Ling, a mute and magic-less young changeling, is stranded in Canterlot. Only a week after the failed invasion, and desperate for love, she resorts to begging in the streets for hugs... and ends up adopted by the end of the day. However, there are those who see her, not as a person, or even a changeling, but as a pawn in a devious plot, one that could ruin her foster parents...
But Ling is nowhere near as defenseless as she seems...
The third story in the rebooted Cricket-verse, aka The Nonsense-Verse.
Chapters (6)
New story up!
Reads Summary*
Meh, would have been happy with just slice of life adoption, but will see how it turns out.
Edit:
Still on the fence, but that is just my own opinion. Been getting real tired of "actiony" fics, though this one seems more like "more than meets the eye" going on.
Thumbs up/favorite before even reading. Why? ITS LING she deserves every fav you have to offer.
Huzzah! I'm really looking forwards to seeing what becomes of Ling.
D'awww the adorableness nearly killed me. Nearly. If I had another chapter to read, I probably wouldn't have survived.
The reboot looks like it's coming along nicely so far, huh? I'm trying to figure out a timeline of the current 'verse; I'm guessing Cricket, Ladybird, and Ling's stories are starting around the same point in time? Or sometime around then? Then there's the next two changelings' stories to place. I'm really, really eager to see more of the world being rebuilt; so much familiar from the first incarnation, but so much difference too. I love it!
A little changeling wearing a bow... my heat's gonna implode
The author's note cracked me up. Also, I liked the shady foreshadowing.
Dat Mass Effect reference in the Author's Notes. Seriously, you just gained quite a few points in my book for giving a nod to one of my favorite characters from that game.
You know if you didn't read beyond it, the initial conversation between the guards and what they were witnessing would not look entirely out of place in a Monty Python Sketch.
I motion that from now on, we use the “Ling” as a unit of measure for adorableness.
3904753. Motion seconded.
I need to follow you!
3904848 Third.
The hug scene with the princesses was a little jarring...
Still enjoyed the chapter. Two changelings to go.
Huh. I thought you'd be focusing just on Cricket and his squad. Unless I missed something along the way...
Best infiltrator ever.
Still loving your work, but I can't help myself: The possessive form of "it" doesn't have an apostrophe. His, hers, its.
Hnng. That is all.
This was a great one that I love! So adorable!
This is the one I really wanted to see expanded.
I find this a great explanation on why the lack of hostile reactions. Very well put.
Now excuse me while I go snuggle with my stuffed tiger I call Hobbes.
3905993
It will be
Okay, I have one story on the popular stories list, and two stories on the featured list for this site. I... I think I might be an awesome writer
...
I didn't know. I swear, I didn't know...
legion!
This innocent changeling will have quite the fall in her faith when she meets the ponies who AREN'T happy with her presence.
The Ponies in Equestria are a lot like People on Earth. There are people with shallow minds and are willing to cheat you out of anything you have. And if practically everybody in a single town hides from a Zebra, I doubt the general populace would take kindly to a changeling. Ling's just lucky she was first found by a Guard who isn't prejudice. I would be willing to bet there are soldiers in the guard who would have simply attacked her on sight.
This changeling possesses Innocence...
... which will be needed to battle the bug devil known as the Millenium Earwig.
>>>This one wasn't scary at all! It was like the difference between an adult tiger and a baby one: one was a ferocious predator, while the other was a cute and playful critter that you can't help but want to cuddle. >>>
Kittens are so very cute and cuddly...
sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=H.4824868708353640&pid=15.1
It just wants your blood!
This got rewritten? I liked the original...
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/160430/3/tales-of-the-cricketverse/free-hugs
dailycuteness.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/tiger-hug.jpg
Big kitties like snuggles too
Reading this made me realise that changelings could be weirdly good judges of character.
"How did you know that those people were only pretending to like you, but were secretly plotting against you?"
"I feed on love, why does everyone keep forgetting that"
Also neat story, and an adorable images of Ling and her free hugs.
Obviously this story needs to be followed and liked, ling seems too cute not to like. Chrysalis had it all wrong, she could have sent a flood of younger changelings begging for hugs, get adopted, capturing the ponies hearts THEN the rest of canterlot.
Violence and war? Please, cuteness conquers all!
Hope to see more soon!
Plat said, "This poor young lady and I were talking.
Plat volunteered, "I don't think she can talk. The poor dear may have been born mute."
Author, what is your explanation for this?
3907577
Well, Plat was talking. Ling was listening. It's kind of like how someone might say "We need to talk", when what they really mean is that they're going to talk, while you shut up and listen.
Free hugs? I give out free hugs too! (ps. everyone at school is scared of me now)
I went to a con with some buddies once and my friend was nearly kicked out because he was wearing a shirt that said free hugs.
3908801
That's why you use a sign, instead. And it helps if you're innately huggable.
Awwww..... Ling is so cute..... *gives the Changeling hugs*
Thumbs up for Mass Effect reference in Author's notes.
Also, I like this version better than your first. Your first draft was bitter, with a sweet aftertaste. This one has more richness in the sweet department, and few people actually LIKE bitter, anyway.
That, and hugapalooza.
That is all.
bimmerboost.com/images/imported/2013/08/9c072eef_soon2-1.jpeg
3911860 Oh that dog is done for. That cat got some evil in them eyes!
YES! I'm finally in! could you make it that I'm a reoccurring character? I would really appreciate it.
3915488
I'll see what I can do
now that was just adorably cute. I'm loving this reboot so far.
3904753
That would be foolish: you can't use the largest possible unit to measure things smaller than itself. Ling is the cutest thing ever, therefore you can't use her as a method of measuring other, less adorable, things.
BEST. INFILTRATOR. EVER. =P
3917882
Sure you can.
You would just have to measure things in terms of deciLings, milliLings, and microLings.
3918895
I don't think Micro could work well as a measurement for how adorable something is. As something adorable on a micro scale just makes it more adorable.
3918272 Red and Blue spy's agree with you
3919040
… I don’t think that’s correct.
It's a nice story. Everyone likes cute things.
To be honest, though? I think it's weaker than the original.
In the original, Ling's clearly down on her luck. She doesn't get very many hugs, and at the end of the day, she's not quite so enthusiastic any more. That's when Silver, feeling sorry for the little thing, heads over, talks with her, and ultimately offers her a room in his house.
Here, she's wildly successful, attracting the attention of a horde of children and even the Princesses themselves, who practically order the commander to take her in, and his wife's there and loves the idea, and...
It just doesn't have the same impact, you know? It lacks pathos. It'd be like... I'm bad with metaphors, but it'd be like A Christmas Carol, where when Scrooge visits the Cratchits with the ghost of Christmas present, they have a beautiful, newly-furnished house - if a bit cozy - and Tiny Tim's getting all the medicine and help he needs. You'd be thinking to yourself, 'why is the spirit bringing Scrooge here in the first place?', and the scene would just fall completely flat.
So, um, yeah. Opinion.
edit: There is the shadowy figure, sure, but so far, it's only a chapter hook, and there's not much to take from it.