Mask
"So where is this place exactly?" I asked, giving another glance around as I tried to find some type of landmark. It felt weird knowing that I’d lived in this city for close to a year, yet I hadn’t taken the time to explore it. “I don’t really recognize anything around here.”
“It’s kind of out of the way,” Flame replied turning his head back for a moment. “But trust me, it’s worth it. Some of the best salt water around. And it’s open to changelings.”
I shivered and wrapped my scarf a bit tighter. The metal of my medallion and chain felt like ice against my shell. “It better be. After all this cold, I’m going to need some warm air.”
“A few cups and you’ll be warm in no time,” Flame assured. He slowed his pace to match mine and leaned in conspiratorially. A grin on his face. “Now, what’s this I hear about a stallion?”
I groaned and pushed him away. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you anything.”
“What? My little cousin has a crush and I can’t be a bit curious?” He pushed me back playfully. “Besides, it was your idea to start sending letters. Not my fault you thought I’d be mature about everything.”
“Barely a month older than me,” I mumbled. Then, in a louder voice, I said, “It’s complicated.”
“How so? He likes you, you like him.” He rolled his eyes. “So go out for dinner or something cheesy like that.”
“It’s more complex than that!”
Flame turned turned my way, an eyeridge raised.
“He doesn’t know that I like—”
“So you tell him.”
I sighed. “He doesn’t know that I know—”
“So you tell him.”
“And,” I said, a bit miffed at being interrupted. I sighed again. “Let’s be honest, pony-ling relationships? That’s almost doomed to fail.”
Flame put a hoof around my shoulder in a show of support. “You’ll figure it out. Don’t you believe in true love and all that?”
I laughed. “Wolfe seems to.”
“Starswirl’s beard, you’re really head over hooves for him aren’t you?”
I felt my face heat up and a slight blush color my cheeks. “I wouldn’t say…”
“Yeah,” Flame said, in a mockingly lovesick voice. “Wolfe believes in true love. And that’s why I loooooooove him. He’s just so dreamy and handsome. I just want to take him home and-”
“OK! I get it!” I yelled, trying in vain to shut my cousin’s muzzle before he could make any more of a scene. “I have a huge crush, ok? Just quiet down!”
Amazingly, Flame actually silenced himself, though not from my plea. “We’re here,” he said, gazing up at the building in front of us.
We stood in front of a generic looking bar. Complete with the generic name, Salty Whistle. It didn’t look too bad. The building wasn’t extravagant, but it was kept in good shape. The windows were all intact, and the little graffiti that decorated the place was obviously done in good spirit. Unlike other bars however, there weren’t any drunk ponies stumbling in the streets. Nor any brawls taking place outside. Even the neighborhood was subdued. The few ponies, and odd gryphon, that were around seemed happy and calm.
“I’m impressed,” I said. “This place actually looks nice.”
“And the drinks are amazing.” Flame grabbed the door and held it open for me.
I whistled as I walked inside. It looked even better inside, or that could have been the warm air talking. The place was comfortably packed. And housed a few changelings in addition to the usual collection of ponies. Most of whom clustered in the corner of the bar. Even the griffons seemed in good spirits. But something seemed… off. I couldn’t place my hoof on it, but I knew that there was something wrong with the picture I was looking at. Before I could spend too much time on it, Flame pulled me in the direction of the bar.
“Plenty of time to take in the atmosphere later,” he told me as he attracted the attention of the bartender. Tossing some bits on the counter he said, “We’ll start small. Two Zebracan salteds.”
The earth pony nodded and headed away.
“So what about you?” I asked. “Any workers catch your eye yet?”
By the blush rising to his cheeks, I guessed that I hit the nail on the head.
“Yeah, that’s something you don’t write about. Who is she?”
The bartender returned with the bottle, and a pair of mugs, while Flame fumbled for a dodge. “Just someone I know. She’s way out of my league though” he said quickly. He poured a moderate amount into my glass before filling his own to the lip. Taking a long drink before setting it down with a belch.
“You’re going to be a royal guard soon. Not even the princesses will be out of your league.” I argued. I grabbed my own mug and stared inside. I knew that the innocent looking liquid was filled with salt. Enough to give me a wicked high, if I drank the whole bottle.
“First taste is going to dry you out pretty quickly,” he said, ignoring my comment. “And you’ll probably get a headache. But the buzz kicks in pretty quickly.”
I nodded absently, still trying to summon the courage to do more than look at the cup. I lifted it slowly and examined it. Meaning I did more staring. A quick shake sent the salt, on the bottom of the mug, swirling around in the water. I felt uncomfortable with Flame watching me so I finally moved the glass to my lips and, throwing all caution to the wind, I took a quick gulp.
Horrible idea. I banged my hoof on the table as my throat burned and my mouth dried out completely. I let loose a cacophony of coughs while Flame leaned back on his stool and laughed his flank off. He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, still snickering to himself. I simply glared at him as I tried to hold back the hacking.
“Even you have to admit that that was funny!” he exclaimed. He gripped his sides, barely controlling his laughter.
“I’ll start laughing when my throat no longer feels like sandpaper,” I managed to get out.
I grimaced at the salted water. Of course, I hadn’t expected to down one block on my first try. Didn’t mean I wanted to choke the minute it touched my tongue though.
“Hey Money Bags,” the stallion beside me yelled as he grabbed a plate filled with blocks of salt. He turned to what I assumed was his table and the blood-red unicorn seated there, nodding his head at me as he walked away. “Looks like we got another newbie!” He and his friend laughed rudely.
I refused to be beaten by a drink and, steeling myself, took another quick swallow. The second one went down a bit more smoothly than the last one, giving me a chance to taste. Flame hadn’t lied when he said it would dry me out. Even with the water that was in it. I felt dehydrated already. By the third gulp I hated it, even with the buzz that had finally started. And by the last one I wanted to burn all the salt in Equestria.
“Want to try another?” Flame asked when I finally slammed the glass back to the table. I winced as the drink burned at my throat again, but was able to answer him this time. “No, I… I think I’m done.” I pushed the cup away. Grimacing at the lightheaded feeling that spread through my body.
“Oh come on, you haven’t even tried it spiced yet. And the best salts aren’t even Zebracan. Just one more round?”
I groaned as he called the bartender back over. "Alright, one more. But after that, Flame, I-"
I was interrupted by the sound of something breaking, followed closely by a yell of rage.
"You. Stupid. Insect!" I recognized the voice as the one that had yelled at me earlier.
I turned around to find the same large, nearly dirt colored, earth stallion from before, menacing a much smaller changeling. The 'ling was obviously drunk, swaying on his hooves as he apologized. "So-ory 'bout thaaat.” He hiccupped before continuing, “Howse about I buy yous another one, eh?"
"So, you'd buy me a drink to make up for the one you dropped?" Dirt-coat asked, a smirk on his face. "What do ya think, Bags?" He turned back towards his table.
His unicorn friend was a bit smaller, but large in his own right. He was dressed as if he was going to a Canterlot style party. He grunted into his own mug before lowering it. "I'd say it's a good deal. You get a free drink from the bug." He took another swig from his cup. "Although..."
"You're right. There's a slight problem." He turned back towards the changeling, a chesire like grin on his face. The ‘ling seemed to have sobered up a tiny bit as fear took hold. "If I accepted a drink from you, that would make us equals, yes?"
The changeling nodded, a nervous smile on his face.
"Well, unfortunately for you, we are NOT equals."
The smile vanished.
"None of you are equal to us. You are insects, you are pests, and you are leeches!" He stomped his hooves getting everypony’s attention. At that moment it clicked. What I had felt when I first walked in. Glancing around now just made it clearer. The segregation. All of the changelings in one corner, huddled together. It made sense why I was called out earlier. Flame and I were the only changelings apart from the main group. Except for the 'ling in front of us, who was slowly backing away as he realized the predicament he was in.
"I-I meant n-no disrespect," he stammered. Trying to get away from the irate stallion. "A-and I ap-ap-apologize for the d-drink."
I remember getting off the barstool, and readying my horn, Flame mirroring me. As the stallion got closer, the changeling started to fumble in his steps. "Let's keep this p-p-peaceful. There's no n-need-"
"Shut up!" Dirt-coat yelled as he swung his hoof. Planting a heavy haymaker on the changeling's jaw, sending his body flying.
I acted quickly, and caught the 'ling before he had a chance to crash into the bar. He groaned and pressed a hoof to his face. Recoiling as he felt the cracks that had formed in his chitin. Green blood already starting to leak.
“You pests all seem to believe that you have the right to live next to ponies,” he lifted a chair above his head. “Some kind of right to live in our cities.” he grunted, and slammed the chair down, breaking it into pieces. He lifted a leg and brandished it as a club. “Some type of right to work our jobs, and talk to us like we’re equals.” He took a step in our direction. I readied my horn, primed to stun. “We aren’t equals!” he yelled, lunging forward and swinging his weapon wildly. The reckless charge caught me off guard, and I stumbled backwards, brushing against the bar. Luckily for me a very heavy, and very full, cider bottle made its way into Dirt-coat’s jaw.
“What a loudmouth,” Flame said as he placed the bottle back on the counter. “You alright?” he asked the changeling beside me.
“You bastards!”
I jerked in surprise at the yell. And turned around in time to dodge a large shard of glass as it embedded itself in the wood just behind me. The unicorn from earlier stood over his friend, his face red with rage, darkening his already blood colored coat. He hefted the leg from the chair and tossed it at me with a blast of magic.
I threw up a shield and extended it to protect the three of us as the rest of the patrons started throwing bottles, mugs, and broken glass our way. I helped the other ‘ling to his hooves while Flame scanned for an exit.
“Back door, 8 o’clock. Go!” Flame pushed me backwards and formed his own barrier. His was easily much stronger than mine, bouncing most of the projectiles back at their senders. I helped our injured friend along as the jeers and yelling from the bar grew louder. I could hear the other changeling patrons yelling in fear as many of them pushed past us to the door. A few ponies following suit.
When we stumbled into the relative quiet of the night I asked, “Are you alright?”
The other ‘ling shook his head to clear it. “I should be alright to make it home.” He gave me a grateful look. “Thank you.”
“Good luck,” I said, nodding to him as he ran off. Looking back in the direction of the bar, I couldn’t tell if Flame made it out. The shouting and fighting seemed to have died down, but I couldn’t tell if that was a good sign. Suddenly there was a yell of pain.
I readied myself to charge in, but, before I could move, Flame galloped out, chased by at least half of the ponies that just minutes before had been calmly drinking cider and laughing.
“Flame!” I yelled in fear. I took off. I’m not sure what I planned on doing, or what I hoped I could do. In retrospect, there was nothing I could do. But these weren’t the thoughts that crossed my mind at the time. My only worry was helping my cousin, my family, even if I had to die doing it.
That was when I first smelled the smoke.
I glanced backwards, and my steps faltered. The bar was on fire.
Click Clack
I remember not knowing what to say. What could you possibly say after hearing something like that? One of your best friends…
One of the first things I noticed was his absence. One day? Probably just taking a break. Two? Well, the cold did hit Canterlot pretty hard this year. Three? Maybe we should go visit and make sure he’s okay, not to mention help him catch up on schoolwork.
I was so naive.
The newspaper only came on Friday. So that morning was when I finally found out. I didn’t even make the connection right away, all I saw was the name. We hadn’t met, but Mask would talk about him so often that I felt like I already knew him.
“Mask,” I said, suddenly worried for my friend. Had any of us checked on him? If not, then we were truly bad friends.
The only pony I could think of that would know was Wolfe. Wolfe was at school, where Mask should be. Not…
I entertained the vague notion that I was possibly wrong. I thought that maybe I’d misread the name in the paper. Maybe it was just another changeling with the same name. That had to happen right? There are some ponies with similar names.
The somber mood at the school nearly broke me. I had to compose myself for a few minutes before moving on to class.
Usually, I was extremely participant in class. I was the colt that wanted all the answers that the teacher could give me. But today, there was nothing. No energy, no drive. Not even the teacher seemed to feel like doing her job, and I caught her wiping at her eyes on multiple occasions.
The next few classes passed in a blur, all varying levels of the first; quiet and gloomy. I approached the lunch table, hoping to see my friends looking sad, but not teary eyed. I hoped to see them upset, shocked, even outraged, but I wasn’t prepared for what I did see.
The usual spot was silent. Completely empty. Our table was deserted.
"No," I whispered backing out of the lunchroom. My heart too heavy to sit and pretend that this day was anything close to normal. One question burned in my mind. Why?
Mask
"Are you absolutely sure this is something you want to do?” She asked, staring at me with concern.
"It needs to be done," I replied, avoiding her eyes. “No one else is stepping forward to do something.”
"But..." The principal sighed. “It’s a bit unorthodox.”
"To be fair Ma’am," Iron Mail said, taking a step forward. “This entire situation is unorthodox."
The principal was silent for a moment before breathing heavily. “Alright,” she said at last. “I promised that I would help you with any problems you had here. And I meant that. Let me pull a few strings and I’ll get back to you.”
I nodded and made to leave the room. “Thank you.”
“Mask, remember what I said. They are still watching. Be careful where you step. And no slip-ups. They can take you from the shadows and vanish without a trace.”
Sweet Celestia, just when I thought she had gone sane. I laughed internally and nodded, playing along so I could leave the unstable mare faster.
“Wait, ‘they’?” Iron asked, obviously confused. “Who are you talking about, if you don’t mind me asking?”
I sighed. Shaking my head at the guard as the principal launched into another tirade about the “them”s and “they”s. Mentioning the shadow’s clan or something. Punctuating each remark with a slightly paranoid glare out the window.
After the door was firmly shut behind us. Iron Mail gave a small shiver.
“She does that to everypony,” I said, sharing a wink with Quill Point. She winked back, but gave me a concerned look. Her eyes were so full of sympathy that I had to look away. The dull ache in my chest returning almost immediately.
“Good luck, Mask,” She said as I left the office.
Iron Mail fell into step beside me, but remained silent. Something I was thankful for. The little fire I had earlier was down to cinders now. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on before I broke down again.
“Thank you,” I said suddenly. “For helping me. I know I said it already…” I felt a hoof on my shoulder, stopping me.
“Mask, are you going to be alright?”
“Yeah.” My voice cracked and I turned away. “I just… need time you know?” I could feel the tears threatening to spill over.
“We’re going to get the pony that did this, Mask,” He promised, squeezing my shoulder a bit. “I’ll bring him to justice myself if I have to.”
I couldn’t listen anymore. I wanted to plug my ears. To scream. I didn’t even realize I was shifting until I felt my wings spread of their own accord, the feathers sprouting into place seamlessly. A quick flap launched me into the air. I heard Iron Mail shouting from somewhere below, but I didn’t focus on that.
Instead I focused on the searing pain in my chest. The crippling, torturous pain. I watched him die. I watched as my cousin died. He screamed for help and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do a thing to save him. By the time I reached him, he was already gone.
The tears were flowing freely now. I didn’t care, it hurt too much to keep inside. I landed on a cloud as my body became wracked by sobs. Too out of control to fly. It was a miracle that I hadn’t crashed. After I cried myself to near exhaustion, I finally addressed the pony waiting behind me.
“I’m guessing you just come up here to think?” I asked chuckling, humorlessly.
He didn’t say anything, just approached me and put a wing around my shoulders. I leaned into the hug willingly. Letting my hurt slip to the back of my mind as I took comfort in the range of emotions I got from Wolfe.
I nuzzled him. Letting him know that I understood, and was grateful. I wanted to know the reason behind his hesitation, but I could wait. He’d tell me soon.
“I’m not okay,” I said. Answering the unasked question. “But I will be.”
After a few moments I gently slid away and stood. I considered returning to my changeling body. But immediately rejected the idea.
Not just yet. I need to pretend, for just a little while.
I gave my wings a light flick and leapt from the cloud.
I pretended that I was normal. A simple, plain, ordinary pony. A pony who lived in Canterlot, went to school, and had friends. I was a pony that had the simple dream to be an actor. I wanted to be seen in plays and movies. I wanted to tour the country, and show my skills to the world.
I was not hurting. The pain was bearable, it did not burn. There were no tears. There was no screaming. There was no sobbing. My body did not still hurt. My sleep was not interrupted by the nightmares that didn’t disappear when I woke up. I was a normal pony.
I didn’t want to go back to school. I wanted to curl up in bed and sleep. Because that was easier than dealing with the world again. I didn’t want to see other ponies smiling, or watch time pass by. I didn’t want to see anyone or anything to remind me that my life would continue. I didn’t want it to. I wanted everything to stop.
Brainiac
“Attention students. We would like to have a moment of silence for Flame Strike. And extend our hopes and best wishes to his family and friends.”
The room went so silent that not even parchment rustled. Ponies cast furtive glances at him, trying to see his reaction. Luckily he had his eyes closed, else he might have been offended. I couldn’t tell if he was crying or not. He was deathly still.
Generally speaking, ponies are very empathetic creatures. Our friend's pain is our pain, and vice versa. So it was easy to understand the hurt that our group felt, especially when we couldn’t be there to help Mask. None of us had experienced anything like what he had. We hadn’t watched...
I wanted so badly to just walk over to him. Give him some words of encouragement. But I didn’t even trust my own voice. Not even Wolfe reached out. But there seemed to be a new connection between the two. The concerned glances from Wolfe and the nods from Mask persisted throughout the class. Usually after a hushed whisper from Field Rose and a glance his way. Or a glare from Stormbringer. Wolfe seemed to be giving him strength, and I later realized that that was almost literally the case.
From there, things progressed normally. Click rejoined us at lunch. But it felt like the first day of school again. Him, silent and trying to be unobtrusive. Us, trying to help him feel welcome. None of us knew how to broach the topic, and we didn’t want to ignore it either. Not even me, the so called expert on emotions and the pony mind. All we could do was let Mask know that we were there in our own way. I’d give him a quick hug if we passed each other in the hall.
He and Click would head to the library more often. Usually returning a bit later with a mountain of new books and smiles. They really bonded over literature which was to be expected, though they usually lost us in their discussions. Click used Mask to bounce ideas off of, telling us that it really helped him come up with more complex characters and plots. I just knew that it kept them talking longer, usually taking them to their own little world.
I was glad to see Spot took my advice, and he started to open up a bit around Mask. The two of them got along like brothers. Especially given Spot’s protective nature. Though he never acknowledged it, I noticed the times he would shoot a glare at another table. And if I looked, I’d see heads hurriedly being turned away, as if they’d been caught with their hooves in the cookie jar.
Meanwhile, Temporal kept the mood light. He always knew the perfect joke to tell, or the perfect time to make a pun. For the longest time, he would always get this smirk whenever he saw Wolfe and Mask together.
Friday afternoon there was an assembly planned just before lunch.
The only pony onstage was a Lunar Guard, one I recognized from various talks at the school. But he stood off to the side, leaving the center of the stage open. Students started muttering about speakers never showing up on time. And about the school’s poor planning skills.
I relaxed for a moment, and let the conversations distract me.
Mask
There was a sudden hush when I took the stage. Something I immediately linked to the future, and how this was how I hoped I would greet each night. Silence, as everyone waited for me to don my character and make them glad they bought tickets to the show. Today however…
I stepped up to the podium with my stack of papers. A quick glance confirmed that Iron Mail hadn’t abandoned me in the past few seconds. He gave me an encouraging grin.
My breathing quickened a little as the reality of my situation hit. This wasn’t something I could turn back from. I had to do it. And not just for me.
I gritted my teeth in silent agony for a moment, before forcing it aside. Time to cry later, I told myself.
I took a breath.
“I watched my cousin burn to death,” I stated, shocked by my own calm. Nopony spoke. “I followed a mob, who chased my cousin down. Beat him, and set him aflame.”
I closed my eyes. Seeing every moment replaying in my mind. “There were at least 15 ponies. Most of whom I fought.” I rubbed at my foreleg subconsciously. Remembering the beating I took. “We put up a good fight, but we didn’t stand a chance. They toyed with me. Letting me get close just to shove me back when I was in hoof’s reach. But there was something he did during the fight. Something that everypony found absolutely despicable.” I pointed at the medallion around my neck. “He took this off. And disguised himself as one of the ponies in the crowd.”
“Let me make something clear. He didn’t do it to hurt anypony. He did it to try to keep me safe, as well as himself. Unfortunately, they saw through his ruse, and took him out.”
“They put him on a wood cart. And set it on fire.” I screamed when they did that. It was then that I became desperate, I fought to get over there, yelling for them to put it out. By the time he had woken up…”
“There was no chance of survival. Not even when he woke again, screaming for help. They all said it was never meant to go that far. Most of them don’t even remember hearing him.” I relaxed my hooves as I realized how hard I was gripping the podium.
“I didn’t escape unscathed either. Nothing major, but I wouldn’t have been able to make it home alone.” I turned to Lunar Guard on my right. “I probably would have been in a hospital for weeks if Iron Mail hadn’t been working late that night.” He remained rigid and unmoving, however his eyes sent me silent waves of encouragement.
“I don’t blame anypony for being afraid of me. Of us. We have done wrong, for so long. We have been deceitful, treacherous, and we’ve obeyed our queen for so long, believing her way was the only one. Most of your first experiences with us stem from the Canterlot invasion. But there is a reason we deserved to be redeemed. A reason we deserve to be given a chance to prove ourselves. It’s the same reason Princess Luna deserved it. As did Discord.”
I paused, scanning the recital hall with blurry eyes. “We. Are. Trying. You have no idea the lengths many of us go through to please ponies. And it goes further than feeding on emotion. We want you to trust us. We want to try to get along without deceit. We trot around on eggshells, trying our best to not upset anyone. And still, we are treated like scum for simply existing. Let me ask you a question. What did Intel do?”
I was breathing heavy now. “What did Intel do?” I repeated. “Or my cousin, Flame? Or any other changeling that has been assaulted in the past few days? Months? Have we done anything? I will never claim we are innocent. I will never tell the lie that all of us have the best intentions. I won’t stand in front of you and tell you that you can trust everyling that you meet. But can’t the same be said for ponies? Or griffons and donkeys?”
That was the end of what I’d written, but I couldn’t be finished. I was missing something. I needed to truly make them understand.
“Don’t make the same mistakes as our queen,” I said. “Who thought the only way to protect herself, was to never be willing to trust others. Or Sombra, who used fear to control his subjects. Don’t be like the ponies of old, whose hatred almost caused an eternal winter.”
My piece said, I stepped down from the podium. My body felt hollow, as if I’d given everything I had for that speech. I half stumbled before Iron Mail caught me. “Great job,” he whispered. I nodded, but I was hardly listening, the silence of my peers was deafening in itself. I hurried my steps, eager to leave the room, and that was when it started.
You know how in movies and plays, the clapping starts off as one pony? And then it spreads? That wasn’t what happened there. The applause was simply thunderous and jarring. And one loud, Royal Canterlot-esque voice over it all.
“We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!”
The applause was doubled as Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, and Discord appeared on stage with a flash. Discord wobbled for a bit before straightening himself. “I swear you do something to me when you teleport, Twilight. And I’m pretty sure it’s on purpose.”
The princess in question simply rolled her eyes a she turned towards me. “Don’t mind him,” she said. “He just loves to complain.”
“And Luna, must you yell every time you make an entrance?” As he was speaking, his ears detached themselves and began crying softly. “My poor little ears can only take so much,” he said, stroking them lovingly.
Twilight groaned. “Just a second.” Her horn lit up as Discord was put inside of a bubble, immediately cutting off the sound of his voice. His mouth kept moving as he continued talking, oblivious.
“While he’s occupied,” Twilight said her eyes sad as she looked at me. “I believe we need to talk.”