Night at the Peach Family Farm
End of Forest- Shiny Whistle
About an hour later, the oak trees around us gave way to peach trees arranged in neat rows. Thick green grass grew around them, and the fresh scent of peaches filled the air. The path continued between two of the rows, and just a little way into the distance I could see a large home, a bright red barn next to it, thankfully untouched from the flames of last night.
Other ponies were scattered in the fields, with a few pegasi napping on clouds above us. A few unicorns had baskets around their backs and levitated the ripe fruit into them as they checked each tree. Everypony turned our way as we walked up, and upon spotting an earth pony stallion with a dark red-orange body and a golden mane, Peach Pie and Peach Tart let out a yell of glee and ran out from behind me towards him.
“Peach Pie, Peach Tart, you two little rascals are safe,” the pony said, picking them up in his front hooves and squeezing them in a tight hug. “I was so worried.”
“Sorry to make you worry Gold Dust,” Fire Stick said as we all came to a stop. “We hid out in the cave near town to protect them from those monsters.”
“Then I have you four to thank for protecting my little ones?” He said, putting them down and watching as they raced off to play with Midnight Orchid and Lilac Bloom.
“Yes sir,” Lucky Shot said and stepped forward. “We would have been here sooner, but a Timberwolf took a bite out of Fire before I could scare him away.”
“Well I am just thankful you were able to save them. So many were lost,” he sighed, lowering his ears. “You didn’t happen to see my wife on your way here, did you? The kids look so much like her, more so than they do me.”
“Well, yes Mr. Dust,” Chryssy said, lowering her ears. “I’m afraid she didn’t make it. I saw a dusty peach-colored mare, a cutie mark of a peach cut in half, exposing the pit, dead in the street when I searched the town for food.” So that is why she hadn't wanted us to travel through town, or at least, one of the reasons. She hadn't wanted the poor foals to see their dead mother.
Mr. Dust sat down on the ground and wiped a hoof over one eye. “When she didn’t return last night or come with the others, I hoped, I prayed to Celestia. But I guess it was in vain.”
“I’m sorry, I wish there was something we could have done for her,” I said.
“You did, you brought me back my foals. That is enough.” He stood back up and swallowed. “Is there anything I can do for you folks? I’m sure your friend Fire Stick and your friend….?”
“Dew Song,” Chryssy said, still being disguised as my sister.
“Right, Dew Song, would love a bath and some medical attention?”
“Yes please,” Fire said.
“A bath would be wonderful,” Chryssy sighed.
“Some food would be great too,” Lucky said and Mr. Dust let out a halfhearted chuckle.
“You are always worrying about that stomach of yours aren’t you Lucky? Very well, follow me inside and we can take care of all that. Then you are welcome to spend the night in my barn if you like, or you can sleep under the stars and my peach trees.”
“Thank you, Mr. Dust, that would be wonderful,” I said and with the others behind me, followed him inside.
Peach’s Farm- Queen Chrysalis
As we rested in the cool grasses, nestled in the shade of the peach trees, a cool breeze wafted the scent of ripe peaches against our nostrils. The Peach twins and other foals played a game of tag a few rows down from us, their father, Mr. Dust, watched over them. The few other adults that had escaped from the town were dispersed around the orchard. Some had already made their way to the barn to sleep in the hayloft, while others levitated cool glasses of peach smoothies or peach lemonade. Many of the pegasi had pulled together clumps of clouds, and relaxed up above us, tails sometimes hanging over the edge and blowing in the breeze. I closed my eyes and listened in to the stallions talking a few trees down from mine, where Shiny, Fire, and Lucky had settled in.
“So what is with this relationship you seem to have with the Queen?” Fire asked, adjusting his position slightly. “I mean, it’s not every day you see a pony who well, actually likes changelings,” he whispered.
Lucky snorted, “I don’t see what the big deal is. So they can change into whatever you or they want. That just seems more of a turn off than a turn on really.”
Shiny chuckled. “Well, actually I don’t really know. Back during Princess Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding, I was of course excited to see them get married. My sister was practically bouncing even more than Pinkie around my brother, parents, and me in her enthusiasm when Princess Cadence came into the room and began her walk down the aisle. Then, just as they were about to begin the wedding vows, the real Princess Cadence and Twilight rushed in and revealed what had happened.”
“And that is when Chrysalis changed into her changeling form?” Fire asked.
“Yep, with a big pillar of green flames firing up into the sky. Her chitin practically glowing, wings spread wide, sharp-toothed grin, and then that laugh,” Shiny sighed. “As she revealed her plan, my heart pumped wildly, mostly in fear at the time as I didn’t know what in the hay was going to happen to us. Would we all become dinner for her and her changelings? Would the element bearers save us? Could Princess Celestia beat her? I watched with the rest in pure shock when Celestia was defeated, the tip of her horn blackened and smoking.”
“And then the bearers of Harmony ran to save the day, failed, and eventually the power of love between Shining Armor and Princess Cadence sent them flying off, saving us all,” Lucky said in a grumbling voice.
“Hey, who’s telling this story?” Shiny teased, punching a hoof into his side lightly. “Yeah, that is pretty much what happened. But before Twilight and her friends were captured, Chrysalis and her changelings escorted the rest of us, wedding guests, to a vacant room a few doors down. A few of the more prominent guests like Prince Blueblood and Fancy Pants were put into those slimy green pods right away, while the rest of us were just watched over by her changelings. One stood close to my family, and just the structure of their form was fascinating.”
“Was it Chrysalis who watched over your family?” Fire asked.
“No, but she was in the room for some time. There were a few moments when she stood by the window, hooves up on the ledge looking down at the chaos outside. The sun was just in the right position outside to make her mane practically glow. Her chitin even had a brilliant teal-black hue to it from the sun. But it was the look on her face that intrigued me the most. Sure there was a smile of triumph, but in her eyes, I saw a look of tremendous relief. Her shoulders lowered as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from her.”
“Yes that is exactly how I was feeling,” Chrys said with a sigh, our ears twitching. “I was thinking ‘everything will be good now. My changelings will have plenty to eat, we can grow to be stronger and have more eggs at a time to make our kind stronger than we ever have been. Through the love these ponies possess, we’ll never have to worry about starving again.”
I sighed, I could imagine how that would be. To finally have your dreams come true, see the bright future ahead and the harshness of the past drifting away like sand in the wind. “I hadn’t even realized anypony was watching me, thought they would be too scared too,” Chrys said and chuckled. “Oh if only my plan could have worked!”
“That was when one of her changelings flew into the room and told her the element bearers had been captured before they could reach their elements,” Shiny went on, and I opened my eyes slightly, watching and listening as he continued. “She left the room then, brushing by my family and me as she left. Her tail hitting me in the face as she passed, I breathed in the scent of her and found I kind of liked it.”
“You liked how she smelled?” Lucky sneered, wrinkling his nose and raising one eyebrow.
“Yes, yes I did. Kind of a mix of cantaloupe and dark chocolate, with a hint of rose.”
“Well that is an interesting mixture of scents,” Fire said. “What happened next?”
“Not much more than everypony already knows. Thinking she had won, she started to gloat, of course, we didn’t see this, being in the other room, but when the power of Shining Armor and Princess Cadences love passed through the walls and hit the changelings watching over us, we watched as the lucky ones were pushed through the window and out away from Canterlot. A good number of them though, maybe twenty, hit the walls instead. A few of them died instantly from the crushing weight of the barrier. The others well, they were injured badly enough they couldn’t escape what some of the angry guests did to them.” He shuddered.
“Ponies did something that horrible?” Fire asked, and Lucky snorted at him.
“Why so surprised Fire? They wanted to suck us dry of our love and take our land for their own. I’m sure they would have done the same in our horseshoes,” Lucky said, crossing his front hooves.
“That doesn’t mean they deserved what happened to them,” Shiny said, glaring at Lucky. “All that blood, I doubt the castle servants were able to get it all out of the tile floor later. And watching those bright blue eyes go dark, their screams of agony… I’ve never seen other ponies be so barbaric.” Shiny sighed, lowering his ears and digging at the grass with one hoof. “I left the room, not wanting to see anymore, and stepped quietly into the other. A few changelings had not made it through the windows in there as well, though I breathed a sigh of relief on seeing their Queen had not been one of those unlucky ones. At least the ponies in here, being mostly Twilight and her friends, along with Shining Armor, Cadence, and Princess Celestia, were not as cruel. Guards were brought in to grab the changelings that had only minor injuries and take them to the dungeons.”
“My poor little changelings,” Chrys sighed. “It was all my fault they had such disastrous ends. Very few of those put in the dungeons did I ever see again. A large part of that because those of us that did make it out were recovering and had not the strength to send a rescue team.” She mentally shuddered. “I don’t even want to know how those ponies killed the ones that didn’t make it out.”
I nodded, and here I thought the ponies were supposed to be the good guys. But then in war, who can really be a good guy? War takes the good and corrupts them, to where they are never quite the same again.
“After the wedding,” Shiny said, and I flicked my ears back his way to listen, “my family and I returned to our home, but I couldn’t get the changelings out of my head. Not in the way of most other ponies though. My father wouldn’t let us leave the house for a week, and would have kept us even longer if the milk hadn’t gone bad and we had the need for other groceries as well. Even still, he would ask us questions when we returned that only we would know to make sure a changeling hadn’t captured us while we were out for months later.”
“That was how your father reacted, but how did you react?” Fire said.
Shiny grinned, “By taking a leaf out of Twilight Sparkle’s book and studying up on the changelings. Of course, there was not much known about them at first. It had been a long time since they had been seen in Equestria after all. But the ones Princess Celestia captured were studied and papers were published about their findings. Every little thing I learned intrigued me more and more. At night, I would dream about the wedding, always seeing their Queen in them and smelling her scent. Seeing the look in her eyes I had seen as she gazed out the window. I knew I had to do something.”
Lucky yawned and rested his head against his forelegs. “Shiny, you are one crazy unicorn. But all of that still doesn’t explain why you are so… infatuated with her.”
“I guess… part of it was her scent,” Shiny said twitching his ears, “and that I really didn’t see in her what everypony was making her out to be. Nopony had died from the invasion, but many of her changelings did. I had to know what everypony seemed to ignore, and I found that when I finally found their home.”
“And what’s that?” Fire said.
“That they are more like us than most ponies want to admit. They care for their families, their foals, their friends, just as much as we do. All many of them want is to be able to live, grow, and feel love.”
“Them? Feel love?” Lucky snorted. “Only the love they steal from us. How can creatures that feed off the love of others feel any true love of their own? It’s preposterous.”
“He’s right, unfortunately. At least when it comes to true love. We don’t have the capacity for it,” Chrys sighed. I closed my eyes and shook my head.
“How can you really believe that?” I whispered. “Did you feel nothing, when Shiny kissed us?”
“I felt surprised!” She snorted. “But besides that? No of course not. And neither did you. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you did, as it is impossible.”
“Impossible things happen every day,” I pointed out. “Why not us being able to love?”
“Because if we could love, it would have happened already!”
“Not necessarily. Perhaps you just never met the right pony or changeling?”
“Would you just give up on the thought? I’m tired of arguing about it.”
I grinned. “That’s because you know I am right.”
“Believe that all you want, not going to change things.”
“So you would rather let Lucky be right about us.”
“In this instance, yes. As much as I’d love to snap that smug little neck of his, we are not capable of love. It is our curse.”
I sighed and shook my head. There was no point in arguing with her on it. “So we smell like cantaloupe, dark chocolate, and a hint of rose,” I said and grinned.
“Better than what some of those ponies smell like, bleh,” Chrys said.
“You are wrong Lucky,” Shiny said, and I returned my attention back to the stallions. “It might be buried deep in them, but I can see it.”
“Keep dreaming lovercolt,” Lucky said and sighed. “Besides, why would she want you when she can have anypony else she wants?”
“Lucky! That’s not very nice to say!” Fire chided him, but Lucky just shrugged.
“Sorry to be harsh but it’s true. She’s a Queen. She’d probably rather be with a prince or a princess’s consort. I hear she and Shining Armor got pretty close when she was disguised as Cadence,” he grinned.
“Well, maybe she just likes Shiny things?” Fire said and Lucky laughed.
“You know, that would make sense. Might explain why she chose you to come with her on this quest,” Lucky laughed pointing a hoof at Shiny. “Yes, she likes Shiny things, like a ridiculous crow or raven.”
I glared at him. Really, comparing us to some bird? I snorted. Just because the last two stallions we had outside the hive contact with had similar names didn’t mean anything, did it?
“Well being a Queen, royalty, we do like our shiny baubles,” Chrys said chuckling. “I hadn’t even made that connection between the two stallions. Interesting idea. Wonder what other stallions might have similar names?”
I sighed and shook my head. “What, you plan on gathering them all up and putting them in a giant jewelry box?”
“Not a bad idea, let’s do it!”
“It was a joke Chrys,” I said and sighed, listening as she giggled. What was with us today? Our emotions seemed all over the place.
“Well, it’s getting late, let’s turn in Fire,” Lucky yawned, and turned toward the barn, Fire trotting slowly behind him. “You coming too Shiny?”
“Er well no. I don’t want to leave Chry- I mean Dew all alone. Unless you want to come into the barn?” He asked me, turning to look at me. I looked up at the sky behind him, the twilit sky almost haloing him in pinks and oranges. It really brought out the dark purple of his eyes. “Chryssy?” He whispered, and I shook my head turning back to face him.
“No, I’d rather stay out under the stars. Plus it would be… awkward, being surrounded by so many ponies.” I was used to a tide of black and greys, with little hints of bright blues. Being in that sea of color well…. I’d rather just stay out here.
Shiny plopped down beside me under the tree and waved Fire and Lucky on. “Go ahead you two. We’ll be okay.”
“Okay then,” Lucky said, and glared at me for a moment, then the two of them trotted inside, closing the barn doors behind them. After they had left, Shiny turned back to me.
“So are you… hungry? I mean yes you did eat dinner with us and the other ponies, but I mean the- other, kind of hungry.”
“That hunger never really leaves,” I sighed. “We can satisfy it for a time, but it lingers on.”
“Well, it’s still fairly early,” he said, looking up at the sky, “not even fully dark yet. You need the strength to take on Celestia right? And tonight might be the last time you get a chance before we reach Canterlot. If you were to feed from me now, I should be awake again by sometime early to mid-morning right?”
I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I fed on you less than twenty-four hours ago, it is not safe for you to be fed on so much.”
“Well it’s not like it will be a regular thing,” he said, and moved aside his mane. “I’ll have time to recover while we travel on the train. Please, take what you need.”
“This crazy pony seems to have a… fetish or something for being fed on,” Chrys sighed. “But he is right, we need the strength, and unless we want to snatch some other pony to feed on, unwillingly, he’s what we have. After this though, we better not feed on him for at least a week.”
I looked down at Shiny and nodded. “Very well then, but please, don’t think you have to be the sole one to feed me."
“Oh of course not! Just trying to do part of what I am here for.” He grinned and scooched a little closer. “At least everypony has gone to bed, so we should be safe. Or well… should we head a little farther away to be safer?”
I looked around us, the barn door had been closed behind Lucky and Fire, and even the hayloft doors were closed. Inside the Peach family’s home, all the lights were off, only one window faced our way, and it was covered by blinds. The pegasi that had been resting above us on clouds had flown their clouds into the barn to sleep on, leaving the sky clear as the first scattered stars began to appear.
“Well, it looks safe enough here, I think we can risk it.” I closed my eyes and transformed, sitting next to him in my natural form. His ears perked up and he grinned at me. Reaching down, I nuzzled his neck, taking in his scent, a banana with a hint of mint. Lowering my horn, I lit it up and placed it against his neck, watching as my magic slowly flowed through it to him, then pulsed back my way as I fed.
Shiny closed his eyes and hummed, a smile upon his face. He did jerk a little, but not in pain, more as if I were tickling him. Well, I guess our feeding made him ticklish? That was interesting. As he let out a yawn and his head fell to his forehooves, I lifted my horn and transformed back into his sister. He breathed softly next to me as he slept, that stubborn bang falling into his eyes again. With a little bit of magic, I moved it behind his ear and rolled onto my back, looking up at the sky.
Shiny had become at least a friend to us if nothing more yet. That’s more than could be said for most ponies I had met so far. But with how Chrys felt on these things, could he ever be more? The moon was just beginning to rise, still full for one more night before it would start to wane.
As I thought about my life before now, before coming here, I found Chrys had been right. Things were already beginning to fade. I couldn’t remember my cat’s name if he could even still be called my cat with my body on Earth being dead. Who had taken him in with me gone? My parents? My best friend? Was he okay? He was an older cat, I’d had him since he was a kitten, and now he was around ten years old. Such a big change would be hard on a cat his age.
Shiny nuzzled my neck in his sleep, kissing it softly, making me turn my gaze to him. He sure was one lovesick pony. At least it made his love taste that much more delicious, and give us that much more strength.
Yes, Chrys had been right and things were slipping away, but I couldn’t let that bother me. It was going to happen no matter what I did. Better that I focus on the now. We would arrive at Dodge Junction tomorrow, and then take the train to Canterlot. If the track conditions were good, we would be there likely in less than twenty-four hours.
I didn’t have much of a plan yet on how to save Leptostales. Just asking Celestia to let him go would likely not cut it. If he was even still alive. Was my whole quest to be in vain? No, I still could tell her about the mysterious unicorn mare, and the destruction of Hoofville. If she hadn’t already heard about it.
“Chryssy?” Shiny mumbled, and I turned to look at him, surprised to find him awake. His eyes looked blearily at me, and he smiled. Yes, he was awake, if just barely.
“Yes?”
“I’m glad I didn’t head into the barn with Lucky and Fire,” he grinned, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Me too Shiny, me too.”
Here it is, the new edited version. Shorter, but still gets the job done. Hope you all like it still and will continue to come back! School starts in two weeks, and after that I don't know how much time I will have for 'fun' writing until Christmas break. (Going to be pretty much waking up at 7am, go to class at 8am, finish at noon, come home and eat/change, head to work, come home and shower/do homework, and probably have to go to bed after that. So new chapters will probably be very sporadic during this semester for when I find time to work on them. (which is something this changeling is VERY sad about. I'd rather write more pony words than go to classes. 
Alas, I am in my last year, so HOPEFULLY things will look up after that!)
I hope I am keeping their relationship growth at a believable pace. That has been a problem in the past so doing my best to work on such! Also, I FINALLY GOT TO USE THE LINE I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO USE FOR SO LONG! I just had to find the right place to use it. Let's see who can catch my favorite line, and if you enjoy it as much as I did thinking of it. :P
Anyway read/comment/critique/etc.
Little edits done 7/7/21
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You'll have change the story rateing to Mature, if you are going to have more clop parts, it's the rules. I telling you because I don't what anything happening to your story.
7318431
Ah thanks for pointing those out! I shall go fix them! ^.^ I was sure there must be a few I kept missing. :P
7312443
*nods* I understand that. If I do feel the need to add more clop(not sure entirely yet if I will) then I will open a new story to put the clop versions of chapters in and the more clean versions here. My prereader told me one time(especially since it is nowhere near as uh... detailed... as many) should be fine for teen as long as I have the warnings, but anything else I would have to make it mature. (And I have had a few readers come forward saying they would stop reading if I was to have to make it mature, and I don't want that of course!)
Thank you both for your help and for commenting! This is just what this changeling needs to come home to after a long weekend away with no internet! ^.^
7323162
Your prereader is either an idiot or a liar, then. Even a single instance of clop means a Mature rating. As of this chapter, your story is in violation of the rules. You need to either change the rating or remove the clop scene IMMEDIATELY or risk having this story taken down. None of us want that.
7325888
Of course we don't want it taken down. *nods* Then I shall make an edit of it and make a new 'story' for the clop scenes (if I end up doing more than the one.) Yeah I was worried about such stuff....
Awwwwwwwwww
I liked the original better 
8167053
Yeah me too lol, but the other commenters were right, it was too soon. Still a cute little scene though.
Could you tell me this, does she become a villain? If not, I'm dropping this story.