To Be Different

by Astrocity

3. A New World

The sun crept towards the apex of its ascent. My hooves grew heavier with each step I took, and beads of sweat dripped down my body. It didn’t help that my dark fur coat absorbed the sun’s rays like a sponge. My mouth was dry, and my stomach let out a ferocious growl. Happy and I had been walking for hours now, and I learned that it can get hot outside the hive—very hot. While I was getting the life sucked out of me by the heat, Happy looked perfectly normal despite the unbearable temperature.

“Happy, why don’t you look as tired and miserable as I do?” I asked between pants. He smiled and tapped his chest. “So your shell thingy keeps you from getting hot? Lucky…”

I should have been more prepared before going on this trip, like remembering to pack something to drink and a snack. But then again, I didn’t know where the changeling servants got the food they served me. My vision began to blur, and my legs gave out on me. I made no effort to get up again. My legs ached, and I wanted a break. I just wanted to lie on the hot ground until my legs stopped being sore. When Happy saw me fall, he immediately went up to my side and started chittering and hissing quickly. I looked up to see his worried expression.

“I’m fine, Happy. I just need to rest a bit.”

While I was resting on the ground, I heard the fluttering of wings. I felt two hooves wrap themselves around my chest. The ground left me as I was hoisted into the air, though my rear hooves still touched the ground. I found Happy dragging me towards the shadow of a large rock. He set me down in the shade. The cool ground under me was refreshing, and I found myself closing my eyes. The last thing I heard before falling asleep was Happy’s voice making more frantic sounds.

~~~~~~~

At the changeling hive, Queen Chrysalis sat on her throne, which was finely carved from the stone of the cave it was in. Every now and then she would fidget in her seat as she listened to her changelings’ reports. Although the throne matched with the room, it wasn't exactly comfortable or meant to be sat in for long hours. She listened to her subjects, a bored expression on her face, as they droned on.

She would much rather spend her time with her foal, Nymph. She loved to listen to Nymph’s little stories about her day and the things she saw around the hive. Even today, the foal’s love remained as strong as the first time she was found. A love as strong as this was very admirable, especially towards a changeling like her. It was innocent and pure, an unconditional love. Nymph loved her simply because she did. She didn’t ask for anything from it. She loved Chrysalis like a daughter loves her mother. She had so much love to give, just barely enough to feed the changeling hive. But Chrysalis knew that a growing hive couldn't keep thriving off of Nymph alone, which was why she needed to take the throne from the Princesses.

Chrysalis hoped to place Nymph on the throne in the Princesses' place. With her as ruler, there would finally be a pony who understood changelings, that they aren't monsters. Nymph would be a changeling ruler in the flesh and skin of a pony. She would lead the changelings into a new era, no longer having to hide in the underground caverns. But before she could become ruler, Chrysalis had to keep Nymph from knowing about her own kind. She wanted to keep Nymph from siding with the ponies who shunned and hated changelings. If she found out, she may be swept back into the ponies' world, leaving behind the world she grew up in.

A changeling servant interrupted her thoughts. She bowed to her queen before giving a hesitant and worried hiss. Chrysalis blinked a few times. "Nymph is missing from her room? Have you checked the deeper part of the caverns? She's always exploring the hive."

The servant nodded. Chrysalis furrowed her brows. "This had better not be a joke. Where is my daughter?"

The poor changeling could only shrug her shoulders in response. "Then find her! I want this entire hive searched until I know that my daughter is safe!" The servant sped off to relay the order to the other changelings.

Chrysalis slumped in her throne. She couldn't have possibly left the hive. The guards would have stopped her. She’s probably playing hide-and-seek. That must be it. She’ll show up soon, safe and sound. She couldn't help but worry about Nymph. It may have been mother's instincts telling her something was wrong, and Nymph was involved somehow.

~~~~~~~

Sometimes I would dream the same thing over and over again.

In my dreams, I sat in the dark alone and I would get scared. I wanted to cry because I was lost and afraid. But then I would see a light. It was warm like the sun. Two voices would tell me I was going to be okay, that I was going to be safe. I didn't know who those voices belonged to, but when I heard their voices, the darkness didn't seem as bad as it was before. I didn't feel scared anymore. It was the same feeling I got whenever Mommy was around.

It was usually at this point I wake up from my dream with a damp feeling around my eyes. When I first started getting these dreams, I cried and Mommy would come and comfort me. Sometimes I would sleep with her when I got these dreams. She always made me feel better. She would speak to me the same way as the two voices from my dream. Even though she said it was only a dream, I didn't think it was one. It felt real, those voices from my dream. And every time I had that same dream, I wondered whose voices those were.

I woke up from that dream with the usual wetness around my eyes. When I woke up, I noticed a soft feeling under me. It wasn't the ground. It was a bed, one that was more comfortable than what I was used to. I found myself not outside but inside a room. The room was, how should I say, different from what I was used to seeing.

The room didn't look like it was part of a cave. The floors were made of wood, and the walls weren't made from rocks but from something else. Pictures of apples covered the room from floor to ceiling. In the corner of the room, I saw a large mirror. Sitting up to look at my reflection, I saw that my fur coat was dirty and that my mane, once well-kept and brushed, was a disheveled mess. Mommy would scold me if she saw her princess looking like this. There was only one question racing through my mind: How did I get here?

A window revealed the setting sun. Quite some time had passed since I fell asleep in the desert. The last thing I remembered was hearing Happy. My eyes widened when I realized that Happy wasn’t around. “Happy? Happy, where are you?”

I looked around the room for the changeling. I looked under the bed, inside a wardrobe, inside the drawers, and even under the rug that sat at the center of the room. I grew frantic when I couldn’t find Happy anywhere. I didn’t like waking up alone in some strange place. “Happy if you’re playing hide-and-seek, you can come out now!” I called louder. I didn’t receive any response from him. “This isn’t funny, Happy! Where are you?”

I heard heavy steps coming from outside the door. My voice died in my throat. My muscles tightened. I was paralyzed with fear. Who is that? Is it Happy? No, his steps sound lighter. What if it was the reason I was here? What if it wanted to eat me? These thought clouded my mind as fear took over me.

I had to do something, anything to survive. I willed my legs to start moving, and slowly they did. But by that time, someone was at the door. I had no time to think, so I dove under the bed, letting the blanket hang off the edge and cover the opening in front of me.

The door creaked open, followed by the sound of the monster's steps coming into the room. I shook uncontrollably. I was scared. Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. I wished Mommy was with me right now. She would protect me. She was strong.

Any minute now she would come and save me and scare off the monster. I saw the shadow of the monsters’ legs on the blanket. From the size, I guessed the monster was bigger than me. I held my breath as it got closer. My heart pounded in my chest. If it beat any louder, the monster would probably hear me and find me under the bed. Something unexpected happened though.

I heard a voice.

"Hello? Li'l filly? Where'd ya go?" said what I assumed was a male voice. It was odd hearing the monster speak the same way as me and Mommy, except he had a weird accent. I heard him search around the room looking for me. For some reason, he kept calling me a filly, whatever that was.

At last, he came to my hiding spot. Separating between me and the monster was the blanket. I watched him crane his neck down and take the blanket between his teeth and slowly lift it up. I curled into a tighter ball, wishing I could just disappear right now. A yellow muzzle and a pair of light green eyes poked under the bed.

"Well there you are! You had me worried there for a sec," said the creature. I said nothing. I was too scared to form words. He continued to talk, baring his teeth at me while he spoke excitedly. "Hey there! You feelin' better now?"

Instead of answering, I backed away as far as I could and tried to give him my most threatening hiss, but that came out more as a whimper. He stopped flashing his pearly white teeth and looked at me with what I thought was concern. "Whoa now. I ain't gonna hurt you," he said in a soft voice. He backed off a little and gave me some space. "Come on out now. I don't bite."

I didn't trust him. He could be lying and was probably trying to get me to come out so he could eat me. Though, I was curious to know what he looked like. Did he have eight legs? Did he have a second head? Maybe he had scales like the dragons from the stories I read. I tried to imagine what the rest of him looked like, but he always looked strange in my imagination. I decided to take the risk and take a small peek, just one peek to satisfy my curiosity and then it was back to safety under the bed.

I crawled forward, taking cautious steps so that he didn’t pull something on me. From under the bed, I could see four yellow, fur-covered legs ending in hooves like mine. The creature remained where he was. I gathered up my courage and took the first step out into the open. Once I was out, I looked up and was left speechless.

I began circling around the creature in front of me, taking in every detail of him. He was as tall as a full-grown changeling, about a full head taller than me. Like his face, the rest of his coat was yellow. He had a long, honey blonde mane and tail as well as a picture of an apple on his flank, which I thought was pretty weird. The strangest part wasn't the clothes he wore, though that still seemed odd to me. It was the fact that he looked kind of like me except he was male, older, and brightly-colored.

There was only one explanation to this: he was a special changeling like me. I've always thought I was the only changeling who was different from the rest. There was a strange fascination in seeing another changeling like me.

As I examined the yellow changeling, he cleared his throat and bared his teeth again, which I realized was actually a smile. "It's nice to meet you. My name's Braeburn. What's yours?"

I stopped my examination of him when I realized what I was doing. I backed away and regained some distance from the odd changeling. I looked at him warily before I answered. "Nymph," I replied quietly.

"Well howdy there, Nymph. Let me be the first to welcome you to Appaloosa!" he shouted while rearing on legs.

I could only stare at the changeling.

He was so strange. His appearance, his personality, his clothes—everything about him was strange. Is this what happens to a changeling on the surface? I asked myself. My stomach growled loudly. I realized I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.

Braeburn let out a chuckle. "Sounds like you're hungry. Come join us for supper. My wife's cooking is one of the best things you'll ever eat. You can wash up in the bathroom down the hall."

I didn't want to go anywhere with him, not without Happy, but my stomach was begging me to go and find some food. So I nodded and followed Braeburn out of the room. Pictures covered the walls as we walked. These pictures had more changelings like Braeburn, all different in colors and sizes, and they were all smiling.

I couldn’t believe there were more of changelings like me. It was like meeting a relative I never knew about.

As we walked, Braeburn broke the silence. “It was a good thing I found you and your brother when I did. Bein’ out in that desert must’ve been tough for the both of you.”

I looked at him in confusion. “Brother?” I asked.

“Yep. It was him who came lookin’ for help and found me while I was harvestin’ apples. Right now, he’s probably talkin’ to my wife downstairs. He’s a real quiet fella, but he seems nice.”

I had no idea what Braeburn was talking about. I didn’t have a brother, and there wasn’t anyone with me other than Happy. I soon got my answer when we entered the kitchen where I saw two changelings like Braeburn talking to each other.

One of them was a female changeling with a red mane and tail, light green eyes, and a picture of a pair of cherries on her flank. The other was a young male changeling with a gray mane and tail, light blue eyes, and a flank without one of those weird marks. His coat matched mine. The changeling gave me a familiar toothy grin.

“Happy?” I asked in disbelief.

I barely recognized my friend. He had fur like me and somehow lost his wings and horn. He was also smaller and looked younger than he was before, though he still looked older and bigger than me. I knew it was Happy by the way he smiled at me, but what I really wanted to know was how he changed into what he was now. The next thing that happened really caught me by surprise: he started talking.

“Nymph, I’m so glad you’re alright,” he said. Happy’s voice was soft and quiet. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Happy was talking to me, not hissing or chittering but with actual words I could understand. This whole day felt like a weird dream. I was about to ask Happy about it, he silenced me with a look that said, “I’ll explain later.”

I nodded my head and sat at the dining table. “Well Nymph, this is my darling wife, Cherry Jubilee,” said Braeburn.

She gave a warm smile. “Why, hello there, sugar. Feelin’ better now?”

“Hello Mrs. Jubilee. I’m fine now, thank you.”

“Please, call me Cherry. And that’s good to hear. Supper should be ready by now, so just wait a moment while I get it.” Cherry Jubilee got up from the table and trotted into the kitchen, leaving me with Braeburn and Happy.

I decided now would be a good time to get some of my questions answered. “Why do you have a picture of an apple on your flank?” I asked Braeburn.

He arched a brow, giving me a strange look. “You mean my cutie mark?”

“Cutie mark?” I parroted.

“It’s a mark ponies get when they find their talent. Didn’t your parents tell you what a cutie mark was?”

I shook my head. I ended up with more questions than answers. “No. What’s a pony?” Disbelief and worry were written all over Braeburn’s face, while Happy’s expression was filled with panic as he shook his head frantically.

Braeburn placed a hoof on my forehead. “Your temperature seems normal. Maybe that heat took a lot out of you than we thought.”

Cherry Jubilee came back with a bunch of dishes balanced on her back. “Hope y’all are hungry for some apples and cherries.” She laid the dishes on the table.

There were all kinds of dishes with apples and cherries. There were apple fritters, cherry pies, apple sauce, some kind of cherry stew, apple juice, and other various apple and cherry dishes. My mouth watered at the sight of the food in front of me. Happy and I were each given a plate filled with a bit of food from each dish as well as a glass of apple juice.

“Eat up you two,” Braeburn said, taking a bite of his apple fritter.

I gingerly took a bite of my slice of cherry pie. As soon as it made contact with my tongue, I gobbled up the entire slice as if it was the last thing I was going to eat and dug into the rest of my meal, forgetting my table manners.

It was good. It wasn’t often I had food like this when I was back at the hive. While I ate, Braeburn and Mrs. Jubilee stared at me.

Braeburn took this time to asking questions about us. “So where are you two from? Your parents must be worried about y’all.”

I was going to answer, but Happy cut in before I could say anything. “We’re from Canterlot,” he said.

I gave Happy a questioning look. We weren’t from Canterlot. I’ve never even heard of that place. But from Happy’s expression, he wanted me to stay quiet.

“Canterlot?!” shouted the two colorful changelings.

“Why, Canterlot is hours away from Appaloosa! How in Equestria did you two end up all the way out here?” asked Mrs. Jubilee.

Again, Happy did all the answering. “We were with our parents when we came to Dodge Junction while on vacation. Nymph and I got off on the wrong stop, and since we didn’t have any bits for another ticket, we decided to try and find our way back by walking. Of course, you know how that turned out.”

“Well, I hope you two learned a lesson from that,” she said.

“Oh, we did. Right, Nymph?” asked Happy. I could tell Happy was bothered by something by the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes.

I wasn’t sure whether to lie or not, but I trusted Happy. He must have had a good reason for lying. “R-right... Won’t do it again,” I said.

Cherry Jubilee gave a smile. “Good. It’s gettin’ late. You two can sleep here for the night. Then tomorrow, we can figure out what we’re going to do.” I didn’t realize that it had already grown dark outside.

“That sounds great. Thank you,” said Happy.

“You’re welcome! I won’t have two foals sleepin’ outside now.”

So now Happy and I had a place to rest for the night, and we were fed. Happy didn’t really eat much. He barely touched any of his food. He only ate when Braeburn or Mrs. Jubilee told him to try a certain dish. Happy didn’t have that strong of a reaction to the food like I did. But when Cherry Jubilee asked him about the food, he smiled and said it was good, even though he only took tiny nibbles. While Cherry cleaned the dishes, Braeburn led us to the same bedroom I slept in earlier.

“Y’all can stay here for the night. I hope you don’t mind. It’s not much,” said Braeburn.

“We don’t mind at all,” replied Happy. “Sorry if we’re being a burden to you.”

Braeburn waved his hoof dismissively. “Aw, don’t you two worry about that. Cherry and I don’t mind helping ponies, especially two lost foals. Now get some rest, you two. If you need me or Cherry, y’all can find us in the last room down the hall. Goodnight.” With that said, he left the room, giving me and Happy some privacy.

Once the door closed and the sound of Braeburn’s steps faded away, I turned to Happy. “Happy, what is going on?!” I nearly shouted. “Where are we? Who are they? How did we get here? Why do you look so different? Why can you talk now?”

I was silenced by a black hoof on my mouth. Happy brought his other hoof to his mouth and shushed me to be quiet. “Princess Nymph, you must be quiet before I can give you an explanation. It is important that the other two don’t hear us.”

I was about to ask another question, but instead I nodded my head and waited for Happy to continue. Once I was quiet, he began his explanation. “Princess, those two cannot find out who we are.”

“How come?” I interrupted. “They’re changelings too, aren’t they?”

Happy looked like he was choosing his words carefully. He seemed really reluctant to answer my question. “No… They are not changelings…”

“What do you mean they aren’t changelings? Of course they are! They look so much like us.”

“They aren’t. They’re…” he began to say.

“They’re what?” I asked. If these creatures weren’t changelings, then what else could they be?

Happy seemed to be struggling to finish his sentence, but eventually he let out a sigh of defeat. “They’re… ponies…”

“Ponies?” I said out loud, sounding out each syllable of the foreign word. He nodded his head. “But wait. You aren’t a pony. You’re a changeling. So why do you look so different from what you were before?”

He closed his eyes and was engulfed in a bright green flame. I was about to scream and panic when I saw Happy disappear in the flame, but he reappeared again, back in his bigger changeling form, before changing back into a little pony.

“Whoa! How did you do that?” I asked.

He seemed to be out of breath and exhausted as if he ran a marathon. “It’s something changelings can do,” he wheezed out. “We can take on the form of any pony.”

“Oh! Can I do it too?” I closed my eyes and scrunched my face in concentration. I imagined myself looking like Mommy, with wings, horn, and everything. When I opened my eyes, I saw Happy staring at me. “Well, did it work?” I looked at my body. It was still the same small, hole-less body. There weren’t any wings on my back, and when I felt my forehead, there certainly wasn’t a horn there. All I got was disappointment.

“Aw, I was really hoping to look like Mommy,” I said. I guess I couldn’t ever be a normal changeling. I gave myself another look in the mirror and brushed a lock of my teal mane back. I was going to be different for the rest of my life. Seeing myself in the mirror brought another question to my mind, one filled with dread.

“Happy, am I…” I began but immediately suppressed that thought. What am I getting worried about? I know what I am. Mommy is a changeling, and so am I. I’m her changeling princess and always will be. Maybe I got stuck looking like a pony when I was baby? My worries seemed to fade the more I thought about the matter, but there will still that hint of doubt that wouldn’t go away, like a bad aftertaste.

For a while, Happy remained silent. “It’s getting late. You should take the bed and sleep. I’ll rest under the bed.”

I crawled into bed, and Happy tucked me in just the way I liked it. Once I was tucked in, he grinned. “Goodnight, Princess.”

A yawn escaped my lips. Even after napping in the desert, I was still tired. “Goodnight, Happy.” Happy turned off the lights, bathing everything in the unfamiliar darkness of someone else’s home. It was a little scary, but I had to bear with it. Grownup princesses aren’t scared of anything.

After a moment of silence, I spoke up again. "Happy?"

He grunted in response from under the bed.

"You were the one that found Braeburn and saved me, right?"

He gave a quiet chitter.

A grin crept its way onto my face. "Thanks, Happy. I'm glad you came with me to the surface." There was another chitter from him, acknowledging my thanks to him. I decided to let Happy sleep and waited for sleep to come, letting my mind wander.

I wonder what Mommy’s doing right now…

~~~~~~~

Chrysalis paced nervously in the throne room, still awaiting news of her daughter’s whereabouts. She had issued the order a while ago, and there still hasn’t been any word of Nymph. When no guard or servant had shown up with her daughter, she decided to take matters into her own hooves.

Her wings fluttered furiously as she raced down the tunnels while startling every changeling she passed by. She looked in every room, in every nook and cranny. She even checked the hanging cocoons to see if Nymph had hidden herself in one of them again. Nymph was the type of foal to easily get curious, so it wouldn't be surprising to find her pretending to be a hatchling. How she wound up in a cocoon was always a mystery to Chrysalis. But today, Nymph was nowhere to be found.

Chrysalis let out a frustrated groan. "Where is she?"

She went to Nymph's room hoping to find a clue, but instead she found the room in complete disarray, as if a certain chaotic draconequus came and redecorated. She knew a tantrum when she saw one. Chrysalis let out a quiet tsk-tsk at the sight. She walked over several of the objects that lay on the floor and looked around for the filly. Nymph wasn't under the bed or in the bathroom.

The changeling queen rubbed the temples of her head with her hooves. "Why is it so hard to find one little filly?"

Just as Chrysalis was about to leave the room, she stepped on something. She lifted her hoof and found a bit of soil stuck to the bottom of her hoof. The kind of loose soil found on the surface. Alarms rang in her head as soon as she saw it, a sign Chrysalis wasn't hoping to see.

"Guards!" she shouted, summoning ten guards to the room. They lined up in front of her in a uniform manner. "Go to the surface and find my daughter!" she commanded. "I want her brought back here immediately and unharmed." She turned to the last guard in the line. "Notify the others that I will be gone for a while. I will go look for my daughter as well." The guard gave a salute to his queen before running off.

She turned to the rest of the changelings. "It is of utmost importance that we remain hidden while we are out there. I want all of you to disguise yourselves while we're in public, and do not give away your true form. Is that understood?"

The line of guards simultaneously saluted. "Good. Now let us be off. Quickly!" Chrysalis flew off and left the hive, followed by a small swarm of changelings. In the night, they looked like ghosts wandering the barren desert. They moved swiftly and stealthily in the air. The only sound heard was the fluttering of insect-like wings. Chrysalis and her changelings were now in a dangerous world, a world where their kind was unwelcomed. They were in enemy territory.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the hiatus but I've been busy with things.
Special thanks to Poets Dream again for being my pre-reader for this chapter.
It's about time I get back to writing.

Comments

[That One Guy]

Excellent plot progression, and while I'm sad Strongheart/Braeburn doesn't exist in this universe, I'm even more happy that Chrysalis isn't going down the 'changelings are expendable let me just kill them on a whim' route that far too many others may have done :<

... Also I feel sorry for Happy, poor guy, I hope he doesn't take the blame, seeing as he's doing his best to keep her safe ;_;

[Dragaen]

In time young Sky Walker, you will be... but for now enjoy the z's and some of that Apple family good stuff.

[Vengeance383]

MOAR

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

I don't think Julibee should be Braburn's wife. they don't live in the same town.

[jbwjr]

Oh that poor foal... she going to have her heart broken. Ah Chrysalis, kind yet very cruel at the same time, good times.

[Morning Dusk]

I half shouted and half whispered

So... You said? That is what comes halfway between shouting and whispering.
Also, totally unrelated, but Braeburn is, and always has been, a bachelor.

[Snorlaxkid]

6591887
There's actually something a bit softer I imagine they mean, called a stage whisper. It's a *very* loud whisper.

[Emperor]

Well, if this story keeps its inner narration consistent, then it would seem the changelings have pulled a disappearing act on Equestria for ten years. What's more, since Nymph is stated to keep the hive fed all by her own self (barely), it's not like they have to go out on energy-collecting missions. So, y'know. It would be a lot different than if changelings were still out in full force and throwing their weight around again.

Still, I suppose Nymph will be less torn by finding out about this strange new world of Equestria than the fact mommy Chrysalis kept a lot of stuff from her, including knowledge so casual like the existence of ponies, or the city of Canterlot, that even Happy knows about it.

Hah, Cherry Jubilee and Braeburn. Not a pairing I expected.