//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Hunt // Story: Identity Crisis // by The Engineer Pony //------------------------------// Twilight stood at her castle balcony. Below, Ponyville lay in the soft glimmer of dawn. The shadows of night still spread throughout the streets, but light had begun to claim the rooftops as the sun edged over the horizon. Pure beams of brilliant energy illuminated the dark town, bringing every building and home into sharp contrast. Soon, the sun would be up, and ponies would begin to carry out their daily routines in the comforting warmth of the day. In the opposite direction, the magnificent city of Canterlot rose out of the mountain in the distance. Canterlot gleamed in an image of peaceful splendor, an ancient fortress of history that remained undisturbed by the long years of Celestia’s reign. Light illuminated the spires and ramparts of the royal city, the dawn blessing the elevated mountain capital before it reached down to the plains below. Pure white marble shone in the brilliant colors of the rising sun, and golden towers reflected the growing light. There stood a city of importance, of power, of glory. To Twilight, it was a city of old memories, of a previous life that no longer felt like it fit her. More worrisome to Twilight, though, was how serene the distant city appeared. No protective shield had been raised about Canterlot, as it had been by Twilight’s brother in the days leading up to the royal wedding. No visible defenses had been put in place, no royal guards patrolled the skies, and no summons had been sent to gather the princesses. It was as if Canterlot had done nothing to prepare for the impending threat of a changeling invasion. Twilight wondered why that was so. The previous day, as soon as she had made it back to her castle, Twilight had sent a letter to Princess Celestia detailing the situation with Mayor Mare. She knew the princess would want to hear at once what had happened, so she had wasted no time in writing the letter and having Spike send it off. Dear Princess Celestia, We are once again on the brink of catastrophe. Earlier today, I met with Mayor Mare to discuss matters pertaining to Winter Wrap Up. During the course of our meeting, the mayor acted very suspiciously, and she fled her office. I chased after her, and found she had been replaced by a changeling. The changeling provided no information beyond a hint that other ponies have also been replaced. I am certain you will agree with me that this is a matter of greatest importance, which must be dealt with immediately. I can meet you in Canterlot at once so we can consider this matter, or if you would prefer to come here question the imposter, I am keeping the changeling in my castle. I hope you and your sister are doing well. I await your insight and guidance concerning this crisis. Your friend, Twilight Sparkle Sending the letter had immediately soothed Twilight’s worry. Princess Celestia would know how best to deal with a renewed changeling threat. She always had some sort of plan, even if it was merely an affirmation that Twilight was fully capable of dealing with the situation on her own. By this point, Twilight was prepared for any sort of response from Princess Celestia. Perhaps the princess would lay out a detailed stratagem for detecting and apprehending changeling infiltrators. Possibly she would explain how allowing a changeling to think it had successfully impersonated a political leader was part of a greater scheme to lure the changelings into a trap. Or maybe Princess Celestia would simply make an oblique reference to some new aspect of friendship that would inevitably unlock untold magical power. Nothing would surprise Twilight at this point. But nothing was exactly what had happened. It had been almost a full day since Twilight had sent the letter, and still she had yet to receive a reply from her fellow princess. Twilight had thought a matter of such urgency would elicit immediate action, and the prolonged silence unsettled her. What possible reason would Princess Celestia have for ignoring Twilight? In the past, Princess Celestia had always at least acknowledged Twilight’s concerns, even if at times she had not seemed to give them the attention Twilight believed they warranted. What had changed? Twilight dragged herself away from the balcony, sparing Canterlot one last expectant look as she went back inside the castle. She could not afford to wait any longer for guidance from Princess Celestia; she would need to take action herself. The thought of facing this threat on her own did not trouble Twilight too much, for she had overcome many difficulties without the princess’ guidance. It was more the peculiarity of Princess Celestia’s silence that unnerved her. Not to mention, she thought uneasily to herself, the fact her friends were not by her side this time. Moving at an increasing pace, Twilight weaved her way through the halls of her castle. She headed toward a guest bedroom high in the central tower, a spacious room with a spectacular view of the Everfree Forest. After securing the room with every protective spell and magic-nullifying enchantment she could think of, Twilight had locked the changeling prisoner in there. She had of course provided the changeling with an ample selection of books to keep it entertained; not knowing what literature changelings preferred, Twilight had brought a sampling of every genre kept in her library. Twilight reached the door to the changeling’s prison. It appeared identical to all the other superfluous doors in the castle, just as uniform and unnecessary as dozens of others gateways to rooms she did not know what to do with. But on the other side of that particular door was a potential threat to Equestria. Two short knocks announced Twilight’s presence before she swung the door open. She did not need to worry about the changeling attempting a quick escape through the open entrance, for a shield spell would prevent any passage through the doorway. She had perfected a transparent version of her brother’s famous defensive spell, allowing her an unobstructed view of the changeling inside. The changeling stood motionless at the window. It gazed out to the wide expanse of sky that was still changing color with the coming of day. From all appearances, it seemed the changeling had stood there all night without moving. The sheets on the bed were unruffled, and the pile of books on the opposite wall was still arranged precisely the way Twilight had organized it. “Excuse me,” Twilight said. Her voice lacked the authority of royalty, sounding more like an apologetically intrusive guest in a stranger’s home. The changeling gave no acknowledgement of Twilight’s presence. It continued to stare into the blue void without so much as a twitch of movement. “Excuse me,” Twilight repeated slightly louder. “I was wondering if you needed anything. I could have Spike bring you some food, if you like.” Silence. “I mean, I can’t remember if changelings eat regular food, or if they even can. I used to have a book on changeling culture, but it was burned up…when…” Twilight’s ramblings trailed off. After several more seconds of quiet, a chittering sound finally came from the changeling. It sounded similar to a pony’s gentle chuckle. “No, I do not require any of your food.” The changeling lapsed back into its noiseless watch. “I see,” Twilight eventually said. Clearing her throat, Twilight tried again. “Is there anything else I can get you?” Once again the changeling did not respond. “I said,” Twilight continued, slightly louder, “is there anything else I can get you?” At last, the changeling turned its head from the window to look at Twilight. Its featureless eyes peered at her in wordless judgment. “You know nothing about changelings, do you?” it asked. Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “Like I said, I lost my reference guide when—” “Trivial matters,” the changeling abruptly interrupted, its voice low but harsh. “Externalities. Things we changelings can adapt at a moment’s notice. No, you know nothing about us, Princess Twilight Sparkle. We have studied ponies for years, learning to adjust and blend in, but you do not understand enough to be able to detect us.” “I understood enough to catch your mistakes,” countered Twilight. The strange chuckling sound escaped from the changeling’s mouth again. “But not enough to see all the other changelings hiding in plain sight. You have no idea how many of us are in Ponyville.” “How many are there?” Twilight demanded, a bit more forcefully than she had intended. The changeling’s vague condescension was making her uneasy. “Enough,” came the short reply. “And what do you hope to accomplish?” Twilight asked. “Who knows?” The changeling smiled, its fangs giving the expression an ominous look. “You cannot tell, because you only see a glimpse of our actions. You do not understand the motivations behind them, for they are…” The changeling paused as it sought the right word. “Disguised.” Finished with its proclamation, the changeling turned back toward the window to resume its stationary vigil of the outside world. Twilight stood in the entryway, contemplating the changeling. What did the changeling mean? What was it hiding? Twilight did not know if she should report these nebulous warnings to Princess Celestia, or if it was even worthwhile, considering the princess’ lack of response to the last message. And what of the changeling itself? Was it a threat to Equestria that needed to stay imprisoned? Was there a way she could reach out to it in kindness and show it the magic of friendship? Twilight was doubtful such a thing was possible with changelings—and she was reluctant to try, considering what they had done to her brother and sister-in-law—but spreading friendship was her job. If yaks and dragons could understand friendship, why not changelings? Because yaks and dragons did not steal your foalsitter and attack your family, she supposed. “Or maybe I don’t understand ponies, after all,” the changeling said unexpectedly. “For instance, I am at a loss to explain why one is climbing up the side of your castle.” Rather than continuing to ponder the sky, the changeling peered downward from the window. It took flight and hovered near the ceiling to get a better view of something below. “What?” Twilight rushed into the room to see what the changeling was looking at. She promptly bounced against her own shield spell and fell to the floor. Quickly picking herself up again, Twilight summoned her magic and teleported outside the castle. She reappeared floating in the air outside the bedroom window. Looking down, Twilight was startled to see that the changeling had been correct. A grappling hook was latched onto the window of the changeling’s room, and a rope reached down to the ground from there. A pale yellow earth pony with a two-colored mane swiftly ascended the rope, having already climbed two stories off the ground. The mare wore a pair of sunglasses in what seemed to be an attempt to conceal her identity, but which actually did nothing to stop Twilight from instantly recognizing her. “Bon Bon!” Twilight called out. “What it Equestria are you doing?” The climber, previously too intent on her destination to notice anything else, twisted around and saw Twilight hovering above her. Without missing a beat, Bon Bon bit into the rope above her, severing the cord and causing her to drop toward the ground. As she fell, she kicked her hind legs against the side of the castle, launching herself into a sideways tumble. She hit the ground in a roll and somersaulted away from the castle. After several rotations, she sprang out of the roll into a full gallop toward Ponyville. Twilight dived after her. She had no idea why Bon Bon had been scaling the side of the castle, but her sudden flight indicated the reason could not be good. Twilight reached out to grab Bon Bon with telekinesis, but at that moment the fleeing pony made a giant leap. She soared into the air and grabbed the horizontal beam of a flagpole with her forelegs. Bon Bon swung herself upward, launching herself high into the air. She landed perfectly balanced on the tip of a nearby roof and sprinted away. The maneuver caught Twilight off guard, and her magic missed Bon Bon. Frustrated, the princess soared after the escaping pony. Bon Bon leapt from rooftop to rooftop as she fled from Twilight. She kicked off of a protruding chimney to rapidly change direction and vault across to a roof on her right. Twilight banked to follow, but her momentum caused to overshoot the turn and lose some ground. Taking advantage of her small lead, Bon Bon jumped down into a narrow alley. Perhaps she sought to disappear among narrow streets where Twilight would lack room to fly, or maybe she intended to hide in one of the surrounding buildings. Twilight did not wait to find out. She shot a powerful blast of magic into the alleyway. A couple of crates flew into the air. An old cart that was missing one wheel followed it. Then, legs flailing in panicked disbelief, an earth pony accelerated into the sky in an upward fall. She frantically reached for a nearby windowsill, but she soared past too quickly to grab it. Bon Bon rotated around to see the open atmosphere rushing toward her. Somehow, though, Bon Bon’s sunglasses stayed firmly in place as she floundered through the air. Grinning to herself, Twilight shut off her gravity reversal spell, catching the pony and other floating objects in her telekinesis. She lowered the crates and cart gently back into the alley but held the struggling mare in front of her. Twilight glided to an empty space at the edge of the market and landed lightly on her hooves. The cessation of her magic dropped Bon Bon roughly to the ground beside her. Twilight took in a deep gulp of air to both catch her breath and calm her vexation. She leaned down to stare directly at the earth pony lying in a heap next to her, who was still too muddled to attempt to rise. “Let me ask again,” Twilight said softly and calmly. Then her voice rose several dozen decibels as she yelled, “WHAT WERE YOU DOING CLIMBING UP THE SIDE OF MY CASTLE?” Bon Bon shifted nervously. She opened her mouth to speak, but it hung there limply for several seconds without any words coming out. Then Bon Bon gave a short nod, as if she had reached a decision. “Special Agent Sweetie Drops reporting for duty, Princess,” she said with professional deference. “I heard rumors you had apprehended a changeling and were holding it in your castle for questioning. Pardon my covert behavior, but I wished to observe the prisoner discreetly and without interference.” Bon Bon looked at Twilight expectantly, as if what she had said explained everything. In return, Twilight blinked twice in utter perplexity. She tried and failed to process the fact that the owner of a local candy store had just described herself as a special agent. She had no idea why Bon Bon not only offered Twilight a different name, but also expected the princess to apparently be familiar with her bizarre behavior. “You’re a…spy?” she finally managed to ask. “Of course.” Bon Bon nodded. “I was part of Celestia’s anti-monster agency.” “Her what?” Twilight was not sure if Bon Bon was attempting to hide behind a ridiculous lie or if she had gone completely crazy. Bon Bon hesitated, an uncertain expression breaking through her composed demeanor. “She…never told you about us?” “Uh, no.” The sound of running feet distracted Twilight from her confusion. Spike hurried across the market, worry evident on his face. Several of the ponies he passed turned curiously to see where he was going. Spike stopped in front of Twilight and bent over to catch his breath. “What happened, Twilight?” Spike noticed Bon Bon as she finally managed to get to her hooves. “And what's she doing here?” “That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Twilight replied. “I caught her trying to climb up the side of the castle. She says she’s part of some secret spy organization set up by Princess Celestia, but I’ve never heard of anything like that.” “A spy, huh?” Spike asked interestedly. “I guess that explains the cool sunglasses.” “This is serious, Spike,” Twilight snapped. “I don’t know why Princess Celestia wouldn’t tell me about something like this. I’ve read through every government document from the last century, and none of them mentioned a secret agency.” “That’s because it’s a secret,” Bon Bon interjected with exasperation. “Or maybe,” Spike said thoughtfully, “it’s because there is no such thing, and Bon Bon is just making it up to try to get out of trouble.” A thought struck Twilight. “You don’t think she’s a changeling, do you?” Spike shrugged. “I don’t know. But it is weird she was trying to break into the room where the other one’s being kept.” “You’re right,” Twilight agreed. She looked back at Bon Bon, suspicious creeping through her mind as she pondered the pony’s recent uncharacteristic behavior. In the background, other ponies began to form a circle around the scene. Some were already whispering about what had happened the previous day. “She’s acting too strange, just like the changeling impersonating Mayor Mare was yesterday. We can’t take a chance with this.” “What?” Bon Bon exclaimed as magic lifted her off the ground again. “No! I’m telling the truth!” “Uh huh, sure.” Spike did not sound at all convinced. In a low voice, Twilight hissed at Bon Bon, “If it’s the truth, why didn’t Celestia tell me?” A pony from the gathering crowd spoke up. “Is this another imposter, Princess?” Twilight stared around at the inquisitive ponies around her, thinking how similar this was to what had happened with Mayor Mare. The changeling, the crowd, the same expectation that she would have answers for everypony else. She thought about the silence from Canterlot, and the answers that she had expected to receive but never had. She thought of her absent friends, scattered across Equestria and living their own lives without her. She thought of how the ponies of Ponyville kept revealing themselves to be things other than what they should have been. She thought about how it was all up to her. “Yes, it is another changeling,” Twilight announced confidently to the crowd around her. She spread her wings and lifted off into the air, hovering above the townsponies as she addressed them. “Yesterday, I promised to hold a town meeting about how to respond to the changeling threat. Meet me at the town hall in five minutes, and I will explain everything.” Twilight stared down at the upturned faces around her. Some appeared worried, some uncertain, others downright terrified. “I will explain how nopony can be trusted anymore.”