The uncoordinated melee in the street of ponies all intently set about their purpose in random directions continued to offend Kevin’s sense of order and made his head spin. As a result, he was hesitant and unsure among the crowds, and this singled him out.
“Excuse me” enquired a seasoned male voice from behind, “But aren’t you Fluttershy, one of the Element Bearers?”
Kevin turned around suddenly, causing an oncoming earth pony to swerve and utter something under her breath that he didn’t understand.
“Am I?” he thought, suddenly questioning whether he would have been better advised to have shapeshifted into the form of the blue pegasus instead.
“Thought I recognised you” the unicorn continued, “Right down to your cutie mark. So, what brings you to Canterlot? You’re a long way from Ponyville.”
“Why?” answered the yellow pegasus defensively.
“Sorry, didn’t introduce myself. Name’s Tab Lloyd; I’m a reporter for the Canterlot Chronicle.”
Something clicked in Kevin’s memory as he cast his mind back to what Chrysalis had said to him before being despatched on his mission, and he studied the caramel unicorn for replication – yes, he would do nicely.
“A reporter; yes” he pondered quietly in words that were lost in the hubbub of the street.
Tab caught the positive gist of the response, if not the words themselves, and led his guest over towards a park where they could have an undisturbed conversation. The hedges had been cut to provide a series of recessed alcoves, each containing a bench where couples could meet within a stone’s throw of the centre of the city for anything from a confidential business deal to a romantic tryst.
Casting the occasional glance to check that the primrose pony was keeping up with him, Tab led the pegasus to a vacant bench, taking advantage of the brief silence to compose a few questions for their forthcoming interview. He thought he saw a green flash out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed it as a trick of the light, then turned to put his guest at ease, but found she wasn’t there; just the occasional pony walking past.
Puzzled, he looked up into the sky in case she had flown away and continued to scan around as well, but she was definitely nowhere to be seen, although he would have sworn she had been right there only a few seconds before.
“Right” said Kevin to himself, getting used to the feel of being a unicorn stallion as he walked away across the park, “I am now a reporter for the Canterlot Chronicle”.
***
Canterlot held unpleasant memories of defeat for Kevin.
He had heard his Queen in an unguarded moment talk about the strength of the love that the Captain of the Guard held for the pony Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and how this had created magic of such power as to defeat them.
Like all changelings, he gained his sustenance from love, so found it difficult to comprehend how such a feast could have been so destructive, but remained haunted by the power of its touch as it had blown them out of the city.
He reasoned that since their attack on Canterlot had been repelled, then it would probably be a good idea to travel around and take a look at other pony towns and cities to see if any could prove to be easier targets. Tab had mentioned that the yellow pegasus, an Element Bearer, came from Ponyville, so that would be a good place to start. He didn’t know what an Element Bearer was, but it sounded important, so it stood to reason that Ponyville would be another major city with its own castle and garrison too. All he had to do was find out where it was and get there.
The public gardens were well kept with a gently winding path meandering between trees that provided puddles of shade counterpointing the bright sunshine. Here and there, picnics were set up on the grass with large tablecloths covered in items that he didn’t fully understand.
Looking around, he could see that there were ponies of different sizes, some of them really quite small. It suddenly dawned on him that these must be juveniles, and he puzzled how confusing it must be if ponies were born as scaled down replicas of their parents. At least with changeling grubs, it was easy to determine the different stages of development. He stared absently at a young foal as he pondered the differences between their races, not appreciating that his glance was lingering longer than was generally accepted, an action that had not gone unnoticed by its mother.
“You are a father yourself?” she asked; not challenging him, but empathising.
He wanted to despise her for bringing another of his enemies into the world, but found his attempt to hate her clouded by the deep sense of love the mother felt for her foal. Although caught in a conflict of emotions, he stood transfixed, shaking his head wordlessly as he suckled greedily on her love.
“Well, maybe you will one day” she continued cheerfully, “It’s a blessing. I hope you’re lucky.”
With that, she turned back to play some more with the foal, and Kevin took his cue to leave them alone, suddenly feeling an unexpected pang in his conscience.
These ponies were the enemies of his hive, and he had just met a parent who had added to the number of adversaries they would ultimately have to face, yet there was a generosity, a kindness the mother had for her young, that she had shared willingly with him. These thoughts had the potential to soften him and distract from the mission, so he detached himself from the feelings he had just experienced as best he could and continued on along the path.
Somehow, he would never quite be able to forget everything he had gained from that short encounter.