Why Humans Shouldn't be Allowed in Equestria

She said 'no'. I didn't think it was possible. I finished pushing my way past the other ponies and took a place next to Sangria, staring down Aranea.

“Nohbodi!” She exclaimed.

“Aranea.” I stated. Flatly. Coldly.

She ran up to embrace me. I reflexively put an arm around Sangria's slender shoulder. She screeched to a halt in her tracks before contact. Tears welled in her eyes. “Y-You would replace me to easily?”

“Easily? Like you haven't done the same. You got what you wanted out of me, what else do you want?” Various changelings in pony guise moved forward out of the crowd, surrounding us.

“You... have a new marefriend already?” You can't lie to a changeling, even one that you know. Especially one that knows you.

I stalled, lowering my head slightly, and loosened my grip on Sangria. “No...” I looked up and restored my hold. “But given the choice...” Sangria looked up at me. She blurred the line between happy and sad with that look. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and I redirected my glare at Aranea. “Why don't you tell everyone what the you already know? Why don't you tell them how you-”

“Wait!” Sangria stopped my tirade. I looked at her while she gently took my hand, and moved it from her shoulder, holding it in hers as she looked into my eyes. “Listen to her words. There is more than you may know to the story.”

“You're under her control, aren't you? How can I sa-”

“No.” She tightened her grip. “She has not stripped any changeling of their will, inclusive of myself. I am free. What she has 'done to me' is given knowledge. Listen to her.”

She was right. Aranea must've given her her side of the story with those pheromones. There was something here I didn't know. I didn't want to admit it. In fact, I refused to admit it to myself. Sangria gave me a pleading look. Even with hating to deal with it, I relented. We would have to have some kind of talk. I'd let her talk, but it wouldn't be some blind devotion. I pulled my hand from Sangria's and began walking away. “If it's that important, go to the usual place. If it's for real, you know what I mean.”

I showed up at the cafe where the changelings had been meeting, not that it was hidden after all. I walked right up to the keeper. “This is important. Don't let anyone else in the back but me, Sangria, and Aranea. I'll explain everything later.”

“Sorry, but that's against the rules. We don't turn folks away here.” Damn.

Sangria was close on my heels. She barged in little more than a minute after me. She saw me standing there next to the future barkeep. Potential future barkeep, if he didn't keep pissing me off. She walked up to him and stared. There weren't any words exchanged, she did it the changeling way. His eyes widened at the realization of what this would mean. “Alright, alright. Just because it's this important.” He opened the basement door, useless as it was to have a hidden place now.

“You didn't know about Shining watching everyone?”

“I know. In fact I was, ah, one of the ones who outed myself. The royal couple paid for the building.”

“The other changelings know about that?”

“Ehhh... No, they don't. Most of them anyway. Please, it provides for my family!” If it was anything other than this, he'd be in deep shit.

“Get us a pot of coffee. This' gonna take a while.” He jumped to the order, less for the money as for the idea that Sangria and I could turn most of the changelings against him. This was getting to be too much. It didn't take a changeling to figure out that the guy that magic can't touch was stressed out beyond measure.

He dropped off the pot and three cups. As soon as he was paid he went back up in a hurry, locking the door behind him. “She's got an hour to show, if that much.” I told Sangria.

It had been about fifteen minutes. It was spent in silence. I liked Sangria, I really did. But we both knew that that one night was a product of circumstance. I liked the idea of being with her, and I'm pretty sure she did the same. Still, things were about to change, and neither of us knew how much they would.

* Click *

The door opened again, and Aranea clipped down the stairs to join us. The door locked again behind her, with a glimpse of other ponies looking inward. Every one of the other changelings, and probably a few ponies, were waiting for the outcome. She reached the bottom and faced us both. That's when I noticed it. The changelings must've seen it immediately, but their expressions were the same as the rest of the crowd, if only for a different reason. The holes were back, and they were bad.

She was starving.