can live by eating both types of food: emotions and pony food.”

“I see. But what about her parents? Surely you’ve informed them of her current predicament. Now that I think about it, how long has she been here?”

“She was kept in stasis in a recovery pod for an entire year and only got out of her pod recently. As for her parents, they’re not exactly home very often.”

Unbeknownst to Melody, Occento linked her mind to Crescere through the Voice and blocked her out for what she was about to say.

They’re dead. They died in a magical incident in Manehattan. Apparently, they were researchers there.

The poor thing! Does she know about it, though?

Sadly, she does not. Her brother did not see it fit to tell her this information at her current age. Her happiness mattered over everything, and as long as she was happy, he ensured that things were kept that way.

“Moving on,” Occento continued, making Crescere and Melody’s ears jump to life, “you said you had a daughter. I was wondering when you’d finally get laid, you silly colt!”

Crescere’s chitin took a crimson tint as blood rushed to his cheeks. He rubbed his forelegs together and met with Queen Occento’s gaze, and said, “I… But… My Queen, there’s a child listening!”

“So it seems. Did you know that sex education helps prepare children for the future? Maybe you should give it a try with your daughter when she’s older,” Occento cooed, finishing with a giggle.

“What’s sex education?” Melody innocently asked, her eyes switching over from Crescere and Occento regularly.

“This is highly inappropriate, Occento! Can we focus on the reason we’re here to begin here?” Crescere asked Occento, his cheeks burning red.

“Killjoy,” Occento huffed, her lips pursed in a playful grin. “Very well, would you be willing to share your tale with us?”

Of course,” Crescere smoothly answered. “Allow me to begin with what happened last week. You see, after I had finished working, exactly a week ago from now, I started making my way home, but something felt… off. It felt like I was being followed. After a few minutes, I shrugged the feeling away, but once I arrived at my house and opened the front door, I found guards waiting for me instead of my loving wife.

“I asked them what the problem was, but just as I had finished my sentence, Prince Shining Armor came into view and told me to drop my disguise. I offered no resistance to his demand other than telling him I would not do it until I knew my wife was safe. He confronted me, saying that she was not my wife, and asked where her real husband was.”

“The nerve of that pony!”

“To that,”—Crescere took a deep breath, his gaze now on the ground—“I told him that he was standing right in front of him. He then ordered me to remove my disguise and so I did. Not long after I did, he let my wife come into the doorway, only to place me under arrest right in front of her. I mean, after what Chrysalis put him through, Prince Shining Armor’s hate towards changelings is justified, but what he did was utterly cruel. I could see my wife’s face as she tried to stop the guards from taking me away, but they never listened to her pleas.”

“As justified as it is, you had just received citizenship in Equestria. You were a legal citizen of the kingdom. Unless somepony ratted you out, in which case you could bring that somepony to court for invasion of privacy, there were no grounds on which the Royal Guards could have arrested you. I swear, I’m going to give Prince Shining Armor a piece of my mind,” Occento said, a stream of steam blowing out of her nostrils as her hindlegs stroke violently against the floor.

“R-right. As I was saying, when they locked me in the dungeons, I spent two days in solitary confinement before the guards came back to me, saying they had a few questions to ask me. When I said that I would not give out any information until I was sure of what they’d do with it, they just threw me back in my cell. I spent a few more days in there with only an uncomfortable bed and a bucket. They starved me until I gave in to their questions and told them about the location of our hive,” Crescere said, taking a long and well-deserved breath.

“It seems like there will be much to discuss when I will be meeting with Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. I will not tolerate actions of this kind against my changelings.”

“I’m sorry, Occento. I failed both you and the hive.”

“Don’t be. You did the right thing. If you had been one of the changelings following the old ways, I fear this matter may have escalated to a conflict between our hive and Equestria. I cannot blame you for choosing your life over pride,” Occento replied, her furious gaze betraying her comforting voice. “But rest assured that I will not tolerate this kind of actions against any changeling of mine.”

“What would you have us do in the meantime, then?” Crescere inquired, speaking his mind out loud.

“For now, you can rest in this room. I’ve ordered the guards to accommodate you as any other diplomatic guest would,” Occento answered calmly, despite her stern facial expression.

“I… Thank you, Occento!”

“It is of no importance, Crescere,” Occento replied, her facial expression slowly melting away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised young Melody here I’d show her around the hive.”

Crescere nodded, still staring at Occento. He shook his head a bit, only to find Occento gazing in his direct with a smirk pursed up her lips. He gave her a puzzled look, and asked, “Is something the matter, Occento?”

“I was just wondering if the love my guards gave you was sufficient for your taste,” was her only answer.

“Of course, it was! In fact, it was delicious, if I do say so myself.”

“Good. I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Occento said as she began closing the door after her. “By the way, those crystals were taken from my personal reserve.”

And with that, Occento closed the door, leaving Crescere to his own devices. The changeling’s eyes grew wide and had he possessed pupils they would be the size of a grain of salt. “I… Wha… Why… Thank you, my Queen!” Crescere let out after several seconds of incomprehensible stuttering.

————

Occento guided Melody through the sinuous halls of her palace, showing her the various sections of it, including the various storehouses where the hive’s love crystals were kept. Everything went fine during their tour of the palace, except for when Occento showed Melody the council room.

Whereas most changelings simply ignored Melody or greeted her respectfully, out of fear or genuine respect, the council members did nothing but glare daggers at Melody. When prompted of what kind of joke that was, Occento just scoffed and left the room, leaving the council members to themselves.

Their next destination was unknown to Melody. She had tried to inquire about where they were going, but Occento saw it fit to keep in silence for the time being. Melody kept on following Occento until the little changeling bumped into one of Occento’s hind legs, rubbing a foreleg against her head soon after.

“Why’d you stop?” Melody complained, still rubbing a foreleg on her head.

“You’ll see in a few moments, small one.”

In front of them was a pair of stone doors. A few symbols had been carved into the stone, none that Melody recognized. Her head was slightly tilted to the left, and she narrowed her eyes determinedly. Despite her efforts, those symbols remained unknown to her knowledge.

Occento looked down at Melody with a small smile. Melody just stared at the queen more than anything else, her head now tilted to her right. Occento chuckled at the filly’s mannerism, which served only to increase Melody’s confusion even more.

“Are you ready?” Occento asked the filly, igniting her horn in the process.

“Ready for what?” Melody quickly inquired, sending the question back at the queen.

Her question remained unanswered. Melody was taken by surprise when she heard and felt the stone doors in front of her move, as if by their own will. They caused a tremor that sent shivers down the filly’s spine.

Bright lights shone through the space between the two doors and blinded Melody. She instantly looked down at the ground, covering her eyes with her left leg all the while. She tried to watch the light and see what was behind the doors, but each time she tried, she found herself unable to look up.

When the tremors stopped, she raised her head and tried looking in the distance. She quickly found that the lights that had been blinding her a few seconds before had gone away. Instead, she caught the sight of a city in the distance. Her jaw dropped.

In front of her stood a proud city dominating the sights with both imposing and impressive architecture. The sight of flora found in the city, such as trees and various other types, also surprised the filly. How they had been able to grow underground was one of the many questions swirling in Melody’s mind. What really caught her attention, though, was the giant sphere standing high in the air in the middle of the city. Once she had seen it, Melody set her mind to find out what purpose it served.

“Ah, I see you’ve taken notice of our artificial sun,” Occento spoke, resulting in Melody giving her an incredulous look.

“You created a sun?!” Melody shouted in her high-pitched voice, eliciting a cringe from Occento.

“No, no. It doesn’t really work like that anyway, young one,” she replied, holding her tongue out and gazing at Melody with an amused look. Then, she got down on her knees and pointed a hoof at the rather large apparatus in the center of town. “I can imagine most Equestrian cities have clocks or skyscrapers in the place of what we have here and, surprisingly enough, this machine essentially is mostly decorative in the sense that it does take a lot of space, but it possesses enough utilities to be considered a rather beneficial part of this hive.”

Melody blinked a few times, switching her attention to the large tower on which a large sphere sat. Around said sphere were five rings that were currently in rotation, the loud sound of the gears grinding and doing their job filled the town with their melodies. She looked at it with curiosity as yet more questions filled her head.

As the rings ran around the surface of the orb, glimmers of light shone forth from multiple mirrors located around the mechanical apparatus. Light danced along the walls of the city, brightening the otherwise dark environment. With each rotation, that light grew larger and larger, consuming the void in the glass-like orb in its entirety until it became too bright to look at. And just like the actual sun, Melody could feel the warmth of the light was over her, a shiver running up her spine in astonishment.

She jumped in shock when a booming sound echoed around town, clutching a bit closer to Occento as if her life depended on it and gazed at the apparatus, her eyes seemingly glued to the scenery. With one last shockwave, she noticed that the last, and larger, ring stopped dead in its track to join the others in a perfect circle around the orb. She squinted her eyes to carefully steal a glance at the bright orb as it illuminated the whole of the hive.

She’s never seen something like that, not even all the things she saw on a daily basis back when she lived in Manehattan. Her curiosity consuming her every thought, she tore her eyes from the large tower-like building to look up at Occento, her gaze pleading for answers. Her lower lip quivered excitedly and she eventually managed to utter, “So… how does it work?”

Occento’s ears perked up and she craned her head to the side, looking at Melody with that same gentle smile, frowning for a moment. She looked back up at the artificial sun and shrugged.

“I wouldn’t be the best pony to ask that question, Melody. The staff at the research center would be in a better position to answer that question, so why don’t we make that a story for another day?”

“Sure… I guess?”

Occento beamed and grasped Melody with her magic, resulting in a shriek from the filly. She calmed down rather rapidly when she was delicately placed on Occento’s back and she just made herself comfortable against the chitin and shell, trying her best not to stretch those wings too much. She miserably failed when Occento missed a step and forced Melody to grasp a bit tighter against the queen’s back, her left hindleg slipping off and taking the monarch’s wing with her. Occento winced and stopped instantly to look at Melody messily hanging from her back. Sighing at the apologetic smile the filly gave her, Occento shook her head and used her magic to perch Melody against her back once more.

“Now then, I remember promising you I’d give you a tour of my hive, and I will keep it. Allow me to kindly welcome you to Serenus Melodia!” Occento cheerfully let out, taking a turn to stumble across a large street filled with changelings.

Stalls were installed and the idle chatter of vendors and customers filled the air. The exchange of bits rung in their ears with each purchase they witnessed. In front of Melody’s eye was not what she believed changelings to be. The changeling presents were not trying to harvest every ounce of love they could find. They lived as Equestrians did. Changeling foals ran in between passerby and giggled, squeaked and cried in amusement and hilarity. The one thing Melody was not used to was the constant chattering in her ears from the various hisses and clicks that came from the changelings down the street.

Melody eventually switched her attention from the busy street and instead placed it back on Occento, frowning a bit once more. She tilted her head to the side and said, “That name sounds weird. I’ve never heard those words in my life before.”

Occento whipped her head back and lit her horn once more, the deformed spire protruding from her forehead glittering with a neon green aura. With little effort, she got Melody on the ground and next to her. She shook her back a little bit, lifting her wings and making them buzz abruptly for a few moments, groaning at the sharp pain that rode through her body, sending shivers down her spine. They had been pulled too much, as she thought.

She flashed a warm smile at Melody upon seeing the filly’s concern and guilt in her eyes. She just gave a lazy wave of her hoof dismissively and said, “Don’t worry it’s fine. No muscle tear or anything. Just a bit sore from being pulled too hard.

“And as for your comment, I only find it natural you do not know of those words. They’re words in the dialect Equestria used before switching modern Equestrian. I guess the best way to refer to it is the Old Equestrian, but I digress. The words ‘serenus’ and ‘melodia’ stand for ‘tranquil’ and ‘melody’ in this particular context, so that roughly means my hive’s name is Tranquil Melody in modern Equestrian.”

Melody’s ear perked up and she looked up at Occento with her head tilted sideways and chirped, “That’s silly. Your hive has the same name as mine.”

Occento dismissed it as mere coincidence and prompted the filly to follow her, gesturing a few stalls and inquiring about her appetite. Noticing once more the curious glance upon her, Occento flashed her fangs at her and swept a hoof across her lips, urging the filly into silence.

“No questions for now, little one. Just follow my lead, and stay close to me.”

Trouble

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The Melody of the Heart

Chapter Four: Trouble

Written by Star Origin

Melody followed after Queen Occento’s every step into the vast city of Serenus and glanced at every corner of the town with curious eyes. At first, the filly tried to compare the changeling city to Manehattan, but it became apparent to her after the first hour that there was absolutely nothing to distinguish between the two cities. Serenus Melodia was bustling with life and activity, with many merchants trying to sell their wares on the streets.

Just as Melody was about done looking at the merchants’ goods, she recognized what looked like an apple in a fruit market. She walked up to Occento and looked up at her with pleading eyes. She was met with success when Occento sighed and nodded, heading towards that stall at a slow trot, much to the filly's dismay.

Occento walked to the fruit merchant’s counter, surprising the shop owner. He was a tall and broad changeling as far as common changelings went. He nearly threw himself to the ground to bow before his queen, an act that made Occento roll her eyes and sigh. She cast a glare at him that spoke for itself.

“It is fine, Lambda,” Occento n with the intent of easing the changeling’s mind. “Addressing me without my title will not warrant you a trip to the palace dungeons.

“To what do I owe such an honor, though, my Queen?"

There is no reasoning with him, Occento groaned internally.

“Well, you see, my little friend here,” she motioned a hoof to Melody, “noticed the apples you are selling in your humble market and wished to have one. Do you think you can spare one for her?”

“Anything for you, my Queen,” Lambda said with a warm smile. He quickly proceeded in lifting an apple from his stock with his magic and giving it to Melody. “Here's your apple, young miss.”

“Thank you, sir!” Melody let out cheerfully. She was ready to grab the apple with her hooves before Occento took it with her magic. “Hey! What gives?!”

“I’ll give it to you in a few moments, Melody. Let me pay Lambda first.”

“Oh no, I certainly could not accept payment from my queen,” Lambda declared with a shake of his head.

“I insist. You make a living out of selling these fruits, do you not?” Occento inquired.

Lambda quickly nodded. “Aye. That I do, my Queen.”

Occento’s horn shone brighter and five bits were lifted out of thin air from where her barrel was. Melody watched the scene with a confused expression. She tried to make sense out of the scene, but her head was not helping her. The more she tried to figure it out, the more her head hurt her, ending in her rubbing a hoof on her temple.

Occento brought the bits over Lambda’s counter and deposited them on the wood’s surface. She winked at the changeling on the other side of the desk and she playfully said, “Then I will have none of it. Keep the bits, Lambda. You need them more than I do.”

“I… I don’t know what to say, my Queen,” Lambda stuttered.

“Then don’t say anything.”

“Thank you, my Queen!”

With her business done, Occento nodded the changeling for his service and gave a small bow to Lambda. Afterward, she left the market with Melody following behind, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed in a pout. She was upset about Occento taking her apple and keeping it to herself. She caught up to Occento in a matter of seconds and put herself in her way.

“Small one, what is it you are doing right now?” Occento asked Melody calmly.

“I want my apple!” Melody let out, her cheeks puffed in anger.

“You’ll get your apple soon enough, but let’s get out of everypony’s way first.”

Melody wanted to argue about the matter a bit more, but before she could utter a single word, Occento walked around her and slowly made her way out of the street and into an alley to the left. Melody followed after her, now more furious than ever, and was surprised when she bumped into Occento’s right foreleg.

“I must ask you calm yourself, Melody,” Occento told Melody.

“Not until you give me my apple!”

“Before I do, I need to ask you a simple question.”

“What’s that?” Melody inquired, her furious gaze melting into more curious one, her head slightly tilted to the left.

“How much did you learn about magic when you still lived in Manehattan?”

“Huh? That’s a weird question,” Melody began, tapping a hoof on her lower lip. “Hmm, as far as I recall, I guess they taught us how to levitate small objects, like this apple.”

“In this case, try using your magic to grab this apple,” Occento told her, lowering the apple to Melody’s eye level.

Melody did as she was asked to, and tried to light her horn. Every time she attempted to summon magic to her horn, she winced and let out a sharp yelp. She tried again for the tenth time, but this time, she actually managed to light her horn with magical energy, glowing with an olive aura. The apple floating in front of Melody was enveloped in her aura and it began levitating in front of her. But it was not before long that she lost focus, a sharp pain passing through her mind, and dropped the apple from her magical hold. Fortunately enough, Occento grabbed it before it touched the ground.

“Ow! It never hurt me before when I used my magic!” Melody complained, clasping both forehooves against her head.

“As I thought,” Occento muttered, much to Melody’s confusion, the throbbing pain in her head made thinking harder for the filly. “Your transformation into a changeling affected your magic.”

“What does… that mean?” Melody inquired, letting out a small grunt.

“This means that changeling genes, when mixed with a pony’s, are usually the dominant genes. Put simply, it means that even though I made you a hybrid, it was enough to affect your magic. If that is the case, it would seem that you are going to have to feed on love and other positive emotions to keep fueling your magical abilities. Here, you can have your apple now.”

Occento engulfed Melody’s legs in her dark green aura and brought them down a bit, with the filly’s hooves pointing upwards. She gently dropped the apple in the filly hooves and recommended that she eat it up soon to recover some of her strength.

Melody’s eyes gleamed with joy when she felt the apple touch her hooves. She instantly took a bite in the apple, feeling her fangs sink into the soft flesh of the fruit. The sensation was new to her and she unconsciously found herself thinking about the usage changelings made with their teeth.

Are changelings carnivores? Melody wondered in the back of her mind.

Though she wanted to ask Occento about the fangs changelings possessed, the taste of the apple on her new taste buds was simply wondrous. It felt like she was drinking fresh honeydew, which also happened to be her most favorite beverage. She devoured the apple in a matter of seconds, throwing the apple’s heart in the nearest garbage bin. Licking her lips with care, she playfully licked her fangs clean, feeling her body tingle as each drop of apple juice hit her taste buds.

Occento gave Melody a surprised look a first when she saw the filly devour the apple as if it had been the last apple in Equestria, but what surprised her the most was the way she licked her fangs. It was like she was already used to them despite having only been released from her recovery pod the day before. Perhaps it would take less time than she believed for Melody to become accustomed to their culture and way of life is that was the case.

Occento was about to leave the alley when she felt Melody clinging to her leg. She let out a sigh and shook the filly off her leg with her magic, levitating her at eye level. “What is it this time, small one?”

“How did you make those bits come out of nowhere, Occento?” Melody asked bluntly, pointing her hoof at the area near Occento’s barrel.

“Ah, that. Well, to keep it really simple, our natural ability to shape-shift gives us the ability to make anything on our bodies blend in. If I so wanted, I could be wearing a full regalia right now and nopony would be able to tell,” Occento explained before making the saddlebags she had been wearing this whole time visible.

Melody squealed at the demonstration, her eyes were almost asking Occento if she would be able to do it someday. Sensing the filly's question forming in her mind, Occento gave a quick nod and Melody threw her forelegs upwards in victory, squealing once more.

“Yay!”

Occento put the filly down and advised she stay close to her for the remainder of the day. Definitely upset about this, Melody chose to show no sign of it, though she was sure Occento could smell it around her. Still, she respected the queen’s demand and stayed closer to her.

Half an hour later, Melody’s stomach roared, forcing Occento to give the filly a questionable look, to which the filly responded with a slight blush. The filly thought about buying another apple, but she knew that Lambda’s fruit market was far from where the pair currently was. She knew it was wiser to stay with Occento, but she craved the delicious taste of the apple she ate.

“Occento?” Melody softly began, getting Occento’s attention.

“Yes? What is it, small one?” Occento inquired. She lowered her soft gaze at Melody to find her with pleading eyes.

“I’m still hungry. Can I go buy another apple and come back right after?” Melody asked the queen with pleading eyes. “I promise I won’t be long.”

“Out of the question!”

“But why?” Melody asked.

“Because you’re far too young. On top of that, you don’t even know the layout of the city. No offense, but you’d probably get lost if you go alone before you could come back here.”

“I swear I can do it!” Melody insisted, her brow furrowed angrily. “Just give me a chance. Please!”

Occento sighed. She wanted to say no, but those eyes were hard to resist. Despite the lack of pupils in Melody’s new eyes, it had made her pleading eyes much more effective than it ever was before, and Occento found it hard to say no to her now.

Finally, the filly’s adorableness prevailed.

After five minutes of staring and pouting at Occento, the queen gave up her fight and agreed to let Melody go buy another apple. She took a few bits out of her saddlebags and gave them to Melody, who had nothing to hold them effectively. Fortunately, smaller saddlebags fit for Melody’s size materialized on Occento’s side.

The queen gave the bags to Melody and strapped them to her back, placing the bits in the left bag and making sure that Melody knew where the bits were. After she had deemed that Melody was ready, Occento sent her off, even if she couldn’t help but worry that something might go wrong.

“Just remember, Melody, that if you’re not back here,” Occento gestured the café that they were in front of, “in an hour and a half, I am going to send the guards to find you.”

“Okay, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll be fine, Occento,” Melody replied with a grin.

“Don’t jinx it, small one.”

Melody nodded, and waved a hoof at Occento, before she made her way to the market district where Lambda’s market was. Strangely, Occento was sure that something would go wrong with this.

Guards, please keep an eye out for a white changeling foal. See to it that she stays out of trouble.

————

Melody strolled through the streets of Serenus Melodia with a joyful trot, often humming several songs that Star Blaze had taught her when she was younger. Simply humming them reminded Melody of her brother, and a wave of sadness washed over her, her smile slowly fading, and her eyes becoming a bit teary.

Although she knew that Star Blaze was still present in the collective entity of the hive known simply as the Voice, what saddened her the most was that he would never again hold her in his warm hooves and comfort her whenever something was hurt. She’d never share that feeling with him ever again, and that made her sad.

Deep in thought, Melody failed to notice the changeling standing in front of her and just bumped into him. That larger changeling looked down at Melody and glared at her, making Melody shrink in size as she gave the changeling an apologetic smile.

“Haven’t they taught you scrubs how to look in front of you when you walk?” the changeling asked in a scoff.

“I’m sorry, mister. I was lost in thought and didn’t see you. It’s just that with what happened in my life lately, I can’t help bu—” Melody’s mouth closed itself suddenly, causing the filly to shriek internally. She looked down at her mouth and saw a greenish aura glittering over her muzzle.

“I don’t exactly care much who you are or where you come from, scrub,” the changeling said through his scolding tone and cold glare. “Just make sure it doesn’t happen again. Understood?”

Melody blinked a few times and slowly nodded. “Yes, sir. Understood.”

“Good, now out of my way. I have better things to do than to babysit a worthless scrub like you,” the changeling told Melody, barely even looking at the filly as he walked past her.

Worthless? Is that what I am? Melody pondered, the changeling’s words still ringing loud and clear in her mind.

Melody stood motionless for about five minutes. Her mind ran circles, and her legs felt like they were stuck in the ground. The same question repeated itself over and over again in her mind, crippling her from any other kind of thought. Only the rumbling of her stomach along and a blush a few seconds later managed to pull her out of her trance.

With her quest for hunger renewed, Melody lifted her legs one by one as precaution in case they had actually been glued to the ground by the changeling she ran into. She let out a sigh of relief when she lifted her right foreleg. Assured that nothing else was wrong, Melody picked up the pace, humming a soft tune, with a smooth trot.

This time, she remained uninterrupted by any other kind of trouble.

Melody reached the marketplace fifteen minutes after the filly had gotten out of her trance. She was busy shifting her gaze from one place to another in search of Lambda’s fruit market. With the speed at which she spun her head from the left to the right and vice versa, Melody attracted some unwanted attention and several smiles and giggles from the crowd around her.

After she had crossed an intersection, she looked in the distance and caught a glimpse of several apples in a basket hanging in front of a counter. Quickly, she dashed towards the small market, panting through an excited smile. Once she reached the market, she tried to get the attention of the changeling tending to the market. Melody jumped up, attempting to grab onto the counter, but each and every attempt failed to get his attention. She tried to get his attention by shouting at him, but her voice was drowned by the countless voices surrounding her. Stretching her imagination a bit, Melody looked at her back and roused her wings to life.

The feeling of having wings felt alien to her. It didn’t feel right, but at the same time, Melody was intrigued by what her new wings were capable of. Instinctively, she began beating her wings a bit, feeling them. Bit by bit, she increased the speed at which she beat her wings until she could hear a slight buzzing. She felt herself being lifted off the ground and began to panic. She squirmed uncontrollably, unable to control her movement. Her tiny screams managed to get the attention of a few changelings around. She flailed her legs about in absolute panic until her wings locked on her back, and gravity pulled her down abruptly.

Melody let out a sharp cry of pain when she fell down on her rump. Tears formed in her eyes as she resisted the urge to burst into tears. She needed to be strong. No, she had to be strong. Now that Star Blaze was gone, Melody had to be strong for herself.

She painfully got back on her hooves, though jolts of pain coming from her flank made her cringe. She gritted her teeth when she regained her composure, although her legs were still slightly wobbling.

Melody gave out a small cry when a changeling nearby cleared his throat, and quickly raised her head upwards to see the changeling tending to the fruit market staring at her confusingly. Embarrassed, she could only blush and offer the changeling a weak smile.

"Hey, I remember you. You're that filly that was with the queen earlier. By the way, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?" the changeling asked Melody, his pupil-less eyes masking any signs of concern he might have had.

Melody only kept staring at the changeling, her eyes devoid of fear. However, to the changelings around her, the air reeked of fear, so much some changelings clutched a foreleg to their heads, feeling a headache washing over them.

Even the shopkeeper was finding it hard to focus, his right eye twitching. He opened his mouth to say something, but he found himself unable to do so when he lost his balance. Melody continued to stare at the shopkeeper until she saw him tumble. She snapped out of her trance and rushed all the way to the shop to see if the changeling in question was alright

When Melody arrived at his side, she found him sprawled on the ground, holding a hoof against his head, an eye closed, and his teeth clenched. His fangs were bared, but that did not send her running.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong? What happened to you? Oh, this is all my fault, isn’t it?” Melody frantically shouted, bombarding the shopkeeper with questions.

“Is there anything I can do t—” Melody began before the changeling put a hoof over her mouth.

“You… aren’t helping my…” the changeling grunted, flinching with each breath he heaved, “headache, small one.”

All of a sudden, Melody felt something draining her of her energy. Her eyelids were getting heavy while her legs weakened over time. Melody found herself unable to move her legs. She looked at the shopkeeper to find him grinning at her, no longer showing any kind of signs, with his horn lit with a disturbing green glow.

“Sleep tight, you stupid, stupid pony,” the changeling whispered into Melody’s ear before the filly fell prey to slumber.

Grasping Melody’s small body, the changeling made a run for it, disappearing into an alley near the markets. The changeling managed to get away from the scene, but not before certain other changelings caught glimpses of the events. One in particular immediately notified the Voice of what she had witnessed.

My Queen!

————

What is taking her so long? She should have already been back by now! Occento thought, her mind frantic.

My Queen!

What is it? Occento answered abruptly as though she had been disturbed.

It’s the hybrid. Someling foalnapped her!

WHAT?! Gah, I knew I should have never let her go alone! Occento furiously exclaimed through the Voice. Guards, mobilize and search for my protegée. This is a direct order!

Occento, the moment a guard finds her, I’ll jump to their minds and give the bastard that dared to touch my sister a piece of my mind! Star Blaze roared in Occento’s mind with fury consuming his consciousness.

You shall do no such thing, Star Blaze. It is far too risky, and I will not risk you being assimilated into another changeling’s mind, especially if it means your consciousness is going to be treated the same way a virus by antibodies!

I don’t care. I will take the risk, but I will not let that scumbag get away with this. Should we ever find him or her, I’ll make sure that they meet their maker! Star replied with rage.

Do you even understand what you’re saying?! Occento bellowed, hardly believing she was having this conversation. You would abandon your sister, to whom you promised you’d be there for her whenever she’d need your help and advice in case you had forgotten, for the sake of petty vengeance? Do you have any idea how hard it would be for me to explain to her how she won’t be able to talk to you anymore because your consciousness was consumed by a changeling’s mind? Do you, boy?!

I do! I do because I won’t be consumed that easily. I’m stronger than this, and I’ll pull through. Even if I don’t, what’s to say I won’t take over the changeling’s mind if I should ever have a greater mind that he or she has?

Then you are a fool and an imbecile! It doesn’t work like that. A changeling’s mind is more complicated than just that. Our brains are designed to process the emotions we feed on. If you were to jump into a changeling’s mind as you are, simply as a mere consciousness floating around in the Voice, you’d be perceived as a mass of emotions and eventually torn apart by our bodies until you become nothing but energy we harness for our magic and life. Is that what you want? Do you want to vanish entirely from this world? Are you ready to accept the consequences that should follow this decision?

I… I—

When I first met you, you were ready to abandon this world and entrust your younger sister to an enemy of Equestria! Did you do that out of love for her, or was it all fake? Where is your resolve?! What good would it make if you just left her all alone?

Still, with no whereabouts about her and this changeling that foalnapped her, we’ll be lucky if we find her body, let alone finding her safe and sound. We don’t have the time to wait for you to make your move! Not when some mad changeling has my sister’s life at the end of his hoof! Star Blaze shouted. His nerves were running short and, if he possessed his body at the time, he felt like slapping Queen Occento across the face for the way she was leading him into a corner.

Even if you were to try going at it your way, what good would it do you? You wouldn’t have any leads on her whereabouts either. By assuming this, I can also predict you are going to argue the point that you could find the culprit through the Voice. Am I wrong to assume so? Occento asked Star Blaze calmly, not letting any of his bravado get to her.

When Star Blaze failed to give out a response, Occento continued, In that case, let me enlighten you. Whoever foalnapped your sister probably withdrew their mind from the Voice.

No matter, if you won’t back down, I’ll just let you on a little secret; in the case you were to jump to a changeling's mind, you would have around thirty minutes before you reach the point of no return. Do not waste that time!

I told you, everything’s going to be f— Despite his effort, Star Blaze could not conceal his surprise at what Occento had told him. Wait, why are you helping me? I thought you were against my decisions.

I may be against your decisions and actions altogether, young one, but I can certainly feel the love you have for your sister, and I find it commendable that you would yet again place her safety and well being over your own. That is why, even though I don’t agree with your ideology, I just gave you some advice. Now go, shouldn’t you be searching for your sister right now?

I… I… thank you, Occento! Thank you very much!

You need not be so formal with me, Star Blaze. Just know that whatever happens, you’re still a rash idiot through and through.

But alas, Star Blaze’s consciousness was already long gone by the time she finished her sentence, leaving to herself. She slightly grinned and sent out more orders through the Voice. Whoever had committed this affront would face harsh consequences, of that Occento would make sure. She set out to the city, an angered snarl betraying her usually calm expression.

There will be hell to pay! Occento screamed internally. It didn’t matter if this was about Melody or one of her changelings, she would not stand such an assault on an individual go unpunished!

————

Melody woke up in terror. Her eyes were opened wide and she was scanning the area around her. She tried to move, but the filly soon found out that her legs were tightly tied together. So tight she could feel the pressure of the ropes against her legs. She let out a single screech of pain when she felt something hit her left cheek abruptly.

Her vision failed her for a moment, caught between reality and unconsciousness. A strong feeling of dizziness washed over her, her world spinning so fast she thought her eyes were doing the same. However, there was a strange taste in her mouth. It didn’t feel natural, and it wasn’t until her eyes finally fell on her belly that her she gasped in complete terror.

On her pure white coat were stains of a green liquid that Melody failed to recognize. The mere sight disgusted her, causing her stomach churn and bile to slowly rise to her throat. And, of course, she had finally recognized the taste that had been in her mouth, all thanks to a particular lesson she had received in school.

"Now, children. It's time to study a bit more about ourselves. What is one of the main characteristic of blood." The words clung to her mind like honey did to fur. "No one? That's quite alright, though. In that case, I'll just give you the answer; it just so happens that blood contains iron in it. Is there any questions whatsoev—Yes, Cloud Stir?"

Melody's face writhed in pain as she resisted the urge to just throw up the apple she ate earlier that day. She felt the small crumbles of the apple roll around on her tongue along with a small amount of bile. Her throat felt like it was on fire and before long, the nauseating smell that surrounded her on top of everything else was too much.

She felt a pressure rise from her insides, something definitely hot making her way up her digestive tracks. There was no resistance on her part. The torrent of vomit just parted her lips apart. She let out a few guttural screams as she threw up her earlier snack.

When it ended, Melody fought to stay conscious. Her eyelids were heavy and she barely felt any kind of energy in her body. What brought her out of the trance was when she looked down at where she vomited, finding only half-digested apple bits and something white and bloodied.

It only took a swipe of her tongue to realize that was one of her teeth. Dread made its way to her core, terrorizing her to her bone. Tears formed in her eyes, but she dared not let the floodgates open. She was, however, interrupted by a voice that crept up her spine and chilled her limbs.

"Did the little princess have a nice nap? But... Now that you're awake, why don't we get down to business?" The changeling began, his lips pursed in a devilish grin as he looked down at Melody's defenseless form. "And I can promise you it's going to be very enjoyable! Oh, we are in for a good time, 'little one'!"

His cackling laugh was the last thing Melody had heard before she fainted on the spot. Her mane lay down on the ground in a mess as the other changeling gazed down at her, his cackling laugh still echoing in the forgotten alley he stood in. Wind howled softly in his ears while his grin only kept on growing and growing.

————

Scars

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Author's Notes:

Sorry for the very long delay. Life has been a bit bothersome on my end, and with my last semester, now completed, I couldn't afford to just keep on going with this. And now, since I still flunked two classes, I have very limited time because of the summer classes I have to take in order to get in university this coming September.

So... progress will be slow, as it has been in the last few months because of gaming and studies. I will try to work where I can, but I make no promises of any sort.

Also, as a note, this was done with little to no outside help for the editing phase, eo if there are any mistakes you find that either irk you, or that you think could rephrased, go on ahead and share those with me. I always appreciate criticism, especially in the case it happens to be constructive.

The Melody of The Heart

Chapter Five: Scars

By Star Origin

Melody trashed around despite her forelegs being restrained in an attempt to get free of her captor. Unfortunately, that had little success as she was hit for a second time, this time against her belly.

The wind was knocked out of her lungs and she squirmed even more, gasping for air. With her tongue, she lapped at empty space in an attempt to regain her breath, apparently serving only to accentuate the pleasure Melody's captor was having.

Melody broke down in whimpers and sobs, tears leaking out of her pupil-less eyes, as she lay on her left side. Her face was broken by pain, stains of green blood noticeable under her lower lip. Her eyes were also burning with hate, her face twisted with both anger and fear.

Her breathing began to fasten, her heartbeats increasing in speed, pressure collapsing on her throat. She wore a frown on her brow despite her crying, and she tried her best to avoid eye contact with her captor.

"Now," the changeling began, his voice instilling fear into Melody yet again, "do you know what's going to happen, pony scum?"

When Melody only managed to weakly shake her head, the gesture alone sending jolts of pain in her back, making her cringe and yelp every second of it. The changeling snorted, letting out a quiet snicker, and ominously continued, "Well, it's that simple, you see. You are corrupting our queen and trying to make her believe that peace with your kind is the only way for us to continue living peacefully, so here I come in, slaying you in the name of our queen and liberating her from your dark magic. That way, I'll instill a feeling of betrayal towards ponies in general and possibly overthrow the queen so I can take her place as ruler of Serenus Melodia. And then, we'll invade Equestria with the help of the renegade hive of Chrysalis, and take over Canterlot, and overthrow the princesses. Oh, but who am I kidding? You probably understood nothing of what I said so even if something were to go awry, I wouldn't be in a whole lot of trouble anyway!

"I can't even begin to fathom why Occento decided to keep you alive, let alone take you under her wing. You're just a little pony, but she somehow feels committed to you. That is truly disgusting. You ponies are nothing but prey and she goes around befriending them like peace is possible between us! Ha! Preposterous!" howled the changeling, still staring into Melody's golden orbs.

"Of all the changelings that could plan a coup, you're the one scheming between our queen's back, threatening her protégée on top of that? I had my doubts about you, Arconon, but I never thought they'd turn out to be true," called a changeling from the other side of the alleyway.

"And you like to poke your nose in businesses that aren't your own, Epos. You should fix that habit, by the way," 'Arconon' cackled, his chest heaving from all of his short but several snorts and laughs.

"Just as soon as you fix your addiction to those ideas of grandeur you frequently have!” ‘Epos’ replied. The new changeling smirked as Arconon grinded his teeth, glaring at the changeling.

“You’ll regret saying that, Epos,” Arconon began, his horn flaring with an ominously dark green aura. “Now bow down to your new king!”

“Stand down, Arconon! I do not wish to harm—” Sharp pain went through his shoulder and he found himself falling to his knees when the pain was finally acknowledged. Words escaped his mouth and any attempts to speak were reduced to grunts.

“That's a shame, Epos, because I have nothing holding me down. If you try to protect this pony scum, then you are an enemy of the hive. I should execute you right now for high treason!” Arconon shouted, exploding into mad laughter.

“Y-you won’t get a—”

“Tut tut tut, Epos,” Arcanon told Epos, kicking him on the side of his head. “As long as I have this little one here, I hold Occento into check and only a few moves remain until I can declare checkmate. By the way, how do you like the new hole I made you?”

Epos groaned and glared at Arconon, flashing his fangs at him, and grinding his teeth. The wounded changeling slightly turned his head to the side, every movement made him wince. His face twisted and squirmed repeatedly, and he silently yelped each time pain jolted through his body. The filly stared back at him, gazing into empty space. Epos weakly winked at her and she looked taken aback by his gesture, but nonetheless did nothing more.

“It hurt a bit at first, but you made one tiny mistake, Arconon,” Epos hissed through his teeth.

“What are you still going on about? Do you still mean to stand against me, wounded as you are?”

“Your only mistake”—Epos began, his voice getting louder. His chest heaved as he managed to stand on his hind legs, and slid under Arconon’s belly. He lifted the other changeling, grunting as his wound started flooding with blood, but that never stopped him from throwing Arconon against the nearest wall—“was underestimating me and getting in melee range against a trained guard!”

Arconon was sent hurling on the wall head first and was knocked out, the changeling’s devious smirk turning into pure astonishment as his vision failed him.

The changeling guard struggled to stay on his legs, the pain making his legs wobble while blood slid down his leg. Despite not having hit him anywhere vital, the wound inflicted by Arconon had still made a mess of his muscles and each step only aggravated the case. It wouldn’t be long until it would get infected.

His breathing began to get raspy with every step he took. Adrenaline was slowly starting to leave his body and he felt every ounce of pain washing up against his form. Despite the increasing pain, Epos resumed making his way towards Melody, and once he was in front of her, he weakly asked in a raspy voice, “Can you… s-till stand, young one?”

Melody shook her head, much to Epos’s chagrin. The filly, noticing the disappointment in his eyes, looked down at the ground in shame, pursing her lips into a pout and adorning a sad look. Without looking at Epos, she said, “N-no. I think my left leg is broken and I can’t get up now.”

“Very well,” Epos replied, nodding at her answer, and igniting his horn with a soft green aura. “ Can you fly, then?" Melody shook her head at his question and he sighed before he opened his mouth once more. “I will carry you, in that case.”

With no complaints from Melody, Epos grabbed her in his magic and watched her face twist into a mask of pain. She offered no screams although Epos thought that she was just holding them back to look stronger than she actually was. Epos carefully put her on his back and once he felt she was in a good position, he spread his thin and transparent wings and lifted off despite the pain his wound brought him.

Epos flew towards the central square, as he had previously been informed that anyling had to report there if they ever found Melody. Just as he was beginning to see the central square, Epos bit his lower lip to the point of bleeding, even though his face was crisped in pain.

Unfortunately, his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and his wings felt sore. Seconds later, his eyes closed and his wings locked on his back, and he began to fall from the air.

Before the last of his world turned to darkness, Epos weakly muttered, "Forgive me, my Queen. I have failed you..."

As he sunk into unconsciousness, Melody was dislodged into the air and she began screaming for dear life, pleading Epos to wake up. More tears formed in her eyes, but she never stopped trying to wake Epos. It has not even dawned unto her that he was dying. She managed to get close to him and clutch onto his neck and once again tried to call out to him.

She yelled and yelled at the top of her lungs, closing her eyes, daring to open them every few times to make sure it wasn’t a nightmare as the ground below her kept getting closer and closer. She quickly braced herself for a rough landing, gritting her teeth while her body quivered against the wind she tore down.

It never came.

————

The day after, Occento strolled back and forth in her throne room, her thoughts centered around Melody, who had been quickly placed in a regenerative pod after Occento caught both the filly and Epos in their fall. Usually, the queen would be mainly worried about the wellbeing of one of her changelings, but this time, it was different. In the left side of Occento's throne room stood Arconon.

The former advisor did nothing but gaze at Occento, giving his queen an occasional glare, although the moment Occento's glare landed on him, his expression instantly softened and he hugged the wall as if it would save him from his queen's wrath.

He could have easily escaped with his magic if he had wanted to, but at his great displeasure, Arconon groaned as his flow of magic was stopped from reaching the tip of his horn. Thanks to Occento the ooze-like liquid produced by glands in her mouth, Arconon was rendered unable to use his magic.

Occento's endless march came to a halt and the changeling queen wasted no time in glaring down at Arconon. There was no other way around it: she was furious. She grabbed Arconon with her magic and lifted him at eye level, pressing her nose against his. Occento was so enraged that even her glare forced Arconon to shy away from her, instead choosing to look at the ground rather than his queen. His eyes were bitter and his tongue licked at his fangs rapidly and nervously.

"Do you even have a clue about what you did, Arconon?!" Occento began, almost barking at the smaller changeling.

"I tried getting rid of this pony scum, my queen. You should be thanking me right now!"

"Thanking you?" Occento repeated after Arconon, her eyes burning with a green aura. "For what blasted reasons should I be thanking you, let alone keeping you alive? You wounded Epos and Melody, and you're telling me I should be thanking you?"

"He was siding with that pony scum! What else was there to do?!" Arconon replied dryly as he stated right into Occento's glare. "It was either that or risk having my plan be compromised by his intervention!"

"Well, for starters, you could have decided not to attack him! And on top of that, you assaulted an innocent filly. What has she ever done to you?!" Occento bellowed, smashing Arconon's back into a wall.

"Are you that blind, Occento? Ponies are prey and we're the predators! This is how the natural order of this world works: the strong dominate the weak! There is no peace to be made between changelings and ponies! You're deluding yourself, and you've always done so ever since you took over your mother. Tell me, how did it feel when you finally killed her? Did you feel joy, glee, pleasure, excitement?"

"Enough!" Occento screamed, pointing her horn dangerously at Arconon's right eye. "My personal life and my rise to power are none of your business, and it is not the subject today either, Arconon!

"Melody's left hind leg has grave muscle tear and strain, no thanks to you, and at this rate, it might be that she's never going to recover her full mobility on that leg! On top of that, she seems to have grown wary of changelings from what I saw from the dreamscape! Is this what you wanted, Arconon?" Occento continued with an undying rage such no changeling in the hive ever saw.

"No, it wasn't what I wanted because if I had gotten my way, she would be dead right now. She's a plague for our society, and our species, as a whole!"

"You son of a—" Occento began before ultimately opting to keep her mouth closed. Steam was fuming out of her nostrils, and her whole body was tense. "I should kill you right here, right now! No, I should have you torn to pieces and fed to Cerberus!"

"What's wrong, Occento? Did I hit a nerve there?" Arconon chuckled through sharp breath. "Tell you what, Your Highness, how about we play a little game?"

"Do I look like I have the patience for that, Arcanon?"

"Obviously not, but let me ask you this little question instead. Between you and me, how much do you think a changeling queen would be worth to have as a slave?" Arcanon inquired, his lips pursed in a cocky smirk while he only stared at Occento.

"No... You didn't..." Occento stammered, the words hardly finding their way to her lips. Her jaw hung low, and she stared at Arconon with a blank expression.

"Figured it out, eh? Sadly, I won't be selling my allies, so you'll have to look elsewhere for that information," Arconon dryly retorted, a sly smile pursed up his lips.

Occento could feel every ounce of her body burn with rage as her horn's aura starting growing larger and larger. She pinned her eyes in Arconon's, and she hissed. "Why you!"

It took a few seconds before Arconon felt a pressure against his neck, and even more before he realized that he was gasping for air. He brought his forelegs to his neck and weakly flailed them around. Whatever that was supposed to mean to Occento did not get her attention, her eyes still locked on the former advisor.

As much as he whined, Occento was just too furious to listen to her reason, constricting Arconon’s neck further as she watched him gasp for air. She felt that his eyes were starting to roll back in their orbit under the brilliant blue lenses that protected his eyes. His screams were music to her ears.

“Let...me...go!” he begged with a raspy voice.

Occento would have none of it and proceeded in pouring more energy into her horn. “I don’t see why I should, Arconon. I should instead have you tried for high treason and have your head on a pike!”

“You...can't do...that," he replied weakly, his legs growing weaker and weaker. "It's...outside of...your...pow-"

The queen clearly ignored that comment and glared down at him. She ignited her horn even more, blinding the smaller changeling as he clawed at his throat before the sound of snapping bones was heard between the two.

Arconon's legs fell to his side, limp and weakened while his body just fell to the side, plummeting against the cold floor within seconds. With one final scoff, Occento cast her gaze away from the changeling and turned to exit the throne room, an ominous laughter echoing out of her throat as she did.

Guards, take Arconon's body out of my throne room. The bastard chose the coward's way out when he realized I had the means to make him talk. Make sure he still gets a proper funeral. Occento said through the hivemind, her voice calm and saddened, if only slightly.

————

A few hours later, Occento returned to her quarters after having met with the medical team in charge of Melody's recovery. They had deemed that she was ready to be released from her stasis though they were unsure of how she would react to them.

Occento had not argued against the decision and instead went along with it. She desired to see just how much Arconon had scarred her.

She led the way into her quarters, letting the medical team proceed ahead of her to inspect the cocoon and how stable it was.

A few more minutes passed before one of the changelings overlooking Melody's condition walked up to Occento and began, "My Queen, her mind appears to have suffered no apparent damage, and our magic seems to have healed most of her wounds, including her broken tooth. However, the damage that was done to her leg seems to be permanent. She might never regain her full mobility unless some miracle happens. However, we are not sure how she is going to react to seeing us. It could turn out very well on one hoof while, on the other, it could take a turn for the worst."

"And by that, I assume you refer to her having developed a fear or wariness of changelings. Am I correct in that assumption?" Occento asked the changeling, a frown on her brow.

The changeling nodded to her words, and quietly lifted a hoof in the air. "I see my colleagues have sent you word, Your Majesty. But, yes, that is the gist of it. Use of the dreamscape on her psyche revealed that she was traumatized to an extent. However, we still ignore the depth of that trauma."

"If it comes down to it, I may be forced to exile her to better protect Melody from herself. But I thank you for confirming the words of your colleagues. It is greatly appreciated."

"We’ll begin releasing her whenever you are ready, my Queen!” another changeling called from afar.

Occento nodded, and the changelings surrounding Melody's pod ignited their horns, making the resistant surface of the pod moisten. It soon began to liquefy, liberating a flow of jelly under the changelings' hooves.

In the middle of the pod's remains stood Melody, still unconscious, though it only took her a few prompts to wake her up. She woke up to Occento and five other changelings staring at her. At that point, she did the only thing she thought was natural: she screamed.

The changelings belonging to the medical team cringed and immediately sat down to cover their ears, but Occento did not. She advanced toward Melody, unfazed by the filly's screams. She stopped in front of her protégée and sat down next to her. It only took her an instant to grab Melody with her forelegs and draw the filly into an embrace.

"Shhh, Melody," Occento whispered in Melody's ear. "It's okay; they're not like Arconon. They want to help you."

"No!" she replied as she tried to squirm her way out of Occento's embrace. "Make them go away!"

You heard her. For the moment, I'll take care of her. You're all dismissed.

Yes, my Queen! the changelings replied in unison, finding their way out of Occento's quarters.

Against Occento's expectations, Melody's screams didn't take very long to die down and turn into quiet sobs. She hugged Occento back, crying her heart out. The queen remained in silence, embracing the filly as she wept.

————

Occento looked up, having heard that deafening cry. Recognizing the voice that was producing said scream, she ignited her horn almost instantly. She stomped the ground and firmly gazed at the changeling guard and halfling plummet down.

Summoning her magic, she expanded her magic around her and over them, quickly ensnaring their form within her magical grasp, safely stopping their fall. That, however, did not ease her so much. It could have been that way, but it changed when she saw her protégée’s wounds on top of the green blood that quickly poured out of Epos’ wound.

She was still relieved when she saw that both were still breathing though she felt a pressure against her heart when she saw that Melody was unconscious. Fortunately for Epos, despite the gravity of his wound, it did not seem to be infected yet. Regenerative pools would most likely prevent any further degeneration of his health.

Careful lowering them from the air, she put them on the ground with as much care and tenderness as she could muster, careful not to cause either Epos or Melody any further injuries. She began inspecting their wounds, and she was enraged by her discoveries; Melody’s injuries had been caused by physical trauma while Epos’ wounds had been inflicted on him by a spell, a bolt no doubt.

“Epos!” She called out, doing her best to keep him awake despite the loss of blood he suffered from. “Stay with me, Epos!”

“M-my Q-queen”—his voice was a mess caught between gurgles and grunts as each breath pushed against his wounds. The more he tried to speak up, the more it would hurt him to draw breath, but he certainly seemed determined to deliver whatever message he had for her—“I have f-failed you. P-please f-forgive me!”

“Never mind that, Epos!” She burst out, nearly barking at him. “Who did this to you? To Melody?”

“I-it w-was Ar-arco…”

He took one last breath before he closed his eyes. He was still breathing. Occento sighed heavily, her chest heaving, in relief.

“You can rest now, Epos. I’ll handle this from now on…”

To any guards currently on and off duty, I want every single soul searching for Fourth Advisor Arconon. This is a direct order, and I will not accept disobedience from any of you! Now, deploy!

“What are you doing, Arconon? What are you planning?” She asked aloud as she tried to understand what was going on, and why Arconon had done something like that.

————

The day had ended, and Serenus Melodia’s sun had long since shut down. It had only been a few hours since Melody had finally fallen asleep. It had taken a while before she felt comfortable around Occento again, but eventually, the new hybrid finally began feeling safe around the changeling queen. Other changelings weren’t so lucky. She was still incredibly wary of them.

Occento was about ready to head to sleep as well, carefully moving her legs into a more comfortable position rather than the one she currently was in, though it proved a bit hard to accommodate her own comfort while trying to avoid stirring Melody from her slumber. If there was one thing she desperately needed, it was sleep.

Various things weighed down on Occento’s mind as she tried to get some rest of her own. Things like Shining Armor and Cadance’s demand for her to present herself at their castle in the Crystal Empire. Or Arconon’s plot. Though he would have been far more beneficial to her alive, her emotions had gotten the better of her. There was that, plus the ensuing uproar that would have followed a possible trial and the exposition of the truth. The last thing the Queen needed was an open conflict on her hooves.

It was both refreshing, and tiring, to see that her life had changed so much ever since little Melody had come into her life. She knew the hybrid was scared by changelings; she had been even before Arconon had assaulted her, but it was a fear that was slowly being worked on. Occento knew this would surely take a while, but she hoped that Melody could one day become a part of her hive, as something more than simply a protégée, but she was scared of asking the question to the one she wanted to obtain permission from. It was too soon, she reminded herself, soon finding herself drifting to sleep shortly after.

She placed a soft kiss on Melody’s head and lay her head around the filly’s, letting her nostrils blow puffs of warm air towards her, brushing her green mane a bit, resulting in Melody shifting her position, giggling a tiny bit all the while.

“Sweet dreams, little one,” she told her, closing her eyes completely, letting her mind go blank for the night, forgetting all of her worries.

Meeting with Royalty

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The Melody of The Heart

Chapter Six: Meeting with Royalty

By Star Origin

Melody sat on Occento’s back as they made their way out of the hive. Most of the changelings they came across bowed to their Queen. Even though she had told the changelings she ruled over such display of respect weren’t necessary, they did it out of tradition, as it had always been done.

Sighing softly, Occento turned back and shook her head and gave a soft chuckle. She had always known that Crescere was the tardy sort of individuals, but she had never expected this kind of tardiness from his end.

She had sent her guards to fetch Crescere for her and he had yet to find his way to her an hour later. Amused at his tardiness, she lifted a hoof to dismiss a devious smile before she contacted him through the Voice.

Crescere, where are you? I’m still waiting for you, she said, her voice neither stern nor soft.

I’m not coming, Your Highness! He responded abruptly through the Voice.

I do not remember leaving you a choice, Crescere. And besides, this whole thing concerns you as well. I recommend you join me at the Southern gate before I send my guards at your current position.

A momentary pause was heard between the two, leaving Occento to believe Crescere had at first cut the link she had established with him. If such was the case, she grimaced at the prospect of having to establish yet another link.

Fine, I'm coming. You didn't have to threaten to send your guards at me, Crescere grumbled through the Voice, making Occento giggle in return.

You should have said so earlier, then, dear.

You're doing that on purpose, aren't you? Crescere asked, though more so as a statement, his tone riddled with annoyance.

Of course, I am. You're so easy to influence it's quite entertaining to get a rise out of you in situations like these, Occento chirped playfully.

You really need to grow up, Your Highness, Crescere replied, almost as if he had seen that one coming.

What's there to life if you can't have a little fun here and there? She inquired rhetorically, almost snickering through their telepathic link.

Only a sigh could be heard between them. As kind and delicate as she was, the queen was a playful trickster like nopony else. Crescere's voice was soon heard again through the private link Occento had established earlier, No need to send your guards after me, I'm near the gate you spoke of. Needless to say, I am not at ease to go back to the Crystal Empire after what happened, but it seems I've little choice in the say, as the message Shining Armor forwarded through me probably implied I should follow along.

True to his words, Crescere was sighted in the distance in the avenue that led to the hive's Southern gate half an hour later. He gave a sheepish smile when Occento waved at him innocently; he was already regretting agreeing to come along.

"So nice that you could come, Crescere," she commented, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"It's not like you gave me a choice," he muttered under his breath.

Occento's ears perked up and she grinned, nudging his shoulder with her leg all the while looking down at him with her left eyebrow raised. "I heard that."

Crescere froze into place when he heard her playful voice ring in his ears. He hung his head down in defeat, almost ready to formally apologize to his queen. The changeling gave out a weak giggle and looked away. "Forgive me, my Queen. That was out of place!" Crescere shouted, his embarrassment showing quite clearly under his dark chitin.

"At ease, Crescere. You were merely speaking your mind."

The smaller changeling looked up to his queen and looked at her back to see Melody staring back at him fearfully. He let out a deep sigh and glanced at Occento straight in the eye. "How is she holding up?" he asked worriedly.

"So, you've heard about it too?"

"I have, and I still can't believe that Arconon would do something like that. It's not like him," Crescere argued, nodding at Occento and snarling at the thought a bit. "I grew up with him before you became queen and I've never seen him do anything like this before, much less show signs of being able to do it."

Occento shook her head and softly said, "That may have been the case, but according to recent reports and claims from Arconon himself, he proved himself a traitor of the hive and acted like one until the bitter end."

"I see..." he weakly spoke, looking away from her gaze. "How's little Melody doing, then?"

"She's been seemingly traumatized by Arconon and appears to have a fear of changelings in general now, but she does seem at ease with me. I can't tell how she'll react to you, though," Occento said, igniting her horn and adjusting the white changeling currently sitting on her back, who made no attempts at protesting against the magical grasp.

Crescere nodded softly at her explanation and slowly approached Melody. Surprise shook him when he saw she was apparently trying to get away from him, legs kicking behind her while her eyes opened wide in fear.

A long sigh escaped his lips and he shook his head at her reaction, a week laughter emanating from deep within his throat. Slowly, he took a step back. He locked eyes with her momentarily and said, "It's okay. I'm a friend, Melody," he told her with a softness in his voice, slowly extending a hoof her way. "I'm not going to hurt you..."

Melody cowered a bit against Occento's shell and cast her gaze away from his. She shook her head hesitantly, front hooves shaking slightly against the queen's back.

"N-no!" she cried in protest, shuddering away from Crescere. "Don't get close!"

Hit by her rejection, Crescere hung his head down and nodded a few times. He turned his gaze to his queen once more and looked her straight in the eyes.

No words needed to be spoken. Both of them nodded and looked straight up ahead. Igniting her horn once more, she used her magic to open the gate, blinking gently when the sunlight shone down on both of them. Crescere hid his eyes with a front leg and let out a long groan.

With a soft trot, Occento began making her way her up the hill. Crescere slowly followed her in an attempt to avoid scaring Melody any more than he had already done.

Occento looked at him keep his distance from herself and Melody and sighed annoyingly, almost snorting at his actions. She stopped for a moment and looked back at Melody, offering a gentle smile to the filly.

"Melody?" Occento quietly asked, her voice resembling a murmur to Melody.

"What is it, Occento?" the filly replied fearfully, ears flattening.

"You don't need to be afraid of Crescere, dear. He has a child himself so I doubt he would ever dream of hurting you. Give him a chance, okay?"

Melody looked back at Occento with a baleful gaze and she slowly began to shake her head at first. Occento sighed and shook her head in return. Grasping the filly with her magic, Occento lifted her off her shell and calmly moved Melody over to Crescere.

The small changeling kicked her legs and swung, almost clawing if she had any claws, at Occento in a panicked frenzy. Seeing this, Crescere seemed to freeze in place. He looked at Occento with a confused gaze and she replied with a wry smile, swiftly winking at him.

His whole body tensed up when Melody was deported on his back. The white changeling laced her forehooves around his neck and kept increasing her hold against his throat.

Choked up on his words, Crescere gasped harshly and coughed, he weakly said, "Melody, you're...chok-choking...me..."

Opening her eyes again, Melody looked at Crescere and immediately loosened her hold on his neck. She began to tear up and though none leaked out of her eyes, it was clear she was on the verge.

Seeing that, Crescere couldn't help but try offering her a warm smile. He had eased up and his back no longer felt tense, letting him accommodate Melody on his back with much more ease.

Quickly realizing she held her forelegs around his neck, Melody took them back in a snap. Still, she didn't find it so scary now that she was on Crescere. Hanging down her head, she shied her gaze from his and let a few tears roll down her fur. She held a foreleg to her cheek and found herself to find it wet.

"I’m sorry, Crescere,” she whimpered, eyes cast down on the ground. “I should have given you a chance before.”

Against his expectations, Melody seemed to get comfortable on Crescere’s back, even going as far as nuzzling him. She was still uncomfortable, but oddly enough, she could feel that he harbored no ill feeling towards her, and that made her feel safe with him.

Occento, who had been quietly watching with the corner of her eye, smiled and sighed softly. The scene was heartwarming for the changeling queen. On his end, Crescere offered the white changeling a warm smile and nudged her cheek with his snout.

Melody looked back up to Crescere with tear stains all over her cheek and, upon seeing the smile he was offering her, felt more tears well up in her eyes. She swiped her front legs in her eyes and looked back at him with a hint of a smile, although her ears remained splayed flat against her head.

Melody snuggled her way to his neck and gently laced her front legs around his neck. Crescere seemed to tense up as the sensation of her fur against his chitin crept up to his neck. The soft hug she gave him didn't help him in restraining the blush on his cheek.

"You don't need to be sorry, Melody," Crescere answered gently, nuzzling her cheek all the while. "After what happened to you, I can't possibly blame you for being afraid of us."

"But know that whatever happens, the two of us will always protect you," Occento cooed, interjecting in their conversation.

That had fallen on deaf ears. Little Melody had already fallen asleep on Crescere's back. Her soft breathing against his neck made Occento giggle at the scene, finding it quite adorable indeed. Crescere's heart seemed to have melted under the display he was looking at.

"Is she always this adorable?" he inquired as he turned his head to face Occento again, a smile on his lips.

"Most of the time, yes. She's quite the adorable bundle, from what I could gather from her brother," she told him as a soft smile crept up her lips and a cheery expression appeared on her visage in general. "Now come, we mustn't delay our voyage any more than we've already done so."

"Aye, aye, My Queen. I'm right behind you," he whispered as to avoid waking Melody from her newfound slumber.

----

Several hours later, Occento and Crescere were standing in front of a stone arc. Snow was gently falling down on them as they waited in front of that arc.

"Are you ready, Crescere?" Occento inquired with a serious tone.

Gulping nervously, Crescere looked back at Occento and slowly nodded. With a glance, he looked on his back to see Melody looking at the arc curiously.

"I think I am. If anything, I'm eager to see my wife again. She must be worried sick," Crescere answered while he nudged Melody's snout with his. "What about you, little one? Are you ready to see the Crystal Empire?"

Melody blinked slowly when Crescere nudged her snout and gently shook her head. A few seconds later, she poked her head above Crescere's and looked at the stone arc once more. Just giving a soft nod at both Occento and Crescere, she went back to sitting on Crescere's back all the while curiously taking in every detail around her.

"I don't know. What's the Crystal Empire again?"

Crescere looked at Occento with a dumbfounded expression and tilted his head to the side. Occento, on her end, smiled and gave a small shrug at his glance.

"Ah, yes. Your recovery was still in progress when the Empire emerged. It is an old city to the north of Equestria currently occupied by crystal ponies. Once ruled by an evil dictator by the name of Sombra, the Empire was seemingly forced out of existence when Sombra cursed the city before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna banished him."

Melody nodded with eyes wide open. The explanation Occento had given her was, to her, very instructive and entertaining. Lifting her head above Crescere's, she gazed at the arc once more before she nodded, blinking once more. “Are we going now?” she queried, shifting her gaze between Occento and Crescere multiple times.

Sensing movement on his back, Crescere looked back with curiosity to see that Melody was trying to climb down his back, but without the proper footing, the small filly only managed to send herself hurling down at the snow at the changelings’ hooves. Letting a sharp cry of panic before anyone could catch her in her fall, the filly’s white coat almost made her look like a dune of snow.

Both changelings struggled to keep their laughter in check and barely managed to do so. Almost silent snickers left their mouths, resulting in them instantly covering them on the spot as they watched the filly below plant her hooves on the soft snow only to have them sink deeper with her.

Poking her head up, twisting her body in the process, her blank and innocent expression, while also slightly pained by her leg’s injuries, gave a light atmosphere to the scene with both Occento and Crescere unable to suppress their snickers any longer. Both of them gave a cheerful chirp followed by a loud giggle.

Melody looked to her sides to see both Occento and Crescere smiling, their laughter reaching her ears as the drew back against her head just in time for her cheeks to burn crimson at the display she was putting on for the older changelings. Gasping and grasping at the snow beneath her when an aura grabbed her, the filly looked to see that the smaller drone had ignited his horn. The green glow of his magic calmly undulating around her before she was set on a patch of harder snow between the two, hesitantly putting weight on her legs and slightly bouncing on that snow.

Once she made sure her footing was assured and secure, she swung her head around a bit and blinked numerous times, blinking furiously. She clumsily took place near Occento’s front legs, glancing up to see nothing happening. She turned her head to both Crescere and Occento confusingly, tilting her head to the left, frowning at the lack of explanations given to her.

With both of them nodding at her and gesturing forward, she began marching towards the arc. Occento and Crescere followed behind her and smiled at her behavior. They had told her about the arc that separated the tundra of the North from the Crystal Empire during their travels leading to this very place, but despite her heavy footsteps, her eyes glowed in marvel at the arc, almost hoping a miracle would happen in front of her.

Closing one eye as a strong wind broke itself against her, she gave a soft whimper and seemed to shrink under that wind. Her lower jaw began shaking while her clumsy marching became more cumbersome, tripping a few times in a row.

Crossing one leg over the other, she shrieked and fell straight to the ground. Placing her forelegs in front of her face, she held her breath and braced herself to fall face first into the hard snow.

To her surprise, what greeted her on the ground was soft grass. Opening her eyes to see the full verdure in front of her, she gasped, her lower jaw hung open just enough for a fly to hover by, chased away by her soft breathing soon after. Occento and Crescere soon followed behind and exchanged a glance upon seeing her.

The Crystal Empire was even more beautiful than she had imagined. Her lower jaw hung remained open, unable to be lifted up, as she basked in the warmth of the sun, gazing towards the city ahead. All she could do was gape at the marvelous sight offered to her on a silver platter.

The sun shining down on that tower and then reflected throughout the entire landscape passed in replay in her golden eyes. She stood there for a good five minutes; doing nothing but gaze at the city's beauty.

She rubbed her forehead for a moment in annoyance, sensing an intense tickling on the side of her head, looking down to see a tiny pebble in the grass. Raising her gaze back up, she found Occento gazing back at her with a few more pebbles floating next to her.

Melody smirked back at the changeling queen and tried sprinting at her, only to be met with an agonizing pain when she stomped her injured leg on the ground. Her legs weakened and she lost balance. Gritting her teeth in pain, she stood back up and looked at Occento and Crescere, eyes welling with tears. Crescere glared at his queen, looking at her as if with the intention of imparting a lecture upon her.

It was Occento's turn to roll her eyes at him. Gazing down at him with a smug smile, she cooed, "Must you always be so serious, Crescere. Loosen up, dear."

The smaller changeling groaned and switched his gaze to the advancing Melody. Tears had been suppressed, but not before some stained her fur. Despite that, she tried smiling at the two larger changelings, the lingering pain of her leg still haunting her muscles and nerves.When she stopped next to Occento, she hung her head down before looking up with a saddened expression.

Puzzled by this sudden change of emotion, Occento tilted her head and knelt next to Melody and inquired, "What's wrong, little one?"

Melody looked at Occento with the same expression and locked eyes with her. Slightly sobbing, she said in hiccups, "S-Star used to bring me in places like this."

Occento remained silent at this. Slowly, she sat on her haunches and took Melody in her forelegs. Gently hugging her and rocking her, the changeling queen cooed soft words in the filly's ears and kept rocking her for a few more minutes.

After a while, Melody finally calmed down and moved away from Occento sluggishly. She looked at the changeling queen and took notice of a white pony with a blue and purple set of armor marching towards them in the distance.

When she silently pointed at the pony, Occento and Crescere turned around and almost instantly, Crescere froze at the sight of the pony. A slight weakness in his legs turned into him shaking from hoof to head.

Occento looked at the pony with a relaxed look. She scoffed and averted her gaze from that guard. Whatever kind of intimidation was at work apparently went over her head.

"When I didn't receive word that you would attend our meeting, I thought you were intentionally trying to create tensions between us, Changeling," the guard spat, venom squirting along his words.

"I prefer to invite myself at the last minute, dear. It makes for the best surprises. Besides, you could stand to loosen up a bit too," Occento replied, cooing slightly with a sly smirk. "You and Crescere here have a lot in common, you know."

"Your Highness, you should not provoke him. This is-"

"I know very well who this is, Crescere!" Occento cut in abruptly: a complete shift in emotions. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit, Prince Shining Armor?"

Shining Armor scoffed and glared at Occento. Occento merely glared down at Shining Armor and all the while, the tension was growing so much between the two that Melody's fur was standing on end.

"You should know by now why I summoned you here, changeling! And last I recall, I only asked that you and that imposter here come to the Empire. If you would, could you explain to me who that is?" he asked, pointing a hoof at Melody.

The filly hid behind Occento's hind leg and avoided any sort of eye contact with Shining Armor. Even when he gestured at her, she cowered against Occento's leg and looked away, biting her lower lip to hold off a shriek.

"This," Occento answered, gesturing to Melody as well, "is Melody Swiftsong. She is my personal protégée and as such follows wherever I go. I hope that answers your question?"

Shining Armor suppressed the surprise in his eyes and his facial expression remained crisp. The name was oddly familiar to him. Rubbing a hoof against his forehead, he had a hard time remembering where he had last heard that name.

"If you say so, changeling. If you'd be willing to, we could go to the palace so we can talk more seriously there."

"Very well. Lead the way."

Shining Armor said nothing and just turned away from them, slowly trotting towards the Crystal Empire. Occento rolled her eyes, groaning while she followed behind Shining Armor with Melody and Crescere walking next to her on both sides.

No glances were exchanged between Occento and Shining Armor. Not even glares were thrown at each other. They just followed the prince back to the Crystal Empire.

Having a hard time catching up with all of them, Melody tried to muster the efforts to actually trot as she would have normally done, but it was just like before. As soon as her hoof stomped against the ground, she retracted it just as quickly, yelping inaudibly, yet causing Occento's ears to perk up slightly.

She turned her head to look at Melody and looked at the filly already far behind them, with her limping towards them, panting and trembling with each step she took. The changeling queen cast a smile to Melody and ignited her horn. Magic crept up against Melody's hind leg and she withdrew it almost instantly, shrieking loud enough for Crescere to duck and cover his ears with his eyes closed.

Alarmed by this, Shining Armor turned around and ignited his own horn, ready for action. When he saw what was the cause of that shriek, he cast a glare at Occento and let his guard down. Growling something incomprehensible, he let out, "Is this your idea of a joke?"

Occento had just finished settling Melody on her shell when she gave Shining Armor her undivided attention. Grinning wryly at his sudden temper tantrum, she showed him one of her fangs and giggled.

"My, whatever seems to be the problem here?" she asked, innocently blinking.

"You show up here without notice and provoke a member of the royal family on the spot. Worse now, you blatantly use your magic without warning even when bearing in mind you're a diplomatic guest here to prevent us from going to war. Must you really act so childishly in situations such as these?"

Occento took a long breath and sighed, meeting Shining Armor's glare with a calm expression, forcing Shining to take a few steps back. Tilting his head slightly, he tried to guess what Occento had in mind but gave up eventually.

Watching him intently, Occento puffed her chest when he was finished and stepped closer to him, her soft gaze shifting into a furious glare.

"You would ask me to stop acting so childishly? You, of all ponies?!" She burst, pressing a hoof to his nose. "Were you not the one who forced my subject away from his loving wife and child? Was it not you that threatened my kingdom with war unless I met with your terms? If anyone is childish here, it would be you, not me, Shining Armor."

Standing still this whole time, the stallion only splayed his ears throughout her whole outburst. Firmly planting his hoofs on the ground, he scoffed when she backed up and turned around again.

Occento snorted and hissed at his distinct lack of a response to her accusations, but sealed her lips. After all, she was a diplomatic guest and she certainly didn't want to worsen things up further.

Little Melody had her ears splayed and she looked at both Occento and Shining Armor with confusion swirling in her eyes, her brow furrowed slightly. As for Crescere, he trembled in fear at the way his queen had just treated the prince. Sweat rolled down his brow while his legs wobbled under the weight of his body, threatening to give way at any moment.

Soon enough, they had passed the gate leading into the Crystal Empire. Melody looked at the structure with wide eyes, analyzing everything and anything she could. A soft gasp of awe slipped free of her lips and she raised her head a bit, only to be gently caressed by a strong gust.

What drew her eyes was mostly the immense palace anchored in the center of the city. She gazed at it for several moments, her mouth wide open at the spectacle of lights. The precise craftsmanship of the architecture, the majestic beauty of the sun's rays reflecting upon the crystal walls, coloring the city with a plethora of colors which in turn made the surrounding ponies seem transparent.

Transfixed by the display, Melody barely heard Occento and Crescere speaking among themselves.

"This sucks. I'm back here, and I get the impression I can't even go see my wife so long as this fiasco isn't over with," he whispered to his queen, glancing right and left for any sign of her wife appearing anywhere.

"Don't worry, dear. You'll see her in time. I made arrangements with Odonata and she agreed to go talk to her at my behest. Being the hive's best ambassador of her generation, I'm sure she'll do just fine," Occento calmly explained, watching for Shining Armor's every move, feeling hostility leaking out of him profusely.

"Odonata?!" he exclaimed wildly, even obtaining Shining Armor's attention for but a moment before he swiveled his head back to the front, leading the trio behind him to the castle. "You asked that savage to contact my wife?"

"I would hardly refer to Odonata as a savage. It is true her methods can be a little...out-of-date. Fear not, for I made sure to tell her that I'd deal with her personally if I heard any negative feedback on how she treated your wife," Occento said, expressions weaving from a grimacing one to a serious one, a soft giggle rumbling out of her throat.

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" he asked aloud, rolling his eyes and groaning at her queen's evident lack of seriousness.

"Oh, relax, you worry wart. She's in good hooves. Now calm yourself before we arrive in the throne room, or maybe the council hall, you're already shaking like a leaf."

True to her words, their walking came to a halt when Shining Armor stopped at the gate leading to the palace. Both guards saluted him and with their magic, horns burning bright, they opened the doors leading into the castle.

Walking in casually, Occento followed after Shining Armor, unfazed by the guard's glares thrown at her. Snorting in retaliation, no words graced her tongue to express her discontent at such display of hostility.

Once they passed the gates, and the incredibly disrespectful guards, Occento began to relax once more. Loosening up a bit from her previously neutral expression, she glanced at the palace's entrance and found herself glancing back to a mesmerized Melody.

Holding back a giggle, Occento nuzzled her a bit and then turned her gaze to the worried case that was Crescere. Sighing, she called out his name through the Voice and earned his attention. Hanging his head in defeat, he nodded slightly and followed behind his queen and Shining Armor through the doors that had opened in front of them.

Upon entering the room, Occento's grin grew even wider when she saw who was attending this little meeting of theirs.

Sitting on the throne was Princess Celestia, wearing a neutral gaze and staring idly at the Queen. The elder princess' eyes softened, if only barely, at Occento's entrance. On to her left was Princess Luna, her head lifted up high in the air with arrogance... Or was it confidence? Either way, Occento shrugged before she took place at the center of the throne room. And on her right were Princess Cadance and Twilight Sparkle, both glaring Occento down as if she had just walked out of Tartarus while remaining withdrawn to the side of the throne.

"Well, well. To what do I owe the honor of basking in the presence of the four most influential ponies of Equestria?" she asked with an amused tone.

"Ever so carefree since our last meeting, I see. Take a seat, Queen Occento," Celestia said with an amused grin of her own. "It seems we have a lot of things to talk about today."

"That we do. Starting with the actions of your precious captain, Princess Celestia," she replied, snorting at her and glaring at Shining Armor a few seconds later.

"Your Highness, you know of this changeling?" Shining Armor asked Princess Celestia nervously, his eyes meeting Occento's glare with his ears pinned on his head.

"I know all three of them, actually. I do wish I would've been informed of little Melody's fate. We did put weeks of search in finding her before the search was called off, Queen Occento. As for the changeling standing her, his pony name is Rising Chorus, otherwise known as the changeling Crescere. He possesses a full Equestrian citizenship at this point in time," Celestia spoke, watching Shining Armor's eyes widen in surprise.

"But that doesn't explain who this 'Queen Occento' is, Celestia. Who exactly is she?" Princess Twilight spoke with a hint of aggressivity.

"I'm shocked, Celestia!" Occento let out, lifting and placing a hoof on her chest. "You've not told your former pupil and fellow Princess about my existence? Honestly, after all I did for you, I thought I'd get a bit more recognition."

Luna snarled and stomped her hoof on the ground, shattering the tiles below her. "Don't overstep your position, changeling. Equestria is grateful for your intervention, but you are still an outsider in our internal affairs!"

"Peace, Luna," Celestia interjected, raising a hoof over Luna's snout. "I do have to agree, though. We are grateful for your help, but the fact still remains that you're an outsider to our nation."

"You share an awful lot of resemblance with Queen Chrysalis. Are you somehow related to her in anyway?" Cadance asked, remaining withdrawn at the side of the throne.

Occento scoffed at the various interventions and retained her calm. A few streams of steam ran out of her nostrils while Melody cowered behind the queen at the sudden outburst of the lunar princess. Crescere remained in his spot, unable to comprehend the ability with which she conversed and jested so casually with the princesses to the point of antagonizing herself.

"My Queen! Why act like this in a situation like this one?" Crescere asked, legs trembling under him and lower jaw shaking intensely.

"But I suppose I should do the honors as your presence has been requested by my captain." Glancing over to Twilight Sparkle and Cadance, her lips curled in a sly smile before she said, "Allow me to introduce you to Queen Occento, ruler of the hive Serenus Melodia, and High Queen of the changeling council.

"And as my position implies, I was the one who branded Chrysalis and her hive as renegades and traitors to the council. Thankfully, this decision halted any desire to aid Chrysalis in her endeavors following her defeat at the wedding."

This time, it was Twilight Sparkle who interjected, staring at Occento. "If you are in such a position, why didn't you stop Chrysalis's attack during the royal wedding?"

Occento glanced up at Twilight with a dull gaze, seemingly unamused by the question. "I lacked information about her hive and what she was planning. As High Queen, I need to keep tabs on every hive that is a member of the council, and as such I select changelings to act as my spies. Chrysalis's hive was newly founded when she attacked Canterlot and so I didn't have time to choose a spy in her hive," Occento explained calmly, yet with a soft growl in her voice.

Celestia nodded and paused any responses she might have had to ponder on those words. Before she could utter a single word, Twilight Sparkle went ahead of her and spoke up.

Taking a few steps forward, the young princess raised her head high and stared directly into Occento's eyes. Over a few seconds, she seemed to almost struggle with how to begin and after but a few more seconds of hesitation, Twilight Sparkle said, "As the high queen of your council, do you truly possess so little power that you have to resort to using spies in other hives?"

Occento peered and flared her nostrils. Her tail flicked behind her in a seemingly aggressive manner. "For a young pony, you catch on fast, Princess Twilight Sparkle. My title amongst the council is only honorific at this point. I only oversee activities that involve the changeling society as whole, and nothing else. As such, spies are crucial to my position to gather information.”

Occento shifted and sat down on her flanks gently, a sharp glare shot out at the four rulers in front of her. Shifting her weight from one leg to another, she later sighed and looked down at the ground. "But enough of my position as High Queen, I wish to return to our initial matter. Princess Celestia, I would like to request, as it was agreed on when we made this arrangement, that all current charges are removed from Crescere's case and he be returned immediately to his wife and foal. Furthermore, I have another request for you," she said, finishing rather dryly before glancing at Melody and giving the filly a warm smile

"You can't possibly mean to release that thing into so-" Shining Armor began strongly before being interrupted by his very own wife.

"I am sure we can deal with that. I am assuming that Princess Celestia is in agreement with this request," Princess Cadance told Occento, looking back at her husband with the subtle hint of a glare, blinking ever so rarely.

Luna took a step forward and firmly stood her ground in front of the changeling queen and said, using a quite hostile tone, "Your request shall be granted. Now, speak your second request so we can be done with this meeting!"

Melody looked up to Occento with a puzzled expression and then looked at Crescere with the same look and the drone simply lifted his shoulders while looking back at her with the same expression. What is she planning? he asked himself, quite lost about her plans.

It wasn't too long before Occento nodded to all four princesses and gave them a smile, revealing her fangs in all their glory. Twilight Sparkle and Cadance both grimaced and looked away. To everyone's surprise, and even more so to Melody's, who was pushed forward by Occento. She winced and yelped when she put too much weight on her injured leg.

"I want to ask of you all to allow for Melody Swiftsong here, sister of the late private Star Blaze, to remain in the Crystal Empire under the supervision of Crescere, better known as Rising Chorus, and his wife," she told the princesses, head bowed slightly at them.

Melody and Crescere both shot stares at the Queen, both just as shocked as the other. Melody was about to open her mouth, but the moment she did, no sounds came out. In front of them, Princess Luna looked at the queen, narrowing her eyes at the fellow monarch. She cast a gaze to her sister, who gave an uncertain nod.

"Why not just keep her with you? She seems comfortable around you," Cadance commented, head tilted to the side with a hoof under her chin.

"The hive is far too hostile towards her and I feel her presence in my hive is putting her very life in danger. Therefore, I feel as though your society might be less violent towards her person. However, I demand that she is sent to school and taught magic by both Crescere and a magical instructor of your choosing. Her magic is a blend of the two types, with the changeling side being more dominant," Occento specified, pushing Melody forward a bit. "Do be mindful, though, her left hind leg is lame due to an assault on her person earlier in the week."

Luna scoffed at the demands and details the queen was going over, almost as if convinced that it was going to happen. She did wince at the mention of that lame leg, thinking it was too young to have such a thing.

Celestia, on her end, retained a neutral expression, trying to judge the situation without any bias. It was certainly hard to promise anything without confirmation that it would not happen in the Crystal Empire.

"Out of the question!" Shining Armor bellowed, taking Cadance and Twilight Sparkle by surprise. "What's to say she's not a Queen-to-be aiming at taking us down from the inside on your behalf. After what Chrysalis did, who knows what you kind can-"

"Silence!" Occento roared, eyes glowing purple, fangs bared in a threatening display at the stallion. Steam blew out of her nostrils aggressively while Crescere looked at his queen with fearful eyes. "I care not for your little vendetta against my little sister, but are you even listening to yourself? You are accusing a filly, of all things, of planning to take down your Empire! Do you have no empathy, no feelings? Is it your job to be this much of a hateful bastard?"

All the princesses glanced at Occento's outburst, not so much because she had been excessively aggressive with the prince. At the mention of Occento claiming herself to be Chrysalis' sister, all eyes glared at her, even Celestia's, and demanded explanations.

Realizing her mistake, Occento calmed herself, the snarl she had moments ago vanishing. She shook her head at the princesses, her delicate act remaining intact, however, and took a deep breath as she prepared for what was about to come next.

"Explain yourself...now!" Luna hissed, glaring Occento down. She noticed that Celestia had a similar glare, though didn't look as angry as her sibling.

Author's Notes:

I am terribly sorry about the late update on this. Things took a shaper turn in the matters of my personal life, and I was dragged away for a bit from this thing. Working more hours now at my job because I'm on a sabbatical also lessens my time available to write on here, but being on a sabbatical also means I can spend more time writing because I've got no school and whatnot.

As with last time, this chapter has been reviewed and editing by yours truly, but seeing as I am also very much biased over my own work, if you spot any mistakes, or passages that could be remade, or removed (such as cases of show and tell), then please do inform me of those.

If anything, Chapter Seven is already completed, which is the reason this is late actually (more or less). So, once it's proofread, and edited, at the best of my abilities of course, I'll switch it over here and do the final modifications.

Confrontations

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The Melody of the Heart

Chapter Seven: Confrontations

Written by Star Origin

All four princesses looked at the changeling queen after her sudden outburst at Prince Shining Armor. Luna was glaring daggers at Occento, and so did Celestia. The other two princesses glanced at her with watchful gazes.

Crescere eyed at his queen with surprise, and Melody was already stepping away from her, her actions significantly diminished due to her lame leg. Occento realized her mistake right there and then and blinked a few times before directing her gaze at the four princesses again.

Sighing heavily, she looked at them with a sense of shame. Her heritage was not something that she wanted to acknowledge despite it always chasing after her. With a soft fidgeting of her legs and a few stammers at the lunar princess’ demand for explanation, she took a long breath and opened her mouth.

“I suppose I owe you an explanation, don’t I?” Occento said, staring right into Luna’s eyes.

“You do, and you had better explain yourself quickly lest you want to see yourself in our dungeons, changeling,” Luna scowled, her very words sharper than the sharpest of blades.

"It's better if I were to show you, instead," Occento replied while shying her eyes from the lunar princess.

Flames began to eat away at the changeling, but unlike most transformations, the flames that surrounded Occento were slowly eating at her form all the while creeping down her form.

Her orange mane burned into a teal shade while her neck and back seemed to become more prominent, more defined than her previous form. Her barrel and legs were oddly smaller and slender than her previous form, her purple iris pulsing to green. Her braided mane spread outward and expanded in a straight mane that fell against her back and the side of her neck all the while her tail did the same thing.

"Peace... I meant no offense by doing this," she told the princesses, noticing the dynamic expression in Shining Armor's eyes and the defensive stances both Twilight Sparkle and Cadence adopted. "This is merely the form I was born with."

"You look just like..." Celestia began, although she was cut short by Occento raising her hoof and shaking her head, a pained in her expression.

"Don't... I'm not her." Even to an extent, the changeling seemed to harbor regret and pain over the comparison, her eyes flashing to the ground before the hints of tears appeared in her eyes.

"You're crying?" Cadence inquired, taken aback by the unusual show of weakness from the changeling queen. "Why?" All three changelings present felt the desire to understand that came from Cadence, a shiver shooting through their spines, echoing through the rest of their bodies.

"The divide that opposed myself and my sister against each other was born out of a pony, at the time where we thought your kind was just food and our enemies. My late mother, Queen Lilith, entertained the idea of sending her daughters to essentially infiltrate pony society. And so we did, and I failed at my task.

"Not only did I fail at my task, but I also wronged the most important tenet of changeling culture: I fell in love with a pony. When I was discovered and accused, my love was executed by my mother and I was banished from the hive."

By the time she was done, the changeling queen was almost gathered in a small ball on the floor, weeping at the memories rushing back in. Her eyes were slightly red, tears soaking the floor. She stomped the ground several times, each time she slammed her hoof stronger than the last slam.

"It wasn't fair!" she cried out, her view narrowing down to a single tunnel as she kept on pounding the floor with her hoof.

Silence greeted the changeling queen when her sobs were left unanswered. Looking back up to see four princesses looking at her doubtfully and cautiously. She hissed her gaze hardening into a glare. Looking at each princess, Occento replied with a blank expression before she spoke,

“Seriously? How am I supposed to feed here if I don’t stir up some emotions?”

“You can spare us the false emotions, changeling. We’re not dumb enough to fall for that,” Luna replied harshly, returning the changeling’s glare and holding her own quite easily.

A soft snicker was heard throughout the throne room, all eyes falling on Cadence. The alicorn of love glanced at the ground, fiddling her hooves together, and said, “Y-yeah. We’re not going to fall from that… at all.”

Luna shot a glance at her niece, rolled her eyes, sighed, shifting her attention to Occento as soon as she was done with whatever she was doing about Cadence. She turned to Celestia and gave her a scowl. “Did you know of this, sister?”

Celestia shook her head and was about to answer, but Occento took a step forward, garnering everyone’s attention at once. “No, I was careful not to mention Chrysalis to anyone outside of the changeling hives.”

“Oh yes, keep us in the dark about a dangerous changeling trying to take over Canterlot. I’m sure that is a brilliant idea! This information could have helped us anticipate it!” Luna growled at Occento following her answer, not in the least satisfied with the response she got from the changeling. She expelled steam from her nostrils, calming herself at the gestures her elder sister made to her from the side.

Tension rose and Occento’s eyes glowed green while she took several steps forward, eliciting a reaction from Shining Armor, the guards positioned at the doors and the two diarchs. She hissed louder, kicking the ground with her hooves.

“Ha! As if you were in a better situation than I. Your very own sister hid your existence as a myth and legend, leaving it to her one and only apprentice at the time to unravel the dark mystery that she had left her, with a significant chance of Nightmare Moon taking over. I’m glad we’ve established that I’m just as horrible as Celestia now,” Occento rebuked, glaring at both elder princesses fiercely, still finding it in herself the ability to sit down on her haunches.

“That’s enough!” Celestia’s voice boomed throughout the throne room, shaking the ceiling and the walls around so much it left Crescere and Melody to clutch hooves against the splayed ears.

“Did I strike a chord here? Well, at least, I can claim my sister’s actions were justified, unlike a certain someone sitting here right now.”

Luna was about to lose her patience. Her left eye constantly twitched, leaving the mare to let that anger grow and grow within her head and heart, festering until it was too much to handle for just a single pony. “Justified? How were Chrysalis’ actions justified?” the lunar princess queried, tilting her head with the same glare aimed at Occento.

“She and her hive were starving for almost a century after I banished them from Serenus Melodia following my rise to power. Try going on without eating for a century. You’ll learn that sometimes, the means justify the end!”

Celestia craned her neck a bit, eyes glowering on Occento, her very presence enough to almost suffocate Melody and Crescere, both finding her boiling anger rising in the air. Rising from her seat, she marched down the stairs, quickly pressing her snout against Occento and scoffing at her. She lifted a hoof and pressed it against her chest, glaring still.

“Well, then, why don’t you explain to us why Chrysalis was expelled from your hive in the first place?”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Occento answered with an enormous amount of venom. She ignited her horn and before the entirety of the ponies in the room, a transparent room formed itself, molded from her magic. Three changelings were present at the time and they all appeared to be royal changelings too.

----

“My daughter… you disappoint me,” a changeling queen declared sternly, glancing at the collapsed and crying form of her eldest daughter. She scoffed and turned her back moments later. “No matter. Traitors will be dealt with accordingly. Princess Husk, you are hereby banished from my hive. Begone from my sight.”

“Sister… what have you done?” The other changeling spoke, the voice matching Chrysalis’, as she regarded the fallen princess with concern and scorn.

“I am not going anywhere,” Husk replied, eyes glowing green. Her lover’s body was quickly engulfed in green flames, eating away at his form until not even bones were left. His ashes scattered in the wind, tears glistening in the young royal’s eyes. “Moth… no, I suppose I shouldn’t call you that anymore. Queen Lilith, as it is my right as a changeling royal, I challenge you for the hive’s leadership in a battle to the death. Winner takes all!”

Appalled, the queen turned around, shooting a glare at her daughter, as her eyes glowed green and sparks twitched all around her. The air around the queen wavered and shook, an immeasurable barrier of power cutting through the air and pushing Chrysalis away from her, covering the younger royal in gashes. The Queen did not care. Consumed in never-ending rage, she advanced toward her daughter, glowering at her.

----

Crescere walked up to his queen and looked up at her with growing concern. Lifting a leg in an attempt to prod it slightly against her own, he lacked the resolve to see it through and instead put his leg back on the floor, hanging his head for a moment as he thought of the events that had transpired that day. His own memories surfaced and he winced, closing his eyes. Lifting his head back up, he would see that his queen did not follow the footsteps of her mother.

Lifting his leg again, he pressed his hoof on Occento’s leg and she slightly jumped at the touch, turning her head to the side and shooting a glare at the drone. Sensing his growing fear gnaw at her being, she softened her expression and lowered her gaze.

“My Queen, you do not have to do this…” he murmured. His pained voice was proof of their harsh past.

Occento shook her head, spreading her lips into a toothy grin before she returned her attention to the princesses before her. Hardening her gaze to confront them, staring at Celestia in particular, she resumed her story.

----

Princess Husk stood firm in the arena, gulping only once when she glared back at her mother. The changeling queen snorted and immediately summoned her barrier to her side, winds already sending the ground swirling around her form. Igniting her horn a bit more, the green aura was similar to fire against her head.

“Husk, I hope you realize the folly of your actions… Defying your mother and queen is what only a fool would do.”

“Then brand me a fool if you must! You’ve taken something from me that will never come back, Lilith. I will end your reign of ignorance and terror today!” Husk bellowed, gritting her teeth and blowing steam out of her nostrils.

“You will end nothing, Husk. You shall die with an illusion implanted in your head.”

Husk’s left eye twitched for a moment and she let out a scream of rage, eyes welling up with tears before she immediately covered her form in green flames. The flames molded her shape and she emerged from it changed. No longer a changeling, the princess had shifted her form into a timberwolf’s. A primal roar left her and she charged without a moment’s hesitation. “What would you know about real love? You’ve only ever been absorbed by yourself. Chrysalis and I never received your care or attention! It was always about you and I will put an end to this parade, you witch!”

The princess-turned-timberwolf attacked her mother only to be brushed off by that barrier, chunks of wood sent flying all over. The flames once again covered Husk’s body to reveal the princess’ body sprawled on the ground, pieces of chitin missing in some places after the collision with her mother’s barrier.

“Do you now see the extent of your folly? You are not yet ready to take the throne. You’ll never be as long as you remain this sentimental, Husk. Sentimentality will be your undoing, my dear. Loving a pony is a crime befitting death, yet I am sparing you; you should be grateful I am this merciful with you,” Lilith sneered, looking down at her disabled daughter, condescendence reflected in her eyes.

Husk’s eyes glowed a bright green and she slowly got up, her wounds slowly healing and disappearing into naught but pristine chitin on her body. Summoning an array of magical blades to her side, the princess hurled them at her mother, but each of them was deflected from the shield around Queen Lilith. Summoning more and more of them, the smaller changeling kept hurling sword after sword to no avail. None of them even reached close to harming Lilith.

“Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!” Husk hissed, her magic drawing forth even more of those magical weapons. “You shut the hell up right now, you witch! I’ll not hear another wretched word from you! A mother should always be by her children’s side, supporting them and encouraging them! You avoided us and encouraged fratricide to see who would eventually lead the hive. I cared for Chrysalis and you still took her from me! You corrupted her and bent her mind to your will! I’ll kill you!”

“Try all you want, Husk. Nothing gets through my ultimate defense,” Lilith replied arrogantly, her head held high, glancing at her daughter with disdain and hate.

Without any warning, the queen lit her horn again and threw a magic blast at Husk, hurling her across the entire arena and into a wall, creating a small crater on impact. Husk gasped and coughed copious amounts of blood after she fell to the ground, letting out a loud cry when she barely managed to stand up, only for her legs to fail on her. Her eyes were heavy and her breathing loud and raspy. She felt every bone in her body hurting. Every fractured bone sent a cacophony of pain through her spine, pinning her to the ground.

Then she saw it. His face. Her memories flashed in front of her, of the time she had spent with her beloved before he was taken from her. Tears glistened in her eyes again, rolling down her chitin and occasionally splashing in some of her wounds, causing her to wince and yelp in pain. Was she dying? Was this how she died? At the hooves of her mother? Of that murderer?

No!

She stared right up ahead and found her mother slowly advancing towards her. Stomping the ground with her left foreleg, she let a long puff of steam run out of her nostrils. Snarling at Lilith, she focused on her magic, gathering a small barrier against her own body.

“Oh, you’re still alive? I would have expected that to kill you. Good. I’ll be able to have some more fun with your broken body,” Lilith cackled as she charged her horn again.

Then she blinked. Husk took a step forward. Then another, and another. Step by step, the young princess growled each time. Her wounds slowly regenerated, but each step was still very much painful. Lilith stopped in her tracks when she noticed that much, eyes wide open at the spectacle right in front of us. One of her strongest blasts had not killed her own daughter and she was somehow recovering from it?

“You seem surprised, Lilith,” she began, huffing and panting with each step, eventually coming into a slow gallop. “What? You’ve never seen anyone survive this before? Don’t tell me I’m your first survivor or I’ll have to start believing you have a soft side too.”

Lilith recoiled from the taunt and glared at her daughter, gritting her teeth in the process. Easing her facial expression, she took her facade of neutrality once more right before backing up when Husk charged at her again and a grin grew on Lilith’s muzzle, opening her mouth, “This little trick again? Haven’t you learned already that my ultimate defense cannot be p-”

No time given to finish her gloating, the queen barely escaped her daughter’s horn from impaling her neck. Gasping at the sudden attack from Husk, Lilith roared and prepared another blast to finish the princess.

A primal cry of pain echoed through the arena when Lilith’s horn rolled on the ground, what remained of it forming a stub against her forehead. Instantly, the barrier went down and both looked at the sword that had severed Lilith’s horn. A weapon composed only of green energy hovered over both of them. Magic seemed to pour out of that stub, causing the queen to collapse on the ground, weakened and vanquished.

She looked up to Husk to see the icy glare that even iced Lilith’s blood. Weakly opening her mouth, she stammered, “H-how?”

“How? Very simple. Those swords I hurled at you? They were meant to measure the density and intensity of your barrier and to analyze its composition. Your arrogance was always your greatest enemy, Mother,” she explained slowly and calmly, a calmness that disturbed even Lilith. “Sadly, you never bothered to think your ultimate defense could be rendered useless by itself. I only had to summon a barrier with the same force as yours to render both barriers useless. You were a good opponent, I will admit, but you are too old now. The newer generation must shine through, and you need to fall first, Lilith.

“Sad it is that for all these years, it was not an heir that you created, but a monster among changelings. How unfortunate must it be to fall to their own children,” she continued, her voice devolving into a spiral of apathy, even to the point of scoffing at her mother, “though I believe thanks are due. Had you not murdered my beloved, I would have never rebelled, and you would have never found yourself in this position. Fall, Mother. This silence is mine.”

The vision began fading to black, the scene unfolding ceasing to exist at a particularly fast pace. Sounds escaped from the projection, but not before a single strident scream echoed into the arena.

“Murderer!”

----

All four princesses looked at Occento with either looks of terror or with unfazed glares while Melody began to back away from her guardian, much to the queen’s chagrin, despite her inability to show it. Crescere heard the soft whimpers behind him, his head turning almost immediately to find the source. He hurried to her side with the utmost silence he could conjure without disturbing the exchange the princesses were having with his queen. He found Melody trying to back away from him too, and that hurt him.

She shook her head at his silent advance, whimpering with each step she took on her lame leg before she bumped into the wall behind her. Tears glistening in her eyes, the filly reared herself on her hindlegs, letting out a pained cry. All heads turned to her. She felt each and every single one of the gazes sink into her brain, her soul, heck even her heart and she felt her tiny world starting to crumble around her in an instant. Before the princesses and the single changeling queen was a whimpering and sobbing mass of fur otherwise known as Melody, tears streaking down her cheeks and on the floor, through the holes in her legs and directly on her fur.

Crescere slid his hooves around her and pulled her close to his chest. He raised a hoof and slid it down her soft mane. The filly tried to protest, but to no avail. The grown changeling was not going anywhere. “Shh, it’s okay,” he whispered, his hoof still stroking her mane slowly and carefully. “It’s going to be just fine. Queen Occento changed in all those years.”

Amidst the princesses, Luna was the first to eject her seat, spreading her wings and alighting between Occento and Crescere as he still embraced Melody. “Allow me to doubt that for a moment,” she interjected, “because what I see right now is a changeling willing to do anything to get what she wants, even to the point of slaying her own mother. How can we know for sure that this little one here, Melody Swiftsong, hasn’t been tainted with this false ideology?”

Occento gasped and turned around in a flash, igniting her horn in a blind rage before she realized that both elder princesses were ready to reply to her offense in kind. She relented, but her glare never diminished, not even once, in front of the adversity before her. Finally putting her thoughts together, she stomped the ground and shifted her gaze to face Luna’s, exclaiming, “You dare accuse me of tainting a filly out of her childhood? And why would I do that exactly? What ulterior motive do I have in this? What have I to gain by doing what you think I have done?”

The two kept glaring at each other until Celestia stepped in between them and separated them with her magic. “While you bring valid points, Queen Occento,” Celestia began, and Occento noticed her voice wasn’t as venomous as before, “it still remains that there were alternatives to changing young Melody into a hybrid.”

Occento glanced at Celestia and arched an eyebrow at the elder monarch. “Perhaps so, but with the circumstances I was placed in, I did not have much time to consider the alternatives. The manticore’s poison had almost reached her heart when I converted her,” explained the bitter queen. “A transfusion would have taken too much time to remedy her state, and she needed to antibodies at that moment or death would have claimed her.

“You want to paint me a villain?” Occento snapped. “Fine, but what I did that day, two centuries ago, I did in the name of the hive and in the name of my first and last love. When you’re done seeing the world in black and white, maybe we’ll be able to talk some more, Princesses.”

Leering at both the elder princesses, Occento snorted and turned around, igniting her horn instantly, and pushing the doors to the throne room open, bursting out of said room in a boiling fit of anger. Crescere sighed at the reaction and pressed Melody further against his chest. She felt her whimpering at his touch, but he could not for the life of him leave her be in this particular situation.

Lifting his head to face the frowning looks of the four princesses, he sighed once more and hung his head a few moments later, opening his mouth only for silence to exit. It took a great deal of courage on his part to actually muster up the words, and the confidence to address the princesses. Closing his mouth, leaving only the fangs slide against the chitin of his maw, he opened it again with another sigh and said, “I am sorry that you had to see that. We are forbidden from talking about the Old Ways, especially for those that were alive when she took power. You may listen to my words, or ignore them, but you should know that Queen Occento has changed. She yearns for change, but she doesn’t know a better way to quell those that trouble her and disturb the peace she worked so hard to guarantee us.

“Her mother, the late Queen Lilith, was a ruthless queen. She, like many of the Queens still present at the council, believe that they should be the guiding hoof of their hives and that they are the supreme authority in all matters. Most of those queens also lay eggs up to this day. Occento rendered herself unable to do so. Mutilating her body to the point she can’t even bear her own children, let alone the hive’s eggs. And so, when she did announce it, she entrusted it to us to populate the hive and to make it our own society, to do with it everything we can imagine.

“Should any of you visit Serenus Melodia, I can almost say without a doubt that you would be impressed with the way we transformed the hive. Striking an economic deal with Equestria allowed us to do more than you think. And with how many changelings actually left the hive to settle as wandering merchants, only visiting to either buy goods from the hive or to sell wares they found on their travel, we’ve never seen the hive in a better shape.”

All the princesses listened intently to the words spoken by the Equestrian changeling, nodding at some of his words and smiling at some others, Celestia was rather impressed by his explanation. She had since then sat down on her haunches, as had Luna, and simply listened.

“You seem to be familiar enough with your Queen to know her to this level. Did you perhaps have a high position to know her that well? Her confident, perhaps?” Luna questioned, her brow adorned with a frown, her glance hardening slightly.

Crescere hung his head again and seemed to blush almost. That alone surprised both princesses and seemed to make Luna grin in silent victory, but before she could proclaim her good guess, the changeling shook his head and replied, “Close, but no. I am not her confident, nor was I ever that close to her in that way. I… um… I-I was her firstborn before she mutilated herself. I came from the union between a changeling queen and a pony. I was also disowned when I reached my maturity. Not out of malicious or cruel intent. She explained it to me when I decided to leave the hive. She did it specifically because she wished to spare me any possible fate comparable to hers, and for that, I am eternally grateful to her.”

“That still doesn’t explain why she acts like a surrogate mother to Melody. If anything, with this new revelation, I would have expected her to distance herself from this young one,” Celestia commented, a hoof raised to stroke her chin.

“I am afraid I do not know the answer to that, Princess,” Crescere replied weakly, his eyes recoiling from the gazes pointed at him.

Princess Celestia was the first to rise and she gave the changeling a solemn bow of her head, along with sharing a smile to the peeking Melody that had shied away from the changeling’s chest. Her eyes opened wide, she looked in fear and curiosity mixed straight into Celestia’s warm gaze. She broke away from the embrace given by Crescere and she skidded past him and between the princesses, almost as if she meant to decide which side she wanted to be on.

Cadence approached the filly silently, though failed to come in unannounced when the filly turned her head to notice her. The Princess of Love stopped herself in front of Melody and Crescere, lowering herself to her knees to look at Melody’s eyes. “Do you know who I am?” she asked gently, smiling all the while as to not scare the filly any more than what had already been done.

Melody could only muster the strength to nod at the princess, her form cowering her presence. Her simple presence, this close, made her feel like it would require her no effort to crush her as if she were a bug, but she sensed no ill feelings from the princess.

“Good. Then I’ll move onto the next subject,” she said, smiling and turning her attention at Crescere, who simply shied away from her gaze. “Rising Chorus, was it?” Once she received an uncertain and hesitating nod from the changeling, her smile swept through her lips with ease. “Queen Occento sent words when she learned of your situation and asked me to look into a few legal documents. I’m happy to announce that the adoption papers should be ready by next week.”

Melody’s ears perked up and she swung her head to the side almost instantly, letting out a huge gasp when she heard about the adoption papers. Her parents were coming to get her someday, right? There was no need for her to be adopted by anyone for the time being. What would her parents think? True, her parents never were exactly present for most of her life, but her brother had told her that they were extremely busy ponies.

“I don’t want to be adopted,” she complained, stomping her hooves on the floor. “Mom and Dad are gonna come for me soon! They must be worried sick by now!”

Crescere fidgeted in his place at that statement and he closed his eyes, clearing his mind momentarily, thinking of ways to announce the news, though they are old, to the filly. He was beaten to it when he saw Cadence inch closer to the changeling hybrid and pushed her against her neck, placing a hoof around the filly.

“Melody, the queen also gave me important information about you concerning your parents. I don’t know how to tell you this, but your parents…” she swallowed a hard lump in her throat, taking a long breath. “They’re dead, Melody. They died when you were still a foal. Melody, I-I’m so sorry about that!”

The filly froze, her head slowly arching back to face Cadence, eyes widened from the shock. Tears welling up in her eyes, the filly slowly shook her head while sobs shook her. She trembled like a leaf and she strove to break free from Cadence’s hold. Closing her eyes and thrashing within that embrace, Melody whined, “N-no! They’re n-not! S-Star just said that they were too busy to visit as often as they’d like! My brother would never lie!”

The princess’ ears pinned against her skull when that bellow came, losing her weak grasp on the filly. Melody rushed to the door and with strength unbefitting of someone her size, pushed one of the doors open almost effortlessly. Crescere got up in moments and sprinted after her, his mind already anticipating where she was going.

----

“Occento! Occento! I wanna go with you!” Melody called from way behind the queen.

Occento waltzed through the halls of the palace, admiring the architecture and design on her way out when she heard the voice and glanced back, sighing at the sight of the crying filly and the drone following behind her, a few dozen or so feet behind.

“Melody, you need to go back there. You are in their care now. Besides, I cannot bring you back to the hive as it is.”

Despite the appearances, Occento was legitimately surprised to see that Melody had been able to sprint, let alone put that much weight for that amount of time on her lame leg. Had something happened to her that put her into such a frenzy? She was now concerned for the hybrid, kneeling down to nudge Melody’s muzzle when she was close by.

Occento really wanted to bring Melody along with her, but circumstances had made it so she was unable to do so. Finding herself torn between trying to comfort her and telling her off, the queen sighed once more, glancing at the panting Crescere behind. At the same time, she ignited her horn, encasing Melody’s form with her magic and focusing it on her leg. She was again very surprised.

Where there once was muscle tear damage felt like it had simply healed like any injuries, even though she had been told it was permanent. When inspecting closer, she felt an unknown magic source swirling around her leg. It could have been any of the princesses other than Princess Celestia, and even then, she doubted any of them could heal permanent damage, but somehow it had

She took a long breath and then she sensed it. The unique flavor of love embracing Melody’s form, empowering her body. So that’s it. The damage had not been repaired. She had fed upon one of the princesses, possibly Cadence at that, and had used the love as a substitute for adrenaline. It was impossible to fathom. Melody had never been taught how to do that before, so her body must have received sufficient physical or psychological shock to fall back on relying on instincts alone. The queen’s mind was running in full motion, trying to grasp and understand what had transpired.

“N-no! I don’t want to! They said that my parents were dead and that you had told them about it!” she shot back, crying like a baby at this point.

Occento shot Crescere a glance and he nodded.

“I’m so sorry, Melody…” Occento began, lifting the filly’s chin with a hoof. “But I told them the truth. You were orphaned at a very young age. That’s why your brother worked so hard in making you happy.”

“W-what?” she asked, confused, widened eyes staring up into Occento’s purple eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Melody, you need to understand that your brother was both your best friend, as well as your confident, and your warden. He loved you so much, I cannot deny that. But he loved you to a point he could not even bear to see you sad, to see you hurt. His love weakened his resolve. He never wanted you to know about the incident about your parents, so he kept their deaths a lie. If it meant lying to you to never see you cry, he would do it again, I’m sure, if he could.

"Your brother was a fantastic pony, but he was too soft. He was trying so hard to protect you that he only focused on the ‘now and then’ of things before thinking of the long term consequences. No matter his efforts, you would have found out sooner or later, Melody…”

By now, Melody was just weeping before Occento, her cries echoing in the air. Silence from the two changelings left her the only voice in the hall. The changeling queen ignited her horn further and encased Melody in her green aura once more, slightly wincing when she felt her head softly thump on the ground. Crescere rushed to her side, but he was halted by Occento shaking her head. She levitated Melody and slowly lifted her to his back, depositing her there carefully and smoothly, smiling weakly. She shot a final glance at the two and turned around, taking a few steps forward.

“Take good care of her, Crescere. Take care of her as if she were your own,” Occento commanded in the softest voice possible, leaving Crescere to wonder if it was really a command or a request.

He frowned and tilted his head barely and then said, “I will, Occento. I’ll see to it she gets the love she deserves!”

Occento kept walking away from them and turned her head to the side to shot another glance at Crescere, nodding only once, a tear running down her chitin.

“One last thing, child. So long as she lives under your roof, you are hereby banished from the hive. You are relieved from any attachments you might have had with the hive. Your duties as a father are more important. Don’t be like me, okay?”

He felt something wet run across his cheek, raising a hoof to quell the damp sensation to find out it was a tear. He was crying. He would have never thought he’d cry over something like this before, but he was. He nodded back and smiled brightly, fangs showing and all.

“I won’t.” He paused, a lump forming in his throat, his voice wavering and quaking with emotions. “Thanks… mom.”

Adaptation

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Groaning, Melody dropped her snout on the window sill and stared at the ponies crowding the street below her. Wiping a few tears from her cheeks and eyes, she sniffled and closed her eyes again, a few stifled sobs escaping her mouth.

She was taken by surprise when she heard the door behind her open and close. She cast an eye towards the door to see Rising Chorus coming, squinting her one eye at the green-furred pony making his way towards her. She turned her head around to look outside and let out another sigh. Why were they not leaving her alone?

She nearly jumped from her bed when she saw a hoof smash itself onto the window sill, slowly arching her head to the side to see Rising Chorus glaring at her with a disappointed scowl on his face. Her eyes widened, and her ears fell flat onto her head. She took a long breath and switched her gaze to the outside world again.

“Melody, we need to talk.”

She took another long breath and rolled her eyes. Why didn’t they just leave her alone? She shook her head a little and sharply replied, “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

That did not seem to satisfy Rising Chorus as his magic enveloped her form, leaving her to shriek and struggle helplessly within his magical grasp. She glared daggers when he placed her in front of him on her bed. He sat on his haunches and sighed at the filly while his horn glowed green a bit.

Flames began to eat away at his form, turning his green coat into his usual glossy chitin. Glancing at her with his large blue eyes, he moved onto the bed and slid a hoof against her mane. Freezing in motion instantly, Melody shot him another glare, but he did not stop.

Rising Chorus pursed his lip, biting his upper lips while he shuffled his hind legs together. He opened his mouth a few times as if to say something, but each time no words came out, and he found himself closing it just as fast as it opened. His ear pinned atop his head, and he just stared down at her, even though she refused to look at him, her head turned the other way.

Idly stroking her mane now, even though she did distance herself with time, he blinked and frowned. “Look, Melody. I know you never asked for any of this. I know you’re angry and sad. But please, just leave Choir Heart out of this. She does not deserve to be on the receiving end of your anger.”

Melody tensed, and she slowly turned to face him with a frown on her face. He did not seem surprised, though. Even when she tilted her head to the side and put a hoof under her chin, he still arched an eyebrow, giving Melody a suspicious glance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responded weakly, shuffling her legs in kind, and staring him straight in the eye.

He did not stop glancing at her with those suspicious eyes, and she felt like she was being interrogated. The filly rubbed her left foreleg nervously. That was when he reached out for her, pulling her close and embracing her. He softly whispered in her ear, “Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Melody, I’m a changeling.” He paused as he repositioned himself on the bed. “I’ve felt it since the last few days. Whether it is conscious or not, it remains that you’ve been feeding on Choir Heart’s emotions, and I need you to stop doing that. I’ve not taught you how to harvest emotions only to have you use it on your very own sister.”

She smashed her hoof into his chest when he was done, looking up at him, tears now glistening in those golden eyes of hers. “She’s not my real sister. You’re not even my real family. You can’t even begin to understand how I’m feeling right now!” she let out, her voice shattered into sobs.

She slammed her hoof into his chest, but he took it quietly, letting her small hooves shake his form. Grasping those ribbons on her mane with his magic, he pulled one after the other to let her silky mane slide across her neck and fur, grazing her skin if only barely. She looked at him, tears in her eyes, her cheeks and fur by now dampened.

“So, this is what this is about, huh?” Rising Chorus cooed, almost cooing into her ear as he pulled her closer. “I think I can relate to your situation, Melody.”

She shook her head and kept pounding her hooves against the changeling, bawling her eyes out all the while. “No, you can’t! You can’t possibly understand my pain, Crescere!”

Melody froze when she felt him kiss her forehead softly, the cold touch of his fangs embracing her fur and skin sending chills down her spine. Her body shook like a delicate leaf, and as the tears kept on flowing, he whispered, “Not yours specifically.” He paused, licking his lips. He then created some distance and craned his head down to come face to face with the filly. “I’ve never met my father, and my mother neglected me as a child and left me to the caretakers. This family I created with Coral is the closest thing to a real family I’ll ever have, and I hope you can become a part of it too. In time, of course.”

But Melody shook her head. His words hung around her mind, weighing upon it and sinking into it, making her confused over what she was supposed to feel. She moved her hooves to wipe the tears from her eyes and fur, sniffling moment later. She shuffled her hind legs again, and she directed her gaze to the ground, letting out a rather forced sigh, her chest rising way more than before, crashing down mere seconds later in a strained silence as words refused to leave her.

“But how? How did you do it? How did you move forward?” she asked as her voice cracked, still evading his softened gaze.

“I came to terms with my mother. Maybe you’re too young to understand it yet, but we all grow by learning from our mistakes,” he told her gently, extending a hoof to stroke her head tenderly, even if she did shy away from the gesture, “and our pain. Not just physical pain, but psychological pain as well. It’s normal for us to want to bury what hurts the most, but we should never forsake who we became because of that pain. And what I see right now is a young filly with a lot of potential. You shouldn’t be here moping and wallowing in your self-pity. You should be out there, making friends and enjoying life as any child does at your age.”

The filly gave a soft nod and looked away to look at the window, staring at the clear sky outside. She slid off her bed and landed softly on all four hooves, walking past Rising Chorus. She grasped the doorknob with her magic and opened the door to see Coral Charm, her adoptive mother, standing there with a few tear strains against her fur. She attempted to touch Melody, but she withdrew her hoof when the filly walked past her.

Rising Chorus followed after her once she out of the room, and he gave his wife a loving glance, nuzzling her when she buried herself against him and cried. He threw another glance at Melody to see the limping filly head for the door leading outside, and called, “Where do you think you’re going, young filly?”

Melody spun her head back and looked back at him, her eyes painted with many emotions. Still attempting to figure out what she was supposed to feel, she just turned her head around and opened the door. “I just need a breath of fresh air.”

Rising nodded, stroking Coral Charm’s back, and he gave his wife his full attention moments later. “All right. Just be back in time for dinner, then.”

----

As Melody strolled through the streets, she could feel all the looks move on her. Maybe out of sympathy for her leg, or hatred for her species. She shied away from any passersby she encountered and looked for a park or playground. She needed some alone time, and if it weren't too crowded, it could give her just that.

When she finally got to the nearest playground, she felt herself shrink in size at the sheer amount of children gathered there and playing. When all those eyes fell on her, her ears glued themselves to her head. She took a few steps backward and pivoted towards the opposite way.

Just as she was about to head out, she felt a leg wrap around her neck and pull her back. She shrieked and pulled herself free, stumbling to the side and falling on her back. She heard the laughter of a filly to her right, blinked and looked up with a flustered expression.

The filly in question chuckled and offered Melody an apologetic smile. “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you, but you should have seen your face! It was priceless!”

Melody furrowed her brow and rolled her eyes, pulling herself back up. She shook her wings and her flanks, shaking her head all the while. She eyed the pony cautiously, and asked, “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

The filly wiped a few tears from her eyes and gave Melody a surprised look, placing a hoof on her chest and gasping loudly. “You mean you don’t know who I am?” Just as Melody opened her mouth to answer, the filly stuffed her hoof in her mouth and shook her head. “Don’t answer that. Of course, you don’t know who I am. Cherry Blossom, resident prankster. You’re one of those whatchamacallits, aren’t you? So what’s your story, eh?”

The filly in question, Cherry Blossom, had a pristine white coat covering her whole body. Her mane was tied in a ponytail, and was dual-toned, with a streak of white separating the pink of her mane. A smile spread her lips wide, and she offered Melody one of the friendliest smiles she’d seen. One careful look revealed that the filly's friendly innocence was simply front to hide the incredible playfulness she had.

Melody almost leaped backward, grimacing and rolling her tongue in her mouth, frowning, then closing her eyes. She spat the foul taste rubbing against her tongue and mouth, looking at Cherry Blossom with a very cautious glare. She felt no malicious intents though she did keep her distance from the filly.

“N-no. I’m not a changeling,” Melody retorted shyly. “At least not completely…”

Cherry Blossom seemed to spring forth from her distance, closing the distance between the two without leaving Melody any time to prepare herself. The filly moved around her, prodding her flanks, lifting her wings with her hooves and letting them fall on Melody’s back. She tugged her tail and then moved down to inspect her hooves. Lifting one of them, and effectively making Melody shriek when she started to lose balance, she giggled and pulled away, leaving Melody to buzz her wings loudly in an attempt to stabilize herself.

“Yup, I can confirm. You’re a bug pony, through and through. Wanna be my friend?” Cherry enthusiastically let out.

Melody looked at the filly in front of her, wondering what had just happened in the few minutes she’d met her at the park. Shaking her head and tilting it moments later upon placing her stare on Cherry Blossom, Melody could only offer a confused expression to the filly. “W-what?”

Cherry blinked and giggled at the response. “Geez, are you sure your ears aren’t clogged or anything? Else I’m gonna start thinking you’re half deaf or something.”

Melody blushed and leaned forward, pressing her snout against Cherry’s. “H-hey, that was uncalled for!” she replied and took a few steps back. “Besides, why would you want to be friends with me? You don’t even know me.”

Cherry tilted her head, arching an eyebrow at the other filly. “Silly filly, I don’t need a reason to be your friend. Besides, it’s not like anypony can claim they’re friends with a changeling and- Ooh, are those fangs? Are you a carnivore?”

With a roll of her eyes, Melody could hardly contain what laughter she had saved up from the Earth Pony's antics. Cherry Blossom soon joined her and pulled the hybrid into a hug, though this time Melody accepted it. She calmed down a bit and looked at Cherry with a smile, flashing one of her fangs. “How about you come a bit closer and find out for yourself?”

Cherry Blossom looked around and back to Melody, offering the changeling a soft smile when she looked up at the sun nearing its setting. “Y’know, I should probably be thinking of making my way back home. My mom will probably have noticed by now that I snuck out.”

And as if on cue, the distant stomping and growling reached both fillies, and they looked behind them to see a mare heading their way with a scowl on her face. The mare had a beautiful white coat just like Cherry had, but her mane was completely different. Her curly mane undulated down her neck and on the side of her neck were some strands of hair done in small braids. She glowered at Cherry Blossom and the filly shrank in place at the towering approach of the mare.

“Cherry Blossom, this is the last time you'll sneak out of your room when you’re grounded!” she bellowed.

Nodding sheepishly at the scolding she had just gotten, Cherry eyed Melody, her gaze screaming ‘help me please’ before her mother’s head craned down at Melody and she blinked.

“Young lady, what did I tell you about changelings?”

Cherry sighed and looked away, her eyes staring at the ground all the while. “Not to approach them, I know, I know!” she groaned, sighing. “But mom, she’s fun to play with, I tell you. Plus, I think she lives in town, don’t you… uh… what’s your name?”

Melody giggled and gave Cherry’s mother a quick bow of the head. She looked back down at Cherry and placed a hoof on her snout to cover up the growing smile. “Melody. Melody Swiftsong.”

The mare nodded and planted a harsh glare on Melody, making her go weak in the knees. She looked back at her friend’s mother, even though she wondered if she could call Cherry her friend yet, and gulped audibly.

“Well then, Miss Swiftsong. I’d appreciate it if you stayed away from my daughter. The last thing I need is a love-sucking monster as her friend.”

Cherry Blossom skipped a beat and snapped her head upwards, shooting a glare her mother’s way and puffing her cheeks. She fidgeted in her spot as she fumed. “Mom! You don’t have to say that to her!” she shouted angrily, pushing her head against her mother’s leg. “Besides, you live here, don’t you Melody?”

Melody nodded. “I do. I’ve been residing with Rising Chorus and his family for the past month since…” she paused midway, a lump forming in her throat. Her eyes began glistening with tears, and she held back a few sobs. “I’m sorry, I should go back home now.”

And with that, Melody turned around and headed back the way she had come from earlier. It was only once she was turned around that she allowed the floodgates to break. She silently cried, remembering that she was truly alone.

A flame burned in her heart. Three distinct flames turned darkness to light whenever she thought about it. She knew she was not alone. Stopping in her steps for just a moment, wincing as she had to step on her injured leg, she wiped her tears and made her slow way home, her lips pursed into a smile.

She turned around to see Cherry Blossom and her mother leaving the park. Taking in a long breath, she blinked and shouted, “Hey, Cherry! See you again when school begins!”

Adaptation - Part Two

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Melody glanced at the breakfast before her, but her mind was already elsewhere. Today was the day she resumed school since she had gone missing and had a year go by her without even knowing about it. Reluctantly reaching out for the cutlery around her plate, she raised her head, and her brow, to look at Rising Chorus.

She sighed and just gave up her facade, her head dropping onto the table. Rising made a gesture to help her out, but the filly declined his help with a hoof lifted in the air and a grunt. She shook her head on the table and lifted herself back up to look at Rising with an aggravated look.

“Are you—“

“No, I am not okay! Do I look like I’m fine?” Melody placed her hooves over her eyes and shook her head, sighing and dropping her forehead onto the table once more.

“Well, you certainly do seem lively, sweetheart,” Coral chimed in, taking a seat next to her husband and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek, making him fidget a bit as he returned the kiss.

“Can I be taken seriously at least once in this house? Can’t you two see I’m about to lose my mind?

Rising Chorus’s smile grew a bit wider at her response, and he left the embrace of his wife to take a seat next to Melody, lacing a hood around her shoulder and pulling her into a hug. The filly gave a faint shriek of protest before eventually giving up in front of his persistence.

She shot him a glare and pouted when he refused to let her go even if she constantly pushed herself away. He finally let go of her—to her great pleasure—and he looked at her with a more serious expression.

“We are taking you seriously, Melody. We just don’t think this warrants all this…trouble,” he said calmly, patting her on the back. “Cheer up, okay? It’ll be just fine. Besides, Choir’s at the same school, so you already have one pony to talk to if things go rough.”

But it wasn’t going to be okay for her. She already dreaded the moment she would walk in the class and everypony would look at her for what she is and reject her with all of their being. Just thinking about it made her head spin. Her vision blurred from the sudden rush of anxiety and her heart almost skipped a few beats as her chest rose and fell at an increasing pace.

“It’s not going to be okay! I can’t even shapeshift yet, and you expect me to walk into a classroom full of ponies that are probably going to run at the first sight of me, or bully me?” she hissed, shooting a glare to both Rising Chorus and Coral Charm.

Rising and Coral took a few moments to look at each other, sharing what seemed to be a quiet fit of giggles, a hoof lifted over their lips. She sighed and crossed her front legs on the table, pushing her breakfast away from her. Her lower lip curled into a pout, and she looked at them angrily.

The couple exchanged a few more glances and giggled again. They shook their heads for just an instant, turning to face Melody with innocent grins. Both of them looked at her as if she was some adorable little critter, which made her roll her eyes annoyingly.

“I’m so glad you two are enjoying this moment,” she grumbled, shaking her head and hissing. “If I’m not back by tonight, make sure I get a proper funeral, okay?”

“Oh, for the love of Celestia, you’re going to be just fine, sweetie!” Coral Charm replied, which failed to entertain Melody or even lighten up her mood. “Just make sure you have fun at school!”

Melody just gave a dismissive nod before walking out of the kitchen, stopping only to her room and peeking her head inside to see Choir Heart getting her things ready, stuffing a few notebooks in her saddlebag. She slowly turned her head to face her sister and smiled at her. Despite her smaller frame in comparison to Melody’s, the unicorn was only a year younger than her adoptive sister.

Melody barely made the efforts to spread a smile on her lips and walked to her side of the room to gather her belongings, stuffing close to nothing in her saddlebags, and instead just hovering them over her back and placing them appropriately.

“Ready for the first day of school, Melody?”

She turned to face her with a stern stare and scoffed at the smaller filly before returning to her things, rummaging through her drawers for whatever school furniture she might have scattered in there. “Yeah, as ready as anyone could be. Who wouldn’t mind going to school looking like Equestria’s number one public enemy. It’s going to be such a good time! I can already tell.”

The tone Melody used made Choir’s hair and fur crawl, turning to face her sister again, frowning at her. “Well, at least, it’s good to see you have a good feeling about it,” she muttered, getting her saddlebags ready and packing them on her back, heading out already. “Good luck, I guess.”

The changeling groaned and gathered a few pencils, erasers, and a single notebook in her saddlebags. She walked out of the room and began making her way outside, although not before coming to a full stop to see Rising Chorus sitting alone in the kitchen, sipping his coffee and going through the newspaper floating in front of him.

“Where’s Coral?” she asked with a confused glance.

Rising pried his eyes away from the newspaper to look at Melody and offered her a warm smile. She replied with a very forced one, and he gestured at the hallway next to her. “Oh, Coral just left with Choir for school. And you should get going soon too. You’ll be late if you don’t hurry.”

She rolled her eyes and made for the door with no hurry whatsoever in her gait. “Yeah, yeah. What does Coral even do, though?”

“You’ll find out pretty soon. Now, hurry along, Melody. Don’t want to be late on your first day of school.”

She grumbled at the reminder and opened the door to the house, taking the first step outside to find a soft breeze colliding with her body, sending her mane flying behind her. She tugged her head closer to her chest and regretted not taking a scarf already. Oh well.

----

“You have to be kidding me,” Melody muttered when she sat down to stare at her teacher.

At the front of the class stood Coral Charm. She was currently busy with writing a few introductory phrases for the class that Melody never bothered to read. Her day was just becoming more enjoyable by the minute. That and all the stares and the looks she got from all the other foals made her more uncomfortable.

She almost jumped from her seat when she felt a hoof tap her back. Brushing the feeling aside, she lifted her shoulders with a sigh and ignored the probing. By the tenth time, however, she gritted her teeth and anger boiled within her, her fur already started to stand on end. She snapped her head back and hissed, staring deep into the eyes of the filly sitting behind her. The cream-coated filly sank into her seat and stared back at Melody with wide eyes at the sight of her fangs. Her ears flattened against her head, trying to muster an apology even if the words refused to come out.

“I am so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just I’ve had a bad—” Her train of thought was lost when her ears perked up at the sound of mild chuckles. Following the sound with her ears and eyes, her expression turned to deadpan. Holding her hooves over her lips, she stole a glance at Melody, trying to muster the most innocent expression possible, with astounding failure. “Of course, you’d be involved in this, Cherry Blossom.”

That was it. Cherry burst in laughter and gently hit her desk with a hoof a few times, all the while staring at the changeling in front of her. She gave her the biggest grin she could muster and giggled, “I am. Don’t worry, she’s not actually scared. I promised her a few things my mom made for lunch that I don’t like so she’d act like she was afraid. Say hi to Sunshine.”

The filly giggled in turn, and it was only once her little fit of laughter ended that she managed to give the changeling the most innocent smile she could muster. Melody looked back at Sunshine and then Cherry and rolled her eyes, gathering her forelegs on the desk and sinking her face behind them while she let out a groan.

“Nevermind. This day just got worse.”

Her ears perked up from the sound of somepony clearing their throat. She lifted her head to look around, her gaze quickly finding Coral Charm standing by her side, giving her a stern stare that made her sink into her seat, shying away from those eyes. “Do you have anything you’d like to share with the class, Melody?” she asked in a smooth voice.

She fidgeted, her cheeks grew hotter and redder, from the immediate intervention and she averted her eyes to look instead at the floor. She shook her head and remained in complete silence while the rest of the class giggled and laughed at her, or maybe the situation. She couldn’t quite tell. Despite not feeling any hostility in the emotions around her, it remained that she did not feel at ease being the center of attention as she was.

Once Coral Charm was back to the front of the class to start the day, Melody was left to her own devices. Drawn to the sound of chalk hitting itself against the board, she lifted her chin to look at the words written there. Already she knew that the day would be long, despite knowing Cherry Blossom was next to her, through some dumb luck or by Celestia’s fury.

She sighed loud enough for Cherry to hear it and steal a glance her way, but not loud enough to garner a lot of attention. She rested one of her knees on the desk and leaned her cheek against her hoof, glancing absent-mindedly at the ponies in front of her and the lesson given.

Her horn barely lit up, and her pencil rose to life to come scribble in the notebook she had in front of her. Figures, words, names. Anything that entered her head spilled itself onto the sheet while her mind lifted itself above the clouds, going over better days she’d had with her brother a year before this whole mess of a life she now lived.

Her ears perked up when an incoherent sound reached her, and she spun her head around in an attempt to find the source of the voice that had taken her out of her reverie. Leaning her head to the side to see Cherry Blossom leaned a bit toward her, a hoof over her mouth in the least subtle display she’d seen.

“Psst. How’d you get in this class?” she hushed with a brow raised and she stared straight at Melody.

Said filly glanced at Cherry for a few moments, then to Coral and finally back at Cherry, sighing once again. She closed her eyes and, upon opening them, returned her attention to the sheet in front of her. “It’s a long story. Can we talk about it during recess?”

Cherry arched her other eyebrow and tilted her head at the response, and offered a simple smile as an answer and soon returned to her business, leaning down to grab that pencil between her teeth. The day was certainly going to be long indeed.

----

“No seriously,” Cherry began, halting a second to catch her breath, “how did you get in this class? You’re, like, taller and bigger than everypony in class, and I’m pretty sure you ought to be in secondary school right now.”

Melody rolled her eyes and sat on her haunches against the brick wall, uncomfortably trying to rid herself of an itch. Watching the colts and fillies play and scheme their little plans away forced her lips into a tiny smile. She turned to face Cherry, her smile faltering and the intensity of the matter washed over her anew. A sigh shook her shoulders, and she tore her eyes from her companion’s gaze. She instead threw her head upwards to watch the clouds swirl and play in the azure skies until they began melding themselves into familiar forms. Weakly, with a shaking leg, she lifted a hoof to cover her mouth, just in time to choke a whine escaping her.

The memories flashed through her mind. The trip, the attack, the manticore, the blood, the pain, and then… nothing. Nothing for a whole year. Some tears formed in her eyes when she thought of her brother, but the mere thought of what he did to her made her fur stand on end, furiously blinking the tears away before the other filly could notice them.

“It’s a really long story, and I doubt recess would allow me to cover it entirely.”

Cherry stared at Melody, her mouth flung open, and she leaned forward the changeling, pressing her nose against Melody’s and staring at her with two wide eyes, brows also raised. “Are you for real? You told me you’d share that story during recess, and now you want to call it off? Make up your mind already, Melody.”

The changeling tore her muzzle from Cherry’s and just looked away at the playground. She fidgeted, which in turn forced her to swallow a pained cry when her leg received too much pressure. “Fine, but if I can’t finish it before the end of recess, I’ll continue at lunch, okay?”

Cherry nodded and backed off, offering her a satisfied smile that quickly distorted itself into a grin. Melody brought a hoof to her forehead when she realized she had walked into her trap. With a soft buzz of her wings, she cleared her throat.

She began with how it all started. Well, as best as she could, while leaving most of the details of the bloody assault she and her brother suffered in the Hollow Shades. She was about to tell more of her story when Cherry raised her hoof and looked at Melody with a concerned expression.

“Wait, you’re that Melody Swiftsong? The one that went missing a year ago? Wow, well, that’s a surprise!” she exclaimed with a light giggle, staring at Melody with wide opened eyes full of curiosity of life.

Melody, in her case, nodded and opened her mouth again but before any sound escaped her, the bell rang, signaling the end of their recess. She groaned and winced. Her muscles refused to cooperate with her and, with every attempt at another step, she let out another pained whine and walked back into the school with her slow and limping gait.

Upon walking into the classroom with Cherry at her side, Melody made a beeline for her desk and couldn’t help but notice a small note taped to the desk. Narrowing her eyes to read the small characters, she rolled her eyes and opened the desk to reveal a small bag inside of it. Although her mind said no, her crying stomach said quite the opposite, causing a flush of embarrassment to spread on her cheeks.

“Here’s your lunch for today, sweetie. Love, Coral. Wow, must be fun having the teacher as your mom,” came Cherry’s voice.

Her eye twitched slightly, and she glared at Cherry with her eyes squinted and her fangs exposed in quite the threatening display—which did nothing to threaten Cherry Blossom in any way. She hissed at the mere notion and scoffed before turning back to face the board, sinking her muzzle onto the desk and avoiding all eye-contact with the white pony.

“She’s not my mom! She just ended up taking care of me because of her husband.”

The dryness in her voice made it clear to Cherry that no compromises could exist about this whole matter. In fact, Cherry pushed the thought away from her mind, and she just did as Melody did and switched her attention to Coral Charm.

----

Once the bell rang again to signify the end of classes until lunch time was over, Melody waited until everypony was out, except for Cherry that clung to her side with an expression of jubilation adorned all over her face. She had those big eyes that made it impossible for Melody to deny her, but she had something to take care of that required her gone.

“Do you mind waiting for me outside the room. I want to have words with Miss Charm,” she said dryly, offering a simple smile that looked forced.

Cherry shrugged and got up from her seat and stopped after a few steps. She glanced back at Melody with her tongue stuck out. “Alright. Just don’t take too long. You still owe me a story.”

Melody nodded, rolling her eyes, and got up, in turn, waiting for Cherry to get out before approaching Coral Charm. Her crystalline coat dazzled in the sunlight that breached from the window, and she hummed quietly, occupying herself with cleaning the board all the while. When her ears perked up at the sound of steps behind her, she craned her head backward to glance at Melody.

The filly threw her a sharp stare. Her whole body exhumed with bristling anger, and she felt on a high of emotions that felt like they belonged to someone else. But not once did she question herself for feeling that way. Instead, she directed all that anger onto the mare in front of her.

Coral sighed, slowly traveling the short distance between herself and the door, closing it before returning to the front of the class. She sat in front of Melody and stared her down. “Look, sweetie,” she began, finally breaking the awkward silence between them. She rubbed her hooves together to get rid of the chalk that crawled its way onto them, clearing her throat right after. “Can you wait un—“

“Don’t call me that! I’m not your daughter, and you’re certainly not my mother, so cut the act already!” Melody bellowed.

Coral was not only physically staggered by the interruption; she regarded the filly with boiling anger that rose from within her. Melody felt it swell within the air around Coral and her form seemingly shrunk under the growing pressure of those emotions.

She shrieked when Coral grabbed her and put her on the desk with a tenderness that betrayed her anger, but those eyes did not, and neither did that slap. Melody’s muzzle snapped to the right, a hoof slowly trailing her fur until it connected with the sore spot where Coral had slapped her, tears already glistening in her eyes that begged for the reason she had done that.

“I may not be your mother, and I may not know how you feel, that may be true. But I am not trying to burn bridges with everypony around me!” Her voice was stern and cold, commanding and frightening. “When I agreed to take you in with Rising, I agreed to that because I felt like you deserved more. It wasn’t simply out of pity so get that out of your head!

“I can imagine your brother must have been a sweet and caring stallion, but he’s not the only one qualified to take care of you. Rising and I took you in because we wanted to help mend your broken heart, not tear it open even more. We both love you as if you were our child, and given our situation, you could very well be. Melody, I—listen to me when I’m speaking, young lady!”

Melody had already looked away to stare at the empty class and already regretted trying to get into an argument with her adoptive mother. She was right. They’d given her nothing short of love, affection and care since she’d moved in. She had done nothing to make herself at home. Instead, all she did was create tension with everypony in their household, and even outside of it.

She was aware of the reason for her detachment, and although she could attempt justifying it, it wasn’t enough to right her wrongs. She was afraid. So scared of losing somepony else close to her again that she closed herself from the world. If she had nopony to care for, then she’d never be left all alone by those she cared about. But where had she gone wrong? Why were her every attempt at protecting those she cared about failing so miserably?

She looked at the filly she had been a year before. The happy-go-lucky filly she had once been was no more. She died when Star Blaze died. Did that make it automatically correct for her to ruin herself to that point? As a changeling, she needed positive emotions much more than negative ones and yet refused to let anyone in; she erected a wall around her broken heart that had become too strong to even break it herself.

Coral Charm was right. She had no rights to do what she had been doing for the past two months. She forcefully fed on her sister, refused her father’s love and encouragement, and tried to burn a bridge with her mother. How could she, with a clear conscience, still be salvaged from the shell that suffocated her?

Tears that she had fought back against welled in her eyes and she rubbed her hooves at them, desperately trying to hide her sorrow and sadness. With a strangled sob, she turned to Coral and faced her, tears glistening in her eyes and on her cheeks. The sound of them impacting the ground almost reverberated around the room. She stared into Coral’s eyes, her lower lip quivering, words trying to leave her mouth, but to no avail.

“H-help me!” she weakly cried and collapsed into tears. Hooves resumed their attempts to wipe the tears even if, with each wipe, they gathered again tenfold.

She froze when she felt hooves lace themselves around her. Her tears kept running down her fur and onto the desk and floor, but she was frozen in space, sobbing and sniffling like a foal. Coral smothered her as if she’d been a foal, pressing her cheek against Melody’s. She kept her in her embrace long enough for her to calm down.

When she had, Coral pushed her muzzle away from the weeping filly and looked at her at eye-level. A smile spread her lips wide, and she just nodded. “Of course, I’ll help you, sweetheart. But are you ready to help yourself first?”

The filly stared at her with big, puffy eyes. She neither shook her head or nodded and just stared away at her adoptive mother. The mare sighed once, but her smile crept its way back up the moment a gentle nod shook Melody’s head.

Coral nodded in return and just hugged the filly again. Melody neither squirmed nor fought against it. She just looked past Coral to suddenly see a blur pass through the window in the door. Her curiosity had indeed been piqued, arching her eyebrows in response. Before she could find out what sort of shenanigans were going on outside the classroom, Coral broke their hug apart and planted a kiss on Melody’s forehead.

“I’ll remain here until you can calm down. Once you do, go home. Take the rest of the day off, and please, bring Cherry Blossom with you. Trust her with your secret and let her in your life. I’m sure she’ll be a great friend for you,” whispered Coral in a sweet and gentle voice. She pivoted her head to the side to see the white blur passing through the door, a giggle escaping her. “Get your lunch, sweetie. I’ll eat with you, and if you want, you can open the door to let your newest friend in.”

Let Me Try

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Melody’s head rested peacefully against Cherry’s bosom, and she finally drew a breath, heaving a sigh a few seconds later. Her eyes drifted upward and gazed in her friend’s emerald eyes. The young hybrid sniffled and barely managed in choking a sob.

Both of them sat on Melody’s bed, leaning against the blue walls. Next to them was the fluffy pillow that Melody’s hindlegs occupied. None of them seemed to pay any mind to the mess that covered the ground, ranging from small toys to figurines to some pieces of clothing. Even some bedsheets covered the floor right under the window, but none of those were on the fillies’ list of importance.

“And I think that sums up what happened in the last year. What I remember of it anyway,” Melody said, passing her hooves against her tearstained cheeks, drying off any potential tears all the while.

She fidgeted when she felt a hoof run through her mane. She moved her head slightly to the side, looking from the corner of her eye to see that Cherry just stood there, her hoof going back and forth through Melody’s smooth mane.

The changeling blinked when she felt something collide with her forehead. It was immediately replaced by a wet sensation that trickled down her face until it finally jumped from her chin and crashed on Cherry’s haunch.

“Cherry?”

Just as a strand her mane slid across her face to come rest atop her snout, Cherry brushed it back behind her ears. She stared deep into Melody’s eyes, using that same hoof to rid herself of the tears dampening the fur below her eyes.

“Why didn’t you talk to anypony about this before?” the smaller filly asked flatly.

“I don’t know,” Melody replied, scratching her chin with her hoof, shuddering at the odd sensation of the white chitin stroking her soft fur. “I really don’t know…”

Cherry let go of Melody and slightly moved away from her, wobbling and losing her balance a few time as she navigated the soft and comfortable mattress. Melody just blinked away, angling her head sideways, resting on her chest and foreleg. She only got up on her haunches when that position became uncomfortable.

Cherry leaned forward and, with swift and careful movement, extended her front legs to hold Melody’s right leg, looking at her deep in the eyes again. The hybrid looked puzzled by the gesture, a quizzical expression quickly forming in her eyes.

“Don’t hold feelings like those inside. I think you need to let go and move forward with your life. At least, that’s something I think my dad would say,” Cherry whispered, her eyes wide open, her brow furrowed with concern.

Melody felt the empathy swirling around the room, but, despite her current need for emotional sustenance, she decided against feeding on her friend without her permission. She nodded absentmindedly, still in shock from the fact somepony listened to her.

She opened her mouth once, her tongue rolling in her mouth. She searched for the right words, and she closed her gaping mouth when no words came to life. Something in her felt a bit warmer, though. Her eyes descended on the hooves holding her leg, using her other one to hold Cherry’s right hoof. Her eyes trailed back up to look at her, biting her lip.

“I guess I was afraid. Afraid that nopony would believe me, or that they’d make fun of me,” Melody muttered, averting her gaze from her friend, withdrawing her hooves hesitantly.

“Huh?” Cherry queried spontaneously, tilting her head. She gaped at Melody with eyes that demanded answers.

“I think the reason I kept it inside,” she began, rubbing her hooves together nervously, staring at the window and the scenery outside, “was because I was afraid nopony would believe me. And I guess I was scared others would get too attached to me.”

Cherry nodded, crossing her hooves over her chest, leaning her head sideways, humming wonderingly. Had she cracked Melody’s armor somehow? If she had, then now was the opportunity to strike. Either way, she knew she was going somewhere with this.

She grabbed hold of Melody’s hoof again and felt a struggle against the hold from the changeling. Something was definitely up, she was sure of it. Melody turned back to stare at Cherry and opened her mouth once more to tell her to stop, but the pleading look in the alabaster pony’s eyes made all attempts at telling her off impossible.

“Why would that be a bad thing?” Cherry asked, her tone getting a bit louder, yet her touch still as gentle.

Melody’s gaze fell and she stared at her hind legs, her ears splaying against her head while her mind still tried to process the right words. Finally, she managed to pull her vision back up, and she said, “I’ve had a good track record of everypony I’ve cared for or was close to me have something tragic happen to them, so that’s why I was so dis–“

“Stop right there!”

Melody blinked, opening her eyes wide to look at Cherry with a surprised expression. She instinctively pulled her hooves back, and she backed away from Cherry, feeling herself shrink in comparison to the other filly. Even though her tone held no authority, she still felt like she was getting lectured about something.

And Cherry’s insistent gaze seemed to prove her right. She seemed intent on making a point somehow, too.

“Don’t do that, please. Melody, you’re safe here in the Crystal Empire. We have the guards, and the princess. And you should count yourself lucky to have loving parents like the ones you have,” Cherry said, looking at Melody with pleading eyes again. Her voice cracked with a hint of sadness, forcing the filly to pause while a hoof reaching for her chest, clinging to the fur as if it was glued there. “Some ponies don’t have that luxury.”

Melody was taken aback by the comment. The first reason was that she faintly tasted the sour taste of jealousy and the second one was because she had expected something harsher than that. The third reason was that nothing could have prepared her for the hint of sadness that cracked her friend’s voice The simple idea that Cherry could feel jealous or sad about anything left Melody speechless. Nevertheless, it did not fall on deaf ears. It did the complete opposite, as a matter of fact. If she had been told that a few hours before, she would have blown things out of proportions, but emptying what was on her mind gave her inner peace, and she managed to think things through for once in the past two months.

Melody deflated in shame, her mind reviewing the catalog of horrible things she said and did to her family. She’d been so self-centered. She only cared about herself. She made life around her unbearable and bitter. She bit her lower lip, still looking back at Cherry with her big, golden eyes. She wondered if her eyes could ever look like they were before she was turned. She’d have to ask Rising about it later.

Their little heart to heart was cut short when the sound of the front door echoed in her bedroom, followed by the sobs that belonged to a filly. Melody’s ears perked up and she rapidly got down from her bed, painfully landing on all four. She held a cry back, instead biting her lip further and drawing tiny drops of blood that stained her fur. She barely approached the door to the room that it burst open, the glint of a magical aura pushing it wide open long enough for a purple blur to pass through.

Choir Heart slipped past the frame and threw her saddlebags on the floor, launching herself onto her bed. She completely ignored the fillies’ existence and just buried her muzzle in her pillow, yelling and sobbing and crying at the top of her lungs.

Melody lifted a hoof and attempted to extend it, ignoring the fact that a considerable distance separated her from her sister. She put it back down, hesitation creeping through her limbs. Guilt strangled her and every word she tried to let out was stopped by the sickening feeling that this was her fault.

“Choir… Are you okay?”

No response. Melody hesitantly approached the unicorn’s bed, sitting on her haunches to look at Choir’s body, only finding a few bruises and small cuts. Where had she gotten those? Who had given her those?

“Choir, what ha–“

“Why do you care?” Choir shouted, her head snapping to glare menacingly at Melody.

Even Cherry staggered, placating herself against the wall, no movements emanating from her frozen body. Melody closed her eyes. Choir had every right to be angry with her. But that did not mean she couldn’t care for her little sister. She just took the snarl and stood there, her head hung low. Front legs tugged at the bedsheets and soon, Melody pulled herself onto the bed. Her expression blank, she just slowly approached the weeping filly.

“Why should you care in the first place?” Choir yelled again, pressing her hoof on Melody’s chest. “It’s always been about you! Why would you care about anypony else?”

Melody said nothing in return. She pushed that hoof aside and continued taking step after painful step, her left hind leg jerking upward with each step. Choir’s eyes grew wide and she shook her head. Tears streaked down her cheeks. She tried to back away, but her awkward positioning hindered her movements.

Astonishment washed over her when Melody just laced her hooves around her. Choir gasped and searched for something to say, anything to ask what warranted the sudden act of kindness. No words came, and all she could mutter were stutters. Melody said nothing in return and instead just shared whatever attention and love she could muster with her sister.

“I know… I know I’ve been harsh and bitter with you, Choir,” Melody stammered, sniffling moments later. She passed a hoof over the wetness around her eyes and went back to her embrace, gently pressing Choir’s head on her bosom. “But I was an idiot, Choir. I-I was so self-centered, I failed to notice what you, mom, and dad were doing to make me feel at home. So… please… let me try to be a big sister just this once.”

Melody felt the shuffling hooves of her sister squirm on her belly and prepared herself for another series of sobs. She was shocked to find that her expectations had failed her so. Instead, Choir threw her legs around Melody’s neck and bawled her eyes out, grasping onto her sister’s mane as if her life depended on it.

Surprise soon turned to affection, and Melody reflected that by leaning her chin on Choir’s head, hooves gently stroking the aquamarine mane tenderly, untangling any knots that she found.

“It’s all going to be okay. Take your time,” Melody whispered, shooting a glance to Cherry to find her friend nodding at her, offering a wink all the while.

----

The next day, when the bell rang, Melody packed her things and quickly set out of the classroom, barely leaving Cherry anytime to follow suit. She hurriedly made her way past the horde of ponies, pushing some aside, slipping through some others. She had no time to spare. She ignored the aching pain her leg sent through her spine, holding back the tears that sprung to her eyes.

She slipped past a group of fillies, excusing herself in mumbled words and finally managed to get out of the small school that housed her during most days of her life now. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, trying to find Choir amidst the horde of ponies that filled the entrance.

Her search lasted for a few moments, blinking once before she scanned the yard another time, this time, her eyes stumbled onto a filly donning a purple coat with a long, red scarf around her neck, eyes squinted at a notebook that flew in front of her. The filly’s aquamarine mane rocked gently in the wind’s gentle caress, occasionally grazing her neck. As if the world around Melody had stopped turning, she heard the notes that came out of her mouth. Strong, yet soft, vocals escaped the filly, scattering in the air, causing heads to turn and eyes to land on her.

Yet Choir failed to care. Her magenta eyes scurried in front of her, never once sighting Melody. She closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling and continuing with other notes. Meanwhile, Cherry finally managed to slip past a few other students, joining Melody to find her standing still as if frozen. When her ears perked up and the wind carried the notes to her, her legs threatened to melt under her.

“Oh look at that, girls. She’s at it again,” came a feminine voice that Melody faintly recognized, although she could not identify whom it belonged to.

Nevertheless, the world around Melody returned to its earlier pace and her legs commanded her to move forward. She made a promise to Choir, and she would, at least, try to make right by her. With the yard mostly cleared of any souls, her eyes fell on the group of five ponies, and one particular filly caught her attention. She had a white coat that seemed to be taken care of almost perfectly, her mane and tail were a strong pink. Her mane was done in twin ponytails that perched themselves on her shoulders all the while her tail barely brushed the ground.

“I guess she hasn’t learned anything from yesterday,” another pony, a colt this time, said, snickering before giving Choir a glare, trailing his hoof along the ground threateningly.

Oddly enough, out of all the ponies present, only Melody, Cherry, Choir and the filly that seemed to be Melody’s center of attention did not possess the shimmering coats that sparkled in the sunlight like gems. That made Melody all the more suspicious of this mysterious filly.

Things were well past the stage of observation. Melody was already marching in the midst of the yard, imposing herself on the small group of ponies. She furrowed her brow as best she could, giving them the best impression of a glare that she could muster.

She cleared her throat rather audibly, earning herself the attention of the ponies. She took a few more steps, placing herself between the group and Choir, firmly planting her hooves on the ground.

“Leave her alone,” Melody said sharply, glaring at them menacingly.

“Who’re you to her?” one of the other fillies asked, scoffing at her and tossing her mane back, her nose held high. “Besides, who let a changeling like you in the Empire?”

“She’s my sister, so I live here too, obviously,” Melody replied, her tone venomous. She took a few more steps forward and flashed her fangs, a growl resonating from her throat.

The mysterious filly’s eyes snapped wide open, her eyes looking at those golden orbs, that green mane, and tail. She fell on her haunches, pointing at Melody, trying to say something that refused to move out of her chest. That’s when Melody finally remembered who that filly was.

“Glimmer Heart? What are you doing in the Empire?” Melody queried, eyes going wide as well, but in her case it was because she had not expected this turn of event. “And you’re still a bully, what a surprise.”

Glimmer shook her head even more and pushed herself back, distancing herself from both Melody and her friends. Melody eyed her oddly, tilting her head to the side. She completely failed to understand what was going on with the other filly.

“Y-You! Y-You’re supposed to be dead,” she shouted, pointing her hoof accusingly at Melody, her terrified expression soon transforming into an amused one somehow. She began chuckling to herself, her pointing hoof soon clutching itself to her forehead. “I know, you’re just a changeling trying to imitate her to make me feel sorry for mocking her the day she died. Well, it won’t work, you hear me!”

Melody just continued to watch her descend into her delusions, her expression switching to deadpan. She just thought her entire theory was so cliché, but there seemed to be something deeper. She tasted it in the air. Guilt, regret. They hung over Glimmer like rainclouds and they continuously poured down on her, nourishing her with newborn feelings of guilt.

Melody’s attention was drawn to Cherry when Glimmer switched her attention to her, glaring at her and silently gesturing for her to follow. Afterward, Glimmer turned her hooves around and tossed her mane, her hooligans following close behind. Melody’s ears fell when she saw that Cherry hung her head and nodded, leaving the comfort of her spot to follow after the other alabaster pony. She placed a hoof in front of Cherry and gave her a pleading stare.

“Glimmer Heart is… my older sister.”

And with that, Melody’s leg folded back and she fell on her haunches, looking on as Cherry left her all alone with Choir. Sure, Cherry and Glimmer looked alike, but Melody hadn’t considered that option or remembered Glimmer Heart at all in the first place. She deflated in her spot, her lips quivering in a pout

Besides, she had nothing to worry about. She was still friends with Cherry, right? Something like that wouldn’t destroy their newfound friendship, right? But if Cherry lived in the Empire, then that meant Glimmer did too. What happened to them residing in Manehattan?
Questions formed in her mind, but she had no answers for them. She looked, eyes wide open, mouth agape. A strained squeak escaped her as her leg lifted itself, attempting to beckon to Cherry before her friend ultimately disappeared from her sight, vanishing behind a small shop.

Melody hesitantly glanced back when she felt a hoof on her shoulder to see Choir behind her. The purple filly looked away from Melody and began trotting away, not even sparing a few words on Melody for comfort. Her long mane flowed in the wind, accompanied by her scarf. She looked back at Melody with a hint of a smile.

“Come on, let’s go back home before you catch a cold.”

To Challenge the Sun

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Days weren’t quite the same anymore. After Melody had confronted Glimmer Heart, her days at school were no longer peaceful. She had somehow been promoted from a nopony to the local hero, apparently. Not that she minded the adoration and other emotions that came from the other students, but she still wondered how it had come to something like that.

Even when Melody walked to school in the morning, she would get colts and fillies interrogating her, asking how she had felt when she faced one of the biggest bullies around. As with most ponies, she groaned and continued ahead, ignoring the pesky children.

She had never asked for any of this. All she wanted was to help Choir with her bullying problems, not make herself a center of interest. Besides, she hadn’t raised a hoof against Glimmer. She just stared her down, and she came up with crazy ideas.

Finally squeezing herself through a barrage of ponies, Melody huffed, pushing back the few strands of her mane that fell over her nose. She looked back at the fillies and colts, and upon seeing them staring at her with those curious eyes, she blinked and just slid into her classroom, closing the door behind her.

“You’re early, Melody. What’s the occasion?” Coral inquired, taking a moment to sit back in her chair and brush the chalk from her hooves.

“Uh, yeah, about that…” Melody giggled nervously, gulping seconds later. She now regretted not telling Coral what transpired the week before. “Do you know anything about a filly named Glimmer Heart?”

Coral stopped everything she was doing, moved a hoof to tap her chin, and bowed her head. She sighed, leaning back in her chair and throwing her head back. When sunlight fell on her coat, shimmering prisms filled the room, blinding Melody when said rays of light decided to assault her eyes. She raised a hoof to cover her eyes, looking at Coral oddly, more so out of admiration for her well-groomed purple coat than anything else.

Melody quickly angled her head sideways, looking at Coral with question marks filling her eyes. Exasperation and anger rose in the air, making Melody a bit dizzy, switching her hoof from over her eyes to massaging her head, squinting a bit. So, she did know a thing or two about Glimmer.

“What did she do this time?” Coral hissed, drawing herself back to stare down at Melody.

Melody gulped again. Despite knowing that Coral was not going to harm her in any way, she was still intimidated by that voice and those eyes. She broke eye contact, staring at the ground as she tapped her hoof nervously, and said, “Well, last week, I found out that Glimmer Heart was bullying Choir, so I stood up to her, and, uh, now I’m a school celebrity, I guess?”

Coral narrowed her eyes and lifted herself from her seat, stopping right in front of Melody, staring deep into her eyes. She didn’t even need to taste the emotions around her to know that Coral was just bristling with rage.

Strands of her crimson mane fell across her face, her stare intensifying by the moment. Melody looked around, thankful that nopony else had come in yet. She did not expect the embrace that came next. A rant about how she would make Glimmer pay for what she did, maybe. But not that. The tension around then began diminishing until it had almost entirely faded.

“You did good by her,” Coral said calmly, caressing Melody’s ears and mane, planting a kiss on her forehead. “I’m proud of you, Melody!”

Melody squirmed under the embrace, flailing her foreleg about, gasping for air when the hug tightened around her neck. “Help!” she muttered.

As if somepony had heard her, Coral released Melody almost immediately after, leaving the filly to sigh in victory. She was about to thank Coral until she heard her mother cough a few times, tapping her shoulder as well. She spun around to find that some students had already entered the classroom.

Coral waved at them, forcing a smile on her lips. She gave Melody’s flank a slight bump with her hoof and gestured to her seat near the back of the room, leaning a bit to whisper, “Take your place, we’ll talk about this whole thing at lunch time.”

Melody shrugged and happily complied, trotting away from the front of the class and sitting in her seat, waving at Sunshine behind her. The cream-coated filly shook her hoof in return and beamed at her, returning her eyes to the book she had just opened.

Melody looked to her left, noting the lack of an alabaster filly before the bell rang. Cherry was yet again absent from class. It had been a week now, and she had not shown herself to class at all. She’d have to look deeper into that too. Maybe Coral could even help her with that.

But those idle thoughts quickly abandoned her, instead focusing on Coral when she finally spoke up, returning to writing what she had partially written on the board, briefly going over the details of the day with her class.

Melody’s days were not the same without Cherry in them.

----

“Miss Charm, while I am aware that this student of yours, Cherry Blossom, was under your charge during the week, the decision of where she attends her education is a matter that falls to her parents. I can try, and I have tried, to dissuade this child’s mother, but the final decision is hers and hers alone.”

Melody craned her head upward, glancing at Coral. Her mother’s mouth hung open, staring in disbelief at the principal of the school, a unicorn named Proper Teaching. He was older than she was, his body oddly slimmer than Melody would have expected for his age. His mane was kept short, barely descending onto his neck.

Melody could once again feel the bristling anger surging within Coral, and she folded her ears against her head, her expression switching to one of concern as she kept staring at her mother. And to be fair, she was angry as well. Angry that this mare she didn’t know was taking her friend away from her. Sure, she had gotten many friends because of the episode with Glimmer, but they weren’t on the same level as Cherry. She was irreplaceable for Melody.

“But, sir,” Coral replied, doing her best to keep her anger from clouding her judgment, a hoof clutched to her forehead. A sigh escaped her, and she brought her hoof between her legs, “isn’t there anything we could do?”

Proper Teaching rubbed his chin, contemplating both Melody and Coral Charm before he nodded and said, “I’m not supposed to be saying this, but I see you are determined to keep this filly as your student. Your only hope lies in trying to convince them, if, and only if, the paperwork has not been done yet.”

Coral nodded and thanked the principal, pushing herself back. Melody mimicked her and got down from her chair, her eyes still locked on Coral, and followed her out of the principal’s office. Coral was fuming, to the point that any more anger might make smoke start trailing out of her ears.

With her ears still folded, Melody stopped in her tracks, the principal’s words still clinging and ringing in her head.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Coral asked when she couldn’t hear Melody’s hoofsteps anymore.

“Is all of this really necessary? I mean, shouldn’t we respect the decision Cherry’s mom takes?”

Coral smiled and carefully spun around, slowly heading for Melody. She crouched and looked at her daughter, locking her eyes in those golden orbs. Melody was unsure of what to think of this. She couldn’t even read Coral accurately at this point. Her eyes stared back, and her entire expression turned quizzical.

“Do you want to remain friends with Cherry? “

Melody nodded.

“Then, you should fight to keep her around. I’m sure somepony out there told you at least once that life is unfair, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fight back. Just like I’m fighting to make sure you’re happy, you should fight to protect those dear to you.”

Melody tilted her head further, her expression switching to deadpan. She understood what Coral was trying to convey, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go down that path. If anything, she thought the whole idea could turn nasty very quickly.

She hesitantly nodded, and Coral responded with a nod of her own, gently patting Melody before getting up and turning around. Melody blinked and followed behind.

----

The weekend had finally arrived, and Melody was already groaning on the inside. She had wanted to sleep in rather than to be doing this. But, she could hardly refuse her mother. When she woke her up that morning, she told her that the two of them were going to pay a visit to
Cherry and her family. She followed her mother into an apartment complex, looking at all the identical doors on the floor they were on.
Melody hadn’t expected Cherry and her family to live in an apartment

A shiver ran down Melody’s spine when Coral knocked at the door in front of them, and a response came from within. She barely heard it, but she thought she heard the distant voice of a mare, raspy and tense. The door opened to reveal an Earth Pony, not too old or too young, her mane still in a complete mess with a mug held tightly in her hoof.

When she saw Coral and then took notice of Melody next to her, the mare lifted her nose and began closing the door before Coral caught on to that and blocked the door with her hoof, giving the alabaster mare another smile.

“I don’t remember inviting you, and not this early in the morning, Coral Charm,” the mare said, her expression shifting into a leer.

“Come now, Ocean Breeze,” Coral replied, her smile splitting her lips wide, ears perked up. “Surely you won’t object to a morning talk, right?”

The way she had said that gave Melody another series of shivers, squirming in her spot. Ocean Breeze’s nose scrunched up, and she blinked, shaking her head before she sighed and opened the door.

“Fine, but don’t take all of my day. Understood?”

“As clear as day!” Coral chirped.

Melody sheepishly followed Coral inside, stealing a glance at Ocean Breeze to see her glaring back at her, shifting her focus almost immediately. She almost jumped to the ceiling when the door behind was slammed. She snapped her head back and took a deep breath, placing a hoof on her chest to see if her heart was still beating.

She looked around curiously, having never visited anypony else’s house since her arrival in the Crystal Empire. Wooden furniture, for the most part, decorated the apartment in a lively fashion. A few paintings hung on the walls, one of which was a portrait of Ocean Breeze’s family. She recognized most of the family, but there was one stallion that puzzled her.

He was a tall Earth Pony, and his muscles seemed like they could ripple if the image ever dared to move. He wore a set of armor that she recognized as being the armor the Royal Guards in Canterlot wore when on duty. His azure coat shone in the light, and his mane was neatly tucked inside the helmet.

“Melody?” a voice the filly instantly recognized squeaked from afar.

Melody once again nearly jumped upward, slowly turning her head to look back at Cherry. She offered her friend a smile and opted to remain on her mother’s side. Cherry’s eyes went wide when she took notice of Coral’s presence and froze in place, gulping.

“I’ll be very brief about this, Ocean.Why are you withdrawing your daughter from my class and sending her to a private school instead?”
A sigh cracked the silence that had crept its way into the small living room that they had walked into. Ocean Breeze pulled a chair and sat down, rubbing her eyes with both hooves, her brow furrowing irritatingly. Melody backed away a little, bumping into a large drawer.

Coral Charm, however, was not surprised by this reaction. She’d known Ocean Breeze for a while now, and she knew the mare was not one for patience. She just stood there, looking at Ocean, expecting an answer at any time.

Ocean took a long breath. She knew the mare in front of her was just as explosive as she could sometimes be. Making use of tact would be of the utmost importance, but the truth had to be known. Staring back at Coral, she put her hooves down on her thighs. “I pulled her out because I don’t want her to be associated with your freak of a daughter!”

Melody shrunk under the insult, cocking her head back. The insult registered in her head, and she puffed her cheek just as Cherry did. Both pawed at the carpeted floor and whinnied in protest. Ocean Breeze acknowledged them for a moment, before returning to the aggravated mare in front of her. She definitely pushed the wrong buttons.

“Hey, that was uncalled for!” Melody let out, surprising both Coral and Cherry. “What have I ever done to you?”

“Just look at yourself in the mirror!” Ocean Breeze spat with a snort casting her glare at Melody. “You’ve got that stubby horn, those holes in your legs, those fangs and those lifeless eyes of yours. You’re a changeling, for crying out loud!”

Coral was just about to intervene, but a buzz echoed in the room, and all eyes jumped on Melody. Her small wings spread the air behind her and lifted her upward. She crossed the distance between herself and the mare to glare back at her, hissing almost inaudibly.

“What does that have to do with Cherry? Melody snarled, letting out a hiss. She frowned, and the little white irises in her eyes twitched.

Melody was on fire. Time seemed to slow down around her, and her wings were beating in harmony with her heartbeat. Cherry looked at her with concern, eyes still open wide. She could not believe what was going on. She couldn’t believe Melody was actually attempting to hold her own against her mother.

“The last thing I need is to find you with those fangs of yours in her neck!”

Melody’s wings faltered for a moment, and she gasped, in shock and anger. She let her wings break her fall, landing carefully on the ground before lifted her head and once again glared at the mare. Her horn began glowing, and flames consumed her form.

In front of Ocean Breeze was Melody in her pony form, down to the last immaculate detail. One could lose themselves in those golden eyes, although that was ruined by the frown she had. Ocean looked down before realization hit her and she let out a scream.

Melody’s form quickly vanished in a cloud of smokeless flames, reverting to her changeling form, clutching a hoof to her head. She let her wings buzz a bit, neatly pressing them on her back before she flicked her tail in irritation.

“Is that how you think changelings feed on emotions? Of all things, you’re comparing them to vamponies?” Melody asked, her ears perked up, her tail swishing rapidly behind her while she tapped the ground impatiently.

“Y-y-you! It can’t be!” Ocean Breeze exclaimed, jumping down from her chair to back away from Melody soon finding herself blocked a small desk, pointing her hoof at Melody accusingly, just as Glimmer had the week before. “I saw the posters, and I read about it in the papers!”

“Yes, it’s me. I am not dead. I was saved, by changelings.”

“Saved? Look at what they did to you. You don’t even look like a pony anymore!” Ocean replied, having regained control of herself.

“It was either that or I was going to die. They could have left me for dead, but they saved me. They saved a pony! Why antagonize them so much?” Melody said, stomping her front hoof forward. She swelled her chest and puffed her cheek all the while.

At that point, Melody was ready for anything. She hoped Ocean would not go over the point of no return, mostly because she knew Coral would react, and not in the prettiest of ways. She was surprised when she noticed Cherry had come into view.

Melody wanted to say something, anything, but the words failed her. Cherry’s eyes were already shedding tears, and she looked at Melody with a smile, and then at her mother, nodding if only barely.

“My dad died in the line of duty during the invasion last year, leaving mom to take care of Glimmer and me all on her own,” Cherry said, glancing away from Melody and Coral and her mother, passing her hoof on her fur and sniffling.

“Cherry Blossom, go to your room right this instant!” Ocean bellowed.

Melody felt it, and she even saw it. Cherry was trembling. Her legs wobbled and threatened to give away at any moment, but she held on. She trotted to Melody and turned back, slowly, to face her mother. She didn’t glare, she didn’t stare, she just held her ground.

“No,” came Cherry’s flat answer.

“What did you say?” Ocean’s voice was sharp and aggressive, and even in the air around her, Melody felt the animosity increase.

Shivers ran up the changeling’s spine, and all she wanted to do was turn tail and run as far as she could, but Cherry remained unfazed by that. She laced a hoof around Melody’s head and pulled her friend closer. Melody yelped and shot Cherry a look, but the filly was focused on returning the glare she was given.

She stomped the floor with her free hoof and narrowed her eyes. Coral looked at the two and tried to mediate. She had already climbed to her hind legs and waved her hooves around to gather attention, but to no success. Anxiety was starting to intoxicate the air around Melody.

“Melody’s my friend, and I will not let you talk to her like that,” Cherry said sternly, her glare softening into a pleading look, tears cascading once more. “You need to let go, mom. Everypony says it was an accident. You need help…”

“H-hey, let’s not make this any worse than it currently is,” Coral blurted, pushing herself between the two parties.

Ocean Breeze sighed and sat down, looking at Coral and then her daughter and Melody. She scoffed and tossed her head to the side. Coral stepped back as well, taking a spot next to Melody and Cherry. She smiled at the two of them.

“Get out, Coral.”

“Ocean, please,” Coral pleaded, moving a hoof to ruffle Melody and Cherry’s manes. “Reconsider all of this! Do you really think this is what’s best for your daughters?”

Ocean Breeze said nothing in return for the longest time, biting her lower lip instead. She rose to her legs in an instant, guiding herself to the door. She opened it and gestured the alleyway to her guests. Melody looked at Cherry and then Coral, eyeing both of them in concern. What was going to happen now? Had they failed?

Her thoughts were cut short when Ocean’s voice rang sternly in her ears, and they quickly responded by folding back on her head. She cringed a bit and whimpered at the coldness in her voice.

“I don’t like repeating myself, Coral. Get. Out. And you stay here, young lady.”

Cherry ignored the command, following behind Melody as the duo left their apartment. She flicked her tail and gave her mother a harsh look. Disappointment flashed in her eyes and she shook her head. “It’s the weekend, mom, and besides, I’d like to spend today with Melody, since it’s probably going to be my last too.”

Melody spun her head back to glance at Cherry and caught a glimpse of Ocean just standing there, her mouth agape. She stared at the trio of ponies in disbelief, then gritted her teeth and slammed the door shut behind Cherry, leaving Melody to look at her friend, concern written all over her face.

The three remained in silence until they were finally out of the building. Melody just kept close to Coral, sometimes shooting a glance Cherry’s way, afraid that something might happen if she left her unattended for too long.

She was overly surprised when Cherry started bouncing around her, squeaking cheerfully. Melody arched an eyebrow and stared at her friend. Confusion could not even begin to explain how she felt about her friend’s behavior.

“Cherry, are you okay?” Melody queried, still giving Cherry an odd look whenever their eyes met.

“Oh, I'm okay, but that’s not the point!” she replied, almost in a squeal, stopping in front of Melody to look at her with eyes filled with awe. “You can shapeshift! When’d you learn that?”

“Oh, that.” Melody’s excitement died down, and she sighed. “My dad’s been teaching me some of it over the last week. I can barely shift into my old appearance, let alone mimic somepony else entirely.

“That’s not the point, Melody! Think of all the pranks to be had!” she exclaimed, giggling some more, prancing up ahead with a happy skip to her steps. “Wait, your dad’s a changeling?”

Melody rolled her eyes and snorted, giving Cherry a weak jab on the shoulder before her lips spread into a smile. At least, Cherry hadn’t lost her sense of humor.

The words of her mother came back to her mind, and the changeling filly blinked, her smile slowly vanishing from her lips, leaving her with a wondering expression. She frowned as her mind played the events in repeat. Coral fought to keep her happy and Cherry stood up to her mother to defend Melody. She had stood up to Ocean as well, but she didn’t stand up for herself. She stood up to protect the changelings that had saved her. Which only left her with a burning question wandering her mind.

“You feeling okay there, Melody?”

Melody blinked again to see Cherry waving her hoof in front of her as if she’d been in some trance. She nodded, waving a hoof nonchalantly and prompted Cherry to continue walking and group up with Coral, who was waiting up ahead, looking at them with a warm smile lighting up her expression.

Still, that question was burrowed deep in her mind. What did she want? What was she fighting for?

Doubts

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Melody’s eyes snapped wide open, and she bolted upward in her bed, her brow covered in sweat. She clutched a hoof to her chest, panting and glancing around helplessly. She looked at the window and sighed. Outside, the stars still shone brightly in the sky, and no life dared exist outside of the warmth their homes offered.

She rolled around in her bed, dropping her head back on her pillow, ignoring the sweat-filled fabric, and closed her eyes. Sweat rolled down her fur, her every movements heavy, and her head hurt. Almost as soon as she had closed her eyes, they shot open once more.

Visions of her life flashed before her. She faintly saw Star Blaze, Occento, Cherry, her adoptive family but they always looked so distant from her. Every time she’d try to succumb to slumber, those visions would haunt her again and again. What did they mean? What was her brain trying to tell her?

Upon rolling yet another time in her bed, the filly held back a cry when she accidentally pushed her weight on her lame leg. Her eyes watered and grew wider than before, looking around for anything to help her deal with the pain. Eventually, she burrowed her muzzle in her pillow and choked her cry.

Melody eventually grew tired of aimlessly wandering her mattress and decided a breath of fresh air might do her good. She pushed the sheets away and quietly slid down the bed, landing smoothly and without any muffled cry. The last thing she needed was to wake up Choir because of something like this.

Lighting up her horn, she grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door back. She slid through the small space she made, closing the door behind her. It was at times like these she was grateful that changelings could see in the dark better than most ponies. She flawlessly navigated through the small hallway until she reached the kitchen to find Rising sitting at the table, a cup and the previous day’s newspaper floating in his magic, and in the center of the table burned a small candle.

He flipped a page, his ears swiveling slightly, and the candle’s flame flickered, threatening to go out. He tore his eyes from the page and glanced back at Melody, who just stared at him curiously. What was he doing up at this hour? She didn’t remember him working a night job.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked in a calm and clear voice, despite his whispered tone.

Melody shook her head and rubbed her eyes with a lazy hoof, yawning all the while. She took a few steps forward and stopped in front of the sink, igniting her horn again to reach for a cupboard’s handle above. She drew a glass from a shelf and closed the cupboard’s door, absentmindedly lowering the glass in the sink, but just as her magic reached the tap to turn it on, she clutched a hoof to her head and cringed, visions of her brother haunting her mind again.

The glass fell flatly in the sink, barely echoing past the kitchen, but it still caused Rising to turn and frown. From all the times he had seen her use her magic in the past month, he was quite surprised to see her falter like that, but even more concerned about what troubled her enough to make her lose focus that much.

Rising leaned forward. He pressed his hooves under his chin, and he eyed Melody like a warden. He was ready to spring from his chair if she worsened in any way. Thankfully, she pulled herself together. She sucked in a breath and leaned back on a cupboard with her hoof held tightly to her head with one eye closed.

Rising rapidly got up from his seat, leaving the newspaper to fall flat on the table, extinguishing the candle’s flame. “Melody, are you okay?” he asked quietly before sitting next to her and putting a hoof on her shoulder.

His words were honey to her ears. They soothed her mind in an instant. Just as they had appeared, the visions of her brother vanished when Rising spoke. She shook her head and leaned on his chest.

“I’m not. I feel like I don’t belong here,” she answered weakly, snuggling into the fur.

Rising glanced down, his hoof moving to stroke her mane and he hummed her a tune. Rising’s voice was usually deep and formal, but she barely knew he could reach tones like those. She closed her eyes and let the soft melody calm her down.

Melody let out a sigh and opened her eyes again, pulling herself closer against her father. The stallion stopped his patting and stared at her. She felt the gaze on her, but Melody refused to look up.

“You do belong here. What gave you the idea you don’t belong?”

She refused to look up, instead focusing on nestling on his chest, staring into the darkness in front of her. The candle’s aroma finally reached her nostrils, and she scrunched up her nose as the scent of lavender invaded her.

When she failed to answer him, Rising gave her a gentle nudge, and she responded by straightening herself a bit, continuing to rest her head on his chest.

“Can I ask you something, Dad?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

She shuffled her hooves between her legs and bit her lower lip. She didn’t know how her father would react, but she yearned for an answer. She lifted her head to look back at him with her eyes opened wide.

“Do you think I’ll ever get a cutie mark?”

Rising looked back at her with a blank stare for a moment before the question registered, and his jaw dropped a bit. Any attempts at words he tried to come up with ended up in stutters, and every time he tore his eyes from Melody and glanced back at her, those eyes always did the same effect on him.

“Why are you asking me this?”

She tore her head from his chest and pulled herself back. She stared back at him, inhaling deeply and sighing the next moment. Doubt weaved itself in her mind, and she looked at him with pleading eyes.

Rising sighed in defeat. He had always been horrible at dealing with puppy eyes anyway. He hung his head and sighed once more. One way or another, he’d have to answer the question. He prepared his reply in his head and said, “I don’t know, Melody. You’re more changeling than you are a pony now, so I don’t know if you’ll ever get a cutie mark. But you shouldn’t let that drag you down.”

“Why not? Everypony’s going to have one, but I’ll keep being a blank flank forever!”

“Blank flank? Have you been bullied at school again?” he asked, his voice becoming deeper and more intense.

Melody whimpered at the intensity of his emotions. She felt his love for her, but also his possessiveness. She frowned. She wasn’t his. She belonged to nopony but herself. She quickly killed the bravado, her expression softening before she shook her head.

“No, but I saw a colt get bullied for not having a cutie mark. What if I never get one? What if I never find my special talent?”

Rising sighed again. Why was he always the one getting stuck with these sorts of situations? He looked her straight in the eyes and smiled. She furrowed her brow and puffed her cheeks. He waved his hoof dismissively and shook his head, but that did nothing to ease her.

“Not having a special talent doesn’t mean you’re not good at anything, Melody. Why don’t you put efforts like those into finding what you want to be instead of trying to be something you’re not? Just be yourself, Melody,” he said, giving her his best smile.

“How do I do that?” she replied, eyes snapping wide open. She pressed a hoof to her chest and leaned forward. Her eyes threatened to tear up at any time. “I don’t even know who I am anymore! What if I can’t find my happiness? What would everypony that gave away so much for me think if I can’t find even that?”

He blinked and got on all four, trotting the small distance between them to sit beside her again. This time, he pulled her into an embrace and put her on his lap. He was still smiling, and he shook his head at his daughter.

He had certainly not expected that of her, but if she understood that much, he knew where to lead the conversation. He kissed her forehead and ruffled her mane, and then whispered, “Melody, you don’t have to please anyone. Whatever you decide to do, you mother and I will support you however we can. I’m sure Occento would say the same and so would your brother. I was told you used to be a very cheerful filly. Why not go back to being that way?”

Melody’s gaze fell to the floor, and her ears drooped. She didn’t struggle against the embrace. Instead, she just melted in it. “I can’t go back to being that way.”

It was Rising’s turn to frown. His ears perked up, and he stared at her sternly. She never looked up, yet her eyes spoke for her. He lit his horn and faintly illuminated their surrounding to get a better look at Melody.

Dealing with Melody had proven to be tough at times, or so had Rising noticed. Although she had improved in the last week or so, she was still uncertain of herself. So self-doubting that it sometimes reeked in the house for days on end.

Rising Chorus shook his head and blinked. His expression shifted once more and this time, he just smiled at her. “Of course, you can. Nopony said you couldn’t be happy,” he insisted, patting her head lovingly.

Melody failed to answer again and soon enough, silence fell between the two, leaving them to stand in the darkness of the kitchen. Rising’s ears perked up when an invasive sound rang in them and caused them to flatten on his mane. His eyes darted all around the kitchen in an attempt to find the source of that noise.

He eventually tracked the sound to a nearby clock, only to stare at the time. He chuckled a little bit and picked Melody in his magic, putting her on the floor once more. He got up and tiphoofed through the kitchen to a window, lifting the curtain and opening the window.

Not only was he greeted by the chirps of birds that soared the skies above, but he had also gotten front row seats to see the sun rise from two peaks on the horizon as if it rose from the depths of the sea, embracing the land with its warmth.

The smell of freshly baked pastries filled the kitchen and Rising inhaled it, sighing in delight. He cocked his head to the side and eyed Melody intently before he finally said, “You should try to get some more sleep. You have school in a few hours.”

Melody blinked and nodded, groaning when she rose from her spot. She slowly trotted back to her room, disappearing from her father’s sight. She opened the door to her room soon enough and silently moved back to her bed, crawling under the covers. She drew a breath and heaved a sigh before nuzzling into her pillow, closing her eyes shortly after.

She let the soft harmony of the birds singing carry her to sleep, and this time, nothing came to haunt her. She spread her lips in a smile before she succumbed to sleep altogether.

----

Melody yawned and groggily rubbed her eyes. She was already sitting in class, a magazine set up on the desk before her. She hummed a happy tune, looking at the various images. Though she did think some of the mares featured in the magazines looked over the top, there were a few others she just loved.

One, in particular, caught her attention. She had just flipped the page with her magic, and her eyes stumbled on a forest-green mare turned slightly to the side to give a good view on her mane. The pink mane was, for the most part, loose over her neck, while her forelock appeared to have been flattened over her forehead, pulled back and braided over her mane.

The mare’s pastel blue dress trailed over most of her body with little sleeves adorning her front hooves. The mare wore a simple scarf, gray in color, that fit oddly well with the dress, despite Melody’s distaste for it. But those had quickly been put aside by the filly who now only focused on the mare’s mane.

“So, you like seapony braids?”

Melody’s ears sprung to life, and the filly pivoted her head to see Cherry standing behind her with a grin on her lips, glancing at the magazine. The changeling filly blushed and puffed her cheeks, leaving Cherry to crack up and stumble backward.

Melody groaned and shook her head, returning to the magazine. She looked again and again at the model on that page, admiring the way her mane flowed on her neck and shoulders. The changeling closed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh when she felt somepony breathe on her shoulder.

She turned her head and gave Cherry a soft glare before her eyes went wide, and she turned around completely, jumping out of her chair. She pulled Cherry in a hug while the earth pony struggled to push herself from her friend.

“Cherry, what are you doing here? I thought your mom was pulling you out!”

Cherry rubbed the back of her neck and giggled nervously, looking away. She leaned her head to one side, stealing another glance at the magazine before turning her attention back to Melody.

“I guess I have you and your mom to thank for this change of heart from my mom,” she said with a playful tone, her smile spreading into a smirk. “By the way, you’d look great with your mane done like that, Melody.”

Melody’s cheeks flushed red, and she pushed Cherry back, settling back in her chair when the pressure on her leg became too much. She was getting much better at tolerating the pain, but her leg still hurt a lot at times.

She focused her eyes in a glare once more and crossed her forelegs over her chest, shaking her head while her magic carried the magazine back in her saddlebags. She was taken by surprise when she heard somepony rummaging through her things moments later. She was about to give whoever it was a piece of her mind, but her coat turned even whiter once her eyes landed on Coral. The words rolled on her tongue, and she gulped.

“Resorting to taking my magazines, young lady?” Coral commented with a neutral expression, flipping the page to the same one Melody had been looking at previously. Coral’s glance alternated between the magazine and her daughter, and she nodded every now and then. “But I do have to agree with Cherry here. This mane style would fit you just marvelously.”

Melody’s cheeks turned even redder, and she slid into her chair, trying to hide under her desk. She pouted when both refused to tear their eyes from her. She groaned and rested her chin on the desk, deflating in her seat.

“Don’t joke about this, mom,” she protested, swelling her cheeks and facing away from her mother.

“I’m serious, darling. I could help you with it tonight if you’d like.”

Melody’s demeanor changed in the blink of an eye. She spun her head around and looked at Coral with a toothy smile. A little bit more and she would be bouncing up and down on her seat. Her wide eyes gave her an adorable expression, and she squeaked, “Really?”

Coral nodded and chuckled. She put the magazine back in Melody’s saddlebags and returned to the front of the class. She shot the two fillies a glance and smiled. The two of them giggled, and Cherry leaned toward Melody, whispering something to her before they exploded in laughter once more.

“Behave now, you two. Class is going to start soon,” Cherry said, tapping on her desk a few times and garnering the fillies’ attention, but they soon resumed whatever they were previously discussing.

An Average Day

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Melody awoke to the chirps of birds, and she slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself blinded by the sun. She hissed at her silent assailant and rolled out of her bed. She landed smoothly on the ground and rubbed her eyes absentmindedly. She let out a yawn as she trotted out of her room and the hallway to find Coral and Choir sitting at the table in the kitchen.

Coral held a cup of coffee in her hooves, sipping every now and then, her eyes focused on a letter set on the table. She looked up to spot Melody and smiled. Choir waved at her sister and went back to eating her bowl of cereals.

Melody smiled back and walked to the table, pulling a chair to sit down. She lit her horn and pulled out a bowl from one of the cupboards near the oven. Her magic switched to the fridge, and she levitated the milk out it, closing the door behind effortlessly. She brought the items to the table and eagerly prepared her breakfast.

She tried to peer at the letter on the table, but the moment Coral caught that glint of curiosity in her eyes, the mare put down her cup of coffee and slid the letter away before quickly folding it back in its envelope. Melody did have enough time to see a seal stamped on the letter, piquing her interest.

“So, what’s the letter about, Mom?” Melody asked with a smile while she poured cereals in her bowl and added the milk afterward.

Coral waved her hoof dismissively and set the envelope on the chair next to her where Rising usually sat. “Nothing you should concern yourself with, Melody.”

Not content with the answer she received, Melody still dropped the matter and shrugged, mentally scolding herself for not grabbing a spoon when she was busy gathering the necessities for her breakfast. She turned her head to focus on a drawer and collected the silverware within, dragging it to her bowl some seconds later.

“What are you going to disguise yourself for Nightmare Night at school, sis?” Choir asked, setting her bowl aside and leaning on the table, both hooves resting on her chin.

A cough from Coral and a stare directed on Choir made the purple filly remove her hooves from the table with a sheepish expression, leading to Melody snickering in response. She chomped on her spoon and stared back at her sister with a hoof scratching her head.

“I don’t know,” she answered before taking another bite, “but Cherry did tell me she was going to go as Discord. However that works.”

Melody returned to her bowl, assailing the cereals relentlessly with her spoon while Choir just looked at her sister with a slight tilt of her head. She was quick to dismiss the comment and the resulting inquiries with a shake of her head. Without wasting any time, she pushed herself from the table and hopped from her chair, quickly disappearing behind the corner.

Silence rapidly fell between the two and soon, Melody returned to finishing her breakfast while Coral finished what remained of her coffee. The mare left the table and strode across the kitchen, placing her cup in the sink. Without so much as a word, she instead smiled at Melody and left the kitchen. Melody caught a glimpse of her mother walking upstairs, but she shrugged once more and returned her gaze to the bowl in front of her.

Melody finally dispatched her last spoonful of cereals, downing the milk in the bowl in a few instants, setting the bowl down. Curiosity crept its way into her mind, and she leaned to the side, noticing that the letter her mother had hidden from her had been left there unattended. She eyed the envelope a few times, biting her lip each time the desire to open it surfaced in her mind.

She was quick to shake her head and leave the letter be, instead grabbing the bowl with her magic and carrying it with her to the sink, depositing there before heading straight for the bathroom. Her curiosity for the letter was not worth the scolding she’d get later if she got caught. She closed the door behind her and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her expression turned to deadpan when she saw the mess that was her mane.

She stared back at her ruffled mane and frowned. She was a mess this morning. Her horn burst to life again, reaching for a brush in a small basket near the bath. She glared at herself in the mirror, snorting at the same time.

“All right, mane. Let’s do this. You and me.”

She tugged at her mane with the brush and instantly winced at the incoming pain of her locks lashing out at her. She kept the rhythm going, however, and focused on straightening her mane. It was a good thing it was as smooth as it was, or else she could be at this all day.

After a few attempts at struggling with her mane, Melody had finally finished what her mother had called a half up half down do and finished with a braid that fell neatly against the bulk of her mane on her neck. She levitated the mirror on each side of her head, inspecting her work with the utmost care.

With a sigh of relief, she lit her horn again, and a flash of green covered her completely, leaving only a unicorn filly behind. Melody looked at her reflection with pride. Not a single mistake this time. Even her eyes were like they used to be. It was a bit hard, even for herself, to believe that a month had already passed since her confrontation with Ocean Breeze.

Ever since her talk with Rising, and those little mother and daughter times she had with Coral, Melody’s mood had visibly improved, marked by the broad smile that adorned her lips each time she looked at her reflection. She picked up the brush again and straightened her forelock a bit more before she heard a series of knocks on the door.

And they were not Cherry’s.

Melody burst out of the bathroom and started for the door and called, “I’ll get it!”

She happily pranced to the door, unlocking it first and then grabbing the doorknob. She opened the door, and her eyes fell straight on Princess Cadance. Two guards stood at her side and looked completely stoic. The princess, for her part, looked at Melody and offered a simple smile, trying her best to remain as friendly as possible, to the point her smile became forced.

Melody’s mouth dropped, and her eyes widened. In an instant, her form burned in bright emerald flames, leaving Melody in her natural form in front of the princess, staring at the royal guest with big, fearful eyes.

Only a few stammers managed their way out of Melody’s mouth before her brain went to work at imagining terrible things that explained the Princess’ presence, trembles and shivers shaking her form. The little changeling was so caught up in her head that she failed to hear Coral’s voice from upstairs.

“Who is it, dar–oh… Oh!”

----

“So now, I have Princess Cadance wanting to teach me magic, apparently,” Melody said, giving herself another push on the swing while she glanced at Cherry. “Why me of all ponies?”

Both of them were in the local park, and while Melody glanced at Cherry with an incessant twitch to her eye, the earth pony just tilted her head to the side, and she raised a brow. “I don’t see how that’s a bad thing.”

Melody’s gaze hardened into a glare and she threw her forelegs in the air angrily. She tried to say something in response, but only gasps made their way out of her mouth for a good minute while her brain tried to process a reply.

“Not a bad thing”? she repeated, her eyes widening. “What if she’s wary of me, or she wants to keep me close, or she thinks I’m dangerous and wants to monitor me?”

Cherry sighed, her lips spreading into a smile and she failed to swallow a snicker. When faced with Melody’s glare again, she could only hold herself so much before she exploded into a fit of giggles. She waved her hoof at Melody and covered her mouth, sucking in her breath and holding it in. Despite her best efforts to keep calm, Cherry snickered again, earning Melody’s ire.

“Cherry!” Melody squeaked, crossing her forelegs on her chest.

“Sorry, sorry. I don’t mean to make fun of your worries, but you need to calm down. You’re blowing things out of proportion.”

Melody snorted and tossed her head to her right, but something else caught her attention as she did. Falling from the sky was a pegasus, screaming for dear life. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, but only managed to barely alter her trajectory. She passed through the sky in a blur of blue, crashing into a nearby tree. Melody was quick to jump down the swing.

She saw a group of ponies, evidently older than she was from a glance, gather around the tree, glancing up to the pegasus and Melody’s ears went high in the air. She swiveled them a bit and began marching towards the group. Melody sensed something foul about them. She looked around to see the worry in the adults’ eyes, but none of them moved, instead looking at the colts as if they were there to help the filly.

Melody spat at the ground and snarled, setting her glare onto the ponies in the distance.

“Melody, what do you think you’re doing?” Cherry asked when she saw that her friend had already begun making her way towards the group.

Melody looked back at her friend. “Helping somepony. I’m not going to sit by and let them group up on her like that. Plus, she looks injured.”

Cherry stopped in her tracks and stared at Melody, her jaw hanging wide open. Since when had her friend become so straightforward and brave? She knew Melody was prone to anger, but this felt different. There was a little tingling feeling in Cherry’s chest, and she felt proud of Melody.

“Hey, don’t you know trees are for birds to perch in, and not pegasi?” one of the colts amassed below the tree said, smirking at the filly above him.

The pegasus possessed a dark blue coat and a silver mane and tail, and her mane flowed loosely to the side of her head. She had a slim build and, though Melody had to squint to get a better look, already had a cutie mark adorning her flank. It was a full moon with a few stars on its left and a cloud hiding its lower quarter

“Maybe she got the case of the featherbrains or something. Might explain why she thinks that standing in a tree like that’s a good idea.”

The pegasus looked dazed. She kept her eyes closed, and she rubbed a hoof on her head, groaning as she tried to stir from the branch. Her wing had other things to say, however. As soon as she attempted to fold her right wing against her side, she was met with pain and she released the pressure, letting a pained whine escape her

Melody puffed her cheeks and moved forward, advancing on the group of colts with fury guiding her steps. She sucked in a breath and pushed it out with a sigh, setting her sights on the two colts that were making fun of the pegasus.

Without warning, she shouted, “Hey, leave the filly alone!”

One of the colts turned around, following by the entire group. They frowned at first, but their expression all turned to laughter when their eyes fell on Melody. One even fell backward, clutching his hooves to his sides.

Melody raised an eyebrow and continued her advance, moving to put herself between them and the tree. She glared at them and hissed, scrunching her nose with indignation. The ponies cracked smiles once more. Half of her wanted to run away and leave the filly to her misfortune, but she fought back the urge.

She’d finally found an answer to her question. Despite everything she had now had, the filly thought that she couldn’t afford to lose anything anymore. Her mind screamed in pain at the very idea of having to lose somepony or having to say goodbye to somepony she cared about. Maybe it was selfish of her to think of the few before the many, but she refused to acknowledge the prospect that she could lose something again.

And this filly needed her help more than anything. She didn’t know her, true, but her gut told her to help that filly. Her wings roused behind her and quickly began beating the air around. Specks of dust followed her movements, clinging to the bark of the tree and the grass all around it. She immediately went airborne and cast a glance at the filly above, ignoring the surprised gazes of the colts below her.

She landed smoothly on the branch and used her magic to help the filly up, placing the pegasus’ leg around her neck and lifting her a bit.
“You’re gonna be fine. Just hold on tight.”

The filly let out a whimper and shivered at the touch. She refused to open her eyes and soon clutched onto Melody, almost making her fall over. Melody held back a shriek and flapped her wings when her body tilted sideways. Her efforts were in vain. Despite the buzzing and flapping of her wings, she only managed to delay the inevitable. She took a deep breath and looked down. She wasn’t that high up. She could make the jump.

With a nervous gulp, Melody leaped from the branch and tried to break their fall as best she could, strengthening her wings with her magic and the consumption of her reserve of emotions. They both landed on the grass without further injuries, much to Melody’s relief when she let out a drawn out sigh. “Are you okay?”

She smiled when she noted that apart from the wing, there seemed to be no other injuries on the filly. A few bruises here and there, but nothing too bad. That was quickly put aside when the colts behind her laughed in unison. She growled and looked back to see them closing in on her. This time, she almost ran away, but she fought the urge again. She took a few steps forward and stomped her front hooves once in front of them.

“Oh, come on, kid. We were just having some fun.” The crystal pony said, looking at Melody with an irritated scowl.

“I would hardly call that fun. You were bullying her when she was defenseless. Do you have no shame at all?” she replied harshly, pressing her nose against his.

“Woah there, calm down, bug princess. No need to accuse anypony of anything here. I swear we were just having some fun,” another colt retorted, giving the changeling filly a frown.

“I highly doubt that,” Melody shot back, shaking her head. She took a few steps back to extend a wing over the filly and narrowed her eyes in a glare that she quickly cast on all members of the group, who remained unaffected by the changeling’s threat display to the point one even snorted. “Not as a group of six, and not after what I heard. So here’s the deal now: either you leave the two of us alone, or I’ll fetch the Guards!”

Some of them froze and looked at each other with panicked expressions. In an almost coordinated effort, they broke into a gallop in the distance, leaving only the lead pony in the area to face Melody. She flashed her fangs and grinned at him. She softened her expression, offering the only remaining colt a wink before flicking her front leg and gesturing to his fleeing band of ponies.

He glared at her, gulping for a moment, and broke into a gallop. She was completely unfazed by the glare, instead turning her attention to the dark blue filly behind her. She looked her over another time, making sure she hadn’t missed any details during her initial inspection. She did have to fight back a short fit of laughter when she took notice of the leaves and branches that decorated her mane.

“It’s okay now, you can open your eyes,” Melody said kindly, taking a few steps away from the filly.

Cherry, who had, for the most part, remained distant, had slowly made her way to her friend and sat down on her haunches to look at the filly, tilting her head, and then gazing at the sky. She let her gaze fall back on the pegasus, and then glanced up at Melody; an eyebrow raised.

“You know, I think they were friends with my sister, and you sent them running with their tails between their legs,” Cherry said, covering her mouth with a hoof and giving Melody a jab on the shoulder. “I don’t know if I should call you courageous or insane.”

Melody shrugged. “Somepony had to do it. It wasn’t right, and nopony should have to go through that.”

Cherry was about to say something else when she heard the pegasus groan. Her eyelids slowly opened, and she took a deep breath. She took a glimpse of the world around her, blinking repeatedly. Her eyes shot open when her turquoise eyes fell on Melody.

She screamed loud enough to force the two fillies to cover their ears. She crawled back to the tree and slammed her back on the bark, clutching a hoof to her chest. She winced when her wing touched the bark, and soon began hyperventilating. Melody sighed and rolled her eyes, igniting her horn, only to find that she lacked the energy to transform. She’d have to feed at some other time. Now was not the appropriate time.

“Hey, hey,” Cherry began, making reassuring gestures of her hooves in vain as the filly refused to cooperate with her, shaking her head and attempting to back away once more, “it’s okay. My friend’s not going to hurt you. Just calm down, all right?”

“B-b-but she’s a changeling!” the filly whined, shying and cowering from Melody. “They tried to invade Canterlot last year!”

“Here we go again,” Melody muttered under her breath, turning her back on the two fillies.

Cherry waved a hoof nonchalantly at her changeling friend and stuck her tongue out playfully. She moved to the side ever so slightly to partially block Melody from the filly’s gaze, smiling at her once she’d regained the pegasus’ undivided attention. “She’s also half pony, but don’t mind her, she’s just grumpy today.”

“Hey!”

“Hush, you,” Cherry replied through a series of giggles. She took a long breath and exhaled rather audibly. “She’s not going to harm you or anything. If anything, she’s the one that chased away the bullies making fun of you.”

The filly’s eyes went wide, and she seemed to relax a bit though she avoided any eye contact with Melody. “Really?”

“Uh-huh. But anyway, what’s your name?” Cherry asked cheerfully, extending a hoof to the pegasus. She offered her a simple smile and happily gave her head a slight tilt.

“R-Raine Moon.”

Raine shied away from Cherry, but she still held her hoof out to grab the earth pony’s. Cherry immediately pulled her up, keeping that smile of hers, and gestured to Melody. “I’m Cherry Blossom, and that’s Melody Swiftsong, my best friend.”

The pegasus still refused to look at Melody. The changeling snorted and slightly turned her head back to smile at both fillies, only to have it falter when she saw Raine wasn’t even looking at her. Though she understood the reason, she turned her head back around with a huff.
“N-Nice to meet you two…” Raine murmured, tumbling back a bit, losing her balance when she tried moving her wing around again. She gasped when she felt Cherry jump at her neck and cuddling her cheek.

“Aww, isn’t she just adorable? Can we keep her?” Cherry laughed before Melody turned back around, deadpan plastered all over her face, her brow raised. The changeling filly raised a leg and tried to object, but all that came out of her mouth were mumbles and stutters.

“Raine!”

All three fillies turned their heads to see a mare and a stallion headed their way at blinding speed. Melody gasped at them while Cherry let go of Raine. The pegasus was quick to run toward the two ponies, throwing herself at them.

Melody rubbed her eyes, blinking a few times to check if she wasn’t hallucinating. Ponies with tufted ears, vertical pupils, and leathery wings hugged Raine, holding onto her as if she could disappear if they ever let go.

The stallion looked up and saw Cherry, smiling at her and nodding at her several times. Cherry blushed a bit in return, but she shook her head and gestured to Melody. The stallion’s expression shifted entirely, and his fur almost went white.

Melody instantly recognized that glance and let out a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes and just sat down on the grass, looking away from the trio of ponies ahead while she could only await the next course of action.

“Here we go again.”

----

“We are so sorry about this misunderstanding. We honestly didn’t know she was an official citizen!” The stallion, Astral Rain, said, bowing his head time and time again.

Rising Chorus and Coral Charm looked at each other and then at the family that had found its way to their house. Rising shook his head and scratched the back of his neck, stealing another glance at his wife.

Melody just stared at the three ponies intently, her golden eyes locked on them, and the flame of curiosity burned brightly within them. Of course, only Raine Moon stared back at times, but she still shied her gaze every time her eyes met with Melody’s.

Astral Rain was a burly stallion. He had a dark gray coat, azure blue eyes and his brown mane lay flatly on his head while it was kept extremely short on his neck. His tail was also kept short, barely reaching down to his fetlock. One quick glance at his flank revealed his cutie mark: it was a large guiding star surrounded by three smaller stars. They looked genuine that Melody thought they blinked at her once.

Next to him was his wife, Wishing Star. She had a powder blue coat and amber eyes. Her pale red mane was long and wavy, caressing her neck as it lay hanging on the left side of her head. Her cutie mark was of a swirl with a star in the middle of it, casting light amidst the darkness of the swirl.

“Don’t worry about it. Mistakes and misunderstandings happen,” Coral said with an awkward smile, trying her best to remain calm and composed. “Besides, from what Melody’s told us, you’re from Canterlot. I can barely blame you for being a bit afraid or wary of changelings.”

Wishing Star shook her head and took a step forward, forcing Coral to take a step back, eyes going wide. She frowned and looked at Rising. He raised his shoulder and gave her a clueless gaze, shaking his head.

“It was still wrong of us to jump to conclusions like that. We’re thankful for what your daughter did!”

Coral nodded again and offered another glance at Rising, who repeated his earlier gesture. She glared at him in the subtlest way she could and let out an exasperated sigh, glancing down at Melody and smiling at her, patting her mane.

“I couldn’t just let those bullies get away with what they were doing. Nopony should have to go through that,” Melody said, adjusting her gaze, so it wasn’t so blatantly apparent she was staring at the couple. “By the way, are you two vamponies?”

Just as quickly as she had spoken, Melody slapped a hoof to her forehead and let out a groan. She didn’t even react when Coral gave her a slap across the head. She deserved that one, that was for sure.

Coral looked back at Astral and Wishing, offering them an apologetic smile. She occasionally glared down at Melody. “I am so sorry about that. She’s not normally this rude.”

Astral let out a giggle and shook his head, glancing at Melody with a smile. That wasn’t enough to convince the filly. She knew, and she could taste it as well, that he still didn’t like her appearance. Wishing Star and Raine Moon didn’t either, and that hurt her.

“Would you three like to stay for dinner?” Rising offered, giving Coral Charm a pat on the back. Both smiled at the trio of ponies in front of them. Their guests looked at each other with worried glances as if they had other plans. “We’re having zucchini and eggplant lasagna.”

Of Memories Gone By

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It hurt. Everything about this whole training hurt. Melody’s muscles were sore, her footwork was sloppy, and she was utterly exhausted. It was a wonder that she could still keep her disguise up at this point. Shining Armor was decidedly ruthless.

“No, no, no! Your footwork is all wrong!” Shining Armor shot a glare at Melody and shot a bolt of magic straight at the filly. She stood there, terrified by the might of the stallion before her. The magic hit the base of the shield she had been trying to conjure and threw her back with a shriek. “If your position remains this weak, you’ll easily get taken advantage of if you ever find yourself in a dire situation.”

“I’m trying my best,” Melody said, slowly getting back up on her hooves. Despite what Cadance had said, Shining Armor was not the best fit for her as a teacher. She wanted to glare back at him, but the mere sight of his glare made any attempts meaningless.

“Sir. You will refer to me as sir at all times, understood?”

This time, she did glare back. No matter what, she was not going to let such a brute dominate her. She knew, even without investigating at the mixture of emotions that emanated from him, that he hated her. Not just her, but changelings in general, and he wasn’t trying to hide it in the slightest.

“Don’t give me that look. Back in position and conjure that shield up again,” Shining barked harshly, stomping his hoof. “No, no. Straighten up that leg too!”

When Melody failed to summon the strength or the endurance to move her leg and apply the desired weight and pressure, Shining was quick to bolt from his position and head straight for Melody. He placed himself by her left side and looked at her lame leg.

With a scowl, he lit up his horn and moved Melody’s leg just about enough for him to plant it firmly on the floor with a slam. Her eyes instantly brimmed with tears, and she bit back a scream. She held her head down while the white stallion moved the rest of her body according to his standards.

She wanted to cry, to run away in tears, but this tyrant had given her a challenge. Despite the obvious pain that coursed through her, she focused whatever energy she could still muster and suppressed the pain. She scrunched up her nose and took a deep breath, standing upright.

When Shining Armor returned to his previous location with a scowl adorning his expression, Melody hissed, though with a lot of subtlety, and glared again. Even in her unicorn form, her magic as a changeling did not take away the fact her lame was still lame and that she was still a cripple.

She summoned the shield around her while Shining Armor prepared his offensive spell. When both collided, her shield crumbled under the force of his magic and she staggered, stumbling back slightly. Her leg screamed agony and all she wanted was for this to be over with.

“Pathetic. You can’t even conjure up the simplest of spells! I don’t know what my wife saw in you, but all I see is wasted potential,” Shining shouted, the rage in his eyes speaking in his stead.

Melody did not know what she had done to earn his ire in such a way, and although she did want to fight back, there was naught she could do against an opponent of his size. Maybe, just maybe, she could outwit him.

She stood firmly in position, despite the agonizing pain her leg brought her, and she stared back into his glare, her gaze hardening ever so slowly. With a scowl, she replied, “Well, if you weren’t so intent on draining me of almost all of my magic in one fell swoop, I could do more than this, sir!

“Plus, all you do is tell me I can’t do this or can’t do that properly. Have you forgotten I am a cripple, sir? I am a child, not one of your soldiers.”

He was extremely quick to cross the distance between them in a few hoofsteps, practically bounding across the floor with unbound anger swirling around him. He had not liked how she had replied, nor the hint of venom in her tone.

He was towering in front of her. Melody felt as if she shrunk each second he glowered at her, and she tried to return a glare of her own this time. His hoof was quick to interrupt that when he scooped her chin and lifted her head up enough for him to press his nose to hers, focusing his eyes deep within Melody’s.

“You will not talk back to me, understood?” His voice was sharp and loud. Melody’s ears flicked back on her skull, and she dared to glance away before he gave her head a firm shake and aimed her eyes at him. “Eyes on me. You won’t talk back. You will take whatever I tell you, and you will not cry. If I even hear one breath too much, I’ll have you work your flank around this room. Understood?”

Melody barely collected the strength to offer one measly nod in return and batted her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision. “Yes… sir.”

Melody’s ears swiveled upward when the sound of hoofsteps filled the silence that had invaded the training hall. She didn’t recognize whom they belonged to, but the clang of metal against the granite tiles made it obvious it wasn’t just anypony.

Shining Armor let go of Melody’s chin and spun his head to the side to glance at the distance. Melody sighed in relief, glad that this episode was over. She slowly turned her head as Shining had done and saw Princess Cadance looking back at her husband with a frown.

“I think that’s about enough for today, honey. I’ll escort Melody out of the palace,” the princess said with a beckon of her head. She spun around and slowly began trotting out of the hall.

Melody was hesitant at first and refused to budge from her spot. Shining Armor’s shouting had terrified her. Afraid that anything she might do could anger the stallion, she stood perfectly still. Her legs trembled beneath her, and she barely managed to summon a fraction of the courage to turn her head and look at the white stallion.

He shrugged when he noticed her as tense as she was and he just gave a flick of his hoof. Melody caught the gesture and wasted no moments in sprinting out of the hall as fast as her left hind leg allowed her. She hesitantly looked back at Shining Armor, tears already forming in her eyes.

She threw her back forward and ran past the doorway, disappearing from the stallion’s sight while she tried to catch up with Cadance. Even with her vision blurred by tears as it was, Melody quickly found Cadance waiting for her passed the doorway in the large corridor. She wiped her tears a bit and looked at the princess with big and wide eyes, tears still clinging to her fur.

“Why does he have to hate me so much? What did I ever do to him,” Melody complained through a few series of sobs and sniffles.

She was surprised, shocked even, to see that what flowed out of Cadance was compassion and care. To Melody, it seemed like the princess was sympathetic to her. But why would she do that? It made no sense to the changeling. For all she cared, Cadance had every right to hate her for what Chrysalis did to her.

“The invasion was a very traumatic experience for Shining and me, Melody. I can’t fault my husband if he chooses to hold a grudge for what that queen did.” Cadance’s voice was sweet and soft, and even the smile that split her lips caused warmth to fill Melody, for an odd reason she couldn’t understand. “But I can tell you right now that he doesn’t hate you.”

Melody cocked her head to the side. That didn’t make any sense. She looked back at the princess with her ears slowly flicking back and flattening atop her head. Cadance just offered a small and swift tilt of her head, keeping her smile wide. Temptation lurked in the back of Melody’s mind. She wanted to consume all of those emotions and replenish her reserves, but she did not dare do something to incur the royal couple’s rage.

“But why did he say all those awful things?”

Cadance stroke her chin for a moment, giggling an instant later. “You’ll figure it out when you get older.”

What did she mean by that? And why was she so quick to side with her husband when she had probably heard all of the abuse he had put her through? She seemed so sure of herself, and Melody couldn’t understand why? How could she defend somepony as hateful as Shining Armor? How could somepony like him be a good pony in any way?

Before she could notice it from the corner of her eye, Melody suddenly bumped into something solid, yet oddly soft, and stumbled backward. She shook her head a few times and looked up with a frown. She was ready to jump at whoever had placed themselves in her path so willingly until her eyes landed on the dark gray stallion in front of her.

The stallion in question looked at Melody with concern filling his eyes and instantly moved to the filly’s side to help her up. She was about to swat her hoof at him, but she soon stopped the motion, instead focusing on getting up with his help. The benefits of that far outweighed the downsides.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” the stallion asked, distancing himself and bowing briefly to the princess.

That stallion looked familiar to Melody. Had she seen him before? She would clearly remember him if that was the case, though. It was only once she got a good look at his wings and ears that things were pieced back in order.

“I'm fine,” she grumbled, dusting her coat off with an idle hoof. She cut any eye contact with the stallion and just took a step back.

Cadance rather swiftly stopped her. Melody pivoted her head in an instant and stared intently at Cadance, but the princess did not seem to pay the filly any mind. Melody struggled against the magic that bound her and rapidly found it rather useless to resist. She was placed back in front of the dark gray stallion, forced to look deep into his azure eyes.

Once Cadance's magical grasp vanished in thin air, Melody snapped her head to face the princess, who only lifted a hoof to cover her mouth. Once he made sure Melody was fine and had no injuries, the stallion briefly bowed to Cadance. “Greetings, Princess. It’s rare to see you roaming the halls at this hour, and with such an unexpected guest too.”

Cadance nodded, and she just whisked her hoof at the pony. “Please, Astral. We’ve known each other long enough to skip the formalities. It’s just Cadance, all right?” She flared her wings, only to readjust them in the next moment, and glanced back at Melody with that same smile. She wasted no time in gesturing a hoof to the stallion and saying, “I gather you’ve been acquainted with Astral Rain already. Am I correct in that assumption, Melody?”

Melody weakly nodded and aimed her eyes on the floor. While she did notice the stallion’s smile here and there when distant sounds grasped her attention, she paid no mind to it and just tried to shrug it off. She just wanted to go home already. Astral knelt down for an instant, and he switched his gaze from Melody to Cadance a few times.

Melody refused to look at Astral and gave a whip of her mane. She huffed, and directed her gaze at a nearby wall, much to Cadance and Astral’s chagrin. The stallion took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh while Cadence arched an eyebrow and gave Melody a stern stare that she chose to ignore. “I guess. We met because of some misunderstanding, but I think that’s all.”

She heard Astral chuckle lightly at the mention of their meeting, and she rolled her eyes with the way he went about doing that chuckle. It just sounded so casual and laid back. She could have gotten in a heap of trouble because of that, and he was just laughing it up. “That we did, aye.”

Oh, he was just asking to get it. Melody was quick to puff her cheeks angrily. She almost jumped back with a hiss when she felt his hoof on her head. Who did he think he was? She ducked from under the hoof and took a few steps back, her golden eyes pointing daggers at Astral.

Another chuckle. Was he really not taking her seriously? But this did get her brain running. Why was he so comfortable when a week before, he had called the guards for reasons she barely understood? She wasn’t Chrysalis. She had never done anything bad in her life.

So why was he so at ease with her now? Why? Melody’s mind barely kept up with her rampant thoughts, and it was only the slight echo of his voice that pulled her out of her apparent trance.

“This does make this a bit easier, though. Princess, do you think I could borrow Melody for a short while?”

It took only a small glance to her side for Melody to see that Cadance was visibly surprised by the request. Of course, the princess cast her gaze on Melody, smiled, returned her attention to Astral, and nodded. Great, now even Cadance was ratting her out.

“I don’t see why not,” Cadance replied cheerily. She cocked her head slightly to the side and raised a hoof to gesture to Melody. “Just be sure to get her back home once you’re done, alright?

Melody couldn’t believe what had just transpired. Not only had she been sold by the princess, but she was just thrown in the hooves of a total stranger, and not to mention changeling bigot. She hung her head low and accepted her fate, but she had to admit that there was a different aura about Astral. Compared to how he behaved around her the week before, his aura exhumed a vibrant energy, and it seemed directed at her specifically.

What caused that change, she did not know, but it felt nice to have a different kind of reaction to her. Was it her unicorn disguise that allowed for him to be this comfortable. No, it wasn’t. He knew who she was. That alone was reason enough for him to distrust her, and yet he wasn’t even doing that.

Melody never even noticed Cadance bidding the two of them goodbye, nor had she heard the stallion tell her to follow him.

“Melody?"

That pulled her out of her thoughts. She snapped her head upward and locked eyes with Astral to see him readjusting his wings and gesturing for her to follow him.

----

Melody gasped when she stepped in the suite that Astral occupied with his family. She looked around and could only find her amazement increasing by the moment. They lived in a suite that befitted nobles, not the simple ponies that they appeared to be. Heck, their living room was bigger than her entire first floor, granted Melody’s house was pretty small to begin with.

While any filly her age would have expressed their appraisal for the extremely well-fitting arrangement of furniture along with the colors of the walls and ceiling that complimented each other, Melody was quick to overlook those, and she dared not even comment on the lighting of the room. The refraction of the sun against the crystal walls annoyed her more than anything. She squinted her eyes and sidestepped to move out of the blinding beam of light.

“You live in here?” Melody spun around, and her jaw just fell when she received confirmation from the pair of thestrals in the form of nods. “How can somepony even afford a place like this?”

Wishing Star was the first one to break her surprise by bursting into a fit of laughter that even managed to bring Raine’s attention from her bedroom. When she did get to the living room, she froze when she saw Melody with her parents and carefully hid behind the corner.

“Oh, sweetheart, if only you could see your face right now.” Wishing wiped a few tears with her hoof and then put that very same hoof on her chest, deeply inhaling. “This is courtesy of Princess Luna and Princess Cadance. Good heavens, we can’t afford this. At least not on our salary.”

Princess Luna and Princess Cadance? Just who were those two thestrals? Instead of receiving the answers she wanted, Melody only ended up with more questions requiring answers. She just stared incredulously at the two ponies.

The question was starting to form on her quivering lips. What power did they possess? Could they put her existence at risk if they so wanted to? Questions upon questions swirled in her mind while disastrous events played in repeat in her mind. The last thing she needed was to find herself crawling back to Occento’s hive, and have the queen send her back to the Crystal Empire.

Her breathing quickened, and she put a hoof on her chest in an attempt to calm herself. The thestrals looked at each other, and then back at Melody with concern in their eyes. Maybe they noticed the change in her behavior. She eyed them carefully, and she looked around the living room for a way to escape.

“Putting that tidbit of information aside, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask since we met, Melody,” Wishing began, her tone and posture seemingly changing to reflect her now serious demeanor. Melody’s ear flattened on her mane, and she cocked her head backward with apprehension. “Are you perchance related to a certain Star Blaze?”

If her ears could have dropped any further over her head, they would have by now. Despite her hating what her brother had done to her, the name alone brought back the years of memories under his care. The waterworks broke in a matter of seconds as the memories flooded her mind. She thought that after all these months, she would have been over it, but she hadn’t moved on yet. There was still something on her heart where her brother used to be.

She weakly nodded and let out a few sobs. Her cloudy vision failed to notice that Wishing had made her way to Melody’s side to comfort her. Nothing too intimate, but she pulled the unicorn filly in a hug. Her touch had an odd familiarity to it that Melody couldn’t put her hoof on. A tender touch of sorts, but it made no sense to her. They weren’t the same species, let alone related by blood.

She didn’t know what Wishing had done to her, but she slowly calmed down. She felt at ease with Wishing Star for whatever reason that her mind failed to understand. Her sobs began to die down a bit, but as much as she tried to wipe away her tears, they just came back as fast as they vanished on the fur of her leg.

“So you are.” Wishing’s voice was soft and caring. Why were they acting friendly with her, though? First it was Astral, and now Wishing was doing that. Why? Why were they contradicting their feelings from a week ago? “I’m so sorry about what happened to you. I truly am!”

What was Wishing sorry about? Why was she apologizing to her like that?

“What are you… talking about?” Melody asked weakly, hooves shuffling against the mare's bosom. She didn’t even want to leave the embrace of the mare at this point. It felt somehow right, and she felt safe within the mare’s hooves.

“We knew your parents and your brother, Melody. I’m sorry you had to live through all of that on your own. The truth is, while we’re here to work on a project Princess Luna assigned Astral and me, we also came here to find you.”

Find her? What mess had she gotten herself into this time? Everything about this made no sense to Melody, and she just stared at Wishing with her mouth wide open. Why her? What had she done to warrant their attention so much? As much as she wanted to leave and hope never to see those ponies again, something urged her to stay and listen.

When Melody failed to provide a proper response, Wishing glanced at her husband and both of them nodded. “Your parents were our favorite colleagues and our best friends. I can still remember it as if it were yesterday when your father barged in Wishing and I's office to show pictures of a foal with pride and joy. I’d never seen him happier.”

Melody’s brought her hooves to her mouth and gasped. This changed everything. From all the things Star had told her as she grew up to all the things Occento and Princess Cadance had told her, this changed absolutely everything.

“Bu-But Star said that they were always too busy to stop and come home,” Melody whined, wiping her eyes once more before her hoof trailed down to wipe the mucus leaking from her nostrils.

Wishing tore her gaze once more to look at her husband as anger possessed her. She ground her teeth, eyes wide with shock. Even though Melody had fallen prey to confusion and her overwhelming emotions, she could still feel and taste the bitter tang of Wishing’s anger.

“Your parents being too busy for you? Perish the thought!” Wishing’s behavior turned sour, and she hissed at the slight implications that Melody’s parents had been absent for her. “Your mother spent all of her time with you after your birth, as any mother should!”

But then why couldn’t she remember her parents? The question had already formed on her lips, but Wishing just put a hoof on Melody’s mouth. It took one glance to see that Wishing was shedding tears as well. It seemed like Melody wasn’t the only one that lost somepony important.

Astral reminded the two of them that he was still present. Stretching his front legs a bit and sitting down, he looked at the two ponies and then tore his gaze from there to spot Raine spying on them. With a wave and beckon of his hoof, the filly sheepishly made her way to her father and nestled in the crook of his legs, staring intently at her mother and the white unicorn she almost clung onto.

“There’s no need to explore events that we can’t change,” Astral said, resting his muzzle besides her daughter’s and staring at the other pair of ponies with a serious look on his face. It seemed painful for him as well to revisit those memories. “Melody, you parents were wonderful ponies, loving and caring parents and the best friends we could ever ask for.”

Wishing chuckled at the thought, the anger burning within her subsiding, if only a little. “They’re even the ones that suggested adoption to us. That was the best decision of our lives.”

That answered some of Melody’s questions, but the most important one that still burned bright in her head was regarding their search for her. Sure, they knew her biological parents, but why had they been so intent on finding her specifically, especially since they now had a daughter to take care of.

Melody pushed herself from the embrace. Much to Wishing’s discontent, the mare did not protest. She let the filly go and wiped the tears from her eyes, offering a simple, yet loving smile.

“But why me?” she asked away, looking at Wishing, and then at Astral, keeping herself from looking at Raine.

Astral shrugged. “Because we wanted to be there for you.” He readjusted his legs, placing his left hoof over his right one, giving Raine a playful nudge that she eagerly returned. “When your parents died, we were ready to adopt you. That’s how much we had come to love you over the months that followed your birth. Your brother had other plans for you, unfortunately.”

Wishing nodded and stretched her limbs, flicking her tail. She unfurled her wings, flapped them a little, and pressed them on her sides once again.

Melody shook her head and let the tears trickle down her fur once more. Her breathing became raspy. Each breath she drew burned her throat. Tears had long since stopped cascading from her eyes, but she still whined and sobbed. She pressed her hoof on her chest and helplessly wheezed. She shook her head and took a few steps back, gasping in between sobs.

The sea of emotions finally gnawed at her magic and in an instant, she reverted to her changeling form. She couldn’t hear any more. She had to get away and give all of this some thought.

She pivoted on her leg and broke into a sprint, never mind the pain of her leg, and opened to door, bursting out of the suite before any of the three ponies could do anything to stop her. Melody ran and ran. Mental maps of the palace halls came to life in her head, and she just followed the path she had taken earlier that day.

All of this—ranging from what Wishing had said about her parents to what Astral said about their love for her—made no sense. Nothing did, but she felt somehow happy about all of this. Her parents never meant to abandon her. Death forced them to leave her to her fate. Knowing this much already appeased her.

It wasn’t enough to push aside this overwhelming sense of grief that ate away at her, but it was just about enough to make her feel even more enraged about her brother. If he had managed to slip lies like those so easily, what other lies had he fed her?

The Caring Touch

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Melody sat in her chair with one eye glancing at Coral while the other darted off to watch the scribbles on the sheet that idly sat on her desk. One intake of air later, she released a heavy sigh, pulled herself upward and reclined in her seat. She ran her hooves through her mane and stared back at the front of the class and slumped her head back on the desk once she saw that Coral was still writing on the board.

With the whirlwind of questions running amok in her mind, the filly became oblivious to the cares of the world. Her ears swiveled and perked up on her head, but her head remained glued to the desk. The sensation of something grazing her ear and mane sprung her mind back to awareness, and she blinked, lifting her chin in confusion.

With her attention piqued, Melody, looked to her right, then her left and found Cherry glancing back at her with big eyes, a hoof gesturing the front of the class. Melody followed that hoof and eventually met with Coral’s frowning expression.

As the mare’s sporadic tapping filled the silence of the room, the gears in Melody’s brain slowly began to turn, and she looked at the sheet below her chin and then looked back up, her ears drooping as realization dawned upon her. The snickers and giggles from her classmates filled her ears, and she shrunk in her seat, looking back at Coral with wide eyes. She pursed her lips in a nervous smile long enough for a low-pitched whine to hiss its way through her teeth. “What were you saying, Miss Charm?”

By Celestia, she hated having to refer to her mother like that. It left a bad taste in her mouth to call Coral in such a way.

Melody’s eyes slowly drifted to see a few mathematical equations written all over the chalkboard. Math, her least favorite subject. Perfect. She groaned as she contemplated the answers to the few equations she knew about and those that completely dumbfounded her. The ratio quickly leaned toward the latter.

Coral sighed wearily. “I was asking if you could come and solve these equations for the class.”

With an audible gulp, Melody straightened her gaze onto Coral again and hesitatingly shook her head. She heard snickers come in from some of her classmates and rolled her eyes in response, barely managing to choke a scoff. She then returned to her scribbles, flicking one ear up as she set her eyes on the various nonsensical drawings that adorned the loose leaf sheet.

Melody raised a brow and glanced at Coral when she heard the mare hum to herself. Coral stared at the list of names sitting on her desk before calling, “Raine Moon, might you be able to solve these equations?”

Melody snapped her head back abruptly to follow Coral’s gaze, her mane grazing the tip of Sunshine’s nose as it whipped through the air. Her eyes latched on Raine Moon just in time see her close the book she was reading. According to the cover, it looked like it was a work of fiction unrelated to the class, although Melody had to admit she had never seen that book before.

For a moment, Melody thought that Raine would tell Coral that she couldn’t answer all of those equations on her own, but to her surprise, Raine got up from her chair and headed to the chalkboard. She picked a chalk in her mouth and looked at the board again, flaring her wings to her side and pushing herself upward. In mere moments, the filly had finished all of those equations, and the class filled with silence.

Silence crept in the classroom, and every student kept their mouths shut until Raine earned a nod from Coral and she trotted back to her seat with a frown and a grumpy expression. It was almost like this intervention from Coral took Raine’s time away from her book.

Were Canterlot children all like that?

There were other ponies in the class that could have answered those just as easily, but Raine had done it without even paying attention to Coral. Either she did pay attention without showing it, or she was just that good. The classroom quickly burst in mutters and whispers. Some words reached Melody and, she guessed, Raine. Melody’s ears flicked up and twitched as every word she picked up mentioned Raine in all sorts of manners. Melody slowly turned around and saw that Raine was still absorbed by her book though there was an occasional twitch of her ears here and there. So she was paying attention after all. She was good!

Astonishment, envy, anger, hate, wonder, amazement. All these different emotions ruled the classroom and just trying to single them out threw Melody’s mind in a mess. She clutched a hoof to her temple and groaned.

Thankfully, the bell rang, and all her classmates rushed for the door once Coral concluded her lesson before lunch time. Melody sighed and stared at every pony that left the room, sometimes glancing to Raine, sometimes to Cherry. She opened the lid to her desk and reached for her lunchbox with a flick of her magic, sliding from her seat moments later, shooting a glance at Cherry and gesturing to Cherry with a beckon.

Cherry, however, stopped when she saw that Raine remained seated in her chair, her eyes still glued to her book. Cherry shook her head and turned on her hooves and slunk her way to the dark blue filly, tugging at Raine’s front leg and pulling her from of her chair.

“H-hey, what’s the big idea?”

“You’re not staying cooped up in here all day long. Come on, let’s hang out some while recess still lasts! I won’t take no for an answer.”

Pleas and protests escaped Raine, but Cherry ignored each of them. Hooking a hoof around Raine’s neck, Cherry offered a broad smile that quickly turned to a grin. The pegasus tried planting her hooves on the floor. That failed. She spread her wings and thrashed about. That ended in further failure with Cherry dragging an exhausted Raine out of the classroom.

Cherry Blossom was a mystery at times. Melody just stared and gaped, eventually shaking her head with a hoof clutched to her forehead. She exchanged looks with Coral and giggled when she saw that the crystal pony had an eyebrow raised, and a smile pursed up her lips. She sat down in her chair and chuckled. “Interesting choice of friends, Melody. Just don’t let the crazy in too much.”

Melody rolled her eyes and burst out giggling, following after Cherry and Raine. “Gotcha. I’ll be careful!”

----

“Oh, come on! What’s the worst that could happen?” Cherry stared incredulously at Melody while they walked towards the exit.

Melody looked back at Cherry with concerned eyes and shook her head, chasing the thoughts away. Maybe her friend was right. The worst that could happen is that Glimmer would start spreading rumors about Raine and just downright send students out to bully her for whatever enjoyment she may get out of it, but Melody tried to stay with her happy thoughts as Cherry suggested.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Melody huffed. She reached for Cherry and pulled her into a hug. “Thanks.”

When they pushed the doors open, Melody’s eyes widened and rapidly narrowed into a glare. Huddled in a ball corner with a few colts and fillies gathered around her was Raine. She whimpered and clutched her hooves to her ears.

“Please. No more!” Raine’s voice cracked, and she crumbled in sobs, rubbing her hooves over her eyes and getting rid of the tears that ran through her fur.

“What’s the matter? The truth hurts too much?” a crystal earth pony said with a smug expression, towering over Raine.

With no thoughts put into the situation at all, Melody pounced from her spot and rammed the crystal pony with every ounce of strength she could muster. She let out a huff and dragged him along, rolling on the grass before Melody stood atop the pony, glaring into his surprised expression, baring and gritting her teeth.

Meanwhile, Cherry rushed to Raine’s side and sat by her side, wrapping her hooves around the pegasus. “It’s going to be alright. It’s over now,” Cherry hushed. She ran a hoof under Raine’s eyes and then looked up to see Melody still standing over that colt. “Don’t listen to them. They’re not worth it.”

Melody switched her attention to Raine and nodded to Cherry with a smile. The moment was quickly short-lived when she felt a pair of hooves press up against her chest and push her back. She fell backward with a squeak, but she wasted no time in getting back up, her horn ignited and her glare repositioned on the crystal pony.

That was also short-lived. Her leg sent jolts of pain up her spine, and she cringed, stumbling backward a bit, her legs wobbling under her. She’d gone too far. But she wasn’t done just yet.

The crystal pony leered at her with a smug expression, his lips twisting into a grin before her very eyes while he adopted a haughty stance, flicking his mane through the air. “Realizing you made a mistake, are you?”

Her, making a mistake? As if she’d ever feel sorry about attacking a no good pony like him. Melody arched an eyebrow and cocked her head back, hesitantly shaking her head while she still fought against the pain that swept through her muscles. Or maybe he was referring to her legs. He was assuming she was afraid of him now.

“Considering a teensy unicorn like me pulled you aside, I don’t buy your silly act of toughness,” Melody replied through her teeth, hissing shortly after.

He did not want to back down either, nor did he seem overly impressed by her retort. It wasn’t the wittiest of retorts, she had to admit, but it put her point across. If anything, he seemed to get more comfortable with every passing moment.

“Oh, please. As if I’d be afraid of a blank flank that’s obviously faking bravado. Polish your act before insinuating everypony is a fake like you.”

Oh, he was going to get it. Despite the pain, Melody stomped her right front leg on the grass. With all the training she’d gotten from Shining Armor, she could easily teach him a lesson or two about respect. She was going to teach him that he was messing with the wrong pony. She aimed her horn at him, sucking in a breath to sway the pain lingering through her aching body, and whipped her head through the air, sparks flying from her horn.

“Enough!”

All focus vanished from Melody’s mind, and her unfinished spell leaped into the air, dissipating over her in a green smoke. She slowly turned her head to the left to see Proper Teaching approaching them with a scowl, his eyebrows raised in a frown while his every step resounded in unison with Melody’s heartbeat.

Around her, everypony froze in place. No movement was heard other than the principal’s hoofsteps. Melody’s ears fell flat on her mane when she made eye contact with him and felt the full force of his anger crash down on her.

“The two of you, come with me. Everypony else, go home. School’s over.”

Melody gave the colt a glare before she turned around, sighed and hung her head. Hopefully, things would go in her favor, right? She’d done nothing wrong. She was just defending her friend from a bully. He’d have to hear her out and give that colt his due punishment. She puffed her chest with that thought, pulling her head up high again, eyes facing forward.

----

Melody slumped down at the table, placing her lunchbox on the table. She dropped her chin on the table and heaved a sigh. Things certainly took a different turn than what she had initially believed. Her horn burned aglow and from the confines of her lunchbox came a daisy sandwich. She unwrapped it, advancing her snout ever closer to her lunch, filling her nostrils with the intricate mix of daisies coupled with bread.

A few nibbles here, a few more there; Melody sheepishly ate away at the defenseless sandwich by her lonesome, trying her best to shut all the influx of emotions coming at her like rampaging buffaloes. Dread suddenly crawled its way through her spine and before she knew it, there was a white earth pony at her side. In any other circumstances, she might have seen this one coming, but with the amount of focus she was exerting and her mood in general, she placed herself at the mercy of this white menace.

“Hey!”

Melody’s fur stood on end, and she jumped with a shriek loud enough for everypony in the vicinity to hear. All heads turned to her, and she looked around, blushing in return before she just slumped back on the table, not even glancing towards the other filly.

“Hey.”

“Ouch, what’s got you in a bad mood?” Cherry queried, giving Melody the long face, folding her legs on the table and leaning a tad closer.

“I got stuck with detention, and Clear Cut got away scot-free. I have every right to be in a bad mood!”

Cherry chuckled to herself and just nodded away, sliding a hoof to reach her lunchbox and pry it open and pull an apple out of it. One quick inspection of the fruit later, she sank her teeth into it and munched on the large chunk while smirking at her friend. “Calm down, there, Mel.”

Melody just raised an eyebrow and stared deeply into Cherry’s emerald eyes for several seconds before snorting and going back to nibbling on her sandwich. The earth pony’s response was a roll of her eyes and a scoff. “Would it hurt you to be likable when things don’t go your way? No, seriously. It’s annoying.”

Melody averted her gaze, pouting in response. “Sorry. It’s just really frustrating that I got painted as the villain while Clear Cut got nothing. Mom believes me, but she can’t overthrow the principal’s decision.” She dropped her head. “It’s so unfair!”

Cherry shrugged and took another bit in her apple, looking at Melody with an eyebrow raised. “Would you have felt better or worse if you had let him continue his bullying?”

And they were heading in that direction. Melody threw her eyebrows up and frowned a second later. “I would have felt horrible for leaving her all alone with him.” Melody stopped her train of thought for a moment, her mind drifting to the bullying Raine had been subjected to. After finishing her sandwich, she turned her head to meet with Cherry’s gaze and cocked her head back, if only a little. “By the way, do you know anything about the things he said to her?”

Cherry nodded. “Apparently, he and his friends ganged up on her, and he started calling her a freak because of her parents and because she’s well-taught and the sorts. She said he called her a nerd—“

“Oh, that litt—” Melody sprung from her seat and slammed her hooves on the table with enough force to warrant attention from everypony around once more though that much went over her head. “Sorry, Cherry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I can’t believe he’d say something like that!”

Cherry shook her head and smiled back at Melody, gesturing for her friend to sit back down as well with a nonchalant wave of her hoof. “No, you have every right to be angry. I was too when she told me what they told her. They also asked if she was going to turn into a freak like her parents when she grew up.”

Melody blinked and sucked in a breath. Her body began trembling. Her fur bristled with anger, and she spun around, slamming her lunchbox shut with her magic. The students that had been previously staring at her now averted their gazes or returned to their lunches.

Her eyes watered, and she yelped in pain when she felt teeth clamp down on her tail. She snapped her head back to see Cherry staring back at her intensely. “Let me go, Cherry!”

Cherry shook her head and kept her eyes locked within Melody’s. The unicorn whipped her mane aside with a huff. Cherry rolled her eyes and pulled Melody back, a cry escaping the unicorn’s lips once Cherry let go of her tail. She glowered at her friend and murmured, “I don’t know what you intend to do, but I know that glare. Melody, this isn’t worth the trouble you’ll put yourself into! You’re fighting a losing battle!”

Melody gasped and cocked her head back. How dare Cherry tell her that her efforts were in vain? She bit her lower lip and threw her head to the side again, puffing her cheeks. “You want me to abandon her to this kind of treatment? Cherry, this isn’t different than the teasing I had to go through because I’m a changeling!”

Cherry sighed and hung her head, pressing a hoof between her eyes. “No. You shouldn’t abandon her, but you don’t have to become a bully to help her!”

“What would you have me do, then!” Melody bellowed before the realization that she was surrounded by a small army of school ponies dawned on her. She broke into a gallop and lifted her head long enough to see that Raine had been standing there the whole time, tears brimming in her eyes and a soft smile twitching along the lines of her lips.

But Melody didn’t stop. She ran past Raine and made a sharp turn around the corner. Stupid Cherry! Why did she have to make so much sense? She whipped her head around, throwing the tears away from her eyes before her left hind leg finally abandoned her. She stumbled forward and shrieked in pain before her chin met with the floor, leaving Melody to whine all alone in the corridor.

She didn’t want to become a bully. She loathed the idea of having to put others through what she went through. But the mere thought of leaving somepony like Raine at the mercy of those school ponies turned her stomach upside down.

“M-Melody?”

No, no, no. Why did she follow her? She would have been much better off with Cherry than with her! Melody hesitantly glanced back to see Raine standing at a safe distance, staring at her with eyes full of concern. Raine gasped when she saw Melody’s tears. The disguised changeling bit her lip, gritting her teeth all the while

“Th-thank you… for what you said…” Melody never had to taste the air to feel that Raine was still wary of her, but she could also tell that the gratitude from her voice was real. It soothed her. She lit her horn and almost as if the air changed color, a seemingly green aura began swirling around Melody. Raine gasped and took a step back, her wings flaring to attention and her legs starting to tremble.

Melody shook her head and flashed a smile, leaving a sigh in its wake. She should have known it was a bad idea to feed in public. But she needed the magical energy and the emotional supplies, or else she wouldn’t be able to suppress the pain of her leg. Despite the belief she had that she could contain the pain of her leg, Melody could no longer deny that the pain was only increasing as the weeks passed.

How long would it be until that pain became unbearable? It was a question that haunted her mind day after day now. Consuming emotions had almost become an addiction at this point, and it was just used to suppress her pain rather than fuel her magic.

“Please, leave me alone,” Melody weakly begged as she began an attempt at getting up. Her left leg sent another jolt through her spine and fell to the floor again with a loud groan.

Melody’s eyes shot wide open. She felt the delicate embrace of a pegasus’ feathers on her back and jerked her head to the side to see Raine standing next to her, determination glittering in her eyes. Stutters were all that Melody could utter while she regained her footing with Raine’s help.

Her leg hurt. It hurt every second of it. She bit her lip again and closed her eyes, using every inch of strength that she had left to ignore the pain and stand up.

“W-why?” That was the question that burned in Melody’s mind. She knew that Raine was aware of her real form, and yet she was helping her nonetheless. It hardly made sense to Melody. She could smell the lingering fear sticking to Raine, but she also tasted the kindness and caring nature of the filly gradually fill the air, smothering Raine’s fear until there was but a fraction of it left.

“Well, you helped me twice already,” Raine replied as her lips spread into a smile, sliding her leg under Melody’s and helping her up progressively, ears twitching with every grunt that escaped the alabaster pony, “so I thought that maybe I could help you in return. That makes us even, right?”

“I guess we are,” Melody chuckled in return, cocking her head to the side and sticking her tongue out before her expression twisted in pain when she almost tripped again. An exasperated sigh shook her body before her eyes fell on her leg. She knew she had damage in that leg, but the increasing pain only enraged her further.

Part of her had wanted to remain passive to Raine’s attempt at cheering her up, but something about Raine’s goofy grin made any attempt at disagreeing with the filly impossible.

For some reason, she felt at ease around Raine. She could still feel some lingering fear around the pegasus, but it was smothered by her light-hearted spirit and mood. Suddenly, befriending Raine didn’t seem like a bad idea anymore.

New Encounters

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There was a cheerful skip to each of Melody’s steps as she strode through the marketplace with her mother. Looking at every stand and booth with interest, her eyes shone with trepidation as she considered each of them with an arched neck before the voice of her mother called her out of her jubilation each time. With a groan, Melody caught up with Coral and followed until another shop grabbed her attention yet again.

This little game of hers lasted until they were out of the marketplace, much to Melody’s chagrin. With a small skip to her gait, she skidded next to Coral, and she looked at her with big, pleading eyes, her lips pursed in a frown.

“Why didn’t you want to let me stop at those shops earlier?” Melody sat down and crossed her legs over her chest, intently staring at her mom.

Her attitude had apparently no effect on Coral as the crystal pony just rolled her eyes and smiled, going around the unicorn and beckoning for her to follow behind. “Because, sweetums, I want to introduce you to somepony. Now, wipe that frown from you face and tag along. It’s not far from here.”

With a groan, Melody dragged herself behind Coral and kept her head down, sometimes shooting a glance back to the marketplace. There was a lovely necklace back there that called out to her. It was a simple thing, really, but teal rock that hung from the silver chain would have been a perfect fit for her. Plus, it was mesmerizing, so there was that factoring in as well.

She wanted to go back there and look at it some more, but Melody knew that the moment her mom noticed she was gone, she was going to get dragged along whether she wanted it or not. With the necklace still lingering in her mind, Melody never noticed that Coral had stopped moving ahead and bumped into the pony, cocking her head back. She stared forward and tilted her head to the left, furrowing her brow.

“Why’d you stop?” Melody queried, rubbing her nose and looking in the same direction as Coral.

On the side of the street was a small shop with a sign that read ‘The Crystal in the Rough.' The exterior of the store was a simple thing. It just looked like a small business, barely in a shape to be receiving customers. The only thing that seemed remotely good looking was the sign adorning the front of the shop. Each letter was embedded with various gemstones, turning the sidewalk into a sea of lights dancing before Melody’s eyes

Well, maybe Melody could take a few minutes to give this shop a look. Besides, Coral seemed pretty insistent about this. Arching an eyebrow at the enthusiasm of the mare before following in her ecstatic steps, Melody looked at the sign one last time before venturing inside.

“Hello, and welcome to the Crystal in the Rough. Relics of the earth at your disposal!” a unicorn mare exclaimed from behind the counter, looking up at the gem sculpture that she was working on. She sported a teal coat, and a purple mane kept short. Her dark green eyes shot open, and she smirked. She set aside the sculpture and leaped from the counter to landed in front of Coral. “Coral, it’s so good to see you! And you must be Melody! Your mother’s told me so much about you.”

Melody stumbled back in surprise and switched her attention between Coral and this mysterious and hyperactive mare. “Umm… hi?”

Coral giggled and gestured a hoof to the mare. “Melody, this is Prismatic Luster. She’s an artisan here, an excellent one I assure you. She’s the pony I wanted to introduce you to.”

Prismatic Luster waggled a hoof at Coral and stuck her tongue out. She fell back on her haunches and ran her other hoof through Melody’s mane with her glance now centered on the unicorn. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Melody. So, I hear today’s your birthday, isn’t it?”

Melody shot a glance to Coral, puffing her cheeks. Coral smiled and nudged Melody’s head, shifting her gaze to Prismatic Luster instead. Melody grumbled, let herself fall on her haunches, and crossed her legs over her chest.

“It is. It was supposed to be a surprise, though,” Melody said in a hushed voice, throwing her eyes to the floor.

“Huh? What was that?” Prismatic asked in an energetic squeal, pressing her nose against Melody’s and smiling at her. “Can you be a bit louder this time around?”

Melody rolled her eyes and sighed, pulling her nose back and wriggling it before the mare, shaking her head and averting her gaze. “It was supposed to remain a surprise.”

Prismatic burst out laughing and fell back on her back, clutching her hooves on her belly. After a few seconds of unrestrained laughter, the mare finally pulled herself together, the laughs dying down into a light giggle before vanishing altogether.

Through all this, Melody’s expression shifted from offended to confused. Confusion quickly turned to dumbfoundedness before it eventually led to deadpan and another roll of her eyes. Prismatic wiped the few tears glistening in her eyes and looked at Melody with an amused smile.

“Darling, the surprise is supposed to be for you. Not the other way around!”

Well, duh! Melody wasn’t stupid. She knew that much, but Coral told her that this was going to be a secret. She scrunched up her nose and stared at the ground again. She was confused. This mare was weird. Entertaining to an extent, but weird. Why was she always stuck with the odd ones?

A gasp escaped Prismatic, and she jerked a hoof to her chest, cocking her head back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that!”

Coral waggled her hoof and slid it to scoop Melody’s chin and lift it up. “Don’t worry, Prism.” Coral giggled as she withdrew her hoof. She pursed her lips in a grin and glanced at Melody through half-lidded eyes. “She’s grumpy on occasion. Today just so happens to be one such day.”

The reaction was instantaneous. Melody snapped her neck to the side and let out a squeak, following by some mutters when she saw her mother’s expression. Eventually, she disengaged from those eyes with a whip of her mane and looked the opposite way.

And to add to Melody’s discontentment, Prismatic burst out in laughter again. Melody frowned at the display of laughter right in front of her and just did the thing that seemed the most natural to her. She turned around and lifted her chin and huffed.

“Oh, come on. I can’t help it if you’re that adorable,” Prismatic Luster complained, wiping the tears from her eyes. She turned to Coral again, a smirk on her lips as she walked up to Coral and bumped her flank. “She’s definitely a keeper, Coral. You’re a lucky one!”

Melody’s ear perked up, and she partly turned around to see her mother’s cheeks flush. Coral cocked her head back and flicked her ears a bit, raising a hoof to her chest. With a quick intake of air, she said, “Oh, she’s definitely a keeper. Attracts trouble a lot too, but it adds to her charm. And she’s easily flustered. It’s everything you’d ever want in a child!”

Nevermind. In that instant, she vowed to never trust her mother with anything else. In retaliation to her mother’s words, she turned around the glare at Coral, cheeks puffed and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Moooom!” Melody whinnied, pawing at the ground.

The mare just giggled away and pulled out her tongue in a devious fashion. She raised a leg and patted Melody’ head. Melody just continued to glare with the same intensity. Coral easily dismissed it and shifted her attention to Prismatic again.

Prismatic chuckled in turn and gave a light-hearted tilt of her head to the left, offering a goofy grin to the mare. Her attention soon turned to the door as the doorbell rang and another mare entered. Prismatic craned her head to look at the newcomer, offering her a smile before she disappeared in the back.

“Shimmer, Mrs. Breeze is here for you!” Prismatic called to somepony back there. Her coworker or partner, most likely. But that wasn’t what had bothered Melody the most. That name sounded oddly familiar to her.

She looked back and found herself staring at none other than Ocean Breeze. The mare looked back at her with an annoyed expression and Melody was quick to avert her eyes from the earth pony. Why was she here? What sort of business was she here for? Had she followed the pair through the city? But wait… Prismatic told her coworker that Ocean was there for her. Was she a customer?

“I’m coming, Prism,” an agitated voice called from behind. Sprinting out of the back with a statuette of sorts was a rather young unicorn mare, sporting a midnight blue coat and mesmerizing purple eyes. Her mane was a grayish blue with some streaks of yellow parsing through it. Her mane was pulled back, and it fell flatly on her neck and shoulders. “Could you come to the counter please, Mrs. Breeze?”

“Of course.”

The response was dry, yet bore no aggression. So maybe she was a customer after all. But what did the shop specialize in, if not gem crafting? What more would the mare have needs for Ocean if the statuette of two ponies staring at each other looked mostly complete? Was there a trick of sorts? Was there something else?

Melody’s gaze at that moment was instantly captured by the refraction of the light on the statuette. The opal figurine on the left symbolized Ocean Breeze, Melody guessed. The other figure was obviously male but was made from a metallic-looking gemstone that Melody did not know about. It did look beautiful, though.

“I believe this commission is yours. One statuette made from opals and hematite, with a granite support as the foundation,” the mare chimed, depositing the statuette on the counter for all eyes to see.

Ocean took a few minutes to admire the craftsmanship, tilting her head to either side, moving the piece around with her hooves. Finally, for what was the first time for Melody, a smile cracked through Ocean Breeze’s otherwise stoic and emotionless expression. She nodded and pushed the statuette back toward the unicorn mare, Shimmer as Prismatic had called her. “It’s lovely.”

The hoarse voice was still there, though. As if there was a constant pinch of disappointment itching her, that voice grated against Melody’s ears. But… there was something else about it. A soothing note that flowed in her words and emotions. It was rather surprising coming from the same mare that had insulted her before.

“I’m glad you think so!” Shimmer exclaimed, her smile split to her ears. Her aura enveloped the commission, and she smiled fondly, keeping her gaze fixated in Ocean’ eyes. “Now, then. Onto the finishing touches. What sort of motion would you like them to have?

Ocean cocked her head to the side. It seemed that she either had no clue what the blue unicorn was talking about, or that she had a hard time deciding what she wanted. A few quick shakes of her head later, Ocean settled with a nod and looked at the figures on the support with what looked like tender eyes. That was also a new one for Melody.

“Well, it’s a memento in memory of my departed husband, so I’d love to see them kissing, and then melt into an embrace,” Ocean said with a sweeter voice, her tone losing its hoarseness. That mare was full of surprises, wasn’t she? “I’d really love to see that if it’s within the scope of possibility.”

All through this, something else had caught Melody’s attention. Something that made her eyes go wide. Just as Ocean kept talking and Shimmer listened, the unicorn’s horn shone a tiny tinge a green at the tip, barely eclipsing the golden glow of her magic. Was that what Melody thought it was? Her heart began beating faster. She clasped a hoof at her throat and backed away slowly while Prismatic noticed the reaction and offered a simple smile that failed to appease the unicorn. Was she in on this? Were those two really changelings?

Coral noticed Melody’s reaction a tad too late, finding her backed up against the wall with her hoof over her mouth. A few ragged breaths left her as her chest rose and sank with each moment. She followed Melody’s eyes to find her staring at Shimmer, but what was wrong with Melody for her to react this way.

“Melody, darling, are you feeling okay?” Coral whispered, leaning closer to Melody. If this was anything serious, getting Ocean Breeze involved was probably a bad idea.

Melody shook her head frantically, slowly turning to face Coral. Tears glistened in her eyes and her legs trembled under her. Utterly terrified was the only way Coral could find to best describe Melody at the time.

“Ch-ch-changeling…” she replied in a weak voice, barely able to utter anything louder than a hushed whisper.

“Don’t be silly, Melody. If there were changelings in the Empire, your father would know about them,” the earth pony replied in a hushed whisper as well, offering the unicorn a smile. Unfortunately, this had no effects on Melody. She just kept trembling like a leaf, shaking her head with each word.

Her form washed down in emerald flames to reveal her changeling form. All the while, Shimmer’s horn stopped shining and she gave a few nods as Ocean kept talking. She picked the statuette in her magic, the golden aura now untainted by the green glow. That was certainly odd, but it didn’t shake Melody out of her frightened state.

There were changelings in the Empire! Melody was convinced of it. This unicorn wasn’t who she pretended to be. Was she a unique persona, or was that changeling just stealing somepony’s life? She wanted to confront this changeling, but what if it was just like that Arco-something? Arcon? She couldn’t remember. Nor did she want to. She didn’t want to take that risk.

“All right, Miss Breeze. I believe I have all the necessary details for your commission,” Shimmer chimed, jotting those a few notes in a notepad on the counter. “I believe that if everything goes according to the planning, it will be done by next week, if not sooner. I will send for you once it is ready.”

Ocean smiled again. Despite her current emotional status, Melody was still caught by surprise by the mare’s smile. Nevertheless, Ocean nodded. “Thank you very much for this. It means a lot to me, and I can’t thank you enough for this.”

Shimmer shook her head and put down the quill in its inkpot. “No, no. I’m the one that should be thanking you, Miss Breeze. It’s been wonderful doing business with you.” She paused a moment, walking to the back and depositing the statuette on a shelf before coming back with her radiant smile. “Although, if you don’t mind, I have another appointment lined up.”

Ocean nodded once more, giving a courteous bow before she turned, her tail swishing against the counter. It almost sent the inkpot flying down that counter, only saved by Prismatic’s intervention. A few drops of ink poured out onto the floor, but nothing tragic took place, and no paperwork was involved. With a sigh, Prismatic put the pot back on the counter, eyeing Ocean with her brow furrowed.

Only one glance was shared between Coral and Ocean and Coral was lucky it lasted for more than five seconds. Ocean stuck her nose high in the air and left the shop with a huff. Typical Ocean. Coral rolled her eyes and switched her attention to Melody to see her huddled in a ball against the wall now. “Melody, baby, calm down. Everything’s going to be alright. There aren’t any changelings here, and you’re perfectly fine. Prismatic is a good friend of mine, so you’re safe here.”

But Melody was not convinced by what Coral had to say. Not in the least. She raised a hoof and pointed it at Shimmer, making sure to look around briefly before looking back with eyes wide open.

“No, she’s a changeling. I saw her feed on Ocean Breeze!” she protested, biting on her lip afterward.

Shimmer’s eyes shot wide open, and she looked at Prismatic before the two nodded, and Shimmer walked past the counter and stopped in front of Coral and Melody. She sat down seconds later with a smile similar to Prismatic’s. It was terrorizing for Melody. She wanted to run away.

“Quite the perceptive one, and clever too.”

And then her fears became real. The tall unicorn’s form slowly began to sizzle as blue flames engulfed her. That blue coat of hers shifted to black chitin, her midsection embraced in a blue shell. This wasn’t just any changeling. Her towering size and her vertical pupils gave everything away. This was a changeling queen! The filly never took the time to thoroughly examine this changeling before she burst in a cry and ran out the shop as rapidly as she could. Changelings had found her. They wanted her gone. What that creepy changeling in Occento’s hive told her was right after all!

----

“Look, I had no idea that she was a changeling, I promise,” Coral insisting voice rang from behind the door to her room. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dragged you there, so please open up, Melody.”

But Melody remained on her bed with her back facing the door. She silently wept in the pillow she hugged against her chest. Despite the urge to blame her mother for this, Melody couldn’t bring herself to do it. Coral had never intended to traumatize Melody with the appearance of yet more changelings in her life. The fact she was apologizing meant she had never intended any of it.

What was she supposed to do? Embrace the fact that changelings were going to come after her now? Let her mother in so she could comfort her? Remain in her room and wallow in fear until she’d get over it? The choices swirled in her mind, but only after a minute or so, Melody made her decision.

“I know, Mom…” she said in a squeaky, yet tired voice. She ran a hoof under her eyes and wiped the tears and then sniffled and cleared her throat. “Just… leave me some alone time. I need to think.”

She choked a sob and a sentiment of guilt formed in her mind and her morale dropped. Why was she subjecting Coral to this kind of behavior again? Was this the good thing to do; was it the best thing for that matter? She felt terrible.

Hoofsteps grew more distant before they halted. “Alright. If you need to talk, I’m here for the rest of the day. Don’t dwell on this too long, okay? I promise I’ll talk to your father about this.”

Remorse already grew roots in her mind and heart. What was she supposed to do now? She had obviously pushed her mother away. Sure, she would get over it. She would be hurt a little bit, but they’d probably grow through it together. One more hoofstep resounded before silence fell again.

“Happy birthday, Melody.”

Coral’s guilt-ridden voice was too much. Melody pressed her head on her pillow, and she resumed her crying. She rocked herself on the soft mattress. She made a mess of things again. How was she going to make things better? She should probably start by apologizing to Coral at dinner. It would certainly make it easier to patch things up.

At best, Coral would hold no grudge against Melody. Yeah, she hoped that was the case. Everything would just go back to normal as if nothing had happened between them. Yeah, that was the optimal route. At least, she hoped everything would be just fine…

----

Melody stifled a yawn as she walked through the seemingly endless hallway. Who knew the palace was this big? Of course, that also meant that there was plenty of stops for explanations. She blinked when she felt Cherry bump her flank and let out a happy chime before skidding ahead with a playful skip to her gait. Melody rolled her eyes and looked at her go. She was used to parts of the palace already because of her few lessons here and there with Shining Armor and Cadence.

Boring explanations of certain wings, of the royal library and the living quarters bored Melody to no end. Of course, sleep deprivation affected her too. She had been so stressed about how she treated Coral, even after apologizing to her, that she missed out on a few hours of sleep to worry over that whole mess.

And yes, despite that, she still found her curiosity piqued by certain things she had not seen before. They moved outdoors to change wings and grunts echoing in the wind reached her ears. She turned her head and squinted her eyes when she found herself face to face with the sun dipping down in the horizon.

When even that failed her, she raised a hoof to her brow and squinted a bit more to see the training ground up ahead. She’d not seen that one yet, and she was excited. She had always wanted to see Star train when he joined the Royal Guards, but her education had always taken precedence. He was very insistent about that much. He valued her education above all else, he claimed.

Either way, she was treated to a wondrous display of those guards performing hoof-to-hoof combat drills. She stared at them and gawked in awe. This was the first time she ever saw guards training. She looked at them, watching their muscles ripple with each strike, hold and riposte performed as instructed. She noticed some taking breaks, watching as sweat glistened and rolled down their well-toned legs.

Watching those mares and stallions training to keep the Empire and Equestria safe brought a smile on Melody’s snout and she kept on watching, letting the symphony of their grunts fill her ears. Her mind was slowly grasping onto something: she wanted to give back what Equestria had given her. Give back something equivalent. She quickly made a mental note to talk about it with Shining Armor. For now, she could just focus on watching with awe and admiration.

She groaned for a moment when she felt somepony bump her hip, and she turned back to see Cherry beside her. She wrinkled her nose and raised her brows.

“Don’t give me that look, Mel. I’m just reminding you that the tour is almost over. Apparently, the princess said this was the last stop before we were sent back home,” Cherry whispered, keeping a watchful eye between her friend and the group. She certainly didn’t seem like the type that wanted to get lost.

Melody pouted and offered another frown, this time with her brows thrown up higher. Well, that was a disappointment. At least she managed to get a good look at the guards. “That’s a shame. The tour flew by really fast, didn’t it?”

There was a nod from Cherry. The young pony followed with a poke of her hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder, turning to face Melody with a wide grin. Oh no. What was she going to say now? How was she going to embarrass her this time around?

“So… you’re looking at the guards, eh?” Abandon ship. All hooves overboard. There was no way that Melody was going to live this down if an idea formed in Cherry’s mind. “I never figured you as a fan of gawking at ponies in uniform.”

Okay, she was obviously trying to play her. How was she going to reply to this? Quick, she needed an excuse to get out of this. Otherwise, Cherry was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. She desperately tried to look for a way out of this before it turned south. What she wasn’t ready for was how quick she found one. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure shrouded in black along sneaking around the pillars in the distance.

Her mind automatically switched to alert mode, and she thought of that changeling queen at that shop. That figure turned into a changeling in her mind, and she began to believe they had finally come for her. Why now? What had she done to deserve this?

“W-well, my bro-brother was a royal guard and a-all, so… yeah.” She shrieked when she spotted the figure moving away from those pillars and seemingly toward her and she jumped back with a yelp, her ears pinning back on her scalp. “Oh, hey! Class’ moving again. We’ll continue this conversation never!”

With a hasty step, Melody sprung forward with beads of sweat crawling against her forehead and cheeks. She didn’t dare to look behind her. The faster she was back in the midst of ponies the better. No sane changeling would dare attack her with Princess Cadance nearby.
She was completely safe with the princess, wasn’t she?

----

With the tour over and Cherry already back home because she said her mom told her to come back as soon as possible, Melody found herself having to walk back home on her lonesome. A trivial task, usually, but her earlier encounter with that black figure made her anxious. Where they still following her? Why were those changelings so insistent on trying to attack her?

With each step she took, she swung her head from one side to the other, watching every angle so that no changeling could surprise her. If they did, she could probably use her magic on them. But wait, what if they used their slime to block her magic? Her heart pounded harder in her chest, and her ears drooped on her mane.

Stares fell on her with each corner she turned, each pony she passed by. Of course, in her fear-addled state, she failed to notice any of them. She was so terrified of a changeling creeping on her that the stares that were thrown at her became irrelevant. They didn’t understand her situation! What did they even know about her? Nothing, that’s what!

She heaved a sigh of relief when she banked to the right at the corner and spotted the steps leading to her home. They were undeniably hers. The pink granite steps, although a poor choice to accompany the pale blue walls of her home, were the only ones on that side of the street. Just a few more steps and she was going to be safe and sound..

She inhaled deeply and puffed out her chest. It would do poorly to get home looking completely stressed out. Coral would be over her like a mother hen, and she wanted to avoid that. She ignited her horn and pushed the door open.

“I’m hom—“ she began in a chime, only to hear voices coming from over the kitchen. Voices that she didn’t recognize. She wasn’t aware that they were having guests. Curiosity got the better of her, and she poked her head from the corner and into the kitchen. Her eyes immediately went wide when she stared back at Prismatic Luster and Shimmer.

“Oh, there she is,” Coral said, beckoning to Melody and folding that leg over her other one with a smile on her lips all the while. “Come join us, dear. We were just discussing a few things with our guests.”

But Melody refused to budge, her hooves anchored to the floor. She hectically shook her head. There was no way that she was going to come near those two changelings. They were out to get her. She was sure of it. Why else would they be there? They’d done something to her parents to have them comply so easily.

She just needed to figure out how to break the spell they were under so she could chase those changelings out of her house.
With another shake of her head, she pouted and frowned. “There’s no way I’m doing that. They’re changelings, and they want to finish what that mean one started!”

Now it was Rising’s turn to frown. He cocked his head to the left so he could better look at Melody and he gave her his sternest stare. They were really under a spell! But it was strange. There was no malice lurking in the air. The poisonous taste of hatred wasn’t swirling around either. No, they were probably hiding their true nature and faking whatever emotions she actually felt on her tongue!

But Rising’s stare was still sharp, and Melody eventually gave in to the demands of her father, keeping her head down while trudging to the table, her tail trailing behind her, and her ears pinned against her head. She slowly climbed onto a chair, huddling close to Coral. Even if she was under some sort of mind control, she felt safe next to her mother.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Melody,” Shimmer began, a warm smile drawn on her muzzle. She stretched her forelegs on the table and folded them nonchalantly. “Well, we already met, but I feel like proper presentations are in order. My name is Shimmering Prism, and I’m the proud owner of the Crystal in the Rough.”

Melody nodded, doing her best to comply with this changeling. She hesitantly smiled, her right eye twitching a little, but she rolled with it. She wasn’t going to drive them out by playing against them. She’d have to comply for a bit and pretend that she was willing to listen.

If that had been Occento, she wouldn’t be so stressed, but this wasn’t Occento, and she didn’t know this changeling’s motives. She made no effort in keeping her hostility in check, scrunching up her nose and baring her fangs at every possible occasion. She wasn’t going to let these changelings invade her livelihood.

“A pleasure to meet you too,” Melody replied through her teeth. She cocked her head to the right and offered a smile before squinting her eyes into a glare and her breathing turned into a quiet hiss. “If it’s not too much to ask, what prompted this unexpected visit?”

She jerked her head toward Coral when she felt her elbow sink in her barrel, knocking the wind out of her. She let a low whine escape her lips and wilted under the glare Coral gave her. And then, the most unexpected thing happened. Shimmering Prism waved a hoof at Coral and shook her head. There was no malice, no particular look in her eyes. She just looked like she didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

Had she been in the wrong all along? But… Shimmering was a changeling. She’d seen her shapeshift into a queen. She was most certainly a changeling, but why was she acting like this? What was there to gain by leading Melody astray?

“At ease, Miss Charm. Under the circumstances she’s been put through, I cannot blame her for her behavior.”

Was this it? Was she going to admit that she was out there to silence her once and for all? Shivers ran down Melody’s spine, and her pupils shrank down drastically. She backed away from them as much as she could, even when her back connected with the back of her chair.. There were not going to get her!

“However, we are not here to harm Melody. We rarely invest ourselves in the matters of the other hives,” Prismatic Luster continued in Shimmering’s stead, her eyes gazing at Melody with warmth and empathy, a sentiment that Melody did not know how to interpret. “In other words, young Melody, we are not here to harm you in any way, if that is what you were thinking.”

They weren’t trying to hurt her… But what about that changeling from Occento’s hive? He was evil enough to beat her, to hurt her gravely. What was to say these changelings weren’t the exact same if she pressed the wrong buttons?

But before Melody could interject, the two changelings in front of her vanished in a whirlwind of smokeless fire, this one blue rather than green. They were different in that aspect, but Melody wondered if their behavior was the same. Once more, Shimmering Prism turned into a stunningly graceful changeling with a form that Occento could envy. Her golden eyes looked at her as though they were peering into her very soul, frightening Melody more than anything.

Her sapphire blue mane was curled up nicely into a bun atop her head, two curly locks of her mane hanging loosely from her mane and brushing the side of her head, gently caressing her cheeks.

Prismatic bore the same eye and shell colors as her mother, but an undulating teal mane caressed her neck and right cheek. Her mane was done to rest on the right side of her head, sometimes covering her eye with certain sudden movements.

Shimmering Prism offered a bow of her head from her chair. What was this? A changeling queen bowing before a small changeling like herself? “My daughter and I deeply apologize for scaring you before. That was not our intent. This is all a misunderstanding.”

Melody looked at Shimmering and then at Prismatic, finally settling to stare at the former. Her breath grew out of control, a hoof reached to her chest, aimlessly attempting to calm herself. She frantically shook her head and shrunk in her chair. It was starting again. The visions of what happened to her flashed back in her mind, and she recoiled. She pushed herself back with enough force to make her chair screech loudly on the floor. That terrible screech pinned everypony’s ears against their mane, Rising in particular reaching a hoof to an ear.

She shrieked when she felt a hoof touch her shoulder, violently swatting her own at the violet limb. She halted her motion for a moment to look at that hoof and realized she’d pushed Coral away once more. That didn’t stop the mare from attempting to comfort her daughter any less.

Letting her mother wrap her hooves around her shoulders, Melody gave up any attempts at resisting, instead pressing her head against her mother’s bosom, gazing back at the two changelings in front of her.

By the time Melody had calmed down, Prismatic brought her hoof to her mouth. She shook her head shortly after and and looked at Shimmering with concern in her eyes. “Goodness, I thought it was just a sudden reaction, but I think this might be traumatic, Mother.”

Shimmering Prism nodded, exchanging looks with her daughter before getting down from her chair and making a few steps to kneel in front of Melody. Grabbing her leg with her hooves, she smiled at Melody, looked at her dead in the eye, and said, “It seems proper introductions are in order again. I am Glaesi, queen of the hive Lapis, and this is my daughter, Gemma, princess of the hive.” She let go of her legs and got back on all four, still looking at Melody. She dropped to her knees and smiled at the unicorn, careful not to show her fangs too much.. “And in light of this, we want to offer you help in dealing with your phobia of changelings.”

Evolving Perspectives - Part One

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Had she managed to get lost in the palace again? Oh, she had most certainly gotten lost. Here she was, trying to find her way to Wishing Star and Astral Rain’s suite if she could call it that. It was so much bigger than anything she had seen before. Melody turned a corner and looked at the hallway that awaited her.

She stopped for a minute, contemplating the seemingly endless corridor that spanned the distance before her. How long would it take her to find that particular suite amidst all these corridors? And here she thought she knew her way around the palace by now. Granted, this was her first time seeking out the bat ponies, rather than them leading her to what they called their home. She remembered something about dual doors when Astral stumbled on her during her first lesson with Shining Armor.

Her left ear twitched and swiveled when she heard the clang of hoofguards coming from the left. She knew almost instantly that it was a guard. Either that or Princess Cadance just so happened to pass through this corridor.

“Are you lost, little filly?”

That was most certainly a guard. Unless Cadance suddenly suffered from a sore throat or something like that, it was a guard standing next to her. She turned around to see the guard sporting the Crystal Guard armor, and who was a Crystal Unicorn. She stared for a brief moment in those gray eyes that regarded her with that apathetic expression.

She shuffled her hooves nervously after a few more seconds passed and she averted her eyes from this guard. He, on the other hoof, just kept on staring at her. Plus, she eventually found it a bit unnerving.

When her prolonged silence spoke for her, and the guard groaned and resumed his round with a roll of his eyes, Melody extended a hoof forward and said, “I’m looking for Wishing Star and Astral Rain’s suite. Could you perhaps direct me to them?”

The guard stopped and craned his head back with that yet again apathetic expression. Were guards all asked to be this way? Were they all supposed to be this stoic when doing rounds like these? Her desire to become a guard slowly dimmed down with each moment she interacted with this guard.

“Who?” the guard asked, his voiced soaked in annoyance. He narrowed his eyes on Melody and turned to face her.

Melody furrowed her brow and rolled her eyes, imitating the guard’s groan to an extent, which brought no reaction from him.

“Bat ponies! Any ideas where I can find them?” She asked exasperatedly. Was this guard playing dumb with her?

The guard nodded to her every word, finally deigning to be reasonable with her by lifting his hoof and gesturing at the hall behind her. “Continue down that corridor and take the first right. Their suite should be somewhere on the right of that other corridor.”

That was not helpful. What was she supposed to do? Knock at every door and potentially disturb palace staff? No, he had to know more. He was just rude. With a slight roll of her shoulders, she looked at the hall behind her and sighed.

She looked back at him and gave her head a slight tilt to the right. “Could you be a bit more specific, sir?” she asked with a soft voice. The last thing she wanted and needed was to make this guard angry

Now it was his turn to sigh. How rude! Was she this irritating to him? Did he somehow know she was a changeling or was it something else? Either way, she wasn’t going to let him demoralize her. She instead frowned and stared at him.

Another sigh. Oh, the nerve of that guard! How dare he act like this with her? She was going to speak with the princess about this one. “Large dual doors down that corridor I told you to make a right at. Can’t miss those doors,” he answered sternly, his voice still grating to Melody’s ears. She lowered them on her head, if only by a bit, and continued to stare at him, nodding at the same time.

Well, at least she knew where to go, and what to look for. It also helped that this guard confirmed what little she remembered from her visit to Astral Rain and Wishing Star’s place. Taking a deep breath to find her center once more from this little moment of near infuriation, Melody turned around and pranced away.

She looked back at him with a smile and chirped, “Thank you very much, sir!”
What was she thanking him for? He had been downright rude to her, and she was just shrugging it off? On the other hoof, holding a grudge against him would amount to nothing, so she was better off reporting his behavior to the commanding officer. Besides, now that she knew where to go, she couldn’t help but feel overjoyed at the prospect of her visit.

Just as she made a right, she saw the guard returning to his patrol, vanishing behind a corner. At least he was out of her life now. She could go back to whatever plans she had for the day, and that was to learn more about her parents.

As soon as she began thinking about that, her memories of her meeting with Queen Glaesi and Princess Gemma sprung forward. As she thought about it, they never set an appointment for their first session. A month had passed already, and she had no clue what was going on with those two. Had something important happened for them to be held back?

Well, whatever it was, they had told her that they’d approach her when they were ready. She just didn’t know when they would approach her. Would she have to wait another month, or even longer before they stepped forward?

Caught up in her thoughts, Melody never heard or saw a door swinging open right in front of her. She blinked once, then again when the realization dawned on her that she was now sitting on her haunches with a hoof to her sore nose.

“Oww,” she whined, rubbing her nose before scrunching it up a few times. “Did you have to swing that door so ha—“ She snarled for a moment, ready to give the pony who sent her flying back a piece of her mind, but her expression melted into shock when she saw Wishing Star staring at her with big eyes, her wings flapping at her side. The mare stared at her with widened eyes and with her hooves clutched over her mouth.

She dropped on the floor and helped Melody up as best as she could, thoroughly examining her and prodding her sides and legs, eventually reaching for her left hindleg. She groaned internally, kicking her leg back and taking a step back apprehensively. Hopefully, Wishing Star would get that hint.

Still, she made another mental note about how the pain kept increasing.

With her examination complete, Wishing ruffled Melody’s mane a bit and stopped in front of her, closing that door behind her. “I am so sorry about that,” Wishing said apologetically. She rubbed her hooves together and averted her gaze a bit.

Melody dimly ignited her horn, wiggling her ears. She flared her nostrils a few times. Apologetic and remorseful. Those emotions swirled around Wishing Star as she kept avoiding Melody’s gaze. The filly’s ears drooped, and she felt a bit sorry for Wishing. Apart from the dizziness, she was all right.

“I was just in a hurry because we’re in need of a few things for dinner, and I was going to sprint at the closest store to fetch what we’re missing,” she added, setting her legs down and wrapping her wings around herself. “That wasn’t on purpose.”

Melody nodded and gave her head a quick, firm shake, trying to rid herself of that dizziness that blurred her vision. She groaned and wrinkled her nose. “I'm all right, Wishing. Just a bit disoriented.”

The bat pony heaved a sigh of relief, all the stress accumulated in her body suddenly washing off the mare in a matter of seconds, or so according to what Melody managed to smell.

Wishing shuffled her hooves again, looking at Melody tentatively. Something felt wrong now. Replacing those negative emotions was amusement. What did the mare have in store for Melody, and for that matter, why was she staring at her with that broad grin?

“Thank Celestia, I thought I broke something!” Wishing chirped, her expression softening before she set her eyes deep into Melody’s and smiled. She was plotting something! “Say, now that you’re here, would you mind helping me get those few things I’m missing for dinner?”

Melody tilted her head to the side and gave Wishing Star a quizzical stare. She could lend a hoof, but that disturbing amount of mirth rolling off Wishing worried her. What was she about to get herself into?

“Uhh… Sure, I guess?” she replied hesitatingly, frowning as she contemplated Wishing Star’s widening grin. Well, she didn’t have anything else planned for the day so it couldn’t hurt to help just a little bit.

Or at least, that’s what she thought before Wishing grabbed her, put the filly on her back, extended her wings, and dashed through the corridor in a mix of prancing and gliding, with Melody often protesting and holding as tight as she could. She had not been expecting that.

“Great!” she exclaimed as she took a sharp turn where Melody thought she was going to get hurled against a wall so much she kept being tossed around against Wishing. “Sorry about that, though. I may be a tad late to get the groceries.”

Groceries? Wait, not a few things for lunch, or dinner, whichever it was? What the hay?! Wait a minute, had she been lied to?
Melody was left with no time to dwell on that much. With another sharp turn, she felt nauseous from all this turning around. A hoof shot to her mouth, and she groaned loudly, feeling the bile rolling against her tongue.

“Wishing… I’m g-g-oing to… to…”

----

Melody crossed her forelegs over her chest and glared at Wishing with both her eyebrows furrowed as she helped to unpack the many bags she had helped bring back to their suite. How dare she lie to her so boldly?

“And then she looked up at me, her fur almost as green as her mane, with those giant pleading eyes,” Wishing chimed, her voice shaken by loud laughter. Raine and Astral both looked at Wishing with amused expressions and Raine kept squeezing her hooves against her lips, sometimes letting out a snicker or two by accident. “You should have been there! It was priceless!”

Melody scrunched up her snout and pinned her ears against her scalp, instead burying her nose in the bag she was helping unpack. She flared her nostrils again and extended her senses around and over the family, sensing no malice whatsoever from them. Just earnest fun. So, she wasn't serious about this? Or if she was, she was a tease?

There was a snicker that came from Astral and Melody thought that her pillar of support was going to betray her and turn over to the other side. Traitor. How dare he?! He got up and walked beside her, ruffling her mane with his right hoof and smiling at his wife. “Well, darling, you might want to consider that she was a unicorn before. Chances of her having any flying experience are pretty slim. Give her a chance.”

Finally! Somepony that understood how she felt. Her flying experience so far was only made up of her hovering in place after a very simple lift off.

Wishing stuck out her tongue at him and pushed her hoof at his shoulder before nuzzling against his chest. “Killjoy!” she chirped with a honeyed voice, her eyes half-lidded.

Melody’s cheeks went completely red, and she averted her eyes from the scene, almost sinking in her chair. She didn’t even have to reach out for their emotions to understand what was going on. Her eyes widened each time they darted off to the couple while Raine looked at the whole scene and rolled her eyes.

“Mom, you’re making this awkward for Melody,” Raine said, nudging Melody and flashing a smile her way.

Wishing’s expression turned dull, and she groaned, slowly springing back to the bag she had been unpacking. Melody flared her nostrils a little bit. She smelled amusement and mirth coming from Raine, and a hint of guilt coming from Wishing, whom lowered her ears a little bit.

That was when she noticed that Wishing had already finished unpacking her bag and had put it aside. Melody watched in awe as Wishing then put all of the things she’d pull out of the bag and put them in a basket, unfolding a wing and managing to place the handle over the… nail at the tip of her wing? Was it a nail, or did it have a different name? Didn’t really matter.

It was highly impressive to see the mare lift the basket, despite how heavy it must have been with all the fruits that had been placed there. That was one dexterous wing, that was for sure. But enough of that, a subject change was in order. Think of something else was the thought that rang the loudest in the cacophony of Melody’s mind.

But what could she change the subject to? She couldn’t find anything to make the conversation less awkward. Think! Think fast! She searched her memories as fast as she could while silence filled the room around her, and she found all eyes darting over her. One quick sniff at the air revealed that it was getting awkward for them too.

Nothing came to mind still. With one last hope of saving whatever was left of this conversation, she glanced at Wishing’s basket and her eyes lit up! “Can I ask why you bought all of these? You told me earlier you needed only a few things for dinner tonight?” she asked, her ears perking up once more.

Wishing’s ears perked up as well, and she turned to look at Melody, carefully placing the basket on the counter. She waggled her ears and offered a quick smile. Melody followed the glance she aimed at Astral the next moment and frowned quizzically when she saw him nod. Were they about to tell her something they weren’t supposed to?

Her heart beat faster. Loud thumps rang in her ears, making her twitch them in suspenseful anticipation of what she was about to learn? Was it related to their job? As a matter of fact, what was their job exactly? They’d mentioned Princess Luna once, but that was about it.

She blinked once, twice, and then looked up to see Wishing standing right in front of her with her hooves firmly planted on her shoulders. When had she crossed that gap? She looked into her eyes and saw concern. She sniffed the air and found the same sentiment. She smelled the same thing coming from Astral and Raine, both staring at her as though she were a riveting statue.

Melody shook her head and rubbed a hoof against her forehead, gently brushing Wishing’s hooves away and getting…up? When had she collapsed, for that matter? As soon as she got back on her legs, she was gripped with sudden dizziness, her world spinning around her. What exactly was wrong with her? “Wh-What happened?” she finally dared to ask.

Wishing shrugged and glanced at her husband. Astral did the same and shook his head. He didn’t know why she collapsed either. “You tell me. I was just saying that Princess Luna was bound to visit later this week., hence why I bought—“

One glance at Melody was all it took for Wishing to finally understand what was wrong.The thought of Princess Luna terrified Melody to an extreme. Of all the things that Wishing could have overlooked, the terror lodged deep within Melody’s eyes was not one of them.

“Oh…” was all Wishing could mutter when she found herself staring back in Melody’s golden irises, noticing a few green flames licking at the fur on her nose and chest.

A shiver ran through Melody’s spine, and she stumbled a bit backward, her flanks bumping into a cupboard. Princess Luna? Why was Princess Luna coming to the Empire? What if she found her and decided to evict her, exile her away?

Her previous encounter with the princess had not been a joyous one. Despite the fact that Occento was the one that did the provoking, she still remembered Princess Luna’s venomous voice and her wrathful demeanor. With each stomp that echoed in the throne room, she felt the intensity of the princess and made a mental note to never cross her path ever again.

So why was she coming into her fortress of safety? Why invade what little comfort she had acquired in the past few months?

“W-w-why?” Melody sat down and hugged herself, an endless series of scenarios playing in her mind, almost reflecting in her eyes.

Both Astral and Raine craned their heads to the side and frowned at Melody, sometimes exchanging a few worried stares. Finally, Wishing slid a hoof on Melody’s shoulder and caressed it tenderly. “What do you mean, why? Why what?”

The disguised changeling shuddered and ducked a bit, distancing herself from that hoof. Her mind was hard at work, bending itself around what others would most certainly label nonsensical theories.

She looked around, analyzing her surroundings carefully. With Astral and Raine present, both of them most definitely nimbler than her with their wings, trying to make a run for it was likely out of the question. So that was why they acted so friendly with her! They were working with Princess Luna to place her into the princess’ hooves for her to do as she wished without Cadance intervening!

It all made sense now. It was all a part of the play. They pretended to know her parents. Probably snooped around in the archives and found their files. That’s how they learned about her. The rest, they just invented, crafted with careful deceitfulness.

She shook her head. They weren’t like that! They cared for her, and they seemed to love her? Besides, they couldn’t have known that she was a changeling until they met with the princess after she came back from the Empire.

Maybe, just maybe, she was exaggerating all of this. She took a few deeps breaths. Her chest slowly ceased to rise and sink incessantly. She raised her head to see Astral and Raine gazing at her, eyes wide with concern, the atrocious stench of worry nauseating her. Melody’s legs fell to her side, and she let a whine crawl out of her throat. What was wrong with her? She was repaying kindness with fear and a lack of trust.

All of it, everything, melted away when Wishing’s hooves pulled her close and laced themselves around her small body. Her coat… it was so warm. So comforting. Why? Why was her touch so familiar to her? Why did it seem so natural?

The mare gently pressed her chin on Melody’s shoulder, and she took a deep breath, letting out a sigh before her voice caressed her ears. “Right… Luna is a trigger. Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly, her voice a honeyed coo.

How could she? What was there to say about her encounter with Princess Luna? How could she explain it? Her mind cried to tell Wishing no, but her head just nodded on its own. Another whimper escaped her, and she melted even more against the mare when a hoof began drawing circles on her back.

Finally, Melody lifted her head up, staring into Wishing’s amber eyes and took deep breaths. How would the family react? With a final shake of her head, she drew a breath. “When I met, or rather saw, her, she looked and acted like this agent of wrath, bent on making her foes subjugate to her will. She was cross, aggressive and rude to Occento, the changeling queen that saved my life.”

Astral gave a quick hum and chimed in, “Oh yes, that one. I remember Luna mentioning her once or twice during her outbursts when she returned from the Empire. I don’t know what this queen said, but it left Luna sour.”

Luna? Did they refer to her without her title? How close were they to her? A snicker brought her out of her pensive state, and she frowned at the sight of Wishing giggling silently, stumbling backward. “No wonder she scared you. When Luna gets impatient or is challenged, she tends to be moody. She’s usually a marshmallow, though. Awkward at times, but a marshmallow nevertheless!”

“A… marshmallow…?” Melody asked, her head tilted slightly. A tiny smile crept on her mouth, amused a tad by Wishing’s contagious giggles.

Wishing managed to stop her laughing, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly, wiping the few tears that clung to her eyes. “Oh, right.” She rolled her eyes and slapped a hoof on her forehead. “She’s not like that when she does not tend to court matters. We’ve come to know her as being pleasant, and we very much enjoy her playful nature. She’s like a kid that stopped growing.”

Astral snorted. “And she eats like a glutton.”

Wishing waggled her hoof at her husband and snorted in return. It was there. The distinctive taste of love those two shared. It was the same taste like the one her parents fed her, but their way of expressing it was so… odd. “And she eats a lot, hence the extra food I bought. We’re having her over for dinner later this week to discuss our progress on our job.”

The mare’s eyes almost lit up, and she beamed, glancing at her husband and gesturing to Melody a few times, making a series of signs with her hooves and wings. Melody just stared at them like they’d gone mad, tilting her head and letting her jaw fall. Her eyes darted to Raine, and she gestured the couple to the pegasus. Raine merely shrugged in return. Melody took a deep whiff at the air around her. Bemused confusion seeped from Raine. It seemed like her friend didn’t know what her parents were conveying to each other.

Finally, Astral threw his legs in the air and sighed. With a disgruntled grunt, he set about to move his basket to the refrigerator with a heavy step. “I hope you’re sure about this. I wouldn’t want to upset Luna if at all possible.”

Wishing huffed, puffing her chest and turning to look at him, glaring at the stallion. She found his gaze aimed elsewhere, instead glancing at the refrigerator and safely escorting his basket into its confines. “Of course, I’m sure! Do you have this little faith in me, Astry?”

Astral’s ears drooped, and he turned around to glare at Wishing with an annoyed gaze. She merely replied with a broad smile, those fangs of hers gleaming. He rolled his eyes and left the kitchen with a few flick of his tail and loud steps. A quick check at the surrounding emotions told Melody he was annoyed and a tad angry.

“Now that he’s gone,” Wishing began, stirring Melody out of her thoughts once more. She folded her wings to her sides, lifted Melody’s chin with a hoof and smiled softly, “I have a proposition for you. Why don’t you come over for dinner with your parents so we can properly introduce you to Luna and hopefully put your fears away?”

Melody’s eyes widened, and she gulped loudly. Was she being asked to sit at the same dining table as Princess Luna? But if what Wishing said was true, then she shouldn’t be afraid of Luna, unless she doesn’t appreciate her presence there. What was she going to do? Who was she to decide on that? First and foremost, she’d have to talk about with her parents.

She felt her breathing increasing in intensity again and took several deep breaths, desperately trying to calm herself. Why was she afraid? Why couldn’t she bring herself to tell Wishing? A sigh later escaped her, and she closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply and exhaled softly, and then replied, “I’ll have to discuss it with my parents first if you don’t mind…”

Of course, she wouldn’t mind. That smile of hers was proof enough of that. She hummed quietly and nodded. “Of course!” she chimed happily, ruffling Melody’s mane with a hoof. “Thanks for your help with the groceries today, Melody.”

With everything seemingly in order, Melody picked herself up and began making her way to the door, waving at Wishing and Raine, before she pushed open one of those large doors and stepped outside. As she began to trot away in those almost endless corridors, a thought echoed in her mind, and she gritted her teeth angrily.

She hadn’t even asked them how they were related to her. Dang it! She kicked at the floor, hissing and buzzing her wings when they sprouted forth from her back with a single flick of her magic.

Evolving Perspectives - Part Two

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What was she doing? What were they doing? As she glanced between Rising and Coral, she couldn’t help but think that they were intruding on this dinner and that she should have just stayed home. Of course, when she told her parents about the invitation, her mom automatically jumped on the occasion to meet Princess Luna. Her father was a bit wary about it since he was present when Occento and Luna crossed paths a few months ago.

Choir had been quick to support Coral because she wanted to meet a Princess. She smiled and chuckled as the argument that her sister had invoked the night before sprung back in her mind. Something along the lines that if Melody could meet with a Princess, then she had every right to meet one too.

When she noticed that Choir was staring back at her with her tongue poked out, Melody couldn’t help but chortle. Her smiled broadened, and her worries seemed to vanish. She blinked when heard Coral clear her throat and lower her head a bit, glancing at her and then at Choir.

“Now, now, girls. We are guests here, and I do hope you will behave. You can have fun with Raine, but do behave, alright?”

Melody craned her neck forward to look at Choir and exchanged a nod from her sister. “We will, Mom!” they chimed in unison, bringing another round of giggles.

When she managed a straight face again, and she took a deep breath, Melody looked up to see that Coral was about to knock on one of those two large doors. Before her hoof reached said door, however, the door opened on its own, and Wishing Star beamed when she saw all of them.

“I knew you would come!” she let out excitedly, almost bouncing up and down. She opened both doors and gestured for them to come in. “Come on in! Luna’s already here!”

Melody looked at her parent’s face to see the same form of disbelief as when she had first heard Wishing refer to the princess as Luna instead of using her title. A smile spread her lips, and she tried her hardest to bite down the urge to laugh at the faces their parents made.

When she looked over at Choir, she saw the excitement in her eyes and her smile spread further. She watched as her family looked at the walls and the ceiling, remembering how she had been when she had first seen those gem-encrusted walls fill the suite with an endless array of colors. Thankfully, the sun was starting to set, so the blinding hues were nowhere to be found.

Melody took a deep breath at the thought of meeting the princess again. Her stomach writhed in knots with each step she took. Every second, every heartbeat, made her more anxious. It wasn’t until she felt a hoof on her back and she turned to see Coral smiling at her that she finally allowed herself to let go of all of her stress.

Maybe she was just exaggerating things. The princess wouldn’t just banish her or make her feel miserable. She let out a sigh. Slowly, stress seeped out of her, and she felt so much lighter with every step that followed.

She could do this! She would walk into that kitchen, and she would take a seat, have a good time with everypony and nothing bad would happen. Except her mind decided to regress to its earlier statement when her gaze met with the princess’ eyes.

Her legs shook—nay, trembled—as she engaged in a staring contest with Princess Luna. It took no more than a few seconds for Melody to disengage from those teal eyes and duck her head from the sudden attention given to her.

And then her eyes lost their intensity, and she regarded Melody in a gentler way. That didn’t make the changeling any more comfortable, though. “The guests have arrived! The feast can begin!” she let out cheerfully, her attitude the absolute contrast of how she looked a few moments earlier.

Melody’s ears perked up when she saw Coral crane her head down to offer her that same comforting smile and whispered, “See, she doesn’t look all that bad. Come on, silly filly, no need to be terrified.”

Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she huffed, puffing out her chest and cheeks as Coral trotted forward, winking at her with a smirk spreading her lips. Her cheeks lit up even brighter when she noticed almost all eyes were on her with a smile, almost ready to giggle at a moment’s notice.

“Luna, I’d like to introduce you to Coral Charm, Rising Chorus, Melody Swiftsong, and Choir Heart. Everypony, meet Luna, our employer,” Wishing said enthusiastically, gesturing to Melody’s direction and then to Princess Luna’s.

Melody blinked when she noticed that her parents and sister were all dipping their head in front of the alicorn, and she raised an eyebrow and looked at Princess Luna to see her rolling her eyes and making a gesture with her hooves for her family to raise their heads.

Weird. Melody would have expected to see the princess revel in the attention given to her. Instead, she seemed… annoyed by it. “You may rise,” she said in complete deadpan, her voice yet again the complete opposite of her previous mood.

And then her scrutinizing gaze fell on her again, and she froze again. Had she recognized her? Was something bad going to happen now? Her heart began beating faster; her breathing became ragged as she tried to appease herself under that terrifying stare.

And then, it stopped. Just as it had happened, the princess softened her gaze. How come? Her legs still trembled under the might of the princess looming over her. Her mind raced, her thought completely muddled by the fear overrunning it.

“Let us eat, then! I am starving!” the princess cheered, clapping her hooves together, almost like a child waiting for their mother’s favorite dish. It was almost comical to see the princess this cheerful about dinner.

Once the introductions were made, Wishing guided the whole family to the kitchen table and gestured at the chairs that waited for them. Fortunately for Melody, the chairs had been placed in such a way that she would be sitting next to her sister and Raine, with all of the other ponies sitting in front of them. She gulped when she looked up to see that Princess Luna was sitting right in front of her. Shivers ran through her spine, despite the princess’ expression being chipper.

Shuffling her hindlegs endlessly, she desperately sought to avert her gaze, but the pregnant silence that befell the kitchen only made her look at the others in hopes that a conversation would start. Finally, Melody’s eyes caught Coral’s, and the mare nodded shortly after, having probably noticed how her eyes shrank to the size of peas.

She cleared her throat and placed her hooves on the table. “I am a bit curious, Wishing Star, what is it you’re cooking for us?” she asked, turning her back to look at Wishing near the oven. Melody saw a bit of smoke coming forth from the kitchen, and her mind wandered off, thinking of what it was that Wishing was cooking.

“She’s cooking her mother’s specialty, and my personal favorite dish when she’s on cooking duty. It’s pan-seared salmon, served with sautéed mango and asparagus!” Astral answered, poking his head from behind the princess and beaming at Coral.

Melody gulped once again at the mere thought of eating salmon. Fish? Wasn’t that meat? Did ponies even eat meat? Her question was answered when she saw Coral’s distraught expression. Ponies did not eat meat, apparently. One look at her father, however, leaned onto the opposite. He was licking his lips, and he seemed genuinely excited for that dish. She noticed Choir shuffling in her chair and rubbing her hooves together from the corner her eye.

But Raine was the exact opposite of that. She was just as excited as Rising was, and she didn’t understand why. Wasn’t she a pony? Ponies didn’t eat meat, so why was she so excited. Once Raine realized she was being stared at by both Choir and Melody, she turned to them and offered the simplest smile she could muster. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t even taste like fish!”

That did not reassure Melody in the slightest. She was still about to eat fish. Maybe she was a changeling now, but it felt wrong for her pony heritage to eat meat. Finally, her gaze drifted toward Princess Luna to see her gently clapping her hooves together again. Was the princess excited for that meal too? One of the four alicorns was excited for a meat dish, of all things? Either something was wrong, or Wishing’s cooking was just that good.

“Wishing, dear, have I ever told you how much I prefer your cooking over the Griffynstone Castle’s?” Princess Luna asked, her voice soft and filled with mirth. Even without tasting the emotions around, Melody could tell she was genuine. It was such a different tone than when she first met her.

Wishing groaned and shuffled her wings in what Melody could only imagine was from irritation. “Yes, Luna, you have. In fact, you keep saying that about my cooking at every occasion you get.”

The princess waggled her ears, and Melody noticed the hint of a smirk despite the princess having turned around to face Wishing Star. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe she had just misjudged the princess after all.

Playful banter between the two kept resurfacing as a strange smell filled the room. Melody wrinkled her snout and flared her nostril, finding the odor to be quite pleasant. It was certainly a new smell for her. Was that maybe the mango’s smell once cooked? Either way, it would be a grave error to underestimate Wishing’s ability to arouse the appetite in the future.

Before long, Wishing let out a chirp and carried out plate after plate on the table, placing one for each of her guests. When Melody was faced with her plate, she looked at the piece of what she assumed was fish. Was it safe to eat it? Wouldn’t she get sick by eating meat?

“Dig in, everypony!” Wishing hummed, sitting next to Astral and nuzzling him a bit. She picked up a fork and smiled, before pressing the fork on the piece of fish and having it slide through without any effort. “I hope you’ll like it!”

Melody hesitatingly picked up a fork using her magic and brought it to the fish. She poked it a few times, finding it incredibly soft. A few moments later, she cut a piece of fish and stuck the fork through it, bringing it to her mouth. The moment it touched her tongue, her eyes went wide, and she began munching on it. A second piece went into her mouth and, just like the last, vanished from existence. It was so tender, so juicy, and it didn’t even taste like what she expected meat to taste. She expected a bloody taste that would have to make her gag and spit the meat out.

But instead, she found herself enjoying each bite. Her eyes drifted off to find that Choir was happily chewing on a piece of fish too, eyes closed, a hum accompanying her next bite. Even Coral was enjoying it. What was it that made that dish so marvelous?

“Melody, was it?”

Melody’s ears perked up, and she tore her eyes from her mother to stare at the source of the voice: Princess Luna. She hastily swallowed her bite and offered a quick nod. “Yes, Princess?” she answered sheepishly, as though she had done something wrong.

“It is to my understanding that you’re still readjusting to your life in the Empire and with your adoptive family. How are things coming along?”

Melody’s mouth dropped, and she froze in place. Why was Princess Luna suddenly interested in her? Why would she show such an interest in somepony like her? She wasn’t a big shot or anything. Her ears drooped, and she looked down at her plate. Things were going fine, weren’t they?

She was in good hooves, for sure, though she was having more and more thoughts about her biological parents as the weeks passed. She just wanted to know who her parents were, and make sense of it, give it meaning.

She glanced at her parents and Choir, her lips pursing into a slight smile. She perked her ears up once more and looked up at Princess Luna and said, “Everything’s been great in these past few months!” She wasn’t lying. Despite the few bumps in the road that she had to go through, everything else was relatively fine. “There are some answers to my questions that remain unanswered, but I believe those will come in time.”

She blinked for a moment. Had she just said that? Had something wise come out of her mouth? Not only did she surprise herself, but she also surprised her entire family, who were now gaping. For her part, the princess raised a brow and leaned in closer.

“Oh? Would you like to elaborate?” she asked, a tone, and scent, of curiosity, dripping from her voice and attitude.

Melody rubbed her hooves at this sudden prompt. Once more, her eyes drifted toward Coral and Rising, and she felt like she was going to shrink in her chair. What if what she was going to say hurt them? It was the truth, though, wasn’t it? Wouldn’t it be best, in that case, to just tell a small lie?

“I’ve wanted to learn more about my real parents and who they were before their accident.”

She clasped her hooves over her mouth as soon as those words left her and she instantly looked at Coral, expecting to see a scowl of disapproval from her, but what she instead found was a warm smile that radiated love. She almost wanted to eat her share of that love, but she made a mental note that her reserves were full enough as they were.

Why wasn’t Coral shocked or mad about this? She had expected either her, or Rising to make a protest to what she said, but they both sat in silence, maybe out of respect for the princess. No, that wasn’t it. Coral would have most likely spoken up, with her impulsive nature following her every step.

“I see.” A pregnant silence ate away at the ambiance, threatening to topple it. Nopony dared to say anything, and Melody kept in silence, looking up at the princess, her undivided attention belonging to the alicorn. “In that case, you might want to ask Wishing Star and Astral Rain to help you with that. I believe they were well acquainted with your birth parents.”

Hesitation and uncertainty still swirled in Melody’s mind, and she looked at the two bat ponies, shooting glares at the princess while she squealed and giggled like a little filly. Another surprise. Melody would have never guessed that Princess Luna could act like this. That put a little smile on her lips.

But then Coral cleared her throat, and a feeling of dread filled her brain. Was she not happy with the princess’ suggestion? Either way, Melody silently awaited her mother’s opposition. Even after shooting a look her way and seeing her smile, she couldn’t help but think she was just bristling inside. “I think that’s a fantastic idea. Despite her adaptation here in the Empire, she still has trouble finding out who she is. Maybe learning more about her birth parents could help her,” Coral explained, glancing at Melody every now and again

Melody blinked, and her jaw dropped. That wasn’t at all what she was expecting. Not only had Coral not overreacted, but she had agreed wholeheartedly to letting Melody learn about her real family a bit more. A few tears welled in her eyes and rolled down soon after.

A concerned expression washed over Coral and Wishing’s faces, and they both exchanged a look from across the table, while Princess Luna furrowed her brow, probably wondering if she had done something out of line. But Melody was anything but sad. She was just so happy that she was offered this opportunity.

She hastily dried her cheeks and looked at the adults with a bright smile. “Don’t worry about me,” she chimed. “I’m just happy to have this offered to me. I just want to know the truth about my parents.” Her voice was slightly shaking, and despite it cracking once, she tried her best to look like she wasn’t emotionally overwhelmed.

Took her a few seconds to realize that that effort went to waste.

It was only then that Melody noticed that Wishing was already done with her plate, along with Astral and Princess Luna. She hadn’t even finished half of hers, what with the conversation she was having.

While her eyes were still fixed on the princess’ plate, she noticed Wishing setting her elbows on the table and rubbing her chin, humming lightly. She set her eyes on Melody and smiled, shifting in her chair as if she was itching to say something.

She drew a quick breath and said, “With Hearth’s Warming Eve coming up, I doubt we’ll have much time to go to Canterlot, but if you want to learn a bit more about your parents, I’ll have a lot of free time during the holidays.”

The holidays? That was a bit less than three weeks away. Would she have to wait so long just to finally have some answers to her questions? It was worth it so she could definitely muster the patience for it. Besides, with the festivities for Hearth’s Warming Eve slowly starting to overrun the city, time would pass so very quickly.

With a sly smirk and a gesture to Melody’s plate, she added, “Now, eat up before it gets cold!”

Melody stared at Wishing, then at her plate, and rolled her eyes. Sadly, it had gotten a tad colder, but the flavor hadn’t changed at all. The strong aroma of mangoes still swirled in Melody’s mouth with every bite, all the way until she had swallowed her last bite, finally realizing that she was the last one to finish, with everypony having finished long before she did.

She set the fork on the plate and pushed it back, where it was gathered with all the others in a blueish aura that dragged them all the way to the sink. A quick inspection told Melody this was Princess Luna’s doing, and she was proven right. Wishing was giving the princess a glare, puffing her cheeks and chest while the alicorn pulled her tongue out and waggled a hoof at her host, or was she the princess’ subordinate.

She shook her head as subtly as possible and shrugged. Didn’t matter one way or another. She licked her lips and cleared her throat, reading to ask Wishing the one question she desperately needed an answer to. She opened her mouth, trying to untangle the words in her mind.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, Wishing Star, but how do you make meat taste like that? It was so tender and flavorful! It felt like I was eating tender slices of fruit,” Coral inquired. She had her forelegs resting on the table and a pensive look in her eyes.

Wishing’s eyes lit up, and she gave the crystal mare a toothy grin, her eyes almost dancing. She looked like she was just about to burst with joy, ready to bounce around the room. She grasped one of Coral’s hooves and looked at the mare deep in the eyes, and squealed, “I knew you’d enjoy it! You… did enjoy it, right? You didn’t just eat it out of respect for our different culture?”

When she received a nod from Coral, Wishing squealed, even more, earning her a frown from Melody, glancing at her as if she had just gone insane.

“I’m so glad!” She took several deep breaths, trying to drown the excitement from her voice, which proved a hard challenge already. “I just marinated the fish with mango and lime juices to let the flavor seep in and give it it’s tender texture.”

Lime juice? But Melody didn’t taste the bitterness of the lime in the meat. She just tasted the strong and fruity flavor of the mango. Truly, Wishing was a great cook. That made Melody ponder what else the mare could cook that had such an exotic taste.

That would have to wait another time, though. With Coral and Wishing engaged in conversation, the princess turned to Astral and Rising and engaged them. All things considered, things had gone far better than what she had initially expected. In fact, she was glad that she had come. Not only was she getting the chance to learn more about her parents, but she was now acquainted with Princess Luna.

Time passed her by rather quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to leave and go home. It had been a good evening. A few stories shared between the children and the parents, Princess Luna taking everypony by surprise with some of the things that happened in Canterlot.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Astral said, giving Rising a firm hoofshake, and nodding at the three others next to him standing in the hallway. “It was an outstanding evening, everypony.”

“Thank you for inviting us!” Coral replied, waving a hoof at him. She laced her other hoof around Melody’s shoulder and hugged her close. “You lifted Melody’s mood, so I am incredibly grateful for that.”

Melody pushed back against the hug, pouting and wrinkling her nose, sending everypony in laughter. She started to puff her cheeks, but the hysteria swept her off, and she began to laugh with them in unison.

She felt much better now. Eventually, they all parted ways. Melody and her family left the comfort of the hallway while Wishing closed the door behind her, leaving both families to return to their businesses. Part of her didn’t want for this evening to end. It changed her ideas, and she was happy about that. She felt once again light-headed.

Either it was out of coincidence or not, she stopped in her tracks when she heard loud voices coming in from the suite she had just left. She perked up her ears just in time to hear Princess Luna shout, “Why are you okay with this?! She is your ward, is she not?!”

“Drop it, please, Luna. She seems happy where she is right now. I don’t want to disrupt or ruin what she has now.” She was too far away now to distinguish emotions, but that trembling, heartbreaking shriek made Melody’s ears droop on her head.

Her tail dropped as well, dragging along the floor with each step she took. What was that about? Were those two fighting about something? And why did she feel like she was at the center of that exchange? She shuddered at the thought of it being true. Her heart clenched within her frame, and her shoulders slumped until her earlier chipper mood vanished like dust in the wind.

“Melody, are you coming sweetheart?” called Coral’s voice from way up ahead.

Melody snapped out of her trance and looked at the corridor in front of her, then at the suite that housed Wishing Star and her family. One thing at a time. She’d get answers in due time. She just needed to be patient, no matter how painful it was.

“Coming, Mom!”

A Hearth's Warming Performance

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Melody watched her sister pace around the living room with a dull expression, a hoof massaging her temple with every moment that passed. That was probably one of the pettiest cause to worry about, although she shouldn’t criticize her sister for that. She had had her fair share of unnecessary problems.

She argued in her mind that, while her worries were based on baseless exaggerations or blowing things out of proportion, Choir’s worries weren’t as much. A quick check on the emotions floating around revealed that it was just the unicorn’s nerves that were acting up.

She closed her eyes and bit back a snarl when she saw her younger sister complete another revolution. She dropped down the couch and slunk her way to the stressed out unicorn. Melody bumped her flank with hers and looped a leg around Choir’s neck, grinning while the younger sibling glared at her.

“Stop worrying for nothing, you worrywart!” Melody burst out laughing, poking her tongue out and nuzzling her nose against Choir’s cheek. “Everything’s going to turn out just fine, I’m sure!”

A sigh escaped Choir, and Melody proclaimed her victory by ruffling her sister’s mane. She let go of her sister and smiled, giving her head the faintest tilt. Choir hung her head and sighed again. Uh oh, double sighs were never a good sign. Melody frowned and stared intently at the unicorn.

Averting her eyes and turning her head to the side, Choir replied, “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to sing in front of a full audience. I never asked to be put in the spotlight like this.”

Melody rolled her eyes and snorted, glancing at her parents to see them trying their hardest to keep their laughter at bay. It was absolutely stunning to see how much they trivialized their struggles. The contagious giggles reached her, though, and she had to cover her mouth.

She watched Choir puff her cheeks and huff, glaring at Melody as if she’d been betrayed, which wasn’t that far off from the truth. “Don’t laugh at me too!” she lashed out. Her lips curled into a pout while her ears slumped over her scalp, her cheeks still puffed angrily. It was the most adorable display Melody had seen in a while, which made her efforts at keeping her laughter contained that much more challenging. “It’s bad enough to have Mom and Dad do it, don’t join their side!”

It was too much. Choir’s squeaks were the last straw, and Melody just stumbled backward, falling on her back. She wrapped her legs around her belly, and she kept on laughing and laughing, wheezing and hacking a few times from the intensity.

“I’m glad my situation amuses you. Can we get back to how I’m super stressed out over this whole thing now?”

Rising cleared his throat and gestured a hoof forward, smiling softly. “I don’t think Melody’s doing it to be rude. Not to sound insensitive, but you’re overreacting, sweetie.”

There was a chime from Coral, and she bumped her shoulder against Rising. She then winked at the two and cooed, “Besides, you’re the best singer in the choir right now. Why wouldn’t they choose you to sing a solo before the Hearth’s Warming Eve play?”

Melody managed to calm her breathing, her laughter fading. She brushed away all of the tears in her eyes and rolled back onto her legs, wincing just a bit once she put some pressure on her hind leg. She moved right next to her sister and nuzzled her again.

“Mom’s got a point,” she said, poking Choir’s side and redoubling her efforts every time she found a ticklish spot. “Out of all the other singers in your group, you have the best voice I’ve heard from your singing club, and that’s not just because you’re my sister. There’s something alluring about your singing that nopony else has, so come on! Cheer up! It’ll be just fine.”

With all her squirming, Choir eventually toppled over and tried to back away from Melody, but to no avail. The changeling showed no mercy to her sister, grinning and giggling. It was better to have her laugh than to watch her worry endlessly.

After a few minutes of Melody possibly finding all of Choir’s ticklish spots, Melody moved back, letting her laughter die down, catching her breath. She shot her parents a glance to see them looking at the pair, smiles spreading their lips. Both of them gave Melody a slight nod, and she felt a fluttering feeling in her chest. It felt good to do good stuff every now and then, instead of moping around and lamenting her existence.

And honestly, that was the biggest reason as to why she had stepped in. She saw herself so much in Choir that it made her sick. The self-deprecating mood made her sick to her stomach. Even thinking about it made her stomach twist in knots and she wrinkled her nose.

“Y-You don’t know th-that for certain,” Choir weakly argued, still wheezing and coughing. With a hoof still clutched at her side, she slowly got up, carefully suppressing her laughter all the while. Once she had calmed down a little bit more, she glared at Melody, despite the grin on her snout and the occasional coughs.

Melody would have none of that. She took a step further and raised a foreleg over her head. Choir gave her a quizzical stare, arching an eyebrow and giving her the “what are you doing” look. Quick as a flash, Melody brought down her hoof, stopping her motion before it even reached Choir, who had yelped and jumped backward. Melody giggled playfully and pressed her hoof to her sister’s nose.

“Boop!” she chimed with her chipper tone, wiggling her ears.

Choir opened her eyes, dropped from her defensive stance and glared at Melody. For her part, the changeling continued to giggle lightly, completely oblivious to the glare thrown her way. She wiggled her nose, which earned a scoff from Choir, to which she answered with a wave of her hoof.

“Are you out of your mind, Melody?!” she barked, her ears pinned back against her mane. “This isn’t a laughing matter!”

Oh, but it was. With less enthusiasm, Melody poked Choir’s nose with her hoof again. Of course, her foreleg was also thrown aside by the unicorn’s leg. That earned her a grumble and a roll of Choir’s eyes

Melody shook her head and took back her leg. Her ears were perking up, and she was evidently Choir’s opposite at that given time. Memories of when she was dropped in the Empire by Occento flooded her mind, and she compared herself to the filly she had become now. She had really come a long way in these past few months.

“You know,” Melody said, taking a few steps back. She pursed her lips in a subtle smirk, and she arched an eyebrow. “You’re almost acting like I was when I first got here.”

Choir’s face twisted in pain as if she’d been slapped. Her eyes widened, and her ears drooped so much further, they looked like they were glued to her mane. Realization seemed to have struck here harshly, and she shook her head. “I didn’t mean to sound like that,” she whispered her voice on the verge of sobs.

Okay, maybe she’d gone in a bit too deep with that. Melody’s ears fell a smidge, and her expression fell. Her goal hadn’t been to make Choir cry, far from it. She just thought she’d make that comparison because it might have made her sister reconsider her behavior. This hadn't been what she had intended at all.

Melody opened her mouth, then closed it when nothing of value came to mind. She turned her head back to find that both Coral and Rising had risen from the couch and were quickly traveling the space separating them. What if they berated her for making Choir this sad the day before her performance?

No, that wouldn’t happen. A quick check of the emotions around Melody—despite a vast amount of it being corrupted by Choir’s sadness—indicated concern from the pair, not outright anger. They wouldn’t snap at her or anything like that. Her parents weren’t like that.

“Choir, sweetie, I don’t think that came out the way Melody hoped it would.” As usual, Coral’s voice was sweet and caring, which was reflected by the love that emanated from her. She could take just a single sip, and she even saw Rising lick his lips, revealing that forked tongue a bit. Was he tasting the emotions with his tongue? Could she do that too? “I’m sure she was trying to say that everything was going to be okay and that there’s no need to panic. We’re all happy you got this opportunity.”

At least, Choir wasn’t near the breaking point anymore. She sniffled a few times, sure, but she wasn’t any more shaken than that. It took a few more minutes of Coral cooing softly and patting Choir on the back to calm her down.

Once she did, she gave her head a light shake, softly slapping her cheeks for purposes unknown to Melody. Probably to cheer herself up or something like that. Either way, it seemed things hadn’t gone downhill. Thank goodness for that.

Choir cleared her throat and looked at Melody straight in the eyes, turning away the next moment. “I’m sorry I pushed you away when you tried to cheer me up.” Her lips were quivering a bit, and her ears perked up—if only barely—from their previous pinned down position. A quiet giggle escaped her, and she pulled her tongue out. “Come to think of it, you did some similar things back then.”

Choir’s eyes widened again, earning her an odd look from Melody. The unicorn brought a hoof to her mouth and gasped. “Wait, have we traded places? Dear Celestia, I really hope we haven’t!”

Laughter spread from one pony to another, and everypony was quick to give in to it. Melody was glad. A family crisis had been averted, and it had managed to lift Choir’s mood. All that needed to be done was for her to keep that attitude up until her performance the next day and not to let her nerves break her down like that.

♫

Melody looked at the theater’s entrance with a fascinated expression. She’d seen other theaters before in Manehattan, but this one was aesthetically more appealing than the others. The sign was completely encased in crystals, with jagged shard protruding from all sides, giving it a unique look. How the pegasi and unicorns managed to change the letters eluded her.

She shook her head. She decided that it was a valid line of questioning, but that it wasn’t an appropriate one at the time. After all, Melody wasn’t there to gawk at the sign at the front. She was there for her sister’s performance and the play right after it. She walked close to her parents, paying close attention to all the other ponies walking in. Thankfully, it was the evening, so the sun had long since dwindled in intensity, and the glimmering coats of ponies didn’t blind her as they usually did.

The surrounding emotions were almost presented to her in a buffet, and she licked her lips more than a few times, only to have Rising’s glance upon her, shaking his head with a simple smile. How did he manage the hunger? Had he fed on Coral before making their way to the theater?

At first, Melody had expected it to be at the school’s gymnasium, but she was surprised by Choir and Coral’s announcement that this year, it would be at the theater. Most of the Hearth’s Warming Eve plays in Manehattan were done in gymnasiums. Though, Manehattan was also a far busier and larger city than the Empire, so that could have been why.

Her ears perked up at the top of her head when she spotted Cherry as she walked down the auditorium. She quickly waved a hoof at her friend, although it was ignored by whatever else captivated her gaze. That also gave Melody an excuse to glance around the auditorium, taking in all the various details. The seats came to her as a surprise. She really hadn’t expected seats to be there at all. There never were any chairs made available for them in Manehattan, but then again, she was in an auditorium.

The laminated wooden surface she walked on was also very comfortable, surprisingly. And it wasn’t slippery in the slightest. Walls that displayed a harmonious, superimposed mix of beige and brown surrounded them and with the dim lighting coming from the lower portion of the walls, they fit in almost perfectly with the light red of the seats.

The crimson curtains had yet to be raised and already chittering voices were making Melody fold her ears atop her head a little bit. There were way too many voices all at once. How many ponies were there, anyway? She looked back at the auditorium and blinked, her eyes widening.

She couldn’t believe how many ponies were in the room in total. If she had to guess, the auditorium could welcome the entirety of the Crystal Empire’s population. It was simply stunning. She continued further toward the stage, blinking once she realized she was in the front row with her parents, most likely courtesy of Choir.

Melody looked back toward the auditorium and tried to find Cherry again, but she failed. The additional mass of ponies that swarmed the theater made it much harder. She would have expected a small number of ponies to attend, but she guessed that Hearth’s Warming Eve attracted more ponies. Even then, this was getting ridiculous.

Turning her attention to her parents, she shot them a glance and a worried expression at the same time, opening her mouth to say something, but closing it right after when no words came out. Looking back at the immense crowd, she sighed and took place in the seat that had been specifically reserved for her.

She slumped into it, eyes widening at the comfort. She felt like she could melt in those. She sighed in content and wiggled her rump into the seat, attracting her parents’ confused gaze to her. She blushed and stopped what she was doing, which further made Coral hold a hoof by her mouth.

“I really hope Choir won’t get stage fright from all these ponies gathered here,” Melody said plainly, as much a fact as an attempt to change the subject.

Coral nodded her head, and so did Rising, looking back at the other rows and licking his lips. It was hard for Melody to resist as well, but feeding in public wasn’t usually recommended by her father. A piece of advice she felt was wise to heed.

“I really hope she won’t,” Coral whispered, a hint of concern in her voice. Melody noticed a glint of surprise in her eyes as her gaze swirled around a bit again. “I know the theater’s director said he wanted to help promote young talents, but I didn’t think it’d attract so many ponies. I fear for Choir’s poor nerves.”

Rising leaned in to nuzzle Coral’s cheek and extended a leg over to her shoulder, pulling her as close as the seats allowed him to. It seemed to calm her, but Melody tasted the worry coming straight out of her mother and winced. That was not an emotion that tasted terribly well, nor did it feel good to feed on it.

“Don’t be so negative, you two. I have faith in my little girl,” he said proudly, puffing his chest, which elicited a round of laughter from Melody and Coral alike.

Just as he closed his mouth, the lights in the auditorium dimmed even more until darkness moved in. Nopony seemed to panic. Likely a regular happenstance, Melody guessed. She let her crisp shoulders fall and relaxed into her seat once more.

Silence reigned supreme until two projectors shone down on the stage, and a round of applause roared so loud it made Melody pin her ears down her scalp. She complained that the chittering was loud before, but this was even worse. She shrank in her seat, comforted only by Rising’s hoof reaching over to her and him giving her a simple smile like he usually did. Simple, emotionless smiles were like a trademark of his. Nopony did them better, but she could taste all the intent contained within it.

She nodded in thanks and went back to looking at the stage, her ears still pinned until the applause died down. Even then, she dared not do it out of fear a second one might sweep through at any moment.

“Fillies and gentlecolts; Ladies and gentlestallions, welcome to the Cheval de Verre!” A male voice called out from who knows where. Melody tried to search for him all over the place, even craning her head back and scanning for any stallions dressed in fancy clothes. “To celebrate the grand return of the Empire into Equestrian society, the actors will be fillies and colts from our elementary and secondary schools. Make no mistake, their ages are no indication of their talent!

“Furthermore, it is also a means to promote the young talents of the Empire and help these young artists find their calling!”

As she had predicted, there was another round of applause, with loud whistles and screams chiming in along with the already obnoxious applauses. Melody rolled her eyes. Where was he going with that? What was the point of exciting a crowd this big? They’re only going to build up expectations and ultimately be disappointed, or whatever.

Why wasn’t he just announcing Choir’s opening, plain and simple? No, he had to beat around the bush and make a spectacle out of it. Melody felt the anger bristling within her. She would find this announcer if this crowd made Choir miss one of the biggest moments in her life.

“Up first, however, is a young filly from our elementary school here to give us her interpretation of Ave Maria before the play! Please welcome Choir Heart to the stage!”

Another wave of applause rang through the auditorium when Choir stepped onto the stage, legs quivering. Her eyes went wide once she saw the sheer number of ponies in attendance, a reaction Melody had predicted.

“Dear Celestia, I really hope she won’t choke,” Melody whispered under her breath, making sure her parents hadn’t heard her. She really didn’t want to spread her negativity.

Once she was sure her comment had clearly gone over her parents’ heads, she went back to focus on Choir. The applauses were slowly dying down, letting silence fill the auditorium once again. But Choir kept static. Except for those trembling legs, nothing else about her moved. Not even her facial expression.

That gave cause for Melody to worry that something was amiss, or that maybe—and she really hoped it wasn’t the case—Choir was getting stage fright. After all, a crowd this big would have intimated her as well.

She tilted her head when she saw Choir close her eyes and give the floor three knocks. Curiosity filled Melody, and she shuffled in her seat. The air filled with the pungent smell of curiosity. The crowd seemed curious, but how long would that last?

Slowly, the strokes of an unseen pianist replaced the pregnant silence in the room, taking hold of everypony’s curiosity. The gentle tune brought a pleasant vibe in the auditorium. Melody noticed Choir’s horn lighting up softly, and she frowned. Why use magic for something like that?

Choir took a step forward and inhaled deeply. The unicorn puffed her chest out and stood ready to begin. The melody grew weaker for a moment, quieting down, to let Choir accompany it. She opened her mouth, and the piece picked up in intensity at the same time.

“Ave Maria!” Choir began, her voice strong and steady. Melody had heard her sister sing before, and this was the first time she’d ever heard her reach a note this powerful. It sent shivers down her spine. The crowd seemed to agree with this in the form of brief cheers that were quick to dim in intensity in comparison to the piano’s strokes.

Choir looked like she staggered for an instant, and Melody couldn’t really blame her. Despite having her eyes shut, it was clear that the unicorn had not expected something like that.

“Jungfrau mild,
Erhöre einer Jungfrau Flehen,
Aus diesem Felsen starr und wild.”

A sense of melancholy implanted itself in Melody’s mind as the song progressed. At one point, it was happiness. The other, it was sadness. That eventually left her very curious as to why she was feeling this way.

She had certainly not been thinking about anything in particular. So why were her emotions so out of control? She was excited, ecstatic, and nervous for Choir. She was also genuinely happy that she could have this sort of exposure for her talent. She deserved it.

She looked at her parents for a brief moment, angling her head when she found Rising standing still, his expression stoic, save for that proud smile that parted his lips. Why wasn’t he affected as she was? She leaned forward and craned her head to glance at Coral. Instead of finding her immune to whatever affected her emotions so much, she looked at her mother to see her wiping the tears that were cradled in her eyes.

“Soll mein Gebet zu dir hin wehen.
Wir schlafen sicher bis zum Morgen,
Ob Menschen noch so grausam sind.”

And it kept going on. Melody felt like she was an emotional rollercoaster. An incredible range of different emotions inhabited her one after another, each leaving her with an even greater burning inquiry in her mind.

She shifted in her seat. She certainly wasn’t happy about that. She was glad to be there. Choir’s voice was powerful beyond measure. Most street artists and performers didn’t hold a candle compared to the vast range that the unicorn could muster. Incredible for her age as well. It was profound and mellow, yet sometimes spiked with high notes that resonated pleasantly throughout the auditorium.

She wasn’t sure why he sister still used her magic, but she wasn’t going to try and figure it out. Magic was complicated to her, especially with how her magic worked now.

Her head felt heavier. Her hoof raised to meet her temple, and she rubbed it. Not that she was annoyed, far from it. The endless stream of new and repeating emotions was just too much. Even as a changeling that can ingest any emotions, it was all too much!

“O Jungfrau, sieh der Jungfrau Sorgen,
O Mutter, hör ein bittend Kind
Ave Maria!”

Choir’s voice had softened into this perfect tone. Her voice was striking, pure, and flawless. This time, the sheer amount of emotions that Choir could emulate through her singing hit her with their full force. The melancholy of her song rang through every fiber of Melody’s body so much that she could only shiver in response.

She was drawn out of her bubble when somepony brushed her foreleg, barely, and she looked to see that somepony was occupying the previously vacant seat on her left. Without wanting to be too impolite towards her sister and look like she wasn’t interested anymore, she barely turned her head, planning on just acknowledging this pony and then return to the performance.

Her eyes drifted to the unicorn mare that stood next to her. Her coat was midnight black, and she could have been mistaken for part of the darkness that shrouded the auditorium if not for that bright orange mane, braided together elegantly, and those piercing purple eyes that glanced back at her. And then she winked. Had that mare just winked at her? And why did she look like…

“Occento?!” Melody cried out in a hushed whisper, her hoof covering her mouth. Her eyes went wide, and she immediately drew the attention of her parents.

The mare nodded and moved a hoof to tousle Melody’s mane, although she did put her hoof in front of her mouth and gestured for the changeling to remain as quiet as possible. “Hello to you, too!” she answered swiftly, her voice a mix between a chime and a giggle. “Please call me Serenade, though. It’s more fitting and appropriate, I’m led to believe, in the presence of ponies.”

Rising, for his part, was glaring at Occento when Melody looked back at him. He was scowling in annoyance or some other sentiment like that. Melody’s ability to detect and identify emotions had been numbed already. She’d need time to recover, most likely.

“We’re going to talk later,” he told the mare dryly. That was the closest to a snarl Melody had ever heard come out of her father’s mouth.

He never got angry. He always found a way to keep himself afloat most issues that surrounded him. She couldn’t imagine what had happened between the two for them to have this much animosity between them. They seemed rather okay with each other the last time they were together.

“Okay! You’re the boss here!”

And just like that, she was alright with that. Rising groaned and rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the stage as the silence ended and Choir resumed her performance, commencing the second verse, her voice as striking and evocative as before, tugging at Melody’s heartstrings. It was fun to relax like this, but it was unbearable to deal with this many invading factors all at once.

♫

Melody stared at the ceiling as she shifted about in her bed. She looked around the room to see Choir sound asleep already. Her nerves had probably worn her out. After all, it had been her big day, and she outdid herself tremendously. The entire auditorium had showered her in an ovation of stomping.

Her attention shifted to the partly closed door of their bedroom. Ever since Rising had sent the both of them to bed, the trio of adults barely said anything to each other. Light crept inside the bedroom and blinded Melody a bit. She turned away from it, but she kept her ears perked up, afraid that she’d miss something if she drifted away.

“Your daughter has good tastes,” Melody heard Occento’s soft and melodious voice part the silence. “She does Greyff justice. Especially Ave Maria. It’s hard to find any singers that can truly sing it.”

There was a pause. From Melody’s bed, it was hard to know what was going on in the kitchen.

“Mom…”

Rising’s voice was soft as well, but Melody guessed he kept it down as to not wake Choir or herself. Not that it mattered to her. She couldn’t sleep. She knew it was late, but she couldn’t sleep. Not with that going on.

“I couldn’t help but notice that Choir was spellsinging. I didn’t think you’d teach her at this age,” came Occento’s voice again, quickly cutting off Rising before he could say anything. “As a matter of fact, I’m surprised she can actually do it, what with her being a halfling and whatnot.”

“Mom, listen…”

“But you should have really warned Melody about that. She was overwhelmed by all those emotions Choir was emulating.”

“Will you please shut up for one moment!”

Melody blinked. Rising got angry again. Twice, in one day. He rarely raised his voice, and he rarely shouted. Whatever Occento had done, he was having none of her evasion.

That was it! Melody slid down her bed and aimed straight for the door, trying to keep whatever sounds she made to a minimum. She carefully stuck her snout outside the door frame and stood completely still. Rising had just reverted to his changeling form, as had Occento, with the former glaring intently at the other.

Coral closed the distance between herself and her husband, and she put her hoof on his shoulder. He disengaged from his glare, and he turned to nuzzle her cheek and smiled.

“Honey, mind letting us a few moments in private?” he asked her gently, lowering his head to her neck and nibbling at the fur.

“Ooooh...alright. Just make sure my kitchen’s still here tomorrow,” she cooed, almost purring, all the while she pushed his snout away, giving him half-lidded eyes.

Melody frowned, her ears drooping. She always found it embarrassing to see other ponies show signs of affection like that. Maybe she was still too immature for that. Or maybe because they were her parents, and it just made that all the more awkward.

Rising replied with a simple nod, lunging forward to nudge Coral once more. The mare giggled and pushed him away, flicking her tail at his neck. She was quick to skid away and headed upstairs. Yep. Awkward parents? Check.

Occento shifted her weight around, still standing at full height. So did Rising, for that matter. He huffed a sigh and sat down on one of the kitchen chairs. He then gestured to another chair. “Take a seat, please.”

Complete and pure antipathy oozed from his tone. Melody wrinkled her nose and winced. It was odd to see her father this furious. He had never summoned such a presence while she was in his care. So why was he like that right now?

Occento did as he asked. With her back facing her, Melody couldn’t see Occento’s expression at all. Her tail drooped. Then again, her tail was braided so much it always drooped. Clever. She cut off most of her body language. She had forgotten her only weakness, however. Her ears. Those had definitely fallen against her scalp. It was like she knew she wasn’t getting out of that one.

She kept silent. Her snout pointed in Rising’s general direction.

“Why are you here?” he asked coldly. Mother or not, Queen or not, none of that seemed to matter to Rising. He leaned forward and set his forelegs on the table, crossing them.

Occento didn’t waver. She just stood there, her ears sometimes perking up before falling back down the next moment. It was likely she wanted to say something but struggled to find what would be the most acceptable thing to say.

Finally, she drew in a breath and relaxed in the chair. Or at least she seemed to. Her wings buzzed gently, and she flicked one of her ears. “Can’t a grandmot—“

“Don’t you dare!”

He had actually yelled at Occento. The first time, it was just mild irritation contained within a growl. A loud growl, for that matter. This was a proper yell. Melody recoiled from the suddenness of it all. She had never expected Rising to go that far against his mother.

“You’ve never been there for Choir. You never made time for her ever since she was born. You just sent a card. Now, I’m to believe you had a sudden change of heart and wanted to come visit? Cut the crap, Husk!”

Occento tensed altogether. Her whole body winced and Melody could feel the bristling anger reverberate everywhere. It made her want to close the door and just go sit back in her bed. But she couldn’t do that. If she did, then they’d know she was eavesdropping. Maybe they already knew, for that matter. She brushed the thought aside. If they had been aware of it, they would have stopped before this escalated this far.

Thankfully, Occento stayed seated, but Melody could see that she wasn’t at all pleased that she was addressed by her real name by her son. With such an aggressive tone, no less. And she remained silent. She crossed a leg over the other and leaned forward a bit, dipping her head to be at his eye level. Melody didn’t have to see Occento to know she was glaring. Her entire body screamed it, and yet Rising didn’t even flinch.

Wasn’t she his queen, and mother? So why wasn’t he just standing down and apologizing for talking out of line? Or maybe he was just talking to his mother, and not his queen. That side of her family seemed complicated.

“Don’t give me that look!” Rising replied, snarling even more. He hissed sharply and pointed a hoof at his mother. “And what’s with the silent treatment? Run out of witty replies to get you out of awkward situations?!”

“Oh, wouldn’t you like that!” She screeched in return, swatting his hoof away. Her voice carrying anger that made Melody recoil and whimper quietly, her resolve to keep eavesdropping already faltering. “What do you want me to tell you? ‘Oh, I’m sorry I tried to do what I thought was the best course of action!”

“Best course of action? You call that your best course of action? Mom, you just dropped her here without even asking for her opinion. Crippled, no less! Do you know how hard it was for everypony to warm up to each other? She hurt, and she still hurts!”

They were talking about her. That much was already clear to Melody. She had suspected it had something to do with her, as Occento had never even visited after she was left in Rising’s care. But why were they now fighting over her? Weren’t they both pleased with how things had worked out in the end?

Did that mean Rising didn’t want to care for her anymore? She shook her head firmly. It would accomplish nothing to speculate or panic over baseless worries. Her encounter with Princess Luna two weeks prior had proved her at least that.

“Because keeping her in Serenus would have been so much better as an option. I can’t go around wantonly murdering any changeling that preys on her. I may be a trained assassin, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy killing!”

Occento’s voice cracked and wavered for a moment. Trained assassin? But nothing about Occento indicated she was any such thing. Her shoulders rose and sank along with her frame. Was she crying? If she was, she was doing a good job at keeping it contained. Melody couldn’t even hear a single sob come from the mare.

“Besides, what do you want me to do? It’s out of my hooves now. Plus, I have a hive to run.”

“Convenient excuse!” Rising waved his hoof nonchalantly, lifting his nose as he kept staring Occento down. Whereas Occento just seemed to deflate with every passing moment, he was more than eager to continue hammering her. “I’m sure you can leave the hive to your parliament for a few days! Why else would you be here today?”

Silence. Occento’s ears slid down on her head, and her shoulders slumped. For a moment, Melody was sure that she was going to crumble and bawl in front of Rising. Instead, the only thing she heard was a soft sigh, barely audible from her room.

“I can, but I don’t like it. After Arconon, I’d rather not take any chances.”

Melody winced. That name again? Why did it pop up again? Come to think of it, what had happened to him? She hazily remembered some details, but all she clearly remembered was waking up to a bunch of changelings before Occento drove them away. Her ears drooped as some memories of when Arconon held her captive came to mind, and she let out a soft whimper.

Rising sighed and reached across the table to hold Occento’s hoof, staring blankly at her. Why wasn’t he smiling? This seemed like the perfect time to put on a smile and offer some comfort. Why just the stare?

“Mom, you can’t just give up because of one isolated event. You need to keep moving forward.” He followed by gesturing a hoof toward Melody’s general direction, and their eyes met. His stare remained blank, but her fur stood on end. He knew. He had seen her. He was now aware that she had seen and heard everything. “And you need to make it up to her. You basically turned her into your heir, so you owe her at least that much.”

She wanted to stay there and keep listening to the conversation. She really wanted to, but her legs disagreed with her. She was trembling so much. So many things swirled in her mind. Ranging from the things that Rising would scold her about eavesdropping to all of the implications of what she’d heard up until this point. Heir? An heir to what? She wasn’t related to Occento, so how could she be her heir?

As quickly as possible, she went for the option she thought the wisest. She made a tactical retreat into her room and hopped back into her bed. Maybe Rising would just think she’d gotten up to go to the fillies’ room. Maybe she wouldn’t get scolded that much, if at all. But then again, he was a changeling, and far more adept at sniffing out emotions than she was.

Maybe she wasn’t going to be okay. After that conversation, Melody settled on the fact she’d seen a new side to her father. Despite being the cheerful, and otherwise silent or pensive, changeling that he was, he commanded an authority that had taken her by surprise. He was a prince, after all.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right,” Melody heard Occento speak softly, yet loud enough for her to hear her voice. “By the way, do you think I could stay the night. I’d rather not go back home in the middle of the night.”

She heard a chortle, most likely coming from Rising. “Oh? The mighty Occento is afraid of traveling alone in the dark. Who would’ve thought?”

“Shush. You know I could tie you up, take your form, and snuggle against your wife in that bed of yours,” Occento replied with a mock tone, letting out a chuckle at the end before things fell quiet once more. “Do you have a couch or something like that?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Rising shot back as quietly as he could.

A shiver ran through Melody’s spine, and she shuffled in her bed again. Families were complicated, usually. Her family was downright weird! Would she become this weird? Another chill ran through her, and she shook her head. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts!

Remembrance

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Melody sat quietly next to Wishing Star with her eyes kept down to her shuffling hooves. She sometimes tore her gaze from her hooves to glance at the scenery as their train headed over to Canterlot at full speed. On a few occasions, she found herself distracted by her reflection, noting her dejected expression. She shifted in her seat and leaned against the wall, letting out a sigh.

She was getting her wish. Everything she had wanted to know in the past few months, she was now getting. And yet, she couldn’t help but feel hollow inside. Why was she so sad about this? Why did it hurt just to be there? She pressed a hoof against her chest as her heart clenched. Breathing became so much harder.

Melody’s ears perked up when she felt Wishing nuzzle her cheek, leaning against the disguised changeling and offering a warm smile. Melody returned the smile, but her tired eyes betrayed what little gratitude and happiness she tried to fake.

Wishing frowned, extended a wing around Melody, and pulled her close. Melody didn’t even attempt to struggle against the mare, instead letting the warmth of her coat soothe her. She didn’t protest either when she felt the mare’s hoof stroking her mane, closing her eyes and drawing in a breath.

“Wishing?” Melody inquired softly, her voice barely any louder than a whisper. She nuzzled against Wishing’s bosom and exhaled another sigh.

The mare slid a hoof around Melody’s shoulder and pulled her even closer. “Hmm?”

Melody closed her eyes. The words played in her head. What had Luna meant when she said that she was Wishing’s ward? What was a ward to begin with? She heaved a sigh and shifted again to lean on Wishing’s shoulder. Again, that familiar feeling washed over her. Wishing’s fur felt so comforting, and all she could do was enjoy the moment.

“What’s a ward?” Melody asked in her squeaky, yet faint voice.

Wishing fidgeted in her seat as she glanced back and forth between Melody and the saddlebags she had set down on the adjacent seat. For a while, Melody had been curious about what was in them, and the only glimpse she had of them was that it looked like a binder was kept in them.

The bat pony mare sighed and hung her head. She reached into her bags and pulled out a binder. Melody blinked, not because she was surprised that her suspicions were correct, but because she was now genuinely curious about the content of this binder.

She flipped it open, and Melody craned her neck to inspect its content, blinking when she saw a photo of the bat pony mare dressed in one of the most extravagant dresses she had ever seen in her life. And next to Wishing was none other than Astral Rain. He wore a nice suit, but it was hard to rival Wishing’s beauty in that setting.

Melody immediately assumed it was a wedding because of the dress. She didn’t have time to inspect the image further before the mare flipped another page. Then another. There were so many pictures that seemed to be about Wishing and Astral’s wedding that Melody wasn’t sure what the purpose of going through those was.

That made it weird, too. Melody didn’t know that much about weddings, but she would expect that somepony would be happy to relive those moments, even for a brief moment. And yet, Wishing’s slight frown and smile, coupled with that sad look in her eyes screamed the opposite. Plus, it reeked of an emotion Melody didn’t recognize.

Melody kept following Wishing’s hoof until it stopped at a page and it trailed along the pictures. She heard Wishing take a deep breath. She blinked a few times and Melody wasn’t sure if the mare was going to cry or not. She clearly saw tears glistening in Wishing’s eyes, but the mare made no efforts to wipe them away.

“You heard Luna and I after our dinner, didn’t you?”

Melody nodded. Wishing didn’t even tear her eyes away from the photo album. She slid one of the photos out and presented it to Melody. She picked it up with her magic and levitated it over to her.

She recognized Wishing and Astral instantly, but next to them was a couple she didn’t recognize. A mare with a white coat, obviously well-groomed, and a fuchsia mane that fell down her neck and against her shoulders. She wore the simplest of gowns. It was a very soft and pale pink that matched perfectly with her coat and mane, making her striking blue eyes even more evident. Her lovely and cheerful smile only added to her charm.

Next to that mare was a bat pony stallion. Unlike Astral or Wishing, he didn’t have a darker coat. His was a pure white, just like the mare he was standing next to. He had his wing extended over the blue-eyed mare. His mane was a deep orange with a few lines of black streaking through it. It was done in a single braid that fell over his shoulder. And on top of all that, his golden eyes, paired with his toothy smile, gave him a charming look.

But that raised questions in Melody’s mind. Why was Wishing showing her this? For that matter, it was just one picture of her wedding among many others. Why was it important to show her this one picture?

Her eyes widened as she contemplated the possibility that those might be her parents. She looked at the image again, and she blinked. The mare’s blue eyes were just as striking as her brother’s. And those golden eyes the stallion had were just the same as hers.
Were they really her parents?

Melody brought a hoof to her chest. She didn’t know how to feel. What if they were her parents? She didn’t even remember their faces. Her breathing quickened. Pain shot through her heart and her ears fell flatly over her mane.

She almost jumped upon feeling Wishing’s hoof on her shoulder, and she looked back at the mare with wide eyes. Wishing only offered a nod. Melody looked back at the picture and clutched it tightly to her chest. She knew what her parents looked like! She finally had gotten her answers, and yet, she only felt a growing sadness inside of her. Where joy should have otherwise been, she only felt a growing void.

“They always had a busy schedule, and yet, they managed to make time to come to my wedding. I was so happy when I saw them in attendance,” Wishing recounted, the hint of a smile pursed on her lips. “You deserve answers, Melody, and I believe I can give you some.

“Astral and I were asked to be guardians for your brother and you. We never made it official, though, so when your parents died, Star just ran off with you and disappeared from our radar without much interference. I don’t know why he did it, and I will likely never will, but I’m happy I can at least keep my promise to your parents.”

Melody nodded and kept quiet at first. She tried to process this information. These claims gave rise to conflict within herself. Had Star really ran off with her when their parents died? Would she have had a better life with Wishing, Astral, and Raine?

“What were their names?” Melody asked hesitatingly, shifting a bit in her seat and taking another look at the picture of those four ponies. The fact her father was a bat pony went over her head, and she just contemplated how happy her parents seemed way back then. Wishing and Astral also looked younger— not that they didn’t look young anymore—in the picture, so Melody assumed that it dated to at least a decade or so.

“Lilac Strings,” Wishing said with a bittersweet tone to her voice, motioning to the white mare in the picture with her hoof, “and Starry Skies.”

She tore her eyes away from the picture once she acknowledged her parents’ names and glanced at the window, looking at the frozen scenery outside. There was something peaceful about seeing the snow laden fields, mountains, and the occasional frozen lake.

“Those are really nice names,” Melody hushed in a whisper, leaning into Wishing. Her lips quivered, and she barely held back the tears from her puffy eyes.

----

“It was a pleasure doing business with you!” Wishing called out, waving her hoof at the florist as she left the shop, Melody following behind her.

Wishing insisted that they do this, and claimed that it would better help Melody get some form of closure. The filly couldn’t have agreed more with that statement. These past few months had been extremely rough on her. She absentmindedly grabbed the bouquet that Wishing was handing her and she held it close to her.

She followed behind Wishing as she led them through the many streets of Canterlot. Melody had heard stories about the majesty of Canterlot, but stories alone couldn’t do it justice. Even in the Clover Plaza, which she vaguely remembered as being one of the two hearts of Canterlot’s lower city.

Despite not being as prestigious as stories claimed the Platinum Plateau to be, she still sometimes gawked at the white-stone streets and the pristine conditions of the stones used for the various buildings, all having light hues that matched the white stones.

“Wishing, do you have to be this hasty? Can’t we just enjoy the view?” Melody complained as she tried her best to follow Wishing’s swift gait, keeping the bouquet tucked neatly against her bosom.

“Believe me, once you live in the Platinum Plateau, or anywhere near the palace grounds, you won’t look at the lower city the same way ever again. Mind you, Canterlot as a whole is lovely, but the upper city is without compare!” Wishing exclaimed with a broad smile, stopping and trotting in motion, earning a roll of Melody’s eyes. The mare let out a chipper chuckle, and she beckoned to Melody.

“You could wait for me! I don’t know how long I can numb this pain,” Melody called back, shooting a glance at her leg. She looked back at Wishing to see the mare stop her antics and tilt her head. Oh. Right. Wishing wasn’t aware of how changeling magic could be used.

“What do you mean by that?”

The dense, and tasty, tang of curiosity trailed its way to Melody, and she knew she’d unintentionally grabbed Wishing’s attention. Even she didn’t understand all of it completely, but she knew she could focus the emotions she kept in reserve to suppress pain. Finally, she cleared her mind of the unnecessary details, and answered, “It’s kind of complicated to explain. I mean, I don’t even fully get it myself, but my da—Rising said that I could use emotions I have in reserve to eliminate pain for a given amount of time. It leaves me drained of my magic, though.”

Wishing nodded all the way through that explanation, and she arched an eyebrow, smirking as she playfully skidded next to Melody and prodded her injured leg. “So, if I do that”—she giggled and poked her leg a few number of times—“you don’t feel anything?”

Melody groaned and rolled her eyes, swatting Wishing’s hoof away. The mare skedaddled to higher ground and poked her tongue out. Melody hung her head and sighed. “I don’t, although you are expending my reserves of magic. Aren’t you a bit too chipper for the reason of this trip?”

“Not at all! In fact, you’ll thank me later!”

Melody blinked and stared. While Wishing resumed her trotting up the small slope that led to what Melody suspected was Upper Canterlot, she tried tasting the mare’s emotions, despite the growing distance, and she could only find mischief coming off of her. Melody’s mouth dropped, and she frowned. Was Wishing purposely leading her senses off, or something?

Melody shook her head and pushed those thoughts aside, picking up the pace far behind Wishing. “Wishing!” she whined, her voice carrying her echo along the slope and she heard Wishing’s chuckling laughter in response. “Wait up!”

----

Despite the beauty and majesty that she had been promised in Upper Canterlot, the chipper mood that she and Wishing shared quickly died down. Not even the beautiful gardens or bright pearl white stones used for the houses there managed to properly revive their earlier mood. Despite that, it was still a welcome sight, and Melody smiled faintly.

Not that it really mattered. Melody followed Wishing through the gates of a graveyard. Melody quickly noted that Wishing expertly made her way through the cemetery. She also noticed that some headstones were black while some others were gray. What did that mean? What was the difference between the two colors?

The question swirled in Melody’s mind, and she frowned. She looked up at Wishing to ask her about it, but she opted against it. She thought it might just ruin the moment. Melody folded her ears against her mane, idly looking around her as she followed Wishing, amazed at how large the graveyard was.

She didn’t even know what to expect anymore. Where had the chipper mood that Wishing had had just an hour ago gone to? Hadn’t she been told that she would be grateful for the mare’s uplifting mood? Had that been a false promise to cheer her up? Melody contemplated tasting Wishing’s emotions, but she opted against that too. She was far too scared of what she would find.

Lost in thoughts, Melody completely failed to notice that Wishing had stopped and she ended up colliding with her flank. She wrinkled her nose and took a few steps back to see Wishing sitting down in front of two black headstones. Melody directed her attention at those headstones and blinked. She ended up sitting next to Wishing, pain surging in her chest as she read the engravings.

Here lies Lilac Strings
Loving mother and wife
A faithful and compassionate friend
May her soul find peace eternal

Here lies Starry Skies
Dedicated husband and father
Confidant without compare
May his soul find peace eternal

Melody gasped quietly. She was in front of them. Although not alive, she had finally managed to find her parents. Even if they had been buried or cremated, she had a chance to find closure at last. Her legs trembled, and she firmly pressed the bouquet on her chest. What was she going to say? How would she even say her final goodbyes to her birth parents?

She jumped a little when she felt something sharp pressed against her back. She looked over to Wishing to see her looking at her with a soft smile. The mare gave her a little push with her hoof and leaned forward, nuzzling Melody.

“You should talk to them. I’m sure they’re listening, wherever they are,” Wishing whispered, her voice a quiet and soothing hum.

Melody blinked, noticing the glistening tears in Wishing’s eyes. Her lips began trembling, and she took one trembling step after the other, the dread in her chest growing stronger. She felt like her limbs would let out and she would just crumble. After what felt like an eternity to her, Melody finally stopped in front of the tomb graves and sat in silence.

She extended a hoof and touched the stone of her mother’s grave, taking a moment to get a feel of the engravings. She then did the same for her father’s grave. Tears began welling in her eyes, but she fought back against them. She took a deep breath, her mind quickly glossing over all the possible things she could say to her parents.

Hesitation still gripping Melody, she opened her mouth and drew in another breath. She moved her hoof over to the foot of her mother’s headstone and wiped the snow from over it, dropping the bouquet over it abruptly as her magic failed her. That felt weird. It had been the first time she had had that happen to her in a while.

“Hey, Mom, Dad… It’s me, Melody. Surprise! I’m all grown up now.” She already felt out of breath. Pressure formed around her throat, and she found every breath raspy and dry. “It feels weird to be here, standing in front of your graves…”

Not a sound echoed around her except the sound of her voice. Snow had started falling again, and a few flakes gently fell on Melody’s coat. She didn’t even notice it. “So many things happened in these past few years, and I don’t even understand half of them. I mean, I didn’t even know that you t-two had been d-dead for a while until just a few m-months ago.

“Star’s d-dead too,” she muttered quietly, her voice cracking and trembling all the while. Every breath burned her throat, and she felt like she was going to asphyxiate, but she toughed it up and tried to stand strong in front of Wishing. She wasn’t a crybaby anymore. She could handle those things now. So why? Why did it hurt so much? She never even got to meet her parents. “Well, he’s still a-alive, kinda. It’s complicated.

“I’m a changeling now, a-although I doubt you know anything about them.” Melody let out a weak giggle, more as a way to mask her sobs than an attempt at laughing something off. She didn’t want Wishing to see her like this.

Still nothing. Wishing kept entirely silent. She had not taken a single step or uttered a single word. Melody didn’t need to look back to know that. The wind and air only carried her own echo, and she had never heard the sound of Wishing’s hooves crunching the snow. Which obviously meant that Wishing was simply there to observe and spectate.

Another giggle escaped Melody’s throat, and she brought a hoof to her eyes, cupping her tears and drying her eyes to the best of her ability, despite her shaking. With a strained sigh, she continued, “I even got a-adopted by complete strangers. I never knew that Wishing and Astral were my guardians until today. Can you believe th-that?

“I guess what I want to say is that… I just…”

Why couldn’t she bring herself to say it? The words were on her tongue, but every attempt to blurt them out ended in her just running out of breath. Tears welled in her eyes and she dipped her head, trying to dry her eyes once more when she felt hooves over her shoulders

She froze and looked back to see that Wishing was sitting right behind her. She tried to wipe her tears, but Wishing shook her head and pulled her close, the mare’s own tears staining Melody’s mane. Now, it all made sense. Wishing had probably held Melody a lot when she was a foal, and her body most likely remembered that touch.

“It’s okay, Melody. It’s okay to cry,” Wishing cooed in a soft and melancholic voice, stroking Melody’s mane. Her breath was warm, and it made Melody cling on to the mare’s fur. Her ears were still flat on her head, and her breathing became quiet. “They were your parents, and you’re saying your final goodbyes. Let it out.”

Melody looked up at the mare, her lips starting to quiver once more. She frowned just before her expression twisted and sorrow gripped her mind. She grasped at Wishing’s shoulders and pressed her snout against Wishing’s chest.

“I just wanted to meet them!” she cried, letting all of her pent up tears loose. They streaked hotly across her cheeks and on Wishing’s fur, and she gripped further onto the mare. In return, Wishing wrapped her wings around Melody and held her firmly, not uttering another sound.

Things Do Get Better

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Author's Notes:

Terribly sorry for the wait. University has taken its toll on me, what with my midterms. Anyway, chapter is here now.

However, I want to put two things out there

1. For those that haven't read my blog posta or weren't present at the small QnA I held last week, updates are likely to roll out on a monthly basis now when I am in a term. So next update is gonna be mid/late December bound.
2. The is now a Discord for this story universe, now with a proper name: Of Guards and Stars (OGS or G&S), and can be easily accessed through this link. If you want to hang out with other readers and ask me things when I'm on, hop on. I'd love to meet my readers and interact with them more.

With that said, enjoy the chapter and as always, if you find any mistakes throughout your readinga or have suggestions, either send me a PM, or give me shout on Discord if you decide to join it!

Life in the Crystal Empire was quite pleasant, Melody concluded. With the Crystal Heart’s protection over the city, there was naught a day where the sun didn’t shine down. Truly, anypony that visited the Empire would find a dazzling beauty.

Melody wasn’t anypony, though. She kept a hoof over her eyes as she trudged through the busy streets of the Empire. She passed by the marketplace she so loved, putting her leg down once the city’s spire cast its shadow over her. She sighed in relief. She did curse under her breath when she fell prey to the sun’s rays again once the shadows abandoned her.

Finding Shimmering Prism’s shop wasn’t hard. She did manage to find it—although she got lost and ventured almost an hour in the wrong direction—after she finally decided to ask for directions. She panted and looked at the sign of the shop in front of her. She reached for her saddlebags with her magic and pulled out the photograph of her parents standing next to Astral and Wishing.

Coral’s words rang in her head again, and she willed the confidence to take the following steps to the unimpressive building. She opened the door with her magic and slowly slid through the small opening. Once she was inside, safe and sound from the sun’s annoying rays, she looked around and saw nopony at the counter.

She flicked her ears one way, then the other, but her results were the same. It was like nopony was there at all. She took a few hesitant steps into the shop, carefully navigating between the various display stations.

“Hello?” she asked tentatively, casting her gaze to the small door that led to the back store. Were they absent? If so, why was the door unlocked? Weren’t they afraid that somepony could steal from them?

Melody ducked her head when she heard the door behind her creak and froze when she heard two ponies walk in. One was talking about something involving hayburgers and a stallion being flustered while the other one giggled heartily.

“Melody?” said of the mares, whom Melody rapidly recognized as being Shimmering Prism. There was a pause, and Melody began feeling as if she was an intruder. “Goodness, if I had known you were coming, I would have asked Prismatic to stay here.”

Melody slowly turned her head and looked at the two mares from the corner of her eyes to see them shimmering like Crystal ponies. She didn’t remember their coat having that effect to them. She thought changelings couldn’t replicate things like that.

Another pregnant silence filled the small shop as Melody tried to avert her eyes, but to no avail. All of her attempts ended up with her staring right back at the pair. Shimmering raised an eyebrow and skidded on by, passing Melody and stopping somewhere behind her. Prismatic did the same, prompting Melody to follow the mare with her gaze to find both disguised changelings standing behind the counter.

Shimmering stared back as she leaned forward and offered a smug expression as she crossed her legs. She parted her lips to reveal her fangs and Melody blinked. She couldn’t do small-scale shifts when in her disguise. Could the disguised changeling queen teach her how to do that in lieu of Occento?

The owner cleared her throat, and her purple eyes bore into Melody’s. “You look like you stole something,” Shimmering commented, her hearty laughter chiming in not too long after, making Melody feel like she wanted to sink in the flooring, or simply vanish from sight. “Come now, spit it out and confess your sins, little filly.”

A teal hoof landed on the mare’s shoulder, and Melody saw Prismatic shake her head behind Shimmering. There was an audible sigh, and Shimmering Prism flashed in blue flames, reverting to her changeling form. Except that now, her chitin was glittering and shimmering just like a Crystal pony’s. Was that normal? Was something wrong with the changeling?

“A-a-are you okay? Your chitin has an odd coloration,” Melody said, a hint of concern about her tone.

Glaesi began laughing, and Melody took a few steps back, ducking her head further, casting her glance around in hopes of finding somewhere to hide from the queen’s stare. It eventually dwindled down into silence and Melody sat down, carefully eyeing Glaesi even as Prismatic glared at her mother and reverted to her changeling form. She let out an exasperated sigh and tried to shove Glaesi aside.

“No, we are quite fine,” said a glittering Gemma from her spot behind the counter. Weren’t they afraid that they would cause panic across the Empire if ponies found out they were changelings? Melody shuffled her hooves and tilted her head to the left, earning a giggle from both mares. “This is our real forms. Ponies aren’t the only ones that are attuned to the Crystal Heart, so I guess that makes us Crystal changelings.”

Melody furrowed her brow and brought her hoof to her chin. “But what about the first time I met you two? You looked like normal changelings.”

Gemma nodded and pressed a hoof firmly on her mother’s mouth, earning a glare from the elder changeling—to which Gemma answered by poking out her tongue tauntingly. She smiled and replied, “Yes, we did. However, to my…” Gemma sighed and cast her head to the side. She regarded Glaesi with cold indifference. “Excuse for a moment, Melody.”

She yanked her hoof free of her mother’s fangs, looked at the bite marks and rolled her eyes. Another intake of air was exhaled into a sigh, “Are you done?”

There was a pause as Glaesi licked her lips and flashed her fangs in front of her daughter. “For the most part, yes. You ought to show some respect, Gemma.”

“And you need to show some consideration!” Gemma shot back, stomping a hoof on the counter and making Melody jump back, causing her leg to send a jolt of vivid pain through her spine. She stared back at the pair apprehensively; a reaction Gemma seemed to notice. “Apologies, Melody. Mother is a professional nag and she obviously cannot understand that you are confused.”

Glaesi rolled her eyes, and snorted haughtily, lifting her nose high and only showing the hint of a slight smirk on the edges of her lips. With an exaggerated motion of her hoof in her daughter’s direction, she said, “Of course I understand that she’s confused. I could taste something that thick from Canterlot!”

While they bickered back and forth about emotions and personal feelings and how Glaesi was apparently too focused on having her own way rather than running her shop, Melody pulled the two photos from her saddlebags. A smile parted her lips as her eyes befell her parents’ photo once more. In contrast, once she flipped the first photo and looked at a picture of herself next to Star, she scrunched up her nose and just stared intently at it, her magic flickering.

For a moment, she considered asking for her brother to be added to the mix, but Occento and Wishing’s words sprung in her mind. She closed her eyes, feeling like an imaginary pair of hooves were currently clenching down on her heart. Her breath quickened as anger filled her up and no less than a dozen insults about her brother took refuge in her mind.

Thankfully, she kept the words to herself, taking a series of deep and long breaths instead. It didn’t take long for Melody to build her courage and take a step forward, then another, thus earning the two mares’ attention as she approached the counter with a fire burning in her eyes.

“Coral said that she gave you enough bits to commission something of my choosing,” she blurted out messily, biting her tongue in the next instant and barely holding back a curse.

There was a hint of confusion for a moment, or so Melody thought when Glaesi lifted her brow and stared at Melody. Her expression shifted entirely, and she seemed to be considering something else as she turned to her daughter again and inclined her head.

“Have you heard of that, Gemma? I certainly don’t remember anyone coming to give us a full payment deposit.” Glaesi pondered with a hoof tapping her chin while Gemma replied with a quick nod and pulled a small notebook from somewhere behind the desk.

“You don’t even remember what we ate last night.” Gemma gave her mother a light jab—receiving a hiss as an answer—and giggled to herself. She began to flip the pages, completely ignoring Glaesi’s glowering gaze, and waggled her ears, flicking them toward the older changeling

Well, older was a relative term. Both changelings seemed just as old as the other. Plus, the grayish chitin was making it hard to dissociate their age. Melody found herself brought back to the point Gemma had tried to make before Glaesi had interrupted her, but just as she was about to speak up, Gemma interrupted her train of thought by shoving her notebook in her mother’s face.

“See here! Coral Charm came here a month and a half ago and made a deposit,” Gemma sang in a victorious tone, wiggling her nose in front of a very unamused Glaesi, who arched an eyebrow, flared her nostrils, and blinked, stifling a yawn with a hoof.

Said changeling queen shoved the book aside and poked her tongue out before turning back to look at Melody, leaning onto the counter and craning her head over it. If that had been her first meeting with the changeling queen, Melody would have been extremely quick to skedaddle as fast as possible from the scene, but seeing Glaesi and Gemma bicker like that made her feel more at ease with them. However that worked.

“You have a very affectionate mother,” Glaesi said, making Melody’s ear go red at the tips, her cheeks doing the same. She scooped the photos from Melody’s magical grasp with her own. The filly’s eyes widened as her magic dispelled and vanished to the wind, replaced by a blue aura.

“H-hey!” Melody gasped, reaching out to the counter with her hooves. She failed to grab the photos from Glaesi’s hold and instead glared at the queen, sitting back and crossing her legs over her chest. She puffed her cheeks slightly and grumbled, “Give those back! They’re important!”

Glaesi offered a nod and a wave of her hoof, making Melody pout. Gemma eyed the picture for a moment, then poked her mother on the shoulder, staring sternly at her elder. Glaesi slowly turned her head to her daughter and arched an eyebrow, setting the pictures down. Melody saw the opportunity and jumped up, sweeping what was rightfully hers in her hooves and hugging them close to her chest.

That led to another waggle of Gemma’s ears as Glaesi hung her head and sighed. “What do you want?”

Melody’s ears perked up, and she looked down at the two pictures that she held in her hooves, quickly setting the second one down and turning the first one around in her magic. With a tinge of joy in her voice, she replied, “Something like what you did for Miss Breeze involving these two ponies,” she pointed at the couple on the right of the picture—her parents, “and myself.”

Glaesi nodded and summoned a pen to her side, quickly jotting down a few notes on a piece of paper scattered across the counter, humming all the while. “And what about that other picture there? Don’t you want that stallion included?”

Melody shook her head as she slid the photo to her side. There was another nod. Glaesi hummed while she scribbled on the sheet in front of her. Gemma pressed herself over the counter and Melody felt the gaze scanning her over and a chill ran through her spine.

“Could I get a better look at that picture?” asked Gemma, offering Melody a delicate smile. Melody looked at the picture and then at Gemma again, taking a quick look at Glaesi to see her glaring again. Melody gulped for a moment, but then an idea filled her head, and she looked back into Gemma’s gaze and nodded. Gemma offered a nod of her own and surrounded the picture in her blue aura. “Thank you.”

Glaesi snorted. “It’s funny how you give this picture to my daughter so easily when you were adamant about me not looking at it.”

“That’s because I asked her nicely and politely. You just grabbed it without Melody’ consent.” Gemma winked at Melody with a grin spread across her lips. She petted her mother’s shoulder and leaned her head against Glaesi, much to the queen’s irritation. Glaesi’s eye twitched, and she pushed her daughter away.

The queen grumbled, much to her daughter’s mirth and amusement, and turned around, igniting her horn again. She flung open the back store’s door and lifted her nose, huffing and swishing her tail as she disappeared behind the door that she made sure to slam.

That caused Melody to jump a little bit, and she regarded Gemma with a worried expression. The mare raised her eyebrow and curled her lips in a smile. Melody tilted her head and frowned.

“Don’t worry about her,” Gemma reassured with a wave of her hoof and a giggle. She reached for the piece of paper that Glaesi had scribbled on and turned it for Melody, revealing a few scribbles that resembled nothing at all. “She’ll be back to normal in a few hours. I just wish she was more responsible as not to get love-drunk.”

Melody furrowed her brow even more and raised a hoof in the air, although she took it back down just as quickly once she realized she wasn’t in class. “Love-drunk? Changelings can get drunk on love?” she asked, a hint of surprise and curiosity coating her words.

Gemma’s ears flew at the top of her head, and she briefly nodded, setting the pictures onto the counter. She rubbed her chin with her hoof, humming all along, not unlike what Glaesi had done. “We can, yes. If we’re not responsible or in an abundance of love or positive emotions, we can get drunk on those emotions. We become giddy, and we lose all forms of filters. It also sometimes affects our inhibitions.” Gemma stepped to the right and moved toward Melody, stopping right in front of her. She scooped up the filly’s chin and lifted her head just so she could stare into those golden, pupilless eyes. “In any case, I will have to sample a sip of your emotions. If that’s all right with you, of course.”

Melody blinked, then gulped, as the words reached her ears and she processed the information. She splayed her ears and blinked a few more times, opening and closing her mouth as words failed her. There was something about being fed on that made her fidget. She backed away from Gemma, but she did not break eye contact.

“Is it g-going to hurt?” Melody stuttered, ducking her head as Gemma’s expression lightened and she shook her head.

In Melody’s mind, the gears were already grinding at full speed, and she was wondering if Gemma was genuine or if she was just trying to trick her. Melody apprehensively glanced at Gemma as she reached for a small crystal with her magic and brought it between herself and Melody. She twirled it about a few times and set it down in front of Melody.

“It won’t. For a sip, you’ll barely feel the effect of being fed on. Plus, I will not be consuming those emotions. This crystal here,” she picked it up in her magic again and pushed it closer toward Melody, “will contain these emotions for me. It’s only for reference’s sake for the work I will do for this piece of yours.” There was another pause before Gemma’s tongue clicked, and she lifted Melody’s chin once more. “Do you trust me?”

Melody blinked again. She did trust Gemma. The changeling princess had been willing to help her get over her fear of changelings without asking anything in return. Of course, she trusted Gemma! There was no reason for her to distrust the changeling mare.

Melody nodded—although she hesitatingly did so—and averted her eyes from the changeling mare, rubbing one leg over the other. Melody’s ears rose atop her head when she saw the photo she had given Gemma just a few minutes ago from the corner of her eyes. Gemma pointed the two ponies on the right of the image.

Melody cleared her throat and remained in silence for the longest time until she turned her head slightly and looked at the picture in which her parents had been immortalized. “Who are these two to you?” Gemma asked in a sweet, soft voice.

“My birth parents,” Melody blurted out in response, hushing her voice to a whisper

There was a slight pause before Melody saw Gemma withdraw her hoof, but she did not follow that gesture and instead kept her eyes glued on the picture. “Excellent. Now, I want you to think about your parents and the love you feel for them. Let those feelings inhabit you.””

Melody closed her eyes. Did she really have to? A single week had passed since she had managed to reconcile with her past, and she was already expected to summon the feelings that panged her heart with pain once more? But she did as was asked of her. She took several deep breaths, calming her trembling jaw, and let her mind wander.

She thought of all the things Wishing had told her about her parents. Despite making her sad that she couldn’t remember them at all and that she would have loved to know meet them, Melody pushed on forward. Her mind began to fill with images of what her life could have been had her parents not perished when she was so young.

Images of her playing around in a backyard with her brother while her parents watched them both formed in her head, and she held a hoof to her mouth to silence a sob. For what felt like several hours, Melody stood there speechless, feeling the tears streak across her fur.

She jumped in startled fright when a hoof landed on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and jerked her head up to see Gemma staring at her with a small smile that radiated warmth. “I think that’s enough. Just focus on relaxing now.”

Melody saw the changeling’s horn glow with a tinge of blue, standing still despite her legs wanting nothing more than to run away. Gemma, for her part, leaned closer until she was face-to-face with Melody and pressed her snout even closer—while Melody recoiled instinctively. Gemma persisted in her efforts until her lips grazed Melody’s.

Melody froze instantly and stared back at Gemma with a shocked expression. Had she just kissed her? The filly didn’t have much time to dwell on that thought as something tugged on that feeling of happiness burrowed deep inside her. She began to panic, frantically lashing off against the intruder in her mind.

“Do not fight it,” cooed Gemma, barely moving except for backing away and suspending the crystal between herself and Melody. Melody shook her head. No! She wouldn’t let this feeling escape her. She’d gone through too much! She wasn’t about to abandon those! “I will not rob you of your feelings and emotions. I only want to duplicate them in this crystal.”

Still, it felt wrong to let Gemma experience something that wasn’t hers. Before even realizing it, however, Melody saw a green tendril of some sort escape her mouth. When had she opened her mouth? The tugging sensation was still strong, but it never robbed her of anything. Dizziness washed over her, but it left her just as fast as it came.

Melody blinked a few times, feeling like an hour had passed, staring blankly at the wall behind Gemma. She shook her head and splayed her ears, staring at the changeling to find her holding a violet crystal in her magic, observing it closely.

“Is that my love?” Melody hesitatingly asked, tilting her head after a slight smirk appeared on Gemma’s lips.

“That it is. I’m surprised, though. Your love for your birth parents is surprisingly strong for somepony who’s never met them. Thank you very much for this,” she bowed her head slightly and winked. “It’ll make my job that much easier.”

“You’re… welcome?” Melody offered, raising a brow and averting her gaze, feeling her cheeks and ears garner a red hue.

Gemma went back to stand behind her counter with a happy trot, shaking her flanks, which made Melody’s cheeks burn even more as the changeling’s tail swayed back and forth. Once behind the counter, she applied her Crystal unicorn disguise. “Can I ask a small favor?” Gemma hummed, jotting down several notes onto the notepad that rested on the counter while keeping an eye on the filly.

Melody raised an eyebrow and took a moment, her mind trying to wrap itself around the changeling’s twisted sense of humor. She finally nodded, and Gemma replied with an enthusiastic clap of her hooves.

“Great! Could you ask the two bat ponies next to your parents on this picture to come visit the shop as soon as possible?”

Melody moved over to the counter and considered trying to look at what Gemma was doing, but the striking pain of her leg returned when she reared on her hindlegs, and she pushed herself back down clumsily, wincing.

“What do Wishing and Astral have to do with this?” she asked quietly, drawing in a sharp intake of air. Looks like she was spent of reserves for the day.

“Nothing, actually,” Gemma chirped, although Melody smelled the worry coming out of the disguised changeling. The mare leaned over the desk and cast a glance over Melody. “I’d just like to talk to them to get a better opinion of your birth parents since they seemed close.”

Melody sat down and held her chin with a hoof and slowly nodded in response. “I can talk to them. I can’t promise they’ll show up, though,” Melody replied flatly, shifting her weight onto her right hindleg and wrinkling her nose at the painful sensation the shifting caused her once more.

Gemma beamed in response and followed with another chipper clap of her hooves.

“Thank you,” she squeaked, jotting down a few more in her notebook that Melody couldn’t really see from her spot, except maybe for the pen that moved in Gemma’s magic. “Give us around two weeks from now, and you’ll have what you asked for!”

Melody nodded, gathered the photo at her side in her magic, and got up to leave the shop. She caught herself when she realized she didn’t have her parent’s picture. She began to raise her hoof to ask Gemma to have it back, but she quickly quelled the thought in her mind. It was likely that the changeling would have need of it for details, as much as it pained her to part with the photograph. Thus, Melody put her leg down and turned around to leave.

Once she was outside, Melody sat down, pressed her hooves against her lips and began vehemently rubbing, making disdainful grunts all the while. A mare kissed her on the lips. Just the thought made it weird, and Melody tried to suppress the mental image, to no avail.

Gemma’s kissy face erupted in her mind, and all mental processes in Melody’s mind stopped. She froze and covered her eyes with her hooves.

“You don’t just do that unannounced!” she muttered as quietly as possible, once again realizing that there were ponies that were watching her with questioning eyes, not to mention the judging stares that she could smell from a distance.

Those tasted terrible.

♫

Melody glared at Gemma with her lips curled in a pout. She tilted her ears forward and tapped her right hindleg on the floor. Gemma, for her part, seemed to be trying to hold back her laughter, what with her holding her hooves to her snout. Melody picked up a few snickers coming from the undisguised changeling.

“You kissed me. On the lips,” Melody growled, her eyes never leaving Gemma’s unmoving form. The mare’s wings fluttered and buzzed behind her. She offered Melody a nod, which in turn made Melody arch an eyebrow through her glare. “And why are you laughing about this?! You don’t just kiss a filly like that!”

Gemma closed her eyes and removed her hooves from her mouth, setting her laughter free as a result. Her wings continued to buzz, and she flailed over the counter, bursting out in series of high-pitched giggles.

Melody continued to glare, although it quickly turned into a frown, as the filly was seemingly confused by the changeling’s behavior. What was so funny that it left the changeling princess in that state?

It took a few minutes until Gemma eventually stopped, or at least her giggles simmered down. The mare took a series of deep breaths. As time passed, she seemed calmer than before, although a broad smile still adorned her lips. With a suppressed chuckle, Gemma pulled herself up and crossed her legs. She waggled her ears and chimed, “I’m sorry. I can’t resist. You’re too adorable when you’re mad like that. Your puffy cheeks only add to your adorableness whenever you’re angry.”

“Don’t avoid the topic, Gemma. You kissed me on the lips!” Melody repeated with a snarl, gesturing her lips for a brief moment before she folded her legs against her chest once more, flicking her tail.

Gemma nodded and stepped away from the counter to come stand in front of Melody, sitting down in front of her fellow changeling. It was really odd to see a grayish chitin that shimmered brightly in comparison to the black chitin she was accustomed to.

Gemma dipped her head in a bow and replied, “You’re right. But you really need to watch yourself in the mirror when you next get mad. You are adorable!” When Gemma noticed Melody glaring daggers at her, as if looks could kill, and that she had flashed her fangs to hiss, the mare cleared her throat and caught herself from saying anything else. “Ahem. Let’s talk about some other matters. Has your father taught you how to feed as a changeling?”

Melody’s glare started to ebb, and she instead started frowning again. What kind of question was that? Of course, Rising had taught her how to feed! It was one of his first lessons. “He did. I know how to collect emotions around me to sustain my reserves,” Melody answered flatly, not seeing where Gemma was going with that thought.

There was another nod from the mare, and her smile faded a bit. Melody briefly wondered what she meant by that, and the sudden possibilities that spawned in Melody’s mind made her ears droop backward a bit.

“So he did not teach you how directly feed on someone else, then?” Gemma inquired, locking her golden eyes in Melody’s.

Melody shook her head. She didn’t remember anything about that from her lessons with Rising. She just knew how to draw in lingering energy around her and use it to fuel her magic. Why hadn’t he taught her how to feed directly from a pony or changeling?

“He might have wanted to wait for you to get older to tell you, I presume. Do you often see him smothering your mother with small attentions?” Melody nodded fervently. She saw it all the time. Just the thought of it made her cheeks go red. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Gemma added with a chuckle.

“Why does it even matter, though?” Melody shot back almost instantly. She gave her head a few shakes when the images started taking root in her mind.

There was another chuckle from Gemma as the mare leaned forward, resting her chin over her legs. Her eyes never left Melody’s eyes, and she tossed her mane before she gave her hoof a shake. “Changelings can feed through two methods. You already know of one. The other one is through direct physical contact using one’s lips. That’s why so many changelings tend to be romantics, along with adding nipping, nibbling, nuzzling, and kissing to the mix. It’s the best way to feed on another pony or changeling.”

Even Melody’s ears had turned red at this point, and she threw her gaze at anywhere in the room save for Gemma. It was for naught. Now all she could think about were the small attentions Rising kept giving Coral at every occasion he got.

“A-anyway, you c-c-called me here t-today,” Melody blurted out, her brain on meltdown. Her tail twitched incessantly behind her, and she kept looking at the window at the opposing corner of the shop. “Is it done?”

As if on cue, Gemma nodded and bolted from her spot with a skip in her trot, opened the door to the back store and disappeared inside, leaving Melody alone to deal with those thoughts. Her first course of action was to take in as many deep breaths as she needed, closing her eyes. She inhaled, then exhaled until the warmth on her face slowly vanished.

For a moment, she thought herself rid of the disturbing images, but as she quickly found out, mentioning them in her head like that only made them surface again. Her hoof met with her forehead, and she groaned.

The door to the back store swung open and made Melody jump when it slammed against the wooden wall at its side. From out the door came Gemma with a medium sized statuette of three ponies. Two adults were holding a filly and nuzzling her cheeks with theirs.

Whatever invading thoughts still roamed in her head vanished in a flash as she gleaned at the statuette in greater details. She was taken out of her bubble when Gemma’s cheerful voice pierced through her focus.

“Come here, Melody. I want to know what you think of It,” Gemma called from the counter, gesturing at Melody with a wide smile on her lips.
Her attention having already been seized by the statuette, Melody wasted no time in slinking her way behind the counter just in time to see Gemma push a bench her way. The filly jumped on it and pulled herself upward, peeking her head over the high counter.

And there it was: the statuette, in all of its glory. The support was made of crystals, and the three ponies that were carved on top of it were made out of three different types of stones. One was pink, and the figure was undeniably female. The other was black and obviously male. And the one in the middle was a bright green riddled with red spots all across its surface.

Melody’s eyes darted toward the picture that rested next to the statuette, and she compared the ponies on there. At first, she inspected a few elements, but her jaw dropped. Each and every detail had been carried out with precise expertise. Melody could clearly see the bright and loving expression the mare wore. The stallion’s proud expression shone brightly from the light cast on the black stone. And the filly, which Melody assumed was herself, was just a bundle of happiness.

Her ears were perked up. Her eyes were closed, and she overall seemed like she was squealing in delight from the embrace her birth parents gave her.

Though, there was something that bothered her.

“Gemma, why did you use a black stone for my dad’s figure?” she blurted out loud, arching an eyebrow and tilting her head. “He had a white coat, so I thought you’d use a white crystal or gem.”

“You raise a fair point. Your father did have a white coat. It would make sense to make a figure of him using a white stone. However, precious stones and crystals don’t work that way. Each as a different meaning.”

That made a lot of sense, actually. Now that Melody thought about it, she nodded to herself and scolded herself mentally for having asked such a stupid question. No, she scolded herself again. Coral said there were no stupid questions.

But the stone used still bugged her. As if on cue, Gemma angled her head toward her and smiled. “You’re wondering why I used these gems, aren’t you?”

Melody only nodded while she kept looking at her belated birthday gift from Coral.

“Your mother’s was made using a type of quartz. We called it the rose quartz. It’s often a sign of unconditional love. And since your two bat pony friends sang such praise of your mother about how much she cared, I couldn’t think of anything else for her. I think that it fits her mane perfectly,” Gemma explained, tapping her chest with a hoof. A proud smile of her own was carved on her lips, and she tilted her ears in Melody’s direction.

Her plea for confirmation fell on deaf ears as Melody was utterly transfixed with the statuette standing in front of her. Melody’s ears perked up, and she pointed to her father’s figure. “What about my dad’s?” she asked, turning back to glance at Gemma’s frown before her mood shifted entirely and her eyes lit up with excitement.

“Ah yes. As you’ve already noted, I used a black stone—onyx—to make your father’s figure. A bit contradictory, but let me explain why. Onyxes of this purity are said to help with one’s emotional state and stabilize it. They have the ability to dissipate unwanted emotions and can also serve as good luck charms. I think that fit him perfectly based on what I learned about him.”

Before Melody could even go about pointing and asking about what stone the changeling had used for her own figure, Gemma produced a green stone and set it next to the whole statuette.

“That is a heliotrope. A bloodstone, as some call it. It signifies courage. You’ve shown such an incredible amount of courage and perseverance that I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to use this to represent you.” She pushed the statuette toward Melody and smiled. “So here, happy belated birthday, Melody.”

Tears formed in Melody’s eyes and her vision became a blur. She threw herself around Gemma's neck and hugged the changeling tightly, catching the recipient of her hug by surprise, as indicated by her stammering silence.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you so much,” Melody repeated time and time again, tears streaking down her cheeks. She let go of the mare’s neck, amused to find her catching her breath in her corner. Quick as a flash, the filly grabbed the emotional artifact in her magic, and she scrambled off to the door, waving at the confused mare. “Thank you again.”

Gemma waved back, although her confused expression failed all attempts at trying to stay hidden. There was a pregnant pause until the mare yanked on Melody’s tail with her magic and pulled her back a bit.

“One last thing!” She cleared her throat and moved toward the door with a casual trot, her hips still swaying eccentrically, her tail doing the very same thing. “Before you go to sleep, put your hoof on the crystallite support and think of your parents. My mother has a surprise in store for you.”

Melody nodded and ran off into the distance, a delightful step in her gait. She kept the statuette close to herself and moved forward, managing the streets with precise accuracy. Her previous ventures for all sorts of entertaining things certainly proved useful to her now.

♫

After taking a quick evening snack and brushing her teeth, Melody headed to her bedroom with a skip to her trot. She carefully slid through the door to see Choir already asleep. She moved on the tips of her hooves and had to summon every ounce of her will not to yelp when she lost her balance and plunged forward.

Her wings caught her at the last moment, the beating of said wings filling the room with their soft buzzing. Melody glanced over at Choir and heaved a sigh. She restored her balance and landed safely on the ground, making a mental note to avoid unnecessary precautions in the future.

She climbed into her bed and pulled the sheets over herself, directing her attention at the statuette sitting on her nightstand. She smiled and admired the incredible amount of details with a weak illumination spell.

Gemma’s words came back to her, and she closed her eyes. She had to think about her biological parents. Their images sprung in her mind, along with the desire to meet them, at least once, and hug them.

With Gemma’s instructions in her mind, Melody focused on the love she felt toward her parents. She let it consume her, and she reached for the crystal support with a shaking hoof. What was that surprise that Gemma had talked about?

She put down her hoof on the flat surface of the statuette, right in front of the three figures standing happily together as a family. Nothing happened at first. Her hoof just lay there, and nothing happened. Had Gemma made a fool out of her? Oh, she was going to give her a stern talking to if the mare took advantage of her gullibility.

She took her hoof back and whipped her head to the other side, staring at the wall. Anger swirled inside her, and she splayed her ears, gritting her teeth. Were her emotions mere playthings for those changelings?

Her vision blurred, and she shook her head, raising a leg and swinging down. She stopped her motion when she saw the reflection of a green light on the wall. Curious, she looked back to see the statuette glowing green, or at least the base did.

Curiosity again gripped her, and her eyes widened when she looked up at the three figures. Not only were they sharing an embrace, but now they genuinely moved, and she saw her parents nuzzle her smaller gem self as she stretched her legs around their necks as much as she could.

Tears streaked down her tears, and she smiled happily. Just below the three gem ponies was a tiny green heart shape that pulsed and beat. She let her hooves fall to her side, and she lay the side of her head on her pillow. She let a heavy sigh through her lips before closing her eyes.

“Good night, Mom. Dad,” she whispered softly, smiling all the way up to the ears.

Opportunities

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Melody rolled in her bed as the first rays of dawn gleaned through her window and shone down on her face. She scrunched up her nose and rolled away from the pesky sun. She cracked her eyes open and groaned, pulling the sheets over her head.

A few minutes went by, but sleep refused to reclaim her. Letting out another groan—a much louder one— she slowly got up on her bed, her mouth parting as a yawn filled the silence that had previously occupied her bedroom. She ran a hoof through her mane and looked around.

Choir wasn’t there. Melody tilted her head and scratched it while she tried to figure out where her sister had disappeared to. Had she overslept? She probably had. With a stifled grunt, she slid down from her bed and trudged her way to the kitchen, letting another yawn escape her lips in the process.

She looked about the kitchen and found her parents to be nowhere to be found. She rubbed her chin and moved toward the staircase, poking her head to look upstairs.

“Mom? Dad?” she called.

No answers. Melody shrugged. Maybe they were both out cold, and Choir had gone out to play with some friends. Or maybe she had a sleepover. Thoughts were muddled and disorganized in her brain.

“Huh. Well, I’ll get myself some breakfast, then,” Melody said plainly, moving back into the kitchen and getting everything necessary to start her day.

Her eyes drifted to the clock than hung above the fridge and she froze when she saw the time. It was ten in the morning?! Her eyes grew wide. Sweet Celestia, no wonder her parents and Choir were nowhere to be found. They had gone to one of Choir’s recitals.

That did mean she had the house all to herself, though. She finished preparing her breakfast and settled in a chair, gently levitating the bowl of cereal followed by a spoon once her breakfast was secured. She dug the spoon into the bowl and lifted the contents of the spoon up to her mouth when she heard a series of knocks coming from the door.

She perked her ears up as she munched on her breakfast—part of it anyway. Who could possibly be knocking on the door? She set down her spoon and slowly got down from the chair. She aimed for the door and chirped, “Coming!”

Her magic unlocked the door and her aura soon engulfed the doorknob. She opened the door with a chipper mood and a little bounce to her legs. Part of her was curious about who it was, but her mind hoped it was Raine or Cherry coming to hang out with her.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of an ebony-furred mare. At first, she squinted her eyes when the sun greeted her at the same time. She quickly recognized the mare when she managed to distinguish that orange mane and those dark purple eyes.

“Occento? What are you doing here?” Melody asked, tilting her head as she took a step back when the tall mare walked in and closed the door behind her.

“Call me Serenade, Melody,” she replied in her signature sing-song voice, ruffling Melody’s mane before shifting her attention and heading to the kitchen. “Come along, now. I need to discuss things with you.”

Melody arched an eyebrow. What was there to talk about? If anything, she was the one who could do the asking instead. There were quite a few things that swirled in her mind, and she needed answers. Not because she was overly curious, no. Far from that. She just wanted to be in the loop for once; she wanted to be included in something without having secrets kept from her.

Whatever Occento wanted to talk about, she was going to ask a few questions herself, including why the queen hadn’t shed her disguise yet. The changeling settled on a chair in the kitchen and eyed the bowl of cereal with a crooked, sly smile.

“Come on. I’m sure you’d like to finish your breakfast,” Occento said, gesturing a hoof at the hoof in front of her.

Melody maintained her frown. She made her way to her seat, looking at her bowl for a moment and contemplating if she wanted to finish it or hear Occento out first. Reluctantly—and after a few minutes of silence between the two—she pushed the bowl away and bore her gaze in Occento’s.

Occento arched an eyebrow and shuffled in her chair. She stared back at Melody, a playful glint in her eyes.

“Not going to finish breakfast?”

Melody shook her head. She wasn’t all that hungry anymore. She craved answers now. She readjusted in her seat and asked, “What’s the occasion, Occento?”

“Pardon?” Occento tilted her head, and her playful glance shifted to a confused one.

“What forced you out of Serenus Melodia? I thought you ran a busy hive.”

Occento visibly staggered from Melody’s venomous tone. Her smile faltered, and she narrowed her eyes. The queen flared her nostrils and shifted in her chair once more. Melody gulped once she realized she might have angered the temperamental mare. Not only this but if she continued on this path, she would likely spill the beans about her eavesdropping a month or so back.

“You.”

Okay, Melody had not expected that answer. Her lower lip dropped, and she stared back at Occento with wide eyes. She tried to find anything to say, but nothing managed to find its way outside of her mouth. Only stutters and stammers crawled their way out of her lips.

“Me? What’s so special about me that you’re taking time off to govern your city?” Melody asked after shaking her head.

“I’m sure you heard during your eavesdropping,” Occento started, wiggling her ears while her smile sprung back on her lips, “and we were aware of you eavesdropping, don’t worry. Crescere asked me to make it up to you for all the trouble you’ve gone through because of my decisions. And so I have come to do just that.”

If Melody’s cheeks could have burned any brighter, she would have turned completely pink. She splayed her ears over her mane, and she rubbed her hooves together. They knew. They knew!

Melody was pulled out of her panicking mind when she heard the sound of bits jingling together, and she looked at the source of the noise to see a large bag manifesting itself out of nowhere. Melody frowned as she tried to figure out how it worked until she remembered her stay in Serenus Melodia.

Oh, right. Occento was able to shift objects on her with a flick of her magic.

The bag was put down on the table and pushed toward Melody, the content on the bag grinding slowly on the smooth finish of the wooden table.

“Why are you giving me these bits, Occento?” Melody asked, pushing the bag away. She looked back at Occento with her mouth hanging wide open.

Occento remained in silence, staring at Melody. Melody looked back at her, perking her ears up. She wanted answers. And yet, Occento stayed seated, horn ignited with her aura. She lifted the bag, forcing the bits inside to jingle once more.

“I visited Canterlot some weeks ago and talked to a physician there about your case. She said that she might be able to fix your leg. You might or might not recover full mobility, but she said she could rid you of the pain permanently at least.”

Melody gestured at the bag of bits and raised an eyebrow at Occento after she had managed to fix the case of her gaping mouth for a second time. “What do those bits have to do with that?” she queried.

“This is half of the fee negotiated with the doctor. I talked it over with Crescere, and he agrees with my initiative. You will have to find a small job to help you gather bits for the other half of the payment. Preferably in the coming weeks. You don’t want to worsen your injury any more than possible.”

Melody’s ears drooped, and she felt something clench over her chest. Get a job? Couldn’t Occento have given her the whole thing so she could get rid of her injury as soon as possible? That didn’t seem like a good solution at all.

“Occen—“

“Serenade,” Occento said abruptly, making Melody frown and stare.

“Serenade,” Melody repeated, her voice veiled in mild annoyance, “Why should I have to get a job in the first place? Wait… I remember dad asking you to make it up to me. Is that your way of making it up to me? And dad agreed to it?”

Melody’s tone turned from annoyance to indignation and Occento hung her head as each word sank in as Melody’s voice got louder. Her stare turned into a glare, and she followed the mare’s gaze around.

“Occento—no, I’m not calling you Serenade. I’m twelve! Did you really think I would just accept that offering of peace because you suddenly feel guilty for letting one of your changeling mess up my leg after my dad gave you a stern talking too?

“Please! I’ve been told lies and kept in the shadows long enough to see fake emotions when I see them. So now, I want you to tell me exactly what Dad meant when he said you made me your heir? You are certainly not my mother, and I am tired of being kept out of the loop!”

Occento looked back with round and wide eyes. Her gaze shifted to the table, a deep breath inflating her chest before she let it out in a long sigh, closing her eyes after a few moments. Her fidgeting came to an end quickly soon after, resting her hooves on the table and bringing them together. She rubbed them and raised her head to stare back at the glare and frown of the white changeling sitting in front of her.

“Changeling medicine wouldn’t have saved you. I knew that more than anybody…”

“W-what? What are you saying? I should have died?” Melody shot back, her glare softening to a frown while her head craned to the right.

“That is precisely what should have happened. Despite what medicine we have in Serenus, we couldn’t save you. You were about to go into cardiac arrest when I took extreme measures. I am a universal donor, Melody.”

That choice of words hit Melody like a freight wagon, and all her defenses fell. Dead? She should have died that day? And Occento saved her…using her blood as a catalyst. She remained in silence, a lump growing in her throat.
Occento licked her lips, eyes looking down at the table.

“They tried everything they could and failed. As a desperate measure, I used my own blood for a transfusion and harmonized your body with the changeling cells. The change induced a coma, though, and you slept for a whole year. After that, I’m sure you know the rest of the story. Through your veins runs my blood—royal blood—and it marks you as my heir. Never worry, however. As long as I live, you are never going to rule, and even when I die, I will have made sure you will never have to either.”

Wait, after her death? Weren’t changelings queens almost ageless, like the alicorns were rumored to be? Melody’s lips quivered as she tried to process all that information. Was that her punishment for seeking truth she wasn’t supposed to know just yet? She stretched a hoof forward and let it fall flat on the table a few inches away from Occento.

Melody withdrew her hoof and looked away, blinking more times than necessary, the dampness under her eyes slowly drying off. She took a deep breath, her mane and ears deflating on her head with each throbbing second that passed, making her intensely aware that her mind and heart ached. She sought more. She needed to know more.

“What does that mean for me? Am I going to change further…Am I going to do like a caterpillar and change forms when I reach maturity?” Melody inquired once her breathing had evened out, though the rubbing of her hooves remained in spite of that.

And like that, the dramatic tension that had once occupied the kitchen some few minutes before vanished. Laughter instead replaced it, with Occento lurching forward and exploding in a fit of giggles, putting her hooves to cover her mouth. One glance at Melody was all it took her for Occento to direct her attention elsewhere.

“Oh, sweet, sweet chitin,” Occento began, her voice barely containing her laughter without drawing large breaths and holding them in. “You are a treat, Melody. But you will not change at all. You’ll remain you, grow up with this form you currently have and everything else is going to be relatively fine.

“Now then,” she coughed, pushing that chair away from the table and springing to her hooves. Her aura latched on the sack of bits once more and she pushed it all the way over to Melody. “I insist you keep it. You will need it far more than I will, especially if you want to become a royal guard.”

Melody’s maw dropped momentarily once she made the connection and rolled her eyes. Changelings. Ugh. She didn’t mind being one, but discussing with Occento was always awkward. It was like all her secrets were put on display; an open book just about anypony could take and borrow from without restraint

Melody sighed, though her ears perked up from the sight of the changeling queen trotting away from the table. She returned her attention to Occento, her visage still very much red from the embarrassment that had befallen her.

“Where are you going?” she asked quietly, eyeing boring in Occento’s.

“Home. I’ve done my part here. All I can do now is wish you good luck. Have a good day, Melody,” Occento said in return, waving her hoof and smiling warmly.

Melody remained in her seat and watched in silence as Occento disappeared in the small hallway of the house. Creaks split the silence, and she heard a series of hoofsteps step out, followed by the forceful slam of the door, magic locking it from the other side. Melody arched an eyebrow. Why even bother knocking at the door?

Left with her thoughts only, Melody eyed the bits and got up. She scooped them up in her magic and dragged herself to her room, thoughts roaming her brain all the while. She possessed Occento’s blood. She was her heir, something Crescere had been denied from birth. Speaking of Crescere, if she was technically the queen’s heir, did that mean she was sister to…

“Nope, nope, nope!” she cried vehemently, throwing herself on her bed and slamming her muzzle on her fluffy pillow.

♫

“I’m afraid we’re not hiring currently, miss. And we’re certainly not desperate enough to hire fillies to work here,” said the owner of the bakery, barely paying any heed to Melody.

For her part, Melody cocked her head back and let a tiny gasp. Desperate? Was this mare implying that the only way somepony was going to hire her was out of a desperate need for employees? Surely there was somepony out there that would not mind hiring her. She had plenty of perks to offer too.

For the past week, she had taken Occento’s advice to heart and had since then been going from place to place that seemed like nice, inviting, and interesting places. This specific bakery, The Sweet Embrace, looked inviting enough at first, although first impressions rarely lived up to the real thing.

The insides, what with the various brown and white sections of the walls, looked bland at best to Melody. They didn’t seem inviting at all. Not to her. As she looked at the overall atmosphere and the cramped space available, Melody began to ask herself why she had even considered that confectionary shop.

With a huff and puff, she swirled back, flicking her mane and tail, and lifted her nose. “You could have at least been polite about it. Good day, ma’am!”

And with that, she left the shop, her fur bristling with the raw indignation of her treatment. Still, she knew better. She opted against slamming the door shut. She let the door settle back nicely inside its frame while she trotted down the street, each of her step falling harder than the last.

What a farce! If that was how Melody was going to get treated, she might as well call it quits early, then. But that would likely mean she’d never get her leg fixed in any foreseeable future. Her chest sank, and she let out a sigh. Of course, that was the only condition that Melody cared about. All in all, she had to give Occento due respects. She had played her game well.

Melody hung her head. Another place to cross off her list, then. That had been the twentieth refusal she had received throughout the week, although the other owners were far politer about their reasons for refusing Melody as an employee than that stuck-up unicorn at that bakery.

She kicked a pebble in the distance and just growled in annoyance. At this rate, she was never going to find anypony that wouldn’t mind hiring her. She pulled a notebook and a pen from her saddlebags, and she crossed the name of the Sweet Embrace. She wasn’t ever going back there, that was for sure.

Her list was nearing its end, and she still had no results showing up for getting a job. She did find most of them to be right. She was far too young to be holding any kind of job. But where most would otherwise fail, she could maybe succeed thanks to her shapeshifting abilities. Being a changeling had its perks

As she looked at the remaining names on her list, a sigh wormed its way through her lips, and she stopped in her track.

“Be realistic, Melody. Who would ever empathize and offer a job to a twelve-year-old filly?” she asked out loud, dragging her hooves to a nearby bench.

Looking about, she was surprised that winter didn’t affect the Empire as it did Canterlot. While the streets of Canterlot were covered in snow, the Empire’s streets still had their glimmering, shimmering charm, unbothered by even a single speck of snow. Such was the power of the Heart. Or something like that. She didn’t quite remember Cadance’s exact words during the tour of the Palace and the lecture about the history of the Crystal Empire.

Not that anypony could blame her for that. A lot had happened in these short few months. She knew far more about herself than she did in years, and she had Wishing and Astral to thank for that.

Her mind was pulled out of its musing when the chime of bells resounded in the distance. She lifted her eyes to meet the source of the disturbance and she blinked. At the corner of Cluster Street was a building with a new sign on it that read “The Sweetspot.” That hadn’t been there a few days before. In fact, that very same building had been empty when she had made her rounds a week before. What were the odds?

Her eyes met and followed a cream-colored pegasus mare that held a small sign. Melody felt her breath become much more erratic, having to hold it down. Was this going to be a new place to work at or a potential place to try?

And so, her prayers were answered when that mare hung a “Now Hiring” sign in the window. Melody had to bite down the urge to rush up to the mare and talk to her, but that wouldn’t be right. Instead, she waited for the mare to go back inside once she had thoroughly inspected that the sign was well positioned, as well as taking another look at the front of her new place.

Once she went back inside, Melody took the opportunity. She leaped from the bench and quickly approached the building, uncaring to the weird looks she got as she beelined for her newfound objective.

She stopped in front of the door, hoof half extended to take a leap of faith. Doubt wrestled her enthusiasm, and she put her hoof down for a moment. What if she got rejected by the owner? What if she was left without a job, without an opportunity to fix her leg and achieve her dream. She was sure that without the full mobility of her leg, there was naught she could do efficiently

She shook her head. She was better off rid of those thoughts. She inhaled deeply and pushed the door open. Her ears splayed as the chime of those bells fell on her, and she jumped to the side, barely stifling a shriek.

Of course, that was enough to draw the attention of the mare, who poked her head from outside the door frame by the back of the room. She looked at Melody with wide eyes, her head quickly adopting a tilt, all the while maintaining a smile.

“Hello there! I’m afraid I’m not open for business yet, darling. I’ll have to ask you to come back in about a week if you’re interested in buying anything here,” she said with a sweet voice, the underlying hint of curious mirth swirling around her.

Deep breaths, inhales and exhales. Melody’s body started shaking like a leaf, and her vision fell to her hooves. Doubt once again wormed its way through her mind and paralyzed her

“Actually,” Melody muttered, lifting her eyes despite the anxiety eating her every thought, “I saw the sign on the window. I’m currently looking for a job!

Even she didn’t believe herself. That was off to a fantastic beginning. But she held fast. This wasn’t going to be like the other times. She would use her changeling abilities if she needed to.

The mare’s expression fell, and she retreated to the room at the back for a few moments, coming back out to meet Melody face to face, a worried and skeptical look on face. Melody couldn’t blame the mare. She stopped prodding emotions around her and met the other’s gaze.

“Darling, you’re not meeting the working age. If I hire you and get caught, I could get in big trouble.”

And there it was. Melody was sure this was going to be summoned at first. After all, that’s how every visit to a business went. They looked at her, gauged her too young and turned her away before she had a chance to explain herself.

“So I’ve been told, ma’am. I promise you I have good reasons for asking around,” Melody said calmly. One step at a time, she repeated in her mind. She hoped this mare would take the bait and poke the topic further. Otherwise, her search would resume its course.

The pegasus nodded, arching an eyebrow. She sat down and raised a leg to rub her chin. Maybe panic mode was considerably more tempting now. But no, Melody ignored the antics of her brain and focused on the mare in front of her.

“I’m listening.”

Melody gulped, drowning her ears in the process. Her heart thrashed about in her chest. Sweat started rolling down her brow. What if she wasn’t convincing enough? She’d most likely get thrown out with no further lead on where to get a job.

Melody focused her gaze deep into the mare’s forest green eyes. She saw interest and curiosity deep in those pupils, which only made it harder for her. That meant she would have to impress, or at least make a good impression.

She could do this. She just had to believe in herself and in the fact her story could reach this mare’s heart. She took another deep breath, puffing her chest. She could do this.

“An incident made me a cripple of sorts,” she said, getting up and pulling her left leg back, much to her dismay as the muscles clenched and sent lightning through her body, “and I only recently learned that a surgeon in Canterlot could try and get it fixed. My parents can’t provide much to pay for this surgery. They suggested I could seek a job to help pay for it.”

Further sweat rolled down Melody’s brow. Now that the arrow had been knocked, it was all up to the mare to decide if she wanted to believe Melody or not. Besides, Melody had done nothing but tell the truth.

The mare nodded all throughout Melody’s little speech. She remained silent a few minutes after the filly was done and just peered down at the disguised changeling. Melody, for her part, gulped loudly and hoped that it was enough to convince the mare.

“An admirable goal, I admit. I wasn’t expecting something like this. However, the problem still remains that I cannot hire because of your age.”

Of course, the return of the usual song. Age and whatever. Melody didn’t let that bring her down. She had been expecting a response like that. At least, she now knew that this mare believed her story enough to want to consider hiring her.

Determination returned to her, replacing the dejection from many days and hours of countless rejections all over the Empire. If her current form wasn’t apt for the job, she’d just have to make a new one. She just needed an image in her head. She shook her head. Copying looks from somepony else was easy, but it was just identity theft. She needed a brand new personality.

Instantly, the thought of her mother crossed her mind. She could use those colors to fuel her working appearance. Not the same shape, though. She would never be able to look at Wishing if the bat pony ever caught her wearing Lilac’s face. A shiver ran through Melody’s spine, and she bit her lip.

Think quick, she repeated in her mind; the ticking of the clock at the back of the room now surprisingly louder than it used to be. A chubbier form, maybe with a bit of pudge, not unlike Cherry’s pudge, came to her head. That wasn’t a bad idea. And not a unicorn. Definitely not a unicorn. That would give it away.

Now, a bat pony was just perfect. Melody willed her horn to life, drawing a deep breath. Numbing serenity invaded her, and her body relaxed while bright emerald flames engulfed her, eliciting a sharp gasp from the pegasus mare. Melody didn’t see it, but she heard the mare stumbling back, or rather felt the ground vibrate under her hooves.

Once the smokeless fire disappeared, sparing the floor of a charred fate, Melody was replaced by a taller mare, with a bit more weight than she ever had as a filly. Her mane had turned from bright green to dark pink, but her coat had not changed color at all. Her muzzle felt longer, but definitely not as long as those models in the magazines Coral read at home.

Slim, athletic legs pawed at the floor, and she stood proudly in front of the cream-colored pony. Smirking, she puffed her fuzzy chest—her now much shorter mane barely grazing her shoulders, with a few strands licking away at her nape every time she moved her head—while she attempted to inspect her disguise’s every detail. It was a shame she lacked a mirror to look at her creation.

She released her breath, her chest sinking while a chuckle shook her chest and throat. She spread her leathery wings and stretched her legs, popping her back at the same time. She did quickly refrain from doing it any further when her hind leg had its differences with her. It felt weird to her to be in a much taller body.

“Y-you’re a ch-ch-changeling?” the mare asked with trembling lips, slowly backing away from Melody.

The filly-turned-mare nodded and let her magic engulf her form once more, pink mane washing down in strings of green hair that gracefully fell over her back and shoulders while her tail did the same to the floor.

Bright golden changeling eyes stared in the mare’s green eyes. Melody sat down while the two shared their staring contest, although Melody declared this mare the winner by looking at the empty space of the building around her. The darkly lit room, surrounded by dark gray walls and dark blue floors offered no warmth whatsoever.

Had this mare thought a setup like this would allow her to make a living? The building, save for the sign outside, was so unattractive that Melody thought she might lurch from all the negativity that seeped from the walls.

She flared her nostrils and wiggled her nose, sitting in front of the mare and planting her gaze deep into those eyes again.

“Yes, I am a changeling,” Melody finally replied, raising a hoof to point at her chest and the fur that stood out from it. “Half changeling, anyway.”

The filly expanded her senses again, nearly gagging when the stench of fear hit her nostrils. She grimaced and turned her eyes away from the mare. Yet, hidden underneath the thick layer of fear was the sweet strawberry scent of curiosity. Melody furrowed her brow. This mare was curious despite all of this.

She had expected her to run and hide somewhere until she had gone, but she remained there, unmoving as an icicle. Her tail flicked a few times, and her ears were perked at attention. “So, you aren’t here to drain me of my love?”

This time, Melody groaned, and she rolled her eyes. Of course, the draining part had to be mentioned. A timeless classic for changeling-fearing ponies. Although Melody only had Ocean Breeze as somepony else that embraced that ideology, she couldn’t deny that it was probably a rampant feat after the events of Canterlot.

She shook her head. “No, I am not,” she responded lightly. “I’m here to try and get a job and pay for future surgery.”

A sigh of relief washed over the silence of the large room. The mare began to breathe normally, a hoof coming to rest on her chest as she tried to get her breathing as stable as possible. She slowly pushed herself off the ground with her wings, carefully landing back on the floor, eyes locked on Melody.

The filly could feel the stare peering into her, observing all that she was. The atrocious aroma of distrust and wariness made Melody wrinkle her nose. And yet the curiosity remained. Not too preoccupied with the idea of prodding that tinge of curiosity tingling her nose, Melody instead focused on the mare.

“And if it’s any comfort, I can dine on regular food. Half changeling and all,” Melody added, giving a smile to the mare, who replied with her own, although it looked and felt very much forced.

But more and more, the mare’s lips pursed into a full smile ere long, and she looked back at Melody with that growing smirk, eyes glimmering with intents unknown to the filly. What was she thinking about? For that matter, why was she looking at her like that? It was a bit off-putting, if not a lot.

The mare leaned closer, offering a hoof to Melody. The recipient of that gesture stared back and tilted her head, mouth gaping only slightly. “Proper introductions might be in order, then. My name is Sweet Tooth. Why don’t you start by telling me your name?”

Rise to the Occasion

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Peaceful days at school seemed to be a luxury, Melody assessed. Well, ponies usually left her alone after her little stunt with Clear Cut, so somepony had apparently learned a lesson. That made Melody happy. She wiggled her ears a bit, her smile broadening while she listened to Choir’s story.

Her sister talked, but her mind rapidly drifted elsewhere. Of course, she kept on nodding, laughing when she heard Cherry and Raine laugh on either side, but that was the best she had to offer. It had already been a month since she met with Sweet Tooth and her little altercation with the guards shortly after. Which, obviously enough for Melody, ended up backfiring in Sweet Tooth’s face and left the mare with no other option than to apologize. At that rate, the whole ‘tell the guards’ thing was going to become a recurring gag for the changeling.

After the dust had settled between them, Sweet Tooth was kind enough to offer Melody the job she had been craving. Not a bad deal, all in all. At least, Melody didn’t have to scour the city in search work anymore. Although, the earful she got from her parents after everything had been talked over still rung in her ears. When the changeling learned that she could have gotten her parents’ written consent to go around the age restriction, she had felt pretty stupid. Especially after all the trouble she had gone through to weave a new disguise just for Sweet Tooth’s shop.

“And then, just as Beryl opened her mouth to sing, this super loud belch comes out instead. The look on her face was priceless when everypony started laughing!” Choir let out before cackles swept her away.

Melody cracked a grin at that finale, but quickly hid it away when she took notice of Clear Cut and a bunch of his friends trotting nearby. The colt glared back at Melody, but that was the least of her concerns.

If he tried anything again to hurt Raine, she would bare her fangs. When he walked past the four of them, tail flicking behind him while he pinned his ears back, Melody turned her glare away to refocus on her friends and was met with concerned expressions before her own softened. Cherry stared back with a quirked eyebrow. Melody hung her head and sighed. There was no hiding her intents from the Earth Pony.

“I am not going after him. I’m sure he learned his lesson after our last encounter,” Melody said, flicking her ears up.

“Hey! Aren’t you tired of hanging around with that Canterlot freak?” a voice shouted from behind them.

Melody instantly turned around and glared at the source of the voice, a colt, probably in the same grade as she was. Her fur bristled, deep breaths flaring out of her nostrils while her tail whipped the air. She got up from her bench, although a hoof caught her own, Cherry’s if the white leg she saw from the corner of her eye was any indication.

“I won’t hurt him. Let me go, Cherry!” she hissed, slipping her hoof free of her friend’s hold. She wasn’t going to let something like that ruin Raine’s day. Not on her watch.

Besides, there was nothing Cherry could do to prevent what Melody had in store for this colt. Nothing too bad, of course. She was just going to have a little talk with him. Melody looked at Cherry and smiled, her magic making her fangs lengthen and her pupils shift to vertical slits. “I promise.”

“Fine,” Cherry said, curling her lips in a pout. She rolled her eyes and shifted her attention to Raine. “But no hurting him. I’ll take care of Raine in the meantime.”

Melody nodded. She had Cherry’s blessing, and that was all that mattered. She looked at Raine to see her friend resting her head on the table, ears splayed on her mane. Anger swirled inside Melody, and she ground her teeth, but she took a deep breath. Anger didn’t need to take over every time. Anger wasn’t going to help her friend. But fear would.

She took it slow at first, each of her step calm and steady, carrying her toward the colt that had called Raine a freak. She narrowed her eyes and huffed. That upstart even sported a grin! Melody cocked her head and smirked, letting a scoff through her teeth.

“What did you say?!” Melody asked, her tail swishing behind her.

The colt’s grin slowly melted away, and he took a step back while Melody kept on drawing closer and closer. His ears flicked, but stayed atop his head, while his eyes darted back and forth between her and his surroundings.

“That she was a freak…?” he repeated slowly, gulping and taking another step back. It looked like Melody’s fangs and eyes worked surprisingly well with ponies.

“And do you know who I am?” she asked in a low growl. She snarled and wrinkled her nose. Each of her steps turned to light stomps. Her tail continued to lash out at the air, even after the colt had backed himself on the fence of the courtyard.

He froze when he sensed the cold metal, looking back and slowly turning to face Melody with a nervous smile. He tucked his tail between his legs and Melody wasted no time in pressing her muzzle against his. She pushed a foreleg on his chest, and she could have sworn she heard a whimper come from him. When he failed to respond to her question, she snarled again. He tensed and opened his mouth, stutters about the only thing that parted from his lips.

“Do you know who I am?” she repeated dryly. She shoved her hoof on his chest again, this time much harder than before. He nodded, and she pushed herself away when he did. “Good. Then, this is going to be simple. Raine is one of my best friends. If I see you bullying her or say mean things to her again, I’ll remind you of where we stand. Is that clear?”

The colt nodded and was quick to skedaddle away the moment Melody put down her hoof and backed away from him. A grin washed over her snarl, and she waggled her eyebrows while she donned her usual appearance once more. She flicked her ears before she turned around to see Choir and Raine flocked to Cherry’s sides. Something about it felt wrong to Melody, though. Her white-furred friend looked distraught for some reason. Melody arched an eyebrow and trotted back to her friends.

“Cheer up, Cherry! You know how cutie marks are! Don’t worry too much about it!” Choir chirped as she looped her legs around Cherry.

Melody frowned. Had Cherry shared something about cutie marks with those two? She opened her mouth but quickly shut it when she noticed a hint of black on Cherry’s flank. Had her friend finally gotten her cutie mark? She squinted and tried to peer, but Cherry moved a hoof to cover what little Melody had seen. The changeling shrugged and went to sit in front of her friends and sister, pressing a hoof to her chin and tilting her head to the left.

“So, what’s with all the excitement?” Melody asked, drawing all attention to her, save for Cherry’s.

Her best friend instead kept on looking down at the table, silent. Cherry breathed out a long sigh and hugged one leg with the other, sometimes biting at her lips. Cherry wasn’t usually like that. Something was wrong, obviously, but what? Did it have something to do with the cutie mark? Weren’t they cause for excitement? So then, why was Cherry looking so glum all of a sudden? It wasn’t like her at all. After all, Cherry would never keep secrets hidden from Melody. They were friends. Friends told each other secrets all the time.

“Don’t mind Cherry. She got her cutie mark! I’m so excited for her, but I think she’s overthinking what her cutie mark is all about,” Raine answered, giving Cherry’s shoulder a few pats.

Melody nodded, but she saw the disappointment in Cherry’s eyes. She flicked her tongue out and drew in a long breath. Fear and disappointment swirled around Melody abundantly, and she barely managed to keep the gagging feeling inside of her under control. She lurched over and tried her best to smile. She perked her ears up and clapped her hooves, though.

Cherry lifted her eyes and Melody saw the pain reflected in them. Something was up. Something felt wrong. There was definitely something that Melody didn’t know or understand about Cherry’s reluctance to this cutie mark of hers. And it worried Melody. Cherry was an upbeat, optimistic and cheerful filly. She wasn’t the sort to let something like that bring her down!

“That’s great, Cherry! Come on! Show some more excitement! You only get one cutie mark, after all!” Melody chimed, climbing on the table and reaching out to nuzzle the earth pony’s.

Cherry wrinkled her nose and backed away, staring at Melody with wide eyes. Melody’s smile widened, and she wiggled her ears again. A small smile cracked through Cherry’s pout, but it was short-lived. The earth pony’s eyes sank to her shuffling hooves again while her smile melted away.

“Y-yeah. I guess…” Cherry replied with a sigh before turning away and rising from her seat.

Melody wanted to rise from her seat and try to figure things out, but it wouldn’t do Cherry any good. It was like when she first got adopted. When she lashed out at Coral and later sent home, Cherry listened to her because she needed someone to talk to. Melody didn’t like the logic behind it, but she sighed and followed Cherry as she headed back to the school, this time noting the twin masks on the filly’s flanks. Melody blinked and peered at the cutie mark. For a moment, she thought that one of the masks was over the other. She shook her head. She was probably just seeing things.

♫

Melody clapped her hooves when she saw Coral come in the room, carrying a tray on her back, four steaming cups resting on said tray. The Crystal pony mare smiled and looked at Melody with a waggle of her eyebrows and Melody perked up her ears, rolling her eyes before she pressed a hoof to her forehead.

“Sorry, Mom,” she said, igniting her horn and grabbing the tray in her aura. “I kinda forgot that the room is a bit packed.”

Once rid of her weight, Coral gave a wave of her hoof and smiled, pulling out her tongue shortly after. Melody returned the smile, though she kept on concentrating on her task of carrying the tray down in the middle of the pillow fort that she occupied with Choir and her friends.

“Don’t you worry about it, sweetie.”

Cherry and Raine both grabbed a cup in their hooves while Choir dragged one to her lips with her magic. All the while, Melody noticed Coral’s watchful eyes still set on the four of them, that smile persisting still.

“Enjoy your sleepover, girls. And remember, don’t talk too loudly. Rising’s had a hard and busy day, and he wants to rest up tonight.”

The four nodded and turned to Coral with smiles on their snouts. The mare nodded in return and turned around, carefully closing the door behind. As soon as her parental presence was gone, all four fillies put down their cups and looked at each other while giggles erupted amidst the pillows and blankets.

Melody lifted her mug to take a sip of her hot cocoa but stopped her motion, gazing at her drink as the thoughts of what she had done to that colt and how Cherry had reacted to her decision to take action surfaced. She knew Cherry was different in that aspect, and she would be lying if she said that she hadn’t enjoyed putting that colt in his place.

But what if she hadn’t been justified in doing what she did? What if she wasn’t in the right for defending her friend? She was sure she was right in doing what she did. Unlike Cherry, she knew and understood that bullying wouldn’t stop by just ignoring the bullies.

Somepony had to act and stand up for those who couldn’t. But what if Cherry was right and she could just walk away? No, she couldn’t stand there and watch as other fillies and colts hurt her friends in front of her eyes. She would not stand by and do nothing about a situation she had power over.

She was justified in her actions. She wanted to defend her friends. What was so wrong with that? Why was Cherry so adamant that it wasn’t the right thing to do? She didn’t want to stand on the sidelines again. She was justified by Coral’s words. When they tried to convince the principal to stop Cherry’s mom from pulling her out of the school, Coral told her to fight for what she held dear. Fighting back the bullies was her way of defending those she held dear.

“Equestria to Melody. Are you still with us?”

Melody’s ears shot up, and she pulled her head back up to see Choir looking at her with a slight tilt of her head, her brows furrowed. Her cup of hot cocoa floated carefully above her hooves. The other two fillies giggled at her reaction and heat flushed over her cheeks.

“I know Mom’s hot cocoa is dreamy, but that’s a bit too dreamy.”

Chitters filled the room as Raine and Cherry tried to hold their laughter. Melody rolled her eyes and later frowned at her friends, which only made them glance at each other, hooves pressed to their lips. Whatever failed attempts they tried to summon to not laugh at Melody were in vain.

Besides, before she could get properly mad at her friends, the laughing frenzy crept up to her, and before long, all four ponies were laughing in a cheery mirth. Melody brought her cup of cocoa to her lips and drank a significant portion of the cup’s content, exhaling a large puff of steam from her mouth.

The thought of using her magic to imitate the appearance of a dragon crossed her mind as she watched the steam disappear, although she was met with disappointment when she reminded herself that she was not proficient with her magic to go that far. Her ears slowly drooped before springing back up when she saw Choir take a deep breath, much like how she did when she was about to sing.

“I’m curious. Now that we all have our cutie marks, except for Melody of course, what do you all want to do?” Choir inquired, moving her mug slightly to lean in while she gave the other residents curious looks, grinning as Melody’s frowning expression came into her line of sight.

Raine was the first one to react, giving a slight shrug and flicking her ears proudly. She, however, looked at Cherry before saying anything, extending a hoof towards the Earth Pony. “I think we should let Cherry speak first. After all, she did just get her cutie mark. We need to properly celebrate that!” she chirped in a sing-song voice, although it held no equal to Choir’s voice.

Melody shifted her attention to spot Cherry shrinking in her spot. If she continued anymore, she would likely vanish into her blanket entirely. Why was she so afraid to speak, or at least appeared too scared to speak up? Out of respect for her friend, Melody decided on not probing her emotions and the air around her, as curious as she was. Instead, she wiggled her ears and nose as she stared.

But Cherry still didn’t speak up. Her gaze met with the floor, and her ears flattened on her head. What was so powerful that it could turn the optimistic Cherry Blossom into a pessimistic pony? It had something to do with her cutie mark, that much was clear. Even when she got her cutie mark, her reaction hadn’t been cheerful or enthusiastic, so what was wrong?

As the silence filled the bedroom, Raine’s ears wiggled before flattening over her mane while her smile fell. She swiped a hoof near her ear, scooping up the stray strands of hair that escaped the bulk of her flowing mane. She looked at Choir, who shrugged and tilted her head as she cast her gaze to Cherry and then Melody.

Melody shook her head when she saw where Raine’s eyes pointed. She did not want to intrude on Cherry’s personal feelings. It felt wrong to do it on personal friends. If Cherry wanted to tell them something, she would tell them.

“Okay,” Raine said slowly, her voice dragging on a bit. She cleared her throat and smiled once more, reaching forward to Cherry. She stopped in her motion before her hoof could reach the earth pony. Raine slowly sat back down in her spot and withdrew her hoof. “It’s okay if you don’t want to go first. Choir, do you want to share anything?”

Choir nodded, her ears flaring back to life. She flicked her tail and wiggled her nose, clearing her throat. “When I’m done with secondary school, I want to move to Canterlot and audition at the Royal Canterlot Choir. That, or try to make a career out of singing solo. What about you, Raine?”

Raine shot her nose upward and grinned, a snicker escaping through her teeth. She wiggled her flank, showing off the combination of the moon, clouds, and stars that made up her cutie mark and waved her hoof in an arc in front of her. “I’m going to enroll at the Royal Observatory to become a great astronomer, like my parents, and dutifully serve Luna as her Stargazer!”

Choir’s eyebrows furrowed, staring at Raine. She tilted her head in reply, as did Melody. She remembered it had something to do with being close to Luna, but that was as far as her memory could reach, rubbing the back of her head with a frown when Choir looked back, grimacing with her eyebrows perked up.

“The name sounds familiar, but could you explain it differently so that I can understand you better?” Choir asked, her gaze meeting up with Raine’s once she flared her nostrils at Melody’s shrug.

Raine blinked, the realization flashing across her face. She blushed for but a moment and smiled, offering a brief nod. “Oh. Sorry. Stargazers are Luna’s personal assistants, as far as I’m aware. My parents go places for her and otherwise work as confidants and advisers to the princess. And they, of course, help the princess organize and rearrange the night sky as a result of their trips around Equestria.”

Choir nodded and smiled, wiggling her ears and swishing her tail behind her. Melody pursed her lips at that reaction, eliciting a slight giggle from the changeling at the same time. Although that did make her think about herself. What did she want to do? What would she do after school was over? She pondered becoming a guard before, but would she be able to carry on with that dream? What if her leg couldn’t be fixed at all?

So, then what? What could she do? She couldn’t just work at Sweet Tooth’s shop for the rest of her life. But she also wanted to tie the loose ends of her life. She knew her parents now, but she wanted to know why Star had run away from Wishing and Astral. It didn’t make sense. Why would he do that when their parents were their best friends?

And, she also wanted to embrace the changeling culture that half of her belonged to. But if Occento used her blood to save her, did that make her a full changeling instead of being half changeling? Was that how that worked in the first place? Were hybrids a thing at all? They had to be! It was what everypony used to describe her as before, so they had to be real.

She blinked when a hoof appeared in her vision. The world around slowly came back to life, the blurs vanishing and allowing the room’s soft lavender hues to surround her once more. Her ears perked up, and she traced the hoof back to its owner, staring at a frowning Choir. Had she zoned out again?

“Melody? Are you okay? You haven’t been as talkative as you usually are. Neither has Cherry, for that matter. Did something happen between you two that I need to know about?” Choir asked, her eyes sometimes darting in Cherry’s direction, her ears flicking and her gaze hardening as she alternated between her friends.

Nothing had happened between them, except for the gazes—almost glares at that point—they exchanged when Melody decided to take the bullying matter into her own hooves. She had expected some form of backlash from her friend, but it never came. Instead, she kept to herself.

Melody offered a shrug, shaking her head and picking up her mug to empty the contents of her drink, pinning her ears and sighing once the hot cocoa was no more. She cast her gaze to Cherry, curious to see if her friend would have any kind of response, but the only thing that she got was the earth pony still avoiding every glance aimed at her. “Not to my knowledge. She hasn’t talked to me all week either. Has she been that way to you too?” Melody asked, turning her head to spot Choir and Raine’s nodding heads.

Melody sighed once more. She wanted to do so much more for her friend, but she knew she could do little if Cherry insisted on remaining silent. Her ears dropped flat on her mane when the realization struck her: this was exactly how she behaved when she was told she would live in the Empire. Well, to a degree, as she remembered being more destructive to those around her, but similarities were forming in her mind.

The changeling shook her head briefly. Happy thoughts. She needed happy thoughts. Or a distraction. She managed to get another look at Cherry’s cutie mark. Those twin masks that adorned her flank were oddly familiar, but she simply could not find what they meant or where she’d seen them. Not that it mattered. She had her perfect distraction there.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll work something out soon. In the meantime, I’m really curious about your cutie mark, Cherry. What do you think it means?” Melody chirped, her eyes finding Cherry’s. The filly’s ear perked up, and she stared back with an incredulous expression.

Cherry’s eyes escaped Melody’s gaze once more, finding the ground for the umpteenth time. She looked at her flank for but a moment and her ears crashed on her mane instantly. Was she that ashamed of her cutie mark? Or maybe she was afraid of what it meant. But that would mean she already knew what it meant. Did cutie marks work that away? Was a pony supposed to instantly know what their cutie mark meant? For the life of her, she couldn’t remember anypony explaining that to her.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” was all Cherry responded with, burying her muzzle in the purple blanket she currently rested on.

Melody wrinkled her nose. Why was Cherry so opposed to this? Was there something she didn’t understand about that cutie mark. She wanted to get to the bottom of this, but she didn’t want to prod too much either. Already, she felt like she’d done it enough.

“I’m rather curious, as well,” Raine said calmly, although the twitching of her wings and tail betrayed her tone. “That cutie mark reminds me of the masks associated with theater and the dramatic art. Maybe it’s a sign that our Cherry is going to become a performer when she grows up!”

Raine clapped her hooves together excitedly. That excitement, however, was not met in kind by Choir and Melody. The latter furrowed her brow and shook her head. This wasn’t what Cherry needed. Not now. If she said that she didn’t want to talk about it, then they shouldn’t make her speak about it. Maybe she could have a taste of her friend’s emotions, after all.

She took a deep breath. Was this even a good idea in the first place? What would Cherry say if she found out? Well, it wasn’t like she needed to find out. No! Bad Melody. She nudged herself mentally, urging herself to not resort to methods like this. Maybe, just maybe, Cherry just needed time to deal with whatever she was dealing with.

Melody lifted her hoof for a moment, the attention of everypony soon gathering to her and she cleared her throat. “Maybe we should change the topic. Let’s talk final projects instead! Choir, what do you think yours will be about?”

♫

Were it not for the fact that she was in class, Melody would have been bouncing around the room. She wiggled in her chair, tail swishing behind her while she eyed Coral busying herself on some pieces of paper scattered across her desk. Noises and merry chitters filled the air, but she cared not for those.

Her ears flicked briefly, the soft buzz of the chatter around her finally invading her ears when she felt a hoof gently prod her leg. Her ears flattened to her mane, and she turned to her left to see Cherry staring back at her with that cheerful and enthusiastic smile. The one she almost always had. It felt good to see her best friend back to normal after whatever tough times she was having after getting her cutie mark.

Melody smiled back, wiggling her nose and pushing herself closer to the earth pony. She took a deep breath, trying to taste the air as subtly as possible. There was a lot of excitement in the air, but there were too many different emotions in the classroom to single out Cherry’s. Despite that, it was clear that her friend was just as excited.

They exchanged a brief nod before Cherry returned her attention to the front of the room. Meanwhile, Melody turned her head back and looked at Raine, smiling and nodding at the pegasus. Raine replied with a smile of her own, her eyes shimmering while she exchanged her attention between Melody and Cherry.

“Okay, class! Today’s the big day!” There was a slight moment of silence that accompanied Coral’s voice before it was overtaken by a round of stomping. Melody winced a bit, not participating for reasons she deemed... obvious. “Okay, okay. Let’s all calm down, children. I know you’re excited, but there will be plenty of time to be excited after class!”

Her voice carried a soft mirth, and her steps bounced as she tiptrotted between the desks, a smile spread along her lips. Whatever the project was, Melody was even more excited than before. Her classmates’ excitement eventually dwindled down, and before long, Coral was back at the front, facing the class.

“As you all know, I will be unveiling the topic on which you all will need to work on to present at the end of the year. This year has been exceptional for the Empire. Not only did it reappear, but it is now home to a diversity of ponies from all over Equestria thanks to the efforts put in place by the princesses,” Coral continued, practically putting on a show at this point.

Many of Melody’s fellow students looked back at each other, the veil of confusion started to stain the scent of the room. Melody noticed furrowed brows as she looked right and left. Her eyes met with Cherry’s, and the only thing the earth pony had to offer was a shrug. Where was her mother going on with this? What was with the needless exposition?

“To commemorate this diversity, your project will see you paired in teams of three and will be very personal. You will have to spend time with one of your teammate’s family to learn more about them, where they came from and how they came to come to the Empire to later present it to the class. You can bring visual support at the time of presentation, but it is not obligatory.”

Chitters and squeals briefly erupted in the room. Melody’s smile climbed to her ears while she listened, her ears perked all the way up. Her legs rocked back and forth. Were they going to be given a choice of partners? If so, she already knew who she wanted to spend time with. Ideas and scenarios began playing in her mind, and while she continued to listen to Coral, all of her words were lost on her. She occasionally nodded, but that was the extent of her responsiveness.

She jumped when a hoof poked her side, shrieking in response, turning every head to her. She blushed when she noticed, and then found Raine and Cherry standing at her side, playful expressions brightening their faces.

“Come back to Equestria yet?” Cherry said in her chipper tone, offering a smirk.

Melody blinked, her ears drooping, but then perking back up as the happy thoughts overwrote the embarrassed ones. She nodded to Cherry and pulled out her tongue in response. Before she could get off her chair, Cherry poked her on the chest and stared at her with a serious expression unbefitting of the lively earth pony. Melody blinked again, casting her gaze to Raine for help, instead receiving a confused stare and quirked eyebrows.

“I-Is there something wrong?” Melody squeaked quietly. She began feeling sweat rolling down her brow as scenarios reeled in her brain.

Cherry remained stern and serious, never budging or breaking her eye contact with the changeling. To the point where Melody’s breath started shaking. She whined quietly when Cherry poked her chest again and then broke her expression with her signature smirk.

“Nope! By the way, dibs on your folks!”

Role Reversal

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“Come on, girls! I gotta show you this new place!” Melody chirped, rushing ahead of her best friends. “It just recently opened and you have to try those milkshakes. You have to try them!”

Cherry and Raine followed behind, and as Melody turned her head back to glance at her friends, she saw them exchanging looks and laughing. At the back of her mind, Melody already knew that Cherry or Raine, or even both, knew about the Sweet Tooth incident. Raine would no doubt have heard about it since she lived in the palace with her parents, but Cherry was surprisingly well-informed despite living in the Outer Ring of the Empire, but then again, she was the most outspoken and extroverted filly of the three.

“So,” came Cherry’s slow humming voice from behind Melody, “is that related to the guards that showed up on your doorstep the other day?”

Melody froze in place, gulping loudly as the comment passed her by. Her ears flattened on her scalp as she struggled between telling a lie or being honest with her friends. On one hoof, telling a lie would likely get found out later after some additional poking. On the other, being honest currently didn’t seem to offer any kind of downsides. Melody gave a weak nod and turned around, her lips curled in a smile.

“Yup,” she admitted in a chipper tone, wiggling her ears a bit. She had to sell her act, after all. “I want to fix my leg at some point, so I need to save up some bits—a lot of them actually—for that. Asked the owner here if she was hiring. When she said I wasn’t of age yet, I crafted a disguise with my magic and gave away my secret of being a changeling. And, well, you know the rest!”

“Yeah, I heard. At this point, we might as well start counting the number of times that somepony called the guards on you,” Cherry snickered as she trotted over to Melody’s side. “Aren’t you a little young to be working, though?”

That was an excellent point that Melody had talked gone ahead and discussed to great lengths with her parents. Sure, she was a bit young to be working, but if she did want to get her savings accumulated in time to pay for her surgery, she needed that job. Plus, after the incident with the guards, Sweet Tooth had become much kinder to her. Maybe it was because the mare thought that Melody was only there to syphon love out of her customers, but Melody would never do that, let alone think about doing that. Gemma’s revelations on feeding methods scarred her.

“Come on, now, I want to see what the inside looks like now!” Melody chirped, igniting her horn and pushing the door.

The trio of fillies was greeted by the soft chime of a silver bell. Melody looked up at the bell, smiling before she set her eyes at the inside of the shop. The walls, once a drab dark grey colour, were now a vibrant a symbiotic combination of lilac purple and regal purple, along with various strokes of pink and white in uneven patterns. Sprinkled along the walls were various products that had been painted there. Melody fought back the urge to drool as her eyes darted over the painted illustration of the ice cream, often licking her lips.

The shop felt so different now. Sitting on top of a step were the displays and the cash register, but Sweet Tooth was not to be seen at either spot. Melody looked about a bit, and she saw nopony except for customers eating their treats or drinking their milkshakes. Melody looked at those, trying to familiarise herself with the imagery as she would eventually be tending to customers of all sorts. Maybe even classmates of hers, for that matter.

And yet, Sweet Tooth was nowhere to be found. Granted, Melody had only entered the shop, and Sweet Tooth could be busy.

“I’m coming. Give me a moment. Brownies are just about ready!” came Sweet Tooth’s voice from the back, likely the kitchen. “You can sit at a table in the meantime!”

The fillies looked at each other and nodded, quickly making their way to the closest table they could find. They sat down, and all three of them propped their legs on the table. Melody craned her back to look at the kitchen, taking a few sneak peaks at the decorations on the wall. She heard the stomping of hooves coming from the kitchen and the restless silhouette of the mare that owned the business.

Melody perked an ear and tried to listen in to whatever she could, but the sounds of the snickering fillies next to her didn’t help. She gave up after about a minute of trying to listen in on the kitchen and turned back to her friends. Her gaze met with her friends again, and she lit up her horn. She turned her gaze to look pastries counter, levitating three copies of the menu from the pile resting close by the cash register. She dropped one in front of her and gave the remaining ones to her friends.

She turned around once the deed was done and she took in a breath, “We took the menu, Sweet Tooth.” Careful to mind her tone, Melody turned back to her friends and found them already perusing the blue and pastries-decorated laminated piece of paper. She rolled her eyes at the eagerness, and she gave the menu her full attention. She knew she would be going for a milkshake, but she wasn’t quite sure what she would get to complement the dairy treat.

Her eyes trailed along the menu until they stumbled on the candy section. She stopped there and quirked an eyebrow at one of the items on the menu. Despite the few times she had been to the shop, she’d never noticed rock candy on the menu. What even was a rock candy? A confection made out of rocks? What kind of madpony would eat anything like that? It just sounded like the best way for somepony to break their teeth. What if candy makers worked in league with dentists and the whole appeal to that kind of candy was a vicious circle? Melody snorted and shook her head. Nah, that was a really far-fetched idea.

“Okay, I’m here now. Thanks for waiting, girls,” Sweet Tooth said, the chime of a voice betraying the abruptness of her arrival. “What can I get you, then?”

Melody jumped in her seat, perked up her ears, and looked up at Sweet Tooth just in time for a tinge of crimson to tint her cheeks. She stole a look at her friends, finding them staring at her. She took in a breath and straightened in her chair, clearing her throat. “I’ll go first, I guess,” Melody sighed, shooting a glare, at least as subtly as she could, to her friends. “I’ll have the wildberry milkshake, and I have a question. Are rock candy… made out of actual rocks?”

Sweet Tooth stared, in silence, at Melody for the longest time, at least enough time for Melody’s ears to droop, before she burst with laughter and staggered back. For a few good moments, Sweet Tooth did nothing but laugh, attracting the curiosity of the establishment’s other patrons.

“Oh, sweet Love, no, you silly filly. Rock candy is just crystallized sugar. It’s pretty relevant to the theme of the Empire too.”

Melody blinked, looked down at the menu, and stared back up at Sweet Tooth again. She noticed her friends snickering from the corner of her eye, and rolled her eyes when theirs met hers. “I… Wait,” Melody stuttered, returning her focus to the mare next to her. She scratched her head and blinked again. “I’m not sure what I was expecting any more.”

♫

“So, how do you feel about Raine going back to Canterlot by summer’s end?” Melody’s ears perked at the question, but she didn’t react.

Melody glanced at the setting sun while she gave herself another push on the swing. She stole a glance at Cherry and looked back at the horizon. He ears draped over her scalp, and she heaved another sigh. Her meeting with her friends at Sweet Tooth’s hadn’t gone quite how she had been expecting it. Thoughts conflicted in her mind. She knew and understood the reasons behind the whole thing, but she didn’t want to part with Raine so quickly. It had only been a year, after all.

“I’m… not sure,” Melody replied, her gaze still locked to the horizon, her soft-spoken voice betraying whatever turmoil raging inside her. “I get that her parents are bound to Princess Luna’s wishes and orders, but it still hurts a bit that she has to move back to Canterlot.”

Cherry gave herself another swing, although quickly settled down shortly after until her swings stopped and she dropped her hinds in the sand. Melody turned her head to her friend and quirked an eyebrow. Cherry hung her head, strands of ruby red and snow white hair licking at her fur. Cherry reached for the rubber band in her mane and pulled it away, although with some effort. Melody had to choke down a giggle while watching her friend struggle with a rubber band. Magic was so useful.

“I see that smirk, bug princess. Think you’re so much better than me because you’ve got magic?”

Melody brought a hoof to her lips and shrugged, thankful again that her changeling form hid the mirth dancing in her eyes.

“I would never!”

And just like that, both fillies succumbed to laughter. Melody soon stopped her swing as well and sat there next to her friend. After the initial bout of laughter, the two turned quiet. Melody tried to speak up, but each attempt left her with a gaping mouth. What was going to happen after Raine was gone? Would things really be the same?

“I’m skipping secondary school.”

Melody’s head turned to the side in an instant, eyes wide and mouth agape. A gasp left her, and she just stared at her friend. Why would she stunt her life so much? Melody wanted to go to secondary school, if only because she wanted to be as prepared as possible for the future, but why would Cherry want to do that.

“I know that look. It was a hard decision to take, in all honesty. If only I hadn’t gotten this cutie mark,” Cherry said with a downcast voice.

Melody noticed Cherry’s crisped expression, but more than that, she tasted the nauseating smell of disappointment and anger. What did Cherry’s cutie mark have to do in all of—Oh. Now it made sense why she looked so ashamed of her cutie mark at the slumber party. She didn’t want that cutie mark. Melody had been right all along. She anchored herself in the reality of the situation and shrugged off this victorious euphoria.

“What so wrong about your cutie mark?” Melody asked, covering her mouth mere moments later. What was wrong with her?

Cherry looked at Melody as if looks could kill before lowering her gaze back to her legs. A foreleg ran down her flank to touch her cutie mark. She closed her eyes and ground her teeth while Melody looked on as emotions of all kinds flooded her senses. Why was Cherry feeling all of those things about her cutie mark? She’d told herself she wouldn’t violate Cherry’s right to her privacy, but this was too much for Melody. Amid all of the swirling sensations licking at her mind, she flicked her tongue and immediately withdrew it. She blinked a moment, unsure if she’s tasted the right emotion, but another look at her friend said all she needed to confirm her assumptions.

Cherry was ashamed of her cutie mark.

“Can you keep a secret?” Cherry whispered. Melody, of course, nodded without a moment to spare. “Like, no telling anypony or anyling about it?”

Melody blinked again and frowned. No telling anyone? But what if this secret led to Cherry hurting herself more than anything? What if she couldn’t keep that secret one day? She wasn’t sure giving her word was such a good idea now. Was it worth it? Could she keep a secret?

But before she could process everything happening in her head, she felt her lips move. “Of course. You can count on me,” Melody replied softly.

Cherry took a pause and stared at Melody for several moments, so much that Melody shuffled in place as if those eyes stared deep into her soul to validate her claim. Knowing Cherry and how sensitive she was to those around her, that wasn’t such a stretch.

She took in a long breath, exhaled and gazed back to the horizon. “I don’t know if you remember me mentioning it, but it all started when I heard my father died during the changeling invasion in Canterlot. Once we were told of his passing, everything changed.”

Changed how? Melody remembered something about Cherry saying her mother hadn’t gotten over her father’s death, but how was that relevant to this conversation? She could actually relate to that. Without ever really knowing them beyond her early days, Melody still felt melancholy towards her biological parents, despite having gotten closure about them. If she was reading the situation right, Ocean wasn’t so different from her; she had lost her husband and Melody had lost her brother and her parents.

Although Melody was starting to get wary of her brother’s intentions now that she’d met with Wishing and Astral.

“Mom was… devastated. Yeah, devastated is the right word. She couldn’t function, she wouldn’t eat, and she even quit her job. She could not accept that my father was dead. She…” Melody heard the lump in her friend’s throat. For all the preaching about seeking help for problems, she wasn’t setting a prime example. Snark aside, Melody felt and tasted the sour fish aroma of the sadness intertwined with the bitterness that hung around Cherry. “…left me and my sister to care for ourselves for months.”

Children inheriting the problems of their parents? That sounded like a tragedy, alright. Melody tried to shut out the overwhelming emotions, but there wasn’t much she could do. Before this day, she had always seen Cherry as an insurmountable fortress of happiness and cheerfulness, but what she saw here was a completely different pony. There was close to nothing that could topple Cherry, and yet, the only times when she had seen anything topple her friend had been when her newfound cutie mark was the topic of the conversation at the time.

“And there were nights…” Melody’s ears perk again as Cherry choked on the lump in her throat. She stared at her friend, watching her attempts to utter something, anything before she closed her eyes and hung her head. “There were nights where she’d open up a bottle, and she’d get nasty.”

Melody quirked an eyebrow and gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves as the realization came down over her. A bottle? By the intensity, she knew it was something to do with alcohol. She shivered, the hair of her fur standing on end as scenes filled her mind and dread filled her up.

“Did… she beat you?” Melody asked, her voice as soft as possible, almost as if uttering the very thought was painful.

Cherry shook her head and wiped the tears welling in her eyes. She sniffled and took a deep breath before saying, “No. She never beat Glimmer or me, but she sometimes got nasty at me because I was over my father’s death…”

She smirked, her lips quivering all the while. “I wasn’t over my dad's death back then, but I had come to terms with what had happened. I tried to soldier on like he had taught me.”

Melody smiled, flashing a fang at the same time. She tasted the slight fluctuation in emotions, a bubbly and sweet scent oozing from Cherry now before it mixed with rest. “You got along well with your father?” she asked, her ears splaying back.

“Oh yeah. Dad was the best. Despite loving his job in Canterlot, there was nothing he loved more than his little fillies. He’d always come home with a smile, and he would teach my sister and me about being brave and strong in the face of adversity.

“Mom’s verbal abuse is what made Glimmer turn so sour at school. She needed a way out of what was happening at home, and she took it on other ponies by making fun of them.”

But there was still one lingering question about Cherry that confused Melody. All of that, all of what she had expressed; they were not related to her cutie mark.

“For a changeling, you should work on your non-verbal game, Mel. You are terrible at hiding what you’re thinking,” Cherry said, a snicker replacing the previous lump in her throat. She stepped down from the swing and pointed at her cutie mark.

“My mom coped by drinking, my sister coped through bullying. How do you think I coped? I was the nice pony that was always happy-go-lucky where the sun was made of cotton candy and the street of chewing gum. I’ve got my fair share of wearing masks, and I’m afraid that this cutie mark is just a cruel reminder that it’s what I do whenever there’s a problem: I run away.”

Melody felt like she had been struck. She had not been expecting this much self-loathing from her best friend. How could she have expected it in the first place? But that wasn’t the Cherry she knew. The Cherry she knew was stronger than this. She was the one that helped her in the first place.

Then, it all clicked. That’s why Cherry had told her that she was lucky to have parents like Rising and Coral. She had been envious because she longed for her family to become whole again. No, whatever had taken hold of her friend was poisoning her self-worth.

“You stop that right now,” Melody growled back, a low, thrumming hiss grating at the back of her mouth.

Cherry cocked her head back, wide eyes staring at her friend. Melody wouldn’t have any of what was happening with her friend. She did not deserve to suffer like, to punish herself for things that were beyond her control. She would not allow her friend to walk down the same path she had walked.

She moved out of her swing and toward her friend, her stomps vanishing into the endless abyss that was the sand below her. She stopped in front of Cherry and stared her down, shifting her eyes to pony eyes.

“You want to talk about running away? Talk about me avoiding my adoptive family for forever and not realizing the incredible luck that I was blessed with. If you want to talk about pain, I can tell you about pain. I was plagued with questions about my biological parents until Wishing Star gave me a chance at closure.

“I have to hide the pain I go through every day because I have a lame leg. You trying to weather the storm of your mother’s scorn because she needs a reality check is not running away. It’s staying sane. You’re surviving the only way you know how to survive: you help others.

“You could have given up on me at any point. You could have not given a care at all about me, but you saw me, you felt my pain and you stuck by me, and now we’re best friends. There is nothing weak abo—”

Melody blinked as warmth rushed over her lips and she found that Cherry had very much latched onto her. Melody’s eyes darted down to see that Cherry’s lips were pressed against hers. She whinnied and whined, eyes going wide, as she tried to back out of Cherry’s embrace.

She eventually managed to put one hoof over to Cherry’s chest, and she summoned all of her strength to push her back, easily pushing herself away from the alabaster white filly. Both of them were panting, and the two stared at each other. Melody’s ears were splayed and her brow furrowed.

Cherry looked at her friend for a few moments, the events quickly rushing back to her, her eyes going wider and wider, her emerald pupils barely visible in the sea of white. She shook her head and turned back, shouting, “I’m sorry!”

♫

Melody was still trying to make sense of what had happened the other day. She ran her tongue along the inner lining of her lips and asked herself the same question as before: had Cherry really kissed her? Every time that question was asked, only more questions arose from the pondering.

She had meant all of the things that she told Cherry. Her circle of friends was small, but that didn’t stop her from believing that Cherry was nothing like she had described herself. But that still didn’t answer her question.

“Shield up!” came the familiar barking of the unicorn standing at the opposite end of the training hall.

This was her routine training day with Shining Armor, so of course, she was going to be assaulted with bolts of magic. Granted, she had improved a lot since the last time she had trained with him, especially with holding shield spells.

She took a deep breath and looked at Shining Armor as his horn lit with a purple aura. She focused her own magic, the energy from her reserves tracing across her fur and caressing it gently.

Her fur stood on end as magic swirled around her horn and focused around her. The air around her tingled, and the fabric of reality seemed to bend to the whims of her magic as a thin layer of magical energy surrounded her. Melody stomped her hooves on the ground and watched the bolt of magic split the air and collide directly with her magic. Her barrier held steady, the blast of his magic dissipating and vanishing all around her. Once she made sure that everything was safe to dispel her barrier, Melody did just that and looked at Shining Armor again.

He didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t seem angry either, so she was likely doing something right. Or at least she thought so. It was hard to read Shining Armor, even as a changeling. Rising had openly said to her that she was still young and lacked experience, and had explained to her that this was likely why she couldn’t identify every emotion or read situations perfectly.

“Hurt him.”

Melody’s ears swivelled as the voice echoed in her ears and she cast her glance to the side, although careful to not make any sudden movements. Alerting Shining Armor was not on her list of things to do, but at the same time, if they were in danger, maybe it would be best to speak up.

“That was good. Again,” came Shining’s voice, making Melody’s ears swivel again and forcing her back to the training. She readied herself again and nodded back at Shining Armor, keeping her facial expression as stoic as possible. She needed to focus again.

“You know you want to. He hurt you before,” came the voice again. It was familiar if anything, but Melody couldn’t quite put her hoof on where she had heard that voice before. “What’s different this time?”

Her ears perked up, and at that moment, she relaxed from her training stance. She saw Shining looking at her with that battle-hardened stare as his horn charged with magic, but it felt so slow. Everything around her seemed to slow down as she focused on the voice ringing in her ears. Could Shining not hear it, or if he did, was he just shutting it out?

No, he would have called the training session off if he had.

“Melody, shield!”

The shriek pulled her out of her trance. She blinked back to reality just in time to see the bolt of magic zapping across the training hall. She tried to summon her magic, but before she could even charge her horn, the bolt hit her square on the chest. It didn’t hurt. That was funny. She had expected plenty of pain, but at the same time, she couldn’t feel the floor under her legs. What was happening exactly?

She blinked, her vision blurry as everything spiralled and meshed around her, colors and structures coming together, creating things she’d only imagine in her nightmares. Pillars detached from the ceiling and bent into arcs on the floor while the walls twisted at the middle.

See? This is why you shouldn’t trust that stallion. He only wants to hurt you.”

She snapped her eyes open, and the scenery snapped back into places. Time took back its flow, and she collided with the floor. She gasped and shrieked, the pain spreading to every corner of her body while her entire form burned with a different sensation. Her peripheral vision glowed in a green tint. As a matter of fact, the pain slowly faded away.

“Hurt him back. Make him pay. Make him bleed for what he did.”

Hurt her mentor? Her mind felt at odds. Sure, she did have her reservations about Shining Armor, but to go as far as hurting him felt wrong. Not to mention he was infinitely more powerful than she was.

She rolled onto her legs again and, much to her dismay, was reminded that she instinctively used her reserves to minimize the damage the blast caused. Her leg screamed agony, and she found herself panting before she could get up. She shut her eyes and ground her teeth, lifting her head and taking a glimpse of her surroundings, only to see Shining Armor rushing to her side with a worried look on his face.

“Do not trust him. He will betray you and hurt you again.”

She tried to take a step forward and immediately froze as the pain returned tenfold. Again, she felt a weird feeling spread through her body, and she found her vision clouded by that green tint again, almost glowing with a pulse. She took a deep breath and stole a look at Shining Armor. Was he concerned for her safety, or was he worried that she still breathed? That blast hadn’t been the most potent blast ever, but the magic she summoned from her reserves was substantial. To be hit by something like that, it needed precision and an opening.

So, he was trying to off her! Was he still holding a grudge about changelings after Chrysalis tried to ruin his wedding? Likely, yes. She felt betrayed. Betrayed by a stallion she had trusted with training her in the arts of magic. She didn’t quite know how to feel, but she felt weird. She was gaining power, she felt the pain ease back to the back of her mind, and her leg no longer bothered her. What’s more, she felt her reserves slowly filling back up.

She stood straight, and she snarled. Shining Armor stopped dead in his track, as he should when Melody stood her ground. She was invigorated. Anger, rage, betrayal. They all burned within her and soothed her pain.

Shining Armor was going to pay for hurting her. She would make sure to remind him of his place.

“Melody?” came Shining’s voice, a concerned hiccup staggering his voice as he took a step back when she took one forward.

“Do not believe his deceit. He acts nice now, but when the time is right…”

“I will not let you hurt me. Stay back!” Melody barked, her horn charging with energy, with power she’d never felt before. She felt powerful now; she felt in control.

She visualized a bolt of magic and flicked her horn. A loud screech tore the air apart, and from her horn, a bolt dug at the ceramic tile in front of him. She saw confusion run across his face as his horn instantly summoned a shield.

A shield, of all things? Pathetic. Shields were for the weak, for those that couldn’t press on an offensive and adequately engage in battle. She flicked her horn again and again, over and over again, sending a barrage of magic on Shining Armor, and yet his shield showed no sign of wear or decay.

“What are you waiting for? He’s vulnerable. Break his shield and make it submit to you, to us!”

Her entire body froze on the spot, and she looked at Shining Armor, who, despite his usual intimidating stature, looked terrified of Melody. His eyes screamed at her. They cried in fear and confusion. He was afraid? Why?

The voice rang again in her head, although barely audible now. She had heard all she needed to hear in that one instant. The voice she had heard was not the voice of a stranger. It was herself. She had listened to her own distorted voice, and she tasted the maddening embrace of anger.

She felt the warmth of her tears welling in her eyes and streaming down her fur. Shining was afraid of her. He had tried to help her, and she rewarded him by being hostile. She gasped and brought a hoof to her mouth, backing away. Reality quickly reminded her that whatever fueled her magic was now gone, and her leg crumbled, and the pain shook her entire form, sending shocks through her spine.

She tried to get back up as she saw Shining Armor dispel his barrier and look at her with that disgusting mix of fear and concern. She tried to open her mouth, to say something, but silence was all that emanated from her throat. Tears flowed freely through her cheeks, and she tried to meet Shining’s gaze once more.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

Her mouth froze, and her world turned to darkness. She tried to look around, but darkness gripped at her. Pain wrought for power throughout her body, and she tried to fight, but to no avail. Her eyelids threatened to close, while her head hung heavily. Sleeping felt like an excellent option right about now.

“Hurt you.”

Apologies

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Melody groaned and rolled on the soft mattress, ignoring at first the wet feeling along her back. She struggled to open her eyes as she heard somepony hum a song. It was soft, melodic, and it reminded her of the time she spent with Occento. Was she back in Serenus? No, she couldn’t be back in Serenus. It was too far from the Empire.

She tried to remember what had happened, but the throbbing pain distracted her efforts. She did remember the training, and the progress she had made and the compliments, if they were any, that Shining Armor had given her.

She finally managed to crack open her eyelids and found dim, powder blue lighting illuminating the room all around. It was a blue that was all too familiar to her, but the entire room did not feel at all like anything she had seen or been to before. She groaned again, her efforts to wriggle in the bed she lay on causing her pain. She kicked her lame leg and tried to stifle the pained squeal that climbed to the back of her throat as her eyes welled with tears.

Her forehooves stomped the bed, and she heard a strange sound as if she’d stepped in a puddle of water. She looked down and screeched in surprise as she found slime acting as her bed. She wriggled about, ignoring the pain, as panic overcame her. Melody shoved herself out of the slimy bed and crawled away from it, wondering who had decided to play such tricks on her. That is until she found her back up against a hard-ish surface and a gigglish snort that made her ears perk up.

She tensed and threw herself away from the source of that snort, attempting to charge her horn and chase the invader away. Unfortunately, her attempts to conjure magic ended in failure, but she finally got a look at the one in front of her.

“Glaesi?” she asked in a soft, squealing voice, confusion saturating her tone.

The tall changeling queen offered a toothy smile, nodding at the inquiry. Melody was confused. If Glaesi were here, then was she at her shop? No. Her shop wasn’t this dimly lit. Plus, where would she have the space to hide any sort of stone floor in that building. No, she was elsewhere.

“Where am I?”

Glaesi took a few moments to consider the question, bending her knees and lowering herself to Melody’s level. Well, not exactly. Glaesi was still several heads taller than Melody could ever hope to be. She chuckled and flicked a foreleg.

“You are in my hive. Welcome to Lapis, Melody.”

Lapis? She’d never heard of that name. Or maybe she had, and she forgot about it. Of course, it would do one good to think that if a changeling lived in the Crystal Empire, there would be a hive nearby. Well, if anything, the room did complement Glaesi’s looks, if a bit too well.

But why was she in Lapis, of all places. She rubbed her forehead and tried to remember what happened. What could have happened that she needed to be taken to Glaesi’s hive? The pain in her head was starting to dissipate a bit, but it still remained, hazing her memories.

“You’re wondering why you’re here, and not back home, I’m sure. Your concern is noted, and I do realize it is a bit alarming to wake up in a stranger’s room, but please, do try to rest. You need a lot of rest,” Glaesi explained, her smile vanishing and her facial features straightening.

Something had happened! Melody knew it. But why couldn’t she remember anything about it? It was like there was a hole in her memory and any attempt at filling it up caused pain to flare up, quite like if somepony were squeezing her head with a nutcracker.

So why was she in Glaesi’s room, if this was the queen’s room at all, instead of being back home?

“What happened? I remember training with Shining Armor, and there’s nothing after that. It’s just a complete blank.”

Glaesi nodded, but her expression did nothing to change. Melody assumed that whatever happened had had to be serious if Glaesi was not responding at all. She groaned as she tried to move back to her legs, only to slump back to the floor as her lame leg stung her spine. Blasted thing, that leg. She really hoped that the surgery would work when the time would come. In the meantime, though, she had a puzzle to solve.

“You succumbed to your own negative emotions. I’m not sure how you built up so much in less than a year, but that you did is a worrying thought. It usually takes years for changelings to build up so many negative emotions within themselves. And then, there’s this whole thing with the voice you’ve heard. Your voice.”

Melody blinked and froze in place. She shot a glare at Glaesi, and slowly crawled away from the queen. What voice? Melody didn’t remember any voice at all. For that matter, how did Glaesi know precisely what happened while Melody struggled to remember anything about the events? Glaesi, for her part, parted her lips just enough to show her fangs and the tiniest hint of a smile. Once again, as Cherry had told her, she was doing a terrific job at hiding her non-verbal. But still, it was odd that Glaesi knew that much.

“I know because I used the dreamscape to take your memories, and the emotions tied to them, away until such a time I deem you ready.” Glaesi’s voice was a lot of things at the same time. It was hard to describe. Melody swore she heard mirth in there, but she wasn’t entirely sure about that. But there was an iron will behind what the queen had said, that’s for sure.

And what that dreamscape thing she talked about? Melody didn’t remember hearing anything about a dreamscape. She had heard the other foals say that Princess Luna often visited the dreams and nightmares of ponies, but she thought those were just rumors and musings of colts and fillies. Already, Melody was filled with so many questions, and she could not imagine how Glaesi could even find the time to answer them all, but the queen would already know that much, after all. Melody was such an easy read.

Melody shook and rubbed her head. There were more pressing things than ponder how she displayed her emotions and how she presented herself to other changelings. This was a golden opportunity to get to know Glaesi a bit more, along with her culture and the way that her hive operated. Keeping in mind, of course, that her primary goal was to achieve whatever expectations Glaesi was setting up for her. But there were so many things that Melody could learn about changelings in general.

The sound of Glaesi clearing her throat pulled Melody out of her thoughts, and she blinked back to a grinning queen. Leaning forward a little bit as her lips split into a smile, Glaesi chittered, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have ulterior motives for not minding this outcome.”

Melody’s cheeks turned crimson while her mane fell over her face. Thankful for the assistance her mane offered, Melody shuffled her hooves and cast her glance elsewhere. The queen was correct, however. Melody could use this opportunity to learn more about herself if what she knew about changeling feeding methods now was any indication of what she could learn from another changeling. That being said, there were still more pressing matters other than thinking about what she could benefit from Glaesi. Right about now, the opposite was also very much real.

Melody needed Glaesi to know how to proceed.

And, quite honestly, Melody was extremely confused by what Glaesi had told her so far. Expecting to have her attempt at magic fail spectacularly, Melody braced herself for the backfire or the pain, but neither came. Instead, her magic wrapped around her mane and slowly pulled it back. Unable to see her braids, Melody just settled on pulling her mane back and hope for it to stay there.

“What did you mean exactly when you said that I succumbed to my own negative emotions?” Melody asked as she flicked her mane back and gave Glaesi her full attention. She did, however, consider the slime bed a whole lot more. At least, it was warm.

Glaesi wiggled her ears, and Melody could see that she was likely trying to weigh her words. Her expression darkened as she leaned back and sat upright, almost giving the proper regal appearance. Melody couldn’t quite picture Glaesi acting like a queen at all. There was just something about her that she couldn’t put her hoof on.

“I’m sure your father told you that changelings inherently consume emotions around them to fuel their diet. A changeling’s energies are sustained by emotions. Did he mention the dangers of negative emotions?” Glaesi asked, arching an eyebrow. Melody could see the slap behind the head awaiting Rising if she said he didn’t.

But that would be a lie. Rising had told Melody about negative emotions, and he had told her to stay away from them as much as possible. Melody nodded and said, “He did. He said something about being cautious if I did consume some of them, although he did say it was a last resort. I’ve always filtered emotions like he told me to, though.”

Glaesi offered a hum and another series of nods before she let out a long, hissy sigh, “Love almighty, I am going to hurt that changeling. And he’s a royal, no less? I really wish he didn’t offer his daughter such poor parenting in regards to changeling habits.”

“What? Why? I think he’s doing a fine job of raising me so far. I don’t have anything to complain about his parenting skills or how he teaches me changeling things,” Melody protested. She attempted to pull herself on all of her legs, but her efforts at dulling the pain were in vain. Her magic had to be weakened from whatever happened.

Another long sigh came from Glaesi, and she hung her head.

“What he is doing is putting your safety at risk. He hasn’t taught you how to regulate your emotions, how to store them, or how to get rid of unwanted emotions within yourself?”

When Melody shook her head, Glaesi continued, “Changelings feed on others’ emotions, but we can feed on our own as a last resort. There is a drawback to this, however. Changelings cannot produce a sufficient amount of self-love for a very long time. Negative emotions, on the other hoof, can stay and build up. Anyling or anypony can operate on hatred for very long time. Given how self-destructive it can be for ponies, it is infinitely worse for changelings.”

Infinitely worse? Somehow, Melody doubted that, but at the same time, Rising had warned her about the dangers of staying in the midst of negative emotions for too long, as there is a risk for those to directly influence her. The thought alone was scary. She didn’t like the idea of something other than her own emotions controlling her or influencing her decisions. She was her own mare, after all. Or she would be in a few years either way.

“What do you mean by that? Being driven by hatred sounds like a horrible experience for ponies and changelings,” Melody said, tilting her head to the side. That was the one thing she did not understand. Why was Glaesi warning her about something that already sounded unpleasant for a pony? Wouldn’t the experience be the same, or was that what she meant by it being infinitely worse for changelings? Again, Melody found herself with more questions than answers.

“Ponies can be driven by emotion. They can be driven by a particular desire or emotion. Say revenge for any kind of experience. Bullying may be one of those experiences. From that point on, that pony will try to get back at another pony to get revenge. Changelings do not follow this same rule. Due to our strong attuning to emotions, we do not become driven by emotions. We become animated by them. Call me unoriginal, but I’ve dubbed this phenomenon as going berserk. It means you become enslaved to the desire to inflict or emulate a given emotion or feeling.

“When you trained with Shining Armor, that is exactly what happened to you. You suffered an injury, you were in pain and angry with the situation. The voice in your head was a manifestation of your anger towards yourself and Shining Armor coupled with your desire to inflict upon him the same pain you felt. You were fortunate, according to the prince, in freeing yourself from this state.”

Melody blinked and stared blankly at Glaesi. She had lost control? She’d gone berserk? Was this why Glaesi had removed those memories? So she wouldn’t blame herself for what happened? But what was the goal of telling her now? She already felt bad at losing control and doing whatever atrocities to Shining Armor. If so, then why had Glaesi chastised her father for not providing appropriate care for her as a changeling when what she provided was also less than stellar.

She gave herself a mental slap and straightened up as best she could. Now was not the time for snark or any divisive opinions. Glaesi was an expert in manipulating emotions if her birthday gift was any proof of that. Using love as a trigger to animate a statuette was pure genius. She was likely telling her that so she would be more receptive to getting the necessary help instead on dwelling on what she had done.

“I have another question,” Melody uttered, her voice more of a whisper than anything else. When Glaesi quirked an eyebrow and nodded, curling the side of her lip into a smile, Melody cleared her throat and continued, “What’s the dreamscape? Is that the same thing I’ve heard other children talk about Princess Luna visiting dreams and nightmares?”

Glaesi burst into laughter and threw herself on the ground. Why she did, Melody could not say. If Shining Armor was a brick to read, Glaesi was impossible to read in comparison. That did, however, rouse a question she had in mind for a long time. She remembered that Glaesi or Gemma said that they were attuned to the Crystal Heart, which was why they looked the way that they did in their natural form. Did that mean that they were trapped with the curse of the Empire as well? But if they were, why did she never spot more changelings in the streets? If they were attuned to it, that meant that the Heart had accepted them, and that suggested that they were welcome within the Empire.

The sound of Glaesi clearing her throat and her attempts to regain her posture brought Melody back from her questions and musings. Immediately, Melody spotted Glaesi’s smile and found it to be contagious. The queen licked her lips, and chittered, “Oh goodness, is that what the foals are talking about nowadays? That’s cute of them to think that Princess Luna is the only one capable of using the dreamscape. She is naturally attuned to it, I will give her that, though.”

“But how do you use my dreams to remove my memories of what happened with Shining Armor?” Melody asked, frowning as she tried to imagine Glaesi doing something like that to anypony.

“By interacting with your emotions. When Shining Armor brought you to me, and bless that stallion for thinking about me first, he said something about you apologizing to him before you collapsed. I traced back your feelings of guilt and found your recollection of the events. I pulled them out and stored them in these crystals here.”

Melody shifted her attention to the left of Glaesi where her hoof gestured and found several, all ranging from purple to blood red in color. So those were her memories and the emotions from what happened during the training with Shining Armor. Melody gulped loudly and slowly returned her attention to Glaesi. It really felt weird to imagine anyone fiddling within her dreams to salvage emotions and the sort. How did one even believe something like that?

Not that it mattered a whole lot at the moment. What mattered is that she was safe, and so was Shining Armor, although Melody did wonder if he would want to continue teaching her after the events that occurred. Right now, she had an opportunity to learn more about herself, and she would not pass it up. If she wanted to make sure that this did not happen anymore, allowing Glaesi to help her was her best bet.

“Okay, I think I got it,” Melody said sharply, nodding and giving Glaesi her most determined look. What was in front of her was likely going to be a very arduous task. “When do we begin?”

♫

Melody’s legs shook beneath her as she stood before the massive gates of the palace. Glaesi had suggested that she meet with Shining Armor and talk to him about what happened between them, and Melody had agreed that meeting with him was the logical next step. What she hadn’t expected was that she would have to do it through an audience. She could have easily met them in private, and that would have been that. She would have given her apology and her explanation of what she intended to do to make sure that it didn’t happen again. She was not okay with doing it as part of an audience with the princess and the prince of the Empire.

Would there be ponies present? Court members, or anything else of the sort? What if she got in there and started telling her story, and all of a sudden, she would get branded a criminal because she involuntarily attacked Shining Armor. No, she didn’t want any other ponies there. There couldn’t be other ponies there, for her sake at least. She, however, was all too aware that whether she wanted it or not, she was stepping into unknown territory. She did not know much about the way the world of politics worked, and with any luck at all, she would be able to evade it for a bit longer.

She took a look at the guard that was standing, well, guard in front of the door and she heard, and felt, the creaking of the massive doors. She sidestepped as much as possible, but she did take a look at the pony that came out of the throne room. The frown he wore and the mutters that flew out of his sewn-shut mouth, along with his pinned ears, told Melody that the meeting with the princess and prince might have gone in a direction the stallion had not expected or wanted. She gulped, hoping that her audience with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor would go well enough. As long as nopony else was there to attend, all would be good in the world.

The doors closed behind her, and she jumped when the sound of them grinding together shut pulled her out of her distraction. The guard to her side seemed unfazed by it and remained encased in stone in his spot. Was that the life of a guard? To just stand by a door or whatever and stand guard day in, day out? Was that the fate awaiting her if she went through with her plans for the future? As she eyed the guard, she began to feel discouraged. She gulped and watched her plans for the future conflict with what was in front of her.

She shook her head and gave herself a mental slap. She wouldn’t know what her career choice would be until she got there. For now, she had to focus on the future and take care of this situation. She began to worry when nothing happened, as she had expected to be admitted into the throne room shortly after the stallion left, but she thought a sizable amount of time had passed between the time he left and the time she had been left standing in the hall.

“Now introducing Melody Swiftsong, seeking audience with Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor.”

The calm, steady voice pulled her out of her worries. She perked her ears up and looked at the door. She winced when the screeching grind of the door reverberated around her. Honestly, she did not know how those guards managed to block out those sounds, or at least not show any reactions to it. If anything, guards were good at hiding emotions, although she thought she could manage to crack open one and taste their emotions. But that was neither here nor there. Melody focused on the here and now, moving in front of the doors and taking a first few steps on her trembling legs.

Please don’t let there be any court members, please be only the princess and Shining Armor!

She closed her eyes and took a few more steps. She held in her breath for a moment while she walked in a straight line, or at least as straight a line as walking with her eyes closed allowed to. One, two, three. She pushed the pressure out of her chest and through her nostrils, exhaling with a heavy sigh. She stopped in her tracks and took in another breath. She breathed it out and opened her eyes, expecting a sea of ponies in attendance. She even took a step back as she raised her eyelids to see that the throne room was, for all intents and purposes, empty and devoid of life beyond the throne occupied by a snickering Princess Cadence and a quizzical Shining Armor. To her left or her right, there was nopony there. The throne room was vacant, save for its rulers.

“I take it you were expecting more ponies than just us?” Cadence chuckled behind her hoof.

Melody looked at the two, and her jaw fell. Her face might as well have done the same thing. Gravity grasped at her flanks and pulled her back into a sitting position where she just stared at the royal couple. How had the court members gone away so quickly? Melody looked to her left and right again, this time scanning for an escape route, but finding none, at least none that were visible to her untrained eyes. Left with no other words than the surprised gasp that escaped her throat despite her best efforts, she resigned herself to nod.

“Shining told me what happened the other day, and while I am slightly worried that this is something that could happen again, I am surprised to see you here, Melody.”

Melody offered a nod to the princess again. She surprised herself by making her way through this whole audience thing with the crown. If anypony was astonished by somepony, it was her. But she still wondered where all the other court members were, but another quick inspection made her eyes go wide. There was no accommodation for any other ponies save the audience seeker and the crown. Did that mean that there were not usually any court members present, or a court actively present…at court? Another inspection did seem to confirm her thoughts. A sigh of relief bubbled forth to her lips, and she plastered her hooves over her mouth while her cheeks flushed with heat and warmth.

Now that her mind was at least reassured about the looming threat of an eavesdropper, Melody drudged to the carpet leading to the throne. She kept her head as low as she could though, and avoided as much eye contact with the royal couple as possible. The changeling stopped when she deemed she was at an adequate distance from the throne, but then again, her perspective as it currently was offered little diversity. She raised her head to look at Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, and she provided a proper bow to the Royals. She closed her eyes as she did. She preferred to not imagine the expressions on their faces at that moment.

“Your Highnesses, I thank you for accepting my request,” Melody meekly said, her voice more a whisper than anything else.

She cracked an eye open and saw the two looking at each other with what looked like smirks over their faces. She couldn’t really tell with the distance separating them. They turned to her and Cadence motioned for her to rise. Or at least, it looked like she was commanding her to rise. Nevertheless, she did as the princess commanded. After all, it was her generosity and benevolence that allowed Melody to reside within the Empire.

“Please, any friend of Queen Glaesi is welcome at any time in this palace,” Cadence replied in the warm, gentle coo that was her voice.

Melody dared flick her tongue and flare her nostrils, and she could taste the warmth that radiated from Cadence. She didn’t feel much from Shining Armor, but what she did sense comforted her. She flicked her tongue again. Did she taste… relief? Even after she had assaulted him, albeit, under the influence of an out-of-body experience of sorts, she could feel relief emanate from him. That made her smile a bit, but she swiftly hedged the corners of her lips.

Instinctively, Melody gave herself a mental flick and scolding. It was rude to just up and sense ponies’ emotions out of the blue. They still had their right to privacy, just as she had a right to hers. The last thing that she needed was to be caught by somepony tasting and consuming emotions out in the open. Most ponies, and she tried to imagine that the Crystal Ponies were no different, were not exactly keen on feeling like they were livestock for another species. However, Glaesi’s existence and the presence of a hive under the Crystal Empire changed a few things regarding Melody’s perspective on the role changelings played in the Empire.

However, Melody was not entirely done being formal. It wouldn’t be proper, and likely would be insulting to the crown, even though Cadence likely did not mind in the slightest, if she threw formality out the window so quickly. With a curtsy nod, she moved back onto her haunches and glanced at the couple in front of her. It was hard to ignore the love that swirled around them. And it was weird too. She had tasted and smelled her parents’ love, and she could have sworn that theirs tasted like watermelon and a slight hint of bubblegum. Cadence and Shining Armor’s love, on the other hoof, smelled like maple syrup poured over freezing snow during the winder for foals and ponies alike to appreciate the wonders of maple taffy.

Her curiosity was now piqued, and she raised her head, and furrowed her brow, before asking, “You know Glaesi?”

The thought wasn’t entirely alien to Melody since she would have expected Cadence and Shining Armor to eventually find out that changelings were running rampant in the Empire, but she had to wonder who approached who first. She doubted Shining Armor would have organized a meeting with a changeling queen out of goodwill after the royal wedding, but maybe Cadence doted on him as the changelings in the Empire, at least the two that Melody knew, were quite friendly and hardly a threat to anyone. But at the same time, what if the population of the Empire already knew about the changelings and that ruling the Empire meant ruling them as well? Melody could not imagine Glaesi and Gemma leading an uprising. They seemed content enough with their lives, but then again, as she’s learned in the past and as she was learning now, looks are deceiving.

Cadence nodded and curled up her lips. It seemed like the Princess of Love had pleasant memories of her meeting or meetings with Glaesi. Either that or she was just amused that Melody hadn’t put up two and two together, especially given how Shining Armor had outright brought her to Glaesi after their last training session. The realization hit Melody like a brick, and she hung her head. She pursed her lips and shook her head a few times. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? They were aware of Glaesi’s existence, and likely about her entire hive, and she was just there asking Cadence if she knew the queen. Of course, she did. But then, that brought her back to her initial thought: who approached who first?

“Of course. Glaesi is quite the gracious contrast to Queen Chrysalis or your Occento,” Cadence replied, the venom that dripped from her lips nowhere to be seen on her face, but Melody felt it fly out, and she staggered at the tone.

That Cadence didn’t like Occento didn’t surprise Melody. She didn’t blame her, either. In fact, Melody wasn’t too keen on trusting Occento either. Sure, the queen had acted out of her way to provide Melody with means to heal her lame leg, if it even worked at all, but she had done so at the behest of her son. If anything, Occento was a loose cannon that no one, in particular, should trust. Sure, she claimed to head the Council of Changelings, but how much did it affect Equestria, to begin with, if all changelings that want to live in peace already abide by pony rules and are integrated into societies as she imagined Hive Lapis was?

“I saw the inside of her hive, and it is filled with changelings, and she told me that they are attuned to the Crystal Heart, but why are there no changeling sightings on the streets?” Melody asked, her brow furrowed again. It puzzled her how there were no changelings at all in the Empire. Yet, the inside of Hive Lapis was filled with changelings. Granted, it was a changeling hive, so there being changelings should not be a surprise to anypony. But she could have sworn that she also saw some ponies down there, though her recollection of her walk within Lapis was hazy.

Cadence nodded, again, but this time leaned a cheek on her hoof and looked at Melody with a warm gaze. Despite her best efforts, Melody could not keep herself from sinking her metaphorical fangs into the full love that permeated the throne room like fog. It was refreshing, and she quickly felt her reserves filling to the brim. It was a significant hurdle to keep her expression from deforming due to the treat around her. It was as she had thought: Cadence was fond of Glaesi and it seemed there was a particular admiration for the changeling as the rosy scent filled her nostrils.

“Glaesi approached us at first shortly after we freed the Empire from King Sombra,” Cadence started. Melody remembered hearing about King Sombra and how he was the one that sunk the Empire into a curse that locked it away in time for a thousand years. How awful it must have been to be trapped in time for that long. Come to think of it, were they even aware that they had been cursed, or was everypony frozen in time? “She spoke on behalf of her changelings. We were wary at first because of our past encounter with Queen Chrysalis, but Glaesi was very amenable in accommodating our circumstances. She said that the ponies of the Empire already knew of the hive and that her changelings were naturally fed by the Crystal Heart’s barrier and influence.”

Shining cleared his throat and chimed in, “Of course, you can imagine we were very skeptical of her claims. We asked that she accompany us in the streets so we could ascertain her claims, and she agreed to my using my magic to dampen her influence in case she could coerce the residents of the Empire to her side. To our surprise, the ponies of the Empire adored Glaesi and her being a changeling did not change the fact she was part of the Empire first.” A chuckle escaped the couple, and they exchanged looks. Melody looked as the pair partook in exchanging their affection for one another. She looked away, her cheeks on fire as she shut off her emotion probing as the two continued to exhibit this behavior in such a manner.

“She, however, understood our stance and where we came from and said that she would tell her changelings that the ruling body of the Empire would prefer that they walk in pony form until such a time they feel more comfortable about the idea,” Cadence finished for her husband. After a long pause, Cadence leaned forward and took in a deep breath. “Does that answer your question?

So, that was why there were no changelings in the Empire. Or at least no changelings she could sense or feel. Then again, her detection skills were... limited, for lack of better words. It seemed like her father decided that with the Empire being such an excellent place to live in, there was no need to teach her to be wary of everything around her. Maybe one day, it would come to that, but those were thoughts for another day. Less stress was a welcome thought. Melody did another curtsy nod, disregarding the chuckles it brought to her.

“But that is not why you came here, is it?” Cadence’s voice echoed in front of her. That was the first time Melody had noticed the echo in the throne room. Had she been so enthralled by her pondering that she ignored everything around her? Was she just filtering the unimportant part of the discussion? Was she doing this right now? Was that inappropriate? Should she apologize to the princess and prince for her rude behavior?

Diligently, however, she pushed those worries aside to focus on the question at hoof. It would be rude to not answer it or to dawdle on getting to the point, although she had already been doing that already. Her curiosity was indeed a double-edged sword. No matter. She offered a slight shrug and instead gave a brief nod to the princess. She felt like she had been doing an awful lot of nodding today.

“No, it is not,” Melody confirmed. She made her wings buzz a little bit, and she froze at the sensation. She remembered very clearly that she applied her disguise before coming to the palace, so why was it off now? She didn’t even remember feeling her magic wash over her. Is it possible that she just forgot her wings? No, she was better than that at applying a disguise.

Princess Cadence’s smile only grew as she reclined in her seat and cast a glance at the prince. Melody tried to read the situation, but she could only imagine that the two had bet something about her intentions in meeting with the royal couple. Melody, on the other hoof, found her ears splaying against her mane as she tried to imagine what went inside of those two’s heads, but ultimately came up short of anything creative. It was unsettling to imagine them trying to anticipate the reason why she would come to them.

Melody pushed the thoughts from the front of her mind. She didn’t need those thoughts for now. She took in a deep breath, and she looked at Shining Armor first, then switched to Cadence afterward, and finally came back on Shining Armor again.

“I came here to apologize to Prince Shining Armor regarding my attitude towards him ever since he was assigned to me as my magical instructor. I have been unruly, rude, and unappreciative of your efforts and the challenge it required for you to cast aside your pride to teach a changeling, of all things, the basics of magic and combat magic. For this, I deeply apologize. I am also extremely thankful to the prince for his quick-thinking on aiding me when I required help, despite my having assaulted him beforehand. For this, I am eternally grateful.”

Melody bowed her head and stood there in silence, trying to catch her breath while her chest rose and sank at an accelerating pace. Her attempts at keeping her ragged breath to a minimum weren’t a particular success either. She found herself stuck with a conundrum. She wasn’t quite sure how to act next. Was she supposed to rise, or was she meant to stay this way until the crown told her to rise? Standing in this position wasn’t a problem, as Melody had filled up her reserves just a bit before, but the bugs that crawled up her leg were a different matter. Wait, how long had she been standing that way?

“You may rise now.” Melody heaved a sigh, and immediately flattened her ears. She hadn’t meant for her sigh to be so loud. Was she showing disrespect to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor? She lifted her head, trying her hardest to bury the flush under her eyes deep within the fur of her cheeks, or at least heavily thought about it. Could changeling magic hide blushes and flushes, for that matter? She saw that Cadence and Shining Armor both wore smiles on their lips, so Melody heaved another sigh, this time mentally. She didn’t want a repeat of the past few seconds on her conscience again. But what were they smiling about? She felt tempted to scratch the back of her head, she fought back the urge. It wouldn’t be formal and proper, after all.

Cadence’s voice, throughout their entire encounter, had been nothing but sweet and lulling, to a point. There had been no snark, no aggressiveness towards Melody this whole time, save for that remark about Occento, but Melody stood on Cadence’s side on that point. Occento deserved it, at least from what she remembered of the time she arrived at the Empire and met the four princesses. Cadence’s voice was like a doting mother’s, looking after her children and trying to do her best to give them their best chance in life.

“It seems my husband is not the only one that cast aside their pride. I think that there is a lesson to remember from this, Melody. And I think you have now learned it. We can all change, for better or for worse, changeling or no changeling. However, it warms me to hear how far you’ve progressed from the time when you walked in this very hall, afraid and alone.”

Melody found no words escaping her mouth, despite her attempts at trying to thank the princess. She was right. Everypony was indeed able to change. Changelings could change forms, yes, but ponies could change hearts as well. Or at least learn from their mistakes and change their hearts from there. It was tough to ignore the pressure around her throat as the imagery overwhelmed her. Changing hearts figuratively, she had to remind herself so that her reaction wouldn’t have to be dramatic. Still, the words touched her. She felt her legs staggering under her. She hadn’t expected this at all when she walked through the doors behind her.

Her cheeks grew warm, but she wasn’t blushing. Not this time anyway. Curious, Melody raised a hoof to her cheek and found dampened fur. They were wet? Oh. Maybe the princess’s words had touched her more than she had initially thought. Despite that, she bowed her head again and beamed as wide as she could. When she next raised her head, this time not waiting for Cadence’s signal, she tilted her head to the side. There had indeed been a valuable lesson she learned through all this, and she would make sure to thank Glaesi the next time she stopped by the Diamond in the Rough.

Despite their differences and how they felt about one another, ponies and changelings could coexist and form a stronger society. Or at least she believed in that future now. “Thank you very much, Your Highnesses!” Melody chirped, offering the couple another curtsy bow. “If you’ll excuse me, I will take my leave now.”

“It has been a pleasure, Melody, and please, if there’s anything else troubling you, do not hesitate to come to see us again,” Cadence replied, flicking her leg a bit.

Melody nodded, thankful for the offer of the princess, and turned away from the throne. With a slow gait, she tested her renewed reserves and realized she was full and maybe even a bit overstocked in regards to her reserves. The thought of asking Shining Armor and Cadence about her future as a Royal Guard struck her then, but she decided, with the way the day went, that those questions would ruin the moment and that she would instead ask them on another encounter. After all, she still had several years ahead of her.