I, Changeling

by Majin Syeekoh

Trapped in the Bakery

Twilight was furious. She somehow had gotten trapped with her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the local changelings in Sugarcube Corner, because of snow. In July. Twilight buried her face in her hooves. When she got back, she was going to have to create a Summer Snow checklist on the double. As it was, however, Pinkie Pie graciously lent them some of her jackets, which were crazy patchwork designs. Hers, in particular, was very weird. It had a mauve shoulderpad, a copper left sleeve, a cerulean right sleeve, amber pockets, and smoky topaz buttons. She pulled her face out of her hooves and looked at Pinkie, who seemed unusually nervous. Twilight turned to Pinkie and asked, “Why are you so nervous, Pinkie?”

Pinkie looked around, then cried out, “I’m sorry for blasting you in the face with Twilight’s magic, changelings!” Thirty-four and Sixty-three both looked up at Pinkie.

“No need—” Sixty-three started.

“—to worry about that.” Thirty-four finished.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Why?” Twilight listened in as well. This was going to be interesting.

“Because we would have—” Thirty-four started.

“—done the same thing—” Sixty-three continued.

“—in your situation.” Thirty-four finished. “What is it you ponies always say? Try to put your hoof—”

“—in the other pony’s horseshoes?” Sixty-three finished.

Pinkie thought on that for a second, tapping her chin with her hoof. “Y’know, I never really thought about it like that.” Pinkie then nodded. “I suppose I’d attack Canterlot under the direct orders of Queen Chrysalis if I was a shapeshifting bugger—”

“—Pinkie!” Applejack said, smacking Pinkie Pie in the back of the head. “They find that offensive!” Pinkie Pie then blushed.

“Sorry.” she said. Pinkie then extended a hoof to the two changelings. “Friends?” The changelings looked at the proffered hoof with confusion, then extended their hooves as well, Pinkie took the chance to wrap both of them in a deep bear hug, pulling them in tightly. She then let them go, both of them gasping for air. “Great!” Pinkie said. “Now I can sing my ‘I just made friends with a Changeling song!”

Rarity asked, “You have a ‘I just made friends with a Changeling’ song?” Applejack reached towards her saddlebags. Pinkie nodded.

“Of course, silly! I have songs for just about everything! Why I have an ‘I just met Queen Chrysalis’ song, an ‘I just made muffins’ song, an—”

“Pinkie!” everypony in the room yelled simultaneously except for Applejack, who had something gripped in her hoof, looking like a snake ready to strike.

“Oh, ok, you want to hear the song now!” Pinkie then inhaled sharply.

When I was a—and was promptly shut up by Applejack shoving an apple fritter into her mouth, which she began chewing on contentedly.

“Now, I love Pinkie to death, but I won’t have none of that singing nonsense when we’re trapped like rats in here.” Applejack explained. The others nodded in agreement.

Twilight sighed. This was not how she had planned on spending her afternoon. She was supposed to be reading the changelings history books Princess Celestia had recommended her. She was supposed to start them, but then Rainbow Dash dragged her in to watch Sweetie Belle’s insane stunt with the muffins, and now they were snowed in. Great. Wait! She could just teleport into the library, grab the books, the zip back to Sugarcube Corner to sit with her friends! It was perfect! Twilight charged up her magic, then focused on the library.

When she finished teleporting, however, she was not in the library. She was outside Sugarcube Corner, on top of a snowdrift, shivering her withers off. What she saw when she looked upwards, though, shook her to her core. In the sky were giant ghostly horses circling Ponyville. She quickly teleported back into Sugarcube Corner.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Where’d ya go?”

Twilight shook her head. “Just outside. I was trying to get to the library to grab some reading material—”

“—course ya’d be tryin’ ta read at a time like this.”

Twilight huffed. “That’s not the point. The point is, I didn’t make it there. And when I looked up at the sky, I saw things that looked an awful lot like the descriptions of Windigoes.”

Everypony present gasped at that.

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, Windigoes only feed off of hatred, and there certainly isn’t any in Ponyville…”

Apple Bloom raised her head. “You serious? Have ya ever been outside the school recently?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I haven’t. At least not since Angel was banned from being within five-hundred feet of a school zone.”

“Why isn’t Angel allowed within five-hundred feet of a school zone?”

Fluttershy shook her head again. “I have no idea. He won’t tell me. He wouldn’t even let me come to court to give him moral support.”

"You do realize that anypony can spectate in open court, right?” Twilight remarked.

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t dare invade Angel’s privacy like that.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “We’re gettin’ off track. Anyway, there’s been protesters outside the school protesting Forty-two! And Diamond Tiara’s been real nasty to Forty-Two! When, just today, she crushed Forty-Two’s muffin under her hoof!” Thirty-four and Sixty-three turned their heads towards Forty-two.

“Is this true?” Thirty-four asked.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Sixty-three asked. Forty-two bowed its head down.

“Because I thought you’d pull me out of school and we’d return to the hive.” Forty-two said.

“And why would we do that?” Thirty-four asked.

“Because...because Queen Chrysalis said to pull me out at the first sign of trouble!” Forty-two said.

“Now why would we do that—” Sixty-three started.

“—when you’ve apparently made three wonderful friends in your first day?” Thirty-four finished.

“I...I don’t know. Just thought you would.” Thirty-four and Sixty-three then moved in for an awkward hug of Forty-two, which Twilight found cute.

Rainbow Dash then perked up. “Wait, Angel’s a foal-toucher?”

Fluttershy glared at Rainbow Dash. “No, he’s not! How dare you say such a thing!”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “I dunno, that’s the only crime I’ve heard of where you’re banned from a school zone.”

“No, he could be a drug dealer!” Rainbow Dash snorted again.

“Yeah, like that rabbit’s a drug dealer…”

----

Down in Fluttershy’s basement, Angel opened up a pressure-cooker, which had several varieties of mushrooms in them which he had carefully cultivated. He looked over them, checking for any rotten crops. Noticing that there were none, he quickly sealed the pressure-cooker and covered it with a warm blanket, shivering. What was up with the weather today?

----

“You don’t know!” Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash laughed.

“Yeah, sure, believe what you want. My bits are on foal-toucher.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Stop saying that!” Fluttershy said.

“What, the obvious truth?”

“It’s not true!” Rainbow Dash then looked to Scootaloo.

“Tell me, Scoots. Did Angel ever touch you in an inappropriate way?”

Scootaloo looked around. “Um...no?” Fluttershy glared at Rainbow Dash.

“Stop saying that!” Ethereal whinnying was then heard that rocked Sugarcube Corner to its core. The girls huddled together for comfort, as well as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The changelings, however, seemed to be frozen in place. Twilight picked up a spoon with her magic and lightly prodded Forty-two, worrying when it didn’t respond.

“Uh, girls, I think we have a problem here—” Twilight started before she was cut off by what appeared to be the voice of the legion coming out of the three changeling’s mouths.

“Hello Equestria. This is Queen Chrysalis, your savior from Safer Sombra, and I come to you with a request. You may have noticed the exorbitant snowfall and the harsh whinnying outside, and I am here to confirm your fears. Yes, there are windigoes all across Equestria, and yes, it is because of the rampant specism shown to my brood. I am here to beseech you to cast aside your differences and show the changelings the friendship that you ponies are famed for. I beg you to not repeat the mistakes of, let’s see here...ah yes...Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and...really? This has to be some kind of joke, right? There’s no way her parents named her that! What do you mean...oh, it’s right here in the history text. Huh...Chancellor Puddinghead and let your principality freeze over because, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my short stay here is that it’s what’s inside of a pony that counts and that...No! There’s no way I’m saying that!...alright, but I’m warning you, it sounds so dreadfully trite...friendship is magic.” The changelings then shook their heads.

“Colt, that was weird.” Forty-two said.

“She’s never done a—” Sixty-three started.

—full-scale possession before. She must be serious.” Thirty-four finished.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “But why does she want us to show you friendship?”

“Don’t you see, silly filly?” Pinkie Pie asked. “She wants us all to drive the Windigoes away with our friendship like Smart Cookie and the rest!” Twilight stared at Pinkie Pie. She may act funny, but she certainly knew her stuff.

“Alright, let’s try this.”

Comments

[Europa]

Angel you... how did... why did... how was he... personal space!

Looks like things are coming to a head. I hope things go well with Chrysalis and... huh, for a Slice of Life this has an awful Adventure feel to it.

[ParadoxPony]

FILLY-FOOLER! FILLY-FOOLER!

[Ryuyu]

4111060 Actually, the mushrooms imply that Angel is a drug dealer. I think?

[Razzy]

The dark side of Angel.

Chryssie's message was just perfect.

Cya
Raziel-chan