On Tuesday I finally finished modifying the changeling magic detection spell so it can be charged and released as an omnidirectional wave. A few days after that, I decided that Dew could leave the house but not for long, seeing as he still acted too much like a hive changeling.
On his first day he came back while I was taking a break from potion brewing and told me, “I was wandering around the city and some weird pony asked me if I wanted to join a race to see how fast I could harvest vegetables.”
I quirked an eyebrow and asked, “What did the pony exactly say?”
“I think it was ’Hey, you in the mood for some speed dating?’”
I face hoofed, “That’s not…," then sighed and looked at him, “He wasn’t asking you to harvest the vegetable.”
Dew was clearly as unamused by his own lack of knowledge as much as I was. “Then what psycho activity was he trying to rope me into?”
“It’s the faster version of dating where everyone gets to quickly ask questions and talk with everyone else on an individual basis. Dating is like doing things with friends, except it’s usually romantic and for the purpose of knowing if you want to marry the pony or changeling.”
“So that’s how ponies decide who to give their love to," Dew said in a thoughtful tone.
“Yeah. Now I need to get back to making potions.”
On the next Saturday I was about to leave to meet up with Blitz at the pub again, when Dew decided to ask if he could come with me. I said that he could, so we both left. He was giving off a lot of boredom, along with a little apprehension and interest. I was wondering why he’d bother to come with me even though he was abrasive last time, but from his emotions it seemed like he was just exceptionally bored.
I started my changing detection soon after leaving, so when we got close to the bar I noticed that there was at least two disguised changelings inside. I didn’t think much of it, seeing as it didn’t seem different than any other changeling disguise, until I realized that one of the spell’s two highlights looked exactly like Blitz.
I stopped walking towards the bar and Dew looked at me.
“Go home, Dew.”
He became severely confused and said, “I thought I could come.”
“Just. Go. Home.”
Dew wordlessly walked away.
Despite how casually neutral I seemed to be at that moment, I couldn’t help but feel enraged and had a deep sense of dread that manifested into a bit of nausea. Though it didn’t stop me from immediately focusing on what I needed to do to get Blitz back.
They think that their best can replace one of my best friends and I wouldn’t notice? They don’t know who I am or what I’m capable of but if they really want to know this badly, I’ll give them a taste.
It might seem weird at first but I decided to gallop around several blocks while I decided what I exactly needed to do. It helped my worry lessen a bit, and after that I finally entered the pub and galloped right up to the fake Blitz.
He happily greeted me with, “Hey Sha-”
“Modus is in trouble!" I quickly said while using every feeling I had for the real Blitz towards the imposter.
The imposter immediately became serious. “What happened?”
“We need to get to the base of Canterlot Mountain. I’ll tell you on the way.”
I motioned for him to follow me as I ran outside and once we were, the imposter told me to get onto his back so we could fly there. I did and he took off with powerful wing stokes, continuing with all haste. The other infiltrator followed at a more leisurely pace.
Over the sound of flight, the imposter asked, “What happened?”
“Modus was captured by diamond dogs and dragged into a tunnel. They quickly filled the hole so I couldn't snatch him back before I’d have to deal with more of them," I yelled over the blowing wind.
“Don’t worry too much. They’re not all that hard to battle.”
Blitz knows that there’s an entire abandoned crystal mine under Canterlot. He would’ve easily realized that diamonds dogs finding it would be definite trouble. This obviously isn’t Blitz.
When we were half way down the mountain the other infiltrator was still keeping an eye on me, but that wasn’t something that would stop what I was about to do.
I brought my hoof up and in the middle of swinging it towards the imposter, I shifted into a strong changeling. The sudden nature of it all caught the imposter’s attention but not soon enough as I knocked him unconscious while he was turning his head to look at me. The other infiltrator was probably trying to get to me by then, but his effort was pointless.
I immediately started buzzing my wings while I took the imposter in my hooves before he started falling, then cast the better, muffling invisibility spell. The latter was effective enough to blend the imposter and I in with the early night darkness, so I easily evaded the other infiltrator and found one of the tunnel openings that could get me to the mines. I dropped the imposter off and cast a stun spell on him so he wouldn’t go anywhere, then I changed into a speedy pegasus disguise to fly to Act’s house as quickly as possible.
I landed with a moderately loud thud in his backyard, and knocked on the back door. It didn’t take much time for Act to answer with a feeling of confusion and slight worry. I flashed my real eyes at him while saying, “They have Act," in a dead serious tone.
Act told me, “First you need to come inside.”
I knew where he was going with this, so I did and after he shut the door I shed my disguise.
“Alright, was-”
With the same tone as before I interrupted with, “Yeah, I captured him and he’s in the crystal mines. We need to interrogate him.”
Act knew I was dead serious by now. He told me to stand next to him and we took a fire-portal right into the mines. Once we were in, disguised, and starting flying to where the imposter was, Act said, “We can’t waste any time at all, so don’t bother with the anti-magic chair. They probably have him by now, and they’re going to get him to the hive as fast as possible as long as they can still do it discretely.”
Once we got to the imposter, he was awake, so the first thing I did was I tore away his disguise. I didn’t even stop flying before that. I rammed right into him with my foreleg on his neck, cast the interrogation stun spell so he could tell me everything I wanted to know, and got right in his face. For added fear I also transformed into a changeling princess and used my real voice.
With an uncharacteristically dark grin I said, “You’re going to tell me everything I want to know, or I’ll start cracking you like a pistachio.”
The changeling said nothing. Not because of fear or the fact that I rammed right into his neck, but out of duty. I didn’t wait any more than two seconds before I took his right hind leg in my telekinesis. I squeezed it so hard it made a sickening crack.
I barely cringed at the sound while the infiltrator immediately widened his eyes and opened his mouth in silent pain. After a few seconds his breathing hastened, deepened, and started to destabilize.
I took his left foreleg in my telekinesis and told him, “Tell me, or this leg gets the same.”
The infiltrator responded between unsteady breaths with, “I’ll die before I tell you anything.”
I immediately crushed his foreleg without a second thought. I didn’t react to the resulting noise this time, while the infiltrator let out a pained cry. I then turn my head to Act and asked, “Do changelings have any sort of spine?”
Even Act was surprised by what I was implying, but he still managed to slowly tell me “There’s some kind of pseudo spine... in the exact place you think it is.”
My telekinetic grasp surrounded the infiltrator’s spine and I told him, “If you don’t tell me right now, you’ll never infiltrate or battle again and I’ll destroy your deceptive way of life by giving the Guard my method for detecting any changeling.”
“I’ll tell you!” he quickly responded. “Blitzkrieg is in one of three safe houses. Either a plant shop next to the Celestial Cafe, a warehouse on the south side of the city close to a place called the Treacherous Trampoline Tavern, or a spa called Let It Go two blocks away from a large statue of Star Swirl The Bearded.”
I let my foreleg go from his neck and he hit the mine floor with a thud.
“You’ll be let go after all this is done," I told him.
I walked to Act and whispered, “I’ll go to the warehouse. You get an infiltrator named Hammy to search one of the other two.” I told him the address to go to, used the full stun spell on the infiltrator, then we immediately took a fire-portal to the surface after I switched disguises. I’d finish dealing with the infiltrator later.
~~~~~~
I arrived close to the tavern by flight with an invisibility spell on so they wouldn’t notice a changeling searching for something. I then scanned for the target location with my charge up detection spell, despite the invisibility spell’s inability to hide any magic auras other than it’s own. I quickly found a warehouse with several outside guards and other workers underground that were disguised changelings.
This has to be it. Warehouses in Canterlot have underground areas so they can still have sufficient storage space, seeing as the city has very limited space above ground. They probably put extra hidden exits in every room so that fleeing is much easier for them. This means that I can’t go in horns blazing without one of them immediately making a run for it with Blitz. They’d probably start with using a fire-portal to get a quick distance away, probably into the mines to try and lose me, then fly to the hive with all haste. So I need to do this fast but discrete enough to not get noticed.
I also noted that many of unicorn guards but none of the pegasus ones were disguised changelings and that they were in pairs of one unicorn and one pegasus. Each pair were guarding an entrance so I landed and sneaked around to find the most isolated one, which was at the side of the building closest to the mountain’s cliff.
I silently and swiftly moved to a position behind a large wooden box that was about fifteen meters away from my two targets and took a few seconds to examine the changeling’s disguise. After that, I pulled my head back behind the box, readied a spell and cast it on the changeling, who’s disguise immediately tore away. I poked my head back around the box at the same time to get a good look at what happened next.
Both of the pair were caught off guard. Regardless, the pegasus mare apparently had a fighter’s reaction and immediately punched the changeling square in the nose. The changeling paused for a second and the pegasus took the opportunity to jump him in an attempt to subdue. I sneaked up close to them and took the changeling in my telekinesis while casting a stun spell on him, then the mare rolled back and stood up in one swift move while I uncloaked. She tried to buck me, but I caught her hind legs with my telekinesis before she landed it and told her, “I’m not here to fight you, or anyone. The entire warehouse is filled with disguised hive changelings and they have my friend captured.”
“Why should I believe you?" she hostilely whispered, while trying to get free of my magic grasp.
“Because I’m letting you go, if I was with them I wouldn’t tell you about them, and changelings can’t cloak themselves," I told her as I let go of her hind legs.
She became curious, but remained a little suspicious and asked, “Then what are you?”
“I don’t have time for this. They could already have started flying him to the hive by now. Are you going to keep quiet about me for now and give me the changeling’s disguise name?”
She took several seconds to decide but eventually said, “I suppose so. His disguise’s name is Tower Shield and for the love of Celestia, try not to get noticed.”
I changed into the changeling’s disguise and told her “I’m in a hurry. I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll try. Is the disguise perfect?”
“The jawline needs to be a little more prominent and the head size is a bit big overall.”
I changed my disguise as described, the mare gave me the changeling’s security badge, then I took a deep breath to help reign in my emotional control as much as possible and walked in.
The inside of the warehouse was pretty typical, except for a large underground trapdoor entrance with stairs at the right side of the building. I headed towards it and went down the stairs, which lead to a storage space that was just as big as the surface floor and appeared to have structural reinforcements.
I then started towards what looked like a secured storage room in the back, seeing as the short hallway to it had two disguised changeling security guards and there was an oddly large number of changelings in the secured room. I turned left into a walk path between the large storage shelves, which were almost everywhere, before entering the hallway to walk a short circle for a few seconds to think.
I can't just enter the hallway and beat them to a pulp if I want to get out of here in decent shape with Blitz, and I can't try crawling through any air ducts as a foal because I don't know that layout and I don't have time to learn it. But what if I try to trick the guards into thinking I'm one of the changeling princesses, or Chrysalis? I have telekinetic strength that might trick them into thinking that I have more power than I actually do, and I can disguise my pony magic color with my changeling aura as well, so they might think that I'm one of the changeling females.
I didn't have much time, so I dealt with the cards I was given and entered the hallway. The changelings closed the door behind me, and one asked asked “Badge and personal security code, please.”
I didn’t know the code, so I decided to change into Chrysalis, but that only caused them to light up their horns and prepare to attack me.
I say prepare because I was already close enough to restrain them with my magic, so they didn’t have a chance. I quickly slapped both their horns with one move while dispelling both of the two's disguises. They responded with a lot of surprise but also complete disgust and rage, which meant that they immediately knew who I was likely to be, so I quickly decided to knock them out.
I put them behind the half of the double door entrance that I didn’t open when I entered, after taking my previous disguise. It wouldn't take much time before somebody discovered them, but I didn't have much time for the rescue to begin with.
The room was about half the size of the other underground room. I took note that there were six disguised changelings in the room, so despite my advantages in combat, it was probably a bad idea to take them on. I opted to look around manually for any containers that a pony could fit in, because they might have already known that I could somehow detect changeling resin.
Less than a minute in I didn’t find Blitz, but I decided to remember the location of some crates with items that could be useful in combat. Things like a dry ice sculpture of a winged pig, dust and paint made of rare metals, and, for reasons I don’t need to get into, there were some bats in a specific shape that were made of silicone.
A disguised infiltrator entered and loudly told everyling, “We have a security breach! Line up two meters apart against the wall in the alphabetical order of your names!”
Everyone in the room, including the changeling that entered at that time started to do so, but I had a problem. I realized that I didn't know the name of the changeling I was posing as. So as I headed for the wall, I tried to find a way to distract them for a bit. I noticed that the large crate that had a dry ice sculpture of a winged pig in it was close enough.
As soon as I started charging a fire spell, several of the changelings tried to jump me while one, presumably an infiltrator, fire-portaled out. I changed into an armored build, then my detection spell notified me of a concussive spell being charged by the first changeling while I halted a second large bull-rushing changeling with my relatively equal weight and a low defensive stance.
During all this a third tried sneaking right behind me to get a hit, and a forth did the same to my right in synch. I assumed that they were already close enough so I used my telekinesis to pick up the one that bull rushed me and used him to hit the third and forth hard enough to knock them down. Then the first one holding the stun spell fired, and I quickly blocked it by using one of the knocked down changelings as a shield.
The fifth changeling ended up trying to bull-rush me, but he was too late and light for it to be successful as I swung the one in my telekinesis at the fifth one. The last two mentioned got knocked out and I blasted the dry ice with my fire spell I was holding. A large area around the sculpture became foggy, I started the stealth spell as I ran into the thicker fog beneath it, and took cover behind a large stack of crates.
The conscious infiltrators decided to play the waiting game, so I stopped the stealth spell and took advantage of my changeling detection spell’s highlights by firing stun blasts at them. I saw that most of my spells were missing, though I was able to hit one before my detection spell’s visual indicators warned me that the other three started charging and firing concussive spells, presumably behind cover.
I managed to avoid all the spells and hit one more, then the last two decided to just wait there, presumably for the rest of the thick fog to disperse. So I sneaked to the edge of the thick fog with my stealth spell on again, and the rest of the fog thinned out enough for sufficient fighting conditions. The infiltrators peeked around their respective cover and saw that I seemed to vanish.
One of the changelings whispered to the other one, and the other whispered back. They decided two stand next to and parallel to each other while facing opposite directions, so I couldn't get the drop on them. They then changed into pegisi and cautiously started flying around to find me, but I managed to change positions to a spot on the other side of the room, and laid as flat as I could.
Once they got close enough to me, I took one in my telekinesis and slammed the other, knocking them both out. I quickly opened up most of the pony sized or larger crates, then another infiltrator entered the room and tried hitting me with a concussive blast.
At this point I was starting to feel magically drained, so I transformed to lower my chitin density and increase speed to have a balanced build and bull rush the changeling. Said changeling tried to jump to the side to dodge and take flight, while I tried to grab one of his wings with my hoof.
I missed so I quickly used my telekinesis to grab it instead and ripped it off, producing a sound similar to tearing silk. This caused the changeling to fall to the floor with a somewhat clumsy roll, stopping face up. I quickly jumped on top of him with a face of rage, punched him several times while charging up a spell, then released a stun blast right in his face.
I continued searching for Blitz for another half minute, carelessly tearing open crates with magic and hooves until all suspect ones were gone through. So I went to the unconscious guards in the short hall and moved them into the secure room so I could leave.
When I did, several ponies looked at me and I said, “There was an accident involving one of the items in there.” This seemed to sate everyone’s curiosity enough so I exited the warehouse the same way I came in.
The guard from before quietly asked me, “Did you find him?”
I just said, “No," immediately changed into a speedy pegasus, and flew off sensing her wondering who I was.
I decided that my next destination was the Let It Go spa. When I was almost there, my detection spell recognized a pegasus, carrying a pony who looked like Blitz, as a disguised changeling. The emotions from him were a far match from an Equestrian changeling, so I immediately started flying right at him and the changeling started fleeing out of Canterlot at full speed.
I was gaining on him slowly and it started looking like he was trying to reach the nearby forest. Once he reached into it, I followed but he wasn’t anywhere in sight so I changed into a dense chitined, strong changeling and charged up as much magic into my horn as I could. When I released it I looked around and found the changeling’s green silhouette right before he cast a flair.
I scanned the sky for a second but no one came, so I quickly galloped to the direction of the silhouette. When I obtained a line of sight I realized that the changeling was using Blitz’s form, leaning on a tree trunk and looking confused. So I disguised my emotions with the ones he wanted me to feel and quickly told him, “We need to leave! There’s probably more changelings on the way!”
“We? Who are you? How did you find me?”
In the same tone I told him, “The same way I do with every changeling," while taking his head in my telekinesis.
Fake Blitz tried to break free while saying, “W-what are you doing?!”
I replied with, “Getting my friend back," in my real voice and bashed his head on the tree he was resting on. I didn’t even take a glance to see how badly I injured him as I immediately started to pay attention to the detection spell’s indicators, which showed three new changelings.
They landed near me in less than a second. One immediately started to attack me with concussive blasts while the other two started searching nearby for the real Blitz. I galloped for cover and jumped over a large fallen tree to hide behind so I could think for a few seconds.
My changeling energy is almost drained and all the concentration is wearing me out on both magics. I don’t know if they’ve found out what type of telekinesis spell I’m using, but I’ll need to rely on only that unless I absolutely need to shape-shift.
So I stood up facing the attacking changeling and used my telekinesis to pick up the fallen tree I was behind. The look on the changeling’s face was priceless as a took most of the branches off by smashing it against another tree’s trunk. But his reaction was still less important than Blitz. Neither of us spared any time, as he started firing at me again right after I started charging at him. Every shot he fired I blocked with the tree I was holding, until it was crudely blasted in half.
I kept the trunk half to still shield myself from the attacks, though the changeling went airborne to avoid hoof to hoof combat. He might have known that I was almost drained in magic, and maybe a little physically as well. So I decided to change to a pegasus with a little more speed than endurance and dropped the tree trunk, hoping that I could find Blitz before they do.
Unfortunately they already found him and I noticed them fly off with him hogtied, but I wasn’t going to have that. I went after the three and they were soon losing distance from me, though my wings were starting to ache. So they decided to try losing me by diving back into the forest and changing directions. All I had to do to know exactly where they were, whether or not they were making noise, was to keep them in range of my detection spell.
So I just flew right above the treeline until they stopped flying, at which point I landed close enough to two of the three and took hold of one. The only thing that that changeling could do was watch as his face was smacked into the other one’s like the end of a club, sending them both several meters back.
The third, who was carrying Blitz, decided to change and gallop off during this but I knew what direction he was going anyways. Once he knew that I was following him, he took off flying, and I did the same, even though my lungs ached. One of the changelings from before tried chasing after me to hit me with a stun blast. After I just barely dodged it I stopped as abruptly as possible, and waited for him to get close.
Once he was two or three seconds away I quickly gave myself a horn in a green flash of fire, took him in my magic, and swung him to the ground as hard as I could by his wings. I immediately started towards the one with Blitz again as I heard what was probably the other changeling crashing, but I wasn’t gaining on him much.
My lungs were aching, my heart was pounding in my ears, my throat was burning, and on top of all that my wings weren’t just aching. No matter how hard I tried I was losing speed, and fast. I changed to my fastest pegasus form in an attempt to catch up to him with one last boost to my speed.
But as I got to only a few meters away, I started to lose distance and the nausea came back far worse than before. I literally could not keep myself airborne anymore, and I clumsily glided down faster than I wanted to. My wings couldn’t even spare the strength for a smooth landing in any sense of the word. I changed to a dense chitin changeling and hit the ground tumbling for what felt like thirty meters before I hit the base of a tree with a thud.
I’d almost welcome them coming for me if it weren’t for the fact that they would probably kill instead of capture me. I could have prevented this, but my selfishness got the best of me and now I’ve lost him. It’s taken me so long to find out what I’ve lost in the accident that actually mattered.
It took losing my friend who understood me most to realize it.
There’s this feeling I get, like my body’s warning me several seconds ahead of time, where my mouth’s senses start feeling a bit off. My saliva starts to have a distinct taste and it’s like I’m producing more saliva or it’s presence is just more noticeable for some reason.
I was having those signs, and despite being exhausted in every way, I turned my head to the side so my stomach could empty it’s self. After one heave, I felt better, but not by much. So for the next ten minutes or so I laid where I was, then took a more comfortable resting position away from my reject with my face and belly in the dirt.
Not more than an hour later, I heard an unknown changeling and Hammy calling for me so I turned my head to call back. When they found me I had my eyes closed and had myself propped in a sitting position with my back on the tree that I crash landed into.
They started to run towards me but I said “Stop. How do I know that neither of you are hive changelings?”
Hammy answered with “Your annoying but likeable friend that had a white coat and a grey-blue mane was the only one to kick you in the groin in school.”
The changeling that was probably Act gave us both odd looks for a second, then realized how that info was so seemingly useless. “We found a hidden subterranean changeling house close to Manehattan.”
I sighed out of both relief that it was actually them and the fact that I’d have to tell them what happened. I slowly told them “I lost him. They tried fleeing and I couldn’t get to him. I was so close but I became so exhausted that I just couldn’t keep going-”
I suddenly opened my eyes, got up and went behind some nearby bushes as fast as my tired body would let me. The next sound the two heard was my voice and a large short stream hitting the forest floor.
When I came back from the bushes, Hammy told me, “Shape, you look and sound like you’ve had the worst night of your life. You don’t have to-”
“I just couldn’t keep going. I did everything I could with everything I had. I’m even mentally exhausted, and I have a massive headache.”
Despite trying to keep it all in, some tears came forth, but I still wanted to tell them what I wanted to do. “We need to infiltrate the hive.”
“No, that’s a terrible idea.” Act immediately said. “It would give Equestrian changelings worse reputation in the hive, and it would hurt relations between the two species more than anything you’ve been doing. They might not think that it was just a group of changelings acting on their own behalf.”
“And there’s more than that” Hammy added. “What you know can destroy their way of life. If the changelings found you infiltrating the hive they'd most likely kill you instead of putting you in a chrysalis. As things are, long as you don't try it, they'd likely not have a good enough reason to kill Blitz. They also need the extra food that he can provide.”
“So I’m just supposed to accept that he’s a changeling food generator now?!" I yelled.
“No," Hammy said. “I respect and like him now more than ever for being in the Guard. We will get him back, but we can’t just think about ourselves.”
“Fine, but what do we do now?”
Hammy said, “You’re not okay right now, Shape. You’ve lost your lunch twice," and pointed to the first puddle. “You need some time to yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
“He’s right. You’re not," Act said.
“I’m not fine as in fine. I’m fine as in you don’t have to worry about me. Just… take me back to Canterlot. I need some time to rest.”
“Before you do, do you shape-shift in your sleep?“, Act quickly asked.
Hammy realized what Act was getting at already. “That’s actually a good question.”
I asked, “What does that have to do with anything?”
Act told me, “Changelings don’t shape-shift in their sleep but you’re a completely different question, so you could have been discovered that way.”
“I don’t know if I do.”
“Then keep your door locked every time you go to sleep, cause who else will I infiltrate with in the future?” Act gave me a smile for a second, then frowned a bit. “But as of now, laying low won’t help much. Keep an extra eye out for infiltrators.”
“I expect them to be on to me, but I’m still confusing them by passing the castle’s checkpoints without a problem when I think they’re watching.”
“Good.” Act then came right up to my ear and whispered, “My real name is Zimperium, and I think I can trust you with the fire-portal spell now.”
I was excited about the latter, but I needed to get home so I changed to my usual disguise. “Can one of you two take me back to Canterlot?”
Hammy offered and no one had any objections so he changed into a pegasus. I got on his back, and he started towards the city at a moderate pace. In only a few seconds my tired brain realized that he changed to avoid the buzzing for my sake. A minute later the relative privacy of a night flight on a close friend gave me a sense of of security.
I was holding onto Hammy’s neck already for a bit of balance, so I just rested my face on it and silently let the tears flow. Hammy didn’t say anything, but I knew that he noticed as he became a bit sadder and angrier. I stayed like that the entire ride and neither of us said anything, but we did continue to respond to each other with just our emotions.
By the time we landed I felt a bit better, but despite what changelings may tell ponies, words can still be important.
“Shape, we’re here.”
I only responded by pulling myself together enough to stop crying.
“I landed in a private spot, so if you want to stay like this for a few minutes, I’m fine with it.”
I eventually got off of Hammy’s back and felt embarrassed. I’ve never messed up this bad in my life, but I knew an opportunity for him to be rescued would come up. So I turned to Hammy with a sad look in my eyes, but a small smile on.
“I don’t… Even though we didn’t rescue Blitz, I know you tried your hardest so I appreciate all your help tonight.”
Hammy’s worry for me lessened and he gave me a small smile in return. “Even if I found out on my own, I would have told you first. You’re one of his best friends. Besides,” and here I felt some empathy from him, “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re not going to see someone important to you again.”
It felt good to know, or rather realize, that someone that close to me went through something similar. He was someone I could confide in again if I needed it. “I know, he’s told me before. But I guess Blitz doesn’t understand me as well as you do. Can I go to your house to talk? There’s something really important I need to ask you.”
Hammy sighed and I sensed a small rise of hope and nervousness from him to me. “I guess so. Are you well enough to walk there by yourself?”
I said, “I’m not nauseous anymore and I think I can get there on my own power," while I took a quick look at where we were, which seemed to be the top of a building that would be high by Canterlot’s standards.
“Alright, I think I’ll fire-portal us part of the way so it’s easier for you.”
Hammy then shed his disguise and lit his horn up. I watched as a circle of green flame surrounded both of us, then a few seconds later a sphere of flame grew from it to cover us and pull us down. When we came back up, the sphere dissipated and we were in a completely different district. Neither of us talked during the walk to his house, so I was left with my thoughts for the time being.
He’s probably hoping that I’ve decided to date him again. I really don’t want to have to say no and see him broken up about it. I can’t lie to him either because there’s almost no chance that he wouldn’t know and it would eat me up from the inside out if I somehow succeeded anyways.
Not only that but, as much as I’d hate to admit it, there’s still a slim chance that he told the hive I was the one ruining their operations. Whether or not he was interrogated to give that info doesn’t make me any more or less nervous about it.
We arrived at his house, I entered first, then something in the living room caught my attention almost immediately. It was a large picture on a canvas that looked like it was of a changeling that had 8 holeless legs coming out of its sides and a happy, excited look on its face. But the thing I found the most creepy, specifically, was the fact that the changeling looked like it was made of clay, while everything else was painted like a cartoon. He seemed to be redoing an old painting.
I admit that I was staring at it only a few paces from the door while Hammy walked around me to see what I was looking at. He immediately caught on and told me, “You can turn it around if you want. It’s probably dry by now.”
I went over to turn it around while thinking he always knew how to creep me out, but back then I never thought he'd actually be a giant bug.
After doing so, Hammy asked, “So, what was it you were wondering?”
“There was a changeling using your Gallery disguise while visiting me at the Fairly Odd Pub," I said. “But I don’t know if it was you.”
I could feel Hammy getting a little sad over what the implied question was and it showed a bit when he said, “Yeah, that was me.” Though I could still feel his hope and nervousness remain.
I sighed in relief and told him, “I’d, uh, prefer that you don’t use that disguise when you meet up with me, but because you already did, I think it’s best to stick with that one.”
“I can do that.”
I gave a small smile, “Thanks.”
“Can I ask you something kind of personal?”
I was a bit nervous of where this conversation seemed to be heading but I still slowly said, “I guess so.”
He carefully asked “Why are you hiding yourself, aside from keeping your infiltration business separate from everything else?”
I remained silent for several seconds to think, and ended up saying, “Even though the kind changelings can live with ponies, being both species won’t be much easier. There’s groups in both species that… won’t like what I am, mean, or stand for.”
Hammy sensed how I felt about it and told me, “The changelings, like me, that leave the hive have a very similar problem. The hive thinks of us as betrayers, while some ponies hate us for their own reasons that I’m sure you know. It’s not as bad for us because what we are isn’t inherently an image of what the future could mean for both species, but what we collectively stand for is very much the same as you. The biggest difference between you and us changelings is that we chose this struggle… while you were forced into it. I’m sorry you were forced into it, so please don’t leave Equestria.”
It was nice to know that he cared and was the first one to acknowledge my problem, so I told him, “I don’t plan on leaving Equestria. I care too much about both the ponies and changelings I know to do that. I may not have wanted this, but… I would’ve wanted your- our struggles to mean something, whether or not the accident happened.”
It was Hammy’s turn to be relived, though he was also starting to tear up. “I was hopping you’d stay, and I didn’t know you cared that much about the success of our integration.”
“If a species wants to live with ponies, they should be welcome to as long as the ones that do just want peace. It’s not always easy to get past ones own prejudice… But I try to give everyone a chance, even if they themselves look monstrous. It’s what you do that ultimately makes you look beautiful or hideous.”
“I… Thank you, for showing me that kindness isn’t just some petty espionage tool.”
“I did?" I slowly asked.
“When I was dating you, you were so nice that it was a little awkward sometimes. Despite that, I started to admire it when I realized that every time you were like that, anyone you talked to who wasn’t a jerk didn’t hate you. That’s why I ended up really loving you and leaving the hive.”
I remained silent for several awkward seconds, not knowing what to say.
Though something about it was a little saddening to Hammy. “You don’t have to say anything. I know that you still consider me a good friend at the very least.”
“But we- I’m still trying to decide.”
I really don’t want to risk crushing Hammy’s heart at that time. There was a lot of things going on for both of us and neither of us could afford to have any worse of a mood than we already did.
But something about my response just made him sadder. “I understand. I’m going to bed soon, so I’ll see you again sometime.”
I took that as my cue to leave and headed for the door while saying, “I’ll see you later then.”
As I walked home I couldn’t help but think on why I couldn’t tell him what I decided, aside from the timing of it.
Why can’t I tell him that I’m not interested anymore? I have the courage to capture and interrogate hive changelings, and even take on five of them at once. Does wearing a mask really change me that much? Am I that afraid to hurt him like that?
I might have done just that by lying…
When I arrived home the first thing I did was start my detection spell, then I came to my bedroom where Dew was. When I entered he was laying on the floor with Frost laying across him, but Frost decided to leave the room. Dew was facing away from me, but from his emotions I could tell that he was probably awake, so I tried getting his attention with an ominous, “Dew.”
He responded with his usual irritated, “What?”
As I walked around him to look him in the face I told him, “If you’re going to play dumb, I’m not giving you the chance.” Then I took a few steps and put my head almost right against his. “Did you or did you not tell the hive everything you know about me?”
My intimidation tactic didn’t have much effect as he actually became irritated and told me, “What makes you think I would?! I’m not that stupid.” He then got up and squinted his eyes at me slightly. “No one else but you are going to help me get what I want back! If they found you it shouldn't be a surprise at all, if you’re an infiltrator or not!”
I pushed my head against his. “I don’t trust your word on that so if I find out that it was you, you’ll find yourself a dung beetle in a jar for a week.”
“As if you’re even capable of that.“
I was getting tired of his attitude, so started to charge my horn as I said, “Oh. You want to take that chance right now?!”
Dew slowly backed up several steps. “I- No, I believe you!”
I stopped charging my horn and walked towards the door, but halted when I got to it. “The hive may be infiltrating Canterlot and preying on ponies, but I am the one hunting them. I am the one who infiltrates, and don’t you forget it!”
I left him on the room and went to my lab to calm down while working on various things for the rest of the night, though I didn’t make as much progress as I expected so I decided to specifically practice combat spells. Despite all that I still went to bed with a bad mood.
~~~~~~
The next morning I was laying in bed half asleep and aching almost everywhere while thinking about what happened last night. Then I realized that I had unfinished business and sprung right out of bed, startling Frost.
The infiltrator! Wait, why am I hurrying to him when he tried to replace Blitz? He’s not going to get far in the condition I left him in, so what can I do with him?
So I went to do my morning ritual, then came downstairs and into the kitchen to get some cereal while Dew was in the living room. I came out to the dining table, which was in full view of the living room, and sat down. Through one of the windows in the room I noticed that I woke up an hour or two later than usual. I also noticed Dew taking glances at me and after a few minutes Dew carefully asked, “What’s with the freaky grin?”
I was about to give a cryptic answer, but Dew decided to say, “A-actually, I don’t want to know.”
I lightly snickered at that for a few seconds, finished up my cereal, left the city so I could change disguises, then entered a dark cave leading to the mines while dealing with my muscle soreness. Once I arrived at the interrogation spot with some rope, I noticed that someone, likely Act, bandaged the infiltrator up to stop his bleeding.
I was fine with that, but he also managed to fall asleep, so I took a hoof sized rock in my magic and came up to him, stopping a meter or so away so he wouldn’t be able to attack me in his state. I tapped his head with it but he didn’t wake up, so I bashed him on the head. Not enough to hurt him a lot, just enough to make sure he felt it through his chitin and sleep. I didn’t want him to die… at least yet.
The infiltrator immediately woke up and took a look around, realizing that he was still in the mines. “You said I could go after it was over," he snarled.
“I did, but it’s not over yet. I didn’t get Blitz back, so I was thinking of torturing you on the way over here this morning. Though I realized that there’s a more… constructive way of dealing with you.”
“Whatever you’re planning, I’ll be capable of enduring it," the infiltrator challengingly stated.
I lightly laughed for a few seconds. “I’ve heard all about changelings and enduring, but do you want to know something about me?”
“What?”
“I don’t regret, but not in the same way as you hive infiltrator scum. The day you find out how is the day you realize that you have a lot to learn and make up for, and not just to me.”
“You’re insane.”
“I might be, but if I am, I don’t care. As for what I’ll be doing with you, I’ll be taking all your emotional energy and leaving you in the Everfree near Ponyville. You can either perish from the refusal of a pony’s help and the hive’s probable refusal to take you back, or you can get used to ponies.”
“The hive will-”
But that was all he could say before I cut him off with a stun spell. I then set him on my back after I changed to a pegasus and used the rope I brought to secure him to me. Right before I arrived at one of the mine exits, I cast a moderate anesthetic spell. After that I could fly without feeling so sore yet still feel it enough to know when I’d absolutely have to stop.
Even with an optimal pegasus build I arrived at the Everfree in about 6 hours of flying and taking breaks. I continued a few hundred meters into it and found a high, moderately concealed spot on top of a sturdy branch. So I set him on it, took all his emotional energy, then changed into a changeling to make another message on a resin slab. This time, I carved “If you can endure so well, and change at the drop of a bit, then why can’t so many of you endure the change of your culture?" into it.
After sticking the slab to the infiltrator’s chest with a bit more resin, and reapplying the anesthetic spell, I started my way back to Canterlot. By the time I arrived home it was past sunset by a few hours and the streets were pretty quiet. As I entered, Frost greeted me and Dew took a glance at me without saying anything though I sensed that he was slightly afraid of me. I didn’t notice his fear in the morning, likely because I was more focused on figuring out what to do with the infiltrator. Though I was too tired and sore to really do much so I just went right to bed while the medical spell was still in effect.