It was during the process of preparing the New Dominion for the possibility of a soul stealing, magic eating centaur that it happened. A giant, rainbow boom cascaded across the sky. Each and every citizen watched as the wave etched it's way across the horizon in awe. I tried to feel for the ever present perversion of magic that I had come to associate with Tirek, the terrible wrongness his entire being exuded, and found not a trace of it, though I did feel a tinge of what felt like the underworld. It had taken less than a week for Gilda, Seth and I to reach Signal. We were there for the span of one afternoon of frantic preparation, gathering clouds with which to rain lightning down from out of range, only to be dispersed.

I picked up a loud speaker and addressed the population.

"Attention citizens of the New Dominion. In regards the the upcoming invasion by a soul stealing demon. Well, you all saw that right?" I pointed to the sky. There were murmurs of acknowledgement. "Um... false alarm I guess. Good work everyone. Pack it up." The crowd's reaction was a mixture of relief and disappointment. The griffins, and to a lesser extent the few ponies, zebras, and diamond dogs living on the isles, are more hot blooded than Equestrians. The thought of fighting a demon had quite a few itching for a scrap.

"I'm rescinding the order to turn away Equestrian craft as well. Trade is important for our economy. If there's no threat, no point in strangling the country."

"So we came all this way for nothing?" Gilda asked, quite irately

"I'd rather be safe than sorry Gilda. Equestria managed to handle it this time, but if things turned out differently, I'd prefer to be prepared. We can't just charge at things... not like we used to." My gaze drifted to Seth, who was just waking up. He stretched adorably and yawned as he got to his feet. How he slept through me using a megaphone, I haven't the slightest clue.

"Huh, it's all better." He said. Bluster and Gale, who had been inseparable from him since they moved in with us, chirped affirmatively.

"What is Seth?" Gilda asked.

"The glowy stuff. It was sick before." Gilda gave me a 'what the fuck?' look. I nodded.

"Well, I'm glad it's feeling better." I replied.

"Yep." It occurs to me that Seth, as a child, is far more sensitive to magic than Gilda or I as adults. It's said that children are always more in tune with the spirit world, since adults look past the abnormal and dismiss it. I wonder if it's his lineage or the fact he's had so much magic happen around him in his short life? His black, swirling shadow, the gift given to him by Surprise and Discord, seemed calm as well. It had been agitated before.

That gift they had given him, to protect him when we couldn't, to give us some peace of mind. Thankfully it's never been needed yet, though that also means I'd never seen it do... anything, other than reflect his emotions. I'm kind of curious as to what it can do, or what it even IS, exactly. I know it's something similar to Surprise's shadow mice, but Discord did something to it.

"Now what?" Gilda asked me.

"Well, we were gonna come here anyway, at some point. Might as well take care of business before we go back, yeah?"

"That would be good, though since we're here anyway, I kind of want Seth to see what it's like, you know?"

"I agree." I turned to my son. "What do you say son? Tomorrow, do you want to see the island life?"

"YAY!!!!"

So, the first thing we did on our 'vacation' was get laid. A welcoming committee came up, apologized that they couldn't see to us earlier, considering I declared a state of emergency as soon as I arrived, and put leis on us. You know, those flower necklaces they have in Hawaii? So... technically, we didn't get laid, we got 'leid', but they made the joke none the less. Seth didn't quite get it, and I told him I'm explain it when he was older.

"There's... SO MANY!" Seth seemed excited at seeing so many griffins. Back in Wingsconsen and old Hoofton, all we really saw were pegasi, sheep, cows, and earth ponies. I realized he'd never seen any griffins other than Gilda and I before this. Gilda gave Seth some juice and scones as a snack while we headed into town. The goal was to meet with Mayor Bluebeak and get a report of what had been going on the past two years since we'd left him in charge. Then... came the awkwardness.

They bowed. *sigh* Why did they have to bow.

"No.. no.. guys, come on. You don't need to do that. No, really."

"Mommy, why are they bowing to daddy?"

"Well, Seth, your dad's the king." To be honest, watching that kid's eyes bug out was kind of worth the endless barrage of questions that came after.

"Are you married to the princesses?"

"No."

"Oh... so are they my sisters?"

"No, they're from a different country. You're not related."

"Oh, okay. Wait, if you're the king, is mommy a queen?" Oh sweet Hades, my son is a bastard, in the literal sense. Not that I care, but you try explaining the delicacies of familial legitimacy to a toddler.

"Eh, yes. I suppose she is."

"Then why aren't they bowing to mommy?"

"To be honest Seth, I'd rather they not even bow to me. Bowing like that makes the person you're bowing to seem unapproachable, like you can't get near them. I don't like it."

"But if you're the king, can't you tell them to stop?"

"Because bowing to someone is a sign of respect, and it's weird to order someone around like that."

"Ooooh." He said with a tone of intense comprehension. "I don't get it."

"Me neither."

Many questions later, we arrived at the mayor's office. Bluebeak greeted me with a handshake.

"Oooh, so why didn't he bow?" Seth asked.

"He's the mayor. He runs the town. He's a very important person." I replied.

"Oh... should I bow then?"

"Oh hohoho, that won't be necessary. I've always been a griffin of the people, like your father."

"So, Bluebeak." I changed the subject to a more progressive one. "I know I've been gone for a while. I hope you've managed well on your own. I am sorry for leaving you hanging like that."

"Think nothing of it. You've had your own fair share of troubles to deal with. Would you like a report of what's occurred over the past two years?"

"I would."

"For starters, it's been mostly peaceful. We've had a couple raiders, generally some of the braver diamond dog clans, but that didn't last long."

"Really? I figured they'd get more serious as time went on."

"Your actions at Ancientwell seemed to take a lot of the fight out of them. That and when you have to take a boat or airship to get here, an opponent who can make thunderstorms and tornadoes whenever they want it's greatly deterring. There hasn't been any hostile activity here since about three months after we thwarted the attack Ivan informed us of."

"Well, that's good to hear."

"There's also been some trouble with our... residents. Many griffins don't trust the diamond dogs living here, and vice versa, and while they've been quiet about it, there is some unease." Bluebeak explained.

"Well, that's unavoidable. They'll get over it in time though, as long as things don't escalate."

"Speaking of unease... about the changelings... are you entirely certain it's a good idea to have them just... walking around among us?"

"I actually have a plan to address that. I just need to meet with Queen Chrysalis in public."

"Good. When you first arrived, I immediately sent word via one of the representatives here on Signal. She should be here within the hour."

"Good. How about the economy Bluebeak?"

"Booming. Fish has become a lot more acceptable among pegasi since we've started supplying it. Fresh tropical fruit, rice, and oddly enough, seaweed. Ponies enjoy the texture and the salty flavour. We've already implemented a rotation schedule so that areas we harvest have time to recover."

"How do you get seaweed from the ocean floor?"

"Well, that's has to do with something else I wanted to show you, follow me please."

Gilda, Seth and I followed Bluebeak out of his office to the shoreline, at the docks built on the inlet at the bottom of the cliff. There, swimming right in the harbor... were seaponies.

"Shoo be doo!" He hollered into the bay. Then, the singing began.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iakTl9SZTTY

"Call upon the sea ponies, when you're in distress! Helpful as can be ponies, simply signal SOS. If you find you're cast adrift, and haven't got an oar, call upon the sea ponies, they'll see you to shore."

A seapony swam up to the shoreline.

"Greetings Coral, this is King Griffin, Gilda, and Seth."

"Greetings and salutations." A deep voice replied. Bluster and Gale squeaked excitedly. "Hmm? Breezies? Let me see... uh... yes, now I remember. *Ahem* Comen't? M'nommen Coral. Que t'nommen?"

"M'nommen Bluster. S'nommen Gale." Bluster introduced the pair. "We are well. Also, we speak equestrian now. We've been learning with Seth and teaching him breezie too." They squeaked excitedly.

"The seaponies harvest the seaweed, pearls, and other things only found on the ocean floor for us in exchange for other goods." Bluebeak explained. I couldn't help but laugh. Sea ponies, of all things!

"Is something funny?" Coral asked, seeming a bit offended. I quickly salvaged the situation.

"No, nothing humorous. It's just that the sight of a sea pony after so long has filled me with joy and mirth!" I proclaimed.

"Ha! Then all is well!" He replied boisterously. I mean, he MUST know how hilarious his is. When you think of a sea pony, you don't think of a low baritone voice.

"Well, now that greetings are complete, I must get back to work. Remember, if you ever find distress at sea, shoo be doo. Shoo be doo."

"I'll keep that in mind."

After the meeting with Coral, we returned to Bluebeak's office to await Chrysalis's arrival. He went over some other minor details, however he did give me some important information regarding the other colonies that had risen up in our absence. The most prominent was the black mass on the horizon. One of the islands that we'd deemed uninhabitable during our pass over the ring sea so long ago, due to lack of natural vegetation and flat land, those rocky crags made the perfect place to raise a changeling hive.

A knock on the door of the office interrupted us.

"Hello? Mayor Bluebeak, if I may intrude?" A lady griffin with a blue crest entered.

"Ah, yes, my assistant, Sylvia. Come in. What is it?"

"No." Seth said plainly.

"Huh?" Bluebeak, Gilda, Bluster, Gale, and I all said at once.

"Sneaky sneaky." He wagged his claw back and forth and made a 'tsk tsk' sound. His shadow seemed agitated as well. Green flame enveloped 'Sylvia' revealing Chrysalis instead.

"That's... not possible." She said dumbfounded.

"I thought she had that perfect. How'd you figure out so fast? She only said like, three words." The real Sylvia asked, coming in from behind.

"I unno." Seth shrugged.

"Well, never mind that. I would have come as soon as I heard you were on the islands, but I had other business to attend to."

"Oh, she's super busy because she's a queen! I get it." Seth has been extremely talkative from the moment he learned that I'm a king.

"I suppose we should address the populace then?" Chrysalis suggested.

"Yes, that is the reason why I wanted you here. It's time to put this anxiety to rest."

I made a declaration that I wanted a meeting at town hall in two hours, which gave everyone time to finish what they were doing so they could attend. I stood on the patio next to Chrysalis and began.

"Everyone, thank you for attending. I know there's been some rumors going around, but I'm here to put your minds at ease. Many of you have been questioning the validity of the changelings here. I want to assure you, I have permitted them to be here. Look around you, to your left, to your right. Ponies, griffins diamond dogs. I even met a sea pony today. We are the misfits. In this world, we didn't have a place to call our own, so we made one. We were lost, and I lead you all to our own paradise. I am so very proud of you all. I know there's some distrust. I fear that may always be the case. There's too much bad blood. Too much history. But look around you! Look at what we've built! Look at this city! Where you see timbers, I see hope! We built this city in the hope for a better future, that we could leave the past behind, break the cycle of hate that's kept us in shackles for so long."

"This may be the New Dominion, built from the ashes of the old Griffin Dominion, but this New Dominion is not 'The New Griffin Dominion', because it is not just for griffins. It's for ALL of us who want a better future. For those of us who have nowhere else to go, for those who want to live in peace. The old ways don't work anymore. No... they never worked in the first place. Parents who lost their children, children who lost their parents, they've all come together and become families. We, this entire nation, are a family. Now, it's time to proudly add the changelings to this family."

The crowd mumbled to themselves, not entirely sure what to make of this.

"The changelings themselves. The unloved, hated by most by their appearance alone. They take disguises in the hopes that they can get even a modicum of care from those around them. Look at me now! Here I stand, next to the changeling queen. No disguises! No deceit!"

I stood on my hind legs, as did Chrysalis. I looked deep into her green eyes. This is the one. She helped me when no one else would. She's the reason I have my family. She's the reason Gilda is safe. She's the reason Seth is safe. She's the reason I'm alive. In this harsh, cruel world, she offered me kindness, and only asked a pittance in return.

I felt my heart throb as I gently grabbed the back of her head, tilted my own to the side, and gave her a proper french kiss. I felt her fangs scrape gently on my beak as her forked tongue wrapped around my own. I used my wings to press her tight against me, and ran my free talons along her back, just under her gossamer wings.

"Woooooooo!" Hoots and hollers came from the audience as I broke the kiss. We both went back to all fours and backed away, the queen visibly blushing. The last wish of the changeling who took my place at Ancientwell was for me to give Chrysalis a kiss. She was clearly expecting a peck on the cheek. For the purpose of ending the fears of those who would have changelings living amongst them, that simply would not do. Besides, Chrysalis is attractive in her own way.

"Whew. One thing to take note of. Changelings do feed on love, so you may feel a bit winded afterwards. This is normal. You don't have to worry about them sucking you dry or any nonsense like that though. Now then, questions?" There was a mass of shaking heads. "Good. I got business to take care of, so head on back to your own." With that, they dispersed.

The lot of us went back to Bluebeak's office for a discussion afterwards.

"I certainly wasn't expecting that Griffin." Chrysalis stated. "You don't do anything halfway, do you?"

"If it was just a peck on the cheek, it wouldn't have had the same effect. Have to lead by example. If I had done anything less, it wouldn't feel sincere, and this alliance of ours would only be skin deep. Generally, an alliance between two nations occurs when two members of the royal family get married. Compared to that, a kiss isn't all that big of a deal."

"At least now I know you're serious." Then Chrysalis snickered. "And now Cadence owes me a beach house."

"I've been meaning to ask, what is up with that anyway?" Gilda inquired.

"Fancypants, shame on him, heard the news that Griffin 'died' and decided to have him uphold his end of the bargain. A lot on Signal with a beach house was the prize. He had it constructed, but his business meant he never had any time to be there, so he gave it to Princess Cadence and Shining armor as a gift, which did raise his political standing, but they're in the Crystal Empire and had no time to be there either. She and I got into an argument, she said something out of character, that I'd never get a guy without a disguise, so I made her put a bet on it, and that was her wager. I don't really need one, since the hive is two islands over, but shutting her up was more than worth it. I made sure to get some pictures taken for the next time I see her. I can't wait to rub it in her face. As for the house, I'll probably just put it up for auction or something."

"Unfortunately, that changeling you sent to bust me out wound up making that kiss his last request. Without him buying me time, things would have wound up way worse than they did."

She nodded solemnly.

"Hard to believe the first time we met you beat me three ways to Sunday." She sighed. Not in disappointment, more like remembering bad times, how desperate things had gotten. "Oh, and Griffin?"

"Hmm?"

"While you were in Equestria, I noticed you had pegasus guards watching you from above. While it was a good idea, it was entirely unnecessary."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really think, as the Queen of the changelings, I'd leave the family of our allies unprotected? If any danger befalls your family, I can have two dozen changelings on the scene in a matter of seconds. Besides love, we don't eat, and we don't need sleep often, and we have eyes everywhere."

"Thanks Chryssy." She blushed at the nickname, and seemed satisfied with the wave of gratitude I sent her.

"Any other business Bluebeak?"

"You really should go to the island of Na'yy Jhaka."

"Gesundheit."

"No, that is the name of the New Dominion colony founded by the zebras. It means 'New Friends' in their tongue. You were meant to be there for the naming ceremony, but life took it's course. You should still head there and officially acknowledge it."

"What do you say Gilda, Seth? We stay here for a few days then head for Zebrica?"

"Yeah!" Seth squawked. He was startled by the fact that he squawked instead of his normal voice and blushed with embarrassment.

"Sounds good to me." Gilda agreed.

"Well then, in that case we are officially on vacation. Lets go have some fun."

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay, Fimfiction has been giving me weird errors lately. I wanna comment, I wanna write a new chapter, I get some 'login error' where it thinks I'm not logged in even though I am, and asks me to relog. Either that or it just loads forever.

Again, it's been weird.

In any case, I can finally get some other stuff out of the way, leading up to the big fight with Celly.

By the way, in case it wasn't clear before, it ought to be BLATANTLY obvious now, Seth is not your average kid.