Canterlot was very different from how I remembered it. What I remembered was a dark and gloomy city with streets in ruins, charred buildings, blood in the alleys, and ponies restrained being slowly fed on by drones. It was actually very depressing at the time. Coming here I expected that it would still have a very melancholy atmosphere, but I quickly found that I was wrong. The ponies in Canterlot all seemed very happy and contented in themselves and what they were doing. Walking around the streets I sensed a lot of positive energy beaming out of the unicorns that crossed my path.
The hunt for changelings now had almost ended, the guards had stopped performing searches at the train stop last year and the issue of finding changelings living in Canterlot was no longer talked about in the news. I remembered when I had first come to Ponyville 4 years ago the word 'changeling' had appeared at least 5 times on the front page of every newspaper. In Canterlot it was even worse, but clearly the ponies in Canterlot had sensed by now that another attack on their fair city was not likely to happen any time soon. They had regained their sense of security, and no more were ponie's residence invaded in the middle of the night for fear that they might be a changeling. I never would have returned to this city if I wasn't certain that I wouldn't be putting myself in danger.
I casually strolled down the streets looking in the windows of the shops as I walked. I had already delivered the report yesterday, and now I was just trying to kill a few hours before the train arrived to take me home. My feelings of homesickness had subsided, I no longer felt a deep unease in my gut. Now that I knew that the train that would take me home was on it's way here to get me right now, I felt much more calm and relaxed. As I walked I noticed that many of the shops were boutiques or clothing stores. Fashion was a big industry in Canterlot. One of the small shops however was a small cafe. Looking at their menu outside they sold different kinds of coffee and espresso and, strangely enough, tea. I went inside to take a look around.
The inside of the coffee shop smelled delicious and their were many ponies both by themselves and in small groups usually of 2 or 3 sitting at various booths and tables scattered around the shop. I walked up to the counter and ordered some espresso. Then I sat down to drink it by myself at the table just a few feet away. as I sat there drinking I thought to myself.
I really do miss a few things about the Hive. I mean it's ok being an assistant to the Mayor but I know that I really could do a lot better than this. I bet that if I ran for Senator I would fit right in in a place like this. I could be back on top again and helping run a nation just like old times. That really was the best job I ever had. It was still most certainly worth getting rid of to keep Lexi safe but still, I just wish I could still be a Senator. But I know I can't. Living in Canterlot would just be too dangerous, and Lexi already has made friends in Ponyville. I have to stay there. For her.
When I finished I got up and walked back out onto the street. The train would be arriving in just about twenty minutes. But the station was only five minutes away from here. Oh well. Might as well get there a little early. I started walking down the street towards the station when I bumped into a mean looking stallion. He was a little taller than me and had a dark yellow coat with a grey mane and tail.
"Watch where your going punk." He said before he stumbled off.
Well, at least most ponies seem to be pretty nice around here.
* * *
I smiled brightly as I walked towards my own front door. Then I reached up a hoof and wrapped sharply on the wood. I waited a second, then the door opened.
"Hello Aaron! How was your trip?" Twilight exclaimed. She seemed to be in a very happy mood.
"Well it was fantastic thank you for asking! How is Lexi? Did she behave herself while I was gone?"
"She was very well behaved of course. A perfect little angel really."
"Well that's good to hear. Where is she?"
"She's in her room right now. Why don't you come in and say hi? There is actually something that I wanted to talk to you about." Twilight said.
Thinking nothing of it I walked into the house and she swung the door closed behind me.
"Follow me. I think she might still be sleeping so we should go wake her up. We stayed up a little late last night."
"That's fine. Did you two talk at all or was she shy?"
"Oh we talked alright," Twilight said, "We talked quite a bit actually."
I reached in front of me and pulled the door open to her room. I looked onto the bed to see a little lump underneath the blankets.
"Lexi?" I called. "Lexi wake up!" The lump didn't move. I turned to Twilight. "How late did you two stay up last night?"
She smiled at me. "Pretty late. You know your daughter is actually pretty smart. I haven't met a unicorn that smart in a very long time."
I walked over to lightly shake the lump under the blankets to wake her up. I stopped in front of her bed and outstretched a hoof, then I placed it on the lump and gently rocked it back and forth and said, "Lexi.... wake up sleepyhead...."
She pulled the blankets off of her head and looked up at me. Her face was expressionless for a moment before she realized who was standing in front of her. Then she smiled and yelled, "DADDY!"
She jumped out of the blankets and into my hooves, then I picked her up and spun her around. Her back was still completely flat with not a feather in sight.
"Like I said before Aaron," Twilight continued, "Your daughter seems to be very bright. Maybe you should consider signing her up for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I haven't met a unicorn as smart as her in a very long time!"
I set Lexi down on the ground while I mulled the thought over in my head. Hmmm..... If I got Lexi into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns then she would probably be coming one step closer to getting a throne. After all that was the school that Twilight got into to get to where she is today. Not to mention that if we went to Canterlot maybe I could even run for Senator, then I would be able to pay the bills to live in Canterlot and I would have my dream job back!
"I think that's a really good idea Twilight! Maybe getting Lexi into the next level of her education would be a good thing. How old do you have to be to get in?"
"Well the cut-off age is eight. Once she is eight she can't get in anymore. So if I were you I would have her take an entrance exam as soon as possible. I really think that she could definitely pass it."
"Well than I think I will. What do you think Lexi? Do you want to go to a new school?"
She nodded her head no. "I don't want to have to leave my friends behind."
Twilight tried to reason with her. "Lexi I know that you really like your friends but believe me, not only can you make more but this is definitely the best course of options for you. If you can get into Celestia's School than you will be able to do really important things when you get older, and you'll even be able to meet Princess Celestia herself. I know it seems unsettling now Lexi but remember that if you do this you'll still have the whole rest of the year to spend with your friends."
Lexi seemed to consider Twilight's words before finally compromising. "Ok. I'll take the test, but I don't have to leave Ponyville for a whole year right?"
"That's right." Twilight said.
"Alright."
* * *
Over the next few weeks I thought about how I might go about running for Senator. I knew that there were a few requirements but I also knew that I very well passed them all. While I couldn't definitively prove that I was born in Equestria I could just forge the document, because those papers weren't usually checked for legitimacy anyways. Ah the splendor of the Equestrian legal system. But the first thing to do however would be to send a letter to Canterlot and set up a date to have Alexandria take the entrance exam. So that's what I had done.I had just finished writing the letter and was now on my way to send it when I (again) bumped into somepony going the opposite direction. He was a large Unicorn, with a short horn. He had a golden-brown coat, and deep blue eyes. His legs were very thick and he appeared to be reasonably muscular, which went well with his large stature. His cutie mark was of a blue badge. Only this wasn't any ordinary pony. He had something strange about them, some weird aura about his being.... or perhaps the lack of one. It was at this moment that I realized that I actually had not been in the vicinity of another changeling an several years, and that's exactly what I was looking at right now.
"Oh, sorry about that." I said weakly. Then I turned and prepared to walk away.
"You don't have to be sorry." The disguised changeling said. "Hi my name is Thunderhoof." He extended his hoof and smiled warmly at me.
I reluctantly stuck out my hoof and shook his. He seemed to sense my reluctance immediatley.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"Yes. I was just on my way to mail this letter actually-"
"Who's it too?" He interjected. Clearly this changeling had no intention of giving me my privacy.
"I don't think that matters!" I shot back a bit insistently.
"Alright, alright. Listen I'm sorry, I think we might have gotten off on the wrong hoof. It's just that I thought I was the only one in Ponyville so I was a little surprised to see somebody that I can relate too if you know what I mean."
I looked over one shoulder... then the other. The only ponies in the street with us were having a conversation by a fruit stand. "Are you crazy? Did you just say 'somebody?' Don't do that! Listen I am very busy and I'm sorry that we haven't met before but I have somewhere to be."
"Well then I guess I'll just come with you." He stated defensively. He seemed like he was starting to get a bit upset now.
"Alright fine." I said.
About twenty minutes later we had arrived back on the street where we had first crossed paths. I had found out that his name was Thunderhoof CLydestrong and he was employed with the local police force. The thought of having the police involved in my everyday business was enough to send shivers down my spine but it relaxed me at least a bit to know he was a changeling. Unfortunately he had been pressing me to tell him which Hive I was from. Explaining that I had run away from my Hive would be difficult. Explaining that it was Azandria's Hive would be much harder. Chrysalis had given that Hive quite a name in the changeling community, we were by no means popular after all the raiding and fighting we had done with the other Hive's in the past. While the other Hive's tried to live in peace with Equestria it was well known that we were the only ones that ever seeked to conquer it. If he found out that I was from that Hive I didn't know what he might do.
"Listen Thunderhoof, this was fun but I gotta go home now. My daughter is going to be coming home from school soon and-"
"You have a spouse! Good for you. A lot of the others at my Hive were always a little frightened of the prospect of marrying a pony becuase they might get caught. Oh! or is she also a changeling?"
"No no no I don't have a spouse. She died several years ago. She was a pony though."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Don't be." I said. "Anyways I have to go home now."
"Where do you live?"
"Why do you think I would tell you that Thunderhoof?"
"Well why not? I mean you act like you don't trust me. I'm not the one who refused to say what Hive he's from. I'm not the one who has been acting antisocial. I'm not the one who hasn't said a word about themselves. If I didn't know any better Aaron, I'd say that your hiding something." He said. The look on his face was completely calm, not a hint of anger or suspicion. But being a changeling I couldn't tell what he was feeling.
"Listen Thunderhoof-"
"My name is Inspektius." He interrupted.
"Alright Inspektius. I don't have anything I'm hiding, and even if I did I don't see how that would be any of your business. So why don't you just leave me alone?"
"It is my business Aaron. It's my business to make sure that everypony around here is following the rules. It's my business to keep order in Ponyville."
"Inspektius correct me if i'm wrong but aren't YOU breaking the rules just by being here? I was under the impression that changelings aren't allowed in Equestria."
"What I do is none of your business Aaron. I am an officer of the law and should be treated as such. I am entitled to my own privacy but when I think that ponies are breaking the rules it is my RESPONSIBILTY to correct their mistakes. So I must ask you again. What Hive are you from?"
I thought for a long hard moment. I thought about which Hive would be the most likely given its geographic position and the most difficult for him to disprove.
"I'm from Queen Polistae's Hive."
He eyed me for a second. Then he seemed to back down. "Fair enough. I'll see you around Aaron."
Wow. I thought. That guy is an asshole.
* * *
Now with that finally being out of the way I only had to wait for a reply. It had been about two days since I mailed the letter and I was at home with Lexi when a knock came on the door. I expected that it would be Twilight. She had made it a habit of stopping by every now and again lately just to say hi. I always enjoyed her company and Lexi seemed to like having her around too. But when I opened the front door I was at first surprised and disappointed, then these emotions were quickly replaced with fear and panic.
"Good morning Aaron!" Inspektius said.
"Good morning officer. What seems to be the problem?"
"Oh please Aaron," he continued, "you don't have to be so formal with me. Just call me Inspektius. we're both changelings here aren't we?"
What is it with ponies and telling me to be less formal? I thought. "Alright well then if we are going to have a conversation you might as well come in." I gestured for him to proceed through the open door. If we were going to talk about who knows what and have him snooping around in my personal business than I might as well get it over with as quickly as possible. Besides there was no way that he could actually prove anything, so I obviously had nothing to fear.
"Aaron I have it from a good source that you are in fact not from Polistae's Hive." He said smugly while swinging the door shut behind him. "Luckily however the way I see it this can be resolved with the paying of a simple fine." He smiled maliciously at me.
"Inspektius you're going to have to do better than that. What source exactly gave you this information?"
"That doesn't matter. All that matters is that I know you are hiding something from me and you're going to have to pay for it if you don't want for there to be trouble Aaron."
Then Lexi walked in to the room. She looked quizzically at the stranger then smiled brightly and exclaimed, "Hi! Whats your name?"
Inspektius looked at me. "I suppose this is that daughter you were talking about?"
I suddenly felt a gut-wrenching fear in the pit of my stomach. I was no longer worried he might be here to badger me but terrified that he might bring Lexi into this. "Yes this is my daughter. She is a pony, and her mother isn't here so why don't you just go away now?" I stepped in front of Lexi shielding her from Inspektius' view.
"So you say she's a pony huh? Why would a changeling be raising a pony all by himself way out in the middle of nowhere?"
"I already explained the situation Inspektius now if you have no more business here than I suggest you leave or I will call the authorities."
He looked at me, with a sly little smirk playing about his lips. "I am the authorities." With no more warning than the bat of an eye he shot a spell right between my legs. It had a green aura about it but without judging by the distinct hue I knew exactly what it was for. Before I could react the spell flew between my legs and slammed into Lexi sending her tumbling several feet away. It was a changeling detecting spell. But there was no changeling there. Instead the small pink unicorn that had been conscious but a few seconds ago had been replaced with a tiny alicorn laying next to the wall on the other side of the room.
We both stood in shock. I was too stunned by the turn of events to process a thought and Inspektius was clearly too stunned at the fact that an alicorn had been revealed to be in the same room as him. Both of us looking at Lexi's limp form passed out on the ground, I began to feel like I might be dreaming. That feeling was ripped away from me when I heard the sound of Inspektius voice.
"Well, well, well. What an interesting situation we find ourselves in huh Aaron? I suppose it's going to take quite a hefty fine to cover the damage that this has caused. Wouldn't you agree my brother?"
Now I felt a new sensation. It was a burning searing rage the likes of which I had never felt before in my life. Not when I was raising Lexi in the Hive near other changelings, and not in the years that I had been hiding among ponies to raise her among her own kind. I had never felt a pressure like the one that was now building inside my chest, threatening to burst out of my rib cage. It was a horrifying and exhilarating sensation as I felt myself completely lose control.
My head whipped around faster than should have been possible and in an instant a flash of green light lit up the entire house. For at least one full second the blinding light would have easily been visible from space, and blocked out all outside sources of illumination. When it finally faded, there, on the ground, covered in blood, lay Inspektius. He appeared to be unconscious, and was missing a hoof. Right where the spell had hit him, it had severed his ankle from his hoof. The hoof in question laying just a few feet away. Looking back on it now it was actually probably pretty lucky that I had hit him in the leg, because if it had hit him in the chest I could have easily killed him.
I stood seething, in the middle of the room. Finally, when I had calmed down, I walked over to check if Lexi was ok. I leaned down and gently rocked her back and forth. "Lexi.... Lexiiiiii....... Wake up honey."
She stirred. Then she lifted her head. "Daddy? My head hurts."
"That's ok honey. I'll take care of that later I promise. Right now though I just want you to listen to me carefully. Get up. Do not look at what is behind me. Go to your room. And do not open your door, or look out into this room for any reason. Do you understand Lexi?"
She nodded in agreement, apparently understanding the urgency of the situation. after she waddled off into her room, still a little bit dizzy, I turned my attention to the next most important thing in the room. The Inspektius situation.
I walked over and levitated his hoof placing it against the stump where it should have been. Then I performed a healing spell. Twilight had helped me learn a few of these in the past few weeks. But I had never done any like this before. Still, I had been feeding off of the love in Ponyville for years now and I had an enormous amount of energy stored in me. Miraculously I was able to successfully reconnect the hoof to its proper leg. Then I moved on to the next phase of operations. A memory erasing spell. I was well aware that they were and are illegal. I didn't care. Being a changeling the memory erasing spell actually came quite naturally to me. Not that I had any practice at all ever using them before but it was actually a lot like a levitation spell, it was mostly just instinct. Something left over from the parasitic or predatory nature of changelings. Whatever the reason that it came so naturally and easily, I could sense that it had worked. The rest of the afternoon was mostly just cleaning up the floor and walls and covertly transporting a passed out changeling in a cart with blankets piled over him, to the nearest motel to stay the night in. And when he woke up the next morning I could rest assured that all would be well. And so ended the tale of Officer Inspektius, as far as he would ever concern me again.