A couple of weeks ago, an army of changelings invaded Canterlot. While the changelings lost, the city has been plagued by paranoia and uncertainty ever since. Changelings spies are being hunted down, tabloids are causing some serious hysteria, and the Elements of Harmony... well, they went home shortly after the Wedding.
I am from a group well outside of Canterlot, a group that might have a plan for turning this entire situation around. We even scored a meeting with some very powerful ponies. After a few nights of unproductive talks, however... this might be my last chance to prove that I can do this. One last meeting... one last chance to make my case.
You know... no pressure.
Chapters (1)
Well I'm intrigued. Not too sure what the endgame is with those rods, but this was a great story.
5641139 Thanks a ton. I personally have some idea of what may have happened in that meeting but I think that I'll leave you guys to ponder that on your own.
So, I think I count at least four Changelings overall.
5641368 Four?
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Just a hunch, but Changeling 1 diguised as Gentry, Changeling 2 also disguised as Gentry, Sky-Leaper, who was nervous about touching the rod until it turned out it didn't work on him and wanted to form a connection with Mark, and Mark himself, whose name actually spells out Imposter and who also was nervous about touching the rod.
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5641368 At least that many.
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Hm. I wonder who I've missed, then.
5643259 Huh; never thought of it that way...
5643264 And we have Word of God on the matter! Though I wonder if "Mark" was a genuine turncoat 'ling; or just scared of the Princesses' wrath and hoped his "traitorous" scheme would end in them being merciful (assuming he IS even a Changeling, that is.)
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Are we counting the Oaks twins as well? (Get it? Hoax!)
5645560 Points to Nemo for finding another one! Still more out there, though!
...ok, so everyone is a changeling, except the elevator, have I got that right?
5653610 Now you're thinking with
portalschangelings. As it makes up a relatively small portion of the overall mystery (and to help redirect paranoia), I guess that I could tell you guys that you have yet to point out between one and three remaining changelings.5654970
The entire population of Hollow Shades is actually a third hive.
5655807 That... huh. We're actually reaching the point in theorizing where things may actually be a bit ambiguous. While you are certainly on the right track to finding the remaining ones, I don't think that I'm going to comment on that full theory.
Actually, now that I think about it... you guys might have enough info to start theorizing on what... you know... actually happened in that meeting.
This comment is possibly a few weeks too late, but since we're identifying probable changelings: First off, Doctor F. Ache follows the pattern set by M. Poster and the Oaks. But seeing as Fancy Pants helps with the deception (I'm assuming a doctor can't go for that many years with the name 'Fake' yet Fancy's known him for a long time), is Fancy also a changeling? That would also explain how the doctor's work reads like another language which Fancy happens to read; did Ache happen to mistakenly write in Changeling instead of Equestrian?
On an unrelated note, I'm glad I finally got to this on my read-later list. It was a great read.
6132799 It's a bit late but I always pay attention to my previous work if someone decides to comment.
While I hesitate to comment on your particular theory one way or the other (where's the fun in that?), I will say that my unofficial name for this story is "Fun with Names: The Mystery"
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Ferrous Rod is clearly a F. Rod.
People have pointed to Sky-Leaper as a changeling, but no one seems to have mentioned that his name gives him away as a S. Leaper agent.
Whoever named the Auld Gentry identity also could have picked a name that didn't scream A. Gent. so hard.
As for things that aren't names, it's kind of weird how Warden claims that M. Poster mentioned having a prototype. I don't see anywhere that M. Poster brings up the prototype before that point, suggesting that Warden is involved with whatever shadowy enterprise M. Poster is part of.
Ok. Time for me to try:
(Please disregard the fact that I'm 5 years late.)
Ferrous Rod = F. Rod = Fraud
M. Poster = Imposter
Auld Gentry = A. Gent-ry = Agent
Sky-Leaper = S. Leaper = Sleeper
Holly / Holm Oaks = H. Oaks = Hoax
Dr. Finnegan Ache = F. Ache = Fake
The unnamed Changeling.
Fancy Pants, as he knew Ache, deciphered the message and was against testing the rod on the members of the order.
I'm actually not quite sure about Sapphire Shores. She was rather quick to calm Sky-Leaper when he didn't want to use the rod. It's possible that she already figured out that it didn't work and therefore was confident to use it on herself while Leaper almost gave himself away by not wanting to use it. Both have fans so both have ponies that love them so the is food. Also she brought him into the order in the first place. And both were equally surprised when the rod did "work" on Gentry.
My favorite however is our beet-red receptionist named "-R-I-N-G" = Red HerRING. So she is likely a pony.
As to what happened in that meeting is imo:
The changelings from Hollow Shade try to push a fake changeling detector with a seal of approval of the big names in Canterlot. When Warden brings in the changeling, s/he helps to remove doubts about the functionality by telling the other changelings in the room that one had to sacrifice themself for the greater good while at the same time possibly opening a gate for that changeling to become the traitor that doesn't work with the changelings and instead with the ponies. Gentry takes the hit but not before assuring himself that this plan will work by staight up asking Poster that exact question. After that there is no doubt that the rod works. If that thing goes into large production and is trusted around Equestria than Changelings will be safe everywhere they go in the nation while the nation produces useless iron rods. If an occasional changeling "gets caught" by them those things might catch on internationally. Medium risk high reward plan. I approve.
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Glad that people are still reading after all of this time.
As for your guess, you're 95% of the way there. The remaining details are largely inconsequential, though I will note that Finnegan's "code" is just a riff of of inscrutable doctor "chicken-scratch" and the similarly inscrutable book, Finnigan's Wake