A Changeling Alternative

by UsedTeaBag

New Home

Angel was very confused. Why was Alternate walking into the Everfree forest? And he didn´t even react to anything Angel did. He was walking like he was hypnotized, keeping his head down, though. But his eyes were even more disturbing. The eyes rushed their look around in a sickening way that made Angel want to throw up at the mere sight of it.

They soon got to the Everfree forest. Angel tried hitting Alternate in the neck to get a reaction and even tried kicking him. But it failed. Only when he pulled on his mane harshly, that was still tied together into a ponytail, which would make it all the more painfull, he got a reaction.

Alternate huffed and started runing in nearly every tree in front of him, quickly getting Angel off of his back while he procceeded running even deeper into the forest, now not bumping into any trees anymore. Angel tried running after him but soon was too exhausted as his legs were just too weak to carry him any further. He could only imagine the reasons as to why Alternate behaved the way he did. What had happened? Surely it had been something Alternate had no doing in whatsoever. Because it just wouldn´t make sense for him to behave like that willingly. Somepony must have done that to him, and Angel Bunny was more than determined to find out who it was. But to do that he must find clues, or something like that.

He sighed. Then he suddenly realized that he was caring about Alternate way too much than he would usually do about anypony else. What the hay was wrong with him these days? Whatever, he thought, This is still very weird and I want to know what´s going on!
Determined as ever, he started hopping towards the direction were he last saw Alternate ran towards. He had been running in an almost straight line and Angel doubted that would change.

The forest around him got thicker with every hop and the darkness around him started to slowly freak him out. But he still carried on.He looked up and noticed how quickly the sky darkened. They had been out shopping for food all day, after all, makes sense. Suddenly the forest became less thick and he found himself looking at the Castle Of The Two Sisters. He saw some stairs leading down somewhere, most likely somewhere under the Castle.

His eyes followed the stairs leading down somewhere and found something that looked like a tree made out of chrystals. Upon further inspection, though, he realized that this was the Tree Of Harmony Fluttershy had told him about some time ago. Then he saw Flutershy and her other friends gather around something that looked like a box and the purple Alicorn put a golden key inside the box and they all turned their keys at the same time. A bright light emerged from the box and went to the tree of harmony. The elements of harmony inside the tree started glowing and suddenly the light, now coloured in various colours flew to the six ponies gathered around the box and embraced them in its light. Then they dissapeared withing the light and were brought outside of the cave the tree of harmony stood in and away somewhere where Angel couldn´t see it anymore.

A bit surprised by this he couldn´t help but notice a green light glowing far behind the tree. Curiousity taking over he hopped down the stairs and went behind the tree. Just as he did so the glowing got stronger, blinding him, and then stopped, no, downright disappeared and he heard a loud thud.

***
Green. That was everything Alternate could see. A dark green. Barely visible. He tried to move his, but he found himself unable to do so. Where am I?, he thought, What is this place?

He felt like he was moving, but he wasn´t doing anything at all- he couldn´t after all. His eyes threatened to close when he suddenly saw something black in front of him. He forced his eyes to open wide and realized that he was staring at his reflection. He was in his original form?

He wanted to panic, but he couldn´t, for a reason he did not know, he couldn´t move more than his eyes. His eyes were tired though. He was physically and mentally exhausted. He didn´t know why. Was it such a harm that he had eaten an animals love? It couldn´t have been. Love is love and stays love in almost whatever form, equal fo all creatures in Equestria and beyond. His body began to hurt. But the pain was tolerable. Why was he in this thing? What was this thing? He didn´t know the answer to these questions. He just knew how bloody tired he was.

His eyes threatened to close again, but before they could do so and thus leave him behind in a dreamless darkness, he saw a bright light emerging in front of him. But as soon as it came, the sooner it went away. The light left him wide awake and he felt that he could move again. He struggeled in whatever-it-was-he-was-inside-of and used a strong and bright green blast of magic to free himself. He found out that he had been hanging somewhere upside down the harsh way as he made contact with harsh reality common ponies would call ground. Curse gravity.

He quickly recognized that Angel was in front of him, shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness Alternates magic had caused mere moments ago. He quickly realized the situation and reacted accordingly, transforming into his disguise as quickly as his magic would allow him to. He layed his head back on the ground and played like this was the way he had fallen down. He felt a little paw pat, er, rather poke his head as if looking if he was dead. He slowly opened his eyes to, indeed, see Angel in front of him poking right above his eye with a concerned look on his face.

"What do you think you´re doing there, Angel?", he asked playing an anoyed look.

Angel quickly backed off, a bit of a scared look on his face. Though, maybe it was just surprise that was written on his face, it was a bit hard to tell. Alternate stood up, placing his right hoof on his head implying that he had a headache. Angel bought his little play and layed a paw on his left hoof, now a concerned look on his face.

"What exactly happened? Er, I mean, do you know what happened to me? I kinda just remember walking somewhere and falling unconscious upon seeing a bright light.", he asked, doubting that Angel would know anything about it. Lucky guess, Angel didn´t know a thing and thus shook his head no.

Alternate sighed and grabbed Angel with his magic and placed him on his back. He started walking and noticed the tree. He looked at Angel for an explanation, but he just shrugged with his shoulders, implying that he knew what that was about but deciding it wasn´t important enough to be explained. Alternate dismissed it and walked up the stairs. He didn´t exactly know the enviroment, even though it was the Everfree forest and he´s been through it already twice- even though the second time was unconscious- so he just relied on Angel telling him where to go.

Soon enough they got back to Ponyville and Alternate planned on going back to the library only to find that it had been destroyed. He stood in front of the library, surprised, shocked, speechless and some other emotions that don´t start with an S. Discouraged for example, or grief. He could not believe his very own eyes as he staared at the ruins of what was once the Golden Oak Library. His mouth and eyes open wide in utter shock and disbelief at the sight in front of him. His body started trembling as sudden sadness came over him, replacing all the other emotions that had come first. He ran into the ruins and looked around frantically, as if looking for proof that this was just a bad nightmare. That he would wake up any second now, find himself back in his room in the Golden Oak Library and find out he had just passed out because he wasn´t used to an animals love. But sadly, reality wasn´t as kind to him as his hopes were. Tears started to build up in his eyes as he went to what was once his room. The bed inside was almost spared, only half of it being destroyed. He sat down in front of it and burst into tears, holding onto a pillow from the bed.

Even though he didn´t live there for a very long time, he had loved the library. He felt oddly safe within it´s walls and it was his only place to live. Where was he gonna go now? Angel patted his back, knowing how hard it must be for Alternate. Alternate just sat there, crying. After a short while he stopped, suddenly realizing something.

What about Twilight? There was no way she was still inside the building as it had been destroyed. But how did she feel? I mean she had ben living in this library a good long part of her life! She must feel so awful at that time! But where was she?

He sighed and looked down, still very sad. Angel was now rubbing his back in an attempt to keep him calm. Alternate smiled softly at him. He thanked him for helping him and stood up.

"C´mon lil´ guy. Let´s search for Twilight. ´Kay?", he smiled and put Angel back onto his back. He quickly looked under the undestroyed half of his bed and was surprised to see that his bag was still there and was not destroyed at all. He took it with him, obviously, and made his way through Ponyville, asking a couple of ponies if they knew where Twilight was.

He followed the directions he´s been given and walked to almost the other side of Ponyville. He was surprised to see a castle there, especially since it looked a bit like the weird chrystal tree he saw when he´d woken up. He didn´t fully arrive at the castle as the doors were opened and Twilight and her friends, plus some other creature he hadn´t seen before, came out. The creature almost immediatly flew away after saying its, or his, goodbyes to the other six.

Alternate looked very surprised. He walked up to the six and they immediatly greeted him upon seeing him and realizing it was him. He asked them what happened and they told him all about it. About Tirek, Discord, the Tree of Harmony, the Box that held the key to defeating Tirek and the fact that Twilight now got a castle.

"A castle, huh? Well . . . that is certainly . . . a thing that happened . . .", he awkwardly stated.

The other six were a bit confused as to what he meant by that. Angel rolled his eyes at their obliviousness. Suddenly Twilight realized it and looked a bit sad.

"Oh. Yes, of course. You just lost your home with us. The Library.", Twilight realized and Alternate just got a sad smile on his face.

"Ah, it´s not that bad. I mean, I could still buy a house or something, get a decent job in Ponyville to afford furniture and everything. It won´t be easy, but it will be something!", the smile on his lips was entirely forced.

Twilight looked at her friends, a bit concerned and then shook her head no to Alternate.

"No, that wouldn´t be nice of me to make you do that. I insist that you stay in this castle! I simply can´t make you search for a new home while I get a new one right after my old one has been destroyed!", she exclaimed.

Alternate thought about it for a bit. It did seem like it was fully against Twilights morals and of that of a Princess, he just couldn´t turn her down. She´d feel bad. He didn´t want that- oddly enough, considering everypony is an supposed enemy of his (he doesn´t want to see them that way, though). He nodded and Twilight sighed relieved that he had accepted her offer.

Alternate smiled softly and walked passed the ponies inside the castle. Twilight followed him, wanting to show him around quickly and show him his room.

Alternates new room was about three times as big as his old room was. There was a small window and a big bed next to it. The sheets were a nice leaf green and the pillow was purple. The walls were chrystal, like the rest of the castle, and there was a shelf on the far left of the room and a desk and chair right next to it.

Twilight has already left Alternate and Angel to themselves. He let Angel hop off of his back and he started to unpack the few things still in his bag. A single book about an earthpony who was bullied and who discovered that he could use telekinesis and ever so slowly he becomes the villain of the book, taking revenge on everyone that has done anything bad to him. Altrenate quite enjoyed the book actually. The protagonist-turning-antagonist also had a best friend and the author of the book always seemed to drop little hints that their friendship may turn to be something more than that. Alternate found himself laughing or chuckling at that more than once. He put the book on the shelf and continued unpacking.

The other items were a hair brush, a small mirror where he had no idea why he had put that in his bag, some papers, a quill and ink. He put papers, quill and ink on the table while placing the hair brush and the small mirror on the shelf next to the book.

Angel had hopped onto the bed by now and was well on his way to fall asleep, snuggling into the purple pillow and green sheets. Alternate sighed and let himself fall on the bed next to Angel. He was stil exhausted. He couldn´t figure out what that thing was he had been inside of. He knew he felt pain while being inside of it and he had been in his Changeling form, but he didn´t know anything else that could be important. He sighed and grabbed Angel to hug him. He was still very tired and that hadn´t changed much since he´d arrived. In fact, he felt like he could pass out any moment now.

He sighed again and took in the smell of the new enviroment. He felt a bit weird in this big room. He would actually have to get a somewhat decent job and fill his room with some nice furniture. A closet was needed, and clothes to put in the closet- he could ask Rarity about that- and he also needed some paintings, maybe flowers, to brighten up the room. Maybe then he would actually feel at home. This being his last thought he felt the darkness softly embrace him and drag him down into a black abyss.