“I... uh...” Ebon Mane gulped, shivering slightly before his reflection. “I-I dunno if I can do this, guys...”
“Sure you can, Ebony!” Props chirped from where she stood before the dressing mirror. “It's not like you're changing your shape or anything!”
“Yeah!” Eagle grinned from the other side of the glass sheet. “It's more like... uhm... changing the texture!”
“I'm afraid I'm not practiced at either one of them,” the changeling muttered.
“Well, you keep that shape, don't you?” Props grinned. “And a most sexy shape it is!”
“Er... thanks. I-I think...”
“That has to take some kind of effort on a regular basis, don't it?”
“Actually, it kind of doesn't,” Ebon said, glancing at both Jurists in turn. “This is as 'natural' as I feel. If anything, reverting to my changeling form is the thing that requires 'effort.'”
“Alright, Ebon, let me put it this way.” Rainbow Dash's reflection hovered down right behind him. “If you don't pull this off, then Kera won't be able to travel with Arcanista to Val Roa proper and we'll never find a way to hunt down Chrysalis and put an end to her diabolical acts for good.”
Ebon gulped. “Well, when you p-put it that way...”
“Rainbow...” Eagle hissed. “No need to put on that kind of pressure!”
“Isn't there?” Rainbow turned and glared into the mirror. “Ebon, would you want to be the sole reason for why changelings are given a bad reputation forever?!”
“Eeep!” The stallion flinched. His coat turned blue while his mane exploded into the colors of the rainbow.
“Ee-heeheehee!” Props giggled.
Rainbow blinked at her double reflections. She slumped in mid hover, sighing. “You're right. This is hopeless.”
“I disagree.” Eagle Eye leaned in. “Ebon, honey, you've seen Kera everyday, right?”
With a flicker of green flame, the stallion reverted back to his burgundy self. “Uh huh...”
“And you sense the way she feels on a regular basis?”
“Sure...”
“And you know how she feels about her foster parents, Bellesmith and Pilate, right?”
“Uhm... I-I suppose so.”
“And you know how you feel about me?” Eagle Eye asked, eyelashes fluttering.
“Mmmm...” Ebon smiled warmly. “Uh huh.”
“Well... try mixing the two.”
Ebon blinked. “Wat.”
“Erm... tr-try... uh... sprinkling a teensy bit of Kera's trust in Belle and Pilate on top of your love for me!” He grinned. “And remember to think optimistically, cuz that's totally a Kera thing.”
“It is?” Props blinked. Eagle frowned at her. “Oh! Uh! Right! It is!”
“Okay...” Ebon took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. “Here goes...” The tips of his mane tingled with emerald energy while his sockets flashed from beneath their lids.
“There ya go, Ebon!” Eagle Eye pumped a hoof, grinning wide. “You got it! You got it!”
POOF! A buxom adult mare with flowing emerald locks stood before them, her shapely flanks accentuated by delicate body lines as she tossed her mane and stared listlessly at the trio.
Props's jaw dropped.
Rainbow blinked. Bonk! She hit her head on the ceiling. “Ow!” She rubbed her head, wincing.
“Erm...” Eagle cleared his throat and waved a lavender hoof. “Dial it back a bit, sweetie.”
“Erm...” Ebon cooed in a feminine voice, then exhaled. His body reformed, returning to his usual stallion physique, only this time covered all over with swirling tattoos. “Uhm... h-how's this?”
“Fabulous!” Eagle grinned. “Is it that hard to maintain?”
“Uhm... I-I guess not too much,” Ebon said. He glanced at the mirror and jolted as some of the tattoos moved on their own. “Then again...”
“I think, with practice, you can pull off a Xonan diplomat, no problem!”
“Uh huh...” Ebon sighed. “I-I'd just better not try 'changing' in front of the other Val Roans.”
“I'm sure there'll be plenty of places to change in the Duchess' wagon!” Props said. “Oh! That reminds me!” She reached behind the mirror, grabbed a spark plug, and slapped it over Ebon's forehead.
“Ow.” Ebon winced, his eyes crossing to look at the “horn.”
“Tadaaaa! Unicorn Ebonyyyyy! Heeheehee!”
“You can't be serious,” Eagle muttered.
“I'm sure somedeer here in Bountiful can carve him a convincing one! Unless of course, Ebony, you think you can morph one of your own?”
“I... I-I don't think I've got that much skill.”
“Can't you turn into—I dunno—Eagle Eye and just give him tattoos?”
Ebon bit his lip, fumbling.
“Eh. I suck at multi-tasking too,” Props said with a shrug.
“Good thing you're our ship's engineer,” Eagle muttered.
“Yup yup yup!” Props spun towards Rainbow. “What do you think, Dashie? This looks passable!”
Silence.
“Dashie?” Props blinked, then reached up to wave her hoof in front of the mare's eyes. “Helloooooo?”
At last, Rainbow snapped out of it. “What? Oh... eheh... s-sorry...”
“Heehee! You okay in there, east horse?”
“I was just thinking...” Rainbow gulped, fanning herself. “It's a good thing I haven't got long to live. Cuz in fifteen years, Mama Bellesmith would probably have been giving me the stink-eye.”
“So... uhm...” Ebon turned towards the others. “Assuming this is enough to work... how are we going to communicate with the Jury from beyond the West Gate?”