"Pupa! Wake up, it's time to get ready," said Buzzy. Buzzy looked at her, puzzled. Pupa was still fast asleep on her bed, cuddled under the turquoise covers. Buzzy rolled her eyes. Pupa would sleep through an earthquake, if permitted. Buzzy walked around to her side, putting her dark skinned hands on the black stone surrounding her mattress. Pupa slept on a four-poster bed, with drapes like her wings: translucent, and light teal in color. Buzzy lightly shook her cousin. "Wake up," she coaxed, shaking her side. Her cousin only groaned and rolled over.

Buzzy huffed. This was gonna be harder than she expected. "Wake up!!" She was shouting at this point, and jumping up and down on her bed, not caring if she jumped on her cousin. Still nothing. Well, Buzzy thought solemnly, I guess I have to pull out my secret weapon. She left the dark room, and came back a few minutes later with an object that looked like a spray bottle, but instead of the normal head, it was like that of a megaphone. Buzzy held it up with her magic, and plugged her ears. She mentally counted down,

3,
2,
1,

Fire!

BLAAAAAMM!!!!!

"WAKE UPPPP!!!!!!!"

Pupa shot out of bed, screaming "Waugh! I'm up!" She turned to glare at her cousin. Buzzy grinned sheepishly. Pupa snorted, "What was that for?!"
"You weren't waking up," replied Buzzy with a smile. "I had to wake you, and you forced me to take necessary action."
"Necessary action," shriek Pupa angrily. "You @$&#$&@ woke me up with an air horn!"
Buzzy giggled, "Well, jumping wasn't working, and I had to do something." Pupa growled, and rolled out of bed. She shuffled to her bathroom to get ready. She hated waking up early. She exited her room 30 minutes later, to find Buzzy waiting for her.

The two girls walked to the the throne room door, where they parted ways. Buzzy touched her cousin's shoulder lightly. "Good luck in there," she said, before turning to go down another hall. "You're gonna need it," she called over her shoulder. "Thanks," Pupa called after her cousin. She turned back to face the door. She took a few deep breaths. I can do this, she thought, clearing her mind. I am the heir to the Changeling Empire. Nobody controls me. With a final deep breath, she pushed open the doors to find the room full of Changelings. She walked to take her place by her mother, and faced the crowd with her poker face. She was calm, cool and collected on the outside. All that mattered was that she looked fine. If she seemed okay, then her parents would be calm, and she would have a better chance at swaying her mother to hold off on marriage for a few years.

She had talked over the plan with Buzzy so many times the night before it felt like a dream. She would ask to speak with her mother privately, then confess to her how much she didn't want to be married now, and suggest they postpone it for a few years. It was worth a shot, and Pupa was willing to risk her mother's wrath to try to get her freedom. She didn't get why she had to marry just because her parents thought it was good for her. It made ZERO sense! The minutes from the last meeting were read, and then roll call and check-ups were gone through. However, today her mother didn't even bring up anything about marriage, or suitors, or anything related to Pupa. She was confused—surely her mother would mention it at some point, right?

Well, it seemed she wouldn't. When the meeting ended, Pupa rushed out without glancing back. She did not pull her mother aside. After all, no reason to make her mad when she wasn't thinking about the marriage, right? Pupa burst into her room, startling Buzzy, who was reading some fan-fiction called Legacies: Moonlight Dusk. It was about Princess Luna marrying one of her guards or something. 

Buzzy looked up from her book. "I guess it didn't go well, huh," she guessed. Pupa sighed and shut the creaky door behind her with a small click. "Gee, how'd you guess," she said glumly. Buzzy put down her book and looked at Pupa. "Is that sarcasm," she asked, squinting at Pupa like a scientist squints at something through a microscope. Pupa shrugged. Buzzy sighed, "I sure hope not. I have enough on my plate as is, I don't need a b****y-attitude cousin to go with it." She turned back to her book and started reading. Pupa rolled her eyes. Yeah, she was the one with a b****y attitude. She collapsed on her bed, burying her face and her sorrows into the soft blankets. Buy shut her book and rolled over towards her. She put her hoof on her shoulder, gently rubbing her back. 

Pupa started heaving dry, loud sobs into her blankets. She started making small, hiccuping animal-like noises, and Buzzy started whispering, "Hey, hey, it's okay. You're okay." Pupa simply continued to sob. Buzzy was surprised. Her cousin was usually so strong, so confident. She never, ever cried. Buzzy looked around nervously, wondering what to do. She got up from the bed, and started pacing. How could she make her feel better? Her head snapped up suddenly. I got it! Thought Buzzy. She crept back onto the bed while Pupa was still sobbing. She took a deep breath. She rarely ever sang in front of people, let alone an audience. Her parents were the only ones who had heard her sing before. She pondered what song to sing. Suddenly, it hit her. She would sing that song. The song that her mother would sing to cheer her up. It hurt her heart to remind herself of her parents, but she would comfort her cousin no matter the pain it inflicted upon her. Buzzy relaxed, shutting her eyes. She took another deep breath, opened her mouth, and started to sing a strange, beautiful song.

"Hush little Changeling, don't say a word,
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird don't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass turns broke,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat won't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull turns over,
Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark-"

Her voice cracked, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Pupa was crying still, but not as hard or nearly as loud. Buzzy sniffled, then continued on.
"And if that dog named Rover won't bark,
Mama's gonna buy you...a horse and cart.
And if that c-cart and h-h-h-hor-r-r-rse falls d-down,
You'll still be th-the...the..."

She shut her eyes tight, squeezing out tears. Pupa looked up kindly at her cousin, and lightly touched her foreleg. Buzzy sniffled and shook, and collapsed into her and her cousin's tears. Pupa wrapped her arms around her cousin and gave her a bear hug, crystal-like tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "You'll still be the sweetest girl in town," she whisper-sang, and started crying again. Her cousin wrapped her arms around her and they both collapsed on the bed, crying themselves to sleep in each other's arms.