****

Above the Narrow Sea

Ari

Pleasant shivers made their way down spine, raising my fur slightly as warm, moist appendages wrapped around the bases of my feathers. They handled them gently, stroking them and on one wing the appendage tugged experimentally on its chosen feather. Accompanying that heavenly feeling was the light humming and purring that came from either side of me, it filled the space I seemed to float in. All of soothing ministrations and reassuring sounds only added to the cocoon of warmth and peace that I was wrapped in. Lazily I buried my muzzle in my forelegs, the urge to ask for five more minutes rising in me as a persistent orange light shone through my eyelids.

My instincts were almost quiet, as was my mind, almost.

Sleep, that word sounded wrong, my mind blearily stumbled around the word in an attempt to figure out-

Fuck.

Shooting upright, I was greeted by the sight of a short two by four wedged up against the steering wheel. It creaked innocently as I stared at it.

Wh-.

“That was clever Ari,” my eyes shot over to Kapera, who was now standing in the open doorway dressed in a sheet that she had tied like a toga. “Here I was thinking that I was going to find a half-asleep Alicorn here this morning and instead I find that you used your head for once.” She finished, waving a paw at the plank. The dig went over me as I felt my heart start to beat harder, practically racing as the room felt wrong, like the little privacy I had in this world had been invaded.

She hadn’t done this.

I looked to my mares as I tried to push down my instinct’s screaming, pointing to the office break in as a sign to this happening. Both changeling and siren held a raven colored feather in their mouth, twiddling them absently as they looked around with eyes at half mast. Scales to fur, chitin to fur, and it was the latter that caused Chrissy’s feather to start to plummet. She splayed her ears and gave me a look that clearly asked what the matter was, her wing beginning to buzz, small bursts of worry as we looked at each other.

Shit, ask them anyway, maybe her look doesn’t mean that, and don’t forget to breath!

“Did either of you put that there,” I shakily motioned to the piece of wood, keeping my eyes on them. Already I could see the light bulb flash behind their eyes.

My instincts screamed a huge ‘I told you so’ in the form of my feathers standing on end, my nostrils flaring, and ears swiveling like mad. Paranoid? No, my nerves were on fire, adrenaline rushed me to move as it simultaneously pushed out articulate thoughts.

First the office break in and now this....Helpful action...Or they just didn't want to crash.

Soft paw steps seemed to echo in the room, moving away from me as the engine seemed to grow to a muted roar, and every tick of the clock was maddening.

I didn’t grab any plank.

“Ari,” Chrissy questioned as she rose from her sitting position, Lyric right behind her. Their expressions were ones of concern now as I pressed my nose to the plank and inhaled, trying to call on the inner Scooby Doo in me to solve this mystery.

Pine, dirt, oil, and…Jasmine, no, not just jasmine, there was something new there.

Another deep breath in, it was definitely musky.

“Hey stud, are you okay?” Kapera asked, her voice stressing the annoying nickname she had thrust upon me. I didn’t respond to her jab, instead I was trying to sort out the many scents that wafted in from the open door.

Had they really left? Were they still here? Was it another assassin? No…What was the purpose of this?

“Mmm,” her tone shifted, serious, and questioning as she watched me, my nose moving back to the plank.

What was that musk? Come on instinct center do your magic.

I looked up from the wood once more, getting nowhere with that elusive scent. Going through my senses again and began swiveling my ears once more. I frowned as they received nothing beyond the muted talking drifting in from across the deck, nothing new. The rest of the group was in the dining room. Still I knew some being had done this, invaded my ship. My wings wouldn’t tuck in to my barrel at that thought, choosing to clamp over my shifting mares. They weren’t shifting from giggling, this wasn’t some joke. Instead it came from the awareness that something wasn’t right, they moved from hoof to hoof as narrowed eyes scanned the room. Some being had got by them.

The bat or one of the others, my mind naively suggested as my thoughts tried to form. I snorted at the idea, there was no way had Echo escaped. Kapera wouldn’t have been so relaxed and the others were equally as unlikely to have done this for the same reason, that smith would love to rub it in. She had appeared sure that I had. Adding all that to that new musky scent that was swirling in my mind and it pointed to an intruder. Unfortunately, it didn’t tell me where the intruder was and why they intruded.

Had they taken anything?

Looking around the room I didn’t see anything out of place, the map was embossed in the table so it couldn’t be taken, the window didn’t open and was unbroken. The clock told me it was nearly noon. Light gray clouds appeared before the window, with small black specks rising out of them in the distance. The panels were untouched; the readings on the left half were within the normal range. Staring at the red crystals I tried to calm myself, to quiet my urge smother my mares, and for the most part it worked.

Do this in an orderly fashion, first I should secure the ship.

Expectant looks met mine; bracing myself I expelled a long breath and let my wings drop a little. “I didn’t put that plank there; unless some being here did it,” My mares shook their heads confirming their innocence once again, ears twitched as they stayed pinned. I was afraid to look at Kapera, well aware that this wouldn’t have happened if I had stayed awake like I was supposed to. “Then we have a stowaway.”

But my eyes strayed over to her anyway.

As I feared, Kapera’s ears were pinned back and a muffled growl had escaped her scowling muzzle when we locked gazes. But she didn’t explode into a barrage of insults or reprimands; instead she fumed in place, her tail whipping the air with the force she probably wanted to use on a being.

When she had calmed down I spoke up, “So I’d say that the first course of business is to search the ship, if they are still around then they have to be here somewhere. If they aren’t here then we still might find clues.”

Nodding to each other we joined our companions in the mess hall. Our ears were active on the way over, but nothing stood out, and the clouds seemed to muffle even the sea bound avians that didn’t want to climb to this chilly height. The mess hall appeared normal; one large table dominated the room with the kitchen in the back, the table half full with the rest of our group. Nothing was out of place in the sudden silence. But our sweep of the dining room, kitchen and bedroom drew a crowd.

Still no tracks or abnormal scuffs made themselves known, but some being had been here, the new scent was in the kitchen.

Ayodele and Ayomide finally drew the line in our search when I went over to what I assumed was their bunk bed. “A-Ari,” the sheets were out of place, “No need to check our bed,” and the pillow was placed in the middle of the bed. “What is going on anyway?” Ayodele finished, cocking her head while side stepping in front their bunk.

Blinking at their question I halted my search, “Unless one of you,” gesturing to the group following us, “Wedged a plank in the wheel,” heads shook slowly. “Then we have a stowaway.”

Jaws dropped, the Ayo’s, Gennady, Dinari, and…Echo wasn’t pulsed. He was looking at the floor with twitching ears, a frown on his muzzle, and narrowed eyes.

That fucker…

Crackling started, muted in the back of my mind as I held him above us. “Care to share your thoughts on this Echo?” My voice sounded harsh even to me, but I felt my suspicions were confirmed by his lack of reaction. That look wasn’t shocked and he had never really responded about the office break in. He had been thinking an awful lot lately.

Did he have back up here? Just what wasn’t he telling us?

Perhaps we needed to talk more.

All eyes were on the Thestral, Kapera muttering something to herself as we watched him. He didn’t so much as twitch an ear as we locked eyes.

Two could play this game. “Really, withholding information isn’t going to help your situation. It definitely makes me want reconsider the deal.” I prompted him, narrowing my eyes even as a small smile started across his muzzle.

“I have kept my end Ari,” Echo’s smile dropped, “It is you who hasn’t kept their half. Last night I was still somebeing’s plushy. Behind a closed door, I saw no being, and I hardly even heard them.”

My bravado faltered then. I focused on the first half of his sentence, suddenly very aware that he was right, and like an uninvited guest, my guilt chimed in. I was giving him the same treatment as the slavers, well, not exactly the same, but I wasn’t keeping my word. He was still tied up. Not exactly trust building, was it? I sighed, I had been so focused on steering…Alright, and I really didn’t trust him still. Blind trust and hope were easier said than done. Though my instincts may be silly at times, both my logical half and instinctual half agreed that having him running around the ship was dangerous, a risk to the herd.

We needed to address this elephant in the room.

“I’m sorry to say that I don’t trust you.” He snorted but nodded, smiling like he expected that, “From my understanding you are a guard for the moon princess,” again he nodded, although slightly slower. “So I am to assume that there is a training process you went through.” I paused and waited.

He was getting confused now, ears splaying as he watched me closely, “Of course I did, every guard did.” I nodded as he said that, “Just what are you getting at?”

“Well, I don’t trust you for many reasons; the most obvious being that you were sent to watch me yet seemed convinced that I was a changeling before even meeting me...No, I believe the way it was retold to me was ‘a bug’, you thought I was a vile bug.” I snorted and wrapped my wing tighter over Chrissy. “This assumption you made, I assume it was based off the logic you had ingrained in you during your time in Equestria and the recent invasion no doubt didn’t help your thought pattern. So then I had to ask myself, do I trust a clearly racist guard that quite possibly hates my mare for her attempt to save her family? Do I risk my herd’s safety on the off chance that you aren’t lying through your teeth to have a chance to escape?”

Silence hung stagnant in the air as every being watched him, the search forgotten as this issue was finally being addressed.

“Do I trust you?” I asked him again, “And if yes, on what grounds? I offered you that deal on the grounds that you were seeing the truth in our words.” He dropped his gaze. “Aside from your agreement to teach me how to talk to royalty yesterday we haven’t really talked much. Even in that conversation you still believed that I was going to harm them, even after I was freeing ponies from enslavement!” I sighed and lowered my wings that had risen sometime in my rant, I was getting nowhere. Echo wouldn’t even look at me. “Then this morning you didn’t seem all too surprised to hear that somebeing was here. Frankly, I feel like you have been thinking too much, that you are getting ideas.” I looked at his lowered head, “Or perhaps you have been the one to do this? Perhaps you had back up all along?”

He glared at me, ears back, and body hanging paralyzed in my magic field.

Releasing an increasingly frustrated sigh, I motioned for Kapera to leave. Only after a hard look at me did she leave, taking the others with her.

“-stupid headed-,” the angry muttering faded as she took the search to the other floors, a party of five being more than enough to handle anything that could be down there. Ayomide used to be an assassin after all; she was almost as sneaky as…

Chrissy added her sigh, looking at the Thestral with a frown. “Ari, he isn’t going to change overnight.” Lyric nodded in agreement, rubbing against my neck.

“I know,” I look away from him, the urge to rub a hoof over my face very strong. “Lyric is there any spell or illusion magic thing you can do to see what was here.”

My mare just gave me a slow head shake, “Sorry Ari, all those spells require having something of the being to focus on or a species to focus on. Without knowing who or what entered they won’t work.”

I gave her light nuzzle and a slow nod, I expected as much, even magic had some logic I guess.

A light snort caught my attention, “So, on what grounds am I supposed to trust you?” I scrunched my muzzle at that, thinking back to the fact that we hadn’t killed him yet and the fact that we freed the slaves instead of doing who knows what evils he probably thought the ‘evil bug’ and others would do. “When you asked on my training, what were you trying to prove? I pledged my service to Princess Luna not some alien that may or may not be illiterate.”

For god’s sake he was focused on that!

Those eyes, narrowed, unchanging, and almost resolutely not getting my point. I wanted him to change, to give me a signal that he understood…But after the last two break-ins freeing him was a big ‘no’.

My herd came first.

With that a frustrating heaviness suddenly weighed on my mind, déjà vu from the stolen ship. Then we had circled this issue of trust and truth as well, and just like then there didn’t seem to be a point to it. He didn’t show any signs of changing; only the promise of trying to trick me with assumed compliance, yet he knew somebeing had been here and didn’t raise any alarm. “You know what?” What was the point trying to change him? You couldn’t force change. He had this hammered into head already in training; he was basically a brainwashed pony. I had been trying to undo years of brainwashing. What an idiot I was. “Maybe I meant nothing, maybe you are right, and maybe there were some really good shrooms in that swamp that made you hallucinate that storm.” I laughed as my ears folded back. “And those slaves you saw? All of them were actors, just like these cracks on my hooves, all fake.”

Fuck this; I had an intruder somewhere on the ship.

****

Chrissy

The bitter frustration bled from his fur into my chitin, where it was tossed around in my belly as we explored the second level. Ari wasn’t talking, instead reminding me of a canine with the way he focused his muzzle to the floor with a single minded intent. He appeared to be over the Thestral but his emotions didn’t lie.

“We are here if you want to talk about it,” I started, only getting an ear twitch back. Looking over to Lyric I frowned and motioned to his wings. “Ari, I know how you feel. Equestrians are frustrating to deal with. They are overly happy, manipulating, and wither deep in denial to the reality that others live in.”

Dragging his head up from the floor, it hung as he snorted, “Is peace so hard to come by?”

“I wondered that long ago too,” in my peripheral I saw him look to me, canting his head as he shivered under Lyric’s tongue. “But their hatred for changelings goes far deeper than my poorly thought out plan.” Our hoof steps echoed ahead of us, the sounds of the others mostly muffled by the stacks. “On this world, long before my birth there was a power struggle, now known as the Great War.” My stallion’s head rose. “Then there were many powerful beings like us. The Alicorns, although few are around now were plentiful, at least several herds were mentioned if I remember correctly.”

“Herds,” My stallion queried, twitching his ear at the bales ahead of us.

Rustling drew my eyes to the hay, and we watched as a small rodent darted across the alleyway we were now half heartedly searching.

“Yes, although herds are uncommon now, back then that was the way it was done.”

“What happened to them?” He gulped, “Why are only three left?”

I snorted, “The Great War happened and of course some passed on from age as well. But the ‘center’ of the war seemed to circle around the proud Alicorn king, King Arcturus. He misunderstood some things about others and in turn others misunderstood him, a key topic of dissention was an emotionvore’s ability to feed for starters.” Closing my eyes, I tried to remember what the scroll said, only to come up with a blank. “The recording of the war I read was incomplete and I did read it many years ago,” like several hundred years ago. I splayed my ears as I gave him a weak smile. “It was mostly from my grandmother and grandfather’s side in the fight.” He nodded, love calming the turmoil his frustration had caused in my stomach. “But it was more than just racism then, territories were being fought over still, and more land was still being discovered. Of course many beings wanted a piece of the pie.” Right! That was it! Now let’s see if I remember correctly, “T-there was the Alicorns and the three tribes that followed them, the crystal ponies, shadow ponies, the dragons, Arabians, and…Of course there were changelings.” I left out the Draconequus, Discord was a whole topic by itself.

There were many royal changelings then.

“Chrissy, its okay, take all the-.”

“Every being wanted to be to get the best deal in the negations during the formation of borders, and many believed they were the most powerful.” I chuckled at the irony, “And every being wanted a safe place to live.” It was coming back clearer now, “But back then different species didn’t really talk outside of negotiations, interspecies communication had only recently started. Some languages were still being translated, customs understood, and instincts were still running strong.”

Ari tensed as I finished and his ears went back as we carried on the illusion of searching, the others had already searched here, but Ari insisted on starting here. This whole ‘being sneaking by him’ business had clearly got to him, his reactions screamed his worries to us.

Spitting out a feather, Lyric jumped in, “Exactly! Just like my mother said, it was all those instincts running rampant.” Ari and I turned to her, our stallion cocked his head, “My mother said it because those dicks were acting like dicks that everything turned into the manure pile that it did.” We stared at her and she lowered her head slightly, “Okay, my auntie Aria said it that way.”

Somewhere in the distance Dinari shouted, “All clear! We are going to the third level!”

Our stallion shouted out his location and acceptance to them before we continued on, we could hear them below us, in the engine room. Now he was silent, a bitter cocktail of emotions leaving him.

Ari was set in frown and the sweetness faltered completely, “So Chrissy, Lyric, please be honest with me here,” we nodded to him as we gave our stallion full attention. “Are equestrians and other stallions still ruled by instincts? Like would you say I’m like them? Do I overreact? ”

That had to be a joke.

“No Ari,” I snorted, thinking back to all the work I had to do to even get Shinning Armor to make a move on my Cadence disguise. “Those pastel colored ponies are about as instinct driven as a rock now-.”

“So I’m strange then.”

What was he on about? Of course he was strange; he came from a different planet and culture. This had been clear from the beginning.

“Ari,” I gave him a kiss before I continued, “You are sort of expected to be odd considering you aren’t from here.” He shook his head, stopping in his tracks. “But we both love you,” slitted eyes met mine as I nodded; “All your oddities add a certain charm. You make me feel happy and safe.” I snorted down a giggle as I thought of my stallion’s antics, “And you make me laugh.”

He sighed, looking at ceiling as he folded his ears back. “But every since I got here there has been this second thought or urge at the back of my mind, I kept calling it my instinctual mind.” He snorted, “From what you said it doesn’t sound normal for ponies now and I don’t want to cause problems in this world, I mean, I just got so frustrated with Moonlit Echo up there especially…I just feel like our safety is compromised.”

Oh, this morning and yesterday…It was falling into place.

“So your instincts are really strong right now?”

“Yah, it feels like I have to protect you, little urges screaming to keep you close to me and protect you." he splayed his ears and studied the ground. “Sometimes I just react,” Lyric and I nodded, his earlier reaction coming to mind. A soft humming started to come from Lyric. “But how can they be good if you said that strong instincts was what helped start the whole war before and-.”

I put my hoof on his lips, smiling as he raised his head.

Lyric broke her soothing tune, “Having strong instincts isn’t necessarily bad.” A half smile curved her lips, “And I may have over exaggerated, Chrissy's explanation was probably more accurate. There was more than just hormones running around then.”

Discord’s paw in the war was still under debate in most scholarly circles last time I checked.

Nodding I drew his attention back. Ari still loved me, I could taste that. “Sweetie,” He blinked at me, tangy surprise popping up. With a brief giggle as I slowly walked ahead of him, “Being normal is overrated.” I swayed my hips slightly, looking over my shoulder as he sat there, eyes following my hips. “I like you the way you are, instincts especially.”

Stopping I flicked my tail to the side, I heard a groan. Lyric was prodding the base of his wing with her tongue, “Especially your instincts.”

****

Shallow Shale

Moonlit Echo

We were back in that Faust damned town and Ari was ignoring me, more than usual. Although I had appeared to be an afterthought in his ‘plan’ before, now I was more of a spirit, there only in name. I was even more invisible than whatever was on the ship.

They didn’t find anybeing on the ship, not that I expected them to. I hadn’t heard any hooves clip clopping; whatever was out there had been very quiet or knew advanced illusion magic.

Of course when they came up I hadn’t moved from the floor he had so gently dropped me on, that nail wasn’t going to do me any good when Ari already doubted my trust. Not to mention he could easily over take me with his huge wings, Tartarus, a wing slap from him could probably knock me out.

So I lay there tied up and slowly losing feeling in my squished wing, and now I was still tied up, except now I was on the table watching while he inhaled his food.

This was his second bale and he was still going strong.

He placed an apple in front of me a couple of minutes ago, right lot of good that did when I couldn’t move my legs to grab it. Actually I can hardly feel my hooves anymore. Just how many days had I been tied up now?

“Ari,” I queried, keeping my muzzle rigid as the pins and needles started again in my hocks.

Just a twitch of his ear as he and the siren shoveled down hay, straight, with no preparation what so ever. The Zebras were off in the bedroom having another mare talk, the maneless one trying to bring her cousin out of denial. Really, Ayodele and Ari were both so frustrating and stupid they deserved each other. Both of them couldn’t see what was right in front of them!

I tried again, folding my ears down against the muffled noises coming from the room. “Listen Ari,” another ear twitch, “I really can’t eat like this or-,”

“Chrissy will show me how to act in front of royalty, she has done it before.” I should have expected that. Still… I blinked as I looked from the apple to him “You still have your muzzle, feel free to make a mess.” I snorted at him, “Well you obviously don’t trust me. Once again I ask you, why should I trust you?”

I didn’t have an answer for him.

Another ear twitch as his feathers puffed up and he went back to his hay.

That wasn’t necessarily true, I trusted him. Trusted that he wouldn’t murder me in my sleep, poison my food, or otherwise harm me, he had let his own assassin go. This stallion wasn’t normal, and as I have noted before he was more than a little naïve on some matters, especially mare matters. He hadn’t even fully thought out his plan! Somehow he just assumed that my princesses would just roll over and listen if he restrained them.

Ari wasn’t made for war from what I saw. He was capable of starting one with his magic, definitely. But his heart was soft.

Who lets the mare that tried to kill them walk free?!

Rustling from the bedroom caught his attention, he tensed, attention on the door before he relaxed. Giving his mares nuzzles as feathers slowly laid flat again, classic OPID, ‘Overly Prominent Instinctual Drive’. It was condition that had grown almost extinct in Equestrian culture, some rare cases reported in Appaloosa, but practically a fable. There were even potions for it, provided for free by the ministry of Health no less!

But his overly active instincts didn’t excuse his backwards ways.

Offering me a deal even when he didn’t trust me? Releasing a pony that was hired to kill you?

I wouldn’t have just let somepony that tried to kill me walk free, especially on the word of a pony I had only known for a week. That was way too trusting, like, like me…Wasn’t I similar?

No.

Yes…Maybe.

My mind hurt as that fact raised its head. I didn’t feel mad, no emotions really were present…And there were no ‘shrooms’ as Ari put it…But, who do I believe if not my own people?

Who can you trust if not your own country; a country that possibly had lies along its foundation?

Countless tomes and school textbooks spouted out ‘facts’ about these ‘evil’ creatures. Facts…Changelings drain the emotion from their victims, leaving them a weak husk…Yet Ari, Lyric, and every other pony that touched her, fed her, and appeared unaffected.

But…Princess Luna seemed so concerned, honest, and I served her. Without her petitioning and Princesses Celestia’s progressive movements of integration I might have ended up a janitor or worse.

It didn’t make sense; the two realities didn’t produce a cohesive picture.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna seemed so just in court, they didn’t kill, and they certainly wouldn’t lie. They had sworn an oath upon coronation…It was scared words spoken that were with honesty and intent…Though books were collections of organized words too, and so were works of fiction.

Words were just that, only words, and even this Alicorn hadn’t kept his.

Grimacing against the tingling going through my legs, I stared at the apple, my own oath repeated itself in my head.

I swear I will faithfully, loyally, and honorably serve Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and their legitimate successors, and also dedicate myself to them with all my strength, be it magical or otherwise within my power. I assume the same commitment to the ponies of Equestria, be they common or noble.

The faces of my friends floated in the front of my mind, the smiling ponies of the night market, and ponies that looked at me with respect and awe that being a trusted guard afforded.

Furthermore I promise to the commanding captain and my other superiors, respect, fidelity, and obedience. This I swear! May Faust and his holy patrons assist me!

What would my captain say?

To go against my oath, my honor as a stallion and guard would break, that...It would be treason.

But, looking at the changeling queen…Where was the threat? She had the power to defeat Princess Celestia and yet she didn’t appear to want revenge or the power of ruling, this went again against everything I had been told.

She had the same wants as any other pony.

“Do I have something on my muzzle Thestral?”

The changeling was looking right at me, scowling as she watched my face watch hers. I hadn’t realized I was staring at her. But Chrysalis did look like a pony, somewhat, if I squinted.

“Well, my mare asked you a question, answer it.” Ari spoke, watching me intently with pinned ears and ruffled wings.

I might as well just ask.

“How do you not want revenge on the princesses?” Gulping I continued, it couldn’t get much worse than all of their eyes being on me, “I would have expected since…Well, as the last one you would want to avenge them or some such plan.”

Chrysalis looked between her herd mates; they gave her small nods, and Ari placing a kiss on her muzzle before he slowly expelled air. She began in slow, calm tone, like she was speaking to a foal. “I did at first, when I was wondering the mountains those first two months…But…No! I don’t want to risk my own life for nothing.” A big breath and her voice returned to it's slow pace, “Look, I already told you and you have already seen-,” her eyes briefly narrowed at the Alicorn, “-that I have no plans to return to your duplicitous country.”

What?

“I don’t understand, how is Equestria-.”

Her hoofed slammed against the table and my apple rolled away in fear from the bared canines, successfully getting away from fuming mare. Raising her face from her hooves she locked gazes with me, jaw clenched, “Do you truly believe her actions were justified or do you have clouds stuck in your oversized ears?” I just gaped at her, “Not even when her niece killed the last of my family…” Her eyes closed for a couple seconds and I watched her shell like body shift about on the pillow as Ari comforted her. “How do you defend her actions when she lured my father to his death?”

If I had a drink I would have down a spit take.

“Oh,” teal eyes studied mine, “You haven’t read about her ingenious trap,” my mind couldn’t even begin to think of what she meant, when this would have happened, “Her victory over the vile Changeling king? How she left a young nymph fatherless.” Her head cocked as she watched me, her stallion had started rubbing his along her side.

Again the tip tapping of talon tips sounded on the roof, followed by the sounds of flapping as more birds flew around the ship. The faint calls of sailors echoed in the harbor as I watched her chest shakily rise and fall.

She took a deep breath in, “Of course you hadn’t, and even when I was in Canterlot as Lovebutt I couldn’t find a trace of it in the archives.” Her voice lost its edge, “It was like it never even happened.”

“The Princesses wouldn’t do that! They would talk first, they only attacked in the invasion because you started it!” Despite being solid wood, the table beneath felt like it was breaking, like I was about to fall, and the room seemed too warm under her gaze.

“Five hundred fourteen years ago.” I could stare wide eyed, “I was born and my father saw the way our hive was going, and he wanted to try for a better future.” She glanced to Ari, “He didn’t want us to be feared for such an ignorant misunderstanding so he exchanged letters with the only ruling princess then.” This wasn’t in the books. “She appeared more and more amicable till she agreed to allow him and a small group of his dignitaries in her castle to renegotiate and bring truth to the fables they had heard.” Were they all foal tales? “But when they arrived at the time they were misunderstood, a scuffle broke out, and a reflected spell killed some of her guards...” A slow exhalation as her herd mates moved in to comfort her, “That is when the princess arrived, late to her own meeting.”

It couldn’t be…How did her father die then?I blinked at the upset changeling, “But-.”

Chrysalis gave a shaky breath, “She was outraged of course and when it came down to it, an ultimatum was given.” Another shaky breath left her as she leaned on Ari, he looked horrified as she continued. “His life or a war, and my father choose his life. The others were sent home, and he died.” My heart was hammering as I looked at her and rest of the herd, this was genuine. I had not taken my eyes off them since she began.

“So it was just one misunderstanding…” the back of her head bobbed from where she had stuffed it into his chest. “But…You appear honest, yet I have never heard of such a conflict. The death of a king in such a way would surely make the mandatory history books, even as a blurb on what happened after the war.”

A hollow laugh came from Ari’s chest, sniffles punctuated it.

“You see now why you live a duplicitous country now? They mollycoddle you like foals. You realize the books they stuff down your throat were made by the winners.” Chrysalis paused, “And some secrets are still going on.” We looked eyes again, her muzzle lined with shinny streaks, “Have you ever wondered how everything you saw recently isn’t front page news?”

I nodded, gulping as my throat felt too small for a second, or maybe these words were too big. “We trade and deal with dignitaries every month it seems, yet not once has this been mentioned. The books don’t mention…A lot that I have seen.”

“Perhaps your princesses aren’t what you thought, even the brief reports I was able to sneak from my family during my time in the castle...I heard the things they swept under the rug.”

“Why?” That was all I could manage, it felt like my heart was breaking. Everything was wrong.

They all looked to each other, the other two prompting Chrysalis to continue. “I don’t know exactly why, many reasons are possible. The sudden assumption of power went to their heads. They might also just hate other races or maybe they just don’t care for anything that isn’t pony. I haven’t found a single conclusive answer to the 'why' yet.” She sighed before straightening, “But we are going to get to the bottom to this,” her eyes narrowed as they all looked at me, “with or without your help.”

‘To protect the ponies, both common and noble’, that is what I swore.

“Is the world really ending?”

Ari answered this time, “Yes, why else would a god grab me out of bed and drop me out of the sky on another planet if not for something important. Despite how…Well, what he said hasn’t been proved false yet.”

“Oh.” He was taken from his entire family, world, by a god…Gods were serious business, I mean, never has a god been recorded as interfering with life here. They were just beings that you prayed to, thanked, and respected.

If the world ended then who would I protect?

“Ari, is there any way I,” to protect the ponies, common and noble, “anything I can do to gain your trust?”

My body’s discomfort didn’t matter then, nor the thought of escape, I was following my oath. Ponies would die if the world ended and although they looked to be the last to die, they wouldn’t know why, and I can still do something now. Gods don’t just take almighty Alicorns from other planets for giggles, they had the power for a reason.

Thank you, Faust or whoever brought him here for giving us a chance to save ourselves.

He took awhile to think, looking at me then eating, and even watching the waves outside the window. Chrysalis and Lyric watched me as I watched him, the silence eating away at my resolve. What if this was all a well thought out act? The siren can hypnotize masses with her voice.

No.

Gods don’t fool around.

“You would work with somebeing that loves a ‘vile bug’,” cold blue eyes locked onto mine, “You would work hoof in hoof with us even if we did have to restrain your rulers?” I gulped and nodded as the oath repeated in my mind. I steeled myself as he gave me his full attention. “What made you change your mind, surely not one sob story from a ‘vile bug’?”

I tried to appear as straight as I could while being tied up and laid on a table, “I don’t know how to prove to you I have changed, you are certainly right to not trust me, but I seek to learn the truth.” My eyes found Chrysalis’s as a door creaked off to the side. “The previous comments I made on you and your stallion were uncalled for, after seeing your work and feeding practices those words were incorrect. For that I ask for your forgiveness.” He waved a hoof at me as I glanced at him, “Furthermore, after what I saw and the fact that a god intervened I see the reality of your words…And what they mean for my oath. There would be no more ponies to defend and serve if the world ended.” His blue eyes were locked with Chrysalis’s before they returned to mine, slightly softer, at least I hoped I wasn't imagining it. “So I wish to help you under the understanding that no pony benefits if it all ends.” And to figure out exactly what kind of a pony I had pledged my services to.

Calculating eyes watched me as I tried to stay still and match his gaze.

Outside the harbor's activities continued on, the day still trailing on, and the smiths most likely were working on the inhibitors as we spoke.

Quiet hoof steps drew our attention; the zebras exited the bedroom and looked between us before sitting across from Ari. His eyes locked onto Ayomide and she squirmed in place, shooting him a confused look as her ears splayed under his gaze.

“Perhaps,” both Ayomide and I jumped in place, “I might trust you…But first I will talk with Kapera.”

Glancing to the clock I saw that I still had two hours till they would return to have dinner with us and the pins and needles were back. I let my head lay back on the table as I listened to crunching of them eating. My eyes wandered around the room until an apple encased in gold landed in front of me. I blinked as the apple settled with a quiet thump on the table and the golden glow became a small knife. It began cutting the fruit into eights.

Taking one into my muzzle I watched Ari, he didn’t so much as twitch an ear in my direction as he started his third bale.