Meadow and Twilight got up the next morning and took care of their morning needs, bantering back and forth a little bit after getting out of the shower before Meadow started to focus more on the task ahead. “Anyway, what's on the agenda for today?’

'Go see how the others are doing, I'm sure Queeny had me followed so she knows I’m ok.' Twilight replied.

'I see. What others are you going to see?'

'Well, Lapdog is probably worried sick as I'm not there.'

'Oh really? Impression I got of her is she'd sooner ditch than stick around, but you know better I guess.' Meadow replied with a little doubt, but not wanting to doubt her host either.

'A lot’s happened.' She said as they approached the castle.

'I see.' Meadow said before noticing in the field of vision, a certain red-coated pegasus flying to a balcony and landing, 'Well, speak of the devil.'

'Yup.' Twilight replied as she made her own way through the castle.

Meadow watched as Storm entered the castle and was unsurprised when Storm met Twilight outside the door to Dawn’s room.

“Morning.” Storm said simply as she knocked on the door for them.

"Morning Lapdog, have a good night?" Storm smiled at her.

"Decent enough, had a couple good meals at least." Storm shrugged, "So what about you, had fun yesterday at all?"

"Not especially no. Was going to, but some things came up." Twilight replied as she knocked on the door when they weren’t answered earlier.

"What things?" Storm asked, her ear flicking as an audible grunt and a set of heavy hooves on the stone could be heard.

"Just a few things." Twilight said, blinking at the sounds.

Storm frowned, not liking being left out of knowing, but turned to the door with confusion at the noises. The pair of mares peeked in as they met a bleary eyed Dawn.

"Morning…" Dawn answered, stepping to the side with a small fumble of her hooves.

"Morning… you alright?" Stone asked as she walked in.

"I'll be fine.” Dawn shook her head, “Foals didn't let me get any sleep. They were constantly kicking."

"Sounds like they are going to be foals no one wants to mess with." Stone chuckled as she closed tell door with her magic.

Dawn groaned and let her eyes droop closed for a second before re-opening them and going back into bed, "So, what now?"

"Well, seems you’re in no shape for what I planned for today, so I guess nothing."

"It’s ok, I'm fine.” Dawn frowned, not wanting to disappoint them, “What were we gonna do?"

Stone glanced at Lapdog, only to realize she wasn’t looking at Dawn and only turned to Stone and shrugged, saying, "She says she's fine.-"

"I still slept, just in pieces. I'll be fine." Dawn insisted. "I’ll just ask for a nap after lunch, that’s all.

"So you are up for it?"

"I am." Dawn said.

"Up for what?" Storm asked, looking between them.

Twilight smiled. "Go look in my saddle bags in the bedroom." Twilight told Dawn.

Dawn nodded and went to them, calling, "I hope it fits."

"Hope what fits? What are you two plotting?" Storm asked, concerned and looking between them.

"It's alright. I promise it's nothing bad my little Lapdog." she said and scratched behind Storm's ear

Storm sighed happily as she received those scratches while Dawn pulled out the outfit in the other room and started to put it on.

"The fabric is so well crafted, I am going to have to thank the drones personally." Dawn said, repeating her words to the drones in the link directly. She knew immediately they were happy they pleased her. They were tailors so people liking their work made them happy.

"Lapdog, do you trust me?" Twilight asked.

Dawn continued to dress, somewhat visible through the still open door to the bedroom. Storm noticed the movement and briefly caught a glimpse through the doorway before looking back to Twilight. "Yeah, why?"

"And you know I wouldn't leave you with someone who would hurt you right?"

"What are you getting at?" Storm asked, sensing something was about to happen that she might not like.

Dawn opened the door to the bedroom further than it already was, displaying the trainer’s clothing she wore, and lack thereof in some places.

"For the next 24 hours it is going to be just you, Dawn and this room." Twilight said to her. "You will do what she says, do you understand?"

"What!?" Storm protested loudly as her wings flared open to chest height, turning back to Dawn and glaring as she ignored Twilight’s mark clear on the chestpiece of their attire. "Why the hay do I have to listen to green? It should be the other way around!"

Dawn stiffened, quite awake after that outburst and mentally preparing for battle, a decisive frown on her face as she debated how to react should Twilight not.

"Enough Lapdog." Twilight said firmly dropping into her natural form.

Storm frowned, slowly lowering her wings, then noticed how Twilight was a Stallion and blushed before she looked back up to Twilight's eyes. Twilight had forgotten about that, gazing sternly at the mare in front of her.

"Lapdog, Dawn has earned her place fully. She is a loyal pet who does what I wish happily and without complaint or annoyance. While you are loyal, this outburst is exactly why I am having Dawn be my official trainer and not you. You will do as she says for the next twenty-four hours, you will respect her, and you will respect her station or you can pack up and say goodbye to your position. Do I make myself clear Fire Storm?" Twilight asked, using her name to show just how much she meant she'd toss her out.

Storm frowned and looked between Dawn and Twilight, seriously considering giving up her position briefly. She paused as Twilight's own words crossed her mind for why she was important, why Twilight needed her. She slowly relaxed and nodded her head, deciding it was worth it to make them happy and keep up with them.

"Fine, for your sake anyway. And what will happen after that? Will we both come to Manehattan?"

"Dawn will be returning to Vanhoover, and you will be coming with me to Manehatten, provided you pass."

"Pass what?" Storm asked.

"If Dawn sees you as having passed what I require in my pets or not. Your future with me is quite literally in her hooves." She said and leaned forward into her ear for emphasis. "So be a good filly, won't you?"

Storm looked at Twilight in surprise, then looked to Dawn with hidden trepidation before looking back at Twilight, “I… I will.”

"How often do you wish status updates master?" Dawn asked.

"Every few hours, Trainer Dawn." Twilight said, reverting to her usual demeanor. "I'll be leaving all of my toys, feel free to use them however you wish. Oh, and do let me know if she is being a good filly or not."

Dawn smiled and bowed while Twilight gave a parting pat to Storm’s head, "As you wish. I trust things will go smoothly."

Storm continued to frown, turning to Dawn as she debated what she'd be put through as Twilight stood and donned her disguise.

"I'll leave you two mares alone then." She said smiling and heading for the door, "See you both in twenty-four hours."

"Take care Master." Dawn called loud enough for Twilight to hear at the door.

Stone chuckled as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

‘I'm not sure I understood some of that, but if Dawn is calling you master, is that something you want me to do?’ Meadow asked her uncertainly.

'No, you’re fine. She is doing that because of the penis.' She said, 'Which reminds me I have an unscheduled date with a certain Queen for the next 24 hours.'

‘And here I was about to ask if you wanted me to remove it.’ Meadow chuckled, ‘I'll have to wait then. What queen are we meeting?"

'The sexy kind, as soon as I find her.'

"Sexy kind? Should i be leaving you two alone in that case?"

'Not at all feel free to hang around~~' she said looking for her mate

Meadow stammered for a few seconds before going quiet, flustered. It was a clear contrast with that morning’s talks.

Stone eventually found the unicorn she was looking for was walking through the halls, approaching her.

"Come with me." Stone said before turning and heading back to the living area of her room, the other unicorn following.

"Is something wrong Stonewall?" She asked.

"Nope, just have 24 hours to kill."

"Ah!" Glory replied in understanding.

Stonewall readily took Glory to her room and began to show her exactly how good of a time they could have together, Chrysalis making sure she didn’t miss this opportunity to get what she could out of Stonewall while they were like this.

Dawn trained Storm while Twilight showed her mate a good time, going easy on her at first, until the inevitable rebellion occurred. Dawn snapped in anger, asserting her dominance once again as she had when Storm was drunk, then used her magic to forge a link, to share her own hardships and feelings as she fought issue after issue. She wanted Storm to understand exactly how that behavior was bad, why she was indeed a better person than her, and this was her way of doing it. The kindness of her human and pony side had begun to mingle with the strength of the changeling side of her.

Dawn gave her first report to the queen at the three hour mark, having taken up a form that was a hybrid between her old human self and her current pony self.

"Legate Dawn wishing to pass the report to Twilight when she wakes my queen." She said, echoing the words through the link to Storm, who could vaguely be felt through the Legate, feeling remorse and a broken pride as Dawn groomed her back.

'I shall pass it on my daughter.' Chrysalis replied, having watched their training keenly and was already pleased at what she sensed in Storm. Her daughter was strong.

‘Lapdog had submitted, though with continual hesitation until she snapped and fought over dominance. I trust you can tell the result. Please also inform Twilight that while she did not obey her owner’s instructions before, it appears she has learned some humility, and I consider her rebellion as dust in the wind should she continue advancing in her lessons with me at this rate.’ She paused, adding to her link privately, 'and thank you for thinking I'm strong.’

'I shall. Your final report is the one that decides Lapdog’s fate with Twilight.' Chrysalis smiled, saying it loud enough for Lapdog to hear through the spell.

Storm shuddered as she heard Chrysalis' voice and asked, "W-who was that?"

'That, my dear Lapdog, is Queen Chrysalis, mate of your master, and I am her second in command.'

'And my Daughter.' The queen added with pride.

Storm's feelings of surprise at the realization Dawn really was part of the hive despite the chitin and other things before hit Dawn and the link anew, a hint of fear mixed in from her past.

‘I feel horrible I keep forgetting that, despite having such a good parent.’ Dawn apologized, ‘Still, I think her reaction was well worth it no? I am sure she will do well when my time is through with her... and we haven't even gotten to any fun times yet.'

'I know you will do well. Have fun with your toy!' the queen said, again loud enough so Lapdog could hear it, then returned to managing the hive.

Storm laid on the bed, putting her head down on Dawn’s lap and tucking her legs under her.

"You… weren't kidding… you aren't just any changeling." Storm mumbled.

"Correct. I am also not just any human, not just any pony, and not because of my being a changeling." Dawn said softly, lacing her words with kindness as she began to use her hands to stroke their back, "Some of my memories are proof of that."

"I... I had no idea."

"And this is why I was patient, even through your words, your attitude, your snide comments... You would have had to do far more to wound me, yet in spite of that, I chose to treat you with kindness because I knew exactly how much such words and actions would hurt... and now you know as well."

Dawn moved over and started to get out the harness for Storm, intent on continuing her lesson that she knew how to be kind, and that at least a base level of respect should be granted until someone demonstrates it is worth taking away. She secured the mare and groomed them as best she could, noting how well cared for they were already. When she got to the wings, she slowed and considered the state of her own.

"Lapdog, I will require you to teach me how to preen once you are out of the harness. I… have not learned how yet." Dawn admitted, having ignored the constant itching of her wings, the last time she had tried to preen herself she had hurt herself a lot and accidentally damaged the feather that was trying to grow.

"I could tell, your feathers were almost as bad as Night's before he admitted it." Storm chuckled.

Dawn paused her grooming before quietly saying, "And what would Twilight say if you replied to her that way?"

"Sorry... m-mistress..." Storm said, mumbling out those words.

"Out of all the memories I shared, including that of our battle against Svikopi, you still have your pride over me?" Dawn asked sadly.

"No! I just…" Storm sighed before grumbling, "It's so damn weird, calling you that."

"I agree. We only have one mistress, even if she is a master now until she undoes the spell." Dawn said with a mischievous smile, "And that is why you will call me Trainer."

"Yes Trainer... just... don't stop brushing, ok?" Storm said.

Dawn held back her brush, slowing down to an absolute crawl as she replied, "Do we need a repeat of the last lesson, about who is in control?"

"N-no ma'am!" Storm said quickly, "I mean trainer..."

"Good.” Dawn smiled, continuing to make use of her hybridized form and started scratching along Storm’s back and sides, giving a massage when she felt like she needed a break from scratching.

Storm sighed, shivering in place at the happiness and relaxation. Dawn could sense her queen’s amusement at Dawn’s technique. She knew that the spells for implanting triggers for conditioning them were most effective when they were relaxed and receptive and she was working them to that state in her own way.

'So you are pleased with my approach my queen?' Dawn asked, happy at the idea they would approve. 'have I done well?'

'Quite, and I know Twilight will be as well if you keep this up.’ Chrysalis replied.

'Good. I have notified the caretakers of my intent to return to the hive to bear my children. They seemed pleased, as they were anxious about a changeling giving birth outside of it.' she commented. 'I still need to remember to ask them about what I should do about my pregnancy, or when it is time to give birth what they would expect or wish me to do.'

Dawn smacked her forehead as she realized she could just go ahead and ask. She promptly did so, even as her facepalm invoked a look of concern from Storm, but she ignored the trainee as she awaited the response.

They explained her body and instincts will know what to do. The answer was vague enough that she proposed the idea about altering her body so the foals could be just lifted out of her womb cavity when the time comes. She simultaneously asked if something else would be ideal, and finished her train of thought with a request to adjust her room in the hive to have a nursery area for her foals.

She was quickly warned, as the workers of the hive began the modifications, that the idea could be done, but was risky and usually used for emergencies.

Dawn sent her understanding and looked over the plans for the room’s alteration while she continued to groom Storm’s back.

She rolled Storm onto her side, encountering no resistance as the Pegasus sought out more caressings when the report came back. The room would have a place for the eggs to be laid and the nymphs kept safe while a chest for toys would be placed along one of the walls near their nesting area.

‘What makes you think they would be laid as eggs?’ Dawn asked with interest, ‘What happens if they are more pony than changeling and then need different things to be cared for?’

All work on the room was put on hold as they sent confusion about their arrangements. All changelings laid eggs, they couldn’t fathom anything else happening with a changeling of the hive.

‘It’s all right. We will take this one step at a time, and alter our reactions accordingly.’ Dawn relayed, giving instructions for a more pony-like nursery with small crib, changing area and possible ventilation for the garbage in addition to what they planned on. She then relayed to the caretakers ‘I think when I arrive, I will wish to see and care for some nymphs until I give birth.’

There was a knock on the door, and Dawn quickly shifted back to her innocuous princess state, hiding her outfit and collar before pulling a blanket over Storm, whispering, "Rest Storm. I will come back for you to spoil you more."

"Yes trainer..." Storm said breathily.

Dawn almost was envious of their relaxation for a second, but then remembered Storm wouldn’t have done anything like this if their roles were reversed.

"Princess Dawn, It's Sergeant Stem." Stem said before she opened the door.

"Ah, good timing Sergeant Stem. How's your night vision?" She asked, intent on asking him a favor despite knowing she seemed to have come out of nowhere.

"I, fairly good... why?" Stem asked, brows furrowed and eyes suggesting she was behaving oddly.

"Good. We are going to need arrangements for me to return home to the-” Dawn said, catching herself as she prevented herself from saying the hive, “tree home that I have. I also figured we could show you to the settlement I requested the princesses provide to our allies, east of my home. The reason for the night vision was because some of it is underground."

"So you're not going back to Manehattan?" He asked with mild surprise.

"Sergeant... I went from barely into my second trimester into the final weeks of the third trimester, for reasons I do not want to explain just yet, and I have guards beyond my husband that are quite insistent I be close to them and their protection."

"I see… Well that… that does negate part of my reason for being present." he replied, seeming puzzled.

"Oh?" Dawn asked, hopeful he would be out of her mane in that case.

"Don't play dumb with me princess." he said sternly. "I know you're acutely aware of what I'm here for, and neither of us have to like it, but it does us no good to pretend it's not an issue." He cleared his throat before adding, "I'm also here to help about the other matter discussed. Do you need any research materials to get started? I'm well versed in magical theory and am top of my class, should you need my help."

"I… yes, actually. Request from Celestia and Luna permission to move the Mirror that I attempted to fix and bring it safely to my home in Van Hoover. I will end up needing it as a reference point for their project."

"I can do that." he nodded, "I'm guessing you're busy so I'll leave you alone. Catch you in the morning then?"

"Actually, Sergeant? If you could get ask the kitchen to provide some pizza for dinner, that'd be amazing..." Dawn asked.

"I… Yes your highness, though that would be better suited to some of the other servants of the castle." Stem corrected, adding, “Then we shall start your lessons on the train ride to your home.”

“Thank you.”

Dawn watched him walk off, looking down at his flank and assessing him subtly. She chuckled and quietly commented after she closed the door, "Shame he's not as well equipped as Stalwart... but then again, he's not an earth pony."

'Definitely quite attractive though,’ The queen commented, still watching through her eyes ‘He’s forward and honest too.'

'Very much so. I am going to enjoy the moment when I can be honest with him in turn and surprising him with my quarters in the hive.' Dawn replied, smiling satisfactorily at the idea of getting him back for his very stiff attitude. 'I have the sneaking suspicion however that he is not one to play around, which is a shame... he looks like he hasn’t had any fun in a very long time.'

'Oh I’m sure you will have no trouble getting him into your bed if you want him to.’ Chrysalis suggested.

'Only if his morals do not prevent him from doing so... then again, if he is in the hive, I certainly don't mind letting him slowly wake up to a pleasurable sensation, blindfolded by an unseen force until he comes helplessly and when he runs out of seed and pulls off the blindfold, all he will see is the mess he made on the floor. ... actually, thinking of that, how often do the floors get cleaned, or are they self cleaning?'

‘Oh you are my daughter.’ Chrysalis laughed in the link, thoroughly amused, ‘You think like a changeling should.’

‘My only regret as your daughter is not becoming so sooner.’ Dawn chuckled in reply as the link informed her that the hive material was somewhat self cleaning, partly magical and partly natural.

Dawn continued to groom and spoil Storm, getting her to repeat her title multiple times in the process with no hesitation, and near the end of her second report, endearment. She began using magic to imitate the training she had received from Twilight from what felt like so long ago as she made her report.

"New report my queen. It seems Lapdog has embraced humility and willingness to serve, while also learning respect, at least toward me if no one else. I cannot judge it accurately. We will see how she progresses, but her peaceful sleep makes me jealous and I shall be accompanying her in sleep for the next few hours. Do not expect a report for that segment due to this."

'That is fine.’ Chrysalis replied, still pleased with Dawn’s sneaky idea toward the Sergeant intended to babysit her power. ‘Rest well my daughter.’

'I will mother... Thank you for your continued support... something I will never stop being grateful for.' Dawn replied with sincerity, curling up near Storm as fatigue hit her like a wave. 'I will continue to make you proud.'

She began slipping into dreams of foals rubbing against her belly, begging for milk and being fed as she reached for nymphs to hold them and share all the love she was capable of giving. It was a good dream and one the caretakers ensured the nymphs shared and fed on.

The commander had fallen asleep after making sure she enjoyed every moment with her mate alone together for a long time. Meadow had tried to stay disconnected from it out of respect to them, though she was not able to block some feelings that came through from the shared senses. Now, Meadow found herself in the dark room once more like the prior night Twilight slept.

Meadow looked around, seeing the dark room once again. Like the prior night, she noticed the door with the light leaking through the crack under the door. The first time, she had stayed in the room, hearing noises and otherwise cowering there in worry at the strange situation. Now that she knew nothing was going to happen to her in the dark room, she reached for the knob and turned it, wondering what she would see.

She was met with a hall of a barracks, looking down at the door after door after door. Memories started to come back as she remembered she had seen this before. She had gone down the hall and into town and…

Meadow blushed as she left down the hall and retraced her steps, intent on exploring. She didn’t mind seeing Lust, but she wasn’t in the mood for what they were able to offer just yet, not after all the things Twilight had done.

She eventually found herself in the town again and began calling out to see who else lived in this strange land.

"Hello? Anyone else home?"

She saw Lust's home by following her path before, then looked across the street, seeing a similar house, only this one had brighter colors and a heart on the door.

Meadow knocked on that door, rather liking the look of it. "Hello? New neighbor coming to say hi..."

The door slowly opened and a purple eye looked out of the crack.

"H-hello?" Twilight’s voice came out, sounding hesitant and easily frightened.

"Hi, I'm Meadow Dawn. I’m what Soldier and Lust called the passenger. May I ask who you are?" She said gently with a smile.

"I’m… I’m… Love." she said in that quiet voice.

"Oh hello Love! We got to meet Chrysalis just a bit ago!" She said with some enthusiasm and embarrassment. "I don’t know much about her yet, but-"

"You met Chrysalis?" the voice said with much less shyness. Her voice betrayed how she began to smile and even her eye softened into the subtle signs showing she was as she kept peeking out the door, "What did you think? Isn't she wonderful? So beautiful and smart and kind!"

"She’s not like any pony I’ve met. She…” Meadow said, hesitating as she thought of a compliment she could give, “is quite good at her forms from what I've seen.”

"Oh yes! She is amazing. So wonderful, and kind, and caring." Love said through the crack in the door.

"Would you be willing to tell me more? I’m trying to find ways to help Twilight and it seems like I should learn more about her since she's so important to her.” Meadow asked.

Love froze and looked back and forth. She had clearly been very startled and looked like she was weighing her options, eyes staring at Meadow, flickering from left to right as if looking for something. Meadow almost was about to tell her nevermind and she didn’t want to be an inconvenience when she heard Twilight’s voice.

"One moment." Love said before she closed the door. There was a clattering sound, then a second, then a third and fourth and fifth. Meadow blinked at the realization of so many locks when the door opened again. "Come in come in quickly."

“Yes ma’am.” Meadow nodded and moved inside, standing near the door, in plain sight so they wouldn’t be jumpy.

The door was shut and she got her first look at Love. She looked like a normal unicorn Twilight, only her body was covered in scars both big and small. It was like she had been torn up by wild animals using claws, teeth and knives as she went about locking a dozen different types of locks on the door behind her.

Even part of her mane looked as if it had been torn out, beyond dishsheveled. Even her tail was in disarray. Meadow’s heart ached at the sight. It showed exactly how much Twilight had been hurt in the past from what she pieced together about this place.

"Chysalis is a strong queen, isn’t she?" Meadow whispered gently, trying not to let her sadness show.

"The strongest!" She said happily as she tested the door’s locks.

Meadow noticed how all the windows were boarded up from the inside, the only light came from the candles in the room as she turned and started to walk deeper in, a noticeable limp to her right front leg.

Meadow shed a tear in sympathy, wanting desperately to heal her, to undo the damage… no one deserved that much pain, even though she knew she felt almost as badly damaged.

They went into what could only be described as a panic room that was well lit, it was clear the rest of the house was unused as there was bed here, food, a desk, parchment with inkwell and quills, and everything one needed to live.

The walls were covered in still photos of Chrysalis, Violet, Twilight's friends and family, and the princesses all taken from Twilight's POV. There were even a few small ones of Dawn.

Most were Chrysalis and Violet with Celestia, Cadence, Twilight's parents and brother as well as her friends all being about even in number and size.

"It’s beautiful." Meadow said, allowing some of her sadness in empathy to be replaced with happiness at their friends or loves.

"Soldier and Engineer set it up for me." Love smiled as she closed the heavy steel door behind Meadow. "Soldier is always coming by to check on me every 2 hours and Lust is always coming to visit once a week at least. Engineer sends me letters to talk about what she's working on and Doc visits twice a month to make sure I'm doing ok."

"I’m glad… I have to admit, for all that you’ve been through, you deserve the best. That’s why you have Chrysalis, right?" Meadow said, concern clear as she tried to focus on the good in what she said, realizing how fragile they were.

"Oh yeah! She's great, amazing even, and so is my little flame!" She said, walking over and hopping into the bed where a lot of the pictures seem to spread from, with a large picture of Chrysalis and Violet together, the filly riding on the Queen’s back with a big smile while standing on the ceiling

"Oh, is that their foal then?"

"Yes it our foal." She said and grabbed another picture form the wall. It was of Violet being picked up by Twilight, her hands viable under the baby filly’s armpits.

"Oh my god, she's adorable!” Meadow smiled, “What's she like?"

"She's the smartest, best filly ever, that's what she's like." Love said proudly.

There were a few more pictures, showing Violet and Chrysalis or Violet and Twilight. Other pictures included Twilight’s old friends.

"Ahhh. You have so many good ponies around you." She said gently, laying down by her with a respectful distance of a couple hooves so she didn’t startle them.

"Yes I do. I'm one of the luckiest mares in the world!" She said smiling wide and scooting a bit further from Meadow.

Meadow nodded, not having the heart to disagree openly based on the scars. She instead said, "Sorry, I might have laid down a bit too close..."

"I-it’s fine… no harm done. I just don't like to be touched." She said and quickly looked around grabbing a random picture off the wall. "Look! This was Violet saying her first word in Pony." She said holding a picture out of a much smaller Violet with blocks. "It was Friendship, can you believe that?"

Meadow laughed softly, "I can. How did you and Chrysalis meet?"

"She took over Canterlot during my BBBFF's wedding in a massive surprise attack after impersonating my foalsitter." Love said happily.

Meadow blinked, not understanding what she just heard, "I... bet that left an impression."

"Oh it did! You should have seen how she brought down Celestia and trapped her in a cocoon, and then she stopped me and my friends from getting to the Elements. She is the only one to ever successfully take over the capital."

Meadow dropped her jaw, as she couldnt believe what she heard. She said nothing, not wanting to offend, but loving someone who was desired for their abilties to take over a country and commit such things? It was difficult to understand.

"Yeah her plan was brilliant. She really did her homework on the EoH and knew without me they were useless. So she was just out of character enough around me that I'd see it but no one else who didn't know her wouldn't just chalk up to a bride-to-be with a very-soon-to-be-husband so that I'd confront her.”

“Once I was banned from the wedding, she was free to get rid of me as no one would question why I wasn't around.

“She then taunted me as Cadence to get me to attack the real one and possibly dispose of her. That failing, she had her old bridesmaids as brainwashed guards as me and Cadence couldn't harm them while they'd be free to attack! That failed, and when we burst in, she thought on her hooves and started monologuing so everyone stopped and listened, buying her army the time they needed to break through the city’s shield and invade. It was brilliant!" She said happily

Meadow chuckled, it was so convoluted it was amazing. She tried to write that speech down mentally to review later before saying, "So what did you do when you realized that’s what happened? How did you two get together?"

"I tracked her down and sent a battalion of Flame-troopers into her hive to burn it till she surrendered." Love said cheerfully. "After that, I made her my second in command as she had shown her brilliance as a tactician and a real cut throat mentality for protecting what kept her hive alive."

"So, you two got together because of war and her ability to survive?" Meadow asked, still feeling confused.

"No, we got together because we got drunk and Lust jumped her, eventually starting a very long relationship where I didn't even realize how I felt till we started dating, and that was after getting pregnant." Love explained.

"And that’s how Violet was born." Meadow confirmed.

"Yup. Only after we became an alicorn." She said. "Then we started dating and I slowly realized why I kept keeping pictures of her wasn't because she was the only one I could really trust, but because she occupied a lot of my mind because I was in love with her."

"Parents do… should… love their foals." She replied in a sadly wistful tone. She thought to herself, doubting she was loved by them anymore.

Love looked strained and started trying to find another picture to talk about.

She looked around, noticing the picture of alicorn Dawn and said, "You think about Dawn a little too?"

Love nodded as she had a few pictures of her sharing a meal with Dawn. She then caught sight of one of herself in the bathroom after Twilight dried off as well as them talking in the hotel. Meadow looked on in surprise, not expecting pictures of herself in there at all. She noticed how Love seemed nervous and Meadow decided to let her have space to recover.

"Well, you've been quite kind letting me in Love. I don't want to intrude on your hospitality though if you need a break." She said gently, "Would you like me to check on Medic or someone else, or would you like me to stay?"

"Um… no, not… it’s, um… fine if you go." Love said.

Meadow understood from what she saw how Love was willing to let her in, but struggled to be comfortable while she was in her presence. Meadow smiled gently and spoke softly at her.

"You were a kind hostess Love. I hope we can be friends as we keep meeting. I loved hearing your stories and I would love to hear more later if you feel up to it. And if you ever need anything, let me know and I will grant it if it's in my power." Meadow said, getting up slowly so she didn’t startle the mare.

Love moved and opened the door for her. Once Meadow left, she redid the locks after peeking out the hole in the door.

Meadow smiled at her still, feeling her heart once again empathize toward that scarred body, limp and all, and tried quite hard not to cry. Love had suffered much, but she hoped that they gained far more than Meadow herself knew or understood yet.

"Where could I find Medic anyway?" Meadow asked as they were closing the door.

"Doc is in her office most likely." Love said before closing the door and the sound of the locks clicking echoed.

"Wait, but where is her office?" Meadow called, confused.

The final lock click was heard and then nothing.

Meadow sighed, then wandered about the town, looking for something that appeared like a doctor's office or a clinic or anything that would give it away.

After a little bit of wandering, she spotted a pony walking the streets in the distance. She followed that pony, moving quickly so she didn't lose sight of them. They seemed to be heading for some sort of large warehouse type building, pulling a cart filled with scrap metal.

Meadow continued following them to the building, then knocked on the door.

Unlike the others she had visited, the door was metal and in a few moments it opened to reval… she thought it was a unicorn Twilight based on the mane, but it was tied up into a ponytail behind them and they wore a jumpsuit with a few stains from oil and a welder’s mask.

"Hey there, I'm Meadow. I’m trying to get to know everyone and saw you walk by."

The mare stepped to the side not saying anything.

"What are you doing, can I help?" Meadow asked.

The mare closed the door and went to the cart of scrap metal and started to unload it.

Meadow followed to the cart, "Where do you want this put?" She asked, as another way of offering her help.

The pony didn't say anything as she started sorting the items into boxes of other scrap that was smaller. Meadow noticed the pattern and started to do the same, doing her best to match based on what she saw. Perhaps they weren’t able to speak for some odd reason.

The room was filled with tools and equipment, looking like a mechanic’s shop mixed with a lab. A big set of clues were various items in different states of repair.

Meadow struggled heavily, constantly worried she'd make a mistake, but tried as best she knew how.

The pony put a hoof on her when she started to get things a bit too wrong, and while she was corrected, she couldn’t help but feel like they were smiling warmly behind the mask.

Meadow smiled slightly at a fifth goofup and blushed, "Sorry, I’m not really smart when it comes to parts."

Despite her hardships and another correction by the mare, she kept trying to put things away anyway and soon the cart was empty.

Meadow stretched when it was over and smiled. "Did we get it all?"

The scavenger pony nodded and started to go towards one of the incomplete machines, this one looking like some sort of tractor.

"If you're busy, I can go look for the others and visit you another time… would that be better for you?" Meadow asked, following her.

The mare shrugged, signaling it wasn't an issue.

"So what are you working on, it looks like a tractor to me."

She pointed at a drawing on a loose piece of paper that looked like some sort of harvester

"Oh nice! Did you design it yourself, or just fixing it?"

She looked back and tapped the side of her head as her magic opened the side of the engine compartment and she started looking in it

"Damn. My dad was a civil engineer, but I didn't inherit his math abilities, got stuck on pre-calc..."

She shrugged and pointed at all the random books being used as a shelf and other items showing she wasn't formally taught.

"You have a really good head on your shoulders, if you learned from all this around you. May I look at it?"

She nodded and Dawn go the impression that she was smiling and she pointed at a tool on the work bench

She grabbed the tool and offered it to her. "Any recommendations where to start?"

She took it and pointed at one of the small parts containers and pointed at an area in the engine that needed a small pieces of a certain design

Meadow nodded, grabbing the pieces in the diagram after a brief look, confirming she got it right with the diagram before handing them off

The pony took them and started to work pointing at a locker by the door.

Meadow went to the locker, intending to open it. When she did, she saw a dark green jumpsuit and a pair of tinted goggles hanging in it.

She blinked and got it out, "Safety gear to stick around huh?"

She nodded head still in the machine working

Meadow quickly but carefully got into it and put on the goggles, lightly surprised it fit perfectly and going over to the engineer pony, patting her back when she was done with a grin.

"Awesome work! We gonna check if it works now?"

She shook her head and pointed to another parts container then another area of the engine.

"Ah..." Meadow shrugged, "a work of love is never done..." she said, wondering how long Twilight would stay asleep.

The two worked on the machine for the next couple of hours and then she found herself waking up in the hooves of the Queen as Twilight half way woke up and snuggled further into the arms of her mate and sighed contently.

Meadow giggled happily for Twilight, echoing what Love said before, "You are a very lucky mare."

'Mmmmm thanks....' she sleepily thought, not really wanting to get up

Meadow chuckled, petting and scratching Twilight's side and back with magic. 'You deserve it...' she said, with a mix of compassion and solemn tone.

'Mmmmmmm....' Twilight thought as she was scratched.

'Had that dream again... only i met a couple other ponies, one who tried to tell me about how you and your queen met…'

'Oh?' She asked lazily

Meadow nodded, repeating Love's description from memory, surprised at how accurate it seemed.

"A bit... interesting, but it’s only a dream right?" Meadow said.

'Mhmmmm....sure.....' she said enjoying the scent of her mate as she held her close.

'I'll leave you alone... enjoy your mate.' Meadow said, trying to hide her disappointment at not being listened to, only heard.

Twilight was half asleep at this point. Meadow observed, glad to be feeling what it was like to have someone against her, even if she still felt alone.

After a bit, Twilight started to stir. She opened her eyes and yawned, only to have it interrupted by an alert from the queen, as she became active when Twilight did.

Chrysalis checked in on Dawn, discovering they were waking as well, with Dawn beginning to relax the trainee, being gentle with them at first.

Twilight smiled and nuzzled the queen before starting to get up. She had missed her morning run, but naturally it wasn't her fault, there was a beautiful mare in her bed all night!

'Good morning daughter. How did you sleep?'

'I slept decently.’ Dawn smiled as she replied, ‘Stalwart makes for a fun little cuddlebug, but it's nice having a soft bodypillow like this... her fur smells like strawberries. I never would have expected that, maybe oranges or some other stronger scent, and I love the scent of strawberries. I'm going to show her gentleness, and have her be trained in proper requests and titling. How did you, your mate, and Meadow sleep?'

'Not sure about Meadow, but Twilight slept good.' The queen said and sent an image of them nuzzling before Twilight got up, giving the queen a little flash.

Dawn chuckled, 'Enjoy your mate mom. You deserve nothing less than the best.'

Dawn continued to train Storm, breaking her softly into positive reinforced acceptance of her role as pet, letting her enjoy every bit of the reward given but only when done and done correctly. She soon resumed her magic use to accelerate their training, being very careful not to change anything of who Storm was, and focused on helping her know exactly what Twilight would require of her.

Soon the 24 hour mark came and there was a knock on the door at exactly the 24th hour.

Dawn opened the door, weary, but expectant. Behind her, Fire Storm stood in the room, at attention yet seeming at ease with where she was, not wearing her harness, yet appeared calmer.

"Afternoon Princess. May I come in?" Stonewall asked formally since she was in the hall way.

"Of course my good guard, come in." Dawn smiled, stepping backward and turning ninety degrees to the side to allow him in. "I trust you had fun with my gift from before?"

"Quite." Stone smiled back, adding when the door was closed. "You can undo the spell now."

Dawn nodded, performing the spell to revert her back to a mare. It didn't take long.

"It is done mistress."

Stone dropped the disguise and stretched in her natural form. "Mmm… that feels good, being a mare again."

"I can imagine, having been stuck as a stallion while being a mare at heart for a couple decades.” Dawn chuckled, “On the plus side, you are back, and Lapdog's training session is complete.”

Stonewall looked over at her. Fire Storm swallowed, but acted as if she had not heard anything. She knew she was being evaluated and wanted nothing risked on this.

"We had a hiccup at first, but, I'm pleased to report that she's come a long way in having more empathy, respect, and understanding… all it took was a couple memories shared." Dawn chuckled. "Once that was over we went over all you might require of her as your pet. In my eyes, she passes, but she needs to pass your inspection as well."

"You may go get yourself some food and stretch your legs.” Twilight nodded, “The rest of the day is yours to do with as you please, Trainer."

Dawn nodded in her bow, going to get food even as she yawned, leaving Storm looking at Twilight with barely suppressed trepidation.

Twilight looked at her and began to circle her.

Storm looked ahead, glancing at Twilight periodically but briefly, as if she knew she were being examined and tried to behave for it.

Twilight opened Storm’s wings and looked them over. Ran a hand over her back. Lifted her tail.

Storm allowed her to do as she wished with little issue. She felt more conscious than she did before, but also calm and comfortable, as if she had gained a sense of confidence that was more than surface deep.

Twilight was looking at her marehood to gauge how she reacted

Storm no longer blushed, simply held her tail to the side for Twilight's pleasure until she was done

"Hmm. Pity… I liked the blush." She said, dropping the tail as she circled Storm more.

"Well, you only were looking after all, right?" Storm quietly said, then added with a slight delay, "mistress?"

"Yes, but I found the blush cute when I looked."

"I'll… work on letting it out more," She said, shuffling in place as she stopped suppressing how she actually felt, "Trainer said I needed to not be shy."

"This is true, but blushing isn't being shy in the manner she meant. She meant not letting me see kind of shyness."

"Ah. If that's what you want mistress." Storm said, starting to feel a blush come on at her mistake. She didn't quite understand why she didn't blush before and why now when they weren’t looking, but there was a feeling of nakedness to herself now that she didn't have before. It was like she wasn't being weighed just for her appearance, but for other parts of her, previously seen as strong, now seen as vulnerable compared with these two.

Twilight noticed the blush and found it interesting. She stared for a moment, and Storm stared back. She tried to be the way she was with her hardened personality, and yet it faltered and her eyes looked away.

"What?"

"You are quite horny." She said simply As if it were a fact

Storm blushed a little more and said, "Well, Dawn did a whole lot of teasing, not a whole lot of fucking."

"You're not horny at all."

"But…” Storm frowned, her mood lessening, “I thought you noticed I was..."

"Interesting." She said. "Cum."

Storm blinked, feeling a tingle across her back that made her fur stand on end, "Uhm, come again?"

"Orgasm." She said with more authority.

Storm felt more of her fur stand on end and she shivered visibly, "Ok, how are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" She said, tilting her head not seeing more than a little shiver.

"Nevermind then I guess..."

‘Guess I only imagined what I saw.’ Twilight thought about the blush as she continue to circle Storm.

Storm resumed her stance as she felt those feelings subside, relaxing as she awaited a verdict.

"Who are you?"

"Lapdog." She replied simply

"And what are you?" Twilight smiled.

"A pet lapdog to you." Storm answered, thinking, ‘but not to anyone else.’

"And who am i?"

"Mistress Twilight, or Mistress Stonewall if disguised."

"And what does that mean?" Twilight smiled a little more.

"I'm your pet. You look out for me, and I make you happy." Storm replied, keeping it plain and simple.

Twilight smiled and patted her head in approval while making her chuckle.

"Took a while to realize I'm just not in the same league as you both... still sinking in really." She said, ending softly.

"Don't sell yourself short though Lapdog. I wouldn't have been interested in you if you weren't strong and who you were."

Storm shrugged, but couldn't wipe the smile coming back to her face, with a hint of smugness still remaining.

Twilight smiled. She liked that, she enjoyed that Lapdog fought her and let her hunt her every time.

Storm stood still and asked, "We ready to get back to Manehattan? Hunt down some criminals?"

"In the morning. Chrysalis is buying our tickets and going to spend time with Dawn. Tomorrow we head for Manehatten."

"Fair enough." Storm nodded.

Twilight smiled and patted her head at the acceptance.

"So, what'll we do then if Chrysalis is dealing with Dawn?" Storm asked, her fur settling but fluttered her wings as she felt excited.

"I was thinking of putting you through your paces."

"I'm game." Storm said, her stance showing her ready competition about her, grinning confidently

"Hmm. First, … show me your body." Twilight said and went to sit on the bed.

Storm blushed briefly, not expecting that and her mind starting to assume that they were going to act on her position.

"Well,” She hesitated briefly, “what do you wanna see?"

"Everything."

Storm took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and rose to her hind legs. If twilight wanted to see it all, and she herself needed the exercise, she would slowly do her fighting routine and stretches.

Storm began with various leg stretches, trying to focus on them and them only even as she knew Twilight was watching silently. She imagined an intense gaze on her as she did, as if she were being assessed. She continued and felt both her confidence and self awareness go up.

She noticed Twilight seemed to react to specific exercises, and did those a second time and longer when she finished her usual routine.

Twilight watched for a while longer, then gave a command. "Go make lunch."

Storm frowned as she went down to her hooves. She couldn’t help the feeling like she had disappointed Twilight somehow.

“Want something specific?"

"Surprise me."

Storm appeared worriedly thoughtful as she trotted out the door, preoccupied with the instinct she had just gotten.

'She's pretty cute, but not my type...' Meadow said to Twilight.

Dawn was oblivious to the plans Twilight mentioned, and was eating her food amidst kick after kick from her goals, making her wince and difficult not to groan.

'These two had better be healthy! They're trying to kill me from the inside!'

Twilight came out to follow her. 'She is usually a lot more… lively.' twilight ssid. 'I hope I didn't make a mistake with having her trained.'

'Maybe she's just afraid or something? I don’t know...' Meadow said.

Dawn gasped suddenly and pushed herself away from the table as her belly fought back, constricting painfully. By instinct she reached out to Chrysalis for advice.

'Breath daughter. I have alerted medical ponies and they are on the way. If anyone asks I was with you when this happened.'

Author's Notes:

Well even further looks into the Commanders ind and seeing how it has been ravaged by her past.

I have a PATREON with fair rewards. Every bit is greatly appreciated and helps me out.