Forever a Changeling
by Scootaloo-009, a.k.a. Mechsrule1
My Little Pony and related names, images, and scenarios are property of Hasbro Inc.
Epilogue (Bad)
“Thank you again for inviting us to dinner,” Rarity said.
They were all seated around a table in Shining Armor and Cadence’s house. The evening had originally been planned as just a three pony meal with Twilight coming over, but Cadence had insisted they invite the whole gang. Spike had been left behind once again to babysit.
Cadence began passing around the various dishes. When any reached Rainbow Dash, she simply passed it along.
“Rainbow Dash, aren’t you hungry?” Cadence asked.
“Just being here is enough,” Rainbow Dash replied with a smile.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Cadence said.
“She’s a ‘good’ changeling,” Shining Armor told her.
“Well, yeah. It’s not like I can’t eat pony food, but I don’t. If I do, it makes me a bit sick to suddenly eat again,” Rainbow Dash explained.
“I wouldn’t want you to feel bad,” Cadence said.
“I’m glad you’re not biased like someponies,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Of course not. I wouldn’t assume all changelings are like Chrysalis.”
“I still don’t know,” Shining Armor said.
“Shining, why would say that? We know her. No matter what she is, we still know Rainbow Dash. Who she is hasn’t changed,” Cadence chastised.
Shining Armor sighed. “I guess you’re right. Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry. I just can’t get passed what happened with Chrysalis. She was brainwashing me. I nearly married her! I just can’t forget that.”
“Shining Armor, I understand, but I’m not her,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Plus, being a changeling has all sorts of advantages,” Twilight added. “We require less sleep, and we don’t have to take breaks to eat.”
“That would be use-” Shining Armor stopped. “Did you say we?”
Six ponies burst into blue flame and were replaced with six changelings sporting their manes. Rainbow Dash, he noticed, was considerably taller than the rest and sported a tiny little crown, not unlike Queen Chrysalis had. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had similar crowns but they were the same size as the others.
“It’s awesome!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Ah didn’t like it at first, but then Ah realized just cause Ah have wings and a horn don’t mean Ah have tah use them,” Applejack said.
“And I save so much time not having to manually style my mane,” Rarity said.
“I can tell just how my animal friends are feeling,” Fluttershy added. “And use that to help them.”
“I’ve nearly doubled my study time,” Twilight said.
“Why don’t you join us,” Rainbow Dash said.
Shining Armor stood up. “You said there weren’t any more. That you couldn’t lay eggs!”
“Queen Recarn wouldn’t have had a spare body that wasn’t already fertilized. She isn’t stupid,” Queen Dash said. “And I’m friends with two other queens. I could just ask for a drone if I had to.”
Shining Armor snarled. He pulled Cadence back and backed away slowly. “I don’t know what she’s done to you all, but this isn’t you.”
“BBBFF, it’s wonderful. You should join us,” Twilight said.
“Cadence, run. I’ll hold them off so you can escape,” Shining Armor said.
There was a burst of blue on his side and he looked over in horror. The beautiful pink coat of his wife had become black.
“Shiny, it’s wonderful. Join us. For me?” changeling Cadence begged.
Shining Armor jumped away, backing into a corner. “This doesn’t make any sense!”
“Come on. She said she’d make you a brute if you joined willingly,” Cadence said.
“Wait, you’re all queens!” Shining Armor realized.
Cadence frowned. “I’m not. Shining, we’re married and I’m not going to mate with anypony but you. Even if that means I’ll never be a queen.”
“But... queens don’t have to obey!”
“We’re doin’ this cause we wanna,” Applejack said.
“And only Twilight and Applejack aren’t full queens!” Pinkie Pie said.
“I’m too busy studying to lay,” Twilight said.
“Ah got too much tah do at the farm,” Applejack said.
“So, what, you’re going to take over the world or something?” Shining Armor demanded. “What are you going to do if there are no ponies left.”
Queen Dash smiled. “We’re each other's food. Since we have the heart of a pony, we produce our own emotions. And I’m not going to take over anything. I’m helping ponykind transcend into a higher form of life. Not everypony can go. We need some because we cannot increase our numbers without them.
“Shining, you are joining but I’m giving you a choice to do it willingly. I want to make you a brute but if I can’t trust you, you’ll have to be a drone until you show me I can trust you. You’d be so much stronger than you are now, and you would be able to fly,” Queen Dash said.
“Plus we can do all sorts of things together,” Cadence said seductively.
“Wait... you don’t mean...” Shining Armor said slowly.
Cadence winked. “We can both shapeshift. If you join, I’ll do that thing you love. All the time.”
Shining Armor’s eyes went wide. A stupid grin began to form at stretched across his face. He gazed passed them all and seemed lost in thought. “Okay. I’m in.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Years later
Princess Celestia was rereading one of Twilight’s old friendship reports. They still came from time to time, but less frequently than she liked. She was in her throne room, but there wasn’t much official business today so she was mostly just passing the time. She loved reading about Twilight and her friends having adventures.
Suddenly her quiet reading was interrupted when a Queen changeling sporting a rainbow colored mane walked into the throne room. Princess Celestia put down the letter and looked at the new arrival.
“Rainbow Dash? Is that you?”
“Yes, it is, Princess,” Queen Dash replied.
“Umm... what are you doing here?” Princess Celestia asked nervously.
“I’m here to hopefully encourage you to peacefully abdicate the throne to me.”
“What are you saying? Rainbow Dash, you said you weren’t a queen.”
“I lied,” Rainbow Dash sneered. “Now will you step down peacefully, or will I have to fight for the throne?”
“What has gotten into you? Guards!”
The guards dropped their spears. They burst into blue flames and were replaced with changeling versions of themselves.
“I already took care of that. Almost all of Ponyville and a good part of Canterlot is now mine,” Queen Dash said. She slowly advanced towards the throne.
“I will not allow this. Twilight and her friends-”
“Agree with her,” Twilight finished. Princess Celestia watched in horror as the five remaining element bearers walked into the throne room and shapeshifted into queen changelings. Behind them was a proto queen that had to be Cadence and a massive drone the size of a diamond dog that must have been Shining Armor.
“What has happened to my little ponies?” Princess Celestia exclaimed.
“We have found a better way of life. Now I can’t make you a queen like my friends right away, but if you work hard and prove your loyalty to the hive, maybe one day you’ll be promoted to queen,” Queen Dash said.
“But a hive shouldn’t have more than one queen!”
“Typically they do fight, but we are able to work together. This way we can lay eggs six times faster,” Fluttershy said.
“And while it does take away from my study time, with the lower sleep requirements, I still have more time to do things,” Twilight said.
“This can’t be happening!” Princess Celestia shouted.
“Sister? What is all this commotion?” Princess Luna asked as she walked into the throne room, rubbing her eyes.
“Luna, something has gone wrong we-” Princess Celestia stopped. Her face wilted and she slumped onto the floor. Her sister burst into blue flames. Her alicornian body was replaced with a changeling drone. Her mane was still transparent but it no longer moved in a non existent wind.
“What do you say, Princess? Will you join my hive?” Queen Dash asked.
“Sister, this is for the best,” Luna said. “It is wonderful being this way.”
“It’s great once yah get used tah it,” Applejack said.
“This is the new look,” Rarity said.
“Now we can be sisters!” Twilight cheered.
“I love everything about this!” Pinkie Pie declared.
“You’ll be a part of one big family,” Fluttershy said.
“If I can do this, you can to,” Shining Armor said.
"It doesn't make sense for a pony princess to rule over a changeling queen anyway," Queen Dash said.
"And what of my ponies? Are you going to turn them all into your drones?" Celestia asked.
"Of course not. If I turned every pony into changelings than the population would never grow. No, I'll leave enough. And you’ll be every bit as powerful after you join my hive."
Princess Celestia stood up to her full height. “I am Princess Celestia. I don’t know why you all have forsaken what you are, but I will not. I am an alicorn. I will not give that up.”
“Okay,” Queen Dash said honestly. “I was just offering. You don’t have to and I won’t force you. I won’t even imprison you as long as you stand down and don’t cause trouble.”
Princess Celestia looked at her in confusion.
“It’s a coup but we want to be peaceful about it,” Twilight said.
“What is your answer?” Queen Dash asked.
“You can’t do this. Without me there will be no more day. And the other hives will never allow you to rule,” Princess Celestia said.
“Twilight and Luna are more than capable of doing the job,” Queen Dash said. “We did have some trouble with other changeling hives, but after learning just what we were, they now support me. We’re a food source too and they won’t have to hide anymore.”
Princess Celestia looked around. More changeling guards were entering the room now. A few servants joined in. There were a few still ponies who looked confused and were beginning to panic at the sight. They were all doomed to the same fate unless Celestia could do something. Anything. But with Luna there, she knew she could not overpower them without the Elements of Harmony and they were currently around the necks of her enemies.
Finally, she sighed heavily and looked at Rainbow Dash. “If I leave and take my ponies with me, will you let us leave?”
“Only the ponies in the castle, and only if they want to go,” Queen Dash replied. “And you leave my land for good.”
Princess Celestia gritted her teeth. There would be a time she could reclaim Canterlot but she couldn’t risk so much now. “Fine. We will go. Just know I want to rip that necklace off of your neck. This is anything but loyalty.”
Queen Dash pressed a holey hoof to the necklace and smiled. “But I am loyal. To my hive, to my friends, to all of ponykind. Even to you. I’m letting you live as you wish. If I was a traitor I wouldn’t do that.
“Now leave my palace. I have five more thrones to add for my friends and a lot of rooms to redecorate.”
Princess Celestia walked over to the door. The numerous drones parted for her. Most of the ponies in the crowd galloped over, a look of blind fear on their faces. “Come, my little ponies. It is clear we cannot stay here.” She used her magic to open the door for them.
“One more thing,” Queen Dash said. “Leave the crown.”
Princess Celestia reached up and slowly pulled the crown off her head. She turned it over in her hooves and gazed at it. For thousands of years she had worn it. She knew she hadn’t always made the best choice, but she sincerely hoped she had always done the right thing.
She remembered all the wondrous things she had seen while wearing it. All the wonderful ponies she had met. For the first time since her fight with Nightmare Moon, she wept openly. Tears streamed from her eyes and what she was giving up. But most of all, it hurt. It hurt because of who was doing this.
Suddenly she felt a hoof on her leg. She looked over and saw the changeling Twilight looking at her.
“Please don’t go. I want you to stay, Princess.”
Celestia yanked her leg away. “I don’t know what you are, but you are no longer my student. You’ll never be able to rule them. This crown is just a golden trinket. Anypony can wear it, but very few can make ponies see it.”
Princess Celestia dropped the crown on the floor. She stepped over it and led the dozen ponies left out of the throne room. She didn’t look back once as she marched out of the city, taking everypony left with her.
Queen Dash walked over slowly and picked up the crown. Then she tossed it onto the throne. “I think our elements are good enough.” Then she walked over to Twilight. Her friend was weeping quietly by the door. Queen Dash noticed she had taken her pony form, and she did so too.
It was odd now. She couldn’t shift back to her old self, she was too big. And she didn’t hide her horn anymore, just like how Twilight didn’t hide her wings. She sat down next to Twilight and put a leg around her and drew her close.
“I know it’s hard,” Rainbow Dash said. She didn’t need her emotion sense to read Twilight’s emotions.”
“She... she said...” Twilight mumbled between sobs.
“Twilight, she’s the one who’s wrong. Not everypony will see this the way we do. Not everypony will be able to understand. I hope she comes around, but if she doesn’t, that’s on her, not you.”
“You... you know I had a crush on her,” Twilight said.
“I know, but if she can’t see the beauty in what you’ve become, then she’s not good enough for you. Come on, you’ve got a huge family that loves you for what you are inside. Let’s go inside. We have a lot of work to do.”
Twilight wiped her face but didn’t look any happier. “Okay. Just promise you’re really going to let her go.”
Rainbow Dash looked right into Twilight Sparkle’s eyes. “I promise. If she joins the hive it will be because she chose to. I won’t force her.”
Queen Twilight thought for a minute and frowned. “Can I?”
Queen Dash smiled and clapped Twilight’s shoulder. “Now that’s more like it. If you’re going to, I’d do it quickly. You might not be able to catch her.”
“I’m coming Celestia!” Twilight shouted at nopony. She galloped off into the streets, leaving the rest of the queens behind.
“I hope she succeeds. She deserves at least a chance,” Rarity said.
“Ah think they would make a good couple, assumin’ Celestia come’s round,” Applejack agreed.
“Maybe we were a bit too forceful,” Fluttershy said.
“That’s Celestia’s problem, not ours,” Rainbow Dash said. “And now we’re in her shoes.”
“And we deserve a party! No pony got hurt and we rule!” Pinkie cheered. “Changelings forever!’
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If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:
My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.
My other tumblr, a sequel of sorts to Forever a Changeling’s pony ending.
The Seven Tribes, a rather long fanfic that, like many stories, tries to explain the past.
Samurai Applejack, a drastically different kind of story. It’s rated mature for violence and some suggestive lines.
Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s rather popular. It’s just one chapter long.
Holy. Shit.
Man, this is depressing. Any expansion on the pony ending, do you think?
ok then.... not what was expected
Amazing.
Is it bad that I actually like this?
I guess I'll check in on your tumblr a couple weeks from now. See it all at once, I say!
Creepy and awesome. I love it.
this one definately set up something interesting. If you ever think about expanding anything, these parallel universes, side by side, are fascinating.
Good job, as always, my friend.
"coop" should be spelled "coup"
Otherwise, nice chapter.
Coup*
Freaky friggin chapter...
...: Celestia come in.
Queen Solaris: Yes commander shade?
Willow Shade: Preparations are complete igniting agents are place and troops are waiting on your signal.
Queen Solaris: Alright... Commence operation scorched land.
Willow Shade: It shall be done, let this day mark the start of the mighty Solar Empire as the changeling oligarchy burns to ashes under our combined magitechnical might.
Yea Rainbow do not piss off Celestia... seriously. Oh and nice job sending twi to her death.
also no Nightmare Moon to save you this time either.
Yay! That was awesome! Thank you for indulging us in a mini sequel!
hmm...
kill them.
send in the best people.
...send in RED and the four carriers the military picked up in new orleans in 09.
Also, send in Freeman.
Well fuck cool story
We have arrived, and it is now that we perform our charge.
In fealty to the God-Princess (our undying Lady) and by the Grace of the Solar Throne, I declare Exterminatus upon the corrupted land of Equestria.
I hereby sign the death warrant of an entire nation and consign a million souls to oblivion.
May Imperial Justice account in all balance.
The Princess Protects.
- - - - -
It is pony nature to seek culpability in a time of tragedy. It is a sign of strength to cry out against fate, rather than to bow one's head and succumb. Inevitably many will fault the hands upon the sword that felled Equestria, the Ordo Celestius. But the Inquisition merely performs the duty of its office. To further fear them is redundant; to hate them, heretical. Those more sensible will place responsibility with those who forced the hands of the Inquisition. With some fortune, they may foster this hatred into purpose, and further rule their own fate by coming to the Princess's service.
Long live the Solar Empire
Wow. This is wonderfully done. I think Celestia will come around to the idea. it'll just take her longer. She always struck me as a little more fearful of change than Luna for obvious reasons.
I like some morbid and sadistic stuff but this...this was downright disturbing. I honestly could barely get through it without suppressing a disgusted frown. Don't get me wrong, it is well written and played out beautifully but I just couldn't read that without being disgusted. One question to go along with it though, is this canon to the story?
Yeah... I was enjoying this story because it was showing an interesting view of Changelings as ordinary people, and of a Changeling learning how to *be* a Changeling without also losing who they already were. And it was really great at that, we met a variety of Changelings living their lives in a variety of ways, and Rainbow had a nice character arc that wrapped up nicely with a happy end.
But now this ongoing "Queen" variant ending is taking the whole thing off in a completely different direction that doesn't really fit with where the story was leading to at all. Suddenly Changelings are pod people, obsessively Borging everypony they can lay hooves on, and now they're unstoppable whereas earlier in the story the other hives we met were all cowering in fear of discovery.
If you really want to write a story about this that's fine, but why not split it off into its own story instead of tacking it on after the end of this one? It really doesn't fit here, IMO.
I am serious, Ghirahim's theme fits the 'Queen' chapters so well.
read right before going to sleep. Great, now I'm going to have dreams of taking over the world!
2065662 //connection established//
>>We need a secured zone for a forward operating base
>>Reorientating orbital gun stations for perimeter lock-down of safe zones
>>ODSTs already on the ground
//incoming connection//
>>Celestia is secured
>Ponyville is overrun
>Start firing sequence
//Firing sequence initiated//
reanimate.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cloudscape_pony_commission-520x325.png
2066321
yes, kill all of the foul insects, they are too dangrous to be left alive. once all the not changers are evacuated, send in a Tank, Witch, Boomer, Jockey, Charger, Spitter, Hunter and Smoker to infect and kill any surviving bugs.
after that, send in RED, Ellis, Nick, Rochelle, Coach and Freeman to clean up afterwards. it's going to be messy.
very, very messy.
those traitors won't know what hit, burned, bludgoned, shredded, shot, strangled, crushed, maimed, disembowled, rode, infected or otherwise brutaly harmed them.
2066167
Bonus chapter, as in alternate ending. Or in this case a continuation of an alternate ending that the author addressed about not being considered as cannon in his story.
I like this better than the pony ending.
I think I'd be peer-pressured into leaving... If I stayed, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it because I'd feel guilty about not staying loyal to Celestia... But, then I'd flip my conscience off, become a Changeling, and just learn to live with it :3
This isn't exactly the way I would have done it but whateves.
Good story.
Queens, Queens everywhere
all it takes is sex to convince him
I'm really digging these epilogues!
With regards to the world of fimfic - there seems to have been few canon plot devices that have been as much of a blessing as the changelings. So many fascinating stories written around the idea!
2065413 the continueation for the pony ending is a tumblr
http://foreverdashandscoots.tumblr.com/
Love it.
Dash and co. are like a PC friendly version of the borg.... Assimilate or be kicked out.....
I generally liked it but I didn't quite buy that "Luna is also a changeling" thing. She would have been much more stubborn then Celestia.
Anyway it is nice to see that someone is still writing. The fandom practically died after this whole Twilight thing was announced.
Alternate endings, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Oh heck no. Pony ending trumps this. It's so depressing.
this be okay ending i'd like to see twilight go after celestia and watch her tale be told
Wow. Rainbow Dash really believes that she can be a better queen? I can see why Celestia's ticked off, RD went behind Celestia's back and basically stole everything Celestia had; her subjects, her student, even her sister, and now forcing her to abdicate the throne.
Backstabbing slut.
Burn the heretics! Kill the mutants! Purge the unclean!
Oh, why this chapter had to end without showing how Twilight run to Celestia and talk to her again.
Sometime there are moments where you can not back down no matter how much you want, when you went to far to stop now, this is what happened to Twilight, she still love Celestia and want to be loyal to her ( disappointing Celestia or hearing hurtful words from Celestia hurt Twilight more then her dangerous adventures ), but Twilight still want to salvage what's left, she can not stand up again her friends and stop what is happening, but she want to do all she can to not destroy her relationship with Celestia and still want to be her student.
Celestia: “I don’t know what you are, but you are no longer my student. "
I think Celestia overreacted, Twilight was not the one who betrayed her, she just went along with it, and considering that Celestia got back her sister thanks to Twilight, and since Twilight and her friends saved Equestra from Discord and Chrysalis, Celestia own her some gratitude, hope she will at last not hate Twilight.
well fuck this kinda took a dark turn like a nightmare version of equestria but it was good
“It’s a coop but we want to be peaceful about it,” Twilight said
If you mean a forceful take-over of a country, it should be spelled 'coup'. It's French.
Otherwise, I don't really feel this chapter fits very well with the canon characters. I know the 'Queen Dash' ending twists Dash's character on her head from the queenly impulses, but I really don't think a coup d'etat fits with her motivations, particularly because ruling is a lot of work and Rainbow is lazy. Also, having Luna already turned doesn't fit at all. I really doubt she'd betray her sister like that after all they've been through. Celestia I could picture going all solar flare on the throne room and incinerating the Changling 6, especially if she thought they had been replaced rather than brainwashed.
I am utterly unsure what I think.
2065496
Nah! I dunno why but it doesn't seem to be a "bad" ending at all. In fact, there's potential here for a happy ending still! Also, ALICORN TWILIGHT!
2068365 I was actually thinking something along those lines. If you take it at face value, namely, that they still have free will and aren't just brainwashed, then it seems to me to be a fine, if odd, situation to be in. I'd certainly be ok with it.
Was that last a general announcement? Because if anypony doesn't know that by now, I'd be extremely surprised. What seems to be less discussed though, is what I believe is a much more interesting aspect of the season finale. From the description of the episode, it looks like they may be doing an "alternate mane six" story. I really like those, and am quite interested in the show's take on it.
Yay for using a brief reply as a springboard for my own agenda!
...
...
AND TEHN EVERPONE WERE CHANGELINGS!!!!11!!1oneone!!11eleventyone!!
Yeah, I'm not going to give this a thumbs down, but it feels so weird of an ending, I can't get behind this.
You know, I actually prefer this ending.
It isn't "Rainbow Dash goes crazy/evil and tries to take over the world." It's "Queen Rainbow Dash loses the ability to process species changing as a big deal, and is slowly joined by the rest of the world."
It's one of those very peculiar end of the world tales. One where things get exceptionally creepy, but the world ultimately and definitively ends without and actual loss. All the rest of the chapters have made it clear that the ponies are still the same individuals, they just feel like turning everyone into changelings. It's a very smooth telling.
I will say that I thought the thing with Luna could have been explored more, but this was still pretty perfect. I did get more than a bit of perverse glee at seeing QRD promising not to change Celestia against her will, only to have Twiling end the series by running after her. It's a kind of dark silliness I have to love.
P.S. *ahem* I for one welcome our new changeling overlords!
Loved this ending. Just the right amount of unsettling. Also, when is the next chapter of The Seven Tribes coming out?
I expected the Mane 6 might be changelings here. Cadence was a surprise. The guards were expected.
But then... LUNA? LOLZ
2065918
Loyalist scum, you shall not stand before the might of the Queens!
2065413
How's it depressing? Everyone just became changelings, which are arguably better than ponies, and nobody was hurt.
2086643 What?
That's like saying "What's wrong with Conversion Bureau? Humans only become ponies, which are better!"
That's not the point.
Rainbow Dash and her friends, of their own volition, have completely abandoned their "ponyanity". I know that Rainbow was never a pony in the first place, but according to her, she was in fact born as a pony and her soul is what moved into a changeling body.
She took the crown by force, and when Celestia tried to leave, it's implied that she was captured and forced into a transformation.
She has abandoned her loyalty to Equestria, opting instead for loyalty to her own personal kingdom.
That's the problem.
EDIT: Also, I have doubts about the whole transfer process - I think rather then the pony being moved to a new body, the pony is killed, with all their memories and personality moved to the new body, so they act exactly like the original pony with the same memories. That's my opinion.