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// 9 - Perspective 
// Story: Behind a Shifting Mask 
// by Oddling 
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It was mid-afternoon when the doors of the Canterlot Magical Researcher’s Division opened up. Silver Skies calmly walked through the open doors and gently closed them with a gentle flare of his magic. A small sigh slipped through his nose as he turned away from the doors and started to make his way to the next destination. The streets were alive with Canterlot’s snobby little ponies of nobility, as was the norm, but a few commoners could be spotted here and there.

Silver Skies walked along at a casual pace. Every so often he would gaze into one of the many cafés, debating on whether he was hungry enough to get something. In the end he decided against it. There was just too much on his mind to devote his time to food.

For claiming to be the brightest of minds, in regards to all things magic, those fools knew little of what could be done about curses, Silver thought testily. All they know about them is that they are originated from the Zebrican Lands and that most curses are more myth than actual enchantments – a form of powerful suggestion. If only those foals knew how wrong they are. Why is it so hard for them to understand the real magic behind curses?

The grey-coated stallion continued to think about the fruitless venture as he walked. All of his attempts to tell the narrow-minded members of the magic council about the unseen side of magic fell on deaf ears. It was slightly ironic, in its own way that a unicorn of Silver’s standing would be looked down upon.

I suppose I have myself to blame for that, he thought ruefully to himself. Were it not for my hidden magic, I probably would have become their leading member in magical research and theory. I suppose I can’t be too harsh in my judgment of their views. It still bothers me that they are so closed off from exploring other ideas. They could have at least given me the benefit of the doubt… oh well; I suppose I’ll try another approach at a later date, he concluded and pressed onward to his next destination.

Within half an hour, Silver Skies found himself back within the grounds of Canterlot Castle. He was on his way to his next scheduled meeting, but something brought him to a halt. There was something in the air – an almost static sensation. Silver narrowed his senses on the feeling and turned his head toward the source. His eyes quickly spotted the form of General Iron Barricade, standing atop one of the balconies that overlooked that portion of the castle grounds.

There was an odd aura coming from Iron… one that filled Silver’s senses with a feeling of dread. He half expected the General to sneer at him but, to his surprise, Iron Barricade simply stared for a few moments before he turned away and left the balcony. Silver thought it highly unusual… but there was nothing more to go on, so he pushed the event to the back of his mind for later evaluation. Still… there was something about the General that nagged at the very core of Silver’s being.

With a quiet sigh, Silver Skies continued on his way. He eventually arrived in front of a pair of ornate oak doors. With a quick nod to the two guards, Silver entered the room. It was one of many, a quiet location within the castle that gave a lovely view of the royal gardens while maintaining a level of privacy for the occupants. A large white table, trimmed with gold accents was the center focus of the room, with ten chairs around it for a small number of ponies to sit comfortably in. The rest of the room was decorated with flower arrangements and one of a kind paintings.

The unicorn’s eyes immediately landed on the one pony he had been looking forward to speaking with. The Changeling leader, Thorax stood by the far window enjoying the view. Silver’s first impression was obvious; the Changeling that had been waiting for him was nothing like the ones he had seen within Chrysalis’ Hive.

How curious, Silver thought with a neutral expression. He’s almost like a mix between a normal pony and some form of insect. Green legs, a green head that blends into an orange hue at the chest, a darker green underbelly with an even darker green on his back, maroon colored wing covers, an oddly insect-like wing for a tail, and three horns (two of them being orange and resembling mandibles)… a very interesting appearance, considering what they used to look like… I am curious as to what those gems-like protrusions are on his neck, as well.

Silver gently cleared his throat. “Good afternoon. Thorax, I presume?” he asked.

The Colorful Changeling turned from the window and met Silver Skies’ gaze as a smile spread across his green muzzle. His maroon eyes shone brightly. “That would be me,” came a low toned hum of a voice while Thorax's jaw stayed shut.

Silver’s eyes widened slightly from surprise. “How interesting… you can speak without vocalizing through your mouth.”

Thorax chuckled with a faint blush. “Yes. It was quite a shock to me, as well, when I found out about that change. I can still talk normally, but it’s just easier to speak in this way,” he explained and sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck.

Silver Skies smiled and eyed the three gem-like objects on Thorax’s neck. Those must be how he is able to talk in such a manner. They must utilize some form of inner magic and create sound through vibration, Silver thought.

“Well,” Silver began, “it is a pleasure to meet you. I must admit, you are not what I had expected when I had heard about a new type of Changeling.”

Thorax lowered his hoof and gave Silver a curious look. “Really? Who told you about us, anyway? Princess Celestia said that she was keeping our existence a secret until our kind could be properly integrated into Equestrian society. Some ponies were still unsure about us. She was also a little vague in how you came to know about us, so clearly she didn't tell you.”

Silver’s smile lessened slightly. “I heard it from Queen Chrysalis,” he said.

Thorax’s expression turned angry for a moment before a more saddened look overlapped it. He sighed and lowered his head slightly. “I see. Is she still… you know… well, mad about what happened?” he asked Silver.

Silver’s smile warmed up a little. “She probably still feels the sting of the event, but I don’t think she’s holding the grudge,” he explained. “Which brings me to the reason for my desire to meet with you.”

Thorax’s ears perked up and he gave his full attention to the grey stallion. Silver cleared his throat gently and resumed where he left off. “Queen Chrysalis recently sent a request for peace between her Hive and Equestria. I met with her… and there are some very important things going on now. I’ve accepted her request, and am in the process of ironing out the finer points of the peaceful negotiations, but I needed to meet with you for a very sensitive reason,” he said and paused to let things settle in the Changeling’s mind.

Thorax nodded after a few moments and looked to Silver expectantly. Silver let a soft sigh slip through his nose before he continued. “From what I’ve gathered, your Changelings have been around for about two years. During that time… have you noticed anything odd – something that stands out for your kind?” he asked.

Thorax pondered for a few moments before an odd look took hold of his features. He looked to Silver, then to the floor, then back to the unicorn stallion. There was something he had noticed, but it was difficult to say if he should reveal it. Silver had a rough idea as to what it was, and he proceeded to resume the point he was making.

“Your population has not increased, has it?” Silver asked, being mindful of the sensitivity of the subject and laying his ears back.

Thorax’s head slumped down and a look of sadness took hold of him. He gave a weak nod. “No… we have tried to encourage reproduction, but everything we’ve tried has ended in disappointment. Why do you know about that?”

Silver sighed openly as his face reflected the sadness that Thorax felt. “Because the same thing has happened in Queen Chrysalis’ Hive. It started shortly after you and the other Changelings broke off to become what you are. There have been no new lives brought into the Hive, and it has brought your former Queen to her last resort. She’s willingly putting everything else aside in order to save her children.”

Thorax looked away from Silver. His expression was one of conflict as he fought between disbelief and acceptance of Silver’s words. He sighed and looked at the floor in front of Silver Skies. “Though a part of me has trouble believing that she would seriously do anything like that… there’s still the memories I have of how she took care of all of us when we were just hatchlings. I guess she really does care about us, and I can see her doing everything in her power to save us. Well… at least those of us that are still loyal to her…”

Silver moved forward and put his hoof on Thorax’s shoulder. The Changeling leader looked up and saw the look of kindness on Silver’s face and swallowed. “Believe it or not,” Silver said gently, “when she was telling me about you, there was the unmistakable look of maternal love in her eyes. She still cares for you, and the others, even though you all changed. Deep down, I’m sure she understands why you all did what you did. No matter what, you are all still her children, even if you’ve moved out of her nest.”

Thorax stared at Silver for a long moment before his face slowly lit up with a joyful smile. The sparkle of tears grew in the corners of his eyes. “Thank you… it really means a lot hearing that. Even if she’s not our Queen, she’s still our mother, and it warms my heart to know she still loves us,” he said and wiped at his eyes.

Silver Skies smiled kindly in turn, until his emotions reset. A look of curiosity quickly replaced his neutral expression. He brought his hoof up to his chin as he thought. “Thorax?” he said, getting the Changeling’s attention. “I was told that you all changed into this new form after giving away your love. Can you explain the process to me?” he asked.

Thorax blinked, slightly confused. “Well… it was kind of weird, to be honest. You see Starlight Glimmer gave me the idea, saying that I should give all of my love to Queen Chrysalis, since she had captured me and was taking it from me to punish me. At first I thought it was crazy, but Starlight was the smartest one of us, so I thought maybe she was onto something. I did what she said. I gave all of my stored up love to Chrysalis. Then… something happened. It’s hard to explain it but… it was like… like my heart exploded and enveloped me. I felt warm… safe… happy. I don’t know how long I was in that state, but when I came to, I saw Starlight in front of me. Then I noticed how light I felt and I looked down to see this new body. It was amazing! But then… then Starlight told the others that this was what it was like to give our love freely. We didn’t have to keep taking it from others. The other Changelings followed my example, giving away their love, and they became like me… only I was still different. That’s about all I can really say about what happened, though.”

Silver Skies eyed the Changeling for a moment and then closed his eyes as he thought. There was almost nothing to go off of from Thorax’s explanation. It was informative about how things transpired, but with no other feelings, sensations, or mentions of magic it was virtually useless to Silver’s needs. If anything, it brought up a very interesting subject. Why did Thorax and the others change like that, yet Chrysalis had not – even though she gives her love to her Hive constantly? Was there something more to it?

Silver opened his eyes and looked Thorax in the eyes. “Thorax… would you say that Queen Chrysalis loves all of her children?” he asked calmly.

Thorax’s eyes widened. “Oh of course. She’s especially loving toward us when we first hatch. In fact, she feeds us her love right after we’re born.”

Silver’s brow furrowed and he rubbed his chin in thought. “Yet she has not changed in a similar manner,” he mumbled. He then looked out the window as he recalled his conversation with Chrysalis. There must be something I’m missing, he thought to himself. What makes her freely given love different from theirs? Perhaps… perhaps it’s the nature of the love? Loyalty driven love from her Changelings vs. parental love? No, that doesn’t seem right.

Silver Skies sighed softly and returned his gaze to Thorax, taking note of the odd smile on the Changeling’s face. “You’re really devoting yourself to helping us, or rather, Queen Chrysalis,” said Thorax.

Silver Skies smirked lightly and shrugged. “In a sense, you could say that. I do feel strongly about the extinction of your kind. There is so much potential for your race, yet fate has seen fit to bring you all to an untimely demise in just a few short generations. I just won’t sit by and let that happen. I can’t allow such a thing to transpire.”

Thorax nodded, but a knowing smile played on the end of his muzzle. “I thank you for your kindness. If there is anything I can do to help, please ask. I’ll do anything I can.”

Silver smiled in turn for a moment, but a look of melancholy quickly replaced it. “Don’t thank me yet. I’ve looked into a magical solution already, but so far it had… less than desirable results. I was hoping to gain something from our conversation as well, but all I’ve managed was more questions added to my list.”

Thorax held his smile. If anything, it grew a pinch wider. “I’m still thankful that you have been generous enough to devote so much of your time to our race’s survival. I know that it isn’t an easy thing, so I can’t help but feel thankful,” he said truthfully.

A chuckle slipped out of Silver and he shook his head slightly, a smile still plastered to his muzzle. “I can’t say I disagree with that. This has been quite the extensive peace treaty. Still, it’s worth every ounce of energy. Not only have I learned so much about Changelings, but I might even go as far as to say I’ve made a couple of friends so far.”

Silver’s smile quickly vanished, his emotions resetting once again, and a small sigh slipped through his lips. He then put on another smile and met Thorax’s gaze. “Well, it has been a pleasure, Thorax. I’m sorry I was unable to gain much from this talk. I hope you don’t feel that this was a wasted trip,” he said respectfully.

Thorax, having noticed the unusual change in the stallion, blinked for a moment before his smile returned. “This was a trip well spent. At the very least, I made a new friend and I learned a few pleasant things about my old Queen.”

Silver bowed his head slightly. “That is good to hear. If anything comes up, I’ll be sure to request your help again. Also, would you be interested in being included in the future negotiations with Chrysalis’ Hive?”

Thorax smiled sheepishly and rubbed his cheek with his hoof. “Maybe? I’m not sure it would be such a good idea. Well, not yet. You would have to ask Chrysalis about it first, I think,” he replied.

Silver Skies nodded in understanding. “I’ll ask her. Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me, Thorax,” he said with a small bow. “Until next we meet.”

Thorax nodded in turn and watched as Silver took his leave. The brightly colored Changeling then turned his head back to look out the window. I like that unicorn… I think he’ll do a lot of good things for our kind, Thorax thought with a smile. Maybe he’ll even be a good thing for the Queen, too…