Leech dozed happily on the couch waiting for Trixie to return, a nearby lantern's fading light shining upon his glossy black chitin. His legs occasionally twitched and kicked as he lay flat on his back, dreaming of Trixie and himself performing their shows on stage once more. City life had been a very different experience for the little changeling, and whilst he enjoyed it for the most part he couldn't help but long to be out on the open road again. For all the new and exciting opportunities Canterlot presented, Leech found life a little monotonous - every day seemed to be the same routine, much as it was back in the hive. He secretly yearned for the days where every day was a new adventure, and neither he nor Trixie knew what awaited them around the next corner.

His dreams and semi-sleeping musings were interrupted by the sound of the apartment door opening. Leech immediately jumped to his hooves as a soggy Trixie made her way into the room - it seemed as though the weather had changed during Trixie's walk home! Despite her sodden hat and cloak clinging to her equally deluged fur, Trixie seemed to be in good spirits. Noting this, Leech bounded up to her, a grin of anticipation spread across his face.

"How did Trixzzie do? Did Trixzze blow bar poniezz away with amazing magiczz?" he asked.

"Was there any other possible outcome?" she laughed. "All who witness the Great and Powerful Trixie's shows are immediately and forever entranced!"

"Huzzzzzah!" buzzed Leech. "Zzso, when do Trixzzie and Leech zzstart doing showzz again?" he asked, eagerly.

Trixie winced involuntarily, but just about managed to maintain her cheerful demeanor. Her eyes darted around as she struggled to pick between one of the several excuses she had concocted during her somewhat drizzly trip home. She couldn't simply tell Leech that the bar owner was a narrow-minded snob who had a grudge against changelings - Leech had enough problems fitting in with Canterlot society, without knocking his confidence any further. Quickly settling upon a reason, she answered her friend's question.

"Well... you see.... thing about that is...." Trixie began unsteadily, a tight knot forming in her stomach, "The bar manager knows about you and thinks your talents would be wasted being a mere assistant." she lied, unconvincingly.

"Really? It izz nice of him to zzsay zzo but... Leech likezz being azzizztant!" he protested. "It none of manager'zz buzzinezz what Leech doezz!"

"W-well," stammered Trixie, not expecting such a response, "the stage is also very small. Only big enough for one performer, you'd fall off if we both tried to stand on there!"

Trixie looked down at Leech as he seemed to mentally chew upon everything she'd said. Trixie also immediately contemplated her own words. A small stage? What an absolutely ridiculously feeble excuse! Nopony would believe that, not even Leech! She gulped heavily and forced a huge smile, and hoped to Celestia that he'd somehow be satisfied enough to back down. On this occasion, her prayers were seemingly answered.

"Well, Leech cannot zztand where there izz no room, Leech zzsuppozzezz!" he sighed defeatedly.

His face dropped for just a few seconds, then immediately burst back into a smile as an all-too-rare thought entered his head.

"Zzso if Leech izz not to be an azzizztant, what izz Leech to do?" he asked Trixie. "Doezz thizz mean Leech can get different job?"

Trixie tapped a contemplative hoof to her chin. Her own savings were dwindling due to high cost of living in Canterlot (even without rent), and the initial contract with the bar didn't pay quite as well as she'd hoped. This could be a way for Leech to integrate with the local populace, and provide a useful extra income for them. On the other hoof, what exactly could Leech do? She decided that she had better get a more in-depth grasp of the situation before encouraging Leech in either direction.

"What jobs would you like to do, Leech?" she asked in a gentle, almost motherly tone, sitting down next to Leech. If nothing else, she couldn't fault his enthusiasm and willingness to help.

"Leech izz not sure, Leech hazz only ever done hive maintenanzze and azzizting Trixzzie!" Leech replied, looking a little lost. "Not much demand for thozze thingzz in Canterlot!"

Quickly glancing around the room, Trixie noticed the newspaper still strewn across the floor where Leech had dropped it earlier. After a couple of seconds' annoyance that he hadn't bothered to pick it up, she cast her feelings aside and levitated the scattered sheets of paper towards where the two friends sat. Holding them in front of her face, she looked each sheet over carefully before dropping it back onto the floor.

At last, she found what she had been looking for - the advertisements page. Placing the rest of the paper to one side, she expertly maneuvered the single page she still held to a position where she could read it properly. After scanning over a few useless want-ads, she happened upon a section labelled "Positions Vacant". To her delight, there seemed to be a good range of possible careers on offer.

"Izz there any openingzz for handyponiezz?" asked Leech, hopefully. "Pony houzze fixing probably not that different to fixing hivezz!"

As it happened, there were openings for builders, carpenters and groundsponies. However, Trixie remembered Leech's appalling track record in anything maintenance related - he wasn't ranked 1017 out of a hive of 842 for nothing, after all! For the safety of Canterlot, Trixie wisely told Leech that there was absolutely nothing available in that particular sector.

Trixie's attention was then caught by a small advertisement at the bottom of the page.

"How about foalsitting?" Trxie suggested, pointing a hoof to a paragraph stating that staff were needed at one of the city's day nurseries.

"No thankzz!" he gasped, shaking his head vigorously. "Leech did brief zzervice in hive hatchery onzze, had to look after two hatchlingzz. Leech forgetzz their hive numberzz, but they called themzzelvezz 'Alter' and 'Shifter'..."

"Leech won't go into detailzz, but after zzpending a day with them, Leech was picking sugar zzsprinklezz from under hizz carapace for dayzz after!" groaned Leech, his carapace becoming itchy at the very thought. "Leech wazz glad when their zzsizzter collected them from hatchery! Leech never work with young creaturezz again!"

"A shame," Trixie commented, "the foals here loved you when you first arrived. They thought the holes in your legs were funny!"

Hours passed, as Trixie and Leech slowly made their way through the entire page, each advertisement proving unsuitable for one reason or another - if it wasn't Leech's natural lack of ability, it was because Leech didn't like the line of work or because the business in question would never knowingly employ a changeling. Leech had mooted the idea of morphing into a pony for the purposes of work, but decided the strain of a long-term dual identity wasn't worth the hassle. Besides, Celestia had promised him upon moving to Canterlot that he wouldn't need to disguise himself in public.

"Well, I wouldn't call it a bust exactly, more of a -" Trixie began, stopping mid sentence upon seeing something interesting on another of the newspaper's strewn pages.

Jumping down from the couch, she strolled over to the page and began to read. Her eyes strained to see the letters as the lanterns let out their final, fuel-starved gasps of luminance in the shadows of midnight. When she had finished however, the bright beam she wore on her face could have lit up half of Equestria.

"Leech, I think you should see this - it could be perfect!" she exclaimed, before turning around to see Leech already sound asleep, having slumped off the couch and landed neatly in his basket without even waking up.

"Never mind," she whispered with a smile, "I'll make the arrangements tomorrow morning."

With this, and a hearty yawn, she headed to bed for what would be a troubled sleep - more of her unanswered questions played on her mind. For instance, what was the green flash her horn kept producing? Why did it seem so familiar? And just how the hay had she managed to perform a trick she'd never done before almost perfectly just by watching somepony else do it?

The uneasy night's rest did little to resolve Trixie's queries, and she was equally as confused upon waking the next morning. Putting her own confusion to the back of her mind for the time being, she hurriedly scarfed down an apple smoothie for breakfast before brushing her teeth and heading out of the apartment. She had to hurry - the pony she wanted to speak to started work early and often finished late. If she didn't catch him during breakfast, she wouldn't get another chance until tomorrow!

Leech of course saw none of this, as he continued to contentedly doze in his basket, drowsing comfortably as a beam of the dawn's sunlight shone directly onto him with a wonderful warming sensation.

Some time later, Leech groggily rose from his slumber, stretching each leg in turn and letting out a colossal yawn. He slowly scratched his sides with his hind legs before heading out onto the balcony for breakfast. As it turned out, he was in luck this morning. A young couple sat on a bench near to the apartment complex, nuzzling each other tenderly and affectionately. Leech simply stood with his head over the balcony railings, siphoning some of the sweet waves of purest love emanating from the two lovebirds beneath him. After taking enough to fill him up, but not enough to adversely affect the blossoming relationship playing out below, Leech turned and headed back inside, contentedly licking his mandibles.

"Good breakfast?" asked Trixie, who had returned whilst Leech was out on the balcony.

"Blaaagh!" cried Leech, who again hadn't heard Trixie come through the floor. They really had to stop meeting like this!

"Sorry," said Trixie apologetically, "But I've just been into town, and I've gotten you a job!"

Trixie smiled her biggest smile, and held up a page of yesterday's newspaper in her magic. It was the back cover, rather than the advertisements page that they had so uselessly studied the previous evening. Along the bottom of the page was a banner advertisement for the newspaper itself. In large letters, it proclaimed:

"CANTERLOT CHRONICLE - Journalists and reporters wanted! All experience levels considered. Apply in person at the Chronicle offices on Canterlot's high street."

"Zzsounds interezzting..." Leech conceded, "But Leech cannot write" How can Leech work for newzzpaper when Leech cannot write?"

"I've managed to get you a position as a reporter," explained Trixie, "All you'll need to do is find news stories, take pictures of them, and remember what happened long enough for the journalists to type it up later on. Normally reporters make notes as well, but your new employer has agreed to make an exception for you. He says it's the least he can do for you."

"Do for me? Who izz new employer?" asked Leech, unable to think of anypony he'd done favors for recently.

"Do you remember Snap Happy?" replied Trixie, "He's head journalist at the Chronicle, and the pony you'll be working under. He's agreed to give you a trial because of what we did for him before."

"Oh yezz, Leech rememberzz him from hive. We zzsaved him from life azz falzze changeling!" said Leech, recalling the events that led to their being in Canterlot in the first place.

"Yes indeed. He reckons your disguising powers could be very useful for doing undercover investigative work!" Trixie explained. "He wants to see you in about an hour's time, do you know where the offices are?"

"Leech thinkzz zzso!" replied the little changeling enthusiastically. He'd been past the offices enough times when out and about in Canterlot, and was fairly certain he knew his way there from the apartment complex.

Around thirty minutes later, Leech figured that he'd better get going - he wanted to be early and make a good first impression! Bidding Trixie farewell for the day, he revved his wings and enthusiastically launched himself off the balcony, falling for a short distance before settling into a steady flight towards the Canterlot Chronicle building.

Trixie stood upon the balcony, waving a front hoof at her unique friend until he disappeared into Canterlot's sprawl of exquisite architecture. Heading back into the apartment and closing the doors behind her, her smile faded as her face turned to an expression of intensive concentration and introspect.

She had the most vital show of her life to prepare for, and a mysterious green glow to investigate...

Bug In The City

by PointlessGizmo

Chapter 2 - Changeling For Hire