A meeting of magnitude (Closed; DerpRavener)

[Blueblood]

"It may be said of us, comrades Batsman and Spring Breeze, what was said of the heroic mailponies: neither storm nor rain nor dark of night have stayed us from our duties." Wordsworth Psmith interrupted his monologue to examine the remains of the suit he had rather incautiously brought to wear during Ponyville's Winter Wrap up, and heaved a tragic sigh. "Regardless of sacrifices. The cry goes 'round the castle walls, 'Psmith is going ascetic! No more the gaudy pleasures of society shall he taste!'"

Long inured to his friend's idiosyncracies, Might Batsman tried to give a reassuring smile to 'Spring Breeze,' a fellow guest worker whom he had accidentally found out as an exiled Changeling. Due to being stranded together in the blizzard that had thrown the whole town into a tizzy, they had gotten to know each other, and Might had resolved to try and find an alternative to turning her into the authorities.

Not being much of the scheming tendency himself, he'd called his friend in to consult. They were meeting in a private guest room, secured from eavesdroppers by stuffing towels in the doorjambs.

He'd been patient so far, but after having to stew in nervousness for too long, the earth pony was going to force his words in edgewise. "Look here, Psmith, we really do need you to be serious. Spring Breeze here is... well, in a bit of a bad situation." Now that the time had come to actually explain it, his shyness was returning.

"Well, then," Psmith settled himself into the somewhat battered armchair, and in a casually languid way, indicated that his attention was upon the changeling. "Do explain your difficulty, and I shall endeavor to relieve it. Psmith will see you through!"

[DerpRavener]

'Spring Breeze' fidgeted as Psmith spoke. Her first impression of him was as a talkative pony, and talkative was the exact opposite of what she needed at the moment. Or at least, the exact opposite of what would make her calm. She had a hard time expecting a pony this outgoing to be good at keeping secrets. Granted she didn't have much choice in the matter at this point, her secret had already been found and she was in no position to tell Might who he could or couldn't reveal it to, but the necessity didn't help her nerves.

'Spring Breeze' anxiously looked over at Might, who gave her a reassuring smile in return. Evidently he Trusted his pony, and she was inclined to trust him. And, she had to admit, she was no infiltrator. She didn't really know what the elements of a good cover were. Maybe that was exactly the approach one needed for a good ruse.

'Spring Breeze' sighed. Either way, she supposed she had little choice in the matter. “I can't think of a good way to explain this so I'm going to be blunt.” Without further hesitation, she dropped her disguise with a green flash, revealing herself as a changeling drone.

Naj waited a moment to let the revelation sink in, before beginning her explanation. “So you see my problem. Might...discovered me a day or two ago, and I don't think he can let a changeling sighting go unreported. However,” She winced a little, and looked away as she got to this part. She was getting used to the idea, but the memories still stung. “I was exiled from the hive a few months ago. So when I'm uncovered, I have no support and nowhere to go.” She looked back to Psmith expectantly, visibly agitated but non-threatening in her stance. “Might said you might have some ideas about what we should do.”

[Blueblood]

The Canterlot aristocracy had long made it a central point of manners to never look shocked at anything, or betray any kind of embarrassment or discomfiture. Psmith was a thoroughbred in those stables, and when Naj dropped her disguise in front of him, the unicorn's only reaction was to extract a monocle from his shirt pocket, polish it with a handkerchief, and examine the changeling more closely with it.

"A most direct style of communication yours; I predict that you shall go far with it, comrade-"

"Naj." Might blurted out, before realizing his slight faux pas and trying to segue into an introduction, "Her name is Naj."

"How delightful! Mine is Wordsworth Psmith, though drop the first if you wish to call me a friend. Incidentally, which form of address would you prefer? Are you the sort that draw strength from ancient roots to weather the winds of change, or do you cut ties and sail them withersoever they blow?"

If Might let him go on like this, they'd be here all night. He made a move to keep him on track, "Look, bar all that for now, do you have any ideas on what she's going to do now? She's lost, far from home, and without any friends!"

"She has us, does she not?" And the unicorn gave her a smile and a wink, putting back his eyeglass. "In any case, it is unwise to rush the minds of the great. We must take the problem one step at a time, reasoning from what we know and following inevitable deductions to their conclusion. Now, what is the first fact of the case? That your secret was exposed by circumstance, it being only a matter of time before your disguise slipped. To maintain secrecy indefinitely under the circumstances, therefore, approaches impossibility. The question, therefore, is to arrange circumstances so that secrecy is no longer necessary. You follow so far, comrades?"

Might blinked, looking down at Naj and shrugging. "I think I know what you're saying, but I jolly don't know what you plan to do. It's not as if we can parade Naj through the streets like this!"

Psmith raised an eyebrow at the pair. "Don't let's get ahead of ourselves. I am merely stating that we must look for alternatives to subterfuge. While the great brain is whirring behind its ivory cage, you may throw it a few scraps of ideas." And he waved a hoof with all the dignity of a monarch inviting tribute.

[DerpRavener]

Naj was a little taken aback by Psmith's lack of hesitation. It was a relief in many ways, but she was nonetheless startled by his overall attitude. She was expecting noticeable surprise, at least. She could only suppose that Might's presence was having an effect, as much assurance for Psmith as it was for her , if not more.

Might took over her side of the conversation for a moment, just as well while she was stunned for a moment, and gave her birth name.

"How delightful! Mine is Wordsworth Psmith, though drop the first if you wish to call me a friend. Incidentally, which form of address would you prefer? Are you the sort that draw strength from ancient roots to weather the winds of change, or do you cut ties and sail them withersoever they blow?"

She'd never considered form of address before. As far as she was concerned, a name was just a name. It was what you said when you wanted to attract somepony's attention. “Erm, Naj is fine. Unless I'm in disguise, for obvious reasons. And...what?” Whatever Psmith had tried to ask with that last question had gone completely over her head.

"Look, bar all that for now, do you have any ideas on what she's going to do now? She's lost, far from home, and without any friends!"

"She has us, does she not? In any case, it is unwise to rush the minds of the great. We must take the problem one step at a time, reasoning from what we know and following inevitable deductions to their conclusion. Now, what is the first fact of the case? That your secret was exposed by circumstance, it being only a matter of time before your disguise slipped. To maintain secrecy indefinitely under the circumstances, therefore, approaches impossibility. The question, therefore, is to arrange circumstances so that secrecy is no longer necessary. You follow so far, comrades?"

Naj lay down on the ground and rubbed her temple with a hoof. Psmith's statement that the two stallions were friends of hers a was a comfort, but for the moment it was overshadowed by his conclusion. She was fairly certain that revealing herself was the last thing she wanted to do, yet there was a certain inescapable logic to Psmith's argument. It was true that sooner or later her disguise would slip, and the whole problem would be rendered irrelevant if she didn't need to hide in the first place. Unfortunately, as far as she knew hiding and the need thereof were both fundamental traits of her species.

Might seemed to share her sentiments, at least to an extent, objecting to the idea. Naj agreed with Might in principle, and her dislike was evident in her demeanor, but she'd already come this far and was willing to indulge Psmith to see if this would lead anywhere useful. She sat silently on the floor for a moment before speaking up. “If that were to work, we'd need to find somepony open minded enough to accept a changeling, while respected enough to eventually vouch for one. I have no idea who that would be."

[Blueblood]

Naj had pretty much summed up the difficulty, as far as Might was concerned. Scrunching his face together in a pained effort of thought entirely failed to bring anypony to mind; he relaxed with a sigh of exhaustion and an extremely sorry look on his face. "I'm sorry, Naj, I just can't think of anypony who might help. I suppose if we looked, we might find somepony, but it would jolly well have to be outside this town, if what I've heard bandied about here is anything to go by." With the invasion only a season back or so, it was understandable that Ponyville was probably not going to welcome her with open arms, and there wasn't much Might could do about it. He still felt kind of rotten about it, though.

Psmith, on the other hand, did not look distressed in the least; quite cheerful, in fact. "As it happens, comrades, I have just thought of a mare who fulfills those particular criteria with grace and aplomb!"

His friend perked up, relieved and hopeful. "Right-o! Who is it?"

Pausing for just long enough to stretch out the tension, Psmith lay the name out like a good tablecloth: "Princess Celestia."

"WHAT!?" Might knew, of course, that the lavender unicorn was off-center, mentally. Never before, though, had he had to consider the possibility that he was outright cracked.

"Do calm yourself, comrades, I shall explain my reasoning." Stopping only to flick a speck of dust off his sleeve, Psmith settled down to do exactly that. "You will recall that I was present at the Changeling invasion of this town last Nightmare Night, where I put in such a fight as lay in power to contribute alongside one of the heroes of the hour, Applebloom, at the rescue of our dear Princess. As it happened, our efforts would have come to naught if it were not for the fact that we had an ally among the changeling ranks, who disturbed their chain of command to allow us the breathing room necessary. Princess Celestia took the time to acknowledge her efforts, with all due kindness, even after suffered the degradation of being crammed into a pod stuffed with an unidentified gooey substance, not for the first time, I should add. That would seem to argue, would it not, an attitude conducive to our purposes?"

Might blinked, slightly stunned. The Earth pony looked at Naj, then back at Psmith, more out of automatic habit while his brain tried to catch up. "Okay... right-o... so... what good does that do us? It's not as if she'll let just anypony walk up to her with unusual requests."

"Au contraire, comrade Batsman. As it happens, she holds open audiences, and I know when the next one is. If we arrive early, we will get in to make our case. A bold move, I know," Here he shifted to addressing the changeling, "It runs a great many risks, but on the other hand, it is not as if we have much to lose, all things considered. And it might just turn out to be the first step in something... revolutionary." And he winked at Naj again.

[DerpRavener]

Naj burst out laughing a few seconds after Psmith made his suggestion, assuming it to be a joke. It must have been. Why else would he suggest that the leader of those her species was currently at war with? She had to admire his spirit, making a joke at a time like this.

Of course, once he began to explain her expression changed to one of horror. “Oh...You're serious...” Psmith actually thought it was a good idea. Naj shook her head, wondering what she'd just gotten herself into.

The explanation itself was surprisingly reasonable, all things considered, and she actually gained some comfort from it. Or at least it made her curious, which distracted from the impending doom. Naj listened intently as Psmith described events from the changeling attack on Nightmare Night, where apparently there was a changeling fighting for Ponyville of all things, which Princess Celestia officially acknowledged. The conversation moved on before she had a chance to ask a question however.

Might pointed out that the Princess likely wouldn't just speak to random ponies, to which Psmith countered that she did in fact hold open audiences. Naj still saw a problem however. “Even assuming this is a good idea we still have a problem. Er, I have a problem.” Strictly speaking, Might and Psmith could still walk away if things got dicey, and Naj wasn't going to pull them down with her if something went wrong. “Even if I can get into Canterlot without too much issue, won't the castle itself be guarded?”

There was one other unaddressed issue on Naj's mind. Not only was she naturally curious about it, but she also thought it might be relevant to her situation. “Tell me more about this other changeling. Where did she come from? Is she also an exile? Where is she now?”

[Blueblood]

Psmith was, it had to be said, rarely serious in his speech. He talked for the sake of talking, as the word bubble imprinted on his flanks advertised to the world. Still, Might had gotten a pretty good read on him over the school term, and this was undoubtedly a plan which he would commit to with some degree of fidelity, and accept the consequences.

The lavender unicorn was unshaken by the changeling's questions. "We have anticipated your concerns, comrade Naj, and answered them. The Castle will indeed have guards posted, but they shall not examine too closely all comers for signs of changeling disguises. Why? First off, they have not reached that state of paranoia which would grant them that level of leeway. Secondly, because they will never expect one single changeling to assault the princess, as it is a such tactically stupid plan that not even Queen Chrysalis, who has, if sources are accurate, a skull of solid chitin, would attempt it. Therefore, they will not look for 'Spring Breeze' to be anything but genuine. Whether or not we can get a private audience depends on circumstances; if we cannot, the issue may have to be approached indirectly."

The flow of words left Might blinking; he couldn't assault the logic behind it, but it somehow felt too counter-intuitive to trust. But even if he didn't trust the plan, the Earth Pony trusted Psmith. Even if it all went pancake-shaped, he wouldn't abandon his pals to their fate. "Alright. I don't think you caught much of a glimpse of that other 'ling, though."

"Alas, no, comrade Batsman. She did not stay long in the neighborhood, for obvious reasons. I retain an impression of a purple mane rather than a green one."

[DerpRavener]

Naj frowned a bit and grumbled a bit at Psmith's description of Chrysalis, but didn't argue. She used to idolize the queen, and still harboured a lot of respect for her, but since her exile Naj had begun to doubt her leadership. The one thing that might have superseded her loyalty to the queen was her devotion to the hive, and some of Chrysalis' decisions had seemed...questionable after the fact.

The rest of Psmith's argument made sense to Naj, even if it wasn't entirely comforting. “They just let ponies into the castle itself without a search? I guess if you're holding open audiences you can't be too aggressive, but it still seems risky on their part.” She shook her head. She didn't approve of that approach, but she couldn't complain too much. “Works in our favour though, I suppose.”

Psmith hadn't gotten much of a glimpse of the other changeling, remembering only that she had a purple mane, and that she'd understandably left before anypony could get much out of her. Nothing surprising, but disappointing all the same. Naj sighed. “I suppose the other changeling's out of reach for now then.” She fully intended to look for this other changeling in the future, but there was no point searching until she had more to work with.

Naj stood up. “So if I have this right: the plan is to go to Canterlot, request a private audience with Celestia, and then see what happens from there.” She grew quiet for a moment. It wasn't much, and she certainly wasn't confident in the plan, but she had to admit it was more than she had a few days ago. She took a breath before saying, “Alright. I'll need a few days to make myself ready for the trip. One last question for the moment, if we can't get a private audience, do you have a contingency plan or do I just say I'm seeking safe haven and hope for the best?”

[Blueblood]

"Got it in one." Psmith smiled at the apt summation of his plan. He liked having ponies repeat his ideas back to him; it reconfirmed his impression of their brilliance. Politely ignoring the fact that Naj's confidence was expressed in terms less than absolutely enthusiastic, the lavender unicorn touched lightly upon her final questions, "If things do not proceed as we anticipate, we shall have to exercise our creativity. I preliminarily propose that we present ourselves as group inquiry upon the possibility of changeling Asylum. I've never had a political cause before," Psmith tapped his chin musingly, "This will be a novel experience. In any case, it is best not to overthink matters. A little sleep shall leave our heads clear for the action, comrades!"

That seemed to conclude the meeting for now. Psmith was going to write home to arrange for transport and ask about the next audience date. Might offered to walk 'Spring Breeze' back to her own rooms. "He gets like that sometimes." He began, as a way of trying to explain his friend. "Not much I can say about that 'cept that it generally works out all for the best."

The earth pony was silent for a moment, before adding in a lower voice, "I hope it does. I think I might really come to like you, if I got the time. Kind of odd to have... well, you know, for a friend." It took a while, generally, for him to make friends. The other pony usually had to take the initiative, but after surviving the blizzard together, Might Batsman couldn't help but think that there was something to the changeling that made her more than just the sort of monster he imagined her kind to be. Something very much like any other tribe of pony.

[DerpRavener]

Psmith did in fact have an idea about how to improvise in the event they couldn't accomplish their primary goal, and his hypothetical plan made Naj chuckle. Failing to be granted a private audience, they would approach things from the angle of a group of concerned ponies investigating the possibility of offering changelings asylum. There was something she found amusing about a changeling campaigning for changeling safety in Equestria, without either revealing her species or trying to accomplish anything underhanded. “Ha ha. Yeah, that could work. It actually sounds like a pretty good idea. If nothing else we'd learn what I'd need for something in the long term.”

Psmith then suggested getting some sleep to process the developments of the last few days. Naj couldn't help but agree: she was soon to head into the heart of Equestria for the purpose of comeing face to face with one of its potentially most dangerous denizens, at least to her. She'd appreciate and evening to relax before that happened. She said her farewells, then reapplied her disguise and moved to leave the room.

Might met her at the door, and offered to walk 'Spring Breeze' back to her room. She smiled back at him, and explained, “Well, it'd be a bit more of a walk than you might realize. I've actually been living in Ponyville for a few months now.” She paused for a moment, and waved a hoof for emphasis. “Well I say 'in', but the place might not actually be in city limits.” She'd been trying to subtly disuade him somewhat, generally preferring to keep her place of residence a secret for safety reasons, but she soon realized she'd already entrusted Might with her greatest secret and he'd promised to help. It was safe to say she trusted him. She added, “You're welcome to come see it, if you like.”

"I hope it does. I think I might really come to like you, if I got the time. Kind of odd to have... well, you know, for a friend."

'Spring Breeze' looked down on the ground, sighing before she responded. “No need to beat around the bush there, I know what changelings have done, and do. I've hear it enough...” She smiled and looked at the earth pony suddenly. “I guess what I'm saying is it's not just you. And yeah, same here. It's nice to have somepony I can talk to openly. So...thanks, I guess. It's helpful.” She opened the door and walked out, headed for home, leaving it up to Might whether or not he wanted to follow along.

[Blueblood]

Whether it was because of denseness or deliberate ignoring, Might Batsman was picking up on Naj's dissuasion, not that she seemed all that full-hearted about him staying back. "I'll come along then!" He replied brightly, coming up alongside her as they emerged into the street.

Until they reached 'Spring Breeze's' little hideout, they would have to be circumspect in their conversation. Seeking to make some innocent chit-chat to dissuade any suspicion. "So, how do you like this town? Seems pretty nice; I like a country town myself. Bit like home, don't you know."

[DerpRavener]

'Spring Breeze' began the walk back to her improvised home, with Might Batsman in tow. It was a nice day for a walk, the sun shining down with only a few scattered clouds to add some texture to the sky. It was a beautiful day despite the weirdness of this year's winter wrap up. Or perhaps because of it, 'Spring Breeze' couldn't say for sure.

As the pair began the trek to the edge of town, Might asked how she found Ponyville, offering that for its small size. 'Spring Breeze' considered for a moment, while her initial thoughts on the matter were accurate they might be a little revealing for such a public space. “It's pleasant,” she eventually began, “everypony here seems friendly. So that's nice. Works out pretty well for me, in a couple ways. I suppose it can be a little...noisy at times, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If nothing else, a mare can easily go unnoticed here as long as she isn't trying to draw attention to herself, with so much going on. My little home is at the edge of town as well, so it's fairly easy to get away for a little while if it all becomes too much. It does take some getting used to, though.”

She walked in silence for a moment, thinking to herself. Eventually she asked, “You're probably got a better idea about this than I do, what do you think our chances of getting a private audience are?” She knew there wasn't much she could do about it at the moment, but it was on her mind and she wanted to get a sense of what she could expect.

[Blueblood]

Might couldn't help but give a little snort of laughter at her description of the town. 'A little noisy' hardly did Ponyville justice when it was going at full cylinders! From what he'd heard, a freak magical blizzard and full-out changeling invasion were only tied for the most exciting things that ever happened to it. "I'll say! You'd have to jolly well make an effort to stand out here."

They began to approach the end of the road. The buildings didn't peter out into scattered houses like at the edge of cities, there was a pretty sharp division of where the town proper ended and the farmland began. Not all of it was part of Sweet Apple Acres; the town had smaller plots with other crops to diversify its food supply. Cottages were attached to each, but each was very much a secluded spot of its own, and the architecture here varied a great deal. "You renting one of these?" Might asked, curious.

He could only shrug at Naj's own question. "I don't live in Canterlot myself, so I don't know much. I guess we'll just have to ask politely, and see what happens."

[DerpRavener]

They moved closer to the edges of town, where the buildings rapidly thinned from a small urban centre to several smaller cottages with lots of empty fields in between. Might asked if ‘Spring Breeze’ was renting one of the cottages in the area, prompting the false Pegasus to chuckle. It wasn’t a bad assumption, but in this case it missed the mark. “Not quite. I’m staying somewhere a little more out of a way.” Soon after she spotted the thin, faded path which lead to her place of residence. She stopped in front of it, turning back to Might and saying, “Fair warning, I live fairly close to the Everfree Forest. It’s a good place to keep out of the way. I haven’t had too many problems so far, but I like to keep an eye out just to be safe.”

‘In town’ was admittedly a bit of a stretch. As she lead the way down the path, ‘Spring Breeze’ thought to herself that she assumed that her home was technically a part of Ponyville, but it was possible that she lived outside of it entirely. After a few minutes of walking, the pair arrived at an old, broken down cottage framed by trees. A few of the boards were missing, many of the rest had been worn down by the elements and a part of the roof had caved in, but still the little structure held firm. ‘Spring Breeze’ had always admired its tenacity. She pushed open the cracked door and looked back at Might with a pleasant smile. “Well, here we are!”

[Blueblood]

The cottage at which they finally arrived might be more accurately described as a 'ruin.' At any rate, Might wouldn't have considered it as fit for Equine habitation. "Out of the way is right!" He exclaimed half-incredulously, poking his head in. Naj had done her best to make it habitable, but it reminded the colt uncomfortably of his assigned dorm room at St. Mareson's, before Psmith had taken it into hoof to provide more comfortable lodgings.

"You know, we could pick up some wood and slates to fix this place up." He said, looking up at the hole in the roof. "There's a lot around since the town had to make so many repairs. This be a pretty good place if it wasn't so beat-up." The interior didn't take too long to tour, and he ended up by a window that opened up towards the Everfree. "Forest give you much trouble?" He asked. It hadn't given Might any, but then, he didn't live nearby.

[DerpRavener]

‘Spring Breeze’ glanced outside from the doorway, looking for anypony who might have followed the pair or happened to be wandering through the area. Satisfied that they weren’t followed, she shut the door and dropped her disguise once more.

Might suggested trying to repair the place, which caused Naj to take a long look around the interior. She’d never actually considered trying to fix the place before, so far it had served her needs well enough, and any time there was a problem she had just endured and it passed. Fixing it would probably help in winter however, if nothing else, and given the way things were going at the moment it was conceivable if still unlikely that she’d be sharing the space with regular ponies at some point. Or at least having them see it. “Yeah,” she eventually agreed, “it’d probably be worth fixing up at some point.” There were a couple problems though. “I’d probably have to rely on you for much of that though, I don’t have much experience with house repair. I’m also not sure where we could get the materials easily…” The changeling rested her head on a hoof for a moment, trying to think of if where to get some unclaimed but usable wood. “There’s a couple places I could check,” she muttered half to herself.

Might then asked her if she’d had trouble living so close to the Everfree. Naj set aside her thought for a moment and replied. “Nah, not really. Most of the things there either can’t or don’t like to leave the forest, and while you do get the odd animal wandering by so far I’ve been fine with just keeping my head down. They overlook the broken down cottage just as much as most ponies do…Incidentally, I’d rather wait on any repairs until after we get back from Canterlot. One way or another, I’ll be more exposed after that but until then I’m more comfortable with the cottage like this.”

Naj shuffled awkwardly in place, unsure what to say from here. “So, er, yeah. This is where I'm staying right now, so...if you need to find me this is the best place to start.”

[Blueblood]

"Oh, that's quite all right. I've helped out around my old house whenever we needed a patch-up; you can't leave holes out in Trottingham. Too much rain and wind, you know." The domestic nature of the conversation served to put Might more fully at his ease. Social situations and potential politics were much more in Psmith's line, but the Earth Pony knew his way around a hammer and nails. "I can handle the stuff, if you like. I helped to carry some boards out when the snow got cleared away."

He took as seat, somewhat comforted by the fact that a manticore wasn't likely to come bursting through the walls. He shrugged as she decided to wait upon repairs. "That's fair enough, I suppose. If rain blows in and you get too wet, though, well, you know where to find us."

Silence descended upon them, not entirely comfortable in its roosting. Might reached up to rub at the back of his head, all the while looking at Naj. He seemed to be trying to gather up courage to ask a question. "Do you know... why do your hooves have all those holes in them?" It was not perhaps the main question he wanted to ask, but it was certainly one of them. That physical feature had puzzled him ever since he noticed it.

[DerpRavener]

Might offered to do the repairs himself. “I’m the one who’s going to be living here,” Naj replied, “I should be the one to do most of the work.” She frowned, unhappy at the idea of not being able to do her share. “But I’ll probably need the help, so, thanks.” Might also offered the place he and Psmith were staying as refuge from the weather, should the abandoned cottage prove insufficient. Naj didn’t think she’d need it, so far the cottage had kept her safe enough from the weather, but it never hurt to have another place to go when things went wrong. That, and if she was being honest with herself she liked the idea of company, even if it wasn’t strictly speaking necessary. She nodded and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

There was a minute or two of awkward silence, and as Naj watched he looked like he was trying to ask a question but never quite making it. Eventually he settled on asking about the holes in her hooves. Naj lifted and stared at one of said hooves, as she replied. “These? Not a clue. I’ve thought about it myself once or twice, but I’ve never come up with a good way to find out.” The changeling shrugged. “I knew a few changelings back in the hive who stored small objects in them, but they were a little…odd.” She fanned her translucent wings out. “Our wings are like that too, not that that offers any kind of explanation.” She folded her wings to their original positions and shrugged. “I’m curious about it myself, but I’ve never heard of any changelings making a study of it, and I doubt any pony’s had a good opportunity to figure it out.”

Thinking back to him asking the question, Naj looked Might in the eye and said, “You know, I’m well past the point of keeping secrets from you, so if you want to ask anything go for it. I won’t tell you where the hive is, for a few reasons, but just about anything else is fair game.” She was wondered what it was he’d wanted to know but wouldn't to ask, and was hoping to coax him into getting it out. She smiled at him. “Really, ask away. I don’t mind.”

[Blueblood]

"Huh," Was Might's response when Naj told him that some changelings used their hoof-holes for object storage. He held his own out to look at it, as if he were trying to imagine himself with perforated appendages. "Well, I guess it would make holding a pen easier. I really envied Psmith at school; he could write without his neck getting sore." It was a rather indirect allusion to the fact that Earth Ponies had to write using their mouths, though it didn't occur to him that any changeling could probably use magic to write as well as any unicorn, or indeed whether most had any cause to write at all.

“You know, I’m well past the point of keeping secrets from you, so if you want to ask anything go for it. I won’t tell you where the hive is, for a few reasons, but just about anything else is fair game."

The colt sighed. His curiosity was stronger than his articulation, and he anticipated a great deal of difficulty in wording his questions. Still, he decided to make a game attempt, since Naj was apparently so willing to talk. "I don't suppose you'd know, really, why the whole bally business with changelings started, but dash it all, it seems so... dumb, really. If the whole point of it is to secure love, why didn't you, or they I guess, try asking first? I mean, I guess it might seem a tall order, especially after the first blows..." He trailed off, not without some degree of confusion about where exactly his sentence was going. "I guess, what I'm asking is, what do you think of us, back in the hive? I guess you've gotten a pretty good picture of how we think of changelings, but I don't know about the other way round, you know?"

[DerpRavener]

"I don't suppose you'd know, really, why the whole bally business with changelings started, but dash it all, it seems so... dumb, really. If the whole point of it is to secure love, why didn't you, or they I guess, try asking first? I mean, I guess it might seem a tall order, especially after the first blows..I guess, what I'm asking is, what do you think of us, back in the hive? I guess you've gotten a pretty good picture of how we think of changelings, but I don't know about the other way round, you know?"

The issue finally came to the surface. It many ways Naj was glad to have it out in the open, it was something she had been thinking about a fair amount lately and it would be good to discuss it openly, though that wouldn’t necessarily mean a pleasant conversation. She addressed the question addressed more directly to her first. “Each changeling will look at the other races in their own way. I remember a few who were really fond of pony culture, and a few who enjoyed being predators. Personally I always looked at you as obstacles: neither side bore any ill will to the other, but you were between us and food. Though, that was before I left the hive…it’s easier to dismiss what happens to somepony if you’ve never met them…” She trailed off a little, looking away from Might. It was hard to say whether or not she regretted her past attitude exactly, but she was certain she’d look at things differently were she to go through it again. “I couldn’t tell you what the hive thinks overall, though I’d always be a little cautious around changelings.”

“As for why we didn’t just ask…I wish I knew.” Naj frowned in thought. “Fear makes some sense, even before the invasion I can’t imagine most ponies would react well to ‘Hi, I’m a shapeshifting monster, can I eat your love?’ It makes some sense that we- that they would want to stay in the shadows.“ She shook her head. “But that doesn’t account for everything. The whole reason I chose Ponyville was that it seemed like a high-risk, low-reward target, what with the elements of harmony and little political or strategic importance overall, so there shouldn’t have been any changeling presence here. And yet, they attacked Ponyville just a few months ago…” She let the thought hang in the air for a bit, not liking the implications about the hive or its leadership.

[Blueblood]

Might wasn't sure what the attack meant in terms of the Hive's ambitions, either. A chronic worrier, he was not able to find repose in his friend Psmith's assessment of the quality of Chrysalis' skull. In all probability, the attempted invasion of Ponyville wouldn't be the last; unless something drastically changed, it would only keep repeating itself until the conquest was successful, or the hive was wiped out. And after meeting Naj, the earth pony couldn't quite muster any enthusiasm for the latter alternative.

"Are... are you eating well now?" He asked, moving on to the next subject of his curiosity. "I mean, how much love does a changeling need?" As far as he could tell, no one in Ponyville had noticed any drain in affection. Although, he didn't even know how a changeling fed at all. Maybe they could just soak it up from the atmosphere.

[DerpRavener]

Might’s question piqued Naj’s curiosity yet again, with precisely how much changelings eat being yet another thing she’d lacked either the time or opportunity to investigate. She scratched her chin in thought. “I dunno if anypony’s ever really measured it.” That had never really been her responsibility, but there was one thing she remembered. “ ‘Pods’ maybe. Excess and reserves are kept in empty pods so one could measure an infiltrator by the pods they filled. But that’s about how it’s stored, not how it’s eaten.” Some part of her hoped to find out herself some day, but she never remembered it being of much concern to the hive and she doubted any Equestrians would make a study of it in the near future.

Of course, that wasn’t really what Might was concerned about though, was it? Naj dismissed that line of thinking with a wave of her hoof. “But anyways, feeding: I get by…” she grimaced as she added. “…most of the time, at any rate. There have been one or two times where I got a little desperate though.” She shook her head. Not only did she find such measures unsavory, but the last time it happened she’d almost been caught by the guard to boot. She smiled at Might after a moment though, not wanting him to worry on her behalf. “Usually I do alright. There’s a good amount of ‘free-floating’ love in Ponyville and then what positive emotions I can generate and siphon off…in small amounts mind. I don’t want to hurt anypony if I don’t have to, and I can’t be drawing that kind of attention anyways. It’s not quite love, but it does in a pinch.” She frowned a bit, and looked away. “I never actually finished infiltrator training, so I’m probably not the most efficient at it…” The changeling shrugged, and smiled at Might again. “But I like I said, I get by just fine. I have no idea how many changelings Ponyville could support that way though.” Something else she’d have to look into at some point.

[some headcanon here. I know there are rules about inventing setting elements, but I wasn't sure how to answer here without inventing something. I did a quick search, and I don't think it contradicts any Canterlot lore, but message me if I've done something wrong and I'll change this as needed.]

[The two are a) that changelings can feed off of positive emotions besides love, but it gets them less benefit or constitutes a poor diet or somesuch and b) that goop they store captured ponies in can slowly siphon off and store quantities of love, and as such they also use goop filled pods with no pony in them as a method of food storage.]

[Blueblood]

(I think it'll be fine.)

It might have struck some as odd that a changeling would be so ignorant as to the basic workings of their own society and biology, but Might was willing to accept her informed ignorance. It wasn't as if he were in any position to criticize, after all. Ponies tended by nature to be specialists, living life in the orbit of their special talent. As such, very few in Equestria had the time or inclination to study the big picture enough to explain it well to a stranger. Certainly, Might could explain cricket much better than politics or nutrition.

Of course, it was very unlikely that his chosen sport would be relevant to ensuing events. The Earth Pony had to resign himself to the fact that for some time to come, he was likely to feel out of his depth. Looking over at Naj, he somehow could sense that she would probably feel the same. After all, most ponies got nervous at the prospect of meeting a princess! Might Batsman felt that he ought to do his best, at least, to prepare her for what was likely to follow.

"See, here's the thing; Psmith jaws a lot. And when most ponies do, they don't really say anything much, you know? But when I told him about you, he got very quiet. That usually means he's got hold of some big, serious idea, and once he gets one, he runs with it." He sighed, remembering a few schoolyard escapades that had escalated under the urging of his unicorn friend. "I think he's going to try to start movement or something, bringing changelings and ponies together or whatnot, and probably going to ask you to be the face of it. He never goes small when he gets serious. But I don't want to put you through anything that you wouldn't be able to handle. You've had a rotten enough time without getting dragged through politics."

[DerpRavener]

"See, here's the thing; Psmith jaws a lot. And when most ponies do, they don't really say anything much, you know? But when I told him about you, he got very quiet. That usually means he's got hold of some big, serious idea, and once he gets one, he runs with it."

Naj smirked. “Heh. I kinda figured most of that when he suggested bringing a changeling drone face to face with the pony who is essentially the queen of all Equestria.” She shook her head. “Ahh, I probably shouldn't make fun, especially if you're going this far to help me. I just found it a little obvious is all.”

"I think he's going to try to start movement or something, bringing changelings and ponies together or whatnot, and probably going to ask you to be the face of it. He never goes small when he gets serious. But I don't want to put you through anything that you wouldn't be able to handle. You've had a rotten enough time without getting dragged through politics."

“I guess that depends on how much I need to speak. I'm no leader, or diplomat, there's a lot that I can't do to convince ponies. But for there to peace between changelings and the rest of Equestria, sooner or later a changeling is going to have to step forward. And I don't really see any other changelings around. As for risks, I am-...I used to be a soldier. I know how to take a hit.” Naj grew quiet for a moment. “I've done some thinking, since I left the hive. I think cooperation would be the best thing for it, in the long run, and if I have to suffer a little to accomplish that it would be worth it. So while I doubt I'll be enjoying myself, this is something I want to do.”

She looked off to the side, worry evident on her face. “Though I am expecting a lot of...resistance. There's a lot of ponies who won't take to the idea of being friendly to us.” As an example she said, “Don't even mention changelings around Applejack, for example. And this is to say nothing of how Chrysalis will react to it...any action we take'll have to be done carefully.” She looked back at Might hopefully. “But I'll have you and Psmith to help me with that right? I'm sure between us we can come up with something.”

[Blueblood]

Might could well understand how ponies would have cause to resist the effort Psmith proposed to spearhead, and how on earth Chrysalis was to be convinced was altogether beyond him. But, the first convert is the hardest, and Naj was willing. If nothing else, a community of changeling exiles as an alternative way of looking at them would be an accomplishment. He smiled, trying to pass off her worries. "Well, as long as Psmith's about, I don't think you'll have to worry about doing most of the talking!"

He laughed at little at that, before settling down into a more serious expression. "I'm glad you're willing to go through with this. I can speak for myself when I say I'd never abandon a pal, and Psmith won't, either. I don't know when he'll get everything together, though."