Living Mark of Courage

by Moowell

Tainted Apple

As the porch lights came on and the moon fell below the horizon, Epona found herself captivated by Applejack's stories of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Apple Bloom was hard working, loyal, and full of ideas. She was energetic and fun, and she loved trying new things for the sake of finding her cutie mark. Scootaloo was an adventurous and headstrong Pegasus, and was often the one who started the CMC's adventures. Even though they didn't work out most of the time, she was always raring to go and start the next one. Sweetie Belle was a smart and level-headed Unicorn and a great singer too. She also loved to do arts and crafts because her sister was a dress-maker, even though she wasn't very good at it.

"What about you? What are your friends like?"

"The only ponies Ah really got to know either abandoned or wanted to kill me, and everypony else just tries to avoid me." Epona hung her head. "Ah wish Ah had friends like the Cutie Mark Crusaders..."

"What about Alkmene and Crabby?" Applejack offered. "The three of you look like you got along just fine."

"That's because they don't know me. They don't know what Ah've done."

"Listen, sugarcube." Applejack turned Epona's head and looked straight into her eyes. "When you have true friends, it doesn't matter what you've done. You might argue and fight. You might get angry and say or do some things that will hurt each other, but nothing you can do will make them stop being friends. Besides, you saved Crabby's life. That alone is more important than anything you might have done in the past."

Epona put her head into Applejack's shoulder. "Even tricking you?"

"Oh, sugarcube..." The old mare smiled and wrapped her hooves around Epona. "You wouldn't have asked about Scoots and Sweetie if Apple Bloom wasn't in there somewhere."

The door opened beside them. "Miss Applejack, who were Swee--" Epona looked up to see an exact replica of herself staring down at her with equal surprise.

"Changeling!" they both cried in unison, the replica leaping backward and drawing a sword seemingly from nowhere just as Epona freed herself from Applejack's grasp and swung her own sword.

"Two Eponas?" the old mare asked in bewilderment.

"Ah'm the real one! She's the fake!" they shouted, each pointing at the other with their weapons. "Ah'm not the fake, you are!"

The two fillies leapt at each other and clashed blades. The newcomer didn't waste any time parrying Epona's to the side, following the maneuver with a buck to her side and knocking her off the porch into the dirt.

"Are ya alright, Miss Applejack?" the impostor asked. "That changeling didn't steal your love, did it?"

"Ah'm not a changeling! Ah'm the real Epona!" Epona yelled back.

"Ah'm the real Epona!" The impostor leapt at Epona blade first. She quickly deflected the blow with her shield and thrust with her sword, but her strike was dodged by a swift roll to the side. "Ah'm the real Epona, and Ah can prove it!"

"What in Equestria's goin' on out there?" somepony called from inside. Raritan opened the door and scowled. "How's a mare s'possed ta cook when ya'll're makin' all this-- What the hay?" She looked back and forth between the two fillies. "Two o' them?"

"Raritan!" shouted the impostor. Epona only turned her head for a moment, but in that brief moment the impostor charged and caught her in a headlock, cutting off her breath. She bucked and struggled to get the enemy off of her, but soon Epona started to feel weak and lightheaded. Her legs buckled underneath her and she fell with her enemy on top of her. "Watch!" She felt a hoof drive into the back of her neck.

Surrender to the hive.

A sharp pain lanced through Epona's psyche.

Surrender to the hive!

In her mind's eye, she could see vast caverns filled with hordes upon hordes of changelings. Suddenly, she found herself in their midst. The entire multitude turned turned and faced her, shining thousands of sets of solid blue eyes upon her, and as a single unit cried out:

Surrender to the Hive!

Epona could feel the full weight of their collective minds pressing against her own, trying to crush it out and subject it to their will. She collapsed, unable to stand against the mental onslaught. The horde repeated those four words continuously for what felt like an eternity to block out every other thought.

Until something silenced them.

Epona gasped for the breath she realized she had been holding. With the noise of the changelings gone, she relaxed. When she dared to open her eyes, she could see them still screaming at her. The motion in their lips was still 'Surrender to the Hive,' but their words somehow weren't reaching her.

"Epona?" In the silence, the voice startled her. She turned around and came face-to-face with a forest green stallion. His mane was blonde, and he wore a lighter green cap. "Epona, can you hear me?" he asked with a worriedly look on his face.

"A-Ah can hear ya..." she replied slowly.

The stallion smiled and visibly relaxed. "Thank the goddesses. I was worried I wouldn't be able to reach you in time." Epona looked around. The changelings were still silently screaming at her as though this new pony didn't even exist. "Don't worry. You're safe now."

"What did ya do?"

"I blocked the changeling's magic from reaching your spirit. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about your body. Look at yourself."

Epona looked down at her holed-hooves. She looked back at her glossy black flank with gossamer wings. She reached up and discovered a curved horn where her forehead should have been. "Ah'm... Ah'm a..."

"You're a changeling now, Epona."

"How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, but that's not important. What matters is that no matter what body you have, you're still Epona." The stallion looked upward. A bright hole began to widen in the sky above them. The changelings stopped screaming and disappeared into the blackness as her body rose toward the light above. "That, and there's a way to change you back." The stallion's voice was becoming distant.

"There is? How?!" she cried as her body began to speed away from him and the world around her began fading into the light.

"Ask the..." With those final words, the stallion and the rest of the world disappeared completely.

Epona felt her consciousness pull back to her body. Numerous unseen voices filled her thoughts. Her skin became acutely aware of the soft breeze that had been gently tugging at her fur. A foul scented flavor crossed her tongue and nostrils, and her entire body tingled with some unseen energy.

She became aware of a hard pressure pinning her head to the ground. Finally, the pressure lifted, allowing her to scramble away. Her breathing was labored, and she could faintly hear gasping, but she couldn't tell if the sound was coming from her or someone else. As she looked around, she discovered that she was back at Sweet Apple Acres.

"See? She's the fake one," someone said with her voice. Epona looked around and saw someone who looked exactly like-- well, what she used to look like. She examined herself, remembering what the stallion had said, and found his words to be true. She really had been turned into a changeling.

"Ah can't believe it. A changeling! On mah farm!" Raritan screeched. Epona picked up her head just in time to see Raritan and Baldwin charging her. She tried to get up and escape, but with her senses still playing havoc, the most she could do was hobble toward the gate.

"Look out!" the fake Epona cried. The Apples barely managed to slide to a halt just before six greens streaks crashed into the ground between them and Epona, leaving small craters where they landed. Out of each crater stepped a changeling. "Reinforcements!"

The rear-most changeling turned toward Epona. "We felt your disstress and came to help! Run, ssisster! We will guard your esscape!" Sister? Epona just stood there, not quite able to understand everything that was happening.

"Don't just stand there!" Wisp thought to her. "Get out of here while we still can!"

*****

Raritan saw the changeling turned tail and flee. "Get back here, ya giant bug!" She tried to chase it, but two of the others jumped in front of her. "Outta mah way!" she cried as she barreled right through them.

Epona jumped in behind her, blocking the changelings' pursuit. "Go get her, Raritan! We'll take care o' these guys!"

Raritan nodded and resumed her chase. The one that had impersonated Epona had gained some time on her and was nearly out of sight, but she was larger and faster. She had almost caught up to within grabbing distance when it suddenly stopped sideways on all fours and launched itself underneath her, catching the front of her hooves with its hard back. She rolled and tumbled for several yards before she managed to stop and right herself. When she did, she looked up.

*WELCOME TO PONYVILLE*

The changeling was already gone. "Horseapples! If Ah lose it in there, Ah'll never find it!" Raritan rushed into town.

*****

"So, you've been hiding with the Apples, huh? Well, Epona. I won't let you go so easily. A filly who has the power to defeat Cerberus and Manticores is too valuable to just let run away. And of course, you had to choose the time when Mirror Child was away. If she was here, I would never have lost track of you."

Trixie arrived at Sweet Apple Acres to find it a battleground. A stallion and a filly wielding a sword and shield were battling a squad of changelings, outnumbered five to two. The two ponies were being driven back toward the porch, and an old mare was watching from inside the main house as they others fought just outside. Trixie sighed and walked through the gate.

"Stay back, Miss!" shouted the stallion. "It's dangerous!"

Trixie sighed and walked up toward the house. One changeling broke off from each group and charged her, fangs bared. She just continued walking as they crashed headfirst into a magic barrier. A pink aura surrounded them and smashed them together, then dropped their unconscious bodies in the dirt. The other changelings stopped and stared for a brief moment at the new threat. Then they fell as Baldwin and the sword-wielding filly capitalized on the distraction. When Trixie reached the porch, the old mare walked outside to greet her.

"Thank you. If you hadn't appeared, we would've been in trouble."

"I'm looking for a filly named Epona. I have reason to believe she is here. Do you know where she is?" Trixie asked. The Apples looked down at the filly who was climbing the porch steps.

"Right here, Miss Trixie."

Trixie's gaze darkened in the firelight. A sudden wave of pink magic blasted the filly away from the house and pressed her body against a barrier. As the magic flooded past, her fur and mane was burned away from the hooves up to reveal the black carapace of a changeling. A sword and shield fell from its side as Trixie walked up to her with venom in her eyes. "What. Did you do. With Epona?"

*****

Epona breathed heavily from inside the alleyway.

"That wass too closse, Wissp." Epona's eyes widened at the sound of her own voice before she remember what had happened to her.

"Far too close, if you ask me. Why didn't you use one of your gadgets to get away? You've got a ton of stuff that could've helped."

"Ya think Ah didn't try? Nothing would sshow up when Ah wanted it to. For ssome reasson, Ah can't get to mah itemss." She looked down at her holed hooves. "Maybe it'ss causse Ah'm not a pony anymore..."

"Wait. You're a changeling." Epona deadpanned at Wisp. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not just pointing out the obvious... Actually, I kind of am."

"Thankss, Wissp. Ah had no idea." She rolled her eyes.

"Epona, if you're a changeling, can't you just change into a pony?"

"..."

"..."

"...How am Ah ssuppossed to do that?"

Wisp raised a disembodied eyebrow. "Really, Epona? You've been using magic as an Earth Pony and you can't figure this out?"

"But thiss iss different," she protested. "Ah've never ussed changeling magic before!"

Wisp chuckled. "Oh goodness. I suppose it's only natural that you wouldn't understand how this works, so I'm going to tell you a secret. This secret has been heavily guarded for centuries, so don't go blabbing it to everypony, okay?" Epona nodded. "The secret is: Magic..." She leaned in close. "...is magic." The filly pulled back her head and glared at Wisp. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's a very simple concept."

"Wissp, you-! Ah'm tired of running, all of Ponyville'ss out to get me, and you're jusst making jokess!"

"Dear filly, I don't think you fully understand. Magic is magic, whether you're an Earth Pony, a Unicorn, a Pegasus, a changeling, an Alicorn, or even a Draconequus for Equestria's sake."

"Then how come Earth Poniess can't levitate thingss? How come you never ssee a Pegassuss turn into a Manticore? And what the hay iss a Draco-doohickey or whatever you jusst ssaid?"

"Because, my dear pupil, different species have different affinities in the application of magic. Nothing can do everything. In fact, most creatures can only do one or two things. But that doesn't mean magic itself changes every time. No, the magic a creature uses is always the same. Using it is just a matter of will, affinity, and innate ability. You have always had a great deal of innate ability my dear, but right now you have a changeling's affinity so you can only use changeling magic."

Epona leaned back and beat her head softly against the wall. "Ah don't get it, Wissp..."

"In other words, just do it."

"Who's back there?" Epona turned her head to see Raritan standing there. The instant her solid eyes met the mare's, Raritan screamed and sprang for the filly like a panther on the hunt. She only caught the air though, as Epona jumped across the trashcan and grabbed the lid to use as a shield. The miss didn't deter her for more than an instant, and she quickly leapt over the garbage after the filly. Epona jumped backward, barely avoiding the furious mare's stomp, but Raritan turned on a hoof and bucked, catching her mid-air and sending her crashing into a wall. Epona barely had enough time to lift up her make-shift shield before Raritan was pounding down with all the strength in her fore hooves, and what strength it was! Each and every hit felt like it would shatter the metal from the force of the blows.

Of course, that's only if Epona's leg didn't shatter first.

She knew she wouldn't be able to take much more if she didn't stop Raritan somehow, but this wasn't like fighting the Manticore. She couldn't bring herself to fight back and attack someone related to her only connection to the past. To Apple Bloom and her friends. Her shield was cracking, and she could do nothing stop her impending doom.

Suddenly, the pounding stopped. Epona peeked over her shield. Raritan was just standing there, silent and motionless. A strange green tint entered into her eyes. "Can't have you dead, hatchling. The Queen wantss you."

Epona lowered her shield to see a changeling head pulling away from Raritan's neck. "Y-you bit her?"

The changeling nodded. "You will learn more about your heritage when we return to the Hive, but we have a venom that linkss other animalss--" The changeling didn't get to finish its sentence, for Epona grabbed its hoof and yanked it headfirst into the wall.

"That'ss for biting mah family." Epona looked over at Raritan just in time to see the green fade from her eyes. The mare shook her head, then stopped and held a hoof to where the changeling bit her. She looked pained. "Ah'm sorry, Raritan..."

Epona could hear more voices and hooves coming their way. "Wissp, how do Ah change again?"

"It's an act of will, like drawing out your items. Just think of what you want to be, and be it."

"That's what Ah thought." Epona imagined herself as the one creature she knew would be safe from the prying eyes of ponies and changelings alike. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A bright green flame began to flicker at her hooves.

"There it is!" someone shouted, startling her just as the flame began to rapidly ascend from her hooves to her head.

An instant later, the world disappeared as she used her new Diamond Dog paws to burrow into the ground and out of sight. She dug until she reached one of the many tunnels she had created since arriving. She knew her way around these tunnels better than most ponies knew their way around Ponyville, and she had a specific destination in mind.

"Coming here isn't going to save you," Wisp commented as Epona found the hole she was looking for and began to dig upward. "It won't be long before Ponyville finds you at the cottage, and the changelings will always know where you are now that you're one of them. You'll be caught within minutes."

"Ah'm not gonna get caught, Wissp," she replied as she climbed out of the hole. "They won't exxpect me to be out here, and poniess never come here becausse the Everfree'ss sso closse."

"...Epona?"

No way! Epona instinctively reverted back to true changeling form and whirled, bucking the offender in the face. Then she saw who it was. "Belmont?! How did he find me here?"

"Oh dear. I hate to say I told you so, but... actually, that's a lie." Epona stuck her tongue out at the little black cloud. "So, what are we going to do about him? I can feel the changelings coming. Unless you want him to fall victim to them, we'll have to hide him."

Epona knew Wisp was right. Several of the hissing voices that had been part of her thoughts since becoming a changeling were getting stronger. She still couldn't access her inventory, so she wouldn't be able to fight back if they attacked. She didn't have time to waste, so she grabbed him, dragged him over to her tunnel, and pushed him inside. A few moments later, several changelings flew towards her from the forest and surrounded her.

*****

Trixie threw the changeling to the ground in fury. "You did what?!"

The changeling coughed through strained laughter. "I musst have chossen the right pony for the 'Great and Powerful' Illussionisst to be sso angered."

"Captain, that filly is quite possibly the worst target you could have chosen to convert." Trixie blasted her with another beam of magic, illiciting another pained chuckle. "You have made a powerful enemy today."

"Hehehe... Blasst me all you want, Illussionisst. You're too late! Your toy belongss to the Hive, now!" The captain continued laughing as Trixie bombarded her with magic until she finally fell unconscious.

"By the moon... Are changelings so powerful that they can turn ponies into changelings at will?"

"Only Captain-class Infiltrators have that kind of power, Applejack." Trixie answered without taking her eyes off the captain at her hooves. "There are only a dozen or so in the entire changeling Hive, which begs the question: Why would they send an Infiltrator of that caliber to a backwater farm?" She glanced at the old mare. "Are you hiding something?"

Applejack tensed. As she looked into Trixie's unflinching gaze, she knew she couldn't keep her secret any longer. Her eyes and head dipped toward the ground as she nodded. "A couple weeks ago, your filly brought me a gift..."

Author's Note:

Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Not gonna go into details, but life happened, and life has a funny way of putting things on hold. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to put out as this one did.

Comments

[zZ Sky Ninja Zz]

yes, ive been waiting forever and you do not disappoint good sir/madam

[dartagnan401]

AMAZING!!!!!!! i cant wait until next chapter. its awesome! the plot has thickened into concrete

[Moowell]

3865089
I'm glad it still meets the approval of my audience.

3867628
C-Concrete?! Why couldn't it thicken into molasses or something? A story that's like solid concrete, well... doesn't go anywhere...

[dartagnan401]

3872307 lol...hmmm liquid metel or glass then? I don't know. Seriously though great story love it

[Telly Vision]

Epona use the song of healing and turn the changeling powers into a mask.
Also
At first I thought Dark epona, then I realized it was changelings.