Pony Persona

by Everace

18 - Truth

Meta paced unhappily in the lantern light of the town square as the moon broke through the dissipating clouds. Captured ponies filled the square, bound in changeling goo with a number of her siblings keeping careful watch over them. They had taken Ponyville, but it had been a near thing. The plan had been to quickly and quietly take Twilight and her friends late at night when they were tired from their party. Instead of a nice stealthy and easy replacement, things had devolved into an all-out brawl thanks to that accursed zebra and her green goo! Meta looked up as her second, Mandible, approached. Before he could speak she immediately asked, "Have you found her?"

He sighed and shook his head, "Sorry, Meta. Nopony has seen our lost sister." Mandible could feel her disappointment. He had been there for the interrogation of the troublesome six, and had watched as she grew ever more agitated when not one of them could give her the answers she wanted. They all told the same story: the missing changeling had run off into the night. They didn't know where she went.

Meta turned away from him, hiding her face in the shadows. "We'll find her. We'll send out search parties until we do." Meta had promised to save her this time... why couldn't she keep her promise? She shook herself, throwing off the tears that threatened to spill down her face, and sought calm. Her siblings were still counting on her to lead them. "All right. How many cocoons have come in from our base camp in White Tail Forest so far?"

"None yet." He frowned, "If you ask me, they're being pretty slow about it. I'd have had half of them in town by now! Oh, and speaking of cocoons..." His eyes went to the town hall, where the troublesome six were being stored. "...Twilight and her friends got the royal treatment. The shells are as strong as we can possibly make them." Meta nodded in satisfaction. Unless the ponies had another unicorn just as powerful as that nasty purple nuisance, there would be no way to free the troublesome six until the changelings were good and ready to dissolve those shells themselves using changeling solvent enzymes.

The buzz of wings overhead heralded the arrival of a large group of her siblings. "Rejoice! We've defeated the big bad dragon!" Raucous laughter broke out as over a dozen changelings set down, depositing Big Bad Spike and his accomplices on the ground at Meta's hooves. Her eyes fell upon the silver maned pegasus. It seemed Veil had had a rough night; hints of a torn green dress peeked out where she was not wrapped in changeling goo.

"Veiled Vision." Meta rumbled, "I have some questions for you." The changeling leader almost faltered at the look of utter contempt she received in return, but nevertheless nodded to Mandible. He approached the captured pony and breathed gently across her face, releasing a mist of changeling solvent enzymes onto the goo that held her mouth shut. The sticky stuff melted away rapidly, leaving Veil blinking in surprise. Mandible found himself wishing that surprise had lasted longer, for she then shifted like a striking snake and bit down hard on his nose. More laughter broke out among the changelings as he yelped and pulled away, forehooves moving to cover his smarting snout. Meta silenced them all with a stern glance before she turned her attention back to the pegasus.

"One of our sisters took the form of your friend Pivotal Pledge. I'm told you unmasked her before chasing her away. I want to know where she is now." None of the others had told her anything useful, but Veil had been the primary food source. Surely she must know something! Yet she gave no answer, only glaring in sullen silence. "Nothing to say?" Meta narrowed her eyes. "Tell me what I want to know! If you don't..." The changeling leader was hissing angrily now, "...the rest of your night will be an unending nightmare of wet willies and tickle torture!" Veil still bore a stubborn expression, but cracks of worry were starting to show through. The changeling leader pressed her advantage, trying to appear as menacing as possible, "I WANT. My SISTER!"

"Hey! I know where your sister is!" A new, but familiar voice called from the edge of the square. There, stepping into the lantern light... "She's right here!" And there she stood, a cocky grin on her face. Some astonished shouts and joyous greetings rang out from the changelings present. Stunned for only a moment, Meta lost all interest in Veil as she broke into an exuberant headlong gallop across the square.

Enclosing her lost sister in a fiercely affectionate hug, Meta whispered her name, "Vera!" She squeezed happily, "Oh, Vera! I'm so glad you're all right!"

"Easy, easy!" Vera laughed as she squirmed free of the hug. "I still need to breathe, you know!"

Meta blinked, remembering finally that she needed to maintain her dignity as the leader. "Ahem... yes. It is good that you are accounted for." She said, falling back into a more businesslike tone. Soft snickers in the crowd quieted as she swept a stifling gaze across them. "Mandible will let you know where you can lend a hoof for now." She paused before adding, "I will of course expect a report on your adventure later in private." so that I can laugh and cry and hug you as much as I want!

Vera's grin sobered into a more serious expression. "About that. These ponies are a very rich source of love." She was speaking a bit more loudly than necessary, obviously intending for every changeling in the square to hear.

Meta nodded, wondering where she was going with this, "Yes, exactly. We need to get them back to the main hive quickly."

"Really? But you know..." Vera paced towards the center of the square, "...with every pony we kidnap, we throw away a chance at something much greater than a simple meal."

The changeling boss was frowning now, "What are you talking about? There's nothing more important than a full belly. It's literally life and death!" There were murmurs of agreement from the changelings present. They all knew the harsh reality of hunger.

"Food is important. Love is important! I just think there can be another way." Vera threw open her forelegs in appeal to those around her, "You've all seen what a wonderful thing love can be between ponies! Haven't you ever wanted that... for yourselves?"

Meta shifted uncomfortably, recognizing the same strange and confusing sort of talk that Vera had been espousing before she went mad and fell from the sky. This was something she needed to protect her flock from! "No, Vera. Stop right now. There is no other way, or our Mother Queen would have found it by now!"

"Chrysallis is not all-knowing!" Vera's blunt declaration caused a buzz of anger and even cries of outrage that she should dare say a word against the Mother Queen! "I have seen the ponies share love so that none go wanting! I have seen it!" She let her passionate appeal ring out, "Are we so far below them that we cannot do the same?"

Fear writhed in Meta's heart, though she dared not let it show. She had to stop this, or she would lose her sister to it again! "NO!" She closed in, took Vera by the shoulders and whispered to her urgently, "Enough, Vera! There's too much at stake right now! We have a chance to bring in Twilight Sparkle and her friends! Do you even understand how important that is?!"

"Sister, please." Vera's response was gentle by contrast, "For me, leave the ponies in peace. We can all just fly away from this."

"And just let Twilight GO?!" Meta was incredulous, "Never! I'm sorry, but the answer is no!" Seeing the bitter grimace Vera had adopted, Meta softened her tone, "I can't give up on our victory here, but I can promise we'll talk about ponies later, ok? Privately!"

Vera shook her head sadly. "There is no later. Not for this. I needed to convince you now." Meta's formerly lost sibling locked eyes with her, "Sister... I'm sorry." Vera threw her head back to let out a loud shout, and was answered by a roar of rowdy voices from the darkness outside the square. The battle cry swelled as ponies of all colors and sizes charged onto the scene! Startled changelings fell back before them, or took to the air only to be engaged by pegasus ponies.

Meta backed away from her sister in shock, "Wh... What have you done!?" She demanded, even as the answer came to her. None of the cocoons from White Tail Forest had ever arrived! It was because they had all been set free, fully half the town, and here they were! Vera merely gazed steadily back, no trace of denial on her face.

The unexpected betrayal twisted Meta's face with hurt. She stepped lightly back to avoid a tackle from a stallion before deftly spitting a pair of goo blobs that stuck his hindlegs to the ground. Her changelings were tired, and they had lost the element of surprise, but they had beaten half a town of ponies once already tonight! They could do it again! "Changelings!" She bellowed, "At them! We'll not lose to the likes of these prey!" Her forces seemed to take heart at her rallying cry, and the battle began in earnest. Yes, they could win... as long as...

Meta spun on her heels and charged back toward the town hall, grabbing up the baby dragon Spike along the way. "Mandible! You're in charge here!" Was her last command before she retreated into the large building, slamming the door shut behind her.

---

Vera stepped forward, breathing solvent enzymes onto the goo that had trapped the hind legs of the stout stallion. The sticky goo melted away, and he thanked her before moving forward to join the fray. She smiled grimly after him, feeling conflicted with the role she must now play acting in direct opposition to all her family who had always looked out for her. After Meta had been so clearly overjoyed to see her... Vera supposed bitterly that she was becoming quite practiced at betraying trust.

Mayor Mare stepped up beside her. "Are you all right?" Concern showed in her eyes as she regarded her unlikely changeling ally, "I understand if you can't fight your siblings. I won't ask you to do any more tonight."

Vera looked back at the kindly older mare, an oasis of reason in the midst of a chaotic battle. "Thank you, but there is more that needs to be done. And... thank you for letting me try it my way, first."

The Mayor nodded, "We owe you that and more, after you set us all free." She moved on by toward the action, trumpeting out to all who could hear, "For Ponyville! Let's show them what we simple town folk can do!" The ponies thundered a spirited response and the melee continued. Vera turned her attention to the town hall, where Meta had fled. She trotted forward with urgency, noting that her siblings seemed to be avoiding her. Apparently they preferred to face down nameless ponies rather than one of their own.

As she approached the town hall, she noticed two bundles of goo left apart from the many others littering the square. She had not planned to stop to rescue any of the ponies similarly entrapped, feeling she had a more critical task in mind, but one of these two was... "Veil!"

The silver haired pegasus glared at her, "You. Why does it have to be you?"

The lone changeling hesitated at the clear hostility, but despite it she let out a long breath of solvent enzymes over Veil. Just as before the gummy changeling spit melted away, and Vera extended a hoof to help her up.

Veil batted it away angrily, standing on her own. "You think this makes things right?" She demanded heatedly before leaping into the air to join the fray, leaving the changeling to cough on her dust.

Vera watched her go unhappily. "Make things right?" She murmured to herself. "Is that what I'm trying to do?" She shook her head and pursued her sister into the enshadowed town hall.

Comments

[tsaukpaetra]

No, of course it doesn't make things right. But it's a start...