//------------------------------// // A Chance Encounter // Story: The Secret of Smarty Pants // by Rough_Draft //------------------------------// Six – A Chance Encounter Fluttershy had just emerged from an invigorating shower when she heard a knock on her door. She put on a bathrobe and wrapped her mane in a towel before flying over to answer it. Waiting outside was Twilight, wearing a shy smile. “Hi, Fluttershy. I hope I’m not disturbing you.” “Not at all,” said Fluttershy. “What can do I for you?” “I, uh, need some help with grooming.” Twilight’s wings twitched anxiously. “I’m still having trouble with preening my own feathers.” The yellow pegasus smiled. “Oh, of course! Here, have a seat on the bed. I’ll just be a minute.” As Twilight hopped onto the guest bed, Fluttershy trotted back into the bathroom. She needed a minute to dry herself off and fix her mane for the banquet. While she did this, she pictured Twilight waiting patiently on the bed, picking at her wings with her teeth. She and Rainbow Dash had shown their friend how to clean and maintain her new wings months before. Twilight had always insisted on doing it herself in private, like most pegasi. Still, Fluttershy couldn’t stop from blushing. Ever since the day she’d finally confessed her feelings for Twilight—who had already become an alicorn princess—she’d been hoping for a chance to help her preen. It was a sign of serious intimacy between pegasi, usually between very close friends and married couples. Only a year ago, the thought of cleaning wings with another pegasus would’ve terrified Fluttershy. But for Twilight, she’d do it in a heartbeat. Twilight sighed as she settled into the bed. She was glad things were working out in the Crystal Empire. Cadance had explained that her attendants would be able to manage things while she and Shining Armor made their trip to Canterlot. Her thoughts were interrupted when somepony knocked on the door. Twilight stood up. “Who is it?” “Housekeeping,” a delicate voice answered. The door opened as a Crystal Pony maid entered, walking on her hind legs and pushing a cart full of cleaning supplies with her front hooves. Her mane was bronze and her coat was a lovely sapphire. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, Miss.” “It’s no problem,” said Twilight. She flew over to the bathroom. “I’ll just tell Fluttershy and we’ll step out for a moment.” “Oh, I wouldn’t want you to do that.” It was the sudden change in the maid’s tone that put Twilight on instant alert. She spun around in midair, gasping at the rapidly transforming pony. The Crystal Pony now looked just like Twilight—wings, horn, and all. Her eyes flashed green in a way that Twilight found sickeningly familiar. “Farewell, princess,” said the changeling in Twilight’s voice. Her horn glowed green and Twilight braced herself for an attack— “Oh, no!” Both of them turned around to see Fluttershy flying out of the bathroom with her mane disheveled. Her eyes went wide when she saw the changeling. “No. Not my Twilight!” “Blast it!” the doppelgänger hissed in a harsher voice. Her horn glowed again, forcing the door open, and she turned to leave. Twilight glared. “Oh, no, you don’t!” She cast a telekinesis spell to pluck the changeling by her wings and slam her back onto the floor. Twilight’s doppelgänger kicked her hooves furiously in the air, unable to escape the spell’s pin. “Queen’s bane!” the creature moaned. “My shoulder! Wh-what did you do to my shoulder?” “Twilight, don’t hurt her!” Fluttershy landed beside the writhing prisoner, giving her a look of pity. “There, there. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine…” Twilight stood resolute. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, but I’m not letting her get away. Fluttershy, you should stay back—” The pegasus suddenly reached down and slammed her hooves hard onto the changeling’s shoulder. There was a disgusting pop and the fake Twilight suddenly stopped moving. She craned her head up and stared open-mouthed at Fluttershy. “Wh-what w-was th-th-that?” asked the changeling. “I’m a pretty good chiropractor,” the yellow pony answered with a smile. “I figured the blow must’ve dislocated your shoulder, so I popped it back into place. Feeling better?” “Y-yes, much better…” “Good! I’m Fluttershy. What’s your name?” “Really?” Twilight asked, rolling her eyes. “I’m… Ichor.” The changeling’s face rippled for a moment, briefly becoming Fluttershy’s face before returning to Twilight’s. “P-please don’t hurt me, p-ponies.” “Weren’t you about to hurt us?” Twilight demanded. “T-try to un-understand,” Ichor hissed. She’d stopped trying to struggle against the telekinetic bind Twilight was using on her. “We—we do not hurt our prey. We store it. Take their faces and keep them asleep in our pods. Draw upon their love for sustenance.” She closed her eyes. “We have been hungry for so long now. The famine…” “Famine?” Twilight exchanged a look of surprise with Fluttershy. “What famine?” “Queen’s bane, I-I’ve said too much.” Ichor’s body rippled with green, revealing her true form—a dull black carapace, hole-filled limbs, gossamer wings, and a pair of cold blue eyes. When those eyes flashed, Twilight braced herself for another attack. She felt her telekinesis spell fail as the changeling heroically pulled herself off the floor and flew above the two ponies. But instead of attacking, Ichor flew into the bathroom. Twilight and Fluttershy gave chase, arriving just in time to see the changeling open the window and fly out into the night. “Horse feathers,” Twilight cursed. “I can’t believe it. The changelings are back!” “W-what are we going to do?” Fluttershy huddled against her for security. Twilight put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Celestia and I did our research after that last encounter. There’s a spell that should let us find a way to break a changeling’s disguise and tell the real one from the false one. But it’s back at the royal library. We have to get to Canterlot right away!” Fluttershy’s lip quivered. “But Twilight, if that changeling was supposed to impersonate you, then doesn’t that mean…?” “Oh.” Twilight blinked, filled with dread as she finished her friend’s line of thought. “Oh, no.” She was on the verge of panicking, but she remembered Cadance’s exercise. Instead, Twilight lifted her hoof, breathed in, breathed out, and smiled. She felt more focused, even though she was still terrified about the danger they were in. Then she remembered Cadance, whose own wedding had almost been ruined because of the Changeling Queen impersonating her. That gave her an idea. “We need to watch our friends,” said Twilight, giving Fluttershy a sly smile. “If there’s an impostor in our group, we’ll know about it at the banquet. Just follow my lead…” When he stepped out into the hallway, Wriggler took a moment to adjust his stolen hat and whip his yellow mane out of his eyes. He felt a little strange to be impersonating a mare instead of a stallion, but if it was for the good of the Nation, he’d manage it. Not to mention, the earth pony’s love for family and friends was strong. Just the refreshment Wriggler needed to complete this mission. However, he didn’t get far down the hallway when he heard a high-toned voice call out, “Oh, there you are! Just the pony I was looking for!” Wriggler turned his head and remembered to smile when he saw the white unicorn with the blue mane trotting toward him. If the spies were correct, the pony’s name was Rarity. A haughty fashion designer with a melodramatic flair. He guessed whichever changeling got to impersonate her would an easy time of it; just exaggerate every word and gesture. Who’d tell the difference? “Howdy, Rarity.” Wriggler let the rough accent flow easily from his lips. “What can I do fer you?” “I was just making a few last-minute touchups to Smarty Pants.” The unicorn’s horn brightened with a blue aura as she floated a patchwork doll toward Wriggler. “I know Big Macintosh has had to go without her for so long, so I thought he deserved to get the best-looking doll when we return!” Big Macintosh sounded important. Wriggler smiled and took the doll on his hoof. “Well, thank you! I’m sure he’ll be happier than a rattlesnake in July!” Rarity’s brow lifted in confusion. “Why in the world would a rattlesnake—oh, never mind. Just say it’s my little gift to him, free of charge.” “Will do!” Wriggler took the doll into his mouth and quickly trotted back into the guest room. He allowed himself a surreptitious glance over his shoulder and was pleased to see the unicorn moving down the hallway and out of sight. Once he was inside, Wriggler dropped the doll on the floor. He trotted past it, not really caring about the unicorn’s silly concerns. He just hoped the other changelings were in place. Ichor still hadn’t reported back from her assignment with the yellow pegasus. But for some reason, he couldn’t help looking back at the doll. It didn’t look like anything special. Just a crude facsimile of a pony. A young, delicious, love-filled pony… Wriggler found himself picking up the doll with his hoof. It wasn’t the doll itself that attracted him, he found. It was what was inside the doll. Love. So much love! He’d heard tones of it when Rarity had spoken affectionately about the doll. He felt Rarity’s touch on the doll and imagined Big Macintosh cuddling the doll as young ponies were known to do. This wasn’t the love he was used to consuming—not the burning passion in a pony’s heart. It was an old love. A rich and long-lasting love. Affection that never faded over time. And best of all, Wriggler thought, I don’t have to coerce love from it. How curious… He put the doll on the bed and trotted back from it. As overwhelming as these thoughts were, he didn’t have time for them. There was a mission to be completed. But Wriggler made a note in the back of his mind to tell Queen Chrysalis about this discovery when it was all over.