A Change of Scenery

by Silent Sir 224

The Chase

"Come on, love, I want you to meet my friend Fluttershy!" Rarity proclaimed loudly, pulling Turrok out of the library.

"Why do I get the feeling you're enjoying this too much?"

"Because, you gave me a chance to use my acting skills." She had a mischievous smile on her face. Gods, be merciful. You owe me that much.

"Alright, dear, I'm coming!"

The two trotted quickly through the town, Turrok glanced behind him periodically to make sure that he was being followed. The spring green imposter was not too far behind them.

"You and Fluttershy are going to be good friends. I can tell. Oh, we can go on double dates with her and Dusk! Doesn't that sound fun?!"

"Absolutely, Rarity, I can't wait." She kissed him on the cheek as the field came into view next to the path to Fluttershy's cottage. That was a little excessive. I know that it was apart of the act but still.

"Follow my lead. You don't sound excited about meeting my friend."

"Well, to be honest, I'm not."

"What!? Why not!?"

"It doesn't sound like she and I will get along."

"Ridiculous! You two will get along well."

Turrok stopped halfway into the field. "I don't want to meet her right now."

"Well, maybe I do!"

"Ahem, excuse me for interrupting your little 'lovers quarrel' but I have business with your coltfriend here." The imposter announced.

"What do you want with him?"

"Just to have a little chat, be and dear and clear out, would you?"

"Oh, well if you insist." She began walking, but stopped as if an idea popped in her head. "Actually, dear, I have a much better idea. Why don't you clear out? After all, you are a little outnumbered here."

The changling blinked and looked around to find it was just the two. "I think I can handle an injured deserter and a little mare."

"Shut you mouth!" Turrok shouted, he was enraged at that comment. Whoa, hold up. Why did I just let that get to me? I've been called a deserter so many times, hell, I've been called much worse. Why did it bother me that much this time?

"Oh, did I strike a nerve? What are you going to do about it?" A smug grin grew across his face.

He took a calming breath before giving a retort. "Well, I don't have to do anything. You already lost."

"Are you mad? I have you right where I want you."

"And we have you right where we want you." With that a bolt of lightning flew through the air and made contact with the target. His disguise failed and he struggled to stay standing. Dusk and Twilight appeared around the corner. "Nice job you three, especially you Ms. Actress." Turrok walked up to the paralyzed changling.

"You weren't too bad yourself," Rarity had an infectious grin on her face. "Now what do we do with them?"

"Well, I'm sure we're all against murder," Turrok stated, Rarity, Dusk and Twilight all nodded in agreement. "So, can we use them as a prisoner?"

"Possibly, do you think they know much?" Twilight answered. "The princess could question the changling."

The four stood around the victim like a prized kill, clearly muted by the overdose of electricity. "Is there a way to get our little friend to the library quietly? No need to cause a scene."

"I have a plan, does anyone have a burlap sack?" Dusk asked.

"Fluttershy does, I don't suppose you would have a key on you." Rarity grinned, knowing full well he did.

"I'll be right back." Dusk walked off toward the cottage.

"So, you lost your temper a little, I noticed." Rarity pointed out.

"Huh? Oh yeah, when he was resorting to name calling."

"It certainly got to you more than simple name calling." She noted.

"What are you getting at?"

"Curiosity, dear, nothing more, I'm going to let everyone know we got him with no problems."

"Alright, just be careful. Where there's one, there's usually more." Turrok advised.

"Please, dear, I'll be fine." She walked back into town, leaving him and Twilight with the prisoner.

"You know that she caught that, right?" Twilight questioned.

"Caught what?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"That little burst of anger, how it had nothing to do with him talking about you."

"What? What else could it have been?"

"Calling Rarity a little mare. That's why you suddenly flared up right?"

Turrok pondered about it for a few moments. Could that really have been the cause? Hearing him insult her? That would explain why, since 'deserter' is probably the weakest insult they could throw at me.

"I suppose, since 'deserter' is something I'm called often enough."

"That's what I thought, and that's what she knows."

"Is that all to this observation?"

"You don't see it?"

"See what? I'm starting to think you might be reading too much into one act."

Twilight gave an annoyed sigh. "You like Rarity!"

Turrok was taken aback, "Well of course, she opened her home to me. How could I not like someone who does that?"

"She means as a love interest you idiot?!" The prisoner shouted, completely annoyed by his obliviousness.

"Shut up you!" Turrok reared back his hoof about to deliver a blow right into his side. But immediately stomped the ground as a familiar face slipped out of the town.

"The girls are preparing a sort of interrogation room at the library. So, did I miss anything?"

"No," Twilight replied.

"Not really," Turrok confirmed.

"This idiot's in love with you!" Their prisoner defiantly shouted. If he was a prisoner, he was going to stir up as much as he could, whenever he could.

"Turrok, can you please kick him? I know you wanted to a minute ago." Rarity asked.

"It would be my pleasure." He bowed slightly before kicking the prisoner in the ribs, eliciting a groan of pain. It wasn't hard enough to do any real damage. Just remind him of his current position.

"Thank you, darling." She leaned down to the cowering victim. "You should have listened to him, dear. I don't appreciate you trying to play with my heartstrings. My friend here appreciates no more and, as he just demonstrated, doesn't have a problem with being a bit rough with you."

"That is correct. Would you like me to drive the point home?" Turrok offered.

"No, I think he fully understands, don't you?"

He nodded quickly. Well,she put him in his place. I like this mare, although, not quite in the way Twilight thinks.

"Good, ah here comes Dusk. Now we can get to the library."

"So did I miss anything?" He asked as he approached.

"Nope." Twilight answered.

"Not really." Rarity replied.

"Nothing worth mentioning." Turrok confirmed.

The three looked to the cowering creature on the ground, following the advice that they had been so graciously given.

"Sorry it took so long. I had to find an extra item of use."

"What might that be Dusk?" Twilight asked.

He levitated a piece of cloth from the sack. "Something to keep him quiet."

"Excellent, although, I wish we had that a second ago." Rarity commented.

"Why's that?"

"Oh, no reason."

"Riiiiight." Dusk replied.

"Anyway, can we get going?" Turrok asked quickly as he disguised himself once more, hoping to move things along.

"Sure." Dusk wrapped the cloth around the changlings mouth on the off chance he tried shooting off his mouth again. He opened the sack and tossed the prisoner inside and carried it above his head.

The four walked back as quickly as possible. When someone asked about the sack, Twilight answered, 'a new experiment, really top secret.' Removing any suspicion of a changling being inside. When they reached the library, everyone was waiting.

"Is our guest enjoying our hospitality?" Celestia asked.

Dusk threw him out of the sack in front of the group. "I hope so, I worked hard to find this sack and gag."

Celestia took him downstairs, when everyone began to follow her, she gestured that she was to do this alone.

***

I obviously missed something back there. Dusk walked up to Turrok, "I wish to speak with you, privately."

The two walked into the kitchen, "So, what happened out there?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." He denied.

"Turrok, what's said here doesn't leave the two of us. Unless, you decide it should."

"Fine, our little friend got a little mouthy."

"Could you possibly give more detail?"

"Remember when I lost my temper?"

"Vaguely, something about calling you a deserter and then calling Rarity a little mare. Yeah, right after he said that, you did become a bit more angry. What about it?"

"Twilight talked to me about why I snapped like that. She assumed that it was because he insulted Rarity. But, at the time, I had no idea what made me say that."

"Is that why you snapped?"

"I guess, but anyway, Twilight decided to randomly ask me if I liked Rarity."

"What did you say?" Now, this is what I was expecting.

"She's a good pony. But then our little friend implied that I was in love with her. I was about to kick him in the ribs before Rarity came back. He then shouted that I was in love with her."

"Wow, how did she respond?"

"That's the kicker, she asked me to kick him!" Turrok started laughing, "I was more than happy to oblige, she shut him up good. She really knows how to take care of business."

Dusk joined in his laughter for a moment, now I have to ask. "Turrok, how do you feel about Rarity?"

He had a look of skepticism, "Why do you ask?"

"Simple curiosity, I won't say a word to anyone."

"Fine," he sighed. "She's... I don't know."

"Okay, let's take this one step at a time. Physically?"

"Well, beautiful. Have you seen her? She takes pride in how she looks."

Well, one for one. "I know, now, personality?"

"Well, she opened her home up to a complete stranger, a changling no less. That's admirable for someone to just do. And she likes to take charge of a situation. She's also really understanding. She actually apologized for bringing up my brother in a conversation. No one's actually apologized like that, granted everyone before her was a changling trying to catch me, but still."

Two for two. "Last thing, what happened when she kissed you?"

"I don't know, I figured she just got into the act. She do that to anyone else?" Well, time to see if it's true.

"Well, she did kiss me once. When we went to Canterlot together for two days."

"She WHAT!?" Three for three.

"Yep, she just assaulted my lips. Caught me totally of guard."

"What about Fluttershy?"

"Oh, we were seeing each other at that point, she knew as well."

Turrok fell silent.

"And that confirms my theory." Dusk announced.

"What theory?"

"You have a little crush on Rarity."

"Why do you all keep saying that?"

"I won't tell anybody, especially not Rarity."

"Oh, what's the point? Fine, she's a really great mare, alright. I admit it, I really like her. Will everyone leave me alone about it now?"

"Not quite, I just want to know what you're going to do about it?"

"I'm not going to do anything." Is he serious?

"You're kidding right?" Please say yes.

"What do you want me to do? I'm a changling remember. Why would she settle for a monster like me?"

"How are you a monster?"

"My people terrorized your people's capitol!"

"You were never a part of that!"

"No, but I didn't try to stop it. All my focus was getting myself and my brother out and I couldn't even do that! I'm just a pathetic creature that can't protect anyone I care about! Not my parents, not my brother, not even myself!"

"You protected Rarity."

"No, you did that. I was just the one who dragged her into it."

"She volunteered. She can be really stubborn when she wants to be. That just proves that she cares about you."

"Or she could just be protected her friends from the changlings that I am bringing here by simply existing. Did you consider that?"

"Hey! Your are bringing them here so they can't terrorize someone else. If it weren't for you they would probably be leeching off someone who is less fortunate."

"Less fortunate?" Turrok scoffed. "I am the least damn fortunate being in this damn world! I have no family, no friends, no home, no hope of having anything! Everyone would rather me be dead than alive! I will be executed if I try to go back to my homeland! I can't even see my brother's grave!"

Dusk fell silent.

"Exactly, you can't retort because it's true. I am alone, that's my fate. The second that I am well enough to leave, I will be evicted. Forced to wander until I am eventually hunted down and killed."

"Turrok, you are an imbecile. No friends, if you didn't have any friends you would be limping to the nearest town hoping you aren't targeted again. The fact that you aren't using a disguise to talk to us says that much, right?"

"No, it says that you all have a conscience. That you can't leave some poor sick animal on the side of the road without trying to nurse it back to health. You all have good hearts, changlings can't really have those. It's a rare commodity that only a handful can afford. I know that's a very cynical way to look at things but I have lost everything. I can't have any positive outlook with nothing to look for."

"That doesn't mean you can't find something."

"What do you know? How can you sit here and tell me to have hope?"

"Because, you're not the only monster in this room! ...You know what I did, you know how I killed someone. Do you think that's easy for someone to accept? I killed an innocent kid. I am no better than that queen. Taking something that did not belong to me. Sure, she was evil, but she didn't kill anyone."

"How can you say that? If I'm an imbecile, you're downright brain dead! You have family, friends, you even have someone to share your life with. I don't have any of those luxuries. If you were truly a monster, you wouldn't have any of those things either."

"How do you know that? The world is not that black and white. Your queen proved that."

"Then go out there, walk right up to Fluttershy and tell her that it was all fake. Tell her you never loved her."

"Never!" Dusk answered angrily at the thought.

"See, only a monster would fake love. That's the specialty of a changling, to take love through lies and deceit. That's all we know."

"What about Rarity? Is that fake?"

"No."

"If what you say is true and you will be kicked out when you are healed, you shouldn't waste this time you have."

"....When did we start this argument?" Turrok asked, annoyed at his own stubbornness.

"A-about ten minutes ago." Fluttershy answered quietly from the doorway.

"Fluttershy, you heard all that?" Dusk asked, shocked that she had been standing there the entire time.

"Yes, I'm sorry it's just we heard you two yelling and I offered to see if you were okay. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just didn't want to interrupt. Please don't be mad." She turned away from them.

"Hey, I could never be mad at you." Dusk answered softly.

She turned to the changling, "Turrok?"

"How much did you hear?" He inquired.

"E-everything after Dusk said... 'you protected Rarity'."

He took a calming breathe. "Nothing said leaves this room."

"Right."

"O-of course."

"If you'll excuse me, I have had a long day and I just want to sleep." He walked through the door in between the two.

"Wait, Turrok." Fluttershy called, he simply turned to face her. "You're not a monster and you should just tell her. I waited one day before talking to Dusk here, and I couldn't be happier."

He just nodded and walked away, whispering something to Rarity before taking up his disguise and departing with her.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all of that. It somehow warped from talking about what happened today to comparing ourselves in a competition to see who was more of a monster than the other."

"I shouldn't have eavesdropped, but I can tell you both that you will never be monsters. Do I need to remind you of what happened earlier this afternoon?"

"No."

"Good, now are you going to keep me company while waiting for the Princess?"

"Did you really need to ask?"

"Nope." She answered with a smile on her face.

The two joined everyone who questioned what happened between Dusk and Turrok. Of course, the only answer they received is 'sorry that's a secret.' That evening passed slowly as the seven sat and waited for any news. Celestia emerged from the stairs, "Sorry my subjects, not done with him yet, just need to lower the sun." The sun fell and she returned to the interrogation.

An other two hours passed and most everyone had left except Dusk and Fluttershy, Spike went to bed while Twilight was stubbornly staying awake to wait for her teacher.

Fluttershy finally fell asleep and Dusk saw it as a good time to head home. He was just about to bid farewell before footsteps came from the lab.

"Oh my, how long were we down there?" Celestia asked, noticing the lack of an audience.

"About... two hours." Twilight answered, fighting the urge to sleep.

"It looks like it's time for everyone to turn in. I will explain everything tomorrow. For now I'm returning to Canterlot with the changling. Go and get some rest, he gave me some useful information I need to share with you in the morning."

The changling emerged from the stairs tightly gripped in golden the aura of the Princess. She walked out the door and took to the air with prisoner in tow.

"Well, Twilight, we'll be going now if that's alright with you." Fluttershy was picked up and placed on his back. "Have a pleasant night."

"You...too." She closed the door behind them.

Dusk quickly walked through the moonlit town and made it to the cottage without any hassle. He laid his fiance on her side of the bed and pulled the covers over her shoulder before getting in bed himself before falling asleep as well.

Comments

[Lonepone]

"She means as a love interest you idiot?!" The prisoner shouted, completely annoyed by his obliviousness.

One of the best parts of this chapter. Keep up the good work!

[OdicHastings]

I'm on the fence about the Rarity/Turrok pairing. I don't actually have an issue with the pairing itself, I'm just not sure how it's going to be handled. When they called Turrok on his infatuation I was worried it was going to move forward way too fast but you kept a leash on the pacing so it's fine.

All I can really say is be cautious about how fast things move forward, nobody falls in love in a day or two and if the couple involved think otherwise they're just being really naive about what infatuation is.

Either way, enjoying the story. I'm also creeped out about the "interrogation". I'm reading another story where Celestia let the changeling queen be tortured, it kinda stuck in my head.

[slendergun]

2777514 im with you but the way it seemed I was remembering some jokes about molestia and then I thought (two hours? we were down there that long?) (the changeling gave me some usefull information) (I need to interagate him alone) and I forgot the other hint tward that (I don't know why it poped up in my head).

[DerpTape]

So did the magical surgery Princess Celestia performed on Dusk just fix the damage he had, or did it also make it so he no longer damages his heart when doing the lightning?