Cheerilee rubbed her temples as the clock ticked closer to the end of recess. She saw the confrontation between Noblesse and the mature Changeling, and had rushed from recess duty into the schoolhouse so she and Twilight could discuss how to approach the topic of Changelings with their class.

Cheerilee was informed about the Changelings in Ponyville when she became the Headmistress of Ponyville Schools, and had planned to keep their existence a secret so they could feed more easily. Now that a Changeling had been caught impersonating one of her students, she and the other teachers had a huge problem on their hooves, one that was worsened by Cheerilee herself and Twilight being the only members of the school staff that actually knew what Changelings were before the attack on Canterlot.

Explaining Changelings to her students was going to be hard enough, but to do so with her staff was going to be even harder. Worse yet, Cheerilee only had so much control over how her subordinates approached the topic of Changelings with their own classes. Now students and teachers were going to be unable to trust each other again for a long time. All of this was bad enough on its own, but how to convince anypony that not all Changelings were plotting conquest of Equestria and the seizure of all the love found within?

“Do you think Noblesse will be able to help us?” Asked Cheerilee, “He didn’t seem the least bit frightened by that Changeling.”

“Hard to say,” Answered Twilight, “I’m sure he’s been through things we can’t even imagine, given how peaceful Equestria is.
So, it might not be that he lacks discrimination against Changelings, but he has either faced or knows of things scarier than anything Changelings are capable of.”

Cheerilee and Twilight would have pondered the subject more, but the bell to bring students back to class rang out. Within minutes, students started coming in through the classroom door and returned to their seats. Both Cheerilee and Twilight noticed that the foals were keeping their eyes on each other before they came in, probably to make sure that they couldn’t be ‘replaced’ during the minor chaos that came with moving a large group of Ponies at once.

It wasn’t unusual for the students to still be talking among themselves before the teacher got their attention to resume class, but both teacher and TA could hear the undertones of fear and confusion. The only Ponies in the room who weren’t acting differently were Cheerilee, Twilight, and Noblesse, the latter sitting in his seat next to where Scootaloo sat when present waiting for class to start again.

Cheerilee began to tap her ruler against the chalkboard, her usual method of getting her classes’ attention, “Class,” Unfortunately, her students were more distracted than they were on most days for obvious reasons, so only a few students ceased their fearful chatter. Cheerilee resorted to giving her desk a hard hit with her ruler, “Class!”

The harsh tone and the unusually volume of Cheerilee’s voice finally brought the rest of the class out of their discussions.
Cheerilee gave a sigh, knowing what was about to happen, “Before we continue class, Twilight and I need to address what happened at recess today.”

“You mean that there are Changelings in Ponyville!?” Exclaimed Sweetie Belle, her voice cracking with fear.

“There’ve been Changelings living in Ponyville for hundreds of years,” Pointed out Noblesse casually.

All of Noblesse’s classmates instantly turned their heads to look at Noblesse in shock while Cheerilee and Twilight looked to each other. The two mares already knew that Noblesse knew there were, and had been, Changelings living in Equestria, but were surprised at how nonchalantly he dropped the metaphorical bombshell.

Archer, who looked the most surprised out of the entire student body, was the first to speak, “What do you mean that Changelings have been living here?”

“Exactly what I said,” Replied Noblesse in a tone of voice that bordered, but not quite reached, condescending, “Changelings have been living in Equestria before The Three Tribes settled the land and formed the ethno-states that would merge and become the nation we live in today.”

“If they’ve been here for so long, why did they wait until the last royal wedding to attack?” Asked Rumble, not believing what he was hearing.

“They didn’t,” Answer the metal colored Serpicorn, “At least, not in whole. Hive Chrysalis was a single Changeling Hive that was radicalized by special-nationalists (Pronounced Spe-Ce-Al, like species.Think of ethnonationalism, but for a species instead of an ethnicity) that resided within Underlot City.”

“Where?” Asked Twilight who, like everypony else, was unfamiliar with the location.

Noblesse was in stunned confusion for a moment before he realized his mistake, “My apologies, I oft need reminding that not all the peoples of Equestria are as familiar with the Under-Cities as the scholars and nobles of Canterlot that I once associated with. Underlot is the name given to the capital of the Equestrian Under-Cities, as it is built around and within roots of Mt. Equiss.”

“Ya mean the Canterlot Mountains?” Asked Apple Bloom.

“I think,” Replied Noblesse, “Though I knew not that you surface dwellers renamed the Holy Mountains.”

“Holy?” Asked Twilight.In all Equestria’s history, from the Treaty of Tribes which founded the nation to the short period of time in between Discord’s petrification to Luna’s madness, the Canterlot Mountain Range had never been considered consecrated ground.

“Aye,” Confirmed Noblesse, “The mountain range, more specifically Mt. Equiss, is considered holy ground by the denizens of the Equestrian Under-Cities that hold our Diarchs as a pair of gods, for it is where they reside and rule. Believers of the Bucephalian Church also hold Mt. Equiss as holy ground, as the summit of Mt. Equiss is supposedly where Bucephalus used his magic to grant Equine life intelligence and Mana.”

Twilight had to stop at Noblesse’s choice of words, “So you don’t know?”

“Worship of Bucephalus is usually found in Maretonia and Saddle Arabia,” Replied Noblesse, “Since Bucephalian Priests were the first judges that sentenced the convicted to exile in the Equestrian Caverns, veneration of Bucephalus is highly unpopular and even outlawed in some Under-Cities.”

“What does this have to do with Changelings not being evil?” Asked Rumble, who far more concerned with the existence of Changelings in his community than a foreign history lesson.

“Uh, nothing,” Admitted Noblesse, “I suppose we did get off topic.”

“Changelings are divided into two subspecies: Hivelings and Broodlings,” Started Noblesse, “Broodlings are just like any other intelligent species, only with colored sclera, covered in chitin, and baring pupils in the shape of four pointed stars. The Changelings that attacked Canterlot were Hivelings, countless mindless drones that are controlled by a ‘Queen’ through limited telepathic commands and pheromone manipulation. This means that the only intelligent being in a Changeling Hive is its Queen.”

“Do you honestly expect us to believe any of that?” Asked Silver Spoon in an accusatory tone of voice, “Why do you know so much about Changelings anyhow?”

“I served in covert ops,” Answered Noblesse, “Shapeshifters with the innate ability to manipulate one’s mind would be invaluable to any and all cloak and dagger pursuits.”

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous to work so closely with such creatures?” Asked Twilight. While it was not hard to see how valuable Changelings could be, she couldn’t help but wonder if the peoples of the Under-Cities were the pawns in the political game of chess.

“Territory claimed by Hives are treated as city-states and, while Broodlings are all born with mind manipulating magic, theirs is nowhere near as strong as that of Changeling Queens,” Explained Noblesse, “Even then, Changeling Queens can only control so many drones and thralls without them slipping from control or without working itself to death, similar to a Unicorn who tries using magic while in Mana Recoil.”

“But there were so many of them in Canterlot,” Pointed out Sweetie Belle.

“And Queen Chrysalis had to use every single drone in her Hive just to hold one city,” Replied Noblesse, “If the Royal Guard were an actual military force, they would not have been able to take our capital so easily.”

“What do you mean by that?” Asked Pipsqueak in an unusually defensive and angry tone of voice.

“Equestria hasn’t had a real military in over a thousand years. The armies we did have were led by Princess Luna, because of the military’s affiliation with Her Serenity, no one enlisted for Equestria’s Armed Forces after the last soldiers retired,” Explained Noblesse, “The Royal Guard is mostly an emergency response force, somewhere in between law enforcement and disaster relief.”

“While utterly tactless,” Started Twilight, “He isn’t wrong. The Royal Guard mostly saw to the evacuation of civilians during the Canterlot Wedding Fiasco. Over ninety percent of Canterlot’s civilian population escaped, but nearly every member of the Royal Guard was captured by Changelings, mostly because they used themselves as distractions, so civilians could get away.”

A thought occurred to Twilight, “How did you know that Pipsqueak was a fake, and not the one among your group?”

“I could smell him,” Answered Noblesse as though it were a normal thing to say.

“Wot?” Asked Pipsqueak.

“This isn’t restricted to my appearance,” Replied Noblesse holding up his right foreleg.Twilight wondered if Noblesse consciously chose the real foreleg as opposed to the prosthetic as he continued to speak, “My senses, skeletal structure, and even my internal organs, were all changed to become more serpentine over the course of years. As one who has partook in Basilisk Blood, my sense of smell and taste are as deeply connected to my Magic as my horn.”

“So even if the Changeling masked its scent, you could ‘smell’ the magic forming the disguise,” Twilight hadn’t quite finished the book on Hemomancy, and the information within was already being useful to her.

“Bullseye,” Said Noblesse while nodding affirmatively.

“Then why didn’t you call out Chrysalis at the Royal Wedding?” Asked Sweetie Belle.

“I assumed that the Princess knew that was a doppelganger in the bride’s place,” Replied Noblesse.

“Why would the Princess know that was a Changeling in Cadance’s place?” Asked Twilight, legitimately shocked by Noblesse’s reply.

“It was Queen Chrysalis that warned us of a possible attack,” Answered Noblesse, “And we had no reason to suspect any dishonesty or trickery from her at the time, not to mention that previous Queens were invaluable assets to our country. The Sun Princess was also dismissing the unusual behavior from the impostor, so I thought she knew.”

“Are you suggesting that the Princess wanted the attack to happen?” Asked Twilight in confusion from Noblesse’s reasoning.

“Of course not,” Replied Noblesse with an insulted tone of voice, “All of the threats were made against Princess Mi Amore Cadenza specifically, with Her Radiance assuring everyone that Mi Amore was simply nervous about her upcoming wedding, I concluded that a Changeling imposter was being used in public let the attackers know we were on them.”

“And that Cadance wouldn’t be in a position to be attacked,” Finished Twilight.

“I don’t understand,” Said Rumble, “Why would that matter?”

“If the target wasn’t going to be present, there wouldn’t be any reason to use the resources in the attack,” Explained Twilight, “Then we would have time to investigate a previously unknown threat against us.”

“Had I known that Queen Chrysalis put herself in the bride’s place and not a drone, I would have just killed her myself,” Said Noblesse.

A thought occurred to Twilight as soon as Noblesse said that, “How would we ever find out where the real Cadance was?”

Noblesse sat in silence for a moment before speaking, “I do not have a high opinion of the Puppet Princess.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. Cadance was referred to as ‘The Puppet Princess’ by her critics ever since she was made Princess-Sovereign of the Crystal Empire. It was no secret that the Crystal Empire was a puppet state with Equestria being her suzerain. Cadance had no actual training or experience with administration or affairs of state and used what influence and wealth she had for charity and spreading awareness of problems small local communities had. So, she was more than happy with handing over actual governance to the Diarchs and their advisers.

But it was the implication of Noblesse’s words that caught her attention, “You would have willing let Cadance die?”

Noblesse frowned as his usually lifeless eyes reflected his disdain, “She wronged me in a way that I can never forgive. I would gladly take any opportunity to legally exact revenge on her.”

While the room was aghast, it was Twilight who spoke, “What could she possibly-”

Noblesse interrupted her, “By order of the Twin Thrones, I am forbidden from saying anything more on the subject.”

The classroom sat in complete silence, save for the ticking of the clock, until the bell rang to signify the end of the school day. The students filed out of the room and into the hallways as quickly as they could, Noblesse’s words clearly having an effect on them. Though, there were four clear exceptions. Apple Bloom, Rumble, and Pipsqueak were politely waiting for Noblesse with varying degrees of nervousness. What was surprising, was that Archer was inching her way to Noblesse as he headed toward the door.

It took a few moments for Noblesse to realize that the blueberry Pegasus was not simply going in the same direction, but was following him, “Did you need something from me?”

Archer flinched as Noblesse turned to face her, “Y-yeah,” Never mind his appearance, the way he talked about the Charitable Princess Mi Amore Cadenza mixed with the way he beat up those three Ponies earlier in the week was more than enough to send shivers down the Pegasus’ spine when she finally had his attention, “Could we talk in private?”

“Sure,” Noblesse turned to face his friends, “You three can go ahead outside, I won’t take offense.”

The group of young adults exited the room, leaving Twilight and Cheerilee by themselves.

“That was unpleasant for reasons I did not expect,” Stated Cheerilee as soon as her students were out of earshot.

“I know what mean,” Said Twilight with a thoughtful look on her face, “Though I can’t help but wonder what Cadance did to upset Noblesse so much.”

Cheerilee adopted a stunned look on her face as soon as she processed what Twilight had just said, “What could possibly justify such disdain for an Alicorn of all things, aren’t they supposed to be the pinnacle of Pony society?”

“Sort of,” Replied Twilight, stalling for the words she wanted to use, “They’re capable of making mistakes like anypony else, but because of the power they wield, their mistakes tend to have much more drastic consequences.”

“How do you mean?” Asked Cheerilee, not liking the tone of voice Twilight had just used.

“Cadance was my Foal sitter while I was growing up,” Cheerilee couldn’t help but wonder where this nonsequitur was going, “And she told me about some the biggest mistakes she had made when it became obvious I was more… magically inclined than the average Unicorn.”

“Oh dear, I do not like where this is going,” Cheerilee started to rub her forehead with one of her hooves as she thought about what the Princess of Love could have possibly done with her power.

“Cadance was only ten years old when she became an Alicorn, born to Pegasus parents,” Explained Twilight, “So she had hardly aged when her parents died of old age.I suppose you know about the lifespans of the Pony Tribes?”

Cheerilee nodded, “Unicorns can live to be two or three hundred years old, provided they exercise their magic and don’t over-extend their Mana Wells. Earth Ponies can live to be several hundred years old, but often become satisfied with the lives they have lived sometime after their grandchildren are born, and simply let go of their wills to live. Pegasi rarely live to be a hundred as their bodies use their magic so efficiently that they don’t retain any of it, preventing their Mana Wells from growing.”

Twilight nodded before continuing, “Cadance was, of course, upset after her parents died. Fortunately, she had friends to help her through it.”

Cheerilee’s eyes widened when she realized where this was going, “But she didn’t have anypony to help her through losing her friends, did she.”

Twilight shook her head, “No, she didn’t. She had sworn to make sure that no one, Pony or otherwise, hurt like she had ever again. So, she started travelling Equestria to ease the suffering of all creatures she could find.”

Cheerilee tilted her head in confusion, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Twilight looked away in shame as a blush came to her cheeks, “I developed the ‘Want It, Need It’ spell by reverse engineering her magic.”

“Oh?” Cheerilee’s expression became one of shock the second she realized what Twilight was implying, “Oh! Oh dear.”

Twilight looked back in time to see Cheerilee stroking her muzzle in distress, “It’s exactly as bad as you think. Cadance didn’t just go around making Ponies feel good, she used her magic to keep Ponies together when they wanted to separate and totally eliminated negative emotion, no matter how dire their circumstance.”

“At least her heart was in the right place,” Cheerilee said with a sullen look on her face.

“That’s why the princess wasn’t very harsh in punishing Cadance,” Explained Twilight, “You’d be surprised at how hard it was to track down a pink Alicorn, especially when she doesn’t stay in one place for more than a day or so.”

“What happened when she was finally found?” Asked the cerise Mare.

“Princess Celestia doubted that any words of wisdom would help somepony when she was hurting so badly,” Twilight used her magic to bring down the map of Equestria rolled up and hung over the chalkboard before continuing, “So, the Princess took Cadance back to the places she had visited and showed her how Ponies’ lives were made worse by them not able acknowledging their problems and how empty and robotic they became when forced to only feel one or two emotions.”

“That poor Filly,” Whimpered the teacher under her breath, “That must have hurt.”

“It did,” Affirmed Twilight, “She broke down into tears after being brought back to the second or third village she had been to. She and the Princess were able to make all those Ponies themselves again, but the damage had already been done.”

A shiver went down Cheerilee’s spine as she thought about what Twilight meant by that, especially since Princess Cadance had ‘saved’ so many relationships.

“After they were finally done, Cadance knelt before the Princess and submitted herself to her judgement,” Twilight winced before as she thought of what needed to be said next, “This was significant because Leather Apron had been arrested and sentenced before Cadance left her home town.”

Cheerilee brought a hoof to her mouth as she gasped and fell to a sitting position at the name. Leather Apron, also known as the Trottingham Stalker, the Candlelight Hunter, the Whitestable Murderer, and several other names, was the only known serial killer in Equestrian history. The mad Pony had a dozen victims in total, all female Ponies of varying ages. He was the reason that Ponies believed that Princess Celestia was a tyrant, as she personally petrified him and had him made into a fountain. These believes were further exaggerated when it became common knowledge that Leather Apron was sentenced to Sentient Petrification and judged guilty by the Sun Princess herself.

“So Princess Cadenza expected to be added to the Statue Garden?” Asked Cheerilee with an obvious note of horror in both her voice and expression.

Twilight nodded sadly, “Her actual sentence was to do a hundred hours of community service in each individual town she had… ‘affected.’”

Cheerilee cringed, “Good thing Alicorns don’t age.”

Both of the Mares chuckled at Cheerilee’s joke before continuing their discussion.

“So, you think Cadance did something similar to Noblesse?” Asked Cheerilee.

“Not exactly,” Answered Twilight, “Equestria hasn’t had an actual military for over a thousand years. My guess is that Cadance did something she didn’t realize was hurtful or insensitive, and Noblesse is taking it super personally.”

“But hoping for an excuse to end her is a bit much for something like that,” Pointed out Cheerilee.

“From what I’ve read about the Under-Cities, it’s super hostile and dangerous. Even the ground beneath you and the cavern ceiling isn’t safe, since territory can change much more drastically than it can on the surface. I can’t imagine what kind of ideology or mindset would be needed to survive down there.”

Both Mares thought to themselves with pensive looks on their faces for a moment before Twilight spoke again, “Enough about such terrible things. My friends and I have managed to schedule free time to hang out today, would you want to join us?”

A smile came to Cheerilee’s lips, “Yes, yes I would.Thank you for inviting me.”

Archer lead Noblesse down the opposite direction from the closest exit and from the CMC. The two-tone blue Pegasus lead Noblesse around the corner and checked her surroundings for anypony that could be listening in on them.

Archer sighed in relief.Confidant that they were alone, she spoke, “Can you really tell Changelings apart from the rest?”

“You saw me zero in on the offender at recess, didn’t you?” Asked Noblesse.

Archer sighed again, “Then I owe you thanks.”

“No, you don’t,” Replied the incognito noble, “You have the right to privacy. Though, I must warn you.”

Archer recoiled at the young stallion’s words, “Of what exactly?”

“There are going to be immigrants soon, coming from all over the Equestrian Continent and beyond. Some of them are going to be Changelings.”

“Okay… how does that affect me?” Asked Archer.

Noblesse expanded upon his warning, “Almost none of these Changelings are going to be disguised, and are going to take issue with Changelings that keep their disguises without good reason.”

“What!?” This had Archer shocked, “Why?”

“Outside of our nation, the existence of Changelings is well known,” Explained Noblesse, “Because of this, laws dictating the use of Changeling Transformations are basically universal. And very few Changelings who break these laws are… reputable.”

Archer closed her eyes started rubbing her temples in agitation. She already knew that Undisguised Changelings could tell Disguised Changelings apart from the rest of the population, “So they’ll start pointing us out to everypony else thinking we’re criminals.”

Noblesse nodded, “I won’t tell you how to live your life, but I advise you take this information to your family, maybe the rest of your Brood, and consider telling your friends before someone else tells them for you.”

Archer put her back against the wall and adopted a pensive expression, dreading the very idea of revealing her true form to her beloved friends. Thinking it would be best that Archer be left alone to think, Noblesse excused himself from the Disguised Changeling’s presence to rejoin his own friends.