The hospital room was the same as almost all others in the hospital, save for the lack of windows and the bed having restraints on it. On that bed and in those restraints was a changeling. It had black chitin, a green carapace, holes in its legs, and large eyes that were currently closed. Wrapped around it's wings and barrel was a bandage that was covered in green blood. A monitor attached to it revealed a steady heart rate.
Twilight and Applejack both stared in amazement. The last time either of them had seen a changeling, they were fighting an entire swarm in Canterlot. Bad memories came up in Applejack, who looked on the one in the bed with a contemptuous look. Twilight, however, was trying to remain of a neutral disposition.
"So", Twilight addressed the commander,"do the doctors have any idea when he could come to?"
The commander shook his head. "It's hard to say", he began,"When he was found, he had severe gouges into his sides, and splinters lodged inside them have confirmed he was attacked by timberwolves. He lost a lot of blood, but not so much as to be an immediate threat to his life. He also has damage to his throat. The doctors have done what they can, but they have next to no knowledge about changeling anatomy."
The science officer from before, who had came in with the three, chimed in. "We actually have found a few changelings scattered around the outskirts of Canterlot. Most were alive, but there were approximately nine that unfortunately died from various trauma caused by impacting structures at high speed. There was actually one that had the misfortune of being impaled on the spire of a chapel in a small village just outside the city."
Both Twilight and Applejack flinched at that revelation. While they didn't like changelings, they certainly didn't wish for such horrible fates to befall them.
The science mare continued. "We've made requests to the princesses that we be allowed to perform a dissection of one to learn more about their anatomy, but so far our requests have been denied."
Twilight thought about her teacher's reaction to those requests, and the only thought she had was Celestia holding out hope that Equestria and the changeling give could one day come to a peace agreement, and didn't want to have to explain why she had allowed ponies to cut up dead members of their species, especially if those doing that very thing were members of her own guard.
"In any case", the commander chimed back in,"the windpipe was damaged, so until it heals, I would suggest your initial questions be of a yes or no nature". Twilight nodded in agreement.
A groaning noise caught the group's attention. They turned to see the changeling in the hospital bed beginning to toss and turn, a sign it was waking up. The commander readied his spear, which earned a shocked look from Twilight and Applejack. He simply said,"We don't know what tricks he may have up his sleeve, even in those restraints."
Cricket was slowly coming to. He opened his eyes to see a bright light, which caused him to shut his eyes again to allow them to adjust. Opening them more slowly, he saw a hospital room and a group of ponies. Two he recognized immediately: Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, two of the six elements of harmony. The other ones he didn't recognize, but safely assumed they were royal guards, since one of them was holding a spear point towards him.
Twilight stepped forward. "Please don't try to speak", she told him,"Your windpipe is damaged and you'll probably hurt it more trying to talk, so for now, I'm just going to ask you some yes and no questions. Just blink once for yes and twice for no, okay?"
Cricket thought for a moment, then blinked once.
"Okay", Twilight began her questioning,"Your name is Cricket, correct?"
One blink.
"Good. And you've been traveling through the Everfree forest outside Ponyville?"
Cricket didn't do anything, until Twilight realized he probably didn't know where he was and told him he was in Ponyville, then he blinked once.
"So, you came here for help with your injuries?"
One blink.
"From Timberwolves?"
One blink.
"And you did this even though you knew you'd be taken prisoner?"
One blink.
"Okay, that clears up your arriving here. Now I want to ask about this note. It says you left your hive because you don't agree with Chrysalis, is that right?"
One blink.
"And you're giving up some of her infiltrators as some kind of bargaining chip for freedom?"
Two blinks.
"You're not. But don't you want to be free to leave?"
One blink.
"Okay, then I'll have to revisit this topic when you regain your speech. Moving on then. You said you were going to another hive in the dragon lands, correct?"
One blink.
"But getting hurt made you come here?"
One blink.
"And in your note, you said the queen of this hive wasn't hostile to ponies?"
One blink.
"Does she and her hive feed on love like Chrysalis' hive?"
One blink. This reaction caused the commander to glare at the changeling. Twilight ignored the commander for the moment.
"You said you didn't agree with Chrysalis. Did you not mean taking love from ponies?"
No blinking. Twilight clarified.
"I meant that you don't believe in taking it from forcefully like she believes you should do?"
One blink.
"Does this other hive share your viewpoint?"
One blink.
Twilight thanked him and then turned to the commander. "I'm going to request that Celestia send a diplomatic envoy to this hive, with guards there to provide security. If they are peaceful with us, then we need to ensure those relations remain the way they are."
The commander wanted to protest the idea, but he knew she was right. Many a war have been started because one side assumed the other had hostile intentions and acted on the resultant fears created by those assumptions. "Fine", he relented,"but we should contact them in writing first. I'd feel safer with a pegasus guard airdropping a letter than a group of ponies potentially walking into a manticore's den."
Twilight agreed. She didn't want to put ponies in danger, and a letter would be a safe way to open communications. She turned back to the changeling. He was making a head tilting gesture and moving his right forehoof in its restraint. Twilight mage a guess at what he meant.
"Are you saying you want to write something?"
One blink.
"Commander, please loosen his restraint so he can write."
"Absolutely not!", The commander protested intensely,"We have no idea what he might try!"
"Commander, please loosen his restraint so he can write." Twilight repeated, putting more emphasis on please.
The commander went to object again, but Twilight stopped him.
"If you don't, I will. And if you are going to arrest me, then I'll just send a letter explaining to Celestia that a commander in the royal guard wishes to infringe upon a prisoner's right to give written statement."
"Fine" the commander agreed, albeit very reluctantly. He used his magic and undid the restraint on the changeling's right foreleg. The changeling raised its good and flexed it in the air, then gestured in a come closer fashion. Twilight levitated a spare quill and sheet of parchment to him. He took the quill in his hoof and began to write something. Once he's finished, Twilight takes the parchment to read it.
"I gave up the infiltrators to prove I'm not like the other changelings. I would guess that a letter will come soon confirming that at least one of the addresses had a changeling arrested there."
A moment later, and a scroll popped into existence, wrapped in a royal seal. Twilight took it and examined the seal, then handed it to the commander. "It's addressed to you." She informed him.
The commander took the scroll, opened and read it. Once he was finished, he gave it back to Twilight. "He's telling us the truth about the addresses." he told her.
Twilight read the scroll:
To: Cmdr. Lance Point, Ponyville Royal Guard
From: Royal Guard HQ, Canterlot
Re: Prisoner intelligence
We have looked into the addresses the changeling prisoner has provided and have came to these conclusions:
1. All sixteen addresses provided have been verified to have changeling infiltrators residing in them. Operations are being planned to capture and interrogate them as quickly and safely as possible. Please do not share this information with unauthorized individuals.
2. During investigation, one changeling infiltrator was apprehended when they discovered a member of the guard staking out the property. It is a female, and she's being moved to the Canterlot dungeons for processing and interrogation.
This changeling, if cooperative, is to still be kept under secure watch until it's deemed healthy enough for transport. Barring a ruling from Celestia, he'll be brought to the Canterlot dungeons.
Twilight looked to the commander. "I am continuing my questioning, but I'm going to write to Celestia and recommend he be kept hear after he's recovered."
The commander was going to protest but elected not to. He requested her to give insight on what the guard should do, but didn't think this course of action was safe. "Well, I'm going to write to her as well and simply state that I don't agree with this idea and why."
Twilight nodded and moved another sheet of parchment towards Cricket, as well as a spill proof ink well so he could keep writing.
"So, those addresses were real. Are there any other ones you know of?"
He scribbled down a reply. "I only found those out after I stole a report from our archives. I wasn't a good soldier or strategist, so I was mostly put in the nursery for helping rear the nymphs."
"Then how did you steal the report?", Twilight asked him,"Do they not question if you're not in an assigned area?"
He wrote down more. "I snuck in during the night. There's less security because most of the hive is asleep, so none saw me."
"Then why give them to us?"
More scribbling. "To prove I'm serious about wanting asylum. The hive will figure out sooner or later that I gave up that information, and they'll be searching for me to take me back. If that happens, I'll be executed, publicly."
"So you are trusting us to give you asylum so that the changelings can't get to you to execute you?"
Cricket nodded and wrote "Yes, or at least have safety being in custody in a dungeon somewhere."
"But you'd much rather be free?" Twilight asked him.
"That would be the preferable option." He wrote.
"That's all my questions for now", Twilight told Cricket, then asked Applejack,"So, is he good?"
"Well", Applejack began,"I didn't pick up any lyin' from him. 'Course, that don't mean he ain't got some kinda trick for that."
"I kinda doubt he can use a trick", Twilight pointed out,"He's wearing a suppression ring, and we have these crystals to disrupt his magic."
"That's true", Applejack countered,"but a pony can convince themselves they're tellin' the truth when they're actually fibbin'."
"In any case", Twilight continued,"You don't think he's lying and neither do I. The guards didn't tell Celestia yet, so I'm gonna write her a letter and tell her about the situation. I'll have Spike send it so she gets it as fast as possible". Twilight then grabbed a quill and parchment and began writing:
Dear Princess Celestia,
We've had a very unusual and eventful day here in Ponyville. A changeling wandered into town. What was quite unusual about this was the fact that it appeared injured and wanting help. It was taken by the guards here to the hospital in Ponyville, and is currently being kept in the psychiatric ward in a bed with restraints.
When he was taken into custody, he had a note with him. According to the note, his name is Cricket, and he left Queen Chrysalis because he didn't agree with stealing love from ponies. He admitted to going to another hive in the dragon lands, but had to detour here because he was attacked by timberwolves in the Everfree forest.
Firstly, I would like to suggest we find and make contact with this hive by form of written letter. If this hive is not hostile to Equestria, then we should open the diplomatic channels with them and make them allies. They may even provide us the means to bring Chrysalis to justice for her attack on Canterlot.
Secondary to this, and because of his altered plan, Cricket has made a request to be granted asylum here in Equestria. On his note, he provided addresses in Equestria that changeling infiltrators are currently using, with one changeling already arrested earlier today. Cricket told us that giving us this info was committing treason, and he will likely be hunted and executed if caught.
I have personally interviewed this changeling, and everything he has told me so far has been true. I even asked Applejack to use her ability to discern lies on him and she doesn't believe he is lying, but she does admit he may be using some kind of trick to prevent her from being able to tell if he's lying. I am asking you for insight on what the guard here should do with him. The HQ in Canterlot said unless advised otherwise, he'll be sent to the dungeons and interrogated. I ask for you to please reply as quickly as you can.
Your student,
Twilight Sparkle
Twilight sealed the letter and wrote a note on the outside to Spike telling him not to read it and send it straight to Celestia. The commander went to object, but Twilight teleported the letter to the library before he could say anything. "You don't need to worry", she reassured him,"Spike will follow my instructions to the letter and send it without reading it."
"You may trust him",the commander shot back,"but I have not met this Spike, and he has not been properly vetted. This is a violation of the oath you gave, and I must inform you that I intend to hold you under arrest!"
A scroll popped into existence in front of Twilight. She took it and opened it, reading through the scroll very quickly, and then smiling. "You can inform the princess yourself that you're arresting her student", she told the commander while passing him the letter,"She's coming here in an hour or so."
The commander took the letter from her and read it himself:
Dear Twilight,
I am glad you have decided to ask for my insight into this matter. I feel a little disappointed that the royal guard did not inform me of this situation earlier, but I believe they felt they could handle this situation without needing to inform me about it.
As for what to do, I feel this decision requires my personal touch. I will be concluding my day court and coming there to meet this changeling personally. I ask you to stay with him until my arrival. Once I've spoken with him myself, I will render a decision. I am also going to compose a letter to the queen of this new changeling hive so that we may open up peaceful diplomatic channels. With any luck, we should be able to convince them to at least meet with us here in Canterlot, or at a neutral site where we can ensure the safety of any diplomatic envoy we may send.
Kindest Regards,
Celestia, Princess of the Sun
P.S. - I have asked the royal guard to concoct a cover story about this changeling not surviving his timberwolf attack. This will be shared through the press and be intercepted by Chyrsalis' spies in Equestria. I imagine that the changelings wouldn't bother hunting down a member of their hive they were sure was dead.
The commander's face flushed as he recognized the hoof writing as the princess'. He looked back to Twilight and told her"You will remain here with the prisoner, as noted in the letter, but I do not permit you to send anymore without my permission." He used his magic on the door and walked out.
The mage, who had been silent nearly the whole time, spoke up to talk to Twilight. "So, do you really think he's actually telling us the truth?" she asked.
"Not one hundred percent", answered Twilight,"but I trust him enough to give a little benefit of the doubt. All the information he has given us has checked out so far."
"Yeah, it probably isn't a good idea to trust him completely yet", the mare agreed.
An hour or so passed before the pegasus guards outside spotted Celestia's carriage approaching, Shortly afterwards, the princess herself was standing in the hospital room looking at the changeling. He looked just like all the others she'd seen during the invasion of Canterlot, but acted very different. Upon entering the room, he bowed his head to her, a gesture she wasn't expecting. The other ponies bowed in her presence.
"Rise my little ponies", she commanded of them,"and you may raise your head now mister Cricket." The changeling looked up at her, surprised she had used his name. Celestia smirked briefly at his reaction.
The commander had returned to address Celestia. "Ma'am", he began,"I must inform you now that your student here has breached her confidentiality agreement by sending you that letter without going through proper channels. I'm afraid I'm going to have to take her into custody." He then produced a set of manacles and was going to place them on Twilight's hooves. Golden magic then surrounded the manacles and they disappeared in a flash.
"That won't be necessary, commander", Celestia informed him,"I hereby grant full pardon and request that any paperwork that has been filed on this matter be destroyed. She is fully absolved and is to have no record of this incident."
The commander was about to protest, but decided not to. The princess had made up her mind and it was best not to argue. "Very well" he relented.
Celestia turned to Twilight and spoke to her. "I appreciate the brevity with which you got this information to me, but next time, allow the guards to send the letter to me. They have enchanted seals that will send the letter to me as quickly as Spike's flame magic can."
Twilight chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. "Uh, yeah. I'll remember that for the future." Twilight replied, feeling embarrassed.
"Now", Celestia continued,"I believe there is one here in the room that I wish to speak to." Celestia directed her gaze back to the changeling. She closed her eyes and her horn glowed in golden magic. Cricket's neck began to glow in the golden energy, and the bandages around his neck disappeared, revealing carapace that didn't even have a scratch on it.
"You should count yourself lucky", Celestia told Cricket,"It's very rare that I personally use healing magic myself, and you are the first changeling I have ever performed it on. I'm glad that the process is no different than for ponies."
Cricket gave a test hum to make sure his vocal chords were working. Once satisfied, he spoke the first words he had ever said to a pony.
"Thank you, your majesty."
Celestia gave a nod. "You are most certainly welcome", Celestia responded,"And it is nice to see that you practice courtesy and manners."
Cricket apparently blushed, as his cheeks became a darker black. "I was made to do infiltration training", he explained,"every member of the hive is made to do it. They gave us all kinds of books to study, and they put a lot of emphasis on how to interact with ponies."
"And that is where you learned these manners?" Celestia deduced.
Cricket nodded. "I was only sent on one infiltration mission. I believe it was to some place called Manehattan? I can't remember too well, but it was a newer city. I was supposed to replace a baker in the city named Sourdough, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, so I ended up working for him as an assistant named Crescent Roll. I worked there for several months before the other changelings came and got me, under the ruse that my mother had fallen ill and I needed to come home. The baker practically was pushing me out the door, saying family was more important than work."
"Well, he is most certainly correct about that", remarked Celestia, then asking,"Why couldn't you go through with taking the baker's place?"
"It didn't feel right", answered Cricket,"especially after I saw how he and his daughter got along."
"She was a very sweet filly. Just gotten her cutie mark, a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread. Sweet Treat was her name. Beige coat with brown and orange hair. greenish-cyan eyes. She was gonna make stallions fall over themselves when she got older. Honestly, I was starting to as well, but that was probably because of how much love was spilling out of her."
Celestia grew rather concerned at that remark. "You didn't do anything with this filly, did you?" she questioned, a more stern look on her face.
Cricket became rather fearful of the princess. "Certainly not", he answered her,"I would never do such a thing to one that is neither an adult nor able to give their permission for that sort of activity."
Celestia eased up. "I believe you", she said,"We've unfortunately had incidents where ponies have been abducted and had things done to them. Some were even as young as foals." That comment made every pony in the room gasp in shock, and the changeling flinch.
"Um", Cricket began,"I have never done such a thing, but those incidents may very well have been perpetrated by my hive mates."
Celestia had a disgusted look on her face. To think any creature in Equestria would stoop so low as to perform that kind of act on an innocent foal made her blood boil, and would've burned the room down if Twilight hadn't stepped in to calm her down. Cricket continued speaking.
"We're told to obtain love by whatever means necessary, even resorting to manipulating a pony's carnal desires. In honesty, that's what the changeling hive I said I was going to does."
Celestia had a surprised look on her face now. "Really?" she asked.
"Yes", Cricket replied,"It's apparently the way they choose to do things. Ponies go there and, by giving up some bits and allowing members of the hive to feed on their love, they get to have their lust filled fantasies come true."
Celestia wasn't exactly pleased to hear this. "I'm not too sure how I feel about a brothel operating in Equestria." she stated.
"Well, Queen Lepidoptera does this so that her changelings don't have to starve. She feels that offering this exchange is in the best interests for her subjects, as it gives them what they need and allows for peaceful coexistence with other creatures, at least until some creature decides to disrupt that."
Celestia digested this bit of information. Prostitution was a business she was not fond of, but this hive has apparently existed for sometime, living peacefully with some of her subjects and not harming them as Chrysalis had intended to do. "You said this queen was named Lepidoptera, correct?" she asked Cricket. He replied with a simple head nod.
"Then I shall have to make contact with her as soon as I am finished here", she stated,"You said you were taken back by the other changelings?"
"Yes", he answered her,"Once I got back, I was chewed out by my superiors for not taking the baker's place. After such a dismal failure by their assessment, I was assigned to custodial duties. This happened not long before Canterlot, which was when I got moved to nursery duty."
"I take it you weren't happy with this outcome?" Celestia inferred.
Cricket shook his head. "I never wanted to be an infiltrator, especially after I spent time with Sourdough and Sweet Treat."
"You've never wanted to cause harm to or steal love from ponies?" questioned Celestia.
"Never have and never will" replied Cricket.
"Thank you, Cricket" Celestia told him,"I will have to take my time to consider what we shall do. As I said, we will make up a story to throw off Chrysalis' hive and try to prevent them from executing you."
"I thank you for that your highness", responded,"even if you decline my request."
Celestia smiled and walked out of the room, followed by Twilight, Applejack, the commander and the mage.
"So, what do you think we should do?" Twilight asked her mentor. The group had returned to the office that Twilight and the commander originally met in. A pony had brought a pot of tea in and Celestia was having a cup.
"I'm not sure", Celestia answered her student,"I do believe he is being honest. What about you, miss Applejack?"
Applejack took her hat off and fidgeted with it in her hooves. "Well", she answered,"Ah don't believe he's lyin' either, but ah can't say for sure, since he's a changelin' an' those varmints could have a trick or two up their sleeves to beat a lie detector."
"That is true", admitted Celestia,"but you still believe him regardless?"
"Well, ah do", Applejack admitted,"I'm just not totally sure he's honest."
Celestia was in thought for a moment. She'd had time to consider the changeling's case. Now she needed input from her guard.
"Commander Lance Point", she addressed him,"What is your opinion on this matter?"
The commander took a sip of his own tea, then he answered the princess.
"I was in Canterlot and had dealings with the changelings during the invasion. Even before Chrysalis was revealed, I noticed odd behavior from some of the ponies in attendance, especially amongst ones that appeared as my personal friends. These creatures are trained to be able to trick ponies into trusting them, which is why I hold a lot of doubt about his honesty. He's been honest with us as far as we can tell, but this could be some type of ruse to pave the way for another invasion. I can't tell you what to do, your highness, but I strongly recommend he be moved to the dungeons once healthy enough."
Celestia nodded at his response. His remarks about the changeling's abilities to deceive were true, but the question was whether this changeling was an exception to this line of thought?
"Twilight",Celestia asked her student,"What do you feel you would do if you had to make this decision?"
Twilight shifted uneasily in her seat, not comfortable with the spotlight being on her now. "Well", she answered her teacher,"I would probably give him a chance to prove himself trustworthy, and go from there."
Celestia closed her eyes and smiled. "I believe that remark proves why you are one of the elements of harmony" she said to her pupil.
Cricket laid in the bed with his legs restrained and wondering what would happen to him. Either the ponies would agree and grant asylum, or reject his plea and he'd end up a prisoner. The only thing he was sure of was that they wouldn't execute him or allow the changeling hive to carry out that sentence.
The door to the room opened and the ponies from before walked in. The royal guard who the princess addressed as commander appeared to be rather displeased about something. Celestia walked forward and addressed Cricket.
"Mister Cricket", she began,"I have heard your case, and the opinions of all the ponies you see here in this room, and have reached a decision."
"And what have you decided, your highness?" Cricket asked her.
"I have decided to allow you to stay here in Equestria. You will remain here in Ponyville with my student, and she will help you to integrate into the community here. We will have a ceremony to formally introduce you and the guard will be instructed not to allow you to be harmed."
Cricket kept a straight face, but inside he was jumping for joy. He was being allowed to stay, and allowed to live freely among the ponies! He honestly couldn't have asked for anything more.
"However", the princess continued,"there are some conditions to my decision."
This caught the changeling off guard. "What conditions?" he asked the princess.
"For starters", she answered,"the guard here in Ponyville will keep you under watch day and night. The commander has already requested thestral guards be sent from Canterlot to assist in this matter. Second, you will need to keep the magic inhibiting ring you are wearing on at all times until we seem you can take it off. Thirdly, you will not be permitted to feed on any pony's love. For your nourishment, Twilight here has agreed to talk with a zebra in the area who specializes in potion making. She believes that the two of them together can come up with a liquid love concoction you can consume when needed. Lastly, we ask you to cooperate with the royal guard as a consultant on dealing with changelings. With your help, we believe we can prevent another attack like what happened in Canterlot."
Celestia moved closer to the bed and used her magic to undo his restraints. Once free, she offered a hoof to him. "So, with those conditions established, do you accept our offer of asylum?" she asked him.
Cricket thought about this offer for a moment. Once he accepted, his life would change. He wouldn't have to steal love from ponies. He could live freely among them. Most important to him, he had a chance to live his life as he wanted to, and pursue whatever endeavors he saw fit. As for the terms he had to follow? A small price to pay.
Cricket sat up, extended a hood, and with a smile, told the princess "I accept your offer."
Author's Note
And this chapter concludes this story. I may pen a sequel in the future, but I don't have anything planned at the moment. I hope that if you enjoyed this story, you'll read my others as well.
The Everfree Forest. One of the most dangerous places in all of Equestria. Home to a countless number of dangerous animal species, from petrifying cockatrices to gargantuan manticores. Few dared to enter these woods.
Walking through these woods was another dangerous creature, but this one wasn't native to the forest. It had dark chitin, holes in its legs, fangs, wings, a horn, and two compound eyes. It was a changeling.
The changeling breathed hard as it walked through the forest. No more than five miniutes ago, it had been fighting for its life against one of the most dangerous threats to exist in the forest - Timberwolves. The creatures were literally made of wood from the forest, but hungered for whatever unfortunate creatures happened to cross their path. It had been a group of four, and it took every trick and tactic in the changeling's repetoire to finally elude them, but they were finally long gone.
The encounter didn't leave the changeling unscathed, however. One had gotten their jaws around the changelings barrel and bit down hard, piercing the hard shell and drawing forth green blood. Those wounds were too deep for a healing cocoon. The changeling would have to seek out help from either another changeling or a pony. The latter was a last resort, as ponies typically ran screaming upon seeing a changeling anywhere remotely close to them. The former option was equally as bad, given what he was intending to do.
Eventually, the forest cleared and revealed a village in the distance. Gathering the remaining strength it could, it donned the disguise of a blue earth pony stallion, reflecting its gender. He then checked himself for a note he'd managed to write after stealing a pen and scroll from a hut that appeared to belong to a zebra, based on the decorations inside. Fortunately, nopony was home, so there wasn't an incident. Tucking the scroll away, the changeling headed into town square.
There were ponies all around. Some were shopping, some were eating, some were talking, and some were simply moving about. The disguised changeling was using all its remaining energy to maintain its chosen disguise. It had one goal in mind: a hospital. Surely he would be arrested by the royal guard stationed here, as he had seen them amongst the ponies, but he didn't care. He needed help, and his best bet was to go to the hospital to get it. After all, doctors were supposed to treat patients; Ignoring them would go against their sworn oath to help all in need and do no harm. Plus, he was sure refusing to help him was criminal negligence.
As the changeling made its way closer to the hospital, it entered the town square. There were ponies going in and out of various businesses, and children playing. The changeling was doing its best to maintain its focus, but was distracted by a need it had yet to address: thirst.
Most ponies assumed that changelings only sustained themselves on love, but that wasn't true. They needed water like most any other organism, and the changeling hadn't drank for at least two days. It was thirsty, and the water fountain in town square was too good looking to pass up. He limped over to the fountain and dunked his head in.
The cool water on his dried out throat rejuvenated him, but at a cost. With his thirst quenched, his attention is drawn to the pain from his earlier wounds, and the slight tinting of the water indicated he was still bleeding. He needed to find the hospital, now!
He turned to limp away but was immediately halted by a scream. A mare in the town square pointed her hoof at him, drawing the attention of every other pony there. The changeling looked at his side and saw his green blood oozing out of his coat. "Well, no use hiding it now" he thought as he dropped his disguise.
The town square went into pandemonium. Ponies ran every which way, upturning produce carts, trampling flower beds, and making others outside the square do a 180 and haul off the other way. The changeling started limping in the direction of the hospital, hoping that at least one or so ponies would be merciful and take him there. The pain he felt with each step progressively got worse, and his breathing began to labor. Ultimately, he collapsed from exhaustion. Heavy sounding hoofsteps confirmed what his eyes couldn't: Royal guards were coming into the square to surround him.
In a matter of seconds, the changeling was surrounded with spears pointing at him. He looked up and saw a guard glaring at him. Calling upon the last reserve of his energy, he found his note and presented it to the guard, before collapsing from exhaustion.
The guards closed in and prodded with their appears, getting no response. One guard shouted "He's unconscious!", while others gave each other uncertain looks. The lead guard, a unicorn, walked forward and took the paper in his magic. After opening it and reading it, he ordered the other guards to take it and move it to the hospital.
===
Twilight Sparkle was in what amounted to a rather rare state for the purple unicorn: bored. Normally, she would've been with one of her friends doing any number of things, or studying a topic of interest, or reorganizing her library for the millionth time that month. But, her friends were busy, she had no topics she wanted to study, and Spike would probably go AWOL if she even thought of changing the library around again. She simply sat at her librarian's desk staring at the empty library before her.
Suddenly, a royal guard pony burst through the door panting and out of breath and scaring Twilight. Once he had regained his breath, he took notice of Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle", he addressed her,"Please follow me to the Ponyville hospital."
Twilight instantly went from scared to worried. "Has something happened to one of my friends?!" she questioned him in a slightly panicked tone.
"No ma'am", he replied,"but please come with me". Twilight nodded and followed him out the door, flipping the sign on it from open to closed. A mare walking up to the door gave an annoyed huff. Twilight gave her an apologetic look.
"Sorry", she apologized to the mare,"It's an emergency at the hospital. Hopefully I'll only be gone for a short while". The mare adopted her own apologetic look and nodded, heading back in the direction she came from.
The guard and Twilight began running towards the hospital. Twilight tried to obtain more information from the guard, but he asked her to save her questions for when they arrived. She gave an annoyed huff but relented.
The hospital came into view, and the sight shocked the mare. It looked to be in lock-down, with guards watching all the doors and pegasus guards flying above. One spotted them and called down to a guard by the door. That guard saw them approaching and stopped them at the door.
"It's me, sir", the guard with Twilight addressed his comrade at the door,"Private Halberd". The guard then asked him for a code phrase, which he provided. Once cleared, Halberd walked in. Twilight moved to follow, but the door guard stopped her.
"Sorry ma'am", he began,"but I have to verify your Identity". This caught Twilight off guard.
"My identity?" she asked the guard. He nodded, and then produced a letter with the Royal seal. He broke the seal and opened the letter.
"What was the test you took to be admitted to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?"
Twilight spat the answer out almost immediately. "I had to hatch a dragon's egg."
The guard gave a nod and stepped aside. "Please follow Private Halberd to the prisoner" he told her.
Twilight stepped through the doors of the hospital and saw Halberd waiting. "Please save your questions until we're past the next checkpoint" he instructed and then turned to walk down a corridor. Twilight was rather confused.
"Prisoner? Security checkpoints?", Twilight wondered to herself,"Just what is going on around here?"
Halberd and Twilight walked down several more hallways before coming to a set of doors marked "Psych Ward". Twilight gulped upon seeing the words. Had they brought her here because a patient escaped and hurt some pony?
One of the guards at the door stopped the two. Halberd stepped forward and gave another code phrase. The guard turned and nodded to the other guard and made a gesture to him. The other guard walked in front of the door and Halberd took his place.
"Please follow me, ma'am", the new guard instructed her,"Our commander would like to speak with you before you meet the prisoner. Save your questions for him please.". He then put his hoof to a wall switch and the door popped open, allowing the two inside.
There were no patients in the common area, which confused Twilight. Wasn't it normal for ponies in the ward to get out of their rooms and socialize? She then noticed a nurse going into a room with a guard standing outside. She had a very nervous look on her face, almost like she could sense a predator nearby. Twilight was starting to grow more concerned as she saw that every room in the ward had a guard posted outside. She followed the guard to what looked like an office for one of the ward's doctors.
"In here, ma'am" the guard instructed, pointing to the door with his hoof. Twilight went inside. Sitting at the desk was a commander looking over paperwork. A subordinate was standing at attention nearby. The door clicking shut caught the commander's attention.
"Please have a seat ma'am" the commander said to Twilight, gesturing to an empty seat. Twilight say down and adjusted to get comfortable. The commander turned to his subordinate, telling him to go outside. The guard left the room, a click sounding as the door shut behind him.
The commander addressed Twilight with a serious tone, which told her whatever he had to tell her was extremely important. "I'm sure you have questions about what's going on, but before I answer anything, you must swear an oath that you will not disclose any information about what you hear here today. If you do, you'll be subject to criminal penalties, including a potential stay in the Canterlot dungeons. Do you understand and agree to keep this information to yourself?"
Twilight looked at the commander in disbelief. Just what was this huge secret that was being kept under such tight wraps? Her curiosity got the better of her. Perhaps it would be a secret for only a little while? The purple mare nodded her head in agreement. "I won't speak to anypony about this" she agreed.
The commander nodded and continued. "The reason for the secrecy is that, about an hour or so ago, a changeling wandered into the town square."
Twilight couldn't believe it. A changeling? In Ponyville?
The commander continued. "We're keeping this a secret so it doesn't start a panic here in town. The witnesses have been asked not to communicate what they saw with anyone until we've had a chance to do a proper investigation as to why it's here. It's a male from what we can tell, and it came in disguised. It was seen taking a drink from the fountain."
"It was drinking from the fountain?" Twilight questioned. The commander nodded.
"Yes. After he drank, he dropped his disguise and collapsed and fell unconscious. Before he conked out, he gave a guard this note. Please read this". The commander picked up a scroll on the desk and gave it to her. Twilight took it and unrolled it, reading the document out loud.
"To whomever should find me in my unconscious state. My name is Cricket. Yes, I am a changeling, and yes, I am one of Queen Chrysalis's changelings. I am not, however, one of the changelings that attacked Canterlot sometime ago. I was assigned to guard the nursery when that happened."
"I have come to this town primarily for reasons relating to my health. I managed to survive an attack by timberwolves a few days ago, but did not accomplish this unscathed. I ask you to please take me to a doctor or hospital so I can be treated for my wounds."
"As for why I was here, I am seeking asylum. I do not agree with Chrysalis's philosophy regarding our methods of acquiring our means to survive, and have elected to go elsewhere. I had intended to go to the hive of another changeling queen located close to the dragon lands, but the wolf attack has altered my plans. Please do not cause trouble with this queen. Her hive has done nothing to cause harm to ponies, and shouldn't be blamed for the decisions of Chrysalis."
"Since I am making a rather unbelievable claim to you, a show of good faith is in order. At the bottom of this scroll are sixteen addresses for homes and businesses here in Equestria that are, to the best of my knowledge, being actively used by changeling infiltrators either to kidnap ponies to drain love from, or are being used to gather intelligence for a potential future attack."
"I am giving this information to you to show my intentions for seeking asylum to be true, as my giving you the location of infiltrators freely is considered an act of treason. Should word get back to Chrysalis's hive, I will be hunted down and brought before her. She would then personally execute me in a public fashion as a warning to those who would choose to defy her."
"I can only hope now as I write this that you will practice the kindness and compassion that your kind are so openly mocked for in the hive and grant me this asylum. It's a far more desirable alternative to living out my days in a prison somewhere, though I can't blame you if you should choose to throw me in one anyway. I will agree to whatever terms you decide I must abide by if that's what it takes to get the asylum I seek."
Twilight finished reading and looked at the bottom of the page. As promised, there were sixteen addresses written at the bottom of the scroll, each one belonging to a city in Equestria. Half the list was split between Canterlot and Manehattan, and there were no addresses in Ponyville. That fact gave a bit of support to his claim, as if these addresses were actually belonging to infiltrators, the changeling would not want to be near them for fear of bring identified as a traitor.
The commander noticed Twilight had stopped reading and rose out of his seat. "The changeling is still unconscious. We originally believed that his wounds were a ruse, but the doctors who attended him told us that a minute later and we would be burying him in a grave somewhere. They managed to stabilize him and he is resting and unconscious. We had him moved here to the psychiatric ward to make use of a bed with restraints, as well as applying an inhibitor ring on his horn to keep him from using his changeling magic."
Twilight nodded as she processed this information. "Have you told either of the princesses about this?" she asked him.
"Not yet", answered the commander,"We were advised by the mayor that, because of your having been involved in dealing with changelings before, you might have some insight on what course of action we should take. We're soldiers, not policy makers."
Twilight thought for a moment, and then decided she needed to see for herself. "May I see this changeling?" she asked the commander.
He nodded and walked toward the door, gesturing for her to follow him. As they walked down the halls, Twilight took note of guards standing outside of patient rooms. The patients themselves were looking through the glass, frightful looks on their faces. "We've requested the patients be kept in their rooms", the commander spoke,"The guards are here to make sure that no one but staff are allowed into to see them. It's to make sure that if the changeling comes to and frees itself somehow, it won't be able to disguise itself and escape."
"I can appreciate your desire for secrecy and maintaining the peace", Twilight retorted,"but this isn't going to be good for these patients in the long run."
"I'm aware", the commander responded,"but everypony's safety is on the line here, even the changeling's."
Twilight was taken aback by this. "You actually care for his safety?"
"No", the commander replied bluntly,"He would've done everyone a favor by expiring in the town square, save for the ponies that have to clean up his blood from the streets and fountain."
Twilight gave him a rather disapproving look, but the captain paid it no attention.
"Since he is still alive, however", the commander continued,"He is going to be treated like a prisoner. Kept alive and under supervision."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you intend to do with him?" she asked.
The commander replied"Whatever you or the princesses recommend."
Twilight thought on this for a moment. The note she read didn't seem like this changeling was trying anything deceptive. Of course, their whole race relied on deceiving creatures so as to be able to steal love from them, so didn't seemwasn't a strong enough reason for her. An idea struck her.
"Commander", she addressed him,"Do you have any objections to me bringing in another pony? One that could help in making a decision on this changeling?"
The commander gave her a stern look. "I would prefer to keep as few ponies in on this as possible, but who did you have in mind?"
===
"Ah Don't know Twilight", came the voice of Applejack, Twilight's friend and the Element of Honesty,"I know how important it is to keep big secrets that could affect all of Equestria, buy y'all know I ain't the best at keepin' 'em when the pressure starts pourin' on like syrup on pancakes."
Twilight gave her friend an understanding nod. "Hopefully it won't be for long", she tried to reassure her friend,"What I'm being permitted to show you is a very sensitive matter, I must admit. But your being the Element of Honesty is going to be really helpful to the current situation."
"Whatever ah can do ta help", Applejack responded, then asked,"What exactly am ah needed for anyways?"
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you yet", answered Twilight,"But I will be able to once we get inside the hospital."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What are we headin' to the hospital for?" she asked.
"I can't tell you out here", Twilight answered,"But believe me, it's big."
"Okay, sugar cube", Applejack relented,"I'll hold my inquiries until we get there."
"Inside, please" Twilight added.
"Inside" Applejack parroted, rolling her eyes. The farm pony was willing to go along with what her friend was telling her, but that didn't make it any less annoying.
The hospital came into view, and the pegasus guard from before called down to the ones at the door. Once Twilight and Applejack got close, the one from before stopped them.
"Hold it!", he ordered,"I'm gonna have to verify your identity."
Twilight leaned in and gave the pass code honeysuckle, and the guard let her through. Applejack moved to follow, but the guard stopped her. "Sorry ma'am", he told her,"but I have to verify your identity." He moved his hoof to a scroll setting on a small table beside him. He opened it and looked inside, then looked at Applejack.
"Where did you get your hat?"
Applejack was confused for a moment. How could this guard know to ask that question? There were only a few who actually knew the answer. Well, few that cared to remember.
"I got it for winning the Apple Bobbin' contest at the Ponyville fair."
The guard rolled up the scroll and stepped aside for Applejack to go in. Twilight was waiting by the door.
"We have to go down to the psychiatric ward", the purple mare informed her,"I can give you all the details once we're there." Applejack made to protest, but her friend had already headed down the hallway towards that part of the hospital, so she had no choice but to follow her friend there.
A few minutes later, and the two were outside the doors to the ward. Two guards eyed the mares for a moment before the commander came out to usher them inside. Applejack stepped in and saw the absence of any ponies in the commons area, and guards posted outside every room. ,"What the hay is goin' on 'round here?" she asked.
The commander ushered the two of them back into the office, where he repeated the story he told Twilight to Applejack. The orange mare was quite shocked.
"Y'all mean to tell me that one of them changelin' fellers walked inta town bleedin' through his disguise and just passed out by the fountain?" she asked in disbelief.
The commander nodded. "We found this note on him." he added, passing the note to Applejack. "After reading it, we moved him here to the hospital to have him evaluated. His injuries were pretty bad, but he'll eventually recover."
Applejack read over the note, then looked down at the bottom. "Land sakes", she reacted,"Is this feller tellin' the truth about these here addresses?"
"We're verifying that now." the commander answered.
Twilight addressed her friend next. "If this is true, then this changeling will have give us an opportunity not just to prevent another attack like Canterlot, but also the potential to bring Queen Chrysalis and her hive to justice."
Applejack nodded. "That's all fine an' dandy", she responded,"but what about this here asylum talk?"
"Actually, that's why I wanted you here", Twilight responded,"I was hoping you could use your element to fact check him when we're able to question him."
"So, y'all want me here to act like a lie detector or somethin'?" Applejack asked for clarification, to which Twilight nodded.
Applejack looked uncertain at her friend for a moment, but agreed. "I'll lend a hoof so to speak, but I can't guarantee that my bein' the element of honesty is gonna work on a changeling."
Twilight gave her smile and said "I appreciate it nonetheless."
===
Twilight, Applejack and the commander all were standing outside a patient room near the rear of the ward. It was away from the outside, with two guards posted by the door. In addition to them, Twilight sensed a spell to prevent the door from being opened by either magic or hooves.
"We're keeping him in here", the commander informed them,"We've used the most secure techniques and spells we have at our disposal to ensure he doesn't escape."
"Thank you commander", Twilight responded,"If you would disable the spell matrices so we may go inside..."
The commander raised a hood. "I can't let you in just yet" he replied. Twilight was about to protest until a pair of necklaces with a quartz-like gem inside were floated over both her and Applejack's head, the farm pony having her hat removed suddenly to allow the necklace on.
"Hey!", shouted Applejack,"Warn a lady the next time ya do that!"
"Sorry ma'am" came the voice of a new pony. They wore a cape emblazoned with the insignia of the Royal guard, but also had a shield shaped patch with twinkling stars and two scrolls on it; one glowing a bright golden color with suns on it, and the other appearing dark blue and covered in small crescents. It was the crest for the mage division of the Royal guard, and this pony was an officer in it.
"What do these necklaces do?" Twilight asked this new pony.
The pony, a unicorn mare, gave a very technical reply. "These necklaces were developed to help us combat changelings should there ever be another attack. The quartz crystal is imbued with a spell matrix that has been painstakingly designed to inhibit a changeling's ability to steal love from a pony."
"That's amazing!" Twilight exclaimed, rather impressed by the accomplishment.
The mage beamed. "Yes, we are quite proud of the accomplishment. We're hoping to find a way to streamline the enchanting process and improve it to be able to use almost any gemstone. If we can accomplish that, we'll have a means to protect all of Equestria from future changeling attacks."
Twilight's curious side was now piqued. "How did you accomplish this?" she asked.
"It was a big effort", the mage began,"We had to study changelings taking love from ponies to understand how the process works."
Hearing this soured Applejack's disposition. "Y'all was using ponies and lettin' them changelings feed on 'em?!"
The mage gave a nod. "We asked for volunteers, and made them aware of what was going to happen to them. We also used stunning spells on the changelings to prevent them from causing harm to any ponies in the experiment" she then stated, hoping to improve the farm pony's mood.
"So, what happens during the, uh, feeding process?" Twilight asked.
"When we first started studying the process, we thought that they were using some kind of magic to just draw the love out of ponies against their will", the mage began to explain,"but what actually happens is the changelings draw the love that is naturally radiated by ponies. Love energy is constantly generated by ponies and is released into the surrounding environment. They use a spell to reverse their thaumic energy fields to create a negative energy flow that draws the love energy into them. The sensation that ponies feel when being fed upon is really just fatigue from their bodies making more love energy to compensate for the energy being absorbed by the changeling."
"So the matrix in the crystal disrupts the structure of their spells and thaumic fields?" Twilight half asked and half inferred.
"That's exactly right!" exclaimed the mare.
"Ahem", came from the commander standing at the door," I've disabled the spell matrix on the door. We can go in when you're ready."
Twilight looked to Applejack and both mares nodded at each other. "Lead the way commander" said Twilight.
Author's Note
I had the idea for this story while I was writing my other story, Fitting In Is Hard To Do. I thought about what might happen if a changeling approached ponies injured and in need of help, and this is something like how I think it would go. The title comes from the French word that means when two sides come together, using in a conflict and to talk about armistice.
The part about Applejack's hat came from this video:
