//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: Shed My Skin // by ItchyStomach //------------------------------// Suspicious magical activity reported north of Canterlot, near Sunshaft. Spell signatures match the magic of changelings. Civilian suffered minor damage to his vision claimed he saw a pony struggling with levitation magic who, when sighted, blinded him with no warning. The person in question left the area. Possible link to the escaped changeling noted. Testing conducted on the artifact revealed long-range transmitting capabilities, but no further details. Speculations are attached to the end of this report. Permission for further testing with living subjects pending. More information extracted from prisoners include details regarding pre-invasion spies, so called special agents. Parties sent after the changelings that escaped the spell have been updated to concentrate on Sunshaft. Tension in nearby towns keeps rising, but there were no major incidents since the last one. Increasing guard presence in the town. Monitoring all public places is impossible due to insufficient personnel numbers, requesting more guards in the area, including the nearby part of the forest. Report snippet from the Royal Canterlot Guards’ Bureau *** Finally, since that fateful day of the invasion, I slept through the whole night and then some, something I had rarely done even as a pony. I blamed Pearly’s healthy dose of affection and the soft and flower-scented blanket. Even after I awoke and remembered I had work to do, I savored the moment of the softness enveloping my carapace. The hard substance was surprisingly more comfortable to wear than soft pony coat. It was mine, after all. The thing that made me leave my cocoon were the noises. A hushed arguing was going on downstairs, too muffled to understand the words. Quietly, I got up and laid my ear on the floor, and was just able to recognize Pearly’s voice. She sounded upset. I had the presence of mind to not go barreling down the stairs to see what the problem was. I carefully took the form Pearly knew me by and opened my door. The words were still not clear enough, so I continued to the stairs. As I laid a hoof on the first step it let out a creek, and the talking cut out at once. I froze, contemplating going down openly, but Pearly started saying something again, to which the answer was more hushed talking. Something told me she wasn’t having a tea party with her friends, discussing a new pal she made. I stepped over the first step and was halfway down, when the sound of a door closing made me stop. In the silence that followed I quickened my steps. The lobby to the hotel was empty, though there were two sets of dirty hoofprints on the floor. I turned my head to the corridor, and heard paper sliding on paper from the kitchen on the other end. Entering the diner portion, I spotted Pearly immediately, sitting by a desk, bent over a ledger. Above her head, a pair of pens chase one another. She made a good effort to make it seem like nothing had happened. Hearing my steps, she whipped her head around. For a split second, before she recognized me, there was fear in her eyes, then it disappeared and she gave me a rather forced smile. “Hey, sleepyhead. Had a good night?” “A very good night.” I peered into the giant book, stealing a glance of her face, expecting signs of tears, but saw nothing. “What are you working on?” Pearly sighed. “Just the usual accounting I do every Sunday.” “You sound like only I slept well.” “Yeah, well…” She placed the pens on top of the book. “It’s not how the night went, to be honest. My morning was ruined when I realized I had to crunch numbers.” I gave her a look, then when I only got a quizzical smile back, I decided to go for it. Pulling a chair close to hers I sat down so we were at the same height. “I heard voices when I woke up, but they were gone by the time I got down.” “If you’re hearing voices, I’m not your pony, I’m afraid.” I smirked, despite myself. “Not what I meant. There were—" “Two stallions. Yeah, we all heard the step squeaking. I just… How much did you hear?” “I couldn’t make out the words, but I had a good idea what the subject was. Call it changeling hunch—" Her eyes widened with fear and she silenced me with a hoof to my mouth. “Hush! Don’t say things like that!” I grimaced and pushed her leg aside. “So it was about me after all. Why did you try to cover it up?” I regretted my phrasing as her shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry. But really, why?” “Because… They wanted to know about you. Where you came from, why are you here, who are you to begin with, that sort of thing. Because of my uncle, nopony other than the guards will go stomping around my home without my consent, but they said they will keep an eye out on us. I don’t think they are eavesdropping, but I don’t want to take chances…” Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. Acting on impulse, I reached out and covered her hoof with mine. “Who were they?” I felt her wince, but she didn’t pull away. “No,“ she said, “you can’t go around telling ponies to stop bothering me. It doesn’t help one bit that they are absolutely right… At least partially... But they would tear you apart if they found out—" It was my turn to silence her. “I said nothing about going after them. I’m not an idiot, I know what they would to me.” She turned away. “No, of course not. Don’t mind me. I just don’t want you to be hurt and taken away forever.” I stroked her back with my free hoof. The confident mare from yesterday was as far as my old life, and I was running out of comforting gestures. “I’m not going anywhere.” She let out a shuddering sigh and leaned against me. I recognized the situation, I’ve seen it a lot in parks back in Canterlot. Couples did it, but I’ve never had the chance to try it out myself. Was I reading too much into it? Probably, but I didn’t have the heart to withdrew. When she spoke again, her voice has almost returned to normal. “So, uhm… What do you say for some cleaning?” “Again?” Like she'd said, it was Sunday and as such, Pearly’s little diner was closed for the day, giving her time clean the equipment for the next week. I, as the only employee, got the messiest fryer to scrub with tools that had straps designed for a filly’s leg. “Yuck… That’s going to stay there, isn’t it?” I stared at the blob of sticky grease clinging to my fur. “That’s gross. I can’t believe I ate something that shared space with this.” I only got a giggle as a response. I looked up at Pearly, who was working multiple sponges with her magic. Her mane was done up in a bun again, and her coat was dotted with pieces of foam. She dropped the sponges and staged a yawn as the strolled by me, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my sponge again with bare hooves. I was glad to see her smiling again, though, despite I had my suspicion that it wasn’t entirely sincere. My attention was drawn to a particularly resilient blob of burnt stuff, that resisted even the spatula I was given for such occasions, and I only realized that a young filly was staring at me from outside, when she knocked on the counter. I looked up with the spatula in my mouth. She was barely out of her blank flank years, and probably has never seen a stranger, if her expression was indication enough. I spat out the spatula and looked around for Pearly, but she was not back yet. “Hi there. Can I help you?” “Hello…” she muttered, her eyes darting from side to side. “I’m looking for miss Pearly… I got the spices she asked for…” “She’s in the back. I’ll go get her, just give me a minute.” “It’s fine, mister,” she squeaked, her eyes wide and her ears flat. “I’ll just leave them here.” Before I could say anything, she put a small bag on the counter and turned tail, using her tiny legs to propel her with uncanny speed. I looked over myself, even though I had made sure not to make any mistakes with my form. She was only scared from a stranger, apparently. Completely normal for a child. I walked to the counter and took the unlabeled bag to Pearly’s desk, next to the giant book. The recipient returned a few minutes later, foam-free and sporting a new bun. She trotted up to me and examined my work. “Progress, yay! Aren’t you tired yet? You can take some time off anytime.” I placed the spotless mesh in the pile of clean plates and moved my neck in circles. “Just a bit. By the way, a little filly came by and dropped off some spices or something. They’re on your desk.” She hopped to said spot. “Oh, good! I was wondering what took her so long.” She opened the bag and gave it a sniff. “Yes, just what I ordered. Did she say anything?” “Not much, but she looked like she saw a ghost. She just put the bag on the counter and ran away. Who was she? She asked for you like she knew you.” “She’s my little assistant.” Pearly took the bag and poured the contents into a jar. “The filly I talked about, who was supposed to bring you the fresh towels yesterday. Her name is Fluffy Tail.” “Her?” I gestured the way she left, and a smile crept onto my muzzle. “That’s child labor.” “It’s called a summer job for some pocket money for her, and some peace for her parents. I could do without her, but I know her mom, and I promised her I’d let her do the occasional task around the hotel. Speaking of…” She lit her horn and the clean dishes rearranged themselves in a neat pile. “Wouldn’t your job be a little easier if you, I don’t know…” Her voice dropped to whisper. “If you suddenly grew a horn?” I looked back at her, unsure how to respond. Wasn’t she the one hushing me not long before? On the other hoof, she just read my mind. I grinned. *** During the first months of moving to Sunshaft, filly Pearly, as she explained to me, had a hard time fitting into the established society of the local kindergarten mostly populated by local earth ponies, so she resorted to what most lonely fillies did: find herself a secret place and hid from the world. In the case of a young unicorn fresh out from magic kindergarten, secret also meant magical, in both senses of the world. She had made sure she was the only one who could find the tree's little clearing she designated her place, while the rest was deterred by a nest of angry, but non-existent bees. The leaves of the bushes and trees around hid her from whoever wandered close. The simple yet effective trick assured her privacy, up until her dad suffered severe magical overextension and was hospitalized. Pearly chose to cope with the news alone, but her mother followed her to the clearing and after breaking the spell, she got her crying daughter back home. Being quick on the horn, Pearly's mother used a tad more force than was necessary to counter the spell, causing even more trauma to the filly. A week later she left the town altogether and dumped Pearly in the hooves of the current mayor’s son, who was the closest to the family. Not much time passed before the bees came alive again to hide the lonely filly, but eventually, she moved on, and the bees were left alone, to keep watch over that special place, were she to return. Unfortunately for the two of us, that place lay quite a distance from the town. I carefully constructed a new body, a unicorn this time, and after validating its authenticity with Pearly, we set off for a walk with the intention of slipping out into the forest when nopony was watching. We chose a comfortable, if tight pace and chatted about little things like two friends, both without the need to pretend one of us wasn’t what they seemed. It was fun, maybe even more so than before the spell, perhaps due to the fact that now I knew that there really was something different about me. My other concerns presented themselves in the form of two guards that thought we were getting too close to the trees. “Didn’t you hear? There are changelings in the forest. Do you want to be eaten and replaced with a parasite? No, don’t even answer. We are not taking risks. Turn around and find some other place to enjoy yourselves. No, I don’t care. You’ll have to be quiet. Now shoo.” The forlorn duo of us reluctantly turned around to find a passage somewhere else. Though, when I said forlorn, I meant one pink-eared stallion with an otherwise green pelt and a hopelessly giggling filly in a bun, clearly amused by the confidence with which the guard had assumed our intentions. How she occasionally rubbed her hips against mine didn’t help one bit. Eventually, through somepony’s overgrown back yard, we entered the forest undetected. The sobered-up Pearly led me confidently to the nearest path, casting a spell here and there to mark our route. After maybe fifteen minutes through the tranquil forest, I could make out a faint but angry buzz, and had to remind myself not to obey my instincts and avoid it. At one point, we left the path and headed straight into thick undergrowth. The buzz grew louder, and when it seemed to come from all around us, Pearly flared her horn and the noise died off, as if never having been there. In the same time, the forest around us changed as well, as if losing some of its thickness. Following Pearly, I dove into the sea of leaves, then stopped short as I emerged on the other side. Tall trees cast a shade on the almost perfectly circular clearing hidden in the middle of the forest. They stood so close to each other that it suggested a not entirely natural occurrence, perhaps a testament of young Pearly’s capabilities. Each tree had at least one birdhouse hanging from the branches or fixed to the trunk, a few populated, while the majority in severe disrepair. A hammock hung between two poles, also in need of patching up. A little wooden box, in notably good shape, sat on a large rock. The tall grass brushed against our bellies as we entered a little filly’s realm of solitude. Listening in on the ambient magic, I detected several powerful sources from all around me, all extending ethereal tendrils across the clearing. Even to my untrained horn, they seemed to be much stronger than what a filly should have been able to fuel. I turned my eyes to Pearly, having doubts about the actual age of the place. She didn’t return my gaze, instead she was looking at two nearby sticks protruding from the ground, slightly askew, barely taller than the surrounding grass. There was writing on them, way too small to read from the distance. Her horn glowed and the sticks straightened themselves. I moved closer, but before I could read the inscriptions, I was lifted and placed in the center of the clearing. The grass around me flattened to the ground in a circle as Pearly stepped into the makeshift training ground. She drew a hoof across her eyes to wipe something away. “All right, pupil,” she chimed. “Get ready to become magical.” *** If I were to describe the experience, I’d use the words strange, difficult, thrilling and ultimately, surreal. Pure mental effort that resulted in sticks flying all over the place and into your teacher’s hair was immensely satisfying. Whishing that her hooves would stick to the ground when she tried to chase you was more difficult, but was fun too nonetheless. Granted, it took considerably less effort for her to drag me across the field on my back before forcing me to do a dozen barrel rolls, but in the end, I didn’t have a hard time imagining why unicorn foals needed their own kindergarten. Despite the headache that persisted even after changing to my changeling form then back to the pony one, it was lot different from what I was used to. I now saw the future in much brighter colors with magic in the picture. “Don’t burn all of your reserves in one go,” Pearly said to me after she declared the lesson to be over. “I expect you to put your horn to good use with the broom tomorrow.” “Sure thing,” I replied from my spot on the ground, laying on my back, watching a pebble turning in a magical field that matched the color around my horn. I could feel the strain in a form of a numbness in my horn and forehead, but I was having too much fun. “But such a power demands to be used.” Pearly’s voice came from my twelve. “I can see that. Like a child who just realized he has hooves.” I smiled sheepishly. “Yeah… But moving your legs isn’t as hard as this. At least for me, you know.” “Because you’re a changeling is what you want to say.” “Yes, that.” Feeling chattier than usual, I added, “the others in the camp only used their magic for countering someone else’s attacks. Maybe they didn’t know the first thing about it and just went with their instincts. From what I saw, they weren’t too well educated, but…” I dropped the stone and reached out telekinetically for my water bottle nearby and slowly floated it over to me. “But the spy I told you about put up quite a show, too, even when in a pony form, so my hopes about myself are still up.” The bottle’s aura changed color and I had only a split second to close my eyes before the water hit my face. I sit up and shook my mane then looked for the culprit, but she just gave me a grin. Her bun had come loose at some point and her flaxen locks were flowing down her neck freely. “What was that for?” She set down the bottle before me. “For you to use your brain. They were common soldiers, just drones. Of course they didn’t learn magic apart from fighting. I bet they could levitate the odd sandwich to their mouths, but to do such magic as your spy, they’d have to be trained much more thoroughly than really necessary. That’s what officers and, well, spies are for.” “Fair point… Though I would still like to learn tricks I’m supposed to be good at.” I wiped the water from my muzzle. “You’re great, but you can’t give the full picture.” She turned around and walked to the sticks in the ground. “While I decide whether I should be offended, go and build a pile of those rocks. Largest on the bottom, smallest on the top. The higher the better.” I watched her back as she sat down and started arranging the grass around the stick. Getting the hint, I got to work. The passage of time could be best told by the warm sunlight reflecting from the top of the surrounding trees. Above us, cumuli chased one another, waiting for the pegasi to get them in order. I appraised my admittedly not very high tower and worked my neck in circles, wondering if there was such a thing as a sore magical muscle. I stood, stretched a bit and looked around for Pearly. All I saw was a yellow patch of fur and some mane sticking out from the hammock, which closed around her like a cocoon. Sound of soft snoring drifted through the rips in the fabric. I smiled to myself. It seemed that the more love she gave me the more it took out of her, otherwise I would have been in her place, sleeping. I looked around, admiring the orange colors of the setting sun, but then my eyes were drawn to the box. It was set on the ground now, with the grass flattened where Pearly had been sitting, its cover still open. Not far from it was the stick I’d noticed when entering. I gave a last glance at the hammock, and crept towards the stick with that tiny writing engraved on it. My smile fell immediately upon reading it. In memory of my family. The crude but thorough work the letters were etched into the wood suggested a child’s touch. The little cracks and the coloration of the stick itself spoke about its age. At the base, amongst the grass leaves, there were three colorful gemstones, two big and one small. I watched them, and felt my heart sinking to my stomach. I took a step back and raised my eyes at the pony who, at one point in her young life, felt the need to create a hole for herself and protect it with advanced magic, then set a memorial for her broken family in it. I retreated with the intention of laying down as well, but the box caught my attention and I stopped. She wouldn’t have brought me here if she wasn’t comfortable with sharing her secrets, I reasoned, but my conscience held me back. I found a soft patch of grass near the hammock and laid down on my side. I lit my horn to pass the time with some more telekinesis, but the growing pain made me stop and resort to old-fashioned thinking. Random, disjointed images chase another, mostly consisting of changelings, what would I do once a pony again, and how to ensure Pearly was part of said future. From time to time I levitated a pebble around, just to convince myself the ability hadn’t been a dream. My daydreaming was interrupted by the lovely grunt of somepony awakening. I got up and dusted myself off, then waited for her eyes to finally focus on me. “Hey,” Pearly said, turning the word into a yawn. “How’s practice?” I presented my tower and made a show of floating two stones at once, a feat which was awarded with another yawn. “All right, you’re doing okay. Great, actually, considering you haven’t had a horn for most of your life… I mean, for the last few years… What was it again?” “The latter, as far as I can tell.” “Yes… But it’s probably not your first time, either.” “Probably,” I admitted, and helped her out of her cocoon. “By the way, I have a question for you.” “Go ahead.” “Could you use the spell you cast on this place to hide a pony from others?” She gave me a look that said she’d been waiting for such a question, then turned to gaze at the trees. “Pretty neat, isn’t it? The only problem is that it doesn’t actually hide anything. Anypony persistent and magically skilled enough could find it. Casting it on a thing that moves about would be a feat in itself, let alone maintaining it. I doubt I’d be able to cast it at all, after all this time.” “After all this time? You were better at magic as a child?” “Frankly?” She took a swig from my bottle. “Kinda. Yes. I was angry and depressed after we moved here then I watched my family fall apart. I made a nest for myself in a tree to crawl into, then I found this clearing and started hanging more and more spells on it I learned from books. I came here to take out my anger and find some peace. Then I moved on. I inherited the hotel, bought the diner, and got my life together.” She let out a sigh. “I’m a little surprised the spells are still holding up. I must have put quite the effort into this place.” She sent a tendril of magic at the branches forming the entrance. The impact sent a shimmering wave rippling through an invisible force field, following the line of the surrounding trees. I stood, mouth slightly agape, watching the show. “Interesting…” she murmured, seeing something in the display that I didn’t. “And a little creepy. I must have been quite the magician back then… Oh…” She aimed her horn at the wooden box with its top open. “I thought I sensed something there before.” She dropped the spell and hurried to the box. I followed close behind. “What is it?” She sat down and waved her horn above the box until it clicked softly, then opened the lid with a hoof. Inside were unframed pictures of ponies and a few child’s toys. She reached in and lifted the stack out and into the light. She spread them out in the air, and I recognized some of the photographs from her wall, along with some new ones. She paused when she got to one depicting a filly clutching a black pony doll. “I believe you recognize who this is?” “Of course. I’ve seen a similar picture on your wall. Figured it would be you.” “And do you recognize the doll?” I looked at her, but she held my gaze. I turned back to the photo. “The doll? No. Should I?” She brought up another picture. This one was of a pretty mare, smiling, but clearly tired. “This is my mom, just after giving birth to me. She was so pretty, wasn’t she?” The next picture was about a small yellow filly, sitting at a table with an older pony. The black doll could be seen on the chair next to her. “This one was taken with Dad, in the restaurant where I got my cutie mark. This was a rare moment, him being happy. There were already troubles when this one was taken.” She ran through a few more, almost all featuring one or two of her family members. That doll always shared a frame with her. Some pictures were ripped in half or wrinkled, as if someone crunched then smoothed them out again. By the end, she was only flipping through them without a word, until she reached the last one. Below it, in the box, I spotted the doll itself and shuddered. It was black, with green mane and tail, a horn and a pair of stitched, fragile wings. The eyes were pupil-less orbs. I looked at Pearly, but she was staring at the photo held in her hooves. On it, her parents stood above their daughter, their faces reflecting doubt as they watched young Pearly hugging the changeling doll. I reached out with a hoof to grab it, but choose to touch it with magic first. It positively radiated power that immediately resonated with something deep inside me. “They always hated it,” she said, holding the picture. “Dad bought it as a joke, but I fell in love with it right then and there. Mom said it was repulsive and I needed something with more colors. And, you know, not something that you got your kid as a prank on your wife. They never succeeded, and it kept me company for far longer than any of them.” She reached out and touched the doll, but jerked her hoof back, as if it was hot. “Yes, I was right.” “Right about what? Why is this thing so… so full of...” She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Of all ponies, you should know.” Without looking down, she lifted a couple of cracked and dull gemstones from the box. “It outlasted the best gems I could enchant. This is the reason the spells here are still going. It was the only thing I had to take my sadness and anger out on.” She dropped the useless stones back inside the box, and stared at the doll. “I believe this also explains my fascination with changelings, doesn’t it?” “I think so… But this is horrible. They should have been there for you. They were your parents, after all.” “Were your parents present when you faced hardship?” My words were caught in my throat and I averted my eyes. She used her hoof to lift my head up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up. I know it’s different. I know well how hard your situation is without me pointing a hoof at it.” I gulped. “It’s okay. Thanks for sharing it with me. It might sound weird, but it kind of makes it easier, knowing that I’m not the only one alone.” She gave me a brilliant, moist-eyed smile. Or were my eyes the ones swelling up? “I think you’re doing great, considering all that was dumped on you recently. If nothing else, this shows how much a pony you really are. I could name dozens with less equine emotions.” I cleared my eyes, and noticed how much her mood improved, and how mine worsened. “Thanks. Really, this is the nicest things to say to an outcast changeling I can think of. By the way, did you notice…” She let out a chuckle. “Only just now, but yes. Turns out your diet includes more than one thing, doesn’t it?” Feeding for a changeling meant absorbing energy through love, a strong positive emotion, but nobody told me it had to be only love. Or just positive. As I leaned against Pearly, not realizing when that even happened, I learned the answer to that question. “Don’t start apologizing,” she said. “I know you want to, but why start now? After what happened last night, I can only be thankful for what you do… Hey, stop snickering. I was talking about… Oh, I see. I see why you were always a stallion when not a changeling. Only guys have such dirty minds.” I collected myself, feeling a little better, but only before I looked at the doll again. “Sorry, that was just perfect,” I said. “You kind of deserved it, too, for dumping all your sadness into me.” “Hey, don’t blame me. You’re the one who feeds on ponies, not me.” She looked at the sky. “Hmm, we better get going soon. It’s not the best idea to stay in the forest at night.” She extended a good to the box but hesitated, before grabbing the doll. She stared at it, then her face lit up, and she turned to me. “You know what? I might just found the solution to our problem.” *** We left Pearly’s hideout behind us. I made sure I was still wearing the same form as before, lest somepony think Pearly switched partners in the forest. Pearly led the two of us again, while telling me about what it was like back in her own town, spending time with her friends in school. I listened, but only with half an ear. My attention was still back at the clearing, mulling over what I saw there. Unlike my fake childhood, which was mainly uneventful and more sad than joyous, hers was worse. I’ve heard more tragic stories, Pearly's stuck in my head. Getting a taste of a filly’s pain preserved in a doll does that to a pony, especially if they’re a changeling. Said doll, to Pearly’s wish, had stayed in its box in the clearing, and I was fine with it. Nearing the edge of the town, she fell silent as we sneaked closer to our exit point. We crept through the unkempt garden and, after checking the streets for ponies, we slipped through a hole in the fence and assumed the appearance of two friends taking a late afternoon stroll. Unfortunately, that didn’t make us invisible from those set out to see us. The pony with an orange coat, who has been studying flowers by the street, didn't even look at us, but when we neared him, he took a step backwards as if as an accident, blocking our way. I murmured an apology as I sidestepped, but he mirrored my movement casually. A block of cold fear was forming in my stomach, but I told myself I was paranoid. Putting a light hoof on Pearly’s back I stole a glance behind us, where another pony was busy studying his hooves. I felt my friend inch closer to me. Looking up revealed a pegasus lazily drifting through the air. This was still quite the edge of the town, far from any street lights, pedestrians and guards. Just to make sure, I took a step sideways again, but the pony moved too to block our way, turning his eyes to the clouds. I had no doubt about their motive now. Pearly took my hoof and her eyes told me she knew their reason, too, and that her relations with the mayor wouldn’t smoothen this one. I heard the pegasus landing behind our back and walking towards us. “Isn’t it dangerous to wander in the forest with all those nasty bugs crawling about?” His voice had all the signs of imminent violence he was looking forward to. I turned around, trying to keep eyes on both the orange one and the pegasus. The latter was looking at me, as if expecting an answer. “Some say there are some in the town as well. Some say they hide, observe, posing as ponies.” There were five of them at this point, and more were coming out of shadows or from behind clouds. I saw a few unicorns, but with horns unlit. I could no longer keep track of all of them. “Some try to trick us, but fail. Some go alone. We squish them, if we can. One, we missed so far. When we discovered it, we trusted the cousin of the mayor not to betray us. She didn’t seem to be aware at first, but things have changed.” He stopped and addressed Pearly directly. “I’m sorry, Pearly Twine. You’re getting arrested right after we deal with this one.” “But he’s not…” She tried to interject, but the stallion cut her off. “Not what? Did you just try to lie to my face? Did you want to say that it’s not a changeling? Even after you took him in knowing what it was?” She bit her lips, but held the gaze of the pegasus. “He’s not like the others is what I was going to say, and if you’d listen—" The pony snorted. “Of course he’s not. Obviously, you won’t see him what he the same way after he indoctrinated you.” I opened my mouth to say something in defense of Pearly, but the pegasus jabbed a hoof at me. “Don’t you say a word. We’re not finished.” He looked back at her. “Didn’t you understand our message this morning?” “Your ‘message’ was nothing but bullying!” Pearly snapped at the stallion. “I have control over my own life. I can take care of myself. I don’t need a bunch of strangers to tell me who should I spend my time with.” I felt and heard them forming a circle around the two of us, blocking every escape route, even the sky. I thought I sensed some of the unicorns readying their magic, too. I wanted to lit my own horn to survey our chances, but that would have been perceived as an attack. I knew we didn’t have much chance against all of them, but some part of me still believed we had cards to play. If nothing, waiting for a guard patrol to show up. The pegasus snarled at Pearly. I could see the lust for violence in his eyes, The numbness in my strained horn seemed to withdrawn, allowing me to ready myself, magically and otherwise, to at least try and defend us if it came to that. “The strangers you are talking about are regular ponies with families to protect, if those incompetent guards can’t! Oh, we tried to tell them, but they just said they will look into it, and did nothing! Even after they found one of them and after we were right about Coal being one, they did nothing! They said a little girl’s word is not strong enough. We had to take matters in our own hooves, and we are making progress. You should step aside and let us to our work, before every one of our loved ones is replaced by a parasite.” Pearly’s eyes laid flat. “What little girl?” He grinned, sending a shiver down my spine. “Your little assistant. You should be quieter when she’s around.” I remembered the filly who ran off as soon as she could after she saw me in Pearly’s diner. Did she hear us talk about me? Was she eavesdropping on us? “Little Fluffy?” Pearly managed to say. “She said I was taking in a changeling?” “She’s a very observant little pony, with an eye for originality. She saw through your friend’s disguise in seconds.” Pearly looked at me, and I held her gaze, trying to convey without words that I was sorry, that I shouldn’t have let her involve herself, even when she insisted. “You saw her this morning, didn’t you?” She whispered. “Only for the time she gave the bag to me. I thought she was only scared because she didn’t know me. Listen…” I dropped my voice low. “Run while you can. I’ll hold them off. Go to the mayor or—" “Enough!” the stallion snapped, stomping the ground. “Neither of you is going anywhere. I hoped you would at least deny it, Pearly, but you didn’t even try, and so we have to take care of you too.” He reached out with the intent to grab her but I swatted his hoof away. He made a noise and for the first time, focused his eyes squarely on me. I could hear shuffling all around us. “I suggest you drop the costume before you share Coal’s fate.” His voice dripped with disgust one usually reserves to the nastiest of repulsing goo stuck to their underhoof. I could practically taste it. There was potential in his hatred. My instincts told me to utilize it, somehow, but I didn’t know how. Instead, I lit my horn and started counting my opponents. I felt the pony move and I tried to grab him with magic, but he was too quick. He bucked me in the side and my feeble magic imploded at once. I stammered, squinting at the sharp pain in my side that washed over my whole body. I spun around, just like I was taught, and bucked him back while he was still regaining his hoofing, but my weak body only managed to topple him. The others were yet to engage me. Two went for Pearly, including the pegasus, with a rope in their teeth. I jumped in front of her and conjured up another spell to rip the rope from their mouths, but one of them delivered a blow to my horn that knocked my whole head aside. For a second I lost my orientation, and they didn’t hesitate to use it. They tied the rope around my forehooves and started to drag me away from Pearly, while others came in to secure her. I kicked out and the rope fell. I quickly got to my hooves, but she had four giant stallions on her, forcing her to the ground. Her eyes found mine and I saw pain and fear in them. The guilt was like a dagger. My horn was glowing again, but not in a preparation of a spell. Not a pony spell, anyway. I tasted the anger, the fear, the disgust, as it rolled in the air in waves and hit my horn. I felt the potential in them, the power they carried, but they kept out of reach. The only emotion that truly reached me came from one pony, and she was hurting. Her single spot of love amongst the hate gave me enough strength to focus, and I acted upon the calling. My horn flared up in a brilliant green and I tore the four ponies off her, then did the same with the ones trying to get me from behind. They fell, but more took their places, and I wasn’t strong enough to fight them all. They grabbed me by the neck and forced me to the ground, and started hitting me with a torrent of hooves. My whole body came ablaze with pain. I wanted to scream, but they jammed my muzzle into the dirt. I tried to curl up but they pulled my legs apart and pounded on my weakest points. Then they stopped. A few gave me a kick for good measure, then I was left alone, convulsing, though I felt them remain, standing around me. I tried to open my eyes to find Pearly, but they were swollen, and I lost concentration. I’ve never hurt so much in my entire life. A cough sent up something gooey that I didn’t have the strength to spit out. I heard galloping. My first thought was that the guards have caught word of the assault, but the steps lacked the metallic sound of armor. I opened my eyes to slits and saw them standing in a circle around me with several unicorns closing in behind them. The crowd parted to let them get close to me. Their horns glowed in unison, intent on sending me through the hell of the pink spell. In my horn I felt the magic building up strength. Panic arose in my beaten guts. I knew that they didn’t just want to strip my form, but all that mattered was to stay conscious. I had to help Pearly. I had to fix what I dragged her into. They despised me. They were afraid of me, afraid for their loved ones. They spared their love for their families, and I was left with all their hatred. And what was hate other than the opposite of love? Similar forces, two different ends of the same spectrum. I felt the spell reaching its peak charge. I took a breath and inhaled their hatred, filling me with wicked strength. Green flames consumed me, washing away the beaten pony body and replacing it with my own before they had a chance to do it. They wanted to fight a changeling? They got it. I rose to my hooves as the last of the flames wore off. The unicorns tried to cast their spell but I redirected their efforts into the sky as a form of a beam of energy. I could feel the hate shifting into fear. I opened my eyes and surveyed the determined unicorns. I had to admit, they were persistent. I sent them crashing into the wall of the nearest house. A few others moved to get to me, but I blasted them even before they got the chance to hurt me again. Others managed to reach me, but their kicks bounced off my carapace, and I kicked them with magic-fueled ferocity. Two came charging with knives strapped to their forelegs and wings. I countered one but the second got a hit. I grunted as the metal sliced into my shoulder, and when I spun around, another blade found its way to my stomach. I grabbed the first one and sent it magically into the first pegasus, while grabbing another one and using his body to knock over several others. I’d completely lost track of time. I was drunk on power they supplied me with. Their strikes often sent me tumbling to my knees, but my attacks left them crushed and lying still. My horn shone as a beacon of destruction as I turned their own hate against themselves. Eventually, they stopped coming. I stood in the middle of the road, heaving from exertion and grunting from the pain. I realized a knife was still embedded in my side. I yanked it free with my horn, feeling a strain building in my head. The air was cold and full of pain, but the flood of hatred had been reduced to a stream. I was the only one still standing. With every beat of my heart I was losing strength, but I wasn’t concerned. It served its purpose. Maybe the changelings weren’t exaggerating when they talked about the potential in me. I turned to where Pearly was, and found her laying on the ground, curled up, ears flat against her skull, watching me with eyes of a cornered prey. My every step towards her bled off a little more magical charge, and my thoughts were starting to flow in a more rational direction again. She was shivering, and I quickened my steps. One of the thugs cried out as he tried and failed to stand up. I took a look around to make sure none of them was trying to get behind my back, then kneeled down to Pearly. She watched me silently. “Hey. It’s me,” I whispered, gently as I could. “Come on, get out of here before they come to.” When I failed to get a reaction, I reached out to stroke her mane. She squealed and pushed herself away from me. I realized my hoof was red with blood. I wiped it and tried again, but with similar reactions. “Pearly?” She muttered something. Maybe my ears took a beating, too, because I didn’t catch any of her words. I inhaled, looking for that tendril of love from earlier, but all I felt was pain and anger all around me. Getting very concerned, I tried again. “Pearly, what’s wrong? Let’s get out of here and find a safe place. You need a doctor and I believe I could use the help too.” “Can’t...” She said so quietly I thought I misheard it again. “What was that? Come on, let’s go.” She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t. You just go ahead…” She covered her eyes with a foreleg and curled up even tighter. She shut me out. I sat beside her, a hoof still hovering inches from her. “Pearly, I can’t leave you behind. Let me help.“ She uncovered her head and her eyes met mine. They spoke of terror. “Please, go! Leave me here. Just go.” I withdrew, as if she yelled at me. I opened my mouth to say something, but my breath caught in my throat as I took another look around at the destruction with fresh eyes. Galloping came from behind me mixed with a clicking sound. I didn’t need to look to know who they were. If they come to save their ponies, they were too late. Casting one last look at Pearly’s laying form, I spread my wings. My wounded side made me wince, but I clenched my teeth. She saw what I was capable enough, and she was right to save herself from me. I managed only a few seconds of flight before my injuries got the better of me, and I plummeted to the ground like a despicable sack. The guard fanned out behind me, rushing to aid the ponies. Apparently, I wasn’t their number one priority. I pushed myself to my hooves and looked around, seeing guards closing in from the other way as well. It took me a moment to realize they weren’t headed for me either, but for the forest. Above me several more flew by, wearing Canterlotian pegasus armor. My ears caught steps heading for me and I turned around to face four guards, approaching me cautiously. Behind them were a few more, tending to the thugs I downed, as well as helping Pearly. She had her back to me. I looked over the four ponies seizing me up with their eyes. A familiar buzz filled the air and I had only time to turn my head before something tackled me. My insides erupted in pain, and rendered my attempted defense useless. All around me changelings arrived and engaged the guards. “What are you doing?” I demanded with a scarce breath, as the creature proceeded to force me onto my back with a hoof to my throat. “Why are you attacking me?” He put his mouth to my ear. “I’m claiming you for the Queen. We are here to take you back. You acted against the Hive.” I struggled, whimpering through clenched teeth. They saw what I did to Hussk, and deduced, correctly, that I wasn’t going to let them take me willingly. The prospect of losing all my memories gave me a fresh surge of strength, but I was struggling for air at that point. He eased his grip for a second, allowing me a chance to raise my head. There was a fight around the two of us, a circle of changeling keeping the guards from reaching me. I didn’t know what their intentions were with me, but after the show I’d put up, I doubted it would be pleasant. They outnumbered the changelings, and even as I watched, they eroded one more part of the circle. Why didn’t the bugs just took me into the air was a mystery I didn’t have the time to ponder. I close my eyes and concentrated my magic. I tasted the fear and the anger, but this time kept them from taking over. The power they supplied was dwarfed by the previous surge, but it was enough to clear some of the weakness from my limbs. I waited for an opening, and when the changeling holding me down got his attention drawn away for a moment, I reached up and yanked his head down. His horn hit the ground and before he got his bearings, I was already making for the opening in the circle. I was hoping I could lose myself in the confusion. I dodged a few holed and furry hooves, and I was out. I enjoyed my success for about two seconds. Without warning, something big and hard slammed into me again, taking me off my hooves, and carrying me into the air. I gasped for air and pounded on the creature’s carapace, before I realized it wasn’t black and had no holes in its legs. The carapace was smooth metal and the legs holding me were white. “Are you sure this is the right one?” the Royal Guard asked from somepony. I turned my head, seeing three more, flying in a tight formation. “Quite sure,” came the answer. “All the changelings wanted this one.” My carrier locked eyes with me. “Listen here,” he said. “We know who you are. We came to deliver you to Canterlot. I can’t tell you apart from them, but if you’re not the one we came for, you’ll be sorry for deceiving me.” A spark of hope ignited, just to be stomped out. They couldn’t have possibly known. The guard read my face like a book. Or he was just good at guessing. “Yes, that’s a good sign. We know who you were, cadet. You have information we need and you better come willingly. Who knows, maybe you earn a pardon?” I tried and failed to form a coherent sentence. It came too fast. It was too good to be true. *** I felt very small in the hooves of the guard. Small and young and in awe. The fight, the ponies I’d hurt and Pearly all fell away. Whatever his name and story was, he was a real guard, and that was all that’d mattered. He noticed my saucer eyes and I saw a smile in the corner of his lips. Getting adoration from a changeling probably wasn’t high on his list of things to expect to happen that day. Or maybe the hoofcuffs on all my four legs was a delightful sight. A bit of sadness caught my throat, but it was countered by hope. I’d failed to fulfill my desire, and I was reminded of it again, but I was being taken to where I’ve wanted to go in the end, although with more twists and turns on the way, and I wasn’t about to complain. They knew who I was and even if they didn’t know everything that happened to me, which was likely, they knew not to treat me like an ordinary changeling, and that was a start. I could afford to worry about the details once I was safely inside Canterlot’s walls, in a cell or not. Armor clinked beside me and I turned my head to meet the eyes of a pegasus wearing a squad leader's armor. “Hanging in there?” “I think so,” I said, my voice feeling weak against the wind in my ears. “How did you know to come get me? Did a certain tied up changeling tell you about me?” “Not a certain one, no. We pieced it together from different sources, partly from captured changelings and partly from other places, including a certain missing pony report. We’ve only narrowed down your location to this town today, and you provided the final light in the dark.” “Who reported me missing? I lived alone.” “One of the temporary recruits. He apparently shared a shift with you at the time the shield failed, and you apparently saved him from the invaders.” “Him? But... Huh, I guess I underestimated him. I was occupied with something else.” “You were feeling the magic of the changeling queen trying to act upon you.” To my surprised look, he added, “we think we have a sufficient understanding of the situation, but you are expected to fill in the blanks.” “Before or after the dungeons?” “That’s yet to be decided.” A third pegasus winged closer to us. “Sir! Movement below. Possible hostiles.” The commander gave him a nod and turned back to me. “I take it you’re unable to fly?” “For a while, yes. Do you think... “ “Hold on tight, then.” He sailed away, giving orders to the others, who took up position below us. I strained my eyes, but my sight was no match for one of a pegasus. Still, I had the feeling the movement below was only a distraction. As if proving me right, two green lights popped up to our left, followed by several more ahead and to the right. Changeling green lights. They didn’t go unnoticed by my new allies either. Bolts of magic shot through the air, targeting the guards, but they got out of the way with impressive agility that almost took my head off. Several more discharges followed, forcing the pegasi to widen their formation. I wanted to shout a warning, but the air was still on its way back to my lungs after my carrier squeezed it out while holding onto me. Not that they needed my heads-up. When the changelings appeared, hooves and fangs blazing, the three guards met their blows, keeping them away from the two of us. Their superiority in flying was evident, but the changelings had their lower mass and tougher hides on their sides. It was only a matter of time before I had to dodge a sneaky one. Just as the four pegasi, these changelings showed no doubt about my identity either. What sort of secret agent was I? The aerial battle for me quickly turned into an effort to merely hold onto my ride as he fought. The changelings’ goal to separate me from the guard became evident. A tactic that succeeded all too soon. I tried to hold onto the pegasus’ leg but the black hooves around my waist pulled me free. He dove after me, forelegs outstretched, but the swarm forced him to fight for his own self. I struggled against the hold but a kick in my side on the knife wound was the only thing I achieved. I tried my wings but they were useless too. My magic was exhausted and my horn ached dully. I did not l on giving up yet, though. Now, closer to salvation than ever, I still had hope to turn the table my way. My struggles earned me no more than even more pain, and I watched helplessly as they dragged me farther and farther away from my saviors. I didn’t know precisely what the changelings' purpose with me was, but judging by the fact that they kept me from falling to my doom, it was going to be much less quick than that. It must have been clear to them that I wouldn’t accept their way willingly, and sort of forcing me to meet their queen personally, they would have no way of convincing me to cease and desist... Or, they could produce another recollector and force me to wear it until my mind is wiped. The sight of the device glistening in the hooves of an approaching changeling made me squirm even more in the hold of what now was at least three bugs. Two held my limbs while the third grabbed my horn and guided my head upward, facing the recollector. “What about my choice?” I demanded as a last resort. “Why can’t I decide what to do with my life?” “It’s not your life,” one of them said from behind me. His voice carried the same level of intelligence I only hear from the commander and Hussk. “It never was. Your body belongs to The Queen, and your mind to a pony long dead. But why not let Her tell you that?” With that, the changeling flew close and pushed the device onto my head. Within seconds, my horn lit up on its own, tapping into what felt like the reserves of my very body and soul. My vision blurred and my muscles fell limp, the strength sucked out of them to supply the device with power. All my senses shut down, one by one, until I was floating under the starry sky, then my vision faded to black altogether. I remembered that they said something about a mental link to the queen. I didn’t give it much thought then, given I was preoccupied with other things. Now, as I was becoming aware that my presence in the all-encompassing darkness wasn’t the only one, their words resurfaced with menace. Something let out a pop seemingly inside my head and made me try to flick my ear, but I had no ear to move. I didn’t have a body at all, I realized with a quick surge of alarm, which was soaked right up by something. “You’re not making it any easier, my little subject.” The voice was feminine and had a familiar distortion to it, and sounded directly in my mind. Not having a mouth either, I tried to just think my words loudly. “So, you’re responsible for all this, right? You’re the queen.” “Right you are.” Chrysalis’s voice was dripping with glee, but if my absent ears weren’t deceiving me, I detected a hint of worry too. “And you are the one who thought you had the freedom to defy me.” “You made me think I was a pony.” I concurred. “You put a pony’s thoughts into my head. Don’t blame me for using them.” “I admit, I put a touch too much free will into the hooves of my agents, but I’d have never imagined they would fail to obey the simplest of orders.” “Sounds like you did a poor job.” I couldn’t help but tease her a little. Thinking what you want to say is just so much quicker than saying them. “I was supposed to be an awesome super-spy, but instead, you created an untalented loner who didn’t even get the liberty of staying that way.” I wasn’t sure if my thought words carried any emotion, but hers did, and it wasn’t pleasant. “You know nothing about what I did. You think it was that simple? Just take a pony and flash one of my subject’s mind with his? It took years of experimenting to complete. A mistake like you was bound to occur, but I never expected it to cause this much trouble.” Her voice pressed down on my mind from all direction, making me wish for a pair of hooves to cover my ears. “Again, what did you expect?” I managed. “The invasion failed, not even because of me, and I only managed to cause more trouble for you. Were there any successful agents at all?” “That is of no concern of you, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt you to know you are the least capable from their numbers. Not one forced me to send drones to make them put on the damn recollector.” “So, all this was only so we can have this conversation? I thought it was going to wipe my memories the second they put it on me.” Of course, I couldn’t see her, but I got the impression she was grinning. “Worry not, the plan is not over yet. You were created to fulfill your purpose, then cease to exist and return to me as a proper changeling. You were never meant to take matters into your own hooves beyond what you were prepared to do. You tried, and look what happened.” “What happened? I made a friend, who stayed by my side even after she learned what I was. Doesn't that count? I'm capable of living as a—" “Did she?” “Huh?” “Did she really stay by your side? Where is she now?” “She’s... She was scared by the ponies who attacked us...” “She was scared of them, but she was terrified of you. She loved you, but you’re a monster she refused to see. She’s now regretting every minute she spent with you.” Pearly’s face appeared in front of me, as I last saw her, with terror in her eyes. “She shut you out,” Chrysalis murmured the exact thoughts that were forming in my head. She was playing me, I knew, but the memory was still too painful. “She saw you enjoying it, hurting all those ponies, and you did enjoy it, didn’t you? Having those fools fall under your strikes as you soaked up their power and turned it around like a knife.” “I did.” I hated to admit it, but it slipped out my ethereal muzzle too easily. “I did enjoy it. But it didn’t make me happy, and it doesn’t now.” “Happy? That’s merely the pony speaking. You should be glad to hear that there is a solution for that.” I knew what she meant. I was expecting it the moment the changeling put the recollector on me. I felt oddly calm about it. “So, this is the mind-erasing part, isn’t it? A few days too late, but I can finally say goodbye to Split?” “Not exactly what I had in mind, but close. Rest assured, you won’t suffer from soft emotions after we’re done, but since your magical reserves will deplete soon, I must forgo the gentle approach. Trust me, it is going to be unpleasant.” She didn’t let me form any thought. There was nothing I could do, nowhere to hide. Something pressed against my head or, rather, my mind, making her voice from before feel like a caress. I wanted to shake it off, but the force assaulted from all directions. It tore into my thoughts, disjointing them one by one. When the pain got to a point where I was having trouble forming but the simplest of thoughts, the pressure subsided to let the queen speak again. “Just before I drain you of any memories that could be helpful, and walking you through Tartarus in the process, I thought I’d let you know that you still have a choice.” I struggled to comprehend her words and that she wasn’t joking. “What? Now you’re giving me a choice? You still want me to join you?” “Why not? I could use your abilities, and it wouldn’t require me to spend so much effort on you. Besides, you do want to join us. I can feel it.” I got an impression of her polishing her hooves. I wanted to buck the smugness out of her. “No need to get violent, soldier. Say the word and your suffering ends now.” She was right about me. I did enjoy my violent breakdown. I was strong. I saved myself. I won. I proved I can utilize what a changeling had. I also saw the aftermath of those actions. “There is no choice, is there?” I asked. “Whatever I say, you can’t afford to let me keep any of my memories.” She let out a short laugh. “Keep? Oh, you have it so wrong. It was never the debate whether you can keep your silly memories of that filly. You may choose to let me extract any intel from your mind then return to me as an ally, or suffer through the process and probably go insane, then have my changelings rip apart what remains.” “What does it matter? I won’t be me after either.” “It was never you to begin with. You have been dead for a decade. Your mind just got a second chance to do something useful in its life, but now, it’s time for it to finally go.” She was the queen of changelings. Why did I think she would actually offer me anything worth choosing from? If nothing else, I could show her how big a mistake she had made with me. Petty, but I was at a loss for options. “That’s too bad,” she intoned, reading my intentions correctly. I didn’t even have to form a sentence to convey my feelings. “I wanted to see if you’d come around, but oh well, lesson learned. The next batch shall be all the better for it.” She might have continued, but the pressure amplified to a degree I couldn’t tell her words from my screams. My thoughts were sliced, separated, and tossed aside one by one. Images and impressions flashed by in a big blur. She didn’t spare any segment. The last thing before it all fell apart was something resembling a beehive. I recognized the green-lit caverns. It was my home. The stars of the night sky returned for a brief moment and I felt air rushing by me, before something warm wrapped around me. My head hit something solid, delivering the final blow.