A meeting at the lonely apple

Ivy sat in the small clearing she had found. She often came here to just, talk to herself, no one could hear her, and it was quiet. "the town is peaceful enough," she said to the air, sitting in the shade of 'the lonely apple' which, she thought, she would name a bar the same if ever she ran one, "most of the time," she continued, thinking about the more extravagant residents of ponyville "the famous five" she had taken to calling them "number one, the pink earth pony, what's her name? The one that stands on the flagpole every morning and shouts "wakey wakey ponyville! it's morning", pinkie pie? Rings a bell."

"Number two, Rainbow Dash, the Pegasus, I might forget her name if I was not reminded of it every Celestia darn day. I'm yet to see any of these fancy tricks I've heard so much about," she thought for a second.

She stood and began to pace in the clearing "perhaps I sound racist, I've listed a Pegasus and an earth pony, no unicorn, oh now I've done it, but that white unicorn is pretty AND annoying, never mind pretty annoying, hmm... The something six... Anyway, then you have the three foals, I know they mean well, oh hay, ALL of these mean well, but when they knock on your door every Celestia darn day, at the same time, such that you can set your clock by it, asking if they can help you, kinda distracting, and you need to focus in my line of work especially when you're this close to finishing something that could mean your future."

Before she could finish, a rustle in the bushes beside her caused her ears to prick up, before she could ask who it was, a galloping mass of grey and blue burst from the bushes. The changeling noticed her and adopted an attack posture, its eyes narrowed, its wings beat to fill the clearing with a terrifying buzz and it bore its fangs. Ivy wasn't about to back down from a single changeling "a single changeling?" she repeated in her mind "that can't be right." She turned her ears, then glanced around, nothing, when all shared senses failed, she began to prepare a detect life spell, causing her horn to glow a dark green.

"Well, it was worth a shot," the changeling sighed, defeated.

"hm?" Ivy was struck by a sudden wave of confusion, this changeling spoke, and furthermore, it sounded like a stallion, about her age.

The changeling chuckled "My enhanced changeling senses are detecting confusion," he smiled sarcastically.

Ivy didn't trust him for a second, she let the detect life spell go, but found nothing but birds, animals and the changeling before her, who chuckled again, "you don't trust me? Why ever not?" His sarcasm grated on her mind.

"Shut up," she replied, this time he burst into laughter, The tip of Ivy's horn began to shine, a white glow that ignited an area air around it, she winced, she wasn't a fan of fire, but she knew changelings weren't either.

The changeling stopped laughing, "uh oh,"

Ivy let the fireball go, scorching the ground just in front of the changeling, he only looked, wide eyed, at the smoldering grass at his hooves "now look at that," he responded after a while "what did that grass ever do to-", Ivy started again.

"shutting up," he said, nervously raising a hoof.

This time, Ivy laughed "you are the strangest changeling I've seen in a long time," she retracted the fireball.

"When have you seen a STRANGER changeling?" he smiled, "I'm rouged, I'm not connected to chrysalis, first one in years."

"Well, never, I've never seen a stranger changeling than you... I'm Ivy" she extended a hoof.

"ah, names?" the changeling reached a hoof to his head, "I don't, yeah..."

"Oh? I thought you were, called rouged... You don't have a name?"

"No, I am rouged, I am a rouge, as for names, naturally, we don't need one, all changelings know each other through the hive mind, and when we're out, we use the name of the disguise."

"Ok... Then, do I need to think of a name?" she looked around, for inspiration.

"Well no. But if you want to call me anything but "changeling" it would be helpful"

"hmm, tree? Tree... tr, tra, tro, track? Trag? Trace, Tracer! Hows that?"

"Tracer? Sounds like a Pegasus name, lets see here..." a green light came over his face and he slowly changed, in a few seconds, before Ivy stood a proud Pegasus stallion, he supported a light blue coat a darker blue mane and tail, and brilliant blue eyes, he spun around, revealing a flaming wing cutie mark, for speed in flight. "So, how's Tracer look?"

Ivy stood in shock for a while, "Oh, I forgot you could do that," she smiled, embarrassed "why would you say that?" she thought, "of course he can do that! It's in the name!"

Tracer smiled "well, I am still a changeling, I can, believe it or not, change."

"shut up." Ivy glared at him, but was still smiling.

"Shutting up." he was still smiling, but his eyes were cautiously focused on her horn "Well, I've got to be going, nice meeting you, Miss Vines" he began trotting out of the clearing, just before he left he muttered to himself "don't say the second name, that tends to freak them out,".

"You know my name? Did I tell you my second name?" Ivy asked, her face becoming an angry scowl.

"Ah, no." he turned to see her advancing, he tapped his hooves together "I, ah, I, guessed?"

"Sure you did," suddenly, the gentle unicorn that had been there before became a monster, she seemed to grow to twice his size, her eyes became vacant, only balls of light in her head the sky seemed to turn blood red as her crimson mane blew in a new, strange wind, blocking out the sky "damn good guess," her voice echoed though the clearing.

Tracer shrugged, an unconvincingly "I'm a good guesser.", she didn't let up "changelings have subconscious psychic magic!" he finally broke, "sometimes we just, you know, learn things, it's so we know the name of a disguise. And some basic traits, make it a bit more convincing."

Ivy wasn't satisfied "what do you know about me!?" she was enjoying this, though she didn't show it.

"that you are, smart, ah, you, poet?, an author! You're foalish, you-" he stuttered

"Foalish! How dare you!" She was, she knew that, she just enjoyed watching him squirm.

"ah, sorry, I've got nothing more," he decided it would be best to forget that she was sadistic, more for his own sake.

"Aww, I was hoping you had more for me" she instantly returned to her normal, not angry, self.

"You were? Never-mind, I need to go, goodbye, miss Vines." he started to walk away again.

"so that's it?" Ivy said after him, "you burst from the bush, scare me half to death, ask for a name, show off your superpowers, then leave?"

Tracer looked around "yep, sounds about right."

"wait!" Ivy shouted after him "I want you to meet someone."

This time Tracer turned "Why?" he cocked his head.

"because, I think you'll like her"

"What are you trying to prove? That changelings are ponies too?"

Ivy smiled, "well, I still don't trust you" her horn began to shimmer.

Tracer smiled back, nervously "I think what you're doing here is ille-"

She glared at him.

Tracer said nothing, but watched her horn.

"Not gonna say it? Come on, please," she looked at him pleadingly.

"Nice try," They heard a faint buzzing in the distance, and glanced in the direction of the sound, suddenly his smile faded, "changelings, lead the way, miss Vines, quickly."

And with that, they both galloped down to ponyville...