Her brow furrowed again. Yona squinted at the craft before her, tracing her eyes along the pattern of twig-like trees and yellow sun, woven from cloth. The sun sported a comical smile, while carefully stitched strips of yellow cloth spread outwards from its center.

But it was no use. Try as she might, the concept, as well as the proper reaction were lost to her. The young yak raised her head to deliver the bad news.

"Yona not understand," Yona began, wrapping her words with the utmost care as not to offend her friend. "Sandbar likes...creepy sunshine?"

Sandbar laughed. A few heads around the classroom turned, but the day's activities quickly swept their attention away again.

"No, no, it's just a fun design, Yona," Sandbar dismissed, setting the craft down between his hooves and placing one upon it. "See, the sun has a smile, because that means it's a really nice day. Professor Fluttershy says it's called a doily, but they're more an art piece than drink coasters, if you ask me."

Scrunching her face, Yona returned her gaze to the blank canvas of white cloth before her. Strewn all about, colorful trails of yarn snaked along the table, discarded from her previous attempt. They looked rather pathetic.

"Yona not sure doily making is best for Yona," the young yak said plainly, casting her gaze to the vibrant mane of her professor as it glided around the room. Gingerly hovering from table to table, Fluttershy tended to her flock of students with care, her face lighting the room each time a doily was presented to her. "Professor Fluttershy scary good at weaving and stitching - maybe she teach Yona's friends to weave and stitch good, too, but Yona better at...unmaking things, not making them."

"Come on, Yona, don't say that, you can do anything you put your mind to," Sandbar encouraged, rising from his seat and trotting the circumference of the table. "It's all about trying new things, ya know? Sewing, er, seeing what you like, and what you don't like. Here, let's take a look at what you have for string colors, maybe I can help you paint an idea."

Together, the pair hunkered down over Yona's incomplete project, their soft voices drowning to the sea of steady chatter filling the room. One voice stood out from the rest, and from the other side of the classroom, no less. There, tucked away in the corner, a petite changeling excitedly worked her time away, crafting a scene of greenery into her doily and emitting the occasional gasp of excitement. Across from her sat an azure griffon, his beak planted into the table's wood like an unconscious woodpecker.

"Gallus, I think I'm starting to see moss grow around your neck plumage," the young changeling teased, giggling lightly at her own joke. "Why don't you at least try? Who knows, maybe you'll like it! I sure do."

The griffon gave out a painful sigh, dramatically scraping his talons along the crafted oak until his legs lazily fell from its edge, waggling pathetically in the air before gravity brought them still. There was a bonk as he replanted his face, followed by an even deeper, more prolonged sigh.

Ocellus held her laugh in with a hoof. Perhaps Gallus was more a mopey woodpecker.

"Can we bring Professor Applejack in here?", Gallus mumbled, only raising his head so that his rolling eyes could be properly seen. "I think her side tangents about apple history are the only thing that could possibly make this class any more boring."

"Oh, now you're going to make fun of Professor Applejack's lessons, too?" Ocellus shook her head, her mouth tightening to that of a disappointed mother. "Gallus, I haven't seen you pick up that doily once. Are Professor Rainbow Dash's lessons the only class you'll even put effort into?"

As if reflexive against such an affront, Gallus's wings spread like a burst wind, stiffening at mid-fold before resting again. Flopping upon one foreleg, the griffon flicked and prodded at his assignment, staring at it with a blank expression.

"Don't blame me for only liking the exciting classes, Ocellus. You and Silverstream might find everything fascinating, but I'm not quite as easy to please."

"So I've noticed," Ocellus replied.

Gallus's eyebrows became gnarled bushes.

"Point is, yes, I need more stimulation than this," the griffon continued, picking himself up only to slump back in his chair, until he fell eye level with the table's surface. "To be honest, you guys are what keep me from falling to the floor, curling up into a fetal position and weeping in turmoil through quite a few of our classes, lately. Haven't you noticed that things aren't as exciting as they used to be? Just look at Professor Fluttershy - we used to have classes with her animal friends, one of which was a huge bear. How'd we go from that to this?"

He motioned a claw to the front of the room. A line of students had lined up at Fluttershy's desk, prancing in place and holding their finished work high on one hoof, displaying them with pride. The students' faint giggles and chatter reached his ears, and Gallus made a cat-like gagging sound.

"Well, who knows, Gallus, maybe our next class will have something more exciting for you," Ocellus offered, returning her focus to her craft. "If there's one thing I've learned from being a student here, it's that you never know what the day will bring you."

"Uhuh, sure. At least our next class has Smolder in it. I'm starting to think I'll outdate Grampa Gruff by the time we get to experience anything exciting during class, again."

A muffled crash echoed through the classroom walls, eliciting shocked gasps, and a rouse of attention from every student. As arts and crafts materials fell in displays of chaos to students rapidly standing from their desks, Fluttershy took to the air, drawing her class's attention with a display of her wings.

"Now, everycreature just remain calm," she said firmly, sniping eye contact from each and every student. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. If you all would please just sit back down, I'll head outside and see what's going on-"

"It's Discord! He's in the courtyard, and he has a bunch of changelings with him! AHH! They are SO CUTE!"

A fire given fuel, the classroom erupted with chatter despite Fluttershy's efforts, and Silverstream was quickly joined at the window by the rest of the class, crowding together to get a view of the startling claim. Even Fluttershy, at the mention of Discord's name succumbed to a curious gaze out the window.

The school's courtyard, once a serene scene of students mingling, relaxing and reading beneath the shady willows that stood guard over it, now reflected a scene of confusion and shock. The school's brilliant oak gate lay destroyed, shattered at the wheels of a peculiar looking cart, which had stained the sandy dirt with an array of skidmarks. Hitched to this display were a pair of even more peculiar, lizard-like creatures, vividly green with bulging eyes and wildly flicking tongues.

Only now departing from this cart were a variety of changelings, their shiny shells reflecting the sunlight in a nearly successful distraction from the mayhem. They too looked confused, largely staying by the cart as they took in their surroundings, whilst a crowd trickled into a mob on all sides.

Amidst this display of chaos, a tall, serpentine figure rose from the driver's seat of this old-world jalopy. Gangly and entirely unbecoming of his outfit, he sported an elaborate purple dress featuring confused pony faces, dangling earrings in the shape of the infinity symbol, and a rather decrepit looking chameleon, which sat, perched atop his shoulder. His smile grew dangerously, fed by the looks of amusement he garnished from his crowd. When his pet lizard abruptly coughed up a hairball, that amusement turned to shocked gasps, and Discord fell into a fit of hysterics audible even from the student's vantage point.

"Alright, now this is what I'm talking about!", Gallus chuckled, his once apathetic eyes now focused and sharp. With minimal effort he forced his way past his peers, pressing his talons against the window and drinking in the scene below. "I was hoping Professor Dash might pop in and save us from this class, but this is way better. He may be a loose cannon, but dull stuff just evaporates around this Discord guy."

"Yona not like goat chimera," Yona said firmly, her face etched from stone. "Yona remembers when goat chimera sent bugbear after Yona and her friends, not fun at all. Worst substitute of year award goes to goat chimera."

"Now that I'll agree with you on, Yona," Sandbar chipped in, peering out the sliver of window visible through the yak's braids. "But I wonder what he's doing here, and with all those changelings, no less."

"...'what', indeed. Oh, Discord, just what are you up to this time?"

Their attention was yanked back to the second floor classroom in which they stood, and so the students of FLU05 turned. Fluttershy's expression had grown serious, contemplative - she eyed the bizarre chimera with reproach, a piercing glare none of her students had ever seen from her, before. Upon noticing she was being watched, the pegasi's tension melted away as quickly as it had come, and she eyed her students with care.

"Everycreature, please stay here," she said calmly, fluttering towards the classroom door, "I need to step outside for a moment, in case Headmare Twilight needs my help. I'll be right back. In the meantime, if everycreature could help out by cleaning up the classroom a bit, I'd greatly appreciate it."

She opened the door to leave, but a voice caught her mid-air. It was a high-pitched request, filled with a contagious excitement.

"Professor Fluttershy, wait! Can I come downstairs too, please?"

It didn't take long for Fluttershy to find her. Buzzing over the heads of the other students, Ocellus arguably had the greatest view of all. She tapped her front hooves together and fidgeted in place, unable to tide over her squeaky enthusiasm.

"I gotta see some of those changelings up close!"

"Discord, would you mind telling me just what in Celestia's name is going on, here?"

Ah, there it was again. That delicious vexation, that sharp tone of voice, that frantic demeanor hidden behind a piercing glare.

Oh, how he missed it.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Headmare Twilight?" Slinking down from his eyesore of a transport, Discord cemented his claw upon his waist. To the purple alicorn's disapproving stare, he merely puckered his lips. "I'm just doing what any good Vice, Vice Headmaster would do - chaperoning field trips!"

By now, the bulk of the school's populace had assembled in a conglomerate behind Twilight, and from out of the woodwork, the remaining Elements of Harmony emerged, as if silently called forth by the Headmare's weighty words.

"Discord, I'm not exactly sure what it is you think you're doing," Twilight began, catching the eye of the occasional changeling and giving her best smile, "but this is rather disruptive. Didn't Starlight give you a list of things you could do to help out the school, after your last fiasco?"

Discord's lion paw waved about.

"Pish posh," he dismissed, abruptly teleporting behind two particular changelings and curving his pool noodle-esque body over to hug them. "That was a greatly exaggerated chore list and we both know it. I took the hint, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be allowed to contribute a great idea, now and again. You see, I went to visit the changelings, today, and the adorable little bugs have just been yearning to get outside their comfort zone. I thought to myself, 'Discord, why don't you take them on a field trip to Twilight's school? No better place for bug ponies to learn more about ponies, and vice versa!' It was a very compelling argument."

Twilight cocked a skeptical brow, one so high that Applejack stifled a chuckle from a few feet away.

"So let me get this straight," Twilight picked up with a sigh, taking a few steps forward, "you were feeling left out that Starlight and Trixie visited the changelings without you,"

"Very inconsiderate of them, right? Thank you."

"So you decided to visit the changelings, yourself, without letting anycreature know in advance,"

"Well hold on, now, I knocked on your office door but it said, 'out for a hayburger', so I figured I shouldn't bother you. One doesn't simply get in the way of Headmare Twilight and her favorite lunch."

Twilight paused just long enough to shake her head.

"Now you've come back from the hive to give me a headache, right after I sent Starlight over there to keep an eye on you, since I've been too busy to."

"A happy accident, I'm sure."

With pressure pulsing in her temple, Twilight allowed the air to grow quiet as she massaged her forehead. She did her best to ignore the smug grin plastered high atop that snake-like head, but it was burned into her eyelids.

"Discord, are Thorax and Pharynx aware of what you're doing?"

All eyes turned to the newly-arrived Professor Fluttershy. The pegasus had ascended to the draconequus's height, now floating just in front of his face. The two shared eye contact for some time. Discord tapped his claws and paws together as Fluttershy patiently awaited the inevitable confession.

"Well, they knew I was spending time with the multicolored masses, so I wouldn't say they're completely unaware of it."

"Discord."

"I may have volunteered a random assortment of bug ponies for a field trip without immediately consulting the Wonder Twins about it, yes."

"Discord."

"Alright, I also may have left a wagon-sized hole in the side of the hive. Carlos and Ralphie got a little too excited, I'm afraid." The draconequus turned to pat the heads of the resting lizards guiding his chariot, his claw elongating to an absurd length to do so. "I'll admit it's probably my fault for giving them too many bison flies before the trip. The things are practically catnip for lizards."

"Discord!"

"Oh, very well, then. I'll add 'apologizing to the beetlemeese' to my to-do list, post haste."

Throwing up his appendages in defeat, Discord side-stepped the pegasus, his gangly head curling around her as he did. "Honestly though, everycreature should be thanking me. The changelings mean to mingle, to get out into Equestria, yes? Seemed to me they needed a good jumpstart, seeing as they've hardly stepped hoof outside their cozy little hive since the defeat of Queen Meanie. I'm simply providing them an opportunity to stretch their buggy wings."

To emphasize, the spirit gently pulled on the tips of a drone's relaxed wings, flexing them from their carapace for all to see. The poor drone looked as if he'd been caught bathing, his amber cheeks tinting to a rose shade.

"We appreciate the sentiment, Discord, but as usual you seem to have a knack for disrupting whatever is going on." Regaining the conversation's reigns from Fluttershy, Twilight re-entered the fray, her calm expression reflecting her newfound composure. "The last thing I want to do is discourage you from trying to help out with the school, but I need there to be some...common sense. Yes, I realize the irony, here. I need you to have a focus, a narrower point for your visits and ideas, Discord, if you expect the school's staff to run with them."

Though an uncomfortable silence blanketed him from all sides, Discord's brimming confidence held strong. His pearly whites sat on a darkened face shaded by the sun overhead, and Twilight felt her brow clench on reflex.

"Oh, but Headmare Twilight, this field trip does have a narrower purpose," Discord purred, his mismatched wings fluttering to life. The spirit of chaos rose a few inches off the ground before coiling his tail up and over an invisible object. He sat back into thin air and held still there, some imagined up chair cradling him. "The changelings are not here to simply be witnessed, to hold up adorable little signs that say 'love us, we don't bite, anymore'. They are here to mingle, to make friends. Just think how excited our good boy Thorax will be once he sees his bug ponies are out mingling, and he didn't even have to attend a tea party for it to happen. In fact, the only thing we need for it to happen is..."

Twilight studied him, waiting for an explanation that never came. When the aged draconequus gave a subtle nod of his head, his white eyebrow sprouted from it, taking on a life of its own as it waved through the air.

It took the alicorn a moment to realize that the eyebrow was, in fact, pointing.

"Mom! Dad! W-what are you doing here? I never thought you'd come all this way to visit me at school!"

The subtle tension of the school's headmare taking on Equestria's personal poltergeist in a battle of verbs was lost from everycreature's memory, their attention swiftly stolen. A scene had begun to unfold before the courtyard, one which began with a small, light blue changeling buzzing into view from a thicket of students. Her compound eyes wide, she peered across the yard with an insatiable glee, spotting two particular changelings just left of Discord's wagon.

The scene came full circle as the two changelings turned at the familiar voice, and mirrored a smile as bright as Celestia's sun.

"There's our sugarbug!", a grayish blue drone exclaimed, lifting a hoof and letting out a laugh as Ocellus darted across the clearing like a slung arrow. "There are so many students here, I was starting to look around for your comfort forms!"

Instinctually sitting back upon her flank, a turquoise drone with bright pink highlights opened her hooves and embraced the speeding blur as it came to her. While Ocellus pressed into the familiar chitin, the pink drone gave out a series of content chirps and laid her chin on her nymph's head. The world grew still, and sighs of adoration spread in a consecutive chorus.

"How are you doing, Ocellus?", Spiracle asked sweetly, raising her head as to make eye contact. "You must be busy with your studies, lately, we haven't heard from you in almost a week."

While Ocellus adopted a sheepish little smile, her father, Carapace quietly sat by.

"Well, um, I-I'm sorry," Ocellus began, her anxiety now readily reminding her of the hundreds of onlookers. Finding comfort and confidence in her mother's vibrant eyes, she fixated there, again wearing her bright smile. "I have been busy, but not just with classes, I've been busy with my friends, as well! In our spare time we've been working on a bunch of cool projects, and have been exploring a lot of the more interesting places around Central Equestria! I'm sorry I haven't written as much, lately...but hey, soon we'll be on break, and I can come home for a while!"

Spiracle nodded, invested from beginning to end. When Ocellus finished, she turned, eyeing her mate with a knowing look.

"You don't have to apologise, sugarbug," Carapace spoke up, gently rubbing a hoof across his nymph's head and messing with her decorative headpiece. "We know you couldn't be in better hooves, here, but that doesn't mean we still don't worry, sometimes. I think we might have gotten a little too used to your letters every few days, too."

"I'm glad things are going so well, though," Spiracle summarized, sending a thoughtful look towards Twilight and garnishing a warm, respectful one in return. "Carapace and I are blessed to have you, just as we are blessed to have this opportunity for you. I'm so happy you're making the most of it, Ocellus. You'll have to tell us all about it during your break."

A stamp on an already perfect envelope, Carapace joined his mate as they closely embraced their nymph, together.

Transfixed by the sight, Twilight failed to notice the light tap of a hoof against her flank. Upon a repeated attempt, the alicorn jumped, wheeling her attention to a modest green changeling standing just to her side.

"Um, so sorry, Princess Twilight," he said meekly, rubbing his leg. "I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Elytra. This probably seems sudden, but I just wanted to say that I'm actually really good friends with Ocellus's father, and that I have nymphs of my own. If your school gives tours, would it be possible for me to request one, while I'm here? Of course, I've heard of your school, before, but most changelings are just taught by our internal community. This, though...this seems really nice. I want to see if it's something my mate and I would like for our young ones, too."

As the adult drone broached his thoughts, other nearby changelings took notice, nodding their heads in agreement. A small, but enthused group of changeling parents had gathered before the alicorn could even form words.

"I'd like to request the same. Thorax has such high hopes for us to become a part of Equestria, and a large part of that is through making new connections," a tangerine female spoke up, offering her hoof to Twilight. "If a school built by the princess of friendship can't help emulate that future, and guide our young towards it, I don't know what will."

Twilight reached deep into her own throat for words, but they wouldn't come up. She flattened her lip, struggling to merely choke back tears. Swallowing, she gave a rather jagged nod before placing her hoof atop the adult changeling's and locking eyes with her.

"I would be honored to give a school tour to anycreature looking for a place for their children to grow," she cooed at last. "Please allow me a moment to get our students and faculty back to their classes, and I'll give all of you a tour, personally."

Nodding, the small group dispersed, many of them joining Ocellus and her family, while others took the liberty of speaking to members of faculty. Twilight was left to merely stare after them, to watch in wonder as changelings laughed along with Pinkie Pie, discussed class material with Fluttershy, and became enthralled by Rainbow Dash's enthusiasm.

"So...a 'random assortment of changelings', huh, Discord?"

Twilight again found herself torn from her observations. She pivoted to find Applejack casting a sly eye to Discord, who continued to sit upon thin air, casually flipping through a manifested newspaper. Upon being pinged by name, Discord unmade his newspaper in a flash of light, revealing that same smirk from before - that vile smirk that played with her nerves and challenged her patience.

It was still there, but this time Twilight couldn't help but smile back.

"My, my," Discord began, laying his head upon his paw and casting a glance around the courtyard, taking in the rich interactions sprouting from every corner. "Mingling and school recruitment? Today is just full of happy accidents. I don't know about you, but I'd say that's two points for Vice, Vice Headmaster Discord."

With a colorful variety of discussions and questions behind her, and her faculty now finishing up the day's classes with their students, Twilight began her slow retreat to her office. Her hooves ached, and her wings gave similar complaints, but they didn't spoil her pleased little smile. Today had evolved in a way she could have never foreseen, and now, given the opportunity to reflect on it, the alicorn had a stack of relevant paperwork to humor.

Enshrouding her doorknob in pink magic, Twilight opened up her office door. Greeted by a familiar silence, she sighed to herself and closed the door behind her, making her way to her desk. There, promptly sat in the center was a laughable stack of papers, with a curious sticky note attached to the top. Eyeing the addition the entire journey behind her desk, Twilight sat down and levitated the note up to eye level.

Twilight,

These are your new student catalogues, and a bunch of other important looking stuff. Sorry, I was only really able to tell if it was important looking or not.

As per the note you left on my bed, you wanted these to be gathered before the end of the weekend. Didn't have time to file them for you, but I figured you'd be fine with that. It's your favorite part, after all!

If you need me, I'll be in Ponyville this weekend. Discord and Big Mac have been giving me stink-eye over the fact we haven't played Ogres and Oubliettes in weeks. I also want to try and invite Thorax, if he's not too busy.

Always happy to help,
Spike

Giggling to herself, Twilight laid down the note. Thorax, eh? She could scarcely even imagine to what extent the changeling king was stressing. Discord's antics had clearly bypassed her good friend and faithful student, as she had feared, which meant the hive must have borne witness to quite a fiasco. By now Discord had surely returned the changelings he effectively kidnapped, but whether or not their absence, or return was even noticed was unknown to her.

Knowing Thorax, she'd have a letter on her desk by Monday, filling in the blanks.

As Twilight wrapped her quill in magic and set her sights on her weighty task, there was a sudden, sharp knock at her door. Torn once more from her focus, the alicorn cast her eyes up on instinct.

"Um, yes, come in."

Before the door had even opened properly, a voice she recognized all too well filled the hall, as well as her office, and a detailed mane of blue and purple filled her doorframe.

"Twilight, where's Discord!?"

Starlight Glimmer entered the Headmare's office with a stagger, disheveled and wily-eyed. A few stray twigs poked out from her mane, and dirt sullied her coat in places, but most of all, she held Twilight with a look of panic. Her horn glowed at the ready, primed to cast spells of fantastic and terrible power at a moment's notice, and her right eye seemed to have a twitch.

Twilight put a concerned hoof to her mouth. Little did Starlight know it was hiding a giggle.

"He's not here, Starlight, you can calm down. Please, tell me what happened."

"It was a wild goose chase, Twilight, all of it," Starlight muttered, taking a deep breath and straightening out her mane as she passed by a mirror. "One moment he was freestyle dancing with some of the drones, and then the next thing I know he tears a hole through the wall with that...darned wagon, and off he went, into the horizon with a dozen changelings!"

From one foci to another, Twilight's gaze drifted to the brilliant orange mane of Sunburst as he too entered the room, panting raggedly and seemingly on the verge of collapsing upon Twilight's throw rug. The stallion took refuge in one of the modest chairs sitting by the door, where he breathed in deeply through his mouth, readjusting his haphazardly strewn glasses.

"Of course we followed him," Sunburst clarified, meeting Twilight's curious stare, "but he was several steps ahead of us the entire time, literally. There were numerous different wagons, Discords and sets of changelings, all taking different routes to Ponyville. Even with Starlight's cloning spell, they were too slippery. Most of them outran us, and the ones we did catch turned out to be scarecrows."

Twilight blinked. "You mean, fakes?"

"Well, yes, but I mean actual scarecrows, too." His orange magic pulled his glasses before his face, and Sunburst cleaned them with a cloth. "Starlight blew out the wheel of one of the wagons, but when it came to a stop and we got a good look at it, it was full of straw imitations of Discord and a bunch of changelings."

Missing only a bag of popcorn, Twilight leaned on a hoof and looked to Starlight.

"...what about Thorax and Pharynx?" She asked. "Were they aware of any of this?"

Having regained her composure, Starlight set aside a conjured comb, now riddled with the foliage once inhabiting her mane. "I don't think Pharynx is aware of anything that happened after they started having their play, to be honest. He and Thorax came out from some side chamber, and Pharynx immediately headed off somewhere. Thorax, though, saw the whole thing. He was frantic, and was about to soar off after them, himself, but I assured him that we'd take care of it. I told him Discord was our responsibility."

Rising from her desk, Twilight glanced out the window and at the sun, still crowned upon the blue sky. A moment of silence followed as her guests watched her with bated breath.

"I'm, I'm sorry, Twilight," Starlight started out, her face, as well as her tone growing melancholic. "It was my responsibility, and I failed. He had an answer to everything I tried, was in total control of every situation, right through till the end. Even with Sunburst, I-"

"Starlight, don't worry about it," Twilight interjected, wheeling about and casting her friends a reassuring smile. "All I needed was for the blanks to be filled in, and you did just that. I'm not disappointed or upset, or even put out, honestly. If you want the short and sweet of it, everything turned out fine."

"But he, they-wait...they did?" It was Starlight's turn to blink.

Twilight nodded. "I'll explain the details later, maybe when I'm a little less exhausted, but yes, everything turned out well. By now, I would imagine Discord has returned everyling to the hive, where they can relieve Thorax's worries, themselves. Admittedly not the smoothest of afternoons, but in retrospect, it could have gone a lot worse."

As if a mighty weight had been lifted from their backs, Starlight and her companion gave dramatic sighs, slumping themselves over and merely existing, for the first time that day. For a time, the three ponies sat in each other's company, taking in the sun's warm rays, beaming through the office windows.

"...I don't think I'm a great match for dealing with Discord," Starlight offered to the room, allowing herself a chuckle.

Twilight mirrored the chuckle, moving out from behind her desk and joining the pair on the rug. "I should apologize, Starlight. It probably would have been a better idea to send Fluttershy instead, she seems to be the only one who can talk sense into him. Princess Celestia called that long before I ever did, yet I always forget to utilize it."

"It's not your fault, we were short on time and I was sitting right there, in front of you," Starlight reassured. "I'm just glad that everything turned out well. I was inconsolable on the way over here, just ask Sunburst."

Two pairs of expectant eyes shifted to Sunburst, who, from his sprawl on the carpet, cleared his throat.

"'Twilight's gonna flip! Pharynx is gonna flip! Sunburst, we have to get those changelings back right now!'", the stallion mimicked, to all three's immediate giggling. "I'll admit though, I'm glad you picked Starlight to go, Twilight. If you hadn't, I'd never have gotten to tag along. I got to learn so much about the changelings and their new culture, even a bit about Discord, himself. Plus, even when it's hectic, going on an adventure is always fun with a friend."

Starlight fawned audibly.

"Even if the intention wasn't successful, we all learned something from the experience, even me." Twilight glanced to the impending stack of papers calling her name, her stare reflecting a journey in thought. "I'll give him this, shenanigans aside, Discord is a much more helpful friend than I typically give him credit for."

As the topic came to rest, the trio fell back into silence. Having caught their breath, Starlight and Sunburst eventually rose from the throw rug, eyeing the princess curiously. Though her focus fixated on her work across her desk, she had yet to even budge.

Starlight exchanged glances with Sunburst.

"Well, I think I'll head back to my office, as well," Starlight announced, making a motion for the door. "I have to tie up a few loose ends before I head home, to take a long shower. I did not count on running a marathon, today."

"Since I'm already in town I might poke around for a bit before heading back, myself," Sunburst added, following Starlight's lead. "A pleasure to spend a bit of time with you again, Twilight, I look forward to the next!"

"I guess I'll see you at home, Twilight?"

After so many times being disturbed, Twilight's thoughts were not torn asunder, this time. With a content smile she trotted behind her desk, gently pushing aside the stack of student catalogues in favor of a fresh scroll. Whilst her magic ignited, puppeteering her quill to life, she gave a parting nod to her company.

"Absolutely, Starlight. I'll be home in a few hours, I want to stay late today to finalize some things, myself. And enjoy Ponyville, Sunburst, let me know if you grab any juicy antiques before you head home!"

Exchanging goodbyes, the office door closed like a punctuation to their visit. Twilight stared thoughtfully at her ceiling for a few moments, her quill rotating in place, until she grinned, and began to scribble upon the aged parchment.

Dear Thorax,

I realize this is rather sudden of me, and I realize that you're probably busy, lately, judging by your letter silence, but I was inspired by something, today, and wanted to reach out.

I may have some ideas for a next step the changelings could take in their efforts to become citizens of Equestria, something with a deeper impact than dinners, parties and casual events. If you can find the time, we should schedule to meet this upcoming week. Spike's been itching to play his board game with you, anyway, so I figured I'd offer the castle, and we can all make a day of it.

I'll go over the details of my inspiration, there, but, just to field a question...

How do you think the changelings would feel about returning to Canterlot?

Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle

Author's Notes:

I hereby dedicate this chapter to Ocellus and her adorable buggo parents, Carapace and Spiracle.
They provided the inspiration I needed to conquer the long-standing writer's block I had with this story.

Onwards and upwards, lads. With the endgame now in sight, I am determined to finish this tale.