“Agent, I have a mission for you” Said a female voice. I was bowing down, staring at red velvet carpet. I lifted my head, and looked at the white alicorn sitting in her throne. She was in turn looking down upon me.
“What do you need me to do my highness?” I asked
She responded, her voice very serious. “A pair of changeling criminals have escaped the high security prison in Sadler Arabia, and have hidden in a small nearby town. You will fly there, and rest in a house we have set up for you that night. Come morning, you will meet the local authority, and use your scouting abilities to help them weed out who the criminals are disguising themselves as.”
“I mean no disrespect” I said in a puzzled tone. “Don’t they have ponies over there that are trained for situations like this?”
Her face tightened. “They need extra help. And you are the only one who is able to make the flight without stopping. You are also our top scout, and we expect 100% success by sending you.”
I was still confused. There was more pressing matter at hand I should be attending to, not trying to round up a few criminals. I only bowed my head once more.
“Thank you Princess Celestia, I will not fail you.”
“I know you won’t Legion. Good luck.”
I glanced back up to her, and saw a hint of sorrow in her eyes. I turned around, and walked out past two guards, who closed the doors behind me.
I came back to the present in the same state as I was when I left, breathing heavily. The changeling had his face in mine, hissing under his breath.
“Your attracting too much attention, we have to leave now!”
I looked around, panting. Many groups of ponies had stopped around us, watching and talking. I didn’t trust this pony, but the emergency in his voice told me he was telling the truth. I only gave him a nod, and he began to walk forward. I followed close behind, ponies who had been watching stepping out of our way. Our paced quickened. I had no idea where he was taking me. I continued to look down as we walked. I only knew where to go by watching the changeling’s feet. After walking down many alleyways and roads, he finally stopped. He looked to his left and right, and glanced back at me. Without saying a word, he stepped up to a house. I watched him as he opened the door, and stepped inside. He left the door slightly open, signaling me to enter as well. I walked in, closing the door behind me. As soon as the door closed, I turned around in time to see a hoof flying towards my face. I closed my eyes, and fell to the floor. My right eye felt like it was on fire, and I looked up to see the changeling glaring over me. He spat out loud and quickly.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me?” I quickly responded, getting up on my feet. “What wrong with you?”
“I told you not to bring any attention to us, and what do you go do? Have some kind of breakdown right in the middle of the road!” The coarseness in his voice started to grow as he was yelling.
“Like I wanted to!” The anger was building up inside me. I began walking toward him. I opened my mouth to yell something else, but then I realized he was no longer looking directly at me. He was looking past my head. The anger in his eyes was replaced with fear. He took quick steps backward, hiding his tail between his legs like a scared dog. His voice barely escaped his mouth when he spoke.
“Your…your...wings…”
I stopped moving. My wings? I had forgotten about them. I was no longer mad at him, but excited. I wanted to see them. They were something that I had before all this happened, something familiar. I looked around for a mirror, and found one by a couch. I quickly trotted over to it. The mirror had a layer of dust on it, and I blew it off in one breath. What the mirror revealed was not my wings but pieces of metal extruding from my back, only shaped like wings. They had torn through my robe, and were fully extended, as if I was ready for flight. The tips of the wings came to sharp points, and small gears and pulleys could be seen mixed in with the metal. I stared in horror, and they swayed back and forth, moving as if they were natural. I looked back at the changeling standing across the room, and asked him one question. It was one question I did not expect an answer to.
“What did they do to me?”