If Fear Divides, Courage Unitesby SoloBronyChaptersSupporting MeReminding MePushing MeSupporting YouWelcoming MeSupporting MeI can't do this. Can I? I can't do this. I'm not cut out for this. Couldn't Twilight have found somebody better? Anypony looking on the scene would have seen a dark-blue earth pony with a black mane fidgeting nervously and pacing outside of the Ponyville Elementary schoolhouse. That'd be mostly accurate, except I'm actually a changeling. I had a standard pony 'disguise' I used – though I couldn't keep the disguise up for long periods – when I didn't want to draw attention to that fact, but yeah. Changeling. A changeling about to go speak with a bunch of pony foals. I could just imagine the Ponyville residents' reaction to finding out that I'd done this. I imagined pitchforks, torches, and an angry mob – though I also imagined angry parents giving me a stern talking-to, and I wasn't sure which was worse. Imagine the headline. 'Monster Stalks Our Youth!', et ceterAHHHH! The schoolhouse door opened, startling me; I leapt up in the air, and almost dropped my disguise on the spot. Pretty embarrassing, since it was just Cheerilee, but that's nerves for you. "Saro-Terrent? They're ready for you inside..." Cheerilee looked vaguely concerned at my reaction, but didn't say anything; she's tactful like that. "Ah, er, right. Yeah, sorry about that, I'm just, uhhhhhh..." She didn't say anything, so I had to go and do it instead. Ugh! I smacked my face with my hoof and groaned. She put on a sympathetic smile and tried to reassure me. "It can be scary talking in front of a bunch of foals your first time. Just, try to take it a step at a time, okay? Remember, they're just like any other ponies, except smaller." I imagined smaller pitchforks and torches. "Right." I nodded and put on a winning, confident smile. "No problem." "Are... are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out." Or maybe a losing grimace. My face is being insubordinate! "Y-yeah. Yeah... no, not really. I, uh... I don't really do public speaking." Cheerilee cocked her head, looking vaguely confused. "But, don't you run the local changeling-pony cultural exchange events?" I paused for a second, my anxiety stepping aside for a moment of realization. "Oh. Uh... yeah, I do." "And... you speak publicly to the entire exchange group at those little get-togethers, right? That's even more ponies – er, people – than my class!" "That's, uh... true, yeah." Cheerilee smirked at me. I could only sheepishly grin back; I found the whole thing pretty embarrassing. That having been said, though, at least she wasn't as nervous as she had been when I had first arrived; at first, she seemed to half-expect me to jump out and bite her. She finally rolled her eyes and spoke further. "I guess it's a little different, but try to think of it as the other side of the same thing. You tell changelings about ponies all the time; I think that's why Princess Twilight picked you for this." "Yeah, but ponies are scary!" I immediately put a hoof on my mouth after I said that. It had just slipped out. What followed was a bit of awkward silence as Cheerilee stared at me in concern. Uhh... whoops. Way to be tolerant and culturally integrated, jackass. I feebly waved the hoof at her while stammering an apology, and then just planted my hoof on my face again. Cheerilee just shook her head with a somewhat amused smirk, and gestured for me to follow her inside. Might as well get it over with. Ugh, this is why I can't do public speaking! I haven't even started yet and I already made an idiot of myself. 'Scary'?! They're not any scarier than changelings are! My thoughts suddenly went to the incredible magical displays I had occasionally seen Twilight pull off, for various reasons. And the giant sound-barrier-shattering rainboom I'd seen. Or that time I'd watched a pegasus shatter a boulder – with her face. I mean, a third of them have horns on their heads! I paused for a moment. Wait. WE have horns on our heads. Ooooh, that's why ponies are scared of us. I almost had time to reflect on the depth of that epiphany when I realized that I had mindlessly followed Cheerilee into her classroom, and she was in the process of introducing me. Dozens of big, curious eyes stared at me from behind their desks. Big, curious, terrifying eyes. "Class, please welcome Saro-Terrent. He's here to tell us about changelings!" I tried to smile at the class and wave a hoof, but my facial insubordination was still an issue. "H-hey, uh, nymphs – or, er, foals? Uhh, my name is Saro-Terrent – wait you already know that – and, um, I wanted to go ahead and tell you a few things, maybe answer some... questions?" HELLO KIDS I'M A MONSTER The kids looked at me curiously, and I realized they were waiting for me to continue. WHY YES OF COURSE I CAME PREPARED IT'S JUST THAT I FORGOT LITERALLY EVERYTHING Cheerilee piped in, saving me from my own awkward silence. "Terrent here is actually a changeling. Now, I know he may look like a pony, but changelings have the special power to transform, allowing them to disguise themselves as any pony they see!" I stammered a bit, and then looked at her. She gave a subtle wave at me with her hoof, as if to say 'come on'. I gulped hard. "Y-yeah, that's right! Well, sort-of, I mean, transformation is a skill, uh, kinda like moving stuff with magic for unicorns? I mean, all of us can transformbutsomeofus aren't very good at it." I panted a bit, having suddenly broken into a very fast speech. One of the foals in front raised a hoof. I tried to look at them without making eye contact. "Yes?" "Mister Terrent, could you show us what you really look like?" Their request was met with a flurry of approval and encouragement from the rest of the class. I had planned to show them my true form all along, of course, but now I hesitated; I imagined all of them screaming in terror and fleeing from the classroom, no doubt to find the nearest godlike unicorn, unstoppable pegasus, or literal pony god to come here and smite me for daring to be near their foals. So basically I froze. I stuttered a bit and shuffled, and almost bolted for the door when I felt something tug back on me. It felt like warm water flowing through me on a cold day, and it filled me with confidence. I took a few deep breaths, and I felt my heart rate calm down. It took me a few seconds to glance at Cheerilee and realize what was happening. She's giving me love? I took a moment to reflect on the kind-hearted and generous nature of the schoolteacher before looking back to the class. "Sure. Uh, I'll be black, and kinda like a bug, and I'll have a horn, okay? So, uh... don't freak out. Oh, and I have fangs." Cheerilee smirked and commented, "Don't forget the blue eyes." "Right." The foal in the front gave me a skeptical scowl. "You're just messing with us." I put on my most cocksure grin, and – aided by knowing someone had my back when the inevitable angry mob came – I let my disguise down in a flash of green fire. Reminding MeI can't believe that worked out so well. I mean, overall. I buzzed along down the road, gently rubbing my sore fang. One of the foals had to be told that, despite the intimidating appearance of their fangs, changelings don't like getting hit in the teeth any more than any other pony. Cheerilee just about lost it, heh. Like it's her fault. Besides, I can't blame the kid. I find it weird that they're so tender. Construction changelings are trained to use them to split stones, but hit them the wrong way, and— I suddenly realized where my wings had taken me. I landed on the ground, and took a moment to look at the half-finished house. ... I don't want to be here. I don't want to deal with this. I almost set off for home, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I just stood there, staring at the house like some kind of idiot for a while. Then I walked a circle around it, inspecting it for any rain damage or issues brought about by my neglecting it for a week, but it was fine. I knew I needed to finish it. There were changelings that could use it. That's what we had wanted. I eventually went over to the material shed and picked up a board. I carried it over to the house, but I hesitated again. Because, yeah, that's what construction changelings are trained to do, see, we just stare at houses. Stare at'em until they build themselves. Yep. Well, we're not actually trained to build with wood very often in the hive, but... whatever. Damn it... this isn't that hard! I gracelessly slammed the board into place, and proceeded to jet-spray green goop all over it with my mouth – which probably would have looked like vomiting to any ponies nearby, especially because I did it very sloppily. What I ended up with was a giant blob of goop on the bottom of the board, and almost nothing securing it to the roof. I almost couldn't believe I'd screwed it up so badly, but I began spreading the paste all over the board anyway. Heh, I remember showing him how to do this properly. Now look at me, acting like a complete amateur. Normally, I found this kind of work relaxing; this time, it just made me feel increasingly tense. It seemed like my hoof on the board was the only sound in the entire town. Somehow, it didn't feel like I was building something; the action felt foreign, like I was doing something I'd never done before, and my hooves were clumsy to the unfamiliar task. It felt wrong to work on the house again, as though I were defiling a grave – which wasn't too far off the mark, I guess. 'Confidence is often the greatest difference between a novice and a master. The truth of this can be seen when a master's confidence falters, and – just for a moment – they stumble about as a novice.' I stiffened as my friend's commentary came back to me. He had said that to me just after we had started working on the house, in response to my comment that construction was simple, but it intimidated people. He may have been a changeling, but he was born to be an over-eloquent Canterlot snob. Heh. I slowly walked away from the house. I wasn't going to deal with this right now. I wasn't going to listen to his voice in my head while I worked, no matter how accurate his smug comments were. Hell, as sloppy as I was being, we might end up with another accident. No. I just headed straight home, tuning the world out around me as I flew. Pushing MeSleep can work wonders when you're stressed. There's nothing like a nice, long rest to really give you perspective on things. Or you can have nightmares and wake up over and over again, and eventually drag yourself out of bed even less at ease than when you went to bed. Which is what I did. I knew I should have tried to wind down before crashing last night. I glared at the boiling pot of spinach on the stove as I fastened my lacy , pink apron (it was a gift, okay?) and idly considered my self-worth. I felt bad about having gotten up so late, but it wasn't like I had anything to do today. I definitely wasn't going to work on the house again. No way. The next cultural exchange group will be here in a couple of days. Maybe I could do something special for them this time. I frowned, realizing the irony of my situation. Just yesterday, my fear of ponies had nearly made me choke in front of a classroom of foals – supposedly, though I didn't really believe it, the least threatening of ponies. There's just no way around it. I don't trust ponies. Hell, I don't even trust other changelings, come to think of it, and yet I'm the one welcoming them here, telling them, oh yeah, come to Ponyville, it's the most welcoming place there is. Hrn. It wasn't that I didn't honestly believe that. The ponies had never given me any trouble – despite my agonizing, constant concern that there would be an angry mob on my doorstep any day now. I guess it's just, Pinkie aside, I never felt welcomed here. Wanted. 'If one holds themselves in disdain, they will be blind to the respect paid to them by others.' I smacked my face with a hoof, remembering more of my old friend's words. It wasn't enough for me to dwell on it when I was trying to work on the house, oh no, now I was going to obsess over it at home. Just perfect. I sighed, stirring the pot again. As I stared at the boiling water, I slowly came to realize something. I guess that's why I took to welcoming changelings to Ponyville. It started with Twilight asking me to, but I found I actually liked it. This must be why. Yeah, that's it! I smacked one hoof into the other in a gesture of determination, starting to grin like a madpony. No one else is going to feel like they're not wanted here! I'm going to make sure that they have the—AAAAH WHAT THE HECK SOMEONE'S AT THE DOOR OH GOD THE WATER IT BURNS AHHHHHHHH I had nearly jumped out of my carapace at the sound of someone knocking on my front door, and ended up with scalding water on my hoof for my trouble. I stumbled around blowing on it as I tried to rapidly clean up the living room a bit. "Coming, coming!" Someone's here! No one ever comes to visit me here OH MY GOD IT'S THE MOB THEY'VE FINALLY COME FOR ME no wait that's stupid it's probably just Twilight or something I NEED TO CALM DOWN I really needed to calm down. So, I finally worked my way to the door, and spent a couple of seconds getting my breathing under control. Once I felt like I wouldn't make a scene, I forced the biggest smile on my face that I could, and I reached to open the door, when loud knocks suddenly rang out from it, forcing me back a step as I flattened my ears to dampen the sudden noise. "Open up, changeling! I know you're in there!" I stared at the door in horror for a few seconds, before some other feeling took hold of me. My face felt strangely rigid as I slowly opened the door. On the other side was a lime-green mare with a white mane, who seemed almost surprised that I had opened the door. Her eyes drifted to my apron, and we just stared at each other in silence for a few moments. I shifted uneasily, not sure what to do in this situation, and finally broke the silence. "Uhh... did you need something?" She seemed to jerk back to reality and glared at me. "My daughter told me that you went to her classroom yesterday." Oh crap oh crap it's actually an angry mob or at least one pony is a single pony a mob oh crap "U-uh, y-yeah that's true I did." Her face suddenly took on a kind of awful smile. It reminded me of something – I wasn't quite sure what, but something bad. "And so you think that's okay, do you?" "W-well, I'd been asked to—" "It's not, you hear me? You had better stay away from my foals! " I stared at her for a few moments. The fear was still there, but that other emotion was back. Almost like... curiosity. "Because I'm a changeling?" She seemed taken aback. I guess I was a little blank-faced; she must have expected more of a reaction. "You, uh, you know why!" "No, that's why I'm asking. Is it because I'm a changeling?" "Your people invaded Canterlot!" I honestly wasn't sure what to make of her behavior. One minute, she seemed almost happy, now she seemed really uncertain. Something about the whole situation really bothered me. "So I guess that's a 'yes'. Does that mean... does that mean you're going to act like this towards every changeling who comes into Ponyville?" I said the last part very slowly and deliberately, and I started to realize what was bugging me. "Hey! This is my home, you can't tell me how to—" "Actually, this—" I tapped on the doorframe meaningfully "—is my home. And you know what? Princess Twilight asked me to give that talk at the school yesterday. So if you have something to complain about, why don't you go to her, and maybe while you're at it you can ask her to sort out your stupid attitude!" I slammed the door and locked it, and then staggered away, a bit in a daze. You know how in stories, when a timid character gets aggressive, they feel all accomplished? That didn't happen. I actually just went downstairs into my bedroom-basement, laid down, and pretty much just went back and forth between 'Oh no what did I just do they're going to kick me out of the town' and 'Where did that even come from? That wasn't like me at all.' At least, that's how it went until I realized it had been an hour and my stew was ruined. Supporting YouI kept up my prancing and whistling routine all through the town. I got a few odd looks, but hey, if they're going to hate me, they're going to hate me, right? Not much I could do about that. I only stopped when I rounded the last corner to the house and saw an older, salt-and-pepper grey pony standing there, staring at it. Uh oh. Why are they just... standing there? The way the pony was staring at the house was almost uncanny. It was like he was transfixed. Wait, maybe he's here to destroy it?! Maybe he's one of those anti-exchange ponies who's here to make sure changelings don't have a place to stay in Equestria! OR MAYBE HE'S A CHANGELING INFILTRATOR AND HE REJECTS THE EXCHANGE TREATY AND CAME ALL OF THIS WAY TO— I took a step back, and then it occurred to me that I really had no idea what was going on, causing me to stop. Okay. Okay. What would I do if I were a suave changeling infiltrator? I ran over the scenario in my mind. First, I'd take some unassuming pony disguise, and I'd calmly walk up beside him, surveying the house as though it interested me, too. Then I'd have to say something witty, like out of a book or something, like 'you know it isn't for sale, right?' Then, I'd figure out his intentions from there. Heck, I could pretend to be anti-changeling too, in case he leans that way. Yeah, that's totally how an infiltrator would handle this! Okay, I'll do that! I did my best to calmly – suavely – strut up beside the pony and look at the structure. He looked over at me in confusion, and I just gave him my best cocky grin. "You know it's for sale, right?" He frowned, looking at the house. "Oh... is it?" "Huh? Oh, wait, no! I mean it isn't for sale!" I suddenly realized that I wasn't even in disguise. And that, dear nymphs, is why uncle Terrent will never, ever make it as an infiltrator. The pony glanced back to me, their frown disappearing. "Oh, that's good to hear. It's supposed to be a... halfway house, right? For changelings?" My brain went into overdrive trying to come up with the best-possible, most-suave-possible response that could tell me his intentions without revealing the critical data he was requesting. "Uhh... yes?" Damnit! "Oh, good. So this is the right place. I'm Cooke, by the way. I, uh, take it that you're Terrent?" The pony proffered his hoof to me. I stared at it, remembering all of the things Krittith had told me about this pony; he would often go on about what a brilliant historian Cooke was, and how great their talks were. He would talk about the years undercover at Canterlot University, when their friendship was the only thing keeping him sane. All of those talks were tinged with just a bit of sadness at how it all turned out. Because Cooke was the reason Krittith had to leave Canterlot. It was Cooke's group of faculty that tried to block the Cultural Exchange Treaty. It was Cooke that Krittith had been hoping to reveal his secret to – and it was Cooke that had precluded that by spearheading a group stating that changelings shouldn't be welcome in Equestria. Well. What do you know. He actually is one of those anti-exchange ponies, after all. He slowly lowered his hoof, and glanced away from me. He spoke again, his tone sombre. "I'm sorry. Look, if you'd rather that I—" "Why are you here?" "... To help finish this place. It's what Krittith wanted it used for, right?" I studied the ground for a few moments, contemplating. As angry as I wanted to be, I couldn't justify it. I knew Krittith for a few weeks. This pony... he knew him for years. Besides, it's not like I don't understand what it's like to be afraid of someone just because they're different. When I looked up, he was looking me in the eyes again. "I'd like to help you finish this place... and maybe talk about him, if you'd like that." I hadn't been able to finish the house. Part of it was that Krittith and I had always worked together on it; his voice made the work go by so much easier. I hated working alone. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice." And so we got to work, building something to honor Krittith's dream of ponies and changelings being friends – and also the house. ~FIN Bonus: "Ah, man! I didn't realize it was that late. I'll have to stop for now, Cheerilee was expecting me for dinner." Cooke quirked an eyebrow at me. "Oh? You've got a date?" "Don't be silly. She just asked me to din—" Wait. Wait... Oooooh. Oooooh. "... Oh." WAIT WHAT HOW DID THIS HAPPEN WHAT Cooke facehoofed. Now I knew what it was like to be on the outside looking in. "Terrent... I'll help you find something to wear." Author's Note Cheerilee wasn't ever nervous because Terrent was a changeling. It was... somethin' else. Hope you enjoyed this madness. If so, you may want to check out the rest of the Iqqelverse by clicking here, in which this story is set. There's more about Cooke, Krittith, and Terrent in there! Welcoming MeWhat would you do after a colossal screw-up like that? I'll tell you what I did. I went to a restaurant in town. Not like my breakfast was going to fix itself. I didn't have the patience to try again, and to be honest, part of me also wanted to show my face around town. I guess I was still a little worked-up, though I wasn't sure why I was really upset in the first place. I was kind-of hoping that the mare from earlier would turn up. So I could apologize to her for my outburst. I felt really bad about that. So that's where I was; sitting at a restaurant, digging into an 'Apple fritter' (why did they capitalize that?), and feeling the strangest mixture of guilt and defiance. But mostly hunger. I heard a snicker from behind me, and almost jumped out of my seat. "Good choice. Those things are always made with love." Cheerilee walked around me and gestured at the seat across from me. I desperately tried to wipe sugar off of my face with a napkin while frantically gesturing at her to be seated and making a few vague noises of desperate assent. PONIES DO NOT HAVE WORDS FOR THIS KIND OF EMBARRASSMENT But changelings do! Iunsectan; literally I want to scurry away into a dark corner like a bug. That pretty much nailed how I felt. It was just magnified when Cheerilee chuckled as she sat down. After I finished wiping off my face, I finally got around to processing her joke, and promptly planted my hoof between my eyes, smirking. I'm going to end up bruising my face if I keep this up. "Changelings eat normal food too, y'know." Cheerilee chuckled nervously. "I know, I know." A waiter came by, and Cheerilee placed an order for a daisy sandwich, indicating she would be staying awhile. I set my hoof down on the table and tried my best to look friendly, despite my nerves. She kept up her nervous little smile, and then gestured to the town as she spoke. "You, ah, don't really come into town often, right? It's nice seeing you here." "Oh, uh, you think so? Yeah, I tend to avoid it..." She's trying to be polite; I can tell I'm making her nervous. I bet she just wants me to stop— "Well, you shouldn't! I think it's good for ponies to see you around here." THESE PONIES MAKE NO SENSE "So, uh... you want me to come around more?" She paused for a second, almost like she was embarrassed, and then nodded. "You should. I was thinking—well, you should know that Mint stopped by my office today." "Mint?" Cheerilee tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah. Green pony with a white mane? She said she spoke to you..." Oh. Oh. "... Oh." Cheerilee seemed unaware of my rising sense of dread, and simply continued on, idly nodding at the waiter as he brought her food. "She was very upset, but I've dealt with upset parents before. You don't need to worry." "Oh. Thank you, I was really worried that I'd created a problem." Cheerilee shook her head, smiling brightly. "It's not like it was your idea to come to the school – you didn't even want to be there! I stand by my decision, anyway. If changelings and ponies are going to get along, we need to understand each other; I'm not going to let some paranoid pony make you feel unwelcome." I flinched. "Wait... you didn't chew her out, did you?" Cheerilee paused, and glanced away. The gesture struck me as... sheepish? Embarassed? "I may have gotten a little heated, if that's what you mean, but it was professional. I just wanted to make her understand how her behavior was causing problems." I rubbed one of my temples with my hoof, feeling a conflict between emotions of pity, vindication, and guilt. "Maybe, but... I kinda wish you hadn't. I mean, it wasn't her fault. She's just scared." I looked at Cheerilee, conflicted. To my surprise, she just put on a small smile and shook her head lightly. "That's charitable of you, Terrent, but I've had issues with that mare before. I think she just thought you were an easy target." I thought back to that weird look on Mint's face, and I started to realize where I remembered it from – and it reminded me of why I didn't go back to the hive. "Oh. So that's how it is." We spent a short while in silence, eating. About halfway through her sandwich, Cheerilee set it back down on her plate and looked up at me. "Mint said that you told her it was Twilight's idea for you to come speak at the school. That's not the whole story." I ate the last of my Apple fritter and listened intently. "The idea actually originally came from... from your roommate. Krittith." "... of course it did." I looked down at the table, smirking as Cheerilee continued on. "Twilight liked the idea, so we set it up. I mean, he was a college professor – or, I mean, he acted as one for years. It seemed natural for him to do something pedagogical..." I glanced up to see why Cheerilee had trailed off, and I could clearly see she was fidgeting and frowning a bit, glancing around. I still make her really uneasy, I guess. "Yeah, that was Krittith, alright. He was always rattling off some proverb or other. I remember him saying something about how 'relationships are built on understanding, so ponies and changelings need to understand each other'. Didn't think he meant it so literally, heh." Cheerilee smiled, though I could see by her furrowed brow that her tension wasn't gone. "Yeah. I, uh... I worried that it was a bit inconsiderate of Twilight to ask you to take his place, but you did a very good job." I thought back to the exuberant, inquisitive foals. Sure, I got poked and prodded a good bit, but they seemed genuinely interested. "I guess. Really, it seems like they do a good job teaching themselves; I was just there to answer their questions." Cheerilee went quiet for a moment, staring at me with a contemplative expression. I immediately started to worry that I had offended her somehow. "That's a good way to look at it. You know, Krittith always used to come around town; you should do it, too. That way, at least you're here to answer questions, right?" She grinned at me, and I leaned back and thought about it. "Well, I want the other changelings to feel welcome here. Despite everything that's happened, I feel like this is a good place for anyone to live, and I want them to know that their presence is appreciated. I guess if hanging out around town could do that, then..." Oh crap that means hanging around a whole bunch of ponies who may form an angry mob or use me for target practice. Wait, no, that's silly. They wouldn't do that, I've never even seen them do target-practice. Except that one pegasus. With her face. "Then?" Cheerilee had leaned forward, and was watching me expectantly. "Then... I suppose I'll give it a try?" "Good! I'm really glad to hear that. There's a festival coming up soon, and I'm one of the organizers – maybe you could get involved!" "Hey, maybe so. That sounds nice." I contemplated for a few more moments, and then I set my bits down on the table. My food was finished, and hers was nearly so. She seemed a little surprised, for some reason. "I should go get to work on the house. I've let it sit for too long." Her expression dropped a bit, and her voice was tinged with sympathy. "Ah, the house you two were working on together, right? That must be hard." I hesitated there for a few moments, but I was really sure what to say. I finally just settled on mumbling 'yeah' and turning to leave. "Oh, Terrent. Before you go, uh..." I glanced back at her, and I suddenly felt nervous. She looks nervous. Why is she nervous? Should I be nervous? What's going on? Did she leave off the 'bad news' until the end? She cleared her throat, glancing around, and then she locked eyes with me. Oh no, oh no, oh no, what is it? "Terrent, I was wondering if you would like to get dinner with me this evening?" "Oh. Sure, that sounds great. See you later!" I began to trot off, relief flowing over me. Huh. That wasn't so bad. I mean, eating with her again sounds nice. She's good company. Wonder why she was so nervous? Eh. Probably because I'm annoying or something. I whistled a little tune as I walked the long path through town that led to the house.
Supporting MeI can't do this. Can I? I can't do this. I'm not cut out for this. Couldn't Twilight have found somebody better? Anypony looking on the scene would have seen a dark-blue earth pony with a black mane fidgeting nervously and pacing outside of the Ponyville Elementary schoolhouse. That'd be mostly accurate, except I'm actually a changeling. I had a standard pony 'disguise' I used – though I couldn't keep the disguise up for long periods – when I didn't want to draw attention to that fact, but yeah. Changeling. A changeling about to go speak with a bunch of pony foals. I could just imagine the Ponyville residents' reaction to finding out that I'd done this. I imagined pitchforks, torches, and an angry mob – though I also imagined angry parents giving me a stern talking-to, and I wasn't sure which was worse. Imagine the headline. 'Monster Stalks Our Youth!', et ceterAHHHH! The schoolhouse door opened, startling me; I leapt up in the air, and almost dropped my disguise on the spot. Pretty embarrassing, since it was just Cheerilee, but that's nerves for you. "Saro-Terrent? They're ready for you inside..." Cheerilee looked vaguely concerned at my reaction, but didn't say anything; she's tactful like that. "Ah, er, right. Yeah, sorry about that, I'm just, uhhhhhh..." She didn't say anything, so I had to go and do it instead. Ugh! I smacked my face with my hoof and groaned. She put on a sympathetic smile and tried to reassure me. "It can be scary talking in front of a bunch of foals your first time. Just, try to take it a step at a time, okay? Remember, they're just like any other ponies, except smaller." I imagined smaller pitchforks and torches. "Right." I nodded and put on a winning, confident smile. "No problem." "Are... are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out." Or maybe a losing grimace. My face is being insubordinate! "Y-yeah. Yeah... no, not really. I, uh... I don't really do public speaking." Cheerilee cocked her head, looking vaguely confused. "But, don't you run the local changeling-pony cultural exchange events?" I paused for a second, my anxiety stepping aside for a moment of realization. "Oh. Uh... yeah, I do." "And... you speak publicly to the entire exchange group at those little get-togethers, right? That's even more ponies – er, people – than my class!" "That's, uh... true, yeah." Cheerilee smirked at me. I could only sheepishly grin back; I found the whole thing pretty embarrassing. That having been said, though, at least she wasn't as nervous as she had been when I had first arrived; at first, she seemed to half-expect me to jump out and bite her. She finally rolled her eyes and spoke further. "I guess it's a little different, but try to think of it as the other side of the same thing. You tell changelings about ponies all the time; I think that's why Princess Twilight picked you for this." "Yeah, but ponies are scary!" I immediately put a hoof on my mouth after I said that. It had just slipped out. What followed was a bit of awkward silence as Cheerilee stared at me in concern. Uhh... whoops. Way to be tolerant and culturally integrated, jackass. I feebly waved the hoof at her while stammering an apology, and then just planted my hoof on my face again. Cheerilee just shook her head with a somewhat amused smirk, and gestured for me to follow her inside. Might as well get it over with. Ugh, this is why I can't do public speaking! I haven't even started yet and I already made an idiot of myself. 'Scary'?! They're not any scarier than changelings are! My thoughts suddenly went to the incredible magical displays I had occasionally seen Twilight pull off, for various reasons. And the giant sound-barrier-shattering rainboom I'd seen. Or that time I'd watched a pegasus shatter a boulder – with her face. I mean, a third of them have horns on their heads! I paused for a moment. Wait. WE have horns on our heads. Ooooh, that's why ponies are scared of us. I almost had time to reflect on the depth of that epiphany when I realized that I had mindlessly followed Cheerilee into her classroom, and she was in the process of introducing me. Dozens of big, curious eyes stared at me from behind their desks. Big, curious, terrifying eyes. "Class, please welcome Saro-Terrent. He's here to tell us about changelings!" I tried to smile at the class and wave a hoof, but my facial insubordination was still an issue. "H-hey, uh, nymphs – or, er, foals? Uhh, my name is Saro-Terrent – wait you already know that – and, um, I wanted to go ahead and tell you a few things, maybe answer some... questions?" HELLO KIDS I'M A MONSTER The kids looked at me curiously, and I realized they were waiting for me to continue. WHY YES OF COURSE I CAME PREPARED IT'S JUST THAT I FORGOT LITERALLY EVERYTHING Cheerilee piped in, saving me from my own awkward silence. "Terrent here is actually a changeling. Now, I know he may look like a pony, but changelings have the special power to transform, allowing them to disguise themselves as any pony they see!" I stammered a bit, and then looked at her. She gave a subtle wave at me with her hoof, as if to say 'come on'. I gulped hard. "Y-yeah, that's right! Well, sort-of, I mean, transformation is a skill, uh, kinda like moving stuff with magic for unicorns? I mean, all of us can transformbutsomeofus aren't very good at it." I panted a bit, having suddenly broken into a very fast speech. One of the foals in front raised a hoof. I tried to look at them without making eye contact. "Yes?" "Mister Terrent, could you show us what you really look like?" Their request was met with a flurry of approval and encouragement from the rest of the class. I had planned to show them my true form all along, of course, but now I hesitated; I imagined all of them screaming in terror and fleeing from the classroom, no doubt to find the nearest godlike unicorn, unstoppable pegasus, or literal pony god to come here and smite me for daring to be near their foals. So basically I froze. I stuttered a bit and shuffled, and almost bolted for the door when I felt something tug back on me. It felt like warm water flowing through me on a cold day, and it filled me with confidence. I took a few deep breaths, and I felt my heart rate calm down. It took me a few seconds to glance at Cheerilee and realize what was happening. She's giving me love? I took a moment to reflect on the kind-hearted and generous nature of the schoolteacher before looking back to the class. "Sure. Uh, I'll be black, and kinda like a bug, and I'll have a horn, okay? So, uh... don't freak out. Oh, and I have fangs." Cheerilee smirked and commented, "Don't forget the blue eyes." "Right." The foal in the front gave me a skeptical scowl. "You're just messing with us." I put on my most cocksure grin, and – aided by knowing someone had my back when the inevitable angry mob came – I let my disguise down in a flash of green fire.
Reminding MeI can't believe that worked out so well. I mean, overall. I buzzed along down the road, gently rubbing my sore fang. One of the foals had to be told that, despite the intimidating appearance of their fangs, changelings don't like getting hit in the teeth any more than any other pony. Cheerilee just about lost it, heh. Like it's her fault. Besides, I can't blame the kid. I find it weird that they're so tender. Construction changelings are trained to use them to split stones, but hit them the wrong way, and— I suddenly realized where my wings had taken me. I landed on the ground, and took a moment to look at the half-finished house. ... I don't want to be here. I don't want to deal with this. I almost set off for home, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I just stood there, staring at the house like some kind of idiot for a while. Then I walked a circle around it, inspecting it for any rain damage or issues brought about by my neglecting it for a week, but it was fine. I knew I needed to finish it. There were changelings that could use it. That's what we had wanted. I eventually went over to the material shed and picked up a board. I carried it over to the house, but I hesitated again. Because, yeah, that's what construction changelings are trained to do, see, we just stare at houses. Stare at'em until they build themselves. Yep. Well, we're not actually trained to build with wood very often in the hive, but... whatever. Damn it... this isn't that hard! I gracelessly slammed the board into place, and proceeded to jet-spray green goop all over it with my mouth – which probably would have looked like vomiting to any ponies nearby, especially because I did it very sloppily. What I ended up with was a giant blob of goop on the bottom of the board, and almost nothing securing it to the roof. I almost couldn't believe I'd screwed it up so badly, but I began spreading the paste all over the board anyway. Heh, I remember showing him how to do this properly. Now look at me, acting like a complete amateur. Normally, I found this kind of work relaxing; this time, it just made me feel increasingly tense. It seemed like my hoof on the board was the only sound in the entire town. Somehow, it didn't feel like I was building something; the action felt foreign, like I was doing something I'd never done before, and my hooves were clumsy to the unfamiliar task. It felt wrong to work on the house again, as though I were defiling a grave – which wasn't too far off the mark, I guess. 'Confidence is often the greatest difference between a novice and a master. The truth of this can be seen when a master's confidence falters, and – just for a moment – they stumble about as a novice.' I stiffened as my friend's commentary came back to me. He had said that to me just after we had started working on the house, in response to my comment that construction was simple, but it intimidated people. He may have been a changeling, but he was born to be an over-eloquent Canterlot snob. Heh. I slowly walked away from the house. I wasn't going to deal with this right now. I wasn't going to listen to his voice in my head while I worked, no matter how accurate his smug comments were. Hell, as sloppy as I was being, we might end up with another accident. No. I just headed straight home, tuning the world out around me as I flew.
Pushing MeSleep can work wonders when you're stressed. There's nothing like a nice, long rest to really give you perspective on things. Or you can have nightmares and wake up over and over again, and eventually drag yourself out of bed even less at ease than when you went to bed. Which is what I did. I knew I should have tried to wind down before crashing last night. I glared at the boiling pot of spinach on the stove as I fastened my lacy , pink apron (it was a gift, okay?) and idly considered my self-worth. I felt bad about having gotten up so late, but it wasn't like I had anything to do today. I definitely wasn't going to work on the house again. No way. The next cultural exchange group will be here in a couple of days. Maybe I could do something special for them this time. I frowned, realizing the irony of my situation. Just yesterday, my fear of ponies had nearly made me choke in front of a classroom of foals – supposedly, though I didn't really believe it, the least threatening of ponies. There's just no way around it. I don't trust ponies. Hell, I don't even trust other changelings, come to think of it, and yet I'm the one welcoming them here, telling them, oh yeah, come to Ponyville, it's the most welcoming place there is. Hrn. It wasn't that I didn't honestly believe that. The ponies had never given me any trouble – despite my agonizing, constant concern that there would be an angry mob on my doorstep any day now. I guess it's just, Pinkie aside, I never felt welcomed here. Wanted. 'If one holds themselves in disdain, they will be blind to the respect paid to them by others.' I smacked my face with a hoof, remembering more of my old friend's words. It wasn't enough for me to dwell on it when I was trying to work on the house, oh no, now I was going to obsess over it at home. Just perfect. I sighed, stirring the pot again. As I stared at the boiling water, I slowly came to realize something. I guess that's why I took to welcoming changelings to Ponyville. It started with Twilight asking me to, but I found I actually liked it. This must be why. Yeah, that's it! I smacked one hoof into the other in a gesture of determination, starting to grin like a madpony. No one else is going to feel like they're not wanted here! I'm going to make sure that they have the—AAAAH WHAT THE HECK SOMEONE'S AT THE DOOR OH GOD THE WATER IT BURNS AHHHHHHHH I had nearly jumped out of my carapace at the sound of someone knocking on my front door, and ended up with scalding water on my hoof for my trouble. I stumbled around blowing on it as I tried to rapidly clean up the living room a bit. "Coming, coming!" Someone's here! No one ever comes to visit me here OH MY GOD IT'S THE MOB THEY'VE FINALLY COME FOR ME no wait that's stupid it's probably just Twilight or something I NEED TO CALM DOWN I really needed to calm down. So, I finally worked my way to the door, and spent a couple of seconds getting my breathing under control. Once I felt like I wouldn't make a scene, I forced the biggest smile on my face that I could, and I reached to open the door, when loud knocks suddenly rang out from it, forcing me back a step as I flattened my ears to dampen the sudden noise. "Open up, changeling! I know you're in there!" I stared at the door in horror for a few seconds, before some other feeling took hold of me. My face felt strangely rigid as I slowly opened the door. On the other side was a lime-green mare with a white mane, who seemed almost surprised that I had opened the door. Her eyes drifted to my apron, and we just stared at each other in silence for a few moments. I shifted uneasily, not sure what to do in this situation, and finally broke the silence. "Uhh... did you need something?" She seemed to jerk back to reality and glared at me. "My daughter told me that you went to her classroom yesterday." Oh crap oh crap it's actually an angry mob or at least one pony is a single pony a mob oh crap "U-uh, y-yeah that's true I did." Her face suddenly took on a kind of awful smile. It reminded me of something – I wasn't quite sure what, but something bad. "And so you think that's okay, do you?" "W-well, I'd been asked to—" "It's not, you hear me? You had better stay away from my foals! " I stared at her for a few moments. The fear was still there, but that other emotion was back. Almost like... curiosity. "Because I'm a changeling?" She seemed taken aback. I guess I was a little blank-faced; she must have expected more of a reaction. "You, uh, you know why!" "No, that's why I'm asking. Is it because I'm a changeling?" "Your people invaded Canterlot!" I honestly wasn't sure what to make of her behavior. One minute, she seemed almost happy, now she seemed really uncertain. Something about the whole situation really bothered me. "So I guess that's a 'yes'. Does that mean... does that mean you're going to act like this towards every changeling who comes into Ponyville?" I said the last part very slowly and deliberately, and I started to realize what was bugging me. "Hey! This is my home, you can't tell me how to—" "Actually, this—" I tapped on the doorframe meaningfully "—is my home. And you know what? Princess Twilight asked me to give that talk at the school yesterday. So if you have something to complain about, why don't you go to her, and maybe while you're at it you can ask her to sort out your stupid attitude!" I slammed the door and locked it, and then staggered away, a bit in a daze. You know how in stories, when a timid character gets aggressive, they feel all accomplished? That didn't happen. I actually just went downstairs into my bedroom-basement, laid down, and pretty much just went back and forth between 'Oh no what did I just do they're going to kick me out of the town' and 'Where did that even come from? That wasn't like me at all.' At least, that's how it went until I realized it had been an hour and my stew was ruined.
Supporting YouI kept up my prancing and whistling routine all through the town. I got a few odd looks, but hey, if they're going to hate me, they're going to hate me, right? Not much I could do about that. I only stopped when I rounded the last corner to the house and saw an older, salt-and-pepper grey pony standing there, staring at it. Uh oh. Why are they just... standing there? The way the pony was staring at the house was almost uncanny. It was like he was transfixed. Wait, maybe he's here to destroy it?! Maybe he's one of those anti-exchange ponies who's here to make sure changelings don't have a place to stay in Equestria! OR MAYBE HE'S A CHANGELING INFILTRATOR AND HE REJECTS THE EXCHANGE TREATY AND CAME ALL OF THIS WAY TO— I took a step back, and then it occurred to me that I really had no idea what was going on, causing me to stop. Okay. Okay. What would I do if I were a suave changeling infiltrator? I ran over the scenario in my mind. First, I'd take some unassuming pony disguise, and I'd calmly walk up beside him, surveying the house as though it interested me, too. Then I'd have to say something witty, like out of a book or something, like 'you know it isn't for sale, right?' Then, I'd figure out his intentions from there. Heck, I could pretend to be anti-changeling too, in case he leans that way. Yeah, that's totally how an infiltrator would handle this! Okay, I'll do that! I did my best to calmly – suavely – strut up beside the pony and look at the structure. He looked over at me in confusion, and I just gave him my best cocky grin. "You know it's for sale, right?" He frowned, looking at the house. "Oh... is it?" "Huh? Oh, wait, no! I mean it isn't for sale!" I suddenly realized that I wasn't even in disguise. And that, dear nymphs, is why uncle Terrent will never, ever make it as an infiltrator. The pony glanced back to me, their frown disappearing. "Oh, that's good to hear. It's supposed to be a... halfway house, right? For changelings?" My brain went into overdrive trying to come up with the best-possible, most-suave-possible response that could tell me his intentions without revealing the critical data he was requesting. "Uhh... yes?" Damnit! "Oh, good. So this is the right place. I'm Cooke, by the way. I, uh, take it that you're Terrent?" The pony proffered his hoof to me. I stared at it, remembering all of the things Krittith had told me about this pony; he would often go on about what a brilliant historian Cooke was, and how great their talks were. He would talk about the years undercover at Canterlot University, when their friendship was the only thing keeping him sane. All of those talks were tinged with just a bit of sadness at how it all turned out. Because Cooke was the reason Krittith had to leave Canterlot. It was Cooke's group of faculty that tried to block the Cultural Exchange Treaty. It was Cooke that Krittith had been hoping to reveal his secret to – and it was Cooke that had precluded that by spearheading a group stating that changelings shouldn't be welcome in Equestria. Well. What do you know. He actually is one of those anti-exchange ponies, after all. He slowly lowered his hoof, and glanced away from me. He spoke again, his tone sombre. "I'm sorry. Look, if you'd rather that I—" "Why are you here?" "... To help finish this place. It's what Krittith wanted it used for, right?" I studied the ground for a few moments, contemplating. As angry as I wanted to be, I couldn't justify it. I knew Krittith for a few weeks. This pony... he knew him for years. Besides, it's not like I don't understand what it's like to be afraid of someone just because they're different. When I looked up, he was looking me in the eyes again. "I'd like to help you finish this place... and maybe talk about him, if you'd like that." I hadn't been able to finish the house. Part of it was that Krittith and I had always worked together on it; his voice made the work go by so much easier. I hated working alone. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice." And so we got to work, building something to honor Krittith's dream of ponies and changelings being friends – and also the house. ~FIN Bonus: "Ah, man! I didn't realize it was that late. I'll have to stop for now, Cheerilee was expecting me for dinner." Cooke quirked an eyebrow at me. "Oh? You've got a date?" "Don't be silly. She just asked me to din—" Wait. Wait... Oooooh. Oooooh. "... Oh." WAIT WHAT HOW DID THIS HAPPEN WHAT Cooke facehoofed. Now I knew what it was like to be on the outside looking in. "Terrent... I'll help you find something to wear." Author's Note Cheerilee wasn't ever nervous because Terrent was a changeling. It was... somethin' else. Hope you enjoyed this madness. If so, you may want to check out the rest of the Iqqelverse by clicking here, in which this story is set. There's more about Cooke, Krittith, and Terrent in there!
Welcoming MeWhat would you do after a colossal screw-up like that? I'll tell you what I did. I went to a restaurant in town. Not like my breakfast was going to fix itself. I didn't have the patience to try again, and to be honest, part of me also wanted to show my face around town. I guess I was still a little worked-up, though I wasn't sure why I was really upset in the first place. I was kind-of hoping that the mare from earlier would turn up. So I could apologize to her for my outburst. I felt really bad about that. So that's where I was; sitting at a restaurant, digging into an 'Apple fritter' (why did they capitalize that?), and feeling the strangest mixture of guilt and defiance. But mostly hunger. I heard a snicker from behind me, and almost jumped out of my seat. "Good choice. Those things are always made with love." Cheerilee walked around me and gestured at the seat across from me. I desperately tried to wipe sugar off of my face with a napkin while frantically gesturing at her to be seated and making a few vague noises of desperate assent. PONIES DO NOT HAVE WORDS FOR THIS KIND OF EMBARRASSMENT But changelings do! Iunsectan; literally I want to scurry away into a dark corner like a bug. That pretty much nailed how I felt. It was just magnified when Cheerilee chuckled as she sat down. After I finished wiping off my face, I finally got around to processing her joke, and promptly planted my hoof between my eyes, smirking. I'm going to end up bruising my face if I keep this up. "Changelings eat normal food too, y'know." Cheerilee chuckled nervously. "I know, I know." A waiter came by, and Cheerilee placed an order for a daisy sandwich, indicating she would be staying awhile. I set my hoof down on the table and tried my best to look friendly, despite my nerves. She kept up her nervous little smile, and then gestured to the town as she spoke. "You, ah, don't really come into town often, right? It's nice seeing you here." "Oh, uh, you think so? Yeah, I tend to avoid it..." She's trying to be polite; I can tell I'm making her nervous. I bet she just wants me to stop— "Well, you shouldn't! I think it's good for ponies to see you around here." THESE PONIES MAKE NO SENSE "So, uh... you want me to come around more?" She paused for a second, almost like she was embarrassed, and then nodded. "You should. I was thinking—well, you should know that Mint stopped by my office today." "Mint?" Cheerilee tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah. Green pony with a white mane? She said she spoke to you..." Oh. Oh. "... Oh." Cheerilee seemed unaware of my rising sense of dread, and simply continued on, idly nodding at the waiter as he brought her food. "She was very upset, but I've dealt with upset parents before. You don't need to worry." "Oh. Thank you, I was really worried that I'd created a problem." Cheerilee shook her head, smiling brightly. "It's not like it was your idea to come to the school – you didn't even want to be there! I stand by my decision, anyway. If changelings and ponies are going to get along, we need to understand each other; I'm not going to let some paranoid pony make you feel unwelcome." I flinched. "Wait... you didn't chew her out, did you?" Cheerilee paused, and glanced away. The gesture struck me as... sheepish? Embarassed? "I may have gotten a little heated, if that's what you mean, but it was professional. I just wanted to make her understand how her behavior was causing problems." I rubbed one of my temples with my hoof, feeling a conflict between emotions of pity, vindication, and guilt. "Maybe, but... I kinda wish you hadn't. I mean, it wasn't her fault. She's just scared." I looked at Cheerilee, conflicted. To my surprise, she just put on a small smile and shook her head lightly. "That's charitable of you, Terrent, but I've had issues with that mare before. I think she just thought you were an easy target." I thought back to that weird look on Mint's face, and I started to realize where I remembered it from – and it reminded me of why I didn't go back to the hive. "Oh. So that's how it is." We spent a short while in silence, eating. About halfway through her sandwich, Cheerilee set it back down on her plate and looked up at me. "Mint said that you told her it was Twilight's idea for you to come speak at the school. That's not the whole story." I ate the last of my Apple fritter and listened intently. "The idea actually originally came from... from your roommate. Krittith." "... of course it did." I looked down at the table, smirking as Cheerilee continued on. "Twilight liked the idea, so we set it up. I mean, he was a college professor – or, I mean, he acted as one for years. It seemed natural for him to do something pedagogical..." I glanced up to see why Cheerilee had trailed off, and I could clearly see she was fidgeting and frowning a bit, glancing around. I still make her really uneasy, I guess. "Yeah, that was Krittith, alright. He was always rattling off some proverb or other. I remember him saying something about how 'relationships are built on understanding, so ponies and changelings need to understand each other'. Didn't think he meant it so literally, heh." Cheerilee smiled, though I could see by her furrowed brow that her tension wasn't gone. "Yeah. I, uh... I worried that it was a bit inconsiderate of Twilight to ask you to take his place, but you did a very good job." I thought back to the exuberant, inquisitive foals. Sure, I got poked and prodded a good bit, but they seemed genuinely interested. "I guess. Really, it seems like they do a good job teaching themselves; I was just there to answer their questions." Cheerilee went quiet for a moment, staring at me with a contemplative expression. I immediately started to worry that I had offended her somehow. "That's a good way to look at it. You know, Krittith always used to come around town; you should do it, too. That way, at least you're here to answer questions, right?" She grinned at me, and I leaned back and thought about it. "Well, I want the other changelings to feel welcome here. Despite everything that's happened, I feel like this is a good place for anyone to live, and I want them to know that their presence is appreciated. I guess if hanging out around town could do that, then..." Oh crap that means hanging around a whole bunch of ponies who may form an angry mob or use me for target practice. Wait, no, that's silly. They wouldn't do that, I've never even seen them do target-practice. Except that one pegasus. With her face. "Then?" Cheerilee had leaned forward, and was watching me expectantly. "Then... I suppose I'll give it a try?" "Good! I'm really glad to hear that. There's a festival coming up soon, and I'm one of the organizers – maybe you could get involved!" "Hey, maybe so. That sounds nice." I contemplated for a few more moments, and then I set my bits down on the table. My food was finished, and hers was nearly so. She seemed a little surprised, for some reason. "I should go get to work on the house. I've let it sit for too long." Her expression dropped a bit, and her voice was tinged with sympathy. "Ah, the house you two were working on together, right? That must be hard." I hesitated there for a few moments, but I was really sure what to say. I finally just settled on mumbling 'yeah' and turning to leave. "Oh, Terrent. Before you go, uh..." I glanced back at her, and I suddenly felt nervous. She looks nervous. Why is she nervous? Should I be nervous? What's going on? Did she leave off the 'bad news' until the end? She cleared her throat, glancing around, and then she locked eyes with me. Oh no, oh no, oh no, what is it? "Terrent, I was wondering if you would like to get dinner with me this evening?" "Oh. Sure, that sounds great. See you later!" I began to trot off, relief flowing over me. Huh. That wasn't so bad. I mean, eating with her again sounds nice. She's good company. Wonder why she was so nervous? Eh. Probably because I'm annoying or something. I whistled a little tune as I walked the long path through town that led to the house.
