> Tales from the Second Age of Magic
>  by VeganSpyro97
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: The Return
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1:
It seemed that hospitals, those buildings so armed to the teeth to perform life altering and saving miracles on a daily basis, were all exclusively white walled and so full of disinfectants that the air became a cloying, gag-inducing nausea fest that was almost worth going to the doctor, to examine you for any kind of life-threatening malady that could arise from breathing in so many of the noxious fumes...At least, if the doctors themselves weren’t busy coughing their lungs up from exposure to the same chemicals. 
As such, Canterlot hospital seemed like all the rest, and in truth, were it not for its location and most frequent clientele being the rich, famous and powerful Canterlotian elite, would be interchangeable with a great number of its brethren, with little ramifications, save for the whining of nobles at having to deal with “common, peasant doctors”. 
So the buttery coloured Pegasus who walked in that evening was noticed immediately for how out of place she was. She wasn’t a noble, or even from Canterlot at all, but instead, she hailed from the much smaller township of Ponyville, to the direct south of the marble towered, capital city of Canterlot. Her pink mane was long, hanging down almost to the floor, before it curled up on itself, as though the very idea of touching the ground was a concept that terrified the brightly coloured strands. Her tail had no such issues, dragging a little behind her, yet managing to stay pristine and untrodden in the busy foyer of the medical facility. 
For three months, the pegasus had been visiting the hospital, taking the time to fly all by her lonesome, up to the great capital city, all the way from Ponyville, far below. And the reason was personal. 
“You can go in, Miss Shy.” The mare at the receptionists desk called almost immediately, having noticed her arrival the moment she walked in. “The Doctor just finished checking on him.”
“Thank you, Quick Keys. I’ll make sure to mention how helpful you were.” Fluttershy smiled as she trotted easily past.
“But- ma’am, all I said was that he was ready for your visit! You don’t have to-”
“Quick.” Fluttershy turned her head slightly so she could catch the mare’s gaze. “You’re so nice to everyone. It’s the least I can do.”
Quick Keys stared after the yellow mare for a moment before she simply chuckled and smiled fondly. “That mare...always too kind.”
Fluttershy continued down the familiar corridors with a reserved smile and a few kind words for those who crossed her path, until she reached the ward she was visiting: Thaumic Recovery Ward.
She retraced the steps she had taken for the last three months, until she passed under the sign for room TU-42-b. It stood for: Thaumic Unit, room number 42, sub-room b, where a single patient lay in seclusion, amongst the best medical and thaum-medical equipment that money could buy. Not that the state would charge this patient, when he was the student of the Princess of the Night. 
Allan Ryder, former human, Changeling warrior, friend to many, student of the Luna Diarch, and one of the heroes of the Battle of Vancouver, lay encased in the stony remains of his own chitin, the magic that was still attempting to save his life gleaming from the many cracks that splintered and darted across the stone shell like the seemingly random and chaotic twists his- and by extension, her life as well, seemed to have taken. She was familiar with each and every one of those cracks, and remembered each and every turn their lives had taken. Even when nothing at all was happening, life just seemed...more vibrant when Allan Ryder was walking beside her. Closing her eyes did not remove the image from her mind. It only made it worse, as the stone became flesh and he choked on his own, superheated blood once again.
She opened her eyes, and the vision remained for a moment. She loved him. And she had no doubts that he lover her just as much. 
“Hello again.” She said. “I’m back.”
Of course he said nothing, still bound in magical sleep that kept him from awakening before he was properly healed. 
“I….wanted to tell you about Katie.” Fluttershy smiled softly at the mention of the other transformed human in her life. “She’s doing so well. She reminds me of you, actually, the way she was stumbling about and being clumsy...and slowly getting more confident.” Shy smiled broadly, remembering how Katie had knocked over the exact same vase that Allan had only a few weeks into his time on Equus. They had reacted the same way. Apologizing profusely, and promising to make it up to her. And her reaction was the same both times as well. Repairing the vase with a smile while telling them not to worry. 
“She’s starting her flying lessons tomorrow.” Shy continued. “She’s been doing wing exercises all week to get herself ready.”
Allan remained silent. 
“But...oh, never mind. I wouldn’t want to spoil it.” Fluttershy reached into her saddlebags and pulled out the flowers she had brought for him. She deftly plucked the ones from the glass jug on the room’s windowsill with her wingtips, then gently inserted the new ones inside. “I know how much you like daisies and sunflowers, so...I got you a bouquet. It’s got pink roses and these lovely blue flowers, too. I think Twilight said they were Morning Glories, but they look really nice. I….I hope you wake up soon.” The mare bowed her head to the petrified figure on the bed, mane hanging over her eyes. “Luna says it should be soon, but…..I’m scared that you’ll never wake up. I….I don’t want that to happen.”
She stared at him for a little longer, before she started to cry. She did not make a sound, but the tears rolled down her muzzle. “Please come back. I don’t care how. Just come back.” She whimpered. “I...I love you.”
“Awww, I love you too.”
Fluttershy’s head jerked up at the sound. The stone around her coltfriends mouth had crumbled away, leaving his muzzle exposed. It was rounder, and much fuzzier than she remembered, and still slightly constrained by the stone around it. “Uh….a little help? I’m kinda stuck.”
Fluttershy gasped, tears gushing from her eyes in rivers, as she darted forward to kiss him, eagerly. 
They parted after a few moments, Allan grinning stupidly up at her. “That feels so good. But….uh...I’m still stuck.”
“Oh! Right!” Fluttershy galloped to the door, and let her lungs do their job. “DOCTOR!! HE’S AWAKE!!!”
“Ow! That hurt! Since when could you yell that loudly?” Allan asked. His voice was a lot lighter than she remembered, and a little raspier, but that could easily be because of dust in his throat. 
“Um...I think I’ve needed to yell at things before…..just, I don’t normally do it around ponies…..it’s not polite.” Shy stammered, a sheepish smile on her muzzle. Then it broadened into a bright grin. “I’m so happy you’re awake!!! I could just...just… EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”
Allan chuckled. “Kay, now that you’ve deafened me, can I trade in my other disability?”
The Doctor came in a that moment, took one look at Allan, and turned to the assistant who had trotted in behind him. “Get someone to go get the Princess! She’ll want to know her Knight is awake.”
The mare nodded, saluting the doctor before galloping off down the corridor. 
“Alright, let’s get those pieces of chitin off.” The Doctor grinned, horn lighting up, and starting to gently cut into the stone with a beam of magic. 
“Wait, this is my chitin?” Allan asked, confused. “What happened to it?”
“You don’t remember?” Fluttershy asked, worried that his memory may have been damaged. 
“Well, no. I remember jumping up to Anna’s cage...and watching her....I didn’t imagine that, did I? She’s really….gone?”
Fluttershy nodded. “We searched everywhere, but there was just….nothing.”
Allan fell silent for a moment. “After that I was….burning. Everything hurt for a long time...and then….I remember seeing all of you, and then...nothing….” 
Memory intact, good. He was okay.
“You saved the city with your stunt, but I’m afraid you burnt out the biological components of your magical systems that were linked to Unicorn and Changeling magic, to the point that there was nothing left to save.” The Doctor explained, looking at his patient sheet, having removed it from where it had been hung on the end of the bed. “Princess Twilight was able to devise a solution that, frankly, shouldn’t have worked at all. The official statement she gave is very...detailed, but the general idea was that she drained the magic from your body, stopping the continued damage to your body, repaired as much as she possibly could, then used the magic of both Ser Rainbow Dash and Ser Fluttershy to stimulate your surviving Pegasi magical systems, so that they would continue to keep you alive. Princess Twilight also explained that the result of your Changeling magic being utterly stripped from you resulted in your chitin metamorphosing in the extreme heat, encasing you in it. Now that you are sufficiently healed, it is safe to remove it.”
Allan blinked. “That was the simple version?”
The doctor, who was named Stethoscope, frowned at him. “Be thankful you didn’t have to read the entire thing.”
“Ouch.” Fluttershy muttered, knowing full well how overboard Twilight went with details. 
The doctor carved off the first piece of stone, a chunk that was covering Alan's left eye, and it fell free with a soft thump on the bed-covers. 
“Oh, thank the sisters.” Allan grinned. “Thought I’d gone blind on top of everything else.”
The Doctor grunted, already working on the other eye.
“So...what have I missed?”
“A lot.” Fluttershy grinned. “Your sister came back with us-”
“KATIE’S HERE?! WHERE?!” Allan nearly leapt off the bed….or, he would have, if he could move his legs. He still managed to get himself zapped by the Doctor’s spell though, eliciting a high pitched yelp from the transformed human. 	
“Please remain still, Ser Ryder.” Stethoscope admonished. “I’d rather not have to explain to the Princess why you are missing your head.”
“......If that spell can cut through rock, shouldn’t I be dead now?”
Stethoscope grinned. “Be thankful I know how to cast safeguards on my patients.”
Allan gulped. “Uh….thanks?”
“You’re welcome. Now sit still. I’d hate for you to lose that lovely new coat of fur.”
“I HAVE FUR NOW?!”
“Ser Ryder, please.”
“Oh….sorry.”
Fluttershy giggled at the exchange, covering her mouth with her hoof. “Well, Katie’s learning how to walk around, and she’s starting flight lessons tomorrow. We, uh, agreed that I should do it this time, instead of Rainbow”
“What….what is she?” Allan asked.
“A Pegasus. She came through with me.”
“Ah.” Allan shifted his eyes down. Much of his head was still encased in stone, but the Doctor had moved on to his barrel, removing a piece from his breast, revealing shiny, bronze coloured fur. “And...is everyone else...okay?”
“Everyone’s fine…. A little….more...nervous now, but we’re getting better.”
“You all were….hurt, by what happened...weren’t you?”
Fluttershy gazed into those familiar, yet different, blue eyes. “Yes. Wouldn’t anyone?”
“What about you? You...you’re the one who actually...killed her.”
Fluttershy shuddered at the memory. The sight of the arrow she had fired sticking out of Chrysalis’s neck like an over-sized tree branch......ugh... “It...it’s difficult, some days...But I’ll be fine. She would have killed us. We...we had to. It could have been any of us, right?”
Allan remained silent, but nodded in agreement. “It could have been anyone.”
Stethoscope stopped his cutting for a moment, listening intently to the conversation. He’d helped clean up the aftermath, but he hadn’t seen the battle itself. Over three hundred ponies had died that day. Yet these ponies showed remorse for killing their enemy, even when she was responsible for every death. Remarkable…He resumed his cutting, removing a piece of stone along Allan's ribs.
“So...anything else? How long have I been like this?”
“Three months.” Stethoscope chimed in. 
“Three…..months….” Allan murmured. “Is….is there any way we can let my parents know I’m okay?”
“The Princesses gave them a magical journal that they can use to stay in contact with us. You write a message in it, and it’ll appear in their book. Like those phones you told me about.” Fluttershy leaned in to give Allan a reassuring nuzzle.
“So, quick question.” Allan frowned, after nuzzling his marefriend back. “What’s up with my voice?”
“Your voice?” 
“Yeah. It’s all higher pitched and scratchy.” 
Fluttershy cocked her head. So it wasn’t just her imagination then. “I thought it might be dust from the stone, getting in your mouth.”
“Nah, I don’t feel anything down there.”
“Oh…”
Stethoscope came back up to stand next to Allan and Fluttershy, and he was blushing intensely. 
“Uh, Doc? What’s wrong?”
“Well...uh- I, um….I was removing the stone between your hind legs….and uh…” 
Allan grinned. “What’s the matter Doc? I thought you wouldn’t be too fussed with seeing a sheath. You probably see tons of stallions privates in this line of work.”
The Doctor’s face lit up even brighter. “I-well-I uh, hate to inform you, but uh- there…..you….don’t have one, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? What are you going on about, I’m not…..” Allan took a moment to think about what his body was telling him, before her own face turned bright red. “Ah….um, Doctor, you can go get a female colleague to finish cutting me free if you want. While you’re at it, please let Princess Sparkle know that I’d like to see her.”
Stethoscope nodded, thankfully, before he took off like a monkey from a barrel, leaving his patient behind.
“Allan?” Fluttershy asked. “What’s going on?”
“I...I’m...uh….I’m a mare.”
“What?”
“I’m a mare…”
“......Oh…”


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


When Princess Twilight finally arrived, she took one look at the now un-encased Allan, and burst out laughing. Not the “ha-ha, that was funny" kind, but the, “ha-ha, I just messed up”, kind. Princess Luna on the other hoof was actually laughing, finding the situation immensely enjoyable for some reason. The Princess of the Night had breezed into the room just after Stethoscope left, and promptly fell over laughing.
“Very funny, Princess.” Allan griped, forelegs crossed. “I’m totally not embarrassed about this, at all.”
Luna just smirked at her, before Twilight started to beg for Allan's forgiveness. “I’m so sorry! I tried to make sure that you’d end up in a form you’d like, but this kind of magic is completely new! I had no idea what I was doing! I’m so sorry! Please don’t hate me!!”
Fluttershy and Allan looked at each other before rolling their eyes and speaking in perfect unison. “Breathe, Twilight.”
The Princess of Friendship sucked in a lungful of air, and went through several repetitions of the calming technique her fellow Princess and former foal-sitter, Princess Cadence, had taught her. “Okay…Okay….I’m calm. I’m calm.”
“Twilight, I’m not angry.” Allan stated, making her feelings as plain as possible. “All I want to know is if you can fix this.” Twilight twisted her mouth up into a wavy line, and Allan got the message. “Crap. You really can’t?”
Twilight shook her head. “When I designed the spell, I had to make sure it couldn’t reverse, otherwise you’d just end up with a body that had been burned to a crisp again, and we’d be back to square one. So I made sure that it stuck.” She winced as Allan looked down at herself, taking in everything. “I think I did too good a job.”
“So, you can’t just go back in and make a little change?”
Twilight shook her head. “You know magical spell theory, Allan. The spell on you is powerful, and as such, is prone to instability. If I go poking around in the spell’s matrix, then it would almost definitely become unstable and reverse itself. And you’d die.”
Allan looked herself over again, taking a lot longer to examine her new features critically. “Well...i guess it’s not the worst body to be stuck in. I already know how to pick things up with my hooves, and flying isn’t an issue...It’ll just be adjusting to how a mare lives. That’s all. The only thing I have to know to be okay with this is…” She turned her gaze to Fluttershy. “Are…..are you okay with this? Cause if you don’t want to be with a mare, I under- *ump!*” 
Allan was abruptly cut off by Fluttershy plugging her mouth with her own, and giving her marefriend a big, passionate kiss.
Fluttershy pulled back, and stared into Alan's eyes. “I didn’t fall in love with a stallion. I fell in love with you. I don’t care what you look like.”
Allan's open mouth and wide eyes slowly morphed into a bright, beaming grin, with glistening eyes and ears pointing perfectly upright. Without another word, she pulled Shy close and kissed her again, running a hoof through Shy’s rosy mane. 
“Methinks we should leave my student and Ser Fluttershy alone for the time being.” Luna chuckled, using her magic to usher her companions out of the door. “They have some things they need to do.”
Luna made sure to conjure up a “Do not disturb!” sign, and hung it on the door handle, before trotting to the waiting room with a laugh.

	


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


Chapter 2:

“I’m gonna need a new name.” Allan said, as she trotted out of the hospital doors a few hours later, having finally received her discharge papers. Fluttershy trotted easily alongside her, a smile never leaving her muzzle. Twilight had stayed a little while, saying she wanted to talk with Princess Celestia about something to do with Spike. 
“A new name?” Fluttershy asked, brushing back Allan's long, electric blue mane from her eyes. “What’s wrong with Allan, or even Allie?”
“I just….I want to really leave all that stuff behind me, you know?” The newly minted Pegasus flexed her wings. “I’m not a human anymore. Allan and Allie are human names, but I’m a Pony. I left my human life behind, and I think I should leave my old name behind too.”
“Are you sure? I like your name.”
Allan shook her head. “It’s not really mine anymore though, is it?”
Fluttershy’s smile did slip then, into a confused frown. “What do you mean?”
“Well, when all this started, I was a human guy who let people tell him who to be. Now I’m a Pegasus mare who found a new way to live. I’m not the same person I was…. You can call me Allie for now, but I think It’s the right thing to do. New life, new me. Does that make sense?”
Fluttershy shrugged, smile returning. “I don’t really know. But if you want a new name, then go for it. I’ll help you come up with some ideas, if you like.”
“Please do. You’ve been a pony a lot longer than I have. You’ll find it easier than I will by a long shot.” Allie chirped, almost prancing as she considered the future ahead of her, but then she stopped, frowning. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
Fluttershy smirked, hiding the grin behind her mane. “Really? Like what?”
“Something important.” 
“Liiiiiike?”
“Stop teasing me, woman! Help me remember!” Allie snapped, albeit playfully. 
“It’s probably just because you’ve been asleep for so long. Because you know you haven’t been doing something, you’re making things up to do.” Fluttershy suggested, still hiding her playful smile. 
“That….makes a lot of sense, actually.” Allie said, stopping still for a moment, before starting her bouncing trot again. “Oh well!” 
Fluttershy smiled happily at the successful diversion. She wanted it to be a surprise. 
Then she caught sight of Allie’s rear. Her wings immediately shot up. “Oh….dammit, not in public…So embarrassing….”


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


The train ride was full of ponies staring at Allie’s shimmering, metallic coat in awe. It was a trait that was unique to the mare, and had been even before her transformation from Changeling to Pegasus. Not only that, she had not lost all of her physical Unicorn and Changeling traits, meaning that she still possessed a leonine tail and a pair of sharp canines. That meant that other ponies liked to stare. 
Especially considering that everyone knew about Allan Ryder, the Bronze shelled Changeling, who was known to be in a relationship with Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. 
“Excuse me, miss?” Allie turned her head in surprise to the little turquoise coated filly who had suddenly appeared beside her, her orange mane flopping over her eyes in her excitement. She didn’t have a cutie mark yet, but somehow, Allie knew it was going to be a good one. “Do you know Allan Ryder? You look a lot like him!”
“Oh.” Allie had to cover her mouth to quiet her laughter into a chuckle. “Yes, I do know him, very well in fact!”
“Is he your brother?”
Another chuckle. “No little one. He isn’t.”
“Oh, my mommy said that you have to be related to know someone very well….does that mean that you don’t know him?”
Allie grinned. “Of course I know him. Because he’s me.” 
The little filly gasped up at the mare in front of her. “YOU!?” 
“Yes, little one. I’m Allan Ryder.”
“No you aren’t! You’re a Pegasus, and he’s a Changeling!”
Allie chuckled. “How about, instead of making assumptions, you let me tell you why I’m now a mare, instead of a changeling?”
The little filly seemed to find the idea of storytime very appealing, because only three minutes later, Allie was telling not only her, but a whole gaggle of young foals the story of the battle of Vancouver, and her awakening earlier that day. 
Fluttershy added in everything that Allie didn’t know, and the two wove their tale together as best they could. It was a very happy group of ponies that left that train car later on.


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


Allie and Fluttershy were welcomed back to Ponyville like heroes. Pinkie Pie had set up a party, because of course she had, and practically every townspony was overjoyed to attend. 
Allie met up with Lyra and BonBon, and had a lovely chat about how BonBon’s store had been doing, and how Lyra’s music lessons were going. 
“Ever since you turned out to be a big shot hero, loads of ponies have started visiting us.” BonBon grinned, the cream coated, blue and pink maned mare sipping at a mug of cider as she spoke. “And don’t get me started on the amount of Changeling customers I’ve been getting. They’re going nuts for my love infused candy. Even struck up a deal with King Thorax himself last month. Says he wants to give me free barrels of love charged emotion gel, and a Changeling assistant to help me discharge it, just so he can get his people a discount!”
“Only a discount? I’d have thought he’d want ‘em for free?” Allie asked, blinking owlishly. 
“Eh, he’s too nice to demand that. He knows I’d go out of business if he did that.”
“Oh! And my lessons have gotten super popular! Once ponies heard about you learning to play the guitar from me, I’ve been flooded with requests! Everypony wants to emulate their heroes, right?” Lyra babbled excitedly. The mint coloured pony bounced on the spot, happily listing off a bunch of names and their desired instruments. Allie stopped her at one in particular. 
“Scootaloo wants to learn how to play guitar?”
“Yeah! Said that she always wanted to help Sweetie with her singing, but never figured out how, at least, not until you inspired her.”
Allie beamed. “Aww, that’s wonderful! I’m glad I could help her out!” 
“They like you, you know!” BonBon chirped. “The Crusaders?”
“I know. They’re obsessed with me because I can’t get a Cutie…..mark….” The blood drained from Allie’s face. “Oh, shit! I can get one now!”
BonBon and Lyra’s knowing grins told the mare everything, and she bolted. “FLUTTERSHYYYY!!!!”
“That was mean.” The two mares turned around, to see the Crusaders standing behind them. “Why’d you go and scare Allie off? We wanted to talk to her.” 
The Crusaders were growing up, that was for sure. Everypony in town knew them as the rambunctious and precocious little fillies that barely stood as tall as a grown mare’s knee. Now though, they were only a little shorter than a grown mare, the tops of their heads now in line with fully grown unicorns horns. 
They still acted like foals though.
“We wanted to ask her if she wanted us to help her find her special talent now that she’s a pony!” 
Yeah. Allie had the right idea.


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


The party was a blast, right through to the end, until night was well and truly begun, Luna’s moon shining brightly overhead as the partygoers went their separate ways. 
Fluttershy and Allie walked slowly back down the path that lead to the cottage they shared on the edge of town, wingtips curled around each others, and Allie’s tail curled around Fluttershy’s. “I wish I could get back those three months.” Allie murmured, leaning her head against Shy’s. “So much wasted time.”
Shy smiled, nuzzling Allie back. “Then make up for it now. You’ve got a lot of time to do it, to.”
Sensing something more to that comment, Allie turned to look Shy in the eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Did we ever tell you how long the average pony lives?” 
“If you did, I don’t remember.” Allie admitted.
“The average pony lives for, about….two hundred and fifty years. Give or take a few decades.” Shy said, with a grin.
Allie stopped in her tracks, eyes wide and body trembling. “Two….hundred…”
“Yes, and that’s not the only surprise I have for you.”
“There’s more?!” Allie gasped. “On top of telling me my lifespan has been effectively doubled?!” 
“Yep!” 
Allie blinked fresh tears as they fell from her eyes, lips curved into a quivering smile. “I-I’m gonna be able to do so much! With all of you! All of our friends! With Katie and….wait…..how old are you? I don’t think I ever asked.”
“I’ll be twenty-nine this year.”
“Twenty-nine…..You’re six years older than me?”
“Five and a half. Is that a problem?”
“Sweets, if I made a problem out of this, after you just rolled with me being a mare, then I would deserve a kick in the….well, I don’t have balls anymore, so let’s say head.”
Shy chuckled, eyes flitting up through the silver dappled pathway, to where the cottage they had shared for the last thirteen months stood. Built into a tree, crawling with all kinds of cute little animal friends, and their own little sanctuary amid the madness of the world. Home.
Allie’s eyes alighted on the structure too. “It’s good to be back.”
“It’s good to have you back.” Shy returned, planting a quick kiss on her marefriends cheek. “I missed you a lot.” 
“I missed you too.” Allie returned the kiss, before getting a cheeky look in her eyes and turning the kiss into a lick on the side of Shy’s face. 
“ALLIE!!” Fluttershy squealed, jumping away, cheeks burning. “That’s not for outside!”
Allie grinned. “No one else is here, sweetie. Nopony’s gonna see!”
“Still! You don’t do that! It’s embarrassing!”
“Not for me.”
“You’re- you’re impossible!”
Allie smirked. “I know.”
Shy pouted, haughtily trotting up to the door of the cottage. “Just get inside, silly mare.”
“Sure thing….” Allie trotted over, but whispered as she walked through the door, brushing her feathers over Shy’s hip. “Butterflanks…..”
Fluttershy’s wings slapped the door frame noisily, and the mare tried desperately to hold in her outraged squeal of both delight and irritation. She couldn’t give it away, not yet, but she wanted to-
“Mama?” 
Allie stopped, body going rigid, as she heard the call. She turned, slowly, to the mare standing in the hallway, holding a little bundle in her hooves. The mare had a cream coloured coat, and a vibrant, luscious pink mane that fell across her bright green eyes, and a pair of creamy wings to go with her coat. Her eyes were wide and fixed on Allie.
“K-katie?” Allie squeaked out, unable to look away from her sister.
“Allan?” Katie’s eyes were wide, and she looked at Shy, trembling. “Is it- Is it really...?”
At Fluttershy’s nod, the mare walked slowly forward, until the two siblings united in a loving embrace. “Missed you…” Was the murmured greeting they shared, and they stayed like that for a good long while. Allie and Kate both sniffled into each others shoulders, heads and necks pressed against each others. 
But all hugs must, sadly, end. So the two broke apart, and Allie turned her attention to the little bundle, eyes wide, even slightly unfocused. “I remember….I know what I was forgetting now.”
She gently pulled back the blanket wrapped around the little figure, and gazed upon the little form inside. 
The little Changeling was barely out of her nymph stage, her chitin still soft, pale and covered in slight speckles that made her resemble Pinkie Pie’s favourite set of cushions up at Twilight’s Castle. She had bright, intelligent green eyes like her birth mother, but the similarities ended there. While her birth mother had been cruel, this innocent little creature was without that flaw, instead full of curiosity and wonder. The chitin on her face gave an idea of what she would one day look like, a pale gray, almost white colour, that was offset by a forest green mane and a ruff of identically coloured fur growing around her neck. 
The little changeling looked to Fluttershy, and called again. “Mama!”
Shy moved slowly, her muzzle creased in a soft smile as she took the little one from Katie’s hooves. “Hello, little one. Mama’s here. Mama’s back. And she brought you someone else to play with! Yes she did! This is your mama…..” She looked up, catching Allie’s eye, and whispered back to her. “You might as well choose now. She’s only gonna be calling you by it for the rest of our lives.”
Allie blinked, before bowing her head, and turning her thoughts inward, thinking hard on the kind of name she would want. She wanted to do right by this little nymph. So she had to think about what kind of person she wanted to be. 
Was she a cutesy little doofus of a mare? Nah, that didn’t suit her. Was she a terrifying matron? Definitely not. She was somewhere in between, really. So she’d need a name that fit that role, something both steadfast, and bold. Both fluid, and solid. Something….static, yet thunderous…...wait a moment…...that sounded like a good name for a Pegasus, didn’t it? Thunder….Static…...Thunder. The storm that would rage in her name, and always be her friend.
“I’m your mama Static, little one.” Static Thunder said, for the first time. “And I am very glad to meet you.”
> Chapter 2: In Need of a Name
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, have you decided on a name yet?” Static looked up at Twilight in surprise. They’d met up for lunch with the girls, and Twilight’s question had come completely out of left field, leaving Static and Fluttershy confused.
“Uh, a name? I thought I already told you that-”
“You’re going by Static Thunder, now, we know.” Rarity nodded, flipping her expertly coiffed mane with a flick if her head. “We meant for the little one! You can’t just keep calling her ‘the Nymph’, forever now, can you, darling?”
Fluttershy blushed at the embarrassment of being called out on the subject, and let her mane slip over her face, so she could hide from-
“Whoa whoa, where do you think you’re hiding that face, Shy?” Rainbow grinned, reaching across the table and lifting Shy’s mane back out of the way with her hoof. Dash accidentally smeared some of the remains of their hayburger meal across her belly in doing so, which Rarity immediately took umbrage at. 
“Rainbow! Manners, please! You’ve gone and painted yourself in ketchup!”
“Bite me.” Rainbow grinned. “Shy’s not hiding under her mane this time! Tell us! You gotta have some ideas!”
“Oh- uh, well- I- we….”
“Rainbow! Pipe down and stop forcin’ her!” Applejack chided her pegasus friend. “Landsakes girl! You know she’s still shy! Just cuz she’s more confident don’t mean y’all can act as if she’s like you!”
“Yes, Dash. Please stop harrassing my marefriend.” Static chimed in. “It’s making me nervous.”
Rainbow grinned, leering across at Static. “Why? Scared I’ll steal her from you?”
Static returned her grin. “Nah. I’m worried she’ll break your spine when giving you a massage.”
Rainbow flinched. They all knew what Fluttershy could do to a bear who needed a massage. The same strength would break every bone in whichever pony it was used against. Their friends all laughed a little at Dash’s expense, before returning to the main topic.
“So, you do have a few ideas, right?” Twilight asked. “I can do a bit of research on popular filly names, if you’d like?”
“Yes. Let’s research names in the library- again!” Rainbow said, doing her best impression of Twilight, before she broke off and groaned. “You’d already started looking into new names for Static and Katie before Static told us she’d already chosen one! Don’t go disappearing on us again, Twi! You keep diving into all these projects and we barely see you as it is!”
Twilight winced at the implications, and offered a weak smile. “Sorry girls, but I’ve been heavily involved in the study of the portals since day one. I can’t just back out now! I’m the best researcher this side of-”
“Equestria?” Static asked, cheekily.
“Minos?” Rarity chipped in, a sly smile on her face as she referenced the nation of industrious Minotaurs. 
“Griffonstone?” Dash added her two bits in, leaning back heavily in her chair, hind hooves propped up on the table. 
“The moon?” Pinkie chirped, slurping noisily on her milkshake. Everyone sans Static looked at her incredulously.”Whaaaat?”
“Come off it, girls.” Static smiled. “It happened on Earth almost fifty years ago. With magic, it’s only a matter of time before Luna starts getting visitors.”
Twilight shrugged. “True. We do have a lot of advantages.”
“Probably why no one’s thought of it yet. We only went because there was competition. You don’t have that problem.”
“Also true.” Twilight conceded. “But you still keep avoiding the issue.”
Static and Shy cocked their heads to one side. “Huh?”
“A name for the Nymph.”
The two blanked for a moment, before Static actually whimpered. “We don’t know what to pick….”
Dash groaned. “Ugh, just pick a name, and get it over with!”
“This is an important decision that will affect her for the rest of her life! A stupid name might get her bullied in school!” Fluttershy protested, ruffling her wings and shifting awkwardly on the spot. 
“Or called a weirdo.” Static muttered. “Not that having a trans mother wouldn’t do that anyway.”
Twilight frowned. “Give Equestrians some credit, Static. We’re not as bad as humans.”
“I beg to differ.” Static shot. 
“Those bullies in flight school were mean to me, even after Dash came along.” Fluttershy murmured. Pinkie quickly handed her a cupcake with a smiley face drawn in icing on the top. Nopony questioned where it had come from. 
“And Dash is still called Rainbow Crash by her fellow Wonderbolts.” Static wildly pointed a hoof in Dash’s direction, knocking over her drink in the process. “If that’s not insensitive, I don’t know what is!”
“And the Crusaders were mocked by Diamond Tiara for ages, just for not having their Cutie Marks yet!!!” Fluttershy was nearly hyperventilating now. “If we choose the wrong name, we could make her life so much harder than she deserves!”
“Equestrians are no less capable of cruelty than humans!” Static practically yelled, thumping the table with her hoof. She then sat back down, lowering her voice to almost a contralto in tone. “And I want her to have every advantage she can get. Even something as simple as the right name could change everything.”
The six other mares were silent then. Static wasn’t taking her responsibilities lightly. 
“Okay. So she needs a good, strong name.” Rarity stated, breaking the silence and drawing all attention to her. “Let’s brainstorm together. We’ll find her a good one.”
Static smiled, turning to Shy. “What do you think? Good idea?”
“Great idea.” Shy nodded. “Let’s do it.”


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


“So! We have six- no, sorry, seven potential candidates, one from each of us!” Twilight stated, looking at the slips of paper before her. They’d eventually settled on giving a suggestion each, and, being as they were all technically the Nymph’s caretakers, given the promise they’d made, they would vote, though Static and Shy had the last word.
Twilight picked up the first slip of paper and unfolded it. “We have, Dragonfly, suggested by Rainbow.”
“It sounds kinda cool.” Rainbow offered as an explanation. 
“We have Elusive, suggested by Rarity.” 
“It does suit a Changeling, darlings.” 
“Next up is….” Twilight turned to look at Pinkie. “Buggy Princess of Doom the Third…..Why Pinkie, why?”
Pinkie looked Twilight straight in the eyes and gave her the most sincere answer she could. “Fun.” 
Twilight stared at the fuschia maned pony with flat eyes before she turned away from her. “Okay, moving on! We have, Crystal, suggested by Applejack...that doesn’t sound like a name you’d suggest, AJ….”
“Ah think the little one should have a name that reminds her of her mother.” Applejack stated, firmly. As the others voices of protest rose, she in turn, raised her own hooves. “Now hear me out, y’all. No matter who gave birth to her, she should know her mother. Ah know Ah’d hate not knowing. And a tribute to her mother would be a fitting name for a filly, whether she's a nymph or foal.”
Static stared at Applejack for a long time, before looking back to Twilight. “What other names are there?”
“Um… we’ve done Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack, all that’s left now, are my suggestion, yours, and Fluttershy’s.” 
“Oh, um….can we do mine next?” Shy asked.
“Sure!” Twilight picked up the little slip of paper Shy had given her, and opened it. “Primrose? As in the plant?”
Shy nodded. “I, um, read somewhere that it means eternal love….”
“Awwww…..” Rarity cooed. “Darling, that’s so sweet…”
“Yeugh, sappy.” Rainbow gagged, earning Rarity and Applejack’s glares.
“I had similar thoughts to Fluttershy, actually.” Twilight admitted, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “Though, I went with Aster. It’s supposed to mean love, daintiness, trust…..And what about you, Static? What did you think of?”
Static smiled. “Rose. I picked Rose.”
“So...what now? What names grab ya?” Applejack asked.
“Crystal does, actually.” Fluttershy replied, thinking carefully. “I don’t think we should keep the truth from her anyway, so why not?”
Static nodded. “What about a second name? Single named ponies are rare, after all. Even Rarity has a surname.”
“If you are referring to Belle-" Rarity started, only to be interrupted by Twilight. 
“Maybe we can use Rose?” Twilight suggested. “Or Primrose? Gives her a name of strength and beauty, right? Hard as crystal, but as gorgeous as a Primrose? Or, you know, a Rose?”
“I think Aster, actually.” Static conceded. “Crystal Aster is a pretty good name. And it sounds unique enough to stand out, too. Not to mention that either one could be used as a human name, if we ever decide to go for a visit.”
“I like it.” Shy nodded. “And maybe we can ask Katie what she thinks about some of these names. She still needs one as well.”
Twilight grinned. “Is that it, then? Do we have a name?”
Static and Shy nodded to one another first, before they turned to Twilight. “Go on then, Princess. Make it official.”
Twilight pumped her hoof in celebration, before hopping about a bit in joy. The others had no objections. When she finally calmed down enough, she flashed her horn, conjuring up a piece of officious looking paper, before also producing a quill and ink in the same way. She scribbled down a few things, before she straightened up. “Static Thunder, and Fluttershy. I now declare you to be the guardians of Crystal Aster, until such a time as she comes of age.”
Static and Fluttershy cheered, happily, before throwing their arms around each other in a great big hug, while their friends crowded around them, all saying their own congratulations. 



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

> Chapter 3: Pureheart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Appleoosa was not a large town by any means. In fact, most would consider it a frontier town, since it was on the southern edge of the civilized lands under Equestria’s control, and anything further south was either not owned by Equestria, or was purely wild.
As such, it was most often referred to by those who did not live there as: “backwoods” and “podunk”.  	
The inhabitants didn’t like ponies who said those things, for obvious reasons. 
However, being as small as they were, there were certain things that were simply expected to not happen. Chief among those, were visits from royalty. 
Twilight Sparkle stepped off of the train, gazing at the prairie locale around her. She didn’t see the things that others called this place. It wasn’t podunk. It wasn’t backwoods or backwards. It was a place where ponies lived. It was a place where buffalo lived. It was a place where people lived, just like every other town and city in the world. She smiled, thinking of the friend who had gotten her to start using that word instead of the awkward and unwieldy every-creature that had started to be thrown around as more species started to connect with one another. 
Twilight’s ruminations were cut short, however, when the reason she had come to Appleoosa at all arrived, out of breath and panting heavily. 
“Sheriff Silverstar? Are you alright?” She asked, concerned. He wasn’t a young stallion anymore. Running around like that could be hazardous to his health. 
Silverstar panted some more, holding up a hoof as he bowed his head and attempted to catch his breath. 
“Princess. Welcome. To Applaoosa.” Silverstar gasped, straightening up and making sure his vest and hat looked presentable. 
“It’s always a pleasure, Sheriff. Your letter said that you found something that might be of interest to me?” The Princess asked. She’d resisted the effect of her being a Princess for a long time, but constantly correcting ponies was exhausting. Better to just treat them with the same openness and friendliness she wished they would display in return. 
“Well, yes. It’s a...delicate subject. A creature appeared in Appleoosa about a week ago, stealing food, water, among other things, and I thought that you might know what it is, being so….uh, educated, and all.” Silverstar explained. “You might want to come and see it for yourself.”
Twilight cocked her head, letting her mane fall to the left a little. “Is it dangerous?”
The Sheriff gulped. “Uh, we aren’t sure…”
Twilight smiled inwardly. She had grown rather fond of a good mystery ever since she had met Rarity. The Fashionista loved mystery novels almost as much as she loved her trashy romances. Stifling a giggle at the thought, Twilight smiled politely. “Well, lead the way then! I’d very much like to see it.”
Silverstar bowed, much to her irritation, before beginning to trot away from the station, limping slightly as he did. He must have pulled something. Twilight frowned as she trotted easily after him. Was it an old hip injury? She couldn’t see any evidence of scarring. Early onset arthritis? She hoped not. Her dad had started complaining about arthritis pains just last year, and was thoroughly annoyed whenever it flared up. 
Twilight followed the Sheriff through town. Having only visited it once or twice- always because of trouble the Apple family was having- Twilight did not know the way very well, something she mitigated by memorizing the route. Having a memory as good as hers was a great thing sometimes….Others….not so much.
Entering the sheriff’s office several minutes later, Twilight’s gaze was instantly drawn to the five blurry photographs that had been pinned up onto a cork board mounted on the wall. 
In all of them, a strange figure was seen taking something. An apple here, a small bottle of water there. A pair of saddlebags disappeared in one picture, then returned in another, strapped to the dark and blurry figure’s waist, awkwardly. 
But what caught Twilight’s eye was it’s upright stance, it’s slim, yet square profile, it’s clawless hands, it’s wild mane, and the blurry red markings that crawled over it’s pale, creamy brown skin. 
The fact that it was wearing armour plates the colour of sand, and was obviously going out of it’s way to not be seen, as it was trying to sneak through the shadows….
“Sheriff…..what exactly is this?” She asked.
“The creature, your highness.” A flash of annoyance. Twilight gritted her teeth behind her lips at the use of the title. “After we realized we were missing supplies, we started setting up timed cameras, in the hopes of catching the beast. It came at the right time, and we managed to get these pictures of it. Me and my deputies haven’t told anypony else yet. They think it’s just a critter….”
“And...what did you do about it?”
“We set simple bear traps for it, but it avoided ‘em easily. Then we tried something a bit more complex.”
“It disarmed them, didn’t it?”
“Yes, your highness.”
Twilight bit her lip, frowning. “I take it you haven’t managed to catch it yet? Is that why you called me?”
Sheriff Silverstar puffed out his chest, proudly. “Actually, highness, we did catch it.”
Twilight jerked back from the cork board, as if stung, and turned to stare at the sheriff. “You caught it? How?”
“Bait. Had some of my boys stage a late night shipment of apples, and had ‘em pretend to leave the door unlocked by accident. We had the apples coated in sleeping drought from our local doctor, so when it came in to sample some…”
Twilight blinked. “That was….that was clever of you. Where is the creature now?”
“In the cells, highness. We removed it’s strange armour and made sure we took away all it’s weapons.”
Twilight nodded. “Take me to it.”
Silverstar nodded, and turned to lead Twilight back out of the office. 
The Princess lingered for a moment, eyes tracing the figure in the photo’s again. She had seen this kind of creature before. Or, at least, something just like it. 
There was no mistaking a human form.


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


Eighteen years ago:

The children were excited. The eight year olds rarely saw the world outside the homestead’s doors, so today was a special day. The class was full of chattering youngsters and an anxious teacher who wished today had not been an expedition day. 
Of all the children, Rubrum Pura’Cordis was the most excited. His father was going on the expedition today, which meant that in a week’s time, when he returned, he’d have all kinds of exciting stories to tell Rubrum. 
Maybe they’d fight sand-worms? Or discover a lost artifact? Maybe they’d see some of…..them. The hooved ones. 
Rubrum grinned. Of all the tales he heard, the ones pertaining to the hooved creatures outside intrigued him most. The Elders always forbade anyone from approaching them, or even talking about them. They claimed the hooved ones were evil, responsible for the fall of their ancestors from grace. 
Rubrum wasn’t convinced. Everything he heard about the hooved ones from his father seemed to go against everything the Elders believed. Evil creatures didn’t care for injured animals, or dance to their music around campfires. 
The desert beyond the homestead’s doors was the perfect barrier that stopped the hooved ones from coming close to their home in the caves. 
The Architects, for that was the name that they had chosen for themselves, many, many years ago, referred to this place only as “Homestead”, and ignored the names given to it by the old maps they had found in an abandoned camp twelve years ago. Who called a bunch of caves “The Caves of Conundrum” anyway? The analysts who had managed to learn the hooved ones written language had included the translated maps in the children’s textbooks, citing the need to “know the enemy” and how they thought. It all sounded dumb to Rubrum.
As the bells sounded, signalling the start of the expedition, the children all rushed out of the classroom. 
They were all short, and skinny, from lack of nutrition, and had pale skin. Their birth markings were all different colours, and their hair ranged from pale, sandy yellow, to deep, near black. Rubrum tended toward the latter, with pale skin, red markings, and dark brown hair. His father had similar features, though his markings were much lighter, resembling orange or even yellow more than red. 
No one could explain the markings. The historians tried, but much of the Architect’s history was just….not there. Like someone had misplaced it, or something. All anyone knew was that they all had them, and they all looked different. 
Rubrum brushed his hair out of his eyes and over his ears with one hand as he ran with the other children to the homestead doors, to wave goodbye to the soldiers, and researchers who would be going away. The huge room that housed the opening for the Homestead was normally filled with market stalls, but today, it was clear of all of that. The stalls were stored away, and the room was instead filled with people, lined up on either side of the walkway that lead to the huge doors. 
The metal walls and doors were pitted and rusted after all these years, but they still kept the Architects safe. The machines still worked too, though they were almost never in use. They used energy, and apparently, the hooved ones could sense energy. Better to stay hidden, the Elders always said. 
The expedition party emerged from the back of the room, and Rubrum darted through the crowd, managing to steal a great spot at the front of the crowd, in order to see his dad. 
Auran’Tico Cordis spotted his son on the edge of the walkway and smiled back at him, giving him a cheeky salute and a wave, even as he lead the procession. Auran was wearing the best armour of all the guards, thick and sturdy, which announced his position as expedition leader. Sitting around his neck was a necklace, given to him by his father, and passed down from generation to generation to each successors eldest son. It was a little replica of a Desert Lion, one of the multitudes of giant insects that the Architects depended upon for food, for the chitin used to make their armour, and even the pleasant company that tamed ones could provide. Rubrum’s Uncle Viridi was with Auran, and also gave a wave, not to anyone in particular, but to the crowd in general. He was dressed almost as well, being Auran’s second in command. The Cordis family had held important guurd positions in homestead for generations.
Rubrum yelled goodbye to both his father and uncle as loud as he could, earning him a chuckle and bright eyed smile from everyone around him, including his father and uncle. 
The massive doors began to grind as they slid away, revealing the dark, beige world of the caves beyond their walls inch by inch. It amazed Rubrum every time. 
The procession started through the doors, which did not stay open a moment longer than necessary. Rubrum smiled, cheered and waved to his father and uncle until the moment the doors sealed shut again, with a mighty hiss of hydraulics, and a quiet, low sounding boom. 
The adults drifted away, leaving the children to excitedly chatter about the outside world as the last moments of the day arrived. 
Then it was time to go back to their homes.
Rubrum took one last look at the door, before he ran off back to his mother, and his bed. 


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


No one was celebrating when the expedition returned a week later.There were no happy faces among the crowd. 
Half the expedition was missing. Of the twenty men and women who had left, only eight returned. They bore wounds, none of them from the dreaded hooved ones, but from Sand Worms. Big ones. Or, rather, one massive one. Whole limbs were missing on two of the survivors, who were carried on litters by the others. 
Rubrum ran through the crowds, hoping that he hadn’t imagined what he had seen. Hoping that there was actually a ninth survivor. 
He searched for ages as the survivors were rushed about the corridors of Homestead, taken to the healers rooms. They stayed in there for hours, and Rubrum was left, unable to contemplate the thing he had seen. It couldn’t be…..he couldn’t be….could he?
More hours rolled by, and Rubrum was forced to go home. He did not sleep at all.
The next day, five of the survivors came out of the healers rooms, bandaged, bruised, and oh so quiet.
Uncle Viridi was among them, his face haggard, and his expression withdrawn. He didn’t speak to anyone, even as he marched across to his nephew, and handed him a small carving of a Desert Lion, hanging on a thin band of leather. 
No one spoke a word as the tears started to flow down Viridi’s eyes. Rubrum stared at the little figure in his hand. He still could not speak. He didn’t speak again for a long time. 


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


3 weeks ago:

He stumbled in in the sand as he ran, not caring about where he was going at first. He just had to get away. Far away. The caves were far behind him now. If he looked, he could still just see the dark impression of the rocky hills they were hidden in somewhere on the horizon. 
His armour clicked and clacked as he ran, feet slipping into the sand and sending much of it careening down the side of the dune he was just reaching the top of. 
After what they had done, he could not forgive them. It had been the last straw. 
He stumbled again, sand getting into his boots and into his toes. He ignored it and pressed on. No point in staying here. They had banished him, after all. Perhaps they would try to send people after him? No, they were too scared of the outside world for that. Cowards. 
Crimson was the name he had chosen. Rubrum was gone. An angry and scared little boy who had raged against the world when no one cared to listen. Crimson had found a way to move on. Crimson had found friends. Crimson had fought to protect them. Crimson had been banished for it. 
He could still feel that horrid, limp weight in his arms. Still feel the warm blood in on his skin. 
He marched on, not noticing when night fell, or when the desert lions moved around him, too frightened of him to try attacking him. 
He marched past a feasting Sand Worm. He did not care that it had been eating something that may have been intelligent. It wasn’t focused on him. 
The night dragged on for hours, agonizing, endless hours. 
He made camp where and when he could, finding tall rocks to construct his tent on, in order to avoid getting buried by the ever shifting sands. 
He headed north, or as far north as he could. He knew that the Elders had forbade going south for a good reason. But he knew that north was where he might find a place. A better place than here, for certain. 
He staggered along the edge of the desert, hoping to find what his friends had told him about. A track. Strips of metal laid atop planks of wood. He searched for days. His pack was much lighter now, and his water was running low. He needed supplies. 
Follow the track, they had said. So when he found it, that was exactly what he did. The heat baked him inside his armour, but he knew that taking off the protective layers of chitin would not relieve his pain. It would only make it worse. He would be burned.
The necklace his uncle had given to him all those years ago dug into his neck, like a heavy chain, and his eyes were blurry and unfocused by the time he fell to the ground, exhausted. 
He was happy to know he wasn’t dead when he woke up that night. He ate what little food he still had and pressed on, his legs weak and unsteady. By now, he was walking along a very long stretch of track that meandered along the base of a huge cliff, and the air was thick with water, covering him in a thin layer of the stuff. 
There were strange, tall trees all around him now, with some having long, flower covered vines that draped over their thicker, heavy branches like the old carpets that his living Unit had once had. He was able to use one to catch water and refill his canteen a little, and his foray into the vast green rewarded him with a collection of fruits. He recognized them from his own expeditions over the last two years. That, and his friends had told him about them, showing him pictures and drawings of the ones that were safe to eat. 
He made great use of the knowledge, and filled his belly as best he could. 
He continued on, resting where he could, and enjoying every moment of the rainstorm that rolled overhead one night. Rainstorms were rare above the caves. 
The place he finally emerged onto was a kind of environment he was vaguely familiar with. A flat, sturdy plain, covered in coarse scrubs, small cacti, and brambles at large intervals. 
He continued to follow the tracks, gladdened that none of the machines that used them had been by when he had been walking on or next to them. His mind kept showing him images of the day before his departure. The day his father had died. The day he was almost killed. The day he killed the Sand Worm. Images of the hooved ones flittered in and out of his vision, and he kept hearing voices. Those fruits may have not been all that safe…..or maybe he had mistaken a bad one for an good one?
When he saw the town for the first time, he stopped. It looked like an image, but….It wasn’t. No matter how long he stared, it did not disappear.…..It was real…... It was real! He could go there! Find people! Get help! He could….he could…...
Maybe….maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. He remembered the reaction his friends had had at their first meeting. It hadn’t been all that pleasant. And what had happened in Homestead could easily make them hate his people. Hate him. 
No. They’d kill him. They’d kill him for sure. He had to stay hidden. Hidden. Hide. Safe. He’d stay safe…..his thoughts started to blur, and a foul taste filled his mouth. He couldn’t think straight. 
More images. More voices. He couldn’t concentrate. He picked up a piece of fruite and bit into the juicy thing….and felt tired. Lethargic. He slumped over. Then all he knew was darkness.


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


Present Day:

Twilight stared down at the creature in the cell. It was lying on its side, vomit pooling on the ground. It had been wild, delirious, mumbling in Ponish and some language she did not know. It looked ill. Its skin was chafed in places, and it’s skin was much paler than even in the photographs. 
It’s belongings were laid out on a table behind her, and she was most impressed by the skill of the armour’s maker. It was hollowed out chitin from a giant insect that she had never seen before. The mask was creepy, with two large pincer like structures hanging down from the face plate, and several thick antenna carved out of the top. There were no eyes, but the mask had cleverly concealed eye slits that allowed the wearer to see out of. 
The creature was covered in red markings, and had pointed ears. It was muscular, but also thin, and was tall. Very tall. It’s eyes, when she had used magic to gently open them, were a deep burgundy colour. Unusual for a humanoid. 
Yes, it looked human. She had enough experience with humans to know the differences, though. 
Humans had rounded ears, for one thing. They also didn’t have naturally patterned skin pigments. 
They also couldn’t survive in a magic rich environment. 
This was not a human. 
A noise behind her alerted her to the creature’s awakening. 
It was panting heavily, and it’s eyes were darting around the room wildly, beneath it’s pale, near white hair. It was frightened. 
“Hello.” She offered a polite greeting. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”
The creature regarded her with wide eyes. 
“Do you understand me? I’m not going to hurt you.”
The creature’s breathing started to slow, and it spoke in a deep tenor. “Twilight…..Sparkle?”
“Yes, that’s my name. What’s yours?” Twilight asked, trying to encourage him. 
The creature was silent for a while, and seemed almost afraid of telling her. “C-Crimson.”
“Your name is Crimson?”
“Pureheart.” The creature said, quietly. “My name is Crimson Pureheart.”


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


“Are you sure, Princess?” Silverstar asked, as Twilight prepared to leave. “It still doesn’t seem safe to me.” 
Twilight smiled, straining to keep up her facade of non-irritation as best she could. “Yes, Sheriff. I’ll take him with me to Ponyville, and he’ll work off his debt under my supervision. He’ll work at Sweet Apple Acres and recover from his illness. It will also give me the time to study him more fully. He won’t be able to hurt me, and I can keep him from hurting anyone else if he tries anything. I promise I’ll be safe.”
Silverstar nodded, though his expression was still not wholly convinced. “Well, the best of luck then, Princess. And thanks again.”
“No, thank you sheriff! It was a pleasure seeing you again.” Twilight returned, before boarding the private train car. 
Crimson sat, uncertain and quiet, in one corner of the car, while Twilight took up a seat in the middle of the car, already having produced a quill and a piece of parchment, and started to write. 
“Dear Princess Celestia….”
> Chapter 4: First Meetings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So he looks human, sounds human, has human features, is human in all the ways that seem to matter most, but he ain’t human?” Applejack asked. Static looked at her farmer friend with a raised eyebrow. “My head hurts.” 
“AJ, if that hurts your head, remind me to never show you the movie Inception.”
“In-what?” 
“Incept- never mind.” 
“That one was really confusing.” Fluttershy nodded from where she stood beside her marefriend. They had left Rose Wing to look after Crystal, since Twilight’s letter had specifically asked for all her friends to be there to meet this new creature and make him feel welcome...well, almost all. She’d actually requested that Pinkie Pie not attend, since her energetic personality coming into close proximity with a potentially volatile creature could result in disaster. Pinkie had audibly whined upon hearing it, but surprised everypony with a degree of maturity that she rarely displayed by agreeing to hold off on meeting the newcomer until he wasn’t quite so skittish. 
“Where is Rainbow Dash? The train is almost here.” Rarity queeried, her lips twisted into a frown and her brow furrowed as she spoke. “If she’s late for this….”
“Late for what?” Dash called, skidding to a sudden stop besides the other mares, who chuckled good naturedly and rolled their eyes with knowing smiles. “I did a quick fly over to Appleoosa track switch. The train’s still a couple minutes out.”
“And how long did that take ya?” AJ asked. 
“About two minutes. I wasn’t rushing.”
“That’s three miles out, and you call that not rushing?”
As the two continued to banter, Rarity approached Static. “You know dear, we have yet to actually do anything about your wardrobe.”
“My wardrobe? What’s wrong with it?” Static asked, tilting her head to one side, her shiny fur catching the light and making her cheek appear almost white. 	
“What’s wrong with it, is that nothing you own actually goes with your body anymore. The textures, even the colours- not to mention that they’re for entirely the wrong gender.”
“Wrong gender?” Static laughed. “I can just shape- .” She realized her lapse in memory halfway through and turned her head away from Rarity in order to delivery her exclamation of understanding in a flat monotone. “Oh, right.”
“Right indeed, darling. I shall not take no for an  answer, missy! You and I have a date with fabulosity!” The fashionista was grinning broadly at Static’s expression of feigned horror. “And I simply must have Fluttershy accompany you! We’ll make a day of it!”
“That sounds nice.” Shy agreed. “Maybe we can go to the spa afterwards- if your sister doesn’t mind foal sitting again.”
“Rose doesn’t mind taking care of Aster. She adores the little tyke. All we need to do is make sure Zephyr doesn’t get involved.” 
Shy giggled at the thought. “Where was it Rose hit him again?”
“In the lounge, with her hoof, for hitting on her after she told him to stop. Rest in Peace, Zephyr’s left testicle.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“No, but it was funny. Escpecially when he kept trying after that.” Rainbow grinned, argument with Applejack over. “Maybe we could make a sport of it.” 
“Ah don’t think Shy would approve of ponies regularly beatin’ the snot outta her l’il brother, Dash. Not that he don’t sometimes invite it.” The Farmpony added. “Anyway, the train’s here.”
The five mares turned their attention to the train, it’s driving wheels squealing slightly as the driver applied the brake. The train slid to a stop, steam and smoke billowing from the various pipes and pistons, all of it quickly taken care of by a multitude of enchantments that eradicated the little amount of pollution it put out. 
The driver called for the passengers to disembark, and those few who had taken the train from Appleoosa to Ponyville stepped off and went about their merry way, until the station was once again, empty. 
Twilight was the last to step out of the carriage. Taller than most ordinary ponies by what was now a considerable margin, the young Alicorn smiled at the sight of her friends waiting for her on the platform. 
“Hi everyone!” She called, trotting easily over to the group of five before they all embraced in a big group hug, each of them chattering a welcome of their own as they did. They enjoyed the little reunion for a few moments before they broke apart, beaming at one another in joy. “It’s good to be back! I take it you got my letter?”
“Spike came and found us all right after he got it, and he made sure that Pinkie understood that surprises were definitely not a good idea.” Applejack grinned. “He’s gettin’ pretty big now, ain’t he?”
Rarity turned her head away suddenly, cheeks turning rosy and a silly grin plastering over her face. “Yes, yes he is, darling.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow at her. Twilight followed suit, before shaking her head and refocusing her attention on Shy and Static. “How is Aster?”
“Doing well. Nymphs don’t need all that much physically. Just lots of love and affection- and we’ve got plenty to spare.” Flutters replied, fluffing up her wings in an uncommon display of pride. Static noticed and grinned appreciatively. 
“Good. Make sure she starts learning to speak soon. Thorax tells me that Changelings learn fast, and grow up a bit quicker than ponies do. There’s another Nymph he’s currently got his eye on at the moment. Apparently she’s very smart.”
“You’ll get along perfectly then.” Dash smirked, hovering easily overhead, lazily swaying in the breeze. 
“Yes, I expect we will!” Twilight chirped happily, oblivious to Dash’s snideness. “But, enough about all that. It’s time I introduced some-”
*THONK!* “A-ha-haoooooooowwww!” The mares all turned to stare at the figure now lying on the floor, just inside of the train car doors, clutching his head in pain. 
“Did he just…..” Static asked, incredulously. 
“Walk into the door?” Applejack finished the question for her, her green eyes filled with amusement. 
“These bucking doors!” The newcomer cried, pitifully. “Why can’t you make them taller?!”
Static had to clap her hooves over her mouth to keep herself from laughing, while Rainbow Dash fell to the floor in a heap, kicking the floor as she cackled, clutching her stomach and kicking her hind legs in the air. “He knows pony swears!!! BWA-Hahahahahahah!!!”
“The buck are you laughing at?!” Rainbow laughed even harder, while Static managed to wrestle her own mirth back down into the pit of her chest, where it bubbled in waiting. 
“It’s okay Crimson. Dash just...loves physical humour.” Twilight hopped in to try and dissuade any tension, nervously laughing as well. “She loves seeing others make fools of themselves or each other, especially when it comes to pranking others, or beating them in competitions.”
The veritable giant looked down at the cyan pony, who was still giggling on the floor. “A...prankser?”
“Prankster, yes.” Twilight nodded. 
“Oh….okay.” 
“Howdy y’all.” Applejack approached, smiling pleasantly at Crimson, admiring his strong build and hardened muscles. “The name’s Applejack, though AJ works too.” The farmpony tipped her hat in greeting, before extending a hoof for him to shake. 
“Uh...Hi, Applejack. I’m Crimson, like she said.” The red markings under his eyes creased a little as he gave a polite, returning smile, though it was guarded, and reserved. He seem nice enough, despite being a little skittish and nervous. 
Rarity approached next, offer her own hoof, far more daintily than AJ had. “My name is Rarity, darling! It is a pleasure to meet you, though I must say your attire is positively awful.” 
Even Dash, who hated getting dressed up in anything that wasn’t sufficiently “cool” enough by her standards, had to admit that the simple grey, nearly skin tight jumpsuit and slightly darker cloak he was wearing did not look either nice, or particularly comfortable. They were purely practical, and as such, were borderline ugly to look at when surrounded by so many brighter colours and higher quality materials. They just didn’t sit well with the man’s white hair and deep, reddish brown eyes, or the red patterns on his otherwise pale, though sunburnt skin. 
“It’s just what I could scrape together when….” Crimson’s eyes widened as he realized what he was saying, and he stopped talking for a moment, swallowing his words and his breath. “It’s not important.”
The mares all looked puzzled by his slip up, but they said nothing. 
“Well, if you’re going to be spending much time here, I would be more than happy to whip up something more comfortable for you.” The white mare was as close to Pinkie Pie’s level of excitement as she could possibly get, bouncing on her hooves and grinning broadly.
Crimson stared at her, before laughing, the nervousness receding from his voice somewhat. “That would be wonderful, thank you. I’m afraid that I have nothing to pay you with-”
“Ah-ah! No payments for friends or first time customers- especially when they are in such dire need of proper attire!” Rarity announced. It was her biggest rule. First time shoppers and close friends paid nothing for her services. Period. Not that they couldn’t repay her in other ways, such as free advertisement of her work- which was done at the same time as one enjoyed said work. “You will not pay a single bit for this! I absolutely insist. The Lady Rarity has spoken!”
“Are all you ponies like this?” Crimson asked, bewildered. “The few ponies I’ve known have generally been more reserved…”
“Yep! This town is full of crazies!” Dash chortled, finally getting back up. “And we’re the queens of crazy!”
“My name’s Fluttershy…” Fluttershy murmured, hanging back a little. As large and...unique as Crimson was, she wasn’t entirely comfortable with him. She had not been overly comfortable on Earth, though the people there had needed her help, and her bravery had pushed past her reservations. This man seemed perfectly strong, if a little unsure. 
Crimson however, seemed perfectly adapted to greeting even the shyest of creatures without scaring them. He crouched down, making himself seem much smaller and smiled softly, not showing his teeth, but conveying a warmth and friendliness that was all too familiar. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you, Fluttershy.” His voice was lowered, and soft, completely calm. He stayed far enough away to give her space, yet was close enough that his quiet greeting did not require anypony to strain their ears to listen. 
“We have another friend named Pinkie Pie, but…” Twilight started to explain, only to be interrupted.
“If you think we’re overbearing, you just wait til you meet her!” Dash crowed, chuckling some more.
“Why can’t I meet her now?”
“Oh, uh-” Dash stammered, trying to come up with an excuse that wasn’t ‘we didn’t want her to scare you’. “She’s- uh, busy! Yeah, she’s busy. She’s a baker, so she’s always having to work long hours!”
Of course, that lead to the obvious question. “What’s a baker?” 
“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT A BAKER IS?” Rainbow cried, eyes wide. “That’s it! We’re taking him to see Pinkie right now!”
“Dash!” Static was quick to keep the situation from devolving into madness. “Since Pinkie’s busy, do you really think that adding something else on top of everything else she’s doing would be a good idea?” She’d placed herself between Dash and Crimson, giving her a great view of her ‘this is a BAD idea face’. She got the message. 
“Oh, yeah, right. She’d insist on making a cake for you, and that would just add to her workload.”
Everypony else had to struggle to hold in their laughter.
“Okay...so that means I’ve met….Fluttershy, Dash, Applejack and Rarity. I already know Twilight. That just leaves….” Crimson looked down at Static. “Who are you?”
“Me? Oh, my name is Static. Static Thunder.” 
Crimson blinked, looking down at the brown coated pony with the bright blue mane, and similarly coloured eyes. “That….Sorry, but that has to be the coolest name I’ve heard so far.”  
“What?! Come on!!” Dash cried, outraged. “How is her name cooler than mine?! She hasn’t even had it for a month!”
Crimson’s expression went from impressed to confused in ten seconds flat. “Um…”
Static’s eyes darted from side to side, the spotlight now on her. Crimson didn’t need to know her entire backstory from day one. “Ugh, it’s a long story.” She said, as an explanation, and left it at that. 
Thankfully, Crimson didn’t say anything, letting Static have her privacy. 
That was when she noticed his pointed ears. She pulled in breath at an alarming rate as she tried to contain her excitement. She leaned over to Shy and whisepered. “Oh my gosh! He’s an elf! He’s an elf! Do you see those ears?! He’s an elf!!” 
Having watched the Lord of the Rings together in Static’s dreamscape not two days previously, the two mares were quite ecstatic to see something so close to a fantasy come true. “That’s it! I’m calling you elf now! There’s no way you’re stopping me!” Static grinned, exposing her teeth in a great big beam, including her remaining pair of fangs. 
“What’s an elf?”
Static lasted three seconds before her excitement got the better of her.


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


“Okay sugarcube. Y’all are gonna be payin’ back me an’ my kin by workin in our apple orchard here. You’ll help us harvest, you’ll help us plant- you’ll help us do whatever we ask, ya hear?” Applejack explained to Crimson. “This here’s the room y’all will stay in while yer here. Keep it clean, please.”
Crimson nodded thankfully, looking around the simple yet homely bedroom. 
He set his things aside, and looked out at the Apple family orchard, and it’s huge expanse of trees, and green. It was so much different than what he had known for so long. So much different than the wide and empty deserts. Cooler too. 
He set what little of his things he had been allowed to keep on the dresser at the side of the room, then got himself into bed, relishing in the feel of decent quality bedsheets against his skin. 
This would do. He could make something out of all this. The past could be buried and left behind now. 
Lying on the small bed, Crimson drifted off to sleep with a small smile. 
This could be something.


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

> Chapter 5: Broken
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tempest stared at the armour that clung to her body. It was an adapted version of what her fellow soldiers wore, though she was not fooled by her King’s explanation for why she deserved it. After all, she was still being trained. She was not a great leader or a warrior yet. So a set of custom armour did not seem justified, considering just how much trouble the King went through to make sure it fit her properly. 
Capturing a pony armoursmith just to make her a set of armour, since his own armourers were unable to adjust their designs to suit her quadrupedal body, was not an action taken for a lowly student- even if she were central to his plans. 
No. This was not a gift for her hard work, nor her progress. 
The blood seeping from her neck was testament to that. 
The armour fit perfectly everywhere else, but at her neck, the collar bit into her skin. It was just enough to only be agitated by quick movements and tensed muscles, but she could see what it really was. A reminder as to who was in charge.
Bastard.
Tempest turned away from the mirror she had been staring into, and walked away, her new hoof coverings clacking against the stone floor of the Storm King’s Citadel. She gritted her teeth at the sound. She always hated how noisy the Storm Guards were, and now she was being lumped in with the brutes. 
Every day was a slog here. In Equestria, at the hooves of insensitive children who had demeaned her for years, then moved on to assault and bone breaking as they grew up, she had at least had her parents to go to. Here, in the citadel, a massive building built in mid air over a huge canyon, there was only one person she could trust aside from herself, and he was just as miserable and unable to reassure her as she was able to reassure him. 
She stomped angrily through the halls, making her way to the throne room, as was customary for her to do each day since she had joined the fold. Her thoughts drifted to the day her life became hell, and her irritation only grew, sparks leaping from her shattered horn.
The Storm King had found her as a young mare, she having run away from the endless torment of the peers who made fun of her disability. Angry and scared, she’d fled from the arms of one torment and jumped headlong into the arms of another, simply because he’s said exactly what she’d wanted to hear. Vengeance. Claiming what was rightfully hers. Becoming strong. 
Yes, he kept banging on about strength, and it did her head in to constantly hear him go on about it. So it being one of his major selling points for recruitment for his army annoyed her now more than ever. 
It had been so much easier when she had just been running from the ones who had hurt her, looking for a way to heal herself.
But now she was surrounded by them every day, with no hope of escape. 
The Commander snarled, grinding her teeth together in rage. She’d been a stupid, self-obsessed little foal. Too blind to see the truth before it was too late. 
She missed what she’d left behind. Her friends. Her family. 
She stamped into the throne room, holding her head high and lifting her knees to make it look like she was strutting, as if she didn’t get what her armour represented, as if she didn’t realize the design choices had all been deliberate.
The only way she could survive, or even contemplate escape: Play the ignorant stooge.
So the ignorant stooge, she would play. 
“My King. I thank you for this mighty gift!” She called, upon reaching the foot of the tyrant’s overly large throne. She hated the stupid thing. It represented everything wrong with him. It was large, overly decorated in depictions of conquests and wars fought and battles past, and seemed to perfectly capture the over inflated ego that sat upon it.
“I acknowledge your thanks.” The Storm King said, with a slight nod. While she hated him and everything he stood for, the moment she stood in his presence, she was reminded why she was so terrified of openly defying him. 
At twelve feet tall, with dark armour designed from the start to add significant intimidation to his appearance, and those piercing, intelligent blue eyes, the Storm King looked as fearsome as his reputation for brutality and power plays. Every word he said was calculated. It made her blood run cold.
“I would ask, my King, what you would have me do now?” Tempest said, making sure not to rise from her bow just yet. She needed to regain her composure first.
“You will go to Abyssinia. Once you are there, you will remind the steward of Klugetown that his shipment of arms is behind schedule. And impose upon him the seriousness of this delay. Panthera must fall before the year is out if my plans are to go ahead, and to do that, we need those weapons and ammunition.” The Storm King’s voice was not loud or obnoxious. He instead radiated a quiet and eerie calm that kept most guessing as to his true feelings on a matter, hiding the stormy and explosive rage that he displayed on only the rarest of occasions, reserving his ire for traitors, cowards and rebels. “And Commander?”
Tempest raised her head to look at him, finally managing to get her emotions back under control. “Yes, my Liege?”
“If he attempts to negotiate for more time, break something.” The King was gazing out of one of the windows on either side of the throne room, not interested in continuing the conversation longer than necessary. “Preferably something painful that takes a long time to heal. I want to make sure he gets the message.”
Tempest’s eye twitched, and her lips curls down ever so slightly. “As you wish, my King.” With that, she turned and started to trot away.
“And get someone to clean up the blood you’ve left on the floor.”
Tempest’s ears splayed back. Damnit. She recognized the subtle message in that command. 'Nice try.'
Her mask slipping from her face as left, Tempest bit her lip in frustration, her horn sparking once again. Damn him. 


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

> Chapter 6: Farmyard Foolery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks into Crimson’s stay at Sweet Apple Acres, and the Architect was already proving to be a capable worker, taking orders well, listening to the Apples advice on harvesting techniques and absorbing knowledge about which apples should be sold and which would be given to the hogs on the farm. 
Applejack had warmed to him rather quickly, easing him into work with jokes and quips to get him laughing at the odd techniques they used to harvest their crops of apples. Of course, with such pleasant company, he’d offered jokes of his own very early on as well.
His favourite moment had occurred on the very first day of work, just after he had arrived.


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



Applejack had brought him out to orchard early in the morning, joined by her brother, her sister, and by Static, who apparently worked as daytime farmhand.
“Alrighty y’all. Apple Bloom, Big Mac, Ah’d like ya ta meet Crimson. He’s gonna be workin’ on the farm for a while, so play nice.” She said, introducing the two Apples. “Mac there’s my older brother, and Bloom is my li’l sister.”
“Good to meet you.” Crimson said, bowing his head politely. 
“Likewise.” Mac nodded politely, a piece of straw hanging from his teeth. 
“Good ta meetcha!” Apple Bloom happily chirped.
“Right, now Crimson, have y’all ever bucked a tree before?”
Crimson blinked, looking at the mare incredulously, not quite sure he’d heard her right. 
“Come again?”
“Have ya ever bucked a tree before?”
“Bucked a tree? Why, I’ve never even kissed a girl!” He protested, holding up his hands with a grin.
Static and Mac snorted, hooves flying to their mouths at the response. 
“Nah, Sugarcube, it’s easy. Here, look, I’ll show ya.”
Crimson blinked again, then turned aghast, to Big Mac, eyes wide. “Are you sure the kid should watch?”
Static was sweating from the effort of holding in her laughter, and Mac’s upper lip was quivering.
Applejack rolled her eyes, moving over to the closest tree. “Here, it’s real simple.”
Crimson quickly moved over to a grinning Apple Bloom and covered her eyes. “Don’t look.”
Static lost it, giving in to her cackling whilst Mac fell over, huge guffaws echoing through the trees. 
“Very funny, guys.” AJ deadpanned. 
“You should at least let me ask the tree out on a date first!” Crimson added.
Static’s laughter only grew louder when Rainbow Dash fell out of the tree next to Applejack, giggling and crowing with laughter, having heard every word.


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


Crimson and Big Mac, being strong and well built individuals, had quickly struck up a friendly rapport, starting a competition to see who could “buck” the most apples in a day. Of course, not having hooves, the word “buck” was only loosely applied to Crimson. He’d lost every day so far.
His time in the desert had not been as labour intensive as this, but he certainly did not like how hot the sun was here. It beat down on him while he worked, making some days intolerable. Other days, thanks to the cloud cover provided by the Pegasi, were made much nicer and less awful in terms of heat. 
That was something he would have to get used to. Seeing the Pegasi pushing around rainclouds like they were carts was not something he had ever expected to see. His old friends had not had the time to show off such feats, so he had no prior experience to draw on. He knew the science behind clouds, knew how they were made in the wild places of the world, where no magic but their own directed them to form. In short, it was a thrilling experience to see it for himself. 
That the sun and moon were moved by magic, no matter what Twilight said, was something he did not believe. They were massive celestial bodies, after all. No amount of magic could move things that big.
One of the other ponies who he had begun to form a friendly connection with was Static. Of all of them, she was the one who seemed most comfortable with his appearance, never once having to guess his mood, since she could read his more subtle emotional cues with ease. And working closely with the mare did help. 
As work finished up for the day, on the second day of his third week, Crimson saw Static swooping in for a landing, looking quite pleased when she was able to stick it without tripping over her own hooves. He liked her, but he knew there were things she wasn’t telling him.
The mare in question had had to run up to the capital city of Canterlot for something or other involving her teacher, and as such, hadn’t been at work at all that day. 
From her behaviour, Crimson guessed Static had previously been somewhat of a shut-in, obsessed with fantasies- hence why she kept referring to him as an elf- and not having much experience with exercise and interactions with other people. Why else would she find everything so interesting, or meet every day with such exuberance? Or be busily trying to work off a layer of pudge she insisted hadn’t been there until a month ago? Or struggle with flying, and constantly be muttering about how ‘feathers are weird’, whenever she ended up eating dirt.
“Hi Crimson! Hi Mac!” She called, coming to a canter out of her landing. “You guys all finished up for the day?” 
Big Mac took a moment to answer her, using his voice for something other than one word responses for a change. “We sure are. You and Shy coming over for dinner tomorrow?”
“Yessir!” Static chirped, giving Mac a silly grin and a salute. “Dinner with friends is almost always better than just being alone! We’re planning on bringing Rose, Zeph and Aster too, if that’s okay?”
“Eeyup!” Mac returned, going back to his singular affirmations again. 
“Sweet! So, got some spare time, Crimson? Twilight asked me if you were up for some more tests.”
“Oh, uh sure thing.” Twilight had been adamant on studying Crimson. She had asked after his potential free time every day, but he had only actually had two days during which he had any free time at all. During those times, Twilight had been measuring…..something, using all kinds of devices that Crimson had no idea what they were for. Not to mention that they looked equal halves professionally built and cobbled together from what she could find- including one machine that utilized an old and possibly unwashed Colander for a helmet- around her enormous abode. The Colander seemed to be a sore point for Spike, her assistant and adopted brother, as he was in charge of the kitchens, and didn’t like her swiping his appliances for her science experiments. 
“Cool. She should be here any-”
In a flash of light, the mare in question appeared, looking no worse for wear after having casually traversed time and space in an instant. 
“Minute.” Static finished, brightly. “Heya Twi.”
“Hi again.” Twilight greeted the chipper Pegasus before turning to Crimson. “And hello Crimson.” 
“Hello Twilight.” Crimson greeted, amicably. “Got some more puzzles for me to solve? Or are we just measuring things again?”
“Measuring. I’d like to go over your height again, as well as body weight, metabolism rates, cell loss and replenishment, and a few other things. It shouldn’t take long.”
“Greeeeaaat….” Static droned. “And why did you want me here?”
“Note taker. Spike’s busy today, and you have decent hoof writing.”
Static leveled a flat stare at her friend. “You could have asked Rarity.”
“Every time I need her to write, she always uses super fancy and stylised writing! Who uses calligraphy to write shopping lists, anyway?”
“Rarity. She is a fabulous mother-bucker.” Static stated, without batting an eye, earning her a grin from Crimson and another line mouthed look from Twilight. 
“Here.” Twilight said, dumping several sheets of paper on the grinning pegasus via teleport with a smirk. “You can write on these, with this.” A fancy looking quill dropped onto Static’s head. 
Static picked the papers up and regarded the quill with a raised eyebrow. “Did you modify this with an internal inkwell?”
“Yep. Inspired by those pens I kept seeing on Earth.” Twilight nodded, a hint of pride in her voice. “They really are useful, but mine’s better.”
“How?” 
“One word. Refillable.”
“Ah.” 
Crimson raised a hand. “Uh, question. What’s Earth?”
The two mares flung up their wings, and he caught the dull murmurs of whispered words coming from behind the feathery appendages, before they popped back up. 
“We’ll explain later. For now, onto the studying?”
“But-”
“STUDYING!” Twilight crowed, happily trotting in place. “Alright, Static, take note!”
“Aye aye, captain!” 
Twilight started popping in different bits and pieces of measuring equipment, some as simple as a long stick of wood marked in units of length, (most notably inches and hands, funnily enough) to a hoofheld machine which seemed to be growing an entire bush made of wires from the top, and, while intact, seemed to have no idea what the word “neat” referred to.
Thus began a three hour long session of Twilight measuring the lengths and ratios of his body, mapping out proportions and getting an accurate depiction of his anatomy...except for certain areas where not even her science driven brain dared venture, which made Static grin at her and waggle her eyebrows knowingly. This action of course annoyed the purple alicorn to no end, since if Static was busy making fun of her sense of privacy and her prudish tendencies, then the pegasus was most certainly not keeping up with the note-taking. 
Twilight took over the note-taking, her temporary assistant finding it difficult to do so after being teleported over Sweet Apple Acres pond for her jibes.
Static trotted past them on the way to the front gate, smiling sweetly at Twilight- a look which informed the mare that she had basically just started a war with the pegasus.
When Twilight was done, the Apples had gone and had dinner already, so Twilight offered to take him back to the castle for a meal that wasn’t almost entirely centered on apples.
The walk to Ponyville town wasn’t one that Crimson had made much yet, though he was already finding some more open and accepting reactions. 
“So, which house is yours, Twilight?” Crimson asked.
“House?” Twilight stopped for a moment, looking up at the Architect, momentarily befuddled, before she realized something. “Oh, uh….you see, I don’t live in a normal house….”
Crimson frowned, tilting his head slightly. “Do you live in that place that looks like it was made of baked goods?”
“Oh, no. That’s Sugarcube Corner, the local bakery. The Cakes, and my friend Pinkie live their.”
“Oh, your ‘exciteble’ friend. So...you live in that place?”
“Nope. That’s Rarity’s shop, the Carousel Boutique.” Twilight said with a chuckle. 
“I should thank her properly for the clothes. She must have worked hard on them.” Crimson scratched his head, looking around. “So, where do you live then?”
Twilight smiled, and reached up with a hoof to turn his head so he was looking right at it. “There. That’s where I live.”
Crimson’s mouth fell open at the sight of the massive, crystal structure. “You live there?!”
“Uh huh. I had problems adjusting back when I first got it, but now that more people are starting to visit, it’s starting to feel a lot more like a home than a castle.” Twilight grinned.
It was then that Crimson recalled a certain bit of information that had slipped from his mind since he had first learned of it. “You’re an Alicorn.”
“Yes. I am.” Twilight said, sounding confused as to where this train of thought was going.
“Alicorn’s are Princesses.”
Twilight nodded, gravely. “Yes.”
“You’re THAT Twilight?!” Crimson’s face was trying to play catch up with his emotions, bewilderment and shock flashing across his face. “I thought you were just a- oh…..I need a moment….”
“Crimson? If it helps, I don’t want you to act like I’m someone special. I hate all the ‘Your Highnesses’ and ‘Thank you Princess’-ing that everyone does.” Twilight moved to stand in front of him, and offered him her hoof. “Please. Just think of me as your friend.”
Crimson looked  down at the Alicorn before him, with her hoof outstretched to him, stared into her deep, purple eyes, and saw a vulnerability, a strange sort of, underlying, despair. 
“I don’t have many ponies- or any other creatures for that matter- who still treat me the same as I used to be before I was a Princess.” She looked sadly down. “Not even my closest friends can say they didn’t at least start to do it, when I first earned my wings. They’ve gotten better now...but it’s still not quite the same….The only ones who didn’t treat me differently, even for a little while, after they learned I was a Princess are my brother Shining, my Sister-in-Law Cadence and Static. Although, Static’s only ever known me as a Princess and usually just says it to annoy me, but at least she doesn’t care that much about it an-”
Twilight stopped, and looked down at her hoof, and the fingers wrapped around it in a mangled, yet well meaning attempt at a hoof shake.
“Stop talking Twilight.” Crimson said with a smile. “You’ll just get yourself all worked up and freak out.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide, before she threw herself at Crimson in a hug that wrapped all her limbs around his legs. “Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!! You have no idea how much that means to me!!” Realizing what she was doing, and seeing the surprised and embarrassed blush on Crimson’s face, Twilight quickly hopped back, waving her hoof at her face and failing miserably at not overreacting to her silly behaviour. “I’m so sorry, I don’t- uh, usually do that, and- uh, we should, probably go get some food- or something.”
Crimson chuckled, amused at the bookworm’s rapid-fire, broken sentences. “You had me at food, Twilight. I’m starving.”
“Oh, great! Let’s get on over to my castle and get something right now! Before I freak out again!” Twilight said, nearly manic, as she started dragging him along with her magic. 
Crimson watched her as she trotted ahead for a while, before he shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets and letting her drag him along, leaving two furrows in the dirt where his feet ran through the dirt road. He started chuckling again when Twilight slammed the doors on him by accident, leaving him outside for a few seconds before the doors opened again and she sheepishly asked him to come inside. 
Rolling his eyes, the Architect just rolled with it. Hey, never turn down free food, right?


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

> Chapter 7: The Guard that Knows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

True Shot was a Unicorn guard in the Equestrian Solar Guard, with a red coat and greying mane, having a little recognition as a distinguished soldier, involved in several of Equestria’s most recent altercations with megalomaniac villains and invading forces. Thanks to ponies like True Shot, the Guard had lasted at least five minutes before falling apart against the often superior foes they faced. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been in Canterlot during the royal wedding….or the mad Queen’s attempted invasion of another world. The guard had floundered during those engagements. Truthfully, they had fared better on Earth than they had previously, but they had still only barely held the line against the hordes of Changelings...
True Shot didn’t like that. 
Like many of those of similar mind, he believed that Equestria’s armies were in desperate need of an overhaul, or at the very least, actual combat experience… Well, he had believed it. 
The attempted conquest of an alien world by the mad Queen Chrysalis had provided the Equestrian military the kick up the rear it had so desperately needed. Not in lifetimes had an enemy posed such a threat to the world that an actual army had been raised to combat it. But all that had changed, and things were not going back to the way they had been before.
In the aftermath of the battle of Vancouver, the Equestrian Guard was presented a problem. They had seen battle now. They knew they had been inadequate for so long. Now came the opportunity to rectify the problem. The entire army was being forced to undergo evaluations, retraining and an increase in weapons training. Thankfully, after the battle of Vancouver, there was little complaint. 
Perhaps the most surprising thing was the announcement that Princess Twilight would be forming her own personal guard. 
The bookish and intelligent Princess had never before expressed interest in such a thing, but now she was convinced it was a good idea. That she had called for volunteers was not a surprise. She only ever sought out the willing to assist her in any endeavour, never exercising her right to command, only ever asking politely. She was not that kind of a leader.
So that was why True Shot had sent his application. He happened to like Princess Sparkle. That she had saved Equestria, on her own and with her friends, was only a small part of that decision. That he wanted a posting with more excitement was the majority of it. 
After months of long expeditions as a guard for archaeologists in the southern regions, sitting on his hooves in Canterlot until the next maniac turned up was not his idea of a fulfilling job. Taking up a post in Ponyville ought to remedy that, given the huge number of incidents that occurred every other week. 
When he received the response, he had beamed at the contents, and immediately told his fiancée, Aurora, the good news. 
He was ever so glad that she wanted a change of pace too.


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


Tests. That was what had awaited the volunteers. Tests to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the guards, their open-mindedness, combat skill, even opinions on political and racial matters, problem solving, teamwork, and far more besides. They had been both extensive, and exhaustive. 
All of it to determine who was the best suited to the job.
While Princess Twilight had not yet picked a Captain, she did pick the Captain’s second in command, who would be temporary commander until such a time as a captain was chosen came. True Shot gaped at the mare when she told him she’d selected him for the job. 
“Me, your highness?”
“Yes, True Shot.” The Princess giggled. “I’ve chosen you for Second in Command, and also as temporary Captain, until such a time as I can find a suitable Captain. Who knows, maybe you’ll do so well as temporary Captain that I’ll give you an immediate promotion!”
True Shot stared at her like she’d started growing tentacles from every inch of her body, like some eldritch horror from the darkest corners of creation. “You want me to command these ponies you have selected?”
“Until such a time as I can appoint a Captain of the guard, yes.” The Princess repeated. “I have the time and resources to build whatever facilities this garrison would need, assuming my castle hasn’t already gone and added in another wing for you already.”
True Shot resisted the temptation to rub the side of his head in confusion at that statement, and instead, managed to regain his composure. “Thank you, your highness. Who exactly will I be commanding?”
“I’ve selected the group I believe will work best together. I take it you would like to meet them?” The Princess’s eyes lingered on his face, as the Guards-pony nodded in response. “Right this way, then, True Shot. We’ve got to cover a lot of the responsibilities you’ll have in this position, so we’ll start right after you’ve met the other guards and taken a brief tour of the castle to familiarize yourself with its layout.”
The two ponies began that long, long journey to the end of Twilight’s list….and to the inevitable exhaustion that awaited True Shot for indulging her list-making habits. It took them nearly two days to go over everything, at which point, True’s brain was aching. 


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



Three days after his appointment, True was finally starting to get down into the nitty-gritty details of being the commander of a guard force- no matter how temporary the position might be. He was inundated with forms, invoices, permissions, all kinds of legal framework that he had to set up regarding the practices, upkeep, and goals of the “Friendship Guard”. 
Perhaps the most difficult thing was how to locate a suitable trainer for the new guard ponies. There were not very many weapon specialists in Equestria, and even fewer who had the necessary experience for the post. It was made even more difficult when there was only one pony in all of Ponyville who was skilled enough and licensed to train them- who was already employed at the reformed agency, codename of S.M.I.L.E. . Agent Sweetie Drop’s record indicated she would otherwise be the perfect candidate for the job, but her work in S.M.I.L.E. was also far too important to trust less experienced agents with. 
So it was a no for miss Drops.
The closest second was Static Thunder, Knight of Luna and friend of the Elements of Harmony. She would have also been the perfect candidate...if she were older, and more than 
While the old saying that: “sometimes the best way to learn, is to teach.” was valid and true, the mare was just too much of a greenhorn- and she didn’t even have a horn.
His own current guards, while among the best of the numerous volunteers they had received, where by in large, young, and inexperienced. 
So, he’d have to get someone from out of town. That was going to be hard. Convincing anyone to move to Ponyville- home of the highest number of extreme and odd occurances outside of Discord’s own little sub-dimension, would be a challenge on it’s own. To have them take up the responsibility of training the guard? That just made it worse. 
He would have to call in a lot of favours for this.
Deciding to leave his paperwork at one side for the moment, True trotted out of his new office and out of the newly built barracks that had been tacked onto the Princess’s castle, behind the main building. He needed some air. 
Trotting around the castle a bit should help. He needed to take a look at the positioning of the guards was working anyway. 
He was just going past the entrance to the castle foyer when he heard a voice, one that he had, in all truth, never expected to hear again. “It can’t be…” He murmured, turning to stare at the doors, slightly ajar, with two guards standing there, stock still, as they had been taught in the Academy. They only greeted him as he passed between them, saluting him with their hooves as he walked inside. 
The source of the voice he was so surprised appeared from a doorway, chatting amicably with none other than Princess Twilight herself, a short laugh sounding between them as he described something to her. 
“So, then, she tried to go even faster down the ramp by having Big Mac push her as hard as he could. Only problem was that the aim was off. Instead of landing on the crash mat, Scootaloo ended up in a bramble patch! Poor thing was still picking out thorns by the time it was dinner!” Said the bipedal figure the voice belonged to. 
“Well, hopefully she’ll realize that some things should be done with a little more care.” Princess Twilight answered with a laugh. “Those three are far too reckless as it is!”
“Don’t I know it?” He returned. “I can still feel that bruise they gave me when they were trying to help that one kid figure out his pogo-stick mark.”
True Shot couldn’t keep his mouth shut anymore. “Crimson?!”
Crimson looked up, surprised and shocked.
“Captain? What’s wrong?” The Princess asked, looking between her guest and her acting Captain. “Do you two….know each other?”
Crimson nodded, stupefied. “Yeah, yeah we know each other.”


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


Twelve years previously:

The encampment was small, nestled in a shade-silled oasis on the edge of the vast, southern deserts beneath Equestria. As Private True Shot stood there, amid the swirling sands and whistling wind, he was surprised to hear a cry for help. 
Cries for help were never a good thing, especially not out in the desert. 
His armour rattling and shining in the late evening sun, True Shot galloped out onto the sands, following the voice echoing across the sands from the direction of the dig site. His eyes swept back and forth as quickly as he could make them go without fear of overlooking something, his neck cramping up under the repeated strain of twisting his neck so far and so often. 
The ponies he was guarding were Archaeologists, and they were so invested in this venture that the Lieutenant in command of the Guards had given express orders that they were to be under constant supervision, since they were often so oblivious to the outside world that one of them had once tripped over a rock because they were so busy studying an artifact as they walked. 
About halfway to the dig site, he found the source of the cries, and breathed a sigh of relief, since neither Chief Archeologist Aurora, or her daughter, Misty Dawn, were hurt. However, they were struggling to carry something between them, something large, and bleeding badly. 
Acting on instinct, True Shot moved to intercept them, taking up the burden by himself and moving swiftly to back to the tents, his hooves kicking up sand at a rapid pace as the unburdened mares rushed ahead.
The commotion they caused roused every last pony in the encampment, leading to a great many heads being forced out of tent flaps, like turtles emerging from their shells. Mutterings started immediately afterward, all focused on the creature. True ignored them, heading straight to the medical tent, following the mares closely. 
They burst inside and quickly set up a small, makeshift operating theater, and got to work. 
“The straps! Cut the straps! Get that armour off of it! I can’t see how bad the damage is underneath!” Aurora nearly shrieked. She happened to be a half decent medic, having switched her education’s direction part way through school, from medicine to history, and had made sure to retain as much of her previous schooling as possible, just in case. 
Misty cut the straps with a scalpel, using her magic to frantically saw through the leather straps and free the creature within. 
As the armour came away, there was an awful stench of blood, sweat and the lingering trace of something even fouler than both, that wafted up, causing the ponies to gag and heave violently, already sick to their stomachs at the mere stench. Aurora quickly managed to find a mask to protect herself, while True Shot located one for himself and Misty. 
Aurora worked quickly, cleaning the wounds as best she could, so that she might examine them more clearly, though it was a fight all the way, fresh blood ruining her cleaning attempts multiple times before the actual medic arrived and pitched into the efforts to save the strange creature. 
That done, both she and the doctor began to address the actual injuries, a number of slash wounds on its legs, and most worryingly, several puncture wounds on its abdomen, in a nearly uniform line.
They toiled for hours to save its life, until they finally got the creature stable.


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


“We don’t know what it is! You should have left it to die!” One of the Archaeologists, a stallion called, quite morbidly, Grave Digger yelled, while True just stood there. It had been nearly three days, and everything was very tense, all number of ponies expressing an unreasonable amount of fear for something that should have been so simple. 
It seemed as though the entire camp had parked themselves outside of the medical tent, yelling and screaming at True Shot and his fellow guards-ponies at how they shouldn’t have done this, or shouldn’t have done that….in fact, True was fairly sure half of them were just using it as an excuse to complain at their protectors without fear of response. 
“PRIVATE TRUE SHOT!!” The Lieutenant's barking orders shook the tent and quieted the thirty or so ponies camped out in front of it. “GET IN HERE, NOW!!”
Head lowered and biting his lip, True turned away from the small crowd and headed inside, where the doctor and Aurora worked tirelessly to keep the creature alive. It seemed in better shape than when they had first brought it in, but that wasn’t saying much considering how badly it had been torn up under that armour. 
Lieutenant Storm Gale, a mare with one of the most redundant names True had ever had the honor and misfortune of serving under, stood off to the side, her face scrunched up in barely contained irritation. 
“Private.” The Lieutenant growled. “Explain why you let a potentially hostile creature into our encampment.” 
True Shot blinked. He hadn’t actually considered that. “I, uh….I was only considering the status of the creature. It needed help, and we could give it.”
The Lieutenant slapped her face with a wing. “This isn’t central Equestria, Private! Just south of here is uncharted territory! You bringing this creature into the camp could bring all kinds of destruction down on our heads! What if others of its kind come for it? You think we could stop them? You think we could protect all of these ponies?”
True frowned, but shook his head. “I only did what I thought was right.”
“Then perhaps you should spend more time thinking on whether or not you were right, Private. You are to stay in here and keep an eye on this thing.” 
“But, ma’am-?!” 
“THAT’S AND ORDER, PRIVATE!” Storm thundered, before stalking outside. 
As True stood there, he glumly looked to the other ponies in the room for support. Aurora offered him a wan smile as she worked, while Doctor Deep Thought just kept his nose down. 
Sighing, True pulled up a chair to sit in, and started his vigil. 


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


Six days passed with the creature doing no more than stirring. It was weak, barely capable of groaning, but it clung to life with a determination that True had not seen before. 
Still, he was certain it would not survive, which was why didn’t see any point to the makeshift cell they constructed for it. 
So it was with great surprise that he found out that it woke up that evening.
It did not speak, simply stayed at the back of it’s cell, not touching any offerings of food, and eyed them fearfully from its position in the far corner of the cage. 
“It's not said anything?” True asked, again, for the thirteenth time. 
“No, Private.” Aurora called back over her shoulder. She was busy studying the creature’s armour, her face currently home to a set of ridiculous looking glasses that were enchanted to magnify her vision to intense levels, so she could see near microscopic levels of detail. “Not a word, and, to be honest, I don’t think it even understands Ponish.”
“Are you sure? It could be listening to our conversations, learning about us so it can report back to its-”
“True Shot!” Aurora whirled about to face the soldier in a display of often unseen engagement. Her horn flickered, the piece of armour in her telekinetic grip waggling in his face. “I don’t care how much the Lieutenant is riding you for this, but you can’t let her fears cloud your judgement! You made a good call. It’s our responsibility to help others. Regardless of the danger that may be involved. We should always be willing to take that chance. Don’t forget it.” 


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


“H-hello?”
The entire tent fell silent. 
“Hello.”
Aurora and True Shot turned around, from where they had been examining the creature’s breastplate together, and saw the creature, and, sat beside the cage, Misty Dawn, with a book balanced on her hooves, its pages facing out, towards the creature. 
“Yeah, that’s right!” Misty chirped, before she pointed at another word on the page, and sounded it out for the creature. “G-o-o-d-b-y-e, that’s goodbye. See?” She had scrawled images of ponies waving to each other in greeting and farewell on the floor, to display context and meaning. The one that was greeting had ponies heading towards each other, whilst the one that was a goodbye had them walking away from each other. “You can also say ‘bye’, or ‘farewell’, or even ‘see you later’.”
“Misty! What are you doing?” Aurora whispered, trying not to disrupt the impromptu lesson. 
“I’m teaching him! I heard what you said about him not understanding Ponish, so I thought that I could teach him how to talk, so that way, there wouldn’t be a problem anymore.” Misty responded happily, while the creature did his best to imitate the words she had linked with the images. 
Aurora’s face lit up with pride, a great smile gently creasing her features. “That’s wonderful honey. Would it be okay if I helped sometimes?”
“Of course! Just, be careful, he’s still shy!”
After that, the creature began to open up, with Aurora and Misty slowly imparting their knowledge of the Ponish language to him, with True Shot watching over them, and reporting back their progress to Lieutenant Storm. 
Weeks passed by, and the creature eventually was able to hold fragmented conversations, often requesting a drink or something to eat, when he needed it. 
Almost a month later, and the camp was discussing, once again, what to do with him. 
They eventually reached a startling consensus. To let him go. 
Despite his freedom, the creature came back many times, fascinated with the ponies and their tales of the world outside the desert, learning more and more about their way of life, their culture, and of course, their language, as the years went by. He even managed to do something they had thought impossible. 
He managed to learn magic. He managed to move things with telekinesis, though it was weak and he frequently dropped things.
He told them about his home, hidden, off to the west, and his family. He told them of his quest to kill a great beast that had killed his father, when he was young. He told them about the history of the Architects, their fear of Ponykind, and his name. 
“Rubrum Pura’Cordis.” Misty had said, when she first heard it. Nearly two years had passed by then, and the two had grown almost like siblings, trusting in each other, learning, growing and playing together. True Shot watched over them, as he had been ordered, all those years ago, and Aurora mothered the surrogate son she had helped to heal and raise. “It’s a bit of a mouthful, if you ask me.”
“I know. It’s different from Pony names.” Rubrum replied. “I like your names better. Less….difficult. Simpler.”
“Well, what’s it translate to?” Misty asked, looking over the Archan alphabet Rubrum had made for her. “Red…..Pure…..Heart. Huh. Well, Pureheart’s a good name……... Red could be better though.”
“What about Crimson?” Aurora suggested, looking up from the artifact she was studying. “It’s a good synonym.”
“Synanam?” Rubrum asked, not quite getting the word right.
“Synonym dear. It means, ‘similar meaning’.”
“Oh.” Rubrum looked at the word as Misty wrote it down for him. “Odd word. I like it, though. Crimson. Crimson’s a good name.”
“Well, you have an Equestrian name now, Crimson Pureheart, but surely you should be going home soon. Your people will start to worry.”
“Yeah! I better go! Bye everypony! I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

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


“Can we see it? Can we see Homestead?”
Aurora’s question shocked Crimson when he arrived. It had been nearly eleven years since he had first been brought into the Archaeologists first camp, and he had grown from a scrawny, brown haired boy to a muscular, white haired, young man, and he had watched as the ponies and Architects in his life had grown too. 
“See Homestead?”
“Yes! We’ve been studying all the things you bring us, but it would be something else entirely to actually go there! We could show your people that they don’t have to be afraid of us!”
Crimson frowned. He had often wished it. That the two halves of his life could meet, and that he would no longer have to hide the truth of his adventures beyond the sanctuary of homestead. 
But he knew it was a fool's hope. 
“Please Crimson! You don’t know how much this would mean!”
“I’m sorry...I can’t do that.” 
“.....Crimson….the dig site is empty, and there are no more sites to excavate in the region.” Aurora blurted out, hoping that he would understand what she meant. 
“You’re leaving.” He stated, lamely. 
“Yes. We’re going home. This...this is our last few days. Can you….can you just show it to us? Just once. One last adventure?”
Crimson was not facing them when he spoke, so they could not see the worry and doubt on his face. 
“I’ll do it. I’ll take you to homestead.”


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


Present Day:

“Is she alright?”
“She’s….she goes back and forth, honestly.”
“And Misty?”
“Crimson, I don’t think you want to-”
“I need to know.”
“She...she despises you. The last time I tried to talk to her about you, she almost cut me in half with a spell-blast.”
“Oh….”
True Shot stared at the Architect, sitting in the throne opposite to him. They were alone, as they had requested. “Will you ever tell them what happened?”
“I don’t know.” Crimson sighed. “I just…. I don’t know.”


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

> Chapter 8: The Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Please?”
Crimson winced, the word sounding so familiar in his ears as the pony before him tried to use her natural cuteness to get him to comply with her requests. “Uh, sorry Twilight, but Static really sounded like she needs my help on this, something about having hands instead of big, clumsy hooves.”
Twilight frowned as Crimson rapidly placed distance between the two of them, heading off to find Static. 
“Dodging the question again, is he?”
“I just don’t get it, Spike.” Twilight turned to her number one assistant with a severely unhappy, grumpy face, which quickly devolved into a pout. “The moment True Shot got here, it’s like Crimson just shut me out completely- and it’s not just me, it’s anyone who asks at all!” 
The little dragon shrugged. “Maybe it was a bad time for him? If it was a bad time, I wouldn’t want to talk about it.”
“I don’t think it’ll be that bad, Spike.” Twilight replied, mostly ignoring Spike’s opinion…..until she actually stopped to consider it. It was a frequent occurrence that Twilight ignored certain possibilities simply because she didn’t consider it likely. That often lead to things going badly, as it had when she assumed a particular book wouldn’t have the cure to Poison Joke because it had the word “supernatural” on the title. Had she bothered to check it, she’d have found the cure much sooner than she had. “.....Actually, you might be right.”
Spike started, having turned away with a defeated frown, whirling around to stare at her. “Really?”
“Yes, thinking about it, it does make a lot of sense. Avoiding the subject, running away from anyone bringing it up, only sharing the secret with someone that already knows it. That does sound a lot like the behaviour of someone who experienced something awful..” Twilight conceded. 
Spike nodded. For once she’d stopped before inadvertently blundering into a situation and making it worse. 
“Maybe I should get everypony else’s help with this? If he has no other excuses, he pretty much has to talk  to me.” And there went the intelligent thought process. Spike rolled his eyes as Twilight devolved into a tangent again. “The girls could be a big help, and we could show him we’re all there to support him when he talks about it! It’ll be perfect Spike! We can get him to stop hiding his secrets, and help him deal with whatever it is together! Oh- and I should ask True Shot for his help too! Since he knew Crimson at the time when it happened, maybe he’ll know how best to approach the subject!”
“Twilight, I don’t think that-”
“Oh, nonsense, Spike! Friendship can solve anything! If he sees that we’re there for him, he’ll open up, I’m sure of it.” 
Spike threw his arms up in the air, and, with a beat of his wings, took off. His lessons from Dash were useful even in the castle. Twilight had a bad case of what he referred to as directional idiocy. The premise was simple; when Twilight directed her full attention at something, her scatterbrained tendencies started blaring a trumpeting fanfare around her head and destroyed all sense of subtlety and social nuance, rendering everything into a friendship problem for her to resolve. 
And, worse, it seemed to be contagious, as all of their friends quickly came marching into formation before the word “friendship” had even left the Princess’s mouth. 
So Spike did the only wise thing he could think of, flying away and getting out of the infection zone. No way Twilight’s silly obsession was getting in the way of his new Friendship Zombie comic #712!


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


Static swooped down from the skies above Sweet Apple Orchards with a grin. Twilight had come to her with a plan to get Crimson to open up about his past an hour ago, and the Pegasus had entertained her ideas with a smile and a nod.
As per the plan, Twilight and the girls went careening by underneath her, chasing after the Architect as they badgered him about opening up and telling them about his past. 
Of course, that would never work, just as Static had thought. 
Swooping even lower, the pegasus brushed against the tops of the trees, her eyes flicking between patches of open air, where she could see through to the Orchard floor and the helpless Architect running away from the overly insistent mares behind him. 
With a bit of concentration, she called on the only magic she could still do as a Pegasus, and started pulling together a raincloud, bundling up as much moisture as she could into a dark, angry stormcloud.
She powered ahead of the running Crimson, pushing the cloud ahead of her, and waited for just the right moment. 
As he passed beneath her, she turned around and bucked the cloud, sending a lightning bolt shooting down to the ground in between Crimson and the girls, momentarily blinding them.
Diving quickly, Static swept her forelegs under Crimson’s arms and carried him up into the air, out of sight. 
With all her haste behind her, Static carried Crimson over the Orchard and past the Apple Family Barn, making sure to stay low so that she was harder to spot, and carried Crimson away, heading for the White Tail Woods, and their seclusion. 
With the tall birch trees soon surrounding them, Static dropped down, slowing her speed until she was able to drop Crimson to the floor without hurting him. 
“Sorry about the rough landing.” She called, circling back around until she came to a not quite perfect landing in front of him. “I thought you would prefer not being chased by the girls all  day, so I stopped by to help out.”
Crimson, for his part, nodded his thanks as he sank down onto a grassy knoll. “Thank you….Will the girls be okay?”
Static grimaced, setting about straightening her mane so that it wasn’t completely disheveled from her flight. “Yeah, they’ll be fine. I didn’t actually hit them, so they’ll just be stumbling around  for a bit until their sight clears up.
Crimson straightened his clothes and hair as well, so that he didn’t look like he’d just walked into town off of an airfield. He stood still for a moment once he was finished, before tilting his head at the Pegasus. “....I suppose you want to know what I’m not telling everyone, right?”
“Of course. But only when you’re ready.”
“Why?”
Static turned to him with a smile. “Let’s just say I know what it’s like living with guilt.”
Crimson cocked an eyebrow at her, folding his arms across his chest. “There’s a story there. I want to hear it, properly, instead of you avoiding it like you always do.”
Static blushed, before her timid grin turned to sly smile. “Alright, but only if you tell me your secret when I’m finished.”
Crimson’s leg twitched, and he started leaning, as if to turn around and run again. But then he stopped, pondering the offer. Confiding in his friend? Just one, one who he already had a decent relationship with, someone who might just possibly understand him? That…..that was reasonable.
“Okay. I’ll tell you.” Crimson accepted her offer, adjusting his position on the grassy tuft so that he was more comfortable. “But you go first.”
Nodding, Static began her tale. As it was her own story, she presented it masterfully, telling it as if she were a shaman presenting a legend to her tribe. The story of a man who became a shapeshifter from another world, who came to understand true love, himself, and those around him, learning to use magic, to fly, to fight, and even play guitar. He fell in love, went on adventures, and, when the time was right, went off to fight in a war to save his home and his family. He even willingly gave his life to save his family, his friends, his entire world, and his reward was a new body, and a fresh start on the world he had chosen.
Static finished her tale mimicking her awakening into her new life, before turning to him with a smile. “And there you have it.”
“Well….” Crimson had to tear his eyes away from hers, so focused he’d been on listening to her tale. “It certainly explains a few things.” The Architect looked her up and down, critically. “You really used to be a guy?”
“Yeah, but, after spending months going back and forth modeling for Rarity, the line was already kinda blurry by the time this happened. I really don’t mind.” Crimson nodded in understanding. While it hadn’t been common in Homestead, there were a few instances were individuals of one gender had expressed desire to be the other. He was still considering that little tidbit of knowledge when she spoke again. “Do you get why I feel guilty, now?”
“Your friend.” Crimson nodded after a while, his hand drifting up to his chin as he looked down at the floor. “The one called Anna. You didn’t listen to your own heart and hurt her in the process, and she ended up dead.”
Static nodded. “Knowing it’s not really my fault is one thing. But believing it is quite another. I hate what I did, but I can never take it back, and never make amends. That’s the worst part.”
Crimson picked at the grass by his side, screwing up his lips. “I know the feeling.”
“Ah, is this the part when you confess all?” Static quipped, trying to lighten the mood a little. She leaned in close, and conspiratorially whispered into his ear. “The girls are all hiding over there, they’ve been listening for a while.” Crimson glanced at the bushes she had indicated, and gave the most miniscule of nods. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know.”
Crimson frowned. To not tell his story after she had told him hers wouldn’t be fair at all. In fact, it would be downright rude. And...well…..they’d find out eventually, wouldn’t they?
“Well, the first thing you should know, is about the place I lived…..” Crimson began, launching into a brief explanation into Homestead……


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


About Six Months ago:

Crimson frowned as he considered the small group of ponies following him under a sandy coloured tarpaulin, several feet behind him. He had caved to Aurora’s begging and decided, against his better judgement, to lead them to Homestead, and let them see where it was that their ward had come from all those years ago. True Shot, Aurora, Misty, and a few others shuffled forward as quickly and quietly as they could manage, hidden by their camouflage as they barely managed to keep up. 
It was late evening, so the sand was not incredibly hot, and did not burn so easily as it did during the day, which was a relief to the entire group. 
Crimson lead them through the dunes to the mouth of the Caves of Conundrum, where Aurora had to stifle a gasp of recognition, since the place was well documented- which made the possibility of a secret civilization having been there the whole time simply amazing!
“Wait here…” Crimson whispered, motioning with his hand for them to stay back.
He stood up, moving forward slowly, keeping in the deep shadows of the cave, making sure he remained out of sight of Homestead’s main gate, until he had found a suitable place for the ponies to hide and observe from. 
It was a small outcrop of stalagmites, coloured almost exactly like the ponies camouflaging blanket, and steeped in shadow. Sneaking back to his friends, Crimson lead them to it, hunkering down next to them once they were settled in comfortably. 
“Alright, I’m going to go back to the cave entrance and walk in normally. The guards will see me coming and open the gate. It’ll stay open for only a few minutes, and it’s the only chance you’ll get to get a glimpse inside. Once the door’s shut again, make sure you head back out the way I lead you in- there are traps littered all under the sandy parts, so don’t step on them.” He stood up, moving back along the shadows while the ponies made sure they had all their note taking equipment ready. 
“Crimson!” Aurora called, softly. He turned back around to gaze at her, and she offered him a happy little smile. “Thanks for doing this. Even if it’s just a quick look, thank you.”
Crimson smiled back at her, his eyes twinkling a little. “Bye Aurora. I hope I see you all again someday.”
She nodded, and the two parted ways. 
Crimson did what he had done in the exact reverse order, until he stood at the cave mouth. Once there, he took a few quick glances at the cave floor, and walked briskly in, taking an odd, looping, twisting pathway through the natural, sandy corridor, until he had once again reached the entrance chamber. A quick glance to the outcrop showed him absolutely no signs of anyone being visible, and breathed a sigh of relief. Their discretion was perfectly optimal. 
Making his way in front of the door, Crimson waited. The guards should notice any second…...now? Where….. 
Bizarrely, the door remained closed. 
“Caeruleus?” He called. Two of his old classmates should have been on duty. The Architect’s language seemed strange to him after speaking Ponish so often. “Ater? Come on, open up! It’s me!”
Nothing. 
Frowning, Crimson made to step forward, only for the door to suddenly squeal in protest, slowly swinging outwards towards him. “Finally!” 
His joy was short lived, though, as when the doors were open enough, several fully armed and armoured Architects came pouring out of the opening, their spears and swords leveled his way. Surprised, concerned and confused, he raised his hands in surrender. “What’s going on? What is this? Some kind of joke?”
It was only when an old, wrinkled man in his late eighties, leaning heavily on a cane, came walking into view, that alarm bells started going off in Crimson’s head. 
“Rubrum Pura’Cordis.” Elder Garret called, his eyes hard, and focused on the young man before him. He stopped just behind the line of guards, placing his cane just in front of him and crossing his hands on it. He was dressed in a red robe, one that he only ever wore at the incredibly rare occasion of trials. People breaking rules in Homestead was rare, but not unheard of, and the red robe of Elder Garret was always used for passing judgement. 
“Elder Garret.” Crimson returned the greeting courteously. “What is wrong? Has something happened since I have been away?”
Garret’s already narrowed eyes turned to thin slits, and his drawn lips twisted into a grimacing sneer. “Do not pretend, child. I can read you as easily as I would read a scroll.”
Crimson did not drop his act. “Seriously, Elder, this is in poor taste. I have just returned from my scouting mission, and-”
Garret’s hand rose to silence the younger man with a single, swift motion. “You have magic.”
Crimson blinked, before he burst out laughing. “Oh, Elder, you honestly had me worried there. Me, with magic? That would be the day, wouldn’t it?”
“Do you think me stupid, boy?” The old man thundered, slamming his cane into the floor to punctuate his irritation. “This place, our home, was built to keep us safe from those that use magic! It has systems in place, to detect magic! And for the past few years, every time you have passed through these doors, those systems have determined the presence of magic! Now I finally know how you have come to own it’s power…..” He looked to the guards behind him, and they charged forward, rushing past Crimson and heading straight for the outcrop. 
Fear gripped Crimson’s heart. “NO!!” He started to turn to go after them, only to find a sword held at his throat, drawing a thin red line across his skin as his own people held him back. 
It was barely two minutes later that the Architects came back, Crimson’s friends tied up and helpless, slung over their shoulders. Crimson would have moved, but there were spear tips pressed around his throat in a ring now. 
Elder Garret made a quick motion with his hand, and the guards followed the wordless command, maneuvering their spears so that Crimson was forced onto his knees. 
“These beasts gave you their power, didn’t they?” He pressed his face close to Crimson’s, to the point he could smell the old man’s breath and see the tiny slivers of meat he had yet to get out from between his teeth. “You betrayed us, lead them to us. You probably speak their language too, no doubt.. But, you’ve also brought something interesting to our attention. It’s rather clear that your strength and incredible physique comes from their power. With it, we can become great again, like we once were, so long ago. All we have to do is claim their power for ourselves. And thanks to you, we don’t have to hunt them down to do it!”
Crimson tried to lunge for the old man, snarling in rage. Several new cuts and puncture marks appeared on his skin. “You bastard! I won’t let you hurt them!”
Garret smirked, turning back to the doors of Homestead, just in time for Crimson to see his friends vanish inside. “So what if we hurt them? They are the enemy. Their ancestors destroyed our people. They ruined us, and you invited them into our halls.” The hunched elder snarled down at Crimson, before lifting his cane and striking Crimson across the face. 
“You are a shame to us all. You broke our rules, endangered our people and lead the enemy to our doorstep.” The Elder turned his attention back to the guards. “Take him to the cells. Make sure he’s bound up tight.”


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


The cells were cold, uncomfortable, and poorly lit, resulting in a claustrophobic nightmare that Crimson could only barely stand. Shifting his hands in the bindings, he tried to wiggle his fingers out of the intricate ties that held his hands in place, but only succeeded in chafing them some more, blood starting to bud up under the tight loops of coarse rope. 
He’d been sitting there in that cell for what must have been hours, and yet the lights in the cell had not been turned on at all. Most likely because the power systems for Homestead could function as it was. This deep in the vaults of the structure was usually left unoccupied and unused, and had not seen regular repairs in a very long time. As such it was the one place in Homestead where one could find plants growing freely in through cracks in wall plates and floor panels. 
Crimson tried once more to pull himself free of the bindings, but found that he simply was not strong enough. 
The grinding of metal on metal assaulted his ears as the door to the small room opened, flooding the five foot by five foot room with the light of a dingy lantern.
“Rubrum.”
Crimson stared up at the face on the other side of the light source, and gave a brief, flat smile. “Uncle.”
“You really messed up this time.”
Crimson snorted. “I did what was right. They’re not what the Elders think they are.”
“So? Why does that mean that you are free to break our laws and bring them here?” Viridi asked. He did not raise his voice, which just made the question ring even louder in Crimson’s head. “Did you even consider that it may have been a trick? That they gave you all this power just so they could find out where we are?”
“You make so many assumptions, Uncle, just like everyone else.” Crimson chuckled, mirthlessly. “You judge them for the stories we tell ourselves, and yet they didn’t even know what I was when I first met them. They are kind, naive, and innocent, not some horrible monster from a bedtime story.”
“So they came here out of curiosity then? To learn?” Viridi snorted. “The terrible monster is just a cuddly ball of fluff that wants to know about us?”
Crimson grinned through his split lip. The guards had given it to him when they threw him into his makeshift cell. “Sometimes the monsters under the bed are just shadows playing tricks. Sometimes the curious ponies are just curious ponies.”
Viridi stared at him. The older Architect hung his head. “There’s no talking you out of this foolish belief, is there?”
“Not a chance.” Crimson confirmed, straining against the ropes again, blood dribbling freely down  his wrists. 
Viridi sighed. “Well. I’ll…..” He reached to his belt, pulling a sheathe free from it, and then drawing a long, slender dagger from it. He and his nephew both stared at it for some time, before he let both knife and sheathe tumble out of his fingers, to clatter noisily to the floor. Viridi then silently turned, starting to walk away. 
“Uncle.” Crimson called, as he reached the door. Viridi stopped moving, hand hovering on the edge of the door frame. “Thank you.”
Viridi did not turn to look at him. “I’m doing this for you. Not them.”
Crimson nodded, and if Viridi had somehow seen it, or had known Crimson had done so, he made no indication, simply walking off into the corridors. 
Crimson wasted no time stretching out his leg in order to pull the knife closer, catching the blade with the back of his heel. Drawing his leg back in, he wedged his toes over the hilt and, with great care, flipped the blade in the air, towards where his hands were bound above his head. 
His fingers almost didn’t catch the blade in time, forcing him to use his trump card. He was barely able to do it, but so many years of practice had honed his ability to use magic enough that he could use it now. His hands flickered with a glow, and the knife, which would have sailed overhead and hit the wall where it would then land on the floor, out of reach, suddenly corrected it’s coarse. His fingers closed clumsily on the handle, and sweat dripped from his forehead. Even this simple use of telekinesis was hard for him. His grip on the blade was off a little, which meant he had to fumble around to get the blade orientated the right way, so that he could saw through the rope. He did so quickly, working the blade back and forth through the strands of hemp until the blade snapped through the last fibers.
When the rope finally came loose, he surged forward, pulling the now loose rope with him as he made for the door, sprinting out into the dark depths of Homestead. 
He made sure to go a different direction than the one his Uncle had taken, quickly navigating the corridors until he found what he was looking for. 
He found the stairwell quickly, and, without any hesitation, burst through the doorway, finding two guards waiting for him. They fell back from his entrance with cries of alarm, drawing their swords. 
They barely slowed him down. He easily dodged their first swings, grabbed the closest guards wrist, bent it up in a painful twist, which made him drop his sword. Crimson followed through that attack by letting go of the man’s wrist, and grabbing hold of his chestplate with both hands instead, pivoting on his back foot and throwing the guards at his friend. The collision sent them both falling to the floor groaning. 
Crimson didn’t wait long, pausing only to strip the guard he had thrown of his armour and his underclothes,then grabbing the fallen sword. He stopped as he started away, noticing a familiar shape tied to the other guards belt. His face mask, that he had carved from the chitin of the Sand Worm that had killed his father, that he himself had killed not long ago. He grabbed that too, tying it to his own belt before he sprinted off up the stairs. 
He burst out of the stairwell a floor up, and continued past the startled Architects that noticed his loud arrival. “OUT OF THE WAY!” He bellowed, charging through the crowd. The guards were already moving to intercept him, but he dove into an open corridor, fully knowing where it lead. 
The open space that held the generators of Homestead was a massive chamber, at least in comparison to the rest of the vault, and ran through the center of several floors. 
Which meant, to the brave, bold, or foolish, it could be used to go up or down as many floors as needed. 
The guards got an excellent of this very technique as Crimson leapt into the empty air, catching onto the single rope hanging there. The rope he clung to was one half of a pulley system, weighed down by several metal plates that were being used to repair a crack in the chamber wall. A deft slice of his sword sent those supplied tumbling down, whilst the counter-weight on the other side of the pulley succumbed to gravity’s pull, and yanked Crimson upwards. 
He shot up past two floors, then he let go, the momentum carrying him up to the third, where he caught onto the edge of a walkway there. 
The guards below were yelling something, but Crimson ignored them, resuming his sprint. 
He shouldered through the door that lead to the science laboratories and medical wing, shoving past Architects whose job was to keep Homestead working, and otherwise improve the place. 
It was when he reached the medical ward that he stopped running. He was too busy staring in horror at the still, limp form of Aurora lying on a table, her horn having been ripped from her head, the shattered remains of it’s stump still gushing a river of blood that soaked her fur and matted her mane. 
Crimson could see the others, tied up and stuffed in the cages usually used for the Giant Shell Bugs the Architects used for food. 
He could see Elder Garrett standing there, his eyes wide as he realized that he could not claim the magic of ponies by taking their horns. 
Crimson’s eyes were wide, but the pupils in them were shrunken so small it seemed they had vanished in his rage. His sword shook violently in his grip as he stalked forward towards Elder Garrett. “YOU- YOU- YOU!!” He screamed, easily knocking aside the guard that tried to stop him, and ignoring the medics and scientists that bolted out of the shattered door behind him. His fingers curled around the Elder’s robes, and he hauled the old man off of the ground, slamming him bodily into the wall behind him, still incoherently screaming at him. “YOU- YOU- YOU- YOU BASTARD!!”
“I-I didn’t know…” Garrett whispered. “I thought-”
“SHUT UP!!!” Crimson screamed, before turning and throwing Garrett across the room and into the opposite wall, where the old man’s arm hit a pipe running up the wall, and snapped like a twig from the force. Tears streaked down Crimson’s face, as he looked down at Aurora’s still frame. “Oh….I’m so sorry…..I’m so sorry….” 
“G-guards!” Garrett’s voice lit a fire behind Crimson’s eyes. He undid the straps holding Aurora to the table, and lifted her gently up. He turned around, the arm holding Aurora’s head already smeared with blood. 
Garrett’s eyes went wide as he beheld the blood soaked figure before him, wreathed in glowing, magical flames. Crimson snarled down at the man, then stalked away, breaking open the cages holding the other ponies with a few kicks. Then he ran, leaving a trail of smoldering bootprints in his wake. 
The ponies galloped after him, until eventually, they were standing before the huge metal doors of the entrance to Homestead. Free of their confinement, the ponies were able to fight through the guards, while Crimson made his way to the control console that opened the door, and, holding Aurora in one arm, punched in the control that opened the door. 
The metal grinded slowly open, but they did not wait for it to open all the way, squeezing out the moment there was enough room. 
As they sprinted out into the deep dark of night, Crimson could hear the screams of Garrett as he reached the entryway behind them. 
“We will find you, boy! We will find you all!”


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


“Head north, as quick as you can. Get out of the desert.” 
True Shot stared sadly at Crimson as the other ponies gathered up the supplies they had left behind at their camp, not far from the caves. Misty was not talking at all, refusing to leave her mother’s side, and not saying a word to anyone. Aurora was lying on an improvised litter, two stallions ready to carry her on the journey home. “What about you?”
“They’ll come for us. I have to make sure they don’t find you. I’ll stay behind and cover your tracks, and keep their attention on me. Just go. You’re wasting time.” Crimson said. He was staring out at the caves, at the lumpy rock formation that held the home of his people. 
True Shot bowed his head, smiling sadly. “I suppose this is goodbye, then.”
“I suppose it is.”
The stallion gazed up at the young man, before turning away, and heading to join his fellow ponies. He stopped, twisting his head around to look at Crimson again. “If...if you ever make it up to Equestria….my door will always be open.”
Crimson nodded, giving a slight smile as he picked up a length of cloth from the discarded tents, and started fanning the sand, causing it to shift and flatten down, erasing the multiple hoofprints that the ponies were leaving behind them. “Sure. I’ll...I’ll try and visit sometime.”
True Shot held back his unshed tears as he walked away, even as Crimson shrank into the distance behind them.


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


“After that, you can probably guess what happened.” Crimson said, slowly. “Once I made sure they weren’t being followed, I headed north too. It was slow going, and by the time I got out of the desert, I was running low on supplies, and the forest to the north had a few tricks up its sleeves. By the time Twilight found me, I was delirious and badly ill. I thought that my friends story would make all of ponykind hate me for what happened, but you took me in and helped me.”
Static smiled at him. “Well, you’re safe with us. And it’s not all bad, right? You all made it out alive. That’s not something everyone can claim.”
Crimson sighed. “I just wish that I’d have said no. Then it wouldn’t have happened.”
“And you’d probably be dead, or being experimented on by Garrett.” Static countered, jabbing his shoulder playfully with a hoof. “Look, no matter how you slice it, things could have been so much worse than they were.”
“Do….do you think your friends will think so too?” Crimson asked, hopefully. 
“I don’t doubt it. They may be a little nuts when it comes to the whole Friendship thing, but their hearts are in the right place, and they’ve done right by a lot of people.” Static jumped into the air, hovering in place with her hoof extended to Crimson, a grin on her face. “Now, you can either sit there and continue to fret about the past, or you can trust in us. I know which one I’d pick.”
Crimson looked over to the bushes where the other ponies were now climbing out of their concealment, smiles on their faces. Then his eyes flicked back to the offered hoof in front of him. Then he reached up with his hand, and grabbed that hoof firmly, letting the pegasus help pull him up. 
“Oh, and Crimson?” Static said, now that his attention was back on her. “They’re your friends too.”
For the first time in a long while, Crimson felt something he knew well. 
He was home.
> Chapter 9: A Slow Day in Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Static, Crimson, and five of the six Elements Bearers sat at a table outside Sugarcube Corner, watching the madness unfurl around them, as they calmly ate the baked goods that Pinkie had supplied them.
The madness in particular had started, as it often did, with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. 
In truth, they never intended for any of their Crusades to go the way they often did. Their enthusiasm just had the unfortunate habit of kicking their good sense and survival instinct out of the nearest window- usually with a galloping run-up beforehoof. 
Their client today had been a young Colt who had been interested in construction, specifically of the kind used to build the traditional style thatched cottages that dominated Ponyville’s housing market. 
Of course, the CMC had managed to wheedle their way into getting some building supplies, since, even as young teens, they still carried with them the overly cutesy puppy dog eye trick that melted most adults resistance like snow in the sunlight. This in turn had led to the colt doing exactly what he had wanted to do, plan, and then build, a new house in the middle of town. How the CMC had managed to get the permits for him was something none of the casually snacking friends bothered to ask, since the answer was probably one of two options; puppy dog eyes, or, they actually hadn’t, and had broken the law. 
Surprisingly, it had gone quite well, with their client, Thatcher, sketching out the plans and utilizing the tools and materials provided to him to build a sturdy, two story building meant for a family of four, complete with three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and walk in closets. 
But as always, the CMC’s enthusiasm to help their client achieve his dream led to a series of unfortunate events. 
Sweetie Belle had been using one of electric drills to make holes in several boards, when Apple Bloom called for her help lifting several loads of hay up to the roof. Sweetie immediately dropped the drill and went to help her friend….only to later realize that the untended drill had fallen off of the workbench she had been using, and landed right on top of a gas tank used for a blowtorch. While the drill obviously wasn’t drilling anything without Sweetie to operate it, the heavy electrical tool had nonetheless dented the canister in just the right place for it to start hissing, spitting out what was most likely propane from a small gap that had opened close to the top end.
At the same time, Scootaloo had been up on the roof, taking a break from the heavy work, and had left her safety glasses lying on the beam she was resting on. Those glasses caught the sun just so, at just the right angle, to send a highly concentrated light beam right at the gas canister, and…..
Well, a few moments later, the canister had come flying out of the new house, quickly burning through its stored propane reserves in the same manner as a rocket, and crashed right into Trixie Lulamoon’s wagon. 
Trixie Lulamoon, being a magician, stored several very sensitive magician tools in her wagon, including smoke bombs, magic wands, handkerchiefs, and, of course, fireworks. 
These fireworks had torn through her wagon like confetti, leaving a soot covered Trixie sitting on the floor of her newly convertible wagon, while fireworks went whizzing off at random angles to create even more chaos. 
The ponies of Ponyville had learned over the years how to respond to crises of all kinds, and their preferred method of dealing with the issue was to run around like headless chickens for about two and half hours, screaming in bloody panic at whatever travesty had befallen them this week. They proceeded to do just that, as the Fireworks set nearby thatched roofs alight, shattered windows by going off next to them, and even managing to go down one house’s chimney, where it exploded and sent huge clouds of soot flying out into the unfortunate resident’s face and living room, painting it all black. 
This unfortunate mare had stumbled out of her home, coughing and spluttering her poor lungs out as she tried to clear the soot from them- only for one of the well known over-reactors of town, Lily the flower pony,  to spot her doing so, assume the worst, and then run off screaming: “GHOUL!!! GHOUL!! THERE’S A GHOUL IN TOWN!! OH THE HORROR!! THE HORROR!!! RUNNNN!!!” This was immediately followed by both of the other two flower mares imitating their marefriend in every way. Soon afterwards, a great number of ponies were fleeing in terror from the poor filly hacking her guts up  
This in turn led to the entirety of Twilight’s new Friendship Guard arriving to find a street in chaos, which they immediately attempted to remedy by trying to calm ponies down and let them see reason- only for a burning hay cart to come rolling down the street at them, crash into them, and carry them all the way out of town while acting Captain True Shot desperately tried to regain control of the situation. 
The Guard gone, all hope of regaining sense quickly became absolutely lost. 
And so the elements, watching it all from Sugarcube Corner, with front row seats, sighed, shook their heads, and went back to their snacks. 
“Does this kind of thing always happen around here?” Asked Crimson. 
“This is an average Tuesday.” Twilight sighed, in resignation, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Static continued to laugh at the dumbfounded expressions on the CMC’s face, as the fillies watched the insanity from the doorway of Thatcher’s untouched and pristine new house. 


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

> Chapter 10: Blind Date Danger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was shining in the clear skies of late Spring, and the township of Ponyville was worried. Normally this would be the fault of any number of their wacky citizens and important individuals with terrible senses of normality. There was the resident Princess, who was prone to overthinking and over complicating things when the mood struck her, her group of friends, each just as capable at causing mayhem as they were at stopping said mayhem, a literal Chaos god, a humanoid with still mostly unknown and developing magical abilities, three headstrong fillies who had become, in the space of a few weeks in their foalhood, household names for the chaos they caused. 
Thankfully, the reason for their worry was actually because NOTHING had happened, which was so rare and altogether unheard of these days that it was usually taken as a sign that something was ABOUT to happen. 
Rarity didn’t care one bit either way. She was too busy walking through town in a very un-ladylike manner that suggested that perhaps SHE was the thing that was ABOUT to happen. Her ears were drooping and her normally pleasant smile had been replaced with frown, her mascara was running, and her gorgeous mane was unkempt and more resembled a bird’s nest than her usual, swirling coiffe. 
She passed by numerous places in her sorrowful wanderings, passing by the train station, where she saw a young looking mare with a delightful pink mane and a pale, creamy white coat head off in the direction of Sugacube Corner with a giddy smile. She later saw that pony again, laughing and chatting with Pinke as they headed back to the station, probably for some party they had both been invited to, no doubt. Rarity wasn’t much interested. 
“Whoa there, Sugarcube!” The familiar voice of Applejack sounded just beside her, startling her out of her reverie. “Y’all look like somepony slapped ya in the face on the way outta bed. Y’all okay?” 
Rarity was sorely tempted to ignore ‘Jack and trot on by, but her mouth opened before she could stop herself. “Spike and I decided to try going on a date.” 
Applejack frowned, stepping in front of Rarity and squarely into the fashion pony’s field of view, her right eyebrow shooting up in that way it always did when she was confused, incredulous or otherwise annoyed and unconvinced of something. “But y’all look ‘bout as happy as a fish in a drought, so I’m guessin’ it didn’t go well?” 
Rarity shook her head. 
“It….did go well?”
“We had a positively wonderful evening, darling. We went out to dinner, we talked and laughed...he was an absolute gentlecolt.”
“This story don’t make a lick o’ sense with that face ya got.” Applejack returned, taking a moment to push her hat and bangs back out of her eyes. “Where’d it all go south?”
Rarity sighed, sitting down heavily- in the middle of the road, no less- and looked up at her strong friend. “He...he was actually quite mature. He realized that while he finds me attractive, he…..well, he doesn’t believe that a relationship between us could work, what with there being the matter of our age-”
“WHAT?!” Applejack cried, eyes first widening, then narrowing again like a pair of out of control curtains. “But- but- He’s loved you forever!”
“Yes, and I’ve been quite nasty to him over those years.”
“Nasty?! How have y’all ever been nasty?!”
Rarity grimaced, using the back of her fetlock to wipe away some of her running mascara, leaving a dark grey trail on it. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the blemish in her appearance, before she gave her friend a response. “You know all those favours he does me?”
Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Yeeah?”
“I may have…..manipulated him into doing some of those for me.”
“You did what?” Applejack stared at her, aghast. “You used his feelings- like-.....Honestly, I don’t know what that’s like, but that’s bad, Rare! That’s really bad!”
“I know.” Rarity hung her head in shame. “And I don’t deserve someone like him because of what I did. He’s growing into a fine young dragon, regardless of my connivances. It’s just…..after all the time I’ve spent chasing after this dream of the ‘perfect stallion’ he’s the closest I’ve ever gotten. And I ruined it before he was even old enough to want me that way.”
Applejack grimaced as Rarity’s shoulders started to shake. She knew what was- 
“I’M A BAD PON-YYYY-YYY-HHYYYYYY!” Rarity wailed, dramatically, for all of Ponyville to hear. 
Yes, there it was. The traditional Rarity Melodrama. 
“Alright now, Sugarcube, that’s enough of that.” Applejack used a single hoof to lift her friend off the floor. The Earth Pony gave her friend an encouraging smile. “Look, you did something’ bad. Big deal. You intend to keep doing it?”
“Well…..no.” Rarity admitted. “A lady should never repeat her mistakes, after all.”
“Then y’all ain’t a bad pony.” Applejack stated, brushing the road-dirt off of Rarity’s flank. “Y’all just, did a bad thing, learned yer lesson and are gonna make up for it, right?”
“Oh, I don’t think I can just brush off what I did-”
“Oh, quit bein’ so dramatic for five seconds and move on.” Applejack deadpanned. “I’ve known ya for a good long while now, and the one time y’all went all overboard with bein’ mopey, it was me an’ the girls fault in the first place. Just figure out how to make it up to Spike, and we’ll figure out that stallion problem, together.” 
Rarity’s mouth fell open in astonishment. “You? Getting involved in romance? My goodness! Who are you and what have you done with the Applejack I know?”
“Stuffed her in a barrel.” Jack deadpanned again. “Look, I may not be comfortable with ‘frou frou mushy romance stuff’ like you are, but y’all are my friend, y’all have a problem, and I want to help my friend. Ergo, I’ll step outta my comfort zone in order to help ya out.”
“Oh, Applejack.” Rarity swooned- again dramatically. “You really are a good friend.” 
“Alright, come on now.” Applejack said, leading Rarity away from the scene of her crying fit. “Let’s get y’all home before ya embarrass yerself some more.” 


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


“So, I took the liberty of sceduling a buncha blind dates for ya. Searched far and wide for willin’ participants- and by that I mean anyone I could find in and around Ponyville- and told ‘em all to come to this here restaurant to meetcha!” Applejack said proudly, puffing her chest out a bit in pride. “Hope y’all are ready, Rare’s.”
“Applejack, darling!” Rarity gave what she hoped looked like a confident smirk. “I was born ready!” 
The farmpony shook her head as her brain did what it always did, easily spotting the lie- not that she needed to really pay attention, with how badly Rarity had delivered the line in a shaky voice. “Look, sugarcube, if ya don’t wanna do this-”
“Not another word, darling!” Rarity cut her country friend off with a mane-flip and a winning smile. “You’ve been so generous, setting this up the last few days. I simply cannot let it all go to waste now!”
“Then get out there, gir! Get!” Applejack chimed with a hearty shove, sending Rarity stumbling out of the restaurant’s back-room door and into public view with all the grace of a hay cart with a broken wheel and a drunk driver. Thankfully, no one actually saw the arrival of the mare, so fixated on ordering and delivering meals as they were. Taking a moment to quiet her nerves with a deep breath, Rarity steeled herself and crossed the floor to the table booth by the window that Applejack had managed to rent for the night. 
Sitting in the seat on the other side of the table than the one she’d selected, was one stallion Rarity had never thought AJ would call on. Big Macintosh. 
The quiet stallion was dressed in a tuxedo she recognized- she should, since she’d made it for him herself- and looked very presentable, with his mane combed and coat brushed impeccably. No doubt Applejack had badgered her brother into this level of perfection, since she knew how much of an annoyance being in anyway messy could be to Rarity when the mood struck her. It was a bad habit, but it was a hard one to break easily. 
As she sat down opposite him, he looked up, managing his usual, charmingly relaxed smile. Oddy enough, it helped her to relax as well. 
“Hello, Big Mac. I hadn’t expected you to come to this date.” Rarity greeted politely. She would be polite to every soul that ended up sitting at this table tonight. Applejack was no doubt telling the other hopefuls to wait their turn right now. “Have you, uh…..dated since you and Fluttershy broke up?”
“Nope.” The one word answer she had expected. “Not really.” Ah, slight elaboration, a definite improvement on a single word. 
“My apologies for being so forward with that question.” Rarity felt her cheeks flush in slight embarrassment. “It’s just that I know the both of you so well….”
“It’s not a problem. It was a good break up.” The brevity of his responses certainly reminded her of the story that Applejack had told her about their teenage years, and how much Mac had talked back then, and why he didn’t now. Rarity would have probably heard him talk herself if she had actually visited the farm more.
“That’s good to hear, darling. I’d hate for there to be bad blood between you.”
“I’m just glad she found somepony. Miss Shy deserves a good pony beside her.” 
Rarity nodded in agreement, taking a moment to take a sip of the restaurant’s complimentary water. She broke away from the conversation for a moment to scan the menu. She wasn’t familiar with this particular establishment, but that was because it was very new. She could still detect the lingering smell of fresh plastic coming from the laminated menus. It was when she saw the prices that her head whirled. Applejack was paying for all of this!? That was not fair to the poor dear! Not when Rarity had more than enough money to pay for it all!
“My sister is a good mare, Miss Rarity.” Big Mac’s voice pulled her eyes back off of the menu. “I know she’s payin’ for all this. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t agree with this plan.”
“But you don’t have any sort of feelings towards me, do you?” Rarity asked, her eyes searching his face as he replied. 
“As a friend, I value you deeply, Miss Rarity. You and your friends mean an awful lot to my family and this town. But I’m not interested in that sense, no. I’m sorry that-”
“It’s alright dear.” Rarity quickly held his hoof in hers and gave him a smile. “You’ve certainly helped settle my nerves. And it’s always nice to talk to a friend, especially one you should talk with more often.”
Mac smiled back, nodding. “I know I’m pretty quiet, but if you ever want to talk, you know where to find me.” 
“Thank you, darling.” Rarity beamed at him, then let go of his hoof. “I’ll be sure to drop by more often!”
Mac nodded, and then took a moment to finish his water, then, with another, gentle smile, bowed his head, and left. 
“Well, it may not have been an instant success, but if every stallion to walk through those doors is as well mannered as Big Mac, this should be a good night.” Rarity declared.


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


“I like to think of myself as an honest buisiness partner, Miss Rarity.” Filthy Rich droned. “I need somepony in my life after my divorce from Spoiled.”
Rarity bit her lip at the prospect of being involved with the stallion. It wasn’t so much him that was the problem, since he was genuinely a good stallion, but all the baggage he carried with him. A daughter, for one, an angry ex-wife for another, being in a business partnership with Sweet Apple Acres would have her loyalties torn every time there was an argument, and, worst of all: she didn’t fancy him. 
Another bust. Next!


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


“Think you could use me in your business? A good mane stylist goes well with fashion! Helping you out might help Rainbow loosen up around me.”
Rarity ground her teeth at Zephyr’s ridiculous attempt to upstage Applejack’s date night and turn it into a job interview for himself. The ambitious little- NEXT!


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


“..............This is just embarrassing….” Rarity sighed as Bulk Biceps galloped, shrieking, away at the sight of the Restaurant’s butterfly logo on the napkins. How he hadn’t seen the one above the door, she had no idea.


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


“So…...how are you doing today?” Crimson said, woodenly, his eyes never leaving the menu for more than a second at a time, and very infrequently. “I’ve not tried this stuff yet. Is it good?” 
“Uh, darling? You do know this is supposed to be a date, don’t you?” Rarity asked, taking in his relaxed, loose, informal attire that contrasted horribly with her immaculate green dress. She’d actually found herself more in favour of the colour, after dating Spike. He did pull it off well. The only issue was her blue eyes and cutie mark contrasting poorly with it, which did still irritate her. 
“A date? Is that what it is when friends go out and eat? That’s what this is, right?”
Rarity groaned and slammed her head into the table. 


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


Holding the ice pack to her head was just making everything worse, especially since her headache was just made worse by doing magic, meaning she had no choice but to use a hoof. Davenport was nice, but all he wanted to talk about was how every last creature that came into his shop kept asking the same question about why he only sold quills and sofas. 
Also, his taste in deodorant was akin to a young colt. Ghastly.


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

Rarity’s hopes for the evening pretty much tanked the moment that Time Turner got to his fiftieth minute of waffling on about Derpy’s constant clumsiness, the irregularity of people who bought his clocks, the times when people ignored him, simply because he had, and she was quoting him here; “just had one of those faces that ponies didn’t listen to.” 
“And then I made them all run away by daring them all to let someone else try first- I mean, they all hated each other as much as they hated me, so why not try, right?” 
Rarity necked her wine glass with a noncommittal shrug. 


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


“I mean, come on, baby. Every mare likes some o’ Lane’s thunder! You’d enjoy some of this tappin’ that flank!” 
“GET OUT, PERVERT!”


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


“The food’s good, but it ain’t no pot of jelly.”
“Just pass the wine, darling.” 


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


“Hey baby-”
“I SAID OUT!”


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


“.........................” 
“You did realize that I’m not a little school filly, didn’t you? You’re a lovely young colt dear, but you’re a little young for this.”


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


“Is this the interview for the junior chef position?”
“Wrong table darling. Would you like some wine while you wait?”


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


“Hey-” 
“I WILL THROW THIS BOTTLE AT YOUR HEAD! I SWEAR BY CELESTIA’S SWEET FLANKS!”


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


Applejack sat down heavily across from Rarity, a sad frown on her face. They’d gone through every last suitor in Ponyville, and now, at the tail end of the night, the pool was exhausted, leaving two rather melancholy mares, one of whom had already had quite a large amount of wine, leaving her a little unfocused and blurry eyed. The farmer sighed, before she pulled the nearly empty bottle of wine to her and upended it, barely even tasting the fruity beverage before it was gone. 
“Thanksh…..” 
Applejack blinked, lowering the bottle and staring at her white-coated friend. 
“May not have worked Applejacks, but thanksh for trying…”
Another sigh left Applejack’s lips, her eyes downcast. “Eh, I just wanted you to have somepony by your side who was willing to do whatever it took to make y’all happy. Y’all deserve it, ya know.” 
Rarity hiccupped, a giggle squeaking out of her muzzle, along with the smell of grapes and the salad she’d eaten for her proper meal. “Your shush a good friend….”
“Shucks, I’m just tryin’ to do what’s right by ya. No need to get all mushy on me.”
“Hee hee, shucksh…..” Rarity chuckled. 
“How…..how much of this bottle did you have, Rare?”
“H-*hic!*-how mush wash left?”
Applejack looked at the now empty bottle. She’d barely had any of it. “Uh….maybe one glass?”
“Then I had all the other glashes.” Rarity tittered, trying to stand up. Applejack was immediately there to stop her from smashing her face into the floor. 
“Landsakes, Sugar! And here I thought that with all those parties and events you go to in Canterlot, you’d have a higher tolerance for this stuff!” Applejack braced herself against Rarity’s shoulder to keep her upright, and started leading her home. 
“Everything’s spinning………..” Rarity mumbled, suddenly reversing the direction of her downward plummet. Applejack actually had to dive to the floor to catch her friend and carry her on her back through the Ponyville streets. 
Rolling her eyes, the farm mare carried the fashionista all the way back to the boutique- only to realize that Rarity had lost her keys at some point, and that Sweetie Belle was currently out of town with their parents. Grumbling, Applejack rolled her eyes and made the decision to go back to the farm instead. At least she could get in there. 
Misfortune hit them on the way back though, as they happened across a group of ponies with very unsavoury intentions, grinning and holding pocket-knives. 
“Your friend there looks rich.” The leader said, stepping forward and pointing his knife at Applejack’s throat. Rarity groaned where she lay draped across Applejack’s withers. “Why don’t you just hoof over her valuables, and we’ll let you be on your merry way.”
Applejack’s eyes were dangerously narrow slits. “Sure thing, sugarcube.” She snarled through her gritted teeth. “Just lemme put her down over there, and I’ll get ya what y’all are askin’ for.”
The unicorn stallion motioned with his knife, towards a fencepost by the side of the road, and Applejack obliged, calmly walking over to it with Rarity, before lowering her down onto the grass before the post, taking a moment to make sure she was in the Equine Recovery Position, before standing back up, and, with a single hoof, straightening her hat. 
“Alright now, get us our bits, and we’ll leave you two ladies alone.”
Applejack snorted, muscles tensing. “Ya know, if me and my friend’s situations were reversed, you might have had a chance of that line workin’.”
“Wha-” There was a sudden crunching sound as Applejack’s back hooves met his chin, and his head snapped back, carrying the rest of his body with him as he soared high in the air, to land in a puddle left over from the rain two nights past. His knife clattered down in front of Applejack’s hooves, which, in a flash of magic, were suddenly covered in metal greaves, the summoning stone she’d retrieved from the brim of her hat when she adjusted it pulsing twice as it activated. 
“Now.” Applejack growled, glad that Twilight had continued modifying ad refining her friend’s armour and weapons from Vancouver. “Y’all can try what he did, or, you can pick him up and get outta here while I’m feelin’ generous.”
The remaining, would-be-muggers chose wisely, turning tail and galloping away down the road, not even bothering to help their friend. 
Applejack watched them go, before she went and checked on the stallion, making sure his mouth and nose was clear of the water, before dismissing her gauntlets and hauling Rarity back up and continuing on homeward. 
“You’re my hero…..” Rarity slurred, as they reached the farmhouse.


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


Applejack woke up warm and comfortable, wrapped up warm in her blankets as the roosters crowed outside, spurred on by the dawn. She twisted her head to look at the familiar view out of her bedroom window, smiling at the prospect of starting a new day. 
As she went to get up however, she realized that something rather warm, and very much alive, was in the bed with her, draped across her body. 
“Aww, for the love of- Winona! I told ya a thousand times that ya ain’t allowed on my-” Applejack stopped as she saw what her bed covers had pulled back to reveal. Her face went scarlet red. 
It only got worse when Big Mac and Apple Bloom appeared at the door, took one look inside, and started laughing.


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


“I am so sorry, darling!” Rarity apologized for the hundredth time in a row as Applejack walked her home, having finally managed to track down the spare key to the boutique that she had given Applejack during her trip out to Manehatten when she had gone with Pinkie and Maud to look for a location for her next store. For some reason, neither one had gotten around to returning it or asking about it. “That was so embarrassing! Your siblings won’t stop talking about this for weeks, and then everypony else we know will be sniggering behind our backs!”
“Calm down, Rare.” Applejack admonished her friend with a shoulder bump. “Both Bloom and Mac know that there are some things you keep to yerself. I dare say they know it better’n you do.” 
Rarity looked a little guilty at that. Her reputation as one of the town’s gossips was well known, to the point that newcomers were given warning ahead of time. 
“Well, I guess this is the end of our little adventure.” Rarity concluded as she reached the door to the huge Carousel that housed her and her business. “Thank you, Applejack, dear. For everything.”
“Aww, shucks. Tweren't nothin’.” Applejack said, rubbing her left foreleg with her right. 
“Well….despite the lack of success, I dare say you deserve a bit of a reward for all your efforts.” Rarity said, not meeting AJ in the eye, and twirling her mane through her hooves. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she wanted so badly to just….to just….
Oh screw it.
Applejack, who had paused halfway through turning around to head home, quite suddenly found a pair of lips pressed against hers. She stood, frozen, for quite some time, long after Rarity had sped inside with her cheeks on fire, and slammed the door behind her. The farm-pony raised a hoof up to feel her cheek, and found it flushed and warm. 
She bolted. 


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


Applejack tried to distract herself the entirety of the next week, but Applebuck season was winding down, and winter was on it’s way once again, leaving the farm devoid of much of it’s usual work. 
Sitting on the porch, she thought she had found a solution. Her guitar, an old one passed down to her from her ma, was clutched in her hooves. She twanged a single string once…..and the effect was immediate. Magic bubbled away in her heart and head. She had to sing. 


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


Rarity stared at the keyboard before her. A relic of her short lived, but greatly enjoyed disco phase, it had gathered dust for years in her attic-loft. Now it stood, a little worn, but as pristine as the day she had first gotten it. She pressed one key, and the effect was immediate. She had to sing. 


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


Somewhere in Canterlot, a pair of ears pricked up, one whose owner had not felt the stirring in her chest in so long. “Kibitz, Raven, is my schedule clear at the moment?”



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


“SONG TIME!!” Pinkie bellowed in her room. Good thing she had her drum-kit out already!


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


Applejack started strumming, a quick, light collection of notes, at about the same time as Rarity started to press the keys on her board, a small smattering of notes that complimented the strings in a calm, yet energetic collaboration. Pinkie’s drums started up not much later.
Unknown to them all, their voices rose together in tandem as the words came to them, three instruments and four voices rising together, apart.
The first voice to start belonged to Rarity:   
“Here I am, face to face,
With a situation, I never thought I'd ever see,
Strange, how a dress, can take a mess,
And make her nothing less than, beautiful to me

It seems like my eyes have been transfigured
Something deep inside has changed
They've been opened wide but hold that trigger
This could mean…...
Daaaaaangeeeeeeer……….

I'm falling in love,
Falling in love,
Falling in love,
I think I'm,
Falling in love,
Falling in love,
Falling in love,
With an Apple Farmer…..”

Celestia, sat in her chambers, her eyes fixed on a small town in the valley beyond her window, took up the next chorus. 
“What? What the hell is this?
You expect me to sing about her?
Don't care about her
It's just a little make-up, Cellie, wake up
I'm mistaken-”

Applejack felt the words suddenly burst from her mouth as she took over from someone else, a giddy grin on her face at the thought of Rarity.

“She is the hottest mare I've ever seen!
Now, because she's like a mare I've never seen!
Don't know how I couldn’t have forseeen…..
This could mean……..
Daaaaaaaangeeeeeeer……”

Celestia jumped back into the song with her voice raised to the heavens, her thousand year old mask lying in shattered pieces around her as she sang the words her heart yearned to sing, her voice matching Applejack word for word, until they reached the last line.
“I'm falling in love,
Falling in love,
Falling in love,
I could be,
Falling in love,
Falling in love,
Falling in love,
With a pink maned baker……./a dressmaker……”

Pinkie and Rarity sang the next part, a single line identical between the both of them. 

“I wanna let her know/oooooooooowwwww.” They sang together.

“I feel so queasy….” Pinkie chimed.

“But I can't let it show/ooooooooowwwww….” Celestia and Applejack rang out, voices quivering.
“She'd laugh, "Poor Filly!”.” AJ cried.
“Come on,” They all called in perfect unison.
“Rare!/Pinkie!,
Jackie!/Cellie!,
You gotta let it gooo!!! 
	You gotta let it gooo-ooooooo!!!” 


Rarity and Celestia started up their reprised choruses only a moment later, all the instruments still beating out the melodies rhythm for them all.

“Here I am, face to face,
With a situation, I never thought I'd ever see,
Strange, how a dress, can take a mess,
And make her nothing less than, beautiful to me.”

Pinkie joined in for the second half of Rarity’s chorus at the same time Applejack jumped onto Celestia’s. 
	“It seems like my eyes have been transfigured, 
	Something deep inside has changed!
	They’ve been opened wide, but hold that trigger,
	This could mean…..
	
“WHAT? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” Celestia yelled, her surprise directed at the feeling of euporia that sprang from within, the most genuine, goofy, romantic smile on her face the whole time. 
“I want to sing about her, sing about her!
	I want to make-up, Pinkie, wake-up, I’ve been mistaken…..

Halfway through that chorus, Applejack joined Celestia again, strumming her heart out on her guitar, not content to sit anymore, but instead standing on her hind legs and playing for the world from the platform of her on front porch.
“Sheeee, is the hottest girl I’ve ever seen, 
	Now, because she’s like a girl I’ve never seen, 
	Don’t know why, I couldn’t have forseeeeeen….
	This could mean……”

Once more, four voices rose together in the morning air, joined together, but separated over so many miles. 
“Daaaaaaaaangeeeeeeerrrr!
I’m falling in love, 
Falling in love, 
Falling in love, 
I think I’m falling in love,
Falling in love,
Falling in love,”
“With Princess Celestiaaa……”
“With an Apple farmeeeeer…..”
“With a pink bakeeeeer…..”
“With a fashionistaaaa……”
“Daaaaaaaangeeeeeeeerrrr!”
> Chapter 11: Life at Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Static watched Rose with a wry smile as her elder sibling spat out dirt, yet again. Little Crystal sat and watched too, having reached the time in a young Changeling’s life when observational skills began their development, and she did that from where she was nestled between her Mama Static’s legs. 
“That mud must taste good, since you keep eating it so often.” Static laughed, Crystal nuzzling into the fluff on her mama’s chest. 
Rose pulled herself up out of the pit she’d put in the lawn of Fluttershy’s back yard with a humourless laugh. “Ha ha. You know you’ve had just as many problems adjusting to feathered wings as I’ve had adjusting to having wings at all.” 
Static nodded, not denying it in the slightest. “Yeah, I face plant almost as much- and yet I haven’t had to spit out clods of dirt.” 
“Are you arguing again?” Fluttershy emerged from the house, and Static felt her heart start doing somersaults in her chest at the sound of her sweet voice. Ever since she had emerged from her coma almost, Static had found herself consumed with a desire. A mad passion whose name she knew so well. It burned stronger every day and because of it, she’d started to do things. Little things. A few words here, a little touch there, making herself look her best every day. Even now, just sitting in the garden, Static had made the effort to put on  blue-green eye shadow, the way that Rarity had showed her to. She had a scarf on for the late autumn cold, and had styled her mane with deliberate care- accentuating the wildness in just the right way…
Fluttershy noticed- Static could tell. The way she bit her lip ever so slightly as she approached, her own mane brushed to perfection, a butterfly pin next to her ear to contrast Static’s punk-rock skull pin. It gave her shivers.
“We’re siblings, of course we’re arguing.” Rose said, brushing off the clumps of dirt that clung to her wings. She had noticed her sister’s behavior, and the reciprocation from her mare-friend, and found it amusing to watch. 
“As if that would put a dampener in our relationship.” Static confidently boasted. “Warm, dear?” 
Fluttershy nodded, snuggling down onto a deck chair that Static had set up a few weeks prior, wrapped up nice and warm in her favourite sweater- the very sweater that Static had gotten for her during their first Hearth’s Warming Eve together. Static grinned at her, undressing her mare-friend with her eyes while she did the same. 
Not that there was ever much to undress, really. The only times that one could indulge in the practice for any length of time was during a formal event, where dresses and suits were mandatory for attendance. Often, if a pony wanted to undress their significant other, they would first have to find an excuse to actually get them to wear something in the first place. It was all very silly and awfully involved. 
Shy and Static did it every week.
Rarity had made them an awfully large number of clothes after all….
“Dashie said she would be coming over on Tuesday. I hope she and Discord don’t start fighting….again.” Fluttershy said. She had brought out a steaming mug of cocoa to share with Static, who moved closer to her in order to reach the lovely beverage. Being next to Shy was also a good reason to move. 
“Bringing her current boy-toy with her again?” Rose quipped, smirking at Fluttershy’s giggled answer. “Who is it this time? Old Thunder-head?”
“If Rarity hears that Dash is letting him anywhere near her, poor Rainbow won’t ever hear the end of it!” Static laughed, rubbing the top of Crystal’s head affectionately as she did. “Did she tell you about the dreaded Date Derby?”
“Oh sweet Celestia! I was laughing so much, I don’t think I was able to breath for a solid minute or two when she told me about it!” Rose guffawed, giving herself one last brush down before joining her sister and her sister’s mare-friend on the deck-chairs. 
“No, Thunderlane called in sick- something about a concussion.” Fluttershy’s sly smirk only made Static chuckle more. “He said he hit his head while practicing some moves.”
“I bet the bruise he has is perfectly circular- like a bottle of wine.” Rose sniped, taking a drink from the sports bottle she’d left by the chairs before she’d started practicing. 
The conversation died off for a little while, the three content to merely pass the time in quiet contemplation while they sipped their drinks and enjoyed each other’s warm company. 
Then a newcomer appeared. 
“Well, well. Two former humans and my favourite Pegasus, out enjoying the Autumn breeze! How wonderful!”
Static glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the Spirit of Chaos who had appeared behind them. “Hello Dizzy. Wanna join us? Shy made Hot Chocolate.” 
“Ooh, did she now?” Discord asked, his differently sized eyes literally lighting up with delight at the thought of a delightful chocolate beverage. “Don’t mind if I do!”
A moment later and a miniature Discord was wallowing in an equally miniature jacuzzi filled with the stuff. 
“Is Discord being weird again?” Zephyr asked as he emerged from the house, the younger Pegasus shivering as he crossed the distance between the house and the deck chairs as quickly as possible, so that he could wrap himself in the snug blanket he’d brought with him. Due to a recent mane experiment-turned-disaster, he was currently without a good deal of his usual mane and tail length, and even a decent amount of his coat, making him particularly susceptible to the cold. 
Fluttershy and Discord both turned to stare at him with raised eyebrows. “What do you mean, again?”
“Yeah, yeah. Ha ha. Very funny.” Zephyr bemoaned, wrapping himself up tightly in the safety of the blanket. “Oh, is that cocoa?”
Rose rolled her eyes. “I’ll go get you some.”
“You’re the best, Rosie!” 
“It’s just Rose!”
“Whatever, Rosie!”
Discord hopped partially out of his chocolate-y bubbly pool, propping his arms up against the sides and looking up at Static and Fluttershy. “So, do you two have plans this evening?”
“Would you care if we did?” Static asked. “You and plans generally get along as well as Twilight and Trixie.”
“If it were any other ponies plans- no.” Discord smirked, his snaggletooth glinting in the dim light of the evening autumn sun. “But as it’s Fluttershy and my current favourite disruptor of this Universe, yes I do.”
“Well, we had planned a few activities tonight.” Fluttershy stated, matter of factly.
“And what might those be?” Discord asked, innocently, reading a newspaper that seemed to be from later that night, if the time-stamp in the corner of the page was any indication. 
“You just read it, random-boy.” Static drawled, taking a sip of Cocoa. “You tell us.” 
“Your insults need work.” Discord returned with a sneer.
“You smell funny.” 
“I just washed.” 
Static looked over the rim of her mug as she raised an eyebrow. “As if that means anything with you?”
“True, true.” 
“Now boys, play nice.” Fluttershy hummed, happily chewing on a marshmallow she’d fished from inside the mug. 
“There’s only one boy here.” Static grinned, before that grin reversed itself, and she looked Discord with her head cocked to the side. “At least, I assume you’re male, Discord. Do chaos creatures have assigned genders?”
“Ask me again in twelve minutes, and I may actually have an answer for you.”
“Ah.” 
“I’m back!” Rose called, trotting over to Zephyr, balancing a small tray with two mugs of Cocoa balanced on it. “I missed weirdness again, didn’t I?” 
“Yep.”
“I’m sure I’ll get over it.” Rose dismissed, returning to her chair. 
Crystal twisted her neck around to gaze directly up at Static, who in turn gazed down, before sticking out her tongue and using her right hoof to tap the youngster on the nose. Crystal pounced the keratin covered thing and proceeded to play predator, trying to drag it down, as if she were a lion and it was a gazelle. Static let this happen for a few minutes, before she pulled out Crystal’s favourite toy, a dark grey Changeling plushie with a long green mane and tail that Fluttershy had sewn for her. The nearly white furred Changeling Princess saw the plushie out of the corner of her eye, and her mouth immediately dropped open as she turned and pounced on top of the Queen doll, hugging it and squeezing it close. 
Static watched it all with a serene smile, using her wing to pull Shy into a hug. 
“So, you have some plans for later.” Discord stated, a few minutes later. “What if we went out and came back in time for those plans?” 
Static and Shy exchanged a quick look before beaming back at him. “Deal.” 


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


Fluttershy and Static trotted in through the bedroom door, sweaty from the dancing they had done in a Manehatten night-club. Their manes were now decorated in streamers, Pinkie Pie having somehow joined the party half-way through, firing her trademark party cannon with a wild, joyful grin the entire time, coating the dance floor in confetti that jumped and vibrated to the beat of several dozen hooves drumming atop it. 
Even Crystal had enjoyed it, soaking up the boundless energy of the party and trying to dance on her stubby legs- failing completely, but enjoying every second. They had put her to bed, the little Princess falling asleep before she’d even reached the comfort of her favourite blankie and her Chrysalis plush. But, alas, the night’s adventure had come to a close, and the family had come home.
“Well, that was fun.” Static smiled across the bed at Shy, before hopping up onto the comfy mattress and depositing her hair-clip on the bedside table with her wing. Fluttershy stayed standing on the other side, her smile holding a hint of playfulness in it’s coy depths. “What?”
Shy didn’t answer, instead disappearing into the wardrobe, emerging a minute later, wearing some more….risque garments of her choosing. 
Static grinned, hopping back off of the bed, and taking a moment in the wardrobe herself, dressing herself up in lingerie of her own. “Looking good.” Shy murmured as Static re-emerged. 
“Shut up and kiss me, darlin’.” Static grinned, before pressing her lips against Shy’s and wrapping her forehoove around her neck, overbalancing them both and sending them tumbling onto the bed….


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


“Have you seen Crystal?” 
Static frowned, looking up from her book with a frown. “I thought you were giving her her bath today?”
Fluttershy nodded with a frown. “Yes, but I can’t find her. She’s not in her crib, or her room, she isn’t with Zephyr and Rose, and Discord swears he hasn’t taken her for fun. Can you help me find her?”
“Of course!” Static deftly flicked the book shut and placed it on the coffee table that stood dutifully between the couch and the armchair she had been sitting in, before flapping her wings and flying up to the second floor. “I’ll check all the bedrooms, you check the kitchen and the pantry.”
“Alright!”
Several long minutes went by before the two met back up. “Any luck?”
“No. Should we check the garden?”
“Might as well. She’s gotten quite fond of the foxes at the end of the garden. She might be pestering them, or something.”
“Oh, I hope Miss Fluffy isn’t too mad at her…”
The two left the room, calling out their daughters name as they went out into the garden. Had they gone back in, they would have seen Discord appear in a flash, and whisper to the coffee table. “The coast is clear!” 
Green flames consumed it, dropping Static's book to the floor, and replacing the table with a giggling Changeling, who clopped her hooves together happily, cooed a few times, then galloped into the kitchen to steal some more cookies from the jar, smearing chocolate over her face. 


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


“Hey, Rosie, you almost done in there?” 
“I swear to god Zephyr, you do this every morning!”
“I just wanna pee!”
“Yeah, and you always manage to need to take a piss whenever I’m in here! Your sense of timing sucks!”
“If anything, your timing sucks!” 
Fluttershy sighed as she listened to the two bicker upstairs. “Do you think we should tell Zeph he can use the en suite in our room?”
Static shook her head with a slight smile. “You think he wants to stop bugging her?”
“True.”


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


“Mornin’- AHHH!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER?!”
“EEEEEEEEE!!!!”
“FOR FUCK’S SAKE ZEPH! LEARN HOW TO KNOCK!!!”	


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

> Chapter 12: Claws
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Crimson!” Twilight pouted, staring up into his burgundy eyes with her now commonplace pout. She always used it when she wanted him to do something, and it was obvious that she knew how effective it was, because she always used it to win an argument. 
“Come on! Why do I need to go and explore?” He demanded, tapping his foot in irritation. “I’ve already got plenty of friends, I know my way around town, and I have a job!” 
“All those bits are going to Appleoosa at the moment, Crimson.” Twilight pointed out, her pout growing in intensity. “And you have the girls. That’s it. Just me, the other Element bearers, and Static!”
“Yeah, seven friends, right there. Where’s the problem?”
“Static may have been a guy a year ago, but she has made it very plain that she’s committing to her new self, which means that every single one of your friends is of the opposite gender! Don’t you want any guy friends at all?” Twilight’s pout was reaching close to critical mass now, the cuteness overload trying to give Crimson a heart attack. 
“All of your friends are the same gender as you.” Crimson returned, trying to refute her point. 
“Not true. I have you, Spike, Discord, Big Mac, Mr Cake, and that one clock maker who can even out science me! What was his name, uh….oh yeah, Time Turner!” Twilight refuted his point with her usual matter-of-factness, simply tearing apart his excuses with irrefutable logic. 
“......Ugh, fine…..” Crimson slumped over in his chair, defeated. He had been trying to read a history book about the Princesses- a complaint he vocalized to Twilight as she started trying to bundle him out of the castle library, chair and all. “You know, I can’t do all the things you tell me to do all at once!”
“Then move your butt and do some of them!” Twilight returned, giving up on physically pushing the chair and simply hoisting Crimson’s comfy recliner into the air and marching him out to the front door. “I don’t care where you start, just do something other than buck apples and study!”
“I’m not you and Applejack’s magical love baby!”
Twilight’s cheeks went bright red, and she promptly threw the castle’s font door open and flung him through them, so that he landed on the road outside. “Just go outside already!”
Crimson turned to yell his reply back at her, but the doors had already slammed closed. “I’M ALREADY OUTSIDE YOU CRAZY MARE!!” He bellowed, before turning and walking briskly away. Twilight was in a mood, so he was getting well away from her.
“Twilight kicked you out, huh?” Crimson looked up to see Spike, the often present and even more often unnoticed young dragon assistant of Twilight’s. He was carrying a stack of small boxes that was as tall as he was. The young dragon unable to see over them, instead peering around them to see where he was going. 
Crimson picked himself up off the floor and nodded, wiping dirt off of his shirt- this one was blue, a colour that Rarity seemed to enjoy using. “Yeah. Something about ‘not enough guy friends’.” 
“Figures. She’s concerned about you when you have no guy friends, but she never thought about me when I didn’t.” Spike snarked. He jostled the boxes a little, so that he could grip them better, his blunted claws leaving little scrape marks in the thin wooden panels. “Anyway, you look like you could use someone to talk to who isn’t going to harp on about making friends all day. Wanna come with me? I’m supposed to be taking these back to Twilight’s lab. I doubt she’ll notice you’ve come back in, so you should be fine.”
Crimson grinned. “You’re encouraging me to break her rules now?”
“Only when she won’t notice.” Spike returned with a cocky smile. “I do it all the time.”
Crimson snickered as he followed Spike back up to the doors, waited for a few moments, just to make sure Twilight had retreated back to one of the many Library rooms, and then opened the door, peering around, just to be on the safe side, and then scurried through to Twilight’s lab, chuckling to themselves as they went. Spike turned to Crimson with a mischievous giggle. “Breaking the rules like this is always fun.”
“Ignoring Princess Twilight’s rules? Why, whoever would do such a thing?” Asked a voice. Spike jumped up a mile in the air, yelling out loud in alarm as his wings fluttered rapidly, barely keeping him aloft. Crimson gritted his teeth and looked around for the owner of the voice, spotting a figure draped over a bookshelf. There was an open window behind them. 
“I do a pretty good impression of Discord for a girl, huh?” Static chuckled, stretching out like a cat, before dropping down in front of them, alighting on her hooves with a quick flare of her wings. “So, what are you two doing?”
“Could ask you the same thing, missy.” Crimson smirked, folding his arms across his chest. “Spying on us, are we?”
“Spying? Pffft! Who, me? What do you take me for?” Static laughed, brushing a hoof through her mane. “Nah, if I wanted to spy on you, you’d never know I was there, and I definitely wouldn’t reveal myself like that! I just dropped in to pay Twilight a visit and happened across you two first. Soooooo…..what about you?”
“Oh- uh, we’re just hanging out, talking.” Spike said, managing to finally calm his frantic heart down. “Nothing much, really.” 
Crimson frowned, looking down at Spike’s blunted claws again. “Hey, how do you even protect yourself if you dull your claws,  anyway?”
Spike blinked, looking at his claws in confusion. “Protect myself? Why would I need to do that? I’ve got Twilight!”
Crimson noticed Static frown at that, and he felt the same expression cross his face. “And if Twilight were in trouble, or otherwise unable to help you? What would you do then? What will you do if something happens and there is no one else around to help?”
Spike raised a claw and opened his mouth, clearly about to voice a suggestion, before the words died in his throat. “I-......I guess I never thought about that….”
“No one ever wants to, Spike.” Static sighed. “It’s why most people don’t. But sometimes it’s better to prepare for this kind of thing- like having an extra key, in case you lose or break yours, ya know?”
Spike nodded. “That does make sense.”
“So, why don’t we find somewhere where we can show you a few things you can do, and get you prepared, eh?” Crimson asked with a smile.
Spike’s own grin was almost as big, and his enthusiastic nodding only served to widen the smile on both adults faces. 


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


“Okay, keep your guard up- yeah, that’s it! And one- two- three- four!” Static punched out at Spike in a varied way, making sure to keep him on his toes, but holding back so as not to overwhelm him completely. They were standing in a large, clear patch of dusty ground in the guard barracks behind Twilight’s Castle, which was used as their sparring ring. It was mostly empty at the moment, seeing as Twilight’s guard was still only a few ponies strong, meaning that most were on duty already. The two instructors had taken turns with the young dragon. Crimson primarily told him how to use his claws to attack, while Static showed him how to defend, creating a blended fighting style that was a mixture of pony and Architect styles, with a little of Spike’s own creative flare for good measure. 
The pair made for decent teachers, being calm and patient with Spike, and each other, getting along fairly well, since they were already friends. It was when Crimson had suggested that they try to teach Spike how to use a sword that Static drew the line. “Uh, no offense, but if he ends up hurt, I’d rather not end up resembling a roast chicken when Twilight finds out.”
Crimson didn’t take much persuading beyond that. 
“Watch your feet!” Static cautioned, sweeping her hooves at his legs. Spike didn’t quite react to it fast enough, slamming down onto the floor with a thud. 
“Ow.” The dragon groaned, chuckling a little. “That hurt.” 
“Yeah, that happens when you train.” Static chuckled, with Crimson nodding in agreement. 
“Alright, my turn.”
Static looked up from the training floor, raising an eyebrow. “You sure you want to jump in?”
“Uh-huh.” 
“Alright, but be gentle.” 
Crimson smirked, shaking his hands and rolling his shoulders, as Static trotted easily over to him, he quietly spoke his reply to her. “Yeah, I wanna step in! The kid’s gotta learn that there are some challenges you can’t beat.” 
Static scowled, darkly. “You hurt him, and I won’t step in when Twilight goes ape-shit.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll still be gentle.”
“You kick apples out of trees. Your gentle is other people’s hard.”
“Then I’ll be really gentle.”
Static rolled her eyes and moved off to find a decent seat, finding one beside a guardspony who had found time to watch the little teaching session with interest.
Spike nodded in deference to Crimson as he approached. “So…..what are you gonna teach me?” He asked, curiously. 
“I’m gonna teach you what all fighters come to realise, eventually.”
Spike didn’t like the tone in Crimson’s voice, leaning back a little and adopting a frown of his own. “And what do all fighters realise?”
Crimson stripped off his shirt, revealing his tanned skin and well muscled chest. It also revealed several large, extensive scars that ran down across his body, large, puckered circles of flesh that formed a vague curve across his torso. “That there are some fights that you will lose.”
Spike gulped, raising his claws as he’d been taught. “And…..what do you want me to do? ”
“I want you to do your best. I’ll try not to hurt you, I promise.” Crimson said, softly. “Just do your best.”
Spike nodded, and grimaced, tucking his wings in, and lashing his tail from side to side. He gritted his teeth, holding back the instinct to rush at his opponent. Crimson was a trained warrior. Rushing him wouldn’t be the best idea.
Instead, the two circled each other, stepping carefully in time with one another, whilst Static watched on, unsure of whether or not she should say anything.
Spike watched Crimson, waiting for him to move, but the Architect stayed where he was, relative to the young dragon, staying opposite him and matching his steps. 
Spike grimaced, then decided to move. He broke his stance, sprinting full bore at Crimson, who put his right foot forward and drew his left back, putting his right arm up in defense. 
Spike went as if to jump, but then dropped down into a roll, and launched himself up at Crimson, only to find that the Architect had actually moved out of the way. He felt Crimson’s foot connect with his chest, sending him falling back. His scales lessened the impact, but Spike knew he’d have a definite bruise later on. 
Tail lashing harder, Spike ran at Crimson again, only for Crimson to pre-emptively launch his own attack, his left foot flying fast at Spike’s head. 
Spike ducked, feeling the wind whistle past his ear. Reaching up, he grabbed hold of Crimson’s long pants, and pulled down, sending Crimson into a roll that twisted the fabric out of Spike’s claws. As Spike turned to face his opponent, Crimson fist lashed out and clipped his snout, forcing his head to snap back to the left. 
Spike took his time to roll away, getting a little distance between them again, and shaking his head a little to clear it of the daze the blow to his face had triggered. When he was ready, he looked back up to see Crimson ready for him, back in the same stance he had been in the beginning. 
Spike gritted his fangs, before getting an idea. He charged again, but this time, he skidded to a halt as Crimson kicked at him, waited for Crimson to be off balance and between moves, then jumped at him, opening his mouth and biting down hard on Crimson’s arm. Warm liquid rushed into his mouth, and Spike wanted to gag at the taste, as he had never particularly enjoyed bloody meats too much, on the rare occasion Twilight let him have meat at all. Spike wanted to let go, but he found his grip suddenly released and his head ringing, and hard dirt pressing against his back. 
Crimson stood back up, looking at the bite mark on his forearm with mild concern. “Well done.” He said, simply, but the dragon was too discombobulated from a second punch to the head to respond in any way besides simple groaning. 
“Ooof…that looked painful.” Static trotted up to Spike, shooting a frown at Crimson. She slid her hoof underneath Spike’s shoulder, just above his wings, and lifted him up into a sitting position. “Hey, you alright? How many feathers am I holding up?”
“Uh….” Spike squinted, shaking his head in an attempt to get his ears to stop ringing. “Three?” 
Static nodded with a smile. “Okay, you’ll be fine. You’ll just have a killer headache for a while, that’s all.” She turned to Crimson, eyeing his bite wound. “You on the other hoof, need stitches.”
“I do not. It’ll be fine.” Crimson protested, his arm glistening red. 
Static’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Hospital, now.”
“Fine, no.” Crimson retorted.
Static’s arm darkened for a moment before a sword materialised in her hoof, and she held it menacingly at her side. 
“Okay, okay, geez! I’m going!”
Static watched him go with a sten glare, before turning back to Spike and helping him stand. “Now, let’s get you some ice.”


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


“YOU DID WHAT?!” Twilight shrieked, staring in shock at Spike and Crimson, the two sheepishly rubbing the backs of the their heads as they nursed their injuries. 
“Static and Crimson taught me how to fight….and I kinda bit Crimson when we fought for real….” Spike offered, his voice climbing higher as he reached the last few words. 
“He did really well, you know.” Crimson said, hoping to mollify some of Twilight’s anger. He failed. 
“WHO SAID YOU COULD TEACH HIM HOW TO FIGHT?!”
“He did…..” Crimson replied, wincing at the flames dancing across Twilight’s head in a towering inferno. 
“AND WHY DID YOU THINK THAT HE WAS OLD ENOUGH TO MAKE THAT DECISION!?! HE’S SEVENTEEN!! HE’S STILL PRACTICALLY A BABY IN DRAGON YEARS!!!” Twilight thundered, getting dangerously close to the ear shattering level of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Her wings and nostrils were flared, and her horn was shooting out glowing embers in a veritable waterfall. 
“He’ll never be able to defend himself-”
“HE DOESN’T NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DEFEND HIMSELF!! HE’S GOT ME! AND ALL OF OUR FRIENDS!!” Twilight’s voice reverberated through the room, nearly blowing both Spike and Crimson into the far wall- a good five meters or so behind them. 
Crimson raised hands in defense, trying to keep her from blowing him up. “Twilight, please, just hear me out.”
Twilight remained silent, but her flickering mane did calm down…..barely. 
“You live a dangerous life, with dangerous enemies. Doesn’t it make sense for him to know how to defend himself, just in case you aren’t there to protect him?”
Twilight blinked, her mind simultaneously horrified at the implications of her not being there, and accepting of that simple truth. The flames burned lower and lower until she was finally just an ordinary, non-fiery pony again. She frowned, not out of anger, but instead out of a strange, contemplative sadness. “I…..I guess so….”
“Look, I’m not saying we should turn him into the greatest warrior that ever lived, I’m just saying he should be able to hold his own in sticky situations.” Crimson continued on. “And I’ll do my best not to go overboard, like I did today.”
Twilight was quiet, staring at the bite mark on Crimson’s arm, her gaze occasionally drifting across his chest, and the scars there. “Maybe….maybe you’re right. He should know how. We learned how, after all.” She perked up, still feeling more than a little agitated with the two of them. “Alright, keep training him. I want a proper schedule for this. A few hours a week.”
Crimson nodded in agreement. “I’ll ask Static to watch us, make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“Good. Also, you’re both grounded.”
“What?!”
“Awww, come on Twi!”
“Nope! You went behind my backs and started this, and while I admit you should learn, you still shouldn’t have done that! Now, go to your rooms, and think about what you’ve done.”
“My room’s at the Acres though…”
“Then you’d better start walking.”
Crimson bowed his head in deference, then started for the big double doors that led out of the map room. As he was leaving he turned back to Twilight with a grin. “Oh, by the way. You might want to stop trimming his claws.”
Twilight stared flatly at him for a little bit, before she swept her hoof into a pointing pose that was directed to the front door.  “I’ll keep that in mind. Now out.”


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

> Chapter 13: Two Years
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Did you know it’s been two years since we first met?” Static asked, looking across the picnic blanket at where Fluttershy lay, a glass of wine balanced delicately between her yellow forelegs as her eyes widened. Crystal was already asleep between them, having tired herself out chasing the butterflies that had flittered about by the pond. 
“Oh, my! Has it been so long already?” Fluttershy exclaimed, a fond blush and smile turning her cheeks red. “It doesn’t feel like it, does it?”
“No, but I can’t say that I’ve ever been as happy as I am right now.”
Shy smirked at her, giving her a raised eyebrow as she teased her marefriend. “Even with all the times we-”
It was Static’s turn to blush, her hoof flying up to her lover’s mouth and covering it quickly. “You really want to talk about that with Crystal right here?”
Shy sighed, shaking her head to dislodge the unwanted hoof on her muzzle. “The price of parenthood.”
Static nodded, fidgeting a little. “Uh...so….two years. It’s a long time. A….a lot’s changed.”
“Yes, it has. If you’d asked me then if I thought I’d ever find a special somepony, or raise a foal, I would probably have laughed.”
“Yeah, eheh, yeah.” Static rubbed the top of her head uncomfortably, an uncomfortable lump catching in her throat. “Yeah. Uh…..if I’d have been told that I’d be dating a renowned hero, and be mom, I’d have laughed in their face...for, obvious reasons.”
“I’m glad no one asked.” Shy said. “I might have gotten all worked up and worried about it.” She adjusted her position a little, so that her wings were properly tucked by her sides. “And I’m glad we decided to have our picnic here! It’s always so beautiful at night!”
Static nodded her agreement, looking around at the familiar scene. 
It was a pond in a park, surrounded by thick trees and bushes, and known only to a very few. Cat-tails and reeds grew in abundance around the banks, and the moon turned the water a dazzling silver as it’s light was reflected out of it, casting interweaving bands of light all across the clearing. They had come here before, three months after they had met, on their first date. 
Static gulped. She’d faced down a pony eating yeti, and Queen Chrysalis herself, and had been so focused on surviving and fighting that her fear had barely registered, or had been overlooked in order to stay alive. 
Now, though, she was shaking like a leaf. 
“Just take the dive, girl….” She murmured to herself, before she began to speak. “Y’know, I’ve been thinking a lot about…...us.”
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “What about us?”
“About what you mean to me. And…..where I want to go from here.”
“Where we want to go? What do you mean?” Shy asked, ears twitching. 
“Will you marry me?” Static whispered. She turned her head away for a moment and made several ridiculously angry expressions, trying to guilt herself, or perhaps scare, herself into doing what she had come here to do. 
“Sorry, what was that?” Fluttershy asked, bending a little closer in order to hear Static better. “You were very quiet….huh, usually other ponies are saying that to me”
Static gulped audibly, breathing deeply in and out a few times as she tried to pluck up her courage from where it had dropped to the floor. “I asked you if you wanted to marry me…….?”
“Um…...one more time.” 
Static braced herself, shook her head in frustration at herself, before planting her hooves beneath her, straightening her back, and bent down on her forelegs, presenting a small, velveteen box to her beloved Shy.
Shy looked at her marefriend for a moment. Then at the box. Then back at Static. Then the box. “Is…..is this what I think it is?” She asked, her lip quivering and eyes wider than dinner plates. 
Static nodded, her mane tumbling out of place a little from the sudden motion. “Y-yes….Fluttershy…...nothing would make me happier today…..than if you said yes…..when I ask you the most important question I’ll ever ask.” Static closed her eyes, held the box out in front of her, and, with shaking hooves and voice, flipped open the box. “W-w-will you m-marry me?”
Fluttershy squealed in delight, instantly going from reclining on the ground to bowling Static over, waking up Crystal in the process, and sending the two mares tumbling down the embankment together, before splashing into the frigid cold pond with squeals of shock and subsequent panic. “GAH!!!! THE RING!!! NO NO NONONONOO!!!!! WHERE IS IT!!? I CAN’T BELIEVE I’VE LOST THE RING ALREADY!!!”
“I’ve found it!!” 
“Oh, quick, give it here!!! I- I brought a rag to clean it just in case something happened!!”
“Did we bring towels?” 
“No, we did-!! AH!! DON’T DO THAT!!! THAT’S COLD!!!” 
“But I want to hug you!!!!”
“AHAHAHA!! THAT TICKLES!!! STOP IT!! WE’RE GETTING SOAKED!!!!” 
“We’re soaked already!! Just shut up and kiss me!!”
“You’re the worst!!!”
“That’s why I’m saying yes!”
Static and Shy stopped splashing around for a moment, staring at each other with dripping wet faces and bright red cheeks again. “Y-you mean it?” 
“Of course I mean it! What, did you think the last two years was a fluke? You’re stuck with me now!” Fluttershy cooed, giving Static a boop on the nose.
“I dunno, Luna and I seem to get along pretty well- OW! HEY, I WAS JOKING!!!”
“I know, but you deserved it.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Shall we get back out of the water now?”
“Uh….is Crystal awake?” 
“She’s back to sleep now, I think….”
“Well….we could stay in here for a bit. I’ve gotten used to it now….”
“Yeah. We can get warm later. Right now, we can have some fun.”
“You are so awesome, you know that?”


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


“WAHOOOOOO!!!! YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED!!!” Pinkie screamed, throwing confetti around the room like it was the Fourth of July. “YOU TWO ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER!!!! HUUUUUUUUUUUU-AAAAAAA!!!! YOU’RE GONNA NEED CAKE AND BALLOONS AND- MMmmmmmm!!!! MMMmmm-mmmmmmm-mmmm-mmmmmmmm!!!”
“Pinkie, please calm down. Much as I’m glad you’re so excited, I’d like for me and my Fiancée to not have to learn sign language just to have a conversation.” Fluttershy said, thankfully shooting a smile Rainbow’s way for plugging the party pony’s mouth with a party hat. The prismatic pegasus gave a grin in return. She’d learned not to use her hoof to shut Pinkie up a while ago. 
The friends were once again sat around the map table in Twilight’s castle, though the two engaged mares had elicited a few laughs when Static had decided that she would simply sit on Fluttershy’s lap the entire time, instead of draw up a non-throne chair from somewhere else. Shy didn’t seem to be bothered at having her there. 
“Well, you two sure look happy!” AJ chirped, brushing the confetti off of her hat and out of her mane with a hoof, before nonchalantly flipping the stetson back onto her head with practiced ease. She and Rarity were sharing a platter of cupcakes between them, though Rarity had insisted that Pinkie make some low fat, low sugar ones, because she was supposed to be on a diet. Nopony bothered telling her she was eating the wrong ones. “You gals decided on a date yet?”
“Or where you’ll have it?” Twilight asked. “Or who will perform the ceremony?”
“OR WHO WILL DESIGN YOUR DRESSES?!” Rarity squealed, happily. 
Everyone just stared at her. 
“You honestly thought we’d ask anypony else?” Fluttershy asked. 
Static snorted back a laugh. “I don’t think I could trust anypony else!”
Rarity started excitedly clopping her hooves together like a little filly, hopping up and down a little in her seat. “OOoooooooh, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I won’t let you down!!! I promise only the best!!”
“Well that’s good. If it was anything less than your usual excellence, I’d be worried that you’d been replaced by someone else!” 
Rarity stared at Static for a moment, before looking pointedly at her friends. “None of you ever tell her about that first fashion show!”
“Too late.” Applejack chuckled. 
“YOU TOLD HER?!” Rarity shrieked in outrage. “HOW DARE YOU!! SNUGGLE PRIVILEGES REVOKED!!”
“Awww, come on Rare. She don't care. And, it was pretty funny. Well, after you fixed everything it was.” Applejack pleaded with puppy dog eyes. 
Rarity glared at her in seething silence for a moment. "Fine. Snuggle ban rescinded." Rarity leaned in dangerously close to Applejack, until her sapphire eyes met AJ's emerald ones, barely an inch away from each other. "But you're on thin ice, missy."
Applejack, just grinned, and gave Rarity a cheeky kiss on the nose, making the white mare blush brightly, and prompting an interruption. 
“Yeah, I don’t care about that. If anything, it shows your dedication. Another reason to trust that you’ll do great.” Static said, quickly. “As for where…. I’m actually not sure…..” She looked down at Shy, who looked back up at her with a fond, but unsure expression. 
“We could do it here-” 
“FRIENDS!!” 
“GAH!!!”
“HOLY SHIT!!!”
“SWEET CELESTIA!!!” 
Static had leapt high into the air at the sudden, booming voice that burst into the room, followed closely by Princess Luna, who was positively beaming in delight at something. “MY FRIENDS!!!” She continued. “DID I HEAR CORRECTLY!! THOU HAST PROPOSED TO THE SWEET, FAIR FLUTTERSHY!?!”
While the ponies at the table winced and rubbed their ears at the sustained volume, Static came crashing back down with a thump and a groan. “O-ooowwww…..” She propped herself up on her elbows and stared up at her mentor’s excited face. “Uh...yes….last night….”
“OH, JOYOUS DAY!!! YOU MUST ALLOW ME TO OFFICIATE!!” 
The ponies once again winced and rubbed their ears, making little noises to themselves to check if their ear-drums had burst or not. 
“Uh, Luna?”
“YES?”
“Would you mind turning down the volume a bit? I think my ears are bleeding.”
Luna blinked, looking a little stunned as she realized how loud she had been being. “Oh…..my apologies, my friends….I was rather….overexcited….”
“WHAT?! I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER ALL THIS RINGING!!” Twilight yelled, shaking her head, dizzily. 
“I think my ears just gave birth to a house alarm….” Rainbow moaned, clutching her head. 
“WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYPONY’S VOICES? ARE WE IN SPACE OR SOMETHING?” Applejack bellowed.
Rarity slammed her hoof into her forehead in embarassment, having cast a silencing charm around her head when Luna came in. “To think ponies call me loud….”
“WOOOOOO!!!! WHY ARE WE YELLING!?!?” Pinkie screamed, to no one in particular.
Luna frowned, and her horn flashed. Every single pony who hadn’t cast a silencing charm felt their ears pop at once, hooves flying up to their fragile hearing orifices and groaning aloud. “Ooofff….that don’t feel good….” 
“Now...where were we?” Luna asked, making sure that she didn’t deafen them all again. 
“Uh….choosing a date, a place and an officiator?” Static proposed. She and Shy had traded places, the butter coloured mare now sat on her lap instead. 
“Ah, yes.” Luna gave a quick cough to clear her throat, before she put her right hoof forward, bowing her head low to her engaged student and her fiancée. “I, Luna, Princess of Equestria, Ruler of the Night and Guardian of Dreams, your teacher and friend, do submit my candidacy to officiate your betrothal ceremony, whenever it may be.”
The two mares looked at each other with a smile, then back to Luna. “You’re hired.”
“OH, JOY- Uh….I mean, oh, joyous day….” Luna quickly corrected her over excitement and lowered her voice to more suitable levels. 
“Okay, now we just need the place and the time.” Static listed the items off, holding up two of her primary feathers in a quick checklist. 
“Spring. I’d like it to be in the Spring.” Fluttershy supplied, and Static grinned, folding a feather down. 
“Well, Spring time is almost half over now.” Twilight frowned, working the logistics of the wedding’s scheduling. “We’d have two weeks to plan at most, if we held it this year.”
“Next spring then.” Shy said, simply. “We can wait that long, can’t we?”
“I can.” Static said, reaching up and giving Shy a quick peck on the cheek. 
“We can hold it in Canterlot. Princess Luna and I can arrange it.” Twilight offered, eyes twinkling brightly at the thought of organizing such a personal, intimate event. 
“That sounds wonderful!!” Fluttershy cried, then balked at the thought of Canterlot and its history with weddings. Not to mention snobby crowds. “Uh...do you think it’s a good idea though?”
Luna cleared her throat, giving the pair of ponies a wry smile. “As a Knight of Equestria, and as a Duchess of Equestria, you are both more than welcome to be married in  the castle itself, with as many or few guests as you like.” 
“Really?” Static asked. “Huh. I did not know that.” 
“So….last week of Spring sound like a good time to hold the ceremony?” Twilight asked, having already whipped out a calendar and several notepads, and a small army of quills. Spike sat beside her, furiously scribbling away at a notepad of his own. 
The two mares once again exchanged a look, to confer wordlessly with one another. “That sounds perfect. Gives us as much time as we need to get this done right.”
“Great!! Me and Spike will get started brainstorming right away!!” Twilight chittered, happily, grabbing up a protesting Spike in her magic and carrying him away in a purple blur. 
“NOOOO!!!! My notes!!!” Spike wailed as he vanished from sight. “Pinkie and I hadn’t finished playing Hang-mare!!”
There were more than a few laughs at that. “Guess we’ve lost them two for the day!” AJ chuckled. 
As the group began to drift off into less and less related topics, Pinkie suddenly chirped up. “Hey, I’m getting a Pinkie Sense!!!” 
Every other pony in the room ducked instantly, diving either under a table or a chair.
“No, no, sillies!! That’s a twitchy tail!! This is a itchy flank and floppy ear combo!! It means somepony has forgotten something important!!”
“That could be for anyone, miss Pie.” Luna laughed, relieved, but still glancing up at the ceiling, just to be sure. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Eh, I guess you’re right! Come on! We gotta celebrate your engagement! It’s time to party!!” Pinkie squee’d bouncing out of the room, closely followed by everypony else. 
“I could go fer a drink o’ cider right now.” Applejack agreed, with Rarity nodding along. 
“A martini, I think, would suit me right now.”
“Give me that good sweet cider too!” Rainbow cheered, streaking out of the door, with Luna stepping up beside her. 
“Do they still do mulled wine here? The palace staff has been catering my old habits a lot lately.” 
Fluttershy and Static extricated themselves from their throne and trotted towards the doors, shaking their heads with a fond sigh. “Whatever would we do without these nut-cases, Shy?”
Fluttershy took a moment to ponder up an answer as her hoof rested on the door out of the room, before giggling, and pushing it open as the pair stepped outside, letting the portal shut on it’s own. “Be very bored, I’d imagine.”
“Yeah. Let’s go get Rose, Zeph and Crimson in on this. We shouldn’t leave ‘em out.”
“Well, we’ll still need a babysitter.”
“Yeah, I know. Ooh! How about the CMC? They always behave when it’s you asking. They’ll do great!”
“I’d rather still have a house to get home to tonight……”
The door swung shut with a soft thunk, leaving the room once again empty. 


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


“Why do I feel like we forgot something?” Spike asked, as Twilight hummed away, chalk scratching away across the surface of the chalkboard as she went over the precise calculations that went into planning the wedding of two of her best friends, and all the things that wedding would need. 
“It’s probably nothing Spike, just relax. We have an entire year to get ready for this!”
“That sounds awfully familiar…..” 
Twilight stopped writing her various ideas down, and turned around to look at him. “It does? Oh yeah, that does sound very familiar actually. Now who said it, and what was it about? Hmmm….let me think….. ” The Purple mare tapped the piece of chalk floating in her magic against her chin a few times, before noticing the chalk dust it left on her coat and on the floor below….next to an awful lot of other chalk dust. She’d been using another chalk board today to plan……
Twilight’s eyes went wide as she remembered what she had forgotten. “Spike…..we may have a problem….”
“You remembered what it was we were forgetting?”
“Yes, and it’s bad. Oh, this is very, very bad! Stupid Twilight! Silly, silly Twilight!! How could you forget?!”
Spike hopped off of his stool and quickly navigated between two stacks of books that were in his way, before remembering his wings and facepalming. “What is it?” He asked again. “Tell me!”
“We’re already planning something for the end of Spring, Spike! Something Princess Celestia herself tasked us with!!! We’re going to have to plan both around each other!! I can’t just let down Shy and Static, or the Princess!!” Twilight’s voice had risen several octaves, and her mane was suddenly more closely resembling a mess of brambles than her perfect mane-cut. 
“Just tell me what it is!!”
“THE FRIENDSHIP FESTIVAL!! WE FORGOT ABOUT THE FRIENDSHIP FESTIVAL!!”


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

> Chapter 14: Days of Youth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Mama.”
The entire room went still as a tiny, piping voice called out from on the floor, it’s owner surrounded by plush toys and building blocks, many with fang marks on them. Little Crystal Aster was sitting amid a veritable treasure horde of plush toys, many of them being hand-me-downs from Fluttershy, who had kept many of her old toys, simply out of fondness for them. The only toy that wasn’t a hand-me-down, was the toy that Crystal considered her favourite. The Chrysalis plush that Fluttershy had knitted for her. It sat beside the little Changeling as she stared up at the shellshocked adults. 
In the recent days, with all the planning that had to take place between now and the wedding, for the girls to all meet up at the Shy-Thunder household, and hang out there. 
As such, the first word of Crystal Aster was heard by no less than the entire family, and three of their friends. 
“Did she just say mama?” Fluttershy asked, voice shaking in excitement and joy. 
“She did!” Rainbow cheered, jumping off the couch and flying right over to the infant with a big grin plastered all over her muzzle. “Who’s a smart filly? Bet you can say my name, can’t ya? Come on, say Rainbow Dash!”
“Pipe down, Rainbow.” Rarity called out, putting her design covered sketch pad on the arm of the chair she was lounging on. “I doubt that Crystal is going to start spouting off enormous numbers of words in just a few minutes.”
“Actually, Rare, Thorax told me that Changeling’s linguistic advancement is incredibly fast. She could be speaking in half sentences by tonight.” Static explained, waving an envelope next to her head. “And probably full sentences in a month or two.”
Crystal looked up at Static with a furrowed brow, concentrated for a moment, and then cheerfully chirped up at her. “Mama Stata.”
“See? She’s already testing out words she remembers hearing. She’ll get it in a minute, watch.” Static grinned, laying down in front of her daughter, her face contorted into one of goofy happiness. “You’re a smart girl, aren’t you? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!!” Static cooed, prompting Dash to grimace and mime throwing up. 
Rarity hit the blue Pegasus with a pillow for that particular transgression. 
“Mama Stati.” Crystal tried again, pursing her lips in irritation at the words not coming out right. “Mama Satti...Mama Starstar…” The little nymph made a grumpy frown and crossed her forelegs, eyes fixed on the end of her muzzle as she made her repeated attempts to say Static’s name. “Mama Stat….Stat…..tic. Mama Static.”
Static’s eyes were wide, glistening and full of a huge explosion of joy. “She said my name!!! She said my name!!!” Static started hopping up and down in delight, bouncing around her chair, repeating the phrase over and over again. 
Crystal turned to look at Fluttershy, who gazed down at her hopefully. 
“Mama Fluty….Flut…Flitty….Flut….” Crystal’s face scrunched up again, as she glared down at her pony “Mama Flit….Flutty…...Fluter…..”
Fluttershy leaned in closer, nodding encouragingly. “You’ve almost got it sweetie. You’re almost there.”
“Mama….Shee…..Mama Shaaa….” Crystal frowned, shaking her head in frustration. “Mama Flittersheee….Mama Fletteshaaa…” Crystal growled in annoyance. “Ma.Ma. Flut. Ter. Shee. Shaaa….Shyyy….Mama Fluttershy!” Crystals eyes lit up, with her starting to chant the name over and over, happily. “Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Mama Mama Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy responded by squealing happily and sweeping Crystal up into her arms and joining Static in her merry dance, bounding around on their hind legs while Crystal laughed happily, snuggling up to her mommies. 
“Ugh. Sappy.” Rainbow moaned.
Rarity cuffed her on the back of the head again. This time with a building block.


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


“Sywup pwease!”
“Coming up, sweetie!” Static chirped, a grin on her face as she held the current batch of pancakes with the feathers of her wing. “I have to admit, holding stuff with your wings is sooooo useful!” She sighed, happy that she’d finally gotten the skill down. The pegasus passed her pan of pancakes between wings, and then used the free one to pick up the maple syrup bottle on the table, and slide it over to Crystal, who clopped her hooves together happily. 
The young changeling giggled happily, and started trying to pick up the bottle with both hooves, which wasn’t very successful, nearly making the syrup spill all over Crystal- not that she would mind. That just meant she got to lick it off. Changelings have long tongues, after all. 
“Oh, hold on, Cryssi, let mommy help!” Fluttershy dropped her fork in a heartbeat for the chance to help Crystal practice picking things up without making a mess. “Here, see, like this.” Fluttershy braced both of her hooves over Crystal’s own hooves, gently guiding her to hold the bottle in the best way, and squeezing out a steady stream of syrup onto her pancakes. “There you go! You did it!!”
“Yay!!!” Crystal cheered, clopping her hooves together again. “Thank you, mummy!!”
“You’re welcome sweetheart!” Fluttershy beamed up at Static, who sent a warm smile of her own back, before resuming her pancake duties with a happy hum. 
“Um….mummy….?” Crystal said, a few seconds later.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Can I have some more sywup pwease?”
“Oh, you have such a sweet tooth!”
Static cantered over to the kitchen table with a laugh. “Young Changelings need a larger amount of sugar in their diet than pony foals. Only makes sense they’d like sugary things a lot with those kinds of needs.” 
“That and love. They need lots of love, don’t they.” It wasn’t a question, really. Both ponies knew it was simple fact. Fluttershy made sure to give Static a nuzzle, then bent her head down to where Crystal was sitting next to her, and gave her a nuzzle too, for good measure. “Isn’t that right, Cryssi?”
“Wots of wove!!!” Cryssi beamed, throwing her hooves around Shy’s neck in as big a hug as she was capable of giving. Then, for good measure, she reached out and pulled Static in to the hug as well. 
“I wuv you mummies!” The two pegasi couldn’t help but share a goofy grin at their little ones declaration.


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


“Hello book! My name’s Crystal! My mama Shy gave me you! I’m gonna call you Paige! Because you have lots of pages, hee hee!
I love my mama’s a lot. Yep! I got two! Two mama’s! And a bunch of Aunties! I love them all so much! I don’t have a Papa, but I don’t mind much. My mama’s are too nice and pretty and happy and good for me to mind at all.
Mama Static likes giving me rides on her back, and Mama Shy has lots of fwuffy friends for me to snuggle and hug with! Mister Bear is super nice! He gave me a fish once, and I ate it all up! My Mama’s don’t know! Shhhhh! It’s a secwet! 
They gave me a birthday party yesterday! They say I’m more than one year old now! That’s a loooooong time. They told me its over three hundwed days! I can’t count that high yet, but I know it’s really big! Aunty Pinkie made me a cake! She said it was double chocolate and strawberry surprise! 
I’ll let you know what the surprise was if you promise not to tell! Promise? You do! Great! 
The secret was…..whipped cream. A lot of whipped cream in the middle! It went smoosh out of my mouth when I ate it. Mama Shy had to wipe my face with a napkin, and Mama Static took lots of pictures!
	I like the one with me and my Mama’s having a food fight the most! My Aunty Twi took that one. 
	Uncle Thorax told me that I’m a Changeling, and that we apparently learn reeaaally fast! I met a foal called Flurry Heart last week, and she’s older than me, but she can only say a few words! I can say a lot more than her, and I can write already. Does that mean I’m really smart like Uncle Thorax says, or is he just being nice?
	Mama Static was being loud today. She said she was singing, but I don’t know what that is. It sounded like she was just raising her voice and moving around weirdly. She told me that people like to dance and sing when they are happy, and that today, she was reeeeaaaallly happy. Is that true? Do you dance Paige? 
	Oh….you don’t. You hit the floor and went bang.
I don’t understand my Mama’s sometimes, but I still love them to bits! And they love me! I know they do, because I can taste it. Uncle Thorax said that Changelings eat love, but they always have lots, so I’m never hungry anyway! 
	Mister Crimson is weird. He doesn’t look like anyone else, and he’s really tall. He has to crouch everywhere. Mama Static likes to call him an Elf a lot, and it makes him super annoyed, and that makes him look funny! He puffs his cheeks out and blows out air through his nose! It makes him look like he’s trying not to poop!
Out of all my Aunties, I think I like Aunty Pinkie and Aunty Rose the best. They both make me laugh! Aunty Pinkie does silly things to make me smile, just so it will make her smile, seeing me smile! I like that a lot. She looks silly when she’s covered in that white stuff she dumps on her head. I like playing in the bags once she’s emptied them, they make me all white too! Aunty Rose likes taking me for walks in the woods! They’re so nice, but they have a lot of mud in them, sometimes. Mama Static says Aunty Rose is her sister, but my other Aunties are just her friends. I think that’s really weird. If they’re all my Aunties, shouldn’t they all be sisters?
Aunty Rarity is pretty nice too. She makes me dresses, and helps me with my mane when I can’t get my magic to work right. For some reason, Aunty Twilight keeps giving me books. They don’t have a lot of pictures in, and they’re boring. She says they’re for Skool. If they’re for skool, then skool must be boring too! I hope my Mama’s don’t make me go if it is that boring.
When I get dirty too much, Mama Static puts me in the bath. I like the bath, especially when I get to splash my mamas! They get all annoyed and splash me back, and then we have lots of fun and get the bathroom all wet!
I’m gonna stop writing in you now, Paige! It’s almost time for nom noms! Mama Static’s cooking tonight! She says she’s gonna try a cass-ee-roll today! I don’t know what that is, but I like the sound of it! 
Goodnight Paige!”



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


“Okay Crystal, this word is “excited”. Repeat it back to me.” Twilight said, holding up a white card with the word excitable written on it in hasty, but still legible Ponish. 
“Auntie Twilight, I know what excited means.” Crystal pouted, crossing her hooves. The carpet in the cottage living room was littered with her toys, most of which had accumulated fang marks of varying depth and shape. “I’m almost a year and…..a really long time-old!!”
Twilight sheepishly rubbed her head, looking at the stack of cards floating beside her, then back at the Changeling filly sitting amid a pile of play blocks. Despite her still pudgy, foalish appearance, her command of language was already at that of a six year old, and if Thorax was to be believed, she would soon start shedding her old carapace and rapidly grow into the size of a teenage pony. “I’m sorry, Crystal. I keep thinking of you like a pony foal, like my niece, Flurry.” 
“Why’s she called Flurry?” Crystal asked, cocking her head to one side. 
“Oh...uh, it’s a bit of a funny story, actually…” Twilight chuckled, quickly trying to think of a way not to tell a literal child about a harrowing story in which all her loved ones nearly died, (with the exception of Static). She was saved by Static herself, who suddenly burst out laughing. 
“I just remembered something! I have the best joke to tease your brother and Princess Cadence with!!! I can’t believe I forgot about it for so long!!!”
Twilight frowned. “I would appreciate you not making fun of my brother and Cadence, please.”
“Oh, I won’t be. I’ll just be taking the pi- uh...I mean, taking the mickey out of some historical facts about the Crystal Empire.”
Cryssi gasped in surprise. “There’s a place named after me?!”
“Uh, actually no. The Crystal Empire was named a very very long time ago, long before you were even born, Crystal.” Twilight explained, motioning with her foreleg as she explained. 
“Awwwwwww, I wanted it to be named after me.” Crystal pouted, resignedly placing a pointy block on top of a square one, in a simplified version of a house. 
“Twilight, the next time my daughter is having delusions of grandeur, can you at least wait five minutes before bursting her bubble?” Fluttershy asked from the couch, pressing a hoof against her own cheek. “She’s adorable when she’s ambitious.”
“And when she’s playing “Shark in the bathtub”.” Static grinned, before frowning, putting a hoof to her chin. “Though I have no idea where she learned how to become a shark when there aren’t any oceans for miles.” 
“I learned from Mummy Shy’s picture book!” Crystal chirped, buzzing her wings and hovering for a few moments, before dropping down onto the carpet again. 
“Anyway, Twilight, you didn’t come over here to teach her words.” Static reminded her friend. “You said you had some decisions you needed us for. You know, for our wedding?”
“Mummy’s getting married! Mummy’s getting married!” Crystal started cheering, throwing her Chrysalis plush into the air with her hooves. 
“Eh-he, riiiiiight….” Twilight said, chuckling nervously to herself. “Your wedding. That I’m planning. Yeah…..” She quickly wiped the sweat from her brow, and managed to reapply her smile. “Okay, so, I know that you agreed to having Pinkie Pie do the cake, but she asked me to ask you if there’s a particular flavour you girls wanted.” 
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “She didn’t really, did she?”
“Uh….no, I made that part up. It was a joke. Eheh, so funny….But she did ask how many layers you wanted it to have. You know, tiers?”
“Oh, that’s easy, three.” Static beamed. “One for each of us!”
“Us?”
“Yeah!” Static giggled, pointing a hoof to herself. “Momma.” Her hoof swung around to boop Shy on the nose, gently. “Momma.” And her hoof swept over to boop Crystal too. “And Filly.” 
“Nymph!” Crystal protested, with a broad grin. 
“Alright, little bug, you win. Momma, Momma and Nymph.”
Twilight smiled at their little antics, before looking further down her list of questions that needed answering, the small square of paper hovering cheerfully beside the Alicorn. “Right. Bridesmaids?” 
“Well, you and the girls, obviously.” Fluttershy supplied the answer. “And Rose, of course.”
“”Uh…..are we doing best stallions?” Twilight asked, flipping through her notes quickly.
“Sooner or later, you’ll be checking checklists while wearing glasses.” Static laughed.
“Be serious, please.” Twilight deadpanned. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in glasses, not after that time human me leant me hers.”


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


“How do you see through these at all? I feel so dizzy!!”
“Oh, careful- uh, me! You’re going to-” *CRASH* “....That.”


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


“Never again.” Twilight stated, flatly.
“Okay…..uh, no. No best stallions. No offense, but I don’t think Zephyr would be the best pony to entrust a ring to. He’d lose his own head if wasn’t screwed on properly...assuming it actually is.” Static replied, earning a playful thump on the shoulder from her fianceé. “What?”
“You know what you said.” 
“Moving on…” Twilight flipped over several more pages before finding what she was looking for. The fact that the sheet of paper had pages of its own was not lost on the couple. 
“Um...Twilight...just how many questions and notes do you have?”
Twilight’s page suddenly seemed to burst free of itself, a multitude of branching pages all attached to each other with a mixture of magic and tapes of various kinds.  “Oh, not much. Just a few hundred.” 
The Pegasi’s eyes twitched in unison.


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


“Please, Cryssi, come on out. Nopony, noling or draconequus-” Static turned to glare at a particular little rabbit who was sitting by his bowl, tapping his little bunny foot as he waited for his breakfast to be made for him. “Or rabbit, is gonna make fun of you. Are. They?” Static hissed the last two words through clenched teeth, turning her patented “not taking yo’ shit” glare up to eleven. 
Angel Bunny returned her glare with one as equally filled with vitriol, but ultimately deemed this a battle not worth winning, since upsetting the shiny pony meant upsetting his loving caretaker, and that meant no special treatment- and Angel refused to even entertain that notion for more than a few seconds. He shook his head in response, prompting Static to attempt to  replaster reassurance all over her face. 
“You sure?” Crystal’s tentative voice warbled down the stairs, making Static’s eas splay back in both sympathy and empathy at once. 
“Of course I’m sure.” Static responded. “Now come on down, sweetheart. You need your breakfast.”
“O-okay…..” The sound of a door creaking open, and the sound of hooves descending the stairs announced the incoming arrival of the prodigal daughter. 
In the three months since she had figured out how to speak, Crystal had reached a fifth grade reading level in Ponish, and had started going through her first molting, which left her carapace almost bleached white, and very soft, with a chubby, almost bulbous look to it’s multiple segments, which had made her look like a little nymph again. It was almost a crime that all of her lovely, downy, fuzzy coat had fallen off with it. 
Her mane was covering her face, and she was rubbing her left fetlock against her right, nervously. “Is….is it really not that bad?” She asked, hopefully. 
“It’s not awful, sweetie. It’s just...part of growing up.” Static replied, slowly. The words felt like they’d come out like bad toothpaste, all squishy and with a funny aftertaste. “It’ll look better soon. You’ll see.”
Crystal mumbled something disheartening to herself, under her breath.
“Excuse me, young lady, but what exactly do you mean by, ugly and fat?” Static demanded, eyes narrowing. “I’ll have you know that I am perfectly in shape, and most certainly not a bad looking mare.”
Crystal couldn’t help but snort aloud with laughter at her mother pretending the insult had been aimed at her, and not at Crystal. Her discomfort was whisked away by the quick burst of joy such frivolity offered. Static wasn’t done though, sweeping the now teenage sized Changeling up into the biggest hug she could manage. “No matter what you look like, no matter how ugly or beautiful you think you are, you’ll always be my little Crystal, the most gorgeous girl in the entire world- besides your mama Shy, of course.” Static gave Crystal a little, conspiratory wink as she spoke, as if she had just shared some profound, world-truth.
Crystal couldn’t help but smile.
“Now. Whether you are feeling a little soft shelled at the moment, or not, you’ve got some breakfast to eat, little missy.” Static said, putting on her serious face. “And now that you’re a big girl, you need to start cutting back on the sugar.”
“Awwww, but mummy!!” Crystal whined.
“Don’t awww me, missy. Three dozen pancakes that have been destroyed with syrup would be murder on my figure, and now that you’re a big girl who doesn’t need it as much, it’ll start doing the same to you if you keep eating like that.” Static chastised, waggling a primary feather in front of her daughter. “And it’s bad for your teeth.” 
“But it tastes so good! And papa Thorax said I needed sugar!”
Static shook her head in mock exasperation. “You only listened to half of what he said, didn’t you?” The mare lead her daughter into the kitchen, pulling out a chair for her and quickly serving up the breakfast she had made earlier.
“Uh….no? I listened…..”
“Papa Thorax said that you wouldn’t need it as much once you molted. And now you’ve molted. So it’s less sugar for you, missy. You do want to grow up to be big and strong like me, now don’t you?”
Crystal blinked, scrunching her mouth up to one side. “But, you’re not a Changeling. You didn’t do that stuff. You did pony stuff, and hoooo…..uh, hooo…..huuee…..You know….”
“Human stuff?”
“Yeah. Hooman stuff.” 
“Yes, but I did what suited my species best and grew up big and strong. And if you do what a Changeling needs to do, then you’ll be big and strong, too.”
Crystal looked down at the significantly smaller stacks of pancakes, and the bowl of oatmeal sitting next to it. “Do I have to?”
“Of course not. It’s up to you.” Static replied. “But you’ll probably get a tummy ache if you eat all of that sugar now.”
“Oh….” Crystal took up a spoonful of oats, nuts and berries, looked at it for a moment, took a bite….and paused, eyes widening a little in surprise. “It’s...not that bad.” 
“See? Told you.” 


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


Crystal stood, looking in the mirror in her room. Life was officially let off the hook for her previous bout of bad luck now.
 She was officially a year and a half old now, and it showed. Gone was the chubby nymph, gone was the awful return of aforementioned pudge. Now her carapace had reformed, and her coat had grown back with it, all shiny and fluffy and new. Her pale grey, almost white fur gleamed brightly, and the big ring of fur around her neck was a lovely, grassy green, all puffed up and floofy from her bath. Her horn had grown in, going from a short, stubby little thing to a curved, graceful point. 
Her stumpy legs had lengthened out into long, and strong- if perhaps a little skinny looking- legs that most definitely did not have holes in- thank Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Auntie Twilight and Papa Thorax for that! Her mane was a long, almost straight curtain that hung past her face and part way down her neck, but it flicked out at the ends, the grassy green darkening to an almost piney colour towards the tips and more towards the roots. Her tail had a similar appearance, what with the flicked out ends and matching colour scheme. 
Crystal had seen a few ponies with mismatched mane and tail colours, and she hoped, for their sake, that they were just bad dye jobs and not the result of natural birth. 
Smiling happily that her mummy’s had been right, Crystal trotted out of her room with a big smile on her face and a spring in her step.
Then she ran face first into Auntie Rose’s flank.
Rubbing her sheepish face with a hoof, Crystal supposed that sometimes life could still be a little mean.


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

> Chapter 15: Job Hunt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So your final payment has been made, reparations are complete.” Twilight said, happily thumping a stamp down on the paperwork in front of her, and looking up at her guest with a smile. “That means that your sentence is over. Congratulations Crimson! You don’t have to work on the farm anymore! Well, I suppose you could still, but……”


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


“So…..you don’t know what to do now?” Static asked, sipping at her juicebox, while Apple Bloom and Crystal played tag nearby, jumping over tree stumps and squeezing between fence posts in order to outplay one another.
Static and Crimson were wrapped up in winter clothes, sitting at the picnic table at Sweet Apple Acres, enjoying a spread laid out for them by the Apples, who, even with winter making the pegasi dump snow on top of their farm, were more than happy to supply a good meal to anyone who asked for it. As Apple Bloom and Crystal ran around in the snow like mad things, Static looked at her humanoid friend with concern. “You just….don’t have any plans? Nothing at all?”
Crimson sighed, watching the fillies play with a wan smile. “Besides training Spike and working here, there isn’t really anything for me to do- and the whole plan was just: “Get away from Homestead.” I just…. never really thought about what happened after I was done paying off my debt to the apples. I didn’t even expect to live through the journey, let alone get this far.” 
 	Static nodded. “Well, maybe now is the time to do some things for you, since the farm is currently buried under several feet of snow, and Spike’s more than getting a hang of using his claws. Is there anything you want to do, or need to? Make living arrangements? Find a better job? Meet people?”
Crimson thought about it, momentarily getting distracted from Apple Bloom’s squealing with laughter as Crystal started using her magic to pelt the older filly with snowballs from afar. “Well...I do need to figure out some living arrangements. I can’t keep bumming off of Twilight and the Apple’s like this.”
“Do you have any money left over for yourself after those payments?” Static asked. “You could put them towards and apartment, or even a house of your own.”
“I have a little. Twilight organized it so that I would be earning a little money for my personal use on top of what I needed to pay the Apples. A couple hundred bits, at best. Not enough to rent, or buy, unfortunately.”
“Ugh, lame. The housing market here started climbing once everypony and their mum decided to come and see “The home of Princess Sparkle”. It’s a total cash grab, tourist attraction bunch of bullshit.” Static griped. “Only reason I didn’t buy a place is that Shy and I decided to just move in together. I help pay the bills with my Dreamguard and Farmhoof salaries, and she’s the best animal whisperer in Equestria. Not to mention loaded.”
Crimson raised an eyebrow. “And here I thought she didn’t have that much.”
“She keeps getting royalties from a fashion stint she had way back when. Some big brand store in Manehatten keeps using some of those pictures in their advertising, so she keeps getting bits.” Static explained, waving away Crimson’s curious expression. “They’ll stop eventually.”
“Well you got lucky, didn’t you?” 
“Yeah.” Static smiled. “I did.” She took a gulp of apple juice, then stood up, calling over Crystal. “Why don’t we go back to my place and come up with a couple of job ideas for you? We’ve got some cake left over from Pinkie’s baking spree last week, so we can snack on those while we brainstorm.”
Crimson remained sat there for a moment, before pretending to be quite moved by the offer. “Why, Static! This is the first time I have ever been to a friend’s house! How kind of you!” He swept his hand up to his forehead in exaggeration, looking away with “misty eyes”. 
“Alright, weirdo. Calm down.” Static chuckled, as Crystal gave Apple Bloom a parting hug and a wave, before rushing over to join her mummy. “Now! Let us eat cake!”


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


“Hey!” Static called as she pushed open the front door of her house. “I’m home!” 
“Hey honey!” Fluttershy called from the kitchen. 
“Hey sis!” Rose called out too. “We’re making cookies!”
Static grinned. “Ooooh, what kind?”
“What else? Chocolate chip!!”
Static beamed up at Crimson. “You’re in for a treat! Our cookies are sooo goood!”
“Is…..is that Crimson?” Shy called out again, poking her head out of the kitchen, her mane trailing on the floor. “Hello! Um….would you like some cookies? We have plenty!”
Crimson nodded, while Static launched into an explanation as to why they were there, while Crimson took a look around at the numerous pictures that adorned the walls, cupboards and wardrobes. Most of them were of Fluttershy, what appeared to be her parents, her brother, and her pets, but after a certain point, an insect-looking pony came into the picture- then was promptly replaced by a similarly coloured, opposite gendered pegasus. 
“You really were a changeling first, huh?” Crimson murmured, as Static and her family entered the room, with Crystal bouncing happily up and down on Fluttershy’s back as the pegasus laughed. Shy was balancing two trays of cookies on both wings while the foal’s excited behaviour jostled them, with Rose trying to catch Crystal.
Rose wasn’t being very successful. 
“Alright, cookies are done!” Shy announced, giggling as Crystal tried to steal a few cookies off of the tray. 
“Now we can get to the real business!” Static grinned, slamming down a small folder of paper sheets onto the table. “Finding you a job!” 
Crimson stared at the folder for a moment before looking at his friend.
“When did you have time to do all that?”
Static blinked, before looking back down at her hoof, still pressed against the table. “You know what? I have no idea.” 
“Oh dear, little sis has gone native!” Rose murmured, giving Crimson an appreciative eye from where she dropped to the floor, deciding to keep an eye on Crystal while her niece ate her cookies.
“I have not!” Static returned, pointing a hoof at Rose. “You’re just jealous of my mad skills!”
“Yeah, good job breaking causality, Static.”
“You wanna say that to my face!?” 
“I just did…?” Rose said, confused. 
“Yeah, well…..shut up!”
Crimson and Fluttershy just rolled their eyes as the Architect started going through the folder. Each piece of paper was actually a job advertisement, pulled off of whatever they had been stapled or nailed to. Some of the stores advertised were strange, bizarre places that sold only two things, neither item associated with the other at all. Who bought Quills and Sofa’s at the same time? Or….Tables and Picnic Baskets? Crimson shook his head with a chuckle. Fast food was….not in his forte. Neither was anything to do with customer services…….that eliminated so many options…..
He dove deeply into the pile as Static and Rose ended their little sibling silliness with amused smiles and obviously fake irritation. Flyer after flyer was reviewed critically and discarded, many of them being advertisements for other towns and cities, or jobs that simply did not fit his skill set. 
Thinking about that, Crimson realised that there wasn’t much for him to work with in that regard. There were a few apprenticeship positions he could go for, including one metalworking position that seemed interesting, but he ultimately felt rather lost looking through all the options. 
Then one flyer caught his eye, a familiar face staring up at him. 
“What about this?” Crimson asked, holding up the leaflet with a smile. “Right up my alley.”
Static looked up from the flyer she was looking at, saw the picture on the front, saw the title, and smiled. “I think we might have a winner.”


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


“So you want to join up, eh?” The pony behind the desk grinned, his eyes twinkling merrily. “Got any references for me? Notifications of feats and skills? Training programs?”
“Not a one, I’m afraid.” Crimson chuckled. “That kind of paperwork just doesn’t exist where I came from.”
True Shot smirked at his surrogate son, shuffling about the paperwork on his desk. “The Friendship Guard….that still isn’t any easier to say, you know….is looking for new recruits. A lot of new recruits. You’ll be going through basic training just like they will. I won’t be playing favourites, and I won’t go easy on you.”
“I’ll work my hardest, sir.” Crimson said, standing to attention. 
“Good. At ease, recruit.” True Shot quickly and efficiently pulled a sheet of paper free and wrote out his message in flawless script, before passing it to Crimson with his magic. “Go see the quartermaster. She’s set up a temporary workspace out behind the barracks. She’ll see about commissioning some training equipment for you.”
“Sir!” Crimson acknowledged, before taking his leave, respectfully moving aside as Princess Twilight herself trotted in, giving him a friendly smile. 
Judging by the paperwork in her magic, and the Captain’s insignia floating beside her, True Shot was going to be very happy in a minute. And bored shortly thereafter.


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


“IS THAT A MARCH OR A SHUFFLE?! COME ON, MOVE IT!!” True Shot bellowed at the recruits as they jogged around the track that had been set up behind the Castle of Friendship, trying their best to get those coveted positions in the guard. 
It was a well paid job after all, and a lot of Equestrians had decided to try their hooves at it. A few had bowed out already, but for the most part, those recruits who had signed on were going ahead with basic training. What surprised Crimson the most were the recruits that were not ponies. 
Of the twenty-seven recruits still willing to try, ten were ponies; four unicorns, three pegusi, one earth and one thestral, and even a crystal pony who had recently moved to Ponyville. Seven recruits were gryphons, five were young, Equestrian born dragons, four were Changelings, and, of course, there was Crimson as well. 
While the armourer was busy making him some new armour to fit his unique build, he was wearing one of the Dragons armour, a borrowed, ill fitting thing that dug at his back and shoulders. Like all the other recruits, it was mostly gold tinted, with some purple coloured bands and insignia’s incorporated into the design, the different plates covering his shoulders and limbs, as well as his torso. Thankfully it wasn’t too heavy, made of a light, strong metal alloy that was much better protection than his old chitin suit.
The Princess herself had come out to watch them train, with her friends watching too. 
Crimson was actually glad of that. Having Twilight and Static there was a good feeling, like he was doing something good. If serving in Twilight’s guard did that, then this slog was worth it…..if he got past basic, that is. 
Although helping train Spike to use his claws, and helping Applejack at the farm had been keeping him in shape, he had lost some of his honed reflexes to the passing of months, taking away some of his advantage in going through this basic training. His endurance was still very high, courtesy of the Apple-Bucking, but that was only good for running- and he hadn’t been hauling around packs of equipment at the farm either. Big Mac had handled most of the heavy lifting, with Applejack pitching in  every now and then. 
Just as promised, True Shot was not playing favourites. He rode Crimson as hard as every other recruit, yelling at him when his two legged jog was unable to keep up with the four legged gait of the ponies, Gryphons and Changelings, who were also expected to train to fly with armour on as well. The Dragons were not as fast as the others either, keeping Crimson company in the back of the pack. 
“ALRIGHT, HALT RECRUITS!” True Shot barked. Crimson let out a pant of breath in relief, taking in the moment’s respite to try making sure his lungs still worked. “That’s enough jogging for this morning.” True Shot called, somehow cheerful after having lead them all on a run for three hours straight. “Go take a quick break and get yourselves a meal. I want you back here at Oh-Nine-Hundred for a run through of the obstacle course. Dismissed.”
Crimson and his fellow recruits had to display an inordinate amount of strength then, just to keep from collapsing from exhaustion. He made his way slowly over to where Static was sitting, not far from Princess Twilight, and smiled as his friend passed him a bottle of water. “Looks like quite a tough hike.” Static commented. “You gonna be alright?”
“Yeah. Pretty sure I will be.” Crimson replied, between gulps of water. “Got any snacks I can grab?”
Wordlessly, Static passed him a bowl of oatmeal, still warm from the pot it was made in. 
“Thanks.” 
“Say, who’s that pony talking to the Captain?” Twilight asked, looking curiously over to where True Shot was talking to a mare who was definitely not one of the recruits or guards. “I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”
Crimson looked over, and then immediately dove under the nearest chair, trying to keep out of her sight. “Shit! Shitshitshit!”
“What?” Static asked, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s Misty Dawn!” Crimson hissed up at his friend, trying to be quiet. “She hates my guts for what happened to her mom!”
Static’s ears folded back in annoyance. “Well, you could have just hidden behind there. She can probably see you anyway.”
“Yes! I can see you, Crimson Pureheart!!” Crimson bolted upright, hitting his head on the underside of the chair with a pained yelp. The mare who had been talking with True Shot was trotting towards them, her face twisted into an angry snarl that reminded all present of a rabid dog that had just had its tail stomped on. “Get out from under that chair right now and look me in the eye!”
The mare stopped just shy of where Crismon was scrabbling out from under his poor excuse for a hiding spot, armour clanking as he did. Misty Dawn’s fur was certainly holding true to her name, being a pale blue, almost white colour, her mane and tail a dull orange that turned fiery red at the roots. Her bright yellow eyes were a slightly uncommon trait, as far as Static was aware, one of the few ponies she knew that shared the colour was the wall-eyed mailmare, and ...actually, that was all she could- oh, wait, there was Lyra too. 
 Crimson slowly extracted himself from the chair leg trap, and stood up, turning to face her, hesitantly.
Misty took in a deep breath, and while her anger did not seem to dissipate, she certainly got herself under control. “Crimson. While I understand that my mother and father do not blame you for what happened, I do.” She drew in another breath, trying very hard to keep her snarl from coming back. “However, after discussing it with them both, I have agreed to let you visit my mother, to see how she is doing-” Crimson started to smile in relief, only for Misty to cut him off by continuing on. “-but after that, I don’t care what happens to you, as long as you stay away from her. You get one visit. One.”
With her piece said, Misty turned around, and trotted away, stomping her hooves hard enough to send clods of grass and dirt flying. 
“Hooooo ...boy, she doesn't like you.” Static said, finally managing to relax again after those tense moments.
“That’s really sad.” Twilight sniffed, clearly moved by the anger of the mare. “You said you two used to be close, but now it’s like she can barely stand looking at you.”
Crimson nodded, dumbly, slumping down into the chair behind him. “Yeah, and I don’t blame her. I told you all about what happened to her mom. I shouldn’t have taken them to see Homestead. I put them in danger and it’s all my fault.”
Static stared off at where Misty had vanished around the side of the castle. “Risky or not, it was not your fault. Garret hurt her mom, not you. I wouldn’t blame you for the stupidity of some crackpot old fool.”
Crimson didn’t look too convinced.
“It’ll be okay Crimson.” Twilight offered, standing up and giving her friend a reassuring hug. “We’ll figure it out, I promise.”
That did earn a little smile. “Thanks, Twilight.”


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


Despite their advantages in speed, only half of the ponies actually made it into the Guard. Namely the Earth Pony, Iron Ingot, the thestral, Silent Glide, the Crystal pony, Shimmer Song, two of the unicorns, Quick Step and Meadow Flower, and one of the Pegasi, a young mare called Feather Fall. She preferred the name Autumn though. 
Two of the Changelings got in, a female called Spinnerette, or Spinny for short, and a Changeling that Static knew from her time as part of the hive, called Coxix. Occasionally during the breaks after morning runs, the two would catch up with one another over snacks, chatting and laughing about how Pharynx was teasing Thorax about a certain someone that he liked, or how Crystal had once again been trying to sneak more cookies out of the jar without her mothers noticing. 
This left Crimson to talk with Twilight, when she was able to fit it into her unusually busy schedule, planning all sorts of things that Crimson felt he should probably ask about. The Princess was always up for a discussion about what little magic he could do, and the pair would slip into impromptu lessons every so often, laughing together at Crimson’s hilarious failed attempts at holding anything substantial for more than a minute. 
He couldn’t speak for Twilight, but Crimson was quickly finding those little talking sessions after runs to be his  favourite time of day, talking magic with Twilight or learning about Changelings from Coxix, or even just lounging with any of the other ponies that managed to find time to visit. 
The other recruits were a little more jumbled, with only two of the dragons getting in, a pair of twins, called High and Low, which, by their own guess, had probably been for a joke or something, as the twin called High was actually the shorter of the two. The Gryphons though, managed to get six of their recruits through, being disciplined enough, tough enough, strong enough- you get the idea.
And then there was Crimson, who, according to True Shot, had “Potential”. That irked a bit, being referred to as adequate after years of serving Homestead as a soldier. Crimson decided to chalk it down to his months of lacking fitness training. Now that he was in the guard, he should be able to get back to proper shape.
Of course, the job did come with some downsides. Mostly because he was working for Twilight, and her friends took great delight in trying to get him to break character whenever he happened to be on guard duty whenever they met up at the castle, Static, Pinkie and Dash especially. 
He hated that stupid nickname. What even was an elf anyway?


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


Standing guard was a chore, but Crimson found himself more often than not following Princess Twilight as her assigned personal guard, simply because, he looked both intimidating, and approachable, according to True Shot. Big enough to be intimidating, but lacking the scary fangs and claws to be too scary.
Crimson wasn’t entirely convinced, but still, Twilight had specifically asked for him, and being her friend, he had felt that it wasn’t too much of an ask- something True Shot agreed with. Really, all he was doing was switching which door he would stand in front of, or which corner he would wait in as Twilight puttered around, doing her experiments or organizing details of upcoming events. 
His thoughts were not on Twilight a lot these days. Instead, his brain was focusing on Misty, and her...not-so-inviting invitation.
What should he do? Aurora would hear about him being here at some point, if she hadn’t already, and anything that happened after that was almost guaranteed to end in disaster, what with Misty still baying for his blood. 
He found a momentary distraction on his first payday, where he was able to find a place to live that he would be able to afford on his salary as a lowly guardsmen. It was a nice, simple little apartment in a relatively new building that was built with larger creatures in mind, given the town’s growing popularity as a tourist destination.
With so little in the way of personal belongings, Crimson had an easy time in moving the incredibly small pile of boxes, filled with little knick knacks from his friends. A horseshoe that had been made into a picture frame from Applejack now housed a group photo of he and his friends, Static and Dash lounging in deck chairs while Applejack and Rarity were chatting away with Twilight about decorations for the upcoming wedding. Fluttershy was showing off a small army of critters to Crimson, with Pinkie peering into a python’s glass terrarium. 
Along with the photo was that same terrarium, and it’s occupant, a pygmy python, which Static had begged him to name Monty, for some reason. The snake had caught his eye, as it reminded him of a sidewinder snake he’d once seen in the desert near homestead. Monty seemed quite content to laze about his cage until feeding time, which Crimson had seen first hand. Fluttershy had somehow gotten in contact with an industrious Unicorn pet enthusiast, who had figured out a way to make enchanted meat that moved around like mice for the snake to enjoy, something that took the pressure off of Shy, trying to find non-sentient mice for her mouse-eating critters. 
Apart from that, he had a Wonderbolt insignia from Dash, and a pair of goggles too, case he ever ended up in the air. He wasn’t going to say no, even if he thought he never would get up there at all. Twilight had given him- what else- a book, one pertaining to the founding and history of Equestria, a more in depth version of what his studies had already covered, of course. Rarity had made all of his clothes, apart from his guard attire, which she scoffed at when he dared refer to them as “decent clothes”. She had also promised him some more formal wear, at some point in the future, which just made her charity worse. Element of Generosity indeed. How she could afford to spend that much on one person and never ask for a bit in return was beyond him. Pinkie had given him a cook book and some kitchen utensils she no longer needed, telling him to not forget the baking soda when necessary. 
And of course, Static and her sister had seen fit to give him gifts too, not to be outdone by the others. 
Rose had given him a shoulder slung satchel, saying that it had been hers back on Earth, while Static gave him a glowing purple crystal on a length of rope, a ward against Nightmares of all kinds. 
Arranging it all in his new apartment, Crimson looked around in satisfaction, smiling contentedly for a while.
But even that distraction came to an end, and thoughts of Misty and her ultimatum returned. 
“Heya, Elf.” The suddenness of Static’s voice by the window startled him, almost causing him to knock over most of his things over as he jumped up in shock. “You getting settled in?” There was snow in her fur, and she was managing to get slush all over the floor as she poked her head inside.
Crimson frowned in irritation at the nickname, but that irritation faded quickly, and his smile returned. “Yep. Got everything I need over here. Now I just have to unpack it all.”
Static nodded. “Sounds like you’ve got everything under control then!” The pegasus pushed the window all the way open and squeezed her way inside, being careful not to jostle Monty’s terrarium too much, and leaving more snow on the floor. She was wearing her saddlebags, and as she finished her intrusion techniques, she dipped her left forehoof into her saddlebags. “Soooo ... uh, ran into Misty earlier…”
Crimson visibly flinched at the mention of Misty’s name, eyes widening and lips pulling into an involuntary grimace. 
Static carried on, feigning obliviousness. “She gave me this for you. It’s an invitation to a dinner at their house, here in Ponyville.” Static pulled free a piece of paper, Aurora’s familiar, if less refined horn-writing clearly marring the pristine white surface. “Says you’re free to invite some friends along, if you want, just not too many.”
 	“W-wonderful.” Crimson muttered, trying to look away from the invitation without being obvious. 
Static frowned sympathetically. “Crim, look, you’re gonna have to face them at some point. Might as well do it sooner, rather than later.” She pressed a hoof gently against his side, hoping to be a little comforting. “Hey, I’ll come with you, if you want. You know, moral support, yeah?”
Crimson nodded, glad for the offer. 
“Maybe ask Twilight as well. She might be able to help smooth things over. It’s what she does, after all.” Static went to leave, out of the door this time, and stopped their, looking over her shoulder at her friend. “We’ll figure it out, man. We’ll figure it out.” 
She opened the door and vanished through it, offering one last comforting smile before disappearing. 
It was only a little later that Crimson suddenly thought. “Wait, Man?”


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


> Chapter 16: Dinner and Discourse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Stop fiddling with it!” Static hissed, batting at Crimson’s hand with a wing. 
“I can’t help it! These formal clothes are so hot and difficult to move in!” The Architect was tugging at his new suits collar, trying to find some way to let some cool air inside. The Pegasus on his left kept trying to stop him though, as they were almost at their destination. 
“Well cut it out! You’re going to ruin Rarity’s hard work!” Static said from between clenched teeth. “She rushed this job just so you’d have something nice to wear!”
On his right, Twilight lit her horn and forced the two apart- again. “If you two don’t stop, I will throw you in through their front door and leave you there! You’ve been like this for half an hour, and it’s driving me insane!”
Static and Crimson managed to both look shameful, but Static still kept an eye on Crimson. It was for his own protection! Rarity would kick the plot of anyone who ruined her work for no good reason. 
Crimon’s suit jacket was a lovely shade of deep burgundy, contrasted by a white tie and black shirt underneath, with matching black pants. The shoes Rarity had made looked like Oxford shoes, only the leather was fake. There were no fancy patterns on the toes either. These were simple and to the point. 
Static was wearing a blue dress that faded towards purple and pink further down its length, with a bright pink, tiny top hat fascinator piece pinned onto the top of her mane. She wore similarly pink socks as well, with black boots to go with them. 
Capping off the trio, Twilight had gone with a simple black dress that hung down over her cutie mark, but had slits cut in the back for her wings. Her mane was pulled up into a bun at the back of her head, tucked neatly between her ears, while her bangs had been parted more than usual, showing off the length of her horn and sending her mane out to the sides of her head in stylish ‘flicks’. 
All in all, apart from Crimson and Static’s fussing, they looked ready for a night out. 
They trotted- and walked, in Crimson’s case- leisurely through town, some of the late night ponies watching Crimson in curiosity. While he had ventured into town a little, he was still considered an odd sight by most, though dotted here and there were ponies who stared balefully at him, failing to properly conceal their disgust or contempt. 
Crimson made a point of ignoring them, while Static made note of the individuals, for future reference. 
They reached the address in a few short minutes, enjoying the cool air of early winter night, while relishing the lack of biting chill, thanks to Twilight and her repertoire of spells keeping them warm with a simple heating charm. Standing in front of the door, Crimson swallowed loudly, before pressing the tips of his index fingers together in front of him. “Maybe this is a bad idea…..you heard how angry Misty was before. It’s probably better if I just-”
Before Crimson could turn all the way around, Twilight wordlessly lit her horn and twisted him gently back around until he was facing the door, before looking up at him with those big, expressive eyes, though they were a little narrowed. “You’re not going back home, we’re having dinner with True Shot and his family.”
Crimson took his sweet time giving up on trying to leave, but in the end he gave up, slumping a little where he stood, resigned expression twisting his mouth into a small frown. 
The cool night breeze blew softly, ruffling the ponies fur and feathers as Twilight knocked firmly but carefully on the hardwood door, then returned her hoof back to the floor, quickly checking over herself to make sure she was still presentable, then doing the same for her friends. 
Moments after Twilight’s light rapping on the door, the portal into the abode opened, revealing True Shot standing on the other side, wearing a simple but smart suit instead of his familiar uniform. “Ah, Princess. Ser Static. Crimson.” He said, greeting them all with a polite nod and a smile. “I’m glad you accepted Misty’s invitation. Once she heard that the three of you were all coming, she was over the moon! I hope none of the ponies in Canterlot heard about this. Did any of them give you trouble?”
“We’re glad to come.” Twilight returned, smiling back. “And thankfully, no. Besides, I’m not turning down the invitation of a friend, just because the nobles think it’s improper.” 
True Shot beamed happily, nodding in relief and agreement. “Well, please, come in, and make yourselves at home, all of you. I know it’s not much, but we love it here.”
Static and Twilight entered first, the Princess before the Pegasus, and then, hesitantly, came Crimson. Stepping inside revealed a comely little home, with blue, almost sea green wallpaper, wooden beams supporting the roof, and cleverly concealed electrical wires feeding the lights that hung on the ceiling and walls. The smells of cooking foods, a mix of spices intermingling with the base ingredients wafted through from the kitchen door to the right, while the sound of clanking dishes and silverware drifted in from the opposite door. There was a stairwell directly ahead, leading up to the second floor, which was currently unlit and dark, as it apparently wasn’t in use. 
But what caught the guests eyes were the picture frames, filled with dozens of photographs. In some, for a time, there were only two ponies, a mare and her young filly, happily baking away in a kitchen, or carefully dusting off pieces of old artifacts, trying on dresses with big grins. 
Then….then came the change. The Unicorn mare’s horn vanished, replaced by a cracked, awful stump. The smiling, happy filly vanished, a far more serious looking mare standing beside the broken horned Unicorn and True Shot, for a family photo out in front of the house. Misty Dawn was instantly recognizable, and True Shot was as well. That left the Unicorn mare, who couldn’t have been anyone but Aurora. She was a periwinkle blue, with a soft, verdant green mane, that brightened to a yellow, very similar to her daughter’s colours, only with a darker coat. 
“The dining room is through here.” True Shot explained, his eyes tracking their own gazes with a slight, sorrowful frown. “Aurora is setting the table for us, while Misty is adding the finishing touches to dinner.” He turned to Twilight with mild concern. “I hope that beanfeast isn’t too simple a meal for-”
“Beanfeast is wonderful! My mother used to make it for me and my brother when we were little.” Twilight exclaimed, cutting past the trivial concerns of suitability. “Do you have it with buttered bread?”
True Shot beamed. “Always. You can’t have beanfeast without buttered bread.”
“Truer words have never been spoken.” Static stated, solemnly. Then she, Twilight and True Shot all chuckled, walking calmly into the dining room. Crimson followed behind, walking slowly, nervously. 
Standing there was the Unicorn, Aurora, her horn stump sparking as she struggled to keep the numerous bowls, plates and cutlery aloft in her magical grasp. She stood between wooden table, and a cabinet of similarly dark stained wood. Static moved first, the moment she saw the plates start to sink lower, threatening to slip free of her grip on them. Her hooves were there to catch the plates before they had started to fall properly. They were covered in purple floral patterns that were framed by a green rim on the edges of the ceramic disks, and the bowls were done in the same way, the green wrapped around the rim. 
“Oh, thank you, dear.” Aurora gratefully lifted the much lighter load and deposited the plates onto the table in front of the six chairs, then she took the bowls from Static, and put them onto the plates, and the spoons beside the plates. She shook her head with an embarrassed chuckle. “I normally wouldn’t let guests do any of the prep work, but I think you may have just saved us a few bits.”
“Not a problem, miss.” Static replied. 
“You must be Static Thunder.” Aurora greeted, offering a quick hug. That was something that Static had found since she had come to Equestria. Hugs were among the most commonplace greetings between friends, family and even strangers, and she had come to the conclusion that it was one of the best things in the world. Hugs were wonderful. There were never enough hugs. Period. “True Shot has told me about you- and of course the newspapers from Canterlot have talked about you too. Have you been doing well since you left the city?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“And of course, I recognize you, Princess.”
“Twilight is fine. We’re all friends here.”
Aurora nodded, chuckling through her nerves. “Oh my, I knew you were humble, Princ- uh, Twilight, but I didn’t know you prefer to be called by name.”
“I should probably just issue a royal decree about how and when ponies call me Princess, at this point.” The lavender Alicorn mumbled. Still, she offered a hug to the surprised mare, who took it, rosy cheeked at the thought that royalty cared enough about her to give such a display. 
Aurora’s eyes then turned to Crimson, scanning his tall form with the familiarity of any mother when watching their children, taking note of his healthy musculature, no longer thinned by poor nutrition, and boosted by hard work. Those bright, violet orbs swept over his face, absorbing that expression, the twisting muscles that were attempting to conceal the nerves, the fear, the trepidation of her  surrogate child. The fear of judgement that lingered in his burgundy eyes, and the slight shifting of his eyes, that kept him from making eye contact. 
The Unicorn mare moved through the space between Twilight and Static, her own features bearing a soft smile that lit her eyes into a warm, welcoming sight to any who might gaze upon it. She was a sublime picture of serenity, despite her injury, and she still carried with her a lust for life that Crimson could see had not diminished at all, but had instead, chosen to burn brighter than ever. 
And most of all. Love. Acceptance. All the things he had dreaded he would not find, no matter what True Shot had told him. He knelt down, a smile slowly breaking through the barricade of fear, and shining through. 
Without a word, the two embraced, holding each other close. They were a sanctuary for each other, in that moment, friends, and more besides, that had suffered together, and had saved one another. They did not withdraw from each other for some time, time that felt stretched out, each moment a wonderful lifetime of comfort in each others arms. 
And then it ended, the hug breaking as the two stood back, staring fondly at one another. “You look good, Crimson. You’ve been eating properly, at long last.” Aurora said, brightly, a cheeky smile on her face as she turned to his friends. “You have no idea how hard it was to get him to eat his fruits and vegetables when he visited us. He was a little nightmare- absolutely refused to touch them unless they were drowned in sauces and gravy.”
Static and Twilight laughed, as Crimson smiled in fond remembrance, even though it was admittedly something he was embarrassed about to this day. 
Misty Dawn chose that exact moment to step into the dining room, and Crimson’s smile vanished under the undisguised, unconcealed, withering glare that the Unicorn he adored like a sister directed his way, not breaking from her stride as she crossed to the table- made of the same mahogany wood as the cottages front door- and set down the steaming pan of food, without so much as bumping into any of the four ponies that had been standing in the way. The light from the dining room fireplace, piled high with burning logs, did nothing to warm her appearance, only to accent just how stiff and practiced her movements were.
Her stride and poise was just as dignified and severe as her expression, once she turned her head away from Crimson to greet her guests. Her mane and tail were impeccably groomed, and only Rarity or Celestia herself could ever hope to boast a coat as meticulously well maintained as this mare. She was wearing a long suit jacket, coloured a charcoal grey, with a pair of coat-tails dangling on either side of her own voluminous tail, and a white, collared shirt beneath the jacket.
She greeted Static and Twilight with the barest hints of merriment in her tone, but refused to even speak a word of greeting to Crimson, instead directing him to the chair at the table she designated as his. 
Twilight frowned as she saw how that chair had been selected precisely because it was as far away from where Aurora was then directed to by her daughter. And judging by Aurora’s own expression of disapproval, she had noticed it too. 
Misty courteously began to serve everypony- only everypony- their food, but just glared at Crimson when it came time to serve him, forcing him to stand up and serve himself, bringing more frowns, from everyone else.
“So….” Aurora began, tracing a circular pattern onto the table-top. “Have you found a special somepony yet, Crimson?”
Crimson, in the middle of trying to eat his first spoonful of beanfeast in spite of Misty’s consistent glaring, nearly sprayed beans all over the table in front of him at the question asked by Aurora, and Misty had gone rigid, slowly turning to stare at her mother with wide eyes, before they narrowed with an accompanying huff. 
Coughing a moment, to try and clear his throat, the Architect thumped his chest with a balled fist, before spluttering his response. “W-well no, not really! I’ve been a little busy to pay attention to pretty mares!”
“So you have noticed some pretty mares around then.” Aurora said, a smug little smirk creeping across her face while Misty scrunched up her face. “And who might they be?”
Static was trying not to laugh at her friends expense, and Twilight hadn’t been able to keep herself from chuckling behind her hoof, and True Shot was grinning at the Architect with a raised eyebrow. 
“W-well, no, not really.” Crimson stammered, his eyes darting over to Twilight in a brief supplication for help. Unfortunately, that brief glance was easily misunderstood. 
“Oh, my.” Aurora’s wry smile only grew wider, her voice turning soft and suggestive. “You certainly aim high, Crimson.”
Static burst out laughing as Twilight went beetroot red at the implication, and Crimson did his best to sink under the table from where he sat. 
“Mother!?” Misty cried, dismayed. “How could you such a thing in front of a Princess?!” 
Aurora blanched for a moment, eyes widening for a second, before the dreaded smirk rushed back. “Well, the Princess said not to call her Princess, and she is well known to be friendly and open, so why treat her any differently to a normal pony, when that is clearly what she prefers?”
Misty opened her mouth to protest, only to see the bashful Alicorn nodding in agreement. She snapped her jaw shut and folded her forelegs indignantly, using her magic to spoon another load of beans into her mouth. 
“I’m not interested in Twilight like that.” Crimson protested, a little weakly. “She’s just a good friend- and technically my boss too.” 
“That’s true.” True Shot rumbled, gently waving his own laden cutlery around as he spoke. “It wouldn’t be proper for a Princess to go sneaking off with one of her guards….though I seem to remember that kind of behaviour running in her family. How is Shining Armour, anyway?”
Twilight covered her face in her wings as Static nearly fell off her chair from laughing. The Alicorn cleared her throat and quickly smoothed out a curl that had suddenly sprung up in her mane. “You know my brother?”
“Well, I did.” True Shot explained, munching on beans. “He was just joining up to the guard when I was almost ready for my first assignment. We bonded a little during training, and I sparred with him a few times. Good colt. Good guard material too.”
“Oh, well, he and Cadence are still learning the ins and outs of having an Alicorn foal to look after, but they’re coping as well as they can.”
“I imagine they would be. And what about you, Miss Static? Any developments in the family department since the papers lost track of you?”
Static nodded, a dopey little smile wrinkling her snout. “Shy and I adopted a Changeling nymph after the battle. Poor thing lost her parents, so we thought we’d look after her.” Static deliberately left out the part that Crystal was Chrysalis’s daughter. No point drumming up pointless worries. “And now….me and Shy…..we’re getting married next Spring.”
Aurora perked up, ears standing bolt upright and her eyes filling with joy. “Oh, darling, that’s wonderful!! Where is the ceremony?” 
“Luna agreed to preside over the ceremony, so we’ll be doing it in Canterlot. Twilight’s been organizing it for us, though, obviously we’ve been making requests.” Static beamed around her spoon as she took a bite. “And our friend Rarity insisted on making the dresses.”
“How lovely!” Aurora tittered, looking over at True Shot. “I remember when we got married. Oh, it feels like so long ago!”
“It was this year, sweetheart.” True Shot mumbled. 
Aurora ignored him, carrying on regardless. “We had it on the coast, near his hometown. Have you ever heard of Tall Tale? Nice place, right by the ocean, and the forest too! They have such lovely beaches….”
“I don’t think they want to hear about your wedding, mom.” Misty muttered, clearly annoyed. Aurora turned a harsh glare towards her daughter, and Crimson felt the room go cold, the warm hospitality waning sharply.
“The Princess and Miss Thunder don’t seem to agree, Misty.” Aurora spoke, not angrily, or loudly, but in a calm, serious tone of voice reserved for mothers when disappointed with their children. “They seem to be enjoying our conversation, despite the earlier embarrassment. What makes you think they aren’t?”
“They’re faking.” Misty said, simply. “They don’t want to be rude, so they’re faking, aren’t you?”
Twilight blinked owlishly, mouth trying to work but not quite getting the words out for a second. “U-uh, no. I’m not faking. I was enjoying the story, and I’d love to hear more, honestly!”
“Me too!” Static nodded. “I wanna know what it feels like for when I go through it.”
“Yeah, that sounded believable.” Misty gritted her teeth as she turned to the quietest corner of the room. “And you? Suppose you’ve got something to say about it?” Misty snarled at Crimson, daring him to speak. 
“I-I…..I just thought that it was nice to hear about.” Crimson said, quietly, trying to be as non-confrontational as possible, half mumbling the words in an attempt to not draw Misty’s ire. 
It failed. 
“Oh, of course you think so. You want to get back in the good books with Mom so bad that you’ll just suck up to her the first chance you get!” Misty snapped, lips peeling back into the beginnings of a snarl. 
“Misty Dawn! That is enough!” Aurora snapped, her horn sparking suddenly as she barked at her daughter. “I don’t know what has gotten into you, but it stops now!”
“Why are you always so eager to forgive him?!” Misty bellowed back. “After everything he did to you, you’re just going to welcome him back with open arms?!”
“You know that what happened was not his fault, Misty.” True Shot tried to reason with her, reaching a hoof out to touch her shoulder. 
“You’re just as bad!” Misty turned on him, eyes flashing in the firelight. “You were supposed to keep us safe, mister guardspony! And you let him fill Mom’s head up with stupid ideas about going to see his people! Why did you even let us go there in the first place?!” True Shot tried to cut back in, but Misty was not done, rounding out to the Princess and Static to give them a taste of her fury. “And you!!! If you had any idea what happened- what he did! Then you would throw him in a prison cell, and then throw away the key- or better yet, have him executed!!”
Crimson drew in on himself, eyes downcast and half closed.
“MISTY DAWN!” Aurora thundered, horn sending a shower of sparks all over the table, tiny burns and scorch marks left on the table where they landed. “THAT IS ENOUGH!!” Shakily, Aurora sat back down, and reigned in her breath as Misty also sank back into her chair, her eyes wide and locked onto her mother. “I know you blame Crimson for what happened, but I do not. True Shot does not. And I’m certain that the Princess is well aware of what happened, and that neither she, nor Miss Thunder, blame him. You may wish to keep Crimson away from this family, but he IS family. Whether you like it or not, I wish to keep him in my life, and you cannot simply force him to leave.” The unicorn sighed heavily, her breath a little ragged. “Now, think about what you just did, young lady. You have yelled at our guests, and at True Shot, and no doubt hurt Crimson deeply with those particular….remarks….” Aurora blinked, suddenly weaving in place, unsteady and shaking like a leaf. “Oh…..oh, oh dear…..” 
Once again, Static moved first, launching herself across the table, catching Aurora as the Unicorn toppled out of her chair in a dead faint, with True Shot joining her a split second later to cradle his wife’s head. His horn flared briefly, and he let out a relieved smile. “She’ll be alright. She’s just worn herself out is all.” His eyes met Misty’s and he frowned. “I’ll get her upstairs and in bed, so she can rest.”
Crimson, hands gripping the table, knuckles white and legs fully stretched out, his chair tipped onto it’s back from where he’d jumped up, let out an uneasy breath as True Shot picked his wife up in his magic, and carried her out of the room, the sound of his hoof-steps telling each of the remaining ponies that he was traversing the stairwell. 
Misty stared in horror at the retreating form of her mother and her husband, before she whirled on Crimson, eyes glowing in anger, her horn lit up in a fit of rage. “THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!”
Crimson flinched back, his legs catching on the legs of his overturned chair and sending him sprawling over it, landing with a pained grunt as the air was smashed out of his lungs in a wheezing gasp. He turned to look back at Misty, struggling to reestablish control of his lungs as the furious mare stalked closer. 
She was screaming at him again, though it was less true language so much as it was outraged attempts at noises that conveyed her mood, instead of what she wanted to tell him. The reason she was finding so much trouble in forming coherent sentences was the two ponies holding her back, Static having grabbed Misty by her left foreleg and trying to haul her back, whilst Twilight was pulling at her tail with magic as the mare flailed her limbs ineffectually in Crimson’s direction. 
“YOUR FAULT!!” Misty screeched. “YOUR FAULT!! SHE GOT HURT!!! AND IT’S YOUR FAULT!!”
Static was clearly not enjoying tonight, given her strained expression of exhortation, using all of her strength to hold back the enraged, howling banshee that was trying to punch her friend in the face several hundred times. “You! Need-!” Static strained against another particularly violent attempt to deck Crimson in the face. “Need to lay- Off the Hayburgers!!” Static grunted, feeling the burn in her muscles as the small, but dense Unicorn attempted to wriggle free. “You’re- Bloody heavy!!”
“Please, Misty!! You have to stop this!” Twilight begged, imploring the mare to see reason. “Crimson has been nothing but a gentlestallion and a hard worker ever since he got here! He told us everything that happened! We know why you feel like it’s his fault, but you can’t blame him! He was as much a victim as you all were!!”
“THEN WHY DIDN’T HE HAVE TO SUFFER?!?! WHERE’S HIS BROKEN BONES?!?!” Misty thrashed, wildly. 
Static grunted as she took a hoof in the chest, the keratin thwacking loudly against her ribcage, making something shift that shouldn’t have. “We’re holding his broken bones back, right now!” She gasped, feeling a nasty warmth spreading through the muscles in her chest where she’d been hit, a sure sign of oncoming bruising.
“THEN LET ME BREAK THEM!! AT LEAST THEN HE’D HAVE PAID FOR WHAT HAPPENED!!”
Static growled, completely done with this game. She dug her hind hooves into the carpet, allowed Misty some slack and ducked lower. When the mare’s hips collided with her shoulder, Static reared up, throwing Misty into the air before slamming her down on the floor, which escaped damage thanks to a quick softening spell from Twilight. Static pinned the other mare down, her hooves trapping Misty’s against the wood. “You ever stop to think that maybe you’re the one hurting him?” Static thundered, channeling the pain from her dislocated rib into a strength of both body and voice. She was forcing Misty to listen. “He gave up his family, his people, his home, all to save you! He made himself an outcast in his own nation, to save the family he’d found in all of you! And what does his adopted sister do, after he gives up everything for her? She shuns him, screams at him, tells her she hates him, because of things he couldn’t have known, and things he actively fought against! Of all the worst things that could happen to him, do you think that might just come in first?!”
Twilight moved down beside Misty, who’s incredulous stare turned to regard her in confusion, conflict lingering behind those eyes. She spoke quietly, but with such earnesty and  honesty that her voice was quivering with it. “He loves you like a sister,  Misty. He loves your mother like she was his own, and he and True Shot get on so well that if he was a pony, I’d have no trouble believing they were actually family. He fought for you, and when he finally gets to see you again, you treat him like dirt, right when he needs his family the most. Right when he needs you the most.” The Alicorn looked up to Crimson with a smile, eyes filling with confidence Crimson wished he could have. “I know that it’s hard to open up to him, or even be near him, but can you at least see what you’re doing to him? Can you at least understand how much you are hurting him, and your family, by treating him like this?”
As Twilight spoke, Misty’s struggles slowed, growing weaker by the second. She fell almost still halfway through, her eyes starting to grow wide as she listened to the Princess. And by the end, her bottom lip was drawing up to her mouth and starting to quiver. 
“Misty.” Twilight continued, while Static loosened her grip on Misty’s forelegs, but still ready to stop her from doing anything rash. “Take it from us; sometimes, we hurt the people we love without realizing we’re doing it, and sometimes we blame people for things we shouldn’t. He warned your mother that it was dangerous to go, and he couldn’t really stop her if she decided to follow him back if he said no. So what else could he do? Let her go off alone? Let her take some of you with her, and get you all killed when they found you? And, try to think about what would have happened that day if Crimson had gone back alone. They would have captured him- just like they captured you and your mother, and they would have hurt him, maybe killed him, trying to understand how he could do magic.” Twilight spoke in a soft voice, but the words were like poison to Misty’s reservations. She stared up at Static and the Princess with wide eyes as the Royal talked, realizing what would have happened. “And there would only be one person who could help him- and without you there as a distraction, do you really think he would have escaped?”
“He saved all of you- and you saved him, too.” Static added.
Misty’s wide eyes started to water, as she realized what the two ponies were telling her. Instead of a mother with a broken horn- something that could be worked around, possibly healed in time, and something that had not stopped Aurora from living life to the fullest- her closest friend would have died, murdered by his own people as they attempted to understand something they likely never could. Crimson HAD warned her mother. Crimson HAD done everything in his power to make sure that they wouldn’t be spotted. Crimson HAD gotten them out. If his people had discovered his secret a day later, then his precautions would have protected them- at the cost of his life. They would have seen Crimson walk through those doors, and he would never come out again. Crimson had given up his life for them, and would be dead if he hadn’t. Her mother had been hurt, but he’d lost half of everything he knew. 
Her wide eyes slowly turned to meet his own, and she could see it, clearly. The pain, the hurt that she had put there. The guilt she had forced on him for something he hadn’t had any control over. It was there, plain to see in his stare, in the way he had pulled himself up to sit against the wall, away from her, yet still close. He needed compassion and love from the family that had taken him in. He needed that connection with them, now that his own was denied to him. Friends had helped, but it wasn’t enough, she could see it, a story woven into his features like thread in a tapestry. 
 Having lost one family, he needed the other, desperately. He needed their love and acceptance. 
And she’d shown him nothing but hatred and disdain. 
Worse than even that, was that she’d let her hatred turn her into something awful. She’d screamed at her mother, the very mare she loved more than anything. And she’d screamed at everyone else, too. Her f…..her father. Her guests. Her Princess! And Her friend ...She'd made him feel unwanted. She’d hurt him- for doing nothing short of saving their lives. 
The full weight of what she had done descended upon her, and all the tension in her muscles fled. She was too busy crying to try fighting back anymore.


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


True Shot waved his guests goodbye as they trotted and walked off down the road, the Pegasus and Alicorn pressing close to their friend as they walked, offering comfort as they went. 
Misty had burst into tears after the Princess and Miss Thunder’s words to her, and had later fled to her room. 
At the very least, the Princess and the Knight seemed to have gotten through to her, as she had mumbled what had sounded like an attempt at an apology, before her emotions and her guilt had driven her to solitude. 
The winter snows piled up outside, as the three figures up ahead slowly vanished into the thick deluge of white. Misty knew what she had done, now. Now she and Crimson could try to start over, to mend the bridge between them and become friends again. The captain sighed. That would not be for some time, however. Misty would need time to reflect, and Crimson time to heal from this most recent blow. It would take time, and he doubted that they would ever go back to how things used to be between them. That was truly impossible, with all that had happened. 
Misty had internalized her anger for months, and that was something that wouldn’t just go away. She would have to work at it. And Crimson would have to work through his guilt, and forgive himself for something he shouldn’t have to. They both had a long way to go before they could truly reconcile, but at least that journey had started. He glanced back inside, envisioning his family, all four of them, sat around the fire, laughing and joking as they had in the desert, back before it had all gone wrong. Maybe they could get that back.
True Shot chuckled at the thought. One day, perhaps. One day. 
“A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.” True Shot murmured, reminded of that one quote that students and religious figures always liked to use. “And it’s always a doozy.” 
Chuckling to himself at his little addition, True Shot turned back around, and trotted back inside, quietly pulling the door closed behind him, and leaving the snows to the long dark of night. It was going to be a long winter. But spring always comes in the end.


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

> Chapter 17: Visits
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Mum, hi Dad.
	
	Been awhile since we last talked. Almost a month, right? 
	Things have been great here, and I hope everything back on Earth is going well, too. Wouldn’t do for you guys to be miserable while we’re here in the land of Sunshine and Rainbows, would it?
Oh, and thanks for the box you sent! It’ll be great to have some of my old things back. I haven’t opened it yet. It’s in the trunk in our room, at the moment, but it’s good to have some mementoes, right?
Some good news on Rose’s part: She got a job as a mail-mare, helping Derpy out since the town’s grown a lot over the past few years. With a Princess and multiple  national- and international, in some cases- heroes all living here, ponies and all kinds of creatures have all moved here, which means more mail, more deliveries, and more work for pretty much everyone. Pretty much every store in town has seen a boom in revenue, and most are looking to expand. Real easy to find open positions at the moment, actually. 
Crystal started going to school a few weeks ago. It’s been...interesting, since she shares a classroom with fillies and colts much older than she is, and comes back home with pages of notes and a thirst for more knowledge. She’s been hanging out at Twilight’s palace a lot, reading up in the library, and I think “Aunty Twiley” has been enjoying it a bit too much. She sent Crystal home at ten last night, (when they both know bed-time is eight!) with a book almost as big as Crystal is. The poor thing was dragging it up the hill outside when we found her. 
I’ve been sketching a lot recently. Mostly little drawings of the critters around here. I’ve got about ten drawings of Angel, cause the little attention whore noticed me doing it and now starts posing nearby whenever I get my sketching pad out, and I simply can’t resist the temptation. Manipulative little lagomorph.
The wedding is soon…...I’m getting excited ...and nervous ...nervouscited? I think that’s what Pinkie called it. It’s that feeling where you get all jittery, giddy and tense at once,  so it’s pretty easy to identify. Much harder to name, though.
What was it like for you guys, getting married? Were you as nervous as I am? 
….Probably. I think everyone is, even if they seem like they aren’t. This sort of thing is a big deal. Huge. Life-changing. 
I wouldn’t give it up even if the world was burning and it was the only way to stop it.
I’d love`for you guys to be able to be here, but ...well, it would be a one way trip, and I can’t ask that of you, not even  for my wedding day….heh, bet you never thought I’d be marrying a pony, or that it would be two brides instead of one, eh? 
S’pose that just goes to show how much everything’s changed, doesn’t it? Two worlds, and more besides. Earth isn’t the only planet to bear life, humans aren’t alone, there’s such a thing as magic, and talking animals, and…..well, gods too. I know I never would have believed this.
On a more morbid note ...did you visit her? I want to make a quick trip over there at some point to do it, and I built a little cairn for her up on the hill behind the cottage. It looks out over the Everfree. It’s really quite beautiful. Is….is where they buried her a nice place? I know there’s no body in either grave, but it’s nice to think that she can rest in peace somewhere nice and quiet. She would have liked that. I know I would. Who wants their rest disturbed by someone speeding by in a car?
Anyway...I suppose I should finish up. We’re going to the movies tonight. The Crusaders invited Crystal out, and me and Shy are tagging along. I know it’s just movies, but those three are disaster magnets. Remember that house they built? And all the ones they almost destroyed? Yeah. Enough said. They are wonderful girls, but they are just so….chaotic- (not that’s a bad thing Discord. Yes I know you’re reading this somehow. No, I’m not telling you how.) and clumsy. 
Write back as soon as you can. I….I miss you. And Josh. And Mike. And...Anna…...I don’t want to lose you all.
I, uh…..guess I’ll get going. I can hear Shy calling my name. 
With love, always.
Static Thunder.


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


“Come on, Mummy!! We’re going to miss it!”
“Aster, sweetie, we’re twenty minutes early. We’re not going to be late. It’s ten minutes away, and we already have the tickets, we’ll be fine.”
“But-”
“Crystal, calm down. We won’t miss it, I promise.”
“Okay…”
“Oh, sweetheart, don’t fret. Smile! We can make a game of getting there, you know.”
“Really?!” 
“Yes, really. Some of my favourite games were played on the go, but my favourite is….”
The voices faded away from the cottage, leaving it empty and quiet for the first time in days. The moss that covered the roof rustled slightly in the winds that blew through the trees, silhouetted by the silver light of Luna’s moon as it rose high into the sky at it’s mistresses behest. The dark windows were cool to the touch, as was the wood beams that held up the roof, the walls and the windows. The air around it was tranquil and still, and carried the sweet scent of wildflowers that bent gently in the breeze, little animals, including birds and squirrels all retreated to their nests for the night, and peace reigned over the pony homestead.
It was not to last. 
A stranger appeared from the dappled woods, her coat thick and the rack of antlers upon her head slender, resembling a crown wreathed of thorns instead of molded metal. Her ears flicked and her mouth curled into a tiny smile, her eyes narrowing as she stalked closer, the tiny sounds of scurrying critters marking her passage where she disturbed their slumber. 
She moved to the house, and despite the door being locked, opened it, and stepped inside. She gazed around the house for a time, taking in the various images in frames on the walls and counter-tops, before she beheld one in particular- a photo of a Changeling Nymph and a Pony, curled up next to one another beside a fire, sipping hot chocolate and smiling broadly at the dancing flames of their fireplace, which now stood cold and empty. 
She stared at the image for a time, her smile deepening to a frown, her brows down between her eyebrows as she regarded the photo. Then she reached out, and knocked it from the shelf it had been sat on.There was a lovely sound of tinkling glass, and the figure smiled. She opened the window behind where the picture had been, to make it look accidental, before she took another look around the house. 
She quickly found a picture- a sketch that had been left lying on a table, half finished. 
It was a face, with a small nose, rounded ears, expressive eyes, and it was rather flat looking. A young female, by the looks of it, if the long mane and soft jawline was any indication.…
The figure stared too, before her wide eyes narrowed, becoming a deeply furrowed expression of rage, though, had anyone been present, they would have noticed a peculiar thing. 
It was a rage that was not directed at the picture, but rather the reaction that it had produced. There was a flare of magic, and the picture was crumpled into a ball and hurled away. She wasn’t there for this stupid mare’s nostalgia. She was here for something she needed. 
She found it in the mare’s room, having stalked upstairs, making sure she did not look at any of the other pictures there, because of the irritating possibility of another reaction like the one before. It was resting in the very top of a trunk, in a small box of things that had been sent through the portal. 
Yes, she knew all about those. They were part of her plans, after all. 
The box contained mementos, little bits and bobs from a life left behind. A set of keys, a few scant pictures of creatures that had never set foot on this planet, a few old toys, a graduation certificate, and, lastly, her goal. 
A book. 
Yes, that was her goal, a book.
Retrieving the book with her magic, she paused, flipping open the front cover to read the handwritten message inside. 
“To Anna, 
	So that you’ll always be able to read the stories you love.
	From Allan.”
The Deer sneered at the little message. She hadn’t come for the book to read that. She had other uses for it. 
It was time for a little deception, one that would change the course of history.
She smiled as she left the house behind, and returned to the forest from whence she came. 
She strode past monsters that cowered at the sight of her, or fled from her presence. She passed by the old ruins of a castle once ruled by two sisters. She casually ignored the hut of the forest’s resident shaman. She was not even noticed by the forest’s native deer as she walked through their home. 
She descended into the depths of the cavern from which she had emerged only hours before, in the center of the huge, circular depression in the middle of the forest, one bordered by a ring of hills that had seen many a rainstorm come and go. 
She vanished into the depths of those caves, chuckling at the ease with which she had acquired the object of her desires. 
Then she passed through the network of caves beneath, knowing them by heart and knowing the path to her destination. 
The ruins stretched out underneath the forest were little more than the memory of something beautiful, scarred forever by tragedy and destruction, misery and betrayal. 
Here, in the ruins of her masters enemies, would she bring about his return. 
Here, she would rewrite the stories told.
Here, was where the story would end. 
All she needed now was his bell. 


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


I suppose that Equestria hasn’t needed much in the way of security in the 1000 years of Celestia’s reign, since pretty much nothing happened in that time to cause concern. It was peaceful. Simple. Easy.
	But I think that’s the part that worries me most. It’s been too simple. Too easy. That’s why a nation so reputably powerful has been nearly kicked to the curb almost half a dozen times within a decade. I should probably talk to Luna about it. Maybe we can come up with some new ways to improve Equestria’s defenses. I mean, they don’t even have an early warning system! Not even something as rudimentary as a series of beacons, or flares, or even just outposts stationed by fast flyers who can tell everyone what’s happening. It’s a major oversight in the nations defense plans, and since Chrysalis was the last major threat to rear its head, that means it’s been two years since our last threat. If the trend continues, we’re getting overdue for the next one. 
	I’d rather not take it sitting on my little pony tush, like a complete bellend.
	Still, not exactly something to bother you with too much ...you know what, I’m scratching this out before you have a chance to read it.


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


	*Ding-Dong!!*
The front door of the small house opened at the behest of the ringing doorbell. It was not quite familiar to the ones ringing the doorbell. It was a nice, quiet place that was removed from the hustle and bustle of the areas closer to the city center, like their old home, but it was nearly thirty blocks away, and it’s residents were not quite how they remembered them either.
The woman who opened the door did not have the same hair colour they remembered, dyed a fiery, but slightly greyed orange, and it was no longer done up in a bun like they remembered her often doing, with her long locks instead hanging down past her shoulders in a relaxed, loose cascade. 
Her face, however, remained unchanged, still kind, and wrinkled by slight crows feet, her cheeks creased with laugh lines, and her eyes brightened at the sight of them. 
“Kathy!” Mary Ryder pulled her daughter into a firm but gentle hug, a warm embrace that  felt like the toasty comfort of a bed in the morning. The elder woman kissed her daughter's cheek a multitude of times, as if it was the most precious thing she could ever do. 
To her, that was absolutely true. 
Kathy, or Rose, not quite sure which name to use, returned the hug with equal passion, while her three companions and their “handler”, waited their turn to be greeted. 
Of the three, all were female, but only two were adults, the third being a young tween who was dressed in white and green, with olive coloured skin. She had a small backpack hanging from her shoulder, which, in truth, held nothing of value to her, it was just to complete the look the disguise was going for. 
The first woman that Mary greeted after Kathy, was a tall, willowy woman with baby blue eyes, and her long, pale yellow hair that held several dyed highlights in it, all a rich pink colour. She was wearing a green turtleneck sweater and pale blue denim jeans, with flat shoes, though she seemed to be slightly unsteady on her feet. “And you are Fluttershy, aren’t you dear?” Mary asked with a smile, offering another hug to the shy woman, who was trying not to blush too hard, and was clutching her right arm with her left hand. Fluttershy also returned the hug, after a brief bit of hesitation, but the smile on her face when Mary let her go spoke volumes as to how much she had enjoyed it. 
Mary turned her attention to the third woman. She was not overly tall, but she wasn’t short either, standing just a few centimeters shorter than Fluttershy, and dressed in a warm, red plaid sweater, black jeans and a brown shirt. Her eyes were also a bright blue, and her hair was a simple ponytail with a few bangs left hanging out. The woman was smiling widely, and made the initial hug herself. “Hi Mom.” 
“Allan, honey...sorry, Static, it’s so good to see you, dear. You’re looking well, if...a lot different.” Mary flushed at the slip up in using Static’s old name, and realized she had done the same with Kathy. “How are you doing?”
“Well, these things are taking a bit of getting used to.” Static grinned impishly, as she hoisted up her breasts in her hands. “And my butt is definitely bigger than it used to be.”
“Oh, behave, you silly b- girl.” Mary admonished, getting a laugh out of her new daughter. 
Then she turned her gaze to the youngster of the group. 
“And you must be Crystal!” Mary beamed, crouching down to engage with the girl directly, and offering a big hug. “You know, your mummy has told me so much about you, I’m glad we finally get to meet properly, instead of sending messages back and forth like that.” 
Crystal had no hesitations in accepting that offered hug, accepting it with glee. “Mummy says you’re her mummy! That makes you my Grandmare, doesn’t it?”
“Sweetie, remember that they call it Grandma here.” Static cautioned, glancing over her shoulder with a slight worried frown. 
“They sound pretty the same though!” Crystal argued. “Why bother changing it?”
“She can call me Grandmare if she wants.” Mary took Statics reached over to gently pull her daughter’s head back so she would pay attention. “I don’t see why we can’t just pretend it’s a cute little nickname.”
“It should be fine.” The Agent standing in plain clothes confirmed, watching the street from where he stood behind them on the path. “Not much of an issue in the long run.”
“There, see?” Mary stepped back inside the door and pulled it wide open for them. “Your father should be home soon- he had some errands to run this morning.”
The four disguised guests all entered followed by their handler, all of them giving their thanks for the invitation inside. They stepped inside, but only the agent took off his boots. Rose, Shy, Static and Crystal all exchanged happy smiles before reaching up to their necks, and pulling off a series of crystal necklaces, and each was consumed by a glowing light. 
Soon, in the place of the humans, were the familiar, waist high ponies, though in Crystal’s case, she only made knee high, even with her growth spurt. Mary had to try very hard not to just squeal like a little girl and start hugging them all again, especially when they all started shaking themselves off and ruffling their feathers and fur. 
“Those things are useful, but damn if they aren’t uncomfortable to wear for so long!” Static flexed her wings in relief, before being swept up in another hug from her mother. “Whoa, whoa!!” The Pegasus flailed a little as the suddenness of being picked up of the ground triggered the instinct to resist, but then, Static managed to reign in her writhing and instead twisted around to hug her mum again, throwing her little pony arms in a loop around Mary’s neck. 
“I haven’t been able to do this since you were seven!” Mary chuckled, happily. 
Rose, never one to let an opportunity slide, leapt up into the middle of the embrace, wriggling her way under Mary’s arms. Fluttershy and Crystal followed suit, and the group fell over in a pile, the pony onslaught toppling the mighty mother and sending them all to the floor, where they laughed and giggled like school children at the dumb but priceless little moment that the spur of the moment action had wrought. 
The usually flat and emotionless faced Agent standing outside the door couldn’t help but smile a little too.
With family reintroductions more than well under way, they decided to do a quick tour of the house, showing off some of their old childhood things to Crystal when they came across them, or deliberately unearthed them from the backs of cupboards and from inside storage boxes in the basement. The little Nymph simply adored seeing it, gasping and squealing with such delight at every little thing- especially when the pictures came out. She loved the pictures.
“Oh, and here is one of your Mommy Static when she found a frog in the garden and put it Aunty Rose’s hair!” Mary narrated, eager to share the embarrassing photos with her new granddaughter. “Your Aunt screamed so loud that the neighbours actually called the police out of concern! Oh, poor Richard, he was so confused when he answered the call and came to check up on us!”
Crystal giggled, pointing at the picture in glee. “Aunty Rose looks so funny with her face screwed up like that! Did she not like frogs? I do.”
“Yes, a trait you no doubt picked up from your mummies.” Mary cooed, flicking her eyes over to her shame-faced daughters and Fluttershy, who was also delighting in seeing the pictures. 
“Oh, Allan was such a silly boy!” Shy tittered, holding a hoof to her mouth in a poor attempt to conceal her laughter. “Why would he do that?”
“Fun.” Mary responded. “He always was the adventurous one, weren’t you sweetheart?”
Static nodded, still red-faced. 
“Ah, and here, we have Allan and Anna climbing a tree out in the woods with Josh and Mike. Those four were thick as thieves back then. If one of them was around, the other three were always close behind.” 
“You and your friends sound like the Crusaders, Mummy!” Cryssie gasped, pointing at her mum. “No wonder you said you liked them!”
Static gave a little smile. “Anna was even more of a daredevil than I was, back then. If there was a high place to jump into water from, she was always the first. If there was a tree to climb, she climbed highest, and if there was somewhere to go, she was always running to get there.” 
“Yes, Anna was the adventurous type, too. Probably why you got on so well.” Mary mused, looking over the image again. “Josh was the smart one, though. He knew how to fix anything, and if he didn’t, he’d learn soon enough. He fixed our stereo when the speakers stopped working just this Summer, actually.”
Static sat up a little straighter, her eyes alight. “Really?” 
“Oh, yes. Been very busy though. Always talking about the investigations that the new agency for Interdimensional Relations and Defense Agency has been sending him on. He’s become their go to man for the job.” Mary explained. “Of course, I only heard about this when he fixed the stereo. Apparantly it’s all “Need to Know” sort of stuff.”
The three adult ponies all shared a frown. “But, if it’s need to know, why did he tell you?”
“Miss Mary, and Mister Richard have the highest clearance of any civilian.” The Agent chimed in from the doorway to the hall. “As the mother and Father of two High Value assets, and your designated contacts on Earth, they are kept appraised of most of our current operations, so that, should the need arise, they can contact you.”
“Ah….” The siblings blinked, and Shy did much the same.
“Anyway, as I was saying, he’s been very busy with his new position as head researcher. When I e-mailed him about how you were visiting, he was gutted, because he couldn’t make it out here to see you.”
“Damn.” Static cussed. “Would of been pretty good to see him again.” 
“Yeah,  it would.” Rose agreed.
“Still, enough of the heavy political and personal stuff, let’s get back to those pictures! See, this is Allan's ninth birthday, and the boys and Anna decided to prank him by making the cake spring into his face when he blew out the candles!”
“Awww, Mum….don’t show her that….” Static whined, while everyone else just laughed.


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


Time is weird, between us. Whenever the book is open, it connects our flows of time for however long it’s open. But a day on Earth is not a day on Equus. I tried to write to you yesterday, but the book told me that it was still the day before for you, even though our times are always in sync when the book links. Odd thing to think about. Our time is passing a little faster than yours. 
Strange, to say the least. 
Time is weird anyway. Crystal is already almost two and a half, and the wedding that seemed so far away is only a month away now. 
When did that happen? It feels like we got engaged last week, now the ceremony is gonna be in five minutes? 
FRONT PAGE NEWS: Time is Whack!
It’s a little overwhelming. I’ve been trying to take my mind off of it, but the only thing that comes to mind is that joke I need to tell Shining and Cadence, and that time Twilight dumped me in Applejack’s pond for not taking notes properly. Okay, I was also teasing her a little, but come on! 
I think….
I think it’s time for a prank war….


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

> Chapter 18: Pranks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight woke up with a little yawn, blinking owlishly as Spike shook her awake- again- for the third time this week. Too many late nights organizing this stupid festival and this wedding that had parked it’s big fat butt on top of it. 
It was a huge headache. 
The festival was going to be absolutely full of ponies, since half of Equestria had been invited, and the rest of them were probably going to turn up anyway. And that was just Equestria. 
Ambassadors, Monarchs and leaders of all kinds were going to be present, invited to see the hospitality offered by Equestria and its people, not to mention the help that the little hooved cheer-bombs were willing to provide struggling nations- of which most of their allies were at the present moment. 
It was an awful amount of work, making sure that they would be entertained, that Princess’s Celestia, Luna and Cadence would have time to meet them all, and have enough time to attend the wedding too. 
Absolutely exhausting.
So when her brain suddenly screamed at her that something was off, it was not something she was prepared for.
Twilight had stepped out of her room and started walking down the corridor that would eventually lead to the stairwell, which would lead to the first floor, and then to the kitchen, and Spike, who normally made breakfast. 
What had stopped her in her tracks was a subconscious realization that something was wrong. Twilight Sparkle hated it when things went wrong. She was better at coping with it now than  when she was younger, especially when her friends were there to help, but on mornings like this, that resistance to imperfections was worn away somewhat, leaving her feeling exposed, like a nerve. 
And what had suddenly alerted her brain today? A painting hanging on the wall in the hallway. She remembered it well, having gotten it as a housewarming gift from Princess Cadence. It was a painting of her family, including it’s seemingly ever growing royal connections. Cadence, Shining, her mom, dad, and both Princess Celestia and Luna were present. The image was unchanged. Flurry hadn’t been born yet, and she remained absent, and nopony else was missing or altered ...so what was so off about the painting?
As she stared at it,realization slowly dawned. 
It was almost imperceptible, but no doubt, that was why it had been done that way. 
It had been tilted by one degree. Just enough to make it seem slightly askewed, but not enough to be overly noticeable to anyone...except the Princess of Perfection herself. 
Frowning, Twilight straightened the painting with a brief glow of magic, and then carried on her way with a relieved smile. 
Only to realize that all the paintings in the hallway were also tilted. All by one degree. Frown deepening, her horn flashed again, and all the paintings tilted perfectly in line ...except the first painting, which was now one degree off again, because she had rushed the spell and included it too. 
Growling in annoyance, Twilight adjusted the painting again, and then, after a brief inspection, nodded in satisfaction, and carried on.
She reached the end of the hallway without incident, and started to go down the stairs. And then the sense came back. The feeling that something was off. 
Frown firmly fixed on her face once again, Twilight cast her eyes around the stairwell in annoyance, before she located the source of her irritation. 
The chandelier hanging in the center of the circular stairwell was missing a candle. 
A quick summoning spell brought her a replacement, and she triumphantly set it in place- only to realize that it was not a candle anymore, only a wax cylinder, as the string that run through it had been painstakingly removed. 
Making that candle vanish somewhere else so that she could deal with it later, Twilight summoned another one. And found it’s wick removed. Twilight repeated the process again, only to find that the wick was missing from this candle too. 
Twilight ground her teeth audibly, and switched her summoning spells targeting location, aiming for a different closet, and summoned a candle…...and finding its wick missing. 
A low growl built in the back of Twilight’s throat, and her horn flashed, teleporting every candle in the castle to her in a  huge array of wax. 
Every one of them was missing it’s wick. 
Twilight had to bite back the urge to scream. 
Throwing all those candles into a magical pocket, commonly referred to as “null” or “hammer” space. Disposing of those later and replacing them would feel wonderful.
Ignoring the imperfect chandelier, a decidedly more agitated pony princess trumped down the stairs and stalked through the halls with gritted teeth. Whoever had removed those wicks had to be a very precise magic user, because no non-Alicorn or Unicorn would be able to pull it off without the assistance of the former, and there were only two- no, three ponies capable of the feat that she knew of: Starlight, Rarity, and maybe- just maybe, Trixie. 
And two of them were out of town today. 
How anypony had managed to convince the dressmaker to do this was beyond Twilight, but she was going to find out after breakfast. 
She stalked the rest of the way to the map room without further incident, but was still firmly in the grumpy side of the mood spectrum. 
“Whoa, what happened to you?” 
Twilight blinked, recognizing the voice of her student, but not quite sure he could trust what her eyes were telling her, as Starlight and Trixie had gone on a road trip not a week ago, and Starlight had sent a postcard from Fillydelphia just a day previously. 
“Starlight? I thought you were in Fillydelphia?”
“Yeah ...about that ...Trixie's wagon broke down, so we kinda had it brought back by train…” Starlight was sat at the table, looking quite tired, with bags under her eyes. “It was a long trip home, and the damage was pretty bad.”
“Oh, that’s terrible! Is there anything I can do?” Twilight asked, immediately becoming more concerned with Trixie’s plight than her own annoying morning. 
“Nah, it’s okay. We got it covered.” Starlight dismissed, waving a hoof. “We made quite a way on the tour, so the repairs should have started already, if Trixie didn’t have any problems.”
“Oh, well, I’m glad neither of you got hurt when it broke. Say, have you seen Spike?” 
Starlight nodded, pointing to the door that lead to the kitchens. “He’s back there. I think he was cooking up some hay bacon for you, and I know I smelled coffee back there.” 
“Oh good, I’m so happy to hear that! This morning has been far too annoying already for me not to get my-” Twilight’s sentence was cut off by her walking face first into the door, despite having reached for and twisted the knob. “OW!” 
Trying to tug on the doorknob again revealed that there was in fact no doorknob at all, only a flat image on a fake wall, placed in front of the real door with utmost care. 
“What in the name of Princess Celestia’s flaming teats is going on today?! First with the pictures, then with the- oop!” Twilight started to yell, only to clap her hooves over her mouth as she realized what she had said. Starlight was laughing behind her, unable to keep it in as the Purple Princess wallowed in shame and embarrassment for using such an exclamation about her mentor. 
“Wow, Twilight! I didn’t think you had that in you!” Starlight giggled. “Got any others?”
“NO!” Twilight yelped, flapping her wings in a mild panic at the thought of using any more of those oh so common sayings she’d picked up from the guards during her days as the Princess’s student. 
“Okay, calm down.” Starlight giggled again, she trotted over to the fake wall and examined it for a moment, then tore it down with a quick blast of magic. “Looks like somepony is pulling pranks again. Big deal. We’ll just find them and get them to stop.” 
	“Yeah, yeah.” Twilight went into her breathing exercises to calm herself down, then breathed a far more easy breath afterwards. “Right. The first ponies I can think of who could pull off these pranks are all Unicorns, or ponies who know powerful and precise spellcasters. That narrows the list down considerably.”
“To pretty much any one of our friends.” Starlight quipped. “I mean, with you, me and Rarity, we have powerful and precise in three different ponies, right?”
Twilight nodded. “And judging from my knowledge of Rarity, pranks aren’t really her thing.” 
“Whoa whoa, are you-”
“Accusing you? No. I don’t think you’d do it either. Trixie might, but if she’s still getting the wagon fixed….”
“Then we have no clue who we’re dealing with.” Starlight finished. 
Twilight groaned. “It’s almost like that was this pony’s intention! To drum our suspicions up and then refute them all and leave us in the dark while they laugh at us.”
“Well, nothing is more engaging than a mystery where everything goes against you, right?”
“Nothing is more annoying, more like.” Twilight griped. “Come on, let’s go check the list of usual pranking suspects.” 


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


“Not Pinkie. Not Rainbow. Not Applejack. And Static isn’t even in town until the afternoon!” Twilight exclaimed. “I HAVE NO IDEA WHO IT COULD BE!” 
“Calm down, Princess, you’ll figure it out.” 
“Huuuuuuhhhh!!!” Twilight’s eyes went wide. “DIIIIISSSSSCOOOORRDD!!!!”
There was a flash of light, and Discord, dressed in a cowboy hat and vest, revolver in claw and looking ready to ruin someone’s day, appeared before her. He blinked dumbly for a moment, before he broke out into a whine. 
“Prinnnncesssss!!! I was about to win the Ippinbong Tourney of Survival’s Sweet Trinket of Awesomely Tricky and Impossible Coolness by engaging in an inter-personal duel!! How could you snatch this opportunity away from me!?” The Draconequus flopped over slowly, wilting like a decaying flower doused in skunk spray, until he lay splayed out on the ground with his hat having somehow migrated to sit on his butt, just above his tail.
“Uhh….what?” Starlight asked. “Discord, that didn’t even make sense for you, and that’s saying a lot.” 
“Ah, Starlight, still slinging with the big cheese, I see. Eaten any good books lately?”
“YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY BOOKS YOU SAVAGE!” Twilight belted, hugging the nearest stack of books to her chest. 
“Testy, testy, Princess. It was only the one time (that she knows of.) And after all I did just now to help you find your annoying prankster! I feel insulted!” Discord hammed it up, as always, vanishing into thin air before appearing on a nearby throne, Applejacks to be precise, dressed this time in angel wings and a halo. “I was being a perfect saint, and you yelled at me!”
“Wait, when did you help us with finding the prankster? All you did was tell us about that weird award you were trying to win.” Twilight frowned. “Honestly, I don’t know why I even bothered summoning you.”
“Could it be because he’s so handsome?” Starlight’s mouth moved, but Starlight was glaring at Discord, since it was his voice coming out of her vocal chords. 
“Hey, stop that!” Twilight snapped.
“Stop what?” His voice came from her mouth now.
“Urrrrgh!!!!” Starlight groaned, slapping her hoof to her face. “Sometimes I question why I’m even friends with you!” 
“Plot contrivance in season six, my dear.” Discord’s knee replied. 
“No breaking the fourth wall, mister Kneesy-Peesy, that’s mine and Pinkie’s job.”
Twilight slapped her hoof to her face. “Did you tell us who it was, or not?”
“I did, I just did it my way.” Discord grinned. “You remember how I do things, don’t you?”
“Oddly?” Starlight ventured.
“Bizarrely?” Twilight tried. 
“Stupidly?” Spike asked, startling the three of them. 
“Oh, hello Spike. We still on for guys night?” Discord asked, a giddy little grin slipping off his face and dancing the macarena with his horns. 
“Oh yeah, you know it!” Spike gave the Draconequus a high five by flying up to meet his paw. “Big Mac and I have cooked up an awesome campaign this time!”
“Looking forward to it, my friend!” Discord almost sang. “Now, if you won’t object, I must be going.” 
“Can you at least give me a clue about your clue about the prankster?!” Twilight yelled after him.
“Oh, alright.” Discord stopped his snapping fingers moments before they would have triggered his next spell. “Review our conversation in earnest, and be careful of the Canterlots.”
“Wait….what?!”
“Ta-ta!” 
“DISCORD!!”


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


“Review our conversation in earnest ...pay attention to the Canterlots…..what did he mean?” Starlight and Twilight had written down every word of their conversation with Discord, but nothing leapt out of the page at them. There seemed to be no clue at all.
“Ugh, for all we know, he’s in on the joke!” Twilight groaned. “It would be just this pranksters kind of deal! Everything they did was subtle, and easy to miss at first glance! It must be staring us in the face!”
“Maybe…..how….how did he know about the prankster? He brought it up first.” Starlight asked, rubbing her chin. “We didn’t tell him….”
“So he’s definitely in on it, or just adding to it for a laugh. Some friend.” Twilight grouched, crossing her forelegs in a pout.
“He’s just mischievous, and it’s not like it’s actually hurting anyone.” Starlight reminded her. “He’s just having a bit of fun.” 
“Like always then.”
“Yeah….” Starlight frowned, looking at the paper again. “Canterlots ...something about that phrase is sticking with me. It’s got to be important.”
“Yeah, it’s the capital of Equestria, of course it’s important.”
Starlight’s eyes narrowed suddenly. “Say that again.”
“Uh, of course it would be important?”
“No, no, no!!” The part before that!!”
“It’s the capital of…..” Twilight’s eyes widened, and both mares gasped in unison. “Capitals!!”
“Of course! He used the name in plural, which means that he was referring to a multiple of the same term, and the term he’s referring to is Capital!” 
“Quick! Highlight all the capitals and put them in order!!” 
“Aye aye, Princess!!” Starlight grinned, saluting her mentor. 


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


“And here I thought that it would take you a lot less time to figure it out. Or did you just forget that time you dumped me in Applejack’s pond?”
“You said you were out of town- AND YES!” Twilight yelled, drawing a grin from the metallic coated mare. 
“Awww, come on, it wasn’t really that bad. All I did was tilt a few paintings and pull a few wicks out of some candles. Oh, and got Dash to help me whip up that fake wall. Who knew she was so good at arts and crafts?” 
“Pinkie.” Starlight answered.
“It was rhetorical, doofus.”
Twilight ground her teeth together at Static’s relaxed response to her accusations. “Oh, it is on, Static Thunder. Mark my words. It is on!” 


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


Static frowned, trotting down the stairs of the cottage’s second floor. Twilight had been silent for over a day now, and if Static knew her friend, the Princess had already concocted some kind of revenge prank and was waiting to set it off. 
And since Twilight had learned about the heightened state of awareness some referred to as Zanshin, just like Static had, she would know ways to counteract the Pegasus’s ability to sense oncoming danger. 
So she was just an ordinary pony verses an Alicorn with an axe to grind. 
Static was starting to regret starting this prank war. 
Static made her way to the kitchen, and, after checking for any tampering with the water faucets, poured some water into a kettle for her usual morning tea. Shy was still in bed, curled up and comfy in their blankets. 
The water reached peak height, and Static smiled, grabbing a mug from the nearby cupboard and placing a tea bag in it- after checking for tampering, of course. 
A short while later, and a bit of milk and sugar- also checked- the tea was ready, brewed to perfection. 
Taking the time to let it cool to a pleasant level of warmth, Static took a sip, mmmming in delight at the smooth flavour. “Now that’s a good cup of…..” Static blinked. She had to be seeing things! Her mane was not that long, and it definitely was not made of water!! 
“What the hay!?!” Static yelled, dashing to a mirror. 
Standing in the reflection was a statue, an actual statue, who’s mane and tail were made out of a water feature instead of hair. Her coat was flat, and she appeared to somehow be hollow, something a few taps with a hoof proved. 
Static returned to the sink, and brought the teapot to her nose, and taking a deep breath. 
“She coated the inside with distilled Poison Joke.” Static slammed a hoof onto her forehead, making an echoing, gong-like sound. “You sneaky little bitch.”
When she was freshly bathed in Poison Joke cure, Static stalked her way through to the castle library, and enacted her revenge. 


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


Twilight trotted happily over to the bookshelf she was currently occupied with reshelving. Some new books had come in, and because of that, everything needed to be rearranged in order to fit them in. She pulled several books off the shelf at a time, idly shuffling them and ordering them again out of habit, before slotting them back into place. 
But then the dreaded feeling struck. The dreaded off-ness.
“Oh come on!!” Twilight yelled, before yanking the books off the shelf again and started to flip through them in rapid succession. 
All the paperbacks were exactly where they needed to be, and hadn’t been altered, so they were fine. The hardbacks…..were not. Their paper covers had been switched seemingly at random, and as such, were in such a jumbled mess that she spent the next half hour combing through the entire bookshelf to find all the switched covers and put them back on the right books. 
Finally, Twilight put the last book back on the shelf with a satisfied smile. “There, now they’re all back where they should be.” She whipped up a quick analysis spell to check all the other bookshelves in the library for similar tampering, but found none. “Good. Now, what should I do to get back at Static?”


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


“I think it’s time we called a truce.” 
Three days of pranking had passed, and finally, both Static and Twilight, their eyes red from lack of sleep due to setting up pranks and planning retaliations, came together in a moment of peace. 
Static’s mane was still bright pink from Twilight’s last prank, and Twilight still had glasses drawn on her face in permanent marker, coupled with a fancy mustache, monocle and several kiss marks drawn on her butt. There were strands of silly string in some of the library bookshelves, and Static’s guitar was still running away from her whenever she tried to play it, playing a jaunty tune and singing a number of rude words at her when she had chased it.
“Put everything back the way it was?” Twilight asked. 
“Yep. Gonna undo your spells?”
“Sure.” Twilight paused. “Cleaned up all the silly string?”
“......I’ll get on it.” 


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

> Epilogue: The Gathering Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And to what do I owe the pleasure, oh dark one?” The Storm King asked from atop his throne. As usual, the fortress in which he sat was being bombarded with wind, rain and lightning, as it was almost every day. What was not so usual, was his company. 
While his Commander, dressed in her full uniform, and smelling ever so faintly of blood, was not an unusual sight in his throne room, the tall, graceful creature standing before him was most certainly an unusual sight. It’s slender, many pronged antlers, and thick, tawny brown and white fur marked it as a creature from the far north, but it did not seem particularly bothered by the warmer climate of the southernmost part of the continent, and the island upon which it now stood. 
Yes, while cold to him, and to many others, this place was practically tropical for a reindeer from the frozen wastelands beyond the storms. She stood with a smirk on her face, her shadow dancing and flickering, despite being stood in an unmoving source of light. 
Gaul, for that was the King’s true name, could tell that this creature unnerved his commander. Since his little…..lesson not two weeks ago, she had been despondent and had hardly said a word to anyone. But now she was sat bolt upright, muscles locked into a stiff posture that screamed out a desire to flee. 
He’d punish her if she did, and she knew that. 
Gaul had met this creature, this ...demon, before, and knew that it loved to play games, and pull strings. On many an occasion, it had whispered to him of ways he could acquire artifacts of power, or where a particular group of lowlife rebels were hiding. Yes, it had its uses, this dark creature, but it also concerned him. 
He knew it was powerful. Just the fact that it had waltzed so easily into his fortress when they had first met proved that. But that was what worried him. 
Because he knew she served someone else. 
“I have a request to make of you, oh great King.” Came the sibilant, seductive voice. “And a gift, should you agree to my proposal.”
Once again, Gaul found himself intrigued. This creature delighted in stroking his ego, and he knew that she knew he knew that. 
“Is Gale around?” The creature, who often went by the name, Serana, asked. “I’d like to visit my favourite mutt while I’m here.”
Commander Tempest shuddered at the mention of the name. 
“Commander Gale is currently busy elsewhere, I’m afraid. Now what was this proposal of yours?” Gaul replied, cautiously. There was no sense in lying to her. Gale was busy in Abyssinia, dealing with the Emporer’s rotten little hellspawn he called a son.
“A pity.” Serana purred. “Oh well. I shall have to schedule a playdate with him some other time.” She flicked her head to one side, casting her gaze to the north. “I know of your current plans for expansion into the Northern regions. It just so happens that I have a venture there myself, and I could use your help.”
“What kind of venture? And what help would you be asking of me?” Gaul asked, eyes narrowed.
“Why, the destruction of a particular city, nothing more. Something you and your lovely toys can manage far more easily than I.” Serana grinned, her bizarre fangs gleaming. “This particular city houses an artifact that is keeping me from being able to locate something that belongs to my master. Destroy it, and I can locate and retrieve my master’s relic.”
“And why should I do this for you?”
“It is a city you will want to destroy anyway, so I thought I’d simply encourage you to carry out your plan. With a little ...addition.” The Reindeer’s antlers glowed...or, rather, they didn’t. It would be more accurate to say that shadows curled about them like smoke, and a wrapped parcel appeared in the air between the Reindeer and the King of the Jotuns.
It was long, and thin, though one side seemed to have a wider end than the other. 
“Go ahead, your majesty. This is the gift I offer, in exchange for your services.” Serana purred again. 
Gaul cautiously reached out for the package, only for a hoof to stop him. “My king, please, it could be a trick. Allow me.”
Gaul raised an eyebrow at his Commander’s brave accusation of deception. Serana, however, merely chuckled. “I like this one, your majesty. I might just steal her for myself, one day.”
Gaul ignored that remark. He was instead focused on the package as Tempest began to unravel the string holding it shut. The parcel was wrapped in a thick, supple material, not too dissimilar from waxed canvas, and tied up with pure white strings. 
The knots came open easily, and Tempest slowly unwrapped the object within.
When the paper came free, Tempest gasped, pulling her hooves away in shock. 
The object that tumbled from her grasp was a gnarled wooden staff, wrought of blue dyed wood and capped with a sapphire that glowed of its own volition. And the whole room could feel the thrum of magic that washed out from it, despite it being in the middle of a palace built out of magic nullifying stone, sat atop of an island of the same. 
Tempest offered a quick, murmured apology for her clumsiness, and picked up the staff again, before offering it to the King. 
His claws closed around it, and he felt something he had longed to feel for a very long time, indeed. His eyes shimmered, going from their normal white, blue and black, to nearly pure blue orbs, with a single, darker blue iris staring out from each one. 
And the king began to laugh, for he could feel the magic, after so long. 
While here it was muted, he could sense it, it seemed like his newfound awareness reached all over the world, and even revealed what little rested inside him. The magic of the staff was eager to respond to his call, the crystal tip suddenly aglow with power that crackled as a bolt of lightning, coiling and arcing up and down the staff’s length. 
“It will absorb the magic of powerful beings, should you catch them.” Serana spoke, a cruel smile splitting her muzzle almost in two. “Drain the most powerful creatures you can find, and this gift will only grow stronger.”
Grinning, and feeling very agreeable, Gaul turned to face Serana. “Just tell me the name of the city, and I’ll erase it from the map!”
Serana grinned back, her sharp teeth and her now glowing white eyes the only thing that could be seen amid the inky black mass that was swallowing her whole. 
“Destroy the Crystal Empire, your Majesty, and my master will reward you even further!”
The reindeer and the shadow that had seemingly devoured her vanished, dissipating into thin air and leaving no trace of their passing as they did. 
Gaul looked down at the staff in his hands, and then turned to Tempest. “Muster our forces, Commander. I want them armed, and ready for war in five days.”
“But, my lord, the storms will be too dangerous to traverse before Summer! To fly through them in Spring would-” Tempest was suddenly flung across the room by a bolt of lightning, where she slammed into the wall, before falling to the floor and lying there, twitching in pain. 
“By Spring, Commander!! And anyone else who objects receives the same punishment!” Gaul roared, pointing the staff at his officer, snarling. “We will fly come Spring! And Equestria will fall before us!” The king swept the staff in a broad arc as he turned to the nearest window, grinning eagerly at the prospect of conquest. 
He did not see the Unicorn’s look of fear…..and hatred.


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Our heroes will return, in: 


The Empire of Storms