Ch. 54
Platinum’s wings peacefully carried him through the sky as the wind held a gentle and cool breeze. However, in the batpony’s mind, the stallion was far from being calm as the clear night sky.
“What kind of task Princess?”
“Feed your ‘friend’ some solid food and tell me how she reacts. I want to test Chrysalis’ claims. If this ‘Stitch’ reacts in pain, then we can see if Coco is a changeling or not.”
“But- I- don’t want to-”
“Are you going to defy me? Or are you a changeling as well?”
Platinum swallowed as he remembered how Princess Celestia pointed her large horn at him as he almost spoke against her. Never in his life has he seen the princess be so hostile. Perhaps Celestia was feeling under pressure because of how there may be other changelings ahoof in her home once more.
But that wasn’t what was making Platinum feel worse about the situation. It was what he had to do: he needed to find out if Stitch was a changeling… by hurting her… on purpose. Before he left his princess, along with Chrysalis and Coco, Platinum noticed the queen’s expression. She was frowning. And so was he.
Emotions of frustration and sadness jostled Platinum’s heart as he approached the cedar tree and saw Stitch Snitch beside his sister. Why? Why did you lie to me? Why did you have to be a changeling? Are you really my friend? Was that kiss I gave you… only what you wanted you can feed yourself? But he was now nearing the two mares and had to mask his emotions. Stitch was the first to catch his eye as he swooped down, landing on the grass with a nice soft touch.
“Is everything okay?!” Stitch briskly broke away from Velvet and went to Platinum’s side. “What happened?!” Platinum glanced over to his sibling as she was giving him the same look Stitch was; worry and concern. To his surprise, he didn’t see any tears rolling down Stitch’s cheeks. Oh, how he knew he would see the salty stream once more.
“It was a false alarm.”
Velvet let out a loud sigh in relief. “Thank Celestia! Heh, that would have been a catastrophe!” She nudged Stitch’s side and smirked at her. “Could you imagine changelings here tonight? No. Thank. You.”
“Yeah.” Stitch half smiled, a big sign to Platinum she was hiding something. Normally, most ponies would have reacted a bit more than just a simple “yeah.” Stitch caught him staring at her and she felt something was not right with him. “I mean…” she spoke, not moving her eye off of his, “...who would want a changeling around?” Platinum flinched. Upon noticing this, Stitch continued, her words even more sharp against the shapeshifters. “They are ugly creatures who just betray other ponies’ trust, just to feed their nasty queen. In other words, they are different from us and should not be trusted.”
Different. The word rang in Platinum’s mind like a loud church bell. He could tell Stitch was reading him, pressing all of the right buttons. Her words made his heart cramp with hurt. Different. Platinum remembered how different he was from other ponies and how they treat him and his sister… differently.
Different.
“No kidding,” Velvet agreed, snorting hot air from her nostrils. “They deserve to suffer-”
“H-hey sister, why don’t you get Stitch and I something to eat. Like a slice of cake? I think she needs something to take her mind off of this whole changeling ordeal.” The moment the words left his mouth, Platinum could tell Stitch was catching onto him as her brows creased slightly.
“I would love that actually,” Stitch beamed. “Besides, I- I would like to be alone with your brother, if you know what I mean.” A shy grin turned toward Platinum as Stitch gave him an innocent look that the two both knew was a lie.
“Oh! I get it!” Velvet swayed herself left and right, eager to leave the two potential lovers along. “I will get some cake for you two. But it might take a while for me to get it.” Saying no more, aside from winking at her brother, Velvet went into the ballroom with a quick step in her hooves.
With Velvet out of the way, Platinum and Stitch removed their false expressions. And knew what was coming next.
“So who are you?” Platinum asked, cutting right to the chase. He tried to act tough, but his voice said otherwise. Platinum did not want to go through with hurting Stitch. Even if she was a changeling.
Stitch, too, tried to not seem nervous but began to shiver. “Before I answer that, I want to ask if Chrysalis is okay. Is she?”
A cold shiver ran down Platinum’s spine. So she is a changeling… He didn’t have to go through with feeding Stitch a simple slice of cake to get her to show her true form. “She is. But they are waiting.”
“They?” Stitch gasped. “Wait, is Coco with her as well?” Platinum slowly nodded. “Is she okay?! W-what’s going on?! Are-!” The tears that saddened him as they began to flow. And this time, Platinum knew they were tears of sadness. “You probably think I don’t care, do you…?”
His lips parted, but no words came out from the cracks of his mouth. Platinum stood frozen, not sure what to do or say to the lovely changeling. Lovely changeling. Something he never thought could ever be in the same sentence.
Stitch looked away, her tears pounding her against the grass they stood in. Platinum watched the small droplets descend as the plant feeds itself from the changeling’s depressed liquid. “I don’t blame you… I mean, we are different after all-”
“Just- stop Stitch!” Platinum choked over his words. Different. Oh, how he was beginning to abhor that dreadful word. The word that labels everything into categories. “You know I am different, too.”
“But unlike you and your sister, I am not hated by the rest of Equestria. Others take a look at you and they are slightly intimidated by your strong stature.” Don’t compliment me. “If your sister were to see me, I bet she would alert the guards. She would turn against me. All because I am different.”
Different.
Platinum flashed his teeth, clenching them, and was frustrated with this entire ordeal. “I do hope you meant that despite me being different…” The word echoed loud in the garden. “...you accepted me for who I am, not what I am.”
“So you still doubt me?”
“I don’t want to!” he shouted. Stitch flinched, not sure to be angry or saddened by the outburst.
Knowing there was another now lingering in the garden, Stitch and Platinum looked to see Velvet with a look of shock on her face. She held two slices of chocolate cake on a plate. “W-what’s with all the yelling?”
Stitch leered at Platinum, tears running even faster down her face. “Why don’t you tell her?!” He only stared at her with a frown. She then shook her head, knowing he won’t muster up the strength to speak the truth. “You know what? I will show her what is wrong. What is wrong with me. Because I am different!”
Quickly tossing off her veil, Stitch showed her true form; her changeling appearance. Velvet dropped the plate she held, as her jaw fell faster than the two slices of cake. “Stitch-”
“I’m sorry, but I am not who you think I am.” Stitch walked over to the sweets that rested on the ground. Velvet took a few steps back, in disbelief of what had just happened. She looked to her brother to see if he would retaliate against the changeling. But he only looked at Stitch with uncertainty, not sure what to make of the situation. “All I am is just a liar.” Slowly, the changeling picked up the tasty snack most ponies would drool over. However, to her, it was only poison. “I wish I could eat like you two and not have to be a traitor.” She looked at Platinum, her vision blurred through the tears she continued to shed. “So I will show you what happens when changelings try to be like you.”
Cramming the entire slice into her mouth, Stitch gagged, her body retaliating against the solid food. The sight was painful for Platinum to watch. She swallowed the thing whole, then stood still for a few moments.
A pang shot through Stitch’s unused stomach and she kneeled to the ground, then fell over. Her body began to writhe in protest, refusing to accept what was ingested. Coming to her aid, Velvet came beside Stitch. But she was greeted with a mean stare. “I thought you wanted to see changelings suffer! You said it yourself! So watch me hurt!” Velvet was punched hard in the heart as the changeling made her statement, unable to speak. All Velvet could do was watch her friend twitch on the ground in pain.
The pangs were too much and her body could no longer hold in the nasty solid food. Stitch made a horrible gagging sound before the food literally ejected itself from her body. She spat it at the tree before gasping for air.
“Stitch I-” Platinum muttered, looking to his sister for any help. “Are you… okay?
With her breath finally regained, she glanced at the batpony. “Will you believe me if I told you I wasn’t?” Stitch shivered, her eyes clenched shut as the tears shined in the moonlight. “It’s okay if you hate me…”
“N-no! No no no no!” Velvet was also beginning to sob. “I- I don’t hate you. It was just… sudden that you showed me who you are. I-if you are not as evil as others say changelings are, then-”
“‘Not as evil?’ Do you even realize what you just said to me?” Stitch’s voice cracked as her bug-eyed spheres stared through Velvet. Stitch looked elsewhere, no longer feeling wanted. “Just- BOTH OF YOU! FORGET ABOUT ME!” Her wings buzzed loudly, like an angry wasp, as she carried herself away and into the night sky.