//------------------------------//
// 20 - Friendship 
// Story: Pony Persona 
// by Everace 
//------------------------------//

"There she is!  Get her!"  A pony voice sounded the alarm when Vera shifted back into her natural form.  Drat!  She had been sure nopony would see her!  She heard the hoofbeats closing in, and tried to think quickly.  Hiding or changing shape again would be futile now that she had been spotted, so that left running!  She started moving just in time to outdistance a reaching hoof, disturbing a swing set as she dashed between the swings.
The changeling came up short as more pursuers popped up right in front of her from around the side of a building, "We've got her now!  Don't let her get away!"  Vera quickly changed her plan when she spotted an unlocked side door.  She threw it open, but as she crossed the threshold she was ambushed and tackled from multiple directions!  It was all over...
"All right, we totally got you!"  An orange filly with a purple mane named Scootaloo slid down from her back and started prancing around delightedly.
Classmates Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle released her also, then gave both each other and Vera hoof bumps.  Vera laughed and sat down, tired from the game.  "You girls are getting so good at Extreme Changeling Hide-and-Seek Tag!"
The rest of the class began to file into the schoolhouse through the doorway, a strutting pink filly by the name of Diamond Tiara proudly proclaiming, "Of course they never would have had the chance had we not chased you into the trap!  You can all thank me for that brilliant plan!"
School Teacher Cheerilee approached and congratulated her class, "You're all getting much better at working together!  Now let's all thank our changeling friend for taking the time to be here with us today!"  To which the class dutifully responded with a synchronized, "Thank you, Miss Vera!"  The fillies and colts began taking their seats now that the game had finished, and Cheerilee drew Vera aside.  "It's been wonderful having you here to play with the students, Vera, but shouldn't you be charging if you intend to make your living this way?"
It had been a week since the confrontation with Meta and the rest of her family that night.  Extreme Changeling Hide-and-Seek Tag had been Vera's first idea for a job.  After all, who else in Ponyville could give players the sort of Hide-and-Seek experience a changeling could?  There were rules to keep things fair, limits on how long and how often she could take other forms.  Of course the school teacher was right when she pointed out that in order for it to be a job, she would actually have to charge for it, but... "I know, but it just doesn't seem right to be taking money from all these cute little fillies and colts..."
"Now now, don't be silly!"  Cheerilee adopted a no-nonsense tone she no doubt used with wayward youngsters, "The school has a budget for this sort of thing.  The experience is fun for them, and it's helping them build team skills!"  Her eyes twinkled with both merriment and determination, "Besides, I'm happy to employ our newest local hero!"
"Thank you."  Vera blushed, and she could tell by the small stream of strength flowing into her that Cheerilee was sincere.  She had been one of those Vera rescued from White Tail Forest, though that by no means guaranteed a friendship.  Some, like Cheerilee and the Mayor, had reacted as though Vera was a savior.  Some had been terribly frightened by the whole experience, and saw her as just another scary changeling.  Vera felt the truth was somewhere in the middle.  She had done the right thing in the end, but the town wouldn't have needed saving in the first place if not for her.  "I'll charge..."  She hesitated.  "Next time.  I'll charge next time."
The teacher gazed at her a moment before acquiescing, "All right.  Next time!"
"Goodbye, Ms Cheerilee, and thank you!"  Vera waved to the class, "Goodbye everyone!  See you again soon!"  The foals certainly didn't seem to have any reservations about her, and enthusiastically responded with a cacophony of various farewells that was notably less synchronized than their 'thank you' had been.  On her way out the door Vera passed close to the desks of the three who had caught her and overheard a small bit of their conversation spoken between Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, "...thought for sure we would get Hide-and-Seek cutie marks for that!"  "Back to the drawing board, I guess!"
A short walk from the school house brought Vera into Ponyville proper.  She could still feel eyes upon her as she moved down the street.  As the town's only changeling, she was still something of a curiosity that couldn't help but draw attention from ponies regardless of whether they liked her or not.  Hopefully they'd get used to her presence soon enough.  Thankfully she wasn't starving.  Her contributions toward saving the town had earned her enough good will to ensure that she was fed, though without a person who truly loved her she was always a bit dissatisfied.
As she pondered her "VERA!!!"  Pinkie Pie burst out of a nearby barrel, raining confetti and streamers across the street.  "It's totally time for another apology!"  Vera wondered shakily if the apology was going to be for the minor heart attack her sudden surprise appearance had caused.  She noted that the other ponies walking nearby spared Pinkie only a glance before moving on with smiles on their faces, apparently satisfied that this was normal Pinkie Pie behavior.  "Oh, but not from me, nope!  This time I'm the backup!"  The party pony grinned gleefully, and gestured dramatically to a second barrel placed alongside her own.
Nothing happened.  Pinkie blinked and checked inside the barrel.  "Huh?  Where did she go?  Is she further in...?"  She poked her head inside, leaning further and further until she finally fell into the second barrel face first.  Her plot and hind legs sticking out the top, Pinkie cried in distress, "Vera, I can't find her!  Get in here and help me look!"
Twilight came out from behind the corner of a building, looking only a little surprised to find the party pony in her current predicament.  "Pinkie, I told you I didn't want to wait inside the barrel!"
"The barrel was perfect, Twilight!  PERFECT!"  The pink tail stiffened, "OH NO!  I missed your entrance!  Now who will do your intro?"
With a fond sigh, the librarian lit her horn and wrapped her friend in a gentle purple glow.  Pinkie was lifted out of the barrel, righted, and set down on the street.  "Now then.  Vera..."  Twilight hesitated, looking away as she considered her words.  "...it has been brought to my attention that perhaps I've not been entirely fair to you."
"She was doing her very best to get you thrown out of town!"  Pinkie chimed in enthusiastically.
"Y, yes, those first few days."  The student of friendship looked distinctly uncomfortable.  "Well, my friends continued to remind me that you had done a lot for the town."
"Like rescuing a full half of it from White Tail Forest!"  The pink pony broke in again with her unflagging cheer.
"That's true..."
"And saving me!  And Rarity!  Oh, and Spike too!"
"Right, I remember..."
"Oh, and she even saved YOU personally, Twilight!"
"Pinkie..."
"And right after that you blasted her!  Right in the face!  POW!!!"
"Pinkie!!!"  The unicorn wailed, her tone half demand and half plea.  The party pony grinned impishly and pantomimed drawing a zipper across her lips, though the mischievous gleam in her eyes made it clear she was unrepentant.  Twilight exhaled slowly before continuing, "Well I guess all of that is true.  So... I'm sorry."
Vera took a second to respond, as this was definitely not something she would have expected from Twilight.  The changeling had been all too aware of the efforts to have her kicked out of Ponyville.  As she contemplated the pony before her, Vera suspected that the apology was prompted more by peer pressure than any change of heart.  "Twilight... I don't think your feelings about changelings are unreasonable at all.  To be honest, I might feel the same way if I were you.  I was there at Canterlot.  In fact, I was one of the changelings who attacked you!"
The student of friendship twitched in shock and stared at her, "What?  Are you serious?"
Vera smiled slightly, finding it a little funny.  It had been an important experience for her, but obviously Twilight didn't remember one changeling out of the many she fought that day.  "I'm serious.  And I was hardly an innocent before that, either.  So how about this..."  The changeling met Twilight's scrutinizing stare with determination, "...you don't have to apologize, and you don't even have to like me.  Just watch me, and I'll show you by my actions who I am now."
The unicorn nodded thoughtfully as she considered this.  She approached Vera so that she could speak more quietly, "It's true that in my heart I can't quite accept you.  Not yet.  My friends have been fooled by a changeling before, when I was the only one to see through her deception."  Her face and tone softened, "But everyone deserves to be given a chance.  So, I'll be watching."  With that, she passed by and continued on her way down the road.
Pinkie tsked, "DRA-MA!"  She intoned before hopping into her barrel, tipping it onto its side, and rolling down the street after Twilight.  Vera watched them go.  She was resolved to continue down this path whether ponies like Twilight accepted her or not, but it eased her heart to think she might yet win over her former adversary.  With that she also continued down her literal path, the modestly busy Ponyville street.
In a short while she came to her destination, the former house of Pivotal Pledge.  Waiting for her in the front yard was... "Oh, Veil.  I wasn't expecting you."  The silver haired pegasus was wearing saddlebags, and it did not look like she had been waiting long.  "Did I thank you yet for letting me stay here?"  Not having any close relatives living nearby, Piv had willed all his belongings to Veil.  That she allowed Vera to continue living in his house had taken a tremendous worry from her shoulders, though of course the medicine pony had collected all of Piv's important possessions along with some of her own that had ended up in his house.
The corners of Veil's mouth turned up slightly, "Actually you did... you do it first thing pretty much every time I see you."
The changeling felt her cheeks color, "Ah."
"Yeah, well, it's not like I have anything else to do with an empty house.  And you did end up fulfilling his final wish..."  She touched her locket tenderly, which now seldom left its spot around her neck.  Veil's expression suddenly turned sour, "...even if you did do it in the stupidest, most irresponsible, and most hurtful way you possibly could have."
Vera hung her head ruefully, "Sorry..." she let out a dejected breath, "...and I'm sorry there wasn't anything I could do for Piv.  I have so many regrets about everything that's happened."  Veil was silent for a time, fresh hurt bubbling up on her face.  As always she did her best to restrain it, not to let anyone else see, but the loss of a loved one was not a wound that could be so readily concealed.  
The day after the battle for Ponyville, Veil had asked to be taken to Piv's final resting place.  The forest cairn was still exactly as Vera had left it, untouched by pony or woodland creature.  Clearly on the point of losing control of herself, Veil had demanded the changeling leave her alone there, and Vera moved quickly to oblige.  The pegasus had returned to Ponyville hours later, and returned to her home immediately without speaking to anypony.  The next day Vera learned that arrangements had been made for a headstone to be taken to mark the cairn, which surprised her.  She had expected Piv's remains to be brought for a proper burial, but apparently Veil felt he would have approved of being laid to rest where his journey had ended.  The funeral was to be held in the forest in a few days.
"I brought something for you."  Veil changed the subject, though her voice was still husky.  Reaching into her saddlebag, she brought out a jar of green goo.  The very same stuff Zecora had created to unmask the changelings, which Vera had been trying to get her hooves on as an added element for Extreme Changeling Hide-and-Seek Tag.
The newest resident of Ponyville made an appreciative sound as she took the jar, "Zecora shut the door in my face when I came to ask for this, and threw things at me from the window until I left!"  During the battle Vera had walked right by the zebra without unbinding her, despite the fact that she had been lying less than a meter from Veil.  The hermit had made her outrage over this quite clear when Vera had dropped by with the gall to ask her for a favor.
Veil managed a smile, "I know.  She told me all about it when I visited her for herbs a few days ago.  Told me she nailed you in the flank with a pot."
The changeling winced and rubbed her backside at the memory, "Yeah, one of those solid cast-iron numbers.  I can't believe she changed her mind by the time you paid her a call!"
With a shrug, Veil responded, "She may have needed some convincing.  I mean seriously, how hard would it have been for you to free her?  All you had to do was move your head to one side and breathe on her!"
"Wait, wait, wait.  Are you saying you convinced her to do it?"  A bewildered Vera asked in disbelief, "You spoke on my behalf?"
Veil shifted uncomfortably, "Well, yeah, I guess if you want to put it like that."
The changeling was struck dumb for a few beats.  "But why?"  She asked finally.
"Why?"  Veil chuffed a short laugh, "Well as somepony once said to me, I think it's pretty clear that I'm not the only one having a hard time here."  Vera recognized her own words, felt something moving inside her.  Her eyes watered, and Veil looked at her with concern, "You ok?"  The dam broke.  A wail escaped her as the tears burst free and poured forth; Vera threw her forelegs around the reliable pegasus and hugged her tight.  "H, Hey!!!"  Veil squirmed, her own forelegs held apart, unsure of what to do.
"I'm sorry!"  The changeling cried, "I just... I've felt that ponies like Twilight have every right to hate me.  Part of me wonders why the whole town doesn't feel that way."  She sniffed as the tears continued unabated, watering Veil's chest, "And here you are, you who I've hurt most of all!  You gave me a home.  You brought me a thoughtful gift, and a kind word, and..." she shook her head, emotion wracking her with sobs, "...and I just... can't... hold it together!"
An astonished Veil made no move to pull away from the weeping changeling.  "You don't have to."  She spoke gently as her forelegs gradually, gingerly, settled around her new friend to return the embrace.  "You don't have to."


The End