Ocellus was always early to rise to double check her saddlebags to ensure all her day's needs were ready. She neatly packed her notebooks and writing instruments before heading to breakfast.

While the dining hall was not far from her room, she would need to cross the courtyard to reach it, something that Ocellus didn't mind this time of day as it was peaceful in the early morning. It could have been due to the calmness of the time, or how the light would shine off the morning dew. Whatever the reason, she found it was one of the reasons she arose earlier than most.

The halls of the school had a crispness to them that hinted at the end of summer. The scent of applewood filled the air as it burned in the school's many heaths, fighting off the chill of the morning. There were few awake this time of day and the ones that were had sleep heavy on their eyes. A few from the warmer parts of Equestria had donned cloaks, some of which had their cutie marks emblazoned upon them or their family's coat of arms.

The fallen golden leaves had been raked into neat piles and the autumn flowers were starting to bloom, dotting the garden with orange, red, and yellow flowers. Elegant stone benches sat along the walls and around the fountains.

The garden was nearly empty save for two that were on their way to get breakfast, and Caecus, who had a plate of food and was enjoying the brisk morning air, something that made sense as he must have been sweating most of the time. From what she learned of his homeland it was much colder than Equestria. That only added to his strangeness, as his fur was not as thick as most other students that came from colder areas.

From her reading Ocellus had learned more than a little about Caecus and his homeland. Aquinas was a land of artists, warriors, and ancient honor. They sang ballads of a long-forgotten time when the world was still young before the foundations of legends were laid. They spoke of the changelings of old and of the era of warriors, kings, and mighty heroes. She couldn't help but wonder, could beings as old as Princess Celestia, Queen Chrysalis, and Discord even recall those times?

The “Line of Kings” had been of great insight into the culture of Aquinas. The royal line was one that Ocellus found both grand and terrifying, as at times they were closer to villains, and at others, they stood with the greatest of heroes from any nation. From the depictions of his ancestors, one could not deny Caecus was their descendant. His mane was like that of fine silver, a commanding presence even if today he seemed less imposing.

Ocellus walked over to Caecus, wanting to wish him a good morning, but as she got close she could see how tired he was. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had yet to touch his meal. "Are you okay? You seem like you didn't sleep well," she asked without thinking.

Caecus glanced up at her. "Aye... I was burning the midnight oil studying last night." He paused. "So have the books I loaned you been of any aid?"

The books had been of more help than any she could have found in the library. Ocellus could only nod. "Yes, thank you again," she replied.

"Could I ask you a question?" Caecus asked, taking a glace down at his meal, seemingly unsure if he was going to eat it.

The changeling nodded. "Sure, what is it?" Ocellus asked, a bit curious.

Caecus turned his gaze back to Ocellus. "What is the changeling hunger?"

“It’s…” Ocellus looked to her hooves, not wanting to tell Caecus or anypony. “Why do you want to know?”

The silver-maned unicorn tapped a hoof on the stone bench. “I have read many tales of changelings, none of them made a note of a hunger. If you were to tell me it could fill in a few holes as to why your race did a few things.”

Ocellus was afraid to ask what those stories entailed, having read more than a few from other kingdoms. In Saddle Arabia she was told the hives there would steal foals and replace them with young drones, whose only task was to weaken the town and cities of Saddle Arabia. Other places had similar tales. “Do you really need to know?”

The unicorn gave a slight nod. “Aye, yet as it stands I only know that changelings steal foals and hatch evil plans in their dark hives to some unknown ends. So as it stands any reason for this could change my outlook.”

The changeling rubbed one of her hooves, the memory of the hunger coming back to her. She didn't want to remember those days, but Caecus had given her those books, and maybe he would understand. "Be... Before King Thorax we needed to feed off the love of other creatures. If we didn't our magic would weaken..." Ocellus said, not wanting to recall it another moment.

For a long moment, Caecus didn't say a word, seeming to ponder her words. The silver-maned unicorn showed no emotion as he thought. "Thank you," he said at last.

"You’re welcome. Now I think I'm going to get something to eat, so have a good morning," Ocellus replied.

Before Ocellus could take her leave Caecus spoke. "I... I was wondering, would you still like to study together?" The words seemed alien to him.

The changeling was taken aback a bit but knew he could be a great help to her report. That and they were also here to make friends. "I would like that. We can study in the library after classes are over," Ocellus replied with a smile.

"Very good, however, I do believe on the morrow is a wiser idea, as I will be in need of rest," Caecus said before turning back to his meal.

Ocellus nodded in understanding. "That sounds good, I’ll look forward to it," she replied before heading toward the dining hall.

After her classes, Ocellus was on her way to met up with her friends at Sugar Cube Corner. Usually, they would have all gone together, but today she needed to drop off a few things in her room.

The path into Ponyville was a short one, and the road was well maintained. Normally Ocellus would have passed a few by now, but today she had yet to see another on the path. The changeling didn't mind as it gave her time to relax. Overhead the clouds drifted lazily along.

When she reached Sugar Club she found her friends were talking and laughing at a table near the window. Each had a few sweet treats next to them. "Hay, Ocellus," Sandbar said when he saw her.

Ocellus smiled as she walked to join her friends. After she was seated she ordered a few cupcakes with buttercream frosting. "So what were you talking about before I got here?" the changeling asked, wanting to catch up on what she may have missed.

"Well not much, only trying to make up our minds if we wanted to go for a hike this weekend," Sandbar said.

A hike did sound like fun and a good way to relax after a long week. "That sounds like a great idea, so hiking trail," Ocellus asked.

"I was thinking we take the one to the Castle of the Two Sisters," Smolder said.

"I say the one near the Ponyville lake, more relaxing," Silverstream added in.

They talked for some time about where the best place to take the weekend hike would be. After some time they all agreed on the one near Ponyville lake, that way they could cool off after their hike.

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