Today was the day. It was Saturday. It was Blue Moon Bloom.
And Rumble was, once again, on his own. Thunderlane was off to Canterlot with his girlfriend, giving Rumble the perfect opportunity. He walked through town looking for Scootaloo, figuring she’d be on her own today as well.
Rumble stopped when he passed by Sugarcube Corner. The Cake twins were out under a parasol with their mother, giggling as a beige stallion with a brown mane and tail tickled their tummies. A red mare sat next to him, nudging the stallion to stop. Mister Cake came out with some milkshakes for them, as well as for another couple by the same table. The stallion was a chestnut brown with a chocolate-brown mane, but it was the mare that caught Rumble’s eye. She had the exact same shade of orange fur as Pumpkin Cake. He guessed the Cakes were entertaining the twins’ uncles and aunts, probably their godparents, even.
He shook his head to clear it. No sense in getting distracted now. If Scootaloo wasn’t at Sugarcube Corner, and judging from the lack of noise she wasn’t riding her scooter, she was probably at the pond where Rainbow Dash trained. He went past the library and out of the town borders to find her, gathering up his courage as he went.
I just have to tell her. No more delaying it, no more lying. Rainbow Dash told me to, and Rainbow Dash knows best. She wouldn’t have ordered it if she didn’t think it would help.
Thunderlane’s off in Canterlot with Nectarine, so I’ve got until dinner, at least. I just need to make sure nopony on the Weather Patrol is watching, and I’ll be fine. As long as nopony tells Thunderlane, I’m in the clear.
He looked up. No pegasus ponies on duty. No familiar faces turning my way. No one’s spotted me. No one will know. No one’s going to tell Thunderlane or Chitter. I just need to find Scootaloo and tell her.
Just as he’d thought, Scootaloo was at the pond, going in slow circles and figure-eights to work her core. He quickened his pace when he caught sight of her.
Right when he arrived, she tried to dash, and instantly found herself plummeting into the water.
He came in at a gallop. “Are you okay?”
Scootaloo got out of the water and shook herself dry, unabashed about splashing the boy in the process. “Yeah, I’m fine. What did you want?” She held a cannon in front of her nose to block a sneeze. “Achoo!”
“Gesundheit. Umm, look, I talked to Rainbow Dash the other day and she made me realise I owe you an apology. So: I’m sorry.”
The girl sniffled, grabbing a towel to dry off her face. “Sorry for what?”
“For letting you get the wrong idea about me and Chitter. And I’m sorry for making you worry about me. I should have just come clean from the start.”
She smiled. “Oh, don’t worry about it, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have overreacted like that. It’s none of my business if you have a rousette for a girlfriend. I’m sure she’s really great.”
Rumble chuckled and looked away. “Yeah, she is. But, umm, the reason I wanted to talk to you, is... you know how me and Chitter are, well, complicated?”
She shrugged. “What about it?”
“The reason I don’t talk about it that much is because it’s kind of embarrassing, and it, well, it kind of hurts. I don’t usually talk to ponies. Any ponies.” Rumble forced himself to look at her as he said it. He realised then he’d forgotten his flower.
Scootaloo winced in sympathy. “I know. You don’t have to explain it.”
“Yes, I do. I’m used to hanging out with Chitter, I’m used to doing things the way rousettes do them, and rousettes don’t think of themselves as ponies. But that doesn’t mean I should treat-”
“Achoo!” She blocked another sneeze with the side of her cannon.
“Gesundheit. Anyway, Rainbow Dash told me I should tell you the truth, so here goes.”
“You don’t have to, Rumble, I already know what’s going on with you two.”
“No, you don’t.” Rumble gulped to get rid of a tightness that was building in his throat. “You don’t know. You don’t know anything about me. Aside from a couple of ponies and rousettes, no one knows anything about me, and I’m tired of it, and I’m trying to tell you so you’d understand next time we fly together. So could you please just let me tell you?”
Scootaloo winced. “Look, I don’t know what Rainbow Dash told you, but I don’t have a crush on you, okay? I just-”
“This isn’t about either one of us having a crush, Scootaloo! It’s just that…” He took a moment to catch his breath. “Rainbow Dash said we’d make a good team. And she said she’d give us both flying lessons if I just fessed up. And if you’re gonna fly with me, if you wanna hang out with me, there are a couple of things you need to know.”
“Why?”
Rumble gulped again. “Because you could get in trouble if we hung out, and so could I. And, to tell you the truth, I’m already in trouble, and I’m going to be in more trouble. So if you don’t want to risk it, just say so now and we can just forget about it.”
Scootaloo took a step back. “I don’t think you could get me into any more trouble than I’ve already been, Rumble. What’s the big deal?”
Rumble bit his lip. “I don’t have a lot of friends. If I have a rough day, the only one who ever cheers me up is Chitter. She always tries to make me smile, she always gives me…” He sighed.
Scootaloo’s ears perked. She could almost taste the despair wafting off the boy. “What?”
“She always gives me a hug when I need one, and she always means it. She’s the only one who does that for me. And the truth is...” He braced himself for it. “The truth is I can’t be around any other girl. I can’t hang out with you, I can’t fly with you, I can’t even talk to you, not with how things are now.”
Scootaloo frowned. “Why? I thought you wanted to.”
“I do. I really do. I thought I could, Rainbow Dash said I should, but then something came up and now I can’t and we’d both get in trouble if I did. But I really want to.”
“So why can’t you?”
Rumble took a deep breath. “Scootaloo, I’m-”
“Achoo!”
Rumble’s eyes widened. Before him, still surprised by her own sneeze, stood a changeling filly. There was no mistaking it: the web-like mane and tail, the gauzy wings with notches on the side, the black, hardened skin. She looked as shocked as he did.
I almost said it.
I almost said it to an imposter.
“You’re not Scootaloo.” He growled. He tensed his body, teeth bared and eyes burning with outrage.
“Wait, you don’t understand.” The changeling started to back away towards Ponyville, conjuring her disguise back.
“You’re an imposter, and you nearly made me… I’ll get you for this!” He lunged, she bolted.
Scootaloo ran for all she was worth. Rumble took off with a leap and flew after her. Scootaloo had the advantage on the ground, but he could outlast her in the skies, and she couldn’t shake him outside of Ponyville.
And inside of Ponyville, he could call for help. He forced out another burst of speed just as Scootaloo reached the library. She ducked in through the front door just as he skidded over the ground, and he rushed in right after her.
He swung the door open with a bang. “She’s a changeling! She’s kidnapped Scootaloo!”
Twilight didn’t waste any time taking charge of the situation. “Spike, get her upstairs, now. Rumble, calm down. It’s okay.”
Rumble didn’t listen. He just dove after the changeling in disguise as she ran up the stairs to safety. Spike quickly closed the door and blocked it with his body, Rumble stalked up after her. “Spike, that’s not Scootaloo you’re hiding. Scootaloo’s gone, she’s out there somewhere and that thing knows where.”
Spike shook his head. The dragon braced himself, and for a second Rumble thought he’d have to dodge a gout of fire. Instead, he found himself caught in a magic grip, lifted off the ground and held from all directions. He struggled and wriggled, to no avail. “Let me go!”
Twilight brought him back down and sighed. “Rumble, please calm down. Scootaloo is fine. I don’t know what you think you saw, but that’s no excuse to go chasing after an innocent girl.”
Rumble looked to Spike, who was coming down the stairs again. The door wasn’t blocked anymore.
The colt closed his eyes and reached within. While he wasn’t a regular in the martial arts classes, he had taken enough courses to know some of the dirtier tricks taught in the Royal Guard. He’d been particularly observant during the guest lecture from Shining Armour.
And he’d made sure to practise his defense against forcefields when he could.
With a growl and a surge of his pegasus magic, he brought his front hooves together and forced out a burst against his bonds.
Twilight recoiled as her grip shattered, closing her eyes and rubbing her head. “Ow!”
Rumble landed and immediately launched himself towards the door again. “I am not letting her get away!”
The next thing he saw was a blue blur with a rainbow trail. Rainbow Dash had flown in through the window to block his path. “Rumble, I can explain.”
The boy growled. “You’re fake. You’re all fake.” He chanced a glance towards the open window Rainbow had entered through, then made a break for it.
He crashed against a wall made of magic. He hit it and pounded it for all he was worth, but it wouldn’t budge. Even trying to cut it with his wings didn’t work, though he did manage a few scratches. He couldn’t cut it faster than Twilight could mend it, despite his best efforts.
“You’re not getting out of that one that easily.”
Rumble stopped struggling. Even if he’d learned how to break out of a regular grip from Shining Armour, it seemed he couldn’t break out of an advanced prison cast by Shining’s sister.
“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I was just flying over Sugarcube Corner, and then I saw you rush in here.”
“What took you so long?” Twilight rubbed her still sore head.
“I thought they were just playing or racing or something, but then I heard all the commotion. I figured I’d poke my head in to make sure everything was alright. What’s going on here?”
Twilight nodded towards the stairs. “Rumble chased Scootaloo here. He’s gotten some crazy ideas into his head.”
Rumble bared his teeth. “Don’t pretend you know me. I know you’re fake.”
“What happened, Rumble?” Rainbow asked.
“I was doing what the real Rainbow Dash told me to, and then that thing upstairs sneezed. That’s not Scootaloo up there, that’s a changeling. I saw her change.” He bared his teeth in anger.
Rainbow Dash nodded solemnly. “Okay. So you were gonna tell Scootaloo the truth, then? About Chitter and your parents?”
Rumble’s expression softened. “You’re trying to trick me. You got that from the real Rainbow Dash’s mind.”
“Hey.” Rainbow leaned in close. “What makes you think any changeling can catch me, huh?”
Rumble looked away. “How do I know it’s really you?”
“If I let you go, you could get your parents. They’d know.”
Twilight frowned. “Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?”
Rainbow Dash looked the boy in the eyes. For the briefest moment, the tension in the room seemed to dissipate. She smiled once she was sure. “Put him down, Twilight, he’s not gonna run. Not from me, he’s not. Right, big guy?”
Rumble nodded sullenly.
Twilight took a step closer to the bubble. “If you try to run again, I will have to knock you unconscious. I can wipe your memory if I have to. Do you understand that?”
Again, the boy nodded. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Twilight closed her eyes, and as she opened them, Rumble was freed. He didn’t bother looking at the window, or the door up the stairs. He just looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes. “Alright. I’ll listen.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “You explain it to him, Twilight.”
“Scootaloo just pulled a prank on you, Rumble. Apple Bloom’s been experimenting with potions again and it just-”
“The truth, Twilight,” Rainbow coldly interrupted.
Twilight let of a resigned ‘if you say so’ groan. “Okay, then. Um, do you remember when Apple Bloom had the Cutie Pox?”
Rumble nodded. Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow.
“Well, that was a disease that gave ponies an unstable cutie mark. Actually, in her case it was a potion that simulated the disease, but you get the point. Basically, a long time ago, any pony who didn’t have their cutie mark yet was susceptible to all kinds of diseases, all magical in nature. All of these diseases would give them a cutie mark, but a contaminated one. It could be one that spread all over their body, one that made them obsessed with a certain task, even a few that just turned them into animals. The diseases would give a blank flank a bad cutie mark and then spread by changing what ponies usually did. By altering a pony’s behaviour, the disease would be allowed to spread, even flourish, kind of like a magical rabies, only not for dogs. But ponies who already had a cutie mark wouldn’t be affected, because their talents were set. Do you understand that?”
Rumble nodded. “Bad cutie marks on blank flanks, okay.”
“Good. Now, what we learned recently is that some ponies evolved to counter these diseases by simply not getting any cutie marks, ever. They were immune, because nothing, not even a disease, could give them a bad cutie mark.”
Rumble grimaced in confusion. “But a cutie mark is what makes a pony a pony. It’s part of our magic. You can’t just not get one, ever, everypony knows that.”
Twilight grimaced in kind. “Yeah, that’s the thing. Turns out that in becoming immune, these ponies also evolved a few other magics as a result. They became a lot more fluid, gained easy access to magics that for other ponies should be impossible. Magics like shapeshifting. And they stopped being ponies, basically.”
“So a pony without a cutie mark turns into a changeling?”
“It’s not like that exactly,” Rainbow Dash explained. “More like, if ponies wanted to survive, they either had to get sick and survive, or become a changeling and never get sick in the first place. A changeling isn’t just a pony without a cutie mark, but some ponies without cutie marks ended up as changelings, with the whole changing shape and feeding on love to go with it. We’re not really sure what magic came first, or how. All we know is losing the cutie mark started it.”
Rumble sat, slack-jawed. “So all those changelings who attacked Canterlot were ponies once? Any blank flank can become a changeling?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, no. You have to understand: there are two kinds of changelings, and we only knew about one until recently. At some point, some ponies simply weren’t born ponies anymore, so they were born immune. But that meant they had a lot of other traits, including weaknesses that ponies don’t have. Those are the changelings we know and always knew about. But in between those born as changelings and those born as normal ponies, there were ponies who were born as potential changelings. They weren’t changelings, but their bodies had a switch that could make them into changelings, permanently, in case a disease did break out.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Scootaloo had the right blood for it, and the right magic.”
Rumble frowned. “So when did it happen? When did she change?”
“During the Canterlot invasion,” Twilight replied. “The trigger is a sudden change in changeling density compared to pony density, or changeling magic compared pony magic. Her body was fooled into thinking ponies were dying because of a cutie mark disease, so it made itself immune, by erasing any chance of getting a cutie mark. That means she got the whole package and became a changeling.”
Rumble’s sighed and stared at the ground.
Rainbow sat next to him. “Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but that is the real Scootaloo up there. That’s the same girl who’s been in your class, and it’s the same girl you flew with. There’s a lot we don’t know about what happened to her, or why, and she could use a friend like you. So do you think you could go and apologise for chasing her like that?”
The boy nearly had a fit. “What?! Why should I? You’re the one who told me to hang out with her, you’re the one who keeps butting in. Did you want her to feed on me?”
The mare didn’t even flinch at his outburst. “I think you know what I was trying to do, Rumble. And I think you know what you need to do right now.”
Rumble grumbled. “Is this where you tell me to grow up and act like a stallion, like my brother?”
She patted him on the shoulder. “No. I could, but I won’t. That wouldn’t be fair. You’re not your brother, you’re your own pony, and it’s about time you learned that. So this is where I ask you to think about what you’re going to do. Do you really want to just walk away now, and leave Scootaloo to fend for herself? She’s not gonna go to another town, you know. And she’s not gonna go to another school, either. You’re going to have to deal with her being scared of you because you know her secret. She’s going to feel bad, just because you don’t want to tell her it’s okay. Does that sound like something you want to do?”
The boy let his head hang. Spike had stood flabbergasted for most of it, but he almost spoke up when he saw Rumble sob.
The colt didn’t cry, though. Even now, Rumble refused to cry. “No. It doesn’t. But nopony else gets to know, okay? Not even Twilight and Spike.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “I promise I won’t tell them anything.”
Rumble sighed and trotted up the stairs, unhindered.
Twilight stared at her friend in confusion. “What just happened?”
Rumble mustered up his courage as he reached for the door. He opened it, saw Scootaloo in the middle of the room, went in, then gently closed the door behind him.
He didn’t say a word as he walked up to sit in front of her. He tensed up all over, before letting out another deep sigh.
“Scootaloo, I need to tell you something.”