It's Friday morning, the sun having only just risen over the horizon as the group of four arrive in Whitetail Woods. The two changeling escorts travel for a short time until they can start to see buildings through the trees. Flick nudges Rhino awake with one of his wings.

The battered unicorn groans as he moves for the first time in about 16 hours. His eyes slowly open as he looks around, recognizing where they are. "Almost home..." He looks across at Luster and Gel as he tries to get off the yellow drone. "How is she?"

The indigo nymph glances at the one on her back. She nods and turns to him, her mind reaching out to him, forming a pressure in his head once more.

Rhino pushes back as the temporary link between their minds is formed once more.

She seems to be faring better, though she’s still asleep. The group lands on the forest floor behind his house.

Well… I hope she wakes up soon… Rhino successfully dismounts Flick and stretches his legs before looking around to get his bearings. “Alright… home should be… this way.” He heads at an angle towards the rows of houses.

The drone stretches his wings a moment, slightly frowning. “But we heard that she was discovered before Port picked her up. Won’t the three of us be easier to discover?”

Rhino sighs and nods, the wind taken out of his metaphorical sails at the mention of the problems they still have to deal with. “Yes… but we have some small graces at least. Our house has the good fortune to be in a blind spot in the web. She wasn’t completely exposed anyway, her disguise is still usable.”

“Ah. Well, that makes things a whole lot better.” The changelings stop, glancing at each other curiously. “...do you think we need one, sis?”
She shrugs, letting her metal boxes rest on the ground behind her. I guess so. It’d be bad if we couldn’t find a way to blend in, considering.

Rhino thinks aloud as they reach the edge of his yard, lowering his voice in case of prying ears. “Perhaps we can look around later, me from the ground and you from the air, to see if there are other spots or, preferably, paths that are not in the detector web. But… if you do need disguises, perhaps you could say you are Angel’s relatives and go from there?” He steps into the yard and crosses it.

The changelings nod to each other and quickly shift their forms. Flick becomes a chestnut pegasus stallion. He runs a hoof through his brown mane, grinning widely. “This is good. What do you think, Luster?”

He turns to the yellow mare, but she strides forward, ignoring his question. We have disguises, but we can’t put one on her. Sorry about that. Her cyan eyes lower to the grass beneath their hooves, a confused expression on her face. ...I would’ve expected there to be trees all the way up to the backdoor. Interesting.

The unicorn fishes a key out of his bags. They leave space for a nice yard, but we still have a few separating us from the other houses, so we have privacy. He continues outloud for Flick’s benefit. “You don’t have to worry about disguising her, I usually encourage her to be herself inside the house. Speaking of which, I assume you two will be staying with us until we think of a plan. I have a spare bedroom downstairs and this will finally give me the reason to move the boxes out of it.”

“That would be greatly appreciated, Doc.” He chuckles, turning to the tree line a moment. “I think I’ll have to go back for my art supplies later, but I suppose it can wait.”

“I understand…” He opens the door and walks in, flicking on a light. “Right now, i just want to have a chance to sit down and-” What he sees cuts him off.

There in the living room, staring at the four arrivals, is Silk, playing with Mittens, Specter, Mercury, and Selena. Her eyes are wide as she spies Gel on Luster’s back as well as Rhino’s bandages.

They all stand silently for a moment before Flick speaks up. “Hi, there, Miss.”

Silk’s mouth opens and closes silently a few times before she speaks. “H-hi… Rhino… who are these ponies…” she raises a shaky hoof and her voice pitch, “and why do you have a… changeling, of all things, with you?”

Rhino tries to think of a good excuse, but having just woken up, isn’t exactly in his craftiest of states. “That… might be easier for you to hear once she’s actually awake…” He directs Luster to set Gel on the couch, the pets instantly running to the nymph’s side as she is lain down. “Thank you for taking care of the pets while I was gone…” he looks around the room, “...and for tidying up, apparently.”

She edges slowly away from the couch with a wary look on her face. “Did… did it do… that to you?” She motions to his wounds.The green stallion shakes his head. “No… it’s… complicated, but she definitely did not hurt me.”

Flick raises a hoof. “My sis might have, but she didn’t really do much, I think.” He looks at the sole earth pony in the room, tilting his head to one side. “Right?”

She shakes head, a remorseful look on her face.

Silk still looks uneasy. “I… don’t understand…”

Rhino sighs. “Look… Silk… everything will be explained, I promise. It’ll just be much easier once she’s awake.” His stomach rumbles oddly as a particular thought hits him. “Actually… there’s something I need to do really quickly…” He heads into the kitchen and comes out a moment later with what appears to be almost a quart of milk and chugs down about half of it in a few seconds. “There we go…”

Luster shakes her head, smiling playfully. That explains how you were able to...well, you know, not have any bones broken.

He sips more of the liquid as he sits on the couch next to Gel’s prone form. True… I guess there’s actually a good amount of weight to my claim of not having broken a bone in my life now.

The brown pegasus glances between the two of them before frowning slightly. “Come on, Doc, I know she can’t speak up, but I hate being out of the loop!”

The yellow pegasus still looks rapidly from one pony to another. “What are you talking about now?!”

Rhino looks to her. “Well, you see…” He fails to come up with a way to explain what he’s doing and looks quickly to Flick. “Look, you aren’t missing anything too big, it’s just chatting.”

Silk raises her hooves in the air. “But you didn’t say anything!”

Flick chuckles, stepping forward. “Not audibly. See, my sis is a mute, but she can talk telepathically. Does that make sense, Miss?”

Her eye twitches. “But… but… I’ve only ever heard of unicorns doing that! And only ever really old ones and only amongst themselves! She’s an earth pony!”

He opens his mouth to respond, but can’t figure out anything to say. He looks to Luster, sheepishly smiling. “She’s got us there, Fiddlesticks.”

The blue maned mare scowls at this, striding forward and smacking him upside the head.

Flick laughs, rubbing the sore spot. “Yeah, I suppose I deserved that.”

Silk is just looking at Rhino at this point, giving up getting an answer from the other two.

He rubs the back of his head with a hoof. “Yeah… sorry… like I said, when she wakes up, I’ll explain what I can.”

As if waiting for those words, the blue changeling stirs, her eyes fluttering open. “...ow...my chest…” She looks up, brightening immediately at the sight of the mare in front of her. “Silk! I can’t believe it!” She leaps up in an attempt to hug her but falls short, landing on her face. “...my snout…”

Silk pretty much pinned herself to the wall as soon as Gel awoke. “How does she know my name? Why would she know my name?”

Rhino, meanwhile, immediately starts helping the nymph back onto the couch, leaving his hoof holding hers once he is done. You look like yourself right now… just so you know…

She looks down at herself and squeaks, blushing brightly. ...o-oh...t-thank you, Rhino… She looks up at the mare pressing herself against the wall, carefully standing up and taking a single step forward. “P-please don’t freak out, Silk. I-I know I may seem scary, but I won’t hurt you.” She holds a hoof over her chest, smiling kindly at her. “You have my word on that. And I never break my word.”

The pegasus mare still looks warily at the nymph, but stops pinning herself against the wall quite so hard. “How do you know my name?”

She looks hurt at this. “Why wouldn’t I know my best friend’s name?”

“What?” The mare blinks. “But… the only one who thinks of me as their best friends is…” Her eyes widen.

Gel shyly giggles, rubbing the back of her neck. “Surprise?”

“But… you can’t be… you’re a… and she’s a…” Silk mumbles to herself, shaking her head every once in awhile.

Seeing this little scene, the two siblings slowly back towards the nearest door. “...we’ll just...leave you three alone, okay?” They duck into the guest bedroom, closing the door behind them.

“I-I know it’s a little...strange...but it’s still me.” She sits down on the floor, shuffling her legs a little in her anxiety. “I just...took off my makeup.”

Silk observes as Rhino eases off the couch, setting his milk on the end table as he sits next to the nymph, wrapping his hoof around hers and nodding to confirm everything she said. The mare slowly moves to a normal standing position, eyeing the changeling. “What happened this past Saturday that was important for both of us?”

Gel smiles, holding out a hoof to her. “We became friends again. I even gave you a little gift beforehoof before we came in and chat a bit. And then, at the end, I invited you over to our place for a little pet playdate.”

Silk simply looks at the changeling for a full minute before mumbling. “You… did… I mean… I guess you are…” She sits down heavily. “Ok… my best friend is a changeling… did not see my day going like this…”

“I got attacked by my commanding officer.” The nymph dryly laughs. “I think your day’s been better than my week.”

“Oh dear…” She looks at the stallion. “Is that where you got… you know…” She gestures to his bandages.

He nods. “In short, yes, when I asked you to take care of the pets two days ago, I was going to get her back.”

Silk’s eyes are wide. “Wow…”

The changeling sits awkwardly for a moment before offering the pegasus her hoof. “M-maybe I should re-introduce myself. M-my name is Gel...Colonel Gel, if you want to be specific, but I dropped the ranking the moment the General tried to use me against Rhino.”

The mare winces a little. “I… don’t think I need to know specifics… but then… who were those two other ponies?”

“Friends from my old hive.” Gel giggles, shaking her head before noticing the look they’re giving her. “What? They’ve used those disguises for a while, now.”

Rhino raises an eyebrow at her. “Well… that’s one thing I don’t have to explain. Do you also know why they are here with us?”

“Not a clue.” She looks at him, an eyebrow quirked. “I assume you do, though?”

He nods. “I gave them the same opportunity you have. They accepted, and they helped me.”

Gel blinks, blankly staring at him. “...Flick, I can see doing that...but Luster? How’d you get her to help you?”

He simply smiles at her. “I just talked to her. That was all it took.”

The nymph opens her mouth to reply but can’t find anything to say. She closes it and nods slowly. “...I’ll take your word for it...” She turns to the mare in front of her, brushing a lock of her blue mane from her face. “...so...d-do you have any questions, Silk? Considering...” She gestures to herself, sheepishly smiling.

“I… I don’t know… it’s still sinking in really…” She looks down at Mittens, who is pawing at her leg. She picks him up as she continues. “I’m sure we’ll talk again soon… you two probably want to relax after everything that happened.”

“Probably a good idea.” The nymph taps her chin, thinking a moment. “...you won’t...tell anypony about this, will you?”

She shakes her head. “No… I know why you keep it a secret, especially these days… I won’t tell unless you want me to.”

She smiles softly, leaning forward and gently nuzzling the pegasus’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Though she stiffens at first from the chitin’s contact, Silk hesitantly nuzzles back lightly. “You’re welcome… I’ll see you around, okay?” She takes Mittens on her back and waves as she heads to the door.

Gel waves back as the pegasus exits before turning to Rhino, frowning at his bandages. "...I-I'm sorry you had to...go through that..." She rests her head against his neck, upset. "...I-I'm glad we're back home, though...we still have to worry about Twilight..."

He nuzzles her, drying her tears with his fur. "Hey now... considering what we had to deal with these past few days, I think we can afford to be happy for a bit." He lightly kisses her on the forehead. "And actually... I think I have a little something that should do the trick. Remember that surprise I had to pick up on Wednesday?"

She blinks in confusion but nods, a curious look on her face. "Yes...what was that, anyways?"

He boops her nose. "Stay right here with the little ones, and I'll go get it." He heads upstairs, glad his sides are numb right now or climbing the steps would suck. He returns with his saddlebags in his teeth and sets them down to his side as he sits down in front of Gel, his hooves shuffling as his nerves start to get to him.

She tilts her head to the side, now more confused than anything. "...Rhino...what are you..."

He clears his throat and shakes his head. "Sorry... I just want to do this right..." He breathes deeply for a moment before speaking again. "Gel... Some of what I'm about to say might sound cheesy, but it doesn't make it any less true. You trusted me, by showing me who you truly are, and in return, I trusted you by opening my heart. I have never regretted that decision. When I'm around you, I feel... like I never want to be away. When you were taken, I didn't hesitate to go after you, and I've never been more relieved than the moment I got you back. I love you, for who you are. I don't think I could ever be with anyone else... because they wouldn't be you. So... in light of that, I have something I want to ask you."

He pulls a small black box out of his bag and opens it toward her. Inside is a beautiful necklace. It's amulet is a large emerald heart, in the center of a fiery circle of sapphires, with two entwining ribbons of green and blue metal going outward until they seamlessly flow into the golden segmented chain.

"Will you marry me?"

The nymph covers her mouth with her hooves, surprised by this. She looks at him, then at the necklace and back, tears in her eyes. "...R-Rhino...I-I..." She lowers her forelegs, revealing her elated smile, and pulls him close, kissing him passionately. When she pulls away a few seconds later, she nods, crying joyfully. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

He beams as he hugs her while he levitates the necklace out of its box. "Shall we see how it looks on you?" He kisses her again, just because he wants to.

She smiles, turning around and pulling her mane to the side, allowing him to put it on easier. "If you wouldn't mind, love."

He gently puts the jewelry around her neck, fastening it in the back. It fits nicely on her, not loose enough to swing, but only tight enough so that it stays in place.

She runs a hoof over it, smiling softly. "...thank you, Rhino...it's beautiful..." She nervously giggles, rubbing the back of her neck. "...now I wish I'd gotten you something, earlier..." She nuzzles him but then a thought occurs to her. "...so that's how you knew about that restaurant...it was across the street from the jewelers!"

He chuckles. "I guess you found me out." Their necklaces clink together as they nuzzle. "I'm so glad you said yes..."

"I'm glad you asked me." She giggles, gently kissing him.

While the couple enjoy each other's company, two ponies peek out at them. The pegasus quietly chuckles, shaking his head. "I suppose Drone 273 was telling the truth. I've never seen so much love from a pair in my life."

Luster looks up at him, quirking an eyebrow.

Flick sighs. "Okay, so there was that one time in Canterlot...but this is really close to that!" He taps his chin, thinking a bit. "I wonder if I could find a mare to love me like that..." He completely misses the look of disgust on the yellow pony's face, as she likely doesn't want to think of her brother in that light. The two quietly close the door, giving the stallion and his nymph their privacy.

The two continue nuzzling until the feeling of tiny paws interrupts them. The three pets all look up at them with big eyes, not having gotten to see the both of them for two days now.

Rhino chuckles as he leans down to their level. "Sorry about that, little ones, but we're back now."

Gel smiles softly, carefully picking up the three of them with her magic and putting two of them down on the couch and their squirrel on the stallion's head. "I missed you all so much." She kisses the forehead of each in turn. "I'm glad I'm back home."

Rhino kisses her cheek. "You aren't the only one..." He looks toward the spare room. "Perhaps our new guests need to be addressed, wouldn't want them cooped up in the room all day."

"Maybe...Luster can get a bit restless without some form of metal, nearby...and Flick likes to at least be able to see the sky..." She tilts her head, hearing some music coming from the bedroom. "...well, one of them seems to be faring well, at least..."

He nods as his ears flick. "True, but she can play while she fights. Why don't we get them out here so they can chat with us?" He walks over to the door and waits until there is a lull in the music before knocking.

The music stops immediately, and the same melodic voice from before can be heard in his head. Come in.

Rhino looks towards Gel and motions to the door as he opens it. "Come on, we've been invited in."

She frowns slightly, immediately knowing what just happened. "...as long as she doesn't enter our dreams, I suppose I don't mind her speaking with you like this..."

They enter to see Flick sitting in front of a window, watching a bluejay perched outside, and Luster sitting on the edge of the bed, her metal violin resting on her leg and a curious look on her face. May I help you?

Gel blinks, confused. "...where did she get the metal for that?"

"That's a good question..." He addresses Luster out loud so Gel and Flick can hear his answers. "We just wanted to check on you two, see how you're settling in, make sure you aren't fighting, you know, typical things."

"Could use my art supplies, but Fiddlesticks, here, decided not to get them, even though she brought her instrument through the window." Flick gestures to the window on the other side of the room, which was open and pointing towards the back yard.

The yellow mare narrows her eyes at this, tucking her violin back under her chin and playing once more. A mass of metal shoots through the open window, beaning the pegasus in the back of the head. It opens up to drop said supplies on top of him before moving off to the side and nestling itself among the boxes still in the room. We could use a little more space, to be honest.

Rhino laughs sheepishly as he starts levitating the boxes. "Right... sorry, I thought you guys wouldn't come in here until after I got the boxes out." He leaves and quickly shoves them into one of the closets in the hall. "There you go. Now... unfortunately, there is, as you can see, only one bed in here. If you're not comfortable with that, we also have a couch, and I've got a spare sleeping bag or two."

The siblings glance at each other a moment before Flick speaks up once more. "Us sharing a bed might be a bit awkward." The blue-maned pony next to him silently nods in agreement.

Gel taps Rhino's shoulder, tilting her head to one side. "What about my room? One of them could have it, right?"

He responds frankly. "Well, it is your room so I wouldn't presume to know what you wanted to do with it. I know half of your stuff is in my room by now, but I didn't know if you were comfortable in someone else staying in your room for the foreseeable future."

"It's fine. There's not really that much left in there." She shrugs slightly. "Just some romance novels."

The chestnut stallion raises a hoof. "I call this room."

Luster gives him a small look of confusion before sighing and rolling her eyes, grabbing her violin in her teeth and gesturing to the ponies in front of her. Please, lead the way.

As they head up the nearby stairs, Rhino poses a question to Gel. Come to think of it, do you even use your room for much anymore? If you don't have much in there, I suppose you could always move all the way into my room. Officially make it 'our' room, you know?

I've already moved my important items into your room. She taps her chin, thinking a bit. The only things I have yet to move are my paintball supplies and the majority of my wardrobe.

Luster looks from one to the other, curious about what they're thinking but knowing not to pry.

As he opens the door to her room and stands to the side, motioning the nymphs in first, he continues. So... is that a yes?

Yes, it is. She giggles, nuzzling his cheek. Though I feel as if it's been our room for a while, now.

The yellow mare steps inside, glancing around before nodding a bit. This will do just fine. Thank you for offering your room to me, Gel. She turns to the blue nymph, smiling softly around her instrument in her mouth. She notices how odd this must look and quickly places it on the bed, her smile now sheepish.

Rhino turns to the blue nymph. "She says thank you." He turns to Luster. "You know, you can drop the disguise if you want to. Like I said, I prefer Gel to be herself here, the same goes for you."

The mare blinks at this but hesitantly nods, turning back into her indigo-colored self. She glances around before her eyes fall on a pair of sky-blue panties, confusion soon covering her face. ...what is this for?

Rhino coughs and blushes, embarrassed. "Ah, erm, Gel? You appear to have left some things out..." He motions to the undergarment.

The action is hardly complete before a blue aura covers the clothes and it zips out of the room. The nymph next to him blushes brightly, nervously laughing. "Ah hah...s-sorry about that..."

Luster shrugs nonchalantly and sits down on the bed, picking up her violin and playing once more. She closes her eyes as she gets lost in her music.

Rhino scuffs his hoof against the ground, not looking at the purple nymph. "So... welcome to the house... let me know if you have any requests for dinner, be nice to the pets, and remember we are all your friends here." He clears his throat awkwardly. "Any questions?"

She doesn't respond, the only hint she heard him is a small twitch of her ear.

***

The night of the day they had gotten back from their harrowing journey, all seems peaceful in the couple's household. Gel and Rhino are currently getting ready for bed, the latter having shaved down the fur on his face to about half its original length to get the burnt parts off. He's now unwrapping his slightly blood-stained bandages in order to change them for the night.

He finishes getting all of them off and winces slightly, the pain medication Flick had given him wearing off some hours ago and the unicorn had not taken anymore because he didn't want them wearing off halfway through the night.

The nymph looks over at him, blinking in surprise. "...you're...less injured than I remember..." She taps her chin, thinking a bit before pointing said hoof at him. "Did Flick give you some medicine?"

Rhino nods as he cranes his neck back and separates his fur to see the extent of his injuries. "Yes, though it was supposed to be general painkillers and things to keep them clean. You probably just thought they were worse because they were actively bleeding last time you saw them. The scratches aren't even noticeable now unless you part the fur." He eyes the massive feline bite mark on both sides. "That however... is very much there."

She grimaces, scratching the side of her head. "...I wonder how you're going to explain that bite to Doctor Goodall..." She clears her throat. "A-anyways, I asked because...well, he has this special medicine that accelerates healing...I thought he put that on you..."

Rhino looks back down at the burn on his chest now. "Maybe... I was halfway out of it at that point... he may have. We'll have to ask. It'd be nice if that's what he did." He picks up a fresh roll of bandages. "For now though, I still have to wrap myself to make sure nothing gets infected, or bleeds on the sheets if the scabs crack." He starts trying to figure out how best to do this.

She takes the gauze in her magic, smiling softly. "Don't worry, love. I'll take care of it." She carefully wraps his wounds, making sure not to agitate them on accident. As she does this, she decides to strike up a conversation. "...so...it's been an eventful week, hasn't it?"

He concurs. "Crazy... got a massive threat to getting discovered, you getting... taken, me going after you, getting you back, we got two new housemates, we got engaged... Yeah... I'll be happy if the weekend goes by without a hitch..." He looks to her necklace, which she hasn't taken off since he put it on her. "Though, I do actually like that last thing on the list."

She giggles as she finishes up thrice-wrapping his torso. "So do I." As she clips it in place, she quietly sighs. "Too bad I can't go out and buy one as good as this for you, right now..."

He nuzzles her lovingly. "Hey, I've got you as all the proof I need that I'm engaged. We'll think of something."

She nods, smiling softly at him. "...okay, Rhino..." She tenderly nuzzles him back but pauses, pulling back and looking at him, slightly upset. "...it feels strange when your fur's short like this..."

He averts his eyes. "I know... I know... it should be back within a week. My neck is still fluffy though." He smiles at her before a thought occurs to him. "You aren't hurt or anything after all this, right?"

She giggles, shaking her head. "I believe I mentioned that your love is quite potent, haven't I?" Even as she says this, her hoof absently strokes over where her one injury from the whole ordeal was. "...maybe I should consider finding a way to toughen my chitin...just in case..."

He walks around her like he is thinking on this idea, before leaning over and nibbling lightly on the end of her ear. "Will it still be sensitive and smooth?"

She squirms, blushing brightly. "...I-I suppose I could always...alter my chitin when it's needed..." She shyly giggles, playfully flicking the tip of his nose with her tail.

He smiles as he flicks her back with his own tail, even as he kisses her neck before rubbing it with his own. "It's so good to have you back..."

"It's good to be back..." She yawns softly as she starts to climb in the bed, pulling the cover back so she can better settle herself down. "...now, though, I'd just like to sleep..." She pats the empty space in front of her, winking at the stallion. "...with my fiance."

"Well, how can I say no to that?" He looks to the side of the room where all the pets are asleep in their respective beds, having probably not gotten much sleep at all without the couple around. He smiles at them before sliding into bed next to Gel, instinctively wrapping his forelegs snuggly around her before he even gets settled.

She sighs happily, embracing him a little tighter and nuzzling his neck. "...thank you, love..." They stay like this a moment before she speaks up once more. "You do realize we aren't going to have any 'fun', tonight. Not with your injuries."

"Yeah, I know." He leans down and gently nibbles her neck. "Doesn't mean I can't be affectionate while we lay here though."

She coos at this, blushing brightly. "...I-I suppose that's true..."

His tail wraps around hers comfortably as he lies on his back in his usual sleeping position when they are together. "So... you don't mind that I got us two more housemates, right?"

"Not at all." She playfully nips his neck and licks where she bites. "It's nice to see my old friends again...I just hope they don't interrupt us when we finally have fun together, again..." She presses her body up against his side, mindful of his injuries.

He shivers as he runs his hooves down her back. "True, but we could always just ask them to go for a walk or something, that or invest in sound proofing."

"...sound proofing...I think Luster has a spell for that..." Gel taps her chin, thinking a bit. "...maybe we could ask her to help with that?"

He nods. "Sure, we can probably do that without having to answer too many... awkward questions. Maybe Flick has some more of that medicine of his, too."

She nods, yawning softly. "...I think he keeps them...in his art supplies..." She closes her eyes, her exhaustion getting to her.

He smiles down at her. "Well, that's all things to worry about in the morning." He kisses her lips lightly. "Good night, love."

"...good ni..." Her voice trails off into quiet breathing, as she falls asleep in the middle of her sentence.