//------------------------------// // Chapter 28 - New Acquaintances // Story: Off The Mark // by Goldfur //------------------------------// Trixie had confined me to Canterlot for a month, therefore I missed it when the map table sent Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie on a mission to Griffonstone. I suppose it’s a good thing that it didn’t summon me too. Heaven knows how I would have convinced the G&PT to let me go. Thanks to Twilight insisting that they take photos of the ‘glorious’ griffon city, I got to see how decayed the mountaintop capital had become. No wonder the nation’s representatives were so often at the Canterlot court – they were always after some deal to bring in the bits, and they probably ate better here than back home. I wondered if the Equestrian griffons were aware of how low their brethren had sunk. Still, if what Pinkie and Rainbow had told me was accurate, they might be on the upswing again at last. Job well done, guys. I didn’t get the chance to congratulate them in person until after my time was served. Crimson Boulder had ensured that I didn’t sneak off to Ponyville. While he was quite prepared to go out to the bar or club with me and Steady Flight, if I even gave the impression that I wanted to visit the girls, my genial buddy very quickly became an unsympathetic duty-bound Royal Guard. Served me right. Twilight may have been the one to knock him out with the sleep spell, but I was very much complicit. That’s one mistake I wouldn’t make again. During the royalty-imposed timeout, Trixie ordered me to address a deficiency in my learning. While I had taken a very basic self-defense class in high school, that didn’t translate at all to my current form. Add that to my overall lack of coordination and that made me one of the most vulnerable stallions in Canterlot. Twilight added offensive and defensive spells to the magic training sessions, Ebon Flight and Easy Breeze began familiarizing me with aerial tactics and weapons, and Crimson Boulder was responsible for teaching me hoof-to-hoof combat. The latter two subjects included lessons in both my stallion and pegacorn forms. By royal order, the enclosed Canterlot Comet Stadium was cleared out for the two hours before midnight, Monday through Thursday. Whenever Twilight was in town, she joined me for aerial and hoof-to-hoof training. Today, however, it was just Crimson Boulder and myself. “You know, Mark, all of the moves and techniques that I show you are just ‘B.S.’, as you call it. Learning them is not a bad thing, but unfortunately, it creates a sense of complacency. That is not what keeps you alive in combat.” He twirled a short spear on one hoof. I pricked my ears. “You have my attention.” He pointed the spear at one of the ponykin practice dummies, a hulking form made of some extremely dense wood and heavily chipped from years of use. “For example, run over and apply a knockout blow to that enemy. Go.” I took off in a gallop, which I could now do thanks to sessions with Twilight. She had used her levitation skills to keep me from falling while I repeatedly switched between my pegasus and pegacorn form. After only a couple of hours spread out over a week, the muscle memory sunk in and I got it. Still couldn’t corner at speed, but I could live with that for now. Similar attempts with flying hadn’t worked, apparently because of the way magic needs to be channeled to precise locations in each wing. My pegasus form was only developing this awareness in slow increments that wouldn't be rushed. I quickly reached the wooden form and struck it with a hoof at the nerve cluster in the neck as I had been taught. “Think fast!” I whirled around to so see the spear hurtling towards me. I froze and it hit midway along my barrel, nearly knocking me off my hooves. Looking down, I saw it had bounced off of my side and what I had assumed were metal blades were actually foam, now deformed from the impact. The tip glowed slightly as it reformed into its previous shape. Crimson trotted up next to me. “Why didn’t you change to your Marklestia form to stop it?” I looked back at him. “First of all, ‘Ow.’ Secondly…” I paused as I thought it over, seeing the problem immediately. “…I always double and triple-check who is around before doing so.” He nodded. “I don’t want you to get that healed. It needs to be your reminder that when it comes to defending yourself and those around you, act first and worry about the ramifications later. I’ll be testing you at times you don’t expect: just after you wake up, in the castle hallways, strolling around Ponyville, etc. Sometimes you will see me, often times you will not.” He picked up the spear and twirled it again. “There might even be some new ponies who need to be sworn to secrecy, but that’s the price I’m willing to pay to get your head screwed on straight. As you are right now, I’m in more danger of dying in my sleep than suffering a scratch from you. Until you are a threat to do more than just make messes and stinks, I’m not going to be satisfied.” I frowned then looked back at the reminder Crimson had given me. It was going to turn into an ugly bruise. “The Zen of situational awareness.” He blinked. “I don’t know what that is, but if it means ‘mindset,’ then yes. Now then. Do you know why you aren’t sparring against opponents yet?” I smirked, recalling how a Zen Masters taught through experience rather than just words. “Wouldn’t it be easier to show you?” He looked me in the eyes for a moment then nodded. I turned into Marklestia, grabbed the ponykin in my magic and threw it into the air to arc down on top of a second practice form. Both shattered under the impact. I felt a sharp pain in my side. Crimson had poked me with the tip of the spear – directly on my bruise. “Don’t stand still. You might not get the same strength in your levitation, but you need to not be a stationary target.” I ground my teeth as I absorbed the pain. In front of us, the enchantment placed on the wooden ponykins activated and they began to reform. “Now you’re going to tell me I could have shielded myself or, better yet, paid attention to what you were doing.” “Exactly. You need to be able to react instantly to your opponent doing something unexpected. Far too many ponies have died with a look of surprise on their faces.” He smiled. “For a soft and flabby mare that’s known more for the power of your flatulence, you are quick on the uptake.” I growled. “Anyway, I got a request from Shining Armor. I need to experience the feedback that happens when my shield is shattered. Is now a good time?” He tossed the spear aside and shrugged. “As good as any.” I immediately raised my physical and magical defense shield, rather than learning the same lesson twice. I repositioned myself and faced him directly. Crimson gave me an amused smile. “You’ll need to put some strength into it, though. Think you can do that, Mark?” I smirked. Two could play the goading game. “Show me what you’ve got … Corporal.” He turned around and gave the golden barrier a solid kick with one hoof. Ripples formed from the point of impact but they soon dissipated. That kick would have probably broken the ribs of anything but an earth pony if it had landed, but as Shining Armor had said, I was fairly decent at this particular spell. I tapped a hoof impatiently. “I’m waiting.” A series of progressively harder kicks followed. I could feel the magical energy drawn from me spike with each impact. Finally, a buck from both hooves caused cracks to appear which rapidly faded away. I had been keeping my fetlock-band in view and saw it glow slightly, indicating the last blow had drawn magic from me at the fastest rate my band would allow. I sneered. “Come on, Private! Stop just showing off your plot and put your back into it!” Crimson’s eyes narrowed and I saw him push backward from his front hooves, getting ready to transfer the momentum to his rear legs. I quickly switched to the other shield that Shining Armor taught me. Or should I say the only other shield spell where I showed some proficiency. Immediately after his hooves connected, the shield wall bounced. Crimson shot away from me at high speed, all the energy from his kick returned to him. Cracks spread across the surface of the bubble swiftly and it collapsed. I felt the magic from the shield force its way painfully back into my horn and I yelped. After holding my head for a second, I started trotting, remembering the lesson about not being a sitting duck. I tried to raise the first shield only to generate a headache. I switched to a canter then to a moderate gallop. So my physical abilities were not affected. Good thing to know. By the time I got to the wall on the other side of the stadium, I could hold a matchstick spell without flinching, but that was it. I used it to illuminate the hole in the wall as I carefully stepped through. After following the trail of debris through an office, a janitor’s closet, and a locker room, I found Crimson covered in tile from the collapsed wall on the far side of a gym shower. I looked behind me and used my magic to flick on the switch that controlled the overhead light orb. It took a few tries because apparently the maximum strength of my magic was decreased as I recovered. Curious but I guess that made sense. Plus, another reason not to let my shield break in combat. I turned to face the source of a moan coming in front of me. “Not bad for a flabby mare not good for anything but messes and stinks, wouldn’t you say?” There was a pause in the groans followed by a weak “Good one.” I trotted away, calling over my shoulder. “By the way, you are in the mares’ shower. Come back over to the correct side when you are ready to clean yourself up.” It took overtime pay and a team of construction ponies, but everything was repaired before the stadium opened for business early the next afternoon. The one addition was a small brass plaque I had added to a certain wall in the mare’s shower stall: Crimson Boulder Got His Plot Handed To Him Here Maybe someday I’d tell him. Until then, he would just have to wonder about the smirks and knowing looks mares would occasionally give him. The exile was over at last, and I was on the next train to Ponyville as soon as Day Court was concluded on Friday. The scheduled departure was mere minutes afterwards, but I had already packed everything and Steady Flight had taken it all to the station where he waited for me and Crimson to arrive. I had already shamelessly bribed the stationmaster to give me a few minutes extra time if I was delayed. Sorry, fellow passengers! Not only did I want to see my friends, but I was itching for some mare action too. The only times I had taken my Marklestia form was when Twilight was giving me lessons in unicorn magic and combat training sessions. I just didn’t get to do any fun stuff. I fully intended to make up for lost time this weekend. Besides, Rarity had sent me a note to tell me she had the new fashion line-up ready. Twilight had already arranged with Pinkie for an evening of “frocks, food, and festivity”. I think they missed me too. The good thing about the new fashions is that Rarity had promised me something special that she said I’d love to wear around the town. Considering the nature of the majority of her works, I found that possibility intriguing. Anyway, I hoped so because I wanted something really nice to wear at the wedding ceremony for Cranky Doodle and Matilda. I’m so glad that my punishment ended in time for me to attend that event. My friends had told me it had been the talk of Ponyville for weeks! The old curmudgeon had been positively sappy lately. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were waiting to greet us when we arrived at the Ponyville station. Dash informed me that Twilight’s guards had been socializing with the town’s citizens and as a result had found out about my alternate form. Fluttershy assured me that Twilight had sworn them to secrecy. Personally, I was ambivalent. It certainly made going to Friendship Castle less of a hassle, but it just added more ponies to the growing list of ones “in the know.” I admit I was a little exasperated, wondering to myself who would be next? As soon as the train had left and it was safe to do so, I switched to my pegacorn form and the three of us and Steady flew off to Twilight’s castle, leaving Crimson to bring our luggage. So not sorry about that. As long as Steady and the two Element Bearers were with me, Crimson couldn’t complain about me being unguarded, and I was done with my penance. Rarity and Pinkie were putting the final touches on their preparations for the evening’s entertainment, but it was Spike’s cooking that most interested me right then. I’d left Canterlot without having dinner, and I had quite an appetite. Not to mention that as a pegacorn, I was twice as hungry! The meal was a great time to catch up on what we had been doing. Twilight had passed on the highlights such as the visit to Griffonstone, but there were plenty of little things that good friends like to share. Pinkie’s desserts capped off the meal delightfully before Rarity dragged me off to prepare for her latest fashion show. After we entered the boutique, Crimson waited in the main room while Rarity asked to speak with me in the kitchen. Once there, Rarity turned around and looked pointedly at my side. “Mark. Darling. Why are you running around with that ugly bruise on your side? It just won’t do. Stand still for a moment and I’ll take care of that.” I held up a hoof to stop her. “That is the result of my self-defense training. I am supposed to let it heal naturally as a reminder of what not to do in certain situations.” The fashionista gave me a very level glare. “And was this your idea or your guard’s?” I blinked. “It was his, but I agreed to it.” She smiled and raised her head. “If you’ll excuse me for just a moment, please.” She trotted out and was back in ten seconds flat. “There we go. No problem. Your dear hoof-to-hoof combat instructor agreed that I should heal you up. Stand still, please.” Before I could say anything to protest, Rarity was aiming a pulsating beam of magic at my bruise. It shrank visibly as I watched. I was perplexed. “Rarity, how exactly did you get him to agree so quickly?” “Nothing easier, darling. I simply informed him that his authority over your actions ended when it interfered with my livelihood.” She glanced up to look me in the eyes. “Honestly, Mark. You do need to learn how a mare talks to a stallion when she knows she is right. Saves all sorts of time and heartache.” Her horn stopped glowing and I looked at my barrel. As good as new. I smiled back at her. “You truly are an amazing mare, Rarity. And how exactly did you get so good at healing magic? I don’t think the nurses at the castle are this capable, and I’ve seen them on multiple occasions.” I winced, remembering the end of many of my flight lessons. She snorted. “Did you forget that Sweetie Belle is a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders? More often than not, their schemes end up with the three of them in a row right here in the kitchen, waiting for their turn for me to fix their scratches, scrapes, and bruises. Outside of wartime, I don’t think there are any unicorns who get more practice than I do.” She lifted her head and smiled. “Now then, off to where the true magic happens!” We then trotted to her fitting room. To my surprise, the unicorn didn’t immediately bring out her latest designs to start fitting me with one. Instead, she said, “Darling, there’s been a minor change in plans. Now, I would not dream of imposing on your desire to remain relatively anonymous outside of Ponyville, but the fact of the matter is that too many ponies know about you and rumors spread.” “Are you saying that somepony has found out about me?” I asked. “Deduced the truth, actually.” “Who?” “Lord Fancy Pants.” My eyebrows raised in surprise. Not who I expected, but then again, he was a particularly astute individual and one of the few nobles I truly respected. “So, what has that got to do with our plans?” She gave me a pointed look. “You do know who his wife is, don’t you, dear?” Oh. Of course. “Fleur de Lis, the retired fashion model. Are you saying that she’s here?” “Fancy Pants begged a personal favor on behalf of his wife. She only retired from modelling because she could no longer face the public due to constant harassment from the noble mares. As she was a commoner who married into nobility, she was seen as an inferior—” I held up a hoof to stop Rarity. “Say no more. I know exactly what you’re talking about. Trixie and I never miss a chance to try to bring those pompous fools down a peg or two. So – Fleur. What about her?” “Fancy Pants brought Fleur here to meet with you. He hopes that you can help draw her out of the shell she’s withdrawn into.” “I’m not exactly a psychologist, Rares. Are you sure I can help?” Rarity shrugged. “Neither am I, darling, but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t go the extra mile to try to help her.” She was right, and I’d be ashamed of myself if I didn’t try too. “Okay. How do you want to go about this?” The fashionista smiled. “While designing clothes is my skill, Fleur’s is modelling them. Tonight, you are doing a fashion shoot. You’re going to show her what you’ve got, and if I know my mares, she will want to fix what you’re doing wrong.” Suddenly, it clicked. “You want me to channel some of my klutzy side, don’t you? Do you know how hard that’s going to be? The magical transformation changes more than my looks, y’know?” “Believe me, Mark, I realize that you’re the epitome of grace in this form, but do try to fake it. Also, trotting fashions onto the runway is quite different from showing them and yourself off for the camera. Now, I do believe that we have been keeping our guests waiting for long enough. Are you ready to meet them?” I nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Rarity smiled and walked over to the door. Upon opening it, I saw Twilight waiting outside. “She’s ready,” the unicorn told the alicorn. Twilight nodded and left. Rarity then closed the door and came back to me. “We have a couple of minutes before they arrive, but we can’t have you meet them completely unadorned. I have this perfectly divine vest that I designed for smart casual occasions which will work splendidly for this first meeting.” Rarity was back to her normal fashionista mode. She took the item she had mentioned off the hanger. It was pastel blue of the same shade as one of the colors in my mane, tastefully trimmed in gold and tiny gemstones. Of course, Rarity’s idea of ‘casual’ was a lot more lavish than mine, but I expected nothing less from her. She artfully dressed me in it in time for the return of Twilight. The purple mare paused in the doorway and met Rarity’s eyes. Upon getting a nod of confirmation, Twilight fully opened the door and said to the ponies out of sight, “Please come in – Mark Wells is ready to see you now.” “Thank you, Princess Sparkle,” Fancy Pants said as he followed Twilight inside, closely accompanied by the willowy mare that was his wife, Fleur de Lis. They both paused as they caught sight of me, and I gave them what I hoped was my best welcoming smile. “Oh, my! Knowing something and seeing it are two different things,” Fancy said as he gazed at me. He shook himself and then said, “Please forgive my rudeness, Lady Wells. In spite of everything, I am still struck by your resemblance to our missing Princess Celestia.” “Nopony was more surprised than me when the transformation first happened,” I replied. “If it wasn’t for your cutie mark, I would have been hard pressed not to believe that you weren’t our Diarch in hiding.” He turned to gesture to his wife who had been diffidently standing back from our meeting. “Come, dear – you’ve met Mark Wells before, albeit as a stallion at the time.” Fleur hesitantly stepped forward and curtseyed. “A pleasure to meet you again, Your Highness.” This was by far the most words I had heard from the former model. At previous social occasions, I had seen her nod or shake her head but only speak to her husband, and then, only with whispers in his ear. It took an immense effort for me to not roll my eyes. “Lady Fleur, I’m not a princess, nor am I even an alicorn. I’m a pegacorn who resembles that royal mare in looks only. Please, just relax and treat me as a friend.” I really didn’t expect to be the one doing all the reassuring. Considering how I felt the first time I was in a situation like this. Rarity said, “Perhaps if we get started, we can all begin to relax and enjoy ourselves?” I knew that the white unicorn was eager to show off her latest designs, but her suggestion made sense anyway. “Yes, let’s do that. Twilight, could you tell the others that we will be starting soon? Rarity and I have to prepare for the first outfit.” Twilight nodded. “Please take a seat, Fancy and Fleur. I’ll have Spike bring in drinks for us all. I believe we have a nice hard cider set aside for special occasions.” She left and Rarity and I went backstage to get ready. I stopped in my tracks when I got a good look at the first fashion that consisted of silver studs and delicate chains that decorated black pants, a vest, and straps. “Rarity, is that leather?” “Why don’t you see for yourself, Mark?” she replied coyly. I walked up to the clothes rack and felt the material with my hoof. The grain looked spot on. It felt cool in just the right way and the weight was right, at least the parts that didn’t have studs or other adornments. The tooling and grooves looked correct as well. I bent the corner of the outfit to see how it creased. More supple than average, but this application was not supposed to be hardened leather. I ran my hoof along the edge then looked up. “This is a bit too uniform here. When leather is burnished, some amount of imperfections show through.” Rarity nodded. “I’ll take it as a compliment that your expert eye took so long to recognize that this is imitation leather.” She began applying the first adhesive swatch over my left cutie mark. “I’m always on the lookout for the next big thing in fashion, and that includes new fabrics. Add to that a certain rule-breaking mare kindling my interest in leather…” She paused and gave what was supposed to be a disapproving look which just made me smile. “…and I went to the yearly agricultural products expo at Bridlemount University with numerous designs in my head but no way to realize them.” The fashionista waved a hoof airily. “There was nothing I hadn’t seen before on the convention floor, but one of the postgraduate students had a display set up in the hallway. The young minotaur heifer had devised a means to create imitation leather from the fibers extracted from pineapple leaves. The fabric takes dye well, breathes, and possesses sturdiness comparable to the real thing.” Rarity moved to my other side with the remaining patch. “Despite creating this wondrous material from what would have otherwise been a waste product, she could not get funding for more research. I proposed that she start a business with myself providing the venture capital in exchange for a percentage of the company. I also have exclusive rights for the fabric’s use in the fashion industry for the upcoming season.” I raised an eyebrow. “Just for the fall season? Why not keep it as a Carousel Boutique exclusive?” She smiled in a way that reminded me of Rainbow Dash. “Now why would I do that, darling, when I could have other designers paying me to use the material instead?” I chuckled. “You are going to make a mint, Rarity.” She shrugged and stood up, now finished with the remaining patch. “We can only hope so, but the first step is a successful photo shoot tonight.” What is the purpose of clothing to a species that needs none? How can anypony make a career of designing such useless things? Because they serve a purpose that has no relationship to protection as they were to humans. Almost every item of pony couture was created for the purpose of highlighting an aspect of the pony who wore it, and tonight’s line-up was no exception. Rarity had always dreamed of bringing out Celestia’s myriad facets, and with me, she finally had the means to accomplish that. Sometimes I wonder why Rarity puts so much time and effort into these designs. For many of them, there is exactly one pony who could pull them off – me. I could see how some of them could be adapted to suit customers of more regular proportions, but that still left many that were ultimately going to languish in my wardrobe for the rare occasion that I would actually find a good reason to wear them. If these fashion parades were more public, they would certainly be a vehicle by which she could exhibit her design skills. Come to think of it, now that the citizens of Ponyville all knew about me, perhaps that would be a good idea. Rarity had done so much for me, so it was only right that I returned the favors in any way that I could. Still, that left quite a lot that would only ever be suitable for one non-paying client. She had absolutely refused to consider selling them to me, stating the pleasure and gratification of my modeling her designs for the alicorn I resembled. Of course, I was not blind to the fact that Rarity was smitten with me. I just didn’t know yet if I wanted to do something more about that. Ten months as a pony in Equestria were still not enough for me to be totally comfortable with all their ways and mores. But I could repay her with doing my best to show off her creations in their most favorable light. Ironically, I was being asked to do less than my best for this session. It was for a good cause though, and I hoped that this plan worked. As per Rarity’s instructions, I waited in the side room while she told the audience the history behind the fabric she used. At her cue, I trotted proudly onto the stage. I heard the oohs and aahs from the audience and pranced around the runway so everypony could get a look at all sides of the outfit. I heard “C’est magnifique” from Fleur and nodded happily her way. She and Fancy had seats in the front row, just to the side of where Rarity stood with her camera and tripod. The Elements were in the second row, again reclining on their lounge chairs. I had quite a bit of pep to my step and felt great… quite a departure from my first modelling experience. I stopped on a raised black platform set in front of a dark gray backdrop. I put on a cheesy smile and lifted one foreleg awkwardly. I looked straight ahead and froze in place. Rarity asked me to turn to the side and I complied, twisting my neck around to look at the camera. This time I raised a rear hoof. I was then asked to stand on my back hooves while facing the camera. I put on a determined face, making it look like I was trying hard to keep my balance. Before Rarity could take the shot, I heard “Non! Non! This will not do!” I looked down to see a frowning Fleur De Lis up on the stage directly below me. “Mark, I am sorry to say, but you do not know what you are doing.” She waved me down to her level and I complied. “To model for the camera is not the same as walking the runway. You must build a relationship with the photographer. You will become what they ask of you moment by moment. Do you understand?” I nodded. She moved back to position herself beside Rarity. “Now raise your right front leg. Higher. Now stick your left back leg out behind you. Relax a bit. Keep your head straight. Good.” Her horn lit and I felt my mane and tail being repositioned. “Now for your expression. You are looking to the left across the city plaza and see a good friend you haven’t met for far too long. You are happily looking forward to talking with them again… Quelle jolie jument! Just like that! Keep yourself just like that!” I felt the platform begin to rotate slowly and I dutifully kept my body and expression firmly in place. In hindsight, I probably didn’t need to go out of my way to do a terrible job at the first few shots. There was so much to modelling that I didn’t know that doubtless Fleur would have jumped in regardless. Was she successful? The photos spoke for themselves. I loved the first outfit and after the photo shoot was done, I asked Rarity if I could model it around town for the rest of the day. She didn’t need much convincing and soon everypony was heading off to Café Hay to celebrate. Savoir Faire seated us in their large private dining room where Fleur held forth with tales about the colorful characters she had met in the fashion industry. I was both intrigued and slightly scared at the prospect of meeting Photo Finish one day. Fleur ended by raising a toast to Rarity. “Your new line will be magnifique, madame.” She then turned to her husband. “And this means I am officially ending my retirement. Ponies must see how beautiful Lady Rarity can make everypony.” Lord Fancy Pants gave me a smile and mouthed, “Thank you.” Mission accomplished! Nopony was particularly surprised when I turned up to breakfast the next morning dressed in my new favorite outfit. I felt so empowered by it, and it fitted my personality as snugly as it did my body. The fact that it also hid my ‘mare bits’ finally satisfied that little piece of human in me that always felt naked and ashamed. I stepped out of Twilight’s castle with a spring in my step and confidence in my heart. To say that it caught the attention of the townsponies would be a serious understatement. I think Crimson Boulder who was shadowing me today nearly had a heart attack to see so many converging on me all at once. I got quite a giggle out of seeing his expression, especially as the mares totally ignored his pleas for them not to crowd me. I added “show off great fashion” to my mental list of ways to render a Royal Guard ineffective without harming them. Rarity had accompanied me to gauge the reactions of the locals and she was soon virtually bursting with pride at the compliments sent her way. I foresaw a surge in patronage for the Carousel Boutique in the near future. The Flower Sisters normally insisted on giving me a posy, nosegay, or boutonniere to go with whatever outfit that I was wearing on the day, but Roseluck said, “Forgive us, Your Highness, but anything that we could give you would detract from your marvelous ensemble.” Yeah, they still insisted on considering me royalty, and while I did nothing to encourage it, I had long ago stopped trying to persuade them otherwise. To them and a few others in Ponyville, any alicorn was a princess, even a faux one. The fact that they thought they couldn’t improve on perfection made me feel absolutely marvelous. Today was a good day. It was also a busy day. So many ponies were preparing for the wedding scheduled for later that morning. I had made sure to order my gift in plenty of time and I merely had to go collect it. I encountered Cranky Doodle along the way and greeted him. “Looking forward to the big event, Cranky,” I said with my best smile. “Dunno what all the fuss is about,” he replied dourly. If he wasn’t a donkey, I would have said that was a bit flippant, but I could tell that the burro was pleased despite his demeanor. I had never seen Quills and Sofas so crowded. Davenport used his business connections to arrange for odd items from all over Equestria and beyond to be brought in by rail or by post. Add to that several ponies who had left their shopping for gifts until the last moment and the storekeeper and his assistant were kept very busy checking off items from the Bridal Registry. I waited patiently, both Rarity and I chatting with some of the customers to help pass the time and relieve the pressure from the staff. Eventually, I was able to collect my gift and I tucked it under my wing for safekeeping. The next stop was the spa where both of us had an appointment for manestyling. While I could control the length and even the color of my mane to some extent, I had neither the magic nor the skill to do anything more than put it in a ponytail, so this occasion called for professionals. However, as we approached the establishment, our attention was drawn to screams in the distance. “What do you suppose that is?” I asked, looking in the direction of the sound. “I have no idea, darling, but it can’t be good. Can you see anything?” As a matter of fact, I could. My superior pegasus vision spotted a large flying creature dive-bombing some ponies at the edge of town. I relayed that fact to Rarity. “Oh dear,” she replied. “It seems that I must postpone my visit. Do go on ahead, Mark, and let Aloe know that I may be delayed.” “Would you like my help, Rarity?” “Thank you, darling, but no. This looks like a job for the girls and me.” I arched an eyebrow. “Am I not one of the girls now?” She blushed. “You have a point, but this is our responsibility. Besides, our earth pony friend here seems unlikely to let you go.” I glanced at Crimson Boulder who gave me a stern glare. Nope – not getting past him today. Not unless there was a genuine need anyway. And as Rarity had pointed out, it was my friends’ responsibility to watch over this town. “Okay, I’ll let Aloe know.” Rarity cantered away and I resumed heading for the spa where I was greeted with the usual enthusiasm. Somehow, I was unable to talk Crimson Boulder into getting a hooficure. With a regretful flick of my tail, I left him in the waiting room to read fashion and gossip magazines. I was directed to a corner of the main room where there was a variety of tools and products related to the cutting and styling of manes. I saw Matilda Donkey was already there getting hers done, but my eyes were quickly drawn to the other occupant of the room who was currently lounging in the hot tub. Despite the size of the tub, he barely fit in it. I say ‘he’ because his huge moustache would have looked odd on a female sea serpent. I stopped and gaped in awe. “Oh my! Is that Celestia I see?” the serpent asked in a voice I definitely would not have associated with creatures of his kind. “I’d heard that you and your sister had disappeared.” “Oh, no, sir,” Aloe responded. “This is Mark Wells. While she bears a strong resemblance to Princess Celestia, she is in fact unrelated. Mark, this is Steven Magnet, Cranky Doodle’s friend.” “Stephen… Magnet…? Just when I thought nothing could surprise me, I meet someone like you.” “Oh, I know!” the serpent replied enthusiastically. “Cranky and I met years ago and had such fantastic adventures together. We made such a great team.” “Wait!” Matilda said, her eyes wide and staring. “You’re Steven Magnet. Cranky’s best friend?” “And Best Beast,” he replied proudly. “I am so looking forward to seeing him finally getting hitched to his childhood sweetheart.” As I allowed Aloe to guide me into a chair in preparation for my manestyling, I said, “If you don’t mind, Steven, please keep my current form a secret. The folks around town know, but very few others.” The sea serpent made the universal “zipper-across-the-lips” gesture and I nodded gratefully. “Sounds like you have a lot of stories to tell about your and Cranky’s experiences. I, for one, am terribly curious.” Steven looked pleased and his eyes took on a faraway look as he reminisced. “It all started when I met him in the Hayseed Swamp while he was searching for his beloved Matilda…” It was with a greater appreciation of Cranky’s past and effeminate sea monsters that I left the spa after my manestyle was completed. Crimson and I found Steady Flight waiting for me outside, apparently keeping an eye on the situation. It was fairly obvious that the problem that had drawn Rarity away was still unresolved due to the fact that she had not turned up at the spa. I could see the disturbance had proceeded further into town, and I wondered why my friends hadn’t dealt with it yet. “What’s going on?” I asked Steady. “The Element Bearers are trying to herd the bugbear out of town without harming it,” he replied. “Bugbear? There’s seriously a monster called that?” I asked incredulously. “See for yourself,” he said as he pointed out that it was headed our way. I could see Twilight zapping it and Rainbow Dash dive-bombing it, but the beast seemed very durable and merely annoyed by the attacks. It eventually passed by us literally across the street from me. Despite the fact that Steady and Crimson placed themselves protectively in front of me, looking over their shoulders I clearly saw what looked like a cross between a six-limbed panda and a wasp fly by. A literal bug-bear. I should have known better than to question it. Despite the minimal effect that my six friends were having, they nevertheless seemed to have the situation under control. What was more surprising was the general lack of concern from the majority of the townsponies. “Does this sort of thing happen often around here?” I asked. “Ponyville’s proximity to the Everfree Forest makes it a regular target for creatures from there,” Crimson Boulder replied. “The citizens have gotten pretty blasé about it for the most part.” I looked about me as my ears swiveled to catch snatches of conversation. As far as I could tell, most were calmly avoiding the action while those who were frantically dashing about seemed more concerned with some problem or another regarding the wedding than the bugbear. I shrugged. Not my problem, apparently. I heard a musical “Hi, Mark!” from behind me and turned to see Steven exit the spa with a huge grin on his face. While Crimson and Steady scrambled to get in front of me, I waved and called out in matching sing-song tones, “Don’t be late to the wedding, now!” He rolled his eyes, which given their size was pretty impressive. “As if I would dream of it!” He then slithered off towards town hall. I turned back to Crimson who was still very much on edge. “If you see more of those creatures from the Everfree, let me know. Personally, I think it’s just your imagination getting the better of you.” That got his wide-eyed attention while Steady got a badly concealed chuckle at his expense. “Let’s go kill some time at the café,” I suggested. I would have proposed the pub, but it was still a bit early in the day for alcohol, and there was sure to be plenty at the wedding reception later. The three of us ordered coffee and cake, and we chatted with the other patrons. Well, mostly me. My clothing was still the big eye-catcher. God, I loved this outfit! The time came for us to start heading for the town hall where the wedding ceremony was being held. It was a little early yet, but it was a good opportunity to socialize with the other guests before the nuptials. We had just exited from the café and turned down the street when a series of shouts and screams could be heard heading our way from behind us. I could see the continuing efforts to deal with the bugbear in front of us, so that wasn’t what was causing the new disturbance. Steady suddenly yelled, “Get up into the air!” Without hesitation, I unfurled my wings and flung myself into the sky, closely followed by Steady. When he came to an immediate hover, I followed his example before giving him a puzzled look. “What’s going on?” I asked. “Land shark,” he replied, pointing a hoof down the street. “It’s been attracted to the violence in town. That fight’s been going on too long.” I stared in utter disbelief as I saw a fin parting the earth, leaving a V-shaped ripple behind it. “Oh, come on! You’ve gotta be shitting me?!” “I wish I was. Large crowds normally deter them, but whip up enough fear and they smell it and come charging in.” Not quite what I meant, but that didn’t dispel the reality in front of me. “What about Crimson?” I asked. Steady grinned. “There’s a reason why land sharks normally avoid Ponyville. The population is dominated by earth ponies. Watch Crimson and you’ll learn why.” Crimson Boulder had moved into the center of the street directly in line with the path of the shark fin. As it drew close, the stallion reared up on his hind legs and then flung himself down again, slamming his forehooves down with brutal force. A shockwave rippled the ground and collided with the underground menace, making it burst to the surface. It frantically tried to submerge itself again as Crimson bore down upon it. How such a creature could ‘swim’ in solid earth escaped me, but then again, magical beasts seemed to do the impossible on a regular basis here in Equestria. The shark went swimming off in another direction and Crimson went chasing after it. Steady and I followed cautiously from above as the earth pony continued to herd it towards the edge of town. We were only halfway there though when a strange cacophony assaulted our ears. A bizarre combination of dubstep and cello, if my ears didn’t deceive me. It grew louder and closer before it burst over the apex of a hill, clearing the road by several feet, and not incidentally jumping over the startled shark. It wasn’t the only one. I gawked as Vinyl Scratch and her mobile DJ equipment came hurtling down the street with Octavia Melody poised unflappably on one of the speakers. I watched in disbelief as they maneuvered around corners and started accumulating surprised ponies as they plummeted further into the center of town. To my horror, I saw them heading straight for Matilda accompanying Mr. and Mrs. Cake, a towering wedding cake on the back of the stallion. As quickly as I could, I lit up my horn and cast a spell. I couldn’t stop the collision, but I was able to ameliorate it. Everypony landed safely on top of the runaway DJ gear with Carrot Cake standing at the top of a pyramid of ponies, the intact cake held out of harm’s way above his head. Not quite what I had aimed to achieve, but I was no Twilight Sparkle. Then, as they rushed towards an impending collision with the town hall, the wheels of their impromptu ride hit something on the road and everypony went flying. There were far too many for me to deal with, and I could only watch as ponies plunged through the air and… safely passed through the doors? I watched in total disbelief as each pony landed softly in a chair, while Vinyl and Octavia ended up exactly where they were supposed to play for the wedding. What the buck? Then I heard the soft sound of laughter echoing from every direction. Of course. Only the Master of Chaos could have pulled that one off. Kudos to him. First, though, we still had a shark to deal with. Crimson resumed herding the creature. Every time the shark looked like it wanted to head back into town, the earth stallion sent another shockwave its way. When it finally reached the outskirts, I fired up a spell that I had just recently learned. I targeted a line of earth with a freeze ray and the moisture in the earth turned it into a solid wall. When the shark tried to swim through it, it bashed its nose against an unyielding blockade. After several unsuccessful attempts, it finally gave up and swam off in the direction of the Everfree Forest. Our job done, we headed back to the town hall. I knew if we didn’t get a hustle on, we would miss the start of Cranky and Matilda’s wedding ceremony. I poured on the speed and reached the town hall just as Doctor Whooves and Derpy were entering. Considering how empty the streets were except for my friends still tangling with the annoyingly persistent bugbear, I figured that we had to be the last to arrive. I landed at the entry and nearly tripped on the long scarf that the Doctor was trailing. Something awfully familiar about that, but I didn’t have the time to worry about it now. I hastened inside and looked around for a seat. To my relief, there seemed to be a few still available near some foals, so I headed over there. I was puzzled by the way they were all bunched together and staring at something. I followed their line of sight and was slightly stunned by the sight of a small changeling drone calmly sitting on a chair. Not having experienced the invasion of Canterlot, all I knew of them were from rather dry reports and a history lesson. I found its appearance to be quite fascinating with its glossy chitin and glowing blue eyes. The fangs were a little daunting, but there was no hint of menace when it looked at me curiously. I shrugged. If it was here peacefully, I wasn’t about to stir up trouble for the bride and groom. I sat down in the chair beside the changeling, placing myself between it and the worried foals. The colts and fillies all calmed down after that. One benefit of being a local celebrity was that I inspired confidence in ponies, and if I looked to be unconcerned, then they felt able to relax too. Crimson wasn’t impressed, but a sharp look and a shake of my head made him hold his peace. He settled down in the chair on the other side of the changeling, his eyes glued on the potential threat. “Hi, I’m Mark Wells,” I said to the little drone. The changeling blinked and hesitated, perhaps surprised that I was talking to it. “Hello,” was the eventual reply. “My name is Thorax, but everypony has been calling me Kevin.” “Why would they call you that?” “Mostly because nopony ever stops to ask my real name.” “Oh. That makes sense, I suppose. May I ask why you’re here, Thorax?” “To watch the wedding ceremony, of course. Lots of love in the air to feast upon,” he replied, licking his fangs. “That’s right – you eat love. But that isn’t what I meant. I was asking why you’re in Ponyville.” “It’s where I crash-landed after being expelled from Canterlot during the invasion.” I lifted a curious eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little young to be a fighter?” “Not really. I just made myself smaller to look less threatening.” “Ah, yes – shapeshifter. Still, it’s a wonder the townsponies didn’t throw you into jail or something.” “News of the invasion didn’t reach Ponyville until the next day. The Cutie Mark Crusaders found me lying injured at the edge of the Everfree Forest and patched me up and kept me hidden. They were trying to get a cutie mark in field medicine or something. We became friends and I hung around with them in disguise as a foal. They even made me a Cutie Mark Crusader too because I was a blank flank. I pointed out that changelings don’t get cutie marks, but it didn’t seem to matter to them.” I rolled my eyes. “Of course not. Nothing as simple as that ever slowed them down. Anyway, if you were in disguise, how come you’re not now, and Ponyville’s citizens know what you are?” “I’m not an infiltrator, so I was careless and kept being seen while in my natural form. Ponies got really nervous when they saw me, but eventually they got used to me being around. Now if somepony new sees me, the others shrug and say, ‘That’s just Kevin’.” “You can’t blame them for being worried – the invasion was hardly a trivial matter. Lots of innocent ponies got hurt that day,” I pointed out. “I know, and I’m really sorry about that, but I had no choice. Queen Chrysalis ordered us to attack and we had to obey. Some didn’t mind, but I hated it. I’ve despised violence since I was a nymph and other nymphs would pick on me. Only my brother ever made them back off.” I smiled. “And there’s the other side of the coin. I’ve only ever learned about the changeling invasion from the pony perspective, but there are always two sides to a story. Seems to me that I could learn a lot more about changelings if we could have a chat later.” “If you’d like that, I would be happy to tell you what I know. I’m only a common drone though.” I smirked. “A drone living peacefully among ponies that still fear him a little, if those foals are any indication. Nothing too common about that.” He gave me a small, sad smile. “Some of the adults told their foals about the bad things changelings have done and use me as a threat, but I just want to be friends.” “Come with me to the castle afterwards and let’s see if we can do something about that. Oops – the ceremony is starting.” “Dearly beloved,” the mayor was saying. “We are gathered here today to join these two in matrimony. As I look around this room, I can only imagine how uncomfortable Cranky must be.” We all chuckled. Good one, Mayor. Fortunately, the Element Bearers had arrived just after the mayor’s speech and right before vows were exchanged. The ceremony was brief but poignant, and the flameless fireworks were a lovely touch. Thorax looked a little bloated by the time it was all over. Even for a non-empath like me, the love in the air was practically tangible, and not just from the bride and groom. Looking around, I saw many couples hugging and cuddling, and for the first time in my life, I wondered what it would be like to have a special someone too. I watched out for the Cutie Mark Crusaders as the rest of the guests settled in for the wedding reception. I suspected that they would try to smuggle Thorax out after the ceremony once they saw that he’d let his disguise slip again. I was not disappointed. Scootaloo made a transparent attempt to distract me while the other two tried to make off with the slightly giddy changeling. I foiled them by sweeping the changeling under one wing and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom under the other. I then headed for the door with the pegasus filly hot on my heels, protesting about the mistreatment of her friends, and a scowling Royal Guard grumpily bringing up the rear. I paused outside where it was quieter and more private. “Stop worrying so much, Scoots. We’re just heading over to Twilight’s castle to have a chat.” “But, Mark! You know how Twilight feels about changelings!” Scootaloo objected. “Yeah!” came a muffled agreement from under my wing. “We don’t want her to hurt our friend.” “Have a little faith in me, girls. Thorax can’t just hang around here indefinitely with his status unresolved. Best to work things out while we have the opportunity.” “Okay, if you say so,” Scootaloo replied uncertainly. “Good.” I let Sweetie and Bloom out. “Go back inside and find Twilight. Tell her that I want to see her and the other Element Bearers back at the castle about a friendship problem. Give me a few minutes to get there first though. Knowing her, she’ll be so excited about dealing with something as Princess of Friendship that she might teleport right over. Hmm… Better tell her that I want to see you three in connection with the problem and that you’d rather walk there. I know you’ll all want to be there too.” “Right!” Bloom declared. “Cutie Mark Crusader Friendship Makers!” She and the other two high-hoofed and charged inside. “Thorax?” “Yes, Mark Wells?” came the muffled response. “Can you disguise yourself as a foal, please?” “Okay.” I felt a peculiar tingle as his magic worked, and I opened my wing to release him. A perfectly ordinary unicorn foal with a dark grey coat and deep blue mane stood there looking at me with innocent green eyes. “Cute,” I said with a grin. “Come along, ‘Kevin’ – we’ve got to get to the castle.” He looked at Crimson Boulder uncertainly. “Don’t worry about him,” I reassured the changeling. “If he does anything rash, I’ll report him to the Captain of the Guard for mistreatment of a foal.” “What?!” sputtered Crimson. “You can’t do that!” I grinned as I turned to head off towards the castle. “Then stop frightening him with your expression. You’d think he was an assassin here to wipe out half the town with his evil changeling powers.” “My what?!” Thorax protested. “He could be!” Crimson insisted. “Good thing I have a big, strong Royal Guard to protect this dainty mare, isn’t it?” I snarked. “Ain’t nothing bucking dainty about you,” he grumbled. I giggled and broke into a trot. “And watch your language in front of a foal. Hurry up now. We can’t let Twilight beat us, can we?” With everyone at the wedding reception including Spike and not counting the Guards stationed at the door, we had the castle to ourselves. I stopped in the map table room to await the others. Crimson objected to showing Thorax “classified secrets” and I replied that with the castle open to visitors every day, it was about as secret as my real identity in Ponyville. We didn’t have to wait long before the Element Bearers arrived along with the CMCs. Twilight looked around the room, barely noting the strange colt before she addressed me. “What’s this about, Mark? The Crusaders insist that there’s a friendship problem, but the cutie map isn’t showing us anything.” Ugh. I hated that name for the map table. “It doesn’t need to because I’ve got the problem right here.” I gestured with my right wing towards Thorax. Twilight frowned. “The foal? What are you talking about, Mark?” “Have you heard about a changeling in town?” “I have. They’ve all been unsubstantiated rumors.” “They’re not rumors, Twilight. One changeling has been living peacefully in Ponyville since your brother’s wedding.” Twilight was no fool. Her eyes narrowed and focused on the odd colt, and her horn lit up. I spread my wing to block her view of the shivering changeling. “Stop it, Twilight.” “You don’t know changelings, Mark. They can’t be trusted!” I felt her magic thrust my wing aside as she resumed whatever she intended to do to Thorax. This time I stepped in front of the changeling and bellowed, “I said ‘STOP IT!’” My voice shook the room, impressing even me, but it had the desired effect on Twilight. Her magic aura died away as she gave me a perplexed and anguished look. “But… Mark…” “I told you that you had a friendship problem to solve and this is it. Twilight, meet Thorax. Thorax, please show us your regular self.” Despite quaking with fear, the changeling complied, his fiery green magic revealing a normal-sized drone. “I asked Thorax to come here and talk with you in your role as Princess of Friendship. You say that I don’t know changelings, but I think that you have the same problem. Your only experience with them was Chrysalis’ invasion. What do you truly know about them beyond that? Here’s one of them that can answer your questions and is willing to be a friend. Are you going to screw up this golden opportunity?” The alicorn frowned. “How do I know this isn’t a trick, or if you’re even the real Mark Wells?” I turned to Applejack who had been sternly watching and listening. “I am the genuine Mark Wells and Thorax has not used any magic on me, as can be verified by Crimson Boulder. Am I telling the truth, Applejack?” The farm mare nodded. “He’s the real deal, Twi.” “That still doesn’t mean that Thorax can be trusted!” Twilight objected. “Then why is your butt glowing?” I asked with a smirk. Unnoticed in the heat of the moment, Twilight’s cutie mark had started flashing. She looked back at it and then over to the map table. Sure enough, her cutie mark was hovering there directly above the castle. It wasn’t alone though – mine was accompanying it. I glanced back and saw my rear end flashing too. Looks like I had roped myself into the friendship problem well and truly. Confronted with reality by her favorite new toy, Twilight calmed down and started approaching the situation in a much more rational fashion. First, we all adjourned to the comfort of a lounge room where Twilight entertained official guests. Then Thorax reiterated what he had told me about how he had come here and what he had been doing since. Since nothing bad had happened in town in nearly a year since the invasion… OK, let me qualify that… nothing bad attributable to changelings had happened, Twilight was forced to admit that the resident bug-pony was, in fact, a peaceful non-threat who just wanted to make friends. “However,” Twilight said as a thought occurred to her, “If Chrysalis could force you to attack Canterlot, what is there to stop her from imposing her will on you again to do her bidding?” “Well, first of all, my link to the hive was broken in the love blast,” Thorax replied. “Secondly, I didn’t really know better back then. I knew nothing but the hive and my queen. Everything we did, we did at the behest of Chrysalis, and anyone who displeased her was punished. Now though, I have learned what it is like to live differently and to have friends. Chrysalis could never convince me to obey her again.” “Do you think there may be others like you?” I asked. Thorax shrugged. “Maybe. Even if there are, they’d probably be too afraid to admit it.” Applejack shook her head. “It seems mighty sad to me that yer whole species is forced to act at the whims of such an evil ruler.” “To be honest, Applejack, not all of them needed to be forced. Changelings are normally aggressive from the day they are hatched.” “But it is up to the parents and other authority figures to teach their foals restraint and respect,” Rarity said with a pointed look at Sweetie Belle. “Clearly, none of this has happened in your hive.” “I know! What they need is a party!” Pinkie suggested. “Then maybe they won’t be so nasty anymore.” I grinned and said, “That may be a little ambitious, Pinkie, but if we can get the changelings to see that there are better alternatives, perhaps we can make peace with them and eliminate a threat to Equestria forever.” “Yeah, sure!” scoffed Rainbow Dash. “Ya think that’s gonna be easy?” Twilight straightened up in her chair and resolve firmed on her features. “No, it won’t be easy, but that’s why I’m the Princess of Friendship and Diarch of Equestria. It’s up to me to find a way.” “It’s up to us,” I reminded her. She nodded. “But first, we need to make a diplomatic visit to Queen Chrysalis. While we haven’t heard from her since the invasion, I have no doubt that she survived. So, tell us where your hive is and we’ll start immediately.” Thorax shrank a little. “I can’t.” Twilight frowned. “Why not? I thought you wanted this to happen?” “I do! I just don’t know where the hive is. I’d never even been on the surface before. It was nighttime and I just flew along with the rest of the swarm until we reached a staging point near Canterlot.” Twilight scanned her eyes across the ponies around her but got nothing but frowns and shrugs in return. It looked like we’d have to find the changeling hive some other way. Thorax folded his ears onto his head and shrank down. Time to change the subject. “We’ve discussed what you can do for us, but nothing about what we can do for you. What do you want to do with your life away from the hive?” Thorax looked a little stunned. “I have a choice?” Twilight’s face lit up. “Of course, you do! What kind of friends would we be if we replaced your queen with another absolute authority figure?” “Then… I’d like to stay with my friends.” “Where have you been living, dear?” Rarity asked. “In the CMC clubhouse. I have a little nest in a cupboard where I could hide when I wasn’t disguised as a foal.” “Oh dear, that won’t do. We can’t have an official resident of Ponyville slumming it. Twilight, darling – can you spare a guest room until Thorax gets more permanent accommodations?” The alicorn blinked in surprise. “I can’t see why not, and it would be helpful in my studies of changelings if Thorax is willing?” “You want me to live here?” Thorax asked, incredulity on his face. “If you like. Nopony is forcing you,” Twilight reassured him. Slowly, hope dawned on the changeling’s face. “Can the Crusaders visit me?” “Anytime within reason.” He burst into a smile. “I accept!” “Great!” I said. “Pinkie – one welcome home party, stat!” “Roger dodger, mon Capitan!” Pinkie said with a salute. She then pulled a huge party cannon from who knows where and fired it. Instantly, the room was decorated and all kinds of party foods adorned the coffee tables. The CMCs ran up to hug Thorax and congratulate him. And topping it off, Twilight and my cutie marks started flashing. We grinned at each other. “Mission accomplished?” I asked. She shook her head with a smile. “No, it just signals the end of the beginning. Today, we made a start that could have major repercussions for the future, but like all friendships, we have to keep working on it. I have a good feeling about this though.” “Me too. And now I have a shape-changing buddy.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Just don’t have him turn into you as a prank, okay? One of you is enough!” “Oh, I don’t know. Considering how many mares want a piece of me, I could do with a stand-in.” I gave her a wink. The alicorn blushed and I wondered if I had given her ideas. Wonderful, naughty ideas. # # # # # # # # #