//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Public Image // Story: A New Way // by Phoenix_Dragon //------------------------------// Chapter 10: Public Image Sky pulled a tight barrel roll as he bled off speed, followed by a strong back-winging to bring himself in to a perfect landing just moments behind Rainbow Dash. She spared him an amused glance before looking back to the building they had landed directly in front of, while ignoring a couple upper-class unicorns who were showing their disapproval at the pair’s energetic arrival. “Yeah, this is the place,” she said, looking back to Sky. “Feel like some drinks?” “Sure,” he replied, struggling to hide how hard he was breathing. “Drinks sound good.” “Cool,” Dash said, before leading the way in. The outside of the place--Sky hadn’t caught a name--had looked much like many of the other Canterlot buildings, with the addition of outdoor tables that seemed to be the common style for restaurants and cafes. As they stepped inside, however, it replaced the clean white, gold, and purples of the city for rich, polished wood. It almost seemed larger inside than it did from outside, with the high ceiling, and the exposed rafters and supports seemed as much artistic as architectural. There weren’t many ponies around at the moment, leaving the large space feeling a little quiet and empty, though not too much so. Naturally, several of the ponies looked their way--or more specifically, his way. The pony behind the bar was one of them; he paused in his cleaning to look at them with a momentary flash of concern and doubt, but he followed it up with a nod in greeting. Sky returned the gesture with a weak smile, following Dash to a table. Rainbow casually plopped down on a cushion, and Sky followed suit rather more heavily. “All right,” she said, snatching up one of the menus sitting on the table. “I heard this place is supposed to have some really good ciders, so let’s--” She abruptly sat upright, wings spreading reflexively. “They’ve got Sweet Apple Acres cider? How the hay do they get that? I live next to AJ and I don’t even--oh, they’re sold out. Of course they are.” Sky chuckled. “I’m sure there are plenty of other ciders that are… almost as good.” “Don’t let AJ hear you say that,” Dash grumbled, followed by a frown aimed at the menu. “Oh, it’s just cider they make here with Sweet Apple Acres apples, not the real stuff. Meh. That’s, like… false advertising or something.” The soft clop of hooves announced the arrival of a waiter, a unicorn wearing a professional smile that probably would have been convincing to another pony. “Good morning. What can I get for you today?” Dash grumbled something unintelligible as she looked over the menu, so the waiter turned to Sky, instead. He quickly looked to the list of ciders, finding an impressive list of about twenty different names. Ignoring the question buzzing in the back of his mind--how many ways are there of turning apples into cider?--he plucked one name out of the list. “Big Apple cider?” He also did his best to ignore the price listed beside it. Six bits seemed a bit much for cider, and the one he had picked was on the low end. The waiter nodded, writing the order down on a small pad before looking to Rainbow Dash. “And for you?” “Eh,” she replied, looking over the list a moment more before tossing the menu down. “I guess I’ll try the High Tree.” The waiter nodded and headed off to get their drinks. “Well, time to see if these fancy Canterlot ponies can make a good drink,” Dash said as she lay on her side and stretched. “How much time do we have until that ceremony, anyway?” “Uh, I don’t know,” Sky admitted as he looked around for a clock. “Was kind of busy just keeping up with you. Ah, looks like we’ve got… about two hours until it starts, though we should show up a little early.” “Cool, we’ve got some time to kick back and relax, then.” They managed only a few more moments of small-talk before the waiter returned with their drinks. Dash eyed her drink with a critical eye. “Well, might as well give this a try,” she said, and picked up the mug; Sky raised his own as well, and they tapped their mugs together before taking a drink. It was pretty good, Sky thought. Nice and smooth, with a crisp, sweet taste. Not the best he’d had, but still, pretty good. Rainbow seemed to have similar thoughts. “Eh, not bad,” she said with a shrug, and threw back a longer drink. An errant thought crossed Sky’s mind. I’m in a pub, sharing a drink with Rainbow Dash. It took only a moment to follow that thought further along, accompanied by a shot of nervous tension, but he pushed past it. It’s just a joke, right? “Does this mean we’re on a date?” Dash snorted into her mug, followed up by coughing. “Dag ed, Sky!” she called out, cider dripping from her muzzle as she quickly wiped at it with a hoof. “Ugh, gob ed ub my node!” Sky snickered and reached out with his magic to snatch up a napkin, offering it to her. She thanked him with a light punch to the shoulder. “Totally worth it,” he said. After giving a few more snorts to clear her nose and wiping her muzzle dry, she tossed the napkin onto the table. “Great. Now everything’s going to smell like apples for the rest of the day,” she grumbled, though there wasn’t any anger behind the statement. “Does it smell as good as it tastes?” “No,” Dash replied, then paused. “Although the rest of this place suddenly smells better.” “See?” Sky said, half-hiding a grin behind his mug. “I’m helping.” Rainbow snorted again. “I don’t need your help drinking cider, thanks.” “I don’t know,” Sky said. “I’m not the one who just tried snorting a mug of cider.” Dash pointed her mug at him, smirking. “You’re going to be wearing this mug of cider if you keep that up.” He paused a moment, considering the threat, and shrugged. “Eh. Chitin is easy to dry.” Dash snickered softly before adding, “And I’ll make you buy its replacement.” “Okay, okay,” he replied with a laugh, holding his hooves up. “I’ll play nice.” “Yeah, I thought so,” Dash said with a smug grin, finally taking another drink. He smiled and took a drink as well. With all the business and tension in the castle, it was nice to have the opportunity to just relax for a while. It was even better that he was able to do so with Rainbow Dash. Although, even if it had been a joke, Sky couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that she hadn’t answered his question. “...And the whole thing came down, right on the snack table,” Dash was saying, waving a hoof for emphasis as she chuckled. Sky hardly even noticed. He was slumped over, forelegs crossed on the edge of the table with his chin resting atop them. At the moment, he was casting a glance over to the unicorn couple who were walking to the front door, their half-finished meal forgotten. “So then Pinkie says… hey, Sky, you listening?” Sky’s head jerked up as he turned back to see Rainbow looking at him. It took just a second for his brain to reorient itself. “I’m pretty sure that’s not what she said.” His response drew a feeling of amusement and a hint of a smile, but they vanished almost immediately. “Come on, Sky, I know what’s going on. Just ignore them.” He blinked. “Ignore who?” “You know what I’m talking about,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, I saw those two giving you the stink-eye, and the ones before that. Don’t let ‘em get to you.” Sky slumped again, grumbling. “I’m trying, but it’s not so easy. I get to feel all the fear and disgust and dislike. Yeah, most of the time I ignore it, but it just gets a bit much sometimes.” “Eh, don’t let a bunch of stuffy stuck-up snobs get to you,” Dash said with a shrug. “I’m probably pretty unpopular with them, too.” She chuckled, poking him in the shoulder. “Heck, you should have seen them freak out when we tagged along with Rarity to some fancy so-called party. They just can’t handle anything even remotely awesome!” “I just thought I’d make more progress. I mean, look at Ponyville! Nopony really cared that I was a changeling after a month or two. Here, that seems like all some ponies can see.” “Yeah, well, they don’t see as much of you as we do in Ponyville,” Dash pointed out. “I mean, you know, other than the whole invasion thing.” “Thanks,” Sky grunted. “That’s helping.” She waved a hoof. “Eh, you know what I mean. You guys didn’t get the best introduction, that’s all. They don’t get to see changelings going around, just being normal. We do.” “Still, sometimes I feel like I’d rather go around looking like a pony, just so I can avoid it all for a while.” Dash’s expression contorted for a moment, as if she just bit into something bitter. It faded away again as she looked at him. A touch of concern reached his senses, followed up by her shifting to sit on the cushion beside him. “Hey. This is really bugging you, huh?” He was considering how to reply to that when a flash of amusement reached him, leaving Dash smirking. “Heh, bugging.” Sky glared at her. “Seriously?” he grumbled; the grumpy reply was somewhat spoiled by the hint of a smile forcing its way into his expression, which left Rainbow snickering. “Okay, seriously,” Dash said, doing a passable job of hiding her amusement. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t let other ponies get to you. You’re always going to have ponies that don’t like something about you, no matter how awesome you are, so you just have to keep going and show everypony else that they’re wrong.” She paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. “I’m sure Twilight would come up with something sappy about being true to yourself and not changing to fit other ponies’ expectations, but… well, actually, I guess that’d probably be pretty good advice.” She shrugged. “You just need to keep going, show everypony how awesome you can be, and how wrong those other ponies are. That’s all. Ponies just need to get to know you. You’re kind of a cool guy.” He almost lurched when Rainbow supplemented her words by draping a wing across his back. The smile that had been fighting its way onto his face claimed more ground, even as the gesture sent his heart-rate soaring. He quickly took another long drink from his mug to distract him from the sensation of her wing resting atop his. Dash, meanwhile, didn’t seem to notice the reaction the gesture had produced. Setting his mug down again, he gave a smirk. “I don’t think ‘being awesome’ is going to work as well for me as it does for you.” “Trust me,” she said, grinning. “I know cool.” An instant later her wing snapped back to her side, paired with a flash of embarrassment. “Eh,” he replied, trying to ignore the wing’s sudden absence. “I mean, it’s not like I’m ashamed of being a changeling. Some of the things I’ve done, maybe, but that’s different. Anypony who thinks there’s something wrong with any of us just because we’re changelings, well…” He silently gestured with his hoof for a moment, trying to find the words, and eventually just blurted out, “Well, they’re just dumb!” “There you go,” Dash said with a chuckle, thumping her mug against his before they both took another drink. There was something satisfying about the little outburst, that tiny bit of fiery indignation. Cathartic, even. It seemed like a very Rainbow Dash sort of thing, and the thought of that brought out a bit of a thrill. When he finished his drink, he thumped the mug down a bit harder as he continued on, a little louder. “And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with being a changeling. I like being a changeling! I mean, yeah, sure, I’ve got to spend time around friendly ponies a couple times a month or I starve. Whoop-de-doo. And yeah, my magic isn’t as versatile as a unicorn’s, and I can’t fly as well as some pegasi, but you know what? I can do both, and I can turn into whatever I want! I’m like… I’m like a mini alicorn-bug or something.” Dash chuckled behind her mug. “I don’t know, ‘Princess Sky’ doesn’t really suit you.” He snorted out a laugh, playfully thumping her on the shoulder before continuing. “And heck, changelings have the whole ‘exotic’ thing going for us. I mean, look at me. All sleek and smooth, with a nice glossy black shell and natural armor.” He thumped his hoof against his chest, producing a satisfyingly sharp sound before declaring, with a perfect lack of modesty, “I’m kind of awesome!” Rainbow Dash laughed, adding, “I might even go as far as ‘pretty awesome’.” Sky grinned, hooking a foreleg around her shoulder to give a squeeze; she stiffened slightly in response, a sense of surprise and embarrassment reaching his senses, but she hadn’t pulled away. He silently marked that down as progress. Still, something nagged at the back of his mind. “I feel like I’m forgetting something, though.” There was a pause before Rainbow replied, sounding only slightly awkward. “Emotion sensing, maybe?” she asked; an instant later, the sense of embarrassment doubled. He was pretty sure she was faintly blushing, but he made a point to not look, and let his leg slip from her shoulders. “Oh yeah! I keep forgetting about that. See, I’m even more awesome than I thought I was!” Fortunately, that brought out another chuckle from Dash, much to Sky’s relief; for a moment it had seemed like he might have gone a little too far. His gaze landed on his mug, and after a moment of consideration he pushed it away. “Okay, I think that’s enough cider. I’m not even feeling buzzed and I’m already acting goofy. I don’t want to know what I’d do if I got properly drunk.” Dash went silent with a sense of confusion, which was soon replaced by a smirk and a growing sense of amusement as she looked at him. His ears reflexively pinned back under that look. “...What?” Her smirk grew a little more. “Big Apple cider isn’t alcoholic.” He blinked a couple times. The silence that followed was finally broken by the sound of Sky’s head thumping down on the table, accompanied by a muffled groan and Dash’s laughter. “Man, Sky,” she said, nudging him in the side. “I know some ponies can’t handle their cider, but I’ve never seen it that bad before!” The sense of amusement was contagious, and he soon found himself chuckling a little as well. He eventually raised his head enough to give the mug a glare, and after a couple seconds consideration, reached out for it. “Well, I guess that means I can risk a little more,” he said, sitting up a little more properly again to drain the rest of the mug. Dash managed to control her snickering enough to get them another round of drinks, which they clunked together before sharing a drink. Sky even managed to push aside his embarrassment to just enjoy the moment. It was so much like… It only took a couple seconds before Dash noticed his smile slipping, prompting a sigh from her. “Oh, boy. What now?” “Sorry,” he said, ears drooping a bit. “Was just thinking…” She nudged him. “Well? Come on, spit it out.” He sighed, his wings fidgeting a moment before he replied. “I was just thinking how nice this is. Kind of like... well, kind of like before you found out I was a changeling.” The first response he felt was surprise, but he was surprised himself when the emotion that followed was anger. “The hay does that have to do with anything?” she snapped back, wings loosening at her sides. “What, is this about what Chrysalis said?” He winced a little at that, especially when a glance to the side showed that a few of the other patrons in the restaurant had looked their way, either at the raised tone of voice or the name she had just said. “No,” he said, ears pinning back. “I mean, not really. Kind of?” To his concern, the anger was growing. “Don’t tell me you buy into her load of horseapples!” she said, eyes narrowing slightly. “You really think I care about that?” He opened his mouth, expecting some sort of rational reply to find its way out, but nothing came. “Seriously?” she said, and she stood  to thump him squarely in the center of the chest. “You really think I’m going to care about what someone is instead of what they’re like? Come on. My best friend in flight school was a griffin, and they don’t exactly have the best reputation, either.” Her expression soured. “Though I guess she didn’t really help that in the end, did she?” She shook her head before focusing on him again. “And I know I told you about Strongheart and her tribe, right? I was taking up their side even when it looked like everything was going to end in them fighting with ponies. It didn’t matter who was what, it was about who was right. I don’t give a flying feather that you’re a changeling!” She snorted and sat back heavily. “Heck, if anything, it’s kind of cool.” Sky wilted under the feel of her emotions, head sagging a bit. “Sorry. It’s just… well, if it isn’t that, then why have things been so different since then?” The anger winked out in an instant, abruptly replaced by awkwardness. “Oh,” Dash said, blinking. She scratched at the back of her head with one hoof. “Well, uh… it wasn’t because you were a changeling. It...” Her wings shuffled as she struggled for words. “Well, you know, you did kind of attack Canterlot.” Sky frowned a little. “Yeah, a couple months earlier. From what I remember, you kind of knew that.” “Sure, but…” Her wings fidgeted again. “There’s a difference between knowing and, you know… knowing.” She quickly waved a hoof, changing course again. “And besides, there was the whole Infiltrator thing, too!” His frown deepened. “You didn’t even know what an Infiltrator was back then. Heck, we didn’t even know for sure that I was one until a couple days ago.” “Well I knew what a spy was!” she shot back, anger flickering to life for a moment before being snuffed out by a flash of regret. “Sorry. It’s just… well, what if you were still working with Chrysalis? What if none of it had been real, and you were trying to take advantage of… of us? And, well, seeing you without your disguise… I don’t know, it just got me thinking, you know?” He gave a tiny nod. “I guess that makes sense, but that was a long time ago. You don’t still think that, do you?” “No!” she replied quickly, ears drooping. “Of course not! I didn’t-I don’t… I-I mean, it just got me thinking about everything, and…” She trailed off, looking down to the table as she struggled for words. “It just… you know…” Finally she grunted, folded her forelegs on the table, and buried her face in them. “Ugh. It was all just simpler, then.” “Yeah,” he quietly agreed. He started to slouch, but then forced himself to sit upright again. “But you know, I’m not about to back down from something just because it’s hard. Especially not when it’s hard.” He reached out and nudged Rainbow Dash in the side. “And I don’t think you’re the type to do so, either.” Dash looked up, and though her voice was quiet, there was a hardness in her eyes. “I haven’t backed down from a challenge in my life.” He couldn’t help smiling at that. “That’s one of the things I like about you.” That comment brought out a small smile from Dash as well, until a wary look crossed her face. “You aren’t going to make this all weird and sappy, are you?” He chuckled and shook his head. “Nah, I don’t care so much for all that.” “Okay,” Dash said with a nod, pushing herself upright again. “Good. ‘Cause all that mushy romance stuff is really Rarity’s thing, not mine.” “No mushy stuff,” he said, even as the word ‘romance’ sent a thrill through him, a hint of adrenaline teasing at his nerves. He picked up his mug, holding it out as if offering a toast. “Just us, hanging out and being awesome together.” Dash picked up her own mug as well, though she paused as a hint of a smirk started to form. “Okay, points for the use of ‘awesome’, but that’s maybe the tiniest bit sappy.” He snorted out a soft laugh. “Oh, shut up and drink, fuzz-butt.” Dash’s smirk turned into a grin as she finally thumped her mug against his. “You’re on, bug-breath.” They shared a long drink, and as soon as the mugs came down again, Sky slipped his foreleg around Rainbow Dash’s shoulder again. This time, there was no surprise, just a slight self-conscious embarrassment and uncertainty. A moment later, he felt her wing rest gently against his back. He quickly took another drink to stave off what he was sure would be a completely goofy grin, but he hardly noticed the taste of the cider. His attention was firmly focused on the friendly affection he could sense from her. It didn’t really feel any different than before, but he savored it all the same. It was some moments later when he noticed the rising tension in her body. For an instant he worried that it was because of him, but the emotions he could sense coming his way hadn’t changed. He glanced over to her and saw her ears folded back, her jaw tight. “I swear,” she said in a low growl, “if that stallion keeps staring at us, I’m going to go over there and buck his face in.” She glanced to the side, and he followed her gaze to find a light-gray earth pony sitting alone, across another table. His expression was hard and almost unreadable, but Sky could sense disapproval and mild disgust. He didn’t so much as blink when Sky looked over, continuing to stare. Dash lasted only a couple more seconds before her wing snapped back to her side and she called out, “Hey, you! You got a problem?” The stallion replied simply. “Yes.” Dash seemed frozen in place, her eyes wide. It lasted only an instant before she shot out from under Sky’s foreleg in a flurry of wings, flying straight up to the stallion’s table. “You should mind your own business, pal!” “I am,” the stallion replied, a smile forming. Sky had lept up after Rainbow, and landed beside her. “Come on, Dash, let’s just go.” “No way,” she replied, swiping a hoof in his direction before glaring at the stallion again. “Somepony needs to teach this creep some manners!” “You should listen to your coltfriend,” the stallion said. Dash looked livid. “What’s your problem, anyway? she growled. “You got a problem with changelings and ponies being friends?” “Maybe,” he replied, looking to Sky. Something about the look and emotions felt subtly off to Sky. It wasn’t wrong, exactly, but it seemed incomplete. The more he focused on them, the more off they felt. If he had to describe it in words, he’d have to say they felt shallow, hollow even. It was as if they weren’t true. A nervous tension passed through him at the thought. An instant later, he felt a faint waver in the stallion’s emotions; a subtle bit of alarm and irritation, but there was something more that he couldn’t quite sniff out. “Dash…” She didn’t seem to hear him. When the stallion had looked to Sky, she had shifted to the side, getting between them. “Hey! You got a problem with him, you’re going to have to deal with me, first!” He almost had a grasp on whatever emotion was dangling at the edge of his senses when the sense of disapproval and disgust vanished. An instant later, the stallion’s expression went neutral, any any sense of the remaining emotions vanished, blocked off. Sky quickly stepped up, putting a hoof on Dash’s side. “Dash, he’s--” The false pony’s eyes flashed green, magical fire dancing across his forehead as his hooves struck the underside of the table, flipping it up in their faces. A flash of green lit up the wall behind the table, launching it at them like a missile. Rainbow’s reactions were just a split second faster than his own; she immediately lunged to the side, throwing her shoulder into Sky. Even that wasn’t quick enough to avoid the wooden projectile. The table slammed into the pair of them, with Rainbow taking the brunt of it. They tumbled back, crashing into their own table and sending their drinks flying. The impact didn’t slow her down any. The instant their tumble slowed, she sprang up, wings lifting her into the air. Sky came out of the roll on his hooves, wings snapping up. Where the stallion had been sitting was now vacant but for the receding upper edge of a sphere of green magic. An instant later, all that remained were a few licks of flame. That, and a few dozen screaming ponies making a stampede for the exit. Dash’s hooves slammed down on the ground right where the fire portal had been, almost as if she expected to follow. Her head darted back and forth for a moment before turning back and shouting over the sounds of panic. “Sky, you okay?” “I’m armored, remember?” He trotted up beside her, movements sharp and twitchy with adrenaline. “You’re not. You okay?” “I’m good,” she replied, looking back to where they had landed. The table-turned-projectile was smouldering, with a broad, circular scorch mark where the other changeling’s bolt of magic had struck it. Her expression turned to a grimace. “If we find that guy again, I’m going to pound his face flat.” Sky looked around quickly at the rapidly emptying room. “We need to contact the Guard,” he said, but Dash snorted angrily. “We can take this creep!” She said, springing into the air again. “Come on, let’s go! Your fire-warp-thingy has limited range, so he can’t have gotten far!” She started to dart toward the nearest window, but Sky lept up in front of her. “Dash, we only knew he was there because he drew attention to himself. He’s already in a new disguise by now, and if he wanted to attack us, we wouldn’t know it until it happened. We need to contact the Guard! At the very least, we need to let Subtle know what happened. She might be able to figure something out from this. He wouldn’t have shown himself if it wasn’t for a purpose.” Rainbow wavered, looking between him and the window. “You sure about that?” “I can’t think of many reasons one of Chrysalis’s Infiltrators would approach us like that,” he replied. “And I can’t think of any that are good.” Still, Rainbow hesitated. “...Okay, what’s the worst case we’re talking about?” Sky’s expression hardened. “Worst case is one of us gets a bolt of magic through the back from some random Canterlot unicorn.” Even he was surprised at how cold and blunt that had come out. “Though… I don’t think that’s likely,” he clarified, ears drooping a bit. Rainbow had blanched at what he said, and now looked around the room; no ponies were visible, save for a couple curious faces peeking in one of the windows. “Yeah… yeah, okay, let’s go find some guards.” Several shouts sounded outside, and seconds later a dozen armored ponies poured into the room. “Well that was easy,” Dash said with a nervous chuckle as the Guard closed in. Nictis rested a green foreleg on the windowsill as he looked down the street below. The small hotel room gave a good view of the fortified wall surrounding the Guard barracks and parade grounds. The main gate was just a block away. The ceremony wasn’t for a couple hours yet, but already a sizeable crowd had gathered. A few ponies had brought signs, though currently most of them were set against the wall for later, and a small, makeshift stage had been setup. A pony stood atop it, gesturing as he spoke out across the crowd, though he was too distant for Nictis to understand what he was saying. Subtle’s voice came from behind, where she sat neatly on a cushion, sipping from a cup of tea. “So, Jade Dancer, what do you think?” Nictis snorted softly at the assumed name. “I think it’s a bad sign that there is already such a crowd. At least I won’t stand out.” With so many ponies, a single earth pony mare wouldn’t draw any attention. “Some of the complaints have resonated with various parts of the populace,” Subtle said. “It’s easy to exploit ponies’ fears, and some have made quite the career of it.” She set her cup down. “With Chrysalis in town, changelings have been on everypony’s minds, and ponies have been worrying.” “She does have that effect,” Nictis dryly noted. He eyed the gathering again, watching the speaker gesticulating. “This seems fairly well-organized. Do you know who that stallion is? The brown earth pony on the stage that’s speaking right now?” Subtle approached the window, though she made a point of standing beside it where she couldn’t be seen; it wouldn’t do his masquerade any favors if any hidden changelings saw him with Equestria’s self-proclaimed spymaster. “Ah, yes, the chief organizer of this protest, and many others like it. The Guard has had quite a few run-ins with Rabble Rouser in the past, so we’ve got quite a bit of information on him.” She set a thick folder on the table beside him, but he didn’t look at it. Instead, he was giving a tired look to Subtle, who simply smiled and shrugged. “He comes from a very interesting family.” He sighed and shook his head, finally looking down as he flipped open the folder. He immediately frowned when presented with several pictures, including one of a crossed torch and pitchfork. “Is that seriously his cutie mark?” “He claims a talent for nocturnal farming,” Subtle replied. “Though, so far as we can find, nopony has ever seen him anywhere in the vicinity of a farm, much less having ever worked on one.” Nictis started to open his mouth to reply, but forced himself to stop, and just sighed instead. “Yeah, sure, why not?” he grumbled, shaking his head as he started to flip through the records. None of it seemed terribly useful. There was little in the way of personal information. He was single, practically estranged from his family, and had only a thin smattering of casual friends. His job history was completely scattershot, with brief employments that all ended with him quitting to find something more suiting. It seemed he had recently found that, as a writer for some small-time publication called “The Horse’s Mouth”. Some helpful individual had scrawled a note in the margin, colorfully labelling it a “crackpot lunatic conspiracy-theorist tabloid rag.” Most of the documents simply recorded various run-ins with the Guard and a history of complaints and protests against all variety of subjects, with no apparent rhyme or reason. Objections to grain subsidies followed numerous complaints about spring-time rain schedules, which followed a protest over the name and status of the Crystal Empire as a part of Equestria. “I’m not seeing any obvious pattern, here.” “There isn’t one,” she said with a shrug. “Great.” He flipped the folder shut and turned to look out the window again. “It would be easier if there was some moral reason for his actions, but this sounds more like he’s in it for attention.” Subtle nodded. “That’s been our impression as well. He’s something of an opportunist.” She held up a hoof as she quickly added, “But that isn’t to say his arguments are poorly formed. Several times some expert in whatever topic he’s complaining on will try to confront him, but it almost always goes poorly. They may have more technical knowledge or in-depth experience, but he knows how to turn an argument.” Nictis grunted. “Actually, in a way, he’s probably the closest I’ve seen to a pony Infiltrator,” Subtle said as she turned and sat back against the wall beside him. “In a social-interaction sense, at least. He changes positions like the upper crust change hats, but when he takes up an argument, he pursues it like he’s held it his whole life.” She gave a short laugh. “While he might not take it quite so literally as you changelings do, he does thrive on the attention it gets him.” “Which means he’s going to continue on with the protest regardless of what we say,” Nictis concluded. “It’s not about being right or wrong, it’s just about attention.” “Yep,” Subtle said. “But in the end, he’s not really important to today, apart from being a focal point. If we’re correct, and the changelings are trying to agitate things, I would think it’s unlikely he would have been replaced. How about you?” “No point,” he replied. “He’s doing exactly what they would want to achieve that goal, and impersonation always carries an increased risk of discovery. I don’t see it happening, not when they could impersonate much less-visible ponies and influence him that way.” “Exactly what I thought,” Subtle replied. “Sadly, the same goes for the other ponies who helped organize the protest. They seem to be driven more by conviction, each having voiced concerns about changelings in the past, even if some have grown more pronounced as of late.” “Which means we have no real leads.” “Nope,” Subtle said, smiling at him. “Which is why we’ve got our own changeling Infiltrator here to sniff them out.” “Don’t get your hopes up too much,” he replied. “Infiltrators are well-practiced at hiding their intentions. Even if there are changelings out there, I may not be able to find them.” “No, but you still might,” Subtle said. “We’ve got several ponies working on other leads, and every little bit helps. Don’t worry.” She stood again. “Though on that note, I should go. I was halfway through a small mountain of financial records, and I still need to check up on last night’s burglary.” “Burglary?” Nictis asked, ears perking up. “Yep. There was a mysterious theft overnight at the House of Enchanted Comics that bears a striking resemblance to a series of burglaries in Manehattan about half a decade ago.” She turned a smile back to him. “Though since you don’t seem to be the comic book type, I guess I’ll have to work a little harder to find whoever is responsible.” Nictis’s ears drooped again. “Oh. Um… good luck. “Thanks. You know where Feather Strike’s team is stationed, correct?” “Yes.” “Good,” she said with a nod as she walked to the door. “Good luck out there, and I’ll see you when it’s over.” He nodded as well, and turned back to the window. After a minute of looking out over the street below, he took up the small saddlebags he’d been given and walked out as well. While Subtle likely had exited out the back of the hotel to avoid being seen, he had no such concerns as he walked out the front. After all, Jade Dancer was a tourist visiting the city, and the hotel was where she was staying. Now, she was stepping out to see what the gathering crowd outside her window was all about. Nictis made sure to give every impression that the green mare was simply curious about the odd gathering. His ears perked up, eyes darting about as he approached. His movements were smooth, slowing as he got closer to the bulk of the crowd, giving the slightest suggestion of reserved curiosity. He even thought back to his own first visit to Canterlot, recalling the sense of awe and excitement and holding it in his mind. As he approached, he could finally start to make out what the stallion on stage was saying. “--not just about trust, but commitment!” he called out to the crowd. “The Royal Guard needs commitment. They are the ponies we rely on for safety and security, and they need ponies who will stand strong in the face of adversity and hardship. The worst thing that could happen to the Guard is for them to be filled with members who will simply give up and leave when the pressure is on, to let down all of Equestria for their own safety and comfort.” There were murmurs from the crowd as Nictis made his way deeper. The ponies around the edge were somewhat spaced out and mostly looked as curious as Nictis looked. Those closer in appeared more aligned with Rabble Rouser’s message, listening with rapt attention. “But now, now they’ve got a recruit who’s done just that.” Rabble gestured to the gate as he called out. “The reason that changeling is even in Equestria is the same reason given by so many other changelings: because they were unhappy with their lives back home, because their duties there were hard. He’s abandoned his home and his people when he found his duty to them to be too much, and now he asks us to entrust him with an even more important position here! How can we put so much trust in a changeling that’s already proven he’ll abandon his duties when something better comes along?” Rabble raised a hoof to gesture to the crowd, prompting several of the ponies there to call out in agreement. Nictis slipped in among them, still several pony-lengths from the stage. “It may not take very long, either,” Rabble continued. “Right now, their queen is in talks with our princesses, receiving pledges of aid and development for her hive in exchange for halting her attacks on the ponies of Equestria. How long will it take until he sees the improvements made there, improvements that we are paying for, and decides he’d rather return to his home and family instead of remaining in service to some foreign ruler?” Nictis carefully maintained his expression, keeping his surprise buried. That shouldn’t be common knowledge, he thought. Chrysalis hadn’t stated an intent to accept such a deal until just a couple hours ago, and hardly anypony would even know that Celestia had offered aid. How could he have heard of that? Of course, the implications were clear enough: if no pony had told him, some changeling may have. “By allowing him to become a part of a trusted and vital part of Equestria, we are inviting treachery in the place we can least afford it. And this, this assumes that this changeling--a member of a species and culture that reveres deception--is being honest! As if their evil queen hasn’t thought of slipping in one of her spies under the guise of a ‘peaceful’ changeling! A single changeling brought down all of Canterlot’s defenses! What do you think she’ll do now, when given such a golden opportunity? Even if this changeling isn’t a spy, how long do you think it’ll be until she sends one who is?” All around Nictis, ponies were murmuring. Even after a year had passed, none were going to forget the invasion of their own city. A few even called out their agreement, sending a few more murmurs through the crowd. “It’s not a question of ‘if,’ but ‘when.’ The queen may be here, making offers of peace, but her every action shows that she has no peaceful intentions! She’ll use any peace to keep herself safe while she infiltrates Equestria with her spies.” He reared up, a hoof pointing toward the castle. “Even now, while she talks of peace with our princesses, she has agents moving to strike us in the back! They’ve broken into homes, but they haven’t stopped there. Ponies have been attacked, right under the nose of the Guard! Some ponies have even been whisked away to the castle in an attempt to protect them!” Nictis resisted the urge to bristle at this stallion using what happened to Spark in such a way, but only just. Rabble returned to all four hooves, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. “Already, we have changeling spies roaming free in our fine city, acting with impunity. The Guard has launched a massive campaign. They’ve mobilizing their full force, raided suspected hideouts, questioned random citizens, and chased suspected spies through the streets. And what have they gotten for their effort?” He stomped his hoof. “One changeling. After all their efforts, after encountering multiple known changeling spies, they’ve managed to capture only a single one of them. Already, the Guard is struggling and failing to keep ponies safe from the changeling queen’s spies. How much worse will it be when the Guard itself is infiltrated by the spies they’re struggling to find? Spies that they naively welcome in with open hooves. “Make no mistake, if we allow changelings of unproven loyalty to join the Royal Guard, Queen Chrysalis will take advantage of the opportunity to strike us where we are most vulnerable. And from there, where does it go? Do we allow her spies to control our businesses? To run our cities? To whisper in the ears of the princesses themselves?” The crowd called out again, its voice growing more unified. Some looked around at the crowd, expressions ranging from concern and doubt to grim satisfaction; some of the latter might be changelings, or they might just be ponies who agreed with Rabble, happy to see they weren’t alone. He made a note of them, just in case. Sadly, as an anonymous member of the crowd, none of the emotions were directed at him, and what little he could sense beyond that largely melded into the rest of the crowd; his sense was all but useless. Rabble Rouser stepped up to the edge of the stage, one leg raised dramatically. “The fact is, if this happens, we are inviting our own ruin. We are giving Queen Chrysalis the opportunity to sink her fangs into the neck of our great nation, an opportunity she can not possibly pass up. For the good of Equestria, and of ponies everywhere, we can not allow this to pass!” He finished his statement with a stomp of his hoof, and the crowd cheered out again. A few ponies at the edges of the crowd slipped away, but most seemed to be held in rapt attention. Rabble Rouser stood silently, his face grim, but his perked ears and proud bearing showing his satisfaction. As the calls of the crowd died down, his ears swivelled to the sound of a voice calling. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear that over the crowd,” he said, giving a small but friendly smile. “Could you speak up?” The crowd quieted as a white unicorn took a hesitant half-step forward. “I was asking… well, what about the changelings who aren’t spies?” He was starting to say more, but Rabble spoke first. “I’m not going to take some speciesist position that changelings need to be banned from society or anything like that, but we can’t be so naive as to assume that their queen won’t take advantage of our acceptance. If these changelings want us to trust them, they need to spend the time and effort to prove that they’re trustworthy, and that won’t come quick or easy.” Rabble looked back out over the crowd. “You know, there’s one thing every changeling that’s come to Equestria has talked about, and that’s how important duty is to a changeling. According to them, duty is everything. It’s their reason for existing. It’s what gives them meaning. It’s the most important aspect of their entire culture. So what’s more likely? That every single one of the changelings that have come to Equestria have shunned the duty that they describe as the most important aspect of their lives? Or that some of them have held true to their culture of lies and deception, and are secretly still following their duty to their evil queen?” The crowd called out again, almost as loud as before. Still, there was little he could discern about the individual ponies. A few more on the outskirts began to slip away, while it seemed a few more of the ponies were caught up with the crowd, adding their voices to the mix. He wasn’t making any progress just being an anonymous observer, but seeing the crowd’s attention shifting to the unicorn who had spoken up presented a different method. It took only a few moments of consideration, and as the crowd quieted down again, he stepped forward and called out, “He’s right!” A few of the closest ponies looked over at the green mare who had just called out, as did Rabble. Nictis channeled the unease he felt at what he was going to say into an apparent discomfort at being the center of attention, letting the ears of his disguise droop a bit. He did his best to ignore the near-overwhelming feeling that what he was about to say was utterly wrong. “I’ve known a changeling. They… they can’t be trusted!” Rabble smiled a little, likely intended to be comforting, but Nictis could tell there was only a faint satisfaction behind it. “Why don’t you tell us about this changeling?” Nictis let his ears droop a bit more, giving a nervous glance around at the crowd, whose attention had quickly shifted to him. Any one of them could be a changeling, he thought. One little mistake, and everything will be ruined. I can’t mess this up. He clung to that thought, focusing on the nervousness it encouraged, the fear of failure. He imagined every single peering eye to be hiding the solid pale-blue of a changeling Infiltrator, a dangerous enemy, ready to pounce on even the slightest failure. They were not something for him to hunt down; they were an enemy to be feared, and every single step could be the one that undid everything he worked for. He pretended, for the moment, that he didn’t know that there was at most a handful of changelings out there, that the guard wasn’t there to provide safety if something went wrong, that failure wouldn’t result in everything going wrong. He lied to himself, and did his best to believe. “One of my friends, they had a coltfriend,” he said, his voice growing a bit quieter now that he was the focus of attention. “He was perfect. Handsome, strong, smart, and incredibly clever. Of course, he wasn’t really a pony.” He had to hesitate for a moment to brace himself for what he had to say. “When my friend found out… they were devastated. This changeling even told her that he had been manipulating and using them for years.” I did that. “He said that my friend had been nothing but a source of food, a convenient meal and… and easy prey, because of their insecurities.” I did that. Nictis swallowed, his throat having grown tight. “After the changeling was uncovered, my friend found out all the things it had done. How it had sabotaged her life to leave her vulnerable, so they’d go to it for comfort. That bug practically taunted her, making sure she knew that perfect, happy relationship she thought she had was nothing but a lie, that the only one who ever wanted to be with her only wanted her for a good meal.” I did that. “He ruined her life.” His watering eyes forced him to blink a few times, sending a few tears rolling down his cheeks. The sympathy from the crowd continued to grow, though it was spoiled by the occasional mixed feeling of satisfaction of the ponies whose views on changelings had just been confirmed. “I’m sorry to hear that,” Rabble said, his voice still loud enough to be heard by the crowd, but softened to convey more sympathy than he felt. “What happened to this changeling that took advantage of your friend?” “I don’t know,” Nictis said, voice full of sorrow. He started to push back on the feelings of sorrow, to force them out, but it was a slow process. The hardest part of giving off convincing emotions was that they had to be true, to an extent; he had to truly feel what he was trying to convey, and that was a pain that was slow to fade. “He left. Maybe he’s back in their hive.” He forced a bit of firmness into his voice, his expression hardening a bit. “Maybe he found some other pony to trick and manipulate. Or maybe he’s posing as one of those ‘friendly’ changelings that we’re just trusting to suddenly be behaved. We c-can’t just trust them all.” Part of him quailed at promoting that argument, one that flew in the face of what he had worked for all this time. He took ahold of the faint irritation and focused on it, adding a bit of fire to his words as he stepped forward and turned toward the crowd. “And that’s not all,” he called out, as he blinked the last of the tears from his eyes. “He’s right, we can’t just trust them like this. Some of them are always going to be loyal to their queen.” Several members of the crowd called out in support, and he could feel Rabble’s satisfaction. Nictis stomped a hoof. “There’s only one way we can ever trust them,” he said, letting his ears pin back even as he raised his head in what he hoped look like a hesitant but defiant pose. “If their ‘duty’ to their queen is going to make them see us as enemies, then we need to get rid of Chrysalis and put the whole hive under Equestrian rule!” The crowd voiced its support again. The emotions he could feel ranged all over the place. There were some that felt uncertain or even disapproving, particularly along the edge of the crowd where a few more ponies left, only to be replaced by more curiosity seekers. Others were supportive, or happy to hear their own feelings expressed by the false mare. Some of the louder ponies even felt excited. And one silver unicorn halfway into the crowd was suddenly very alarmed. Gotcha. Nictis held himself in an unsteadily proud stance. That satisfaction you’re feeling is nothing more than a distraught mare happy to have the support of the crowd, he thought, making a point to avoid looking directly at the alarmed unicorn, taking only a quick pass as he looked around at the crowd. The sweep of his gaze also caught the sight of Thunder Chaser and Feather Strike perched atop a nearby building. To most, they were just two more Royal Guard members out of the many that were stationed around Canterlot, though he knew the rest of their team would be lurking below in some alley, ready to move in if he needed them. “Thank you,” Rabble said, stepping up to the edge of the stage. “I’m sure that was difficult for you, and I’m sorry for what happened to your friend, but I hope some good may finally come of it. Ponies need to hear about events such as these, so that we can prevent this from ever happening to another pony.” “Th-thank you,” Nictis replied, letting the confidence he showed finally slip away, and shyly turned back to listen with the rest of the crowd. “There are many stories like that throughout Equestria,” Rabble Rouser called out. “I’ve brought a few others to speak. Some have similar tales of betrayal. Others are experts who can tell you just how dangerous these changeling spies can be, and how they hope to exploit our sympathies to weaken us.” Soon Rabble was introducing other ponies, though Nictis only paid half a mind to the speeches. His attention was caught up with the suspected changeling a short ways off. He made a point of never looking at the silver unicorn, keeping track of him in the periphery of his vision, or using some excuse--scratching at his ear, or accidentally bumping against a neighbor--to get a slightly more direct look. For their part, the unicorn didn’t look at him, either, though some feeling of concern lingered. Soon Rabble Rouser gave a different pony the stage and stepped off the back, where a few other ponies converged on him. They were all smiling, no doubt offering friendly congratulations on how well the speech went. One, a dark-blue pegasus mare, even placed a hoof on his shoulder. When Rabble turned to her, their smiles grew just the tiniest bit. It took Nictis some effort to not show his surprise. They might have been somewhat quiet about it, but there was clearly some affection between the two. He wasn’t looking so “single” after all; alarm bells were going off in Nictis’s head as he scrutinized the pegasus, but there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. It took a moment before he realized he’d lost track of the silver unicorn. Nictis faked another itch, using it as an excuse to shift his gaze as he scratched it. The stealthy glance revealed nothing. He considered his options for a moment before finally discarding subtlety, raising his head to look more directly. The unicorn was gone, but a few moments later he caught sight of their hindquarters, the stallion walking quickly down the street. Suppressing a grumble, Nictis quickly made his way through the crowd. Few of the ponies even noticed, focused more on the pony on stage. Ahead of him, the silver unicorn had left the crowd and had picked up the pace to a casual trot. Nictis looked directly at Thunder and Feather, not making even the slightest attempt at being subtle. Thunder’s ears immediately perked up. Nictis looked pointedly at the retreating unicorn, then back to the two pegasi. Thunder glanced to the unicorn, then back, and Nictis nodded. Thunder nudged Feather and said a few words, and the other Guard nodded. A moment later, Thunder dropped back behind the roof, no doubt off to alert the rest of the team. Nictis returned all of his attention to the suspected changeling, matching his pace. All the while, Nictis hoped that he wouldn’t look back; there was no hope that he wouldn’t recognize Nictis’s disguise trotting along in the same direction as him. They’d gotten almost halfway down the street before the silver unicorn looked back, and their eyes met. Nictis didn’t even bother looking away. Instead, he stared right back as a shot of concern met his senses. There was no point in trying to disguise his action, no possible way that he could hide his presence or make it seem a natural coincidence. Plus, there was some advantage to this “pony” being more distracted by the pony pursuing him rather than the ponies moving in ahead of him. Thunder emerged from an alley ahead of them, leading several other Guards, and they nimbly made their way through the ponies walking down the street. The moments of distraction allowed them to close most of the distance before the silver unicorn looked forward and spotted them. “Excuse me, sir,” the lead Guard said. “We need to speak with you.” Nictis could see the tension that went through the false unicorn’s body, the little shift to the side as he quickly evaluated his chances of fleeing. A moment later he recentered, a slightly confused smile showing on his face as he came to a halt, a friendly gesture even as a hind hoof shifted forward, legs tightening slightly; a disarming gesture of peace as he prepared to fight. Nictis could see the Guards weren’t fooled. While their professional and calm expressions held, they weren’t going to fall for such a simple deception. Pegasi held their wings loose, unicorns tilted their horns forward a touch, and earth ponies planted their hooves, ready to spring forward. As the silver unicorn greeted the Guard with a friendly welcome, Nictis could see the exact moment of the attack coming. He knew the Guards didn’t need his help, they could see what was coming, but a part of Nictis saw an opportunity to repair some of the damage he might have caused earlier, to send his own message. As the silver unicorn’s horn lit in a vivid green, Nictis had already started his change. His disguise burned away, and the instant the fiery magic revealed his own curved horn, a new spell took hold. The false pony’s head was enveloped in a green aura and yanked back. Whatever spell he had been preparing was broken by the sudden force that yanked him back hard enough to lift his forelegs off the ground. An instant later a pair of stunning spells struck him in the chest, followed by an armored earth pony slamming into him and driving him into the ground. The combinations of impacts left their target nearly senseless, but Nictis took a step forward to place a hoof on the disguised changeling’s head, his horn lit with magic and ready to disrupt any spell he might try to cast, though his lack of coordinated movement and wordless groan suggested he was no longer any threat. A few moments later one of the unicorns got a clear enough of an angle to fire off some dispelling magic, and the disguise was stripped away to reveal a changeling drone. Nictis allowed a grim smile, and finally stepped back to make way for the rest of the Guard closing in on the fallen changeling. Hooves struck the ground beside Nictis, followed by a shout from Feather Strike. “Stand down! He’s with us!” His head snapped around to see the backside of Feather Strike, his wings spread protectively, and beyond that a pair of confused unicorn Guards skidding to a halt, their horns still lit with magic. While Feather talked down the other Royal Guards, the rest of the team with him handled the captured changeling. His magic was sealed as a precaution, though it seemed likely that it was unnecessary. Since being taken down, the changeling had managed nothing more than a few groans and a weak and uncoordinated attempt to move a foreleg, the stunning spells having done their work quite well. Soon they were working out how to transport their new prisoner back to the castle. A voice filtered out over the crowd. “And you can see now how they hide among us, telling their lies and deceiving ponies until the moment they strike from behind!” Nictis looked back to see that Rabble Rouser had retaken the stage, a hoof pointed in Nictis’s direction as he called out to the crowd with newfound vigor. Nictis grunted and turned away, but not before casting a quick glance behind the stage and noting the absence of a certain dark-blue pegasus. I suppose that would be too easy, he silently grumbled to himself. As the Guards were lifting a nearly senseless changeling onto the back of one of their earth pony members, Nictis took the opportunity to fish his necklace from his saddlebags. He slipped it on, somehow feeling a little better with the tiny compass resting against his chest. A flash of color above caught Nictis’s attention. He looked up to spot Rainbow Dash and Sky flying swiftly over the rooftops, trailed by a pair of pegasus Guards. He frowned; the last thing they needed right now was the Guards chasing yet another changeling through the city. The frown faded as he noted the armored pegasi were making no attempt to close in, instead holding formation with the two. Rainbow Dash looked his way, then quickly prodded Sky in the side and pointed down to Nictis. The two of them turned sharply and came barreling down at him, the armored pegasi following them making the turn with slightly less precision. It was only as they closed in that Nictis could make out their concerned and anxious expressions. He sighed as the pair came in for a high-speed landing, quite certain that they were about to make his day a good deal more complicated.