Chapter 21: Another Way
At first glance, Ponyville struck him as being no different from any of the other small Equestrian towns he had seen. The buildings were all of the same rural architecture that was so prevalent in the smaller settlements, the layout of the town itself held the same clean and pleasant style with many open spaces and fields, and the ponies all seemed as friendly as ever. Sure, there were a few little things that broke from expectations, but they were generally minor. A bakery made to look like a gingerbread house might be a little odd, but certainly not all that unusual. It probably helped business, even.
The building set within the body of a still-living tree was a new one, though.
Nictis lingered in the shadows at the edge of the alley, looking at the unusual building that advertised itself as, of all things, a library. Strictly speaking, he didn't need to hide. None of the ponies there seemed to think anything of a new pony wandering about, but he couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable. Already his heart was beating faster, a little twinge of adrenaline teasing at the edge of his nerves. It was as if his body was certain everything would go wrong at any moment, and was getting ready to flee. The way his body looked at the moment, or more properly, the particular disguise he had taken, was just making things worse.
It made it rather hard to simply stand there, doing nothing, but he managed. He was there for a purpose.
He'd been waiting for a good fifteen minutes before that purpose emerged from the library, and a hint of panic crept into his senses again at the sheer strangeness of what he saw.
The changeling, Sky, emerged from the library. He gave a happy call back to somepony inside, waving goodbye, and then shut the door. Nictis looked him over intently, as he had done frequently while shadowing the other changeling around town. Sky looked fit and healthy, his carapace so smooth and glossy that it could have been polished. Strangely, he also wore a piece of jewelry, a semi-circle of silver held close at the base of his neck by a silver chain, adorned with a blue gem. On top of that, he looked so happy.
He was also clearly the changeling that had been reproduced so many times in Glitterbug's drawings. The details matched too perfectly.
Sky smiled and casually trotted along down the snowy street, while Nictis looked on, watching him going down the street in full view of so many ponies. Some of the ponies seemed quite friendly with him, greeting him with smiles and the occasional wave. Some seemed indifferent, and a few looked to him with a degree of uncertainty as he passed, but the majority seemed content with his presence.
This is so weird. So... wrong...
Nictis slipped out of the alley, snow crunching under the hooves of his disguise as he followed along, blending in among the various ponies traveling back and forth. Even as much as he tried to reassure himself that nopony would suspect him, he knew his choice of disguise was a risk. He was in the form of Meadow Song again, and his instincts screamed out about the danger of assuming a compromised disguise. Despite that, he had taken the form just after arriving in town. It might not make sense, but... whatever happened next, he had the feeling that day was going to be an important day in his life, one way or another. Perhaps it was nostalgia, but Meadow felt like a rather fitting choice for the occasion.
He followed along from a distance, silently observing. A few times he had to stop, pretending to look at something in a shop window or a pretty sight when the other changeling stopped to talk with a pony. He still couldn't believe his eyes every time, seeing a changeling and a pony engaging in a short, friendly chat, both smiling.
Even knowing that a changeling was living openly in this town, it was hard for him to accept it as true. Part of him insisted it was a trick, that no changeling would possibly expose themselves to so much risk. That's why he was tailing Sky, observing him from secrecy to see if he could find any flaw in the ruse, but there was none.
This is actually happening. How is this actually happening?
It was not long before Sky arrived another building and entered it. Nictis stopped a ways back, looking at the structure. It was a home. Sky's home, in fact, the same place he had started following the other changeling. It had been easy to get directions to the lone changeling's home; something as unusual as that had stuck out in ponies minds, it seemed. He had waited, intent on discovering as much as he could before approaching Sky. He wanted to be as prepared as he could.
As he stared at the closed door of the changeling's house, he knew he was no closer to being prepared than he was the moment he stepped into town.
Instinct told him to run away, to avoid this place at any cost, but he did his best to push those thoughts away.
I... I need to just do this. I need to go up there, and...
He swallowed, then lifted a hoof and took a single step. Then another. Slowly, the door drew closer, his heart pounding harder with each step.
When he reached the door, he hesitated, glancing back. Trained instinct mixed with paranoia, telling him that at any moment, some pony would notice what he was doing and get suspicious. After a few moments, he forced himself to lift a faintly trembling hoof and knock it against the door.
Silence. He steeled himself, trying to hide the fear. Nothing suspicious going on here, he thought. Just another pony, just... doing pony things. He glanced back to see if anypony had found his behavior suspicious. He was well aware that doing so itself looked suspicious, but he couldn't help it.
The door opened, and his attention snapped back.
Sky stood there at the door, a polite smile on his face. "Hello?"
Nictis stared wide-eyed, his heartbeat racing. For the first time in almost a decade, he found himself face-to-face with another changeling. It was something he had practically given up on ever seeing again, and now--
Stop staring!
He jerked his gaze away, glancing back to see if anypony had noticed his reaction. Then his attention snapped back to Sky. His mouth moved silently for a moment before he managed to speak. "I... heard that there was a changeling living here," he said, unable to keep a faint tremble from his voice. "In the open..."
He could see the other changeling's expression change very slightly, and a moment later Sky stepped back, lifting a hoof to gesture back. "Would you like to come in?"
Nictis hesitated, glancing back. What would ponies think of another pony walking into a changeling's house?
Sky spoke up again. "Or I could come out if you'd rather."
"No!" Nictis said quickly as his attention snapped back to Sky, and he stepped inside. As an afterthought, he paused to tap his hooves on the ground, shaking the snow from them. "No. It's... much more comfortable in here."
The other changeling smiled at this. "My name's Sky," he said, in a pleasant tone that seemed to suggest this was nothing unusual to him. "Would you like anything to drink?"
Nictis nodded silently, beginning to look around the inside of the house. Sky trotted off, leaving him alone for the moment as he continued to look. It all seemed so... normal. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but seeing what could have easily been any other pony's home just seemed so strange. It was perhaps a bit on the sparse side for furnishing and decoration, but it seemed decent enough. In fact, it looked like this changeling was doing quite well for himself.
That made it all even more weird.
A minute later Sky returned, a pair of steaming cups floating in a field of green magic. He moved one over to Nictis, who took it in his own magic. The scent of hot chocolate met his nose, though he didn't pay the cup any attention. His mind was elsewhere.
After several seconds, Sky spoke again. "So where are you from? I hope it wasn't too long of a trip."
"Oh." Crap, what do I say? Um... "I guess Hoofington originally, but I really just travel around. I don't really stay in one place." His heart was pounding faster. It was a simple enough of an improvisation, being basically true. His life had been completely fluid, flowing wherever events took him. Now, however, he found a changeling living openly, teasing the possibility of something... better. The next part came quietly, as if speaking too loud might ruin the idea. "I, um, had kind of thought about staying here. In Ponyville." Again he looked around. It all just seemed so impossible, and yet, there it was.
"Well then," Sky said, "I'm guessing you must have questions, to have brought you this far."
So many questions, he thought uneasily as they raced through his mind, but there was one thing he wanted to know above all else, the entire reason he had come here. He set the cup of hot chocolate aside, still untouched. "How did you do... this?" he asked, gesturing around the room with one foreleg.
Sky looked confused by the question, his head tilting to the side. "I'm sorry?"
Nictis hesitated. "You... you're a changeling. But you're living among ponies. And they know it. And..." This is all just so wrong! "...How?"
Instead of the suspicion or unease that he had feared the question might draw, he saw Sky's smile grow a little. "Well, it's a long story. The simple version?" He shrugged a little. "Well, basically I started by just... showing them who I was."
Dead silence. Nictis stared for several seconds. "You... just showed them?"
He nodded. "It wasn't easy, and I have to admit I was scared at first, but that's how it started."
...That's insane, he thought. He instinctively glanced aside, as if expecting to see somepony sneaking up on him, ready to jump him at any moment. It... this can't be right. It's a trap, or... or... He stepped back, nearly trembling. I should run away now, before they catch on. I... I shouldn't have come here!
He stopped after a single step, frozen in place. I... I can't just keep running. Maybe... maybe this is real? He looked back to Sky. There was unease there, but there was also sympathy. He's exposed to all the world, but he's still happy. And... ponies like him. Trust him. I... I came here for this. I can do this. I need to...
He shuddered a little, adrenaline biting at his nerves as he tried to focus. If he accepted what Sky said, if he went through with it, everything would change. There was no going back. If it went badly, then at best he might escape, to go on as he had been. At worst, he would lose everything. But then, he had hardly anything to lose. If it worked... maybe everything would be better. Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about whether he would be found out. Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about hurting ponies with his deceptions just to get by. Maybe he could actually have a life, friends, happiness.
Spark.
And then he reached out with his mind, tugging at the strings of his magic until his spell unraveled.
Green flame flashed across his form, tearing away the form of Meadow Song to expose the trembling changeling beneath to a very surprised Sky. The two changelings stared at each other in silence, both seeming at a complete loss for words. When the silence grew too much, Nictis swallowed, and in a quiet and fearful voice asked, "Then... what comes next?"
"Next," Sky echoed numbly. An instant later, Nictis felt hope, happiness, and even a faint affection coming from the other changeling. The feelings were clear and unguarded, as if the other changeling were offering them freely to him. It was a surprisingly trusting gesture. Unlike ponies, changelings didn't generate the same emotional energies; feeding off the energy from one changeling would deprive them of that energy, and yet, Sky was leaving his emotions completely unguarded. Sure, he could cut off the flow as soon as he felt something going on, but not before Nictis could take a large bite of it. Such trust and generosity was almost unheard of.
Sky smiled, his whole expression brightening by the moment. "...Next, I think we should talk to Pinkie Pie about arranging a welcome party."
"...What?"
"A welcome party!"
Nictis blinked, his chitin crawling at the images that came with the other changeling's suggestion; him, alone, undisguised, surrounded by ponies. "A... a party? I don't know. I mean, wouldn't that be a little... public?"
"Yeah, that's the point!" Sky said happily. "It's kind of a tradition here, and what better way to show everypony that you're just like any other pony? I mean, you know, other than being a changeling."
"That's kind of a big difference!" Nictis blurted, taking another step back, but Sky just shook his head.
"Not that big," he said. "Besides, isn't that why you're here?"
"I, uh..." Nictis wavered, shuffling his hooves awkwardly. Of course it was, but it was a big leap to go from just thinking such things to plunging himself into the middle of the herd, exposed and helpless.
But... I've started this. I need to see it through.
Nictis nodded.
"Good," Sky said, grinning. "And the first step is showing these ponies that you can be honest and that you can be trusted, and the best way to do that is by showing yourself and putting your trust in them! See?"
Nictis stared for several seconds, marveling at the juxtaposition of Sky's statement making complete sense and yet being absolutely insane. It did make sense, after all. Infiltrators used the same basic principles to gain the trust of their targets, but the trust and honesty they offered were acts, not such a dangerous truth! Changelings do not expose themselves! And yet, there Sky stood, proving that long-accepted truth to be wrong. Unable to word a proper response, Nictis simply nodded again.
"And besides," Sky said, "Ponies will probably be a little more friendly to somepony who's responsible for them having a great party, right?"
"...Yeah," Nictis added. That part at least made sense, although he imagined their enthusiasm would be rather less when the "pony" responsible turned out to actually be a changeling.
"See, this will be perfect!" Sky reached out and patted Nictis firmly on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go talk to Pinkie."
"Pinkie," Nictis repeated numbly as Sky trotted to the door, and his eyes went wide as he realized what the other changeling was asking. "Wait, you want me to go out there? Like this?"
"Trust me, it'll be fine!"
Nictis stared as Sky stepped out. His mind screamed out: Why should I trust you?--but part of him looked to the emotions flowing freely from that other changeling. Sky was happy that he was there. He liked him. He was even willing to put his trust in Nictis, a new changeling that he had only just met. Whether the plan made sense or seemed utterly insane, Sky clearly thought that what he was doing would help Nictis.
Nictis looked to the other changeling, who was smiling back, holding the door open for him. With a deep, shuddering breath, Nictis forced himself forward, to step back outside.
The street was not very busy, but it might as well have been completely filled for how oppressive it felt to Nictis. It wasn't like in Horseshoe Falls. There he had been running, soon to escape the crowds. Here there was no escape. Here, every pony would see what he was, and he was supposed to just stay there, the focus of all their attention. Every instinct screamed to run, to hide, to do something. Instead, he focused on following Sky, who was trotting along so happily that he was practically bouncing, rambling on about how great it was to finally have another friendly changeling around, about how they had a great party to look forward to, and all sorts of other exclamations of optimism and excitement.
Nictis just did his best to keep pace, his head and body low, as if he might hide there just by being so much less noticeable than the exuberant changeling leading the way. His eyes looked this way and that, a constant lookout for threats... but none were coming. There was no screaming. No ponies leaping at him. No calls for guards. No anger or hatred or harsh glares. There was the occasional surprise, and the even more rare looks of unease, but far more common was simple curiosity.
This doesn't make any sense, he thought, picking up the pace to stay closer to Sky. It's all so wrong, but this is far too elaborate to be a simple trick...
The strangest reaction was from a yellow-coated mare with a curly orange mane, who exchanged greetings and a wave with Sky. She had hardly finished her greeting when she noticed that there were two changelings walking by her, not just the one that she was familiar with. She stared in surprise for several moments. Then he saw her do what was probably the single creepiest thing he had ever seen a pony do: she smiled and nodded to him. The smile was small, the nod was faint, but they were there. He simply continued to stare in disbelief as he numbly followed Sky.
This is really happening. I don't know how, but this is really happening!
For such a short walk, Nictis was feeling exhausted by the time they reached their destination, his legs weak and trembling from long-faded adrenaline. They had arrived at that same oddly decorated bakery he had seen before. As Sky opened the door to enter, Nictis hesitated. Traveling the streets was one thing, where he could keep distance and fly off if needed, but in a building he'd be practically trapped, pressed into close quarters with who knows how many ponies. He had to steel himself, to force his trembling legs to carry him inside.
The inside of the bakery did have several ponies, but he was thankful to note that it was still a fairly sparse crowd, only about half a dozen. He was still penned into a small space and outnumbered by ponies, but at least he wasn't completely surrounded, and the ponies seemed politely curious rather than afraid or angry. In fact, they were acting almost as if bizarre events like this were a common occurrence.
All except the poofy-maned pink mare on the far side of the room, looking out from behind the store's counter with wide eyes and a rather loud gasp.
Nictis cast a glance to Sky, who was simply grinning, and then looked back--only to have his view blotted out with pink. He had only glanced away for an instant, but she had cleared the space to press her face in so close that their noses bumped.
"Hi!" she called out, grinning.
Nictis jerked back, letting out a mangled sound halfway between a pony-like yelp and a changeling-like chirp. His shaky legs didn't quite cooperate, and an instant later he found himself laying on his back, legs in the air, while the pink pony just giggled.
"I like him," she said to Sky. "He's funny!" Then she hopped forward, her hooves landing on the floor on either side of him. "My name's Pinkie Pie! What's yours?"
He cringed, practically trapped there by that strange pony. "N-nictis," he stammered before his mind could even begin to freak out over him giving his real name to a pony.
Sky stepped forward, lightly placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Easy, Pinkie," he said with a hint of a chuckle. "I think you're scaring him."
"Scaring him?" Her grin vanished, replaced by a momentary look of concern as she stepped back--I'm free! Nictis thought--and offered a small smile. "You shouldn't be scared of me, Nunictis! I would never hurt a friend of Sky's. You're his friend, and he's my friend, so that just about makes you my friend, too!"
Nictis stammered in incomprehension until a simple observation hit him: she liked him. It wasn't a particularly strong feeling, but she truly did hold a small degree of affection for him, a changeling she had only just met. As strange and bizarre as her statement had been, she was telling the truth. Unable to quite process that, he numbly replied, "It's... just Nictis."
A pink hoof was suddenly right in front of him. "Glad to meet you Nictis!"
When he took her hoof, she hauled him upright--eliciting another chirp-yelp--and then shook it vigorously. "It's always good to meet a new friend, and I'm so happy Sky finally managed to find another changeling to... be..."
As her words trailed off, her eyes went wide. She abandoned the hoof-shake, turning to stare wide-eyed at Sky, with an expectant grin. "Sky! Did you bring him here for what I think you brought him here for?"
Nictis cringed back a step.
"That depends," Sky replied with a smug grin. "What do you think I brought him here for?"
"Welcome party?" she asked, bouncing on the tips of her hooves.
"Welcome party," Sky replied with a nod.
Pinkie lept up, pumping a forehoof in the air. "Woo, welcome party!" The cry drew some chuckles and eager murmurs among several of the ponies gathered there, and Nictis was shocked to see several of them smiling happily at the prospect of attending a welcome party for a changeling.
Pinkie landed from her celebrations, turning her grin back to Nictis. "Okay, is there anything special that I should include in a changeling 'Welcome to Ponyville' party? This needs to be the best that it can be, but I've only thrown a party for two changelings before--at least, as far as I know--and I still don't know what changelings do for parties! I need to fix that!"
Wait. What? "Two?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah. Sky and Chrysalis, but--"
"What?!" Nictis blurted, scrambling back wide-eyed. "You... t-the Queen... w-what?!"
Pinkie took on a guilty look. "Well, I didn't actually get to throw the party I had planned for her, and I didn't even know she was a changeling at the time." Then she frowned. "But she was a meanie, so I wouldn't actually throw her a party unless she apologizes!" She emphasized the last word with a stomp of her hoof. Then she hesitated, a thoughtful look crossing her face. She raised her hoof, lightly tapping it to her chin as she quickly murmured. "Hmm, unless a good party is what gets her to apologize..."
Nictis simply stared in wide-eyed disbelief. Sky snickered.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Pinkie blinked. "Wait, I can't spend time planning her party right now. I've got to plan your party! So, what kind of stuff do changelings do at their parties?"
"I, uh, we... we don't actually have parties."
Pinkie's smile faded, her eyes slowly going wide with shock as what he said sunk in. "...That's so sad!" she cried out and lunged forward, her forelegs closing around him.
Nictis tried to pull back, but he was too late. Instead, he could only struggle as she started to crush the life out of... no, wait. She was just hugging him. That was a strange sensation; he'd gotten used to the feel of two soft ponies hugging, but the feel of a soft and fleshy pony hugging his firmer, chitinous body, it felt like all sorts of new and weird. And... and the sympathy! His struggles ended abruptly as the emotion registered in his senses. He'd rarely felt such a strong sense of compassion and sympathy, but there she was, hugging a changeling and feeling sympathy for him!
She eventually drew back, letting her forehooves linger on his shoulders as she looked him in the eyes, her own watering just a tiny bit. "Nopony should ever have a life without parties," she said, giving a small, encouraging smile. "That goes for changelings, too."
Uncertain as to what he should do, he simply nodded.
A moment later the smile vanished again. "Wait!" She plunged a hoof into her mane, pulling out a watch. After a moment to check the time, she gasped. "Oh my goodness! I've got to get started now! I've got to make this the best party that I can, and there's so much I need to do!"
She dashed to the back of the store, headbutting the back door open and calling into the next room. "Mr. Cake! I've got to go, it's a party emergency!" A moment later she ran back over to them, skidding to a stop. "Party room! Here! Tonight! Eight o'clock!" And then finally she bolted out of the store, leaving the small bakery comparatively silent with her absence.
Nictis simply stared and blinked a few times. The whole situation had gotten to a level of weird that any fear he had simply couldn't sustain itself. "...What just happened?"
"Pinkie Pie happened," Sky replied with a snicker. "Don't worry, you'll get used to her." He paused, then chuckled again. "Or not."
Despite the absurdity of the situation and the lingering sense of lurking doom, he couldn't help but let out a single, nervous chuckle.
Then he groaned softly, his head starting to feel heavy, as if all the input and thoughts were physically weighing it down. "I... I think I need to sit down for a bit," he said, wavering slightly.
"Take a seat," Sky said, gesturing to a stool at one of the tables as he claimed the one opposite it. Nictis followed, sitting down. He rested his forelegs on the edge of the table and buried his face in his hooves, taking deep, calming breaths. His heart was still racing, and the exhaustion of faded adrenaline and anxiety was rapidly seeping into him. Even if he had logically acknowledged that he was--somehow!--not in imminent danger, his body refused to believe it just yet.
"Are you okay?" Sky asked.
"It's a lot to take in all at once," Nictis muttered through his hooves, taking another deep breath and sighing. "It's just... a little hard to accept that this is really happening. I was always so worried about being found out. It was drilled into our heads that being discovered meant death, but..." His hooves fell away, leaving him to stare numbly at the table. "Everything I was taught is a lie..."
Sky didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. Nictis could feel the surge of sympathy. Oh, how he had missed this, the simplicity of interacting with another changeling. None of the crude and vague expressions and careful wording to clumsily convey emotions. Instead, they simply felt them. Nictis could feel Sky's sympathy. Sky could sense Nictis's appreciation at the offer of comfort. Nictis could feel the slowly growing affection coming from Sky. It was all so simple and clear and honest.
"And..." He glanced over at the ponies at their tables, who somehow seemed to take no notice of the two changelings openly sitting there. "...Even if they really are willing to accept a changeling--and I'm still having a hard time accepting that--I don't know if they'd be willing to accept me..."
Concern. "Why not?"
"I've... done some bad things," Nictis said, slumping slightly.
Sky's smile shrank, but the feelings of sympathy never wavered. If anything, they grew. "I think we all have," Sky said, his voice a little lower. Nictis looked up, a little surprised to see the other changeling looking somewhat guilty. "I think I almost killed somepony in Canterlot. I can't be sure. I crashed pretty hard after the shield went up, so everything before that is still kind of a blur. I haven't been able to piece much together, but... I'm pretty sure that I hurt her. I might have almost killed her."
He paused for a moment, the gap filled with the silent emotional conversation of two changelings sympathizing with each other. When Sky spoke again, his voice sounded firmer, more confident. "A pony I greatly respect told me that everypony has done something that they regret, but they don't have to let that shape their future. Ponies are very forgiving creatures, at least to anypony who genuinely regrets what they've done."
Again, silence. There wasn't anything to say; Nictis knew the feeling of appreciation from him spoke more clearly than any words could. Still, he couldn't help smiling, just a tiny bit. "I just... I never thought I'd see something like this. Ever since I first came to Equestria, I always thought... none of this was for me. I could enjoy it for a short time, but then I'd go back to the hive. I knew that ponies would never accept some... monster. But... but none of that was true. They're really okay with this?"
Sky nodded. "Yes. Not all of them, there are still some that feel uncomfortable or dislike how things are going, but... well, Ponyville has seen me going around enough that hardly anypony thinks anything of it, and Canterlot is getting there, too." He let out a soft chuckle. "Heck, you're probably in more danger of being mobbed by ponies curious to learn about you than anypony coming to you in anger!"
Nictis managed a soft, nervous chuckle; he appreciated the attempt to lighten the mood, but laughter was a bit much to ask for just yet. He was still struggling to make sense of everything, but Sky was content to sit there in silence, offering him comfort until Nictis spoke again. "You were in the invasion?"
Sky nodded. "Yes. You?"
"No," Nictis replied. "I didn't know anything about it until I heard the news, and then..." He shook his head. "Do you know why it happened?"
"No more than any pony does," Sky replied with a shake of his head. "Anything before I crashed is fuzzy at best, and I can only remember vague bits and pieces of the hive. Or at least, I think it's the hive."
"Oh," Nictis said, disappointed. The snarky little voice in the back of his mind had recovered enough to point out that he was placing his future in the hooves of a potentially brain-damaged idealist, but he pointedly ignored it. "I'd kind of hoped you'd know. It doesn't make any sense to me."
"Or me," Sky said, frowning a little.
That brought another small smile to Nictis's face. Finally, someone--better yet, someling--who could share his opinion. It was short-lived, wiped away by the following thoughts. "It's hard to believe that the hive could be so... wrong about ponies. There's so much emphasis on how we have to hide, about how Equestria would wipe us out if we were discovered, but... but that's not true either, is it?" His eyes widened slightly as the thought registered. "There's not going to be any invasion or anything. The hive is safe, isn't it?"
Sky blinked, surprise clear in his emotions. "An invasion? No, of course not! Equestria isn't going to war. The attack on Canterlot was repelled, and the Royal Guard is far better equipped to combat infiltration. To tell the truth, the changeling hive is a notable issue to Celestia and Luna, but not as a threat. Not exactly. Now that changelings are widely known, it's likely that they'll have a much harder time successfully infiltrating Equestria to get love. They're concerned that the difficulties they may face in getting food might lead to famine... and that it may prompt Chrysalis to do something drastic."
"...Drastic might be good," Nictis said, prompting a small rush of anxiety from Sky that was quickly calmed by Nictis's own reassuring emotions. "Judging by the invasion, not as drastic as... as the Queen might do, but..." He timidly gestured a hoof around the room. "...This is pretty drastic by changeling standards, but somehow it's working." He looked over Sky a moment, again noting how fit and healthy the other changeling looked. It was particularly marked next to his own weary and worn appearance. "You look like you're doing pretty well for love."
Sky chuckled. "Well, maybe not full-blown love. I'm, uh, still working on that. But yeah, I get enough from friendship that I hardly know what to do with it all!"
"I still don't get that," Nictis said, slowly shaking his head. "They really just let you feed off them?"
The other changeling shrugged. "Well, yeah. Ponies are so full of love, I'm pretty sure any one of them could sustain a whole crowd of changelings without any ill effects. One changeling among a bunch of ponies is easy. Twilight even said that emotion feeding for an openly known changeling would probably be kind of self-regulating. A pony that comes across a friendly but hungry changeling might feel more sympathetic to them, which gives that changeling more food, while if a changeling draws too much and starts wearing out the pony they'll know what's going on and probably be displeased with the changeling for overfeeding, which also cuts off the emotions. I kind of like how that works out!"
As weird as it is, that actually makes some sort of sense, Nictis thought, before another question came to mind. "Who's Twilight?" And why does that name sound familiar?
"Oh, one of my friends," Sky said with a shrug. "She's pretty smart."
Friends with a pony. With multiple ponies, even. "...How many friends do you have?"
Sky paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Good friends, or more casual acquaintances?"
"Good friends."
Sky thought a moment longer before shrugging. "Near a dozen."
Nictis gaped and sputtered for a moment. "A... a dozen? But, that... what?" He shook his head. "You mean despite everything that happened, you managed to get a dozen ponies to like you?"
"Well... near a dozen that I'd count as good friends. Yes."
"And they... actually trust you? Even though you were a part of the invasion?"
Sky nodded. "Like I said, if you show them trust, they'll return the favor."
"Enough that you've made a sizable number of friends and been entrusted with a position in the government?"
Sky snickered at that. "What, the whole 'Counselor on Changeling Affairs' thing? Sure, but it's just a fancy title, for the most part. I mean, I'm supposed to be an advisor to the Princesses on matters involving changelings, but there are--were no other known changelings living in Equestria, and we haven't had any contact with the hive. Mostly I just visit Canterlot once a month or so, or talk to ponies to give the occasional 'changeling' perspective on things. Maybe if more changelings show up, I'll finally be able to do something deserving of the title. With you showing up, I kind of feel like there might actually be some hope for that."
Nictis sat silently, considering that. The more cynical part of him thought such a title and position would be a great way to keep track of someone the Princesses distrusted, but he dismissed it. There were plenty of other ways to accomplish that same goal. Instead, he thought of the idea of changelings living openly among ponies, about how many changelings could be fed off such a population if what Sky was saying was true. But... "I wouldn't expect too much of that," Nictis said, sadly. "Most changelings never leave the hive. They'd never even know about... this. Even if they did, they'd never believe it." He sighed. "I've lived with ponies for years, even gave up on ever returning to the hive, but I still have a hard time believing it."
"You gave up on returning to the hive?"
Nictis hesitated. I could go back, he thought. The hive isn't in danger. Equestria isn't going to wipe it out. I could go back...
The thought that would have brought a surge of hope and excitement before now simply... was. It had lost its magic. It was just another place, its idealized fantasy shattered. He looked around the shop at the happy ponies talking and eating and shopping as if there was nothing odd about a pair of changelings there among them. A few noticed his gaze crossing them; some simply looked away or ignored him, but a few smiled or nodded to him. The reflexive feeling of wrongness still crept up, but it had lost its bite. It was not Equestria that was wrong.
"...I found something better," Nictis said, his voice weak.
More reassuring sympathy flowed from Sky. "What was that?"
"It's... kind of a long story."
"Well, we've got a while until the party," Sky replied. "And if you're planning to live here, I'd love to learn more about you."
Nictis looked back at the smiling changeling, who was doing his best to help him, to make him feel welcome there. Yet at the same time, Sky hadn't told him anything about ponies that he didn't already know. He had lived among them for years, observing their ways, often with scorn and cynicism. For all his observations, he'd always held onto the same notions, ones that had been drilled into his head throughout his upbringing. He had clung to those teachings, even in the face of everything he saw. Only now, sitting there with another changeling, both of them undisguised among ponies who seemed perfectly content with them being there, did he see enough to question it.
"...I guess I should start when I was still a nymph, nine years ago," he said, voice low and quiet, but steady. "When I first left the hive on a training mission..."