Pony Persona

by Everace

17 - Dire Tidings

Spike was beginning to grow quite alarmed with the view from the first floor window of the library. There were flashes of light coming from the town square, and not a single one of them was the deep purple of Twilight's magic. He returned to his two charges, wringing his hands worriedly. Veil had been coaxed to sit at the table, where Zecora was sharing carrots and dip with her. The little dragon was pleased that the tray he prepared was being put to good use, even if this wasn't exactly how he had envisioned things while making it.

"Hey guys..." He addressed this more towards Zecora, since Veil wasn't being particularly responsive at the moment, "I think something is wrong. There's a lot of weird activity at the square, and I'm getting a really bad feeling about it!"

The zebra glanced at the window, her mouth compressing as she considered this. When she spoke her voice was grave, "Our strength won't help if our friends can't prevail. What comes next when Twilight should fail?"

The small dragon's eyes went wide. "Twilight... fail?" The mysterious healer turned her gaze on him, and something in her expression seemed to hint that what she'd said had further meaning. Spike thought out loud, "After twilight comes night... or day. The moon, or the sun!"

Zecora smiled and nodded once, "Right you are, my little one. Write Celestia and bring us the sun!"

She watched determination replace the fear on the face of her scaly companion. "Write? Right! That, I know how to do!" He trotted eagerly to the stairs, presumably to fetch writing utensils from the second floor. Zecora felt Veil stir next to her, and was surprised to find that Veil was watching Spike make his way up the steps.

"I'm... Selfish." The pegasus murmured. "Everypony is doing something, but I'm... I have to..."

Zecora placed a restraining hoof on her shoulder. "Nopony can ask more of you today. You mustn't hurt yourself thinking this way."

"No?" Veil's voice was soft. "The only other thought in my head is Piv." Her loose silver mane spilled forward, hiding her face as she turned away. "It's funny. I know that thing must have been lying to me from the very moment it showed up on my doorstep. I know that. Yet, when it told me about Piv..." Her voice broke as her body trembled. She stilled herself with visible effort. "...I believed it."

The scene was fresh in Zecora's mind as well. For all the alien strangeness of the changeling, it had appeared both terrified and earnest. The zebra knew she should not trust appearances, but even she had a difficult time believing that what it had told them in those moments had been a lie. Not knowing what to say, Zecora instead gently brushed the obscuring silver mane out Veil's face and put her hooves around her friend in a gentle embrace.

A loud crash sounded from the upstairs, followed by a cry from Spike. The zebra's head snapped up in alarm as what sounded like a scuffle started to sound through the boards of the ceiling. Veil responded more slowly, yet her malaise seemed to lessen as tension filled her body. Zecora whispered urgently to her friend, "If things have happened as I fear, most certainly the changelings are now here. I'm sorry to say this is not your fight, Celestia must be warned so please take flight!" With that she released Veil and charged up the stairs. Veil rose slowly to her hooves, face darkening as she growled a single word as though it were a curse, "Changelings!"

Upstairs, Zecora found Spike backed into a corner by a trio of the black insectoids. Another still climbing in through the broken window spotted her, "More of 'em? Get the dragon first, he's the one we're here for! Make sure you don't let him anywhere near a pen and paper!" It hopped down to the floor as more followed behind it, and Zecora cursed silently. She'd hoped the changeling infiltrators had not had time to learn about Spike's ability to contact Celestia, but they clearly understood the danger.

Quickly surveying the scene, Zecora saw that although Spike clutched a sheet of paper in his claws, he had indeed been separated from the quill and inkwell laying on Twilight's study desk. As she watched, one of the attackers tried to spray Spike with some kind of sticky spit, but the little dragon saw it coming and shot it down with a puff of green fire. He spotted her and called out, "Zecora, help! They're...!" He was cut off as a second changeling spat at him, forcing him to defend himself with another breath of fire. The zebra thought quickly. She didn't think there was any way to grab Spike and escape with so many changelings pouring into the room, but if she could just get him that ink...

Taking advantage of the changelings' lack of interest in her, Zecora dodged past a pair of new arrivals and dashed over to Twilight's desk. "Hey!" A changeling spotted her taking the ink and quill. "I don't think so, Stripes!" Zecora ducked away as the changeling advanced towards her, careful not to spill the ink, but another moved to cut her off. Grinning, they both shapeshifted to copy her form. "Today is not your lucky day," "You'll not like the game we play!"

They stepped forward... and suddenly their confidence turned to squawks of surprise and dismay as Twilight's bed landed on them face down. Zecora looked up to see Veil standing above them in the bedroom nook. The medicine pony leapt down vindictively onto the overturned bed, the extra weight causing groans of protest from the two changeling Zecoras now trying unsuccessfully to extricate themselves from under the bulk of the bed, entangling bedsheets, and what looked like Rarity's dress. The real Zecora frowned. She hadn't thought her friend would charge in without thinking, but considering what she'd been through the zebra supposed it was too much to ask of any pony to keep a level head. With nopony left to warn Celestia, it became more important than ever that Spike get his message out.

Seeing him still penned in by now four changelings, Veil sprang from the bed and moved to help. The changelings nodded to one another, preparing to spray at him all at once to overcome his fiery defenses. Veil darted in between the two middle bugs and pushed their heads away from the little dragon. Surprised, they sprayed early right into the faces of their companions! The stricken changelings were unable to release their own sprays from their now sealed mouths, and fell to the ground as they clutched at their covered faces in panic. The middle bugs turned their attention to Veil, one of them trying to wrap her up in a tackle, but she caught one of his forelegs and used a shoulder toss to send him crashing into her other assailant.

Another bug approached, but Veil growled and rushed her. The changeling let out a cry of dismay as Veil grabbed her and forced her back against the wall. The normally calm pony spat vitriol, "This is all your fault, you thrice blasted changeling! ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" Veil shook her victim, and the frightened changeling squirmed in her grasp, "Lady, I don't even know you!"

Spike took the opportunity to escape from his little corner, and Zecora called out to him, "Heads up, little pup!" She stuck the quill into the inkwell and slid it across the floor to him. He ducked under a pair of grasping black hooves and snatched up the inkwell, holding it and the paper awkwardly in his left claw as he took the quill in his right. His message better be short and to the point... 'Help'? No, Celestia would arrive and some changeling in pony form would sweetly tell her that there was nothing wrong. Changeling... he started on the first letters of his message, forming ragged but intelligible characters as he was forced to keep dodging attackers.

CH

He saw Zecora move to the window, trying to stem the flow of incoming insects. She struggled with a changeling at the threshold, and another closed in behind her.

CHAN

Veil had been forced into the center of the room, where several changelings had begun to focus on her as the most apparent threat. She was fighting like a pony possessed, but only barely managing to hold them off. Spike himself swerved to avoid a shot of changeling spit.

CHANGEL

Zecora cried out as she caught sprays of sticky spit from both sides. The zebra fell, immobilized by the stuff, and the flow of changelings into the room resumed. He was almost finished when he spotted Twilight rushing up the stairs! "Spike!" She cried, "This way! Hurry!" He let out a cry of relief and rushed to her side. She caught him up in a hug... a bear hug that pinned his arms to his sides. The little dragon looked up into a wicked grin and realized his mistake. He glanced down at the paper,

CHANGELIN

Good enough. Spike drew in a breath and exhaled fire! ...harmlessly into the air as his head was tilted up away from the paper. Another changeling Twilight giggled as she came into his field of view. "Sorry, cutie, not today!" She kissed his nose, and then spat directly into his face, sealing his mouth shut. The fake Twilight that had been holding him now dropped him to the floor and sprayed over the rest of him, pinning him there.

Veil roared with rage when she saw her friends in trouble, and charged toward Spike's captors. The room was filled with changelings now, both in the air and on the ground, and they sprayed their ensnaring spit at her. Too many. She dodged a couple blasts, but a third pinned her wings to her body, and a fourth glued her back legs together. She fell to the ground with a grunt. The changelings closed in on her quickly, and her last desperate swipes were easily avoided as she was wrapped up completely.

One of the changelings shook her head, "Yeesh... what got up this one's backside?"

Another snorted, "I don't know, but I'm not carrying her."

The two fake Twilights chimed in, "We only need the dragon, right?" "Yeah, take the cutie and leave the grump!"

The first changeling frowned, "The dragon is the most important one, but we can't risk any of them getting away. I'll carry her myself. Let's get them all back to the square with the others."

Comments

[Everace]

Not dead. Possibly an Ent? Three and three quarters years for one chapter is pretty good for an Ent.

[Teraunce]

I'm lost.time to reread

[tsaukpaetra]

Well despite their lack of organization it seems the operation is so far successful. Time to sneak up from behind!