A knock at her door drew Fluttershy from her bed. She eased off the bed and onto the floor, trying not to wake the sleeping changeling, but he raised his head and opened one blue eye halfway to look at her.

“Just go back to sleep, I’ll be right back, okay sweetie?”

He nodded weakly at her and laid his head back down.

She headed downstairs. Pausing at the bottom of the steps, she considered not answering and going back to bed. But another knock sounded and someone called out to her.

“Hey Fluttershy! Open up! Frozen pegasus out here!” It was Rainbow Dash’s voice.

“Whoa, you just wake up?” The light blue pony on her porch asked when she opened the door. It was late morning and cold, the sky an overcast grey that didn't let any warmth through and even though Rainbow wore a heavy coat she was hopping from one hoof to the other in an attempt to stay warm.

“Oh, hello Rainbow. Kind of.” Fluttershy ran a hoof through the tangles in her pink mane.

“Well anyways, I’ve got something for you.” Dash pushed past her into the house. She took off a pair of flight goggles, her coat, and saddlebags and hung them on the coat rack next to the door before taking a rolled up piece of paper from her bags.

“What’s that?” Fluttershy asked.

“The schedule for this years Winter Wrap Up. Twilight asked me to drop it off for her since I was heading home and your place isn’t too far from mine. By the way, how would you feel about leading the Animal Team this year?”

Fluttershy recoiled. “Me? But...why?”

“Why not? You’re awesome with animals, you’ve been doing it for as long as I have, and well...I think you could use the experience.”

“What happened to Amethyst Star? She usually leads the Animal Team every year.”

“Last I heard her mother caught the flu up in Manehatten and she left to help take care of her. Said she didn’t know if she’d be back in time. So we need a new team leader and I think you should do it.”

“Oh I don’t know Rainbow. Leading one of the three teams has more to do with working with other ponies, and I don’t think I’m exactly leadership material. What about the other girls?”

“Doing the usual. I’m leading the Weather Team, Ajay is leading the Planting Team, and Twilight is the organizer for the whole event.”

“What about Pinkie or Rarity?”

Rainbow gave a snort.“You want one of them to lead the Animal Team? Are you joking? Pinkie would probably give the little guys a heart attack with her party cannon and Rarity can’t even get her own cat to like her. Face it galpal, you’re it.”

“But that’s an important job. What if I mess everything up?”

Rainbow sighed and put a wing around her. “Listen Fluttershy. You’ve faced down dragons, changelings, a minotaur, a cockatrice, and even Discord and Nightmare Moon themselves. I KNOW you have it in you. And I’ll tell you what. You can think it over and get back with me in a day or two. That sound okay?”

She sighed. “Okay Rainbow. I’ll think it over.”

“Great! Oh, you wouldn’t mind if I stayed here a while and warmed up would you? It’s crazy cold out there and my wings were starting to frost up. See?” She held out a wing and Fluttershy could see melting frost on the leading edge.

“Oh. Umm...” She looked away in barely concealed panic. What should she do? She couldn’t send her friend back out into the cold. But what if Dash found the changeling? Maybe Rainbow would warm up quickly and be gone before the changeling woke up.

“Well, okay. Just try to stay quiet. There are animals sleeping.”

Dash trotted over and flopped onto the couch, nearly flattening a dozing Angel, who managed to hop out of the way just in time. He scowled and shook a fist at Rainbow before scampering off into another room. She chuckled and turned to Fluttershy.

“Sleeping huh? I could use a nap myself. Twilight made me get up early and help her. Can you believe that egghead gets up at seven every morning? That’s like crazy early! You don’t mind do you?”

“Oh not at all, go right ahead.” She said. A sleeping Rainbow Dash was a quiet Rainbow Dash after all. Dash thanked her and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch. Fluttershy was certain she was asleep almost instantly.

With that, the house was quiet. Fluttershy went to the kitchen and, as quietly as she could, started making breakfast. She was halfway through when a thought hit her. What did changelings eat? As far as she knew they fed on the love of other creatures. But did they actually eat something? Surely they must, otherwise why would they have a mouth and teeth? And those fangs... did they eat meat? Live animals? She couldn’t bear to have any of her creatures eaten alive!

She stood there for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. Finally she put together a meal with a little bit of everything. An apple, a carrot, mushrooms from the forest, and a half dozen other ingredients. Surely he would eat something here. She didn’t know what she’d do if he didn’t.

Time seemed to drag while she she munched on an apple and waited. Rainbow slept on, and Fluttershy began to reconsider not telling her about the changeling. They were close friends after all, and had known each other most of their lives. If anyone would stand by her side it would be Rainbow Dash, living loyalty herself. Right?

Wait, what was she thinking? Of course she would have to tell her. And her other friends too. How could she have even considered hiding the little guy from them?

A noise from upstairs caught her attention. The changeling had awoken. She heard his light hoofsteps coming down the stairs and smiled at him when he reached the bottom. She motioned for him to come over. He started to, but hesitated when he saw Rainbow lost in her dreams on the couch. He waited for a few seconds, one hoof held up to his body, ready to back up or continue forward as needed, then he slowly put it down in front of him and started towards Fluttershy, taking one slow step after another, eyeing the sleeping pegasus the entire time until he was finally past the couch.

“Good morning.” Fluttershy said in a low voice when he got to the table. He looked better. He seemed alert and wasn’t limping. His bandages hadn’t leaked or soaked through, but they’d still need to be changed. But that could wait until after he ate.

“Hungry?” She asked. He gave a few eager nods. “I don’t know what you like, so you just have anything you want, okay?” She helped him into the chair and slid the plate of food towards him. He looked at the food and then back up at her a few times, his mouth open slightly as if he couldn’t believe it was all his. Then he attacked it, eating ravenously, barely pausing to swallow before he had another mouthful. She could hardly believe that something that small could eat that much food that quickly.

He ate everything. Almost more food that she herself could have eaten. When he was done he lifted a hoof up to his chest and burped. Not a quick, light one, but a real belch, long and loud that seemed to resonate throughout the house. From the couch she saw one of Rainbow’s blue wings twitch and the pegasus turned herself over.

“Nice one Fluttershy...” Rainbow said, only half awake.

This was it.

“Umm, Rainbow Dash?”

“Hmm...”

“I need to tell you something. It’s kind of important.”

“Mmmhmm...”

“I found something last night and, umm... well I guess it’s more of a somepony...”

“Uh huh... That’s nice.”

“I-I really think you should meet him.”

“No thanks... not looking for anypony right now...”

“Oh, umm, I didn’t quite mean it that way. Could you, if you don’t mind that is, get up and meet him?”

“What, is he right here or something?”

“Kind of...”

With that Rainbow rolled herself off of the couch and onto the floor. She yawned and took a few steps towards them before she saw the changeling. She stopped, one hoof held to her chest, mirroring his earlier hesitation on the stairs. She looked to Fluttershy and then back at him.

“Is that a changeling?” Dash asked.

“He is.”

“Scratch what I said. I do want to meet him.”

Rainbow Dash reacted far better than she’d hoped. Fluttershy expected the cyan mare to be shocked, to argue with her and tell her how stupid she was to rescue a changeling. But she didn’t. She even said she was proud of her for having guts when Fluttershy told her of overcoming her reservations about going into the chicken coop the previous night. That brightened her day a little bit.

Then she introduced them. The changeling shied away at first, but Rainbow laid on the floor and held out one hoof, saying, “Uh, hey there little guy. How’s it going?”

He approached her cautiously and slowly brought his own hoof to hers, and Fluttershy’s smile matched Rainbow’s when they heard the light ‘clack’. Fluttershy left them to play together for a few minutes while she put away lunch and gathered fresh bandages. When she returned she had to stifled a laugh at the sight of a small black hoof holding a reddish-orange lock of Rainbow's hair as its owner inspected it curiously. Rainbow glanced over and flicked an eyebrow up with a grin. Then she and Fluttershy started on changing his bandages. They were about halfway through when Rainbow spoke up.

“Hey, you said he left tracks in the snow right?”

“Oh yes, why do you ask?”

“Did you follow them and see where they went?”

“Not at the time. I had to get this little guy cleaned and bandaged, didn’t I?” She tussled his head where most ponies had a mane. He seemed to enjoy the quick head rub, as his eyes closed halfway and his head drooped slightly.

“I think I’m gonna take a look when we’re done.” Rainbow said. “It didn’t snow last night, so they should still be there. I’d like to see where they go before today's snow hits. Maybe I can find a clue as to where he came from.”

“Oh, okay Rainbow. Just be safe alright?"

"Of course! Aren't I always?"

"Um, no?"

"That's fair. Well, I'll be safe this time. Okay?"

They finished and Rainbow put her winter gear back on stepped outside. She was out of sight in moments, leaving Fluttershy alone with the changeling again. He was sitting on his haunches looking nervously around the house. She looked around. What did children his age usually like to do? She didn’t have any toys, at least ones that would be appropriate for non-animals, but maybe... maybe she had something. She went to the kitchen and fished around in one of the drawers, coming out with an old pack of crayons and some paper. Maybe he liked drawing? And if he knew how to write, maybe he could answer some questions.

His eyes opened wide and he smiled when she sat everything down in front of him. “Can you write your name?” She asked him. He took a crayon in his mouth and drew in messy letters ‘Quintus’.

“Your name is Quintus?” She asked.

He nodded.

“Well, I think that’s a beautiful name.” She meant it.

She asked him a few more questions, trying to find out where he was from and what happened to him, but he didn’t seem to be able to write more than a few words and absolutely refused to tell her what happened to him, shaking his head back and forth when she asked. All she got was that he was in the forest when it happened. Since his trail in snow came from the back of the house she assumed he meant the Everfree Forest. He didn’t know, or couldn’t tell her, where he had come from before that or why he was in the forest to begin with. After she had asked him everything she could think of they settled down, each with a crayon in their mouths, and drew.

Quintus. It really was a beautiful name, and she hoped her friends would think so too. The thought of friends made her think of Rainbow Dash. She was taking far longer than she should have. Rainbow was the fastest pegasus she had ever known and the Everfree Forest wasn’t too far from the house. Was she alright? The thought of something happening to her friend made her chest tighten in worry. She took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts from her mind. Rainbow would be fine. If anything happened she could just fly up out of the way. Yes, she would be fine.

Somewhat convinced, Fluttershy focused on the paper in front of her and let her mind wander while she drew. Between Quintus and herself, they had at least a half dozen drawings done before Rainbow returned over an hour later. Fluttershy left Quintus to his next drawing when Rainbow opened the door.

“Oh my goodness! Are you alright Rainbow? What happened?”

Rainbow had a blank look on her face and her eyes kept dancing between Fluttershy and empty space. And she was dirty. Brown, muddy water dripped from her soaked and shivering legs onto the floor. She shook her head. “You don’t wanna know.” With that she pushed past Fluttershy and went to the kitchen where she began to wash herself off.

“Did you find any other changelings?”

Rainbow shook her head. “No.”

“Anything else?”

“No.”

“So, nothing? But you were gone for over an hour. What happened out there?”

“I told you. You don’t want to know. Let’s just say the Everfree Forest got the best of me.”

Rainbow finished washing up and the two went back to where Quintus was drawing. Fluttershy handed Rainbow the paper with the little changeling’s name written out. She took it and went to the couch where she stared at it for a few moments.

“Quintus huh? At least we know his name. You get anything else out of him?”

“No.”

“Dang. That sucks. Now what do we do with him?” Rainbow asked, letting the paper fall to the cushion.

That was the question of the day. “Well, I guess he can stay here with me until we figure out something.” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, but, what if we can’t? What if he’s got no one? Who’s gonna take care of him?”

Fluttershy looked over at Quintus. He was laying on the floor, crayon in mouth, drawing carefully on the paper in front of him. She knew at once what to do.

“I’ll do it. I’ll raise him.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You?

“Is something wrong with that?”

“No, it’s just that you’re not the most... uh... experienced pony when it comes to children. Scootaloo told me all about the time her and her friends stayed the night.”

“But everything turned out okay in the end! And do you know anypony else who will take him?”

“No.”

“Well, then it’s settled. He stays with me.”

For a moment Rainbow looked like she was going to argue. But then Quintus appeared, carrying a piece of paper that he handed to Fluttershy.  It showed two changelings side by side. One was himself, as it was small and his name was written underneath it. The other was much larger and wore some kind of clothing or armor. One of its forelegs reached around Quintus. She had to hold a hoof to her mouth when she saw what was written underneath. ‘Daddy’. Both were smiling up at her. It was a reminder that he had family out there who probably missed him greatly. Even so, the picture felt incomplete.

“Are you going to draw your mother too?” She asked him. He shook his head. “Are you sure? I’d love to see her. I bet she’s beautiful.” He shook his head again, harder this time, and she looked over at Rainbow who shrugged in response, so she decided not to press the issue.

Rainbow took the picture and looked at it. "They have parents? I thought Changelings were like insects, just a queen and a bunch of drones or something."

"I don't know. We don't know anything about them. But I guess they do."

Rainbow let the picture drop on top of the previous one on the couch before rising up and saying, “C’mon Quint, let’s do something fun.” Minutes later found a blue pegasus chasing a little black changeling through the house, both laughing and smiling. Well, laughing as much as possible at least. Quintus’s laugh sounded like someone trying to stifle themselves, like one does when they know they shouldn’t be laughing. It was all in the nose or from the mouth, with no vocalization, just hisses and snorts.

Oddly enough Rainbow seemed to get along well with Quintus. Fluttershy had known her a long time, and while the pegasus was by no means shy or uncomfortable around children, she never seemed to really get to know any. The closest she’d gotten was taking Scootaloo, a young pegasus who was probably Rainbow’s biggest fan, under her wing. But even then the two spent far less time around each other than Fluttershy had hoped they would. Scootaloo was a good filly and deserved to be around a good role model as much as possible.

So as it was it surprised her when Rainbow spent half the day with them. Fluttershy was glad to spend so much time with her. The two of them rarely did much together without the rest of their friends, probably due to being near polar opposites in personality and hobbies. Rainbow Dash was athletic, outgoing, and brash, while Fluttershy was reserved, timid, and had trouble performing even the most basic of flight maneuvers. Even the way they played with Quintus was different. Both of them were eager to keep the little guy’s mind off of whatever had happened to him and took every opportunity to draw, wrestle, or whatever else came to mind. Rainbow Dash did most of the wrestling of course. And the sight of a small changeling riding Dash around the house at one point was too much for Fluttershy, who collapsed on the floor, giggling like a filly. Fluttershy was afraid that his wounds would open up but he seemed to be made of strong stuff. Not once did he stop and complain, even when Rainbow brought him ‘crashing’ down on the floor in some kind of wrestling move that would have left him pinned under her had she not ‘accidentally’ let him wiggle out of it.

By the time the Sun had started to go down, ‘Quint’ as Rainbow called him, was already tired despite their late morning and it still being early thanks to the short winter days. They changed his bandages once more before eating and putting him to bed upstairs. He was already asleep by the time Fluttershy laid him down, and she softly ran ran her hoof down his neck a few times before heading back downstairs. Rainbow was on the couch, staring off into nothing.

“Thanks Rainbow.” Fluttershy said, curling up on the floor next to her.

Her eyebrows raised up. “For what?”

“For staying so long and helping me with Quintus. I think he really enjoyed your company.”

The corner of her mouth pulled back in a grin. “Hey, no problem. Quint’s cool. Even if he is a changeling.”

“I know what you mean. He’s just the cutest little thing isn’t he!”

Rainbow nodded, but her eyes weren’t on Fluttershy, instead her gaze was off into space again. Something about the blank stare worried Fluttershy, but she didn’t want to pry. Rainbow Dash wasn’t known for sharing her feelings. The two of them lay in silence for a while before Fluttershy worked up enough courage to say something.

“Rainbow?”

“Hmm?”

“Why’d you stay today?”

Rainbow’s face scrunched up and she was silent for a while. Only her multicolored tail moved, swishing back and forth every few seconds while she was lost in thought. Then she rolled onto her back and exhaled slowly, as if unable to find an answer to the question. Finally after another few minutes she spoke.

“You remember that day we all got our cutie marks?”

“Of course, how could I forget one of the most wonderful days of my life?” Fluttershy looked down at the three pink butterflies on her flank and smiled at the sight of them.

Rainbow continued. “And the race? Remember what started it?”

She nodded. She was being bullied by a couple of other pegasi about her lack of flying skills. Rainbow had come out of nowhere and defended her, which led to a challenge about Rainbow’s own flying talent. It had been decided by a race, where Rainbow had found out she enjoyed both flying fast and winning. The race had also caused Fluttershy herself to fall from the sky, and it was only thanks to a cloud of butterflies that caught her that she was here today. By fate or coincidence, both of them, plus the other four members of their group, had been linked when Rainbow Dash had performed a Sonic Rainboom during the race, causing all of them to discover their special talents and earning their cutie marks. And it was all thanks to Rainbow standing up for a scared little yellow pegasus who was getting bullied.

“Well...” Rainbow turned onto her side and looked at Fluttershy. “It’s kinda like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the little guy’s got it rough. What else could I do?”

“Even though he’s a changeling?”

“He’s just a kid, Fluttershy.”

That simple statement warmed her heart. Whatever reservations she'd had about introducing Rainbow to Quintus vanished as she realized that Rainbow saw him like she herself did. As a child, lost and alone and in need of help.

They lay in silence again, something quite unusual for Rainbow. Fluttershy only ever saw her be still when she was asleep. Otherwise the pegasus was constantly flying around, performing stunts, or doing anything she could do to be as active as possible. Fluttershy was sure something was bothering her, but elected not to say anything.

It was dark by the time they spoke again. Rainbow reached down and poked Fluttershy in the side to get her attention. “Hey, you know we’re gonna have tell the girls, right?”

She nodded. Of course they would have to. It just... scared her. So much was at stake. “Do you think they’ll like him?”

“Heck yeah.” Rainbow smiled. “And if they don’t, I’m gonna have to ‘persuade’ them.” She knocked her hooves together with a clack. “Twilight will probably be a pain, but she’ll come to our side in the end.”

“You think so?”

“Of course! I’m never wrong!”

Fluttershy smiled but had the feeling that Rainbow was just trying to make her feel better. Still, she appreciated it. Rainbow got up to leave a few minutes later, promising to bring the rest of the gang tomorrow. Fluttershy hugged and thanked her and then Rainbow was gone, flying away through the falling snow. Then the house was quiet, the only noise coming from her own hooves as she slowly made her way upstairs and lay down next to Quintus. He awoke and raised his head, giving a small huff into the darkness, as if asking who was there.

“I’m sorry sweetie, go back to sleep.” She whispered, covering him with her wing. He laid his head back down and was asleep again in a few moments.

It was odd. She’d been around animals for a while, but sleeping next to Quintus was different. His breathing under her wing, the knowledge that he wasn’t just some animal, it made him different. Not that she didn’t love animals. They were amazing and it’s what her cutie mark was about. It was just... different. Wonderful. Was this what a parent felt? The thought dance in and out of her mind until she joined Quintus in quiet slumber.

* * *

Rainbow lightly bumped her flank into Fluttershy's, saying, "Here we go. You ready?"

Fluttershy nodded but wasn't quite sure. She swallowed, trying to get the lump in her throat out, and looked at the other four ponies of their group as they sat around her living room. Her best friends. They had been through so much already, so it should be easy to tell them, right? So why did their staring faces make her stomach feel like it was strapped to the deck of a small boat, tilting and twisting in the middle of a hurricane?

She inhaled, slowly and deeply, and then let it all out with a huff before saying, "I, umm... I-I have something to tell everypony... something important..."

Pinkie Pie leaned forward suddenly, her curly pink mane, darker than Fluttershy's, bouncing around her head. "You're not turning into a tree, are you Fluttershy? Because I made exactly six cupcakes for us, and then who'd eat yours? Everypony knows you just can't split a cupcake up, that would be like sharing your own piece of cake. The cake's already been split, that's why it's a cupcake in the first place!"

"I... what?"

"Just go on." Rainbow told her.

"Oh, umm..." She lost her train of thought. What was she supposed to say? It was there in her mind, but she couldn't seem to get it out. "Well, it was the other night... and umm..." Dang it, why was this so hard?!

Then Rainbow's sweet voice was whispering in her ear. "We can explain later, just go get Quint."

She nodded and went upstairs, returning with the little changeling a few moments later. He stopped and hesitated when he saw six sets of eyes staring at him, four of them from ponies he'd never met before.

"Is... is that what I think it is?" Applejack asked.

She ignored the comment and softly spoke to him, "Come on, it's okay. These are my friends. They want to meet you."

He trotted over and sat beside her, pressing himself against her leg. She'd seen that reaction from other ponies children when they were nervous, so she reached down and scratched the back of his neck in an attempt to reassure him. Then she turned to her friends.

"His name is Quintus." She said. "And yes, he is a changeling."

She explained the entire situation to them. Their reactions were mixed.

Once assured that he wasn’t going to suck the happiness out of her, Pinkie Pie had immediately taken to Quintus. The pink pony had hugged him and then practically danced around the room in glee. She’d even produced a cupcake from somewhere, saying, "Aww, I didn't make one for you. But you can have mine! I'll just get another when I get home!"

Rarity, bless her heart, had looked at him with her critical eye before saying, “Well darling, I may have some old things of Sweetie Belle’s that might fit him. And if not, I’ll just whip something up. You know what they say, black goes with everything!”

Applejack surprised her, saying, “Are you sure about this sugarcube? Raising a kid is mighty tough, especially when that kid ain’t even a pony. Heck, I’ve got Mac and Granny to help with Apple Bloom and the filly still drives all three of us to buckin’ sometimes!”

“Oh I know I’m not the first pony you’d think of as a parent, but I’m willing to try. What else can I do? Who would take him? Would you?”

Applejack shifted, looking nervous before saying, “I don’t know. I just want you to understand that it’s tough. It ain’t like he’s a pet, Fluttershy.”

She sighed. “I know that.”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Twilight spoke. When she did it was calm and collected, quite unlike her usual attitude. The unicorn typically had a strong opinion on any topic, whether major or minor.

“Who’s going to teach him?” She asked.

“What?” Fluttershy asked.

“He’ll need to have a proper education. Reading, writing, learning how to act within pony society, and much more. Who will teach him?”

“I will.”

“Are you a teacher? Do you know how to teach? Have you ever had any experience?”

Fluttershy looked away from her and shifted uncomfortably. “Well, no, but-”

“And what about his inability to speak? Do you understand how difficult it will be for him to fit in being both mute and a changeling?” She sounded like a school principle Fluttershy once had. The old mare would speak just the facts, completely devoid of emotion.

“Yes, I-”

“And what about friends? He won’t have anyone like himself.”

“He’ll have me.”

“But you can't be his friend Fluttershy. Not while raising him. A parent must be a parent first, not a friend.” She stated dryly.

Rainbow Dash stamped a hoof down, “Okay that’s enough!” she said. She scooted a little closer to Fluttershy. “We can’t solve any of those problems right now Twilight. All we can do is help Quint as best we can. Fluttershy has made her decision and I support her. As do most of the girls. You can either do the same, as a true friend would, or leave. Same for you Ajay.”

Applejack looked around the group. “Well, I suppose I ain’t one to turn down a friend. If you’re sure about this then I’m with you Fluttershy.”

“Well Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight’s eyebrows scrunched together in a scowl and with a sudden shift that surprised Fluttershy her earlier calm demeanor disappeared as her temper flared. “Why do you care about what happens to him so much?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"He’s a changeling!"

"So what?"

"They attacked us! They almost killed everyone in Canterlot! So tell me why! Why do you care so much?”

“Why? Because he’s worth it.” Rainbow said flatly.

“What?”

“I said he’s worth it. He wasn't there at Canterlot Twilight. None of that has anything to do with him, so I don't see why you're getting your horn all bent out of shape. He's just a kid who's lost. Right Fluttershy?"

Yet again Fluttershy was surprised by Rainbow's attitude. She was staring down Twilight, a determined look on her face, and Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. She didn't know how she'd ever doubted Rainbow.

"Look at him Twilight. He's just a colt that needs our help. How can we turn him away?" Rainbow said.

Twilight looked around at her friends' faces and then her eyes fell on Quintus. Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds and when she looked up her eyes were watery. Without a word she turned a left, slamming the door behind her.

Rainbow looked stunned. “I-I can’t believe she left...”

Fluttershy ran to the door and went through. Twilight was just a few steps away from the porch. She hadn't grabbed her coat before she stormed out and was shivering in the cold daylight.

“Are you okay Twilight? What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” She said.

“I know you don’t think much of me, but I think I can-”

“Its not about you!” Twilight cried.

Fluttershy took a step back. “Then...what?”

“It’s about him.” She pointed back to the house.

“Quintus? What about him?”

“He’s a changeling Fluttershy! They nearly killed us!”

“But he wasn’t there! He’s done nothing wrong! You’ve got not reason to blame him.”

“I-I know." She said, surprising Fluttershy. If Twilight knew, why was she acting like this? Then she continued. "But that doesn’t change the way he makes me feel.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean...Every time I look at him it makes me sick. All I can think about is those hundreds of changelings at the wedding and...and I can’t take it!” She stamped one hoof into the ground.

“But... why?”

Twilight sighed. “Fluttershy, where does your family live?”

“In Cloudsdale, why?”

Twilight ignored the question and continued. “And were they at my brother’s wedding?”

“Well, no. But I don’t see why that matters.”

“Did you have anypony else there you cared about other than us? Your friends I mean. Me, Rainbow Dash, and the others. Anypony else you loved and care for?”

“I... what?” She didn’t know what Twilight was getting at. “Twilight, what’s wrong?”

“Don’t you see? Everypony I care about was at the wedding Fluttershy! Everypony!” Twilight’s voice was raised and she was speaking quickly now. “My parents, my brother, Cadence, all of you, the Princess... even Spike and the cutie mark crusaders were there. And every time I look at that...thing,” She gestured towards the house again. “I can’t help but imagine all of them, everypony I love, lying on the ground with their lives sucked out of them. They're just the remains of some sick, twisted feast that I couldn't stop. And then I'm alone...and I just can’t stand it...” Her voice cracked.

The lump in Fluttershy's throat was back. She moved closer to Twilight and put a hoof on her shoulder. “I-I had no idea you felt that way Twilight. But you can’t hold it against Quintus. He’s just a colt.”

“I know that. I understand why. I really do. So why do I feel this way?” Twilight growled in frustration. “And it just makes me feel worse knowing that I can’t change my feelings!”

“Oh Twilight...” She wrapped her forelegs around the unicorn and Twilight clung tightly to her. Dampness was on her neck where Twilight’s face was buried. They held each other, shivering in the cold for a few moments before Twilight pulled away, wiping her eyes with a hoof.

“Look. I’m with you, okay? I can’t promise I’ll like Quintus, but I’ll give him a chance. I'll...I'll do it for you. Just...give me some time, alright?”

“Thank you.”

They went back inside. Quintus was eating his cupcake and huddled up against Rainbow, who raised an eyebrow at Fluttershy when she entered with Twilight but said nothing when she sat beside her once more. Still, she felt the unasked question in the air and leaned over to whisper in Rainbow’s ear.

“She said she’d give him a chance.”

Rainbow nodded and flashed a grin at her. “Told you she’d come around.”

She smiled and turned as Twilight started to speak.

“Before we go any further, I-I think we’re all forgetting something very important,” she said, fidgeting and looking everywhere but at the little changeling between Fluttershy and Rainbow.

“What’s that?” Rainbow asked.

“What will Celestia do when she finds out?”

Oh no. Fluttershy hadn’t thought about the Princess. Surely Celestia wouldn’t hold Quintus accountable for the other changeling’s actions?

“Perhaps we should tell her highness before telling anypony else?” Rarity suggested.

“I think that would be a good idea. I’ll send the Princess a message myself.” Twilight said.

"Thank you Twilight." Fluttershy said.

"Well, girls," Rarity said, "I don't mean to be rude, but I have an appointment with an important customer soon. Are we quite done?"

"I don't think we can do anything more until we know what Princess Celestia will do. I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from her." Twilight told Fluttershy. "I guess we just wait until then."

They agreed and decided to meet again after hearing back from Princess Celestia. As her friends were filing out, Rainbow Dash stopped and put a wing around her.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure Celestia will love Quint.”

“But what if she doesn’t?”

“Then I’ll challenge her to a race for the crown, win, and make sure no one touches him.” Fluttershy smiled weakly but didn’t speak so Rainbow continued. “Look, just imagine me at finish line wearing the crown, standing with one hoof on the winded, gasping form of Celestia while the other hoof holds Quint. The crowd is roaring ‘Princess Dash!’ over and over and showering us in flowers while the Wonderbolts scream by overhead! It’ll be awesome!” She winked and Fluttershy burst into giggles at the thought of Celestia lying at Rainbows hooves.

“Of course I’d have to drop the ‘Princess’ title for something way cooler." Rainbow added with a grin. "Maybe ‘Master’, or ‘Baroness’. Anyways, don’t worry. And let me know as soon as you hear from the Princess.”

“I will. Thanks Rainbow.”

Rainbow left and Fluttershy’s worries started to return. Celestia... what would the princess do? She shook her head, pushing the thoughts away for now. Rounding Quintus up, whose face was now covered in cupcake icing, she started her chores and tried to keep her mind busy while she waited for the most powerful being in Equestria to decide whether or not to punish a child.

Next Chapter: Chapter Two Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 19 Minutes