The Cake family walked silently, nopony spoke. "I'm sorry…. I don't know what came over me…" Skyla whispered. Pumpkin glanced her way and said, "It's okay, we all make mistakes!" She said. The family nodded. Berry just sighed. After reaching the bakery, Mr. and Mrs. Cake sat down with Skyla and Berry, a private talk, they called it. The twins were not allowed, much to their disappointment. "Skyla, Berry, we realized today that you can be in so much danger or put others into it… So we decided, if you would want to, the twins would love it, and we would be so happy if… We adopt you two…" Mr. Cake said. The changelings dropped their jaws and it took a few seconds for them to talk again. "Rea-really?" Berry whispered. Skyla was crying. "Really." Mrs. Cake said. Skyla hugged her adopted parents, so happy. "I love you…" She whispered. Berry looked happy but his smile faded. "Skyla…. We need to talk when you're free." He said.
When they were finally free, it was hours later, after a big party and mass amounts of cookies. "Skyla," Berry said, now on his new bedroom. "Change back." He whispered. The princess, who hadn't changed form in almost a month now, was frightened. "It's okay, I'll do it with you, it's only us." Berry said, closing the door. Skyla took in a breath. She and Berry was engulfed in green flames they looked at their real selves. "Okay, look at your face, we're not ponies, we're changelings. What I'm trying to say is, we can't stay here." He whispered. "Why not?" Skyla snapped, glaring at him. "Because Chrysalis probably knows where we are now! She's probably sent somepony after us, Skyla, if we stay here, bad, horrible things may happen!" Berry cried. "You're lying!" The princess sobbed. "You're just upset because you never had a family! Nopony loved you, ever!" She screamed. "You're one to talk!" Berry growled. The room was silent. "You jerk!" Skyla cried, tears streaming down her face. "You jerk! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She sobbed. "I'm staying here because somepony loves me! I feel like I have never had that!" She cried. "Get out of my face! I never want to see you, not ever! I don't care! I don't want to be apart of this anymore!" Berry growled at her. "But you are! You are a idiot to stay!" He cried. "Shut up!" Skyla sobbed. She ran from the room, making sure to change to her disguise. Berry was shocked but turned. "Fine…" He whispered.
Outside, in the night, a changeling watched Berry sneak away. The creature flew back to his hive. "My queen, the servant boy left the princess, she's all alone now, I have some information you will be dying to hear."
The next day, Skyla was crying in her bedroom when she heard Pumpkin yell from downstairs. "Skyla! Help!" She screamed. The princess sprung up and ran downstairs. She opened the kitchen door. "Pumpkin, what-" She stopped. There, Pound and Pumpkin were stuck in green goo, their screams had been muffled and they looked scared and sad. The girl's horn and the boy's wings had been covered as well. "I thought you'd be smarter than that!" A child laughed. Skyla spun around to face another Pumpkin, but she knew the real girl was tied up with her brother. "What do you want, Chrysalis?" She asked, changing to her princess of the changelings self. The girl smiled and her eyes flashed green, she turned back into her regular self. "So very gullible, you really are half pony!" She laughed. "I asked you what you wanted!" Skyla growled. "I want you to come back to the hive, and never run away again, that's all. You will do whatever I ask of you or your precious little family gets… Well," Skyla interrupted. "I get it! Don't hurt them!" She cried. "Such a good girl. I wouldn't hurt a hair on any of their heads, but you will do as I ask." Chrysalis said. "Okay, but you have to promise me." Skyla said. "You are so childish!" The Queen groaned. "I still am a child, now promise me!" The princess growled. "Fine, I promise that I will not harm a member of the Cake family as long as you do what I ask, and that means everything I ask, and no running away, do we have a deal?" Skyla bit her lip. "I-I promise you." She whispered. "Wonderful!" The Queen cried. Two changeling servants grabbed the girl. "Off to the hive!" Chrysalis said. "I think you forgot something!" Skyla butted in, sharply. The changelings turned and saw the twins still glued to the floor. They were released and their gags removed. "Skyla! W-what's wrong with you?! How could you not tell us?!" Pumpkin creid. "Rather… Ironic, isn't it? When your loyal servant told you what could happen, yet you took no heed!" The Queen cackled it the princess. "Stop that!" Pound growled, he was always so shy. "Where's are parents?" He spat. "Oh, shut him up!" She ordered a changeling. "You promised!" Skyla cried. Chrysalis turned to her. "Y-you promised." The girl repeated. The Queen just rolled her eyes. "Of course!" She said.
Skyla was thrown in a prison cell in the hive and watched her adopted brother and sister get pulled away. "W-who is there? A visitor around here is very rare." A voice said. The girl turned and lit her horn. In the corner of the cell, a white pony with black stripes was sitting, but it was nopony, it was a zebra. "Hello, Princess Skyla, little changeling child, I hope I can help you and be worthwhile." She said. "W-who are you?" Asked the princess. "My name is Zecora, and I am a prisoner too, now, if I may, what troubles you?" Skyla looked into the zebra's eyes and saw that she beared no ill will, she also had a strong heart, which was good. "You see, I got myself into a little trouble, big trouble, and the queen wants me to stay here so I can… Who knows what, and she's holding my family against me." She said. The girl looked up. "Why are you here, Zecora?" The zebra looked at the ground and started to draw in the dirt floor. "I am one of many intertwined with the princess Twilight's fate, so here I am, stuck as bait." She said. Skyla looked at her design of a alicorn and the elements around it. "Oh, I see… Do you think she will come back to rescue you?" She asked. "Perhaps the mare she come and then go, but in my heart, I'm hoping no." The zebra replied. "But you could be sav-" Skyla started. "Young one, being in this place is no fun. But when the Queen receives the power she's been in sought, the ponies shall not be safe, and therefore, receives the power she must not." Zecora replied, looking very serious. "But what does she want? I can't figure it out! Why does she want me? Why does she need Twilight to do something for her? Why?" Skyla cried. "Maybe, you shall find out, and then you shall see, how queen Chrysalis's hate came to be." The zebra said. "Like right now?" Skyla asked hopefully. "No." Zecora answered abruptly. "Oh come on!" The girl cried. "But, there is a way. If you can get all the way to my hut, then we get a potion and mend this story like a cut." She said. "Hut, cut…. But how do I-" the girl was interrupted by the door opening. "Hey, sweetness, the Queen wants you." The guard said. "Don't ever call me sweetness!" The princess growled. The changeling rolled his eyes and pulled her out.
Chrysalis turned at the thump that Skyla made when she got shoved to the ground. "Good of you to come." She said. Without waiting for a reply, she spoke again. "I have a task for you, and you will do it." She said. "What?" Skyla grunted. "You will go to Ponyville and fetch me a potion, from the hut of a zebra named-" The princess interrupted. "Zecora, yeah, I…. Wait… Really?!" She gasped, not believing her luck. "Yes, and the potion is a thing to take a look back in history. "This must be what potion Zecora was talking about!" Skyla heard in her brain. "Er, what does it look like?" She asked out loud. "It's white and might be hard to find, the zebra will know where to find it, so if you have to force her to tell you." The Queen described. "Yes." Skyla said. "You will start tomorrow."
Skyla was in the everfree forest the next day. She opened the door and peered around. It smelled of spices and herbs as she walked in. She looked in the books, scanning for the right one when she heard a voice. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Skyla turned to face Fable and Spark. "Where's Zecora?" Fable growled. "Gone, kidnapped, great friendship, princess!" Skyla growled. "Kidnapped?" Spark gasped. "Yes, lover boy. Kidnapped! I'm princess Skyla, okay?" The changeling snapped. "Princess Skyla?! You mean…" Fable started. "Your cousin that's been missing for about a year now, that's right. Listen, I'm looking for a book called…" Skyla started. "Super naturals?" Fable whispered. "Yes…" Skyla gasped. The princess walked up to a bookshelf and pointed a green book. "You believe me?" Skyla asked. "We'll see, I'll make sure after we take the history potion." Fable growled. The other gulped. Skyla walked up to the book and pulled and a panel appeared with a vial inside, in it was white liquid. Skyla took it out and placed it on the ground. "We should take it…" Spark whispered. They each took a sip, evenly. They held hoofs so they could see the same thing at the same time. Their eyes glowed white.