Twilight was not completely sure how to feel about her situation.
Her first reaction to the message had been shock, followed by curiosity, and finally ending in inquisitive glee that was still hanging on a bit now, even several days later. She could still feel that energy burning inside of her has the message had come across.
They had caught a changeling in Canterlot.
A changeling… in Canterlot… Had been physically captured for the first time since the wedding, three years ago!
And the princesses would like her to be the one to lead the interrogation, and the study of the creature as the first! Any sort of anger or resentment for the creatures had momentarily faded at the prospect of being the first to study an entirely new Species!
Twilight found herself internally squeeing still, even as she was teetering at the door to her basement, waiting for the guards to finish setting everything up. She could be the first pony to study a changeling. She could publish research papers, hold seminars! Maybe even… Publish a Book~
Had Rainbow Dash been here, she would most likely be gagging at the level of egghead Twilight was just radiating everywhere.
A pair of armor clad guards came up the stairs of the basement laboratory, stopping proudly before their princess and bowed with respect.
Twilight did her best to keep her composure, but she was unable to keep her voice from revealing a slight squeaking sound of excitement.
“Is everything prepared?”
“Yes, your highness” The guards confirmed, not betraying any sign of noticing the squeakiness of the princess´s voice.
“Good! Stand guard at the door, and let only my assistant inside. I want to be very thorough in this study” The princess ordered.
“As you wish your highness. Is there anything els-”
Slam.
Both guards raised their heads to see that their princess had slammed the door in their face, and as they could hear, was now squeeing with glee all the way down the stairs. For a while, none of them said anything, until one turned to the other.
“That… Sounded terrifying… Should we be worried?”
“Do you wanna be down there in place of the changeling?”
“No!”
“Then don't think about it…”
------------------------Down in the Basement----------------------
Twilight forsook the use of her wings as she was skipping down the stairs, unable to contain her excitement.
So it was up to the physical world to put a dampener on her. In this case, in the form of there being almost no lights on, so Twilight ended up walking directly into a wall at the end of the stairs.
Shaken out of her giddy mood much a similar to a drunk, Twilight took a moment to compose herself.
“Right! Gotta turn on the lights!”
With almost no effort at all, Twilight lit up her horn and sent a gentle magic pulse through the room, flicking on the switches on the walls and letting the lights come on. Some were magic charged, others were still old candles. But all of them put enough gentle illumination in the room together to get a clear view of everything.
Slightly off to the side in Twilight´s laboratory, a steel cage had been put up to contain the changeling. It had thick bars, and was inscribed with magic runes to contain the beast´s magic suppressed. Twilight was even happy to see that the guards had taken every possible precaution and put the beast in a straitjacket and a muzzle gag on the blasted insect.
“Everything is just perfect!” Twilight said with another small squeal. The guards had been clearly been taking their precautions, which she applauded, but with this excess of safety measures, she could show herself as benevolent and magnanimous to the evil being. Perhaps she could just easily loosen a couple of the less important restraints to warm it up to her and she could get a personal interview!
“The possibilities are endlessssssss~” She almost purred as she was lost in her own little world for a moment.
Clearing her throat, she took a second to compose herself, before she walked over to the side of the cage and peered inside. The creature was completely still. One thing she immediately noticed was the fact that the changeling actually had something you could mistake for a mane. As opposed to the regular drones she had fought back at the wedding, this had a long membrane hanging from the top of its head, kind of like Queen Chrysalis´s mane.
‘Even better!’ She thought. Perhaps this even was some kind of, prince or general! Oh the things she could get out of him!... Her… It… Whatever it was!
With a quick flash of her magic, the gag on the creature clicked and flopped down onto the floor. The creature coughed a moment before Twilight started:
“Hello.” She announced, standing proudly, doing her best to contain the excitement of her voice. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am going to ask you a couple of questions, If you don't mind?” She asked with a grin almost reaching from ear to ear.
It took only a couple of seconds for it to drop however as she realized the changeling had yet to move… at all.
“Uhm… Hello?” She asked, raising her voice slightly.
Still no response.
Well that was annoying.
“Hellou?” She tried again, with the same lack of a result. “Oh dear… It´s not dead is it?!” She questioned in momentary panic. Her horn lit up in a gentle purple as a small mist descended over the changeling in a sort of, scanning fashion. Twilight got quite immensely relieved that her spell had been able to at least identify that something was beating inside that thing. So she presumed it was a heart.
“So you are alive… Are you ignoring me?” Twilight asked, not able to hide the slightly offended tone.
The changeling didn't even move a millimeter. It almost looked like it didn't breathe, even if she had just confirmed that it did.
“Listen, you're not going to get out of the cage if you don't talk to me.” Twilight said, inching herself slightly closer to the bars.
Nothing. Bug was still completely still.
This was slowly beginning to grate at the alicorn´s patience.
“You know, I could just send you back to Canterlot, saying that you're uncooperative… And I can’t promise you their interrogation methods are in any way equine.”
…
…
…
“So… It would be nice if you began to talk… right about now?”
…
…
…
“Please?”
…
…
…
“This is ridiculous… I know you can hear me! I am right here!” Twilight grit through her teeth, and glaring at the offending creature, who still refused to respond. “I can't help you if you don't talk to me!” she asserted harshly, almost bordering yelling territory. Though she recognized her own frustration and took a moment.
Deep breath in.
Heavy sigh out.
“Right then… I guess I will have to do this through the scientific method!”
The grand purple alicorn turned on her hooves and went into her cupboard, quickly pulling out, and slipping into a white coat with convenient pockets for her quills. Along with that, she pulled out a clipboard and attached a block of paper to it.
She used a couple of minutes to prepare the page as her ‘Checklist over features of the newly researched changeling race’. She put up a lot of space for extra notes and once she was confident that the list was perfect, she made sure to sign it. Though the research subject made her giddy enough to sign it as ‘Phd. Twilight Sparkle’ and give a little whinny of excitement.
Clearing her throat and turning back to the cage, Twilight´s focus returned to the bug.
“Now, I am going to give you one more chance! You begin to talk to me, and we do this the nice way. Don't, and I do this the scientific way.” The princess stated firmly. Though to be honest, the major difference between the nice way and the scientific way was only really differentiated by the bug´s level of willingness. She was going to need some actual data still.
The changeling refused to respond. It didn't even flinch.
“O-Kay.” She conceded. “Let’s get this started.”
Letting her eyes glance down at the checklist she had made, she took to it one step at a time.
“Name of subject. Currently unknown.” She scribbled down. “Will be referred to, as Subject #1.”
Mentally checking off the name, she went on to the next box. “Sex…”
The quill hovered above the empty space, ready to write the fact, though could not, as Twilight was failing to pull forth a result.
“Uhm… Sex…” She repeated, as she lifted her eyes towards the changeling. Normally you could tell the sex by looking at the general build of the creature, which would give you the correct result at a 9 out of 10 margin, which she could always correct later, in case she was wrong.
But the changeling was different. It looked… Like a changeling… And the only changeling she had confirmed the gender on, was the queen, given the title. Even back at the wedding when she at her friends were in a crazed brawl, she never got any details on this question.
“Sex…” Twilight repeated, fishing for time and walked closer to the cage, eyes scanning over the creature.
Nothing was giving anything away! Beyond the membrane like mane, she saw nothing actually gender defining upon the bug.
The mental notion was raised that perhaps she could just write ‘Unknown’ in the gender box, was quickly shot down. She could not do this half assed! If she wanted to figure out everything about these creatures she would have to begin at some point! And it turned out it would be gender.
“Sex.” Twilight this time said, a bit more calmly, as she was more just reminding herself. She walked calmly around the edge of the cage and got around to the back part, where the changeling was chained to, also the place in which is rear end was closest.
Now, had this been a regular day, of her walking around some random mare or stallion in order to inspect their privates, Twilight would most likely have been glowing red from her muzzle to the tip of her ears. Though this situation was different. This was just science after all. And it was a bug! There was no kind of tension here. It was like seeing Spike in the bath, at most the reaction should be “Aha” or “Huh”.
Getting around to the changeling´s rear, she was disappointed to see the creature had tugged its tail beneath itself. She guessed this was just a regular response of the thing being locked up, so she casually cast a telekinesis spell on the strange tail. It was a strange mix of chitin, but halfway out, it had this flimsy membrane which resembled the maneish membrane.
Tugging lightly at the tail, Twilight´s frustration grew. The changeling wasn't just keeping its tail between its legs out of fear. It was defying her.
“Will you stop that! I gotta check your sex!” She argued at the creature, so thankful none of her friends were around to take that out of context.
The creature refused however. It didn't move as much as a centimeter, but Twilight could feel the resistance on the tail.
“Come on, just stop resisting!” Twilight said, tugging a bit harder at the tail with her magic, still thankful that she had science on her side, and nopony was around to question her words.
Finally able to wrench the offending tail aside, with much applied magical force however, she starred in between the holed insectoid legs, to try and find the creature´s reproductive organs, yet found nothing.
While at first, Twilight was ready to squeal at the possibility of writing down ‘Nongender’ on the list, as that would truly be an interesting concept from a semi sentient biological creature, upon just slightly further inspection, she noticed the chitin plating was closed together. I.E, it seemed there was some kind of protective chitin plate in front of whatever organs this creature had.
“Interesting…” Twilight hmmed, as she inched her head closer and closer to the creature as to study it closer.
This however meant she was too focused to notice what was going on around her. Very specifically, one of the hind legs of the Changeling being lifted just slightly up, and then quickly kicked straight back into her face.
I.E, the changeling bucked Twilight in the face.
Like a stretched out rubber band, Twilight suddenly snapped backwards and fell flat upon her back, grasping her muzzle in pain.
“Argh!” She yelped as the chock ceased and the pain began to really set in. Nothing felt broken, but she could already feel something warm gently drip onto her hooves, and even a tiny bit onto her research notes.
Lifting one hoof up into view, she got confirmed what she suspected. She had gotten a nosebleed.
And it was because of the changeling.
In an instant, Twilight´s attention snapped back and she could feel anger build within her. She flopped back onto her hooves, only using one to hold on her nose to prevent herself from bleeding everywhere.
“You!” She hissed at the creature, which was still just lying un-moving there in the cage, though she did notice a satisfied smirk resting on the bug´s lips. Oh it had been waiting for her eh? So it was going to play hardball!? Well then, Twilight knew how to play hardball as well!
“You know you just attacked a princess of Equestria, right?” She asked almost sinisterly, while walking around to her medical cupboard. This was not the first time she had gotten hurt during her experiments, so it was no surprise to anyone she would keep a first aid kit about.
The creature still didn't react. It allowed Twilight to spout whatever she wanted to spout.
“I am just trying to understand your kind you know!?” Twilight barked at the bug, while stuffing a pair of cotton balls in her nose as to stop the bleeding. “And you're being incredibly uncooperative!” Twilight asserted, holding a hoof to her muzzle for a couple of seconds, letting the cotton stick a bit more properly, before then walking over towards the cage again.
“But you know what? I don't care.” Twilight quipped as she walked over to the cage, unlocking it, opening up the outer door and walking inside. Now within a meter of the restrained changeling, Twilight looked smugly down at the creature.
“Take a deep breath, Subject #1. I think its time I figure out what is going on inside that head of yours!”
Finally, a reaction came out of the bug. It´s eyes snapped open, and it gasped for air. But it was all too late.
Twilight lit up her horn in a very special spell she had read about a couple of years back. A spell which demanded utmost concentration, and recommended the subject´s cooperation.
Keyword being, recommended.
Twilight lowered her head down and touched the tip of her horn against the changeling´s releasing the gathered up magic in one sudden jolt of energy through the entirety of the bug. For just a second, the changeling tensed up in an almost spastic twitch, before the magic returned to Twilight´s horn, giving the go ahead for the second part of the spell.
“Here goes nothing…” Mumbled Twilight, as she closed her eyes and focused her mind onto her magic. But not just as into a spell, but almost as if her mind followed along with the magic she now sent directly into the very being of the changeling. She wanted to know what was going on inside of that buggy head of his.
And she was going to figure it out. Personally.
Everything faded around her, and soon she couldn't even feel her own hooves anymore, as now her consciousness was projected outside of her corporeal body.
Twilight had certain expectations as she had entered the mind of the changeling. She had expected some kind of secret meeting. Maybe a memory of a military training ground. Some kind of animalistic battle between the strongest amongst the colony over food and breeding rights.
Not a classroom.
But that was what she got. Definitely a classroom. It was clearly underground, lit by an eerie green luminescence which reminded her much of the changeling magic she had previously encountered.
The entire class was filled to the brim, multiple changelings even seeming to share their ‘tables’ with others as seats. There were also quite a variation in size of the weird bugs. Some clearly were less developed than others. But in direct opposition to Twilight´s expectations, everything was completely civil. There were groups chatting, some were drawing, others were just sitting in their own thoughts. It reminded her eerily of being back in school. If school had classes across age groups that was.
Suddenly, everything quieted down as a sharp tapping rang through the room.
Twilight turned, as much as she could while experiencing this memory, and saw the changeling. Not just A changeling, the one she currently had locked in her basement, the one whose mind she was scrutinizing at the moment. It was… Smiling?
“Good morning everyling. I am very happy to see you all decided to come to my class. It warms my heart to see your faces again.” Its voice, while in a buzzing and weird clicky way, actually sounded pleasant, and warm. It was genuinely happy.
It then took a step back, picking up a piece of chalk in its magic. “Now, for those of the youngest amongst you, who might not have seen me yet. I am Venerated Zichti, but you can call me ?XcdG?v Zichti.” He said, writing down the name on the board behind him.
One thing that really caught Twilight´s attention was how she could now see through the writing on the board, even if she felt that it wasn't Equestrian, and also the sudden jumble of a word. For some reason it didn't feel… Right. It was as if her brain wasn't giving her the right word, but just the answer closest to it. Which wasn't in any way helpful. Interesting. Also, why this informality? Venerated sounded like quite the title.
“Now.” Zichti started. “Can anyone of you tell me what Love is?”
While Twilight got a sudden rising urge to burst out singing, her confusion and academic curiosity got the better of her.
Zichti turned its head towards a slightly smaller changeling in the front row. “You there, little ling. What is your name?” It asked with a warm smile.
“Cictas…” The younger Changeling squeaked out nervously.
“Nice to meet you Cictas. Now, You're one of our newest here, can you tell me what you think?”
“Uhm…” The young changeling stammered. “F-F-Food?”
Zichti nodded and gave a reassuring grin. “Yes, that is correct...” it stated, beginning to write the word food up on the board.
Twilight was disgusted. How could they possibly take something so special as Love and degrade it to something as simple as-
“But what else is it?”
Both Twilight and some of the youngest changelings was torn from whatever train of thought they had and looked with much confusion onto Zichti.
It however, turned to one of the slightly larger changelings in the class. “Yes, Fletch?”
The changeling lowered his hoof again. “It is a bond. A psychological and emotional reaction that happens between sentient creatures.”
“Mhmm” Zichti nodded. “Elaborate.” it asked, as it continued to write upon the board.
“It’s something that happens amongst Ponies, for example. Usually when they want to pick out a mate. They declare their love for each other.” Fletch explained to the class.
Zichti looked happy with the response, however, he was then quick to point over to another changeling who also had a hoof in the air. “Yes Aethe?”
“But love isn't just a mating thing!” The other changeling threw into the argument. “Its an emotional bond yes, but emotions are, strong things. Its connected to magic as well! So we can't call it completely material”
“But it is also a social and material thing!” Fletch rebutted at Aethe. “It is a prerequisite for many societies.”
“Yes. And yes.” Zichti interrupted the two changelings, halting their cross class debate. “Both of you are correct. It is a material thing. However it is also an emotional thing-”
“But aren't emotions just a psychological thing translated into something physical?” Fletch asked, tilting its head at, what Twilight was slowly coming to realize was, the changeling teacher.
Zichti however smirked slightly, lifting a hoof. “Now, That is an argument you could make. You could be content with the idea of a completely materialistic world. One in which we could equate food, love, magic and emotions, each as different physical elements we could measure with the right tools.” Zichti began explaining. “And that is a fine view to have. But It is my duty as a Venerated, and as your ?XcdG?v, to expand your minds. To tell you that it is possible, both logically and socially, to think slightly differently.”
There was that word again she didn't understand.
The Venerated changeling walked around its desk, leaning calmly back against it for a moment.
“Let me try to explain. We could easily look upon Love as a quantifiable variable. However, this leaves us with some uncomfortable questions. Like say, how does one acquire love? Not as in our way of acquiring it from a pony, but how does it come to be a physical unit? How is it tied together with magic? If love is a material thing, how can it then exist in all sentient creatures we know of? How can it then be stronger in some and weaker in others, Not in difference of race, but in difference of individuals?”
Twilight´s jaw dropped. She was hearing a changeling ask these questions. A changeling… a creature she only knew as a love eating parasitic bug. And here it was, asking questions about metaphysics. These creatures knew philosophy!?
“Also, What would the difference between the different kinds of love be?” Zichti continued. “Could one equate the love a pony feels for their special somepony to that they feel for their mother? Or could you equate that to the love you all feel for Queen Facadé? These questions are not easy to answer. Is it possible to physically measure this?” Zichti asked out into the class.
It then clasped its hooves together. “Tell you what, give me a hoof raise. How many of you believe it might be at some point possible to measure?” Zichti asked, seeing a couple of hooves rising in the class. “A few of you, and don't worry, you aren't directly wrong. There is a reason we are still arguing this.” It said in a reassuring voice. “Now, how many believe we can't?”
A couple more hooves than the other side was raised, but most of the class hadn't even given an opinion.
“And now, how many are undecided?”
The rest of the class promptly raised its hooves, showing both on the number and on their faces, that most was now slowly trying to process the questions themselves. Some were almost despairing, planting their faces directly into their desks in confusion, others were just blinking, trying to get to the answer, as if it was simply a math question.
“Now to all of you… Don't you worry. I don't even know.” Zichti admitted, gaining a couple of gasps throughout the entire class.
“Don't be so surprised. Even Venerated learn new things every day. And one thing I have learned through my life is that, love is important for us… we need it to survive. But I don't think its just physical… For if love is an inherently physical thing, It would be easy to handle, something we perhaps even could grow through predictable patterns in ponies or even amongst ourselves. But we haven't found a way to do that. I am personally of a conviction that this is a much bigger issue.” Zichti explained. “Love has also partly a metaphysical side. It can take physical form in the shape of a spell, nutrition, or even in pain… But much like magic, it is a tricky size and shape.
Something we can't…
quite
get aaaaa hhooooooullld ooooounnnnnn~”
The entire world slowed down to a complete freeze and suddenly dissipated in a white flash.
And just as quickly as she had entered, Twilight was back in the laboratory, thrown onto her back, stunned and silenced.
“What… was… that?” She whispered.
“You tearing my skull open and invading my privacy.”
Twilight´s eyes grew wide and she snapped upright, bringing her eyes, to the source of the changeling who was now glaring at her.
“You spoke!” She shouted in surprise.
For just a second, the two sentient beings merely stared at each other. The changeling´s piercing glare had softened into one of shock, almost mirroring Twilight´s.
”You understood-” The changeling Zichti chirped in surprise, before snapping its jaw shut, and forcing itself backwards in the cage.
“I understood what!?” Twilight asked rather loudly, her head running wild with all the information she had just pried from the changeling. “Wait, you just spoke Equestrian!” She announced, as if saying it would make sense.
“What!? No I di-“ Zichti snapped his jaw closed again.
“Yes! You just did!”
The changeling leered back at Twilight in defiance, yet held itself back from growling.
“This… You hear this?” Zichti asked hesitantly.
Twilight, while confused about the sudden change of demeanor from the bug-like creature, gave a calm nod. “Yes.” she confirmed.
For a moment, the Changeling looked away, as if contemplating something, before it returned its eyes to the confused Princess. “This is… fascinating.”
“What is fascinating-” Twilight stopped before she could finish as she realized it.
The Changeling´s mouth wasn't matching up to what she was hearing. In fact, thinking back on how the Changeling looked… It didn't look like speaking at all. It looked like… Clicking?
“Say that again!” She needed to know for sure.
Twilight´s command was directly refused, however. Zichti snapped its jaw closed and turned its head away.
Twilight was really not in the mood to be refused right now. She was just over the edge of one revelation, and a second one was so close that she could taste it!
“I said speak!”
The changeling was silent.
“I heard you speak before! Speak!” Twilight ordered with increasing frustration. She needed confirmation of her hypothesis! “Speak!” She glared at the bug. “Speak!”
“Roll over!”
The sudden appearance of another voice snapped away Twilight's attention. Outside the cage stood her number one assistant, the familiar purple and green scaled baby dragon, Spike, holding a file pack in his claws.
“Spike? What…?” She asked in confusion.
The small dragon shrugged his scaly shoulders.
“Well, you seemed to be barking orders at the changeling as if it was a dog, so…” He mumbled.
Twilight blinked a couple of times, taking in the words of her assistant. Her eyes shifted back and forth between him and the bug-like creature in the cage for a few moments, before she could feel a light blush arrive on her cheeks.
“Uhm... Right... How silly of me.” She admitted, trying to laugh it off. Also now she realized she had asked the guards to let Spike pass if he came.
While her laughter was gently dying down, Spike walked closer to the cage, peering inside at the Changeling who only returned a sideways glance at him.
“Wow. They really look odd up close. Not too scary when they're not hissing at you though.” He added with a soft smile.
The smile was actually returned to the assistant, and Zichti looked softly upon the small dragon.
Twilight in the meanwhile, was just trying to gather her thoughts back into coherence.
‘What in the sun and the moon is going on!? - How come I couldn't hear that one word in its head? - Where was the link between a philosophy class, and then invading Canterlot like a parasitic horde? - What is a Venerated? - And who is Queen Facadé?!’
“Twilight!” a pair of claws snapped in front of her, forcing the alicorn back into the real world.
“I… Huh - What?” She mumbled, shaking her head and looking back at Spike.
“You were spacing out again.” he chastised. “Were you just overthinking things?”
“Uuuhmm…” Twilight was tempted to go for the denial, but didn't get the chance.
“I thought so…” Spike said, slapping a palm against his own face in frustration. “You need a break.”
“What!?” Twilight was aghast at the notion. “But I have only just begun, Spike! I can't just stop before I get any real data!” She said, her hooves grasping the little dragon's face. “It goes against everything in scientific theory!”
Spike, however, held onto his cynicism. “And so does going on to research in a state of panic, delusion or theory-bias.” he retorted back to her.
For a moment, Twilight was silent, only responding by blinking a couple of times.
Spike decided to preemptively respond to the unspoken question. “Yes, I do, in fact read some of those books you give me.” He asserted confidently. Though he did fail to mention the key factor of that sentence was 'some'. Two out of a hundred could still be accounted as 'some'. It was no surprise that the second book had been on semantics.
“B-But-” Twilight tried to start, the surprise knocking her authority over some, although was interrupted again by her concerned assistant.
“No buts Twilight! You are freaking out, and you need to take a distance to this. At least for lunch!”
“What? I don't need lunch! I am perfectly full!” The alicorn said, willfully ignoring the low growl she was feeling from her stomach.
That was the last straw.
”That's it. You're taking a break.” Spike announced, as he firmly pushed the princess forwards in the direction of the stairs.
“Spike, I am telling you...” Twilight began, her hooves locking back and pushing against the ground, like a dog refusing to go to the vet. “I am completely fine! And I have more things I need to examine...” She said, her eyes staring almost longingly at the mystery in the cage.
“Well you can ask it, once you have gotten your breakfast! And with me here!” The small dragon casually threatened as he pushed the Princess step for step up the stairs.
“But-”
“No buts!” Spike cut off the alicorn again. “You're getting breakfast, and that's that! Don't make me mail Celestia again!”
For just a second, Twilight remembered countless times she already had been caught neglecting her material form by Celestia, and the disappointed look she had. The mere thought was enough to ruffle the new Princess´s feathers.
“You wouldn't dare...” Twilight hoped to call his bluff.
“Try me.” Spike glared back at Twilight, the two having a momentary staring contest. Neither side wanted to back down, And spike was ready to open the door now, leading out of the cellar. All he needed, was to turn the handle.
The princess lost the initial clash of the starring wars, as spike simply opened the door, and gestured out of the basement.
Twilight sighed in defeat. “Fine! I'll eat, but I gotta get back down there. I am on the verge of a breakthrough!”
“And of a breakdown.” Spike cynically replied.
Opening her mouth for a rebuttal, Twilight found herself unable to give an adequate reply. She couldn't deny her mind was flooding with questions, theories, and concerns for the future consequences.
‘Why did Zichti not just say anything?’ She bemoaned mentally.
Spike did a casual salute at the guards as they left the basement and went on into the long empty hallways of the castle.
While the castle had been spiffed up quite a bit by the girls, the hallways did still have that, ‘You are insignificant’ feel about them. And to remove that, would demand a bit too much work… Most likely involving lowering the ceilings.
Though it the comparison did make entering the specific rooms, that much more of a relief.
With a minimal amount of creaking, they entered the door to the kitchen. The sight of the rustic farm decor was like leaping into a warm bed after having trudged through a snowstorm. A warm sensation just bloomed within her as the two got properly inside, seeing the plaid rags, wooden kitchen counters as opposed to the main crystal, an actual fridge and firefly lighting instead of glowing crystal.
“Right!” Spike announced. “You sit down, and I'll have some pancakes ready for you in just a few moments!”
Twilight rolled her eyes slightly, her mind still stuck on the amount of time she was losing right now. “Spike, I can cook just fine-”
“Letter!” Spike threatened, with a claw lifted at the purple alicorn.
“Urgh” Twilight groaned in frustration. Spike was really determined to get her to sit down and eat. “Fine. But i'll just eat one! I have to get back to the research, and there is nothing you can do to distract me for any longer than ten minutes!”
Half an hour of civilized dinner later:
Twilight sighed in relief as she finally had downed the last pancake.
“Thank you Spike.” She conceded, accepting the dragon´s original proposal had been, the best choice.
“You're welcome Twilight. Now, do you promise me you will try to calm down?” The small dragon pleaded softly, holding his claws behind his back.
Twilight smiled. How could she say no to that?
“I promise, Spike.”
Happy with that, Spike´s face lit up happily, and he pulled his claws out from behind his back, holding a file pack.
“Hmm?” Twilight tilted her head. “What is that?”
“That, is a follow up report on the Changeling in your basement. Courtesy of the Canterlot Intelligence Agency.”
Instantly, Twilight's brain flared up in giddy interest again. She might have been confused by her direct studies of Zichti, but with the help of the CIA-
“Wait, Why didn't I get this report sooner!?” Twilight asked, seeing as this could hold critical information she needed when working on the changeling.
Spike shrugged gently, though gave a slight glare, as Twilight already seemed to be forgetting her promise already.
“Derpy said she heard something about a ‘cock-up’ at the Canterlot Intelligence Agency. But other than that, I don't know.” he said, not knowing anything further himself.
Yet another groan of frustration escaped Twilight as she clasped a hoof against her face. Nothing was going her way today. This was supposed to be one of the best days of her life. In the ideal world, she had just gone down there, examined the changeling thoroughly, figured out what evil it was going to do in Equestria, and she could start to write down her preliminary research notes by 15:45…
Instead she was bucked in the face, her notes almost unusable. And she had seen something she still couldn't believe. Zichti and its class.
Was it all a trick? She had read that it was possible for powerful unicorns to isolate an invader if an opponent tried to reach into their minds. It was possible that the subject could have shown her exactly what it wanted her to see?
All this hypothesizing just, collapsed in on itself, as one little detail returned to Twilight's conscience through her reflexion on the crystal table. She was Princess Twilight Sparkle, princess of magic, and one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria. She didn't want to toot her own horn, but her own level of magic should be pulled into account. That was empirically provable after all!
Groaning loudly, Twilight dropped her head onto the table in frustration. Everything was suggesting what she saw was true… But… it couldn't be… Why then would they have invaded Equestria? If they had that level of intelligence, it makes no sense for them to attack a food source and ruin their entire race´s chances for ever gaining nourishment again! Revealing the fact that you can disguise yourself as anyone, kind of defeats the point of having that ability.
Clasping her hooves to her face, Twilight snapped out of her thoughts again.
‘One thing at a time, Twilight… One… Thing… At… A… Time’.
She took a deep breath, and shifted her focus to the report, picking it up in her magic and dropping it on the table in front of her.
Flipping open the report from Canterlot, and scanning over the first few pages, Twilight's heart sank.
According to this, the changeling had been impersonating a guest lecturer at Canterlot University. A pony by the name of 'Clear Cognition', aka ‘CC’ and ‘Cog’. So far, the guard has not found the real Cog, nor have they found any evidence of his whereabouts after searching Cog´s apartment. In fact they described it as 'Severely underused'. Interviews with the University staff did not gain much information of Cog as he didn't have many friends on the University itself. Looking down the page, Twilight did catch the names 'Smooth Talk' and 'Light Wing' however. Those were the only two who really counted themselves as friends of Cog. According to the report, both were acquitted of any charges as a detector spell came up negative on both.
'So...' Twilight thought to herself. 'The changeling by the name of Zichti, replaced a pony by the name of Clear Cognition and none of his friends noticed.'
That meant that Zichti was indeed, infiltrating, in some way or another. And if she had to presume the worst, Canterlot university did have…
She couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence.
Sure, Canterlot university was prestigious, but she could not think of ANYTHING there which could be deemed ‘Crucial to national security’. So why would Zichti even replace Cog? And what had Zichti done to Cog?
“Is there even a Cog?” Twilight suddenly mused. She flipped more and more through the file, though the details on this Cog seemed flimsy at best. There was enough information to state that he might have been a pony. Yet now that she was looking at it, looking for any holes a changeling could use, there was also quite a few details supporting her hypothesis. Cog had an apartment, but it was underused. Cog was according to the files, only hired as a guest lecturer, leaving the university at months at a time, and no current, close family to question. At least not within the nearest thousand kilometers.
“This seems… Sloppy.” Twilight mumbled.
“What does?” Spike asked, who had been mainly focused on clearing the table.
“This file. There is just a lot of papers out of place, and the details on Cog seems sketchy at best…”
Spike walked over next to Twilight, the young dragon doing only a quick, half hearted skim over a single page before shrugging. “Maybe the Canterlot Intelligence Agency just got a bit overzealous? Looking for problems where there weren't ones?”
“Or maybe somepony has tampered with the file…” Twilight said suspiciously.
With a frustrated groan, Spike slapped his claw against his forehead.
“Twilight, Not everypony is as thorough as you.”
“But this should exactly be a case where one was thurough!” A thump sounded from Twilight´s hooves hitting crystal. “The last time we saw any changelings, they invaded canterlot!”
“Yes, years ago…” Spike groaned. “Not even the guards who were in the battle for Canterlot is taking it as seriously as you do.”
“What!? How do you know that!?”
“Stand Vigil told me.”
Twilight blinked in confusion. “Stand Vigil?”
“You know, the guard who is assigned along with Sure Guard, who you placed at the door to the cellar?” Spike offered, hoping that Twilight would remember on her own.
However, Twilight's lack of a response and occasional confused blinking told Spike all he needed to know, and he groaned. “Go ask them yourself. Don't get another nervous breakdown just because you forgot to ask the name of someone you wouldn't normally ask the name of.” Spike shooed, waving his claws at the Princess, who was only just snapping out of her frozen state.
“Right! Ask them! Direct information! You're a genius Spike!”.
The little dragon, loved praise, so he allowed Twilight to storm out of the room with that comment. It was only way too late that he realized, that left him alone with all the chores again.
A drawn out groan escaped the dragon. “Well… I guess I got praised…” He chastised himself, realizing he fell for it once more. “Oh well.”
In the meantime, Twilight was already cantering down the hall, her thoughts circling around, and trying to copple everything together. Helped along with one larger framing device now. She had direct witnesses, the Guards.
It didn't take her long to reach the guarded door again.
The Canterlot guard had, as much other military forces, the uncanny ability to appear similar on the surface, yet once you got underneath their skin, they were all their different ponies. Taking off the uniform, and suddenly you found ponies all with different reasons for joining the guard and different ideals to uphold within the guard. Twilight found it incredibly fascinating, this way in which individuality could be retained, even as it was abstracted from on a daily basis.
Yet now, she needed one of these individuals.
She stood before the two guards, who were staring ahead as demanded of their training, yet still being at complete attention.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Which one of you is Stand Vigil?”
One of the seemingly identical guards turned his head to the Princess, bowing his head respectfully.
“Thats me, Your majesty.” He answered, giving a slightly confused tilt of his head as he looked back up at her. “Was there an order I forgot to follow, your majesty?”
“Oh no no no” Twilight shook a hoof reassuringly. “You've both followed your orders admirably. I just would like to ask a few questions which might help me in my study of the changeling.”
Now the confusion was almost painted on the guard´s face. “Questions?” He repeated, only a slight nervous twitch of his tail revealing to his comrade that he remembered their conversation earlier. “What could I add, your majesty?”
“I hear that you were also present during the invasion of Canterlot?” Twilight clarified with a slight tilt of her head.
That did not appear to make things any clearer for the guard. “I was, your Majesty. But... Why is that important?”
“I would just like to hear your opinion on it.” Twilight tried to prod. She wasn't completely certain herself what she was wanting to hear, but perhaps it could clear up her mind.
“My opinion?”
“Like, what did you experience? What did you see of the Changelings?”
Vigil took in Twilight´s question and allowed himself to consider it. He wasn't sure what his princess exactly expected, so he decided to pick whatever popped to mind.
“Well, I was part of a force which was pretty quickly overwhelmed by the bugs. They disarmed us and stuffed some of us into cocoons. I never got to that part, I was simply... glued together with one of my comrades.” he offered.
“What did you notice of the changeling´s behavior?”
“Behavior?”
“Did they appear to have any specific hierarchy?” Twilight clarified.
“Oh... Hmmm.” Vigil thought back. “There was a couple of them who appeared to be clicking more or less at the others. Much like lesser non-commissioned officers in a military force.”
“Did any of them look like they had a mane?” Twilight asked slightly hopefully.
“Hmm...” Vigil brought a hoof to his chin. “Now that you mention it. There was one.”
'Bingo!' Twilight thought. 'I knew Zichti was part of thi-'
“Though it seemed actually rather old.” Vigil added.
Once again, Twilight´s hypothesis was crushed before she even got it out of the gate. “What do you mean it seemed old?”
“Well, it was limping, and was actually supported by two others. Not only that, that mane thing, as you describe it, was pretty flimsy and almost ruined.
“Uh-huh...” Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “What did it do?”
“Well, it appeared to inspect us. Then it coughed quite a bit, and then it hobbled out again.”
Twilight made a very un-princess like groan and dropped her head completely.
Vigil´s eyes widened in slight panic. “I-Im sorry your majesty if that wasn't what you wanted to know-”
“Don't apologize for that, it's alright.” Twilight was quick to clarify. “I just... This doesn't make sense...” Twilight bemoaned. “Why would so many follow along to such an insane plan?”
“Well... If your superior officer gave the order?”
Twilight's head snapped up, attention shifting to the other guard, Sure Guard. “What do you mean?”
The other guard, while slightly uncomfortable by suddenly being questioned by the Princess, but he cleared his throat.
“Well, if it had been us, in the guard, and Princess Celestia had given the order to subdue the entirety of Gryphonstone and occupy the city, we would have done it.” The guard explained.
Twilight blinked in confusion. “What?! Why in all of Equestria would you do that!?”
While taken aback by the raised level of the Princess's voice, Vigil decided to back up his comrade. “We trust the Princess. Whatever she would have planned with such an order must somehow amount up to the best for Equestria.” Vigil clarified.
Twilight's head felt like suddenly a load of cogs were either turning or connecting. She was so close to get some sort of breakthrough here.
“But if that order appears in every way to be wrong?”
“Your majesty. We are guardsponies. We do our duty and follow orders. If we had to consider the moral ramifications of every order we get, considering the limited information we can ever get, the guard could never function.” Sure Guard asserted. “A guard follows without question, and a leader leads without doubt.”
Twilight bit her lower lip to stop herself from bursting at that comment. She didn't come to the guards to argue morality, and she knew if she just exploded in opinions, the likelihood of saying something she had not thought through completely was dangerously high. She just needed more information.
“Did you hear any of the changelings mention the name Facadé?”
Stand Vigil rubbed his chin in thought, before shaking his head. “No, does not ring a bell. The changelings barely spoke a word Equestrian. At least not when I was awake.”
Twilight felt her heart sink slightly along with a small sigh escaping her muzzle.
“Thank you, for your help, guardsponies. Remain at your post.” Twilight weakly commanded, before walking past both of them, onto the stairs leading to the lab, and closing the door behind her.
Stand Vigil and Sure Guard both exchanged a slightly concerned look.
“You think she is okay?” Stand Vigil asked. His comrade only shrugging.
“We can only hope so… I guess studying the thing might be just as hard as fighting it.” Sure Guard offered as his explanation.
“I dont know… I think she´s having it harder. Those things were smart after all. Once they were out in the open, you at least knew which way the bucks are coming from.”
On the other side of the door, the guards’ conversation was nothing more than a muffled mumble to the princess of friendship who had sunk onto her haunches.
And today was supposed to be such a good day.
Twilight didn't know what to do now. The guard had not been any help, and while Spike´s enforced break had been a welcome relief off her shoulders, she was only now right back into the pits of frustration. There was too many unanswered questions, and all the answers lay down in the head of an uncooperative changeling.
Twilight took a deep breath before she ventured back into the laboratory again. She needed to have the right... attitude this time. The correct mindset. A better way of handling this.
Down there was a sentient creature there was no denying that. But it was still dangerous. Too many questions lay unanswered. She would need to get an answer to those to determine whether or not it was to be trusted. One way or another.
Making her way down the steps had never really felt so... jarring before. It was as if she was walking down into a completely different place. Her conscience just made, everything feel off.
She shook her head, she needed to focus to get to the bottom of this.
As the cage came into view, and the form of the restrained changeling forced itself onto her, Twilight felt the distinct pang of cognitive dissonance. She needed to keep it restrained. It was a changeling, it was dangerous, it was a threat to Equestria! But... It was also... A changeling. Something she, really didn't know anything about beyond the invasion, and what she had forcefully dug out of its mind.
Gathering herself and focussing forwards, Twilight stood proudly before the creature again, who still refused to look at her.
“Venerated Zichti. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle.” She announced, pushing her chest forwards to not betray any sort of fear or worry. “I was there during the invasion your kind brought upon our capitol, and I saw the devastation it brought the city.” She spoke slowly, methodically. She tried just as much to convince herself, as the changeling. “A queen of yours brainwashed my brother, kidnapped my sister in law, hurt my teacher, and actually fought my friends… Your invasion was repelled, yet no recorded signs were found of any of your kind, before you were found.”
The changeling´s ears perked up just slightly, and it turned its head just enough to look back into Twilight's eyes with its own iris-less orbs.
This was a good sign, Twilight felt, so she continued.
“Considering Queen Chrysalis admitted she decided and wanted this invasion for the desires of both herself, and your race, this leaves you in the situation of being at best: Considered an accomplice, and at worst: An enemy of the state.”
Nothing. The changeling didn't even blink at her, as Twilight was summing up its situation, it didn't flinch. She didn't want it, but Twilight could feel a small tinge of anger bubble within her again. It didn't make any sense. If it was innocent, why didn't it speak? If it was guilty, why had she seen what she had seen in its head? She could not imagine someone like Chrysalis encourage philosophical discussion.
Shaking her head a moment, Twilight dismissed that train of thought, remembering ‘Queen Facadé’, another question which put a spanner in her theories.
“Now, with all that considered, it is my duty to find out whether or not you are still a threat to Equestria, and considering the last invasion came out of nowhere, the evidence is quite weighted against you, Venerated Zichti.”
Still nothing happened. The changeling refused her yet again… The pattern was repeating.
“And to do that, I will force myself into your mind, if necessary. Your thoughts could hold the secrets to another invasion.” Her words summing up what was going to happen, just as much to convince herself of the good of her action.
“So if you have anything you wish to say. Anything which would acquit you of these charges. Now would be the time to mention them.” Twilight said, her words firm, yet behind the feigned confidence, she really hoped that Zichti would begin to talk. Yet nothing.
She bit her lower lip. The changeling still didn't move or respond. She could not back down. She had to go in again…
“Are you certain you do not want to talk?” She tried one last time.
No response.
She sighed in defeat. Nothing more could be done about it.
“Well… Have it your way then…” She frowned. Her horn lit up again, as the spell prepared, and she towered over the restrained buglike being, ready to dig into its head again, and find something to protect Equestria.
“I better find something better this time…” She mumbled to herself. As she lowered her head, she thought back to the class she had seen in its head. She clenched her eyes shut. No, she could not think back to it. She had to think of this bug as an enemy. Just an enemy…
She couldn't… So she chose another childish way of easing her nerves.
“Besides, your theory about love is bogus.”
“Hey!! That's a ridiculous assertion, You didn't even hear the full extent of my the-”
Twilight’s eyes snapped open, immediately locking eyes with the Changeling who´s eyes grew just as wide as the pony before it, realizing it had just messed up and snapped its jaw closed again.
Thinking she might have found the perfect way to get the changeling talk, Twilight simply glared at the buglike being.
“I don't need to hear the whole thing! You're basing your argument on the point that we can't understand love because we can't quite get a hold of magic, or cannot perfectly understand it. But we do!” Twilight asserted.
“What!?” Zichti almost shouted, inhibitions apparently being thrown away and replaced with frustration. “That is firstly not what I said, secondly, are you seriously claiming you have a perfect understanding of magic!?”
Twilight smirked. “Of course we know what magic is. It is an energy, a field, something which exists around us constantly. Something which we, via will or something intrinsic inside of us, can draw upon to fuel different powers.” Twilight asserted confidently. All her years of studying the practice of magic was surging back into her mind, as the argument began.
“So, according to you, magic is a clear materialistic substance, which contains some kind of substantial existance somewhere?” The Changeling clarified.
“Exactly.” Twilight declared. “After all, magic can be experimented with, tested, changed, create new spells, it must be a material thing in order for material beings to completely interact with it.”
“But then what about friendship?”
“What?” That question felt a bit off and out of nowhere for Twilight, but the Changeling seemed intent on continuing.
“There is a saying, which you as Princess of Friendship, has proven on multiple occasions.” Zichti started, sitting itself upwards, grunting a moment as it was hard moving inside the straightjacket. “The idea that ‘Friendship is Magic’. We just clarified, that magic was material, and that it was something which could be directly experimented with. But if friendship also is magic, which you have shown with your defeat of Nightmare Moon and Discord, then should we assume that friendship also is a materialistic entity?”
Twilight blinked for a few moments, taking in the words of the Changeling. “I,..” She began, but Zichti interrupted her.
“Is Friendship, a metaphysically, and normatively, separate material entity, like your definition of magic, Twilight Sparkle?”
“I… Guess it would be.” Twilight said, deciding to bite the bullet on this one.
“So, by this definition. A magic spell, which would forcefully make you, my friend, would hold the same weight, as a friendship you had gained through interaction?”
Now that, struck a nerve.
“What?! No! I… How even… That's a logical fallacy!-”
“Twilight?”
“-You cannot simply go from questioning the metaphysical existence of love, to suddenly comparing coercion to voluntary action!-”
“Uhm… Twilight?”
“-I was saying that magic was a thing you could achieve in an internalistic way as well, and the same rules apply to friendship, and making the internalistic, voluntary and non coercive way a superior, and more reasonable explanation for the-”
“TWILIGHT!”
Finally the voice of her number one assistant forced itself into her reality, making her turn her head aside, seeing the dragon besides her again, but this time he was looking at her with eyes as wide as dumbbells.
“Why are you shouting at the changeling?... It was just clicking at you…”
Author's Note
This, was a long time in stasis, and I only hope you´re all going to be entertained by this!
Please feel free to comment any suggestions, complaints, or feelings you happen to get from the chapter. This story is made both for me, and for you all.
See you the next time!
