//------------------------------//
// House Of Stone 
// Story: House Of Lies 
// by TCC56 
//------------------------------//

Eight-thirty and I was at work. 

Standing in the lobby instead of at a desk, but I was still there. The Whinnyapolis City Office of Development and Planning - my... Arche's place of employment for the last four years. I knew exactly where Arche's desk was, that the coffee machine still needed a cleaning (when didn't it?) and that Quick Book from Accounting two offices down had stolen the honey cruller out of the donut box again. 

I also knew that Lute was at the front desk, because she was staring at me with a mixture of fear and confusion. Because I was a changeling.

She tapped the intercom. "Mister Rock? There's, ah. A changeling here to see you." 

The device on Lute's desk was silent for several seconds. "Could you repeat that Ms. Fisk?"

"A changeling, sir. A blue one. To see you."

I tried to smile in a friendly way. It didn't put her at ease in the least.

"Send the changeling in, I guess."

That was the first hurdle cleared, at least. I kept smiling at Lute. "Thank you. I know the way." That got a raised eyebrow and a spike of worry, but she didn't stop me. 

Black Rock's office was less familiar to me than the rest, but who tries to spend time in their boss' office? Despite that aura of authority, it wasn't all that different from every other one in the department - a drawing board for blueprints off to the side, a desk cluttered with ongoing project proposals, a copy of his diploma up on the wall and a few pictures of his family below that. I will say this for my four years under Mr. Rock - he was a down to earth earth pony. (In truth he wasn't at all and was actually a hot-head, but as Arche I always liked making that joke. He laughed at it more often than not.)

Behind the desk, the heavy-set brown stallion glared at me. "How can I help you....?"

"Cyclotorna," I clarified. 

Black Rock frowned. "Alright. Cyclotorna. How can I help you."

While I'd gone over my conversation with Ivory a thousand times before starting it, I was winging this one. Maybe it's because I don't know Black Rock as well as her so predicting him is harder. But it's probably because, at the end of the day? This is just a job, rather than my heart. 

"I'm here to talk about a job." 

The stallion frowned deeper, lines etching into his stony face. "Sorry, we don't have any positions open at this time." I could smell his disgust - it wasn't about the openings, it was me. 

So I forced the issue. "No, I mean the job I already have here." The transformation into Arche washed over me. 

He was in shock, but it wasn't the nice kind Ivory had been in yesterday that would buy me time to explain. The bulging veins in his neck said that much even if I hadn't been able to sense the spicy slap of his anger. "How DARE you come into my office and pretend to be one of my people!" 

"Rock! It's me!" I tapped my chest with my hoof. "It's always been me!"

Rock snarled. "No, it isn't! Because I know the pony you're pretending to be, and Arche Triumph is a good pony! Not a monster!" He was on his hooves now, stomping around the desk in a freight train of fury. "I don't know what you are but you aren't Arche!"

The force of the anger made me take a step back. "I am, I swear! Come on, Rock, I'm trying to do the right thing here and--" 

I saw stars and the room twisted sideways. Through the ringing in my ears I was pretty sure I heard Rock calling for security. I tried to get back up - only to have a heavy hoof plant itself on my withers. That - and the fact that if he pressed harder I wasn't going to be able to breathe - got the hint across to stay down. 

By the time the cops hauled me out ten minutes later, I at least could stand up on my own again. Rock's hit still had my head a little scrambled, though, which is probably why I didn't recognize the hoofcuffs or that I was being dragged to the police station.





The fortunate part was that the police were more up to date on current affairs than Black Rock was - which meant I was treated as a foreign tourist instead of an enemy soldier. I was merely let off with a warning not to impersonate ponies again - or else I might not be considered a tourist.

The unfortunate part was that it ate up most of the day and now I was officially known. Old changeling instincts wouldn't stop screaming as I left the station - they demanded that I was compromised and I should immediately assume a new disguise to throw off anypony who was following me and go to ground. 

I didn't, partially because we're better than that now and partially because if they actually were following me switching forms was the worst possible thing I could do. I'd be in a cell before morning.

With everything that had gone on, I was planning to go back to my room at the Grand, order something from room service and waste the rest of the afternoon and evening in the hopes that tomorrow would be a better day. I hadn't been anticipating a surprise waiting for me when I arrived.

In my room - on the bed - was Ivory Charm. I froze for a moment at the door before even seeing her - the scent of her emotions was unmistakable. Conflicted, afraid, frustrated, but there was still love in there.  

"Ive." I breathed out her name through a smile. 

She rose as I entered - two eager steps towards me and then she froze as her doubts came to the front again. "Black Rock came to see me," she explained, responding to the question I hadn't asked. She knew it was coming. "He wanted to warn me there was a changeling pretending to be Arche." The corner of her mouth twitched in a little smirk. "He's mad at you for entirely different reasons now."

"Because I fooled him for so long instead of because I replaced Arche?" Ivory's nod confirmed it, and I dismissed it as quickly with a snort. "Either way, after how he laid into me? I think I'm going to keep my distance." 

In retrospect, it shouldn't have surprised me that Ivory was at my side almost immediately. "He hit you?" She turned my head to inspect where Rock had struck me - and she stopped dead when she found cracked chitin instead of a blooming bruise. 

I sighed at the whiff of her embarrassed confusion. "I'm fine, Ivory." I tried to turn it into a joke and deflect her concern away. "Rock's going to have a long talk with my union rep once I file a complaint, though." It flopped hard.

Ivory stepped away from me, lips pursed. "You're probably wondering why I'm here."

"You said you needed some time to think." I moved past her to sit on my bed. "I'm hoping you did."

She nodded. I felt apprehensive hope. "Arche, I--" 

My head shook. "Ivory. I'm not Arche. I know this is hard, but I'm not. I can't be somepony that never was. I could pretend, but Arche isn't real." 

Her pout was downright adorable. "Cyclotorna's a mouthful. It doesn't even sound like a real name."

"Not a pony name," I pointed out and left the rest to subtext.

She pouted harder, trying to will the problem away. "Maybe... Cy? Or Torna?"

"Neither of those is my name," I sighed. 

"Hrmph! I'll have you know that my name isn't Ive either but that hardly stops you!"

Oh. Right. I'd forgotten that she usually did legitimately win our arguments. "You know, neither of your two options sound particularly pony either."

Ivory sighed and slipped over to sit on the bed beside me. "I know. I just.. I'm trying? One of the first things I realized when I started thinking about all of this is that it probably isn't any easier for you than it is for me. So I thought maybe if I did something that made me feel more comfortable, it would get you to do something that made you feel more comfortable. And we could..." She waved a hoof vaguely in the air. "I don't know. Progress, I guess?"

That hung in the air for a long minute. "Cy," I finally offered. "It sounds more like it could be short for something pony. Like Cyan."

Ivory's smile returned, just a little. "But you're aqua."

We both managed to laugh quietly at that one.

Once it faded, I pressed forward again. "So. You're the one that's been thinking. What do you want to do now?"

The mare I hoped to win the heart of again bit her lip and nodded. "Well, I thought.. I know you're not Arche. But you made me happy. And without Arche I'm not going to be happy. So if I don't try, I'm going to be kicking myself for the rest of my life." Her pale blue eyes were tearing up at the corners as she turned to me. "Does that make sense?"

And I nodded. "I feel the same way, Ive. I'm not Arche. I can never be Arche. But if I don't at least try, I'll never know." I gently set my hoof on hers - and this time she didn't jerk away - only flinched. "It's why I did all of this. It's why I came back. I had to try." 

Letting out a long, deep sigh, Ivory nodded. "So... dinner?"