Walking into Ponyville was easy. No guards stopped me, and every pony I met seemed too tired to notice me.
Ponyville’s colors, on the other hoof, hurt my eyes. These ponies were insane if they imagined any creature would ignore so much color and light. Such carelessness reminded me of the underground parts of the Hive’s territory. Only there could a changeling pretend they had no enemies.
The pony residents obeyed a rather strict schedule. Very few stores were open at night, I discovered, and while quite a few homes radiated positive feelings, they were subdued. Walking by, I risked looking into a nearby window. I saw a mated pair snuggled together on a sofa, one sitting rather oddly, as if she were bipedal. I noted her appearance. Perhaps, her form could prove useful later, if I decided their bond was worth exploiting for energy. Strange ponies getting stranger rarely made anyone suspicious, and if I failed, the falling out could be blamed on the pony’s eccentricity.
I took only a bit of their energy, and continued on. A multicolored monstrosity jutted up at a street corner. The building resembled a grub’s drawing of a mineral deposit, too regular to be natural, but far too ugly to be anything built by changeling magic. It was a heap. White, brown, pink, purple, and their various shades made the place look even worse. Why would they build something like this? The place stank of burnt seeds and spoiled nectar, as well as a few other, less identifiable smells. Most surprising of all, a faint aura of happiness surrounded the place, as if the ponies valued this…Sugarcube Corner.
Apart from the nauseating, yet happy place, my eyes and nose were drawn towards an enormous tree-building as I walked through the town.
“I am new in town. What’s that place?” I asked some of the ponies walking by, pointing towards the plant structure. Most made impatient noises and continued on, but one unicorn trudging in the other direction jumped up and rushed over to me.
The unicorn’s blue mane and white fur were practically standing on end. I decided not to copy her, ever. I doubted I could muster so much enthusiasm for anything short of expanding the Hive’s territories.
“That’s the library, and Twilight Sparkle’s home.” The pony eagerly explained. “You must be from really far away if you don’t know! She saved the Princesses, Equestria, and everypony else at least three times!”
“Fascinating. Does she accept guests?” this could be my chance to find out about what happened to the Hive. Twilight did help Cadence defeat Chrysalis in some way, after all.
“Um. I dunno… are you a scholar?” she looked at my cutie mark. “You look like a magician! What’s your name? Did you write any books?”
“I doubt you’d know me. I’m… Woorali Mirrortelling Hooves. And yes, I am a magician looking for a library in town. How did you know?” Pony names were complicated things, but it was on Queen Chrysalis’ approved list of names to use with improvised disguises, and I was reasonably sure no pony had ever heard of curare. Besides, it sounded like my real name, or at least as close as a pony mouth could come to pronouncing it.
“Can I call you Woog for short? I always wanted to meet someone named Woog!” she practically jumped around me as I walked towards the house-tree.
“I suppose.” This nickname would be even easier to remember, even if it sounded like a grub’s demand for attention.
“Twilight Sparkle would love to meet you, I’m sure! She’s got a ton of friends, and, and! Wait! I was going in the opposite direction! Sorry, Woog. Good night! Here’s my card.” Just like that, she was gone, and I had a piece of paper with “Serenity Siren Blue, singer” stamped in large cursive letters. Why a pony would need a card, much less hand them out to total strangers, I had no idea. Was she an outcast, hoping to rejoin with a group of ponies? And what kind of title was singer?
I shook my head, and deposited the card into the bushes next to Twilight’s house. If this was some pony outcast, her instabilities may cause trouble for me if others discover I associate with her. Then, I walked around the tree. Some of the branches looked tough enough to handle my weight. I had a base of operations at last. I looked around, making sure that no ponies were looking my way, and shifted back to my original form, flying up among the protective leaves of the oak. Settling down on a branch, I curled up. It was time to plan my next move.
I had a temporary base of operations, a disguise, and a basic understanding of Ponyville. I was literally on top of Twilight Sparkle, the one who freed Princess Cadence. Tomorrow, I would find a way to approach her, and find out what she knows about the Hive. Perhaps, I could convince her I am interested in a book about the history of the changelings? Then, I would force her to tell me about Queen Chrysalis.
Making sure no windows looked out upon my shelter, I shifted back into Woorali, and gave my disguise a subtle make-over. The hair follicles and skin changed so as to fit with the colors I projected seamlessly, especially around the cutie mark. If every pony I met looked at it to try and determine what Woorali does for a living, I needed it to look more natural. After a few seconds of discomfort, feeling my skin literally shift around my bones, I examined the purple crescent decorating my flank. Not for the first time, I thanked whatever force gave ponies their senses. None of them would notice I copied Fluttershy’s skin and hair follicles to complete my disguise.
As I closed my eyes, I wondered what a pony would do if they were brought to the Hive’s territories, and did not end up as food within moments. Perhaps, they would concentrate as much as me on escape or rebuilding? Or, would their emotions eat them alive, like the pain of my awakening almost did to me? I was lucky, I realized. Even if a pony could survive being without others of their kind, they would be caught within seconds. The two ponies I talked with so far did not stay around long enough to find any holes in my disguise, and Ponyville had neither walls nor guards. They did not even have anti-disguise magic…