“All set for a little adventure, my favorite niece?” Ivory Wings hooked a sling bag over one shoulder and adjusted her glasses.

Ivory had on a green tank top, along with a pair of brown shorts and long grey socks and boots. She even had a utility pouch over her shorts, where she had packed an extendable telescope, a compass, and even some mathematical tools that Moonglade didn’t recognize; she looked ready to go on a safari, while Moonglade simply had on her summer attire.

Moonglade looked at herself and shrugged. “I guess I am. Do I need anything?”

“Just your wits, sweetie.” Ivory hugged her with one arm. “Come on, let’s get going.”

It was about nine in the morning when the two changelings left the house. Ebony Wings had a shoot to get to later, so she was going to be out all day, which suited their plans too. After the blood moon work, they were going to drop by Moonglade’s grandparents’ home, which the young changeling was excited about.

“We’ll start our search in wide open places that are also out of the way and have an unobstructed view of the sky,” Ivory said, unlocking her car.

“Is that why you look like you’re ready for an adventure?” Moonglade hopped into the passenger seat and buckled in. “You look like a treasure hunter, Aunt Ivory.”

“That’s because I anticipate some field surveying today.” She gave her utility belt a tap. “Always go prepared, sweetie. Plus, it fits what we’re doing. And it’s less conspicuous if I wear this top and these shorts. It’s summer, after all. I don’t want to be out there in a parka.”

“Good point, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade had a think about it as the older changeling started the car. “Maybe I should’ve worn a pair of shorts instead. People don’t exactly go out into the field with skirts.”

“If you’d like to get changed, I can wait for you,” Ivory Wings suggested. “The best time to go looking for these spots is at noon, since I plan for this whole thing to go down when the red moon is highest, and by association, our powers will be at their peak too. I never did quite figure out why…” Ivory shrugged. “I mean, I know why we’re linked to the blood moon, because of what happened in Trotsylvania, but as for why it was possible, I don’t think I ever looked into that properly. Oh well.”

Moonglade shook her head. She didn’t want to waste time going back inside to change. “It’s okay. I like skirts anyway, hehe. And yeah, this blood moon stuff is really cool. I wish I could turn into a scary monster like you and mother.”

The car was quick to leave the estate grounds and this time, instead of going to the city, it turned and headed out towards the forests and hills, with the young changeling looking out the window at the various trees they began to pass; she’d never been this way before, so it began to excite her.

“Now, I know there’s a clearing next to one of the pumpkin farms. That might be a good spot. We’ll have to see.” Ivory stepped harder on the pedal as buildings began to decrease in number. “There are some camps further along this way. I’ve never been though. I heard there were a string of murders at the closest one. Unsolved case.”

“Oh.”

“We’re not going all that way though. We don’t want to be too far from home when we do this.” Ivory pulled the car over to the side and parked it. “Now, let’s go look up on that hill. It doesn’t look like there are too many trees.”

Following behind her aunt, Moonglade climbed up the hill, enjoying how the springy grass felt under her shoes. She breathed in the cool forest air and smiled.

Meanwhile, Ivory Wings had reached the top of the hill and was surveying it. She took out her phone and snapped a few pictures of the hill and its surroundings, then looked up into the sky and sketched out some figures in the air with her finger. Moonglade wandered around, squatting down at various patches where flowers were growing to admire them. There were a couple of pink ones that she thought were really pretty.

Plucking one, the blonde haired changeling twirled it a few times in her hands before putting it behind her left ear. It reminded her of the really nice hairband Home Run had gotten her and she smiled at the thought.

“Hmm… ideal, but then not really…” Ivory placed her phone back in her belt and turned to her niece. “Come on, sweetie. On to the next site.”

Moonglade stood up and skipped over, following her aunt back down the hill to where they had parked the car.

“Nice flower. You know, I would normally advise obeying the queen, sweetie,” Ivory said as she pulled out to the road again. “But don’t listen to your mother when she says you aren’t attractive. You’re a really pretty girl. You surely inherited your mother’s looks.”

Moonglade giggled and twirled at a lock of her golden hair. “Thanks, Aunt Ivory. It’s nice to hear that.”

The next spot was a clearing just north of the hill they were at, where the grass was as high as Moonglade’s calves. They tickled when she walked through them, but it wasn’t so bad.

Ivory began snapping more pictures with her phone again, along with scribbling some notes down in a notebook. She had whipped out her star charts too, turning them round and round as she examined them in great detail. Moonglade had gone over to look at them for a few seconds, but found it was pointless for her to do so, because she couldn’t understand any of it, so she went back to sight seeing, this time, following an insect of sorts into the nearby woods.

It was a colorful thing, with an iridescent shell and a nice round shape, but everytime she approached it, it simply flapped its wings and moved further away from her.

“Come on, stop moving,” she complained to it, even if it couldn’t understand her. “I just want to see how beautiful you are.”

The bug buzzed off and fluttered further into the woods, with the young changeling in tow. Blowing her hair from her face, Moonglade channeled into her love reservoirs and leapt ahead, swinging herself over a semi-fallen log, quickly closing the distance between herself and the bug. With one more leap and the use of her heightened senses, Moonglade stretched out and gripped the bug between two fingers, gently enough so as to not harm it.

“Gotcha!” she chuckled and brought it closer to her face. It was indeed a stunning creature, with its outer wings reflecting light almost like a rainbow. “So cool.”

When she was done admiring it, she let it go and headed back out into the clearing, where her aunt was in the process of taking more photos.

“Hey, Aunt Ivory. I found a really cool bug.” She skipped over to the older changeling. “It had really shiny wings. I let it go though, cause I’m a nice little changeling.”

“Hm? Oh, that was nice of you. It’s good to get outside every once in a while, don’t you think?” Ivory rolled the start charts up and dusted her hands. “Well, I’m done here. What’s say we move on to the next potential location?”

“This one not good enough too?” Moonglade plodded along beside her. “Could you tell me the story of how all this blood moon stuff started again, Aunt Ivory? I don’t think you or mother have really ever gone in depth into it.”

A shadow passed over Ivory’s face and she grunted. “That’s because this incident, though it gave us our powers, cause us to split. Plus, I don’t think your mother would ever admit that a group of humans nearly bested us.”

“I haven’t heard this story,” Moonglade frowned as they got back to the road where the car was parked.

“Of course you haven’t. I’ve only been around for a couple of months, and your mother has a stubborn streak of pride that keeps her from telling anything but self aggrandising stories.” Ivory Wings put the car into gear and started off back towards Canterlot. “It’s not a particularly good story for your mother’s image, since a lot of our kind got killed there.”

“Oh,” Moonglade said, watching the trees pass by and enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair.

“As it is, we don’t have time to go over the full story; that would take too long,” Ivory Wings pulled out of the freeway and back into the city proper. Moonglade recognized this route, it was the way to Canterlot Central Park. “But yes. Before this, the rest of our family… the other changelings, they had left us. They didn’t believe in your mother’s leadership any longer. Of course, that caused a rift between me and them as well, but I was more forgiving. Your mother… wasn’t.”

“Did she kill them?” Moonglade shifted in her seat.

“In some way,” Ivory sighed. Moonglade sniffed at the air and picked out some disappointment, a little bit of anger, and a tinge of sadness. “Because of her, the human hunters killed off the rest of our kind.”

“And these hunters, they were actually able to beat you? Even with the blood moon about?”

The older changeling nodded. “We had only just created the link with the blood moon when the hunters attacked. Even with such power we possessed, yes, I am afraid they were too skilled. They would have slain us as well, had I not made a deal with their leader.”

“I just can’t believe it. Humans…? And they were that good against changelings?” Moonglade’s eyes were wide with wonder. “What deal did you make?”

“Well, there’s a reason we work best as assassins and ambushers rather than front-line fighters,” Ivory said, pulling into the park’s parking lot and reversing into a spot. “In my youth, I often wondered why that was so. But I digress. One of the hunters I had poisoned earlier, and in exchange for his life, the hunters would let us go.”

“Just like that? And they really let you go? They never came back to hunt you again?”

“Well, we disappeared after that. I went into the East, and your mother somehow managed to lay low long enough for the time of the hunters to be over. Her having the sirens probably helped too. This looks like a good spot.”

Ivory Wings stopped the car and got out. There was a sizeable copse ahead atop a hill. The two changelings walked through the grove of trees and found themselves in a grassy clearing. There was a long-abandoned barbeque pit and a few bits of trash lying around, but it offered a rather good view of the surrounding city.

“Hm, this place isn’t too bad,” Ivory said to herself. “Hard to assault unless you come up from that way or this way. I’ll add this to the list.”

“So… this hunter you poisoned. What happened to him?” Moonglade looked over at a group of kids flying a kite nearby. “Did you kill him?”

Ivory Wings pulled out one of her star charts and glanced up into the sky. “No. He survived our encounter.”

“Oh.” Moonglade put her hands behind her back and walked about. “Oh, and they didn’t like, spread the news of our kind? Like, you know, telling tales of their fights with you? Like, telling your secret.”

“Believe it or not, there exist a scant few records of what happened in Trotsylvania. The original manuscripts of the story Draculina are written by some of those hunters. However, the story was soon altered to mask the truth. Perhaps they were ashamed of having made a deal with the likes of us. Ha!” Ivory laughed to herself. “I have one of the copies, and I have reason to believe there may be a few more in Trotsylvania itself.”

“Oh. You think I could read it sometime, Aunt Ivory?” Moonglade adjusted the flower behind her ear. “Also, I’m glad there aren’t any hunters today. If you and mother couldn’t beat them, I’m surely done for.”

“Sure. And… Eh, I like to think we’ve improved a bit since then,” Ivory wrote something down in her notebook and snapped it shut. “After all, we’re still here and they’re dead. That has to count for something. Come on, we’re done with this spot.”

“That’s true.”

Moonglade followed her aunt to another two spots, her mind already drifting to her upcoming meeting with her grandparents. She had been hoping to get a chance to see them since her mother revealed they were still alive. Sure, Ebony didn’t like them, but to Moonglade, they were more family members, and that excited her.

“You think my grandparents know about me?” she asked her aunt as they finished up with the next hill.

“I’m guessing they must know a little. You’ve been on TV before, haven’t you?”

“Well…” Moonglade pulled at her skirt. “A little… It was always embarrassing when they pointed the cameras at me, so I tend to hide behind m-mother…”

Ivory Wings glanced aside at Moonglade. “Unless that stammer is part of your persona, I suggest you take measures to fix it. Not just because your mother said so, but if you keep the same style of speech while in different disguises, it could give you away.”

Moonglade blushed and looked down. “I-I’m sorry, Aunt Ivory… I’m just… not the best in conversations and um, being around people.”

“Well, I suggest getting good at it. It helps to be charismatic with the humans. Being all shy about it doesn’t. Unless you’re going for a moe impression.”

“I know, Aunt Ivory. But you know, stage fright and all isn’t exactly very easy to overcome. Well… at least for me.”

“Still such irony in those words…” Ivory clucked her tongue and gave Moonglade’s shoulder a soft pat. “Your parents are mentionable actors, at least to the humans. And then their daughter has stage fright? I just… I don’t know what went wrong in the biology there.”

“Yeah, me neither…” Moonglade shrugged. She had asked herself that question before, but she just didn’t get it. In the end, it was just who she was.

“Well, you have some practice coming.” Ivory pointed over to the road where they had parked. “I think I have enough blood moon data for today. It’s time to see how you interact with your grandparents.”

“Ooh, yes!” the girl cheered and skipped along behind her aunt. She wondered how she was going to approach them. She didn’t even exactly know what they looked like, so she hoped she wouldn’t greet the wrong people too.

The car ride to their supposed home was fast and in only three minutes, they had arrived outside a small one-storey house, with a white paint and a blue roof.

“This is it?” Moonglade examined it from top to bottom. “I thought it would be fancier, being the parents-in-law to mother.”

“It’s not like your mother really liked your father to begin with. I don’t suppose she cared all that much about her parents-in-law’s well being either. Now there’s a good example of a changeling hunt.”

Moonglade thought back to the movie she had seen in Manehattan which had starred her father. He had been a good actor, at least in that film. Her mother had killed him before she had been born, and she understood why, but some small, selfish part of herself wished that she could have met her father at least once.

“Oh, don’t brood on the past, sweetie.” Ivory pulled her in and placed a kiss on her head. “What’s done is done, yes? And it was for the better that he’s gone. He might’ve found out what we really are. And hey, you get to meet your grandparents. You were looking forward to that.”

“Mhm. I was.” Moonglade took a deep breath and got out of the car. It was time to see what her human side of the family was like.

“Would you like me to come along, sweetie?” Ivory winded down the window and stuck her head out. “I haven’t met them myself.”

“Sure, Aunt Ivory. The more the merrier, yeah?” Moonglade smiled and skipped along towards the house.

There was a garden gnome on the front lawn and Moonglade skirted around it, noticing it looked a little like those goblins from Finest Fantasy. The front door was of an intricate wooden design and there was a buzzer on its right, along with a white bench, probably for putting on shoes.

Reaching a hand out, Moonglade rang the bell, just as Ivory walked up to join her on the porch.

“This place is awfully clean for old people.” She wiped a finger down one of the pillars supporting the porch roof. “How do they even clean the top of this?”

“Old people rarely have anything better to do, an example being your mother.” Ivory put a hand on her shoulder. “I suppose cleaning helps pass the time. They have no need for rush. I’m sure they just use a ladder or something.”

Moonglade waited with her aunt outside the door for a few minutes. The young changeling took interest in a hanging potted plant by the bench, but when she decided she wanted to go touch it, her ears picked up footsteps on other side of the door, followed by a rattling of the doorknob.

“Remember,” Ivory said, looking ahead. “No changeling.”

“O-Oh, yes, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade cleared her throat and straightened out her attire. “Ready.”

In a few more seconds, the front door was pulled open and behind it stood an old turquoise-skinned man who was balding. He had on an old green sweater and had a pair of round glasses, just like the target Moonglade’s mother had set up during that one session of target practice.

This was her grandfather.

“Yes, hello,” he said in a hoarse voice. “May I help you ladies?”

“Hi, umm…” Moonglade twiddled her fingers together. “Umm… I’m Moonglade.”

The old man looked stunned for a second, his glasses falling lower down his nose. “Moonglade? Ebony Wings and Crescentlane’s daughter?”

She nodded her head happily. “It’s me, grandpa. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Well, I’ll be…” the old man said quietly. Then he looked to Ivory Wings. “And you are?”

“Ivory Wings.” The older changeling bowed. “Sister of Ebony Wings.”

“My daughter-in-law has a sister? Oh, what a day this is for someone like me.” He turned back to the house and cupped a hand around his mouth. “Moonshine! Come here! Come see who our visitors are!”

A wizened, elderly pink woman shuffled into the hallway. Her wispy, faded red hair was tied back in a bun. “What? Who is it, darling?”

“It’s Moonglade,” he smiled at her, his nose wrinkling up. “And her aunt, Ivory Wings.”

“Moonglade? Our Crescentlane’s daughter?” Moonshine was quick to walk past her husband, wrapping her arms around the young changeling. “Oh, it is so nice to see you, dear! I was afraid I was never going to hear from your mother again!”

“N-Nice to see you too…” Moonglade grinned, not sure if she should hug her grandmother back or not. “You know me?”

“Oh, of course we know you.” Her grandmother pinched her cheek. “How could we not know our own granddaughter? The only thing is, we haven’t actually met before. We lost contact with your mother when your father died. We tried to keep in touch, but she stopped answering our calls.”

“And she was never at home when we came calling,” Moonglade’s grandfather said, ushering them inside. “Eventually we just stopped. Your mother is a very busy person, we reasoned, and was throwing herself into her work to forget about Crescentlane’s passing. We know she loved him very much.”

Ivory made a small noise that she disguised as a coughing fit.

“Oh, I forgot my manners.” Moonshine walked over and gave Ivory’s back a pat. “Would you like some water? That’s an awful cough you have, dearie. Starway, would you go get Ivory here a glass of water?”

The inside of the house was was small, but cozy and well-lit by several large windows. Photos were hung up on many of the walls, depicting both Moonshine and Starway when they were younger, with Crescentlane taking part in more than a handful of them. As Moonshine escorted them into the sitting room, Moonglade noticed that above the fireplace was a blown up picture of a wedding. It took her a moment to realize that it was Ebony Wings in the white bridal gown, throwing her arms around a supremely happy looking Crescentlane.

Moonshine saw her looking.

“That was taken about nineteen years ago,” the old woman sighed. “It was the happiest day of his life. That’s what he often said, anyway.”

Moonglade felt a little bad for her father. He looked so happy in that picture and yes, it might’ve been the happiest day of his life, but for her mother, she only married him so that she could have a child. She tried not to think of the look on her father’s face when her mother took his life. He must’ve felt so shocked. Moonglade hoped that at least her mother had made it quick.

Poor father...

Starway soon returned, carrying with him a tray of glasses and a jug of water. He was quick for an old man to pour out water into each glass, giving the first one to Ivory.

“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry. I must’ve swallowed something earlier.” Ivory sipped at the water and smiled at him. “Quite the quaint little home you have here. Very nice.”

“Isn’t it?” Moonshine smiled sadly. “Crescentlane helped pay off the mortgage on it. He was always such a kind boy, even after he became famous.”

Moonglade squirmed a bit in her seat. From what she was hearing, Crescentlane had been a good man. She was almost certain that he would have made an excellent father, but no, changeling code. It hadn’t quite occurred to Moonglade just how callous her mother had been; up until now, it had merely been a part of growing up, hearing her mother tell tales of ditching her ‘useless’ mate. Now it just seemed a little mean.

“So, your son…” Ivory sipped more from her glass. “He seemed to be a nice man. It was a shame he passed. I am sorry for your loss. I am sure my sister is still… devastated about it.”

There was a moment of silence, as if the conversation had died of awkwardness.

Starway cleared his throat. “So, Moonglade. How’s your education coming along? Still being homeschooled by Ebony Wings?”

“You know about my homeschooling?” the girl asked.

“Why of course we do. We see you on the news with your mother time to time, though, less as of late.” Her grandfather chuckled. “While we are no longer in contact with your mother, she’s still our daughter-in-law, and we love her like our own. Don’t we, Moonshine?”

“That we do, dear. We still love her too. If she ever does come back to us, why, we’ll welcome her with open arms.”

Moonglade gulped. She didn’t know if that would be such a good idea. If her mother did come to them, it wouldn’t be because she loves them. It would either be because she needs something from them, or that she wants to kill them. Moonglade didn’t want that to happen. Her grandparents seemed nice.

“It’s good that you still hold on hope that she will get over it.” Ivory Wings lifted her glasses and grinned. “I do not think she would get over it so quickly. It’s been almost twenty years now.”

“Oh, but she’s family, after all.” Moonglade’s grandmother looked up at the picture of her son and Ebony Wings. “Crescentlane loved her. It would only be normal for us to do so too. He would want that.”

“Won’t that be something?” Moonglade looked to her aunt, a nice thought of family forming in her head.

Ivory Wings glanced at Moonglade and narrowed her eyes a tiny bit. The message was clear: Don’t get too attached here.

“Um, right…” Moonglade bounced on the sofa she was sitting on. “Grandpa, grandma, what did you do? I mean, before retiring. Were you actors too?”

“Well, not exactly,” Moonshine said. “Starway was a light director for plays. I was a screenplay writer. Wrote scripts for Bridleway and Applewood.”

“Really?” Moonglade gasped. “I’ve never been to Bridleway. I mean, mother’s never taken me.”

“It does ring a bell…” Ivory said slowly. “When I lived in Manehattan I would sometimes go see shows. You’re the one who wrote Les Avengerables, right?”

“Oh, that one’s an old classic,” she chuckled. “I believe I wrote that fifty four years ago. Time flies, doesn’t it?”

“It won a few awards, back then,” Starway said proudly. “There’s one hanging above the fireplace.”

Moonglade shifted in her seat to look. There was a golden plaque on the wall, with ‘Best Screenplay of the Year’ etched onto its surface.

“That’s impressive,” Ivory Wings nodded. “Les Avengerables really is a remarkable piece of art. I believe I have seen it four times. I think Captain Equestria is my favorite character, though I also really liked the character development of Crony Dark.”

“A lot of the critics really seemed to like the villain, Rocky,” Moonshine mused. “Maybe it was just the actor portraying him, but he had a pretty big following in the day.”

Moonglade, who hadn’t seen this play, simply smiled and looked around the room some more. Her grandparents had quite a simple home. There wasn’t much up for decoration besides the many photos they had of their family and the colors were quite plain. It couldn’t be compared to her own home, but Moonglade found it was a nice place.

Simple. Not showy in the least. It was cosy.

“So, Moonglade dear.” Her grandmother touched her hand to get her attention. “Tell us more about yourself. Hobbies? Studies? Any significant others?” Moonshine’s grin widened when Moonglade looked down and blushed. “Oh? A boyfriend, dear?”

The young changeling nodded with a slight smile on her lips.

“How lovely.” Starway put an arm around his wife. “You know, your grandmother and I only met when we were nineteen. Your father and mother met in their twenties.”

“It’s always nice to start young, especially if it lasts till marriage. It’s a shame so many marriages don’t last in the acting career. Many of them get married for a year or two before getting bored of their spouse.”

“But not father, right?” Moonglade asked. “He would never do that to mother? I mean, if he was still alive.”

Moonshine shook her head. “Not Crescentlane. Why, he grew up better than we could ever hope he would. He was a kind boy. He never fell in with the wrong crowd. Not even once. I suppose that was why he attracted someone as lovely as your mother.”

Right, yeah… In a way.

After that, Moonglade told them a little bit of the things she enjoyed doing, like playing the violin, video games, and even swimming, but her grandparents seemed to be more interested in her love life, at least that’s what she was getting.

“So this boy? What’s his name?” Moonshine nudged her granddaughter. “You can tell us.”

Moonglade first looked to her aunt to make sure it was okay to answer. She didn’t react, so she guessed it was okay to do so.

“Umm… his n-name is Home Run…” The girl pushed a lock of golden hair behind an ear. “H-He goes to Ca-Canterlot High School. He plays baseball.”

Her grandparents began quizzing her on what she liked about him. Moonglade didn’t know how to answer without being embarrassed. There was much she liked about Home Run, some a little strange to say, like how she liked his arms around her when he hugged her and the taste of his lips.

“And what about you, Ivory? Any special someones in your life?”

Ivory shrugged and adjusted her glasses. “There was one, but he and I are no longer together.”

“Oh, how unfortunate.” Starway adjusted his glasses. “Who called it off?”

“He did, I guess. We sort of lost contact after a while. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.” The elder changeling did not look particularly sad about her story.

Moonglade watched her and tried to determine what her aunt was thinking. She must’ve been talking about Frigid Night, that Assassin she used to date. She still couldn’t quite understand how anyone could make someone fall in love with them, pretend to be in love and then actually not even remotely be in love. From what she was smelling, there was no trace of any emotion of her aunt when she had said that. She was good. Maybe too good.

The rest of the time spent there was Moonglade asking her grandparents how they were and what they liked to do. Starway enjoyed tending the yard out back and Moonshine enjoyed cleaning the house. There wasn’t much that they did, but Moonglade figured it was because they were old. She wondered if she would be like that one day, seeing as she was half human.

“Well, it is late.” Ivory looked at her phone and stood up. “Moonglade and I should get going. We don’t want to trouble you too much.”

“Oh, are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?” Moonshine smiled at the young changeling. “Grandma’s cooking her famous mushroom soup today.”

Moonglade’s stomach rumbled at the thought, but she knew they couldn’t. “M-Maybe next time, grandma. Mother is expecting us home for dinner. Umm… yeah. Sorry.”

“Oh don’t be sorry, Moonglade.” Starway got up and put a hand on her shoulder. “Today we got to meet our granddaughter. And our daughter-in-law’s sister. You’ve done so much for us today already.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, oh and the water,” Ivory said. “You’ve been most kind.”

“Of course. Anything for family.” Moonshine stretched out her arms. “How about a hug for grandma before you go?”

Moonglade gladly gave her one. And her grandfather too.

“Do come visit again,” they both said to Ivory and Moonglade.

“We’ll be sure to take you up on that offer another day.” Ivory waved to them.

“Bye grandma. Bye grandpa!” Moonglade grinned and left the house with her aunt.

That had been nice. She felt like she was reconnecting with long lost family members. That was actually the case here, but it was still very intriguing and a pleasant experience. She hoped she would get to see them again some day. They were nice people.

Outside, the sun was on its way down to the horizon.

“We should get back to the house before your mother decides to come back from her photoshoot,” Ivory mused, taking out her car keys and unlocking the car. “And remember, not a word of this visit to her. She probably won’t be able to pick out the smell of your grandparents right away, as it’s been years since she’s seen or smelled them, but you should take a bath immediately to throw her off the scent.”

“Yes, Aunt Ivory. Moonglade got into the car. “And Aunt Ivory? Thank you. For today. It was nice to get to know my grandparents.”

“Yes, anything for you, sweetie. I thought it would be nice for you.” Ivory rubbed her niece’s cheek. “Just remember not to let it go to your head and not a word to your mother about this. I can only imagine what she would do to me if she found out.”

With one last gulp, Ivory started the car and the changelings began their trip home in the sunset, with Moonglade smiling from ear to ear.