Author's Note

Disclaimer: This chapter includes content from the Equestria Girls franchise.

Ambition

”Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did. But if you have another one, go for it.”

I rolled my eyes, but otherwise ignored his snarkery. I practically had to jog to keep up with the stallion as we traversed yet another crosswalk, and I didn’t want to waste my breath.

“What kind of name is ‘Middleman’?” I asked as we stepped onto the far sidewalk.

“It’s a nickname, if you must know.”

“Oh? So what’s your real name, then?”

He hesitated, and for a second I thought he wouldn’t tell me. Then, he muttered something.

I swiveled an ear in his direction. “Pardon?”

“Eustace,” he repeated, loud enough that I could hear.

I stared at him for a few seconds as we walked, and he met my gaze with one of his own, as if challenging me to laugh. It’s a testament to my acting skills that I managed to keep a straight face.

“Eustace?” I parroted, my voice slightly strangled.

“Yes. Eustace.” He looked forward again.

I risked a tiny smirk. “That’s even more unusual than ‘Middleman’, to be honest.”

He snorted. “It was my grandfather’s name. He was a mule.”

Once again, I chose not to say the first thing that came to mind—something about apples and trees. A little racist, perhaps, though something told me a mule wouldn’t take offense.

An awkward silence hung over us as we continued to walk, and on the next block we finally arrived at our destination.

We stood side by side in front of the headquarters of Persona Escort Services. Except, you’d never know it from looking at it. The building itself gave no indication at all of what those ‘services’ may be, and the only markings the building had were the numbers of the address over the door and a modest decal of the company seal on the front window.

“Kinda… plain, isn’t it?” I asked.

“That’s the point,” Middleman grunted in reply. “Considering the nature of our business, and especially our employees, we prefer not to draw too much attention to ourselves. We rely mostly on word-of-mouth, and most of our interaction with clients is done through the mail.”

“Makes sense, I guess.”

With no further ado, Middleman led me through the front door and into the sparsely furnished office beyond. He gave a simple nod to the mare behind the desk, then made his way into a hall in the rear. At the end of the hall, he held up a hoof to stop me. There was a flight of stairs to the right, heading up to the second floor, and a closed door to the left, labeled ‘Lounge’.

“Alright, I’ll go on up and let the boss know you’re here. He’ll want to meet with you—let you know how things work, have you sign some papers, and so forth. Afterwards, I’ll take you to the apartment that we’ve set up for you.” He pointed to the closed door. “While I go up, why don’t you head into the lounge and say hello to the others?”

I gave the door a wary glance. “The others?”

“Yeah. You know?” He swept a hoof up and down my figure. “The others.”

I continued staring at the door. “Oh…”

If he noticed my apprehension, he made no mention of it. Instead, he turned and made his way up the stairs. I watched him go, then slowly faced the door to the lounge and raised my hoof to the knob. And then… I just sort of stood there. Even through the door, I could sense a familiar presence, one that made the hairs of my pony coat stand on end. The unmistakable vibe of other changelings.

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself, and to assure myself that everything would be fine. After all, these changelings were ultimately in the same boat I was. They had made the same decision—the same journey. If anyone in this kingdom could relate to me, it would be them.

Steeling myself, I turned the knob and stepped inside.

Right away, the room’s five occupants stopped and stared at me—two of them in pony form, and the other three with all their changeling glory on display. I stood motionless in the doorway, frozen in place by their collective gaze. With this many of us in one place, I could feel a vague tugging on my mind, like our brains were trying to link us into an impromptu hive mind. That’s the way the changeling brain is wired, unfortunately. Always looking for a network to connect with. But I resisted the pull. I’d gone through too much for my independence, and if I had to guess, the others felt the same way.

Finally, I manage to speak. “H-hi. I’m Naamari.”

It wasn’t much, but it seemed to break the ice. A few of the other changelings give me tiny smiles, and a feeling of camaraderie passed through the air—not because of what we were, but because of the choice each of us had made to bring us here.

That almost pleasant feeling was promptly pulled up by the root by a voice to my left.

“My stars, it really is you, isn’t it? Well, isn’t that just rich?”

I knew who it was without even having to look. I’d know that voice, and that mental signature, anywhere. I closed my eyes and sighed through my nose. “Hello, Vittu.”

The leftmost changeling approached me on porous hooves, leering at my face with the most insincere smile I’d ever seen.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” she purred. “Last I heard, you’d been selected to be one of the Queen’s own sentinels. You must’ve been by her side during the invasion. I can practically smell her stink on you, even now.”

“Come on, Vittu,” one of the other changelings said. “Lay off her. We’re all in this tog—”

“Shut up!” Vittu hissed, then turned to me as if nothing had happened. “How does one as high and mighty as you end up here?”

I frowned at her, fighting to control my breathing. “Changelings change.”

She burst out laughing. “Really? You expect me to believe that you, of all changelings—after all those years of currying favor and climbing rank—had a ‘change of heart’?”

“Yes, I do.” I quirked an eyebrow at her. “And what about you? What made you leave?”

That wiped the smile from her face. “Me?” Her expression became something like a scowl. “I left because there was nothing in it for me if I stayed. If that fiasco in Canterlot proved anything, it’s that the Queen is incompetent. I had no more use for her, or the Hive. I was tired of following orders, and watching changelings like you get ahead.”

She stepped closer to me, and I had to force myself not to step back. “Everyone’s always liked you,” she continued, her voice almost a whisper. “Even the Queen fell for your charms. But I’ve never had that luxury. I’ve had to fight my entire life, and I got tired of it. Of just being a cog in a machine. In the pony lands, you get a fresh start, and a chance to prove yourself by your works.” She poked my chest with a hoof. “I wonder how you will fare here.”

Seemingly finished with me, Vittu returned to the sofa where she’d been sitting before. I averted my eyes, chewing over her words.

Finally: “You’re right.” Everyone in the room, including Vittu, looked at me. I soldiered on. “I’m not proud of the life I used to live. But after what I saw in Canterlot, I…” I closed my eyes and composed myself. “I really have changed, Vittu, whether you believe it or not. I want a fresh start, and a chance to prove myself. Or… perhaps prove to myself that I can be more than what I was.”

She scoffed. “More than what you were? Look around you Naamari. We’re changelings! We’ll never be anything more, or less. To ponies, we’re nothing more than bugs. Parasites. We’re the kind of monsters that keep pony hatchlings awake at night. If you’re hoping for some kind of redemption, then you’ll be sorely disappointed, I’m afraid. The most we can do is carve out a little corner for ourselves to seek shelter from the storm outside, and earn our own keep.”

I turned her words over in my mind. “But… these ponies… they’ll accept us. They’ll accept that we’ve turned over a new leaf. This company is proof that they don’t just fear us.”

“Oh, they might forgive us,” Vittu replied, suddenly looking very tired. “But we’ll always be outsiders to them. If you want my advice, don’t expect acceptance. We don’t deserve it anyway. The only thing we deserve is a chance to be free of Chrysalis.”

Vittu reclined on the couch and closed her eyes, and the other four glumly returned to whatever they’d been doing, leaving me to my thoughts.

Was Vittu right? When I’d left the Hive, I’d hoped that I could make up for my mistakes, and perhaps find for myself what I’d glimpsed in Canterlot. Had I just been deluding myself? What could I offer these ponies, other than lies?

Before, I’d been a cog in the machine, like Vittu said. Now, I was a puzzle piece that would never quite fit. Was that really the better situation?

The sound of the door opening pulled me from my thoughts, and Middleman poked his head into the lounge.

“The boss is ready to see you,” he said.

Sighing heavily out my nostrils, I nodded and followed him out of the room. As the door closed behind us, I heard Vittu’s voice:

“Good luck, Naamari,” she said with poisonous sarcasm. “And welcome to purgatory.”

In the two years that I’ve worked for Persona, I’ve never spent much time at headquarters. The lounge serves as a kind of de facto social club for the changelings that work there, but I tend to avoid it, which, in turn, has apparently given me a reputation for being a recluse. The other changelings are nice enough—Vittu notwithstanding—but I just feel… out of place there, ironic as that might sound. It feels a little too much like the Hive for my comfort.

The exception to that rule, of course, is Tanssi. I’m not sure what makes her different. Maybe it’s her kind, gentle nature, or the fact that the vibe she gives off is closer to a pony than a changeling. Whatever it is, she’s the closest thing to a friend that I have. And a friend is just what I need right now. With my self-imposed exile from Mare Green’s, I’ve been feeling more cut-off than ever.

And so it is that I find myself on another of my regular get-togethers with Tanssi, this time at a shopping mall not far from downtown.

“Ooh, look at this one!” Tanssi gasps, peering in through a shop’s front windows at a ponyquin in an ornate outfit. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

I stifle a yawn. “It’s lovely.”

“Oh my gosh! It’s a Coco Pommel!”

“A cocoa what now?”

“Coco Pommel,” she gushes, leaning forward until her face is nearly pressed against the glass. “I read about her just the other day! She’s apparently been causing a stir in the Manehattan fashion scene recently, but I didn’t think they’d have any of her stuff out here already.”

“So buy it,” I say simply, glancing idly at some of the other ponies milling about the mall.

She makes a little whining noise in her throat. “I don’t have enough bits…”

“Jee, I wonder why,” I quip, staring at the bags and boxes already balanced on her back. I sigh. “Look, I’ll help you out. How much is it?”

I squint at the price tag hanging from the article, then recoil as if from a flame.

“Sheesh! Never mind. C’mon, Tanssi.” I grab her by the tail and drag her away from the shop.

“But it’s soooo-ho-ho-ho pretty!”

“You’re a very weird changeling,” I grumble around her tail hairs.

I drag her down a few shops and around a corner, into one of the corridors leading out of the mall. Figuring it’s safe, I spit out her tail.

“Okay,” I grumble. “We grabbed a snack at the food court, we did some shopping, and we had a good time. I suggest we quit while we’re ahead and go home. Sound good?”

I hear Tanssi give an excited squeal behind me, and I groan. “What now?”

I turn around, expecting to find her gawking at another dress.

I was wrong. It’s something much, much worse.

Behind a pane of glass, a whole litter of puppies looks up at Tanssi with wagging tails and vacant little canine smiles. And there stands Tanssi, a member of an ancient, fierce race, cooing at them with a smiling, rosy-cheeked face.

“Holy crap,” I breathe. “Tanssi, no! Resist the cute!”

“Oh, lighten up, Naamari. Come on, let’s go look around.”

Without waiting for a reply, Tanssi prances into the pet shop. I stare after her until she disappears from view, then nervously glance to the right and left. Finally, with a roll of my eyes, I accept the inevitable and follow her inside.

I immediately regret it. The air in the place is thick with assorted animal odors and a cacophony of barks, meows, chirps, squeak toys, and gasping, giggling ponies. Fighting off the beginnings of a headache, I spot Tanssi to one side of the shop and trot to her side, where she and a few ponies are staring down into a pen filled with even more puppies. She’s holding one of them in her hooves, letting it lick her on the nose.

“Mother of Celestia,” I mutter. “Isn’t that just disgustingly adorable?”

“You sure have been in a mood today, Naamari.” Tanssi scritches the puppy’s ear with a hoof-tip. “How could you possibly stay grumpy in such a happy place?”

I sigh, rubbing the space between my eyes. “Look, I’m sorry, Tanssi. I don’t mean to be a stick in the mud. I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately, and being around this much weaponized cuteness makes my butt tired.” I grimace as the puppy drenches Tanssi’s face in dog saliva. “Besides, don’t you already have a pet?”

“You mean Mister Whiskers?”

I look at her flatly. “Are you being sarcastic, or is that really its name?”

“Of course that’s his name,” she says with a squee. “But still, it’s fun to come in here and see all the animals. They’re so trusting, you know? They give their love so freely.” She gave the puppy one last nuzzle before returning it to the pen.

I watch as the ponies gathered around the pen move on to other parts of the store. “Are you telling me you feed off your cat’s love?” I ask quietly.

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘feed’. An animal’s love might be sincere, but it’s not really as nourishing as a pony’s. You can’t exactly live off of it. But it’s still nice to receive, and to have some company—to have something that I can love in return. And it’s so… unconditional, in a way. Even when I’m in my true form, Mister Whiskers loves me the same as ever.”

I look down at the puppies thoughtfully. “That a fact?” I reach down with a hoof and awkwardly pet one of them, then recoil as it licks my hoof. I wipe the soiled appendage on the carpet.

“Maybe you ought to get a pet, Naamari.”

I freeze. “M-me?”

“Well… yeah! You’re always saying how lonely you feel in your apartment. And I think it would do you good to have something that depends on you.”

Considering her words, I pan my vision across the shop. I have to admit, pets are sort of a foreign concept to me. Changelings don’t generally keep pets. The closest thing we have back at the Hive are the little glow worms that burrow into the walls, and even then, we only let them stay because of their light. It’s more of a symbiotic relationship than one of affection.

“I dunno,” I say, chewing the inside of my cheek. “I’m not against the idea, I guess. Though… I don’t think my building allows cats or dogs.”

“Well, you could always get a fish,” she said, trotting off across the shop. “Or a bird.”

“Ugh! Anything but a bird!”

As if on cue, a cockatoo or some similar abomination gives an unholy shriek.

“My point is,” Tanssi continues patiently, “there are other options. It’s just a suggestion. Now, give me a second to get some cat food, and we can go.”

I nod, and Tanssi goes off to do her thing. As she approaches the shelf where they keep the food, I turn toward a nearby wall where several fish tanks have been arranged, side by side and on top of each other. I step forward and squint at one of the fish, which returns my gaze with vacant little eyes. I sniff, then move to the next tank, looking at a whole herd of snails lining the bottom. Nope. The next tank catches me by surprise with its lack of water, instead being filled with a variety of little plants. It takes me a while to spot the animal inside, but finally I notice a snake draped across a few of the tiny branches. I give a tiny smile, but move on.

I pause at the next tank. It has one lone inhabitant: Some kind of tarantula hunkering in the far corner. I lean my head down to see it better, looking into its numerous little eyes.

A tiny voice by my side startles me. “Ooh, what’s in this one?!” asks a little colt.

He and a small filly look into the tank, seemingly unable to spot the spider.

“What’s in it?” the filly asks the colt. “I don’t see anything.”

Smiling, I point with a hoof. “See, in the back there?”

When they see it, the whole store knows. “Ew, it’s a spider!” the filly cries.

“Gross!” agrees the colt, and the two of them scamper off, giggling madly.

I snort after them, then turn to the spider. “Sorry about that, little friend,” I say softly. “I guess some ponies don’t have a very open mind. I guess they see all your legs and those eyes and your fuzz and…” The smile slips from my face. “They get scared.” The tarantula and I regard each for some moments. “It’s not your fault,” I say after a while. “You can’t help what you are. It doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a good home.”

The spider wiggles its front legs at me, as if in agreement.

“Okay, I’m all set,” Tanssi says, stepping to my side with a small sack slung over the shoulder of her right wing. “You ready to go?”

I look at her, then back to the tarantula.

I give a tiny smile. “Almost.”

I must look a sight, walking the blazing Las Pegasus streets with a bulky shopping bag held in my teeth and small plastic tank balanced on my back, but frankly, I’m too happy to care. Every now and then I cast a glance over my shoulder at the little eight-legged passenger sitting in the tank and imagine that those beady eyes of his are looking at the city streets in wonder.

It’s midafternoon when I finally arrive at my building. Getting up the stairs without the tank sliding off my back is no easy feat, but I eventually get to my floor and head down the hall toward my apartment. Imagine my surprise when I round the corner and catch Middleman in the act of sliding a manila envelope under my door. I smirk.

His task finished, Middleman stands and turns to leave… only to be met with the face of a tarantula on the other side of a pane of clear plastic.

“Ah, jeez!” he gasps, hopping back a step.

It takes everything I have not to roll onto my back and laugh out loud.

“Naamari, what the hay?!”

“Oh relax.” I stick my tongue out at him. “It’s not every day I get to see past your tight-flank façade.”

“What are you even doing with that thing?”

“Oh, him? He’s my pet.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Your pet.” It’s not a question. “Why does it not surprise me that that’s the kind of pet you would have? Celestia forbid you do anything normal.”

“Yeah, well. Don’t they say that weirdness is the spice of life?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s ‘variety’.”

“Yes, but what has more variety than weirdness?”

“No—no!—I’m not getting into another semantical debate with you, Naamari!” He again reins in his beflusterment. With a snort, he says, “So, does the bug have a name?”

I look into his face for several seconds. Then, with perfect deadpan, I say, “Eustace.”

His right cheek twitches before his expression returns to its stoic default. “Funny. Real funny.”

“Do you want to hold him?” I ask sweetly.

He glares at me. “I would sooner floss my buttcrack with barbed wire.” Giving us a wide berth, he walks past me and down the hall. “I slid an assignment under your door,” he says over his shoulder. “Ought to be an easy one.”

With a chuckle under my breath, I secure Eustace’s tank under a foreleg, open my apartment door, and step inside, grabbing the envelope waiting on the floor in my teeth. After setting everything down, I open the envelope and take a quick peak at the time of the assignment. It won’t be until this evening, so I set it aside for now, revert back to my changeling form, and spend the next half hour setting up Eustace’s tank.

Now I sit on my haunches with my new roommate perched on my chitinous hoof. He sits motionless, looking at me as if in rapt fascination. Perhaps he senses a kindred spirit.

“I’m sorry about Middleman,” I say to him. “And I’m sorry that he called you a bug. That’s a word that’s been thrown at my kind as well. Which is ridiculous, because changelings are no more insects than spiders are.” I lean forward and give his fuzzy body a nuzzle. “I guess us ‘bugs’ will just have to look out for each other. What do you say?”

He stares at me with all his little eyes, and with a grin, I gently set him inside his tank—not the plastic thing I brought him here in, but a larger glass tank, filled with various items both practical and decorative, as well as a single cricket for his supper.

I spend another moment watching Eustace getting used to his new home, then I move towards the sofa to finally look through my assignment in earnest.

Middleman was right, this ought to be a simple one. Considering some of my recent assignments, I can’t say I mind. Apparently some pegasus stallion wants me to impersonate an old flame of his, one ‘Sunset Shimmer’. Details on my character are scant, but a photograph of the mare is included. It’s not much, but it’s enough for a start. You can learn a lot about a pony just by looking at them, if you know what to look for.

I study the photograph, taking in the mare’s features—her sandy coat, red and yellow mane, and aquamarine eyes. She wears a confident smirk on her face, and her posture is solid and determined. But there’s something in her eyes that belies her body’s cues. A hunger. Desperation, perhaps. This is a mare who wants something very badly. She just doesn’t know what she wants, and it tears her up inside. Such frustrations are easy to weaponize, and the set of that smile on her lips suggests a certain propensity for ruthlessness. But in my experience, ruthlessness almost always conceals vulnerability. Whatever this mare might be capable of, she has a good heart deep down. She just needs some help finding it.

Wow, that sounds pretty presumptuous of me, doesn’t it? I dunno, I could be wrong. I don’t even know this mare. But I like to think of myself as an actor, and that involves some creative license. If my guess is wrong… well, it’s on my client for not giving me more to work with.

A curtain of green flame washes across my body, and when it clears the changeling is gone, replaced by the fiery unicorn.

“Well, Eustace,” I say, glancing toward the tarantula’s tank. “Wish me luck.”

Our rendezvous point is a modest eatery not far from Neighllis, a base for the pegasus branch of the Royal Guard. I assume it’s not a coincidence, therefore, that my client instantly strikes me as the military sort. Even aside from his overall demeanor, the cutie mark is a big clue; you don’t see that many shield motifs among the civilian population.

I step inside, allowing myself to slip into character—or rather, my seat-of-my-pants interpretation of my character. I’ll have to tread lightly here. If my assumptions about Miss Shimmer are incorrect, I’ll need to read this stallion’s cues and adapt quickly.

He spots me as I approach his table, and his eyes widen. I smile in satisfaction, taking that as a sign that I’ve done my job well, at least as far as appearances go.

“Hello, Flash,” I say in my best guess at the mare’s voice.

“H-hi.” Flash Sentry swallows thickly, eyes running up and down my frame. “Wow. You look just like her.”

I smile. “Mind if I have a seat?”

“Oh! Yes, by all means.” He rises to his hooves until I’m seated, then follows suit.

A slightly awkward silence passes between us, occupied mostly with Flash pretending that he isn’t gawking at me and me pretending not to notice. Such reactions aren’t so uncommon. Ponies tend to come to Persona because they have some kind of fantasy they want to live out, and actually seeing that fantasy in the flesh can sometimes throw them for a loop. The best course of action is usually to be patient and give them time to wrap their heads around it.

In the meantime, the waitress comes and takes our orders: a black coffee for him, and a caffe mocha for me.

“Well, you’re probably wondering what I have in mind,” he finally says after the waitress has gone. At my nod, he continues. “I admit, I’ve never done anything like this before. Hire… somepony like you, I mean. I don’t know what your work usually entails. Sex, I presume?”

“A percentage of the time,” I say, careful not to say what percentage.

“Yeah, I figured. But that’s not really what I have in mind. My situation’s… Well, let’s just say it’s a pretty strange one.”

I feel a small twitch in my eyebrow. Why do I get the feeling this assignment just got a lot more complicated?

“It’s sort of a long story, but I’ll try to condense it as much as possible.” He pauses as the waitress returns with our drinks, and I can tell he’s taking the opportunity to sort his story out in his mind.

Once the waitress is gone, he dives right in.

“Okay, so… Back in high school, Sunset and I dated. She went to Celestia’s school for unicorns, and I went to his prep school for pegasi just down the street. We got along well, and I liked her a lot. She was beautiful, intelligent, charismatic—not much of a sense of humor, I guess, but otherwise she was the whole package. But we were young, and we were starting to think about our futures. She started studying under the Princess directly, and I had my sights set on West Hoof. I figured it was better for both of us if we went our separate ways, so… I broke up with her.

“Sunset acted like she didn’t care, but I could tell she was hurt. I think she felt abandoned, and in hindsight, I think that was one of her greatest fears. But… I stuck to my guns, sure that it was the best thing for both of us.”

He falls silent for a moment, sipping idly at his coffee.

Finally: “I thought about her a lot while I was at West Hoof. And the more I thought about her, the more I regretted ending it the way I had. I came to realize how much I’d actually cared about her, and how stupid I had been. I mean—sure!—I wanted to become a Guard. But we didn’t have to break up, did we? We could’ve exchanged letters, or something!”

He sighs. “When I finally got my commission and got stationed back in Canterlot, I had every intention of contacting her again and… I dunno, seeing if we could give it another go. If she’d have me back, of course. But when I tried to track her down, she was just… gone.”

The expression on his face suddenly tightens, and I raise an eyebrow.

“I asked around,” he says quietly, “but not many ponies knew what happened to her. But after some digging, I finally found out the truth. I found out that she and the Princess had had a falling out at some point, and Sunset had gone through some kind of portal.” His expression briefly teeters on the brink of a wince. “I-into another dimension,” he adds quietly.

My eyebrow raises further, accompanied by the sound of alarms going off in my mind. I know Equestria has more than its share of weirdness, but really? A portal to another dimension? If he just messing with me? Is this whole assignment an elaborate prank? Or is he just insane and delusional? I mean, it’s always possible that he’s telling the truth, but I think it’s understandable for me to be incredulous, right? The whole thing sounds so goofy.

I conceal all my thoughts behind a well-practiced poker face and listen as he continues.

“I was devastated, of course. And the worst part was how… unfinished the whole thing felt. It was almost like she’d never existed at all. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t help but wonder if things would’ve gone differently for her if I hadn’t turned my back on her.

“I eventually… moved on, I guess. What else could I do? But it’s always bugged me, you know? It’s been this big regret sitting at the back of my mind—like a burr in the bottom of my hoof. Years passed, and I assumed that whole chapter of my life was closed. Boy, was I wrong.”

He downs the last of his coffee as if it were a shot of whiskey, and I wait with rapidly depleting reserves of patience for him to continue.

“A while back, Princess Celestia sent a strange mirror to the Crystal Empire, where I’d been stationed from pretty much as soon as the city reappeared, at Captain Armor’s recommendation. I didn’t learn it until later, but it turns out this mirror was, in fact, the very same portal that Sunset went through. Why the Princess sent it to the Crystal Empire, I’ve never discovered, but I suppose it’s not important. Being a Guard, you learn that the Princesses always have their reasons.

“Well, at some point—more than a year ago, as I understand it—the portal in the mirror opened again, and Sunset returned to our world, stealing something from Princess Twilight.”

My ears perk up at that name, recent memories filling my mind. I continue to listen with revitalized interest.

“Princess Twilight apparently pursued Sunset into this other dimension,” Flash explains. “I don’t know the details, but when everything was said and done, the Princess returned to our world with her stolen possession, and Sunset, who had been led back to the straight and narrow, decided to stay in the other world. The whole thing was kept pretty quiet—not even the Guard was informed. But you know how rumors are. I eventually began hearing things through the grapevine. It wasn’t until later, when I was asked to oversee the relocation of the mirror to Princess Twilight’s new castle in Ponyville, that I learned the whole story.

“Naturally, I was ecstatic. Not only that Sunset was okay, but that she had apparently found a place where she belonged, and friends who cared about her. I think that’s all she really wanted all along.

“I wanted to go and see her again more than anything, if nothing else to apologize. But I couldn’t do that. Even if I got permission to go into this other world—which is doubtful at best—I’d feel like I was intruding on her new life. It’s probably better for her to put the past behind her. But even so, I… I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

He falls silent, and I furrow my brow at him. “Okay, look,” I say, leaning forward in my seat. “As much as I appreciate all this exposition, I assume there’s a point to it. So spit it out.”

He gave a tiny chuckle. “Boy, you really have her character down, don’t you?”

I snort, but don’t say anything.

He fidgets with his empty mug for a moment. “You really do look just like her, you know? And you were able to do it with just a photograph.”

“Yeah? What’s your po—” I stop suddenly, my eyes widening. “It was a test.”

He nods. “Not long after the mirror was relocated, Princess Twilight found a way to open the portal whenever she wanted. And she eventually allowed a team of researchers into this other world, just to observe and gather data. Purely academic. And… well, I managed to pull some strings; call in a few favors. And…” He ducks his head under the table, rummaging into a saddlebag he’d stowed there, and withdraws a folder, which he sets on the table. “I got copies of some of their material.”

I stare at the folder, then up at him. “So, you got copies of sensitive research through means that are questionable at best, and are giving what I can only assume to be classified information to not only a civilian, but a member of a race that has historically been antagonistic towards Equestria? Couldn’t you… I dunno, lose your job? Or worse?”

He ponders this for a moment, then says, “Nah, I don’t think so. More like chewed out. I’ve been chewed out before.”

I can’t help but smirk.

“So,” he says, “if you were to see a picture of Sunset as she is now, could you imitate her?”

“As she is now?”

“Yes ma’am. Something about the portal transformed her into one of the native creatures.”

I give the folder another, more cautious look. “Well… it’s hard to say until I’ve seen these creatures, but I don’t see why not. Can I ask why, though? I mean… I can understand you not wanting to drag her baggage back into her life, but what are you hoping to get from all this?”

“I’ve been asking myself that for days,” he replies with a humorless chuckle. “I don’t honestly know. Maybe closure? Or maybe to understand her decision to stay there. All I know is that ever since I came up with the idea of contacting Persona, I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. So… are you game?”

I meet his eyes and hold them for a moment. Then, I nod. “Yes. You’re the client, and it is your bit. As long as I’m able to hold up my end of the arrangement, I will.”

He smiles in obvious relief. “Great. I’ve reserved a hotel room for us.” He reaches back into his saddlebag and retrieves a key, setting it on the folder. “It’s in that motel just down the street on the right, room thirty-three. You head on over first and take some time to… well, get everything ready.” He gestures at my body. “I’ll be watching the window. Give me some kind of signal when you’re ready.”

“A hotel room, huh?” I give him a smirk. “I thought you weren’t planning on sex.”

He gives the tiniest of blushes. “I’m not, for the most part. But I think it’s better if we don’t have an unknown alien species parading around in public.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

“And… to be honest, I haven’t ruled out sex, necessarily. Just between you and me, Sunset was a firecracker in the sack. It’s just… hard to imagine doing that with such an unusual creature.”

Okay, really. Just what the heck am I going to be turning into? I reach over and grab the folder, but resist the urge to look inside until I’m in the hotel.

“Alright, I’ll see you in a bit.”

At his nod, I get up from the table and step out of the eatery.

I stare into the hotel room mirror, and at the strange creature reflected therein.

True to my word, I waited until I was in the hotel room before I looked in the folder. Once I did, I was flabbergasted. I’d never seen creatures like these ‘humans’. They’re obviously mammalian—perhaps simian, though it’s hard to tell for sure. They’re also bipedal, with long, gangly limbs, and instead of hooves, they have something more like the hands of a minotaur. They’re almost entirely hairless, except for on their heads, which feature flat, round faces. Thankfully, the folder included information on their anatomy, which, combined with the photo of the transformed Sunset, allowed me to take my current form.

Overall, I think I did a pretty good job. Now I just have to get used to this form. But if I can master transforming into a dragon or a griffon, this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. The hardest part is standing on two limbs; I pace a few awkward circles around the room, trying to find my balance.

That only leaves one thing: the clothes, which humans apparently wear most of the time. I feel like the illusion is somehow incomplete without them. Fortunately, changeling magic can replicate clothing. The only down side is that the clothes are, within the functionality of the magic, part of my body, and the only way to remove them is to magic them away, which kinda breaks the illusion.

There’s nothing for it. With a flash of green, Sunset’s alien body is obscured by boots, a skirt and shirt, and a jacket made out of some fabric similar to the leather that griffons use.

And with that, I’m ready.

I wobble my way over to the light switch, flicking the lights on and off and hoping that it suffices as a signal. I spend the next minute or so fiddling with my frail-looking little digits. Just when I begin to worry that Flash didn’t get the signal, there’s a knock on the door. I have to squat to see through the peephole, and once I confirm that it’s my client, I open the door, careful to remain out-of-view of anypony outside as Flash steps into the room.

I close the door, then turn to find him gawking at me. Even though I’ve been ogled too many times to count, being in a strange new form makes me feel oddly self-conscious.

“So?” I prompt.

“You’re bigger than I expected,” he states.

It’s true. Standing on all four hooves, his head is more or less level with my hip. Even if he raised up onto his hind legs, I’d probably still be taller than him.

“I followed the specifications from the study,” I reply with a shrug.

“Oh, I’m not doubting you,” he says hurriedly. “It’s just… surprising. I mean, I’ve seen the photos of Sunset looking… like this. But seeing it first-hoof is a different thing entirely.”

“How do I look?” I twirl in place, almost losing my balance and falling on my face in the process.

“P-pretty good.” He swallows. “They’re not as freaky-looking in the flesh. Still unusual, mind. But… a little easier to wrap my head around.”

The hotel room descends into a prolonged silence. I awkwardly cross my foreleg/arm things and wait with as much patience as I can muster for him to say or do something.

He seems to sense my unasked question, and replies with one of his own. “So, what now?”

“That’s really up to you, chief.” I lower myself to my rump on the edge of the bed—wow, these critters are made for sitting, aren’t they?—and ask, “You said sex wasn’t high on the agenda. So what did you have in mind to begin with? Is there anything you wanted to tell me?” I gesture at my face as I finish that question, making it clear I was speaking as Sunset now.

“Oh, I don’t know…” He scuffs a hoof against the carpet. “I’d feel kinda awkward. I’m not sure I’m up to the whole ‘role-play’ thing.”

He says to the changeling he asked to imitate his ex-girlfriend. Sheesh.

“Hey, it’s just the two of us, alright?” I say. “You never know when you’ll get another opportunity to see me, so now’s your chance to get things off your chest. Surely you wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble if you didn’t have something you wanted to tell me. So just go for it.”

He gazes at the floor for a moment before plopping down on his haunches, and I wait patiently for him to speak.

Finally: “It’s just… hard for me. I’m not used to opening up. I’ve always put my career ahead of everything, even personal relationships. Other ponies were just… fetters tying me down; distractions from being the best guard I could be. So I always just… smile, act pleasant, and be professional. Nothing to draw too much attention to myself outside of doing my job as well as I can. I think the last pony I actually had a real, genuine relationship with was… you, Sunset.”

I try to suppress a smile, happy that he’s finally starting to get into it.

“In fact, that’s why I broke up with you,” he continues quietly. “I thought you’d hold me back, so I cut you loose. I told myself it was necessary, but… but it’s just eaten away at me for years. And now, with everything that’s happened with the mirror, it’s made me question everything. How many good relationships did I let slip through my hooves?” His raises his eyes and meets mine. “Aside from ours, that is.”

We stare into each other’s eyes for a long moment, the air heavy with feelings. He slowly gets back to his hooves and steps toward me, placing a hoof on my hairless leg.

“I’m so sorry, Sunset.” His gaze bores into me. “Letting you go was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done. I don’t regret joining the Guard, but… but I didn’t need to cast you aside to do it. That was just an excuse, and you didn’t deserve that. At least I can finally take solace in the fact that you’ve made a new life for yourself. It’s probably a better life than I could’ve given you anyway, now that everything is said and done.” He gives a small, humorless chuckle. “And if the rumors are correct, you even hooked up with that world’s counterpoint of myself for a while. I guess that’s a flattering thought—like, maybe at some level it reminded you of home.”

His hoof begins ever so gently rubbing against my thigh, but the way he continues speaking leads me to think the motion is almost subconscious.

“I guess the important thing is: You’ve moved on, and you’re apparently happy where you are. Enough so that you’re content to stay there. And now… I just need to move on, too.”

“I hope you can,” I say with utter sincerity. “You were young, and you made a mistake. You can’t keep beating yourself up over it. I don’t want that for you.”

He closes his eyes, his hoof continuing its movement on my leg. “I was just so stupid…”

“You let your ambition run away with you. Nothing more. There are worse faults to have.”

“Yeah, well, my ambition cost me an awful lot.”

“And so did mine,” I say, pointing at my chest.

Flash’s eyes open suddenly, gazing at me in realization.

“I lost my entire world thanks to it,” I say, remembering what he’d told me about Sunset. “I lost everypony I cared about. And now? I have a new life. I got a second chance. And you, Flash, deserve no less.”

His eyes turn downward. “I… Maybe you’re right.”

A silence descends upon the room. Flash seems lost in thought, still idly stroking my thigh, and I simply give him time to work it out. At last, he gives a sigh through his nose.

“You okay?” I ask.

He doesn’t respond.

“Flash?”

“Your skin sure is smooth.”

Well, that was random. I reach down and run a hand along my leg.

My eyebrows rise in agreement. “Huh.”

“It’s kind of nice, actually. Soft.”

He’s not wrong, especially on the ‘soft’ part. Being a changeling, I’m pretty used to hairlessness, but the difference between chitin and the skin on these humans is pretty vast.

Flash continues stroking my leg, though it isn’t so idle anymore. If anything, it’s more of a ‘caress’ now than a ‘stroke’. Ever so slowly, his face drifts forward, and I can feel his warm breath against my skin. Next thing I know, he’s nuzzling my leg, brushing his fuzzy cheek across my knee and up my thigh. I place a hand on the back of his head and smile down at him.

“Having fun?” I ask.

He grunts in affirmation.

“How’s that ‘no sex’ thing sounding right about now?” I give him a playful quirk of my eyebrow.

“If you recall,”—he moves over and begins nuzzling my other leg—“I never said ‘no sex’. Just that it wasn’t a high priority. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be attracted to you in this form, but now?” He plants a kiss on my knee. “I’m warming up to the idea a little. Besides—” I feel his lips curve into a smile against my thigh, “—you were right. I’m getting a second, and final, chance with you tonight. And I’m gonna take it.”

He punctuates that by dragging his tongue across my thigh, and I gasp in surprise at the wet feeling of his tongue, grasping his head a little more tightly.

“How about you?” he asks, giving me an expression caught somewhere between a blush and a smirk. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Not really,” I say honestly.

And the smirk carries the day. He begins kissing and nibbling his way up my inner thigh with agonizing slowness, making his destination clear. If he notices the flash of green under my skirt as I magic away my undergarments, he gives no sign of it. His head moves underneath my skirt, and I feel his hot breath against my bare skin. And then, he hesitates, as if seeing my private bits and all the ways in which they’re different from a pony’s vagina have given him second thoughts.

I very nearly resign myself to him chickening out, only to gasp as he moves in and digs his tongue into my folds, dragging it up the length of my slit and finally against my clit.

Even sitting upright, my back arches, and I place my hands on the back of his head, my fingers weaving through the strands of his mane. I close my eyes as he continues to lap at me, moaning as the sensation of his probing tongue and the silken hairs between my fingers and his fuzzy cheeks against my trembling thighs bombards my mind.

I slowly, almost unconsciously, lean toward, until my fiery mane is falling against my knees. My hands slowly move away from his head, down his neck and on to his body, running against a figure honed from years of training and conditioning. I’ve touched more stallions than I can count over the years, but not until now, with these wonderful hands, have I been able to appreciate the power of the male form as it deserved. Every twitch of his muscles against my fingertips fuels the fire between my legs, and I silently wonder if hooves will ever be enough for me again.

As if possessing a mind of its own, my hand moves beneath him and between his legs, finding the erect shaft that waits there. My fingers curl around it and tighten, and I hear a gasp from beneath my skirt. His licking slows as I begin to jerk him off, but soon enough he redoubles his efforts, as if unwilling to let himself finish before me.

By unspoken declaration, we begin a hurdling race towards a rapidly approaching finish line. I had a considerable head start, but with my second hand joining the first and slowly fondling his balls, he catches up in no time. Sensing this, he decides to play dirty. He shoves his tongue as far into my pussy as he can, and at the same time extends his wing, ever so gently brushing his feather tips against my exposed clit.

With a scream, I hunch forward until my head is pressed against his shoulder blades, my hands releasing his dick and instead holding onto his hips for leverage as the orgasm rips through me. He continues his oral-pteric assault until the edges of my vision darken.

Finally, the wave recedes, and I fall back on the bed, panting for breath and covering my face with a twitching hand.

“H-holy shit,” I gasp. “You’re pretty damn good at that.”

“It’s not my first rodeo,” he replies, licking his lips clean. “I may not be good at relationships, but that doesn’t mean I spend all my nights on base, twiddling my hooves.”

“Fair enough. Though, it looks like I kinda left you hanging.”

He actually blushes, the goof. “Heh. Literally. You want to keep using your hand… things? That felt pretty awesome.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty nice. But I’m not very experienced with them.” I give him a challenging quirk of my eyebrow. “How’s about you and me do this right?” For clarification, I thrust my hips against his chest.

Still blushing, he says, “W-well, I didn’t really bring any protection…”

I look at him flatly. “I’m a changeling. You couldn’t get me pregnant if you tried, chief.”

He blinks. “Oh.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Yeah. Because I said so.”

He snorts. “Goddess, you really are just like Sunset.”

He nevertheless complies. I climb all the way onto the bed, lying on my back with my legs spread. Then I work my magic. I imagine he can see the green light even through his eyelids, but he keeps them closed like a good boy.

“Alright, you can open them.”

And so he does, right before his mouth falls open at the sight before him—the unusual, oddly alluring creature baring absolutely everything to him. He wastes no time in climbing up onto the bed and toward me until he’s standing directly over me. A moment spent staring into my eyes, and he moves forward, capturing my lips with his own. Our kiss deepens quickly, his longer, broader pony tongue easily overpowering my own.

So caught up am I in the kiss that I actually gasp when his member prods against my lower lips, gently rubbing his tip against my folds without actually slipping past them.

We break out kiss, and he asks, “You ready?”

I nod, wrapping my arms around his neck. With no further ado, he moves his hips forward, sliding his dick into my sopping wet depths. I give a satisfied moan, closing my eyes to better relish all the ways in which this body feels different from any other I’ve ever taken. Despite being taller than him, our torsos are about the same length, allowing him to rest his head beside my own as he thrusts into me, and I wrap my legs around him, holding on for dear life as he pounds into me. I moan and whimper like a mare being rutted for the first time—which is actually sort of what it feels like. The feeling of his fur against my mostly hairless skin only heightens the sensation, and I find myself digging the claws on the ends of my fingers into his back.

The unusual sensations apparently get to Flash, too, because in no time at all his thrusting increasing into frantic, jackhammer-like motions, until, with a primal grunt from deep in his throat, he buries himself to the hilt, holds himself there, and releases inside me. The feeling of his warm essence filling my deepest recesses is enough to send me over the edge again, my back arching and my limbs spasming in their embrace of his body.

Finally, the two of us spent, we collapse into a panting, sweating pile. After catching his breath, Flash rolls off of me and onto his back.

“That… was the weirdest sex I’ve ever had,” he said. “And I’ve been with a griffon.”

I snort. “You seemed to enjoy it well enough.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. It was amazing. Just… weird. I dunno, maybe that’s part of what made it so good.” He looks over at me—or, more specifically, my unusual body. “If the Princess ever decides to station some Guards in their world, for whatever reason, I’ll be the first to volunteer. I can almost understand what Sunset sees in them.”

“Well, I’m glad this was a worthwhile experience for you,” I say, closing my eyes.

“Yeah, me too. I needed this.”

“For the closure, or the release?”

“A little of both, I guess.” He smiles, but it doesn’t last very long. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop regretting it, though. Ending things with Sunset, I mean. I was too stupid to realize it until later, but… I really did care about her. But that’s in the past now, I guess. She’s moved on, and I’ll have to do the same.” He lays silently beside me for a while, and I very nearly fall asleep before he adds, “I guess, at the very least, I can say I learned something from the whole thing.”

I looking over in his direction. “Hmm? What’s that?”

“That if we’ve ever got something good, we shouldn’t let it get away from us. No matter what excuses we might come up with. We should fight for it, and hold onto it. We shouldn’t deny ourselves opportunities to be happy.” He looks over in my direction. “Don’t you think?”

I stare at him, then turn unseeing eyes to the ceiling above us.

“Maybe.”

The next day, Aletheia stands in front of Mare Green’s, clutching a broom in the pale blue glow of her telekinesis and sweeping the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop. She stops for a moment, taking in the neighborhood, filled with ponies going hither and yon.

I watch her briefly from one of the windows in my apartment, Eustace perched obliviously on my shoulder. I can just barely make out a tiny smile on her face.

I would sure hate for anything to take that smile away.

I raise a hoof, and lower the blinds.

To be continued...