Return to Stalliongrad [Closed: DerpRavener and RedCedar]

[DerpRavener]

"If you like, I can make sure you and Red get a copy of the recipe."

Naj was a little hesitant, the idea of trying to make chocolate mousse herself seemed like a daunting task.  Nonetheless, it was an opportunity more than anything else, and even if the first few attempts were failures it would still probably be worth the effort in the end.  And even failing might be fun, especially with something this gooey.  Naj nodded, and smiled.  “I'd like that.”

 

Anchor asked Naj what Queen Chrysalis was like back when Naj was in the changeling kingdom, though he assured her she didn't have to if it made her uncomfortable.

Naj was quick to assure him it didn't.  “No, it's fine.  I just, need a moment to think.”  It was a good question, she felt.  Understanding a problem was the first step toward solving it, after all.  It's just that for Naj specifically, it was a more complicated question than it could have been.  Her attitude towards the queen had radically changed in the last year or so.  “If you asked me a year ago,” having gathered her thoughts she started to explain, “I would have told you she was strong.  Or something like that.  She knows how to motivate, one way or another, and she will do whatever is necessary to achieve her goals.  She was always a bit scary, but that wasn't a bad thing.  It keeps troublemakers in line, and it can be very heartening to know someone that fierce is on your side.”

Naj stared at what was left of her desert for a moment, though she wasn't really looking at it, and sighed.  “This was before my exile, though.  I've seen some things since then and...now I'm not convinced she was ever really on our side.”

She looked to Anchor again, aware she might have gone off on a tangent.  "Er, does that answer your question or...?"

[RedCedar]

Red smiled as Naj eagerly accepted his mother's offer of the recipe. It would be interesting trying to make that with her, there was no doubt, but the first time they made stuffed mushrooms together was a memorable time for him, too. And he was hardly about to say no to his great-grandmother's chocolate mousse recipe, in any case!

 

Listening as Naj answered his father's question, it struck Red that he had never thought to ask about the Queen himself. He guessed it took a military pony to think of asking something about the leadership of an adversary, former or otherwise.

 

Anchor Aweigh also seemed to be listening intently, so much so he'd let the last few bites of his dessert remain in the bowl as he studied Naj. When she asked, "Er, does that answer your question or...?" seeming a little uncertain if that was a good enough response, he was to nod his head. "Yes, yes it does. Did you see her or interact with her directly, or was there a chain of command you followed, like Equestria has?" He seemed genuinely curious, as though comparing procedures rather than trying to ferret out a weak link in the chain.

[DerpRavener]

Naj had guessed right about the sort of information Anchor was searching for, and on that basis she was pleased.  Not that she'd mind trying to explain more, in some ways it was a subject she could talk about for a long time.  It was still nice to know she could get it right the first try though.  It showed a certain ability to talk to ponies, and that was something she'd likely need in days to come.

 

"Did you see her or interact with her directly, or was there a chain of command you followed, like Equestria has?

Naj could answer this one right away.  “It was the latter.”  An example might not be a bad idea.  “Not that you'll like this comparison, but it's sorta like with Celestia: they have important jobs, and can't afford to spend too much time being hooves-on with individuals.”  She considered for only a moment before adding, “though I think Celestia tries a lot harder.”

“The queen made a number of pulbic appearances, for announcements, celebrations, when some group or another needed a morale boost.  There weren't many who spoke to her directly though.  In fact, a lot of the time if she wanted to talk to you face to face it wasn't a good sign.  As a pretty unremarkable soldier, at the time at least,” admittedly some of Naj's post-exile accomplishments might be kind of impressive, “I never spoke to her.”  As something of an afterthought, she added, “I couldn't really tell you about chain of command though, aside from their being one.  The only time I was ever in charge it ended badly...”  She tried to hide her discomfort, though she still looked a little distant.  She forced herself to continue a little.  “So I couldn't give you a direct comparison.”

[RedCedar]

Naj may have tried to hide her discomfort with the subject, but Red knew that look by now, and reached over to rub her back gently. Anchor Aweigh seemed to pick up on it a little as well. "Yes, of course," he said quickly. "Sorry. I know there is a definite downside to a life in the military." he added, then returned to the last of his dessert.

 

Powder Snow, meanwhile had been intently staring at her bowl the entire time, until it became obvious that there was no way an empty dessert cup was more interesting than anything else. Abruptly, she muttered, "Excuse me," and left the table, hurriedly heading upstairs where the shutting of a door could be heard.

 

Anchor Aweigh sighed. Night Singer looked apologetically over to Naj. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "If the Princess allowed you to stay, and you came to show us who and what you are, then I have no reason to doubt you, but..." she trailed off with a sigh. "I guess we can't say the same for Powder Snow."

[DerpRavener]

"Sorry. I know there is a definite downside to a life in the military."

Naj nodded, though remained quiet.  It was a truth of the military, but that particular sequence of events had come as a shock.  Being outnumbered and cutoff out in the field had been a big change from guarding the reasonably secure changeling kingdom.  Naj hadn't been prepared for it on it's own, much less having a situation like that as her first real leadership role.  She hadn't been prepared.  But that was topic for another time.  Unsure exactly what to say, after a moment she settled for simply saying, “I appreciate that.”

 

Naj let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding after watching Powder Snow excuse herself and hearing the door shut.  Night Singer apologized, but Naj shook her head.  “I don't know that I can blame her.  Changelings were at war with Equestria just a few years ago, and maybe still are.  I'd like to have been friends with her right away but...well I think she just needs a little more time.”  Naj smiled, still being hopeful, and then it was her turn to sigh as she considered a little longer.  “I don't think it will do any good to push her, at any rate.”

 

The conversation made Naj think, a bit.  There was something she was fairly curious about in a roundabout way, and she was even a bit surprised she hadn't brought it up yet.  “Say, while we're on the subject, I asked Red this once, a little while ago: what was your impression of changelings before tonight?”  She moved her hoof in a small circle.  “As a family.”

[RedCedar]

Night Singer quietly pondered Naj's question a moment before venturing a response. "I don't know that we had much of an impression on changelings themselves," she began. "You have to keep in mind, you're the first one we've ever seen, or even heard of being in Stalliongrad. I remember wondering how you could weed out an enemy that could look like anypony. Most of all, though, I remember worrying that Anchor might be called on to fight them, even though I never recalled hearing them have any sort of navy."

 

Anchor Aweigh smiled at his wife's concern, then added, "I remember thinking they had a lot of nerve doing what they did, when they did, that was for sure. After the invasion, though, I remember sitting through a lot of training films and lectures on everything that was known about changelings and what to do if we thought we encountered one. Basically it boiled down to, if you saw something suspicious, report it immediately. There were a lot more guards at the docks, as well." He sat back and thought a moment, then said, "Come to think of it, Powder took a big interest in what was going on after the invasion. She'd scour the papers every day, watching for stories on what was happening after the army was expelled from Canterlot." He paused again, as though trying to think back for some cause, but eventually shook his head. "I couldn't tell you why, though. She wasn't in Canterlot at the time, but, she's been there to compete before. Maybe she had friends there."

[DerpRavener]

Naj chuckled a bit at the comment about the navy.  “Yeah,” she said, “Not much use for a navy when you're landlocked and we can all fly.”  She was sure they could figure something out if they had to, between the needs of infiltration and studying one's rivals there was bound to be some knowledge of such things within the hive, but it had never been a priority as far as she knew.

 

Naj winced a little at Anchor's mention of the invasion, remembering that she had taken part in it.  She shook it off quickly though.  That was behind her now, and things were better both now and looking forward.

 

Naj's question was answered, though her curiosity was not sated.  She watched the staircase 'Snow had ascended moments ago, though not looking at anything in particular.  “I wonder what she saw...” Naj muttered to herself, before snapping back to the matter at hoof.  She turned back to the ponies at the table.  “Aside from that though, I got a pretty similar impression when I first asked Red.  Curiosity, I think, or at least a lack knowledge more than anything else.”  She frowned in though for a moment.  “Maybe it's a Stalliongrad thing.”  It was possible, Stalliongrad was maybe a bit further from events than other places.  Could this be helpful information in some way?

[RedCedar]

 “Aside from that though, I got a pretty similar impression when I first asked Red.  Curiosity, I think, or at least a lack knowledge more than anything else. Maybe it's a Stalliongrad thing.” Naj has mused.

 

Red smiled at that. "Well, I sure hadn't seen one up close before then," he said.

 

Night Singer nodded at Naj's assessment. "That may be," she said, then added, "I mean, there was a lot of worry and concern for a while, but it ended almost as soon as it began. By the time we even heard about it out here, it was over. And then, nothing. I guess some ponies just couldn't get too worried about something that was over so quickly." Briefly, she wondered if that was the right way to put it. It may have been accurate, but here was a changeling who had been there, and lost her home over it, so suggesting that it was of little concern when it was over so fast might not have been the best way to word her thoughts.

[DerpRavener]

Naj nodded, considering.  On reflection it all made sense, if nothing else.  The whole invasion had happened over only a day.  Given the chaos, by the time any news had made it out of Canterlot it would be finished.  Should she expect anyone to concern themselves with an enemy that's beaten in only a day?  And beaten before they'd have even heard of it, not less.

The implications about changelings as a species were a little disconcerting, at least to one who'd spent her whole life as part of their military, but it was ultimately a secondary concern.  Primarily it gave her hope.  It showed that ponies distant from those particular, pivotal events wouldn't have as strong a negative impression of changelings.  Though that wouldn't solve all the problems, it might be an opportunity to start again.

 

Though, there was something the conversation brought to mind.  Naj frowned in sudden thought.  The conversation had so far been limited to the Canterlot invasion, and although Naj didn't know much about it there was another incident.  She looked between Anchor and Night, growing slightly more serious.  “Have you heard about the second attack?  The one on Ponyville.”

It was possible they hadn't, given that it sounded like it was just as short if not shorter.And if they had heard about it, then Naj was hoping she could get some more information herself.  That was shortly after her exile, so naturally she hadn't been involved, and she'd been distracted by other concerns at the time.

[RedCedar]

Red was a little curious as to what his parents would say as well. He himself hadn't heard about the invasion of Ponyville until Naj had pointed it out to him.

 

Night Singer shook her head, her face clearly showing a bit of surprise at the revelation, but Anchor Aweigh nodded. "I heard," he said. "The base was on high alert the day after. It lasted less time than the one on Canterlot, though, so the REA decided not to comment on it officially to keep other ponies from panicking." Rolling the thought over in his mind, he looked over to Naj again. "Were you there at the time? Red said you lived in Ponyville first, but, this would have been after you left the hive, correct?" he asked, looking now just as much the inquisitor as Naj had been.

[DerpRavener]

Naj picked away at her bowl as she listened.  She liked the taste, but there was only so much she could eat.  By the sound of things Anchor was the only one who had heard of it, and that was because he was a military pony.  It was an isolated enough and resolved sufficiently quickly that the REA saw no reason to inform civilians elsewhere.  The logic made sense, but it could make the conversation more difficult, and Naj wondered if keeping secrets like that would really be helpful in the long term.

Then again, it wasn't anywhere close to her decision, so maybe she just shouldn't worry about it.

 

"Were you there at the time? Red said you lived in Ponyville first, but, this would have been after you left the hive, correct?"

Looking up from her bowl, Naj shook her head at the first question, and nodded at the second.  “This was after my exile, but I wasn't there at the time, I was...” she paused, thinking for a moment, before having to give up.  “...I can't remember actually.  But I was out of town at the time.  I'm not even sure if I'd really established myself yet.”  She sat back for a moment, trying to see just what she could remember, before looking back at Anchor.  “It almost screwed up my plans, actually.  When I left the hive, I chose Ponyville specifically because it seemed least likely to be of interest to the hive.  High risk, without much strategic value.”  She smiled sadly.  It had been a troubling development, for all sorts of reasons.  “I guess it didn't really turn out that way.”

[RedCedar]

Night Singer noticed the change in tone in Naj's answer, how it troubled her that her plans had gone awry yet again. "Well, I can understand feeling that way," she said. "Sounds to me like changelings like having everything planned out meticulously. So do ponies, mostly. But sometimes, when things gone differently, other things happen. After all," she added, nodding to her son who was trying to dig every last scraping of mousse out of the bottom of his dish. "if you weren't in Ponyville, you might not have met Red. Then what might have happened?" She left it open for Naj to contemplate. Maybe things would have been better, maybe worse, but Naj was undeniably happy with Red, it seemed, and that would have counted for a lot, she was sure.

[DerpRavener]

"Sounds to me like changelings like having everything planned out meticulously. So do ponies, mostly. But sometimes, when things gone differently, other things happen."

Naj chuckled a little.  “No...well, maybe me personally.”  Naj had once been a career soldier, so it was possible a certain enjoyment of order, more so than others.  “But I'm sure there are a few changelings who like improvising, just like ponies.  I can think of one, although Flux might not be the best example...”  She shook her head, realizing she was getting off topic.  “Really though, I hadn't made much of the way of plans then.  It's more that, I'd put a lot of thought into trying to keep my distance.  Then to find out that my attempt didn't amount to anything...”

 

“As for meeting Red there...”  Naj considered for a moment, rubbing her chin in throught.  “It's not a bad point, but I can't help but wonder if it would have been better to head for Stalliongrad in that case.”  She gave Night a meaningful look, before she got back to the thought exercise.  “Might take some time to adapt to the cold, but I get to meet Red more quickly and the population as a whole might be more accepting, as there seems to be more distance from incidents with changelings.”

 

“You're right though,” she admitted after a moment, “that things seem to have worked out pretty well in the end.”

[RedCedar]

“You're right though, that things seem to have worked out pretty well in the end.”

 

At Naj's words, Red couldn't help but lean over and slip a hoof around Naj, snugging her closely. "I certainly think so," he added.

 

"I do, too," Night Singer said with a smile. "I'm sorry we were a little scared at first, and that not everything must have gone the way you hoped, but I'm happy to know you and that you... both of you... felt you could trust us with this."

 

Anchor Aweigh just smirked. "And don't worry too much about the cold. Red always keeps his house way too hot during the winter, anyway." he said, before turning to Red. "You wouldn't make it through your first storm at sea, the way you like to keep things." he said with a smile.

 

Red just looked back with a look of mock offense on his face. "Says the pony who thinks trees are only good for ship hulls." he shot back.

[DerpRavener]

Naj laughed openly this time, as she listened to the good-natured banter among family.  “Ahh, I'm a hardly 'ling, I'm sure I can take whatever Red throws at me!”  She spoke with a broad grin, as she patted him lightly on the shoulder and leaned into him.  Truth be told, her initial plans would likely have involved scavenged blankets and a box, so she thought of any sort of structure as a good thing regardless of specific temperature.  Her next statement was only slightly more serious.  “Besides, I'll probably like hot.  It'll help to ease into this whole 'Stalliongrad Winter' thing.”

 

“And Night...” Naj looked over at the mare, disentangling herself from Red a little.  “It's fine, really.”  This touched on something that had been on her mind lately, actually.  “To be honest, something I've been thinking about is that I could end up too successful.  There are some very malicious changelings out there, and I worry some times that ponies might spend too much time around me and think changelings are all their friends.  So hearing that...”  She waved a hoof.  “Well okay, maybe it's not ideal, and the truth is kinda complicated.  What I'm trying to say is that a bit of concern isn't a bad thing.”

Her grin suddenly returned.  “And if you don't buy that, you just showed me the wonders of mousse, so all is forgiven!”  Her bit said, she returned to leaning into Red and enjoying the atmosphere.

[RedCedar]

 “Besides, I'll probably like hot.  It'll help to ease into this whole 'Stalliongrad Winter' thing.”

 

Red smiled to Naj at that comment. "Well, just remember, there was a reason I went to Ponyville during the spring, twice." he said. There was nothing so bone chilling to him as a Stalliongrad winter, so keeping things cozy in his own house was definitely a priority for him.

 

Night Singer nodded to Naj's words of warning. "Well, I wouldn't expect Red to knowingly bring you here if there were any danger, but I see your point." she said. "You were a bit of a shock at first, perhaps, but, I'm actually quite enjoying getting to know you."

 

Anchor Aweigh smiled. "And, besides, I already knew one changeling had been allowed to stay. I just wasn't entirely sure it was Red who had been helping you." he added. "You're welcome here any time."

[DerpRavener]

"Well, just remember, there was a reason I went to Ponyville during the spring, twice."

Naj laughed again.  “If I didn't know before, I'm sure I'll find out pretty quickly.  I'm kinda looking forward to it actually.”  She'd spent a winter or two in Ponyville, but those were both milder and winters and she'd spent it in something which only partially shielded her from the elements.  She was looking forward to seeing a harsh winter and seeing it in proper Equestrian fashion, from inside a comfortable home.

 

Night Singer and Anchor Aweigh both had a lot of trust in Red, and through that a lot of trust in Naj, once they'd gotten used to the idea.

Naj finally conceded the point.  “Yeah, you're right.  It makes sense.”  Beyond the practical considerations, that she'd be living with Red and so wanted to be in his parents' good books, she was touched that they were being so accepting.  “...Thank you,” she said after a moment, looking at Anchor, before shifting her gaze to Night with a small smile.  “And...I'm enjoying getting to know you too.”

“It's only...”  What was the simplest way to put this?  It took Naj another moment.  “I don't really know the numbers, but I'd guess at least half the changelings in Equestria are Chrysalis' infiltrators.  And it's probably fine to be somewhat friendly with them, if you're a little careful about it.  What better way to show them that Equestria is worth living in?”  Naj frowned.  “I just don't want anypony getting hurt because of me, even indirectly.”

 

After a moment she scowled.  “Bah!  I'm making things to serious again.”  Her smile returned.  She was genuinely happy with how the evening was turning out.  She resolved to try and steer the conversation toward lighter matters from here on out.

[RedCedar]

Anchor Aweigh nodded at Naj's assessment of things. It was hard for him to have learned so much about changelings from being in a lot of training sessions and not to have come to the same conclusion about there being at least a few others besides Naj within Equestria. "If that's the case, they'll probably be trying to hide too much to do anything overt, so it's back to business as usual - just be vigilant and report anything suspicious," he said. "All the same, you should also be careful. If there are some that malicious they may not like that you're here and living happily with ponies, no matter what you're trying to prove."

 

Taking a cue from Naj's own realization at how heavy the talk was getting, he smiled afterwards. "So, you say Red's been showing you around Stalliongrad? What have you seen so far? Anything you liked in particular?" he asked.

[DerpRavener]

Naj nodded, overall agreeing with Anchor's advice regarding running into other changelings.  It wasn't something she was that concerned about though.  She'd considered the possibility that a changeling might come after her, and it was something she kept an eye out for.  But even by changeling rules she wasn't doing anything wrong.  She hadn't betrayed the hive by coming, she was actually serving out her exile.

And perhaps more importantly, she wasn't a person of any particular value.  She hadn't done anything that changelings would find worth noting, at least not yet, and she doubted they'd really get worked up over anything she did until she directly worked against them.  If anything, being friendly with ponies probably helped other changelings in the long run.

As Naj was ready for the conversation to move on however, she decided not to mention any of this at the moment.  She was certain there would be other chances to talk, anyways.

 

"So, you say Red's been showing you around Stalliongrad? What have you seen so far? Anything you liked in particular?"

Naj nodded in confirmation again.  “He has been showing me around a bit, though to be honest I haven't seen a whole lot the city.  I liked the art district...Rasya, was it?  I've also been to the area he works, and that was nice.”  She scratched the back of her head.  “Then again, I also liked his house, and he's been introducing me to a few kinds of music.  There's still a lot about Equestia to get used to, so I may not be the best judge.  At least not yet.”

She chuckled.  "Maybe I should be asking you two, since you live here.  What are your favorite parts of the city?"

[RedCedar]

Night Singer smiled at the mention of Rasya. "Oh, I love going to Rasya. I used to take Red there when he was younger. It's so neat to see things other ponies have made, all the lovely artwork, and the markets," she said, practically gushing over the thought. "I usually go there for food, but every now and then I take a wander around just to see what's new."

 

Anchor Aweigh seemed a little more introspective. "Well, I'm not quite the nature lover Red is," he said, "But when I need to relax I like to go down to the river's edge and just listen to the water, watch it flow by, see the boats and barges drifting along. It's quite soothing, I find, especially if I'm not at sea myself."

[DerpRavener]

Naj nodded, contemplating.  Those were some interesting answers in their own right, but perhaps not quite what she was looking for.  She'd been hoping to learn a bit more about Stalliongrad, and maybe find some new activity or place that she and Red could visit.  Instead, the answers she got said a lot more about the ponies who said them than the city they lived in.  Night Signer also liked Rasya, especially for the art produced there, and Anchor predictably enjoyed being near the water, the former of which Naj had already tried and she lacked the same love of water.

 

With that, the conversation seemed like it was starting to die down.  Naj for her part couldn't think of anything else she needed to ask, and it appeared nopony else in the room had any burning questions either.  Everypony was content to just relax after the mean for the moment.

Naj wasn't sure she just wanted to sit around though.  She felt like she was taking up space, and even if nopony was really likely to take an issue with it she didn't want to just sit in the house as a guest too long.  She could get out of Powder Snow's mane if nothing else.  She was sure the mare could use some space.  Or at least, she'd rather give 'Snow time to come to terms with the situation than force the issue.

After a few moments of awkward silent, and finding the conversation reading a sorta natural end point, Naj got up from her place at the table.  “Seems like as good a time as any to get going,” she said, before turning to Night Singer.  “Thank you for the wonderful meal.”  Addressing them both, she smiled and continued, “And thanks for having me over.  We'll have to do it again sometime.”

[RedCedar]

Red looked up to Naj and nodded his agreement, although it was more out of a very satisfied feeling in his stomach after a large meal than anything else. "Sounds like a good idea," he said, before turning to his parents. "Thanks again, Mum, Dad. Sorry if this was a bit of a sudden shock, but there was a reason I couldn't say much..." he added.

 

Night Singer immediately trotted over and hugged Red. "Don't worry about that. You two just keep taking care of each other," she said, then turned to Naj. Although she hesitated a little, as if just wondering if it would be all right, she finally moved in and hugged Naj as well. "And, you're welcome. I'll send the mousse recipe over first thing in the morning," she promised, smiling.

 

Anchor Aweigh also trotted over to give each of them a hug. "You'll always be welcome here as far as we're concerned," he said, mostly in Naj's direction, before taking a breath and lowering his voice some. "We'll try to work on Powder Snow. Maybe she'll come around at some point."

 

Red smiled at that. "Thanks, Dad," he said, then turned to Naj. "All set?"

[DerpRavener]

Red seemed to agree with Naj's assessment of the current state of things, or at least he had no issues with wrapping things up for the evening and heading home.  From what Naj had seen, the family were wonderful ponies for the most part, but that wouldn't make things any less awkward when she ran out of things to say.  This seemed the perfect time to end on a high note.

 

The hugs were somewhat unexpected, there had been a long time when Naj had associated physical contact with threats more than affection.  She had gotten used to Red doing so easily enough, but they knew each other intimately.  It was more surprising coming from ponies she just met today.

Fortunately, Naj had something of a method for these situations.  After momentary confusion she returned the hugs, though never quite confidently.  “Thank you, and I'm sure we will,” she said in response, with latter half directed to Night, before turning to Anchor.  “I'm hoping she just needs some time.”  In Naj's experience, ponies who were pushed had a troubling tendency to push back, and so she was skeptical of how effective being forward would be in this regard.  Still, she didn't know Powder Snow like the mare's family did, and even then she wouldn't want to dictate how they spoke to one another.

 

"All set?" 

“Yep.”  Naj nodded, and then headed for the door, waving one last farewell as she left.  As they started the walk back, Naj had a smile on her face.  “Well, I still want to know what's going on with your sister,” her curiosity would accept no less, “but I'd say that went pretty well.  I was right,” she added, referring to an earlier conversation about how Red's family would react.  Her grin became a little smug, though it faltered.  “Well, mostly anyways.”

[RedCedar]

Red's parents waved from the door, and he returned them, until they were around the corner and out of sight of the house. Much as he enjoyed large meals at his parents' home, he was glad to be having a bit of a walk back to his house after this one.

 

 "I was right. Well, mostly anyways.” Naj said, summing up her thoughts on the evening. Red couldn't help but agree, smiling a little as he trotted along beside her. "Yeah, it did go pretty well," he said, though with a bit of a sigh afterwards. "I'm sorry about Powder. Honestly, I expected more trouble convincing Dad about you than her. I don't know what could be going on with her." He walked along in silence for a few moments, looking at the road in front of him without entirely seeing it. "Funny thing is, she's actually a lot like you, in some ways. She was always very protective of me when we were growing up." He trotted along for a few moments before, taking a deep breath, before a smile crossed his lips, broadly. Chuckling a little, he added, "Must've been an even bigger surprise to them than I thought, after Mum thought you were pregnant!" He laughed a little, now that the awkwardness of that part of the evening was long past and he could find the humour in the moment.

[DerpRavener]

"I'm sorry about Powder. Honestly, I expected more trouble convincing Dad about you than her. I don't know what could be going on with her."

Naj waved a hoof dismissively as she continued to casually walk.  “Nah, don't worry about it.  I'm not expecting to win everypony over, at least not right away.”  She smiled at Red.  “We'll keep working at it, maybe even figure out what's eating her about this whole thing.”  That was the biggest mystery to her.  The hive had done enough the attitude might even be justified for a number of Equestrians, but this seemed a bit more personal.

Unfortunately, chances are there wouldn't be any answers soon.  She would just have to try to be patient.

 

"Funny thing is, she's actually a lot like you, in some ways. She was always very protective of me when we were growing up."

Naj snorted at first, finding it sort of grimly amusing, but soon frowned in thought.  In some ways it actually made a lot of sense.  She waited until Red finished talking before voicing her thoughts though.

"Must've been an even bigger surprise to them than I thought, after Mum thought you were pregnant!"

Naj smiled and nodded.  “Yeah.  It's not everyday somepony's fillyfriend comes out as a changeling.  I guess that's true for having a foal too, but at least that happens to ponies on a regular basis.”  She chuckled.  “Caught me by surprise too though, can't say offspring are something that ever cross my mind.”  For a moment she wondered if such a thing would even be possible.  Then she got back to her earlier thought.  “Though, I think the thing with Powder Snow kinda makes sense when you put it like that.  If an infiltrator wanted to hurt you, the first thing they would do is get really friendly, and infiltrators are probably the most widely known sort of changeling.”  She grimaced.  “I kinda hate to say it, but if I saw you spending a lot of time with another changeling I didn't know, my first though would be worrying for your safety, too.  I'd hope I'd have the sense to just be wary and not hostile, but who could say...”

 

She shook her head, and forced herself back on track.  “The point is, I get where she's coming from.  Especially if she's like me.  I just wish I had a way to talk to her about it.”  Maybe all the more if they had that much in common.  And there was still that mystery to be solved...