Chapter 4: Loyalty
“Excuse me.”
The words filtered through to Sky like sunlight through a thick haze, stripping away the darkness of half-formed memories. His eyelids fought against the pull of sleep to look toward the source of the voice, which turned out to be a dark blur against a nearly blinding white glare. He blinked several times to clear the sleep from his eyes and squinted against the glare of the rising sun, as the blur finally focused into the form of a gray pegasus in the armor of the Guard, hovering a few feet away.
“Counselor Sky? Miss Rainbow Dash?”
The cloud beneath Sky shifted slightly, followed by a grunted series of sounds that sounded not entirely unlike a muffled and mumbled, “What did you call me?” He turned to follow the sound to find Rainbow Dash sprawled out on the cloud, her face half-buried in the surface, her one visible eye cracked open to peer back at the one who had woken her.
The cobwebs of sleep were already pulling away from Sky’s mind as he glanced back over the edge of the cloud. He was greeted by the sight of a plume of water falling into open air a short distance away and the mountain cliffs off to his side, running all the way down to the valley floor, far, far below him. Looking up, he saw the underside of one of Canterlot’s terraces some hundred feet above, and a few Royal Guard pegasi perched at its edge as if standing guard over his improvised bed.
Which they probably were, he realized, ears pinning back. They had only landed on the cloud because they were worn out from all the racing and crazy flying, looking to take a short rest before heading back to the castle. He hadn’t expected to wake to the sight of the sun rising from the horizon. Not that he could mind the comfort of sleeping on a cloud, even if the beds in the castle were almost as soft, but it wasn’t exactly planned.
Belatedly, he realized that the guard had been hovering there for several seconds without an answer. “...Yes?” Sky croaked, followed by loudly clearing his throat in an attempt to regain his normal voice after the longer-than-intended sleep.
The guard’s concerned expression relaxed slightly. “Ah, good, you’re awake. Princess Celestia has requested your presence at breakfast in their Highnesses’ personal dining hall. She instructed me to tell you, Counselor Sky, that she would appreciate your presence and assistance in dealing with Queen Chrysalis.”
Sky pushed himself shakily up to a sitting position, raising a hoof to rub at his eyes. “Dealing with,” he echoed quietly, followed by a long yawn. “What, is she going to be there, too?”
“That is my understanding, yes.”
Sky blinked, his hoof dropping back to the cloud. “Oh,” he replied, numbly. “I, uh… I guess I better get going. When is this breakfast starting?”
“Some time ago,” the guard said, a slightly apologetic smile showing on his face and echoed in his feelings. “It took some time to track down where you had gotten off to,” he clarified, glancing between him and Rainbow Dash.
Sky went stiff, eyes widening. “Wait, it’s happening now? I’m late?” The guard didn’t have a chance to reply before Sky turned around. “Dash! We’ve got to go, we’re late!”
“You’re late,” Rainbow replied sleepily, though she sat up, stretching as she said it.
“Right, I’m late,” Sky said, his expression rapidly devolving to one of horror. “I’m late. I’ve got one simple job to do, and I’m already late! I-I’ve got to go!”
With that he lunged into the air, kicking off of the cloud hard enough that it broke apart, producing a startled yell from a suddenly-very-awake Rainbow Dash. He glanced back to see her arcing upward to chase after him with terrifying speed. He turned back and focused on pouring on every bit of speed as he could manage, rolling inverted to pull a tight turn as he passed the lip of one of Canterlot’s terraces and shot toward the castle, with Dash streaking after him.
Nictis picked unenthusiastically at his salad.
It wasn’t the salad’s fault. It was, by all standards, a wonderful salad. Nice, crisp lettuce, some finely-diced fruit, thin slivers of almond, and a creamy sauce that tasted faintly of apples. It was delicious, if a bit light. There was plenty of other equally delicious food set about the table for anyone to claim. There was a large variety of pastries and other baked goods, some sandwiches, several bowls of fruits and vegetables, and two large platters that had minutes ago been relieved of most of their load of pancakes and waffles. It was all perfectly cooked, but Nictis still found it odd. It seemed like rather simple fare to serve royalty, but the princesses seemed to make no note of it as they happily talked with each other and their guests.
There were even a couple small platters of food clearly intended specifically for the changelings, and set conspicuously at their end of the table. One held a seared fish of some sort, while the other was loaded with several sausages. He had been so surprised on seeing them set on the table that the server had mentioned how they were quite used to hosting species with more omnivorous diets, and indeed, none of the ponies seemed to even make note of their presence.
Nictis, however, couldn’t ignore the scent of them, nor could he quite make up his mind whether the feeling it provoked in his stomach was nausea or hunger. The other changelings seemed to have no such conflict. Skiris had happily snatched up several sausages and some fish in addition to a healthy sampling of other foods, and Trip likely would have done the same if he hadn’t enthusiastically loaded his plate with a half-dozen waffles. Cara had started to reach for one of the sausages as well, until his shyness arrested his hoof, and he settled instead for picking reluctantly at the nearest items of food, a few pastries.
Nictis wasn’t sure exactly what he had expected when he had been invited to breakfast with the princesses, but it certainly wasn’t this. Their personal dining hall hardly merited the title of “hall,” being nowhere near as grand as that had suggested to him. Instead it was a moderately sized room, lit by the morning sun through tall, open windows. A single U-shaped table occupied the middle of the room, with plush sitting cushions arrayed around it. With the three princesses, four of Twilight’s friends--or possibly five, he wasn’t sure what label to apply to Spike--and four changelings arranged around the table, plus the occasional servant, the room was starting to feel rather full. That fullness, however, drew his attention to the places left open on the table, and two of those in particular: the places intended for Sky and Rainbow Dash.
Where were they? He found that irritating question overwhelming all the other various concerns that were roaming wildly about in his head.
He certainly didn’t expect that question to be answered as dramatically as it was. First the door to the hall burst open as Sky skidded to a halt before the table, then a chromatic blur darted in the window as Rainbow Dash landed heavily beside him, and finally what seemed to be half the Royal Guard poured into the room from every single opening. The room filled with angry yells and the glint of weapons as Sky and Rainbow looked around in shock, and Cara dove under the table.
Princess Celestia stood, raising her wings in a commanding, regal pose, and the room was plunged into silence. “Would you care to explain this?” she asked, her voice clear and calm despite the preceding commotion.
One of the Guard stepped forward. Removing his helmet, he bowed his head. “Your Highness, these two flew into the castle grounds over the walls. They did not stop to be identified or scanned. Given the recent security concerns, their behavior and destination were very alarming.”
“Of course,” Celestia replied, before raising her horn. The soft glow of her magic built into a brilliant flash, and Nictis flinched at the feeling of magic washing over him. Sky did the same, he saw, though Rainbow merely blinked a few times at the light.
As the glow vanished, Princess Celestia lowered her horn again and smiled. “Fortunately, these two are who they appear to be.” She looked around the numerous guards, who had visibly relaxed, and smiled. “I thank you all for your vigilance. You may return to your posts.”
Guards bowed in return, and soon began making their way out of the now very densely packed room. As they shuffled out, Rainbow Dash and Sky stood completely still in the middle of the room, and Nictis was glad to see that they at least looked somewhat abashed at what they had provoked.
Or they did, until they glanced at each other. Slowly the corners of their mouths crept upward, the apologetic facade cracking as they both began to snicker. Nictis stared wide-eyed for a moment before opening his mouth to chastise Sky, but he caught himself before he could speak, and gave an uneasy glance over toward the three princesses seated nearby.
While Princess Celestia seemed the mask of neutrality, he was satisfied to see that Princess Twilight was giving the pair a very unamused look. “This isn’t funny, you two. You probably made the whole Guard think we were being attacked!”
It was then that he saw the hint of amusement cross Princess Celestia’s face. “A little alarmed, perhaps, but I think we can forgive Rainbow Dash and Sky for their rashness,” she said with a soft smile, “so long as they make sure to show a little more thoughtfulness in the future.”
The gentle comment did what even Twilight’s admonishment had not, instantly silencing their snickering. They both quickly agreed with her, a hint of embarrassment returning.
Princess Luna had hardly taken a break from her meal throughout the commotion, but she did now. “Perhaps we could make use of such rashness,” she said with an amused smile. “It may prove beneficial to keep our guardians on the tips of their hooves.”
To Nictis’s surprise, Celestia chuckled softly at this. “I think we can find a less alarming method of doing so, once things have settled down again.”
“Perhaps,” Luna replied, returning to her meal with an amused grin.
Sky stepped forward anxiously. “So, erm… I’m not too late, am I?”
“There is still plenty of food, if that’s what you mean,” Celestia said with an almost playful tone.
“Er, no, I mean… I was told Chrysalis was going to be here as well.”
Princess Celestia’s smile faded slightly. “I’m afraid you haven’t missed anything. I had invited her in the hopes that our hospitality might soften some of her hostility, but it seems now that she does not intend to join us.”
Sky frowned. “Oh.”
“Please, have a seat, Sky,” she said, indicating one of the open places with a tilt of her head. “We can still enjoy a good meal. We’ll have plenty of time for dealing with Chrysalis when we meet later.”
With a flutter of his wings, Sky rose over the table to land neatly at his spot. Nictis frowned in response, giving a disapproving glare at what was surely appalling manners. Sky, however, didn’t even notice; he was looking back to Celestia with a worried look on his face. “So, what happens if she doesn’t show up for that, either?”
“In that case,” she replied, “we would need to answer the question of why she would come here to talk only to refuse to do so.”
Sky grumbled unhappily as he looked back to the food, and only then seemed to take notice of Nictis. He blinked in surprise. “What?”
“Seriously?” Nictis said, his voice low. “All of Canterlot is worried about changelings, and you go flying around like a maniac and scaring them even more? Ponies already feel uncomfortable enough around us. The last thing we need is to give them real reason to worry.”
“What, the guards?” Sky asked with a questioning look. “They’re not going to take it like that. They’re used to me flying around. Heck, they’ll probably have fun ribbing me about it later.”
“And what about the rest of us?” Nictis retorted. “Yeah, you’re ‘that one changeling’ they all know. They might excuse some of what you do. Most of us don’t have the benefit of that. We’re just trying to fit in and be accepted. Sure, it won’t hurt you much, but what do you think it does to someling like Cara?”
Nictis gestured toward said changeling’s seat for a moment before he sighed and let his hoof drop to the table. “Cara, you can come out from under the table now.”
Cara poked his head out, radiating a sheepish embarrassment as he slipped back into his seat. Nictis forced himself not to sigh further at the display, instead turning his attention back to Sky. “Seriously, Sky, you’re the most publicly known changeling in Equestria. Could you just think a little before doing something stupid?”
Sky fixed him with a flat glare. “So I’m going to guess last night didn’t go so well,” he said, dryly.
Nictis flinched back, ears laying flat. He turned back to the table. “I, uh… I’m not really sure.”
He could feel a surge of regret from Sky, who quickly spoke up. “Hey, I’m sorry. That was… I didn’t mean--”
“I know,” Nictis sighed.
“No, really,” Sky insisted, placing a hoof on Nictis’s shoulder. “I just--”
“Sky, I--oh for Celestia’s sake.” Nictis’s head drooped to meet his own hoof. “You really are the worst changeling ever.”
Sky’s hoof retreated, a hint of embarrassment rising from him, likely realizing that of course Nictis could tell he hadn’t meant to hurt him, not really, and that Nictis wasn’t really upset. They sat there silently, the emotions coming from Sky wavering around before, oddly, settling on faint amusement. “...Celestia’s sake?”
“What?” Nictis said as his head snapped up. “I--that… oh come on, I’ve lived among ponies for a decade, I think I’m allowed to use some of their phrases by now!”
Sky just chuckled softly while Nictis gave a hollow scowl and, deciding Cotton was right after all, thumped Sky on the shoulder. Sky simply chuckled some more as they turned their attention back to the food arrayed before them.
Nictis was a little surprised when he realized Skiris and Trip were talking with Princess Celestia, who was asking about their life in Ponyville. They didn’t even seem very uncomfortable with it, despite who they were talking to. The two of them were quite happily describing how they’d fit in and found their place among ponies, though he felt a little self-conscious any time they proclaimed how much he had helped them.
“Hey, Nictis?”
He looked over to see Sky looking back at him.
“I know you’re worried about how ponies see us,” Sky said, “and I figure you’ve got more reason than a lot of us. But at the same time, I don’t think being all… reserved and carefully measured, I don’t think that’s going to help much.” He quickly raised a hoof even before Nictis had started to open his mouth. “And yes, flying past the guards at high speed when they’re already on alert was probably a bad idea. I don’t mean that. What I mean is… well, ponies need to see us just being normal.”
“We’re changelings,” Nictis flatly replied. “Normal is tricking ponies, sucking their emotions dry, maybe even kidnapping or killing them if necessary. I don’t think ‘normal’ is going to help us.”
With a slowly spreading grin, Sky asked, “And how much of that have you done in the last, oh, five years?”
Nictis frowned. “You mean after I abandoned the hive and everything it means to be a proper changeling? I’m not ‘normal’ for a changeling any more than you are.”
Sky actually laughed at that, much to Nictis’s surprise. “It’s been, what, six months since you showed up in Ponyville? And already there are dozens of changelings living in Equestria like it’s the most natural thing in the world.” He spread his hooves. “We’re adaptable. This pretty much is normal.”
It took an effort to not look at Cara. “Not quite so normal for some of us as others.”
“You might find it a bit more normal if you’d just relax, sometime.”
Nictis blinked in surprise, turning to stare back at Sky, but there was no hostility behind the other changeling’s statement. “I’m not kidding,” Sky said. “You’re always so wound tight and worried about what ponies think of you.”
“That is normal for me,” Nictis grumbled.
“No it’s not,” Sky said. “At least, not listening to all your stories. You talk about all these times you were happy and confident and carefree. That’s about the only time I ever see you really happy, Nictis, when you’re losing yourself in a story, or when you’re wrapped up in helping other changelings. It’s like you forget to worry and actually allow yourself to have fun for a change.”
“So, what, you think I should just walk in on Spark all cheery and happy like nothing happened?” He snorted. “Yeah, that would go well.”
“I’m not saying to be insensitive!” Sky shot back. “I’m just saying you need to relax a little. Let ponies see that you’re just as normal as them. Don’t brush aside the bad things, but… you know, don’t let them define you.”
Nictis blinked, then leveled a flat look at Sky. “You got that from Princess Celestia, didn’t you?”
“I think it was Luna, actually,” Sky said with a smug smile, though it faltered a moment later. “Wait, or… actually, maybe it was Celestia after all.”
Nictis sighed.
“Either way, I figure they’ve got a lot more experience in dealing with ponies than either of us,” Sky said with a shrug. “Ponies need to see us as normal, and if you’re always acting so cautiously, it’s just going to make ponies think of why you’re acting that way.”
True enough, Nictis noted, though he quite consciously did not say so. He also reigned in the impulse to point out how much that line of logic sounded like Infiltrator training. Instead, he said, “Maybe you can find a way of being ‘normal’ that doesn’t involve spooking half the Royal Guard?”
“Heh, sure,” Sky said with a nervous chuckle, then held out his hoof. “I’ll do that, if you can find a way of interacting with ponies without sulking all the time.”
“I don’t sulk all the time.”
“Most of the time, then,” Sky amended, giving his offered hoof a little wiggle.
Nictis glared at the offending hoof for a moment before sighing. “Ugh, fine.” He took Sky’s hoof, giving a single shake before releasing it and turning back to pick unenthusiastically at his salad. For the first time, he was actually looking forward to the distraction of the upcoming negotiations.
After breakfast, the group made their way to the Solstice Hall in preparation for the meeting. When they arrived, nobody sat at the table. Instead, they sat back on the various cushions set along one of the walls. The table could wait for the actual negotiations.
In fact, there wasn’t any discussion of the negotiations at all. Chrysalis’s motives were still unknown, so there was little point in making plans. Instead they sat and chatted casually, or in a few cases, waited in silence while the others talked.
The only slight disruption was when one of the princesses--usually Twilight--would look away to check the clock yet again. Chrysalis had still not arrived, and the delay was starting to become worrying.
Nictis was close to breaking his silence to suggest they go and find out what was keeping her when the doors flew open. Three changelings marched in, grim-faced and armored, but Chrysalis was not among them. The Royal Guards that were escorting them halted just inside the doorway, wary but not intruding. The two changelings soldiers carrying spears followed close on the flanks of the third, who approached the gathered Equestrians with a hint of a grimace peeking out past the grim expression.
The three came to a halt a short distance away, the lead changeling’s snout raising as he spoke, voice laden with contempt. “The queen has declared that she shall not participate in any negotiations so long as Equestria continues to insult her and the hive in such a shameful fashion. There will be no negotiations until Equestria has properly apologized and made amends for this insult.”
Shock and surprise were the general reactions. A few softs gasps and murmurs passed among the various ponies, though they grew quieter as Celestia rose. “What insult is it that you speak of?” she calmly asked.
“The queen had requested that Nictis appear before her before any negotiations commence, a request which has been coldly ignored by Equestria. She demands to know if Equestria intends to make amends and negotiate in good faith, or if you intend to waste her time with this demeaning farce.”
A cold rush passed through Nictis at the idea that he might be responsible for negotiations breaking down before they had even properly begun. He hastily stood as the shock passed, but Celestia was already speaking.
“Nictis had prior commitments that demanded his attention, commitments your queen was well aware of before her arrival.”
The changeling turned his head to regard Nictis, who fought the sudden urge to sit back down. “Yes,” the soldier said, voice laden with contempt. “The queen is quite well aware of how he has shunned his duty and commitment to the hive. It was hoped that he might still have shown some sliver of dignity or respect, but clearly that was too much to hope for.”
“That’s enough,” Celestia said, the slimmest hint of an edge to her voice as she stepped forward, wings raised. Behind her, both Luna and Twilight rose to their hooves. The changeling soldiers stood their ground, though Nictis could see them tense at Celestia’s approach. “Nictis has committed himself to a noble cause, one which can benefit your hive far greater than his prior duties. He does not deserve your scorn.”
“The queen is not interested in excuses,” the soldier snapped back in retort. “If you wish these negotiations to commence, you will present Nictis to her. If not, we have nothing further to discuss.”
“I will not compel any of my subjects to appear before Chrysalis against their will,” Celestia replied. “If she wishes to speak with him, you should be asking him, not me.”
“We have delivered our message,” the soldier replied coldly. “What is your answer?”
Rather than respond, Celestia merely raised a hoof, gesturing toward Nictis. The soldier glared at her for several seconds before finally turning his head. Nictis winced at the contempt and disgust leveled at him, and it took a moment for him to find his voice. “I’ll go.”
“She will be expecting you soon,” the other changeling replied curtly. “Alone.” Without another word, the three of them turned and walked out, followed by their Royal Guard escorts. As soon as they were out of sight, he slumped down onto his cushion, his legs gone weak. Sky was at his side immediately, the feeling of sympathy vaguely stabilizing.
“You okay?” Sky asked, to which Nictis merely nodded, though the slight shakiness of the gesture likely negated any assurance it offered.
Turning away from the doorway, Celestia looked down to him. “I am sorry for that.”
Nictis only barely found his voice as he automatically replied, “Not your fault.”
“No,” Celestia agreed, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t express my sympathy, although I’m sure you would know it even if it went unsaid.” In response to the strained, almost panicked look that statement provoked, she smiled, the sympathy coming from her unwavering. “I am also sorry that you are put in such an uncomfortable position. I was not lying in what I told him; I will not compel you to meet with Chrysalis on your own if you do not wish to do so.”
“No,” Nictis said, shaking his head, while unconsciously leaning away from Celestia. “No, I have to go. I am still committed to helping the hive, regardless of what Chrysalis thinks. I… I can’t let any hopes of diplomacy die just because I’m…”
He cut himself off, giving another shake of his head.
It was Luna who spoke, catching Nictis by surprise as she stepped up beside him. “You are afraid of her.”
“Of course I am,” Nictis said, before flinching as he realized the reply had been rather louder than he intended. More quietly, he said, “I don’t understand what’s going on, or what she’s up to. I have to interact with her completely blind, with no idea of her motives and goals. What does she want? Why do I need to be alone? She might want to ask how life is in Equestria, or kill me the moment I’m alone with her, and I have no way of knowing until it happens!”
Celestia’s smile abruptly vanished, replaced with a mask of neutrality. “Do you think she would go so far?”
Nictis inched away from her. “No. If… if she wanted to kill me, she wouldn’t show up in some grand fashion and do it in the middle of your castle. Not when she could’ve had an Infiltrator slip into Ponyville and kill me in my sleep days ago.” He frowned, trying unsuccessfully to banish the thought from his mind.
Celestia remained silent for several seconds before her expression softened. “I suppose there is some small comfort in that,” she said, though she didn’t sound very convinced. His own uncertainty, however, seemed of more immediate importance.
“Though, we should have the guards scan me when I leave,” Nictis added, “just to make sure it’s me.”
“Of course,” Celestia replied with a nod. “And if nothing else, your meeting may give us some insight into her goals. We have precious little to go on, so far, and her actions so far have been worrying.”
Nictis nodded absently, eyes turning to the door. After a few moments, he hesitantly stood. “I suppose I shouldn’t keep her waiting any longer.”
“Remember, whatever Chrysalis might threaten, Equestria will always protect its subjects.” Celestia nodded respectfully to him. “Good luck.” The sentiment was echoed by everyone else in turn, until he finally took a deep breath, steeled himself, and walked out.
The same three changelings were standing outside of Chrysalis’s chambers when Nictis arrived. They didn’t say a thing. Nictis was just stepping up to them when the two spear-bearing soldiers stepped aside, and the third lit his horn, opening the door. The feeling of contempt was as strong as ever, however, and needed no words to back them up.
He had to force himself to begin walking, to pass by the armed guards as he followed the third changeling, all the while struggling to rein in his own emotions. Despite his experience, despite his training as an Infiltrator, it was a lost cause. His own hive-mates, the very changelings he wished to help, they loathed him for having left the hive, and he… he was afraid of them.
Once again, he was alone.
Stepping inside the chambers was almost surreal in how ordinary it was. It was as if he had unconsciously imagined Chrysalis to have completely redecorated the rooms to be more in-line with the style of the hive itself. Walking in to see just another room in the same white-and-gold style as the rest of the castle struck him as profoundly odd, and seeing the room filled with almost a dozen unfriendly changelings, most still in armor, made it even more so--despite Nictis’s uneasy and slightly guilty feelings at that thought. He had to fight the urge to bow his head in shame under the weight of their disapproval, reminding himself that they didn’t know the entirety of the situation.
They didn’t see him as trying to help them. They only saw a traitor, siding with their enemies.
They reached another door, and this time when the lead changeling opened it, he stood aside to let Nictis walk in alone. It took a force of will to not hesitate, to take a moment to prepare himself. It’s just another conversation, he told himself. It’s exactly what I’ve been trained for. I’ve faced worse things before.
He pushed the fear down, put on a calm face, and stepped inside.
The calm threatened to flee the moment he lay eyes on Queen Chrysalis, who was laid out on a large cushion and looking for all the world as if she owned the place. As he entered, she turned to focus her acid-green gaze on him, and he was abruptly struck by the fact that he could not feel her.
It wasn’t just that he couldn’t read her emotions. Most changelings could hide their emotions from others to varying degrees of success, even though it was considered rude to do so. Even some ponies could manage it, such as Princess Celestia. Chrysalis, however, was more than simply unreadable. In those other cases, there was still a sense of something there, even if it was an indistinct and blank vagueness, like a shadow hiding something from sight. For Chrysalis, however, there was nothing. He almost staggered as he drew to a stop; if he couldn’t see her with his own eyes, he would have sworn she wasn’t there at all.
“So you finally decided to show,” Chrysalis said, giving him a cold smile. It vanished a moment later, her eyes narrowing. “Come,” she commanded, jabbing a hoof at the ground before her.
He momentarily entertained the idea of running away, but instead forced himself to approach. As he neared, Chrysalis rose to her hooves, and he nearly came to a halt at the sight. She towered over him, as big as Celestia, and significantly more imposing. Celestia was powerful beyond all reason, but even as terrifying as he once found her, she had a friendly warmth to her. Standing before Chrysalis, he knew she did not, certainly not for him. Even without being able to read her emotions, it was clear how much scorn she held for him.
The sight of the queen had once filled him with pride and longing. The thought of returning to the hive, of seeing her once again, had been something he had sought for years. Now, face-to-face with her, it brought fear, and with that, a terrible shame that he should have fallen so far as to be frightened by the presence of his own queen.
And somewhere in the back of his mind was a near-panicked voice pointing out that she had once defeated Celestia. He did his best to ignore it.
“So you can follow simple instructions,” Chrysalis mused as she stepped forward. Nictis halted, standing very still as she walked to his side, slowly circling as if appraising him. More likely, Nictis knew, it was simply to unnerve him. “So what other tricks has your new master taught you?” she mused as she walked behind him. “Sit? Roll over?”
Nictis stood frozen, ears pinned back. He had absolutely no idea how to respond to this. Anger? Reasoning? Dismissive? Uncertain, he remained silent, but she made it clear she expected a response when she lowered her head, nearly growling, “Well? Or did Celestia never get to ‘talk?’”
He pulled back before he could stop himself, shame and fear warring over his emotions. Finding his voice, he replied quietly. “She is not my master.”
Chrysalis barked out a laugh as she turned away. “Could have fooled me,” she said, her voice a mixture of amusement and scorn. The amusement died in an instant, replaced by a somber tone. “The entire expedition you were in disappeared. Scouts scoured the area and found nothing but a scorched patch of woodland. There were no remains, no bodies. By all appearances, every single member of the expedition had died.” She turned back, fixing him with a stare. “And then, a decade later, you suddenly appear, toadying up to Celestia.”
Stalking forward, Chrysalis’s eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare. “So tell me, little nymph,” she growled, “what really happened to Ceymi?”
Nictis staggered back, eyes wide in shock at the implication leveled at him. “M-manticores,” he stammered. “She… she died protecting me.”
“Hah!” Chrysalis snorted as she stepped forward again, head held high as she glared down at him, imposing. “I knew Ceymi far longer than you did, nymph. She was calculating, ruthless, and above all, practical. She would not throw away her life for a single nymph like you!”
“I-it wasn’t for me!” Nictis said hastily, his heart pounding in his ears as she drew closer. “We were trying to rescue the others! We didn’t know they were already dead.”
Chrysalis paused, considering him for another moment before speaking. “So Ceymi, the most experienced Infiltrator alive, an expert assassin, skilled fighter, and princess of the hive… was killed by a simple manticore?”
“It… it was an accident,” he said, his head drooping as he recalled that night, so long ago. “Her horn got stuck.”
Chrysalis frowned, staring down at him. Her voice was dry and unamused. “Stuck?”
“The last manticore got in close,” he said quietly. “Too close for her to aim her magic accurately. She tricked it, slipped inside its swing. She stabbed it right through the chest, but when she pulled back… her horn caught for a moment, and the manticore stung her…”
“I see,” Chrysalis said, though she sounded entirely unconvinced. “And you just watched all this happen, did you?”
Nictis’s ears shot up, his body tensing at the accusation. He met Chrysalis’s glare. “I was being trained as an Infiltrator, not a soldier,” he replied sharply. “Ceymi trained us in subtlety, not combat magic or fighting skill. She also taught us to be practical, to know when to act, and when not to. If I’d tried to get into the fight, I would have just gotten in her way, maybe even hurt her. So I held back and waited for an opportunity, exactly like she would want me to!”
A small part of him worried about having raised his voice against his queen--former queen, whatever--particularly when Chrysalis’s glare deepened in response. Surprisingly, she didn’t reprimand him for his outburst, although what she did say was almost as harsh. “So Ceymi died because you were not skilled enough to help her.”
“I was not being trained as a soldier,” Nictis repeated, any hint of fear and shame washing away as his stance strengthened, and despite everything that had been said, a sense of confidence welled up inside him. Chrysalis seemed determined to be hostile. Despite her imposing nature and the accusations of betrayal, there was a familiarity to the situation. She might be powerful beyond anything he could ever accomplish, but that simply made her one more in a long line of powerful and dangerous beings whom he had dealt with, not through blows or magic, but with words, and her words were petty.
There was a strange comfort in that.
“She also trained us better than to let our pride get in the way of making the right decision,” he said, meeting Chrysalis’s glare without anger, but with an unwavering stare. “Because of the course of my training, I was unable to help her. Ceymi would not want me to act out of prideful overconfidence or sentiment and jeopardise both myself and her in such a fashion. The proper decision was to stand back and look for an opportunity to strike, and I am certain that Ceymi agreed with my actions.”
Chrysalis’s expression changed; the hostility in her glare vanished, replaced with an appraising look. Silence lingered for many long and uncomfortable seconds, but Nictis did not waver under the scrutiny. When she finally spoke, the words that came out were not at all what Nictis had expected.
“I can see why she had spoken so highly of you.”
Nictis blinked in surprise, followed by a mental curse at allowing himself to visibly react. The reaction drew a cold laugh from Chrysalis. “Oh, are you surprised that I should have kept track of the training of the rare few who might be worthy of the elusive title of Infiltrator? Ceymi kept me fully updated on the progress of every generation of candidates. She had described you as likely the most promising of your class. Great magical potential, a natural wit and ingenuity, a strictly rational mind, confident without pride, and showing great proficiency in manipulation and falsehoods.”
Her expression darkened as she frowned at him. “Perhaps too much,” she added, “as she also described you as being completely devoted to the service of the hive, scornful of its enemies, and unwaveringly loyal.”
Both anger and shame tried to rise up, but he crushed them under the weight of professionalism. “I have never betrayed her,” her replied, “or the hive. I kept our secrets for years. I would have died rather than risk exposing the hive to danger.”
The statement was met with a condescending scoff. “And yet, that loyalty wasn’t enough to bring you back once you found a pony to suck the love out of. You made one imbecilic attempt to return and gave up. You did betray the hive, when you decided to shun your duty to it.”
Anger battered at his resolve, knowing what pony she was referring to. “I know how the hive operates,” he retorted sharply. “It’s rational and practical. By the time I could even make the attempt, the next generation of Infiltrators would already be fully trained, or nearly so. Even the nymphs spawned as soon as the loss was known would be almost as old as I was when I left the hive. I knew I’d been replaced by then. I had no place or purpose back at the hive.”
“And this is why we don’t let simple-minded drones make decisions like that,” Chrysalis replied with a sneer. “You haven’t the slightest idea what’s going on, but you’re so convinced of your brilliance that you decide you know better than the entire hive.” She snorted angrily. “Who do you think was going to train those new Infiltrators? Ceymi was dead, and even our older Infiltrators had no experience teaching others. Ceymi had a replacement, but noling had her skill and experience. We lost an entire generation of Infiltrators, and the skill to replace them. Even one more Infiltrator gathering love would have been a great relief.”
As Nictis hesitated, considering that, she stepped up beside him, continuing. “Even knowing what had happened on your training expedition would have been useful. Instead, we don’t find out anything until almost a decade later… when a changeling we had thought dead shows up at Celestia’s side. A little suspicious, don’t you think?”
“You thought I had something to do with it?” Nictis asked, appalled at the thought, but he quickly moved past the shock of it. “You know that’s not true.”
“Now, yes,” she replied as she continued to slowly circle him. “But that’s not even the worst of it.”
“Then what is?” Nictis said, coming close to grinding his teeth at her taunting.
“Well, let’s see how well Ceymi taught you to think for yourself,” Chrysalis said. “An expedition with a highly skilled Infiltrator, a pair of elite guards, and a dozen nymphs disappears on the Equestrian border without a trace. Over the next few years, Infiltrators start disappearing at higher and higher rates. And then, after almost a decade of losing Infiltrators and declining food supplies, an Infiltrator in Canterlot returns with word of an expeditionary fleet of airships that would soon be setting out on a journey of ‘exploration.’ A journey whose first leg would see them cross the expansive Everfree Forest and fly straight for the broken and barren lands that held nothing of interest, save for a hidden and supposedly secret changeling hive.”
Coming to a halt beside him, she peered down her muzzle at him. “So tell me, what does that sound like.”
“You… you thought they knew?” he said, eyes widening. “You thought they were going to attack the hive?”
A cruel smile crossed her face. “And the one changeling who knew better,” she said tauntingly, “had decided that he was too unimportant to return to the hive with that knowledge.”
Nictis stood stock still as his mind scrambled at the information. He didn’t trust himself enough to speak at the moment, unsure of what he could possibly say. Instead, he remained frozen, as a slowly building horror gripped him.
It was a few moments before he realized Chrysalis was walking away, still speaking. “By all rights, I should demand you be returned to the hive as a fugitive, to face punishment for high treason.” Nictis quivered at the matter-of-fact tone, his facade of professionalism crumbling from beneath him. “But we are already too short on Infiltrators to waste any, so I am willing to offer you an alternative.”
Chrysalis turned to seat herself once again on the cushion she had been laying on when he first entered, a smirk playing at her lips. “I will forgive you of your crimes, in exchange for you returning to the hive, reaffirming your loyalty to me, and taking up the title and responsibilities of an Infiltrator.”
Nictis stared back, wide-eyed and stunned. His mouth moved wordlessly for several seconds as his mind fought against the emotional whiplash. One second, he was accused of the greatest betrayal a changeling could ever do, and the next he was offered the greatest role a drone could ever have, the one he had dreamed of for most of his life. Worst of all, he wasn’t even sure how he should feel about either of them. The offer itself drew mixed reactions; a small part of him still held some excitement at the idea of being made an Infiltrator, while another, larger part found it to be completely absurd. One particular objection slowly bubbled to the top. “But… Spark…”
Chrysalis sighed with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “Of course you can keep your pony,” she said before smirking again. “An Infiltrator needs a source of love, after all, and I’m not going to impede your ability to help feed the hive.”
His mind continued to race away and, shaken, his mouth followed. “But that won’t work,” he said in a shaky voice. “Equestria knows about changelings and how to find Infiltrators. We can’t just go on like nothing’s changed.”
“That’s none of your concern,” Chrysalis replied firmly. “I have plans to ensure the prosperity and security of the hive. You are an Infiltrator, and you will aid these plans in the same way Infiltrators always have.”
A hint of warning rose in his mind, and he clutched to it. “What plans?”
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “That is also none of your concern.” He flinched back, alarms going off in his mind, but she immediately added, “Once you have returned to the hive and reaffirmed your loyalty, we shall discuss the future of the hive and how you may aid it. Until then, I’m not going to entrust you with sensitive information when you might just turn around and pass it on to Celestia.”
Nictis swallowed nervously. He found himself in a particularly strange position, but it had to be said: “Celestia doesn’t want us to be enemies.”
“Of course not,” Chrysalis said with a soft laugh, much to Nictis’s surprise. “Ponies don’t like conflict. They like their nice, peaceful, quiet lives. Changelings, though, we complicate their simple little world, and they don’t like complicated. So Celestia wants to ‘simplify’ the problem.”
“But we can coexist,” Nictis said. “We… we’ve been doing that for months now. There’s enough food for the entire hive and more, and we don’t even have to trick anypony to get it.”
“Oh, of course,” Chrysalis said. Her horn lit up, followed by a lightness around Nictis’s neck as the little compass on its golden chain lifted up before him, held in a green aura. “And all you have to do is wear their chains.”
Nictis snatched the compass out of her magic. “I don’t wear this for them!” he snapped back. “I wear it because it was Ceymi’s--”
“--Who seems to have never taught you about metaphor,” Chrysalis said firmly. “Look at what’s happening, Nictis. Look at what you’re becoming. Celestia bought your subservience for a bit of food and comfort. She wants to see the hive destroyed, whether at her hooves or our own. Maybe not dead and buried, but destroyed all the same. She wants us under her control, so that we’re no longer a threat to her precious peace and quiet. You know this.”
Nictis was shaking his head. “It’s not like that,” he murmured quietly, his mouth gone dry.
“It is,” Chrysalis said, fixing him with a stare that he did not meet. “She talks of friendship, but she offers slavery. I will not allow the very existence of our species to be dependent on the whims of some pony.”
“It’s not like that,” Nictis repeated even more quietly.
“But you know it is,” Chrysalis smoothly replied. She raised a hoof, gesturing toward his chest. “And you know Ceymi would agree.”
Nictis froze, his gaze dropping to the compass still clutched in his hoof. His breath stuttered, a dull weight growing in his gut.
Chrysalis smiled smugly, crossing her forelegs over the edge of her cushion. “Well?”
Nictis swallowed, words coming reluctantly. “...She was wrong.”
The smile shrank as Chrysalis gave a disapproving look. “What was that?”
“Ceymi,” he said. “I… respect her… and she was one of the greatest… one of the greatest beings I’ve ever known.” He lowered his hoof to the ground again, feeling a little more steady as he raised his head, meeting Chrysalis’s gaze. “But she was wrong. She warned that ponies would kill us the moment they knew of us, that they’d wipe out our hive and every changeling to protect themselves, but she was wrong. And so are you.”
Chrysalis’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but he quickly continued, undeterred. “They’re better than you think. I used to think the same of them, but I’ve lived among them for most of my life. I’ve seen how they really are, once I looked past the misconceptions drilled into our heads in the hive. Yes, there are difficulties, but many of them have already accepted us as equals, and it’s spreading every day.”
“Equals,” Chrysalis scoffed. “Just, not quite as equal as ponies, hmm? You don’t really think Celestia would ever allow a changeling to hold a throne beside her, do you?”
Nictis was silent for several seconds. “Well, maybe not you.”
“That is enough!” Chrysalis snapped, baring her teeth. “You may have been gone from the hive for far too long, but you will show respect to your queen.”
Again, he hesitated. Words immediately came to mind, but it took a force of will to say them. “I… can’t call you my queen any longer. I want to help everyling to have a better life, and so long as you oppose that... I can not follow you.”
“You will help them into servitude and slavery,” Chrysalis growled. “You had best rethink this, nymph. I’m offering you a way to help the hive grow strong and free. Do not throw away this opportunity for some petty comforts.”
“Can’t you see that this is the best opportunity we have?” Nictis asked. “What other way do we have? You can’t beat Equestria. They’re stronger than us. If you fight them, you’ll lose, and the entire hive will pay the price of that. These ponies are willing to accept us as friends. We need them!”
“Of course we do,” Chrysalis replied. “We need ponies just like we need water. Too little, and we starve.” She gave a cruel smirk. “Too much, and we drown.”
Nictis just shook his head.
“Time to decide, Nictis. Will you rejoin the hive as an Infiltrator and help us grow strong, or will you stand in our way?”
He drew in a slow, shuddering breath, and answered. “I can not help you.”
Chrysalis snorted softly. “Very well. I hope you will change your mind. I can be very persuasive. Until then, I declare you a traitor and enemy of the hive. You will know no peace or comfort from any of the kin you have turned your back on.” A sharp-toothed grin slowly crossed her muzzle as she fixed him with a predatory glare. Her tone carried a suggestion of sadistic glee. “And you will soon discover that you do not want to be my enemy, little nymph.”
She held the glare for several seconds as he stood there in silence, unable to reply. The silent standoff was finally broken when she lifted a hoof to point to the door. “Leave me.”
He slowly forced his hooves to move, forcing his breaths to come smooth and calm even as the familiar tinge of adrenaline stung at his nerves. He slowly crossed the length of the room, and had just reached the door when her voice brought him to a halt. “Oh, and Nictis?”
He looked back over his shoulder to see Chrysalis’s expression remained unchanged.
“Tell your master that I am willing to resume talks after lunch.”
With that, she shooed him away with a wave of her hoof, and he opened the door and exited.
The rest of the walk out was done in a numbed silence, his legs unsteady as his muscles screamed for action. Despite that, he walked out with his head held high, the perfect image of calm confidence, even under the gauntlet of cold glares and condescending emotions from Chrysalis’s soldiers.
Exiting the chambers, he paused, the guards scanning him with their magic before they all continued on down the hall. He traveled in near silence, the only sound being hoofsteps and the soft clinking of the armor worn by the two guards escorting him.
As the adrenaline quickly faded, fatigue started to close in on him. His legs grew increasingly unsteady, and his chest felt tight. He forced himself to continue on, to keep his head held high and his steps sure, but it was growing more difficult by the moment.
He managed to keep up appearances until he had rounded the corner, passing out of sight of the changelings who stood guard outside the doors. With a few more steps, his legs began to wobble, a shudder passing through his body. He stumbled to the side to lean heavily against the wall for support, and slid down along it until he was sitting. His breath stuttered, short and ragged, and the world started to blur before he closed his eyes, focusing on the losing struggle to remain calm and strong in the face of what he had done.
“Sir?”
Nictis opened his eyes, blinking away the blurriness to look at the guard who had spoken. Both were looking at him with different degrees of concern, and he hastily gave a weak reply. “I-I just need a moment…”
But it was the emotions coming from them that caught his attention. He could feel their concern, not of him, but for him. They were the guardians of the realm, who sought to protect Equestria’s subjects from harm, and he could feel that same protective concern now focused on him. His breathing calmed at the thought.
Whatever Chrysalis might say, she is wrong about them.
Looking to these ponies was all the affirmation he could need. Even these Royal Guards, the soldiers committed to protecting Equestria from threats such as those Chrysalis might level, didn’t see them as enemies. Chrysalis could say whatever she wanted about their motivations; he could feel them.
Ever so slowly, strength slowly returned to him as he savored the emotions--but out of respect, he did not feed on them. After taking a few deep breaths, he pushed himself back up to his hooves. The guards waited silently for him, and he hesitated for a moment before managing a weak and halfhearted smile, murmuring, “Thank you.”
The guards nodded dutifully in reply, and again fell in behind him as he resumed his walk.
Nictis was being quiet.
Not that Cara would normally mind this, of course. Nictis was usually quiet. Cara rather liked the quiet, himself. In fact, he’d rather have more quiet at the moment; the streets of Canterlot were busy with activity, with hundreds of ponies in a rainbow of colors all around him, surrounding him, judging him. Oh, most didn’t seem to make note of him and his little group, but he caught the occasional hint of fear, distrust, even anger. How little would it take to spread that anger through the crowd? He could perfectly picture the streets devolving to chaos and violence as pony and changeling fought. He could perfectly picture it because he remembered it, in all its confusion and terror, and all those ponies around him must remember it, too. Only this time, there was no swarm, with thousands of his hive-mates all around him. Instead, it was just three changelings surrounded by hordes of ponies, and the pair of guards escorting them through the crowd.
The guards just made it worse; supposedly, they were there to protect Sky, Nictis, and himself, but the quiet sounds of their armor only reminded him that these were soldiers, and that he was very much not one of their ponies.
So he focused as much as he could on the quiet changeling walking in front of him, but even that had grown uncomfortable. Sky was as cheerful as ever, but Nictis hardly reacted to him. They’d even talked about what had happened when Nictis had met Chrysalis--Cara shivered at the thought of being put in the same situation, himself!--but Nictis had soon gone quiet again.
Something was troubling him, and the thought of that worried Cara.
He wanted to help. Nictis had been so helpful to him since he had arrived, and he wanted to return the favor, but he had no idea where to start. Instead, he simply followed along in silence, inching a little closer any time ponies passed by too closely.
He didn’t even know why he was out here, in the crowded streets, surrounded by all these ponies, rather than comfortably closed away in a room in the castle. He paused for a moment to consider the absurdity that he had just thought of the princesses’ castle as a refuge, but the thought vanished when the sound of a couple ponies happily laughing snapped his attention back to where he was. He scooted closer to Nictis and Sky, just about pressing up to them. Surely whoever it was that wanted to talk to him could have come to the castle, right?
Or just not talked to him. He would have been happy with that, too.
Unfortunately, both Sky and Nictis had thought it a good idea and encouraged him to go, and he could hardly say no to them when they’d helped him so much.
The winding streets slowly lead him further and further from the unusual safety of the castle. Sky pointed out a few landmarks along the way, though Cara rarely spared them more than a quick glance before retreating into the safe little bubble of his fellow changelings. A few even looked familiar, which only served to stir up more of a feeling of dread in him.
Eventually, Sky declared that they had arrived. Cara glanced up to see that they stood in front of some sort of restaurant. The patio along its front held several tables with ponies gathered about them, and a flower-shaped sign with a smiling face on it hung over the front steps. Cara hesitated, looking fearfully to the restaurant. He had expected--hoped!--that they’d be going to some nice, quiet house or something. He hadn’t expected something like this. Walking through the crowded streets was bad enough, being exposed to all those ponies, but at least there he’d only be near each one for a short time. Instead, he was going to be stuck sitting in the same place, surrounded by the same ponies, who would see and remember everything he did.
Sure, none of them seemed to make note of the arrival of the three changelings, and the few who did notice seemed indifferent, but it would just be a matter of time.
He tried to act calm as he followed Sky and Nictis up the steps, though the way his breathing sped up likely betrayed him. Sure enough, one of the ponies, a cream-colored mare who was walking between the tables, had spotted them. He tucked his head down as she approached, and bumped up against Nictis in the hopes that he might shield him from some of the oncoming doom.
“Sky!” the mare called out, and then reached out and, much to Cara’s surprise, hugged Sky.
“Been a while,” she happily remarked, and released him again. “And I see you’ve brought some more of your friends this time.”
“Yep!” Sky replied with a grin, lifting a hoof to gesture with. “Sunflower, this is Nictis.”
“Ah, Sky’s told me a lot about you,” she said, reaching out and shaking Nictis’s hoof. “Glad to finally meet you.”
“Thank you,” Nictis replied, breaking his quiet streak for only a moment.
“And this is Cara,” Sky continued, and Cara locked up, eyes going wide. Sky hardly paused before adding, “He’s new, just got here a few days ago. Still a little overwhelmed by everything.”
Cara could feel a hint of apology from Sky, as if he’d be offended at such a description, which seemed odd when the real truth was that he was utterly terrified. Still, he appreciated the gesture, even if meant he was suddenly at the center of attention.
Sunflower started to lift a hoof, but it returned to the ground as she smiled and nodded to him. “Nice to meet you, Cara.”
He swallowed, drew in a breath, and awkwardly replied, “Th-thank you.”
Sunflower turned back to Sky. “Go on back. Your other friend already arrived. She’s waiting at your usual table. I’ll be by as soon as I take care of these orders!”
Sky thanked her, and they headed into the restaurant, while the escorting guards remained out front. Cara kept his head down as they passed only inches away from dining ponies. Fortunately, few seemed to take notice of them, and the few that did seemed merely curious. Strangely, the few who he looked at then looked away, some of them even giving off faint feelings of embarrassment. It was strange behavior, but not hostile. Cara found himself reconsidering his opinion on restaurants, or at least this one; the place seemed rather welcoming.
At least, as welcoming as any room filled with dozens of unknown ponies could possibly be. He swallowed again, inching closer to Nictis, but with a little less fear than before. Still, he was quite happy when they stepped through the door, and felt the cool summer breeze of the outside once again. They had just reached some steps down when he raised his head to caution a glance past Nictis, and he nearly tumbled down the rest as he looked out past the edge of the world.
The back of the restaurant wasn’t another patio like the front; it was a balcony, with a sturdy but decorated iron railing that gave a minimum of obstruction between them and the view. The edge of the city ran off in either direction, protruding out over the giant cliffs it was built upon to hang over open space. Beyond the railing, the valley far below stretched off into the distance. Cara’s wings flickered as a familiar sense of vertigo teased at his senses. It was much like the first time he had stepped out of the hive, leaving the narrow and dim corridors to the sight of unending sky stretching off to a horizon impossibly far away. It passed much more swiftly this time, as he ducked his head to follow along again, but he couldn’t help casting the occasional glance to the spectacular view.
Up ahead, Sky was leading them to a table that already had an occupant, a yellow-and-purple mare who was kicked back to lean against the railing, her head tilted back to look over the edge. To Cara’s surprise, she was one of those hornless, wingless types of ponies. He always felt a little uneasy about them. Life would be awkward enough without his wings, or without his horn. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like without either, but she seemed happy enough. His own wings fidgeted again, a little surprised that she should be so casual about looking over such a tremendous drop when she didn’t have wings. She was even smiling.
She must be very brave, Cara thought. He was pretty sure he’d be very nervous anywhere near such a height if he didn’t have wings. Well, more nervous than he already was, in general. Although, he supposed he wasn’t completely safe, either. He could accidentally hurt his wings. Or be tangled up in something. Or some angry pony mob could cripple his wings and hurl him over the edge.
He’d already been thrown from this city once before. It was unpleasant enough even when he could use his wings to land more-or-less safely.
The mare lifted her head, spotting them as they made their way over. “Ah, Sky! You certainly picked a nice place. I should have checked this place out before.”
“I kind of lucked out,” Sky said, sounding almost abashed at the comment. A moment later he stepped back, turning to gesture to Cara, who did his best to not cringe at being abruptly thrust into the spotlight. “This is Cara. Cara, meet Subtle. We’re working with her to try and find a solution to everything that’s going on.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Subtle said with a kind smile, and while “pleasure” was perhaps exaggerating, he sensed no hostility or reservation of any kind, only a friendly interest.
He had to clear his throat before replying with a meek, “You too.”
They all sat around the table, casually conversing. More accurately, Sky and Subtle were casually conversing. Cara was quite happy to sit there being silent and unnoticed, and Nictis was being particularly quiet and distracted. He seemed to be watching a gathering of ponies at an overlook a short distance away, a few of whom would occasionally peer over the edge. The sight of it made Cara wonder why a city of wingless unicorns would be built in such a high place.
Only a couple minutes after they arrived, Sunflower trotted up to their table, flashing a smile. “So, what can I get for you today?”
Subtle smiled at Sky. “Any recommendations?”
“Yeah, everything,” Sky said with a chuckle. “Though my favorites have always been the drinks. She makes some really good smoothies.”
“Yeah,” Nictis grumbled, eventually ordering a raspberry smoothie and a small platter of hay fries. Not knowing what else to say, Cara asked for the same. Sunflower continued around until they had all ordered, then hurried off to get their food.
As soon as Sunflower had left, Subtle looked over to to Cara, who did his best to not flinch as she spoke. “So, Cara. You just arrived in Equestria?”
“Y-yes,” he answered hastily. “About, um… four days ago?”
Was it really so recent? He almost frowned at the thought. It felt a lot longer.
She nodded, giving him a pleasant smile. “How’re you liking it so far?”
“It’s… it’s very different,” he said, fidgeting in place. “Most ponies are nice. Even though we, erm… you know…”
“Plenty of friendship to go around,” Subtle said with a soft chuckle. “Must have been quite the change, though?”
“Yeah,” Cara said, shuffling his wings, trying to keep his breathing calm. “It’s all, um… different.”
There was a momentary pause before Subtle prompted, “How so?”
Cara sank a little as he realized that he wasn’t going to escape attention with a simple, vague answer. “Well, um… it’s a lot calmer? I haven’t had to work since I got here. I’m not really sure what to do with all the time.” He paused, looking down at the table before another thought came to mind. “The food is different. It’s tasty, better than anything I’ve had before, but it’s still… different.”
He glanced over to Sky, and added, “Also, um… I learned that houses aren’t caves.”
Sky tried to stifle a laugh, and the comment even brought a bit of a smile to Nictis’s face, which at least somewhat made up for the embarrassment of being at the center of attention.
Subtle looked around with a questioning look. “I can tell when I’m missing something.”
Sky let his hoof drop back to the table, still chuckling. “Ah, yeah. See, the hive is basically a bunch of caverns, all stone walls. The new changelings that have just gotten here, sometimes it takes a while for them to learn that most walls and ceilings aren’t made to support the weight of a pony. Or a changeling. Had to remodel because of it.” He shrugged a little. “I still try to teach them not to go crawling all over everything as soon as I can. Some ponies freak out when they see a changeling crouched on the ceiling.”
“Yeah, I could imagine so,” Subtle said diplomatically. “Anyway, what I was really curious about…” She turned back to Cara, smiling again. “What convinced you to come to Equestria?”
His ears pinned back, anxiety rising. Why would she want to know that? Was she just trying to be friendly? Or was she suspicious of him? He swallowed, quickly speaking up. “I-I heard about how nice Equestria was, so… so I decided I’d come here.”
Subtle looked at him with a raised eyebrow, asking, “That’s it?”
Cara sunk in response, disappointed that he couldn’t just brush aside the whole thing with a vague answer. “Well… okay, I guess there was a little more?” He sighed a little. “There was this other changeling, Sapphire. We were friends as nymphs, though I haven’t seen him often since then. I ended up digging tunnels, while he became a soldier, and then later he was promoted to Infiltrator.”
Nictis looked momentarily confused, but Cara continued on. “I hadn’t even seen him for months, but he was there when the group I was working with came back to the main hive to--”
The surprise coming from Nictis and Subtle jarred him from his tale, and Nictis even spoke up. “Wait, main hive?”
Subtle leaned forward, eyes lit up. “There’s more than one? How many?”
“I don’t know!” Cara squeaked, leaning back. “Th-they’re not really hives, just… outposts? At least three or four, maybe more. I-I was on a team to dig one out, but I don’t know what’s going on beyond that!”
Subtle leaned back again, thinking. “Well, this could complicate things. About how big is the outpost?”
“Um… pretty big?” Cara replied. “It’s mostly empty, except for supplies. It’d probably only fit… I don’t know, maybe half the hive in it, when it’s done?”
This prompted glances between Nictis and Subtle, sharing thoughtful expressions. The silence lasted for only a few moments before Subtle’s face abruptly returned to casual happiness as she looked past Sky. “Ahh, here come our drinks!”
Cara blinked awkwardly at the abrupt change of tone, as Sunflower stepped up to the table. “Here you guys go,” she said as she floated the drinks over and set them on the table. Sky had already snatched his up by the time she asked, “Everything good here?”
After several nods and a few affirmative words, she smiled. “Your food will be along soon. Just give me a wave if you need anything else.”
With that, she nodded and trotted off again. Cara eyed his drink cautiously at first, but everyone else was enjoying theirs, so he took a sip. He nearly cringed as the flavor did something to his mouth. He was familiar enough with what “sweet” tasted like, thanks to that manic pink earth pony, but there was something else there that made it feel almost like the drink was attacking his mouth. He frowned at the drink for a moment before leaning in and taking a smaller sip. As odd as it was, it was delicious.
Subtle had leaned back again, savoring a long sip of her own drink. “This is pretty good,” she said, giving a smile and a nod to Sky. Then she looked back to Cara. “Sorry about the interruption. You were saying?”
He nearly coughed up some of his smoothie, quickly gulping it down as a faint ache started to spread in the back of his head. He did his best to ignore it, as well as the paranoia that there was something wrong with his drink. “Um, yeah, I… where was I?”
“You met up with Sapphire?” she prompted.
“Oh, right.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Well, um... he was always eager and active, but when I saw him, he was kind of just… sitting there. He looked sad, or lost.” He glanced over to Nictis, then immediately away. “I didn’t have anything to do while the dig-leader was arranging for supplies, so I went to talk to him. I just wanted to see what was wrong. Maybe I could even do something to help him.
“He was… different. Like he was confused, and had lost that confidence he always had. It… kind of scared me, actually, so I kept talking to him, trying to get him to tell me what was wrong. I was kind of excited that I might be able to do something to help him. And then… then he started telling me about his time in Equestria. About how everything was different from what he expected. He said he’d been taught that ponies hated changelings, and how they’d imprison or kill him, or try to get the location of the hive through trickery or torture, so they could invade and wipe us out.
“But then he saw changelings living among ponies. He said he thought it was a trick at first, so he started digging into it to find out. He went to…” Cara glanced around uneasily, swallowed, and continued. “He went to Ponyville, since there were more changelings there. He spied on the changelings and ponies there, trying to figure out what was going on, but said all it did was convince him there was no trick. There were just too many changelings. They were all happy, nopony tried to get any information out of them, and there was no invasion brewing.
“That’s why he was so quiet. Even after he told his princess, he was still told to do the same thing as before. He said he tried to talk more about it, to get them to look into what was happening, and he was told to drop it, that it was all some elaborate trick. So he didn’t know what to do, and he was starting to think that the queen, um… that she might be wrong.”
Cara shook his head slowly, eyes staring down at the table without really seeing. “He was always so… loyal and sure. Seeing him like that, it was kind of scary. Then he started talking about the changelings themselves. About how happy they looked, how they were better fed and lived in more comfort than at the hive, how they could do whatever they wanted.
“I… I kept thinking about that,” he said, quieter than usual. “I hated my work. I hated digging all the time. I did it because it helped the hive, and I was glad I was helping, but I still hated it. I’d always… fantasized about being able to do something else, something more important, but I knew it was selfish. So I just kept digging, even though I hated it. I hurt at the end of every day, barely got enough food, and never enough sleep. And I just kept thinking about Sapphire. If even he was starting to question things, surely there was something wrong, right?”
Cara sighed, lifting a hoof to idly paw at his drink. “A few days ago, it was worse than usual. I was worn out from digging, nearly had a tunnel collapse on me twice, and spent half the day bailing water when we hit an aquifer. I was cold, and sore, and covered in mud, and because of how long we’d scrambled to keep the lower tunnels from flooding, I’d probably only get a couple hours of sleep before it was back to digging. I just… I couldn’t put up with it any more, not with the idea of something better out there.
“So… so I stole a bit of food and snuck out when noling was watching. I didn’t get far before I had to land and sleep.” He shook his head. “As soon as I woke up, I knew I’d made a mistake. I wanted to go back, but…” He swallowed, clutching his hooves together. “I’ve heard other changelings talking about others who left the hive, and how much they hated them. I even heard that Chrysalis executes them on the spot if they’re found. So… I couldn’t go back. I’d screwed up, but I had to keep going…”
He fell silent, fidgeting a little as he drew a tiny bit of stability from the sympathy of his fellow changelings. Even Subtle carried feelings of sympathy for him. “I’m sorry you had such a hard time of it,” she said, softly. “I hope it isn’t so bad here?”
Cara slowly nodded. “Everything Sapph said is true. It really is better here.”
Subtle smiled, wisps of happiness reaching Cara’s senses. “And no digging, unless you want to.” She paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. “So now I’m kind of curious, what did you want to do?”
“Oh, um,” Cara mumbled, fidgeting even more. “Well, I… I had always kind of fantasized about being an Infiltrator. Or a soldier. Or even a scout. Anything that would get me out of those tunnels. I mean, I know I couldn’t really do that. I’m not brave enough, but it was kind of fun to imagine.”
“And yet you were brave enough to leave the hive and journey to a distant land in hopes of a better life.” Subtle raised her glass as if in salute. “Would that we could all be so brave.”
Cara shrank in on himself, embarrassed by the surely unwarranted praise, though he couldn’t help a small smile. Thankfully, they soon moved on to other topics, letting him sit and think in peace. Subtle had stirred up new thoughts. He had spent so much time worrying about what would happen to him; only now did he begin to consider what he might do now that he was here. The idea of being able to do anything was rather daunting. Scary, almost.
He didn’t have much time to dwell on it, however, as a mare in Royal Guard armor was trotting up to the table. “Miss Tea, I have the morning update from--”
She abruptly halted only a few steps away, looking past Subtle in confusion to stare at Nictis. He turned away from the view that had consistently distracted him, mirroring her confused look.
Then she lowered her head and fired a bolt of magic into his chest.
There were several yelps, both from them and the ponies seated nearby. Cara spilled his drink as he jerked back, and Nictis let out a loud grunt and shuddered. A moment later Nictis fixed the guard with a glare. “What the hay was that for?”
The guard looked even more confused than before. “Sorry, sir,” she said, as if on reflex. “I just came from the observation team stationed at Cotton Candy’s apartment--”
“What?” Nictis said, rising to his hooves, and then turned his glare on Subtle. “You’re spying on Spark?”
“Protecting him,” Subtle replied calmly. “A precaution we took after the team following you last night after your visit nearly caught the changeling who was attempting to intercept you.” While Nictis stared in surprise, she looked back to the guard. “And I assume that has something to do with why you cast dispelling magic on one specific and undisguised changeling.”
“Yes,” the guard said, sounding somewhat uncertain. “The observation team had mentioned Nictis entered Cotton Candy’s apartment just a few minutes before I left with their report.”
Silence followed the statement, shattered moments later by a bang and clatter of glasses as Nictis kicked off of the table and shot straight up.
“Nictis, wait!” Sky shouted, leaping to his hooves. He was just lifting off the ground when Nictis’s wings went still, his eyes fixed on some distant location, and he dropped like a rock. Nictis struck the ground at the same moment that a circle of green fire surged upward, and in an instant, he was gone.
Sky fluttered back to the ground. “Aaand now I can’t follow him. Great.”
Subtle was staring silently at the patch of ground Nictis had just portaled through. “I know where he’s going,” she said calmly as she stood. “Glimmer?”
The guard broke away from her own staring to look back to Subtle.
“Find Feather Strike and Autumn Wind, and instruct them to join up with the observation team assigned to Spark Wheel.” The guard nodded hastily and galloped off, and Subtle turned to Sky and Cara. “Someling is making a move against Nictis. We need to return to the castle.”
The world reeled around Nictis, sliding into place for the third time in the past few moments. The green flash of fire had only barely parted before he kicked off the once-again solid roof beneath his hooves, throwing himself forward. The rapid-fire portals were an exhausting way of saving a few moments of time, but that didn’t matter. He could always get more energy.
He was already flying over the edge of the roof as his vision cleared, eyes landing on his final target. Dropping down, he kicked off the railing of the open-air hall as he sailed by, and slammed into the wall with all four hooves. He clung there for an instant before dropping, lunging forward, and pounded a hoof on Cotton’s door. Then he stood there, panting after the exertion of the near-panicked race to get there, fighting the urge of the adrenaline that was screaming for him to do something. Part of him wanted to just barge right in, but he knew that would likely go horribly wrong, whether there was a hostile Infiltrator waiting inside or not.
After a few moments of struggling against the desire to simply bust down the door and charge in, he heard the indistinct sounds of movement beyond the door, and a moment later Cotton opened it. She looked ragged and off-balance, and flinched the moment she saw him.
“Is Spark okay?” Nictis quickly asked between his panting. “Is he still here?”
“Nictis?” she asked, warily, as a cold chill gripped him. She was scared of him.
He didn’t know what to say. “Y-yeah. Is he okay? Are you okay?”
“I… yeah,” Cotton said warily. After a moment’s hesitation she stepped back to let him in, though she seemed to be favoring a leg, and he was fairly certain now that he could make out a growing lump on the side of her head. With growing fear he hurried past her and rounded the corner of the entryway to enter the living room.
The room was in shambles. One of the large chairs was knocked over, books and other belongings knocked from shelves, and spilled drinks and broken cookies were scattered across the floor around the coffee table. In the center of it all, Spark was sitting on the couch, looking as if he were close to breaking into tears, while Bigs held him protectively in his forelegs, comforting him. Nictis was relieved to see that Spark looked physically unharmed, but it was clear enough that he was hurt in other ways. Bigs looked to be developing a rather impressive black eye, and looked a little uncertain, perhaps even uncomfortable with the current situation, though the look was washed away in an instant as he spotted Nictis, to be replaced with a furious glare.
Nictis hardly noticed that, however. He was focused instead on the sudden shot of fear he received from Spark the moment their eyes met. He wavered, starting to step forward before drawing back, the urge to rush over and comfort Spark warring with the painful knowledge that he was the cause of Spark’s fear. After a moment he dryly croaked, “Are… are you okay? What happened?”
Bigs started to open his mouth, but the answer never came. The loud bang of the front door flying open made them all jump, followed an instant later by a voice shouting out, “Royal Guards! Stay where you are!”
Nictis spun around to see Cotton drop the heavy snack tray she had picked up in her magic, as a half-dozen armored guards rushed into the room. One unicorn fixed his eyes on Nictis, who staggered back reflexively as the guard sent a blast of magic into him.
He let out a strangled yelp as the hastily cast dispelling magic struck, his chest tightening as excess energy grounded through his body. “Gah! Will you ponies stop doing that to me already?!”
The guard ignored him as he pointed a hoof to the others. “Check them, too.”
The other guards quickly followed his order, though at least they took the time to cast the spell properly, rather than hastily dumping energy into it for speed. When they all failed to turn into changelings, the first guard asked, “Where did the other changeling go?”
“He teleported out,” Bigs said firmly, though he once again glared at Nictis as he did so.
Nictis paused in rubbing his chest, head drawing back in surprise. “Teleported? You mean a fire portal?”
“Whatever you want to call your creepy melt-into-the-ground fire thingy,” Bigs replied angrily.
The guard looked down to him; he seemed familiar enough that Nictis thought he should probably remember his name, but it escaped him at the moment. “Is that important?”
“What?” Nictis asked, a little surprised to be asked this by a pony who had moments ago shot him in the chest with his magic. “Oh, no. It’s just that when he said teleport, I thought… well, changelings can’t teleport.”
The guard nodded. “How far could they have gotten?”
Nictis grumbled. “Heck if I know. With enough energy they could have portaled right out of the city.”
“All right,” the guard said with a snort, and then turned back to the others. “So, what happened here?”
Cotton limped forward a step. “Well, he--I mean, a changeling who looked like him… they showed up, and we let him in, thinking he was Nictis. I knew something seemed off, but Nictis is kind of going through a lot, so I didn’t think anything of it. As soon as we were all in here, he just went nuts. Blindsided Big Shot, kicked me in the side of the head, then took turns wailing on us. Then he stuck us down with some weird sticky stuff he spit up.” She shuffled her hooves. “I’m not quite sure what happened after that. He hit me pretty hard…”
She looked over to Spark, who looked even more uncomfortable than before. He swallowed, finally speaking up. “After that, he… he grabbed me, and pinned me down on the couch, and he started… choking me.” As he spoke, he kept glancing over to Nictis, and each look felt like a stab in the chest.
“H-he was just choking me and grinning, a-and… and he was acting so happy when he did it, making these… sounds. And… he told me to tell you…”
He stopped as he looked at Nictis again, trembling faintly. “...He said to tell you to… ‘consider the cost of betrayal.’”
Nictis stared wide-eyed, his blood gone cold. He sat down, numb. This other changeling had attacked Spark because of him. Because he had refused Chrysalis’s offer. He’d already known this, of course, but to hear it from Spark, and to hear what he had done…
His thoughts turned back to the memory of choking Bigs, and that look of terror when the pony thought he was going to die; it was all too easy to picture Spark in his place, panicking as he struggled for a breath that would not come, while his attacker just grinned down at him, enjoying his struggles.
He lept to his hooves. “We’re taking them to the castle!”
Everypony looked to him in surprise, and he only then realized that they had continued talking without him. The guard in charge gave him a questioning look. “What are you talking about?”
“He was attacked because I refused to help Chrysalis,” he said angrily. “I’m not going to just let her hurt Spark! This was just a threat, but I’m not going to let her follow through on it, so we’re taking them to the castle where they’ll be safe!”
Then he blinked, the fire leaving him as he looked back to Spark, Cotton, and Bigs, feeling suddenly awkward. “Um, I mean… if that’s okay with you.”
Cotton was staring at him wide-eyed, mouth hanging open for a second. “If it’s… if it’s okay to stay at the castle? Are you serious?”
He shuffled uneasily. “Um… yes?”
She continued to stare for a moment. “...Heck yeah it’s okay! How often do you get the chance to stay at the castle?” She turned a grin on the others. Spark hesitated a moment before faintly nodding, after which Bigs nodded as well. Neither seemed to share her enthusiasm.
The guard chose then to speak up again. “Sir, you can’t just invite people to stay at the castle. That’s up to the princesses. Miss Tea is aware they may become targets, that’s why we were stationed here, to keep them safe.”
Cotton looked a little surprised at this, but Nictis barely noticed as he turned on the guard. “And a fat lot of good you’re doing at it! What are you going to do, camp out in Cotton’s living room? That other changeling can make a fire portal, and he’s already been here. He could portal in and you wouldn’t even have a clue!”
The guard’s face tightened with a sharp rush of irritation. “Regardless, you can’t just decide that yourself. We can ask--”
“I don’t really care if I can or not!” Nictis shot back. “I’m doing it. If Celestia has a problem with it, she can tell me herself, because that’s what it’s going to take to stop me! Besides,” he added in a belated attempt to be conciliatory, “Princess Celestia told us to bring along anyone we wanted to have as staff, so I’ll just claim them as assistants. There, they’re already invited.”
The guard frowned, looking very much as if he was biting back an angry retort, until one of the pegasus guards stepped forward. “It would free some of us up, having the castle guards watching them. Miss Tea has us stretched thin already.”
The frown deepened more at this, though he finally nodded. “Fine, they can come with us to the castle.” He raised a gold-shod hoof to point at Nictis. “But they’ll only be staying if it’s okayed by the princesses.”
“Good,” Nictis replied with a nod. Even as uncomfortable as he might be about the princesses, he had a feeling Celestia would have no problem with this, given the circumstances.
The guards stood by as Spark and Bigs gathered their things, and Cotton made use of the time to clean up the worst of the mess. A few minutes later they stepped out, with Cotton locking the door behind them. Nictis could see several ponies peering out from windows, no doubt wondering what all the commotion was.
As they walked along, surrounded by guards, he noticed that Cotton was trying to suppress a smile, even as she limped along. When she eventually noticed him watching her, she shot him a grin. “What?”
He frowned. “Why are you suddenly so cheery?”
“I’m all beat up and being led away by guards,” she said, skipping for a couple steps as she chuckled. “My neighbors probably think I’m being arrested.”
“And this is a good thing?” he asked, dubiously.
“Heck, I think some of them expected it years ago,” she replied rather too cheerily. “Besides, it’ll probably blow their mind when I tell them the truth. International espionage and interspecies diplomacy. Not exactly what they’d expect of ‘that crazy mare who throws all those loud parties.’”
He shook his head as she giggled, the tiniest of smiles touching his face. It faded quickly as his attention drifted back to Spark, who was trudging along listlessly. Nictis sighed softly, any hope of levity vanishing at the thought. Someling had hurt Spark. Not only that, they had done it while wearing his face.
And if he continued to refuse Chrysalis, she would try to finish the job.
His head dipped as he followed along, silent and weary.