The Bugtown Blues

by Zobeid


Dear Princess Celestia...

Dear Princess Celestia,

Instead of writing to you with another friendship report, I wanted to update you on a couple of issues with my position here in Ponyville. First, the housing situation…

I have become really attached to the Books And Branches Library. When I moved here, the living space was cozy but perfectly adequate for Spike and myself. Since then we've managed to accumulate: an owl, a phoenix hatchling, a rambunctious filly, and a captive changeling. It's starting to look like Fluttershy's menagerie in here, with the important distinction that Fluttershy is not trying to run a public library and conduct magical and scientific research at the same time.

In an attempt to alleviate the problem, I've begun casting growth spells on the tree. However, I soon found that the window and door frames, and the stairwell, don't grow along with the tree. This places a limit on how much I can increase the tree's size without having to spend a lot of bits to refurbish it. I am investigating whether it’s possible to only grow the top of the tree and then carve out another floor, but that would be a big project too.

I am beginning to feel a little stressed with my workload here, since I've not only been researching the Magic of Friendship, but also keeping the library in order, looking after Nyx and Spike, and also attempting to study the changeling — which is building a strange sort of resinous nest in the basement. Thankfully I’m able to keep it down there most of the time, out of sight; otherwise few ponies would even be willing to come into the library.

As you predicted, a changeling cut off from the swarm, and with its magical ability suppressed, is nearly helpless. I have been following all the precautions we discussed when you brought it to me for study.

Although I appreciate the trust you've shown when you placed the changeling in my care, I have to say it's awfully creepy, and both Nyx and Spike have suffered from bad dreams since it has been here. I'd like to move it to another building, but nopony in town is willing to provide housing for it (which I can understand, I guess). There's also a security concern, since somepony has to keep watch over it. It has been mostly docile and cooperative so far, but obviously we can't leave it unsupervised.

Despite these difficulties, I'm learning useful information from the changeling, and I'll send you a full report on it soon.

Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle