//------------------------------// // Proper Recognition (Morpheus) Part 2 // Story: dC/dt ≠ 0 // by I Thought I Was Toast //------------------------------// I made many foalish mistakes throughout negotiations. Few, though, compare to my actions following my picnic with Twilight. As we hit the outskirts of town, Rainbow swooped down upon us from above. She grazed me and Twilight, barely missing a full on collision and making smooching noises as she flew away. Twilight’s emotions churned in transitory confusion before settling into a gummy, rubbery gunk that was too thick to properly sample. “Rainbow was actually spying on us, wasn’t she?” Twilight began the walk into town, a vivid blush creeping up the back of her neck as I followed. I arched an eyebrow, thrumming in thought. “I thought you knew? And ve quote, ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if she was doing it for all the girls.’” The quote was in perfect imitation of Twilight’s voice, recalled in exacting detail from earlier that day. Twilight and I both winced as we heard it, and I quickly shifted my vocal chords back, glancing around furtively for suspicious townsponies. Twilight had trailed ahead without me in my momentary distraction, making me rush to catch up as she moved on. Fidgeting every so often, her tail gave a few extra flicks as her hock hitched a bit, and she tasted like a cool glass of lemonade—lightly sweetened and chilled with ice. In short, she had all the suspicious ticks of a pony with a plan, and I had to strangle our urge to counter-scheme whatever harmless plot she thought she could sneak past me. “Oh!” Her head suddenly reared back, ears perking. “I almost forgot to pick up a cake for Spike’s ‘Welcome back to Ponyville’ party. Mind if we stop at Sugarcube Corner before we head back? Pinkie should be closing up shop about now.” Odd. This was the first I had heard of Spike returning. Ve thought he wasn’t slated back for another week. Perhaps… My eyes glassed over as ve were inevitably dragged into picking apart Twilight’s scheme. The web of probability exploded outward to branch in all directions, and ve began analyzing the area for escape routes—just in case. There were five decent alleyways and three groups of ponies to use as cover. One group was staring at me suspicious, eliminating it as an option, while— “Wicked?” I felt somepony prod my shoulders. “Mo?” The second— Or was it third? Maybe fourth. The nth attempt to grab our attention caused me to stagger as the voice behind it hissed right into my ear. Turning the stumble into a roll, I deftly came to my feet and turned to find Twilight—not a venomous acid-spitting assassin—waiting for me. “What was that for?! You spit in my ear!” I tried incredibly hard not to buzz my wings as my heart pounded. “Sorry!” She squeaked. “You weren’t responding. Really, though, Sugarcube Corner will be closing soon, and I can’t afford to wait.” She glanced towards the clocktower. “Oh, horseapples! It’s later than I thought! I’ll meet you there!” With a flash of light she was gone, and I was left to catch the tail-end of various snickers and glances headed our way. Gossip had won a great battle this day, it seemed. Irritated. Flustered. My wings twitched with the need to buzz, and there were no words ve felt comfortable using in Equish. “Mrmmf!” I let forth a stream of profane chirps and whistles mostly above pony hearing. Beyond all expectations, equally high-pitched chittering responded just at the edge of my senses. There were whistles and whirs and deep thrumming buzzes far beyond range of the equine ear—faint mutterings of Chitri only I could hear. It was too quiet to make more than a word or two out of it, but I heard several warnings to be quiet. And they were coming from the direction of Sugarcube Corner. Quickly extending our senses, ve locked onto the signatures of the tracer strands I’d planted on each Element. All of the girls were in the same general direction as the changelings. Given A: changelings were here, and they didn’t want to be found. Given B: the girls were gathered to make an easy target. Unknown: the relation between A and B. Conclusion: assess risk as quickly as possible. Warning: be ready for conflict, and be prepared for damage control if collateral damage is unavoidable. Rushing planning phase is inoptimal but advised. I stood and stared, our synapses firing so fast that ve wove a web of plausible actions faster than the analysts could realize what was happening. Ve felt a number of urgent messages incoming, but I had no time to slow down and respond. I took off running, and risked the momentary glow of my horn to send Twilight a five word message. “Changelings incoming. Be ready. Morpheus.” Charging back the way we came, I turned left at the intersection we had previously passed to see Sugarcube Corner a slight ways down the road. The windows were dark, and the shades were drawn. It just screamed shady business. Oh. This was bad. This was very bad. Ve desperately wanted to open a portal for ourselves, but ponies would see, and my cover would be blown, and the contract wouldn’t allow that except in life-threatening situations—which ve technically had no proof of. Stupid, hive-forsaken contract. All I knew was changelings were here that didn’t want to be found, and every second it took to find out why counted. All it would take was confirmation of danger, and I’d be able to handle most potential problems. Problems like House Scorpio’s venomous acid-spitting assassins—who fanatically hunted for sport with custom bladed stinger-legs that could skewer chitin like it was flesh and blood—or House Antipathy’s ‘tea parties’—where every cup was deadly unless you drank every single drop. The list of things that could be wrong went on and on, and ve were starting to wonder why ve thought charging in was such a good idea, but I knew I had to do something if Twilight or the others were in trouble. I could hear heated whispering from inside as I ran up to the door. Sending out a quick burst of tremorsense, ve got the general layout of the building. Furniture had been stacked providing cover for an unknown number of entities. One of the entities was holding a knife, and ve could confirm the presence of all six Elements of Harmony—surrounded—via the tracer silk. Oh. This was bad. Twilight must have teleported directly in and been overwhelmed Kicking the door open and running in, ve had just enough awareness of the ponies curiously watching me outside to slam the door shut before I dropped my disguise and let my horn blaze to life—ready to smite any potential foes in righteous fury. The Elements—the full set, including Twilight—all took a step back, and the sour taste of fear squirted into the room as fast as a frightened foal evacuating their bowels. Most of the changelings surrounding them dropped like flies, hitting the ground with pained whimpers as I entered. Only one little one skittered up to me, chittering like mad. “Uncle Mo Mo!” As the nymph hugged me, I began to realize ve’d made a horrible mistake. Ve should have learned not to make assumptions after Lyra. “I told you he’d get all paranoid~” Lyra joined in on the chittering, her emotions as cool and refreshing as ever. “I most humbly apologize, My Lord.” One of the changelings quivered a little more than the others. “Ve tried to tell the Pink Menace that a surprise party was inadvisable, but she insisted that ‘If anypony would enjoy surprise parties, it would be a changeling.’” His imitation lacked the bubbly mirth of Pinkie’s normal voice , sounding almost flat in comparison. “We most humbly beg your— Errant, we do not teeth on the Prince’s chitin!” The nymph looked up at me with a pout—a pout that steadily shifted from sad colt to heart attack inducing filly. My leg was covered in viscous green goo and little fang marks. I struggled to maintain my stern demeanor, yet it would not stand before the sheer adoration pouring off him— her— it. Giving my hoof back to Errant, I felt the eyes of everyling—and pony—on me as I once more became a chew toy. “Webber.” I nodded to the changeling who had spoken, our thoughts racing tofigure out what had happened. His massive cranium hid a good portion of his body from me as he cowered. “Would you care to explain the presence of the—" I counted again "—seven of you that are here?” “I— Ve— We—” “It was my fault, My Lord.” The scratchy hiss of Spi pierced through Webber’s fractured echo. The infiltrator stood shakily and saluted – his thin, tapered, blade-like legs leaving several scratches in the floor. “I was discovered by the—” “Me! It was all me!” The Enigma suddenly loomed before me—giggling, fear forgotten, with a knife. “When the map called me away to Canterlot just before we headed off to the Everfree, I was so sad.” Her hair deflated to leave her with the most disturbing grin. “But then I realized going to Canterlot would let me make more friends, so I was happy!” There was an explosion of frizzy curlsonce more. “So I went to Canterlot and started sniffing around, and eventually I stumbled upon the weekly ERS barbecue—headed by Median Rare—and I was all ‘Called it!’ but I didn’t, because Median Rare wasn’t actually a changeling. Mean Norm was, though! So I guess I was half—” Reason’s Bane suddenly inhaled a mighty breathe without warning, her blue face regaining its normal pink hue. “—right? Anyways, after I was released from jail for assaulting Median Rare. I had to hunt Mean Norm down through what must have been half of Canterlot. I finally managed to give him a hug so he’d stop being all mean, but I guess it was all just an act, because he’s a changeling, so I wasn’t sent there to make Mean Norm into a nice average joe.” All the changelings—sans myself and Errant—stared in rapt horror, mouths agape, at the Pink Menace’s rant. I kept my reaction internal, while Errant radiated a mix of slightly sour milk and lots of orange juice. Spi flicked his wings once and opened his mouth, but he could not curb the torrent of madness spewing from Logic’s End. “So we got to talking, and then we played hide and seek some more—” The Pink Menace pointed the knife at Spi “—which he’s really super good at. I finally get him talking, and it turns out he knows you! So I took him as a prisoner of war so he could help me redo your ‘Welcome to Ponyville Party.’”  The knife turned towards me, jabbing the air as she gestured at me, and I noticed the Warrior of the group tensing. Hive damn it all, it was Hera, her hulking chitinous mass preparing to lunge at a perceived threat. The cobalt plates encasing her like armor gleamed slightly, shifting to cover more of her body. Her muscles began to bulge as her combat glands fed her a cocktail of chemicals meant to optimize her capacity to kill, but a steely blaze of commanding fury from me quickly scolded her—suffocating the fire of her anger even as it evaporated the wine of her concern. Even still, she never took me interfering with her job lightly. Mastering her lingering fear from my entrance, she stood and looked at me with that look—the one that pierces my heart with the razor-tipped spear of her devotion. She would not question, but that look spoke of a long and painful cycle of death and resurrection should she be proven right. Pinkie—oblivious to the fact that she was almost assaulted—merrily bubbled along. “The Society of Merriment Inducing and Laughter Extraction has very tight rules on what counts as a welcome party, after all.” Everypony blinked as a large pink book full of crayon drawings was shoved in my face. “You sir, did not get a party. See?” I hesitated as my subjects looked to me. “Not really?” Not at all, actually. I didn’t see how a drawing of a walrus having a cider drinking contest with a hedgehog had anything to do with me. “Pinkie…” Twilight was rubbing her temples. “...just let me explain.” She looked from me to my subjects and back again before sighing. “This was all my idea. Shortly after our trip into the Everfree, Celestia contacted me and said she wanted some of the Harvesters she was letting into the country to stay in Ponyville.” I looked to the Harvesters, who had been silent up to this point. “We are Echo…” The first fluttered her tiny wings. “Echoe…” The second nodded her head with her stubby little horn. “And Ekho, My Lord.” The third hesitantly held out a hoof—the few fetlock cavities she had clenching open and closed. “Nice to meet you.” They chorused in whistling synchrony as I shook the offered hoof with my own. Errant continued to gnaw on my other leg, while Webber kept trying to sneak closer to pry his nymph off of me. I grinned impishly before nuzzling the cute little bugger—consequences be damned—and felt a lessening of the tension in the room even as Webber gave a strangled chirp. There was the electric tingle of pride emanating from Twilight as she and the rest of the Elements smiled at the sight, and I felt a small rush at the knowledge that being myself—not just what ve demanded—was helping restore order, rectifying our mistake. Sometimes it felt like I could only face my subjects with our cold calculating facade, but moments like this gave me—dare I say the cursed word—hope. I looked to the fidgeting analyst, and sent soothing waves of calm and contentment upon him. “So that explains why Spi is here, and what the Harvesters are doing, but I’ve yet to get an explanation for you and Hera.” I looked at everypony and everyling. “Nor why you all were sequestered here in an obvious trap.” “Paranoid~” Lyra chimed only to be shushed by Bon Bon. Webber looked at the floor once more. “The day you visited Fluttershy ve realized what ve were doing to you. Playing the game as we were—with all of us acting in the roles ve each thought best, rather than following what we each knew to be best—we were going to lose.” Cringing, he forced himself to look up. “There is more to the equation than treating the Equestrians as friends and allies. We must figure out how to break from most—if not all—of the old ways.” He shook his head. “Maintaining a lord-servant relationship with you is doing nothing but harm to the mission as it encourages qualities and traits that are part of the larger problem. You are the common changeling’s lord, the lord-who-is-not-a-lord.” He took a shuddering breath. “And we’ve been horrible friends for not helping you personally with the peace negotiations. Hera and I left the Hive so we could support you in the chitin. We would have picked up Spi on our way, but he had already been discovered.” “So this is?” I arched an eyebrow at Twilight. “A party?” She giggled. My eyebrow arched further. “If you say so.”