"Now you listen here, Ms. Jack." in a flash, Snowy was Maple. Her voice didn't sound quite right this stern, but it was a perfect match. "Just because you didn't know how your Internal Biology works doesn't mean it stopped working. You've been eating our love since you came to Caballuston. But in all the time you've been awake and wandering around Equestria, not once have you drained someone! I don't pretend to know how, but you give love back. It's an equal exchange; ask Sycamoreen. Being a changeling is not a crime; draining ponies of life is a crime, and you haven't done! that! Do you remember the conversation we had, a month or so back, about monsters? I stand here corrected: everyone in that room was a monster except you."
She blinked when Snowy turned into her former self, and then listened as she told herself something important.
This time her Maple smile was honest, and as it lasted longer and longer on her face - the more she seemed to believe it herself. She had her doubts she'd ever be able to be 'maple' again... but maybe she could be a slightly different Maple, and that would be okay.
"Is that how weird that feels to see that Maplejack?" She asked, turning back to the earth pony.
"Not as weird as it's been to become somepony's big sister." Maplejack smiled, holding out her hooves.
Her forelegs weren't empty very long, with a flash Maple was snuggled into Maplejack and both were softly cry laughing.
Racing with blistering speed, Misty Monsoon reached the beach to see Pendulumnae calmly standing in front of the finish line.
In the midst of searching for the stone pieces, the STOMP team remembered how Splash Flaunt had been going over several of the notes she had been taking while in COIN. She'd never been to a main headquarters and the regional branches moved based off of individual missions. Mission leads tend to send letters, send a representative, or show up directly to request you for missions unless you're known to check in regularly to the temporary regional branch. COIN had a few relatively above board investments in other business using false names but weren't against working into a business and siphoning away funds. Most money was gained from sold artifacts.
What probably surprised her the most was that a few higher ups would fund individual expeditions for freelancers. That was how she was drawn in. Dazzling Midnight recruited her with the promise of funding her expedition to the southern Snowy Sea and after a few missions she made good on her word by paying for it out of pocket. She simply wanted to know if anything "interesting" was found but was vague on what that would be.
Misty hits the ground, kicking up a spray of sand behind her as she skids to a stop next to Pendulumnae. "Wow, you got here pretty quick!"
The third maple quietly smiles to himself, and offers a hoofshake to Sycamoreen.
"I may have been a tad overzealous in this." He admits to her. "I don't actually know how to change back before the enchantment wears off. And as nice as these wings look, I can't actually fly."
She blinked when Snowy turned into her former self, and then listened as she told herself something important.
This time her Maple smile was honest, and as it lasted longer and longer on her face - the more she seemed to believe it herself. She had her doubts she'd ever be able to be 'maple' again... but maybe she could be a slightly different Maple, and that would be okay.
"Is that how weird that feels to see that Maplejack?" She asked, turning back to the earth pony.
"Not as weird as it's been to become somepony's big sister." Maplejack smiled, holding out her hooves.
Her forelegs weren't empty very long, with a flash Maple was snuggled into Maplejack and both were softly cry laughing.
Racing with blistering speed, Misty Monsoon reached the beach to see Pendulumnae calmly standing in front of the finish line.
In the midst of searching for the stone pieces, the STOMP team remembered how Splash Flaunt had been going over several of the notes she had been taking while in COIN. She'd never been to a main headquarters and the regional branches moved based off of individual missions. Mission leads tend to send letters, send a representative, or show up directly to request you for missions unless you're known to check in regularly to the temporary regional branch. COIN had a few relatively above board investments in other business using false names but weren't against working into a business and siphoning away funds. Most money was gained from sold artifacts.
What probably surprised her the most was that a few higher ups would fund individual expeditions for freelancers. That was how she was drawn in. Dazzling Midnight recruited her with the promise of funding her expedition to the southern Snowy Sea and after a few missions she made good on her word by paying for it out of pocket. She simply wanted to know if anything "interesting" was found but was vague on what that would be.
Misty hits the ground, kicking up a spray of sand behind her as she skids to a stop next to Pendulumnae. "Wow, you got here pretty quick!"
The third maple quietly smiles to himself, and offers a hoofshake to Sycamoreen.
"I may have been a tad overzealous in this." He admits to her. "I don't actually know how to change back before the enchantment wears off. And as nice as these wings look, I can't actually fly."