---------- Conclusion ----------

"Let her talk." Twilight said gently, leaning her shoulder against the doorway into her kitchen. Everyone else was gathered about, standing in a half-circle before Lily, who was currently strapped to a chair.

"Ah don' think ah cin trust a dirty changelin'." Applejack muttered, flopping onto a chair nearby. Rainbow Dash stood on the other side of her from Twilight, rubbing an arm with her opposite hand.

"Seriously... How could a Changeling even be in Equestria anymore? I thought that spell-thingy kept them out..." She said meekly, struggling to suppress a blush that slowly rose to her cheeks.

"Obviously it didn't." Twilight said, flicking the light in the kitchen on. The fluorescent light flickered on overhead, casting a garish light on Lily's predisposition. She was shifted into her changeling self, the light casting shadows through the signature holes in her arms and legs. She winced slightly, looking at the gathered six in the sudden relief of light. Fluttershy gasped and put a hand to her mouth, shrinking away. Applejack shot to her feet, hands fisted and ready.

"I SAID, let her talk." Twilight encouraged, laying a hand on Pinkie Pie's shoulder as she advanced.

"But, Twi! She's a changeling! She's evil, she's gotta go! Get her out! Come on, we gotta tell the town and kick her out!" Pinkie started to protest, but a look from Twilight stopped her. "Oh, fine..." She huffed and turned her eyes to Lily, still adjusting to the bright light.

"Twilight, I..."

"Don't call her by her name, you fiend!" Rarity cut her off, obviously fuming. Lily closed her eyes and drooped her head.

"I-i don't know where you want me to start..."

"Start with what you told me." Twilight said gently. "That's why I had them all come here today. To hear what you have to say. I don't think I can believe it until I get their opinion." Lily sighed and raised her head, her eyes flashing slightly as she nodded.

"Alright... Here goes." She looked around at all six of them. "Chrysalis sent me to infiltrate Ponyville and study different types of love for changelings to feed off of. Specifically, she wanted to know about physical, sexual desire. I was tasked with seducing each of you and extracting your essence, the core of your power that we changelings feed off of when you love us, or one of us that's disguised. Rather than take the form of someone you all love, I took the form of someone you'd find attractive. I seduced you all, slept with you, took your essence, and I have them with me now."

"Bullshit." Applejack hardly have her a breath after she finished. "Ah didn' fuck no changelin'. You're lyin'." Lily shot her a glare before turning her gaze to Twilight.

"I think you'd better show them, Lily." Twilight said, using two thin cords of telekinetic power to cut the bonds holding Lily to the chair. She rubbed sore wrists and nodded, quickly shifting into Liam.

Applejack was silent. Fluttershy squeaked.

"Ah don' believe it." Applejack said after a few long moments. "Ah don' fuckin' believe it. I fucked a changeling..." She glanced at Fluttershy, who had flushed a very bright shade of red. "You too?!" Applejack exclaimed.

"She was first." Lily muttered, using Liam's voice. She couldn't bring herself to look at anyone.

"Who'd a thunk it?!" Pinkie Pie butted in. "Lesse who you used on me! I slept with a lotta people in the past few months. I wanna see which one you were." Miranda emerged on request. "Ooooohh... I knew there was something fishy about her! Him! IT!" Pinkie flustered over the words, her cheeks flushing. "Right when I thought I had a good one, too! Sheesh!" Rarity looked frightened.

"Don't tell me..." Samantha Sunrunner now sat in the chair, giving Rarity a sheepish smile. "Oh no... It figures the fifth person I ever sleep with would be a changeling. You sure know how to pick 'em, Rarity." She whimpered, wringing her hands as she tried her best to sink back into the wall.

"That's all fine and dandy for you guys, but what about me? I only ever slept with one person in the past six months and she was an avian. In Cloudsdale. On the clouds. No way a changeling can-" She was cut short as Dancer emerged, sleek and sexy as ever. "Fuck." She whimpered, shrinking back as Lily flexed her wings.

"Show them the last one." Twilight said gently. Once again, as requested, Lily shifted into her recent favorite, the dashing and amber-eyed Tobias. Rarity shot Twilight a glance, almost as if saying 'I can't blame you.'

"You see..." Lily continued. "I've managed to take all of your essences. It surprised me, as well... I didn't even think it was possible. I thought I could just come here, relax, and have some really nice sex. But once I took Fluttershy's... I got hooked. I had to do it. Not just for myself, but for Chrysalis, for all changelings everywhere." Now was the hard part. "I... I took another, and a third, but... I..." She rose a hand to her chest, laying her hand flat against it. "I didn't know why I was doing it anymore. I started asking myself, am I just another mindless changeling, hellbent on pleasing Chrysalis? Or am I an individual, with my own desires, wants, needs?" She was shivering visibly. "I... I started to BECOME human... Less Changeling every day."

"How do you figure that? How do you change from one species to another? I mean, you can obviously still use your shifting powers." Twilight asked, pulling up a chair so she could get comfortable. Fluttershy, too, had sat down.

"Not that I didn't lose my powers, but..." Lily changed back to her original form, her changeling form. "I... I hate this form. Everything about it. Everything it represents. These holes..." She slid a finger around the rim of one such hole in her wrist. "They remind me just how empty I used to be... How empty I... I am." Her lip quivered as she fought to continue. "I... I don't want to be this empty shell of a human for the rest of my life... I don't WANT to be a changeling anymore." She looked up with big, watery eyes at the six gathered before her. "Life here has shown me how wrong changelings have been all along... How badly we have it. Shells of you humans, dying to be the object of affection, of adoration." A single tear slipped out. "Faking who we are in a delusional dream, a hopeless imitation of what we WANT to be... No changeling hates anyone. Secretly, I think, we envy you all..." The tears flowed fast and free now. "I think... I think we just want to be human."

Stunned silence prevailed in the room, deafened their ears. The only movement was the neigh imperceptible blinking of eyelids, a chest rising and falling in a gentle breath here or there. Twilight rose, slowly advancing towards Lily, sitting there in her changeling form.

"Change." She said in a low, dangerous tone.

"What-"

"I said change." She did, shifting back to what she had grown accustomed to being the last few months. No longer Liliana the changeling, she now appeared to be Lily the human, who she wanted to be so badly. Who she had faked being around Maggie, around the few people she knew in town. "Stay like that." Twilight said, offering her hand to Lily. She took it hesitantly, inhaling as she was pulled to her feet. Twilight turned to everyone else present, her face dead serious.

"What are ya up to, sugar?" Applejack asked quietly.

"I think it's time Celestia heard about this."

--------------------------------

The incessant buzzing of the changeling's wings all around her nearly drove Lily insane. She had forgotten how accustomed one could get to the mindless drone of hundreds of wings fluttering and buzzing incessantly... Now, it sounded like hell itself.

"So, you came crawling back after all." Ajax's voice shot a shiver of fear and anger through Lily. She turned her eyes on the one changeling she feared above all others, fixing him with a glare the intensity of a thousand rising suns. He backed off. The first time ever. Lily went with it, despite the galloping in her chest.

"Chrysalis." She demanded in one, curt word.

"She's expecting you in the southern clearing." Ajax said gently, gesturing with his chin over her shoulder. She wheeled and stormed off in the direction indicated, walking fast. Hundreds of changelings writhed in the shadows, the mindless drones of their formidable horde had re-assembled in the year since Lily had been gone. Reminded her of how things had been before they infiltrated Canterlot. Ajax shoved drones aside mercilessly as they filled in behind Lily. She knew that look in their eyes.

It was hunger.

"Liliana." Chrysalis said her name, quiet as a whisper but clear as day over the buzzing all around them. "I'm glad you decided to return. Apparently your reward was too much to pass up." Chrysalis wasn't shifted, was her usual terrifying self. Lily suppressed a shiver and advanced into what had to have been the only empty spot in this part of the forest. Everything else was jam-packed with drones...

"Yes, my queen." Lily said gently, advancing to a respectable distance. "I have returned with all six essences." She stood tall, her back straight.

"Well done, Lily. Give them to me now."

"My reward first."

"Is that an order?"

"A humble request, my queen." Lily checked herself, fighting her fear.

"I suppose... You can have anyone across all of Equestria. Who is it?" Chrysalis crossed her arms and cocked her leg out, standing on one alone.

"Ajax." Lily said almost immediately. Her answer took Chrysalis by surprise, she knew, but the unshakable queen didn't do so much as raise an eyebrow.

"Done." She said after a short pause. Almost as if on command, Ajax strode forth, standing next to Lily.

"I knew this little bitch couldn't stand being away from me for too lo-" He was cut short as blood spurted from his mouth. Black and thick as tar, the blood splattered into the grass of the clearing, more of it oozing from the gaping hole in his chest. Lily pulled her hand out of him, having pushed it through his chest quick as a blink. Flinging his blood off her arm in an arc, Lily turned back to Chrysalis. That was for threatening Maggie.

"Now that wasn't very nice, Liliana." Chrysalis said disinterestedly. In fact, it seemed none of the horde seemed to care. "I just lost a valuable lieutenant. Oh well. Price paid. Hand over the essences." Chrysalis extended a hand to Lily, who pulled the six glowing orbs from her chest in the middle of the clearing. Slowly, she advanced towards Chrysalis, holding the six powers in front of her. Just as she reached Chrysalis, the six floated forward, into Chrysalis' outstretched hand. One by one, they were absorbed by the changeling queen, their soft glow fading as they settled in her chest.

"Oh yes, Liliana... I can feel it now... You've pleased me very well. I had planned on killing you after you received your price, but I very well may let you live." Chrysalis cooed, her lips curling into a smile.

"Don't thank me just yet, Chrysalis." Lily said quietly.

"What?"

"And my name. It's Lily."

--------------------------------

"Well, if Twilight says it's true, that's good enough for me. Her speculations are usually correct. I learned that the hard way." Celestia said, crossing her long, slender legs slowly. Princess of all of Equestria notwithstanding, Celestia was an absolute picture of beauty. Not the simple, uncomplicated beauty of Twilight or the home-grown, natural form of Applejack... No... Celestia surpassed them both on so many planes. She was... Beauty incarnate. Lily found it hard to focus.

"I'm surprised you took to this so well." Lily admitted, feeling ugly and sheepish in front of the grace that was Princess Celestia. "I was worried you'd... I don't know... Banish me to the moon or something." To her surprise, Celestia laughed it off.

"Don't worry, Liliana. I reserve that punishment only for those who have truly done wrong. It works, though..." A hint of sadness crept into her voice, and Lily felt her heart break as the princess' perfect lips turned down in a frown.

"Please," Lily said after a short while. "Call me Lily... I... I don't care for my... My changeling name." She felt so unsure what to say, especially after recounting her part in the plan to bring down all of Equestria.

"Lily." The sound sent shivers up her spine. "Well... What do you suggest we do about this?" She asked. Lily felt she knew the answer to that question, but was just testing her.

"I know... We cannot give Chrysalis the essences." Celestia surprised her once again by shaking her head.

"Bold and original as her plan is, it is flawed." The princess said gently. "Do you know what that flaw is?" Lily shook her head. "The Elements of Harmony are not the manifestation of the six crowns we have under lock and key at all times, Lily... The Elements of Harmony are an ideal. A power. An essence in and of itself." She started explaining, gesturing to paint a picture with magic above the table. "For the Elements of Harmony to work properly, the bearers must be true to themselves, and to the ideals of the Elements themselves. The girls know why they didn't work the first time they faced Discord with them. Because they were not faithful, honest, kind, laughable, or generous. Do you really think Chrysalis can be these things, and more? I'm not saying any old magi can wield them, either... Twilight Sparkle IS my star pupil for more than her looks and a taste for bondage." Lily's mouth dropped.

"Are you saying-"

"Who do you think taught Twilight how to use all the equipment stored in the box underneath her bed?" Celestia said with a sultry smile. Lily flushed crimson, suddenly much more uncomfortable being in the same room as one so obviously talented, and with such a body... "But that's besides the point, Lily. Do you really think Chrysalis can be everything she needs to be for the Elements to work for her? Is she kind, funny, generous, honest, or loyal? All of these things need to be before the sixth can even come into play. And even then. She must be awfully powerful to harness their immense power."

"But... She IS powerful! I don't mean to say it, Princess, but she DID-"

"What? Defeat me? Of course she did. Let's see you fight the queen of the changelings when you've been sapping your power helping defend Equestria from an unknown threat, hardly able to sleep an hour a day from sheer worry." Celestia allowed herself a moment of humanity, inhaling before she continued. "Sorry. That was a very stressful day for more than one reason. Needless to say, it made me feel happy knowing I can count on the power of others to help me when I fail them. I am, after all, just one princess." Lily shuffled her feet nervously.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate..."

"You're not insinuating anything, Lily. Merely stating a fact. I will have you know, I was not defeated by Chrysalis without many things going right for her and wrong for me. I have taken steps to make sure such a thing will not happen again. Not if I can help it. We're getting sidetracked." She leaned forward, re-affirming her point. "Do you really think Chrysalis can be all six of the Elements? Simultaneously? I don't." She sat back, smiling at Lily. "And I also doubt she can find five other changelings to be the other elements for her, even if she did manage to be decent for the few minutes required to use them. Although..." Celestia leaned forward, reaching a long, slender finger across the table to lift Lily's cheek tenderly.

"Apparently changelings are capable of great things. Kindness. Generosity. Honesty. It took a lot of character to admit the truth to those six girls. I can't begin to imagine the fear you had to overcome to accomplish such a thing, Lily. I admire you very much." Her words made Lily flush, and she looked away embarrassed.

"Thank you, Princess. I am not worthy."

"On the contrary, Lily, I think you're perfectly worthy." Celestia said, lifting her chin once more, insistently. "Like I said, you've accomplished quite the feat. But I have to tell you, the threat your actions posed to all of Equestria was never really a threat at all. Even if Chrysalis had the elements, she wouldn't have been able to do anything with them. And neither would you, sadly enough. Pardon my saying, but while you may be at least marginally generous and admittedly funny, I don't think you're very honest overall. Let alone loyal. And, well, let's face it, you can't even cast any spells, can you?" Lily chuckled and leaned back in the chair, thinking about how incompatible she was with the Elements of Harmony themselves... Still, having the six essences inside of her chest made her feel warm and happy. Fulfilled.

"I hadn't thought about that, princess... I guess there is no way to use the Elements if I am a changeling, and neither can Chrysalis..." Celestia chuckled herself and leaned back, crossing her legs once again.

"There is, however, the issue of the Changelings just on the other side of the Everfree Forest. While I feel confident the guard can handle the threat, I would like to send a message. Lily, do you think you can do that for me?" Lily stiffened and sat up straight.

"Y-yes! What did you need?"

--------------------------------

"My name is Lily. Not Liliana." She stood with her back straight and her head held high. "You will not be able to use the Elements of Harmony, Chrysalis. They are more than just the essence of the six that wield them. The Elements of Harmony are an idea, one that perpetuates through time since their creation. They will not work unless you have generosity, laughter, loyalty, honesty, and kindness in your heart. We all know, Chrysalis, no changeling will ever have all these things. Keep the essences, Chrysalis. And keep your delusional dream of domination. If the events in Canterlot a year ago were any indication, you will be foiled as long as you keep pursuing your pathetic dream. Meanwhile, I am going to pursue my own dream." Lily stepped back, raising her voice to all changelings who could hear her.

"I forge my own path! No more do I follow the orders of a delusional, selfish queen! No more will I bow my head to the whims of someone who does not know the simplest of joys in life! I will live my life as I see fit, and not under the tyrannical rule of Chrysalis!" Her green eyes fixated on Chrysalis, who was still just as stoic as ever. Her voice dropped low as she shifted into Lily, just a plain woman who looked as average as anyone in Equestria.

"I'm leaving, Chrysalis. You can't tell me otherwise." She turned to walk away, but a single uttered word from Chrysalis stopped her.

"Kill." She hissed. The drone of insect wings thrummed loud before changelings began pouring in from the surrounding woods. Lily watched the approaching horde calmly. Slowly, she closed her eyes...

--------------------------------

"You are certain this will work?" Lily said, feeling her skin jump and tingle.

"Of course it will. Leave it to my big brother to weave the best protection spell available." Twilight said, flipping pages in a book as Shining Armor screwed his face up in concentration.

"I just don't get it." He muttered. "Hardly a year ago, we were fighting changelings... Now we're protecting them. I swear, Celestia will never make sense to me..." He said, weaving his hands in an intricate pattern. "Stay still, Lily... I have to adjust the shield so it doesn't hurt you." His hands glowed intensely, the shining purple aura not dissimilar to Twilight's own.

"R-right." She whispered softly.

"Hmm... Try invoking a mirror on point seven. Starswirl had success protecting beings of malefic intent with that." She shot an apathetic, sheepish smile to Lily. "Not saying you are, but... Oh, you know what I mean."

"Right." Shining Armor muttered. He moved his hands accordingly. "Just... Hard to protect a changeling with a spell designed to repel... Changelings..." His brow scrunched as he fought to focus on an obviously complex part of the procedure. Lily was suspended above the floor, shifted into her human form and spinning slowly.

"I understand the need for suspension..." She said, blushing slightly. "But could I have at least changed before we started this?" Her dress floated as if on a breeze, exposing her panties a lot more than she would have preferred. Twilight just chuckled and set a book on the stand in front of Shining Armor.

"What? I think sky blue fits you well." She teased, bending over low to peek purposefully up into Lily's nethers.

"Focusing." Armor said gently.

"Right. Sorry." Twilight and Lily both muttered, trying to find other things to focus their eyes on.

"What next, Twi?" Shining Armor asked after a few short minutes.

"Uum, let's see... For maximum force, reduce fourteen to three and link nine and one..." Lily watched the intricate pattern glowing in front of her hovering form shift and change, a few lines in the pattern falling into place and glowing slightly. "For stability, add an invocation to three, six, nine, and twelve. Eer... Earth. Yeah." She pulled another book off a nearby shelf, flipping pages with magic as she spoke. "Incantation is the same as it was for the first pattern."

"Got it." And so they went on, making changes as Lily floated in midair, rotating slowly.

"That it?" Twilight asked after another fifteen minutes, peeking up Lily's skirt surreptitiously. She got a glare in return as Shining Armor slowly set Lily back on the thick carpet, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, should do... I'd say test it out, but I don't want to blow any more holes in the walls today."

"Like we did with the first one."

"Shush, you." He ruffled Twilight's hair patronizingly, smiling at her. "You can run a verification, right? I think I need to go see Cadence. All this talk of panties..." Lily laughed and smiled at Shining Armor as he walked off, shaking his head.

"Don't pay any attention to him." Twilight said, turning Lily towards her. "Married men are no fun. Come on, let's run a verification and see if Shining Armor's work is as legendary as I've heard."

--------------------------------

Just as Lily opened her eyes, a flash filled the clearing, throwing the first few changelings aside like dolls. Two more dashed in, but as soon as they went to sink pointed fangs into Lily, they were blasted back. Lily took a step forward, watching in disbelief as flash after flash of blinding light threw the vile changelings away.

"KILL HER!" Chrysalis roared. Even more changelings poured in from the forest, and that was when Lily started running. She didn't miss a footfall, her bare feet dashing through the grassy forest as quick as they could. The horde fell on her from all sides, diving at her moving feet, lunging at her face. Just before they came into contact, a bright flash of purple magic threw them back, many of them crashing through allies, branches, bushes and the like, some falling and not moving. Groaning inwardly at the loss, Lily picked up her pace, darting between trees and leaping over bushes. Shining Armor's barrier really was working, but only when she was changed into Lily... Anyone else, and the spell would fade. She jumped over a looming root, kept running, far and fast. Her target opened up before her, the forest thinning as she neared a very large, very tall cliff...

"Celestia help me, this is crazy." Lily muttered, picking up the pace. Two more changelings were thrown aside, spurring her on... Faster and faster, Lily approached the edge of the cliff. Huffing with the effort, Lily poured her entire heart into the last few strides, throwing herself off into the void...

"NOW!"

The call came from above her, and she shifted into Dancer. Wings spread wide, Lily caught the gust from the edge of the cliff, flapping once to add momentum to her blitzing fast leap over the cliff. A group of changelings leapt off the cliff after her. She didn't have the spell anymore! She was vulnerable! The gap between them was almost too small...

A deafening boom filled her ears. Lily opened her wings wide, catching the shockwave as it spurred her forward. Deafening wind roared in her ears, and she dared not glance back to see it... She didn't have to... As the shockwave caught her, she saw the multicolored spectrum of a Sonic Rainboom fill her vision. Carrying the force forward, Lily and Rainbow Dash flew as fast as they could manage over the trees of the Everfree Forest. Beneath her, scarcely a foot above the tips of the trees, a streak of Rainbow color blitzed off. That girl was something... Lily flapped her wings fast and hard, smiling as three more avians fell into formation around her.

"The Wonderbolts are here to escort you, Ms. Lily!" One of them called out to her over the sound of rushing wind. Looking back, Lily saw some changelings wheeling off into the sky, tumbling towards the forest floor... The plan had worked. As soon as she had jumped, Dash had dipped inbetween her and the changelings, scattering them, giving her time to escape... Still, more of them took wing, slowly gaining on the small group. Lily grunted and poured more effort into the muscles of her wings, flapping harder and faster.

"Where's the rendezvous?!" Lily called out, following the point of the male avian to her right. There it was... The advance party was waiting for them. Just a little farther. A little faster. Above all of this was the commanding voice of Chrysalis, screaming for her blood. The incessant drone of buzzing filled her ears, on par with the rushing wind. They were so close to safety, to the edge of the forest... She could almost feel the beating of the wings at the back of her feet, the changelings closer now than she ever would have liked... Come ON! Just a little... Bit... More...

"HIT IT!" The command from Twilight echoed out over the last fifty feet or so, and just as Lily passed over the heads of the first line of Magi, a magical barrier went up behind them. Three changelings slipped through, but the rest smashed into the barrier solid as steel. Lily could hear the thuds as they hit the barrier, and even more hollers as magi and avians swooped in to subdue the three who slipped in behind them. A massive fight broke out, Canterlot guard and the Wonderbolts fighting off the changelings. Lily felt her wings give out, and she remembered to shift into Lily as she hit the ground. Her forward momentum made her roll and bounce across the ground a few times. A white-hot flash of pain accompanied a loud snap from her arm, and she screamed as her body tumbled. She skidded to a stop.

"Lily!" Rarity was there, bending over her, hands already glowing. "Shh, don't move. This is a bad break." Lily glanced down at her arm, saw bone, and fought to keep from vomiting. "Don't look at it! Someone! Get me hurtloam! I need a doctor over here right away!" Rarity placed one hand on Lily's face, covering her eyes, and the other on her arm above the break. The pain subsided into numbness, and so did her senses.

"What happened?" A new voice asked. Lily couldn't see.

"She fell, took a nasty tumble. Look, you can see the skid marks. Oh shit... She's bleeding bad." Rarity.

"Here, I'll put her out. You there! Get me a stretcher! We need to fall back now!" Lily raised her good hand, trying to brush Rarity's hand on her eyes away, but she couldn't do it before a shock of magic shivered through her system, and she passed out...

--------------------------------

"Lily?" The sound was fuzzy, like she was hearing it from another room nearby. "Lily, are you awake?" She writhed on whatever it was she was laying on, groaning inwardly. "There you are..." She fluttered her eyes, the world a lot more blurry than she remembered leaving it.

"Ugh... Water..." She moaned, smacking dry lips.

"Should be okay by now. I'll get you some and let the doctor know you're up... Also, you've got some visitors dying to see you." The voice, whoever it belonged to, left, leaving Lily to fight to make sense of all that had happened. The last thing she remembered was falling... Did she break her arm? A stiffness from her left shoulder downward said yes, she did. It took her many slow blinks to get the world to focus again, and when she did, the walls of a sterile white hospital greeted her vision.

"Here you go, dear. Water for you... You're lucky you survived a tumble like that. Shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard. Though from what I hear, you wouldn't be here in ANY condition if you hadn't. Here, drink up." A straw was poked into her mouth, and when she sucked on it, she was greeted with a cool stream of delightful water. She drank greedily, but the straw was popped out.

"Not too fast. Come on, see if you can sit up." A hand slid under Lily's shoulder, and she was slowly lifted up. Surprisingly, she wasn't as weak as she had originally thought. With help, she managed to sit up and swing her legs off the side of the bed.

"I gotta pee." She managed, her head swimming.

"Right. Here you go, darling. Don't worry about it, just a part of the job." She felt a cold tube press against her nethers, and she released the pressure on her bladder, feeling bad for being so helpless. Business done and cleaned, Lily stayed sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs to return feeling. Her left arm was in a sling held tight to her chest, and she was clad in little else than a thin hospital gown. The doctor strode in, carrying a chart in his hand which he glanced back and forth from Lily to it.

"Right... Looks like you're coming along nicely, Lily. You were only out twelve hours. Your lacerations healed up perfectly, no sign of scarring. The bone set well, and has probably finished ossification already. Here, let's see if you can move it." He pulled the sling over her head gingerly, guiding her arm. "Easy, now... It IS broken, after all. There you go. Hmm, let me take a better look." The doctor's hands glowed with a light blue aura as he ran the palm up the area of the break. "Yes, everything appears to be perfectly fine... I'd take it easy for a few more days, but you shouldn't need a cast or anything like that. I tell you what, avian wings are much more difficult to heal. I'm glad you thought to change before you landed. Here, just sign here and you should be fine." He presented her with a clipboard, indicating a line near the bottom. She gripped the pen, the tip hovering over the paper as she paused.

"Eer..." She muttered.

"Hmm? Something the matter?" The doctor asked.

"I... I don't know what to sign." She said softly.

"Well, I have your name down as Lily. Let's start there." That made Lily smile as she signed her name. The doctor left, leaving the nurse to help Lily dress, though she was feeling surprisingly good. Just before she left, someone who called himself a 'Technician' visited. Using his magic, he bolstered Lily even further, so by the time she left the front doors of the hospital, she was walking on her own.

"Ms. Lily?" She turned to the voice, saw a guard, and tensed. Normally, guards would set her on edge. She had to remind herself to breathe.

"Y-yes. I'm Lily." She said. To her surprise, the guard smiled and offered his arm.

"Princess Celestia has requested your presence as soon as you awoke. She and your friends are waiting."

Friends.

That word echoed through her mind as Lily nodded, falling in step next to the guard. Two more joined them, and two again once they arrived at the palace. Canterlot was just as lively as she remembered it being. Despite the five guards escorting her, no one cast a second glance. Maybe a probing gaze, curious about why such an unassuming young woman needed such protection, but nothing more. Lily for once felt... Normal. They climbed a long, winding set of stairs up into a private sanctum, and the five guards ushered her inside, staying out as she slowly slipped in. The room was luxuriously appointed, a fire crackling happily in the hearth. The time was close to night, the sky outside of the window painted a flashing, brilliant yellow as the sun slowly sank down beneath the mountains.

"Lily?" The low voice of Twilight Sparkle made her whirl about, and she couldn't help smile as the slender young woman rushed forward to wrap her arms around her. "You're out! I was so worried. All Rarity could say is you had broken an arm and you were bleeding. We were all worried."

"All?" Lily asked, returning the embrace hesitantly.

"She means us," Rainbow Dash drew her attention to the group emerging from the far side of the room, all of them smiling and happy. Everyone except Applejack... "Glad to see you're okay. Takes a lot of guff to survive a fall like that." Dash said with a smile, clapping her on the shoulder. Hugs and wishes of good health went around in equal measure, everyone laughing and smiling...

Except Applejack.

Finally, Twilight caught on, and laid a single finger over Pinkie's yammering mouth. Slowly, they pulled away from Lily, opening the space between the two of them. Silence reigned as the beautiful woman struggled with the words to say. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Ah... Ah cain't say ah'm proud of what ah did with Liam. Fluttershy 'n I talked it over, so we're good... But..." Her green eyes flashed as she looked up at Lily. "I don' think ah cin ever forgive yeh for what you did, Lily." Lily wilted, her eyes sinking as she suddenly felt rather horrible for what she had done to the two women. "But." She looked back up as Applejack walked forward, wrapping her arms around Lily and pulling her into a hard, sisterly hug.

"What-" Lily stuttered, unsure wether to return it or pull away fearfully.

"It takes a lot of courage to stand up ta Chryaslis and all them changelin's. I don't wanna lose a friend like that. Ah'm willin to give ya a chance, Lily... But no more of this lyin'. Promise me that?" Applejack said, clutching Lily in a tight embrace. Lily could only smile and slowly return the hug.

"I promise, Applejack. I think I'm done lying to others. If they want to know I'm a changeling, I'm willing to let them know I am." She said, and she laughed as Applejack lifted her up, spinning her in a hug.

"Well shoot, sugar! This is yer big day! Let's party!" Pinkie squealed and bounced around, dashing out of the door.

"Where the hell is she going?" Dash asked, peeking after the bubbly girl.

"Probably to get supplies. Girls, may we have a moment with Lily?" Celestia and Luna both emerged from the same door Lily had come through, and after a brief farewell, Lily was left alone with the two rules of all of Equestria. Suddenly afraid, Lily whimpered and shrunk away. Unsure exactly what to do, she knelt to the carpet, bowing low before the two princesses.

"Oh, come now, Lily. No need for such formalities. Thanks to you, we were able to deal a crippling blow to the entire changeling force." Celestia stooped over, gently pulling Lily to her feet with a smile. For what felt like the fiftieth time, Celestia surprised her by wrapping the changeling defector in a warm, gentle embrace. Her hair smelled like summer and wet earth. Rain and the metallic scent left after a lightning strike... Fresh flowers and sunshine. Lily felt her knees go weak for more than one reason.

"I don't..." Celestia silenced her with a lacquered fingernail against her lips.

"Allow us to explain, Lily. The two of us have a lot to cover, and it sounds like you have a party to get going to. So please, let us sit." Luna pulled a chair up, that Lily took awkwardly. Both the princesses sat on the couch opposite Lily, crossing their legs. Where Celestia was a picture of flawless beauty, Luna had to have been the opposite end of the same spectrum. She was a ravishing picture of sheer sexual desire. The sheer dress clung to her curves, the tall, slender woman was perfectly proportioned. Her breasts didn't sag or weren't too far apart... They seemed just as firm as Rarity's, as large as Applejack's, and barely concealed by the hem of a glittering purple dress. Her thighs were full, peeking out under the swishing hem of her dress, the calves directly proportionate and smooth. Both of them were completely flawless in every way, Celestia the type of beauty one would be both jealous of and admire at the same time, that you could look at for hours on end... Luna the type of beauty that you wanted in bed, to do everything in your power to please in hopes she found you worthy and would return the favor in kind...

"Luna and I have decided, Lily." Celestia said gently. "We will grant you citizenship in Equestria. And thanks to your heroic actions at the cost of physical well-being, we will reward you as we see fit." The words coming from Celestia's lips were hard to believe, and indeed made Lily's jaw drop.

"What..." She was at a loss for words, so many different questions rushing through her mind.

"Lily, we understand you're a changeling." Luna said at last, her low alto voice a perfect match for the ravishing body. "You probably don't sustain yourself with food and water as most everyone else does, and you almost certainly have a different set of ideals how you would like to spend your life. Celestia and I both understand how difficult it will be to start a new life, so we would like to do what we can to give you that opportunity. A home, a business, a career, you name it, and we shall provide." Lily swallowed hard, finding it hard to direct a question towards the two flawless beings before her.

"Do you really mean anything?"

"Anything." Celestia confirmed.

"Like... For instance, if I wanted to... Could I... Well... I find it hard to say..." Lily struggled over the words.

"Just ask." Luna said, urging her on.

"Well... I feel so bad saying it. May I write it?" With a wave of her hand, Celestia summoned a sheaf of paper and a pen, guiding them both to Lily. She took them and hastily scribbled down her idea, offering the paper to them both. Celestia grabbed with it a thread of magic and opened it before the two princesses. Much to her surprise, Luna smiled. Not the type of humorous, happy smile from a good joke. No, that was a different type of smile entirely. Celestia blushed slightly.

"We can make this happen, Lily. Who did you have in mind to run the business, though?" Luna asked, shifting her legs.

"Oh, I have someone in mind..."

--------------- Epilogue ---------------

"Girls, I really don't know about this..." Sweetie Belle whimpered softly, fidgeting in the passenger seat of the humming car.

"Come on, Sweetie..." Scootaloo groaned from the driver's side, speeding down side streets. "It's been, what, twenty three years? You still haven't popped your cherry? Don't worry, I know the perfect place. You won't regret it."

"Seriously." Applebloom piped up from the back. "I heard of this place from Applejack a few years back. Best night of my life." A flush rose to the young woman's face as she smiled in remembrance.

"But, I mean, what about someone special and all that? I mean, not that I don't mind, but... I don't know! I feel so nervous." Sweetie Bell complained, fidgeting more.

"She'll fix that. Trust me, Sweetie. She's the best anywhere." Applebloom reassured her with a gentle pat on the shoulder, and Sweetie Bell could only sigh and close her eyes.

"I just don't know... If what you say is true, this place is pretty much a whorehouse. How do I know it's safe?"

"Oh come ON, Belle! If this place wasn't safe, do you really think Celestia would let it stay in business? Especially since it's smack-dab in the middle of Canterlot. Rumor has it she comes here herself now and then. Luna, too." Scootaloo pulled into a parking space, the engine ticking as it shut off.

"Come on, Sweetie. And don't be nervous. I hear tell this woman's a professional." The three friends left the car, the two older and more experienced teasing the third as they swept into the reputable establishment. The main entry was lavishly appointed with rich red carpet, thick, fluffy couches, and a happily burning fire. The scent of lavender and perfume wafted through the air gently.

"Good evening, ladies. What can I help you with?" A young woman approached them, her wings ruffling slightly as she closed the door behind them. Scootaloo patted Sweetie on the shoulder, all three feeling only slightly awkward.

"Well, hard to explain, lemme whisper in your ear a moment." The woman smiled and leaned in obligingly as Scootaloo whispered into her ear a few short sentences.

"Oh. Oh! I see. I think I have the solution for you, darling." The woman gently took Sweetie Bell's hand, pulling the reluctant magi into the living room. "Make yourselves comfortable, you two." She said, gesturing to the comfortable couches. "If you need anything, someone will be with you shortly. I need to see to our guest here." With a sultry wink, Sweetie Bell and the mysterious woman slipped down a side hall, paintings and candles lining the dark, wood-paneled walls.

"Where are you...?" Sweetie started to protest, but soon enough she was answered as the woman swept them into a massive, warmly-lit bedroom. A vanity and dresser sat side-by-side inbetween two windows looking out onto the street. A gentle rain had begun to fall, the sound wafting in through half-open panels. The carpet was thick and soft, Sweetie Bell could feel her feet sinking into the lavish threads. Most of the room was dominated by a four-poster bed, and tasteful paintings of nude women covered in cleverly-placed sheets or decor covered the walls. Overhead, a chandelier cast a warm, low light on everything, the muted red hues making the entire atmosphere warm and relaxing.

"Now." The woman said, shutting and locking the door behind them. With a soft smile, she turned to Sweetie Belle. "Let's get down to business."

"Listen, I just don't know... I'm only here because my friends and I've got a lot on my mind right now, I just can-" She was cut off as the woman pressed their lips together, moaning softly as her arms slid around Sweetie Bell's sides. All the tension and exasperation about the situation slowly melted away, and Sweetie felt herself melt into the embrace. When the kiss was over, she breathed heavy, a flush rising to her cheeks.

"See? When you relax, things can become rather easy..."

"But... I... I-i don't really like... Girls..." She whimpered softly, and her heart nearly stopped as the woman before her shifted into a rather strapping, handsome man.

"I can do that for you." His low baritone voice vibrated into Sweetie Belle from her hands on his chest.

"What... You're a changeling aren't you? I heard about you, from eight years ago... You're Lily, aren't you?" The man smiled, kissing Sweetie Belle's forehead.

"Indeed I am. Which also means..." She shifted into a big, muscular man, his bare chest luring Sweetie into a simple embrace. He was so warm...

"I... I was hoping for someone... A little smaller. Closer to my size." Sweetie Bell admitted with an embarassed flush.

"Of course, darling..." The sultry, low voice of a slender, shorter man made her knees weak.

"Right... That's... Perfect..." She muttered, looking up into the flashing, amber eyes of a shaggy-haired, handsome man.

"Come on, Sweetie. Let's forget your problems for a while." Feeling both eager and ready, which somewhat surprised her, Sweetie Bell let the changeling stretch her out on the bed.

The sign above the front door to the business read 'Maggie's.'

------------- Notes from the Author -------------

Thank you all so much for reading and supporting me. I would not have been able to finish this without your words of encouragement. This is the first time I've ever really put anything out there for anyone to read. I'm so glad it was well-received.

My inspiration for this story came from Dermuffinmeister's "Canterlot Tails" story, in addition to the Season 2 finale. My friend and I got in a very long and heated discussion about changelings and how they feed off of love... If Chrysalis' power came from feeding off of love, how could she be defeated by it? While I have my opinion on all that, a different thought struck me...

What if emotional love isn't the only type of love changelings can feed off of? That thought stuck in my head, and I came up with Lily's character soon after.

This story was written half to prove something to myself, to say that I could amount to something legitimate. Half to put my idea out there, to get some feedback. I've always had a passion for reading and authoring, and have tried to pen several novels in the past. I've failed, naturally, but I think with this wonderful website I've managed to find a format that fits me well. I can just let my thoughts run rampant and free, put a lot of them out there, publish it, and come back to it later. I think my main issue was working on something and having to come back to it. When I write in this format, I can publish a chapter, feel accomplished for finishing something, but continue to write and come up with new ideas.

I honestly hope you enjoyed reading the story of Lily and her exploits.

She's not done yet, though. Oh no, not just yet... I am now in the process of making "A Different Kind of Love: The Lost Chapters." This story will be a random collection of short stories consisting of all the moments through the first seven chapters Lily either got laid and it wasn't published, or other steamy moments penned in greater detail. In addition, I am accepting requests for other characters. If you would like to see Lily have some fun with anyone else, either send me a private message or e-mail me [email protected]

The first chapter in that story will be published soon enough, so keep your eyes peeled.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my girlfriend. She is not a brony in any sense, but she was able to objectively look at this story and tell me what she thought of it. I thank her for being a phenomenal person and making my life that much better. I also want to thank my best friend for making me a brony. If it weren't for you, I'd never have been introduced to this phenomenal show, the massive and varied fanbase, and the amazing group of people whom I so proudly call my fellow bronies.

I hope you enjoyed the read. There is much more to come.

Thank you all.

-Loyal2-1

-=EDIT=-

Reading through an entire story in a night really changes your perspective on your own skills. I see now there are quite a few differences between my old writing style and the one I've developed.

I've changed quite a few things with this story... There were a lot of time issues, the whole of ADKoL taking place in about six months, when it really took close to a year. In addition, Sweetie Belle said "Ten years ago." Well, when Maggie's funeral was nine years in the future, and I planned on having the story wrapped up shortly after that, kind of throws a wrench into things. I'm secretly hoping no one notices my rather signifigant blunder with the time.

Thanks again for reading, and thanks to my fans for their support!