Night Light had spent years in the Canterlot bureaucracy learning how to make judgements on incomplete information, but never before had he felt so totally helpless. His instinctual reactions as a father ran completely counter to his years of experience judging other ponies reactions. Twilight was afraid of them, wracked with guilt and suppressed memories of what she had done and how she expected them to respond. The worst possible thing he could do would be to burst into the library and sweep his little filly up into a crushing hug, and it took all of his willpower to remove one hoof from the door and put it back down on the ground instead of pushing it open.

“D-do you s-still love m-me?”

The faint words tore at his heart with barbed hooks, and he had to wipe treacherous tears away from his face before responding.

“More than ever, Twilight. More than ever. We all do.”

The resulting silence stretched long, broken only by the quiet sounds of two little colts whispering to each other somewhere inside the library. Finally, she asked in a voice that could barely be heard, “Are you angry?”

Despite an overwhelming urge to deny it, Night Light considered the question in light of the questioner. After all, little Twilight Sparkle had been a terror at rooting out well-hidden little deceptions, like his pipe and her brother’s collection of Clothes Horse magazines. And the truth, although painful, was far preferable to what happened when she discovered a lie.

“A little,” he admitted. “I was angry when you were taken away from us. I even yelled at Princess Celestia. Once. I was angry that the cream of the Royal Guard along with my own son could not rescue you from the forest and try to get you the help I thought you needed. I was angry when I was helping with the changeling casualties and found out that my daughter had caused their pain.”

He rested his forehead against the cool wood of the door. “I was more angry at myself when I found out how you saved Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon. If we had rescued you from the Everfree, the whole world would have been destroyed, and it would have been my fault. Can you forgive us, Twilight?”

“I d-d-don’t k-know. T-too many m-memories.”

Tallgrass took a deep breath, both physically and mentally trying to soak in as much of Ponyville as possible before the train left. The decision had been difficult, because even Zecora could not determine if the movement of the stars that he was basing his actions on was right or just his own reaction to the pain of her daughter in his vicinity. Luna was little help, filled with words like ‘free will’ and ‘choice’ when asked about her own stars and their movements. Changelings did not believe in choice either, or at least they had not until recently. To make matters worse, his own queen had agreed with Luna, nodding along as he described his situation to the three mares who guided his destiny and then taking her side and stating that she would support whatever his decision was as long as it did not hurt Twilight.

Free will was vastly overrated. Decisions were supposed to be simple. The queen desires this. Do it. Now things like Love and Family cropped up in the simple decision process, along with Consensus and Discussion. Some changelings in the town saw that Flower’s fear of changelings was tearing out her heart, and as much as they wanted to stay in the town and help, only removing source of her pain would allow her time to heal. Others disagreed, claiming that the blessed one who had saved their race from destruction needed to be reminded that her actions were justified, and that she was loved by all of them.

He was torn between the two sides, relying on his newfound senses to guide him to a decision, and to his regret, he sided with the ones who wished to save her pain and leave Ponyville. It was a choice he hated, but once made, seemed to be less of a choice than a narrow channel with a roaring flood flinging him towards an unknown destination, most probably a metaphorical waterfall of some sort.

While trudging on board the train, it had seemed as if all the mountains of Equestria were resting on his shoulders. Even the happy chatter of the fire spirits in the engine had been unable to bring cheer to his leaden steps. There was the support of his fellow changelings to lift his heart, gathering together in a group around him and whispering words of encouragement. But they would only stay by his side for a few stops on the train line, trudging away to Van Hoofer or Fillydelphia, anywhere their presence would not disturb little Flower and cause her pain.

His journey would not end there. Something had driven him to buy a ticket for Manehatten, farther than he had ever traveled before, and yet even that distance seemed as the first step in many more. It had just seemed right at the moment, but the miasma of regret at their departure made that decision taste like ashes in his mouth.

None of the changelings wanted to leave. The small town had brought them happiness at a time when they needed it most, and all of them radiated a depressed reluctance that showed in drooped ears and flaccid manes at having to see it go away. The worst of all of them was little Peep Sprout, who was shuffling along behind his mother with dark waves of unhappiness radiating off him stronger than any of the other disguised changelings. He was leaving friends, while Tallgrass was leaving far more.

Ponies were infertile with Changelings. If that were not an irrevocable fact, many of the changelings who harvested love in the oldest profession would have returned to the hive with something in addition to a few month’s supply. It took love to conceive, a lot of love, and another irrevocable fact was that the love required had to be given not taken. Often out of a regional hive of around a hundred changelings, only one or two normally were pregnant at any time.

Every female changeling in Equestria had gone into season within a week of the new queen’s ascension.

For the week after that, the Hivemind had been… busy.

A vast number of cold showers had been taken, enormous amounts of Regit and Chill Time medication had been consumed, and research into changeling reproduction had advanced by orders of magnitude. The idea of becoming a vast horde of starving changelings again was far too prominent in everyling’s mind, and a mixture of certain common herbs and an over the counter pony hormonal regulator had been determined to be the best route to avoid that fate. There had been a few failures of will during the ‘Week of Fire’ but they were few enough that they were treated as a blessing instead of a curse, and a number of humorous situational names were being contemplated.

When the week started, noling had even considered what would happen to fertile changelings mating with fertile ponies. Or zebras. Particularly when both were Imetabiriwa. That lack of information had all ended rather abruptly one night.

For one brief indescribable moment, the Hivemind had merged with the spirits of all the elements, time had stood still, the stars had looked down upon them, and something vaster than Equestria had paused in its progress through the universe to watch, and then thankfully move on without comment.

It had been a humbling experience. He was just grateful that Flower had been sleeping⁽¹⁾. Afterwards, when they had gone out into the night to watch the stars, Zecora had pointed out what she said was a unnamed new star in the heavens. It was just a small little thing, easy enough to miss, but he didn’t have the nerve to ask Princess Luna about it when he had stood beside her on the train platform and it was too late now as he stood inside the train and felt the first jolt of motion.

(1) or so he thought.

Choice. The name floated up in his mind as the train began moving, and it neatly encompassed his entire life since the day he had first met Zecora. He had chosen to help when Trixie’s bedraggled guards had needed a break, had chosen to trust the obnoxious blue unicorn, and had chosen to chase the Cutie Mark Crusaders out into the dark and hungry night, a long chain of choices Then culminating into a choice Now, just the same way as he would continue to make choices through the rest of his life. It was unfair that choice also caused such pain.

It felt like he was leaving far more than one piece of himself behind in the quiet little town. Zecora had fit perfectly into his heart, sliding into place within a hole he had not realized existed until they had both stood watching the little filly who had torn the forest apart in her rage and saved a Princess with her love. Flower was as much a part of her as she was a part of him, but the spike of raw terror that filled her being every time she looked at him was tearing all of them apart, the only thing making the pain in his heart barely bearable as he watched the town of Ponyville shrink away in the distance to the rhythm of the fire and earth spirits under his hooves.

To save what he loved, he had to give them all up.

It was his choice.

Choice sucked.

It’s amazing the difference a few pieces of cloth and a couple of mismatched buttons can make in a perfectly terrible day.

Rearranging Miss Smarty Pants under one wing, Princess Luna took the opportunity to cast a quick look behind her as she walked through Ponyville, counting four members of Twilight Sparkle’s family (plus one unborn foal), one member of her adopted family (striped), a near dozen or so small colts and fillies of various ages and maturity, evenly divided between the cutie marked and bare rumped, and one dragon (size small). It felt a little like leading a parade rather than a serious visit of long-lost family members to a sensitive child, and she wished the family had taken her suggestion to visit in the dark of night when the rest of the town would be sleeping.

The patriarch of the family was sitting very still outside the hollow oak tree, his head placed against the door and a damp patch of wood marking its location when he turned to look at the oncoming crowd.

“Princess Luna,” he whispered, “Twilight is inside with the colts. It doesn’t sound like she wants to see us today.”

“Nonsense,” said Luna, striding up to the door and starting to push it open. “I’m certain—”

A bright purple flash lit her vision, the door moved back into the closed position, and Luna slowly picked herself out of a bush several dozen yards away.

“Perhaps I was mistaken,” she remarked, once the last of the prickly twigs had been extracted out of her mane. Walking up to the library door much more cautiously this time, she tapped gently on the purple magic that had faded to a dim glow around the entire hollow oak tree.

“Twilight Sparkle?” She tapped against the door again. “We hath brought thy doll.”

“K-keep it.”

“Nay, dear sister. Thy heart hath need of your friend’s embrace far more than myself. I am not worthy of her continued presence.” Luna paused, motioning for the Sparkle clan to back up a short distance while she approached the door and lowered her voice.

“Wilt thou hear my plea, or shall I send your parents back to Canterlot until a more opportune time?”

There was a brief pause, marked only by the sound of little ponies at play inside the library and a faint scrabbling of draconic claws as Spike pulled himself up and peeked in a window. “Hey, I see those two little colts over by my comic book collection. Go on, shoo.”

“I d-don’t know,” said Twilight Sparkle in a very faint voice that Luna could barely hear.

“I am concerned, my sister, for if your family is removed from your presence, I know not if you will ever be able to face them in the future. They do not bear you any ill will for your actions, but hold you deeply within their hearts.”

“I d-don’t deserve their l-love. I’m afraid.”

“I do not deserve the love of my sister either, Twilight Sparkle,” said Luna. “But it is there regardless, and to spurn its offer is a terrible affront to her forgiveness. Your entire family has journeyed here and is willing to support you in this troubling time, if only you will open your heart and listen.”

“Where’s Tallgrass?”

Luna was taken aback for a moment, and turned to count anxious family members, coming up one short and looking to Zecora for an explanation.

“My mate is gone to a distant road, far from here he knows not where.
It is nothing of which you need be concerned, oh Wise One of the Air.
His path is twisted with many turns,
and it shall be long before his return.”

“He has gone on a trip, Twilight Sparkle,” said Luna to the closed door. “But that is neither here nor there. What is important is how you face today.”

But Monster was not listening.

Rail Jammer leaned back and enjoyed the feel of the wind in his mane on the second uphill straightaway on tracks away from Ponyville. There were only a few places during the run where he did not have to pay attention to the gages or try to estimate exactly where to prod his fire pony to put another layer of coal across the firebox. The nice thick layer of burning coal laid down by Anthracite as they left Ponyville should have been providing a gradually increasing pressure to match the increase in the rail grade on the long switchbacks that it took to reach Canterlot, but instead there was a slowing of the wind down to a breeze, and after a period of frantically examining gages, a complete stop.

After pulling the brake, Rail Jammer joined Anthracite, who was staring into the open firebox with a look of complete crogglement.

“It just aint’ burning, boss. The vents are all open, and I got the new coal all spread out nice and even, but ain’t nothing catching on fire.” Anthracite sniffed a lump of coal, then gave it a tentative nibble. “Aint’ nuttin’ wrong with it ‘cept it ain’t on fire.”

And in the dim red glow of the firebox, the unburnt coal sat patiently. She was coming.

This time Luna’s baring of her soul flowed easier, the words of consolation over Celestia’s forgiveness to her crimes no longer burning in her mouth as she confessed. While she pleaded with her new sister to allow the same forgiveness within her young heart, a warmth rose within her.

There is something liberating about admitting my weakness to one I love, attempting to convince them to travel the same path of redemption that my own hooves reluctantly tread. I have opened my heart far more to this little filly than I have in an eternity with my own sister. Celestia has always seemed the perfect one, but her heartfelt words as of late give the lie to that assumption, as there are times now that I believe she is even more wracked with guilt than myself. Oh, dear sister, I wish that you were here with me now, for I do not know if I can bear to repeat my words in your presence.

She continued her plea to Twilight Sparkle in a low voice while Spike kept climbing around the windows and giving a step-by-step description of the little colt’s activities, from their unwarranted pillaging of his comic book hoard, to an exploration of the library kitchen. It was a distraction from her goal, but it also distracted the two little troublemakers from interrupting her speech. Apparently they enjoyed their reign of minor destruction from what she could hear of their giggles and the wet diaper they shoved out of the library book return slot, although if Spike had hair before, he certainly would have torn it out by the time Luna reached the end of her words and waited for Twilight Sparkle’s response.

There was a long silence broken only by Spike whimpering about his “Golden age collectors issues in plastic bindings, please don’t let them find — No! Put those down!”

“Twilight Sparkle? Art thou ready to face thy parents now?” she asked, gently tapping on the faint purple of the magic still wrapped around the tree.

“Princess Luna?” Spike looked down from his precarious perch, hanging onto a windowsill by his claws. “I don’t see her in there any more.”

Luna opened the library door, allowing Spike to pass through on his mission to rescue his precious comics and Twilight Velvet on her mission to reapply diapers to her little colts. She regarded the crowded and yet empty library for a short while before calling out to the little dragon.

“Spike. Fetch me writing implements.”

“What is it, Princess?” He stood on his toes, holding a plastic-wrapped comic above his head as two little colts bounced around him.

“I wish to prepare a letter. If Twilight Sparkle will not stand still for me to give her the benefit of my years of wisdom, I shall prepare it in a form which she shall better comprehend."