Pony Persona

by Everace

12 - Turbulent Tides

The sun was still fairly high in the sky when they got back to Ponyville; Piv estimated it to be late afternoon. The town was bustling with the usual activity as ponies went about their daily business. Strangely, more than one random pony caught his eye and gave him sly little signals as he and Veil passed. A wink here, a devilish grin there. Was there something he was supposed to be in on?

The answer became apparent when he caught site of Bon Bon passing along another street. Not really Bon Bon of course, but Piv's sister Meta who had replaced her. His sister took one look at him walking alongside Veil, and her lips curved up into a little smile. That was all the acknowledgement she gave her sibling, as the shapeshifter then turned and continued on her way at a leisurely pace. How many of his family had moved in to Ponyville already, he wondered?

"Something on your mind?" Veil spoke up for the first time since they'd left the silver root patch. She followed his gaze. "Oh, that's right! Bon Bon was looking for you just yesterday. Did she manage to find you?"

"Y-yeah." Piv certainly didn't want to explain that one in detail, and quickly began trying to think of a new topic. He was rescued when a new pony called out a greeting and trotted over to meet them. As the distracted Piv focused on the newcomer, he immediately recognized the unicorn Twilight Sparkle from his dream. AAAUUUH~! Piv winced in pain as The Voice screamed within him, pulsing feelings of anger and fear.

"Hi, guys! I... hey, are you all right?" Twilight broke off as she noticed Piv's reaction. Veil's brow scrunched worriedly as she put a hoof across his forehead to take his temperature.

Piv waved away their concerns with a forced little laugh. "Sorry, I'm just tired is all." He grasped for a reason and one came to him. "I think I used up too much energy trying to fight those Timberwolves."

Veil nodded as she took her hoof away, apparently finding his temperature to be normal, but Twilight's reaction was quite different. "Timberwolves?!" Her eyes widened with alarm, but examining the both of them calmed her down again. "Well you don't look hurt. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised if Veil was there with you." Her tone became thoughtful, "Does this mean you've been to see Zecora?"

Veil confirmed this and relayed their earlier adventures in the Everfree Forest. Meanwhile Piv simply did his best to return Twilight's smile, though it wasn't easy. The Voice had quieted, but it was still oozing dread and fury. When Veil had finished, Twilight seemed discouraged. "I suppose that means you don't need me to examine him anymore. Unless you want a second opinion?" Hope colored her voice over the last bit.

Although The Voice did not form anything so coherent as a word, it's response within him could be clearly interpreted as a resounding NO. Piv tried for a gentler expression out loud, "Sorry, Twilight. I think Zecora has things well taken care of."

"I see." Her face fell, but only for a moment. Stern determination replaced her chagrin, "No. No, actually I don't see!" She declared fiercely, "Pivotal Pledge, I think you've been avoiding me and I want to know why!"

At a loss, Piv turned to Veil for help. He was disappointed when instead she frowned, "Actually, I'd like to hear your reason for this too." She admitted reluctantly. "It's been nothing but frustrating for me, you know."

His mouth fell open; he had not expected Veil to take Twilight's side. Piv felt his breath come more quickly as he realized the two mares had trapped him with their direct questioning. "I..." Nothing came. What reasonable explanation could he offer without telling them about The Voice? He took a step back and sat in the middle of the dirt street, heavy with the weight of defeat. "...sorry." He lowered his head, having nothing else to say. This was it. So soon after he'd finally had hope of living in Ponyville peacefully, he'd slipped up. It was all going to unravel.

"Oh... oh, hey..." Twilight's voice. Was that concern in her tone? A hoof touched his shoulder, "Piv, I'm sorry." He raised his head and was surprised to find her looking down at him with a gentle smile. "I guess sometimes I forget that for ponies who don't know me very well, my reputation can be a bit... ah..." She blushed, unable to find the right word.

Veil caught on to this line of reasoning, "Twilight Sparkle, who defeated Nightmare Moon, recovered the Elements of Harmony, thwarted Discord, and vanquished a changeling army." She recited throwing a playful glance at the now more deeply blushing unicorn.

"Oh go on! My friends made all those things possible, and that last one wasn't even us! It was Cadence and Shining Armor who expelled the changelings!" For some reason this particular topic made him feel that there was something important, just at the edge of his conscious mind, that he couldn't quite recall. He didn't get time to think it over as Twilight went on, "But it's true I don't always remember that my reputation can be a bit intimidating since I live here with ponies who have known me since I moved to Ponyville."

Veil nodded ruefully, "That hadn't occurred to me either. To me, Twilight has always been Twilight."

Twilight took him by the hoof and helped him back up. "Piv, I don't want you to be nervous around me. Let me show you that I'm just like anypony else."

Still partly stunned by this miraculous turn of events, Piv only barely managed to murmur, "Of course." In response. How is it that they could show him such care and understanding when he had given them no reason to at all? Ah these beautiful, wonderful mares! Whom he was taking advantage of, he realized with a sudden hard pang of guilt. They trusted him, and it hurt to know that even now he was betraying that trust.

"I know!" Twilight's face lit as she struck upon an idea. "How about I host a little get together? Just us and some friendly faces!"

Veil approved this immediately, "Wonderful!" She nudged him, "We could go together."

Piv honestly didn't know what he wanted just then, but disappointing his two enthusiastic benefactors wasn't on the list. He doggedly ignored the seething objections of The Voice and dipped his head in agreement. "Sure. Sounds great."

---

Back in his now familiar bed, Piv was wary of what sleep might bring him on a night he had so thoroughly displeased The Voice. He had agreed to a pleasant social gathering with a pony he could only describe as its nemesis, now slated to occur the evening of the day after tomorrow, and it had been throbbing with negativity ever since. Even so, the day had been a long one. Fatigue finally overcame him and at last he drifted off.

There was a distant banging sound. Regular, almost rhythmic. He was moving through a darkened corridor towards that banging, listening as it grew louder and louder. A light appeared in front of him, and broadened into a doorway. He walked through to find himself in an upscale pastry shop, though it's furnishings had been mussed and in some cases smashed. As he stepped over a crushed cake box, he spotted her across the room banging against the large display window of the shop. Appearing once again in his original dark form, his phantom self, the personification of The Voice.

The solid window opposed her uncaringly as she slammed her front hooves against it once more, and this time he heard her vent a muted cry of anguish. Piv approached cautiously, careful to keep some space between himself and his doppelganger, and looked outside. It was the streets of Canterlot again, frozen at a different point in time during what he assumed was the same fight as last time. His eyes were drawn to what he intuitively knew was the real Twilight Sparkle, currently using her magic to unmask and stun a fake.

"No!" His other self whispered urgently as she struggled against the glass. "You don't know what you're doing to me! STOP IT!" She punctuated this with a shoulder tackle, which succeeded only in throwing her back and to the floor with the rebounded force of the blow. "You'll tear me apart...!"

Concern finally overcame caution; Piv went to her side and helped her up. "Are you all right?" She didn't seem to notice him at first. "Hey!" He took her by the shoulders and shook her firmly. "Snap out of it!"

Finally she focused on him and seemed to come back from wherever she'd been. Her expression became guarded as she surveyed her surroundings. "Ah, yes." She murmured, pushing him back and turning away from the window. "This is your fault, you know." The creature shot him an angry glare.

"I know." Piv agreed apologetically. "So... what is this, exactly?" The phantom merely continued to glare sullenly. Piv's eyes went back to the scene in the street, still paused exactly as it had been. He gasped when he realized that the particular creature being subdued by Twilight was in fact himself. "Changeling." He said suddenly. "Veil mentioned that Twilight beat an army of changelings. That's us, right? It's what we're called?"

No response. He frowned at his other self, thinking hard. "Meta said changelings don't need to hurt ponies to feed from them. Why were we fighting?" As he spoke, her expression lost some of its anger and grew more wary. Still she declined to answer him. "This fight... was it our doing?"

She looked away, but finally broke her silence, "Don't get distracted. You're doing well with Veil. Just focus on winning her love, and everything will fall into place."

This was not what he wanted to hear. "Veil trusts me. Even though I'm lying to her!"

The changeling cocked her head to one side, her expression unsure. "Yes." She said at last. "That will make things easier."

Anger bubbled up inside him. "Can't you understand how wrong that is!?" He demanded, advancing on her.

She met him with cold determination, giving no ground. "That is how things are. Ponies are food. Try to look at them as anything else, and..." her face suddenly split into a sardonic smile as she chuckled at him, "...and THIS happens." She gestured to the both of them.

Piv disagreed. Strongly. "I want you to leave!" He declared. "Get out of my mind!"

Her eyes hardened. "You misunderstand the situation. You already won, and threw me out. This is as far 'out' as I can get." She lowered her head, spitting her next words bitterly, "Good to know you still reject me, though."

He backed off, confounded by this response. It sounded almost as though he had hurt her. A bit ashamed, Piv thought of a distraction, "...that perfume of Zecora's really did taste amazing." She snorted, but said nothing. A brief few steps brought Piv to the back of a display case, where he found an intact muffin. He regarded it as he spoke, "Why is that, exactly? I've also eaten supposedly good food that tastes like ashes."

Perhaps she was bored, or perhaps she had decided to accept his truce. Either way she raised her head and nodded once, "Yes. When you're feeding strongly, things will taste good to you. When you aren't, ashes."

"Is that how it works for changelings?"

"No, just us." She sighed. "We're a little messed up right now, if you hadn't noticed. Without me you can't sense prey properly, so you needed something else. It was the best workaround I could manage, restricted as I am." She turned her flank to him. "Leave me be a while, would you? And try not to set up any more play dates with that one!" She shot a venomous look out the window to where Twilight was still halted in time.

Piv watched her saunter off into the darkness of his mind. If there was one thing he'd learned tonight, it was the Twilight Sparkle was an important part of whatever had happened to him. Yet as he moved to the window and gazed at the memory it presented to him, Piv wondered not for the first time if he really wanted to find out what that was.

Author's Note:

Comments

[tsaukpaetra]

Yeah, it's tough to resolve cognitive dissonance, especially when it gets so bad you split personalities because of it. Wonder why this case is special...