Nymph
I looked up at the little chalkboard sign in the bar’s large window. Karaoke Night. I had no need to focus on my empathy sense to know that Tango waited inside. The bar was still relatively empty, but the oncoming evening crowd would change that soon. I wouldn’t have a very long time to do this.
This plan sounded a lot better in my head when I first came up with it, but now that it was actually time to go through with it, I found myself shifting around uneasily. I thought it would be at least a little easier after all the unwanted pony contact I’d been forcing myself through, but now that I needed to convince a pony to give me something I want, I was frozen in place, especially since a small part of my plan hadn’t arrived yet.
It wasn’t a very significant part of my plan, but it might’ve given us an edge, at least.
Lily was humming a little song beside me. Had been for the entire walk here. Knowing her music could have magical effects did make me a little cautious in letting myself get caught in the beat, given what she could do could almost be considered mind control, but it helped with my nerves.
“Ready?”
I took a breath and pushed open the door, putting on what I hoped was a genuine smile.
Tango perked up at the sound of the door, looking up from where she was tidying up behind the front counter. “Welcome!” she said, smiling as she realized who we were. “Oh, you’re here again! Karaoke Night, I presume?”
Lily nodded cheerfully. “O’ course, luv! Had t’ come back after last time!”
“It was pretty fun last time,” I said, bolstered by Lily’s presence. “How’ve you been?”
Tango shrugged. “Doing decently. What’ll you two—”
She stopped at the light tapping on the window behind us, and she tilted her head to the side to look around us. I turned, and though it was difficult to see outside through the bar lights reflecting off the polished glass, I could still make out a red bird-shaped figure in the bottom corner of one of the windows.
It pecked at the window again, and I trotted over to hold open the front door, allowing the regal phoenix to waddle imperiously into the bar.
Lily beamed at the newest arrival. “Philo! ‘Ow’d you do, girl?”
Philomena squawked in response, walking up to the merpony and hopping up onto her back. I giggled at the absurdity of it all, though I kept an eye on Tango. She had a splash of surprise, of course, but it was accompanied by a small note of recognition, like that light bulb moment of understanding.
I grinned as I trotted up to the counter with Lily and Philomena, taking off my saddlebags and placing them on the ground beside me. Some of that excitement from a couple days ago was coming back to me. I had taken a little of a gamble asking Lily to get the phoenix to accompany us here—playing with fire too close to Celestia risked drawing more of her attention—but it seems to have paid off. Tango knew Philomena, and I might be able to use their mutual connection to the Princess to push my proposition.
“O-oh, and who’s this?” Tango said as Philomena hopped up onto the counter. It was clear she was feigning ignorance, judging by her apprehension.
“It’s Philomena.” I took a seat at one of the stools, and Lily did the same beside me, cooing at the phoenix. “H-hadn’t expected to see her here though.”
“Ooh, y’think we should order her somethin’?” Lily said, reaching over for one of the menus and opening it up. “Cor, I wonder what she’d like…”
Tango chuckled hesitantly, still staring at the bird. “Well, this isn’t the strangest thing I’ve done,” she said as she handed a menu over to me too. “I’d be willing to get her something, so long as she doesn’t make a mess and you pay for it.”
Lily held the menu out to Philomena, and she regarded it carefully for a moment before stabbing her beak at one of the items.
“Biscuits it is!” Lily said, taking the menu back and slapping it on the counter in front of Tango. “I’ll ‘ave whatever. Surprise me!”
I placed my menu on top of Lily’s. “Just fries and cider. I ate a little before coming here.”
Tango scribbled a few things on a note and slid it back through a small window to the kitchens. “So what brings you two here so early?” she said as she put a little tray of peanuts in front of us and started filling up a few mugs. “Karaoke doesn’t start for another hour, at least.”
I chuckled sheepishly, feeling a little lump in my throat. “N-nothing much,” I said, my nervousness making a sharp return. “I just uhh… I just wanted to beat the crowds.” I tried to smile. “And I wanted to ask a few things about you.”
She raised an eyebrow, smirking as she slid a mug over to me. “Well now, aren’t you coming on a bit strong there. So you were flirting last time.”
I made a choking noise, and I was very glad I hadn’t stopped to take a sip before she made that statement. “N-not at all! Nothing to do with that!” I stammered out. I took a moment to clear my throat before continuing. “I just uhh… D-do you… Would you happen to know the Princess?”
Her face dropped for a moment, just a moment, but I caught it easily, especially with her pervasive emotional aura making one big hiccup.
She reasserted her facade quickly. “N-no, why would you think th—”
A peanut bounced off her head, and she glared at Philomena and Lily, both of whom were looking off in other directions and whistling.
I let out a snorting giggle, trying to hide it behind a hoof. “I just happened to see you talking with the Princess. You didn’t change your cutie mark, by the way.”
“No way, I totally—” she cleared her throat quickly. “Regardless, it could be somepony else! I’ve never really had a chance to meet the Princess like that,” Tango said as she picked up another mug and picked out a random bottle from the shelf. “I’ve only ever been a bartender.”
“I thought you said that you jumped from job to job last time.”
Another peanut bounced off of her head, and she groaned as she slid a mug over to Lily. “Alright fine. I guess I might know her a little. What about it?”
“So how do you know her?” I said, silently cheering at my success, even as easy as it was. “Does that make you a noble?”
She looked at me suspiciously. “Maybe? Why do you want to know?”
I tapped my hooves together as I thought about what I was going to say. “Well, I was wondering if you knew anything about Fancy’s party. I heard a lot of rumors about it circling around the guard and I was curious.”
She glanced carefully at the other inhabitants in the bar before leaning in closer to me. “Heard a little about it. Did you want to go or something?”
I shook my head quickly. “Oh no, not me. I’m not too interested in parties like that. Too uhhh…” I cleared my throat into my hoof. “Too many ponies.”
Tango tilted her head, scrunching her brow together in confusion. “So why are you asking?”
“Askin’ for me, luv!” Lily chirped. “‘Eard there’re gonna be a buncha bigwigs at this party!”
“Yes, that.” I swallowed, lamenting my dry mouth. “I think her voice is incredible, and I think she could make it big if she had the chance. Even Princess Celestia thinks she’s worth keeping an eye on. I know Philomena likes to keep in contact.”
The phoenix warbled in reply. She tipped her head in my direction briefly before she returned to Lily’s drink, tasting it tentatively.
I blinked, but looked back at Tango, who seemed unperturbed by Philomena’s actions. “In any case, I thought that with Fancy’s party being the biggest gathering of the most influential ponies in Canterlot, it would be a great place to let her really show off her stuff, maybe get started in the music industry. You know how well she sings, but even if she doesn’t get to do anything, it’d still be a great place to get to know the nobility.”
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, before she cleared her throat and said, “Is that all?”
I took a big gulp of cider to clear up my sudden case of dry mouth and set the mug heavily on the counter. “Uhh, yes?” I tried to smile. “Please?”
The bell from the kitchen rang, and after her eyes flickered briefly over to Philomena, Tango answered, “Okay, sure.”
I blinked. “Wait, really?”
“Yep!” Tango said as she levitated over the fries and biscuits left at the kitchen window.
“Oh, smashin’!” Lily said, clapping her hooves together. “Cahn’t wait t’ see what it’s gonna be like at a fancy ‘eathen party!”
“W-wait, this is going too fast.” I hiccuped. “I thought you’d need a lot more convincing to let Lily go to one of the richest private parties in Equestria.”
“Well, I don’t know about whether she’ll be allowed to sing at the party, but I know my invitation lets me bring a plus-one and, to be completely frank, I wasn’t big on attending alone. I’m way more comfortable with the working ponies,” she said, her attitude very nonchalant. “Fancy’s pretty big on nurturing new talent—it’s how he made his mark in Canterlot—and if he thinks Lily could do excellent entertainment for cheap, I think I can work something around.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and tried to pick up the bitter taste of deception, but to no avail. “That’s… still a big favor to do for ponies you’ve only met a few times.”
Tango chuckled. “I think she’s trustworthy enough, and don’t worry, you’re doing me a favor. Maybe it’ll be bearable with some company that isn’t dry, trying to suck up to you, or otherwise humbly bragging about their laundry list of achievements.” She jumped up, and her emotions quickly shifted to tangy eagerness. “Ooh ooh, maybe we can go shopping for dresses! Do you have an outfit already?”
Lily shook her head, though she was catching onto the excitement quickly. “Nope, ain’t got nothin’ like that, but I got lots of bits! Cahn’t be too ‘ard to get something good.”
Tango jumped up and down a little, happily clapping her hooves together. “Oooh, I can work with that. Hey, you have any plans for tomorrow? Maybe we can meet here in the morning and we can both get fitted. I know a place that makes the cutest dresses!”
Both of them squealed, and I quickly busied myself with my fries. I was relieved that I had managed to get Lily an excuse to be on-site when the party occurred, but the whole exchange still made me uneasy.
“That went way too smoothly,” I sent to Crystal.
“I have my suspicions. It is possible that she is in cahoots with Celestia and this is some sort of convenient way to dig up more information on Lily. It was clear enough from how her emotions when she interacted with Celestia that the two are close. The potential for danger only grows since I will have to remain with Lily if she is to maintain her transformed state during the entire party.”
“But information on Lily of all ponies?”
“Magical threats are very much worth keeping an eye on.”
I rubbed at my head with a hoof. So many possible ways this could go wrong, and all I could do was try to prepare for the worst. It would be taxing, now that I have to start working again this upcoming week, but the least I could do was scout out the area a little more.
“On a side note, your idea of getting Philomena to come might have worked too well for the wrong reasons.”
A peanut bounced off my head.
I turned to glare at them. They were all staring off into space and whistling innocently.
I opened the door to the guardhouse quietly, but my caution was unwarranted. Inside was already a flurry of activity as the change of shift occurred, ponies hurrying about getting everything prepared.
The first day of returning to work and I was already late. Maybe. Though probably not. I left super early to make sure I wouldn’t get here late, but it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more urgent.
I slunk my way to the back and made my way into the armory. I spotted the rack where my gear was stowed and hurried over, dropping off my saddlebags. I still had my holsters for my fumes and axe, though I had left Crystal at home with Lily. While she was a great comfort to have around, I would need to get used to operating without her constantly watching after me. That, and I had no desire of being caught with a giant gem while on the job.
Not until I knew what I could and couldn’t get away with, at least.
I took my armor from the rack and levitated it into place around myself. Like my helmet, it was slightly larger than a perfect fit for me, but it was a problem that could be alleviated by simply tightening the straps a little more. The hoof guards came a little after, and I finally levitated my helmet over the top of my head.
“Corporal!”
I turned around smoothly and snapped a salute to Sergeant Flash Point, who looked at me as if I’d grown a second head.
“Corporal,” he repeated slowly. “Something wrong with your helmet enchantments?”
I blinked. “Uhh, no sir, not that I’m aware of.”
He hummed in contemplation. “Your fur color hasn’t changed.”
I looked down, and sure enough, instead of the grey of the unicorn guards, my legs and body were still my usual charcoal self.
A cold sweat bit through my fur. Had my problems with illusion spells also somehow canceled the illusion enchantments on the helmet?
Cursing silently, I made my way to the spare racks, pulling off a helmet from the shelves and slowly lowering it onto my head.
I looked down. Still black.
The sergeant furrowed his eyebrows at me. He pulled off his own helmet and set it down on the floor beside him before holding out his hoof. His fur slowly washed back into his vibrant red-orange. “Here, lemme see your helmet.”
I put the replacement helmet back on the shelf and hoofed my own helmet to him. While it was a tight fit for him, he managed to get it on, and he watched as the fur on his forelegs slowly changed into the grey of the unicorn guards. A couple of the night guards were coming in following the end of their shift.
He pulled my helmet off and narrowed his eyes at me. “You sure you’re alright, corporal? Any funny feelings? Maybe a little magical whatnots from the Everfree?”
I shook my head frantically. “N-no sir! I feel fine, sir!”
He hoofed my helmet back to me, still scrutinizing me closely. We were starting to draw a bit of a crowd. Steel Blade, who I primarily patrolled with, looked at me with concern and said. “You sure we shouldn’t send you back to the infirmary to see what’s really going on?”
“I-I’m fine, Steelie, really!” I hurriedly put my helmet back on and began to tighten the straps.
One of the stallions from the night guard butt in, having just shucked off his own armor. “Sergeant, with all due respect, she’s fine. Stop making her all nervous and just let her relieve us so we can all go home.”
Flash Point snorted. “Alright then,” he said, looking back at me. “Head out. Take the outer ring route. It’s good to have you back, but don’t do anything stupid, alright?”
“Yes sir!” I snapped off another salute before trotting out the door briskly, followed closely by Steel Blade.
The outer ring beat was a simple beat. Unlike some of the rowdier inner circle patrols, this route took me closer to the quiet outskirts of Canterlot, where buildings were a bit more spread out. It wasn’t a beat I took often, but I still followed it as if I had run it all my life. It was very fortunate that my hooves knew where they were going, because I sure as Tartarus don’t.
I looked around curiously. We were passing into one of the middle-class neighborhoods, still relatively close to the city center, but much less busy.
“It’s so strange seeing a guard with a different fur color. Never heard of somepony picking up an immunity to illusion spells, of all things,” Steel Blade said, walking beside me. “You sure you feel alright?”
“Y-yes, I do,” I said. This stupid memory spell was still coming back to bite me hard, and this was just going to draw even more attention to me. “Shoulder still feels stiff, but I just needed some love and a little bed rest. I feel fine.”
“Bed rest?” He raised an eyebrow, but thankfully had no emotional reaction to when I said I just needed love. “Says the girl who spent almost all of last week hacking away at training dummies at the barracks.”
I looked at him, startled. “Wait, you were there?”
He shrugged. “A couple times. Had to see one of the docs about my wing. Plus, I needed to meet up with my dad.”
I furrowed my brow. “Your dad works in the Royal Guard?”
“Um, yes?” Steel Blade looked at me curiously. “You forget my dad’s the captain?”
My mouth hung agape. “Wait, really?”
“Yes?” He rolled his eyes. “Remember? I told you back when we were about to walk into the Everfree Forest. It was only about two or three weeks ago, c’mon.”
I looked away. Shoot, he might have mentioned that before I even replaced myself. “I… I guess I just forgot,” I said with an awkward chuckle. “Had my mind on other things.”
Steelie simply rolled his eyes and snorted, a faint smile on his face. “I can imagine that. That op was quite a while ago anyways, and I much prefer the streets of Canterlot anyways.”
“Yeah, definitely,” I mumbled, not quite paying attention. I hadn’t realized that he was connected to the captain in that way, but that would make him a pretty important pony, wouldn’t it? Even without being privy to any state secrets, he might still pick up plenty of tidbits just by being around his father.
Wouldn’t that alone make him a prime target for the other changelings?
A cold chill ran up my spine. The Guard already had hostile infiltrators in it, and it might only be a matter of time before Steel Blade was abducted and podded.
I shook my head. Perhaps it’d be a good time to try to get some information from him. The street traffic had picked up a bit, but not so much that we would have too many other ponies listening in. He hadn’t reacted before when I mentioned needing some love, so he might not have been replaced yet.
“S-so,” I said, interrupting the quiet between us. “I heard that Fancy Pants was hosting some big party for the nobles.”
“Ahh, that,” he said with a hum. “Hadn’t heard too much about it. I heard the Guard was going to provide the security. The pay was supposedly really good though, so the number of ponies lining up to try to get a piece of that was pretty high. Other than that though, I haven’t heard all that much. Never did put too much stock into what the nobility did.”
“Oh. Okay.” I tried not to let my disappointment show on my face. I guess it was a bit of a long shot that he would know something vitally important, though hearing about the number of guards that want to participate was a bit concerning. The more guards there were at the party, the more likely some of them were going to be infiltrators.
I stumbled, somehow, and I was jolted back into the present with a tiny yelp. I berated myself for slacking on the job. I was supposed to be watchful, not a silly pedestrian, and certainly not tripping over my own hooves.
It was still a bit surprising, however. I had trusted myself to go where I wanted, and this was the first time that I had actually stumbled over myself. The ground felt familiar, but I curiously felt a sort of dread or sadness in me.
I finally took a good look at my surroundings and realized that I was standing in front of a cemetery. “Bright Star Cemetery” was written in flowing calligraphy over the entrance. The sun was shining full force at this point, and between the bright splashes of flowers and the lush green grass, it was easy to forget that this was a place for the dead.
I took a deep breath. “Steelie,” I said, turning to him. “Could I catch up with you later? I won’t be long.”
He took a look at the cemetery and simply nodded. “Sure, take as long as you need. You know the route, right?”
“Of course I do, silly.” I stuck my tongue out at him. “I’ll see you soon then!”
I watched him trot off to continue the beat before turning to walk into the cemetery. I stayed on the gravel path, just looking around at the beautiful grounds. The trees spotting the premises were flush with healthy leaves, their foliage thick and full. The signs of summer were all around me, and it was a sharp contrast from the brick and stone of the rest of Canterlot.
I took a sharp turn inwards, trotting over the grass towards my intended location. There, only a little distance in, were the two headstones I had been looking for, one of them showing a little more wear than the other. They were markers for a “Persimmon Joy” and an “Ironwood Heart.”
I stood there silently for a moment, just admiring the handiwork of the stone. A few birds chirped distantly in the background.
I knew nothing about them. I had no memories of them. I wasn’t even aware what their full names were until I read them just now, but they were my… they were her parents.
For me though? They were no more my parents than any random passerby off the streets, and yet my heart ached. It longed for them, but for what reason? Because Overwatch loved them? Loved them so much, they were part of her dying thoughts?
I scowled. Overwatch was dead. This family… It died with her all those weeks ago.
And my family? I… I knew my mother was still alive somewhere. My hive was my family, so I’ve been told. It was our unity, exemplified in our hive link, that made us family.
Sinister and Dexter, however, they weren’t family, even if they were from the same hive. We were associates, colleagues at best. Mom was halfway across the continent. I had no hive here, not in the way I had at Baltimare, even if I had made myself out to be more of a recluse back home.
I chuckled to myself. No matter the dressing on the situation, it was still the same, regardless of whether I was Nymph or Overwatch. I was alone. It was a facade of independence, pushing myself to be self-sufficient, reassuring myself that I would always make it through.
More importantly, I was standing in for Overwatch. Standing here, before her parents, I was a trespasser. An intruder into their family. Like every changeling infiltrator, I was stealing and living a life that wasn’t my own.
It was a statement that was true in more ways than one though, wasn’t it. I wasn’t just going through her routine and her motions. I’ve felt emotions I wouldn’t normally feel. I see things from her past. My drive to improve myself or to talk to others, how much of it was Overwatch’s past self and how much of it was the shut-in named Nymph, too busy burying herself in fiction to take note of what was happening around her?
I sat down heavily, staring at the two tombstones. Does it even matter? This was my life now, for better or for worse. I couldn’t hide away, not anymore.
The cemetery was quiet, but I heard Overwatch’s voice, as if she were whispering into my ear.
“Could you have taken my memories even if I had said no?”
“Yes.”
I shuddered, closing my eyes. I thought back to when she died. I remembered our meeting, our final words. I had been proposing an idea, even showing off my transformation abilities. I was a foal asking an adult for permission to take her identity instead of just taking it for myself, and in response, she had…
She had thanked me.
A sense of calm washed over me, and I opened my eyes and let out a chilled breath. She had entrusted her life, her responsibilities, even her friends to me, a mere copy. She had hoped, believed beyond all reason, that I could keep the ponies around her happy and that I could make use of her gift of life.
I stood back up and bowed to the two graves before trotting back out. I wasn’t going to squander another opportunity at life.
I had to prove myself. I had to prove that her confidence in me wasn’t misplaced.