Veil of the City

by BlueyWaifu

Chapter 11

Faltic's eyes snapped open, only to be greeted with darkness. Just faintly, a soft light crept in, peeking past the closed curtain of the window.

His ear twitched as he heard the soft sound of snoring. Turning his head, he could just make out Restel in the darkness, on the floor, clutching a plush of a pony, with foam cubes scattered all around him.

Memories quickly swarmed his mind. That of the events of yesterday, and Cyril.

Faltic drew a deep breath, and quietly exhaled it.

Turning to his left, he could see a lump in the other bed. Klaven. Peacefully sleeping with all the extra space of a whole bed to himself.

Everything was still.

Am I sweating?

Faltic reached up and wiped his brow. It didn't feel wet.

This time, Faltic wiped just below his eye. There was something wet beneath it.

Oh come on. I am not upset about that still. Faltic internally argued with himself so as not to wake the others up.

Of course I still feel bad. I really messed her up. Hardly seen her since.

While having an internal conversation with himself, Faltic readjusted himself in bed, getting comfortable again.

At least, hardly seen her until now.

As Faltic continued to think to himself, he unknowingly drifted back off to sleep.

*****

Darkness greeted Faltic once again.

It's still dark?

However, seeing the room he was in, it became apparent as to why.

Dreaming... again.

For whatever reason, Faltic was being as silent as he could, poking through all sorts of filing cabinets, grabbing papers, with a huge sense of uneasiness coming over him.

He recognized this room. It was where-

There was the sound of hoofsteps getting louder as they drew near.

Oh. Oh no.

"Faltic?" A feminine voice hit Faltic's ears as he scrambled to attention.

"Faltic!" The voice sounded out again. It sounded like Cyril.

Everything went completely black again as the dream shuttered to a close.

*****

"Faltic!"

Klaven was beside Faltic's bed, shaking him to wake him up. At last, Faltic had a response, but he kept mumbling "No."

Growing annoyed, and worried, Klaven shoved Faltic nearly off the bed. All four of Faltic's legs scrambled as if he was falling, and Faltic's eyes opened, panting like he'd finished a jog.

Collecting himself briefly, Faltic looked at Klaven.

"Uh, morning," Klaven spoke.

Faltic scanned the room. Restel was gone from the floor. All that was left was a plush and foam cubes.

"You moved a bit in your sleep, which you don't normally do, and I didn't know when you and Whimsy were meeting today so I woke you up just in case."

In a sense of déjà vu, Faltic's memories flooded back to his mind. "Right. Thank you."

Klaven nodded. Faltic stood up and stretched. Last night was rough, and took quite a toll, hearing as most his joints popped.

"Where's Restel?" Faltic asked.

"Busy with the love subject this morning," Klaven answered.

Faltic shuddered. An immovable sense of sinking in his chest settled in, and a sense of dread hung over him. Long had he wanted to forget what his sleep had reminded him of, and seeing Restel was the last thing he currently wanted to do.

Whimsy. Cyril. That took priority right now.

Faltic rubbed his eyes as he spoke. "Cyril said we could meet at about noon, go from there. My turn to pick the place and such."

Klaven occupied himself by making his bed. "I was thinking about that."

"What?" Faltic asked.

"You and Cyril. You know she's her, she doesn't know you're you, and uh, I now know what happened between you two." Klaven sheepishly smiled at Faltic.

Faltic planted a hoof to his face. "Ugh. I know. That's fine. I'm not proud of it, and I've changed since."

"Ignoring the pun, I think I have an idea for how you can get Cyril to like Faltic more than Enthrall," Klaven said optimistically. However, Faltic was confused. Firstly: what pun?

Secondly: "What do you mean, and how? Dude, she freaking hates me, last I remember," Faltic argued against himself. There was no shot of Cyril even thinking about him since then, other than to remember who screwed up her ear.

Klaven dropped the blanket he'd been holding, and held up a hoof, mockingly defending himself. "Hear me out. Why don't you try to do things that you like, and see if Cyril shares some common ground with you? Nothing that would explicitly give you away, but something that you two could both enjoy together."

Faltic seemed to consider that, looking at the ground and being silent. It didn't sound entirely crazy, but it also didn't sound completely foolproof. However, Klaven's past idea of committing with Whimsy led him to this point, so there was some credibility to Klaven's thinking.

"But..." Faltic started, hesitating slightly. "How would I gauge Cyril's reaction, and not Whimsy's." Faltic believed that since she's a changeling, she's just playing an act. And being a changeling, a damn good one at that.

Klaven sternly pointed at Faltic. "Look for her adaptors. You know, those little idiosyncrasies that happen faster than you can blink. Reacting to something naturally happens to all of us. Be you, see how Cyril reacts before Whimsy does."

Faltic was silent for a moment before nodding, speaking slower than before. "Huh. I see your logic." Klaven picked up where he left off. "I can't come with you though. I've got my shift soon."

A little pang in Faltic's chest happened, a small bit of him wanted Klaven to go, and not be left alone. "That's fine. I should be able to handle myself."

"So you say. You should probably get going too. It can't be morning forever," Klaven told Faltic, pointing a hoof at the window and the bright day outside.

"Good idea." Faltic started to move, but stopped. "Wait, so, where do you suggest we go then?"

Klaven shrugged. "Wherever you think you should. Somewhere or something that would show off Faltic's interests, and try to see how Cyril reacts."

"Right." With some hesitation first, Faltic quickly trotted past Klaven, exchanging a quick hoof bump along the way. "Thank you." Klaven nodded in response. Faltic donned upon his Enthrall disguise with a swirl of fire, and was out the door.

A small realization struck Faltic as he went down the stairs. When Klaven had mentioned ponies react the way they wanted to before a façade would, that was exactly how Faltic took the news of Klaven not being able to go. Faltic wanted the company, but played the act that it would be fine.

Just have to apply that to Cyril. Things were going to be tricky from here on out.

*****

Not once did the thought of abandoning this plan occur. Not while going back to the room to collect his books, not while trotting all the way to Whimsy's, and not once during the journey to the Manehattan Public Library alongside Whimsy.

Only now did it dawn on Faltic that he may have had the worst follow-up to Klaven's idea.

Faltic had showed up to Whimsy's, books in tow, explaining he needed to return them. Whimsy seemed alright with it. In fact, she appeared like she wanted to go.

Cyril, on the other hoof... well, Faltic couldn't make anything out yet.

At least he had done a good job maintaining conversation with her so far. The unnerving sense of... well, nerves kept Faltic slightly on edge.

"Won't be here too long. Just going to return these, and pick out a couple more," Faltic assured Whimsy as they ascended the stairs leading to the entrance.

"Fine by me. Might pick out some myself," Whimsy responded.

Did Cyril really have a card?

Just knowing that it wasn't really Whimsy gave Faltic a whole new sense of caution with his actions. On one side, for some reason, Faltic still lingered on this hopeless crush with her, hoping that it might work this time with some effort. On the other, this was (as always believed) hopeless. Though, Faltic latched onto his belief that this could work with every ounce of strength.

Faltic held the door open for Whimsy, and stepped in after her. Every sound of Manehattan vanished, as if going deaf in a matter of seconds. The quiet steps of hooves on carpet barely reached Faltic's ears as he placed his books in the returns.

Whimsy scanned the sprawling room before her. Bookshelves lined the walls, with another wall of them a few feet away, forming an aisle of bookshelves. In the middle were rows of tables that other ponies silently sat at, tending to their own business.

Faltic caught up beside Whimsy as he nudged her shoulder, poking his head in a direction. Faltic spoke in a hushed voice. "Over here. I've got a section I like going to."

Whimsy only nodded in response, following Faltic as he led the two into an aisle of bookshelves. A few steps later, Faltic halted in front of a seemingly random shelf, talking quietly to Whimsy. "One of my personal favorite spots."

Whimsy stepped up beside Faltic, spotting the 'Romance' label that loomed above the shelf. Faltic plucked a book from the shelf, but wasn't paying any mind to it. Rather, he side-eyed Whimsy, attempting to gauge any reaction. He watched as she looked up and around, almost staring beyond the books, holding a hoof to her mouth to cover a smile.

"What're some of your favorites?" Faltic quietly asked.

Whimsy held her mouth as she coughed, regaining some composure. "I'm more of a 'fan of everything.' So, no favorites."

This is the worst possible thing I could've done. Faltic thought, internally kicking himself.

A silence unlike the already present quietness of the library settled between the two. It was awkward, and Faltic wanted it to go away. "I've got another section. Over here." Faltic took the book he had plucked, and led the way once again.

Take her to the romance section. Good idea, Faltic.

Faltic's mind was nothing but self depreciation as they made their way around a corner, entering another section of bookshelves. "Another one of my favorites," Faltic mentioned.

Whimsy took notice of the label, reading the 'Mystery' label that hung above the shelves. Faltic noticed that Whimsy was idly tapping her hoof to the ground as she primarily looked around the area, the only expression she showed being disinterest.

Faltic's nerves took over his actions. Picking the next book from the shelf resulted in him fumbling it immediately, the book falling to the carpeted floor with a little thud.

The muffled sound of Whimsy's laughter caught Faltic's ear as he recovered the book from the floor. Memories prodded their way to the forefront of his mind as he heard it.

Scout training all over again...

"Klutz," Whimsy playfully mocked. Faltic shared a soft smile with her as he kept the book in his grasp, along with the previous one.

Though his smile showed content, the inside of Faltic's mind was back at war. This was the worst possible place to put Klaven's idea into action. It was almost as if Faltic's scout training self was clawing its way back to life and taking over his body, filling him with angst and nerves. For what it was worth, it was easy to gather that Cyril had zero interest in being here, so it was probably time to go.

Being this close to Cyril again, it just felt so different.

Maybe it was because this time, she seemed to like Faltic. So much so that it almost felt real.

Or maybe because the last time he was so close to her, he completely botched their training, and in turn, her ear.

Faltic found himself staring blankly at the cover of the book he had just retrieved from the ground. "Yeah, I think I've got all I need here."

"Good." Whimsy's response emitted no emotion, but she did smile.

Already, Faltic trotted towards the front. After checking out two completely random books, Faltic led Whimsy out, and down the steps.

From what little there was to gather, Faltic knew that behind the façade, Cyril had no amount of interest for anything that had happened so far today.

The weather had taken a turn. During the short amount of time spent inside, the sky had changed from its partly cloudy view, to dark, ominous clouds looming above.

"Smells like rain," Faltic mentioned to Whimsy as they both looked up.

"Those pegasi work fast. Jeez." Whimsy appeared to look nervous. "I don't like being caught in the rain."

As miniscule of a checkbox it was, Faltic had to admit a second defeat today. He enjoyed a little walk in the rain, so long as it wasn't pouring.

Despite that trivial matter, he had books, and those couldn't get wet. "What do you think?" Faltic quickly asked Whimsy, prying his gaze away from the sky and back at Whimsy.

Whimsy rubbed her chin in thought. "I actually think it wouldn't be a bad idea to break it off here. Don't know how long it'll rain, and it looks like it's about to start."

The familiar pang of emotion hit Faltic's chest as Whimsy was already deciding to cut today short. Faltic cursed the weather many times over in his head, and all the pegasi involved in carrying it out.

Faltic laced his words with his own genuine sadness. "Aw, alright. I understand. When're you free next?" Faltic asked. Their time spent today was too short, and Faltic felt somewhat unfulfilled.

Whimsy showed a sheepish smile. Already, Faltic knew what her answer was about to be. "Day after tomorrow. Got some business I need to take care of."

A changeling can go a good bit longer without food than a normal pony. What her business was, he wasn't exactly sure. At the very least, however, it was just a little more understood as to why she was intermittently 'busy.'

A hint of annoyance (and admittedly, fatigue) tried to creep into Faltic's emotions, but were swatted away immediately, the thought of Cyril strengthening Faltic's resolve.

Faltic decided not to try and press on that. At least, not yet. "Ah alright." Faltic opened up his foreleg, the one without two books tucked within them. "C'mere."

For some reason, Faltic found himself shivering. It wasn't from the coldness in the air. A sudden overwhelming sense of nerves and excitement kicked in as he realized he had been hugging Cyril this whole time, and that he was about to get another.

I really am my pathetic past self. Faltic thought, holding his leg open.

Before closing in, Whimsy took a noticeably larger inhale, exhaling it all at once, similar to Restel's breathing technique to ease nerves, without the foreleg movement.

Whimsy closed in, accepting the hug, wrapping both her forelegs around Faltic.

Faltic took note of the small huff. Almost as if she was bracing to keep her act of Whimsy going. That was the last thought to cross Faltic's mind before it went blank, only focusing on the warmth of Whimsy's... Cyril's embrace. It was easy to ignore passing ponies when in the embrace of another.

Whimsy let out a small chuckle before shifting her head, planting a tiny peck on Faltic's cheek. Immediately, Whimsy backed up, averting her gaze elsewhere, concealing her smile behind her hoof.

Faltic's limbs went stiff as his eyes popped wide open, almost looking paralyzed.

Another light chuckle later, Whimsy took a step in the opposite direction. "I still enjoyed spending some time with you. Just meet me at my place whenever. Day after tomorrow. Bye Enthrall!"

With that, Whimsy trotted away. Faltic stood still in shock, with too many emotions to process all at once. Despite her debatably abrupt departure, Whimsy left Faltic with a new set of emotions to handle, and a new sense of happiness mixed with uneasiness.

What snapped Faltic from his daze was the first few droplets of rain pattering on his back. Even the act of trotting was as if he had just learned how to last week.

With haste, Faltic made his way back to the hotel.

Author's Note:

A bit of a shorter chapter, but don't worry. I still have nine more planned.

I don't usually have authors notes at the end of chapters, but I wanted to say something here.

After some waiting, this story was denied consideration from Equestria Daily to be posted on their site. With no distaste towards EqD and the work they put in to maintain their site, I understand.

This story is written in my own free time with my passion for changelings. I'm not grammatically the best, I understand. It can still be up for consideration if I were to fix the jarring amount of grammatical issues the story has, but I don't particularly have the time to do that.

The point of why I'm putting this here is to really say thank you to every single reader who has given this story some time to read. All I care about is the story being entertaining, enjoyable, understandable and giving you characters to like. As long as those reading are having fun doing so, I'm happy.

I am especially thankful for those who have made it this far and are going to be here the second half of this story. Your interaction with this story means everything to me in giving me the motivation to continue.

(I hope my salt didn't sprinkle into this authors note)

There will be more changeling stories after this one. I'm almost done with the outline of another story, so changelings will be back once this one is done.

Comments

[Wooden Wheel]

Faltic's insecurities ooze throughout this chapter... I love it!

As far as the author's notes go, I think you're doing an incredible job doing exactly what you want to do with this story.

[Ruse Spark]

Y'know... how do we know that Cyril doesn't know that it's Faltic? This has all been from the trio's POVs, and not often Cyril's/Whimsy's, if at all. What if she knew the entire time that Enthrall is Faltic and was just letting things ride themselves out in a comfortably slow burn until she was finally 'accidentally' discovered.

Also, Faltic's freshly rediscovered trepidation over screwing up a new chance at a previous relationship? It humanizes(Pony-izes?) him and helps to identify with him better, which I personally enjoy a lot.

With a final thought, its also kinda retroactively funny to me that Faltic picked Enthrall as his pony name, and he used to be more or less enthralled by the idea of being together with Cyril.

[DullLight]

Hey, your story is great, and also it's hard to find old changeling appreciation nowadays, so thank you for this.

It looks to me like Faltic should let it go tbh. Cyril's impressions of him are pretty much ruined, and it they don't even appear to have much in common. Looks like an unhealthy obsession at this point.