"I thought that you were going to rid them for us. This is not--"
"Listen here. I will deal with them when I decide to and I'm going to do it MY WAY!!! Besides, I got that love you asked for. So be grateful."
"Mmm. You truly are a worthy addition to my forces. So tell me, what did you do to them?"
"It doesn't matter. All I will say is that Von will see how they will never accept him for what he is..."

Chapter 17: A pony who'll understand

"So let me get this straight. Chrysalis, the changeling that attacked me, is my mother?!" Von exclaimed. Celestia and Luna were hesitant, but they nodded their heads in confirmation. The girls had no idea what to say, but Von was the most confused out of all of them.

She's my mother? Wait. That's why she acted like she knew me. She knew who I was, he thought. Just then, another thought passed through his mind. Wait. She's my mother. That means it was my mom that was trying to....ugh! He shuddered at the memory of Chrysalis touching and licking him all over. He never wanted to experience that again. Pinkie looked at Celestia.

"You're not going to send Von away are you?" She frowned, as did the rest. Von was undoubtedly Chrysalis' child. The changelings were enemies of all the ponies in Ponyville and Canterlot. Von would be no exception. How long would it be until they, too, deemed him an enemy? Von opened his mouth to speak, but Rainbow Dash quickly interrupted.

"There's no way I'm going to let you send him away! He's our friend. He's always been nice to us so far and that hasn't changed." She proclaimed.

"She's right, princess", Twilight started. "I learned that no matter what, you should never judge your friends by their looks or what they are, but for WHO they are." Von stared in awe.

"Twilight..." Fluttershy got close to him and smiled.

We'll always be friends with you, Von. Um...that is...if you don't mind." Von laughed and smiled at Fluttershy's timidness and looked at all his friends. They were willing to stick by his side, even knowing what he was. But the ruling was all up to Princess Celestia. He wished that Celestia would not send him away , or worse, imprison him. If she did, he'd be heartbroken if he could not see his friends, or his marefriend ever again. And to his surprise, his wish came true. "My little ponies, you have no reason to be worried. I am not going to send Von away." She stated. Everypony looked at her and smiles spread across their faces.

"Von is still a resident of Ponyville. I trust that is fine by you?" She asked, looking towards Von. Von nodded his head.

"Definitely." Von hugged his friends and kissed Rainbow Dash before he looked back at Celestia and Luna. "So what do we do about Nova?" He asked. "And Chrysa....mom?" Celestia looked at him.

"Chrysalis can be dealt with given time. But Nova is the major threat. He is doing things that none of Equestria's past threats have ever bothered to do. I know not yet what to do. If anything, we may have to resort to using the Elements of Harmony. But I do not know yet." She said. Von's ears lowered and he looked down.

"Maybe....just give me a chance to talk to him. I'm sure I can--"

"No way, sugarcube. Y'all done tried talking to him plenty o' times and he ain't listened yet." Applejack declared.

"He's worse than anypony we've ever met." Rarity scoffed. "He's not as horrible as Prince Blueblood." Von looked at her.

"Who's Prince Blueblood?"

All eyes were on Rarity, including Von's and Rarity sighed.

"Very well. If you wish to know, I'll tell you." She took a deep breath and looked at them with a stern look. "Prince Blueblood is one of THE WORST stallions I have ever met before. He may be royalty, but he certainly does not know a thing about how to treat a lady." Kamen's eyes widened and he smiled at Rarity.

"Wait. You're a lady? All this time I thought you were a colt." He said. He burst out laughing and fell onto his back. The girls thought that it was quite rude for him to say that, but Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie couldn't help but laugh. Even Celestia and Luna started laughing and Von eventually joined in. Rarity cleared her throat and everypony settled down.

"As I was saying, Prince Blueblood was not at all like a gentlecolt should be. He was rude, cared more for himself than I and he always frets over just the smallest bit of dirt that touches him." Twilight looked at her.

"But don't you act the same way?" She asked. Rarity gasped and looked away.

"How dare you compare how I act about dirt to how HE acts. But I am not worried about that now. I have a whole new line of wardrobes to design using the new jewels I've obtained." She boasted.

Kamen yawned and looked at Pinkie.

"Hey. Aren't Mr. and Mrs.Cake supposed to be expecting us?" He asked. Pinkie gasped loudly and looked at him.

"You're right! How could I have forgotten? I mean, I forget alot of stuff normally. Like this one time, i forget to go help Applejack at the barn. Or that other time that I forgot to change the baby's diapers. Or--" Pinkie's chatter was ceased by Kamen's hoof.

"Ok, honey. I think they get it." He said. Luna looked down at Von.

"Ah. That reminds me. Von, where is your necklace?" Von blinked and Rarity's eyes widened with fear.

"Necklace?"

"The necklace you had. Spike had told me that you were wearing a necklace when you went to Rarity's." Luna said.

"...Oh yeah. I did, but when I woke up at Rarity's boutique, it was gone. I guess I lost it." He said. Luna's attention turned to Rarity.

"Was he wearing it when he went to your boutique?" Rarity's eyes started darting back and forth from Luna and Von to her friends.

"Um...well, I know that he HAD a necklace around his neck, but I don't recall what it looked like." She said, laughing nervously. Luna giggled and looked at Von and levitated something towards him. When he looked at it, he recognized it as the necklace that he found on Dragon Mountain.

"Where did you find this?" Von and Rarity asked.

Everypony looked towards Rarity. She quickly realized what she did and covered her mouth.

"Um...what I mean is...How in Equestria did you find it, princess? I thought that it was long gone by now." Luna used her magic and put the necklace onto Von before she looked at Rarity again.

"I thought you said that you didn't recall what it looked like." Luna said, raising her eyebrow. Rarity blushed and Kamen started to laugh.

"You done goofed, Rarity. Mr. and Mrs.Cake can wait. THIS I gotta hear." The girls started talking among themselves, each of them curious about the situation. Rarity tried to speak, but no words came.

"Von, do you remember anything when you went to the boutique?" Luna asked. Von closed his eyes and thought for a moment. The events were foggy, but he could tell there was something there. A small spark came from his horn and the foggy memory became clearer. He was looking at Rarity and he was pinned to the floor as she was rubbing her hoof against his colthood and Rarity had taken Von's necklace before the memory faded.

"That's right! Rarity took it from me!"

The girls looked at Rarity whose face was completely flushed with red. She didn't know what to say. She was cornered now that Von remembered what had happened back at the boutique. She sucked up her pride and looked at them.

"Alright. I admit it. I took Von's necklace from him." She confessed. "It was just so beautiful and I just had to make it MINE!!! That diamond is so rare. I knew it was wrong, so I asked nicely and he said no. So I.....seduced him and took it from him when it was all over. My hooves still have his scent on them...which is why Nova said he could smell him on me." Rarity blushed and looked away when she finished speaking, the girls remaining speechless and Von feeling embarrassed and angered at the same time.

"So...what did she do?" Rainbow Dash asked with a hint of irritation in her voice. Von wanted to keep it from her, but if he lied to her, he'd never hear the end of it.

"She...used her hooves and..." Von trailed off, but Rainbow Dash knew what he was about to say.

"You cheated on me?!" She screeched. Von shook his head.

"No! It was before we got together and it was against my will. I would never cheat on you, Dashie." He cooed. Rainbow Dash blushed, but she was still angry.

"...Promise?" She asked. He laughed and kissed her.

"I promise."

Luna and Celestia stared at Rarity, with her friends giving her the same look as them. They looked astonished and Rarity started to cry.

"I am deeply sorry, Princess Luna. Especially to you, Von. I should not have forced myself on you for such a simple...lovely...beautiful--"

"Rarity!" Twilight snapped. Rarity shook her head and smiled nervously.

"Sorry. But I should not have done that. Please. I hope that this does't ruin our friendship." She pleaded. Von laughed and gave her a warm smile.

"We're still friends." Von hugged Rarity and patted her head.

"Well I'm glad that's settled." Celestia said.

"Actually..." Everypony turned and looked at Applejack.

"Is something wrong, Applejack?" Fluttershy asked. Applejack started to blush and looked at Von.

"Since Rarity came clean...I guess I should to. I...actually took advantage of Von mahself. And I'm ashamed fer doin' it." She said. Von blinked.

"But you didn't do anything to me." He told her. Applejack shook her head.

"Actually I did. It was back after that run-in with that varmint, Nova."

~One week ago~

Everypony took turns going to check on Von after his near death experience with Nova. When night came, Rainbow Dash stayed by Von's side and eventually fell asleep, allowing Von to rest on her. By the time Rainbow Dash fell asleep, Applejack snuck into Von's room.

"Please forgive me, Von. But I can't just shake this off." She whispered. She walked over to Von and observed his sleeping face. She thought he looked cute. It was more along the lines of 'little brother cute', But she thought he was cute nonetheless. The smell that was coming from Von was driving her wild, her juices dripping down her hooves and she leaned closer to him. "I'll just do this...and no more. I promise." She whispered as she got closer and her lips connected with his. She moaned with pleasure as she pressed her lips harder against his own. She kept it up for a good two minutes before she stopped when Rainbow Dash shifted on the bed. She yawned and laid her head back down and Applejack let out a sigh of relief. "I'm mighty sorry about that, Von. But I needed to get that out of the way." She said as she left the room as quickly as she could.

"And that's what happened." Applejack concluded. Von and Applejack's faces were flushed with red, but if anyponies face was redder than theirs, it was Rainbow Dash's. She was boiling mad, with a face that looked like it was about to explode. But nopony could blame her as two of her friends did things to her coltfriend that she, as his marefriend is only meant to (and suppose to) do for him. But she sighed and looked at them.

"Well, it was all before me and him started dating," She started. "So it's not all bad. Anypony else got something to confess?" Twilight blushed and looked at them.

"Actually...I do." Rainbow Dash sighed and looked at her.

"What did you do to him, Twilight? Use your magic on him?" She asked. Twilight shook her head and her face turned redder.

"Actually...one night...when Spike was fast asleep...I was deep in thought and he was in my mind. So I started to think about him and I felt so happy, so I..." She blushed, but no more needed to be said.

All of their jaws dropped at hearing Twilight's words. Luna couldn't help but laugh, but was also surprisingly shocked that her son was getting so much attention. Kamen laughed and patted Von's back.

"Wow, Von. You're like a mare-magnet. You got the bookworm playing with herself to you, the farmhand kissing you while you sleep, the snob actually got to your colthood and then there's your marefriend. Hmm. I wonder what she'll do...or WANTS to do." He said, smiling. Laughing the whole time, Kamen took Pinkie Pie and left Canterlot Castle. Twilight and the others bid their goodbyes and left shortly after. Rainbow Dash's face was completely red and she looked at Von and he stared at her.

"So...ARE there things you want to do?" He asked. Rainbow Dash remained speechless and quickly flew away, not before crashing into one of the pillars.

"Ow..I meant to do that." She said as she went around the pillar and left.

Von smiled and waved goodbye as all his friends left and quickly turned to face Princess Luna.

"Luna?" He called out. Luna smiled and regained her regal composure and looked at him.

"Yes, Von?"

"Nova called me a halfling. Is that really what I am?" He asked with a sorrowful expression. The way Nova had said it to him made him feel like a freak of nature and Luna was not going to have that.

"No, you are not. In fact, you are one of very few half-bloods that exist in Equestria. You are special." She assured him. He tilted his head in confusion.

"Special? I don't feel special." Celestia smiled at him.

"You are special. You are the only one of your kind; A draconic changeling, let alone a changeling with a Cutie mark. This has never been heard of. But even if Chrysalis won't acknowledge you, you will always have a place in our hearts. The girls and us? We aren't just your friends. We are your family." Von smiled at the thought. He didn't just have a mother and father, but he also had a family and friends in Ponyville. Even if they weren't related by blood, they would be family to him no matter what.

"Thanks. Well, I'm going into Ponyville. See ya later." He said as he ran and flew outside.

"...I have a great fear in my heart, sister." Celestia said. Luna's smile faded and she turned to Celestia.

"What do you mean?"

"All the ponies in Ponyville had a hard time accepting Von when he was just a dragon. But now..." Her voice trailed off and she looked away. "How will they treat him knowing that Von was born from Chrysalis?"

Von landed in the center of Ponyville and smiled.

"It feels great seeing Ponyville in the peaceful state it deserves." He said to himself. The ponies stopped and stared at him and he saw them and waved. "Hi, everypony." He said. But they didn't answer. They just turned and went on their way, leaving a dumbstruck Von. "That was weird. I wonder what Kamen and Pinkie are up to?" He said to himself as he started trotting to Sugarcube Corner, unaware of the stares he was getting.

Von went over to Sugarcube Corner and stepped inside, causing Mr. and Mrs. Cake to stop what they were doing.

"Oh...um...Von. So, uh...nice to see you." Mr.Cake said. Von smiled and went up to the counter.

"Is Pinkie home? or Kamen?" Mr.Cake looked around nervously and his eyes darted to his wife.

"Oh...um...they're..."

"Out for a walk. Yes! That's it. They went out for a while." Mrs.Cake said. Von lowered his head and sighed.

"Ok. Well, when they come back, can you tell them I was here?" He asked. The Cakes nodded their heads and Von turned and left the store. However, Pinkie and Kamen were right upstairs, chatting and spending time together. Von went walking through the streets of Ponyville again, the ponies around him staring and talking behind his back. "Pinkie and Kamen aren't home. Maybe I can go visit Applejack...oh wait. She's busy, too. Maybe Rari....no. I know! Maybe I can go see Twi--" Just then, a rock hit Von in the back of the head. "Huh? Who did that?!" He looked around and saw two unicorn mares laughing at him. One had tan colored fur, complete with a red mane. But the odd thing was that she had no Cutie mark. The other unicorn had lime green fur and a light-blue mane with white stripes. She also had no Cutie mark. The two of them stopped laughing and smiled when Von looked in their direction.

"Oh, look. The freak is looking at us." The tan unicorn said. The other laughed.

"What's he gonna do? Bite us? Oh. Or are you going to preach to us about how 'hopeful' you are?" She said, addressing Von. Von glared at them.

"Hey! There's no reason you should be treating me like this. I've done nothing to you!" He yelled. The mares laughed at him and stepped closer.

"There actually is a reason. The fact is, you shouldn't even be here, let alone should you even be alive." The green unicorn said. "How did it feel? You know, knowing that your mom bucked some overgrown lizard? Ha! He must've been the real freak to be willing to buck old cheese legs like that." The tan unicorn sneered.

"Don't talk about my father and mother that way..." Von growled under his breath.

"Or what?" Both unicorns asked. They stepped closer and Von backed away, but he was stopped by the wall of the house behind him.

Nowhere to run..., He thought. He looked back at the unicorns and they were standing over him. "Where do you think you're going?" They asked. Von growled, but he was shaking at the same time. He had no idea what to do. He could handle Nova and his own mother (despite her overpowering him), but he couldn't harm any of the ponies here. He continued to panic, the unicorns laughing at him all the while. And then, he snapped.

Von's eyes widened in anger and he pounced the green unicorn and bared his fangs. She screamed and all the ponies around them stopped and stared. The tan unicorn panicked and ran away, leaving her friend behind and Von's horn started to glow a dark color and purple mist came from Von's eyes. Von lifted his hoof up, ready to stomp down on the pony below him but he stopped himself. His eyes turned back to normal and the glow on his horn faded. He looked all around him to see all the ponies staring. The unicorn he had pinned started laughing at him.

"See? Freaks like you don't belong here." She said. Von looked at her and shook his head.

"Y-you're wrong. I have the same rights as anypony to be here!" He said. There was worry in his voice and he looked away as he whispered, "I belong here...". The unicorn laughed and pushed him off her.

"You belong here?! Please. Do you see any other changeling-dragons here?" She asked.

Von wanted to speak, but no words came out. He knew she was right. He was the only one there, born from the relationship of a dragon and the changeling queen herself. Even though he was the only one, he was just like everypony else. They accepted him when he thought he was a dragon, so why the sudden change? He was confused, angry and scared but he knew that he belonged there with them. Or at least, he kept telling himself that. The green unicorn smiled as all the other ponies started talking amongst themselves, still staring at Von all the while. "Face it. This is NOT your home." She said. Von opened his mouth to argue, but no words came to him once more. Tears fell down his cheeks and his eyes turned red. Angry and upset, Von managed to fire a magical blast from his horn at the unicorn, but she quickly dodged it and when she looked back to where Von was, he had already run off.

Deep within the ruins of the changeling castle, Chrysalis and her horde had finished feeding on the love Nova had delivered. Chrysalis stared at Nova who was staring towards the direction of Ponyville in anger.

"Is something the matter?" She asked. Nova growled and looked at her.

"That damn alicorn. How dare she! I know she was the one my father loved and the one who brought Von into this world and she has the gall to lie about it?!" He hissed. He stomped one of his feet on the ground, causing a small tremor and walked over to a cocoon. Inside was a gryphon, wounded but still very much alive. Before he had left for Ponyville, Nova had tested his new powers on a wandering gryphon and kept it alive, forcing it to keep living in agony. It looked at him and trembled and uttered a single plea.

"Kill me."

"Later." Nova responded.

"Luna is not the one who bore Von." Chrysalis stated. Nova's tail twitched and he looked at her with blood-thirsty eyes.

"You best not be lying to me. You'll be punished if you are." He declared. Nova's icy glare pierced Chrysalis' soul, but she remained unfazed...at least a bit.

"I am not lying. Luna is not his mother. You were mistaken." She smiled and looked at up him. "I am the one who brought Von into this world. It was I who mated with Ignus and brought about his death." Chrysalis' words were the truth, but they were not wise to say aloud. Nova roared and lashed out at Chrysalis with his claws, but she flew out of their reach. Nova stared at her with his sharp white fangs bared and ready to eat her up as a next meal.

"So it was you who killed my father!!! You wretch!" He yelled. Chrysalis smiled at him.

"Do not forget, Nova. It was I who gave you the power you have now and I can take it away when I so choose. My magic may not be as powerful as a dragons, but it surpasses that of Celestia's." She declared. She was bluffing but to her surprise, he bought it.

"Very well. I concede." He said after calming down. Chrysalis landed by his side and smiled at him.

"You and I both want something that we desire most. I want to take Equestria and become its new ruler in order to keep my changelings alive. And you wish to rid Equestria of the ponies, do you not?" Nova stayed silent but his smile said it all for him.

"I will still aid you, but I am going to end them my way. And I'm going to start with Von." He said as he walked towards the cocooned gryphon. Chrysalis glanced back at him.

"Do you truly hate him that much?" She asked. Nova grinned and looked down at the gryphon.

"He sickens me. He isn't of pure dragon blood, he's living with those...PONIES and furthermore, he keeps trying to protect them! I don't just hate him for what he is but also for WHO he is. Once I end him..." He licked his lips as a wicked grin spread across his face. "Those ponies will be next." He opened his jaw and the gryphon's scream was drowned out as Nova consumed it whole. The sound of crunching bones echoed as Nova started chewing and blood dripped from his maw.

Chrysalis' smile began to fade and a look of worry replaced it.

Von will become a victim to Nova's cruelty. It's his own fault for siding with Celestia and her pawns. So why am I so worried? ...What is this feeling?, she thought as she placed one of her hooves over her chest. .......Von is going to be treated badly because he is different...just like we were. He is my spaw....my child, so this is to be expected. ....It's not as though I care...but I hope he finds somepony that will understand him. One that knows the pain of being treated bad because of who they are.

Von wandered into the forest but he didn't stop running. Tears were flowing from his eyes and his heart was wracked with pain. The ponies that he became friends with, that accepted him, that he protected from his brother's wrath had turned on him. It was too much for him to bear that he wanted to go somewhere far away. But blinded by his sadness, he ran smack dab into another pony and collapsed. He opened one of his eyes and his vision was blurry but he could make out the image in front of him: A unicorn with azure fur and a wand shaped Cutie mark was passed out beside him....

Next Chapter: Change of heart Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 43 Minutes