Pony Persona

by Everace

14 - From Light to Darkness

"So you just left them there in your house?" It was hard to say if she was more astonished or amused, but either way Lyra's breakfast of baked oatcakes had probably gotten cold as she ignored it to give her full attention to Piv's story.

"Yeah... I guess I could have handled that better, considering I have to see them all at the party later today." Piv had been nibbling at his own cakes to keep up the illusion that he needed to eat, but in his present company they were quite bland. Lyra had been quite cheerful about hosting him overnight, but it was clear she only had eyes for the other changeling in the room.

His sister Meta, in the form of Bon Bon, smiled idly at him from her spot across the little dining table. Her breakfast had already been devoured despite the fact that she didn't require food any more than Piv did. "It's great that you felt comfortable enough to come here. We were having a sleep-over anyway, so it turned things into a sort of slumber party! I'm surprised you didn't go to Veil instead, though." She commented, an underlying concern shadowing her eyes despite her nonchalant tone.

"Ah, Veil." Piv looked away. He couldn't go to her while he was still trying to figure out what to do about his identity problem, and he couldn't say anything about that with Lyra in the room. "There's no problem between us, but it would have been too strange to spend the night at her place so soon after all that's happened."

"Oh, for sure!" Lyra nodded her agreement as she finally bit into an oatcake, but frowned as she chewed. "S'cuse me." She rose and took her nearly untouched breakfast back into the kitchen, presumably to reheat it.

With the only genuine pony out of the room, Meta took the opportunity to lean in close for a whisper, "That can't be the real reason. What's going on?"

The wayward changeling felt his shoulders hunch uncomfortably under his sister's scrutiny. He pushed his remaining cake slowly across his plate as he considered his response. "Well, you're here with Lyra. Do you ever feel bad about lying to her?"

His sister just stared at him. "What?"

Piv sighed in frustration, recognizing the same blank look The Voice had given him when he tried to get it to understand how he was feeling about this. "Nevermind, and don't worry. I'll figure it out."

She didn't seem convinced, but didn't press him about it. Instead she changed the subject entirely, "Hey, about this party of Twlight's... can you make sure it runs late?"

"What? Why?"

A smirk appeared on her face and she gave him a knowing wink, "I've got something special planned!"

Lyra returned before he could inquire further, and the conversation turned to news and pleasantries. Before long breakfast was done, and he was on his way out the door as he thanked them again for their hospitality. Something special? He thought, Should be fun!

---

That evening a reluctant Piv found himself standing outside Veil's home. He'd agreed to go with her, so there was no avoiding this one. Putting his misgivings aside and marshaling his courage, he raised his hoof and knocked.

The door opened to reveal Veil as he'd never seen her before. A charming emerald dress flowed smoothly with the lines of her body, the color providing a startling contrast to the more humble tones of her beige coat. Her silver mane, normally compressed into a business-like bun, had been loosed in lustrous waves that reminded him of moonlight streaming down onto peaceful meadow. His mouth fell open, but his brain had no words. Aside from just one, "Wow."

This earned him a happy grin and a faint blush. "I actually think I overdid it a little, but it's worth it to get a reaction like that!" She giggled at him as an answering smile spread on his face.

"You look amazing." Piv affirmed, then glanced away embarrassed, "It makes me really regret not getting that outfit from Rarity when I had the chance, haha!"

Veil looked him over, "I guess we're not very well matched, and the party was supposed to be casual." She admitted. "Do you want me to take it off?"

"No!" Was his immediate response, followed by a blush that made her laugh.

"Ok, then. Let me see... I think I have a solution." She took him by the hoof and led him into her house. "Some of your things ended up over here at some point, and I hadn't gotten around to getting them back to you." They moved across the lab and turned into a small side room populated by a number of boxes. "I think there were some clothes around here that would be just the... aha!"

Some time later, a newly dressed Piv walked back out into the lab where Veil was waiting for him. He had donned a sharp black suit that matched the color of his ebony mane. His dark blue tie paired with the natural darkness of his coat and mane, giving and overall impression of depth and strength. Veil's eyes roamed over him appreciatively, mouth opening and closing several times before she settled on, "Wow." He chuckled and lent her an elbow, which she took with one hoof, and the pair of them then made their way to the party at the library.

A light drizzle had started by the time they arrived. "I didn't know one was scheduled." Veil commented as she knocked on the door. When it swung open to admit them, it seemed that nopony had actually opened it. Perhaps Twilight magicked it from across the room?

"Down here!" Directly in front of him, holding the door open, was a purple bipedal lizard! Piv hadn't seen him at first because the little fellow was at least a full head shorter than any of the ponies he'd met so far. "Hi! I'm Spike!" He bowed with a flourish. "I'm helping out with the snacks today!"

"Oh!" The stallion lowered his head to get a better look. "You're a servant?"

The lizard frowned, but Twilight stepped up behind him at just that moment, "Helper! Spike here is a baby dragon, and my number one best helper. Right, Spike?"

"Right!" He exclaimed, back in good spirits. "Just you wait! I've got a tray of carrot slices with a dip that's to die for!" He hustled off as Twilight looked fondly after him.

Piv leaned closer to Veil for a whisper, "So... he's a servant?"

"Shhh!"

Twilight turned back to them, "Come on in! Everypony else is here, so you guys complete the party!" Veil seemed happy as they allowed themselves to be ushered into the library, closing the door after them, but Piv noted something that made his stomach flutter uneasily. Every single pony here had been in his memory of the fight in Canterlot! He half expected this realization would cause The Voice to start flying off the handle, but it was oddly silent. "By the way... some of the girls wanted me to apologize for yesterday. I guess they overwhelmed you a bit?"

Veil gave them a questioning look, not having heard the story yet. Piv considered explaining it, then considered responding to Twilight, then picked option three. "Pardon me a moment." He walked away from both of them and hailed the rest of the ponies in the room. "Hi again, everypony. I'm sorry about yesterday." He gave them a lopsided grin. "You all came over to lend me a hoof, and I thanked you by running out on you!"

He turned to Rarity, the only other pony who had dressed for the party. She wore a lightly sequined purple ensemble, cut short to fall over her flank but not drag on the ground, with light blue trim the same color as her currently hidden cutie mark. "Rarity, you prove with your very presence that your fashion sense would have done me good. Things worked out this time, but I arrived at Veil's house wishing very much I had taken up your offer."

Next he turned to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "Whether hard weights or a simple walk, exercise was a good idea too! Even if sometimes I'm too lazy to recognize it, haha!"

Finally he regarded Fluttershy, "Talking things through is..." ...impossible for me, Piv thought. He couldn't really do it honestly, anyway. "...what good friends do, and I'm amazed that you would offer a sympathetic ear to a stranger like me." He hoped nopony had noticed his brief hesitation. Or did he? Wasn't he getting tired of having to adjust his words to fit the fictions that had formed his persona here? Wasn't there one more pony he needed to say something to? He could turn around and tell Veil the truth right here, right now.

"GROUP HUG!!!" Piv was pounced upon from behind by a blur of pink limbs that enclosed around him and squeezed affectionately. The others laughed, and before he knew it Piv was being hugged from all sides. Even Twilight and Veil had joined in. When Spike returned with the carrots and dip he clearly didn't know how to offer them to one big huddle of ponies. "Uh... I guess I'll leave these on the table, then." He remarked, doing just that. There was some chuckling as the formation broke apart, and Pinkie slid off of Piv's back.

It was at that moment the door slammed open, revealing darkness and pouring rain. Apparently the earlier drizzle had quickly worked up to a downpour. A single thunder crack lit the sky, framing a cloaked figure standing ominously in the darkness. It had everypony's full attention as it made it's way into the house, tracking dirty water in as it went, a mysterious jug swinging from a strap around it's neck. One hoof lifted, going to the side of the hood... and then pulling it away to reveal Zecora. Her eyes were determined, her expression stern.

"Zecora!" Twilight barked in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you, but I think we have enough food to go around."

The zebra shook her head. "I did not come all this way, merely to laugh with you and play. Quickly did I make my brew, so that it would be ready sooner..." she locked eyes with Piv, "...for you!"

"Oh, my medicine." Piv sighed in relief, and everypony relaxed now that a simple explanation was tied to this dramatic appearance.

Zecora stepped forward, opening the jug she had brought, "Not quite medicine, as I may have implied..." She chanted as she dipped her hoof into the green salve it contained. She touched the stuff to his forehead, then stood back with a satisfied nod as it started to glow. "...this is for all the ponies to whom you have lied!"

A mild burning spread rapidly from the spot on his forehead, and suddenly his world lurched. He shivered, and after a moment regained his equilibrium. "Yikes..." He stopped as he realized how gravelly and alien his own voice sounded in his ears. Looking down at his hooves, he saw that they were now black rather than deep green. He had been forced back into his original form.

Looking across at the ponies who had only moments before been embracing him, he now saw a mix of shock, horror, and revulsion spread across their faces. Piv felt his ears droop down, and he took a step back from this terrible new reality. Piv? Could he persist in calling himself that? Who was he now?

Twilight stepped forward, horn gleaming threateningly. "A changeling! Be careful, girls!" The unicorn stopped as Veil threw a hoof across her chest, holding her back.

"Let me." Was all Veil said before she passed Twilight and approached him. She stopped only two paces away. Veil said nothing. She only stared at him, though he could see something dangerous stirring in the depths of her eyes.

"I..." He lowered his head. Well, this was his chance. He had to take it. "What I did was wrong. I've come to realize that, but I've been..." he swallowed, then forced out the hard words, "...to cowardly to come clean."

"What have you done with Piv?" Her question and accusation was delivered in a flat deadpan, that unnerved him more than any shouting would have.

"No!" He denied, backing up into the wall. "I didn't do anything to him! Taking his form came to me instinctively! I found him dying, and wasn't able to help, so..."

"LIAR!!!" Now the rage exploded wildly to the surface, and she flared her wings aggressively. "Tell me what you did to him! Tell me where I can save him! Tell me..." She faltered, tears coming to her eyes, "...tell me he's still alive!"

He couldn't tell her any of that. Not truthfully. "I'm sorry." Was all he said instead.

Veil quivered with the intensity of her feelings, and for a moment the changeling was afraid she would strike him. "Go." She hissed at him finally. "Get out of here, you monster!"

He had been warned that the ponies would hate him, once they found out what he was. He had been warned, and looking across the wall of icy glares, he could see that it was true. Stumbling toward the still open door, he began to remove his borrowed suit. He left it on the floor behind him commenting, "I never had any right to wear it." He walked out into the pouring rain, the blackness of the fatal evening closing around him.

His pace quickened, and what ponies were still moving about in the rain dodged to get out of his way. A trot, then a canter, and finally he was galloping full speed. Ponyville fell away behind him as he charged blindly forward, led by instinct alone. Trees began to grow more thickly, and the ground threatened to trip him, but he persisted in his mad dash. What finally caused him to slow was the sudden awareness of a faint green glow somewhere ahead of him.

The changeling gasped for breath, allowing his brain to catch up to him. He was back where it had all started in the White Tail Forest. The baleful light became stronger with every step he took. The source came into view when he emerged from behind a tree. Shock coursed through him as he realized it was Bon Bon, trapped in a gently glimmering green cocoon. Striding forward, aghast, he saw that she was not alone. Behind her were a startling number of other ponies, perhaps half the town, all similarly entrapped. A huge stockpile of... Food. The Voice finished his thought for him. You may have failed, but it seems our brethren have not.

He shook his head slowly, disbelieving. This was what his family had sought. The Voice and Meta both, pushing for this without his knowledge. If he had known... You could have known. You rejected those memories.

Two of his siblings wandering through the nest finally noticed him, and called out to him happily. The lone changeling paid them no mind. If he had remembered, he could have prevented this. He needed to remember. He needed it more than anything else in the world right now.

His breath left him as the weight of knowledge crushed down, and he fell to the ground amidst the sinister cocoons.

Comments

[Everace]

The first scene of "From Light to Darkness" is actually a bonus scene, not included in the original outline. Please enjoy the extended cut!

[Everace]

8177248 I'm pleased that it kept you reading, thanks for commenting!

[harts fire]

8177547
ok it looks as if the site is messed up and not pinging me when I have direct comments agene.

[harts fire]

ok I am now up to date with this story.
first is it a good story? yes.
I am vary happy to see you are learning as you go and have corrected one of the things authors seam to miss.
lack of describing things. it is the details that bring a story to life and is vary hard to do at the same time.

I was going to point this out a few thing hear and their needed to be expanded on but you seam to be self fixing your chapters as you go.
I will defiantly be watching for more chapters and to see how you develop your righting grows.
If you ever have question or just want to throw ideas around feel free to contact me or if you want I do host a chat for everypony on this site check my blog for details.

[Everace]

8177814 Practice makes perfect! My writing skills had been rusting for years before I decided to write Pony Persona, but every page I write helps to change that. It is also the first work of this length that I'm actually going to finish (the nearest runner up never got past Chapter 4) which I suppose just goes to show that I must be much more enthusiastic about MLP than any of the other things I used to write about, haha!

[harts fire]

8177923
after talking with several friends (authors) I can give you one bit of advice,
never force a chapter if it does not want to be put on paper it wont be.
on the other side of the if you feel the need to get words out do it never allow it to just sit and be forgotten.
I know of 2 authors that keep paper or tablet handy at all times just for that reason.

I do not right, that is not saying I do not have a story trapped in side my head I just am not able to put it to paper my mind does not work that way you and all authors do not under stand the gift you have in putting word to paper.

[Starlight Nova]

Who made the cover art, and where can I find him?

[Everace]

8178314 It ended up being me, but sadly I have no artistic talent. I used Pony Creator to make Piv's face:

http://www.dolldivine.com/mlp-fim-pony-creator.php

Then I spliced it together with a good shot of a changeling using paint and added a cool border between them. I'm happy with how it turned out, although I'd still really love something drawn by a real artist.

[tsaukpaetra]

As always, it's too late to apologize...