o----[Chapter 1: The Hunt ]-----------------------o
I used to be nervous while doing this. But routine has a way of chasing those nerves away. Of course, it couldn't do the same to disappointment and as a result, I had felt a lot of it as I worked my way through Ponyville's main street businesses, searching in vain for a job and a place I could rest my head.
I had lost count of how many towns I had been through now while looking for a job that would last. Turns out I wasn't the best changeling to come out of the hive, because every time I finally landed a job, I always messed up. I had so many memories of angry mobs, sharp objects, and fire.
I couldn't really blame the ponies of Ponyville from being wary of me. I was a dark blue earth pony mare with a darker blue mane that had hardly had a good shower in the past two weeks and probably wouldn't have a good shower in the next two weeks if I couldn't find a job that came with a place to stay. My cutie mark was a stack of old tomes, hardly indicative of a good worker, and all the possessions I had in this world were on my back in a tan saddlebag. I essentially was a homeless pony.
Still, if I had learned anything about ponies in the nine months since hitting the streets of Fillydelphia, it was that ponies were good. My mother had taught me that ponies weren't the terrible things I'd been driven to believe. I would find a place to stay eventually, and then everything would be alright.
A bell tinkled overhead as I stepped inside the latest establishment, the sweetest of smells tickling my nose. Titled Sugarcube Corner, the place appeared to be a bakery. Tables occupied most of the front of the store, the ponies of Ponyville milling about as they enjoyed donuts and cookies. Being unable to eat pony food, I could already tell I'd be a bad fit for any job I'd manage to get here, but I pushed my weary legs forward anyway.
"Hello and welcome to Sugarcube Corner!" Exclaimed a very pink pony with a mane almost literally made of cotton candy. "How may I hel-wait a second..." She leaned forward over the counter, narrowing her eyes on me. "Hmmm."
As a changeling in disguise, her scrutiny didn't sit well with me. "W-What?" I asked, forcing a smile to come to my lips. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah!" She announced, making a cold sweat break out all over my body. "You're new here!" She suddenly leaped into the air, exploding in candy scented love that tickled my senses. "That's great! I'll be right back, don't move!" She shot off through a door behind the counter, leaving me to stare in confusion at the place she had previously been standing. A nervous look around told me that nopony was concerned with the pink one's behavior. I glanced into the doorway that she had disappeared through to see a normal kitchen but no pink pony. "Hello?" I called out tentatively.
No answer. Right. I'll just... I took a step backwards, turning around to see...
"I told you not to move!" The pink pony shouted at me, now wearing a conical party hat. An ungodly amount of balloons were now tied around her midsection.
I cried out in surprise, jumping backwards into the counter. "Where did you come from?!" I shouted.
"From my parents, silly!" She replied cheerfully. "My name is Pinkie Pie!"
"I meant a bit more recently..." I face hoofed. "Nevermind. I just came in here to ask if you had a job opening."
"Nnnnnnope!" She bounced in place, her descent slowed by the mass of balloons secured to her barrel.
I sighed, working keep my voice free of disappointment. "Thank you." I sidestepped, walking past the odd earth pony.
“Where ya going?” Pinkie asked, following me out the door. Her limbs swam though the air as she floated just above the ground. “You didn’t even tell me your name.” When her legs eventually made contact with the ground, she jumped again to float next to me.
“Midnight.” I murmured, trying to distance myself from her. I didn’t like the eyes she was attracting from the sparse traffic trotting through the street. Too many eyes were bad. I swallowed nervously, feeling my breath shorten, my legs beginning to tremble.
"Ooh Such a pretty name!" Pinkie shouted obliviously next to me. "When's your birthday? What's your favorite color? Which leg is your favorite? Do you like candy corn?"
I didn't answer her. They’re just ponies. Pinkie soared past me, spinning around on the balloon string. They won’t hurt me as long as they don't know what I am. Slowly, I felt my anxiety in the face of so many strangers fade. I didn't have a problem. I could deal with my phobia just fine.
“What’s the matter, Midnight? Are you sick? I can take you to the hospital!” Pinkie’s shrill voice grated on my ears.
“No thanks, Pinkie. I’m going to be leaving now.” I turned away from her, hoping she wouldn’t follow me as I walked down the street.
I couldn’t be that lucky. “Leaving? What do you mean leaving? I can’t throw you a party if you leave!” She pouted in a happy way, all the time exuding sugary love that took all my willpower not to lap up. It had been way too long since I last had a good meal, but eating from random strangers was something I tried to avoid unless I was desperate, even if this specific one seemed to be radiating it at unsafe levels.
“Why would you want to throw a party for me?” I distracted myself.
“I just met you! DUH!” She booped my nose as if that was the only explaination needed.
“Well, Pinkie, if I can’t find a job and a place to live, then I can’t stay here.” I calmly explained to the excitable, slightly annoying pony. "And you following me around prob-"
“Why didn’t you just say so?” Pinkie happily interrupted me. “I can get you a job! And then we can par~tay!”
“You can?!” I exclaimed.
“Mmhmm!” She hummed. “Just follow… Meeeeeeeeee!” She kicked off the ground, gliding over the heads of ponies who were completely under reacting to a pony gliding over their heads. Tentatively, I ducked through the milling ponies, keeping my head and my ears sheepishly low to avoid attention.
Then again, I thought to myself, This mare doesn't seem like the sharpest knife in the drawer. Can she really get me a job?
She was waiting for me when I reached the other side of the plaza, fidgeting about as if someone had stuck and active jackhammer down her throat. "Boy, you're slower than my friend's tortoise, and he's a tortoise."
I almost got to speak before she continued her own conversation.
"But it really isn't your fault, because he has this really cool beenie that lets him fly all around like zzzzeeeewww." *GASP* "I need to introduce you to Rainbow Dash!!! She's only the bestest, most fastest, most awesomest pegasus in all of Ponyville! Maybe even all of Equestria!!"
"Pinkie," I almost felt bad bursting her bubble, "Can we focus on one thing at a time, please?"
"Okie Dokie Lokie." She smiled, bubble totally unbursted. She undid the knot on the balloons around her midsection, retying the balloons around a fence post on somepony's flower bed. You had to admire the mare's ability to tie knots with hooves. "But I should totally invite her to your party!"
"Yeah..." I trailed off. I really wasn't good in a crowd, much less so when that crowd was focused on me, but I wasn't in any position to deny her. "Just don't go too crazy with it, okay?"
She didn't seem to hear me as she bound down the street, cheerfully bouncing like a spring. I scrambled after her bounding lope, which was a surprisingly effective method of movement. "So, uh... what job exactly do you have in mind?"
"My friend works at the library! I'm sure she could use the help of another egghead like you."
"Egghead?"
"Yup." She gestured to my flank. "Your cutie mark. It's a buncha books, so I thought to myself 'I wonder what color confetti would taste best if I baked it into a cookie,' but after that I totally thought about the library."
I don't even know how to respond to that. "And she's hiring?"
"Weeeeeellllll... Not technically." She giggled.
"Well, if she's not hiring why are-"
"We're he~ere!" She sing-songed. Having been absorbed in our conversation, I hadn't noticed that the large tree we were approaching had actually been our destination.
I had read about ponies forming houses from trees before, but never had I seen one in person. An oak of legendary proportions stood solidly before us, its branches spanning outward above our heads. Several round windows were carved up and down the trunk, and at the base of the tree, snuggled in with ancient roots, was a two-level stable door with a candle pattern carved on the top half.
Reading about it was one thing, but actually seeing it was another. The tree itself must've been ancient, centuries old at least, and the effort it had taken to hollow out a manageable space without killing the tree must've been monumental.
"Equis~to~Mid~night!" Pinkie waved her hoof in front of my face. "The library is inside the tree, silly."
"Yeah," I agreed in a daze, "it really is..." Even if this job turned out to be a complete flop, I wouldn't regret a thing. How often was it that an opportunity like this was going to come around? "Let's go in!"
"That's the spirit!" She bumped her flank against mine overenthusiastically with a force I didn't expect the pink mare to be able to muster, sending me crashing head-over-hooves into, and then through, the door. Pinkie skipped in behind me. "Twilight, somepony's here to see you!" Pinkie shouted at the top of her shrill lungs.
I was about to complain about Pinkie's rough behavior when I was struck by the inside of the library. Picking myself up off the floor, I tentatively walked around the perimeter. Books were everywhere, and they weren't just sitting on boring bookshelves that had been moved inside after the tree had been hollowed out. Every wall was covered with rough-hewn bookshelves carved directly into the wall, even into the bottom few faces of the stairs at the back of the room. A check-out desk with a large book register stood vigilantly beside the door, and separate reading desks were set up beneath the each of the windows, along with a circular table in the center of the library. Several alcoves were carved above the practical reach of ponies and, from what I could see, held even more books, scrolls, and literary curios.
"It's amazing." I breathed out naturally.
"It sure is." A new voice affectionately chimed in. Descending the stairs was a plum-purple unicorn. She had a studious look about her, her darker, eggplant mane and tail that was brushed neatly and cropped evenly with a single streak of pink running through both. Pinkie's love suddenly went haywire, flowing freely with the newcomer's less overwhelming love. They swirled and mixed freely in the air, creating a distant embrace between two mares'. I swallowed nervously. This relationship was very deep and intimate, and the two had obviously been through a lot with each other. I had trouble containing my hunger.
The new pony's tone became somber. "It's a dying breed. Most trees like this one die from improper care and maintenance, and they're too expensive and impractical to make anymore."
"Oh no!" Pinkie gasped. "That means I have to throw all the parties I would've thrown in here now before it's too late! A huge party party!"
"Pinkie, I'm taking very good care of the tree." She assured her friend. "And I'm actually quite busy with studying, so if you just came here to talk about the library..."
"Actually," Pinkie interjected, "This is Midnight! Midnight, this is Twilight Sparkle. She's super duper smarty."
"Hi." I meekly waved my hoof.
"She needs a job so I can throw her a welcome-to-Ponyville-and-congratulations-on-getting-a-job party!"
"Well," Twilight smiled helpfully, "If you're looking for help wanted ads, you can check at town hall. There's usually an odd job or two that somepony needs getting done."
"Actually..." I glanced at Pinkie insecurely, "I was hoping that you could give me a job."
Twilight's smile became neutral. "Oh... well, um, I don't really need any help. It's not the biggest library in the world, and I already have an assistant."
"But Twilight," Pinkie whined, "Look at her cutie mark! It's a stack a' books, and you like books, so you should totally give her a job because you're both eggheads!"
"Pinkie, I don't think you overestimate the funds a small library like this gets. I only have enough to support the library as it is. I can't just hire another employee."
"I don't need a pay." I persisted. "I just need a place to stay. I don't even need a nice place, and I don't eat much. I'll do anything you ask."
"Look, I'm really flattered, but-"
"And you have a lot of studies to do!" Pinkie smiled a wide, toothy grin. "With Midnight around, you'll have all the time you need to work."
"But Spike-"
"Can help you!" Pinkie took off her party hat, quickly slapping it onto Twilight's horn. "Let's face it, Twilight, you couldn't get anything done without Spike and Owlowiscious helping you all the time. Now you'll have another assistant, and you'll get even more done! At a bargain price, too!" She threw her arm around my neck, pulling me close. "Order within the next ten minutes, and you'll get a free welcome-to-Ponyville Pinkie Party, too."
I put on a pleading smile.
"I don't know..." The hat levitated off of Twilight's horn. She twirled it around in front of her face, wearing a thoughtful look. " Your accommodations won't be nice."
"I'll sleep in a closet if I have to." I replied.
"I can't really afford to pay you."
"Like I said, I don't need a salary. I just want a place to stay." I insisted.
Twilight sighed. "Spike is never going to let me hear the end of this. Fine."
"R-really?" I asked hardly willing to hope I had heard right.
"Yeah." She sighed again.
"HURRAY!!!" Pinkie exploded with confetti. She ran around the library in a sugary blur, eventually settling on picking up my front half and forcing me into an awkward dance that I didn't know the steps to. I didn't mind. My smile might not have been as large as her's, but my heart was soaring.
"Alright, alright, alright." Twilight laughed. "Stop before you break something."
It was at that moment that Pinkie's overenthusiastic dance pushed me too far backwards, putting me off balance on my hindhooves. I back-peddled, trying to regain my footing before crashing heavily into a bookcase, knocking several tomes loose to come crashing down on top of me.
"Pinkie..." Twilight whined.
"Oopsie." She giggled. "We need to work on our dance moves, Midnight, and now we'll have plenty of time to practice before the next dance contest!" She gasped suddenly. "I have a party to go plan!" That was all the warning she gave before zipping out the door.
"That hurt." I moaned, pulling myself out of my tomb of books. "Uhm... sorry about the mess."
"Don't worry about it." Twilight chewed on her lip. "It happens every other time she visits. Plus, now it's your job to clean it up."
"Right..." I looked up at the disarray on and at the foot of the bookshelf.
"Right now, though, it can wait. I'll show you to your room, and you can get settled. Then you can meet Spike and my owl."
"Thanks. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"I have an idea." Twilight responded simply, leading me up the stairs. She stopped at a landing where a doorway revealed a quaint kitchen and dining room combination, though she was facing what appeared to be a regular wall that was slightly sunken in compared to the rest of the stairway. She nudged it and a faint clicking sound was heard, letting what was apparently a door open into a room hardly big enough for a bed and an end table. A small, round window let in whatever light it could beneath a large branch extending from the trunk.
"This is it." Twilight announced. "It's not much, but it'll have to do."
I smiled widely. "It's perfect. Thank you again, Twilight. You won't regret this, I promise."
Twilight gave me a small smile. "I'd better not. Bathroom's further upstairs across from my room. once you're settled in, you might want to take a shower before Spike gets back from grocery shopping. Is there anything else you need?"
"No, you've done enough." I almost thanked her again, stepping into the room, my room. As Twilight turned to leave, I a stray thought occurred to me. "Oh, um, just one question though."
Twilight poked her head back into the room.
"This... party that Pinkie's throwing for me... it's not going to be too big is it?"
"You're in luck." Twilight smile wryly. "She'll likely invite the whole town."
A gulping sound seemed to echo through the small room. "The whole town?"
Twilight nodded. "Don't be nervous. The whole town won't actually show up, and even so, most of the ponies in this town are really nice."
That wasn't what I was worried about. I could feel my heart rate increasing, my hoof shaking slightly as I undid my saddlebag's straps. "I don't... Can I ask her not to?"
"Invite so many ponies?" Twilight shook her head. "Pinkie Pie works a certain way, and she doesn't quite understand other ponies' points of view. She doesn't mean to be rude, she's just... Pinkie."
And I couldn't just not go, not after what she just did for me for no other reason than she wanted to throw a party for me. My fate was sealed. "Right."
"You'll probably get your invite later tonight." Twilight mentioned before closing my door. A chill went down my spine as I was left staring into a full body mirror hung on the back of the door. Falling back to my haunches, I sat in front of the mirror in my completely and deliberately unremarkable body. A parasite hiding in plain sight.
Making sure the door was secured first, my body became engulfed in green fire, burning away Midnight to reveal the changeling dubbed 'Niphi' below. The exoskeleton on my front right leg was an ugly, uneven mess from being broken those nine months ago in Fillydelphia, and my horn was still a jagged stump. A simple drone like me couldn't regrow a horn or completely make an injury disappear.
Still, I had to remind myself, it could be worse. A chance meeting with a grey unicorn led to me spending the night in her house. Then a week in her house. Then a month. Even after I was healed, I stayed. She became my mother; the only family I've ever had. If my mother hadn't cared for me and looked after me, adopted me as her daughter, I'm positive I would've ended up dead either from my injuries or from my lack of understanding of Equestrian society. She helped me realize that ponies weren't the enemy. They were capable of scary things, but they were also capable of so much good.
Consequentially, I suppose I came to view myself bitterly. All my kind ever did was trick these ponies and steal their love. It was no wonder they didn't like us. Changelings didn't look out for each other the way ponies did. Each of us was hatched from a designated mother, and our family was an entire hive of strangers. We did the jobs we were bred to do, and we listened to a mad queen's whisper in the back of our heads.
I was tired of being a changeling. I hated it. I hated all of it. Unable to look at my insectoid features any longer, I willed myself to return to Midnight, burning Niphi away.