Title: Thread 96: Stories 46-60 Author: PrincessApplejack Pastebin link: http://pastebin.com/T10SvvT1 First Edit: Wednesday 3rd of August 2016 02:26:57 PM CDT Last Edit: Wednesday 3rd of August 2016 02:26:57 PM CDT _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   >Soarin' "Fleetfoot" ~~~~   >...Hrrkkkk!... Hrrkk... rrggmm... F-Fleets... Fleetfoot.   "Nggn."   >Fleetfoot we gotta get up.   "Mrfurr?"   >Cause... cause we gotta do stuff Fleetfoot.   "Glrrll..."   >We gotta get goin'... gonna get the thing...   "S'on sha fuckin' nightstand."   >...Oh... ohhh... oh shit, I'm hungover, aren't I?   "Yeh."   >And we're... wenotta late for the training.   "Nuh."   >...Oh...   "...."   >...We gotta get up and do somethin', I don't even know.   "Hrrrk..."   >Gotta get up... eventually... you know what? Couple more... things...   "..."   >...   "...I think I just got an idea..."   >...   "...Soarin'?"   >Snnnzzz...   "Fuck. It's gone... make sure it comes back whenuh geuh brain... brain?"   >...zz....   "Fuck you, brain, I should'a killed you when I had the chance."   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   >Sig "Ig" 'Watchdog' -Vekky- ~Anton~ *Herald* =???=   -Uggggh...-   ~Uggggh...~   ~-...UGGGGGH!-~   >Can you two be quiet for five minutes?   ~We were!~   -Vekir feels like she's been here for weeks!-   "...you know, it does feel like old Cloudwing's been making us sweat out here for a while. What do you think?"   'I think this thing wants to eat me for dinner.'   >STOP LOOKING AT THE DAMN KELPIE!   'It's hypnotizing me! It's like voodoo!'   >Voodoo doesn't-...nevermind. We just have to wait this out until fatso sends his little errand boy to bring us into his fucking orgy chamber or whatever he has set up in that private room.   "Yegh...Uriel Cloudwing in coitus, that image will haunt me."   -What is a coi-?-   >You don't want to know.   ~...I know what it i-~   >Shush, you!   *Ahem.*   >...   *His Lordship will see you now.*   >Fucking FINALLY.   *I heard the orgy comment by the way and I'll have you know there is nothing so base going on in his lordship's private audience chambers.*   >Oh, well I'm so very sorry for-   *It's the Rite of Roses.*   >...you sick bastards.   -What is the Rite of Roses?-   ~It's where two she-gryphons try to use their tongues to-~   "WHO TAUGHT YOU THESE THINGS!?"   ~I spent most of my life in a very big library, it was under history.~   "...your mother and I need to talk."   *AHEM!*   >Right right, we're coming...AFTER your sick shit is cleaned up.   *Oh it's already finished, it's why we kept you waiting.*   >Well thank the Lion for small blessings. Come on.   '...'   -Metal Dog, we go now, yes?-   '...'   "Hey, clanky, stop staring at the stupid fish-pony, we need to go!"   '...HA! It blinked! Okay, let's go!'   >I am surrounded by weirdos.   "When I'm the normalest of the lot, that's saying something."   A short trip through the far doors-   'Again with the stupid magic doors!'   -later and the group of odd (to say the least) companions step their way into a lavish room where a great many gryphons of various ages, plumages, and genders were seated and laying on pillows, sampling foods, drinks, substances, and in some cases each other. At the far end there was nothing but shadows, concealing a figure lounging in what appeared to be an above average sized couch.   ~...I need an adult.~   -Vekir is an adult.-   ~I need an adult that's bigger than me.~   "Reeks of moondust and a lack of shame in here."   >So your castle on a weekend?   "Hey! I don't touch moondust, my castle reeks of liquor, thank you."     -...Vekir heard this as well, yes?-     'Oh if this asshole literally releases the hounds on us, I'm gonna-'   Before the giant metal gorilla-dog could finish his sentence, a figure erupted from the shadows, lunging at his armored charge...   ...and proceeded to run around her yipping and bouncing, tail wagging excitedly.   -...eeeeee! FUZZY TUNNEL SKULKER!-   '...oh, it's a dog.'     -I want it! I want it! I want iiiiit!-   =Lord Snugglesworth, heel!=     With an audible SPROING, the figure on the couch yanked the leash of the small fuzzy canine and sent it flying back into the shadows.   =So...the interlopers to my soon-to-be domain finally stand before me. So tell me, my little friends...=   The figure on the couch slouches forward into the light, revealing itself to be a massive corpulent gryphon with garish multicolored feathers all over his head. It regards our heroes with a critical eye.   =So...let's set about making a deal, shall we?=   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   >Chitania ~~~   >Yesss...   Alive.   She was ALIVE!   >YESSSS!   The thunder booms that rolled down the plains could not contain her elation any more than she herself could be contained by twine.   >YESSSSSSS!   The shockwaves would ripple all throughout the unclaimed desert plains of the Badlands, sending up dustclouds that rolled like a sandstorm had been called by magic.   Again and again she cackled with glee, losing herself in that which she had been denied. The feeling of her Titan Magic coursing through her veins throbbed the very blood inside of her, pulsated, made her feel powerful, unstoppable.   Alive.   >BIGGER!   The flames consumed her again, doubling her size.   >BIGGER!   Again, and she now towered over most of the plateaus strong enough to remain standing.   >B-bi...BIGGER!   She paid no attention to her slight stuttering, too lost in her power to comprehend it. Too high up above even the tallest of the land to care.   >Big...bigg... bigger...   Her flames flickered, and she grew only a few feet more, not quite big enough to reach the clouds. The very tip of her horn just shy of it's size.   >Big... bi...   And down, down, down she went, to a more manageable size.   Her heart throbbed in her chest, struggling to fulfill the strain she had demanded of it, begging the body was encased by to give it rest, give it time, to stop this before it burst.   Her mind called her to disregard it, to lose itself in the intoxicating thrall of her power. She knew better. She would give it time... and she would give it something else.   >Huhh!   She gasped loudly as soon as the mouth cover was against her, inhaling deeply from the tank hidden away from all harm and letting the mixture of oxygen and medication do it's work. Soon, far sooner than expected, she felt her head stop spinning quite so much, felt her world resettle itself.   Where before she would spend weeks if not months recovering, this time...   She felt ready to do it all over again.   >...Bigger.     And do it she did. Back to a more manageable, yet still quite titanic size. She wondered idly if she should try it again, just to see how many times she could before she was unable to anymore... but she thought the better of it, it had worked as intended.   Finding a mixture of medication that worked on her had been no easy task, of course, the field of medical science was still quite limited in the aspect of changelings by a fairly noticeable, large margin in comparison to their pony foes. But, as will all things, even that too was succumbing to the progress of time.   Progress, as she always argued, was a magic unlike any she had. Medical, technological... it did not matter. She supped on it all, drank it like a fine wine to taste it. She knew the power every field held, and she now had her powers back to be augmented with it. Even if the Titan Magic should fall into Chrysalis's hooves, as that yellow demon had told her, let it. They would barely be scratching the surface before she had taken the skills she had mastered, and bringing them to unfathomable heights, mingled with the magic of science and progress.   >...the future is a wonderful thing.   She gazed lovingly at her large form for just one more second, for she knew that she must be getting back to her daughter now, she had promised they would go shopping after all. Sweet Note should be awake by now, she shall have to reward her with a treat for being so good during the operation. Not that she deserved anything for doing as she was told, but still, Chitania felt a touch generous.   All the same, she should be going off...   >...Maybe one more.   Alive.   She felt alive when she slammed her now fully powered hoof to the ground, and rippled shockwaves through the empty, deserted land.   There was so much more to see, so much more to do.   And she was going to love every moment of it.   Not as the wounded, crippled thing she had been before. But   >...I am CHITANIA THE TITAN!   And she was alive.   Boom.   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Ruled NC >Spike “42”   Spike had left his lair make the trek into Canterlot to pick up some food and other essentials in order to continue his research. He was about half way there in a lovely little clearing on the main road and more or less lost in his own thoughts when he realized something felt…off. He stopped, looking around and listening for any sign but finding nothing.   >…Not sure which one of you it is, but I’ll be frank with you, I don’t appreciate being watched if that’s what you’re here for and if she’s decided to have me killed open confrontation is a much better option than lasers. The lasers mostly only sting a bit these days.   “Is that so? How about punching. Does punching work?”   The changeling emerged from the tree line into the clearing.   >Ah. 42. I’ve been meaning to come see you, just couldn’t quite figure out how to approach this.   “How about, ‘gee 42, I don’t know what came over me, deciding to go ahead and shift from only defending against your queen to actively plotting her demise, I’m so sorry, feel free to hit me until you feel better’?   >Eh, not sure about the first part. But I do want you to hit me.   “…”   >Right here.   Spike taps his jaw.   “…whut?”   >I want you to hit me as hard as you can.   “…Seriously? I mean, I was actually just going to watch, figure out your plan and report back to make sure it failed…the hitting was going to come later if at all before you noticed me…I’m confused”   >…   “…”   >I’m…not really sure how to make this any clearer. I want you, to hit me, in the jaw, as hard as you can. It’s….It’s really quite simple.   “No, no I get that but, like why? And aren’t you concerned about the spying stuff?”   >Not particularly, sounds like you. Or 7, or 77, or some random drone. Really I suppose I should feel flattered she sent you.   “Well…y’know…she didn’t SEND me send me. Or anyone. But you’re a friend so….”   >Doesn’t consider me a threat does she?   “Not remotely. …Also not yet aware, Shiny told me something was up, figured I’d nip it in the bud.”   >Not a threat huh…I’m ok with this.   “…huh. No concern about me then? With the whole ‘stopping you’ thing?”   >Meh.   “…meh? I only rate a ‘meh’ now? I killed you in the simulator!”   >I feel we’re getting off topic, so, about the punching?   “…”   >…   “Yeah, ya’know, not really feeling it. You’re being weird and I’m not quite sure how to process this”   >Chrysalis is a worthless whore and we would all be better off is she slipped and fell into industrial machinery grinding her into tiny p-   SMACK.   The wingless dragon learned to fly….for 3 seconds before landing in a crumpled heap on the other side of the clearing.   “What do you know? I’m suddenly ok with the whole ‘hit me’ thing.”   Surprisingly the small dragon picked himself up like the blow was nothing and began to dust himself off   >That’s it? I said as hard as you could. Not give me some indecisive love tap like Cadence trying to decide which method of ignoring shiny she’s going to use today.   “What did you say?”   42’s voice came out low and dangerous   >I said Chrysalis isn’t worthy to suck my toes, Candance is a flighty moron, my brother is a fool who’ll probably wind up a cuckold, and your attacks are so pathetically weak I barely notice them anymore.   “FUCK!”   In the blink of an eye she was on him and the sound of the first blow reverberated through the forest like the crack of a rainboom causing one of his fangs to fly out.   “YOU!”   The second hit just a hard knocking him to the ground, dazed.   “Asshole.”   She snorted before turning to walk away.   >Owwwww.   Her eye narrowed. He should have stayed down.   He began to pick himself up.   >Heh. Just as, ah! Ow!, okay MOSTLY as planned.   “RAAAAAAAAAUUUGH”     Only to be stunned silent when the blow she had put all her strength into…was caught!?   >Shit. That probably broke that claw…and the rest of the arm…   She gaped at him. Unbelieving.   This snapped her from her stupor and she lashed out with her other hoof to counter   >Pocket Sand!   …only to get a face full of…something? Suddenly, her world went blurry, and she felt queasy and disoriented.   She stumbled around for a few seconds, ineffectually trying to hit the dragon who seemed to keep dodging just out of reach before collapsing on the ground.   >…that was quicker than I expected…uh oh.   Spike’s arm hung uselessly at his side as he moved to her side sat down and pulled her head into his lap, wincing as she bumped his arm.   Only once he could see her closely did his face begin to show his worry.   >Shh…Shhh. Don’t worry, it’s ok. I’ve got plenty of love for you.   He began to stoke her neck, doing his best to pour his affection into her.   >You’ll be fine. Just a little tired. I’ll stay with you until you stabilize. You’ll be back to being a punching terror before you know it.   Of course, she heard none of this.   His eyes widened as he took her pulse and found it erratic. This was bad. He hadn’t anticipated this.   >It’ll be ok. It’ll be fine. I promise I won’t leave you until I’m certain you’ll be ok. Then I’ll go retrieve my tooth. Just as planned. All just as planned.   Her pulse was getting a little steadier…but her breathing was also shallow he now noticed.   A few drops of moisture fell on the changeling’s neck, despite the cloudless sky.   >Oh shit! I’m sorry 42! I’m so, so sorry!   He huddled her closer, pouring in all the love he could muster.   >Be ok. You’ve got to be ok…   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   NC >SA "Applejack" ~~~   >Soooo... learning magic finally?   "Nope. Makin' memories."   >Huh. That's an interesting way of looking at it.   "Just doin' what works."   >...So what memory are you making now?   "Ah'm tryin' ta' learn how ta' use a golfclub ta' putt."   >Really?   "Yeeep, me and Applebloom are goin' down ta' the the mini golf course sometime this week, gonna bet 'er Ah' can putt better new than she can with years o' experience, and iffin' Ah' do she's gotta clean her room more often."   >Huh... Well, best of luck to you! I've got to be off.   "Nice talkin' ta' ya'!... Annnnd pu-OH FUCK!"   POW!   >EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!   "OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP IT SLIPPED AH'M SORRY!   >W-WHYYYYEEEEEEE   "Ahhh, ah shoot, uh... uh..."   >WHY!? WHY ALWAYS THERE!?   "...Well hittin' balls is what they're supposed ta' do!'"   >THATS NOT FUNEEEEEE!   "Kinda is, actually. Heh."   >OH YEAH!? SEE HOW MUCH YOU LAUGH WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN!   POW!   "HNRGGghhhh-ah-ahhhh....."   >.... "..." >... "..." >... "...S-so, uh..." >.... "Weeee... just gonna pretend that didn't happen?"   >Yeah, think we are.   "Ya' stopped screamin'."   >You know, I think my body has a set tolerance for pain, and you've clearly broken it.   "R-right... uh... s-see ya'!"   >...   LEAVES!   "...Nobody can ever know..."   Holds up putter   "But yer' comin' home with me ta'day."   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   >Chrysalis "42" ~~   >I really must give you credit, so few can truly hide something from me, if I wish it. Even fewer of those I interact with on a daily basis. You, against all odds, hid from me something quite... interesting, didn't you?   The chill of the room made the land outside of the Empire's shield like a warm sauna. Even in her rigid, unblinking stance, Forty Two felt as if she was drowning. Even then, she felt she would never get the chance, for the shark circling her was sure to strike at any moment, and finish her off.   >I expected this from some of the others, of course, but I must admit in my hubris I never expected anything of the sort from you. Perhaps in that very hubris, I found you incapable, never dreamed you of all changelings would hide something from me.   She dared not look, dared not follow her as she passed by her vision, and circled around. Dared not follow her when she heard the hoofsteps slow in pace directly behind her, the perfect spot to stab her in the back.   >You, of all changelings, should know the penalty...   Dared not even look up when that black form returned back in front of her, and burning emerald eyes gazed down upon her.   She had been trained for this, her whole life. And though a part of her always knew there was the chance she would fall beneath an emerald flame, she thought herself too loyal, too useful to ever succumb to it. How foolish she had been, indeed. A thousand years forged into her mind sang to her, "You deserve this, this is what you have brought on yourself in your betrayal. You pledged to serve, and you failed, and now must suffer the consequences."   Her heart, heavy as it was, beat steadily as the gaze looking down on her grew angrier, and more intense. Soon, she would reap what she had sown, and she had none to blame but herself.   This was to be her fate.   >The penalty for defying me, from hiding away assets that could empower your hive. This cannot be tolerated, this cannot be... this... that could...   Something was wrong. Something was flickering in the ever burning fires within the Queen's eyes, something was wrong, something-   >...fuck, I can't do this. What the fuck, Forty Two!?   And thus, what little brainpower she had was gone. It seemed that whatever switch her majesty had been hooked up to was connected to her as well. In the blink of an eye, she lost all light beneath her multi-faceted helmet.   "...huh?"   >Don't you fucking 'huh' me! What is wrong with you!? You freaked out Caddy and then you tear your ass all the way here to Canterlot in record time-and I still haven't figured out how the fuck you pulled that off-and then I track you down and you're in Celly's room and the place smells like smoke and reeking of fired energy! Just... what happened!? You look like you've been love-drained for hivemind's sake!   She heard sparks going off in her head as her Queen looked her over, noticing quite clearly the marks left behind when Celestia had been forced to hold her down, and with it the drained look to her body, chitin and skin.   This, coupled with the compounded mystery of where that look of power and control had gone away to, was simply too much.   "I... uh-"   >Don't you 'uh' me! Fucking talk to me, now! I want to know what you said to freak Cadence out and what happened!   "...I... I-"   >Or at least... tell me what she said so I can hit her.   That last part had come out fairly slowly, only a hint of a threat in there.   But a hint too much.   "It wasn't her! Majesty, don't be angry-"   She closed the gap, now that she had finally gotten the soldier speaking as she wishe,d pressing her nose to the smaller lings face and giving her no respite.   >I'm fucking angry! Now start talking!   "I... I..."   A massive black hoof snaked around the back of her head, gripping the rear of her helmet, forcing her to remain within breathing distance of her Queen. Forcing her to stay exactly there, looking into her eyes.   Eyes she could not read... but understood.   "...Did... did I worry you?"   Nothing but a look, that was all she gave to the question.   >...What happened?   It was not so much a switch, but a slope. A gradual feeling of the tension on her neck fading away, and the grip behind her head to feel less like an angry vice and more like someone holding on to her as her body felt weak.   She could never keep anything from her majesty before recent events. Her Queen was to know all she knew, and more. That was her duty.   Perhaps she had been remiss in this duty, and needed to correct it.   "...I-I've been... been having issues... regarding feelings."   >For Shining?   Again, the soldier found herself cursing how utterly transparent she had been. She had tried so very hard to hide it, yet everyone seemed to treat her efforts as little more than a joke.   She didn't know if she should find pride in that she had hidden away what else was there or not.   "Yes, for him... too..."   >Too?   "Yes... t-too..."   >As in... as well?   Her heart throbbed, but she could not look away.   >...Oh for fucks sakes.   The horror that gripped her heart, the shame that wracked every inch of her chitinous frame, was something she never would have wished on Discord on his worst days. She felt like vomiting, like tearing away her own heart that was so clearly poisoned, like-   >CELESTIA! I'm kicking your sister's ass!   Neither jumped when the door, which was supposed to be soundproof, suddenly began talking.   ~Don't kick Luna's ass!~   >I'm kicking her ass and you can't stop me!   ~Why do you want to kick her ass!?~   >She's an asshole!   ~Come on, she's not that bad, don't kick her ass!~   >Kicking her ass, Celestia! BOOM! Kick right to the ass!   ~What did she do!?~   >She fucks with dreams like an asshole, an asshole who's about to get her ass kicked!   ~Don't kick her ass!~   >...I'll consider not kicking her ass.   ~Thank you.~   She leaned down, whispering to Forty Two out of the corner of her mouth as an aside.   >I'm totally kicking her ass.   "M... majesty?"   A chitinous hoof rubbed her on the top of her helmet, ruffling the blond mane beneath.   >It's fine, Luna just shoves those dreams in your head because she's an asshole. Happened to me too, not a big deal.   "...what..."   She sighed, rolling her hoof as if to conjure up an image, yet casting no magic to do so.   >You, Shining and Cadence at an alter, you're standing there with all your friends to see, then you get this big happy marriage to both of them and you throw to bouquet and the whole time you're thinking 'wow, I'm messed up' and ugh... Luna is an asshole.   "M-Majesty, it's not just... in the dreams."   >I know, I think she subconsciously put shit in there, because even when I used mind magics to put a stop to them, they almost happened once or twice. And then... eh, that's probably that thing too. It's all Luna's fault.   "You... you dreamed of being married to Shining Armor and Cadence?"   >Yep. Like I said, Luna, Asshole.   "Can't we... block her? Really easily?"   >Yeaaaah, but I wanted to see what it is she wanted, so I kept letting her in to see stuff. Freaked her the fuck out with the little kid dream.   "...little kid dream?"   >The one where I got pregnant, have a kid, and... you know what happens.   "..."   >CHOMP.   "Ah..."   >That it? You just got freaked out because you had some dreams and woke up thinking "You know what? Caddy's kinda pretty"? For fucks sakes, Forty Two, you're supposed to be a solider.   "...I don't think that was it..."   >Oh?... oh... ohh... oh.   "..."   >...Huh. Well, I mean, I guess there are worse choices-   "But I didn't want to! I wanted to be... neutral! Not like you! You keep offering and offering, and I know it bothers her-"   >Pfft, HAH! If she cared she'd kick my ass out of the bed.   And thus, any pretense of 'Queen' and 'Subject' hit the floor, and she didn't know when they would be picked back up.   Sometime after she got out of Chrysalis's face, probably.   "Of course it bothers her! She knows she's not as big and powerful as you, and she feels inadequate all the time because you all just keep calling her useless or vestigial or make fun of her for not being the most powerful princess or whatever! She's always dealing with everyone telling her she's useless and trying to insist that because she doesn't sleep with Shining Armor all the time then CLEARLY she doesn't really love him or find him attractive, and then you come in offering to do stuff to him that she feels squeamish just hearing about, let alone ever considering doing herself, and of course she feels inadequate! I wanted to be the one changeling who was like "No, you're fine as you are, and it's not because I want to sleep with you or fuck you or steal your husband, it's because you're a damn good pony and you deserve to know it!" and now I can't even do that!"   She huffed, wings fluttering in the air, buzzing like the wind as she hovered before the strangely unmoved Queen.   It occurred to her that if she had ever tried this at any other point in her life, she would've been set on fire, but she chose not to dwell on that.   >...Okay? So, do that.   "...what..."   >Do that, be like "I'm not ever going to try to sleep with you, you're just a cool pony." And be her friend. What, you think that just because you find someone attractive that they're going to look over their shoulder when you walk up behind them, or that they should? Fuck, come on, Celly's attractive too, but you don't see her assuming that literally everyone is just trying to fuck her. You can think someone is hot as hell but not want to wreck their lives sleeping with them. What's the real problem here?   The real problem. A fine question, a question that, sadly, she knew the answer to, and it was every bit as insulting to the Queen as it was to herself.   But it was the truth.   "...I hate being a changeling sometimes, because it feels like we just have this... built in deception to us, that we're trying to convince them to love us for our own gains, more than normal even. It's just... it's hard to imagine us simply wanting someone to feel better because they deserve it, and not just because it physically feeds us... I feel like because I'm... me, she can't ever truly trust me, especially now, and it would've been so much easier if I didn't feel like this..."   >Ah... ahhhh...   She had been hoping for loud, booming assurances and some sort of way to disarm all worries with a carefully crafted barb.   But Forty Two received none of those.   >...Look, if she can trust me again after what I did, she can trust you when you've done none of that, right? Fine, we're built for exactly this sort of thing. Biologically, we are literally forged for it. Shapeshifting to look like a loved one, mind control to ease all discrepancies and erase our existence, power literally sapped away from them to make us stronger and them weaker the more they care about us. Fine, that's what it is biologically... but biologically, you're supposed to be a drone, something expendable that I am supposed to disregard and destroy if it looks even a little out of place. Biologically, irrational behavior is something the Queen, who's responsibility for feeding the hive falls upon, is supposed to destroy.   A long, powerful hoof reached up, brimming with fire and magic...   >...but...   And then gently put itself upon the top of the helmeted head.   >....get it?   "...Chrysalis?"   Hearing her name come out of her mouth like that when being addressed, so alien compared to the norm of "Majesty" or "Highness" or the like, was enough for her to stop, and listen more intently to her now than she ever had anyone before.   "Why do you still... try, with him, even if it seems like it will never work?"   It was a hard question, it was one she had laughed off with others, made some innuendo laden remark about before brushing off most times, maybe even openly disregarded. Like many of the hard questions in her life, most times she found a quick answer and rolled with it, and it seemed to fix the problem.   But no flippant laughing off of it would work this time. Her subject... or rather, her friend, wanted to know, and she had to answer seriously.   >...You know why...   She didn't need to say anymore, doubted she could, could not even convince herself otherwise. She just needed to say it.   For, indeed, Forty Two knew why. Very, very few on this planet understood her, truly understood her, enough she could likely count them all on her hooves... but Forty Two, her solider... her friend, was one of them.   "...I suppose I do..."   >Forty Two?   "Yes?"   >...I'm not deceiving them either.   That was all that needed to be said, that was all that was needed. The answer given, plain as day. If Chrysalis, a Queen, the craftiest of the crafty, the most deceptive of the deceivers, the one who had the most to gain and the least to lose could turn away her base nature...   That was all she needed.   "...thank you."   And her Queen, her friend, again did smile, and they regarded each other as they always had before, and likely would forever more again... until their private moments, that is.   >...You know if you had been anyone else, I would've set fire to you.   "Oh sure."   >Would have. Just... floowsh, flames everywhere, and nothing remains.   "I believe you."   >Don't you sass me. I'm still Queen.   "Never, majesty."   The tension in the room was gone. The worry, faded away... it was back to being as it should.   >You need to talk to Caddy, you freaked her the fuck out.   "Of course."   >When you ran off to... wait a minute, how did you outrun me anyway? I was teleporting.   "Oh. Oh! That, I can use fireflight."   One beat. Two beats. Three. Four. Five. Tick tock tick tock tick tock. No breathing, no moving, nothing.   >...come again?   "I can! I was planning on surprising you when I had mastered it, and I've gotten rather good at it too! Not good enough, obviously, I still hurt myself the other day, but pretty good!"   >...   "...Majesty?"   >...   "...Chrysalis?"   >..........WHAT!?   "Okay, so it all happened during the Cordyceps invasion..."   Her chest felt lighter than it had ever been as she at last let it all out. No more did she need to fear admitting to her Queen that she had almost sacrificed her life for another, a cardinal sin of the Hive. No more did she need to worry that Chrysalis would connect the implications and reveal her. No more did she need to worry of her own nature clawing at her mind like a virus.   She felt at ease.   She felt more... alive.   But even when this would end, and her secrets finally laid bare to her Queen, there was still one final trial left.   ...and it would be the one that defined her from then on out. Good, or bad...   >STOP FUCKING TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF! Do you have any idea how hard it would be to replace you!? That would take forever! Who am I going to pick, Forty One!? HUH?! I can't pick Forty One, she's awful at this, but the helmet doesn't fit anyone else right so STOP IT!... I WILL GET THE HOSE!   But at least... she wouldn't face it alone.   There was more than just love in her heart, after all.   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   >Twilight "???" ~~~~   The Orb...   What horrors, what wonders, did it hold? What power lied in the depths of a mind of a changeling that had seen the other side? What things could one learn, seeing death, true death, as it were, without any buffer to hold away the fears, or any sensation that a computer could never process?   These were the answers that plaque the mind of the mind of the alicorn mare as she shuffles around her lab, preparing for what very well could be, the greatest discovery she had ever made...   Or the greatest horror she had ever unleashed.   This was a heavy burden, one she did not take lightly, and one she would not let slip by her without careful, thoughtful-   "BOOM BABY!"   >DAMN IT CHR... you are not Chrysalis.   "Nopers! Hiya Twilight! I just wanted to... to..."   >...you are not Chrysalis.   "Uh, no... nope! Pinkie Pie, premier playful party pony of ponyville!"   >...not... chrysalis?   "Twilight?"   >My... my world.   "Wha?"   >MY WOOOOOORRRRLLLLLDDD-   POP! THUMP!   "...Twilight? Twi? Twilight, I like a good joke, believe you me, but this is sticking too much to the bit."   >...   "Twi?...Twiereeno?... Twi-lightofmylife?"   >...   "...U-uh... you look... look busy on the floor there, Twilight! I'll just... leave you to it..."   >...   "Oh? This? Just... just sweeping up my hoofprints, don't want to leave a dirty floor!"   >...   "...Momma warned me, and I didn't listen..."   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   >Zephyrious "Niall" 'Hilda' ~Guard~ ~~~~   'I think this is a mistake.   There is very little the heir prince of the gryphons would argue his dear sister on. Matters of the state, of course. Matters of the lives of his citizens, every day. Matters of what to eat or where to go to spend a day of leisure? More often than not, sure. But if there was one thing he could find not a single argument against, it was that statement.   Seeing as he was about to begin the debate of his life, this worried him.   >I know, Sister, but if I am to be king, I must sway those thought unswayable. I must bend the minds of my foes away from the blade, as it were.   'You must also work on your speeches, they often come off a little dry.'   A bit of levity, sorely needed right now, was enough to put him at ease. If only the slightest bit.   >Hilda, we need this. If we cannot sway these who would vote against us, we cannot hope to remain in power. Either myself and our kin succeed, or we are to be deposed. Cast out, as it were.   'Hm... have you given any thought to where we would go, if it happened? Surely we could not remain in our homeland, we would be forever shunned, and derided. We would be little more than targets to be mocked on the streets and in our home.'   >Have we a home at all, of course... but no, I dare not think of it, dare not let the threat of failure come in. Otherwise, I risk... letting it sway me, and make me weak.   'I see... so I see...'   A curl of his eyebrow signaled to her the question before he even need ask it.   'Of course I have, you silly hawk. I see it my duty to plan what is to become of us should the worst happen, so that you may cast it all from your thoughts.'   >Oh? And what have you come to?   'Do you really wish to know?'   >...No, I suppose not. For this place you have picked, would we be happy? You and I?   '...It would suffice. It would never be our home, but it would not be our prison. It would merely... be.'   Resolution rippled down his mixture of feathers and fur, his back straightening as he prepared what would be his duty.   >Very well.   'Does this answer suffice?'   >It suffices to tell me that I must never let it come to be. I swore to you once I wouldn't let anyone, not even mother or father, send you from your home, no? Well... I suppose I would be remiss if I did not keep my promises.   The edge of her lip twitched, not enough to bring it to a smile, but enough to tell him what he sought. To tell him to fight on, as it should be.   ~The Lord will see you now!~   At last, the time had come. His discussions and debates and fun with Ceridwen and her brother had been a time, it is true. And if he were to admit it, he longed for the days when he and the white gryphon would be on terms more playful and fun.   Their calling away had been a precursor, no doubt their father drilling them for any weakness in him, and his mind. He had gave them none, and knew this. His fight, now, was to be his own, and the Lord of this land shall have to face him as he is.   His broadsword weighed heavy on his back, but he dared not let it slow him, not a step. Her remained regal, poised and authoritative as he strode forwards, regrettably leaving his sister behind. As the doors opened while he was in mid stride, he passed the two youngers of the line, each one looking straight ahead and without pause as they left the room behind. He, and he alone, entered into the throne room.   But, perhaps, 'throne room' failed to describe it when down to the truth of the matter. It was not a grandiose hall with which stood a monolith or two of chairs, not at all. Inside this room was hard, cold stone floors, no windows to let the light seep in, and in the middle of the room there was no path leading to his throne, but instead a war table with all of the known lands before him, and thousands upon thousands of figurines, notes and scribbles upon it.   And there, all alone, ignoring him entirely in favor of his map before him, was the old buzzard in question. Grey, old feathers all along his mixture of white and black plumage hidden beneath impressive, practical armor, a chipped beak clenched tightly in thought as calloused, chafed talons rubbed the stiff muscles beneath his chin.   >Lord Niall Mirthwing Steeltalon Ironclaw Bladebeak Dragonslayer Thunderstriker the Fifth, I thank you for seeing me. I wish I had known you were stopping by your encampment briefly, we could have had this discussion there.   "BAH!"   He bellowed, swinging his claw to the side and rattling the heavy plated armor and chain mail upon his breast.   "First rule of engagement, lad, when preparing a fort to eventually overtake a city, make damn sure you know of every corner of the place before you dig in your heels and prepare to storm your new abode. The fact you saw through the fake me stationed there and came all the way over here is a shame, I'll have you know. This is something I'll have to correct when I finally enter those halls."   The prince's plumage rustled beneath such a declaration, yet he made no move.   >That, Lord Niall, is what I am here to speak with you today about. We are here to secure your vote in favor of our linage remaining on the throne.   He had expected what came next. First, the look of incredulity, then, the rustling beneath his armor.   "...BAHHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!"   Then came the laughter. The loud, guffawing, choking laughter. As he said, he had expected it, yet it still made his eye twitch.   "Ohhhh, lad, I needed a good joke. Nothing takes the edge off like a good laugh... well, excepting maybe a good, warm hen beneath you, eh?"   The suggestive waggling of his eye was not needed. Though he was a stalwart, war loving fellow, it was well known throughout the lands that Lord Niall had a list of mistresses as long as his wingspan. Legend has it that, after times of great battle, he would agree to 'take on' any widowed 'hen' as he called them, or any female gryphon that could not fight to the rest of the world, and make sure they were taken care of. The houses beneath this hanging castle were full of them, right next to the prime solider's encampments.   Rent free, of course. Well... in the monetary sense.   How the lady, the mother of both Ceridwen and Ciaran, managed to stick around long enough to put up with it for as long as she did before fleeing to parts unknown shortly ago would forever be a mystery. Niall the Sixth's mother hadn't even lasted two years.   As such, there were also rumors of quite the line of bastards.   >I'm afraid I have little time for such.   "Oh? Come now, I'm a fine host. I'll send for one if being cooped up with your sister for so long has left you antsy."   >The discussion, Lord Niall, may we to get to it.   "Fine. Here's your discussion, little chick. You're a coward and a fool, and I'll sooner see you hung and used as a slashing post to train my guards then I will call you king."   >I implore you to reconsider, and would like to remind you that were it not for my father, you would not be in this place currently, nor have soldiers as numerous and well trained as they are. My family could have let you be wiped out, Lord Niall, I would remind you the favor we are owed.   The pupil of the aged gryphon became a slit, catlike in it's ferocity, matched only by that of the claws digging into iron itself on his seat.   "Is that so. A favor, you say? Well... and what if I think this favor was merely a placating gesture to keep me in line, because the alternative was me storming your kingdom quite literally and taking the throne above the blood of your father's head."   He held fast, strong against such horrifying imagery even as it forced its way into his mind.   >Then I shall take the high road, and keep myself from pointing out that the likelyhood of such a victory were less than that of yourself becoming a chaste monk, and instead bring to light the practicality of this situation. None of them, Lord Niall, not a single one of the others, would vote in your favor.   "I may have my ways of swaying them."   >Oh? You mean to give up Ceridwen to them, as you once tried to do to me.   That was it. That was the line too far, that perhaps he should have reconsidered. That was the breaking point that lead to the elder gryphon, at last, rising from his chair.   "...You, of all of them, they sent you. This stupidity can only mean you are not fit for rule. What fools would ever dare..."   His black talon reached behind him, clasping around a handle so massive any would swore it looked like a flagpole meant to rest atop the castle instead.   "What fools would dare send the whelp who would barter with my son's murderer!?"   Muscles rippled beneath steel plating as that single arm hefted twin blades of a massive battle axe above his head, before bringing it down powerfully upon the war table before him.   >I bartered to save my peoples, as you yourself would have.   "LIAR! DEFEND YOURSELF!"   Brazen attacks like this violated every single solitary line of every treaty and peace agreement ever made. Such an act was an act of war, nothing less.   Zephyrious had no such time to dwell on the intricacies of such brazen violation for all rules civil before his broadsword was out of it's own accord, and matched the blades hungering for his flesh.   The sparks of light would have set the place ablaze had it been of straw instead of stone.   "Where was this strength, chick? Where was this strength when the beast knocked on your door, hungering for the lives of your people then? Where was it?"   The prince grunted, unable to properly respond as he held back what felt like a mountain. The old buzzard was giving him everything he had. Even for one like himself, this proved a challenge.   >With them, thinking of a way to pierce the unpiercable hide, languishing that I could not have been there to fight with them in time. For when my people suffered, I suffered, and beast or not I would dare not see them suffer again!   He pushed back, rows of sparks igniting as he forced the battle axe away, and took to the air.   Even burdened with such metal weight, the other did not hesitate to follow.   "What of those who wished her to suffer, what then!?"   >This may come as a shock to one such as yourself, but it is impossible to wish to suffer in death! I would rather them alive wishing her fall then to walk over the bodies of those who wasted their last breaths cursing her name! Pain of loss can be overcome, and perhaps one day I would grant them her suffering as it should be! As she deserves! But I would do it with them watching from the ground, not from the life beyond!   In the massive warroom, each one nearly to the ceiling, they circled one another, occasionally taking experimental swings to test how close they could get, but never daring too close.   "There can be no bargaining with the enemy, chick! There can be no wishing for things to come out alright when it is too late! Bah! To think I once considered giving to you my daughter's claw! That you would have bred her with such weakness even now makes me wish to hurl! To think, I almost called you son..."   >No bargaining with the enemy, you say? Then how do you plan to sway the others to vote for you? Your strength?   "YES!"   In the sky, they clashed, and against his massive might the prince could not hold his position. He was sent back, rocketing until he collided with the stone wall above the throne. Within a heart beat, the Lord was upon him, and his broadsword only barely held in his two handed grip.   "I am strong, my military might is the greatest of all the gryphons! This will clench me victory from the Blackfeathers or their like."   >Power... is that really it? No words of talk, no strength in the times of peace? None?   "Yes, chick, power. That is all I will need to claim victory. Everything else will come later..."   His thick, muscled neck snaked forwards, breath hot on the eyes of the one he kept suspended in the air.   "And you shall pay for daring to side with the one who took my son from me. You, the weak one, shall bow before me like all others."   >... Tell me, Niall... what would you give for your son?   That same neck reared back, disgust and offense clear for all to see on his face.   "You... disgusting little-"   >I speak the truth. If you had been there as he engaged her, what would you give to see him safe? What would you give for him, or Ceridwen or Ciaran? What would you give for them?   This time, it was the slightly smaller prince who leaned forwards, uncaring to the sharp blades mere inches from his neck.   >Would you give away your strength, would you give away your people's love?.... Would you be able, in all your need for power, to give your pride for them?... I did.   The broardsword, massive as it was, clattered to the ground as it slipped from Zephyrious's grip. But even without it to hold it back, the axe remained as it were. The two talons holding the length of it's grip had seen to that.   >Because I, Niall the solider, love them. In that time when the world fell apart, my people fell before me one by one, all I had left in that room was my family, and no others. Fate said to me, 'what will you give for them, what will you sacrifice? And to fate, I replied... "My everything, for without my family, I am nothing."   Even the Lord, as unflappable a solider as he was, could not keep his eyes from growing wide in shock as, ever so slowly, the handle on his prized axe began to bend in the middle.   Towards him.   >I, in my darkest moment, was willing to let the beast go, if it meant I held to my family. I did not care if I lost my crown, or my people's love, for it meant I would have what was most precious to me. My subjects, alive, and... them.   It bent, and bent, and bent.   >And do you wish to know something, Niall the soldier? Even with all of the humiliation I've suffered, even though it failed, even though right now the throne I've worked my entire life to use well may permanently be beyond my grip, regardless of this outcome, even after all that.   And only when the blade of the axe barely grazed the fur and feathers of it's owner, did the bending stop.   >I'd do it all over again, for them... could you say the same? What would you give, if it meant they were safe to choose their own lives, find their own happiness? What would you give for your children, if it meant they need not be sacrificed?   The axe, twisted into a half circle, clattered to the ground.   "...Anything..."   The discussion, had ended.   ~~~~~   Zephrious and Hilda would leave shortly thereafter. Pleasant goodbyes from them, and given just the same by the lords and heirs to be of the castle... excepting Ciaran and Hilda occasionally making one too many threats of poisoning 'in jest'. But on good terms, they left.   With a heavy brow, Lord Niall at last took to the skies to take his place in the circle around the city, leaving his children behind, with the assurance all would be well.   With a lightness to them, the two royal heirs to Au Gryphonia, boarded the train, and were on their way.   '...Father will be proud of you, you know.'   She need not say it, he needed not hear it.   But she knew he wanted to, knew the moment he embraced her, and held her tight.   >Thank you for coming with me.   'Of course I did, you daft bird, you couldn't handle this alone.'   >...no... I suppose I could not.   The world, and his mind, passed by as the train returned him back where he belonged.   >...I need my family...   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   NC Chrysalis was Pissed.   That little shit dragon had hurt one of Her People. One of her favorites even! One she considered a friend! If it weren’t for their mutual friends, and the fact the doctors said she’d be fine, she would be tearing his head off even now!   But, this required a diplomatic touch. She would ensure he paid for his misdeeds in due time. She’d have to let him live of course, too messy otherwise, but he WOULD pay.   *CRACKASLAMMA!*   The doors to the throne room flew open.   >CELESITA! PUT A LEASH ON YOUR PET!   “Chrysalis, what a pleasant and totally unexpected surprise. But, I’m confused, why would I need to leash Philomena?”   >Not the Damn Bird! The Damn Dragon!   “Spike? Why would I need to put a leash on him? He’s more of a son really, and I’m just not that kinky.”   Chrysalis was in no mood for banter as she stomped over to the sitting diarch of the day.   >Because the little shit is researching Anti-Changeling Poisons! And testing them on my GENERAL!   Celestia stood up and faced the ranting queen.   “This is a serious charge. You say he just assaulted 42 with a new weapon unprovoked?”   >Wait. Why is THAT the key issue here!? He’s Developing ANTI-CHANGELING WEAPONS! You heard that right!?   “I did. But to be frank, he is the supply officer for the A-Team which gives him full rights to research new weapons technology. If he is developing anti changeling weapons, it is quite possible he’s doing it to defend against the possibility of rogues. Or even if he isn’t, he could use that defense and there would be little I could do.”   >Rogues!? There are no rogues!   “…32, 88, Chitania, Varioulus….that’s just so far. True many come into the fold eventually. But it has happened.   >BAH! He still assaulted her!   “Then it has been established he attacked her first? I understand there was a fair amount of dragon blood in that clearing, but little of the changeling variety.”   >So you DID hear about it!   “Yes, but it isn’t exactly the first time they’ve had a spat.”   >…According to her, he wanted her to hit him. He GOADED her into it by insulting me.   “Ah.”   >AH? What do you mean AH? He Provoked Her! He’s building weapons! Either you stop him or I will!   “…You intend to attack a citizen of equestria for defending themselves against an assault by your strongest warrior? A citizen who, I might remind you, has been adopted by the royalty of this land?”   >That is why we are talking and he isn’t screaming yet!…don’t do this to me. You CANNOT take his side in this! He’s going off the reservation and you know it!   A silence followed as Celestia weighed the Changeling’s words.   “Hm…there is some merit to your argument. But I can’t just order him to stop. Not with just this. Not as a first resort. Hm….I’ll send someone to talk him down”   >That’s all!?   “He is within his rights to develop weapons to counter potential threats to the realm and within his rights to defend himself. In this nation, citizens may speak their minds and do so without fear of retaliation. 42, despite her admirable loyalty, was not justified in attacking him. By our law, he has the right to defend himself. Frankly, he could press charges against HER.”   >But he provoked her!   “Which would likely ensure she got off lightly, but would not render her innocent.”   >THIS IS BULLSHIT!   “Sigh….Weclome to civilization. I’ll try to have him reigned in. That’s the best I can offer.”   >…get it done Princess Celestia. If he hurts another of my people…I will deal with him.   Permanently.   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   NC >42 “77”   >Unnn……   “Sister! You awaken once more”   >Hey…77   “I am glad you are alright. Tell me, was it truly Spike who did this to you? I can scarcely believe it, poison isn’t like him! Attacking his friends isn’t like him!”   42 only nodded tiredly in response.   “Please…tell me what happened”   >Spike…gone nuts. Making…poison.   “…I see. And I think you could use a little more love. Here.”   He pressed his hoof to her chest and passed a bit of love to her, hoping to make her more coherent.   >Ah, thanks. That helped.   “Good. Now, what can you tell me?”   >Spike’s…not like himself. Something is off. He’s stronger than he should be. I mean he’s grown sure, and we always knew he’d eventually outclass everyone below the royals but…not until he was grown. …It’s too much, too fast. Something’s…very wrong here.   “That’s…not good”   >No. No it is not. But I don’t think he wants to hurt us.   77 raised an eyebrow   “He poisoned you.”   >I don’t think he realized how effective it would be. After I was hit, I went down fast but…I vaguely remember he stayed with me. Kept pouring love into me.   “Phrasing”   >Shut up. My point is, whatever he was after, it wasn’t hospitalizing me.   “Hm…but he did. Didn’t he?”   >Yeah. Yeah he did. 77, the queen is obviously his target. He’s clearly making weapons to target changelings and she’s the only one he has a problem with.   “Logical.”   >77…I need you to stay with her. She’s strong, but she doesn’t think he’s a threat. She might not see him coming.   “Even if she did not, it is doubtful he could truly harm her”   >Don’t. Never underestimate any threat. I don’t doubt she’d kill him, but my concern is that he might hurt her before she does. Possibly cause permanent harm. After all, look at me.   “You’re wounds are temporary you drama ling, I’ve been assured.”   >…But what other weapons does he have? Please 77. Guard her. For me. Until I’m back on my feet. And try to keep him alive as well? Something is very wrong here.   “Heh. Have no fear sister. I’ve lost enough friends for one life. I shall guard her as you say, and if he comes I shall make sure he survives being put down. He may spend the rest of his life in a cell, but I’ll do all in my power to ensure he lives.”   She nodded   >Thank you.   He smiled.   “No need”   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   NC >Spike “Twilight”   With a flash of light twilight sparkle appeared in the center of spike’s lair.   She was upset. From what she’d seen there was strong evidence that her assistant had stolen data from her in order to make some form of anti-changeling weapon…assuming Chrysalis was correct in that statement, and it wasn’t just a more general poison. After Celestia came to talk to her she had been too preoccupied to double-check those facts.   Finding him was not difficult of course, a simple locator spell placed on charity had seen to that following his being launched to parts unknown by chrysalis. He might not be Shiny but she was NOT ok with him potentially freezing to death because they got separated.   Though…they’d been separated a while now hadn’t they…?   “…” >…   “…”   >Uh….Twilight? Something I can do for you?   “AH!”   >…   “Oh. Hi spike, got a little…lost in my thoughts there” she blushed.   >…You don’t say? He deadpanned.   “Sorry. Anyway, I came to see you! You! What are you up to these days, you-HOLY SHIT YOUR ARM!”   >What this? This is-   “LAB! NOW!”   So saying she grabbed him and teleported them both to her lab, near the medical equipment.   >Twi   “HUSH! Healing now, talk later!”   >Twilight, I don’t have time. I’ll take care of it, let it heal normally-   “Cooperate or I swear I will put you in the tube.”   >…   >…I’ll be good…   She nodded, and prepared a spell to accelerate the healing process.   “This might sting…a lot.” --- Hours later.   “Ok. It’s not fully healed, but it is set and the spell should speed the process along assuming you take the supplements I gave you.”   >Yes ma’am.   “It will still take weeks to get back to normal, but it should cut the healing time in half at a minimum.”   >…Thanks Twi   She sighed.   “Honestly Spike, you’re scaring me! I’m just…look are you ok?”   Spike blinked.   >Arm aside, never better, why?   “…Seriously?”   >Yes?   “You just hospitalized one of your closest friends with a previously unknown agent which you had to have developed only just recently and you are surprised ponies are concerned!?”   >Well when you put it that way…   “Spike!”   He fell silent.   “What is going on with you lately? Leaving behind your duties, turning off charity’s communications, hiding in that…wherever I found you, making some kind of biological weapon, ASSAULTING a FRIEND!? This isn’t like you and I want to know what’s up mister!”   Spike sighed and turned away from her.   He sounded almost bored as he replied   >Nothing in particular twilight. I’m fine. I have merely discovered a threat everyone else seems determined to ignore and I’m doing something about it.   “You mean Chrysalis? Spike, she’s not a threat, she’s helped us REPEATEDLY and frankly while she can be grating, she rarely flies off the handle without a reason.”   >Like I said to Shiny, she nearly always has an ulterior motive behind her ‘help’ Most of the time, her hive is also at risk.   “Oh No! She’s fighting for her people! How awful! How can we not have seen this dastardly plot before? Besides which, she willingly gave up a shot at becoming the dominant species during Cordyceps!” And what about Partyland? She helped there without any promise of any reward!   He looked at the mare he considered a sister. She hardly recognized the look in his eyes as he did. Where was her cheery, sometimes bumbling, always had her back when she needed him assistant/brother/oldest friend?   >Shining said almost the same thing, but it’s not just defending her people is it? At Partyland she learned she could use Fluttershy to counter Discord, the only one who can take her one on one right now, and she immediately went to dig inside her mind, what would she have done had you all not been there? As for Cordyceps she would have lost shining armor by the time you offered her that choice wouldn’t she? Celestia too. Shiny is her primary source of food. Besides which it’s hardly altruistic to not what to become queen over an ashen wasteland.   “That’s not fair.”   >It’s also not invalid.   “What is your problem with her!? I swear she can do no right by you! What does she have to do to prove herself!? Is it even possible!? WHY CAN’T YOU LEARN TO TRUST HER!?”   >BECAUSE SHE KEEPS HURTING PONIES I LOVE!   “Wha…What?”   >She twisted Shiny’s mind and raped him. RAPED HIM twilight! Even most murderers think themselves better than that! She captured Cadance and imprisoned her without food or water for weeks! At least! How long for a ponies to hunger and thirst to death!? Was she reanimated by Alicorn magic or did it simply sustain her while her empty stomach and dry throat put her in AGONY!? I don’t think I want to know! She attacked Celestia and imprisoned her in a cocoon for I don’t want to know what purpose! She attacked Fluttershy! Kind, Innocent, Fluttershy because she thought she’d be the easiest target! She saw you losing your mind, knew she could help, and instead tried to MANIPULATE ME INTO WHAT MAY AS WELL BE TREASON! SHE ATTACKED MY APPLE OVER A TINY MISTAKE AND THROTTLED HER! He paused for breath and continued, shuddering.   >But the worst part, the worst part of all, was that I couldn’t stop her. I couldn’t even slow her down. I was nothing to her. Just a minor annoyance to punt out of the way. He locked eyes with her and the hate she saw chilled her blood.   >I HAVE to be able to stop her twilight. She keeps hurting ponies I love, and no one else is doing anything about it. You want to forgive her? Let bygones be bygones? Your business. As long as she keeps acting as a threat I have to find some way to stop her when she inevitably decides to attack one of you again and a way to put her down if it comes to that.   “Spike…”   He turned away from her, toward the exit.   >If that’s all Princess Sparkle, I’ll see myself out. I have work to attend to.   “…no.”   He turned back to her blinking in confusion.   >What?   “I said no. Spike…this isn’t you. This isn’t who you’re supposed to be. Where’s my naïve, ebullient assistant with eyes so full of wonder? Where’s the dragon who fell in love at first sight? Who was not that great a speller? Who at his darkest had a wry wit?” She moved to close the distance between them.   “I can’t believe he’s gone.” She smiled hopefully.   He wished he could give her reason to.   >I’m sorry twilight. I’m not that kid anymore.   She followed his eyes downward to where he rested his claw on charity in its’ holster.   “…I should never have let you pick that thing up.”   >Twilight…   “No. This is wrong! You’re still a child by dragon standards you should focus on being a kid! Not leading a special ops team and playing assistant to royalty! This is wrong!”   >Don’t even try to pull a diamond tiara on me Twi. I’m not a kid anymore.   “You’re not a full adult yet either!”   >Pheh. Not long now by equestrian law.   “Don’t give me that! You shouldn’t be like this!”   Spike sighed and looked away from her.   >Twilight…what am I?   “…a kinda mopey teenager?”   His eyes said he was not amused.   >No twilight. What taxonomic class is my species?   “…Reptile?”   >Correct. I’m a reptile, and you’re a mammal…I’ll cut to the chase.   >Reptiles aren’t like mammals. We don’t love and care for our children. A bunch of eggs get laid, the mom waits until they hatch while the dad sods off for parts unknown, the eggs hatch, the mom leaves the babies live or die on their own. Often they start killing each other, getting eaten, or perhaps even eaten by adults of their own species. Don’t know if dragons do that, but considering an elder dragon tried to eat me, I wouldn’t be surprised.   ‘Wait, WHAT!? When was this!?”   >Shortly after the robots. They thought equestria might be weak. I showed them we weren’t.   “How!?”   >Shot my way out.   “Why didn’t you tell me!?”   >Because Twi, while you confide in me to stay sane a lot of the time, I don’t want to burden you with my issues for the same reason. Because I love you. Which brings me to my point: dragons typically don’t know love or family. We know greed and some loose form of camaraderie, but that’s about it. You, all of you, gave me that.   He smiled at her.   >I can never thank you enough. But the truth is, you’re worried about me losing my childhood? Twilight, my childhood was always meant to be a fight for survival. Ironically, what you are lamenting stole my childhood from me actually gave it back.   He pulled charity from its holster regarding it warmly.   He may as well have gutted her, but he continued to smile as though everything was normal.   >I can never repay what you gave me…but this is who I’m meant to-   He was cut off by her smacking the gun out of his hands and across the room and pulling him in to her and squeezing as hard as she could, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.   >..twi? You…you ok? You’re kinda..hurting me a little?   “neh.”   >Twi…You can’t hug this better.   “yesican”   >…You can’t, you can’t hang on to me forever y’know? You’ve got to sleep and stuff sometime right   “nowadon”   Spike sighed. She had to pass out eventually right?   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   NC “Celestia” >Spike   She had not foreseen her student’s failure. Surely, if anyone could talk spike down it would be twilight, she’d raised him from an egg almost! Once upon a time she had meant everything to the little dragon.   But it hadn’t worked. Twilight fell asleep hugging him, he got her back to her room in the castle and went right back to what he had been doing.   Shining armor had also failed she had discovered when she went to ask him next. Rarity or diamond tiara were hardly options, he hospitalized 42, it was unlikely any other changeling could expect better, and applejack…was too hard to call on this one. That left only her who might be able to get through to him. Whatever he was planning, it had to stop here.   It had taken but a few days but Jetset had been able to suss out the location of spike’s new abode, and so the princess stood before the door, and knocked.   A few moments, the sound of claws on stone and the door opened to reveal a young dragon…oddly larger than she recalled. A growth spurt? Unimportant at the moment.   “Good afternoon Spike”   >Celestia! To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?   “Oh, surely not too unexpected. May I come inside?”   He moved aside and ushered her in.   She saw the room was very…scattered. Messy even. Strange for a dragon whose primary purpose in life was assisting organization.   >Of course, it is after all, your kingdom. May I offer you some tea?   “Yes, thank you. That would be lovely”   He moved to a stove where a kettle sat, just beginning to whistle.   >Perfect timing. Shouldn’t take too long to steep now.   He said as he poured the water into a pair of mugs with leaves already prepared in them. Not so unexpected indeed, she thought.   >So. What brings you here if I may ask again?   “Well spike, seeing as you clearly anticipated my coming, and twilight’s previous visit I suspect you know full well why I am here today.   The formerly affable face the dragon had been putting up fell.   >You’re here to try and talk me out of it?   “Preferably. I am prepared to make it an order if necessary”   His eyes widened in surprise   >You’d really go that far…   She smiled.   “You are almost certainly researching weapons to harm a foreign sovereign which could bring us to open war. Of course I’d go that far. But, I’d really rather not.”   >I am doing research. Some of it into weapons. Some into my own capabilities.   “Some of it specifically targeting them, no?”   >Not them. Her.   “Ah yes, shiny and twilight have told me of your…baggage in regards to the queen. But, I’m not clear as to why you think you are the one who could or should bring her to heel.”   >To heel? You think that sociopath can be brought to heel? Like Winona? That’s hilarious!   “A poor choice of words perhaps. How would you phrase it?”   >I’m trying to become capable of stopping her.   “And why is that necessary? She has been an ally for some time now, really spike she may go off the rails a little every now and again, but she has yet to kill anyone or even inflict serious or permanent injury. Targeting her specifically seems a little harsh don’t you think?”   His face went flat.   >And exactly who else is going to stop her when she goes on a rampage?   “Well, she doesn’t really go on rampages for no reason does she? But if she gets out of hand, rest assured I’ll stop her.”   He smiled. A bitter twisted smile.   >Oh you will, will you? That’s great. That’s good to hear, because you know what I keep asking myself when I think back to that night she was strangling the mare I love? WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU!? He roared.   Celestia taken off guard stepped back as he continued   >WHERE WERE YOU!? WHAT WERE YOU DOING!? STUFFING YOUR FACE WITH MORE CAKE!? SITTING ON YOUR ASS LIKE ALWAYS!? IT TOOK CHITANIA! CHI-FUCKING-TANIA! FLATTENER OF HALF THE KINGDOM TO STOP HER! THAT’S WHO CAME TO THE AID OF PONIES IN THEIR TIME OF NEED! NOT YOU! NOT THE SUPPOSED PROTECTOR OF ALL EQUESTRIA! YOU JUST SAT ON YOUR ASS LIKE YOU HAVE FOR THE PAST THOUSAND YEARS!   He paused to breathe a moment before continuing.   >I’m not uneducated you know. You saw to that. Made sure I knew things, like history for instance. Like how you and Luna took this country back from Discord, banished Sombra, and kicked all kinds of ass to FORGE this kingdom. If she had faced you then as she was at the wedding you would have stomped her flat. Hell, even now I bet the old you could have done it reading everything else you accomplished!   Celestia’s shock was wearing off.   >But now. Now? Now you leave all that to others. You haven’t trained to fight in a millennium because you haven’t had to. Everyone just ‘knew’ you were the strongest after you banished your sister so they never even tried! Meanwhile you sat on your ass eating cake and getting soft. Then comes twilight, and you just decide ‘Oh hey, here’s someone who I can force my responsibilities on, because I’m tired’ and you begin delegating everything! Even defense!   Celestia was getting mad.   >And now you come here and tell me to stop!? Who set me on this path!? You gave the law to applejack, science to twilight, but me? You put a gun in my claw and told me to kill. And I did. But then I got tired of killing and decided to just fight instead. I’ve been leading your spec ops team, dealing with threats you couldn’t be seen to or more likely simply couldn’t be arsed to for a year now and you never complained! But all of the sudden now that I’m willing to fight the threat no one else will you’re telling me to stop!? Who else is there!? You won’t, Luna isn’t strong enough and is almost as bad as you in terms of doing nothing, shiny is practically balls deep in her by now, twilight and fluttershy are her besties, discord won’t touch her with fluttershy there, and even AJ has backed down. There’s no one else!   Celestia was 80% mad   >It doesn’t even matter to you does it? In the past 3 years you’ve had your ass handed to you by Nightmare moon, Discord, Chrysalis, fucking vines of all damn things, Chitania, the partyland monsters, Cordyceps, and you were again useless in the Varioulus incident! But none of it was enough to get you to get off your ass and start trying again. So why don’t you head back to your pretty castle, plop down on your copious ass, order up another ridiculous cake, stuff your face and leave the hard parts to the rest of us like you always do. I have no intention of starting a war, I’ll just make sure I can end it. Quickly.   100% mad.   “Are you quite finished with your ridiculous little tantrum?”   Spike gaped. He had expected yelling, the canterlot voice, not this…quiet reason?   “Good. Now then, Spike Dracula Francis Lucius Arthur Agamemnon Ddraig Goch Zmeu Fafnir Vritra B?var-Asp Nachash Bare'ach Odahviing Goyle Seiryu Kim Xuanzang Fucanglong Imugi Mizuchi…minutes later… -George Sahloknir Sparkle Celestia, if you ever, EVER speak to me that way again I will show you exactly how ‘weak’ I have become all through canterlot, ponyville, and parts beyond. Do you understand me? You do NOT speak to me that way, under ANY circumstances do I make myself clear?”   Spike nodded, still stunned by the use of his full name.   “Furthermore, I hereby royally decree and order you under pain of banishment, to end any and all research into anti-changeling weaponry. This is unacceptable behavior which is causing unrest in a foreign nation to no purpose.”   Spike grit his teeth in anger, but wisely held his tongue.   “Lastly, should you wish to spend some more time alone trying to better yourself we wholeheartedly encourage it, because frankly, we do not wish to see you in the castle for some time, and not until you actually can ‘better’ yourself. What we see before us today is completely unacceptable.”   He winced. That last part had hurt.   “Good day, Spike. I suggest you think about your actions. I could not be more disappointed in you right now”   So saying, she left. Leaving behind a seething, wounded drake.   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Non-Canon >Pinkie "Cadence" 'DT' ~~~~ >Welcome to Night Late Night /pa/, but still not your host this time! Yes, I still want the greentext though. It's during this time that content does matter, but we're going to do another special. Now for our main segment...Relaxing with the Pinks!   "I'm the pretty one and your host for today. <3"   'I'm the grumpy one.'   >And I'm the crazy one!   Relaxing music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEhLkauT_qo In a calming voice. "Thanks for joining me today everypony. Let's relax with some breathing excercises. Breath in through your nose..."   Pinkie and DT sits behind her. '*Breaths in*'   >*GASPS*   "Exhale through your mouth and relax..."   >haaaaaaa...   "Breath in..."   Pinkie breaths through her mouth and sucks up DT's head.   "Breath out..."   DT punches Pinkie in an attempt to get free. Pinkie is choking and attempts to heimlich manuever on herself.   "Breath in and feel the calm."   Pinkie waves tries to flag Cadence down. "Breath out and feel the stress leaving your body."   DT pulls herself free. '*GASP*'   "That's right inhale."   DT realizes her tiara is missing. Looks to Pinkie wearing it.   "Now exhale and relax."   Pinkie notices she's carrying her own version of TBDRLIATU.   >Oooh.   'Wait, don't do what you're thinking.'   "Yes, clear your thoughts and brea-" *BOOOM* *STATIC*   Life in the dream house~   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   >DT "AJ" ~~~~   SLAM!   >Applejack! I've heard that, with the wandering fire monster of fire and monsteryness wandering around, that you are considering sending out a team to go investigate it! Well, I thought I'd save you the trouble of telling me to pack, by packing myself, and-   "Shhhhhh... shhh shhhh shhhh... shhhh.."   >...   "...Diamond Tiara?"   >That is, indeed, me, the greatest filly who ever lived.   "...Diamond Tiara, looky here."   Briskly, the mare reached under her desk, and pulled out a bright red apple.   "Ya' see this here apple? It's a nice feller, ain't he? Yep. Sure is a nice lookin' apple... but there's somethin' missin'."   >And that would beeee...   Without directly answering, she reached underneath her desk, and this time pulled out a potato.   "Ya' see this here next? This here is a potato. It's a fine feller, ain't it.... but oh no! Look at those little sprouts. Now, them there sprouts ain't edible. Ya' wanna know what those there sprouts are called?"   >...   "Eyes, they're called eyes, and Ah' bet they like lookin' with 'em, but ya'll better look out!"   >...I do not like where this is going....   "And looky here!"   She reached under there again, this time pulling out an entire corn stalk.   "This here hangin' feller, or by it's better known name, an ear o' corn. Ya' see it? Cause it looks like it got little ears, don't it. Yep, this here is a fine ear."   >...I... need an.... adult?   "Now... let's review here. This here Potato? Its got eyes. This here Corn? It's got ears. They got eyes, they got ears... but oh no! Looky here! This apple ain't got no eyes, and it ain't got no ears. Why, I'd say this here apple don't wanna look, and it don't wanna hear no more, does it? Well, can't blame it, it's an apple, after all... now, what have we learned?"   >... "..." >... "...."   Slowly, she backed out, and shut the door.   "Knew ya'll were a smart gal."   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________   >42 "Cadence" ~~~~   There was no describing it, the feeling she got when she stepped back through the portal, with Celestia and her Queen at her side.   There was no way to put it into words what she felt when the world stopped swirling and she saw them all.   The faces. The many, many, many many many faces. All of them waiting for her. From Shining Armor to Mane-Iac to whoever of the guard they could spare to even little Applejack Two, all of them waiting, worried.   She could not put into words what she felt when one by one, that worry melted away, and she saw joy on every one of their faces to see her again. To hear the cheers of relief, of exclamations how she had scared them, how relieved they were she was okay, the playful and sometimes just a bit forced chiding of her for being so silly as to run off like that, the sensation of hooves patting her on the back, ruffling her helmet and the tiny little limbs encircling her neck were all, simply put, too much to bare. It was a sensation unlike any other, to see such happy, warm faces, to feel love and relief flowing from every corner of the room...   And know it was for her. All of it, for her. She was the one who they were happy to see alive. This... was for her, all of them. Even...   "Can... can we talk?"   Nothing more needed to be said, not a word. All of them, even if they had no idea what was going on, knew that Cadence had said something that had upset the little bug and made her race off, and that this needed to be corrected immediately. They, all of them, parted, let them meet face to face, and understood.   With the power her majesty had granted her, both herself and Cadence were encircled in fire, soliciting gasps of shock and surprise from all involved save the two tallest royals, and without another word they were spirited away to some sealed off portion of the castle. Some hidden room, where none would hear.   And whatever was to be, would come to be.   And she would accept it.     "Sooooo..."   Even if that thing to be was Cadence looking like Forty Two had just walked into the room while she was putting on a silk thong, and she hadn't stopped.   ...Perhaps not the best example for this moment.   "...me?"   Simply put, and perhaps there was rather no better way to put it. Despite the shuddering fear as to what this would bring, she forced herself, thinking back to the reassurances she had been given and clinging to them as a child would to a mother, to speak. To finally, at last, let out this thing that was eating her alive, bit by bit, and was literally causing her to nearly kill herself.   >...uh...   Perhaps, when attempting to reassure herself, she should also have taken care not to let her voice go up so many octaves the crystal all around them almost started to crack.   "...me?"   She honestly seemed confused, and some part of that tore the solider up inside in ways she could never put into words.   "I mean, I get Shiny, trust me, I get Shiny, I married him, but... me?"   Every single one was like a knife, just as it always had been.   "It's just... not Twilight, even? She's one of the smartest ponies on the planet. Or... or Luna! She's so powerful, and can become even more powerful with dark magic. Or Celestia, even! She's beautiful, regal and strong. I get them... shoot, I'd get if you said Applejack even, but... me?"   A stab beneath her chitin so deep, so strong, she despised it.   "Look, I... is it because I'm pretty? Just tell me now, prettiness is not worth... exploding over. Okay? Is it because I'm the alicorn of love and that's attractive? Well... I suck at that, hard, I'm finding out."   And she just kept going.   "I just... I don't get it! I know! Me! I don't get it! Princess of love and I somehow don't get it! Wow, that's a shock, I didn't get it, call the presses because I somehow, didn't see it even when you were freaking out, that's so unlike my capabilities, right!?... I mean, that if anything should prove you're crazy, right? Me! I'm so stupid I can't see it when you're practically waving it in front of my face! All I have to my name is a stupid title that says "Princess of Love", but herp de derp, can't even see it when it's right in front of me and directed at ME! Why me!? Why would you possibly think that of me!? Shiny, okay, he's strong and handsome and so wonderful and he has so much love in his heart and he does that little thing where he cuddles me and nibbles on my ear that makes me feel safe and warm and-getting off topic, ME! What could you possibly want with me!? I'm just.. fine, I'm pretty, but Eighteen can fwoosh prettier! And she's smarter with paperwork too! I don't see you spazzing over her, so... so why me? I'm... I'm not very good... and this just... I can't believe I missed it again... I suck at this job..."   And this time, at last, she could finally let it out.   >...I... I want you to know that... that this isn't because of that.   "What?"   She wildly gestured to herself and Cadence, over and over in rapid succession.   >Thiiissss and thaaaattt, are not the same.   "I don't follow."   >...thiiissss-   "Forty Two."   >...it's not because I think of you like... like that, that I did all those things, that I said all those things. I meant it, okay? I meant every word of it, all of it. Everything I ever said is because... is because you're you.   Doubt, a bit of it, sparkled in the corners of her eyes, and Forty Two's worst fears were realized.   >I don't... I think I actually... feel like this because... because you are you, okay? I know...   She looked down, through the holes in her hooves, seemingly angry at the black chitin on her skin.   >I know what I am, and I know what we're capable of, but that isn't why... you believe me, right?   "Oh... oh Forty Two..."   Words just could not suffice, knew the princess of love.   Feeling two pink forelegs wrap around her and pull her into a tight embrace... said everything about how she felt of 'what she is' and 'what she was capable of.'   "Oh Sweetie, I know you weren't trying to trick me. Is that what you thought? That I was going to find out you were attracted to me, and all of a sudden I was going to think you were just trying to deceive me or seduce me? Just doing this to get close to me? Oh, Forty Two... no, no no no, I could never think that of you, how could you think that?"   She shuddered in the grip, too wracked with emotions to return it, or otherwise do anything within it.   >I... I know what I am-   "You, are the only one who consistently stuck up for me since the start of moving in here, that's who you are. You never needed any reward, and you never needed anything given, and no matter what anybody said you always defended me and said they were wrong. You're not someone I'm worried about, ever, and if you say you couldn't help it and none of this was because of how you felt, then I trust you. Period."   She didn't know what to say, to think, to do.   All she knew was that Cadence's hair smelled like heaven.   >...I never defended you because of that.   Her hooves, shaking like an earthquake had rolled through the Empire, rattling her bones beneath Chitin, slowly, timidly, raised up.   >It's just... true.   When those hooves closed around Cadence's form, and she felt not a single bit of fear, not a scrap of worry, not a hint of any emotion but understanding and caring, she knew that even her own hidden fears on the matter could be put to rest.   >...Do you know what we needed, when we came to this place?... We didn't need a ballroom, we didn't need a place to sleep, we needed someone who understood us, and someone to be. You... you and Shining understood us, better than anyone else. But where all of them only saw his accomplishments, what he did, how he helped us, I watched you. I watched it all from the back, where I was happy to be. I watched them praise him, but forget you. I watched them think him a saint for letting us in his home, but not a thought to the one in the bed next to what had once been her greatest foe. I watched, and I was... inspired. This was so much like me, only greater. For one so into the eye of the public, never once did I see you demand praise for what you had done. Never once...   She felt the warm, soft body against her stiffen, but it was too late, she could not stop.   >This... thing, in me, was so hard to put down because no matter how hard I tried, you gave it more reasons to grow. And it is not your beauty, no... you are beautiful, I admit. You are one of the most beautiful ponies on the planet. You are not Twilight, you are not Celestia, you are none of them, but you are beautiful in your own way that stands out and shines like no others do. But I am a changeling, I know that beauty is only skin deep, beauty I can summon on a whim... but you... it's in... here.   Her grip tightened, just a bit, not enough to hurt her, never enough to hurt her. Never.   >...So please don't let this think it changed a word I said. Every defense, I meant. Every word for you, I stand by and will defend until I am blue in the face. All of it, every bit. I stand by it. I stand by you are as valuable, if not more so, than any of the others, and will say it again. Don't... ever. Don't ever think you are anything less than what you are, and what you are is the ali... no, you are the one of love, and you deserve so much more than you get.   It was so long they rested there, the solider finally experiencing the deep, strong embrace she had only seen in her dreams. The pony, numbed by her own emotions of being praised with such honesty, such truth spoke. They remained there, like that, for a time they could never keep track of.   Yet, it still ended too soon when they separated.   "...You sound like Shiny..."   There was moisture, on the corners of her eyes, nothing more than faint glimmers in the light.   >He is one of the smartest, and most loving ponies on the planet. The only one with such... love, and intensity, to match you. The only one. If he says it... it is true.   "Oh...Forty Two..."   Keeping her eyes locked to the gaze of that wonderful pink mare was impossible. Any longer, she was going to be lost forever.   Pointedly, the soldierling cleared her throat, and looked away.   >I would like to... reiterate, that my actions have not changed my outlook, on any matter. This reveal was never meant to be, but I hope that I will become stronger with it. It does not have to change how you see me-   "It won't."   Gently, a pink hoof touched her chin, and she found even her considerable might was but jello in preventing her from being forced to look back to the mare.   "You, Forty Two, are one of the strongest, most loyal, truest companions anyone, anywhere, could ever ask for. You've... you've done so much for me, and Shining, and Two and Chrysalis and everyone, and you never want anything in return."   >It...it's enough, Cadence.   "No, it isn't. You need to know, you deserve everything you've gotten, and so, so much more."   She had changed. Looking to her, Forty Two knew, she had changed. The flighty alicorn who loved her socializing and her looks and her fun had been put away, just for a second, just for this moment.   This was the Princess of Love, and she was shining brighter than Forty Two had ever seen. So bright, it brought tears to her eyes, just to look at it.   Surely, that was the reason.   "You, Forty Two, are someone I have trusted with my life many times, and you have proven yourself on every one. If all I can give is recognition, if all I can give is the knowledge I know and appreciate it, if that is all, I will give it. You, Forty Two... you are special to me, and you should never think it any other way."   She felt so small, so weak beneath her power, yet at the same time so loved, so needed, so wanted. Nothing, ever, could match the sensation she felt when Cadence came close to her, and poked their noses together.   "I do not care what your species is, or what you believe I would think. You are Forty Two, my Forty Two, and that, even if everything else may, will never change."   Her legs almost collapsed underneath her, yet the power, the love flowing from Cadence right there, that was enough to help her stand against even the most powerful storm.   "So please... know, for me?"   >...I... I know...   "...Good..."   She released her, both from that brilliant light and that endless, all powerful gaze, she released her, and let her stand back on shaking hooves.   "Do you feel better, now that you've gotten it all off your chest?"   >...yes...   The unspoken words telling her that it was in ways she could never know needed not be said out loud, they could not have been screamed louder between them if she had called them from the heavens.   "Good. Now... I do believe everyone wants to make sure you're okay."   It was a simple way to end this, sure that there was everything to be said that had been, and nothing more.   But, that was not quite true, not yet.   >This doesn't have to change anything, Princess. You know, that can be enough...   She looked... thoughtful, more thoughtful than Forty Two had ever seen her about anything at all in anything in the world. She could see eyes darting every which way as she reexamined every aspect, looked over every part, wondered upon it like she would the secrets of the universe.   And yet...   "No, it doesn't have to."   There had been an emphasis there, barely audible, only there to the one who listened to her every word with the intensity that Forty Two did.   Only on the word have. That was where that single, tiny emphasis was placed, and for some reason Forty Two felt her heart stop, if only for a second.   But then it was gone away, gone underneath a carefree smile, a winning grin, and a gentle shove to get her going.   "Come on, you scared Two to death, you'll know, you have to tell her you were okay."   >Oh... of course. I'll take her for fireflight rides, that will make it up to her.   "...That is safe, right?"   She needn't have asked, for she knew the answer.   "Of course... Forty Two?"   >Yes?   "...Thanks."   >...thank you...   All that was needed in their connection, three little words, and they understood.   At long, long, long last, they understood one another, they knew of the other, and all had come to light.   Things, true to what they had asserted, did not have to change...   But deep down, perhaps, both knew.   It already had. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________