4. Returning Home
Knock. knock. knock. Quicksilver lowered his hoof to the floor and pawed at the boards. Misty’s tail switched nervously.
“Do you think he’s still here?” she asked. “The last thing I said to him last night was to please still be here in the morning.”
“I think so. I hope so.” He raised his hoof to knock again.
The door opened a crack as an eyeball looked out. It then swung wide as Tinker smiled at them. “Good morning. It’s good to see you both.”
Misty took a step forward. “Oh, Tinker, I’m glad you stayed. I was afraid you might... you might have left.”
“I thought about it. I even walked outside once.” Misty covered her mouth with a hoof. “But I decided to stay and see what your plan is.”
Quicksilver turned to head down the hallway. “Right now, the plan is to get some breakfast. Let’s go.”
They found an empty table at the restaurant downstairs away from the other patrons so they could have some privacy. Quicksilver and Misty ordered some breakfast, Tinker just got tea.
Quicksilver cleared his throat. “Okay, I was up much of the night thinking about this.”
“I know,” said Misty with a little smile. “I wasn’t actually asleep when you got back up. I’ve seen you struggle with hard problems before and I know you’ll ask if you want help. So I just watched you work until I dozed off.”
He reached out and placed his hoof on hers and whispered, “I love you.”
He leaned back and sat up straight. His soft smile vanished. “It’s a hard problem. How do we get you back into Canterlot so things can return to normal?” He shrugged. “Well, our version of normal anyway.” He tapped his chin a couple times. “I don’t know of anyone we can talk to. If we mention a…” He paused and looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. “A changeling, no one will hear anything past that.”
“Remember how Steel reacted,” Misty interjected with a hoof in front of her mouth.
Quicksilver nodded empathically. “And then it occurred to me. The simplest solution is often the best. And the simplest solution here is…” he smiled, “do nothing.”
“Nothing?” Tinker asked, tilting his head.
“Exactly. We did fine for almost two years because no one knew anything was unusual.” He tapped the table softly a couple times. “If it hadn’t been for the invasion, that could have continued indefinitely. So… let’s just pick up where we left off. The only difference being, now we know the truth.” He traced a circle on the table. “There are checkpoints into the city and guards around the perimeter. But there’s no shield. Tinker, can you fly?”
Tinker nodded. “In my natural form, yes, just like any other ch… like any of us.”
“So, can you sneak back into the city?”
He absentmindedly grinned. “If they really wanted to keep us out, they’d have restored the shield. There’s a reason we’re called infiltrators. There’s no doubt some of us are already back into the city, resuming the same roles they had before. Within a month or two, we’ll be back to pre-invasion numbers.”
Tinker felt a wave of fear wash over the table. He turned to Misty who stared wide-eyed with both hooves over her mouth. Quicksilver was similarly shocked.
Tinker shrunk in his chair, head low. His ears drooped as he shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ve been an infiltrator almost my entire life. I automatically go there. I have to work to not think like that. Please know, I would never, ever hurt a pony. That’s not me. Not anymore.”
Quicksilver wrapped a leg around Misty to calm her. She laid a hoof on his and relaxed. “We know, Tinker,” he said. “It just sort of surprised us to see that side of you. But, perhaps that’s a little of what we need right now. So, that's a yes?”
Tinker nodded. “Yes. I’m sure I can get back into the city.”
“Very well.” Quicksilver leaned forward and lowered his voice further. “I checked the Canterlot weather yesterday. There’s a storm scheduled for tomorrow night. That means no moon. We’ll take the train back to Canterlot today. Tinker, at the last weigh station before the city, you get off. Make your way to the city, take tomorrow to create a plan, and sometime during that storm, sneak in.”
“No problem.”
“Misty and I will return home, and wait for you to arrive. Any questions?” Quicksilver glanced at each of them.
Tinker’s mouth was slightly open, his forehead creased as he thought.
“Tinker, is something bothering you?” Misty asked.
“Well, I mean, sort of.” He looked at each of them before continuing, “We’ve been so focused on the plan… Yesterday we talked about my history, and today about getting into Canterlot. But I still don’t understand, why are you doing this? You know what I am, what I’ve done. Why do you even want me back in Canterlot?”
Quicksilver stared at the table for a bit before looking up at Tinker. He reached out and took Misty’s hoof. “You hid the truth from us for a long time. I understand there was no way to tell us something like that, but it still hurts. That said, you’ve been our employee for ages. I think we know Tinker pretty well. I think we know you pretty well.”
He glanced over to Misty who gave his hoof a squeeze and nodded. “I think what I… what we are trying to say is that who you are is more important than what you are. Who you are is a friend, and we want that friend to come home.”
“It’s hard,” Tinker said after a moment. “When you grow up in a hive, with no purpose beyond serving a queen, it’s hard to believe somepony can like you just for who you are. I’d like to see what that’s like.”
Quicksilver cleared his throat. “Okay, then let’s finish up here, get our tickets, and head home.”
It was close to midnight, and the rain was just starting to fall. Tinker, in his changeling form, had been sitting, motionless, on a small rise for several hours. He carefully studied the spot he’d selected to slip into Canterlot. The hoof patrols aren’t a problem. They try to make ‘em random at eight to twelve minute spacing, but a blind yak could stumble through undetected. He waited until a pegasus zipped by. One… two… three… four… He timed the duration between air patrols. Those are the problem.
It started to rain harder. With no moonlight, the visibility dropped. Tinker could no longer see the patrols, which meant they couldn’t see him. Moving low and quietly, he inched forward. A foot patrol passed. It’s time. With visibility dropping, they will increase the patrol frequency. I need to go now while they're still farther apart and can’t see.
Sitting motionless, he slowly stretched out his wings. No fast movement. Nothing to draw attention. He waited. A pegasus patrol zipped by. One… two… three… four… five… SIX. Tinker sprang into the air and flew for the gap between air patrols. Seven… eight… The rain masked the buzz of his wings. Nine… The water stung his eyes, but he’d watched this spot for so long he could fly it blind. Ten. He passed over the spot between the patrols with perhaps twenty seconds before the next pegasus. Once over the perimeter wall, he dropped down among the houses and froze.
He listened… There was no yell. No alarm was raised. No sign that he had just infiltrated Canterlot in the middle of a military lockdown. He allowed himself a small fanged smile. “I’ve still got it,” he said to himself. He flew on for a while then dropped into an alley. A quick flash of green magic later, and the skewbald pony emerged back out. Quicksilver and Misty lived just a few streets away. He started to gallop just like any other pony would if caught outside in the rain.
He rounded the corner onto their street. The house was just ahead on the left. He could see it. There was a light on upstairs, but the front room was dark. He heard several sets of hooves ahead. He shifted from the road onto the front lawns to silence his footfalls. He jumped over a hedge and dodged a tree. It sounded like a patrol working up the street. He reached their yard and slowed to a walk to quietly step onto the porch. He tapped the door twice as softly as he could. It immediately opened, and he stepped inside. Quicksilver closed the door without a sound. Misty peered out a gap in the curtains. No one moved.
Misty whispered, “They’ve passed.” She closed the gap in the curtains, making sure to overlap the edges.
Quicksilver huffed out the breath he was holding and lit a small candle on the table. The room flickered in the soft yellow light.
“Tinker, you’re soaked!” Misty said. “Let me get you a towel.” She hurried up the stairs and returned moments later with two towels.
Tinker laid out one on the floor and stood on it. He flashed into his changeling form and let the water drain off his chitin shell. He grabbed the other towel to finish drying off.
“Nice trick,” Quicksilver noted. “No doubt comes in handy after a shower.”
Tinker flashed him a grin and switched to his pony form again. He gathered the towels and tossed them at the bottom of the stairs where Misty pointed. Quicksilver and Misty sat down together on a couch. Tinker took a chair.
“Any problems?” Quicksilver asked.
“None.” Tinker smiled. “I slipped in between patrols. They had no idea I was there.” He glanced at Misty. “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one, it’s the perfect night for it. I’m sorry, but it’s as if they want us to sneak back in.”
Misty shivered. “I don’t think I want to know about that. But I’m glad you made it in undetected. You… you didn’t hurt anypony, did you?”
He shook his head emphatically. “Absolutely not, and I never would. It was a clean entry.” He paused for a moment. “What now?”
Quicksilver replied, “Misty and I have worked out a plan. For now, it’s not safe for you to walk around the city. So you’ll stay here with us. Misty made up the guest bedroom. I assume food won’t be a problem.” He winked at Tinker, and Misty rolled her eyes. “And there’s plenty of work for you here as we didn’t get much done the last couple of weeks. Once things calm down in the city, you can return to your apartment. As far as anypony else is concerned, you were on vacation for two weeks. You’re back, and everything is just as it always has been.”
Tinker closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he looked at the couple. It was hard to see in the faint candlelight, but his eyes were damp. “Thank you. Thank you both, so much.”
Quicksilver sat in the middle of the couch with papers spread out on either side while he studied more held in his magic. Misty was across the room in a chair, reading a novel. Tinker walked in, carrying a tray with two glasses of lemonade.
“Thank you, Tinker,” Misty said. “Something to drink right now would be perfect.”
Tinker smiled as he moved across the room.
Their attention was drawn by a sound of hooffalls on the front porch. The front door began to glow in yellow magic. Then in a flash, it exploded inward. Bits of broken wood bounced off the furniture and walls and littered the floor. The doorway was obscured by a cloud of dust. Princess Celestia burst into the room along with several royal guards. The Royal Canterlot Voice thundered through the house, “I WILL HAVE THIS CHANGELING!”
Misty screamed. The tray Tinker was holding crashed to the floor, and the glasses shattered. Quicksilver jumped to his hooves, only to be tackled by two of the guards. Spears were thrust against his throat.
Misty yelled, “No! Please! Tinker’s done nothing. He’s our friend.” She glanced at Quicksilver. He was on his side, trembling uncontrollably, eyes wide. One guard straddled his barrel, the other stood at his head. Two small rivulets of blood ran down his fur from the speartips at his neck and dripped onto the floor. “No…” She tried to move, but was frozen in place.
Celestia’s horn flared with magic, and a powerful beam enveloped Tinker. He screamed in pain and lost his pony form. His wings withered under the intense magic that began to pierce his body. He screamed again and went limp.
“No, no, no…” Misty pleaded. “Please, don’t do this. Please…”
“Misty, be calm.”
Misty turned to see Princess Luna standing next to her.
“But… but…” Misty stammered.
“This is not real. Your husband and friend are safe. This is a lie. Do not heed it.” Luna stepped forward and rested a hoof on Misty’s temple, forcing her eyes away from the scene. “This is just a dream. Release it. Release the fear.”
“A dream?”
Luna nodded.
Misty closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly blew it out. When she opened her eyes, the room was empty save for her and the princess.
“We sense a conflict within you.” Luna lowered her leg.
“Princess. I’m so scared and confused. I’m not sure what to believe.”
“We will see the source of this.” Luna touched Misty’s shoulder, and the room dissolved away. It was daytime, and they stood across the street from the house. The door opened, and she saw Quicksilver, Tinker and herself walk out. Changelings landed in the street. They turned toward the house and advanced.
Misty glanced at Luna, let out a gasp, and began to tremble. “It’s the invasion!” she whispered. “I can’t… I just can’t.” She lowered her head.
“Do not fear. This cannot hurt you. It is the past. The only power it has over you is what you allow.”
Misty looked again. She heard glass break on the greenhouse and saw two changelings fly in. One in the front yard smashed through a window. Two were working on the door, forcing it open bit by bit.
Tinker was engaged with several other changelings. He fought with a ferocity that startled Misty. His horn, hooves, and fangs, every body part was a weapon. The attackers were falling one after another. Soon it was only Tinker standing. At least a dozen changelings lay around him, moving but unable to rise.
He fell to his knees and gasped for air. After a few moments, he turned and looked at the house. His mouth warped into a sneer.
“No, Tinker, don’t,” Misty yelled. “You’re too weak.”
Unable to hear her, he rose to his hooves and swayed for a moment. Then with a loud hiss, he ran and dove through the already broken window.
The surroundings faded to black as Misty turned to face Luna. “He fought for us. I had no idea how hard he fought to protect us. He was too exhausted to win inside, but we never saw what happened outside.”
“And what of your conflict?”
Misty thought for a moment with her head lowered. She raised it to look at Luna. “I’m still afraid of the changelings. But Tinker, I don’t think I fear him.”
Luna smiled softly. “That is good. It is time for you to sleep. You will not be troubled again tonight.” She turned and flew off into the night. Misty closed her eyes.
Quicksilver and Misty sat in the front room on the couch together. They were each reading a book. Tinker came in, carrying a tray with two glasses of lemonade.
“Thank you, Tinker,” Misty said. “Something to drink right now would be perfect.” She paused as a shadow of doubt crossed her face.
Tinker set the glasses down and turned to head back to the kitchen. There was a knock at the door.
“You expecting anyone?” Quicksilver asked as he stood up and walked to the door.
Misty froze. “It can’t be…” she whispered to herself.
Quicksilver opened the door. He gasped, legs flailing as he tried to back up. He slipped and landed hard on his rump. Tinker dropped the tray which clanged on the floor. Misty screamed.
“Pri… Pri… Princess Luna!” Quicksilver sputtered.
Tinker glanced at the kitchen door. He adjusted his stance. Pausing, he looked back at the princess. His muscles relaxed, and he hung his head in surrender.
“We mean you no harm, my little ponies. You have nothing to fear from us.” She stood straight, her head held high.
Quicksilver glanced past her. There were two members of the Royal Guard standing to either side of the door and facing the street. He cocked an eyebrow? Why aren’t they coming inside?
There was a long pause. No one moved. Finally, Luna spoke, “May we enter?”
Quicksilver shook his head once to clear his thoughts and stood up. He bowed low to the princess. “Please, Princess Luna, come in.” He stepped to the side. She strode into the room, closing the door behind her with magic.
Her eyes scanned the room quickly, lingering for a moment on Tinker. A shiver ran down his body under her gaze. Blank faces greeted her from the stunned couple. Tinker, head still down, trembled slightly.
“Perhaps we would be more comfortable if we sat down?” Luna offered.
Misty bowed. “Of course. Princess Luna, welcome to our home. Please sit wherever you would like.”
Luna selected the largest chair and extended a hoof to indicate they should all sit too. The couple sat on the couch, and Tinker chose the remaining chair.
Luna cleared her throat. “We would speak with you about your changeling.” She looked at Tinker who did not meet her gaze.
Quicksilver inhaled sharply. “How did you…”
“My dream,” Misty exclaimed. She turned to Quicksilver. “I had a nightmare last night. Princess Luna visited my dream… She saw the battle at the house. She saw…” She looked at Tinker. “I’m so sorry.”
Luna raised a foreleg. “Fear not. We have not come for retribution, but for understanding. We normally would not bring things from the realm of dreams out into the sunlight, but the presence of a changeling living in Canterlot with the knowledge of ponies is… concerning.”
The princess sat up straight, head raised. “While we do not condone sneaking an infiltrator into the city, we…” She relaxed and let her head come down a bit. “I understand how you may have felt trapped by the circumstances. While we learned much from Misty’s dreams, we would like to understand better how this relationship came about. Please, take all the time you require and explain just how this came to be.”
Quicksilver artfully summarized their time with Tinker, starting with the day they met. He explained Tinker working for them, the invasion and his actions to protect them, the search with Dark Steel, and the revelations in Appleloosa. Misty would occasionally add a point, including what she saw take place outside the house in her dream. Tinker remained silent the entire time.
Luna regarded them for a few moments. “What is it you desire?”
Quicksilver weighed his words carefully. “A couple days ago, I told Tinker that it’s not what you are, but who you are that matters. Tinker is our friend. We trust him. So Misty and I ask you, Princess, that you would allow us to live our beliefs. Permit Tinker to continue to reside in Canterlot so that we can continue to live as we did before the invasion.”
She turned and looked at the changeling. “Tinker Cob, tell us what you desire.”
For the first time since her arrival, he looked at Luna. “Your Majesty. The first part of my life was lived in service to an evil queen. Then I switched to living as an outcast with others like myself. Our only goal was to survive. Now I have found a place to belong. Changelings have no families, so I don’t know what that’s like. But I care about these two ponies, and I am happy when I serve them as I never was in the hive serving the queen. I don’t want to lose this. If it would please Your Majesty, I would like to continue to serve them.” He bowed his head.
“Very well, thank you. Our sister gave us discretion in this matter. Our decision is therefore final and binding.” The princess stood up. She seemed to tower over the three seated ponies.
Misty softly whispered, “Oh, please, no…”
Luna continued, “It is our decision that you, Tinker Cob, be permitted to live in Canterlot under the employ of these ponies, Quicksilver and Mist Skimmer.” She looked towards the door. “Guard!”
Quicksilver and Misty sat motionless for a moment, then broke into smiles and hugged each other. They glanced at Tinker, who was looking at them, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He slowly shook his head.
The door opened, and one of the royal guards stepped into the room. “Please, present the medallion to Tinker.”
“Yes, Princess.” The guard walked over to Tinker. He removed a silver medallion and chain from his saddle bag. Tinker accepted it.
The guard explained, “This medallion contains the Royal Sun Seal on one side, the Moon Seal on the other. Gold ones are given to visiting royalty and dignitaries. Silver ones like this go to their staff. The markings on this one indicate that the wearer has permission to be in Canterlot. It will allow free passage through the checkpoints.”
He turned to the princess, saluted, and left the room, closing the front door behind him.
Luna addressed Tinker, “Please put the medallion on.” He did so. Luna lowered her head and magic flared from her horn to the medallion, spilling over to envelop Tinker. After a few seconds, the magic faded.
“The medallion has now been bound to you. Only you may use it as identification. Anybody else, changeling or pony, who tries to wear it will find it... rather painful. It is for you alone.”
She turned to address the couple. “Quicksilver and Misty, we are grateful for the trust you show and the friendship you have extended to this changeling. We will speak of it in detail to our sister. And now this visit is concluded. I must return to the castle. Be well.”
They all stood up. The three ponies bowed deeply to Luna, who nodded her head in return. Then she left the house. Almost immediately they heard the sound of the princess and her two escorts taking off.
Misty jumped at Tinker and gave him a quick hug. Quicksilver stepped over next to her.
“So, it’s over?” Tinker asked. “I no longer have to fear? I don’t have to hide? I can return to my apartment and my life here?”
Misty nodded with a broad smile.
Quicksilver, also smiling, said. “Yes, Tinker. From now on, you are one of us.”
-- The End --
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Delightful read! A neat take on the power of friendship through the most troubling of times. I think the exiles and their Everfree hive have a lot of storytelling potential.
My only criticism is that Tinker has a very flat personality.
10904073
I touch on them again in a future one-shot story. But you're right, there is some interesting story potential exploring this other hive.
I almost got a heart attack when I reading the nightmare part, and this is exactly what I want. You get excited while you face a crisis. (Does that make sense?) Anyway, it's a good adventure story to me. Now I shall see what's Dark Steel perspective is about this event.
10948162
Thanks for commenting. I'm glad that sequence provided a little cardio to your day.
11127756
My editor will regularly have me add a break for that same reason. Perhaps I need a few more.
More critique:
Again, you seem to have glossed over a detail that the CHARACTERS would find important.
Wouldn't he have been needing to plan for continued trips in and out of Canterlot lot to keep his hive fed? Isn't he their major source of food? I know that isn't how it ended up working out, but THEY couldn't have known that.
11165045
He was already going to the hive on a regular basis. And after the invasion, he was give a "pass" in/out of the city. So it's all good. I suppose there was a window of time where he might have thought about it, but we didn't see that.
11165115
It is just that a non-trivial amount of the story takes place in that window of time, so not seeing it strikes me as a bit odd. There is a bit of dramatic tension about the plans to sneak him back into Canterlot, but nothing about the fact that, as far as our three protagonists know, this would NOT be a one-time problem, but a risky task that would need to be repeated on a regular basis.
Dude, after all that chaos and adventure, I loved how the story ended off with a somewhat friendship lesson. It's almost as if you're watching the Episode itself but from another perspective of two great heroes. I loved this story, and I say it's worthy of reading more than once. I can't wait to check out the other great tales bkc56 left for us; more adventure, more emotions, and more awesome storylines.
You can has review!
Any real changeling would never harm their livestock, the whole invasion in and of itself is a blatant slap in the face against the Masquerade Protocol, and would never have worked long term. It's just too bad the lings and Chrysalis especially forgot what it means to be a changeling.
So he was attempting to resume his prior vagabond style gathering? Clearly unsuccessful. 🤔
11592053
I tried to make sure everything worked out correctly. But perhaps I missed something....
One of us, one of us. We will make him one of us.!