> Collateral
>  by Ogopogo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter I - Fuel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s so ironic and perverse that this sprung from something so joyous and beautiful. Weddings were meant to be joyous times, exchanges of love meant to bring two hearts closer together, to become one. Yet, somehow, the joy had shed its disguise for something far more sinister and vile.	

Hatred and paranoia.	

The barrel I hid in offered a view of the crowd encroaching on my house. I couldn’t see it, but I heard the crack of the door being kicked open and the cries of my parents as they were dragged out.  The crowds parted slightly, as if offering me a choice of my parents’ fate. Tears of fear leaked from their eyes as a hatted earth pony demand to know where I was hiding, mirroring the rivulets that cut deep into my cheeks. 	

I did nothing but look on as he struck my mother. I did nothing but stare as I saw my parents thrown back into our house. Boards were nailed over every opening with clear intent - to turn our home into their grave. Torches were shoved through the cracks, and flames began to take hold, but by the masters’ pain, all I could do was watch.	

A choked sob accompanied the cheer of the fanatical mob as they celebrating the collapse of my home and the death of my family. The ponies who had raised me, sheltered me, given me the love I needed to thrive, were now probably nothing more than powdered ash. All I could see through my clenched eyes were their faces. Their smiles as they sung me a lullaby, their faces as we lounged about the fireplace on a cold winter night.	

Raising me as their own was their only crime. Passing on love, their only sin. Granting me a life, their only wrongdoing.	

My damnation was being born a changeling.

In the space of a night, I had become a beast: a monster, fit to be beaten back with clubs, acceptable as a trophy to hang over a fireplace. Nothing could have been done to change that. The crimes of others had condemned me to the desolation I faced. Guilt by association.	

Helpless, save for the blood burning through my veins, I curled up at the bottom of the barrel, shivering in the dank rainwater, and closed my eyes. Even as I fell into a fitful sleep, the screams of my parents still rang in my head, accompanied by my own mute sobbing.	

At this point, I no longer cared if I woke up.	


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Yet, despite my wish, I awoke, frozen to the core. Trembling, I clambered from my hiding place, stumbling over to the glowing embers of tattered wood that used to be a home. Minutes passed as I just stood there, looking where my house once stood, as if I still couldn’t comprehended that it was gone. What began as an urge gradually shifted into desperation, and I ran into the ashes, ignoring the cries of pain from my burning hooves. My parents just had to be alive; I couldn’t imagine the world without them. 	
The heart beating within my chest seized up as I shifted a blackened wooden beam, revealing my parents’ bodies to the world. Nothing save their bones and torched muscle remained. They had died holding each other, comforting one another till their last breath. Tears coursed down my face, and I cried a keening wail, growing in volume.	

Tortured distress grew into bitter rage. My wail became a scream, my eyes screwed shut against the sight, as if merely seeing it made it true. Taking a gasping breath, I roared, drawing from the well of anguish inside me. As my voice passed beyond the range ponies could hear, my cries did not go unanswered. The long howl of a wolf rang out, weaving through the cry of loss, singing in unison for a brief second; offering the companionship of a lonesome soul.	

Leaving the rubble for a moment, I returned dragging a cloth awning, ignoring the blue and white stripes dirtied with ash. Reverently, I lifted the twisted corpses and set them down, taking one last look at my parents stricken faces, before tying it shut, beginning the funeral march for two by one.

Every Sunday, mom and dad would take me on a picnic to a solitary maple tree atop a rolling hill. Mom would sit in the shade, watching me and dad galavant around like a couple of fools. We never really minded; it was all in good fun. Those same memories seemed like another life, distant beyond my wildest dreams. I came to stand in front of the same tree, staring at the spot where we always sat. The toll upon my magic was irrelevant; my parents deserved anything I could offer.	

I attacked the ground with a vengeance, carving through the earth in an instant. Longingly, I lowered their bodies into the hole. With my vision blurring, I bowed my head, taking a moment to remember them one last time in all their love and compassion. A shaky exhale left my lungs, choking on a farewell, before I piled the earth atop them. Upon the tree I carved their memorial.

“Here lie my parents, Clockwork and Summer Breeze. Victims of violence and assumptions, they lie together for eternity. May in death, they find peace.”	

Something inside me died as I shed the last of my tears upon my parents’ grave. The innocence I once held in my soul had been ripped away, the remaining hole left raw and barren. Wearily, I bid my parents a final goodbye.	

 The first step was the hardest; my spirit seemed to rip asunder, and I almost stopped in agony. But somehow, on I marched, step after step back to what remained of our home.  No, it was no longer my home; my home had been with my parents, not the worthless building. Memories would always be there for me, but they would not.	

My heart dragging behind me, I searched the wreckage and ash for something to remember them by. Books, photos, journals or anything which could combust, was lost to me forever. Only bits of metals, charred and molten beyond recognition, remained. A glint of silver caught my eye, the smoldering embers illuminating my world. Or what was left of it.	

My mother’s locket.	

Of all the things that could have survived, the fates had given me this small blessing. The engraved heart flipped open to reveal a small photo of my parents and me, their brown and yellow coats a stark contrast to my black chitin, amethyst hair and deep purple eyes. The smiles on our faces were genuine and true, but the sight was unbearable. Its weight around my neck may have been comforting, but it did nothing to seal the wound in my heart.	

The time had come for me to leave. The sun loomed on the horizon. Ponies always spoke of dawn as the rebirth of the world, a chance to start a new day afresh. For me, it was a grim reminder of the life I had been forced into overnight.	

The town bulletin board stood at the edge of the settlement, the Royal proclamation still fluttering in the breeze. A crude drawing of a changeling stood beneath it, as if I needed to understand what a monster looked like; what I looked like.	

By the order of the Princesses, Celestia and Luna-

Any changeling found is to be captured and handed over to the
Royal Guard for their part in the attack on Canterlot

These creatures are extremely dangerous and may take measures
to disguise themselves. Keep a close eye on your friends and
family as they may be changelings looking to feed upon
your love. Take care and offer changelings no sympathy; they
are sure to use you against your loved ones.

Any information leading to their capture will be 
rewarded. The capture and deliverance of any changeling 
will be rewarded by one thousand bits. 

The turmoil inside me roared, and my anger, grief and sheer hatred hardened into a single point - my only goal. Their actions must not go unanswered, must not go unmatched. Even if my life was the cost, Canterlot would burn for its crime, and those ponies, the ones who damned me a monster, would understand what it meant to lose a home.

Painfully, with my lack of energy, I forced myself into the shape of a grey unicorn with a purple mane; a parody of myself. I started forward, taking the first step towards my goal. Methodically, one hoof was placed in front of another, ignorant of the world around me, until I collapsed in exhaustion and the darkness claimed me.

Above, the sun shone high overhead.

> Chapter II - Awake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are few worse ways to wake up than to an agonizing migraine, pounding in tune to a heartbeat. I groaned, raising my hooves to my head to ward off the light. Without even looking where I was, I stood up, nearly falling back down on the uneven ground.

“Easy there buddy,” came a voice, the jostling movement halting. “Don’t want you damaging our harvest.”

All I could see was orange. After a bout of blinking, the world came into focus, and I found myself face down in a cart of pumpkins. Two earth ponies looked back at me expectantly, hindered by the cart`s harnesses 

“You feeling alright?” the one to the left asked. He was a chestnut brown stallion with a black mane.

“Fine,” I lied, standing up to get down from the cart. I didn’t want to bother with other ponies. Not yet anyway.

Somehow, the other stallion, a heavily built grey earth pony with an orange mane, unhitched himself before I could even try finishing the action.

“Easy now,” he said, pushing me back down with a hoof. “You need to rest.” I tried to argue but he just shook his head. “You’re in no condition to be walking around.”

“Besides,” the chestnut earth pony interjected, “we barely noticed your weight back up there. So what’s your name?”

“Amethyst,” I mumbled. It was irrelevant whether I told them my actual name or not; within a few days, it’d either be plastered over the papers, or lying with me beneath the rubble.

“I’m Boulder, and this is my brother Flare,” he said, started forward again once his brother had returned to his position. “So what happened to you? We found you face down on the road.”

“Tripped and landed on my head,” I lamely fibbed. A thought struck me, and I hurriedly glanced down to make sure I still had the grey hooves of a unicorn. It had taken a long time for me to learn how to hold disguises while I slept. From what my teacher had told me, it’s why most changelings chose the pretense of a lone individual, so they had the sanctuary of the night.

They didn’t seem to notice, though, and bought my pathetic lie. “Well, just rest up back there. We’ll be in Canterlot by sunset.”

Seemingly unable to accept me declining their offer, they insisted I rest. I wonder what they would think if they knew what I truly was. Ponies always painted the picture of friendship with whomever they met, but in reality,  they were ever so racist. There was this one time a minotaur had come to my town, but if not for the services he offered, few ponies would have even spared him the time of day. Only living there all my life had persuaded them to give me a chance.

“Why are you going to Canterlot?” I asked, trying to strike up a conversation and soothe any doubts.

“You’re sitting on the reason,” Boulder replied. “We’re headin’ into the city to sell them. Not sure how much luck we’ll have, though; after the changeling invasion, not many ponies will be buying.”

“What’s your opinion about them?” I asked, feigning innocence.

“About what?”

“Changelings.”

Boulder stumbled, the words catching him unawares. “Um...” he stammered, “not really sure.”

Did I not hear him correctly, or did he just say he wasn’t sure? Unease, yet open to debate, was something I had not expected to find in ponies. His words struck me harder than I thought they could; it took several seconds to form a response.

“Wha-What?” I almost shouted.

Looking back, Flare evaluated me with a glance. “Do you expect us to judge ponies just because of the actions of a portion of them? Sure, they did try to take over Canterlot, but I don’t buy that it makes them all evil.”

Boulder nodded his agreement. “Besides, dad wouldn’t take too kindly to us judging others before we met. He didn’t raise us that way.”

The words set doubt churning in my mind. Would my father appreciate what I was trying to do? Everytime I tried to think of my past, their agonizing screams sounded out, drowning out all else. Shuddering, I forced a smile to dissuade the brothers’ curious expressions. It didn’t make it any easier to drain their love for me. Well, not so much love as worry.

Now was a good a time as any to explain what separated changelings from ponies.

At first glance, a changeling loosely resembles a pony; a small alicorn, to be more precise. Like zebras, we even used the terms stallion and mare to describe ourselves outside our own language. However, that is where the similarities end. The chitin shell, exoskeleton and membraned wings lent us an almost bug-like appearance, if not for the thin black felt-like covering.

Of course, those are just the visible differences; the main one is in how we feed and cast magic. Changelings aren’t the life-draining monsters many ponies make us out to be. Yes, we do feed off the souls of ponies and their love, but it's how we do it that separates us from a common predator.

To understand this, first accept that every living thing in the world emits some manner of emotion. All changelings feed and flourish on these emissions, drawing sustenance from “magical resonance,” as teacher once described it. Without the energy granted by these emotions, we couldn’t fly or use magic and would be little bigger than a filly or a colt.

I want to get this out of the way immediately. We only harm someone when we steal emotions. Love given freely can never cause harm; how can you steal something which is given? Distance degrades it, but love always touches you. Even when I left town for a week with my teacher, I could still feel my parent’s love. As mighty as it sounds, however, nothing is without fault.

Love is a drug.

I had lived so long with it, that, even though I physically didn’t need it, my body demanded it, even altering my mind to convince me of its views. Long enough without, and I would unconsciously seek to strip it from others, causing more harm than a disguise would. If I went long enough without enough, I would dissolve into nothing more than a mindless monster, seeking to drain an unfortunate victim into a husk.

Well, at least I’d fit their expectations.

Boulder and Flare were talking to each other once I returned from my thoughts. It was clearly a conversation just for the two of them. Sighing, I took their advice, squirming around to find a comfortable position on the pumpkins to rest. Once more, my thoughts gathered around the events of last night, despite my best efforts. They either didn’t hear or notice my quiet sobs as I drifted off to sleep.



~~~~~~~~~~~



“-ake up!”

Something prodded me, and I swatted at it, raising my head from the lumpy bed.

Boulder withdrew, chuckling to himself. “Have a good sleep?” he asked, hooking himself back up. “You certainly look better. Just letting you know, we’re coming into Canterlot soon.”

I bit my lip when I noticed their drooping shoulders, drawing blood. No wonder I looked so much better; I had been stealing from them as I slept. After a minute, though, I dismissed it as my imagination. They had been pulling a cart all day with me as a late addition, and even though they said I wasn’t noticeable, over the course of the day the small difference would be enough.

I hopped down off the cart, and trotted up to join the pair, narrowly avoiding stumbling as I hesitated on unfamiliar legs. Finally, I had the chance to examine my destination and target: Canterlot.

The slender spires of the castle rose from the mountain side, appearing to spell out peace, but in reality that was even more of a forgery than my disguise. How they must love to look down on the world as though we were nothing more than pawns, tools to be disposed of when broken. Beneath the castle sprawled the city, the roofs forming a solid, multihued mass. Yet, even from this distance, I could make out the damage done by the invasion

I didn’t give a shit about the damned place; their version of justice had shown they deserved no sympathy. 

The presence of the guard, standing at attention for their perverted doctrine, was stifling when we finally reached the city. Four of them glared menacingly at us, deciding if it was worth their time to drag us to the castle for interrogation. I met their gaze unflinchingly, engaging in the visual duel. But to imply that it was a contest would be unfair. Scarcely three seconds passed before their eyes drifted away, as if they couldn’t bear looking at me.

“Ehya...” Boulder whistled, looking around in shock. “The changelings sure hit this place hard.”

Flare merely grunted an acknowledgement, while I took a deep breath of air. The entire place simply reeked of fear and paranoia. It seemed like all traces of joy had evaporated as fast as morning dew.

Oh... guess I should mention that changelings can “smell” (for lack of a better word) emotions. Sympathy to hilarity were as tangible to us as bitter and sweet. Trying to explain it, though, would be like trying to explain the colour orange to a blind pony; you’ll just have to take my word for this.

“So where are you staying?” I asked.

“We’ll probably bunk up at our cousin’s inn for a little bit before trying to sell. Doesn’t look like we’d have too much luck at the moment.”

“Yeah, I guess everyone’s a little spooked.”

Oh, how I hated the act I was forced to put on. Were it not for the judgement the city deserved, I would have told Boulder and Flare to flee, to avoid the coming storm. Even though I believed them to be relatively pure of heart, they would alert the guard in an instant.

“That is an understatement,” Flare commented, watching a mare slam shut the shutters to a window.

“What happened to everypony?” Boulder asked, after a stallion pulled a colt playing on the street inside, shooting the three of them a baleful glance..

“Changelings,” I grunted.

“I know that, but why?”

I didn’t have an answer for him; it didn’t make much sense to me either. There was nothing to be gained from them by invading Canterlot. Sure, maybe at first they would have all the love they could ever dream of, but fear and terror would eat away at that like cancer, withering the energy to a trickle.

Direct assault is always the last resort for any changeling, as we are physically weaker than any type of pony, even unicorns. More than once I had come home battered after school, having lost another fight. Thankfully, the love my parents gave me allowed me to grow past that to be roughly on equal terms. Illusion and subterfuge was the strength of changelings, not sheer power.

“I dunno,” I sighed. “Hopefully, they get over it quickly.”

Flare dismissed that theory. “Ponies don’t ‘get over’ something like this so readily. I have a feeling we’re going to be sellin’ little this year.”

There wasn’t anything to say as we continued to plow through the streets. The trek only served to validate my beliefs at the harsh glares we received. Twistedly, I imagined just what they would do to me if they found out I was a changeling. My mind was stuck between boiling oil and decapitation, but to be frank, they’d probably want to see me suffer. I’m going to go with slowly being burnt alive; they’d already shown that they were more than willing.

“Celestia damn it!” came a voice.

Boulder and Flare shared a look and darted ahead, the cart rattling perilously behind them. I was left in the dust for a few moments, before managing to catch up, huffing alongside them. An off-white unicorn with a shoulder-length lemon-yellow mane stood atop the battered roof of a building, struggling relentlessly with a fractured piece of lumber.

“Everything alright, Marmalade?” Boulder called up.

“No, it’s not!” she cried. “I’ve been up here all day trying to fix the hole those bloody bugs made, but this beam just won’t come loose.” She gave it another fruitless tug as if to emphasize her point.

“Why don’t you come down and cool off a smidge?” Flare wisely suggested.

Marmalade examined the speaker for a moment with her light-brown eyes. “You just want me to help you with your pumpkins, don’t you?” she countered.

The thinly veiled amusement didn’t escape my senses, as a smile played about his lips. “Perhaps,” he said, “but it couldn’t hurt nonetheless, and besides, we brought somepony else along.”

Marmalade noticed me for the first time, her face colouring in slight embarrassment at her outburst. “Hey there,” she said. “Sorry about the mess, but those damned changelings tore up my inn pretty bad. I’m Lemon Marmalade by the way.”

“Amethyst,” I replied, giving a small nod.

“Care for a drink?” she asked, beginning to untangle herself from the wreckage.

“Sorry, but there’s something I need to do. My parents would never forgive me if I forgot.” 

It was easier keeping track of white lies than complete fabrications. I actually had no idea what my parents would think of me, but I knew if I didn’t do this, I would never forgive myself. That wasn’t the only reason I wanted to get away, though. Truthfully, she was beginning to sound like another one of those fanatical bigots. Yes, she probably wasn’t as extreme, but “bloody bugs” and “damned changelings” left little to the imagination.

“You sure?” Boulder asked.

I nodded in reply. “Yeah, I’ll miss my chance if I don’t do it now.”

“Well, see ya, I guess. Why don’t you stop by before you leave; take a raincheck for that drink.”

The muscles in my face twitched my smile into a sinister grin. If only they could have seen it form as I walked away.

“Don’t worry,” I called over my shoulder, “I’m sure you’ll hear all about me.”



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



This entire city could burn in the depths of Tartarus, for all I cared.

Ever since I left Marmalade’s inn, I wandered around the city eavesdropping on conversations, trying to get a feel of where to strike. The comments were at best, dreadful, and at worst, horrific. I gnawed on a pear core, listening to the table behind me. With what they owed me, I would hardly call it stealing.

You know what? Screw compensation, I just want justice.

“Did you hear? They captured four changelings in a wine cellar yesterday,” a stallion’s voice sounded out. “They found those parasites hiding in empty barrels.”

A few grunts of approval followed his words.

“What did they do with them?” another pony asked.

“Not enough, if you ask me,” the original speaker continued. “The princesses banished them to the wastelands.”

“They should have just killed the bastards and been done with it. Those filthy beasts are just mindless drones, so why should it matter. You see...”

It was all I could do not to race over there and kick his skull in. This hadn’t been the first time today, either. Everywhere I went, there was some remark to be had about changelings. To save time, let me sum up what they thought of me.

Changelings were the worst of parasites, their only purpose to ruin others’ lives, taking joy from their suffering. We are incapable of thought, and couldn’t feel emotion, being mindlessly guided along by our queen. Our second favorite thing, besides ruining love, of course, was the spectacle of skin slowly being peeled away, and the tortured screams that accompanied it. I could write a book filled entirely with the shit that I had heard that afternoon, all of it slander and lies. 

To them, calling me the epitome of evil, the foulest of creatures born in the dark of night, would be a compliment; I was far worse.

Fate is a fickle mistress, despite any initial impressions. She was convinced to show me the innocence that remained, even as she showed me their hearts of darkness. A pink ball tumbled across the cobbled stone, bumping into my foreleg. A group of fillies and colts (I’m betting they snuck out) stood in a little grassy clearing, obviously passing the ball around.

The air here felt so different. It was as though a physical weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Taking a deep breath, I felt the happiness flowing through the air. That experience alone was more valuable than any energy I received. The first genuine smile since the event flowed onto my face as I kicked the ball back, taking a moment to watch them return to their game.

If only we were all like children. Children never judged, never held grudges and always saw the best of life. Sure, there might be bullies here and there, but they were just a byproduct of growing up, as they became ‘’adults”. Fillies and colts with cutie marks bullied those without, calling them blank flanks, even if they had only had their own for days. I was all too familiar with that particular taunt myself, while growing up.
 
It pained me to realize that Canterlot couldn’t burn. At least, not all of it. Without any method to save those who refrained from propagating the paranoia and hate, I would be no better than my parents’ killers. Luckily, there was someplace I could target, which, in retrospect, should have been my goal all along.

I just wondered how those elegant white spires would look when they were darkened with ash.

Absentmindedly, I reached up to my neck, feeling for the comforting weight of the locket, and remembering the promise I made. Nothing but my warm flesh greeted my touch. A dark pit of horror bloomed in my stomach -- the locket wasn’t there.

“Masters damn it!” I hissed, wracking my mind for where it could be.

Of course, the cart! It must have fallen off while I was resting in their cart. If Boulder and Flare had unloaded their pumpkins, they were sure to have found it. Ignoring the suspicious glances I received, I galloped back to the inn, hoping I wasn’t too late.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“Hey Boulder,” I shouted, drawing the attention of the chestnut stallion on the roof. From the looks of it, he had finally gotten the beam loose. Marmalade and Flare were nowhere to be seen. “Did you find a locket in your cart by any chance?”

“What...” Boulder stammered, missing the first part of my question. “Amethyst, why don’t you come inside for a moment.”

I should have noticed the look on his face and the change in emotion wafting through the air, but in my haste, I missed all of it. Nodding, I walked around to the front and waited for him to come down.

The door opened. “Come on in,” he said.

The door had scarcely closed before a searing pain flared across the back of my skull, sending me tumbling to the floor. Magic wrapped around my body, but in my daze, I lashed out, catching something with a hoof, before fighting against the glow with my own. All I could see were stars, flashing points of light in the darkness, and a second later I found my head pressed up against wooden flooring, forelegs held firmly against my sides.

“What’s your name?” demanded Flare, from somewhere above me.

“Wha-”

“Your name!” he repeated, voice growing in volume.

“Amethyst,” I answered.

“We mean your real name, changeling,” Marmalade hissed.

So that what’s it was. No sense in hiding it any longer. The grip on my legs tightened as tongues of purple flame washed over me, as my skin changed to chitin, as my legs hollowed with holes. My eyes shifted, the sclera changing from white to the purple of my namesake, my pupils stretching into slits. 

“My name’s still Amethyst, I wasn’t lying to you. Can you let me go?”

“Not until you tell us how you tricked those ponies,” she commanded.

“What ponies?” I asked in confusion.

“The ones in the locket,” she said, dangling in front of me.

“Tricked them?” I sputtered. “If I tricked them by letting them raise me since I was a foal, then yes, I tricked them.”

The brothers’ grip loosened slightly.

“Y-you’re lying.” Marmalade stammered, as if unable to accept the idea.

My voice dipped dangerously in anger. “You’re just like the rest of them. Look beneath that first picture, and keep going till you reach the last one. Look at any of them and try, just try to say I’m lying.”

It took many long seconds, but I was finally let go and allowed to stand up.

“So what now?” I demanded, snatching back the locket and placing it around my neck.. “Are you going to ask me, ‘Where are the others?’, ‘Do I enjoy blood warm or chilled?’, or ‘How many ponies have I senselessly murdered while living with them?’. Hmm?”

“Why are you here?”

I chuckled. “Now, there’s a rich question. I’m here for justice, here for answers. Ponies like you thought what I was born as was reason enough to burn my parents alive.”

“Ponies like me?” she asked, giving a gasp.

“Maybe you’d understand if you were one of those ‘bloody bugs’ like me.” I offered. My magic spiraled over my body, restoring the disguise. I made for the door, only to be stopped by Boulder placing himself in the way.

“Tell me, Boulder,” I began, “what ever happened to not judging others before you met them? Or was that all just another lie?”

“Well?” I asked, after a moment’s silence.

Shamed, Boulder lowered his head and stepped to the side, unable to meet my unwavering gaze. I never so much as spared them another glance, and trotted out without looking back, my sights set on the castle. It had been foolish to think they would have been any different, even after what the brothers had said to me. Everyone loved to sound so amazingly noble, yet when push came to shove, how quickly those same morals crumbled.



> Chapter III - Inflitration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regardless of who they were, or why they were here, it was the same process over and over again.

The castle gates stood across from the cafe at which I sat, nibbling away at a cinnamon bun. It was pathetic how this little piece of food dispelled all their fears, as if it had been hammered into their head that we couldn’t eat. I finished the last bite of the sticky bun, flitting my gaze from the paper before me to the gates at the end of the road.

In some ways, I pitied the ponies who had to undergo such scrutiny simply to be allowed entry. That same pity quickly vanished, though, when I remembered just how they would treat me if given the chance. Each time a pony walked up to the gate, a unicorn would lean forward and cast the simple scanning spell. It was even more pathetic that they didn’t even have a working one.

Well, not entirely anyway.

All the spell did was disorient and upset any enchantments of magical residue, which could easily destroy any transformation and snap back our identity. But theoretically, with enough focus, I could walk through ten unicorns casting the same spell, with little more than a buzzing headache. It only targeted the first facet of our magic, the fires of change, through similarities alone. It wasn’t something I was going to leave to chance, however. I may be good, but I wasn’t that good.

The airspace above the castle offered no solution either, with flights of pegasi endlessly circling the castle, searching for intruders. I suppose there was always the sewers. However, that was a little too cliche (and disgusting) for my tastes. Without an obvious solution, it was all I could do to sit here, running ideas through my mind and watching them crash like a derailed train.

A thought struck me. Maybe they had no idea of our second facet of magic: illusion. Our strain of magic allowed us to reshape who we were, but also light and sound. We could create phantoms that were not there, objects which shimmered brightly on the darkest of nights, echoing wind underground... anything. The only challenge facing me was the natural difficulty of the magic. Unlike our transformations, illusions required our constant attention, and most of us could only manage one or two at a time. 

Most of us...

Teacher had drilled me in the second form of changeling magic to the extent where it no longer required much, if any, concentration. Similarly to how a skilled musician lets his hooves flow over his instrument without placing each step in their mind, I could manage a few simple illusions in the same way. I could even complete them without looking.

The stolen bits danced upon the countertop, the payment taking a few seconds to fall flat. I wasn’t there to see the finale, already well across the street towards the dimly lit alley, even in midst of this summer heat. Secure in the safety of my solitude, the fires of changed coursed over me, making the necessary alterations. I stepped back into the light, now a tawny brown stallion with a shade darker mane, completing the facade with a set of ethereal saddlebags. Upon my approach, directly to the gates, the guards rapidly took note.

“Sir,” instructed a pegasus, unfurling his wings slightly as if readying for battle, “You are going to have to wait in line like everyone else.”

“No, I cannot!” I exclaimed loudly.

“You can and you will,” insisted the guard. “It is imperative to the security of Equestria that y-”

“No!” I shouted, interrupting the re-hashed bullshit. “It’s imperative that I report directly to the princesses regarding what myself and others have unearthed regarding the scanning spell used by the Royal Guard.”

“Yes, what of it?” the guard asked, suddenly far more attentive.

“It does not even come close to exposing the frequencies of the changelings’ magic. Our tests yielded only a forty-three prec-”

“Hold on a moment,” the guard stated. “The spell we use works just fine!”

“Perhaps,” I agreed, feigning a glow around my horn, “But then again, it would be just like a changeling to say that!” This entire plan rested on the discipline of the guard, in that they would not budge the slightest unless I was deemed a threat. I wound an illusion of a changeling over the guard, matching his stance. I only let the illusion stand for a brief moment, before layering the visage of  green flames (a trademark of the invasion) across him, to make it appear as if he rapidly re-disguised himself.

The guard, thinking the green flash in his vision was a byproduct of my “scanning spell”, appeared unamused. “Really, and what did you expect to accomplish with that?”

“Oh, I think we all saw what you truly are, changeling, even if you do not realize it,” I declared, waving a foreleg at the ponies around me. They no longer saw me as a threat; the guard has taken my place.

His emotions changed from that of stubborn arrogance, to horror, then anger as he recognized the cause of all of this. With a cry, he leapt at me. But what he saw as a move to protect Equestria, the other guards saw as a changeling assassination attempt. He didn’t even make it half the distance before being blasted into unconscious.

“I’ll repeat myself, it is imperative that I see the princesses at once!” I urged the unnerved guards. “Who knows how deep this goes?”

I was betting that the second-in-command would be spooked to the point where he would let me through without second thought. I had bet right.

“Yes... A-Absolutely...” the guard stammered, his mind churning away desperately. He, along with the other guards, now faced the challenge of trying to contain the crowd, who might not regard their word as legitimate.

But that wasn’t my problem now was it?


~~~~~~~~~~~~


I really should have thought further ahead; I was hopelessly lost.

The castle was complete with many spoils for the rich and wealthy, even an elaborate hedge maze. Let me put it to you this way:  I would have just as much luck in those walls of greenery as I was having in this maze of marble. Each hallway and corridor spiraled off into a webway of rooms and galleries, all distinctly unique, yet none provided a point of reference. With the castle on edge, I couldn’t retrace my steps, nor could I look into every room without appearing highly suspicious. Instead, I had to wander the halls, relying on my senses to tell me whether the room contained a pony or not, feeling for the telltale signs of emotions.

There were a few doors, however, which swung open now and again, offering a view of the castle life. It only served to disgust me further. Just how much was done by the servants and staff? Anyone with influence, bits, lineage or all three, consumed their labour without so much as a word of thanks. Worse still, the servant ponies who doted on them horn and hoof did so willingly, either ignorant or unconcerned at the lack of respect they received.

Despite all this, and how painful it was to admit, I needed help. Without a guide or map I could be wandering around until the Gates of Tartarus froze shut. The only problem was finding a pony who would help me, who wouldn't dismiss me as suspicious. I took a moment, stepping into a broom closet, to change back into the parody of myself. If the guards from the gate came looking for me, and found the same unicorn wandering the halls far away from the throne room... yeah, it wouldn’t end well.

Rounding a corner, I came across a light pink mare struggling with a tub of laundry, her lavender mane tied back in a loose bun. Taking the opportunity, I rushed over to help, smiling at the strain of relief which surged through her. With a few subtle nudges, she guided us through the halls to her destination, remaining quiet all the while.

“Thanks for your help,” she said finally, wiping her brow with a hoof. “Guess I underestimated how much that would weigh.”

“No problem,” I replied cheerfully.

“Haven’t seen you around here before,” she added, examining me with unjudging rose eyes. “You new?”

“Yeah,” I sheepishly muttered. “Kinda lost too.”

“Don’t worry,” she assured me. “Most of us got lost on our first few days here too. I’d be more than happy to give you a tour.”

I nodded my head, struggling to contain a smirk of victory. “That’d be great.”

“Alright, let me just put this back, and we’ll get started. I’m Pastel, by the way,” she said, offering a hoof.

“Amethyst,” I supplied, grasping the offered hoof.

“So what do you do around here?” I asked, following her towards what I assumed was the supply room.

“I’m part of housekeeping,” she explained. “I take care of the many rooms in the castle. Vacuuming, cleaning... that sort of thing.”

I took a glimpse back at her cutie mark, noticing the picture of a feather duster. You might have noticed it already, but I didn’t really remember ponies by their cutie marks. Even with my own parents, I recognized their... how do I put this?... emotional frequency more than their appearance. This was mainly due our differing genetics.

Changelings never really relied on looks to identify each other, mainly because of how similar we all looked. We weren’t like ponies in that we had thousand of hues and colours. We only had one: black. Technically, that wasn’t true if you considered our manes and tails, but those were rare things amongst the hives.

Everyone, anything, had its own signature; its own way of greeting life. Emotion was a deep ocean, as vast as the sky. Even amongst ourselves, we could recognize how each individual changeling felt when we permitted each other access. The mingling of these emotions allowed for love to remain unspoken and anger to be clearly wrought. In retrospect, that seventh sense (the sixth being magic) was what likely propagated the myth of the ‘hive mind’.

The changeling race’s notorious secrecy didn’t help, either. Masters’ knew how long it took for me to understand the fragments that I had gathered. If it wasn’t for Mirra, my teacher, my heritage would have remained a mystery.

I came out of my thoughts, realizing Pastel had spoken to me. “Sorry,” I blurted, “something just popped into my mind. You were saying?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she insisted, waving a hoof. “I was just asking what your job around the castle is.”

“Um...” I stammered. Once again, I cursed myself for not thinking this through.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, brightening as her eyes looked slightly off to the side. “You must be one of the couriers.”

Following her eyes, I half-turned to see the saddlebags still in place, the very same ones from the previous illusion. A pang of worry ran through me; I was getting sloppy. Being sloppy meant one thing and one thing only: I was nearing the end of my magic. Forcing myself to chuckle, I faced her again. “Yeah, that’s it. I can be a bit of a featherbrain at times.”

Pastel giggled, the warm flow of energy washing over me. “I know that feeling all too well,” she answered, with a wide smile. “Come on. Let me show you around.”



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



It was mind-boggling, thinking about just how much went on inside the castle.  Let me use the kitchen as an example; Pastel had explained the symphony of chaos within that tight space, the kitchen helpers skirting by as we walked through. The smells, the sounds, the organization... I really didn’t know how to explain how astonishing this was. I mean, I had seen the workings of restaurant kitchens before, but none could compare to this. In the din, I tried to shout Pastel a question as we passed by the stoves, pots boiling away furiously, but she merely shook her head, and indicated we head out.

“How does all this  work?” I asked.

“It’s like looking in a clock,” she explained. “You’ll never figure it out by just looking at it. You have to take it apart to learn how it ticks.”

I nodded my head in understanding, the memories rushing back to me. “That sounds like what my dad used to say.”

“He sounds like a wise stallion, I bet...” She trailed off as she noticed my dejected look and realized the tone I had taken. My ears had flattened against my head as I stared at the ground. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“I buried them both yesterday,” I said, a tear already burning in my eyes. The wound was so fresh, and cut so deep that it would have been pointless to hide my emotions. “I was so excited to finally get a job at the castle, that I was late coming to see them. The house burnt down with them inside. I never even got a chance to say goodbye.” 

I sighed.  “Or, tell them that I lov-”

Petal rushed forward and embraced me tightly. “I am positive they knew you loved them with all your heart. Wherever they are, they’ll be proud of you.”

How was it right that I felt guilt for her sympathy? When she was practically handing me her soul, I could do nothing but consume it with ready hunger. The tears for my parents mixed with those for myself. Would my parents really be proud with what I had become? Was my revenge truly just and right? Even if it wasn’t, my life was damned and destroyed, and its ashes were all I had.

Slowly, she withdrew, letting me stand on my own four hooves again. “Sorry,” she murmured, “But I have to get back to work. If you need anyone to talk to, just ask around for me.”

“Thank you,” I said, sincere. “For everything.”

I watched her for a few moments before refocusing on my mission, my goal. It was a short walk to the staircase, but an even longer climb to the top. This staircase, the longest in the castle, had one thing in particular that the others did not. Her room would bathe in a radiant glow, just like our world did, destroying this blight, this cancer, at its core.

> Chapter IV - Conviction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The room of a killer never looked so inviting. 

Celestia’s room was a warm and cozy abode, stuffed with treasures for someone of her status: a tyrant. Stolen memories and victimized masterpieces lined the shelves , tucked in amidst the numerous tomes and books. If any historian were presented with even one of those pieces, they’d faint. If an art collector was given a painting, they would build it its own gallery. While ponies struggled to make ends meet, here she was, sitting on all this wealth like a gluttonous dragon.

Many of the pieces had a fine layer of dust over them. Obviously, they had remained untouched for quite some time. Sure, there were indications that they were moved now and again, but nothing more. For all I knew, and it was probably more likely, the maids moved them, not the queen bitch herself.

One picture stood out amongst all the rest, set upon the lavish fireplace. It had been placed at the forefront of the mantle, edging out the neighbouring pictures.

I examined it, floating the thing in front of my face. The picture was of six mares and a baby dragon, squeezed around the princess at a table, a box of unfinished donuts left strewn on the counter. Although they were battered, their attire hardly fitting their appearance, wide grins adorned their mouths, a few dimples standing out here and there. If only Celestia were that sincere. 

Each picture shunted out of place by the first depicted a similar scenario. Ponies would crowd together for a picture with her, laying their faith with her, hoping she’d remember them. I bet that, a year after the final mare in this picture died, the picture would fall back on a shelf, collecting dust until the apocalypse. Hopefully, someone would have overthrown this backwards and corrupt government before the world reached that point, although I had my doubts.

I had wasted enough time pandering to my curiosity, letting myself peek into the life of royalty, even if the title was poorly wrought. My parents’ death demanded I show Canterlot the extent of their crimes, the hell of the life they forced upon me. I didn’t care what it took or what it meant, it had to be done. Taking one last glimpse at the world around me, I took a deep breath and focused. The fire wouldn’t come from a match or flint. Instead, it would come from myself.

Fire wouldn’t burn marble. If it did, I’d eat my mane. No, the only thing that could burn marble was magic: the fires of change. Change was not restricted to the individual; it could be forced upon others, although at a cost. To change something else, you had to destroy its identity, which acted as an anchor. When we shapeshifted, we molded our bodies into new shapes, changing any aspect of our appearance, but crucially, our body remembered its original identity. In every way, thankfully, absolute conviction was required to perform change upon others.

Just as we thrived off emotions, our magic was bound to it. Our own emotions could mean the difference between success and failure when casting a spell. The most difficult spells required emotions that coincided exactly with the result you intended. Any doubt and it was sure to fail. With what happened to me, changing the mortar between bricks to sand would be a cakewalk.

What would happen to me?

Honestly, I had never given it thought. If my death was what it took, I’d be prepared to accept that as the cost. I already knew the spell would leave me clinging to life, drained of energy and perhaps even killing me outright, so what was there to worry about? The last of my energy formed into a single point, raising in time with my last breath. 

Breath out and release...

The spell fizzled out before it could even take hold.

No, masters no! I had no doubts, my resolve solid and firm. It was unquestionable that this place would crumble and burn as it deserved. Yet, even through the mental shouts and arguments at the forefront of my mind, I knew it wasn’t totally true. Everything I had seen, everyone I had met so far offered me insight and hope for a future. Even though Marmalade, Boulder and Flare had pushed me away, Pastel had shown me nothing but kindness. Yes, she probably would have reacted just the same way, but there was no way to be sure. And with that line of thinking came the doubt. Furthermore, what would happen to those whose lives hadn’t been touched by the changelings, for better or worse? Those who had their own dreams to strive for?

Was this really the best way? And if not, what could I do?

It wasn’t a plan that drove me to action. Rather, it was the lack of one. Panicking, I threw spell after spell at her bed, magically scarring the covers in an attempt to get the result I thought I desired. Each burst of flame faded faster than the previous as my indecision grew. Finally, with a roar, I rose up on my rear hooves, and smashed downwards hard, both forelegs hammers, channeling the spell into the ground. With a reverberating explosion, the windows shattered.

In all aspects, that had been a terrible idea. The world reverberated around me, echoing and skewing my vision into a tilting spin. I must have fallen over, unconscious and prone for a few minutes, because when I came to,  the crashing of metal shoes upon the stone stairs could clearly be heard. Glancing down only further horrified me; my disguise had been lost, and with it, the last of my energy. There wasn’t time to worry about that now, as the door crashed open a moment later, almost embedding itself into the adjacent wall.

The guards hesitated for a second in shock. “Changeling! You are under arrest for-”

The final words of the command hadn’t even formed before I dove out the window. Struggling to level off, my wings flapped furiously, punctuating my panicked gasps with exertion. Stars filled my vision as something cannoned into me, sending the world spinning into a freefall. I butted and kicked desperately, but I couldn’t get free. Pain was accompanied by the shattering of glass, like a glowing iron laid across my back. My cry of agony was silenced when we slammed into the ground a moment later. Having broken my fall, the pegasus lay dazed in a mess of armour and feathers beneath me.

Desperately kicking free of his grip, I tore down the table, knocking expensive dishes and drinks onto the suits and dresses of the pampered elite. If it was not for the fact that I was running for my life, I would have taken the chance to relish the mess. Oh, boo hoo, got your fancy attire filthy? Maybe it would do you some good to experience some discomfort, for once.

Shouts and blasts of magic followed me wherever I went, as ponies sought to trap and capture me. With what I had done, even though it had been only property I destroyed, I doubt they would settle on merely banishing me. Everywhere I turned, though, guards were closing in. My breath grew ragged as I sought for some way out, somewhere to escape.

I skidded to halt as I rounded a corner, scrabbling my hooves against the polished marble floor, trying to find purchase. Three unicorn guards approached rapidly from the opposite direction, spells readying upon their horns. I had scant moments to get out of the way, but yet I barely had started to move. The instant I heard the spells fire, I leapt, praying to the masters that it would be enough.

It wasn’t.

The first one scorched past, but the second and third slammed into me.  Heat blossomed across my side as they threw me into the wall, my vision cracking against the marble in time with my head. I struggled to maintain consciousness, almost standing up, before the pain overwhelmed me.



~~~~~~~~~~~~



I awoke with my muzzle full of water, the freezing liquid dripping off my body onto the stone floor beneath in slow, steady trails. Coughing, I raised my hooves to my head, only to be halted by the stiff chains and steel bands entrapping my limbs.

“Wake up, changeling,” a voice said, bitterly. A guard stood behind a set of bars, or rather, in front of them, with a bucket in his magical grasp. “Your trial starts in three hours.”

I looked at him for a moment, the words running through my mind. “You mean the kangaroo court?” I asked finally.

The guard did a half-step back, obviously believing that I couldn’t speak. “You will be given a fair trial, something you don’t even deserve, considering your crimes during the Royal Wedding.”

“That’s funny,” I answered, nonchalantly, “because I was helping my father repair a broken clock when it happened. I-”

“Quit your lies, changeling,” he growled.

“Fine, then. If you don’t want the truth, I won’t bother you with it,” I spat back. “While I’m here, could I have something to eat?”

The guard’s eyes narrowed in malice. “You think we’d just give you a pony to drain? What makes you think we’d be that cruel?”

Seriously? No... seriously? Is that what they truly thought of us? Laughter filled the dreary cell.

“Oh masters...” I wheezed breathlessly. “You seriously think that’s true? I want food. Bread, salad, water. That sort of thing. What made you think I wanted a pony?”

Without a reply, the guard scowled darkly and stomped away, leaving me alone in the dim light of the flickering torch.

WIth him gone, my hilarity faded to more sombre thoughts. By all means and accounts, I had failed. I had succeeded in every step of the plan, save the last, the most important. If my magic had told the truth, then I had been doomed from the start. My parents would never rest peacefully now, and I didn’t think I’d be able to live with that fact. There was no way out for me now. If they had their way, they would forgo banishment for execution.

Something deep inside me defied the logic, though, refusing to believe I had squandered my life in a gamble. Yet, as the segments of my subconscious battled with one another, I slowly came to realize that it was right. Perhaps I may have failed. Perhaps I was doomed to live the remainder of my life in the wastelands. But somewhere, deep in my mind, flared a spark of doubt, growing in conviction and threatening to overwhelm me. All that needed to be done was to make them understand. The enormity of their crimes would force guilt down their throats and scar their souls. That would be all the sorrow they would ever need to make sure they never forgave themselves.

The clack of the jailer’s shoes returned, building in volume with each tap. A hunk of bread with jagged edges, having been torn roughly, was shoved through the gaps, and tumbled to the floor. I snatched it up, before the ants crawling through this place could catch its scent, and eagerly bit into the warm chunk. I took another bite before looking over to see the guard still standing there, watching me expectantly. Meeting his gaze all the while, I took another bite, slowly working the piece before swallowing. With a snort, the guard stomped off, leaving me alone with my frugal meal.

I had time.

Time to think. 

Time to plan.



~~~~~~~~~



With a grim finality, the door creaked open, and four guards stepped inside. Two bore spears, whilst the other two held a set of hoof-cuffs, meant to limit my range of motion to a small shuffle. Dutifully, I complied, defiant against their preconceived notions. There was hint - a whiff - of confusion. They had expected, even hoped for, a struggle. I’d bet they wished for nothing more than to beat me senseless with the butts of their weapons. My suspicions were validated when no magic inhibitor was slipped over my horn before they tugged me out into the hallway. Indeed, they had no idea as to the range of my magic or my plan.

I was about to commit a sin, something I had promised Mirra I would never do. I was about to steal emotion.

Once again, this was a difficult thing to explain. The concepts are missing from the Equestrian language - not simply missing the vocabulary, but utterly foreign to the ideas. Let me explain this as simply as I can.

Emotion was like a pie. It could be shared with others freely, saving a few pieces for the host. However, when it is stolen, you don’t want others to receive less, so you take the loss yourself. You’ll go hungry, but you’ll be content that others remained fed. Your heart is the most generous thing in the world, and even when you are on death’s bed, it’ll give every piece away and starve.

 In the void of emotional sustenance, the darker, more primal varieties take hold. Grief, anger, lust, gluttony, paranoia... exposed long enough to the concentrated grievances, a husk is what you will become, nothing more than a plaything of the most dominant emotion remaining. One controlled by grief would need to remain on suicide watch every waking second of their life. One with rage would seek to kill and maim anyone who crossed their path.

In order to steal emotion, there has to be some for you to call upon, and even then it will  be very gradual. In the case of the guard behind me, it was camaraderie. All I intended to do was draw off enough to expose his anger slightly, and obtain the energy for two illusions and one change. I cast a glance over my shoulder every now and again, and noting the time before the originally poorly-hidden anger blossomed in full. Purposely missing a step, I stumbled, falling down, cushioning the rough tumble with a shoulder.

“Get up!” snarled the guard.

Pain erupted as the flat of the spearhead struck my torn wings. Crying out, I curled into a ball, trying to find shelter. Again, the pain spiked as he struck once more, holding nothing back save the blade. 

“What the hell!” shouted the other guard with a spear. Hazarding a glance, I saw he had placed himself between me and my abuser, wings half unfurled.

“Why are you protecting that thing, Ocean? Think about what it’s done!”

“It’s not our job to judge them. We are just supposed to bring him to the throne room.”

The other stallion chuckled. “You were always so damned persistent, following orders to the letter. Still looking for that promotion, now are we?”

Judging by the flare of disgust in the guard ‘Ocean’, I’d wager there was plenty of bad blood between the two. Now was as good a time as any. With the guards’ attention focused on the argument, I summoned forth the spell, preparing the first illusion right behind it. The fires of change quickly wound over the manacles connecting my legs, turning them to chalk. Screwing shut my eyes, I launched the second illusion just as they noticed.

Even through my lenses and eyelids, I could make out the blinding flash of flight. The effect would last for mere moments, so I tore down the hall, blinking away spots all the while. Their shouts followed me, a moment too slow, as they gave chase. Ducking out of sight, I summoned forth the second illusion: a near exact replica of myself. I sent it scampering down the opposite direction, while I hugged the shadows of the pillar as the guards galloped past.

Letting out the breath I had been holding, I peeked out, making sure no ponies lingered. Sighing in relief, my form shifted back to the grey unicorn, or it attempted to. My breath froze in my throat as I saw my work. My hooves weren’t the dark grey of the disguise; they were still a solid black. Thankfully, the holes throughout my legs were filled in, but, glancing up at a few strands of my mane, nothing else had changed. His anger hadn’t even been buried, merely covered. That covering was not even the miniscule amount of energy I needed. A few moments later, my body lost grip on the identity, utterly drained of energy.

So now, I was back to square one: stuck in the castle with guards on high alert. And worse still, I had even less to work with.


> Chapter V -  Contemplation (Updated)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was just like how I had started my dark journey: one step after another.

In the wee hours of the morning, Canterlot was deserted, even ghosts missing from the cobbled streets. My off-black chitin blended flawlessly into the night’s shadows, guarding me from prying eyes. My wings screamed in pain from the shards glass still lodged in them, my head buzzed and ached from the emptiness of emotion, and I smelt like a mix of rancid potatoes and moldy watermelons. Mentioning how I escaped the castle might also be of some benefit.

There was no way I was leaving through conventional exits, not without a disguise, which required energy I desperately lacked. So, I had to improvise. My exit was through the kitchen, or more specifically, the compost chute. In many ways, I think the sewers would have been a far more pleasant option. I wouldn’t get the feeling of the moldy slush out of my head for weeks to come. Additionally, the pieces of glass that yet remained trapped in my wings, and embedded in my carapace, were driven in further from the fall.

As my mind wandered back to the present, exhaustion threatened to topple me at any moment. Not only had I been up all day, under stressful circumstances, but my magic reserves were utterly drained. In fact, even as I walked along, my mind struggled to keep my body in check. The urge to consume emotion was beginning to grow overwhelming. My body didn’t care how I got it, only that I did. Yet, I wasn’t prepared to break into a home to terrorize a family to do so, regardless of how they would most definitely act.

There was one place within the limits of the city that I could go to receive the emotion I desired, without bringing harm down on the heads of the victims. It was a longshot at best, but Lemon Marmalade’s inn was perhaps the only place I could turn to. With any luck, the sympathy they felt for me would still be there,  and as they knew what I truly was, it wouldn’t harm them.

I was trying to keep my mind occupied, as I found my thoughts increasingly turning to less-than-desirable situations. Perhaps now would be the time to explain why changelings didn’t keep to themselves, and why simple disguises hurt others to a lesser degree.

The answer to the first question is rather simple. Changelings have evolved to absorb and minimize any emotional waste, not only from others’, but also our own. If you want it in simpler terms, changelings set aside the majority of the pie for themselves before dividing it up amongst the others. The difference was not slight, and teacher had pegged the ratio at around twenty-five to one; that is, one pony’s love is equal to the love of twenty-five changelings.

Even though it’s a foreign concept, the law of conservation of energy still applies. Energy couldn’t be created out of nothingness, otherwise we would have conquered the world long ago. The extent of energy gained, transferred, borrowed or lost, was not solely dependant on the strength of the emotion. Other factors like... Um, like...

Moving on...

The theft of emotional energy may have been a sin, but there are exceptions to the rule. Foremost among them was (to make use of the technical term) emotional displacement and intrusion. In simpler terms: our disguises. When we donned the image of someone else, be they existing or a creation of the mind, we created an identity, fake in every regard. I really didn’t know how or why, but what the heart knew as a fraud,  the mind recognized as true. Because of this simple fact, a portion was given, a portion taken. Some could survive the treatment indefinitely; others simply couldn’t.

One foot in front of the other, again and again and again.

The mantra embedded itself in my head, a chant to willpower, my mind repeating the simple task monotonously. My steps grew uneven as time went on, and I barely had the energy to stand. Yet, I knew, if I stopped for even a second, I would collapse into sleep - or worse. My body could take utter control, and in a manner similar to sleepwalking, I would drain a unfortunate victim into a husk. Time plowed on with the speed of a thawing iceberg as the worn stones passed beneath me.

What should have been a cry of delight was little more than a groan as the familiar grey slate roofing of the inn came into sight. It looked as though they had made some headway with the roof, after all. The hole was roughly patched up with shingles of wood in the place of elegant tile. Upon reaching the door - the back one, in the interests of safety - I didn’t so much as knock as I collapsed against it. The murmur of noise within halted, the sudden intrusion having cut off their previous conversation.

“Hello-” Marmalade's question came to a choking halt when she saw me. “Boulder, Flare, get down here right now,” I heard her yell back inside.

With the sudden outpouring of sympathy, I found the energy to raise my head and give her a smile. “Hey,” I grunted. “Fancy seeing you again.”

“What is it Mar-” Just as they had with his cousin, the words died on Boulder’s lips. “Amethyst?”

“Yeah,” I replied, drawing myself up. “That’s me.”

“What happened to you?” Boulder’s eyes went wide as he saw something. “You’re bleeding!”

Sure enough, I noted with a glance at my back, the glass shards had been driven into my back with the tumble down the compost chute, drawing forth a sputtering stream of crimson blood even now. I had been so mentally zoned out, however, that I hadn’t even noticed.

“Huh,” I muttered, “So I am.”

So add blood loss to the list of things making my head spin. It was little surprise, then, that I couldn’t remember them pulling me in and laying me down on one of the tables. I looked up at Marmalade, a few pills levitating before her.

“What are those?” I questioned.

“Painkillers,” she said, floating them near my mouth to swallow.

I shook my head, swaying momentarily from the dizziness at the simple action. “No.” I stated. “No painkillers.”

“There are glass shards in your back, Amethyst,” Flare said, calmly giving me my diagnosis. “We’re going to have to take them out before we can wrap you up.”

“Last time I took normal medicine, I wound up seeing double for a week. My physiology doesn’t mesh perfectly with yours.” How I managed to describe this to them when I was so woozy was beyond me.

“It’s going to hurt like hell, you realize that?” Marmalade asked.

“Just get me something to bite down on; I’ll be fine.”

I knew I wouldn’t. Still, I had no choice.

Despite their unease, I repeated my assurances. Reluctantly, they offered a twisted towel for me to bite down on. Muffled by the cloth, I mumbled an order. The prickling of discomfort grew to a roar of pain when as a shard was gripped. The discomfort gave way to agony, and I trembled, whimpering, inadvertently making the situation worse.

“Hold him steady!” hollered Flare, his voice distant in my ears.

 I gasped as weight pressed down on my legs, pinning me to the table. Claustrophobic thoughts began to swirl in my mind, every image nastier than the one before. My jaw was clenched for all its worth, the cloth slowly tearing in the piercing grip of my canines. The pressure relented, and from the once-painful spot flowed the sweet nectar of relief. My muscles seized up as Flare repeated the action, drawing out another shard. In my panic, I tried to flap my wings, to escape.

That only it worse.

My throat quickly grew raw as I screamed, the towel falling out of my mouth. The pressure on my limbs grew, as I flailed around, trying to escape the burning agony anyway I could.

“Flare, do something!” Marmalade shouted. I barely even recognized her words.

Something struck me at the base of my skull, and mercifully, everything went silent.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Once again, waking to an agonizing migraine, pounding in tune to a heartbeat, is hardly pleasurable. The morning light cut through the curtains like a razor, shredding the remnants of my restful slumber. The pain, the tightness across my middle, had vanished, now replaced by a slow, dull ache. Sighing, I gingerly rolled off the bed, fighting the light-headedness as I righted myself. I took a moment to examine where I was, taking stock of the room around me. It was a cozy abode, the usual sort of thing for an inn. There were a few chairs, a small desk smushed into the corner across the small carpet from the bed, leaving a little space for a dresser. A door, which I assumed led to the bathroom, stood by the entrance, creating an impromptu hallway.

The first step I took was a shaky one, unbalanced by the battle in my head. The second was still off-balance due to the restrictions around my midriff. Glancing back, I saw a large sheet of gauze had been attached to my back by means of loops of medical tape around my barrel. The torn edges of my wings managed to evade the enclosure, leaving me with a heavy heart. I guess flying was out of the question for a little while; weeks, if I was lucky.

In many regards, I was shocked to find the door unlocked. I thought for sure that they would have taken that precaution, or at least alert the guard to where I was. No, that wasn’t really fair of me to say; had they been intending to turn me in, I never would have awoken so comfortably, if at all. Perhaps I had been wrong to judge them so hastily. Surely I could forgive them for their grievances in the light of the invasion, so long as they were willing to listen to reason. Right?

Each step I took down the stairs was cautious and silent. My thoughts were not concise, still deliberating on what their plans for me were. The doubts were answered when I found them at a table, talking amongst each other over the remains of breakfast. Flare was the first to notice me, nodding his head and lending me a silent greeting. The others turned to see me, waiting to gauge my reaction.

“Hi,” I croaked in the momentary silence.

“Sleep well?” Boulder asked, shifting to the side to offer me a spot at the table. 

“Pretty well,” I answered, trotting up to the spot. Only then did I notice the black bruise dominating Boulder’s right eye. “What happened there?”

“Here?” He raised a hoof to point at the spot. “You did that last night, when you were flailing about.”

“Sorry,” I muttered sheepishly. “I can barely remember what happened.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Boulder said, shrugging. “It’s hardly your fault. As for the rest of it...”

“Flare knocked you out,” Marmalade finished.

“What?” she asked, seeing the stares she was getting from her cousins.

“I wouldn’t have put it quite so bluntly,” he muttered in reply.

“Well it’s the truth isn’t it?”

“Yes, but-”

“Marm’s right.” Flare interrupted. Turning his attention to me, he calmly continued. “I had to knock you out before you hurt yourself or any of us.”

“Any further,” he added after his brother gave an obvious cough.

“It’s fine,” I answered with a small sigh. “Probably for the best, anyway.” 

I paused, awkwardly trying to figure out to bring it up. They had shown me they were completely undeserving of the thoughts I had assigned to them. They were generous, completely forgiving once I had given my explanation and shown myself to be in need. To be asking more of them now...

“Um, you wouldn’t happen to have anything to eat? Not emotions, solid food,” I blurted hurriedly, afraid they took the same notion as the guard had in the castle.

Marmalade blinked. “You eat food? I thought changelings lived off love.”

“Sort of... Emotions are what fuel our magic, but they don’t nourish us. There’s no way to create nutrients and vitamins from magic without taking it from something else. It’s easier just to eat to get them than to try and let magic sort it out. Besides, you’re already giving me enough emotion.” It took me seconds to realize what I had said. 

“N-No,” I stammered, “I didn’t-”

“You’re feeding off us!” Marmalade exclaimed, part question, part accusation.

“Yes... No... Just, please, listen,” I pleaded with her.

It was the guilt that stopped her. Guilt over how quick she had been to judge me, and how she had treated me the day before. She sat back down, permitting me to continue.

As briefly as I could, I explained the whole concept to them. About halfway through, during one of his brother’s questions, Flare stood up and slipped through a door, while Marmalade and Boulder listened with rapt attention. Their faces slowly changed from disbelief to comprehension as I continued to talk. It would seem as though my words were not so foreign as to be impossible to believe.

Flare returned with a plate of food as I finished, setting the scrambled eggs and toast down in front of me. I gratefully attacked the food, savoring  the flavor.

“Thanks,” I muttered halfway through a bite, remembering my manners.

“Hungry?” Flare chuckled, taking his seat again. 

“Very. The only thing I had to eat the past two days was a cinnamon bun, an apple and a hunk of bread from the guard.”

“Wait, the guard?” Boulder asked. “Where did they come in?”

I chuckled nervously “You see what happened at the castle yesterday?”

Realization clicked. “You mean that was you!”

“What?” Marmalade questioned, having missed the sight.

Boulder turned around to snatch a newspaper off the table behind him. “That,” he declared, pointing at the front page.

Some incredibly lucky photographer must have had their camera pointed at the castle, right when I lost my resolve. The picture could hardly have been more perfect. A small ring of purple fire radiated out from Celestia’s chambers, twinkling with many shards of glass. I couldn’t help but be impressed by my destructive talents; I hadn’t thought I could do that. Perhaps it would be worth the time to learn how to perform such a spell upon command.

“You did this?” gasped Marmalade. “Why?”

Certainly it would have to be in the paper: the royal proclamation. Ah, here it was, on the second page. I repeated the words engraved in my mind. “By the order of the Princesses, Celestia and Luna: Any changeling found is to be captured and handed over to the Royal Guard for their part in the attack on Canterlot. These creatures are extremely dangerous and may take measures to disguise themselves.” I hesitated. skipping over a few lines. “Take care and offer changelings no sympathy; they are sure to use you against your loved ones.”

“Wait, you don’t mean you bla-”

“Blame them? Damn right I do,” I growled. “If not for that bloody declaration, my parents would be alive right now. They were going to give me a trial for ‘my crimes against Canterlot’, and how much do you want to bet they would not believe a word of my story?”

None of them had an answer to my question. It was the untold truth that they wouldn’t even hear out what I had to say. There was only one sentence for a changeling, and it was hardly what you could call pleasant.

“So what will you do?” Flare asked finally. “You wouldn’t have come back here if you had a plan.”

“I don’t know, and that’s the problem,” I said, sighing.

“Have you tried talking?”

I scowled darkly. “You think that would work? They’d stop listening as soon as they realized what I was.”

“Every Thursday, the princesses open up the court to citizens for questions, complaints or anything they wish to discuss,” Flare explained. “Why don’t my brother and I go with you to try and explain your plight?”

It wasn’t like I had anything else to do.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“For the last time,” Boulder snapped, “we are going through with this even if we have to drag you into court.”

On the walk up to the castle, this had seemed like a worthwhile venture, perhaps even better than my original idea. That confidence had died rapidly on the approach to the gates. I feared what awaited me there, as though it was a monster. There were spectres and ghosts everywhere I looked, gazing at me with noiseless eyes, ready to call me out for what I was. It felt as though the whole world was screaming my presence, yet the grey and purple-maned unicorn attracted not so much as a second glance.

Flare had taken note of my increasing worry, leaning over to whisper something in my ear. He had effectively led me into a trap, explaining that I couldn’t run away without arousing suspicion and he wouldn’t let me just walk away. At first, it was as though he betrayed me, but gradually, I realized he was just trying to do what was best. There was nothing put at risk by talking to them, and certainly nothing which I couldn’t go back on.

Still, that feeling of dread hadn't diminished or lessened in tempo as we waited in line. In fact, it only got worse. I was so on edge that I asked them if we could come back another time, repeatedly. Self-conscious of my every action, I could almost imagine the puddle of sweat forming beneath me, trailed by the occasional few paces forward as the next group entered. Finally, we stood before the doors, awaiting our chance. The wait stretched into hours within the confines of my mind, when in reality, less than five minutes passed.

The doors swung open, and a group of ponies trotted out, looking suitably disgusted. I guess things hadn’t gone how they had hoped. Too bad for them.

“Enter!” the guard to the left of the door commanded, remaining motionless save for his mouth. 

I swallowed back the lump in my throat as we complied, stepping inside. The doors slammed shut with an absolute clang, entrapping us in the realms of those two witches seated high upon their thrones. The sister alicorns awaited us at the far end of the hall, a massive and ridiculously oversized room. The scale alone must have been in part to humble and intimidate the minds of those who entered. Stationed around the edges of the rom were a variety of guards, a mix of both pegasi and unicorns, all anticipating every move, watching for a sign of fault.

The two brothers bowed once they judged us to be closed enough, an act which I refused to follow. Even though it would appear irregular, I still had my pride. I would be damned before I lowered my head in respect of someone who thought themselves better, especially when I knew what they were responsible for.

“Rise,” Celestia commanded. The words of the deceiver flowed like music throughout the hall, instilling a utter replica of harmony into the air. Her eyes lifted from the book on the arm of her chair, in a manner which suggested we were interrupting her work.

Next to her sat Luna, on a throne just a tad shorter, as to leave Celestia the dominant presence in the room. Unlike her sister’s, her eyes had not been focused on a page, but instead, the room before her, looking for intricacy to amuse her. Unanimous in the two, however, was the undeniable stench of pure, absolute boredom. They’d sooner be receiving a massage, paid for by the pockets of every pony within Equestria, than listening to those ponies’ silly little wants or needs.

“Thank you for seeing us, Your Highness,” Boulder began, missing every detail I had derived. “I’ll try to be brief. We’re concerned with the wording of the recent royal proclamation regarding changelings, and how-”

Celestia raised a hoof, silencing Boulder. “I apologize for interrupting, but questions about the bill can be answered by the royal guard. If you would like, I could arrange a meeting with an officer.”

“Thank you, but it goes a little beyond the wording or specific question about the bill. We’re concerned about the bill in its entirety.”

“I’m afraid I do not follow,” Celestia said, the boredom vanishing in place of bafflement. It had a similar effect upon the Lunar princess, who sported a small frown upon her face. Clearly neither liked where this was headed.

Flare leapt in, when his brother faltered upon seeing their expressions. “There are a number of problems with it and the effect it has had. While we can appreciate the effort for trying to capture the changelings who invaded Canterlot, I fear the bill harms more than it helps.”

“Explain,” commanded Luna.

“We’ve come into the city to try and sell our harvest, but the paranoia ever since we left home has been unbelievable. We’ve seen ponies beat other ponies in an effort to make them give up the ‘fact’ that they're a changeling, when in reality they were just doing something slightly suspicious, which on any other day would have passed unnoticed.”

Colour me impressed. Flare can lie just as smoothly as any changeling I’ve ever met. 

“We fail to see how that would be a direct cause of our proclamation.”

“It highlights the situation and places a goal on capturing changelings, no matter the cost,” he explained.

Celestia shook her head, miming sadness. “I’m afraid there is little that can be done. I can understand where you’re coming from, but the Royal Guard is already stretched to capacity, and placing untrained ponies in charge of security is not an option, because of what you’ve described.”

Even though neither of them showed it, I could tell that the two ponies beside me were surprised. To hear of their ever-so-wise princess placing the security of her own rule above that of her subjects, them included, must have come as a jarring shake.

“How can you be sure that all changelings are guilty?” Boulder asked suddenly.

The question caught her by surprise. “I’m sorry, but could you repeat that?”

“How can you be sure that all changelings are guilty?” 

The immediate silence was mired with disbelief, only broken by Luna’s stammer. “W-What?”

“Answer the question!” I commanded angrily, growing weary with the false preaching. Ignoring the pleading look both brothers gave me, I awaited their response.

“I never claimed they were,” Celestia said. “As it stands, however, there is no indication that they are friendly, and their parasitic nature is well documented. Even if they were entirely innocent, I would still have to expel them from Equestria by the risk they pose to our subjects.”

So they pleaded ignorance. I figured they would.

“What do you mean by ‘well documented?’”

“My little pony,” she began in a motherly tone, as if lecturing me on my mistakes, “There are many documents in the royal library which detail changeling physiology to great extent. I’ve met many of the ponies who conducted these studies over the years, and all were of great integrity.”

“You say ponies did them, but how many were done by changelings?” I demanded.

“Finding a changeling willing to assist was very difficult. The few that they made contact with were highly aggressive.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” I snapped irritably.

“None of them were completed by changelings.”

“Then how can you be sure that you are even right? How can you be sure that you are not reading lies?”

Something shifted in her gaze, but she managed to keep her voice constant and falsely kind. “All information points to that being unlikely, but if that were the case, we would reevaluate our position.”

Politicians had an interesting ability to twist words until barely an ounce of truth remained. More than likely, what she meant by ‘reevaluate’ was they would pause for a moment to laugh at the notion of an innocent changeling, before banishing them to the wastes. This realization led me to another. Unless I could draw them out of their shells, I would never get a direct answer.

Whatever emotion they felt inside, I noticed, didn’t extend past that point. For instance, when we had first arrived, they had been bored, yet, they appeared to care and hang off every word I said. There was a disconnect between what they felt and how they acted. Even though I could tell a lot by emotions, it was nothing compared to feelings and words in unity.

But how could I do it?

Most ponies I’d met tend to lose themselves at emotional extremes. Absolute excitement, fear and sadness, are all impossible to mask. The problem was, I had no hope with most of them. Short of releasing Discord, there was no way they’d see fear. Short of letting them relive a loved one’s death, no sadness. But anger and rage; those were two I could work with, coaxing the flames till they burned furiously. 

Now what would set her off? My eyes danced around the room, before coming to settle on her sister, fidgeting on her throne. 

Perfect.

“So you would have no problem with me treating you with the same level of suspicion then, correct?”

Both of them shared a puzzled look. “Why would you treat us suspicion?”

Tilting my head slightly, I looked to Luna, pointing with a small nod. It took a few moments, but upon understanding what I implied, Celestia’s eyes flickered with something as I looked back to her.

“Come to think of it, it’s not just her, either,” I continued, pausing as if I just recalled something. “What about you? What is someone supposed to take from a pony banishing their sister to the moon for a thousand years? Surely nothing good, I imagine. Imagine what’s in their heart, what they would do to anyone else, if they’d do that to their own flesh and blood.”

“Enough,” Celestia commanded, but it only came out as a whisper, tainted with grief; my cue to continue.

“Oh, but why stop just there. What about the fight the two of you had and the destruction it brought into the world? Have many ponies lost their lives in the crossfire, solely because of your sisterly spat?”

“Amethyst,” Boulder hissed into my ear, “What the hell are you doing?”

I ignored him, pressing my advantage. “Best of all, everytime I hear a story about what happened to all the alicorns, they always seem to end poorly for everyone in contact with them.”

“Enough,” she repeated, with more force and venom.

“I mean, even your parents cau-”

The windows shook violently as Luna roared the command. I didn’t even need eyes to tell me I had succeeded. Now with just a little more prodding I could see what truly lay beneath their skin.

“Is there a problem?” I asked innocently. “I’m just using the logic you set forth to draw a conclusion. I’m sorry you’re not proud of what you’ve done in your past.”

“Shut thy mouth and remove thyself from our presence,” Luna spat. “We won’t tolerate anymore of your lies.”

“So you’re calling what has been catalogued, documented, even admitted by yourself... lies?”

Luna looked ready to take a bite out of me, before Celestia laid a wing on her shoulder, calming her slightly.

“What you are saying is not even remotely similar, nor does it follow the same logic in any light,” Celestia said, struggling to remain calm. I could tell my words had struck her deeper than her sister. Only self-control kept that level head on those shoulders. She just needed one more push.

“I really don’t see how,” I replied.

“Because changelings...” she stammered.

“Because what, you spoiled bitch?”

You know, I never really thought it would be a simple insult that set her over the edge. It was all I could do to not run for the door at the terrifying change in her demeanor. “Because they're all guilty!” she snapped.

And there you have it, the core of her beliefs, brought to light by some simple prodding. Turned out, I had been right all along, vindicated in my beliefs. The room was deathly still, following her explosive announcement. I took a moment to examine the guards along either side of the room. They all looked like the well trained dogs they were, straining at their leashes to try and attack me for what I had said to their master.

“So whatever happened to ‘some changelings could be innocent?’” I asked her. “Because, ‘all changelings are guilty,’ sounds nothing like that.”

Somehow, the colour drained from her face as she realized what she had said. Her secret still rang in the air, whispering to all those who could listen. The guards might have been wearing earplugs for all the effect it had on them. 

Another few seconds passed before she found her voice, her face and words tinged in anger. “You are dismissed.”

Oh. Since she couldn’t get what she wanted from us, she abused the power of her station to get what she desired. Pulling rank, as the guards would say. The world didn’t work like this. You couldn’t simply remove a problem because it bothered you; you had to face the music. I was going to make sure of that.

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“No,” I repeated. Hers was the voice of a spoiled brat, used to getting whatever she desired. “I am not leaving here until you explain why you lied to us.”

“You’ve done nothing but insult us to get a rise out of us. We will not tolerate your presence any longer.  You are dismissed.”

“Amethyst,” Boulder whispered in my ear, “Let it go.”

I ignored him. “Is this how you deal with everything? You don’t like it, so you just push it onto someone else? I’m starting to wonder how you even came to rule our country, and if you are even fit to lead.” My treasonous statement rung in the air for a long time before she spoke.

“Guards, escort these ponies off the castle ground. We will not hear anything more they have to say.”

...

Damn it all to hell.

I was sick of hiding in the shadows, trying to influence my life through subtle words, nudges, rumours. Teacher had taught me that particular strength of changelings relentlessly, but no matter how much she gave me, she could never alter how I had been raised. Although in body I was a changeling, in mind I was a pony. It had long been a struggle to find my place in the world. Ponies recoiled away from me almost instinctively, yet changelings shunned me because I was contaminated and impure.

No, I was done running away. It was time to confront my demons and charge them with their sins. I was done being a whimsical plaything of fate, to be battered around like a toy mouse. Here was where I would assume control of my story; my life.

Tongues of violet flame washed over me, washing away the disguise. I could feel my body churn as it shifted, becoming what it truly was. I matched Celestia’s horrified gaze the entire time, unblinking as I stared damningly at the white bitch. The hall fell into silence, all motion ceasing, as I stood before them, visible for all to see.

“Tell me,” I said to my captive audience. “Tell me how I am guilty by birth. Tell me how I am a parasite and a blight to Equestria.” I paused, looking down at the ground for a brief moment, summoning my courage. Malice was all that remained in my gaze when I looked back up to meet Celestia’s once more.

“Now, do I have your attention?”
> Chapter VI - Collision
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of the papers tumbling off Celestia’s throne was deafening in the absolute silence. Everyone, save my friends, stared in absolute shock, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. The guards each looked as though he or she had been slapped across the face, unable to comprehend the fact that a changeling had made it so far into the sanctuary they protected. Beside me, Boulder and Flare shifted closer, watching the guards warily, preparing for their attack. Myself? I only had eyes for the two alicorns.

Their move.

Celestia finally found her voice, eyes glinting with sudden shock and anger that she quickly masked. “Changeling, what is your business here?”

With a groan, I rubbed my brow in annoyance. “I’ve just told you.”

“Forgive us for not believing the words of a creature, who changes its story as often as its skin,” Luna coldly replied.

“You think I could just walk down the street as myself?” I sneered. "Ponies want me dead and gone for what I am.”

Boulder coughed, obviously trying to ease the tension in the suddenly-freezing room. “Princesses, perhaps Amethyst can tell his story to show his point of view.”

“How do you know that thing gave you its real name?” Luna spat, looking at me in disgust.

“Look who’s talking, Nightmare Moon!” I snapped in reply, before Boulder could respond. I glared at her in righteous fury, the tyrant matching my gaze in magnitude.

“Please stop!” Boulder begged, eyes wide. “Princess, Amethyst has shown us nothing but kindness and friendship since we first met. We were the ones who greeted him with violence and trickery.”

“I don’t doubt your word,” Celestia cut in, “but you have to consider the possibility that he is using you.”

“We have, but he isn’t,” Flare replied simply.

“Furthermore, by the actions of his queen and hive, Equestria is in a state of war by default, until parliament rules otherwise. If he is loyal to the changeling queen, then we have no choice but to doubt his word and question his motives for the time being.”

“Amethyst isn’t-”

“I’ve never bowed my head to any queen or ruler who thinks themselves better than me,” I growled tersely. “I don’t belong to her, you or anyone who thinks they have that Masters-given right.”

“Very well, let’s hear what he has to say,” Celestia decided.

“Sister, you cannot be thinking his words bear truth?” Luna protested.

“Even if he lies, there is nothing to be lost by hearing his story. Please begin, Amethyst.”

With an ember of anger lit in my heart, I started my tale at the point when the news of the wedding first reached us. I spoke of my town’s quickly rising hatred. The two alicorns watched with a look that sang of satisfaction. Better all those who aided my kind be shunned, and rejected from society, than let the cancer grow. It hadn’t been easy the first time, and telling it once more to an unsympathetic audience wasn’t any better.

Still, the two watched on with but a little inkling of resignation, caring little for what I said. That was probably the worst part. I knew my fate had already been decided. It wouldn’t matter if I told them the ponies had tortured my parents, skinning them alive, before burning them inside my home. They cared for me about as much as a wayward strand of hair that refused to obey their commands. Less, even.

“I hid in that damned barrel, praying to the masters they wouldn’t find me,” I told them. A lump formed solidly in my throat as I approached the climax of the story, the memories choking my words. “There was nothing I could do but watch as they threw my parents inside my house, blocking any exit. The ponies set fire to the house, knowing full well what would happen to my parents. Yet, even as my mother and father screamed in agony, burning alive, the mob celebrated their deaths. If it wasn’t for your fucking order, they would still be alive right now!”

“Amethyst,” Celestia began tentatively, “you have our deepest condolences,”- like hell I did - “But perhaps if you look at it from their perspective, you’ll understand the reasons for their actions. Many ponies are utterly terrified at the thought of what a changeling does, and with only tidbits of information available, they likely saw you and your parents as threats. Make no mistake, there is no excuse for what they did, and I’ll be ordering the Royal Guard to investigate and-”

“There you go again,” I spat. “Making more assumptions. My parents were ponies, both of them: Clockwork and Summer Breeze.” My hoof found its way to my locket around its neck, as a fresh deluge of tears threatened to fall from my eyes at the sound of their names.

“Wha-What?” Celestia managed, stammering the question. 

“Two ponies who were unable to bear foals found me alone in the cold of the forest, without a blanket, shivering. They took me in and raised me as their son. For all those years they watched me grow up, helping me when I stumbled, watching me grow into an adult.” I paused, taking a sobbing breath. Tears rolled down my cheeks, painting twin trails which met beneath my chin. “I’ve always been hated for being different, for looking as I do. I’ve had to fight for even the chance to live a normal life, an opportunity everyone else here is granted. And when I lost them, even that was taken from me.”

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” Flare spoke, addressing them both in turn, “that is why we want you to do away with the proclamation. I understand you can do little to change the fears of the people, but certainly the wording and offering a reward does not help to stem the violence.”

“You are... correct,” Celestia admitted. “I shall immediately freeze all activity regarding the proclamation, and issue an immediate recall until the issue can be brought up with parliament.”

“Thank you, Princess,” he said with a bow.

“However, Amethyst will have to remain under our watch until we can verify his story and his other claims.”

“What?” I shouted.

“We believe you, Amethyst, but we cannot act on the word of a single individual. You have to understand; while we hold considerable power within the government, it is not absolute. If we let you free, they will not let us revoke the proclamation no matter what we do.”

I should have known there would be a catch, some technicality they would hold me on. Once more, it proved their promises to be nothing more than noise. Somewhere along the line, I suspected, there would be “problems” in proving the validity of my statement. For the remainder of my life, I would be left to rot, technically a guest, but a prisoner in all other regards; something to be studied.

“What if I refuse?”

Her eyes sparked with anger. “Then I will arrest you for destruction of property, inciting social unrest and assault.”

“So I take it you didn’t sleep too well last night?” I chuckled; it was pointless to deny. The small frown was all the answer I needed. “I’m still not going with you either way.”

“Very well, then,” Celestia replied with a sigh. “Guards, arrest Amethyst and confiscate any personal possessions.”

My hoof shot up to grasp at my locket, “Nobody is taking this from me.”

“It shall be kept safe and secure, but we cannot take the chance that it has been enchanted,” she explained. “Please give it to one of the guards, Amethyst.”

“I don’t think you understand,” I growled. “I will not let anyone take this for any reason.”

 A green glow shone around the chain, trying to tug it free from my neck. I located the source of the magic as a unicorn guard now only a few paces away, bearing a set of hoof cuffs. Rearing up, I cocked a hoof, and a second later the unicorn lay on the floor, groaning as he clutched as his bleeding nose. Breathing heavily, I turned my glare back to Celestia.

“This is never leaving my neck while I’m alive,” I swore.

“Sister, perhaps we should leave it with him,” Luna said in a strangely calm tone. Just minutes before, she had been vehemently against me. Could my words have reached her?

I doubted that.  Perhaps she was insane from all those years on the moon.

“No, Luna,” Celestia said, shaking her head. “He has taken advantage of our hospitality, insulted us, goaded us into giving the response he wants, and now he has assaulted a guard. By definition, he is a criminal. Guards, arrest him!”

This time, every guard in the room sprung forward as if their leashes had been cut. I lasted all of a moment before they grabbed me, locking me in place. Yet, I struggled on, fighting their magic with my own, refusing to yield the locket.

“Hold him,” commanded the solar princess, stepping down from throne, striding towards me.

Horn aglow, she brushed away my magic like a foal’s plaything. The buckle came undone, and it fell into her waiting hoof, before being teleported off to some unknown place. I fell limp in their grasp, my heartstrings cut. I had made an oath to myself, and to my parents, that I wouldn’t let them take it from me, and I had been unable to even uphold that. With my head bowed, Celestia spoke to me.

“Amethyst, this is for your own good. I will pardon your crimes, but you need to calm down. I swear to you I will not let anything befall your locket and I will follow through with my pledges to you.”

Lies, lies, lies!

Anger and hate swelled up like an exploding column of lava. Did the death of my parents truly mean that little to her? She treated their murders with the same urgency of a mundane household chore, to be put off until she saw fit. My parents deserved better, but only I remained to avenge their memories.

I had my voice, but she wouldn’t listen. I had my magic, but it was suppressed. I had my body, but it was restrained. The only thing I had left was my horn and murderous intent.

“Whatever happens though, know this: I care deeply for ev-”

I threw myself against my restraints. The point of my horn, wicked and sharp, darted towards the source of that noise. A scream of agony swallowed her voice, and I felt a brief moment of satisfaction, before a cascade of hooves and pain smote me into unconsciousness.



~~~~~~~~~~~~



You know, one of these days I was going to wake up in a padded cell, not the stone and iron one I currently inhabited, certifiably insane from brain damage. The iron collar around my neck was almost to be expected. It was attached to a heavy chain speared into the wall. Sighing, I set my head back down on the dank hay, fruitlessly searching for a comfortable position. My body was battered and bruised, but I suppose that was also to be expected.

Caught between regret and remorse, I mused at what would happen to me. In hindsight, yes, I should have never laid a hoof on Celestia, but I had been so caught up in the thoughts of my parents, that I couldn’t bear to be separated from the last physical relic of a bygone time. What I should have accepted, I rejected, denying and delaying the inevitable, and lashing out when the inevitable happened. Now they had every legitimate right to hold me here until an eternity passed, or I rotted away. Whichever came first.

As I began to close my eyes and drift off to sleep, I became acutely aware of another presence in the room. The emotions stemming from the being were fearful and wary; uneasiness mixed with self-confidence. Perhaps the latter was misguided.

Propping myself up on one foreleg, I looked across my cell to see a tomato-coloured pegasus with a beige mane staring back at me. After a moment, I recognized him as the pegasus I tricked the crowd into believing was a changeling.

“Fancy meeting you here again,” I commented, laying back down in resignation.

“What do you want, changeling?” he growled. The bruises and scrapes across his body stood out painfully. Whether they were gained from his capture or his interrogation, I did not know. I almost felt sorry for the guy.

Almost.

“Oh, grow up,” I groaned, focusing my magic on the ring around my neck. Once again, they did not seem to realize our magic extended beyond mere disguise. “My name’s Amethyst.”

With a small popping noise, I released the fire, turning the iron into hay and chucking it down onto the floor. Standing up, I crossed the distance between us, rolling my eyes as he instinctively recoiled. ‘Oh, relax,” I said. “If I wanted to hurt you I could have done it by now. Do you want the collar off or not?”

Seeing no escape, the pegasus nodded timidly, stretching out his neck. A short jolt of fire later, his collar became straw, falling to the floor. I winced at the bruise it revealed. Someone must have deliberately tightened the screws too far. Taking a seat, I watched as the fear disappeared entirely from his eyes, to be replaced with curiosity.

“If you’re curious, just ask,” I declared. My mind froze up as I remembered where that saying had come from: my father.

“You’re... you’re not really what I expected,” he muttered.

I couldn’t help but chuckle grimly at his comment. “Once ponies get over the whole black chitin and the fangs they tend to loosen up a bit.”

The stallion fiddled with his hooves for a moment, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. “What did you mean earlier by ‘again’?”

I winced. Next time, I really needed to be more careful with my choice of words. Perhaps I could put a positive spin on this, though. “Remember the stallion at the gate who claimed there was an issue with the detection spell?”

“Yes...” he said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

“Yeah. Well, that was me.”

There was no warning. He leapt across the room, weakly striking the side of my head and knocking me to the dank floor. An instant later, he stood on top of me, pressing a hoof down on my throat. He was not pleased. Or, to be more precise, he was pissed off.

“You’re the reason I’m in this place,” he snarled. “The reason they think I’m a changeling.”

“Yes, I know, and I’m sorry,” I managed to croak out, barely managing to speak under the weight. “But what do you think it is like for me?”

The pressure decreased slightly, allowing me a shaky breath. “I’ve never committed any crime, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.” Another wheeze of a breath. “I’m forced to hide my face just because ponies, including your princesses, believe I’m something I’m not: a monster.”

I gasped as he lifted a hoof, taking a step back and allowing me to breath.

I took a moment to compose myself, rubbing my throat before continuing. “Ponies treat each other with such suspicion and malice.”

I held a hoof up to ward off the automatic retort. “Remember how you were attacked just for an illusion? It’s... unbelievable. After seeing what it’s like, can you say that this witch hunt is really worth it?”

He sighed deeply, his eyes downcast. “No, no. I can’t.”

“And that is exactly what I’m trying to do here: convince ponies it isn’t worth it. Look, next time they come around, I’ll get you out of here.”

“Alright,” he said with a sigh. 

Offering me a hoof, he pulled me up, helping me right myself once again. He didn’t let go, instead continuing his grip. “I’m Gallant Warning, by the way.”

“Amethyst,” I replied, giving his hoof a shake.



~~~~~~~~~~~~



You know the worst thing about being accused of being a changeling, when you were not? They didn’t feed you. 

While waiting for someone to come, Gallant and I chatted a bit, but by the masters did it feel forced. With good reason, he still didn’t trust me. Anyway, at one point his stomach rumbled hungrily, and after a little prodding, he confessed he hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast on the morning I tricked them. When they had woke him with the obligatory bucket of water, he had managed to scrounge a few mouthfuls, but nothing since then.

Each of us fell into an uncomfortable silence, our thoughts drawn to our eventual fates. Perhaps I had offered Gallant Warning a little too much hope. I meant what I said; I would help him, but the fact remained that there was little I could actually do. If they had it set in their minds that he was a changeling, I would be hard pressed to change that belief, especially after what I had done.

I had begun to doze off when the clopping of hooves sounded. Grunting, I got Gallant’s attention and we stood up, awaiting their arrival. What sounded like one set from a distance broke up into the cacophony of multiple sets of hooves striking the floor. The last pony I expected to see walked around the corner, trailed by two guards. To be fair, though, if I had known it would be an alicorn, she would have been my first guess.

Luna stopped in front of the cell, an angry scowl upon her face. “Be thankful my sister shall make a full recovery, Amethyst,” she informed me coldly. “I would not be so kind if the damage done was irreparable.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

“Excuse me?” she asked, arching an eyebrow, utterly confused and with some of her fury dissipating into the dank air.

“I lost control of my temper,” I explained. “It’s just that that locket is the last thing I have left to remember my parents by. Everything else was lost in the fire. If I lost it, or could never see it again, I don’t know what I would do.”

Luna was silent for a moment, examining me with close scrutiny, before she heaved a sigh. “Amethyst, I fear we may have gotten off to a poor start.”

Now it was my turn to be perplexed. Judging by her emotions, she actually meant it. “Excuse me?”

“When you spoke earlier, of what it was like growing up, it reminded me of... myself. Of the challenges I faced upon returning from my exile. Nopony should have to face that, every day of their life, and I was wrong to judge you, as I was judged myself.”

“So...”

“What we are trying to say is... I’m sorry,” she murmured, bowing her head slightly, almost imperceptibly.  Feelings of anger and shame welled up in her, bitter and viscous.

“I’m not sure if can I accept your apology, after everything that’s happened,” I answered bitterly, after a moment’s thought. “But... I guess you’re right. Perhaps a fresh start would be better.”

“Very well, Amethyst,” Luna sighed, a tired smile adorning her muzzle.

“So why is there a pony in with me?”

Luna nearly lost her footing in shock. “You mean to say that he’s not a changeling!”

“No, he isn’t.”

“Princess, the changeling is lying,” one of the two guards said coldly. “There were many witnesses who saw-”

“How much do you know of changeling magic?” I interrupted.

“Plenty,” he replied instantly.

“Yeah, right,” I scoffed. Focusing my magic, I summoned forth a sphere, colours dancing across the surface.

 The guards, thinking it to be some sort of hostile form of magic, leveled their horns.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, relax.” It passed through my chest, and hovered before me, and I waved a hoof through it to illustrate my point.

“It’s just an illusion?” Luna’s eyes widened.

“Yes,” I said, patiently. “And what happens if I place an illusion over a pony?” Hovering the ball above Gallant Warning, I let it drain, forming the shape of a changeling over him, just as before. For a brief moment, it perfectly covered him, but as he lifted a hoof, the protrusion became clear. I cut off the magic before it consumed my dwindling reserves. The illusion faded.

“Truly, he’s not a changeling?”

“Absolutely,” I confirmed. “And for future reference, changelings need actual food and water to live, just as ponies do.”

Her face blanched as she grasp what I implied. “Lieutenant Crescendo, please bring Gallant Warning to the infirmary.”

“Princess?” The guard raised his eyebrows in shock..

“Did I not make myself clear?”

“Yes ma’am!” he said, snapping off a quick salute.

The cell door swung open, and Gallant weakly limped out, treading tenderly on his left forehoof, accompanied by the guard. Instead of slamming shut, however, the door was left to stand open, whispering to me of  freedoms lost.  I suppressed the urge to dash out, and disappear into the winding corridors of the castle. Instead, I waited for it to close once more.

Oddly, it did not.

“Consider it an act of goodwill,” Luna said, inviting me out. “We have-”

“I have,” I interrupted instinctively. It was a habit I’d picked up from my mother.

She grumbled in annoyance before continuing. “I have arranged for quarters to be made up for you. You will remain under watch, but it shall allow you a degree of comfort and freedom while I speak to my sister.”

“Is she alright?” I asked selfishly. If she was permanently scarred or maimed, then I doubted my future would be comfortable.

“Let us say her disposition towards you has... changed.”


> Chapter VII - Appeal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me put this bluntly: the ponies here are nothing less than mind-numbingly spoiled.

I had been told one of the smaller rooms had been prepared for me. Anything would have been a step up from the dungeon cell, so I expected little more than a bed, and perhaps a small desk. Still a prison, but a comfortable one. Turned out, a ‘small room’ here constituted soaring ceilings, and wide, unused spaces large enough to fit my entire house with room to spare. I spun on the spot, taking it all in.

“I take it that this will be adequate,” Luna said from the doorway, a smile playing on her lips.

For a long moment, I wondered if this was some ploy to make me lower my defenses. I dismissed that thought as quickly as it had come. I had wandered through the castle long enough to understand that this was likely the smallest they had to offer, short of refurbishing a broom closet. “Yeah,” I answered. “So what now?”

“Now, you wait,” Luna instructed me. “I shall talk to my sister about the freedoms you shall be allowed, should she be awake. If you need anything, knock on the doors and the guards shall see to it if it is within reason.” She paused for a moment, craning her neck to examine my back. “Are you sure you would not like to see a doctor?”

“Given how much you know about us, I’d rather not,” I admitted, looking back at the tattered bandages. “I guess you could bring some fresh gauze and tape to dress it, though. I can do it myself.”

“Very well. I will pass an order along to send dinner up. I surmise you’re hungry, correct?”

“Yeah. No hay or grasses, though.”

“Oh?”  She tilted her head.

After I opened my mouth slightly, I gestured to my canines. “Changelings are omnivores. We can eat grasses, except they don’t really sit too well.”

“Would you prefer some meat with your meal, then?”

“What!” The sudden offer made my stomach heave.

“As we host diplomatic parties from other nations, the castle staff is prepared  to accommodate any needs of a foreign envoy. This includes the unique diets of gryphons and dragons. It would be little trouble to request them to grill a fish to accompany your meal, or prepare a steak. Why, I believe they even have-”

“Please stop,” I begged. Raised as a pony, I followed their beliefs and ideals. Those ideals included the notion that eating the flesh of another creature was simply disgusting. “Just consider me a vegetarian.”

“If that is your wish, so be it.” She met my gaze forcefully, all the playfulness vanishing. “Remain here and refrain from causing trouble.”

The doors closed with a solid, dull bang as the Lunar alicorn turned tail and left. There had to be something I could do to pass the time until she came back, else boredom would rapidly climb to the top of my problems. Talking to the guards was always an option, but I highly doubted they would entertain that idea, considering what I had done. They would either stonewall, or shove me back into the room. Perhaps the bookcase and its contents would offer the stimulation I desired.

I had never been much of a reader, preferring games or the like. My father’s workshop, in particular, held many wonders to me as a young colt, even though, at the time, I wasn’t particularly welcome. As I grew up, and my actions became more reasonable (and less destructive), Dad let me use his shop, first with supervision, and then on my own. Eventually, there was scarcely a point where the shop wasn’t occupied by one or both of us.

I growled.

Shaking my head to rid myself of those building thoughts, which built grief in my heart, I looked to the bookcase, examining the titles. Seriously? I knew Daring Do was a popular series, but here, in the heart of nobility and royalty? I’d tried one of the books once, and I really didn’t get what made the series so special. Still, the remaining fiction looked boring and stuffy, aimed at ponies who spent the entire day squabbling over the wording of a bill. Perhaps the non-fiction might offer something of value.

Then again...

Luna must have arranged to have these specific books brought up to me. With titles ranging from The Equestrian Guide to Changelings all the way to Changelings: Vicious Parasites, she either wanted to annoy me or prove a point. Sighing, I picked up the first book and tossed it onto the desk, before flipping open the cover. After the first few pages of lengthy introductions and self-congratulatory messages, the book finally begun.

Throughout Equestria there exists  a wide variety of creatures, each unique and mysterious in their own manner. However, perhaps few are more unknown than the illusive changeling. Many myths and legends cloud the true nature of these unique shapeshifters, but few are true. Professor Glass and myself have spent many years researching these creatures, enduring countless sleepless nights as we strive to uncover the truth. We–

Yep. Just as I figured, these ponies couldn’t wait to congratulate themselves. Again. They totally deserved the highest praise possible, merely for writing that book.

Normally, I would have said that above sentence with conviction. 

The only thing was, writing a book on an unknown subject really wasn’t that difficult. Put pen to paper, write whatever came to mind, and then present the result to a publisher. When they doubted your studies, it was your cue to wave your credentials in their faces and tell them you knew better. 

Grabbing hold of a chunk of the book, I skipped over half of their bullshit, landing somewhere near the center. I picked a line and starting running with it.

Our discovery of how changelings feed is both worrisome and highly disturbing. A changeling preys on the lifeforce of a pony, sucking their love and joy dry. Oftentimes, they work in packs, with one taking the place of a member of a community, absorbing love like a sponge, whilst the others prey on the pony squirreled away in an immobilizing cocoon. After many weeks, the pony will pass away and be discarded. With the first changeling still disguised as the now-deceased pony, another will fill the role of another unfortunate victim, and the cycle continues.

The book took to the air, the pages tickling the air like fluttering wings, before it crash-landed in a heap behind me.

“One down, plenty more to go,” I sighed.




~~~~~~~~~~~~




A knock broke me from my reading, or, to be more precise, cataloguing of trash.

“Come in,” I called, finishing the book I was on, and tossing it on the floor behind me. Once again, utter trash. It landed on top of the massive, pony-sized pile, toppling the former king-of-the-hill. Both books slid down the slopes to the floor.

The door creaked open, and the end of a cart appeared, followed by a Royal Guard of the lunar variety. Taking a glance at the window, I blinked. The sun was already beginning to set. Had that much of the day already passed? Regardless, the food was here, and my stomach grumbled hungrily at the smell of it. Whatever was underneath the silver lid must be delicious.

Still, with the twinge of nervousness springing up in the unicorn, it would be a shame not to have a little fun with her.  The food could wait.

“Smells delicious,” I moaned.

“Yes, well, sorry for the wait,” the guard said, lifting the lid to reveal the steaming food. “The chef was being a little difficult-”

“I wasn’t talking about the food,” I said, locking eyes with her. That, without a doubt, was the creepiest thing I’ve ever said.

She backpedaled, her face twisting in panic. Evidently, the other guards outside the door must have heard me, as my room was packed in an instant with bodies and weapons. Their scowls deepened as the sound of my laughter broke the pregnant silence.

“You actually thought I was serious?” I wheezed, gasping for air. Having gone so long without a good laugh, it wasn’t merely funny to me – it was hysterical.

The mare recovered, matching her compatriots’ expressions but with twice the ferocity. Crucially, however, she held her tongue. I’d wager she wanted to say something that would very much breach protocol.

"Behave yourself!” a solar guard commanded. Oddly enough, I recognized his voice. Ocean... something, wasn’t it?

“Sorry for having fun,” I replied, coughing. 

It was as though he didn’t even hear me. “We were left with very explicit orders from Princess Luna detailing that, if you’re causing trouble, we can return you to your cell.”

Oh, right, I remembered now; it was Ocean Mc-Grumpy-Pants.

“Don’t get your tail in a bunch, I was just...” I trailed off when I noticed something very peculiar; very peculiar indeed.

Ocean had placed himself slightly in front of the mare, as though he was protecting her. It was worth a stab in the dark, either way. “Stop worrying yourself over your fillyfriend,” I declared. “She can take care of herself.”

A barely perceptible blush coloured his cheeks. “Y-you’re to remain in the room, and refrain from causing trouble.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled, making my way to the cart. “Now, why don’t you get back to what you do best: imitating statues. Certainly isn’t catching changelings.” I lifted a carrot, before taking an experimental bite. Once again – utterly spoiled.

A few guards snorted in irritation at the accuracy with which I had described their job, but they withdrew without fuss, leaving me with my meal. Once the doors shut, I began to truly enjoy myself, savoring the flavors injected into the dishes. I doubted Luna had let the kitchen staff know who this was for. Otherwise, it would have hardly tasted as stunning as it did at best.  At worst, it would have been poisoned.

Twenty minutes later, I finished the last morsel of the blueberry pie, going so far as to lick the plate to find any crumbs I may have missed. If it wasn’t for the fact that I knew it would make me fat and unhealthy, I would have asked them for more. A small pang of guilt ran through me as I remember the scare I had given that mare. I had done so knowing that she had no idea how I actually consumed food. It was still funny, but in the way that a bully finds his tormenting funny.

After thumping the door a few times, I tugged the cart over just in time for the doors to open. It was the same mare as before, and she bore a disapproving frown as she looked at me. She grabbed hold of the cart, intending to rip it away, but I held on with both hooves, preventing her departure.

“Listen,” I mumbled sheepishly, “I’m sorry about earlier; I just meant it as a joke.”

Her eyes (and emotions) softened just the slightest, although the frown remained.

“Alright,” she muttered. “I’ll let it go this time, just don’t let it happen again.”

“I never got your name. I’m Amethyst.”

“Starlight,” she grunted.

“So, Starlight,” I muttered, grinning just a tad, “you and Ocean, huh?”

A blush spread across her muzzle. Ah ha! She gave the cart a shove, ramming the handle into my stomach and sending me tumbling back, before storming from the room and slamming the doors behind her.

I admit, I deserved that.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



 A curt knock sounded against the heavy wood of the door. Drowsily, I rolled off the bed and onto my hooves. I had been tracing the foliation and curls of crystal in the marble on the ceiling, following the lines around in idle thought.

“Come in,” I grumbled, rolling my neck to stretch the kinks out.

Princess Luna trotted in, giving the room a quick once-over. “Amethyst, I have spoken to... why are there logs in the bookcase?” she groaned, placing a hoof over her eyes.

“Just thought I’d rearrange the room. Facts should be on the bookcase.”

“What do you- Why are their books in the fireplace?” she exclaimed, finally spotting the second half of my work. They were unlit, mind you. It was a tad warm at the moment to consider starting a fire.

I grinned mischievously. “You can learn loads more from the logs than those books.”

“Explain your actions.”

I sighed, rubbing my eyes tiredly. “There’s nothing in those books worth reading. Well, I suppose if you prefer fiction...”

“Certainly, there must be something,” Luna protested, undoing my work with a swift spell.

“Nothing that can’t be found out by looking at me for a few seconds.” I rolled my eyes. I guess the book burning would have to wait. “Anyway, what did you come in here for?”

“My sister wishes to speak with you.”

“As in now? Right now?”

“Yes, she made that quite clear.” She headed towards the door, expecting me to follow.

A monarch’s command could not be ignored without consequence. Doubly so when you were a prisoner. I followed the alicorn, smirking at Starlight as we passed. The unicorn huffed irritably, but otherwise remained still. Luna led me through a number of corridors, before guiding me down a flight of stairs, and then taking a right turn into another hallway. Uncomfortable silence grew between us - it was obvious that neither of us were comfortable in the other’s presence. It wouldn’t be long before one of us found it unbearable, and broke it.

“Amethyst,” Luna spoke up suddenly, sparing me nary a glance. “There has been something that has been bothering us.”

I managed to hold my tongue, knowing now was not the time to correct her grammar. Or maybe she meant herself and her sister? Then she would be right. Ugh...

“When you first spoke with us, even though I was far more aggressive in my tone and the choice of my words, it always seemed like you were speaking more to my sister than myself. Why?”

I opened my mouth, but closed it a second later when I found myself without an answer. I had never given it any thought at the time, but Luna’s observation was true. I had been willing to grant Luna a chance, but not her sister. Even as I thought it over, I had no answer to give her.

“I don’t know,” I said with grim finality. 

“Surely you must,” she urged. “Did something happen-”

“I don’t know, dammit!” I shouted.

Luna halted in both speech and stride, mouth agape. A pair of guards ran around the corner at the sound, skidding to a halt when they saw me.

“Princess Luna,” one of them asked, “is everything alright?”

The question snapped her out of the daze. “Yes. As you were.”

The two shared a look, but stood to the side to let us past. For the remainder of the trip, Luna was content to keep to her thoughts, and keep maintaining the silence. The methodical click of her shoes and my chitin on the marble floors were our only escorts all the while.

The pegasi stationed on either side of the door tensed as we approached, but as I was accompanied by the Moon Princess, they didn’t lift a hoof to stop me. The moment I stepped into the room, all noise died out, until the place was as quiet as a tomb.

Celestia lay in a bed, across from the door, staring at me through one eye. The other was hidden beneath a bloodied bandage taped to the side of her face. The tip of a jagged cut shone scarlet at the edge of the bandage, screaming against her white fur, a mere hint of all the harm I had inflicted. The nurses fussing over her backed away when they noticed our presence, eyes wide.

“Please leave us,” Celestia ordered sternly.

“But, Princess–” one of the guards protested.

“Now!”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I waited, shifting from hoof to hoof, as the ponies filed out. The boom of the door closing sealed my fate like the impact of a judge’s gavel. Once more, I was engulfed by a whirlwind of silence as Celestia decided my fate.

And silence.

“Sister,” Luna groaned, after about a minute.

A frown flickered across Celestia’s face. “What?” she snapped.

The lunar alicorn lent her a pointed glare, instructing her with a wordless gesture. Still, the sun refused to yield the action or words the moon desired.

“Sister, we spoke of this,” Luna sighed.

Stubbornly, Celestia held her words, even in light of her sister’s near command. She was always the big sister.

“Celestia!” Luna barked.

OK, make that an actual command.

Eventually, her defenses gave way and she slumped, horn aglow with magic. The words of my question died in my throat as my mother’s locket floated before me. Reverently, I plucked it from the air, placing it around my neck. The comforting weight rested just below my collarbone, and I could almost feel my parents’ spirits returning to watch over me as it settled. I opened it. The picture was still in place, the faces still smiling back at me.

Luna coughed, loudly.

I tilted my head in confusion. “What?”

“I believe it is polite to apologize,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, it is,” I replied, frowning as I snapped the locket shut. I could already see where this was headed.

Luna mirrored my frown, her eyebrow now so high up her face it was almost hidden by her mane. “Then apologize.”

“Why?”

“Why-” Her eye twitched, and a low growl settled in her throat. The air crackled with electricity, playing gleefully with loose strands of cloth and hair, heralding the lightning to come. Her chest swelled as her lungs drew upon air, rushing to contrast her narrowed eyes. The change was nothing less than terrifying and deafening. “Thy gored mine sister’s eye and thy does not feel remorse!”

“Luna, please,” Celestia muttered. Amazingly, the navy blue alicorn instantly stopped, her horn half a metre from my face.

“Very well,” Luna answered bitterly, recovering.

“Amethyst, Luna and I were hoping your action was from hot-blooded anger, not from cold and meticulous thought, as your words now suggest. Is this true?”

“Look,” I responded flatly. “Yes, I do feel bad about it. It was a little extreme, but I’d be lying if I said I was sorry it happened to you. I mean, Luna told me you would recover fully.”

“Only because I am alicorn, Amethyst,” she explained, like she had gone through this before. She probably had, actually, given her age. “Were I of any other race, I would have lost the eye, and be condemned to half-blindness for the rest of my life. Only the magic flowing through my veins grants me the chance to heal, to endure the countless seasons to come. I ask again, were you speaking the truth?”

“Yes, more so now,” I growled. “Do you even know the concept of loss? I doubt it. When was the last time you’d shed a tear for anyone or anything? I’d wager that since we are all replaceable, it’s been eons.”

As she took a deep breath, I could taste her unbridled fury at my words, the burning odor wedging itself at the back of my throat.  “Amethyst, I had hoped you had acted out of anger, with grief clouding your judgment, so I could grant you a pardon. However, your confession has changed my verdict. There is no place in Equestria for those who would use violence to further their own means so selfishly. Luna, will you please take Amethyst back to his cell, so we can discuss his sentence?”

“No sister, we shall not.”

“I,” I muttered under my breath.

“Pardon?” Celestia asked. For the first time, I tasted her surprise and a little hint of fear.

“I do not believe this is the proper course of action when such an opportunity has presented itself,” Luna explained.

I blinked. What happened to the Luna ready to replicate my violence? Had she merely buried it away beneath a mask – an act – or was it something else entirely? Within the instant, I dismissed it. I wasn’t privy to the mind or psyche of an immortal, and certainly there was no need to concern myself with her well-being.

“I do not follow,” replied Celestia.

“Amethyst gives us the chance to prevent this from happening again. You, yourself, told him you would suffer no long term maladies, so why not judge this situation in a different light? We have the chance to prevent violence, not merely punish it. One action cannot be condemned at the price of many.”

Celestia surrendered, conceding in the face of her sister’s reasoning. “Very well Luna, what do you propose?”

“I suggest we give Amethyst freedom to move about the castle, provided he is accompanied by two guards at all time.”

“No, absolutely not.” Celestia shook her head.

“Let me finish... Amethyst would aid us in compiling an accurate study on changelings, from their anatomy, to their diet and magic.”

Now it was my turn. “No, not happening.”

“If Amethyst desired to visit the city, he would have to arrange it with us, whatever our wishes might be. And if he broke our trust, at our discretion, our agreement would be void, and Amethyst would be brought directly to trial in the Equestrian courts. Once the tome is complete, we will reevaluate our position.”

Celestia gave a reluctant nod, agreeing, albeit warily, with the terms.

“I don’t care what you say,” I muttered, “but there is no way I am letting myself be studied as an animal.”

“What would you have, then?”

There was an ugly, static pause.

“I’ll do it,” I agreed reluctantly, “Only if I can opt out when I begin to feel uncomfortable.” I hesitated for a second, scrounging for something more to tack on. “And on the condition that I can choose the guards.”

“I see no problem with that. Sister?”

“Alright.”

“Very well, tell us the names of the guards you request, and I shall pass the order along.”

“Starlight and Gallant Warning,” I replied, citing the names of the two most (relatively) friendly guards I had met.

“Corporal Starlight yes, but I’m afraid Sergeant Warning has been granted indefinite paid leave until the time when he is comfortable to resume his position.” The reason went unspoken.

“Ocean?” I requested. Perhaps they would be too infatuated with one another to take heed of my actions.

“You mean Sergeant Ocean Wind?” Luna hummed, to which I gave a curt nod. “Very well, the order shall be passed along. Now I bid both of you to sleep,  recover and prepare for tomorrow.”


> Chapter VIII - Exposure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning.

Now, that was a word I was unfamiliar with. Mind you, it was probably because I could be found rising from my bed anywhere from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon, depending on when I had fallen asleep. I was a deep sleeper, and my parents had berated me about it constantly while I grew up. At some point, I had hoped I would figure it all out, but I never did.

Instead, I was left struggling to discover about my race, with nothing save myself to go by. It didn’t take long to realize books had nothing to offer me, so imagine my joy when Mirra found me and took me on as her apprentice. Not only did I learn more my race, I also learned about my magic. To answer my earlier question, she had explained that changelings were neither nocturnal or diurnal. The creatures we could shift into could be either, so we couldn’t tie ourselves into their essence. Our bodies had evolved  over the years, shedding the circadian rhythm in favour of simple ‘resting time’.

So when I express how much I enjoyed being woken up by the pounding of hooves, when the sun had scarcely peeked over the horizon, please understand how I felt.

Also, the bed was nothing less than heavenly.  I think I have never slept so soundly.

The pounding started again.

“By the masters...” I growled, more to myself. “I’m coming!” I snapped, yelling to make my voice heard through the thick wood.

Grumbling all the while, I untangled myself from the nest of blankets on the bed, before searching for the floor and then stalking to the door. I opened it to find Luna waiting patiently, flanked by two guards.

“Good morning, Amethyst,” she commented cheerfully.

I stared tiredly at her for a few seconds, before swinging the door shut.

Again, the knocking sounded.

Let’s try this again.

“Go away,” I commanded, closing the door once more. Or, at least I tried to.

“Amethyst,” interjected Luna, forcing open the door much to my displeasure, “it is time to get up.”

“It better be something good,” I grumbled.

“Would it help if I said I brought you breakfast?” she asked, showing me the tray she cautiously balanced with her magic.

“Yes,” I muttered reluctantly. Without a constant source of emotion, my body was forced to produce its own magic to sustain itself, lending me a monstrous appetite. “But first, care to explain why guards barged into my room in the middle of the night?”

And that was the other cause of my foul mood. It must have been around three in the morning when eight guards had bucked in my door, scaring the ever-loving shit out of me. Tangled in my covers, I’d fallen off the bed.

I’d landed directly onto my back, the very same back where my torn wings were still healing. Holy cripes that had hurt. Do you know what the guards did then?

They just left. No explanation. No reason.

“A matter which I am not at the liberty to discuss.”

“Really, that’s it?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice level.

Luna’s glare told me enough. Whatever it was, they didn’t trust me with it and held my actions suspect. Would I really remain something to be feared for my entire stay in Canterlot?

Fine by me, if that meant justice.

“Better have brought something good, then,” I muttered, walking to the table already set up parallel to the edge of my room. 

Behind Luna trundled a cart, similar to the one from last night. It was laden with silverware and other dishes common to a five star restaurant. At least she hadn’t disappointed in terms of food. The orange juice in the glass pitcher swayed along with the cart’s each and every jostle. On either side of the cart, identical covered trays stood, thin strands of vapour dancing above them in the air,  twirling altogether into one. Her horn glowing brightly, Luna lifted the necessary instruments from the cart to the table, creating two matching, ordered sets of cutlery. She pointed to my seat with a gently raised hoof.

“I requested the chefs refrain from using grasses in your meal,” Luna explained, lifting the lid to reveal a wonderfully steaming omelette with a colourful mix of gently melted cheeses. Next to it, some toast had been cooked to a perfect, golden sheen. The slices were flanked by the eggs, offering contrast along with the cut strawberries and pineapple at the edge. Hers was similar, but flecks of green stood out against the yellow backdrop of her omelette.

As before, the food simply melted in my mouth. Nothing was overcooked or left underdone. Each succulent morsel dissolved into the purest essence of bliss. Even the fruit had somehow been grown to give the perfect flavor, with nothing lacking, and meshing perfectly with the other components.

Yet, despite the chefs’ culinary successes, our conversation remained stunted. Neither of us had any particular desire to speak with one another, or any questions that needed answering.  

Actually, the second statement wasn’t true, but then again, this wasn’t the place for an interrogation. 

We finished breakfast in silence, our eyes flicking up now and again, evaluating our opposite briefly, but both terrified at being caught staring. 

Like schoolchildren looking at their crushes, a memory reminded. I crushed that thought ruthlessly, remembering how Glimmer had broken my heart so cruelly.

“So, do we bring the dishes back?” I asked, prodding my empty plate with a hoof.

“No,” she answered, dabbing her mouth with the napkin. “One of the castle staff will return the cart when they complete their rounds.” 

“Come,” she said, rising. “Corporal Starlight and Sergeant Ocean Wind await your arrival.”

Hurriedly, I trotted to catch up to Luna. Casting a glance over my shoulder, I took another look at the mess we had left behind. There was no reason why we were incapable of looking after ourselves, save for privilege.

The food had been good, though.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“Although you may have requested them as your escorts, you will allow Starlight and Ocean time, to perform any tasks they are obligated to complete as Royal Guards,” Luna informed me as she led me deeper into the bowels of the castle.

“I hope this doesn’t include guard duty.”

Luna chuckled. “No, it most certainly does not. They have been excluded from the majority of their duties, but still have to complete the ones that remain, such as their daily drills. Those should not be a problem.”

I shrugged. Either way, I didn’t have much of a choice. If I refused to play by their rules, then other guards would pick up the slack. If I tried to go off on my own, Celestia would stand me before a jury before the day was out. 

Luna paused in front a set of discrete doors, lacking the flair of the many others in the castle. By no means were they smaller or less majestic – far from it, in fact – but rather, the tall double doors lacked the elegant golden carvings like the ones to my own room. Luna stopped in front of the door, barring my path with her wing when I went to push through.

“Is there anything you wish to ask me? There will not be another chance for some time, as I have to attend to our duties.”

“My,” I instinctively corrected.

“No, our,” Luna insisted. “My sister needs her rest, and I refuse to let her be burdened by petty trifles of parliament. I will be taking on her duties for a few days while she recovers.”

A question sprang unbidden into my mind. It was only when I realized what it was that I understood my mistake. Boulder and Flare had accompanied me, had helped explain why I had entered the city under disguise, and finally, why I had even shown up. When I had attacked Celestia, I had done so without thought of them. They could be held as my accomplices – tried, and then found guilty. Within days, they could face life imprisonment – and all because they had decided to help me out of the kindness of their hearts.

“What happened to Boulder and Flare?” I demanded, unable to keep the urgency from my voice.

“Rest easy, your friends are safe,” Luna informed me. “We only held them to ensure they were not changelings themselves, and to verify their story. Once we were sure of the truth, they were freed.”

Either way, I owed them an apology. Under the best of circumstances, they were likely to be distrusting of me, and the term ‘friend’ would not apply to me anymore.

“Can I go later today to apologize to them?” 

“So long as you refrain from taking  a disguise, and are escorted there and back, it would be acceptable. Understand, though, that you are to be back in your room by midnight, or we shall dispatch guards.”

“Thank you,” I said, dipping my head. “Now, what do we do?”

Luna withdrew her wing, giving the door a nudge with her hind leg before turning. She led me inside, instantly drawing the attention of the nearby guards. A few of the ponies standing around were not wearing armour, and oddly enough, their coats and manes were not the usual whites, blues or grey that were on the posters plastered in the streets. It took me a few moments to realize that these ponies were also part of the guard, only without their armour. There must have been some sort of enchantment that altered their appearance.

How would it work if I put the golden plates on?

“Corporal Starlight?” Luna asked the assembled ponies.

“Here, Princess,” the Lunar Guard said, pushing through the forming crowd.

“Sergeant Ocean Wind?”

“Um...” Starlight stammered, craning her neck left and right.

“He’s just leading a few drills, Your Majesty” a pony said. “He should be in the dojo.”

“Thank you,” Luna said. “Please return to your duties. Corporal, please accompany us.”

The ponies dispersed, and we were free to move once more. As we headed to the rear of the room, towards another set of doors, I felt the eyes of the room upon me. The air reeked of their hate and distrust, accompanying the glares I received. I refused to acknowledge that them, to let myself shirk into the shadows. There was nothing wrong with who I was, and I stood behind what I had done. I had spent enough time in the dungeons kicking myself over my mistakes.

The sound of wood striking wood grew louder as we neared the second set of doors. I was struggling to figure out what the noise could be, when the doors opened, revealing two pegasi sparring at the center. They swung wooden staves at one another, trying to topple each other. Both were drenched in sweat; beads of it dripping from the pads they wore. At our entrance, the beige pegasus looked over, eyes widening as he saw Luna.

“Princess–” he started, only to have his words knocked away when his opponent’s staff struck his helmet.

“Don’t let yourself get distracted, Private,” the Prussian-blue pegasus said, evenly. “You have to stay focused. Were done for today, so go clean up.”

“Yes sir,” he mumbled, heading for the door.

“What do you need, Princess?” the pegasus asked, taking off his helmet and running a hoof through his sweaty, off-white mane.

“Sergeant, we are here to deposit Amethyst into your watch. I have duties to attend to and I cannot linger. Amethyst has our permission to go into the city with the goal of apologizing to his friends. However, he is not to deviate from this route. Should he attempt to, you may bring him back to the castle.”

“Anything else, Princess?” he asked, dumping a bottle of water over his head and then reaching for a towel.

“Yes,” she said. “He is not permitted to use magic. Simple telekinesis perhaps, but no disguises.”

“I’m still not sure that is a good idea,” I objected. “I don’t think ponies will enjoy seeing a changeling walking around.”

“True,” Luna said, a smug smile beginning to form on her lips, “but my decision still stands. Until we understand your magic, you will not use it. Sergeant Ocean and Corporal Starlight are as much for your protection, as for the city’s, and their presence will calm the populace. Now, if you will excuse us–”

“Me,” I mumbled.

Luna just ignored my interruption. “–other matters require our attention.”

She blinked out of the room, teleporting away before I could voice another concern. I sighed, the protest dying away, half-formed. Starlight and Ocean Wind looked at me expectantly, the latter fiddling with the buckles on his helmet, causing blue plume to flutter back and forth. Intriguingly, it was his armor that changed his coat to white and his mane to royal blue, but it was the helmet that altered the colour of his eyes.

“Ready to go?” I asked them.

“We’re not going anywhere until you answer some questions,” Ocean stated coldly.

“Fine. Go,” I snapped.

“Why did you attack Princess Celestia?”

Masters... It really was coming to this, wasn’t it?

“I attacked her because I lost my temper.” I held up the locket for them to see. “She took this from me – the last memento of my family.”

“So it’s true,” Starlight muttered, leaning forward to peer at the scorched metal. “You were really raised by ponies.”

“Yes, and how kind of you to remind me of them,” I seethed, speaking between gritted teeth.

“Sorry,” Starlight blurted, shirking away, “it’s just–”

“Luna told us you selected us for this role,” Ocean Wind interrupted. “What made us stand out?”

“Honestly, I would have rather not selected you,” I told him flatly. I really didn’t care how this came across to him at that moment. “Starlight, yes, but you were my second choice. I would have much rather had Gallant Warning instead of you. At least they are a little open to my side of the story. You? I only asked for you because you have a level head, and your current... ‘status’ with her.”

I tossed my head at the mare at the end of that sentence.

Both fought to hide the tinge of red. “W-What are you talking about?” Ocean stammered, suddenly scanning the room to check we were alone.

“Please,” I deadpanned. “You two are obviously attracted to each other, judging by the way you react when I suggested it. Plus, I’m a changeling.”

“What does that have to do with it?” Starlight asked.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Changelings can sense emotions. Sure, often it’s only a loose representation, but not this time.  You're screaming it to the world – to our world. You two are more infatuated with each other than a pair of newlyweds, which suggests to me that you two have never even gone on a date together.”

Neither could deny it over their choked words and burning faces. 

“Ding, ding, ding; we have a winner!” I said tiredly. Just as I had hoped, I had managed to shift the topic away from myself. I really didn’t feel like playing Twenty Questions with topics so dear to my heart. 

“So are you going to stand there like an idiot, or ask her out?” I asked Ocean Wind.

I suppose you could say that it was a little presumptuous of me to so flagrantly accuse them of their love for one another. But patching together relationships just came with my instincts, I suppose. A changeling never really had much need for a second date when you could understand if they returned your feelings. Well, that wasn’t quite true.  Anyway, let’s just say I had never been lucky finding someone, but the trial and error (entirely error) had had at least some benefit.

Either way, Ocean’s response wasn’t coming anytime soon. That much was obvious to me, so I decided to take matters into my own hooves. “Starlight,” I asked her, “would you like to go out with Ocean Wind on a date, on say... Tuesday evening?”

It was all she could do to mumble a barely audible response. “Yes.”

I snorted. “Great! Now, that wasn’t that hard, was it? Let’s move it then.”

Ocean shook his head, breaking the love-induced stupor. “You still haven’t answered my question. Why us?”

Looked like I wasn’t getting away from it. 

“Look, I...” I sighed. “Just drop it, OK?”

“Alright,” Starlight said softly, cutting off Ocean. “Let’s go.”

And that was why I chose her. She understood.

Starlight pushed open the doors, stopping at the sight of every eye in the room shifting to us, or more specifically, me. Some were curious, others hateful, but common amongst all was the cold and distant anger.

This was going to be a fun day.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“Please let me put on a disguise,” I begged, as the gates to the castle swung open.

Merely leaving the barracks had been a harrowing experience. More than once, a pony walked by, intentionally ramming their shoulder into me and then pretending it was an accident. My escorts turned a blind eye to their actions, not even voicing warnings as I was battered around. 

I didn’t even want to think about what the ponies outside would do.

“Luna’s order still stands,” Ocean Wind replied.

“I know, but–”

“That is final. If you want to leave the castle, you will have to accept the risk.”

For a brief moment I contemplated changing my mind and staying in the castle. But that wouldn’t be right of me. I had already put my friends (if they would still call me that) at risk, having placed my own desires above their safety with reckless abandon. I owed them at least an explanation, and perhaps some groveling and begging for forgiveness.

“Let’s go, then,” I said, gritting my teeth and taking a step into the light.

A few clouds hung in the sky here and there, some moving freely of their own accord, while others were propelled by pegasi in the midst of  clearing the sky for another brilliant summer’s day. Taking a deep breath, I smiled at the aroma of fresh air and the small freedom I had been granted. 

The castle may have had a venerable horde of servants, but there was only so much you could do to a thousand year old monolith. Dust was bound to accumulate in a building that size, regardless of how much you cleaned.

As we neared the city, Ocean Wind and Starlight shuffled closer to me, their eyes shifting constantly. 

For a moment I went unnoticed. 

A shriek changed that. 

Almost immediately the crowds parted like the wings of a butterfly, falling silent. I continued to walk forward, paying them no heed. I wouldn’t let them have the satisfaction of seeing me quake, yet their fearful gazes hurt me more than I could have imagined. In their eyes I was beyond redemption; a monster. The zone of seclusion remained as I continued to stride forward, ponies shying away as if I bore a plague.

Two pegasi suddenly swooped down, landing before us, intent on stopping them. Both of them stood arrogantly with assumed superiority. Neither of the stallions so much as flinched at the sight of me, as they lowered their heads aggressively. If they were looking for a fight, they were certainly conditioned to provide one.

“Where do you think you’re going?” one of them sneered.

“Out of the way,” Ocean Wind commanded, stepping forward as Starlight and I stopped.

“Not until you tell us where you’re taking that thing, and why you’re headed away from the castle.”

“We have no obligation to tell us where we are headed,” Ocean replied coldly. “If you continue to obstruct our orders, I will arrest you and have you both tried.”

“You wouldn’t,” growled the blond pegasus.

The solar guard did not bother to respond. He simply moved forwards until he, and the intruding pegasus, were looking eye to eye. A few moments passed before the stallion backed down. Ocean Wind’s famed iron gaze had won.

“Our orders are to protect and escort Amethyst. They come directly from the princesses.”

“Protect!?” the pegasus shouted, his eyes narrowing “You mean–”

“This is the last time I will warn you,” Ocean interrupted. “Move.”

They complied, snorting as they did so. As they stepped to the side to let us pass, I could smell the waves of anger and hate rolling off their frames, as they fought back the urge to charge. There was also something else...

Satisfaction?

I jerked back as a tomato flew in front of my nose, breaking my concentration. The flash of red was accompanied by a abusive shout.

Instantly, other ponies took it as a signal.

Soon, the air was thick with projectiles, ranging from fruit to stones. My chitin kept me safe, but I was forced to shut my lenses for fear of something getting in my eye.

All changelings have a second set of ‘eyelids’ that we refer to as lenses. These lenses are translucent, tinted with colour depending on which hive we were from. For me, with my mane and tail the colour that they were, it should be obvious that my lenses were purple. Anyway, beyond mere protection, they also had intriguing arcane properties. I couldn’t, and still can’t think of anyway to describe it, but it effectively points out magic, letting us marginally see through enchantments and changeling disguises. Basically we look at something and...

Gah. I’ve never been good at explaining things. Think of someone holding a magnifying glass up to a forgery. All it does is make differences and mistakes easier to see. If you are not looking for them in the first place, the lenses will not help.

Even though they did all that, they did nothing to stop the half rotten mango from obscuring my vision.

“The hell?” I sputtered, spitting as a wet tendril of juice  dripped into my mouth. 

After wiping off my face, I sped up, taking a moment to glance at Ocean Wind and Starlight. 

Starlight was faring better, using her magic to fend off her attackers. Here and there, however, the odd stain coloured her armour and coat. Ocean Wind, on the other hoof, looked terrible. He bore the brunt of their projectiles, with only his wings and armour to protect himself. I could already make out one particularly painful looking bruise forming on his neck.

When Lemon Marmalade’s inn finally came into view, I broke from my urgent trot into a gallop. Not so fast as to appear like I was trying to lose Ocean Wind and Starlight, but enough to get out of the shower of projectiles. Five strides away from the door, I tore it open, stumbling on the threshold, nearly crashing into a table. Starlight was the last one through, slamming the door shut in time to halt a sudden barrage of projectiles. She flicked the lock shut and held the door, until the repeated thumping stopped.

Picking myself up from the floor, I looked up, barely registering the look of anger on Marmalade’s face. A second later, she whacked me over the head with a frying pan.

“What–” I managed to get out, one second before she hit me again. 

“What the hell!?” I whined, holding my head in my hooves.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t deserve that!” she spat in reply.

My retort died upon my lips when I realized that she was correct. It was, in fact, the reason I had come here.

“Marmalade!” Boulder shouted, his muffled voice coming from the stairs. 

I braced myself.

“What is–” He froze on the steps, looking at me.

“Hi,” I offered meekly.




> Chapter IX - Apologies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you want, Amethyst?” Boulder said, after a second of silence. He regarded me coldly from across the room, sinking into a cautious stance. A moment later Flare came down the stairs. He looked rather indifferent about my reappearance.

“Yes, what are you doing here?” Marmalade demanded, still brandishing the pan.

Their accusatory eyes drove me to the floor. My soul cowered under the growing flames of their anger. It hurt, like a thousand punches to the heart. When you live off emotions, the peaks and depths become all but physical.

“I’m... I’m sorry,” I said, staring at the knot in the wooden board just below my muzzle. “I just wasn’t thinking.”

“You think?” Boulder asked. “How did attacking the princess seem like a good idea at the time? Hell, have you even thought what you are doing here? You said you wanted to fix things when we first met, but all you're doing is making it worse!”

“I know,” I muttered glumly.

“Sure doesn’t seem like it,” he retorted, snorting testily. “All you’ve done is cause pain, so why don’t you run back to–”

“Boulder,” Flare interrupted, his voice calm and level, “give him a chance to speak.”

“Why should I give him the chance?” his brother demanded.

“Isn’t that the problem?” Flare asked, raising an eyebrow. “Would any of this have happened if they had just given Amethyst or his family the chance?”

Boulder fell into a guilty silence. He nodded slowly, solemnly.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I steeled myself against my emotions. “Flare, Boulder is right. You shouldn’t have to give me another chance given what I did. It wasn’t right of me to abuse your trust to the extent I did, and still expect you to forgive me. I just wanted to say I’m sorry for everything I put you through, and everything I did. Thank you for everything... I’ll be leaving now.”

Boulder sighed. “Amethyst, wait... Can you at least tell us why you did what you did?”

As I said before, I owed them an answer. “I was just hurting too much to think straight,” I said. “My parents meant so much to me, and even though she promised to return it, I could not bear the thought of letting the locket out of my sight–”

Marmalade’s nose twitched as she sniffed the air. “Alright, we get it: you’re sorry!” she interrupted, raising a hoof to her nose.  “But can you please stop the self-pity act and go take a shower?”

Only then did I realize how we looked, practically dripping with rotting fruit and compost.

“Um, do you have a shower?” I asked, moving to rub the back of my head with a hoof, but thinking better of it as I saw the state of my leg.

“Yes, just use the one in the first room upstairs,” she replied, her voice muffled behind her hoof.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Rivlets of hot water dripped down my body, ridding me of the filth the crowds had lashed upon me. I fiddled with the dial, making the flow of water as hot as it was able. What would be scalding for a pony was comfortable to a changeling. The fires which wound over our bodies whenever we took on a disguise were not simply aesthetics. The flames were hot, yes, but merely painfully hot to a pony, not scalding.

However pleasant the shower was, I knew it had to end. Turning the tap off, I stepped from the shower, drying myself off roughly. I took a moment to rub the steam from the mirror, stepping back. My reflection barely recognized me, and I it. 

Physically, I looked the same as I always had.  The change was in how I held myself; what my soul sung. That was different. I appeared battered and beaten, my will to continue just about hanging by a thread. Had I really fallen that far? The mirror fogged up before I could get another look.

I emerged from the haze of fog, trotting downstairs to rejoin the others, praying they would at least give me another chance.

“Next,” I called, ruffling my mane dry.

Starlight stood favoring her left foreleg. “I guess that’s me,” she said.

A somewhat awkward silence filled the room as she left, none of us knowing what to say. They obviously knew why I was here, so it bore little need for an explanation.

“Alright, Amethyst,” Boulder sighed heavily. “We’ll give you another chance.  Only if you promise never to do something like that again.”

“I promise,” I swore instantly. “Where’d Marmalade run off to?” I asked next.

Boulder waved a hoof in the direction of a door. “She’s started on supper, complaining about cooking for six.”

“But we–” I began to protest.

“We’re not staying,” Ocean Wind interrupted. “Once myself and Starlight have cleaned up, we are going back to the castle.”

“Hold on a moment,” I protested. “They never said that we had to come back right away.”

Whatever retort Ocean had in mind died when he heard a pained screech from upstairs. He was already halfway up the stairs before I realized what had happened. Having taken such a hot shower minutes before, the water in the pipes would still be particularly scalding. Flare seemed to pick up on this, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Think I left the water a little too hot.”

Marmalade stormed from the kitchen a moment later, an apron tied around her neck. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing worth getting worked up over,” Flare said calmly.

She snorted disbelievingly, but let the matter go. “One of you want to give me some help making supper?”

“Sure,” I volunteered before either of the brothers could. I would rather not be here when Starlight came back down.

My vision was suddenly darkened as Lemon Marmalade tossed something over my head.

“Put that on,” she said, her voice receding towards the kitchen. “Don’t want you making a mess of yourself.”

I took the cloth off my head to find another apron, bordered with pink frills. “Don’t you have anything else?”

“I’m sure I still have my old foal bib buried somewhere,” she answered, grinning with a glint in her eyes.

Boulder and Flare chuckled, hiding smiles behind hooves. “Perhaps you should take it,” Boulder joked, struggling to keep a straight face, “I mean, I can picture it perfectly.”

Rolling my eyes, I followed Lemon Marmalade lead and entered the kitchen, ignoring the laughter I left behind. The chemistry of cooking and preparing food was not alien to me, but I had never exceeded a standard beyond fine or acceptable. I could cook, but compared to my mother or father... Well, there was no comparison to make.

The kitchen was somewhere between that of a restaurant's and any home’s kitchen. It was neither as large as the former, nor smaller have the later, having a modest layout and provisions to cook a  variety of meals. There were a few steel countertops for cutting, but the remainder of the cabinets, outside the stove and burners, were made of lightly stained maple. Marmalade was already at work, tugging loose a pot from the cupboards, while finely dicing a few tomatoes at the same time.

“So, what do you need my help for?” I asked, tying the straps of the apron.

“If I’m going to be making chili for six, I’m going to have to double the recipe. I need you to keep an eye on the pot while I chop up everything else.”

“That’s it? Really?”

“Well, there is one thing,” Marmalade said, pursing her lips. “Could you hold your leg out, please?”

“Um, ok, why?”

I sputtered indignantly as she hooked a few ladles through the holes in my leg, making me a little more than a cutlery rack. She shot me an amused smile before turning back to her chopping. I wasn’t just going to let her leave me standing here, balancing the ladles carefully. Plus, they were beginning to tickle.

“Hey, Marmalade?” I said, “I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Would you mind holding these for me?” I said, throwing a bunch of dish towels over her head.

“Hey,” she chuckled, tugging them lose and setting them over my back. “I need to see what I’m doing. Hold them yourself.”

“What about a can of beans?” I asked, trying to balance one I grabbed from an open cupboard on her head. 

“Now hold on!” she laughed, enveloping my aura of magic, with her own, trying to force it away. “I’m being serious, Amethyst. Stop!”

“What about the tomato?”I persisted, drawing it away from her knife. “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind holding it either?”

“Why don’t you hold on to it,” she replied, pushing it towards me, overpowering my own magic with her own.

I redoubled my own efforts, halting the movement of the two objects. Narrowing her eyes, Lemon Marmalade increased her own output, creating a standoff. However with the recent strains I had placed upon my own dwindling reserves, I knew I was bound to fail in a contest of strength. The half tomato impaled itself of my horn, as I turned my focus solely to the can. What would have gone on for another few minutes was shattered as the can buckled and broke, coating the immediate area with beans and their juices. 

Marmalade and I stared at each other in shock as the can tumbled to the ground. Having heard the noise, Flare stuck his head in through the doors, long enough to take a look, blink, then wisely withdraw. The moment that the door shut, we broke into laughter. Not the sort of light chuckle you share at a funny joke, but the side splitting bellows that brought tears to your eyes, and hurt when you couldn’t stop. I staggered over the few steps towards her, leaning against her shoulder, struggling to stay upright. Marmalade fared no better than I did, and a second later she fell, sending both of us to the floor. Neither of us could care less.

The door opened once more, and this time Boulder looked in, stepping around the counter to see what the fuss was all about.

“Are you two going to finish making supper or should I take over?” he asked, staring at us in disbelief. “No, you know what, just go clean up, Flare and I will take over from here.”

Both of us flushed in embarrassment, as we stood up and took stock of ourselves: covered in crush beans and, in my case, a tomato impaled on my horn. Boulder saved me the trouble and plucked the fruit off my horn, lending his cousin a deadpan glare.

“Really?” he demanded. “No,” he exclaimed, cutting off her cousin’s explanation off. “I don’t even want to know what you did. I know you’ve been–”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Marmalade growled quickly, her face crimson.

“How about you go get cleaned up then, and try not to cause any more problems?” Flare suggested testily, shoving us both towards the door.

Three sets of eyes fell on us as we stepped out into the room, but all that was offered was Ocean’s ultimatum.

“We’ll talk later.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Once more the sound of running water filled the room I sat just outside of. Given I had already been through it once, and that I had been the cause of the mess, I let her have first dibs on the shower.

“So what was that about?” I asked, speaking though the door.

“What was what about?” she questioned in reply from within.

“What Boulder was saying before you interrupted him.”

A pregnant pause.

“So what do you think of the inn?” she queried, shying away from the subject.

Judging her earlier reaction, I wasn’t about to press my luck. “It’s nice I replied, You build it?”

“Kind of,” she answered. “My dad is an artist, and he originally bought this place as a gallery and home. The entire bottom floor was his gallery, and growing up, he made sure I did not play around down there. We lived upstairs, and it was nice for a home. A few years back though, a few of dad’s paintings sold for an awfully lot of bits at an auction. They moved up to a bigger place in Canterlot, and they left me this place. It took about a month to figure it all out, but with my savings, I managed to finish the renovations.”

“So do you run this place by yourself?” 

“Celestia no,” she chuckled. I gritted my teeth at the use of that bitch’s name, but held my tongue. “I’ve hired eight ponies to help me run this place. With the recent changeling inv–” Abruptly she halted.

It was nice to see someone considerate of things which might offend me. “Changeling invasion, yes continue,” I prompted.

“Well, anyway, with Canterlot so riled up I knew we wouldn’t be getting any business, so I closed for a week or two till everypony calms down, or somepony comes knocking, whichever comes first.”  The water shut off and the door to the bathroom opened. Just like before, she tossed the towel over my head, leaving me in darkness. “Come down when you’re finished.”

I lifted the towel from my eyes in time to see her pale yellow tail disappear around the corner. A moment after the buzzing in my head abated, something I had missed entirely, I realized that I was staring at the space she had left.

~~~~~~~~

For the second time that night I trotted down the stairs, following the second shower of the day.

“Your clean, good. We’re leaving,” Ocean declared, rising to his hooves.

“Hold on a moment,” Marmalade protested, “Why?”

“This is not a debate miss,” he responded curtly. “We will be taking Amethyst back to the castle.”

“Hold on a moment!” she repeated irately.”I just want to know why.”

“Amethyst requested to come here to apologize for his actions. I was willing to let him stay for supper, provided he didn’t cause any more problems, however, he’s clearly shown that that is not the case.”

“How?” she demanded.

“His actions in your kitchen and–”

“Wait a minute,” she interrupted, “You’re blaming that on him?”

Ocean Wind blinked, a monstrous display of surprise for the guard. “You’re saying it wasn’t?”

“No!” she exclaimed. “Well, not entirely,” she admitted after a moment. “But it’s still no reason he has to leave.”

“There are other reasons, but as before, this is not up to discussion.”

“Just because your marefriend didn’t bother to check the water temperature doesn’t put me at fault,” I exclaimed angrily.

All forms of politeness disappeared from Ocean Wind’s features. “Get to the door,” he snarled. “We’re leaving.”

Starlight didn’t hesitate to follow the command, storming to the door to tug it open. My heart leapt in shock at the sheer hate and malice which rushed through, chilling my soul. The door cut the flow as abruptly as it begun.

“Ocean, we have a problem!” Starlight hissed, her eyes wide with fright.

“What is it?” he asked, walking over to the curtains to peek between them. “... Shit!” he swore.

“What!?” I demanded.

“Seems the ponies from earlier have decided to try their luck again,” he answered, tightening the straps of his helm. “They’ve surrounded the building, and I’d bet my spear against a pebble, they aren’t going to let us leave easily.”

“So what are you going to do?” Marmalade asked, an edge of fear creeping into her voice.

“What we’re trained to do,” Starlight answered, tugging the door open once more. 

Marmalade and I ran over to a window, peeking through the window. The murmur of a crowd grew to a sudden roar as the two stepped into the open. Ocean Wind flared his wings, forcing the crowd into silence.

“By order of the princess Celestia and Luna, you are ordered to disperse! This gathering has been deemed unlawful, and subject to immediate action! Failure to comply will result in your immediate arrest and incarceration until the time your case be brought in front of the courts! This is your first and only warning!”

“Give us the changeling!” came a shout from somewhere in the crowd. Other ponies shouted their agreement, in a tide of noise.

“The changeling is under the custody and supervision of the Royal Guard.” the Solar Guard declared. “This order came directly from the princesses, and is not open to interpretation. Disperse at once.”

“Why don’t you kill that thing?”

“Why is it running free?” came another cry.

“The situation is different the we initially believed,” Starlight explained. “It is no longer a simple–”

“You expect us to believe that crap!” came a familiar shout somewhere within the crowd.

My heart froze in my chest; I had heard that voice before. I craned my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the speaker, but I couldn’t see anything.

Marmalade said something, but in my horror, I didn’t even recognize it as speech. The stairs greeted my hooves as I sprinted to the second floor, looking for a better view. The distance to the window at the end of the hall grew as each step took me closer, the seconds growing into hours. To see if the possibility was true, as horrifyingly improbable as it may be, became an obsession. It couldn’t be him, it just couldn’t. It took me a moment to cast my eyes over the crowd, and another to identify the speaker, setting my blood boiling in my veins.

It was.

The night of my parents death came back to me, as I stared at the beige stallion with the fedora who stirred the crowd into a frenzy. He raised a hoof, the same hoof he had struck my mother with, swinging it in a dramatic fashion to further infuriate the crowd. Had I been able, I would have struck him dead where he stood.

“You know what I think?” he proclaimed to the crowd. “I wonder if they are even Royal Guard! I know for a fact that the Royal Guard would never shelter such vile creatures from justice. I think that they are changelings themselves.”

The suggestion alone would have normally done nothing, his beliefs viewed as nothing more than paranoid ramblings, but under the circumstances, it was held as an absolute fact. His cry was taken up by others, the crowd encroaching against the two guards. Ocean Wind and Starlight tried to restore order, but their commands were drowned out by the shouts. They barely pried the door open, slipping inside and slamming it shut, before the mob pounded against it.

That beige earth pony with a fedora, didn’t join the push against the doors, or the calls of the mob. Instead, he stepped back, examining the scene, smiling to himself as he looked over what he had begun. It may have been a fluke, or some freak occurrence, but as he stared up at the building before him, his eyes met mine recognizing his opponent. He wasn’t shocked, or even disgusted, merely satisfied. Tipping his hat in infuriatingly polite gesture, he turned around, leaving the riot to the masses.

“Amethyst, get down here!” Marmalade shouted from below me, shocking me into action.

I pounded down the stairs, nearly losing my footing as I skidded to a halt. Flare and Boulder were already hard at work, placing tables in front of windows as objects rained in through the broken glass panes. The Lunar and Solar Guards  struggled to hold the door shut, the lock having failed in mere seconds.

“Dammit,” Starlight groaned, as the door painfully bulged inwards from a blow. “Amethyst, don’t just stand there,” she shouted, “help us!”

A quick glance revealed a broken lock, shattered by the force of the blows. Given how quickly it had failed, finding something to prop beneath the handle of the door was out of the question. But if the barricade was tailor made...

“Get back from the door!” I shouted.

“Are you crazy?” Starlight hollered back. “They’ll bash through this door, the moment we let go!”

“Can’t you just hold it with your magic or a moment?”

“Why?”

“Trust me!” I begged.

Starlight met my gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Ocie, one the count of three, let go of the door.”

“What, you can’t be serious!” he exclaimed.

“Whatever you are going to do, do it quickly, Amethyst. One.”

“Star–” 

“Two.”

“Dammit,” Ocean cursed, preparing to leap from the door.

“Three!”

I delved into my mind, searching for the few strands of magic remaining. Even though I had nothing left to give, I would take apart my mind if it meant protecting my friends. Thankfully, it did not come to that; I had the few thread of energy I needed to work the fires of change.

My intention and goal was simple, but no less complex. I intended to fuse the door to the frame, creating one solid piece of wood. The problem was that if I let my concentration stray, even for a moment, the spell could have the opposite effect. The wood could become nothing more than loose particles, vulnerable to even wind, let alone the battering hooves of a horde of ponies. With a flick of my horn, I betted our lives on a spell, and a facet of magic I had only barely begun to understand.

Green fire danced around the join of the door, tickling the the knots and rings of the wood. My breath froze in my chest as the glow faded. Had it worked?

A seamless piece of wood now stood in place of two. It had.

“What did you do?” Marmalade asked in wonder.

“Sealed the door,” I explained, slumping to the floor in exhaustion. “Only thing is, we can’t get out that way.”

Glancing around I noticed Flare and Boulder had finished covering the windows with makeshift barricades. For the moment, I guess we were safe.

“So what are you going to do now?” I asked Ocean Wind. Surely he had a plan.

“We wait,” he answered simply. “Once the sun sets guards will be dispatched to search for us.”

“So why are you even here then?” I asked, in annoyance. “We didn’t need you just so we could wait.”

“Princess Luna expected nothing like this.”

“So does this mean I can say ‘I told you so?’”

“Stop, both of you,” Starlight interrupted. “Lemon Marmalade, is there anywhere with clear view of the sky? I might be able to signal the guard.”

Marmalade shook her head, “No, I don’t think so, At least, not that I know of.”

“What about–”

A tinkling of glass sounded as a slender piece of wood, wrapped at one end with a cloth, was shoved through a gap. Only thing was, it was also alight with glowing tongues of fire. Without thinking, I rushed forward, and shoved it back out, ignoring the heat. There was no way this building was going up in flames, not if I could help it.

“I don’t think they are going to give us that time,” I declared. “If you can’t figure out something in the  next few minutes, they may turn this into our funeral pyre.”

> Chapter X - Escape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The very moment I finished my warning, another torch was roughly shoved through the gap, sparks dancing across the floor. Before I could react, Marmalade leapt forward, grabbing the burning thing with her bare hooves, and pitched it back out the window. 

“Damn you all if you think I’m going to just let you burn down my inn,” she raged to those outside, ignoring the burns I could already see on her forelegs.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her, but as much as I wanted to believe otherwise, there was nothing I could do to stop them. Flames were already beginning to flicker and grow outside as torches were heaped against the side of the building. This place would burn, as their foul minds intended, but the question remained: would we be inside the building when it was finally consumed?

Ocean Wind must have realized the same thing just as I did. As our eyes met, a regretful nod passed between us. Taking charge, he began to bark out orders.

“Starlight, Flare, get to the attic and look for a clear sight of the sky! If you cannot find one, make one! Amethyst, you and Boulder grab anything you can to try to stop the fire. Lemon Marmalade, you...” 

The off-white mare hadn’t been listening; she’d been too busy sprouting insults and profanity at the crowd outside. Already I could see her fetlocks were painfully burnt, the hair charred.

“Amethyst,” the solar guard sighed, “I’ll help Boulder. You try and calm her down before she hurts herself any further.”

Already well ahead of us, Boulder called out from the bar. “Hey!” he shouted, tossing each of us a balled-up, sopping wet rag. I carried one to Marmalade. “Tie these around your muzzles. Should help with the smoke.”

“Right, everypony get to it now!”

I ran over to Marmalade and grabbed her shoulder, nearly recoiling at the twin tails of anger and sorrow running through her. She shrugged off my hoof, kicking a table back in place, and throwing a rock out the window. Lunging, I made sure to latch both hooves onto her shoulders, so she could not escape.

“Marmalade,” I spoke to her. She tried to twist away, ignoring what I had said. “Marmalade, look at me!” She smacked my face with a flailing hoof. “Master’s damnit Marmalade!” I snarled, shaking her roughly.

The unicorn’s eyes widened as she stared at me, terror replacing fear. She continued to struggle, not to return to what she was doing, but rather to escape me. Only then did I realize how I looked: teeth barred, twisted into a snarl; the image of a predator. The buzzing in my head returned as I took a breath, calming myself. I leaned forward to embrace Marmalade comfortingly, waiting till her struggles died.

“Marmalade, we can’t stay here. I know how much this place must mean to you, but you can always build another. None of us want to lose you, me least of all.” The words felt foreign rolling off my tongue. I was hardly used to this sort of thing.

Gentle shudders racked her body as she returned the hug. The denial Marmalade had built in her mind finally gave way to reality. I lifted my head to watch the others as she cried into my shoulder, already mourning what she was going to lose. Boulder and Ocean Wind poured buckets of water around the windows, trying to dampen all they could, but the flames had already taken hold. I watched tongues of fire begin to grow, licking at the windows and ruthlessly pouring toxic smoke.

Suddenly outside lit up in a green glow, shadows rapidly shifting as a magical flare curved through the sky. Moments later Starlight appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes red and watering from the smoke.

“Got it,” she coughed. “Sent the emergency signal. Flare kicked out a section of the roof that was under repair.”

“Is the gap large enough to exit out of?” Ocean Wind asked.

“No, but we could make it larger," she answered quickly.

“Do it then,” he ordered. “They are going to have carry us out. There is no time for them to clear a path and rescue us. Everypony upstairs now!”

Tugging Marmalade behind me, who stared absently in shock, I rushed up the stairs, followed closely by the Sergeant. Tears streamed from our eyes streamed from the smoke, which only thickened as we climbed.  Perhaps we would make it out, if only we didn't suffocate first.

“This way,” I heard Starlight call out, choking on smoke.

I felt my way for the stairs, barely able to see a meter in front of me. “Can’t you do anything about the smoke?” I begged, trying to keep Marmalade upright.

“Climb,” Ocean urged, without the breath to yell anything else.

My hooves met the stairs and I practically lifted the stunned mare behind me. I wanted to speak out, to urge her to move, but I would make myself a hypocrite if I did so. Did I have  mental purchase to climb from the barrel to save my parents, or had I just sat there, too scared to do anything? Furthermore, unlike then, this was entirely my fault and responsibility.

Had the attic been as smoke filled as the hallway, I would have given up then and there. With a hole punched through the roof offering clean air, however, I struggled onwards and managed to gasp a few lungfuls of the city air. The others were only a second delayed in wheezing alongside me.

“Move,” Flare stated, between teeth clenched with pain. “Need to take the rest down.”

“Flare, are you...” Boulder’s eyes widened as he saw his brother’s legs. “Is that blood?!” he shouted.

Four heads whipped around at that. It was even enough to break Lemon Marmalade from her daze. Blood pooled beneath Flare’s rear hooves, trickling down from cut and gashes along his legs.

“Move,” he repeated, refusing to supply the obvious answer.

“I’ll take over,” Ocean Wind said, eyes hardening.

“You’re not strong enough,” Flare said, shaking his head. “And don’t you start, Amethyst. You and I both know you can’t do it. There’s no decision to be made. I have to.” 

Later, part of me would wonder whether he would have bucked me had I refused to move. Turning around, he pounded the already fractured wood, methodically dismantling it even further. Suddenly entire section of the roof gave way, exploding out into the street and nearly taking Flare with it.

Marmalade and Starlight both grabbed hold of him with their magic, lifting him back inside. However, as Flare’s rear hooves touched the ground, he screamed and fell forward. Glancing behind us, I saw the smoke billow into a thick haze. In a snap decision, I grabbed hold of my bandages and pulled them from my back. The tattered rags of wings beneath now shivered in the roiling air. Ocean Wind must have gotten the same idea, as he flared his wings in preparation.

“Flare first,” he wheezed.

Nodding, I looped one of the fallen stallion’s legs around my neck and staggered over to the opening. Ocean Wind took his position on the other side, and on the count of three we leapt into the open space.

My entire back erupted in pain as I open my wings, catching the air. For a moment, I was sure I was going to plummet to the ground, but somehow my wings held. Getting to the building across the street should have taken only seconds, but it grew into excruciating hours with each flap. Flare collapsed onto the sloped roof when we landed, almost taking me with him. The mob below somehow hadn’t noticed us, and were gradually backing away from the building inferno.  Idiots.

“You alright?” Ocean Wind asked.

“I better be,” I spat. “Marmalade next.”

We completed the crossing again, grabbing hold of the unicorn.

“Where the hell is the guard?” Ocean wheezed.

“Where do you think?” I gasped between breaths of stabbing pain.

Suddenly I felt my wing give way, tearing further under the immense strain of carrying another. Now instead of lifting, I only managed to drag them down.

“Fly dammit, Amethyst!” Marmalade screeched in my ear, the fall snapping her from her shock.

I struggled, attempting to buzz my wings furiously, but I had given it my all. I could managed nothing more than falling slowly. At this rate, we were going to slam into the wall and paste ourselves.

I found myself encased in raspberry glow. I made out the glowing outline of Starlight’s horn amid the wall of smoke in a quick backwards glance. The magic encased me, and I felt the strain lessen. Against all odds, we all made it to the opposite room, collapsing just as Flare had.

“Amethyst, we need to get back over there!” Ocean hollered at me.

“I can’t,” I moaned.

“Get up,” he snarled.

“I can’t.”

Ocean Wind grabbed me roughly, pulling me upright so we were face to face. “They’re going to die!” he roared, spittle striking my face.

“Ocean, I cannot fly,” I pleaded, flaring my torn wing. “I can’t do anything.”

Growling, he threw me down onto the shingles and took to the air once more, diving into the smoke. My heart pounded in my throat as I waited for him to return. From where we were, the fire’s intentions had become clear. Though I had missed it before, I could hear the structure begin to creak as flames ate away at the supports. Marmalade’s inn may have been garbed in stone, as much of Canterlot was, but the structure was still made from wood. It wouldn’t be long now, not long at all.

In a flash of red light, Boulder suddenly appeared next to us, sliding down the tiles as he struggled to find a hoofhold, coughing heavily.

“Where are they?” I asked him.

“Coming,” he struggled to say, the words coming out as a warbling rasp.

Moments later, Ocean Wind emerged from the smoke without his armour, struggling to lift an unconscious fiery-red unicorn who I realized was Starlight. She was without her navy-blue armour. Strain was obvious across his face, his wings clinging to air. Though his effort may have been herculean, it was still not enough. With each flap he would lose a few inches, and with his faltering wing strength, the loss was irrecoverable. I was stunned when a pale yellow glow surrounded them. Marmalade stood beside me with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, her horn flaring sunflower-yellow. Her action put my own- both tonight and that night- to shame.

Ocean just slammed onto the roof, ignoring the scrapes he gained in favour of breathing. Boulder lunged forward to steady Starlight as she began to slide from the pegasus’ back.

Breathing in deep, I extended my senses towards my friends, reaching out to their cores. One by one I passed each of them over, smelling the fragrance of their souls. Each shared in the utter relief and exhaustion our escape had called upon. But it was not to last.

I felt something cold blossom inside Marmalade. The adrenaline and determination had begun to wear off, and the reality of the situation before her burned brightly against the dark night.

“No,” she whispered, finally accepting what she was about to lose, and was powerless to stop. Her home; her life’s work was going up in flames before her. It was not the result of a burner left running, or any sort of accident, but clear malicious intent.

“No,” she sobbed, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks once more.

The buzzing  in my head returned as I placed my foreleg around her shoulder, squeezing her gently.

“So where’s the guard now?” I asked Ocean Wind coldly. “Do you see them yet?”

“I...” he began.  A particularly loud crack from the burning inn cut him off. He must have realized the truth.

“You think they care about us enough to protect us?” I growled. “Hell, do you think they would actually do anything if they found us lying dead in an alley? Their words were empty promises. It’s only because I was upsetting the status quo they let me hear what I wanted to hear.”

Ocean Wind didn’t have an answer for me as he struggled to lift Starlight onto his back. “Come on,” he said dully, monotonously. “We have to get out of here. Boulder, can you carry your brother?”

“Yes,” he responded.

“Good. Amethyst, you help Marmalade. We’re leaving.”

“No, we aren’t,” I shot back. 

“I’m not going to pull her away from this,” I continued, pointing to the blaze before us. “This was her home, Ocean! Grow a heart.”

I tuned out his reply as I turned to face the inn, or what was still left standing of it, giving Marmalade another squeeze. Her sobbing breaths and shaking body reminded me of that night, my night, and soon I joined her, my silent tears trickling alongside her spluttering ones. There was nothing more painful than losing a home, save for losing loved ones. Nothing could replace the loss or fill the hole that would be left. Only time granted some measure of healing.  You didn’t need to be a changeling to feel Marmalade's anguish, or her grief.

The ponies encircling the blaze had stepped back, entirely oblivious to our escape. The circle kept expanding, as they were forced back from the immense heat. Even I could feel it from our position across the street. Cries of triumph rang out as the weakening structure finally collapsed. With a tortuous groan, matching Marmalade’s, it collapsed in a flurry of sparks that climbed into the night sky to become stars themselves.

Marmalade buried her head into my chest and screamed.

And I could do nothing but look on.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The journey back the castle was not a pleasant one. More than once we were forced to hide in a dim alley as ponies ambled up the street. Plenty were just common folk, ignorant of the hate their leaders forged, but some talked only of the fire, only of their triumph. Like a lost puppy, Marmalade followed my lead, in utter shock at what had happened. Occasionally, I would hear another muted cry whip itself into life, the sound so soft that it was at the edge of my hearing.

Starlight had eventually woken up atop Ocean Wind’s back. She said she was fine, but the moment her legs touched the ground, she collapsed. A victim of magical exhaustion. With stubborn reluctance, the unicorn clambered back onto her coltfriend’s back. Without her armour altering her appearance, and under the fine coating of dull black soot, I could see that Starlight was a fiery red unicorn with a mane of raspberry curls.

Not once during our entire trip back did we so much glimpse one of the famed blue plumes or the golden armour of the Royal Guard. Of course they had forsaken us entirely over more pressing matters, such as guarding empty hallways. A darker voice muttered that the whole thing reeked of a set-up, that this was assassination by negligence. Still, they would be hearing from me. That was for sure.

We finally arrived at the bare space that divided the city from the castle. Like thieves, we emerged from the shadows. Now that we were intruding on their private domain, a quartet of unicorn guards blinked into being around us, drawing steel from holders.

“State your business he–”

Ocean Wind did not grant the guard a chance to finish. Without breaking his stride, he plowed a hoof into the guard’s muzzle, sending him stumbling back.

“Don’t give me that shit, corporal,” he growled, ignoring the other guards and expecting us to follow. “Get us a bloody stretcher and a doctor. Then get the hell out of our way.”

No one attempted to stop us as we entered the castle, passing shocked servants and nobles.  We must have looked like beggars. Thankfully, the unicorn guard had taken heed of Ocean Wind’s request, and scarcely a minute after we had entered the castle, medics rushed out to greet us with a cloth stretcher. It took them one glance to find out who was trailing blood droplets. They quickly helped Flare onto the stretcher.  He sighed in relief, and at that moment I could see how much sweat had built up around his forehead.

“Amethyst, can you look after Lemon for me?” Boulder asked quietly, glancing towards the dazed mare.

“I will,” I whispered.

“Thank you.”

Boulder followed after the stretcher, anxiously looking at his brother’s hooves, before they disappeared around the corner. 

“The princesses will want to speak with us,” Starlight said weakly.

Placing my shoulder against Lemon Marmalade’s, I nudged her in the direction of my room. “Starlight...” I replied, pausing, “right now, they can go fuck themselves. If they don’t even care about us, why should I bother with them.  Just go and rest. I’ll talk to them tomorrow morning.”

Neither of them had an objection, as neither of them tried to stop me. Just as before, I took a deep breath to gauge how Marmalade was coping. It was bad. She was numb, empty, too traumatized and in-shock to even see clearly. Guiding her carefully through the halls, I ignored some of the looks we received. Doubtless, some of these ponies thought they’d never see her again. To them, I was bringing her back to my lair to consume.

“Alright, just through here,” I said, opening the door to my room, and guiding her onto the bed.

There were words of comfort I could speak to her, but what was the point when she wouldn’t hear them? She needed time alone. Gently, I tucked the covers in around her, and watched her forlornly as she cried herself to sleep. 

She’d taken the bed, so there was only one thing for me to do.  I found an extra blanket after some digging in the closet, the type kept if guests got too cold during the night. Settling down on the thick carpet, I wrapped myself in the blanket, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.



~~~~~~~~~~~~


Quiet whimpering broke me from my slumber. In my sleep-induced befuddlement, I was almost ready to roll out of bed, to throw open my window and shout at the neighbours to let their dog in. But then I realized where I was, and just who that whimpering was coming from.

Lemon Marmalade tossed fitfully in her slumber, no doubt chased by phantoms and entrapped within her burning home. Though perhaps there may have been no words I could say while she slept, I knew the physical world had implications in dreams. Carefully, I climbed onto the bed and sat next to her head. I ran a hoof through her mane, again and again, humming a lullaby. I’ve never had any firm grasp on music, but I can hold a tune while humming. The song was one my teacher once sung to me. The changeling tune was still stuck in my head all these years later.

Eventually, Marmalade settled, her breathing returning to normal as she fell back into a dreamless slumber. I sat there for a few more minutes in a daze, staring at her form. I had never taken the time to notice it, but when the lively mare was not arguing, or joking around, she was... beautiful. Though her mane was streaked with smoke, the yellow strands cupped her face with all the tenderness of a mother’s guidance. Her gentle breaths slowed my hoof down, until I was simply resting it against the ends of her hair.

What the hell was I doing? I was watching a mare sleep, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

It took another second for me to tear my gaze from her and return to my blanket-bed, but that was enough time to get my head buzzing once more. I thought about lying there, away from her. But one soft sigh was enough for me to drag the blanket to the foot of the bed. Sometimes the presence of someone else is all we need to ward off nightmares.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Thank the masters Luna let me sleep this morning. Had she come to practice her drumming on the door again, I was pretty sure I would have bucked her across the hall. Marmalade needed her sleep, and so did I.  Speaking of which...

Propping myself up, I took a look around the room in search for the mare. To my relief, she was still here, lying on the bed and immobile, save for the gentle rise and fall of her blanket-covered sides.

“Marmalade,” I whispered, approaching the bed. “Are you awake?” I knew she needed her sleep, but it would be better if she knew where I had gone.  Panic would hurt more.

“Yeah,” she replied, just as quietly. “I’m awake.”

“I have to go speak with the princesses. Are you going to be OK here on your own?”

“Yes.”

“Marmalade–” I started.

“Please, Amethyst,” she interrupted, not even rolling over to look at me. She sounded as dead as the wall. “I just want to be alone.”

I took a whiff of the air, immediately disheartened by what I found. I had hoped there would be grief, or some sort of sadness, but instead there was simply nothing. An absence of any emotion. Perhaps space would help the most.

“Alright.” I nodded in her direction, even though she wouldn’t be able to see it. “ I’ll come check on you later.”

Walking over to the door, I shot her one last look of concern, before I slipped outside. Starlight and Ocean Wind were already there, dressed in sets of dented armour. They both looked at me expectantly as I emerged.

“Morning,” I grunted. “Take it they want to see me now?”

Starlight nodded. “To quote Princess Luna, ‘As soon as Amethyst steps hoof beyond the doors to his room.’”

Again, I grunted in resignation. “So what’s with the new armour?”

“Spare sets until they can forge us new ones. We left our armour back at her inn, remember?”

“All too well.  So what did they want me for?”

Ocean Wind frowned, gesturing for me to follow. “It is probably best that they explain the situation to you.”

I wasn’t able to pry anything more from them during our trip to the throne room. All I had gathered was it had been urgent and troubling. We reached the throne room soon enough, and the guards on duty stood warily to attention. Taking a breath, I urged myself to stay calm.

Like that was ever going to happen.

“You wanted to see me?” I called out, disturbing a meeting which was underway. I could have waited until they were finished, but they were the ones who demanded this meeting.  They got one.

The stallion speaking evidently speaking didn’t appreciate my entrance. “Excuse me, but we are in the middle of so–”

“Yeah, well, tell it to someone who cares,” I shot back. “Do you want to speak with me or not, Celestia? Because I’m quite happy to go back to what I was doing.”

The alicorn sighed, raising a hoof to rub at her eyes, only remembering the patch of bandages at the last moment. “I apologize, Blueblood, but this will have to wait until later. There is something that I need to discus with Amethyst.”

“You mean this thing has a name?” he exclaimed.

“Yes, Blueblood,” Luna answered with a sigh. “Now leave.  We don’t want to ask you again.” There was a cold glint in her eyes that spoke of nasty consequences if he dared defy her.

“Nice guy,” I muttered, once he had left. “Now do you mind telling me what the hell happened last night?!”

Celestia shifted uneasily. “We are aware–”

“Oh, so you’re aware!” I shouted. “You’re aware they tried to kill us and that we signalled for help!”

“Amethyst, please–”

“Now what was that again about not letting me take a disguise, when it would have prevented this entire bloody thing?!”

“Be quiet!” Luna shouted, interrupting my tirade. “Amethyst, please let us explain our actions.”

“Fine,” I snapped.  “Let’s hear your excuse.”

Celestia took a calming breath before starting. It was something she did quite often.  I suspected that it had become a habit. “Amethyst, something happened last night that left us with no guards to send. In fact even we didn’t have enough, and we suffered for it.”

Oh, that’s just rich. “So, during the Royal Wedding this place is just crawling with guards, and now you don’t have enough? Did they all go on vacation or something?”

“During the wedding the threat of an invasion was leveled against Canterlot alone,” Celestia explained. “With no other prominent threats, garrisons from cities and towns across Equestria were concentrated here. However, when the changelings were finally driven from Canterlot, they were scattered across the country. Much of the Royal Guard has been repositioned across Equestria to locate the stragglers, leaving only a skeleton force here in Canterlot.”

“Anything else?” I asked, “because I really don’t buy that. Canterlot is the capital.”

Luna shook her head. “Please, Amethyst, let us finish our explanation before you pass judgement. During times such as these, we keep a number of guards ready as a response team should an emergency arise. Had last night been peaceful, save for the events Ocean Wind has already explained to us, the consequences would have been avoided. Despite all our intentions, however, something happened here which left the watch vacant.”

I snorted in disbelief. “Like what? How could anything require the attention of every guard?”

“Perhaps it might be better if we showed you. I assure you, Amethyst,” Celestia said, stepping from her throne, “I regret that last night happened the way it did, and you have our deepest condolences, but perhaps you may understand why.”

Somehow I held my tongue, holding back the torrent. Condolences, hah! The only thing she was sorry for was that I wasn’t dead. In fact, I’d wager they had pointedly ignored our plea for help, engineering an excuse in the unlikely event we escaped. “Sorry”, and its kin, were nothing more than air shaped into sound in the hope others would forget. In the manner of a bully who tripped another on purpose, she would say she was sorry, and move on without ever meaning a word of it.

At the fourth turn and second flight of stairs, I recognized where we were. The place I had been imprisoned when I had been first captured: the dungeon. Something in the air unsettled me with each step we took. It felt like a phantom lurking over my shoulder. It took me nearly a minute to recognize it, but when I did, my eyes widened and I choked down a gasp. 

It was fear.

Whoever was in the dungeon was scared beyond rational thought. As we stood in front of the final door, the one to the dungeon cell, I distanced myself from the almost-painful emotion. Again, I really wish I could convey this, but being able to sense emotion cannot be described in this language. Some of them have an almost physical edge when strong enough. I was thankful I took the cautionary step as their emotions hit me in full force when the door loomed open.

Whose emotions, I hear you ask?

Terrified faces of black chitin and sky blue eyes, tinted with lime green, stared at Celestia in utter terror through enchanted steel bars as if she was about to announce their execution. The occupants of each cell clustered at the wall, huddling together and shivering in fright.

Changelings.

> Chapter XI - Encounter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

My mouth flapped open soundlessly as I stared at the occupants of the cells.

Changelings.

Between the few stone and iron cells, there must have been roughly twenty of them. My first reaction was to demand where they had come from, but I stopped when I noticed the smell of disease. In each mass of huddling chitin, I could make out grievous injuries. Cracks and dents mapped across their carapaces, which were flecked with blood. I felt my chest seize up as I saw a changeling with one of her lenses nearly shattered over her left eye. It was barely covered by puffy eyelids. For that to have happened, she must have been hit hard, very hard. To put it into perspective, I’ve been hit by the rebound of a hammer on one of my lenses whilst working, and it had left me with barely a hairline crack. 

“Who did this to them?” I demanded furiously.

“We do not know, Amethyst. When they were brought to us, they were already injured ” Celestia said.

“Brought!” I almost shouted. “Who brought them to you?”

“They were brought to us by ponies following the royal proclamation, who hadn’t yet heard of our change.”

“You said you got rid of that, and now you still reward them?!” I spat. I’d known, but the fact still stung.  Had their promise really meant that little to them?

“Peace, Amethyst,” Luna said calmly. “We did not reward them, but explained to them why the order had been rescinded. However, we still granted them a small measure of compensation for their trouble.”

“Did you bother to ask how they were injured?” I growled, gesturing to the changelings. “Did you think to check if those ponies were responsible before rewarding them?”

“Transporting thirty-four changelings is not work of a single pony,” she offered. “The ponies were of sound character, and we doubt they committed such an act. In light of our explanation, they offered their apologies and accepted what we offered them.”

Wait... Thirty-four? But that would mean...

Quickly casting my eyes to the cells, I swiftly counted the number, reaching a verdict just as Celestia spoke once more.

“From the moment they saw us, they were utterly terrified,” Celestia explained, indicating the confined changelings. “It took scarcely a minute for them to break free of their constraints and try to escape after their custody was handed to the guard. While normally, they wouldn’t have made it far, with the reduced guard, it wasn’t the case.”

The dots finally connected in my mind, offering somewhat of an explanation. “Wait, so you’re saying the reason no one helped us last night was because of the attempted escape?”

Both princesses nodded in unison, “The guards were so busy trying to capture them, no one noticed the signal Corporal Starlight sent,” Celestia said. “Even in spite of the efforts of the guard, eleven changelings escaped into the city, or are hiding somewhere in the castle. Our searches have turned up nothing yet.”

“But surely someone must have seen it,” I nearly pleaded. That couldn’t be all. It wouldn’t make sense if it was.

“Wrought Iron, one of the tower guards, saw the flare, but by the time he had descended the stairs and reported it, the beacon had long since faded. The pegasi we sent to investigate returned shortly after you arrived at the castle, or so we were informed.”

Sighing, I felt some of the anger leave me. Oh, don’t worry, I still held them responsible for Marmalade’s home burning, but with what had happened I suppose I could see how events played out like they did. As much as I wanted to, there was no sense lingering on the topic when there were more pressing matters to worry about.

“Can you let me in that cell?” I asked, pointing to the one I desired open. That female’s shattered lens looked serious, but more importantly, she looked like the one in charge here, now that I had a chance to look at her again. Beyond her eye, the mare was a touch larger than the others, and in possession of a long cerulean-blue mane and a tail. This meant that she’d been receiving quite a bit of excess emotion. Teacher once explained to me that in a hive, this generally only happened to those who are essentially celebrities, or those in command.

“For what purpose?” Luna asked.

“Just to talk to her,” I pleaded. “Trust me.” A moment after those words left my mouth, I realized how foolish they sounded.

Luna raised an eyebrow, questioning me, but ultimately opened the cell door. Almost the instant I stepped through two changeling leapt up, hissing at me threateningly. Let’s hope my lessons with Mirra paid off. Though for many years she had tried to drill the changeling language into my head, I had never been particularly eager in picking it up given my circumstances. My grasp of the language was at best primitive.

“<I mean you no harm,>” I said in changeling language, the name of which could be roughly translated as ‘cries of the heart’. At least, that’s what I think I said,. My words seemed to pacify the two long enough for their... leader, or at least the changeling they respected, to reach a decision.

“<It is alright>,” she said softly. her voice trembling with pain.

The left of the two changelings confronting me started to say something, but caught himself. “<Are you sure? Whoever he is, we cannot trust; he is from–>” The rest of the sentence escaped me, but I caught the name of a hive...

“<I’m standing right here, you know.>” I commented dryly, stumbling over the beginning of the sentence as I adjusted the tone of my remark. “<Can I ask you something?>”

“<What is it?>”

“<Do you know Equestrian? I’m really not comfortable speaking like this.>”

“Amethyst, can you please tell us what you are telling them?” Celestia asked from behind me. No doubt her face was deadpan.

Ignoring the Princess, I awaited the changeling’s response.  My statement seemed to surprise her, “<What do you mean? Are you not from the–>” Again, I lost the rest of the sentence, but that didn’t stop a bubble of envy from building up in my chest at the ease in which she spoke. It took me a moment to realize she was asking which hive I was from. More than once, I had asked Mirra where she and all the other changelings lived. She had told me that changeling cities were called hives, and the name of her hive was Irqtous.  However, despite my constant pestering, she refused to give the location.

“<Oh, that’s what you mean. I’m not from any hive.>” I told them. “<My name is Amethyst.> Er... Amethyst.” I corrected, realizing I had given the literal translation of the material itself. Never was quite sure what happened with pony names.

Just as before, my statement brought about another bout of mumbling amongst one another. “<So you are not from a hive,>” she said, carefully neutral, after a moment.

“<No. Raised by ponies, taught ‘cries of the heart’ by my teacher Mirra.>” I paused to piece together the next phrase in my head. “<Never quite picked it up perfectly, so if you could, could you speak Equestrian? Or anyone of you for that matter?>”

I had to wait again, as she conversed with the other two with her. “<Apologies, but none of us can.>”

“<Can I at least have your name?>”

She fell silent, contemplating her response. “<Cytri,>” she said.  

I had a hunch that it was a false name, or that she was hiding something, but that wasn’t important right now. “<I’ll see if I can’t all of you out of here, and into your own room. Alright?>”

“<Thank you,>” she said, nodding her head.

“So Celestia,” I called out, pacing towards her and out of the cell, “I think I’ve found your problem. They don’t understand Equestrian. No wonder they were so scared.”

“What do you mean?” Luna asked, her voice betraying that was already assembling the answer in her mind.

“You are captured, put in chains and cannot use your magic. You dragged many kilometres without being fed, because no one believes you eat food, and you’re brought into a city whose residents hurl abuse and celebrate your capture. Finally, you are brought to the center of the government and before their rulers. You have no idea what they want with you, and you cannot defend yourself even with speech. The only thing you are sure of is that they are treating you as a criminal. Get the picture?”

“Amethyst, they barely set hoof in the throne room before they broke free,” Celestia informed me. “We had no idea–”

“No, of course not,” I interrupted. “Otherwise this wouldn’t have happened.”

“What would you suggest we do, Amethyst? What would you have done in our situation, given what we know?”

She had something of a point. I absolutely hated admitting that.

“We had taken care of them to the best of our abilities, but they have refused to speak to us, and rejected our offers of medical treatment,” she elaborated. “We had hoped you would be able to reach them, but I am sure you’ll understand that we couldn’t just let them roam free as you did without knowing for sure.”

Alright, so it was my fault that Cytri and the others had spent the night in a cell. Given what I know now, though, I’m not sure I would have done anything differently. While their injuries appeared painful, Cytri’s looking to be the worst among them, none were life threatening. I’m not sure how much I could have done last night with the state of mind I was in, and certainly my utter lack of energy for casting spells. 

From the corner of my eye, I saw Cytri watching us. When I glanced at her, she looked away quickly, embarrassed she had been caught. No, that wasn’t the right word,  it was more like she was...

Worried?

Well, this was getting more and more interesting. I’d bet my locket against an acorn that she had just lied to my face about not being able to speak Equestrian. Considering that teacher had once said that all changelings learn a variety of languages, Cytri’s claim just didn’t feel right. Especially when there were so many changelings here. However, there was probably a reason for that lie, and I wasn’t about to crucify her over it.

“I suppose,” I sighed reluctantly. “By the way, can you get them all a room, or better yet, a few connected ones? None of them were involved in the invasion.”

“How can you be certain?” Luna asked dubiously.

“Trust me, alright? Besides, didn’t I read somewhere that those changelings spoke Equestrian?” I added, remembering the brief newspaper article.

“Very well, Amethyst. We will have quarters prepared for them. However, for the moment they will have to remain here.”

“Alright, but could I speak to Cytri in private?”

“Who?” Celestia questioned.

I point to the injured changeling behind me. “I’d like to get the chance to look at her eye, see if there is anything I could do.”

“Sergeant, I trust you shall keep an eye on them?” she addressed Ocean Wind.

“Of course, Princess.”

“I shall leave you in charge, then. We have business to attend to elsewhere.”

“And what would that be?” I questioned. “If it is talking to more pompous pricks, I can’t see that as ‘business’.”

“Goodbye, Amethyst,” she said, pointedly ignoring me.

“Yeah, screw you too,” I muttered as they walked away. “<Cytri, you catch all that?>” 

“<What?>” she blurted, a touch quickly.

“<You can drop the act, I know you speak Equestrian.>” She shuffled her hooves uncomfortably, confirming my gut feeling. “<If I am going to stick my neck out for you, I want to know what you are really doing here.>”

“<But I–>”

“<Listen. Quite frankly it doesn’t matter if you choose to tell me, but it makes it a lot easier for me if you do, and, honestly, I’m not going to take the chance if I can’t trust you. If you want my help, you need to tell me everything.>”

One of the changelings in with her sought to protest, evidently not favouring my choice of words. “<Why should we trust....>” -he said a few words I couldn’t understand- “<Cytri. When–>”

Cytri interrupted, chittering something in reply, but I gleaned a few fragments.

“<If you are sure–>” he choked on a word. “<If you are sure, Cytri.>”

“<Alright, let’s go somewhere quiet. I think I know something to help with your eye as well.>"

“<Ocean, is there anywhere we can go so we can speak in private?>” I asked the sergeant.

He nodded and gestured for me to follow. I opened the door for Cytri and waited for her to pass before leaving the cell myself. The door closed with a heavy thud as I tugged it shut behind me. The changelings who had previously huddled at the rear of their cells now were pressed up against the bars, asking me where I was taking her, demanding to know what I was going to do to her. I would have told them, had they given me the chance to speak. As it was, I offered no answer as we walked out of the dungeon.

Very quickly, I found myself staring at Cytri, thankful I was behind her, not alongside her. No, I’m not trying to be a creep. I’ve only ever seen one other changeling before today: my teacher. Apart from her, the only pictures I had seen were the ones from books. Did I mention that the majority of these pictures were from the same books Luna didn’t let me burn?

I suppose it was a bit of a blow to my pride to realize I was shorter than her, but then again, I could see how that would have been the case. She obviously meant a lot to those changelings, judging by their reactions. Unlike my own chitin- which was scuffed and dirty- hers was almost shining, save for a series of scratches. Her own hair, despite her obvious capture made my mane and tail look utterly filthy. At that point I felt self-conscious of my own battered appearance. I hadn’t even spared the time for a shower since the fire. Breathing in gently, I felt a tinge of carefully masked nervousness from her slipping through the cracks.

“This will do,”  Ocean Wind said, scanning the empty hall he chose. Besides some stacked tables in the corner, the room was entirely empty.

“Is there some sort of spell that you could cast on the room so no one can eavesdrop on us?” I asked Starlight.

She shook her head definitively. “I couldn’t even lift my spoon this morning. I do know one, but it’s a little beyond me at the moment.”

I guess the doors and curtains would have to do. “Just wait out here for me,” I said. “She would like a little privacy.”

They took their places on either side of the door, shutting them behind us once we had entered.

“Alright, let’s talk,” I began, taking a seat on the floor. “We can start anytime you like.”

“<I don’t–>” she tried to start in ‘cries of the heart’.

I waved a hoof, cutting her off. “Equestrian. I know you can speak it.”

She fidgeted uncomfortably, staring at the ground. It took a second to realize I was rather putting her on the spot.

“Icebreaker, then” I suggested. “You can ask me any question you want, if you will answer one of mine.”

She was silent for a moment, tracing circles on the ground with a hoof. “Alright,” she said softly, her voice gentle. It was almost surreal, the difference from the harsh clicks, rasps and other sounds of the changeling language. Still, she hit some of the consonants a little hard. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean?” I asked in reply, momentarily stunned by her voice. 

“Why come here? You said you were raised by ponies, so why aren’t you with them?” she expanded.

And she just had to go right for it, didn’t she? “Cytri, my parents are dead. Some ponies burnt down my home with them inside after the changeling invasion, just because they had cared for me all those years. I came here to get answers.”

Mouth falling open in a  horrified gasp, Cytri just stared at me. “I... I’m so sorry,” she brought herself to say. “I... I...”

Now that I’d met someone whose first reaction was genuine sympathy, oddly, I wouldn’t have it. “It’s not your fault, Cytri.”

“But I–”

“I’m not hearing any of it. So how did that happen?” I asked, pointing to her eye. “And more importantly, who did it to you.”

“Celestia, I guess.”

My jaw clenched in anger at her name. Of course it was her. Who else would it be? I had been naive enough to even suspect the ponies who brought her in, when the true culprit should have been obvious. “What did she do to you?” I demanded, venom dripping from my words.

Cytri’s uninjured eye widened in realization. “Oh no, it’s not what you think! She was only defending herself!”

“From who!”

“Me.”

The admission caught me off guard. “What?” I managed.

“When we got free, I attacked her to buy the others time to escape. She kicked me in panic, and caught me here,” she said, holding a hoof over the swollen area. “Please don’t blame her!” she pleaded. “It is my fault.”

“Alright,” I relented. “Your turn to ask a question.” 

The next half hour we spent answer each other’s questions, responding to the other’s inquiry as best we could. By their words, Cytri and the other changelings had not been involved in the invasion in the slightest. They had been halfway across Equestria collecting plants for their hive when they had been attacked. It had been their attackers that did this to them, not the second group they were passed over to in exchange for the lion’s share of the reward. Apparently, the ponies who had brought them here had acted well enough, all things considered. However, when I came to ask where her hive was, she refused to answer.

In turn, she learned a few things from me, but after a while she was asking questions just to continue to the conversation.

“How about we get something for your eye?” I offered.

“Oh no, you don’t have to trouble yourself.”

“It’s alright, I’m headed to the infirmary anyway.” I needed to check in on Flare. Frankly, I was worried for him. I thought Flare had hurt himself far worse than he had let on. Kicking out the roof had barely phased him, but not being able to walk?

“Alright, then.”

“Remember not to say anything,” I said. ‘They still think you can’t speak Equestrian.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Look, for the last time, I’m a friend!” I shouted at the nurse. She stood in front of the doors, trembling slightly, but refusing to budge. Admirable bravery, but at that moment I couldn’t care less.  After what I had done to Celestia, and of course the other obvious factor, they wanted nothing to do with me. 

“Can’t you do something?” I asked Ocean Wind.

He shook his head. “The guard doesn’t have any authority over the decisions of the medical staff.”

I was sick of ponies telling me what I could and couldn’t do. Following their wishes has gotten me and my companions hurt, and more than one person had lost a home over it. Calling upon a bit of my magic, I lifted the nurse out of the way and pushed through the doors.

“Amethyst!” Starlight exclaimed.

“Not listening; don’t care.”

A few of the nurses and doctors gave panicked shouts when they saw me, calming down slightly when they saw Ocean Wind and Starlight behind me. In turn, Cytri followed them, shirking her head slightly at the hostile stares she was receiving. Managing to dredge the brothers’ location from one of the orderlies, we quickly arrived at Flare’s room. 

I stopped dead in my tracks when I came around the corner and saw Boulder slumped in a chair, shoulder drooping. He simply radiated exhaustion and numb despair. Flare was nowhere in sight.

Still, he felt my eyes on him, and he looked up, giving me a tired smile. “Hey, Amethyst.” There was not even an attempt to hide the defeat in his voice.

I took a seat alongside him as a chill ran down my back, and his head swung back down to stare at the floor. “Flare?” I asked, quietly.

“They’re still operating on him,” he replied, barely audible.

“Operating?” I repeated, my heart sinking in my chest.

Boulder nodded in admission. “When he kicked out the ceiling, he had driven splinters of wood up into his hooves. Probably on the first kick.”

I blanched in horror. “Wait. Does that mean–”

“Every kick he took, he was driving them further in,” he finished for me.

My jaw hung open in shock.  I couldn’t say anything. A flame lit in my heart as I stood there, unable to understand why Boulder had done it. Why any of them had done it. Why did they have to protect me, when I had did nothing to earn this? If I had just handed myself over, I could have prevented not one, but possibly three lives from being ruined. Just as on the night of my parent’s death, I had sat there, unable to take action and protect those protecting me.

The flame became an inferno.

Why was I unable to protect or sacrifice for those who cared for me? Was I doomed to watch my family and friends give up their lives, their dreams, maybe even their souls? All the while, being forced to endure their pain as my own?

“Masters’ dammit!” I roared, spinning around, and kicking a chair down the hall. Even the resounding crack of the chair striking the wall did nothing to sate my anger.

“What the hec-” Boulder started.

“Shut up!” I shouted, fuming in rage. “You should have just given me to them!”

“Who?” he asked in confusion.

“Think for a moment,”I snarled. “Who do you think! The ponies at the inn maybe, anyone who would rather see me dead, that hatted fuck, the-”

A hoof rocketed out and snapped my head to the right. “Sit down, and shut up,” Boulder growled, rising to meet my gaze. “Don’t even try to blame yourself for our decisions!”

“But look what’s happened to you, look where you are now!”

“If I know my brother and cousin, they would do it again in a heartbeat, even knowing what they know now,” he countered stubbornly. “Even if the cost was twice what it was now, they’d do it!”

“But-”

As if he anticipated what I was going to say, he firmly shook his head. “I don’t care what you may think, our decisions were ours and ours alone.”

“Listen to what they say, Amethyst,” Cytri added carefully, stepping from behind Starlight and Ocean Wind.

Boulder look past me in a trance of shock. “Amethyst...” he trailed off. “What? Who is this?”

If he wasn’t going to bother to understand what I was saying, I wasn’t going to waste my breath trying to say it. He was too pig-headed and stubborn to admit I was right, so I let the matter go. “Boulder, this is Cytri, she and the other changelings were the reason no one came to help us.” For show, I switched to the changeling language, and addressed her. “<Cytri, this is Boulder.>”

“<Pleasure to meet you,>” she replied, bowing slightly.

“What did she say?

I repeated the response, stumbling over the language. Simply put, her reply was basically the translation I gave, but in actuality, it was more of a formal greeting, meant to lesser yourself in front of another. Basically... it was an apology? My respect for Cytri grew at that revelation; she was apologizing when she had no need to, or at very least, little to apologize for.

“Pleasure to meet you as well,” Boulder offered in reply. I could smell no ill feelings stirring in him. Or, at least, he buried them well.

I set about explaining what had happened to her last night, and he took it all rather well. In fact, he seemed almost satisfied with the answer, My guess was that any doubts that he may have had about Celestia and suspicions of her betrayal were settled. 

Still, as all good things must come to an end, so too did my conversation with him. Just as I was nearing the events earlier this morning, four guards came running in. They ground to a halt when they saw me. Ocean Wind stepped in front of me, putting himself before them.

“Something you need?” he asked the guards.

“We were told two changelings entered here forcibly,” one of them said, his eyes narrowing as they fell on Cytri.

Forcibly my ass! If lifting a nurse out of the way was considered forcibly, then patting someone on the shoulder was bloody assault. Seriously, I’m a changeling, get over it.

“We have it under control,” Ocean shot back.

“Then why didn’t you apprehend them?”

“They were both under our watch at the time,” he retorted. “Amethyst wanted to get something for Cytri’s eye, something which the princesses were aware of, and had permitted, yet the nurse refused us entry. Amethyst became fed up with her repeated refusal and moved her out the way gently, hardly the story you’ve seemed to have received.”

“It sure doesn’t look like you are doing what you said you came here to do,” the guard sneered.

“Yes, because they were talking with me,” Boulder spoke up, rising from his chair and stepping around us. “Is there a problem with that?” he asked, looking the guard straight in the eye.

“Yes,” the guard confirmed. “That changeling has committed–”

“I don’t care about ‘that changeling’,” Boulder growled in reply. The venom in his voice was unmistakable, likely furthered by his own exhaustion. “I was speaking with my friend: Amethyst. He is a citizen of Equestria and doesn’t deserve what you, or anyone has been giving him He’s done nothing wrong coming to see me, and if you dare try to say otherwise.”

He didn’t take kindly to Boulder’s words. “He’s not even a pony, how–”

Once more, Boulder interrupted. “Would it make any difference? If he was a zebra of a minotaur would you be making this fuss?”

“A changeling is not a–”

“If you keep on with that, I’ll buck your teeth in,” he threatened dangerously. “I’m at the end of my patience, exhausted, and in a really foul mood. Piss off you idiots. I’m sure the princesses would just love to hear all about this.”

To his credit, he did manage to leave with at least some of his dignity intact. Boulder, meanwhile, glared after the group of guards until they had disappeared around the corner. Sighing, realizing his temper, he returned to his chair, slumping heavily into it.

“Fuck, Amethyst, but I’m not sure I can talk with you anymore. I can barely think straight.”

The poor stallion was exhausted. “Just try and get some rest, alright?” I suggested.

Boulder nodded tiredly, leaning heavily into his hoof, his eyelids barely hanging open. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“<Let me take a look at that,>” I said to Cytri, pulling the ice pack away from her eye. It had been about ten minutes now, and the swelling was dissipating slightly. She could now blink, albeit painfully, but there wasn’t much more I could do. I had managed to find a mild painkiller, one which wouldn’t give her hallucinations or have other side effects –trust me, I learned from experience– but it would be awhile before she began to notice.

“<How is it?>” she asked.

“<Looking better, but just keep that there. Could you hold it while we walk?>” I questioned, stumbling at the clicking noise I had to make.  One of the difficulties of the changeling language was that many of the sounds were unique to the language alone, such as hard clicks and snaps. Heck, you could use your wings to modify sentences by using them to create sounds. I hope she could forgive me for slaughtering our language, as I was doing right now.

“<I think so.>”

With that, we headed back to the cells. The bottle of painkillers was tucked under my wing for the other changelings. When we got there, there was no one to greet us, the cells devoid of changelings. It took all but a moment for Ocean Wind to ask the guard stationed there to tell us where they had been taken. Apparently, Celestia had already had the rooms made up, even diverting servants from other areas to have them ready as quickly as possible. Surprisingly good of her. It took another few minutes, but we arrived at the room. Four guards had been stationed in the hallway, but I suspect several more could respond in a moment’s notice should something happen.

When I had first met the other changelings, I knew they really didn’t like me. Don’t know why, but it was just the way it was. With that in mind, we left Cyri at the door, not sticking around to play a meet and greet. Besides, there was somepony else who I needed to check up on. I just hope Marmalade had managed to get it together a little. The walk back to my room was quiet, as there was nothing really to talk about. Ocean Wind and Starlight trusted my judgement far enough not to question it, but also, none of us were really in the mood for small talk.

I was puzzled to see the door to my room standing ajar. Before I could begin worrying, I heard Marmalade’s voice along with someone else’s. Curious, I nudged the door open and looked inside. To my surprise, the other voice was none other than Pastel, the mare who had shown me around the castle when I had first broke in. She sat, back to me, across the table from Marmalade. When Marmalade saw me, she gave me a somewhat warm smile, simultaneously that infernal buzzing started in my head. Following her gaze, Pastel turned around in her seat, flinching when she saw me. The surprise rapidly turned into a scowl. 

Trouble brewed.

“Oh, Pastel,” Marmalade said cheerfully –I sighed in thankful relief–, “this is Amethyst.”

I don’t know whether she missed the look the named mare was giving me on purpose or by accident.

“We have already met,” she replied disapprovingly.

Oh, right... That’s why she wasn’t pleased to see me. Knowing the way rumors spread, it wouldn’t have taken her long to find out the true story.

“Pastel, if it’s alright with you, could I speak with him alone?”

The purple mare stood, setting down her teacup. “Probably should be heading back to work anyway.” Walking past me, she paused. Her voice was barely a whisper. “Don’t you dare go hurting her.”

And then she was gone, leaving the door open behind her tail. Blinking in bewildered, I strolled over to the door, shutting in, while thinking over what she had said. My furrowed brow softened as I turned back to Marmalade, seeing her warm smile.

“Doing better?” I asked, taking Pastel’s seat as my own. With a pot of tea and a spare cup, I helped myself to the cooling drink. Wouldn’t be long before you could call it lukewarm. Taking a sip at it, I grimaced as the buzzing in my head intensified ever so slightly. Must be caffeine in this stuff; it always gave me headaches.

“Much,” she replied. 

I nodded approvingly, even if the incident was still heavy on her mind, it was wonderful to see her smiling, as small as it may be. “What were you and Pastel talking about?” 

Her gaze slowly drifted away from mine to her teacup. “She came in here to do some cleaning around noon. When she saw me, she got me out of bed and cleaned up. We’ve been talking since then. Amethyst, I...” she cut off abruptly, not sure of her words. Taking a sip of her tea to think it over, she tried again. “Amethyst... Thank you for last night.”

I blinked, puzzled. “What? You mean letting you use my bed?”

“No, later.”

Later... But what?... I felt my face flush as I realized what she meant. She rose from her side of the table, and came around to sit next to me– very close next to me. The ache in my head grew slowly as I took another sip of the tea, setting down the cup with a slightly trembling hoof.

“Thank you for that, you don’t know how bad it was,” she murmured.

I had some idea, but I wasn’t... I lost hold on that thought as she leaned into me, nesting her head beneath my own. What had been a dull murmur before, erupted into a deafening screech inside my mind. The realization of what that noise truly was struck me with sheer horror.

Oh no. Masters please no!

Recoiling, I stared into Marmalade’s eyes, searching the depths. Inside those pale brown orbs, a flicker of amethyst fire burned, colouring her perception of the world: a filter of my own creation. Fighting against what my body was screaming, I made for the door, barely managing a drawn out trot. I needed to get away from her before I no longer could.

I rushed to tear the door open, but stopped as I felt someone behind me. Panicking, I turned. Marmalade leapt at me, knocking me bodily into the door. Pressing me up against the portal, she met my mouth in a deep kiss. I tried to fight it, but the the small part of my mind which still fought for me, was lost in the noise and bliss. Pressing back, I wrapped my legs around her, embracing her tightly. I returned her passion in full.

> Chapter XII - Lies.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I couldn’t decide whether last night had been the best night of my life or the worst when I’d woken up. Marmalade’s head rested on my chest,  strands of her yellow hair splayed every which way. She had a small smile on her face even as she slept, and as I shifted slightly, she squirmed unconsciously to hug me close. You think most stallions would love the situation I woke up in, and the events of last night, but not me. Not this way.

Love, for us, was by far the most nutritious form of emotion. With Marmalade’s love– pure, undiluted love for me as myself– I had never felt so alive, so buzzing with energy. I felt as though I could move a mountain and then some, but it had all been a sham. I had left my body to its own devices and only realized too late what was going to happen.  It had twisted our friendship into something more, something beautiful, but so ugly in its origins.

My teacher, Mirra, had always danced around answering my questions, always giving the vaguest answers wherever she could. I never knew why, but there were a few things she had been specific on. One specific trait of our race, which could be very loosely translated as “eternal demand”, was among our greatest faults. I’ve mentioned before that positive emotions are what we live off, but not too much beyond that. Whenever the love we receive grows in strength, our bodies also undergo changes. We grow larger and the energy we can store increases, but also our appetites for it. For instance, Cytri would need more emotion to live than I did. While expansion and growth tended to happen fairly quickly, contractions did not. It could take a half a year to lose what we gained in a month. If you were not weaning yourself off it, it would end very poorly.

Mirra had left no doubts when she explained this: if you starve yourself your body may act on its own accord. I certainly hadn’t been kind to myself the past few days, even considering the circumstances. The buzzing plaguing my mind had turned out to be my instincts urging me to get closer with Marmalade. Beyond that, I’d... partially taken control of her mind. When she finally gave in, and I still refused to take it, my body took over.

I managed to worm my way out of her grasp, replacing myself with a pillow. On the table, I left her a short note, telling her I would be back soon. A lie, but a kind one. Then I walked outside. As always, Starlight and Ocean Wind were there, waiting for me. Evidently, they must have had some indication what had happened last night, judging by their expressions.

“Amethyst,” Ocean began, “How–”

“Fuck off,” I growled. I did not need to be reminded further of what I had done, an act which under certain ways of thinking could be seen as little more than rape. That knowledge already was tearing at my heart, and twisting my insides painfully. 

My pace left them out of earshot as they traded a few sharp words. Eventually they caught up to me as I made another turn, heading to the exterior of the castle. I really need to get out of this place. The air was beginning to make me sick.

“Amethyst, what is the matter?” Starlight asked, sliding up alongside me.

My jaw clamped shut, and I ignored her, rounding another corner searching for a balcony. Starlight leapt in front of me before I could, blocking my path.

“You are going to tell me what is wrong before going anywhere else,” she demanded.

Fine! Why not tell the world my issues? “Oh, let’s see...” I began, laying the sarcasm on thick. “Perhaps it’s the fact I unknowingly placed a spell on Marmalade, one which changed her thoughts about me. Of course, it could also be that I didn’t realize it at the time, and couldn’t control myself when push came to shove. Nothing about last night was consensual, for either of us. That answer your question?”

The statement left her speechless as I walked around her, heading for somewhere outside. Didn’t matter where, I just needed some air to think.

“Amethyst, what are you saying?” Starlight cried, catching up with me. “How is that even possible?”

“Changelings work like that,” I said. “Don’t know why, or how, but that’s the way it is.”

“So that’s what you are so worked up over?”

“No,” I corrected, “that would be explaining it to Marmalade. Just try and think how that conversation would go.”

Starlight paled in understanding. Nonetheless, she recovered quickly. “Tell her the truth, then,” she suggested.

I stopped, turning to glare at her. “Are you mad?” I shouted. “Do you know what she would do to me?”

“What would she do to you if you didn’t tell her and she found out?” she retorted. “No one likes being lied to, something which I thought you understood.”

Honestly, she had a point, but the way I saw it, it was a case of “damned if I do, damned if I don’t”. In fact, the only safe option seemed to be dishonesty. Perhaps it would be better if I went with it for the time being, seeing how things panned out. I mean, it wasn’t like I was particularly adverse to the idea of a relationship with Lemon Marmalade. It was just that, well...

What were Celestia and Luna doing here? Here, at what looked like little more than a servant's entrance? Their expressions lacked one gram of levity as they issued orders to the few guards around them. Celestia still had the bloodied bandage firmly fixed over her eye. I’d wager she was going against the doctor’s orders being here.

“What’s going on?” I called out, increasing my pace as I approached. I did not like the way their expressions shifted as their eyes fell upon me.

“Amethyst, now is not the best time,” Celestia said, shifting her weight uncomfortably. The air grew thick with tension, so thick I could taste it. Whatever it was, it was related to me. Again.

“What is it?” I sighed.

“Amethyst, please,” Luna cut in. “It would best for thou to return to thy quarters.”

Well, given the situation that awaited me there, that wasn’t happening. “Are we really going to do this? If you can say that this in no way has anything to do with me, Cytri, or any of the other changelings, I’ll go about my way. Otherwise... What. Is. It?” I demanded pointedly.

Celestia sighed, “Very well, Amethyst. A warning, however. It’s not a pleasant sight.”

Oh no.

“Show me!” I nearly screamed.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

That should have been my warning.

I stopped after a few paces through the doorway, finding nothing amiss. When I realized everypony I could see was staring at the wall behind me, a chill ran down my spine. Turning about, my eyes rose to meet the spectacle.

And  I could do nothing but stare in horror.

When I finally regained control of my body, I made it three steps before emptying my stomach into a flowerbed. A glance up at the sight only set my body heaving again.

Above the door hung a changeling, limp and lifeless, pinned in place by two spears through her eyes and out the back of her head.

“Masters...” I finally managed.

“She was found this morning by one of the castle staff coming to work,” Celestia said softly. “We were just preparing to take her down. Do you wish to stay?”

Though my gut vehemently disagreed, I managed a nod and swallowed down rising bile. I owed this changeling that much.

Three pegasi flew up to the body, one carefully removing the spears, while the other two held a stretcher. From below, a unicorn supported the body with a gentle glow of blue magic. I said I wouldn’t, but I had to avert my eyes. A few more seconds worth of work, and then they gently flew down with the body covered in a cloth, to land in front of us.

“May I?” I asked, reaching for the cloth.

“If you must,” Celestia answered, holding her voice steady. 

Revealing her face only brought about another urge to hurl. Swallowing, I looked to the edge of her eyes, and found what I was looking for. It was a piece of her lens, the same colour as Cytri’s. This changeling may have escaped the castle, but not Canterlot. I respectfully returned the cover to its proper place.

“The changeling was one of the ones who escaped,” I told them quietly. “They will need to know about it.”

“We will inform them right away,” Luna offered.

“No,” I stated. “I’ll do it. Was there anything else found with her?”

“We are still identifying the spears, but somepony had placed a hat on her head.”

My blood froze. “Can I see it?”

A guard trotted forth at my request, carrying the simple brown fedora. I somehow managed to keep my emotions from my face.

Never in my life had I seen or heard of something like this. Then he had the arrogance to mount it in plain sight, knowing he would get away scot-free. How could he do such a thing without batting an eyelash? To him, the changeling’s corpse was a trophy, a mark of victory. He would hang her just as an art collector would hang a masterpiece.

At that moment I swore upon the memories of my parents that I would find him and make him suffer. He would pay for every drop of blood he spilled with two of his own, and every scream of agony he inflicted I would take from him. I would find him, and kill him. So by the masters’ I swore it, so by my spirit.

“Do you recognize it?” Luna asked. She looked hopeful.

“No,” I lied. “Never seen it.”

“Though the guard might disagree, I am returning her body to Cytri,” Celestia said. “Normally they would want to perform an autopsy, but it isn’t their place to do so, and I would forbid it regardless. If you want, you can raise the request with them. Only if you feel it is proper, however. Is there anything else you need?”

“No. I’ll go tell them right now.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I stood in front of the door, staring at the wood and racking my mind for what to say. How to break it to them. Nothing came to mind. Had she been close friends with them, or a barely known acquaintance? Either way, Cytri would not take it well. She seemed to feel responsible for anything the others did, and I suspected she cared deeply for them.

What had Starlight said? Truth was the best option? Well, perhaps truth broken softly, but still the truth.

I knocked.

I could hear activity beyond the door, quickly falling to a hush. The face of a changeling male greeted me as the door opened.

“<What is it?>” he demanded, an uneasy frown falling on his muzzle.

“<I need to speak with you.>” I struggled with the next part of the phrase in my mind. “<Something has happened.>”

“<And that is?>” he asked, his tone becoming defensive.

“<They found one of the ones who escaped.>”

Knowing my own ineptitude with the language, he was most likely uneased with what I had said. “<They captured someone?>”

I shook my head. “<Found her.>”

His eyes widened in horror. “<Where is she?>” he seethed.

“<May I come in, please?>” I asked. “<It is something you all want to hear.>”

“<They wait outside,>” he stated plainly, nodding at Ocean Wind and Starlight. Fair enough that they didn’t trust them, I suppose. I relayed his request, though it could have been better termed as a demand, but both of them complied with his wishes. The changeling invited me inside, offering my first chance of seeing them out of the cell. Their room was a touch larger than mine, ample for my needs, with a number of cots laid out around the room. Obviously our exchange had drawn the other changelings attentions, and my eyes quickly came to rest on Cytri. The swelling around her eye had gone down to the point where she could finally blink.

“Amethyst?” she asked, slipping into Equestrian. “What is it?”

What I had meant to release slowly came out in a sudden burst. “They found the body. Of the changeling.”

The mood of the room turned to ice. “What?” she whispered. “Who?”

“I don’t know, but as you are the only other changelings I know of, I could only assume you would know her,” I licked my dry lips, struggling with the next part. “I’m sorry, but I think she was one of yours.”

Cytri bowed her head, closing her eyes, and the rest of them joined her in silence. When she raised her head, and opened her eyes once more, they were brimming with tears. My heart went out to all of them.

“How did she die?”

And there it was. The single question which could upset the delicate trust that had formed. I could tell them the truth, but how would that make them feel about the ponies? If any of them were like me, they could very well attack the guard again, this time with murderous intent. Revenge would burn as brightly in their minds as it did in mine.

And I couldn’t say that would be for the best.

“They don’t know. They are looking into the matter, but apparently they haven’t found anything yet. As far as they can, they’ve left her untouched. Celestia would like to know if you want help planning a funeral, and if there are any arrangements she could help with.”

She bought it all, giving me a small smile of appreciation despite her tears. “Thank you. Is there a garden here?”

“I believe so.”

“Could you tell her I would like to hold the funeral there?”

I nodded my response. One of the changelings, the same one who had answered the door, voiced his concerns.

“Cytri, will we be able to conduct the ceremony?”

“No, I don’t think any of us could,” she answered. “That is why I intend to ask Amethyst for his assistance.”

“Are you crazy!” he exclaimed. “He–”

“Tirith, please trust me. We can rely on him.”

The words installed little confidence in him. He regarded me carefully, warily. “Are you even sure he could do it?”

Some of Cytri’s confidence faded with the question, though not all of it. “I am sure Amethyst is more than capable.”

“Do you really expect someone like him to know any magic?” Tirith demanded. “Are you sure he even cast spells?”

“What sort of spells?” I cut in, somewhat annoyed. I really didn’t appreciate him trifling Mirra’s teachings. 

“I doubt they are anything you know.”

“Like these?” I asked, focusing on the space beside me. It goes to show just how much power I had gained from last night, when reaching for the energy was like nothing more than opening a tap to a dam. Before, the same task had been like trying to squeeze water from a muddy cloth. Picturing the changeling who had been pinned to the wall, I created the image next to me, as best my mind could, omitting the wounds. She stared back at them, blinking in a semblance of life. I’m surprised I hadn’t thought of this sooner.

Tirith looked stunned, Cytri, shellshocked.

“I am apprenticed to illusionist Mirra,” I added for good measure.

“Is that her?” Cytri asked, completely missing my addition.

“Yeah, it’s–” I managed to strangle my words before the triumphant tone could get out. I had made my point, but there was no reason for me to twist the knife already in place with their lost. I had just confirmed who it was, and obviously, Cytri recognized who this changeling was. It was clearly someone close to her.

She stepped forward, reaching a hoof out for the image, and flinched when she realized it wasn’t real. It was a compliment to my work, but I didn’t feel better for it. To offer some measure of comfort, I let the illusion readjust her vision to Cytri, giving her a smile before fading. Cytri just stood, looking where the illusion had been, tears flowing down her cheeks. She all but collapsed to the floor, her body racked with sobs.

Tirith raced over to her, kneeling beside her. “You can go,” he said to me, eyes focused on Cytri.

“But...”

“Please leave,” he repeated, his voice kind, but carrying a stark, harsh edge.

Nodding, I offered no argument, and left. I swung the door shut behind me gently, letting them mourn in peace. Starlight gave me a understanding glance. 

“Everything alright?” she asked.

I nodded slowly, beginning down the hall. They fell in step behind me.“I think so.” 

There was something else on my mind by this point, however, and it was far more sinister. I intended to find that stallion and make him suffer for everything he had done. I knew finding him wouldn’t be easy, but a pattern had begun to form. Anytime there had been any sort of disturbance, he had been there, fanning the flames. He was the reason the crowds crossed a line; he was the reason they went as far as they did. If I had to bet, the changeling’s murder had been a direct result of his machinations, but not by his own hoof. I know others may have wanted her dead, but what they did to her wasn’t elimination of a threat, but a message.

Ocean Wind picked up on my internal dialogue somehow. “Amethyst, what is it?”

Screw it, why not? “You know how they found a hat with the changeling? What if I told you I had seen that hat before?”

The two guards traded a guarded look, their expressions hardening at the news. “Where?”

When I told them, their mouths fell open. Their emotions radiated pure shock. A kick to the gut would have hardly produced such an extreme reaction. Ocean muttered something which escaped my hearing, and Starlight’s horn lit up in response. In a flash of light, the world around us disappeared and reshaping into the form of a dark, unoccupied room. My head ached with the sudden shift, and I took a few stumbling steps to steady myself.

“Please warn me next time,” I groaned.

“Next time, warn us before you blurt something like that out,” Ocean Wind stated urgently. “Is that really true?”

“That he was there every time?” I asked. “Absolutely.”

“Amethyst, I don’t think you understand what this means!” Starlight exclaimed.

“The hell I do!”

“No, you don’t. I would wager the world he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about changelings. At least, not the way you think.”

This only further infuriated me. “Yes, and it’s obvious he thinks I’m worthless.”

“No, Amethyst!” Starlight shouted. “What I mean is: he is just using you. Do you remember the group that brought in Cytri and the other changelings? Ocean Wind and I read the report on the matter, and one of the ponies accompanying them sounds very much the stallion you described.”

It felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of freezing water over my head. It just didn’t make sense, and went against everything I knew of him. Him helping them?

“But how? He was at the inn, and if he was here a few minutes later...”

“How did we get to this room?” Ocean asked.

“We tele–” I felt like smacking myself as I put it together. “Alright, but what does that mean?”

He took a deep breath, visibly steeling himself against the logic. “If he’s truly done all those things, he could easily be trying to otherthrow the government. On one hoof, he is trying to force Celestia to make choices that the public may not like, and on the other, he is riling up ponies against them. I mean, if he really was with the changelings, it would explain how they escaped so quickly.”

“What do you mean?”

Ocean Wind shrugged. “It’s all a matter of passing one of them a key, or weakening the chains. You think a captured changeling would say something when they couldn’t even understand Equestrian?”

I bit my tongue on the truth, holding it back from them. However, even with that considered, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. He used crowds to remain anonymous; they both concealed him and offered him immense power. Sure, the power was not without restrictions, as the mob was not mindless, but compared to me, his dwarfed mine. Hell, if he worked them enough, he could potentially rival Celestia and Luna, even combined. However, I realized that it was not without one crucial flaw. The act, his persuasion, whatever he wanted to call it, did not grant him complete anonymity. If I could find him and separate him, then he would stand no chance.

“But why did we have to come here?” I asked, indicating the room around us. “Couldn’t I have told you back in the hall as well?”

“Although the other night may have been unusual, normally the grounds are watched fiercely, doubly so ever since that night,” Ocean answered. “For them to have gained access, with nopony seeing them, isn’t a good omen. Either they are the best infiltrators the guard has ever faced–”

“Next to the changelings,” I interrupted.

“Yes, next to changelings,” he admitted. “For them to have brought in and murdered a changeling without any indication....” He fell silent.

“You think there is a traitor in the guard,” Starlight stated.

“There’s no other way,” he offered weakly.

“You can’t be serious!” I exclaimed. The guard was loyal to the princesses to a fault. Hell, I’d seen their strained expressions when I even whispered something about their rulers.

The lunar guard sighed. “I agree with him, Amethyst.”

“But–”

Starlight ran a hoof over her helmet. “If they thought doing what they were doing would protect Celestia and Luna, I know of a few who would do it in a heartbeat. Should we tell the princesses?”

My gut instantly rejected the idea, as did my mind. Celestia could never hope to see the evil in her ponies. She would always be convinced of their innocence. At that point I realized it was not her actions, but her inaction which had created every problem I faced. It was only after my parents were killed that the order was rescinded. It was only after Marmalade’s inn burned to the ground that Celestia took it upon herself to fix the problems with her guard. It was only after the invasion that she even considered the changelings a threat. It was her responsibility to act, yet she never did. She didn’t just make use of hindsight, she lived by it. 

“No,” I decided. She would either wouldn’t believe it, or would open up an investigation so big and broad that the perpetrators could easily disappear into the loopholes.

“We’re telling her,” Ocean Wind said.

“No, we aren’t,” I insisted.

“This is not your call.”

“You tell her, and I’ll disappear into the city.”

That particular threat got their attention. Like a foal who realized they didn’t have enough bits to purchase that piece of candy after all, they froze.

“You wouldn’t...” he growled.

“The only reason you even know about him is because of me,” I stated. “You tell her, and I will run off and find him on my own, by my own terms.”

“You’ll just wind up in a cell, or dead.”

“Oh, really?” I asked. “Just like last time you tried to capture me?”

“Listen to me!” he protested. “It’s–”

“Don’t care. You can either help me, or you can try to find him on your own, without even knowing what he looks like. I’ll find him easily.” A lie, but not terribly untrue.

“Fine!” he snapped. “But the minute you are in over your head, I’ll be telling her.”

“Fine by me.”

I would never let it come to that; he was mine.




> Chapter XIII - Meetings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Can you feel this?”

The head of a rubber mallet hit my foreleg gently.

“Yes,” I answered.

Another tap. 

“Yes.”

Another.

“Yup.”

“How about here?” he asked.

“Nope, nothing.”

“Really?”

“No,” I deadpanned.

I sat in a room filled with scientific equipment, surrounded by four ponies who were apparently some of the best scientists in their fields. Apparently.

Following our little revelation, Ocean Wind had led me and Starlight to a room by the side of the kitchen to get our lunch. Halfway through our meal, Luna had dropped in, informing me that I was to report to this room once I was done. It was time for them to study me.

So what was the problem, then? I had agreed to this, after all.

They wanted to study me, not as a living being but rather a specimen. Starlight and Ocean had already intervened twice to slow them down before they cut me in half.

The first instance was when they wanted to take a sample of my chitin to study. I suppose it would have been fine had it been just a small piece, but they wanted a chunk larger than my hoof. That would hurt too damned much, but it would also basically put me in bed, or least special care, for a few weeks at least as it grew back.

The other things they wanted to check wasn’t so much as painful as it was awkward. How to put this politely... When I had mentioned I was a stallion, they wanted to take a look to see if we reproduce differently from ponies. Somehow, saying “no” hadn’t been enough for them. 

Like I mentioned, both times Starlight and Ocean Wind had stepped in and stopped them. At this moment they were knocking on my chitin, trying to gauge if it had its own nerves, or if it was the flesh below that felt everything. I could feel things with my chitin, and I guess that means there were nerves, but my word wasn’t enough for them. In fact, everything so far I had told them the answer to, but they had insisted on testing, only to wind up a conclusion identical to what I had told them. 

And somehow, despite me pointing this out, they still had no trust in what I said. 

Procedure, they said.

After four hours of it, I had finally had it. I felt like we had made as much progress as a foal trying to carry home water with a leaky bucket. At this rate, we would have finished sometime within the next decade.

“Ok, I’m done,” I declared, rising from the chair, tearing the wires loose.

Sweet Fields, a pink and green pegasus with a microscope for a cutie mark, looked taken aback. “Hold on a moment, where–”

“Away,” I interrupted. “We’ve been going on for long enough, today.”

“Princess Luna–” began a yellow unicorn with a saffron mane, a fellow called Inspect.

“–said nothing about having to stay here until you were finished with me. This is my choice, not her orders,” I said, earning a look of annoyance from him.

“It still doesn’t mean you can just walk out,” he replied.

“Actually,” I scoffed, “yes, it does.” 

Doctor Swath moved to block my path to the door. He looked quite cross with me. “Please sit back down. We are not done yet. You have yet to show us any magic.” 

Rolling my eyes, I focused my magic over myself, taking shape of the black unicorn I so often took the shape of. Doctor Swath flinched in surprise, and actually yelped in fright when I summoned the snarling image of a timberwolf. Teacher would kill me if she saw how sloppy it was.

“Happy?” I asked.

Though he was too busy staring into space in shock, Doctor Caring was busy scribbling away at her notebook. She had been the only with a lick of sense out of all of them. She had recorded everything I had said, almost religiously penning it down into the book. Procedure. Still, neither her nor anyone else offered any objection, and with that, I walked out.

“Was that really necessary?” Starlight asked once the door closed behind me.

I shrugged, “Sure, why not?”

She sighed. “You really think it was, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“One of these days, perhaps you will learn that it is better if you don’t antagonize everypony you meet.”

“I’ll get right on that,” I replied, picking up the pace.

The lunar guard muttered something under her breath, trotting to catch up. “So have you decided what you are going to say to Lemon Marmalade?” Starlight asked.

The question caught me off guard. “Well... You see...”

She saw through the whole sham in a second. “You’re going to lie to her, aren’t you,” she stated.

“What!” I exclaimed. “No, I would–”

She gave me a flat stare, which I could not help but wilt under. “Amethyst, I hope you know what you are doing, otherwise Marmalade will be very pissed off when she finds out.”

And that’s the thing: only if she found out. Perhaps I might break it to her, but ever so slowly, and only after I constructed a story. It would be a whole lot more believable if I told her some tale about some residual energy which affected us both, taking time to fade away. Perhaps two weeks or so? As if sensing my thoughts, Starlight gave my cheek a slap.

“What the hell?” I exclaimed.

“Amethyst, let me make you a deal,” she said in a low tone. “You tell her the truth, and I won’t tell her myself.”

“But you don’t even know about it!”

“Then I will tell her what I do know. And what I do know is that you are being a self-centered jerk. You simply don’t care about her enough to trust her to understand.”

“The hell I don’t!” I shouted back.

“Prove me wrong,” she replied coldly.

I didn’t have to answer, and I stormed past her, finally shedding the disguise I had taken in the laboratory.

“Amethyst!” Starlight shouted. “Come back here now!”

I stopped at an intersection of two halls. “Forget it!” I spat.

At the sound of a shriek, I turned my head to look down a hall just in time to catch a glimpse of a blue bolt of magic.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A few minutes later, I awoke, pulling myself up from the base of a wall. Oh, masters, my head rung. Through the numbing throbbing throughout my body, I could make out voices arguing, but looking around yielded nothing but blobs of colour. It took another few seconds for some of the fuzz in my head to clear up enough to distinguish voices.

“Sir,” Ocean protested, “please calm down.”

“No!” another voice- male -shouted out. “I want to know why there is a changeling wandering about the castle!”

“Dear, I’m sure there is an explanation.” The voice was female, and would have sounded lovely if not for the tension in her tone.
Whatever was said next, I lost in the sound of a spell forming around me. Magic sheathed the world in a purple glow. The muffled conversation continued without me as I slowly recovered my bearings. Thankfully, I hadn’t hurt myself any further when I hit the wall. I probably bruised something though. Sure felt like it.

But when I finally was able to see who it was, I cursed my luck. Of all the ponies I could have bumped into, I had to find the two who probably hated the changelings most of all: Shining Armour, and his wife Princess Cadence. Currently I dangled in a purple sphere of magic, thanks to Shining Armour, and he looked content to keep me floating in the air for the time being. As their argument continued, I took a seat in the bubble, watching patiently.

It quickly became obvious that Shining Armour did not agree with what Ocean Wind and Starlight was trying to tell him. He turned, dragging the bubble along with him, ignoring their protests. I figured out where he was taking me after the second turn. Obviously he couldn’t do anything without the princesses’ permission first, so he was going to try and get it.

This whole deal was really giving me an appreciation for sound; without it, it was so boring. It was already a three minute trot to the throne room, but it would be even longer with the pace we were going at. Still, when we got to the throne room, all it took was one glance for Luna to gasp and dispel the bubble holding me.

“Shining Armour, explain yourself,” she demanded.

“Princess!” he exclaimed, readying his magic to contain me again. “What a–?”

Luna slammed a shoe-covered hoof onto the arm of the throne. “I asked you to explain yourself, Captain! Why did you capture Amethyst and bring him here? He is our guest.”

“Your guest!” he sputtered.

“Yes, he is. Sergeant Ocean Wind and Corporal Starlight are supervising him.”

“Luna,” Cadence cut in, “We cut our honeymoon short when we heard the news. We just did not expect to see a changeling in the castle.”

“If you had given notice of your return, we would have met you at the entrance and explained the situation to you there.”

“Where is Princess Celestia?” Shining Armour asked, some of the tension disappearing from his body.

I had a feeling, if Luna had come out and said it, I would have been back in that bubble again. “She is... indisposed at the moment. For the time being I have taken over her duties.”

“What happened?” 

“I will explain later.”

“So, can I go now?” I asked. Both of them acted as though they didn’t hear me.

“I am not comfortable with this,” Armour said, firmly. 

“What part of it?” Luna asked.

“Letting a changeling wander through the castle. I don’t trust him.”

“Well, fuck you too,”  I muttered, yet still loudly enough for everyone to hear. The glare I got from him was worth any following trouble.

“As a citizen of Equestria, Amethyst is entitled–”

“Citizen!” he exclaimed. “But–

“Please do not interrupt me,” Luna said testily. “Yes, Amethyst is a citizen of Equestria. I have checked, and found he is registered in all applicable government records. If you would let me continue–”

I sure as hell wasn’t going to. “So, can I go now?” I interrupted. “I have things I want to do.”

The alicorn sighed heavily. “Yes, Amethyst, you may leave.”

“Princess,” Shining Armour objected, taking a few steps towards me, “I would like to ask him a few questions before he goes.”

“Last I checked, I hadn’t done anything wrong,” I replied, my tone souring. “So kindly piss off.”

I tried to push past him, but he held a leg out, stopping me. “Just wait–”

Finally, I gave into the urge. Rearing up, I slammed a hoof into his muzzle, knocking him over. “That,” I spat, “is for earlier.”

He leapt right back up. horn glowing, but Luna’s command reached him first.

“Enough, both of you!” she called out. “Shining Armour, I very much appreciate your commitment to your duty, but I would like you to refrain from dealing with Amethyst. Avoid him, even. We shall take care of the matter. Amethyst, you may leave, but I suggest you do so quietly, or I will be following the captain’s recommendations.”

He threw me a bitter look over the hoof held to his bleeding nose. As I walked towards the door, Cadence shied away my path, taking two shuffling steps to the left so I would not brush past her. With what she went through, I could forgive her a little for reacting to me as she did.

The minute the door shut behind us, Ocean Wind grabbed my tail, and dragged me off to the side.

“Let’s make one thing very clear, Amethyst,” he growled firmly. “You need to stop acting like a spoiled brat if you hope to get anywhere.”

“Spoiled brat?” I exclaimed, “What–”

“What made you think hitting Shining Armour was a good idea?” he demanded. “That, and the other things you said?”

He was really going after this, wasn’t he. “And he blasted me into a wall, call us even.”

“You don’t get even,” he spat. “What you think is even, he will see as in your favour. The only way to make this situation better is to simply grow up and deal with it.”

“Perhaps now would be a good time to return to your room,” Starlight interjected. “It would give you a chance to cool off, and avoid anymore run ins with ponies you don’t like.”

I winced at the suggestion. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to face her; I just wasn’t ready. I hadn’t set out a story in my mind yet, at least one she even had a chance of believing. “Yeah, I really rather not.”

“Well, thankfully it isn’t up to you,” she replied. “Ocean and I are set for a break now. Orders are to take you back to your room when we aren’t with you.”

I rubbed at the fin along my head. Well looks like I’ll have to finish it fast. “Alright, fine,” I sighed.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Holy shit, was I ever glad Lemon Marmalade had decided to step out when I was gone. Though Starlight didn’t show it, I could feel her annoyance as she looked in the room and realized Marmalade wasn’t there. I didn’t say anything to the corporal, nor did I need to. However, the look she gave me made it perfectly clear. Is she found out I hadn’t explained last night, then I was chicken-feed. 
As the door shut behind me, confining me to the room, the initial relief shifted to worry. Where could Marmalade be? In her state of mind, I barely could trust her to be alone by herself walking around the castle. For a moment, the image entered my mind of her lying crumpled and motionless, beneath an open window many stories up. Before they could take hold, and worsen my fears, I shoved them from my mind. After last night, as perverted as it might have been, she would most certainly not be thinking of committing suicide.

Still, I thoroughly searched the room, looking for some sort of indication as to where she had gone. She hadn’t left me a note or anything. I found myself pacing in worry when my search turned up nothing, stopping when I stumbled over the leg of a chair. Sighing, I took a seat at the table, trying to find something to take my mind off it. Though I hated the idea, my thoughts turned to what Starlight had demanded I do, and soon I lost myself in thought.

And lost I thought I was. I didn’t even realize Marmalade had returned till she tapped me on the shoulder. I swear I almost shed my carapace in surprise.

“Jeez, Marmalade,” I wheezed. “Give me a little warning.”

When I looked up at her, my eyes drifted to hers. I wanted to be sure of it, and the only way to be sure was to see it for myself. Thankfully, there was no purple fire burning in her eyes. She was acting on her own will, which surprised me even more when she leaned forward to give me a kiss.

I struggled to prevent myself from recoiling. Alright, so perhaps this is going to be a little difficult then I thought.

“Hey Amethyst,” she murmured, finally ending the kiss.

“Hello Marmalade,” I said, smiling weakly.

“Pretty good,” she said cheerfully, taking a seat alongside me. A shiver ran by my back as she leaned into me. “I was out helping Pastel clean some rooms.”

“And how was that?” I asked.

“Oh fine, I’m used to that sort of thing. Even got to meet the minotaur ambassador.”

“Good to hear.”

She withdrew a little so she could look at me. “And how has your day been?”

I grimaced. “Not the best.”

It felt sickening to sense the sympathy she offered me, and the love carried in it. “What happened?”

Though it took only a few minutes to explain, it offered a welcome distraction. She sat there and patiently listened to everything I had to say.

“So you met them?” she asked, just as I began to mention meeting Shining Armour.

“Yeah.”

“What were they like?”

“Well, he’s a complete ass and Princess Cadence is scared of me, so I really don’t know with her.”

“She’s scared of you?”

“Think about it; it’s not that hard to see why.”

“Then we should introduce you to her.”

“I don’t really think that’s a good idea,” I muttered.

“And why not?” she asked.

“Well, I sort of punched her husband.” I admitted.

Marmalade looked at me for a moment, then broke out into laughter. “You punched the Captain of the guard? Why the heck would you think that would be a good idea?”

“He shot me into a wall,” I grumbled under my breath, looking down at my hooves.

“But still...”

“She also probably knows what I did to Celestia now too.”

The lack of response was deafening as Marmalade choked on her words. I resisted the urge to slap myself as I realized that she still didn’t know.

“Amethyst...” Marmalade began. “What did you do?”

How should I put this gently? “I may have gored her eye with my horn when she took my locket from me. Don’t worry, she’s going to recover fine.”

And that right there, is not how to break something gently.

Marmalade swung out a hoff, cuffing me upside the head. “You attacked the princess!” she shouted.

“... Yes,” I admitted weakly.

For a moment it looked as though she was about to explode. Thankfully she took a deep breath and calmed herself. The anger clouding around her faded gradually, but never dissipated entirely. “Amethyst, what am I going to do with you. I love you, but–”
Whatever she said to me after that was lost at that point. Those three words carried the weight of the world, yet were so simple to say. She loved me. Nothing more, nothing less. What do I say to that? She wasn’t under my spell, so was explaining last night truly worth it? Would anything be lost if I didn’t?

“Amethyst, are you even listening to me?” she questioned irritably.

No point in denying it. “Sorry,” I sighed. “Just a lot on my mind at the moment.”

Her expression softened, then her mouth curled into a sly grin. “Like last night?” she practically purred,  intertwining her tail with mine.

Blood rushed uncontrollably to my face, and I sought to stammer out a response.

Her laughter washed over me like cold water. “Oh relax, Amethyst; I’m just teasing you. You need to learn to loosen up and roll with the punches.” She held up a hoof when I sought to protest. “I know it’s hard, but I know you’re better than that.”

“Maybe...” I muttered.

“No, Amethyst, definitely.” She tapped my chest to emphasize her point. “Promise next time you get angry, or do anything that you might regret, you’ll take a moment to calm down and think it over. Alright?”

“Alright,” I answered.

“Thank you,” she said, leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek.

Eager to keep the conversation on a positive note, I glanced around for an idea to continue on about. “Did you enjoy the work you did with Pastel?”

“Sort of,” she admitted with a shrug. “Part of it was just getting my mind off things, but I enjoy making others comfortable.”

“I don’t mean to rain on your parade,” I interjected, “but many of the ponies here hardly give thought to that. They’re spoiled rotten and think they’re entitled to what you do for them.”

A look of disgust sprouted on Lemon Marmalade’s face. “Don’t remind me,” she said coldly. “That’s why it’s mostly a distraction. I could have partnered in opening a fancy hotel just outside the castle, but where’s the enjoyment in that?”

I blinked. “You could have what?”

She waved me off with a hoof. “My old coltfriend wanted us to open one together. We had the money, even the place picked out, but last minute I backed off when I realized it wasn’t what I wanted.”

“What did he do?”

“More or less, he told me that if I didn’t want to die an old maid in my grungy old home, I would help him.”

“He said that?” I gasped. 

Marmalade shrugged. “In more words, but basically.”

“Wow, he sounds like a–”

“Jerk? Asshole? Egotistical maniac? A pompous sleazeball who could only see what he wanted to?”

“All of the above?” I guessed.

She chuckled. “Sounds about right.”

A knock interrupted any further chatter. A moment later the doors were opened, and a cart trundled in. Ushering it along was Pastel. “Anypony hungry? she asked, her eyes quickly surveying the room, finding nothing amiss.

“Ravenous,” Marmalade replied.

Pastel smiled warmly. “Glad to hear it,” she said, carrying a platter over to the table and lifting the lid. Inside each was a steaming meal, though mine.... How should I put it....

“Is that fish?” I blurted, taking a step back. I thought I had made it clear to them I didn’t want to eat any sort of meat.

“Yes it is,” Pastel confirmed. “Apparently, when Luna told Doctor Sweet Fields you could eat meat, but choose not to, she got a little concerned. You need a balanced diet, and for you, a balanced diet likely includes things like fish.”

“I’m not eating that,” I stated. 

“Have you even tried fish before?” Pastel asked.

“No, but–”

Pastel raised an eyebrow, and somehow, it managed to have the same effect as if she had stuffed a hoof in my mouth. “One bite, that is all I am asking for.”

“But–”

“One bite,” she repeated. “If you don’t like it, I will get the chefs to make you whatever you want.”

Sighing I walked over to the plate. It would seem I would have no choice in the matter unless I was keen on starving. I couldn’t deny that it smelt good, but the problem was, I could also see it alive in my mind. The thought of eating a living creature’s flesh is what sickened me. Still, I cut a piece, gulping as I brought it up to my mouth. I looked to Pastel, and the mare gave me an encouraging smile. Steeling myself, I took a bite.

...

Holy crap.

...

This was really fucking good. 

I had never considered it, or give pause to the notion that what I thought I would hate would be delicious. It must have showed on my face as both Pastel and Marmalade chuckled at my expression.

“That good?” Pastel asked, placing another tray on the table.

“Yes,” I moaned through a mouthful of fish.

Pastel lifted the lid, revealing the second plate of food. “For you Marmalade,  I had a berry salad prepared,” she said.

“Looks delicious,” Marmalade said, offering praise.

Another knock at the door sounded, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out who it might be. “Come in!” I shouted.

“Normally it’s polite to greet a pony at the door,” Pastel chastised. 

I shrugged in response. I was too busy stuffing my face at the moment to care. Although I knew I would have serious problems with having eaten the fish later, it was too good to pass up. Pastel and Marmalade rushed to bow low to the ground when they saw who it was.

When I turned, I choked on the food, coughing a few bits onto the floor. “Princess Cadence,” I wheezed, hastily swallowing the food. Still, it was hardly a good impression for someone who was already wary of me. 

Cadence shifted uncomfortably, eyes quickly shifting away from my plate once she realized what it was. “May we talk?”

> Chapter XIV - Aggravation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Princess Cadence seemed of two minds right now. Her gaze constantly shifted around the room, and she held herself like a coiled spring: ready to bolt at any moment. Still, she had come here, so I doubt she was just going to run away. From my perspective, it almost looked like she was quivering, though very faintly. Yet, feeling for her emotions, I found myself rather baffled. Sure, one part of her wanted to run away, but the other seemed genuinely curious and ignored the danger. The unknown and unexplained were both equally dangerous and mystifying, though I would be giving myself way too much credit to describe myself as mystifying or dangerous.

“Alright,” I replied. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

Pastel rose from the floor, giving me an apologetic nod before returning to her cart. She had other places to be, then. Warily, Cadence took a seat across the table from us, eying my plate carefully. She had interrupted our supper, but we weren’t going to stop on account of her. I speared another piece of fish on my fork and let it melt on my tongue. “That’s amazing,” I muttered.

“You like fish?” Cadence asked carefully.

“Up until about two minutes ago, didn’t even know I did. Never tried it before.” I paused, thinking of something. “Say, where did she even get the fish?”

“Well, fish is something we keep on hoof for when gryphons or minotaurs come to visit. Gryphons especially cannot stand for many of the things we eat, like milk or flowers.”

“They can’t eat either of those things?”

“No,” Cadence answered. In her explanation, a trace of her uneasiness vanished. “As hosts, we need to accommodate any race who might visit us, regardless of our own choices.”

“Say,” Marmalade interrupted, “mind if I try a piece?”

“Are you sure?” I said, surprised.
She shrugged, maneuvering her fork to spear a small portion of fish flesh. “It can’t be all that bad.” Lifting it to her mouth, she stopped to take a sniff of it, before biting it from her fork. Almost instantly a grimace crossed her face, and she painfully swallowed after chewing it a few times. “That’s disgusting!” she exclaimed, spitting out the taste.

“More for me then,” I said, patting her hoof comfortingly. “So Cadence, back to the question. What did you want here?”
“Well, I wanted to apologize for how my husband acted. Had we known your story, he would have never reacted like that. You just caught us unaware.”

“So why isn’t he here?” I sneered.

“Amethyst!” Marmalade reprimanded.

“Shining was going to see Celestia,” she answered, shifting slightly “I decided to come here first and offer my apology.”

“So you haven’t seen her yet?” I asked. A disconcerting weight settled in my stomach.

“Oh no, I came directly here after Luna finished telling us your story. You have my deepest condolences and my sympathy.”

I stood up from the chair, stepping around to hide behind the couch. Focusing my magic, I built an illusion of myself at the center of the room. “Trust me,” I assured my bewildered watchers. “This is going to prevent me a lot of pain.”

Marmalade got it and gave her head a sad little shake. ‘So Princess Cadence, how was your honeymoon?” she asked.

The alicorn smiled widely. “Quite well, thank you for asking. Shame it couldn’t have gone on for a little longer.”

“Where did you go?”

“Well, at first we visited Las Pegasus,” she admitted, “but we tired of it quickly. I suggested we head to my family’s cottage by the ocean. We had been there for a day whe-”

The door to the room burst open, and Shining Armour galloped in, his steel shoes pounding against the floor. The moment he spied the illusion I had set up a bolt of magic lanced out, only for it to pass right through the disorganized light.

“Where is he?” he snarled, scanning the room.

“Right here,” I said, rising from behind the couch carefully.

He leveled his horn at me. “Get out where I can see you.”

“Shining!”  Cadence exclaimed, snapping his attention from me. “Come sit down and explain to me what happened!”

“Honey –” he protested.

“Sit!” she commanded.

Still scowling, Shining Armour trudged over to the couch where his wife sat and took a seat next to her. “Cadence, do you know why Princess Celestia wasn’t there to greet us?”

“Luna mentioned to us she was indisposed,” Cadence replied. “I assumed that meant she was in a meeting.”

“She is recovering from an injury, Cadence. Amethyst gored her eye when they first met.”

Cadence snapped upright, panic in her eyes. “What!” she exclaimed. Oh boy, here we go. “Is she alright?”

“She is fine and recovering well. Her eyesight will return to her, but Amethyst suffered no punishment for it.”

He crossed a line with that. “So what about you, huh?” I shouted, rising from behind the couch. “Were you punished because the guard failed to protect my parents, or Marmalade’s inn for that matter? Besides, why would I suffer punishment for something Celestia deserved?”

My comment caught him off-guard, but he quickly recovered. “Even if she was, vengeance isn’t justice,” he retorted. “There are proper channels to see justice-“

“Oh, you mean the courts, don’t you?” I interrupted. “Last time I tried to show my face in public, I had a mob trying to bash my skull in, in front of the Royal Guard.” It was a lie. This hadn’t happened to me –yet. However, when I had layered the disguise over Gallant Warning, it had taken all of a few seconds for the guards to absolutely clobber him. “The only justice I can get is the justice I get myself.” By this point I had stepped around the couch, and was only a few strides from the captain.

“I cannot speak for the rest of the guard, but I assure you-“

“You cannot speak for the rest of the guard, yet somehow you are the captain?” I asked, cutting him off again. I could see the muscles in his jaw clenching as he fought back a retort. “It sounds to me like you are a pathetic choice for the position.” I went to continue, but my mouth was shut with by a yellow glow.

“This has been lovely, Princess, but perhaps we should part ways until cooler heads prevail,” Marmalade said, giving me a sharp glare.

“I think you are correct,” Cadence replied sadly. “Perhaps you and I should have some tea tomorrow and talk.”

“Sounds lovely,” Marmalade replied. “Perhaps around three?”

“It works for me, see you then. Why don’t we go check on Celestia, Shining?”

It looked as though he wanted to protest, but something about the way she had phrased it made him wisely nod and comply. Anger still fell from him, but he managed to rein it in and follow Princess Cadence out. Marmalade rose from her seat and walked over the table to resume eating her meal. The magical bindings around my mouth still persisted, like she had cast the spell to remain. But as I pushed my own magic against it, I realized that it was being fed power, not draining a fixed amount. Marmalade was still holding the spell, and a quick glance across the room at her horn confirmed it.

I took a moment  to focus on her emotions. What I sensed was not something pleasant. She was sad, irritated, annoyed and pissed off with me. Why should she be? What I said had been true. It’s not like…
Without a doubt in the world, I was an absolute ass.

Meekly, I stood up and went over to sit at my half empty plate. Though it had been delicious, my appetite had vanished altogether along with Cadence. She said nothing, needed to say nothing, till she finished her meal. Even as the pressure around my mouth lessened, I kept my mouth shut.

“Hell Amethyst,” Marmalade said, setting down her fork next to her clean plate. “Do you even pretend to keep your promise?”
Words that should have me up in arms had no effect on me. I definitely deserved whatever was coming to me.

“I asked you to keep cool and not lose your head and what is the first thing you do?” The answer hung in the air, over my head like an axe. “You promised me you would keep your cool, but...”

“You greet Cadence in such a flippant manner, and then nearly get into a fight with her husband, Shining Armour, when they’ve both simply been away on their honeymoon.” Suddenly she rose, cocked her hoof and clocked me in the nose. Holy stars above, she could hit hard. I saw stars as I reeled back.

“What would you do now?” Marmalade shouted at me. “Are you going to try and hit me now? It would sure as hell fit your line of reasoning.” With that, she walked over to the door, and left, slamming the door behind her.

Only after she was gone did the constrictions around my muzzle vanish. I didn’t bother trying to run after her to apologize; what would I say to her? I’m sorry for breaking the promise I made, I promise it won’t happen again?  It made it even worse was that I hadn’t even begun to tell her of the effects of my magic upon her. What would it make me to her now?

Again, as if my room was the welcoming desk for an office, my door swung open. Starlight walked in, the Lunar guard bearing a sympathetic smile.

“What do you want?” I snarled.

“Amethyst, you did the right thing,” she assured me. “We saw Marmalade leaving your room, but I’m sure she’ll come around. She would much rather have honesty then deception.”

Wait, did Starlight think…

I nodded my head, feigning emotions I did not feel. I could deal with Marmalade on my own, and I did not need Starlight breathing down my neck or forcing my hoof. However, there still was the matter of Marmalade being rather upset with me. “Can we go out into the city for a bit?” I asked.

Hearing the request from beyond the doorway, Ocean Wind stuck his head in. “Where do you want to go, and for what reason?”

There are few things I am as inexperienced with as mares. My mother was a different matter, but mares my own age just had me in knots. The extent of my knowledge was primarily advice given by my father. There were a few other pointers from books and the like, but those had never been of much help.

“I was thinking about getting something for Marmalade, to apologize.”

“Are you sure you want to go into the city again?”

“Well, where else am I going to get it?” I asked. “She can tell if I made someone else run around to get it.”

“There is the issue of the ponies in the city.”

“I’ll take a disguise.”

Ocean Wind shifted uncomfortably. He knew it was the best way, but it went somewhat against his standing orders. I understood why the orders were in place, but perhaps I could find a way around it.

Focusing on my form, I altered my body slightly to get rid of the defining features of what made me a changeling. I was left as a black unicorn with purple eyes and an amethyst, two-toned tail. There was no question of who I was, as I had even left my size unaltered, but a second glance at me would yield no further suspicion.

“How about this?” I asked.

He sighed, nodding wearily. “That will work.”

“Why don’t you leave your armour here?” I suggested.

Ocean Wind shrugged, shedding his helmet and breastplate. “Alright, if it will attract less attention… The only thing is, we won’t be able to exert the authority of the guard if push comes to shove.”

“After the other night, does it really matter?”

“I guess not,” he sighed.

Starlight, undid the clasp on her helmet, sliding it off and giving her mane a shake. “What did you have in mind to get Marmalade?”

“I have no sweet clue,” I admitted.

“May I make a suggestion then?” Starlight grinned.

“Sure.”

“Make sure it is something of meaning for her.”

I snorted. “That much is obvious.”

“No,” Starlight said, firmly shaking her head. “It can’t just be something you think might have meaning like flowers or a pretty piece of jewelry. It would have to be deeply personal. A gift is a just a gift without any meaning behind it, but it is so much more if it has a story. For instance, I bought Ocean a watch recently, just like the one his father gave him when he was a foal, one which finally broke a few months back. It wasn’t just any old watch – it meant so much to him because of the story behind it. Flowers and chocolate might be nice, but little thought ever goes into those gifts.”

I fiddled with my locket, running my hoof over the engravings. What would it take for Marmalade to forgive me? I’m sure with a little bit of time it would pass, but she was so emotionally unstable right now, it was something I didn’t want to risk. All it would take is a few bad pieces of news to send her over the edge. I looked down at my locket, noting the tarnished silver, coated with ash, then froze as I realize the perfect thing to get Marmalade.

“What happened to her inn?” I asked, spinning to face Ocean.

“Fireponies put out the blaze, but have not begun clearing the remains yet,”he responded. “They’re getting some of the weather team in later today to move around some of the larger debris.”

“Couldn’t they get unicorns to do it?” I questioned.

“You would think, but on occasion, items which may react violently to magic may survive the fire. Imagine lifting a beam, only for your magic to trigger an explosion which set the whole area ablaze. That has actually happened in Canterlot before.”

“Well, anyway,” I continued, “Could we get the opportunity to dig through it first?”

The warm smile I managed to extract from Starlight was proof enough my idea had merit. “That’s wonderful of you to think of her like that.”

“It may be, but there is still a problem,” Ocean Wind interjected. “Normally the fire department is the one who does the search. We’d never get in without raising suspicion.”

“Ocie, don’t worry about it,” Starlight said. “I know how to take care of it.”

For a few seconds, Ocean’s face twisted into thought. Then he sighed, with what seemed like exhaustion filling him. “Oh right, your brother.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Starlight’s brother was a freakishly large and loud individual. The milky white unicorn was one of the deputy chiefs of the Canterlot fire department. It almost didn’t seem possible they could be related, though they both had the same vivid raspberry manes and eyes. When he looked up from the papers he was studying, his face lit up into a grin.

“Starlight!” he boomed cheerfully. He rushed forward to sweep her into a hug, lifting her off the ground. I’m pretty sure the creaking I heard was her ribs.

“Hey… Sill…” she managed to gasp, weakly returning the hug. When Sill set her down, Starlight took a staggering step to recover her balance.

“Ocean!” he called out, trotting over towards him. He offered his hoof out to shake.

“Hello Sill,” Ocean Wind replied, taking the offer. I winced as Sill pulled him into a one leg hug and gave Ocean a few good thumps on the back.

“And who might you be?”  he asked, turning  his gaze towards me.

“I’m Amethyst,” I answered, waiting to see what he would do. So far, both of the greetings he had given seemed rather painful.

Thankfully, it would seem such greetings were reserved for his close friends; a friendly nod was all I received. “So what can I do for you, Twinkle?” he asked Starlight.

Twinkle? There must be a story behind that.

“Are you aware of the inn that burnt down last night?”

He nodded, strolling over to the table. “It wasn’t just the inn. The wind also spread some embers to a few houses to the West of it. I was just going down there now to give the go ahead to begin clearing the wreckage.”

“We need the inn to remain untouched until we can search the remains.”

Sill sighed. “Guard business?” he guessed.

“Guard business,” she confirmed.

“Then where’s your armour?” he questioned.

“Discrete guard business,” Ocean Wind corrected.

“If you were anypony else, I’d have to turn you away,” he said, grabbing his helmet from a stand in the corner. “You’re supposed to get a permit for this sort of business or at least go through the proper channels.”

“What’s the worry?” Starlight asked.

“Apparently there were several ponies inside at the time the building collapsed. No one has confirmed whether they managed to make it out, but all information indicates that they didn’t.”

I rolled my eyes at the efficiency of the whole thing. Even though the castle knew we were alive, they had failed to report it to anyone needing to know. I imagine the fire department’s work had been much more frantic when they had finally arrived because of it. Most certainly there had been a much more grim tone to their efforts.

“Are you going to tell him?” I asked Starlight.

“Tell me what?” Sill asked.

“There were no ponies in the inn when it collapsed. We managed to escape before then,” she answered him.

The most important word of her information was lost on him. Yet, when his mind walked over the words again, he froze, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. “You were in there!” he shouted.

“Yes,” Starlight answered simply.

“And you didn’t think to at least tell me?”

“What would have you done then? All you do is worry. And pointlessly at that,” she added.

The set of city plans laid on the table jumped as Sill slammed his helmet down furiously. He did not appreciate his sister’s response, especially the tone of it. The look he gave her would melt paint off a wall.

“I worry, because you throw yourself into danger all the time. With all that’s happening and all the rumours about–“

“What rumours?” I interrupted. I ignored Ocean Wind tensing alongside me, muttering under his breath.

“Now’s not the time, Amethyst,” Starlight instructed me.

Since when has that ever stopped me? I flashed my eyes once to purposefully trigger a reaction. He did not disappoint. Sill stumbled back at the revelation that I was a changeling, and both the table and accompanying chairs before he regained his footing.
“You’re a-“

Starlight wrapped a tendril of magic around Sill’s mouth before he could finish the exclamation. “Yes, Amethyst is a changeling, and the reason ponies tried to burn down the building with him inside. Can you please keep this to yourself; we don’t need anyone knowing he has come back here.”

When the magic was released, Sill sat down, looking at us warily. Sure as Tartarus, he was suspicious of me, but how much that would affect his decision would remain to be seen.

“And why do you want to go back to the inn, then?”

“The owner is a close friend of Amethyst,” Ocean explained. “He wanted to see if there was anything he could retrieve for her from the remains.”

“Anything found on the site of a fire is collected and held for the property owner to claim. You don’t need to be here.”

“It’s a personal matter,” Ocean offered.

Sill threw up his hooves in resignation. “Alright, I’ll let you have first crack at it. I can only give you an hour before cleanup begins. The local council won’t tolerate it being delayed and more than that.”

“Thanks, Sill,” Starlight said.

“Just give me a little warning next time, Twinkle. Chief won’t be happy, but he’ll understand. Let me just go get my things.”

“Twinkle?” I asked Starlight, as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. Starlight adopted a look of slight embarrassment.

Ocean Wind chuckled. “Fusillade used to call Starlight ‘Little Star’. Later on he started calling her something else.” With a mischievous look in his eyes, he sung out the first line of a famous lullaby. “Twinkle twinkle little star.” He laughed as Starlight cuffed him.

“Can we just get going?” Starlight shouted

“Just give me another minute,” Fusillade called down.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It was interesting, but the crowds which parted ways marginally for us did so with a bit more respect when they saw Fusillade’s helmet. Although perhaps it was also because he stood a full head above anypony in view and looked as though he could easily smash them into a fine paste.

A police line separated the site of the fire from the rest of the city, though the few fireponies around were certainly having a tough time keeping errant pegasi reporters away. I imagine a fire of the size that it was rarely occurred in Canterlot. Though the inn itself was out of sight, I could make out the burnt wall of a building, probably one of the ones the fire spread to. I didn’t know whether the ponies who owned them should get my sympathy, or contempt. It was one thing if they had had no part, but it was another if they thought ill of us to the extent that the others had. You play with fire, one day you would get burned.

My ears had been wide open on the walk down, and some of the rumours that had been floating around, in addition to their responses, had been particularly unsavoury.

When I finally did see her inn, it was all I could do to forcibly quell the memories of the two nights; it looked exactly like my home had. Spires of charred wood decorated with flakes of ash dominated the entire scene. The remaining sections of the roof had caved in and buckled. Despite all of this, the most noticeable thing was the smell. Old burnt out fires often smelled of wood, maybe the odd bit of plastic or burnt piece of food that fell in. The entire area smelt far more sinister, as if the events of that night had fueled the fire. When a house burns, so does anything in it. That means paint, metals, chemicals, plastics, family…

It was an unnatural smell, and my chitin just crawled as I stood there inhaling the putrid air.

“Chief!” Fusillade called out at the sight of a steel-blue earth pony with a bristling mustache age had stripped the colour from.

He looked over from his conversation with two other ponies, one wearing a similar fire helmet, and the other an unburdened Pegasus. “What is it, Fusillade?” he asked, eyeing us.

“Can I speak to you for a second?”

“Certainly,” the chief answered. “I’ll be back in a moment,” he said to the others.

The pair walked a short distance, stopping beneath a cloth awning. As evident from the expression which quickly formed on the fire chief’s face, he was not happy with the request. He glanced over at us again, sizing us up in a different light. A minute past before he broke from the conversation, trotting towards us.

“You can have your hour but nothing more,” he said plainly. “I have the Canterlot weather crew standing by, along with twenty members of the fire department. I will not have you delaying them any further.”

The pegasus nearby stepped forward angrily. “Now hold on!” he exclaimed. “The weather team was–

“That’s enough, Cirrus,“ the fire chief cut in. “They are allowed this.”

“I’ll be filing a complaint over this,” he cut in.

“Do yourself a favour and make that complaint to Princess Celestia,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“And who might you be?” he questioned.

“Name’s Amethyst,” I replied, offering a hoof. “Feel free to mention that she can go sit on a cactus.”

“Thank you, Amethyst, that is quite enough out of you,” Ocean Wind growled, making his desires quite clear.

“And who do you think you are, speaking about the Princess like that?” Cirrus demanded.

“Oh look, it’s another one of them,” I sighed.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused.”

A vein bulged above his eye, and he took a step towards me. Starlight cast a spell to prevent me from saying anything more, and tugged me back. That spell seemed to be favourite of hers lately. Ocean Wind stepped between us, diverting away any conflict, or at least bearing the brunt of it.

“Step back, sir,” he commanded.

“I want you out of here,” Cirrus demanded. “I don’t-“

“Step. Back. Now.” Ocean commanded. Cold steel lined the authority in his voice and, meeting his eyes, the other pegasus backed off.

“Your hour started five minutes ago,” the fire chief said scowling. “I suggest you do whatever it is you wanted to do. Fusillade, keep an eye on them.”

Thank goodness Starlight was holding my mouth shut.

> Chapter XV - Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dammit,” I shouted, snatching my hooves back from what I had been lifting. An unseen nail had been sticking out from the board. My chitin now bore a long tapering scratch. I brought it up to my mouth, sucking on it to try and dull the sting

“Careful,” Starlight chided. “This is no place to be fooling about.”

I bit back a reply over the smarting sting. It was easy for her to say that when she could use her magic so freely to shift the rubble and debris out of the way, despite the warnings of her brother. She had suggested I use my own, but I wasn’t comfortable doing so. I was trapped with what energy I had. Sure I might get a trickle from Ocean and Starlight, but nothing compared to what Marmalade had given me.

Half and hour had come and gone and still, we had found nothing. Well, that wasn’t quite true; we had found a few badly melted pieces of silver. Each one of them was distorted almost beyond recognition. It was a sickening conclusion, but probably there wasn’t anything left. Her inn was a lot bigger than my home, and more fuel meant a larger fire.

Sure, I could bring Marmalade a memento of her inn, but that wasn’t what I was looking for. What use would she have for a burst plank or a shattered tile? I suppose molten slag might do, but only if she could recognize what it had once been through the soot and ash.

Further to the left of me, Ocean Wind had produced a set of hoof guards, and was digging through the remains with little pause or delay. I had a feeling Fusillade had provided the protective gear, though there was little way to be sure. 

Returning my attention to the piece of wood before me, I struggled to tip it upright. I gave it a push when I finally managed to, sending it crashing in the other direction. Below the ruined beam I had worked so hard to move was nothing more than ash. I wiped the sweat from my brow and took a moment of rest. Embers from a fire this size took a while to die out, and I could still feel some of the heat lingering. Though I was somewhat resistant to heat, the others must be uncomfortably warm. I could understand why the fire department had put aside clearing the rubble until today.

“Hey,” Fusillade called out from the far side of the debris. “Found something.”

Starlight, Ocean Wind and I came stumbling over the wreckage to see what Sill might have unearthed. Though I thought it was probably just another plate or something, I was surprised to see him pull out a chest.

“Looks like this chest must have been a little fireproof,” Sill said, tapping the somewhat intact metal construct.

“Can you open it?” I asked, seeing the latch without a lock.

“It needs a little longer to cool off,” he said. “The metal is still too hot to touch.”

To his vocal protests, I touched the mechanism for the latch, getting a feel for the temperature. It was a little uncomfortable, but nothing I couldn't handle. After a few moments of fiddling, I managed to get the lid open.

“Nothing!” I sighed irritably. Well, nothing save more piles of ash.

Ocean Wind looked inside the chest and dug around for the moment, drawing out a burnt feather. “Wouldn’t quite say nothing,” he said. 

“A feather?” I scoffed. “What good is that?”

“More than you would think,” he replied. “It’s probably from a pillow stored in here.”

“Might as well be nothing,” I snapped. “What good is that going to do us?”

“If something so fragile as a feather could survive this intact, another chest could hold more.”

“So?”

“The other night, I couldn’t help but notice that Marmalade didn’t have her own, separate room,” Ocean Wind explained, sifting through the ash at the bottom of the chest. “Chances are she probably used the same type of room as her guests. If all the rooms are the same, then she certainly had a chest of her own and probably didn’t keep pillows in it.”

“So we’re looking for a chest that just might have something in it?”

Ocean Wind shrugged, scanning the twisted ruins. “Well, it’s more to go by than just digging around.”

Mindful of Ocean’s suggestion, we resumed scavenging through the debris. I thought back to the night, trying to picture where everything in the building had been. When we had gone up for a shower, Marmalade had been pretty specific on which room to use. There was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that it was the one that I should be looking at. Problem was, I had to recall the building’s room plans and orientation in order to figure where it now was.

I remembered entering through the back door the first time I had visited, and seeing the building to the left of me. Using that, I built up the building in my mind’s eye, placing walls, doorways and the stairs. When I put it all together, I hurried over to the spot, and began to dig through the mess. Ten minutes later my efforts were rewarded. Just as Ocean Wind had predicted, there was another of the chests, appearing almost identical to the one from earlier. I didn’t call them over as I fiddled with the latch.

“Guys!” I shouted excitedly after I opened the chest. “Found something!”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It took the remaining twenty minutes to untangle the chest from the rest of the mess, and another twenty to scrounge together a cart to take it back to the castle. The fireponies and weather team had all too quickly moved in behind us, eager to get started.  Starlight bid her brother farewell with a one-leg hug. He returned the favour with another rib-crushing embrace. Ocean Wind and I pulled the harnesses of the cart, gradually building speed to a steady canter. My harness jerked as the cart took on more weight. Ocean scowled at Starlight as she sat cheerily alongside the chest.

The streets passed by slowly, ponies shooting us odd glances. However, the looks received seemed to ask not why we had the chest, but where it was headed. Crossing an intersection, I caught a glimpse of the sun hanging just above the horizon. Wouldn’t be long before dark now. 

A servant was busy lighting the entrance to the castle when we finally arrived. The guards standing duty paid us little heed after Ocean Wind gave them a brief nod. Starlight and I bore the weight of the chest back to the room, holding it aloft in the air. Though I would have rather not, there were worse ways to expend some of my magic. We set it down to a solid thud in the corner of my room.

“Alright, Amethyst, loose the disguise,” Ocean said, waving a hoof at me as he went to retrieve his armour. He slid pieces of armour back on, the enchanted plates returning his colours to the traditional white and blues of the Solar Guard.

For once, I complied without protest. With a second of focus, I retook my natural appearance. “Any extra sheets or a table cloth around here?” I questioned, peeking through a few drawers.

“Uh...” Starlight hummed. “Maybe –”

“In the drawer to the left of you,” a mare said flatly.

I whipped my head to face the doorway and found Pastel leaning against the doorframe. Everything about her simply sung of agitation. “Hi, Pastel,” I tried weakly.

“Care to explain why I found Marmalade crying her eyes out?” she asked, pacing towards me like a lion towards a rabbit.

“Well, you see –”

“Or why she called you, and I quote, ‘an arrogant jerk’?” She stopped a few metres away from me and gave me a baleful glare. “It took me a good half hour to get her to calm down to tell me what happened. I am not impressed.”

I shuffled my hooves, looking down at the ground. “I’m not impressed with myself,” I agreed quietly.

“Then why haven’t you done anything about it?” Pastel demanded, closing the distance between us. “Heaven knows that girl has been through enough.”

“I’m trying to get everything together to apologize to her.” 

“You better be preparing a very good apology then,” she told me. “I’ve never seen somepony so heartbroken.”

“I hope this will be enough,” I said, lifting the lid to Marmalade’s trunk. I had to admit, I never would have dreamed of finding something so precious.

She leaned over, peering at what lay inside. When she recognized it, her mouth fell open. “You got this from her inn?” she asked.

“That’s what I’ve been doing for the past few hours,” I admitted. “I wanted to surprise her. I was going to see if I could arrange supper, and then apologize and surprise with the chest after.”

Pastel pursed her lips in thought for a moment. “Tell you what,” she began slowly. “You go get cleaned up and I’ll arrange the evening for you. Be here at seven o’clock. I suggest you think very hard about what you are going to say to Marmalade.” She prodded me in the chest. “You got that?”

“Yes ma’am,” I replied.

“Good, now scram.” She shooed me off with a hoof.

“Well, what now?” I asked Ocean Wind, as Pastel shut the doors behind us.

“Perhaps you should get a shower?” He gestured to my filthy carapace.

“Where, though?” I asked. “Can’t have one in my room.”

“I’ll take you down to the barracks and see if you can’t have one there.”

“How long do we have?” 

“About an hour and a half.”

“Let’s go, then,” I replied, starting downwards..

We ran into Luna on the way down there. She looked run-ragged, the bags beneath her eyes sagging almost comically, and her mane draped lifeless over her head and neck.

“Ah, Amethyst, pleasure to bump into you.”

“Likewise,” I replied, matching her faint sarcasm with my own.

“I just spent the past few minutes listening to the complaint of the captain of the Canterlot Weather Team. He even made mention of you, and said you told him that my sister should go sit on a cactus.”

“I may have.”

“I have also spoken with Doctor Sweet Fields, who complained you left before they could finish their research for the day.”

“Look,” I said, “just because I agreed to it does not mean I am going to spend my entire day letting them test me, especially when they are so invasive.”

Luna regarded me wearily. “There were also reports you were unwilling to explain to them how your magic works.”

One of the more minor points of the research was when they requested I use my magic and allow it to be displayed and measured. Unlike the other two things I had refused, there was little way they could force me to comply. They simply had to move on after my refusals. There was a reason for my obstinance, despite how long it had taken for me to reach a conclusion.

Although some of the changeling race had invaded Canterlot, I still couldn’t bring myself to offer up anything that anyone else could use against us. Understanding how our magic worked would make it much easier for them to pursue and find us. Even though it could be used against the hive which invaded Canterlot, it could also be used against innocents.

“Yes, and I will always refuse to let them measure, or for me to explain our magic.”

Luna cocked an eyebrow. “And why is that? I thought you were willing.”

“Willing to help you learn about changelings, not learn how to fight them,” I said. “And if you think you can talk me into it, you are fooling yourself.”

“The knowledge would help us defend ourselves,” Luna protested.

“And help you attack them,” I added.

“We would never –” 

“Stop. Think about that very carefully,” I interrupted. “Can you guarantee that it would never be used against any changeling who is innocent? Anyone like me, for that matter?” Her expression told me enough. “Exactly. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”

“One moment, Amethyst. I have a question for Sergeant Ocean Wind.”

He stood at attention as his name was mentioned. “Yes ma’am?” he asked.

“I understand you accompanied Amethyst into the city, him in a disguise and both you and Corporal Starlight without your armour, both of which I expressly ordered you not to do.”

“Just shut up already,” I exclaimed. Quickly focusing, I assumed my disguise again. “This is the appearence I took: hardly that 
noticeable a difference. You even said yourself that the way I went out before might not have been the best idea.”

“I was considering getting extra guards, not letting you wander around the city with just two undercover guards.”

“How about when you finally figure it out, you tell me,” I said. “Till then, I’ll keep doing what I am doing. It’s not like you could even stop me from escaping anyway.”

“I’ll make sure to have something put together quickly, then,” she said, a mix of emotions flaring.

There was a bitter retort forming on my lips, but it never came to life. Marmalade’s words and my promise rang through my head. I was already letting myself slip. Getting worked up at something there was no need to get worked up over. Luna had a right to be concerned, so I shouldn’t spit it right back at her.

I took a deep, calming breath, letting go of some of the anger. “Look...” I sighed. “I apologize for running off into the city without first telling you. Something happened, and it is too important for me to let it slip by. If it meant anything less to me than it does, I would have asked you first.”

Perhaps this wasn’t as difficult as I had thought. It was certainly funny enough watching Luna suddenly fill with utter bafflement. She recoiled and cocked her head as though I had lightly slapped her. I didn’t need to look to either side of me to feel the same surprise radiating from Ocean and Starlight.

“Very well, Amethyst,” Luna said finally. “Just please leave some mention that you are leaving the castle next time. I apologize for returning to the topic, but would you consider showing us at least some of your magic?”

I had given the question some thought already. “Well, maybe I can explain the basics to them,” I said. “So long as they don’t learn the actual mechanics of it, I guess I could tell them. But, you owe me for this.”

Luna smiled, dipping her head. “Thank you, Amethyst. We understand how difficult this must be for you.”  She walked off.

“Going to be making a habit of this?” Ocean Wind asked dryly.

“Just trying to make good on the promise I made to Marmalade,” I replied, again walking towards the barracks.

“What did you promise?”

Reluctantly, I told them, and even gave them a little background info. I still didn’t know why I had so readily agreed to it. I did like Marmalade, but I’d agreed with so little thought. The easy answer would be that I had agreed quickly just to ease her mind. That admission didn’t sit too well with me. Yet I still couldn’t admit I said it because I meant it. The whole deal left a bad taste in my mouth either way. I gave her my word, and I was planning to stand by it.

“Wow, I’m surprised,” Ocean Wind admitted.

“I know, I still am,” I agreed. 

“What made you agree?”

“Can we just get to the barracks?”

“We’re doing that already,” Starlight pointed out.

“Without talking about this?” I asked, raising my voice. They fell back a few steps, and we walked in silence the rest of the way.
For a changeling, feeling someone think and the shift of different emotions it comes with it is a rather interesting feeling all on its own. Emotions come and go, but someone’s mood as a whole remains pretty much constant. Teacher instructed me to always do this during moments of silence, when my thoughts were otherwise unoccupied. Guess it is similar to listening closely for sounds, or certain smells.

I’ve been trying for a long while now to explain to myself and others just how this seventh sense, so to speak, works for changelings. Emotions are never concrete or so unique that I can declare anger to be just that: anger. Anger could be a rather broad range of emotions, considering that emotions themselves differ from pony to pony. If that wasn’t enough, anger could be anger at anything – anger at oneself or someone else were two very different things. I try not to, but I know I was very guilty of interpreting what I felt as certain fact.

We arrived at the barracks. At the time, a few ponies were coming and going. It have been nearly supper time for the Royal Guards, or at least recess. I had to ask Starlight and Ocean Wind about that, sometime; it would be interesting to know.
I received glares aplenty as I walked in. They weren’t quite the same glares as before, however. My story must have gotten around as more than a couple seemed to pity me. That being said, the rest of them were far more accusing. My actions had condemned me. Goring Celestia in the eye was going to keep coming back to bite me in the flank.

“Right,” I muttered. “Let’s find that shower and get out of here.”

Ocean Wind took the lead and found the shower soon enough, a wide open room with shower heads hung along the walls on bare pipe. Members of both sex stood around washing up after a hard day’s work. Ocean whispered something to Starlight, and she darted off towards another room. She returned moments later with a few bottles of shampoo. If the bottles were anything to go by, I was guessing they belonged to Ocean. The pair of them took up position nearby, standing watch.

The water turned a dark ashen brown as I washed off for the first time, as did the soap as I scrubbed out my mane and tail. I would have really liked to have a brush to scour my chitin, but I had no such luck. It took a few more times rinsing and scrubbing for the water to even come close to being clean. When I rinsed off for the final time, the water finally staying clear, I became aware of something happening at the door. Both Starlight and Ocean Wind had placed themselves at the entrance to the room, blocking access to a few ponies outside.

“Just let us through already,” a stallion snarled.

“You are way out of line, Private!” Ocean Wind shouted.

That didn’t sound good.

“Am I?” he demanded. “All I know there is a bloody bug in there, and you saw what it did to Celestia. Let –”

“Luna’s orders. Last warning,” Ocean Wind declared. The ice in his voice was obvious and frightening. He had his wings unfurled ever so slightly, tensed and ready to spring.

“Alright, fine,” the stallion relented.	

“Now get –”

Whatever he was going to say was lost as Ocean was flung back into the shower room, slamming into the far wall and cracking the white tiles. Starlight fell back to him quickly, shooting a few stunners to stave them off for a moment. Miraculously, Ocean Wind rose from the foot of the wall, his armour blackened from the blast, steaming underneath the torrent of water from a broken showerhead.

Five ponies rushed in, each clad in the armour of the City Watch. One of them broke off from the others and charged at me, while the others headed to delay Starlight and Ocean Wind. Both them saw the danger I was in, but they were in no position to help. When it came to fighting, I stood no chance against a trained guard. I was about to be beaten into a pulp. Still, I wasn’t going to take this lying down, especially since I intended to apologize to Marmalade at my room and not from a hospital bed.

Luckily for me, I had kept my magic for a situation just like this. It was probably my only hope. Teacher preferred teaching me non-combat magic, but she had still taught me how to protect myself. I recited her instructions in my mind one more time. Disorient, close the distance, distract and attack.

A bright ball of light exploded into existence in front of me, its rays piercing through my tightly clenched eyelids. The unicorn’s cries told me he hadn’t been so lucky. As he staggered about, trying to regain his sight and sense of balance, I galloped towards him. Just as he began to recover, a focused and created a timberwolf... or at least, the growl of one.

He yelped, stumbling back on instinct. I threw myself at him shoulder-first, aiming right where his armour ended. We went flying, and I managed to stay on top as we skidded across the floor. He wrapped a hoof around my neck and tried to pull me down. Panicking, I felt something at the base in my throat constrict and a pasty vile liquid force itself into my mouth. I spat out the glob, and it hit his neck. Shocked, he let go of me, and tried to tear off the expanding pale purple goo. I watched the whole thing in equal shock; I could make that stuff? The moment it stopped expanding, it hardened, so that his hooves were pinned to his neck and his neck to the floor.

I flinched back when a spell nipped by my nose. The next blast glanced my side.

“Dammit!” I swore, stumbling back. I realized when I looked up that I was presenting the approaching unicorn a clear shot. My hooves scrabbled against the wet floor as I sought to gain any purchase. A streak of gold and white slammed into the unicorn, sending both flying into the wall. The room shuddered from the impact. Ocean Wind recovered from the crash quickly, and threw the barely conscious unicorn into the ceiling, letting him fall to the floor.

“What is going on here!” Shining Armour shouted, shouldering his way through the on lookers. The guards attacking us stopped at his appearance. His eyes quickly scanned the now room, pausing once on me suspiciously.

The shower room was a shadow of its former self. Starlight and the other unicorns had wreaked havoc on the walls. Scorch marks were everywhere, and small craters pitted the tiles. The largest of them was the one Ocean Wind had just made with the unfortunate asshole. Water roared from ruined shower heads and broken taps. The room as a whole was ruined.

“Following orders, sir,” Starlight answered, panting heavily. A scrape on her left cheek bled slightly. I thought Ocean Wind might have answered, but he was busy wheezing, standing heavily on one foreleg. He leaned against the wall.

“What order?” he demanded.

“Protecting Amethyst,” she said.

“By destroying the showers?” he exclaimed.

“We followed procedure for escalation of force.” Her voice was calm.

“Amethyst,” Ocean wheezed. “A hoof please?” He seemed to be struggling to remove his breastplate. On a closer inspection, I could see that the frontal bulge was dented, the gem missing. I rushed over while Starlight continued answering Shining Armour’s queries.

I tried to ease his breastplate off, but stopped once his expression became one of agony. “Don’t,” he gasped, gritting his teeth in pain.
Perhaps magic would do the trick. I let the fires of change tickle over the armour, trying to unmake it. The metal resisted my magic. Trying again yielded the same result. “Is there some sort of enchantment on these plates?” I called out to Shining Armour.

“A few, why –”

“Remove them,”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not doing anything.”

“Well, unless you have something to cut him out of his armour, I suggest you do,” I snapped back. “He’s having trouble breathing because his armour is smashed in.”

That got through to him; his eyes widened in panic. He ran over, giving our former harassers a murderous look. Guess they were not getting off. Shining Armour quickly lowered his head, horn glowing as he concentrated. His horn flickered a few times as he worked, accompanied by the rasp of Ocean’s breathing. The captain stepped back and gave me a nod. Focusing, I summoned the fires of change again, and this time they took hold reshaping the dented armour plate into chalk.

With a gasp, Ocean’s chest broke through and he took several deep breaths before he calmed. He gave me a nod of thanks, shrugging off the rest of the breastplate.
Shining Armour returned his attention to the three standing guards who had attacked us. The one who had I had bound to the floor had managed to rise, though globs of the purple stuff still stuck to his neck. “You are hereby stripped of your rank and imprisoned until the time you can be brought before a military tribunal for your actions. Do I make myself clear?”

“But sir, the changeling-“ one of them began.

“You assaulted your superiors and violated a direct order from the princess!” he roared. “I don’t care what Amethyst did!” So it would seem like them trying to put me in a hospital didn’t matter.

“You are to carry your accomplice to the infirmary,” he ordered, gesturing to the unconscious unicorn, “then wait there for me to bring you to the dungeon. Again, clear?”

I heard some very bitter variations of ‘yes sir’ from them.

“Then get out of my sight,” he spat. “Ocean Wind and Starlight, when you feel ready I would like you two to report to the infirmary as well. Both of you should get a checkover. In the meantime, I’ll have Private Cupcake bring Amethyst back to his room.” He paused, staring at me for a moment. “What are you doing, Amethyst?”

While he had been talking, I had sauntered over to one of the still-working showers and begun washing again. Even though it hadn’t been a long fight, I sure as hell wasn’t fit for a date anymore. “What does it look like?” I asked. Wasn’t that the whole reason I had come down here?
> Chapter XVI - Amends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re late,” Pastel said as I trotted into sight.

Tell me something I don’t know. Shining Armour, the persistent bugger that he was, insisted I answer all of his questions about the incident. By the time he was satisfied, he had left me with only a few minutes to get back to the room, escorted by a guard who refused to move faster than a slow amble. He didn’t really seem to think too much or too little of me. In fact, he was rather neutral on the whole changeling business, as far as I could gather. I didn’t know what to make of that.

“Talk to Shining Armour about it,” I grumbled.

Pastel regarded me for a moment. Her eyes flickered to my shoulder and over the shallow magical burn. “I see,” she replied. She held out a hoof, offering me a black bowtie coupled with a white collar. “You know how to tie this?”

“No,” I admitted. I’d never had any sort of formal wear. The few times I had needed them, I had borrowed from my father.

She reached behind my neck, and began to tie the bow tie. “Have you figured out what you are going to say to Marmalade?” 

“Not really,” I admitted.

“Of course you didn’t,” she sighed, taking a step back to admire her work. “How about this: what does Marmalade mean to you?”

“What does she mean to me?” I repeated. “What are you talking about?”

Pastel rolled her eyes. “Are you that clueless? Why do you feel that you should apologise to her?”

I gave it a moment’s thought. “Because I broke a promise.”

“So what?”

So what!? I stared at her dumbstruck. She called me clueless?

She smirked, amused at my expression. “If she was just a friend, surely a simple apology would do.”

“You think that would be enough?” I exclaimed, my mouth gaping open.

Pastel shrugged. “Sure. It might be take a while, but she’d come around.”

“Are you actually serio–”

“No!” Pastel shouted. “She obviously means so much to you. I had a feeling that if I told you the only way to fix this was to wrestle a manticore, you would do it.” I nodded without a moment’s hesitation. “She really is that important to you, isn’t she?”

Her words gave me pause. I had never given it much conscious thought, because I could never find the words for it. For the days I’ve known her, I’ve seen her as a good friend, but in my eyes the relationship had never crossed that final step in spite of what had happened. Meanwhile, Marmalade had her mind already made up, and my inability to decide had hurt her. Life has a funny way of letting me do things I should no I would regret. I realized now that she meant nothing less than the world to me. I should have realized this a long time ago – maybe then, we could have avoided this whole mess. There were few words that didn’t feel empty.

“I love her,” I admitted.

Pastel guided me to the door, expression softening and smiling warmly. “I think you’ll know what to say.”

Dread bloomed in my throat. “Wait! N – no, I’m –” But then the door opened and I could say no more. She gave me a push, before shutting the door behind me. Sighing, I turned around to see what awaited me.

Jaw, meet floor. Floor, meet jaw.

Marmalade’s snickers were quickly followed by outright laughter. Her merriment broke me from my stupor. I approached the table, holding as warm a smile as I could muster.

Pastel had done an astounding job. The ceiling had been lined with gently dipping ruby-red cloth, each layer done in a slightly different tone or shade as to offer depth. The table had been laid out with a black satin cloth, complete with gleaming silverware and crystal glasses. White napkins on even whiter fine china completed foodware. The room was lit by a few candles throughout the room and a pair resting at the center of the table.

But Lemon Marmalade herself, for lack of a better description, looked as if handcrafted by the masters. Her brilliant yellow mane gently tumbled down her back in loose curls, a few locks bordering one side of her face. Her light brown eyes were framed by a set of elegant eyelashes and set above cheeks lightly tinted with blush. Her coat gleamed with an almost cream-coloured glow, and was complemented with a sugary brown dress which cascaded over her shoulders.

With my simple bowtie, I felt naked.

“Do you gawk at all the pretty mares you meet?” Marmalade asked cheekily.

Though it warmed my heart to see her so playful, with the memory of her inn burning, it just... I don’t know, it just felt wrong. I could still feel the hurt oozing from her, hidden behind the mask of bravado.

“Only those as beautiful as you,” I answered, taking a seat. The complement stirred no life into her empty smile.

From there, neither of us had anything to say. We sat quiet, for a few moments, sneaking glances at one another while our eyes wandered. I knew I had to do this, and there was no way that this would or should be easy. I deserved every uncomfortable moment I was destined to receive.

“I’m sorry.” I had meant to say it confidently, but it came out as little more than a sigh and a whisper. “For everything.”

Marmalade said nothing, but the way she held herself told me to continue.

“I’ve been nothing less than an ass to you, and that’s even after all you’ve done for me. You’ve tried to help and I just brush you away after everything we’ve been through.” My next words died in my throat. I just couldn’t do it, not without the words seeming empty and hollow. I needed to go back to the start, however painful it might be, and start there.

“Ever since...” I faltered. The admission was difficult to make, but all my actions were evidence enough of the truth. Goring Celestia, fighting Shining Armour, almost any and everything I’ve done since that fateful night... “Ever since my parents died, I’ve been lashing out. I’ve been so selfish, that I don’t even care who it is or why I was.”

“I know, Amethyst,” Marmalade said.

Her words were a dismissal, not acceptance. “I knew this, but I still swore you an oath that I had no intention of keeping. I should have known I was going to, yet I didn’t even try to warn you. The way I treated Shining Armour... that wasn’t right.” He still was a jerk of the highest order. But how could I claim to be any different? “They had been away on their honeymoon, so how can I say that he is responsible for what happened? You trusted me to stay my tongue, and I made you look like a fool.

“It wasn’t right, what I put you through. I was the reason your inn burnt down – I didn’t think ahead. It’s my fault that your cousins are hurt, and now you have nowhere to go. Though the entire invasion and everything that has come of it wasn’t my fault, I was a damned idiot for not trying to fix it.” I slammed my hoof down on the table. The plates rattled and the silverware danced. “Hell, I’m making it worse! What a wonderful representative for my race I am! Yet, even then, you were kind and generous enough to give me your trust and love. You know how rare that is? It’s more valuable than any gift I’ve ever recieved, yet I treated it like a copper penny. I couldn’t have been more of an idiot.

“I’m... I’m sorry, Marmalade. I’m sorry about what I’ve put you through, truly. Not just that. Honestly, I’ve neglected to spend any time with you, even as I consumed your love so readily.” The words flowed out of my mouth before I realised my mistake.

“So that was all I was, to you?” she snapped. Her eyes widened when she realised the venom in her voice.

“No, you’re not,” I pleaded. “It’s not like that; it’s never been like that. It’s just– I haven’t... I’ve never given that much thought about what you mean to me. I don’t know why. My heart pou– pounds with you, at sight of you. I don’t understand why I treated you so badly.”

The truth burned. My throat dried quickly. “I – I was an idiot. Heartless. You never deserved any of it. If you asked... if you asked me whether you should believe me, I would tell you ‘no’. I’ve never done anything to deserve what you gave me.”

I wiped at the tears in my eyes before they could fall. “Marmalade, I’m nothing more than what I’ve claimed I wasn’t. I’m still a monster. A parasite, playing civil. I – please. Please, I beg of you, just give me one more chance. I love you.” I couldn’t regain my breath, couldn’t stop, no matter how many times I gasped for air. “I love you,” I repeated, straining the word quietly. “I don’t want you to go. I’m sorry, sorry...” 

Silence.

My apology had been given and there was nothing more I could say. If she rejected me, it would be my own fault. That I knew. I couldn’t bear to look at her, or reach out in fear of what I might find. For a minute I stayed silent, before she spoke.

“Look at me!” she commanded firmly. My eyes rose to her face, and I felt my soul shatter. She had a fierce scowl on her face, and looked as though she was ready to throw the table at me. “You think you can just ask for forgiveness after what you put me through? Love? Hah! You wouldn’t know love if it fell into your lap. If you really want me to even consider forgiving you, you’ll do exactly as I say.”

I gulped. “And what is that?”

“Come over here,” she commanded.

I blinked. What?

“Are you just going to keep me waiting?” she snapped.

I walked around the table and stood before her. She regarded me with cold eyes and a dispassionate frown. “Wha–”

Lemon Marmalade took a single step towards me, her lips finding mine and silencing my speech. She pressed in, wrapping her forelegs around my neck, sealing out mouths together in a kiss. She tasted of blueberries. What she had been concealing just moments before hit me: love. Though it was as pure as mountain water, it wielded it’s own weighty clout of strength. Stress and worry fell away in her embrace, almost as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulder. I felt something else, but it was so dominated by the more powerful emotion that I didn’t pay it any heed. I lost my balance and fell backwards to the ground, yet she persisted.

Marmalade withdrew, taking a few deep breaths from the moment’s passion. Only then did I realize how close we were. I could feel her heartbeat just above mine. I felt her tail intertwine with my own.

“Amethyst, you are not a monster,” Marmalade whispered. “I don’t care what other ponies say, or what they think. Neither should you.”

“But Marmalade –”

“No Amethyst. Sure you broke your promise, but it was wrong of me to force you to make it. I know things haven’t been easy for you. I just lost a home, but you lost everything,” she gave me another kiss. “If anything, I think you're more of an idiot for thinking I wouldn’t forgive you. I love you too, Amethyst.” My heart threatened to burst from my chest at those words. “What made you think that anyway?”

“I... don’t know,” I lied. Oh, if only she knew.

She gave me a melancholy smile. “You could stop lashing out at others, for a start, but that’s only part of it. I know what you’ve been through is tough, but you need to stop being so hard on yourself. For once, let others help you. You don’t have to change the world on your own.”

“What?” How in all of Equestria was I hard on myself? More like on everyone around me. I suppose for the moment, I should accept what she suggested. Masters know my relying on myself hadn’t got me that far.

“Amethyst, we’ll support you however we can, but only if you let us. We can help you with the insults and criticism you face. The fact that you’re a changeling doesn’t mean that you deserve to be treated horribly. Thing is, I know who you truly are, and how far you’ve gone. I love you, Amethyst.”

Our lips met again, and the world slowed. We sank into each other’s embrace, my forelegs wrapped around her barrel, and hers’ around my neck. We both paused for a breath, before resuming our activity.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Pastel asked, sending jolts down my back. I could hear the satisfied smirk she wore.

I flushed cherry red, unable to meet her twinkling eyes as I squirmed to get out from Marmalade. The mare on top of me had other plans, however. Though she bore a light blush, she kept me pinned.

“Well, not if you’re wanting to watch,” she sung in a husky tenor, her eyelids drooping suggestively. 

Somehow, even more blood made its way to my face. “Marmalade!” I exclaimed, praying silently to the masters for the ground to swallow us up.

Turning her attention back to me, Marmalade kissed my nose gently. She worked her way up my muzzle, spending a moment on my forehead before turning on my ear. When she reached the tip, her kisses became nibbles. I couldn’t help myself, I–

Marmalade sat up abruptly. “Did you just squeak?” 

“No,” I lied. That was definitely up there with the most embarrassing things I’d ever done. Pastel’s mouth hung open for a moment before she broke into silent hysterics, tears welling in her eyes. It didn’t take long for Marmalade to join her, but she was a little more open in her laughter.

“Perhaps I should try again, then?” Marmalade suggested, leaning down towards the other ear.

I was up from out under her in a moment, to their great amusement. “No thank you,” I blurted. “That’s quite alright.”

“Not quite so headstrong when you’re flustered, are you?” Pastel jeered, pushing a cart into the room.

“Hey!” 

“I’m joking,” she chuckled. “Perhaps you two would like supper now?”

I nodded eagerly.

“Alright, I had strawberries salads made for each of you to start,” she said, placing the two plates on the table. The salads were a beautiful mix of romaine, iceberg and green lead lettuce, topped with a finely grated cheese and plenty of strawberries. “Now, when you’re done, your main courses are in the large platters. Amethyst, yours has a small amount of gold trim on the lid’s handle. Don’t worry about them getting cold; there is a spell on them to preserve the food’s freshness and temperature. Dessert is in the covered bowls.” She leaned in close to whisper something in my ear. “There a bottle of champagne on the bottom of the cart for later.”

I managed not to blush. “What?”

She smiled slyly and trotted to the door. “Call if you need anything!”

“What did she say to you?” Marmalade asked as Pastel left.

“Nothing,” I quickly blurted. When I turned to the cart to see if there was any dressings for the salads there, Marmalade gave a small gasp.

“What happened to your shoulder?” she exclaimed.

The magic bolt had left a slight scorch mark. I had washed away some of it, but a slight gouge was noticeable. It still tingled a little. “Yeah, that was part of the reason why I was late.”

“What happened?” she asked, worry clear in her eyes; her brown eyes.

I told her of what had transpired in the shower. I couldn’t contain some of the pride in my voice when I explained how I had taken down one of the guards.

“Eww.” Marmalade shuddered. “You make that stuff?”

I shrugged “I guess. Why does it matter?”

“I had to clean my roof of that stuff. I didn’t realize changelings made it.”

“Why does it matter?” I asked again.

“Nope, we’re not going there,” she protested, looking a little green.

With that, I continued to tell the remainder of the story. She expressed her sympathy with what had happened to Ocean Wind and Starlight, and shared in my disdain of Shining Armour. There wasn’t much to explain after that.

From there, our conversation took a turn from myself to Marmalade plan’s to rebuild her inn and life. Apparently Luna had offered to pay out the same amount that the inn had cost to build in the first place, in compensation for the actions of her people. Luna’s pockets must be deep.

She explained to me that she was considering hiring an architect to design the new structure, rather than do it herself. There had been money saved for a few renovations she had planned to do, and now with most of the bill footed by the Princess, that money was freed up. 

“Given any thought to expanding, then?” I asked.

Marmalade nodded her head slowly. “I have. The only thing is, it could change the way I work, so much. If I build anything too big, I’ll have to hire more help, which means I’ll get to spend less time doing what I love. Of course, I would make more money, so I just need to figure out the right balance.”

When we finished the salad, we moved onto the main course. Like Pastel had promised, the food was kept warm and looking as though it had just come out of the kitchen. I had some sort of gently grilled fish lightly doused in breadcrumbs, along with a plate of rice and a few steamed vegetables tinted with herbs and spices. Marmalade had a small steaming pie with a flaky white crust and a few cooked greens and daisy heads. Both looked amazing, and our mouths watered at the sight.

They were every bit delicious as they looked, yet mine still tasted like ash.

The conversation strayed from there, never remaining stationary for long. From the weather to snips of gossip; from foalhood stories to ones more recent in nature, the evening drew out into a breathtakingly enjoyable experience. For the first time, the urgency and dangers of days which both had come and gone faded into the background. I was enjoying myself almost entirely. Almost.
Every time I met Marmalade’s eyes, a distant echo of a memory reminded me of that night when they had been coloured with my magic. I pushed it back at first, exterminating the thought with a topic change. But it came back. It kept resurfacing, stronger each time. I ignored it and focused on my meal.

“You should have seen what happened next!” Marmalade exclaimed, grinning widely. “She–” She broke off, tilting her head. “Amethyst, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I replied, giving her my best smile.

She was silent for a few moments, staring at me. “Just then, it looked like you were disgusted with something. Was it the food?”

Disgusted with myself, disgusted with my actions, disgusted that I haven’t told you yet... “The food’s fine, it’s –” That memory blinked again, and for a moment I thought I could make out the same look of lust. “It’s not the food,” I admitted. My mouth was suddenly bone dry. Apologising had been easy compared to the thought of explaining myself. Hell, I’m not even sure I could. I owed it to her, though. The things we do for honour.

“Do you remember last night?”

“Yes, I’d never forget a night like that.”

I’d never forget a night like that. She would never forget what I’d forced her to do, what she let me do. She would never forget... that I had essentially raped her. No, that was wrong. There was no “essentially” about it. I had raped her. What the hell could I try to pass it off as?

Moments passed in silence. “Marmalade...” I finally managed, gasping out her name in a rush of air. “There’s something you should know.”

“About last night?” she asked, as I paused.

“Marm... just, please, don’t stop me. It’s hard enough as is.” I took a deep breath, pushing my plate away from me. “I’ve told you that changelings live off positive emotion. Well, not entirely, but we live off of it. If any changeling has enough positive emotion stored, or too large an intake, they’ll... start to grow in size, and grow in a mane and tail. It can’t just be kept, though, it has to be sustained or we shrink and the hair recedes. The worst thing is, it takes a long time for that to happen, and until that point, we basically starve. I can’t describe how it 	feels... it’s like an emptiness in your gut, and chest, but not like you’re hungry.” The smile on her face had wilted, replaced by nothing. Devoid of any emotion, she watched me as I continued to speak.

“I was slowly starving when I met you, and I was until last night. I didn’t want to harm anyone by taking it from them. So I just accepted what I could, but it wasn’t enough. Our magic acts… by itself, sometimes, and mine began to alter how you saw me. We were good friends before, but it forced us further. Last night... last night happened because I was too slow to realise it. There could have been something I–I could have done, but I didn’t even notice. Then I saw it in your eyes. I suppose you can say I... raped you. It wasn’t meant to be like this, but I just couldn’t...”

Her eyes were wide, and her mouth agape. She choked on a word, the sound coming out as a strangled rasp. She held herself away from me, looking at me like I was a predator.

I suppose I was. Wasn’t that what we changelings were, anyway?

“That’s not even the worst of it,” I said. “All you’ve felt towards me could be nothing except my magic... you probably actually hate me... you should hate me for what I’ve done to you.”

Her mouth snapped shut with a click.“Amethyst,” Marmalade said softly, standing up and beginning to walk around the table. I couldn’t bear to look at her face.

“There’s nothing... nothing I can say, to apologize,” I whispered. “Everything just sounds like a fucking excuse no matter how I word it.”

“Can I just say something?”

I ignored what she had asked. “Just tell the guard or something. I’d understand if you wanted –”

Marmalade slapped me, putting her full weight behind the strike. I tumbled back, only to have my neck snapped forward when Marmalade hoisted me up by my collar. It felt like a noose.

“You – just – shut up for once!” she shouted into my face, seething between clenched teeth. She dropped me to the floor, taking a step back. She was silent for a moment, her jaw clenching. She glared down at me for a minute, saying nothing. Suddenly, her shoulders slumped and looked down to her hooves in utter defeat. “I don’t know what to think,” she said. “But don’t you ever tell me my feelings are not my own.”

“But that’s what happened,” I protested.

Her whole body went rigid. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? You can’t tell me what I do and don’t feel.”

“But you’re not–”

“I don’t care!” she shouted. “I’d rather assume my feelings for you are genuine, than think they are not.”

“But I–”

“Shut up!” she screamed. “There are only two things I know about it. One, my time with you has been wonderful, and two, I love you. Now even if it turns out that I don’t, there’s a famous little saying.” Marmalade offered a hoof to pull me up. “‘It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.’ I love you, Amethyst, and for the time being, that’s all I care about.” Her anger began to fade, and her lips lifted into a shaky, gentle smile. “What’s past is past. What’s done is done. Besides, you don’t really have a say in the matter, do you?”

There was more behind the smile, more then I could ever hope to understand. “What do you mean?”

“Your magic,” she said. “It’s not like you chose to do that to me. If it was something your physiology made you do, how can I hold it over you?”

“It’s not the same!” I insisted. “If I was stronger, better, I could have stopped it, I could have prevented it. But I didn’t.” It was almost like she had given up trying to figure it all out, and had chosen the easiest path before her. 

Marmalade put her hoof under my chin, and lifted my head. Her eyes were a gorgeous brown. Not a tint of my magic could be seen. “After all you’ve done for me, how can you possibly be so hard on yourself? Everyday, you’ve been grinding yourself down over something out of your control. Life happens, Amethyst, whether you like it or not. Stopping kicking yourself over your mistakes and just move on.” She reached out and pulled my head into her chest, and held it there. A soothing rhythm pounded within her chest. 

“Marmalade, I can’t just ‘move on’,” I confessed. “I’m the only one who can make things right. Everypony in Canterlot thinks I’m some sort of monster, or at least not worthy of their respect.” And in a way, they’re right.

She let go of my head, and took a few steps back to give me space. “Do you think Princess Celestia and Luna think you to be some sort of monster?”

“Yes! They treat me–”

“Amethyst, think about it. What have they done that they are not willing to accept responsibility for, and have not tried to fix?”

Silence.

Marmalade had seen the realization. She nodded in the quiet. “Pastel told me that they had to physically restrain Celestia to a bed to force her to get the rest she needs. Luna has been running herself into the ground managing the work of her sister in addition to her own.”

“They still could have stopped the fire which took my parents,” I muttered.

“Amethyst. Neither Princess Celestia or Luna would try to escape the consequences of their actions. When all this hubbub ends, I’m sure you’ll figure something out with them.”

“There’s –”

Marmalade silenced me with a hoof gently pressed against my lips. “Just trust me on that, alright?

“Alright,” I answered when she removed her hoof.

She looked like she wanted to say something more, but the light in her eyes dimmed as something she had been concealing finally broke. “Excuse me for a moment. I have to go use the washroom.”

It was not the truth, but an excuse to get away from me. Could I really blame her for that, after all I’ve done? All I’ve revealed? Even now, when I looked back on her words, I just couldn’t help but think they were not quite the truth. Her words seemed like she was putting on a brave face, at the expense of her true self. Through the bathroom door, I could hear nothing, but I wasn’t about to see if I could. If Marmalade wanted some space for herself, she could have it.

My thoughts drifted from her to myself. What I had done and said in anger, or just in spite, had mostly not been justified. Marmalade was right when she claimed neither Luna of Celestia was the real cause for concern. It pained me to admit it, but they really weren’t. I still didn’t like them, but even I saw where the shortcomings lay.

Was this really love? I had no idea. 

I toyed with my food, taking a bite of the now cold fish before shoving it back further into my throat. All I could taste was ash.

Was I being fair to myself, or Marmalade? If anyone knew of how fast our relationship had progressed, I was pretty sure they would be concerned. In the silence and solitude, my doubts screamed at me. In a little less than a week, we were full-blown lovers, even with how little time we had spent with one another. How many couples could make that claim? I still worried that one day I would wake up to find her gone without a trace. Would she tell anyone what had happened? Would anyone really learn about what existed between us, or believe it?

I wasn’t sure that even I could believe it, biases and all.

In spite of what I told myself earlier, when ten minutes came and went without her coming out, I began to worry. I was just about to knock on the door and ask if everything was alright when the door opened. Marmalade looked the same, but different. Her makeup looked not quite as fresh, and her eyes looked a little irritated. Yet, with her posture, I didn’t think she had been crying.

“Dinner’s kind of cold, now,” I mumbled.

“Bah, I was pretty much done anyway.”

“Marmalade, are you alright?”

She waved me off. “Some of the spices didn’t agree with me.”

It didn’t feel like the right answer, but I let the matter go. “What were you going to say earlier?”

She hesitated for a moment. “I just wanted to... I think it’s only fair for me to thank you, for everything you’ve done for me.”

“You what?” Why in the world did I deserve thanks?

“You saved my life pulling me from the inn, and nearly carried me back to the castle. You’ve been helping my cousins. You tucked me in and comforted me when I was having a nightmare. You–”

My face burned. “You were awake?” I blurted.

“No, but I woke up,” she admitted. “Where did you learn that lullaby? From your mother?”

I nodded.

“All good things should be commended. And if I’m not allowed to love you after everything you’ve done to me, screw those rules.” She pulled me into a hug. “Just never try to blame yourself again. Alright?”

Masters, there was nothing I had ever done to deserve a mare like her. I had not been expecting forgiveness at all. At best I was hoping she would remain a friend, but realistically, I had expected her to go fetch the guard. I deserved that fate. If I had been starving of emotion before, I was stuffed now, and ready to pass out. 

“So, dessert?” I suggested.

“Now there’s an idea.”

I took the two small covered platters and set them on the table. When I turned back, I froze. Marmalade held a pair of glasses and the bottle of champagne, tilting her head cheekily.

“But personally, I’m in the mood for a different sort of dessert.”

“Marmalade...” I protested lamely. How had she known about that?

She smirked. “When you work in an inn, you get awfully good at reading lips. So how about it?”

I know many stallions that would have leapt at the offer, but not me. I just couldn’t take advantage of her again with, even in spite of her acceptance. The confession was still raw. “Sorry Marmalade. It’s just...”

“It’s alright, I understand.” She paused. “But that still doesn’t meant we can’t have a good time.”

> Chapter XVII - Discovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up to the pounding of hooves on a door. Again. Marmalade’s forelegs tightened around my torso as I shifted. I turned my head so I wouldn’t shout in her face. 

“Give me a moment,” I answered.

Marmalade began to stir at my call. Her eyelids had yet to lift open. Mumbling softly, she pulled me closer to her. Last night couldn’t have been more perfect. In spite of our love and the champagne Marmalade honoured my request, but the night had been no less passionate for it. I felt so perfectly content, her affection banishing all my aches and pains.

The doors rattled as they were struck again.

“Amethyst, we request thy presence at once.”

Oh, cripes. Luna.

“Just one moment!” I tried again.

By now, Marmalade’s eyes had opened, though it would be a lie to call her awake. “Morning, Gem,” she cooed. Last night, Marmalade had coined the nickname for me: Gem. It was a bit embarrassing, but coming from her, I couldn’t just ignore it or even dislike it.

“Morning, Marm’,” I replied, glancing back to the door. “Would you mind if –”

For whatever reason, Luna had decided that she could not wait any longer. The doors to my room slammed open. Marmalade shrieked in fright, clinging to me tighter.

“Amethyst!” Luna shouted, “Rouse yourself...” Finally noticing me and Marmalade, and the position we were in, she blushed, her cheeks coloured an almost complete magenta. She feigned a cough into her hoof, averting her eyes from us. “My apologies. This is important –”

I sat up, rubbing my temple. “Luna, please, just get out.”

“Of course,” she blurted. She hastily retreated outside, shutting the doors behind her.

“Some wake-up call, huh?” Marmalade joked, reaching up to my head to pull it down.

“Tell me about it,” I replied, then met her lips with my own, morning breath and all.

As much as I would have liked, snuggling with Marmalade wasn’t really an option with one of the biggest power-players in Equestria waiting outside the doors. I rose from the bed and straightened the tangles from my mane. A mirror behind a door offered me a look at myself. I ran my hoof across my fin and went out to greet Luna.

The blush was mostly gone from her cheeks, but Luna still couldn’t meet my gaze. “My apologies, Amethyst. I hadn’t realised you had bedded a mare.”

“It wasn’t anything like that,” I countered quickly. I groaned and shook my head. “Look... just forget about it.”

“I see.” Luna was quiet for a moment. She had been accompanied by two Lunar Guards today, and Private Cake still stood by the door in the spot where I had left him last night.

“There is no easy way to put this,” she began, her mouth slumping into a tight frown. “Last night two more buildings were burnt to the ground, and another one almost joined them. Were that all, perhaps it could be dismissed as a freak occurrence.”

“There’s more, of course,” I sighed. A weight settled in my gut.

Luna nodded. “One of the fires the fire department couldn’t reach in time, but the other was because ponies held them back. What’s worse, the apparent reason for setting them alight was the belief that ponies who lived there were actually changelings. Of the two houses which burnt down, only one had ponies inside at the time. A stallion and his wife managed to escape with burns, but were beaten viciously until the fireponies rescued them.”

This was nothing new to me. That hatted bastard’s plan was working. Ponies were playing right into his hooves, and no one was the wiser for it.

“There’s... yet more, I’m afraid.”

“What?” I exclaimed.

“I’m sure you remember the changeling which was” – she grimaced – “displayed over the castle’s entrance. The spears were traced back to their owners, and two arrests have been made.”

“Who are they?” I demanded. The poor changeling deserved justice, no matter what.

“Sergeant Ocean Wind and Corporal Starlight.”

The declaration came crashing down on me and the flame, hungry for justice, burning in my heart. Starlight and Ocean Wind? No. They couldn’t have. Never. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. The spears, without doubt, belong to Starlight and Ocean Wind. The spears for the Royal Guard can only be removed from storage after magical identification.”

“Let me guess, a process put in place after the invasion.”

She nodded.

I felt sick, like someone had punched me in the gut. The air was stolen from me; I didn’t understand why they would do that. It just made no sense. I trusted them. They knew what changelings were like, and they would never have stabbed me in the back like that. They had ample opportunity to do horrible things to me.

“They didn’t do it,” I said. There was a tiny crack glimmering in Luna’s argument, but it was so slim that pursuing the lead would make me seem desperate. I didn’t know how, but they had been set up. “It just seems...”

“So obvious?” Luna cut in. “I agree, Amethyst. I believe they are innocent. Though they would be taken to court, they would most likely be found guilty of nothing but improper care of their weapons, and disciplined.”

“Then why have they been arrested?”

Luna sighed, thinly veiled irritation present. “Sometimes due process has to be followed. If I simply pardoned them, how does that make me look? The law is the law, and even I have to follow it.”

“Well, how long till they are on trial?”

“A few weeks to a month,” she said.

“That long?” I exclaimed.

“The invasion caused quite a bit of damage and disruption to much of the city. A bit of a backlog has built up, as some ponies used the chaos as a chance to loot.”

I opened my mouth, but snapped it shut quickly with a click. What if it had been made to be so obvious for a specific reason? No one in their right mind would make the crime so easy to trace back. That is, unless the apparent carelessness served its exact purpose. The hat...

“Is something wrong, Amethyst?”

Everything is. “No, nothing,” I said. The bastard gotten the government to play exactly to his rules. He had sown distrust within both the guards and the castle staff. Luna would be looking for someone with access to where the spears were kept, and she couldn’t trust anyone save her sister with the matter. A mole in the ranks was a lot more trouble to them than some random murderer outside the walls of Canterlot Castle.

I had to admit, though, that even then it didn’t make too much sense. Short of causing confusion and headaches later on, what would the framing do? Everyone knew Star and Ocean didn’t do it.

“Very well, then,” she replied. “While I know you are sensitive about sharing information on your magic, I was hoping you could shed some light on your abilities in light of the fight in the shower yesterday.”

“What would you like to know?”

Marmalade chose that moment to leave the room, yawning gently as she shut the door behind her. Her mane was tossed up into a ponytail and managed to look slightly better than mine. “Morning, Princess.”

“Morning, Marmalade. Once again, you have my most sincere apologies for barging in like that.”

She shrugged, choosing to remain silent.

Luna turned back to me. “Amethyst, could you explain to me a little bit of your magic? I was doing some reading last night onto how to make illusions. They are not the simplest spells, and they require all of your attention. The glow of a horn also gives one away. What makes you so able to cast them so discreetly and easily?”

Concentrating carefully, I created a miniature moon floating in the space before me. It was so detailed you could make out the very edges of craters if you looked closely enough. “Illusions are not something most changelings can do,” I explained with a hint of pride. “Well, all can, but realistic, proper illusions are difficult.”

“It is so intricate, Amethyst,” Luna exclaimed in awe, peering at the shape. “How do you do this?”

“Mirra explained it to me very well one time. Creating an illusion requires equal parts concentration and ignorance. Too much concentration, and the illusion will appear without any flaws, which will make it look too perfect, and that’ll trip up the target’s mind. If you place it too far back in your mind, it will be muddled and have too many flaws.”

“I meant, how are you casting it?” Luna clarified. “Your horn gives no indication you are using any magic.”

“I’m sure if it were a pitch black room, you might see a faint glow. I asked Mirra about it as well, once, and she told me just to accept that illusions use the entire body to cast rather than the horn.”
“Is that what the holes in your legs are for?” Marmalade asked.

More than once, I had seen ponies ask me if the holes in my legs hurt, or how they felt. That would be like me asking them if having legs without holes in them felt weird. “I don’t know.”

“Who is this ‘Mirra’?” Luna asked after a moment of silence.

“Well, that’s a rather big question,” I answered. “Mirra is the changeling who taught me everything I know about magic. She also answered any questions I had.” Most of the time. “She is an illusionist of the highest order.”

“Are you one as well?”

That got a chuckle out of me. Hopefully, when this is all done and done... “I’m her apprentice.”

“Would you be able to contact her then? Certainly she must know more.”

This got a bark of laughter from me. “I wish I could contact her. Not once did Mirra ever give me some way for me to do so. She came only when she wanted to, not when I asked her to. It’s been four years since the last day I’ve seen her.” That was true. Mirra had put my apprenticeship on hold, thanks to a decision she had refused to specify to me. Before the next daybreak, she’d left.

“Are you certain about that, Amethyst?” Luna questioned me. “Surely there must be some way. A teacher never leaves their student without –”

“There isn’t,” I insisted. “The –”

Now I was being interrupted myself, when a beiged maned pegasus came dashing around the corner. “Princess Luna, one of the changelings wants something.”

The alicorn’s eyebrows furrowed. “And what could that be?”

“We have no idea,” he reported. “The only thing we can understand is ‘Amethyst.’”

I knew where the next bit was going. “Marmalade, want to come see the other changelings?”

“Thanks, Amethyst, but I’m just going to check on Boulder and Flare,” she replied. She turned to Luna. “Can you tell me where the medical wing is?”

“I’ll have Shimmer Step take you there,” Luna answered. “I fear I have to return to work now. Please come and tell me of their request when you are done, Amethyst.”

I was about to ask her why she couldn’t accompany me when I remember what Marmalade had said last night. Luna was swamped in work, mainly because of my actions. Shame filled my gut as Luna trotted away, all business. “Alright.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Shimmer Step had said a changeling had been asking for me. It was Tirith. He stood impatiently, looking for all the world like he wanted to fly past the wary guards and search for me himself.

“'There you are," he clicked when I came into sight. “'<They kept telling me they couldn’t find you anywhere.>”

“<I was just outside my room,>" I answered.

He snorted, his face twisting in a scowl. "<Of course.>"

"<What did you want me for? Should I come in?>” I stumbled over the second part, nearly asking something entirely different, and a rather rude question at that.

"<We intend to hold the funeral for Liotic this evening. The body needs to be prepared, and I need to make sure you can cast the spell needed. We need to go elsewhere.>"

"<Will Cytri be coming?>" I asked.

He shook his head. "<Cytri is still grieving. Liotic –>" I couldn’t understand the next part. I couldn’t even guess.

I relayed the request to the guards standing watch, and naturally they refused. I nearly snapped after them, before remembering what I had said to Marmalade. I needed to remain calm. “Look, we need to go elsewhere to discuss funeral arrangements. He doesn’t want to have to do it in front of the others.”

They relented, and we were quickly escorted to the adjacent room. Thankfully the guards waited outside the doors rather than inside. We didn’t have to speak Changic, which made this much easier for me.

“First off, where is her body?” Tirith asked.

He wasn’t one to mince words. “Well, you see...” 

His eyes narrowed. “Where is the body?”

Denial wouldn’t work, and he had fair right to see her. “I didn’t want to tell you in front of Cytri. I didn’t want her to know.”

“And why would she not have the right?” he asked, testily. Barely contained fire boiled off his aura. 

“Because I didn’t think she could take it.” With Ocean Wind and Starlight having been framed, I was desperately buying time to figure out how to say it. I might trust them, but he sure as hell wouldn’t, not after what Liotic went through.

“Out with it.” It wasn’t a command, it was an ultimatum. If I refused, all the trust they had in me would go down the drain, and my reputation dirtied even more.

“Liotic wasn’t just murdered. She was mutilated and used as an example.”

He blanched. “Mutilated,” he murmured, slipping back into Changic.

“She was pinned to a wall with two spears through her eyes.”

“Spears... This was the work of the Royal Guard. Wasn’t it?”

“No, they were not!” I protested. “Ocean Wind and Starlight are innocent.” I realized what I had said just after I had finished saying it. Great job, Amethyst.

“I thought you told us we could trust them.”

“It wasn’t them that did it!” I insisted. “If they wanted to hurt me or any other changelings, they could have done it long ago. They were framed.”

His eyes narrowed, and any emotion trickling from him all but stopped. I was losing his trust, and that of the captured changelings. “And what proof do you have of that?”

“The pony who killed her left a calling card of sorts. It was the same pony who killed my parents, and just a few nights ago he tried to kill me again. He left his hat on her head, knowing that I would recognize it.”

He studied me for a second. ”’Calling card’. A pattern should have been easy to trace,” he said, snorting derisively. “You believe so much in Equestrian incompetence?”

“I do,” I stated.

“Fool.”

Asshole. “So what do you need me to do for the funeral?” I asked, trying to push another retort to the back of my mind.

“I’m not sure I want you to do it now,” he shot back. “But what I want doesn’t matter.” He sighed. “All you have to do is burn Liotic’s body, magically. Simple enough task.”

“You mean change her body to ash?” I questioned.

“Yes,” he answered. “We are going to hold her funeral at seven in the garden. You are to arrive there at that time, and stay out of sight until you are called upon. Understood?” 

“Perfectly,” I answered, growling. He talked down to me like he was superior.

“The other thing I need you to do is to get her body brought to this room. I need to prepare her as best I am able. That is all.” He didn’t even check to see if I acknowledged him before going to the door, leaving me to trot with Private Cake towards the throne room. 

All this travelling. From the throne room to my room, my room to another’s, the changeling’s room to the guards’ barracks. I wished I had put the effort to learn how to teleport, like the unicorns. Changelings had their own way to get around quickly, but that took quite a bit more effort, and a lot more energy. It was more the focus that was the problem, as it was a rather hard concept to grasp. That was the gist I got from Mirra’s words, before she left.

My musing ate up the time it took to get to the throne room. The few guards standing at attention announced my presence, and then opened the doors. Luna looked up as I entered, wearily rubbing her eyes as she set down the quill.

“What did Cytri want?” she asked.

“They wanted to hold the funeral tonight at seven, and one of them wanted to prepare her body.”

Luna sighed, flipping through a few papers resting on the arm of the throne. “There is a garden party I will have to delay, but I will make sure everypony attending understands that there is to be no negotiations on the matter. The chance for peace is worth one rescheduled party.” She licked her lips. “The body is being kept in the morgue at the castle infirmary.”

“This place has a morgue?” I asked.

She nodded solemnly. “There are more than a few castle staff and royal guardsponies who live out their last days under our care.” The quill was lifted and quickly scratched at a sheet of paper. She passed over the note to me. “This should be permission enough for them.”

“Thank you, Luna,” I said, tucking it under the edge of my bandage. All good deeds deserve commendation. I cocked my head at the expression on Luna’s face. “What?”

“Thank you?” she asked. “Have you been replaced by another changeling?”

Ha bloody ha. I rolled my eyes. “If you don’t like it...”

“We jest.”

“I jest,” I said.

Her smile slid off her face like oil off water. “Don’t push your luck.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Again I walked all the way across the castle. I must have walked more kilometres per day than a horseshoe reviewer. The infirmary must have been laid out as far away from the throne room as possible for a reason, but none came to my mind. Even though I thought I knew the route, I had wound up passing through a rather stunning hall I had never been in before.

It must have cost a lot to build. Shame most people wouldn’t get to see it. The walls bore massive panes of stained glass, depicting some past events. More praise for the Princesses. Yet, I found my eyes drawn to one point on the glass, where sunlight streamed through in beams. It took a  second, but I realized that there was actually no glass there, just a few scattered fragments on the floor, and a rock. Puzzled, I trotted over to the hole and peered out.

Had it been a few days ago, I might have been surprised by what I saw. After what Luna told me, though, I sure wasn’t. A mob had gathered outside the castle, peaceful for the moment, but anger sparked in the air like lightning. It didn’t take much to guess that these were the same ponies who had probably burnt down the buildings last night. Quite frankly, there was nothing I could do to them. I stepped back from the window, and continued on my way.

What did the pony with the hat want, anyway? Chaos? No one ever did anything without a reason, and he didn’t seem the type to revel and laugh whilst ponies burnt around him, so simple chaos probably wasn’t it. Fame and notoriety? That didn’t seem right either. He never led from the front. It was always from the shadows. He merely conducted and directed the will of the crowd. He didn’t lead them. I’d bet the moment he tried to, it would turn against him. There was no money to be had from his actions, unless it involved looting. But what was left?  So he hates changelings, join the club. Why would he leave early then, instead of claiming monetary reward? 

The thoughts kept bouncing around my head, subtlety rewording themselves. Thank the masters we reached the morgue section as quickly as we did. I couldn’t bear thinking about these questions without answers anymore.

Rather fitting room. The morgue was a well-lit, small room with a single examination table and desk. The lights cast a cold, white-blue shade on everything. There were no chairs, and the walls were a chalky medical green. Utilitarian, I supposed. A silver bell sat on the desk, unattended. Looking around, I gave a little shrug and rang it... only for nothing to happen. I rung it again.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” an irritated voice called out. A pale blue stallion stepped from around the corner. He didn’t look the happy to see me. “What is it?” he asked, crossing his hooves. “I’m very busy.”

“I’m here to pick up the changeling.”

“The one who was killed recently in the castle grounds?” he asked, unattached.

“Yes, her.” 

“You’re a little late for that.”

“Late?” I exclaimed. “What in hell do you mean late?”

The stallion pushed me back with a hoof. “Late. Somepony has already come for the body.”

“Somepony?”

He gestured the book on the desk. “Check for a name.”

Grumbling, I peered down at the text, looking for the last entry. My eyes widened, and my heart seized up when I saw it. I was already sprinting down the hall before it started beating again. They had been so unhappy that I hadn’t been willing to supply a chitin sample, that were going to take that and so much more from Liotic’s body. 

Doctor Swath had just signed for the body, and I had but minutes before they cut her open.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The door lasted all of two kicks before it burst inwards. At the center of the room, an operating table stood, occupied by Liotic’s body. Sweet Fields, Inspect, Swath and Caring stood oriented around the corpse, staring at me like I had grown a third head. Floating in the air I saw two surgical scalpels, though blessedly they were unbloodied.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing!?” I bellowed.

They blinked, stupidly. My opinion of them plummeted past rock bottom in the silence.

“We were just about to begin,” Sweet Fields offered. “We’re –”

“Not that! What gave you the right to do this to Liotic?”

Doctor Swath cleared his throat. “In the event of a murder, an autopsy is permitted to help produce a verdict.”

“So let me guess,” I snarled, “you just happen to be doing research at the same time?”

“Amethyst, you have to understand, we are trying to...” He faltered at the look in my eyes.

“Get out,” I growled, “and take her outside with you.”

“Hold on, wait,” he urged. “If you let us explain why –”

“Get out!” I shouted. They hopped into action, carefully lifting Liotic onto a gurney. Under my close supervision they wheeled her out into the hall, a sheet covering her wounds. Doctor Caring gave a cry of protest when I took the clipboard from her and tossed it inside the room. Satisfied, I took a step back from the doorway and levelled my horn at the opening. A torrent of purple flames erupted from my horn, filling the room with fire.

Nothing in there would survive. Private Cake tackled me before I could finish the spell. We landed hard, but lying on the floor, I could see that it had been enough. The room was blackened with ash that crumbled under its own weight. I shoved the guard off me and rose to my hooves.

Each of the doctors looked like they were ready to tear my head off with what I just did.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Inspect growled. Deep frustration, hatred and sorrow made for a potent mix.

“Yes. Yes I do.”

“There was years of research in there. Years! And you just destroyed all of it! You fool!” 

Inspect’s face unexpectedly slackened. His eyes widened and rose from my face look at something over my shoulder. I felt the magical buzz a moment later, but by then it was too late to stop something from slamming into the base of my skull.

Though I crumbled to the floor, I was only dazed, not unconscious. My head rang like a school bell. I could barely make out anything over that and the screams.

Wait, screams?

My gaze snapped up, but I couldn’t see anything through the spots in my sight. Blinking a few times, my vision cleared in time to see Sweet Fields sink into the floor, screaming. The fiery edges of a blue portal faded once she was under.

“Please,” I heard Doctor Caring beg. “I–”

“Silence,” the deep voice of a stallion roared. Where have I heard that accent before? “You do not get to–” A white-and-gold blur tackled him, or at least tried to. Private Cake slammed into a wall, and slumped down a moment later.

The newcomer’s tall, slender figure radiated power. If I had been standing, the tip of my horn would still be beneath his chin. His mane and tail were as blue as the sea in summer. He returned his attention to Inspect, his horn lighting again to pull the doctor into the ground. The changeling had nothing but icy scorn in his blue-grey eyes, as he listened to Inspect’s screams and watched him be pulled under. When the portal closed, his head slowly turned to me. Time slowed, and I matched his gaze with my own. 
There was something I felt in his soul. I’ll confess, I’ve never felt anything like it before. It was an emotion I could not comprehend. It was there for a moment, then it vanished.

“<We’ll deal with you later,>” he said in Changic.

A prick on the back of my neck and my body suddenly felt like lead. Though I still tried to rise, it was utterly futile in the face of the urge to rest. Even my eyelids were similarly affected, and drooped lower, and lower, and...

> Chapter XVIII - Misdirection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...methyst. Amethyst!” the faint voice repeated.

The pain in my head announced itself proudly just as I opened my eyes to look directly into the light overhead. Groaning, I rolled over, curling slightly into a ball.

The voice sighed. “At least we know he is in good health.” It tutted.

I managed to get my hooves under me, and slowly rose. Gently trying to shake the ache from my head. “Masters, what hit me?”

“That is what we are trying to figure out,” Luna replied, coming into focus from a blue blur. “That, and what happened to the laboratory.”

I ignored the second question but tackled the first. “Well, I think you have a little more to worry about.”

“Pray tell, why is that?” she asked.

“Well, there are more changelings involved.”

“What?” she exclaimed.

I winced at the volume. “Not so loud, please...”

She ignored that. “Do you know if they are from the invasion?”

I shook my head. The mere motion set my head pounding. “No, not unless there were any male changelings the size of Celestia, running around Canterlot. Oh, and the blue mane was kind of a give-away.”

Luna frowned. “As size implies power, if what you said was true... Why would he appear now? After all that has happened, what does he stand to gain?” Her eyes refocused on me. “What do you make of it, Amethyst?”

“Sorry. Can't think straight through this headache.”

She leaned forward, and placed her horn near my head. It glowed a soft blue and the pain receded like the tide. “Better?”

I nodded. “Much.”

“Could you better explain this stallion’s appearance?”

“Not much more than that,” I admitted, sighing in reluctance. I could have described the way he had looked at me, but I just could not put the emotion in words. “They hit me head, dazing me.”

“What about Private Cake?” Luna questioned. The guard had been laid out on the floor, and a few nurses dabbed at his forehead with a wet cloth. His helmet rested beside him, a sizable dent in the back of it. I shuddered to think what would have happened had he not been wearing it.

“He tried to tackle him and got shot back into the wall for his troubles.”

“And what of the screams that were heard by the servants?”

“You see those scientists and doctors anywhere?”

Luna blanched. “You mean...”

I nodded. “He took them.”

She was silent for a moment.“Celestia will not be pleased to hear this. We have no means of finding any of them either. Am I to understand that it was he who torched the laboratory?” 

My poker face could sure use some work.

“Amethyst...” Luna growled, glaring at me. “What did you do?”

Real smooth, Amethyst. “Did you say that they could examine Liotic’s body?”

“No, but that is beside the –”

“Then why did I find them ready to start dissecting her like some sort of lab rat?”

“W-What!” she sputtered. “We specifically said to –”

I held my hooves out wide. “Then how do you explain this?” 

Luna looked at the burnt room, then back to me, eyes narrowed. I followed her gaze, seeing nothing but ash.

“They were preparing to cut her open when I got there,” I added.

“Amethyst... We saw her body being brought up by a guard as we were coming down here.”

The hell? Nopony had known about what I was intending to do except Private Cake, Tirith and... Holy shit. “Luna, where did you see them.”

“Just near Cytri’s room, why do you ask?”

I opened my mouth to tell her, but hesitated. Luna didn’t need to worry about potential changelings in the guard on top of these new changelings. Actually, there was a distinct possibility that the guards utterly loyal to Luna and Celestia might be outnumbered by changelings in disguise, traitors and ponies who really didn’t care what happened to us, like the five from the showers. I suspected the last group would make up the majority of them.

So instead, I lied. “Nothing, just happy to see that they received the body. Still, why were they even let near the body? Celestia said she would prevent this from happening.”

“I’m not sure,” Luna admitted. “They did come to us and try and change our decision a few days prior, but we were firm with our decision. They must have went around us to someone else with the authority to grant their request.”

“Such as...”

“Princess Cadence, Captain Shining Armour, General Breeze and Prince Blueblood are the only individuals with the power, though parliament and a few other groups could override our decision.”

My brows furrowed. “I thought you had final say.”

“For the most part, we do. However, say General Breeze thought it prudent to study Liotic’s body for purposes of national defense. He could contest our decision, forcing parliament to deliver a verdict. It goes without saying that they are not the most sympathetic to changelings at the present time.”

“So he –”

A raised hoof cut me off. “No. The general is away from Canterlot at the moment.”

“Then who?”

“We are not sure. If you would excuse me, I’ll make some inquiries into the matter.”

I knew it was coming, it was just a matter of asking. “And –”

“You will remain here until Private Cake recovers. At that point, you are to return to Cytri and ask her a few questions. Extra precautions must, and will, be put in place to assure this doesn’t happen again.”

I had half a mind to tell her that it mattered little what she wanted. With that power, these new changelings could simply do and take whatever he pleased. Still, she might have had a wild card somewhere in that starry mane of hers.

I knew that in a fight, I myself wouldn’t last even a second against him. If he was still around, I’d have to watch my step.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Cake must have been hit much harder than his helmet’s dent let on. He was out for well over an hour more than even me. The sleep spell which had been put on me still lingered, and I had to fight the urge to lie back down and doze off. The nurses attending to him couldn’t help much, simply dabbing at his head with a wet cloth. There must have been a better way to wake him.

Once he was on his hooves, he seemed steady enough, though he still glowered at me. Yet regardless of what happened, he refused to say a word. Was this guy mute or something? I think Cytri was a little surprised when she opened the door and saw me there, though I’m not sure whether she was pleasantly surprised.

If I had to guess from her stuttering, she almost opened her mouth to speak in Equestrian before she realised her close mistake. Cytri would never have been able to infiltrate Canterlot. She would have been far too sloppy to escape unnoticed. Couldn’t say I would have done any better, to be honest. Great at illusions, poor at acting.

“Greetings, Amethyst,” she said.

“Hello, Cytri,” I replied. “Could I come inside to talk to you for a few minutes?”

“Is it just you?”

“Of course.”

Many heads turned my way as I stumbled into the room, and I was given a better chance to see just how battered they were. Hell, some of my worst flight crashes had me less injured than some of these changelings. Torn wings, cracked chitten, deep gouges… Many of them lay on soft mattresses laid out around the room in place of full beds.

“Am...” Cytri hesitated, obviously wanting to ask me something.

“Yes?”

Cytri looked down to the ground, shying away from me. “It’s nothing,” she muttered.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” she insisted. “It isn’t right of me to ask you.”

I sighed. “Look, whatever it is, I’m sure I can help you.”

She looked back up at me. “I know you can, it is not a question of that.”

Ok, now this was starting to get irritating. “Then tell me!” I exclaimed. “I can’t read your mind!”

She seemed taken aback by my outburst, and some of the changelings around the room eyed me warily. Cytri recovered, looking around the room at the others. “<We haven’t been getting enough energy,>” she explained in Changic. ‘Energy’ was not really the precise translation, but it was a good enough synonym. There was no real translation for the energy we received from emotion. “<I wanted to ask you, if you would give some to us.>” She seemed almost ashamed of the request.

“That’s it?”

Her mouth fell open, her eyes wide in surprise, and she jerked her head back. “What?”

Oh, great. This was probably some changeling taboo I didn’t know about. “Alright, tell me what I did wrong, and remember, I didn’t grow up in a hive.” I cut her off with a raised hoof. “Scratch that, just tell me how I can give you energy and lets get on with it.”

“Um, just focus on bringing your...” She paused as she realized the translation issue. “Bring your energy to your horn like you were going to cast a spell. I can do the rest.”

The magic flowed up to my jagged horn as I focused, the pool of energy Marmalade had given me bubbling. I had to say, it was an odd feeling, just holding it there. It was like holding my breath before a dive, in freefall. Focused on that, I didn’t notice Cytri’s part in this, and I realized why she didn’t want to ask it. Her horn touched mine and I felt the energy began to cross to hers, our faces only centimetres apart.

Her face was flushed red, and mine quickly copied the shade. We avoided each other’s eyes. More than just the proximity was an apparent sense of closeness brought about by our magic. To pull energy from me, her magic had to slightly intermingle with my own. When I felt that she had taken enough (just over half my reserves), I took a step back, ending the connection. Cytri nearly fell forward, hastily recovering and scrambling to turn her back to me. I averted my gaze and found great interest in the ceiling. Colourful frescoes! 

Some of the changelings watching us found our reactions amusing, chuckling. I glared at the lot of them. Yet, I guess the display did boost their trust in me, something I sorely needed after my talk with Tirith. The overall impression I got was that they were no longer uneasy with me. 

Rather than speak to me, Cytri hid beneath her mane as she moved about the room, repeating the procedure with some of the other changelings. Her apparent embarrassment faded as she distributed the energy.

“Amethyst.”

I turned, trying to see who had called for my attention. It hadn’t been Cytri. A changeling mare waved me over from where she lay. She was small by pony standards, but I imagined still a little undersized by changeling ones. The chitin of her rear legs were almost completely shattered, judging by the sheer number of cracks which ran through them. Canterlot, or capture?

“<Want to apologize,>” she stated.

“<For?>” I replied in Changic.

“<Took you for someone you were not. Wrong. I was wrong.>”

“<Well... Thanks...>” I looked back over my shoulder at Cytri still working her way around. “<Can you tell me something about Cytri?>”

“<Only that she is valuable to all of us,>” the mare said, sighing contentedly. “<We owe her mother much. We have all contributed in raising her daughter. We are all her family.>”

“<Is that why she took Liotic’s death so hard?>”

The stallion lying next to her coughed. “<Liotic was the closest thing to a sister Cytri had. They had to have been born twins in a previous life.>”

He opened his mouth to say something more, but stopped when he noticed Cytri approaching.

“<Gatith? Nulta? How are you doing?>” Cytri said.
“<Well –>” I thought I had been doing better with the changeling language, but I still missed the rest of what the changeling mare said. It took a few seconds for Cytri to pass off the energy to him, before repeating the process with Nulta. Finally, she turned to me, finally able to look me in the eye.

“<You really didn’t need to give us that much, Amethyst. I don’t want to see you suffering because of it.>”

“<It wasn’t that much. Probably a little bit more than half of what I had.>”

Cytri’s eyes bulged. “<Half!>” 

“<Should I have given more?>” Coming off as selfish would not do, especially at this point in our diplomatic relationship...

“<No, Amethyst! That was more than enough. Just... if that is only half...>” She licked her lips.

Marmalade had given me a little more than I had let on. I just didn’t want our relationship to be public just yet. There was way too much going on to have to worry about that. I just prayed that Luna did the smart thing and kept her mouth shut about barging in on us. “<Don’t worry about it. I haven’t been using my magic that much, and that just built up. That wasn’t what I came here for. Luna wanted me to ask a few questions.>"

“<Oh... What would they be?>”

I rolled the words over my tongue, trying to avoid telling her something I shouldn’t. I didn’t want to cause panic, or anything to that effect. If that changeling had been here to help them, he would have done so already, assuming he hadn’t already. However, I doubt they would still be in this room if he had. “Well, not so much Luna as me. I’m sure I saw a changeling. Just a glimpse.”
Confusion shifted to concern. “<What did they look like?>" Cytri stumbled over the words, speaking rapidly.

“<Nothing like you,>” I assured her. “<He looked as though he was from a different hive. I mean, he had blue mane and was nearly the size of Celestia.>”

Gatith and Nulta perked up at the news. With some discomfort, they squirmed upright. However, Cytri had returned to confusion, raising a hoof to her muzzle in thought.

“<Speak with Tirith about this,>” Nulta offered.

“<Nulta, let me try to take of this,>” Cytri pleaded.

“<No.>”

She stamped her hoof in frustration. “<Please! I can handle this.>”

“<No. Tirith knows what to do and what it means. You don’t need to concern yourself.>”

This argument was making no sense. “<Hold on a moment,>” I protested. “<Why–>”

“<Please, stay out of this,>” Gatith ordered.

“<Not until you explain why Cytri can’t do it?>”

“<This is not a matter for outsiders.>”

It was a word I had been missing before. I had heard it murmured before, but only now did I recognize the changeling phrase for what they considered outsider. It was a combination of a few words, and they seemed to mean more literally, “one outside the family”. I didn’t know if I had just been insulted or not.

Cytri  took advantage of my momentary lapse of silence to push her argument. Still, she approached the argument seemingly shy and frightened. “<Amethyst is right, I can handle it.>”

They chittered in disagreement. “<No. Your mother said Tirith is to be responsible for your safety in her absence. He agreed. You agreed.>” The mare turned to me. “<Amethyst, leave and retrieve Tirith.>”

Cytri deflated, and I knew there was no sense of continuing. I knew if she stood up to them, she would have been heard. Instead, she crumbled like ruins in the desert. Oh, well. Snorting, I trudged outside, ignoring Private Cake for the few steps it took to reach the adjacent room. The doors slammed solidly against the wall when I stomped inside. I already knew that Tirith was going to make my foul mood even worse. 

The sight and scent of hundreds of flowers greeted me when the door opened. There was not a single plant I recognized. They had to be ones only changelings knew about. Then where had he even gotten them from? Litotic’s body lay on a table covered in white satin, a wide strip rising to cover her eyes and the bridge of her nose. She was nearly submerged by the ocean of flowers set expertly around her. The blooms’ colours were muted and somber tones, save for a pair of white... what looked like some sort of lily clutched in her hooves. Underneath, where her heart would have been, a bolt of black silk hid the hole.

Tirith actually hissed when he saw me “Leave at once.”

I gulped; he looked ready to fight. “I just wanted to–”

“I know what happened,” he snapped, interrupting me before I could finish. “I am well aware what you let them do to her.”

“Hold on a moment! I didn’t do anything, and I certainly didn’t let them try to experiment on her!”

He snorted, placing the flowers he was holding back in the pile. “If that is what actually happened, he wouldn’t have brought her here. A favour we will have to repay to him and his hive later on.” He screeched, angrily.

“That changeling with the blue mane, he attacked me! How do you expect me to do anything?”

“I didn’t. She was a fool to trust you.” He shook his head.

“Fine, I was weaker than him, but I didn’t see you doing any better!”

“Explain.”

“I thought your job was to protect the other changelings? How did that work out?”

His narrowed eyes sought to smite me where I stood.

“Out of all the changelings here, you seemed to be the only one who wasn’t hurt. If you’re actually as good as you say you are, I’d wager you just protected yourself and none of the others.”

“False assumptions kill.” Tirith let go of the satin he was holding in his hooves.

I gave no thought to my words before they left my mouth. “Well, they told me you were supposed to protect Cytri. Fat lot of good that did for her. A cracked lens? How–”

As it turns out, Tirith could move very fast. In an instant, he crossed the distance and smashed a hoof into my jaw. I staggered backwards, nearly falling over. 

“Do not assume what–”

This time, I silenced him. My hoof didn’t have nearly the force behind it, but it did the job.

He barely flinched. He swept my legs out from under me, his hoof meeting my chin in an uppercut as I fell, flipping me onto my back. He snagged my horn in the holes in his leg and pulled my head up painfully.

“I thought not.” He dragged me to the door, knocked it open, and threw me out.

Groaning, I rolled back over onto my hooves. Spots danced across my vision. The guards looked like they wanted either to laugh or ignore the matter entirely. Damn, Tirith could hit hard. There was no reason to pursue the matter, and I could imagine the response I would get if I went back to see Nulta.

“Let’s go,” I grumbled to Private Cake. Without a word, he fell in alongside me. Seriously, did he ever say anything? He’s about as talkative as a boulder.

Next stop was to go check in with Marmalade and see how her cousins were doing. I was most worried about Flare. There hadn’t been any news of his condition, and Boulder hadn’t left his side to come tell us. He wasn’t doing well. I just hope he wasn’t doing too poorly.

The doctors and nurses barely glanced upwards from their work, and I walked through trying to see my friends. A flood of sadness hit me, nearly strong enough to make me cry out in shock. I had found Boulder and Marmalade, that was for sure, but I knew it wasn’t good news. They sat in a shaded corner on a large plush chair. Boulder had his head buried in Marmalade’s shoulder, and his body shook with silent sobs. Marmalade was trying to comfort him, her legs wrapping around him into a tight hug, but the sobs didn’t stop.

She looked up with tears in her eyes when I drew near. “Oh, Amethyst,” she murmured.

“What happened?” I asked quietly. Boulder didn’t even seem to notice my presence.

Marmalade rose from the seat, propping Boulder against the cushion. He kept his head bowed. “Let’s go somewhere else for this.”

Around the corner was far enough to get out of earshot of Boulder. Whatever it was, we didn’t need to be reminding him of his brother’s condition. 

“What happened?” I asked again.

Marmalade rushed forward and embraced me, screaming into my shoulder, shaking. I returned the hug, pressing her into my chest. A couple of ponies walked past, glancing at the sound of the noise. At my sharp glare, they averted their gaze and picked up their pace.

“Amethyst, Flare didn’t come through.” Marmalade said, cheek pressed against my throat, her words muffled slightly. “They had no choice but to amputate his legs below the knee before the infection spread any further.”

Masters, no... Anger swelled in my heart, boiling. It may have been his Flare’s choice and will to ignore the pain that his body used to beg him to stop, but I wasn’t guiltless. I was just as responsible as him, and he ultimately paid the price for both of us. Perhaps it might have been different had there been nothing I could have done, but that was not the case.

I swallowed my guilt, but my voice was still choked. “How’s Boulder taking it?”

“He refused to believe it at first, but the doctors... Gem... Boulder and Flare are farmers. Their fields are their livelihood. Without his legs...” She did not need to finish that statement. “Boulder has accepted it now, but it doesn’t make it any easier for him when he has to go back home.”

“Should I go talk to him?”

She shook her head slowly. “He needs some time to himself, Amethyst. Just leave him for now.”

“What about you?” 

“Well... I’m not sure. I think I should speak to the Princesses – Princess Luna. She’ll want to know about this.”

I followed Marmalade towards the exit. I didn’t need to be a changeling to tell how the bad news was tearing at her. Her body and spirit sagged under the weight of Flare’s condition, as I knew my own did. “I needed to go check with her too,” I admitted. “Guess I’ll come with you.”

Marmalade pressed in close to me, rubbing shoulders with me. Sighing, I returned the gesture, unsure of what would come next. Even with everything that had happened to me, I still felt like nothing was in my control. Well, at the very least, making up with Marmalade had been all on me, but so many of the situations I was being forced into or had walked into I had so little say in.
It was a sudden realization that angered me. Even now, I was being carted around upon Luna’s request, restricted by a guard to do what I needed to do. No, I wasn’t angry at Luna – I understood her concerns and worries. But that didn’t make the situation any more pleasant for me. More than ever, I wanted to just ditch the castle and go searching for those responsible on my own. But with only one guard, and still being forbidden from taking a disguise, entering the city again would be a death wish, especially with those protestors at the gates.

What were they even protesting? They weren’t happy that changelings were in the castle. But what did they want? Did they really expect Celestia and Luna, the wise and just, to bypass the ancient justice system? That hatted pony probably knew all about what it meant and what they were hoping to accomplish. It was just a matter of finding him, which was the whole problem to begin with. If rocks were being thrown at the castle, like the one that broke through the stained glass windows, things probably would escalate quickly if something more were to happen. 

Still, what more could happen? The ponies could get restless, unhappy that nothing was changing, but they would probably just get tired of it after a while, and drop the matter. If more changelings were found, I expect it would strengthen their resolve, but I didn’t think it would do much more than that.

I suddenly realised Marmalade had just asked me a question.

“Sorry, what?” I asked.

“I said, what are you thinking about?” she repeated, cocking her head ever so slightly.

“Have you seen outside the castle lately?” I asked.

She nodded. The tone of her emotions shifted to those of warm caring. “I heard about the protests from one of the doctors. Apparently they want the Princesses’ to turn you and the changelings over to them if they aren’t going to punish them.”

A thought struck me. “What happened to the changelings they captured before I arrived?”

Marmalade hesitated. “There really weren’t any. The only changelings found were the bodies of a few when they were blasted out of the city... I don’t think you could even call them bodies.”

This conversation had taken a decidedly grim turn. “What happened to them?” 

“You’d have to ask Princess Luna. I don’t think anypony else knows.”

I didn’t have a response for her. I guess I’d just have to add that to the long list of things I needed to know. 

Marmalade was the one who broke the silence again. “Do you know what time it is?”

I blinked. “Um, is this some sort of trick question?”

She bumped me with her shoulder. “I’m serious. What time is it?”

“You expect me to know?” 

“So long as it’s before two, yes.”

“Are you doing something then?” 

Marmalade groaned, draping a hoof over her eyes. “Yes! I’m having tea with Cadence at two. You were there when we made plans.”

Oh, right...

My response was interrupted by the sound of metal against marble. It was quickly getting louder. Marmalade and I scrambled back against the walls as a pack of guards came galloping around the corner, nearly flattening us. Below and above us, rock rumbled and steel sang on stone.

“Hey! Do you mind!?” Marmalade shouted after them. “Sheesh.”

A servant followed behind the sudden rush, sliding to a halt upon seeing us.  He quickly recovered, standing up straight. “Princess Luna urgently requests your presence in the throne room. She asks you bring the changeling Cytri as well.”

Great. What was it now... “Fine,” I sighed. “Tell her I’ll be there in a moment.” Once again, it seemed like my life had become little more than running around the castle on errands. Why was I still here?

“Excuse me, but do you know what time it is?” Marmalade asked him.

The stallion pulled out a pocket watch, flipping it open. “It’s one forty five at the moment, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” she replied. He nodded and returned from where he came. 

“Well, I’ve have a princess to meet,” Lemon Marmalade declared. “I’ll see you in a while.” She leaned over to give me a kiss on the cheek.

I pulled her in for a hug.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“<Could I please speak to Cytri for a moment,>” I pleaded. Tirith stood at the door, denying me access.

“<No. Whatever matters you wish to ask of her, leave with me,>” he replied.

“<It’s important. Princess Luna requested her presence.>”

He snorted in contempt, his turquoise eyes flickering. “<What are you, her messenger? If she wants to see Cytri, she can come down here herself.>”

“<But she doesn’t know that you can understand her,>” I retorted. I nearly mispronounced a few words, almost telling him Luna would slap him with a tree. Well, I guess that wouldn’t be too off.

“<Be that as it may, I am not permitting you to speak with her.>"

“<Holy hell, are you her father or something? She can make the decision herself.>”

Tirith narrowed his eyes. “<I may not be her father, but her mother placed her safety in my hooves. I will not disappoint her.>"

“<How is it not safe? You can come with her if you want.>”

He fell silent, considering my offer. “<You misunderstand me, it’s...>” He fell silent. “<Very well then. Cytri!>” he called back into the room.

“<Yes,>” came the response.

“<You are to stay by me when we go to the throne room. This… situation is not ideal.>”

“<Yes, Tirith.>” Her response was dull, unenergetic.

“<Cytri, what’s wrong?>” I asked, when she came out into the hall.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Tirith wouldn’t have any of it. “<Throne room. Quickly.>”

I suppressed the urge to buck him into next week. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with him? Yes, sure, Cytri’s mother just might have left him in charge of her protection, but that didn’t give him the right to boss her around like that. When Cytri tried to move up to speak with me, Tirith murmured something to stop her.

By the time we arrived at the throne room, I was fuming. The silence had been stifling, only broken when Cytri tried to say something only to be cut off by him. He must have said something to her after I had left, telling her I was a bad influence or an insignificant outsider. 

Speaking of outsiders, I finally understood what he meant when he had called me that. Because I was not raised in a hive, because I knew little of their lives, I was somehow worth less. As an individual, I was beneath one of their own. It was a horrid viewpoint, one which I wanted to confront him over.

Strange, what were so many guards doing here? Speaking of which, I hadn’t seen any guards on the way up besides Private Cake, whom I might just start calling Shadow. Six guards, a mixture of unicorns and pegasi, stood on either side of the door. 

“Hold still,” one of the unicorns said, lowering his horn. The glow of a preparing spell shimmered on his horn.

Tirith planted a punch at the base of his horn. The unicorn cried out in surprise and pain. “<Tell them I will not let them cast any magic on us,>” he hissed. The rest of the guards were within a hoof’s width from us by the time I managed to translate what Tirith had said. They withdrew reluctantly, eyes cold and focused closely on us as we edged past. 

I did not know what to expect as the doors creaked open. Through the crack, I was surprised to see Celestia upon her throne, her eye unbloodied yet still bandaged. Her face was twisted into a fierce scowl similar to the one Luna wore next to her. The doors finally opened far enough to see who they were looking at. My heart froze, missing a beat, and then another.

Her hooves were bound in chains, and her neck menaced by the points of spears held by guards surrounding her, but she seemed barely fazed. Her black carapace was scratched and scuffed horribly, reflecting how she had probably lived for the past few days. Her mane and tail were equally unkempt, a deep cerulean tarnished by dirt and soot. Gossamer wings were folded along her back, and a long jagged horn rose from her skull. Even in spite of her chains, she held her head high, refusing to wilt beneath the simmeringly neutral gazes of the alicorns and the raw hatred radiating from the guards. 

It was the queen from the invasion of Canterlot; the same bitch who had started this whole mess. I recognised her from the photos in the papers. 

I was not the only one who recognised her. Cytri gasped, seizing up in shock, only to run towards her a second later.

“Mother!”

> Chapter XIX - Reveal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The queen’s head snapped around as the word hung in the air. The guards, too shocked to say anything, didn’t stop Cytri as she ran into her mother’s open forelegs, leaving behind a trail of tears.

Her mother.

I didn’t know what had shocked me more. The fact that Cytri had just spoken Equestrian openly, the fact that her mother was the one who led the invasion, the fact that that made her a princess, the fact that she’d lied to me...

I shook my head. Alright, so where does that leave me now? Ah. I had lied both knowingly and unknowingly to both Luna and Celestia, something they had just started to realise. Luna fixed me with a glare that promised a fiery home in Tartarus if I didn’t come clean in the coming minutes. She shifted her gaze back to Cytri and her mother, the same anger present, but coupled with a smudge of curiosity.

Cytri’s body shook as she cried in to her mother’s chest, enveloped in her mother’s forelegs despite the chains. “Mom...” I heard her sob.

“Shush, everything will be alright,” she replied. Her voice had not been what I had been expecting. I had thought it would be a harsh tone without a hint of warmth, but instead it was the tone of a mother comforting a child.

“That’s enough,” Celestia stated.

The pair didn’t even seem to hear her; oblivious to the world around them.

The room fell into an awkward silence of sorts, the situation warranting two different courses of action. A mother and a daughter reuniting was not something of foul intentions, quite the opposite actually. But should such a moment be denied just because what the mother has done? Cytri had lied, yes, but I could see now that it was not without good reason. I can’t imagine what would have happened to her if either Celestia or Luna found out she was this changeling’s daughter. About all I could do was keep my mouth shut and shuffle my hooves uncomfortably.

One of the guards eventually decided that enough time had passed, and stepped forward to seperate them. His hoof hadn’t even touched the ground when a knife lanced into the floor in front of him. Looking to back to the source, Tirith lowered his foreleg. His body was tensed and he sank into a ready stance.

“Nopony shall lay a hoof on my Queen or her daughter while I live.”	

Thankfully, the queen didn’t want to try and prompt a confrontation. She released Cytri, pushing gently on her shoulders. “Cytri, please go stand by Tirith.” With a reluctant nod, her daughter complied. The queen’s  eyes paused on me for all of a moment, considering my presence, before returning to the Princesses.

“Very well, ask your questions.”

With her sister still very much shocked, Luna took the prompt.

“What is your name?”

She held her head high, proudly. “I am Queen Chrysalis of the hive Iptoa,” she declared. I finally recognized the name of their hive for what it was.

“You are the same changeling who led the attack on Canterlot.”

Chrysalis’ eyes glinted. “I am.”

“Do you have anything to say to defend yourself?’

Chrysalis stared at Luna for a moment in disbelief. “Is that what you’re hoping for?”

Celestia narrowed her eyes (well eye), “And what do you mean by that.”

“You’re hoping I had some reason, something justifiable so you could sweep this whole matter under the rug. You hope that I did what I did, not out of choice but of necessity which you could excuse my actions on.”

“And is there?”

Chrysalis’s eyes shone dangerously. “It all depends on your matter of looking of it.”

“Then explain to us how you see it.”

“No.”

“You do not seem to understand the situation,” Luna said. “You will tell us one way or another.”

“I am not permitted.”

“Permitted? Who said anything about being permitted. You are being ordered, as your crimes against Canterlot warrant. You will explain yourself and offer an explanation as to your actions or you will be detained until you do.”

The air was tense, and I could feel Celestia’s anger. Oddly enough, I’m not sure how I felt about Chrysalis now. I had hastened to draw a conclusion as to her character, but what I was seeing was entirely different. Well, ok, she still had the ice cold bitch part down. She was just as sane as anyone else in the room, and weirdly, she felt...

Pity?

Chrysalis glanced at her daughter. “I had my reasons. We needed the power we took.”

The room fell silent.

“You could have asked for our aid if you truly needed it,” Celestia said. “We would have been happy to assist you.”

Chrysalis shook her head. “Even if we were able to, you overestimate what you are capable of.”

“So, too proud to bow your head, you set to invade us.”

“I–” Chrysalis bit back the retort, but still glared at the alicorn. “Let me ask you this, ‘Princess’. How many of your precious little ponies were killed in the invasion?”

“Thanks to the miraculous efforts of the Guard, none.”

“You mean those prissy ponies who like to think themselves strong and capable?” Chrysalis sneered. The guards around her brandished their spears threateningly.  “I gave the order for no one to be killed. Nothing of your duty prevented those deaths from occurring. Why would we ever kill you when your love is the very thing we need? What more, you have the gall to assume this is a matter of pride.”

Celestia stood up and descended from her throne. “A ruler must be prepared to give up her rule if it is best for her people.”

“You would dare...” Chrysalis snarled.

“Be quiet.” Something in her tone gave her away.

Luna’s eyes widened. “Sister,” she interjected, voice tight. Celestia ignored her.

The Sun Princess crossed the distance till she was only a step away. “I see a ruler who places herself first, and refuses to do what is best for her subjects out of pride. You intended to be a conqueror for a reason that is hardly justification, and you even fail of that. You are a threat to Equestria and a tyrant.”

“If I am, then I am no worse than you: an egotistical bitch who always expects to get her way who is ignorant to the lives of others. One who can’t even protect her subjects.” 

You could feel the tension between the two building like a tightening violin string. What had started as a strenuous diplomatic conversation began to take a turn towards less-than-thinly veiled insults and threats. Well, to be fair Celestia at least trying to be somewhat polite. I’m pretty “egotistical bitch” gives a pretty clear impression as to Chrysalis’s stance. 

Suddenly, Private Cake left my side and approached the two. When he reached the circle of guards surrounding the two rulers. he brushed past, earning several confused and nervous glances.

“Excuse me.” His voice was level and calm.

I’m pretty that that is the first time I’ve heard him speak. It seemed that way for a few of the guards as well, judging by their hissed whispers. But then again, to try and step between two of the most powerful beings in Equestria so casually...

Neither the princess or the queen paid him any heed. A green glow lit around Chrysalis’s horn, but after the second of shock, Celestia matched it with her own golden glow. Spears were quickly levelled at Chrysalis.

Private Cake seemed unconcerned by this and stepped forward. Something in the air tingled, something familiar. Pale yellow fire curled around his body to reveal the dark chitin of a changeling. Her light daffodil mane and tail were cropped short. Not even the guards had time to react before she threaded the two rulers’ horns through the holes in her forelegs, and then snapped her legs shut. Both Chrysalis and Celestia had time for a single panicked gasp before she slammed their heads together.

Mirra?

I hadn’t seen her in years, and this was how I met her again? She just announced herself by bashing the heads of two of the most powerful individuals I’d ever met together? The guards suddenly found their attention divided. They milled for a moment, before a small group broke off and tried to surround her. Mirra lit her horn and simply threw them out of the way. She was about the height of Luna, maybe a bit shorter

“Smarten up you idiots!” she shouted over her shoulder. Yup, it was definitely Mirra. There was no mistaking that crystalline voice, a complete contradiction to her gruff manner.

“Um, hi teacher. Wh–”

Mirra’s hoof plowed into my muzzle with the force of a runaway cart. My head snapped back, and I cried out in pain. As I struggled to stay upright, Mirra hit me again, punching me square in the chest. She threw a right hoof, smashing across my cheek, and kicked out a leg, nailing my shin. She poised her hoof to smash the top of my head into the ground, but stopped, enveloping me in a hug instead.

I sniffled, powerless to stop the trickle of blood from my nose. “Wha–”

“You, Amethyst, are a self-centered, egotistical, hairbrained idiot,” she murmured in my ear. “I have never had any of my students give me so much trouble as you, but I know I can’t hold life’s mysteries against you.”

I blinked. Everywhere she had hit me ached horribly. “Teacher?”

“I’ve been to your house, Amethyst. I know what happened to your parents. It’s going to be alright now.”

My teacher might have been many things,  occasionally cruel and harsh while offering little praise or reward, but she was still my teacher. No, she was more than that. In many ways she had helped raise me almost as much as my parents. She would be the one out with me in the rain as I struggled to learn a spell. She would be the one shouting at me to get back up once I had fallen. When I heard her say everything was going to be alright, it was like a weight had lifted from my shoulders.
I returned her embrace for a few moments, nestling beneath her chin.

“I believe some introductions are in order,” Luna sighed from her throne. From her devil-may-care tone, I think she had resigned herself to damage control. “I don’t seem to recall Private Cake being a changeling.”

“He isn’t,” Mirra replied. “Broom closet, seventh floor. Locked him in there with a muffling spell placed on the door.”

“So who are you?”

One of the guards surrounding Chrysalis dropped his spear and took a step back. Blue flames swirled about him, revealing his true nature. It was the same changeling that had taken the scientists. “She is Master Illusionist Mirra Tirne of the hive Pictqe, and I am Grand Illusionist Mritc of the hive Nitxi.”

“You,” Luna  hissed. Her mane froze, hanging in the air like the building clouds of a storm.“What have you done to them? Where are they?”

He just ignored her.

“I asked you–”

“I do not have to answer to you, pony.” he spat the last word.

“Their safety is my concern.”

He looked at her coldly. “The four scientists you so seek to protect have been tried and found guilty of desecration of a corpse. They will serve out their sentences in our hives.”

“What is their sentence?”

“They will spend the remainder of their lives as indebted servants.” Wasn’t that just a little extreme?

Several sharp intakes of air were heard. Luna snarled. “You dare level such an unfitting punishment, making slaves of them for–”

“You are ponies.”

Luna’s face went blank for a moment as she grasped at what he had just said. I understood it perfectly now. He treated ponies as though they were mere animals. He thought they were nothing more than livestock to be fed upon. To be fair, I could see how that thought could be formed. After all, changelings did “prey” upon other races for the energy brought by emotion. Their attitude towards non-changelings was still utterly revolting, especially considering what that would make my parents. Mirra thought so to. I could tell by the way her jaw clenched shut, but she didn’t say anything to stop him.

“What are you doing here, Mritc?” Chrysalis asked. “I thought the council refused to reveal our existence to outsiders?”

The blue-haired changeling looked at her crossly. “Do not think there will not be consequences for your hive’s action, Queen. You have forced the council’s hooves, and for that, they are not pleased.”

Chrysalis smirked, drawing a look of confusion from Celestia. “We have done what you have been too cowardly to do all these years.”

“And you failed.”

“We may have fallen far, but we have yet to fail.” 

Luna stamped a shoe against the ground. “Queen Chrysalis. Are you implying that you still intend to conquer us?”

Mritc’s reply was quick and harsh.“Silence, pony. These matters don’t concern you.”

Something shifted in Luna’s eyes, foretelling what would come next. “Guards! Seize him! I will not tolerate anyp-anyone speaking in such a manner.”

I wanted to shout, to tell them to stop, but my mouth was dry as I watched the guards step forwards to capture Mritc. For changelings, our size is often relative to our power in more cases than not. He stood half a head above even Chrysalis, and his form almost radiated his strength. Unlike the slender body of the changeling queen, his was lined with lean muscle. He could crush the guards as easily as taking a breath if he so chose, and to him, killing them would be like swatting a few flies.

Dread overwhelmed me with each step the guards took. I was waiting for Mritc to attack, to eradicate those who would dare raise a hoof against him. Even when a spear danced at his adam's apple, he chose not to move.

“You mistake your place,” he said calmly, taking a step forward. It took only two steps, but he danced around the guard like a ghost. The guard stared at the broken point of the spear, which hovered in front of his nose. “Yours is not a position of power.”
Wait... The way he had moved, the complete absence of emotion coming from him. It was just an illusion! “It’s just an–” 

Mirra wrenched me back by the tail. “Do not interfere, Amethyst.”

The mirage smiled, regarding me in new light. “Mirra, is this really your apprentice? He seems to have a knack for realizing the obvious.”

“You seem to be a little full of yourself!” I snarled in challenge.

Mirra cuffed the back of my head hurriedly. “Quiet!”

“Yes,” he laughed. “Listen to your teacher like a good little pupa.” 

“Excuse me,” Celestia interjected. “I fear we may have gotten off on the wrong hoof. Would you be willing to explain the situation to us? We’d be more to happy to aid you in any way we are able.”

What the hell? Had she just forgotten what had happened? He was not willing to listen, however elegant the words might be. 

“There is nothing you can offer us,” he said.

Celestia walked towards the illusion. “Surely there must be something. Perhaps a meeting can be arranged with your council.” She offered out a hoof. “What do you say.”

The illusion slapped the offered hoof away. Wait, slapped? “Do you –”

His next words were lost in the roar of Celestia’s magic. The spell sped out of her horn, only to pass through Mritc and detonate against the wall behind him. Chunks of stone the size of my head exploded from the pillar, falling to the floor below. Celestia’s momentary elation passed as she realized her surprise attack had had no effect.

“Are you quite done yet, or do I have to make my point clear?” the illusion asked plainly.

Hidden defiance flared from behind her hastily constructed calm. “I will not stand by while you insinuate that my ponies worth any less than you! You are truly a monster, and I will not let a monster make demands of us!”

He simply smirked.

“Sister!” Luna’s cry was short and choked. I twisted my head to look at her, and my heart nearly froze at what I saw. A thin line of blood dribbled from Luna’s neck, dripping onto the floor. She held her head high, taking short, strangled breaths to stay atop the edge of whatever was there.

Celestia froze, her eyes going wide in horror. Her head whipped back around to the illusion, only for it to disappear. Mrtic appeared behind Luna, holding the knife which Tirith had held earlier. Not a trace of compassion existed in him. He would slit her throat as though he was only as moving his hoof. “I suggest you remind yourselves just how weak and incapable you are, princesses of dirt. For if you place one hoof out of line, we will cut it off.”

With that, he simply vanished. The instant the knife left her throat, Luna threw herself away from the chair, blasting where he had stood. The magic consumed the throne and burnt the wall, but there was nothing else among them. He was gone. 

“See you in a few minutes.” Mirra whispered. By the time I glanced over my shoulder at her, she was gone too.

The doors to the throne room burst open, and a mess of guards poured into the room. At their head was Shining Armour. Of course. What else would happen?

Any question Shining had was thrown away when his eyes fell on Chrysalis. “You,” he snarled, lowering himself slightly. The glow of magic formed from his horn before I could even blink.

Celestia snapped from her horror, and turned quickly. “Captain!” her voice rang out clearly, cutting through the air like a knife. “Stand down!”

“Princess?”

“Stand down!”

The spell on his horn just itched to take the final step and throw itself at Chrysalis. With an irritated growl, Shining pushed the magic down, taking two steps forward to stand in front of her. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming back here.”

Chrysalis lifted a leg, displaying the chains strung through them. She gave him a flat look.  “It was hardly my choice.”

“Shining Armour, could you withhold your questions for the moment?” Luna asked.

He huffed, but fell silent.

“Thank you.” Her eyes fell on me. Well, shit. “Amethyst, I believe you have some questions to answer.”

No point in hiding the truth now. “I knew Cytri could speak Equestrian, but I didn’t know Chrysalis was her mother.”

“Why did you lie?” she asked.

“What would you have done if you had known she could?”

“Addressed her directly.”

I snorted. “If it was anything like you addressed me, you would have badgered and made demands from her endlessly.”

“So is that why you withheld the knowledge of her role in the attack?”

I opened my mouth, but Chrysalis beat me to it, though with a different response. “My daughter did not participate. I refused to let her risk the future of our hive.” 

“Silence, Chrysalis,” Celestia ordered. “My sister’s question was not for you to answer.”

“Honestly, I didn’t know,” I admitted.

Silence descended on the hall, the weight and range of emotions astonishing. Strongest among them was Shining Armour’s and his absolute hatred of Chrysalis flowing from him like water. It seemed like Celestia bore ill-will towards Chrysalis, but now the reasons were a little murky. Tirith was ready to leap to the defense of his queen at a moment’s notice, wary of everyone. As for Luna, well, she just seemed to be unhappy with everything.

Cytri was the one to break the fragile quiet, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

“Cytri!” her mother admonished. “You have nothing to apologize for.” That was a bit of a stretch.

“No mother, I should. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I’m sorry for deceiving you. You too, Amethyst. I was just trying to protect the others. If you found out the truth, I don’t know what would have happened to them. I lied about our injuries because I had to. If anyone knew...”

Luna stared at Cytri, evaluating her, then nodded her head carefully. “I understand, Cytri, and seeing as how it has not affected anything, I think we should just let the matter pass. I have one question: why did you think you couldn’t tell us the truth?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” I interjected. “Take one look at those ponies hunting for changelings, and you’ve got all your reason right there.” Cytri nodded, shrinking behind her mother as I looked over.

Celestia sighed, straightening her shoulders. “Shining Armour, would you please escort Princess Cytri, Queen Chrysalis and Tirith back to their room.”

Shining Armour bristled. “But princess!”

“Captain, withhold your personal reservations till later. We wish to speak with Amethyst alone. Find Private Cake once you return them to their room. He should be in the broom closet on the seventh floor.”

He blinked, then snapped an ice cold salute. “Yes, Princess.”

“Chrysalis... We will speak later.”

The changeling queen snorted, but said nothing. Turning about, she strode for the door, Cytri following close behind.

The doors shut, leaving just me with Celestia and Luna. The guards had all left with Chrysalis, obviously more concerned with her than with the safety of their rulers. To be fair, I’m pretty sure Celestia and Luna could handle themselves better than their guards could protect them.

I shrieked as something stung me in the flank. I stumbled as I tried to turn about, recognizing my teacher’s laugh.

“I thought I told you to always be aware of your surroundings,” Mirra chuckled. “Nice shriek, by the way.”

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Yes, Mirra.”

“Pardon the interruption,” Luna said, “but why are you here?”

“Several reasons, actually, though mostly because of Amethyst. Can’t have my apprentice getting all uppity. Also, sorry about Mrtic. I know he is not the most agreeable of changelings.”

Luna rubbed at her neck, smearing a few drops of blood. “Thou art putting it lightly.”

Celestia shifted her weight, leveling her eye at my teacher. “Mirra, with all due respect, I will not tolerate anypony who believes themselves to be superior to another race. If you–”

“Yeah, that’s just him,” Mirra interrupted. “Although a fair number of hives and much of the council follow those lines of thought.”

Celestia took a breath, then hung her head. “It is unbelievable to believe that so many would hold such beliefs.”

“And now, princess, you know why Chrysalis invaded Canterlot.”

“What! Are you implying that the invasion was for our own protection? I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

Mirra shook her head. “You were more accurate than you realised, earlier. Chrysalis invaded, because not doing so would mean yielding her rule to another hive, the very same hive which Mrtic is from. By invading, even in the event the invasion failed, they would force the council into action. In a single day, Chrysalis has undone thousands of years of tradition.”

“Then why not just ask us for help?” Luna questioned. “Surely it–”

“That would mean lowering themselves down to the level of ponies, which would give the other hives a reason to look down upon them, not to mention taking months of work. That would give the council plenty of time to stop her, and you know how nasty politics can get. Furthermore... How would be the best way to put this... Chrysalis would sooner become a monster than have her children suffer.  She would not hesitate to kill you if it meant protecting her subjects, especially her daughter.”

“Not that we are not grateful, Mirra, but why are you telling us this?” Luna asked. “I thought...” she hesitated as she struggled with the sound, “Mrtic, didn’t want to tell us anything.”

“He wouldn’t give a pony the time of day, but as for the rest of it? The council suggests you put everything behind you now.”

“And if we don’t?”

“Then they will make it happen.” The certainty of teacher’s tone was frightening. 

“And how would they do that? Another invasion would not accomplish those goals, nor would harassing us.”

Mirra laughed “An invasion is just about the last option on the table, behind driving you from what you call Equestria. Really, though, the council could do it if they wanted. They are so integrated into your government that without them, it would collapse.” 

“Aren’t you revealing just a little too much? Telling us you have operatives in our government.”

Teacher’s smile was dangerous. “And you think it matters? Yes, there are changelings in your government, but plenty of it is more subtle. Backers of politicians who are favourable to our causes, events which happen to sway public opinion... Even if you were to find some, the search would bring about paranoia which would either bring down the government or leave Equestria in civil unrest, if not civil war. I don’t think you would want either of those. I’m telling you because I don’t want you to be making any rash decisions.”
Celestia and Luna shared a few quiet words, their tones worried, though I imagine they were pretty panicked. Hell, I wasn’t particularly pleased to hear teacher say all that. It sure made me question them. Was the Equestrian government even more of a sham then I thought it was, though for entirely different reasons? Anything which even remotely affected the changelings would have been nudged to better suit their requirements. The scary part was that I could see exactly how they would do it.

“Is there anything more you can tell us, Mirra?”

“I’ll admit, that is about it,” she answered. “I do have one thing to ask of you, though.”

“And what is that?”

“I would like to resume Amethyst’s training. It’s been too long since I last taught him, something my duties to the council prevented me from doing. Would you have a room available for us later on?”

Though I hoped otherwise, I knew what the answer would be. Or rather, I knew what their conditions would be. “So long as we are able to sit in, I see no reason why not,” Celestia answered. And there is was.

“I don’t see why not. I think I’ll be going now; I’m sure you have guests to attend to. I’ll drop by tomorrow.” A swirling portal of yellow fire formed on the floor beside Mirra with a flick of her horn. It was one of the most difficult spells I hoped to learn,

“Mirra!” Luna called out after her.

She turned, sinking into the portal and raised an eyebrow.

“Thank you for the information.”

And with that, teacher was gone.
> Chapter XX - Priorities 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I...

I really didn’t know what to think anymore. Though, with what had happened, I think my (to put it bluntly) lack of concern might be excusable. Chrysalis being captured, let her being Cytri’s mother, let alone my teacher appearing, let alone finding out the changeling council was involved... Yeah, it was getting too much for me to take in. Admittedly, I won’t hesitate to say that I am in over my head.

I suppose that is why I was heading to get a little council of sorts; I needed to make sense of what was going on. First and foremost, I hadn’t expected Chrysalis to be so level headed. It just threw me right off. I had expected a tyrant but we got someone who was not strictly evil, at least not in the purest sense of the word. I’m not quite sure how to describe it, but at face value, she just seemed really really cold. If there was any truth in what she or my teacher told me about the state of her hive, then I needed to find out. There was no way she wasn't evil unless there was something else.

What more, they say children behave much like their parents do, and to some extent the reverse must be true. The only thing is, if Chrysalis is anything like Cytri, then I just don’t see how she could be an evil tyrant. Cytri is kind and shy, but willing to ask about what needs to be done. Her mother was supposed to be cruel, evil and entirely willing to do whatever she pleased. It just didn’t add up.

On the other hoof, Mirra’s appearence was a surprise which hadn’t really surprised me. Yes, I know that sounds weird, but it was always her sort of style. Years ago, when she taught me magic, she always arrived as abruptly as she left. There was no sort of pattern to her schedule, and after a while, I had just learned to accept it. If Mirra had had an obligation to the changeling council for the past few years, it explained everything. Now, if only the same could be said about the other changelings, like Mrctic.  Truth be told, however, I think I’ll let Celestia and Luna handle him and any others. I won’t even begin to pretend to understand the intricacies of the politics they demanded. 

Just calm down and think.

To be brutally honest, I’m not sure I should even be worrying about any of those problems, let alone the changeling council. Over the past few days, everything I had done had taken me away from what I should have been doing: catching the hatted stallion. There would be no peace till that happened. Make no mistake, I don’t regret how I made use of my time, but I have to recognize there is a point where I just have to stop. I couldn’t solve every problem, no matter how much I wanted. I wasn’t so naive to think I no longer needed any help either. It was because of that I was heading to the dungeons. I think Ocean Wind and Starlight had stewed in a cell for long enough now for a crime they didn’t commit.

The few guards stationed along the route gave me wary glances as I passed, but evidently trusted that I would behave myself. I suppose that in itself should have been a blessing, but honestly it was a bit of a hollow victory. There were so few of them that I doubt they could catch me if they tried. I just hope Celestia began recalling guards back to Canterlot soon; they sure as hell were needed here. The unicorn by the door eyed me warily as I drew near.

“What do you want?” he asked.

I cleared my throat; there was no point in sounding half-assed. “Can I speak with Ocean Wind and Starlight?”

His eyes ran up and down me, searching for something amis.  He found nothing. “Very well.”

The door to the dungeon swung upon without a creak, and locked shut behind me. Anything to keep me contained I suppose. It still amazed me that the cells almost sparkled, despite how old they must be. The castle staff did a good job cleaning the places that really should be last on their list. Ahead, I could hear the sound of ponies talking, albeit it quietly.

When I crept around the corner, I couldn’t help but smirk. Starlight and Ocean Wind sat on one of the plain beds, leaning against each other, out of their armour. Where was my bed when they captured me? I could hear they were talking, but I couldn’t make out anything more than murmurs. Surprisingly, they hadn’t noticed me. The way they sat, so close together made me realize that perhaps they were more into each other than I had thought. Either way, I couldn’t resist the temptation.

“This is not what I had in mind when I was going to tell you to get a room,” I said dryly.

To be frank, I don’t think their reaction could have been any better. Both of them whipped their heads towards me, as if I had just stung them or something. Blood rushed to their cheeks, lighting them up in a red glow. I guess it must have been her instincts, but Starlight went and shoved Ocean right off the bed. Realizing what she had done, she turned to look at him, only to slip off the bed herself. She landed on Ocean, her muzzle pressed against his.

I couldn’t help it. I roared in laughter while they scrambled off each other. How could that have gone any better?

“Amethyst, what do you want?” Starlight blurted, trying very hard not to look meet my eyes. I think her blush might be terminal.

“Oh masters... I can’t breath!” I gasped, leaning back against the wall to steady myself.

Both of them scowled, and huffed almost simultaneously. “What did you want?” she asked.

I let myself enjoy their embarrassment for another few seconds before I sobered. “We need to talk,” I raised hoof before they could get in their objection. “I know you didn’t kill her. Everything was just far too perfect.”

Relief washed across their faces, like a wave washing hoofprints from the sand. “I still don’t know how they even got our spears,” Ocean Wind said. “They’re locked up in the armoury at all times they are not in use.”

“Did someone forget to lock the door behind them?” The obvious was always worth considering.

He shook his head. “No. There are only a couple who have access to that, and I can’t see any of them doing that.”

“Well what about–”

Ocean sighed. “Amethyst, are you going to get around to telling us why you came here?”

I blinked. Surely they couldn’t be serious. “I wanted to check in with you?”

“And just how long have we been down here already?” He didn’t give me time to answer. “So what happened to bring you down here then?”

“Hey, hold on a minute!” I exclaimed. “I came down here as soon as I could!”

Starlight snorted. “Gee, how long have we been in here now? You could have at least checked in on us.”

They were right. I shifted uncomfortably on the spot. “Something just sort of came up.”

“And what would that be?

To be fair, I’m pretty sure what I told them was the last thing they had expected. I told them everything. At the end of it all, they looked sort of defeated: outplayed if you would. I expect that was a feeling shared throughout the castle and guard. No one could have anticipated the true extent of the changeling council’s reach. If what they had claimed was true, there was a lot to worry about.

“So where is Chrysalis now?” Ocean demanded, as he started to pace about the cell like an irritated lion. “Which cell is she in?”

I winced. “Well, you see... It turns out that Chrysalis is Cytri’s mother. She is with the other changelings.”

“What!” Starlight shouted. “You can’t be serious?”

“I am not okay with this,” Ocean Wind growled. “She should be locked up tighter than the archives. For all we know she could be planning another attack.”

“Now you’re being ridiculous,” I shot back. “How in the world could they even try to attack? They’re hurt, injured and banged up. Some of them can barely walk for masters’ sake.”

Ocean Wind shook his head. “You weren’t there, Amethyst. She almost took out the entire guard by herself ahead of invasion, and she managed to take on Celestia in a contest of strength and win. The elements of harmony are not in Canterlot at the moment, and she knows to target Cadence or Shining Armour immediately. If she’s that free, I have no doubt that’s what she is planning.”

I stamped my hoof. “Do you actually remember nothing of what I told you? Our magic doesn’t work like that; it is finite. Just because she had the power, doesn’t mean she still does. In fact, I’d bet she wouldn’t have let herself get captured if that was the case!”

Ocean stopped pacing and ran a hoof over his face. “Sorry, Amethyst. It’s just... It’s just this whole thing isn’t sitting well with me.”

“Same for me there,” Starlight added. “So was that all you came to tell us?”

“No,” I admitted, “there is something else. I need your help.”

Starlight tapped the bars to the cell. “Gee, I wonder how we are going to do that.

“Well, I could always get you out of here.”

I guess what I was implying was obvious, as they stared at me like I had grown a third head. “No way in hell is that happening, Amethyst,” Ocean declared.

“What?”

“I don’t care how much you think it’s a good idea, or do you need to tell you why?”

“Oh, come on.”

“You are not breaking us out of here.

Were they really going to be this stubborn? “Or you could just wait in here for a few months till the they finally decide to look at your case. If you don’t get out now, you’re going to be in here for a long time.”

“Amethyst, I don’t think you quite understand our situation. We are not guilty of anything yet, but we sure as tartarus will be if we do what you suggest. First off, the courts would see it as an admission of guilt, but furthermore, escaping carries its own sentence.”

“So what happens instead?” I asked. “You just rot away here in the cell?”

“We’re hardly ‘rotting’, but either way, we are pretty much stuck here,” Starlight admitted.

“That’s complete bullshit! You’re going to just stay here while Canterlot burns around you?” Their silence was their answer. “And here I thought you would want to protect Canterlot, after all, isn’t that your job? Isn’t that what you want to do?” It was a low blow but I needed their help. 

Starlight’s brows furrowed, and she glared at me with a burning intensity. “I cannot believe you just said that!” she seethed. 

“Well it’s true, isn’t it?” I shot back. “We know there is a mole in the guard. We know someone out there is pulling the strings of the mob–”

“And the proper thing would be to report it to the princesses,” Ocean Wind cut in. “But no! Instead, you insist on trying to be some puffed up vigilante.”

I shook my head; if I had learned anything with the meeting from Chrysalis, it was that Celestia and Luna could not be trusted, not because of who they were, but because they were being watched. “If we go and tell them, we lose all chance we have at catching him or anyone else. Either that, or the changeling council will blame everypony for his actions and letting him roam free. I swear by the masters’ flame I’m telling you the truth. I need your help. Please!” They didn’t seem convinced. “This isn’t about my parents anymore; if we don’t stop him, he’ll burn Canterlot to the ground! Please, I need help you!”

My pleas finally seemed to get to them; they finally understood, albeit slowly. Still, Ocean covered his eyes with a hoof and groaned. “Celestia’s mane, I cannot believe I am even considering this.”

“That goes double for me,” Starlight muttered. 

They were silent for another moment. “Alright, Amethyst. We’ll go along with your plan. Just let me make one thing clear: if you even think of hanging out us to dry, I’m going to bring hell down upon your head. Understood?” His tone was cold and calculating.
I was not about to abandon my friends. “Completely. Fact, if it comes down to it, I’ll take all the blame myself.

He met my eyes in a stare, searching for truth in my words. I match his gaze with equal conviction. Eventually, he nodded. “I believe you.” The magic words. “So when are you planning to...” His mouth twisted as he struggled to get the words out, “break us out? Tonight?”

I nodded. “I figure it’s a good a time as any, and the sooner the better. Few things I have to do first anyway. In the meanwhile...” I smile slyly. “Do enjoy yourself. Alone... In this room. Just the two–” The red glow of magic surrounding the back of my head, and pulled me forward sharply into the bars. I groaned, my hoof holding onto my nose. “Oh lighten up Starlight.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As it would turn out, there wasn’t actually anything for me to do. When I got back to my room, I found a note slipped under my door. In surprisingly elegant cursive, Cytri told me I wasn’t needed to help with funeral now that her mother was back, and apologized for any trouble she caused me. Somehow, I don’t think Celestia or Luna would be too thrilled with the prospect of Chrysalis using magic, so I doubt this was the end of it. It was a nice for Cytri to give me some notice too, although there was no reason she couldn’t have waited till I got back to my room.

With so little for me to do, and Marmalade still out, I went and had a little nap. I had the feeling I wouldn’t get much time to sleep over the coming days, so I wanted to be ready. Besides, a nap was something I haven’t had in quite some time, unless I count all the times I was unconscious, and I’d rather not count those. The clock had read half past three when I went to sleep, and quarter to six when I woke. Even then, Marmalade still wasn’t back, so I set about paging through some of the new books Luna must have snuck on my shelf. They were definitely better than the first bunch, but then again, pretty much anything would be.

Time passed slowly till a knock at the door interrupted my reading. Strolling over, I tugged it open, surprised to find Pastel pushing a cart. I stepped to the side, and she stepped in. “Hello, Amethyst,” she said. “I thought you might want something to eat.” She lifted the lid from a dish on the cart.

The smell which came from the plate was intoxicating. At first glance, I didn’t know what the food was. Clearly, it was noodles with a mix of vegetable and spices, but I couldn’t tell exactly what the spices were. It looked like it was fettuccine noodles with a light pesto sauce. Next to that was bunch of sliced and roasted vegetables. Carrots, red pepper, onion, green beans and a few others were there, finished off with a red spice. I’m guessing chili powder and paprika or something.

Pastel tittered, breaking me from my awe. “Close your mouth, dear, you are drooling.”

“Sorry,” I instinctively blurted.

“No need to apologize. I’ve learned the way to any stallion’s heart is through their stomach, after all.” She chuckled briefly. “Why, I believe I made supper the night my husband proposed to me.”

“You made this?”

“Heavens no! I wish I could cook like this. If you must know, I called in a little favour with the chef. I thought could use a nice little meal after what happened.”

“You heard too, huh?”

She sighed. “Just about everypony did.” She played with a lock of her hair. “If it’s alright, I rather not talk about that.” She fell quiet and I didn’t have anything to say. “Anyway, I have to get back to work. I still have a few more rooms to clean.”

I hesitated, then called after her. “Thank you.”

“For the meal? Oh, it was nothing.”

I almost let her go, almost. “No, everything.... I mean, thank you for everything. You really didn’t have to do this for me.”

The smile she gave from the doorway me was motherly. “You’re more than welcome.”

I realized there was one more thing I wanted to ask. “Listen, I know you might not been keen on it, but could you have the kitchens make something nice for the other changelings? They’re having the funeral tonight.”

She seemed surprised, but after a moment the smile returned. “Yes, I can do that for them.” Then she left.

The moment she was gone, I scrambled over to the table. Holy crap, it smelt good and I would never forgive myself if I let it go cold. The first bite practically melted on my tongue and clouded my mouth with a stunning taste. The next few minutes could be described as me trying to strike a balance between shovelling the food down my throat and savouring each bite. In fact, I was enjoying myself so much I almost missed Marmalade coming in.

Goodness, she looked happy. She had a slight spring in her step, and just a pleasant air about her. You didn’t need to be a changeling to understand how her day had gone. It was wonderful to see her smiling after everything that had happened. To my surprise, Cadence followed behind her, pausing just inside the door.

“Afternoon went well?” I asked.

“Sure did,” Marmalade answered. “Cadence and I wound up spending the afternoon talking, and we had a bit of an idea. I think you might like it.”

“Oh?”

“Maybe it’s time to go public and raise public awareness about changelings. Most ponies don’t know anything more besides the rumors and what the tabloid’s tell them. We could change that, and I know it would be the first step to fixing all the problems.”
I shook my head. “Do you remember the last time I showed my face in Canterlot?

“This would be different, Amethyst,” Cadence said. “It wouldn’t be just you and her trying to show you are just like they are. We would meet their fears head on and show them the truth. Furthermore, I will be placing my official support behind this effort. That is something I should have done a lot sooner.”

That did change things. While guards might still be doubted as changelings, she wouldn’t. Come to think of it, Cadence would probably be the last pony they would accuse of being a changeling, especially with Chrysalis captured. After all, she and Shining Armour were the ones who ended the invasion where all else failed. “You may be right,” I admitted. “But I’m not sure I’ll have the time to help.”

“Why’s that?”

I hesitated; I didn’t really want to be the one explaining this. Well, maybe to Marmalade, but not to Cadence. “You might want to ask Shining Armour about it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know?”

“No, it’s... Look, it would be a little easier for him to explain. Either him, Celestia or Luna.”

She studied me for a moment, then shrugged. “Right, well anyway, we’re planning on holding our first public speech tomorrow. Interested?” 

“Maybe... I’m going to be up late tonight, and Cytri still might need my help with the funeral. I’ll see come tomorrow.

Cadence’s smile grew melancholy  “Ah, their funeral... I know it is a little much to ask, but would I be able to sit in? I’d understand completely if they didn’t want me there.”

Yeah, I’m going to go out on a limb and say they would mind. “They want it to be private, so I don’t think they’ll want you there.”
She nodded sympathetically. “Well, give them my condolences at the very least.”

Note to self: don’t. I get the feeling the last thing Chrysalis wanted was Cadence’s sympathy. “Alright.”

“Well we just stopped in to check up on you,” Marmalade said. She walked behind my chair and draped her legs over my shoulders. “We’re going to go practice for tomorrow right now. You going to be all right here?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Good, now give me a bite of that; it smells delicious.”

Chuckling, I loaded up the fork and held it up to her to take a bit. She hummed appreciatively as she chewed on it. “Gahhh. I need to get me some of that.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “See you in a bit.”

I hugged her forelegs to my chest. “Love you.”

She returned the gesture. “Love you too.”

Cadence had a tiny little smirk as she watched us, but I don’t really care what she thought of us to be honest though. Another moment, then Marmalade pulled away. “I’ll be back in a few hours if you are still here by then.” I nodded. Seconds later, the door to the room closed.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It was time. Thank goodness.

Diddling away the past couple hours was one of the more boring experiences I could remember in the past few weeks, but that was all behind me. I peeked out my door into the dark hallway, glancing left and right before stepping out. I picked the first empty room I could find to go into. Concentrating on the shape of a unicorn of the Lunar Guard, purple flame swirled around me, then disappeared, leaving me in disguise. 

No one paid attention to the lone guard wandering the halls of the castle. I was practically invisible, though I didn’t come across any other guards who might recognize me. The plan for getting Ocean Wind and Starlight out was simple. Using my magic, I would simply change the cell bars to dust, or something close to it. Then I’d help Ocean Wind fly Starlight down to the ground and they would be home free. The only part of the plan I hadn’t pieced together was getting past the guard by the door, but I’m sure I could improvise.

...

Make that getting past Shining Armour. He noticed me before I could leap back around the corner.

“There you are,” he said, rising from his chair. “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”

I managed to keep my face straight. “Sir?”

He looked puzzled for a moment. “Oh, right. You were supposed to take over for Cherry, weren’t you?”

Sure, let’s go with that. “Yes, sir.”

“I took over so he could go home early, now, aren’t you going to ask me the challenge?”

“Challenge, err... right.” Well, I’m screwed nine ways till Sunday.

His face fell and he sighed. “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgot it. If it’s fine with you, I can just perform the scanning spell instead.” 

“Give me a moment,” I said, trying to hide the panic in my voice. What should I do, what should I do... When I saw the glint of his magic, I made my decision.

I would like to take a moment to apologize to the chair Shining Armour had been using. Breaking it over his head was not a nice thing to do. 

What else had I been supposed to do? It’s not like I had any other options. Groaning, he tried to rise from the ground, a disoriented hint of magic beginning to form on his horn. I swung the chair again, shattering the remains over his head. Though his helmet might have been made of metal, I don’t think it had any real padding. He slumped to the ground: unconscious.

Well, given that I had just attacked the captain of the guard, and given that there was supposed to be someone coming to take over for Shining, I wager I had about two minutes before everything went to hell...

I glanced down at Shining Armour. Well, maybe it's a little late for that.

Worse still, judging by the way Ocean Wind and Starlight were already peering out through the bars to their cell when I went in, I had been really really noisy.

“What the hell was that?” Starlight hissed. “Are you trying to get yourself caught?”

“Shut up.” I focused on the bars letting my magic wash over them. 

Nothing happened.

“Let me guess, you can’t do it,” Ocean Wind said, falling back on his rump.

“No. Something’s blocking me,”
“Then hurry up and unblock it!” Starlight snapped.

“Not helping,” I shot back. I didn’t have time to undo an enchantment let alone figure one out. I turned my focus onto the blocks the bars were secured with and instantly had more luck, only to have to dodge the bars as they fell. The noise they made was deafening.

Starlight threw her hooves in the air. “I give up! Seriously, you’re a bloody changeling; you’re supposed to be good at being discrete!”
I really wasn’t up to dealing with this shit.“Glad to disappoint you then. Now please shut up, and try using the air for something a little more useful.”

Judging by the shouts that sounded as we ran away from the dungeon, the guards were hot on our trail. Ocean Wind was keeping pace like it was nothing with those wings of his. “So let me get this straight. You planned to get us out of the cell by attacking Captain Armour, then practically blowing up the cell–”

“I didn’t,” I gasped between breaths.

“Well, it’s not like an explosion would be any quieter.”

Starlight guided us down a flight of stairs and took a right. She seemed like she had an idea where she was going, which was good, because I didn’t. I knew we needed to get somewhere with a window.

A guard suddenly appeared in front of us, brandishing a spear. Without missing a beat, Ocean flew in, disarmed the guard and sent her tumbling the floor. 

“We’re running out of options,” Starlight called out. “Amethyst, plan?”

“Quiet room, with window... Just tell me when,” I gasped between breaths. They were in way better shape than I was. 

“Right after this turn then.”

I focused on my magic, drawing forth a strand. By the time we rounded the corner, another Amethyst, Ocean Wind and Starlight were running alongside us. We ducked inside the first room, but my concentration was still in the hall outside. It had to be given that the three illusions I was maintaining, by my memory and concentration alone, were all that was protecting us. Ocean Wind leaned up with an ear against the door as the ponies outside ran passed.

“We’re good,” he said, dropping back down onto all fours. “We won’t have long till they wise up though.”

“That’s fine,” I replied. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll be gone by then.”

“And you plan that how?”

I walked over to the window and unlatched it. “I’ll help you carry Starlight down to the ground, then we’ll find you some place for you to hole up in.”

“So how do you know that they don’t know they were chasing illusions?” Starlight asked. “What if they go and check in your room right now and you aren’t there.”

I hadn’t thought of that. “We’ll be quick. I left my window open to fly back in.”

Ocean Wind shook his head. “Get back to your room now. If it is just gliding, I can manage carrying Starlight alone.”

“You sure you can manage carrying her? She’s not light.”

“Gee, I wonder what you could be insinuating right now?” Starlight quipped sarcastically, peering out the window at the ground below.

“Yes, Amethyst, I can manage just fine. Now get back to your room before they check there.”

I paused at the of the window and glanced back, but Starlight picked me up with her magic and threw me out.  I probably deserved that.

There were so many things I would have done differently tonight if I had my time back. First thing I’d do was figure out where my room was from the outside of the castle. Ocean Wind was right; I suck at making plans. There were only a couple guards out patrolling the grounds, so at least I didn’t have to worry about them. It felt nice to finally fly again without pain, even though my wings were sure to be sore tomorrow. Eventually, after nearly a minute, I found my room. 

The only problem was the window was locked. It didn’t make any sense! I know I had unlocked it, but when I tried pulling again, I could feel the lock resisting the movement. I cursed under my breath and tried one more time. Maybe the latch was sticky.
My heart froze when the curtains were yanked open. That was it. They had me. The window swung open. 

“Amethyst?” Marmalade asked. My heart resumed beating. “You scared me half to death. What are you even doing out there?”

I was breathing heavily from the flight as I stepped inside. “I’ll tell you in a minute, but have any guards come by?”

“... No.” She examined me with skepticism. “Amethyst... What did you do?”

“Look...” The lie died in my throat. “How was your day?”

Marmalade rolled her eyes and gave an amused snort. “Quit changing the subject.”

I was beat to a reply by pounding on the door. “This is the Royal Guard! Open up.”

I cursed; I was still breathing heavily, I’m sure I had a few scorch marks from a couple of grazing spells and I was sweating. In short, I was fucked. I sat down on the end of the bed holding on head in my hooves, desperately trying to think of a way out of this.

“Amethyst, are you alright?” She had finally truly noticing my disheveled appearance.

“Unless you can make them go away, I’m screwed,” I admitted.

Her head twisted around as the door rattled again. She glanced back at me, biting her lip. “I think know what to do. Could you tell me what happened later?”

My gaze shot up to look her in the eyes. She was utterly sure of herself. “Yes, of cours–”

“Just promise me you’ll tell the truth, alright?”

I nodded. There was no time any more words before she tackled me onto my back, meeting my mouth with her own. Dimly, I was aware of the door bursting open, but my mind was on other matters. She didn’t even flinch at the noise either. Let me go on record by saying the kiss was nice. Really nice, in the sort of, please let this moment go on forever nice. Of course, the outpouring of love from her helped too.

By the time her lips finally lifted from mine, I was out of breath in a whole different way. I lay there in bliss, removed from the world around me. Marmlade said something, but it just flew right over my head. The second time she spoke, I realized she was speaking to the guard.

“Again, what the hell do you think you're doing?” Marmalade exclaimed, advancing on the stallion

The stallion she was speaking to look taken aback. “We were just checking to make sure the changeling–”

Marmalade stomped a hoof. “He has a name, and I suggest you use it,” Marmalade snapped.

“Yes, well we were checking to make sure Amethyst was in his room.”

“Oh, so he was the first one you suspect, even when you don’t have any proof! It’s no wonder he has such a low opinion of you. He has been here all night planning a surprise for me, one which you just so happened to ruin!” Damn, she was really taking a bite out of the guard.

He appeared flustered. “My apologies, ma’am but–”

“No, here is what you are going to do. You are going to leave this room and not come back. If you do find some actual evidence it was Amethyst, you’ll bring it to the Princesses. Understood?” She pushed the guard towards the door.

“Ma’am, just hold on a moment. If you–”

“I don’t care what you want to say,” she snapped. “But please, feel free to continue. I would be more than happy to report your behaviour. Get it?”

“But–”

“Good, now get out!” she gave him a shove into the hall and slammed the door behind her.

My mouth flapped uselessly as she turned back towards me. “Where the hell did you learn that?”

I could tell Marmalade had taken a little enjoyment from the whole thing. “Got used to drunk morons trying to make a pass on me. I just got good at putting ponies in their place.” She sat down as the base of the bed. “Now, what were you going to tell me?”

Fair is fair; I had promised her after all. “Um, just one thing first.”

“What is it?”

“You think we could continue that surprise I had planned for you later?”

Her face went blank till she remembered what I was getting at. The corner of her lips twitched. “Maybe.”



> Chapter XXI - Soothe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I peered out through the crack of the curtain like a little colt at his first school play. Outside, in the city square, there were ponies waiting for the speech. I’m still not sure how Marmalade managed to talk me into this last night. It must have been somewhere between...

Moving on, Marmalade took it way better than I thought she would. My explanation, that is. Make no mistake, she still had given me a solid whack for what I had done, but she sort of agreed. In fact, she would have helped if I had given some warning. She also miraculously took the news of the hatted pony in stride too, not like I had. Anyhow, she had been convinced that she and Cadence could stop ponies like him with their plan, and she managed to convince me to help. 

I wasn’t going to lie and say that I didn’t have some doubts, but so far it was off to a good start. Cadence hadn’t been lying when she had said she was going to put her full support behind this either. She had organized for a stage to be set up and flyers were sent out in the immediate area, a fairly respectable area at that. This was a sort of a test run in that sense, as the ponies watching were the type most likely to overlook our mistakes. Young families, older couples... They weren’t the fanatical mob which would try and storm the stage at the sight of me. Still, Cadence had managed to find a few extra guards to stand watch, a couple of them coming from those returning to Canterlot from Manehatten.

Behind me, Marmalade sighed. “Amethyst, get away from there.”

I glanced back at her and saw the worry etched into her face. “What?”

“If somepony sees you, it could ruin this whole thing.

She was right. I gave the curtain a little tug shut. “I just... Sorry, I just worry a bit.”

She pulled me in for a hug. “Don’t,” she whispered into my ear. “A month from now, I bet we will be walking down the street and ponies will barely spare you a second glance.”

I didn’t want to spoil the moment, but Marmalade was being far too optimistic. Maybe in a month I could show my face, but I doubt I would be tolerated. Canterlot couldn’t change that fast. Ponies couldn’t change that fast.

Cadence cleared her throat. “Marmalade, it’s time to start.” She was about as dressed up as she could be without wearing a gown.

Marmalade nodded, suddenly finding great interest in fiddling with her mane. “Alright. Just as we practiced last night?”

“Well, perhaps not quite, but yes.” She grinned. “You’ll soon learn the trick to this is being quick on your hooves. Just something to keep in mind, if you don’t have a response for a question, deflect subtlely and give a partial answer. Nopony likes their question ignored. Or at least, that is what my aunt taught me.”

“OK, I got it.”

Cadence turned to the curtain and took a breath, calming herself. Then stepped forward into the sunlight. In spite of Marmalade’s advice, I peered out through the crack in the curtain again.

“Once again, I would like to thank you all for coming to this event. It warms my heart to see ponies attending, even in these troubled times.” She paused, and swept her gaze across the crowd, meeting the eyes of the onlookers. “Equestria has always been a nation founded on the ideals of friendship and harmony. Even in the earliest of days, what we accomplished, we accomplished together. It didn’t matter if it was earth ponies, pegasi or unicorns; we thrived on our friendships and always will. As our country grew and eventually met the borders of other fledgeling nations, our friendships did not end. The honourable and prideful gryphons, brave and capable minotaurs or even the mystical and awe inspiring zebras. Our bonds were forged strong with these races, intertwining our fates.

“But it would be wrong to hold ourselves as the most peaceful or perfect races on this planet, for that is a title no race can lay claim to. Over our many years, we have had to live with the effects of conflicts. The cause may have been an external threat, or perhaps it was of our own making. War, loss, death... We experienced all of these things. Yet, each and every time, we have come to form deep meaningful relations with races who some might have called our enemies.”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed; she obviously had a talent for public speaking. I wonder what else Celestia had taught her? 

“Do you know, the first true war we ever fought was with the gryphons? It was called The War of Dawn’s Edge and it took place nearly twelve hundred years ago. It was also a war which should not have happened. Bandits were striking at gryphon border villages, retreating back into Equestria to prevent the gryphon patrols from following. This went on for many months, and though Celestia promised to stop them, she failed.

“One cold winter day, when the sky was a clear as a still lake, a gryphon patrol managed to spot the bandits on their way to attack. They fled, and the patrol gave chase. But encumbered with heavy armour and weapons as they were, the gryphons soon fell behind. They crossed into Equestria unknowingly, and by chance met a detachment of the Royal Guard. From the glint of the rising sun off the gold armour, the patrol mistook the Royal guard for the bandits. Only when there was no more than ten times the distance between you and I did they recognize their mistake, but it was too late. The commander of the Royal Guard panicked and issued an order to fire.”

Cadence wore a sad smile. “Thus begun the conflict. Four months later a treaty was struck, but not before twelve thousand were killed, all of which was the result of a series of mistakes. Yet, scarcely two years later, the gryphons were our staunchest ally and one of our foremost trade partners. They remain so to this day.”

She was working the crowd well, though I had a feeling this might not work so well if they were any less receptive. “So why is it that changelings are not given the same chance the gryphons were?” This got some cries of outrage, but Cadence waited patiently for them to subside. “I understand the trauma of the invasion; I suffered much at the hooves of their queen, but does a single meeting mean we should give none of them a chance? To answer the question I heard somepony say, do you actually know who changelings are? Do you understand anything about their culture? Have you actually met and spoke to one?” The silence was the answer. “I’d like to invite a pony up on the stage with me who has: Lemon Marmalade.”

“Good luck,” I whispered.

Marmalade gave me a smile and trotted onto the stage.

The next ten minutes passed swiftly. Marmalade spoke extensively about her time with me, thankfully leaving out the personal bits. She told them about my magic and how it felt to be feeding me: like nothing. More than once I felt extremely embarrassed; she was giving me far too much credit. She was painting me out to be a hero even though she knew I was anything but. She answered the questions asked dutifully while Cadence acted as a sort of moderator, that was, till a certain question was asked.

“Where is he now?”

Marmalade shrugged her shoulders and gestured towards where I was hiding. I froze. “He’s just behind there. Princess, would you open the curtain?”

This had to be her getting back for something; she hadn’t said anything about this! The air tingled with apprehension and fear, though curiosity ran dormant as the curtain slowly began to part. They wanted to see if their princess’s words were true. Was I really the monster changelings were made out to be?

In that moment, I finally understood how much trust Marmalade and Cadence had placed upon me. I could really screw this thing over and more or less condemn changelings throughout Equestria for years to come if I wanted. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen. Nonetheless, I needed to be careful with what I said; I doubt I could take back my words so easily here. All I needed to do was go out there, say a few words and answer a few questions. Nothing too hard.

Shock and apprehension filtered through the audience as they saw me, and many mouths fell open, but there were no screams. In fact, everything gave way to confusion, even more so when I gave a friendly smile.

I licked my lips. “Um, hello?” I could hear Marmalade’s hoof smacking into her face. That had come out wrong. Regardless, it managed to shake them from their stupor. “Hello there, I am Amethyst. Marmalade has been telling the truth, though I don’t think I deserve some of her praise...” I fidgeted as I tried to think. “I wish I had had time to prepare something,” I shot Marmalade a look, “but I guess I’ll just have to make do. Right off the bat, is there any questions?”

No one in the crowd really seemed eager to be the first to speak. They all sort of just stood there, staring back at me, happy to examine me like a newly revealed statue. I glanced over at Cadence. She motioned for me to continue. When I turn my gaze back to the crowd, I noticed a small hoof raised in the air. “Yes, you in the back?” The mare standing next to the colt panicked when she saw his hoof raised, trying to shush him. That colt wouldn’t let her.

“My friends say that changelings can transform into anypony they want. Can you?”

“Yes, I can, though I try not to do it too often.”

“Can you transform into somepony for me?”

I glanced at Cadence again, she nodded. “Sure, who would you like to see me change into?”

“Princess Luna!”

That was a little much, for a number of reasons. “Sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t do that, at least, not without her permission.”

He seemed crestfallen. “Why not?” 

Because somepony would take it the wrong way and freak out. “Because it’s not a very nice thing to do. Would you like it if someone made themselves look like you and did things you wouldn’t do?

“Oh... I guess that make sense. Could you change into me then? It’s alright.”

His mother looked horrified by his request. “I don’t think your mother would like me doing that. Is there somepony else, like a fictional character or–”

“Amethyst, why don’t you change into me,” Marmalade said, trotting back out to join me on the stage. 

I was surprised to say the least. “You’re sure? 

She just nodded her head, looking into my eyes.

For a moment, I summoned my thought, trying to imagine Marmalade and how she looked, bar a couple of things. Then I let the <fires of change> wash over me. Halfway through the change I realized a mistake, and corrected it, hopefully before anyone could notice. The ponies watching on gasped as there was suddenly two Marmalades, not just one.

The little colt loved it. “Cool!”

“Yes, it is sort of cool, but it’s not nearly as useful or as beneficial as you might,” I said, trying my damndest to imitate Marmalade’s voice. I got most of it, but I still missed a few of the intricacies. I was never that good with voices. “I’d much sooner be myself then someone I’m not, mostly because I like who I am. And even if I didn’t, I’m not going to steal someone’s life just because I might not be satisfied with my own. Anymore questions?”

This time a few hooves went up instantly. I picked one randomly. “How can we tell a changeling apart from a pony?”

“Well, the easiest way is it you notice something different. Sure, I might look like Marmalade, but it doesn’t mean I’ll act like her. I can’t change my personality no matter how much I want; I can only pretend,” I released Marmalade’s shape. “There’s other things you can do, like ask about something which only they might know, but personality is mostly what gets it.” I struggled with my thoughts for a moment. “You have to be observant because there is no such thing as a perfect copy. I have to hold in my mind what I want to look like, so there’s no way I’m going to get everything. Maybe I miss a dimple, or the streak of grey in a mane. Just look for the small things, and stop obsessing over the large ones.”

After that, everything got easier. From questions regarding my magic to things like my mane, the crowd seemed eager to ask; as curious as an inquisitive cat. Occasionally Cadence and Marmalade might step in to add something, or ease the pressure off me, but I did most of the talking.

While I was speaking, something caught the corner of my eye. The moment I recognized him, I stumbled on my words and came so close to plowing through the crowd. My heart skipped three beats and my breath seized in my chest. The same stallion who led the burning of my parents and Marmalade’s inn, and who killed the changeling. This time, he wore a set of glasses and a vest.  He was smiling, because he knew all too well I couldn’t do anything to him. If I so much as looked at him funnily, he would convince the crowd I was an evil bug meant to be squashed. This time, I was not going to fall for his tricks.

Knowing my attention was on him, he raised his hoof. “I have a question if you wouldn’t mind hearing it,” he said. His voice was just so... Normal. 

“I’m sorry, may I get your name sir?”

He bowed low, but only I could make out the mocking nature in it. “My name is Pizzicato, but my friends just like to call me Pitz. I have to say, this whole speech has been very interesting. I have to ask, would you be willing to do this again? Certainly there are other areas of the city where you might accomplish more with something like this.”

Pitz... So the bastard finally had a name, even if it was fake. “I’m afraid that is for Princess Cadence to decide, not me.”

“Ah, well, I suppose I can take it up with her then. I have to ask though, one of my friends works at the castle and I’ve heard some particularly interesting rumors from him.”

My breath hitched  in my throat. Oh hell no. I know exactly what he was going to say next, and I was powerless to stop it. “I just so happened to hear that some of the changelings involved in the invasion were captured. Rather than being kept in cells, they were given a room; treated like royalty even. Surely, as changeling you must be aware of this?”

The crowd began to murmur uncontrollably. Any answer I gave, he would twist into something else, but to say nothing would be to ignore him. Then it would look like I didn’t want to answer the question. I opened my mouth to speak.

“Pizzicato, while I appreciate your concern, there’s no need to worry,” Cadence cut in. “Furthermore, the situation is hardly how your friend describes it.”

“Then, what is the story?”

She shook her head. “Now is not the time or place for that,” she answered. “However, I would be more than willing to offer you an invitation to a press conference I am holding this evening.”

For the fraction of a second he looked as though he had bit into something sour, but he composed himself instantly. “This is the first I am hearing of such a meeting.” Wait... Had Cadence just caught him off guard?

Cadence smiled. “You do seem like a stallion who likes to keep an ear to the ground, but it should come as a surprise; the invitations were only sent a couple of hours ago.”

“Well, I could understand that.” He bent his forelegs in a slight bow. “I do apologize Princess, but I’m afraid I cannot accept your request. I have other things to take care of tonight.” Without another word, he turned around and left. If only I could follow him. 

Cadence stared after him, then gave her head a little shake. “Does anypony have anymore questions?” Her hopeful smile died when no hooves were raised. It seemed Pitz had managed to end, but not reverse, what had been going to well. “Well, if that is the case, I’d like to thank you all for your time. If anypony does have any further questions, please come to the castle and I would be happy to address them there.” 

The crowd applauded lightly as Cadence led Marmalade and I back behind the curtain. Soon after, I could hear the crowd began to dissipate. Marmalade was the first to speak.

“You’re holding a press conference? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wasn’t thinking of it last night,” Cadence answered with a sigh. “In fact, there wasn’t even going to be a press conference three minutes ago. If one pony has an inkling of what is happening inside the castle, though, that means he is not the only one. I would rather get the story straight from the start then have ponies believing rumors.” She fell silent. “Amethyst, I know you won’t like it, but could you speak with Chrysalis and get her side of the story?”

She’s right: I didn’t like it. “Why can’t you?”

Marmalade kicked my shins. “Amethyst,” she hissed. “Think about that for a sec.”

Oh, right. Things were sure to be just peachy between the two of them, given that Chrysalis had locked Cadence away for weeks in the cavern and had nearly ruined her wedding. Dealing with Chrysalis was probably the last thing Cadence wanted to do, if she could even will herself to do it.  “Alright, I’ll talk to her.”

The tension across Cadence’s shoulders disappeared. “Thank you Amethyst. I do apologize, but I have to get back to the castle at once to write the invitations. Lieutenant Blossom?”

The pegasus of the Solar Guard hovered nearby. “Yes Ma’am?”

“Could you and several others accompany Marmalade and Amethyst back to the castle?”

“What about you, princess?”

“I’ll be teleporting back. Please, let them take their time; neither of them have been out of the castle in a few days. Also, if either of them see anything they would like to purchase, please pay for it from my funds.”

Blossom saluted. “Understood, princess.”

“Marmalade. Amethyst.” Her horn glowed and in a blink of light she was gone.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



It’s not like we took advantage of Cadence’s generosity, but we didn’t let it go to waste either. I would love to know where Cadence got these guards too. Compared to some of the other ones I had been stuck with. They were “there” without hovering, and four of them were more than enough to ease any worries. 

To say the rest of that morning had been pleasant, would be a gross understatement. Were it not for the few stares directed our way, the morning would have been perfect. We slowly made our way back to the castle through a winding path through the markets, sampling things and stopping to look here and there. I bought us cinnamon buns, and at Marmalade’s urging, another four for the guards who were with us. 

OK, I’ll admit, perhaps Marmalade and Cadence were right. From the smiles on the faces of the ponies who watched as I nearly shoved the buns down the throats of the guards as they blabbed on about how they were on duty, it wasn’t hard to see how things could change.  News of the meeting had gotten around, and as I continued around, I actually had a few ponies come up to ask me a few questions or just say a few words of greeting. There were still plenty who tried to avoid me or gave me dirty looks, though.

A couple hours had passed, and there wasn’t too much left between us and the castle. Marmalade pulled me into a bookstore she liked to frequent, while the guards had waited outside given the confined space. I sort of browsed through the shelves absent mindedly while Marmalade looked at architecture books. I’m pretty sure she was already looking for ideas for a new inn. Anyhow, I found a couple neat spellbooks I wouldn’t mind trying. Unicorn magic was something I had never really experimented around with, and it would at least give me something to do while I waited around. They certainly had books at the castle, but they were likely a little beyond my capabilities.

There were a few other ponies in with us looking through the shelves, though most tried to stay clear of the aisle I was in. I read the spines of the book as I walked along the aisle, tilting my head to read them. Spells and Incantations for Dummies. Enchanting for the Beginner. Four Tricks to Casting. Advanced Telekinesis and Teleporting. That one sounded a little beyond me.  Foal’s First Spell. Amethyst...

Wait, what?

There was a piece of folded paper was tucked between two books with my name written on it. Sure, I guess it could be about the actual quartz, but somehow I doubt that.  I glanced around to make sure no one was watching and pulled it out and opened it up.

 235 Blue Row. Come tonight.
 -Starlight


An address? From Ocean Wind? How had he known I would be here? Unless...

I quickly trotted to the end of the aisle to see the hindquarters of someone who looked like Starlight, or someone with her cutie mark, disappearing out the door. She must have dyed her tail or something, because it was purple. I wish the note had been a little more descriptive, because it left a lot to be desired. I folded the note back up and tucked it into a book I had been eying. I’d have to figure out how to slip away tonight.

Marmalade was still looking over a book when I walked up behind her. “Ready to go? Cadence will probably want me to talk to her sooner than later.”

She looked, then back down at her book. “Ok, let me just me put this book back.”

“Just buy it, alright? I’m getting a book?” I showed her the spine. “See?”

“I don’t need it though.”

I pulled the book from her grasp. “For masters’ sake, I’ll get it then.”

Though I paid for the books, I felt a little bad pulling her away from the store. There was still time aplenty before we had to be back at the castle. I just wanted to get the meeting with Chrysalis over with quickly. It would give Cadence more time to prepare, but more importantly, it would give me more time to find 235 Blue Row.
	
> Chapter XXII - Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the third time that minute, I raised my hoof to open the door. For the third time that minute, I set it back down. 

I don’t know why I’m hesitating. I know what I needed to say; I know what I needed to do. The thing was, inside the room was none other than Queen Chrysalis. The guards had brought her to an empty room at Cadence’s request and were given the order that I was to speak with her. Judging by some of the looks I was getting from them, however, I’m guessing they would soon resort to just pushing me in.

Ok, I’ll admit it; I was nervous. I was worried that I’d go in there to find someone so different than what I expected, that I wouldn’t know what to do. I suppose there was no sense in putting it off any longer, though. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, with an icy claw of dread clutching my heart. So long as I didn’t do anything stupid, it would be alright. 

Chrysalis stood at a barred window, peering out on the ground below. Apparently, this room had furnished for situations like these. Spells and enchantments upon the room prevented others from listening in, beyond the structural reinforcements it had received. As I entered, Chrysalis sighed without looking back. “What is it now? You already have my answer.”

What answer was she talking about? Part of me wanted to follow that trail down, just to see what I would find. Had Celestia and Luna asked her something already?  That was for another time, though. At the current moment, she needed to be convinced I wasn’t like the others. "<I don’t think I do,>” I chittered in changic.

That definitely got her attention. Her head snapped about like lightning. Baleful hate filled her eyes as she regarded me. “<Why am I not surprised.>" She spat. “<You and your kin are all the same, full of liars and over-inflated self worth.>"

“<Oh, and who would my kin be?>” She was in for a shock.

"<Don’t play daft with me... Oh, you are actually serious aren’t you?>" She laughed. "<I suppose it shouldn’t come a surprised given how slow you are. Well, what do you want of me? Come to demand I hand over my hive to your king?>"

“I think you would be surprised to know who my kin are,” I said, falling back to my native tongue. “I don’t you think you understand who I am.”

“Oh please,” she said, following my lead. “I know exactly who and your kin are: <Oipizetrceq.>” I couldn’t understand the word she said. I suppose, loosely translated it would mean roughly something like “tyrants of the unbalanced scales”, but I was not about to bet any amount of bits on that guess.

“I wasn’t raised in a hive,” I shot back.

“Oh, so do you expect sympathy then?”

Malice dripped from my answer. “No, I am perfectly happy having been raised by ponies. Now let me ask; is your daughter happy being raised by a bitch like you?”

She wordlessly snarled. “Just, who do you think you–”

“I,” I interrupted her, “am the changeling who kept your daughter and subjects from the dungeon, the one who protected them by telling lies to those I swore to tell the truth, and the one who’s trying to undo everything you did by invading.”

Much of the anger vanished from her face as she contemplated my words. “Cytri seemed convinced you were not one of them. It seems I was mistaken for not believing her. Now if–”

Her disregard for my fury was so casual, as if she was just brushing sand from her chitin. “I am also the one whose parents were killed because of your invasion.”

She was silent for a minute, then shrugged and began to walk towards me. “Well, you have my condolences.” 

“That’s it!”

“Pardon?”

I gritted my teeth and fought back the urge to strike her. “Is that all you have to say?” 

“You were there when I was before the alicorns, were you not? It is as I said: I will not apologize for something I do not regret.”

“Why?” I demanded.

“Not in this place. Those who listen, listen well.”

Was she just worried about eavesdroppers? “There is an enchantment on the room that prevents anyone outside this room from hearing what we say.”

“And who told you that?”

“Cadence.”

She scoffed, turning her gaze about the room , horn glowing as she studied it. “And you expect that doll of a princess to be telling the truth when–” she trailed off as she realized I spoke true.

I was surprised to find her words of contempt for Cadence bothered me as they did. “Do you know what she has been doing? She's been trying to restore the peace and convince ponies that we are not monsters. That’s working a hell of a lot better than anything you have ever done!”

“I will not listen to you lecture me while there are things you do not understand.”

I wanted to leap forward and wring her neck. “Why do you think I am here! I want you to tell me why you invaded Canterlot and anything else which might be useful!”

She shook her head. “What right do you have to such knowledge?”

How dense was she? “The fact that I am trying to stop a war!”

That gave her pause. “What happens to the other hives is none of my concern.”

“Then what about you, your daughter or any of your subjects! If a war happens, I guarantee you that you will be the first ones to suffer. And are you really so keen to let one start just because you are too stubborn to give me the information I might need to stop it?:

“You just expect me to trust that you have our best interests at heart? I would be an imbecile to tell someone so... Naive, the truth.”

I sensed a ‘but’ in there. “Well what would it take to prove myself to you?”

A ghost of a chilling smile crossed her face. “Give me your magic.”

Ocean Wind’s word echoed through my head. If she had the power, Chrysalis would be more than willing to attempt the invasion again, and I would be the one who enabled her. “Do you seriously expect me to trust you after what you have done?”

Her grin sent shivers down my spine. “Trust is a two-way street, isn’t it? You give me your magic, I’ll tell you what you want to know. It really is that simple.”

It only took a second to decide: there was no choice to make. Without the information, Cadence would be up the creek without a paddle in a few hours. As much as I hated it, there was nothing I could do. I could make sure to give her as little magic as possible, and warn Celestia and Luna of it, but little else. “Fine.”

She crossed the distance and touched her horn to mine. Unlike the time with her daughter, where Cytri only took what I offered, Chrysalis seemed to actively pull the magic from me. I had to fight to slow the stream down to a point where I could tell how much she received. 

But even then, she kept taking.

She took more than I had given Cytri; more than I had been willing to give. However, I knew that if I stopped now, she would deny me what I needed to know. Only when she reached the last quarter of my magic, did I finally pull back. “That’s enough.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, almost deliberately drawing me out. “I believe it is. Now what did you want me to tell you?”

“The invasion. Why did you invade?”

“Oh, right.” Before I could react, her horn glowed and what felt like an iron ring wrapped around my neck, choking me, and lifting me from the ground. I struggled to make any noise. Oh masters’ it hurt. Chrysalis just stood there, though, smiling. “Do you know what the best part is? No one can hear you.” She examined one of her hooves. “It’s a nifty little enchantment. I’ll have to remember it.”

I struggled for air, my heart rising to pound in my ears. This was a mistake. I was going to die. I tried to use my magic, but she gave me a little shake.

“No, no. Behave like a good little papua.” 

I fell limp, trying to form a desperate plan in my mind, but what thoughts I had were drowned out by the growing pounding dominating my senses. Seconds passed by and Chrysalis idly glanced out the window, as if she was bored, while the edges of my vision started to go black.

“If you ever speak anything of our arrangement, I will kill you.”

She dropped me.

I fell to the ground gasping for breath. My throat was raw and sore, like someone had driven screws in tightly. “That wasn’t part of the deal,” I wheezed.

“Oh, it wasn’t, was it... My apologies then; I was just clearing up any uncertainties.”

That bitch!

Chrysalis me cough and wheeze into the floor until I was able to stand.“What you have to understand about the council: they don’t like change. They desire to keep everything static and motionless. Many of the policies they hold have been in place for hundred of years. They will go to any length to protect these outdated ideals, including ousting and overturning the rule of a hive.”

“And let me guess, you were the one they tried to oust.”

She ignored me. “Perhaps one day you might be lucky enough to see a hive. They are wondrous structures which could house entire cities of ponies, while hidden in the most unlikely of places. However, their one flaw is that illnesses can spread easily when compared to an open air city like Canterlot. Nearly half of my subjects caught the sickness that ran rampant through mine.”

I almost didn’t want to ask it. “How many died?”

“Admittedly few: no more than fifty. In curing them, however,  we expended much energy. I was almost as weak as a pupua when the last case of the plague finally lifted. Given time, our hive would have made a full recovery.”

“But...”

“The changeling council respects power, Amethyst, nothing more. Upon seeing our weakened nature, some... Members, thought it would be best if we were placed under the rule of another hive till we recovered. I argued vehemently against it, but they had heard reports and refused to listen to me.” Anger flashed in her eyes. “But they were not content with choosing a reasonable hive; no, they had to select Nitxi. Their king’s plan was to integrate with us presumably till the point where we have recovered our strength, intermingling his subjects with mind. But divided, we would be weak and, in time, reliant.

“I spoke with the council at length, called in the few favours I had, but they only gave me an extension. If I could prove that everything was still proper in our hive in a month’s time, they would let us continue to rule ourselves unhindered.”

“So why didn’t you do that then?” I asked. “I mean, you could steal some energy from ponies if you really had to, or–”

“They made the task an impossible goal; the power we would need to collect would make us greater than any other hive with a seat upon the council. Do you know why the invasion was our only option left?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think it was.”

“Then you know little. For thousands of years, we have lived alongside ponies in secrecy. Not only for some ponies, but here is our homeland. The invasion... It was the only way to bring the end to the rule of the council. Once ponies knew we existed, and once we had the power of so many, we could overthrow the council unopposed. With thousands of years of tradition now pointless the council would begin to fall apart, and in the chaos,  it would have been an easy fight.”

“Then why invade Canterlot? Surely you could have just revealed yourself to ponies without attacking.”

She shook her head. “Once they learned of changelings, conflict would have been inevitable. A strike at Canterlot would leave ponies reeling and unorganized, long enough for us to end the rule of the council and strike a truce. Then, we would have been able to usher in a new age for changelings!”

So, my parents death, Marmalade’s inn burning, all this fear and hatred... It was because Chrysalis desired power? “What gives you the right to make that decision?” I seethed. “Are you that power hungry that you would throw this country into chaos?”

She met my gaze unflinchingly. “If it had meant the future, freedom and safety of my subjects, I would have personally flayed your parents alive.” She caught my strike before I could break her nose. “Do you even understand what would have happened if we had been integrated with that hive? Their laws are draconian and tyrannical. For them, it is a crime punishable by twenty lashes to look upon a changeling such as you are I. Fifty if you speak. And you want to speak of wanting peace between ponies and changelings? They see ponies as nothing more than livestock to be fed upon. Thousands are kept entombed in pods till the end of their lives, solely to have their energy harvested, slowly withering away. Do you understand what would have happened if they had invaded Canterlot instead of us?” She left me no time to answer. “They would murder in cold blood anypony who dared to raise a hoof against them, or anyone they deemed an ‘undesirable risk’. Do you understand?” She left go of my foreleg.

If she was telling the truth, what did that mean? The means might not have been noble, but were the reasons for the invasion? “So what are you planning now?”

She gave a hollow laugh, walking back over to the window. “There is no plan anymore save to pray. I may have forced the hooves of the council, but you had best hope your princesses can weather what I’ve brought down upon them. Equestria might fall if they cannot. I have satisfied your curiosity enough; if you want me to answer any more of your questions, you will bring me more of your magic.”


There was one more thing I had to ask, at least for Cadence’s sake. “Why Cadence?”
She looked back at me over her shoulder, silent. “I think you already know the answer.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Chrysalis had been correct; I did know the answer.

Cadence was already well busy drafting letters, and passing them on to royal couriers. I sort of sat off to the side of her office, waiting till she finished. It a bit of a musty old place, obviously in disuse. Then again, it was hardly surprising given the wedding and her honeymoon. The room could really use another window either way. A good twenty minutes passed before she stuffed the last letter into an envelope. She dropped a dollop of hot wax onto the join, and stamped it shut with a signet ring.

She placed it on a pile with a few other letters, then slumped back in her chair, sighing. “What I wouldn’t do for a scribe.”

“Surely you could get one,” I said.

“I wish it was that straightforward. Though I might be a princess, I still don’t have the duties or authority my aunts do. There is no reason to me to keep a scribe on a payroll; it would just be wasteful.” She rose from her chair, motioning for me to follow.

“Where are we going?”

“I thought it might be nicer if we could talk in the gardens. My office is far too stuffy to be pleasant. You can begin to tell me on the way,” the two guards on either side of the door snapped to attention and began to follow us as we walked out.

Recounting what Chrysalis had told me took some time. Some of the things, I felt, had been a little biased due to her interpretation, and I didn’t want Cadence carrying that on to the press. The guards’ curiosity was just as overwhelming as Cadence’s was; they were clearly listening in on my explanation. It wasn’t like they didn’t deserve that right.

We walked slowly, meandering through the halls to the garden. I continued speaking, pausing only when Cadence asked me a question. At the end of it all, we wound up sitting on a bench in the Royal Gardens. The place was astonishing; I didn’t realize this many types of flowers  even existed. As someone who has never handled pollen to well, I expected to be tear at my throat, but the air here was pure and still. I’m starting to suspect there was some sort of enchantment on this place, because it simply radiated peace.

I brought my thoughts back to what I was saying, tossing in a few finishing remarks.

Cadence’s gaze slipped from me to the fountain we sat in front of. “I see.”

Then it was silent.

The last words Chrysalis had spoken to me rang in my head as Cadence deliberated over the queen’s tale. Truth be told, Chrysalis was right. There had been a reason Cadence had been the one, and it was nothing to do with her position. 

Ok, maybe that wasn’t quite accurate.

Though Chrysalis had taken the role of Cadence, it had not been purely because, as a princess, she had power. Truth of the matter is, there were sure to be ponies who had the same powers as Cadence, or more, without her more public nature. No, the real reason why Chrysalis chose Cadence was–

“Ponies love you,” I said.

Her head snapped towards me. “Pardon?” Clearly she had been lost in thought.

“Ponies love you; it’s why Chrysalis chose to take your place.”

She sighed. Picking a flower from near the bench, she brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply. “I know why she chose me... It doesn’t make it hurt any less, though. She should have spoken to me; perhaps we could have figured out something. But...” She trailed off as her ears folded and she bowed her head, trying desperately to fight off memories. “Do you know when she kept me in the crystal caves she tormented me? She showed me pictures of the wedding, what I had missed. Down there, I had no way of keeping track of time, no way of knowing it hadn’t actually happened. By the time Twilight found me, I thought the wedding had been over for a week. Days just had a way of blurring together down there. Shining Armour–” Her expression fell even further.

“What is it?”

“You haven’t heard yet, have you?” 

This was getting irritating. “What!”

“Last night, Ocean Wind and Starlight escaped from their cell into the city. ”

I tried my best to look shocked and alarmed. “What? How?”

“We don’t know,” she answered. “The bars to the cell were enchanted and there’s no evidence to suggest how they even broke down the bars to begin with.” She shuddered, as if telling me this was physically taxing. “My husband was standing watch at the time... And somepony attacked him. But there was no way for them to sneak up on him, no way for him to be surprised. It just doesn’t make sense!”

“Is he alright?”

She almost sobbed. “No, he’s not. The doctors worry he has a concussion. He has only woken for a few minutes since last night.”

“Anything more than that?” I was trying my best to keep the guilt from my voice; narrowly failing.

She didn’t notice. “They say if he doesn’t wake up by tonight that he may be in a coma.”

“I’m sure he’ll be alright. He’s probably been through much worse.” I’m sure I didn’t hit him that hard... “Anything else I can do to help?” The words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

She gave me a smile. “You’ve done more than enough, Amethyst. I can handle the press on my own. Heavens know I’ve had to put up with worse. Why don’t you spend the rest of the evening with Marmalade and enjoy yourself.”

I returned her smile with one which was hollow to it’s core. Excusing myself, I quickly made for the door, before Cadence could see my act shatter. I shouldn’t have let it happen like it had. There was only one thing left to do this evening, and I could only pray that I would do it right. 
> Chapter XXIII - Survey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me go on record by saying that 235 Blue Row was devilishly hard to find. Not only was it was it one of those back streets which seemed to bend and twist upon itself till it shouldn’t even be called by the same name, but I walked past it a good three or four times till I noticed it. It was a small little place nestled between two massive buildings, like a line of jam between toast. I honestly thought it was a servants' entrance for another building when I first walked past it. It would fit given the appearances of some of the places around here.

Finding it had been as aggravating as untangling burs from a wool scarf. It probably didn’t help at how frustrated I already was; getting out of the castle had been a real bitch. Seriously, after leaving Cadence, everywhere I tried to slip away there had been a guard stationed. There were no quiet halls or empty rooms for me to use. It appeared as though the rest of the guard was finally starting to return to Canterlot, which bode well for me, in some ways. However, it also meant that I had to put up with others who knew next to nothing about me. After the first time I was tackled to the ground, my mood soured considerably. In the end, though, I did manage to get out of the castle, but I’m almost positive questions would be asked when I got back.

That was a problem for later, however. Anyhow, Blue Row was not a neighborhood for the poor, or even for those with a reasonable amount of money. Oh, I’m not talking about rich in the traditional sense: just a few millions bits, oh no. These buildings were almost palaces in their own rights, the smallest of which were mere mansions. Mansions, I should add, which had doors and trim made of solid gold. It made me more than a little wary that this wasn’t a trap. Still, with the disguise I had, it’s not like anyone could really pick me out. I figured with how inflated the self-worth of the ponies living around here, royal couriers must be a common sight. Nicking the saddlebags with the proper symbol had been hard enough, though.

I knocked on the door of 235 Blue Row twice, and waited... And waited. After several minutes, I tried knocking again. I swear, if I came all the way just to have to stand outside like an idiot... Another few seconds passed and the door opened.  My spirits sank. It was not Starlight, or Ocean Wind for that matter.

The unicorn had a light yellow mane, with a coat the colour of saffron. “Yes?” Her voice was a not entirely unpleasant soprano.

I hesitated; it was the maid outfit throwing me off... She wore a practical black dress, not the elaborate lacy stereotypes you so often hear of, and it struck me just as so out of place in... Well, a place like this. I glanced up and down the street, just in case I was missing Starlight or Ocean Wind waving me over before I made a mistake. 

There was nothing.

“Sir?”

I brought myself back to the moment. “Ermm... Yes.” Might as well go for broke here. “Would there happen to be a Starlight or Ocean Wind at this address?”

“For what purpose are you looking for them, if you pardon my asking, sir?”

I was disguised as a courier, so... “I just have a short message for them. Could I come in?”

The door propped itself open. “I don’t see why not. Would you please be so kind as to follow me.”

I’m was beginning to see why this place was in such a nice part of town. Following her up an immediate flight of stairs, I found myself in a room that would hardly be out of place at the castle. Granted, it wasn’t remotely as large, but the decor style was very much the same. The maid held open another door, and gestured. “They’ll be right in there. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Immediately upon entering, my eyes fell upon Ocean Wind, or at least, his identical twin save for a clementine orange mane. It was a rather ugly colour which clashed with his coat. He must have heard me coming up, as he had already risen from the chair he had been sitting in, fixing me with a stern glare.

“Wha–”

He cut me off before I could finish. “Drop the disguise, Amethyst.”

“Pardon?”

“If you don’t drop your disguise, I’m going to assume you are not Amethyst and lock you up in the next room no matter what you say.”

I quickly adopted my normal appearance. “Woah, alright! I’m me!”

“Told ya.”

I yelped in fright at the voice beside me, and I swear I nearly had a heart attack when I saw Starlight lowering a crossbow. My mouth flapped uselessly for a moment, like a fish out of water. I finally regained my voice. “Holy Tartarus! You were aiming that at me?”
She snorted as she lay it up against a wall to open a cabinet. I only then noticed her mane had been dyed purple like I had thought. 
“What it’s not like I was going to fire it.”

“Couldn’t you have, I don’t know, cast a spell or something?”

My eyes widened as Starlight took a step back, allowing me to see what was inside the cabinet. Swords, bows, spears... It was a practical armoury, even if every one of them looked ornate and outdated. “I had to teleport once already today; I’m kinda running on fumes here.”

“Teleport, when?”

She rubbed at her eyes with a hoof. Only then did I notice the heavy bags beneath them and the droop in her shoulders. “Right after I left you the note. One of the guards you were with started to follow me.”

“And you got away by teleporting? Isn’t that suspicious?”

She  glared at me. “And what you do isn’t? Besides, I was out of sight when I teleported.”

I started to say something in reply, but stopped when I heard the sound of a key turning a lock. The squeak of the front door opening was apparent. “Who’s that?” I whispered, turning to Ocean Wind.

He took off his helmet, pausing to sniff the air. “Supper, if I’m correct.” I cocked my head and sniffed the air. Odd, but true; indeed there was a fragrance of spices and tomatoes drifting through the air.

I shook my head, and returned my focus to more pressing matters. “Who has supper then?” I shot back, preparing to disguise myself.

The steps creaked as whoever it was came up. “Calm down, Amethyst; he’s helping us.”

I blanked for a moment, before realizing what he meant. “What!” I exclaimed. “I thought I said that you weren’t supposed to tell anyone! Not go blab it to the first pony to meet.” I realized something else I should have recognized immediately. “Wait, what about the maid? Is she–”

Something inside Ocean snapped. He rounded upon me, his mouth twisted in a soundless snarl. “Are you really that stupid, or is it just an act! Huh!?” He prodded me in my chest, forcing me back a step. “So, you want us to find a stallion, one very specific stallion? Sure, we could do that, if there was nothing else.” He prodded me in the chest again; harder this time. “You are a changeling. We’re not! We can’t just change our appearance with at a whim, and he already knows what we look like!”

Right, the inn. Still, my eyes rose to his mane, then back down. I really couldn’t help myself.

He looked like he wanted to slap me. “For all things holy, could you trust us to do our job for once! It’s not like you don’t know who we’ve asked. You’ve already have met Gallant Warning.”

I blinked; I hadn’t expected that. “Gallant Warning? The same guy who I made look like a changeling? He was willing to help?”

“Damn right I was,” Gallant Warning said, striding into the room. “Here, catch.” A cylindrical object, little bigger than my hoof flew at me. The white wrapper have little red tacos on it. I looked back up at him as he passed Ocean Wind and Starlight each one.

“How did you they manage to talk you into this?” I asked.

He snorted. “Wasn’t much of a problem for them. It took them about two minutes to convince me.”

“And what’s this place?”

Gallant Warning suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Amethyst,” Ocean began, “Gallant is the son of a minor lord. This is one of their several houses.”

“This one is more of a cottage,” Gallant offered weakly.

I glanced back at him. “You’re rich?”

He grunted. “Yes, I am.”

“So why are you serving in the guard then?” The words had left my mouth before I could spare them any thought.

“Unlike some around here, I would not rather not leech off my birthright, thank you very much.”

I bit back a retort; I had probably deserved that. “That didn’t come out right. What I meant to ask was why aren’t you out helping your father or something? If your father is a lord, wouldn’t that make you a–”

“Young lord, yes, but I’m sure father and mother need plenty of help placing their bits into slot machines or drinking martinis by the poolside. After all, I hear Las Pegasus is lovely this time of year. Besides, nearly an eighth of the guard has ties to nobility some way or another. My case is really not all that uncommon.”

I got the picture pretty clearly. Still, there was one thing which begged to be asked. “And just how rich are we talking about?”

Gallant Warning glanced at me from the corner of his eye, and grumbled. He walked over and opened up a set of blinds. “See that?” He asked pointing to a floating yacht.

Sitting outside the window, off in the distance, was a frankly outrageous yacht. Ever from where I stood, I could see the trim which had been carved into every piece of word, and the gleam of precious metals from the railings. A beautiful rose had been stitched into the gas envelop, something I don’t even want to fathom how long it took. “Yes... They own that!” I could probably spend my entire life working, and still not have enough to purchase so much as even half of the gas envelopes

He shut the blinds. “No, they own two. Can we please get back to business?”

“Gallant is right,” Ocean Wind said. “Either way, we can talk about this more after we start working.”

I hesitated, forming another question in my mind, but the moment was lost. The others had gathered back around the table, leaving me standing, holding my supper. I peeked inside the wrapper and was greeted by the sight, and more importantly, smell of a burrito. I took a bite. Make that a rice and bean burrito.

A stack of papers thumped against the floor, as Gallant undid the straps tying them to his back.  I took a step closer. “What’s that?”

Gallant tore open the covering, the same sort of paper stores would use for groceries bags. Inside were a bunch of different newspapers. He offered one to me. “Here.”

I looked at the title as I took it from him, Mayham in Canterlot. The picture depicted a building being burnt to the ground. At closer examination, I realized it wasn’t Marmalade’s inn. I glanced back up to Tangled. “And what is this supposed to show me?”
Picking something up from the table, which was an utter mess of cut papers and paperclips, Ocean Wind took a few steps towards me. In his hoof he held a newspaper clipping. This was also about another recent incident in Canterlot, a result of the invasion, if the first few sentences were correct. I gave the clipping back.

“The first thing we need to do if we have any hope of finding the stallion–”

“Pitz,” I interrupted, “his name is Pitz.”

Starlight nearly choked on a bite of her burrito. “And how do you know that?” she demanded. 

“At the meeting this morning. Didn’t you hear him talking to Cadence?”

Starlight shook her head. “I had to clear out of there before anypony recognized me. I hung around just close enough to follow you and make sure to drop off that note.”

“Regardless,” Ocean Wind began, “if we are to find Pitz, we will have to figure out the extent of the riots in Canterlot, and the causes behind them.”

“Wouldn’t you already know some of them?” I asked. “And is this really the best way to find out?”

“For the basic stuff, sure, but that doesn’t change everything else. And do you really expect just the three of us to be better at finding information than the press? They make a living off of finding and writing about news. Unless we had the entire guard, we’re not even going to try to keep up.”

“Will you do some searching on your own, though?”

“Will you be alright with us bringing more ponies in on this?” he shot back.

I sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, I could see where he was coming from. It’s just... I’m not sure if I could trust them. Heck, I even realize I didn’t want to trust them. Gallant Warning might be alright, but for any others? They might just go right to the princesses and end our little investigation, not to mention the changeling council inevitably finding out. Ultimately, though, Ocean Wind was correct; there was no way they could find Pitz if they didn’t have help. “Fine,” I relented. “But only if I could meet them. Who are you even thinking of asking anyway?”

“A couple of friends, reservists and some others who’ve almost recovered from their injuries,” Starlight supplied. “Heck, I’m pretty sure I could get my brother to see if the fire department has anything that could help us. They probably have a better record of each incident then the guard does.”

“And in the meanwhile, you can give us some help,” Gallant Warning said, offering me a pair of scissors. “We still have a lot to go through, and you can tell us about Cadence’s speech while we are waiting.”

Well, it wasn’t like I had anything better to do.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The rest of the evening passed by slowly. At the end of the few hours, my horn had started to ache something fierce from all the cutting. Granted, it wasn’t like I had cast all that much magic, but I had been holding those scissors for an awfully long time. I could handle bursts of magic fine, even over a long period of time, but teacher had never really drilled me on constant use of magic. Sure the disguises were constant in a way, but those were hardly the same thing.

The small pile of cut articles had grown into a mound. Starlight had started to sort them a little while ago, instead of cutting, given that she was still feeling the effects of her teleportation earlier. There was something else she was making marks on, but I couldn’t see it from where I sat. 

Anyway, I had quickly tired of reading the articles, because so many of them were the same. The Equestrian Times and the Cloudsdale Post, for instance,  covered largely the same material, but it was their viewpoints which were important. One newspaper might make note of something that the other failed to mention, or go into greater detail on a specific point. I was just paging through a magazine when Starlight plopped a map onto the table: what she had been working on.

It was quite clearly a map of Canterlot, that much I could gather from looking at it. It was the massive sized map that you might hang on the wall of a bedroom, and it had ample room to make markings, which Starlight had taken advantage of. Here and there were small scribbled markings around streets and buildings. 

Fire at this location...	

Rioting and looting...

Destruction of property...

“What’s this?”

“A really, really rough crime map,” Starlight answered wearily.

“So what is it showing?”

“Each of the markings show events or crime which are related to changelings in some manner or another. If what you say is true, and Pitz is forcing at least some of these, then there should be things which stand out. Just take a look.”

“Right...” I glanced down at the countless scribbles and markings, before looking over to Ocean. “What’s this?”

Honest to god, Starlight actually growled at me. The look she gave me... Well, to be quite blunt, pissed would be an understatement. “Fuck you too, Amethyst.” she snarled. “Just because you are too stupid to see it, doesn’t mean we can’t.”

Where the hell had that come from? Ok, so maybe that had been a bit rude of me. “Sorry,” I blurted. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

“And Amethyst admits he doesn’t think before he speaks. Woooo, shocker.” I don’t think she could have laced her words with any more sarcasm.

“Star,” Ocean Wind exclaimed sharply.

Starlight held the bridge of her nose and nodded slowly. “Alright,” she sighed.

“Just hold in there a little longer, ok?”

Starlight gave him a weak little smile. “Ok.”

Ocean turned back to me, though he didn’t seem very pleased with me. “The point of this, Amethyst, is to determine the epicentre of the crimes, and to narrow down which areas are spontaneous, and which are unusual in some form or another. Got it so far?”
I nodded.

“Now, I know you say that Pitz controlling mobs, but for all we know, he could just be after you.” I bristled at the comment, but held my tongue. “If that is the case, then nothing should obviously stand out against the yearly crime maps.”

“Let me get this straight, you’re going to see if I’ve been telling the truth just through a couple of maps?”

“There are patterns to crime, just like there are patterns to everything else. The study of crime is called criminology”

“And you’re a criminology-ist .”

“It’s pronounced, criminologist,” Gallant cut it. “Ocean Wind isn’t, but both Starlight and I have taken a few courses on the matter.

“A few...” That really inspired confidence. “Can’t we just focus on finding–” Next thing I knew, all I could see was stars. When I recovered enough to make sense that I was lying on my back, looking up at the ceiling. My muzzle hurt something fierce, and I probed my tongue around my teeth to make sure none of them had broken. By the time I raised my head, I saw Mirra panting slightly, a dark scowl upon her face. Both Ocean Wind and Gallant Warning looked at her in shock.

“What the hell was that for?” I said. I suddenly realized my nose was bleeding as the coppery taste filled my mouth. “All I asked was if we couldn’t just focus on finding him?”

Starlight made a show of slapping her forehead. “How could I be so stupid! Of course; it is just a matter of finding him. It’s not like we know where to look, or even have the ponypower to do it. I mean, clearly, there is no reason we shouldn’t have him bound up in chains right now.”

I wisely chose to keep my mouth shut, partly because of the glare I was receiving: nothing less than murderous. I’m guessing Starlight’s day went very poorly, or something. “You’re always doubting us; always finding some reason to assume us ignorant.” The table shook as she pounded a hoof against it. “Just for once... Just for once, I would like to be heard and trusted, not just ignored. Is that too much too fucking well ask?”

I couldn’t muster a reply that wouldn’t sound half-assed and a lie.

Walking around from his side of the table, Ocean Wind drapped a hoof around her shoulders, pulling her into a one legged hug. “Star, why don’t you get some rest. I know you’re more exhausted than you are letting show.”

Starlight deflated as though she had been a balloon popped by a needle. Suddenly, she just looked incredibly tired, more tired than I have thought was possible. Ocean’s words seemed to have reached her, though, as the scowl fell from her face as she wearily rubbed at her eyes. “Thanks, Ocie.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. Colour me surprised; ignoring what happened in the cell, that’s the first kiss I’ve seen between them, even if it was just on the cheek.

The door she took was only a few steps away, and from the solid thump a moment later, she must have just straight up collapsed into her bed. Ocean Wind turned and walked straight passed me to the door, and held it open. 

“It’s time for you to held back to the castle,” Ocean said, his tone offering no room for argument. “We can finish up without you.”
Though I opened my mouth to say something, nothing came out. Instead, all I could was meekly nod my head. I summoned a disguise and walked through.

Before he shut the door, however, Ocean Wind added one last comment. “You know, she’s not wrong.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


By the time I got back to my castle, it was late. The moon was rising, and the Solar Guard had passed off their duties to the Lunar Guard. Getting in the castle had been easy enough, but Ocean Wind’s words still echoed in my head. 

You know, she’s not wrong.

Many thoughts flew through my head, but I didn’t dwell on any. I could piece everything together when I wasn’t so tired, otherwise I’d be up all night. I hope Marmalade was still awake, however; I wouldn’t mind talking to her for a little bit. The walk to my room wasn’t long, and before I knew it, I was opening the door to my room, grateful for the day to be over. 

From the dimmed lights, and the gentle rise and fall of the lump in the bed covers, Marmalade was already asleep. Sighing to myself, I took a quiet step towards the bed.

“I am really disappointed in you, Amethyst.”

The words caused me to freeze; to seek out the sound of the voice. I hadn’t seen her when I had come in, but Mirra sat at the table, her forelegs crossed. She did not look pleased.

“I expect many things of you, but being so sloppy is not one of them.”

Ah, she must be talking about me leaving the castle. “Teacher, I know it was a rough job, but I was in a hurry.”

“No!” she snapped. “Calling it rough would be a compliment. Pathetic, maybe, a dismal failure, absolutely. Do you know how many ponies saw you, and knew that you had taken a disguise?”

“Why were you even following me?”

“Do I really need to explain that, or are you going to answer the damn question?”

“Fine. A couple of ponies saw me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “A couple... Is that really all you can tell me? Had you been paying any attention to those around you, you would have realized that three guards, a butler, and a cabinet minister saw you. Granted, the cabinet minister was too busy reading a book to really recognize it, but the fact remains that you failed.”

My ears drooped as I sighed. “So, let me guess, the Princesses know about my little excursion into the city.”

“No, they do not.” That got my attention. “I took the liberty of erasing your mistakes.”

“How?” I was starting to get worried. I wouldn’t put it passed teacher to employ slightly less than ethical means to ensure something remained hidden.

Rather than supply an answer, Mirra let her magic speak for her. A surge of dim yellow fire raced over her, altering her appearance, to...

To me.

A carbon copy of myself, right down to my mane length, and the sheen of my fin, stalked towards me. I should have known it was going to be something like this. “And how long you were disguised as me?”

I (Mirra) answered the question. “Well, you have a lesson with me tomorrow. Luna wants to sit in on it. I had supper with Marmalade; she even gave me a kiss. A few guards thought it would be fun to harass me, so I threw them into a wall. I don’t think they will spend that long in the infirmary, though. I did have to put up with the acting captain of the guard for a little bit, after that; he thought it prudent to lecture me and threaten to throw me into a cell. Thankfully, he seemed to back off after I told him to go shove it up his ass.” Mirra tapped a hoof against her chin. “Hmm what else... Oh yes. Celestia thinks your favorite food is pickled beets. You told her as much, at least.”

Of course she did. I hate pickled beets. I wanted to go find a wall to pound my head against in frustration. “Why?”

“Quit whining,”” she ordered, finally returning to her normal appearance. “I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have done yourself.”

Unfortunately, she was probably right. That is, except–

“Except for the pickled beets,” teacher added. “So tell me, what was so important that you had to run off into the city?”

I almost told her. Honest to the masters, I almost opened my mouth and told her everything. It was only as the first syllable was beginning to form that I realized my mistake. I might trust Mirra immensely, but ultimately, she answered to the council. She wasn’t one to shy away from her duties, so if I told her, rest assured she would tell the council.

I shook my head. “Can’t say.”

“Well, next time perhaps I won’t feel so obligated to cover for your mistakes. Understand?”

I could only nod.

“Well, in that case, I will be taking my leave. I shall be seeing you bright and early in the morning.”

I couldn’t prevent the groan from escaping. “How early?” It took me a long time, when I was younger, to understand that when Mirra said early, she meant early.

“Seeing as how we don’t want to inconvenience Princess Luna, oh, say roughly four o’clock.”

Great... Less than seven hours of sleep. “Night, Mirra.”

I could hear her smirk as she walked past me. “Night, Amethyst.”


> Chapter XXIV - Training
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Again, Amethyst,” Mirra ordered.

Sweat dripped down my face as I drew the magic to my horn. I held the magic there for a moment, letting me concentrate on the shape once more, then I released the power.

This morning had started out pleasantly as I could have hoped: meeting the floor face first. True to her word, Teacher had come for me precisely at four o’clock. I hadn’t been awake, so naturally she thought it would be appropriate to pull me off the bed. She didn’t bother to catch me. Thankfully Marmalade didn’t wake up in time to hear my indignant squawk.

Still, I could hardly complain; it was far from the worst way Mirra had ever woken me. One time she thought it was appropriate to carry me all the way out to my town’s lake before throwing me in. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn she had been trying to make her life a little easier and off her apprentice.

Anyhow, I had been practicing my magic for a couple of hours now. Mirra would tell me to do something, then I had to try my damndest to follow her instructions. The only problem was with how picky she was. If so much as a strand of hair, or a line of colour was out of place in my illusions, she would call me out on it.

“Well, that’s something I’ve never seen before,” Teacher commented. I would have had to been deaf to miss the sarcasm in her voice.

I sighed, examining the image of Luna for any flaws. “What is it this time?”

“Why, I never realized it is possible for someone to completely forgot what they already learned and practiced over and over. Scale, Amethyst; most everything is fine save the scale.”

This would be a whole whack less awkward if the real Luna wasn’t sitting about twenty paces away, watching this whole affair. Mirra called it “creating illusions from direct visual cues”. More likely, she just wanted to watch me squirm. And if there is one thing which should make any stallion squirm is when “scale” or any similar word, is used in relation to a mare.

I almost didn’t want to ask. “What’s the problem?”

“Really, Amethyst? You’re standing there and you can’t even tell you made her ass too small.”

I believe my brain shut down for a moment. There it is, mares and gentlecolts: Mirra! Blunter than a sledgehammer, with all the tact of a hungry parasprite. Groaning, I snuck a glance a Luna. Her neutral expression had just taken on the slightest hint of a frown, as if the smell of sour milk had wafted past. I sparred an apologetic smile before bringing my attention back to my illusion.

“Well, Amethyst? I’m waiting,” Mirra said.

I thought about fixing it, but I really couldn’t put up with this. I sighed and let the magic dissipate. “What is the point of all of this?” I asked.

“I don’t recall asking you to stop.”

“Mirra, really. Why can’t you ease up just a little?”

For a moment, she looked ready to bite my head off, but her expression eased. “I guess we have been at this long enough. You did a good job today.”

After all that, she tells me I did a good job? “Hang on a moment,” I protested, “what’s with you? Is there something you want me to do?”

Mirra sighed, and turned back to me. “The whole point of this exercise was to make you uncomfortable. When you get tired, you make mistakes. That’s why we have been going for so long. Same sort of things happen when you get angry, or when you get uncomfortable. If you don’t want to cast an illusion, it’s easy to make a mistake. I kept pressing you because I wanted to see if you could keep your composure.”

“And did I?”

“You did, though you could have been a little faster with forming the spells. Time isn’t a luxury you will always have.” She paused for a moment and glanced over her shoulder at Luna. “Your ass was fine by the way, Princess.”

To her credit, Luna managed to ignore the comment. “Yes, well, if you have finished, I would like to extend you an invitation to eat breakfast with myself, Celestia and Cadance.”

“I take it Amethyst is coming too?” she asked.

Luna nodded. “That is, unless he has other plans.”

“Eh, why not. Could use a nice breakfast for a change. Can I ask you for a bucket of water first?”

“Bucket of wat…” she trailed off as her eyes came to rest on me.

I sighed. “Just get it over with.” The deluge of water was at the very least warm and a gust of hot air followed right on the heels of the first spell. I blinked away a few drops of water. “I could have just had a shower… but thanks, I guess.”

“You’re welcome, Amethyst. Now come, they are waiting for us.”

“What time is it anyway?”

“A little past seven if I am correct,” she answered.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Fragrances of freshly cut fruit and warm bread saturated my smell as we entered the dining room. Celestia and Cadance were sipping at cups of tea, but it was the butler who noticed us first. A few empty chairs were pulled back slightly from the table, then placements and cutlery were laid out for the three of us. The two alicorns sitting greeted us with smiles as we approached the table. Celestia was looking much better; she had traded out the pad of bandages for a pure white eyepatch.

Still, I couldn’t stop the joke from forming on my tongue, but to my surprise, Mirra beat me to it. “If you’re going for the pirate look, a black eyepatch might work a little better.” 

Rather than scowling at the jibe, Celestia gave a light titter. “I was prepared to use a black one before Cadance pointed out the image it leant me. It should only be a few more days before my eye is healed. Thank you for coming, by the way.”

“I’m guessing you wanted to speak with me.” Mirra leaned back to let a maid place a dish in front of her.”

She nodded. “There is. I hate to spoil breakfast with talk of politics, but I am afraid I must. We wish to establish communications with the changeling nation.”

Mirra raised an eyebrow. “Nation isn’t the word I would use, but regardless, do you remember the last time you made this request?”

“I do. However, I am hoping cooler heads will prevail this time. I do not believe that was the time or place for such in-depth discussion.”

I half raised my hoof. “Can I cut in for a moment?” I went ignored.

Teacher signed, and set down the fork she had just picked up. “For the moment, the council has made it quite clear they have no intention of doing so until they are ready. That is, if they even decide to speak with you. Still, I will pass along your request.”

Luna frowned. “Could you elaborate as to your duties for the council? You have been present, but we have seen naught of any others such as you, or your…” She struggled to find the right word. “Companion.”

“Let’s make one thing clear first: I despise his beliefs. There are far too many ponies I call friends for me to believe that.”

“I said nothing of the sort.”

Mirra met Luna’s gaze for a few seconds before looking away. “Right, anyway, I was assigned to handle the situation primarily here in the castle, but to an extent Canterlot. Others were assigned various areas of Equestria to collect information for the council. When I found out Amethyst was here, I took advantage of his presence to make sure I was assigned here by the council. After all, it was only logical that a teacher be placed with their student when I am just as capable as any other.”

“You what?” I exclaimed.

Again, I was ignored. “Had I not manipulated their selection, the position would have likely been given to another who may have been closed minded, like Mrtic”

“And we thank you for that,” Luna answered. “But why tell us all of this? What changed your earlier stance?”

“We are a race that thrives upon emotions, whether they belong to changelings or otherwise. An illusionist is generally allowed to act as their discretion prescribes, because, traditionally, the power held by an illusionist came from other changelings. The more power that an illusionist has, the more leeway they were allowed, so long as it related to matters only of their hive. Of these illusionists, and other areas of our society, the council appoints a number to act on their behalf.”

“You were appointed, correct?”

Mirra nodded. “So long as my actions do not intrude upon the orders of a senior member, or the council, I am permitted to act as I wish so long as it ensures the safety of changelings.”

“And you told us because…”

“Partly it is my discretion, but the council has finally realized that our race’s presence will no longer remain a secret without using ridiculous methods. Knowing how we operate might help quell some of the incorrect assumptions you’ve made. ”

“What kind of methods are we talking about?”

Mirra grimaced. “The expulsion of ponies from changeling inhabited areas, or extermination within a localized area. Trust me, the idea—and the council member—was nearly tossed out for suggesting it and he was forced to take a leave of absence when he showed the plans.”

My mouth fell open. I could understand if they were seeking reparations, and, to a degree, I could understand wanting to kick ponies out of a few areas, but extermination? Holy hell that wasn’t something that should even be joked about. 

Evidently the princesses felt the same way, if their expressions were anything to go by. “Who would even wish that upon another?” Cadance whispered.

“My backers thought very much the same thing.”

Celestia gave a soft sigh. “Mirra, I don’t make this request lightly, knowing that you’re expected to remain loyal to your council. But, if—”

“Oh trust me,” Mirra interrupted. “If something like that ever happens, I would vacate my position in a heartbeat. There are lines that should never be crossed, but unfortunately, I know there are some in your government who have said similar things about us.”	

The conversation sort of died after that. With such a weighty subject on everyone’s minds, it didn’t really inspire much enthusiasm. Still, I had to say something, but nothing came to mind.

The clock at the signI looked back down at my food, before pushing it away my plate and rose from my seat. “I think I’m going to go for a walk.”

“Sit back down, Amethyst,” Mirra ordered. “There’s something else we have to talk about.” I did not like the tone of her voice, but abided. “Princesses, I believe I owe you an apology.”

“Whatever for?” Luna asked.

“Yesterday, Amethyst snuck out of the castle for several hours.”

In an instant, you could hear a pin drop as they looked to me. Luna half looked like she wanted to leap across the table and wring my neck. I shrunk in my chair, half considering using a spell to try and run away.

“And did Amethyst inform anypony before he did so?” Luna said, gritting her teeth.

“I think that would defeat the purpose of sneaking.” I was damn close to hyperventilating now. “The point of the exercise was for him to leave, move around city undetected, and return. I’m proud to say that he succeeded.”

It took me a moment to get what she was doing, far longer than it took Celestia. “Are you saying that you asked him to?” she asked.

“Yes I am.” Mirra hadn’t ratted me out; she was covering for me.

“Then who did I speak to yesterday?”

“That was me. I realized after the fact I should have told you.”

I licked my lips. “Teacher, what—”

“<Quiet, Amethyst>” she chittered harshly. “However, I will be repeating the exercise.”

Luna shook her head. “It is not safe.”

“And? Amethyst is not a colt. He can take care of himself, and last time I checked, as his teacher, his safety was my concern, not yours.”

“Mirra, please,” Celestia cut in. “It may not be our obligation to guarantee his safety, but don’t believe for a second we don’t care for his wellbeing.”

“Well we can discuss your thoughts on it, if you would like.”

I was bound to give myself away if I didn’t busy myself with something. I lifted the fork, and lifted a bit of the pasta to my mouth. Really, who serves pasta in the morning? Despite what it looked like, it smelled bloody amazing.

Wish I could same for the taste. I spat it out after a single bite, struggling not to retch. “What the hell?” I asked, reaching for my glass of water to try and wash down the taste.

Celestia appeared confused. “It’s just pasta garnished with a sweet sauce made from pickled beets. You told me as… much…” she trailed off as she put the pieces together. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Mirra, does it?”

The corner of Mirra’s mouth quirked upwards. “Depends on your way of looking at things.”

“My apologies, Amethyst. I’ll have something else made up.”

I shrugged. “It’s fine.” Truth be told, however, I was sort of disappointed. I thought it was going to be great.

Across from me Cadance rose from her seat. “Celestia, may Amethyst and I be excused?”

“Of course you may,” she answered. “Mirra, I am hoping you are willing to stay a little longer.”

“I can for a bit,” Teacher answered.

I started to follow Cadance, but I glanced back over my shoulder at Mirra. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but in private. Wait, there was one way…

“<Mirra,>” I said in the changeling language, “<Why did you do that for me?>”

“<I may have my responsibilities to the council, but I was your teacher first. If I carry on, it is only because there are others watching.>” When I realized what she meant by that, I had to stop myself from rushing over to give her a hug. Teacher wasn’t going to let her duties stop her from helping me, though I am sure she had her limits.

“<Thank you so much.>”

“<Anytime.>”

Seeing me finished, Cadance ushered me into the hall and away from the dining room. Their voices faded as we walked away.

“What was that?” I heard Celestia ask.

“Oh, nothing much,” Mirra lied. “He was just asking me how to pronounce something. Amethyst has never… that…” 

As her words faded off into the background I turned to Cadance. “So: good or bad?”

Cadance glanced over in puzzlement. ‘Pardon?”

I stepped to the side for a moment to let a servant wheeling a cart pass. “How did the press conference go? Good or bad?”

Her sigh caused my heart to plummet. “As far as I can tell, it went well, but until all the papers and magazines are published, it’s hard to say.” Cadance directed me down another hallway, pausing in front of a massive glass window. Her eyes seemed to be locked on something, but I couldn’t seem to make out what. All I saw depicted in the glass was a fair of some sorts. She shook her head and gestured for me to follow. “The entire time I was speaking, it wasn’t like they had trouble accepting what I said, but rather that they didn’t want to. A few ponies even wanted me to bring out Chrysalis, on the idea that my word wasn’t enough.”

“That wouldn’t have done any good.”

She nodded wearily. “If they would just give us some more time, everything would be sorted out so much faster.” She shrugged. “I suppose that is just common nature, however.”

“Was there something else you wanted to show me?”

Cadance’s ears perked right up as a smile sprung to her face. “Yes, in fact.”

I waited for her to tell me.

A moment passed.

“Well?” I asked.

She grinned. “You’ll just have to wait and see.” We continued for a few more steps, before she suddenly skipped ahead. But more than that, I could feel the happiness pouring off her. Seriously, did someone put something in her cereal?

The source of Cadance’s good mood became apparent when we came across somepony else wandering the halls: her husband. She rushed forward to give Shining Armor a hug, forcing him back onto his haunches. It was good to see him up; even though he was an ass, he didn’t deserve any lasting damage.

“Was this it?” I asked.

Shining Armor titled his head. “It?”

Cadance waved hoof dismissively. “I told Amethyst there was something he should see. And no, Amethyst, Shining isn’t the surprise. Though, he is not unrelated.”

His brow furrowed for a moment. “Oh, you mean—” A zipper over his mouth cut off his next words.

The glow around Cadance’s horn faded. “Hush you.”

He dispelled the spell a moment later, rolling his eyes. “Regardless, Amethyst, could I speak with you in private for a moment?”

“I’ll just wait a little bit ahead,” Cadance offered. She strolled down the hall, taking in the pictures and art lining the walls.

“What is it?” I asked, once she was out of earshot.

“You heard what happened to me the other day, right?” He didn’t let me answer. “It wasn’t just some random pony who attacked me, it was a guard.”

I managed to looked reasonably surprised. “What, but I thought…”

He nodded his head in agreement, buying the act. “I thought they would all be loyal too, but somepony in the guard has disobeyed the princesses orders, assisted in the escape suspects and attacked an officer. I never thought I would say this, but there is a traitor in the guard.”

It wasn’t hard to tell that he didn’t like admitting it. “Gee, you mean like those guys from the shower the other day?”

The scowl was instant. “That is not the same. Granted, they disobeyed orders, but they were acting in the moment, and not thinking ahead. Much of the guard, especially the city guard, are still angry about the invasion, maybe rightfully so. The guard who attacked me was different. He planned it out in advance.”

Ah, if only he knew how little of a plan I actually had had at the time. “So what are you telling me this for?”

“If you see anything out of the ordinary, tell me. Understood?”

I rolled my eyes and started to follow Cadance. “Right, sure thing.” 

Shining muttered something under his breath, but came after me. Though the temptation was there for me to have a little fun at Shining’s expense, I knew I probably shouldn’t. 

Probably.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn that Cadance was just walking us around in circles. Thankfully, we weren’t, but the route could not have been more convoluted. Cadance simply explained it away as more recent additions to the castle not matching perfectly with the new ones. But really, did they serious spend however many millions of bits building this place and not take the time to notice what should have been obvious? A pre-schooler could have done a better job integrating the additions with the existing building.

Anyhow, according to Cadance, we were in the second most recent addition to the castle. She went into the great long explanation about the styles of architecture at the time, and how it differed from other parts of the castle. Obviously, Shining hadn’t heard it before, judging by the way he was actually listening (unlike me), or it could be he just wanted to listen to his wife. That, I could understand a whole lot more.

“Amethyst…” Cadance called.

“Huh, what?” I asked, twisting around to find her. She was back about twenty steps with Shining Armor in front of another door. 

She sighed. “Not that much into history I gather?” 

“… Pretty obvious, isn’t it,” I admitted.

Shining snorted. “You could say that.”

“If you had been listening, you would have found out that this part of the castle was an extension onto the medical wing to allow patients to recover in a peaceful environment.”

I stared at her blankly. “And?”

To my credit, with how much had been going on lately, I think I could be forgiven for not piecing it together sooner. Cadance knocked on the door gently. “Just try and not be too noisy. He still needs his rest.”

I finally got it, just about the same time as the door opened, revealing a familiar stallion lying on the bed: Flare. He was propped up with a mountain of pillows, and his eyes were opened, if barely. Boulder and Marmalade were there as well, as was a pale green mare, probably a nurse, standing off to the side of the room. Her sky blue mane, streaking with strands of pink, was pulled back into as tight a bun as I ever have seen.

Flare lifted his head slightly. “Hey, Amethyst,” he murmured weakly.

I wandered to the edge of the bed, distinctly aware of the eyes following me. “How are you doing, Flare?” My mouth was instantly dry.

It’s been a long time since I have seen such a tired smile. “Getting better… As well as can be expected, anyway.” 

Though I knew I shouldn’t, I wound up looking at where his legs would be. The weight of the covers pulled the fabric tightly over the two stumps. I realized I was staring when Marmalade coughed lightly. “Sorry, I—”

“It’s all right,” he hesitated, his eyelids drooping. “Better than the other way.”

Any reply I had just withered on my lips. By the time I knew what to say, Flare’s eyes had closed and he was fast asleep. The nurse who had been standing at the side of the room pulled loose a number of pillows, and carefully guided his head down to a more comfortable sleeping position. “Is he all right?” I asked.

The nurse shushed me and pointed to the door. The meaning was clear. Everyone filed outside, the nurse following and shutting the door behind her slowly, with the latch turned, as not to make a noise.

“He is recovering well from the operation, but he needs lots of rest and liquids. The pain is dulled by the medication but he will still feel a fair portion of it.”

“And long term?” Boulder asked.

“If there are no further complications, then he may be up on his hooves in two weeks, with the assistance of a wheelchair cart. Perhaps after a month, then, we could see about fitting him a set of prosthetics.” She sighed and shook her head. “But that’s the perfect situation. Chances are, there will be follow up operations and examinations, to make sure the bones and muscles are healing correctly. Physical therapy is not included in that estimation, or if his injuries fester. It would be unlikely, but a possibility nonetheless, that it might take several years before he is free of medical care.”

The answer clearly shook Boulder, and not without reason. He and his brother didn’t run some convenience store for a living, they ran a farm, which required hard physical work. Once his legs healed, Flare could probably do some of the lighter chores, but the problem was once they healed. If it took years, then Boulder would be running the farm by himself, and no doubt having to look after his brother. If such a thing happened, it would ruin them.

Cadance cut off my train of thought. “If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

The nurse chuckled. “Would it surprise you to know that you are the third princess I have heard say that?”

“Thank you, princess,” Boulder said. 

Perhaps it had something to do with the way Boulder couldn’t help his brother, but his words reminded me of a nagging feeling at the back of my mind which had been making me agitated all morning: the sense of uselessness while I was at the castle. With Ocean Wind and Starlight, or whoever else they’ve picked up, I could do something. Breakfast this morning, listening to Mirra talk to the council, and, as much as it pains me to admit it, coming and seeing Flare, all left me feeling a sort of helplessness. 

Here, bound by all the restrictions, meetings, conversation and questions, I couldn’t do anything meaningful. Granted, it wasn’t entirely worthless, but beyond acting as an in-between for Chrysalis and Celestia and helping Cadance, what could I do? If they just stopped bickering, I’m sure Chrysalis could get along with others, and any changeling could help Cadance and Marmalade with their thing. It took only a few more moments to understand what I was going to do.

“Cadance,” I began, “the surprise was nice, but I need to get going.”

She looked surprised. “Where?”

“I just remembered Mirra wanted me to do something later today,” I fibbed. In truth, I just wanted to get back into the city.

“Where, and what?” Shining Armor asked, but his tone made it sound like a demand.

I shrugged. “Just training stuff. I’ll probably be back later tonight.”

Marmalade looked put off. “I wanted you to help us with another talk today. “

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to try another changeling. This thing with Mirra is really important.”

“And where are we going to find another changeling? You’ve told me that most of them aren’t quite fluent in Equestrian. Plus after what happened to them, would they even want to help?”

I racked my mind for a moment before I came up with someone. “Cytri might help you if you ask.”

“What?” she exclaimed. “It’s just for a couple of hours.”

She was pushing me when I really didn’t want her pushing me. “Marmalade, I just really need the time. I swear I’m not ditching you for something trivial. Mirra really needs my help with this.”

“And again, I’ll ask, what and where?” Shining said.

It became obvious I wasn’t getting anywhere without an excuse, or something more. However, given the situation, there were only a few things they might possibly believe. “Well, the council asked her to investigate a couple of things. Mirra wanted my help doing it.”

His nostrils flared at my lie. “So you are going to be working for the changelings, the same changelings who attacked the princesses? Are you insane?”

Ah, now I remember why I don’t like him. So blindly loyal it hurts. “Oh, just give it a rest It’s not like I’m going to be kidnapping ponies.” In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the best joke to make.

“Amethyst, there are quite a few ponies still missing after the invasion, and there is a good chance that the council had a part in it. Don’t trust them.”

“Gee, thanks mister obvious,” I snarked. “I sure as hell don’t trust them, but I trust Mirra.”

“And she is working for them,” he shot back. “Is it really that hard to believe she might be taking advantage of you? For all we know, she could have been told to find a way to abduct ponies discretely.”

“And it really that hard to believe you’re a colossal idiot? I trust her. I’ve known her for half my life.” 

“So, how long was it, that she didn’t come see you at all? What was it… five years or something?”

Cadance interrupted before things could escalate any further. “Dear, Mirra actually spoke with us this morning. She told us about the position she holds in regards to the changeling council. If it is just an investigation, and Amethyst insists we can trust her… Well, given what we know, I’d allow Mirra the benefit of the doubt. All right?”

He scowled, but relented. Though, his emotions hardly told the same story. Surely he should  have been at least a bit more resentful. No, ten to one odds he would have a guard, or even a few try and follow us undercover. Bet we could lose them after two blocks. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“<And that’s what you told them?>” Mirra chittered quietly in Changic.

“<I needed a way to get out into the city. It wasn’t like there were many good reasons to skip out on Cadance,>” I replied quietly.

After I had finished my conversation, I had gone to get Mirra. Thankfully, she picked up on my lie pretty quickly, and fleshed out some of the details to Celestia and Luna. From there, it was just a short walk out of the castle. I wore my usual disguise: a black unicorn, while Mirra took the one she used to wear around my town. A goldenrod coloured coat, and a topaz mane made her look enough like my mother to be her sister, and my aunt. That was the story we had gone with, and it looked like we needed it again.

If only it didn’t bother me so much.

“<Actually,>” she replied, “<it would have been better had you just gone with her. That way, I could have made the switch with you, and have chosen your words more diplomatically.>”

I blinked; that actually was a pretty good idea. “<Sorry, Teacher, I didn’t know you’d be up for it.>”

“<And that’s the only reason I’m not going to tan your hide for using me like this.>”

Those were the last private words we could share before we entered the city.