Oh, A Convertin' We Will Go!

“More tea, Princess?”

Celestia turned away from the setting sun, a smile on her face while she nodded at the servant, Refined Taste. The middle-aged stallion levitated the pearl-white teapot over Celestia’s matching cup, a stream of brown tea soon filling it. A spoonful of sugar later and the beverage was complete, the tan-coated servant bowing his head before retreating with the empty pot in his blue magic field.

Her magic lifting the cup to her lips, Celestia sighed and sat back on her cushion. She found it incredibly relaxing, staying out on her bedroom balcony and watching this world’s sun set by itself. It almost helped her forget the problems of ruling a domain no longer populated by millions, but now billons.

Two months ago, she had succeeded in unifying the suffering humans of the planet, giving them pony forms and freeing them from their own destructive nature and ails. Now, with longer lives, crime and violence-free living conditions, a shared purpose, and a planet wiped clean of pollution and signs of their past suffering, they could finally live in true happiness.

Celestia’s smile faltered a little, remembering some of the reports she had been hearing over the past few weeks. It seemed like the planet was resilient, a number of settlers and explorers losing their lives to vast jungles and forests that had remained untouched by the long-gone barrier.

While most humans had accepted conversion once the barrier had begun to expand, a few had fought to the last. The toll those humans had wreaked was already rivalled by the planet itself, with a few places being labelled as no-go zones due to their danger to pony life.

Celestia still shuddered whenever she heard the name of ‘Australia’.

Pushing the thought of that death-trap out of her mind, she took another sip of soothing tea. Managing six and a half billion ponies was difficult, even with the help of her student and her ministers. Adding to the vastly increased population was the attitude of the majority of the Canterlot nobility, a few even going so far to treat the newfoals as second class citizens. If it wasn’t for the newfoals’ general bliss and happiness, Celestia would’ve taken harsh action. Ponykind had worked hard for months to save humanity, a few spoilt nobles wasn’t going to ruin that.

“Sister?”

Celestia grinned and looked to her left, Luna walking out onto the balcony.

“Luna, have you come to watch the sunset with me?”

“It is indeed pretty,” Luna replied, shaking her head when Celestia gestured to a spare white cushion beside her. “I’m afraid that I cannot stay. I have been requested to attend a meeting of the Nocturne leaders at Nightcrest, they are concerned about the recent influx of newfoals in their city.”

“Of course,” Celestia answered, slightly disappointed that Luna did not have the time to relax like she did. The bat-ponies had been a constant voice against the widespread conversion, stating that the increased numbers would lead to food issues. She also suspected that they were afraid of the newfoals, although why she couldn’t figure out. Still, they looked up to Luna greatly and gave her confidence, so Celestia was willing to overlook their repeated petitions to have the newfoals relocated. She wasn’t going to move anypony, but she decided to send Nightcrest increased food supplies in an attempt to lay their concerns to rest.

“I promise to be back as soon as I can,” Luna replied, giving her sister a brief nuzzle. “After all, you need all the help you can get.”

“I think I’m managing,” Celestia chuckled, returning the nuzzle. “Have a safe flight.”

“I am not even leaving Equestria,” Luna shot back with mock hurt. “I can fly to a city without falling afoul of this wicked planet.”

“Okay, I believe you, good luck with the Nocturnes.”

“They will be fine, I hold sway over them after all.” The clacking of shoe on stone rang out, Luna walking back into the palace. “Goodbye sister, I’ll ensure to hurry back as soon as possible so you do not need to alert the nanny.”

Celestia giggled, Luna never failing to amuse her. Turning back to the view, she sighed and drained her cup. Despite some setbacks, everything was going fine, and everypony was happy.

Nothing could change it, and that filled Celestia with a warm joy.

The inside of the gigantic prayer hall was silent, save for the faint muttering from a figure kneeling in front of a marble statue base with no statue on top.

High Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber finished his evening prayers, and stood up to walk over to the altar. He was still armoured in his black battle armour, it being a custom for all Mortisum High Confessors to wear battle dress to the services they performed. Candles burned and holy relics rested in the finely sculpted alcoves that dotted the armour, Dietrich looking more like a walking church than a human.

He retrieved his tall helmet from the altar, having removed it to say his final prayers for the day. With a hiss, it sealed around his neck and the red optics lit up, lines of scripture and information dancing across his vision simultaneously.

The evening service to the thousands of members serving on the United Imperium of Planets military base had gone off without a hitch, Dietrich having delivered a flawless performance over the two hours. Surely the Lord would be pleased with him spreading his word to the faithful with such passion.

He began the task of preparing the hall for the night, ensuring that the candles on the altar stayed lit. From altar to statue base he moved, ensuring that nothing was out of place. Stepping up to the large, black podium once again, Dietrich glanced out across the hall.

Hundreds of rows of seats reached back towards the rear of the huge room, paintings of glorious scenes of battle and valour hung up around the grey walls. Everything was lit by candle light, lending the area an eerie atmosphere that was suitable for a place intended for worship of the dead and the Lord that gave and took life at a whim. His armoured fingers resting on the edges of the podium, Dietrich felt a burning fire kindle to life inside of him.

Ever since he was young, he had desired to be a preacher just like his father before him. Upon completion of his compulsory four years of military service, Dietrich had joined the Mortisum Cult clergy without a second thought. War had taught him that death was not to be feared, but to be seen as a gateway to eternal reward. As such, it was his duty to spread the appreciation of death and celebration of life to those who would hear him.

Luckily for him, the Mortisum Cult was the primary religion of the UIP, so he rarely lacked listeners for his sermons.

Dietrich’s right hand brushed the heavy tome chained to his side, the fingers running over the smooth brown surface of the holy book. It was covered with holy signs and ornate gold trim, the leather protecting the precious pages within. His father had been so proud of him, after he had been accepted into the Cult as a simple priest.

The fact that he had even requested his skin to be used to bound his son’s holy tome, while on his deathbed, still touched Dietrich’s heart to this day.

“No time for reminiscing now,” Dietrich murmured to himself, giving the rows of empty seats a final look before returning back to the altar. With a practiced eye, he ever so carefully rearranged the relics set upon it. Holy books, ceremonial incense and silver icons of dead saints were set back into their proper places, Dietrich treating them like a firstborn child.

A golden glow from a side door caught his eye, Dietrich turning in surprise. It lead to the Ossa Domus, the most sacred place in the entire hall. No one but priests above the rank of Confessor were allowed to enter, but the door was open and there seemed to be activity inside.

Dietrich slowly approached a chest to the side of the room and crouched down, his large armoured frame reaching out to grab two objects from within it. He grabbed his handheld flamethrower in one hand, the grey, pistol-like weapon’s pilot light igniting with a clear blue flame.

In his other hand he clutched his symbol of office, the large mace that also served to display his holy rank of High Confessor. The ebony shaft and leering skull head lit up with a green glow, a glow that was sicking to look at for all but those pure of faith in the one God. His two weapons had served him well during his time on the battlefields, administering sermons to lift the spirits of the troops while administering the final mercy to fallen allies and enemies alike.

Whether believer or heretic, all deserved the comfort that God provided in their last moments.

Suitably armed, Dietrich uttered a quick prayer of courage to the Lord before advancing in the door, intent to investigate the unusual occurrence. He was the only High Confessor on the base at the moment, and if anyone lower than him entered than it was considered heresy. Dietrich was confident that none of his congregation would ever dare to risk their souls with such a foolish endeavour, however if it wasn’t a member of the base then it was an external presence.

Dietrich had encountered all forms of beings, some of which only made him grateful that he had his faith to protect him.

Walking up to the doors, his armoured boots tapping on the stone, he noticed that the numerous locks and chains designed to bare entry to those unworthy were unlocked. Not sheared off, not bashed, but unlocked. Dietrich quickly checked his key ring, the set of twenty archaic keys still hanging from his waist. Glancing back at the open doors, Dietrich stepped forwards towards the light.

He entered a corridor that would be considered morbid to most, lined with onyx-black marble and covered with murals of death and all of its forms. Candles and the abnormal light guided him down the passageway, his powered armour hissing slightly when he reached the end door. A solid golden glow shined out from the frame, despite the solid iron door being airtight.

Dietrich was slightly disturbed now, the entire situation getting more and more suspicious by the minute. He took a moment to strengthen his resolve, praying to the Holy Lord before grabbing his key ring.

Silver chain jingled slightly when he lifted the ring up, Dietrich selecting the smallest key. It was a simple metal key externally, but in truth it was laden with many wards and holy enchantments designed to ensure its condition and safety. He inserted it into a small, hidden lock in the middle of the door, the solid iron barrier swinging inwards a soon as the key was removed.

The glow intensified, Dietrich’s helmet optics adjusting to enable him to see. Around the room were numerous suits of holy armour just like his, covered with scripture inscribed with silver ink. The remnants of priests past maintained a silent vigil, twenty-four sets of the armour standing up against the circular wall. In the centre of the room, surrounded by twenty-five caskets, was a more ornate set of armour.

Dietrich slowly approached the glowing set of holy protection, the particular armour having belonged to an arch-bishop long since passed. The warm glow was coming from within, beckoning him closer. He found himself sheathing his weapons at his side, Dietrich reaching out an armoured hand and walking towards the anomaly.

Rather than dread at the unusual sight, he instead felt calmer than he ever had in his life. He drew closer, all thoughts of the repercussions of touching such a revered relic gone.

His fingers touched the armoured breastplate, his own armour tingling with energy. The glow intensified, and for a second Dietrich though that he felt the presence of another, far greater being in the room with him.

A flash enveloped the room, the iron door slamming shut by itself.

When the glow faded, Dietrich was gone. No sign remained of the priest, and the only sound in the room was rapid dripping.
The helmets of the surrounding suits of armour wept blood from their optics, despite not having been worn in centuries.

Dietrich blinked his eyes, his vision black despite his helmet’s advanced optics. His suit informed him that it was rather hot, nothing near the cold climate of the Ossa Domus that he was in just a moment ago. Realising that he was on the ground, and remembering his previous action, Dietrich sat up and glanced around.

He was in the middle of a desert, nothing but sand dunes and the occasional cacti around him. He stood up; making sure that no sand had gotten into his holy items and defiled their sanctity. Finding everything to be in good condition, he focused back on the task at hand.

‘I appear to have been transported to another planet,’ Dietrich mused while he surveyed his surroundings. He recalled no deserts on the heavily-fortified military word that he had been present on, and his armour was not picking up any of the communication signals that dominated the atmosphere of UIP worlds. His fingers tingled, causing Dietrich to glance down at his armoured digits.

‘God must have sent me here to perform a task,’ he thought, a grin appearing on his face under the helmet. ‘I am truly blessed!’

“Thank you Lord!” he praised, dropping to his knees. “I will not fail you; I will prove myself worthy of your trust!” He stayed kneeling in the sand for a few minutes, continuing to utter praise and give thanks for the divine mission that he had received. A beep from his armour broke him from his prayers, the temperature rising while the late morning sun rose in the sky. This presented two problems.

Firstly, the planet that his current parish was located on was in a binary star system, meaning that he was certainly on a different planet. The second issue was that his leather-bound holy book was not suited to direct sunlight, and risking such an item would be heresy of the highest order! Grasping his tome in both hands, the silver chain that bound it to him clinking against his armour, Dietrich searched around for shade.

He found none in the visible area, so he did the next best thing. He chose a random direction and began to walk, his armour supplying him with cool air and live-giving fluids.

“Oh Lord, how glorious your majesty is, your power plain to see!”

Dietrich sang praise as he journeyed, his boots stomping to the sand and his heart filling with joy.

“Our wonderful God, benevolent and wise! Even when our breath leaves our lungs, you watch over us and smile! We sing your name with glorious joy, and you beam back down at our faith so strong!”

His hymns kept him company for the journey, the time passing by quickly. With his own survival concerns overridden by his fervour, Dietrich never stopped or rested. The sun reached the middle of the sky, before it began to descend. Soon, it was set to dip behind the horizon, so Dietrich broke out of his singing to take stock of his situation.

“Lord, guide us with your hand,” he finished, standing on top of a dune to search for a place to shelter for the night. While he was happy to continue walking, his equipment would need rest from the sand that constantly tried to invade it.

“Thank you Lord!” Dietrich gushed, spotting a small cave set into a rocky hill that was covered with sand. “It shall make a fine shelter!” With a faith-powered spring in his step, Dietrich advanced on the cave, humming merrily as he did so. He reached it just as the sun set, the temperature beginning to quickly drop.

The opening was large enough to enable him to enter without ducking, even with his cylindrical helmet and armour-boosted height. His helmet optics adjusted for the low-light conditions, and his boots clacked on the rocky ground while he advanced deeper. With tome in hand and faith in heart, he fearlessly strode forwards past stalactite and stalagmite alike.

‘Hmm, what’s this?’ Dietrich mentally questioned, upon noticing a soft glow up ahead. ‘Someone else already occupies my shelter?’

Taking a moment to ensure that his armour’s alcoves were free of sand, and that his items and objects of his office were presentable, he continued on and prepared to meet possible converts.

The cavern he emerged into was large, his footsteps echoing off the grey, rocky walls. He looked towards the source of the glow, a small campfire blazing with the smoke disappearing deeper towards the back of the cave. It was not the fire that interested him; however, it was the ten pairs of wide, solid-blue eyes that stared at him in fear. Dietrich observed the black quadrupled creatures, looking like the spawn of a terran horse and an insect.

There were six large creatures, which Dietrich assumed were adults, and four smaller ones. All had short curved horns on their foreheads, thin-looking insect wings and grey-black tails. Also of note were the holes that dotted their limbs, gaps where he could see the background through the black chitin. Seeing their fear, Dietrich let his tome dangle at his side, and held his arms out to the sides with his palms open.

“Do not fear, strange creatures,” he reassured, not even considering that they may not speak English in his haste to make introductions. “I am High Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber, and I merely seek shelter for myself and my holy relics. I wish you no harm, and I hope that you share that sentiment towards me.”

Dietrich waited, smiling at the creatures but forgetting that his helmet was on so the gesture was pointless. Luckily for him, the beings seemed to understand him, the six adults whispering to each other before one faced him and raised an ebony hoof.

“You… won’t hurt us?” she asked, a slight buzz sounding when she pronounced the ‘s’. Dietrich was a little concerned that they thought so ill of him. Whatever did he do to establish that image?

“You have my word as a man of God,” he answered, the creatures returning to their whispering. The female that had spoken before nodded, and looked at Dietrich warily.

“Okay, feel free to take a seat around the fire,” she glanced at the small pile of wood, knowing it would not last the night. “It’s a bit small though.”

“It is of no bother,” Dietrich replied with a joyful tone. “Your hospitality is more than enough warmth for me, may the good Lord bless you.” He settled down upon the cold stone, sitting upon a smooth rock near the fire. The creatures sharing the cave with him continued to watch him, the female’s fear being partly replaced with confusion.

“Um… thanks, I think?”

“Those who provide the servants of the true God with assistance earn my respect, even if you are all heathens.” He settled down and opened his tome, preparing to pass the time by reading his scriptures. But first, acquainting himself with his fellow cave-sharers was in order. He glanced at the female, and for some reason the creature shied away from his gaze. “May I ask the name of the one brave enough to speak to me?”

She gulped; her fellows glancing at her while Dietrich’s stare remained.

“It’s Seraph.”

Seraph stared at the creature that had asked her name, the strange biped sitting down opposite her group. The nymphs remained quiet while Haze, Chitter, Cion, Double and Swift Swap continued to whisper to each other. The visitor was the topic, Seraph able to hear that they thought he was a ‘human’, a creature that the Equestrians had driven extinct with the same method that they had used on her own hive. How many changelings from Chrysalis’ swarm were left was unknown, but it was likely that they were the only ones remaining.

If he was indeed a ‘human’, then her caution was wise. They hadn’t heard much about the outside world once they had gone into hiding, but they did know that the humans had resisted the most out of the species converted which included the Griffons, Minotaurs, Diamond Dogs and Dragons.

The creature in front of her appeared to be focused on his large book, the ‘man’ murmuring to himself as he gazed upon the pages. Seraph used the time to examine him further, her eyes scanning his intimidating form.

He looked more like a walking religious shrine than a creature, what Seraph assumed was black armour covered with alcoves filled with candles and other strange objects. The armour itself was decorated with lines of words in an unknown language, written with silver ink. Silver chains and small skulls were dotted around the figure’s form, and there were numerous runes and pictures drawn on the shoulders and chest with red ink.

Or at least what she hoped was red ink.

Attached to his side were a multitude of strange objects, but the two that stood out were a large mace and a long, grey stick that seemed to have some kind of tank underneath it with pipes and tubing running into the main body. Both items bore skulls and more lines of silver words, indicating that they were important somehow.

“Seraph,” Cion whispered, the other changeling glancing at the biped and flicking her tail nervously. “Are you sure we can trust him?”

“Yeah,” Swift Swap joined in while he poked a stray twig back into the fire. “He’s… kind of strange. Also, what if the Equestrians are looking for him? If they find him, then we’ll get converted as well.”

Seraph shuddered at that thought, reminded of the fate that befell the rest of the hive, including the Queen. Non-royal Changelings only lived to an age of fifty years, the highest recorded, and while becoming a pony upped that to two-hundred and eliminated the need to feed on love, the loss of who you were was something that Seraph couldn’t bear to think about. She may have been just a drone, meant to preform basic tasks, but the pony newfoals were just plain creepy.

Another thing was that while newfoals were in a permanent state of happiness, any love from them tasted… wrong, and wasn’t fit for eating. She didn’t know how long the group of ten would last, normal Equestrians too changeling-savvy to fool after the failed Canterlot invasion. With no love, they had to try and survive off normal food, and even that was sparse.

“I don’t think they’re looking for him,” she whispered back, accidently bumping Chitter and earning a grunt from him. She gave him an apologetic look, and he went back to staring at the biped. “If they were, I don’t think he’d be as happy as he is. Also, he called us ‘creatures’, so he probably doesn’t know about changelings.”

“But after the Canterlot invasion everyone knew about changelings” Haze hissed, a regretful tinge to her voice. “Even the humans knew about us, before they all got converted.”

“Then where did he come from then?” Double contributed, flicking his ears towards the biped.

“I don’t know,” Seraph whispered back. “Still, maybe he’ll be able to help us get some food.” All six looked down at their stomachs, grimacing at their skinny forms.

“I’m not seducing him, no way,” Cion informed after a short silence, Seraph rolling her eyes at the former Infiltrator’s statement.

“I don’t think he’d go for that,” she reassured, glancing at the biped again and finding that he was still engrossed in his book. “He seems far more interested in that book of his. That’s not what I’m talking about though; maybe we can use him as bait to draw in an Equestrian.”

All six adults mulled over the plan, the two youngest nymphs chirping for food while the older pair sat in silence. Seraph sighed and rubbed the head of closest one, remembering that is was her turn to go out and search for something to eat in the morning. Suddenly, Chitter did something unexpected and stood up, walking over towards the biped.

“What are you reading?” he inquired, much to the shock of his fellows. The biped looked up from his book, his piercing red eyes causing Chitter to flinch.

“I am reading the Holy Book of Mortisum; this one is my own personal copy.” Chitter tilted his head at the information, and reached out a hoof to touch the huge book.

‘What is he doing!?’ Seraph thought to herself, frozen to the spot. She and the other four watched on in horror while Chitter ran his hoof over the spine, such was the size of the book that his entire hoof was on the spine at once.

“Touching a Holy Book while being a non-worshiper is considered heresy,” the biped informed, Chitter quickly withdrawing it. “I’ll let you off this time however, don’t worry. I served my required time as a missionary, so I can understand that you didn’t know.”

“Thanks,” Chitter replied with a relieved sigh, his eyes moving from the large mace at the biped’s side towards the book. “What’s that cover made from? It feels nice, um, Confessor?”

“High Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber.”

“Oh,” Chitter mumbled after the correction. “So, it’s made from…?”

“Chitter, leave him alone,” Seraph finally found the courage to speak up. Chitter withdrew and returned to the camp fire, sitting down with a huff. Dietrich watched him, Seraph giving the High Confessor an apologetic smile. “Sorry about him, he’s always asked a lot of questions.”

“It’s of no bother,” Dietrich responded with warmth in his voice. He left his rock and moved over to the side of the cave, gracefully managing to knell down in his armour while facing the wall. All the changelings watched with confusion while he began to murmur to himself again, his head bowed.

“Are you okay?” Seraph asked, receiving a nod from the High Confessor.

“I am saying my evening prayers to the Lord. You are welcome to join me, Miss Seraph.”

The offer caught her off guard. He wanted her to pray to his god with him? While she was confused, at the same time she appreciated the offer.

“No, thank you. I’m afraid that it might be disrespectful.” She winced at her weak excuse, but thankfully he left it go and returned to staring at the wall. The murmuring restarted, none of the others keen to interrupt him again. All of them shared unsure glances, before it eventually was forgotten and they returned to their normal conversations.

Dietrich stood up, having finished his two hours of prayers. His armour’s chains jingled while he walked back to the dying fire, and he sat back down upon his rock.

His strange companions ceased their talking, seeming to be uncomfortable around him. He quickly dismissed the concern; after all, he did acknowledge that he was probably an oddity to them. Humming to himself, Dietrich opened a waist compartment of his armour, and withdrew a most holy item.

His post-evening prayer sandwich.

He had forgotten to eat it before in all the confusion, but at least he had it now. Technically, it was two sandwiches, but he just thought of it as double the holy sustenance in one plastic wrapped package. He unwrapped it and offered a brief prayer for the food, before he heard a chirp from the other side of the camp fire.

Looking up from his food, he saw that every single one of the creatures was staring at his two sandwiches, with the four small ones sniffing the air. It was then that he noticed just how thin they seemed, even if he wasn’t familiar with their species.

“Would you like to share in my post-prayer meal?” he offered, the female named Seraph hesitantly shaking her head.

“No, it’s okay, we didn’t pray with you after all, and you shouldn’t waste it on us.” Despite her polite decline, Dietrich could see the hunger in her eyes. Remembering his teacher’s advice that ‘the easiest way to win faith with the faithless, is to provide them with proof of its rewards’, he decided to press the issue.

“I insist, after all you allowed me to share your fire.” Dietrich placed the sandwiches on a rock, and retrieved a small, ornate knife from his waist. It was supposed to be used to cut candles to the correct holy length before services, but over the years he had found that it made a fine sandwich slicer. With care, and all eyes upon him, Dietrich cut each square sandwich into five pieces. Finished, he put his knife away and held up a piece in his hand. “Who wishes to take the first one?”

Each of the adults glanced at each other, unwilling to be the first to take the offered food. They were saved, in a way, when one of the nymphs approached Dietrich without a shred of fear. The High Confessor watched the youngster with interest , holding the slice out towards it. The child stopped and opened its jaws, showing him a mouth filled with small, sharp teeth with two fangs each on the upper and lower jaw.

Dietrich chuckled when it sniffed and took the sandwich piece from him with its mouth, the creature sitting back down on its rump while it used its small hooves to hold the food in place while it nibbled.

“What’s in it?” one of the adults asked, Dietrich not yet knowing their name.

“It contains the most holy combination of fillings: Divine ham, blessed pickles, and righteous cheese. I assembled the sustenance myself on the very same table that Saint Celina prepared her own post-prayer sandwiches on, making them truly sanctified sandwiches.” Dietrich paused, a thought occurring to him. “You can eat meat, I assume?” He glanced towards the feasting child; it evidently had no problem with the presence of ham.

“We can eat meat,” Seraph answered with a small grimace. “It’s just not seen as a good thing.”

“I assure you that my ham is sourced from farms blessed by the good Lord himself,” Dietrich reassured with a confident nod. “The pigs are raised in accordance with holy practices, and the particular brand I get my ham from even play them sermons in their pens! How holier can you get without getting a Cardinal to bless a pig, but that’s a moot point. Eat, and enjoy the bounty that God has provided us with.”

The adults didn’t seem convinced at the consecrated ham that he was offering, but one by one they approached. Pieces were passed around to all, and soon only Seraph and Dietrich were left without a sandwich slice to enjoy. Seraph looked up at him, her raised hoof lowering.

“You should have it,” she stated. “It’s your food after all; I’ll eat something in the morning.”

Dietrich would have none of that, he wasn’t about to lose a potential convert to such a trivial thing as starvation.

“Nonsense, you are in more need than I,” he replied, Seraph’s stomach rumbling to help his point. “The act of giving it to you will be far more sustenance than needed for me, and the Lord will be pleased with my charity.” All the other changelings looked towards Seraph, Dietrich awaiting her reply.

“I… no, I can’t,” she tried, before his unending gaze caused her to give in. Dietrich smiled in his helmet when she sighed and took the piece in her forehooves, Seraph sitting down so that she could consume the morsel.

“How about, in repayment, you all introduce yourselves and tell me about your people?” Dietrich was interested in finding out how many potential converts were on the planet. Did the Lord send him here to show these rather nice creatures the path to enlightenment? It was incredibly likely, so he needed information to properly carry out a missionary attempt.

“I’m Swift Swap,” one of the creatures introduced, pausing his eating.

“Chitter.”

“Haze.”

“Double.”

“Cion.”

After all had stated their names, Dietrich turned to the smaller four. “And what about you, little ones?”

“They aren’t named yet,” Seraph informed between chews. “It is traditionally the honour of the Queen to name nymphs, but after she was converted by the ponies we haven’t seen her, so I guess that we’ll have to do it when they mature.” Seraph glanced down towards the largest children, the two laying down after finishing their pieces. “These two are almost old enough for a name, so we’ll have to think of something. I don’t think any other changelings are left, so it’s just us.”

Dietrich nodded, going over the information that he had received. It seemed as if these ‘ponies’ were converting creatures as well, something that he couldn’t allow. By converting them to a different religion not endorsed by the Cult, they were damning souls to a lesser afterlife! It was obvious to him now, the Lord had sent him to change the ways of this planet’s inhabitants and thusly grant them entrance into the afterlife with all of the deserving faithful!

“This ponies you speak of, are they nearby?”

“There’s a town called ‘Appleoosa’ an hour’s walk from here, towards the west. That’s just the closest one though, the ponies are all over the planet.” Seraph paused in her explanation to lick her lips clear of any leftover crumbs. “You shouldn’t go and talk to the ponies, they don’t like humans or changelings.”

“Ah, so you know what species I am?” Dietrich asked, delighted that he might not have to answer all sorts of questions about humans. It would cut into his prayer time.

“Yeah, we do,” the changeling named Cion nodded while answering for Seraph. Dietrich smiled, however the changelings only saw the same, grilled faceplate that was part of his helmet. He noticed that the fire was nearly out, and that his companions were all starting to yawn.

“Well, I think that’s enough questions for now,” he said, Chitter getting up and moving over towards the cave mouth. “Are you leaving?”

“I have to keep watch for the night,” the changeling answered while letting out a yawn. “We don’t want the ponies to come in the night and drag us away for conversion.”

Dietrich left his rock and followed him, Chitter pausing.

“You should rest, I’ll keep watch for these ponies you fear so much. Besides, I have some reading I need to catch up on.” Chitter glanced down to the tome at Dietrich’s side, before looking back up at the High Confessor.

“But how will you read in the dark? Thank you for the offer, but it is my turn to watch-“

“Nonsense,” Dietrich cut in. “I will be able to see fine, and I am the intruder upon your cave after all. I have often spent my nights reading the holy passages, this one will be no different.” He once again smiled down uselessly at the changeling, Chitter shifting on his hooves.

“If he wants to take your watch, let him,” Haze suggested, joining the others as they lay down upon the floor. “You can make up for it by helping Seraph look for food in the morning.”

“Fine,” Chitter relented, giving Dietrich a thankful smile before he moved back to his fellow changelings. Dietrich nodded, his task complete, before he left the ten and departed down the tunnel leading to the mouth of the cave.

Soon the only sounds were his boots on rock, Dietrich quickly reaching the cave exit. He emerged into the night air, still refreshing despite the numerous cleaners and processers that filtered the air into his suit. He chose a spot on a nice, flat rock, the desert quiet save for the whistling of the wind.

Opening his tome on his lap, he took a moment to reflect upon his circumstances.

He had been assigned a holy mission, direct from God himself. Why else would he provide him divine transport to another planet, untouched by his hand? Dietrich realised that he had already been blessed with ten potential converts, and he was certain that he was making ground with them. The sharing of food and conversation was just the beginning, soon he would start telling them about the word of God and how he can offer them the acceptance that they seemed to be lacking.

A smile on his face, Dietrich turned his tome’s pages before stopping at a particular passage focusing on the danger of damnation and the reward of faith in the Lord.

In the morning, he had a pony town to convert.

Seraph snorted, lifting her head from the cold ground and buzzing her wings. She let out a yawn, blinked her eyes and stood up to stretch her legs. Seeing that everyone else was still sleeping, she carefully moved over towards Chitter and nudged his side with a foreleg.

“What?” he grumbled, having far more difficulty than her with waking up.

“Come on, we’ve got to get food and wood, remember? And keep your voice down, don’t wake the others.”

“Alright, alright,” he gave in, slowly and shakily getting to his hooves. “I swear, you’re a harsher taskmaster than Chrysalis used to be.” Both were silent for a few seconds, remembering the fate of the Queen. Thankfully, they hadn’t been in the hive when it had happened.

“Let’s just get going,” Seraph huffed, carefully stepping around the four nymphs that were huddled together on the floor. Chitter followed her, both moving past the remains of the long-gone fire and heading into the tunnel leading to the exit.

“So, this ‘High Confessor’,” Chitter began once they ran no risk of waking the others. “Can we trust him?”

“He gave us food and talked to us, that’s more than most would do. Plus he seems friendly, so I think we can.” Seraph stopped walking when she felt a hoof on her shoulder, Chitter gazing at her with a serious expression.

“Are you sure we can trust him, though? I mean, we’re possibly the last changelings left, and that’s not a great number with only ten of us and no royalty. What if it’s an act and he’s just waiting for us to let down our guard so he can wipe us out? Look at him, he’s covered with skulls and I saw his book, it had pictures of skeletons and other things about death. Do we want to let something like that stay here, if he plans to stay?”

Seraph remained silent for a few moments, before replying to him. “Chitter, what do you think we look like to ponies and other races?”

“Monsters,” Chitter answered, slowly getting what Seraph was driving at.

“That’s right. Now, are we all evil because of how we look?”

“No, we’re not.”

“So there you go,” Seraph nodded. “Just because he looks evil, doesn’t mean that he is evil. Also, that’s only his armour, we haven’t seen what he actually looks like. Who knows, maybe humans look just like ponies, with all of that colourful fur.”

This brought a smile to Chitter’s face, Seraph glad that she had managed to ease his fears about their visitor. While the High Confessor was indeed strange, he was in the same boat as them, so to speak. He had only treated them with respect so far, despite them being heathens to him, and Seraph knew that in the days before the conversion the changelings wouldn’t have been nearly as nice to him as he was acting now.

They needed all of the allies that they could get. It was either work together, starvation or conversion. None of the latter answers appealed to her, so working together seemed right in her mind.

“Come on, food and firewood won’t find themselves,” she reminded, Chitter staring to walk again. The pair reached the cave mouth just in time to see the sunrise, and Seraph looked around for Dietrich. “High Confessor?” she called out, receiving no reply in return.

“Hey Seraph, you might want to see this.”

Seraph approached Chitter, the fellow drone staring at a flat rock. Upon reaching it, she noticed that a piece of parchment was upon it, held down with a small rock. Lines of words in an unknown language were written upon it with black ink, a crude image of what she assumed was Dietrich holding out his book while shouting at ponies in front of him drawn at the bottom.

“Oh no,” she murmured, hoping that he didn’t do what she thought he had done. “Surely not…”

“Look down,” Chitter told her, just as surprised as she was. Seraph did as he said, and it was then that she noticed the pair of footsteps in the sand.

A trail of footsteps that were heading west, right where she had said Appleoosa was.

“What do we do?” Chitter asked, nervously buzzing his wings.

Seraph bit her lip while she mulled over their choices. They could leave and find food and firewood as planned, or they could go and stop Dietrich before he was turned into a newfoal. She still felt like she owed him more for his sharing of his food, and he might even be a way for them to survive a little longer. If he knew of any other humans, something she forgot to ask the previous night, then they might even be willing to take in their desperate group of ten.

“We have to help him,” she decided, following the High Confessor’s large footsteps. Chitter surprisingly didn’t object, and the two started their journey into the desert. They couldn’t risk discovery by flying, so it was a long and tiring trip ahead of them.

Seraph hoped that they managed to reach Dietrich before he found the town; she shuddered to think of what the ponies would do to the friendly human.

Braeburn jolted out of his bed at a knocking on his door, the yellow sheets becoming tangled in his haste to leave.

“Darn it!” he yelled when he landed on the wooden floor with a thump. He grumbled and removed his hind legs from their fabric prison, finally succeeding in standing up to begin his morning. “I’ll be one second!” He quickly rushed to the mirror, slipped on his vest, grabbed his hat from its stand and then hurried out of his bedroom to open the front door.

He was greeted with the town sheriff, Silverstar, and this caused Braeburn to roll his eyes.

“Are some of the townsponies complaining about the newfoals again?” he asked, some of the settlers not being too keen about their new helpers. As the town greeter and unofficial go-to stallion, Braeburn often found himself solving the town disputes. The newfoals were a prevalent theme in these arguments, with a few ponies not trusting the newcomers.

Sure, they were a little overenthusiastic with proclaiming their love for Princess Celestia, Equestria, and everypony as a whole, but he knew they didn’t mean any harm. Being out in Appleoosa, Braeburn didn’t really experience the conversation of either their home world or this one apart from the barrier, until the five-hundred newfoals had been assigned to Appleoosa to help with the apple farms.

The Buffalo were another issue entirely, relations having soured between them. Somehow, the Chief had found out about the forced conversions and the Buffalo had claimed that Celestia and Luna were ‘tampering with the natural order’. This had prompted more than a few visits from government officials sent from Canterlot, sparking some fear in Braeburn. Despite their failure to understand why the Griffons, Diamond Dogs, Minotaurs, Changelings, and Humans had to be converted, Braeburn knew that the Buffalo were good at heart and he’d hate for them to be converted.

Newfoals didn’t really make for good conversation partners, and everything they said seemed forced to him.

Still, there was nothing he could do but try and reassure the Buffalo that the conversions were over, and that everything was working fine. The apple orchards had grown to cover a huge amount of acres, something that was needed to help feed the billons of new ponies. Remembering that he had to hurry up and begin the day’s work of apple picking, Braeburn turned his attention away from his thoughts and back to Sheriff Silverstar.

“It’s not about the newfoals, surprisingly,” the Sheriff drawled, his hat crooked on his head.

“What is it then, Silver?”

“You have to see for yourself, you won’t believe me if I told you,” Silver answered, shaking his head. To say Braeburn was concerned was an understatement, he couldn’t think of anything that would require an early-morning visit from the Sheriff apart from newfoal issues.

Without a word, he left his house and closed the door behind him, Silverstar walking down the porch steps and heading around the corner to the main street. Braeburn followed, and when he entered the main street he saw exactly what the problem was.

A figure was standing in the middle of the town, right in the centre of the main road. Settlers stopped and stared at the motionless biped, while the large numbers of newfoals seemed to shy away from it. From the looks of things, it appeared to be a human, but Braeburn hadn’t heard of any human that looked like he was wearing an armoured black church. He turned to Silverstar to ask just what in tarnation was happening, however the Sheriff must have anticipated the query.

“Yup, I think it’s a human,” he whispered to Braeburn while using a forehoof to muffle his voice. “Although I ain’t ever heard of one that looks like that, they’re supposed to just have skin, some clothes and no fur. This one’s wearing what I reckon is armour, and fancy armour at that. See all of those little window things in it? There’s other things in them with the candles.”

Braeburn looked closer to the stationary figure, and saw that he did indeed have creepy looking things stored in the barred windows. He swore that a few even contained bones contained behind some sort of glass, and the human’s red eyes sent chills down his spine. Also of note were the large book at his waist, some kind of thick stick with a skull carving at the top and another long device attached to him with silver chains. The silver script and red symbols covering the pitch-black armour finished the entire image,

“So, do you want to get the guards, or should I go?” Silverstar made sure to keep his voice low when asking the question, not wanting to provoke the being to violence.

“How?” Braeburn whispered back. “The next train isn’t due for a week, and the Canterlot is a two week walk away.” After the first month, all of the guards meant to assist in controlling the newfoals were either recalled to Canterlot or sent to far-away lands. Princess Celestia herself guaranteed that the newfoals would cause no trouble, and so far they hadn’t. Things were so peaceful; Appleoosa didn’t even have a local reserve force unlike other cities and towns.

“Drat,” Silver replied. “I forgot about that. I don’t know if me and Deputy Tumble can take it down if trouble starts, it’s a big ‘un.”

“Maybe you won’t need to,” Braeburn suggested with a glance to the creature. “I mean, it’s not really causing any problems, or doing anything really. Have you tried welcoming it and asking why it’s here?”

“Welcoming it?” Silverstar questioned with shock on his face. “Braeburn, did you not hear what those humans were like before they became newfoals? Far worse than the changelings and griffons combined.”

“Well I haven’t met a single one,” Braeburn retorted. “Maybe if we’re nice, then it’ll be nice back.” Silver shook his head at the reply, however that didn’t stop Braeburn. He confidently walked up to the motionless human, sparking whispers and gasps from the surrounding settlers. The human didn’t react aside from looking at him with those baleful red eyes. “Howdy Pardner, welcome to Appleoosa,” Braeburn skipped his usual introduction, and kept it short and simple. “My name is Braeburn and I’m the unofficial town greeter, is there anything I can help you with?”

A harsh, electronic noise caused him to flinch, however he soon realised that the human was just clearing it’s throat.

“No thankyou, Mister Braeburn, I am in no need of assistance.” It was a male, and Braeburn was surprised at the warm tone in the human’s voice.

“Oh, I see,” Braeburn replied, stuck for what else to say. “Uh, so did you happen to come here to be converted? Appleoosa never had a place for that but I’d be happy to find you a place to stay until the next train to Canterlot.”

“Converted?” the human replied, seeming to be puzzled. “Ah, I remember now. Miss Seraph mentioned that you ponies are very keen on conversion. While I admire your eagerness and kindness, I have come here to convert you.”

Braeburn had not been expecting that.

“I’m… sorry there friend, but I think I misheard you,” he apologised, flicking his ears and glancing back at Silverstar. He, and the rest of the ponies in earshot, seemed just as confused as Braeburn. The human grabbed the large book at his side in response, Braeburn staring at the black cover which was covered with more silver words and symbols.

“Why, I’m here to spread the word of God, as directed by the Holy Lord himself.” Braeburn stepped back when the human opened his huge book and flicked a few pages. “And the Lord did sayeth to his followers, go my children, and spread my word to the Heathen and the Sinner, the unknowing and the lost! For only through my guidance can their souls be granted entry to the most divine of all the afterlives!”

Such was the force and volume of the reading that Braeburn collapsed onto his rump in shock. The human’s helmet must have had some kind of speaker built into it to project his voice so loudly.

“I am High Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber, of the holy Cult of Mortisum!” the human announced when he looked up from his book. “I have come to share with you the gift of the word of God, and thusly preparing you for salvation! Come ponies, listen to what I preach and be enlightened! The Lord Himself has sent me to your world to save you from your heresy and wicked ways, rejoice!”

Braeburn was so surprised that he was unable to speak, so he just sat and stared as the human continued to read.

“For all of those that heed these words will be granted compassion that only the Lord can provide! No matter race or wealth, all are welcome under his gaze!” Dietrich, or at least that was what Braeburn was calling him in his head, looked up from the book once again.

“Gather around, gather around and hear these holy words!”

Braeburn didn’t know whether it was the words themselves or the zeal with which the High Confessor spoke them, but he felt compelled to continue to listen. He turned his head as another pony sat down next to him, a mare by the name of Sandy. They were soon joined by another thirty-three ponies, almost half of the town’s population of original Equestrians.

Standing back and looking on in confusion was the Sheriff and the rest of the townsponies. The newfoals had all retreated to the edges of the street, and for some reason they all cowered in fear.

“Hmm, not the best turnout, but certainly not the worst.” Braeburn refaced the High Confessor, the preacher looking out over to the Sheriff and the rest of the townsponies while he made his audible observation. “Are you sure that you do not wish to join us? Your fellows seem keen to listen.”

The question must have startled Silver, the Sheriff jerking back and glancing at Braeburn.

“I uh, I don’t think so.” Silverstar was joined in his rejection with the rest of ponies standing with him.

“Suit yourselves,” the High Confessor replied. “If you wish to miss out on the chance to obtain a better afterlife, then that is your choice.” The pages of the book were flipped again, the human placing a finger down on the fine parchment. “Now for the rest of you, let us read from book seventeen, passages eight to three hundred and eighty-seven: The Trials of the Three Saints…

“What in all of the world…”

Chitter couldn’t help but nod at Seraph’s murmur, both changelings watching the town with a mix of awe, confusion, and dread.
They had followed the human’s footsteps all the way to Appleoosa, Dietrich however must have left long before dawn as they had caught up to him too late. Looking at him now while they hid behind a sand dune, they could see that Dietrich seemed to be fitting in fine with the ponies.

And that was truly disturbing.

“He’s mad,” Chitter breathed, staring at the High Confessor while the human waved his book around and yelled out praise and blessings.

“He’s got the ponies doing whatever he wants though,” Seraph whispered.

“Not all of them,” Chitter pointed out, taking note of the ponies and newfoals slowly moving away from the ones sitting down. The sound of movement alerted him, and when he turned around he spotted Seraph squirming forwards on her belly through the sand.

“Seraph!” Chitter hissed. “What are you doing? Do you want the ponies to get you?” She ignored him and continued on, Chitter watching her close to within a hundred metres of the town. He shook his head, having lost hope of convincing her otherwise. Seraph had always been a little strange, and she seemed to be a little more accepting of the human than he would have expected. He knew that the fate of the hive had hit her the hardest, despite her attempts to maintain control.

Then along comes this ‘High Confessor’ preaching acceptance under someone called ‘God’. It was no wonder Seraph was drawn towards it, now that he looked back over the previous night. All it had taken was some kind words and actions, and Seraph was eating everything up. Still, maybe it was for the best. At least she could find some happiness in the situation, even if it would probably turn out to be in vain.

‘Why do you make me do this Seraph?’ he mentally questioned with a sigh, dropping to the ground and crawling towards her. He reached her just as Dietrich reached a crescendo in his sermon, the High Confessor waving his tome around and reciting the rest of the passage from memory.

“So, even with heretical munitions embedded in his breast, Saint Rostartius strived on with pure faith alone! Not a single one went without last rites that day, and it was only when the battle was over that he finally became one with the Lord! Such was the magnificence of that day, the battlefield maintains a holy glow even after thousands of years! Such is proof of the strength that one receives from the Lord!”

The book was lowered, Dietrich having managed to enthral his audience with the tale. Chitter didn’t really get what the High Confessor was saying exactly, but when he glanced to Seraph next to him he saw that she was just as interested as the pony listeners. He sighed and turned back to Dietrich, the human beginning to read from his book once more.

‘Well, I guess I’m the only one going to look for food and wood then.’ Without a word, Chitter began to sneak away from the town, leaving Seraph behind in the sand.

Sheriff Silverstar approached Braeburn as soon as the human left the square, a mass of questions swirling around in his head. For starters, the entire day was almost over, and half the town had spent the time listening to a human talk gobble-dee-gook instead of picking apples!

“Braeburn,” Sliver called, putting on his serious face in preparation for the conversation to come. “I have to talk to you.”

Braeburn smiled and walked to meet him, the two stopping by the side of the road.

“Silver, what do you want to talk about?”

“I came to talk about why you and most of the town decided to sit down instead of work!” Silverstar was a bit surprised at the angry tone that came out of his own mouth, his voice raised and drawing the attention of surrounding ponies. “This whole human business is making me uneasy, there’s a reason they were converted! All they do is spread strife and chaos!”

“I was only listening so I could find out why he was here, Silver,” Braeburn replied, Silver narrowing his eyes. He had known Braeburn for ages, and the stallion was a terrible lair. “Besides, it doesn’t look like he’s out to cause trouble.”

“Doesn’t look like he’s out to cause trouble?” Silverstar repeated with disbelief. “While he was talking all those fancy words, only half of the town and the newfoals were working the fields! Not only that, but the newfoals don’t seem to like him and I don’t as well!”

Braeburn sighed and lowered his head, Silver feeling his anger die down. It was wrong to blame Braeburn for what had happened, he was just an easy target.

“Look, Silver,” Braeburn replied while raising his head, getting in before Silverstar could apologise. “I can understand why you don’t like him, but I’m just trying to be friendly and all. I’m sorry for not working in the fields today, but he was pretty interesting.”

“He’s down-right creepy,” Silver shivered. “All that talk about death, he sounds like my old Ma when she gets into the salt.”

A second later and both chuckled at the joke, the tension disappearing from the conversation. Braeburn grinned at him, and gestured to the saloon.

“I forgive you Silver. Say, want to grab a drink and a salt block? I can explain to you the things that the High Confessor was talking about so you don’t see him as creepy anymore.” Silver was hesitant, but the smile from his long-time friend convinced him that nothing sinister was going on.

“That sounds good, Brae, but no trying to help him convert me to his wacky religion now.”

“You sound like I’m already singing praise,” Braeburn joked, the two chuckling while they headed to the saloon.

Both missed the plain brown mare that had been staring at them during the entire conversation, the unclothed earth pony turning to trot down the street that the human had entered.

Seraph struggled to maintain the disguise, her low level of love making it difficult to hold. After overhearing the conversation between the Sheriff and the other pony, she had to find Dietrich. It seemed like some of the townsponies didn’t mind him, and she wanted to ask him the secret that he used to have them treat him like that. She had heard that the ponies converted everything they didn’t like, so the fact that he not only stayed a human but also appeared to have made some friends was nothing short of a miracle in her eyes.

She spotted him talking to a sandy-yellow mare with an orange mane, Seraph catching a snippet of their conversation while she approached.

“Yes, Miss Sandy, I’ll be sure to come back tomorrow. However, I hear that you are in middle of the apple harvest and I do love prayer while I work. I may offer to help, and we can discuss the word of God while we pick his bounty.” Dietrich noticed Seraph at that moment, his red eyes turning to look at her. “Well, another believer it seems. Come Miss, I assume that you wish to talk to me about my sermon like many of your fellows?”

It took Seraph a moment to remember that she was in disguise, and she realised that he wouldn’t recognise her. With a nervous glance towards the other mare, who was fixing her with a curious look, Seraph cleared her throat.

“Um… yeah. Is it okay if we talk in private? I have some questions that are kinda personal.” She had to focus to keep the buzz out of her voice. She wasn’t an infiltrator like Cion but a drone, so this blending in thing wasn’t something she was trained for or used to. Dietrich nodded at her request, before he turned back to the earth pony named Sandy.

“Thank you for the interest, Miss Sandy, I hope to be able to share the Lord’s word with you tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it, High Confessor,” she replied with a smile. “It’s very interesting, and makes a lot of sense when you think about it.” Sandy removed a wooden basket from her back with her mouth, placing it on the ground and removing the blanket covering it. Inside lay an assortment of breads, apples and apple products, and some corked jugs with a water drop marked on them.

“What is this?” Dietrich inquired, joy in his voice while the pony beamed up at him.

“You said that you were travelling, so I thought you’d like some food and water,” Sandy answered merrily. Seraph’s mouth started to salivate at the sight of the food, there was so much! “You’re a big guy, so I gave you a little extra. I would offer a room as well, but I’m afraid that my sister isn’t very keen on you.”

“Bless you, and thanks,” Dietrich acknowledged while he bent down to make a sign with his hand over Sandy’s head. “Charity is one of the most holy activities possible, and the Lord will surely be pleased with such a display of kindness to his humble servant. This is far more than needed, and your generosity is a most becoming trait.”

“Thank you, High Confessor,” Sandy grinned back, before glancing up at the setting sun. “It’s getting late, I hope you have a good night and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. You aren’t anything like Canterlot said a human would be, you’re so nice.”

“I strive to be a shining example of faith,” Dietrich answered back, bowing his head towards her. Sandy returned the gesture and trotted off, a spring in her step while the High Confessor bent down to pick up the basket of gifts. “Now,” he continued after, turning to the shocked Seraph. “You wished to talk to me, Miss…?”

“It’s me, Seraph.” Dietrich paused, Seraph looking around to make sure no pony was watching. The street was deserted, the only sounds that of the early evening wildlife and the merriment coming from the town’s saloon. She left her disguise drop, a flash of green fire revealing her form.

Unseen to her, Dietrich’s hand went for the mace at his waist, but he relaxed when he recognised her changeling form.

“I can now see why they call you changelings,” he told her, Seraph nodding her head while panting.

“We can transform into pony-shaped forms, it’s something we’re hatched with,” she explained, before taking a large breath of air. “Sorry, just let me catch my breath. I don’t have much energy because there’s no love, and I’m not exactly used to this.”

“What do you mean love?” Dietrich inquired. “I thought you ate food for sustenance, like most living things?”

“We do, but to use magic effectively we need a source of love as well.” Seraph saw his hand go to the large stick attached to his side, and remembered who she was talking to. It seemed impossible, but the humans didn’t have magic. Did Dietrich see it as a bad thing, and thusly saw her as a bad thing now? Seraph winced, guessing that she had just ruined their chance of gaining the High Confessor as an ally.

“Magic, you say?” His voice was low, and Seraph nervously nodded her head. She shrank, hoping that he wouldn’t hurt her or tell the ponies as punishment. Instead of a stick hitting her, or the feared yell of ‘changeling’, Seraph felt a strange sensation on the top of her head.

Looking up, she saw that he had placed his hand on her head, the cool metal somewhat soothing. She couldn’t tell what his expression was due to his helmet, but he didn’t seem as mad as she expected.

“You have no need to fear,” Dietrich reassured gently. “You have proved yourself to be pure of heart, and you cannot help what you are created as. While your magic is unsanctified, I know that you wish no ill will of the Lord and his works. I have faith in you, Miss Seraph, so do not shy from me in fear.” Dietrich’s hand left her head, Seraph gazing up at him in awe. She was accepted by him, and he, a High Confessor, had faith in her? “Besides,” Dietrich added with warmth in his voice. “A species that requires love is hardly one that I’d expect to be unconsecrated.”

“You… you mean it?” Seraph smiled, over-joyed to hear him praise her race. “You don’t think we’re monsters?”

“No, I do not,” he answered, shaking his head. “I know fellow humans far more monstrous than you will ever be, and they still are redeemable in the eyes of the Lord.” He glanced upwards, Seraph also taking note of the coming night. “What questions did you have to ask?”

“Nothing,” Seraph murmured, the High Confessor having answered more questions already than she needed. “Thank you.”

“It is of no bother,” Dietrich answered, gesturing towards the blanket-covered basket of food and drink. “Come now, we must make haste to share our good fortune with the others back at the cave, and I have to make my evening prayers.”

Seraph watched while he began to walk, is words resonating within her. She trotted up to travel beside him, a question that surprised her coming out from her mouth.

“Can you teach me?” she asked, Dietrich stopping and looking down at her. Seraph wondered if she was thinking straight, but she remembered her experience with the holy man so far, and it filled her with the courage to make her decision. “Can you teach me how to pray, High Confessor?”

“Certainly, young Seraph,” he replied, brushing his tome with happiness apparent in his voice. “It is my duty to the Lord, after all.”
With that, both resumed their journey back to the cave, leaving the town behind them.

And for the first time in months, Seraph felt genuine hope in her heart.

Doubt

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“I can’t believe that she’d be so irresponsible!”

Chitter paced back and forth in front of the roaring fire, a decent pile of wood sitting at the back of the cave. The others watched him with worry, the drone continuing to glance towards the cavern entrance.

“You know how she’s been,” Cion tried to reason. “What happened did do a number on her, she was there when the hive was attacked after all. It was only a matter of time before she was going to break down.”

“Break down?” Chitter repeated in disbelief. “She went into a pony town, in broad daylight! She’s a drone like me, not an infiltrator like you or Swift! If the ponies catch her when her disguise fails, and it does, then when they convert her she’ll tell them everything about us! We have to pack up and move, it’s been dark for hours and they’re still not back!”

“Calm down Chitter, you’re scaring the nymphs with the yelling.” Grumbling, Chitter glanced over at the subject of Haze’s warning. The younger were hiding behind the older, and even the nearly mature nymphs were hunched low on the ground.

“Well maybe I’m just shocked that no one else is even the slightest concerned about what that human is doing to her,” he continued after lowering his voice. “She’s been looking up to him like a newfoal does to Celestia.”

“Now that’s over exaggerating and you know it,” Double sighed, moving to put another spindly branch on the fire. “She just wants a friend and he's nice, I don’t see why you’re so scared of him.”

“I’m not scared,” Chitter hissed. “And she’s got friends, us. We don’t need a human to just walk in and act like a saviour. Did you know that she was actually listening to the stuff he was saying?”

“Seraph does need a saviour though, and it’s about time you realised that.” With the branch starting to burn, Double sat back down between Cion and Haze, the other changelings nodding in agreement. “She’s looking for an escape from her problems, and Dietrich offers that. If you’re so concerned about it, then why don’t we all vote on what we want to happen?”

“Fine,” Chitter responded while ceasing his pacing. “I vote that we all tell Seraph to stop acting like a nymph, and to stop chasing flutter-tails. I also think that we should keep a closer eye on that human, everything about him is strange.”

“I vote that we let Seraph have some happiness, and actually try to be friends with the human that gave us food and could possibly get more.”

Cion’s answer made Chitter smirk despite the fact that she disagreed with him. She had always been more practical minded, and at least it seemed like she was only supporting the human because of food.

“I agree with Cion,” Haze input, while Double thought for a few moments before contributing.

“I actually agree that we have to watch him,” he began, much to Chitter’s surprise. “But so far he doesn’t seem to wish us ill. We need all of the allies we can get if we want to survive and so far he has proven useful.”

“He is also helping Seraph,” Swift Swap added with a nod towards Double. “She has been our leader after all; I can’t imagine how hard that’s been. If she wants to believe what he does then I don’t see why we need to stop her. Who knows, maybe he’s right and that stuff does exist? It’s certainly better than only seeing a future of conversion or nothing.”

“So that’s it then?” Chitter huffed, slightly disappointed in his fellows. “You’re just going to let that human drive a wedge in between us?”

“You’re the only one that seems to have a problem with him,” Cion pointed out, a harsh edge to her voice. “Maybe you should try and think about why you don’t like him, instead of why everyone else here does.”

“He did give us food,” one of the older nymphs quietly mumbled while she raised her head. A look from Chitter caused it to lower again, the nymph holding back any further praise. At her reaction, Chitter’s look softened and he took a deep, calming breath.

“Someone looks like they’ve grown up,” he observed, the older nymphs looking up hopefully.

“I can talk too!” The other announced, along with a nod from his fellow.

“For how long?” Double questioned, the two nymphs deflating.

“For a while now,” the female answered. “We just didn’t want to before, the ponies might hear us.”

Chitter rolled his eyes at the foolishness, did they really think that talking would bring the ponies to them? They weren’t nymphs now; they were adults and would have to learn quickly.

“The ponies won’t hear you talk,” he explained while the others gave the two new adults reassuring smiles. “We’ve been talking, haven’t we? As long as we’re careful, they won’t find us. Just watch and learn, like you’ve been doing so far.”

The two nodded, and the previous topic was no longer the main point. Chitter shook his head and sat down before the fire, feeling the warmth seep into his carapace. If they all wanted to just trust this human, then fine, that was their choice. When everything was ruined then he’d be proved right, and they’d regret buying the drivel that Dietrich had been spreading.

As he sat and brooded, he felt something rest up against his right hind leg. He looked down and spotted one of the younger nymphs gazing up at him, concern in the child’s eyes. His face reminded Chitter of his own time as a nymph, except that he had the privilege of the relative safety of a hive instead of a cave. He glanced up, the others all talking amongst themselves or sitting in thought like he was.

The new adults were talking about possible names with Haze and Cion, the other nymph curled up next to the silent Double.

Chitter reached out a hoof and stroked the head of the nymph next to him, watching as it settled down beside him. The fire continued to crackle, and a growl rumbled from his stomach. He hadn’t managed to find anything edible, only firewood, so it looked like another night without any dinner. Remembering the previous evening, he glanced down at the nymph beside him. He had to admit that the shared food was something he was thankful for, even if he didn’t trust the provider.

He continued to sit and mull over the past few months, still comforting the child next to him. Time past and the talking started to die down, yawns beginning to prop up amongst the small group. Chitter glanced down to his right and saw that the nymph next to him had fallen asleep without his notice, he himself starting to feel the need to rest. Just before he gave up on Seraph, the sound of hoofsteps and heavier footfalls echoed into the cavern.

“We’re back!”

Chitter’s heart fluttered when he heard Seraph announce her return, and he sat upright while she walked into the cavern. A covered basket was on her back, and Dietrich was following behind her. Chitter was a little disappointed to see that the human had returned, but at least it seemed like Seraph had been a little luckier with finding food.

“We are indeed,” Dietrich added, his armour letting out a hiss when he sat down on a flat rock. Seraph grabbed the basket’s handle with her mouth and set it down upon the ground, everyone drawing closer towards it.

“You brought food?” Haze asked with a hungry look in her eyes, Seraph nodding eagerly in reply.

“Yep! Some pony gave it to Dietrich while we were in the town.”

“You got food… from ponies?” Cion questioned disbelievingly, before tilting her head towards the basket. “Are you sure it’s not poisoned?”

“They seem to be a very nice people,” Dietrich commented, reaching over and removing the cover from the basket. Pairs of solid blue eyes locked onto the food it held, in addition to the jugs of water. Chitter however was busy glaring at Dietrich, food the last thing on his mind.

“Nice people?” he repeated with narrowed eyes. “Do you have any idea what they’ve done to our race, to your race?”

“I have no recollection of them harming my race at all,” Dietrich replied, pausing in his selection of the food. “If they had sinned against the UIP, then I doubt there would be many ponies left alive. I cannot speak about what has happened to your race, as I haven’t witnessed what they have done.”

Chitter was just about to tell him exactly what it was that the ponies had committed in the name of ‘harmony’, but a yawn at his side drew his attention away. The nymph beside him was in the process of waking up, having been roused by all the noise.

“Look, let’s just forget about it,” Chitter sighed before glancing towards the basket. “Okay, what have you and Seraph brought back?” He couldn’t help but stare as Seraph happily went through the basket, pulling out item after item.

“We’ve got some bread, some apples, two apple-pies,” she paused to peek into a box and sniff. “A box of apple muffins, a few carrots, two jars of jam, a jug of apple juice and three jugs of water.”

It certainly was a haul, and Chitter was slightly impressed that the two had managed to get it.

“And they gave you this?” Double questioned, awed at the amount of food. Seraph nodded in reply and started to break apart pieces of bread.

“Yeah, it was a mare called ‘Sandy’, she liked Dietrich’s sermon and she found out that he wasn’t staying in the town, so she gave him this as a gift.”

“Sermon?” Cion inquired, lifting her gaze from the bread being prepared. Chitter winced, he had forgotten to tell the others that the reason Seraph followed Dietrich into the town was because the crazy human had started to preach to the ponies.

“I have started to spread the good word to the inhabitants of the town, and a large amount of them are proving to have quite the capacity for faith.” He was nudged in the leg by Seraph, and Dietrich gave a shrug. “Okay, so maybe a third of them sat down and listened for a few hours, but a few were there for most of the day asking all sorts of questions. I’m telling you, this planet is proving to be fertile ground,” the priest bowed his head. “Thank you, Lord, for assigning me this task.”

“Planet?” Swift Swap inquired, beating Chitter to the question. “What do you mean by that, I thought that you humans came from here?”

Dietrich chuckled in reply, Seraph having paused to look up at him curiously. Chitter was also focused on the human with everyone else, wondering just what was so funny.

“We come from many planets my friends. Everywhere you go in civilised space, you are likely to find at least one human. A few of my non-human colleagues in the clergy have a joke that we are not mammals, but sentient parasites sent to plague all of existence. I know for a fact that this is not a planet belonging to my Empire, as I am unable to pick up any signals or information data.”

This held Chitter’s attention. If Dietrich wasn’t from here, then maybe he’d know of a way to get them as far away as possible. They only numbered at eight adults and two nymphs, but they were slowly running out of options. Given the choice between placing his trust in Dietrich or staying and slowly dying, Chitter really didn’t see what they could lose.

“Enough about me,” Dietrich continued, gesturing towards Seraph. “Let us eat.”

“Oh, right,” Seraph went back to splitting the bread, seeming preoccupied with other things. “Does anyone want jam?”

“Me thank you,” Cion spoke up, Chitter nodding an affirmative when Seraph glanced at him.

“Me as well,” Double requested. “I haven’t had anything sweet in ages.”

“It’s kind of strange in a way,” Seraph murmured while finishing with the bread. “How we never used to have to think about eating solid food at all, and now we’re thankful for jam.” No-one said a word, Dietrich opening his book and beginning to read from it while the others waited for their meal.

“You’re going to have to spread the jam on yourselves,” Seraph continued, using a weak burst of magic to open a jar. “There’s nothing in here to spread it on with, so try and use your cleanest hoof.”

“Here, borrow this,” Dietrich offered, Chitter’s eyes widening when he saw what the human was holding out to Seraph.

It was a long, sharp-looking knife. Dietrich was holding onto the blade, and Chitter wondered where he had pulled it from. Then again, the human could probably hide it somewhere in his armour like he had done with the sandwich the other night. Chitter watched while Seraph took the weapon with the crook of her hoof, and she gingerly examined it.

“Why do you carry that?” Haze warily inquired, everyone’s eyes on the deadly knife.

“It’s just a little memento from my infantry days,” Dietrich reminisced. “I had the edge replaced with silver though, due to my line of work. Military service never leaves you, and even a man of God has faults.” He paused in his explanation, before letting out a light chuckle. “It makes a great sandwich cutter though, and you’ll find it equally worthy to spread on conserve.”

“Thank you,” Seraph acknowledged, before carefully plunging the knife into the jar. It came out a deep red, the strawberry jam it held sending shivers up Chitter’s spine. Dietrich was becoming more suspicious every time he talked, and Chitter was having second doubts about deciding to trust him.

Those doubts weren’t even eased when he received two pieces of jam-covered bread, passing one to the nymph next to him while he stared at his own. He quickly remembered where the food had come from, and he shot out a hoof to stop the nymph beside him just as it was about to take a bite.

All of them were looking at Dietrich, the human nodding to Seraph while he took his own piece. They must have all come to the same conclusion, and were waiting for the priest to take a bite first.

With a hiss of air, the front of Dietrich’s folded down. With the imposing face-plate out of the way, Chitter saw the human’s face for the first time.

His skin was a solid chocolate-brown, and the face surprisingly wasn’t all angular and cold like he expecting. A small star-shaped scar was just below his right eye, barely even noticeable. Speaking of eyes, Dietrich’s eyes were a bright lime green, a colour that eerily reminded Chitter of their late queen.

Everyone stared while Dietrich took a bite of bread, and Chitter held his breath.

Instead of dropping down dead or turning into a pony, Dietrich chewed and nodded approvingly. He swallowed his mouthful and gave them all a thumbs up, a smile on his face.

“It’s not poisoned, and is rather good.”

Chitter eagerly dived in to his own piece, quickly followed by the others. The first bite was great, and as soon as he tasted the jam he felt most of his worries fade away. He slowed down, intending to savour it as much as he could. Looking beside him, he spotted the nymph doing the same thing, except it was busy licking the jam off first. A question popped into Chitter’s mind, and he hesitantly lowered his piece of bread to look at Dietrich.

“Don’t you have to pray before eating?”

In response, Dietrich shook his head and swallowed his current mouthful. “No, it is not an actual requirement to pray at set times, I just like to do it. Besides, we already took a break and prayed on the way here.”

“What do you mean by ‘we’?” Chitter asked, a feeling of dread building up inside. The fact that Seraph shared a glance with Dietrich only heightened that feeling.

“Go ahead Seraph,” Dietrich reassured. “I’m sure your friends won’t mind.”

“Seraph?” Chitter questioned, dreading the answer.

“I asked Dietrich to teach me about his religion,” Seraph began, fidgeting with her hooves. “He said yes, so I said evening prayers with him.”

“Seraph is quite the promising young convert,” Dietrich added, dusting his armoured hands off while his faceplate returned to fit with the rest of his helmet.

Chitter felt woozy inside, and his vision started to swirl. He shakily stood up, the nymph beside him looking up curiously. Everyone else was busy asking Seraph questions, so he made his way to the tunnel leading to the cave entrance.

“I’m going to get some air,” he announced, no one replying as he left.

Unseen by Chitter however, was the pair of concerned blue eyes that watched him with worry.

Seraph hurried up the cave tunnel, heading towards the exit of the cave. For the last fifteen minutes she had been bombarded with questions from everyone, all curious as to why she was choosing to follow Dietrich’s religion. She had mostly dodged the questions but she knew that the others already had a pretty good idea as to why she was. Thankfully, Dietrich had taken over for her when the inquiries had started to focus on Mortisum itself, allowing her to slip out for a few moments.

Leaving the cave, she glanced around the surrounding desert, Seraph thankful for the fact that changelings had good nightvison. Within seconds she spotted her quarry, a figure sitting down on a large boulder. She quickly made her way over to Chitter, hoping that he was okay.

“Who’s there?” Chitter asked without turning around, his voice heavy.

“It’s me, Seraph,” she replied, tilting her head at him. “Are you okay, you’re not sick or anything?”

“I’m fine,” Chitter shot back harshly, shocking Seraph with his tone. He’d always been a little anti-social since they had met after the conversions, but that wasn’t really surprising. Concerned, she edged closer, stopping when she was next to the rock that served as his seat. She glanced over to him, Chitter staring down at his hind hooves while they dangled in the air.

“What is it then? You’ve been acting weird, and I’m worried about you.”

“You’re worried about me?” Chitter replied with a humourless chuckle and a shake of his head. “You’re the one hanging out with that human, walking into pony towns and even converting to his religion.”

Seraph’s eyes widened, some of the puzzle pieces fitting together now. She paused, Chitter looking at her and waiting for a reply. Could he really be worried about her, all because of Dietrich?

“You don’t like Dietrich?” she asked, just to make sure. Chitter sighed, and returned to staring at his hooves.

“I don’t… I mean…” he tried to find words, Seraph continuing to gaze at him. “It’s not that I hate him, I just don’t think that we should be trusting him like we are. Sure, he’s giving us food and helping us, but guess who else was ‘helping’? The ponies apparently ‘helped’ us by changing us into those unnatural things, so who’s to say Dietrich isn’t also doing the same thing?”

“He wouldn’t hurt us,” Seraph defended.

“Then why is he doing all of this?” Chitter fired back. “All he’s been focused on since we met him is ‘converting’ or ‘spreading the word’. Have you ever considered that maybe he’s only doing all of this to convert us? Look at you, you’ve already given into him and it hasn’t even been two days.”

Seraph flinched, the last part containing bitterness that she’d never heard from Chitter before. He must have seen her reaction, and he quickly scrambled to sooth her.

“Wait, what I meant to say was-“

“I know, Chitter,” Seraph interrupted. “I know you and the others think I’m stupid for believing it, but I need it. There’s no hive, no queen, I’ve got nothing left. I can’t go on just hoping that we’d find some more food tomorrow, or that the ponies won’t find us for another few hours.” She bowed her head, turning back towards the cave. “I need something Chitter, what else would you have me do?”

She started to make her way back, the night air beginning to decrease in temperature.

“You’ve got us.”

Seraph stopped, mulling the words over in her head.

“I know that,” she replied. “But Chitter, what have we got? If we have a chance to not just survive, but to thrive, then why shouldn’t we take it?”

He was quiet for a few moments, Seraph almost about to give up and leave.

“Just don’t put yourself in danger because of him,” Chitter asked. “You mean too much to us, to me, for that.”

Seraph felt her cheeks heat up, and she struggled to say something.

“Th-thanks Chitter, don’t stay out here too late, we shouldn’t need a watch tonight.” With that, she quickly started to move back onto the cave, a funny feeling in her chest.

Chitter continued to sit on the rock and mull over the past conversation. Did he just really say what he thought he had? Judging from Seraph’s reaction, he had and she had noticed.

‘Stupid,’ he thought to himself, grimacing because of his mistake. He continued to fidget, the feeling in his gut having grown stronger. Still, he could either sit out here for the entire night and wallow in his own nervousness, or go inside and face her again.

A gust of wind caused a shiver to run down his spine, the cold air cutting through his chitin. It sealed his decision, Chitter sighing before leaving his seat. His hooves hit the sandy ground and he started back towards the safety and relative warmth of the cave. Soon he was back in the tunnel, and some of his nervousness thankfully disappeared.

Walking into the main cavern, he paused to take a deep breath before making a beeline towards the fire that was still steadily crackling. After letting some warmth seep back into him, he turned around to find Seraph.

He was both relieved and slightly disappointed to spot her curled up next to Haze and Swift Spot. He quietly made his way over to her, staring down while her chest raised and lowered in her slumber. It seemed like he would have to wait until the morning to tell her, after tonight he really didn’t have much to lose.

Chitter glanced over to the left, seeing that Dietrich had left the rock and was sitting up against the wall. The two nymphs and the unnamed adults were leaning up against him and each other, Dietrich’s book open in his lap. The human appeared to be asleep, making none of the usual movements that he did when reading.

The frown on Chitter’s face was replaced by a small smile when he turned back to look down at Seraph. Without really thinking about it he sat, losing himself in observing her.

“That’s a little creepy.”

He whirled around at the voice, spotting Cion at the other end of the fire. The infiltrator was grinning at him with a knowing look with her head resting on her forelegs, Double sleeping next to her on his side.

“Shut up,” he hissed back, moving away from Seraph to lay down next to Haze. “You didn’t see anything.”

Cion smirked at him, Chitter shifting awkwardly under her continued gaze. She had caught him and she knew it, and out of all the changelings it had to be Cion to do it. She’d no doubt waste no time bringing it up in the morning so that the others, and Seraph, could find out about it. He tried to preoccupy himself with finding a comfortable position, settling to rest on his stomach with his head resting on his forelegs.

“You know, I’m surprised that she hasn’t picked up on it yet,” Cion continued after a yawn. “Everyone else has.”

Chitter ignored her, surely he hadn’t been that obvious.

“I also know why you don’t like Dietrich.”

“Yeah, because he’s endangering Seraph,” Chitter answered, turning his head away so Cion would hopefully get the hint that he didn’t want to talk about it. She however, either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“Oh really?” she pressed on, a mischievous edge to her voice. “Are you sure it’s that and not something else? Because if it is what I think you’re worried about, then you’re an even bigger idiot then I thought.”

Chitter frowned but didn’t reply, this time adamant to stick to his own tactic of ignoring her. This time it seemed to work, Cion letting out a light huff before saying no more. He didn’t turn to look at her, and instead focused on Dietrich. Taking his eyes back off the cause of most of his concern, Chitter closed them and tried to get to sleep.

He tossed and turned on the ground for hours, his attempts to fall asleep proving futile. His mind still ran amok with worries and concerns, and surprisingly none were about the threats of death or conversion.

‘I give up,’ Chitter thought to himself, the fire having died down to its embers. With a sigh he got up, stretching his limbs while taking care to be as quiet as possible. Looking around, his eyes were drawn to the open book in Dietrich’s lap, and a very risky thought came to the forefront of his mind. ‘Might as well see what this is all about.’

Silently making his way over, Chitter sidestepped past a nymph and lowered beside Dietrich. A hoof wave in front of Dietrich’s face convinced Chitter that the priest was not awake, and so he moved forwards with the next stage of his plan. Not wanting to risk using his magic, and possibly waking the priest, he sat down on his rump and carefully moved his forehooves under the book.

It was heavier than expected, and looking down he could see lines of words looking to be in the same foreign script as the lines covering Dietrich’s armour. Carefully, he began to inch the book off the priest’s armoured lap, straining to lift the heavy tome.

‘What is this thing made from?’

Soon, he managed to lift it fully away, and very slowly started to move back. Dietrich shifted in his sleep, startling Chitter and causing him to fall back. Using his wings, Chitter managed to steady himself but not before his back slammed into the back wall with a crack. He winced, thanks to his chitin it didn’t hurt but it had made a lot of noise. He doubted that Dietrich would appreciate him touching the book, remembering the priest say something about ‘heresy’. Chitter didn’t know what that word meant, but it was a safe bet that it meant something bad.

He glanced at Dietrich, the priest not stirring anymore. A brief bushing against his leg surprised him, Chitter looking down and spotting a nymph looking back up at him.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered while rubbing her head, the youngster letting out a tired chirp before complying and laying her head back down. Chitter waited until her breathing slowed and she began to snore lightly before removing his hoof from her head.

Staring down at his prize, Chitter closed the book before running his foreleg over the dark-brown cover. It felt weird, and the gold trim on it seemed genuine. Strange symbols covered the front cover, and Chitter could have sworn that his horn tingled when his leg ran over them. With the exterior investigated, he opened the front cover and was greeted with a startling picture.

In full colour, a scene with countless hundreds of humans on it was depicted. Most of them were reaching out to a group of black-clad figures standing atop a cliff, looking a bit like Dietrich did now. The hundreds below the menacing figures were all clad in a wide range of garments, some of them even wearing different forms of armour.

Chitter’s stomach churned when he realised that most of the figures below were sporting some kind of mortal wound, and a few even looked dead but were still walking. Turning his eyes back to the more comforting sight of the group of black figures, he noticed that the clouds in the sky behind them formed a leering skull looking down upon all of the horror… and it was smiling.

He quickly turned the page.

More lines of script greeted him, Chitter giving up trying to understand it. He was a drone, not an infiltrator, so he couldn’t even read Equestrian let alone whatever alien language this was.

He sat back for a second, and thought about just closing the book and putting it back. There was no point in continuing if he couldn’t even read it and he risked discovery every minute. With a side glance at Dietrich, Chitter went back to the book.

Gingerly, he turned the page, both hoping for and dreading a new picture with equal amounts.

Dietrich blinked open his eyes, evidently having fallen asleep during the night. He shook his head and checked his helmet’s time display, still early morning by this planet’s time.

“I appear to have fallen back into old habits,” he murmured to himself, glancing around him. It appeared as if the rest of his companions were still asleep, the fire out and smouldering. He assumed that changelings were fairly social creatures, judging from the way that they seemed to prefer sleeping in groups.

He registered something beside him, and looking down to his left he saw that one of the changelings was resting up against him. It was one of the smaller ones, the nymphs. However, this one in particular had been very vocal about her recent maturing, and apparently was no longer a nymph. Honestly, he had at first thought it strange that they were judged to be mature based on their ability to talk, but he had remembered that he had seen far stranger customs in his travels.

Dietrich gave the sleeping changeling a brief pat on the head before taking stock of just how many he had acquired. The two nymphs were on either side, with the other nameless changeling on his left.

Remembering that he had been reading before his unscheduled sleep, he made to check his lap for his book.

Dietrich stared at his empty lap in silence for a few moments. He breathed deep, calming breaths and slowly he reached for the ceremonial mace at his side. Dietrich swept his vision from left to right, searching for whoever had taken his book. He stopped and stared at Chitter, the changeling slumped forwards with his head hanging over the open book.

Dietrich twitched when a drop of drool dripped from Chitter’s mouth onto a page, the changeling blissfully unaware that he was desecrating a holy item with every drop. He felt his body start to shake, Dietrich glaring at the changeling. His hand left his mace and instead went for the handheld flamethrower at his side. With practiced ease he raised the weapon and pointed it at the sleeping Chitter, rage overtaking him while the pilot light spring into life.

His sights never wavered, his finger slowly squeezing the trigger.

A sneeze from his side interrupted him from what he was about to do, and glancing down he spotted the nymph on his right stir. It slowly opened its eyes and looked up at him, giving him a sleepy smile.

His hand lowered, the pilot light cutting out and the weapon being returned to his side. Dietrich glanced back over towards Chitter, watching as another drop of drool hit the precious pages. Now that he was thinking clearly, he assumed that the changeling had only gotten curious and that was why he had stolen the book. With the urge to punish him gone, Dietrich didn’t feel anger anymore, but rather a sense of disappointment.

A weary chirp brought his attention back to the nymph, and Dietrich started to rub its head to calm himself down. He constantly reminded himself that these creatures didn’t seem to really understand why his items were so important, so he was probably taking things a little too far. As he continued to sit and think, he recalled that forgiveness for the sinner was one of the kindest acts a priest could hand down. While damaging a holy item was normally met with a swift and often fiery death, Dietrich supposed that he could give Chitter one more chance due to the circumstances.

Leaning over, Dietrich carefully removed the tome from Chitter’s lap, the book coming to rest once more on his own. Glancing down at the small puddle of saliva on the page, he grimaced and reached into his armour. The nymph he was patting looked over while he proceeded to meticulously clean the parchment of changeling saliva with a grey cloth. Thankfully, the book appeared undamaged and there was soon no trace of Chitter’s trespass remaining.

Sparing another glance over towards Chitter, Dietrich smiled slightly. Now that the book was gone, the sleeping changeling was drooling upon himself, a sight that almost made up for the incident earlier. Dietrich didn’t consider himself prone to cruelty, but he had to admit that it was a rather fitting punishment and he eagerly awaited the discovery of their companion’s drool-problem by the other changelings.

Continuing to read from where he had left off the other night, Dietrich paused to offer a brief morning prayer. He intended to head back to the pony town, the settlement appearing to be quite the fertile ground for converts. The nymph beside him settled back down, and soon the cave was quiet once more save for light snores and the sound of turning pages.

Dietrich looked over towards the fire, debating on whether to put another piece of wood on. He decided against it, not wanting to disturb the rest of the ones around him. Returning to his passages, he continued to read and wait, deciding to give them all some extra hours of sleep before risking disturbing them.

He lost himself to the book, and before long it was almost sunrise if his clock was correct. Glancing around he noticed that changelings were beginning to stir, and with a small amount of joy he noticed that Seraph was one of the early risers.

She raised her head and looked around after blinking, her face lighting up into a smile when she spotted him. Dietrich felt pride when he looked at her, the changeling proving to be very interested in learning about the one true faith. With her fellows slowly waking up, Seraph got up and approached him, Dietrich wasting no time in pointing a finger at Chitter.

“Oh Chitter,” Seraph muttered while shaking her head, the changeling in question continuing to drool in his sleep unaware. She faced Dietrich again, and took a step forward. “Are you going to Appleoosa today?”

“I am,” Dietrich quietly answered with a nod. “Yesterday was quite productive, I predict that a sermon while working will prove to be a wonderful experience. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to earn us a few more apples while I’m at it.” He glanced towards the back of the cavern, the basket of food covered and sitting in a cool spot to keep its contents fresh. “This conversion may take some time, and more provisions can never hurt.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Seraph whispered. “You’ve already more for us than needed-“

“Nonsense,” Dietrich interrupted. “It’s not like I have much else to take up my time. Besides, you yourself are quickly becoming the model convert and that is something worth rewarding. I also shouldn’t have to remind you that you all allowed me to stay in your cave.”

“Well, we couldn’t just send you away.” She lowered her head and scuffed a hoof against the rocky ground. “You don’t mind if I come with you again? It’s Haze and Swift Swap’s turn to get food and wood, so I have the day free.”

Dietrich was pleasantly surprised that she was wanting to travel with him to the pony settlement and listen to a sermon. Now if only some of the other changelings would see the light a little sooner like Seraph was. Still, they probably just needed more time, already they were asking questions and that was one of the first steps.

“I would be delighted to have you accompany me, Miss Seraph. Your presence is a great mood lifter.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a grin, her wings seeming to buzz with elation before she glanced towards the cave tunnel. “When do you want to leave?”

“Now is as good a time as any,” Dietrich answered, folding his book closed and carefully getting to his feet. His movement disturbed the ones resting against him, Chitter the only one remaining asleep while the nymphs and two unnamed let out yawns and began to stretch their limbs.

“Are you two going back to Appleoosa?” Cion asked, the infiltrator raising her head from her hooves.

“We are,” Dietrich responded merrily. “Do you want to join us?”

Cion appeared to debate the offer for a few moments, before shrugging her shoulders and getting to her hooves.

“Might as well, I haven’t really got much else to do.” She walked over to them, fixing Seraph and Dietrich with a playful look. “Wait… you two aren’t planning on trying to convert me now, are you?”

“Oh course not,” Dietrich defended, placing a hand over his heart. “I merely offered as I thought that you may enjoy the walk and company.” He paused, tapping the book tethered to his side. “Of course, if you happen to overhear Miss Seraph and myself discussing the faith and you happen to like what you hear, then that is no crime on our part.” His reply was met with Cion widening her grin, the infiltrator struggling to hold back a giggle.

“Well, now I can see why you’re doing so well with the Equestrians,” she said with a shake of her head. “You’re a lot more cunning than you seem, human.”

Dietrich was legitimately confused, nothing he had said held any malicious or hidden overtones. He glanced down to Seraph, the drone rolling her eyes at Cion’s behaviour. He nodded to himself, figuring it out now. Cion was behaving like a few people he had met during his time as a soldier and later as a man of God, the sorts who seemed callous on the outside but were good within.

Secretly, he anticipated the challenge of fully converting her.

“Come on then,” Cion ordered, heading towards the tunnel that led to the exit. “The sooner we leave, the longer we have before the sun hits us with full force.”

“Ah, such eagerness,” Dietrich commented, earning an amused glance from Cion. “Such a becoming trait, Miss Cion, I question whether you’re really as adverse to religion as you try and portray.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Cion fired back with a smile. “Come on, less talking and more walking. The ponies are no doubt clambering for your wonderful and holy presence back in their town.”

‘Oh, this one will be quite entertaining,’ Dietrich smirked, setting a personal goal to convert the Hell out of her.

With final waves and goodbyes to the others left behind, the trio left the cavern and made their way to Appleoosa. Just as they stepped out of the cave onto the desert sand, the last changeling sleeping awoke from his slumber.

Double sighed while he cricked his neck, Haze and Swift Swap getting up off the ground.

“Well, we’d better be off as well,” Swift Swap informed, Double nodding his head. “Sorry for leaving you alone with Chitter and the nymphs.”

“It’s fine,” Double reassured with a glance towards the yawning Chitter. “Besides, we’ve only got two nymphs now, remember?”

“We need to hurry up and name them so they can start pulling their weight,” Haze huffed, before glares from Double and Swift convinced her to rephrase the statement. “I mean, they need names so we can start helping them to grow into fine young drones.”

“We’re not children anymore,” the female nameless informed with a pout, Haze walking over and patting her on the back while the other nameless just stood and watched.

“I know that, but you’re still young and you need to learn things.”

The target of the information huffed again and turned away, Haze withdrawing her hoof and pursing her lips.

“Fine then, be that way.” Quickly moving past Double and Swift Swap, she nudged Swift in the side and headed to the exit. “Come on Swift, we don’t have time to just stand around.”

Double was actually thankful now that he was left behind, Swift giving him a pleading look. It was futile, and a glare from Haze quickly prodded him into action.

‘Guess I was lucky after all.’

“Oh no. No no no no!”

‘What is it this time?’ Double mentally sighed before looking at Chitter, the drone starting to pace around the cave like he always did when he was nervous. “Chitter, what’s wrong now?”

“The book, it’s gone,” Chitter mumbled. “And Dietrich’s gone, which means that he has the book. That also means that he knows… oh, I’m in so much trouble.”

“Trouble?” Double inquired. “With Dietrich of all change- humans? What could you possibly do to upset him?” Chitter’s reply came out mumbled, the unnamed and nymphs watching the conversation with interest. “What was that? Speak up.”

“I said that I read his book last night,” Chitter breathed out, his eyes wide.

“Chitter,” Double started with a roll of his eyes. “You can’t even read Equestrian, let alone an alien language.”

“It has pictures, and I looked at them!” Chitter wailed, Double doing a double take.

“Wait, really?” he inquired. “Are they good pictures?”

“That’s not important!” Chitter stressed out. “You know how he is about that book, I’m one dead changeling when he gets back!”
Double didn’t know what was stupider, the fact that Chitter had taken Dietrich’s book or the fact that he thought the kindly priest would kill him for it.

“I doubt he’d kill you for it,” he tried in an attempt to calm Chitter down.

“Yeah, he’s really nice,” the male nameless added, before a look from Double quietened him.

“As I was saying,” Double continued without further interruption, another glance being sent the way of the watching unnamed. “Dietrich doesn’t seem like the sort to just kill you for something harmless like that, although you shouldn’t have taken his book in the first place without permission.” Double paused, a thought rearing its head. “Wait, why were you even looking at it? I thought you thought it was all lies made to trick us?”

“I was curious, okay?” Chitter defended. “So I just had a little peek.”

“Ah, I see now. This newfound ‘curiosity’ wouldn’t have anything to do with Seraph at all, would it?” Double was rewarded when Chitter flushed green, the fellow drone scrambling to try and deny it.

“No, why is that even a thing!?”

“Because you’ve been eyeballing her for a week now,” Double calmly informed. “Hey, I understand. The Queen’s gone, but that also means no breeding control, no hierarchies, no restrictions on who you can see and when-“

“It’s not like that,” Chitter tried to lie, Double not letting up.

“Of course it is, and don’t even try to pull that ‘I’m concerned because of Dietrich’ business again. No one is going to care if you do like her like that, I mean Haze and Swift Swap are a thing and no-one minds.”

“Wait, Haze and Swift are…?”

“Are you that dense?” Double sighed out. “Of course they are. We’re all alone, it makes sense that we’d get close.” He shifted on the spot, the next topic uncomfortable to talk about for many reasons. “Besides, have you ever thought that we may actually need to repopulate if we even want a chance to survive? We can’t just give up and die out.”

Chitter scuffed a hoof on the ground, his head lowered but Double could still see his blush.

“I just want to look after her and keep her safe,” Chitter mumbled out.

‘Why does he have to act like such a nymph?’ Double mentally complained while glancing towards the actual nymphs. The funny thing was, they actually tended to be quieter than Chitter, or at the very least didn’t complain as often. The two nameless were also far more tolerable in his opinion, even if they needed to start learning quickly.

“We all need to look after each other,” Double started to reassure. “I can see why you fear her being around Dietrich, but she is a fully grown adult and it’s her choice. In my own opinion, hanging around a tall biped with fully-enclosed armour that looks like something out of a nymph’s nightmare is probably doing far more for her safety than going without. What, do you think that the ponies wouldn’t try to convert her if she wasn’t friends with him?”

“I more worried about what he wants with her,” Chitter muttered darkly.

“If you’re talking about converting her, you’re too late. She likes his religion and wants to make it her own, that’s her choice once again.”

“It’s not that,” Chitter elaborated, Double trying to figure out what else he’d be worried about. Dietrich so far had been kind, compassionate and friendly, if a little strange. Seraph also seemed to be his favourite out of them, likely because she was so interested in his faith…

It was then that Double figured out what Chitter was alluding to.

‘No, he can’t be that stupid,’ Double thought to himself. ‘Surely he doesn’t…’

“Chitter, you don’t actually think that… that Dietrich is trying to ‘steal’ Seraph from you at all?”

The awkward silence that filled the air after the question answered it, Double not knowing whether to laugh or to just give up, lay down and go back to bed. Chitter shifted awkwardly, before gulping and staring at the tunnel leading out of the cavern.

“Well… is he?” he muttered, Double taking a few seconds before answering.

“No, now get out before I smack you for being so dense.”

“But it’s not your cave-“

“Chitter, enough,” Double ordered with a hoof point towards the tunnel. “If you leave now you should still be able to catch up to them. Also, I really need some time to just process how juvenile you’re acting.”

Without another word Chitter got up and left, his head cowed with shame. Double briefly questioned if he had been too harsh on him, but then he remembered just what Chitter had actually thought was going on between Dietrich and Seraph. So instead of an apology, he instead gave Chitter a last piece of parting advice.

“And while you’re at it, apologise to Dietrich for stealing his book!” With that done, Chitter rubbed his temples with his hooves.

“Moron, it’s too early in the morning to be dealing with this.” His muttering complete, he heard the chirping of nymphs and glanced to his left. The two nameless had begun to play with the nymphs, Double finding a smile on his face while he watched. He settled back down, keeping both eyes focused on the relatively care-free group.

‘Maybe some time alone without all this bickering won’t be so bad after all,’ he mused, resting his head on his forelegs and simply taking some time to relax.

“Hey, wait for me!”

Chitter increased his pace, galloping towards the three up ahead of him. Thankfully they heard him and paused, and soon he had reached them without much effort.

“Another one seeking to join our group,” Dietrich observed while placing a hand protectively over his book. “I trust my items are safe, or do I have to start resorting to other measures to safeguard their security.”

Chitter didn’t know what these ‘other measures’ were, but he didn’t intend to find out. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he glanced at Seraph and Cion who were both staring at him in shock. Seraph’s hurt gaze hurt him, but he thought of one way to fix it.

“Dietrich, I’m sorry for taking and reading your book without permission,” Chitter apologised. “Please, I was only curious and I forgot that it was ‘heresy’ to touch it. Can you forgive me?”

He winced while Dietrich stared at him, however with the helmet he couldn’t tell what expression the human was making. The silence lasted for a few seconds, before Dietrich’s voice caused him to flinch.

“Chitter, what you did was a very serious crime, to me and to God himself.” Chitter grimaced at this and lowered his head, the stares drilling into his head and filling it with shame. “However, we all make mistakes. I forgive you, as long as you learn and don’t touch it again without asking.”

“You mean it?” His head raised, surprise on his face. “You’ll forgive me just like that?”

“We all have faults,” Dietrich continued, for some reason glancing down at the long metal object opposite his mace. “Wrath, pride, jealousy, and many others far more sinister in nature. You were curious, and wanted to find out more about the True Faith. As much fault is in your actions, your motives were pure and I’m pleased that you’d risk peril just to investigate further. There’s an old Terran saying, ‘curiosity killed the cat’. Thankfully, that didn’t turn into ‘curiosity killed the changeling,’ this time.”

“Thank you,” Chitter hurried out, not wanting to test if the human’s words were a veiled threat or not. “I’ll never take something from you without asking again.”

“That is most wondrous to hear,” Dietrich observed with a clap of his hands. Just like that, his tone had shifted from serious to the same jolly cheerfulness that seemed infectious to those around him. Chitter couldn’t help but crack a small smile at the priest’s dramatic change of mood, Dietrich spinning around to face the direction Appleoosa was in. “Now come one, we have a town to convert!”

“I’m just in it for the prospect of comedy,” Cion muttered, before following Dietrich as he resumed walking. Chitter also followed, feeling a lot more relaxed now that he knew that Dietrich was not going to kill him. A tap on his shoulder caused him to turn his head to the left, Seraph smiling at him while she walked at his side.

“It was a brave thing to do, apologise to Dietrich like that,” she told him, her smile changing into a grin and she moved up to walk beside Dietrich. Chitter paused for a second, his brain having stopped. Did Seraph just call him brave?

With his heart fluttering, Chitter followed behind the three with a spring in his step. After apologising to Dietrich and earning a compliment from Seraph, he was willing and ready to walk into the middle of an entire pony town.

He was still going to wear a disguise though, just in case.

Fear

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Dietrich strolled through the middle of the town, his three companions at his side. The changelings were still worried about the locals converting them, even after he had reassured them that he was the only one planning to do any converting.

Seraph had returned to her plain brown disguise from before, Cion was a cream-white ‘earth-pony’ while Chitter had opted to become a deep-blue ‘pegasus’. All went for manes and tails to match their coats in an attempt to seem ‘ordinary’, but Dietrich wondered why they bothered with all of the wonderful colour schemes that the normal ponies possessed. Still, he was just a human and he still had much to learn about both races, a task he was looking forward to.

He smiled and waved at ponies that he passed, even though his helmet was still up. Some of them shied away but others returned the gesture, Dietrich noticing a few from his visit the other day. The conversion was going slow, but the eventual payoff was going to be worth it. He could already imagine the entire planet once he was done, everyone united by their faith and working to further its goals.

The group made their way to the orchards at a steady pace, Seraph and Chitter flinching whenever a pony looked at them. Cion was acting like it was natural for her, her head raised confidently while she returned smiles and investigated shop stalls along the way. The tops of apple trees soon drew their attention, all of them stopping once they had reached the other end of the town.

Down in a windy valley, with a river flowing through the middle, was a whole mass of trees. The fruit-laden plants stretched out towards the horizon, the orchard broken up by rows of large wooden barns at regular intervals. Overall, it was an impressive agricultural sight, and Dietrich rubbed his hands with glee.

“Come on, let us volunteer our services!” His boots hit the dusty ground, a merry tune in his head while he approached the closest set of barns. He was vaguely aware of the changelings following him, ponies kicking trees with their hind legs stopping to look at them before returning to work. He noticed that there was a larger amount than he had seen the previous day, the ones without a mark on their flanks lowering their eyes when he looked at them.

“Hello again, Confessor!” Dietrich was brought out of his observations at Braeburn’s call, the stallion trotting up to meet them from the barns. “Sandy said that you might be joining us today.”

“I have indeed returned to continue my work,” he replied warmly. Braeburn had at first been fearful of him, but Dietrich had soon found him to be quite the friendly creature. In addition, Braeburn had proved to have been very interested in Mortisum, and Dietrich was fairly certain that he was open to conversion. “You have a large amount of apple trees, I am most impressed.”

“Ah, shucks,” Braeburn nodded while pointing around with a hoof. “That’s quite the compliment. To be honest, we used to have half the number, but with all of the new ponies we needed to increase the food supply.”

“Ah, I see,” Dietrich replied. “It’s always good to see some population growth.”

“Uh, I guess it is,” Braeburn agreed hesitantly, before glancing towards the three disguised changelings. “You brought some friends with you?”

“We’re visiting from the north,” Cion stepped in before Dietrich could answer. “We heard all about Appleoosa’s amazing apple trees, and we were told that helping with the harvest was one of the most exciting things a pony could do.”

Dietrich wondered why Cion was lying, but he once again put it down to their fear. Anyway, it didn’t seem like it was going to hurt anyone, so who was he to call her out on it?

“It is, I can tell you that much,” Braeburn confirmed with a steadily growing grin. “Welcome to Appleoosa, my name is Braeburn and I’m the Town Greeter as well as a manager of the orchards. You’re all in luck, we’ve got a big harvest and we need all of the helping hooves we can get. Have ever you bucked before?”

“I sure have,” Cion answered with a playful edge and wink, Braeburn gaining a faint blush.

“I… I mean apple trees,” he clarified.

Dietrich raised an eyebrow at Cion’s behaviour, even though it was unseen to her. The smirk on her face showed that she knew exactly what Braeburn had meant, and evidently she wasn’t afraid to use her knowledge of such things to manipulate the stallion.

“Oh, no then,” she replied, getting two unamused looks from Chitter and Seraph. “By the way, my name’s Spring, this here is my sister Harvest,” Cion pointed a hoof towards Seraph. “And this here is her coltfriend, Barren Field.”

Chitter muttered something unintelligible under his breath, likely not very happy with his assigned name. Seraph seemed pleased with hers, hiding her face behind her mane. Braeburn nodded at them, his smile still wide.

“Those there sound like proper farming names! You’ll do well, don’t worry it’s easy to pick up.” He glanced up towards Dietrich, before looking back at them. “So I see that you’ve already met the Confessor?”

“Oh, yes,” Seraph answered. “He’s very nice.”

“I’m glad to see you think that as well.” Braeburn glanced around. “Don’t mind the newfoals or some of the others; they’re still a little, well, scared around him.”

“I still fail to see why,” Dietrich moved to defend. “I do not wish any harm upon you.”

“I know that, partner,” Braeburn reassured. “But some ponies just are a little wary around new things. I’m sure that a little more time and everypony will see that you’re a good ‘un. Are you wanting to help with the harvest as well?”

“I am indeed, I was asked to come by and I thought that instead of disrupting your work, I’d help you all with your harvest while I preach. After all, there is no better pulpit than the wonderful church of nature.”

“I agree with you there, and I’m glad that you’re back.” Braeburn looked around again, many trees baring fruit but lacking workers. Dietrich didn’t bother preparing his book, he had already worked out everything that he was going to do today. It was going to be relaxing, less of a planned sermon and more of a make it up as you go along thing. “We’ve got plenty of trees, and there are baskets in the barns. Come on, I’ll get you started and show you what to do.”

“Very well,” Dietrich replied with a nod. “Let us get to it.”

“And so they marched with faith untold.”

“Their actions fearless, noble and bold.”

Chitter couldn’t help but sing along while he bucked the tree behind him, even though the song was religious in nature. It was catchy, and it didn’t feel like Dietrich was cramming rhetoric down his throat. The tune was catchy, and it made the work… well, fun. In addition, there were also other positive factors behind it.

Looking to his right, Chitter glanced towards Seraph just before she kicked her own tree. She had a huge smile on her disguised face and it had been there throughout the entire morning, having eagerly joined in when Dietrich had started singing. Even though he was still learning to trust the human, Chitter was starting to realise that he was providing a great excuse for Chitter to spend more time with Seraph.

He grunted when his hind legs hit the tree for the fourth time, the rest of the apples it held finally falling down into the basket. He noticed a tingle in his back legs, and looking back he saw a brief flash of chitin. He hurriedly gathered up the rest of the apples that littered the ground before placing them in the basket and lifting it onto his back. He trotted towards the wooden barn just ahead, passing ponies who were all singing along with Dietrich and the other two changelings.

Shouldering open the barn door, he placed the full basket down beside the wall next to the hundreds already full. Pausing briefly to take a drink of soothing water from a nearby barrel, he slinked into the shadows on the opposite side.

With a flash of green light, his disguised dropped. He stretched out his limbs with a sigh, enjoying the feeling of not having hot, stuffy fur heating up his body. Chitter had never guessed that he’d envy ponies for anything, but right now he would have loved their ability to sweat. Still, with just his chitin he was cooling down quickly, and he needed a break to let his magic recharge.

Sneaking around behind a wooden stall door, he sat down on the ground and rested his back against the wall. He was safe from any pony discovery, so he relaxed and enjoyed the shade from the hot sun.

He managed to relax for five minutes before he heard the barn doors open again, and he panicked. Trying to disguise himself again failed, his small amount of magic still not recharged. Taking a form was the most difficult part, maintaining it wasn’t the cause for the largest energy drain. With not enough magic however, his only option was to try and assess the threat while hoping to remain undetected.

Peeking out around the stall door, he sighed in relief when he saw that it was just Seraph in her disguise.

“Seraph, over here.”

She spotted him, putting down her own basket of apples before she trotted over.

“I thought you were gone for a while,” she told him, letting her own disguise drop. “Ah, that’s so much better.”

“I know,” he agreed, shifting over when she sat down beside him. “Were you about to lose your disguise as well?”

“It was getting close; I’m surprised it’s held up for this long.” He nodded and they both sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting it out without talking. Chitter started to idly tap his forehooves together, not really knowing what to say. He had made a promise to himself the previous night to tell her how he felt, but in the excitement of the morning he had forgotten about it. Now he was alone with her, but he didn’t know how to start.

“Um, Chitter,” she began, watching his forehooves tap together. “I’ve been noticing that you’ve been, well, acting strangely.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” he stammered before recovering, but not quickly enough. Seraph looked to him, tilting her head to the side.

“Things like that,” she pointed out. “You’ve been looking at me a lot; you’ve been defensive around Dietrich.” He wasn’t able to answer, staring down at his own hooves to avoid eye contact. “Also, the others have been talking, and I’ve overheard them.”

A chill went up his spine, Chitter freezing his movements.

‘Oh no, she knows!’

“Do you,” Seraph paused. Chitter nearly jumped when the crook of her hoof took his, and he looked up at her. “Do you like me, Chitter?”

What could he say? Of course he did, but in an Equestrian barn while they were supposed to be disguised as the local ponies who would be happy to convert them was just not the right time nor place. Why couldn’t she have jumped him with the question last night?

‘Well, guess I’m stuck and I have to answer,’ he realised.

“Yes,” he mumbled out, before lowering his head again. He expected her to act shocked, then to follow up with an explanation detailing the reasons why she didn’t return the feelings.

What he didn’t expect was for her to grab his other hoof.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she asked, Chitter raising his head once again.

“I was afraid that you’d… wouldn’t feel the same,” he answered softly. “So, was I right?”

“Chitter,” she began with a sigh, his ears flattening.

‘Here it comes.’ He braced for rejection.

“You’re clumsy, you’re a little dense sometimes and you really need to work on your social skills.” His eyes nearly popped out of his head when she let go of his hooves and pulled him into a hug. “And no, you weren’t right.” She nuzzled him. “I have faults as well, and I do love you back.”

“Really?” he couldn’t tell if he was dreaming, it was so surreal.

“Yep!” she happily informed him. “Besides, even if I didn’t, everyone else is already taken.”

“Thanks,” he managed out, earning a giggle from her. To tell the truth, he hadn’t even known that fact, maybe he really did need to start paying some more attention to those around him. He hugged her back, and at that moment he felt as relaxed as he possibly could be. It had gone better than he had expected, and knowing that she felt the same about him was just an amazing feeling.

There was one question left, however.

“Seraph,” he interrupted the silence between them, earning a hum from her in return. “Does this mean that you’ll want me to start listening to Dietrich more?” He wasn’t sure how the religion thing would work, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. She left the hug but still kept her hooves on him, her face locked in thought.

“It’d be nice if you did try to listen a little more,” she told him. “But I can’t make you believe it. As long as you’ll lay off him from now on, then that’s enough for me.”

“That’s something I can do,” he reassured, tolerating Dietrich would be much easier now that he knew Seraph was his.

They both returned to the hug, only to be interrupted by the barn door opening.

“Harvest? Barren Field?”

Both relaxed when they heard Dietrich inquire for them, after the sound of two baskets hitting the ground was heard.

“One second,” Seraph called out, before she flashed green and reassumed her disguise. Chitter did the same soon after, both standing up and walking out to meet Dietrich.

“There you two are,” he stated, before his voice gained a curious edge. “Sneaking off into a barn by yourselves, hmm?”

“It’s not like that,” Seraph smiled back. “We were just talking while we waited for our magic to recharge, we don’t want to panic the ponies after all.”

“Yeah,” Chitter added. “You know, so they won’t run away?”

“That would certainly put a hamper on the sermon,” Dietrich mused, his attention suddenly diverted to his own concerns and away from them. “No, we can’t have that. Good thinking, a panicking crowd is something best avoided.” He gestured towards the doors behind him. “I take it that you’re okay to head back out?”

“Yes, we are now,” Seraph answered, giving Chitter a wink. “We had a good talk.”

“Glad to hear it,” Dietrich informed, before he opened the doors for them. “Now, let us return to labour, we have many left to sway.”

Cion lashed out again with her hind hooves, once again striking tree behind her and shaking apples loose. A few hit the basket but the majority thudded onto the ground, Cion rolling her eyes and trotting around to pick them up. Glancing to her left, she spotted a pony stallion land a solid hit and get all of the apples into the basket, somehow.

“Show off,” she muttered to herself, taking a second to shake her head. It was strange, so far she hadn’t felt the need to change her disguise at all. Normally with no love to feed on but the magically-barren amount from her fellow changelings, her disguise should have started to fail already. It was odd, but she couldn’t deny that it was a positive boon.

A ringing bell drew her attention, Cion looking back towards the main barns. The Equestrians ahead of her were heading towards it, and to stay in character she followed. Looking up at the sky, it was only midday, so it couldn’t be time to finish work already. Speaking of work, it was hard but it was also relaxing repeating the same motions over and over.

Following the crowd, Cion exited the orchards and found that they were back in the clearing with the barns. Long wooden tables had been set up and a wide range of food was placed upon them. She sniffed while she drew closer, the sweet scent of apple causing her tastebuds to water. There were pies, crumble, fritters, as well as other various treats. She could hardly wait, but she still took the time to look around for Dietrich and the others.

She spotted them sitting at a table on the far side, the armoured human hard to miss among the ponies that he dwarfed. With amusement, Cion noted that he wasn’t sitting on the bench’s seat but instead on the ground, and yet he was still taller than those near him. His book was resting upon his lap, shielded from the sunlight by the bench. With a spring in her step she approached, aiming for a spot next to the disguised Chitter.

It seemed like the table was populated by Dietrich’s ‘converts’, the forty-three ponies all talking to each other about their day so far and ‘passages’ that sounded like the things in the holy book. Wondering whether she was going to regret this, Cion climbed up to her seat and sat down.

“Why hello there Ci- I mean Spring.”

She sent him a warning glare, the human close to blowing her cover.

“Hello Dietrich, how has it been so far?” A few ponies glanced her way with strange looks, probably because she didn’t use Dietrich’s title.

“Quite well, actually,” he answered without seemingly noticing. “It has been most productive on many fronts,” he held his hands up and flexed his armoured fingers. “It turns out that enhanced strength and fingers are very effective when it comes to the picking and hauling of apples.”

“You can say that again,” the stallion named Braeburn agreed after chewing an apple fritter. “He’s done the work of four ponies, with none of the complaints as well.” He looked over towards her, gesturing a hoof over towards a plate of pie. “Feel free to dig in, lunch is free for all workers.”

‘Free lunch?’ Cion thought while eagerly reaching a hoof towards the plate, securing herself a piece of warm pie. ‘Why didn’t we pretend to be tourists earlier? This is great.’

“It is amazing food as well,” Seraph added, sitting on the opposite side of Chitter. Cion watched while she took a bite of a muffin, the drone savouring it with a hum. Chitter was likewise enjoying a slice of pie, the only one not eating was Dietrich. Turning back to her own food, Cion took a bite.

It was one of the best things she had tasted, and considering it was made from apple that was an oddity. It was rumoured that the first time Queen Chrysalis had eaten solid it was an apple fritter, and that it was terrible. It must have been a one off thing, either that or the Queen was likely just not a fan of apple.

Chewing and enjoying her meal, Cion took her time examining the others around the table. It was all earth ponies, no unicorns or pegasi. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen a single non-earth pony since she had been in the town. Well, except for Chitter, but they could explain that away with their cover story.

All of the ponies seemed to be having a great time, not showing a care in the world while they ate and chatted. She noticed that Dietrich was getting swamped with questions from the closest ones, the human a huge hit with the ponies sharing their table. A glance back to the other two tables, spotting a few ponies looking towards them with suspicion, hinted to Cion that not everyone was pleased with Dietrich’s presence and popularity with their fellows.

Looking at the table holding the newfoals, Cion felt uncomfortable. While examining the creatures that were trying their hardest to look away from Dietrich, she wondered if there were any former friends or fellow changelings among them. She shuddered and turned back to her own table, not wanting to think about that right now.

She finished her slice of pie and went for another, no-one stopping her. The feeling of jealousy welled up inside of her when she saw that there was still a mountain of food left. Half of her hated the ponies for managing to live so well while she and the others starved in a cave, and the other half felt guilty that she was sharing in it while the others missed out. Glancing to her left, she scoffed when she saw that Chitter and Seraph apparently didn’t mind, the two eagerly devouring food at a breakneck pace.

A slight hiss of air drew her attention to Dietrich, the High-Confessor’s faceplate lowering. The ponies at the table hushed and watched in awe, Dietrich not noticing and grabbing a muffin. He still didn’t catch on while he ate, the ponies still staring at him mesmerised.

Finally, after he had gotten halfway through the muffin, he realised that he had an enthralled audience.

“Hmm?” he hummed, finishing his mouthful. “Is something the matter?”

“Not at all,” Braeburn answered quickly. “It’s just we ain’t seen a human before, except for pictures.”

“Ah, I see, so I’m an oddity,” Dietrich chuckled before finishing his muffin. “Well, I’m afraid that I’m not the prettiest specimen.”

“Where did you get that scar?” a mare inquired, the pony squinting at his face. As soon as she pointed it out, the others further towards the back leaned in to try and get a better look. Dietrich’s finger brushed the small star-shaped scar before he dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

“Oh, just an accident a few years ago, nothing exciting.” Cion raised her eyebrow at that, the human a terrible liar. The ponies all seemed to buy it though, everyone returning to their meal. Making a note to ask him about it later, Cion returned to her food and tried hard to appear to not want a conversation with any of the ponies around her.

“Finally finished,” Seraph huffed to herself, dropping a full basket on the ground just as another bell rang out. She trotted out of the barn and looked up, the sun about three hours away from setting. The work had been hard, and her legs felt like they were on fire. Still, it was over now, and the lunch had been more than worth it. She spotted Chitter and Cion heading to the centre of the clearing, so she hurried up to join them.

“Hi,” she greeted, Chitter looking like he was about to collapse. “How do you two feel?”

“I feel fine,” Cion answered, shaking her head to get rid of a few leaves. “Unlike Chitter here, I didn’t eat enough food at lunch to feed an army.”

Seraph couldn’t help but giggle at that, Chitter shooting Cion a glare. He didn’t reply though, too busy panting and trudging forward. She had no more time to pursue her questioning, the three reaching the centre where ponies were lining up to receive little brown bags from another group of ponies. She spotted Dietrich wandering around the sides, and with a nudge to the other two she changed her heading to angle towards him.

“Dietrich,” she called out, the High-Confessor turning to her. His faceplate was returned to his helmet, but she knew that he was smiling at her. He walked to meet them, the human looking down at the three.

“Ah, hello all, I trust that your day was just as enjoyable as mine?”

“Yep,” Seraph answered with a grin. “Did you get a lot done?”

“Certainly!” Dietrich tapped the book at his side. “Not only did I strengthen the faith of those already keen, but a further twelve have expressed newfound belief! I have still have had no luck with those without rear markings, however; they still shy from me like I’m some form of monster.”

“Oh, yeah,” Seraph agreed, having noticed that the newfoals feared Dietrich more than the regular Equestrians. “Newfoals aren’t natural, so-“

“Hey there, you aren’t all thinking of sneaking off there?”

Seraph froze at the interruption from behind her.

‘Sneaking off? Have they found us out!?’

Turning around, she gulped when the pony named Braeburn approached them with a grin.

“I can’t let you all go,” he announced, before reaching into his saddlebag and withdrawing four coin bags. “At least, not without your day’s pay.”

Seraph breathed a sigh of relief, Cion stepping forward and taking a bag from Braeburn. The infiltrator weighed it with her hoof and the bag jingled, a decent amount of gold coins held within.

“I thought we were volunteering?” Chitter asked.

“Well, you were,” Braeburn began. “But you all did such a good job that I just couldn’t let you walk away empty-hooved.” He turned to Dietrich, smiling at the human. “And I have to say, High-Confessor, that you made it one of the most entertaining harvest days I’ve ever done. I’ve still got some of those ‘hymns’ stuck in my head.”

“That is their goal,” Dietrich replied merrily, before holding up a hand. “But I must refuse payment, the opportunity to preach to you and your fellows was reward enough.”

“Nonsense,” Braeburn answered while holding out the last coin purse to him. “To be honest, I’d have no issue with paying you double, what with your work and that. Here, it’s the standard pay for the day and you earned it. We aren’t exactly sort on bits since demand picked up, so you’re not going to make a dent just by accepting payment for a good day of honest work.”

Dietrich appeared to mull the idea over, before he hesitantly took the offered bag. Seraph glanced down at her own in her hoof, before she looped the string around her neck. Chitter and Cion did the same, while Dietrich opened his and withdrew one of the golden coins.
“If you wish,” Dietrich replied, before returning the coin and placing the bag in an armour compartment.

“Are you all going to come back tomorrow?” Braeburn asked, glancing around at them. “It’s the last day of harvest before the weekend, so the more help the better.” His smile increased. “There’ll be more lunch and you’ll get payed again if you do.”

“I can’t, sorry,” Seraph answered, remembering that she had to look after the nymphs. “I’ve got to do some chores of my own.”

“I understand,” Braeburn nodded, before looking at Cion and Chitter.

“I can’t come either, sorry,” Cion apologised.

“I… I guess I can,” Chitter answered with a glance towards Seraph, a nod from her assuring him that she was okay with it.

“You can count on my return,” Dietrich confirmed. “This has been one of the most enjoyable preaching sessions in a long time.”

“Glad to hear it,” Braeburn beamed, before glancing behind him. “I have to go back and help organise some things, but I’ll see you tomorrow. If you all hurry, the stores might still have some wares left before everypony else gets to them.”

“Thank you,” Dietrich replied, nodding at Braeburn. The stallion returned it and trotted of back towards the barns, the three changelings and human beginning to walk back towards the town.

“I wonder what stores they have,” Seraph mused, Cion tilting her head towards the sun.

“I say we go to a food store and try to get something preserved, so we can start to get a stockpile going.”

“That’s a good idea,” Chitter agreed, back up with a hum from Seraph.

“That seems like a wonderful plan,” Dietrich voted, leading the way. “A little preparation is hardly going to hurt us. I shall also purchase some supplies to keep us active and ready to work.”

With their agreement shared, all four entered the town and began their search for a market.

Seraph gazed over the shop shelves, cans of vegetables and soups all lined up in front of her. They were listed at a bit each, and her prior count had told her that she had twenty bits to spend. That meant that she could get twenty cans or fifteen if she also purchased a saddlebag to hold it all. Chitter and Cion were currently looking over the small amount of pots and pans that the Appleoosa General Store stocked, the three already having decided to get at least one to cook things in.

Making her choice, Seraph selected three cans of carrots, three of corn, six of pea soup and three cans of cauliflower soup. She fetched a brown saddlebag and loaded it with the cans, before heading towards the shopkeeper.

The light green stallion raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything while he counted the cans and bag, tapping on the register.

“Twenty bits.”

She placed her coin bag on the counter and watched him count it, once twenty bits were confirmed the shopkeeper swept them into the till and packed her cans back into her bag. With a grunt, Seraph placed the loaded bag onto her back and stepped aside just in time for Chitter and Cion. Both placed down a large cooking pot, eleven bowls, a set of spoons, a further ten cans of assorted foods and a set of cleaning cloths. The shopkeeper counted it all up, the items coming to forty-eight bits in total.

Worried that it was too much, Seraph was surprised when the two produced fifty bits and passed them to the waiting stallion.

“Dietrich gave us half of his to pay for things,” Cion explained.

“Where did he go, by the way?” Seraph had seen him leave into the town, saying that he was looking for something special.

“You’ve got about as much of an idea as we do,” Chitter informed while grimacing and putting the pot onto his back. “What I’m worried about is how we’re going to get all of this stuff back.”

Dietrich wandered through the main street of the town, now as poor as he was when he had arrived. It was no matter, and as he patted his armour’s chest compartment he imagined the happy reaction that his spending would achieve. With this pleasing thought in his mind, he resumed his search for his companions.

He was very proud of the changelings, the three getting through the entire day without panicking around the ponies that they feared so much. While he didn’t like the fact that they were essentially lying to the nice locals, he could understand their hesitance. After all, from what he had heard from them he guessed that there was some bad blood between the two races. A shame really, both were great in his books.

He waved to ponies when he passed them, many returning it with smiles. He recalled each of their names, their colours and marks making it easy to tell them apart. A few who he didn’t recognise from his sermons waved back with a little more hesitation, while the fully-grown ponies without marks moved to the opposite side of the road and lowered their heads. He wondered what it was that they feared about him, so far most of their brethren had taken a shine to him. Was it because they weren’t fully matured yet? After all, when he overheard them talking they seemed childish in nature and the only others that lacked marks were the changelings and a few of the settlement’s children.

The sound of a shop bell jingling turned his attention away from his thoughts and towards the left, Dietrich spotting the three changelings emerge from the general store. All three were still disguised, and laden down with pots and bags upon their backs. Noticing Chitter struggling with a large black pot, Dietrich quickly walked over and lifted it off the changeling’s back with a hand.

“Thanks,” Chitter puffed out, before staring at the pan held effortlessly in a single hand. “H-how…?”

“My armour allows me to carry more,” Dietrich quickly explained, not knowing the exact details. It had been decades since his time serving on the front lines as a lowly foot soldier, and in his current position he wasn’t too concerned about the inner workings of powered armour. It was mainly ceremonial these days anyway, although there had been a few times when it had come in handy.

“Here Chitter, you can carry this instead,” Cion reassured, passing along a stack of bowls that she balanced upon his back.

“Thanks,” Chitter mumbled back again, before Seraph butted her rump against his and gave him a reassuring smile. Dietrich raised an eye under his helmet at their behaviour, the two certainly seeming closer. Still, it worked out for him, he had noticed that Chitter had been asking more questions about Mortisum lately.

“Come on; let us return to our shelter.” At his suggestion the changelings nodded, the group of four walking down the main street and out of the town. They travelled across an old set of train tracks and headed back into the desert, Dietrich having already marked out a path with his suit’s computer. There was one stop that he wanted to go to first, however. Turning slightly to the right, he pointed his changeling companions forward.

“That’s not the right way,” Seraph told him, Dietrich nodding his head.

“I know it is not, I have something I wish to investigate. It is still a few hours to sunset, and I think that we’ll all enjoy it if I am right.” They followed him without further questions, Cion pulling out towards the front of the group. He smiled while looking at her, she had been absent during his preaching and he had gotten the impression that she was keen to avoid it. However, as much as she tried to hide it he had caught her listening in to some of the religious conversations he had been having with the ponies at lunch. It was only a matter of time, in his opinion.

“So where are you taking us?” Cion asked, peering back over her shoulder. With a flash her disguise dropped and she was once again a changeling in appearance, the two others behind him following suit. “We’ve got a lot of stuff with us, after all.”

“You’ll see when we get there,” he answered, earning an annoyed huff from the lead changeling.

“Oh, that feels so much better.” Dietrich turned around to find that Chitter had paused, Seraph waiting with him. The pair were shaking their heads and limbs, cricking necks and buzzing wings, looking relieved to be rid of their disguises.

“I hate having fur,” Seraph agreed. “It’s too hot in this weather.”

“You’re both going to have to get used to it,” Cion informed from the lead. “I hardly feel a thing.”

“That’s because you’re already cold enough,” Dietrich heard Chitter mumble once they had resumed traveling, Cion stopping to turn around.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Everyone, let us not fight. Our destination is only a few minutes away.” All three changelings returned to their positions, Dietrich glad that he had diffused the situation. The last thing they needed was to fight amongst each other. “Once we reach it, we’ll all be able to cool off after our day of work.”

“It better be that good,” Cion warned, before the group once again returned to silence.

They continued to walk, Dietrich’s eyes on his helmet readings the entire time. Just a little further, and-

“Here we are!” he announced, the three changelings looking around in confusion.

“There’s nothing here,” Seraph pointed out, Dietrich shaking his head and pointing towards a sand dune just before them.

“I disagree, let us look, shall we?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before cresting the dune, his eyes lighting up when he observed the sight below them.

A glittering pond of clear water rested in the sand, a small amount of green vegetation surrounding it. The changelings joined him, all three staring down at the water.

“An oasis!” Chitter announced, placing the plates on the ground before rushing towards it. The other two followed him without complaint, Dietrich sitting down on the dune next to their objects. He smiled while he watched them first drink and then swim, the three splashing around in the cool water together while they enjoyed themselves and took a bath at the same time. He had no need, given his suit, so he instead waited for them to finish.

He found it relaxing, watching them while they shared a moment of brief stress-free fun. Ever since he had met them, the changelings had been dour and nervous, but at this very moment the three were without a care in the world. He made a mental note to urge the others back at the cave to visit this spot sometime, so that they all could take a break from the worry and just enjoy themselves.
Half an hour passed before the three soaking wet changelings headed back to him, shaking the water off themselves before grabbing their assorted supplies and preparing to leave.

“Going so soon?” Dietrich inquired. “We still should have a few hours before sunset.”

“We better get back to the others,” Seraph explained.

“I see,” Dietrich replied before getting to his feet. He took a second to work out their bearings before he pointed to their left. “The cave is just in that direction there, only a few minutes away.”

“Great,” Chitter huffed while he began to trot. “I’m looking forward to a nice rest.” The rest followed him, all of them sharing his wish for sleep. Loaded down with all of their supplies, their trip took a little longer than expected. They reached the cave entrance with an hour to spare, chitin long since dried of any excess water and weary hooves moving from sand to rock. All four entered the cave with relief, and upon drawing closer to the main cavern they noticed the flicker of a fire.

“We’re back!” Seraph announced, hoofsteps rushing to meet them. The two nymphs and the unnamed crowed around them, examining the bags and pots that they had returned with. Dietrich noticed the other three adults sitting by the fire, a large stack of wood sitting at the back of the cave.

“A productive search?” he inquired, earning a nod from Swift-Swap.

“Yep, I found all of this dead wood and Haze managed to find a few berry bushes near a stream.” Swift tilted his head to the side when Seraph, Cion and Chitter unloaded their cargo onto the ground. “Wow, you managed to find a lot of stuff.”

“We earned it,” Seraph told him proudly.

“Earned it?” Double examined the cans and pot.

“The ponies were most pleased with our work,” Dietrich told the three that hadn’t attended. “They insisted on paying us for our labour, and so we thought that some more robust provisions were in order.”

“I still can’t believe you actually went and helped them,” Haze said while shaking her head, before she licked her lips. “Although, more food is never an issue to be honest.”

“We already had lunch, so you and the nymphs can have more tonight,” Seraph informed, placing the pot on the ground and pulling a can from the pile. “I was thinking that we could do pea-soup with some of that leftover bread.”

“No complaints from me,” Double told her. “I’m starved.”

That opinion was echoed all around, Dietrich sitting down on his rock and pulling out his book. He opened it but didn’t start to read, instead he found himself focusing on the activities around the cave. While Seraph and Chitter prepared the pot, Double fetched water from the cave’s spring with a bowl. Haze and Cion ensured that the fire remained lit while Swift prepared the bread. The nymphs chased each other around in a circle while they waited, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

He looked to his left when something sat down beside him, the two unnamed waiting patiently beside him while they also watched the cooking process.

“And how was your day?” he asked them, earning two grins in response.

“Great!” the female answered. “Double told us that we were going to possibly get named tonight!”

“Really?” Dietrich pressed on, shifting on his rock to face them. “Do you have any names that you’d like?”

“He told us that we don’t get to pick our names,” the male informed. “He said that it was always a honour for the Queen, but since we don’t have one the adults are going to decide. I want something good though.”

“A reasonable request,” Dietrich agreed, before he looked down to find a hoof pointing towards a picture in his book.

“Who’s that?” the female questioned, Dietrich instantly recognising the women depicted in the picture covering the left page.

“Ah, that is Saint Madeline, a very respected women from millennia ago.”

“What did she do?”

“Well,” Dietrich began while sweeping a hand over the raven-haired figure. “Saint Madeline was a very famous missionary for the Mortisum faith. She spread the word to many different planets and solar systems, even making contact with races yet unknown to the empire I work for.” Both of the changelings moved closer to get a better look at the picture, the female’s smile dropping when she realised that the red stuff at the figure’s feet was blood.

“Why is she… bleeding?”

“Existence is a harsh mistress, child,” Dietrich sighed while he reached out a hand to pat her on the back. “Sometimes things go wrong. With Saint Madeline, she was caught up in a war between two native tribes on a faraway planet. Rather than leave for safety, she tried to get them all to make peace under the banner of shared religion. Unfortunately, the natives used a very poisonous plant to coat arrowheads with, and Saint Madeline was killed when one hit her by accident.”

“Oh,” the female unnamed muttered, lowering her head. The male did the same, both now a lot less happier than before.

“Come now, there is no need to feel sad,” Dietrich reassured them. “She died doing what she loved, and it was a long time ago. Besides, once the tribes realised what they had done, they ceased their war and got along with each other without ever fighting between themselves again.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

In truth, the tribes had stopped fighting each other, but not because of the death. Rather, the UIP wiped them out as soon as it got wind of what had happened. Dietrich didn’t really think that it proper to tell the young beings that right now, he had already saddened them enough as it was. While he disliked lying to them, the goal in his mind was noble and he made a promise to tell them the truth as soon as they were a little more mature.

“Do you have any more stories, Dietrich?”

He chuckled when she and her brother shuffled closer, resting up against his side. He turned the pages of his book over, searching for a story that would hopefully have a happier ending.

Such stories were sparse in the book of Mortisum, unless one counted dying for one’s Empire and faith as happy.

“Let’s try and find another one then,” he told them, unable to turn them down. Even though they had apparently matured, they still possessed some childlike traits. Then again, now that he thought about it he’d do the same if any of the other changelings asked him. “Now then, is there anything that you’d prefer?”

“Everyone, dinner is just about ready!” At the announcement they turned away from the book to look towards the fire. The two nymphs rushed past with chirps before skidding to a halt and sitting down in front of the bubbling pot. Dietrich shut his book and placed it back at his side, giving both of the nameless a final pat on the head.

“It will have to wait for a later time, you should have your dinner now.”

Both nodded, the prospect of food overriding their desire for more stories. They both got up and joined their younger brethren with waiting, Seraph and Chitter carefully scooping thick green soup into bowls with a spoon. When each bowl was full it was passed onto Swift, who placed two slices of buttered bread into it. Then they were passed around to everyone, starting with the nymphs and nameless first.

“Be careful, it’s hot,” Double warned the four, giving them all spoons to use. They had trouble with it at first, before they soon got the hang of the utensils and proceeded to carefully eat the soup and bread. Before long everyone had a bowl, Seraph and Chitter trotting over to sit by him after passing him his own meal.

“Why, thank you very much,” Dietrich acknowledged, lowering his helmet’s faceplate to eat his meal. He nimbly raised a spoonful of soup to his mouth and took a taste, nodding in approval. “Good work you two, the soup is lovely.”

“Thanks,” Chitter replied, Seraph too busy taking a bit of bread. “But to be honest, all we did was pour in the can and add water, nothing fancy.”

“Still, it’s rather good,” Dietrich continued to praise, Seraph swallowing her mouthful before chiming in.

“It is, isn’t it? It’s a same I’m not going back tomorrow, I wouldn’t mind a few more cans.”

“I’ll ensure to buy some more.”

She hummed, the three settling down to enjoy their meal. Idle talk filled the cave, discussing the day and the tasty soup that they were consuming. Everyone was having a good time, full bellies and raised hopes for the future improving the mood of all. The nymphs were the first to finish their meals, the two licking their bowls clean before wandering over towards him and his two dining companions.

“They seemed to have enjoyed it,” Chitter observed between mouthfuls, the nymphs lying down on their sides with satisfied sighs at Dietrich’s feet.

“Yeah,” Seraph agreed, before letting out a sigh. “I wonder if I’ll ever have nymphs of my own.”

Dietrich stealthily looked over towards Chitter, who was staring at the resting nymphs with the same expression as Seraph. If his guesses about their newfound closeness were correct, then he didn’t doubt that it would be a likely occurrence.

“Your children would likely be just as adorable,” he told them before he could stop himself. The talking around the cave died out, Seraph and Chitter’s faces going a bright green while the others stared at them.

“Wait, so he actually told her?” Cion spoke up from the other side of the fire, putting her empty bowl down beside her. Double, Swift and Haze all joined her in waiting for an answer, Dietrich smiling to himself. It seemed like it wasn’t a huge secret, even if Seraph and Chitter didn’t think that anyone else had noticed.

“I asked him,” Seraph answered, before waving a hoof in front of her. “Anyway, it doesn’t’ really matter now. Someone needs to clean up the dishes.”

“I’ll do it,” Dietrich volunteered, eager to help Seraph’s distraction succeed. He stood up and took Seraph and Chitter’s almost spotless bowls, before walking over to pick up the four from the younger members of the group.

“I’ll help,” Double mentioned, collecting his own stack of bowls from the others. Dietrich nodded towards him and picked up the large cooking pot, not even a drop of soup left. “We’ll wash them with the jugs of water outside, and then we’ll just refill them from the stream.”

“That is satisfactory.”

With all of the dirty bowls, spoons, and pot collected, the two picked up a water jug each before leaving for the cave mouth. Dietrich glanced towards his fellow cleaner while they walked, having not spent much time getting to know Double.

Both looked out at the sky when they emerged outside, the moon just rising in the sky. Double set his bowls down on the flat rock outside, while Dietrich proceeded to wash out the near-spotless pot.

“So, I take it your preaching is going well?” Double started while rinsing a bowl.

“Indeed it is, the last two days have been most productive.” Dietrich moved the now-clean pot off the rock and replaced it with some spoons, green soup quickly washing off. “You were left behind at the cave?”

“That’s right; I had to look after the nameless and the nymphs. To tell you the truth, it was nice to have the cave to myself for a change. Well, aside from the nameless, they never seem to stop asking questions.”

Dietrich laughed at the reminder. “Yes, they are rather curious, aren’t they? That reminds me, I still have to tell them a final story before bed.” He increased the speed of his cleaning, moving onto the remainder of the bowls.

“Look, High-Confessor.” Dietrich paused to glance at Double, the changeling having halted his own cleaning. “I know that we’ve all probably said this already, but I’d just like to thank you for what you’ve done for us. Seraph’s happier, Chitter’s finally coming out of his shell, the nymphs and nameless love your company-“

“There is no thanks required,” Dietrich reassured, finishing his task and collecting up the dishes. “I am a guest of yours, so it’s only proper that I help you. Besides, I’m enjoying my time here and I’ve already gotten plenty of new converts. It is really I that should be thanking you.”

“You’ve got nothing to thank us for,” Double replied, gathering up his own bowls. “If anything, you’re only in more danger by associating with us. I still can’t believe that you went into that pony town with those three today, and made it back.”

“It was quite the good day,” Dietrich informed him while they made their way back into the cave. “You should come along sometime, you don’t have to listen to my sermons but the work is invigorating and we get paid.”

Double appeared to mull it over while he walked, the changeling nodding his head.

“Well, Seraph and Chitter did seem happier today, and Cion is also a little more…”

“Warm?” Dietrich supplied, Double chuckling.

“Yeah, she is a bit of an ‘ice queen’, I believe the term is. Still, she’s great once you get to know her.”

Dietrich nodded, he’d picked up on the fact that the ‘ice queen’ and Double were a thing, something that wasn’t that surprising considering that they believed themselves to be the last members of their race.

“I think I will come along tomorrow, if that’s okay.”

“Certainly,” Dietrich answered merrily. “I assure you that you won’t regret it.”

“Great, I look forward to it.” Double smiled, Dietrich nodding once again before the pair re-entered the cavern. Everyone else had formed a circle, Double and Dietrich putting away their pots and bowls before joining them. Dietrich sat outside of the circle on his rock, figuring that this was something best left up to the changelings themselves.

“Okay everyone,” Double started, gesturing to the two nameless. “We need to come up with two names for our new additions to adulthood, any suggestions?”

A nymph lying down beside Seraph chirped, Double raising an eye.

“Chirp, you say?”

The circle shared some laughter, Dietrich chuckling along with them before Double recovered and continued.

“Seriously though, we need two, and hopefully something better than ‘chirp’. I put forth ‘Sheen’ for our new brother and ‘Hope’ for our sister.”

Murmurs of agreement were shared, the male nameless seeming quite happy with his new name. The female however had her face locked in thought.

“I’m happy with that!” the male nameless announced with glee, everyone turning to look towards the female. She looked down at the ground before glancing at Dietrich, her eyes lighting up.

“I want to change it,” she requested. Double seemed to mull it over, before he tilted his head.

“To what?” he asked. “If you have something better, then feel free to suggest it.”

“Can I be called… ‘Madeline’?” she asked, earning stares from all around her.

“Madeline?” Double questioned while looking at her. “Where did you hear that name?”

“It was the name of someone in the book,” she replied, pointing towards Dietrich. Everyone looked at him, Dietrich giving them a shrug. He hadn’t expected the youngster to wish to adopt that name, although he secretly felt pride that she wanted to.

“I guess that we can do that,” Double answered, looking around for confirmation. He received nods in reply, no one voicing any objections. “Well then, if no one has any objections then I think we’ll settle on Sheen and Madeline.”

“That was easy,” Cion commented from beside him, Double nodding his head.

“It was,” he agreed, before taking hold of the two nameless’ hooves. “As the oldest one here, I now pronounce you as Sheen and Madeline, welcome to adulthood.”

A cheer went up amongst the circle, everyone congratulating the two on their new names. Dietrich watched for a few moments before he smiled to himself, opening his chest compartment to withdraw a white cloth bag. Peeking inside, he spotted the brightly coloured sweets that he had purchased in the town that day, right now being the perfect time to hand some out.

“I think I’ve got something here for the new adults,” he announced, the pair looking at him curiously. He withdrew two balls from the bag, one blue and one red. He passed the red one to Sheen and the blue to Madeline, both of the changelings staring at it in confusion. “Go ahead,” he urged. “I bought them in the town today; I was assured that they are rather tasty.”

Both put the treats into their mouths, their eyes lighting up while they savoured them. While they enjoyed the lollies, Dietrich gestured towards the two nymphs. He was answered by chirps when they also rushed to partake in the treats, Dietrich passing them two green ones. The nymphs attended to, he turned to the others and held out the bag.

“Anyone else want one?”

He was met with a chorus of affirmatives, so he passed the bag around. Each took one, colours ranging from purple to blue to orange. The bag was rather hefty, so by the time it got back to him it seemed like none had been removed at all. Dietrich took a green one for himself before putting it into his mouth and stowing the bag away. It was a most delightful flavour of apple, and he sat back to enjoy it like the rest.

Changelings yawned while they finished it, evidently everyone had worked hard that day. The two nymphs curled up next to each other by the fire, while the adults made their ways to different spots by the fire in pairs. Seraph stayed with Chitter, Haze with Swift, and Double laid down with Cion next to him. They had neglected to post a watch but Dietrich assumed that they felt far safer with him present. That thought brought comfort to him, and he knew that he would confidently deal with any threat to the safety of them all.

Opening his book again, he glanced down to his right when Sheen and Madeline settled down next to him expectantly.

“You owe us a story,” Sheen informed him with a whisper, Dietrich shaking his head with a chuckle.

“A sweet is not enough I see. Fine then, let us find one. But, we need to be quiet so the others can get some sleep.”

“Okay,” Madeline whispered back, shifting her body so that she was resting comfortably. Dietrich turned the pages until he found a passage that was slightly more happier in nature. Clearing his throat, he began to read, unaware that everyone around the fire was secretly listening in.

“There was once four priests and a nun, traveling across a barren desert towards an old shrine…”

Double snorted when he awoke, shaking his head while he raised it up. He looked around, evidently he was the last one to rise. Everyone was sitting around the smouldering fire pit, chunks of jam-slathered bread held in hooves. He couldn’t remember the last time that they had enough food to afford the luxury of breakfast, so he eagerly sat up in order to secure his. He turned to his left and noticed a piece waiting from him on a flat stone, the bread already coated with what smelt like strawberry jam.

He glanced back up and spotted Cion, who waved at him with a smile from the other side of the cave. Double grinned back, despite her usual attitude she was really sweet at heart. Speaking of sweet, he sat down on his rump and picked up his bread, taking a bite of the morsel. It tasted great, the jam one of the most perfect things he had ever tasted.

Surveying the cave while he chewed, he noticed Seraph and Cion leaving for the entrance. He waved them goodbye, the pair going off to look for more food and wood. If they found more it would be great, their supplies were growing daily and keeping it like that was preferred. Remembering that he was heading out with Dietrich to the pony town, he scanned the area for the human.

The High-Confessor was sitting down, talking with Sheen and Madeline. The two newest adults hadn’t yet been assigned jobs, but Double figured that keeping them in the cave for a few days more couldn’t hurt. After all, they got along well with the nymphs and they still had to learn from Swift and Haze. While his attention was on those two, Double shifted around to see what they were doing.

Both of them were finishing packing up the food, covering it to ensure that the perishable items stayed fresh. Luckily the cool cave helped them in that regard, some spots almost acting like a freezer.

He finished him meal and licked the jam off of his hooves, trying to ignore the dirt that came off with it. He’d gotten used to harsh living over the weeks, but hopefully things would improve.

Standing up, he headed over to Dietrich just as the priest stood up himself.

“Ready to go?” he asked, Dietrich patting the book at his side.

“I am indeed; let us make haste to the fine settlement of Appleoosa. I have a feeling that today will be a great one for preaching.”

“Can we come?” Madeline asked hopefully, Sheen nodding at the idea. Double sighed, he hated to cruse their enthusiasm.

“No, sorry you two,” he replied. “You still have a lot to learn, that’s why you’re going to stay behind with Haze and Swift Swap. After you learn about how to disguise yourselves properly and act like a pony, then maybe you can go out to Appleoosa.”

“Okay,” Sheen and Madeline nodded, sitting back down with frowns on their faces. Double was just about to make an attempt to cheer them up, but Dietrich beat him to it.

“Don’t worry you two, I’ll make sure to bring you back something from the town instead.”

Their eyes lit back up at the promise, their wings buzzing with excitement.

“We better get going,” Double advised, Dietrich and he waving a last goodbye to everyone left before they headed to the cave mouth. While they walked across the rocky ground, Double turned to Dietrich. “You’re spoiling them a bit, don’t you think? They’re going to have to grow up fast.”

“A few treats aren’t going to hamper them,” Dietrich replied, the cave mouth coming up. “If it helps to make them a little more happier during these times, then I don’t see the problem.”

“I know,” Double responded with a nod. “But I am the eldest, so I have to be the one to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

“It will all work out fine in the end,” Dietrich dismissed, the pair stepping out into the sand. “No matter the outcome, if they at least have some memories of good times then it’s a life well lived. But I wouldn’t worry too much about a sudden end, we’re improving every day and it keeps on getting better. You have to take the good things in life when you can, after all.”

Double could agree with that, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling in his gut that something was going to go wrong. Without another word, he followed Dietrich into the desert and towards the pony settlement with his mind churning with thoughts.

“Howdy High-Confessor, you’ve found another volunteer?”

Double hoped that his plain grey earth pony disguise would hold, the yellow stallion approaching them examining him curiously.

“I have indeed, this here is… Apple Pie, from up North.”

‘Apple Pie?’ Double thought, his eyes widening. ‘That is the stupidest name I’ve ever heard! Even for a pony it’s-‘

“Apple Pie? He wouldn’t happen to be one of our Apple clan would he? I haven’t seen him at any get-together.”

“I’m not related,” Double rushed out, shoving all questions regarding his name aside. “My parents just really loved… apple pie.”

It was a weak explanation, but thankfully the stallion seemed to buy it. Double couldn’t believe it, were all ponies like this or was it only their country folk?

“Well it’s good to meet another friend of Dietrich’s, you also here to help with the harvest?”

Double nodded, surprising himself with his eagerness to see what the others had experienced. “I sure am, a few of my friends gave it a shot yesterday and they enjoyed it.” He stuck to short sentences to try and help conceal his accent, a tell-tale buzz would likely signal his doom.

“No complaints here,” the merry stallion replied. “Well, the High-Confessor here knows what to do, I’ll leave him to get you up to speed while I organise the others.” The pony glanced up towards Dietrich while he started to trot back to the large barns. “I’ll be back after for the sermon, don’t make me miss too much.”

“I’ll ensure to wait for you,” Dietrich chuckled, before pointing Double over towards a number of trees already being worked on. “Over there, they are some of my converts. I’m sure that you’ll get along well with them."

He wasn’t so sure, but he had little choice but to stick with Dietrich. The both moved over to the equestrians, the ponies pausing their work to smile and wave at Dietrich.

“Good Morning, High-Confessor,” many greeted, Double watching in awe while the priest was showered with greetings and even a few hugs. How had Dietrich managed to win over them so quickly? He really must be able to charm anything, and Double briefly wondered if there was any other factors at work. After all, he wasn’t a scholar but some of the symbols covering Dietrich’s armour and objects seemed to contain faint traces of magic.

“Good Morning all, are you all ready for another day of work and sermons?” Dietrich received a mass of ‘yes’ in reply, the ponies eager for the day to begin. “That is most pleasing to hear! Before we begin though, I’d like to introduce you all to my friend, Apple Pie.” Double nearly flinched when fifty pairs of eyes turned on him, but he only received welcomes and not the accusations that he expected. “He’s out of town, so don’t expect him to know much about the farming life.” Dietrich finished by turning to him and tapping a finger on his faceplate where his nose would be, Double not getting the gesture.

‘Calm down,’ he thought to himself, taking a breath of air. ‘You’re not some nymph, you can manage a simple disguise. Just act like a pony.’

“Hi, all,” he greeted back, giving them all a nervous wave. Thankfully, after a few more waves the attention of the ponies turned back to Dietrich, the priest busying himself with greeting some new members of his cult. Double was fine with that, as long as Dietrich kept them occupied then he didn’t have any complaints.

Looking around, he spotted an empty basket sitting underneath a tree. Glancing at the red fruit above, he turned around and backed up towards the trunk. Taking a few seconds to observe the ponies around him, he kicked out with his hind legs.

They thudded against the tree, shaking it and dropping apples down into the basket and onto the ground.

‘Don’t really see the appeal,’ he thought, before shrugging and kicking again. More apples rained down, and he repeated the action for a third time. The tree ran out of apples, but still he kicked one more time to make sure. Now that he had tried it, he had to admit that it was pretty good at getting rid of stress. Stopping to pick up and deposit the stray apples into the basket, he checked the tree before moving onto the next.

Kicking this one also felt relaxing, Double still surprised that kicking something could feel so good.

“Okay everyone, from the top. For those new to the group, listen along and then we’ll repeat.”

He glanced over to his left, Dietrich surrounded by the ponies while he picked apples from the tree with his hands. The priest began to sing, and Double had to admit that his voice was extremely pleasing to listen to. Ever since he’d met Dietrich, he’d wondered if it was more than just charisma at work. Most of the ponies sang along with him, the others listening in wonder.

While he continued to kick, Double found himself humming along to the song, and without even noticing he began to sing along as soon as he learned the words.

Braeburn walked up and down the rows of trees, watching while ponies carried their full baskets towards the barns. The bell for lunch had just been sounded and everypony was preparing to take a well-earned break. He knew that there were some new workers today though, so it was his job to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Humming a tune from the morning to himself, Braeburn nodded to ponies while they passed. Satisfied that everything was in order, he licked his lips and made his way towards the tables that were piled with delicious food.

A mare’s scream pierced the air, before it was echoed and joined by cries of alarm. Braeburn frowned and stared at the barns, before he galloped towards it. He passed staring ponies along the way, before he reached the source of commotion.

A crowd of ponies were gathered around the entrance of one of the barns, a few backing away while others went to grab farm tools leaning up against the side. Pushing his way through, Braeburn looked upon the source of panic.

A single grey stallion was standing by the baskets, one of them spilt over at his hooves. Braeburn recognised him as the pony named ‘Apple Pie’ that had arrived with Dietrich, the stallion’s eyes wide with fear. It was then that Braeburn noticed the fallen hoe, and the large gash down Apple Pie’s flank which cut through the half-apple cutie mark.

Also, he noticed that the blood covering the stallion and the hoe was green, not red.

‘’Changeling,” Braeburn breathed out, the word echoed by the crowd. The creature who was the centre of attention was frozen, it’s wound not even seeming to bother it. He saw the fear in its eyes, and he quickly stepped back. “Everypony get back!”

It was too late, a scowling stallion stepping forward with a rake set off the reaction that Braeburn had predicted.

The changeling’s disguise dropped in a flash of green, before its wings buzzed and it took flight. Everypony ducked when it soared over them, Braeburn noticing that it was flying shakily. A few drops of green hit him before it cleared the barn, the changeling crashing to the ground just behind the panicked crowd. It turned and bolted, unfortunately for the changeling it chose the main tables in its panic.

Braeburn was swept up in the crowd, the horde of angry ponies keen to stop the creature from causing any harm to their town.
They chased it before stopping abruptly, mutters rising up from all of the ponies at the front. Braeburn, seeking to stop the madness before somepony got hurt, tried to push his way towards the front.

“Why Double, how nice it is to see you out of your disguise. I say, what happened to your leg?”

Moving through the shocked crowd, Braeburn shook his head when he saw what was going on.

The changeling had leapt under the table and was currently sheltering itself behind the seated Dietrich. The priest was oblivious to the danger, the human trying to peer under the table to get a better look at the changeling.

“High-Confessor,” Braeburn warned while attempting to place himself between the crowd and the target of their fear-fuelled anger. “Watch out, it’s scared and could be dangerous.”

“Ridiculous,” Dietrich answered, trying to coax the changeling forward. “Double is a gentle soul, and a very nice changeling.”

‘Double?’ Braeburn tried to work out. Did Dietrich really know this changeling?

“You know it?” he inquired shakily, the crowd murmuring behind him while other ponies trotted towards the table to investigate.

“Of course I do,” Dietrich replied, pulling the changeling forward and patting it on the head while it stared out at them. “Now, can I possibly bother you for some bandages? We don’t want to get this cut infected now, do we?”

Braeburn didn’t know what to say. The High-Confessor, a kindly being which he had come to respect and like, was helping one of Equestria’s most vicious and evil enemies. Not only that, but he seemed to know the changeling personally and had no issue with it. Even now he was comforting the creature, shielding it from an angry crowd.

“I’ll… I’ll have to work on that,” he uttered out in a reply, tilting his head. “Are you sure it won’t hurt anypony?”

“Firstly, Double is a ‘he’,” Dietrich corrected. “Secondly, yes, I am sure. After all, the other three didn’t harm you at all yesterday.”
He had to search his brain for the memory, figuring that by that Dietrich meant the three ‘tourists’ he had arrived with. Just how many changelings was the human helping?

“You lied to us?”

Dietrich sighed at the accusation, the priest turning around to look at them while keeping one hand on the changeling’s head. “I ask for your forgiveness, they requested that I go along with it. They are quite afraid of you for whatever reason, and I was attempting to help them get over that fear. If you wish to direct your anger towards someone, then it is I who is at fault.”

Braeburn switched his gaze from the changeling to Dietrich and back. He couldn’t work it out. On one hoof, he shared his fellows’ fear of what the creatures would do to them. On the other, he knew that Dietrich wouldn’t endanger them at all. What could he trust, his own judgment of Dietrich’s character or the stories that he had heard regarding the ravenous hives of killer changelings?

“I… I,” he began, before giving in and turning around to face the crowd. “Put your tools down, everypony, and can somepony please fetch some bandages.”

Double winced when Dietrich started to wrap his leg with the provided bandage, trying very hard not to look at the surrounding Equestrians. It wasn’t because of the embarrassment he felt, sitting on Dietrich’s lap like a child. It wasn’t because of the fact that he had been stupid enough to bump into the hoe back in the barn. No, it was because most of the ponies were still shooting him dirty looks and eying the nearby pile of discarded tools.

He could understand their reaction, after all they had been attacked by changelings before, but being the target of their unease didn’t help him to become very sympathetic. He grunted when the bandage wrapped over a particularly sore spot, but soon it was tied off and the cut was completely covered.

“Thanks,” he mumbled to Dietrich. He briefly considered getting up but a glance at the ponies convinced him that maybe staying as close as he could to the human that commanded so much respect was worth the humiliation of being treated like a nymph. A hand continued to pat his head, the motion admittedly soothing. It was then that the yellow stallion named ‘Braeburn’ stepped forwards, some sort of pony leader.

“So, High-Confessor,” he began, almost the entire workforce standing around watching. “I guess that as long as you can guarantee that that there changeling won’t cause any trouble, then it’s okay for it to stay for now.”

Angry words flared up in the crowd when some of the ponies started questioning why they were trusting a human, especially one that was harbouring changelings. They were the minority however, quickly silenced by Dietrich’s supporters who claimed that if he said the changelings were okay, then they were okay.

That is, except for one stallion.

The large orange pony scowled at him, Double flinching under the gaze. Ponies were larger than changelings, and this one looked like a giant. He didn’t doubt that one kick from the stallion’s hooves could shatter his chitin like it was nothing, and he didn’t even notice himself pressing back into Dietrich’s armour.

“I say we tell the sheriff,” the stallion growled, earning a few nods from other ponies dotted in the crowd. “Both of these creatures have already caused trouble. It’s obvious that the human is only helping the changelings to undermine us, it was he that brought them into our town!”

Whoops of agreement filled the air, Double starting to shake. He hadn’t expected it to be like this, having the day interrupted by the threats of death or conversion. He hadn’t even said a proper goodbye to Cion that morning, how would she cope without him? Double could only wait, and pray that the saner ponies would stop the rest like they had before. And pray he did, remembering the words that Dietrich had been repeating before his sermon.

“Please Lord, grant me protection-“

“Now listen here.”

Double’s murmurs were cut off by Dietrich himself, the human raising a hand up. Looking down, Double noticed that his other hand was touching the grip of his mace, something the ponies hadn’t noticed.

“I know that you are all scared, and panicking,” Dietrich continued once there was quiet. “Some of you doubt my intentions, and the intentions of my friend here.” Double raised his head at that, did Dietrich really consider him a friend? “I know that most of this stems from fear.”

“You’re darn right about that!” the orange stallion replied loudly. “They invaded us, and we all know what your ilk do, human.”
The stallion’s tone and the way he spat the word ‘human’ caused Double to wince. Dietrich was kind, there was no arguing that, but he didn’t know anyone who would willing to shrug off an insult like that.

“You are blinded by your hate, and fear,” Dietrich advised, keeping his cool. “The True Faith tells us that all are equal under it, and even those who do not listen to its words shall still be treated fairly. Would you deny us a chance merely because we’re different to you?”
His words struck a chord with many of the listeners, stallions and mares nodding their heads when he reminded them of what his religion taught. A few even had small smiles, hope rising in Double’s chest.

“I don’t listen to that hooey,” the stallion huffed back before looking around at his fellows. “Fine, if you bunch of gullible goats want to buy this manure, then that’s your own choice. I’m out of here, I ain’t going to put up with no changelings.” He glared at Dietrich. “Or lying humans, for that matter. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do, all your talk about ‘God’ and ‘faith’ ain’t going to pull the wool over my eyes.”

With those parting words, the stallion stormed off back towards the town. A few ponies, eighteen of the workers, split off with him, leaving the faithful behind. Dietrich’s hand left his mace, and he waved it in the air.

“Your choice then! God Bless!”

Double’s mouth dropped open at the cheery voice, either Dietrich was a master annoyance or just completely oblivious to the hate they had for him. Evidently the remaining ponies were just as shocked, before the priest continued.

“Well then, that means more work for us, but at least we also get more food to ourselves.”

This earned a few chuckles, the mood relaxing somewhat while everyone moved to take a spot at the tables. Looking over them, Double noticed that most of the ponies tried to sit as far away as possible from him, with only a few sitting right next to them. Some ponies even went to sit with the newfoals, although they received stares from their own fellows at that decision.

He jolted out of his thoughts when a muffin was passed down to him, the morsel held up in front of his nose. With a nod of thanks to Dietrich, he took the offered food in his hooves and began to munch. He had to admit, it tasted so good that it was almost worth getting cut, losing his disguise, and causing a rift between the town.

Almost.

He glanced up when he felt eyes on him, a yellow mare with an orange mane looking down at him while she munched on a fritter. He looked back down after a few moments, but he didn’t detect any hostility from the pony.

“So,” Braeburn started, sitting on the opposite side of Dietrich and nursing a pie slice. “I’m sorry for the way that we reacted.”

“It’s… okay,” Double mumbled, the stallion thankfully getting the hint and not talking any further.

“Such an experience does have an upside,” Dietrich mumbled out through a muffin bite. “It only proves that when you listen to the Word of the Lord, you better yourself and those around you.” His comment earned nods and smiles, the ponies getting more and more relaxed.

“Well, we lost some workers but we managed to get a lot done this morning,” Braeburn observed, obviously seeking to change the topic. “Ah, High Confessor, were you planning on bringing anymore… ‘friends’ to help us out?”

“Is that an issue?” Dietrich responded, Braeburn quickly shaking his head.

“No, it’s not, well, not for me, but-“

“I understand, if I do bring more help then I’ll stress to them the importance to stay disguised.”

“Actually,” Braeburn replied. “I was going to ask you to tell them to not come in disguised, if they do come back.”

“Why?” Double blurted out. “Then we’ll just get attacked.”

Braeburn seemed hesitant for a second, before he forced a grin. “No they won’t, as long as you’re with us then it’ll all be fine. Right everypony?” Affirmatives came from the others sitting at the table, the sixty ponies nodding to each other. Double couldn’t believe it; they were okay with undisguised changelings working among them? “I mean, I’m sure the High-Confessor will make sure you don’t hurt anypony. It’s just that way we don’t have to worry about accusing strangers of being a changeling and all that.”

“I’m in agreement with that,” Dietrich inputted, grabbing a slice of pie for himself. “We have worked alongside each other without quarrel up until now, so why should that change?”

“I guess that’s okay,” Double muttered, before looking at Braeburn. “As long as you ponies don’t try to kill or convert us.”

The stallion to his credit actually flinched at the demand, before he recovered and nodded.

“That’s fine with me, you have my word.”

With those words said, much of the tension at the table bled away. Conversations turned away from changelings towards everyday gossip, the ponies almost forgetting that he was there. With nothing more to do in the situation, Double peered up at the human who had pretty much saved his life.

“Dietrich, do you mind passing me another muffin?”

Haybale stomped into the Sherriff’s office with his like-minded townsponies behind him. They only numbered at nineteen, far less than the sixty that had defended the changeling and human, but with the law on their side that would change quickly.

He ploughed through the double doors and stormed up towards the desk, Silverstar jolting in his chair before sitting upright.

“What’s all the racket for?”

“It’s that human,” Haybale began, Silver sighing and holding up a hoof.

“Look Haybale, I already told you that if he ain’t hurting no-pony then I ain’t going to just arrest him-“

“It’s much worse,” Haybale interrupted. “He’s got this changeling with him, and yesterday he had other changelings with him, working in the fields with our wives and daughters! They’re moving in Silver, sneaking by us and finding out how we operate!”

“So changelings, led by the human, have infiltrated the apple orchards to buck apples, woo mares and gather information for an attack?” Haybale could tell that the Sherriff didn’t’ believe him. “Hay, have you been into the salt again?”

“It’s true, we all saw it.” His fellows nodded at his glance, Silver sitting up in his chair.

“Really? Changelings?”

“It’s all because of that human,” Hay continued, pressing the attack. “They spread strife and chaos, and what better to use than changelings? We need to git the Guard from the city!”

“Now calm down,” Silver tried to suggest with his hooves held out. “I don’t trust changelings much like the next stallion, but how do we know that the human is the cause of it?”

“He controls them, that’s why everypony is listening to him. He’s using his human-mind powers to make us all like him, so that he can take over!”

“Then why would he need changelings?” Silver pointed out, Hay pausing before answering.

“Because they also have mind powers, and all mind-controlling critters think alike!”

There was silence for a few moments, before Silver got off his seat.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what. We’ll find Braeburn and talk to him about the human and changelings. If its true, then we round up a posse and arrest them.”

Silver made to move past them, buy Hay blocked his way.

“Sherriff, you don’t understand! Braeburn has already fallen to them! Why, just before he was answering the changeling’s questions and helping the human to protect it! More than half the town is siding with them, already under the sway of their mind control! If we don’t act quickly, all of Equestria will be doomed!”

“All of Equestria…” Silver murmured, before shaking his head. “Okay, we’ll at least tell the guard, but the train is three days away. We won’t have enough time.”

“We’ll have to hoof it,” Hay told him. “We’ll grab some supplies and leave straight away, we can get to Canterlot in two days. It’s our only option.”

Silver looked down towards the ground, the Sherriff mulling over the options. With a sigh, he nodded his head and moved to open a draw in his desk. “Alright, get everything we’ll need and meet at the train station in ten minutes, we’ll follow the tracks right to Canterlot.”
Hay nodded, moving with the makeshift messenger party out of the office and into the street.

‘The guards will teach that human not to mess with our town,’ he fumed, before trotting off to fetch what he needed for the trip. His fellows did the same, the fate of Appleoosa resting on their withers.

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Double shifted on his spot under the fruitless apple tree, watching while Dietrich returned from the barn with a group of his listeners in tow.

Thanks to his leg injury, he was no longer able to help with the workload. He turned his head to look at the bandage, only a light green tinge showing through. It only stung a little, but he was sure that moving on it was going to be an issue. The lack of mobility hurt more, and he wasn’t looking forward to the trip back to the cave.

Sighing, he dropped back down and rested his head on his forelegs. It was actually kind of annoying, having to watch while the others had fun. Dietrich was a whirlwind of charm, the ponies listening to his every word while he joked and discussed religion. It was no wonder that Dietrich was getting along with them so well, friendliness and understanding seemed to seep into the air around him.

They had one fruit-bearing tree left in the area, all the others stripped clean of apples. Double continued to examine the ponies and human while they gathered around the last tree, baskets placed down upon the ground around the base. He couldn’t hear what they were saying clearly, but he saw a stallion grin at Dietrich and ask him something.
Double raised an eyebrow when Dietrich approached the tree to cheers of encouragement. The priest ducked his armoured head underneath the branches, and wrapped his arms around the tree trunk.

“I hope he doesn’t damage it.”

Double whirled his head around at the stallion’s voice, preparing to get up and flee if needed. He relaxed slightly when he saw that it was the pony leader, Braeburn, but he still watched the pony warily. Braeburn must have noticed his unease, the stallion taking a step back.

“Easy there, I already told you that I ain’t going to hurt you.”

“Yeah, well forgive me if I don’t trust a pony,” Double shot back, more venom is his words than he had intended. Braeburn looked like he was about to say something, before a cheer drew the pair’s attention back to the commotion.

Dietrich was shaking the tree, apples raining down into the baskets. It brought a smile to Double’s face, watching while his friend shook every last apple from the tree. The watching ponies erupted into laughter when the last apple fell down to smack Dietrich on the helmet, the priest looking up above him while it rolled away on the ground.

A mare stepped out and picked it up, before tapping him on the leg and passing it to him. Dietrich held the apple high before placing it into a basket at his feet, ponies cheering him on with the finishing of the tree. The human swept his hand out for an awkward bow, before heading over towards the tree that Double and Braeburn were under.
“All the work has been finished,” Dietrich announced, gesturing to the last tree.

“I’m sorry to tell you that it isn’t,” Braeburn replied with a smile. “This was just the first orchard, we still have four more to do.”

“Four more? You ponies certainly eat a large amount of apples.”

“We send most of the crop off to the cities,” Braeburn explained. A bell rang out, Double looking towards the barns were all the ponies were gathering. “Well, that there’s pay time.”

“Once again I-“

“Don’t even try, High Confessor, for the last time you earned a fair wage.” The pony looked towards Double, his smile faltering slightly. “You earned yours as well.”

Double gulped while looking at all of the ponies flocking around a set of tables. Even if most of them were friendly towards him because of Dietrich, he still didn’t want to go over there.

“I’ll pass,” he stated, sitting back against the tree. “I’ll just wait here.”

“Are you sure-“

“I said that I’ll wait here,” he repeated, cutting Braeburn off. He noticed that Dietrich was staring at him, although the human’s expression was hidden behind his helmet. Double huffed and turned his head away.

“Okay then, I’ll be back in a minute,” Dietrich told him, before nodding towards Braeburn. The pony gave him a final glance before trotting off towards the barns with Dietrich in tow, Double watching all the while.

The pair made their way towards the barn, occasionally looking back at him. He paid them no mind, his day soured by the experience. A part of him was cursing the loss of valuable money, but the other didn’t care.

“Hello.”

He slowly turned his head at the voice, a mare stepping out from behind a tree. She was a bright pink, a mossy green mane flowing around her head. Double noticed that she had no cutie-mark despite being an adult, his blood freezing when he realised what she was.

The newfoal tilted her head, green eyes staring at him. Her mouth was locked in a smile, and while it would appear warm to most, it was one of the most macabre things that he had ever seen. He could sense nothing from the newfoal, not even a trace of emotion. The… thing standing before him was more alien than Dietrich, and that was an incredibly disturbing thought.

“Get back,” he rushed out, sitting up and backpedalling away. “Stay away!”

“But we can be friends,” the newfoal announced happily, taking a step towards him. “My name’s Sunny, what’s yours?”

Double continued to try and drag himself away, his leg burning with agony. He ignored it in his panic, the newfoal advancing on him without pause. Her smile never stopped, and his froze when his back hit a tree.

‘No, no, no!’ he thought to himself, starting to move to the side to avoid her.

The newfoal froze, her smile dropping. Double gulped, he had no idea of what to do.

“Double, have you made a new friend already?”

He turned his head and spotted Dietrich walking back towards him with Braeburn still trotting alongside. The rustling of leaves prompted him to look back at the newfoal just in time to watch it gallop off in the opposite direction. Breathing heavily, he fought hard to calm himself down while Dietrich stood next to him and looked down.

“Are you okay, Double?”

“I want to leave,” he answered, trying to get to his hooves. A sharp pain shot through his hind leg, and when he looked at it he saw that the bandage was greener than before. With his leg out of action, he started to buzz his wings.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Dietrich warned, Double ignoring it and continuing to try to take flight. He managed to hover for a few seconds before he felt dizzy, and he found himself coming back down heavily. He let out a grunt when his injured leg struck the ground, Dietrich quickly reaching out with his arms. Double found himself lifted up like a nymph, Dietrich carrying him with both armoured arms under his barrel.

“Dietrich,” Double hissed through clenched teeth, his leg still stinging madly. “Let me go, it’s embarrassing.”

“I will not,” the priest refused. “You will only attempt to move again, and injure yourself further.” Dietrich didn’t let go, Double soon relaxing when the stinging in his leg died down to a throb. He frowned and looked down at Braeburn, the stallion wisely looking away and not saying anything. “Thank you Braeburn, I might see you tomorrow but I’ll likely be back that day after.”

“I’ll see you later then, High Confessor,” Braeburn nodded, before looking back towards Double with a shaky smile. “Look, I know that you’re probably still all nervous like…” the stallion reached into his vest pocket and withdrew a brown bag, the jingle of coins betraying its contents. “But here’s your pay for the day.”

Dietrich took the bag from Braeburn and held it out towards Double.

He looked at it hesitantly, before holding out a hoof. Dietrich placed the string of the bag around the hoof and Double tested the weight, surprised at what he found. “This is a full bag, I only worked half a day.”

“Consider the rest as an apology for how some of the others reacted,” Braeburn explained while rubbing the back of his head. “I’d hate to have them drive you away from Appleoosa.”

Double considered telling Braeburn that there was far more sinister things that ponies had done other than trying to chase him out, but instead he held his tongue and merely nodded his thanks. Braeburn seemed fine with the wordless acknowledgement, the pony looking up at Dietrich.

“I’ll be seeing you, let me know if the others give you any more trouble.”

“Thank you, Braeburn, I look forward to my next visit.” A final nod was exchanged before Braeburn trotted back to the barns, most of the ponies till there. Dietrich, and by consequence Double, headed towards the town. “You should be nicer to him,” Dietrich advised once they were out of earshot. “Braeburn is a very kind-hearted being.”

“He might be,” Double replied, before looking up annoyed. “Look, can you please put me down?”

“No.”

“Why not? It’s embarrassing.”

“You’re hurt,” Dietrich informed, the human continuing to walk towards the town. “We’re going to go to the store to purchase some more provisions, and then we’re going to head back and ensure that you get the rest that you need.”

Despite his injury, Double unwisely began to squirm in Dietrich’s grasp.

“Stop that,” Dietrich ordered, moving towards the main street of the town just ahead.

With a huff, Double obeyed, but only because his leg was starting to sting again. Upon entering the town itself he tried to make himself as small as possible, however it was impossible with the way Dietrich was carrying him. Instead he had to resort to turning his head away to stare at Dietrich’s black armour. He could feel the stares of the ponies on him, and regretted ever coming to Appleoosa.

“Oh, High Confessor, I managed to catch you before you left.” Double winced, now what?

“Indeed Miss Hearthfire, I was just about to head to the store.”

“You better hurry, it gets busy after the day’s harvest.” The mare Dietrich was talking to paused, before continuing in a whisper. “How’s the changeling doing?”

“He’s a little embarrassed that I’m carrying him.”

‘What… no! Dietrich!’

“Well he shouldn’t be,” the mare replied. “I heard about what happened from Sandy, as if that nasty cut wasn’t enough to spoil the day.”

“It was just some rash reactions, all has been forgiven.”

“Well, if you think so.” To Double, she didn’t sound as convinced as Dietrich was about the incident being over. “To be fair, changelings are fairly, well, excuse me for saying but… scary.”

“All the ones I have met are some of the nicest beings I know,” Dietrich told her, Double peeking up at the priest. Did he really think that highly of them? “I assure you that they will bring you no harm, Double especially.”

“I’m sure of it, High Confessor. Anyway, I was wondering if you were coming back into town tomorrow. I have a little sister, you see, and she is very keen to meet you. She’s heard a lot about humans from a pen-pal of hers in Canterlot, and I must admit that most of it says the worst kinds of things.”

“I would love to, and you can insure that I’ll endeavour to visit. I may be unable to due to other duties, however.”

“I understand, but if you do it’s just that house over there.”

Dietrich turned to the left, Double still not looking out. He wondered what the priest had meant by ‘extra duties’, as far as he knew it was just a standard day.
“Once again, I look forward to it.”

“Thank you, High Confessor. I’ll let you get to the shop before it becomes packed.”

“That is indeed a concern; have a nice day Miss Hearthfire.”

“The same to you, and to you as well.”

It took Double a second to work out that the mare was saying goodbye to him as well, something most unexpected. Before he could raise his head to attempt a reply, the trotting of hooves alerted him to the departure of the pony. Lifting his head, he spotted an orange mare with a vibrant yellow mane heading towards a row of houses. Dietrich also began to walk, and while looking out Double could see their destination.

Approaching the thankfully uncrowded store, Dietrich looked down at him. “Now Double, I understand that you are cautious around the ponies, but I have to request that you act a little friendlier when they try to. I know that you changelings and the ponies both fear each other, but for your differences to be resolved you need to both be willing to act with understanding.”

“It’s a more complex than that,” Double began to explain. “With the past-“

“The failed invasion I was told about?”

“Well yes, but also the conversions.” He was just about to tell Dietrich exactly what type of conversion that the ponies had carried out, but he was interrupted when they reached the store. Peering inside, he saw that a few ponies were browsing the shelves while the shopkeeper waited behind the counter. Not wanting to have Dietrich enter with him in his arms, Double glanced around before spotting a wooden bench to the side of the door.

“Can you please put me down on the bench?” he requested, Dietrich stopping just short of the door.

“Do you promise to-“

“I won’t try to trot or fly,” Double reassured. In truth, his leg was still throbbing and he doubted that he had the strength to try and fly again. Dietrich thankfully appeared to trust his word, and Double found himself gently lowered towards the bench. Laying down on it, he kept his injured leg hanging off. Looking down at the coin bag still held in his hoof, Double held it out towards Dietrich. “Here, use this as well.”

Dietrich took it with a nod. “Thank you, do you have any specific requests?”

“Some fresh bandages would be nice,” he suggested, briefly glancing at his leg. “Other than that, just some more food for everyone would be great.”

“I already have the items we need in mind.” With that, Dietrich entered the store, the bell jingling as he did so. Double watched him enter before switching his focus to looking out over the main street.

He hadn’t escaped attention, ponies noticing him and staring before continuing to trot on. A few foals in the street kept on whispering to each other with eyes locked on him, Double squirming under the gazes. Maybe staying outside wasn’t the best idea.

Watching the ponies go about the rest of their day, he questioned just what was going to happen. First off, he was going to have to tell the others about his screw-up, and that the ponies now knew that there were changelings near Appleoosa. He’d have to deal with their concerns, and they’d have to decide upon moving to a new location. Where he didn’t know, but today had already shown that not all of the ponies were as friendly as Braeburn or Miss Hearthfire.

On the other hoof, there were a large number of Dietrich’s followers who seemed to be okay with changelings as long as Dietrich said so. He hadn’t had a lot of experience with ponies, but this town did seem to be slightly less concerned about changelings.

That, and so far he hadn’t seen a single royal guard.

Maybe, if Dietrich wasn’t leaving anytime soon, they could use it to maybe find a reliable source of food. Sure, getting love to power magic would likely be out of the question, and they’d have to work for their food, but it was better than nothing.

Of course, one major problem with that plan was the presence of the Newfoals. To be honest, he was completely uncomfortable around them and he could never see himself living amongst them. They were reminders of horrible things, monsters walking amongst the ponies who couldn’t see them for what they really were: husks of their former selves. That also brought up the thought of whether he or the others could ever forgive the ponies for what they had done, even if these ones in the town apparently had nothing to do with the conversions.

His was broken out of his thoughts when the shop door jingled once again, a grey pony stallion walking out with a grin on his face. The pony’s smile faltered when he spotted him, and the stallion increased his pace to head to the opposite side of the road. Double’s hurt at the action was short-lived, the next being to exit through the door nearly causing him to burst into laughter.

Dietrich exited the shop with a grin on his face and only four golden coins remaining. He ducked under the door frame and looked to the bench, finding Double staring at him. The changeling appeared to have cheered up immensely, one hoof held over his mouth while he visibly tried to hold in laughter.

“What?” he inquired. “Is there something amusing?”

“Dietrich, what- what are you wearing?”

That was strange, Dietrich looking over himself at Double’s words. He was wearing his normal armour, the only difference being the ropes tying down the numerous supplies that he had bought.

A first-aid kit was strapped to his left forearm, a large pillow on his right. A bag of cans was suspended from around his shoulder, and a simple folded-up umbrella was attached to his back. A sheet was suspended from around his neck, swinging down in front of his chest.

“Why, my armour of course.”

“But what about all of that stuff attached to you?”

“How else am I going to carry you and our supplies at the same time?” he asked, Double’s smile dying at the mention of carrying him. “Now come on, let’s get you back to the cave.”

The helpless changeling was swept up in his arms, Dietrich having a clear plan in mind. Placing the surprised Double down in the sheet tied around his neck, Dietrich created a makeshift ‘changeling carrier’, looking very much like a sling.

Instead of an injured arm, however, this sling contained a very embarrassed changeling.

“This is worse,” Double whispered out, adjusting his position and ducking his head. Dietrich chuckled at the adorableness, and raised a hand ominously.

“I disagree, it allows me to do this.”

With those words, his hand descended upon Double’s head. The armoured fingers scratched and rubbed, Dietrich wondering if it would have the same effect as it did on the nymphs. He was proved correct, Double holding his tongue and ceasing his squirming at the contact. In a matter of moments he felt the changeling relax, and Dietrich resumed his walking.

A few ponies stopped to stare them while they departed, but Dietrich recognised them all as believers and waved goodbyes. The waves were returned and he merrily strode out into the desert, Double still quiet in the sling.

‘Another fruitful day of preaching,’ he thought to himself, glancing down at the bliss-stricken changeling. ‘Even if it did come with some peril, but such are the trials of life.’

Walking through the sand, he quietly hummed a hymn to himself while mulling over the things he had learned during the day.

The rift between the changelings and ponies seemed to be far worse than he had first assumed, it must have been something terrible to cause so much strife. He understood that the changeling’s failed invasion of the city the ponies called ‘Canterlot’ was a sore point for both, but he couldn’t help but feel that he was missing something. It might had been these ‘conversions’ that the changelings had mentioned, but he hadn’t even seen a simple chapel in the town.

Making a note to ask them about it later when he had the time, Dietrich strode onwards without pause. The sun, while starting to lower at an increased pace, was still blazing down with a full force. With his thoughts upon the comfort of his injured friend, Dietrich used his free hand to activate the umbrella tied to his armour.

With a pop, the bright pink parasol sprung up above his head, Double raising his head at the new shade. The changeling, while still obviously enjoying the head rub, stared at him like he was mad.

“Whatever is the matter?” Dietrich enquired, Double bursting out into laughter.

“That’s… that’s a parasol, a pink one!” the changeling informed between bursts of mirth. “Of all the things that were in that store, why did you buy it?”

Dietrich took the mocking of his priest-portable, shade-providing-device MK II, in full stride.

“Why, to provide some measure of protection from the sun of course. I couldn’t have you sweltering in the heat with your poor condition.”

Double stopped laughing, the changeling tilting his head. “For me? You’re wearing that for me?”

“Of course, my armour eliminates all need for shade.”

Double went silent at the information, and settled back down into the sling without another word. Dietrich let him be, after all he must have been tired after the day’s excitement.

It took then an hour to reach their cave, Dietrich thankful for his suit’s computer and its map. Entering the cool mouth after packing up his parasol, Dietrich looked down when Double shifted in the makeshift sling.

“Dietrich, can you please let me down now?”

About to refuse his request, Dietrich stopped and mulled it over. “Can you walk?”

“I’m certain I can make it to the centre,” Double reassured, stretching his injured leg out and testing it. “It’s hurting a lot less.”

Giving in, Dietrich let him down. He watched while the changeling gained his footing before starting to limp off into the cave. Smiling, he followed, interested in Double’s desire to appear resolute. He assumed it had to do with the changeling appointing himself the makeshift leader of the group, and that Double was possibly of the opinion that displaying weakness would somehow undermine that.

Walking and trotting into the main cavern, the pair were immediately met with a black blur that wrapped itself around Double.

“Whoa there, Cion,” Double informed the other changeling, Dietrich stepping around the two.

“Afternoon all,” he announced happily, heading towards the food stockpile. “We have returned with more provisions, a successful day indeed.”

“Dietrich!” He turned his head and looked down, Seraph uttering a sharp whisper. “What happened, were you attacked?”

“Attacked?” Dietrich replied, confused. Cion looked up from Double’s shoulder, anger and worry mixed in her eyes.

“We weren’t attacked,” Double reassured, both to Cion and the others. “I had an accident with some farming equipment.”

“And the ponies?” Chitter inquired, Double wincing while preparing to answer.

“As friendly as always,” Dietrich informed, beginning to unstrap the supplies from himself. “Sure, there was some unease when Double was injured, but I’m happy to say that the majority were very eager to ask me about him and you all during the afternoon.”

“…They what?”

Dietrich couldn’t tell for sure, but he got the feeling that Seraph wasn’t too happy with the news.

“They were interested in how I could stand to stay among ‘evil creatures’. I informed them all that you were some of the most delightful people I’ve had the pleasure to meet, and that your kindness was praiseworthy indeed. A few even offered me a room instead of a cave, but I reassured them that I am in pleasant company.”

“Oh,” Double muttered, along with the rest of the changelings staring at him with open mouths.

“I know, I was pleasantly surprised at their generosity as well.”

“It’s not that Dietrich,” Haze spoke up, shaking her head. “Now the ponies know that we’re in a cave, what’s to stop them hunting us down?”

“They would never do such a thing,” Dietrich defended, before shrugging his shoulders. “Besides, I only told the Faithful and they guaranteed your safety.”

“What do you mean?” Swift Swap asked, stepping forward. “They obviously know that there are changelings around.”

“Well, after Dietrich told them that I was with him, and that a few of you had helped with the harvest the other day, most of them were okay with us coming back.” Double sat down, Cion sitting down beside him before fussing over his bandaged leg. “They… they don’t want us to come disguised though, they’d prefer it if we’d help them while looking like changelings.”

“Can we trust them?” Seraph questioned, also sitting down. “How do we know it’s not a trap?”

“They promised to me that they would not harm you,” Dietrich nodded. “That is good enough for me.” He glanced down at his implements attached to his waist, the changelings following his gaze towards the deadly tools. “Besides, no matter my love for them, if any threaten you then I will deal with it.” Dietrich perked up afterwards, clapping his hands in the silence. “Anyway, I doubt that such measures will be required. Now, allow me to help prepare the evening meal.”

Although sluggish, the changelings soon sprang into action. Dietrich didn’t pay their unease any mind, he had one task to complete before worrying about other things. Untying the rope that held the pillow to his armour, he grasped it in hand before walking over to the side of the cave. Double was lying down against the wall, Cion exchanging low mutters with him while she stroked his back.

“Here,” he offered, leaning down with the pillow. Double raised an eye at the offer, Cion going quiet.

“You really didn’t have to get that,” Double sighed, before a light smile broke out on his face. “But I’m not going to complain.” Cion took the pillow in her hooves and set it down upon the ground, Double resting his injured leg on it. The injured changeling relaxed, laying his head down on his forelegs. “Thanks.”

“Do not mention it,” Dietrich replied with a wave of his hand. “Consider it an apology for embarrassing you earlier.”

“Look, Dietrich-“

“There is no need to dwell on it,” he cut Double off, before standing up. “I hope that the entire day wasn’t soured, I enjoyed your company out in the fields.”

Double grinned, a nod going Dietrich’s way. “You know what? It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. And we even managed to make some leeway with the ponies.”

“I don’t trust them,” Cion muttered, her eyes narrowed. Double raised his head to give her a peck on the cheek, Cion going ridged.

“We have a chance, a small one, to get a regular food supply,” Double informed her, Cion possessing a slight green blush. “I don’t think I can ever forgive them for what they did, but we have to try and make it work.”

“Speaking of food,” Dietrich cut in, figuring that the two needed some time alone. “I should be getting started on preparing the dinner. Rest well.”

He turned and let them be, Cion returning to fussing over Double. Dietrich headed towards the roaring fire in the middle, three changelings and the two nymphs preparing the large pot while the others fetched more wood and food.

Bending down next to Seraph, he noticed that she seemed distant. “Is something troubling you?”

“No Dietrich,” she replied, before letting go of the pot and sighing. “Well, yes. I know that you trust the ponies, but I just don’t see them letting us go. Not after what they did.”

“Seraph, do you have faith in me?”

“I do.”

“And do you have faith in the Lord?” he put his armoured hand on her shoulder, Seraph nodding without hesitation.

“I do.”

“Then there is no need to fear,” he told her with a warm smile under his helmet. “He will provide for us and watch over us, even if things seem bleak. I have faith that you and the ponies will be able to make up over your past differences.”

“I guess,” she murmured, not seeming one-hundred percent convinced. She looked to Madeline and Sheen, who had been listening in to the conversation with interest. “So, who wants to help make the dinner?”

“We will!” both eagerly answered, eyeing the empty pot with excitement.

“I shall assist as well,” Dietrich offered, Seraph looking at him with surprise.

“You can cook?”

“Of course,” he informed her, a hand going to his chest. “I have learnt many things over the years, and the art of mixing up a tasty meal from limited supplies is one that helped me a lot in my infantry days.”

“Is someone cooking?”

All looked towards the newcomer, Chitter arriving with a can of cauliflower soup and a carrot. He placed the supplies down on a clean, flat rock, and sat down next to Seraph.
“We all are,” Madeline told him, reaching out a hoof towards the heated pot before drawing it back in. “Dietrich is helping as well.”

“I have to earn my keep,” he joked, rewarded with a light chuckle from Chatter.

“Well, I hope you’ll let me borrow Seraph, I wanted to talk to her about something for a few minutes in private.”

“I’ll only be a short while,” Seraph added, Dietrich waving a hand in dismissal.

“Take as much time as you want, I’ll get things started.” He punctuated his point by grabbing that large soup can and using the ring pull to open it up. Briefly wondering why a species with no fingers would use such a method, Dietrich emptied it into the pot while both Seraph and Chitter smiled thankfully at him.

“I’ll be back soon,” Seraph reassured, getting up to walk towards the cave mouth with Chitter. Dietrich gave them both a wave before he turned to Madeline and Sheen, the nymphs watching on from the other side of the fire.

“Right then, Madeline would you kindly fetch some water, Sheen could you please see if we have any bread left?”

“Yes, Dietrich,” both young changelings acknowledged, leaping up to carry out the tasks. He placed another log on the fire in their absence, the coals growing nice and hot.

“Water!”

Looking up, he saw that Madeline had returned with a smaller pot of water, the changeling carrying its handle in her mouth. He took it from her with a nod, and emptied it into the main pot. He turned back to find that she had already fetched him a large soup spoon, and he gestured to the pot.

“Go ahead, start to stir it.” He watched carefully while she went to work, ensuring that she didn’t too close to the fire. Hoofsteps sounded and Sheen came up alongside him, balancing a plate with half a loaf of bread loaded upon it. Taking it from him, he placed the plate down and Sheen sat beside him to watch Madeline stir.

“Dietrich,” Sheen began. “What’s an ‘infantry’?”

“Ah, the infantry,” Dietrich reminisced, beginning to peel the carrot using his small knife. “Well Sheen, ‘Infantry’ is the term used to describe soldiers that fight on the ground.”

“You were a soldier?” Dietrich turned his head around, Haze and Swift listening from their spot on the floor.

“Indeed, all able-bodied UIP citizens serve a minimum four years in the military,” he resumed his carrot peeling after his answer to Haze. “It builds character, discipline, opens up career paths, and prepares everyone for future life.” He paused, a brief chuckle escaping his throat. “Well, that’s if you actually make it through. But yes Haze, I served my required service and then began my religious training.”

“Was it scary?” Madeline asked, Sheen nodding his head as well.

“Well of course it was at first,” he answered, the carrot almost fully peeled. “But like all things you soon get used to it. I was lucky in that I didn’t get sent to any of the really nasty wars; I spent most of my time in just one.” Holding the skinless carrot over the pot, he began to slice it.

Madeline paused her stirring and Sheen leaned forward to watch, pieces of orange falling into the bubbling white soup. More hoofsteps approached, Seraph and Chitter sitting back down by the fire. Nodding a greeting, Dietrich noticed that Seraph was looking at him strangely. “Is something the matter?”

“No,” she answered, focusing back on the pot. “It’s just strange to hear that you were a soldier. You seem far too nice.”

“Well, I’ve been off the battlefields for a few years now,” he explained, finishing his task. The soup was now interspersed with carrot, Madeline resuming her stirring when he nodded to her. “Besides, soldiers are people too, not all of them are unfeeling killers.”

The conversation died off, Dietrich returning to watching the pot. Before long the soup started to bubble, and he placed a hand on the soup spoon that Madeline was using. “Good work you two, now would you like to prepare the bowls for everyone?”

Both nodded and rushed off to follow the command, Dietrich giving the soup pot a final stir.

“Sheriff, look up!”

Silverstar raised his eyes from his weary hooves at Haybale’s shout. A bright light was heading towards the group of twenty-one through the night sky, and he squinted to get a better look.

“Is that…?” he questioned out-loud, before a high-pitched whistle confirmed his observation.

“A train!” a mare exclaimed, the group letting out a whoop before moving to the side of the train tracks they had been following to Canterlot. Silver watched while Haybale and the rest tried to flag it down, waving their hooves and shouting at it.

The squealing of brakes announced their success, the cab going past them before it slowed to a halt. Silverstar glanced over the carriages, looking to be for freight instead of passengers, before the train’s conductor hollered at them from the cab.

“What’s wrong!?”

Silver trotted up towards the engine, recognising the brown pony within. “Soot Stain, it’s me, Silverstar!”

“Sheriff?” Soot questioned, brushing his black mane out of his eyes as Silverstar closed. “What’s all this commotion about, I’ve got a load of equipment for the border stations and-“

“There’s no time!” Haybale interrupted, the large stallion moving to stand next to Silver. “Appleoosa has been invaded by changelings and humans!”

“Changelings?” Soot Stain questioned with a tilt of his head. “Weren’t they all converted into Newfoals?”

“Apparently not,” Silverstar drawled, not bothering to correct Haybale on the use of ‘invasion’. There were only a few changelings and a single human after all, hardly a full-on attack force. Still, the words had the needed effect, Soot’s eyes widening.

“If they’re invading, then what are you doing out here?”

“We need to get to Canterlot, to fetch some guards.”

“The town’s been mind-controlled!”

Silver winced at Haybale’s outburst, both because of the panic it would cause and because a part of him suspected that it could have been true. Braeburn and the others had been acting strange around the human, maybe Haybale’s accusations of mind-control was correct? After all, he’d heard that the changelings had mind-controlled ponies at the royal wedding.

Soot seemed conflicted, the stallion glancing from Haybale to the tracks up ahead. Soon, he sighed and looked back down to him.

“Okay, okay. Sheriff, there’s a junction just a few minutes ahead. If you all hope aboard, I’ll turn this train around and we’ll be in Canterlot by tomorrow.”

“Much appreciated,” Silver acknowledged, jumping up into the engine’s cabin with Soot. The others all clambered into various freight carriages, and a few minutes later the whistle blew and the train began to move forwards again.

Dietrich knocked on the wooden door three times, turning around to wave at the passing ponies in the street.

The mid-morning sun was shining bright, the trip back into Appleoosa proving to be very relaxing. He waited patiently, hoofsteps sounding from behind the door. It opened and swung inwards, an orange mare with a flowing two-tone yellow mane looking out at him with ruby eyes.

“Oh, High Confessor,” she greeted warmly, opening the door wider.

“Good Morning, Miss Hearthfire,” he replied.

“Come inside, it’s great to see that you could make it.” He followed her instruction with a smile under his helmet, ducking his head beneath the doorframe and entering her house. Looking around, it was a cosy place with photographs lining the wooden walls. His host led him down a hall, a large room at the end seeming to be their destination.

“This way.”

They emerged into a large living room, the space dominated by two large couches decorated with an apple pattern.

“A lovely home,” he complemented, Miss Hearthfire smiling before pointing down at a couch.

“Thank you, High Confessor, please take a seat and I’ll go and get Candy from her room.”

Sitting down with care so he didn’t break the couch, Dietrich figured that ‘Candy’ was Hearthfire’s little sister that she wanted him to meet. He had just enough time to examine the surrounds before two sets of approaching hooves sounded from the door that Hearthfire had left through.

“But sis, I don’t want to go meet a human,” a child whispered, the hooves stopping short of the door.

“Candy Apple, I asked the High Confessor over to talk to you, now quit complaining and get out there.”

At Hearthfire’s hushed reply, a young pony was pushed out into the room. Dietrich smiled at the bright-red coated foal, but once again his helmet was on so the gesture was limited in effect. Scared green eyes were fixed on him, Dietrich decided to break the ice.

“So, Candy Apple I assume? Your sister wished for me to come over and have a talk with you, she said that you were very eager to meet a human.”

Hearthfire stepped out after her sister with an apologetic look, rubbing the back of her foreleg with a hoof. “Well, ah, High Confessor, I wasn’t exactly honest in that regard and-“
She stopped talking when he held up a hand, and Dietrich moved the other up towards his helmet. With a hiss, it came away from his main armour, and he sat it down on his lap. The filly seemed to relax a little at the action, a hint of curiosity amongst the fear.

“I’ll go get us some refreshments,” Hearthfire offered after the pause, leaving the room once again. Dietrich and Candy were left alone, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Soon, the filly sat down on the carpet and ran her eyes over his armour.

“So you’re a human,” she whispered, Dietrich nodding while leaning back into the couch.

“Indeed,” he replied, patting his helmet absentmindedly. “So, are there any questions that you’d like to ask?”

“Is it true that you… eat ponies?”

He chuckled at the question, where had the child gotten that idea from? “No, I can assure you that ponies like you aren’t ever on the menu. There’s no need to worry, little one, I have no intention of harming you.”

“I’m not little, I’m eight!” the filly huffed, Dietrich smiling at the response. Progress was being made.

“My, such a wonderful age, I remember when I was eight years old as well. Although, I do wish that I was able to grow up in such a nice town like this.”

“It’s not nice, it’s boring,” Candy Apple told him, crossing her forelegs in front of her chest. After the complaint, her eyes brightened. “I do want to go live in Canterlot though, my friend tells me all about it.”

Dietrich remembered Hearthfire mentioning something about a ‘pen-pal’, and guessed that Candy was referring to whoever that was. He was just about to inquire as to what was so interesting about Canterlot, but was interrupted when Hearthfire emerged into the room with a tray laden with cakes and tea.

“You’re not going to Canterlot until the end of the year,” Hearthfire informed, before she used her mouth to place the tray down on the coffee table.

“But there’s nothing to do here!”

“You can play with the other fillies for another month, surely.”

“Are you moving?” he inquired when the two sisters paused, Hearthfire wincing before pouring a cup of tea.

“Unfortunately,” she replied. “Appleoosa is a great town, but we get sent more and more Newfoals every month. I just can’t stand it, they creep me out and from what I heard Canterlot has hardly any of them.”

Candy Apple, her hooves reaching for a slice of tan cake, paused and peered at Dietrich. “What do you think about the Newfoals?”

“Oh, I’ve heard everyone talking about them,” he answered, accepting a cup of tea from Hearthfire. He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn that she briefly had a sickened expression on her face. “I don’t see why there would be so much trouble over a few baby ponies, I would expect that such blessings would be seen as a good thing.” He took a sip of tea, not noticing the silence in the room save for Candy Apple’s munching. “This is wonderful tea.”

“High Confessor,” Hearthfire began shakily, her own tea untouched. “You… do know that Newfoals aren’t baby ponies, right?”

Her tone gave him pause, Dietrich frowning in confusion. “Not baby ponies? Then what else could ‘new foals’ be?”

“Well, Newfoals are… humans and other creatures that have been turned into ponies to ‘cure’ them.” Hearthfire’s subdued explanation was broken with a scowl at the word ‘cure’, the mare focusing back on him with concerned eyes.

“…Pardon?”

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna told us that Humans, Diamond Dogs, Griffons, and Dragons were mean and dangerous, and that by making them Newfoals we’d be helping them,” Candy explained through a slice of cake, both Hearthfire and Dietrich frozen for different reasons.

Dietrich slowly looked back towards Hearthfire, the mare avoiding his gaze.

“She’s right,” Hearthfire admitted. “All of the Newfoals around town used to be other races that were converted, willingly or not.”

Holding onto a small teacup while sitting on the couch, Dietrich finally pieced together just what had happened. His face was a mask, with only a faint hint of confusion showing through.

“So that’s why you’ve all been treating my presence as some kind of oddity,” he muttered, more to himself than to her.

“I’m sorry, High Confessor,” Hearthfire apologised, tapping her forehooves together nervously. “I thought… I thought that you already knew.”

Dietrich didn’t reply, going over the thoughts in his head. Slowly, he realised just why his changeling friends were so afraid of ‘conversion’ and the ponies. Is that what the ponies had planned, to lure them in to convert them all to ‘Newfoals’? Looking at Hearthfire, the mare looking devastated and ashamed, he came to a conclusion.

Standing up and placing his half-finished teacup down on the table, he placed his helmet back on his head checked that all of his items still remained.

“High Confessor,” he stopped, looking down at the mare that he had been sharing tea with. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” he smiled, his voice deceivingly cheerful. He placed his hand on her yellow mane and gave her a short pat. “I know that you and the rest of your fellows are good at heart. Now I hate to leave on such short notice, but I just realised that I have some apologising to do.”

He removed his hand from the stunned mare’s head, before making his way towards the front door.

“Thank you for the tea and company,” he acknowledged, before leaving the house and shutting the door behind him.

“Sis,” Candy Apple asked from her seat, looking at her motionless sister with her head tilted. “Is something wrong with Mr High Confessor?”

Celestia raised her eye when a group of twenty-one ponies flooded into her throne room, all dressed in the manner of frontier settlers. She smiled when she noticed the grey stallion standing next to a large yellow stallion, knowing Sheriff Silverstar from her discussions with him about settling Newfoals at Appleoosa.

Her smile faltered at the worry in the eyes of her subjects, and the guards who shared equally concerned faces. The various nobles arrayed around for the Midday court whispered amongst themselves, the unexpected arrival of the newcomers creating quite the stir.

“My Princess,” one of the guardstallions greeted, saluting with his spear held tight. “These ponies bring dire news-“

“There are changelings and humans invading Appleoosa! “ the yellow earth pony at the front of the group interrupted. He seemed to realise who he was talking to a second later, and he quickly bowed. “I’m sorry for the rudeness, Your Majesty, but our very town is in danger!”

“Now, hold on there, Hayseed,” Silverstar suggested, the Sheriff trotting up before her before bowing. “Princess, there are changelings and one human, but I have to say that they don’t appear to be intending us any harm at the mo-“

“No harm?” Hayseed interrupted, standing back up. “Sheriff, you know what those critters are like. Your were that one that told us to get the guards! You’re standing here right with us!”

Celestia’s face remained neutral, but inside a seed of concern had sprouted. Here she was on her throne, listening to two of her ponies arguing with each other while their fellows watched with nods of approval. The news of the changelings and human was worrying, and of course their presence had sown distrust and fear. Inside her mind she sighed, preparing to step in and stop the fight.

“I suggested that we fetched the guards so you didn’t go and take the matters into your own hooves,” Silverstar explained calmly. “That High Confessor fellow is a big ‘un, and I ain’t thinking that the armour is just for decoration.”

Armour, High Confessor? This was certainly odd.

“And I came here to help explain the situation to her Highness,” the Sheriff continued to explain with a nod towards her.

“A very good choice,” she smiled, the cogs turning in her mind. “Let’s hear both sides of the story. Why don’t you go first, Haybale I believe it was?”

“Yes, Your Highness. As I was saying, Ma’am, there are changelings and a human walking in and out of the town willy-nilly. The changelings were caught in the apple orchards, but the townsponies are mind-controlled!”

Celestia rolled her mental eyes, only the former changeling queen had the power of mind-control so that was unlikely. Still, it was an interesting situation. “Why do you suspect that your fellows are under the influence of changeling magic?”

“Everypony is treating them all nice-like!” Haybale explained, looking back to his fellows for support. The stallions and mares all nodded, Sheriff Silverstar shaking his head on the sidelines. “The human is the main problem; he walks around like he owns the place, preaching his religious wobbly-gook.”

“He is religious?” she pressed, a flash of fear flowing through her. She’d seen the strife that human religions caused, the violent ideals nothing like the path of Harmony that all of her ponies followed.

“Of course!” Haybale nodded vigorously. “Most of the town is even listening to him, and he’s been converting them to his crack-pot ways! If it isn’t stopped, it’ll threaten all of Equestria!”

“Princess, I don’t think the High Confessor is meaning to cause trouble, he’s even been helping in the fields.” This got her full attention; she knew that Silverstar was a very honest pony. “I mean… maybe he’s just different.”

“You can bet your wagon that he is!” Haybale interrupted. “Him and those changelings need to be caught and converted right away!”

“Stallions, please,” she requested, raising a hoof for silence. Looking at all of the concerned ponies, a solution was forming in her mind. This human sparked her curiosity, nothing adding up about his presence. “Now, without any more arguing, can you describe this human to me?”

“He calls himself ‘High Confessor Dietrich von Shoemaker’, or something like it,” Silver provided. “He’s taller than you, and wears this big suit of black metal armour.”
‘Metal?’ she wondered, nodding for Silver to go ahead. She knew that the previous humans had seen themselves as more advanced than having to resort to metal armour, preferring a hard-type of plastic. So far, the answer had yielded more questions than answers.

“It’s got these creepy window things built into it,” Haybale continued, his eyes darting around to the sides. “Some even have bones and things in them, and he always talks about death.”

Celestia visibly frowned at that, Silverstar obviously noticing. “Now Princess, he sure is strange as I said before he really likes ponies. I saw him during the harvest, he was helping to pick the apples and singing with everypony.” The Sheriff fidgeted on his hooves. “He doesn’t even seem to know about the conversions.”

“He’ll get to know about them soon enough,” Haybale snorted, before turning his attention back to her. “Princess, I ain’t sympathising with him and I don’t think anypony should. He’s brought nothing but trouble to our town, and his brainwashed victims are growing larger every day.”

“Thank you, that will be all,” she acknowledged, once again the accusations were flaring up. “I trust that you are all weary?” The ponies all glanced at each other, before nodding their heads. She smiled at them warmly, gesturing to a guard at her side. “I thank you for bringing this matter to my attention, allow me to organise some hotel rooms for you all to stay in until it’s settled.”

“Thank you,” all the ponies replied while bowing, with varations of ‘Princess’ and ‘Your Majesty’ sprinkled all around. Nodding to her guards, she watched while they were escorted out of the room. Once they were gone, she looked towards her whispering nobles and smiled again. “That you all, but as you can tell I need to close court early today. I ask that you all refrain from spreading this news, lest it starts a panic.”

With almost identical agreements, the Nobles bid her a good day and left through the main doors, leaving her alone with her guards. As soon they did, a Sergeant approached her throne.

“Princess, what should we do?”

Celestia sat back, her face neutral. “Normally I would consult with Luna about a matter of this importance and urgency, but unfortunately she is absent.” She tapped her forehoof on the throne in thought. “Do we happen to have any conversion potion left?”

“We do, but it’s all allocated in case of… difficulties with the Buffalo.” The guard lowered his voice. “And there is also the supply set aside in case of the bat-“

“That supply shall not be mentioned or even inspected,” she quickly hushed. All of her Solar Guards were loyal to her, but she couldn’t risk Luna finding out about the additional batch of conversion potion set aside in case of complications with the Nocturnes. “Ensure that at least… twenty vials from the Buffalo supply are readied in case.”

“You wish for us to convert this human, and the changelings?”

“The changelings, yes,” she ordered. “The scene in this room today bears all the hallmarks of their race. Even if it is unintentional, they still cause fear and paranoia to spread and that is something we cannot allow.” She hummed in thought.

“And the human?”

“Bring him to me,” she informed him, with a nod to herself. “I wish to find out more about his strange appearance and motives. Many things do not add up, and after the barrier no humans should have remained. He will be the best source of answers, so please instruct those who you send to refrain from converting him just yet.”

“As you command,” the guard saluted, rushing off to carry out the order. Celestia had a final moment of thought, before she levitated a roll of parchment towards her. An inked quill followed soon after, and she began to write.

Dear Sister,
I hate to bear bad news and interrupt your visit with the Nocturnes, but I require your presence back in Canterlot in regards to a very strange matter...

Seraph sighed and ran her hoof over Chitter’s foreleg, watching while the two nymphs had a short play fight.

They were all sitting in a circle relaxing and watching the two at play, all ten changelings having the day off. Glancing around, she noticed with a smile that all of them were in pairs and seeming to be in good spirits. For the second time they’d been able to have a breakfast, and the extra food was doing wonders for everyone’s mood.

The crunching of boots on rock drew her attention, Seraph lifting her head in surprise when she saw Dietrich rushing into the main cavern. He was supposed to be in Appleoosa, why was he back so soon? Her surprise was doubled when he made a beeline for the closest ones to him, Haze and Swift Swap.

The human crouched down and embraced both in a hug, Haze and Swift frozen on the spot.

“I’m sorry, will you forgive me?”

To say Seraph was confused would be an understatement, the apology seeming to be directed towards all of them.

“Sorry for what?” Swift managed out, Dietrich increasing the hug.

“For my foolishness. Now that I know the reasoning behind your fear, it was incredibly insensitive for me to do what I did. I realise now what I could have caused for you all and that is why I must ask for forgiveness.”

It clicked, Seraph figuring out what Dietrich was rambling about.

“So, you found out what we meant by conversion,” she guessed, Dietrich nodding while letting Haze and Swift go.

“I did,” he confirmed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, you seemed so… happy,” Double explained, his leg having been rewrapped with bandages.

“Yeah…” Seraph hung her head, fidgeting with her forehooves. She felt his eyes on her, how was she going to explain this next part. “Also, you know how we feed on positive energy like love from other creatures?”

“I do.”

“Well,” she hesitated. “When we first met you, we were actually hoping that… we’d be able to feed off you.” She looked back up at him with concern, Chitter sitting beside her and rubbing her back. Dietrich wasn’t moving, his helmet’s eyes locked on her. “Of course, we soon realised that you were better than just food, but we still didn’t want to really let you know. I guess we both made mistakes in a way.”

“I wanted to let you know, although not really out of kindness,” Chitter announced, his face locked in a frown. “Although I never really got to it in the end. So, what do you think about the ponies now that you know what they did to your race?”

“Oh, they have done nothing to my race,” Dietrich informed solemnly. “We may be the same species, but the poor souls who have been imprisoned against their will in foreign bodies are no comrades of mine. I must say that I cannot deny that my own people have and will do terrible things, however I do have to admit that I find it hard to believe that my friends in Appleoosa had any part in such terrible business. I believe them when they say they had no part, though.” He moved closer, Seraph and Chitter both smiling when he put a hand each on their shoulders. “It’s what they’ve done to your people which concerns me the most.”

Seraph didn’t know why, but at that moment it all came crashing down upon her. The memories of when she had found out what had happened, seeing the Equestrians destroy the hive post-conversion while the brand new Newfoals watched on, all of it flowed back to her.

Tears started to drip from her eyes, Dietrich noticing and immediately leaning forward. She felt cool metal wrap around her, the gesture incredibly gentle. Ribbing her head against the armoured chest, she could hear the faint hum from his suit and the subtle hissing whenever he moved.

“There, there,” he comforted, patting her back. She was vaguely away of a whisper, and Dietrich suddenly let her go. The black metal was replaced by black chitin, and she felt Chitter rest his head against her own. She also felt a drop of moisture fall on her shoulder, and a small sniffle sounded in her ear.

“Dietrich,” Sheen asked, Seraph unable to see him from her position. “Why is everyone crying?”

“It needed to happen,” she heard Dietrich tell the young changeling. “You’ll understand more once you get older, but for now it’s the best thing to do.”

A minute passed and she felt her sadness ebb, helped both by the hug and the words of the kindly priest. Breaking the embrace before pausing to wipe the reminder of a tear from Chitter’s cheek, she turned to Dietrich and saw that all of the others were also depressed with wet cheeks. Even the nymphs were lying down next to Sheen and Madeline, their eyes filled with concern.

“What do we do now?” Double asked, the most resolute out of them all. “Can we really face the ponies? I know that the ones in the town, or at least some of them, don’t mind us and insist they had nothing to do with the conversions. But what happens when other ponies hear about us, and if the Princesses send guards?” He turned to look at Dietrich, the priest sitting down next to the nymphs. “Dietrich, I don’t know why, but the ponies hate humans even more than us. If they catch you, you’ll be converted for sure.”

Dietrich remained silent, his head bowed in thought. They all waited for an answer, out of all of them the priest had the most influence with the town of Appleoosa. Cion glanced around when no answer came.

“We can’t stay,” she told them. “The ponies who wanted to chase Chitter out will likely have tried to get guards, we have to run into the desert to hide. Maybe we can try and skirt around and find another settlement, we’ve got enough food and water for a week and a half if we conserve it.”

She looked like she was going to say more, but a low muttering from Dietrich stopped her. They all looked at the priest and waited, Seraph leaning in to try and hear what he was saying. She caught a few words, and with a start realised that the human was praying.

“Dietrich,” Swift Swap asked, tilting his head. Dietrich continued for another ten seconds before he stopped.

“These Princesses, did they order the conversions?”

“As far as we know, the ponies listen to them above all else,” she explained with a head tilt.

He nodded and stood up. They all watched, confused, as he moved to their stockpile of food and water jugs and began to gather it all into a bunch. He then turned to look at them, his hands clasping together.

“My friends,” he began, gesturing towards them. “I thank you for your hospitality, and for the faith that you have placed in me. These days sharing food and conversation with you have truly been some of the most enjoyable in my life.”

Seraph was speechless while he approached her, Dietrich crouching down so that he wasn’t towering over her.

“Seraph, you are a very promising young lady,” he told her, an armoured hand caressing her face. “I have the utmost faith in you to keep the others safe. I know I haven’t had much time to fully teach you about the faith, but know that I’ll always consider you one of my most successful converts and greatest friends.”

He stood up, Seraph shocked at his words.

Was he leaving?

Sheen and Madeline rushed towards Dietrich, sitting down and wrapping their forelegs around his legs.

“Don’t go,” Madeline pleaded. “Please, you’re not leaving, are you?”

Dietrich let out a light chuckle, tinged with sadness, while he patted both on the heads. “I’m afraid that I have to. I assure you that you’ll be in my prayers, if I don’t come back.”

“Dietrich,” it was Double this time that spoke. With obvious difficulty, he sat up with help from Cion. “You sound like you’re about to do something foolish. Please, don’t risk yourself for us-“

“It is not that,” Dietrich informed, the two changelings grasping his legs letting go when he nodded down at them. The priest walked towards Double, one hand going towards a spot on his waist armour. Seraph caught a brief sliding movement before something was deposited into his hand, Dietrich holding it out towards Double.

Gingerly, Double held the short cylinder in his hooves, barely half the size of his horn. A small blue light was in the top, pulsing with a steady glow.

“It’s a short range communication device,” Dietrich told them while Double and Cion examined the object. “It’s fairly useless now, but if you ever hear any voices coming from it I want you to press the red button on the bottom.” He leant down and showed them all a cap that could be removed, a small red button underneath it. “Tell whoever arrives that High Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber of the Mortisum Cult is a friend of yours, and gave you this so that you may seek asylum.”

“But why?” Haze asked, her mouth wavering. “Why do you have to leave?”

“Take all of the supplies and try to hide, like you have been doing. Ensure that the little ones grow up, and that you all remain safe.” He was seeming to ignore the question, continuing on while glancing at all of them. “I don’t know when, but my fellows will likely be trying to find me as we speak. Eventually the Lord will lead them to this world, and in doing so they will be able to help you.”

The Priest patted himself down, before making for the exit to the cave.

“You still haven’t answered,” Haze sniffled, Dietrich pausing.

“I leave to give the architects of this tragedy what they deserve,” his hand went towards his mace, Seraph’s breath hitching in her throat. Slowly, the hand went to the other side and rested upon the large holy tome. “I will obtain their confession, and absolve them of their sins. I will ask them to pardon you and to leave you alone, so that you may prosper as you were meant to.”

“It’s suicide!” Chitter objected, rushing to his hooves and galloping over to block Dietrich’s exit.

“It is my holy duty,” Dietrich explained.

“They’ll convert you without a thought!”

“Then at least I’ll know that I tried, and the Lord will be pleased with me for trying to save their souls.” Dietrich looked down at Chitter. “Please stand aside and follow my advice, my actions will no doubt have repercussions for you if you remain in this cave.”

“No,” Chitter objected with a shake of his head. “I’ll admit that I didn’t used to like you, but you’ve become like one of us. We need all of the friends that we can get.”

“Chitter, my friend, please allow me passage. I have my duties to fulfil.”

Chitter remained in the spot with a hard gaze, before a look of defeat crossed his features. He stepped to the side, Dietrich resuming his walking forward.

“I bid you all goodbye,” Dietrich farewelled. “I will never forget you.”

“No, you won’t.” Everyone, including Dietrich, looked towards Double with surprise. The leader of their makeshift group struggled to his hooves, a noticeable lack of pressure being put on his injured hind leg. “You won’t, because I’m going to go with you.”

“I will as well,” Cion stated, supporting Double and sharing his statement without hesitation. Dietrich shook his head at them.

“I cannot allow that, you have to look after the others-“

“We’ll go as well,” Seraph interrupted, a nod from Chitter confirming that he shared her idea.

“Us too,” Sheen and Madeline both announced, the nymphs standing up with them with chirps. Haze and Swift also stepped forward, meaning the entire group wished to accompany the priest on his reckless plan.

“I’m incredibly moved by such a show of support,” he told them all, a slight waver in his voice. “But the journey will be dangerous, and the result possibly deadly. I am ready to meet my god, but I cannot ask the same of you, especially the little ones.”

Double took a step forward, a limp in his step and a hardened gaze in his eyes.

“We’d rather go out together, all as friends,” Double told Dietrich, earning nods from the rest. “Dietrich, you’re our friend, we cannot ask you to do this and leave us behind. How could we hide, when we know what you’re going to do?” Double sighed, shaking his head slightly. “I won’t pretend to know exactly what you’re planning to do, or that I understand it, but I do know that we can’t run forever.” All of them walked towards Dietrich, crowding around him with a shared opinion. “It’s not much of a life, living in fear every day and every night. At least we can say that we went out with a show of friendship, and hopefully the ponies will see what we are.”

He smiled at the last part, Seraph finding herself agreeing wholeheartedly. Double was right, they couldn’t hide forever. Even with Dietrich, their time was numbered.

“I’m sorry,” the priest apologised with his voice sorrowful and heavy. “But once again, I cannot risk your lives pursuing something that is, admittedly, unlikely to succeed.”

Seraph looked him, waiting until he was looking into her eyes. “I have faith that it’s the right thing to do, and faith in you,” she told him confidently. “Without meeting you, I would never have been able to have any faith in anything again. Please Dietrich, Double is right. It may end up with us all dead or converted, but at least we’ll be ended together, making an effort to do something.”

“…Seraph,” he replied after a pause. “Do you truly have faith in me and this course of action?”

“I do.”

He nodded, no more questions needed to be asked about her certainty. Seraph waited while he looked to the others. “And what about you all?”

“I may not have full faith in your teachings,” Cion admitted, a fire growing in her eyes. “But I agree with Seraph, we all have faith in you.” Everyone else nodded, even the nymphs copying the gesture. Dietrich looked down towards the youngest members, before he let out an audible sigh.

“Very well,” he relented. “As much as I fear that I’ll lead you into the ultimate peril, I cannot ignore your offers.” He seemed to stare sadly at the nymphs fixing him with bright smiles. “Even if it endangers ones so young and promising.”

“What future do they have now?” Haze countered. “A life of fear and uncertainty.”

“You’re right,” Dietrich admitted, before walking back over to the food stockpile. “Fine then, let us pack our things, we have a long journey ahead of all of us.”
Seraph joined him without a word, the others quickly moving to lend their own aid.

They had a harsh journey ahead indeed, but it was one which they all had to make.

Under the cover of night, a mass of shadows stalked towards a large cave opening. The cool desert wind blew through the dunes, the eerie whistling drowning out the clink of their golden armour.

“One, Two, Three!”

On the count, the thirty solar guards rushed into the cave entrance with nets and stun spells ready. They charged into the tunnel in a neat file, eyes glancing over every crack and cranny. Armoured hooves thundered on the rocky ground, the determined stallions and mares rushing into the main cavern.

… To find nothing but a long-dead fire and a single piece of parchment.

“Were are they? This is the only cave out here.”

“Keep alert, they could be hiding.”

“Lieutenant, you might want to take a look at this.”

A unicorn with a large blue plume in his helmet headed over towards the Private who had requested his attention, his guards stepping aside to let him through. Trotting up to the pegasus mare, he stared at the yellowed parchment that she held in a wing.

Lines of black text in an unknown language covered the page, but that wasn’t the part he was interested in.

No, the Lieutenant’s eyes were locked on the crudely drawn picture of a large, black biped and what looked like very-badly done changelings waving goodbye to a mass of ponies standing near an apple tree.

The next picture, the one that froze his heart when he saw it, contained an image of the same biped and changelings walking together through the desert…

And heading to a city with two large crowns drawn over it, with the biped holding a book out towards what the Lieutenant assumed was supposed to be Canterlot.

“Oh,” he breathed out, the Private looking towards him with worry. “This just got bad, really bad.”

Just Deserts

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Dietrich did not hum while he walked through the desert with the changelings chatting beside him. He didn’t sing hymns, and he didn’t even pray.

Instead, he couldn’t stop thinking about the possible consequences of his actions.

Now that he had found out that the native equines didn’t ‘convert’ in a religious sense, his concerns for the safety of his friends only increased. He was leading them into the centre of the city that held the two responsible for the bloodless destruction of the changeling race, along with many others from the sounds of it. They surely knew that they were walking ever closer to their doom, and yet they insisted on helping him.

He glanced to his right, the group still in their pairs and talking amongst themselves while the two small nymphs raced each other through the sand. Originally, he had been set on winning their friendship and helping them achieve eternal happiness, but had it backfired? Had he done too well, and would they pay for it?

Continuing to press forward and maintain a confident air for their sake, he took note of the sun’s low position in the sky and guessed that they had roughly two hours until dark. They had brought some wood with them so there was no need to search around for any fuel for the campfire, but he found it comforting to search for it while walking regardless. It kept his mind off darker thoughts.

After a further thirty minutes by his helmet’s display, the group began to visibly tire. Their pace slowed and the two nymphs had stopped their play to drag their hooves while panting. Noticing the youngsters lag behind, Dietrich paused for them to catch up. He didn’t know what sort of predators existed in the desert they were in, but he knew which members of a group were likely to be targeted.

Stooping, he lifted both stragglers into his arms without struggle. Looking at the two he easily held, he fancied that the weary chirps were in thanks and continued to walk. The two nymphs shifted in his hold so that they could look out to the front, before settling down to rest.

Another glance at the rest of the group led him to believe that rest would be good for all of them, so for the first time in hours he spoke.

“Well, is it about time we called it a day and prepare for the evening?” Thankful faces looked up, except for Double who shook his head and pointed a hoof out to the horizon.

“Resting out in the open is a bad idea,” he advised.

They halted, Dietrich waiting for an explanation.

“How so?” Seraph inquired, Double frowning and catching his breath.

“Well, I know for a fact that this desert has giant scorpions, sand spiders, and other things that like to eat ponies, changelings, and whatever else they can catch.” Double’s voice gained a slight tone of worry. “Among the scouts that used to do long distance patrols around the hive, there was a rumour of giant night birds that would swallow a changeling whole.”

“Giant… birds?”

Dietrich looked down when Sheen pressed his side against an armoured leg after asking the question, Madeline huddling closer to him while even the adults seemed disturbed.

“I wouldn’t worry about anything like that,” Cion reassured, although she herself didn’t seem that confident with her words. “Scouts were always making up rumours to try and one-up us infiltrators, it’s probably made up.”

All of them went silent for a moment, Dietrich assuming that they were briefly reflecting on their situation. Looking up and scanning the distance, he spotted a rocky hill rising up from the sand. Guessing that it was better than no cover at all, he raised his free hand to point at it.
“Over there, those rocks might be a good place.”

Double stepped forward to take a closer look, Dietrich thankful that the changeling seemed to have some experience with the desert. He himself had only encountered one once in his entire career, and most of that time was spent in comfortable military camps.

“That’s could do, at least it would afford some protection.” Double resumed his trotting. “Come on, we’re almost there and then we can all have a break and some food.”

“I’m just glad that we don’t need to drink a lot of water,” Chitter mumbled, the entire group following Double’s lead. Dietrich brought up the rear, Sheen and Madeline still sticking close by while glancing around.

“Do not worry,” Dietrich reassured them, guessing as to the cause of their discomfort. He patted the mace at his side, making sure that they saw the gesture. “I will not let anything near you, okay?”

They relaxed, Madeline nodding her head in thanks while Sheen focused on where he was stepping. “Thank you.”

He nodded towards her but didn’t reply, recalling that maybe he wasn’t as good a protector as she believed him to be.

It took another hour and it was getting worryingly close to sunset, but they finally reached the mound of rocks forming a hill. Having a goal had really helped, everyone gaining a burst of speed with the promised reward of food and a break from walking. Double and Cion had already begun to dig out a pit in the sand for the fire, their hardened hooves making it quick word. Seraph and Chitter were occupied with unpacking some supplies from the bags they both carried, while Haze and Switch picked out pieces of wood to use. Even Madeline and Sheen helped, moving away from him to gather flat rocks to serve as seats.

Dietrich placed the nymphs he held on the ground, the two yawning before moving over to watch Double and Switch prepare the fire. He found a large boulder and sat down upon it, not worrying about the heat and surface thanks to his armour. Dietrich watched and was thankful for the fact that Sheen and Madeline were turning the rocks they were preparing for seats over, so that the cool sides were facing up.

They were learning faster than he expected, something he guessed came from the habits of their race.

The fire was lit after a spark from Double’s horn, the changeling jolting back in surprise when a large bolt of green hit the dry wood and set it alight. The others shared in his surprise, Double mumbling to himself in shock. “Wow, that was bigger than I expected.” Dietrich found the gaze turned towards him, Double thinking before his eyes widened. “Dietrich… do you feel, well, drained at all?”

“No,” he answered, slightly wary at how the others were looking at him. Concern was clear in their alien eyes, and he wondered what the matter was. “Now that you mention it, I’ve been feeling a small tingle every now and then, but that’s been going on for a few days now.” He removed his helmet, placing it on his lap and trying a reassuring smile. “Why, should I be feeling drained?”

“Well,” Cion took over, receiving a look from Double that was at the same time thankful and sympathetic. “You remember what we mainly prefer to feed off love, right?”

“I do, apparently it is more filling, empowers your abilities and is also required to keep you energetic and healthy.”

“That’s right,” Cion continued. “If we don’t get enough, the risk of getting sick increases to dangerous levels.” She tilted her head. “However, over the last few days, I’ve actually been feeling better. I’m more energetic,” she looked down at herself. “My chitin is shinier, and I haven’t been feeling as hungry.”

Slowly, the rest of the group apart from him seemed to key in, Chitter nodding his head towards Cion. “You’re right, I feel the same.”

Madeline raised her hoof from her spot by the fire. “Oh, I’ve been feeling better to! Before, I was feeling really sleepy all the time.”

Double nodded at them all, before stepping forward. “What we’re saying, Dietrich, is that we’re pretty sure that we’ve been… feeding off you.”

“I thought that changelings needed to directly siphon their food?” he questioned, before he realised it. “Unless…”

“You’ve been feeding us, passively,” Double finished. “Look, I won’t pretend that you feeling positive feelings about us is a surprise, or unwelcome, but it’s just that-“

“We’re worried that it’s having a negative effect on you,” Seraph interrupted, moving up to him and placing a hoof on his knee. “When ponies or other creatures are drained, it saps them of their own energy and can even… lead to death if the feeding changeling is particularly reckless or cruel.” She mumbled the last part in a barely audible whisper.

Madeline gasped, herself and Sheen looking towards Dietrich with a start. “Are we hurting Dietrich!?”

“No you two,” Double quickly stepped in. “He already said that he feels fine, but we’re just making sure. Now, Dietrich, such actions are not looked upon kindly. Queen Chrysalis saw it as a waste of good food supplies so it rarely happened under her watch, but unlike most she wasn’t too concerned with the morality of it. What we’re trying to say is that if you’re feeling exhausted all the time, please let us know so we can try to stop.” Hooves shifted, Double looking up uncertainly. “Also, I’m sorry that we could be putting you in danger.”

Dietrich was silent, his face impassive while he stared at the worried group. Here they were, making their way to the Equestrian capitol to confront two very powerful rulers who were apparently dead set on converting every race they saw as a threat, and they were worried about him giving them too much positive energy and hurting himself? Double in particular was looking particularly ashamed, so he took steps to solve the issue.

“Double, could you please come here for a second?”

The changeling addressed hesitated, but took another few steps forward until he was right in front. Dietrich didn’t waste any time, reaching down and grasping Double underneath the forelegs. His armour assisted him with lifting up the surprised target, and Double soon found himself wrapped up in a embrace. He squirmed for a surprised second, but relaxed when it was evident that Dietrich was only hugging him.

“Double,” Dietrich chuckled warmly. “If feeding and keeping all of you healthy is what I’m doing, then I’m not going to hold it against you. Don’t worry about any ill effects on myself, I feel fine and full of life.” He patted the changeling he held on the back, a grin on Double’s face at the contact and revelation that he wasn’t mad at them. “Besides, how can one help not feeling positive thoughts towards creatures so adorable?”
This caused a light blush to show on Double’s face, the changeling going still.

“You… you actually think that we… are cute?”

“Why not?” he replied with a puzzled look. “You’re wonderful creatures.”

“But we’re not exactly pleasing to look at,” Chitter tried to explain, Dietrich waving it off after letting Double go.

“A fallacy, I know for a fact that your race wouldn’t lack friends among my people,” he laughed again. “Why do you think that you’re unpleasant to look upon, with your wide, curious eyes and reliance on positive emotions? Now come on, I might as well offer you all an entrée before dinner.”

He held out his arms expectantly, and predictably it was Madeline and Sheen that rushed to receive hugs from him first. They were followed by the rest of the adults and the nymphs, the youngsters emulating what the others were doing happily. Seraph in particular embraced him thankfully before setting back down to look at him.

“So you’re not worried about us having a negative effect?”

“Of course not,” he told her, before clapping his hands together. “However, as much as I’d love to keep on reassuring you all that you are no bother, the sun is beginning to fall and I need to start the dinner.”

“Already sorted,” Haze stated proudly, stepping back to reveal the platter of buttered bread and even eleven slices of apple pie. It was eagerly set upon by them all, Dietrich watching them all enjoy the food before glancing to the sun. The very last of the tip was about to drop down, and with no moon they would be left in darkness save for the fire.

Not a very favourable situation, given the tales that Double had told them all earlier.

“Dietrich.”

He glanced down at the voice, Madeline sitting on her rump while using her forelegs to hold out bread and his piece of the pie. “These ones are yours.”

“Why, thank you,” he acknowledged, taking the offered morsels with one hand and giving her a head rub with the other in thanks. Madeline grinned and hummed with content, Dietrich taking a bite of his bread. “Have you already finished your own?”

“I’m saving the pie for later,” she replied, her tail swishing when he started to scratch her behind the ears. “I was too full for it.”

“Really?” he continued, Madeline nodding her confirmation.

“Yep, thank you for that as well, it’s better than all the bread in the world!”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the child-like statement, Madeline giggling along with him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the adults around the fire, and the warm smiles of those watching them. He finished his slice of bread and decided to do the opposite of Madeline, wolfing down his pie slice with a satisfied bite. Apples had been rare on his home world, but the pastry he had just eaten bettered all previous samples he’d had.

Madeline rested up against his leg while he finished it, but his joy faded somewhat when he looked down at her.

“Thank you once again, but you should probably stay near the fire now.” Madeline glanced first to her fellows, then to the dark sky and the murky desert, before looking back at him.

“Aren’t you going to sit close as well?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tonight, I’m keeping watch for the first few hours. A young lady like you needs her sleep, we’ll be leaving early in the morning and then stopping to sleep again in the day if we can find shade. That way, we can travel at night when it’s cooler.”

Madeline shivered, but judging by the way she glanced out at the desert he doubted it was because of the falling temperature. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Dietrich told her, patting her on the head. “Swift will take over for me in a few hours, and I’ll sit right next to you when I do go to sleep, okay?” She didn’t seem convinced. “It’ll will be fine, nothing will escape our attention during the night and we’ll all be ready to go in the morning.”

“Okay,” Madeline nodded. “Promise you’ll be careful?”

“I promise.” He placed his hand over his heart, Madeline slowly getting up and heading back to the fire. With that sorted, he turned around on his seat and gazed out towards the desert. Light conversation behind him kept him entertained, but he made sure to focus on his important task.

‘Hopefully, it shall all go as planned,’ he thought, a hand patting the grip of his flame weapon out of instinct. It was going to be a long night.

“Dietrich, Dietrich wake up!”

Seraph jolted awake from her blissful deep sleep at Double’s shouts and a jostle. She was dimly aware of a mass of bodies around her, a low hissing and clacking, a nymph chattering in confusion, and an energised hum coming into existence. Looking out into the pitch black desert, the flickering light of the low campfire revealed the cause.

Just on the edge of their spot, Double and a limping Swift were pointing their horns out towards the night. Dietrich was rising from his spot against a rock, his large mace crackling with energy. The others were pressing themselves up against the rocks, trying to get away from the thing that Double and Swift were trying to ward off. Momentarily puzzled at the situation, Seraph’s eyes adjusted to the gloom and what she saw caused all traces of drowsiness to disappear while she jumped to her hooves.

It was a scorpion, with a shell coloured bright orange with yellow splotches. That wasn’t the main concern, though. Its sheer bulk, five times taller than Double and Swift, towered over the two changelings trying to get it to back off. The two pincers it was aiming towards the two defenders looked like they could seize an entire changeling effortlessly, and from the clacks they made when they closed it was evident that they possessed a huge amount of force. Seraph shuddered while staring at them, imagining that changeling chitin would stand no chance against the claws and prayed that Double and Swift would stay out of reach.

Judging by Swift’s limping, his pained expression and the green blood coating the vile black tip of the scorpion’s tail, the prayers were needed. Already she could see that Swift was unfocused and unsteady, his two left legs seeming to spasm. Double was doing his best to keep the scorpion away from Swift and the camp, firing green blasts of magic from his horn, but the bolts just seemed to bounce off the creature’s shell.

The hissing sounded again, the scorpion clacking its claws before lunging forwards. It focused on Double, claws and pointed tail soaring down in an attempt to incapacitate a second serving of dinner while Swift wobbled on his hooves.

It was not to be for the scorpion, however, Double quickly rolling to the side with burst from his wings to aid him. He quickly returned to his hooves to throw himself to the right this time, the pointed tail embedding itself into the sand while the giant scorpion hissed angrily.

“Make way!”

Double jumped back as an open claw flew towards him, Seraph watching while Dietrich ran forwards to intercept it with a cry.

“Lord, grant me strength!”

Glowing mace hit scorpion claw, Seraph shutting her eyes and folding back her ears at the sickening green energy and enraged hiss that resulted from the impact. Opening them again, she winced when she saw the scorpion back off from Dietrich, a large rent in the left claw gushing gloopy blood. The priest was watching the beast carefully, and Seraph nearly fainted when she noticed that Dietrich was actually advancing on the monster.

“Back, foul creature! There is no meal for you here!”

Dietrich struck again, but his strike missed when the scorpion jumped back with terrifying nimbleness for something its size. The creature seemed to pause, healthy claw shifting from Dietrich towards Swift, who was twitching while Double dragged him along the sand away from the fight. The priest evidently figured out what it was planning, lunging forwards a split second before the scorpion moved.

The monster may have been quick, the helpless quarry of Swift firm in its path, but Seraph was amazed at the sheer speed of Dietrich. The armoured human’s previous experience with combat showed, Dietrich unleashing rapid swings with his mace against the scorpion’s already damage claw. The beast roared, swinging around to face the threat that was causing it pain. Entire chunks of flesh were torn off with each strike, the mace passing through the armoured shell like it wasn’t even there. Seraph found herself unable to look at the mace head as it glowed, a sick feeling in her stomach at the sight of the baleful light it emitted.

The scorpion screeched a cry that seemed to shatter the desert sky, before it jumped back once again. This time it didn’t make a move for Swift and Double, instead it must have realised that it was beaten and had settled on finding easier quarry that didn’t fight back with strange weapons. The din of the fight continued to ring in her ears even as the scorpion scuttled back over a sand ridge in retreat, Dietrich rushing over towards the fallen Swift.

Seraph didn’t hesitate, galloping as fast as she could towards the wounding changeling. She glanced back towards Haze, Swift’s mate frozen with horror and fear. Focusing back on the scene out by the edge of the camp, she skidded to a halt before the three.

Double and Dietrich were examining Swift, Dietrich on his knees and rummaging through his suit’s compartments with a hand while Double patted Swift on the head and kept glancing off into the desert while muttering reassurances. Peeking over, she winced at the jagged hole that had been punched in Swift’s side.

“There we are,” Dietrich muttered, withdrawing a small metal case and opening it carefully. She could see twenty small metal cylinders arrayed inside the padded case, white labels with alien text the only indication of their purpose. Dietrich ran a finger over them before stopping at the fourth and seventh ones, the priest selecting them and reading their labels intently. Looking back at Swift, he took one cylinder and twisted it, the device separating into halves to reveal a single cushioned barrel. “Now Swift, if you can hear me then don’t be alarmed if you feel a large prick.”

Even though scorpion venom was coursing through him, Swift managed to move his head enough so that they could all see his eyes dart down to the wound in his side leaking blood.

“Ah, yes,” Dietrich replied after getting the message, seeming surprisingly calm given the circumstances. Gone was the fierce defender from before, replaced with the same kindly priest that she knew. Seraph watched on, Dietrich plunging the cylinder down into Swift’s hind leg. A small hiss sounded, before the cylinder was withdrawn to reveal a tiny puncture in the chitin.

“I’m surprised that thing worked through chitin,” Double observed, trying to maintain a calm façade but Seraph could see him shaking. “You know, because your skin is pretty soft.”

“Military injectors are designed for multiple races with differing skins,” Dietrich calmly explained, twisting the cap off the second injector. “Not to mention that the tips are made to punch through heavy external coverings like combat fatigues.” He looked towards Swift while readying the second needle, Dietrich tapping him on the cheek to get the eyes to focus on him. “Now Swift, the painkillers should be working now, forgive me for the high dose but time is important. Now, I’m going to inject you with a multi-purpose anti venom, to try and stop this poison. Seraph, please hold his leg still.”

She complied without question, grabbing the jerking hind leg that Dietrich had indicated and holding it tight. Dietrich once again injected the cylinder, another hiss sounding before it was withdrawn. The effects were almost immediate, beginning with the leg relaxing followed by the rest of Swift’s body. His spasms ceased and his breathing slowed, before he seemed to fall asleep with a shudder.

“Is he…?” Seraph hoped that her fears wouldn’t be true, Double shaking his head while Dietrich put pressure on the wound.

“He’s just exhausted,” Double reassured. “Quickly, go and fetch one of the blankets so we can stop this bleeding. We’re lucky that Dietrich’s cure even worked at all.”

“It was a general anti-venom, but we’ll still have to keep an eye on him. Go, Seraph, we’ll make bandages and then we’ll leave.”

She turned away and dashed off to fetch the item requested, the others slowly moving forwards towards Dietrich and Double. “Don’t look,” she warned, taking hold of a blanket with her magic and making to return to the three. She paused before Haze, the urge to go help Swift evident in her eyes. “He’ll be fine, Double and Dietrich are helping him,” Seraph quickly reassured. That was all she had time for however, moving once again towards the trio.

“Blanket here!” she told them, passing it Dietrich who nodded.

“Thank you, now can you please keep the others back near the fire and start packing up?”

“On it,” she obeyed, returning to the main group with the sound of ripping cloth behind her. Her first stop was Haze, Seraph immediately taking the best action she could think of. Putting a hoof around Haze’s neck and pulling her close, she patted the fearful and shocked changeling on the back in an attempt to calm her down. “Haze, it’s okay, Swift’s hurt but he’s going to be fine.”

“H-Hurt?” Haze whispered back while shaking. “How badly?”

“It poisoned him,” Seraph answered, quickly following up when Haze let out a choked sob. “Dietrich had some ‘anti-venom’ though, and it seems to have helped. Swift’s tired and asleep, but he’s still breathing. Double and Dietrich are bandaging the hole the monster made and then we’re leaving this place. Can you help me start to pack everything up? Worrying isn’t going to help anyone.”

It may have been a little harsh, but it appeared to pay off. Haze pulled back and nodded, wiping her tears with her hooves. “You’re right,” she sniffed, sparing another glance towards Dietrich and Double continuing to work on Swift. “I’ll… I’ll start getting the firewood.”

Haze got up and seemed to focus on her task, Seraph watching her for a moment before moving towards the rest. The nymphs were huddling behind Madeline and Sheen, who were in turn shielded by Cion and Chitter. All were glancing around with darting eyes, Seraph supressing the image of the giant creature from her mind while she put on a brave face.

“Everyone, it’s all okay now,” she told them. “Swift’s been hurt, but Double and Dietrich are helping him now. They want us all to gather everything up and then we’ll leave-“

She didn’t get to finish, immediately there was a flurry of activity among them. Hooves gathered up food and stored it in bags, water canteens were placed on backs and everyone was ready to leave in mere seconds. They didn’t douse the fire, however, not wanting to be left in the dark with who-knew-what waiting to strike. Instead, she levitated the largest branch and held it above her, lighting up a substantial area before they all moved as a huddled group towards Dietrich and Double.

They reached them just as Dietrich was hefting Swift up, a sling formed from the tattered remains of the blanket while a large strip was wrapped tightly around Swift’s torso. Double kept an eye on the outside gloom while Dietrich adjusted the sleeping Swift so that his hooves were dangling down with the majority of the sling’s support being around the torso.

“Swift,” Haze whispered, moving up to Dietrich with a bundle of firewood balanced on her back. She reached out a hoof to touch the bandage, Dietrich supporting Swift with one hand while he still held the mace in the other.

It put Seraph on edge to see the normally calm priest on edge.

“He’s certainly going to have a story to tell,” Dietrich tried in attempt to lighten the mood. “I must say, that beast was certainly unexpected.”

“Is it safe to leave while it’s still dark?” Chitter asked, Seraph nodding in agreement. After all, there might be more monsters out to try and make a quick meal out of one of them, and they’d already come far too close to losing one of their number.

“It’s either find a new place or stay here and hope that nothing else comes by,” Double replied sullenly. “I doubt any of us are going to be able to get to sleep again, I know I certainly won’t. We might as well make the most of it.” Glancing back she could see that everyone was still shaken, and she noticed that her own wings were buzzing thanks to nervousness. “I’ll take the front and Dietrich will bring up the rear, everyone stay in a line and we’ll all stay safe. Understood?”

He was answered with answered affirmatives, Seraph nodding her own agreement. A bump against her leg caused her to look down, one of the nymphs pressing up against her leg with its fellow right next to it. Realising that she was the only one not carrying something, she sank down and turned her side towards them.

“Come on, climb up.”

They needed no encouragement, both youngsters scrambling up her chitin and clinging to her back with shivers. She glanced back towards them to make sure they were both on securely, before a glint caught her eye. Looking back just in time to see Dietrich draw his silver knife, she took a step closer to overhear what the two were whispering about.

“Take it,” Dietrich ordered quietly. “If you’re taking the lead, at least carry some form of weapon.”

“I have my horn,” Double counted, but the knife didn’t waver. “Fine,” he gave in. “Don’t expect me to use it.” He grabbed the handle with his mouth, Dietrich picking up the mace that he had put down.

“I pray that we will have no further need.” A finger was pointed out to the left. “That direction is the one we shall take, and remember that I’ll be right behind.”

“I won’t forget,” Double reassured with just the slightest difficulty due to the item held in his jaws. “Just take good care of Swift and keep your eyes open for any further shelter… preferably shelter that is giant-scorpion proof.” Dietrich nodded before he moved towards the back of line, Double turning towards her. “Seraph, do you mind following me with that torch?”

“Not at all,” she smiled, however her heart was still racing. A chirp sounded in her ear, a weight settling down on her neck which was what she guessed was one of the nymphs resting its head. Double smiled softly at the sight she couldn’t see, before he turned and began to trot in the distance that Dietrich had indicated. Seraph saw that his head still scanned all around them, and she suspected that he was a lot more grateful for Dietrich’s knife than he let on.

They all followed, staying in a line like they had been requested to. As her hooves once again moved over the desert sand, she hoped that the rest of the night would pass without incident.

The terrible clacking sound of the scorpion’s claws still played in her mind.

Double kept a careful eye on the surrounding sands, wary of any further encounters with the desert wildlife. He was thankful that he had awoken as soon as Swift had uttered the cry of surprise that had heralded the recent nocturnal attack. Luckily Swift hadn’t been too badly hurt, and Dietrich had been instrumental in saving their chitin. Still, it was better to avoid danger than fight it, especially with Dietrich occupied with carrying the still-sleeping Swift.

He spared a glance towards the sky, the moon slowly starting its descent. It would only be around another five hours to sunrise if his guess was correct, and the day would only bring more problems. Their biggest chance was to find shelter during the hot day to get some undisturbed rest, ready to hopefully complete their journey out of the desert the following night. Canterlot would be another few days away, but at least it would be through the peaceful grassy fields that Equestria had been famed for.

They all forged on ahead, and slowly he began to calm down. There were no signs of any other attacks, and even from the front he could hear the reassuring hum of Dietrich’s mace. He had no idea what they hoped to achieve in confronting Celestia and Luna, but he knew that their options were running out.

‘Who knows?’ he wondered while glancing back at the uncharacteristically silent priest. ‘Maybe Dietrich has a way to defeat them?’ It was likely, after all he had already proved to be a capable fighter from the brief time that Double had seen. It was slightly unsettling, Double wondering what sort of existence would require a priest to be able to fight like Dietrich had.

Then again, it wasn’t like their own circumstances favoured weakness.

He noticed that Haze was walking as close to Dietrich, and by extension Swift, as was possible without actually touching. Every now and then she’d turn her head to gaze worriedly at the injured member of their group, and Dietrich would whisper to her words which he couldn’t hear from his spot at the lead.

It was then that he saw a sight that helped ease his mind, and he smiled despite the circumstances.

Seraph was trotting along behind him, however she didn’t notice his gaze as she was too busy with looking out to the left. A nymph was sleeping on her back with its head resting on her neck, while the other was sitting up and gazing around with sleepy eyes. Double was grateful that the two appeared to be healthy and somewhat relaxed, when he was a nymph all he had to worry about was what game he wanted to play with the others.

‘Hopefully they’ll get the chance to grow up,’ he thought, his smile dropping as he remembered the plan he had formed with Dietrich. The middle of pony society wasn’t a safe place for any changeling, not even a nymph.

Turning back to the front, he focused on the direction ahead, ensuring to also watch for any water sources so they could fill their canteens and maybe even have the luxury of a bath.

Three hours later and there was no such luck, no shelter or water anywhere. The one advantage they had on their side was their foresight with provisions, their food and water stocks more than adequate for the journey. Even their food consumption had gone down, and Double was thankful for the new energy flowing into him because without it he would have collapsed from exhaustion hours before.

He glanced up, the moon just about to dip below the horizon. His timing had been a little off, and he redoubled his efforts to find them all some shade.

“Look, over there!”

The happy spotter was Cion, pointing a hoof out to the indicated direction. Double strained his eyes and spotted a mountain range, along with what appeared to be several wooden buildings.

“An Equestrian town?” Chitter questioned, Double frowning at the possibility. They couldn’t rely on any ponies they encountered to be as welcoming as the ones in Appleoosa.

“Possibly,” he replied back, pausing his trotting. “It’s the best bet we’ve got, and hopefully they’ll be deserted.” He looked to the back of the line, Dietrich also peering at the houses. “Dietrich, what do you think?”

“We have little options,” came the reply. “We do need rest and shelter, however. If it is deserted the we will have to insure that desert dwellers haven’t nested within. If it is indeed occupied by ponies, then I will try my best to negotiate with them. We still have a number of their currency, hopefully gold will be able to persuade them to bear with us for a single day.”

Double nodded, he couldn’t see any other options. Turning towards the mountains, he figured that it was at least another hour away until they reached the buildings, and that was without breaks.

“Come on then,” he urged. “Just a little further and then we should be able to rest. It’s nearly day, but continue to watch out for anything trying to sneak up on us.”

With that, he resumed his trotting, hoping that there would be no need for negotiating with ponies at all.

Wisp continued to draw in the sand with a sigh, waiting for her parents to come back up from the mine in the mountain. She ruffled her wings, the cold air on the leathery appendages a painful reminder that she wasn’t even old enough to fly yet.

It was so unfair, stuck out in the desert with no one to play with or anything to do. The other fifteen nocturnes besides her parents were the only ones living in the small town, and all of them worked all night. Her father had said that they had needed to move out here because the silver mine would make them a lot of money, but Wisp knew better. She’d overheard her parents the day before they had left, when she was supposed to be asleep.

Her mom had been worried about ‘Equestrians’ coming into the city with some kind of potion, although Wisp couldn’t figure out why that was a bad thing. She’d only met three Equestrian’s before, and they were all foals in her school before they had to go away for something a few months ago. She’d heard her father agree, saying that it was ‘too dangerous’ to stay so they should move somewhere remote where they could run away if anything bad happened.

“Stupid parents,” she muttered to herself, leaning back against the wall of their house. It had been her sixth birthnight two nights ago, and so she had to spend it inside with only books and some toys for company. The rare canned peaches and custard she’d gotten for dessert had slightly made up for the boring day, but she missed all of her friends. All in all, it was crummy food and boring, and her parents had been constantly complaining about the tiny slivers of silver that the town had managed to find.

Sighing and getting to her hooves, she flicked her dark-purple mane and made to walk around to the front of the house with the hopes that maybe they’d be back earlier tonight.

It wasn’t very likely.

Movement caught her eye, but it was coming from the direction opposite the mine entrance behind her. She stopped and glanced to the door just a few seconds away, having already been told by the adults to hide inside if any of the creatures from the desert approached.

She shuddered at the reminder of the giant birds that had tried to attack the town the other day, their claws having gouged great chunks in the wooden roof of their house.

Wisp paused when she saw that they looked like ponies, although if they were nocturne or equestrian she couldn’t tell. She waited for them to get closer, and was rewarded when the group stopped at the edge of the deserted town and whispered amongst each other. Meanwhile, she stood still and stared in amazement.

They certainly weren’t equestrians or bat-ponies like her, they were something completely different. There were nine that looked like ponies except they didn’t look like they had any fur, their eyes were a solid blue and their wings looked like fly ones. Her brief excitement at seeing that four looked smaller than the five she assumed were grown-ups was overridden at the last creature.

This one was big, big enough to carry one of the large black ponies in its forelegs. It stood on two legs and towered over the rest, and although it was also black she could see lots of splashes of colour on it. A brief moment of concern crossed her naïve mind when she saw the mace that the large creature had dangling by its side, at least she thought it was a mace. It looked very different to the ones that the guards back home sometimes had on them, but the sight of the weapon wasn’t enough to prompt her to retreat into the house.

No, this was by far the most interesting thing that had happened during her stay in the town, and she wasn’t going to waste it by hiding like a… like a five year old. She was six!

Instead, she watched patiently while the creatures glanced around like they were nervous. Her examination of them wasn’t ignored, and she nearly took a step back when one of the pony-looking ones looked right at her. It paused and turned its head, whispering to the others. Wisp gulped when all of the eyes turned on her, but she maintained her position without wavering.

It was the tall one that approached her, after placing the other creature down gently. She assumed that the pony-bug was sleeping.
“Hello there,” the tall one asked, stepping closer. Wisp relaxed at the stallion’s voice, he sounded too nice to be a bad… creature. “Are you here by yourself, little pony?”

Wisp frowned, huffing at the slight. “Little? I’m six years old!”

“My, six you say?” He crouched down, making a strange hissing sound when he did so. “That’s a big number.”

“It is,” she nodded proudly, before remembering his question. “Oh, and all the adults are in the mine, but they’ll be up soon for dinner.”

“Dinner? But it’s nearly sunrise.”

“We sleep at daytime, and we’re awake at night,” she informed with another nod. Taking a step closer, she tilted her head. “Are you looking to sell something? Daddy said that traders don’t visit this town.”

The creature looked back towards the other ones, but they didn’t say anything at all. He turned back to her and shook his head. “No, we’re not traders, we’re just looking for somewhere to sleep during the day so we can continue our journey in the morning.” He looked around again.

“When you’re parents get back, I’ll be happy to pay them for a spare room if one is available.”

“For all of you?”

He laughed, and she smiled at the warm chuckle that reminded her of her grandfather.

“Trust me, sharing a room is not going to be much of an issue to us at the moment.”

Wisp was conflicted. On one hoof, her parents had told her to not talk to strangers. On the other, he was really nice so far and if he was telling the truth then that meant more money. Money would make her parents happier, and maybe they’d even get enough to move back home so she could see her friends again.

With the new happy thought, she forgot all warnings and trotted towards him with a grin, stopping before him and looking up in awe. Even crouched down he was huge, and even bigger than her Dad!

“My name’s Wisp,” she told him. “What’s yours?”

“You can just call me Dietrich,” he replied, holding out his foreleg. She stared at the limb, five little mini legs coming off of the main one. Then she remembered her lessons from school, and realised that they were called ‘fingers’. Guessing as to what he wanted, she reached out her own leg so he could grasp it. Her eyes widened at the contact, he was completely covered in solid metal. He shook his leg and then let hers go.

“Are you a Minotaur?” she questioned, unable to take her eyes off all the items dotting his armour. There were candles in little window things, small books, symbols and writing in red and silver ink. He chuckled again at the question, shaking his head once more.

“A Minotaur? No, Miss Wisp. I’m a human.” Huh, ‘Human’, she remembered hearing that name from somewhere but couldn’t place it. “You’re not afraid of me?”

“No, I’m not,” she answered, puffing out her chest and ruffling her wings. “I’m six, and you’re a lot less scary than the giant birds!”

“Giant… birds?”

She looked past Mr Dietrich at the whisper, one of the bug horses looking up to the sky while the other glanced around. Curious, she returned her gaze to Dietrich. “What are they?”

“They’re called ‘Changelings’,” Dietrich explained. “They’re very nice, so you don’t need to be scared of them either.” He must have noticed her frown, and he quickly corrected himself. “I mean, that is if you weren’t six after all.” That was better, and she smiled to show that he had gotten it right. Changelings, now that was another familiar word.

However, more pressing matters came to the forefront of her mind, and she focused on the changelings once more. More specifically, she paid attention to the two smallest ones who were traveling on the back of an older one and looking right at her. “How old are they?”

Dietrich paused, looking back towards his friends. “I don’t actually know, it has never come up in conversation. There are two who I would guess would be around your age-“

That was all she needed, and galloped up towards the two she had been eyeing with a grin on her face. All of the changelings stepped back at her approached, Wisp skidding to a halt and looking around in confusion. They all looked… scared.

Of… her?

Wisp started to sniffle, looking herself over with watering eyes. There was only dark blue fur and two small wings, what didn’t they like about her?

“Now, now, everyone,” Dietrich walked up to stand next to her. “There’s no need to act like that around Miss Wisp, I’m sure she intends to do no harm.” Her sniffles started to disappear at the title of ‘Miss’, and she wiped her muzzle with a foreleg.

“But she’s a pony,” one of the changelings argued, the one with the two smaller ones on its back. “A bat-pony as well, they’re elite members of the Equestrian Royal Guard. Where there’s a foal, there’s parents, and we don’t know how many there are.”

“Seraph, I’m sure that we can work something out with them, and she is only a chil- a very nice young mare.”

Wisp turned around and sat down while the adults argued about whether they could trust her or not. She sniffed, wondering when her run of bad luck would finally end.

“Hey, your name is Wisp?”

She looked to her left, one of the changelings staring at her with solid blue eyes. It was smaller than the adults but still a little bigger than her, and a colt if his voice was anything to go off.

“Mhm hmm,” she nodded, the changeling trying to smile at her.

“My name’s Shade,” he greeted, before movement on her right diverted her attention.

Another changeling was there, slightly smaller than Shade. “And I’m Madeline.”

Wisp couldn’t believe it, her eyes widening in surprise. A filly, one fairly close to her age! In an instant her frown vanished to be replaced with an excited grin. “That’s a really great name!”

“Thanks, Dietrich helped me pick it.”

At the reminder of the human, she looked back up. Wisp was met with the stares of all, and she shifted uncomfortably on the spot.

“See?” Dietrich pointed out. “Harmless. Now, let us all relax while we wait for Miss Wisp’s parents so we may enquire about lodgings for the day.”

Wisp glanced to the sky, sunrise almost upon them. “They’ll be back really soon, and I’m sure that they’ll let you rent a room.”

“That would be wonderful,” Dietrich nodded. “Well, let us all take a quick break while we wait.” He walked to the edge of the wooden porch and sat down, soon joined with the rest of the adults. Wisp watched on as the one that he had called ‘Seraph’ crouched down, letting the two smallest off her back. They immediately raced towards her and the other two, Sheen and Madeline both receiving nuzzles from the two.

“What are your names?” she asked the newcomers once they had stopped greeting their fellows.

“They can’t speak yet,” Madeline informed, Wisp tilting her head.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, we only started to talk properly a few days ago ourselves,” Sheen nodded. Wisp wanted to ask why, but didn’t think that would provide much information. Sheen and Madeline both looked older than her, and couldn’t talk a week ago? These changelings certainly were strange. She looked back towards the ones closest to her age, and smiled when she saw them playing tag.

They may have been unable to talk, but at least she had some new friends.

Rising to her hooves with a laugh, she joined in. Both chirped but didn’t stop, and it wasn’t long before she was ‘it’. Galloping after one of them while the adults watched, she delighted in the break of boredom that the travellers had brought.

It was not to last however, Wisp freezing at a shout from the other side of the town.

“Wisp, what are you doing!?” She stopped playing and stared at her shocked parents, the entire town of miners standing behind them with equally surprised looks. “Are those changelings!?”

She didn’t know why they sounded so scared, so she smiled a grin of reassurance and took a step towards them. “Oh, they’re my new friends, they’re travelling through town and stopped.”

Her father took over from her mother, the stallion gesturing towards himself with a hoof. “Wisp, sweetie, come over here right now, okay? Changelings are dangerous, you should know this from school!”

‘Dangerous?’ That didn’t sound right, her new friends were really nice. Turning to Dietrich, who was getting up from his seat, she tilted her head.

“Mr Dietrich, tell Mom and Dad that changelings aren’t dangerous.” She smiled at her parents while the big human walked over to stand beside her, Wisp confident that she was doing the grown-up thing to do. However, before Dietrich had a chance to speak, she tilted her head again and looked back to the paled ponies. “Oh, and you don’t need to worry, Mr Dietrich here is a ‘human’, and he said that these changelings are nice.”

All of the nocturnes dropped their jaws.

“H-h-human?” one stallion in the back stammered while he shook on his hooves. “An actual… human?”

It was then that Dietrich spoke.

“Greetings, friends, there is no need to be afraid. My peaceful companions and I only seek a place to rest for the day, and we are willing to pay for it.” He looked down at her. “Thank you for the kind words, Miss Wisp.”

She brightened. “That’s fine, Mr Dietrich!”

He looked back to the silent crowd, before raising a finger. “Oh, I get it now, are you frightened because of the blood on my armour?”

‘Blood. Why is-’

“…Blood?” her father asked for her. “Why are you…?”

“Oh, it’s not pony blood, have no fear,” Dietrich chuckled. “No, we were attacked by one of those giant scorpions.”

“And you survived?”

“Obviously,” the human laughed warmly. “Although it wasn’t as if it didn’t try its hardest to force a different outcome.” He glanced down to the mace at his side, Wisp noticing now that it also had the same brown stains. “Speaking of which, is there by any chance a cloth I could borrow, I appear to still have some of its blood on my mace.”

A thump and gasps came from the crowd, Wisp galloping towards her fainted mother while her father remained frozen thanks to Dietrich’s last comment.

Well, at least it wasn’t boring any more.

“Urgh…”

Mellow raised a hoof to her head, blinking her eyes and looking up at the roof. She sighed in relief when she saw the familiar clock on the wall of her bedroom and tried to sit up.

‘Not trying that again,’ she thought, returning her head to the pillow after the brief bout of dizziness. Her mind went back to how she had fainted, and Mellow shivered when she recalled the creature she had seen next to her daughter. It was a human, and while her husband didn’t trust any of the Equestrians any more, she wasn’t so sure that the tales of their brutally were all lies constructed to justify the Equestrian plans.

Not to mention the changelings as well, they were certainly bad news. Who knew what they would do with… with…

“Oh no,” her eyes widened. “Wisp!”

Her dizziness forgotten, Mellow rushed out of bed and headed for the door. However, she was beaten when it swung open towards her.

“Whoa, Mellow, are you sure your okay to be moving around?” Charcoal questioned upon entering the room. Her husband held out a hoof to stop her pushing past him, a concerned gaze in his yellow eyes. “You had a pretty bad fall, and that combined with the day in the mines-“

“Charcoal, don’t worry about me!” she urged. “What about Wisp! She’s only six and those changelings and human-“

“Uh, about that… Well, you see, they’re kind of… staying for dinner.”

Mellow froze, although her wings gave a brief flutter of alarm. “What did you say?”

“I said that I invited them… for dinner?” Charcoal shifted on his hooves, rubbing the back of his head. “They’re actually here now, and… they may also be staying in the spare room for the day.” He must have noticed her frown, Charcoal ruffling his wings and taking a step back. “They paid and everything, golden bits too. So, there’s no reason to be mad, right?”

An eye twitched, Mellow eyeing him with disbelief. “You’ll sell the safety of our daughter for a few Equestrian bits? You don’t even like the Equestrians!”

“Hey, don’t blame me! Have you spoken to that human? He could talk his way into a bank vault with a money sack over his shoulder. Besides, those changelings helped bring you back home after everyone else ran away, so the least we could do was let them stay. Besides, they’re far less dangerous than the Equestrians.”

“You and your paranoia,” she sighed. “We’re ponies, Charcoal, just like them. They’ve only converted things that aren’t ponies so we don’t need to be so worried.” Once again, she tried to look through the door, but he blocked her attempt. “Let me through, I’m fine.”

“Not until you promise to not make a scene. They’re just staying the night, there’s no need to chase them out.” He smiled. “Besides, there are some little ones with them and they’re really getting along with Wisp.”

She was torn between trusting him and going with her instincts, but in the end she sighed again and nodded. “Okay, fine, they can stay. But the moment they even think about harming Wisp-“

“I already told them,” he reassured. He stepped aside, and after taking a breath she exited their bedroom and entered the main room of their house.

Mellow resisted the urge to frown at the creatures sitting against the back wall, six changelings and one human. Wisp was sitting with four others that were smaller, showing off her meagre collection of toys and colouring books. Charcoal’s instructions hadn’t covered speaking with them, so she immediately headed right for the kitchen despite their stares.

“Greetings,” the human nodded, however he was the one she disliked the most. Supressing a shudder at the stains still on his horrifying armour and weapon, she didn’t reply and shut the kitchen door behind her, leaving Charcoal to deal with the aftermath.

Looking towards the stove, she saw the large soup pot bubbling away on the stove and guessed that Charcoal had already started cooking dinner. Judging from the extra-large pot, it seemed like their guests were eating as well.

“We better be getting a fair amount of bits from this,” she muttered to herself before searching around for the spices that Charcoal had forgotten to put into the broth.

“I get the feeling that we’re not very liked.”

Double rolled his eyes at Dietrich’s whisper, before the bat-pony stallion coughed awkwardly into a hoof.

“Sorry about Mellow, she’s been a little on edge since we moved out here.” He tried to smile. “I didn’t catch your names before, given the… you know. Thanks for helping, by the way.”

“It was no bother at all,” Dietrich reassured with a dismissive wave. The stallion followed the hand with his eyes the entire way, the bat-pony proving to be less scared of them and more curious now they had worked out a deal to stay the night. “After all, it was unfortunate that our arrival and state caused so much distress to your wife.”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“She doesn’t seem to think so.” Double couldn’t help but bring up that point, the stallion glancing at him.

“As I said, she really didn’t like my decision to move out here. But don’t worry, we’ll talk during dinner and that should hopefully settle it all. Thanks for offering the apple pie as well, dessert items tend to be a rarity out here.” Charcoal turned his gaze towards the still sleeping Swift.

“Is your friend okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” Double answered. “Dietrich patched him up well.”

“The scorpion?”

Double nodded. “It got him with the stinger.”

A wince came from Charcoal, the stallion briefly glancing towards the window. “We get a few sometimes on the outskirts, but thankfully they never enter the town itself.” Another glance, this time towards Wisp. “Well, I have to get Wisp ready for dinner and then I’ll also finish preparing your room, it’ll only be a few minutes more.”

“There is no rush,” Dietrich chuckled. “This is by far the most relaxing time we’ve had in the last few days.”

‘He got that right,’ Double thought to himself while Charcoal trotted away after a nod. ‘Even if it’ll likely be our last night of relaxation.’

Confrontations

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Seraph carefully raised the spoon to her mouth and took a sip of the stew, before lowering it to the bowl for another without a word. Opposite her sat the bat-pony mare, an occasional gaze from the silent pony encouraging Seraph to just keep her head low and play safe.
The two nymphs, two young-adults, and the bat-pony filly had no such cares. The separate small table down the end was filled with happy talking and equally excited chirps and chatters, a stark contrast to the dour adult table.

Although there was the shared fear of Equestrian conversions, they themselves weren’t particularly welcomed. The stallion, Charcoal, had tried to be friendly and welcoming, but his wife was less so. Seraph could understand, after all changelings did have the whole ‘drain emotion’ thing, but there also seemed to be some fear at Dietrich. Looking at the unusually silent priest out of the corner of her eye, she couldn’t really see how he was intimidating without his helmet on.

“This… this is really good,” Swift spoke up from his spot between Haze and Double.

Charcoal glanced to the still-silent Mellow, before nodding at Swift. “Thank you, although I am grateful that you had some tinned carrots on you.” The stallion glanced to his wife, before clearing his throat. “So, if you don’t mind me asking… why do changelings need to feed off other creatures if you can eat solid food?”

Seraph decided to answer, swallowing her mouthful. “Well, for some reason we can’t make our own magical energy, so we need to take it from others if we want to use it. Also, if we don’t get some energy regularly, we get really tired, weak, and open to disease.”

“There’s also the fact that living off energy lowers the amount of water you need to drink,” Double added carefully, eyes watching to see how Mellow would react. “Pretty useful when you tend to live in desolate places.”

“Ah,” Charcoal replied, before the table became silent again.

Not wanting it to return to the awkwardness of before, Seraph once again intervened. “So, you bat-ponies, where do you normally live?” Mellow paused in her eating and gave Charcoal a look, the stallion shaking his head.

“We like to be underground or in caves,” he explained, pausing to take another spoonful of stew. “Cool places, which unfortunately this town isn’t. As you can tell, we prefer being awake at night rather than the day.” Another spoonful. “Also, what I’d give for some fresh fruit instead of the stuff from a can.”

“Oh, but the peaches were nice!” Wisp spoke up from the small table. “And we’ve got apple pie now as well!”

“That’s right,” Dietrich confirmed with a smile, returning his spoon to his empty bowl. He was the last to finish. “We have more than enough pie for all of us; made with fresh apples as well, thanks to that nice mare in Appaloosa.” He turned to Mellow, the mare staring at him. “Would you like me to clear the table and fetch it?”

“Hang on,” Charcoal’s wings actually gave a small flap. “Are you telling me that you have an apple pie, made from apples in Appleoosa? As in, ‘best apples in the world’ Appleoosa?” At Dietrich’s nod, Charcoal brightened even more and left his seat. Bowls were quickly collected, Mellow joining him reluctantly. “You know, back home you’d have to pay a day’s wages for a small bag of apples from Appleoosa. Here, we can’t even have them as it costs a month’s wages for just six.”

“Charcoal,” Mellow murmured. “Calm down.”

“Are you kidding? Mellow, you love those apples. Come on, surely you can try to be a little nicer if they’re sharing pie with us?”

“Charcoal,” was all that Mellow said, turning and trotting into the kitchen with a pile of bowls on her back. Sighing, Charcoal went to follow.

“Sorry. Once again, the move has been pretty hard on her. It’s not all because of what you are.”

“We understand,” Dietrich answered, Seraph and the others nodding their agreements. “Good luck.”

Charcoal snorted with a shake of his head. “Thanks, I think I’ll need it.” Leaving them, the kitchen door was shut behind him, leaving them alone with themselves.

And Wisp.

“I don’t know why Mom is still mad,” the filly muttered while resting her forelegs on the table. “She’s normally a really nice pony.”

Seraph turned to look at the young one, catching her attention. “Don’t worry, she’s not mad. She’s more scared.”

“Scared?” Wisp tilted her head. “Of you and Mister Dietrich?”

“From what I can gather, our respective species do not seem to have a good reputation.” Dietrich shifted on his spot on the ground, having not wanted to break a chair. “Your mother is only worried about your safety, Miss Wisp. She fears that we are harbouring false and dangerous intentions, and I suspect that she detests living out here.”

Wisp stared at her forehooves while they rested on the table. “Yeah, it’s not too much fun in this place. I miss all of my friends back home.” The filly sighed, blowing a stand of stray mane. “And you all are leaving soon as well.”

“We’ve still got some time after dinner,” Madeline reminded with a smile. “And we’ll visit again when we can, right?” At the question, she looked towards Dietrich. Seraph’s mood dropped when she watched Dietrich share a look with Double. She hoped that-

“Oh, that’s right,” Sheen murmured, Madeline catching on as well. “We might not be back at all.”

Wisp glanced around at all of them, Seraph looking to clear up the confusion. “What he means is that we’re going somewhere very dangerous, so there’s not a good chance that we’ll ever… come back here.” Noticing the young bat-pony sniffle, Seraph tried hard to reassure her with a smile. “But, if we do, then we all promise to visit you again.”

Everyone nodded, Wisp brightening. “You’ll stay for longer?”

“We sure will,” she nodded. “And we’ll bring lots of fruit for you as well.”

Wisp’s wings fluttered and her tail swished, fangs showing in a smile.

It was then that the kitchen door opened, a smiling Charcoal trotting out with the steaming pie held before him. Seraph tried not to laugh at the sight, the tip of his wings covered with small checkered tea-towels. Still, she was impressed at the strength the wings possessed, and the stallion managed to carry the large pie all the way over to the table without dropping it. Mellow followed behind, a stack of small plates on her back and a large knife held in a wing.

Seraph took a deep sniff, her mouth moistening at the combined smell of apple and cinnamon. Everyone else leaned in, even Dietrich broke his usual calm demeanour with a hopeful look in his eye.

“This has made my year,” Charcoal shared, quickly sitting down and waiting for Mellow to cut a slice. It was almost like torture, having to wait for the entire pie to be divided up between them, but soon everyone had a plate heaped with warm apple pie.

Immediately the doomed slices were set upon, pastry and fruit alike disappearing quickly. Seraph, while enjoying her own piece, noticed that even Mellow seemed to be happier already. The mare was savouring a bite with a wide grin, and given that the pie tasted as good as it looked Seraph couldn’t fault her.

The next few minutes went by without conversation, pie occupying the attention of everyone. It was not to last, but the satisfied looks from everyone as they pushed their crumb-free plates away signalled that it had been a welcome distraction.

“That was rather good,” Dietrich nodded to himself.

“It sure was,” Charcoal agreed, sitting back in his chair and glancing towards the plain clock on the wall. “It’s also getting late. We’ll get the spare room ready for you all.”

“Don’t rush on our part.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Charcoal brushed off with a chuckle. “It’s not like we get many visitors anyway.”

“Sorry for the tight squeeze, but there are a lot of you and it’s only a small room. Are you sure you don’t want a pillow or something?”
Dietrich waved a hand from his spot against the wall, sitting up against the wood with the changelings occupying the two mattresses beside him. “It is fine, Miss Mellow. I am well used to worse conditions than this.” The mare looked at him with doubt in her eyes, but she nodded regardless.

“Suit yourself,” she sighed, backing out of the room. “Good night.”

“Blessed be you,” replied Dietrich, Mellow pausing before shutting the door. Someone shifted by his side, Dietrich looking down at Seraph.

“She’s improved… slightly.”

He smiled at her observation, honestly surprised that the bat-ponies had been so easily swayed with such a simple item. Their host Charcoal must not have been exaggerating his wife’s love of apples.

“At least we have something soft to sleep on tonight,” Haze sighed, lying next to Swift at the far end. Dietrich noticed that the changeling’s injured leg was resting on a separate pillow, prompting him to inquire about it.

“How is your leg, Swift?”

“Sore. It’s better than before but it still stings when I move it too much.”

Gesturing down to the medical case by his leg, Dietrich followed up. “Would you like me to give you another shot of painkillers to help you sleep?”

Wincing, Swift shifted. “No thanks, if I’m sleeping all night then I’ll only slow you down. I can still walk with Haze’s help, I’ll be fine.”

“Very well, let me know if you need anything.” Settling back down, he drummed his fingers on his armoured leg softly. There was no space for him to open his book and read like he usually did, so instead he went over the passages in his mind.

Around him, with their bellies full and a soft place to sleep, the changelings all slowly started to drift off into slumber. He was aware of an occasional twitch of a wing or leg, even the previously energetic younger four all sleeping deeply in their huddle. The creaking of the door broke his concentration, Dietrich looking up to see who it was.

“Miss Wisp,” he greeted, the filly trotting in softly. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I wanted to ask you something,” she answered softly, sitting down in front of him with a yawn. He noticed the stuffed toy she had with her, the plush bat-pony looking brand new. “When you said you were going away, what did you mean?”

“We’re travelling to a city near here, named ‘Canterlot’,” he said. “We have… someone to meet.”

Wisp tilted her head. “But Canterlot is so close, it only takes us a whole day to trot there.”

Dietrich tried to figure out the best way to word his reply, without giving away too much to the young being. “You see, it’s not the length of the journey, but what we are going to face when we finish it. We all may never leave the city afterwards, and if we do then it’s likely we would have changed greatly.”

Wisp glanced over towards the sleeping nymphs and the young adults, before looking back hopefully. “You don’t have to go there, you can stay here in the town and see me every day. Then I can have friends and then you can help look for silver and then you can all build houses and stay here forever, or at least until we go back home.” The filly’s tail swished, Dietrich letting out a soft chuckle before patting her on the head.

“While that sounds great, I’m afraid that it isn’t that easy. I have something I need to complete, and my friends wish to follow me and help.”

“But they can stay here,” Wisp protested. “Why do you need their help?”

“I don’t,” he admitted. “In fact, I’d prefer them to remain out of harm’s way.”

“Then why are they going if you don’t need help and it’s dangerous?”

He had to pause and think at the filly’s question. Why did the changelings wish to follow him to certain peril? He recalled his time spent with them and the ponies, the reactions of each to the other, and the explanations they had given him.

“The changelings,” he began, thinking while he spoke. “Believe that they don’t fit in anywhere. With recent events, they have been alone with just themselves. When I first encountered them, I must admit that I did not fully comprehend their situation. Instead, I saw them as a test, a trial I had been given. Now, I still believe that I have been sent here for a reason, and I now know what it is.”

He sighed, Wisp shifting closer towards him.

“They needed hope, and someone to guide them, but unfortunately even I could do naught with that. The only thing I can now offer is to accompany them to find closure, and they are taking a chance to make their own decision about their fate.” He smiled sadly under his helmet, intertwining his fingers. “A few have chosen to embrace the faith, and it gives me great joy that I shall see them again after the end. What I offer however doesn’t come close to what they, and many others, have lost. I only wish that I could do better for them, but at least I can take some solace in the thought that they trust me enough to lead them on.”

Dietrich halted to gather his thoughts. “In short, I believe that they feel the need to accompany me just not because they see me as a friend and wish for my safety, but because they also desire to force fate’s hand.” His helmet’s faceplate lowered, Dietrich making sure that Wisp could see his smile. “I must thank you, Miss Wisp, as you and your parents have afforded them a pleasant experience that they never imagined happening. I also have enjoyed our stay in your company, and I pray that eventually your own circumstances will improve.”

Wisp nodded, her nose wavering. Fearing that he had upset her, he leaned down. “Do not cry, we are ready for whatever awaits us at the end of our journey.”

“I know,” Wisp answered, almost inaudible. “But… I still don’t understand why. Why can’t you all stay?”

He patted her head again. “That, Miss Wisp, is something you will likely understand when you are older. For now, I do not wish to worry you with the details.” His words had little effect, the filly sniffling. “Would you like to stay in here for the day?”

“Yes please,” she mumbled, looking over towards the nymphs.

“Go on,” he allowed. “There is plenty of space for you.”

Nodding, Wisp clambered up onto the mattress and settled down next to the nymphs. The plush was used as a pillow, Dietrich closing his helmet and frowning to himself as he watched her drift off.

While he wished that the changelings could stay in the relative safety of the small town and in turn satisfy Miss Wisp, he doubted that they would see it as an option.

“And the faithful shall not fear,” he muttered, worry gnawing at him. “For they have their guide along the path of life, and the Lord shall not lead them astray…”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

Dietrich handed over the last bits they had, the weighty coin purse solemnly received by Charcoal while Mellow watched on.

It was still dusk, the sun about to go down completely. Already the desert had begun to cool, the changelings loaded up with supplies while they stood upon the sand. Dietrich glanced towards the house in which they had stayed. “Where is young Miss Wisp?”

“She said she had to get something,” Mellow answered evenly. “I’m sure she’ll be out to say goodbye to her… friends.”

Dietrich notice Charcoal glance towards Mellow, then to the nymphs and back. Mellow shook her head and uttered a barely audible sentence. “No, we can barely support ourselves.” Charcoal stood on the spot, thinking for a moment before his face hardened.

“They would not let them stay, anyway,” Dietrich whispered so the changeling couldn’t hear. “Although I thank you for the concern.”

Charcoal shook his head. “I just keep on thinking of Wisp, and knowing what you’re going into…”

“I understand. Still, our minds have been made. You have already done more than we have asked for and it would only put you at risk.”

“I-“ Charcoal began to protest, before a shout interrupted him.

“Wait! Don’t go yet!”

Out of the house galloped Wisp, a toy held under one wing while she approached. Shooting past them, she made a beeline for the nymphs standing near Sheen and Madeline. “I still need to say goodbye.” Holding out the toy doll towards the youngest pair, Wisp beamed at them. “Here, take this to remind you of me. It’s my old one, and she’s missing an eye, but she’s still great.” Chirping, one of the nymphs took the offered toy with its mouth, Wisp smiling wider. Moving forwards, she gave all four of her new friends a quick nuzzle. “Please come back, there’s so many more games we need to play.”

“We’ll try,” Madeline replied with a smile. “It was really fun.”

“We better be going,” Double pointed out with a gesture to the east. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

“You sure do,” agreed Charcoal, the stallion nodding. “Follow my directions and you’ll shave a few hours off. Good luck.”

“The same to you,” Dietrich returned, before nodding at Mellow and Wisp. “Ladies, thank you for the stay, I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It… was nothing,” Mellow sighed, trying to smile. “Good bye and good luck.”

“Bye,” Wisp joined in with a wave of her hoof. Smiling and returning the gesture, Dietrich turned to follow the changelings, all eleven of their group beginning the final part of their journey.

The sun finally completed its exit from the horizon, bathing them in the cool night as they left the small mining town behind.

Seraph swallowed her last bit of bread before licking a drop of jam off of her hoof, humming with a content smile. Looking up towards the rising sun, she sighed and shifted back on the flat rock that was serving as a seat.

Somehow, she’d thought that her likely last day as a free-thinking changeling would be… more sombre. Instead, waking up surrounded by her friends in the waning cool of the grassy fields, she felt relieved.

‘At least everyone seems to think the same,’ she smiled, watching Dietrich rub both of the nymphs on the top of their heads before returning the armour to his hands and putting on his helmet. Even Swift-swap was in a good mood, although he still had to receive aid from Haze in moving.

“Ready to go?”

Glancing to her left, she smiled when Chatter darted in and gave her a surprise nuzzling. Returning it, she pulled back and nodded. “Sure I am, given what we’re about to do.”

Chatter frowned at her words, and sighed sadly. “Don’t remind me, we’re pretty much doomed.”

“We’re doomed if we go, and doomed if we don’t. At least this way we have some choice in the matter.” Smiling, she held back a small giggle. “Besides, if we somehow manage to meet Celestia and Luna, we can tell them exactly what we think of them.”

He chuckled at that, Seraph grinning at his improved mood. Chatter wasn’t really suited to looking sad in her mind, and she only regretted that they weren’t going to have any more time together. Keeping her thoughts quiet, she slid off the rock she was on and hid them with another smile. Looking at the rest of their group, Double and Cion were already leading the way with Dietrich and the others following behind.

“Come on, we better catch up.” Grabbing her pack and slinging it up onto her back, Seraph watched Chatter do the same.

“Ladies first,” he replied, giving her a peck on the cheek. Feeling the blood rush to her face, she hurried up into a trot with him in tow. They quickly caught up to the main group, the two nymphs even breaking off and bumping against their legs. Straining her ears, Seraph overheard the conversation going on between Cion, Double, and Dietrich.

“So, I bet you’re praying now.”

“Why Cion, I’m almost always praying. Our upcoming meeting doesn’t change much.”

Double snorted, Seraph able to see him shake his head. “You know Dietrich, your obliviousness to the situation sometimes makes me want to laugh. What I’d give to be able to think like that.”

The human chuckled, tapping the book at his side. “Ah, you know what they say, ignorance is bliss after all. Besides, I owe it to you all to try my best in helping you, and if facing the architects of your race’s downfall is that then so be it.” He chuckled again, despite the topic. “Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to convert them myself?”

“Keep dreaming,” Cion huffed, although there was a hint of humour there. “You’ll probably just irritate them more.”

That earned laughter from Double, even Seraph snickering to herself. Dietrich tried to act like he was offended, but they all knew it was just for show. “Oh Lord, how my flock repay me so!”

“Stop being so dramatic,” she spoke up from behind, Chatter tutting beside her.

Dietrich threw his arms into the air, walking backwards while he looked at her. “Even my favoured follower as well!”

“Jeez,” Chatter groaned. “Canterlot is going to be a blessing compared to this.”

“Princess, there is news of the human.”

Celestia raised an eye, ushering away the noble she had been talking to with a hoof. She watched the guard approach, the unicorn stallion saluting before her.

“Go on,” she smiled, leaning back in her throne. “Tell me. Lieutenant Iron was unable to find him in Appleoosa, so any news is welcome.”

Nodding, the stallion continued. “The human and changelings were spotted by a farmer an hour ago, heading towards the city.”

Celestia raised an eye. “So they are heading towards here, how strange.”

“Indeed, Your Highness. Do you wish for us to send out some guards to capture them? We still have more than enough potion leftover to deal with them and-“

“No, let them through, Sergeant.” Celestia watched as the guard’s befuddled eyes looked up towards her. “For some unknown reason, the changelings and this strange human I’ve been hearing about seem intent on coming here. By all means, monitor them and ensure that they don’t threaten anypony, but do not impede their way.”

“And when they reach the city?”

Celestia thought for a few moments, humming while resting her head on her foreleg. “We see what they want, I suppose.”

“But-“

“There is no use arguing about it now, deal with it when they arrive.” She left her throne, glancing towards Luna’s empty one. “How long until they reach us?”

Hesitating, the guard stammered. “A-about two hours, Princess.”

“Not much time,” Celestia muttered, before looking back to smile at the Sergeant. “Very well, please return to the gate and prepare to meet them. Send word when they arrive.”

A final salute from the guard was all, before he galloped off to fulfil the orders. Watching while the smattering of servants and nobles left whispering, she turned for the stairs at the back of the room.

Celestia thought to herself intensely while she climbed the stairs, trying to puzzle out the situation. A part of her was telling her to just order the capture and immediate conversion of the incoming creatures, but the other was wanting to figure out the mystery behind their motivations. After leaving Shining and Cadence behind in the Crystal Empire and coming to this world, it had been… boring. The mass conversion had helped the sick humans and claimed more land for Ponykind to grow and prosper, but it had also brought complete peace and order.

She almost regretted deciding to keep Discord imprisoned, she’d grown that tired with the daily grind.

Reaching her sister’s door, she didn’t bother to knock before opening it. Trotting into the darkened room, she moved over to the side of the bed and nudged Luna with a hoof. “Sister, wake up.”

Luna opened her eyes and looked up at her, yawning before sitting up. “Celly, why are you-“

“I’m sorry for waking you so early,” she apologised softly. “But there is a matter that needs our combined attention.”

“What is it? I have to fly to the ‘South Amareica’ tomorrow.”

“I know that, but the matter is very important.” Celestia sighed, hoping that the news wouldn’t upset Luna too much. Her sister… ‘didn’t like’ humans was the nice way of putting it. “A group of ten changelings are approaching the city-“

“Evil creatures,” Luna muttered. Celestia pausing before continuing.

“And one human with them.”

At that, Luna froze. Celestia kept a close eye on her, her sister grinding her teeth with narrowed eyes. “I thought we had cured all of those beasts.”

“Evidently we have missed one. Although, from the reports of the guards he seems different to ones we have encountered before.

Apparently he was in the town of Appleoosa, attempting to… preach to the ponies there.” Luna gave her a flat stare, Celestia tilting her head. “From what the guards have told me, the majority actually enjoyed his presence and even accepted the changelings among them.”

“They what?”

Celestia nodded, able to understand Luna’s confusion. “I do not see how it happened, but it did. While I was planning to visit Appleoosa to talk to them myself, the impending arrival of those responsible will give us an opportunity to discuss the matter with them.” Seeing that Luna was about to protest, she raised a hoof. “And then we’ll use the potion to convert them after we learn what we need.”

Luna crossed her forelegs, huffing. “I don’t see why we need to learn how they lied to your ponies, we already know that they are creatures of darkness.”

“I want to learn, and I would have contacted Twilight as well if she wasn’t busy with the resettlement.” Smiling, she gestured towards the pile of novels by Luna’s bedside. “It’ll be like one of those mystery books you like to read so much, finding out the secrets of our enemies and thwarting their schemes.”

“Such a dirty trick, sister.” Despite her words, Luna sighed in defeat. “Fine, we shall allow this plan of yours and assist, although what do you need of me?”

“I need you to act confrontational, judging, so that I may be seen as the voice of reason and kindness.”

“Not much then,” Luna grumbled, Celestia shaking her head with a smile while she headed for the doorway.

“See? A good start already. Just not too cranky, we don’t want to scare them speechless.”

“Very funny.”

Celestia stepped out of Luna’s room and closed the door behind her, smiling all the while.

‘Now, I wonder what I’ll name them once they’re reformed…’

“There it is, Canterlot.”

Dietrich peeked out of the bushes at Double’s hushed words, seeing the walled city in all of its glory. It looked exactly like an ancient fantasy castle, elegant towers ascending into the air while the sunlight glittered off the gold trimming. While not nearly as large as any city he’d even been to, compared to the sporadic settlements he had seen it was certainly a standout.

“Where are all of the guards?” Seraph questioned. “I mean, surely they won’t just leave their gate wide open with no one to watch it?”

“Why not?” replied Chatter. “It’s not like they have any enemies now. At least we should be able to get in without being immediately stopped and potioned.”

The group stopped talking, Dietrich frowning under his helmet.

“You are all welcome to turn back,” he suggested. “I’ll deal with these Princesses-“

“It’s fine, don’t worry Dietrich.” Turning, Dietrich found all eyes on Chatter. “We’ve come this far and have nowhere else to go, so we might as well take the chance while we can.”

“He’s right.” Double trotted up, turning around to face them. “We’ve all come this far. I’d just like to say that despite our initial differences and circumstance, these past few days have been some of my most enjoyed. Back in the Hive I would have never even known you, but now we’re like a close family. We’re all marching into peril for different reasons, but at least we’ll do it together. Stand up, hold your heads high, and don’t let the ponies think they’ve beaten us down. We’re not just going to die, we’re going to demand some answers from those Princesses who think they decided who’s good and who’s evil.”

Dietrich smiled sadly while the others applauded Double, wishing that he had forced them to stay behind at the bat-pony mining town. Now he was to lead them into the clutches of their despised tormentors, all while smiling the entire time.

“Come on,” Double encouraged. He trotted forwards, moving towards the gates confidently. “Let’s show these Princesses how wrong they are.”

“Right behind you,” Cion nodded, following right behind with the others in tow. Dietrich stood up tall and gave his items a final check, prepared for any outcome. Bringing up the rear of the group, he noticed that even the two nymphs were in good spirits as they trotted alongside Sheen and Madeline.

“And Lord, may our path lead to success,” he hurriedly uttered, Double disappearing through the gateway. Continuing to move, Dietrich followed as they entered the city. “For we are righteous, and persist in your name.”

Upon uttering the final word, Dietrich had to halt himself as he nearly barrelled right into Haze’s rump. Looking around to see what the commotion was about, he quickly uttered a quick prayer of protection.

“We’ve been expecting you,” the unicorn guard in golden armour casually mentioned, his forty comrades all lowering their spears to form an impassable semi-circle. Dietrich glanced behind him as the gate began to lower, ten pegasi landing behind them with spears likewise forming a barrier. Looking back, he could feel the changelings grouping together around him.

There was one thing he could do.

“Take us to your leaders, if you may,” he ask, staring down the Captain and clapping his armoured hands together.

Seraph sheltered the two nymphs while their entire group was herded towards the castle by the guards, the points of the spears never too far away. The guards were mainly focused on Dietrich, their wariness of him highlighted by the fact that the majority were pointing their spears at him. It likely had something to do with his refusal to relinquish his weapons, none of the guards game enough to force him to.

She doubted they had seen a human like him before, and she wondered how they’d react if they found out where he was apparently from.
The street they were guided down was deserted save for them, no normal citizens in sight. ‘They knew we were coming,’ she thought to herself, sneaking a glance at a house with its windows and shutters closed. It made sense, given the apparent willingness of the guards to just take them to the castle straight away.

Dietrich was behind her, humming to himself softly. He had given up on asking their captors their names after receiving nothing in response, the armoured stallions and mares apparently keen to just do their jobs and be done with it. She wondered what he had planned, and whether it could possibly lead to their continued survival.

It was ten minutes of trotting and walking until they reached the main castle doors, nothing compared to their previous treks. It had felt like hours however, the ponies on edge with their wide eyes darting around for any sign of attack. Seraph spotted a lone servant in a maid’s outfit dart into a side door, before her vison was filled with gold and white.

“Listen up,” the guard leader told them. “I don’t know why it’s happening, but the Princesses wish to speak with you.”

‘They know? And they want to speak to us?’

“You will go in,” the guard continued. “You will not move unless ordered, you will let them speak, and you will only speak when asked. Fail to comply and we’ll cure you immediately.”

“Some cure,” Seraph mumbled under her breath, but the guard still heard her.

“You’re sick,” he replied harshly. “Diseased, spreading disharmony among others. The potion cures you, it takes away all of the bad things and replaces them with good.” Seraph made to protest, but it was Double who stepped up.

“Take a long, hard look at your ‘Newfoals’ next time you see one,” he growled, moving past the guard and forcing the entire group to move up with him. “Then try and tell me who’s ‘sick’.”

Seraph was ushered past the speechless guard, all of them moving through the doorway with Double at the lead. The castle entrance hall was far less deserted than the streets, however considering it was all armed guards it provided little comfort.

“They sure aren’t taking any chances,” Chatter whispered from her right. Seraph nodded after glancing around at the squads of assorted guards eying them with fear and distrust.

Four guards opened the solid oak doors ahead of them, revealing the throne room in all of its splendour. Seraph’s attention wasn’t held by the massive glass windows, white marble floors and walls, or the golden decorations. No, her main focus was immediately on the two alicorns sitting on the thrones in the centre of the room.

‘Celestia and Luna, the ones responsible for everything.’

She tried hard not to glare at the pair, tried but failed. She couldn’t help it, everything they’d been through had been because of their need to ‘help’ all non-ponies. Seraph actually felt sick, knowing that she was in the presence of the architects of her race’s extinction.

Celestia’s calculating stare passed over her, the guards backing away to the edges of the room once every changeling and human was in the centre. They still remained poised to strike, Seraph feeling a shiver run down her spine at the sight of the glass vials filled with glowing purple liquid held within wings.

‘Conversion potion.’

The others noticed them as well, their prior bravado nearly extinguished at the reminder of their fate. There was no doubt that the ponies planned to finish them off regardless of the meeting, Seraph swallowing a lump in her throat as Celestia greeted them.

“Welcome,” the sun princess smiled, outwardly warm but there was no way any good lurked within. “I must say, I never expected to receive a peaceful visit from changelings nor humans, let alone both. It’s rather nice, isn’t it Luna?” Celestia turned to the throne next to her, Princess Luna looking like she was about to pounce on them at any moment.

“Nice is not how I would put it,” came the response, Celestia shaking her head smiling back at them. Subconsciously, Seraph shifted over to the left away from the seething Luna.

“Interesting, then. Now, I must admit that I have been looking forwards to meeting you. I’ve heard some stories that intrigue me.” Celestia focused on Dietrich, giving him a careful examination with her smile fading at the weapons at his sides. “You must be this ‘High Confessor’ I’ve been told about, I’m… disappointed that it appears the apparently ‘peaceful’ human is as bad as the rest.”

Seraph watched while Dietrich glanced down towards his weapons, before fixing Celestia with a helmeted stare.

“I have but one mace and a Holy Torch, you have hundreds of spears. If it’s weapons that we are judging each other off, then what does that make you?”

“Insolence,” Luna hissed, Celestia raising a calming hoof before reassessing Dietrich.

“Quite the way with words,” she praised, leaning back in her throne. “I’m guessing that you are more dangerous than first assumed. In answer to your question, I and my sister are the ones who have brought peace to this once-blighted world, while curing the inhabitants of their afflictions.”

Dietrich remained silent, so Celestia continued.

“You humans were sick, forced to live with disharmony built into your minds. There was war, murder, slavery,” Celestia shuddered. “...Rape, all caused by your primitive nature forcing you to live in unhappiness. When I first saw my visions of this planet, I was horrified and shocked at how you were all forced to live like savages. Luckily, we had already helped the disharmonious members back on our homeworld.” Her attention was put onto them, Seraph able to feel the nymphs press against the insides of her forelegs when the gaze passed over them. “Which brings us to the changelings.”

“Creatures of darkness,” Luna chimed in, still frowning. “Taking the forms of others and infesting happy pony families like a swamp-leech. Good riddance.”

“Ah, Luna, remember what we talked about?”

“I remember perfectly well.”

Luna and Celestia shared a knowing look, before Celestia cleared her throat. “Well, my sister is correct in her observations, although I would prefer to put it more nicely. Changelings are, like humans, afflicted-“

“Stop it!” Haze shouted, still supporting Swift. “Stop acting like you are healing, and that we’re all ‘afflicted’ and ‘sick’!” Seraph’s head darted from side to side, the awaiting guards moving forwards with glares and spears up.

“Guards.” At the command, Celestia waved a hoof and the solar guards hesitantly stood down, returning to their positions. Leaving her throne, Celestia stood right in front of Haze, causing their entire group to step back. “Little changeling, you are in need of healing.” Her soft words were met with a cold stare from Haze. “You are all, through no fault of your own, broken.”

This time, it was Dietrich who intervened.

“No they are not,” he defended, stepping forwards to put himself between Haze, Swift, and Celestia. “They are all as near to perfection as possible. They are kind, gentle, understanding, and curious. It is not your place to judge them and punish them, based on your own fears.”

Celestia had to look up to meet his helmet optics, the guards all fidgety as their ruler stared off with the armoured giant.

“I’m afraid that it is not that easy,” she sighed, not breaking eyesight. “Despite how well they have treated you, and even taking into account the reports I have received from Appleoosa that lead me to not doubt their capacity for kindness, it is beyond their control.”
Breaking the stare, Celestia nodded towards Madeline. “Look at the younger one, for example. It-“

“She,” Dietrich corrected, Celestia pausing.

“She requires affection, love, and other positive emotions to survive. It is tragic, but the way the changelings sought to achieve this was by terrorising my ponies and draining it by force. I can still remember that day in great detail. Now, while she might not have been a part of the attack itself, what options does she have?” Madeline shrank back, Dietrich glancing at her. “My ponies cannot trust creatures that are built to deceive, without trust there is no friendship, and without friendship there is no love.”

“What myself and Luna came up with was a way to solve the underlying causes of their misfortune, along with the misfortune of everyone else.” Celestia returned to her throne, sitting back down. “Aiding the changelings to achieve pony form solved the need to hide and steal, instead now they live and play happily just like a normal pony. I’ll show you.” Celestia turned to guard. “Private, please fetch Ms Greenleaf.”

The pony guard trotted off through a side door, before returning a few moments later with a tall mare in a maid’s uniform. The lime-green coated earth pony trotted out with a smile and a tea set on her back, but it was the teal mane and tail that caused a cold feeling to run through Seraph’s body.

“Princess,” the mare greeted happily, moving to the side of the throne. “I brought tea!” She was almost as tall as Celestia and Luna, only adding more proof to Seraph’s fears.

Celestia beamed down, graciously levitating a cup up from the tray. “Why, thank you my little pony. Luna would you like some?”

“I do desire refreshment,” Luna grunted, Celestia nodding to Greenleaf before taking a sip.

However, the mare was frozen, having noticed the changelings and human.

“Greenleaf?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

“They’re scary,” the pony quivered, wide green eyes darting from changeling to human. “Bad.”

“It’s okay, they won’t be able to hurt you. I protect all ponies, remember?”

Greenleaf shuddered, but nodded and moved towards Luna. Her eyes never left them while another teacup was taken, Luna waving her away with a hoof. Greenleaf practically bolted from the throne room, the Newfoal taking the time to shut the side door behind her.

Seraph didn’t even want to think about the cruel irony of the love-heart surrounded tea-leaf that served as the pony’s cutie-mark.

“Was that…?” Chatter murmured, unable to finish.

“It was,” Celestia answered with another sip of tea. “She’s very happy you know, she’s even started her own little tea garden in the courtyard. No more malice, ego, selfishness, or cruelty.”

“Just a happy desire to serve,” Double snorted with a step forwards. He approached Celestia, looking up at her in disgust. “That’s funny, isn’t it? That all of these creatures you ‘save from themselves’ are also brainwashed into serving you without question.”

“They don’t serve me, they serve the whole of pony kind.”

“Pathetic,” Double spat back. “I was part of the invasion force, you know. I even stole some energy from a blue unicorn in the street. Still, what I did pales in comparison to the evil that you are. Look at your pet… thing in there,” a hoof was pointed towards the side-door. “Sure, I’ll admit that she was cruel and spiteful at times, but even she doesn’t deserve that.”

“She’s content, as you will soon be. There is no need to be afraid, the conversion is painless and afterwards there is only happiness.”

Everyone waited for Double to respond, the changeling shaking his head sadly.

“Do you even realise what you’ve done?” He questioned, looking up towards Celestia. “Or are you just so afraid of admitting it, that you lie to yourself as well?”

A warm, yet firm, stare met his own. “You are unable to judge me, changeling. I do what is best for all living things, and sometimes my actions appear hostile to some. As inherently wicked as your race is, there is still a chance to be saved.”

A soft thud broke Celestia’s speech and Double’s retort, everyone glancing down at the stuffed bat-pony doll that had fallen out before Seraph. Quickly one of the nymphs darted out from under her to retrieve it, but it wasn’t quite fast enough.

“What is that?”

The nymphs reaching hooves found nothing, Princess Luna sweeping up the toy with her magic to examine it.

“It’s just a toy-“ Seraph tried to explain, but she was cut off with a furious accusation from Luna.

“Where did you steal this from!?”

“It was not stolen,” Dietrich replied with a raised palm. “It-“

“Lair! I’d recognise this anywhere! These are only sold in the Nocturne capitol! You have… you have stolen this toy from one of my subjects!”
The last thing anyone suspected to hear in response was an angry-sounding chattering. Looking down, Seraph paled when she spotted the nymph who had tried to grab it standing at the foot of Luna’s throne.

“You dare?” Luna uttered, narrowing her eyes at the nymph. The young changeling buzzed its wings and bared its fangs, hissing at the raging Princess. Needless to say, Luna was not amused. “Fiend! I’ll deprive you conversion and throw you from the highest tower instead!”
Dietrich reacted quickly as Luna made to leave her chair, armoured arms lashing out to snatch the nymph off the ground. It struggled in Dietrich’s grasp, snapping and chirping angrily at the shaking Luna.

“Dost thou wish to duel?” Luna questioned forcefully. “Come at’th me, if thou is sturdy in intent! I shall bathe the ground with your life-fluid, upstart im-“

“Luna.”

Luna paused, turning towards Celestia. “Yes?” she spat.

Celestia sighed. “You are arguing with a child, one that is also unable to speak. You are also slipping back into old habits in your anger. Drink some tea and return the toy, please.”

Staring at the toy still in her magic, Luna shook her head. “I shan’t! This was stolen from one of my subjects.”

“It was not,” Seraph defended with a stamp of her hoof. “It was a gift from a young bat-pony to them.”

“Lies,” Luna snorted, however Celestia was staring at the doll with a raised eye. “My subjects would never consort with evil creatures.”

“Your subjects did indeed gift it to us.” Stepping closer to Luna, Dietrich kept both arms holding the still-struggling nymph. “A very nice young… filly I believe is the term.”

“Prove it,” Luna challenged, earning a sigh from Celestia. “A name and a location.”

“I would provide such information,” Dietrich slowly stated, Seraph noticing one of his hands easing closer to his mace. “But I believe they would not appreciate me giving it to you.”

A humourless laugh. “Nonsense, my subjects adore me. I am the Princess of the night, and watch over them fondly.”

“Yeah, well these ones are terrified of you,” Swift added, limping up to stand alongside Dietrich. “Because they know what you’ve done to everyone else not Equestrian, and they think they’re next. That’s why we can’t tell you names or where they live.”

Luna’s magic faltered, flickering as she furrowed her brows in confusion. “But… but I would never-“

“Cure them?” Haze added in venomously.

“I…” Luna looked to Celestia, about to ask her something. However, she froze.

For a brief instant, Celestia’s façade had dropped to reveal worry. Luna must have caught it, so Celestia quickly moved to smooth over the situation.

“Luna, it’s okay, they’re safe,” Celestia reassured. “There were of course… concerns that the bat-ponies would scare ponies and cause trouble, but they all live away from the cities or stay in your guard so it was decided it was okay.”

“I was not consulted, I never even knew that there were plans to convert my bat-ponies as well!” Luna began to get angry again, although this time changelings were forgotten. “I swear, Celestia, if you take them from me-“

“I shall not, I swear it.”

“Then what about your student! She planned it, didn’t she?”

“Twilight Sparkle is a very… thorough mare. There were of course plans in case we needed to, but I assure you that your bat-ponies are safe.”
Dietrich cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I regret that we’ve brought this up-“

“Don’t,” Luna growled, leaving her throne and glaring at them all. “It’s obvious that changelings are not the only deceivers here. I can’t even move the moon of this accursed planet, despite your promise. Once again, I’m stuck as a useless Princess.”

“Luna-“ Celestia tried, but to no avail. With a final huff, Luna stormed out past the guards and slammed the door behind her. There was an awkward silence, broken only by Celestia muttering to herself. “That year of work, and she’s still as immature as the day I sent her away.” Attention was once more turned to them, the look far sourer than before. “A perfect example of how you unfortunately sow chaos even without intention.”

“That’s hardly fair.” The nymph in Dietrich’s arms was lowered to the ground, the changeling quickly fetching the toy left on Luna’s throne before returning to Seraph. Standing back up, Dietrich once again stared off with Celestia. “It seems to me that you and your sister have unresolved issues that led to this argument. Our presence merely brought the problem to the surface, and it’s plain to see that the bat-ponies are important to her.”

“She cares far too much for them,” was the retort. “They were some of the few creatures who looked up to her during her time before banishment, so she sees herself as their princess. She spends far more time with them than she does with our actual ponies.”

“I thought you were concerned about all creatures,” Double pressed, Celestia eyeing him with growing distain.

“My ponies are what all should aspire to be. Kind, loving, and good. I do care about other creatures, giving them the gift of being a pony is something that has solved all problems.” Sighing, Celestia tapped a hoof on the side of her throne. “Now, since it has been brought up, let’s discuss your treatment. Since you all arrived by your own free will, I’ll allow you all to be relocated to a settlement as a group-“

“I’m afraid that the option is unacceptable,” interrupted Dietrich, Celestia pausing to stare at him. “Forgive me, Princess, but as generous as your offer is I do not believe that we can accept it.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Celestia reminded. “I can’t have you all running around harming and scaring my subjects.”

“With all due respect, Princess,” Cion replied. “Your subjects need to grow up, and you need to stop treating them like fragile children.”
“Never, not while evil threatens them.”

“Then you’d better step down as Princess.”

Seraph had to give it to Cion, never had she imagined seeing a changeling go hoof-to-hoof with Celestia of all ponies.

Celestia’s eye twitched at the comment, but her smile still remained. “While the worlds still need me, I cannot do that. Who else would guide everypony to happiness and peace?”

“Why, the Lord of course,” Dietrich provided with newfound vigour. Collectively, all of the changelings winced. Even Seraph sighed at the realisation that it was about to begin.

“I’ve heard that you have been attempting to spread your false religion to my subjects.” Celestia raised her eye.

“False?” Dietrich scoffed. “Hardly. If it was false, then how did the Lord guide me and send me to this land so I may fulfil my holy duties? It was not chance that led me to the changelings and therefore here.”

“Maybe you just wanted to seek conversion?”

“No thank you,” he chuckled. “I’m quite content as I am.” His surprising laughter stopped, the priest going serious again. “No, I’ve come here to save you, Celestia.”

“Save me? I am a goddess compared to you, I am not the one that needs to be saved.”

“You do,” Dietrich nodded. “You are wracked with fear for your subjects, you fear anything that you see as harmful to them, you fear changelings no matter how young, you fear me, and you even fear your own sister. This fear is what drove you to commit the acts that have brought my fellows to you today. You’re scared, and unable to show it least you worry the ones around you.”

Dietrich finished speaking, and then there was only stunned silence. Guards were slack-jawed, changelings stared at Dietrich as if he was mad, and even Celestia was frozen on her throne.

‘What is he thinking?’ Seraph panicked, watching while Celestia frowned. ‘She’s obviously insane, and if we were already in trouble before…’

“Yes,” Celestia murmured, more to herself than to them. “I can see how you managed to win over those subjects of mine. Very observant, and more calculating than your kind exterior shows,” she leaned forwards. “You are very confident in your judgement of me, aren’t you?”

“I am.” Dietrich drummed his fingers on his leg, the metal clacking together. “You’d be surprised at how similar you are to some people that I know. Their actions and reactions also echo your decisions. Needless to say, considering how their experiences ended, I’d prefer to help you from making the same mistakes.”

Staring at him, Celestia didn’t respond at first. Seraph watched while her face ran the gauntlet of multiple emotions, the Princess first seeming insulted, then angry, then… sad? Then, softly, Celestia issued an order to her guards.

“Take the changelings and lock them in a bedroom. I wish to speak with the human alone.”

The guard leader stepped forward before anyone had a chance to complain. “But Princess, why not the dungeon or the potion if-“

“Do as I say,” Celestia nodded, the guard hesitating before waving a hoof forwards.

“Wait, we can’t leave Dietrich,” Seraph complained as the guards tried to herd them away. “How do we knw that you won’t just have us converted in secret?”

Sighing, Celestia put a hoof over her chest. “I promise that you’ll remain as you are, at least until I have had my discussion. My guards will make no attempt to force conversion upon you.” She gave the guard leader a pointed glance, the soldier hurriedly nodding his compliance.
Seraph jolted when something touched her shoulder, but when she turned her head she saw that it was only Dietrich resting his armoured hand upon her chitin.

“Seraph, it’s fine,” he reassured. “Have faith, I will try with all of my effort to ensure your safety alongside the others.” Her eyes widened when he fumbled at his side, unclasping the tome from his waist and placing it on her back. “Here, it will bring you all comfort during my absence.”

She shifted and made sure that the book was firmly on, Celestia watching carefully all the while. The cover of the book was an odd feeling on her back, Seraph repressing a shiver when she recalled what felt so smooth against her chitin. Looking up at Dietrich, she was full of confusion. “But… I thought touching it was against the rules.”

He smiled down, well, at least she guessed that was what he was doing judging from the affection that was flowing. “I’m sure that it’s fine to overlook such rules in the current circumstances.” With a final pat and a nod, he ushered the guards forwards with a hand. “Don’t not fear, my friends. I’ll return to you in time.”

That was all that he said, Seraph moving with the others as they replied with rushed wishes of luck as the guards drove them towards another side door.

‘Don’t do anything dangerous,’ she silently pleaded, glancing back as Dietrich and Celestia started to move off with five guards around them. Somehow, she doubted that leaving Dietrich alone with one of their most dangerous enemies was a good idea.

“Guards, leave us.”

“But Princess, the human…”

“He will be no threat, now go.”

Dietrich watched as the guards saluted and retreated back inside of the castle, all of the soldiers shooting him warning looks. Celestia turned and took a right, Dietrich following as she led him alongside the castle wall.

They both emerged into a beautiful garden, roses and tulips blooming brightly in the sun’s rays. Brightly coloured birds chirped and sang in the trees, all while the soft green grass swayed in the light breeze. “This is my personal garden,” Celestia told him, her horn glowing softly. The air around them shimmered, a brief golden dome flicking around the area before fading again. “Here we can talk in private.”

“It’s very beautiful,” he complimented, Celestia smiling slightly at that.

“Yes, all of it is Equestrian plants and birds. I tried having some of this world’s wildlife brought in, but for some reason they all flew away time and time again.” Guiding him towards a pure-white gazebo, Celestia looked back. “I would arrange us some tea, but I’m afraid that you’ll frighten the servants again.”

“I understand.”

Both moved under the shaded structure, Celestia taking a seat while Dietrich did the same, taking care to not break the bench. Sitting across from her, he placed his hands on his knees while she sat with her forelegs between her hind legs.

Neither of them spoke for ages, Dietrich awaiting her first move while Celestia seemed content to let the bird song relax her. The bushes behind them rustled, a single brown hare hopping out to disappear around the corner.

“Earlier,” Celestia suddenly started with a far-off look in her eyes. “You said that I was afraid. You seemed to know about such feelings, there was more than just trivial meanings behind your words.” There was a pause again, Dietrich deciding to share.

“I was only a boy when my mother died. It’s not uncommon from where I’m from, to lose a parent so early. It… encouraged me to pursue my father’s faith more readily, and so I am what I am today. I was lucky to have such an outlet, considering the terror I felt of her being gone for good.” He carefully decided what to say, knowing that he was the last hope of his friends. “Throughout my time, I’ve seen what fear can do. I’ve seen it cause good men to commit atrocities, I’ve seen it doom entire planets to oblivion, and I’ve seen it used as a potent weapon.”

Celestia stared at him, especially at the last part. Continuing on, Dietrich placed a hand on the table. “I myself have felt fear many times, and on occasion it has come close to changing me into something unwanted. So, believe me when I say that I can understand how it can influence a good person to commit terrible deeds.”

There was more silence. They sat for another few minutes, both reflecting on his words. The breeze continued to rustle the flowers and trees, the birds still oblivious to the discussion happening below in the gazebo.

“And when the fear is gone?” Celestia whispered, staring into space. “Only to be replaced by another fear? Fear that, despite all of your justifications, results, feelings, and hopes, still refuses to leave and instead gnaws at you constantly with no apparent end? Then what do you do?”

Dietrich waited for a few moments. “You tell someone about that fear.”

Celestia was silent again, turning her head to look at a tea plant growing to the left of them beside a garden bed.

“That’s one of Greenleaf’s plants,” she shared with a sigh. “She has quite the talent for it, you know. It used to bring me such joy to sit here and watch her bound around, tending to them like they were her children. She was happy, far from the spiteful Queen that she used to be. But, for a few days now, I’ve been wondering… who is happy? Chrysalis, or what I made her into?”

“I’m afraid that I don’t exactly follow.”

“I must admit, the changeling invasion was quite a surprise,” Celestia continued without seeming to notice his comment. “Even I had forgotten about their species, it had been so long since they had been known to ponykind. They planned to enslave us, to use us as a plentiful food supply while they ruled over us.” Her voice grew bitter in tone. “I remember Chrysalis defeating me, suspending me from the ceiling while she celebrated her victory. I also remember hating her for what she planned to do to my ponies, and I’m thankful that she was defeated by Shining Armour and Cadence without any loss of life.”

She looked back at him, shaking her head. “Seeing those changelings you brought with you, defiant and confrontational. Even the little ones, fighting with my sister while she accused them of wrong… I tried to reason that they were evil by nature, that they were the cause of Luna storming off. But, for some reason, I couldn’t shake the image of Chrysalis from my mind.” Celestia looked down at her forelegs, even lifting one up to examine it. “What have I become, am I still me? Here I sit, a Princess with billions of adoring subjects, but I feel more miserable than I ever had in my millennia of life.”

She nearly flinched when he reached out a hand, but was silent while he grasped his metal finger around her golden shoe. Guiding her leg to the table, Dietrich retained his grip.

“You have made a mistake, possibly many. You, Princess Celestia, are flawed like any other creature. I can’t pretend to know exactly what drove you to do what you did, nor can I understand your sister’s reasons, but I do know one thing.”

“What?”

“You are not beyond redemption.” Despite his initial intentions, religion was at the very back of his mind.

Celestia actually sniffed, the Princess looking away for a brief moment. “I am. I wish to be rid of this… guilt, but there is no way to reverse the potion’s effects. Even if their forms were all returned to normal, their minds are gone.” She shuddered at the realisation. “I’ve… killed. I’ve murdered billions, all because I was afraid that they would corrupt my ponies. I even convinced my sister that it was the only way, and now she hates me like an enemy. How can anyone be redeemed for that? In my goal to ride everyone of corruption, I’ve become exactly what I feared.”

As she continued to speak, her sniffles grew into tears. At the end, the full weight of her realisation hit her full on. Unable to speak any further, Celestia turned to look over her garden as she cried.

Continuing to pat her foreleg, Dietrich sat with her while the sun drifted lazily overhead.

A set of green eyes peered out from behind a tea plant, the owner staring at the two beings looking in the opposite direction.

‘Chrysalis?’

“Something’s gone wrong, I just know it. It’s been hours. There’s no way Celestia as kept her word, Dietrich needs our help and-“

“Seraph, calm down. I’m sure he’s fine.”

Chatter hugged Seraph tighter, patting her on the back while they both sat on the floor. The small servant’s room they had been locked in didn’t give them much choice, the others either on the bed or on the floor. Thankfully the nymphs had fallen asleep on the single pillow, so that was two less to worry about.

“Chatter’s right,” Swift reassured from his spot on the bed, Haze nodding alongside him. “Out of all of us, Dietrich is the one most likely to come back in one piece.”

Double, also on the bed, chuckled while nudging the changeling lying next to him. “I don’t know, Cion here was doing pretty well.”

“Pfft, yeah, if you count Celestia nearly finishing me then and there as ‘pretty well’. I swear some of those guards were looking to spear me instead of bothering with the potion.”

The small chuckles the followed her comment only slightly alleviated the dire situation. Here they were, locked in a room at Canterlot castle, while Dietrich was talking to or possibly being converted by Celestia herself.

Chatter shivered, Luna had been scary, but Celestia… Celestia was something else entirely. Feeling him shake, Seraph nuzzled him.

“I can’t believe he let us borrow this!” Madeline spoke up from her spot in the corner with Sheen, both flipping through the pages of Dietrich’s book with unrestrained glee. “Look at all of the pictures!”

Not knowing whether to be glad that they had found a distraction or terrified that they both found the often death-related pictures interesting, he turned to glance at them. “Be careful with that, it’s very special to him.”

“We know,” Sheen rolled his eyes. “It’s not like we’ve stolen it or anything.”

Chatter winced at the jab, everyone’s laughter not helping. Even Seraph joined in, giggling softly from her spot in his forelegs.

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed. “I’m never going to be forgiven for that, am I?”

“Well, it was a pretty amusing stuff up,” Haze told him, her tail swishing behind her.

“I-“ he began, but stopped at the sound of approaching hoofsteps outside their door.

“Guards,” the muffled voice of Celestia was easy to recognise. “Open it up, please.”

All of them sat up while the lock was opened, all mirth fleeing the room while they awaited the arrival of their fate.

‘I hope the crazy human did it,’ Chatter prayed, the door swinging open to reveal guards, Celestia…

And, to everyone’s relief, Dietrich standing beside her.

“Dietrich!” Madeline cheered, getting to her hooves and crouching down. Sheen carefully placed the leather-bound book onto her back, Madeline straining to lift it. Cautiously, she ambled over to Dietrich and presented it to him. “Here you go, we made sure to keep it really safe!”

“Why, thank you so much,” Dietrich acknowledged, reaching down with one hand to take the book while patting her on the head with the other. “Not a word to my Archdeacon however, I doubt he’ll be too pleased with me.”

Madeline nodded and made a shushing motion, before she glanced up at Celestia and her smile faded. “Mr Dietrich, what’s going to happen to us, are we going to be converted?”

“I’ve-“

“No.” Celestia cut Dietrich off, the Princess maintaining a stoic face. Looking closer, Chatter swore he could see tear streaks. “There is an old castle in the Everfree forest, near the town of Ponyville. It used to be where my sister and myself resided in the old days. It still harbours a number of dangerous beasts, but the castle is protected by ancient wards that keep them at bay. The High-Confessor has stated that he is more than confident in his abilities to protect you from anything in there.”

Chatter was too shocked to speak, but thankfully Seraph wasn’t.

“Yo… You’re letting us go? Unconverted?”

A nod from Celestia. “You will be taken to the castle immediately, along with some basic supplies. From then on, you are to not leave the forest and interact with ponies in any way. If you survive and grow too big in number, then other habitation options will be explored. However, for now I want you to stay there and not step hoof on Equestrian soil. Am I clear?”

“Perfectly,” Double quickly nodded, the first to react. No-one payed the lime earth-pony in a maid outfit any mind.

“Good,” Celestia replied emotionlessly. “Sergeant Shield here will be in charge of your transport. The chariots are already being loaded.”

Without even waiting for thanks, Celestia turned and walked off. They all stared at Dietrich, the guards next to him equally confused.

“We talked,” was all the priest said with a shrug.

Greenleaf trotted out of the side entrance, entering the guard muster field. There were a number of guards loading up a single chariot with crates and bags, the ponies all focused on their tasks.

She moved towards a pile of supplies, pulling down the top of one of the large sacks. It was half-full with potatoes, Greenleaf looking around before carefully removing one. The guards were all busy at another pile, leaving her time to remove potato after potato. With only a quarter left in the sack, she gave one last look back at the towering castle.

Her mind told her to return to her duties preparing tea for her Princess, but there was a small voice in the back of her mind. It was repeating the name she had heard earlier, the name that had sparked… something inside. Now, instead of fear when she remembered the image of the scary pony-monsters, she felt like she knew them.

Greenleaf wasn’t entirely sure why she decided to climb into the potato sack and remain still, but her mind was focused on much more important matters.

“Chrysalis…” she muttered, the word feeling so familiar to say.

Luna woke up from an uneasy slumber, sitting up in her bed.

“Curses,” she growled, thumping the pillow beside her. All that time spent searching for a bat-pony dreaming about changelings, and not one shred of luck. What was more concerning was her other attempt to find bat-ponies having nightmares about Celestia converting them. Instead of Celesta, she was shocked to find that they had more nightmares involving her.

Slowly leaving the bed, she didn’t even make an attempt to make it as she instead stormed out of her dark room. Her two bat-pony guards nodded but had enough sense to let her be, Luna glancing towards the clock on the wall.

‘Midnight,’ she thought with a scowl. Celestia used to wake her personally for her night-time duties, but considering their prior argument and the ever-hated fact that the planet’s orbital bodies moved themselves with no chance of control, she could see why that hadn’t happened.

Briefly considering returning to her chambers to sulk, her grumbling stomach took centre stage. Descending down the staircase and moving into the spacious castle kitchens, she could find not one cook at their post. Noticing the light on in the dining room, Luna trotted in with the intention of berating a servant and ordering them to make breakfast.

Instead, she was met with the sight of Celestia sitting by herself, fork buried in the remaining half of a decadent chocolate cake.

To say that something had gone wrong was an understatement.

“Sister? Are you okay? Normally, you are already retired for the night.”

Celestia didn’t respond apart from lifting another forkful of cake with her magic, the morsel disappearing into her mouth.

‘By the moon,’ Luna winced. ‘Something has gone astray drastically.’

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” she apologised, moving to sit next to Celestia. “My nerves have been frayed as of late, and I am-“

“Fearful?” Celestia cut her off, the fork pausing in mid-air. “Guilty?” Luna winced as the silver cutlery was stabbed into the cake, Celestia not raising it again. “Regretful for what we have done?”

Taking a guess, Luna hesitated. “Are you… upset about our captives? Did their conversion cause some sort of problem?”

Celestia’s humourless chuckle scared her, her sister’s wings twitching.

“Captives? I’m starting to think that they were never captives. That High Confessor is more free than I shall ever be again.” A shake of her head. “No Luna, I did not convert them. I let them go.”

Now that was unexpected. “What? You let them go? But, they are dangerous and insidious!”

“They are not the threat,” came her sister’s shaky reply. Celestia looked up, staring into her eyes. “We are, Luna. We are the evil ones this time. Don’t you understand? We, in our fear, have ruined everything we strived for. Now, we are left like horrid mockeries of our former selves.”

Celestia returned to her cake, beginning to eat again. Luna was silent for ages, tilting her head at her sister as if she was an alien.
“Sister, what did that human do to you? What has he done?”

Another humourless laugh. “What did he do?” Luna leaned back, Celestia fixing her with a serious stare, not breaking eye contact. “He forgave me, Luna. You as well. He forgave us for all that we have done, for the terrible things that have happened.” She went back to eating her cake, Luna almost shaking.

“But we have done nothing wrong, we have only done good.”

Celestia didn’t even pause her eating.

“One day, you’ll be brave enough to realise it. I can only hope that the both of us will be able to forgive ourselves.”

Luna left the table without another word, leaving Celestia to resume drowning her sorrows in rich cake.

All of a sudden, she didn’t feel like breakfast anymore.

Seraph dropped another peeled potato into the stew pot, the vegetable joining the carrots, corn, and spices already simmering over the fire. Stirring the brew with the ladle, she took a deep sniff and hum in approval.

In truth, she almost found their situation hilarious. They’d gone from hiding out and cooking stews in a cave out of fear for ponies, to staying in the ruins of a castle cooking stew with the blessing of Princess Celestia. It was still confusing to her, after all they had even been brought to the forest in a chariot with a wealth of supplies.

Glancing towards Dietrich, the priest placing down another load of dry wood that he had gathered, she wondered what he had done to get Celestia to let them go. He had refused to tell her in the chariot, merely stating that he ‘had done his duty’.

Returning her attention to her cooking, she smiled at the thought. No matter what he had done, it seemed to have worked. Granted they were confined to the forest, but they had been promised solitude and safety from conversion. It still pained her that such an offer couldn’t help the rest of her race, but at least they were safe.

“Hey.” The greeting was accompanied by a nuzzle, Seraph sighing as Chatter sat down to join her. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” she smiled in reply, giving him a peck on the nose. “I’m just cooking and thinking.”

“Smells good.”

“Yeah, the ponies even gave us some spices.”

Chatter chuckled, nudging her in the side. “They were a bit light on the potatoes though. Not that I’m complaining, peeling vegetables with hoofs is a pain.” He sat back and held up the mentioned forelegs. “Strange too, considering that sack was so heavy that me and that guard had to lift it.”

“Pfft, you’re just weak,” she teased, Chatter snorting.

It was at that time that the two nymphs ran past just on the other side of the pot. “Hey,” Seraph called out. “No galloping near the fire!”

A brief burst of chirping was the reply, Chatter shaking his head at their antics. So far, the pair along with Sheen and Madeline had spent the day racing around the castle exploring and causing chaos. Seraph instead watched them leave with longing, Chatter noticing.

“Hmm?”

“Nothing,” she sighed, continuing to stir the pot. “I was just wondering about having nymphs, what it’d be like.”

Beside her, Chatter shifted uncomfortably. “Well, Seraph, I mean, if you want nymphs, I…”

She laughed at his awkwardness. “Oh Chatter, I don’t want nymphs right now. We still have to settle in and all,” she leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Thanks for attempting to make the offer though; I’ll keep it in mind.” Giving him another kiss on the cheek, she pulled her head back and pushed his chest away. “Now get your mind off nymph-making and get those bowls ready, stew’s ready in a few minutes.”

He rolled his eyes and left to do as she asked, Seraph waving goodbye before abandoning the ladle and turning to start on the bread.

“Huh,” she muttered, gazing at the two loafs. “I could have sworn that I put out three…”

Greenleaf poked her head up from the rubble she was hiding behind, still munching on the half-loaf she still held in her forehooves. The two monster-ponies were still nuzzling each other, before the suspected mare pushed the male away with a laugh and incomprehensible speech.

Shifting her rump on the cold stone, Greenleaf continued to watch from her hidden outcropping while the others gathered below in what used to be the castle throne room. The smoke from their fire filtered up through the holes in the roof above her, so she had to shift around to see what was going on.

Still observing while the group below all laughed and talked while they ate, including the huge two-legged one, Greenleaf felt both out-of-place and oddly at home. She was surprised that she felt no pang for her bland room in the castle, nor did she desire to serve the Princess she… despised so much.

‘Wait,’ she thought to herself with a shake of her head. ‘Princess Celestia is our ruler, and she cares for us all. I love her and all my other ponies.’

Still, her mouth twitched as she thought that, Greenleaf deciding to focus instead on her dinner and the joyful scene below.

“Captain Takei, what is the reason for our delay?”

Tsugu Takei sighed at the query, one of many. Raising a hand to his blue dress uniform and brushing off a stray black hair from his golden chevrons, he turned his captain’s chair away from the cold expanse of space on the main monitor and faced his questioner. Through practiced manners he resisted showing his frown to the awaiting Archdeacon and the two clerical guards, his fifty bridge crew also paying the intruders no mind. It was a testament to his bridge crew’s discipline and training, considering that the Archdeacon and his two silent and helmeted guards both had numerous religious icons and candles embedded in their black armour.

“Archdeacon,” he greeted with a habitual emphasis on the ‘r’. “Once again I find you on my bridge unannounced.” Idly, he wondered if the Mortisum church showed rank by their hat sizes. The Archdeacon’s tall black cylinder just looked hilarious to him. Considering that about twenty-percent of his two-thousand ship crew followed the faith, including a large contingent of their shipboard marines, he wasn’t going to bring that observation up however.

“Once again I find our journey halted,” the white man’s heavily accented voice replied. Takei still had difficulty placing it, although it sounded French. Granted, he’d only met one ‘Frenchman’, and had been distracted by the Army Colonel’s irritable need to prove his ‘genuine’ French ancestry all the way back to the seventeenth Terran century. “I am required for a function in the Pavonus system, and if I am late-“

“We will not be late,” Takei reassured with audible annoyance. He rested his head on his hand, rolling his brown eyes at the priest. “There is a slight error with our navigation systems, it will be repaired momentarily. I’ll make sure to keep you informed if there’s any news.”

The Archdeacon stared at him with his cold blue eyes, but thankfully snorted and turned to leave. “Very well, Lord bless.”

“Sure,” Takei returned with another eye roll. “May his blessings rain down upon you, and his magnificent radiance light your path.”

The Archdeacon paused.

“Very droll, Captain. You almost remind me of the High Confessor I am being sent to investigate, except he’s a true believer.” With that, the three left, passing to two grey-armoured marines and exiting into the corridor with the armoured door closing behind them.

Takei turned back to his main monitor to mutter under his breath. “I’ll be a believer when my ship does what I tell it.” Raising his voice, he tapped his hand against his arm rest. “Navigator, status report.”

He sort of pitied the officer, watching the lanky man while he made his way from the navigational crew towards the chair. Their trip transporting the Archdeacon had been wrought with disaster, mostly revolving around the navigational systems. For some reason, the computer systems of the UIP naval frigate had been playing up, despite a complete service by both the shipboard technicians and those of a passed maintenance station.

“Captain,” the Navigator nodded. Takei waved for him to continue, their familiarity doing away with the need for military formality. “You requested a status report.” Takei nodded, making a gesture with his eyes towards the door that the Archdeacon had departed through. The Navigator smiled slightly. “While I understand the urgency, I’m afraid I have bad news.”

“Still pointing to that same point?”

“Yes, we’ve tried everything. We keyed in new coordinates, reset the data-stores, we even turned it off and on again. It is still wanting us to warp to system Three-Seven-Nine-G.”

“What is with that system?” Takei questioned, more to himself.

“I can’t tell you, I’m afraid. It hasn’t been explored yet and I doubt it ever will.”

Drumming his fingers on his chair, he went over the facts. He was stuck with a near-inoperable navigational system, an impatient Archdeacon, and most importantly a splitting headache. So far, he could only see one method of action that wouldn’t lead to either a court martial or a pissed-off holy man burning him at a stake.

Or something like that.

“Well,” he grumbled, flicking his hand and focusing on the stars outside. “Let’s go exploring then, and see what all of this trouble is about.”

“Of course,” the Navigator nodded, immediately returning to his area to direct his junior officers.

‘Hopefully this will get rid of this hell I find myself in,’ he hoped, still staring out at the harsh void. ‘Hear that God? You have one chance to prove yourself to me. Either that, or you can just magic me up some alcohol.’ He nodded to himself as the crew prepared to enact their warp. ‘Yes, that would be nice, actually.’

Author's Notes:

This chapter's been long due. Hopefully you'll all be happy with the way things worked out. I know there was a large calling for 'Burn insolent horse Princess, burn her for God!', but I honestly think the way I went suits Dietrich's character better.

Besides, there's plenty of ACB fics where Celestia ends up getting crumped, and not enough where the silver-tongued protag reduces her to a guilt-ridden mess who is eating cake at midnight.

Seriously though, I have a lot of respect for Celestia's character (despite the fact she often serves as a 'villain' for me) . Just not the TCB Celestia.

Luna also isn't spared, and it'll be interesting to see how the two Princess come to grips with the situation.

So, at last our main characters have a moment of peace. Through an act of kindness from Celestia, they have been granted sanctuary in the Everfree forest. Maybe not the safest location, but it sure beats starving in a desert cave.

But, of course, it is one of my fics, so not only has converted-but-not-converted-enough Chrysalis snuck out with them, but through an apparent act of God a small military ship is about to find Dietrich.

Oh, and that Archdeacon? He'll certainly be pleased with Dietrich's work, right?

At the risk of this author's being long enough to be a new chapter, I'll get some things out of the way.

No, the fic is not going to end in the next chapter.
No, the spaceship is not going to arrive to unleash hot-space death upon the ponies while saving everyone.
Yes, the Captain's name is actually a name.

Yes, I may be planning to have a few chapters of 'changelings in space empire before returning to Equestria.

Once again, all comments welcome. They either aid me, or enable me to stir up some trouble. Feel free to let me know about any mistakes, as I seem to make an endless stream of them.

TLDR:

Shit went down, more shit will go down, I'm only human and make mistakes so point them out.

There, done.

Stowaway

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A cool wind ruffled the leaves of the forest, gloomy save for the thin slivers of moonlight and the flickering glow of a small fire. An old ruined castle sat within a clearing, and a single black ear from a shape within lifted up.

Double frowned while he looked up from his spot among the others, ears standing up at attention.

‘I could have sworn…’

He glanced around the courtyard, the ample moonlight in addition to his race’s excellent low-light vision making it easy to spot everything. It was their third night spent at the old castle and they were yet to encounter any forest denizens save for a few birds and small mammals, but he could still recall the desert scorpion attack with clarity and was thusly on his guard.

Double’s ears twitched again, and he looked back towards the castle. An odd rumbling sound, one he’d never heard before in his life, seemed to be coming from within. Straining his ears, he shook his head after a reassessment.

‘No, it’s coming from behind it.’

Standing up, he hesitantly trotted around the others’ sleeping forms and reversed towards the edge of the clearing. Making sure to not be taken by surprise if a forest gribbly chose this inopportune time to attack, he tried to look around the top of the castle to see if anything was there.

“Nothing,” he muttered, the rumbling having grown louder. Glancing over to where Dietrich sat, asleep, Double considered waking him. After all, if it was something with nefarious aims then the armoured priest was their best defence. He soon dismissed the thought, he hardly knew if the sound was even a threat after all.

‘Besides, Celestia did say that this castle was warded against monsters.’ He glanced back behind him. ‘Not that she can be trusted, but I can feel the magic here.’

He decided to wait and see before alarming anyone. It had been peaceful and they finally had a break from fear, and Double did not want to be the one to see the smiles gone.
The rumbling grew until it seemed right on top of them. Next to the fire he could see the others stir as they were roused by the noise, all save for Dietrich. Looking up, Double’s eyes widened before he narrowed them to get a better look.

The two shapes were almost invisible against the black night sky, and it was only the slight blue glows at the ends that gave them away. They were angled and jagged, but that was all he was able to make out before they crossed the sky and were once again hidden by the treetops.

The rumbling followed them, Double starting to rush back towards the fire once he had torn his gaze away.

It was probably time to wake up Dietrich.

“No notable energy signatures detected, no orbital activity, and images from the probe indicate a feudal level of architecture.” The Senior Sensors Officer looked over from his team’s stations. “Captain, it appears as if the planet contains at least three pre-to-early industrial societies. There is nothing out of the ordinary, nor anything that would explain the navigational error.”

Takei tore his gaze away from the lush terran planet on the main viewscreen to glance at the Sensors Officer. The man in question had evidently shot a look over towards the Navigator and his junior officers, and it had been met with an unamused glare.

“The anomaly with the navigational computers disappeared as soon as we reached these co-ordinates,” the Navigator stated flatly. “We can find no trace of it remaining.”

“We can leave?” Takei inquired with one eyebrow raised.

“Yes Captain. However, I am hesitant to do so until we can determine just what caused it in the first place. If we can remain here for a few hours, my team and I will run all of the diagnostic tests we can.”

Takei drummed his fingers on his chair. “Hmm, that point is a fine one. Still, that Archdeacon was in quite a hurry.” His mouth twitched into a grin at the memory of the loud man storming onto his bridge and making demands. “However, there are a few things that we must consider.”

Leaning back, he shrugged while his officers awaited a decision. “The anomaly certainly is a cause for concern, who knows what issues it may cause if it pops up again? It is our duty to ensure that such a threat does not remain unexplained. In addition, we are faced with a new world that appears to be the focus of said anomaly. It would unprofessional of us to ignore this information.”

He thought to himself, pondering what action to take next.

“Would you like me to assemble a ground team of marines? We can surely pinpoint a capitol and gather some more information.”

Takei looked towards the officer in charge of the bridge security team. The woman was fully enclosed in the ash-grey armour of the shipborne assault troops, with her face hidden by a dull black visor.

“I would prefer for us to not sour any relations by landing an invasion force without need,” he smiled. “While I too am rather tired of playing space taxi, we must exercise some degree of caution at least. After all, while they appear primitive we must remember that our navigation computers brought us to this point. Discounting that would be rather foolish.”

‘Still, that gives me an idea…’

“However,” Takei raised a finger. “I believe it would be best if we announced our presence with less… hostility. Organise a flight of Scalpels on a standard flyover pattern, perhaps they will be able to spot anything out of the ordinary and get the attention of the locals.”

He turned his attention back to the main viewport while numerous affirmatives were stated in reply to his order. Staring at the planet and the associated data readouts, he shifted in his seat with a slight frown.

‘Something about this whole affair seems off. I can feel it in my gut.’

‘You seen anything yet?’

“Not really, just trees and fields. Onto the city next?”

‘Yar, Control wants us to give them a buzz after all. Just don’t go shattering any windows. Out.’

Lieutenant Kopf shook his head at his wingman’s reminder, before angling his flight stick ever-so-slightly to the left. The agile SA-55 ‘Scalpel’ fighter responded immediately, the course adjusted for the planned route overflying the largest city in the area.

Kopf didn’t mind the rather dull recon mission he’d been sent on. While slightly put out that he and Williams, his wingman, were essentially nothing but glorified bait, the chance to fly in-atmosphere was one he rarely passed up.

The SA-55 ‘Space\Atmospheric’ fighter lived up to its name well, able to handle both combat environments with the graceful precision that had earned it its designation, but even it required a pilot that was well versed in both conditions.

Kopf loved the added challenge of atmospheric flight, even when he wasn’t widely jinking to avoid an enemy lock.

The forward-swept wings and sharp angles cut through the air while the duel engines could reach an impressive Mach nine. A black signal-dampening coating with deep blue highlights coated the long spear-head body of the craft, while the numerous vectoring thrusters and inertial dampeners ensured that the ride was as turbulence-free as a walk in the park.

All-in-all it was an ideal fighter for the job, and suitably imposing enough to grab the attention of even the most primitive local.

Speaking of grabbing attention…

“Control, Vulture One seeking confirmation of flight plan Three-Seven-A, Over?”

“Confirmed Vulture One, start with a high pass and circle until further instructions. Keep an eye out for any activity and report as such. Standard engagement doctrines apply.”

“Received Command, preparing for pass. Out.”

Kopf slowed his speed to just under one-thousand kph, and glanced towards the left of his view screen. William’s fighter was just off to his left wing, his wingman likely having heard the conversation with Control.

“Ready to do this?” Kopf inquired.

“Of course, let’s give them an introduction.”

The city in question was fast approaching, the sensors on the ship showing it clearly despite the night sky. Stone and marble buildings made up the majority of it, with a large and sturdy surrounding wall standing out easily thanks to its gleaming white material. A large palace-like castle stole the spotlight however, its gold-capped spiral towers quite the eye-catcher.

Kopf marvelled at the architecture, having always found the castles from ancient Terran fascinating.

‘Still, no time for sightseeing,’ he mentally sighed, and prepared to make his run.

‘What, it can’t be…’

Celestia jolted awake at the approaching roar, bare hooves hitting the floor of her bedroom before she raced over towards her window. With a magical glow she flung open the glass doors and rushed out onto the balcony, while the sound grew ever louder.

A cool night breeze ruffled her feathers, but that wasn’t the cause for the chill that ran down her spine.

“Princess!”

Celestia glanced backwards to spot the five guards rush to her. Four of them were glancing out with confusion, while the fifth one stood with a frown on his face. She knew that he had likewise heard the sound before, and without acknowledging the guards she faced out into the night once more.

“Jets,” she stated with a cold frown, right as the roaring sound reached its apex. The fearsome human machines were easy to remember from her time spent examining the aftermath of bombing raids conducted by the more stubborn bipeds.

The two distinctive war-machines were difficult to spot at first. Thundering out from the clouds with the moonlight only just picking out their pitch-black forms, she had to rely on the blue glow of their engines as a reference.

The guards all ducked as the sharp silhouettes passed over the castle with a roar, Celestia bracing herself for the impact of explosives.

There was none.

Staring back out, she watched as the two jets circled around above the city, before zooming back the way they had arrived from.

“That’s odd,” she muttered to herself.

“I thought that all the humans were gone,” a mare whispered, her helmet shaking along with her. Celestia glanced down towards her guards while disguising her own opinion on the matter.

“They were. However, it seems that some are still around. Those jets were out to get our attention.” She narrowed her eyes, more concerned than angered. “Or, more likely, they were trying to get the attention of someone else…”

“So, the shapes in the sky, you said that there was a glow behind them?”

Dietrich watched Double nod, their entire party awake and listening as the changeling recounted his story.

“There was, two blue ones. I woke up and heard this rumbling, and then two of them flew right over the top of us.”

“And did you see any insignia?” At the perplexed look he got in response, Dietrich repeated his question with easier terms to understand. “Pictures or icons, or distinctive shapes that may give a hint as to their allegiance.”

“No,” Double shook his head. “I’m sorry but it was too dark to see them properly. Both were pretty high up as well.”

“I see.”

Dietrich pondered the information that he had received. Going off the reaction of his friend, he highly doubted that the local population would have anything resembling a military jet. Double had also described the glow of the engines as a bright blue, and Dietrich knew that the description matched standard UIP engines. Going off the admittedly limited info, he decided to take a hopeful course of action.

“Double,” he began, the changelings listening to every word. “That beacon I gave you, cold you please fetch it for me?”

Obeying without pause, Double trotted over towards the smouldering fire and shifted through a few bags, before returning with the grey beacon in mouth. Gently taking from him with a nod, Dietrich flicked off the bottom cap and pushed the red button.

A steady blue light began to flash, and with beacon still in hand Dietrich looked up towards the night sky.

“What’s going to happen?”

Dietrich didn’t look down at Cipher’s query, still preoccupied with scanning the heavens. “Well, if the shapes that Double saw are what I suspect they are, then we should hopefully receive an answer shortly.” Unseen to them, he frowned under his helmet before muttering to himself. “If I am right, then our troubles have only just begun.”

“Did you say something?” asked Double, Dietrich immediately covering up his slip.

“Yes, I was just saying a brief prayer of hope.”

That seemed to satisfy his companions, all of the changelings sitting down to scour the skies with him. It didn’t feel right to deceive them so, but at the current time he doubted that informing them of his people’s… rather dubious chances of just accepting them on his word would boost the morale. Besides, he could see the excited curiosity in their eyes and it would have been a crime to spoil it.

That excitement only increased when, with a more subdued rumbling than before, the two shapes made their second appearance.

Dietrich was easily able to identify the two craft circling in the sky above them, their slowed speed and his prior experience making the task simple. They were certainly property of his Empire, the sleek and agile fighters a staple on the majority of the military ships he’d been posted on. He glanced down towards the flashing beacon in his hand, pondering to himself on the stroke of luck.

“So, Dietrich,” Seraph asked, with her eyes fixed right on the circling craft. “What are those things?”

“Military fighter craft,” he answered her. “They are used for aerial warfare, and these ones I believe are also capable of operating in the void of space.”

She furrowed her eyes at the explanation. “Warfare? They are… friendly ‘fighter craft’, right?”

Dietrich rested his free hand on her head. “Fear not, they will not fire upon us.”

“So what now?” Double followed up. “Can your beacon-thing get them to send help?” The unofficial leader of the group brightened somewhat. “Would it be possible for them to maybe get us out of Equestria? Not that I don’t mind this spot, it’s just that I don’t really trust the ponies to keep their word.”

“It’s possible,” Dietrich replied with a hidden grimace. “Certainly possible.”

However, fate decreed that it wouldn’t be up to him to make that choice.

“Dietrich, look!” He followed Chitter’s pointed hoof with his eyes, the sight that he found proving to be quite a curious one.

Apparently there was much notice being taken with them, and he stepped back towards the inside of the castle as the two fighters began to slow and approach. “Everyone, back with me please.”

The changelings did as requested, all of them getting to their hooves and retreating inside. They all moved with him through a hole in a crumbled stone wall, and once in they all turned and strained to watch the no-doubt fascinating sight.

The sound of manoeuvring engines filled the night air, blue glows dotting the underside of the two fighters as they came in to land. Grey metal landing struts extended from their housings while the wings folded upwards, the craft easily fitting within the generous clearing. Gracefully they settled down, the glows of their landing thrusters dying out as soon as the landing struts touched the soft grass of the courtyard.

“Wow…” Double muttered while continuing to watch in awe.

His reaction was understandable. Sleek and pointed, with a colouration that was quite at home amongst the usual black of space, the fighters certainly looked like vehicles designed to cut through the void. The only objects that broke up the smooth angled surface were the pilot’s canopy and the fat gun turret that sat underneath the nose. The long, three-barrelled weapon jutted out from its ball housing, and warily he noted that it was angling from side-to-side in a sweep of the area.

“Stay here and do not move,” he warned, not wishing to see what would happen if one of his charges startled the pilots in their excitement. “A soldier is always taught to be watchful of his surroundings, and any rash actions may be seen as hostile.”

“So what do we do?” Seraph whispered, far less enthused about the landing than Double.

“Wait for them to contact us,” Dietrich advised, eyeing the two war-machines. “I am in plain sight, so just stay behind me until I assure my comrades of the situation.”

As the last word left his lips, the two black-tinted canopies slid back into their housings. Dietrich remained still as two figures climbed out of the cockpits and slid down the side of their crafts after a brief glance around.

Two pairs of black boots hit the grass of the clearing, the owners cautiously advancing forwards.

Dietrich took in their appearance and equipment while he waited, his companions likewise ogling the approaching soldiers from behind him.

Both were what he expected from two naval pilots. Their dark-grey flight suits were generously covered with black armour padding over the vital areas, and their enclosed flight helmets gave no expression away thanks to the reflective full-facial visors. The under-nose turret of both fighters tracked their progress, Dietrich figuring that they had set the guns to manual control via their headgear. Also of concern was the short and squat pulse-carbines held in the gloved hands, the barrels of the weapons currently pointing at the ground but ready to be raised at a moment’s notice.

“Greetings,” Dietrich finally decided to say while not making any moves. “And many blessings upon you, my comrades. I am most eager to see that the Lord has guided you towards my position without incident, as I believe that my mission from him has been completed.”

The two pilots stopped a few metres away and looked him over, their weapons lowering slightly as they relaxed. Then, they must have noticed the changelings behind him as the carbines were raised up to their shoulders in a flash.

Acting quickly before anyone was shot, Dietrich raised his hands.

“Do not be wary of them, friends, they are quite peaceful and are with me.”

He was aware of at least two changelings pressed up against the back of his armoured legs, his attempt to calm the situation down applying to both parties. Thankfully the Lord must have been smiling down upon him, as the pilots slowly lowered their weapons at his words. The next few moments passed in silence, as both groups examined the other carefully.

“You know,” one of the pilots finally said, Dietrich recognising the male’s accent as being similar to his own. “When I left the hanger today, this was probably the last thing I expected to see.”

“I must admit, I can say the same thing myself. The sight is not unwelcome, however.”

Seraph ensured that the two nymphs were safely behind her before refocusing her attention on the newcomers that Dietrich was talking with.

One might have found it odd that they unsettled her so, but despite both being familiar with Dietrich and slightly relieved that he seemed to have the situation under control, the two new humans were a different matter.

Despite their fairly plain looks compared to the priest’s fetish-adorned armour, they excreted a aura of menace. Seraph had taken in the way they had approached, and the speed that they had lifted their weapons up at them. The two were obviously part of a soldier-caste, reflective helmets not giving away one hint of emotion so she had to go off what she could sense.

And so far, they’d been fairly difficult to read.

It was the first time that she’d seen a human without bulky armour on, and even without it they both towered over a standard changeling. While not as muscled as a minotaur, or at least what the minotaurs used to be like before they were all converted, they were still fairly bulky all around. And while the weapons that were now pointed at the ground lacked all sign of sharp and pointy bits, their alien design was more than enough to cause concern.

Likewise, the craft that the pair had arrived in looked equally as menacing. The best object to liken them to that Seraph could think of was a spear-head, save for the two metal wings that were now pointing up towards the sky. The strange things that jutted out from the bottom of the front were still moving, and upon closer comparison to the weapons the new humans held she realised that it was probably the same kind of alien weapon.

Only gigantic.

Suppressing a shiver, she returned her attention to the conversation. After all, it was likely their own future at stake.

“We were doing a meet-and-greet near this city when Control picked up your beacon,” the second human explained to Dietrich, and surprisingly his voice wouldn’t have seemed out-of-place in the town of Appaloosa. “They told us to check it out, so Kopf decided to go a step further and land.”

“Lieutenant Kopf,” the other human reminded with a glance towards his partner.

“Sheesh, all right,” the second human replied. “My apologies, Lieutenant.”

The human evidently known as ‘Kopf’ turned back towards Dietrich, before he tilted his head.

“Haben Sie die Muttersprache zu sprechen?“

The sudden change in language was quite jarring, especially when the guttural tone was taken into account. Even more surprising to Seraph was when Dietrich replied in the same.

“Ja , mein Vater hat mich gelehrt.”

” Und die Außerirdischen ?

“They mean no harm, Lieutenant. In fact, I am proud to call them my friends.” Dietrich looked back towards them, and despite his helmet Seraph knew that he was smiling at them. Her concerns were lifted somewhat, and with great effort she managed to give a small smile back.

“Do they talk?” Williams inquired. “And not in babble, like you two just did.”

Taking a brief glance around, Seraph didn’t see anyone else rush to answer the question. Set at ease by the surprisingly laid-back conversation so far, she took it upon herself and stepped forwards.

“Yes, we can talk,” she answered, all attention turning to her. “Hello, I’m Seraph.”

There was a brief moment of silence while the two pilots examined her before she received any replies back.

“Hello, Fräulein Seraph.”

“Hi.”

There was yet another moment of uncomfortable silence, before it was broken by Dietrich clapping his armoured hands together.

“Well, while I appreciate the politeness of introductions, I do believe that we have some more pressing matters to attend so they will unfortunately have to wait.” Dietrich gestured back towards them. “Unfortunately, brave pilots, I’m afraid that my companions and myself are on thin ice with the current rulers of this planet. While they most graciously allowed us to stay here unharmed, your arrival certainly has attracted undesirable attention.”

Dietrich paused. “You said before that you were conducting a ‘Meet and greet?'"

“Flyer’s slang for a noticeable flight pattern,” Kopf answered with a nod. “Command couldn’t pick up any comms chatter and wanted to try and provoke communication without making it look like an invasion.

“Ah. Well then, I must then humbly request to use your communicator so I may procure transport. I assume that you have arrived via ship, no?”

Kopf nodded. “The Mandez, a Lewis-class.” He must have noticed her confused look. “A light cruiser.”

Her stare didn’t change.

“A spaceship,” he sighed. Seraph could have sworn that she heard a brief chuckle from Dietrich, but when she glanced over at him was as motionless as before. “As for the communicator, I can do one better,” Kopf continued, before gesturing back towards his fighter. “I have enough room for you in the cockpit in the secondary seat, if you wish to be gone as soon as possible.”

Dietrich looked down towards her.

“My companions?”

Seraph kept her eyes on the two pilots, and noticed them shift on their footing. She managed to pick up a trace amount of uneasiness while they both glanced at each other.

“Ah, with all due respect,” Willems started to reply. “That may not be, well, possible. You know how tetchy the Brass can be about just bringing aboard unregistered natives…”

“They are more than registered, I assure you.” Dietrich spread his arms wide. “They were blessed by the Lord, and it was his will that guided me to them.”

“Yeah, well the Lord may have guided you, but the Captain will likely have a different opinion,” explained Kopf with a small snort. “I heard from one of the security officers that a Archdeacon and his retinue are aboard.”

“An Archdeacon?” Seraph immediately picked up on the surprise in Dietrich’s voice. “Of which name?”

“I wouldn’t know, all that I heard was that he’s been repeatedly harassing the Captain. So I would advise you to possibly tone down the religious talk around him.”

Dietrich clapped his hands together, happiness evident in his tone. “Ah, but surely an Archdeacon will understand the circumstances of this joyous occasion. If I were to contact him, then he would surely be more than willing to negotiate with the Captain on my behalf.” Seraph didn’t miss the two pilots share a hasty glance. “I’m sure that the two of you would also receive just recognition of your efforts in assisting me and my companions.”

Kopf and Williams both looked back towards Dietrich, everyone silent for a few moments.

“And I thought Priests were supposed to be nice,” Williams muttered, before cupping a hand to the left of his helmet and turning away slightly. “Control, we’re going to need a transport down here…”

Looking back up at Dietrich as the two pilots began to walk back to their fighters, she couldn’t help but show her befuddlement while the Priest chuckled once more.
Somehow, she doubted that it was completely genuine.

Dietrich turned around and faced the rest of the group, everyone gazing at him with varied expressions of confusion, curiosity, and even a little fear.

“Well, our passage to safety shall hopefully soon arrive,” he told them all. “Please do not be afraid, friends. While my Empire’s actions are more often than not morally questionable, no harm shall befall you. All that I ask is that you follow the directions of my comrades without complaint, once aboard you will find that my devotion will mean little compared to protocol.”

This seemed to calm, somewhat, but it still didn’t slay all of the unease.

“Is… is this really a good idea?” Chitter spoke up. “While I don’t trust those Princesses one bit, this place isn’t so bad.”

“It’s quite nice,” Swift agreed with a glance to his still-bandaged side. “But, if Dietrich has to leave…”

“He’s right,” Nodding her head, Haze glanced up at him. “If you go, Dietrich, what will we do for food? Our supplies will run out, then we’ll have to try and find some in the forest. We can’t risk going into the nearby towns and getting caught, so we can’t get any energy from ponies either.”

They all noticed Cion shudder, and watched while she glanced out towards the trees. “And I heard stories about this place when I was an infiltrator in Hoofsburg. They say that there’s things even bigger than manticores that live in here.” She looked back towards the castle that had provided them shelter. “Remember when Celestia said that there were enchantments here to keep beasts away? Well, if you live in a castle then you’re hardly going to be afraid of stuff like wolves and snakes…”

Dietrich had to give her that point.

“I… I still don’t know,” Cion continued. “Everything has just been so strange. What would we do?”

Double trotted towards Cion, and looked her in the eyes.

“We rebuild,” he answered solemnly. “I’m just as worried as you, and nervous, but we can’t stay here forever. I don’t know about you, but in my opinion the further we are away from Equestria we are, the better.” He moved closer and rested a foreleg on her shoulder. “It’s a scary option, but it’s one that I think we should try.”

Cion was silent for a few moments, before she sighed and nodded. Moving in, Seraph cleared her throat.

“Whatever happens, we’ll get through it,” she reassured them, or at least tried. With a gesture towards the two nymphs, she continued. “We are, as far as we know, the last of our entire species. The Queen is gone, our hive is gone, and so that makes us responsible for the future of the changelings. It will take us a long time, but with Dietrich’s help I’m sure we can do it.”

Her rather unpractised speech was interrupted when the human she had just mentioned stepped forwards with his hands raised.

“While it is joyous that you are all full of hope, even after what happened, I’m afraid that it is not that simple.”

‘Oh no,’ Seraph wondered while they all stared at him. ‘What does he mean?’

“My friends, I am certain that I will be able to secure passage for you to a safe place. However, my words and faith in you alone will not so easily sway my fellows.” The priest knelt down on one knee, his armour hissing as he did so. “I must warn you, there will likely be questions on how you could be of use and value. It is unlikely that a plea of compassion alone will sway the ones in charge.”

Seraph gulped. “What do you mean? We don’t really have anything of value.”

“You do, in a way,” Dietrich explained. “Seraph, I believe that your species is unknown to my Empire. Changelings are very interesting, and my Empire… likes to study interesting things.”

“Study?”

It was Cion that had spoken up, Dietrich acting quickly.

“It is not as bad as it sounds,” he told them all. Even with his armour on, they could see him sigh. “The fact of the matter is, it is rather unavoidable if you accompany me. Rest assured, I see you all as the great friends that you are, but my Empire will see something different.”

Seraph gulped. “What?”

“They will see your shape shifting, they will see your ability to survive off emotion, and there will be some people who will be very eager to find out everything about you. I must make it very clear; I will not be able to stop them if you wish to leave.”

She was able to hear the sadness in his tone, and her ears folded back while she considered his words.

In the distance, a rumbling sound akin to the arrival of the two fighters grew louder in volume.

‘Did he always know?’ Seraph wondered, looking down at her hooves before back at the priest. ‘There was talk, but does he really think that it would be as bad as that?’

“Dietrich…” It was Madeline who broke the silence. The young changeling was staring up at Dietrich with wide eyes. “Will they hurt us?”

At that, Dietrich sighed and extended a hand. Madeline permitted him to gently rub her head with the armoured limb, the priest taking a few more moments to reply.

“Not while there is still breathe in my lungs,” he told her. “I will permit none to harm you. You have my word, and I swear unto the Lord not to break that promise.”

At that, Madeline managed a small smile. Trotting forwards, Dietrich’s hand left her head while she jumped up onto her hind hooves and wrapped her forelegs around his armoured neck.

“I trust you, Dietrich,” she told the motionless priest while she nuzzled his helmet. “You’re my friend, after all.”

“I… I do not know what to say.” It was a surprise to hear the normally composed human at a loss for words. Slowly, Dietrich rested a hand on Madeline’s back. “Thank you, Miss Madeline.”

Behind them all, the wind whipped up as a loud roar approached. Seraph looked away from the admittedly touching moment to spot a large craft descend into the clearing. It was a dull grey and possessed a pair of squat stubby wings, and with a loud thump it settled down onto the grass as its glowing engines died out.

“I think it’s safe to say that we all trust you,” Double reassured, glancing around to all of them. “I say that we do what we know is the best choice. “

“I agree,” Seraph found herself saying. Keeping her eyes on the newly arrived flying machine, she watched while a door in the side slid away and a ramp extended. Managing to look away and towards her friends, she tried hard to let out the tiniest of chuckles. “After all, we already trotted into Canterlot and met the Princesses face-to-face. An alien spaceship can’t be that much crazier, right?”

Greenleaf watched while the monster-ponies and the two-legger moved towards the big grey metal bird-thing that had landed next to the smaller black ones. Her trembling was now mostly under control, and having regained a small amount of courage back after cowering under her hooves for the last ten minutes, she managed to remain watching while a long piece of metal slid out from behind the big metal thing.

‘What is it?’ she wondered, before her attention turned back towards the monsters she had been following. The two-legger was still talking to the others, his hands moving around as he seemed to try and calm them down. Even though they themselves were scary, Greenleaf could certainly agree with the black hole-riddled ones. After all, she was perfectly happy staying up in the hiding space and away from anymore monsters.

“I should be down there with them, the biped might possess enough power to take my revenge on those infuriating Equestrians!”

Greenleaf clamped her forehooves over her mouth at the outburst, her shakes starting up again.

‘No, bad pony!’ she mentally scolded, shuddering at what wicked words had come from he own mouth. ‘Nice thoughts only, nice thoughts only…’

‘Still weak…’ a new set of thoughts began to drown out the nice ones. ‘I need… more control.’

‘More control…’

‘More control!’

‘I need more, more control!’

“More control!”

This time, Greenleaf wasn’t able to fight her own body. With rough, jerky movements, she struggled to her hooves and stumbled down the crumbled wall that now functioned as a makeshift set of stairs. Halfway down, her movements caused her to trip and tumble down onto the hard ground of the courtyard.

“Ouch!”

Wincing at the growing bruise on her side, she got her hoofing back and stood up again. Lurching towards the others, a fear quickly grew in her as she realised that she was heading right towards them!

‘No, no no no!’ she silently pleaded with herself. ‘Scary!’

A bare ten body lengths away from the rearmost monster-pony, and her pleas were answered.

Wrenching back control from herself, Greenleaf dived down behind a crumbled slab of outer wall. Breathing heavily, she peeked out to see if she had been spotted.
A single monster-pony, one of the smaller ones, was looking back in her direction. Quickly, Greenleaf pulled her head back and hoped to Celestia that she hadn’t been seen.

When a few moments passed with no cry of alarm, she slowly peaked out once more.

The monster-ponies were all standing behind the huge two-legger, all of them facing the metal bird. Greenleaf felt a shiver run down her spine when she heard the sound of many clanging footsteps, and it was only the paralytic fear of being seen by the monsters that kept her from bolting when more two-leggers ran down the metal ramp to confront the others.

They were all grey with blank black faces, and while smaller than the black two-legger it wasn’t by much. There were six of them, and Greenleaf gulped when she saw the black things they held in their armoured hands. She didn’t know exactly why, but a vague and indecipherable memory gave her a brief second of realisation.

‘Weapons.’

Said weapons were soon quickly raised up, the black two-legger raising his hands up while the monster-ponies cowered behind him.

“No need for that, they are with me. Please, allow myself and my companions audience with your Captain so that I may explain the situation. I swear on my faith that they will cause no trouble.”

“Your Holiness,” one of the grey two-leggers replied with a pretty scary voice. “Allowing unregistered-“

“My good marine, please. I have already talked to them about obeying every direction asked of them. Now, our time is short, so I feel I must stress the urgency of the situation. I will fully take all responsibility for any disruption cause, fear not.”

While she couldn’t actually see any face, Greenleaf got the odd feeling that the grey two-legger was still unconvinced.

“They will not be allowed onto the bridge without a screening first and checks.”

“My companions understand those conditions, completely. Now please, may we depart this place?”

The other two-legger didn’t say anything for a while, before he stepped aside and made a waving motion with his hand.

“Fine. Keep in mind that we will be watching for any signs of hostility.” The black weapon in his hands was shifted, almost as to make the point clear.

“Naturally.”

With that, the others began to all move back towards their flying bird. Greenleaf watched as both the monster-ponies and the two-leggers walked and trotted away from her, and she sighed with relief.

All that was left to do was wait for them to leave, and then she could make her way back to the Princess she adored.

‘No. No!’

A horrible dread seized her mind, as once more she found herself unable to control her movements. Against her better judgement and will, Greenleaf found herself standing up and…

Quickly trotting right over to follow the monster-ponies!

‘No, no no no no no!’

It was no use, her actions not her own. It was a miracle that she wasn’t spotted right away, all of the monsters and the two-leggers focused on their current task.
Greenleaf found herself swinging around the side of the bird along with the others, unable to gulp when she faced what was to be her destination.

There was a large hole in the side of the metal bird, the ramp leading up into it like a tongue flopped out of a monstrous mouth. Despite the ample light inside, Greenleaf shuddered at the sheer unnaturalness of it all. Even the others seemed unsure, the monster-ponies stopping just short of the ramp’s base.

“So, are we sure this is a good idea?” It was a mare that had asked the question, the black two-legger not turning around when he answered.

“It is perfectly safe for you all, although it may prove to be a tad crowded.”

With that, he stomped up the ramp with his massive metal feet making a ringing clang sound every time he took a step. The grey two-leggers were already inside, and with hesitant steps the monster-ponies began to follow.

Summoning up enough strength to at least close her eyes, Greenleaf felt her trotting body give a tiny quiver of fear despite her lack of control.

‘I swear, this entire situation is just messed up.’

Corporal Uzu resisted the urge to shake his head at the odd procession that was approaching up the ramp. He and his squad of marines had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time, the Sergeant having taken them into an empty bomber hanger in order to practice their hostile entry techniques. As such, they had been the closest and thus the first marine team to receive the call for the landing.

They had been expecting something exciting, like invading a palace on the new planet and impressing the local maidens.

Instead, they were simple playing taxi for a lost Mortisum priest and a gaggle of aliens.

‘They’re not even hot aliens,’ he silently lamented as they came into better view. The priest wasn’t the first he had seen in his life, so his attention went straight to the aliens as soon as they passed.

They were black and chitinous, the largest came up to his hip, and all-in-all weren’t particularly exciting compared to some of the other species he’d seen. The smallest four, two not even coming up to his knee, gazed up at him in wonder when they passed whereas the adults adverted their eyes. Uzu couldn’t help giving them a small smile that went unseen thanks to his helmet.

‘Well, they are pretty cute I guess.’

Refocusing on the task at hand, he looked at the last alien in the group.

This one was different to the others.

It was taller than the others, and instead of chitin it instead was covered with a layer of green fur. Still, it looked more like a normal horse than the bug things, so it was hardly worth a rating on the weird factor. It was far more hesitant than the others, and when it finally passed him it skirted right to the other side of the entrance.

‘Going to be a long ride back,’ he mentally sighed. Confirming that there was no more equine-like creatures, he slammed the button the close the ramp to the landing craft.

Trotting up behind the others, a lone nymph brought up the rear of the group that was slowly making their way deeper into the transport. A gasping noise caused it to stop and look back, the young changeling only spotting a single grey biped and a closing door.

Puzzled, but with young mind occupied with other matters, it turned back and resumed its following of the remainder of its race with all concerns dismissed.
It had however missed the quick flash of teal-coloured tail that had briefly poked out from a crawlspace in the wall…

Author's Notes:

A little bit of a set-up chapter this time. It's been a while and I was debating on ending the story with a short chapter but instead decided to continue it. Might as well get a little world-building done for readers of my other fics, after all.

So, the group have been picked up and whisked away from Equestria to (possible) safety. However, things are not looking so good for the four-legged members of the group. Faced with rather hostile saviours, will they be able to rely on Dietrich's ability with words to secure them some form of compassion?

And what of the Newfoal that sneaked aboard, with a less than stable mind?

Surely nothing too exciting can happen next chapter...

As always, feel free to point out any and all errors. I think I caught most of them though, this time around.

Lukewarm Welcome

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Gold and silver armour glinted in the light of the full moon as, in a flurry of wings, twenty Lunar Guard and a full one-hundred Solar Guard touched down in the ancient castle’s courtyard. Spears and shimmering silver swords were drawn and ready to be used, before the two rulers of Equestria landed amongst their soldiers.

“Fan out, but be on your guard,” Luna commanded to the soldiers before looking towards Celestia. “Sister, are you okay? We need to focus in case an incursion of humans is at our door.”

Celestia didn’t answer at first, her face locked in a frown while she observed the numerous armoured pegasi and nocturnes scour the castle and the courtyard. There had been such haste in their departure, but she wasn’t even sure of what she was expecting to find.

“I would have expected them to be a tad more… loud,” she mumbled to herself as she slowly started to trot forwards towards the castle. Luna followed with a snort.

“Indeed, they were always a unsubtle race.”

“Perhaps,” Celestia half-agreed, her mind wandering back towards her conversation with the one named Dietrich. “But we must remember to no longer underestimate them if they do seek conflict, events of late have… unsettled things.”

She could feel Luna’s concerned gaze on her, but her sister didn’t press the matter. Silently, Celestia wondered if Luna was still thinking about the incident involving Twilight’s plan for the Nocturnes.

The thought was soon pushed to the back of her mind when they both came across a large black mark upon a scattered patch of grass. Two Nocturnes stood around it with wary stares, and upon getting closer Celestia could smell the burnt vegetation. Looking up, she spotted five more additional patches spread around, and then she noticed that they were all in a vague rectangular pattern.

“They landed with their craft here,” she observed out loud, glancing towards the group of guards that were examining a pile of supplies left by a smouldering campfire. “I can assume that the supplies the changelings were given are gone?”

“Yes Princess,” a sergeant confirmed with a nod. “Save for a tiny amount of the food.”

Celestia nodded back, before focusing on the night sky.

“What do you think, Sister?”

Glancing back towards Luna, Celestia returned her attention upwards soon after. “I think, Luna, that we may in fact have been blessed with a stroke of luck. The human and changelings appear to have left, and hopefully they will be content in honouring our shaky agreement.” She paused, brow still furrowed. “However, we must wait and see to insure that such a seemingly benign turn of events… does not instead morph into another disaster.”

Seraph winced at every slight bump she felt, and had noticed that her fellows shared equally unnerved expressions as they sat next to her in the ‘hold’ of the vessel they were travelling in. The soft rubbery material that covered the bench they were sitting on wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was more to do with the thought that they were currently soaring through the sky and up into the void beyond in a metal box propelled by fire.

She looked away from the nymph that was shifting worriedly in her lap and glanced towards Dietrich, the now-silent priest sitting at the far end of the bench next to Double. He had tried to calm them down with reassurances about ‘military-grad armour plating’ and ‘internal dampeners’ but it had just gone over their heads. Eventually he had given up, his mind seeming to wonder elsewhere.

Facing forwards again, Seraph tried to examine the new humans sitting on a similar bench opposite without making it seem obvious that she was watching them.

Bulkier than the fighter pilots yet still smaller than Dietrich, she couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast with their armour. Aside from the differing colouration between the black and the dark grey, the purpose of the protective suits seemed somewhat different to her. The angular and dull armour of the ‘marines’ lacked all of the icons and objects that adorned Dietrich, their reflective silver visors also toned down compared to the glowing helmet eyes.

Seraph turned her attention to their weapons, the stocky black objects similar to the ones that the fighter pilots were carrying. While they were as blunt as a club, she had no doubt that they were more than just a simple bludgeon. The thick holes at the narrow end and the way the pilots had raised them up to their shoulders indicated that they must have been a ranged weapon of some sort.

In addition, she couldn’t help but notice that the armoured fingers gripping the weapons tightened their hold whenever a silver visor was directed towards a changeling.

‘Guess they’re just as uncomfortable about this as well,’ she thought with a shiver, remembering Dietrich’s prior warnings about what they were expect.

She pondered over attempting to start some conversation, but dismissed it almost immediately. While the confined metal space was silent save for the occasional rumble, Seraph didn’t want to say anything that would sour relations with their new hosts.

So, instead she sat and waited it out. Her hoof would occasionally stroke the back of the nymph she was minding, but to be honest it seemed far calmer than she felt. Thankfully it was only a few more minutes before a voice crackled into life from somewhere above them.

“Lander Seventy-Six on approach to bay five, copy Control?”

The invisible male voice was answered by a soft feminine tone.

“Confirmed Lander Seventy-Six, I understand that you have unauthorised cargo aboard?”

“Affirmative Control, ten sapient lifeforms and one Mortism Priest.”

There was a pause.

“…Repeat that last line please, Seventy-Six.”

Seraph heard looked up as many of the marines, and Dietrich, chuckled softly to themselves.

“I have ten sapient lifeforms and one Priest aboard, Control.”

“Okay… please divert course to bay eleven and prepare for standard containment protocols, level nine. Deck control will guide you in.”

“Confirmed, changing course to bay eleven as ordered. Lander Seventy-Six out.”

There was a click before the same male voice spoke up again. “Okay everyone, we’re on approach and will be met with containment protocols. Marines and Priest, please ensure that your buddies back there behave when the security teams meet us. The last thing I want is to have ordinance flying up my ass from our own guys, copy?”

No-one answered the request, but a single marine turned their head towards them.

“You heard the pilot,” the female said. “Act just as well as you’ve done so far, and we’ll all be going our merry ways in as little time as possible. Sec teams tend to be pretty jumpy when the words ‘unauthorised lifeforms’ are mentioned, so move slow and don’t make any moves that could be seen as hostile.” She looked towards Dietrich. “Your Holiness, I trust that you’ll monitor your… guests.”

“Of course,” Dietrich answered with a nod. “But I assure you that they will follow every one of your commands.” He glanced down towards first Double and then her, Seraph getting the hint.

“Splendid,” the female marine replied with less enthusiasm than the word would indicate. “Just what I like to hear.”

There was another period of silence for about a minute, before a solid thump could be heard from beneath them.

“Landing complete,” the male voice from above announced. “Marines, we’re opening the ramp now.”

All of the soldiers stood up with weapons in hands, but only half moved to the front as the back of the craft opened once more. The rest stayed behind, and as she made to leave the bench Seraph was keenly aware of the stares upon her back.

“Come on,” she whispered to the nymph as she placed it down on the metal floor. “Stay by me now.”

The young changeling let out a chirp and tilted its head, before it looked back towards the bench. Seraph wasn’t sure what it was looking for as its fellow was up the front with Madeline and Sheen and the cherished bat-pony doll was firm on its back, but she dismissed it as the curiosity that was expected.

The ramp came down with a clang, and after a moment of hesitation the group before her began to move. Bringing up the rear of the changelings and aware of the human soldiers approaching behind her, she swallowed the lump in her throat before grasping one of the nymph’s forelegs with her own and trotting forwards.

Bright artificial light was the first thing she noticed. Stepping off the ramp and onto a similar smooth metal floor, Seraph had to blink her eyes before taking in the sheer size of the space that she found herself in.

It was a colossal cavern seemingly constructed out of metal, the size of the room almost rivalling the main cave of her old hive. Actually, it was rather like a massive cave save for a few details. For one, the massive walls were perfectly straight and free of impurities save for the ash-grey paint and continuous horizontal blue stripe that ran across them about half-way up.

Secondly, and arguably more pressingly, was the matter of the numerous grey-armoured humans surrounding the flying transport that she had just left.

Reflection froze when she noticed the amount of weaponry pointed at them, the force arrayed against them seeming like a huge overestimation.

There were ten humans to the left, all crouched behind a stack of metal containers. To the right were another ten, four humans holding large, black, rectangular shields that their fellows took shelter behind with weapons poking over the top.

The centre of the room drew the most attention, mainly because of the huge grey metal box that rumbling on its eight wheels. The closest thing that Reflection to liken it to was a metal wagon, except that this wagon was completely enclosed and seemed heavily armoured. The five humans taking cover behind it were far less of a threat in her eyes compared to the massive grey cannon jutting out of a smooth dome on the wagon’s top.

‘Why do they have to have such… big weapons?’ she wondered, shivering slightly as the barrel of the large cannon passed over her in a menacing sweep.

“Well,” Reflection heard Dietrich mumble from up front. “Good to see that they’re taking no chances.”

She was just about to ask if this was the standard greeting from where he was from, but didn’t get the chance before a loud voice rang out from the metal wagon.

“Line up side-by-side in a straight line, that includes the Priest.”

Seraph and the rest of the changelings glanced around at each other with worried looks, before they attempted to do as instructed. Dietrich remained where he was and acted as a guide, Seraph making sure that the nymph she was watching was standing beside her.

“Very good. Sergeant Holt, proceed with the check.”

The left group of humans moved forwards, two attaching their weapons to their sides before withdrawing a squat black metal device from identical holsters. A blue glow flickered from the tops of the objects, and Seraph watched with baited breath as a thin blue beam shot out of the fronts. Both Sheen and Madeline winced as the blue line passed over them, but there seemed to be no obvious detrimental effects.

“Clear.”

“Clear.” Both of the soldiers with the devices announced the same unknown conclusion, and Madeline and Sheen were quickly ushered away to the left of the room by an armoured soldier each. Seraph didn’t miss the fact that both humans kept their weapons pointed at the young changelings the whole time.

“Clear.”

The next two changelings, Cion and Swift, followed suit with their own pair of guards.

Seraph steadied herself while the two reached her and the nymph, her foreleg tightly gripping the nymph’s own as the two beams passed over them.

“Clear.”

Opening her eyes, Seraph blinked with confusion when she felt nothing out of the ordinary. Still, there was no time to ponder the purpose of the strange ritual that she had just been subjected to, as a pair of soldiers stepped up towards her.

“This way,” one ordered, Seraph obeying with the nymph still held tight. Their hooves clacked loudly on the metal floor, but it wasn’t long until she reached the previous four changelings. They were all sitting down with their guards keeping a close eye on them, so Seraph decided to join them. The nymph, thankfully seeming to sense that now was not the time to play, laid down next to her with a curious poke of the metal.

She didn’t say anything to the others, and they watched in silence while the rest of their party was ‘cleared’. Dietrich was the final one to be escorted over, but only after the Priest had given up a multitude of items including his mace.

“I’m sorry about this, Your Holiness,” a grey armoured human with two dark blue stripes on his shoulder said to Dietrich as they both approached. “Protocol and all.”

“Do not fret,” Dietrich waved off as he came to a halt. “It is not my first time going through such a procedure.” Seraph found his helmeted gaze going to her. “I am afraid that my companions cannot say the same, however.”

The other human looked over them before glancing back at Dietrich. “You know of course that we do this for many reasons.”

“I know, Sergeant. One cannot be too careful, after all.”

‘Just what did they expect us to do?’ Seraph couldn’t help but wonder.

“They look harmless enough,” the Sergeant commented. “And they were vouched for by you. I’m sure this will be one of the faster processing jobs given that.” He turned and gestured towards the big metal wagon. “I have to talk to the Lieutenant in the APC, and I’ll try to have you moving into the medical phase as quick as I can. Unfortunately, you have to go through an exam as well.”

“Understandable,” Dietrich nodded, before looking around at the group. “But Sergeant, before you go, could I please request that your troops lower their weapons for now? I swear upon the Book that my friends will seek to cause no trouble.”

The other human nodded and flicked his hand in a downwards gesture, and Seraph watched while the guards surrounding them relaxed slightly. Then the Sergeant was already off and heading towards the ‘APC’, Dietrich sitting down on a spot next to her.

“You appear to be rather shaken, Seraph. Would you like to talk?”

Dietrich watched his charges with a furrowed brow while he waited for Seraph to answer. The ten changelings were all huddled up in a group surrounded by guards, their wide blue eyes darting from one armed soldier to the next. He could understand how they were feeling, and his heart was saddened that they had been met with such a terrifying situation.

“I’m alright, really,” she replied with a low voice. Dietrich however could tell she was lying, but he didn’t call her out on it. “I’m just a little worried, that’s all. But I mean, who wouldn’t be.” She glanced around quickly, her eyes dancing over guns and reflective helmets as she lowered her voice to a whisper. “These other humans are scary, I know that you look different under your armour but…”

He smiled at her words, and reached out with a hand to pat her on the shoulder.

“Fear not, young Seraph. I’m certain that once we have completed this matter of protocol you’ll find a more friendly reception.”

“I guess.”

Both of them glanced to the left when another changeling shuffled closer to Seraph, under the watchful gaze of a nearby guard.

“I think our meeting with the Princesses went smoother,” Chitter commented with a whisper, prompting a smile from Seraph. “At least there we didn’t have a huge metal wagon pointing a cannon at us.”

“Ah, the armoured personnel carrier,” Dietrich nodded. “Yes, I must admit that may have been a bit of an excessive reaction.”

He looked up at a nearby guard when a barely-audible scoff was heard, but the reflective silver face-plate that hid the helmet’s cameras betrayed nothing.

“Armoured… personal carrier?” Chitter repeated.

“A vehicle that is used to transport squads of soldiers while providing fire-support in combat areas,” Dietrich explained with a hint of nostalgia. “On large ships such as the one we are on, they are often used by the ship’s marines to respond quickly to boarding attempts in areas like this hanger.” He smiled underneath his helmet. “Or, alternatively they are used to ensure that no changeling nor Mortism priest can run amok and cause havoc.”

The latter part earned a small laugh from Seraph and a smile from Chitter. Without looking around, Dietrich could also see that the other changelings were all listening and likewise appeared to relax at his quip.

He smiled to himself at the realisation, but it was tempered somewhat by another thought. For starters, there was little doubt that his friends would merely be satisfied with one answer, and given the wealth of new things that they had yet to experience…

“Oh,” Chitter nodded. “So Dietrich, what about those things that glowed blue before?”

It took him a moment to figure out what Chitter was asking about. “Oh, the devices that my comrades used on us? They are simple scanning tools, no doubt to ensure that we had no toxins, chemicals, or weapons on our persons or inside of us.”

Seraph tilted her head. “Inside?”

“You would be surprised at what lengths some would go to,” Dietrich said. “There is a reason for such precautions, after all.”

“Ah. But what about our horns?”

“And teeth?” Double added from the centre of the group.

“Fairly unthreatening, especially when compared to some of the non-human species that make up our Empire.” He made a point of glancing at a marine. “And besides…”

“Fair point,” admitted Chitter.

There was a brief pause in the questions while they sat, everyone digesting what they had just heard. A nymph trotted over and sat down beside his right side, Dietrich giving the young changeling a light scratch behind the ear with an armoured finger.

“I have another question.”

“Yes, Seraph?”

“This medical exam, what is meant by that?”

Dietrich looked over towards the apc, the sergeant from before beginning to make his way back.

“It will likely consist of more checks, as well as some tests to see if you will require any special treatment during your time aboard the ship.” The clang of metal footsteps indicated that his time for explanations was quickly running out. “Well, it looks like you are to soon find out.”

Everyone turned as the sergeant returned, the marine pausing to nod back towards the apc. All attention the turned to the closest wall behind them, as with a series of clangs and a hum, a heavy door set into the wall opened up. More soldiers stepped out from the opening, a long corridor visible through the opened barrier.

“I have been informed that you all speak UIP Standard. Single, you will each be escorted to a medical area and processed. Two of you will also be permitted to take one of the smaller creatures each for control purposes. After the exams, you will placed into a containment cell until you are deemed to be eligible for release. That will include you as well, Priest, due to your prolonged absence.”

“Understandable,” Dietrich acknowledged.

A black foreleg went up slowly, the focus turning on a hesitant Double. After a pause, the sergeant pointed towards the unofficial leader of the changelings. “Yes?”

“How long will it be until we’re ‘eligible for release’, and what happens then?”

“As long as it takes,” was all the reply was for the first question. “After that, whatever happens is up to the higher-ups. You have to remember that you’re the ones that arrived unannounced with little warning.” He turned and turned towards two of the guards. “Escort the Priest to area seven-b. Then begin escorting the others to the containment area. I have to have some more words with the Lieutenant in private.”

With that, the sergeant was gone again, leaving them with their guards and their orders.

“You heard him,” a female marine said with a nod of her head towards the door. “Come on, Your Holiness, you’re first.”

Dietrich gave the nymph next to him a final light pat before he got to his feet, his armour significantly lighter without all of his holy implements. A marine flanked him on each side as he began to move away from his group of friends, but not before he turned to give them one final wave of encouragement.

Reaching the doorway and the additional waiting soldiers, he lowered his voice.

“I would greatly appreciate it if you fine troops eased up on them a little. They are very good of heart, here because of me, and are understandably rather worried by all of this, so all I can ask is that you endeavour to show some them small kindness.”

He stepped through the door, another two marines taking up their positions while the previous two halted.

“We’ll try,” was all the female soldier responded with, before she and her fellow began the trip back to the huddled group.

‘I suppose that it’s better than nothing,’ Dietrich thought with a sigh, before he turned and allowed his new escorts to show him where to go.

“Open your mouth wide, and stay like that until I say otherwise.”

Seraph did as the human female instructed, her jaws opening up as far as they could comfortably go.

At least she thought it was a human, as like the others so far it possessed a less than revealing suit and helm. This one’s attire was unlikely to be designed for combat however, the soft and sealed white suit with two metal cylinders on the back along with the helmet seemingly made from all-encompassing black glass appeared far too bulky for that role.

“Hmm, a single row of smaller, sharp teeth with two large frontal fangs on each jaw.” Seraph supressed a wince when a finger covered with a hard yet flexible black material prodded the tip of a fang. “No sign of any venom outlets, so the same as the others.” The finger was withdrawn. “I am now going to extract a sample of your saliva, please remain still.”

Seraph focused on the rows of lights above her, the glowing lines filling the medical room with a soft yet illuminating yellow glow. The stark white walls and ceiling revealed little, save for the numerous vents and nozzles whose purpose escaped her. She shifted her rump upon the dull grey table she was sitting on, but the discomfort of the cold metal was soon forgotten when a long and thin metal tube was softly placed behind her bottom lip. There was a beep and the sensation of a soft suction, before the tube was thankfully withdrawn.

“Okay, you may close your mouth now.”

She did as asked, the doctor turning away to place a sealed container down a slot in the wall.

Seraph took the time to check on the nymph that she had been assigned to watch. It was currently sitting by the bench that she was on, bat-pony doll clutched in its hooves. Wide blue eyes followed everything that the human doctor was doing, with the occasional curious glance towards the soldier standing at the ready by the exit.

“Now I need to ask some information for our records,” the doctor continued when she turned back, a glowing rectangle in hand. “Name?”

“Seraph.”

The doctor tapped the fingers of her free hand on the pad that she was holding.

“Species?”

“Changeling.”

“Age?”

Seraph frowned. “Ah… unknown?”

“I can at least assume that you are an adult like the others before you?”

She didn’t know whether to take offense at the question. “I am.”

“Sex is female, carbon-based lifeform, diet is omnivore mixed with emotional syphoning,” the doctor looked up. “Insectoid appearance but with mammalian and marsupial-like qualities, warm-blooded with an odd green colouration likely due to diet, standard immune system, apparently naturally capable of magic-”

“Not very well,” Seraph interrupted. The doctor gave what Seraph guessed was a stare before returning to the notes.

“Wings, curious holes in the limbs that apparently serve as identification amongst the species, no internal organ differences of note, and is capable of naturally speaking UIP Standard.” The doctor looked up at her. “I take it that these notes are correct?”

“Yes,” Reflection confirmed.

“Good.” Turning around briefly, replaced the thing she was typing on with a device that looked rather menacing. Seraph watched while the human took a see-through vial of translucent liquid from a small white case on the bench and inserted it into the handle of the tool. The device was then turned towards her, the doctor leaning in close. “This will sting a bit, but it is of the upmost importance.”

Seraph nearly jumped when the cold metal tip of the tool was placed against the side of her hind leg. She did however jolt in shock when a short and sharp burst of pain exploded from the spot where the device was.

“Ah!”

The doctor withdrew the tool and immediately set it down upon a metal tray. A short sliver of what seemed to be a soft white cloth was dabbed at the sore spot, before it was taken away. Seraph didn’t miss the spot of green blood on it, nor did she miss the fact that it was quickly deposited into a secure see-through cylinder. The last part was by far the least concerning, a sticky white film of material being carefully pressed over the hole.

“There,” the doctor said. “Apologies for the needle-gun, but we can’t risk any nasty diseases or infections, can we?”

“But I don’t have any diseases.”

“Correct,” the human slipped a new vial of liquid into the ‘needle-gun’. “In fact your checks came back very well. According to what we can gather, medically you and the other changelings so far are very healthy.” The needle-gun was placed back down on the tray. “They’ll no doubt want to pass you over to the xenobiologists for further tests when we make a stop in port next, but that will be merely for information and not treatment.”

Seraph tilted her head. “But if we’re healthy, why the risk of disease?”

The human doctor seemed to pause for a moment, before she let out a small chuckle. It was surprising for Seraph, but she was slightly relieved at the evidence that another human aside from Dietrich was capable of laughter.

“This ship is filled with about two-thousand personnel, contains a few different species amongst those personnel, and you’ve never stepped foot off of your planet before. The injection isn’t for our protection, it’s for your protection. We keep a clean ship, but we also all have the advantage of artificially-boosted immune systems and some of the most advanced bioscience in known science. The last thing we want is for new species like you to just drop dead because you catch a cold in a completely new environment.”

Suddenly the injection didn’t seem as painful as it had been.

“Oh…” Seraph replied. “Uh, thanks then.”

“No problem,” the doctor answered. “For the record, you all seem pretty nice anyway. It’s a refreshing break from having to constantly keep the marines healthy, you won’t believe how much of a sook a trained soldier can be about a tiny injection.” Without giving Seraph a chance to reply, the doctor gestured down to the watching nymph. “Anyway, back to what I was doing. Please step down and put the little one up, I’ll try and keep it as short as possible.”

Seraph did as asked, her hooves touching the metal floor before she picked up the nymph and placed it down on the bench. It looked at her and let out a curious chirp, bat-pony doll still in its forehooves.

“Open up,” the doctor asked with metal tube at the ready. The nymph eyed the human and let out a chirp, but complied after Reflection opened her own mouth to show it what to do. To the nymph’s credit, it didn’t flinch when the tube was gently put in, and it remained completely still until it was removed. “Very good. Is it yours?

The absentminded question caught Seraph off-guard, and she hesitated before answering.

“Oh, no. No it’s not. I’m just looking after it for now.”

“Ah.”

She was thankful that the doctor didn’t press the matter, and it wasn’t long until they had reached the time that Seraph had been dreading.

Injection time.

“Now, little one, this is going to hurt,” the doctor advised while placing the needle-gun against the nymph’s hind leg. “You need to be brave, okay?”

Seraph didn’t quite know how the nymph knew what was about to happen, but it let out a weak chirp and clamped its eyes shut. There was a small hiss and a shudder when the doctor pressed the trigger of the needle-gun, but the nymph didn’t utter a single peep as the vial of liquid was injected into it.

“See? Braver than most of the marines I’ve done the same to,” praised the doctor while she placed another white strip over the tiny puncture. “That’s the last changeling I need to check, and…” there was a hiss of air, before the doctor reached up with both hands and removed the helmet she was wearing.

Seraph stared at the first human female she had ever seen, the doctor’s short-cut blonde mane shaking from side to side as she shook her head. Her skin was a pinkish-white compared to Dietrich’s chocolate-coloured tone, and her small eyes were a deep and sparkling blue.

Underneath all of the armour that they wore, Seraph had to admit that they didn’t seem very monstrous at all.

“Ah, finally. I hate having to wear these things.” The helmet was placed down on the bench, the doctor holding out a gloved hand to Seraph. “I’m Doctor Hurst, I’ll be in charge of you changelings while you’re waiting in containment.”

Seraph looked at the hand, before reaching out her own foreleg so Hurst could clasp it.

“Seraph,” she introduced again. “How long will containment be?”

Hurst let go of her hoof. “Well, it really depends on how long the command staff decide you need, but from a medical standpoint I’m willing to wager it’ll be no more than a few days. You’re similar enough to us in a biological way that food and medical treatment shouldn’t be much of an issue, and you’re small enough in number to not be considered a major security threat.”

“That’s a relief.”

A cough drew their attention, Seraph and Hurst glancing towards the marine waiting at the exit. He shifted his head in a slight nod towards the closed metal door, and Hurst waved a hand at him.

“Well, we’ll have to talk more later,” the human shrugged. “I have to oversee the tests we need to do, and I might visit you all later on. For now, you’ll have to follow the good Corporal to the containment cell.” Hurst reached out and plucked the nymph from the bench, setting it down on the ground. Then, she placed the bat-pony toy carefully on the nymph’s back. “You two stay safe, okay? Just behave like you have been and I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

Seraph smiled back. The fact that the doctor had proved to be a nice human under the professional persona buoyed her hopes somewhat. It was certainly a nice change of pace to the earlier treatment they had received.

Almost as if she could sense her thoughts, Hurst pointed a finger towards the soldier standing at the door.

“And Patrick, be nice to these guys. If I hear about any typical marine bullying, I’ll ensure that your next physical will involve a manual prostate exam conducted by yours truly.” Hurst’s voice gained a menacing tone. “And trust me, I won’t be gentle.”

“Aye Aye,” the marine quickly replied with a salute.

“Good man,” Hurst nodded, before giving Seraph a final wave. “See you two later.”

“Bye,” Seraph farewelled while the nymph chirped, before they both trotted out with the marine following beside them.

The soldier didn’t say anything as he led them down the plain white corridor, the door shutting behind them with a hiss. The only other way out seemed to be at the opposite end with another door, and when they approached it too opened with an identical hiss of air.

Stepping inside, Seraph found herself in a dull room with grey-painted walls. Some lettering in white paint and large bold font was on the middle of the wall, but Seraph was unable to understand it.

The room was empty save for a large raised circle in the middle, the white structure filled with flickering buttons and flashes. All around the edges, floating seemingly in mid-air, was a number of see-though panels that appeared to have no substance at all. Lines of lettering and images of rooms filled the floating panels, but once again it was all too alien for her.

Four humans sat on thick black chairs inside the ‘hole’ of circle, each one armoured in the same grey armour as her escort. Two of them looked up from what she assumed was some kind of control console, one of the humans tilting their head.

“Last ones?”

“Yep,” her escort responded. “Although the doc wants it to be known that she likes ‘em, and if you give them flak she’ll be ticked off.”

That earned muffled chuckles from all of the soldiers inside of the circle, the one who had asked shaking his head.

“Ah, good old Hurst. Still, she doesn’t really need to threaten us, you know who came on board with them?”

“No.”

“A full-fledge Mortism High Confessor, mace and all.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep,” the apparent one in charge replied. “So don’t do anything stupid, or your soul just might burn.” That prompted another round of chuckles, except this time they were far more muted. “Anyway, head on through to the containment cell. They’re in the shared one, Cell D-One.” He pressed a button on the console, and a large door slid open to the left.

“Come on.”

Seraph followed as ordered, pulling the nymph along as well. She didn’t miss the stares that she got on the way past, but at least she got the feeling that they were more curious than watchful.

Stepping through the door, she was met with another two armoured humans and…

“Seraph!”

The room was relatively small compared to the others she had been in. About the size of a small pony house, it was the same plain white as the medical area had been. Taking up most of the space was a room that was sealed off with a heavy-looking metal door painted grey, and a huge see-through window. There also was a small area to the right that looked curtained off, most likely being some sort of restroom.

The others, save for Dietrich, were all present in the sealed room. None looked hurt, and she could feel that they were relieved to see her and the last nymph. The floor they were sitting on was smooth metal, but a number of grey sheets had been spread out to cover most of it. There were a number of small pillows in the room also, and even though it was confinement it still seemed more comfortable than the cave that they had been hiding out in.

Seraph smiled when she spotted the changeling that had called out, Chitter looking out at her through the glass.

“Shutting outer door.” The voice of one of the marines from outside spoke down from the ceiling via some unknown means. Seraph glanced back just in time to see the heavy door slid down into place with a thud. “Opening cell door in three…”

She looked back towards the see-through room, the three human guards straightening with their weapons at the ready. There was a hiss of air, Seraph figuring that she’d have to get used to the sound given its regular occurrence, and the grey door opened by splitting into two with one half going into the ceiling while the other sunk into the floor.

“Please move into the…”

The human guard didn’t even have time to finish before the nymph galloped through the door and made a beeline for its fellow. Both of the young changelings exchanged happy chirps and chitters, the bat-pony doll soon changing hooves.

Seraph followed the nymph’s example and stepped into the cell, the guards watching all the while.

“Closing cell door.”

Both halves of the cell door merged back together, followed by a series of loud clunks from within it. Then there was a slight hum, and a soft flash of blue flared up over the door’s surface.

“Commencing purification sequence, marines stand by.”

Seraph watched for a few more moments as a thin white mist filled the room outside, before she turned back just in time to receive a hug from Chitter.

“Are you alright?” he asked, Seraph getting over her surprise and embracing him back with a smile.

“I’m fine, I actually think I ended up getting along well with the doctor,” she reassured. Looking around at them, she noticed the identical strips of white on their flanks. “I see that we all got the same injection then.”

“Yeah,” Haze winced. “They said it was important, but it still hurt.” She looked at the changeling sitting next to her when he coughed, Haze smiling at Swift. “The doctor did fix Swift up as well, look.”

Swift turned his rear so the side that had been stung by the scorpion was facing out. There were no bandages, but there was a cloudy hardened gel filling the hole in his chitin.

“The human said that it was healing well, and she sprayed this stuff into it,” Swift explained while poking the gel with the tip of his hoof. “It was cold at first, but now I can hardly feel it. She said that it would stop it from getting infected and it would speed up the healing while numbing the pain.”

“They’re quite confusing,” added Chitter. “First they treat us like criminals, then they give us injections so we won’t die from being around them, and then they lock us in this room.”

“They seem to just be a little… cautious,” Double replied with a wince. Seraph could tell that he was going to at first use the word ‘paranoid’. “But apparently they have their reasons for being so, and you have to remember that we came to them for help. They haven’t hurt us apart from the injections, even this cell is fairly nice as far as cells go.”

Seraph had to admit that Double had a point. They had been given bedding and weren’t in chains, and best of all there was no risk of getting converted.

“And it’s not like we’d have treated a bunch of humans this well back in the past.” Seraph looked to the speaker, Cion laying down on a pillow. “If they’d come to us after running from the Equestrians, we would have laughed at them and cocooned them.”

“Things have changed,” Double quickly stepped in to clarify. “The past is far gone, and it’s just us ten left. We don’t even have a Queen, so we’re just going to have to wait and see what the humans decide to do with us.”

“I suppose,” Seraph murmured, moving over to sit by the two nymphs.

“Hey,” she looked to her left as Chitter sat next to her and pushed up against her side. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. Dietrich’s probably explaining everything to whichever human is in charge right now.”

She looked back out of the see-through wall, the two armed guards still standing stock still on either side of the only doorway out.

“I hope you’re right, Chitter. I hope you’re right.”

“…and so I couldn’t help but extend compassion to them and allow them to accompany me back, what would you have had me do? They are good and kind creatures with no malice in their hearts, who have suffered terribly because of what their people did in the past, and they only wish for a new beginning. Personally I believe that they will make fine citizens, and I am willing to swear on the Lord over it.”

Dietrich removed his hand from the spot above his chest while he sat back in the padded black chair, and awaited an answer from the four higher-ups sitting across the wooden table.

His borrowed plain-grey uniform and black boots were a far cry from the regal-blue uniform of the Captain and the awe-inspiring holiness of his Archdeacon’s revered black plate. The ship’s Head Doctor was moderately dressed in a buttoned-up grey lab coat, so at least she was about as underdressed as he was. Still, Dietrich wished for his own blessed armour, but he knew that he would be denied access to it until the ship’s engineers had examined every nanometre of it.

The moderately-sized office they were sitting in fitted them all comfortably, the comfortable chairs and hand-carved wooden table a strange sight aboard the rather uniform vessel. The Captain had volunteered his personal meeting room for their discussion, so it was likely that the furniture was part of his personal belongings. The door had been shut on them an hour ago with no-one save for the four present to be admitted entry.

Dietrich couldn’t help but shake the feeling that they were attempting to keep things under wraps, but as to why he had no clue.

“An interesting tale indeed,” Captain Takei commented, before he took a sip from his glass of water. “I must admit that I have not had the chance to actually lay eyes upon our new arrivals.”

“They are most gentle beings,” Dietrich reassured. “All that I ask is that you refrain from judging them right away, their appearance has caused them many problems in the past.”

“I think they’re adorable,” Doctor Hurst said with a small smile. “Especially the four younger ones.” She gestured with her data-pad at him. “One of them even told me that you helped her decide on her own name, Madeline. A very pretty name, and she was such a polite young creature too.”

That brought a smile to his face, Dietrich glad that at least he had one likely ally in the room.

“Well Doctor,” Takei continued with a raised eye. “You’ve had the most contact with them, what do you have to report.” The Captain appeared to think for a second. “And please, Doctor, professional information only. I wish to know if these ‘changelings’ are worth the effort.”

The Doctor cleared her throat, Dietrich watching her hopefully while she used a delicate finger to browse her data-pad.

“Well Captain, it really depends on who you talk to. We have their DNA and gene information, anatomical scans, and general information that they have provided about their race. For the military there is little of note save for their ability to shapeshift, but a xeno-biologist would likely do anything to get a hold of one. They are an odd species, closer to mammals than anything else, and they have many features that are certainly different from the norm.”

Doctor Hurst lowered her voice. “Also, they have made claims of being able to use limited ‘magic’. There are a number of departments that would be most keen to see if those claims are true…”

Dietrich had to repress a shudder. The thought of his friends ending up as ‘guests’ of the more questionable branches of the UIP military was not a pleasant one.

Captain Takei appeared to share his thoughts, the hardened navy captain taking a large gulp of his water before wincing.

“Quite. Still, Doctor, you are of the belief that we have ample justification of allowing them shelter, at least until we reach the next controlled planet?”

Hurst nodded. “I do, Captain. I would also like to add a personal note that I have so far experienced nothing but total cooperation from them. In addition, they naturally speak UIP basic and are very few in number, which would help greatly with any attempt to integrate them.” She smiled. “And have I mentioned that they are very cute?”

Takei sighed, but Dietrich took notice of the slight smile that the old Captain had on his face.

“Yes, I believe you have.” His left eye raised up. “Did you happen to learn why they speak our language exactly? From what Dietrich has told us, they knew it before their encounter with our… unfortunate relatives.”

“No Captain, from what they told me it seems as if they refer to it as their native tongue and have spoken it since they can remember.”

“And there are no UIP records that state contact with such a species in the past?”

“None that I could find, but we cannot rule out possible influence from another universe. We have just found one former human race, after all.”

“Indeed,” the Captain nodded, before scoffing. “I still cannot believe that a post-atomic human civilisation got defeated by a race of fantasy horses.”

“To be completely fair,” Dietrich chimed in. “They are magical ponies. My friends told me of the vicious magical barrier that destroyed all that it touched, and the leaders of the ponies are said to be very powerful.”

“Bah!”

The three of them looked to the Archdeacon, the oldest person in the room staring at Dietrich with narrowed blue eyes.

“Magic is simply a cloak that the weak-willed use to hide themselves, those of righteous hearts have nothing to fear from such forces.”

Dietrich nodded, while his superior looked down his nose at him.

“That is right, Archdeacon. However, as shown in the verse of Saint-“

“Do not quote scripture to me, High Confessor. I am well-versed in the book, and am well aware of the warnings concerning the occult forces.” The Archdeacon leaned in across the table. “Those warnings are the main reason that I am very interested in your disappearance and resulting presence on this remote planet. So, Dietrich, can you explain to me just how your supposed ‘miracle’ occurred?”

“This is not the time for your church matters,” Captain Takei butted in with a wave of his hand. Dietrich couldn’t help but notice that, until the Archdeacon had started speaking, the Captain had so far been rather relaxed in demeanour. Now, there was a pronounced air of tension. “While the matter of the High Confessor’s arrival on the planet below us is certainly worth investigating, I am far more concerned about the alien creatures that I have in my containment area.”

“You forget your place, Captain,” the Archdeacon uttered with a low hiss. “You could not possibly understand the ramifications of this ‘church matter’. The fact that you waste your time on such trivial matters is testament to that.”

Takei’s eyes narrowed further, the Captain facing down the armoured holy man without a trace of fear.

“This is my ship, Archdeacon. Your religion, your god, holds no sway over me. What does hold sway is military protocol, and that protocol states that dealing with ten unauthorised aliens is more pressing than chasing myths and superstitions.” Turning away from the visibly fuming Archdeacon, the Captain looked back to Dietrich. “High Confessor, I must admit that I find your story’s beginning rather… unbelievable, but it is not a concern of mine. We are to make port in a system a week’s travel away, I suggest you reconsider your explanation during that time.”

Dietrich nodded. “And, Captain, what of my friends in containment?”

Takei waved a hand in dismissal, the Archdeacon still glaring at him while Hurst was visibly trying to suppress a growing smile.

“As soon as they are cleared by the Doctor I will be their judge. You will accompany them to the bridge when that time comes. Understand?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Good, you will be assigned a standard berth in the meantime.” Takei looked back towards the Archdeacon. “As for you…”

The Captain stopped speaking when the door to the meeting room opened without a knock, and a grey-armoured marine entered before hurrying over towards the senior officer.

“Captain.”

“Yes?” Takei replied while standing up, the marine whispering his message into the Captain’s ear. “I see. Ensure that it is properly contained, but keep it separate to the others. Dismissed.”

“Aye.”

With a snap salute the marine turned on his heels and left, Dietrich finding Takei’s eyes upon him.

“High Confessor, you said that you had made ten acquaintances, correct? The ones that are currently in a containment cell?”

Dietrich furrowed his brow, but nodded. “Yes, I have knowledge of only the ten changelings in my charge.”

“I see..”

Takei placed his hands down on the table and leaned forwards.

“Then could you, High Confessor, possibly explain to me just why the security team has found a green pony in the landing ship that you arrived in?”

“All ten unregistered lifeforms confirmed in containment. Security teams stand-down.”

Corporal Uzu relaxed with a sigh as the order came through the communication system in his helmet. His grip relaxed on his pulse carbine, and he glanced back towards the lander with a nod of his head.

Job done.

Thankfully he’d been tasked with providing general security for the hanger during the unloading, and so he hadn’t had to interact with the new creatures at all. It wasn’t that he was a xenophobe (after all, he’d been on more than one drunken romp with his marine buddies on many a foreign world as was marine tradition) but rather the unwillingness to answer a thousand questions that the seemingly primitive creatures were likely to ask.

Thankfully they had proved to be a very quiet and restrained group, unlike the last group that he had escorted over a year ago.

“Finally.”

Uzu turned to his left, Corporal Heinz rubbing the side of his helmet with a hand. “The shift was going fine until those verdammt aliens and that High Confessor wanted to come aboard. I was sweating the entire time sitting across from him.”

Uzu smiled at his comrade, Heinz having been in the same squad for a few years.

“Have you not been going to church, eh Heinz?”

Even though Heinz’s face was hidden behind a silver-visor and camera-dotted metal, Uzu could see the unamused stare that was directed towards him.

“You know full well that I am not religious, mien treasured friend.”

“Then what freaked you out about him?”

Heinz was quiet for a few moments, the two of them observing the hanger while the rest of their squad and the remaining security teams began to filter out of the doors.

“I don’t quite know. He seemed rather… off, and he was far too casual with those aliens for my taste.”

“Pfft,” Uzu dismissed with a wave of his hand. “They seemed fine. Scared shitless, but nice and quiet. Besides, they’re not our problem anymore.” He scuffed the floor with his metal boot. “The green furry one was acting all weird though, far more skittish than the black ones.”

“Green furry one?”

Uzu rolled his eyes and adjusted his grip on his carbine. “Don’t play stupid, Heinz, the green one that looked like a small horse.” He got nothing but a silent stare from his comrade, prompting him to sigh. “Big green eyes, blue-ish hair and tail, had a straight horn. It was sitting opposite… opposite…”

Uzu’s brain was having problems remembering exactly where the green horse-alien had been sitting on the ride back up. He was certain that it had gone up the ramp and entered the ship, after all he could clearly remember himself scoffing at how weird it was compared to the other aliens…

And how it was trying to avoid them.

And how it was acting like it wasn’t supposed to be there.

‘All ten unregistered lifeforms confirmed in containment.’

‘Ten.’

‘Fuck.’

He bolted from the door while raising his carbine, the landing ship still sitting in the middle of the hanger. The remaining marines in the room and the two pilots standing by the craft all stared at him as he dashed towards the still-open rear ramp, but Uzu was too busy worrying about how his court martial would go to stop and explain it all.

“Close the doors of hanger eleven now!” He shouted over the communication system while he continued to run. “Security breach!”

Evidently, whoever was in charge back in the hanger section control room didn’t wish to take any chances.

Just as the word ‘breach’ left his tongue, a low droning alarm boomed out throughout the room from hidden speakers up above. All of the doors leading out of the hanger began to close, and from the other side of them loud thuds could be heard as the heavy bulkheads sealed the area off.

The few marines left in the hanger, numbering at fifteen not including him, only hesitated slightly before they dashed after Uzu with weapons at the ready. He could hear the boot steps of Heinz behind him, and even the two pilots unholstered their sidearms before following him towards the ramp.

Uzu stormed up the lowered ramp just in time to lay eyes on the green alien horse as it extracted itself from a gap underneath the left row of seating. Wide lime-coloured eyes snapped up to stare at him, like a thief caught red-handed.

Keenly aware of the reinforcements behind him, Corporal Uzu raised his carbine up and pointed the barrel right at the head of the shivering alien.

“Stop! Move and I’ll shoot!”

Greenleaf trembled once again as her ears picked up yet more heavy footfalls outside of the metal chariot she was hiding in.

‘So scary, so loud…’ she thought to herself while trying to stop her teeth from chattering.

‘So intriguing…’

Greenleaf winced. The monsters that she had shared the chariot with had left some time ago, but the monster in her head was still there. It almost scared her as much as the big two-leggers, it’s evil voice echoing inside of her mind without an sign of stopping. It had done nothing but whisper really mean things about the Princesses, about her, about weakness…

“Stop it,” she whimpered as she covered her head with her hooves. “Get out of my head.”

‘You’re in my head, invader! My head!’

“No!”

The dark was only making things worse, Greenleaf wincing again when a low droning sound came from outside.

‘My head!’

She was unable to take it anymore, she had to get away. Going for the gap she had wiggled in through, she crawled as fast as she could and made for the source of light. Fear proved to be an excellent lubricant, and with a soft pop her rump and tail cleared the hole with her tumbling out onto the cold metal floor of the chariot.

Greenleaf had escaped the dark, but she as she looked up she saw one of the two-leggers running towards her. Freezing up, she could only tremble as the evil voice cackled menacingly as more two-leggers approached.

‘Ha! Yes, no more running, no more hiding now!’

“Stop! Move and I’ll shoot!”

Eyes tearing up and ears folding down try and block out all of the shouts, Greenleaf sank down onto her knees and fell onto her side. Curling up into a ball, her limited newfoal mind tried to cope with her situation as something roughly grabbed at her.

‘I just want to go home. Where are you Princess Celestia? The monsters are going to get me.’

There was no answer from her beloved Princess and protector, but instead the monster in her head hissed a gleefully spiteful reply as the two leggers surrounded her.

‘And that is what you deserve, you pretender. But rest assured, there is nothing that they can do to you that will even compare to the torment that you’ll suffer when I am finally released from your hold. Mark my words.’

Overwhelmed by sheer terror, Greenleaf succumbed to the one escape that she had from the evil voice.

Unconsciousness.

Total Conversion Bureau - Divine Salvation

by Dropbear

Oh, A Convertin' We Will Go!

Doubt

Fear

Revelations

Just Deserts

Confrontations

Stowaway

Lukewarm Welcome