> The Bridesmaids
>  by Meep the Changeling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Astrophysicist
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twinkleshine / Meep

Some ponies believe it would be a sort of vacation to be somepony else for a while. That stepping into another life and getting away from all of their own problems and social obligations would be relaxing. This could not be further from the truth. Being somepony else is exhausting. You have to remember exactly who the pony you are impersonating is, how they should act at all times, and always take great care to be them and not you. At least, I have to whenever I am somepony else.

My name is Meep. It may not look or sound like much but it's as close as modern Equestrian can get to the proper pronunciation of my name. It's a very old name you see, a very old Changelish name. I'm not a pony, but I pretend to be one.

I am a changeling. Even today most ponies I know consider my people monsters. It's understandable, plenty of the hives are still downright barbaric in how they feed. Religion can make anyling see anyone besides themselves as prey instead of a person. Many of us are only happy to drain a pony dry and leave them a vegetable. Pure barbarism if you ask me. Besides, taking in ambient emotional energy or just taking a little for yourself provides for a far more refined flavor.

Despite the risk of discovery and the high likelihood of a resulting execution, I have chosen to live among ponykind. I have lived with them for a long time. A very long time. Longer than all but two ponies I know of have lived in fact. Five lifetimes, a full three hundred and eighty-four years. I'm not immortal or some special type of changeling. I'm just an ordinary worker. I learned an old trick which lets me have a shape I assume age instead of me. I do not age, my chosen form does. It's possibly the most important skill I know, which is saying something considering the skills I have learned and created over the years.

Most ponies would assume I was crazy if they knew the reason I have for prolonging my life. The reason behind the cycle of fake deaths, forged immigration papers, and aggravating trips through various universities. It's not that I am afraid to die or some sort of immortal guardian. It's not that I vowed to watch over someone's family line or something heroically noble. It's a purely selfish, stupid reason.

I want to know everything there is to know about the stars. Or rather, the stars, the place they call home, and everything else within the endless bounds of space. Barring accidents, I will not allow myself to die until I know all I desire to. 

That's right I'm a scientist, an astrophysicist to be specific. The first astrophysicist if you want me to be precise. I wrote the book on the motion of the planets in our system, literally. Well, technically I did, according to history a pegasus named Laughing Village wrote it but she was in fact me. She was my first 'life' if you will.

I've come a long way since I was her, I set the ball rolling as Laughing, and each of my lives has helped push that ball further and further along with everypony else whose worked in the field ever since. I haven't done all the work of course. I'm not a genius, I'm just someling with all the time in the world to figure things out. But I did invent a few important things along the way.

Calculus, the reflecting telescope, the equations used to track stellar moments, the means to make an effective liquid fueled rocket, and most recently the radio telescope. All of those discoveries are my contribution to the world. I've also collaborated with many other ponies of course. Not to mention how many ponies have based their work off my own.

Those achievements mean almost everything to me. I don't seek to be famous or anything. Only one of my lives was a celebrity scientist. Since nopony knows the truth about me I actually get no recognition for my achievements. It would be nice to be known for what I really am. Nonetheless, I am happy simply learning what I have yearned to know ever since I was just a nymph. I have never paused or even taken a break from this quest of mine. Not even when I have tried to ironically enough.

This life was meant to be a break. It's tiring, the constant act of being someone different from who I was for the last 80 or so years. When my last life the 'Father of Space Flight' (better known as Brainy von Brawn) began to die, I realized how tired I was. The amount of work that it would take to reestablish an identity was not something I was willing to do.

I would need to be a late teenager again and work my way through a university. I would have to fight the institution to once more earn a PHD the field I pioneered and still practice. All the while unable to simply test my way through the ranks lest that be a clue as to my deception. So I did the sensible thing. I decided to take a vacation.

Twinkleshine was meant to be that vacation. I was going to be a normal mare who stargazed as a hobby and had a job selling plants or something. I would live a normal life. For once I would have fun with my knowledge instead of applying it all the time.

I still don't know how I messed that up. Maybe it's the established routine, or maybe I just love those twinkling specs too much. More likely it was anger at Celestia for raising the sun every single day just before I could get a clear view of one particular star. That star is a particularly large part of my current life, I wouldn't be in the same position if I had never noticed it.

It's a very beautiful star to an astronomer. A lovely G-type mane-sequence star positioned in the night sky just a hair over the horizon right where Celestia's sun comes up and only visible seconds before dawn. For just five minutes a day you can get a descent look at it, then the sun's light blinds you to it's beauty, even the light of the moon blots it out until that key moment when the moon is set but Celestia has yet to raise her sun. I've done a lot of looking over many years during those five minutes.

At first my infatuation with the star was my usual curiosity of this rare star. But that swiftly turned to wonder and awe for that unique light within the heavens. That simple yellow star moves, and not just as the rest of the stars do. While it does participate in the procession of the equinox just like all the others,  it also moves with its own pattern. At first I thought it might have a companion, a second star close by to share the universe with, but this was not the case. The star has a very slight orbit around a point a short distance outside it's center, as if something with enough mass to pull at the star itself orbits it.

I firmly believed the star's wobble indicated something huge. The idea of planets existing beyond the Celestial system is nothing new, but no pony has found proof of them. If I was right not only had I found proof of exoplanets existence, but I had also discovered a heliocentric system of planets. That would naturally revolutionize the field of Astrophysics.

Seeking proof of my theory I wrote several dozen letters to the Canterlot Royal Observatory, as Twinkleshine of course. After they dismissed my findings I wrote instead to Princess Celestia herself. Fortunately enough, not only did she read my letter, she kindly delayed sunrise for a half hour so I could get a good look. Unfortunately those minutes were a one shot. Apparently the sun can't be delayed on a regular basis in the name of sky shattering scientific discoveries. Those few minutes did nothing to help but I was able to take a nice photo through my telescope.

When Princess Luna returned I decided to write her instead. I assumed the Princess of the Night would understand the need for my work. Along with my letter I included a full list of studies preformed by my past lives in the hopes that discovering ponykind learned to love her night while she was away would sway her mood into my favor. While it did get her to write back to me, nothing came of it. Apparently Luna returned in name only with zero power in the political arena.

She was just the mare at the helm of the moon, but not her captain. A damn shame. For me this meant a sorrowful reply stating Princess Luna could do nothing as the cycle of day and night was a mater of “profound importance to my sister, Equestria, and the peasantry.” In that moment I conceited once more assuming the form of Night Flair the Science Mare, marching into the palace, and challenging Celestia to a duel to defend science's honor. But that idea lasted minutes before I saw all the problems with it.

I really should have let everything go then, but I just couldn't. I am an astrophysicist and there was the discovery of my current life to be made! With no conventional means of acquiring the data I needed, I began to ponder the problem in every spare moment I had. Eventually I came across a book by professor Bright Idea wherein he detailed his observations on the electromagnetic spectrum.

While reading it I realized that given visible light and radio waves were part of the same thing, they were thus mathematically convertible from one to the other. With some minor effort on my part it would be possible to construct a device which viewed radio waves and converted them into a visible image. A sort of radio telescope if you will.

Engineering the device was a simple task, all the parts existed in different devices already. The hard part was working out the size and shape of the parabolic reflector and the amount of power to use in the device to ensure a small dish could do the job. After all, I didn't have the funding of a great and powerful scientist this time. It took me four months, seven thousand or so bits of my own money, and more cursing than I can recall, but I did it. I created a telescope which could operate during the bright of day, and still give a clear image as if it were the blackest of nights.

Then out of pure drummed in reflex, I mailed my project notes, blueprints, and photographs of the prototype to the Royal Canterlot Institution for the Sciences for peer review. Suddenly Twinkleshine was an engineering genius! Everypony wanted me to sign on with their college, accept their scholarships, grants, and promises of private tutoring. Teams of scientists were clambering to get me on board after I had a proper education. Everything I didn't want this time around jumped right out at me, and started clawing for my brain like an eagle after a fish.

I stuck it out for as long as I could. I kept up a happy mask, ignored the intellectuals and explained that I was happy with my life. This was supposed to be my life to break from the grind, and love the stars for what they are. I had the patience of a changeling who has had five whole lives. I would outlast the sudden interest in my abilities on part of the academic world! I made it four whole months.

I came home one day to find my roommate Colgate fending off a hoard of journalists with a broom for a spear and a stool for a shield. I knew that I couldn't stay in the city any longer. Colgate and I talked it over, and after weighing our options decided to stick together and move to Ponyville.

Ponyville was the best decision I had made in Shine's life. Colgate loved the change of pace as well. She even got a promotion as the local dentist had recently lost a doctor, and Cole had enough experience for the job. As for me, well, money hasn't been a problem since I was Night Flair. Savings accounts with compound deposits are wonderful things for a person of my age.

What made Ponyville especially wonderful was the relaxed pace, the rustic atmosphere with special hints of modernity everywhere, the low light pollution, and best of all the vast ocean of love, kindness, and joy for me to feast upon. I had the changeling equivalent of a sugar high for the first three months until I finally got used to it all. Thank goodness we don't get fat! Or get diabetes for that matter, I would have died from so many health problems in the first month.

There were a few bumps in the road here and here of course. There was the fiasco with Princess Celestia's pet bird going missing, Discord's return, Twilight hypnotizing of half the town, Twilight's dragon friend's kaiju moment, and the other incident involving a dragon. But it was all spaced out over such a long time as to make these disasters bearable, and perhaps just a little bit fun. Just enough trouble to shake up the status quo, and happening rarely enough to be an almost welcome break from the routine.

In fact, just for fun I was beginning to develop an equation for determining when these disasters would strike. Which is why when my best friends Lyra, Bonnie, Octavia, and Vinyl invited Colgate and I to help with Princess Cadence's wedding in Canterlot next week I just knew it was going to turn into a disaster of the Ponyville kind.

It all started when my circle of friends and I were at Vinyl and Octavia's house on a typical Friday evening. It was a time reserved on all of our schedules for the single most important activities any five ponies could ever do. Something we had done ever since the five of us met in high school. Something nopony else could do. Something magical.

Or at least we would be if Vinyl hadn't had to go pick up the pizzas, leaving us in limbo and opening up a moment for the others to try to wrangle me into doing something.

“I don't want to be a bridesmaid Lyra.” I sighed for the twelfth time.

“Ah come on! We will get to see all our old friends from high school. Most of them still live in Canterlot!” Lyra reminded.

I sighed, slapping one hoof to my forehead, “Lyra... I didn't have any other friends in high school. I was the new girl and a nerd.”

Lyra frowned, her golden eyes giving me a confused look. “But... but you are like... Tavi how did you put it?”

Octavia smiled as she remembered what apparently had been a joke about me. “I believe I said that you are equal to a nanopie. A unit of friendliness equivalent to one millionth of Pinkie Pie.”

I chuckled, “I would say more like one point three-four micropies, I can't compete with someone who's a kilopie on her own scale. But seriously, you guys are my only friends. If I added more to the circle I wouldn't have time for anything else.”

“Oh.” Lyra exclaimed looking over to her wife for help.

Bon-bon sighed, “Lyra, we both know we will never get Shine to do anything she doesn't want to.”

“But I want all five of us to go!” Lyra wined, stamping a hoof against the floor.

Colgate gave me a look, one of those weird sad, kind, hopeful looks. They always weird me out, I've never figured out exactly why. “Shine... All we want is to go on a vacation together. I know that princesses and weddings are not your thing, but we get luxury suites in the castle. It will have some fun parts to it, besides remember Pony Joe's? There will be plenty of time between recitals.”

Pony Joe's. I remembered Pony Joe's. Changelings don't get any nutrients from solid foods, but we can still eat them. Besides, a long term stay in a different form means you have to keep that body fed. Those doughnuts Joe made were almost enough to make me say yes, but still, I really really didn't want to go. “I call foul play! That's like saying 'we should go because it rains bits there.' Besides, you remember why we moved. Right Cole?”

“Oh for heaven's sake!” Octavia exclaimed, “You can put up with professors asking you to attend their classes for one week. Besides, you would learn something if-”

“Ahem!” I interrupted, turning to Tavi and stating, “Luna's moon's orbital parameters are best expressed by an equation where T is equal to-”

Octavia held up a hoof quickly, “Ok, you made your point. You don't need to give us all a lecture on orbital mechanics. Again.”

“Astrodynamics.” I protested, giving Octavia a hurt look.

“You're not derailing this one!” Lyra exclaimed, jumping between Octavia and I. “Will you be a bridesmaid with Cole and I or not?”

Suddenly the door at the top of the stairs flew open, Vinyl's blue magic aura lighting up the wooden steps which descended into the basement, “Ah yeah everypony! The 'zah has arrived!”

“Yes!” I exclaimed, “Saved by food!”

Lyra turned and shot Vinyl a look, “Go back upstairs until I convince Shine to go to Canterlot with us!”

Vinyl stopped, frowning slightly and presumably giving her a confused look from behind her amethyst sunglasses. “What?”

“I had her cornered but you interrupted her before I could make her agree!” Lyra pouted.

Vi pushed her glasses up so we could see her eyes roll. “Lyra, that's not how you make her do things.”

Vinyl walked down the stairs and set the three pizza boxes on the edge of the large table in the room's center. Once the boxes were set down she turned to me with a critical look, “Don't want to hang with us? That's cool. You know I'm not going to do the whole maid thing right? I'm booked to do the reception. It would be cool if somepony laid down some fresh vocals for me to remix live. Maybe shred a riff or two.”

I groaned, back in high school I had helped Vinyl build her first turntable, her performances always created an incalculable amount of love. Performing with her directed some of that feast of appreciation towards me. I hadn't done a big crowd with her in a year. I could practically taste it already. “... Ah Tartarus... Fine I'll go.”

“Yay!” Lyra exclaimed, bouncing joyously for a few molments until Bon-bon trotted over and put an arm on her back.

“It will be fun to have a vacation together for once.” she said smiling at Lyra's antics.

Colgate nodded, “Yeah. It will be like spring break back in ninety-three.”

I couldn't remember that date. It seemed important though. I frowned, trying to remember exactly what happened back then but Vinyl banged her hoof on the tabletop. “Right, that's settled. Everypony to the table. We got thing's to do.”

We all gathered around the table with Vinyl on one side, and everypony else in a half circle facing her. Vi levitated a small folding cardboard screen onto the table, set it down, and then placed a few small odds and ends behind it. The rest of us set up our own equipment. Pencil, documents, dice, figurines. Everything was set.

With a nod from Vinyl, Lyra dimmed the lights plunging the basement gaming room into a pleasant dim, mood setting glow. Vinyl slid her shades down over her eyes and at the same time levitated a dark brown hooded cloak over her head. With her face hidden in shadows, her eyes two shining amethysts in the darkness, she intoned, “The Champions of Mossflower have become a celebrated name in all the woodlands since your defeat of Lord Sharpclaw. The woodlands once again feel free to walk through the hills and dales of Mossflower Woods. But all is not well.

Travelers coming from the north insist the roads are still quite dangerous, plagued with all manner of vermin, brigands, and corsairs. What's more Lord Sharpclaw's last words still echo fresh in your minds, 'My brother shall tear your still beating hearts from your chest.' Half of your task still awaits you brave warriors.”

Vinyl levitated a small piece of paper to Lyra, “Lyra, word of your heroics reached Salamandastron. Your former commanding officers have sent you a new saber to replace your old one. Here's the stats.”

Lyra looked at the paper and beamed, exclaiming in her character's voice and mannerisms, “My stars! Wot a flaming good toadsticker! Plenty a vermin will see their end upon this blade. Prefect for backstabbing, wot wot!”

We winced at her accent. Nopony had the heart to tell her how bad it was. Especially since she was the only one of us who enjoyed playing the rogue. Vi's games absolutely needed a party with a rogue.

“Colgate, the Abbot has granted Riverbend the title of Abby Champion. You are given Martin's blade to carry. Use it well.” Vi continued, passing a slip of paper to her as she spoke.

Colgate looked at the paper, eyes widening instantly. “Are you serious? A plus five keen longsword with mighty cleaving and a special property allowing me to ignore auto fails on ones? Really?”

Vinyl flashed a smile, “Hey we have all read the books. Tell me that's not accurate. Besides, have I ever given you loot which broke a game?”

Cole shook her head, “Point... Just seems a little extreme at this level is all.”

“If Vi gave it, we'll need it.” I said giving Cole a long look, “The Thunder Dome.”

Cole winced. I'm sure she remembered what it took to get beyond the Thunder Dome. “Right... Um... Let's pick up some healing supplies.” Cole said quickly.

Vinyl passed the rest of us a small note each, “You all are given well made haversacks fully loaded up with food, medicine, and traveling supplies. While your friends say it's a shame you cannot rest, they agree you must liberate the north from the wildcat's twin. You have just said your goodbyes and are standing on the path facing north. Dare you venture forth?”

The four of us grinned, “We dare!” we said in unison.

“After all, no D&D adventure has broken us yet.” I added with a chuckle.
> The Dentist
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colgate Aquafresh

Tonight's game was a good game. Well, I guess that's not really saying much. Vi's games are always good, she's a pretty good storyteller. I'd bet she could make some serious money as an author but well, she would never stop DJ-ing. She simply likes music too much to stop, and I doubt she could give up our weekly game, which she would probably have to if she didn't stop her gigs. Vi wouldn't have the heart to do that.

Those games were the glue that kept our little group together this long. Everypony would miss it far too much if we stopped playing. Tartarus, our current game featured the seventh generation of our character's respective family lines setting out to carry on the tradition of adventuring, and we had actually played the other six generations. It was like one ongoing chain of heroes protecting their world and our friendship. Our D&D game held us together completely. Our group would survive without it, but it would be a lot like preforming a root canal without novacaine. Bloody, painful, and lawsuit spawning.

The game had run pretty late tonight. Late enough that Shine eventually asked if we could stop as she was missing out on some atmospheric gravity lens thing. Everypony didn't mind stopping, we all knew how much Shine loved the stars. But best of all in my opinion, that meant it was time for my favorite part of Friday nights. Walking home with her.

Shine would never say much, her eyes always were fixed on the stars like they were a massive basket of fresh hay fries. I swear that she picked the name Twinkleshine to be as apt as possible. I knew it wasn't her real name. Heck, my real name isn't Colgate, it's Minuette. Nicknames tend to stick with a pony, especially when they involve that pony's passion. Shine's name wasn't just a nickname or something she likes to go by. It's an alias, a name given to a fake identity. Or at least that's normally how they work. I'm not sure how much, if any of Shine is fake other than her name, appearance, and age.

I know what Twinkleshine is. I've known ever since spring break eight years ago. I gave her little reminders of that camping trip once every little while. I hoped she would remember one day, realize what I am pointing out, and then admit everything to me. Not because I want her gone, in prison, or hurt. See, I like her. As in I like-like her. I just want her to be honest with me. I am apparently way to shy with relationships for my own good.

On spring break junior year everypony in our little click had gone on a camping trip together. It was just the six of us for the whole week. Hard cider blocked everypony else's memories of that week. See, Tavi used to be the wild party animal of the group. Her parents rained her in something fierce after the trip. They own one of Canterlot's most famous distilleries. Tavi had stolen a keg of salted hard cider from their stocks for the trip.

She had kept it hidden the whole time in the cart, until the last night when she tapped it, passed out mugs, and announced it was time to end the trip properly. Everypony had been totally happy to do the typical teen thing and drink themselves stupid. But me? I guess all the anti-drinking propaganda really stuck with me. I didn't drink a drop of it, I just sat there the whole night faking it.

Which is why I am the only one who can remember that last night of vacation. The four of them wound up arguing over increasingly stupid things as the night wound on and the mugs piled up. Eventually they started arguing about the behavior of changelings. I didn't care for nonpony lore back then so I was about to just walk off and find someplace quiet to go to bed when Shine jumped up onto the wagon. Her pony shape dropped in a flash of green fire as she screamed that at them, “That's stupid! You're stupid! We don't eat ponies whole! We don't even eat matter! Stop being stupid!”

The others ran off drunkenly screaming into the night and Shine had passed out a few seconds later. But not me, I was too stunned to run. I felt like I should be afraid, but I wasn't. I knew why I wasn't afraid of her though. Shine's glossy exoskeleton and shimmering wings were gorgeous.

I remember exactly how she looked in that moment, she was like some engineer's streamlined version of a pony. All smooth curved plates of glossy blue-black chitin with a few harsher lines here and there. Two slightly slanted sets of compound butter yellow eyes, like gemstones with hundreds of tiny facets adorned her face. She had a small horn, pretty much foal-sized it was curved, and swept back towards her spiky ears before tapering to a sharp point. A pair of gossamer wings which covered her back like a shimmering cape atop a shiny amber plate. Short cropped black and gray mane and tail cut in a nice pixie-bob pattern. Her legs were thin insectoid style appendages covered in long fur clumped up giving the illusion of 'holes' through the legs. She was pretty.

Shine's real shape was the fist person I had seen which I felt a real attraction towards. I didn't realize that for a few weeks afterwards. Which is good, I would have done especially something stupid. See, all I knew about changelings was they supposedly ate a pony then replaced them to eat more ponies. I spent three weeks trying to outsmart this changeling. Trying to find out when she replaced Shine and if it were possible rescue her. Trying to avenge my friend if it was too late.

But as I discovered, there was no 'original' Twinkleshine. It blew my mind, but I couldn't refute the evidence. My investigation was very through. I went as far as to take a train to Las Pegasus where she said her parents lived. The address was an old empty house, nopony had ever heard of the ponies Shine told me her were parents. 

On the train ride back I connected the dots. Shine's face looked exactly like her real one, only covered in cream fur. Her mane was exactly the same curliness as Blue Stream's, her tail the same as our gym coach's, their pink color was the same as Bon-bon's hair streak. Twinkleshine wasn't a copy, she was an original.

Whatever her changeling name is, she had made up an identity. I needed to know why. I'm ashamed to admit I once again assumed she was up to something evil, like plotting an invasion, or an assassination of the princess. I set out for the library to learn everything I could learn.

I needed to arm myself with knowledge. I spent days searching the library for every book I could find on changelings. I found book after book on monster lore, and amassed a very large reading list. Only one thing prevented me from doing something stupid beyond reason. I ran into Celestia's personal protege, Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight took one look at the stack of books I was had picked out, asked if I was trying to actually learn about changelings or doing a report on their literature, and then snatched up all but one of the books announcing that all of them except for that one were complete fiction. It was amazing, she moved like some kind of book analyzing machine. They seriously don't call her Book Horse for nothing. 

The book Twilight left me with was an old one. It may also have been the only copy lest in Equestria. The thing seriously looked like somepony's hoof written field journal.  It was nothing but loose pages, worn leather cover, five different ink colors, stained pages. It was hard to read it, but I got it done in a few days. I'm glad I did.

The book was written by an anthropologist a hundred years ago on a journey through the deserts west of Equestria to the jungles on the other side. In the middle of the desert his team encountered a changeling hive, and amazingly they happily traded with them. Not for physical goods though. They traded for happiness, joy, and love offering information in return. They didn't remove the ability to feel those emotions or eat them whole, they just sort of soaked up what they were radiating.

That blew my mind, changelings eat love, and we call them monsters. Sure they look like a bit like big bugs, and their thin insect like legs look like they have holes in them because the long fur likes to clump. But by their very nature, according to this stallion's direct observations, they are a peaceful people who eat love for Celestia's sake! Well, not all of them are peaceful. When he and his team left to continue their journey the hive's queen warned them of another hive to the south.

The changelings didn't speak fluent Equestrian, so he couldn't understand the warning very well, but it seemed as if there were two tribes of changelings. Kind of like red ants and black ants. The two big differences between the changeling tribes was one had eyes and shells in a blue shade, and followed a cruel and evil god who demanded they consume the souls of the 'prey species'. The others had eyes and shells of a yellow color, and followed the god's brother who ordered them to do no harm.

There was more to it obviously but it didn't translate. It turns out ponies can't learn Changelish because It uses sounds ponies can't hear as well as transmitted emotions. This was something I took note of for later. A spell to help me understand Shine's language would be needed for later. Regardless, the anthropologists didn't heed the warning and wound up only narrowly escaping a swarm of Blue Eyes as the author called them. The changelings they met first, the Amber Eyes, found them, nursed them to health, called them idiots, and got them pointed back to Equestria.

After I read that journal, I remembered what color Shine's eyes were. They were a pale yellow-white faintly glowing buttery sort of color. She was one of the nice ones. I realized then that she was just a person, someling trying to live her life. But what I didn't know is why she wasn't with her own people doing whatever they liked to do.

My detective work shifted focus then. I had to know what she was up to, but not because I wanted to stop her, but because I needed to know about her. I couldn't stop thinking about her. The way her chitin had shined like a fire opal in the moon light. How her disguise had burned away in a vortex of emerald flames. The dozens of little irregular shapes which crisscrossed her wings like stained glass. Everything about her was beautiful, even her personality.

Shine was always amazingly nice to all of us, even to random ponies she didn't know. Now that I knew what she was, I figured her kindness was because she was hungry and looking for a little love. But if being a changeling meant she was naturally kind, hey bonus for me right?

I didn't realize I was truly in love with Shine until Vinyl asked me who I was crushing on. I'm happy that she didn't manage to pry it out of me. But even unto today everypony in our little group always teases me for that one and only time I had a crush. Ah you silly fillies, I still have that crush. No not a crush, a burning star of love. Anything which lasts eight years isn't just a crush.

There was only one problem with my love for Shine. Most ponies don't know anything at all about her species, and she knows this sad truth. Shine knows she is feared, hated, and would probably be hurt if ponies knew what she was. So if I ever told her I loved her, and why I did, she would run away. I've thought about lying and saying I just like pony her, but I know that wont work. I can't lie to her, not after admitting my love. You don't lie to a lover.

So I've laid low for years. I've done my best to mask my feelings as simple friendship so she can't sense them. I've gotten as close as I can to her over the years. I'm her roommate, her best friend, her 'lab' assistant, the pony she sees the most. I even help her with her stargazing when I can. It's not exactly what I want, but It is enough to keep me from being sad.

I've spent those years living for the little moments when she drops her disguise. Usually it's a slip of personality. The mask slips and suddenly Shine is this incredibly smart person, easily the smartest person I know. When she's like that it's amazing, she's this blazing intellect all of which is directed towards a single thing. It's awe inspiring. I remember one afternoon when in a fit of passion she wrote the entire workings of Celestia's sun into the dirt with a hoof to answer a filly's question of why the sun shined. 

Shine is far more kind and understanding in those moments too. It's like she goes from being in her early twenties to being an understanding middle aged pony who's seen it all and is totally aware of how hard it can be, whatever the issue is. I am damn sure that Shine's way older than her pony self looks. Which is pretty hot, I mean she can be all mature and wise and stuff but still look great. I guess I just have really weird preferences for a special somepony. Actually that's a lie. I know I have weird preferences.

Far more awesome than when she drops the 'young person' act are those rare times she is in her normal body. Those precious molments happen once every few months or so. Usually it's during a sleepy shuffle to get some water. Once it was when she was simply way to excited over discovering a star which was the same blue as my coat. We had a whole conversation with her looking like her adorable buggy self. She changed back mid sentence, didn't even notice she had been out of her costume. It was so cute.

The best time though was when she came back from one of Vinyl's parties, drunk to the point of staggering. She made it through the door, dropped her shape with a hiccup, walked over to me with a big smile, gave me a kiss, ate just a little of my love, grinned, announced that I was always her favorite because I was delicious, and then passed out. I moved her into her bed and got her all tucked in. It's one of my best memories... and my worst. I spent all night hoping she would remember that in the morning.

“Hey, Cole.” Shine's voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, um what?” I asked quickly.

“I was just thinking, since we are going to a wedding do you think that will be enough of a push for Octavia and Vi to finally let everypony know they have been going steady for years?” she asked, looking up at the sky the entire time.

“I... well... maybe.” I answered. “They probably won't until Tavi's mom dies though. She has a lot to lose.”

“I know. But it would be nice if they felt they could be open around us at least. We all know they are a couple, and they know we know. It's like this weird perpetual loop of ignoring what's right in front of your face. Or they are just incredibly oblivious, and don't actually know we've seen the hugs, smooches, and stuff. Which would be even worse. I can't stand it when ponies don't see something that's right in front of their face.” Shine said as she tracked a shooting star across the sky.

My left eye twitched. The deep spike of anger Shine's incredible, obtuse, unintentionally hurtful words had created burned through my very soul. I felt my heart scream in pure unadulterated rage at the bitter irony. Shine winced visibly. I froze, realizing she must have felt that from me.

“Um... I kind of felt like I said something wrong... Did I?” she asked, looking away from the stars to look me in the eyes.

I shook my head. “No... I... It's... I can't stand the older generation's attitude towards gay couples. I mean Tartarus, there's like what one stallion for every five mares. What are we supposed to do? Share? Apparently not because they scream at you for that too.”

“Oh. You just looked really pissed so... well you get the idea.” Shine smiled before looking back up at the sky. “I'll be looking over the data from my telescope when we get home, so I'll see you in the morning ok?”

“Ok. Have fun.” I answered.

I wanted to punch myself in the face for yet again not having the courage to speak my mind. I knew that Shine would run if she ever knew she was discovered. I would run with her. It's what my heart told me to do.
> The Plan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl Scratch

“They've turned the corner. Were all clear!” Lyra announced excitedly.

I grinned, “Heh, you can always count on her to leave early enough to look up. So everypony, Lyra and I have a little plot for you guys.”

Bon-bon raised an eyebrow. “This had better not be another-”

I cut her off, “Nah, It's nothing like what you're thinking Bon. It's about those two. Lyra and I were talking the other day and well...” I pointed at Lyra with a frown, “You explain it. It's your plan.”

Lyra nodded eagerly, “Right! So well you know how Cole's been single forever?”

Bon-bon nodded, “Yes. She's asexual right? I mean she's never shown an interest in anypony as far as I can recall.”

Octavia nodded in agreement. “I can't recall anypony she has expressed affection towards after she gradated from high school.”

“Well, Vi and I were over at her house the other week and by accident I switched her diary with a book I borrowed from the library.” Lyra stopped talking as Bon-bon shot her an accusing look.

I felt the need to back Lyra up. I gave Bon a 'trust me' grin, “No really, I was with her the whole time. She tripped on the rug, the book slipped from her magic and well, it looked almost the same as her diary. Both of them were on the bed see?”

Bon-bon's disapproving look vanished, “Oh. Sorry hon.”

“It's fine! Anyways Vi and I stopped for lunch afterwards and I was eager to read a little bit because I hadn't gotten to read any of Hidden Watcher's stuff regarding... Er- I'll just get to the point. It turns out that Cole's actually been crushing on Shine this whole time. As in like, all eight years since that time we went camping. Now I can't get all the details because well, I returned her diary sneakily so she wouldn't know I had it, and she had actually blacked out large portions of the text.”

I nodded my head in agreement. “Seriously. It looked like some kind of declassified military thing. It was kind of creepy.”

“You are absolutely sure that she's in love with Shine?” Bon-bon asked in a concerned tone.

Lyra nodded, “Yeah. The tons of poems, drawings, and little scribbled down fantasies were not at all subtle. I have no idea how or why she hides it so well when we are all together. I did find one line in there which said she's afraid that if Shine docent make the first move that she will run away. Like, leave all of us and start a new life run away.”

“It's just not healthy. Cole's repressing all that I mean. And you girls know how totally dense Shine can be.” I sighed.

“Oh yes. We're very well aware.” Octavia giggled. From the look on her face I could tell she was remembering the time Shine had walked in on the two of us cuddling and assumed we were just cold. She went and got us a blanket. It was hilarious.

Bon-bon nodded as well, “Yeah... for a smartypants she can be pretty dumb.”

“Well anyways,” Lyra said pacing the living room, “After learning how our good friend's heart has been yearning I decided we had to do something... So I um... well I tampered with the mail and made sure that the five of us would win the contest to be Princess Cadence's bridesmaids.”

“Lyra!” Bon-bon gasped, “Do you even know just how illegal that is?”

“Yeah. But so what? This is a mission for love! Besides, they would have found me out by now, so I got away clean. Though I do feel bad of taking advantage of Derpy's muffin obsession like that.” Lyra admitted with a strained grin.

I hadn't been aware of just how Lyra had arranged for us to win until now. Octavia looked at me all funny like. That sort of 'don't encourage her' look she threw my way whenever Lyra and I got up to some sort of trouble. I returned her look with a quick shrug, “What? I didn't know how she did it until now myself.”

Octavia sighed as she walked over to Lyra, “Ok, so you are apparently willing to commit crimes for what I assume is some sort of mission to 'hook up' two of our best friends.”

“Yes.” Lyra replied with a serious look on her face. “Seriously Tavi, Cole's miserable. She's stuck so deep in the friendzone that Shine's literally bought her a best friends necklace. Even worse, far as I can tell Cole has never loved anypony else and probably wont.”

I sighed, “Cole did seriously use the word 'unique' to describe Shine like... Twenty percent more than anypony should have.” I said trying to back up Lyra's point.

“Ah pony feathers...” Bon-bon groaned, “They would be a cute couple. I'm in. What are we doing?”

Octavia moaned in distress as she gave me a pleading look. I levitated my glasses up to give her eye contact. It's how I showed her I was serious. My glasses aren't just for show, those purple lenses stop migraines. Asfedia is a total dick. “Tavi, seriously, Shine won't notice without a good hard shove and Cole's totally obsessed.”

Octavia sighed totally defeated. She trotted over to stand next to me. “Alright. So long as no more crimes are committed. I do have a good name to maintain you know.”

I grinned happily, giving her hoof a playful brush with my own, “Good to have you on the side of well meaning mischief!” I joked.

Lyra giggled and whispered something to Bon-bon. I knew she noticed my little lovey-dovy gesture. I'm pretty much amazed she hasn't spilled the beans and gotten Tavi and I disowned by her old mare. Tartarus, I wish she would be. A few million bits are not worth the shadowy love life.

“Well, we are all going to a wedding. A Royal wedding, of the Princess of Love herself to a stallion who is so much of a white knight that he is literally named Shining Armor. It's almost a singularity of romanticism, you just need Bon-bon's sweets and an official admission of human existence to have literally all the romance in the world.” Lyra announced dramaticaly.

I blinked. “Um... wow. Bon, are you two ok at home or are her tastes just way to weird?”

Bon-bon laughed, “I manage.”

Lyra shot me a look, “Hey! I'm not wired! Well I am, but it's the good kind of weird! Stop derailing me please. Um... right! So we have this super romantic setting, we just arrange for the two of them to keep getting into romantic moments together. I've already made sure they have a single room with one bed booked. All we need to do is give them space, have room service show up with lovely dinners, romantic music mysteriously play through the window... You get the idea.”

“And if all that fails, we are going to be near Princess Cadence the whole week. You know, the one pony on this planet who can tell us anything we need to know to get Cole some of that flank.” I added.

Everypony gave me a look. “What?” I asked, “Shine's kinda cute.”

Octavia glared at me hard enough to make me think her eyes turned red. “Not the cutest mare I know. But if well a certain one didn't ex... I'm just digging a grave here aren't I?”

Lyra and Bon-bon nodded, “Oh yeah.”

I kicked my hooves against the floor nervously. Octavia took a breath and calmed down over a few minutes of awkward silence. “I forgive you.” She mumbled quietly.

Bon-bon quickly spoke up, “So, we spend the week doing everything possible to hook them up and as a backup plan we have Cadence, who I am pretty sure will help. I mean, that's her job. Ensuring ponies live happy together. Sounds like a plan!”

“Yes, that seems like a good strategy, but it's not really a plan now is it?” Octavia asked, “What exactly will we do day to day? We can't simply make this up was we go along. Love is like a symphony, it needs to have an ebb and a flow. If you simply fling notes, bars, and measures together you wind up with dubstep.”

“Hey!” I protested glaring daggers at Octavia. “You know full well that song you keep asking me to play is dubstep!”

“Er- Well, most ponies dubstep. Yours is different. You put effort into it. It's music, not noise.” Octavia admitted, ears drooping in embarrassment.

Lyra tapped a hoof to her jaw in thought, “It's still a good point though. We need a real plan.”

“Well, we could start with a mysterious lovly dinner on the first night. I know an excellent restaurant in Canterlot which delivers to the hotels. Oh. How many bits do we have for a budget?” Bon-bon asked looking concerned.

“I got like, five hundred bits saved up for whatever money. Anypony want to chip in?” I asked.

Octavia hummed, “Well I suppose I can spare a little of my money this month. Between Vinyl and I we have seven hundred and forty bits we can spend.”

“Well... I can't spare anything. Basic income pays the bills, but ponies haven't been giving as much for my music lately. And I had had... expenses.” Lyra admitted.

“And I can spare thirty bits.” Bon-bon finished, “We have a budget of eight hundred then. With everypony's permission, I would like to be in charge of the budget. I am the one with a business after all. Do you trust me to handle the money?” Bon-bon asked, her face sliding into the same serious look she had while doing her candy shop stuff.

“You are the best choice.” Octavia said in support.

I nodded. Lyra gave Bon a grin as her answer.

She nodded gratefully before launching off into planning mode. “Alright. Let's brainstorm. How much should we reserve for meals? We need at least two fancy dinners, one at the beginning, and one at the end. After all we want the last night to be the biggest push in case the others fail right?”

Everypony agreed that seemed like a good idea. It took a little arguing but eventually we decided to reserve a third of the money for meals. After that the plan started to shape up quickly. A theater in Canterlot was going to be putting on a special performance in honor of the wedding. It was some old famous love story which Octy smacked me for forgetting was the first play I took her too.

I swear that mare went bipolar at the boarding school her folks forced her to go to. Yeah sure, she was a little out of control as a filly but she came back from that place almost completely different. Sometimes it's like her old self reaches through the 'prim and proper mare' she became to smack some sense into somepony. Celestia knows why but that's what got me to i her.

It was weird. She came back after two years, different mane cut, calm soft toned voice, and her guitar traded in for a cello. Not a one of us even recognized her. Until she got pissed that we didn't know who she was and went ballistic. Then we knew exactly who she was. I also knew that the pony she had become was awesome. That wild, untamed, part of her got a makeover into an old fashioned noble mare persona.

After I realized it wasn't an act, that Octy really was different now I totally had to ask her out. She had gone from that crazy friend I liked because of all the stuff she got up to into a sort of living dubstep. Soft flowing notes punctuated by intense bursts of pure wub. A mare to match my music. Sweet discordant perfection.

I still count myself lucky that school didn't force her to like stallions. Our group started as a gathering of nerdy lesbians, so I hoped she would be ok with trying a date. But I was pretty scared that part of her had been just as changed as everything else.

Turns out the only part of the 'new' Octy which was an act was, convincing her parents she wasn't into mares anymore. The two of them are some of the most awfully old school ponies I know. If the family business and her inheritance didn't mean so much to Octy, I'd just file a restraining order on those two and treat my girl right. Instead, after she jumped at my offer of a date our relationship operated under a total cloaking device.

Tavi even hired some gay stallion to pretend to be her coltfriend so her folks wouldn't think we were together. He was pretty cool about it. He even helped me sneak into her room a few times by distracting her folks. I have no idea what happened to that guy. I hope he found some nice stallion, won a million bits, or something.

At least my folks are cool about it. I couldn't lie to them when they asked if I had a special somepony yet. I remember my dad asking me when the wedding would be. He wasn't even joking, he was totally serious. He had been all “We will need at least half a year to ensure everyone in the family can turn up.” and everything.

I explained everything about our relationship to them., I thought maybe dad could do something to prevent her folks from locking Octy out. Apparently law and authority don't work that way. Ah well. I'm still just happy I found my special somepony, even if I have to wait for her folks to kick the bucket before it's official.

As my brain reminded me just how important Octy was to me I realized something just as important. How miserable Cole had to be. “Girls... We have to do this. Like, we have to hook them up.”

Octavia nodded, “Yes, we all agreed to help Cole out of her predicament.”

“No I mean like... Ugh,” the words just wouldn't form like I wanted them to. “It's important to have that somepony you know? I... I just remembered exactly how much somepony means to me. I get to spend time with her, Cole can't. It's just...”

“Depressing?” Bon-bon offered.

“Yeah.” I sighed.

“Well we got a great plan! I'm sure we will fix the problem.” Lyra proclaimed happily.

Octavia nodded in agreement. “Our group has faced more difficult things in the past than this.”

“When have we pulled off something without Shine though?” I asked mid frown.

“Before she joined our group, duh.” Lyra rolled her eyes.

“You don't remember middle school? Getting out of gym class by faking a timber wolf attack?” Octavia asked with a small grin at the memory.

“Huh... ok, point.” That was one of the most difficult things I could remember doing. “Well then this should be cake right?”

Everypony nodded in agreement.

“We should get some sleep. We have three days to get everything arranged.” Bon-bon reminded as she gave Lyra an affectionate nuzzle, “Come on hon, let's get going.”

“Ok.” Lyra walked to the door and opened it for Bon, waving to us before walking out, “Later girls!”

Bon's wave came a split second later before she closed the door. I gave the two of them a few molments to get some distance from the house before turning to Octy with a feeble grin on my lips, “Hey, um... sorry if I made you mad earlier...”

She smiled softly, “It's fine. I shouldn't get mad at you for the way you speak.”

“No, I get it. Really.” I stepped over to her and put my arm around her shoulders, “Don't worry Octy, nopony could ever fill your chair.”

She smiled again, nodding down the hall to our bedroom. The one spot in Equestria we can just be us. “What like now?” I asked hopefully.

She laughed, “No Vinyl, just some snuggling.”

My ears fell in disappointment. “Fine... but you have to make breakfast tomorrow.”

“Deal.” She answered, giving me a kiss on the cheek before trotting down the hall.
> The Realization
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twinkleshine / Meep

The train ride to Canterlot took a lot longer then I remembered. The conductor said we would arrive in five hours, but I recalled the trip taking only three last time I made it. With how punctual the Equestrian Rail Service was about their trains this concerned me. That same bad feeling I had when Lyra asked me to be a bridesmaid for Cadence came back. It was a twisting feeling in the back of my mind.  Slithering. A snake of suspicion, whispering that something was wrong.

I guess that Cole could see me squirming. “You look anxious,” she said sadly, “I don't think that anyone will keep bothering you if you ask them to go away. It's been a few years.”

“It's been one year and eight months. I still get offers in the mail.” I repplied. Turning to face Cole I shook my head, “But that's not it. You know all the... dangerous incidents which have been happening recently? The reawakening of a primal god of chaos, two dragon related dangers, a timber wolf attack on the outskirts of town... The world is getting dangerous again. Not just outside of Equestria ether like with the Griffon Kingdom's assault on Germaney. Most of what I mentioned happened in our home town.”

Cole nodded, “I get it. I think.”

“I got a bad feeling about this.” I stated flatly. “There is an underlying tension in the air. Like somepony's field is overcharged. I don't like it. Mark my words, we are going to be running and screaming by the end of this.”

Cole gave me a confused look, “Do you mean that or are you just tying to get out of the wedding?”

“I mean it.” I looked out the window at the white towers of Canterlot. The city's soaring spires, grand walls, and gold capped palace were very familiar to me. I'd lived within those walls many times. “This is the wedding of the first pony to ascend to Princesshood. She is the new Goddess of Love. For Celestia's sake Cole! We are going to a high profile political wedding of a pony of extreme importance to a state religion and the ruling family! Someone is going to try something.” 

“Huh... You know when you put it like that you do have a point.” Cole shifted in her seat and looked out the window with me. “Well... whatever happens... I'm here for you.”

Cole's words hit me like a brick. Occasionally Colgate seemed to speak to me in a way that was just a bit more than friendly. Often enough I would feel a slight spike of love from her during these molments. I had no problems with the idea of two ponies being together no matter what gender they were. Before I moved to Equestria I didn't even know that was a problem for ponies. Changelings pair off with whomever we like. Gender is pretty meaningless to shapeshifters.

In each of my lives I had avoided obtaining a lover. It was simply too much risk for the reward. Someone that close to me would eventually realize what I was. Yet, Colgate was that close already, and she only held the title of my best friend. Tartarus, she also was the single most delicious pony I had ever met! That's saying something to. I've fed off of millions of ponies over the years. Cole beat them all even on her worst day.

Perhaps just this once I should take a lover. This was my vacation after all. I turned to look at Cole. It couldn't hurt to ask her how she felt right? “Hey Cole... I've been-”

A blazing ball of pinkish red light flared up in the center of Canterlot, cutting me off mid sentence. The ball expanded, quickly engulfing the city and resolving into a single massive spell shield. It engulfed the city, it's airspace, and a good chunk of the surrounding mountain. “-Oh what fresh spore of madness is this going to be?” I groaned.

“Holy Sisters!” Cole gasped, “You totally called it!”

My eyes widened in terror as I realized the shield covered the railway and was a matter of molments away at our current speed. “Chakaaryc!” I cursed, an old Changelish oath coming to my lips in my terror, “Were going to hit the shield! We have to jump!”

Cole's eyes widened, “Horseapples! You're right! Um... quick the window! We are almost over the river.” Her blue aura quickly unlatched the window of our car and pushed it open as wide as could be. “Why dose this thing not have an emergency exit?” Cole shouted.

I lit my horn, preparing to cast a spell to reduce my mass in case I missed the river below. My mind preformed all the math for the jump, It was futile. The speed of the train and approximate distance to the shield would have us hit the shield rather than the river. “Gods damn the conservation of angular momentum...” I muttered.

If I was to save us I would need to fly. A changeling isn't strong enough to lift a grown mare. There wasn't even time for me to fly myself out, we would hit the shield in seconds.

I gave Cole one last look, “... We wont make it...”

She looked into my eyes, tears welling up in her blue eyes. “I lo-”

A pink wall of energy surged through our car. It slammed into my side, throwing me against the wall in an instant. Stars exploded in my vision as I slammed into the floor. Moaning, I pushed myself up, stars still dancing in my eyes. Cole's voice called to me, but I couldn't hear it. My ears were ringing like a quartz crystal somepony overcharged with mana.

“Ow...” I groaned, ears slowly starting to clear up.

“Are you ok?” Cole asked, her voice sounding incredibly concerned.

“Yes... Are you? That could have shattered bone... Am I bleeding anywhere?” I asked.

She trotted around me, moving my mane with her magic to check the back of my head. “No, you look ok. It didn't do anything to me.”

“Really?” I asked incredulously.

“Really.” She answered.

Astounded at the situation I looked around, “I guess they modulated the shield frequency to allow us to pass through. They must have done a piss poor job of it.”

Cole nodded, “Probably... I don't like this. I think you are right Shine. Something big is going on... I um... Do you happen to know any combat spells? 'Cuz I never took a self defense class or anything. I've never been good with magic, and I never thought I might have to... well fight somepony.” she laughed nervously, closing the window as she looked out to be sure we were safe.

I nodded. I had picked up a few over the years. “I know a few that even somepony like you should be able to do. Can you do a shield? Or anything?”

She shook her head. I sighed and turned to look towards the door, just to be sure we were safe. “We probably don't have much time. If the Guard is putting up a shield danger is close or they know it's coming sometime soon. Besides, a trained soldier would take us apart.”

“Why?” Cole asked curiously.

“Training.” I answered bluntly.

“Oh right. Fighting is literally their job... Still, I would feel safer-”

I cut her off with a raised hoof, “I can teach you a basic ray spell. But if anything happens, we hide. Don't fire unless you have to ok? Covert is always better than overt.”

I spent the next six minutes explaining the workings of one of my more potent spells to Colgate. Funnily enough I didn't actually know the simple ray spell used by most unicorns. The only one I knew was a changeling version for using while in a unicorn form. It was a hive defense thing. We all get some measure of training to help protect the hive if needed. Magic was better suited in certain tactical conditions then psionics.

I hadn't cast the spell in over a hundred years so it was a bit tricky to remember. But after some effort I managed to recall it and broke it down into the simplest components I could. Cole's magic strength was abysmal, her parents were Earth Ponies so I assumed that the oddities of pony genetics were responsible for her low aptitude.

Fortunately for us Cole was very bright. It also helped that I had plenty of experience teaching everypony type from retards to geniuses. Once I was sure Cole had memorized it I decided to give her a quiz, “Ok, so how dose it work?”

“I form the spell matrix, but keep it active around my horn. Then I push more mana into the matrix which forms a beam which ionizes a path to the target. If I keep pushing energy through it will then generate little... um... packets?” She stopped asking me if the word sounded right.

I nodded.

“Packets of particles,” Cole continued, “that are sent to the target and deliver the mana in the form of kinetic energy, heat, and light.”

“What else?” I prompted.

“Oh! Um... Depending on how much mana I push through the matrix at once the ray will ether stun, k-kill, or completely disintegrate the target.” She kicked the floor with one hoof, a concerned look in ther eyes. “H-how can I be sure that I'm only going to stun the target?”

“Push through as little as you can. Remember, the ray will make a scratching sound, if you let that surprise you, you might use too much power... I think we can both agree we want to escape, not fight our way out.”

Cole nodded. She still looked pretty afraid. I knew I was still afraid.

“With luck you won't have to use that. Unlike Ponyville there is a military base in the city.” I reminded.

“Yeah... I know. I'm just worried about the train.”

As Cole finished speaking the train screeched to a halt. A loud hiss of steam escaped the engine just before the whistle blew. I was about to peek out into the hallway and check to see if everything was clear when a voice crackled over the train's loudspeaker.

“Attention passengers. Please remain in your seats. This is Lieutenant Brass Cannon of the Royal Guard. You probably noticed the shield spell which has been placed over the city. We have received a threat from an unknown source stating the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza will be attacked. To ensure everyponies safety the train will be searched before you may disembark. I promise this will not take more time than is necessary.” The speaker crackled as the voice stopped.

“Princess who?” I asked turning to Cole.

“That's Princess Cadence's real name.” she informed.

“It is? Huh... I should probably read up on her before being her bridesmaid.” I chuckled nervously.

Suddenly the train car's door was pulled open by a yellow magic field. Three unicorn guards instantly blocked the doorway so nopony could even hope to squeeze by them. The one on point looked around the compartment quickly while the two at his flanks levitated their spears at us nervously.

“Papers?” the unarmed unicorn asked.

I reached up to the rack where my suitcase was with my magic, popping open the latches to take out my passport. Cole did the same.

The guard's eyes narrowed as I presented my passport, “You have an unusual aura color.”

I nodded, “I know. My mom had blue, my dad had yellow, I have green. That's how it works right?”

He took my passport in his own magic and looked it over quickly, “This checks out... Hold on, Twinkleshine Midnight?”

I nodded. He took Cole's passport and checked it over as well. “Minuette Second. You two are her highness's bridesmaids. Sorry for the suspicion mams. I have orders to have you escorted directly to the castle, if you would please collect your bags. Shield, Pike, escort these two to the castle and send Dirk to help me finish checking the passengers.”

“Yes sir!” The two guards saluted before the three white stallions parted to let Cole and I through.

Within a few molments we were herded out of the train and into a group with Lyra, Bon-bon, Octavia, Vi and a few other ponies I assumed were also involved in the wedding. The full military escort of EUP troopers was quite concerning to say the least. It looked like the Royal Guard had been the ones to check the train solely for the moral of the passengers. 

Our escorts were not the friendly police force of the Royal Guard, this was a squad of EUP troops, in their field kits. I couldn't remember the last time the EUP had been deployed. Seeing them walking in a bipedal battle stance on the streets of Canterlot itself in full armor, saddlebags packed, crossbows in hoof was extremely unsettling. From the looks on my friends faces it was downright surreal to them.

“Whatever threat was issued it is being taken very seriously.” Bon-bon whispered.

“You have no need to be afraid mam. My boys are here for your protection, nothing will burn our city to the ground on my watch.” The Sargent leading our group along informed, having apparently overheard Bonnie despite the distance between them.

Everypony was quiet until we arrived at the castle. The grand entry hall was in a chaotic flurry of activity. If it weren't for the dire situation at hoof I would have laughed at the sight. Soldiers and wedding decorators were tripping over one another as each attempted to go about their business. It was like something out of an old vaudeville comedy.

Our escorts led us up the grand staircase and into the north wing of the castle to a large room. The two EUP troopers guarding the door nodded as we approached and opened the door for us. I had just enough time to take in the fact that we were in some sort of lounge before somepony's irritated voice cut through the air like a knife. “These are my bridesmaids? Ugh... I suppose they will have to do.”

Noticing everypony else bowing I bowed as well, only afterwards spotting the mare I assumed was Princess Cadence. She was pretty tall, not as tall as Celestia or even Luna, but I assumed that was simply an age thing. She had a rather interesting tri-color hair pattern in her mane and tail which I remembered an old friend of mine mentioning was a genetic trait of one of the nation's oldest Royal lines.

The purple, violet, and cream colors did certainly look lovely, but didn't quite mach up with what I expected. I guess a changeling's sense of what a personification of love should look like simply isn't a pink alicorn with multicolored hair. Some blue would have helped get things a bit closer. A proper set of fangs was also a must.

A chamberlain started to introduce us to the Princess one by one. She walked to each of us as we were introduced and shook hooves in the typical  fashion of a royal celebrity. A quick, almost non-extant hoof touch. This irked me. I was perhaps one of the most important scientists in Equestrian history! I deserved a proper hoofshake at the very least.

“This is Twinkleshine Midnight of Ponyville.” The chamberlain introduced as he came to me.

Princess Cadence held out her hoof, “Charmed.”

Taking her hoof in my own as firmly as I could I started to give her a proper shake before something stopped me dead. Her scent was wrong, it was not scent a pony should have. I couldn't put a hoof on it but her scent was completely, inexorably, quintessentially wrong. I let go of her hoof, blinking in surprise as my lips twisted into a confused frown. “Um... Pleased to meet you?”

She gave me a weird look as well. It was part surprise, part shock, and mostly hared. That single look sent me mentally reeling into a void of pure confusion. It was only there for an instant before she moved onto Lyra but it felt like an eternity. I turned to watch everypony else as they interacted with her. None of them seemed to have any sort of reaction to her. Could they not smell whatever that was?

I stood there puzzled for the rest of the introductions. I knew that I knew what her scent was, but I couldn't place it. This was a downside of my age defying technique. Information I don't use regularly tends to vanish from my mind. I assumed that this had to be something I had forgotten long ago, but still remembered on a subconscious level.

That scent was wrong. It was the scent of danger. It made every single part of me want to flee or maybe fight. I honestly couldn't tell. Before I could properly react or sort out my mind the Princess's voice cut into my thoughts as if her every word filled my entire head.

“There is the recital is next evening, there will be a dress fitting a few hours before it. The day after will be the wedding itself and I expect you to memorize the song list by then. A servant will give you the details later. I understand a thank you dinner has been arranged for each of you in the rooms. My chamberlain will show you to them now. There is a lot of work to do. Get some rest. I won't have my prefect day ruined by tired ponies.”

My mind completely blown at the combination of her bafflingly wrong scent, the completely unloving tone in her voice, and the way she ordered everypony like they were beneath her. I quietly stumbled off with everypony to our rooms. Following along like a lost puppy.

The little voice in the back of my mind which had been whispering danger to me since Lyra asked me to come here was screaming at me. The Princess was completely alien to what she should be, but also exactly who she should be. There was a threat against the city so dire Celestia had mobilized the EUP. This was going to boil over any moment now. I could feel it.

“This is where you will be staying, Miss Midnight and Miss Second.” The chamberlain announced suddenly.

I jumped at the sudden noise of him speaking. Everypony stared at me as I nervously took a few steps back blushing brightly, “Er... just spooked me is all.”

The chamberlain rolled his eyes and handed Cole and I each a brass key. “Come along everypony. Your rooms are further down the hall.”

Cole opened the door and nodded for me to go in. It was a nice room with plenty of fancy looking carved furniture, a balcony, and a nice flat television set into the wall was a lovely touch of modernity. A table on one side of the room had several silver platters with all manner of fancy looking foods on them.

My attention was still fully occupied by the panic which had overwhelmed me. It was slowly fading, but I could still feel the fur on the back of my neck standing on end.

“Huh... Somepony on the staff thought we were a couple.” Cole said dreamily.

“What?” I asked confusion replacing my fear almost instantly.

Cole giggled and pointed to the room's bed. It was a nice four poster wooden piece complete with privacy curtains, plush pillows, and very fine looking quilts. “There's only one bed.”

I frowned for a moment at the lack of separate beds. Then I realized that was the least of my worries. I shrugged. “Oh well... I don't mind sharing a bed for a week.”

Cole beamed me a smile of epic proportions, the single expression showing the full sparkling power of proper dental hygiene. It was almost blinding. “This will be fun! I've never slept with anypony before!” she said still beaming me her stellar magnitude minus one point four smile.

I took a step back, my ears drooping I gave her a timid look, “Errr... I didn't mean share a bed in that sense of the phrase.”

Her smile vanished. “I know... I just never have well... cuddled, or anything... So you know, something new to try.” She trailed off looking down at the floor in embarrassment. 

I felt bad. With one sentence I had taken the wind right out of her sails. Tartarus, I could even taste her sadness. That made me feel even worse. What I had said literally caused her pain. My mind went back to the train, to just before the incident with the shield. Cole definitely had feelings for me, feelings she normally masked for some reason.

“Hey... Cole...” I started, pausing to try to find a good way to summarize my thoughts.

“Yeah?” She asked, choking back a sniffle.

“I'm a scientist. The stars are my passion. You know how deeply focused on them I can get. I usually have my head in space... We both know this makes me miss some things that happen in the here and now. I... I'm sorry for that. I really am.” I sat down in front of her.

Cole's blue eyes tilted up to meet my face, a hint of surprise on her face from my words. “What?”

“I... I know what I just said hurt you, and I understand why.” I continued. “I... Well I kind of figured it out on the train today. I just didn't connect the data points properly until then. Also, I've never thought of having a relationship with somepony.”

Cole emitted a wave of pure depression at my words. It was enough to make me literally gag at the rancid taste. I could feel bile building up in my thought. I made a note to remember Cole could also be the worst tasting pony.

Hoping to cover up my gagging and prevent myself from vomiting I quickly added, “But you are somepony special to me! You put up with all of my quirks, are always there for me, cheer me up when I am down, bring me treats, and... Oh. Oh! Oh... You've been... All that time...”

That's when my brain exploded as the perceived form of our friendship flew apart in a puff of logic. Unable to think of anything to say I reached out and pulled Cole against my chest in the tightest hug I could manage.

She eeped in surprise, “Shine! I-”

“I'm so sorry! I'll make it up to you. Starting right now I'll return all of your feelings ok?” I couldn't help it. She had spent at least five years at the least lovingly helping me with everything out of well, love. For me. What else could I do but return the affection? “If only I had the money to take you to a fancy restraint or something.”

At that precise moment our room's door burst open, and in trotted a tall white coated, black maned stallion in a chef's uniform pulling a small trolley behind him. “Apologies madams, but ze ratatouille, she needed a touch more cyanne.” The stallion levitated a full meal platter and set it down on the table, eyeing the food already there with distaste. “Bah, ze cooks in zis place are amateurs. Let me remove zis... affront to ze arts for you.”

He quickly loaded his trolley with the platters which had been on the table gave us a little bow announced, “Enjoy ze meal, complements of l' house de repas préfet.” and left as quickly as he came.

“How in Tartarus did you do that?” Cole demanded incredulously.

“I didn't...” I exclaimed with equal incredulity.

Shaking off the confusion Cole blushed, looking at me carefully, “So um... I guess we need to talk about a few things.”

I nodded.

“Can I eat first?” She asked.

“Eat first.” I agreed.
> The Confession
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colgate Aquafresh

Have you ever have one of those molments where you get exactly half of what you want the most? If you have, you know the need for the missing piece consumes you. Which is exactly how I felt as I nervously picked over what had to be an eighty bit per pony meal. I really wished I could enjoy it, but the bittersweet nature of the moment wouldn't let me focus on food. 

Shine had just figured out I loved her, and was seemingly ok with it. That was wonderful in and of itself. My heart had soared during the hug she gave me. But hit a ceiling lined with salt covered spikes and lemon juice when I realized she was going to ask me why I liked her. I couldn't lie, I couldn't dodge the questions, and my conscious demanded I answer honestly.

At the moment I was just grateful that room service showed up to let me buy time to think of how to tell Shine I knew her secret. I watched her slowly pick and poke at the food, only really eating any when she noticed me looking at her I realized that I should just be blunt. Blunt but cautious.

Summoning up all the courage I could muster I asked, “Shine? I... I need you to promise me something.”

She gave me a confused look for a moment then gave me a smile. “Oh! You want me to promise to be your only girl?”

“No... I have something I need to tell you before we do anything as marefriends. But first I need you to promise me you won't... well... leave me because of it.” I gulped.

Her confused look returned, brow scrunching up as she nodded. “Ok... I promise I wont leave you. Do you have a disease or something? I'll pay for a cure spell or the hospital bill if that's what you mean.”

I bit my lip, took a deep breath, sighed and prepared to issue a delicately worded statement on how I knew she was a changeling. But at the last moment my brain went 'nah' and instead I just went, “Look I know that you don't eat that stuff, you can feed off me if you want, I don't mind.”

“W-what?” Shine's eyes bugged out of her head for a moment. Then she cleared her thought, “I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not a vampire or something.”

“Stupid brain...” I muttered under my breath with a groan before looking Shine in her eyes as honestly as I could. “Actually you are. Specificaly you are a psi vampire. Or an emotavore to be less mystic... I know you're a changeling. Spring break 1993, you dropped your disguise when drunk. There have also been tons of times in the middle of the night you've gotten up to get water as your adorable self. Oh and you came back from one of Vi's parties, shifted, had a bit of a nibble on me, and then passed out.”

Shine squirmed, eyes flicking towards the room's exists. “I... um...”

Before she could bolt I quickly blurted, “Please don't run! I don't think your evil and your really pretty as your real buggy self!”

Shine sighed, a long slow hissing sound as if she were tired beyond measure. As her head slammed against the table she mumbled, “Arthropod.”

“Huh?” I asked, unsure as to what she meant.

“We are not insects. The best we fit into taxonomy is the phylum arthopoda. If we were bugs, we would normally have six legs.” She groaned again muttering under her breath something I could only catch a few words of. It sounded like Changelish. Shine only spoke it when distressed, excited, or in some sort of emotional extreme.

“Oh. So I shouldn't call you my special somebuggy?” I asked sadly.

Shine twisted her head to look up at me, her turquoise eyes holding a measure of pain. “No. That's ok. It's just... Ugh your language changes so much... Bug means anything with an exoskeleton now right? I have been under cover for years. Many many years. I... I need time to process and figure out how and why I slipped up.” Shine looked up at me, distress and fear in her eyes. “You inexplicably seem to be a xenophile, and actually love me. But... If I ever slipped up in front of anypony else...”

I nodded knowingly. That would get bad very quickly. “I know... Don't worry, I've been watching out for you. When you've seemed close to slipping in public I've always given you a nudge. If it helps, you only drop your pony shape when tired, drunk, or really excited. Oh but you break character a lot, usually when you are relaxed and happy.”

“I'm breaking character?” Shine asked as she jumped upright sounding as if she was near to panicking, “When? How? Oh gods! I'm not getting senile am I?”

That got my attention, “Senile? Er- how old are you? I mean I know your not twenty-six...”

She laughed nervously, “You wouldn't believe me if I told you!”

I giggled, “Oh please, you can't possibly be that old.”

She rolled her eyes, “Ok I will explain it to you then.” Shine took a second to compose herself. I guess she felt that getting scientific would help calm her nerves. “Normally when someling shapeshifts they gain the full biology of their intended target and maintain control in the form of an attached consciousness. Er- It's a psionic thing. Just imagine it like deconstructing your own body, building a new one, and then puppeteering the new one from inside. Only you're actually something else which is not actuality a part of that body, merely connected to it.”

I nodded, sort of understanding.

Shine continued, “Now, normally you age along with the form you take as you both are experiencing subjective time at the same rate. But, aging is a biological phenomenon and technically a shapeshifted 'ling doesn't have biology, we're just a consciousness in control of a body. So with a slight modification to the metacognition used to...” Shine trailed off as she noticed my growing look of confusion.

Shine nodded to herself. “Ah. Right. So, some details I forgot. Changelings don't have magic. We are a psionic species. We channel mental power through meditative focuses to do as we will. It is kind of similar, but fundamentally different from arcane magic.”

Now it made a bit more seance. “I get it. That makes seance, I was having a hard time figuring out how an emotion eating spell would work. Hold on but you can cast spells, how-”

“Right now, I am a unicorn.” Shine pointed out, her tone and blank look making me feel a bit stupid. “Down to the subatomic level everything about me, right now, is a unicorn. Magical ability is an innate property of your species so I can cast pony magic while in this form. In my own form, I have psionic abilities instead. Our psi abilities allow us to do some things unicorn magic can. All of us are capable of kentic manipulation, shaping, and telepathy. Some can do more like pyrokenesis and psychokinesis for instance. But they are rare, as rare among us as psions are among other species at least. 

“Furthermore,” she continued, “there is stuff a unicorn can do that we can't. There's also stuff we can do that a unicorn can't. I'm not a mage or a very adept psion so I can't get into the science behind it... Would a metaphor help? Pony magic is like cider, and changeling psionics is like apple juice.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, happy to start learning about my love at long last. “They are both drinks and both made from apples, but have different flavors.”

“Exactly!” Shine grinned for a moment before continuing her explanation, “So if a changeling shapeshifts while altering how they think about their own existence in a specific way we can prevent our selves from aging while in an assumed form. Time only truly passes for the body, not the mind. So to answer your question... In three months I will be four hundred and-”

“What?” I dropped my fork, which clattered to the plate as I stared incredulously at Shine. “How old?”

“Four-hundred and eight.” She blushed, scuffing her hooves against the floor. “I told you wouldn't believe me. Technically I'm twenty-four... But I've lived as several ponies until they began to die of old age.”

“Why?” I asked, completely baffled as to why somepony would want to live as long as Shine apparently had.

She pointed upwards with one hoof, “The stars. No one could tell me what the stars were. So I decided to find out. I kinda-sorta actually invented the field of Astrophysics... well no... But I helped to invent it.”

I looked at her skeptically, “You figured out a way to be immortal just to learn about the stars?”

“Hey! No one could tell you what they were four hundred years ago.” Shine exclaimed, “It was actually a very deep, thoughtful question back in the day. One which has led me to more and more questions. So I kind of keep making new lives to keep my quest going.”

“Seriously?” I asked incredulously, “You worked out immortality just to learn about the stars?”

“You sold your Maximum Ride novels to pay for dental school. I stole a book on metacognition to have the time I needed. I know you can understand passion.” Shine said irritably.

I opened my mouth to object but closed it as I realized she had a point. Shine certainly was very passionate about the stars, and she did seem to quite literally know all about them. There really wasn't anything I could object to.

Shine continued, “Furthermore I am not immortal. I've just found a way to postpone dying of old age as long as I like. I can still die. I still get sick. I'm still a mortal, and I am ok with that. I- I simply made a promise to learn everything about the stars. So I'm going to.”

“Everything?” I asked slowly. I was unsure of what to do or say. I was in love with an immortal bug girl who was obsessed with space.

“Everything.” Shine confirmed. “Then I'll be happy to let myself die. Oh. Um- Cole, you need to know that I will age with you. At least, Twinkleshine will age with you. We can have a normal relationship.”

“But you said you don't age.” I pointed out my mouth curling into a frown.

Shine stood up, her horn glowing a dull green as she closed the windows and curtains with her magic. Looking me in the eyes she said, “I age, wither, and die.” Then in a flash of green fire Shine revealed her true self. Her glossy black exoskeleton, shimmering gossamer wings, and lovely glowing eyes, were exactly as I remembered her. “But after she dies I move on. I'm thinking an earth pony next time.”

She quickly changed back, checking herself in the room's mirror and adjusting a few minor details with little sparks of green energy. “Do you understand?”

I nodded, “Yeah. But I like you. Not Twinkleshine.” I bit my lip again, hoping that I hadn't crossed a line.

“Me'banna?” Shine exclaimed in what I assumed was Changelish. One eyebrow raised curiously.

“The um... form you are in now dose nothing for me. I like you. As in your personality, how you act... You know, you. I love you the person you are, not your appearance. Well, that's not entirely true. You are an incredibly hot buggy. Seriously, I never ever thought I would find anypony attractive. But then you demorphed on spring break and well...” I looked away my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

“Oh. Well. That's, unexpected.” Shine said slowly. She was quiet for a few molments before asking, “So your feelings are actually for me, not for the life I'm using?”

I nodded giving Shine a look I hoped conveyed the truth of my opinion.

Shine sat there quietly for some time, staring at the wall lost in her own thoughts. “I don't know how to feel about that. What do you even know about the real me?”

I answered without a moment's thought. “You are beautiful, smart, kind, and wise. I enjoy how you make the time to brighten almost anypony's day, even if that's just for a snack. You are also very passionate, know exactly what you want out of life, and are willing to sacrifice almost anything to get it. I may not know your exact history... But every time you drop your mask and are yourself, that's the pony- er person, um- 'ling I love.”

Shine was taken aback by my little speech. She spent a moment looking at me and sniffing at the air. Then she smiled softly and asked, “I can't tell if you're lying, but you seem a lot happier now. I can taste it... Is it because I know how you feel?”

I gave her a deadpan look,“That and I was just looking at a very attractive person. Seriously, you are pretty. You should stop the whole... thing you're doing with that.” I waved a hoof over her general area.

“Somepony might walk in.” Shine said nervously looking at the door. “Look, I have hurt you pretty badly by not noticing how you felt for so long. Also, I feel compelled to reciprocate your feelings. You do a lot for me in order to show them. And well... I do like you a little myself.”

I felt my heart speed up at her words, “You like me? What about me?”

“You are gods damned delicious.” Shine said with a toothy grin.

I blinked, “Come again?”

“You taste very good, and are surprisingly nutritious. Your love I mean. Also, you are blue. I like blue. It's pretty.” Shine giggled, blushing slightly herself. “Oh, in case you are wondering, you taste something like garlic bread, mint leaves, and cinnamon. Sounds weird, but it's hard to describe an emotional flavor. Also my tastes are way different from a pony's.”

“That's it? Your entire reason?” I asked with a frown, wishing there was more.

“Cut me some slack. I just put together the fact that I liked you on the train. I was going to ask you on a date to see if you felt anything for me but then there was the shield. Also, I mentioned earlier all the things you do for me. That's a factor in this equation too...” She sighed.

“Oh!” I giggled, “Well in that case I would love a date, and I love you Twi- huh...” I trailed off realizing something rather important. “What's your real name?”

“You can just call me Shine. You can't actually hear-”

“Actually,” I interrupted with a grin, “after learning Changelish uses pitches outside the range of pony hearing I had a mage enchant a small bit of metal to increase my hearing and vocal ranges while I touched it. Then I had a friend implant it under my skin beneath my mane so I always have the effect.”

“What? Why?” Shine asked confused.

“In case this ever happened. I thought it would be cool to be able to talk to you in something nopony else could understand.” I grinned even wider. That spell had cost me two years of savings but was finally about to be so worth it!

“Seriously?” Shine asked with an impressed look on her face.

“Yeah! You said something in Changelish earlier right? What was it...  Me'banna?” It was a little tricky to pronounce the word. It wasn't the first time I used the spell given perk, but I had only ever practiced hitting certain pitches with it.

“Huh... That wasn't bad.” Shine nodded to herself, “Well ok then. My name is Mhi'par Ka'ra. Personally I prefer the Equestrian pronunciation of Meep. It sounds better without the infrasonic componant.”

“Meep,” I couldn't help but grin at her name. It was just too cute. Her very name was a sound a pony makes when snuggling. “Sooo what's your name mean? Pony names all have a meaning, do changelings use names like we do?”

“No we don't. Names are just simple designations for us. But my name dose translate, it means roughly 'A fate for us.' It's a quote from a book of scripture... Which is meaningless since Celestia's existence debunks our religion.” Meep said giving me an unsettling hungry look. “Um... So... For the record, Cole will you be my marefriend?”

For some reason, I felt compelled to drive my point home. “Sorry Twinkleshine, but my heart belongs to somebuggy else.”

Meep rolled her eyes, “Are you really going to make me ask you in my own shape?”

“Mhm.” I cooed as I gave her a playful look.

“Ok.” Meep sighed, closed her eyes for a moment, and with the usual lights show resumed being herself. “Co-”

“Yes!” I exclaimed before jumping over the table, tackling her to wrap my arms around her smooth exoskeleton in a loving hug.

“Ack... Gaa'tayl n'haal...” Meep groaned in distress, “In Equestrian, 'help, can't breathe'.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, “Shi- Er, Meep... I can't just squeeze the air out of you. You are covered in nice, cool, smooth, armor plates which prevent squishing.” I nuzzled against her side, enjoying the rigid surface perhaps a little more than I should.

“Ok, ok you got me...” She sighed, “I was being playful... Also... seriously I am more used to being a pony. That would have choked me. And most of a changeling's tracheal system is right where you are squeezing so if you squeezed hard enough to crush my exoskeleton-”

“I would never do that!” I exclaimed horror instantly flashing across my face. “I'm sure I literally can't do that too!”

“Well anyways, that's where you would crush to choke me.” She grinned, her fangs accenting her smile in a way I found just adorable. Meep's teeth were one of the reasons I found her so attractive. Shiny, white, interestingly shaped, and those fangs just added little points to her smile which made her look mischievous. Kind of like a kitty. 

“Oh!” Meep exclaimed warning, “Watch my wings when you hug me. They can rip easily. It docent hurt much but it takes a lot of energy to regenerate.”

“You can have all the energy you need.” I offered. Suddenly realizing I was practically laying atop Meep I blushed and stepped off of her. “Um... Sorry.”

She got to her hooves and gave her wings a quick buzz to check on them. “We're marefriends. You can cuddle me. That's just how it works right? We agree, and then it's ok to do whatever right?” She gave me a concerned look.

I noticed that the way her eye's glow changed as she looked in a new direction. The brighter part in the center seemed to be her pupils for lack of a better word. Maybe not all of her eyes were active at any one time, or perhaps the glowing portion was more active than the rest. I couldn't help but smile at the discovery, tiny as it was.

Meep continued, “Because I would like to modify the standard social contract a bit... Could you please tell me before you plan on touching me? It's just a thing of mine.”

“Um,” I gulped, “It's a good thing you mentioned that because there are still boundaries. Of course I will ask before doing anything, well you know, naughty. The only things which are ok to just do to somepony you love without asking are hugs, snuggles, kisses... and playful gropes.”

“Oh. I thought it was more of a standing free pass of consent.” Meep commented. “Good thing we cleared that up. Um... I- I'm kinda nervous being myself like this. I'm going to change back.”

I frowned, “Ok... but can we kiss first?”

Meep nodded, shuffled her hooves slightly, then trotted over, closed her eyes, and froze. “Er... I have no idea if I can actually kiss in this body. Can my lips even...” She squirmed for a moment, testing various ways to move her mouth before getting her lips puckered on the fifth try, “Ah ha! Right. Go ahead.”

I laughed, shook my head, leaned over, gently placed my lips against her own, and at least had my first kiss.
> The Mistake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twinkleshine / Meep

There is a phrase in Changelish, 'Haatyc or'arue jate'shya ori'sol aru'ike nuhaatyc.'. The Equestrian translation is crude but it basically means 'Better one big enemy you can see than many small enemies you can't.' Normally that saying is meant to apply to the speaker. It's meant to inform the listener of the value of attacking in groups while remaining unseen. It's used in changeling military schools everywhere to instill the value of stealth and guerrilla tactics. Hearing it is nothing compared to being on the receiving end of the tactic.

The first night in Canterlot was great. Aside from the heart attack Cole gave me by revealing how badly I had messed up my infiltration, the terror of the shield being raised, military marching openly in the streets, and the complete alien otherness of Princess Cadence that is. The day at least had some highs to go with those lows. The biggest one was well, I had never before gotten to have freshly made love, let alone help make it. That was the single greatest moment of my life. Too bad the following day was filled with some of the worst moments.

We went to the dress fitting. To my astonishment the dresses were being made by the Element of Generosity herself. I figured at the very least if I must be forced into an abomination of fabric at least it would be one of the best made abominations of fabric.

Lyra, Cole, and I were the only three who would be getting dresses, so the three of us and the princess went that afternoon to visit Rarity in her suite for the fitting. The entire walk there was agony to me. The scent around the princess was not a one time thing, nor had it been some trick of my imagination. It was there, it was real, it was wrong.

Cole could tell something was wrong with me. She kept frowning whenever my face came into view. Lyra knew something was up too, I could tell by the way she kept narrowing her eyes to give me her 'I'm inspecting you' stare.

I was so distracted by the fear churning in my gut that I barely noticed we had arrived in Rarity's suite. It wasn't until Rarity bowed before the princess and informing her of the incredible honor of sewing for her wedding that I snapped back to reality.

“Uh huh,” the princess dismissed before asking, “Is my dress ready?” in the tone of someone who didn't give a rats ass about the dress.

I didn't give a rats ass myself. I was more concerned with the puzzle of where I had smelled that scent before. As Rarity babbled on about the particulars of the dresses I realized something crucial to the puzzle. There wasn't a pony bride anywhere on Equis who wouldn't care about her dress.

Everypony I had ever met dithered on for ages about their wedding day, how it was 'the most prefect day'. The care and love they poured into a wedding was of such cultural importance, such social merit, as to be the single most important day to almost every single mare. Cadence was not speaking at all like she was getting married.

As I wondered why the princess would be acting as if she were not getting married when asking about her wedding dress, it hit me. I remembered what her scent was. My eyes widened in terror for a moment before instinct took over and I slipped into autopilot, babbling along with everypony else about the dresses. “I think they're lovely.” I forced myself to quip apprehensively.

Cole and Lyra quickly agreed with me, then did a double take. They knew exactly how I felt about clothes. In that instant they had to have realized something was incredibly wrong with me, but a glare from the princess halted anything they might have done. Or rather, a glare from whomever was impersonating the princess.

That wasn't the princess, that was a changeling. Not just any changeling ether, this was a member of the Sapphire hive. Religious zealots who had been my own hives sworn enemy since time immemorial. Even worse this meant the Sapphires were making a serious push to take Equestria. My people were likely dead, enslaved, or so overwhelmed as to allow a large task force to slip through our territory.

Anyling chosen to impersonate a princess had to be very skilled and very powerful. No hive would entrust anyling less than the best of the cream of the crop to take such a high profile target. The fact that they were taking this target, during her state wedding compounded just how dangerous this changeling had to be. Worst of all, he or she had recognized me by my own scent the moment we had met. I was a dead 'ling walking.

This changeling had to have back up. A whole team would be sent to assist. Replacing key personnel, forging documents. This was a big operation. Who knew how many 'lings were in the city? Who knew who they were?

I felt my heart skip a beat. They knew who I was since I met 'Cadence' yesterday. The mysteriously delivered meal... Had they poisoned me? I would have poisoned me. They likely would make a move during the wedding to assassinate Celestia herself. Equestria's sun goddess was the greatest affront to changing mythology after all.

The changeling dismissed us in a carefree manner. We left Rarity's suite shortly as my panic shifted into overdrive. The false Cadence trotted off down the hall, and rounded a corner. The second she turned the corner I began to look around as quickly as I could. Noling would take me by surprise! 

Suddenly the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. “By the wastes of Tartarus it's an ijaat akkan!” I squeaked in realization prompting Cole and Lyra to wheel around  and confront me.

“Ok, what's wrong with you?” Lyra demanded looking at me in a sort of angry confusion.

Cole nodded in agreement a deeply worried look on her face, “You are totally terrified. Why?”

If only Lyra hadn't been there. I could have spoken at a frequency only Cole and I could hear. Everything would have been fine. We could have taken the time to plan an escape without more people learning what I truly was.

“I- Um.” I gulped, “So, Lyra. You know how humans are your... obsession?”

She nodded, “Passion. But yeah, why? Dose this somehow-”

“No It dose not involve humans!” I barked.

Lyra jumped at the tone of my voice. “Ow.”

With a wince at my explosion I continued, “Sorry! Just... you understand how a species can be allegedly a myth, but really exist right?”

She nodded. Cole gasped realizing what I was about to do and shook her head and mouthing 'no' as fast as she could.

“Well I happen to be an expert on changelings. They exist, the myths about them are largely untrue, and one of them has replaced the princess.” I sighed knowing next would be a demand for proof.

Lyra laughed bitterly, “Shine, seriously? It's not cool to make fun of somepony like that. Especially a friend.”

Cole on the other hoof turned white, “Y-you mean that's not Cadence?”

Lyra shot her a look, “Don't play along-”

I dropped my disguise. The flash of green fire reflected in Lyra's eyes. “Lyra, I think I can recognize the psionic scent of my own species. Thank you very much.”

Lyra screamed in alarm, jumping backwards in a panic. Hoping nopony else saw me I quickly threw my disguise back up. Cole cursed and pounced on Lyra shouting, “Don't you dare run! Do you want to get her killed?”

Lyra opened her mouth to scream, but Cole managed to stuff her hoof firmly inside it. “For the love of Celestia why did you do that?” she begged looking at me pleadingly.

“Because we literally have no time to waste!” I hissed.

Bending down I stared right into Lyra's eyes, “Listen to me very carefully. I'm not a monster, I don't eat ponies. I also am not replacing Shine, I am Shine. I made her up from scratch, she's my alias. None of my people mean any harm to ponies, we do our best to protect them... from another hive of changelings. Do you remember what color my eyes were? You can tell changeling hives apart by our eye color. Mine are yellow.”

Lyra squirmed and kicked, Cole gave me a pleading look, she wouldn't be able to hold her down for much longer. I had to sell the point home. “Look, the world isn't all like Equestria. You know that conspiracy you keep talking about? How the truth about some parts of the world is hidden? Well it's at least a little true. I used to live in a small country to the west. I will happily tell you all about it later and I know for a fact you will be interested because there is a human city-”

Lyra stopped struggling under Cole and mmphed something fervently, her eyes widening in shock. I grinned grimly, grateful that had grabbed her attention. “-which my fauther visited once. I'll tell you all about it later if you don't blow my cover, and listen to me because all of our lives are in danger!”

It wasn't quiet a lie, it was more of a large town than a city, but humans were rumored to own it. Or at least had been a few centuries ago. It could have been ash by now if the Lizardfolk had gotten their act together.

Lyra mmphed rapidly as she pulled her head to try and dislodge Cole's hoof from her mouth. I nodded and Cole let her go. “Sorry.”

Lyra made a disgusted face the second Cole's hoof was free and spat some dirt out onto the floor, “Oh my Celestia! Cole, wash, your, hooves!” Lyra begged before wheeling on me and staring right in my face, “Prove you are you and telling me the truth about a human city and then I'll listen!”

“Vi and Tavi are a couple but hide it because Tavi's parents are homophobes. You own a human costume which is very poorly made and honestly it's not flattering on you, stick to wearing pants and shirts. Vi's dad is apparently somepony really important but she wont tell us who for some reason. Oh and you can't roll above the DC on any acrobatics check you make to save your life. Literally.” I informed, hoping that would be enough.

“Who did I go to senior prom with?” She asked quickly.

“I have no idea... I don't even think I went to that.” I replied.

Lyra frowned and swiftly turned to Cole, “I can't remember ether... Did she?” Then she gave Cole an accusing glare, “hold on your helping her! I can't trust you ether.”

Cole facehooved and groaned, “No duh I'm helping her. I've been in love with her for years! Oh and by the way, yes I knew what she is the entire time. I guess chitin is just my turn on.”

“Oh.” Lyra said blushing slightly before her eyes opened wide, “Oh my gosh you just admitted you love her in front of her! You should ask her out before-”

“Oh, right. We sort of became a coupe last night. I realized she liked me and-” I growled and slammed one hoof to the floor angrily, “We are getting way off track and this is important! Everyone in this palace could die at any minute!”

Cole nodded, “Look... Lyra, you know something has to be up. The shield spell over the city, the EUP in the streets, the palace is under heavy guard...”

Lyra nodded, “Ok... So I'll believe you for now 'Shine'. What's going on?”

“There are two hives of changelings that live near Equestria. One is mine, it's... It's name is very hard to translate... Just call us Amber Hive. The other is the Sapphire Hive. We are mortal enemies, as in, constantly at a state of war with monthly border skirmishes at the most peaceful, and actualy repelling attacks on our settlements at the worst. Our hives are at war over a matter of religion. Ambers believe the gods ordered us to farm love from ponies through kind deeds and harvest it peacefully. Sapphires believe the gods demand we feed directly on a pony, consume them completely, and rule over them like masters to slaves.

I sighed, wishing I had time to explain it fully. “Now, mind you, Celestia moves the sun thus proving the entire religion wrong. It's a Sun God thing. Most Amber'lings I knew agreed with me on that and we don't actively practice the theology anymore, just the culture. But Sapphire'lings believe that Celestia stole the sun from one of our gods... And the changeling who replaced Cadence is one of them. So we are probably in the middle of a brewing holy war. A Sapphire crusade to crush the infidels and reclaim the sun for Ra-Horakhty.”

“Oh... well... fuck...” Lyra whimpered to herself looking at a point behind me for some reason.

“Umm...we should run like a bat out of Tartarus.” Cole croaked with equal fear.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, “We need to literally drop everything and run before-”

“You stupidly inform your friends of my little plot in the middle of a public hallway.” 'Princess Cadence' interrupted, her voice coming from over my shoulder.

“Mir'osik!” I cursed.

“Yes, you certainly seem to have 'dung for brains'.” The changeling laughed.

I could see her horn blazing green reflected in Cole's terrified eyes. Emerald flames encircled all of our hooves and an instant later and I was falling down a dark well.
> The Prision
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lyra Heartstrings

I screamed as I suddenly fell down a hole made of pitch black fire. There was no up or down, there was no sound, there was only fire. A very abrupt stop which set me planted face first into something very hard.

“Owie...” I whimpered like a little foal and rubbed my horn. Any unicorn would, hitting your horn is extremely painful.

It wasn't the first time I had been in a mess this bad. I'd done a few less than legal things in search of a way to crack the conspiracy wide open. But I had never been casually teleported into what looked like a solid cage made of crystal before.

As I pushed myself up I couldn't help but notice there was plenty of light for me to see by. It didn't seem to have any apparent source but I could see every part of the jagged crystal walled box I was in. In the quietness of the cell I could hear water dripping in the distance, the air was dry but not stale. I had to be pretty far underground but not all that far.

A moment later the others arrived. Cole appeared on her left side all crumpled up, moaning about her head or something. The changeling appeared standing upright the little show off. I scarcely had time to notice Cole and whatever that changeling's name arrive before one of the larger crystals light up with an image of whomever was impersonating the princess on it.

As I looked into her gleeful eyes I decided to call her 'Shifty Jerkface' until she gave me a name that was more insulting. That way I could keep calling 'Shine' 'the changeling', because 'human knowledge concealing jerk' was just too long.

Shifty Jerkface laughed darkly, “You absolute fool! You intended to stop me, but revealed you know who I really am while I was merely a few yards down the hall way from you! Did you fail infiltration school or is the quality of Amber Hive's scout's slipping these days?”

“Who me?” I asked for the sake of irking my captor.

Jerkface ignored me. I stuck my tongue out at her in irritation.

“I actually never attended infiltration school.” the changeling commented. “I'm a worker, not a scout.”

“I see.” Jerkface giggled, “Well then, that explains everything. Oh and don't think you can dig yourself out. These caves are pure diamond, not even a worker can tunnel through them. It's a shame you had to tell your little meals here everything. Now I shall have to find new bridesmaids to keep the gambit running.”

Cole got her hooves under her, “The whole city is on high alert. Guards are everywhere. Whatever you try they will stop you. And Meep is my marefriend, I'm not just a 'meal' to her.”

Oh so that was its name. I resolved to never actually call her that. At least, not until I was done being mad that someone who claimed to be my friend had been keeping information about humans from me. The jerk.

Jerkface snickered her lips curling into that prefect evil overlord smile, “Oh that's simply rich! Are you sure you were never admitted to infiltration school? You have done a fine job wrapping this mare around your horn.”

She smiled cruelly at us, her image seeming to lean into our cell despite being stuck to the wall. “Oh and as for your point about the guards, why, I want them to be here! I was the one who planted the warning of my impending invasion. When the time comes most of your military will be here in response to the threat, with all of your protective assets in one place.

“I have thousands of soldiers ready to attack at the moment I break your warriors moral by defeating their greatest defense during their most important moment in centuries! I will slaughter the majority of your army tomorrow, making the rest of your nation something a nymph could snatch up for herself.”

I turned to Cole asking as incredulously as I possibly could, “Did she just do the whole 'villain reveals plan' thing to us?” I turned back at Jerkface, “You know this means when we break out of here we know your plan right? Don't you ever read fantasy books? You should never tell anypony your evil plans!”

The changeling groaned, “Lyra... She's won.”

“I have won.” Jerkface agreed, “You see, you are inside a box made of diamond. When I have found a role to play for you in my plans I will simply take control of your minds and force you to obey my bidding.”

The changeling yelped and shouted something in that chittering language of hers. All I could make out was it sounded vaguely fearful. Cole seemed to understand it though, she turned to her friend in a mixture of confusion and pain, “That was really loud... what was it?”

“She's a queen... We can't stop her. She has too much power.” the changeling announced.

“Yeah well somepony will notice we are missing, rescue us, then we simply tell Twilight what's going on she gets the Elements and then zap, Shifty Jerkface here's plans are all foiled.” I announced with a grin.

Cole moaned and facehooved.

“What?” I asked.

“So Twilight Sparkle is an actual threat to me? Good thing I have been destroying her credibility, it seems I will have to make her disappear. Thank you kindly for your services morsel. Enjoy rotting in there until I have a use for you.” Jerkface laughed one last time before her image winked out of existence.

“Lyra... I could punch you so hard right now...” Cole growled, “You accuse a villain of working by tropes, and then you go off and reveal her one weakness!”

The changeling nodded, “Yeah, now not only are we screwed, but if she teleports Twilight down here too the Elements can't be used!”

Oh. I frowned, “Oh... Great, something else I would have to fix.”

Cole rolled her eyes as she turned to look at her marefriend. “So... Since we're kinda screwed and everypony here knows... Can you change back Meep? I wanna snuggle a bit before... Well you know.”

The changeling sighed, sat down on the floor and stared at the ceiling. After a few moment's her body burst into green flames, revealing the surprisingly shiny bug she really was. “I'd always hoped to see the stars when I died.” She said in one of the saddest tones I had ever heard.

Good, she deserved that sadness for not telling me things!

Cole trotted over and lay down at her side, snuggling up as close as she could get. That didn't bother me. I mean a mare is free to like whomever. The fact that this was a bug and pony couple honestly didn't bother me. But couldn't help but gag a little as a thought popped into my head.

I took an entomology class in high school. The snuggle made me picture other things couples do, and the fact that female ants can reproduce with other female ants. Knowing how most insects reproduce well, I reserve the right to find things involving maggots gross. I couldn't help but go, “Ewww!”

Cole glared at me. “Seriously? Can you at least not be a prude long enough for me to be happy?”

“What?” I shook my head, “No! I mean, ok sure, you like insects-”

“Arthropods!” the changeling and Cole corrected in unison angrily.

“Whatever!” I glared back at them. “That's fine. I have a friend who likes griffons. I don't care. But seriously, Cole if...” I paused and pointed a hoof at the changeling, “whatever gender you are, gets you pregnant... Maggots, belly, just... ew.”

Cole blinked and looked up at her marefriend appropriately concerned, “That's actually well um... yeah pretty gross.”

The changeling rolled her eyes. I wished I could know what you see when you rolled compound eyes, it had to be trippy. “It's fine Cole.” she comforted, “We do live births so... Er... actually um... humm never mind Lyra has a point.”

Cole's face grew pale. The changeling quickly backpettled, “But I doubt we can have kids! Our species aren't even remotely related!” she finished looking at Cole sheepishly.

Then she turned to me, “For the record, changelings are shapeshifters. We are whatever gender we want to be at the time. Heck, back when I lived with my hive combinations of genders were all the rage. But since you are probably curious, I was born female. Currently I am a female male blend at eighty to twenty ratio because... Well I just like that combination.” She winked and looked down at Cole, “So does she.”

“Can we talk about more important things?” I begged. Weirdly sexy revelations aside there were things I had to know. I had things to plot, and the changeling had stuff to tell me! It was starting to get irritating, “You promised to tell me about a human city!”

The changeling nodded, “Sure. Might as well.”

“Er, sweetie since we don't have much time, can I also hear about well, you?” Cole asked.

She nodded, “I can do both. Right so Lyra, first thing you need to know is that all of my information is second hoof and very out of date. I'm actually pretty old.”

I raised an eyebrow, “How out of date could it be?”

“Er... Three-hundred and ninety-two years.” She gave me a feeble grin. Shine's feeble grin.

“Four hundred years? Damn!” I whistled, “You guys live forever! Lucky.”

The more I looked at the changeling the more I noticed small things about her appearance that matched Shine exactly. The way her eyes were just a little slanted, her nose shape, in fact all of her shape. It was like someone had simply spray painted Shine black then used some putty to give her skin tight armor. Kind of like the hard suits from the Mass Effect series Blue Bolt had shown me.

It clicked for me. She had been telling the truth. I understood wanting to be another species. This changeling had simply made herself look like a unicorn. If I had the ability to shapeshift I probably would want to live with the species I liked best too.

I couldn't blame her for not telling me anything a pony wouldn't know. If we had known what she was... Well maybe not our little circle, but if other ponies had known bad things would certainly happen.

“Right, so since Lyra probably will attack me if I drag this out I'll just get right to what she wants to know. Ok Cole?” the changeling... Shine asked.

“No problem Meepie.” Cole answered.

Shine gave her a horrified look, “No... just... no....”

Cole laughed, “Sorry! I had to see your face. Oh man I needed that!” She beamed a smile which I swear lit up the cave a bit more. I caught a brief glimpse of a spot on the wall behind me reflected in her teeth and grinned. There was the light source, a small hole between two larger crystals.

Shine rolled her eyes, at least I think that's what she did. It was hard to tell what her yellow glowing eyes were doing. “Right... So I lived in a place to the west of Equestria. It's called the Valley of the Winds, it's a rather hilly area and the hills force the wind to blow along certain patterns so the wind actually forms two 'walls' of constant gale force winds. My hive, the Shard of Amber is the nation which occupies the Valley and sometimes food could get pretty scares because the Deer who also live there are not exactly... promiscuous.

“So scouts frequently explore the neighboring areas to find more food, and then harvesters would go and collect the love. It's not like a raid, and we don't hurt anything. We sort of farm love. A random act of kindness can result in a chain of events which spawns more kind acts and therefore the amount of 'love' increases. Anyling can just absorb the ambient love for nourishment... Yes we can also forcefully extract it, but that's like chopping down the apple tree to get the apples. You won't ever get food from it again.”

“But you took some from me by force once.” Cole objected.

“Yeah. But I didn't drain you dry like most direct feeders do. So my analogy isn't perfect. Oh well. Anyways my father was a harvester. They are a special caste of changeling, imagine them like a food cart. They have the ability to absorb enough food for dozens of changelings and release that energy later. Their job is to bring food back to the hive and distribute it. My dad liked the role his body gave him, he got to travel a lot.

“He came back from a harvest once with some of the weirdest tasting love I have ever had. It was like... fruit pie with vegetables in it. Two things at the same time, yet each one occasionally popped to the fore front. Ever see somepony who is bipolar? Naturally I asked him where he got it. 'We found a new species,' he said, 'they are called humans. It was hard to get any love out of them, but once we did It's very filling.' That was certainly true. Weird flavor, but very nutritious.”

I held up a hoof and asked, “Hold on... do you eat just love?”

“Wait, I thought you were lying to make her listen to you. Humans actually are real?” Cole asked in shock slightly after I finished talking.

Shine nodded, “Yes and yes.”

How could anypony call a creature which needed love to survive a monster? That was so illogical it actually hurt. Of course, there was the little plot Shifty Jerkface was up to. I guess changelings just have had an abundance of dicks in charge.

Shine continued, “When in a pony form I have to eat enough pony food to keep that body running as well. But when I am just me, love is all I need. As for humans, as far as they know their city is the only one in the world, there are not many of them, and their legends say they are not native to our world. Now to continue, my father collected love from them a few times. I can tell you that their city is named Ark, and that they are well... nothing much like how fiction says they are. Ark was or is directly west from my hive three by weeks walk. You know, assuming it is still there.”

Nothing like fiction? That concept blew my mind. From how Cole and Shine stared at me I guess they saw how confused I was. “Well... what are humans like then?”

“Well, they are very industrious like the stories say. They build incredible things. But that's about it. Remember all the stuff which describes the intricate ways humans manipulate themselves and others, like in their politics and their complex social web?” Shine asked me.

I nodded. “Of course.”

“Well that's all fiction. Humans can't actually lie. At all. Ever.” Shine informed.

I swear my eyes literally bugged out of my head, “What!”

Shine laughed, “Oh my gods your face! That was amazing! Er- but seriously, they can't lie. According to my father they traded their ability to intentionally deceive others for their magic. The last thing I know is that their technology is entirely mundane, because human magic is basically only good for fighting. It's more like a martial art then arcane spellcasting apparently. That's all I know. Now, you need to take that with a grain of salt. My father was blind, so for all I know this was a species which just shares the name human.”

“Seriously?” I demanded.

She nodded. “Seriously.”

The witness being blind aside, this was worth writing down and letting everypony in a certain circle of mine know. “So humans, instead of being cunning masters of techno-arcane sciences who cannot be trusted, are actually entirely honest spell-warriors and engineers?” I asked.

She nodded, “As far as I know.”

I nodded slowly, “I'm... actually ok with that...”

I was almost ok with my conceptions of humans being entirely inverted. Probably because at last there was somepony who could give me an account of them which was better than a twenty-fourth hoof  game of telephone's version. It would take me a while to become fully ok with the new information, but for now, I was happy with the best evidence I had so far. “If we get out of this... Could you show me how to get there?”

Shine nodded, “Yes... But well, you are the conspiracy theorist here.”

I winced. Shine had a point. “Right... If I contact them I will be vanished.”

Cole rolled her eyes, “Lyra, the government wont vanish you just for talking to a certain species.”

“It's not the government!” I shouted in irritation, “Seriously I have told you so many times that it's the mafia.”

“There isn't a mafia!” Cole objected.

“Girls! It seriously doesn't matter!” Shine exclaimed, “We're not going to get the chance to go anywhere.”

Cole frowned, “We'll be ok. The queen didn't say she was going to kill us. She said she would force us into service. When she does we can find the chance to escape.”

“This isn't one of Vi's adventures. There isn't always a way out.” Shine objected.

“Shine, like, eighty percent of the time we make our own way out. Vi actually is trying to kill our characters after all.” I pointed out, “Besides our characters don't have magic, we do... Oh... Um... What spells do you guys know? I can do ablative shields, fireballs, rays, and I have a spell which trips somepony.” That wasn't the whole toolbox, you never tell anypony all of what you can do.

Cole looked at me in amazement. Shine blinked in realization, maybe she was starting to understand how I got away with some of my little escapades.

“When did you learn how to do any of that?” Cole asked.

“Cole... I know you think it's fake, but if you believed that a shadowy organization was repressing the truth you would learn how to protect yourself too.” I said giving her a serious look.

“Point.” Cole admitted nodding in agreement.

“Another point,” Shine pointed out, “we do usually have to make our own escape. I taught Cole a changeling designed ray spell on the train over here. I can do that, my shapeshifting, basic shields, and well... I did invent the equations for the Von Brawn bubble. I can do a lot with a magically generated pegasus flight field.” Shine quipped.

“Um... no you didn't. That was invented by you know, Von Brawn.” I deadpanned, “Don't take credit for-”

Shine's body burst into green flames, when the fire died down a tall brown unicorn stallion with a simple black mane and green eyes was staring me in the face. I jumped back as she, no he, calmly informed in a thick Germane accent, “Frau Heartstrings, I can assure you that I indeed have created my own work. It would be highly remiss of me not to inform you that I have in fact been many of the great minds behind all things within the realm of Astrophysics.”

I took a half step back in surprise and was about to say something in response when Shine shapechanged again, this time to a black furred female pegasus I didn't recognize at all. 

“Verily,” she announced, “the ageless state which I have obtained hath allowed myself to obtain a great sum of knowledge. As one who doth knowith my true self, young Lyra, ye would be wise to assume what I claim to have done, is indeed so. I relish greatly the opportunity, however short, to have the true scope of my accomplishments known to the ponies among whom I have labored most diligently.”

She grinned and returned to her normal buggy self, “By the gods I wish you were Twilight. I could have watched her head literately explode.”

“Why?” I asked, “Who were you just now?”

“Laughing Village. The identity I used when I invented the foundations of calculus.” Shine answered as she snuggled back up to Cole.

“Oh.” I replied before Cole and I exclaimed together in shock, “You invented calculus?”

“No, not all of it. At least not modern calculus. I did however work out the fundamentals back in the day. You're welcome.” she trotted back over to Cole and lay down.

I resolved then and there to take my revenge upon Shine for making me have to endure high school calculus. But that could come later. Right now it was time to be awesome.

“Right,” I began as I turned around to casually inspect the wall behind me, “So we have gone over what everyone here can do. We have a BBEG to stop from taking over all of Equestria, and I need to warn Twilight she's in danger.”

“So what, you have a radio hidden in your mane?” Cole asked mockingly.

I laughed. “Cole, please. I'm the party rogue.”

“How is that-” Shine began to ask.

I lit my horn, concentrated, allowed the energy to build and fired a beam right into the spot the light was coming from. There was a loud boom, cracks ran through the crystals, and a hole big enough for a pony to fit through appeared in the wall. “Trapfinding and Skill Focus in spot!” I announced triumphantly.

“Holy Sisters that was awesome!” Cole gasped.

“... You are never going to let us forget this are you?” Shine asked.

“Nope.” I grinned and stepped through the hole, “Now lets find a way out of this place.”
> The Soldier 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colgate Aquafresh

I couldn't believe Lyra just blasted through a diamond wall. It was crazy, but she did it and now here we were, stepping through a hole in the wall into what looked like a mine shaft. Lyra headed left up the tunnel. I simply followed along, she had to have a plan of some sort right?

“That was amazing! You just blasted right through a wall made of diamond! You could join the EUP with spells like that.” I said still in awe as I followed along behind her.

Lyra giggled, “Actually anypony could do that. Diamonds are actually pretty brittle until they have been cut. Smashing an uncut one is easy if you know how to hit it.”

“Where did you learn how to do that?” Meep asked, quickly chittering in recollection, “Oh right, your mother is a miner.”

She nodded, “Yep.”

I grinned, feeling confident we would quickly escape and bring the word in time to save the day. It would be so awesome to be celebrated heroes for real!

“Too bad I can't remember how she said you find the exit to a mine.” Lyra sighed.

Apparently that confident feeling was just indigestion. “So we are going to just hope we are going the right way?” I asked.

“I figured if we keep going in one direction for a while and no one tries to stop us that must be the wrong way.” Lyra informed casually.

I looked at her uncertainly for a second before it hit me, “Oh! You don't need to waste ponies guarding prisoners when you just need to guard an exit.”

Meep nodded, “That's a sound plan. After all she believed the only way into our cell was psychoportation. There is no need to position guards here. Especially since she probably can't spare many troops right now. I vote we just go whichever way slopes upwards and look for guards.”

Lyra nodded, flashing a grin at Meep, “Yep, and this way slopes up. The shards of wall slid down that way.... Hold on, psychoportation? What's that?”

“The psionic art of teleportation.” Meep answered adding quickly, “Changlings don't have magic. We do however have psionic ability. Some types of changelings can do more, others less.”

“I don't get it.” Lyra stated bluntly.

“Well as she explained it to me, psionics is like magic but different. Kind of like apple juice and cider.” I hoped that would clear things up for her.

“Oh, so they do the same thing? That's kind weird, is it just like a word thing or what?” she asked.

Meep sighed, “No, it's more like two fundamentally different things which have a few of the same properties. Um... Magic is knowledge guided by will, psionics are imagination guided by will. They cross paths on what they can each do frequently, but each one has certain things they alone can do. Like my shape shifting, magic can't keep you in a form other than your own forever. Psionics can.”

“Oh. So can anypony lean how to do that?” Lyra asked curiously.

“No. Not everyone is psi adept. Imagine it like being a unicorn, you need the biology to do it. But unlike being a unicorn any race can produce psions. It's just rare... Unless you are a changeling, then you are almost guaranteed to be one.”

That got me curious, “Almost? What happens if a changeling isn't born with your powers?”

“She dies.” Meep answered simply, “She can't eat. It's why almost all of us have psionic abilities, we evolved to eat emotional energy so we have almost completely removed non-psions from our gene pool.”

Lyra and I winced. The thought of a foal starving to death, unable to eat was horrifying. “I-is there anything you can do for them?” I asked hopefully.

“No. It would be like a pony being born without a digestive system. The kindest thing to do would be to kill them quickly.” She answered bluntly.

Meep bit her lip, stopped walking, and looked down at the ground for a short moment, “Can we talk about something other than this? It's kind of personal... My sister died that way.” Meep asked in a reserved tone.

“I'm sorry, I didn't know.” I apologized quickly.

“It's fine, it was a few centuries ago. I just would like to forget it entirely. Hum, I said I would tell you about my people though. Anything in particular?” she asked as she resumed walking with us.

“Oh yeah!” Lyra exclaimed, “You mentioned types of changelings. I guess that means you have things like the pony tribes right?”

I glared at Lyra for stealing my question, but had to agree, “That is something I wanted to ask too.”

Meep nodded looking over her shoulder back down the way we had come for a moment, “Basically yes, our castes are somewhat like pony tribes. We are kind of like ants, there are roles a changeling colony needs to do to survive and some of our people are literately bred for that particular thing. There are distinct differences in appearance between types, but the biggest differences are in our abilities.

We have queens, they rule the hive and are superior to all others in every possible way they can be. Speed, brains, strength, psionic power, love burn rate, attractiveness, everything. There are sapharu, who are basically our unicorns. They are very potent psions and have the ability to see normal invisible energies. They can work magic of psionics like a wood carver.

Let's see... we have soldiers, they do exactly what you think they do but terrifyingly well. A scout is able to connect to a hive mind regardless of distance and are very good at shape changing. Harvesters I explained already. They are basically walking food carts.

“There are workers, which is my caste. We have the power to control and program drones and are fairly adept at tunneling and digging. Drones are the most common type of changeling... they are not intelligent. Imagine a cat in a changeling body. That's basically all a drone is.”

I blinked twice, “Hold on... the most common type of your species is about as smart as a cat?” That was just weird. Creepy weird.

“Yes.” she answered, frowning as my disbelieving stare demanded more information from her, “Drones are not normal changelings. But they are the bulk of a hive because we use them for manual labor. They are laid in the hundreds by the queen once every few months and are fully grown a few weeks later only to die off in about five years. If it helps imagine them as robots. If not imprinted with instructions they act pretty much just like a cat dose. As a worker it's my biology given job to control and care for as many drones as my mind permits. I was assigned to manage a construction swarm.”

Lyra stopped walking and looked at Meep as she asked, “Are you telling me that most changelings are just animals?”

“Yes. It's just how we are. Honestly I was surprised that all ponies are sentient when I first came here.” Meep informed.

“So they are slaves.” I muttered, “lovely.”

“What? No.” Meep objected. She stepped over and tipped my head up to look into her eyes, “Sweetie, I've connected with drones on a level more intimately then any other type of changeling ever has. They really are almost mindless. These are creatures which will turn three quarters of a circle because you forgot to tell them how to turn to the right. They are alive and we use them as a labor source, but it's about the same as training animals for a task.”

That didn't change my mind too much. “It still feels... wrong.”

Meep nodded, “I can understand that. Ponies value equality, it's one thing I like about you guys so much. Besides, it's not like any couple's child can ever be a drone. Like I said, they are exclusively a queens offspring.”

“But what if that happened? What would you do?” I asked.

Meep shrugged, “I don't have all the answers Cole. I'm pretty sure it would be of interest to science, and I would feel bad for the couple. It's just a culture thing I guess. Ponies have the potential to do anything they like, changelings are born into our jobs. Heck, I'm happy I was born a worker we at least get some choice in what we do with our lives... Then again I did wind up running away rather than dig more chambers in the hive to be a scientist. Huh... Maybe I wasn't happy.”

Meep grew quiet for a few long time. We trotted along the tunnel in silence with Lyra ahead of everypony, me in the middle then Meep bringing up the rear. It was hard to tell just how long we walked since we were underground. Long enough for my legs to start getting sore at least.

It was fairly dark in the tunnel. The sort of haunting darkness that fills you with dread, as if something horrid is lurking in it, just over your shoulder. Trying to break the silence and get rid of the uneasy feeling in my heart I joked, “It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.”

I got a glare from Lyra. “Don't you dare jinx us like that!” She hissed.

We continued on in science for a while longer. Long enough for me to star feeling bad I got upset at Meep over how her species was. It was stupid, like getting mad at a pegasus for flying. I hoped that I didn't make her question her entire life. It was clear she was thinking about something though. So when I couldn't take the science anymore I asked, “Sorry if I made you question your whole life... Is anything wrong?”

Meep shook her head. “Just thinking about my family. I could have a ton of relatives now. I did miss my older sister when I first left, and well... My father was important to me. He sort of is the reason I am interested in the stars.”

“How so?” Lyra asked curiously.

“He was blind, but that didn't bother him very much. He was able to do everything he needed to without help. However, he always wanted to know what pictures the stars formed and why they grouped up to form pictures in the first place. He died of old age when I was thirteen and I decided I would learn that for him. That got me into the field, but well, you girls are pretty familiar with my obsession. Tartarus, I left the hive because my job would have me underground for the rest of my life.” Meep answered.

Suddenly the tunnel opened up into a wide cavern. It was absolutely monstrous, most of Ponyville could have fit in it. A sea of natural crystals filled the floor, jutting cliffs formed platforms along the cavern's sides and were connected by mine cart tracks. Massive arching crystals supported the ceiling like pillars. The entire cavern was a sea of shimmering, rippling ribbons of light as it spilled into the cavern from somewhere overhead.

“Wow! This is amazing!” I exclaimed in excitement looking over the cavern with a wide grin.

“Yep...” Lyra said nonchalantly. “And that looks like moon light, which means we are near the exit.”

“And no guards!” Meep exclaimed happily.

At that exact moment twelve circles of green fire blazed into existence a few yards ahead of us. A changeling rose from each circle, blue eyes burning almost as brightly as the flames which surrounded them. Most of the changelings looked unfinished, almost as if they were life sized dolls. I hadn't seen Meep very much but I could still recognize her by her appearance. These changelings were different in they all looked the same. But one of them, at the center of the group was unique.

He was huge, he stood a whole head taller than me. His exoskeleton was somehow both bulky and streamlined, it took me several minutes to realize he had armor literally bolted to him forming additional plates. His eyes were larger than Meeps, not just because of his size but proportionally larger by a hoof's width. From what I could see he probably had an enormous field of view. His fangs were far more pronounced, and had apparently grown in such a way as to over the years scrap groves into the chitin around his mouth.

“So... um... That's a soldier.” Meep squeaked.

“Celestia damn it Shine!” Lyra swore, “You just HAD to make the GM throw an encounter at us.”

I nervously took a few steps backwards. The soldier grinned, he spoke in a voice like thunder and hooves on a chalkboard. “Her Majesty requests you return to your cell. You may return on your own. You have five minutes to turn back, or settle matters with your gods.”

“Er- what?” Lyra asked, looking at the soldier incredulously, “You are giving us time to figure a way to beat you?”

He nodded. “Your choice has been made? Good. Entertain me.”

I laughed nervously and slowly started to turn around, “So I think I'll just be going now...”

“He will just chase you after killing us.” Meep moaned, “Please. At least stay with me.”

“Ok...” I squeaked.

Meep and Lyra trotted over to me, forming a little group and begun to speak in faint whispers. Lyra spoke first, “Ok so Cole, do you think you can do anything?”

I shook my head. The way their blue eyes glared at me with absolute hatred... I couldn't handle it. It was an inversion of what I felt love for. Like the person dearest to your heart was advancing on you with a knife laughing maniacally. “I, um- maybe...”

Meep groaned, “Ok, if you can pull it together use the spell I taught you on the soldier.”

“Right. So it's down to just us... What are our assets?” Lyra asked with a hint of dread in her voice.

Meep facehooved, “This isn't a game. We don't have an inventory.”

“I know that!” Lyra hissed, “I mean what can we try and throw at him? Or his friends.”

“Oh... Humm...” Meep thought for a moment before her eyes widened with hope, “The drones are not a problem. He can't control them directly. They have to have been preprogrammed. They will respond to his voice. Keep him from talking, the drones will not change what they are doing.”

Lyra grinned, “Those are drones? Can you control them?”

“Maybe...” Meep mused, “I don't know if I can do it to drones of another hive. But I'll try.”

Lyra nodded in determination. “Right, so that leaves the big guy... If you can manage the drones and we get them to dogpile him, I can throw all the fire I got at him.”

That actually seemed like a good plan. I nervously opened my mouth to speak, “I um... I'll help with that.”

Meep smiled, “Glad to have you at my back hon. Oh... Somepony will have to distract him while I try and connect to the drones. It might take a few minutes. I'll start now to get a head start on it, but if he notices what I am doing...”

I had no idea what I could possibly do as a distraction. Fortunately Lyra grinned and announced, “I got just the thing!”

She broke off from our group and called over to the soldier, “Hey how much time do we have? I would like to pray.”

The soldier chuckled, a sound which I swear actually physically hurt me. “Three minutes.”

Lyra nodded, “Thanks!”

She trotted over to the minecart's tracks and looked into one of the rusty carts. After a moment the golden glow of her magic lit the minecart's interior and she took a pickax from within and trotted back to us. To my amazement she stood up on her hind legs and gripped the pickax with her hooves, holding it before her with the blade upwards. Standing like that is something anypony can do, but it takes a lot of practice to do it as easily as Lyra had.

“Start your thing.” Lyra whispered to Meep. Then in a normal tone, to my amazement Lyra began to paraphrase an old fantasy novel she made me read back in highschool.

“I know you are afraid Cole. You feel as if you have nothing to trust to carry you through this. But you do. Once, giants lived in the Earth, Cole. And in the darkness of chaos, they fooled the god Crom, and they took from him the enigma of steel. Crom was angered. And the Earth shook. Fire and wind struck down these giants, and they threw their bodies into the waters, but in their rage, the gods forgot the secret of steel and left it on the battlefield.

Lyra turned the pick in her hooves and inspected it, keeping one eye on the soldier. “We who found it are just ponies. Not gods. Not giants. Just ponies. The secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery. You must learn its riddle, Cole. You must learn its discipline. For nopony, nopony in this world can you trust. Not colts, not mares, not beasts.”

She turned, keeping one eye on the soldier and held the pickax out to me with one hoof, “This... This you can trust.”

I knew she was just trying to make a distraction for Meep, but somehow the story made me feel better. Perhaps it was the fact that even now, when were about to be killed Lyra still cared about my feelings. Or maybe it was simply that her long winded spiel ripped from an old book of bronze age barbarians reminded me of gaming enough to get into character.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Meep. She was shivering, looking as if she was concentrating very hard. The sort of concentration where even being bumped jerks you out of it. She needed someone to protect her or she couldn't do anything to save us. 

With a determined nod I took the pickax from her with my magic and gave it a few test swings. The soldier grinned at me like I was an idiot. I probably was. But at that moment, I didn't care much.

Lyra nodded and got down on her hooves, lowered her head and continued her distraction. “Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good ponies or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that three stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom. So grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to Hades with you!”

The soldier raised an eyebrow. “You have gods aside from those within this city?”

“Oh hey, we must be under Canterlot. That's good right girls?” Lyra asked before shaking her left forehoof up and down in a rude gesture at the soldier, “Thanks featherbrain!”

The soldier glared at Lyra, I could feel the hatred pouring off of him. It was like a black, boiling, blanket being drug over me. It was wrong. It was foul. It had to stop. It was giving me a headache.

Gritting my teeth I raised my pick, “Screw it let's just go!”

Lyra winced as the soldier grinned.

“As you wish.” He said, horn starting to glow as he charged a spell.

“Crap... are you ready Shine?” Lyra asked, quickly casting a shield spell.

Meep nodded. I gasped as her eyes opened, they burned a bright golden yellow as if somepony had replaced her eyes with light bulbs. The line of drones twitched in unison, their eyes fading from blue to black only to flare up to a bright burning yellow as Meep announced in unison with the drones, “Assuming direct control...”

The soldier smiled wide enough to nearly make me wet myself, cracked his neck and in a terrifyingly gleeful tone announced, “Thank you for the interesting twist and challenge today.”

“Ah horse apples...” Lyra spat.

Then the soldier leaped towards us with a joyous scream of fury.
> The Defeat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twinkleshine / Meep

It had been forever since I last connected to a hive mind, or controlled a drone. I had intended to simply instruct the drones to attack the soldier, but whomever programmed them in the first place was ether very good, or the normal psi control methods had completely changed in the last few centuries. I tried my hardest but I couldn't remove or add code to the drones. It just wasn't in the cards.

To say I was rusty would be an understatement. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. If I were back at a hive I wouldn't be qualified to use a single drone, let alone operate eleven of them. Especially not ones someling had taken very diligent care to program for combat. The had even worked in some situational awareness. I was about to give up when I remembered I had another option. I could directly control them.

Spreading my mind out between multiple bodies was never something I enjoyed doing. It's frightening. One moment you are yourself, then the next you are torn into fragments, flung through a black void of nothingness, and suddenly you are multiple. Making things even worse was the second I connected I realized I forgot how to control individuals within the group individually.

It was as if I had been given a crane to operate but somepony had disabled my telekinesis and then covered my hooves in three inches of butter. Making it even worse was the images coming to me from twelve sets of eyes, I couldn't make heads or tails of anything. 

I had just enough time to take all of this in before the soldier charged, horn blazing for Lyra.

I wanted to scream in terror, but I couldn't even manage that. Instead, all of my drones made a chittering, cheeping, sort of squee sound. It was pretty much the exact opposite of a terrified scream.

At the last moment Lyra rolled to her left, the soldier shot past her, landed, turned around, and was hit directly in the chest by a crackling ball of golden fire Lyra threw. “Come on girls! Do something!” Lyra pleaded.

I nodded, my drones shook their head. Confused as I could be I ordered the drones to turn left and charge at the soldier. They turned right and sat down facing away from him. I felt my right eye twitch. Someling must have worked in some sort of safety system into them to prevent me from doing what I was doing. They seemed to do the opposite of what I told them as literally as could be interpenetrated.

Cole suddenly ran foreword screaming a war cry which could best be described as the warble of a terrified turkey. She swung her pick down to try and hit the soldier's left flank, he simply stepped aside and then kicked out with his rear left hoof, striking her across the forehead.

I could have told them what soldiers did, but I hadn't had the heart. No pony should have to know they are fighting something with a functioning danger sense. If he had trained in the use of a move, he could use it on us without even looking. Our only hope was to overwhelm the soldier, but someling had apparently decided to set up these drones with inverted controls!

Concentrating on the drones I sent them a simple message, <Land.> To my satisfaction they immanently took off, hovering in the air where they had been sitting.

The soldier playfully fired a ray around Lyra in a circle, scorching the ground black. “This is battle, not play.” He mocked.

Lyra narrowed her eyes and ran to her left, lobbing bolts of flame at the soldier in small volleys. The flames mostly missed, but a few splattered over his armor leaving faint scorch marks. Cole shook her head to clear it, stepped backwards, and extended the reach of her telekinetic grip, swinging the pick again. Once more he simply stepped out of the way.

“Dose your hive not train you to defend it?” the soldier asked looking at Cole before casually firing a single bolt of energy, slicing one end of the pickax's head off.

Cole's eyes widened in terror. I could see the despair in them from a dozen different angles. A burning rage welled up in my chest. <Kill him!> I telepathically screamed.

I felt something in the drones give way. One drone twitched in the air before drifting lazily to the left. The others surged forewords in a singular wave of anger, hissing and screeching with horns blazing. Bolts of green energy flew, shards of crystal flew everywhere as parts of the floor exploded. Lyra laughed in relief and started to charge up a spell.

The soldier grinned as he took several direct hits, none of which did more than blacken or crack his armor. He reared up, slamming one hoof into a drone's face, caving it in before swinging the drone's corpse into a second, smashing him aside into a third. “This is better!” He exclaimed gleefully, throwing a cone of green flames out and incinerating two more drones.

To my grim surprise my control over the remaining drones increased as they died. The remaining drones felt much quicker to respond, and I could make far more sense of what was going on. Enough to see a bolt of blue magic streak towards the soldier, super heat some of the armor on his flank, and explode.

Cole charged towards the soldier, firing ray after ray at him, the compressed energy managing to burn and blast small chunks of his armor apart. He wheeled with a grin, leveled his head and threw a blazing beam of fire, reflexively I ordered a drone into it's path. The drone jumped, took the blast and crumpled to the ground smoldering.

A massive ball of golden energy slammed into the soldier's back, the plating above his shell sizzled, molten steel dripping down the sides of his armor. It had to have hurt, but he simply turned in the direction it came from and hissed in rage.

“Hey crab apple! Over here!” Lyra shouted, throwing a few energy blasts as she ducked behind a crystal formation.

<Attack the weak point.> I ordered, my drones instantly swarming, a few firing ray attacks, while others simply threw themselves bodily at the melted spot. He ignored them, advancing on Lyra's position with clenched teeth.

Cole ran forewords, scooping up the broken pick with her magic as she went. With another half angry, half afraid war cry she jumped, slamming the pick down towards the soldier. At the last minute he twisted to other side, the pick striking an undamaged part of his armor and skipping off, embedding itself into the floor.

“Oh crap baskets...” Cole squeaked.

The soldier wheeled around, horn glowing as he charged up an attack. <Attack his face.> I ordered.

Three drones leaped, slamming into his muzzle and horn, sending his shot reeling. Chunks of the ceiling rained down. The jagged shards crushing two of my drones. How many were left? I couldn't tell. The soldier turned, and faced one of my drones directly. “You are irritating.” 

He growled, matching towards... oh gods that was not a drone that was me!

I tried to move but I couldn't, the drones scrabbled away instead. <Oh shit I forgot to include myself in the link!> I telepathically screamed.

“What?” Cole asked looking around confused for a moment before shouting, “Lyra! Meep can't move!  Help her!”

The soldier was on me in an instant, I felt him pick me up, hooves pressed against my thought as he lifted me up, ignoring my drones' attempts to knock me free. “I am going to crush you!” He announced inches from my face.

I felt my exoskeleton crack as he squeezed. My tracheas burned as the oxygen was forced out of them. The drones dropped to the ground as I could no longer focus on them. I saw some flashes of light. They could have been spells, I wasn't sure my vision was graying out. Faintly, as if shouted down a tunnel I heard a voice shout, “Damn it I can't faze him. Do something Shine!”

Shine? That's what stars did right? Yes. Stars shined. How? Within a given mass of hydrogen and helium two positrons collide and form a deuterium nucleolus, a gamma-ray, and a neutrino. The nucleolus then collides with another positron forming another gamma-ray and a helium-3 atom. Two helium-3 atoms collide and form a single helium-4 atom and two protons. The process repeats until the mass has been entirely converted into energy. I could do that. It was so very dark something should be making light anyways.

I felt myself shift. An odd tingling sensation built up in my chest. Or some part of me. I wasn't very sure where my chest was. Or what it was. All I knew was I was warm. The sort of warmth you experience when wrapped up in a quilt on a winter's day and someone you love is passing you hot chocolate. Then a moment later my everything hurt.

My chest was back, and it felt like it was on fire. As if somepony had literately set my exoskeleton on fire. It smelled like somepony did too. I couldn't see anything, or taste anything. My mind was too fuzzy for me to check and see if I had eyes in whatever form I was in. I could feel myself being moved but I couldn't tell where to, how fast, or well, anything.

After a few minutes I started to hear indistinct sounds and patches of gray and white suddenly sprang into existence. A minute later and one set of the sounds resolved into words, “Her eyes just moved! I told you changelings could regenerate.”

“Oh thank Celestia! Do we do anything?” the second asked.

“Just keep directing your love towards her. That seems to be working.” The first replied.

My vision began to clear as more of my eyes came back. The gray and white was joined by blue, then red, then green, until finally I could see properly. Cole was standing over me. No she was sitting, holding me. When had that happened?

I tried to speak but nothing came out, just a few rattling gasps. Cole frowned and hugged me close. “Come on hon, you can do it.” She cheered softly.

“...Soldier?” I gasped out after an irritatingly long time.

Lyra leaned into my view, “You freaking disintegrated him!” She exclaimed in an exuberant yet impressed tone.

“I did?” I asked my voice slowly returning to normal as I felt my through heal. “How?”

Cole looked over to the right, “Well... for just an instance you conjured a ball of fire... Everything over there is well... melted. I thought you were dead... You um... You were missing a lot of pieces.”

Lyra nodded, “You just grew back a leg.”

“What?” I groaned looking down at myself and wincing. Large chunks of my exoskeleton were missing, small tendrils of energy slowly replacing them. “Oh crap... Cole... Thank you. I would be dead without you right now.”

“What did you do?” Cole demanded in a tone she reserved for talking to idiots while upset.

That was a good question. What did I do? I couldn't remember much at all. “I... I'm not sure. I think... I think I shapechanged. Whatever I did... my body didn't appreciate it.”

Lyra nodded, “Yeah seriously.” She looked around the cavern for a while before smiling, “Well the coast is clear! We can just make our way to the exit and-” Her face fell mid sentence. With a horrified look on her face she asked, “What have I done? Now the irony gods will smite us by-”

That's when every nearby crystal lit up with the image of impostor Cadence's face.

Lyra sighed, “-summoning forth Shifty Jerkface. Discord's beard I'm an idiot! You never say everything looks clear! Argh!”

“Well, well. It looks like you three can handle yourselves after all.” the false Cadence mocked.

“Don't say anything else!” Cole snapped at Lyra glaring daggers her way.

I wanted to laugh at the venomous expression on her face, but apparently my body wasn't up to that yet.

A circle of green flames blazed for a moment on the side of one of the crystals as Cadence stepped out of it. “The three of you were able to defeat one of my soldiers, so the three of you should be able to delay a half starved alicorn if she manages to break free like you did.”

Cole winced and in a panic blurted, “Don't say we will never work for you! … Ponyfeathers... I said it... Which means....”

“Now she mind controls us into doing her bidding.” Lyra finished with a groan.

“I really must read more books on pony tactics,” the false Cadence mused, “If all your responses are so simply scripted it will be easily to exploit them.”

Her horn glowed green, her eyes blazed brightly, “Stay here and kill any ponies which try to pass through.”

Her words sank into my mind like fishhooks. The command filled my head until there was nothing else. Only the Queen's orders. Not a thing more. I stood up on my hooves, “Yes your Majesty.” I answered together with the others.

She glanced at me, “Shift into your unicorn form. It will demoralize her more to be attacked by her own kind.”

I changed, staggering slightly as my injured body didn't quite want to change just yet. The Queen nodded, “That's better.”

A portal opened up under her hooves. As she sank into it she chuckled, “This day is just prefect.”
> The Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lyra Heartstrings

I felt like Tartarus chewed me up and spit me out into Hades. Can't say I had ever been brain raped before. This one was new. The bad sort of new. Bon-bon attempting to use sugar free chocolate to make fondant levels of badness.

Bon-bon. I missed her so bad right now. I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing, if she was ok. Shifty Jerkface probably had a minion copy my shape so that Bonnie wouldn't notice I was gone. I wonder if that was working out. Could changeling's copy memories? If not somebuggy was getting the third degree from Bon-bon wondering what on Equis I could be up to. Like she always did when I wasn't all playfully hyper.

All I could do was think. My body stayed firmly planted alongside everyone else, I kept staring into the crystals, eyes searching for anypony coming through them. Admittedly, I didn't want to tangle with an alicorn, even if I wasn't under mind control. At least I knew that it was a real thing now. There would be some much needed updates to tell my fellow conspirators.

My eyes caught some motion in the crystal field. A faint rippling sort of movement atop one of the crystal formations. The others saw it too, we leaned forwards as one, staring into the distance. We must have looked forever, but nothing was there. At least I hoped nothing was there.

The three of us relaxed slightly. Not that anypony wanted to. This was a special kind of hell I would be damn sure to make Jerkface pay for through an orifice I would make expressly for that purpose using a hammer.

Somewhere in the distance something made a scratching, scraping, metallic sound. Even through the mind control my ears lay back and the fur on the back of my neck stood up. Fortunately after ten minutes nothing happened. I made a mental note to avoid crystal mines in the future, if at all possible.


~~


Twinkleshine / Meep

Despite the horror of being controlled by someling else, it was an interesting experience. Frustrating as not being able to move my own legs was it was interesting to ride along in my body as it moved basically of its own accord. I wondered if this is how drones felt.

The little guys never protested, and their minds had always been almost entirely blank when I was in command. But still, as the author Bear Scribe once penned, “Do androids dream of electric ponies?” Drones did have their glitches and oddities, as much as any two cats might be different. Some drones would curl up and sleep in any given open container, most of them chase shiny things. Noling knows why.

Another pony author once said “There have always been ghosts in the machine. Random segments of code, that have grouped together to form unexpected protocols. Unanticipated, these free radicals engender questions of free will, creativity, and even the nature of what we might call the soul.” We certainly see drones as machines. If they were truly any more than that, perhaps I should apologize or ask permission If I ever operated one again.

My thoughts were shattered as some grating metallic sound echoed through the cavern. It lasted for a second, as if a dog with metal claws was scrambling across a tile floor. That set my heart racing. It was creepy enough being mind controlled and reflecting on the ironic nature of your own abilities without some sort of hell maw opening up and letting the legions of the damned spew forth to eat the souls of the living.

Much to my relief the vigil imposed upon us by the Queen continued quietly. No giant monster burst forth from the crystals to avenge the wall Lyra had broken through. No half incinerated changeling soldier out for blood lust. Just the shimmering light of the cavern and silence.


~~


Colgate Aquafresh

My head felt like a full construction crew of tiny earth ponies were busy smashing it apart with sledgehammers. This was not a headache, this was more than a migraine, this was the Big Bang of headaches. A singularity of throbbing, pulsing, spikes of pain expanding outwards infinity over an eternity, then collapsing back into that one tiny point to explode again.

Every single time I tried to ignore the queen's command it got infinitely worse. But I had to keep trying. It was wrong, controlling another thinking being like this. Forcing the three of us to stand stock still and wait for somepony to come through just to try to kill them, had to be some sort of crime against nature. I swore that if I got out of this and it was ever within my power I would give that queen a root canal. Without painkillers. Using my grandfathers old instruments.

The three of us stood side by side a few dozen yards in front of the mine exit, staring back down into the crystal forest. The buzzing pain in my head kept me from noticing much else besides the ocean of crystals. There simply was nothing I could do, at least not physically.

It was very hard, but I could think. I could get a few thoughts gathered together here and there. Fragments of sentences, small pleas for help. I was never very religious, someponies pray to Celestia but not me. Its silly to assume somepony can hear your thoughts when you can just write them a letter. But maybe, just maybe there was something to the idea.

Just maybe somepony could hear my desperate plea, <Help. Please.>


~~


Stealth Recon Droid GRUE 23Φ

The gem mines were vast, covering many kilometers of twisting and turning maze like tunnels and chambers. It would take a pony several days to explore all of the mine. But Phi was not a pony. It could cover the mines sprawling expanse in only a few hours. Which was very good, master had asked so nicely for Phi to search the old mines for blue eyed bugs.

Phi had never seen blue eyed bugs before. Only the green the green eyed bugs, its masters, had been in its databanks. When Phi had first seen a blue bug, it had thought it’s cameras were malfunctioning, and had to run several diagnostics before understanding that yes, those bugs were blue.

Phi sprinted down a primary tunnel leading to the exit. It's eight fingered circular feet padded over the crystalline floor, reactive servos reducing it's foot falls to nearly silent taps. The only other sign of Phi's presence was a slight distortion in the air where it was at any given moment. Master had spared no expense with its stealth systems.

Phi didn't know exactly why it was asked to scout the mines and count the blue bugs, but it was happy to do it. It was so much more fun than being plugged into the kennel or getting worked on in the shop. Besides bugs were fun to stalk, some of them could sense its presence over psi channels. It was a challenging game! A game which it had won, all Phi needed to do was get close enough to the mine's exit where it would have a signal and then tell master all about the game.

The tunnel opened up into a large field of crystals. Without even the tiniest adjustment in speed Phi raced onward, zipping around the formations with mechanical precision. No matter how close it got to the cave's exit Phi just couldn't get a signal. Frustrated it jumped, all four limbs grasping the side of one of the crystal formations as it scrabbled up atop the side, hoping to find even a single bar.

It was a difficult climb, and Phi had to make a little noise but much to its delight, at the top of the crystal formation was a three bar connection. Phi deployed its comm antennae and quickly sent back its report along the proper encrypted channels.



GRUE 23Φ – Outgoing Transmission to Operator Number 12

   Operation Blue Bug Hunt
   Field Report 34
   June 17th 2000 EoH – 0948

Completed assigned task. Mines beneath Canterlot confirmed as Sapphire staging area. Enemy forces consist primarily of drones. 12:1 drone to soldier ratio. Workers not present in staging area. Threat to Canterlot medium. Estimated pony DEAFCON: 2. Probability of pony defenders overcoming threat 87.67%. Emerald Marine Forces not required to intervene.

End Report

   P.S.

I saw a squirrel. He was doin like this!

   ***Attached Video File***

See?



Suddenly its systems registered three heat signatures up ahead, just in front of the mine's entrance. Phi's ears metaphorically drooped. It had sent an incomplete report. That wouldn't do at all. Phi deplored its sensor array, several dozen invisible laser sweeps, thermal sensors, sonar pulses and psi scans rapidly fetching it all the information anything could ever want.

Quickly reopening the comm channel Phi sent out addendums to its report as it analyzed the data.



Addendum – 0949 Sapphire Hive forces have set three local ponies to guard staging area exit. Moving to observe. Standby for information.

Addendum – 0950 Ponies spotted this unit moving to position. Cloaking field prevented full discovery. Preceding with data retrieval.

ALLERT! Multiple thermatergic signatures detected! Amber Hive civilian present in morph as one of the ponies on guard. Locals and Amber Hive civilian appear to be under the effects of mind control. Blue pony possesses abnormal aura, possible transformation spell contained within Blue Pony’s aura. Confirming observation.

ALLERT! Identity of green pony verified: Lyra Heartstrings, B.A.R.D. member, nealy discovered Scout #892, possibly aware of Emerald Hive’s operations within Ponyville. Nonhostile. Presence of two allied individuals confirmed. Blue pony confirmed to be under the influence of a  transformation spell.

ALLERT! Received arcane transmission from Blue pony. Relaying message through Arc Net...

Message as follows: <Help. Please.>

Requesting orders.



Phi waited a few agonizingly long minutes. The multiple alerts demanding that it do something. Finally, just as it thought its CPU was going to explode from it all, orders from master came in.



Operator Number 12 – Outgoing Transmission to GRUE 23Φ

   Operation Blue Bug Hunt
   Mission Update
   June 17th 2000 EoH – 1001

High Command has informed me of plans for Lyra Heartstrings. Her captivity is unacceptable. Standing orders regarding survivors of the Amber Hive massacre require our intervention as well.

Cast the attached mind control dispel charm on the group to disrupt the Saphire control. Once they have freed themselves, ensure they exist the mine safely. High Command has reassigned us to watch Lyra pending a new operation. Follow her once she is clear of the mine, remain undetected. Report in every 3 hours.

If you are discovered self destruct is authorized pending a data dump.

   ***Attached spell data file***

   P.S.

You just earned us a commendation from the boss. Good dog!



Phi was so happy from master's praise it wished it could bark for joy. Since this was beyond Phi's abilities it did a little shuffling happy dance instead. While casting the spell which had been sent to it, of course.


~~


Colgate Aquafresh

I had thought that my headache was as bad as a headache could ever get. I was wrong. Right out of nowhere it decided to tipple in size and punch me square in the ovaries from the inside. If I wasn't being forced to stand my ground I would have been rolling on the ground screaming and trying to bash my brains out on the nearest rock to make it stop.

Instead, I had to stand there, unable to move, unable to think. There was no me, only headache. I hardly noticed as two ponies came gliding across the cavern, landing on the ground a few yards in front of us. It took me a full five seconds to recognize them as a very battered Princess Cadence and Twilight Sparkle. They took two steps forewords when the world exploded.

Fireworks of all colors exploded in my eyes, vaporizing rocks, and crystals, the air, everything. Only black inky void was left along with rippling bands of color. The explosions echoed off of the nothingness making a sound like crystal shattering, smashing together, and forming anew only to be smashed once again.

When only the nothing remained, the sound merged together into one single humming note. From the nothingness two glowing green eyes opened. Their sightless gaze turned to me, looking at me so intensely I feared I would catch on fire. A moment later a third eye opened in the nothingness just above and between the other two where a unicorn's horn would be.

An earth shattering but kind voice filled my mind, <Awaken child. Frolic within the mind's garden where all are one.>

The two lower eyes blinked, reality snapping back as they did so with only the ghostly image of the third eye hanging in my vision for a few moments. My headache was gone, in its place was memories of skills I didn't remember learning and one giant question.

What by Discord's cloven hoof was that?!

I took stock of what was going on. Maybe there was some clue as to what in even the fuck had just happened nearby. I was advancing on Cadence and Twilight, Meep and Lyra were at my side. Together we menacingly droned, “You're not going anywhere...”

Oh Tartarus no, we were not going to fight a hurt alicorn and Celestia's protege at the same time. Or at all. Ever. I wouldn't allow it.

Suddenly Cadence picked up a bouquet of flowers. Exactly where she had pulled them from was so perplexing that even under the mind control we stopped in our tracks. In that moment I could feel the mental chains holding the three of us to the Queen's will. There was slack in them.

I gripped the chains, pulled on them as hard as I could. They were mine now. Cadence swished the bouquet side to side hoping to distract us. I had us follow the flowers, and as she flung the bouquet down a tunnel I gave an order. <You want those.>

“I want it!” Lyra shouted diving after the bouquet, Meep and I right on her flanks as the chains cracked, shattered, and crumbled to dust. We were free.

Skidding painfully down a steeply sloped floor made of crystal, but free.

“Why do I want this? I'm already married.” Lyra asked, picking up the flowers with her magic. Suddenly she grinned, “Holy crap I'm free!”

Meep got to her hooves slowly, painfully. I hope she wasn't still hurt. “So am I. Huh... Apparently flowers beat mind control.”

I almost said nothing. Almost. But for once in my life, I felt the need for my due. “Actually, I broke us out of it. I felt the chains holding our minds in place and when we were surprised, they got just a little loose. So I broke them.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

Meep frowned, “But your not a psion... Did you do that with magic?”

I shook my head. “I don't know how I did it. I felt like I could, so I did.”

Lyra frowned skeptically, “Then why didn't you do that sooner?”

Realizing a simple solution to both of their questions, I decided to try directing my thoughts again. After all that seemed to have worked last time. <I couldn't. I had a bad headache, then I knew I could.>

“That still doesn't excise- hold on your mouth didn't move... Um... ok...” Lyra took a half step back in surprise.

Meep jumped, eyes widening much more I had ever seen them before. “So, well, ok. Cole had a psi awakening... Makes sense. You've been subjected to psionics for years, and now a lot at once. If you had the potential, that could do it.”

I blushed, a bit embarrassed, “Maybe that's why I've always been bad at magic... We should get going.”

Lyra nodded, “Right. Twilight found Cadence, so she's on top of Shifty Jerkface's plans. We should find Bonnie, Vi, and Tavi and make sure they are ok... Then come back to Cole getting mind powers later. When we have books on it or something.”

Meep nodded, “That seems like the best plan. Let's go.”

The three of us ran up the tunnel, the sound of our hooves pounding on the ground echoing off the walls. I had a feeling deep in my gut. A bad feeling. No matter what happened I was going to make sure my friends were ok.
> The Invasion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twinkleshine / Meep

We emerged from the crystal mines triumphantly. As we stood on a cliff top overlooking Canterlot the three of us took in a breath of fresh air, relishing the freedom we had won with our blood, sweat, and tears. Oh who am I kidding, we were just glad that old Mare Luck had decided to pamper us for a good long while.

The shield rippled over the city like a giant purple globe shaped pond. Banners waved and soared in the breeze. The sun reflected off the golden capped towers in the city. Wedding bells rang in the distance.

“We aren't too late!” Cole exclaimed in excitement.

Then thousands of changelings swarmed up from the ground outside the shield, flowing like a wave over the entirety of the dome. Within a minute they had every conceivable angle covered with one changeling for every three meters of space. That was one Tartarus sized army.

Lyra gave Cole a deadpan stare, “Felt it was your turn to make the GM hate us?”

Cole giggled nervously. “I guess.”

The changelings began to slam against the shield. It rippled, warped, and cracked in a few places. Whoever was maintaining the shield must be almost out of manna. With an army that size the Queen's forces would be through within a few minutes.

“We need to get in, find our friends, and get out as fast as we possibly can.” I declared.

Lyra nodded. “Yeah. Preferably before they break through the shield. How long do we have?” She asked me looking up at the attacking army.

I shrugged. “I don't know exactly. Minutes at best given the apparent energy of the shield and the amount of force it's being struck with. The staggered pace of the hits across all of it's surface would take me too long to calculate out with any real precision.”

Cole frowned, “Could you fly us into town?”

I gave her an incredulous look. “You want me to carry two fully grown mares into town as a species which is currently attacking it?”

“What?” She gave me that look she reserved for idiots again, “No! Turn into a pegasus.”

“Oh. Right. Duh.” I laughed, shaking my head at my own stupidity.

I turned my attention to the task at hoof. There wasn't time for me to develop a new form, and Laughing Village was a very weak flier. The rest of my shapes were unicorns or earth ponies. I would have to use the shape of a pegasus I was familiar with. Who did I know who was a fast flier and strong enough to carry two ponies in flight? 

“Heh...” I smirked as I realized who the only pony for the job was. “Hey Lyra, remember that time you said you totally wanted to ride Rainbow Dash?”

Before she had a chance to respond I shifted. My cream color fur turned cyan. My fluffy mane split into a rainbow and shortened into strait spiky strands. My horn vanished as wings sprouted from my back, “Cuz, it, is, on!” I informed in Dash's voice.

Lyra grinned as wide as she could, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You totally need to break the sound barrier with me on your back!”

Cole giggled, “Dash will kill you for this.”

“Hey! Name one other pony who can carry two mares to the castle before those guys break in!” I boasted. Realizing I was unintentionally copying Dash's attitude as well I laughed, “Ha! Sorry girls, I guess I do Dash a little too well. Right, Lyra, on my back. Cole, I'll carry you.”

Lyra eagerly hopped up onto my back, sitting with her legs just over my shoulders, and her forelegs holding onto my neck. I experimentally flapped my wings and pushed some energy into my flight field. As I slowly rose into the air I sighed in relief. Dash's body was able to put out plenty of thrust, passengers wouldn't be a problem. As I hovered just off the ground I hooked my forelegs under Cole's to hold her tightly.

Right as I was about to take off the shield shattered. “No!” I cried.

Lyra leaned down to look me in the eyes, “I have to save Bon-bon. Get. Me. There. NOW!” She shouted.

“Right!” I began to calculate the quickest flight path as the first wave of changelings dove for the city.

They fell down, green psionic energy forming hard cones in front of them as they fell. Living Rods from Gods. It looked like their plan was to simply bombard the city in waves, demolishing structures and deploying troops at the same time.

Nervous as I was I quickly rattled off the math for our trip out loud. “Ok, the castle looks to be three and a half kilometers away. Dash can pull off speeds in excess of Mach five point two, so I should launch us in a ballistic arc for the quickest arrival. Mach five point two is about, one-thousand seven-hundred sixty-nine meters per second... Launching at top speed will require to high of an arc for quick arrival... Launching at sixteen degrees at two-hundred and fifty meters per second should get us there in fourteen seconds. Hold on girls, I'm going to light this candle!”

I pushed down with my wings, pouring but a fraction of Dash's power into them. We exploded forewords as if somepony had fired us from a catapult! I had never used her shape before, there was just too much risk for me. I was in awe at her power. Dash was a cheetah among snails.

My wings burned as I beat them rapidly enough to get the required speed. It didn't take long, but with Lyra and Cole clinging to me for dear life it was more strenuous than I would have liked. We blazed a path for the castle, changeling invaders falling past us as bolts of green like rain during a storm.

As we reached the top of our arc I snapped my wings open to glide the rest of the way in. Within seconds I could see everything going on at the castle. Changelings were dropping in everywhere, the EUP was bogged down trying to keep them out of the castle itself but the grounds were overrun. I could see the fear on everypony's face from a full kilometer away. Dash wasn't just fast, she had the eyes of an eagle with a telescope.

I spotted a flash of cream, white, and gray out of the corner of my vision. Turning my head slightly I could see Octavia, Vi, and Bon-bon running for their lives as three changeling scouts chased after them. “There they are!” I called over the gale force winds.

There was no way Lyra could have seen them herself, but somehow she pointed right at our friends with her left hoof and cried, “Dive!”

I twisted, angled my wings, and started to fall from the sky. Cole screamed as the ground began to rush up at us insanely fast. Lyra laughed maniacally, I could feel spell energy building up around her as we fell. Just before we would wind up a messy stain on the lawn I flared my wings and pushed all the magic I could downwards. Lyra jumped off my back, landing on the ground on her hind hooves in a combat stance. Cole and I hit the ground fairly hard, everypony rolling apart as we landed meters in front of our fleeing friends.

“Holy crap!” Vi shouted jumping out of the way as dirt flew up from my 'landing'.

Lyra jumped up and fired several magical bolts at the scouts, striking one right on the nose and blasting him hooves over head backwards. “Everypony get behind me! Cole, help me keep these guys off us!”

Cole and I slowly stood up, shaking off the fall and clearing our heads before she ran to Lyra's side, joining her to send spell bolts flying. I turned to cover us from the other direction, I may not have had spells in this body, but I could still throw lightning!

Bon-bon sprinted towards Lyra a crazed glint in her eyes and bellowed, “There is a human museum in town, want to go later?”

“No there isn't.” Lyra shot back, “Stop talking and help squash bugs! Er- No offense Shine.”

“None taken.” I replied, pulling water vapor from the air to form a storm cloud to fight with.

“Thank Celestia it's actually you!” Bon-bon cried in relief as she rushed to Lyra's side.

Octavia sprinted off a short distance, snatched a spear from a fallen guardspony and rushed back to us, ready to stab anyling who got to close. “We only just found out these things replaced you. Thanks for rescuing them Ms Dash, did you see Twinkleshine?”

This was going to be awkward. I finally got enough cloud formed to cover my forehooves, rearing up I threw two bolts of lightning, blasting away a changeling who was diving at our group. “I'm not actually Rainbow Dash. I just pretend to be her to get here in time to save your flanks.”

“What?” Octavia asked entirely confused.

“Oh, hey Shine!” Vynil gave me a smile before wheeling and blasting a changeling aside with a spell bolt. “That's Shine Tavi. She's one of these things. Only not evil I guess.”

My head almost exploded with rage, “How many other ponies know?” I demanded in a tone both dumbfounded and angry.

“What?” Octavia and Bonbon exclaimed.

“Party, booze, I can hold my liqueur. Just me.” Vi explained. “We can talk when we are not in a warzone!”

“Yeah! Priorities everypony!” Lyra shouted as she threw up a shield to block a psi bolt.

The next few minutes were an absolute blur. I threw more lightning bolts than I could count. Lyra proved to be quite the skilled battlemage, covering our flanks at every turn with her shield spells. Octavia whirled her spear, striking changelings with it like a quarterstaff. Bon-bon demonstrated exactly why one should not anger an earth pony by bucking and punching hard enough to shatter exoskeletons. Cole fired a few spells here and there before switching to throwing psi bolts, gleefully noticing she was a much more powerful psion than mage. I wasn't able to see exactly what Vi did, but more than her share of Sapphire'lings were laid out at her hooves.

Suddenly the world went pink! A massive wall of energy blasted out of the palace, changelings smashed against its surface like bugs on a windshield. “The shield's going back up!” Lyra shouted.

I screamed, fearing my own death and clamped my eyes shut. Seconds passed, nothing happened. There was no pain, no bone breaking force hit me.

I opened my eyes, a cracked green energy shield surrounded me. Cole smiled lovingly at me through the shield as it flickered out of existence, “It's ok dear, I have you.”

Words could not convey my gratitude. I ran over and hugged Cole tightly to my chest as tightly as I could manage after all that fighting.

It was over. The six of us stood inside a ring of green blood stained grass and exoskeletal pieces. There wasn't a changeling in sight. The adrenaline began to where off and my stomach turned at the realization that I had done this. I had never liked the idea of combat, but it had been necessary. The savages would have killed me, my friends, and everypony else in the city if we hadn't resisted them. It would be hard, but I was sure I could sleep tonight.

“Ok. They are done.” Bon-bon said after everypony could catch their breath. She quickly pointed a hoof at me, “Vi, explain her!”

“What, like now? Within earshot of the EUP? After her people just attacked our capitol city?” Vi asked incredulously.

Her words cut me like a knife. It was dangerous for me to live in Equestria before, it could be deadly now. “Look... I'll explain everything. In my room. For now... Let's just say that these are not my people, and I am only affiliated with them by blood ok? Now I need to jet before somepony notices that Dash is in two places at once or starts the witch hunt. I'll meet you in my room in ten minutes, I will be my usual self.”

I jumped up, flapping as hard as I could to take off. I was exhausted, I had barely enough energy to fly. It took me seconds to reach the skyline. I wanted to just keep on flying until I was somewhere nopony would ever find me. I couldn't live in secrecy anymore, I was apparently very lousy at keeping my true self a secret, and within hours a nationwide witch hunt for changelings would most certainly take place.

As I flew towards the south I noticed EUP pegasi patrolling the wall's perimeter. They were pulling pegasi aside. Likely checking for fleeing or returning changelings. No problem. I was Rainbow Dash at the moment. I could fame my way or blast right past them.

Then I realized that if I left Cole would die of a broken heart. The realization gnawed away at my very soul. She loved me more than life itself. Would she ever get over me abandoning her? No. No she wouldn't.

My friends would hate me forever too. If Cole killed herself because of me, and I abandoned them... Tartarus, Lyra just might hunt me down and avenge her. I couldn't run. For once I had made a real life. I had a home, a lover, and great friends. Friends who should be able to understand that this old bug wasn't one of those savages.

With a long sigh of dread for my future I turned around and sped for my room's window. My friends were due their answers.
> The Accepted
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Octavia Melody

There are moments in every pony's life which simply fail to smoothly transition into each other. They go piano to fortissimo in an instant when they should not, throwing the entire symphony into disarray with their erroneous natures. These moments like to occur in rapid succession, as if the music of daily life suddenly transforms into heavy metal for a few loathsome molments.

For example, my dearest Vinyl and I had been happily talking among ourselves and enjoying a cup of tea. Then Bon-bon kicked in our bedroom door dragging an unconscious Lyra behind her and screaming about impostors. Moments later Colgate and Twinkleshine arrived and advanced on Cole with evil intent.

Despite being thoroughly confused Vinyl had thrown a serving platter to come to Cole's assistance, revealing our friends to be in truth, shape changing monsters. This culminated in a long chase through the palace out into the courtyard where an entire army of these shapechanging insects shortly attacked us. The madness climaxed with the real Colgate and Lyra dropping out of the sky along with somepony I had thought to be Rainbow Dash, but instead seemed to be a continuation of the chaos the day had brought forth.

“I'm telling you two, that actually was Shine!” Vinyl shouted in irritation.

The five of us, that is to say Lyra, Colgate, Bon-bon, Vinyl, and I, sat in the room Cole and Shine had been sharing. We were waiting for the, person, who claimed to be our friend to arrive and prove her identity. This was not something I had ever imagined we would ever have to do, and yet here we were.

“I simply cannot believe that Twinkleshine has in fact been a Changeling the entire time we have known her.” I insisted matter of factually.

“Yeah! That's juts too weird. We would have noticed!” Bon-bon said as she looked towards the door.

The changeling was late. She probably fled the city when she had the chance.

“Well it's true!” Cole insisted, “I've known since spring break nineteen ninety-three. Shine has been living in Equestria for like, ever. She left her hive years ago because she wanted to study the stars and has lived here ever since.”

“If she wanted to really learn about the stars she would have accepted one of the grants offered her.” Bon-bon objected.

“I agree, that motive dose not make scene given her actions. The real Shine is likely being held somewhere nearby.” I agreed, nodding my head.

Lyra groaned, “Bonnie... Trust me, that actually was Shine. She has seriously lived her for so long that she was using her alias of Twinkleshine to take a break. Think about it, all those lectures on science when one of us says something wrong...” Lyra rubbed a hoof against her forehead in frustration.

“Also she looks nothing like those guys did.” Vinyl mentioned, “I totally buy the bit about her being from a different changeling tribe.”

The window creaked open shortly after Vinyl finished speaking. Everypony looked over to see the changeling in question, still in Rainbow Dash's form push the room's window open and land inside the room. “Sorry I took so long. I- I had things to think through.”

“Like what lies to use?” Bon-bon accused.

“No,” she answered instantly, “weather or not I should run away.”

Cole frowned, “Don't do that...”

“I'm not going to... I've gotten too attached to all of you. I made this a life, not just an alias.” She sighed as she stepped into the center of the room. Green flames swiftly wreathed her body, seemingly burning away Rainbow Dash's form and leaving her in the unicorn body I recognized.

“Um, hon. It might be best to be you for this.” Cole said much to my astonishment.

“Y-you actually love her?” I stammered, staring at Cole in surprise.

“Yes I do, and yes it's because she's a bug. I think it's the exoskeleton. Do you have a problem with that ?” Her eyes narrowed accusingly.

I shook my head. In truth, I didn't. “No I do not! I, it just lends credence to your story is all. I was surprised that... never mind.”

Shine nodded and closed her eyes. Once more she shed her from, but this time it was not replaced by another. Shine stood in the middle of the room, her true form bared to us, looking as if she might have a heart attack from fright. My jaw dropped, I hadn't thought an insect like her would be capable of expressing fear, or any emotion besides the hatred for us the others had shown.

This changeling was certainly different from the others. Her face was just was expressive as a pony's, but there was more to it then that. The swarming insects we ahd fought all looked the same, Shine had a shape of her own. I don't think I could have picked it out in a crowd of her people, but the pixie cut mane, short spiky tail, and shape of her wings was rather distinct.

Even more amazingly her face had the same shape as the unicorn she had been impersonating for years. I did wonder if that was intentionally done in an attempt to trick us into believing her, yet this did not seem to be the case. The creature before us was not a creature, she was a person, one who was afraid of us.

Shine cleared her thought nervously, “So... This is what I actually look like. I would like to point out my eyes and back. See how they are yellow? You can tell changeling hives apart by our colors, I am not related to the savages who attacked us.”

That seemed absurd. Bon-bon beat me to pointing this out, “Oh yes, and I have no relation to the red unicorn also raised by my parents.”

Lyra shot Bon-bon a look, “Different species Bon. Don't be a dick.”

Shine sighed, “I know. I know that ponies come in all colors. We don't, we have established colors based on what community produced us. The shade of blue-black of my exoskeleton can tell you what town I am from, and my eye shade is unique to my family line. We tell individuals apart by the shape of our features... I know that must seem weird to you girls.”

This did seem plausible to me. After all many breeds of animal had color patterns as a constant across all of their members. Bon-bon seemed to understand this as well, her aggressive posture lessened just a little.

“I can see how that would work. But it dose nothing to prove your identity.” I informed.

Shine nodded. “I take it Lyra and Cole couldn't convince you? Makes sense you two are the most stubborn of us. I'll answer any questions you want after one of my own. Vi, how by Discord's horns did you know what I was?”

Vinyl laughed, setting down a cup she had been toying with to speak, “Well you see, that's actually something of a funny story. You probably don't remember the party I had last June. I have never seen one pony drink that many cart bombs before. You were so drunk you passed out at the table and slept through the rest of the party, so when it was over I had to wake you up so I could clear the club.”

Vinyl laughed, trotted over to Shine and poked her in the side with one hoof while looking at me, “I poke her like this, she wakes up and asks me 'Hey, wanna see something cool?' I was like, 'Yeah.' because you know, who docent? Anyways this girl shape shifts into a copy of me, then gives herself your colors Octy and goes, 'This is what your foals will look like!' Then falls over and takes her real shape giggling.

“Now, yeah that surprised me. But it was also pretty cool. I did have a bit of a panic because I figured well, changelings were supposed to eat ponies. SO I asked if she was going to eat me and then I get this hour and a half long drunk rave. Seriously Shine, you had the most epic vent fest I have ever heard. Now, we all know that Shine drunk turns into Applejack, only stupid. No lies, only bad ideas and a weird attraction to apples.”

Shine winced, “Really”

Lyra, Cole, and Vinyl nodded in unison, “Yes.”

“I should stop drinking so much...” Shine lamented.

“Anyways,” Vinyl continued, “I figured that anypony in her position wouldn't tell anypony what she was because well, they would probably kill her with fire. Which sucks because apparently most of them are nice, and they eat love so you know, hurting a pony is a stupid idea. So I kept quiet and started watering down her booze at parties.” she finished turning her head to Shine, “Because after your rant you turned into Rainbow Dash with the intention to go make out with Twilight so they would hook up. That's just mean.”

Bon-bon frowned in confusion, “Your species eats love?”

Shine nodded. Catching on to what Bon-bon must be asking I asked, “Yet your people openly attacked the capitol of our country. Why would they do that?”

Shine's face flashed a single expression of pure disgust as she answered, “Religion. The Sapphire Hive is a theocracy. They see Celestia as a thief who has stolen the sun from our god. This was a crusade.”

The way she pronounced the word 'religion' was the same way one might pronounce 'covered in rotting plague rats'. To me, this was a sign Shine was telling us the truth. I searched my mind for a question I could use to confirm  her identity. There was only one part of my life that I was certain only my close friends knew. “Tell me, who is my special somepony.”

Shine laughed, “Octy, that's a horrible question! I am pretty sure that half of Ponyville knows you and Vi are together. I expected something relating to my field of expertise.”

I recoiled in horror, “Is that true?”

Lyra blushed, “Well... no... But a lot of ponies think you are together. We haven't told anypony, but you are going to places together a lot. Ponies talk.”

Bon-bon nodded in agreement, “Yeah. Roseluck's heart broke when she heard the rumor. She had the biggest crush on you Octavia.”

I moaned into my hooves, “This is a disaster! If my family hears this they will investigate and-”

“Let them! I seriously don't care about the money Tavi!” Vinyl exclaimed angrily, “I just want to hold my special somepony in public!”

“But if they disown me the entire family business will have to be sold off! Thirty generations of brewmares gone, down the drain. I can't be the link that breaks the chain.” I sobbed, fearing being a bigger disappointment then I already was.

“Is that what it is?” Vinyl asked lovingly wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “Now that I can understand. I just thought you wanted the money. I'm sorry for thinking of you like that my first chair.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow at Vi's pet name for me, “Huh?”

“First chair is a special position in an orchestra.” Cole mentioned.

“Oh! That's kinda sweet.” Lyra mused.

“Not to destroy the moment, but do you believe me now?” Shine asked.

I nodded once. “Yes.”

Bon-bon sighed, “I wasn't too but-”

Shine cut her off nodding to Lyra, “She made you sleep with her while she was dressed in a home made human costume, while I was sleeping over.”

Bon-bon gasped, then her eyes narrowed and begun to glow with a burning rage as she advanced on Shine slowly, “You swore to never tell anypony! I'll break your nose for that you-” she stopped in her tracks suddenly, lips forming a little o shape, “So, you are actually Shine. Sorry for not believing you.”

“It's fi-” Shine said before Bon-bon slammed her left hoof into her nose with a loud crack.

“That's for letting our best friends know you promise breaking jerk!” Bon-bon shouted.

Shine rubbed her nose, “Ow.”

“Um, context?” Cole asked as she raised one hoof polity.

“She lost truth or dare.” Lyra giggled, “I saw an opportunity.”

“Ah.” Cole nodded and looked off into space, presumably to try and think of something besides the aforementioned costume.

I decided to not play truth or dare with Lyra from that day on. I looked at Shine's nose to make sure she wasn't too badly hurt. The punch didn't seem to do any real damage. I suppose her armored skin has its advantages, even if it looks a bit disturbing.

“Well... Since you are indeed our friend it is only fair to tell you that this has shaken my trust in you.” I informed. Shine's ears drooped. It was odd seeing a pony expression on an insect. “But I understand why you ever told anypony, so I will forgive you. Now there is something important we need to do right now. We must figure out a way for you to live in Equestria permanently. The guard will be looking for your kind for months thanks to this.”

Shine nodded. “I know. I- I honestly don't know what to do.”

Cole frowned and turned to Lyra, whispering something into her ear for a few minutes. Lyra nodded, a look of intrigue on her face as she turned back to Cole. The two of them held a hushed conversation for a few minutes before Lyra announced, “We have a plan... Maybe. Bonnie come her a moment.”

Bon-bon trotted over and after a few molments nodded, “Yes that is the best option I can see.”

Bon-bon then turned to look at Shine, “Shine, or what ever your name is-”

“Oh right!” Shine giggled, “If you want to use my real name it's Meep.”

“Meep then,” Bon-bon resumed, “Lyra and Cole have told me that you are in fact quite old and have been a respected scientist using several different identities for many years. What you need to do is go to Twilight as one of these identities, prove that you really are that pony, and then once she believes you show her who you really are.”

I grinned, “That's brilliant! Twilight would never allow anypony to harm a scientist, and she has the connections to get you proper citizenship. Er- I presume you don't have a real ID.”

Shine shook her head, “No I don't. That's actually not the worst plan. If I did it back in Ponyville I would be far enough from the guard to make a run for it if I had too. If it comes to that... Can I count on you girls to help me come back in a new identity? Because I... I can't leave Cole only days after we became marefriends.”

Bon-bon's face light up in delight, “Oh my gosh! You two actually got together like we planned even though this whole mess happened!” she fell over onto her back laughing loudly.

“What? Explain that!” Shine, that is Meep, demanded.

Lyra giggled, “Um. Well you see, I accidentally mixed up a book of mine with Cole's diary a while back.”

“We learned that she was in love with you and figured that a royal wedding was romantic enough to force you two into a romantic mood.” I added.

“So the four of us decided to put you guys into some romantic stuff together. Like dinner. We got play tickets which would have been delivered this evening but well,” Vinyl gestured out the window, “that happened. So how did you two hook up?”

Cole smiled, “Just before the dinner actually. She finally realized how thick she was being.”

Everypony stared at Shine in shock. “She realized you loved her?” I asked incredulously.

Shine groaned, emerald flames enveloping her as she resumed her normal unicorn form, “Dammit Tavi, I'm an Astrophysicist not a sociologist!”
> The Beginning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twinkleshine / Meep

“Are you sure you can do this?” Cole asked me, her voice filled with concern.

I nodded hesitantly. In the three days since the wedding the EUP as well as they royal guard had begun their witch hunt. They would be in Ponyville tomorrow. Twilight had only just got back from Canterlot this morning. Today would be my only shot. Ready or not, this was it.

“As much as I will be. Remember if I have to run, two weeks, earth pony, blue coat, gray mane.” I said to remind Cole once again of my backup identity.

She nodded then leaned forewords and gave me a short kiss. “Be safe.”

I closed my eyes and did my best to remember my last life. The form was easy, a slightly short, slightly chubby germane unicorn stallion with brown fur and short cut strait black mane and tail. A cutiemark of a rocket orbiting a star, leaf green eyes, and a simple lightly accented calm voice.

“Cigar please.” I asked, holding a hoof out to Cole for the last piece of von Brawn's identity.

“Do you have to smoke?” She asked in a disappointed tone as she passed me a single cigar I had purchased for the occasion.

“Meine frau, I assure you that I would be declared an impostor without some form of tobacco.” I gave her a smile, “I won't light it in your presence. It would take quite some time to remove the smell.”

Cole nodded and gave me one last hesitant kiss. I could tell that me being a male bothered her. With a loving smile I walked to the door, opened it, bit down on my cigar, lit it with my magic and began my walk to the library.

As I trotted downtown, the noon sun hanging overhead I noticed Pinkie Pie coming out of the library.  I had hoped to avoid her, I could not afford a delay in the form of one of her welcome to town parties. A few seconds later she noticed me, tilted her head as she tried to recognize me, and was just about to excitedly pounce at the chance to celebrate when I flashed her a happy smile.

“Guten taug frau Pinkie! I will be most happy to celebrate with you later this day, but right now I have pressing business with Twilight Sparkle.”

I was a bit out of practice at holding a cigar in my mouth while speaking. The bobbing and rolling motion of the bundled tobacco must have looked quite funny as Pinkie giggled, “I already welcomed you to Ponyville a whole year and a half ago silly! Nice to see you today though!”

I was almost surprised she recognized me as she skipped off in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner. But after all, this was Pinkie. Any mare who could have her tail twitch and step out of the way of a falling safe was bound to be at least a little psychic.

As I pushed open the library doors I found myself face to face with the three terrors of Ponyville. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell, the Cutie Mark Crusaders seated at the library's table around a few books. From the looks of things they were up to something. Hopefully it would only be something as simple as street luge this time around.

“But that's way too small! Space is really high so we will need a way bigger catapult.” Scootaloo said loudly.

“Catapult?” I asked incredulously, insulted and offended at the very notion of reaching orbital velocities with a mere torsion device. “Nien! What do you kinder think you are doing?”

The three fillies jumped in surprise at my outburst. Turning quickly to see who it was and not recognizing me as someone from Ponyville the three looked just a bit afraid.

“S-sorry mister. We were just playing.” Sweetie Bell squeaked.

I rolled my eyes and took two books from the shelf with my magic. South copies of ones I had written. Scootaloo noticed one of the covers and gasped, pointing at me with a hoof, “Oh my gosh it's the cover guy!”

I smiled at her exclamation, “What are schools teaching young fillies these days? A simple catapult dose not have the force required to impart enough delta vee to get a pony into orbit. What were you thinking? After all should you get into orbit, you would eventually like to return to Equis yes?”

Applebloom nodded slowly, “Um, yeah.”

I nodded, “Wunderschöne!”

“What?” The three asked together.

I rolled my eyes and took the cigar from my mouth with a hoof. “Have you never met somepony from Germany? I said 'wonderful'. Why? Because clearly you three require a lesson in space flight, and I am looking to demonstrate my knowledge on the subject. Sit down, take out a pencil and paper, and prepare to learn the basics of rocket science.”


~~


Twilight Sparkle

This week had most certainly not gone at all as planned. My brother got married and the first I heard about it was the wedding invitation, all of my friends thought I was crazy, I was thrown into a dungeon by an evil monarch, and then failed to save Canterlot from her army. Fortunately Shining Armor and Cadence were able to save the day. Celestia only knows what would have happened to the kingdom if they failed too.

Needless to say I was not in the best of moods. All I wanted to do was get back to Ponyville and my nice normal routine. Of course there was plenty of organizing to do first, I hadn't been home in a whole week so everything was out of order. I was so focused on my house keeping that I didn't smell the pungent, herbal sent of somepony smoking until it was thick enough to fill the whole library.

With an irritated growl I turned and marched down the stairs. The moment I was within sight of the public section of the library I announced angrily, “This is a smoke free area. I am going to have to ask you put out your-”

Then I noticed the smoker. He was a short, slightly fat, brown furred unicorn, with a very characteristic black mane cut. My eyes locked onto his cutiemark a silver rocket flying around a yellow star upwards at a forty-five degree angle. The cigar was clenched between his teal in the left corner of his mouth. There was no denying who this pony was.

“-cigar?” I finished my brain shifting without a clutch.

This was impossible! The pony was an exact copy of Brainy von Brawn, down to the hoof gestures as he lectured. I had attended a lecture of his once with my dad when I was five. This was impossible, he had been in the last years of his life back then. But here he was, easily in his late forties. Strutting back and forth in front of three fillies and delivering a lecture like only he could.

“... and then when the first stage fuel tank has emptied entirely it is ejected to decrease the total mass of the rocket, allowing the second stage's smaller engines to lift the remaining portion of the rocket and additionally allowing the rocket to accelerate faster than it would if the first stage carried it the remainder of the way to the edge of the atmosphere.”

He paused and looked up the stairs, “Fraulein, I will take questions at the end of my lec- Oh! Yes, Ms Sparkle, just the mare I was looking to see. I am sorry kinder, but we will have to finish this lesson another time. Ms Colgate Aquafresh knows where I can be found.”

“Awwwww!” the girls moaned in unison getting up to leave.

“Wait!” Scootaloo cried, “What was the fuel mix again?”

Von Brawn smiled and shook his head, “Write things down next time. It is five parts liquid oxygen to four parts liquid hydrogen.”

“Thanks! Come on girls we'll get astronaut cutie marks for sure now!” Scootaloo shouted excitedly before the three ran out the door.

I couldn't speak. I was simply stunned. The greatest astrophysicist and aerospace engineer of the last century was in my library. He turned and gave me a small smile, “I know what you are thinking. I assure you they will be safe. Not even the Cutie Mark Crusaders are resourceful enough to acquire several billion bits of steel and chemical flues.” he chuckled.

My confusion reached critical mass. As quickly as I could I trotted down the stairs to von Brawn, reached out with my right hoof and gently pushed against his let shoulder. I didn't pass through him, and he felt like a living pony, so if he was an illusion, he was a very good one. He couldn't have been a figment of my imagination because Scootaloo had sen him too. Unless Scootaloo was also a figment of my imagination.

“But you are in your forties!” I exclaimed, “You died at one-hundred and thirty-three! I remember your funeral. That's not scientifically possible, you're not scientifically possible!”

He took along drag on his cigar, “The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. In part by me. Go ahead and ask me anything you believe will confirm my identity.”

He wanted me to confirm his identity? That made no sense, unless he needed someone to prove he was who he claimed to be. But the von Brawn could easily have walked into the Royal Academy of the Sciences and been confirmed every way to Sunday. This had to be a changeling attempting to work there way around the guard's search!

A very arrogant and foolish changeling, who thought I would be easy to fool and had probably read a single autobiography. One changeling wasn't a threat to me. I could have a little fun with it before knocking him or her unconscious and dragging it to the guard myself.

I narrowed my eyes aggressively, “What was your first thesis paper after joining Division Seven of the RAS?”

The changeling chuckled, “I had already obtained three doctorates before I joined Division FOUR, why would I have written another thesis? Your trick question was sehr gutt.”

I hadn't expected him to know that one. I pursed my lips as I thought of another question. “Your last lecture at Trottingham University was on what topic?”

“It was a summery of orbital mechanics, theoretical uses for space, und I briefly touched on the possibility of faster than light travel utilizing an artificial flight field modeled after pegasus magic.”

This was going to be tricky. I don't know where this changeling got his information from but it was a very good source. I continued to ask question after question for a full hour. Each and every one the Changeling managed to have a correct answer for. Half way thought my questions I cast a spell to make sure that he wasn't reading my mind to find the answers. The fact he wasn't infuriated me.

There was only one thing I could do. “Ugh, ok you may know everything about his academic career but there is no way you are as good as science as he was! The integral sec y dy from zero to one-sixth of pi is log to base e of the square root of three times the sixty-fourth power of what?”

He threw his head back and laughed, levitating the remains of his cigar onto a desk before turning back to me. “Fraulein, do you intend to quiz me on astrodynamics?”

I nodded triumphantly, I had him! “Yes, yes I do.”

He rolled his eyes, “Of all the scientific minds in history Book Horse chooses to go up against me? Well, at least you are picking on a brain you own size. By the way the answer to your little question is the square root of negative one.”

My ears stood up in a mixture of surprise, alarm, and anger. There was no way he could have known that! That wasn't even von Brawn's work. “That wasn't even his work! There is no way a random changeling could have known that!” I stamped a hoof angrily against the floor.

The changeling frowned for a moment then sighed, “Well, I did come here to prove my identity.”

Before I could think to properly accuse him of being an enemy of the kingdom the changeling changed. She took the form of a tall black furred pegasus mare. One I recognized instantly. Laughing Village, the mare whose equation I had just used.

He, no she, smiled, I could see her chipped tooth as she grinned at me, “Thou hast nay idea who thou're messing with Twi. One of mine kind can live far beyond the life of one pony. Did thou not think I would recognize a page from a book I wrote at half of thy age?”

“I-um,” I stammered as I gave her a feeble grin. Her transformation had me more than a little stunned. A complete description of Laughing was very hard to find. This changeling was ether telling the truth or read nearly as much as I do. “You're under arrest.”

She rolled her eyes at me. In the span of a few seconds she shifted her form through five other ponies. Ponies I knew from the pages of history books. Laughing Village became Dawn Star. Dawn Star became Waning Crescent. Waning Crescent became Night Flair. Night Flair became Brainy von Brawn. Then to my amazement von Brawn became Twinkleshine of all ponies.

The changeling took a short breath before dismissing her current form, revealing her true self in a flash of green fire. A few things equipped my interest immanently. She was a changeling, but she looked very different from the ones who had attacked Canterlot. The biggest difference being a full mane and a yellow coloring to her eyes and back.

The changeling narrowed her eyes looking at me angrily, launching into a rant the likes of which I had never seen before. “I have accelerated the minds of ponykind to a higher plane of understanding continuously for the past four centuries. I am the driving force behind astrophysics itself. I wrote the math you use to this very day when dealing with the heavens. I invented half the instruments which you use to make your observations. I was among the first to begin compiling the complete star chart we use to day.

“I can not even begin to calculate the impact my work has had on Equestria. My life's work has been spent exploring Luna's night our of an insatiable desire to know all the wonders within it! I may not be a pony but this is my home Twilight Sparkle. You want to arrest me because some of my species are savage religious zealots and attacked our capitol? Fine, but when a field of science looses the person who pioneered that field the consequences will be on your head.

“I had come here in the hopes that based on my long term of residence in this land, my contributions to science, and the fact that I can offer you information on my people which is factual and accurate would be enough for you to prevent the Royal Guard from hanging me just because one hive is filled with mad'lings. I have lived here for four hundred years, never making a fuss about anything, not even that nopony knew the extent of my contributions to science, not hurting anypony at all. All that time I have hidden because your people fear mine.

“Well I can't hide anymore. The Guard is coming to Ponyville, they will find me, and I will be killed. You want to arrest me? Fine. I was hoping I could live openly with ponies, guess I can't.”

She sighed and scraped one hoof over the floor. Her face had more sadness in it then I had ever seen on anypony. If changelings could cry, my library would have been flooded.

“Just have me shot, burned, or whatever it is you do at night so I can see the stars when I go.” She asked as she lay on the floor in surrender.

“Ah Tartarus...” I sighed fetching a quill and parchment from a nearby desk.
> Epilogue: The Letters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia's Study

Princess Celestia looked up from her lunch with mild surprise as a letter plopped onto her desk in a puff of green fire. She picked the letter up with her magic eagerly. It could only be from Twilight, and a nice letter from her student was something she could enjoy reading while her meal settled. With a flare of her magic Celestia opened the scroll and began to read.



Dear Princess Celestia,

I have within my custody a female changeling of a coloration unlike those who attacked Canterlot. She claims to have lived within the kingdom for the past four hundred years, during which time she has made substantial advancements to the field of Astrophysics. By substantial, I mean she claims to have been the following scientists:

Laughing Village
Dawn Star
Waning Crescent
Night Flair
Brainy von Brawn
Twinkleshine Midnight (Included as she appears to have invented a new type of telescope)

While I cannot verify these identities I am inclined to believe her claims due to her detailed knowledge of Brainy von Brawn's life, work, and her overall level of education.

Furthermore, she claims to be of a changeling hive unrelated to that of the attackers. This could be true as her eyes and back are a yellow shade as posed to blue as we saw on all the attacking changeling. She also claims that changeling hives function somewhat like kingdoms in that each is independently ruled by a Hive Queen. After listening to her passionate speech and pleas for her life I feel it would be wrong to imprison, execute, or banish this particular changeling.

I will hold her in my library until I receive your response.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle



“Luna!” Celestia called the moment she finished the letter.

Within a few short moments a cloud of dark blue energy formed within the room, resolving into Princess Luna as she teleported to her sister's personal chambers. “What is it my sister?” she asked cheerfully.

“Read this letter from Twilight. I am going to write a reply to her right now and you should as well. Do you recall how I told you last night I discovered Lady Night Flair was a changeling?” Celestia asked as she fetched a quill and ink with her magic.

“I do. 'twas quite the tale. I believe you were hoping to use that story to discourage our people from blaming all of changeling kind for the attack?” Luna asked as she took the letter, quickly looking over it.

“I was. But now I have a better plan, it seems that Night Flair still lives and is hoping to become an official citizen of Equestria. If we move quickly we can save the lives of other Changlings who might be peacefully living within our borders.”

“That is a fine plan sister.” Luna paused as she read the letter, a deep frown forming on her face as she finished. “This Twinkleshine, she once wrote me asking me to allow night to last longer so she could study a particular star. She sent me a list of the discoveries by these very same scholars with her request. She seemed to want me to know ponykind had come to love my night.”

Celestia smiled, “Perhaps you too should write Twilight a letter.”


~~


Golden Oaks Library

Minutes later at Twilight's library two scrolls appeared in flashes of fire, dropping to the desktop beside Twilight and Meep. Twilight picked up the scroll bearing Luna's seal first and opened it, “Ok, let's see what the Princess's have to say.”



Twilight Sparkle,

You are unlawfully holding a Knight of my court. If thou doth not release her post haste we will have you arrested and put on trial to the fullest extent of the law. She is a scholar and a Lady of the Court, holding the rank of Knight of Dusk in reward for her academic achievements since the year 1836. As a member of the night court, Lady Night Flair, aka Meep of Amber, is one of my subjects. She means no harm to Equestria, nor to those who live within it's borders. This mare has in fact written us many impassioned pleas to extend the night's length in the name of scientific discovery. 

Princess-General Luna Solarus

P. S.

I am not angry at you. I am simply ordering you to let her go. Celestia seems to think I worded my letter too strongly.



Twilight winced as she read the letter, “Um... heh heh. Sorry about everything.”

Twilight closed her eyes, dismissing the binding spell she had placed upon Meep to hold her to the floor. The changeling stood up and leaned over to read the scroll for herself, “It's fine. You were simply doing your duty to Equestria. I understand completely. Wait, did that say I was knighted? I don't recall that.”

“Er- it was post-humorous, when the Royal Academy of Science began bestowing Knighthood for scholarly merit in 1912 they retroactively awarded it many ponies. Don't you read history books?” Twilight asked.

“Not really. I'm an astrophysicist, not a historian. They were current events for me once. Generally I can remember events well enough.” Meep answered returning to the form of Twinkleshine in a flash of fire.

Twilight opened the second scroll. A small temporary citizenship paper fell out of the scroll as it was opened.



My Dear Student,

I have long been aware of the many changeling Hives which are spread across the world. I can assure you that her claim of the Hives being separate nations is entirely accurate. While we have been attacked by one of them, it is incredibly unjust to hold all of changeling kind responsible for the actions one nation. Unfortunately, this is something my ponies have been all too happy to do so as they have searched for any remaining members of the hive which has attacked us.

Currently the Canterlot dungeons are filled with changelings from all the hives of which I am aware. The majority of them belong to the Sapphire Hive, the one which attacked us. These will be punished in accordance with the laws regarding prisoners of war. However, the rest are simply foreign nationals who have been living abroad. Most of them have come to Equestria to escape famine or unjust rulers.

Yes Twilight, Equestria's changeling population is composed of refugees. While the Hives are each their own nation, changelings as a whole are not trusted by most species. This is only natural, the changelings of the distant past were predictors. But for the last three thousand years they have glaringly become civilized people, no different from you and I. Their history has created a fear of their kind in most people, but they are no longer the monsters they were.

Because of this I have long allowed changelings to live within Equestria. I have undercover members of the Guard who are tasked to check in on known changelings while remaining unobserved. Changelings are naturally nervous about revealing themselves and as such I have allowed their people to stay here under cover for their comfort and safety. While I was unaware of a changeling living in Ponyville, I have been making sure their underground communities were safe and prosperous wherever they could be found for several centuries.

However, the attack has naturally brought harm to these innocents. Enough harm that if I do not bring the truth of their species to light now, it may lead to a very dark time in our nation's history. I intend to use Meep, the changing in your custody, as an example of the good their species can do. To show the nation they are not our enemies that changelings might benefit from this tragedy and be welcomed into our kingdom openly.

Included in this letter is a temporary citizenship grant and identification card so Meep can come to Canterlot for an official public grant of citizenship the day after tomorrow. Please travel with her (and any family she might have.) to the castle immanently. I know you have only just returned home but this is for the good of Equestria. I will make sure you are compensated for your time.

Lastly I know you well enough to know you are feeling anxious about Meep due to the situation. She is entirely harmless, unless you are making a mockery of her field of study. To prove beyond all doubt she is who she claims to be. Based on your description of the changeling in your custody I can assure you she has most certainly was Night Flair. If you require proof of this ask her about the many times we shared a bottle of wine over dinner when she was Night Flair. She will not remember any. Meep never could handle much alcohol and has never been able to remain in one form while intoxicated, nor remember the extent of her activities while impaired.

Your teacher,

Princess Celestia Solarus

P.S.

Please tell Meep that I still have Night Flair's glasses and she may retrieve them if she wishes. They were in the hedge maze on a branch half way up a pear tree.




~~


Sweet Apple Acres

Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres, trouble was brewing as three fillies began their latest project.



The End