4 Years after Exile
Ponyville
POV: Fluttershy

Fluttershy laid out a bowl of food for the smaller animals, along with one of birdseed for the, well, the birds. Angel was being a bit of a picky eater, but that wasn't unusual. However, she looked up at the clock and realized that she didn't have the time to worry about feeding him. So, she just left a carrot in on the counter for him and hurried out the door.

She walked along the path toward Ponyville, intending to meet up with Rarity for their spa day. As she did, she saw the CMC on the edge of town, playing around. They technically weren't the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore; all three of them had gotten their cutie marks. Scootaloo had an X of sticks and compass points with rocks; Apple Blooms was a hammer and anvil, and had gotten one in working with the metal parts on carts and other tools around Sweet Apple Acres; and Sweetie Belle had gotten hers in singing; a pink music note with a trio of sliver streams coming off in a Y-shape.

"Hey, girls!," she said, waving at them as she passed by.

"Hey, Fluttershy!," Sweetie and Bloom said, waving back. Scootaloo just looked at her angrily.

She was clearly still upset about what happened to Rainbow. However, Fluttershy wasn't. Her oldest friend had attacked somepony for no reason. That wasn't kind, and it was something a bully would do. And if there was something Fluttershy disliked more than anything, it was a bully. So, she just took a deep breath and trotted on.

Eventually, she arrived in the town square. It was market day, and the farmer's stalls were out among others. Fresh produce, firewood, and other small items were being peddled over. Amid the crowd, she saw her friend Applejack at her family's stall, who saw her as well and gave her a wave. She waved back and was on her way.

She passed by Sugarcube Corner, looking inside to see what Pinkie was up to. She was just servicing the counter, currently pulling out a massive cake from nowhere to give to the stallion she was servicing. "Hello, Pinkie," she said as the stallion trotted off with the cake on his back.

"Hey, Flutters! Spa day with Rarity, right?"

"Oh, yes," she said. "I was just wondering if I could have a plain sugar cookie? It helps with the back to have something in your stomach. At least, it is for me."

"Coming right up!" She appeared to open up a hatch, trotting down a set of stairs. Suddenly, she appeared above her, on the ceiling, holding the cookie. "Here you go! Have a good one, Flutters!" Fluttershy just backed up out the door, then turned away towards the Boutique.

She arrived just as Rarity was getting out of the house. "Ah, Darling! How are you today?"

"Oh, just fine, thank you." She then looked around, her light smile fading. "Where's Twilight? I thought she would be joining us."

"Oh, she's in the Crystal Empire, visiting Cadence. Either that or raiding the library. I do like to think that she's with Cadence. *sigh*, I remember when my mother was pregnant with Sweetie Belle. I personally can wait for such endeavors." A quick shudder later, she said, "Now, enough about the Princess. Let us get on our way. I hear that they've opened up a new steam room at the Spa, and I for one can't wait to try it out!"

Fluttershy smiled, following Rarity toward the white building by the boutique. Another calm, relaxing day in Ponyville.

Badlands, Changling Hive
POV: Queen Chrysilyis

The queen smiled down into the nursery chambers, just below the Hive. In the dark, cool stone, hundreds of goo soaked eggs, and hundreds more grubs being cared for. These drones, numbering over a thousand strong, would make up the backbone of her invasion force when the time came. But, that time was not now. Soon though; not only did the drones have to grow to maturity, but another part of the plan had to fall into place.

"My Queen?", came the voice of Commander Pharynx over the hive mind. Huh. Speak of the devil, she thought as she concentrated on her response.

"Yes, commander? Do you have him?"

"Yes, my Queen. Should we bring him in? I don't think the cage can hold him for all that much longer."

"Yes, commander. I'll have my little, chat, with him now. In the meantime, prepare the holding cell. We wouldn't want our guest escaping." She stepped away from the balcony, walking regally over to her carved chitin throne. She sat down as Pharynx and several Swarm Guards entered. Held aloft in the aura of the elite changelings was a tarp-covered cage, from which could be heard crashing and angry curses. "Excellent work, Commander. Remove the tarp."

He did so after the guards set it down, said tarp falling to the side as the figure in the cage grabbed onto the bars. Tirek growled in anger, "In the name of all you hold sacred, let me out!"

"I think not, Lord Tirek," she said, stepping down from her throne as she walked up to his cage. "After all, I want to have a very productive, chat."

"A changeling. My my; I haven't seen one of your kind in hundreds of years. Pray tell, what could you want with me?"

She began to circle his cage, grinning widely. "A proposition. You see, I've been planning an invasion of the ponies for some time, and the first part of that plan has already come to fruition. However, one can never be too careful. I want to make certain I can win without a shadow of a doubt before I strike."

"That is all well and good. However, I still have not heard of this proposition. Do tell."

"I have heard much of your, exploits. Namely, how you can drain the magic from a pony, leaving them next to useless. I want to know-how. In exchange, I can have my infiltrators get you into the heart of Canterlot unmolested. Do we have a deal," she said, reaching a hoof through the bars.

He stared at it, then crossed his arms and looked away. "I have no intention of sharing anything of mine with the likes of you. Besides, if you're planning an invasion, why let me free when, at my full strength, I could crush you like a gnat?"

She growled in annoyance, then recoiled to compose herself. "Very well." She turned her attention to her Swarm Guards, saying, "Take our 'guest' to his new room. Make sure he's comfy. I'll have another, less civil chat with him later."

The guards slung the tarp back over the cage, then levitated it away toward a deeper part of the hive. Soon, it was only her and Commander Pharynx left. The commander said, "Er, permission to speak, my Queen?"

"Granted."

"Well, your highness. It's about the invasion. I still don't think that this is the best idea. I mean, the hundreds of extra drones, the puppets in the pony governments; the monster that is now within the hive! I don't think this is the best course of actio-"

"Are you questioning my orders, Commander Pharynx?," she interjected.

He stammered out, "N-no, my Queen. I'm merely saying that this is exactly what our traditions are saying we're NOT supposed to do. This isn't what we are!"

"Commander," she slowly said. "I know as much. However, I don't care! Times are changing! And I say, we change with them! We must take what we rightly deserve, and I will not be denied!" She then let loose a maniacal laugh, gazing once more down at her future soldiers. They would be what would bring the changeling race out from obscurity. They would bring about her kinds dominion over those weakling ponies. They would help them achieve their destiny! Why shouldn't she laugh!? She would be remembered for all time as the queen who brought her race to the center stage; to glory! And so, she didn't stop, even as Pharynx backed away in fear. In fact, she just laugh harder and louder.

Pryhan Empire, outside the Capital
POV: Castus

The caragor had crossed over the pomerium a few minutes ago and was now on his way to the meeting place. He had made, served, and cleaned up dinner for Miss Dash and her son. After the two had gone to sleep, he had slipped out of the palace, then out of the city. Normally, such interactions were done via drop boxes, or by code-phrase bound couriers. However, tonight was he was expected to make an exchange. As these were rare in this game he played, he and his contact agreed to meet personally.

He arrived at the meeting point, a small clearing in the woods just outside of Pryha. Even as he looked back at the Eternal City, he saw lights that shot up into the air, visible for kilometers around. The lights danced through the night clouds, casting dark, shifting shapes across the sky.

These whipping shapes pulled his thoughts to the mare with which he was working for. He had taught himself to be able to read people, and, know it or not, he could read her like a book. She was nearly constantly radiating a cocky, confident persona, wanting to be seen as an immovable object. She was these things to a certain degree. She was cocky, arrogant, and was could be sure of herself when she was doing something she liked to do.

However, for the most part, this was an illusion. She was insecure, haunted by her failures. She didn't want to be seen as weak, but she was nearly always seeing herself as so. Hence, why she pushed herself so hard when training. He ended up caring for Depressi for most of the time as, during her training with Dorus, she would work herself nearly to exhaustion, passing out instantly; after taking one of her stims, anyway.

"Excuse me, sir," a voice said. As he turned in its direction, a figure stepped out of the woods. A demigryph in a subarmalis, military caliagae, and a Pannonian cap. "But you seem lost. Do you need to borrow a compass?"

The code phrase. "No, thank you, sir. I can see fine by the moon's light." He then stepped up to the Demigryph, who he now recognized, and shook his paw. "You're late, Darius. I trust you have what I asked for?"

Darius replied back, "Aye, got it right here." He pulled out a small leather bag, similar to the kind one would use to hold coins. He tossed to Castus, who caught it and undid the cord fastener to examine its contents. Sure enough, it was exactly what he had requested in his last letter. "Just out of curiosity, what in the Five Divine ones could you want with that? I mean, they're just-"

"I know exactly what they are, Darius," he said. "However, I can assure you that the situation that the false Caesar put her in requires them. I can only pray it works. For both the Empire, and for her."

"Hell to the winged one. The Princeps just wants the report on her. What can you say?"

He held out his own part of the exchange: a small wax tablet. "Here. Inside you'll find my report. Give it to the Princeps, and I'll update as necessary. With a little luck, I can convince her to side with us."

"I don't give a shit what you have to do, and I doubt the Caesar does either. Just make sure she isn't an issue. True to Damocles."

"True to Damocles." The two then shook again, then walked off in either direction with their packages. Castus despised the secrecy but knew that it would be short term discomfort and anxiety for long term gain. His thoughts again drifted to Rainbow Dash, the false Caesar's new attack dog. She was a cornered dog; a beaten, tranquilized, and mistreated dog, but still a vicious war hound all together. If all went to plan, however, he could not only heal her, as he wanted to do but also convince her to side with the true Caesar, when he returned. For now, he could only pray.

Next Chapter: 48~Daily routine Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 50 Minutes