//------------------------------// // From Canterlot to Ponyville // Story: A Changeling Alternative // by UsedTeaBag //------------------------------// It was a sunny day about one year after the Changelings and their queen Chrysalis were banned. "Alternate! Where are you?", a white stallion (Earthpony) with blue hair, a sword as cutiemark and golden armor yelled. The halls in which he stood, the part of the castle where the guards live, were empty of any living thing except of himelf as far as he could see. He tried yelling again, but he got no answer. He shook his head in disbelief. "I swear, that guy is like a shadow! You don´t hear him, you don´t see him, unless he wants you to!", he murmured walking off. Just before he could leave, a bit of what sounded like chuckling could be heard coming from the ceiling and the stallion wanted to look up. But just before he could do so, something landed in front of him and scared him greatly. And yes, a stallion (Unicorn)(without armor) was laying on his back, laughing now hard enough for him to get tears of joy in his eyes. He had a black and white striped mane that was falling to the side off his left shoulder, grey coat, a black and a white eye as cutie mark and emerald green eyes. "Y-You should have s-seen your f-face! HAHAHA!", he said, almost unable to controll his laughter. "Alternate View! You scared me you idiot!", the stallion got angry. " I know! That was the whole point! HAHAHA! Your face! Priceless I tell you!" "If you´re done with this I may be able to actually talk to you.", the stallion in armor shook his head. The other stallion, whose name was apparently Alternate View, got silent imediatly and cocked his head to the side curiously. He got up from the floor and they started walking, a habit of both of them when talking. "What did you need to talk about, Silver Blade? Some order of one of the princesses? Our cake thief? ´Cause I pretty much figured that one out!", he smiled sheepishly "Wait, you know who the cake thief is?", Silver Blade asked before shaking his head to get rid of the distracting thought. "No, that´s not what I wanted to talk about. I heard you wanted to quit already. And. . . Well. . . I wanted to ask why? Since you rarely talk to any of us we couldn´t know why or even that you wanted to quit." "Oh, about that.", Alternate looked up to the ceiling for a moment as if to think, then turning his head back to Silver. "I guess I just want to see something else. I´m not that kind of pony that likes to be in one place for too long. I´ve had it like that my whole life, so I thought I could change a few things. This being one of them" "I think it´s a shame that you want to go! You were a really good guard you know?", Silver said nudging Alternate smiling. "Are YOU trying to get me to stay? It´s not working! But thanks for trying anyway.", he said smiling. " A pity. It would have been nice to have you stay. You were really a good guard. Plus you were the most likeable of them all.", he rolled his eyes thinking about the other guards who were idiots in his eyes. "Thanks. Good to know that SOMEONE likes me! I get the feeling that no one in here liked me from the beginning on!", he rolled his eyes thinking about the almost countless times he found the others avoiding him as much as they could. "You have to understand. You came here at a very weird time, during that incident with the Changelings. It´s stupid to think something like that, but almsot everyone thought you were a Changeling that shifted into the form of a guard! And, I´m sorry, but I was on their side at the beginning. But after the Changelings got thrown out with that forcefield that Shining Armor and princess Cadence created, I knew you couldn´t be one of them. You would have been thrown out as well, but you weren´t. So that was proof enough to me to finally believe you weren´t a Changeling. Why the others still think you´re a Changeling is beyond me though.", he shook his head in disbelief. "I see. Oh! How did we get to my room didn´t we start over there? Did we walk around the whole castle!?", Alternate looked up from the ground he has been staring at while talking with Silver Blade.They were standing in front of a door that lead into Alternate View´s room. "I guess it´s our habit to walk to some weird places while talking. It wouldn´t surprise me if we´d end up on the sun while debating over what cake tastes better: Cherry or apple?", Silver chuckled and Alternate joined. "Well, I have to pack my stuff anyway, so this is kinda convenient. Wanna help me pack?", he asked upon entering the room. "Sure, why not? I don´t have anything to do since this is my week off.", Silver explained. "Oh? Is that so? Well, I love these kind of helpful coincidences!", Alternate laughed as Silver went into the room too. "So. . .You were talking about t our cake thief a moment ago, right?" "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot! Want me to tell you who it is? But you know I´d first explain how I came to that conclusion and stuff.", Alternate laughed as he saw Silver rolling his eyes as if he had known that already decades ago. "Just tell me already! I´m dying here of curiosity!", he said a bit loud as they started packing while Alternate explained it. An hour later they finished packing Alternate´s stuff and now waited for the train to come. While doing that Alternate was still explaining. ". . .and that is why I think Bronce Spear is the cake thief", he ended his explanation leaving Silver Blade with his mouth wide open. "And you figured that out only by looking at how he acts? I didn´t know you´re so observant! Well, I guess you´d have to be, considering you were one of the best guards we had for a while.", Silver said still in awe. "Well, where I come from it is kinda the art you need to, well, possess to fit in with the rest. But. . .Please don´t ask any further than that. I like to keep my past a secret.", Alternate says, hoping Silver would understand, which he did. Silver just nodded and before he could say anything he noticed how Alternates ears perked up and soon after that the train came. "Well, it was a pleasure living here and being a guard, but I have to go! See ya sometime! I think I´ll maybe write some letters to you! Until then! Bye!", Alternate says, getting on the train and soon after, the train started and went on with Alternate View in it waving one last time at Silver Blade and saying goodbye to the Castle and Canterlot. On the train he went into one of the bathrooms and stretched for a moment before his horn glowed green and he changed form. The transformation took him a second before he was again what he was born as. A Changeling. "They were right about me being a Changeling. But I´m quite different. Not only does it take me a bit longer and more concentration and strength to shapeshift than others, which isn´t much beneficial, but I can also not be thrown out by a forcefield as easy as others when I´m not in my original form. And also. . .I´m talking to myself again, aren´t I?" He looked into the mirror in front of him. He sighed and stretched again as if that would help him regain the strength he has just lost while talking to Silver Blade. "Well, where do I go next?", he asked himself while using some of his magic to make a map of Equestria appear in front of him of which he took hold. He looked over it and noticed a small town named "Ponyville". "That sounsd like a nice place! Maybe I´ll stay there for a while! . . .Hmmm. . . But the trainstation is way too crowded and I don´t want to suddenly change back into my Changeling form when I arrive. I guess I´ll have to get out a "station" before that. Hmmm. . . Yes, the Everfree forest sounds good to stop at! I heard it´s a place avoided by most! Well then! Shall my journey begin for real now! Everfree forest? Ponyville? Do you hear me? I´m coming for you!", he smiled as he changed into the form of the unicorn he played as before and walked back to his seat.