//------------------------------//
// Chapter 19: Sympathy for Prey 
// Story: Without a Hive 
// by Phoenix_Dragon 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 19: Sympathy for Prey

Nictis slowly plodded down the bare dirt road.
No. That was wrong...
His eyes were cast down at the ground, and each step brought a silver-gray hoof into view as it rose up, dropped heavily to the ground, and passed down out of sight again. He wasn't really him. Each step, each flash of gray, was another reminder. He was someone else now, but not the "someone else" he was used to.
Meadow was dead.
The final blow had come that morning when he had arrived in Hoofington, weary from a long day of numb traveling. Even with everything falling apart around him, there had been a sliver of hope left, but a glance at the passing newsstand on the way through town had destroyed it. There were three pictures on the front page. Two he did not recognize, but the third he knew intimately: the picture of Meadow in Canterlot, lit by the sunset. It hurt to see a picture with such happy memories now used as a warning to other ponies, as if it defiled the entire memory of that moment and what had followed. As if that happy moment now existed only to mock him, to show what he could never have. He could never be Meadow again.
He had changed his appearance, naturally. His new look was simple, a silver-gray coat with a purple mane and tail, with a build much closer to average for a mare. He'd changed to a pegasus the previous day for traveling, but had since returned to the more familiar form of a unicorn. Even the cutie mark was the same. He'd put more thought into it later, but he couldn't muster up the energy to do so yet. He hadn't even thought up a new name, much less a background. It was a glaring vulnerability, and yet, he couldn't bring himself to care. What he had wasn't a proper disguise. It was just a thin shell, nothing more.
He wasn't himself, but he wasn't somepony else, either. It was a confused state, somewhere in between.
Fortunately, the lack of a proper disguise and background hadn't caused any issues. Ponies just saw a weary, sad-looking mare, and she hadn't drawn any suspicion. A few ponies had been curious why "she" was so sad, seemingly wanting to cheer up a distressed pony, but they had been bypassed easily enough; as much as those ponies wanted to help somepony so downcast, they couldn't just force themselves upon somepony to do so.
He continued on, doing his best to ignore everypony around him. The center of town soon made way to sparser territory, fields lining one side of the road, with scattered houses on the opposite. There were fewer ponies out here than in the center of the little town, but it didn't stop them from gathering and discussing the news which, despite being a day older by now, had still not died down. Another crowd was grouped up near the fence of one of the fields. The only one familiar to him was Red Ridge, who was telling a story that had clearly been repeated far too many times to avoid embellishment.
"--like a meteor or somethin', smashin' right through the roof," he was saying in an exaggerated tone that nearly made Nictis wince for how clearly it said, "I'm lying my flank off." Not that any of the other ponies seemed to notice, as they were eating up his words.
"So I rush out to the barn, and throw open the doors, and BAM!" He clopped his hooves together. "This surge of green fire comes blasting out, knocked me clean off my hooves. Whole barn's lit up in a giant inferno. Well, so I go runnin' over to the well ta grab a bucket--"
Nictis tuned out the rest of what the pony was saying as he walked by, his eyes instead looking over the damaged barn a short distance back from the road. A ragged hole punctured the roof, with splintered planks hanging loose, and a good half of the structure was scorched. While he hadn't read any of the papers describing the... events in Canterlot, there had been plenty of ponies all around discussing it, and it made it perfectly clear what had happened. Some changeling, blasted out of the royal city, had come crashing down on the farmer's barn. The flames would provide a perfect distraction, occupying the farmer's attention while the changeling slipped away. A perfect diversion and evasion.
Assuming the changeling hadn't immolated itself to avoid discovery. He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case. Preserving their secret was all important, but... but clearly, that was no longer possible. Hopefully whatever changeling had crashed there had realized this, and considered his escape as more important than ensuring he wasn't detected.
Unless he was injured, and couldn't escape. What would happen--
Nictis shook his head, again focusing on the dirt road passing beneath him as he walked. He didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about anything.
He followed the familiar road, only finally looking up as a particular house came into view.
Why did I come here?
He could perfectly imagine Misty Dawn and Gray Oak as they went about their morning. She remembered the routine perfectly. By now Gray would have gotten the day's paper. He'd see that picture of Meadow, and he'd know what that seemingly nice pony really was. There wasn't anything for Nictis here.
But he already knew that, even if he hadn't consciously acknowledged it. Word would reach them eventually, after all. No, he hadn't come to stay here. At most, he had come to get one last glimpse of what had been. A small concession to nostalgia before leaving it all behind for good.
He tore his eyes away from the home, realizing he had been staring, standing still in the road. One hoof before the other, he continued on, eyes again cast down to the dirt beneath his disguised hooves.
Several minutes later, he approached his final destination: a small hill, overlooking the town and the edge of the Everfree Forest. He came to a halt at the peak, lifting his eyes to look over the scene below. It was almost exactly as he remembered from that day, years ago, the last time he had come here for the same purpose: to start his journey back to the hive. Unlike last time, however, there was no enthusiasm. He was not returning home triumphant and successful. He was slinking back, full of shame and failure, to the only place that might accept him.
Numbly, he pulled out his little compass on its golden chain. He merely stared at it for several long seconds, his breath threatening to grow ragged, before slipping it on. A wave of flame passed over him as he swapped his shell's horn for a pair of wings; slightly broader than average, with powerful flight muscles. The counterfeit form's heart and lungs were made stronger, the muscles in perfect trim. It was a form that could fly all day long without tiring and could carry him back to the blasted and barren lands of the hive with ease.
It was such a simple thing. He could have returned any time he wanted to, had he had simply chosen to do so. Instead, he had filled his own mind with images of his triumphant return, leading a small herd of ponies to ensure his own greatness. He'd put his own selfish desires first, and by doing so, had earned every bad event that had fallen on him. Now he could only return and plead mercy, hoping that there was some way he could make it up to the hive, something he could do.
He spread his wings...





He hesitated. His wings, held high, trembled. He wanted to fly. He didn't want to fly. He wanted both, and so his body did neither.
Then his wings trembled again, and came down; not a firm downward stroke to carry himself into the sky, but a slow, defeated sagging. They sunk down to the ground as he sat back.
What's the point?
There was nothing there for him. Even if the hive allowed him to return, allowed such a failure to continue to live amongst them, it was a short and hopeless existence. Equestria knew of them. The armor of secrecy had been cast aside in a brazen assault, one that struck at the heart of these ponies. Now their kind was exposed in the worst way, cast suddenly into the public consciousness in the most shocking and violent manner imaginable. They had tried to stab at the heart of a sleeping, unaware beast, and had missed their mark.
Equestria, in all its might and power, was awakened to their presence, and to the gravity of what the changelings had attempted to do. The sleeping beast was awakened to a threat that had nearly ended it. Now Equestria would act to ensure its safety.
The hive would fall. Even with all their cunning, all their defenses, all their selfless devotion to giving their lives to safeguard the hive, the changelings couldn't stand against Equestria any more than a single foal could stand against the might of the ocean.
One changeling would make no difference. Ten thousand changelings would make no difference. The hive would fall, and all their efforts would be for nothing.
Returning would accomplish nothing except to ensure his own death, all for a cause that was completely lost.
...Why?
He looked up again, eyes focusing out over the Everfree. Why did the hive attack? It made no sense. Why had they cast aside the covert hunting that had served them so well for so long, only to stage such an overt act of aggression? Why had they risked everything in a desperate gamble against a nation that had overcome threats so monstrous as to almost defy belief?
His hooves were shaking. It's just so wrong. An invasion? War? What kind of insanity is this? How could they just abandon everything it means to be a changeling?
His mind flashed back to the photograph of his Queen, forelegs outstretched in presumptive victory. She was the guiding force of the hive. He couldn't understand why, but she had set them on that incomprehensible course of action. She had taken a chance, and failed. Because of her, the hive was exposed. Because of her, everything that was good in Nictis's life was turned to ash.
Anger battled with guilt at feeling such treasonous thoughts. The little voice in the back of his mind pointed out that he didn't have any idea what the situation really was. He'd been gone from the hive for nine years. Maybe she had a good reason?
It sounded like a hollow excuse to him, but despite that, his shoulders slowly relaxed. It all felt so contrary to everything he had ever known, but something had convinced the Queen that this assault was the right thing to do. She might have been... wrong, but it hardly made any difference now. As much as he wanted someone to blame for his situation, he knew he didn't have to look very far to find the only one responsible for that.
Slowly, he rose and turned away from the Everfree, starting the slow walk back to town.





My name is Silver... Song.
The newly-named Silver shook her head, sighing softly. As disguises went, it was pretty flimsy, but she couldn't muster the determination to do any better. Her background was entirely dependent on her improvising something vague from her own experiences. Hopefully, she'd be able to dissuade anypony from inquiring too much by being abrasive to anyone inquiring too much into the subject. Unfortunately, that posed an awkward balance; she couldn't be constantly abrasive, or she'd starve. Despite how well fed she had been, those fire-portals took a fair amount of energy, and every moment was slowly draining more.
A sign beside the bare dirt road labeled the village ahead as Oatfield. It wasn't much to look at, but it hardly needed to be. She wasn't planning on staying, after all. All she needed was some inn, a place to stay for a day or two where she could nibble away a bit of energy and then be on her way again. At least she had a fair number of bits in her saddlebags. She shouldn't have to worry about money for a few weeks. After that... she'd find something. It wasn't perfect, but she'd survive.
I hope some others survive this, she thought. Some Infiltrators would be out in Equestria, away from the hive. Maybe some others could escape before the hive is overwhelmed. I... I don't want to be the only one...
Walking into town revealed it to be even less impressive than her initial impression. The buildings, all in the familiar rural style these ponies seemed to love so much, fell somewhere between "charmingly rustic" and "old and dilapidated." Frequent cart travel to and from the sprawling fields outside the village left the narrow dirt streets with deep ruts, several of which still had small puddles. The pungent smell of fertilizer seemed to hang in the air as if caught up between the buildings. It was about as far removed from the pristine beauty of Canterlot as she could imagine ponies ever living.
Hardly any ponies made note of her as she walked by. There were a couple friendly nods, but most were preoccupied with their own tasks and paid her no mind. She was thankful for that. In a small settlement like this, a traveler might seem out-of-place, but nopony seemed to care.
An inn sat on one side of the village square, though it hardly seemed big enough to deserve the title. It was a narrow, two-story building, no larger than any of the houses she had passed. It would suffice, though she imagined the opportunities to feed would be slim.
Stepping inside, she found the inn was not as dark and dingy as she had expected from the general look of the village. Perhaps a little dim with all the windows shut, and quite tiny, but clean enough. The main room was about the size of a typical living room, sporting a pair of rectangular tables with matching benches. There might be room for a dozen ponies, maybe a tiny bit more if everypony got cozy. On one side was a counter set before an open door leading back into the rest of the building.
Otherwise, the place was empty.
She stepped up to the counter, which held a well-read newspaper, which she pointedly ignored, and a small wooden placard listed prices for food and drink--quite literally, one for "food" and one for "a drink." The place was almost silent, the only sound being the muffled sound of talking coming from the couple outside, across the street.
After a minute, she decided nopony knew she was there. "Hello?"
Silence was the only answer for several seconds until she heard the slow clopping of hooves on the wooden floor deeper in the little building. A moment later, a heavyset yellow earth pony stepped out of the doorway. He looked concerned for a moment, or perhaps just curious, but the expression washed away with a pleasant smile as he saw her. "Well, hello there, ma'am," he said, his voice surprisingly light for his build. "Sorry 'bout that, weren't expecting anypony so early!"
The stallion rested one foreleg on the counter, extending the other. "M'name's Firelight."
"Silver Song," she replied with a shake of his hoof and a faint smile, the best she could manage at the moment.
"Well, Silver, what can I do for you?"
"With you being the local inn, I was hoping you might have room for a traveler for the night."
"Oh, of course," he replied with a hesitant nod. "We don't get much in the way of travelers 'round here, but you can have one of the benches for the night for five bits."
She glanced back at the tiny room. "...I guess. Might be a little hard to sleep if there are a bunch of ponies in here." Without thinking, she added, "At least, I assume you plan on having customers at some point."
Chuckling, Firelight shook his head. "Aw, hay. Don't you worry 'bout that. We're a bunch of hard-working folk here, ain't hardly nopony 'round that doesn't have to get up before the sun. Sure, there'll be plenty here in the evening, but come time for sleep, you'll have the place to yourself."
Despite the situation, Silver barely restrained a frown at the spectacular mangling of proper grammar. "Very well. I could also use some..." She glanced down to the placard, and this time she did frown. "...'Food.'"
"Be a couple hours 'fore the evening's stew is all done, but if you want somethin' now, I can whip up some sandwiches 'n such."
"Sure," she said, to which Firelight nodded and walked into the back.
Silver sighed as she slumped down on one of the benches. Her eyes fell to the lightly stained surface of the table before her, eyes wandering along the rough wood-grain and the tapestry of old stains. She just stared, tuning out the world.
She was eventually interrupted by a wooden tray with a sandwich, salad, and a glass of water.
"Here you are," Firelight said cheerfully.
Silver continued to stare for several long seconds before her horn lit up to lift the sandwich, and she ate mechanically.
Firelight seemed content to leave her alone at first, having left after a minute of awkward silence. As the afternoon wore on, however, he seemed to grow concerned. The glances and faint frown would have been worrying if not for the ability to sense emotions directed to her. Yes, he felt concerned, but it wasn't from worry about her. It was subtly different; concern for her.
Of course, it would be. He sees a pony that isn't all cheery and happy, and immediately feels sad for her. She kept from glancing at him. Can't have somepony unhappy and spoiling their perfect little world.
She was completely unsurprised when he finally came back up to her. "Ma'am? Are you okay?"
"Fine," she droned quietly, and utterly unconvincingly.
"Beg your pardon," he said with a shuffle of his hooves, "But you don't 'xactly look like you're doin' fine to me."
She turned her gaze to him, a look completely devoid of emotion that made the stallion shuffle again. She held the gaze for several seconds before sighing, eyes turning down to the table again. If he really wanted a reason, she could give him an excuse, and if she had to make up a story, she might as well start with the truth.
"...I had a bad breakup," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I couldn't stay there, after how things ended. So now I'm just wandering around. It's all I have..."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, ears drooping for just a moment before giving a sad smile. "But look up. I'm sure a pretty little mare like you can find somepony else."
"I don't want somepony else."
Firelight remained silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Well, I hope things work out for you." He turned to walk back but paused again. "You just plannin' on sitting there all evening? I got a paper here if you'd like somethin' to read. Only copy in town," he said, sounding proud at the last sentence.
Silver glanced at the paper and then turned away. "No. I'm rather sick of all the news lately."
"Fair 'nough," Firelight said with a wry smile. "Well, um... I guess if you need anything just, um, shout..."
He hesitated a moment more before slipping out again, and Silver crossed her forelegs on the table, laid her head atop them, and sighed. The little voice in the back of her mind was scolding her for being so distant. It had a good point. So many ponies reacted almost instinctively to the sight of another pony being less than happy and would try to cheer them up. It was a good way to build up an emotional investment, one which could supply plentiful sympathy, or even be groomed into a stronger affection. She would need food before too long, and that meant she couldn't just hold other ponies at a distance. That little voice noted that it would be so easy to take the sympathy given to a mare after a bad break-up and spin it into a new romance, a wonderful bounty of food. It was a perfect lie, using their own sympathy and best wishes to get them to serve themselves up happily to something that only wished to prey upon them.
She wanted to strangle that little voice.





True to Firelight's word, that evening saw the tiny inn filled with ponies--a whole half-dozen at once, even, not including her or Firelight. They came in twos and threes, in good spirits despite their appearance. Every single one looked tired from a long day's work in the fields, their fur dirty and laced with the scent of fertilizer. She had to suppress the urge to scrunch up her nose and turn away until she realized just how finicky and un-changeling-like that would be. Then she just sagged a bit more.
Naturally, many of them wanted to meet the newcomer.
This is probably the most interesting thing to happen in this tiny little backwater dump in at least a month, she thought snidely, as yet another pony tried to engage her in conversation.
"Hello there, miss. You're new in town?"
No, I've lived here my whole life, didn't you notice? Moron. "Yes," was all she said.
The earth pony nodded, with a smile that seemed to indicate he thought the conversation was going well. "My name's Blooming Field," he said proudly, offering his hoof.
Your name is stupid. "Silver Song." ...Not that mine is much better, I suppose. At least I'm not stuck with it for life.
The pony stood there, awkwardness ramping up by the second as he held his hoof out. He finally lowered it with a nervous chuckle. "Well, uh, that's a nice name. Silver Song. Very pretty." She only barely resisted rolling her eyes. "So where are you from, Silver Song?"
Oh, you know, a hive full of emotion-eating monsters that would just love to make your acquaintance. You? "Manechester."
"Oh, a city pony?" His smile grew wider. "So where were you going to have ended up out here, miss?"
She shrugged silently.
"Ah," he replied, glancing back at the other ponies gathered in the tiny room. A few looked on, watching their conversation. A few frowned faintly, having had no better luck when they tried to speak with her. Others simply tried to ignore the whole thing, occupying themselves with more engaging conversations with their peers, or reading the single newspaper. "...Well, um, yeah. I, um, hope that goes well for you..."
She sighed, ears drooping more as the little voice piped up in the back of her mind. It was still right. She couldn't just soak in her own misery and shut out all the ponies around her; she would need to feed eventually, and every pony she pushed away was a little less food for her.
"...I'm sorry," she murmured, only barely loud enough for the withdrawing stallion to hear.
He paused, looking back to her. "Pardon?"
"I'm... I'm sorry." She sighed again and rose up from her slumped posture to sit a little more casually. "I've just been having a really bad week."
"I could kinda tell," he replied with a soft smile, taking this as an invitation to sit with her. "You wanna talk about it?"
"No." After a few seconds of silence, she added, "But thank you."
As far as conversations went, it was slow and awkward, but Blooming--or "Bloom," he said--was friendly enough of a pony despite how quiet she was. Once it was clear she wasn't trying to shun him with silence, he seemed happy to fill in the quiet moments himself. It wasn't long before she could pull the faintest wisps of emotional energy from him, but it was slow, like trying to drink a milkshake through a ten-foot straw.
Sadly, their conversation had hardly started before another pony intervened.
"Excuse me?" A slim pony stepped in warily, a touch of nervousness flavoring his emotions. When Silver looked to him, he brought a hoof up as if to step away, but held his place. "Your name is Silver Song, right?"
"Yes."
"And you said you're from Manechester?"
She only just refrained from showing the alarm that question raised in her. "Yes."
"Are you related to Meadow Song?"
Crap.
Her heart was beating faster by the moment. "No."
"Well, it's just... you have the same last name."
She frowned. "So?"
He hesitated, then gestured with his muzzle toward her flank. "And you have the same cutie mark."
She started to glance back, but stopped herself; it struck her as a rather un-pony gesture, as if any pony would need to look at their own cutie mark. "So what?"
By now a couple other ponies were looking over the paper, casting an occasional glance over at her; the emotions she felt from them were growing more concerned by the moment. Bloom looked particularly awkward, as if caught in the middle of something unpleasant, while the pony questioning her did his best to stand his ground. "And Firelight told me you left Manechester because of a bad breakup..."
Silver's eyes went wide. Then they narrowed, her ears pinning back as she fixed him with a hard glare.
Undeterred, he went on. "And the paper said that Meadow Song was a changeling that was preying on some--"
His words were cut off by the sound of a solid thwack. He recoiled and fell back against the counter, forehooves clutching his nose. Silver stood, teeth bared as she glared down at him, one hoof still raised as if to strike him again. The room was silent except for her angry panting and some shocked murmurs.
The pony she had hit looked to his hooves--despite the strong blow, he wasn't bleeding--then back to her, eyes wide. A moment later he reached up, fumbling at the placard listing the little inn's prices. "C-catch!" he shouted, clumsily flinging it at her.
She caught it effortlessly in her magic and was about to retort when several gasps caught her attention. She cast a glare back at the other ponies, most of whom were glancing between her and the placard she held in her vivid green magic.
Double crap.
The pony who had been interrogating her screamed. "Ch-changeling!"
Chaos descended upon the tiny room. Ponies scrambled for the door. A few leaped out a nearby window. A couple dove under the benches, trying to hide. Most of them were shouting and screaming.
"It's a changeling, run!"
"Oh Celestia, don't hurt me!"
"Panic! Panic!"
"Please don't eat my love! I'm still using it!"
Silver's ears twitched, teeth gritting harder. A growl built up as the ponies around her panicked, and in a fit of rage she sent the little placard hurtling after the ponies scrambling out the door. "That's right, run away! You pathetic, inbred, moronic bunch of cowards!"
Turning, she lunged in the direction of one pony scrambling out the window; she shouted out a snarl at him, which he answered by shrieking and falling out the window. She turned, bucking a table and knocking it sideways, then grabbing a bench in her magic and throwing it across the little room, sending it crashing into a wall.
A green-coated pony pushed his way in through the door, apparently eager to see what was going on despite the shouts of "Run away!" and "Changeling!" coming from most of the ponies he was pushing past. Silver screamed out in rage and leaped at him, at which point he turned to run with the rest.
Or at least, that was how it looked for a moment. She was just reaching the peak of her jump when she realized something was off about him. Yes, he had shifted his weight forward as if to run away, but the stance was wrong. His forelegs were too far forward, and rather than starting to run, he seemed to just crouch forward on them.
Recognition came too late as his rear lifted from the ground, and like a compressed spring, his entire body snapped back to plant both hind-hooves straight into her chest.
She rocketed straight back, crashing into a table and ending in a sprawled heap with it against the back wall. For an instant, there was no pain, only a feeling of pressure as if something was wound tight around her chest. After the screaming and snarling, the world seemed momentarily silent. Then she gasped in the breath that had been knocked from her, the pain finally registering, feeling as if somepony had just driven a dozen nails into her chest.
She had no time to contemplate her injuries as the green-coated pony snapped out of his wide-eyed surprise and lunged at her. She returned the gesture with a blast of magic; not the kind of narrow, focused dart that could slice through a creature like a spear, but a broader blast that caught the pony in midair and sent him hurtling back over the counter. Another pony had been following after that one, also leaping at her. She didn't have the time to build up the magic for another blast like the one she had just released, and instead just used a bit of telekinesis to nudge the leaping pony upward--just enough for him to go sailing out the open window above her.
Those two hadn't been alone, she found, as a strongly-built red mare came charging in after the last, slamming into her before she had the chance to react. Silver cried out as stabbing pain shot through her chest, but she tried to fight off her attacker. They scrambled, Silver twisting as she drove her hooves at the other pony's sides in an attempt to dislodge the other mare, only to cringe back each time the motion drew a new stab of pain. She scrambled, and the red mare clutched her in a powerful grip, seeming to drive her whole weight down on Silver's injured chest.
"I've got it!" the mare shouted, squeezing and twisting Silver to pin her down. "Come here and help me hold it!"
Even uninjured, Silver couldn't have matched the red mare's strength, and judging by the way she moved, it seemed as if she was experienced with fighting, or at least wrestling. Still, she was just an earth pony, and Silver was a unicorn.
A blast of magic broke the red mare's grip and sent her crashing into the ceiling, only to fall back to the floor several feet away, pelted by a rain of plaster from the pony-shaped crater above. Despite the impact, she was already scrambling to get her hooves under her.
Silver wasted no time. Despite the pain in her chest, she clambered up through the window--knocking down the pony who was starting to climb back in after having been ejected moments earlier--and hit the ground in a gallop. It took a disconcerting moment to focus her inner magic, but after a moment the familiar green flames tore away Silver Song, leaving Nictis exposed.
The changeling's wings buzzed to life, drawing a sharp hiss of pain as he lifted off the ground; several cracks ran along the chitin of his chest, shifting and digging painfully with the motion of flying. He didn't let that slow him down, however. Gritting his teeth, he flew on, out of the reach of the village of earth ponies.





Okay. Let's try Silver Lining.
New Silver was rather different from old Silver, and in significantly more ways than surname. She still had a similar silver-gray coat but otherwise looked entirely different. A spiky blue-and-white mane topped her head, matching the colors of her slightly-less-spiky tail. Her eyes were ice-blue; the change in color might have clashed with that of her magic, but she had traded in the horn for a pair of wings, hoping she wouldn't miss the convenience of magic too much.
And this time, her cutie mark was different. That had been the hardest part, coming up with a suitable design. She had eventually settled on a dark cloud with sun-rays cast up above it. After she thought up the name Silver Lining, it had been significantly easier, and she felt the tiniest bit of pride at it. She could pass it on as having a talent to find the best in even the worst situations, something that would let her weave a tragic tale of how she ended up traveling alone (and thus, drawing sympathy), yet would have a perfect excuse for being easily cheered up by a friendly pony (and thus, potentially forming a closer affection to feed on).
For some reason, she scowled a little at that line of logic, but couldn't deny that it sounded like solid reasoning.
She sighed, hiding the reflexive wince that tried to make itself known. Even after a night's sleep in a small stretch of forest, her chest still hurt. She no longer had to grit her teeth as she moved, at least. Her innate magic had sped her healing, but it also meant that she was consuming energy at a much more rapid pace. She had plenty enough to heal, but she disliked the idea of running too low. She'd spent so much time getting used to being so filled with love; feeling that reserve rapidly depleting was an unpleasant development.
So, despite how much she'd rather just sit down and mope for a while longer, she knew she needed to go into town and act friendly.
The town in question was only a short distance away, past a few fields. She could just make out the sign at the edge of town declaring it to be "Horseshoe Falls." Ponies were already up and about, going about their business. It was still a small place even compared to Hoofington, but still larger than the village she had visited the day before.
With another sigh, she walked out to the road leading into town, limping faintly. She wouldn't let a little pain stop her, even as much as she'd rather lay down and rest.
A few of the ponies working near the road gave a friendly nod as she passed by, which she returned. A few even wore those ridiculous cowpony hats she had seen elsewhere and tipped them in greeting. Entering the town itself, she got several more casual greetings from the ponies wandering the streets. At least there was no suspicion for a new pony walking into town. Everypony seemed rather cheery, in fact.
Except for a single violet-colored mare, who had stopped to stare at Silver, her eyes narrowing to a glare.
Silver looked away as she continued on, hoping to look like any of the other ponies out in the street; sadly there were far too few to disappear into the crowd. A few seconds later she could tell it wasn't helping, as the violet mare was walking toward her with a purpose.
"Hey! You!"
Silver strongly considered running, but instead stopped and turned her head to look back. "What?"
The violet mare practically stormed up to her, jutting her muzzle in so close that Silver drew back. "...Who are you?"
"I'm... Silver Lining. Why, who--"
"And where are you from?"
"Manehattan, what--"
"Manehattan, hmm?" The mare drew her head back, starting to circle around Silver and eying her critically. "A likely story..."
Silver blinked a couple times, then glanced around to see how much suspicion this was raising. Several ponies were casting disapproving glances, though for some strange reason it seemed they were focused on her assailant rather than herself. The rest were simply trying to ignore the whole thing.
Then the mare was back in her face. "And why would a city pony be sneaking into some little rural town, hmm? What are you doing here?"
Silver's eyes were wide as she took a step back. "I-I'm just traveling, passing through--"
"Why? Where are you going? What are you up--"
"Violet!"
A brown mare wearing another of those cowpony hats was storming up, fixing the violet-coated mare--Violet, she assumed--with an angry glare. "Violet, you stop harassing that poor girl!"
Violet glared back. "Not until she confesses!" She turned her glare back to Silver. "You can't hide from--ack!" She yelped as the brown mare expertly flipped her hat off, caught it in her mouth, and swatted at her several times.
"Oo quid ed!" the mare growled around her hat, then flipped it back up onto her head. "That's enough of this, Violet. You can't just go around harassing ponies just because they're new in town!"
Violet's eyes widened, then narrowed again as she took a step back. "So. You're one of them too, huh?"
The brown mare rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's right, I'm a changeling too. Go home, Violet!"
Silver's eyes went even wider, fairly certain that her heart had just completely stopped.
Violet glared at the other mare, then back to Silver, who winced away. Violet raised a hoof, pointing it straight at Silver. "I'm on to you."
With that she backed slowly away, her hoof pointing the whole way.
Silence reigned until she had finally--many excruciatingly long seconds later--slipped around the corner, and the brown-coated mare spoke up. "Sorry about--"
"What the hay was that?" Silver blurted.
The mare paused before giving a wry smile. "My cousin Violet. Like I was saying, I'm sorry about that. She's always been a little odd, but lately, she's been outright uncontrollable." She frowned. "She's not usually so mean, though. Not exactly the best welcome for a new pony in town, either. Sorry."
Silver breathed deep and slow, trying to keep away the trembling that threatened to overtake her. "Th-that's okay," she said shakily.
"My name's Grace," the other pony said while holding out a hoof. "I hope I can at least repair a little of the damage my cousin's caused to first impressions. This is a genuinely nice town, apart from a few odd ponies."
"Silver Lining," she replied, shaking the offered hoof. "And, um... what was that about... about you being a changeling?"
She really hoped that didn't sound as hopeful as it did in her head.
Grace just let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, that. She's always been a little odd and paranoid, so ever after that whole hoopla in Canterlot she's been seeing changelings everywhere." She sighed, shaking her head. "This isn't the first time she's laid into some traveler. Not the first time she said I was one for defending folk, either."
"Ah," Silver said, frowning a bit. "It kinda seems more and more like this isn't the best time for traveling."
"I should hope most ponies aren't as rude as that," Grace said with a concerned look.
"Oh, no, of course not," Silver replied. Then a thought occurred to her; this was the perfect opening to shoot for some sympathy. "...I mean, there have been several who were a little distant or suspicious of strangers. It's sad to see ponies growing so untrusting, but given what happened, I can't really blame them for being nervous."
"I think that's no excuse," Grace replied, with a look that said she was rather unhappy with these fictitious ponies. "The more trying the times, the more we need to stick together, and I think it's horrible that some ponies would forget that so easily."
Silver nodded, a faint smile returning; she could appreciate the sentiment, even if it felt a bit bitter at the moment. "Oh, of course, but... what if she was right? What if she did find a changeling?"
It seemed like a perfect opportunity to discover what kind of dangers she might face, what kind of reactions Equestria would have, but Grace's eyes simply went wide. "Oh sweet Celestia, I hope that never happens. She's hard enough to deal with already, I can't imagine how much of a pain she'd be if she were ever proven right!"
Silver let out a nervous chuckle. A sudden impulse crept into her mind and refused to let go. She decided to go with it; perhaps absurdity might be the best way to divert suspicion. "Oh, well, I suppose I should keep my oh-so-convincing pony disguise up," she said with a roll of her eyes and a chuckle. "I wouldn't want to encourage her."
Inwardly, she was struggling to keep her breathing and expression steady despite the impulse to freak out, but Grace just laughed. "Hah! Yeah, you be sure you do." Then she raised a hoof to shake it at her. "No offense, but if you were a changeling, I'd have to thump you one for stirring my cousin up even worse."
"Well we wouldn't want that," Silver said, chuckling in a way that hopefully sounded happy instead of nervous. "Not that I can imagine what 'worse' would be."
"You don't want to know," Grace said flatly, her hoof returning to the ground. "Anyway, sorry. Other than being accosted by strange mares, what brings you to our little town?"
"Well, other than enjoying not being the 'strange mare' myself?" She shrugged, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible. "Just kind of wandering. I couldn't stay where I was, but I don't really have anywhere set to go. I'm kind of just looking around, really."
"Looking for what?" the other mare asked with a friendly smile.
Silver paused. "Someplace worth staying at. A place I could get a good job and some good friends. Some place I could have a good life."
"Well, you seem nice enough, friends shouldn't be a problem. And I'm sure there are plenty of good jobs here. It's a nice town."
Silver paused to look around, then back to Grace. She seemed quite nice, and surprisingly trusting despite the events of a few moments prior. Silver could take advantage of that, she knew, though the thought didn't carry the sense of pride it once did.
"...I'm not sure if I'm really ready to settle down," Silver said, reluctantly. "There's a lot of world out there, after all, and I'd kind of like to see more of it. But..." She looked around again, allowing a small smile. "I think I might make my way back here, eventually. It seems like a nice place." She paused, then added, "Eccentric welcoming committee aside."
Grace snickered softly, then nodded. "I understand. Anyway, uh, I'm kind of on my way to work. In fact, I've got to hurry along now, but hey, I've kind of got this meetup this evening with some friends. If you didn't have any plans, would you like to come along?"
"Really?" Silver asked, genuinely surprised. "I mean... you just met me, after all."
Grace chuckled. "Aw hay, it's not like I'm asking you on a date or anything. It's just that you seem nice, and I've always liked making new friends." Then she paused, glancing to the side before giving Silver a sly smirk. "Plus, as insufferable as my cousin can be at times, it's kinda fun to mess with her every now and again."
Silver snickered. "Well, in that case, I'd love to come along."
"Great!" Grace pointed down the street at the open square nearby. "That's the town square, there. How about we meet up there ‘round a quarter past five?"
"I'll be there," Silver replied with a smile.
With a wave, they parted, and moments later Silver's smile vanished, ears drooping a touch.
A couple inns lined the main streets near the square, and Silver picked the more populated of them. Arranging for a room was simple enough, though it cost a bit more than the bench she almost had the previous day. And then... she found herself again sitting in the common room of an inn, with absolutely nothing to do. A much nicer, roomier inn, at least.
There were a few other patrons, catching a quick meal or getting a few drinks, but she wasn't looking for company at the moment. Her mind was too busy to engage in such deceptive conversations at the moment.
Only a few minutes in town, and she had already made a prospective friend. Ponies--most ponies, anyway--were a friendly lot, which of course made it easy, but she found the situation uniquely uncomfortable. Folding her forelegs on the table, she rested her chin wearily atop them.
Can I really do this?
She sighed, considering her situation. What am I going to do? Stay here, make new friends? Grace seems friendly enough, and she wants me to come along with her friends. I'm sure I could make plenty of friends and have all the food I need. But could I really just start a new life, as if I could just replace him? Or would this all just be another lie?
Or should I just... keep moving?
The thoughts tumbled around in her head as she waited, but no matter where they wandered, she kept coming back to Spark. She kept imagining that look, that feeling of fear and pain when he had discovered the truth about her. About what she had done, what she wished she could take back, to have never done in the first place.
Maybe I can convince him to forgive me, she thought desperately, despite knowing how foolish that hope was. Ponies were a soft-hearted breed, but some things were surely beyond even them. Now he knew what she was; a monster that had ruined several years of his life for her own selfish gain. The same kind of monster as the ones who had just launched a brazen and unprovoked surprise attack on the capital of his kingdom. Even worse, she could only imagine what he must be thinking now; reevaluating every moment since then in a new light, trying to discover other moments when she may have been using and deceiving him.
He must hate me.
She raised a hoof to wipe at her eyes, focusing on keeping her breathing slow and steady.
Maybe... someday... but for now, I have to keep going. I have to do what I can to survive. I can't replace him, but... maybe I can do better this time. She took a deep, steadying breath. No lies. No manipulation. Just one tiny, omitted detail...
Her thoughts were shattered by a yell that made her jump, wings snapping out reflexively.
"There she is!"
Her head jerked around to see Violet pointing at her--and a sudden, chill shock shot through her at the sight of the two Royal Guards beside her. She fought down panic and the urge to flee, quickly drawing in every detail she could, and the very first was the disposition of the Guards themselves. There was no anger or hatred there. Instead, they seemed... bored.
Well, the gray-coated unicorn mare in front seemed bored. The white-coated pegasus stallion looked to be practically strutting along and seemed completely unconcerned about her.
The implications of their attitude were clear, and Silver nearly smiled at it. Instead, her expression turned into a scowl. Right. Time to go on the offensive. She grumbled, "What do you want now?"
Instead of answering her directly, she looked to the unicorn that seemed to be the leader of the pair of Guards. "She's the changeling I told you about!"
The unicorn gave a suspicious look, though Silver was quite gratified to see it directed not at herself, but at Violet. Of course, Silver felt she should encourage that suspicion. "Ugh," she groaned, rolling her eyes. "I am so sick of this." She fixed Violet with a glare. "Every town I've been through over the last few days I've had to deal with the same load of horse apples just because I'm a new face. I just want some place to rest and unwind after traveling the countryside, but everywhere I go, I have to deal with paranoid ponies like you who seem determined to ruin my life!"
"Hah! You can't fool me. I know what you are, trying to sneak into town and replace one of us, but you won't get away with it."
"For the last time," Silver groaned, "I'm not a changeling, I'm just new in town."
The unicorn guard stepped forward. "Okay, look--"
"Don't listen to her!" Violet said, earning a frown from the guard. "I saw her change!"
Silver's eyes went wide as she leaped to her feet, incensed. "You pathetic little liar! It's bad enough that you're harassing me just for being new, but now you have to go and make stuff up, too?"
"Calm down, both of you!" The Guard's words were not overly loud, but they were forceful enough to cut through the conversation. Silver clamped her mouth shut, wanting to have no argument with the Guard; not only could they get her in a lot of trouble, but the unicorn mare was really somepony she didn't want to anger. Who knew what a militarily-trained unicorn could do with her magic, never mind that this was one of the toughest-looking mares she had ever seen. Not bulky, exactly, but still strongly built.
Violet, however, was not so easily silenced. "I know your orders, you can't just ignore this! You have to investigate every reported changeling, and I'm reporting that she's a changeling."
The unicorn turned a harsh scowl to Violet. "I am well aware of my orders, thank you very much. More so than you are."
"Then you're going to reveal her, right?"
The scowl intensified. "We will investigate your claim if you will just be silent and let us do our jobs."
"Good," Violet said with a triumphant nod, and waited.
The Guard mare sighed, stepping over to Silver. Her expression had softened, and Silver even detected a bit of sympathy coming from the Guard. "I'm sorry about all of this," the mare said, offering a faint, comforting smile.
"It's not your fault," Silver grumbled, turning her head away. "Besides, with the way the last couple days have gone, I've kind of gotten used to it."
The Guard nodded, and Silver could feel the sympathy grow a tiny bit. "Well, we'll get this all over with as quick as we can so you can get back to your own business, okay?"
"Sounds good," Silver replied. She paused and was about to say more, but she never got the chance. She hadn't even noticed the glow around the unicorn's horn until she felt the tug against her own magic. Before she realized what was happening, she felt the foreign magic flow against her own, slicing into the sustaining elements of the spell. With a sudden jerk, the magic was gone.
In a flash of green, Silver was stripped away, leaving Nictis standing there. Undisguised. Naked. Exposed.
Nictis and the unicorn stared at each other with wide eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn't help wondering which of them seemed more surprised by the development.
The unicorn blinked, coming to her senses first. "Uh... okay, you--"
The sound of her words brought him back to his senses, and he did the most natural thing he could do, given the circumstances: he turned and bolted for the door.
"Wait! Stop!" the unicorn shouted, horn flaring. Nictis felt the magic of her telekinesis wrapping around him just before he got to the exit, and shot out a pulse of his own magic to break her grip. An instant later he shouldered his way past a very startled pony who was just entering the inn, stumbled, and tumbled out into the street.
Several ponies yelled out at the sight of a changeling suddenly appearing in their midst. He quickly scrambled back to his hooves and ran as the two Royal Guards ran out of the inn after him. "Halt!" the unicorn shouted out, which Nictis took as encouragement to run even faster despite the quickly-growing pain in his leg. Other ponies skittered back out of his way, too startled by his sudden appearance to intervene, and a moment later he dove into an alleyway.
The moment he broke line of sight with his pursuers, he called on his magic again to form a new disguise; nothing that would pass even cursory examination, but which might help him lose his pursuers among the crowd of other ponies. His black, shiny carapace and insectoid wings were about as far from blending in as he could get. His magic tried to form, but it seemed to stutter and break apart right as it tried to form the portion of the spell that would hold it all in place. Green fire flickered across him, but no change came. It was as if whatever the unicorn had cast was lingering in his own magic, disrupting his ability to sustain the spell.
This is bad! This is really bad!
He continued running down the alley, already trying to work out the quickest way out of town. If he just followed the street outside the alley, he should be able to see the forest outside the edge of town within a couple blocks. Maybe less.
A shadow passed over him, drawing his attention up to the glitter of gold above him as the pegasus Guard winged over into a tight loop, swooping down at him. Oh, right. That one can fly. A moment later it occurred to him that he could, too. I spent way too much time as a unicorn.
He had only a moment for self-recrimination before the pegasus had dropped down before him, hovering only a few feet above the ground. "Hold it right there!" he shouted.
Nictis ignored the command, instead leaping with a buzz of his wings--and a grimace of pain as his partially-healed chitin flexed in ways it shouldn't at the sudden use. Fortunately, the maneuver paid off; the pegasus had expected him to continue running instead of taking to the air, and failed to adjust quickly enough to block his path. Nictis passed just inches out of his reach, and after a few moments of unsteady and painful flight, he dropped back to the ground and ran.
The pegasus was quick. He'd hardly landed when another flash of white and gold swept past him, and the Guard landed at the end of the alley. "I said halt!" he shouted, crouched and ready to spring up if his target tried to sail over him again; fresh and uninjured, Nictis had no doubt that the pegasus would easily be the better at aerial matters.
Instead of repeating the obvious tactic, Nictis dropped his head and rammed his shoulder into the Guard.
The two of them tumbled out into the street, a furious bundle of black and white and gold, limbs flailing. Nictis's wings complained loudly at the abuse, twisted in ways that wings really shouldn't be twisted. Limbs scrambled aimlessly as the two tried to gain purchase on the other. Or more accurately, Nictis scrambled aimlessly; the pegasus moved precisely as he intended, hooking in around Nictis's limbs and body and quickly twisting a pair of chitinous legs in ways that they really shouldn't be twisted.
Fortunately, he did still have magic, and the pegasus did not. He sent a quick burst of magic into his horn--
And the pegasus slapped a hoof against it, sending a painful shock down through Nictis's head and shattering his unformed spell. A moment later he found himself lifted and twisted, pressed muzzle-first into the dirt of the street with the pegasus's weight bearing down on his back. The pegusus twisted one of his forelegs back in a way that threatened horrible pain but did not quite reach that point. "Settle down!" the pegasus growled.
Nictis flailed, struggling as hard as he could despite the growing pain in his chest and legs. His eyes were wide with panic, and each breath came loudly, caught halfway between a growl and a scream, as if simply making noise might help him to escape. In his panic, all manner of horrible fates flashed through his mind, carrying threats of what could await a changeling that fell into the hooves of ponies who had been so wronged by them.
Each twist and buck and squirm barely phased the pegasus that held him, but it did at least keep him occupied. It gave Nictis just a moment to act. Tucking his head down brought his horn out of the pegasus's immediate reach, and he fired up another spell.
With his horn below him, he couldn't cast directly at the pegasus to knock him off, as he had with that earth pony the day before. Instead, fueled by desperation, he fired a bolt of energy into the ground beneath his chest.
He didn't hear the spell so much as felt it as it detonated against the street. A powerful blast threw the two of them back, slamming the pegasus Guard against the side of a building, with Nictis's weight driving back against him. Rebounding from the impact, they fell to the street, no longer entangled with each other.
Nictis gasped in the air against the stabbing pain in his chest. The world reeled around him, fighting his efforts to stand up. He nearly collapsed with a bit-back scream as he tried to put weight on his right foreleg, the same leg that had been twisted back by the pegasus. It refused to bear any weight, or even move properly. Something had broken with the impact.
Getting back on his hooves, he hobbled on three legs toward the alley across the street, the fourth held up against his chest. The world refused to settle and focus; colored blurs that he knew were ponies danced around him. Some seemed to be moving closer.
Nictis turned his head aside, calling up his magic again to send out a fan of flames. He didn't direct them against the blurs of color, merely sending up a curtain of green fire between him and them. Muffled yells fought their way through his muddled senses, sounding much further away than he knew they were.
The world was slowly returning to focus, the ground no longer swaying beneath him. The blurs of color quickly resolved into the faces of frightened and angry ponies, though rather more of the former than the latter. A few of the latter were starting to close in; another brief fan of flames between him and them sent them scurrying back, and he continued on, a few more ponies scattering out of his way. A glance behind him found the pegasus Guard rising, shaking himself out of the daze from the impact. The impact had knocked the wind out of him, but it seemed the armor had done its job and prevented any injury.
Nictis hobbled faster, passing into the alleyway.
He nearly reached the next street before the Guard returned, swooping down at him. Nictis staggered, sweeping his horn around to send up a curtain of flame between them. The pegasus yelped and pulled out of his dive, giving Nictis a few more seconds of freedom.
He stepped out of the alley and looked down the street. There, a few hundred yards away, he could see a gathering of trees; the edge of the forest outside town, and his hopes for escape.
The pegasus swooped down in front of him, between him and his freedom. "Give it up!" the pegasus shouted. "You can't keep running."
Nictis stared at the trees a moment longer, fixing the image in his mind. He could only see their tops, but hopefully, that would be enough. Another fan of flame forced the pegasus back up the street, and Nictis dove back into the alley, horn flaring with green fire as he poured magic into it.
If he had been thinking more clearly, he might not have led the dive with his injured shoulder. Fortunately, it mattered little; as he came down he met not the hard-packed dirt of the alley, but the wrenching sensation of the world moving past him. An instant later the flames of his fire portal flicked away, and the underside of a bush smacked against him.
He found himself nearly pinned in place by the tangled branches of the bush, surrounded by trees and wild foliage.
He was free.
Nictis gasped out a pained but happy sigh, the panic of his near-capture dissolving into joy at simply being alive. Turning his head, he could see the edge of town, and several seconds later a gold-clad pegasus shot up over the roofs. The pony darted about from place to place, searching for his prey who had somehow vanished in that tiny alley. Nictis slowly relaxed; they had no idea what had happened.
He lay there for some time, catching his breath while ignoring how badly his body hurt. He just wanted to lay there and sleep, but he knew he couldn't risk that. Eventually, the ponies might expand their search outward, and he was still dangerously close. Still, he had the time to catch his breath, recover, and assess the situation.
And the situation was... not good. He winced whenever he moved, carefully checking himself over for injuries. His dorsal chest plate was fractured, deep cracks cutting through its surface. Breathing brought pinches and stabs, and he already knew how badly walking was going to hurt. Flying would be impossibly painful, even if his wings hadn't been damaged. The thin membranes had been twisted enough to leave thin lines of discoloration where they had nearly split. A little rougher, and they might have torn.
Then there was his right foreleg, which had a deep split in the chitin that ran from his back, over his shoulder, and curved along the entire length of the upper leg. The wound seeped slightly, staining the black carapace with red.
Wounds could heal, though. Regeneration simply drew on his magical reserves, and even these injuries could be healed quickly with enough love. That, however, led to a greater problem: his reserve of magic was dwindling rapidly. He wasn't sure if he even had enough to fully heal, and he certainly didn't have enough to both heal and still survive for long. He was in desperate need of a source of love.
Though at this point, he'd settle for even a little sympathy.
Again, he tried to resume his disguise. Again, his magic failed him, but the spell drew tantalizingly close. At least he recognized the effect now. It had been years since his rather cursory studies in magic, but it had passed on at least a basic understanding of magical defenses. Whatever spell the unicorn had used had been intended to disrupt ongoing magic, and attacked the sustaining part of the spell; because he was actively sustaining it, even if unconsciously, such an attack had struck against... well, whatever it was that let him sustain the spell. He wasn't exactly versed in the particular terms and mechanics. Fortunately, it seemed to be recovering quickly. A few more minutes and he should be able to hold a disguise again.
Eventually, he forced himself to stir. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he disentangled himself from the bush he had emerged in and forced his way up to his hooves. He allowed himself one last, lingering look back at the happy little pony town, full of lost opportunities. A potential friendship ended before it began, all because ponies found out what he was. He could have used that friendship, built up a pleasant life for himself, but now that was gone. Again.
...Used, he thought bitterly as he turned and hobbled away. I could have used their friendship. Used them. Well, that's the changeling way, isn't it? He ignored the moisture tickling along the dirty and scuffed chitin of his cheeks. They're better off finding out what I am before I "used" them...





The city was more pleasant at night. Or perhaps it was simply easier to deal with.
Nictis walked down the nighttime street, ignoring both the lingering pain in his right shoulder and the rather inebriated mare and stallion behind him, the last patrons to leave the little bar he had spent the evening in. He was disguised, of course. Today he was Nightshade, a sleek and sexy pegasus mare. Just another disposable disguise, one of many he had taken over the past five days since Horseshoe Falls. Something attractive and superficial, enough to bring interest and casual affection over a night of chatting and drinking, but which still let him act distant and uninterested in anything more than some temporary companionship.
It was enough to feed him. It was no bountiful feast and offered no close connections between him and the ponies he was feeding on. Just a little nibble here and there. Not enough that they'd notice. He was careful not to form a lasting impression. That would only lead to pain.
It was enough to feed him, but only just.
The hooves of his assumed form clip-clopped off the street as he walked along, only a faint limp hinting at his injury. A few days of travel through small villages and towns, keeping as much to himself as possible, had finally brought him to the city of Baltimare. A city large enough that one new face would not be notable in the slightest. Where a single random stranger could show up each day at a different gathering place, and arouse no suspicion. Where even if he were to be discovered--something that had thankfully not happened again--he could simply take a new form and show up in a different neighborhood.
He turned onto a path leading through a park, only barely taking note of his surroundings. The air was chilly, carrying a faint, salty scent of the ocean. Even in the middle of the city, it was nearly silent. He liked it more this way. It was simpler. No ponies.
Well, almost no ponies. Beside the path, an earth pony was dozing on a park bench. He had no idea what the stallion was doing there; he looked as if he might have just gone out for a nighttime walk and decided to take a nap there. As he looked on, he couldn't help feeling temptation at the sight of a pony all alone, where nopony else would see them.
He was hungry. The emotional energy he had gathered was enough to sustain him, but only just. Truthfully, it wasn't any less than when he had been back at the hive, sipping just enough from the hive's gathered emotional energy to sustain himself, but there he had the assurance of the entire hive and their stockpile of love. All he had to do if he was hungry was to go and take it.
And here he was, with a pony already incapacitated and vulnerable, with nopony watching. A pony, likely just as filled with love as all the rest. All he had to do was take it. It was no different than pulling the love from a cocooned prey: flashy, crude, and overt, but functional. One spell, and he would have food for weeks. The sleeping pony wouldn't even know what had happened, only waking later to a feeling of utter exhaustion, both physical and mental. Nopony was there to see her magic at work as it tore the love right out of him.
He stared for several seconds, the muscles of his assumed form's jaws tightening... and then slowly relaxing again, his head drooping as he resumed his walk.
I can't. I... I'm not that desperate. If I was starving, I... He frowned, ears drooping. ...could I do it then? He couldn't help a weak, bitter smirk at the thought of somepony finding the husk of a dead changeling, and the following confusion as to how a creature that feeds on love could possibly starve in a place like Equestria.
Leaving the park, he cut into a dark alleyway, the sound of his hooves echoing in the narrow space. Once he was hidden from the street he stopped, ears perking up and swiveling about. Silence reigned over the dark space, broken only by the dull whistle of the wind passing over the buildings around him. Nopony could see him.
A moment of concentration brought up a flash of flame, the sleek form of his current disguise replaced by a somewhat huskier build; not overweight by any stretch, but still thicker and curvier than the lean form he had previously taken, with a thicker, longer coat. Tall and lean might be considered quite attractive by many ponies, but it was not very good for keeping warm in chilly weather.
He stood there a moment longer, ears still pricked. No gasps of surprise or near-silent hoofsteps met his ears. He held perfectly still for a minute to make sure, but he was alone.
He sighed, slipping off his saddlebags. Then he nudged up the edge of a large cardboard box, kneeling down and sliding in under it to lay in the crude little shelter he had established. Memories of his first days in Manehattan had come every time he returned here, but he knew there would be no apartment to upgrade to. There would be no connections, even to a landlord. Nothing that he couldn't abandon guilt-free or take with him.
"Home sweet home," he muttered. He trembled, clenching his eyes shut, and tried to sleep.