Winter Follow-Up [Private] [Concluded]

[DerpRavener]

It was the end of Winter Wrap Up, which had proven to be a productive, if somewhat exhausting day.  Naj had heard that a few ponies were heading to the Watering Hole to celebrate a winter well ended.  She and her coltfriend had agreed with each other in wanting to go, but Naj was in no hurry.  Though she realized she'd said this last time as well, she wasn't expecting to come back to Ponyville anytime soon after this, and wanted a little time to take in the town.

It was during this aimless wandering that Naj spotted a stallion that had become familiar to her after today.  She paused mid-stride, considering.  Based on his earlier attitude, he clearly wasn't thrilled about the idea of talking to a changeling, and Naj wondered if she should just leave well enough alone.  But there was something she remembered from just before Inkbrand's injury which she was wondering about, now that it came to mind.  And what they hay, even if it ruined their opinion of each other they weren't likely to see each other again any time soon.

After asking Red to hang back, as he and Inkbrand mixed about as well as oil and water, Naj marched right up to the tattooed stallion.  “I don't think we finished our earlier conversation,” she said quickly, “you were about to say something before, er, you got bitten.”  She was curious as to what Inkbrand had previously started to say, and hoped that he'd at least be willing to finish this conversation before running off again.

[Zeig]

 

Soooo...he'd gotten out of there alive. 

 

Somehow it felt more of an accomplishment than last year's Winter Wrap-Up.

 

The snow was gone, the birds were chirping, and apparently some sort of celebratory hoo-haa was going down at the Watering Hole, for a bucking job well done. Definitely something he'd be taking a look into once the sun set a bit more, but for now, Inkbrand was content as he sipped from his coffee cup, slouched over a bench as if he owned the thing. A carry-out traded boasted two more styrofoam cups filled to the brim with, what was now, lukewarm coffee, but the grey stallion ignored those in favor of focusing on his own. A couple of wasted bits, eh, didn't matter.

 

Really, Inkbrand thought as he took a longer draught from his cooling drink, all that mattered was that things were back to normal. Live and learn, and bury it deep, deep down -

 

“I don't think we finished our earlier conversation.”

 

- or so he thought.

 

The owner of the voice was, perhaps, rather lucky Inkbrand managed to miss her as he choked and subsequently spat out the coffee he'd been drinking, a perfect spit-take worthy of the big screen. The sudden appearance of the familiar Pega - Changeling, in his peripherals, after never really expecting to see her or her coltfriend again, sought to spike up his heart rate, which was still threatening to beat out of his chest from the abrupt and not wholly welcome surprise. 

 

Mostly because of the words spilling out from her perfectly disguised mouth.

 

"Bucking flank, warn a guy," Inkbrand griped, taking a hoof-ful of napkins from the carrying tray to mop down his snout and front, where remnants of that ill-fated mouthful of coffee had ended up after being forcefully ejected from his mouth. That the action helped him stall a little bit was no one's business than his own, and the grey stallion kept focused on his task as he struggled to figure out why Naj had approached him so abruptly and aggressively. Just to see what he'd been wanting to ask her? To maybe get a read on what he thought of the whole...Changeling thing? None of them had really talked about it, after the fact - after detouring to pick up some coffee for the team, Inkbrand had returned to find the field vacant and empty of weeds. He'd assumed the two of them had finished with their grid and then dispersed to buck all knew where.

 

Apparently, only one of his assumptions had been correct.

 

"Er...yeah, I was," the tattoo-clad stallion finally said, confirming what Naj herself had already known. Inkbrand didn't bother getting up from his bench, instead eyeing the other from underneath his bangs for a moment, before letting out a gusty sigh, head tilting back in a picture of nonchalant languidness. "I was just, wondering," he continued, speaking to the sky now, "why you used - use a disguise. Not exactly a nice surprise, after hanging out with what you thought was a Pegasus for an hour or two," Inkbrand said a little accusatorially, glancing back at the Changeling from the corner of his eyes.

 

[DerpRavener]

Oops.  Naj moved a little too quickly, she supposed.  It was partly intentional, Inkbrand had seemed a bit flightly earlier, and Naj was hoping that by moving fast enough she would make it easier to talk things out rather than try to make a graceful exit, but it was possible she overdid it a bit.  She hadn't counted on him not noticing her approach.

Once Inkbrand had a moment to recover though, everything seemed to go the way Naj had hoped, although she winced slightly at the mention of the unpleasant surprise.  She still wasn't comfortable with the idea of causing that to happen, at least when she off duty.  “Well,” she began, “I would think it obvious why I wouldn't want to look like a changeling in Ponyville, between the previous attack on the city and the sorts of ponies who live here.”  She nodded in acknowledgement, as she continued.  “But I guess that's still a fair question.”  She paused, looking at the town around them for a moment as she considered her answer.  “And the answer is that it could only make things worse to not use a disguise.  Ponies might panic, or thing they're under attack, and even if it all got sorted out later that's still not something I want to happen.  This way ponies can get used to the idea of talking to a changeling without having to confront it so...” she waved her hoof in the air, searching for the right word, “...blatantly.”

Naj paused for a moment, thinking of an important but unpleasant example, and when she spoke next it was a little more quiet than before.  “When I 'came clean' in Ponyville, somepony asked me to drop my disguise.  And the moment I did, a unicorn had a complete breakdown.  Just from seeing what I 'really look like'.  He had some help, and seemed to be okay a minute or so later, but I never want that sort of thing to happen, if I can help it.”  She fell silent, staring at the ground between the two, and waited for a response.

[Zeig]

 

...Alright, fair point. 

 

Seeing as he wasn't a Changeling who made it a point to waltz into towns undisguised like he hadn't a care in the world, Inkbrand honestly couldn't say he'd thought about the impact an approaching Changeling might have on ponies with weaker stomachs than most. True, a waltzing Changeling probably wouldn't set off alarm bells in his own head, but could the same be said of a pony that'd witnessed the invasion first-hoof? Either of them?

 

But then again...he wasn't a Changeling, but he was a tattoo-covered, chain-slinging, and roguishly handsome stallion, and was an undisguised Changeling waltzing into Ponyville really all that different from his own excursions into various communities and districts? Equestria knew he got at least three upturned noses and more than a hoof-ful of glares whenever he trot through some of Canterlot's upper neighborhoods, and while no one ever accosted him for being an invading force, a warm welcome had clearly been the furthest thing from their minds. 

 

Because he didn't cover up his tats, slick back his mane, and drop all the accessories. As bucking annoying as it was to be immediately judged and labeled as a certain type by simple appearance, he knew - bucking knew, didn't he, it's how he'd earned his cutie mark, after all - that pretending otherwise, attempting to conform to what they thought was acceptable only made the fallout that much worse. 

 

And who the buck were they, anyways? 

 

"But you make things worse by using a disguise, too," Inkbrand argued, leaning against the bench, forelegs splayed across the back of it. "I mean," he continued, eyes flicking off to the side, "yeah, everything's all fine and dandy when they're talking to you, but you turn around and say you're a Changeling and it's like - " a vague yet punctuated gesture through the air demonstrated his point as best he could, for the moment, " - it's like a prank, right? 'Cept it's not funny. Then all they can focus on is, 'oh rot, she's a Changeling, she lied to me!' Rather than the, 'oh rot, she's a Changeling and she hasn't sucked my skull out, she must be alright after all.'" Another few pointless gestures through the air conveyed his meaning, to some extent, to the point of almost knocking over the - now undoubtedly cold - coffee cups situated at his side.

 

Not his own cup, though - that one was safely out of the way of gyrating limbs. 

 

[DerpRavener]

Inkbrand's reply added new context to what had happened during the day, and Naj had to admit it was a more nuanced argument than she was expecting.  It would seem the stallion wasn't bothered so much by the fact that Naj was a changeling but rather that he felt mislead into thinking she wasn't.  Which was admittedly half true.  While Naj lately didn't lie about her species, she would happily take advantage of something ponies assumed her to be while she was in disguise.  She wasn't entirely convinced that Inkbrand would have held true to what he was saying now if she actually had shown to the Winter Wrap Up in her natural form, but it was at least partially her fault for never having tried.  That wouldn't be a productive argument to make right now anyways.

Figuring she might be here a while, Naj helped herself to a seat on the bench, although she sat at the far end of it in an effort to maintain a respectful distance.  “I guess...” she started, after pondering Inkbrand's most recent statements for a moment, “but when you're already at the bottom, you really can't go anywhere but up.”  She shook her head.  “Using a disguise can only make things worse if the pony would give me the time of day in the first place.  Often, using a disguise is the only way I make sure I actually can talk to them.  Or at least that's what it seems like, can't say I've ever been brave enough to try walking around a populated area with no disguise.  We've made a terrible first impression thanks to the-” at the last moment Naj stopped herself from saying the word she really wanted to say, remembering that she was in public, and substituted in another, “...tyrant, who's currently in charge of the hive.  I can't say I completely blame the average pony for thinking any given changeling is a threat.”

Naj smiled a bit as she left the more unpleasant topic behind.  “Besides, I do try to make it somewhat clear what I am, I'm just a little subtle about it.  I often don't give myself a cutie mark,” she looked over at her own hip and frowned, “though apparently today I did.  Old habits I suppose.”  She turned to look Inkbrand in the eye, a small smile on her face.  “And did you really think there was nothing out of place about the name 'Naj'?”  As well as a conversation point, that was something Naj genuinely wanted feedback on.  Using her real name had so far not been producing the desired effect.

[Zeig]

 

Hmm...already at the bottom...

 

Wouldn't that be an undisguised Changeling, though? A disguised one, well. Skipped, a few steps. Or something. Maybe?

 

This was getting a bit deeper than Inkbrand was usually comfortable with - any more deep thinking and his brain was liable to start leaking out of his ears. Naj, however, appeared to be taking his words and own viewpoint into consideration, expressing her reasoning for why she used a disguise anyways. Said reasoning was, honestly, enough to prompt the grey stallion into imagining if such a scenario would have set him running, if he'd spotted a Changeling marching into Ponyville. Would he have held his ground or - and probably more accurately - not immediately attacked her in what he'd think was self-defense?

 

HIs immediate thought was no, I wouldn't do that - but not even a second passed before Inkbrand was forced to mentally rescind the thought, lips twisting slightly in self-deprecation. Would he have thrown open his hooves wide with love and tolerance?...probably not. He certainly didn't think seeing a Changeling and maroon colored stallion approach a calm and collected Applejack would have had him immediately on the defensive either - but he didn't know for sure. How would he ever know? Maybe with another Changeling in the future, sure, but with Naj?

 

He'd never know how he would've reacted, what choice he would have made.

 

Deep in his thought as he was, Inkbrand hardly registered the Changeling taking a seat on the same bench he was lounged across, though, he did take note as Naj pointed at her lack of cutie mark - er, well, what was apparently suppose to be a lack of cutie mark, an oversight she had forgotten to include because of an...oversight. The tattoo-clad stallion's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to recall if she'd had a cutie mark or not during Winter Wrap-Up, memory warring with fact. He was pre-he-he-he-tty bucking certain she'd had a mark on her flank, because while it wasn't really natural to immediately notice and document the cutie mark of a barely known acquaintance, a blank flank was a lot more noticeable, unbroken skin tone where some sort of pattern and contrasting color should be.

 

Among other things.

 

Naj's comment about her name, however, prompted a surprise swiveling of his ears, followed by a short bark of laughter. "Pfft, you bucking kidding me?" Inkbrand scoffed, head rolled backwards on his neck, "Khamsin? Zelda? I've got friends from all over the bucking world, a weird name or two doesn't mean anything to me." Oh sure, maybe once or twice, his first few acquaintances from around the world had stymied him with their name, or their accent, or their language. Once he'd grown up though, it'd seemed like a pretty minor detail to look into, no matter if the pony had an eastern sounding name or the Diamond Dog had a posh Trottingham accent. 

 

Still, he really couldn't fault Naj's apprehension at walking into a town undisguised, because while he was used to being snubbed and deemed an uncouth hooligan, he'd never been associated with a living, breathing force that could drain a pony dry as a way of life for the very physical nature of his being. "I can't say a mob won't grab the torches and pitchforks," Inkbrand spoke up again, idly running a hoof through his mane as his golden eyes surveyed the seemingly innocuous population of Ponyville that was active this late in the day, "or that ponies won't faint at the sight of 'ya." There were, in fact, three flower-themed mares who seemed to make it a point to keel over at the first sign of trouble, from a rampaging monster to a flock of bumble bees. "But maybe you oughta give it a try, you know." The grey stallion shifted slightly where he sat, making a vague trotting motion with his front hooves. "Grab some of your - your friends, so others can see ponies hanging around you. Might depend on the luck of the draw, who you run into 'n all, if you get smiles or if you get frying pans. But, ten bits you get a warmer welcome than I ever got," he challenged, turning a toothy grin towards the Changeling that bordered the edge of bitterness. 

 

Yeah...yeah, he'd take that bet. Those very same ponies who'd first knocked him down because he didn't 'immediately conform to our standards of acceptable behavior' and bullrot, seemed exactly the type who'd turn around and welcome a Changeling with open hooves, because they were just so bucking maternal and caring and all about loving absolutely anyone and everyone.  

 

Bucking love and tolerance.

 

[DerpRavener]

Naj looked over at Inkbrand, a little surprised to learn that he had friends with such varied names.  She supposed that explained things, at least to an extent.  She was still a bit baffled that not a single pony had asked about her name yet, but it made more sense.  If most ponies had even one or two friends or acquaintances from exotic places, they might not question an odd name.  Naj frowned.  While a little nice to know her name wouldn't stand out, it would also mean she'd have to come up with something else if she wanted to leave a hint ponies could be expected to find.  She said eventually.  “...I guess that explains it, then.”

Any lingering thoughts she had on that subject were swept aside after Inkbrand made his next suggestion, which caused Naj to star at him in disbelief.  “You know,” she said after a moment, “I think that's the most roundabout assassination plan I've ever heard of.”  A few more moments passed before Naj realized that the tattooed stallion hadn't been joking.  When she next spoke her voice was quiet.  “...You really think that would work out?”  It didn't take long for her to spot what she thought was a hole in it, though she was willing to explore the idea to its conclusion.  “Changelings are 'known' to use mind control aren't they?  Wouldn't most ponies just assume that's what was happening?”

Despite that, Naj thought she knew what the response would be.  'You don't really know until you try it.'  She didn't think Inkbrand was fully grasping what sort of consequences there might be, but the only way to really prove him wrong would be to try.  And the worst part was that it sounded just plausible enough to be worth considering.  Now she was going to be thinking about it all week.  Naj sighed, and then thought aloud, partly for Inkbrand's benefit.  “Ponyville and Canterlot are out, the attacks were too recent.  Stalliongrad is tempting, except that I'd still be living there...though maybe a different district would work...hmm, I'd probably want to talk to the local guardsponies first...”  Naj stood up from the bench and rubbed a hoof against her temple.  “Argh, now I'm going to be thinking about this all week.  In the meantime, I think I need a drink.”

The disguised changeling turned back toward the bench, and the stallion, and smiled.  “I'm glad we got one last chance to talk.  You've given me a lot to think about, so, uh, thank you.”  With her piece said, Naj started to walk away.

[Zeig]

 

Yup, she's was thinking about it alright.

 

Thinking about how buck-all crazy he was, it seemed.

 

Inkbrand felt a sharp grin split his lips at Naj's attempt at a joke, though it quickly fell away as the Changeling continued opening her mouth and reminding the grey stallion exactly why ponies had problems with Changelings waltzing around their towns. Bucking flank, mind control? Holy rot, was it any bucking wonder ponies were so wary of Changelings? Hay, Inkbrand was wary of any ponies that claimed some sort of mind-altering abilities, rare though they were...like that one bucking Princess, what was her name...apparently had the power to force feed feelings of love on ponies, or some rot like that? Bucking Taurtarus, get the buck outta here. 

 

Though, the thought did give him pause, because while Inkbrand was admittedly not all that up to speed on the (relatively) newly revealed Changelings, he hadn't heard of mind control as a standard ability of the species as a whole. He'd heard about their demented Queen, sure - apparently, she'd impersonated a pony and subsequently kept her husband or coltfriend or whatever under mental lock and key - but the average drone boasting mind-bending abilities? Not only would said ability have been more talked about and steeled against, but Inkbrand was preeeeetty sure Equestria would have been overrun ages ago if Changelings were able to infiltrate pony life and, one by one, bend ponies under their control until they were all nothing more than hulking constructs of flesh.

 

Ergh.

 

Apparently he wasn't the only one going through a sudden internal crisis however, and Inkbrand couldn't help raising an eyebrow as Naj continued speaking, seemingly giving some serious thought to his advice of waltzing into a city with her hole-filled head held high. Her first two suggestions - or anti-suggestions, maybe - made sense, though her third prompted his second eyebrow to join the first somewhere around his hairline. "Stalliongrad?" Inkbrand drawled, "isn't that city pretty...hoity-toity?" He honestly had no idea, never having visited the city himself, but of the few ponies he knew or had interacted with from Stalliongrad, he'd gotten along with exactly none of them. "Eh, you know it better 'n me," he conceded, with a half sort of shrug, "but I'd personally start somewhere a little...low maintenance." 

 

Yeah, right - like there was even a good somewhere to start.

 

That seemed to be it for Naj however, at least for now, and Inkbrand glanced back up as she spoke up, an surprised bark of laughter escaping him as she expressed her need for a drink. For some reason the idea was a bit of a shock, to think that Changelings not only drank alcohol, but even felt a need get a good salting after a particularly bad day - 

 

It was...surprising.

 

Even more surprising than the Changeling's quiet admission of gratitude, even though that was a bit unexpected too. But not as. Funnily enough, Naj almost seemed akin to a Ponyville pony determined to love absolutely everyone and everything - enough to chase them down a roguishly handsome stallion in order to conclude a previous conversation. It was a funny enough thought to turn the sharp grin on Inkbrand's face just a bit softer, thoroughly hidden a moment later as the grey Earth Pony waved one hoof through the air. "Yeah yeah," Inkbrand exclaimed, hoof to flailing as if he could simply wave away the outpouring of love and tolerance he could literally feel crushing down on his poor little bench, "talking never hurt no one." 

 

Well...except That SODD, but that had involved the laying of hooves on his body in a completely non sexy way, so that had been totally justified.

 

Whether he felt it necessary to thank the Changeling in turn became irrelevant as Inkbrand took too long in deciding, instead settling further onto his bench as he watched Naj walk out of his sight. The cold coffee cups felt particularly chilled against his leg, but the tattoo-clad stallion didn't bother moving them just yet, staring at the rapidly disappearing black dot, before returning his attention back up towards the sky, heedless of excited chatter about parties and celebrations around him.

 

Seemed like he had a bit to think about, too.

 

...Bucking Naj. He hated thinking.

 

[[ End ]]