Chapter 2

-(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--()--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)-

Ponies truly were strange creatures. They had no sense of practicality. I mean, who builds their home inside of a tree? Eventually, the bark will wither and decay, and there’s not much you can do to stop it. Termites must be a bother as well, not to mention birds flying everywhere you go.

Nevertheless, the house - excuse me, Town Library, as the sign above the door read (Who lives inside a library?) - seemed to be rather comfortable by pony standards, and the soft, yellow light from inside gave off a feeling of welcomeness.

I trotted up to the wooden door, tapping lightly with a hoof and bracing myself for the worst. I had no idea who Twilight Sparkle was, or what kind of pony she was, but I had (some) faith that Princess didn’t teach wackjobs. Through the wood, I heard a young, but masculine, voice volunteer to answer the door.

Swinging the door wide, the sight before me was slightly confusing. Celestia had forgotten to mention that there was also a baby dragon living with her student. This could get ugly if I didn’t play my cards right; a baby he may be, but he would still be able to breathe deadly flames at me, and his claws looked wickedly sharp in the setting sun’s rays.

No panic ensued at the threshold thanks to the form I had taken. What the dragon saw was a Pegasus pony of average build, with a black coat, short green mane, and vibrant teal eyes standing at the door. The voice he heard was not exactly feminine, but it was higher than most male’s voices. My posture was non-threatening, and I smiled in greeting before speaking.

“Hello, I’m looking for Twilight Sparkle? A mutual friend told me that she could be found here.” Good word choice. The less he knows, the better.

“Yeah, she’s upstairs in her bed right now, but I’ll get her. C’mon in.” He stepped out of the way, allowing me to enter, and I gave him a slight bow before setting hoof in the spacious lobby.

Books lined nearly every inch of the walls of the circular room, and a staircase sat towards the right, leading up to the second level. A kitchen was visible through a door to the left, and the air in the building was heavy, but pleasant.

“Twilight!” I almost jumped out of my coat (literally) at the exclamation from behind. “Somepony’s here to see you!” The dragon turned to me again, bowing with slight theatricality as he introduced himself. “I’m Spike, by the way. Twilight’s number-one assistant!”

“The name’s Peili.” A returned with a nod of my head. Well, off to a decent start, at least.

“Nice to meet you, Pay Lee. You need anything?”

I declined him with a wave of my hoof and a smile. “Thank you, but I’m all set for now.”

The dragon simply shrugged his tiny shoulders and walked off into the kitchen. I watched him go, his bipedal gait drawing my interest. Well, if the company she keeps is anything to go by, then I’m sure Twilight can’t be that bad.

As the dragon rounded the corner and closed the door, I heard a creak from the staircase on the right, and I turned to find a mare crouched on the top step, watching me with wide, cautious eyes. The pony’s lavender coat and indigo tresses immediately sparked a memory in my mind, and I was this close to taking her form in a kneejerk reaction. This was one of the mares I had escorted to my Queen during the Siege. Along with her five friends, I had watched her beat the ever-living pulp out of dozens of my brothers.

Fate had a twisted sense of humor, bringing us together again.

We froze in place, our eyes unwavering from each other for a few beats of my heart. I was the first to break the spell, slowly bowing my head so as not to alarm her. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle. My name is Peili. Since you seem to know who I am, I’m guessing that you’ve received Princess Celestia’s letter?”

“You’re a Changeling.” She blurted out.

I’ll take that as a “Yes”.

Her words were nothing but a statement of fact, and I saw no reason to take offense to them. I nodded in agreement, and another heartbeat passed before she spoke again. “Show me.”

A glance over my shoulder towards the kitchen told me that I was in the clear, for now. I would have to keep my guard up and disguise myself immediately should the dragon come in. Though Spike seemed genuine enough, there was little doubt of the reaction finding a Changeling in his home would produce. I turned back to Twilight, slowly nodding before letting the fire envelop me. The green flames licked their way down my body, displaying my true form to the world.

I watched the mare scoot backwards on the step, moving until her flanks hit the wall behind her as I transformed. Unable to back up any further, the Unicorn pushed herself up from the crouching position with her forehooves, flattening her back against said wall. It was obvious that my image terrified her, and this left a sour taste in the back of my throat, as well as a hint of anger in my mind. Just because I don’t look exactly like her, it doesn’t give her the right to be afraid. It’s not like she’s the most drop-dead gorgeous pony who ever lived.

An image of a Royal Guard, flat on his back with legs restrained by the green slime of our cocoons flashed through my mind. He was bloody, unconscious, and being stomped to death by me and two other Changelings. I remembered the sound of his ribs cracking under my hoof, and I had to repress a shudder that was running up my spine. The anger I was holding vanished. Yeah, she’s got plenty of reason to be afraid.

Again, I pushed those thoughts away, trying to show her that I was anything but the horror I felt and looked like at the moment. “I’m not going to hurt you, Twilight. Princess Celestia trusts me, and I would ask for some of that trust from you.” I sat back on my flank, trying to seem friendly and inviting, but having dozens of fori, twin, serrated fangs, and monocolored eyes did not quite fit that image.

Her eyes narrowed, saying that I had gained anything but her trust. “How do I know that it was actually Princess Celestia that wrote that letter? How can I be sure it’s not your Queen impersonating her?” Her back was still against the wall, but she somehow managed to look like she was on the offensive.

Well, points for not being fool who trusts too easily. There was, in reality, a very simple and accurate way for me to show her that there were no other Changelings in the area for dozens of miles, but convincing her to let me show her would require her trust. And she would only trust me once I proved that I could be trusted by showing her the lack of Changelings.

I mentally slapped myself in the face. The least I could do was try and reason with her if she objected. Princess Celestia's student had to be rational. Right?

"I can understand your distrust, and I won't call it misplaced. However, I can show you proof that your teacher is the real Celestia." Her ears perked at this, but again, her eyes became slitted.

"How?"

"I can sense all other Changelings around us for miles. It’s got something to do with our horns, and a bond all of us share because of them, but I won't pretend to know the details of how it works. Adult soldiers and workers in the hive show pupae their first view of the outside world by connecting their horns and showing them the land and Changelings around them. It helps establish a sense of family and awareness. By doing the same with our horns -"

"What?! You expect me to touch you?"

My jaw snapped shut as I curled my lips in anger, baring the needle points of my teeth and letting a deep snarl resonate from my throat. It was an instinctive move, and I corrected myself quickly, but the damage was done. Twilight’s horn was glowing slightly, just like Celestia’s was when she first saw my uncovered form. Her head was also lowered defensively, and the look in her eyes told me that she expected an attack at any moment. Clearly, this Unicorn did not take threats lightly.

Anger returned, and it frothed away in me, bubbling over into my chest. On top of that, I also felt incredibly let down by Twilight, and by the Princess. She said that Twilight would understand and help, but all I had been shown from Celestia’s personal student was distrust and contempt in the face of all my attempts to be respectful. That’s because you’re a monster. Look at you, snarling at her. What do you expect?

I took a deep breath, trying to keep venom and impatience out of my voice. “Okay, look.” I snapped. Not off to a great start on that no-venom thing. “I know that you’re scared of me, and I know you distrust me. I don’t know what I can do to convince you otherwise, so why don’t you just tell me what I have to do to earn your trust.” Trust, after all, was the key to happy, loving relationships, as well as the key to my survival. I wasn’t used to not having a pony’s trust, and it slightly unnerved me.

At this, the mare looked thoughtful, and her head tilted to the side. “Lie on your back.” She said slowly after a few seconds, like she disbelieved me and thought I would go back on my word.

I did think about disobeying at the thought of been treated like a dog, but I swallowed my pride and rolled over. It was my idea, after all.

The world turned upside-down, and I looked back so I could see her again. She relaxed a little, but as she cautiously started, she kept her eyes on me. Slow, careful steps down the wooden stairs carried her to the bottom, and I breathed a sigh of relief at the progress we were making.

That was as far as she walked before stopping. “Could you take a normal... sorry, different form? Please?”

My legs twitched with the thought of pouncing on her, and I was getting fed up with the pony. I should tell her to put a bag over her head before speaking to me. Better yet, I should put some holes in her legs so she looks “normal”.

I reeled in any violent thoughts with the fact that this mare was literally my one lifeline in this world. Ripping her throat out wouldn’t get me very far, now that I had no hive to go back to.

With great effort, I took the black pony’s form again, swapping his wings for a horn so our connection could still happen. Tension visibly left her shoulders and neck as she saw my new image, and that lit a fire under the cauldron of anger in my mind. “You’re going to have to get used to me, eventually. I’m not looking like this for the rest of my life.” I said through clenched teeth.

“I know,” She said apologetically, approaching me again. “Just bear with me.”

“Believe me, I’m trying.”

Ignoring my comment was the first diplomatic move she had made during our entire meeting, and I thanked her internally for that. She walked over to my head, looking more than a little nervous at being so close to me. Still, she was here. “So, how does this work?”

“I’ll do all the work, just make contact when I say so.” I closed my eyes, concentrating on the world around me, reaching out into the void of the air for miles in every direction. I sensed the walls of the library, and the buildings of the town, and even the castle on the side of the mountain. Wherever one of my brothers was, he would glow a vibrant green against the black of the map in my mind. My Queen would glow the same teal as my eyes.

“Okay, do it. Look for green and blue. Those colors represent Changelings.”

As soon as we connected, I could feel her presence on the ethereal cartography. She was a faint beacon of purple directly adjacent to me, but the only reason she was visible in the first place was because we were touching horns. Other than her, the landscape was the same color as my coat.

“I...” She started, before I felt a minor magic current flowing through me. The color of her presence spiked in intensity, now a vibrant violet. I guessed that she was somehow trying to amplify or expand the view of the world, but all she did was make my teeth tingle with power. “I don’t see anything except one green spot right next to me.”

“Am I, ah... interrupting something?” The dragon’s voice sounded from the door of the kitchen, and he sounded extremely embarrassed. If I could blush, I’d do so.

Twilight leapt backwards with a cry of fear, and the shining form vanished a second before I opened my eyes. I saw Spike’s cheeks reddening, and he was halfway through the door to the kitchen, paused in a recoiling posture.

Think fast.

Unfortunately, Twilight thought faster than I.

“No, Spike! We weren’t - I mean, our horns -”

“Our horns were touching,” I cut her off with a rather loud voice. I stood up as I spoke, rising to my hooves again. “Because she was simply showing me a spell of hers.” As long as I made sure that he knew we weren’t mating, I wouldn’t have to elaborate.

“Yes! That’s it!” Twilight added with a nervous laugh. While Spike seemed unconvinced of his friend’s lie, he was relieved enough to relax his shoulders and arms.

“Oh, okay. You guys scared me for a moment... Wait, Peili? I thought you were a Pegasus?” His claw pointed to me, and the thoughts of how easily that fingertip could slice through my natural armor flared again. There was a very real chance of that weapon being used on me soon, especially if I couldn’t explain away his observation.

“I am.”

“He’s not!”

Twilight and I both started talking at the same time. I quickly snapped my head to her, trying to communicate with nothing but my eyes that she should let me handle this. She seemed to get the message, as her eyes dropped in embarrassment and resignation, and she remained silent.

“I am a Pegasus,” I started again, facing him and meeting his eyes. ”That was what the spell Twilight was showing me did. I just look like a Unicorn now, but the spell will undo itself whenever I want it to.”

His eyes lit up slightly, and he turned to the lavender pony, addressing her with an astonished voice. “Wow, Twi, you finally did it! You’ve been working on that spell for weeks, and I started to think you would never do it!”

“Gee, thanks Spike.” The Unicorn said sarcastically. She inclined her head up the steps as she looked to me. “Peili, could you come upstairs? I want to speak with you... privately.”

I nodded and followed her as she trotted up the wooden steps, giving the dragon a small smile as I did so. His eyes were wide with a mix of shock and mortification, and clearly, he remained unconvinced that intimate encounters were not taking place.

Twilight led me into her bedroom, and I immediately noticed that she had more books in here. Then again, she did live in a library. Most of the shelves housing the tomes were built into the wall, and there were few vacant areas. Her bed was on the floor above us, next to a large window, and the stairs leading up to it were on the right side. A writing desk (with even more books on it) sat under the ledge of her bed, and a few sealed scrolls and inkpots sat upon the wood. All in all, Twilight’s house was rather cozy, I decided.

The Unicorn stopped trotting as she reached the center of the room, and she turned, eyeing me suspiciously once more. “”How did you know that I was practising that spell?”

I sat on my haunches, hoping she would do the same, but not waiting for her to do so before answering. “I didn’t, really. I just said the first thing that came to mind that would both explain our position and prevent him from pressing the subject.”

The suspicion in her violet, alien eyes only deepened. “You came up with that awfully quickly. And it was a decent answer.”

“I’m a good liar.” I shrugged. “I have to be.”

“Why’s that?” At least she had sat down, if at a slightly further distance than most conversations took place at.

“My lifestyle requires it. If I can’t get ponies to trust me, I’ll starve.” Speaking of starving, my eyelids were a little heavy, and I could feel my Unicorn disguise trying to falter. It wasn’t difficult to keep it on, but I’d drop it as soon as I felt I could, whether or not Twilight agreed with it.

Her jaw tightened minutely, but whether it was from contempt, disgust or fear, I couldn’t tell. “You mean kidnapping ponies and mimicking their lives for another’s love.”

I sighed impatiently. “Yes, that’s what I meant by ‘lifestyle’. I’m not asking you to agree with it when even I don’t, but a little understanding would be nice.”

“You expect me to understand that? Those are crimes!” She looked accusatory, and I bit back another snarl at her words. Being on the defensive was not something I made a habit of, as it usually ended in a fight between me and a pissed off pony, wondering what had happened to their real husband, or daughter, or cousin. I repressed both a shudder and a recent memory, one of blood, tears, and venom-dripping fangs.

“They might be crimes to you, but I’m not bound by your laws.” My voice was lower than it wanted to be, but if she kept this up, that would change. “ Plus, I could accuse every single pony in Equestria of being a criminal if I bound them to Changeling laws!”

She looked like she wanted an explanation, and I figured I could kill two birds with one stone by providing one, getting her to stop pressing me, and maybe earn her trust for good. “In the hive, everything you do is for the betterment of your brothers. Whether you’re clearing the tunnels of husks (she flinched a little at the thought) to make room in case of an emergency, or you’re teaching pupas how to shape-shift, or you’re scouting sources of fresh food, there’s no such thing as selfishness. Do you know how many times I’ve seen somepony just walk by a starving, homeless stranger and not even have the decency to look at them? Or how many times I’ve seen foals bicker and fight over the smallest, stupidest things like toys or candy?”

Twilight was taken aback, and she looked slightly ashamed. Her expression was like a soothing balm for the negative feelings I was building up, and venting helped, as well. Speaking of venting, I could go for a little longer.

“Don’t try to hold yourself above me, Twilight, and don’t you dare try to look down on me. It’s not my fault I was born a Changeling.”

A moment of stunned silence passed. “I’m...” A small amount of fear could be heard mixed with her quiet sorrow, and it gave me a small amount of satisfaction to see and hear her cowed. “What did you mean,” She tried again, apparently switching her words. “When you said that you don’t agree with your lifestyle?””

Her tone had changed as drastically as the forms I could morph between, but it was as difficult to describe as color was to a larva. It would take more adjectives than I could possibly care to name, but “apologetic” fit nicely.

Though I wasn’t eager to explain myself in such detail to her, I saw how difficult it was for her to be in my company, especially when I was all but yelling at her. I figured that she deserved some faith from me.

“Even before the Siege of Canterlot, I always housed some doubts about being a Changeling. Now don’t get me wrong, I love all of my brothers to death, but I always found myself more relaxed in the company of ponies, rather than my own. After a few years of living a double life, one at the hive, another in a stranger’s home, I found that I was requesting permission to feed simply so I could be away from the hive for a little bit.”

Twilight was very slow, very cautious, unwilling to risk setting me off again. I didn’t bother spending the effort to get mad; I deserved that kind of treatment at this point. “You said that everything you did in your hive was unselfish. That seems hypocritical.”

Well, you caught me there. “I also said that I don’t agree with my lifestyle... but, you’re right. While part of me hated to leave them for those short days, another part just couldn’t handle being there anymore. Changeling hives don’t have the same... grace, as your cities and towns do, even if they are devoid of all practicality, and my brothers never talked about anything other feeding or their duties. I know I’m contradicting myself, and I know my actions are different than any other Changeling’s, but I’ve always felt like I should have been born as one of you.”

This, more than anything that had happened previously, had the greatest effect on the lavender pony. Her eyes were unseeing as she observed the floor like it contained the answers to life, and she was muttering under her breath about weddings and Changelings. Turning such a deeply-rooted belief, as Celestia had stated it, on its head and showing you something that flies in the face of everything you’ve been taught had to be difficult to come to terms with.

“Perhaps,” I asked as a way to break her long revelry, “You wouldn’t mind sharing some things about yourself? I don’t want to presume much, but Princess Celestia mentioned that she wished for me to become a resident here, correct?” Twilight’s eyes found mine, and she nodded, some of her earlier suspicion having left her expression. I smiled as warmly as I could. “We should get to know each other, then.” I held out my right foreleg, and though she flinched lightly, she didn’t back away. “I’m Peili.”

She stared uncomprehendingly at the hoof for a moment, forgetting what a proper introduction to somepony new usually entailed. It did make me substantially happier to see her own hoof rise from the ground towards mine, however slowly it went. Pausing for just a moment, her furry coat contacted the disguised chitin of my body, and we shook once, firmly. She smiled lightly, nodding to me, and the library seemed to become rather warm and secure at that moment.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Her leg pulled away first, and I copied her on instinct. “So, what did you want to know about me?”

I looked around her room for a moment, and a burning question forced itself to the front of my mind, forgotten in the drama of the last events, but rekindled by the sight of the wood.

“Well first, why in Celestia’s name do you live in a library?”

-(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)--(o)-

Author's Note

I apologize for the short chapter, but it was this, or take the chance of waiting a few weeks. More details can be found in my blog.