//------------------------------//
// The showpony 
// Story: Changeling Amnesia 
// by CrutioAstarothChaos 
//------------------------------//

	I’ve made sure that Milady Prosper, or as she was now called: Lady Cinder, had her chance to start a new life, before I asked Migraine whether there were any possible customers. That’s right; I asked him. Don’t get me wrong, there was ample food, and I had earned enough bits; what I couldn’t stand were the ponies.
Everypony I ever was had their small circle of friends (except Buddy), who they loved spending time together, but didn’t bother each other during work. Now it turns out that there were many ponies, who would just come in, and bother me during work for a small chat. And when I say ‘small chat’ it’s in a very ironic way.
There were days, when I couldn’t leave my office for a long while, because of all the ponies waiting, just to tell me the recent news of their mundane lives. And during those long times, I couldn’t read or sign a single paper. And believe me, there was plenty of paperwork.
Due to these annoying visits I needed to take my work home, just to do what I was supposed to do in my office. I had pretty short rests, and by every Friday, I was plumb tuckered out.
So after being the mayor of this district, I wrote to Migraine about planning to resign as Milady Prosper. He responded with a possible case; so I decided to leave without a second thought.
The night club was full of ponies. Not like Amnesia herself didn’t look like a pony, but she wasn’t one, and she didn’t like being squashed in a tight sweaty, stuffed place by large groups of ponies. Except if they somehow would feed her. Unfortunately they were here for the show of one of Canterlot’s best musician, DJ-PON3. Amnesia really didn’t know what the fuss was all about. She hated this kind of music, since she had only attended a few concerts with Maxie back in the days, and another few events with live music during her previous lives, but never anything this loud. Her eardrums were about to burst, when suddenly everything went silent. She looked around confused, just to see the stage completely lit up bright, a white unicorn with huge sunglasses and spiky blue mane raising her hooves in the air.
“Are you ready to party?” she yelled, and not even waiting for an answer she turned the volume to the maximum.
The changeling had only two theories. One: this unicorn wanted to make her and everypony else deaf. Two: she couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Either way the loud music hurt Amnesia; she hoped that the pony she was after worked with some sort of ear protection, because this was beyond unbearable.
With her hooves covering her ears she watched the show; ponies were going crazy on the dance floor, the lights were flashing, and the music was deafening. Migraine told her to keep a lookout for the pony managing the light-show, but she couldn’t see a thing. It took two hours for the show to finish. Afterwards, she walked out from behind her instruments, and waved for someone off-stage to come on up. Amnesia noticed a pony with similar huge sunglasses as the DJ’s, and a spiky black mane climbing up the stairs. Grabbing the microphone in her magic, the white unicorn introduced her show partner, the grayish-teal colored pony, who was wearing a black shirt and a white tie.
“Mares and colts, may I introduce you the master of all illumination; Neon Lights!” a huge applause followed her words. “Thank you! Thank you all!”
They theatrically bowed, and then left the stage together. This was the first time Amnesia could observe the pony she would become without disturbance. She felt the huge amount of love and affection from all their fans; it was comparable to what she tasted as Giselle. But in her case, love was usually tainted by a speck of jealousy.
Now she only needed to find this pony, and question him.
 
After several unsuccessful attempts to get behind the stage, the changeling gave up. She would eventually find him, should he leave the building, but she was unsure if Neon would use the back entrance. As the front entrance was always busy, with ponies coming and going; finding a single pony in the darkness, who she could only see for a split second was almost impossible. She dropped on her flank, trying to gather her thoughts.
Just as she was about to fly up and take a look at the rear entrance, she noticed a group of tough bodyguard ponies making way in the mass. Soon a taxi carriage arrived in front of the building and a familiar white unicorn and a grayish-teal unicorn boarded the vehicle. Amnesia looked around; there was little chance that somepony would be watching her, but she couldn’t be too careful. She then dropped her disguise, changing back into her old form; the black chitin would be a better camouflage during nighttime.
The carriage rolled away into the silent Canterlot night, its passengers unaware of the buzzing shadow following them. For Amnesia, it wasn’t difficult; there were few carriages around this late. She saw the taxi pull up to a building, and the white unicorn left the vehicle, along with her bodyguards. Now the only passenger was Neon, and Amnesia moved a bit closer, since the chance of being spotted dropped to a minimum. She watched as the carriage pulled up to another house a few blocks away, and this time Neon got off the carriage. He paid the taxi-pony and turned around to enter the building.
Amnesia waited until he was inside and snuck closer. She changed into a coal-black pegasus, and started flying circles around the building. She saw that many of the flats had balconies, and figured she could enter the building through one of them, when she finally figure out where Neon was living. The changeling tried to guess which window or balcony could’ve belonged to Neon’s flat, when she saw one of the balconies lit up, and soon there was the unicorn standing outside. He was looking at the silent Canterlot, not wearing his sunglasses or any other accessories anymore. Neon hasn’t noticed the changeling yet, so Amnesia silently landed behind him.
“Are you always this alone?” the changeling asked after a long silence.
Neon jumped a little; the sudden visitor startled him. Amnesia dropped on her flank, and gave him a reassuring smile.
“Who are you?” he asked finally, when his breathing was normal. He was still holding his chest with a hoof, like he was trying to keep his heart in place.
“Migraine sent me?” Amnesia replied. “I’m who he mentioned.”
“Mig...? The doc?”
“If that’s what you call him, then yeah. Unicorn, yay-high, dark brown color?”
“It’s you,” Neon said, his eyes round in shock.
“By Starswirl’s beard, where do you get all these magnificent lines?” Amnesia cried out. “Yes, it’s me, I stated it a second ago, what is wrong with you?”
“I’m just not used to be visited like this,” he replied. “Most of my fans don’t even know where I live, yet they claim to know more about me than I do. Part of why I hate being the center of attention.”
“Okay, look: you had a long night. I had a long night too. How about you act polite, offer me a place on the couch, and we all go to sleep, ‘kay?”
“And talk in the morning?” Neon asked. “No funny business until then?”
“Are you hoping for something? Because no; I don’t do ‘funny business’.” Amnesia stated. “Look, I can’t go back where I slept last night; if I’m found there, it’ll blow everything. So be a dear, and show me the couch please.”
The stallion nodded, and headed inside. Amnesia followed him, silently thanking the heavens that Neon hadn’t started boring her with his problems. Sure she was there to solve said problems, but then again, it’s not like she could do it tonight.
The changeling spread out on the couch, letting out a long yawn. When she opened her eyes, she saw Neon watching her.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re exactly what I expected,” Neon replied. “Cocky, selfish, manipulative. Just what ponies picture changelings.”
“Should I say the same about you?” Amnesia asked back. “You’re not the first one to throw it all away; you’re the sixth. I took the lives of a friendless pegasus, an adventurer locked up in an office, a model with social anxiety disorder and so on. They were all ponies; I’ve seen such variety of your kind that I could describe a perfect picture of any of you by just a look.”
“Try me,” the stallion said.
“Judging by your partners popularity and the stuff you say, I’d conclude that you are one of, if not the best in your line of art. But since the life you live depends on gathering inspiration, you have nowhere to go without feeling like you copy somepony. The lightshow you made for tonight had a lot of red, orange and blue. I’d guess it’s because it’s all you see from here; blue buildings, and red and orange sky early in the morning.”
Neon squinted his eyes, and Amnesia knew she was on the right track.
“You lack inspiration, and the number of performances per month will only rise from here on. You can’t just go out and relax, to expand your mental capacity, because DJ-PON3 needs you, and if you would she’d have to cancel her shows for a while. Or look for a replacement.”
“We’re friends; she would never replace me!” the stallion snapped.
“And that just makes it all the more sad, doesn’t it?” the changeling asked. “You won’t leave her side out of loyalty, and she wouldn’t stop because you are there. Your performance will worsen, until you will start to disappoint your best friend who relies on you so much. So you want to quit without her knowing it.”
“How did you – ?”
“I have been stalking DJ-PON3 for a while; you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to follow the trail of paparazzi. I saw you sit in parks, trying to take notes of anything that could inspire you, but you’re locked up in Canterlot. I saw you try to talk to DJ-PON3, without success. I know you better than you do Neon Lights.”
“So why haven’t you replace me yet?”
“You hadn’t asked me to replace you yet,” Amnesia said.
“I do.”
“You do what?”
“I want to be replaced,” Neon stated. “I’m running low on ideas; I’ve tried my best, but my closest fans noticed that I’m starting to lose my... spark, so to say. Figured someone else, like you, would have more inspiration.”
“Then why haven’t you just told that to Vinyl?” the changeling asked.
“You think I could?”
“Oh, right, that’s because you ponies are all the same; polite to the point where you’d rather hurt yourselves, just to avoid hurting your friends.” Amnesia replied in a cynical voice. “Do you want the ugly truth, Neon?”
The stallion bit his lips, and slowly nodded.
“You hurt them more, by making them watch you suffer because of your weakness. And escaping the decision to tell her, makes me wish I could throw up, just to show you how disgustingly cowardly that resolution is.”
Amnesia had nothing more to say; she closed her eyes, and lay down to sleep.
The next morning Neon Lights asked me about the details of the exchange. I honestly, truly hoped he wouldn’t go through with it. But I’m here to accept the lives they throw away, and make the best of it.
Even when I know I can’t.
I pity all those whom I left behind, clients or not. All I did was give a chance to somepony that nopony ever knew. Migraine and I were the only ones who could see this side of them; they trusted us more than they trusted their friends.
All I did was do what they asked me to; I lived their lives how they intended to live it, yet failed to do so.
And that’s why they wanted me to take over; because their lives were not in their hooves anymore.
They were free from all problems forever.