Wolfe&Windsilver

Ooh, PM me when the queue is reopened as well, please.

Mask It was early in the morning. Way too early to deal with this mare. I didn’t care if she was a royal guard. I wasn’t going to roll over and beg for her amusement. “I’m telling the truth.” I fought the urge to yell directly in her face. A hot head wouldn't help me. It would only prove that I was exactly what she saw. A threat. “We weren't seeking anypony out," I continued. "We didn't go looking for trouble. My friend was just walking me home when Storm-” “I find it hard to believe that a pony would attack anyone else like this. Now your kind is one thing.” I rolled my eyes and groaned. Too tired to actually respond to her insults and bias against me. I leaned back in the chair and brought my hooves to my face. She suddenly slammed her hooves against the desk. “I know you you instigated this situation!” “I didn't do anything!” I yelled back. “Did you addle their brains with your freaky magic like that queen of yours? Mind control?” She stuck her snout into my personal space. “Or maybe you did it yourself, and just needed a good alibi?” I felt my muscles tense up with the accusation. Did she just accuse me of hurting him? I asked myself incredulously. For a moment I was frozen in silent shock. But that soon gave way to anger and indignation. I was a second away from throwing social norms, and the law, out the window when a voice interrupted her “investigation”. “Lieutenant!” The royal guard in front of me growled and turned towards the door. “I’m in the middle of something, Centurion.” The new figure walked into the room, an intense gaze locked on the guard still sitting at the desk. “I think you could use a coffee break, Lieutenant.” He put his hoof on her shoulder. "Why don't you let me finish up here?" The mare shook the hoof off. “I’m fine, sir. I'm almost done.” “That wasn’t a request, Lieutenant.” The hoof replaced itself, albeit a bit softer. “The colt will be left to me. You’re head’s not clear enough for this.” “But I-” Her shoulders slumped. And in a quiet voice she responded, “You’re right.” She turned to me, sighing. “I’m… sorry. I thought I could do this fairly, but it’s obvious I can’t.” She seemed like she wanted to say something else, staring at me for a moment. But she turned away and left the office. Closing the door behind her. The lunar guard sighed when she left and glanced at me. “You think you’ve got problems?” He asked, removing his helmet and revealing his furry ears. “I’ve got to deal with that almost everyday.” He spread his leathery wings and popped the joints in each one. Sighing in relief as he did so. I raised an eye ridge, gesturing to the cracks and cuts that adorned my carapace. “I’m the one that’s targeted by ‘that’ almost every day.” I countered. The lunar guard shrugged. “Eh, we’ll call it a tie,” he said, smirking. I couldn’t help but laugh,r knowing that he meant to make the atmosphere a bit more jovial. “But seriously,” he said, his face shifting towards concern. “Are you alright? I went to see your friend first, nothing too notable other than the wing. But you?” I waved off his worries. “I’m fine. Nothing that won’t heal in a few days. I really just want to go home and get some rest.” He nodded in agreement. “Let’s make a deal,” he said as he pulled out a notepad. “We both make this as simple as possible, then we both go home and get a full day’s sleep. You even get a day off from school courtesy of the the royal guard.” I hesitated. It was tempting, but I couldn't just leave without making sure Wolfe was really alright. “Well you can check on your friend before you go, of course.” That alleviated my worries, and I nodded in agreement. “Excellent. Well I’m Iron Mail, 3rd centurion of the Canterlot division of Royal Guards. And your name is?” He asked me to describe what occurred in my own words, then a series of questions pertaining to the time or place a certain event happened. When I got to my love burning he interrupted me. “Isn’t that incredibly dangerous? Especially considering how young you are?” I nodded, reluctantly. “Huh,” he said, scribbling something on the side. “Continue.” After I explained all that I could remember, he stared at his notes. “For some reason I get the feeling that Stormbringer will have an entirely different account. It’ll be your word against three.” I nodded. This was something I already knew. “The witnesses on the scene have been unforthcoming.” “Shocker,” I said bitterly. “Without witnesses, I don’t see either one of you having any sort of case.” “That’s fine,” I cut in, standing up. “This isn’t something that I would want to pursue. It would just make my life more difficult.” He was quiet for a moment, and I took that as my cue to leave. Just as I reached the door however, he placed his hoof on my shoulder. “For what it’s worth,” he said. “Some of us know what it’s like. To be blamed for a past you can’t change and are only a part of by association. Some of us know how hard it is to atone for things you shouldn't need to atone for. Just remember that you don’t walk this journey alone.” I nodded and opened the door. Wolfe I kept running. I could hear them all just behind me. At least ten had broken off from their group to chase me. I could have flown, but I’m much more nimble on my hooves then I’ll ever be with wings. And those streets were much too narrow for me. A sharp turn and I was barreling down the alleyway. Here the clicks and chirps echoed, feeding directly into my ears. It saved me however, thinking they were closer than they were gave me an extra burst of speed. I used it gallop from the alleyway and up an overturned crystal snowglobe cart. A quick flap of my wings was all that was necessary to land on the building ahead of me. And to think some ponies said practicing this type of stuff was a waste of time. I couldn’t stop there. While I’d lost my pursuers on the ground, there were a few in the air that zoomed to greet me. “They call me ‘Wolfe’ for a bunch of reasons.” I yelled. “Here’s one!” I took off running at my fastest speed. Leaving them in my metaphorical dust. I would have made it to the next building. I was just a few hoofs away from the edge when it hit me. The flaming ball of changeling struck me in the side and sent me down. I hit the ground hard. I felt and heard a snap just to the side of my back. The pain quickly spread from the connecting joint through my entire wing. I screamed in agony. Unable to get up. Unable to run or fight. I was vulnerable, and afraid. The others surrounded me, hissing and clicking in desire. The one who blasted me from the sky lay at my hooves. It glared at me as if his predicament was my fault. I growled at them, trying to buy time. For what exactly I didn't know, but I had to try something. They started clicking again, and I realized, with a start, that that was their laughter. This was fun to them. It was a simple hunt, and I was the target. The struggle was simply allowed to make the reward sweeter. I heard more clicking from near my hooves and looked down. The changeling that knocked me from the sky was standing now, and began crawling over me. I yelled and flailed my limbs. Hitting it anywhere I could, hoping to dislodge it before it could do anything. The others swarmed forward, grabbing at my forelegs and wings. I screamed in pain as my broken wing was roughly seized. I felt breath at my neck, and renewed my struggles. I violently fought to free myself, but it was too late. I felt the fangs sink into my my throat, and screamed. My eyes shot open and my hoof lashed out. Nearly catching it in the muzzle. I lunged forward and, forgetting about the weight of my injured wing, landed face first on white sheets. I scared it though, making it chirp as it fell backwards. Away from the bed I laid in. I realized where I was, having been in the hospital for various injuries in the past, and who the changeling in front of me was. “Mask? Geez, I’m sorry!” I tried to lift myself from the bed to help him up, but had to stifle a yelp as I shifted my wing. The pain was as sudden as it was crippling, immediately forcing me to lay still. A hoof grabbed me lightly around the middle and helped to haul me up. I put a hoof to my side as gave a twinge of pain, but the new position was much better. “Thanks,” I told the brown coated doctor. “I need you to relax,” he ordered. He adjusted the bandages at the base of my wing. “I understand your mind is in a bit of an uproar, but your body can’t handle the stress of moving around right now.” I nodded in apology. A deep breath calmed me, forcing the dream away from my mind, allowing me to focus on reality. While I tried to get myself under control, the doctor focused on shining bright lights in my eyes. “How are you feeling right now?” he asked. “I guess a bit tired,” I replied just before a perfectly timed yawn. He pressed a hoof against my throat and stared at his watch for a moment. “No nausea or dizziness? Any problems with your vision?” Other than being a little winded from my meeting with the bed I felt fine, aside from my obviously broken wing, and told the doctor so. “You should be clear to leave after we check on a few more things. I’m going to go speak with your mother for a moment.” The doctor shut the door behind him. “So how are you really feeling?” Mask asked. I grunted in anger. “He’s lucky I didn’t haven’t gotten much sleep lately. Because that fight would have gone much quicker if I had. And what is with him and sucker punches?” “I meant your wing.” “Oh this? This is nothing.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve dislocated my wing at least twice before now. This just makes lucky number 3.” “Ouch,” Mask winced. Rubbing his own joints subconsciously “Though breaking it is new,” I admitted giving the wing a little wiggle and hissing at the jolt that shot through it. “Wolfe, I’m sorry. This is completely my fault.” “Pft," I snorted. "Stormbringer would have found a way to get ruffle my feathers anyway. At least now I don’t have to hide the fact that I hate him.” “Still…” “Besides,” I added. “I wasn’t too out of it to not see you send them running. Not to mention carrying me all the way here.” “But if I hadn’t been with you in the first place—” “I would still be broken up over a letter. Or at least half of one.” I nodded towards my mom’s bag in the corner of the room. “Check the side pocket.” He pulled the sheet out of the bag and started reading it. A smile breaking out on his face as he reached the end. “This is great!” he exclaimed. "She found it just below the mailbox, on the ground." I said nodding in agreement. “Turns out that I rush into things without thinking them through first. Totally out of character for me.” He rolled his eyes, laughing. “Who, you? Never.” I tossed one of my pillows at him. “Yeah, yeah. Get out of here and let me get some sleep before I have to get an earful from Mom.” I didn’t even come close to hitting him, leaving me open to retaliation. Luckily, Mask was merciful and just put the pillow behind my head again. I waved goodbye as he left, and settled down to get some rest. But I was robbed of my sleep when the doctor came back in. A needle in hoof. “Everything seems fine, but it appears you neglected to get your feather-flu shot before beginning school.” He produced a towel and started wiping the tip of the needle while I tried to hide myself beneath the covers. “I’m 17! I make the decision to not take it!” “Oh come now, I don’t know what’s with you pegasi and this vaccine. And this is my requirement before you leave. So you’re taking it.” He yanked the sheets away roughly and brandished the needle. “Now just hold still.” He positioned the needle just above my cutie mark. “Oooooooooooooooooooooooooowwww!” Mask “I got it!” I yelled as the doorbell rang. I opened the door and closed it immediately. “Who is it?” Mom called. “Just that crazy guy that lives in the alley,” I yelled, a bit louder than necessary. “Ha ha.” The voice on the other end was muffled, but understandable. “Let me in or no present for you.” I nearly broke the latch off in my haste to reopen the door. “Did I hear someone say ‘present’?” “Maybe,” Wolfe said, hiding the box behind his back. Smirking, he added, “You’ll have to wait and see.” I grumbled, but opened the door fully and let him in. “So who else is here?” he asked. “Braniac and Temporal got here a bit earlier,” I replied as we headed for the living room. “We’ve been playing some Ponopoly while we waited for the rest of you.” “Speaking of which,” Temporal jumped in. “I pulled a community chest card. You owe me 350 bits.” “You are too lucky for this game,” I muttered as I added the fake, colorful bits to his steadily increasing pile. “There go my plans to buy Boardtrot." "Skill," Temporal said as he passed the dice to Braniac. "Do you want in, Wolfe?" I asked. “With those two playing?” he exclaimed gesturing at my opponents.. “I’d be crushed in seconds. I’ll stick with watching from the sidelines.” I mumbled something about Pegasi who missed the most obvious of hints while Braniac landed on my Canterlot Express. "Hah! That's 3200 bits!" I held out my hooves expectantly. Instead I received a chance card. "IOU. Get out of one payment absolutely free? Come on!" Before I could roll the die the doorbell buzzed again. I sighed and went to answer it. “At least take my turn for me,” I called as I opened the door again. “Hey, Mask,” Click greeted. “Hey, come on in.” I stepped out of the way to let him in. “Totally random question, but how good are you at Ponopoly?” “Are Temporal or Braniac playing?” he asked suspiciously. “Both!” Wolfe called from the next room. Click turned to me with a sympathetic smile. "I think I'll pass." I sighed and kicked the door shut. Spot Weld "I must be completely out of my mind," I growled. I'd been pacing the lobby of the apartment building for the past few minutes. Every so often, I would glance at the stairs. Every time, I would take a step forward, then resume pacing. "Look, Spot," Brainy had said. "I understand why you don't want to get involved. But you really need to give him a chance." "Look, I don't hold anything against him. But I'm not exactly ready to forgive changelings yet." "Then don't. Don't forgive the changelings that attacked your family. But realize something. Mask wasn't involved in the invasion. And he's going through tough times as well." I scoffed. "Sure, a couple of bigots out and about. That's not so bad. She stared at me like I'd sprouted wings. "You don't know do you?" I raised an eyebrow. “Stormbringer got a group together to attack him in the school. The only reason I know is because Wolfe told me. Mask hasn't said anything.” “That’s doesn't make sense,” I said. “Why didn’t he tell the principal, or the royal guard?” “If a changeling and a pony showed up at your door together, both claiming the other had attacked them, who would you believe?” “But he has a witness!” “Storm has three ‘witnesses’.” I clenched my jaw and turned away. But she waited expectantly. I still hadn’t answered her question, not directly. I hated my answer. I knew it was wrong, but changelings were known for being liars and deceitful. How was I actually supposed to trust what they said? How could anypony? “Great,” I growled. “Now I’m thinking like the upper class.” I grabbed my bag as I headed up the stairs. My present, and semi peace offering, to Mask were inside. It didn’t take too long to make, though it helped that Dad had a forge installed so he could take work home. I began searching for his apartment. It wasn’t hard to find. 3rd floor, door at the end of the hall. There was somepony I didn’t recognize standing in front of it. He scribbled something on the door with a marker. “Hey!” I yelled. The unicorn jumped, looked my way, and ran the opposite direction. I galloped to the end of the hall and leaned over the top of the staircase, but he had already gone. I knocked on the door hesitantly, hoping Mask wouldn’t think I was behind the graffiti. I read the writing even as I knocked. Squash the Bugs!! The words were written in dark red ink, directly in the center of the door. “Just a minute!” I waited nervously for the door to open. Nearly shouting the words as soon as the door was cracked. “Someone graffitied your door.” For the most part Mask took it well. He glared at the writing. Then at me. Then back at the writing. “Come on in,” he said a bit annoyedly. He left me to grab a rag and went back to the door. “Everyone else is in the living room.” He pointed towards the room next door. I nodded but hesitated. “I can handle this,” he assured me. I didn’t respond, I simply watched as the red smeared across the door. I sighed and dropped my bag to the floor. I took the rag from his grasp and started to wipe the door in earnest. “Get me a bucket of warm water, will ya?” I requested as I dug into the letters. Stripping them away slowly. I dunked the rag as soon as he put the bucket next to me, and brought it back up to the door almost immediately. It took just a moment to clean the door, and less time to clean the floor of the water that had splashed onto it. “Thanks, Spot.” Mask said once we’d finished. “I saw who did it, if it helps.” I could recognize the stallion in an instant if I saw him again. He shook his head, sighing. “It wouldn’t matter. Door’s clean now anyway. Let’s just get back to the fun.” “About that,” Wolfe said as we joined the party crowded around the table. “I’m pretty sure I’m worse at Ponopoly than even you. I’ve lost about 500 bits. And mortgaged 2 properties.” Masks's jaw dropped in shock as he gazed at the board. “Tell me you didn’t give away my Waterworks.” “Not so much gave away as… lost?” He scratched the back of his head. “They have just about every card in the chance deck don’t they? 'Give one utility to the player with the most on hand cash.'” He completely missed the look of rage coming from Mask as he kept talking. “Still not sure how you can tax somepony for an entire railroad either. Or how the bank can just decide that they want your hotel.” Click snickered. “Don’t forget that you get a third roll, Wolfe. Hope you don’t get Doubles again.” “No sweat,” Wolfe said as he lifted the die and prepared to roll. “There is no way I’d get doubles... three... times...” Mask “Okay, I get that you’re upset about the game. But was it really necessary to pull one of my feathers? That hurts you know.” Wolfe rubbed at his uninjured wing. “I said sorry," I apologized. "When the rage of a gamer hits, you can’t control it." “Your mom is an amazing cook!” Click interrupted through mouthfuls of veggie casserole. “This is the best stuff I’ve had in ages.” “That’s probably because the majority of your meals come in take out containers and pizza boxes,” Wolfe chuckled. I hid my snickers behind a hoof while Click pouted. “This was a lot of fun,” Braniac said. “But I do need to get home sometime.” “Same,” Spot Weld agreed. “But we’ll have to plan something again.” The rest of us nodded in agreement, and my guests starting gathering their things. "Do you want to keep this?" Temporal asked. He held the game box out to me, a teasing grin on his face. "If it stays here it's getting burned,” I replied. “In the oven.” Brainy gasped and snatched the box away. “Don’t you touch my baby!” she said dramatically. She hurriedly put it in her bag and slung it around her side, cradling it protectively. “Fine, I’ll let it live,” I mumbled. “Also, are you ever gonna take those off?” Temporal asked as I picked up the boxes from my presents. He was referring to the gifts that I’d been wearing ever since I’d opened them. “Probably not,” I answered. I flicked the tail end of the green scarf behind me, turned up my nose, and put a Trottingham accent to my voice. “I cut too much of a dashing figure to ever consider removing them.” Temporal shook his head. “Wolfe, why did you get him that?” The pegasus shrugged from his seat on the couch. “He seemed like a scarf kind of colt. I’m just glad I wasn’t off.” “Besides,” I added. “This is going to make my mane a little bit less of a hassle in the mornings.” I indicated the gift from Spot Weld. A small band that wrapped around the end of my ponytail. Curved slightly inwards at the ends to prevent my hair from slipping through. It was much better than the rubber band I usually used to hold it in place. “Thanks again, guys!” I said for the hundredth time. “We already told you, ‘Don’t worry about it’,” Spot insisted. He swung his bag around his neck. “Just something we wanted to do for you.” We stared at Click until he got the hint. He groaned and stood, though not before inhaling the rest of his plate. "Where does it even go?" I asked. "Click, I'm maybe an inch below you in height, and I can't eat that much." He shrugged. "It's a gift." “Well, thanks for coming everypony,” I said as I led the way to the door. I waved a hoof at the kitchen table as I passed. “Mom wrapped up some cake for you guys to take home as well.” "Sweet. Thanks Ma'am!." “No problem kids, be safe getting home,” floated back into the kitchen. “Happy Birthday, Mask,” Brainy said as she passed. Hugging me before she left. “Yeah, have a good one,” Temporal added. I lunged forward and hugged him before he could escape. Doing the same to Click as he tried to sneak by. “Thanks again for the scarf, Wolfe,” I said as I gave him a quick hug. He gave me a quick grin but rolled his eyes at my gratitude. "Hey, I like the scarf. If I want to thank you a million times, I will." Spot Weld hesitated before going through the door. “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up in a minute.” I raised an eye ridge as he turned back to me, scratching at his neck awkwardly. “Did you forget something in the living room?” I asked. “It’s not a problem if you need to get it.” “No, no… It’s just…” he sighed. “I wanted to apologize.” I blinked in surprise. “...for?” "Ever since the first day you sat at the lunch table with us, I was suspicious of you. I expected you to do something to put one of them in danger. I was rude, I was distant, and a jerk. It wasn’t cool of me." He sat down. “It wasn’t until a few days ago that… someone brought up how I’d been acting. And how much you’ve already got on your plate.” He stared at the door. “I realized that I was wronging you by not even giving you a chance. Like those flank-holes that watched you and Wolfe get attacked.” He growled in disgust. “I’m not like that,” he declared. “And I don’t want to act like that either. I was hoping that we could… maybe…” “Start over?” I asked, sticking my hoof out. He nodded. He stamped his hoof against mine. “The name’s Mask,” I said. “Mask Roles.” He laughed. “I’m Spot Weld. Nice to meet you.” “Spot, come on!” “Yeah, some of us have to get home!” “I’m coming!” Spot yelled back, moving through the door to lean out into the hallway. “Keep your wings on!” He turned back to me and nodded. “Happy Birthday, bro.” I gave him a quick “bro” hug and waved goodbye as he joined the others in the hallway. Once I’d heard their hoofsteps and conversation retreat down the stairs, I started cleaning. I needed to do something while I awaited my next guest. I’d just turned 17. There was no way I wasn’t going to use the privileges that came with it. Just as I finished up there was a knock on my door. “Just a second,” I called. I took a quick look at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t looking for any type of companionship, but that was no reason to look like a wreck. Luckily my mane didn’t look like I’d come from a stressful game of Ponopoly. And my scarf did actually look quite nice on me. “You ready to go?” Lightning asked as I opened the door. I nodded. “Let me just let my mom know we’re leaving.” I cracked her door, noting that the light was off. “Mom, I’m heading out with Lightning,” I whispered. “Be back soon.” “Alright, have fun,” She murmured sleepily. “And both of you be careful.” “Of course.” I moved closer and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. “You just get some sleep okay?” She yawned and turned back over. I backed out of her room and shut the door. “Alright,” I said as I turned back to the door. “Let’s go.”

I agree. Your art is phenomenal. And with all this practice you're getting, it's going to keep improving.

Mask I didn't ask him. I know, I know, "I'm stupid, I’m an idiot, and a complete moron." But at least give me a chance to explain the situation. I was going to ask him, I even made it to lunch before everyone else so I could ask him out in private. That didn’t work out as I had planned. When everyone else got there before he did, I was confused. It wasn't odd for Wolfe to be late, but he was never the last one to the table. We kept looking around, expecting to see him streaking through the cafeteria. We didn't notice him at all until he dropped his bag at the table and sat down silently. His eyes were bloodshot and strained. His movements were slow and hardly coordinated. Obviously something was up. For a few minutes no one spoke. We didn’t really know what to say. At least, I had no clue what to say. The situation was entirely new to me. This wasn’t normal for Wolfe. “Hey, bro?” Spot spoke up. He looked concerned. “You all right?” Wolfe blinked and shook his head as if he’d been shaken awake. "Yeah," he answered slowly. He cleared his throat and attempted a smile. "I just..." He deflated slightly, his grin slipping. "I didn't get much sleep,” he said, looking away. His answer wasn't fooling any of us, though we couldn't exactly call him out on it. At least, they couldn't. I could feel the pain and hurt that wafted off of him. Before I could voice an opinion however, Wolfe stood up. "I think I'll take a nap in the library," he declared. "Last thing I need is coach giving me a hard time for falling asleep mid-flight." I made to follow him, but a hoof against my foreleg lightly returned me to my seat. I gave Temporal a questioning look. He motioned for me to stay put but didn’t explain himself. I waited, impatiently, for Wolfe to leave before turning towards the bicorn. “You don’t seriously buy that excuse do you?” I asked annoyedly. “Not in the slightest,” he said, shaking his head. He clenched his jaw for a moment, before huffing in frustration. “I don’t like Wolfe lying to us.” “He has a good reason for it,” Brainiac said. “He must.” she added at my inquisitive glance. “You guys know Wolfe doesn’t bottle things up. Ever. You have to scream at him to stop talking before he’ll go quiet.” “Which is why I’m worried,” I interjected. “What would be bad enough to get him to hide things from us?” No one had an answer. As I pushed my key into the lock on my door, I heard the sound of shattering glass from inside. I quickly pushed open the door. “Who’s there?” I yelled. “It's me, honey,” Mom answered calmly. Shards from a ceramic plate were scattered across the floor near her hooves. “Just had a little mishap with dinner.” She levitated a broom and dustpan to her side. Even from afar, I could see how the field of energy wavered. The usual vibrant yellow was now pale. “What are you doing home so early?” I asked, tossing my bag into a chair. She snorted. “Mr. Heart said I’ve been working too hard. He told me to take the rest of the day off.” “And yet here you are,” I deadpanned. “Working.” “I can handle a bit of dinner!” she said indignantly. As she spoke, the cleaning tools slipped from her grasp and clattered against the floor. She sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. “Not a word,” she said, pointing her hoof at me. “Not one.” “Mom, please. Get some rest.” I lifted the broom and dustpan. “I’ll clean up and finish dinner. You have been working too hard, and you can’t do anything if you pass out from exhaustion. Alright?” She sighed and, heeding my advice, stepped into her room, shutting the door behind her. I waited a moment to be sure she wasn’t still moving around before I set about cleaning the broken plate fragments. It didn’t take me too long, and I soon began to work on dinner. She’d already brought out a large package of hay fries, so I went into the refrigerator to find dandelions and lettuce. As I closed the door to the cooling unit, a large red circle on the calendar caught my eye. I’d nearly forgotten that I would be celebrating my birthday in less than a week. I knew that Lightning and his family would be coming, as we’d planned in advance, but other than that my guest list would be rather small. Maybe I should invite my friends at CH? I wasn’t too sure about doing that. While it seemed the others accepted me as a friend, I still felt disconnected from the group as a whole. They had years together, while I was the changeling barely into his second quarter. Well, what have I got to lose? At the worst, they don't come. At the best they do, and we have a blast. “Besides,” I said, a bit sadly. “I’ll rarely get the chance to see them once they leave.” While most of the others were finishing their second year, Spot Weld would be starting an internship in Manehattan, this was only my first. I planned on leaving Canterlot once my schooling was finished. But until then, I had a very low chance of seeing any of my friends again. Thinking about this, I realized that I knew next to nothing about the ponies I called my friends. I hardly had any idea what they wanted to do with their lives, or their plans for when they left school. Nearly halfway through the school year and I don’t even know their favorite colors... Was that why I felt like an outsider? Had I even been trying, or had I stayed purposefully closed off? Today was a perfect example. I had no idea how to handle the situation with Wolfe, while the others seemed to know exactly how to respond. Give him some space, don’t pressure him, let him come to us. I was ready to fly off the handle and go after him. Probably would have made the situation worse. I made the decision to attempt to invite them. I couldn’t simply expect ponies to be friendly, it was a two way street. If I wanted to be a part of their culture, I had to make an effort to include myself. I needed to allow myself to open up, and trust the ponies around me. Geez, I thought. I pulled the hay from the oven. Cooking is a great time for introspection. Wolfe All I could hear was the rain. The pounding of my heart had slowed until it was a dull ache in my chest. My heavy breathing had subsided. My hoof still stung, but I couldn’t be bothered to get up and bandage it. Blood dripped from the wound. I realized I was still crying. The salt beginning to stain my fur. I reached for the letter. Feeling weirdly compelled to read it again. Because it went so well the last time, I thought, bitterly. Some of the words were smudged by tears, mine and his. But I knew the message by heart by now. My eyes scanned the paper, each word was pain. I understood why he sent it as a letter, didn’t mean I respected him for it, or even supported his decision. He was still a coward. He was still too afraid to face me. My hooves shook, threatening to tear the letter in two. I grunted and threw it. Letting it flutter out of sight. It slid down the wall and under my bed. Joining the now broken picture frame. I needed to leave. “Hey, Mask?” I asked suddenly, interrupting his explanation of invisibility spells. “What?” he asked. It was still a bit cute to see him irritated. And being interrupted was a personal pet peeve of his. “This is going to sound awkward,” I said, scratching at my neck. “But are you free? After school?” He blinked. “Uh… What do you…?” “Just to hang out or something. Nothing special.” “Oh.” Did his face fall just a tiny bit, I wondered. No, I must have imagined it. “Yeah,” he continued. “Mom’s still on forced rest, and Dad took the day off to spend time with her. I should be alright for a few hours. Meet at the usual spot then?” I nodded. “Ahem!” My head whipped around to face a glaring Mr. Silver Bell. “You two seem to be having quite the animated discussion. Care to share it with the class?” “Well-” “I was just explaining the fundamentals of invisibility to Wolfe. And the importance of one’s mentality when casting a spell. Mostly the idea that you need to believe in a spell or it won’t work. You can’t be invisible if you don’t truly trust the spell to do it’s job.” “Yes, very true. Wolfe, did you have anything to add?” That chesire like grin made me gulp. I’d completely blanked out during Mask’s spiel. “Yeah, you said that you could draw a parallel to other types of magic?” Mask added, giving me the smallest of winks. Celestia above, I loved this guy. It paid to have a friend who could improvise at the drop of a hat. “Well, I said that it’s similar to pegasi trusting their wings. So much so that it becomes instinct to use them in certain situations.” I had to fight to keep a grin from my muzzle at my quick thinking. Mr. Silver Bell grunted and turned back to the board. But not without sending a knowing glare my way. I decided to keep the rest of my conversations strictly related to class. “I mean it’s not like it’s a date or something,” I said. … “Okay, yes I want it to be a date," I admitted. "But it’s not one.” … “At least. Not yet.” My reflection in the mirror grinned at me. Agreeing with my plan. After the mirror pep talk, or weird bathroom moment, take your pick, I made my way outside. I didn’t see Wolfe by the juniper so I sat down and prepared to wait. “You’d think,” I muttered closing my eyes against the sun’s rays. “That somepony that invites you to hang out, would show up before you do.” Something moved in front of me, blocking the sun’s warmth from my carapace. I opened my eyes and looked up. A quick chitter escaping me as I jumped in surprise. Wolfe nearly fell out of the tree laughing. “Don’t do that!” I yelled when I found my voice. He flapped his way to the ground, clumsily. His flight interrupted by the fact that he was still clutching at his sides. “T-total accident I-I s-swear,” he managed to get out between bursts of giggling. I sighed. “Just, don’t tell anyone I did that.” “That you did what?” he asked, his laughter finally ceasing. I looked away, my face heating. “The chirping. It’s a primal thing, and most changelings look down on that.” He raised an eyebrow. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll make sure to never mention it to the hordes of changeling friends that I have.” He started walking away, motioning for me to join him. “Just don’t mention it,” I pleaded. I grabbed my bag and hurried after him. “It’s embarrassing.” “Mask, trust me. Nopony is gonna care that you make a chirping noise when you get spooked. It’s actually pretty cool." "'Cool'. Right." "I'm serious!" He laughed. "It's like a cricket. Or a cicada." I winced. "Hey, Wolfe. Comparing changelings to insects..." I let the statement trail off, hoping that he could fill in the gap. He hit himself in the forehead. "That's a major no-no isn't it?" I nodded. "Some of us don't take that too kindly," I added. "Sweet Celestia, I'm an idiot. I'm sorry." "Hey now, you didn't know," I assured. "It's just a little forewarning. So you don't get ripped to pieces by the one overly sensitive 'ling." "One I'll take note of." He rubbed at his forehead. "Discord's horns, I'm so dumb." "Wolfe..." It wasn't that big of a deal. I knew he didn't mean it to be spiteful. "Not because of that," he said, prodding at his forehead. "I just gave myself a headache." He winced and groaned. I stifled my laughter. “Alright,” I said as we sat down. I grabbed a wheatburger from the bag. “What’s been going on with you?” He sighed. “Look, it’s… complicated.” I made myself comfortable in the grass. “I’ve got time.” He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then the moment turned into minutes. I groaned and rolled over, resting my head on his shoulder. “If you don’t feel like talking, I could just root around your memories. Much more painful but it’s quick.” He laughed. “That’s not a changeling ability.” I grinned evilly. Lighting my horn, I gripped his mane, lightly, pulled it back, and styled it in a generic ponytail. “Who said anything about changeling magic?” I asked. I shifted his style to something a bit more regal. “There are a few unicorn spells that get the job done.” He glared upwards. As if trying to set his smoothed mane on fire. I laughed and fiddled with it a bit more; stopping when it was back to it’s original look. “And what was that supposed to prove exactly?” He asked, running a hoof across his head until he was satisfied. I sighed tiredly. “Just spill the beans. You are the one who asked me out.” “Here!” I added hurriedly. “Asked me out here!” “Fine,” he sighed again, not seeming to notice my innuendo. “Just give me a minute alright?” I nodded and settled into Wolfe’s side. Offering silent support while I waited. “My parents got divorced when I was little. They never told me why. They just said that it was 'complicated'." "Dad promised me nothing would change. That I'd still see him around. That we'd hang out and talk; still do father/son things, you know?" I nodded. "At first, he kept his promise. But it didn't last. He found a marefriend, and I think that's what really drove us apart. I guess that I kept up the idea that my parents would get back together before that. I guess he sensed how I felt. He stopped asking for me. He stopped showing up at events for me. And it hurt." He gave a bitter laugh. "Though, not as much as the times he did show up. For my sister that is." "Anytime she had something planned. Birthday parties. Musical performances. Graduation. He was there for every single one. I remember telling him off. On Father's Day no less. Pretty cold of me." "No way!" I interjected. "You were angry, and for a good reason. And that took some guts." "I thought it was over. Thought that the worst I'd have to do is say "Hi" if I saw him around town. But then he surprised me. He came to a parkour competition for me. All the way over in Vanhoover. At first, I didn't even want him there. But when he asked for a second chance..." He stopped, shaking slightly. I put a hoof around his shoulder. Urging him to continue. "I gave him the chance, and it went well at first. We started hanging out. He was the first pony I came out of the stables to. The first pony to give me full support." After a minute's silence, I said, " He sounds like a great stallion." A genuine smile crossed Wolfe's face. "He is.” The smile faded. “And he's moving." I felt the pain in his words. Changeling or not, you could sense Wolfe's hurt. "Where?" I asked. "Las Pegasus," he whispered. "He got a job transfer that he can't say no to." He sniffed. "I get it. And I don't blame him. But he tells me in a letter. A freaking letter!" He gets angry. Producing said letter from his bag, he tossed it to the ground. “He puts this crap in my mailbox and hightails it out of there.” I picked up the paper and began reading. “He doesn’t give me an address, area, time, or anything!” he continues. His voice rising with each word. “This isn’t the full letter.” I interrupted. He stopped mid rant. “What?” “There’s more, or at least, there should be.” “How do you-” “It’s the style.” I pointed at the writing itself. “If he wanted to rush the letter, it would be much sloppier.” I pointed at the inked out sections. “And you’d see more edits to it.” I stared at the letter for a moment. I think you may have dropped the second half somewhere.” “You sure?” I could detect hope in his voice. “Why are you so confident?” “Come on, I’m a changeling.” I bumped him in the shoulder and hoofed over the letter. Half-jokingly, I said, “We are masters of espionage and analyzing details.” He still didn’t seem convinced. “Wolfe,” I turned towards him, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “Just hearing you talk about all that you went through, and what he went through, to get this relationship working. I firmly believe that this is something neither one of you wants to throw away.” He smiled. Now was the perfect time. I’d more or less saved a relationship he cared about. We were sitting in some grass. I was looking at him, he was looking at me. Anypony would be crazy to say “no”. He turned away, rooting around for his double hay burger with extra lettuce. “Hey, Wolfe?” “Yeah?” He came up with half the burger hanging from his mouth. I couldn’t help but snort and roll on my side in laughter. He joined me in mirth for a moment before pulling my mind back on track. After my sides stopped heaving, I gathered my courage. “I was just wondering…” I begin “If you thought you could make it to my birthday party next weekend?” Wolfe walked me home that night, we took a shortcut through downtown Canterlot, which I both regret and feel indebted for. It happened just as it was getting dark. “Well, looks like we got ourselves a bug and a bug lover!” Without even turning around I recognized the now obnoxious voice. As did Wolfe, who groaned. There were three of them again. The same three that attacked me. But now we weren’t in the small hallways of school. We were outside, where I could stress my abilities to the max. “What do you want, Stormbringer?” I growled. “Well, for starters. How about banishing all the insects to the sun, eh? See if it works the same as a magnifying glass.” Wolfe took a step forward, his wings already unfurling. I knew how hot headed he could be, and moved to intercept him. “He’s not going to start a fight out here, Wolfe. Just let it go. It’s not worth the trouble.” I turned my back on the enemy. And that’s where it went wrong. I can hardly describe what happened. I remember a hoof, I assume Wolfe’s, pushing me to the side. Seconds later there was a sickening crack, and when I looked up both Wolfe and Storm were gone. “Not worth it, huh?!” Storm yelled. I glanced upwards to see the two of them engaged in another aerial fight. But this one seemed a lot more one sided. With Wolfe on the losing side. “What are you two idiots waiting for?!” Storm yelled. “Beat that bug into a pulp!” I ducked just in time to avoid the clumsy lunge from the earth pony. And spun back around to face the unicorn. Lighting my horn in the process. He blasted an energy beam at me, which I blocked with a small dome shield. I shot a quick blast his way and tried to circle around him. Chancing a glance upward, I nearly took a hit to my legs. I leaped back and sent a blade of energy at the colt. I was forgetting something. A quick roll to the left allowed me to evade the large hoof that would have stunned me. And a quick jab to his gut made him stagger into the beam meant for me, sending him skidding along the ground. I blasted the unicorn while he was distracted, and he flew backwards. I turned to see if there was anyway I could help Wolfe. I got him in my sights mere seconds before he took a punch that grounded him. I remember time slowing down. I remember watching him crash into a wall, and from there to the concrete. I remember feeling something snap inside, and I started to burn. Extremely dangerous, burning love. Life threatening if abused. Every changeling had the ability to burn the essence of love in their bodies like fuel. In doing so, we heightened our physical attributes. Strength, speed, stamina, and magic. The problem? We need love to survive. Burn too much of it, and we’d be left in a comatose state. That’s what happens to a changeling drained of love. Stay too long in that, and your body would die from malnutrition. It was a fate I wished to avoid. But at the moment I was far from thinking rationally. I clamped a vice grip around Stormbringer, and tossed him at the earth pony. Who was trying to stand at the time. The two of them went flying backwards, I heard them crash into something. Probably a wall, I didn't care. The unicorn hit me with a charged blast. Not enough to do damage, but it was enough to stun me. Just long enough for him start running. I lunged at him, seeing his plan. But he made it to the other two before I could get my hooves on him, and teleported himself and his friends out of my sight. I growled, starting to give chase, but a voice stopped me. A very faint and weak voice. “Mask?” Immediately, all of my rage disappeared. I turned back and ran to Wolfe. He scooted backwards and screamed in pain. I couldn’t see why until I got closer. His left wing was stuck under his right shoulder. His right shoulder. “Luna’s Moon,” I whispered. “Help!” I turned and ran, searching for somepony, anypony who might know what to do. “Please! Anypony! Please!” The streets were empty, doors were shut, blinds were down. But I could see the eyes. They just sat there. They made no indication that they heard me, but it was impossible not to. “I’m begging you! Please! He needs help!” I ran up to a door and started banging on it. “Please! I’m not trying to cause trouble, we just really need some help.” The door opened quickly and I sighed in relief. “Thank y-” A broom hit me square in the face, forcing me backwards. “Get out of here!” The brown mare brandishing the broom yelled. “I’ll not have your kind attacking my masters again.” I stood there, stunned. “I said go!” She whipped the broom around wildly, catching me in the side of the head. “You heard her, changeling!” “Leave!” “Your kind is not welcome here.” “H-he just needs some help,” I whispered. “Wh-” The broom caught me in the face again. Smearing my tears across my muzzle. Doors opened, windows as well. I could hear the shouting. I did the only thing I could. I walked away. I went back to Wolfe, helped him onto my back, and left. I tried to make the trip as comfortable as possible, but I could still hear him whimper with each hoofstep.

I love it, I love it, I love it!!! Absolutely stunning. The layering was an amazing touch to add. And it's so attention grabbing, it's perfect! Thank you sooooo much!!

@IridscentNionios My headcanon is that the invasion of Canterlot was the last straw for the majority of changelings. Chrysalis has been making power grabbing moves like these for a long time, and the changelings understand how this will affect them in the long run. The same way ponies understand the power and magic that backs friendship, changelings understand the power that backs love. If they take over, where can love exist when nothing but fear is present? I see her as being chased out by the majority changelings, many of those that remained loyal to her followed her leave from the hive. They elected a council to represent the different interest of the hive. Ever since, the changelings have been trying to survive on their own, and have only recently begun to turn to Equestria for help. Which brings us to the current predicament.

No, I never said there was an agreement. And I wouldn't say war necessarily. Crap, just realized I never put the description for the story up. It helps to explain a tiny bit. I'll put it here and just before the first chapter. t's been months since the invasion of Canterlot. Chrysalis has been overthrown. The changelings are free from her rule. But when Celestia and Luna decree that they favor the integration of their species, many changelings learn the true nature of some ponies, as ponies learn the true nature of their own kind. A story about standing up for yourself as much as anyone else. A tale of finding strength within yourself and using it to overcome adversity. A series of events that lead to friendship, and sometimes love, when you fight for a cause you believe in.

Chapter 4: ...They Will Not Be Judged... Mask "Excuse me. Sorry! Coming through!" The clip-clopping of hooves heralded the arrival of Wolfe. "Hey, Mask," he said as he caught up, barely out of breath. I shook my head in amazement. Giving a quick glance back to the crowded hallway behind us, I asked, "How do you do that? Are you secretly an alicorn?" He started laughing. "Come on, you can tell me. What's your secret?" Somehow this just caused him to laugh harder. I was convinced that Wolfe had unicorn ancestors and some magical abilities. There was simply no way someone could move as fast as he did, through large crowds, or up walls, without bumping into anypony or thing. Not without using his wings, a teleportation spell, or at the very least some type of charm. "I keep telling you, you come out training with me..." "I think I'll stay on the sidelines. You're going to need someone to pick you up when you break a leg." "Ha ha," he said sarcastically. "Did I miss something?" I asked. "You caught up in a hurry, even for you." "Well," he said. "Tempest, Click, and I thought it might be fun to grab a bite, since school lets out early today. We thought it would be a great way to end off the week. You wanna join us?" I thought for a moment. I'd been a bit upset that my last class of the day would be cancelled. I'd started to really enjoy my drama lessons. But I definitely wouldn't mind leaving school nearly an hour earlier than normal. "Sure," I said. "Not much else to do." Mom, as usual, would be working late. And Dad had started working overtime for the week. "Any ideas where?" I asked. He shook his head. "That's part of the fun. We usually get lost anyway, so it's more entertaining to just head in one direction until we find something." "It has nothing to do with finding things for you to climb up or jump off of?" I asked, grinning. "Complete coincidence." He turned his head away for a moment, poorly concealing a smirk, giving me enough time to roll my eyes. "Anyway, we'll meet in the front of the school after flight class," he told me. We walked into the nearly full gymnasium just before the bell rung. "Just under the juniper," "I know the one," I responded as we started our pre-flight stretches. The two of us eventually drifting apart as Wolfe's competitive nature took over. Meanwhile, I did enough to push myself, but not enough to tire quickly. However, Coach Abs giving me the stink-eye was a great motivator to ramp it up. Wolfe "I'll meet you guys after I run to my locker," Mask shouted. "Cool," I yelled back, trying to make my voice heard over the ponies excited for the slightly shorter day. The throng pushed me out the door, and almost down the steps, of the school. I split off and headed in the direction of our usual meeting place. I found Click waiting, curled up next to one of the large roots of the tree. Still typing away on his laptop, as usual. I tried to peek at some of his work, but he immediately snapped the device shut. "Come on," I begged, reaching a hoof towards the computer. "Just a little read?" He held it out of my reach, coating it in a field yellow magic. "You know my rules, Wolfe. No one reads—" "Anything you write until you're absolutely 100% done," I finished, sitting on my haunches, disappointed. "I know the spiel." When he was satisfied that I was done trying to read over his shoulder, he resumed typing. "What if I became your editor?" I asked. He looked at me over the monitor, his hooves never ceasing in their movements. "We both know how bad you are with deadlines, Wolfe." "I'm not bad," I pouted. "I just like to work at my own pace," "Well an editor needs to be able to work at good pace. Not a snail's pace." "Alright, alright. I'll just sit around for two years, waiting for the next chapter." He didn't respond, so I busied myself with looking out for our mutual friends. "Is Brainy a definite no show?" I asked after a few minutes. He nodded. "Says the test is too important to leave to chance. She's gonna spend the night studying. And Spot's out sick." "Again," we said in unison. I sighed. Spotting Tempest, I waved him over. "Ah well, we can have fun with just the four of us." "I take it that Mask is going to join us?" Tempest asked as he sat down. I nodded. "Actually..." I looked back towards the doors, the few usual stragglers were leaving. "He said he was just going to his locker," I said worriedly. "He should have been here by now." After another minute revealed no sign of the changeling, I decided to go check on him. "I'll just see what's keeping him," I said as I began walking back towards the school. "Stop giving me that look, Tempest," I threw over my shoulder. The muffled snicker that followed further proved my friends teasing. "I'm just checking on him. He said that he wouldn't be long, and we've been waiting for a good bit." "I remember when I lied to myself." Instead of defending myself, I simply shook my head and continued on my way into the school. Mask I all but lunged around another corner. My hooves scraping against the floor, heart pounding in my chest. They were close, really close. I kept running. Just barely able to stay out of reach of magic. Unfortunately, I forgot about the Stormbringer. He rammed into me from a side hallway, tossing me at the wall of lockers. For a moment the world spun, causing me to stumble in my steps as I tried to stand. I felt the back of my head slam against the metal again, a cold grip squeezing around my throat. I fought back, trying to use my own magic to pry his aura's grip from my throat. He let his magic waver for a moment, letting me fall to the floor. Before I could think of retaliation, I was lifted up and slammed painfully against the ground. In desperation, I charged up a quick magical burst, hoping that it would knock my attackers back and give me an opening to escape. When they stumbled from the force of the blast I turned to run, crying out when I felt the vice-grip that clamped around my leg. I twisted and fired a quick shot at the offending horn, breaking the unicorn's hold on me. By now, Stormbringer's and his other accomplice had caught up to me. Stormbringer blocked my exit, forcing me to stop and face him. Which left the perfect opening for the earth pony to tackle me. He tried to pin me, but I forced him to back off with a swift kick to the gut. Stormbringer took that moment to ram me into the lockers again, holding me up with one foreleg. Through the spots that danced in my vision, I could just make out his silhouette. His hoof poised to meet my muzzle. My body was too exhausted, both my magic reserves and my stamina were at zero. I pushed feebly at his arms, my head still swimming. An instant before his hoof would have smashed against my face, a blur came from nowhere, picked up Sormbringer, and took him down the corridor. "Back off!" was the only thing I heard. Followed by a very loud thud. "What the hell!" The unicorn shouted. I didn't waste a second. I launched myself from the wall and rammed into him, shoulder first. As he fell, I turned towards the earth colt and let loose another quick shockwave, knocking him off of his hooves. I had to duck as the two pegasi came back down the hallway. Fighting like hawks, wings flailing, each trying land as many blows as they could on the other. "Wolfe?" I called in shock. Unfortunately, my confused shout distracted him long enough to take a solid hit to the muzzle. The blow sent him reeling backwards, but he righted himself mid-fall and glided back down to the ground. I supported him with my shoulder, just long enough for him to clear the dizziness from his head. When we looked up again, Stormbringer and his two cronies had fled. Wolfe stomped the ground in angrily. He spread his wings, ready to give chase, but I held out a hoof and shook my head. "It's not worth it." "The hell it isn't!" he yelled. He pointed a hoof down the hallway. "That was assault, on school property. More than enough to get those—" "And who do you think a court would believe?" I interrupted irritably. "Who would the guards believe? A group of three ponies or one changeling? I'll give you three guesses." He opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off again. "It would be our word against theirs. And the word of a changeling means next to nothing around here." "But you couldn't have instigated a fight," He reasoned. "The guards know about the charms." He indicated the necklace I wore. "These things?" I laughed bitterly, flicking the medallion that had stayed around my neck despite the fight.. "As far as the guard is concerned, changelings know every possible way to get around these charms. Sure they can tell when and if we remove them. But no one cares about that. All anypony cares about is making sure that the 'changeling threat' is kept completely underhoof." I laughed. "You know what's funny? I keep hearing ponies call us bugs, insects, and even parasites. Well that's what it feels like. We're small bugs next to the pony giants. We need to watch our step every second of the day or else, SPLAT!" I ground my hoof into the tiled floor for emphasis. I hadn't even realized that I'd been shouting until I'd opened my eyes and saw Wolfe's shocked face. I felt like apologizing. But I knew I couldn't take back what i’d just said. And I realized that I didn't want too. "Just..." I turned away, feeling too empty to keep arguing. "Just let it go, Wolfe," I said as I began to walk away. He followed me until we got to the exit. Before I could leave, he stepped in front of me. His muzzle an inch away from mine. Had I not been completely drained of emotion, I might have been afraid, or even confrontational. Instead I settled for an stoic stare. "Alright," he said. "I get that you don't want the royal guard involved or anypony else getting involved. So I won't say anything, this time." I felt some weight relieve itself of my chest. I was glad I didn't have to try to convince him. "But I want you to do something for me." I blinked. "What?" "I know you're upset. I'm furious right now. You want to go home and sulk. Lay in bed and yell at the ceiling. But what's that going to accomplish? Nothing. Shove it in their face by having a good time despite them. Carpe Diem!" He put a hoof on my shoulder. "This is supposed to be a really inspiring way of saying that I want to make sure you're okay. And I'd rather not leave you alone to get jumped again." It finally clicked what he was yammering about. "You still want me to come with you guys?" "Well it's either that or I follow you home. And I know that you'd hate to make me miss lunch with Tempest and Click." "Are you guilt-tripping me?" I asked incredulously. He shrugged. "Maybe a little." I opened my mouth, ready to give him every argument that I could think of. Then I deflated, my brain spent. "Fine," I sighed. "A few hours, then I'm heading home. Deal?" Wolfe I looked around. Searching for a good spot. It couldn't be too high, and it needed to be somewhat close to something comfortable for my friends to rest on. -adventures that I sometimes led them on. Mask trailed along more slowly, making it easy to tell that his mind was hardly on the bag of food in his mouth. I waited for my friends to sit down in the nearby grass. Taking the time to size up the spot I'd chosen. A couple of walls, stairs, guardrails, a ramp, and a nice abstract build to top it all off. I nodded in satisfaction. It was perfect. After a quick stretch, I set my eyes on my starting point; the lowest and narrowest of walls. I took a breath, and lifted my hooves. The stress of a few hours ago slipped away. All that existed was the present and immediate future. I leaped, my hooves clicking against the stone wall as I landed. My wings flared, aiding me in keeping my balance before I tucked them away again. I ran forward, my head bobbing with each step. I leaped, front legs out, back legs trailing behind me. I landed smoothly on the next wall, this one being much wider than the other, and began galloping again. I aimed my sights at the ledge of a higher wall. I leaped at it, landing on the vertical surface hooves first, and kicked downwards, my hooves propelling me up the surface and allowing me to grab the top. I pulled myself up, spreading my wings again for balance. I flashed a confident smirk down to my friends. Tempest merely waved, a somewhat cheeky grin on his face. Click raised a nacho in acknowledgement. And I could see Mask’s jaw dangling just above the ground. I grinned wider. If he likes that... I looked over the drop, setting my sights on the narrow guard rail a few feet beneath me. He’s gonna love this, I decided, taking a few steps back to allow myself a running start. I could see the bar in my mind’s eye, and kept it’s location fixed in my head. I took a breath, steeling my nerves, and took off at a quick trot. I waited until I was a few inches from the ledge before leaping. Mid-air, I twisted my body, moving my back legs in front of me. I landed hooves first, and used my forelegs to steady myself on the bar as it rattled from the force of my drop. “Geez,” Tempest exclaimed, startling me for a moment. “That’s the most intense you've ever been.” I chuckled, only then realizing how hard my heart was beating. “I've got energy to burn.” I explained. “You alright?” he asked. “I know how you get when you’re ‘in the moment’ or whatever you call it.” I rolled my eyes but gave my body a quick check anyway. Everything was still attached, nothing was broken, and there were minimal scrapes on my four legs. “Hey, Wolfe?” Click called. “I think you broke Mask.” Mask “You do know that he likes you right?” That question still burned in my head. When Temporal told me that, I’d thought it was a joke. But what he said next erased most of my doubts. “I've known Wolfe for a long time. Long enough to know when he’s crazy about someone. Just look.” He had indicated Wolfe just after he had finished stretching. (A sight that I will admit was nice to see.) “In all the time Wolfe’s done these stunts, I've rarely seen him so utterly focused. And only when he’s got something to prove.” I was captivated from the start. I didn't even know how to describe what or how he did what he did. All I knew was that it was amazing. When I tried to ask Temporal what he was talking about, he clammed up. He said that it was close to dark territory. Territory that he couldn't talk about right now. I accepted that answer without complaint. I had enough to think about already. Of course I knew he was attracted to me. I’m a changeling, even with this stupid charm on, I could taste it. But I didn't realize that the attraction was more than physical. I guess I’d become so used to it, that I didn't even notice a shift. Thinking about it though, it would make sense. I could have died earlier. Wolfe could have walked the other way. No one knew he was there. I wouldn't have even thought about blaming him. But he chose to put himself in danger to make sure I was safe. He was ready to finish the fight for me. Do I feel the same? I stopped at the door of my apartment. Seriously pondering the question. What was Wolfe to me? At the very least, a friend, I affirmed as I opened the door. That much was obvious. He’d been one of the few ponies to give me a chance when I’d first arrived. And he’d gone out of his way to make me feel welcome. And he continued to extend the invitation whenever he could. if that wasn't a friend then I didn't know the first thing about friendship. Best Friend? I wondered as I hooked my saddlebag on a chair. Well, we insulted each other, argued about the stupidest and most mundane things. I’d been over to his place so often I was considered a second son, with food privileges. And he’d come over to my home enough times for me to feel a bit jealous of how my parents treated him. And a bit annoyed; he and Dad would sit for hours discussing enough technical jargon to spin my head a hundred different ways. Do I like him? The question caused me to pause momentarily. I had never really thought about it before. He made me feel happy. And safe. He’d been there for me since the beginning. I wasn't saying I wanted to marry the guy, but I definitely wanted to give it a shot. Tomorrow then, I decided. We'll test the waters tomorrow. Feeling pleased with my decision, I made myself a celebratory glass of apple juice. I took a quick glance at the calendar as I closed the fridge's door, and facehooved. "The one time," I muttered. "The one time I want to go to school and it's a weekend?" I raised my head to the ceiling. "Thanks, Universe!" I shouted, taking another sip of juice. "Thanks a lot!"

Just wanted to make sure this is still a thing.

Time for Chapter 3. Link to my fimfic page as per the usual, http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Wolfe%20and%20WindSilver. And enjoy. Mask The rhythmic clacking from the trains’ wheels did little to interrupt the the war I waged against Dad. Both of us had our eyes fixed forward, analyzing each other. He thought that he had size as an advantage, but I had range and speed on my side. Enough to irritate him after a few hit and runs. We were down to the final stage. No more room to run, not that I wanted to. I had to end this here and now. I steeled my nerves and lit my horn, readying myself to attack. “Check,” I said, smugly. Moving my rook forward, I forced his bishop from its place on the board. As I took his fallen piece he gritted his teeth and moved his king a space to the left. I took advantage of the sloppy retreat to attack his queen with my knight. He moved a pawn forward, but I hardly noticed. Focusing too intently on my imminent victory. I advanced my rook, placing it directly in front of his king, where it was backed by my knight. He had no option except retreat. He stared at the board intently. Foreseeing every possible scenario. After a few minutes of internal debate, Dad finally expressed his thoughts. “You wanna call this a tie?” he asked, leaning back in his seat. I looked at the board. No way! I thought. I’m a move away from… The thought trailed away as I looked at the board, slowly realizing that I’d walked directly into a trap. While I thought that I was stringing the king along, in reality his king was a decoy. Simply bait for me to snap at while he encircled me. And the pawn. The Celestia-forsaken pawn. It was a space away from the last square of my side of the board, and all of my pieces were barred from attacking it. And it was obvious what he wanted. I sighed and nodded, my hopes of winning dashed. The elation that I’d felt now giving way to defeat. And a small amount of indignation. “You could have won,” I pouted, feeling that he’d thrown the game in my favor. “Probably,” he admitted while he collected the pieces. I folded my forelegs and turned away, expressing my annoyance. “However,” he continued. “My plan would have relied on a single piece. If I’d lost my queen, the little strategy I had would have fallen apart.” He gestured to me. “Yours held room for versatility.If you hadn’t given up, it’s likely that you would have won.” “Great,” I muttered, half to myself. “So I spent days on that strategy for nothing.” “It was a good strategy, son,” he chuckled. “It’s the strategist that needs some work.” I stuck my tongue out at him. “Thanks,” I said sarcastically. He grinned and chess bag over to my side of the booth, before adjusting himself so Mom could rest more comfortably against him. She’d fallen asleep about halfway through our game, and neither of us had the heart to move her. She’d worn herself out at the hospital again. A lot of the staff had quit, for obvious reasons, and it fell to the remaining workers to pick up the slack. My mom made it her mission to do any work she could without complaint. She told me that she owed it to her boss, especially when he didn’t fire her despite the reduction he was having in his work force. The unfortunate side effect was the fatigue and stress that now hung over her like a cloud. Luckily the empty train car made for the perfect place to sleep. That was one of the main reasons I was excited for the weekend. She could do with a chance to relax and de-stress, we all could. And a family reunion was the best way to do it. The town the adults had picked was supposedly famous for their tolerance and acceptance. Meaning that the weekend would be fun, and the only excitement would be from the younger drones and workers. The train whistle signalled that we were near our destination, Ponyville. “It really is great to see you again, Melody,” My aunt, Nurture, gushed. “And I can’t wait until you see how the boys have grown.” She turned towards me as we walked. “I think Strike is about your age, Mask,” she added. “And they’ve both been excited about meeting the family.” I nodded, hardly focusing on the conversation. Instead I was completely enthralled by the beauty of Ponyville. Especially the large crystal castle that rose near the center of it. Other large and creative designs stood throughout the small town, capturing my attention in turn. Ponyville also had a simplistic and natural beauty, so different from the city, where things were made to be beautiful. So much so that they lost meaning. The citizens of Ponyville, however, shaped the world around them. I could see it in the way they built. The homes were made of natural materials, and had basic designs. While that could go up in flames, it probably helped to have pegasi nearby, who could put it out in seconds. I just watched the ponies go about their business. Laughing, smiling, running, and talking. They looked so peaceful and… loving. I could see why they were more accepting of changelings over other cities and towns. They were bursting with love, care, and affection for each other. It made me happy. I was ripped from my peaceful state of mind, realizing that I’d begun to lag behind, when I heard Dad try to explain a recent situation. “You should have knocked!” I yelled in retort, running ahead to rejoin the group. “We’ll call you when the food’s ready,” Mom yelled from behind me. “Until then just get your things settled.” “Alright,” I called down in reply. I shut the door and chose one of the three beds, tossing my bag on top, and flopped onto it. My hooves ached from the walk from the train to Aunt Nurture’s home at the other end of town. At least they set up a few extra beds, I thought. I grabbed my bag and rummaged through it, pulling out my copy of Animorphs once it had been uncovered. It wasn’t anything special, a group of ponies who’d been gifted the power to turn into animals, entrusted to save the world from brain hijacking slugs, and a couple of weird aliens thrown in. While the book as a whole was a bit bland and hackneyed, the humor and idea behind it were enough to get me to continue to read. That and my compulsiveness to figure out when the characters would finally wise up and tell everypony about the Yeerks. I was in the middle of Wise Guy realizing that his mother was Visser One, when I heard Mom call from downstairs. I marked the page in my book and tossed it on the bed behind me as I made for the door. Unfortunately, someone had the same idea as me. The door opened just as I reached it,slamming into my forehead just at the base of my horn. The ‘Ling on the other side continued into the door, expecting it to be open, and bumped into it as well. “Ow,” The other voice groaned. “You alright over there?” “Yeah,” I replied. I stepped back and pulled the door open fully, revealing my accidental assailant. He was a bit taller than me, and a bit more muscled. Okay, I was a twig compared to him. His mane was shorter than mine. It was kept in what I remember to be the hive’s regulation style. As was his tail. However, we might have been considered twins if not for his much blacker carapace as opposed to my lighter shade. He rubbed his nose, smiling guiltily at me. “Probably not the best way to meet a cousin of mine,” he chuckled. Sticking out a hoof, he introduced himself, “I’m Flame Strike, or just Strike.” I took a hoof away from my aching horn long enough to introduce myself. He winced when I put it back almost immediately. “Sorry, you sure you’re okay?” he asked worriedly. I waved it off. “I’m fine,” I insisted. “Really.” He didn’t look convinced, maybe the wincing between every word was too suspicious, but he didn’t question me further. “Well, if you’re going to be stubborn about it.” A simple smirk indicated that he was joking. I grinned back. “Aunt Melody sent me up to make sure you heard her.” He inclined his head towards the stairs. “They need some help putting the food outside.” I groaned, knowing, by the pain in my horn, that I wouldn’t be able to use magic to carry the food. Sorry boys, I thought giving my hooves a pained smile. No rest for the weary. Nearly an hour later, I found myself lying on the grass outside. My hooves made sure that their displeasure, at being overworked, was known. Meanwhile my horn mocked me by letting its pain subside. I decided to put it to work by rubbing at my hooves, hoping to soothe them a bit. “Don’t tell me you’re tired already?” Strike asked from behind me. He set a plate down in front of me; stacked with my favorites. I tucked into the watermelon first, talking only after I swallowed the first mouthful. “You’re not the one who had to carry 6 fruit cakes on his back.” He sat beside me with a sigh. “Look, I really am sor—” I interrupted him with a raised hoof. “I already told you not to worry. I just like giving you a hard time about it.” “Besides,” I went on, a grin beginning to cover my muzzle. I took a bite out of my oats. “The less you apologize, the less guilty I’ll feel about kicking your plot in the races later.” “Dream on,” he retorted. “They don’t call me ‘Strike’ for nothing. I’m the fastest ‘Ling for miles.” I laughed through the coleslaw. “That’s because you haven’t raced me yet.” 3rd person/Soothing Melody Soothing Melody laughed with her sister as she watched the antics of their two children. As well as that of their respective husbands. “I’m telling you it’s impossible,” her husband, Brick Layer, argued. “There’s no possible way that you can even begin an operation like that unless you remove the coolant system first. that’s the only way to make the system shut down forcefully.” “You’re forgetting about the overcharge safety gate,” her sister’s mate, Gear, this time. “Do you even realize how dangerous that is. Increase the power output too quickly and you—” “Yeah but that didn’t happen,” Gear interrupted with a smirk. “But it could have.” Brick was becoming visibly exasperated as the argument continued. Melody turned to her sister, a mirthful smile still on her muzzle. “Do you think we should break them up.” “Nah, they’re having fun,” She laughed. “Besides, they’re setting a great example for the kids.” She pointed at their sons. “Yeah right,” Mask said, rolling his eyes. “Would I lie to you?” Strike asked. “Yes,” Mask answered immediately. Strike feigned a wounded look. “Well, why don’t you let me prove it with a little practice race?” “Where to?” Mask asked. “This way,” he yelled as he took off. Mask took a last bite of his hay fries before dashing off in pursuit. “There they go,” Melody said, shaking her head in amazement. “They’re not the only ones,” her sister quipped, pointing to the older drones. “Well then let’s see who is right,” Gear said. “I’m sure there’s a tech shop in town.” “Fine,” Brick responded throwing his hooves out in annoyance. “And when it blows up in your face, I’ll be sure to call an ambulance.” With that, the two began walking into town, still arguing loudly. Melody sighed. “I suppose that we should go after them.” “I’ll look after the drones who can cause damage,” Nurture said. “You go make sure the boys are alright.” Melody nodded. “Be careful,” she laughed. “Oh I’m sure they’ll be covered in ash by the time we get back,” her sister laughed. “You’d better get going, looks like they’re leaving you behind.” She was right, both boys were zipping across the fields. Melody began buzzing her wings, and lifted off in the direction of the young drones. Mask “Get some sleep boys. We’re planning a trip into town tomorrow.” We mumbled a chorus of replies as we flopped onto our respective beds. Strike won our race, but just barely. I insisted it was because I’d just ate, and he agreed. That didn’t stop him from boasting about it though. I managed to shut him up by beating him on the way back. The other members of my family were pretty cool. Another cousin of mine, Sky Fang, was an amazing flyer. He pulled off techniques that I’d seen very few pegasus do. And I had another aunt who was writing a book. She said it was to detail the lives of some changelings after being exiled from the hive, and had tons of interviews set up. Neither of us won the races. The victory went to my cousin Terra. She held the lead for nearly the entire race, and wasn't even sweating at the end. Flame was more upset than I was. Probably because of his loss to me just before. It was hard to believe that Strike’s younger brother was born female. Had I not been told in advance (so I wouldn’t ask any awkward questions) I wouldn’t have assumed anything. He didn’t seem to mind my queries, but I made sure to not be a bother. He probably got enough of that from the town. Strike had some pretty big plans for himself. He told me that he wanted to join the royal guards. I told him that he was crazy, because he’d probably have to fight the changelings who still followed Chrysalis. If only that had been all he had to worry about. “Hey, Mask,” he asked just as I got comfortable. “You still awake?” “No,” I whispered. “I’m completely unconscious.” “There’s this awesome place that Robin and I have to show you.” “You’re gonna love it,” Robin Sight added. “What type of place is it?” I asked. “That part is gonna stay a surprise,” Strike answered cryptically. “Just so you guys know…" I began awkwardly. "I’m not legal yet.” The abrupt silence was soon filled with hysterical laughter. “It’s not that kind of place. Trust me. It’s foal friendly there.” “Then why can’t you just tell me?” A little annoyance crept into my voice. “What fun would that be?” Robin asked. Bot of them chuckling at my confusion. I sighed in defeat. “Fine, have your secrets. I’d just better not get a lecture like Dad and Uncle Gear got.” “It’ll be fine. We go there all the time. Just stick with us.” “Alright,” I said. “Can I go to bed now?” In an extremely disturbing voice that emanated from directly in front of me, he answered, “You can always got to bed, Mask.” He lit his horn. “Always.” I glared at him. “Get off of me.” “Aw, you do like me.” “OFF!”