Epilogue
The past week was easily one of the strangest and most stressful times of Nictis's life. His stay in Ponyville had a rocky start, and yet, it had been both enlightening and encouraging. The party had been the hardest by far. Things had been awkward enough when Golden Harvest--the mare that had greeted him in the street--had mentioned being in Canterlot during the attack. It got worse when he discovered that the purple unicorn he was speaking with, the Twilight Sparkle whose name had seemed so familiar, was not just some sort of hero, nor just the student of Celestia whom he'd heard of a couple times before, the same one who had somehow defeated both Nightmare Moon and Discord and saved the world multiple times over, but also one of the three ponies most directly responsible for repelling the changeling invasion. The final straw had been a very friendly green unicorn by the name of Lyra, who had casually and cheerfully mentioned not remembering much of the invasion due to being mind-controlled by Chrysalis at the time.
She then joined Sky in trying to coax Nictis back out of the closet he had shut himself in, while he lay curled up inside in the midst of a full-blown panic attack.
Yet the same experience that had initially sent him into a panic eventually helped him find peace with the situation. Sky and Lyra both hugged him after he came back out. Lyra spent most of the party trying to help him feel more comfortable, and most of the ponies seemed very sympathetic to his fear. Eventually, he had managed to calm down, to force the discomfort and panic into the background and make an attempt to socialize. Feeling the happiness that rose in several ponies' emotions just at seeing him begin to enjoy himself was a truly bizarre experience, and yet, so wonderful.
He still didn't leave Sky's house very often, but he managed it on occasion. It wasn't that he was fearful of what would happen, not any more, but he still felt rather uncomfortable on his own. For the first few days, he wouldn't even dare to go outside without Sky alongside him.
And then more changelings came.
Their arrival had changed things for Nictis in the strangest way. The pair of drones were nothing special. They were not Infiltrators. They were not even soldiers. Skiris and Trip were simply a couple of tunnel-workers who had been dragged along into the invasion. Neither of them had any idea what was really going on, simply following along with their orders as they always had. The entire hive had been mobilized, and the two had stuck together throughout the endeavor. In the chaos of the aftermath, they ended up stranded and injured inside Equestria. Remarkably, they had remained hidden for months on their own through a mixture of improvisation and paranoia. Even on the verge of starvation, they had refused to approach Sky for fear of it being some elaborate trap. Only when Nictis had entered the scene had they finally decided to take the risk.
It had been almost heartbreaking when he had seen them drop their disguise; a pair of haggard and timid changelings, near starvation, and yet defiantly protective of each other. It was a turning point, in so many ways. No longer was he the scared young changeling, terrified in the face of something new. Instead, he was the one offering them comfort and encouragement. He had a purpose again. The ponies had been very friendly and welcoming, but it took the arrival of those two changelings for him to feel that he had a place there.
Now Sky's home felt far more alive. All four changelings were living there currently, and the place was no longer so empty. It was like their own little hive in miniature. A place where they could relax and let the standards of pony society slip just a bit.
Perhaps I've found my own way, after all. The thought brought a small smile to his face, a hoof rising to hold the simple compass on its golden chain as he looked down at it. It was a habit he had reluctantly copied from Sky. The other changeling wore his silver torc with its cloud-shaped sapphire as a way of identifying himself to ponies who were unfamiliar with distinguishing one changeling from another. Nictis disliked that he should have to do such a thing rather than ponies simply learning how changelings simply didn't look as identical as they assumed, but it made interactions easier. Besides, that compass was the first tangible thing he had of any personal significance, and just about the only constant to exist throughout his time in Equestria. If he had to have a symbol to represent himself, he couldn't think of any better.
A faint, buzzing snore brought his attention away from his symbol. He let it hang against his chest as he looked over to where Skiris and Trip were napping, huddled up together on the floor beside the couch he sat on. A few visitors had been a little uncomfortable when they found the two sleeping on the floor, but Nictis found it somewhat nostalgic. After all, even the carpeted floor was far more comfortable than anything they would have gotten in the hive. Their natural habit of sleeping wherever seemed convenient and out of the way also meant he had occasionally found himself sharing the couch he had claimed as his sleeping place, but the presence of other changelings all huddled together in sleep was surprisingly comforting. It brought back all the familiar memories of sleeping in the crowded chambers of the hive, yet in far more comfort. It was nice seeing changelings just... being changelings.
Their arrival had also brought new hope to Sky, and in turn, to Nictis. They weren't the only changelings in Equestria. How many more might be hiding in Equestria, who might welcome a better way to live? How many drones like Skiris and Trip were still in the hive, unaware that something better could exist for them out there? Thoughts that had once been vile and traitorous now shone with the hope of something better, something that they were now certain could exist. They could help every changeling.
But that was all for later, vague and long-term plans that might take years of effort. There would be much work ahead, Nictis was sure, but he found himself welcoming the prospect. For the first time in months, the future was beginning to brighten, and he had a purpose in it. He was well fed, on emotions not stolen, but freely given. There were a few ponies he could even count as casual friends, despite his timid outings. Almost every part of a good life was sliding into place.
Almost. One part remained, and it was the reason he was sitting there, hovering over a single sheet of paper. It was blank, and had remained blank for almost an hour as he tried to think of what to write. His newfound and faint optimism wavered, but as he glanced back to the two peacefully sleeping changelings nearby, it held.
Everything there was supposed to be impossible. It had been drilled into his head his whole life. It was accepted as a simple fact of life for changelings. Yet there he was--there they were--having done the impossible.
His magic lifted the quill as determination filled him. What would follow would surely be difficult, but he had already managed what was supposed to be impossible. He didn't know exactly what he could do, or how it would all end.
As he levitated the quill over to the unwritten letter, the only thing he knew for certain was how it would begin.
Dear Spark...