Robin’s eyes flashed open and she lifted her upper torso off of the soft confines of linen sheets and goose down pillows, allowing the embroidered covers to slip down her purple coat. She shifted her hind legs over to the side of the bed, but her right one knocked into the wooden frame, reverting it back to hole-filled limb, black like onyx. Robin took a breath, a ring of green fire appearing around her leg where the purple fur ended and slowly crept downward, replacing the chitin with the soft coat of pony.

With a sigh, she hefted herself off the bed, avoided banging any more limbs, and trotted over to the small desk in the corner of the room next to a set of closed drapes the color of a ripe pomegranate’s rind. She pushed one to its side and looked out at Ponyville.

The deep blue hue of night still reigned in the west, heralding the sinking of the moon below the horizon. To the east, the sky was filling with pink, orange, and red, signaling the rise of the triumphant sun, its first rays stretching through Ponyville and touching a few houses with its light. Robin backed away into the shadows of the bedroom, but parted the drapes to allow the morning light in.

Taking a seat at the miniscule desk, she pulled a hefty grey tome that sat by two other thick books as well as a stack of newspapers and flipped to slightly past the halfway point. She pulled out a motheaten strip of fabric and began reading, an occasional mutter slipping out of her mouth.

“665 C.E. Rasior Exploration Team disappears in The Wastes… 667, Second Griffon War of the Dusk Age begins…” She went silent, eyes scanning the text before flipping forward a few pages. “783 C.E. Zebra Caravans… no trails found…”

By the time the sun had fully cleared the horizon, Robin had switched from the grey tome to the newspapers. One issue was spread across the desk, its yellowed pages fully covering the wooden surface, bending at odd angles over sets of coloring books and misshapen crayons and curling over the edges. Her eyes looked over the rough map resting in the center of the right page that was dotted with various numbers, focusing on an area near the bottom-left corner colored with reds and oranges.

A knock at the door drew her away from the old weather report. Scooting out of the chair, Robin placed the newspapers and books into a faded saddlebag with a dull star mark on it, slung it over her back, and made her way over to the door. She twisted it open, allowing Rarity to enter.

“Good morning, dear,” Rarity said before coughing lightly into a frilly handkerchief. “Excuse me. I do hope I’m not coming down with that cold that seems to be going around.” She glanced down at the full saddlebags and then at Robin. “And how is your research recovery going?”

“I’m getting bits and pieces,” Robin replied, “but the information is hard to come by through public sources.”

“It’s absolutely dreadful,” Rarity pouted. “Research, identification, and even your bits; all gone. I’d be inclined to give that changeling a good smack if I ever came across it.”

“I think everypony would be better off never seeing it again.”

“We’re in agreement there.” Rarity spun around and held open the door with her magic. “Anyway, breakfast is ready. I thought since everyone is feeling a little under the weather, we’d try this blend Twilight got from Zecora. Her herbal teas can clear your head faster than Rainbow Dash clears the sky… when she does her job.”

Robin trotted up the dirt path, strongly considering veering over to the side and grazing on some grass. It was a vestige of pioneer times, but the worst it could garner would be a few odd stares and hopefully alleve the rancid burning sensation that assaulted her tongue. Water, fruit salad, and scones at Rarity’s had done nothing to rid Robin of the tea’s putrid taste. The walk up to Sweet Apple Acres had diminished the flavor from a nauseous inferno to a smoldering blight, but only added to the true problem.

Robin’s stomach gave a tiny growl. She continued on her path, momentarily thinking back to leaving once Rarity had started talking about her sister. Focusing back on present, Robin passed through the weathered gate and up to the farmhouse.

She closed her eyes and breathed. Pointed ears and eyes with overlapping ovals and reptilian pupils sprouted up across the farm. Sweeping through Sweet Apple Acres, Robin neither heard nor saw anything other than a lone white rabbit sneaking a carrot out through a nearby fence. The mischievous pest dropped its stolen food and sped off when a black hoof erupted out of the ground, blocking its escape.

Carrot thief dealt with, Robin turned her attention to the inside of the farmhouse. The ears and eyes vanished from outside and Robin’s view shifted to a humble kitchen stocked to the brim with every manner of apple dish imaginable. Her attention went to the four ponies gathered around the table in the center of the room.

“Wooh,” Applejack sighed, removing her hat and wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead, “talk about a rough morning.”

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac.

“I could’ve helped,” Apple Bloom sniffled.

“Your brother and sister can handle it.” Granny Smith took a sip from her mug and poked at Apple Bloom’s. “Now drink all your cider and then get back up to bed.”

“But I’m not even that sick,” Apple Bloom complained before she let out a deafening sneeze.

Granny Smith frowned at her. “Apples never get sick unless it’s one of the meaner bugs out there. I’m just glad that young miss from, uh…”

“Ohayra,” Applejack finished. “Think it’s somewhere near Trottingham.”

“Right, right,” Granny Smith muttered. “Best unicorn I ever met, wouldn’t be surprised if she’s got a little Apple blood in her.”

As the Apple family spoke, Robin stood outside, feeling her stomach fill up. She stared down at the ground throughout the whole process, a frown stretched across her face. After today, I should have enough to get to Canterlot.

After finishing her “meal” and fighting the urge not to dry heave, Robin knocked on the door. Applejack opened it with a smile that stuck out against her frayed mane and darkened eyes.

“Morning, Ms. Robin. Sorry for the mess in here, we were just finishing up breakfast. I’d offer some leftovers, but I think we all might be catching whatever it is that’s going around.”

“Thank you anyway for the offer,” Robin replied.

“Least we can do with everything you’ve been through and all the help you’ve given us these past few days.” Applejack trotted outside and down to the fields. “Speaking of which, there’s a problem today that I could really use a unicorn’s help on.”

Robin set her bags on the porch and followed after Applejack as the pair wound their way away from the farmhouse and over to one of Sweet Apple Acres many barns. Paint flicked off the wooden boards from the one Applejack had led Robin to. The doors gave a shrill whine when she pushed them open, revealing the dusty interior, dark save for the brief bit of sunlight that got in. A light buzz could be heard from up above.

“Apple bees,” Applejack explained. “They’re a great help in pollinating the orchard and their honey is some of the best around, but they pack one heck of a sting. This barn is in pretty bad shape and we were hoping to tear it down soon, but we need to move the bees out first.”

“I see,” said Robin, even though darkness was all the greeted her additional eye atop the farm’s roof. “So you need me to levitate it down then?”

“If it isn’t too much trouble.”

The doors creaked again, drawing both ponies’ attention. Big Mac lumbered in, balancing a steaming container on his back. Twisting around, he clasped its handle and placed it on the ground. With snort, he gave Applejack and Robin a nod and then disappeared off to another section of the farm.

“I can stay and smoke up the nest in case they get a nasty,” Applejack offered.

Robin lightly shook her head. “I think I’ll be fine on my own. Just close the door on the way out, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“I hear ya, don’t want any bees getting free and making a mess. Just be careful, okay?”

With that, Applejack slipped out of the barn, rusty hinges whining as she shut the door. After a brief moment in darkness, Robin lit up her horn, bathing the dirt floor in a sickly green glow. Taking a deep breath, the aura around her horn narrowed down to a translucent beam that cut through the shadows and up to the ceiling.

Cobwebs and rotting wood dotted the top of the barn. Robin’s magic tracked across the decayed architecture, a solitary eye accompanying it as it moved around until it reached a corner of the barn.

The beehive poked out of the wood like a large gray lump. Its occupants buzzed around it, zooming in and out of countless holes. Turning her neck a few degrees to the right, Robin brought her horn’s light right onto the corner. The bees still flew around at the same leisurely pace.

Robin took a breath, the aura around her horn glowing brighter until it was practically neon. Above, the bees began storming out of their hive and swarmed forward to attack, but their assault was cut short when they bumped into a solid wall of magic. Robin pulled her head back, the wood around the hive shaking at the same time, but the nest still remained rooted to the roof. The bees were now swarming in full force, their sheer numbers pushing against Robin’s spell.

She shut her eyes and summoned four hooves around the hive. Clasping the barrier she’d erected, they tugged and pushed, the boards connected to them groaning and splintering. With a great crack, the hive dislodged from one of the barn’s walls and started to tumble down. With labored breath, Robin sent out a net of limbs that caught the hive when gravity removed it from the other wall.

She gave a small huff when the full weight of the hive pressed against her limbs in addition to maintaining the barrier. Yet, neither her devil fruit powers nor her spell wavered as she replaced legs with ones that were closer to the ground, slowly bringing the hive to the floor.

Beads of sweat dotted Robin’s face and muzzle by the time the hive was only a few feet above the ground. The bees still angrily flew against the barrier but to no avail. With a sigh, Robin dispersed her leg-net in a flourish of thin petals that vanished almost instantly. She glanced back at the still-smoking container at her side and enveloped it in her magic, floating it over to the hive.

The shrill creak of the door opening forced her to relinquish her hold on the smoke machine; it gave a clank when it hit the ground. Twisting her head around, Robin was met with Apple Bloom staring back at her with wide eyes and a shaking legs. She shouted something, but it was lost in the roar of the swarm, now freed from its temporary prison.

Jumping back, Robin sent up a green barrier, but not before a few bees flew past and planted their stingers in her leg. Despite wincing, she didn’t relent in her spell. At the same time, two hooves rose from the ground and flung Apple Bloom out of the barn. Robin turned her back to her spell and galloped outside, slamming the door shut with the help of some additional legs as her spell crumbled.

The buzzing was muffled but still filled her ears as she caught her breath outside. Glancing down, she was met with splotches of her legs reduced to their changeling form. They didn’t hurt, but they weren’t turning back to pony fur either.

A sniffle drew Robin away from her injuries. Apple Bloom sat on the ground, her tears dampening the earth beneath her, coat dusty and ruffled from getting shoved backwards. Her head was turned down and her whole body shook.

“I-I’m sorry!” she sobbed. “I just thought… my cutie mark a-and…”

A hoof went to her face, silencing her. Robin peered over Apple Bloom’s body, but found no stingers. A bit of her legs were scraped up, but nothing some antiseptic and some bandages couldn’t clean up.

“It’s fine,” said Robin. “Now, go back inside and tell you sister that I got stung, so I had to run off to the hospital.”

“B-but…”

“Now.”

Apple Bloom hiccuped, picked herself up, and shuffled towards the farmhouse. Robin turned in the opposite direction and raced into the orchard. She quickly galloped off the beaten path and slipped into the thick mesh of the apple trees.

Sitting down under the shadow of one, Robin assessed the state her legs were in. Furrowing her brow, she managed to summon up her flames around the edges of the exposed areas of her disguise. Yet, parts of her legs still remained black and hole-filled, her magic refusing to cross over them.

I need to get some bandages.

She squelched the supernatural fire and wound her way through the orchard, eyes on the ground, watching for errant roots. The soil soon turned slick and loose beneath her, hooves sinking into mud and forcing her closer to the trees.

A rustle drew her attention up. Scanning the branches, Robin saw a few of them shifting around to her right. The sight of blue feathers made her frown deepen and she lunged dove a nearby puddle of mud, obscuring her legs.

Rainbow Dash knocked away a few branches and floated down next to Robin. She wiped away some sweat from her unkempt mane and huffed while staying aloft. The saddlebags at her sides were soaked where they touched her coat.

“Hey,” she said, voice dry and shallow. “What are you doing out here?”

“Some work for Applejack, bu—” Robin was cut off by an inordinate amount of hacking from Dash. Her wings stopped flapping and she landed, coughing into a hoof. She gave her chest a thump and finally quieted herself, offering Robin a sheepish grin. “... but I scraped myself up a little so I was heading to get some bandages for them.”

“Well, aren’t you lucky then?” A smile spread across Dash’s face as she turned around and pulled a roll of gauze and a bottle of disinfectant out of her saddlebag. “Just stopped by the hospital since Fluttershy was getting worried about this dumb cough. Told her it’s just a cold and the doctor said the same thing. No biggie though, I’ve got sick days to spend.”

“Thank you.” Robin took the first aid with her magic, frowning at Rainbow Dash staring at her with an undiminished grin. “Would you mind not looking while I clean up, they were some pretty nasty scrapes.”

“Why do you think I buy stuff like that in the first place?” Dash replied. “Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of hospital stays, so anything you’ve got can’t be too bad.”

“Please?” Robin asked. “It’s a personal thing.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah.” Dash spun around and walked a few paces away, pulling out a tissue from her bags and sneezing into it.

Robin moved out of the mud and onto more solid ground. Her horn lit up and encased her legs in an aura, scraping off the mud from them and revealing dirtied fur and still-exposed chitin. Sprinkling some disinfectant on the gauze for show, she wrapped the fabric around the undisguised parts of her legs, faking a small gasp at the touch of the disinfectant.

“Okay.” Robin floated the first aid back over to Dash, tapping her on the shoulder with the gauze. “Thank you very much.”

“No problem.” Shoving the items back into her bags, Dash flashed Robin a smile. “Sooooo… whatcha gonna do now?”

“I suppose I should go back and tell Ms. Applejack that I’m fine now.”

“Hey, why don’t I join you?” Dash coughed into her hoof again.

“I think it’d be wiser to return home and get some rest.” Robin marched past Dash, making her way over to the path. She frowned when Dash followed her. “Unless you have a pressing matter with the Apples.”

“It’s… kinda important?” Dash said with a weak grin. Under Robin’s stare, she lowered her head and sighed. “Okay, so I want to hear some archeology stories and maybe get some applesauce from AJ.”

“Hmmm, I suppose a small story would be okay while we walk,” Robin lamented. “The time I found a correlation between the native fauna and flora of the Zebra drylands and the Griffin colonies was quite a discovery.”

“Yeah?” Dash’s eyes widened and Robin tried to keep her face straight as she felt her stomach fill up again. “So what? You found out some ancient conspiracy? A link to legendary treasure? Both?”

“That the nutrient composition in their soils was nearly identical,” Robin said with a smile. “Given the great distance between the two locations, such an occurrence in rare, even taking migrations into account.”

Dash’s wings drooped down, followed by her lips. “Dirt? That was your big discovery? It’s always that, rocks, or plants with you. C’mon, there’s got to be more than that.”

“Sorry,” Robin replied, “but all archeology isn’t like a Daring Do book. There isn’t always hidden gold or a mad lunatic trying to take over the world.”

“There is when you tell Spike stories,” Dash grumbled.

Robin stopped and twisted around to look straight at Dash. “Spike is a child, I can take liberties in the truth with what I tell him. You, Ms. Dash, are an adult and I expect you to have a more grounded sense of reality than what a few fictional stories say.”

“I…” Dash went silent for a moment, frown pulling back into scowl. Her wings shot out and she lifted into the air, glaring down at Robin. “You know what? I don’t think I need applesauce anymore. Have fun with your dirt!”

Dash sped off and disappeared over the trees, letting out a cough that echoed in Robin’s ears. Alone now, she sighed and trotted onward.

That should keep her away.

Robin trotted down the same road she’d taken up to Sweet Apple Acres. A quarter-bushel of apples shuffled around the bag on her right side and a few bits clinked against the books in the left one. She considered dumping the apples off to the side of the road, sickened by the feeling in her gut and knowing she wouldn’t be eating them. She eventually decided it would be better to give them to Rarity.

Apple Bloom had disappeared into her room when Robin had returned to the farm, but Applejack had rushed over as soon as she’d spotted Robin and pulled her into a hug, thanking her repeatedly for keeping Apple Bloom from getting hurt. The entire incident had made Robin want to punch her stomach.

The event played over and over in Robin’s head as she made her way through town. Ponies glanced at her occasionally and a few mares pushed their children away from the street. Passing the train station, she stole a brief glance at the pair of guards stationed next to the ticket booth. She turned away and breathed in the morning air.

The sudden appearance a pink poofy mane invading her vision made her pause for a moment. With a wide grin, Pinkie danced around Robin, somehow summoning an accordion to accompany her lyrical voice. “Robin, you look so glum, but that’s dumb ‘cause it’s such a beautiful day out!”

“In high spirits as always?” Robin asked, resuming her trot.

“You bet!” Pinkie chirped, pulling herself closer and eyeing Robin. “You still look a little sad though, but Twilight says you’re already getting back some of your research.”

“Yes,” Robin lied. “I think I’ve gotten to the point where I can move on to another library. It also seems like whatever danger that changeling creature posed has passed.”

“And I’m super relieved about that too!” Pinkie reached and wiped imaginary sweat off her brow. “I really wish we could have found it so we could get your stuff back though.” Pinkie paused and let her lips turn down for a brief second. “It’s sad to hear that you’re gonna go. Oh! We can have a party tonight!”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea with that bug going around.”

“Hmmm.” Pinkie tapped at her chin. “Guess you’ve got a point there. Ah well, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to make you a super special goodbye treat!”

Pinkie let out a giggle and then sped off down a street. Robin couldn’t help but crack a brief smile at the energetic pony. Her lips returned to a neutral line as she focused back on the large tree that loomed in front of her.

Robin walked up to the library and twisted the knob, entering into the main room. Silence greeted her; a few books were out of their shelves and rested upon that tables. Trekking through the empty room, Robin hefted her bags onto a desk near the staircase that had a large box almost as tall as a pony next to it.

She was floating the first book into the return bin when one of the stairs creaked. Looking up, she was met with Spike rubbing his red and puffy snout with a claw.

“Morning, Robin,” he mumbled. “Sorry, Twilight’s out. Said something about going to Zecora’s for some herbs.” He paused to suck back a glob of snot that threatened to spill out of his nose. “Sorry about that too. We’ve both got whatever’s going around.”

“Then you should stay in bed,” Robin cautioned.

“Geez.” Spike descended the final step and looked up at her with narrowed eyes. “You’re sure you’re not Twilight’s long lost sister?”

“I find that highly unlikely,” Robin chuckled.

“Sooo…” He moved a little closer to her. “How is Rarity’s? The best, right? You’re super lucky Twilight let you stay there.”

“Ms. Rarity has been very accommodating.” A false smile came to Robin’s face. “I’m sure staying here would have been fine too, if a bit cramped.”

Spike smiled back at her, but suddenly twisted and pulled his head back and sneezed out a jet of flame, consuming a nearby stool.

“Princess Celestia isn’t gonna like that,” he sighed looking over the scorched area left by his flames. “I think you’re right, better grab the food Twilight left and go back to bed.”

Spike lumbered away to the kitchen and returned a few seconds later with a bowl of soup in his grasp. He shoved a full spoon into his mouth, undeterred by the steam that poured off the liquid or the bubbles that rose from the bowl. He paused at the sound of the front door opening; with a sniffle, he turned towards the entrance.

“Twilight,” he coughed. “You’re back.”

Much like Spike, Twilight’s nose was rubbed raw and stuffed up with mucus. Sweat trailed down her face and dampened her mane, matting it to her coat in the few places where it didn’t flick up. Her shadowed bloodshot eyes snapped away from Spike and over to Robin.

“Robin, what are you doing here?” she croaked. “I thought you’d be at Applejack’s.”

“We finished early today.” Robin pointed a hoof at the return bin. “So I thought I’d bring back the books I borrowed. I won’t be needing them anymore.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly and she moved closer to Robin. “What do you mean?”

“As wonderful as your library is, I can’t locate some of the texts I was using,” Robin explained, eyes following Twilight as she drew closer. “I believe the Canterlot Collection will be more fitting to my needs.”

“Canterlot?” Twilight came to a halt, pupils shrinking to pinpricks. She shot up a hoof and waved it back and forth. “Oh, no, no, no. You definitely don’t want to go there. The, uh, library system has some really bad bureaucratic issues. Takes forever to find a book and the due dates are just abysmal.”

“My past visits have never yielded any difficulties like that,” Robin lied.

“Yes,” Twilight countered, “but you had your library card then.”

“My work isn’t anything that requires security clearance, so getting a new card shouldn’t take long. ”

“But… I…” Twilight scrunched up her face and stomped a hoof. She twisted her head over to Spike. “Spike, hurry up to bed. You can eat your soup there.”

Spike’s face blanched at little under Twilight’s glare. With a gulp, he climbed up the stairs and disappeared into the bedroom. With only Robin left, Twilight turned her attention back to her, shallow breaths escaping out of her mouth.

“Robin, why don’t you head to Manehatten or Trottingham instead?” she huffed. “They’re way less busy than Canterlot. I’ve even heard the Historical Wing at Trottingham’s library is even better than Canterlot’s.”

“Canterlot is less than a day away,” Robin replied. “I want to restore my research as fast as possible and I—”

“Stop it!” Twilight snapped. She placed a hoof to a temple and shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment and then glaring back at Robin. “Just stop it. The research, the books, helping out. I… I don’t understand it. Why are you doing this?”

“Twilight…” Robin took a step forward, but retreated when Twilight’s horn started to glow. “Calm down. I’m worried the cold is getting to your head.”

“No!” Twilight rasped. Gritting her teeth, she sank her head low, aura fading from her horn. “Robin, please, can’t you see that I’m trying t—”

A knock at the door jolted Twilight’s head up. She looked back and forth between Robin and the door before turning her whole body to the entrance. “That’s probably for me.”

A chill went through Robin. Like the stares she’d gotten since her arrival in Ponyville, a feeling seared into her memory was rising up. She’d lost track of how many times a knock at the door had shattered the small amount of safety she had secured in her numerous jobs. Heart thumping in her chest, she summoned a single eye to outside the library, just above the entrance.

Two armored guards stood outside, white coats shining along with their golden uniforms. Sharp eyes and tight lips marred their faces, their features highlighted by the small glow emanating from their horns. They stood with their legs bent, ready to assume any manner of position the situation called for.

Focusing back on the inside of the library, Robin slowly took a step back as Twilight advanced closer and closer to the door. With a cold sweat breaking out, she spun around and broke into a full gallop as Twilight opened the door. The sound of hooves clattering against the ground filled her ears as something whizzed past her head and exploded against a wall, sending sparks and burt wood everywhere.

“Wait!” Twilight shouted.

“Move aside,” a gruff voice ordered. “We’re not to let it escape.”

Whatever else was said, Robin didn’t hear. Her senses zoned in on the area immediately in front of her. She tightly turned around a corner and careened through the kitchen, darting towards the door. She flung it open with her magic and rushed outside.

Only to slam straight into a pony’s chest and fall to the ground. Vision spinning, she managed to see that a white stallion, bereft of his uniform’s helmet, allowing his long blue mane to flow behind him, was looking at her with a flame roaring in his eyes. His horn lit up and instantly grew bright enough to be blinding.

“Not this time,” he growled.

Then the world went black.

A feeling akin to a warm iron pressing into her side forced Robin to open her eyes. She began to sit up, but paused when a clink echoed through her ears. Looking down, she saw that all four of her black limbs were chained to worn stone that also made up the walls around her. She reached up and placed a hoof on her forehead, feeling an angular metal bolt around the base of her jagged horn as she tried to push back the nausea building in her throat.

This feeling… sea prison stone?

Her pondering was stilled as she looked around the room, noting how well lit it was for a prison. A pale white glow illuminated the walls, creeping through the cell’s bars. At its source was a looming figure, the same immaculate color as the magic that glimmered around the cell. Her prismatic mane flowed in the windless dungeon, but never covering up her tight frown or sharp ruby eyes.

“You’ve caused paranoia and panic in my kingdom, feasted off my subjects, and harmed my student and her friends,” she said, voice cutting through the air like a winter wind. “You are going to answer my questions or I will sentence you right now and leave nothing but ash.”

“Princess Celestia.” Robin gulped and bowed her head. “Please. Forgive my intrusion into your land. I did not wish to come here or cause harm to anypony.”

“But you did,” Celestia replied, tone still as frigid as the coldest ice. “You lied and ingratiated yourself with some of the most powerful ponies in the kingdom. You expect me to believe this is an accident? A coincidence?” Celestia’s horn grew bright and a heat swept across the cell. “Now, answer my questions.” Celestia dimmed her magic and snorted. “First, I want your name.”

“Robin.”

“Not that false name. Your real real name. Something like Pupa or Arachne, I presume.”

“My name is Robin.”

“Very well then.” Celestia began to trot around the outside of the cell, never taking her eyes off of Robin. “I imagine you thought yourself clever then? Using your real name while going under the guise of a false pony. It certainly eliminated any factual gaps that would have cropped up had you imitated an actual pony. Not that it would have helped you if you’d crossed one of the patrols.”

“You were cautious there as well, I suppose.” Celestia came to a halt and floated up a collection of letters. “You underestimated my student though. She was rightfully curious about a strange archeologist pony that showed up the same day as a changeling, so she looked up anything she could find on you. Yet, there was nothing.”

One letter flew through the bars and smacked Robin in the face. Bending down, she picked it up.

“I know you can’t help being philiavores, but it’s these sick games you play with your victims that truly disgusts me,” Celestia spat. “That’s one of her later ones. The first ones were what I expected out of her if this situation ever happened, but the last few I could barely stand to read.”

Looking down, Robin scanned the letter.

Princess,

Robin still avoids close proximity with ponies as much as possible. I have felt a little weaker whenever she’s come by, but she leaves as soon as she returns books and gets new ones for her “research.” I still haven’t found any publications by her and no schools or archeology teams list her as a member, despite the information she’s given me on her supposed group.

Outside of enamoring Spike with the stories he has begged her to tell, none of her actions fit with a changeling’s. She’s earnestly worked for Applejack to earn back some bits, been a gracious guest to Rarity, and has put up with my accusations and investigation since she arrived.

Zecora has finally finished a tonic Zebras have used to both counteract love drainage and root out changelings. I’ve given some to Rarity, saying it’ll help her feel better. If Robin has any and reacts like Zecora said, I’ll be sending you a letter tomorrow morning.

Princess, I don’t know what to do if she is a changeling. If she’d just been a cruel monster like at the wedding it’d be different.

There was more after that, but it had all been either scratched out or torn off. Putting the letter down, Robin was met with Celestia looking at her, her face still tight and sharp, but her eyes had softened slightly.

“Was it not enough that you treated her like a meal?” Celestia asked.

“I treated Twilight and her friends amicably,” Robin replied. “As she said, despite being an easy food source, I avoided her and the others as much as I could. I would have left them even sooner if it hadn’t been for one massive block.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

“You.” Robin raised a chained hoof and jabbed it at Celestia. “A thousand years of stable rule, yet your chronicled history is dotted with discrepancies and oddities, especially your ‘Night Age.’ Even your own past has been spun off into the stuff of legends. Such alteration to history is rare in all but the darkest aspects of government.”

“I’d guard your tongue,” Celestia cautioned, “and get to whatever point you are making.”

“Aside from my primary goal, I tried to pull up all I could on changelings,” Robin continued. “Newspapers from near the Wastes, records of vanished exploration teams, and tales of ‘dead’ ponies returning from that area were the best I could scrape up. Yet, the deeper I dug, the more holes started appearing in the region’s history, just like the rest of this land.”

“Why would a changeling need to know about its homeland?”

“To find a way to control what I ate.” Robin stared down at her stomach. “Every day, I tried as hard as possible to not feed on anypony, but your blacklisting of history drew out my stay for far longer than it should have.”

“Enough,” Celestia ordered, voice deep and echoing across the dungeon. “I will not have you of all things tell me how to run my country. You’ve been prying into dangerous realms, areas treacherous for even ponies to venture into. What is this ‘primary goal’ you mentioned?”

“To leave this land.”

A silence filled the dungeon. Celestia blinked and shook her head. Her horn grew bright again and pulled the cell door open. She trotted over to Robin and pulled her face up so that the two of them were eye-to-eye.

“Who are you?” Celestia asked.

“Robin.” Keeping her vision straight, she glared at Celestia. “Nico Robin.”

Celestia recoiled her hoof and backed away. Her eyes went wide for a moment but then narrowed. “That moniker of yours is truly fitting right now.”

Robin turned her head down and gave a small snort. “So, you are aware of the outside world.”

“I keep myself informed on any issue that could bring harm to my subjects,” said Celestia as she began to pace around the cell and once more came to a halt in front of Robin. “Now, I want to know how you got here and where the rest of your crew is.”

“One of the Warlords, Kuma, sent me. For what purpose, I can’t say,” Robin answered before bending her head down. “If you don’t know about the rest of my crew and they haven’t caused a ruckus, then I’m the only one here.”

“Well, this changes things,” Celestia mused. “Seems the barrier is still in place. It’s unfortunate that you wound up in such a form, but it will make things easier for Twilight when I explain how I banished you.”

Robin bowed her head down. “Thank you. That’s all I wanted from the st—”

“I didn’t say you’d actually be leaving.” Celestia trotted over to the cell’s door and slammed it shut. “I cannot allow you to leave Equestria now that you know about it. Even if I did, there’s only the Calm Belt and Sea Kings for leagues and leagues. You’d never make it back to wherever your ship was. I will think of a more suitable sentence for you now, but you had best get used to your hooves.”

“Why?” Robin called out as Celestia started walking away. “So I can live in ignorance like everypony else? You act like you’re letting me go, but I’ll still be a prisoner. How would Twilight feel knowing you’re a hypocrite on the very values you told her to hold de—”

A blast of fire slammed into Robin’s chest, knocking the wind out of her. She fell to the ground, chitin glowing red and smoking. Outside the cell, Celestia scowled at her, horn dimming down until the room was in near darkness.

“What I do, I do for the good of my little ponies,” Celestia hissed. “You humans would never understand that. I will give you some time to think over your next words. When next we meet, I can either free you and give you information on changelings, or you can remain in that cell until the end of your days.”

Celestia trotted out of the dungeons and into the afternoon light of the palace. Leaving the dank corridors behind, she trotted through the open halls and up spiraling staircases until she came to a grand pair of oak doors with two guards stationed outside. They gave her a salute as she opened one of the doors, pushing it with the smallest amount of force, so as to not wake the room’s inhabitant.

Quietly making her way in, Celestia slid over to the bed, eyes tracing the way the covers outlined Luna’s sleeping form. Only her blue head, with its swirling mane playing against the pillows, poked out from the sheets, her eyes peacefully shut while soft snores escaped her mouth.

Gently grasping the covers with her magic, Celestia pulled them back so that she could gaze down at Luna’s upper chest. A dark circle, forever seared into her flesh and enclosed by four triangles, making it appear like a deformed foot, stared back at Celestia. Breathing deeply, she pulled the covers back over the mark and bent her head close to Luna’s.

“I still don’t believe it,” Twilight sighed.

Shining Armor brushed a hoof against his sister’s back. He leaned back into the guest room’s sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Below him, Twilight kept her sight locked on the couch’s fibers.

“We both saw,” Shining said after a moment. “Twily, I can’t tell you many times I’ve cursed myself for the wedding. At least this time, I was able to do something before you really got hurt.”

“That’s just it though.” Twilight turned her head to look at Shining. “Robin was nothing like the other queen. She didn’t kidnap anypony and actually acted nice to all of us.”

“A ploy,” Shining replied, lips turning down. He let out a deep sigh. “I still remember the first few days, you know. Cadance kept to herself a little more, but I assumed it was her being nervous about the wedding. It was too late for me by the time that thing showed its true colors. I never want anypony else to go through that, especially you.”

“But we both now know Robin didn’t do anything like that.” Twilight raked a hoof through her mane. “She lied about who she was, but she couldn’t make up her archeological knowledge; only a real researcher could be knowledgeable like her.”

Shining gave Twilight a pat on the back and then got off the couch. He extended a hoof to help her up, but she pushed it away and slid off on her own. She kept her head low with a distant look in her eyes.

“Twily…” Shining reached out and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Why don’t you go talk with your friends now? They should all be done with their examinations.”

“Darling,” Rarity called out as Twilight entered the large common room.

In an instant, Twilight found herself wrapped in her friends’ hooves. “Guh, can’t breath.”

They quickly backed off, a few congested sniffles resonating amongst the group. Rarity trotted back to her seat and fell upon it with a sigh. Applejack and Fluttershy silently sat down while Dash sank into her chair, crossing her hooves. Instead of bouncing, Pinkie slowly trotted back to the room’s couch, scratching her mane and tapping on the smooth upholstery. Taking the hint, Twilight weakly smiled at Pinkie and joined her.

“So…” Twilight said, breaking the stale silence that had filled the room. “How did everypony’s examinations go?”

“Probably the same as yours,” Applejack replied, shifting her hat around. “Not a lick of brainwashing spells on any of us.”

“I… I’m just glad everything else will clear up soon,” Fluttershy murmured.

“Count yourself lucky,” Dash grumbled. “You didn’t have to put up with that thing’s lies.”

“That thing saved my sister,” Applejack muttered.

Dash sat up and glared at Applejack. “You’re actually gonna defend her? She could have taken her off to her hive for all you know!”

“I do know!” Applejack shot back. “But she didn’t, and she didn’t do a whole lot of other things either. Way I see, she could have just as easily gotten you.”

“You think a stupid bug could take me?” Dash jumped off the couch and marched over to Applejack. “You sure she didn’t pull some spe—”

A pink hoof shot into Dash’s mouth and pushed her away from Applejack. Pinkie stood in between the two of them, face scrunched up and staring at the ground.

“Stop it,” she whimpered. “I don’t want anymore fighting. Things are already bad enough.”

Dash took a breath and floated back to her seat.

“Pinkie.” Twilight got off the couch and put a hoof around her friend. “What do you mean things are bad enough already?”

“Because,” Pinkie sighed, “I know Robin would have never done anything bad to us unless she had no choice.”

“What?” Dash shouted, but quickly closed her mouth when Twilight glared at her.

Twilight turned her attention back to Pinkie. “Pinkie, we’re all confused by this, but what makes you sure Robin didn’t want to hurt us?”

Pinkie blew her nose into a tissue before speaking again so that her voice was clear. “I made her Pinkie promise that she wasn’t an evil monster that wanted to hurt ponies.”

A collective gasp went up. All six ponies traded looks with each other, Rarity holding a hoof to her horn, Fluttershy shaking her head back and forth, Dash slumping deeper into her seat, and Applejack removing her hat. Twilight used a hoof to shut her jaw.

“That… that’s not possible,” said Applejack, her voice little more than a whisper, yet it carried across the room.

“I know.” Pinkie flopped onto the ground and buried her face in her hooves.

“Hmmm, she seems to have some really bad luck,” a voice pouted.

Everypony’s attention went over to one the room’s window. Perched on the small nook below it was a slender pegasus. A poofy hat with a pair of goggles akin to the Wonderbolts’ rested over her light brown mane that just touched the tips of the frilly shirt that extended to her hips, concealing part of a cutie mark that looked like a webbed claw, but its digits were rounded rather than sharp. With a soft smile, she floated down from the open window and looked at all the bewildered ponies with round eyes that seemed to be in a constant state of amazement.

Twilight stepped forward, placing herself between her friends and the pegasus. “How did you get in here?”

The pegasus pointed up and chuckled. “The window. You’re smarter than that, Ms. Sparkle.”

Narrowing her eyes, Twilight lit up the tip of her horn. “I meant how you got past the guards.”

“Oh yeah, piece of cake.” The pegasus raised up a hoof, stared at it for a moment, and lowered it with a blush on her face. “Woops.”

“Well…” Applejack stole a glance at Pinkie, who was staring at the pegasus with the same flummoxed expression as the rest of them. Turning her attention back to the odd guest, she walked closer to her. “You might have gotten past the guards, but whatever you’re up to, we’re gonna be a bit tougher to get buy.”

The pegasus jumped back an inch and waved a hoof through the air. “Wait, wait, wait. I think this has all just been a really bad mix up. Listen, I can explain everything about Robin, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone else, not even the Princess.”

Robin sat up at the sound of hooves on stone. A green light appeared from down the hall and grew brighter while the clopping resonated louder. She picked herself off the ground as a sharp curved horn appeared around the corner, green glow illuminating a square black muzzle and reflecting off blue compound eyes. Glancing down, Robin’s pupils contracted at the sight of holes running up to a faded jacket that hid the rest of the changeling’s exoskeleton.

“Nico Robin,” he mused with a toothy grin. “This really was the last place we ever expected to find you.”

“And who would you be?”

“A Revolutionary.”

The changeling’s smile widened as he reached into his jacket’s pocket and produced a ring of keys. He put one into the cell’s door, pushed it open, and then went to Robin’s side, placing another key into the first of her chains. As he worked, Robin stared at him with her mouth slightly agape.

“The Revolutionaries?” Robin gasped. “How?”

“Oh, we have our ways,” the Revolutionary chuckled as he undid the final lock around Robin’s legs and moved up to the bolt around her horn. “Plus, Equestria’s isolated nature makes it a prime front for our activities. We’re virtually invisible to the World Government here, so it was quite a surprise when when we heard about you showing up out of the blue. Although, a changeling appearing in the middle of Equestria would draw anyone’s attention.”

The bolt slipped off Robin’s horn and rattled against the ground. Standing up, she flexed her newly freed limbs. “So, now what?”

“Now we head back to Baltigo.” The Revolutionary moved over to the cell’s door and held it open. “Our leader has wanted to speak with you for a while now. Plus, things are gonna be a little hairy here when the Princess finds out you’ve disappeared. She’s pretty scary when she’s mad.”

“Baltigo…” Robin turned her head down. “I’m sorry, but I can only go as far as the Grand Line. I need to get back to my crew.”

“Thought you’d say that.” The Revolutionary flashed her another grin. His horn grew bright and a newspaper with burnt edges appeared out of the air and floated over to Robin. Reaching out, she took hold of it, eyes widening at the picture of a familiar young man with a straw hat held at his chest plastered across the front page. Her eyes moved slightly to the right and locked onto the unfamiliar characters scribbled across his right arm.

“Straw Hat Luffy,” the Revolutionary mused, his smile shrinking down to a warm grin. “He really is one reckless pirate, but it looks like he’s actually done something pretty clever this time.”

Robin folded up the newspaper and floated it back over to the Revolutionary, who took it with his own magic and made it vanish the same way he’d summoned it. “So, still want to head back to the Shabondy Archipelago?”

Robin trotted over to the door and gave the Revolutionary a shake of the head. “No, Baltigo is where I should go for now. Please, lead the way.”

She held out a hoof to let the Revolutionary move ahead, but he stood in place and chuckled. His horn started to grow brighter and a ring of flames rose up around them. “You might wanna brace yourself. The first teleport can take a bit out of you.”

In an emerald flash, the two disappeared, leaving only an empty cell and smoke behind. A second later, Robin fell into a patch of grass, head spinning and smoke rising from a few parts of her. With a huff, she steadied herself up, placing a hoof on a temple to try and hold back the dizziness that was making her vision swim.

“That’s one of the few things I always miss about this place,” said the Revolutionary.

As her sight refocused, Robin realized she was standing in the shadow of something. Twisting her head, she was met with a carriage looming behind her, its red coloring blending in with the setting sun.

“It would be nice,” a pegasus hitched to the front of the carriage mused, flashing Robin a grin. “Wow, so you’re Nico Robin. Nice to meet ya, I’m Koala!”

“A pleasure,” Robin replied with a similar grin before making her way over to the carriage.

However, the changeling Revolutionary held up a hoof, making Robin stop. “I think they’d like a few words first.”

Spinning around, Robin was met with the Mane Six staring back at her. Their eyes traced over her reflective exoskeleton, past the translucent wings on her back, and came to a stop at her jagged horn. With a sigh, she bowed head. “I did want to leave you an apology.”

“For what?” asked Applejack. “Way these fellas explain it, you didn’t have much of a choice. Plus, I owe you for helping Apple Bloom.”

“That still doesn’t excuse what I did,” Robin replied, clutching at her stomach. “Or what I’m doing right now.”

“It’s only for a little,” Twilight coughed. “Which is really a shame, there’s so many questions I want to ask, so many things I want to know…” She glanced over to the carriage. “But I suppose that will have to wait. For now though…”

Twilight’s horn glowed and a book popped into the air. Its cover was faded and motheaten at the edges and the sheer volume of it made Twilight sweat under its weight. Robin took hold of it and smiled reading the title.

“A Complete History of Equestria,” Twilight said with a grin. “It’s a little difficult to procure and the Princess probably won’t be happy with me, but after everything I’ve heard, this is the best way I can think of to say goodbye.”

“Thank you.” Robin bowed her head, but quickly shot it up and looked over to Rainbow Dash, who avoided her gaze. Setting the book down, she made her way over to her. “I owe you a personal apology.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dash sighed, lowering her head. “You were doing it for my own good and I acted like a jerk too.”

“Well...” A mischievous grin spread across Robin’s face. “For now, lets just say that it’s not silly to believe in a few fictional stories, they often have a kernel of truth. Although, aside from names, nothing was a lie about what I told Spike.”

“Really?” Dash pulled herself closer, giddy smile erupting across her face. “You really did find an ancient city in the sky? And you did fight a pony made of lightning? Oh, what about the part where you got captured a—”

Robin put a hoof up to quiet Dash. “All true and you can ask Spike or Twilight about them anytime you want.”

Dash smooshed her hooves into her cheeks. “So awesome!”

She suddenly pulled them back and coughed into one of them. Robin gave her head a shake and began walking over to the carriage, placing the hefty book on her back. The changeling Revolutionary held open a door for her.

“I think that’s my signal to go,” she said, taking the step up to the cabin. “Thank you all again for putting up with me. I hope to meet again someday... my friends.”

“And we’ll have a big party!” Pinkie shouted, sending up a shower of confetti with her party cannon.

“Fire!” a marine captain commanded.

The naval warship leveled its canons at the lion-headed boat that was just beginning to sink into the sea, despite no visible damage but displaying a shimmering texture that was slowly expanding outward, forming a massive bubble. The fuses on the canons ran out and their volley went careening toward the pirate ship.

Robin, along with the rest of her crew, paused their escape for a moment to marvel at their captain. A second ago, he’d leapt up to block another round of cannonballs, but was now covered head-to-toe in cream pies. His tongue shot out and slurped up their remains.

“That was weird,” Luffy chuckled, patting his stomach.

A smile spread across Robin’s face.

“What the hell?!” the marine captain roared.

“Captain!” A sailor ran up from below the deck and rushed over to the captain. “All our munitions… they’ve turned into junk!”

“Hey!” The sailor suddenly found his vision filled with pink and then white as a pie splattered his face. He stumbled backward and wiped off some of the mess, reaching for his gun and firing it. A spray of water came out and landed on a pink pony’s poofy mane, bouncing off it like it was made of rubber. “They’re not junk! They’re jokes!”

The marine captain unsheathed his sword and brought it down on the pony, only for it turn into a balloon that flew off into the sea. “What the hell are you doing here, ‘Gift Horse?’”

“Sending a friend off,” Pinkie said with a smile.

She ducked just as a warship next to the one she was on exploded in a multicolored blast. A piece of timber launched off the wrecked ship and slammed into the marine captain and a few sailors, sending them into the ocean.

“Wow, Dashy,” Pinkie exclaimed, looking up at the shadow flapping above her, “you haven’t done that since Peipon.”

“Hasn’t been a big enough target,” Dash replied. “Hey, you think the rest of you can handle the other ships? I’ll go deliver our message.”

“Yep-a-rooney!” said Pinkie before pulling up her party pistol and unleashing a giant blast of water out of its tiny muzzle, knocking back a squad of marines advancing on her.

“Great!” Dash took off and sped over to the rapidly descending Thousand Sunny.

“That was awesome!” Luffy screamed with stars in his eyes as he watched the remains of the rainbow explosion dissipate into the air.

“It’s gotta be if I’m gonna do it!” All eyes on the Sunny went up to Dash as she floated down to the ship’s deck. Flicking back her mane, she made her way over to Robin. Reaching out, she pulled her into a hug. “Nice to do this without feeling sick. Looks like a can’t stay long, but when you get back, boy, have I got some stories for you this time! Can’t wait to compare treasures!”

Without a further word, Dash launched off the ship, sending out a massive rainbow aura. Robin stared up at the display with a smile. Her attention was brought back down to the ship by Luffy clasping her shoulders.

“Robin!” he shouted. “Was that a talking rainbow horse?! That’s so cool! How does it poop?”

“Idiot!” Usopp and Nami both yelled, slamming their fists into Luffy’s head.

Author's Notes:

Wow, first Set Adrift Story is finished and man was it a long story, but these are essentially one shots. Writing for Robin was definitely interesting since she's easily the most subdued of the Straw Hats. Her story is probably also the one that has the most reactions rather than actions since it's her changeling status that drives most of the plot. Honestly, I imagine if it weren't for that, she could have been off Equestria in no time, no matter where it is. Her history has shaped her so that escape and avoiding detection are some of her strongest skills.

Speaking of which, I get the feeling a few people might be angry at my portrayal of Celestia. Yeah, she's pretty nasty in this, but she does truly believe it's for Equestria's best interests and does feel regret about the horrible things she has to do.