More than half of the day Twilight had woken up in had passed and it had felt like such wasted time. The first problem was that Twilight Sparkle was pretty much forced by doctors, friends, and even Princess Celestia to stay in bed for all that time. She tremendously appreciated that they were worried, but she didn't want to leave all the work to them. She wanted to help them. Spike stayed at her side for all that time and didn't even stop hanging around her even when he was told to by others. Twilight got the impression he was guarding her.

Once Twilight had gotten up she had taken Princess Celestia towards the dungeon where Erase and Instrumental were still being kept. They both looked up at them when they entered. Twilight explained exactly what had happened the day before, and no matter how much she insisted it was the truth, they simply would not believe her.

"Don't you dare to lie about Mrs. Misery. I may not like her methods, but since it's about stopping you, we don't have any other choice," said Erase.

"Celestia might as well be a saint! Misery on the other hoof, do you know that she's kill-"

"Killed her own father? Almost destroyed this city? Yes. I do. We all do. Don't you think she hasn't been honest with us? It was a moment of being young and unstable. Sins of her past that she is trying to atone for by stopping the Cycle's return."

"She's using you! How can you believe such garbage?" asked Twilight.

"How about when we were both cast out and removed ourselves from the world we loved, she came to us without fear?" asked Erase. He got up and walked towards the bars closer to them. "She has shown us nothing but compassion. She has taken care of us, told us about how you ruined our lives, and shown us how to use our curses in the best possible way to save everypony else. If it wasn't for her, all of us would be completely alone. You've felt the complete isolation and loneliness in your past, haven't you, Twilight Sparkle? From what I've heard, you were not bothered by being all alone. Do you have any idea how hurtful it is to actually crave friends and yet being forced to push everything away from you? You have gained friends, Twilight Sparkle. What we've gained is much, much deeper than that. You've merely shared adventures. We've shared pain. There are no stronger bonds to be forged than those gained together in misery." He suddenly took a swing with his sword towards her. Celestia grabbed her and dodged the blade as it almost struck her neck. "So don't you dare tell me she's lying," said Erase and gave her an extremely cold and serious stare. Instrumental just looked on with similar contempt.

***

"Celestia. If you can ease their suffering with the artifact, maybe they would listen to you? To us?" asked Twilight as they walked through the corridors towards the throne room.

"Twilight. I simply can't. If I did, they would learn everything there they needed to know. End their allegiance to Mrs. Misery, find her and end this struggle, and I might be able to reconsider. I don't want these ponies to be hurt any more than you do, but for now they have made their choice," said Celestia.

"As terrible as some of these ponies can be, their pain, they are just as much victims as we are. I want to help them," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight, you will help everyone, but only if you will stop Mrs. Misery. If she actually manages to defeat us, if she wins, then all of us are beyond help," said Princess Celestia. "But, it's admirable that you want to reach out to those in need. Be careful, while that is a sign of a kind leader it can also be an exploitable weakness. They will use that against you if they do not believe it to be sincere. As Misery is leading them, none of them will believe you when you say 'I want to help you'." said Celestia.

"I will be careful Princess."

"Good. Now, go meet with your friends. And please be careful."

"Of course," said Twilight. She bowed and turned around to leave.

"Oh, and Twilight?"

"Yes?" Twilight turned around.

"Erase is wrong. I believe that the bond you share with your friends is much deeper and much stronger than theirs are. I just don't want that comment to get to you."

"It won't, Princess. Thank you," said Twilight and then left. She was a day behind on what was going on. She needed to get back into action.

***

When Twilight entered the archive where all of her friends and her brother was gathered, she was instantly greeted with a very warm welcome. They had already hugged her lovingly in the morning, yet they just kept showering her with affection. Twilight understood that they must have been quite worried. She would have been just as worried if not much more if she would have found one of them in a coma.

"Twily, we have made a few sketches of Misery and Mood from your description. Which one of these are most accurate?" asked Shining Armor, making about a dozen sketches float in the air facing her. Twilight could have picked anyone of them. They were very accurate, Misery and Mood would get a harder time hiding in the city for sure. She pointed at a random one in the Mood pile, and then picked out the sketch of Misery that looked the most evil.

As she got up to the table they were gathered around, she noticed a third sketch of a gray and yellow mare along with the two of Misery and Mood.

"Who's that?" asked Twilight.

"From the information we've gathered, I think that's Solitary. The pony who cursed me, and is making our parents unable to see us," said Shining Armor.

"That's a pretty detailed drawing of her. Did we get a good witness?"

"Yeah, me. I bumped into her here in the castle. Her curse seems to be applied and removed by touch. I'm disappointed in myself for not realizing she was part of Group Misery. I was just so happy that I wasn't alone anymore. I would have apprehended her immediately otherwise."

"I've been out for a day. Have we learned anything new?" asked Twilight. Spike jumped up and stood up on a bench next to the table. He started to inform her.

"Well, this is the situation as we understand it. We think there are eight in Group Misery. From what you've told us, and some other factors, we are almost a hundred percent sure that one of them is a changeling. The rest are Mood, Instrumental, Solitary, Erase, Random, and Mrs. Misery herself," said Spike, obviously trying to sound formal and important.

"Wait, those are only seven," said Twilight.

"Look at the initials of all who are ponies and not Mrs. Misery: M. I. S. E. R. We think there's somepony with a name starting with a 'y'."

"We talked to the Princess when she had the time, and she said that Misery might very well enjoy naming her group after her in more ways than one."

"She did certainly seem to have a big ego when I met her," said Twilight Sparkle.

"We are a bit worried about this... this 'Y'. Whatever he or she's called," said Applejack. Shining Armor turned towards Twilight, talking with a quite serious tone.

"Yes. You see, Twilight, now when we know more about what these ponies can do, a lot of strange stories that we didn't think were true or even relevant before now seem to fit perfectly. A pony being able to make you cry, and suddenly talking about things he shouldn't know. A pony forcing you to dance yourself into exhaustion. One making you alone. Another holding a cursed sword. One being able to bet anything from you. All of these can in some way be applied to some otherwise crazy stories from inside and outside Canterlot the recent months that only just now make sense. But we have absolutely nothing at all that could be seen as another curse. If this Y exists, then they are keeping him a secret. As somepony that has been part of two military forces both in Equestria and the Crystal Empire, I can tell you that this whole thing remind me of a secret weapon. Who knows what sort of destructive power this pony can hold? I just think it's really disturbing. Frankly, I hope this Y doesn't even exist."

"We have to assume that he does," said Spike.

"Spike's right. Misery has had the upper hoof so far with her plans and secrets. We have to assume the worst with her to at least make sure she can't surprise us any more," said Twilight.

"We also have to assume she will try to attack this meeting in the coming days. We will do everything we can to make sure she won't be able to slip through, but we have to prepare for the worst. Still, that responsibility mostly lies with us guards," said Shining Armor.

"Right. I, I realize that at this point we're just repeating ourselves, but, do we know anything about where they are?" asked Twilight.

"No. A few squads are on it as usual," answered Shining Armor.

"Then what can we do?" asked Twilight. Shining Armor thought through it carefully, but in the end he couldn't come up with any ideas.

"Well, at this point all you can do is either walk out into the huge city and look around at random places, or stay in the castle and help with the guests," said Shining Armor.

"I call looking in the city," said Rainbow Dash in a slight panic and instantly left the room by flying out an open window. Twilight just stared as Rainbow Dash tried to get as far away as possible.

"That was a bit odd," said Twilight.

"She doesn't really like hanging out with some of those guys. These delegates and royals can be so posh," said Spike.

"You should have seen some of them yesterday. They basically insulted Rainbow Dash right to her face," said Fluttershy.

"Credit where it's due, that our dear Rainbow was able to keep a cool head was certainly admirable," said Rarity. Everypony but Twilight nodded their heads silently in agreement.

"Are some of them really that bad?" asked Twilight.

"Yes, and since this is such an important event, if you talk back to some of them you risk starting a major conflict. There was a large feast yesterday. I had to attend, and let me tell you, the tension in that room was nothing short of ridiculously extreme," said Shining Armor and shook his head. "You could have dropped a needle on the floor and everyone would have heard it."

"Although, that King Pero is really relaxed. He's the only one of them that is. I like him, he's a funny guy," said Pinkie Pie.

"Well, let's go and help out in the castle. I really need to just do something productive. Just sitting around and not getting anywhere is just so aggravating," said Twilight.

"Very well. I have work to do myself. By the way, tomorrow the last of the delegates will have arrived. There will be a ceremony tomorrow, an official one. You are all invited there. I'm begging you all to go. We guards will be working our butts off to keep security tight. We need some ponies right in the middle of it, to keep an eye out for anything mysterious. You girls would be great for that," said Shining Armor.

"Oh dear, looks like I'm going to have to prepare some of our dresses for the occasion. When is the party? asked Rarity.

Pinkie Pie seemed a bit more exited than usual.

"Oh boy, a party tomorrow!"

"Pinkie, for you this is going to be a boring party of high class," said Shining Armor.

"Oh, well then I can-"

"And you can't try to make it more lively. I heard about the first time you were at the Grand Galloping Gala."

"I can-"

"Pinkie. There are royals and delegates there that simply won't like you. If you try to force them to, then you can actually create a war. I need you to be responsible, and calm for once. Please, please be calm. Perhaps you could just not come at all?" begged Shining Armor.

"Fine. But I will be there. I have never turned down an invitation to a party and I'm not about to do that now."

***

The rest of that day had been spent doing simple chores preparing for the party the following day. Twilight had gone through several records and documents in order to make sure the guests were seated in such a way to avoid fights to break out. Some of these ponies and beings were already in minor conflicts. It was up to her and some planners in the castle to avoid making these conflict escalate. Sure, peace was possible, but their goal was not so much peace as it was to keep everything stable. Looking through the work the planners had already done she had eventually found a zebra and a pony from beyond Equestria's shores that if they would be seated together could have meant outright war.

From what Twilight could have gathered, about one fourth of all the attending were from parts of the world that simply had not been as blessed as Equestria. Twilight was well aware the world could be a very dangerous place, all the world's cheery atmosphere could do nothing to truly hide the changelings, malicious spirits and danger, but Equestria had the luxury of a strong ruler, a strong defense against evil and danger. Other places did not, and as a result their inhabitants were hardened, stronger but also colder. Not incapable of love, but trained by their very lives in a hostile environment to strike first. This meeting had the fortune of being in Equestria, encouraging harmony and peace, but Equestria had the misfortune of having this meeting in it, encouraging something far more dangerous. Still, it had been outside of Celestia's control, and even if it wouldn't have been, canceling now would be nothing short of disaster. Getting them all to come, and then the day before telling them all to go home would essentially make every kingdom, nation, empire and tribe in the world give Equestria the evil eye.

Twilight had hardly been the only one working hard to make sure everything would go according to plan. Everyone did their best to make it all the best it could possibly be. From the youngest cadet to the oldest Princess, not one rested. Not the castle, not the city, not Group Misery. The following day would without a doubt be the start of something. At this point they all had no other choice but to be ready for it. As Celestia finally allowed herself to rest that evening, she took one last glance out the window before shutting her eyes.

"Your move, Misery."

***

And so the first official day had arrived. Twilight struggled that afternoon to get into her fanciest dress. She didn't like to be extravagant in anything except presenting her knowledge and skill in magic, and only then to her friends, but she understood that being a bit extravagant might have been necessary for this evening's party. The dress she wore had been a wonderful gift from Rarity. It matched her slightly darker shades of purple very well. It was designed to look like the beautiful night sky, something it did quite well. All of her friends wore similar dresses, each designed to fit the wearers personality. All made by Rarity, all wonderful pieces of art.

Twilight adjusted something slightly large and cumbersome underneath her dress. It was a golden tiara with a jewel atop it that looked just like her cutie mark. It was one of the Elements of Harmony. They all had one hidden under their dresses, ready to be equipped in case of an emergency that called for their use. Unfortunately, the Elements were there to protect against threats unrelated to Group Misery. Celestia had assure them that the Elements simply would not work against something as simple as ponies, even cursed ones. That did not stop Twilight and the girls from being ready for whatever development the evening would unfold.

***

When Twilight was finally ready to step out of the dressing room with her friends, they were wearing their dresses like suits of armor. They were ready. Ready for excitement. Ready for danger. Ready for duty.

***

But they were not ready for just how uneventful a slow start the evening would be. They entered one of the largest ball rooms in the entire castle. As they entered the room that was beautiful and of a high class even compared to the rest of Canterlot, Shining Armor pulled Twilight aside by the side of the large door.

"Twilight, I'm glad you're here. Thanks again for all the work you girls did. It helped us out more than you know," said her brother. He was wearing his finest uniform, more suitable for a night of festivities than the protection of a soldier.

"I'm just glad to help. I just got here, how does things look?" asked Twilight, looking around. There were plenty of delegates and such entering through the same large door she herself had gone through. The room, despite its size, was almost filled to the brim already. Outside the large windows allowing a look into the gardens several silhouettes could be spotted.

"So far we haven't been able to notice anything out of the ordinary," said Shining Armor.

"How about changelings?"

"We have detection spells being cast by unicorns along the walls. If there is a changeling here, we will know about it," said Shining Armor.

Twilight made sure to make a mental note of her surroundings. To the right, there were a few doors leading directly into a large hall filled with tables. That would be where they would all dine this evening. To the left, there was a door leading directly out into the garden. In between, towards the back of the room, there were two thrones set up. Celestia and Luna were sitting by each others side. Looking down on all the guests. Twilight noticed her mentors expression. It was lacking in any distinct expression. She looked attentive, and yet very calm. She was almost oddly cold, especially since she would usually be the first to give a warm kind smile. She looked very regal. From her very expressive posture, it was clear she needed to look as regal and impressive as possible in front of these guests.

"If anything happens, find me," whispered Twilight to her brother.

"You got it, Twilight. Oh, and Sis?"

"Yes?"

"You look absolutely great in that dress. And, heh, There are a lot of outstanding stallions in here. If you catch my drift?"

"Brother!" said Twilight and laughed at the thought.

"Hey, I'm just saying Mom and Dad would be very happy if they would be able to get to go to more than one wedding this year," said Shining Armor and chuckled at how embarrassed he had made her.

"Hey, I think they'll get plenty happy with getting a grandchild. Wait, you did, know about that, didn't you?"

"Heard about it the day before yesterday," said Shining Armor. His smile faded away pretty quickly and he eventually just looked at the guests slowly entering the room. "I, um, I haven't thought about it that much. I've been sort of busy, with, with work," said Shining Armor.

"Shining Armor, what's wrong?" asked Twilight.

"It's just, this changes everything. I'm going to be a father Twilight, a father. Me! I mean, just two years ago I was a bachelor, and now I'm married to a princess, and live in an ancient formerly lost kingdom, and, and now I'm going to be called 'Dad'. I've thought about this, and I've actually sort of enjoyed the idea. But, I wasn't prepared for it this early. I wanted this, but now when it's staring me in the face, I'm just not sure if I'm ready," said Shining Armor.

"Shining Armor, you'll do great," said Twilight and got a bit closer, hugging him.

"But I might not, and, and if I make big mistakes, I'll change a life, a life for the worse. What if I can't give enough love to the foal? What if I give too much? He might become spoiled rotten since he'll be royalty. I don't want that, Twily."

"He?" asked Twilight a bit dryly.

"I'm sure it will be a colt, why wouldn't it be?" said Shining Armor. He squirmed a bit in his tight uniform. "What if I get wounded in my service as a guard? Will I be able to play with him? What if I die on duty? I don't want my colt to grow up without a father, Twilight," said Shining Armor. He showed something Twilight rarely saw in him with that uniform. He showed doubt. He hugged Twilight back pretty hard, making the Element of Harmony under her dress poke her in the side. "What if I'm not a good father to him? Twilight, I'm scared." Twilight just let him hug her as long as he needed to until she eventually took a deep breath.

"Shining Armor. I don't know what the future hold, but I do know, without a doubt that you will be a fantastic dad."

"How could you possibly tell?"

"Because despite that you have many fears about this, they are all about what could happen to your child. Even before the foal is born, you put it before yourself. That is the sign of a good dad," said Twilight to her beloved brother. She quickly felt her brother relax, and eventually they let go of each other.

"Thanks a lot, Twily. That helped," said Shining Armor.

"Hey, you're my brother. I'd be just terrible otherwise," said Twilight. They looked at each other for a short moment before they both started to snicker slightly. They had to force themselves to stop when a few of the ponies around them turned their heads with quite stern looks. This wasn't the time or the place for any significant amount of affection or joy. This meeting was clearly all business.

"We'll talk later," said Shining Armor and then swiftly left to tend to his job of keeping the security up and running.

Twilight walked over to Rarity and Applejack who were both standing by a table, holding a friendly conversation with each other.

"Hey, Twilight. What did you brother say?" asked Applejack.

"Nothing important that we need to focus on. Have you notice anything weird so far?" asked Twilight.

"You mean besides the fact that everypony, sorry, everyone here looks like they've been smelling something foul the whole time they've been here?"

"No, but I did overhear that two royals are missing from a prince over there," said Rarity.

"What? You don't suppose it's Misery's work?" asked Applejack.

"I don't think so. These two aren't even really expected to come as far as I'm aware of," said Rarity.

"What, why?" asked Twilight.

"I hear they announced that they would come only two weeks in advance to this night. All I know is that they are described as rather wild and unpredictable," said Rarity.

"That could mean that they are on Misery's side, trying to infiltrate," said Twilight.

"Ssh! Twilight, saying such things about anyone here is not very wise. Keep such suspicions to yourself. They would not allow anyone in here if they had reason to suspect them to be on Misery's side. But, perhaps, it would be safer if these were on Misery's side as far as I'm aware of," said Rarity.

"That is quite the astute opinion, Miss Rarity," said a gentle voice. A fairly large stallion had walked up behind Rarity who immediately turned around. She frowned when she saw who it was. Twilight had only heard about this pony from reputation and gossip from Rarity. It was Prince Blueblood. This unicorn was a distant nephew of the Princess, apparently. His coat was white as snow and his horn was quite well cared for. He was wearing a white tuxedo even whiter than his coat, and both complemented his golden wavy mane quite well.

"Hello, Prince Blueblood," said Rarity with a deadpan voice. She might as well have talked to air, at least that would have given a more caring tone in her voice.

"I see you still hold slight resentment towards me, but I hold no grudge," said Blueblood.

"It's not so much resentment as simply a reminder that life can be filled with disappointments," said Rarity. Suddenly, King Pero walked in between them, telling Prince Blueblood that he got 'burned'. All four of them looked at the griffin king as he basically danced through the party, without a care in the world, before they returned to their conversation unaffected by the sudden comment.

"Well, while I cannot say that I am a humble pony, I can say that how frank you were back then forced me to think about my life a bit. I have rarely done things I regret, but I do regret that I took your company that night for granted. For that, I offer you my sincere apology," said Prince Blueblood and bowed respectfully towards Rarity. She looked down on him for a short moment before rolling her eyes.

"I'm not buying it," said Rarity, deadpan. Blueblood immediately stopped bowing.

"Oh, come on! I said I'm sorry, I mean that!" said Blueblood a lot less formal.

"You do, do you?" asked Rarity. Blueblood nodded. "Then, to show me you are really sincere about this, could you perhaps tell me more about these two royals that are supposed to come along?"

"Certainly. They are both-"

"Oh, better idea! Eat an apple fritter my friend Applejack made," said Rarity. "Or as you would call it 'common carnival fare', was it not?" asked Rarity. Blueblood raised an eyebrow at that request.

"You're still cross about that?"

"I forgave him the same night he said that, Rarity," Applejack pointed out to her friend.

"I did not. You did a lot of less-than-dignified things in how you handled me that night. But worst of all, you insulted something my friend takes great pride in. I want you to eat one, and apologize to her," said Rarity, quite adamant in her voice and expression.

Blueblood looked around a bit unsure until he leaned closed to Rarity.

"Do I have to?"

To that, Rarity simply nodded.

"Fine, I'll eat one tomorrow morning. I would eat one now, but I doubt that you would have one ready for consumption right here and n-"

"Apple fritter?" asked Pinkie Pie, holding out one of Applejacks fritters towards Blueblood. It was still warm and freshly baked. Rarity gave a subtle smirk when she noticed how Blueblood winced at the smell slightly, despite the fact its aroma could make one's mouth water. The way he grimaced made them forget to ask were Pinkie Pie had gotten the apple fritter.

"Well? Go on," said Rarity. Blueblood looked at her, and he gulped nervously. He seemed to have also swallowed his pride. He just scoffed down on the apple fritter, just doing his best to eat it as quickly as he possibly could.

"I hope that tasted just dandy, fine Sir," said Applejack. Twilight had to keep herself from laughing. Both Rarity and Applejack seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot more than anyone else there. Blueblood gasped for air, hunched over.

"It was delicious, Ma'am," said Blueblood sickly.

"Thank you, Prince Blueblood. I appreciate the effort. We both do. You are forgiven. Now, perhaps you could tell us about these two royals," said Rarity.

"If, if you wish. Now, you most likely do not notice it, but this whole room is quite tense for these rulers, delegates and ambassadors. Anything can set off a turn of events that could lead to disaster. These two are apparently likely to cause such conflict. Unfortunately, I know nothing of them except for the fact that they should arrive any moment now," said Blueblood.

"I wonder who they are," said Pinkie Pie. From behind her, King Pero walked up.

"Oh, there you are, Miss Pie. Would you keep an old fool company this night? I could use a laugh or two," said King Pero and reached out his claw towards Pinkie Pie who accepted it and went along with it. She had that particular face that told Twilight that a party was on its way.

"Pinkie, no!" said Twilight and followed to stop them, but Blueblood stopped her with her hoof.

"Twilight Sparkle, it's alright," said Blueblood.

"How can you say that? Pinkie Pie might cause real trouble here," said Twilight to Blueblood.

"Don't worry, as long as she's with King Pero, no one here will dare to oppose anything she does."

"Why?"

"He might not look like it, but King Pero is one of the most dangerous ones here. His griffin kingdom has military might that dwarfs that of everyone else, even us. There are only two here that they would not dare to cross and he's one of them. None here will even dare to tell him to stop. He's so powerful that the rules of this meeting simply does not apply. I'm just relieved he's of such high moral and good spirit."

"Who's the other one?" asked Applejack.

"My aunt, of course," said Blueblood. He looked uncharacteristically worried. "But, the difference between the two, is that if anyone here would be forced to enter war because of politics, tradition, their own subjects, or just general insanity, Equestria would most likely not have the strength to fight back and win. Unlike King Pero who would completely annihilate entire regimes that threatened his land and subjects. He is ruthless when anything threatens the land he loves. Fortunately, he is not a bully. His very presence is a good reason I doubt outright war will start. They would not want to get on his bad side."

"Good thing he's a friend of Celestia's, then," said Applejack.

"Like you wouldn't believe," said Blueblood. Suddenly, there was a trumpet sounding somewhere in the room. "It appears that at least one of the regents have arrived," said Blueblood, looking over towards the entrance. A pony butler walked briskly through a path that the guests had created out of curtsey rather than willingness. Most of them looked at the servant with certain disdain.

The servant got to the middle of the road and cleared his throat. Twilight noticed that he was sweating too much. He looked terrified.

"Announcing, the arrival of the, um, esteemed Prince Scalerclaw of the Smaragdus clan with his escort. And the queen of the changeling hive in the badlands, Queen Chrysalis," said the butler and gestured towards the door where two large figures were standing.

Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Blueblood, every single one in the room except for Celestia and Pero just simply dropped their jaws as the two figures walked inside. Queen Chrysalis, a changeling, was much larger than her own subjects and much more intimidating. She still looked quite a lot like a larger, slimmer version of her little black insects, but more regal. Her body was black as coal, yet it was shimmering. Her very appearance just reminded Twilight of something that was decaying. Her mane was moving as she walked, but subtly too much, like it had a life on its own. Her crows could be an accessory, but it could very well have been part of her very body. Her pupils were just slits, glancing over everyone there with a terrifying green gaze. She, as well as the other walked up to the butler who was standing looking at Celestia. He seemed to fight every instinct in his body to simply flee.

"What's she doing here?" asked Applejack.

"Should we do something?" asked Rarity. Twilight looked towards the other side of the room where Shining Armor was glaring at the guest with contempt. It hadn't really been that long since this queen had crashed his wedding in the most horrible manner possible, after all. Shining Armor was the only one with bravery in his eyes, everypony else except for Twilight and her friends just looked at the two guests with extreme fear peeking out under their formal facade. Their eyes in particular, no matter their nature, displayed nothing short of terror.

"You are excused," said Chrysalis to the butler who could not have gotten out of there any quicker. Twilight looked at the other figure. It was a very thin figure, shrouded in a brown, oddly simple cloak. It was still slightly taller than Chrysalis. It was impossible to see anything under the cloak except that this creature walked atop two legs, which was odd enough. It was holding a large bag with a strap over its shoulder.

"Welcome, honored guests," said Celestia, more to everyone than just those two in front of her.

"It's nice to be back in Canterlot again," said Chrysalis. Her very voice seemed to almost slither like a snake, it made Twilight uncomfortable.

"Oh, sweet Celestia, not that one," said Blueblood, shivering.

"I did not get a response when I sent you a message, so I decided to come either way," said Chrysalis.

"I see. I hope it is for an important cause."

"I was essentially forced. The other hives' queens were not happy with my overzealous visit last time. They deem that peace is preferable than what I attempted. Bureaucratic fools, but who am I to question them all? I essentially came here to apologize," said Chrysalis.

"I am not about to turn down an apology. Even if it is you. I was not fully aware there were other hives of changelings. Still, they are correct. Peace is always the preferable alternative," said Celestia.

"How big of you," said Chrysalis, clearly insincere. Still, the very gesture would have to be enough, even if it was not meant with all of her heart, if she even had one.

"And how about you, Thinfang? Why do you deem to honor us with the Smaragdus presence?" asked Celestia.

"Thinfang? Wasn't his name Scalercla-?" asked Twilight but was interrupted by the front leg of King Pero in front of her. He was standing next to her, with a very serious look on his face unlike anything he had shown thus far.

The tall creature put down the bag on the floor and opened it as he started to talk.

"Our father deemed it necessary for the Prince to learn of the ways of your kinds when it comes to this," said the creature with a sharp voice.

"And the Prince did not object?" asked Celestia. She sounded quite calm.

"A bit, but he's not about to talk back to our father," said the creature. Twilight saw a yellow scaled claw stick out from under the robe as it gently hit the bag on the side. He also pulled back the hood of the robe. Twilight saw to her surprise that it was a yellow dragon with some really sharp features. He was standing up completely straight, and it was obvious he had a tail under that robe.

Suddenly, something popped out from the inside of the bag. It looked around and yawned and stretched before it leaped up on the head of the creature that had awakened it where it calmly settled. It looked around with curiosity. This little creature surprised Twilight even more. It was a little colt, no bigger than anypony his age. His coat was of a slightly dimmed white color and his mane was a fiery red. He looked really cheery.

"Hi, everyone!" yelled the little colt with a voice just as cheerful as his smile.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Chrysalis, looking up with a look of disbelief on her face.

"Big mistake," whispered King Pero next to Twilight.

In less than a second, the dragon beneath the colt shot out with his clenched fist and punched the changeling Queen right in her face without even changing his posture. She was literally blown across the room and hit a pillar. She was both hurt and disoriented, but managed to get up again. The dragon who had attacked did not do anything else, but the little colt told the queen, with a voice like he was talking down to a mischievous child:

"If you disrespect the Prince of the Smaragdus clan, you disrespect our father: King Smaragdus. We get that you're new to this whole thing, but I'll warn you just this once. If you talk like that again, our clan will go to war against your entire hive," said the colt.

"Get that queen some medical aid," said Celestia to one of her servants who quickly complied. They respectfully led the confused queen away from the dragon and colt. Not one of the royals and delegates even looked twice as the changeling was being led away to be cared for. They just stared at the pair with that same level of fear. Twilight realized they had not even cared about the changeling, their fears had been about that dragon and pony.

"What was that?" asked Twilight. Blueblood, still shivering, leaned over to her.

"That colt is the adopted son of King Smaragdus, the king of the dragons. It's not really a proper title, but it's the closest one we have that is accurate. His family is the largest and most organized, that just means it actually is organized, out of all the dragons in the world. You know how I said nopony here would dare cross Celestia and King Pero? That stands for this one most of all. Not even King Pero would dare to go against king Smaragdus, or this son of his: Prince Scalerclaw. I think the dragon under him is his older brother. A lesser prince, second in command of Scalerclaw."

"Wait, I'm confused, why would a dragon king name a pony colt his heir?" asked Twilight.

"Because dragons like ambition, and they express that with fighting and winning. It's simply so that this little colt has beaten the three other heirs in combat," said King Pero.

"They must have been baby dragons, then."

"No, that dragon Thinfang, he's the youngest dragon prince. That pony there is far more dangerous than he seems," said Pero, looking serious. "He is not afraid to declare war with anyone here, and no one could beat them if he did."