A Changeling can Change

Chapters

1 The New Plan
2 Infiltration
3 A New Identity
5 To be a Hero
6 Towards a new Future
4 Strangers on a Train

1 The New Plan

Queen Chrysalis shifted her weight uncomfortably for the third time in less than a minute, trying to find a position in which she could breathe without feeling stabbing pains from every part of her body at once.

The plan had seemed foolproof; capture the Princess, replace her, weaken the defensive barrier around Canterlot and then invade in massed numbers. It had very nearly worked too, only one pony, just one pony had seen through her meticulous disguise and even then, she had still very nearly managed to carry it off. No, what had finally done for her and her entire army was how much that simpering Princess and her weak-minded fiancé had loved each other.

The humiliation was hard enough to bear, but the physical injuries she and so many others had suffered had been serious, in some cases terminally so. The hive had been critically weakened, with its number reduced and a large percentage of those still alive carrying significant injuries.

The lucky ones had enjoyed a chance to feast before being blasted out way beyond the city limits, but in the final reckoning, it was going to be a long time before any of them would feed well again; they faced a lengthy recovery counterpointed by famine, and Chrysalis wasn’t certain whether they would pull through.

She gasped and tried to roll herself a little to help relieve the pressure in one place, only to feel another stabbing sensation suddenly spike her overactive pain receptors somewhere else.
“Try to rest, my Queen” came a reassuring voice from beside her.
“It’s no good. I hurt everywhere!” she snapped back angrily.
“We are lucky you are still alive, my Queen. Without you, the hive would have died.”
“We are barely alive as it is” Chrysalis replied bitterly.
“You did what you had to do” the insectoid voice of the changeling doctor tried to console her.
“It was not enough!” she spat weakly under her breath.

“What will you have us do now, my Queen?” he asked.
Chrysalis fought to apply her mind through the unrelenting barrage of physical pain, motivated by the overriding desire to defend her hive; she knew acquiescing to self-pity would be a poor reward for the sacrifice made by those changelings who had suffered far worse than her.

“I want you to bring me a changeling for a special mission. They must have travelled into pony territory before and be prepared to return there under cover” she gasped, before coughing at her exertion and then holding herself tenderly as the aftereffects of coughing rippled through her battle-scarred body.
“My Queen …?”
“Go!” she commanded. She could feel more coughing would follow shortly and didn’t want him to see how weak it would make her.

A few minutes later, Chrysalis had brought her breathing back under control, but the discussion with the doctor had tired her out and so she had returned to trying to find a less uncomfortable position in which to recline.
“My Queen?” the changeling doctor enquired, peering round the doorway.
She beckoned him in with a pained wave of her forehoof, not even turning her head.
“I have the volunteer you requested, my Queen. Would you like me to leave while you brief him?”
Chrysalis closed her eyes in an exaggeratedly prolonged blink that he took as being ‘no’, then steeled herself to outline what she had planned.

She eyed the changeling standing rigidly in front of her. He looked alert and uninjured – a good choice.
“We need to know what the ponies are doing” she began and then hesitated while she caught her breath, “… so we can identify and exploit their weaknesses.”
She paused, obviously fighting back the pain from the effort of speaking, but the seriousness of her tone made it clear that she did not want either of the others in attendance to interrupt her and pander to her injuries.

“I want you to fit in with their society … find out as much as you can about them” she continued, her voice beginning to crack with the effort, “… and report back.”
Chrysalis raised a forehoof while she fought for her breath, a signal that gave notice she had not yet finished.
Eventually she recovered sufficiently to conclude her briefing, “Go become a reporter … the ponies are used to them asking questions …”

This time, her injuries got the better of her and she released the two changelings with a dismissive swipe of her forehoof. She had wanted to say more, but considered that continuing to try and speak would only tire her more and confirm to them both how truly weak she had become, and showing weakness to her hive was something she would always avoid at all costs.

The doctor and the newly appointed spy bowed respectfully and withdrew to go their own ways, each to set about their work, one to heal those recovering from the last battle; the other to begin a task that may be the prelude to another, for better or for worse.

The passageways of the hive echoed to the sound of a pair of angrily buzzing wings announcing the presence of a lone changeling navigating his way to the main entrance. As he drew near, the guards parted wordlessly and relaxed the grip on their polearms, allowing the solitary traveller to leave the security of the hive and fly off towards the early morning sun.

The sun had begun its methodical trek across the sky a good couple of hours before the changeling spy had emerged to begin his mission, and he used its position to retrace the route he had taken when moving forward with his fellow clones to attack Canterlot only a few days previously.

He had been with them and taken part in the mischief and pillaging that had underpinned the early hours of their surprise attack, and paid for his actions by being blasted away in the wave of magic that still haunted his dreams.

Unlike the vast majority of his fellow clones, he had landed softly and been able to pick himself up straight away, but had witnessed at first hoof the fates of the others; those who had made the most pitiful noises still facing the longest recovery, whilst those who were silent would never have that luxury.

He had no doubt who was to blame; the ponies, and he would see to it that they would pay for their actions against him as well as against the other clones, and especially his Queen.

Kevin was delighted that such an honour had fallen to him and was determined to make his Queen proud.

2 Infiltration

The Badlands gave way slowly to a patchwork of lush green fields underneath him as he approached his destination. Wary of being seen in his comfortable changeling form, he kept a good look out for ponies, but noted that the fields and the orchards seemed to have been left pretty much to themselves.

Eager to continue in his own skin for as long as possible, he continued on his way, and only when he finally saw a farmhand wearing a wide brimmed straw hat did he reluctantly consider putting down to change his appearance. He selected a small copse of trees that appeared to hold no agricultural value and gave a last little buzz of his wings as he settled onto the ground; it would be a long time before he would be able to hear the sound of his insectoid wings again, he lamented.

Casting his mind back to the day of the attack, he recalled being in a large building waiting to ambush a group of six pastel ponies of different colours. He had changed into all of their forms at different times during the ensuing fight, and could still remember how to change into each of them at will. Two had wings, two had horns and two others had neither.

He reasoned that wings would be an advantage at the moment, so compared the two body forms he could recall in his mind’s eye; a yellow one and a blue one. The blue one had been a brave fighter, so was probably well known, whereas he couldn’t recall the yellow one having played a very active role in the fighting, so was probably less likely to arouse suspicion. This then would be his choice. He focused his mind, and in a flash of green light that he hoped nopony saw, emerged as a pegasus mare with a long pink tail, ready to continue his journey.

The wings were not like his own and he quickly found himself disappointed with how underpowered they seemed to be; indeed, on his first attempt, he beat them as hard as he could and remained stubbornly stuck to the ground. He gave the earth under his hooves a firm kick and tried again, this time just about getting airborne.

Struggling to keep in the air, he gradually became more accustomed to the pegasus wings and how to use them. He stopped trying to buzz them like insectoid wings and settled back to a more gentle loping rhythm and soon found that this was how they worked better; they still weren’t great, by his reckoning, but at least he had made them work just enough to pass as a pegasus.

The rich and fertile arable terrain that he flew over now began to contain and increased number of ramshackle looking homesteads and then a mix of indistinct tracks fused together into one clearly defined path heading up a hill towards a mountain. Looking forward he could see the tall towers and glittering roofs of Canterlot; different from the last time he had come this way as it was no longer shrouded in a protection spell, brighter, shinier, altogether more gaudy and nothing at all like the hive.

He narrowed his eyes against the sight and fell in behind a couple of other pegasi who had just flown past him, deep in conversation, clearly heading towards the centre of the city. They flew with the confidence of knowing their way around and he followed them at a constant separation, just to make sure he didn’t stand out.

The two pegasi put down in the main square and he watched closely to observe the protocol they followed whilst navigating into a landing space and then how they blended in effortlessly amongst the pedestrian traffic afterwards. He replayed their moves in detail, feeling a sense of trepidation as he attempted that peculiar new backwinging motion he hadn’t seen before as they landed.

It wasn’t as easy as it looked, and he failed to slow down sufficiently, landing too hard and to fast, and stumbling forward a few steps as his legs threatened to buckle.
“Oh my, Miss” came a concerned voice, “Are you alright?”
“Yes” Kevin replied cautiously, worrying he was just about to be unmasked as a spy, after having failed to conceal his identity for anything more than a few seconds in the enemy’s city.

“That was a nasty trip” the kind voice continued, “You might have fallen.”
The primrose pegasus looked around to see if he was being surrounded by a hoard of vengeful ponies, as would happen if a lone pony had been caught by a changeling patrol, but saw nothing except for a concerned pair of eyes looking back at him.

“Yes, I might have fallen” he repeated, recognising that the situation called for a response, but not knowing what else to say. The words danced towards the chivalrous old stallion in Fluttershy’s demure tones, alighting softly in his ears where they sounded like the most beautiful tune ever played on the finest harp.

Kevin felt increasingly uncomfortable with the attention, fearing exposure at any moment, and trotted away as quickly as possible, feeling the eyes of the elderly stallion tracking every step of the delicate female form, which unbeknown to him was not a pony at all …

The individual ponies making up the thronging crowds all seemed to know precisely where they were going, and all conducted the same effortless looking dance of avoiding each other with no collisions and no appreciable dramas. Weaving amongst them, Kevin tried to comprehend the dynamics of the crowd, but soon became confused as the individuals refused to behave as a coherent unit in the way that changelings would.

The more he thought about how conspicuous he felt, the more conspicuously he behaved, and made his way to the safety of a doorway where he would wait for the melee to ease before setting off again. He stepped in through the door, grateful for the respite, but found to his shock that this was the entrance to a shop of some kind, and as he spun around to see if escape was a better option, an impatient voice from behind interjected, “Well, are you going in or not?”

Like a rabbit in headlights, he quickly decided to move forwards, as it seemed altogether quieter inside than outside, back on the street.
“Table for one, Madam?” asked a maternal looking mare with a sophisticated foreign accent he had not heard before.
With no idea what this shop offered, and trying not to stand out, Kevin thought the reply “Yes” to be more appropriate than anything else, and soon found himself whisked away past tables where ponies were putting fruit, vegetable and cereal based items into their mouths, and apparently enjoying the experience.

Next thing, the strangely speaking mare directed him to a similar looking table by himself and proffered a folded piece of card, asking, “Do you want to order now, or shall I come back?”
Stuck for an answer, the evidently busy mare left him alone to attend to duties elsewhere in the large room, giving him time to stare about in confusion.

Sooner than he expected, the overworked mare returned, tapping a notepad impatiently with a pencil.
“Would Madam care to order now please?”
He didn’t know what to say, so thinking quickly responded with, “What is there?”
“Hay burger and fries à la mode is popular” she replied.
“I’ll take one” he replied, unsure of exactly what he was agreeing to.

She looked at the yellow pegasus a little oddly; that wasn’t quite how orders were usually phrased.
Sensing he had said something wrong, he tried to recover the situation. If one had been wrong, perhaps he should go for two?
“I’ll take two” he tried instead.

The ponies around him fell silent and started to stare, as the mare looked back at him even more askance than before, indicating strikingly that he had once again managed to get it completely wrong and was now just continuing to make things worse.
“What do you think?” he asked in desperation.
“I’d start with just the one if I were you, Hun” she advised, “… and see how you get on before you order another.”
“Yes, of course” he acquiesced, wishing the whole room would disappear.

“Mommy, mommy!” a foal barely old enough to be a filly tugged at her mother, who was engrossed in a chat with a mare friend over tea and a slice of cake.
“Mommy!” she called more insistently.
“Yes, what is it dear?” her mother finally acknowledged, tearing herself away reluctantly from a nebulous discussion about the latest celebrity manestyles.

“Mommy, mommy, look!” she hissed, tugging at her harder and hoofpointing towards the lone diner in a manner that was intended to strike a balance between clandestine politeness and her obvious sense of urgency, but which simply succeeded in drawing more attention to herself.
“What is it?” asked the adult mare testily, with a voice that more than suggested ‘this better be good or you’re in trouble’.
Her eyes scanned over the patrons in the direction her daughter was indicating, giving a cursory inspection to each, when she cottoned on. Pink mane extensions.
“Isn’t that …” she whispered conspiratorially to her daughter and her marefriend.
“Yes, Mommy” the foal squealed with excitement, leaving the table without even waiting for permission, “It’s Fluttershy!”

All eyes returned to the imposter, whose sixth sense alerted him to a rising interest in his presence. He looked up to see eyes focusing on him from all directions, turning his head to see an excited foal scampering towards him.

He felt threatened. He had clearly been exposed. Somehow, these ponies had seen through his disguise and now he was in danger. He rose to his hooves and considered confronting the foal advancing towards him, but could see he was outnumbered, so eyed the exit, worked out the clearest path to it, and ran, bumping into diners and knocking over chairs as he went.

Kevin surged out breathlessly into the street that only a few minutes previously he had tried to escape, a chorus of indignant diners ringing in his ears.

A nondescript caramel unicorn with a brown mane and particularly attentive eyes rose with sudden purpose, hastily spilling a few bits on the table in front of him and following the rushed departure out of the exit. He had a sixth sense too, and it was telling him that there was a story here.

3 A New Identity

The uncoordinated melee in the street of ponies all intently set about their purpose in random directions continued to offend Kevin’s sense of order and made his head spin. As a result, he was hesitant and unsure among the crowds, and this singled him out.
“Excuse me” enquired a seasoned male voice from behind, “But aren’t you Fluttershy, one of the Element Bearers?”
Kevin turned around suddenly, causing an oncoming earth pony to swerve and utter something under her breath that he didn’t understand.

“Am I?” he thought, suddenly questioning whether he would have been better advised to have shapeshifted into the form of the blue pegasus instead.
“Thought I recognised you” the unicorn continued, “Right down to your cutie mark. So, what brings you to Canterlot? You’re a long way from Ponyville.”
“Why?” answered the yellow pegasus defensively.

“Sorry, didn’t introduce myself. Name’s Tab Lloyd; I’m a reporter for the Canterlot Chronicle.”
Something clicked in Kevin’s memory as he cast his mind back to what Chrysalis had said to him before being despatched on his mission, and he studied the caramel unicorn for replication – yes, he would do nicely.

“A reporter; yes” he pondered quietly in words that were lost in the hubbub of the street.
Tab caught the positive gist of the response, if not the words themselves, and led his guest over towards a park where they could have an undisturbed conversation. The hedges had been cut to provide a series of recessed alcoves, each containing a bench where couples could meet within a stone’s throw of the centre of the city for anything from a confidential business deal to a romantic tryst.

Casting the occasional glance to check that the primrose pony was keeping up with him, Tab led the pegasus to a vacant bench, taking advantage of the brief silence to compose a few questions for their forthcoming interview. He thought he saw a green flash out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed it as a trick of the light, then turned to put his guest at ease, but found she wasn’t there; just the occasional pony walking past.

Puzzled, he looked up into the sky in case she had flown away and continued to scan around as well, but she was definitely nowhere to be seen, although he would have sworn she had been right there only a few seconds before.

“Right” said Kevin to himself, getting used to the feel of being a unicorn stallion as he walked away across the park, “I am now a reporter for the Canterlot Chronicle”.

***

Canterlot held unpleasant memories of defeat for Kevin.

He had heard his Queen in an unguarded moment talk about the strength of the love that the Captain of the Guard held for the pony Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and how this had created magic of such power as to defeat them.

Like all changelings, he gained his sustenance from love, so found it difficult to comprehend how such a feast could have been so destructive, but remained haunted by the power of its touch as it had blown them out of the city.

He reasoned that since their attack on Canterlot had been repelled, then it would probably be a good idea to travel around and take a look at other pony towns and cities to see if any could prove to be easier targets. Tab had mentioned that the yellow pegasus, an Element Bearer, came from Ponyville, so that would be a good place to start. He didn’t know what an Element Bearer was, but it sounded important, so it stood to reason that Ponyville would be another major city with its own castle and garrison too. All he had to do was find out where it was and get there.

The public gardens were well kept with a gently winding path meandering between trees that provided puddles of shade counterpointing the bright sunshine. Here and there, picnics were set up on the grass with large tablecloths covered in items that he didn’t fully understand.

Looking around, he could see that there were ponies of different sizes, some of them really quite small. It suddenly dawned on him that these must be juveniles, and he puzzled how confusing it must be if ponies were born as scaled down replicas of their parents. At least with changeling grubs, it was easy to determine the different stages of development. He stared absently at a young foal as he pondered the differences between their races, not appreciating that his glance was lingering longer than was generally accepted, an action that had not gone unnoticed by its mother.

“You are a father yourself?” she asked; not challenging him, but empathising.
He wanted to despise her for bringing another of his enemies into the world, but found his attempt to hate her clouded by the deep sense of love the mother felt for her foal. Although caught in a conflict of emotions, he stood transfixed, shaking his head wordlessly as he suckled greedily on her love.
“Well, maybe you will one day” she continued cheerfully, “It’s a blessing. I hope you’re lucky.”
With that, she turned back to play some more with the foal, and Kevin took his cue to leave them alone, suddenly feeling an unexpected pang in his conscience.

These ponies were the enemies of his hive, and he had just met a parent who had added to the number of adversaries they would ultimately have to face, yet there was a generosity, a kindness the mother had for her young, that she had shared willingly with him. These thoughts had the potential to soften him and distract from the mission, so he detached himself from the feelings he had just experienced as best he could and continued on along the path.

Somehow, he would never quite be able to forget everything he had gained from that short encounter.

5 To be a Hero

Gabby rose as soon as the train came to a stop and Kevin followed her lead as they joined their fellow travellers in the carriage making their way out onto the platform. The first thing he noticed was that the air had a freshness and clearness about it that was quite invigorating following the soporific contentment he felt after having gorged on his companion’s rich love for so long.

“It’s over there” she commented, “The other side of the train.”
“What is?” he replied.
“The Crystal Castle and the whole city!” she shot back in playful exasperation, before drawing close and gently rubbing shoulders, “Come on, we have to go round the train.”
She led the way off the platform and round to the buffers at the front of the locomotive that sat at rest, hissing contentedly to itself. He was a little hesitant at being so close to what he had originally thought to be a mechanical dragon, but as nopony seemed remotely concerned, he steeled himself and walked around, leaving a noticeably wider berth.

As he rounded the front of the locomotive, his eyes beheld the panorama progressively unfold before him. A collection of blue and purple buildings gave way to an impressive light blue castle that towered over them all and seemed to glow against the clear azure sky.

They followed the last of the other passengers on the path that led between two tall purple crystal obelisks forming the gateway to the city, and Gabby resumed her narrative, cross referencing back to things she had already mentioned on the journey up. Kevin was impressed both with her comprehensive knowledge and also her stamina, and secretly began to wonder if she had an OFF switch.

When they arrived in the centre of the city, Gabby dragged Kevin to the Crystal Castle and enquired whether it was still open for public viewing. When she was told it was, she happily dug into her satchel to retrieve a few bits which she handed over in exchange for two tickets.
“What are these?” he asked.
“These, my dear Sir” she announced, leading the way, “Are two tickets to go to the top of the castle – the views up there are absolutely stunning!”

Kevin fell in with her and they started the long walk up the spiral staircase. The stairs seemed to be interminable and he wanted simply to morph into his own form, or even that of a pegasus so he could fly and be done with this hoofslogging drudgery, but knew better than to act on such wishful thinking as it would compromise his disguise.

The pace was slow, and they had to stop a number of times, but even though they were both getting breathless regularly, he noticed that she wasn’t talking any more. He had become used to the constant commentary, and to have it removed suddenly made him feel a little uneasy; either that or his sixth sense was trying to tell him something.

Eventually the stairs ran out and they emerged onto a circular platform with a ring of tall balustrades around the outer edge, providing limited protection against the wind that whistled across.

The views were indeed most impressive, especially to ponies that did not have wings, he reasoned; this was the next best thing to flying he had ever experienced.

They had the entire platform to themselves as she walked over to one of the gaps and looked out. He walked over and joined her.

“I’m afraid I lied to you” she said slowly, not taking her eyes from the view over the city and the countryside beyond, “I don’t have a meeting here at all.”
“What do you mean?” asked Kevin.
“You see, I’ve been fired from my job as a tourist guide and now I have to reconsider my future.”

She fell silent and reflected before continuing, “I love the Crystal Empire, because it's reappearance spoke to me about new beginnings, and I committed myself to it right then. I was so excited about it that I made sure I was on the first train here, and this was the first place I came. It’s where King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart for a thousand years – right here. I felt the magic and it spoke to me; that's why I became a tour guide. Now I've come back again in the hope it will give me a new direction for my life.”

The taste of her love had turned bitter and Kevin could tell something was wrong.
“Why did you lose your job?” he asked.
“Apparently, I talk too much. You’re the only pony I’ve ever met who hasn’t got tired of listening to me. I like you and just wanted to share a few precious moments with someone I like at the most special place to me. Selfish of me, I know.”
He knew he was expected to say something, but wasn’t sufficiently versed in pony culture to know what, and recognised that saying the wrong thing now could be worse than remaining silent, so held his tongue.
“You drew the short straw I’m afraid” she lamented, turning to face him, a distant look in her eyes, “Tab.”

Kevin suddenly felt his senses tense. Ponies were his sworn enemies. They had injured and killed other clones in his hive; they had even seriously injured his Queen. On the other hoof, they had been kind and generous towards him, so many of them freely giving him more love than he had ever experienced in his life.

His mind was in as much turmoil as hers and he wasn’t even sure any longer where his own loyalties lay. Perhaps ponies were nice and only did what they did in self-defence? If so, that would make him and his kind aggressors against them. This made him feel bad inside, a new sensation; guilt.

If he reached out to this one pony, it wouldn’t mean he was betraying his hive, would it? He was no longer sure, but not doing anything felt wrong; he had to help.

“Step back, please” he warned, “It is windy and if you fall, you do not have wings.”
She snapped her head back quickly and replied, “Oh no, I'm not going to jump, if that's what you're worried about. I just want to lose myself in the beautiful view and …”

Just at that moment a gust of wind whipped across the platform, catching her off balance and she slipped, disappearing from his sight, leaving nothing but the fading scream as she began the long fall to the solid ground of the plaza below.

Quickly, Kevin got to the gap between the balustrades and looked over, catching his first sight of this kind pony tumbling down, all four legs flailing as she kept screaming. He knew that sound would soon stop when she hit the ground, but it wasn’t what she deserved. He knew he had failed in his mission; he had allowed himself to go native and had let down his own kind. There was now nothing for him at the hive. He had nothing left to lose.

In a flash of green light, Tab Lloyd disappeared and a cyan blue pegasus appeared in his place. He quickly jumped through the same gap that had just claimed Gabby only seconds before and flexed his wing muscles, marvelling at their strength; this was clearly the top of the range sports model and totally unlike the yellow mare he had impersonated before.

Kevin streaked down the side of the castle, flying faster than he ever had before.

The ground was getting close, but he was gaining fast on the pink unicorn.

It would be close as to whether he would get to her before they both ran out of height. Even then, he wasn’t confident that his flying abilities would be stable enough to save them both, but he chose to ignore the thought of failure as he continued to close in on her.

He had a fleeting moment to appreciate the rippling muscles in this blue pegasus’ body and gave thanks to whatever guardian angel was looking out for him for having at least given him a chance to save her.

The ground was now frighteningly close, and he knew he only had one chance. He reached out and clasped her terrified body close to his chest, then angled his wings to try and pull up and save them both.

Even Rainbow Dash would have been hard stretched to have pulled off such a daring rescue so close to the ground, but knowing her, she probably would have, somehow. But, Kevin had very limited experience as a pegasus, let alone this one, and his reactions were not as finely honed.

Through a supreme effort, he managed to avoid a direct impact with the ground, but didn’t quite manage to miss it completely, and still struck it a glancing blow as he struggled to pull up. If they had just had a couple more feet of height, they would have made it, but that was not what fate had in mind, and instead it left him tumbling end over end, still with Gabby tight in his clutches.

A sudden thump abruptly winded him as they collided untidily with a hedge, ending their impression of a blue and pink bowling ball.

He felt the shock of pain tear through him and watched his vision fade, offering no resistance as he slipped into welcome unconsciousness.

6 Towards a new Future

“He’s coming round.”

A voice echoed through swirling mists that clouded his mind. As he tried to focus on the words, all that came into sharper relief was the pain; pain from everywhere, even places he didn’t know he had.

“I don’t know what I can do. Changeling anatomy isn’t the same as ours.”

“But you must! He saved my life; it doesn’t matter that he’s a changeling. You have to do your best for him!”

“I will do what I can, but we should either take him to the General Hospital or even consider taking him back to his own kind.”

“You know we can’t afford anypony else to find out about him, or they’ll send round a lynch-mob!” Gabby’s agitated voice continued, “We can’t take him home either, because we don’t know where he comes from; if we did, the Royal Guard would have gone there already and captured Queen Chrysalis!”

“I’ll do what I can, but I offer no promises” the calmer voice replied.

He tried to keep alert to catch more of the discussion, but it was drifting away and he couldn’t stop it. His last thought was that whatever happened to him, Gabby was safe. He may have betrayed his hive, but he felt happy that he had saved the life of a good pony.

***

Six months later, Kevin sat on a chair in a comfortably appointed sitting room, looking out from a secluded chocolate box cottage on the edge of a small provincial town bordering the Everfree.

Behind him, the latch on the solid wooden front door rattled and his ears pricked up expectantly as the hinges squeaked their mild irritation at being disturbed.
“Hello Kevin, I’m home!” called a cheerful voice from the doorway, “How are you today?”
“I’ve been working on a surprise for you because it’s six months today since we met.”
With that, he rose and trotted out to meet the pink unicorn whom he knew would be happy to see him; she always was.

“Oh my!” she gasped, as a cyan blue earth pony with rainbow mane and tail came through to give her a friendly nuzzle, feeling a rush of love in return.
“You like?” he asked, “I still can’t change completely into a pegasus because of the wings, but otherwise I think it’s pretty good.”
“I am impressed, very impressed. You were only her for less than a minute, but you made every second count” she said, hugging him tightly, “But please remember what the doctor said; you won’t be able to fly again, so trying to change into something with wings, like a pegasus, won’t do you any good.”

With a flash of green light, the cyan pony was gone, her place taken instead by a caramel unicorn stallion.
“How about this, then?”
“Very handsome” she replied, “But it’s the real you I love the most.”

Another green flash and Kevin appeared as a changeling.
“Better?” he quipped.
“Best of all” she replied, releasing another wave of love for him to feed from.

“How did the meeting with Princess Celestia go today?” he asked, “Did you remember to thank her for giving us this nice little house?”
“Yes, I did. She has also told her protégée, Twilight Sparkle about you, principally for your own safety, just in case rumours start spreading. If what I’ve heard about her is right, she’s into research and will probably want to come round and talk your hind legs off if you let her. Just to warn you, I think she may be a bit OCD.”
“Another OCD mare in my life” Kevin quipped, “Will I ever meet anypony normal …?”
Gabby reached for a cushion and in one deft movement threw it at him, laughing playfully.

They hugged once more, then Kevin went out to the kitchen and prepared her a cup of tea which he brought in for her a few moments later.
“Oh, you are a lifesaver” she sighed gratefully, before thinking over what she had said, and adding, “But at least this time it didn’t involve a heroic leap off a high tower.”

“Did Princess Celestia like your work?” he asked, changing the subject to what he really wanted to know.
“She’s fascinated with all the reports I’ve given her on changeling culture, customs and rituals. She has assured me that everything I give her is locked up safely in the restricted section of her personal library” she said, before adding tentatively, “She did ask whether you would be prepared to tell her the location of the hive, though.”
“I’m not surprised” he replied, “But even though I failed in the mission set by my Queen, I cannot betray her completely. I am happy to share what I can in the hope that it may foster a closer understanding between our races and lead eventually to peace, but revealing where the hive is would only result in further confrontation, especially as memories of our failed invasion are still fresh. Maybe attitudes will soften over time; then I could take a delegation there and help set up peace talks.”
“That’s a good idea, but I don’t think either side is ready for that just yet” she said, taking a sip of tea and unwinding a little more.

“Do you think Queen Chrysalis will ever agree to peace with us?” she asked.
“I don’t think so” he replied thoughtfully, “But there is always hope. There’s another changeling who thinks like me. You’d like him, his name’s Thorax.”
“How would I ever be able to tell you apart?” she asked, a smile starting to form on her face, “You’re all clones, aren’t you?”
“Easy” he replied quickly, “I’m the handsome one and I make a better cup of tea.”

4 Strangers on a Train

The approach of a strange and unfamiliar reciprocating mechanical noise accompanied by a clanging bell caught his attention and curiosity beckoned him towards its source. Suddenly, a tide of ponies spilled out of a large building with a dome on top, spreading out in all directions. He crossed over to the mysterious building and walked under a sign marked ‘Ticket Office’ to see a string of small houses on wheels fronted by a large pink mechanical dragon; he could hear it breathing and see the smoke coming from it, yet nopony around seemed in the slightest bit scared.

He stood on the platform, not able to fully rationalise what he was seeing, when a pony in a smart blue uniform paused in placing a whistle to his lips.
“Well, be quick if you’re getting aboard!” he called, “We’re on a schedule here!”

A door hung open temptingly and he made a snap decision, ascending more quickly than his trepidation would have liked, before it was slammed firmly shut behind him, sealing him in with a random selection of ponies. The room lurched suddenly and he looked around, noticing that the occupants tended to favour being seated, and headed for a spare seat with a view out of the window.

Kevin sat captivated, watching the scenery unroll past his eyes with rapt attention and barely noticed when a pink unicorn tried to start up a conversation with him.

He turned, slightly disoriented at being torn away from the moving montage the other side of the window.
“I said, it looks like this is your first train journey” she repeated, “I can see the look in your eyes.”
“Yes, this is my first time” he replied.
“There’s no need to feel embarrassed” she reassured, “Just sit back and enjoy the experience. It gets a whole lot less magical the more often you do it.”
“Thank you” he replied dismissively.

“I’ve been doing this run for a few weeks now, it’s all part of my new job now the Crystal Empire has returned.”
“I’m going to Ponyville” he interrupted.
“Not on this train you’re not” she eyed him with mild concern, “This is the non-stop service to the Crystal Empire.”
“Crystal Empire?” he queried, looking at her for confirmation, “Where’s that?”
“Oh my, you really don’t get out much, do you? The Crystal Empire is as far north as you can go, in completely the opposite direction to Ponyville” she said, before adding, “You’re having me on, surely?”

With the prospect of his admittedly rather vague initial plans now evaporating before him, he quickly ran through his options and decided that either he leave the train and change into a pegasus to fly back to the start of his journey in Canterlot, or accept the new destination as some kind of divine intervention. On reflection, he didn’t have any real information on Ponyville, only that the yellow pegasus hailed from there, and as plans went, that wasn’t the most compelling reason, so he decided that he didn’t really have much to lose by waiting to see what this journey brought.

“Surely” he repeated after a pause.
“Oh my, you’ve sure got a dry sense of humour. You really had me going for a minute there! I couldn’t believe you would have gotten onto the wrong train – imagine that!” she quipped, “I’m a tour guide, you know, name’s Gabby Tweeter. What do you do?”
“I’m a reporter for the Canterlot Chronicle and I’m called Tab Lloyd.”
“Oh, I can guess why you’re on the train. Want to tell your readers all about the Crystal Empire I’d wager. Well, you’re lucky you ran into me, this journey takes hours, so I’ve got plenty of time to give you a full run down on its history and what there is to see there today. You’re going to know all about it by the time we get there!”

He sat, taking in the well-meaning, if seemingly endless monologue from the pink unicorn, and although the content was for the best part banal, he found himself able to feast on the love she was radiating, so continued to listen placidly. His Queen had been right, ponies were eager to open up to a reporter.

By the time the train finally crossed the State Line into the frozen north, he was feeling comfortably replete, having feasted on the generosity of the pink pony’s love for hours.
“So, where are you going to see first?” Gabby asked, barely pausing from her non-stop narrative.
“Probably the Crystal Castle” he replied.
“Good idea” she agreed, “That’s just what I would have suggested. Look, I’m still free for a few hours; shall we go there together? I could give you a quick whistle-stop tour of the sights before I have to go off to my meeting, if you like.”

Her eyes seemed to beg to be allowed to continue her rambling potted history of the place. He was on a mission to learn all he could, even though his ears yearned for some peace and quiet. There was also the matter of the love she had been radiating; it had been so sweet. Quite aside from the demands of the mission, he felt the stirrings of something else; perhaps he owed it her to let her show him around?

Kevin wrestled with the previously unknown concept that he may have an emotional debt to this pony. It was an unsettling response for a changeling, but this wasn’t the first time he had felt some emotional response since having entered the pony lands. If he was going to fit in, as he had been instructed by his Queen, then he reasoned he would have to get used to these feelings.

He nodded his head in agreement earning a happy smile from Gabby. As he watched her face, it seemed somehow to light up in a pleasing way. He found himself staring just a little too long, studying the muscles in her face moving imperceptibly, but somehow she didn’t seem to mind, and he felt another surge of her sweet love wash over him.

As he watched, he noticed the dark pupils of her eyes begin to expand, but then his concentration broke suddenly as the train gave a gentle lurch and began decelerating towards its destination.