Chapter Ten
Deceptions
A seemingly straight-forward chapter,
containing a number of ethically questionable actions
and implicit moral conundrums.
June 19th - 22nd, 1012
Stone Town, Zanzebra, and onboard Nebula,
on course for Saddle Arabia
The Grand Market was a very different place in the evening. Gone were the vegetable stalls and bulky everyday items. The booksellers were closed, as one might expect. The little cafes were still open, but they served items more suited to leisurely meals, rather than the grab-and-go food of the daylight hours. There were more jewelers and many merchants that sold candles and beautiful pierced metal lanterns. Luxuries rather than necessities seemed to be the main focus, and everypony moved at a much more relaxed pace.
I bought a fruit sherbert at a little cart and stood eating it and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. There was magic all around me, of course. Most was of the mundane sort that enhanced or eased the use of some trivial object, but there were a few little ripples that promised something more intriguing.
I finished my sherbert and wandered off toward one of the strongest traces, opening my magical perception until I could feel the presence of the mechanisms of earth and firmament. The silk-and-ribbon-draped stall that attracted me was decorated with innumerable variations on the theme of hearts, and there were several signs tacked to the poles supporting the silk canopy that read, "Love Potions" in various languages.
The proprietors were two beautiful Saddle Arabian mares, dressed in superb woven halters and brocade saddles, all of which were positively dripping with fine jewelry. They nickered a welcome as I approached, and greeted me in flawless Equuish.
"Good evening, gracious lady! What brings you to our humble shop?" said the first.
"Surely, a mare as amazingly beautiful as yourself cannot be in need of our wares!" said the second.
My magical disguise had not been designed to enhance my appearance in any way, and made me look quite thick through the barrel in order to compensate for the physical bulk of my wings. I knew for a fact that I was covered in dust and that the sweaty utility vest I wore did nothing to improve my looks, but this sort of unbelievable flattery was as common as a "hello" in Zanzebra.
I certainly didn't need any of their potions, but I was interested in the product in an academic way, so I chatted with the mares for a while. They described the effects in glowing hyperbolic language that was unfortunately short on details. I bought one called "The Dawn of Passion" with the intent of analyzing it later and gave it a little pulse of probing magic as I was putting it away in a pocket of my vest.
The magic was familiar. I couldn't place it at first, but it wasn't the sort that Zecora commonly used or that I had encountered in the few days we had been in Stone Town. It also gave me an immediate negative reaction.
I scanned the stall again, fully opening my magical sight, and everything fell into place.
I suppose my shock must have been entirely obvious to the faux Saddle Arabians, because they both went wide-eyed and stiff with surprise and fear. One took a step backwards, and I knew they were seconds away from fleeing.
"I won't give you away," I said quietly.
They glanced at each other and one said, "No. You won't."
I reflexively brought up a small shield spell before my conscious mind was aware I was being attacked. The bottle that one of the changelings threw at me shattered on the bubble of force and burst into greenish dripping fire.
There were gasps and cries of alarm from the nearby crowd. I inverted the shield, encapsulating the fire, and then hardened and expanded it quickly. The lowering of pressure and temperature extinguished the roiling green flames, but the sight of a suddenly appearing fire transforming into a large hovering sphere of smoke was far from a calming one and the crowd around the stall edged toward panic.
I flung the shield and the black, oily smoke it contained upward into the darkening sky. When it had gotten a dozen furlongs of height, I dismissed the shield. The inrush of air made a loud pop, and the smoke burst out into a ragged star shape that slowly dispersed on the wind.
"Magic show!" I said, improvising like mad in the trade pidgin I had only just learned. "Tonight big show here! Come, all-time! See Great and Powerful Trixie! Bring big money, yes!"
The panicked expressions of most of the crowd turned to disgust and not a little anger.
"Stupid pony!" a water buffalo bellowed into my face before stomping off.
When I could turn my attention to the love potion booth again it was, of course, empty. I opened my magical sense as much as possible, but the changelings had both speed and the confusing magical chaos of the market in their favor. I couldn't trace them.
But I could rummage through what they had left behind.
I made my way behind the market stalls, and when I found a little niche that afforded me privacy, I removed my disguise amulet and cast a spell that made me into a pretty fair copy of one of the Saddle Arabian mares. I returned to the stall, ignoring some inquisitive glances from the merchants to either side, and began to slowly, thoroughly, and unobtrusively ransack the place.
I had just stuffed a promising-looking bundle of papers into my vest when I had my first customer. He was a rather scrawny zebra, barely more than a colt, nervously gripping a coin pouch in his teeth.
"We are closed, now," I said in Zebrish.
He set the pouch down on the counter and pulled it open. "But you promised! Look. I have brought the money, as you asked!" There were a great many gold coins inside.
"Yes," I said, thinking frantically, "but I… I am a liar! You are a fool and I only used you to… to further my scheme to overthrow the Caliph! Ha ha!"[1]
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[1] I don't think I pulled of the evil laugh as well as I might have, but I certainly proved that reading pulp adventure novels could be educational in a very useful way.
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The young zebra gasped and backed away. Then he darted forward again and snatched up his money. He ran off trying to call for the guards.
"Don't shout with your mouth full!" I called after him.
I hurriedly gathered up a couple of other items, broke the rest of the bottles in the shop, and backed out of the stall. As soon as possible, I resumed my Blackmane disguise and headed back to the mooring tower. There was no time to try to expose the changelings, even if I could get the local authorities to believe me. But I had wrecked their cover identities, and I would have to be satisfied with that for the moment.
In the street that led to the tower, just before the big stone customs house, a zebra mare stepped into my path and bowed slightly.
I was alert and brought up my magic immediately. It was a changeling, but the bow puzzled me and I held back for a moment.
"Pardon me, Your Majesty," she said softly in Equuish, "May I speak with you for a moment?"
I expanded my magical sense and scanned the surrounding buildings and streets. There were no other changelings within my range, so the encounter was unlikely to be the prelude to an ambush. I nevertheless readied a teleport spell and held the penultimate configuration in my mind before I replied.
"Why did you call me that?"
"I was curious about a pony that could penetrate a changeling disguise. I observed you changing your form in the market after you scared off the love peddlers, and recognized you, Princess."
"I see. And you aren't… with those other changelings?"
"No, ma'am." She grinned. "I was keeping track of their activities for my queen. My next report will be a very interesting one, I think."
Things began to click into place. "You're one of Csharreee's."
She nodded. "I am honored to serve Her Most Glorious Majesty."
"Well, you know who I am. Could you tell me your name?"
"Khaatarrekket, ma'am."
Yikes! "I… I'm not sure I can pronounce that correctly. Would you mind if I just called you 'Ket' for now?"
"Not at all, ma'am."
"Well then, Ket, if this isn't an ambush or something along those lines, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Your amusing stunt in the market has caused more uproar than I think you know. The Zanzebrans aren't fools. They know about changelings, so they will be doing a very thorough search of the city for individuals of my kind. Unfortunately, they've got zebras who are very good at that sort of thing."
I could see where this was going. "And you think they might not believe that you weren't involved in whatever those other two were up to?"
"Attempting to overthrow the Caliph, I think you said?" Her smile was just a bit infectious. "It really doesn't matter, because the waganga won't bother to ask questions if they catch me."
"And you want a quick way out of town, is that it?" I suppressed my urge to grin back at her and reminded myself that she was a shape-changing agent of a foreign government, spying in a foreign land. Not exactly the sort of person I felt safe trusting aboard my airship.
She sensed my hesitation. "The next ship scheduled to leave port after yours will be two days from now. Without your help, there's a good chance I will be dead by tomorrow night."
I frowned. No, there was no way I could justify leaving her to be killed, but I didn't like feeling I had been maneuvered into helping her escape.
"Her Majesty has always spoken very highly of you…"
"Yes, yes, of course I'll take you," I grumbled. "But, when we get aboard and somewhere private, you're going to drop your disguise, and if your eye color doesn't match Csharreee's, I'm throwing you overboard." I pushed past her, ignoring her words of thanks, and trotted for the mooring tower.
= = =
Ket made a special effort to be useful and friendly on the run north for Saddle Arabia. She resumed her zebra disguise and only the girls were aware that she was a changeling. It made most of them uneasy at first, and only Pinkie Pie really relaxed around her. Ket assured me she would be able to last out the voyage without (mis)using any of my crew for "food," but it turned out that she got a fair bit of nourishment from an unexpected source.
Sailing over land was more difficult than over the ocean but Fluttershy wanted to do it as much as possible. To "get to know Nebula better," she said. We were in no great hurry, and it was good experience for me as well, so I agreed. According to Lee Helm, we made pretty fair time. Rainbow Dash helped out by scouting ahead for thermals and crosswinds between naps. There was always a mongoose, parrot, monkey, iguana, or somesuch on Fluttershy's shoulder when she was at the wheel, but her menagerie was so large that they really needed somepony else to help take care of them. Ket was the one who volunteered.
She fed and groomed them. She spent quite a bit of time playing with each of them. She gave them attention and affection, and they couldn't help but return it.
"I reckon, if the critters like her, she can't be that bad," Applejack said as she watched a mongoose play hide-and-seek through the faux zebra's bristly mane.
When I asked Ket to elaborate on her mission in Zebrica, she flat-out refused. She was deferential and polite about it, but she was adamant. "If I receive orders from Queen Csharreee to give you that information, I will do so without hesitation. But until then, I cannot do so in good conscience. I'm sure you understand."
I was a bit miffed at being lectured about espionage ethics by a shape-changing parasite, but as Khaatarrekket[2] was an agent of the good changeling queen, and I couldn't help but admire her for sticking to her principles, I accepted it with as much grace as possible.
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[2] It took me over an hour of practice to be able to say her name correctly. "Khaa-tar-REK-ket", said about as fast and "clicky" as I could manage, seemed to satisfy her.
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= = =
Almost every evening, after the crew finished their supper and the night watch had taken over, ponies would gather on the main deck to play music, sing, and swap stories.
Ket just sat and watched the party for the first two nights, but on the third night she joined in. During a spirited rendition of "Cider Before Breakfast," she rose, stepped onto the hatch cover, and began to tap out a matching rhythm with her hooves. She started with her fore hooves, and then brought in her rear ones in syncopation. The hatch acted like a drum and amplified her hoof falls so that I could feel the beat all the way up on the quarterdeck. The crew were delighted and the musicians ran through the song twice. Then they demanded that Ket drum for several more songs, until she finally had to sit down and rest.
Each night thereafter she joined in, and sometimes told humorous stories of life in Zanzebra as well. She was very convincing, and if I hadn't known better, I would never have suspected that she wasn't a real Zebrican native.
One night after the party broke up, I pulled her aside and had a quiet word with her.
"The crew have gotten very fond of you," I said.
"Yes, that is so," she agreed. "They are a very nice and welcoming group of ponies."
"I would be convinced that you've become friends with some of them, except for one thing."
Ket lost her slight, pleasant smile. I suppose my tone of voice gave me away. "Captain?"
"I know what effect friendship has on changelings, and you aren't having any trouble holding your disguise at all. Do you understand why that worries me a bit?"
Ket gave a sharp exhalation in relief. "Ah, yes. I understand your concern. I do truly think of myself as a friend to many of your crew, and the reason I am not subsumed is that I carry a charm against the effect." Her grin returned. "I will make a Pinkie Promise of my truthfulness, if that will ease your mind."
"What?" I had once promised Chrysalis to look into creating such a spell, but she had decided to do without my help. "Who developed that charm?"
Ket hesitated, no doubt weighing her perceived duty to her queen.
"Nevermind," I said. "Just tell me one thing. Does Chrysalis know about this spell?"
Ket nodded. "All of the false queen's agents in Zebrica carry such charms, though I don't know why they bother. They are not friendly sorts."
That brought up another question, and as long as Ket was being forthcoming, I continued my questioning. "All her agents? Does she have that many on this side of the ocean? The last time I checked, Chrysalis had less than a hundred followers left."
Khaatarrekket frowned and looked away. I thought for a moment she wasn't going to answer, but then she turned back to me, licked her lips and said, "Then, you must be unaware of the new hive Chrysalis has created beneath the Smokey Mountains."
= = =
=
Dun dun dunnn!
Read the title as "The Twilight Enema".
Would have preferred that tbh.
Well now. That's a development. :)
Lol, Twilight accidentally got revenge on Trixie.
Even if it won't come to bite Trixie in the ass for some time...
...or possibly never, depending on her willingness to travel abroad.
Edit: Twilight + Love Potion + Luna = Oh, my~
Oh Twilight. You've never been good at intrigue, aren't you.
I would have thought Celestia at least taught you about it.
Oh Chrissie, Chrissie, Chrissie! You just couldn't leave well enough alone could you? You had Bluey and a position in Canterlot society far more powerful than you could ever have as the queen of an aggressor nation. Yet still... still... you had to make this a war, didn't you?
I'm only slightly disappointed that the salesmares weren't Flim and Flam in drag, and the Trixie crack more than made up for it.
Chrysalis: Now in trouble.
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She doesn't do "cloak and dagger", she does "cloak and sledgehammer"
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That mental image has left me in stitches
All i can say is poor trixie.
Change!!
Your chapter was amazing, as always.
Thank you. Thank you for always being a bright spot to come back to.
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You're very welcome!
Oh jeez, it's been so long. I didn't even know this existed for real for two months.
Hahah, in your face, Starbutt. Nobody keeps a good changeling Queen down and you foolishly thought your 'accidental' dethroning of Chryssie would last.
Oooooh, so Chryssie can now remain immortal and be with Blueblood, nice.
Also, Twilight kind of disgusts me on this chapter. She steals from the changelings, who weren't really doing anything wrong, destroys their property and pretty much sentences all changelings in the city to death by pinning an imaginary coup on them. And she seems HAPPY about it! The fuck? And she also considers any changelings outside of the hive of the Queen she created unworthy of help. That's sick, I hope she gets her comeuppance.
Well, given she found some changelings, that title seems obvious.
These really are getting better. So, given this whole story is basically Twilight making morally questionable actions with implicit moral conundrums she is ignoring..... Also "Seemingly" Yeah I noticed that. I have been a DM for years, I know all about specific wording.
Whelp, no reason for Twi to be there then, time to head back to the ship.
Well, it's cooler, done with the workday, and likely most of the tourists are off doing other things.
Ah, Twi's looking for anything fun and... yeah I can totally see her both doing this, and able to do this.
Healing factor that lets her recover from anything that doesn't kill her. Opening magical senses, Hero willing to do morally questionable things if they truly believe they are in the right and still mean well, if not fully thinking through consequences.... when did she switch from channeling Littlepip to Harry Dresden?
So is this like, going to become her 'thing' like Luna and Celestia control the Sun and Moon, is she going to be the one in charge of maintaining the Wheel of the Earth? Or well Equiis? Not saying I think it WILL happen, but I could definitely see it.
Because where else would you expect a Changeling to set up shop?
I love when stories remember to treat them like EQUINES, not just humans in odd shapes.
Just normal flattery, or she decide to go extra sexy with her illusion spell?
And figured it was the first option.
See this is what that last 1012 chapter needed, more stuff like this, that sets the scene, expands the setting, gives this a more real feel to it.
Meaning they know how to talk people into stuff without actually explaining anything. These two are pros.
Well, this COULD have gone easy on you two... but nooo you just HAD to do it the hard way.
Glad to see you didn't let those reflexes fade away, then again after as much as you've dealt with, why would you?
Ohhhh pretty!
Nice save Twi... now have you actually put any ranks in Bluff to sell that? And what have those two been doing all this time?
........ And the real joke, Trixie shows up the next day on a world wide tour. But, very nice save Twilight.
Well they didn't quite buy it, but at least they just think you are an idiot, not about to burn down their market.
So they bolted, well sure she's got some trick to track them down in her horn.
Huh, no she can't... well..... buck. Still they here as spies, or, just, two changelings trying to do their own thing in the world?
.......................... How... Twilight..how.... I mean yes, Nightmare Twilight was cheesy but this.... this... Please tell me you put some work into your speeches before taking up a carrier as a sky pirate......
Guards, there this crazy mare back there, I think she needs a nice padded room!
Wait, you are ALREADY calling yourself 'Blackmane'? Why? Why would you START with a name that just scream "PIRATE!" before deciding to fully be one?
So, no Ket? Or is that still coming later? Still, hope we find out more about what is going on.... And I would count doing this with no idea what is going on rather "Morally questionable" they really might have been two, mostly, honest Changelings just trying to get by and you ruined their lives. Granted their response could have been better, but maybe they were just terrified? And yes I am seeing this as another piece in the grand pattern of Twilight Sparkle not realizing.. she is not in the right to do whatever she wants, just because she is Twilight Sparkle. And I do love how the story is doing it, just, tiny things, subtle, but there if you are looking for them. If I didn't know her learning a lesson about this was likely one of the places the story was going, I might just chalk it up to Protagonist Centered Morality.
Ooooookay, well, this is... interesting. Changeling pulling a trick, or somepony that knows what she did and wants to thank her or, just something unrelated?
Double So, maybe those two are from Chryssi's group and this one from Chessaree's? Here to keep an eye on them and showing respect to her Queen's good friend? Wait. disguise.. how would she know?
Ooookay so she does know, well changelings are likely used to paying attention to more then just looks alone, body language etc... Or maybe able to better look past illusions like that?
Ah, and of course it is the simplest explanation.
Well saw that one coming.
HEY! Hi Khet! So, at least one member of her crew knows who she really is. And wow, he's been with her for quite some time. But not even becoming friends with her or any of the crew? that's kind of sad.
Likely whatever those other two are up to.
Oh.... orrrrr, just wants a lift out of town, and just kind of ends up sticking around then? that works too. Twi is the one who kind of screwed things up for him.
Such great thinking there on that one Twilight.
Or an 'agent' of your friend who needs a bit of help, and was only here keeping an eye on agents of someone else who is most certainly NOT your friend. It's all in how you look at it, and you ARE responsible for this mess. Wow Twi, that quick to forget Changelings aren't all evil selfish bug monsters?
See normally I would approve of you being cautious, but not like this. This is just being a dick.
.............. Well on the one hoof, good for you, on the other... OHHH I'm seeing the real issue, this is more on her lack of feeling in control of her own life, and so that fact that she even THINKS the Changeling is trying to get her to do this and 'maneuver' her into something, no matter if it is something she would agree to do or not, makes her want to resist, simply out of a stubborn need to not let anyone else have control of her. So yes I really am seeing the pattern here and really hope this is going where I think it is.
She just needs to be reminded not to let her stiff necked control freak issues get the better of her better nature.
Well, fair enough precaution, but not really much of a threat to something that can fly. Though that is likely the whole point and only reason she said it. So, after long enough serving her, will his eyes be changing to purple? And Twilight, no reason to be a bitch about it.
And we know he succeeds.
Wait, 'she'.... for some reason I always thought Key was a 'he'...... how does that work with Changelings?
Well of course Pinkie but, why would the rest be uneasy after all this time? They know they aren't all evil, have likely met more of them, why would just the fact Ket is a changeling be making them uneasy? I mean I hate to pull the 'race' card but, these stories really seem to have it out for the poor things. One of the things I just, cannot get around to not being uncomfortable with through the entire series. I like the individual portrayal, but so many other things seem to be made just to make sure Changelings never don't get screwed somehow.
Okay, and Twilight are you forgetting that WHOLE thing you did where you learned it is perfectly easy for a changeling to 'feed' from ponies without harming them in the slightest? Seriously, it's like everything she's done with and learned about the Changelings has gone away aside from all the negative stuff regarding Chyssi and the wedding. Why do you hate the poor little bug ponies so much story?
If it's by making friends with somepony I am going to scream at you for calling it 'unexpected' Twilight.
Odder wind currents, and no keel stabilizing spell?
Okay, that's a yes on the winds.
So I'm guessing nopony was able to keep her to that "No more then her weight limit? Or was that just a "Per day" type deal?
Okay, if he's able to feed off emotion of attachment from animals.. THAT would really be surprising.
Or you know, not AT all bad. Seriously what the buck girls, this is just being assholes at this point. YOU KNOW! That there is nothing innately wrong with Changelings at all. The issues were with CHRYSALIS not her children. Or i it because she hasn't become a 'proper' pony and gone out to 'make friends' and utterly surrender who and what she is for the sake of fitting into pony society that makes her suspicious? Hey RD, what would you say to learning you had to have your wings amputated or forever be ostracized and excluded from pony society and looked at with suspicion? Rarity, Twilight, same for your horns. Same exact deal with the Changelings. And yes I am ranting right now, sorry but this aspect just bugs the hell out of me that Changelings are both treated this badly all the time, while the story made such a big deal about making sure we knew they are all individuals able to be anything they wanted and no different from ponies. Yet then treats them so much more different and with so little respect. And now this, from the ponies who should KNOW BETTER THEN TO BE BUCKING RACIST ASSHOLES! Sorry, Speciesist assholes.
Oh no how DARE she actually, you know have integrity, be polite, but follow the orders of the one she is sworn to serve, while doing EVERYTHING she possibly can to help you out besides that. Or is this just Twi being pissy over not getting her way on every, little, tiny detail? Or just annoyed at her for daring to follow anyone elses orders? Only the great high master Twilight can ever be the one to tell others what to do? And wow I'm getting bitter.. sorry. But yeah I am not liking the way they are treating Ket at ALL, especially after all the shit the Changelings have been put through this series.
Gee Twilight, way the buck to have faith in your friend. I'm sure she would be SO glad to here how confident you are about her. So, what was with the being so desperate to save her life, and trying to comfort her while she was possibly dying? Only there because you thought maybe she'd get to be a 'real' pony instead of the evil little bug she is now? Would you have even bothered if you knew it wouldn't make her a 'real pony' or just let her die? One less untrustable insect in the world after all. And yes that is how freaking bad she is coming off to me right now
You know all the stuff Twi has done so far, all the morally questionable decisions, all the bouts of illogical she does not see as illogical, I am fine with, I know she's in the wrong.. or at least not as right as she thinks she is, but I can understand where she is coming from, see the flaw and see where it can be fixed, and also see the greater pain that is driving her to this. But here? With Ket, and now Cscharee... here, she is just being an ungrateful, bigoted, distrustful, little bitch.
Because you are overly suspicious for little good reason and also being a paranoid nut?
About time.. though feels more like a cheap and easy way to get around a rather..... unsettling and disturbing and, not all that well done or likable worldbuilding issue (Yes I still really really dislike the way that worked, more for the implications). But hey at least now they have a way to not be either pariahs or give up who and what they are to make others happy. Well assuming more ponies aren't bigots like Twilight that will only trust 'real' ponies and not bugs.
Never hurst to be safe. Also, so what is Chyssi's interest in this place? Seeking to expand a bit? Get another kingdom of her own? There as some ploy to help Blueblood out? Or just, keeping her eyes out for anything of use? But how many agents could she have? She left with a very reduced swarm.. unless she's breeding up more.
And if Twi is addressing this.....
Yup... now her HER you have every single right to be suspicious of, but that's because she personally has made it clear, she is not to be trusted. So, how bad is Cheese Legs going to play into things and fuck shit up? Just for the sake of screwing thing up? That is quite the reveal but, how did Twilight not know this? You HAVE to know Celestia and Luna would be keeping an eye on her, I can't see them trusting her either, and why would they not tell Twilight, given the personal issues between the two? Or is Chryssi THAT good at hiding that this is the first time anypony heard of it? What about Blueblood, wouldn't hiding something like this be potential treason?
Okay so yeah ranted a bit but, I just really really REALLY do not like Twi's attitude here, and unlike the rest of the story, this I can't justify and see how, yes she is wrong, but for understandable reasons, she just comes off like a bigoted bitch. And, a fucking pathetic excuse for a friend with how quick she is to distrust and totally forget she ever was friends with Csharee. Also, so all we need to keep Changeling perfectly healthy and fed is give each of them a puppy? Yeah story is keeping up it's track record of making me very very uncomfortable with the implications around how it treats changelings.
7122360 I am with you, this is just.. disgusting in how bad she was and such a bitch.
The raiding their stuff and tossing them to the zebras I can see as being part of the larger issue of her learning, she is not the absolute arbiter of right and wrong who is morally right in whatever she is doing by being such. Part of her larger arc that this whole story seems to be about addressing. They did attack her first after all. it's the way she and the others aside from Pinkie treat Ket and her comments about her 'friend' Csharee that has me wanting to smack her upside the head for being such a bucking asshole for no good reason.
Poor Trixie.
Oh hey, it's Ket.
Convenient!
Well, that's good to know about.
On the topic of subtle character development, I feel like Twilight's rampage against the love potions is a reaction to the Nightmare's manipulation. Why would she want the things lying around after spending so much time falsely loving Luna (even if that did wind up becoming real)? The potion may or may not be real -- Twilight's testing it is both nicely in character and makes quite a bit of sense -- but we know that the magic exists in Equestria, even if it's not particularly refined. If Chrysalis's changelings are using love potions to harness prey, they have a very easy means of farming food for the growing Smokey Mountains hive; following that train of thought, I'm guessing cocoons aren't the magical love pods here that many authors make them. Being able to overcome that is scary.
7233458 (Sorry for this response being so long after your post)
Especially given her experience in the World Mechanism. Yeah, Celestia and Luna went there to trap the Red Queen, but Twilight probably studied it even beyond what was strictly necessary to realize she needed help escaping. Admittedly, after double-checking the name of the place used in The Luna Cypher, the connection's a bit more obvious -- I originally took the wording here to just be a poetic description (though then again, why would Twilight be poetic).
I'm wanting to write a fic around this, now. Not sure what it would be about, but something philosophical featuring a Twilight who's taken on the mantle of the world itself seems like it could be quite interesting.
Edit: Well, it was called the World Mechanism in the chapter I looked at. "Wheel of the World" loses some of the parallelism.
>Yes, Twilight sunk Trixie's Zebrican tour before it could even get started!
Does that make her Inconvenient Twilight?
Everybody wants a water buffalo~
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Yours is fast but mine is slow.
This sounds like such a lovely place, and magnificent world building. I'm honestly not sure which I like more; these more leisurely "explore the big city in a foreign land" chapters or the action/mystery/suspenseful ones!
LOL okay this was great!
Twi... What are you doing? It's interesting to see Changelings here, though! And I see this is also our introduction to Ket. Quite the situation Twilight has accidentally put her in...
Still a bit harsh on the older Changelings I see. I'm eager to see how this develops overtime.
Oh shi-!
I'm honestly very interested in Twilight's relationships/reactions to the Changelings... Thinking back on it, I would have expected a bit more progress from her on that front. Or at least, not as sharp a reaction to the ones she unmasked. I hope she's able to get past this. Skimming the comments, I see someone mentioned the Nightmare... I almost forgot about the potential influence there, given how neatly wrapped up *The Luna Cypher* was, but I guess Twi still has the Nightmare's powers, and there's that whole amulet containment business... Very interesting...
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The nighttime market is pretty much faithfully described as a combo of a couple of the ones I've had the good fortune to visit. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend them, particularly if you take a partner... very romantic!
As for the changelings, there's a scene coming up later that I think you'll appreciate.
False Queen Chrysalis?
Big talk from an usurper who never earned the queen title legit.
Kinda hope Ches or whatever her name is gets her shit kicked in, now
~Skeeter The Lurker