Fireflower trotted into the library. It was a nice place, as long as she could ignore Twilight carefully pretending to act normal around her. Meandering over to the 'E' section was no problem, since the librarian was working in 'Q' at the moment, and her assistant was helping Rarity with something or another. Fireflower had played model from time to time on her off days.
"Can I... Help you?" Asked Spike. He was putting a book up on one of the higher shelves. Something about it caught her attention. "Can I see that book?" She asked. "It looks interesting." The gold plating just made it seem so important.
"Well... Twilight doesn't want you to-- Mph!" The dragonlings mouth transformed into a zipper and zipped shut. He started making incomprehensible noises, glaring at the purple alicorn who had preformed the spell. Fireflower, too, turned her attention to Twilight Sparkle.
"What Spike is trying to say is, um, that book is very old and it needs to be treated with great care. It's nothing personal, but I don't want to lend this book out to anyone." She looked around frantically, searching for an escape.
"Does this mean you mysteriously stopped sorting the 'Q' section as soon as my back was turned?" the earth pony said flatly. "And that you just happened to come to the 'E' section to randomly zip the mouth of your assistant while carrying a book about changeling lore?" She continued, before looking at the librarian skeptically.
"What-- Oh, this book! I was just curious, and I decided to look at it. Even I haven't read all the books here." Twilight looked nervously around for another second before saying "You don't believe a word I'm saying, do you?" in a resigned tone.
"I believe you haven't read every book in the library, but that's about it. You aren't exactly making it sound truthful." Fireflower said. "You think I'm a changeling, don' t you." It wasn't a question. Spike unzipped his mouth while she was formulating an answer.
"Yeah. She does." He said, ignoring the look he received from his alicorn friend. "She thinks you're sending reports to Chrysalis or somethi--mph!" Once again his mouth zipped. But he had already said enough. Fireflowers eyes welled up with tears, and she turned around and ran out of the library.
* * *
"La luna y las estrellas son preciosas esta noche, pero no quitan mi dolor. Me gustaría ver cómo los demás están tan contentos."
She sang a song in an ancient language; a song her mother had sung to her many times when she was sad. Her mother had no emotions, simply an instinct to keep her little one from blowing out the eardrums of the entire hive with her squalling. It still comforted her somewhat. She picked up her quill and began to write.
They know. Or at least, the alicorn does. She will have a hard time convincing the earth ponies known as Applejack and Pinkie Pie. The other civilians will believe anything that gives their paranoia justice. I just wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish... that we didn't have to deceive them anymore. If we could live along side them, we wouldn't have to worry about wherever they take these ponies. No one would need to fear anyone, because there wouldn't be anything about anyone to fear. As if that could happen anytime soon, especially after Cante
There was a knock. There were too many knocks anymore. Ashley wished that the ponies would just leave her alone for one night. Checking to make sure she was still Fireflower, she went downstairs.
Of course it was the queen. Who else would knock on her door in the middle of the night besides purple alicorns and messenger changelings disguised a delivery ponies? "Hello." She said. "Come on in. I've cleaned out the guest room for you."
"Thank you." The queens voice was the same, but without its underlying buzz. She walked into the room, gazing around at what she could see so far of her workers home. In spite of herself, Ashley awaited her queens decision. "Nicer than a cocoon, but not as fancy as when I took the form of the pink princess." She said as she followed her subject to the room that had been prepared for her.
"Well, it could never be that good." Ashley said, trying not to be disappointed with herself. "The name I've taken is Fireflower, as you remember, and she's just a regular earth pony. She's not a princess." It felt weird; referring to herself in third person. They entered the guest room, Fireflower lugging her 'mothers' suitcase behind her. Chrysalis nodded in approval at the room before motioning for her subject to exit. The earth pony/changeling left immediately.
* * *
rlot. They will never trust us now. Not ever. Fireflower set down her quill and sighed. She may pretend not to, but she knew the reason for her queens visit. There were lots of other hidden changelings in Ponyville. One had taken the form of Bon Bon and the name Sweetie Drops, for example. Queen Chrysalis wanted to make sure there were no other queens. She had worked painstakingly to remove all the others, and she wouldn't have any others sprouting up now. Snuggling down into bed with Pyrn, she closed her eyes.
Only to open them again almost immediately when she heard a sound from the bathroom. Getting up, she went to the door, peering through the keyhole to see none other than Twilight Sparkle in a stealth suit. Bracing herself, Fireflower opened the door and turned on the lantern, making Twilight freeze in place. "Oh." she said. "Hi."
"Please please please please please stop coming to my house in the middle of the night." The red mare said to the purple one in her bathroom. "This is the second time this week. At least last time you came through the door." She sighed for the umpteenth time that night. "My mother is visiting, and she gets cranky when she doesn't get enough rest. Just, please, get out of my house." Twilight just beamed.
"Your mother, huh? Introduce me immediately." Fireflower looked at her. Here was Twilight, having just broken into her house, been caught in the act immediately, and acting like she was still in charge and awesome just because she was a magical flying overpowered princess wonderhouse of who knows what. "Twilight, this is my house. My mother is very tired. You can't just demand to see her right now, under our current circumstances, and expect me to say 'Oh sure, let me take you to her and get yelled at because you have wings now! I'm totally alright with this!'. Sorry Twilight Sparkle. I don't just do that for someone who broke into my house and can't wait. Just close the window, and leave through the door."
Twilight lowered her head. "Um, about that window..." Trailing off, she stepped aside to reveal the broken glass. Fireflower shook her head.
"Listen, I won't report this if you promise to pay for the window, and leave through the door." She said to her unwanted guest. Pyrn bounced in to run up to the glass and smell it. Twilight picked him up with her magic and proffered her to her unwilling host. But when the blue eyed mare tried to reach for her friend, she pulled the puppy away.
"Nope." the alicorn said. "Magic only." a smug expression was on her face. She would get the evidence she needed yet. She was only slightly surprised when the pony across from her gained one of-- resignation? Fireflower turned around before saying "You wanted to meet my mother? Come on."