//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15: Dawn 
// Story: A New Way 
// by Phoenix_Dragon 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 15: Dawn

Nictis woke up to something that was distinctly unusual.
He was smiling.
He lay there, basking in the happy feeling, as the early morning sunlight filtering in through the windows slowly grew brighter. He slowly stretched out under the thick, downy blanket before relaxing again into the soft comfort of the plush bed. It really was amazingly luxurious, perfectly suited to the great palace, but those thoughts were in the background.
The majority of his focus was on the last moments of the previous night, replaying it over and over again. Spark was going out of his way, returning to a project he had all but abandoned, and committing to several hours of work, all to do something special with Nictis.
Nictis sighed happily, closing his eyes. There would be plenty of time for anxiety and double-guessing himself and worrying about ruining everything later on. For now, he was just happy with the fact that there was a possibility.
No, not just a possibility. Spark wasn’t just willing to give him a chance. He was putting forward an effort to reach out to Nictis. Better yet, there had been some real happiness at the prospect, even a hint of excitement.
Nictis grinned, enjoying the luxury of happiness.
As tempting as it was to lay there all day, nestled in the soft comfort of the bed and basking in the good mood, he knew he couldn’t stay. Eventually he pushed back the blanket, stretching out one last time before rolling to the side of the bed and getting up.
His first destination was the bathroom. While changelings might not have the coats of hair that ponies did, coats that tended to need excessive amounts of care in his opinion, he still put a good deal of attention into his appearance. He might not go as far as Sky did, with his occasional spa visits and shell-polish, but there was still that analytical part that knew a good appearance was handy in social interactions.
He paused for a moment at the thought that, if there was ever a time to consider stepping things up, this was a good one. Sky would tease him relentlessly--a fair reaction to his own occasional needling--but it might well be worth it.
Filing that thought away for later, he continued on to the bath. With a couple twists, the giant tub started to fill with water. Once he had tested the stream to make sure the temperature was right, he started to turn away, only to stop as his gaze swept over the row of bottles sitting at one end of the tub. He considered them for several seconds before chuckling and shaking his head. He reached out with his magic, grabbing one of the bottles and pouring some of its contents into the water. Then he set the bottle back and left the room.
He kept his morning exercise light and simple, focusing more on stretching than actually working out. By the time he was feeling warmed up and loose, he returned to the bath. Stopping the flow of water, he slid in, parting the thick foam of bubbles as he sank into the wonderful warmth.
It was all perfectly ridiculous, and he couldn’t help snickering to himself. He even raised a hoof to push around some of the foam, which clung to his carapace like sticky little clouds. The soft white bubbles contrasted with hard black chitin and filled in the holes in his legs, which brought out another chuckle. He amused himself with lazily pushing the foam around for a bit before turning his attention to cleaning.
Getting clean didn’t take long, even with his rather idle and lazy handling of it, and he soon lay back to just enjoy the pleasant warmth and the soft touch of the bubbles.
While he was content to take his time, there was still the more disciplined part of his mind that insisted he not waste his entire morning on frivolities. He eventually gave in, rising out of the water and shaking off the last of the bubbles clinging to him, but he made sure to do it slowly and lazily, as if to spite that more logical part of himself.
He chuckled again at that thought, and continued to take his time as he slowly dried himself, making sure to reach every single nook and crevice.
Once he was was thoroughly dry, he returned to the side of his bed and levitated over his compass necklace. For a moment he just held it there, looking over the simple compass and the thin twist of plain wire attaching it to the fine golden chain. He raised a hoof, gently tilting the compass as it dangled from the chain, watching the little needle swing and wobble around. With a smile, he slipped the chain around his neck, letting the compass settle gently at his chest, and headed out.
Entering the front room, he immediately noted the absence of Sparks and Bigs, though their belongings were still there. Only Cotton Candy remained, lounging on the couch as she ate breakfast from a large tray of pastries. She looked over as the door opened, flashing a smile as casually waving a hoof.
“Hey, he lives,” she said with a chuckle, then stopped. Her smile faded for a moment before returning, with a mischievous narrowing of her eyes. “And smiling, too. Did we get the wrong changeling?”
“Hah, hah,” he dryly replied, though his smile remained, and Cotton laughed softly.
“So,” she continued, levitating a pastry beside her. “I’m guessing this good mood has something to do with Spark’s little outing?”
“Maybe,” he replied, and didn’t even bother trying to hide his growing smile.
“Going to share what that’s all about?” she asked. “I didn’t get much from them. Sparky just woke me up, told me he’d be back this evening, and took off with Bigs. Haven’t seen him so happy and excited in a while. So what’s up?”
“He’s going back to Manechester,” he replied, waiting just long enough for Cotton to get a questioning look before continuing. “He’s flying back in Songbird.”
Her ears perked up, followed by a big grin. “Oh, cool! How’d you talk him into that?”
“I didn’t,” he said, shrugging. “ Not exactly. I just mentioned that I liked flying in it. He wanted to do something special with just the two of us, and he decided that sounded like a good idea.”
“Special?” Cotton echoed, her grin growing even more. The pastry dropped back to the table as she hopped up and bound over to him with a loud, high-pitched giggle, and wrapped him in a powerful hug. “Oh my goodness, you’re going on a date! This is so perfect! You two are going to be so cute together!”
Nictis grunted from within her tight grip. “Not a date,” was all he managed, though that at least got Cotton to release him.
“He got up before the sun to travel halfway across Equestria to bring an amazing one-of-a-kind machine back so he could spend some special time alone with you,” she chided. “It’s totally a date.”
“Manechester isn’t halfway across--oof!”
Cotton thumped him on the chest, smirking. “Bad Niccy, no technicalities. It’s a date.”
Nictis made a show of rubbing where she had hit him, though they both knew it hadn’t been hard enough to cause any harm. “It… might be a date,” he admitted, earning another enthusiastic giggle from Cotton. “But it might not,” he hastily added. “I… I just don’t want to go into this expecting too much.”
“Oh, come on,” she teased, sliding up beside him to slip a foreleg over his shoulders. “I saw how excited Sparks was. Show a little enthusiasm!”
“I am enthusiastic,” he said, softly smiling again. “I’m beyond happy that he’s even willing to consider me a friend, much less to do this. I just don’t want to get my hopes up too much. Even if he’s excited, I know he’s still nervous, too. I don’t want to push him too hard.”
Cotton leaned against him. “What, pushing harder than taking you on a romantic flight in a flying machine he named after you?”
“It’s not explicitly romantic,” he countered, though his smile grew a bit more, and she laughed.
“You are the most amazingly pessimistic individual I know,” she said through her laughs. Shaking her head, she removed the foreleg from around his shoulder to look at him more head-on. “It’s a date, it’s romantic, and the two of you are going to do great together. I mean, think about it. Sparks isn’t exactly the most outgoing of ponies, but he’s doing all of this for you? He’s got it all figured out.”
All the objections and worries echoed in the back of his mind, yet he found himself unable to resist the idiotic grin taking over his expression. Cotton giggled at the expression, then reached up to pat him firmly on the head. “Don’t worry, he’s a smart kid.”
“Kid?” he said, his grin turning into more of a smirk. “You know he’s about four years older than me, right?”
“Yes,” Cotton replied, speaking with a very prim-and-proper tone, “and you are very mature for your age.” She then broke out in giggles again. “Just, you know, trust him. He may not be some fancy Infiltrator, but he knows what he’s doing well enough.”
“I know,” he said, his expression relaxing to a soft smile once again. “I do trust him. I don’t know how tonight is going to turn out, and I don’t want to set my expectations too high, but…” His smile faded for a moment, then came back even stronger. “...But I haven’t felt so full of hope in a long, long time.”
Cotton smiled as she considered him for several seconds. Finally, she nodded. “Just tell me you’re not going to be worrying about it all day long, ‘kay?”
He found himself chuckling without really meaning to, and nodded back. “You know, I think I can do that.”
She leaned in, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Good,” she quietly said, holding him firmly for several seconds before releasing him again. “Now, I’ll bet you’ve probably got a pretty busy day ahead of yourself, don’t you? More ambasador-y stuff?”
“Something like that,” he replied. “Still quite a bit of negotiations to handle, and I think we’re finally getting through to Chrysalis. I’ll probably be busy with her for most of the day.”
It took him a moment to realize he’d said all that without the slightest hint of grumpiness. That realization was almost enough to make him frown in concern over the oddity of not dreading a day spent alongside Chrysalis.
But only almost.
“Well, I guess you’d better get going, then,” Cotton replied as she turned and flopped back down on the couch. “Sounds like you’ve got a big day ahead of you.” Then she waggled a hoof. “Oh, and all that negotiation stuff, too.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Thanks. And what about you?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” she said, plucking another pastry from the large tray. “I’m hooking up with Pinkie Pie in a bit, and we’ll probably be busy all day long.”
Nictis hesitated for a moment. “Busy with what?”
“Can’t tell you; it’s a surprise.” She punctuated the statement by popping the pastry into her mouth, grinning at him as she chewed.
He eventually shook his head. “Okay, then. Have fun.”
“Mmmhmm!”
He turned to head out, and was just opening the door when Cotton called out. “Hey, Nictis.”
Looking back over his shoulder, he asked, “Yeah?”
“It’s good to have you back.”
He paused, seeing the soft smile she was giving him. Behind it, he could feel the friendly affection, happiness, maybe even a hint of pride in him. It was a warm, comforting sensation that ran deep.
He couldn’t conjure up the words to properly reply to the display of emotions. Instead, he smiled softly and nodded.
Judging by the way her smile grew, and the pleased feeling from her, it was enough.
After shutting the door behind himself, he stepped up to the door directly across from his, and knocked. He got a response almost immediately, as Trip opened it with a questioning look that immediately turned to a smile and friendly recognition. “Hey, Nictis! Come on in!”
“Thank you,” he replied, stepping into the room as Trip held the door open with his magic. Skiris was seated nearby, looking up from his book to give Nictis a nod. Cara was lying on a couch further in the room, seemingly oblivious to them.
Nictis was about to speak when he sensed a concerning flash of amusement from Trip. The other changeling was smirking.
“Are you Sky, trying to play a trick on us?”
“No,” Nictis replied, his smile dropping away as he raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Why would you think that?”
The sense of amusement grew even stronger. “Because you were smiling for at least ten seconds straight.”
Nictis snorted, though it came out halfway to a laugh. “I can be in a good mood, too,” he said, his smile already returning.
“I don’t know,” Trip teased. “Seems a little suspicious to me.” The sense of suspicion, however, had already faded, and he gave up the act a moment later. “So what has you so happy?”
“Well,” he said, his smile returning, “Spark and I have plans for tonight.”
He almost chuckled at the flash of surprise that crossed Trip’s face. Then the other changeling laughed, suddenly leaping into the air with a buzz of wings. “All right, Nictis! I knew you could do it!”
“I didn’t,” Nictis said, bringing out a confused look from the hovering changeling. “Spark did,” he clarified. “It was his idea.”
“Even better!” Trip said, wobbling a bit in his excitement. Nearby, Skiris was looking up with a smile, quietly radiating happiness every bit as strong as his more excited friend. Trip buzzed over to perch atop the back of Skiris’s chair. “We should do something to celebrate! Where’s Pinkie Pie? She’s always throwing parties for stuff like this!”
“Sorry,” Nictis said. “She’s already busy. She has some big sur--”
He stopped, expression blank as he blinked a couple times. Then he groaned, raising a hoof to the bridge of his snout. “...She’s going to throw us a surprise party, isn’t she?” When Trip looked questioning again--although rather happy at the prospect of another Pinkie party--he added, “She’s been working with another friend of mine on some secret surprise project the last couple of days. I think we just figured out what it is.”
“The last couple of days,” Trip repeated, sounding awed by the thought, and grinned even more. “This is going to be the best party ever.”
Nictis snorted softly with laughter, letting his hoof return to the ground. Despite the concerns that rattled around in the back of his mind--mainly, “What if she overdoes it?”--he still smiled at the idea. Still, he couldn’t help expressing a little bit of caution. “I just hope she waits until we’re sure there’s something to celebrate.”
“Don’t worry!” Trip said, springboarding off the back of the chair to land with a buzz of wings beside Nictis. “There’ll be something to celebrate. You know it.”
All sorts of arguments flashed through his mind, but he paid them no attention. “Thanks,” was all he said, knowing the feeling of appreciation said more than his words could.
Trip chuckled, bouncing and buzzing his wings with each step as he skittered around in excitement. Skiris finally set his book down, smiling to Nictis while ignoring Trip’s antics. “So what brings you around? Just sharing the good news?”
“No,” Nictis said, then paused a moment before smiling again. “Well, yeah, maybe a little, but I also wanted to check up on all of you. I don’t really remember much from dinner last night.”
“Not much happened,” Skiris said with a shrug. “Except Celestia wants us to be nice to Chrysalis, I guess.”
“I guess she thought the same thing I did,” Nictis mused, and finally nodded. “Anyway, is everything good, here? Do you need help with anything?”
“No,” Skiris replied with a shake of his head. “Trip and I are doing well.”
Nictis caught the absence of Cara’s name in the statement, and the way Skiris inclined his head toward the other changeling. Nictis nodded slightly before walking to the back of the room.
Cara was lying on his back atop the couch, legs resting close against his body, hooves up, and Nictis saw then that the other changeling was floating a small green ball just above his chest. It was only as he approached that he saw that the ball was actually a lump of semi-congealed changeling spit. Cara was staring at it, his magic slowly rolling, squishing, and rounding the waxy substance with no discernable purpose.
“Hey,” Nictis quietly said as he approached. Cara blinked, looking over to him as if noticing him for the first time. “How are you doing? Is everything going well?”
“Oh,” Cara replied, then nodded, his attention turning back to the green lump. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Nictis watched him for a few moments, uncertain of what to make of the reaction. “So, what are you doing?” he cautiously asked.
Cara’s magic turned the lump of goo, rolling it into a ball again. “Oh, just… thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
“Um…” Cara glanced over to Nictis, then back to the lump he was levitating. “Just… some stuff I’m trying to figure out.”
He could feel a faint appreciation from Cara over the concern, but also a growing embarrassment. Nictis nodded slowly. “Anything I could help with?”
The question was met with silence, the ball slowly rotating in Cara’s magic. “I don’t think so,” Cara finally said. “I think I need to work this out myself.”
“If you’re sure,” Nictis hesitantly said, knowing Cara could sense his concern. “Just remember, if you ever need to talk about something or need some help, we’re all here for you.”
A smile crossed Cara’s muzzle, appreciation touching Nictis’s senses. “Thanks.”
Nictis nodded and walked back, while Cara returned to staring at the ball, his magic pressing down to squeeze it into a flat circle.
“So,” Nictis said, “I’m guessing breakfast should be starting up soon. Are you all coming?”
“Of course!” Trip replied.
Skiris nodded. “Yes.”
Cara said nothing.
Nictis looked back, speaking again. “Cara?”
The other changeling blinked, looking over, but said nothing. Nictis added, “Are you coming to breakfast?”
“Oh!” Cara replied with a faint start. He looked around uncertainly, as if searching for something, then looked back to the green goo held in his magic. His horn glowed a bit more brightly, and the goo’s color rapidly darkened to a greenish-black as it solidified into a disk of hardened wax. Still holding it, he rolled off the couch and walked over. “Yeah, I’ll come.”
A few moments later, Nictis led the small group of changelings on towards breakfast.
Their procession halted almost as soon as it had begun; as soon as they started down the hall, they came across Rainbow Dash and Sky, who were holding a conversation in the doorway of Sky’s room. That conversation came to an abrupt halt as they both looked over to the oncoming group, a flash of embarrassment mirrored by an exchange of awkward glances.
Sky recovered before Nictis could even question their reaction, speaking up cheerfully. “Good morning!”
Nictis couldn’t help chuckling a little. The act might have convinced a pony, but the only pony there was the only one Sky wasn’t trying to fool.
Then Sky’s awkwardness turned to curiosity, and a few moments later, amusement. “Okay,” he said, slowly. “You’re not Skiris, since he’s standing right there, so who are you, and what have you done with Nictis?”
Nictis’s chuckle ended with a snort and a roll of his eyes. “Yeah, this is going to get old quick.”
Sky’s emotions instantly flashed to a feeling of regret, but Nictis smiled and cut off the imminent--and unnecessary--verbal apology. “Things are going well with Spark. We’ve even got plans tonight.”
Sky grinned, his ears perking up and all sense of regret forgotten. “That’s great! See, I told you not to worry so much.”
“It’s too early for that,” Nictis said. “It’s progress, but it’s not a sure thing.” Still, his smile grew. “It is nice to be able to feel a little more optimistic about things, though.”
“Just a little, hmm?” Sky teased, and Trip snickered quietly.
“Yes, just a little,” Nictis repeated, despite the happy buzz of excitement that urged his body to motion. He did his best to remain calm and controlled, only shuffling his wings a bit. “Anyway, right now I’m more curious what has you two acting so awkward.”
Sky’s head drew back, and he cast a quick glance to Rainbow Dash before looking to Nictis again. “Oh, uh, nothing much, really. Just… talking…”
Nictis allowed the silence to drag on for a couple seconds, simply smiling and staring at Sky.
Surprisingly, it was Rainbow who broke the silence. She drew in a deep breath, as if to steady herself, sighed, and spoke. “I was just apologizing for kinda ditching him last night.”
Sky was quick to counter her. “I told you, there wasn’t anything wrong. You didn’t ditch me.”
“Yeah, I did,” she grumbled, looking away for a moment. “I just got freaked out and ran away.” She huffed quietly, setting her jaw and standing a little taller. “Well, I’m not going to be the kind of pony who bails on her friends just because things get a little… awkward.”
Sky gave Nictis a quick glance; Nictis wasn’t sure if it was intended as a request for intervention, but he spoke anyway. “Awkward how?”
Rainbow’s stance weakened a little. “Uh… well, Sky kinda hugged me at dinner, last night. I mean, that’s okay and all, but everypony was staring--”
“They weren’t staring,” Sky said.
“--And I just took off.” Rainbow huffed, flicking her tail.
Nictis nodded. “So, you’re embarrassed to be seen together with Sky?”
“What?” Rainbow’s head jerked back like she’d been slapped, her wings spread high. “No!” Then she blinked. “I mean... yeah, that’s kinda-not-exactly why I freaked out and bolted, but then I realized just how dumb I was being. It’s not like Rarity and those stupid, mushy romance stories she’s always telling me about. There’s no sappy nonsense. Sky’s pretty awesome, I’m pretty awesome, so we’re just both being awesome together. If other ponies can’t see that, it’s just because they’re not awesome enough to see how awesome we are, so why should I care what they think?”
She grinned proudly at the end of her statement. A moment later the expression slipped as she cast a glance to Sky. “Did that make sense?”
“I agree with everything you just said,” Sky said, smiling slyly. “Especially the part where you called me pretty awesome.”
They both snickered, and Nictis smiled. For once, the subtle little shadow of envy didn’t creep into his thoughts. It was refreshing to just be happy for his friend.
It also made it quite a bit easier to help him out.
“Being awesome together, hmm?” Nictis said, smiling playfully. “Does that mean you two are officially a couple?”
A flash of panic crossed Rainbow’s features, wide-eyed, as if suddenly finding herself in the path of a runaway train. It lasted only a moment before she blinked it away and looked to Sky. No words were exchanged as she looked to his smiling face, but slowly her expression softened, and she smiled.
“Eh, you know what?” she said, turning back to Nictis as her smile turned to a defiant grin, and this time when her head drew back, it was to strike a proud pose. “Yeah. Yeah, we are.”
Beside her, Sky’s wings buzzed happily, and he hopped over to loop a leg around her shoulder and give a squeeze. To her credit, there was only the faintest of tensing and a subtle color to her cheeks at the gesture, and a moment later she draped a wing across his back.
“Finally,” Nictis said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, though he was still smiling. “If you took any longer, we’d have to start up a betting pool on when the two of you would finally admit it.”
Dash chuckled nervously, the color on her cheeks growing a little.
He considered this for a second before speaking again. “Still, I have to admit you figured it out a lot quicker than I did. I didn’t know anything about love when I first came here. I thought it was all sappy and mushy nonsense, too. It took me years to realize it wasn’t about that stuff.”
Sky chuckled. “I think you might have a slightly different viewpoint on love, Nictis.”
Nictis was surprised when his first response was to laugh. “True!” he said, his chuckles dying down to a soft smile. “But I think that’s given me a better picture of it as a whole. It’s all about being with someone you admire, who you enjoy being with. Someone where both of you are better for being with the other.” He shrugged. “Whether you spend that time being sappy or being awesome is up to the couple involved.”
“I think I’ll stick to being awesome,” Rainbow Dash said, flashing a grin. “It’s what I’m best at.”
She and Sky both chuckled at this, joined by a few of the listening changelings.
“Anyway,” Nictis said, “we should probably get going if we’re going to get to breakfast in time.”
Several voices were raised in agreement, and soon the procession of five changelings and one pony were making their way down the hall. Dash and Sky chatted back and forth, with the occasional interjection by one of the others changelings. Nictis mostly stayed quiet, but at least this time he was smiling in his silence.
Most of the ponies had already arrived by the time they entered. Greetings were exchanged, and most hurried to the available seats, lured by the glorious scents already wafting through the air.
Nictis, however, set his sights on Celestia. He stepped up to where she sat, stopped, and bowed. “Princess Celestia, I’m sorry for the short notice, but I was hoping that you might be willing to excuse me this evening.”
Her smile was as gentle as ever, but the focus of her emotions were radiant and beautiful, a soft pleasantness that defied any simple categorization. “Of course,” she said, without hesitation. “I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of such an important moment for you.”
He didn’t question how she knew. Of course she knew. Instead, he bowed his head a little lower. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
She nodded to him, and he rose, starting to turn away before another thought struck him. “...Also, I was wondering if there might be some place in the castle grounds where my friend might be able to land a flying machine. It’s a very small one, but there aren’t many good places to land within the city.”
Celestia opened her mouth to reply, but it was a different princess who spoke first.
“Wait, do you mean Spark Wheel’s machine? Songbird?” Princess Twilight Sparkle asked, her ears suddenly perked up and food forgotten.
Nictis hesitated, glancing back to Celestia, who merely smiled back at him. “Um, yes,” he said. “I do.”
His confirmation produced a grin from the young princess, who then immediately looked over to Celestia. “Could he use the Guard’s chariot landing? I’d love the opportunity to see Songbird first-hoof. I only know of a few heavier-than-air flying machines, and I hear Spark Wheel’s is the most advanced by far!”
Celestia nodded to her, and Nictis swore he could see a hint of amusement behind her smile. “I think that would be a wonderful idea,” she answered before turning back to him. “Let your friend know that he is welcome to land at the castle. I will make sure the Royal Guard is informed.”
Again, he bowed his head. “Thank you.”
“You are quite welcome,” she replied, with a soft, warm chuckle. He took the opportunity to bask one last time in the feel of her emotions--and then drew in the tiniest bit of them. Part of him still balked at the act, some primordial fear of this being that held such immense love and power within it. In some ways, it almost seemed disrespectful, not to mention the dangers of provoking such a powerful being. At the same time, though, she had offered them freely, knowing he was quite capable of feeding on them.
So he took in a tiny sliver of the immense bounty she offered, and hoped that his own emotions could ever be even a fraction as wonderful.





With a pleasantly full belly and a fresh dose of emotional energy--mostly thanks to Sky--Nictis practically pranced down the hall toward Chrysalis’s chambers. He might have plans for the evening, but there was still some work that could be done before then, and to tell the truth, he did need some way to pass the time. He was, of course, quite aware of the oddness of being in such a good mood while going to meet with her.
But to be quite honest, he simply didn’t care.
He nodded to Elytron as he approached the door, smiling. He must be dedicated, Nictis noted. I’ve hardly ever not seen him standing guard here. “Good morning,” Nictis said, ignoring the intense suspicion coming from the other changeling. “May I come in?”
Elytron considered him for a few moments, irritation growing. Finally, he nodded sharply, and opened the door. “Follow me,” he growled, and Nictis did so.
The increasingly packed front room was a veritable gauntlet of changelings who all seemed at a complete loss as to how to react to him. Where their questionably aligned status had tampered their feelings of disgust and irritation at his presence, the sight of him smiling, and his own lack of irritation or hostility, cast their reactions entirely into chaos. There were flashes of anger, confusion, curiosity, and disgust, all varying wildly in strength. There might have even been an undercurrent of more positive feelings, hidden somewhere under the rest of it all.
For his own part, he tried to keep his feelings as upbeat as possible. They’re not my enemy, he reminded himself. They are here for the good of the hive, as am I. I’m here to help them, they just don’t realize it yet. His gaze swept over the glares and looks of curiosity tracking him as he passed through the room, and as he waited at the door to Chrysalis’s room once Elytron had slipped inside.
Noling said anything, and after a few moments, most had returned to their own tasks. A few were maintaining their armor. Most were simply resting, having nothing better to do.
Finally Elytron emerged again, and motioned for him to enter.
Chrysalis’s room felt much more spacious for its lack of occupants, though her presence did much to make up for that. She was just standing as he entered, her gaze turning to him, and she came to a halt.
Her eyes narrowed faintly. “Did Celestia send some other changeling to me, today? I don’t remember Nictis being so cheery.”
His smile vanished instantly. “Yeah, this is getting really old,” he grumbled with a roll of his eyes.
“Ah,” Chrysalis said, smiling a cold smile. “That’s better.”
“For your information,” Nictis said, “I’m in a good mood because Spark and I are going on a date tonight.” He found his smile returning as he spoke, even though the irritation tried to linger. “And before you say anything, it was his idea.”
It was Chrysalis’s turn to roll her eyes. “I don’t need to hear about you playing with your food,” she said with a wave of her hoof. “Now then, I assume you’re here to show me to the negotiations, correct?”
Nictis sighed. “Yes.”
Chrysalis smiled as she walked past him to the door. “Then let’s stop this sentimental nonsense and get to work.”
A sharp reply rattled around in the back of Nictis’s mind, but with his mood it failed to find purchase. He turned to follow along beside her, and spoke in a more conversational tone. “I’d suggest not dismissing it as nonsense, Your Highness.” He caught the twitch of her ear and the sideways glance his way at the polite-sounding and seemingly non-sarcastic use of the honorific. There was a short pause as they passed through the doorway, before he continued. “If nothing else, it demonstrates what we have been telling you. It’s perfectly possible for changelings and ponies to coexist in a way that benefits both.”
“Yes, yes,” she replied. “Ponies are gullible and trusting. That’s hardly news.”
“Gullible,” Nictis echoed. “So you think I tricked him?”
Chrysalis cast a glare his way. “I think this pony you’re obsessed over is an idiot if he trusts a changeling who has happily betrayed and hurt him.”
Nictis nodded. “So you think he’s wrong?”
Chrysalis broke the glare with a sigh and another roll of her eyes. “So he’s a lucky idiot,” she growled, while Elytron fell in behind them with a pair of soldiers.
Nictis waited until their procession had exited into the hall before speaking again.
“I don’t think you understand ponies as well as you think.”
Chrysalis shot him a quick, unreadable glance, but said nothing.
“Ponies aren’t stupid,” Nictis said. “Especially not Spark. He isn’t blindly trusting my word that I’ve changed. He was hurt, so he was rightfully worried about me, but he’s seen me going well out of my way to make amends. He’s asked around, looking for any information that could help him make clear sense of the situation.”
“It wasn’t ignorance that’s convinced him to give me a chance,” he said, his smile returning.
“How touching,” Chrysalis dryly replied. “He’s still an idiot. At least you get something out of having the little walking buffet around. He’s going through all that for love he can’t even detect, much less feed on.” She snorted. “Ponies are such stupid creatures.”
Nictis looked to her, his smile fading away as he studied her expression. Finally, he spoke.
“Have you ever been loved?”
“Hah!” Chrysalis replied, a grin quickly growing. “In fact, I have. You might have even heard of it. Shining Armor’s love was the most delicious feast I’ve had in a long time, and I put it to far better use than Cadenza ever could.”
“No,” Nictis said with a shake of his head. “You may have fed on his love, but it was a love of Princess Cadance, not you. Have you ever been loved?”
She sighed quietly. “Fine. Yes, I have, by every changeling of the hive.” She cast a glance his way, smirking. “Well, every changeling who hasn’t ran away from their duties for their own selfish pursuits.”
“No,” Nictis repeated. “Admired, respected, maybe even held in awe, yes, but that’s not love. They may admire you for your position, but has anyone ever loved you for who you really are?”
“Who I really am?” Chrysalis repeated with clear amusement, her grin growing sharper. “When it comes to that, I’ve always found it better to be feared.”
He stared calmly back at her sharp-toothed grin. “I doubt you’d feel that way if you’d ever experienced what it’s actually like to be loved.”
Her grin grew, even as she looked away from him. “Then I am very glad I’ve never indulged in such nonsense.”
Nictis watched her in silence as they continued down the hall. Normally he might have scowled at her dismissal. Instead, despite her attitude, his good mood remained surprisingly intact.
“You know,” he said, a hint of a smile returning, “I almost can’t believe I’m going to say this, but... I hope that, someday, you find someone to love.”
He was unsurprised when she turned a look of distaste his way, as if he had suddenly turned into some raving maniac, but he just shrugged in response.
“You’ve spent far too long around these insipid ponies,” Chrysalis finally said. “I have no use for love, except as food. As much as I’d love to have some walking feedbags around for when I’m feeling like a snack, I don’t think you’ll find any ponies lining up for the job.” She followed the remark with a dry chuckle. “Well, not voluntarily.”
“I never said it had to be a pony,” Nictis noted. “Although, who knows? There are some rather strange ponies out there.” He paused. “You might have some luck there if you were less hostile to them. Other changelings have managed as much with less to offer.”
“Ah,” Chrysalis replied, once again fixing her glare on him. “I was wondering where you were going with this nonsense.” She shook her head before raising it proudly. “I may be willing to accept peace with these ponies, but I am not going to coddle the pathetic creatures. The only love I need is food, so you can stop wasting both of our time trying to convince me otherwise.”
“I would think you’d give me more credit than that. I know that deeply held beliefs take time to change, and I know better than to think I can change your views with a single short conversation.” He shrugged. “There is no ulterior motive, here. I’m just in a good mood and felt like being friendly.”
“Well, you can stop it,” Chrysalis said. “I hear enough about this friendship nonsense from Celestia. I have no use for friendship.”
“But ponies do,” Nictis pointed out. “And right now, Celestia is about one minor incident away from removing you from power and replacing you with someone who is willing to be a friend.”
Chrysalis growled, glaring straight ahead as she continued to walk. Nictis continued. “If you were to act more friendly, she’d likely give you more leeway. At the very least, she’d be less tempted to see you replaced.”
“She wouldn’t like what happens if she tried,” Chrysalis growled, though her expression slowly softened. “Still, I suppose you’re not entirely incorrect. I can play along for now.” She cast a sideways glance to him. “Just don’t get any ideas about playing matchmaker.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t even know where to start with that,” Nictis said. “Not to sound rude, but you’re kind of a hard sell. Sure, ‘rules her own kingdom’ and ‘great magical power’ are big pluses, not to mention the whole ‘can change into anything she wants’ bit, but the ‘hates all ponies, including you’ thing is probably a bit of a deal breaker for most.”
Chrysalis snorted softly. “Only ‘most?’”
Nictis shrugged. “Like I said, there are some strange ponies out there.”
Chrysalis laughed. Granted, it was more of a cold and superior laugh, but it was still a laugh. Nictis smiled, while focusing on not giving away any feeling of satisfaction at the reaction.
The laugh quickly died down, Chrysalis’s expression souring as she shook her head. “Enough of this nonsense. We have more important things to deal with, like catching Chittri.”
“That’s being taken care of,” Nictis said. “Not that there’s much to do right now. We’re in the quiet phase of counter-infiltration, digging up information and tracking down leads. Celestia has some very talented ponies working on that right now. She’s quickly running out of places to hide.”
It was an exaggeration, but only a small one.
“Wonderful,” Chrysalis dryly replied. “So what, exactly, am I supposed to help with?”
“For finding Chittri?” Nictis asked. “Nothing.”
“What?” Chrysalis snapped, glaring at him. “Then why am I wasting my time meeting with her?”
“Because Princess Celestia doesn’t want to waste any time, either. We’ll be continuing negotiations while her ponies track down Princess Chittri.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Chrysalis replied with a tired sigh. “This again.”
“Don’t worry,” Nictis said, smiling. “I think you might find this a little more interesting.”





“...So you can see from the individual efficiency comparisons, despite the initial setup and the need for maintenance, the use of carts and other hauling tools increases the per-pony--or per-changeling--hauling efficiency by an order of magnitude. Mining carts with rails are even better. You could accomplish all the hive’s transportation of goods with a tenth the number of workers or less.”
Twilight paused to push the sheet in front of Chrysalis, who set down the ones she was already holding to look at the new one. “Uh-huh.”
“In fact, the expectation is that you’d find similar improvements in most aspects of the hive,” Twilight continued, still smiling as she set down another sheet. “Mining, agriculture, maintenance. Proper tools and education will require some investment, but will result in being able to fill all the existing labor needs of the hive with a fraction of the workers.”
Chrysalis slowly nodded, eyes scanning across the page. “Uh-huh.”
“Better yet, these improvements should free up a substantial number of workers to focus on new industries.” Another sheet came down. “With the aid of materials and education from Equestria, the hive’s industry should be fully modernized and largely self-sufficient within a decade or so.”
Chrysalis continued to look over the sheet, her eyes remaining there even as she quietly asked, “And you are certain of this?”
Twilight nodded. “These predictions come from Lug Nut and Iron Bolt. They’re a couple of brilliant industrialists I met with to discuss plans for economic aid to the hive. They spent a lot of time going over the details to make their conclusions as accurate as possible. Between the changeling work ethic and versatility, they even noted that their estimates might be conservative.”
“Uh-huh,” Chrysalis replied again, eyes continuing to dart across the papers before her.
Nictis smirked as he watched the two talking in what was almost a friendly fashion.
Almost, though he knew better than to think of it quite so simply. Twilight had slipped back into what he recognized as her lecturing mode, which she seemed to engage in happily regardless of who she was lecturing. Chrysalis may have lost her condescending attitude once the predicted effects of Equestria’s assistance were detailed, but he could practically see the gears turning as her eyes darted across the pages before her, pages that detailed just how powerful the hive could be. No doubt she was imagining how large the hive could grow, and how many drones she could free up from other works to take up more militant occupations.
And all you have to do is let a swarm of ponies into the hive, he noted. Building up your infrastructure, working alongside your drones, maybe even feeding them with friendship…
He smiled a little at the thought, casting a glance to his side. Celestia sat back from the conversation, wearing a pleasant smile as she watched. She had stepped back to let Twilight take charge for this part of the negotiation. In fact, he was pretty sure he read a subtle hint of pride in her expression as she watched her protege at work.
A loud yawn from behind him drew his attention to Rainbow Dash, who finished up by spreading her wings and lifting off the ground. “Yeah, as fun as it is watching Twi go full egghead on somepony… well, it’s really not. We’re going to go flying.”
Sky chuckled and shook his head, but got up and excused himself, anyway.
Nictis drew in a deep breath and let it out again. Time to do this.
He stood as well, giving Celestia a quick nod. “Excuse me.” She nodded back, and he trotted after the retreating pair. “Wait a moment.”
They both stopped and looked back at him. Sky looked curious, but Rainbow let out a groan. “Oh, come on. Twi’s got this, we’re not even helping.”
Nictis quickly shook his head. “It’s not about that. I just have something I wanted to ask.” He looked to Sky, mouth opening, and then he stopped. For a second, he just stood there.
Finally, he lifted a hoof, poking Sky in the chest. “Okay, you don’t get to laugh at me for this.”
Sky blinked, cocking his head to the side. “Uh…”
“Either of you,” Nictis continued, gesturing toward Dash before turning his attention back to Sky. “Because I know you frequent the spa in Ponyville. In fact, you visit it so regularly that I expect you’ve found one in Canterlot for your many visits. That means there’s probably some spa here that’s at least familiar with taking care of changelings.”
Sky blinked again, a smile creeping onto his face. “And you want to know where it is?” he asked, a faint hint of humor in his voice mirroring the rapidly growing feeling Nictis could sense from him.
Nictis kept his response as neutral as possible. “Yes.” He also ignored Rainbow’s snickering.
Sky remained silent a moment longer, just to stretch out the moment, but finally answered. “Yeah, I know a place. Sunflower recommended it to me. It’s called ‘The Mane Event’, and it’s just two blocks up the street from her cafe.”
“Thanks,” Nictis said, his wings buzzing to life to lift his hooves off the ground. “I’m pretty sure I can find that.”
“Good luck,” Sky replied, the humor slowly fading, the feeling behind that smile quickly turning to happiness for him.
Nictis paused for a moment before returning the smile and a quick feeling of appreciation, then turned and flew off.





Four hours later, Nictis sat quietly beside a grand, open window overlooking the castle grounds, reading through a large folder of forms. It was busywork, really, just something to keep himself occupied. Subtle had some very talented ponies poring through all the records and paperwork already, ponies who knew much better what to look for, but it gave him some sense of helping. With the queen preoccupied with planning the hive’s future industrial development and no further sign of her wayward princess, there was little for him to do. That left him free to do whatever he wanted.
As much as he was looking forward to that freedom, he had eagerly taken up the task of double-checking the paperwork Subtle’s ponies were going over. It gave him something--anything!--to think of other than obsessing over the near future.
Occasionally, his attention would be drawn to his hoof or leg, and the fresh, glossy sheen. The spa ponies certainly did a good job, and seemed only the slightest bit surprised when it had been a different changeling walking in their door. While he’d probably never admit it to anyone else, there was something nice about the look. It was subtle enough, yet still satisfying. He hadn’t felt properly proud of his appearance in quite some time. Not since Meadow Song.
He focused even harder on the papers before him.
Eventually that focus faltered again, and he looked out over the skyline of Canterlot, the sun-warmed roofs and spires contrasting with the distant land far beyond and below them. A streak of rainbow color spiraled upwards from between a pair of towers, with a much more subtle black spot following in its wake. Dash and Sky had switched from racing to a display of aerobatics, where they were a little more closely matched. Sky wasn’t nearly as quick as her, but he was doing well enough at matching her stunts.
He watched as the pair of distant figures passed through loops and spins, occasionally pausing to meet up again before moving on to a new set of stunts. Nictis continued to watch, the papers momentarily forgotten. He couldn’t help smiling at the sight.
As the pair paused again, there was something different. Instead of the animated gestures, Rainbow Dash had gone still, a hoof lifted over her eyes to shade them from the sun. Something had caught her attention, and when she pointed one of her hooves, Nictis’s eyes followed it. For a moment he didn’t see anything.
Then he caught a faint glimmer of sunlight reflecting off metal, just above the horizon.
His heart beat hard in his chest, the prickling surge of excitement passing through his body. He flipped the folder shut, floating it over with his magic to set among the stack of other papers. “Subtle, I have to go.”
She looked over from the ponies she was speaking with, and flashed a smile. “Good luck.”
He returned the smile. Then his wings snapped up, his hooves pushed off from the balcony, and he flew toward the rapidly growing dot on the horizon.