The Changeling of Illusions

Forge strolls out of his bedroom, walking calmly down the halls of the castle while staff panic, with the guards being an exception. "I swear those guards must be zoned the fuck out or something. NOBODY should be able to remain stone-faced like that while being fully aware of their surroundings." When Forge exits the castle to go find the library, the rest of Canterlot isn't faring much better. When he looks up, he sees the thick blanket of black smoke.

"Oh... Meh, it'll be taken care of before sunset." Forge dismisses, only occasionally having to move out of a panicking pony's path. A few look at him in shock. It's... a zesty sort of smell for a changeling, although the additional overwhelming amount of fear is quite bitter. Forge meanders along, silently wondering about the old, definitely abandoned library. "And did nobody ever think to get a new librarian for that building? I mean, I know there are two in town, but come on. Hmm, come to think of it... If everything in there was left completely alone for years until Twilight returned... What would I even be able to find? Maybe what she was last researching before the Elements? Nah, she would've put all of that away before starting on something else. Unless she left her previous research notes in there or something."

Forge's train of thought is suddenly interrupted when he walks directly into a floating book. Another face impacts the book shortly after, as both ponies fall to the ground.

"Sorry! I kinda zoned out, you okay?" Forge starts to apologize, now looking up to see who he walked into. "Cream coat, red and purple mane... oh no. OH SHIT NO NOT NOW!" Forge looks at Moondancer with wide eyes, akin to a deer in the headlights.

"Watch where you're going." Moondancer practically spits, standing back up and adjusting her glasses.

Forge sits there, paralyzed. Moondancer gives him an odd look before going back on her way. "Crisis averted... I hope. It's WAY too early for that shit to go down." Forge thinks as he continues towards the old Twilibrary.

-<>~--*--~<>-<

Forge jiggles the doorknob to the building, to discover it's actually locked. He shrugs it off, twisting as hard as he can with his magic, breaking the doorknob's locking mechanism. The door gives way easily, a few pieces of the doorknob jingling inside of it. The library is exactly the way Twilight seemed to have left it. A layer of dust covering every exposed surface. He recognizes the discarded, impaled teddy bear originally meant to be a present for Moondancer. "Dumb gift to give to a bookish adult mare. Then again, I hardly know her, so it might have been okay. Eh, whatever. Might as well see if I can get it fixed up or something."

Forge puts the plush into his bags, along with some of the loose stuffing. Forge notes the scattered books, checking each title. "Atomic Elements and their Uses, Mares in the Moonlight, Legends Myths & Prophecies; A Reference Guide, Constellations and the Horoscope; Connecting with your Inner Self, Magical Enchantment and Infusions, General Magic for Beginners, Moonmares and Sunstallions, The Omen of the Dark Horse. Who the hell writes this shit?"

Forge bags the books on enchanting, myths, atomic elements, and Mares in the Moonlight because it sounds like either romance or porn, maybe both. That done, he begins snooping around the rest of the building, looking at the various states the rooms were left in and looking for secrets. "After all, how else am I gonna find out what kinky shit she may or may not do in her spare time." Forge muses, taking a glance under the bed. Behind the dust bunnies, which look like actual rabbits, sat a gigantic, thick tome. The top right corner pages having suffered from water damage, and the pungent odor of lust assaults Forge's nostrils. "Yep, she fucks books. What the hell book horse."

Forge decides to stop snooping like a fucking creep, going back to the main library to glance over the rest of the books for anything remotely interesting. Once he grabs the book on dangerous flora and fauna, he exits the library to head back to the castle. When he gets outside, he notices the black smoke is dissipating. He smiles to himself. "Good job Fluttershy."

-<>~--*--~<>-<

Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom

Queen Chrysalis sits on her throne, idly tapping a holed forehoof on the foreleg-rest. "How's our spying on that rogue going? Anything significant yet?" She asks into her own, slightly larger device.

"Nothing much my queen. All we know is that he isn't related to us, and according to Suture he's got a high libido. About the only thing of note is that he stays at the castle as a royal blacksmith."

Chrysalis sighs. "Keep spying, we're bound to find SOMETHING out. He has to have some kind of ulterior motive or dark secret somewhere."

"Yes my queen." The connection ceases, leaving Chrysalis with her thoughts.

-<>~--*--~<>-<

Aurelic skims through Mares in the Moonlight, disappointed that he can't seem to find anything pornographic in it. He tosses the book aside, moving on to see what ponies know about the atomic elements so far. That's when Princess Sunnybuns pops in. Aurelic looks up from the book, gesturing for Celestia to enter.

"Hello Forge. I wanted to ask you something, if you wouldn't mind." Celestia asks, closing the door behind her.

"Of course Celestia, what is it?" Aurelic replies with a head tilt.

Celestia sits on the carpet, then teleports a piece of paper from somewhere, levitating it over to Aurelic. "I was wondering if you'd be alright with a weekly check in? I hope this little schedule works for you."

Aurelic looks over the schedule carefully. "Yep, I should be able to do that. And I see right now's one of those times?"

Celestia nods. "So, how have you been adjusting so far?"

"Well, so far it's been going well. I enjoy my work, and I read about things that interest me in my off time. And I went to a party in Ponyville a while ago, it was nice. Although... Now that I think of it, I have something I wanted to ask you." Aurelic explains, looking unsure of himself.

Celestia raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Aurelic steels himself. "Why help me like this? I mean, you could've just left me to my old living situation and not bothered at all. Yet you took me in, offered me employment, and a place to sleep. I can only imagine there must be other homeless ponies who would do anything to get what I have. I'm not complaining, mind you, it just seems a bit strange is all." Aurelic finishes, his emotions so mixed even he isn't sure what he's feeling.

"Turner Forge, are you suggesting that I have ulterior motives for aiding you in your time of need?" Celestia asks in a stern tone, completely stonefaced.

Aurelic senses her sheer willpower, and a twinge of mirth? Then Celestia's face contorts into a smile, then she laughs.

"Relax, I'm just playing. But your face was priceless." She giggles.

Aurelic laughs nervously. "Aheheh... Well, that still didn't answer my question."

Celestia gathers her composure. "Right. The reason I took you in was because of your anomalous appearance in my visions. And a few new ones came up, some with you around the castle like this. Put simply, I do what I must to keep things in check. Could you imagine some of Equestria's future threats appearing too soon?" She reasons, completely serious.

"That makes sense... Alright, thank you for answering my question. Was there anything else you needed?" Aurelic says, now completely calm.

"No, that is all. Farewell Forge." Celestia dismisses, promptly leaving.

Aurelic breathes a sigh of relief, going back to his books. "Trollestia is definitely canon."