After stopping off for some ice cream with Marina and Star, Midnight and his foals had made it to the castle within just a few minutes of walking from the school. As they were walking into the castle, Midnight began to talk to them about what they had learned that day.

"Ugh! it was so boring!" Marina groaned. "Nothing but history all day, but lunch was kinda fun." She giggled causing her father to cock a brow.

"Was it now? And what pray tell was fun about lunch?" Midnight asked giving a smirk.

"A colt came by our table and flirted with sis." Star chuckled as he trotted ahead of Marina, getting a gasp from her as she took off after him around their father.

"STAAAAAAR! I told you not to tell Daddy!" She squealed out as she kept chasing the giggling colt.

"Come now you two, no fighting." Midnight chuckled as her scooped the two up in his magical grasp and set them to either side of him. He looked over to Marina giving a soft smile. "So my little girl has a colt friend?" He continued chuckling as he watched her ears lay flat against her head and her cheeks blushing a bright red.

"Nooooooo................... Maybe? I don't know." She sighed finally as she lowered her head. "Don't feel bad honey, you'll know if it's meant to be in time. Just don't do anything silly during that time. Just be yourself........ well, as much as you can be considering." He trailed off seeing her look of discomfort.

"I know daddy, it's still hard though at times. The hive keeps calling for me to return.......... and the queen............ my real mother.............. She is not happy that I left all that time ago. I was one of her best operatives. Now that I have you, somepony that was willing to give me everything in exchange for nothing............." She trailed off as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Hey, none of that now." Midnight chuckled softly as he pulled the young mare into a loving embrace and nuzzled the top of her head. "I'll love you no matter what, And the same goes for your brother." He laughed as he swept the colt up with a wing and hugged him as well.

*BUUUUUURP* "Scuse me." Marina tittered as she pushed away from her father.

"Ok you two. Now that we're in the castle, go finish any homework you have and then you can go play for the rest of the day." He smiled.

"But what about our royal duties?" Star asked while cocking his head slightly.

"Royal duties? Seriously?! You're kids! Kids are supposed to have fun and go play with other kids. Go on....... I'll talk to your mother about those so called 'royal duties' when I find her." He laughed before shooing them off.

The two foals cheered as they gave Midnight a hug before bolting down a corridor toward their rooms. The dark Alicorn being left behind as he made his way down the corridor and finding a guard to ask him where Celestia was currently at.

A short time passed by as he had finally located the princess who was in a meeting with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Upon entering the room, everypony fell silent. That was until Shining Armor stood and walked over to him before wrapping the Alicorn into a tight hug. Cadence giving a heartfelt smile toward him as well. The two stallions separated while giving each other a pat on the withers.

"Midnight, been a while since we have seen you. It's about time my little sister found a spell to get you out of that stone prison." Shining smiled softly toward the Dark Alicorn.

"Yea, have you gone to seen her yet? She is in Ponyville at the library. She and the others are catching up, maybe you should go and surprise her." Midnight chuckled to his brother-in-law.

"I think we can arrange that. But for the time however, we were just here to visit with the princess and to show her her new niece." Shining chuckled as the two trotted back to the table. Midnight cocking a brow as to what he had just heard.

"A new niece? I'm beginning to think that having kids is coming into fashion as of late." Midnight chuckled as he looked to the white unicorn.

"Well, after getting everything settled in the Crystal Empire. We thought it was time to start a family." Cadence giggled as a blush covered her face.

"Well then, I would love to see the little one. Where is she?" Midnight smiled to the couple but stopped as Celestia spoke up.

"As much as I would love for this meeting to revolve around family, we have more dire things to speak of." Celestia spoke up in a more serious tone, causing the others to look to her. Cadence speaking up next.

"Yes, as we were saying before Midnight entered. The Crystal Empire has seen a massive growth in the presence of changelings as of late. It has come to the point that we have had to acquire enchanted stones and attached them to our guards armor as they patrol. We have run across many of them masquerading as ponies loved ones in order to feed off of their emotions."

"Wait a sec, Cadence. Did any of your guard come with you today?" Midnight asked just before hearing a shriek of a pony come through the castle.

"Yes, we always have several guard with us............. Midnight? Where are you going?" She managed to speak out as she watched the Alicorn bolt from the room.

"Oh no! MARINA!" Celestia shouted as she bolted after Midnight.

"Tia? What's going on?!" Cadence spoke out in shock just before Luna spoke up.

"Celestia and Midnight had adopted a changeling some time ago Cadence. I take it that you failed to mention this to your guard." She spoke as she rushed out of the room as well.

"Oh dear." Cadence spoke in shock as she and Shining Armor bolted from the room as well.

*Three minutes prior*

"Come on little brother, let's hurry and finish our homework so we can go play." Marina smiled happily toward her brother, eager to be able to have some fun for once since having become a member of royalty.

"I'm right behind you sis." He giggled as he followed his sister down the hall but stopped as he ran into her. "Sis?" He spoke out in shock for a moment as he shook his head.

"Did momma get some new guards? I haven't seen them before." Marina spoke out as she noticed a couple of guards at the end of the hall heading down the path toward them.

The two foals were heading down the long hallway toward their rooms, about half way down the hall were their mothers room and their aunts as well. In between the two sets of doors were a solar and night guard, standing watch to make sure nopony would enter any of the rooms. But at the end of the hall were two new guards in what seemed to be diamond armor with a gem placed into the chest piece adorning each of them. The two foals knew they would be safe in such a case as those two were not meant to be in this part of the castle because the other two guards that they knew, were their to protect them.

As they continued trotting down the corridor, Marina stopped for a moment as her guise flickered for just a breif moment, the look of strain crossed her face which caught her little brothers attention.

"Sis? Are you ok?" He spoke as he came to her side.

"I.......... don't know............ Something is keeping me............. from being able to hold........... to hold my guise.........." She said before letting out a grunt as it fell, revealing her changeling form.

"Let's get into our rooms and finish our homework........." Starlight was cut off as one of the unfamiliar guards that had been trotting down the corridor shouted.

"STOP! CHANGELING! SURRENDER YOURSELF!"

"What!?" Marina spoke out in shock as the two unicorns bolted toward them.

"GUARDS!" Starlight shouted causing the solar and night guard to bolt from there positions toward them. But the others were already closer and they would not make it in time. This is when Marina curled up into a ball and screamed loudly in fear.

She looked up just in time to see the unicorns horns glowing brightly, her eyes going to pinpoints as she new her life was about to come to an end. She squeezed her eyes shut as she covered her head just before hearing a loud crack of lightning, but felt no pain.

*CRASH*

"GET AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN!" Came a booming voice as she felt a heavy wind brush over her just before hearing the crash. She opened her eyes to see her father standing over the two unicorns, his wings holding them down by their throats to the floor as his mane and tail were an inferno all around him.

"Daddy?.......... DADDY!" She shouted as she tried to get up and run to her father but was held back as she bumped into an invisible force field.

"Marina, Starlight! Stay there until your mother gets here." Midnight spoke out in a thundering voice causing them to recoil slightly as they took a seat next to each other.

"What is going on here?!" Celestia shouted as she round the corner to see Midnight holding down two guard ponies who looked as if they were about to meet their end.

"These two attacked Marina." Midnight shouted in a low threatening voice as he glared at them. However he stopped as Cadence came up to his side.

"Midnight, please release our guard ponies. We failed to mention to them that Marina was a changeling. And well, you can see what happened."

"WHAT!?" Midnight shouted as he glared at the pink Alicorn before him. "These two just cast a level three lightning spell at my daughter. That spell would have killed her had I not placed a shield spell around her and Starlight." He shouted toward her causing Shining Armor to step between the two. "Explain why you are allowing your guard to kill changelings?" Midnight stated as the guards began to struggle under his wings.

"Midnight, release her guards please." Celestia spoke up as she lay down next to the foals, the shield quickly being released from around them.

"Tia, they could have killed Marina had I not intervened, and you just want me to let them go?" He stated in somewhat of a shock.

"That's what she said!" One of the guards spoke out toward the dark Alicorn as he glared up to him, only causing Midnight to slowly turn his head as he glared death at the unicorn guard.

"You would be wise to hold your tongue in my presence. Especially since you just tried to kill one of my children." Midnight growled as his horn light up, sending a bolt of lightning through his left wing and into the guard making him scream out in pain.

The Alicorn gave a snort as he turned just in time to see a bolt of lightning coming toward him but reflect off of his passive shield. His eyes narrowed as he looked to Shining Armor whose horn was white with magic. His stance defensive as he glared back.

"Midnight, it was a mistake that we failed to mention to our guard that Marina is a changeling. Please stop this." He spoke out as he glared toward the Alicorn.

"You fail to mention to your guard that my daughter is a changeling, then get angry at me for defending my own children against an attack that could have easily killed one of them? Then attack me when I attack those very guard who wished death upon one of my children? I don't know if you're just stupid or what Shining. But I am not going to let this slide. Even if it is my first day back from being stuck in stone for five years. You have wronged me on this day, twice over. Although I understand that your guards were merely protecting the castle. This is not their, or your castle. This is is Celestia and Luna's castle.........." He stopped as Celestia spoke up.

"Thereby giving me the authority to deem who and how some pony should be punished for the events that have unfolded here today."

Midnight turned his head to the white Alicorn giving a snort before he removed his wings from the two guards who slowly pulled themselves up and onto their own hooves before moving to Shining Armor and Cadence's sides. Midnight gave a snort as he walked over to them as well, stopping and not even looking at the stallion as he was at his side before speaking.

"Shining, you are my brother-in-law, and a dear friend. I will admit right now that had I been king, my decisions on your guards punishment, as well as yours for attacking me would have been harsh and swift. As I am not currently king, then I will leave Celestia to administer any punishments she see's fit to place upon you and your guard. However....." Midnight stopped for a moment as he lowered his head to Shining Armors and spoke. "If I ever find out that you failed to let your guard know about my daughter and what she is before coming anywhere near her again, and something like this happens a second time. Nothing will keep me from ripping you or your guard apart."

Midnight finished speaking and continued down the hall, stopping at Celestia's side as he looked down to her and his foals.

"Come with me kids. I think we need to leave your mother along with the others." He stated, causing the two foals to follow their father. Marina's guise popping back into place as they stepped out of the field of the gems spell.

Celestia got to her hooves as she went over to Cadence, Shining, and their guards. The one who had been hit by Midnight's lightning attack was healing himself as he continued to stand next to them.

"Please forgive Midnight's actions. He was merely protecting our children. But I would like to request one thing of you Cadence."

"Yes?" Cadence spoke in question.

"Do not kill any more changelings. We will need to speak to them so that they can advise queen Chrysalis to halt her advances into our lands. Although I understand they are simply feeding to stay alive. We do not have the right to simply kill changelings on sight for just doing what they need to do in order to survive." Celestia sighed softly as she looked to them.

"We will advise our guard once we return." Shining spoke up giving a nod. "In the mean time, let us continue on the discussion about them in a more comfortable setting."

"By the way, how is little Skyla doing?" Celestia asked as they rounded the corner toward the meeting room.

The group slowly made their way down the hall as they headed back into the meeting room they were previously in. Further discussions for that day would be a little tense to say the least. But not unwelcomed.