//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Tales from Tinies: Pupa's Purpose // by Pixel Berry //------------------------------// Pupa woke up to see a chicken sitting on her cocoon, idiotically thinking that it was an egg it laid. Pupa could only look up at the chicken in confusion than shock. She wanted to say: “Can I help you?”, but could only mouth the words as she couldn't speak through the healing gel inside. “Get off of her!” Web-Head yelled, picking the disguised Changeling up. “Doomy!!! Your partner’s at it again!” “She's not my partner! Just an idiot!” Doomy yelled above. “And I don't see a difference.” Pupa ignored the two arguing as she opened the cocoon on her own and wiped the slime off of her. ‘Still can’t get used to that...’ She thought to herself. Web-Head quickly dried her off with a rag. “Oh, today's your first day of this mission and you have to get to school!” “Huh? School? But didn’t you already do that history lesson around the history of these ponies?” She asked, confused as to why she was made to go to school. “That was me!” Eyeballs spoke, poking his head out from the top. “And yes, we did, but you have to bring some ‘friends’ over to your ‘house’, remember?” “Are you saying I have to bring tinies from school? Won’t that be super hard cause of all those fillies and colts?” She asked a different question, not seeing how this will be easier for her. “Not unless you can also befriend at least another filly or colt as a friend for protection. Or those pony-people that have been appearing recently.” “Pony people?” She tilted her head at the term. “What are those?” “They're what you expect them to look like: Pony-Tiny hybrids. They all look different, but share many of the same traits; covered in fur, stand upright with a human chest, and have a pony’s head. They're much taller than Tinies, almost like giants themselves, but are still small to ponies, though they can't be swallowed by them… unless it's a pony-person kid… but I digress.” “I'm fine with them!” Doomy added. “No one asked for your two bits!” “But can’t I just find some tinies walking around and take them?” She asked. “Of course you can.” Web-Head spoke before Eyeballs cut in. “If you don't mind having the heroes see you, chase you down, and catch you, to which your mother won't label you as a traitor, but dead!” “And that's if those people are alone!” Doomy added again. “They're traveling in packs! And they have at least one pony-person with them as protection! They may be small, but they pack quite a punch!” “Unlike some guards.” “Oh,why you little-!” “Not in front of the princess!” Web-Head glared. “Or else it's another meeting with the Band of Pain.” Pupa’s ears folded down as she didn’t like that she couldn’t try and do her own plan. ‘Even when she’s not here it’s like she’s doing everything for me.’ She thought as she looked down at the floor. “I don’t want to go to school… again.” She mumbled as she glared at the ground. Eyeballs blinked, then made an annoyed look. “It's not my choice, but if you want to be labeled as a traitor…” He smudged. “... I’m not a traitor.” She mumbled, her voice being a bit harsher as she hated hearing that now. “Then you should get going to school, mingle with some of the kids, learn what they're into and use that to your advantage. Hopefully, by the end of the next six days we will have more than enough to support the hive. But you should get into your disguise first.” “Do I have to be a tiny or a pony you already caught?” She asked as she looked up at him. “Eh, it's up to you. But, if I'm not mistaken, you made up that tiny up yesterday, right? Can't you do the same with a pony?” “Ooh! Perhaps you can do a pony-person!” Web-Head added. “B-but I never even heard of a pony-person until now. How am I supposed to know if I look like one if I’ve never seen one before?” She asked as she wasn’t even sure she could change into something that hasn’t even been here while her mother was still a little hatchling. ‘If they were here for that long, maybe I could with a pony-person that’s been captured.’ She thought. “I could watch after her after school!” Doomy spoke. “She has no idea what a pony-person looks like, so I can take her to the tiny village!” “Doomy!” Web-Head yelled. “We know Pony-people are still new, but I'm certain there's a kid in there.” “He actually has a point.” Eyeballs spoke. “There's no Pony-person kid yet, only babies.” “...so… we're going to-” “Yes… Doomy, you're keeping an eye on the princess while she learns more.” “YES!!!” Doomy cheered. “But you're taking Pecky!” Web-Head added. “NO!!!” Pupa couldn’t help but giggle at Doomy’s response to brining Pecky along. “Does it have to be a specific type of pony I have to be?” She asked. “I'm thinking maybe an earth pony or a Unicorn.” Web-Head answered. “Are you a good flyer?” “She's not.” Eyeballs spoke. “Even with the birds thinking she's a beetle, she couldn't fly well. Just glide.” “I am good at flying.” She said with a small frown. “I just need some time to make my wings grow...” She mumbled as she looked down. “We all do.” Eyeballs spoke. “Just keep it safe for now.” He turned into a light brown stallion with a darker shade Mane and matching tail, who had an hourglass for a cutie mark. “But, we mustn't take long! Allons-y!!!” He picked Pupa up in his mouth again as he trotted out. She let out a small squeak as she was picked up by the back of her dress., not liking how a bit of her stomach was showing as her shirt was being lifted. “H-hey! Don’t I need to be a pony first?” She asked as she honestly didn’t like seeing the ground from far away if she wasn’t in control. “I thought you wanted to bring in Tinies?” He managed to muffle out right before opening the door. “B-but I’m not even transformed yet!” She said. “P-ponies will know that I’m a changeling.” “Can't you just transform now?” Doomy asked. “Turn into your human self right now? Or pony self, as you say?” “I never tried transforming while a pony was holding me.” She said as she was worried on what might happen. “Changeling.” Web-Head corrected. “And go ahead, I'm not gonna use the bottle of correction on you.” Eyeballs wished he had dropped Pupa. She merely whimpered a little before she tried to change without being on the floor or being picked up by someone. Small green sparks started showing from her body until the familiar green flame engulfed her and all that was left was a pony that would most definitely stand out in the crowd. She was a gray earth pony, with pink eyes and a mane that had six different colors on them, it being the thing that made her stand out. Her front part of her mane was as colored: red, blue, yellow. And the back part was colored: purple, orange, green. Her tail was also colored purple, orange, and green. It seemed as if she couldn’t really get it down on some colors that go with others around her mane and tail. She blushed pink as she looked down, a bit embarrassed of showing her disguise while also being held by the back of her neck. However, the added weight made Eyeballs fall over. “Hm, not bad.” Web-Head spoke “But you're gonna have to make a name for your pony.” “Just use the first two things you see!” Doomy added. “I did, and everyone calls me Bulk Biceps!” She was able to move out from under Eyeballs, his fall making him lay atop of her. Her mane and tail got a bit messy, but that seemed to make her look better. She looked up at her mane, then her hooves, and finally her tail. “Uhm…h-how does Color Clash sounds?” She asked, her voice the same as always. To be honest, she wasn't quite being used to being a little bigger than what she was used to. “... Eh, works enough. Ponies are stupid enough to buy that.” “Aww, and you look rather adorable for a new pony.” Web-Head added. “Ooh! Perhaps you can get more than just Tinies! I gotta get the cocoons ready!” She buzzed off, followed by Doomy. However, Pecky sat on Pupa’s Mane, still clucking away. “We really need to get Clucky out of this chicken mind.” Eyeballs groaned. “How come? It's not like she's doing anything bad while being a chicken.” She said as she shook the Clucky off of her mane and was now sitting on her tail instead. Clucky, however, flapped her wings and sat back on Pupa’s head, still intent on roosting there. “Yeah, nothing bad, but gets annoying. And I think she's going to stay on your head until you change… probably.” “Does that mean I can't go with her on my head?” She asked, her ears folding down as she felt she wasn't going to get a single Tiny like this. “Of course not! Pets aren't allowed.” He took Clucky off, but she flapped her wings and attempted to escape. “You better hurry! School's about to start! Just follow the other fillies and colts.” He walked into the basement, still holding Clucky. She nodded as she wanted to leave right now, but knew that Doomy and Web-Head was coming back with her saddle bag. “B-but what about my bag?” She asked before he completely left her upstairs. “I'm certain the teacher will forgive you!” Web-Head spoke. “And you're still on a mission!” Doomy added. “Blending in is one thing, but missions are another!” “Clucky on the loose!!!” Eyeballs yelled as Clucky was free and running to Pupa. She thought quickly, stepping out and slamming the door on the chicken’s face. “Sorry!” She apologized as she felt a little bad for doing that. She couldn't wait any longer as she looked around, seeing nothing but other houses, cobblestone paths, and some ponies walking around. She started getting nervous, never actually encountering any ponies without another changeling with her. Her tail went between her legs as she started taking her first steps in Ponyville all by herself. However, a pink Blur approached to her then stopped, revealing a pink mare with a darker shaded Mane and tail that looked more like cotton candy. It gasped, seemingly floating before tackling Pupa. “HI!!! I'M PINKIE PIE!!! Who are you, stranger?” she asked in rapid speed. “I've never seen you before! Are you new here? Huh!? Huh!? Huh!? Oh! Who are your parents? Unless, oh no! Are you an orphan? Or are you a bunch of Tinies in disguise?” Before Pupa could react, Pinkie let out a huge tongue that couldn't fit and slobbered all over her. “BLECH!!!! Oh! You're not some Tinies! Have you tried some Tinies? I have some here!” She pulled out a tiny, seemingly out of thin air. “What the-!?” The tiny spoke “How'd I-” Pinkie shoved the tiny in Pupa’s mouth. The tiny screamed, muffled, and Pupa… he tasted awful. “He tastes good, right?” Pinkie asked, followed by a squeaking noise as she smiled. Pupa didn't know what to do in a situation like this. She could say that the human tasted good, but she might have to swallow it, even how disgusting it tasted. She decided that maybe she didn't have to eat it. She opened her maw, the human sliding onto her open hoof. “U-uhm…I-I'm sorry, b-but I need to go to school. I…I'm going to be late.” She said, hoofing over the human back to Pinkie. “I-it was nice to meet you.” She didn't wait for a reply as she started running away, her tail still between her legs as she was rather scared of the pink pony. “... Huh, that was strange.” Pinkie spoke, lifting the human. “Wouldn't you agree?” “I hate you so much!” The human yelled, shivering. “You're right! I gotta find out more about her!” She stuck the human into her Mane, bouncing after Pupa. “Wait! I didn't get your name!” Pupa only tried to run faster as she didn't know where she was going, but was following the sound of a large bell. ‘That has to be a school bell!’ She thought as she turned to a alley and hopped over some boxes before she went over a fence. Pinkie followed, somehow being sliced into multiple pieces by the fence without dying and back into one piece, and continued her chase. “Wait! I just want to know your name!” Pupa’s eyes widened as she saw that happen. ‘This pony is freaky! How did my momma even catch her in the first battle for Equestria.’ She thought as she started running through the market street, it being rather busy. Busy enough that she blended in. Pinkie lost her for a moment, but saw a lock of rainbow-like hair in the distance. “Stop! In the name of party ponies everywhere!” She put on a jester hat and pulled out her party cannon. With a single blast, all of the ponies in front of Pupa were sent flying (though the pegasi quickly regained control), and a lone stallion yelling ‘My leg!’ Pupa was sent stumbling into another stand as she bumped into it, a pan falling atop of her head as she couldn't see for a moment. Just then, Pinkie pounced… only to stop and float in midair as a cough was heard. They both turned to a magenta mare with with a pink and lighter pink shade mane and tail. “... Shouldn't you be in class?” The mare asked. “Hi, Cheerilee!” Pinkie greeted “I was going to ask what her-” “Pinkie. I appreciate that you want to know everypony, but she needs her education.” “...but-” “No buts. Come along, you should be happy that I'm doing my early morning shopping before school starts.” Pupa shakingly lifted the pan from her eyes, seeing the magenta mare actually saving her life. She was quick to run over to the mare and even hide under her for protection. “P-please keep me s-safe.” She whimpered as her tail was still between her legs. “Aww, there, there,” Cheerilee cooed, patting her Mane before glaring at Pinkie. “I hope you learned a lesson about this, Pinkie.” She turned and lead Pupa. “Come along, you need to get an education if you want to be successful.” Pinkie watched the two walking away, with her mane deflating. The tiny from earlier came out, taking a deep breath before flopping out. “FREEDOM!!!” He yelled… right before being snatched away by a pegasus. She was soon moved from under Cheerilee, but was still beside her to the point where her coat was brushing against her legs. She remained quiet the whole time. “I'm sorry for Pinkie’s behavior,” Cheerilee apologized. “She's a good pony, just a bit… outgoing.” “S-she’s scary… she licked me, and force fed me a tiny.” She mumbled as her ears were also down. “... Like I said, she can be eccentric at times, especially meeting new ponies. And speaking of new, I haven't seen you before; did you and your family move in recently?” “Uhm… m-my parents wanted me to c-come here… since this place seems friendlier than Manehatten.” She made up a reason as she was mentally proud of herself for thinking of that on the spot. “Oh yes, we are quite a welcoming town. Of course, there's the occasional monster attack and end of the world scenario that destroys most of our homes, but we're able to work around that, especially now that we're part of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s new kingdom.” “M-monster attack?” She got scared as she wasn’t even sure she could do this mission with the info of a monster attack in this town. “Oh, don't worry, it happens so much that eventually, you'll shrug it off and continue with your day. Princess Twilight and her friends handle these situations in about half an hour or so. You wouldn't believe how Cranky and Matilda’s wedding went relatively smooth when a Bug-bear terrorized us!” “A-are you sure that we’ll be okay?” She asked. “You'll soon get the hang of it miss… uh…” “... Color Clash.” She mumbled. “Color Clash? Why, that's a lovely name! I hope you will love it here in Ponyville and make plenty of friends! We're almost close.” At that moment, Pinkie’s head came out of a bush. “Thanks!” She said, running away in a pink Blur. Both Pupa and Cheerilee stared. Pupa and Cheerilee arrived at a red, fairly small building that can host a few ponies inside. Various fillies and colts were playing around the building, all with bright smiles across their faces. Cheerilee pulled a rope, making the bell above the building ring. “Alright, everypony! Time for class!” The ponies walked in a straight line and walked inside, each taking their seat. Pupa wasn't sure where to sit, but Cheerilee spoke again. “Good morning, everypony! Today, we have a new student joining us! Please, give it up for Miss Color Clash!” The students clapped their hooves. “Color, if you please, would you care to share something interesting about yourself?” Pupa started getting nervous, seeing that all eyes were on her and she didn’t think it through. “Uhm… uhh...” She was mentally sweating as she was looking everywhere but directly at a filly or colt. “Twenty-four!” She randomly shouted. It was meet by everypony laughing. Cheerilee glared at them, eventually stopping their laughter. “Alright, perhaps another day, Color Clash.” She spoke. “Why don't you sit behind Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.” With a red embarrassed blush, she nodded and slowly walked to her newly assigned seat. “Howdy, name’s Apple Bloom.” The yellow filly with the pink ribbon spoke in a western accent. She pointed to the orange pegasus with the purple mane and tail, then to the marshmallow unicorn with a striped pink and magenta mane and tail. “That's Scootaloo and that's Sweetie Belle. We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” “That was a pretty bad introduction.” Scootaloo commented. “Scoot!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “What? I'm being honest.” “...N-No it’s okay.” Pupa mumbled as she rested her head on the desk, her hooves close to covering her muzzle. “Give her a break, girls,” Apple Bloom spoke before turning to her. “Don't worry, ah’m sure everyone's gonna forget about that. Mah sis Claire did, right?” Out of Apple Bloom’s mane was a small girl. “Sure did, sis!” She spoke before disappearing back into her mane. “Alright, everypony!” Cheerilee spoke. “Today, we have a special guest for a lesson that's… a bit different. Please, give it up for Starlight Glimmer!” Everypony clapped as a pink unicorn with a purple and blue striped mane entered. “Good morning, everypony!” Starlight spoke in a welcoming tone. “Now, what were you here for?” “Oh, it's just a safety lesson for everypony.” she cleared her throat and wrote what she spoke. “How to identify a Changeling.” Various whispers came from the students. Pupa gulped as she hope that this wouldn’t expose her. She huddled closer to herself as she tried to make herself look less noticeable. “Now, there's two type of Changelings.” Starlight spoke, setting up two posters; one a normal Changeling, and the other, for a lack of better words, a colorful Changeling that, Pupa didn't want to admit, looked friendly. “Please, you should know that one of these Changelings are good, while the other one is, and a bit more abbreviated, evil.” ‘Evil… I don’t think any of my siblings look evil. It must be the colorful ones. They look like they have a dark secret.’ She smirked a little at the thought of an evil colorful changeling. ‘They might take a pony by surprise.’ Pupa jinxed herself. Starlight wrote ‘Evil’ over Pupa’s sibling and ‘Good’ over the colorful one. “It's quite easy to tell the difference, actually,” Starlight spoke. “The hard part is finding out who's who in disguise. The easiest way is that with our Good Changelings, they're fine with dropping their disguise, and will wish to be friends with you, not unlike their evil counterparts.” ‘Dropping our disguise? But momma says that we have to keep them so we won’t surprise them… ’ She thought. ‘Any changeling should know that.’ “Of course, that's the general difference between the two. There's a bit more, but we're focusing more on the evil Changelings and how you can identify them from someone they may have taken the place of.” ‘Well, I didn’t take anypony before I changed. Color Clash is my own pony.’ She thought as she glanced away. “You know your close friends and family, right?” Murmurs came. “Alright from what we've discovered, these are the common signs in identifying a disguised Changeling: No memory of who you are, aggressive nature, and holding secrets. If they have all of these three, don't panic. Instead, find someone you can trust, like an adult or close friend, and hold the Changeling down. If your friend or family are affected, immediately find your closest guard, or find us. Trust me, I know how to deal with Changelings; I fought their Queen with King Thorax himself.” Various ‘oohs’ came from the students. Pupa couldn’t help but suck her teeth as her ears folded as she looked away. ‘More like ruined her entire kingdom.’ She thought. “Yeah, I know, it sounds amazing, and truth is, it was frightening.” “How frightening was it?” A pink mare wearing a Tiara spoke. “If my friends and I failed, all of Equestria would be slaves to Chrysalis.” ‘She… she wouldn’t do that. She just wanted to feed her subjects. With negative feelings, no food would be collected. It’s basic.’ Pupa thought as she was now glaring at the unicorn mare. “That's very interesting, and informative.” Cheerilee spoke. “Does anypony have any questions or comments they'd like to make?” “I'm all open,” Starlight added. “Who knows, I'll probably ask Thorax himself some of your questions when I meet him tomorrow.” Pupa wanted to stay quiet, but she just wanted to know this. “I have a question.” She raised her hoof. “... Oh!? Who are you? I take it that you're new here, if I'm not mistaken.” “I’m, uh, Color Clash. And what you said about Chrysalis makes no sense. If a changeling’s main goal is to replace ponies and feed on their love, then how is enslaving all of Equestria going to make it better? No positive attitude, no happiness, and no love for those creatures to feed on.” She said. “I think that she might’ve had a plan that might keep the ponies unknown of her plans while still collecting love.” Once she finished, she showed a knowing smirk. But she noticed that all eyes were on her, her ears went down as she huddled close to herself yet again. “... Um… you don't know much about what the Changelings did, do you?” Some snickers came from the classmates. “Cheerilee?” “Oh, she's from Manehattan.” Cheerilee spoke “Oh, right. Can't believe that they cut their education budget in half. Um… is it alright if-” “By all means! Just after school, okay?” “Thank you, Ms. Cheerilee. I'm sure Twilight would like to meet with you.” Starlight walked out of the class. The students ‘Oohed’ at Pupa, with a few whispering ‘Twilight time’. Pupa didn’t know what they were saying or why they were looking at her, but she was more than nervous as it sounded like she was going to have a special meeting with two of the main ponies she wasn’t supposed to come close to. ‘Eyeball isn’t going to like this.’ She thought as she covered her face with her arms and hooves. “Ya’ll are gonna meet the princess!” Apple Bloom cheared. “Yer gonna love her!” “She's so smart and nice.” Sweetie Belle added. “And awesome!” Scootaloo added. “No. It’s not. My caretaker said that I had to stay quiet and maybe make a friend. Not see the freaking princess of this town.” She said as she looked more scared than happy about this. “Aw, don't worry, we'll talk to yer caretaker!” Apple Bloom spoke. “Besides, who don't want to meet th’ princess herself?” “Probably a Changeling.” Scootaloo commented. “Besides the obvious, Scoots?” “Tinies?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Nah, she's fine with ‘em, just as long as they don't steal from her. Wait, is today Tuesday?” “Yep.” The pegasus and unicorn answered. “Uh oh! Looks like Twi’s hooves are gonna be full today.” “And belly!” Scootaloo added, licking her lips. “W-well if she's busy today, maybe I could go meet her at a later date?” She said as she tried to make an excuse to not go there. “Ooh! She's always open on Wednesdays!” Sweetie Belle spoke. “But isn't she going to meet Thorax?” Scootaloo asked. “Yeah, but I don't think she'll have the time.” Apple Bloom added, placing her hoof around Pupa. “But don't you worry, Color! We'll be with you for your first Twilight time!” “If she's done, of course.” Sweetie Belle added. “T-Twilight time? H-how long does that last?” She asked, nervous that she might have to hold this form far longer than she could handle. “It's about an hour long. Nothing too crazy.” “But it's so nice.” Scootaloo added. “And it's a great place to study!” “And since Twilight’s smart,” Apple Bloom concluded “Yer bound to learn something if yer in a pickle.” Pupa didn’t know what to say now. She couldn’t come with an excuse now, and if she said no, she might raise suspicion and soon figure out what’s really going on. She needed a moment to think. “I… I don’t know. I’ve never been with royalty before. You all sound like good friends to her, but how will she feel about a random filly just coming to her castle?” She said, her ears folded down. “She's not like those fancy ponies from Canterlot. Why, like Celestia and Cadence, anypony’s welcome!” “I just don’t feel like I should even be near her castle. After that outburst… to her pupil...” She mumbled as she curled closer to herself, it sounding as if none of their words were going to really convince her. “You're just curious and don't know a lot.” Sweetie Belle said. “Why, we thought it was cool when Chrysalis kidnapped us.” “Don't remind me of that.” Scootaloo groaned. “She kidnapped you guys?” She was a little surprised of that. She was never told that her mother took three fillies… but why exactly? “It's a long story.” Apple Bloom spoke. “Ah’m just glad mah big sis and her friends saved us!” “Yeah! And Twilight really held her on her own in that fight!” Sweetie Belle added. “At least you have sisters.” Scootaloo groaned. “Rainbow Dash didn't acknowledge me at all.” ‘Oh mother, not only was I chased down by one of the ponies to avoid, but now I’m in the same building as the siblings of them.’ She thought as she realized that avoiding the main seven ponies was harder than she thought. ~Later~ The school bell rang as class was dismissed. Many of the foals ran back home, but with Pupa, she was under the gaze of the three fillies that may have befriended her already, leading her to the castle. “Ah never got where you lived, Color.” Apple Bloom spoke as they approached to the large door. “Ah hope we can hang out soon.” Before she could knock, loud bangs came from inside the castle with plenty of screaming. “... Seems like she's busy.” Sweetie Belle spoke. “Oh, well that’s too bad. Maybe we can come later.” She said with a smile as she was turning around and just about to start walking back. Scootaloo stopped Pupa, however. “Come on! We can help out.” She licked her lips. “I've been waiting for a snack.” She opened the door wide. Inside, Princess Twilight was holding multiple people in her magic with Spike holding a box, contained with Tinies. “I think that's the last of them.” Spike spoke, looking into the box. “Ah, very good to hear.” Twilight replied, putting the rest into the box. “I'm sure Thorax will be glad to have more people joining his reformation program.” “Dang it!” Scootaloo shouted. “So close to another snack!” Twilight turned to them. “Oh? Why, hello there, my little ponies! Sorry for the ruckus, it may be Wednesday, but Tuesday’s problems are still present.” “No kidding!” Apple Bloom replied. “Oh, and who's this friend you brought?” “She's new.” Sweetie answered, gently nudging Pupa closer. “Go on, don't be shy.” Pupa’s fur nearly puffed out in fright over the close contact, but her head was down and she didn’t say anything. It was rather obvious that she was nervous and uncomfortable. Twilight stared for a moment, then blinked and cleared her throat. Her horn glowed as she brought a tiny to her. “Hungry?” She offered. “Oh no! Not again!” The woman in her grasp struggled, practically begging for freedom. “N-no. I’m fine...” She didn’t look up at the offered tiny as she didn’t want to taste another awful one cause of how scared they are. She remembered that from when she was still in the Changeling palace. “Oh thank God!” “I'll have her!” Scootaloo yelled, looking at the woman with an excited hunger. “Oh hell no!” “Sorry, but she's for somepony else.” Twilight said, taking the woman back. “I'm sorry, let's start over. I'm Twilight Sparkle; what's yours?” “...C-Color Clash.” She said shyly. “Color Clash?... That's an interesting name. I haven't seen you before. New around here? Care to tell me why you're here?” She didn’t answer, but she did nod at the fact that she was new in town. It was at that moment that Starlight came from upstairs, with some more Tinies in her magic. “Sorry for being gone so long.” She apologized. “Some of them got into your socks and-” She paused as she saw Pupa. “Well, I'm quite surprised that you came here, Color Clash. Curious about Changelings, are we?” When she heard Starlight’s voice, that was when she lifted her head up. “N-no… I just s-said your st-statement made no s-sense.” She mumbled as she looked away. “Doesn't make any sense?” Twilight asked. “She doesn't know much about Changelings.” Starlight replied. “She came from Manehattan.” “Oh! Those budget cuts in education… right. Oh, I'm so sorry for what they did to you, Color Crash. Everypony deserves the education they need, and I'm willing to be the teacher for the day.” ~3 Hours later~ “And that's how Thorax and our group saved Equestria.” Starlight concluded the lesson. “Any questions?” Twilight asked. “Again, how will enslaving ponykind help Chrysalis in any way? If they are miserable for the rest of their lives, then their will be no love for those creatures to feast on. It’ll only make sense if the changelings replacing the princesses and the element bearers stayed in character and Equestria never knew of this. They would always love the false princesses and heroes and Chrysalis will always be in power no matter what.” She said, it making a lot of sense then what Starlight said in class. “It was all part of her plan.” Starlight answered. “She had her subjects take the place of everyone else and turn the castles into subhives, and, when it was time, the ‘royals’ would declare that Equestria was now part of the Changeling Kingdom, and all who'd oppose will be labeled as traitors.” “But that declaration will still make the ponies anything but happy about this. Again, no happiness means no love. Would you be friends with Twilight if you knew she was a changeling? No. And if you did know, you would be scared, wary, and even suspicious of her over what she might do. Nopony would be with this and the changelings would starve themselves to death if they even made any announcements like that.” She replied. “... Are you a Changeling?” Starlight asked, dropping the ball. “That's almost what a Changeling would say.” “What? No.” She glared at her. “You’re just saying that cause you can’t agree that it makes no sense.” She said. “Maybe, but how would you know about this? Twilight wasn't happy at all in her cocoon, and they still feed off of her love. And while yes, I would agree to those other questions, but Thorax proved that with some time and effort, a Changeling can change.” “I did my own little research once word got out on what happened with Twilight, the princesses and even the other element bearers. I mean, who wouldn’t hear about a changeling, Discord, the princess of friendship’s prodege, and a traveling magician defeating Queen Chrysalis and reforming an entire species of changelings?” She said with a small smile, glad that Eyeball gave her a little history lesson before she was brought to the public… kinda. Twilight tilted her head. “And how did you found this out when Manehattan’s budget cut included shutting down the public libraries those many years ago?” “Did you forget that their are also book stores in which we could buy our own books to keep? I was curious and my mother bought be a book around the different species of animals and residents of Equestria.” She said. “But I didn’t know if she bought it in Manehatten or someplace else to deliver it to her.” “But… there isn't a book around Equestria’s residents. May we see where you live and chat with your mother?” ‘Now you done goofed!’ Pupa thought. She was mentally sweating bullets as she didn’t know what to do now. ‘Perhaps I may find a way to get out of this mess.’ “Wait, wait, wait. I might’ve worded that wrong. I mean to say the type of ponies and even those who don’t relate to ponies. Like diamond dogs, yaks, and even some farm animals as well.” She said. “I’m always bad at wording things.” She blushed pink in embarrassment. “But your mother claims to know more about Changelings than us?” Starlight asked in a suspicious tone, her horn glowing. “May you lead us to her?” Her eyes widened at the glowing horn as she started to back up a little. “Wh-what are y-you going to do?” She asked with her ears down and her tail between her legs. “It's just a memory spell. I'm not sure if you did hear everything your mother said correctly, but-” The door opened and Doomy, or Bulk Biceps to everypony else, entered, much to Pupa’s relief. “There you are!” He spoke in a tough, but dumb voice. “I've been looking for you all day, squirt!” “Bulk Biceps?” Twilight asked. “Wait, what!?” “Color Clash is my sister's daughter. Now get over here! You had me worried!” “S-sorry...” She mumbled as her tail was lowered and she shamefully went over to where he was. “Wait a minute!” Starlight yelled. “Her mother claims to know more about Changelings than us! May we see her?” “Sorry, but she's in Manehatten.” Doomy replied. “And you really told them that? You have got to stay out of your mother's dream journal around exploring, Color Crash. It's no wonder they shut down those libraries. What do you say to these mares?” “...sorry.” She mumbled as she didn’t look up from her spot. “I… I j-just wanted to sh-show that I c-could be as smart as a u-unicorn…” She started tearing up as her bottom lip quivered a little. “I guess I’m nothing but a muddy earth pony.” She sniffled as she wiped a tear from her eye. Both Twilight and Starlight blinked. Starlight sighed and walked to her “I'm sorry for making you feel like this, Color Crash. I-I didn't mean to be such a jerk, especially to a filly like you. I hope I can make it up to you, one way or another.” “N-no… it’s okay.” She mumbled as she only moved closer to Doomy. “No! It's not okay! Here I was, assuming that you were a Changeling, only to just now realize that you just wanted to prove yourself smart. Oh, I'm the biggest jerk ever!” Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. “It's alright, Starlight. No pony is perfect. Sorry for that, Color Clash. I think we owe you something. Hm… oh! How about a box of Tinies?” She floated a box and opened it, revealing at least 20 people inside. Pupa only glanced up at Doomy, thinking that maybe this was an easy way to finish her task, her ears slightly perked up. “Sorry,” Doomy spoke. “but even though we thank you for an apology, Color here is in trouble for not returning home… right?” “H-hey. It’s not my fault.” She glared at him as she tilted her head over to the three fillies. “And it’s not like I could reject an invite to the princess's castle.” “You could, actually. Just say ‘I'm sorry, but I'm busy’.” “... He's not incorrect.” Starlight commented. “It’s still hard to say no with three fillies guiding you to the castle.” She said as she looked at the three fillies she was talking about. “Ya’ll could've told us the same thing.” Apple Bloom retorted. “And you think me being nervous about coming here wasn’t a good enough sign. I even said that my caretaker wouldn’t approve of doing this.” She said as she was glaring at the apple filly. “And we said we'd do it! We just need to know where you live!” She didn’t say anything as she only huddled closer to Doomy. “B-but we just met.” “Yeah, it's normal here, actually.” Sweetie Belle spoke. “We're not huge, so it's normal for everypony to know where they live.” “I… I don’t know. All the houses look the same.” She admitted as she looked away. “And she's not gonna be here for long.” Doomy spoke. “I think she's going to gone by tomorrow.” “Aww…” The CMC groaned. “And we wanted a new friend.” Sweetie Belle murmured. “... sorry.” Pupa mumbled as she looked down in shame. “It's not your fault.” Doomy spoke. “You were just here visiting some family. Come on, you have a long day tomorrow.” He lead the way out. Pupa didn’t say anything as she started following, but before she left, she glanced back at Starlight, her eyes shining green a moment before she quickly followed the large stallion who was far up ahead, not seeing that happen. Starlight shook her head. “Hey! Get back here!” She yelled. Unfortunately, Twilight held her tail, stopping her from moving. They turned into a corner, Doomy turning into a buff, bald human. “Change.” He simply ordered, crossing his arms. She was quick to change into her human self, she being shorter than the buff human that was Doomy. “... I'm quite disappointed with you today.” She didn't say anything as she looked down at the floor. A lump in her throat being felt, not wanting her to speak. “... Look, I know it's your first day, and we didn't do our homework, actually.” She still remained silent as she held her hand together, her nails digging into her skin as she was now having a bit of trouble breathing normally. She could feel her eyes begin to water. “... Hello? Are alright?... Do you need a hug?” Pupa sniffled as she shook her head, not wanting to look weak in front of him, but she couldn't stop the tears from showing. Doomy gave her a surprisingly warm hug. “There, there, it's alright. Let it all out.” She tried to blink the tears away, but that only let them go down her cheeks. “N-no… it's not okay. I…I disobeyed Eyeballs’ w-warning… I c-can't do this. I… I'm nothing but a traitor.” She teared up more as she didn't hug back, but didn't push him away either. “What!? No! You're not a traitor! We didn't do our homework; Tinies go to their own school while foals go to the main school here! Besides we shouldn't have placed all that pressure on you in not talking to the ‘heroes’ here.” “B-but I couldn't even m-make an excuse as to why I kn-knew all this. I… I was close to b-blowing my c-cover.” She sniffled. “M-mother would say I'm n-not worth it. A-almost being c-caught by the princess and her pupil.” Doomy could feel his shoulder get wet by the tears she was shedding. “I…I don't want to do this anymore. I just wanna go home…” “... Oh, I'm sorry, but once you start, you can't go back until it's finished. And you'll soon get the hang of it. For now, Color Clash is gone, and you have six more days… seven, if Chrysalis understands that we, your assistants, messed up.” This time Pupa was ready to push him away. “Then why didn't you let me accept those tinies!? If I did, I would be home right now. She didn't say how I had to get them, so why couldn't I!?” She was now angry with tears in her eyes, upset that she couldn't just give up already. “Look, I'd also be fine if you did take them, but it's not the Changeling way. If you had accepted them, it would show that you are weak, and you'd be labeled as a traitor. I don't want that to happen to you. None of us do.” “But I am weak! Today just proved that I'm not ready for any of this.” She said as her disguise started to waver a bit, her eyes glowing a greenish-blue. “I don't deserve being a princess or even a changeling.” She teared up more as she looked away. “I can't be the future queen of the changeling… I know I'll just screw things up and just lose the whole kingdom to these ponies.” Her disguise faded, thankfully in a place that none of the ponies spotted her. She went down on her knees as she had her eyes shut and her head pointed to the floor. “I'm nothing but a failure…” Doomy knelt down, seeing that she changed a bit. “I see potential.” He looked at her, seeing her Changeling wings slowly grow. But that wasn't the only thing growing surprisingly, she was also growing in size, not huge… yet. “I think you just need to relax a bit. Take a breather.” She didn't say anything, but she did calm her breathing down as she kept her eyes closed and her head pointed at the floor. “Oh? Lookie here!” He touched her head, feeling a small bump. “Is that I think it is? You're developing your crown!” She opened her eyes a little as she also brought a hand to her head, feeling the bump as well. “Why am I g-growing a crown?” She asked out loud. “It's a sign that you're growing. Soon, you'll have a full crown and be our queen. A failure wouldn't be able to grow one.” She stayed quiet again, looking down as it seemed his words didn't lift her spirits. “Maybe it's there to remind me what I'm never going to be…” She mumbled dryly as she only brought her hand away from it. “A failure! It's a reminder that you're not going to be a failure. We should make a visit to the Tiny village, to help you get an idea of what to expect. Sound good?” She didn't answer as she stayed sitting down and not changing back to her human form. “... Alright, we'll get back to the shed and talk to your mom about this.” “…okay.” She mumbled. Doomy turned into the brown stallion Eyeballs turned into earlier and held Pupa in his mouth. He quickly trotted back to the shed, the night being their main disguise. As soon as they entered, Doomy set her down. Eyeballs and Web-Head quickly went to her side. Web-Head picked her up. “How's our little princess doing?” She cooed. “We're sorry about that major mistake.” “I have failed you, your highness.” Eyeballs spoke with shame in his tone. She didn't say anything as she wasn't really paying attention to them. She didn't even blush pink or try to get out of Web-Head’s grasp like yesterday. “Oh! Are we going to talk to the queen?” Web-Head asked. Again, she didn't say anything as she honestly didn't want to tell her mother how big of a failure she was today. “... Care to activate it?” “On it.” Eyeballs replied getting the golden scarab from Pupa’s pack. They each pulled out their own scarab and, connecting in a square, made an image of Chrysalis. “Aww, it's good to see you again, Pupa.” She spoke with a smile. Hearing her mother’s voice almost made her lift her head up to look at her… almost. “Pupa! I don't appreciate that look. What happened?” Pupa couldn't help but flinch a little at her tone, her pointed heads lowering as the lump in her throats was felt again. “…N-nothing. Mother. I… I just had a bad day.” She mumbled. “... A bad day? Tell me what happened.” “We made a mistake!” Doomy spoke. “Please, give her another day!” “It was my fault!” Eyeballs added. “I should've paid attention!” “Just look at her!” Web-Head finished, holding Pupa to the image of Chrysalis. The queen blinked, but sighed in annoyance. “What happened, Pupa?” Pupa was hesitant at first on telling her mother what happened, but knew she would find out with one of her caretakers. She breathed in and out before she started. “The day started with a scary pink pony chasing me down. Then I befriended the three fillies that you kidnapped once. And in the school, Starlight Glimmer was explaining about good and bad changelings and I spoke out, resulting in me being invited to the castle. Those three fillies wouldn't let me leave since they kept on going on how nice Twilight is. And, I tried to lie my way into not being suspicious, b-but it got worse… a-and if it wasn't for Doomy… I wouldn't be here anymore.” She started tearing up again as she looked away. “I-I'm sorry mom… I failed today and didn't get a single Tiny.” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “... Is that it?” Pupa was a little taken back on her reaction. “Wh-what? B-but I almost got caught w-with no chances of getting a tiny. I was talking to the ponies I was supposed to avoid. I wasted a whole day on nothing!” She said, looking at her mother with wide eyes. “I failed on the first day! I can't use one of my disguises anymore.” Chrysalis giggled, followed by a chuckle, and ended with a cackle. “Those were the exact words I used when I was your age! It's funny to see how history repeats itself, actually. I guess I really did become my mother.” Pupa’s pointed ears were still down as she felt that she would be more angry then laughing at her. “A-are you saying my failure is a joke?” She asked, looking more hurt now. “Oh no! Not entirely. It's just the way to see how a queen in training will react. So far, it's been the same, but a true failure would easily tell everyone their hideout while the best, in theory, would get everything done on the first day.” “…I still feel like one though.” She mumbled as she looked away. “You'll get better, I already see that you've changed; you're much taller than an average tiny now.” “B-but won't it be harder to form into a tiny?” She asked, remembering how some changeling says becoming something smaller then your regular size is difficult, especially if you're being smaller. “If I can turn into a regular mare at will, then so can you with Tinies. Plus, you still have those Pony-people to choose from.” “But aren't their only baby pony-people?” She asked. “No, not really. There do exist children, but they're with Princess Luna. From what I can gather, all of them were Tinies on their homeworld who came to ours, much like everyone else, but they were close to death. This is their second chance at living, and I think the children are trying to get a hang of their new lives under their captor’s eyes.” “Captor?” She tilted her head in confusion. “Princess Luna’s main hobby is devouring children and keeping them in her stomach, pony-people included. She may say she's keeping them safe, but she tried to make nighttime last forever.” “Wh-what?” She could only utter. ‘Not only doesn't she respect privacy, but she also tried to take over Equestria in eternal night?’ She thought, thinking that her apology in her dream was just fake. ‘But should I tell mother that I met her in my dreams?’ She asked herself. “Oh yes. Try to not be out at night time as a tiny or pony-person. She will eat you and keep you hostage. But, my time to chat is up. Tomorrow is a long day for you to step it up.” “B-but what if I can't get a Tiny tomorrow?” She asked, worried that she didn't have another free pass on that. “I…I still don't know what to do.” “You have six more days to figure it out. You don't have to get all five immediately, just by the end.” “…okay. I'll try.” She mumbled as she looked away again. “Just the minimum, as a reminder.” Chrysalis’s image disappeared, the eyes on the scarab beetles fading as Doomy collected the beetles. “Well, that just happened.” He shrugged. “C’mon, it's about time we get some sleep.” Pupa rubbed one of her eyes as all that tearing up made her little tired as well with the changeling magic she had to use all day. Web-Head picked her up and placed her into her cocoon. “Everything's going to be alright.” She said before closing it. She yawned before the cocoon closed and she was once again encased in a shell filled with the rather warm slime, the warmth lulling her to sleep as she also couldn’t help but think that Chrysalis was only being nice in front of her subjects… she felt that she might’ve done worse if it was just the two of them. Pupa found herself in a field, but there was a lake with a simple pier. On that pier was Luna, fishing in the lake, wearing what looks like a fisherman's outfit “How was your day?” She asked, not looking away from her fishing. She didn’t answer as she looked down at the grassy field, used to the change in perspective after today. Luna’s line went crazy. “Oh! I got a big one!” Splashing out of the water and onto the pier, flopping like a fish, was Color Clash. “Ah! Your disguise from today. Color Cart?” “... Color Clash.” She mumbled, not bothering in looking at the lunar princess “Oh? And what's this she has?” She pulled out a file from Color Clash’s mane. “... Hm… curiosity? Disappointment?... Shame.” Pupa went silent again as she curled close to herself. “Why do you go through my thoughts when I said not to? You don’t understand privacy do you?” She glared as her as she wasn’t happy she was doing it again. “I'm only doing this to help you out and keep the nightmares at bay. If you want me to leave, I shall, but this will be back.” Right above Luna, ripping like fabric, was a demonic looking Chrysalis and other Changelings, all hissing at Pupa. “I don’t care. By what happened today, I should be given this nightmare. And it’s not like this is going to hurt me...” She mumbled as she turned away from her. “Physically, you'll be fine. Mentally, however, you will be affected by it greater than you think. I too had that idea before I tried to make night last forever.” She went quiet for a third time as she didn’t bother replying as it seemed this princess wouldn’t leave her alone. “Tomorrow, I'm certain that you're going to meet King Thorax, whether you want to or not. Perhaps you can learn a thing or two from him.” “I am not going to meet that traitor.” She said angrily. “If he is with those who made my mother’s kingdom fall, then I do not want to meet the creature who might do the same when I’m queen.” She stood up as the angry look in her eyes never faded. “Perhaps he did, but have you ever thought that your mother's kingdom fell is not just Thorax, but herself?” “Of course not. She’s my mother and I know what she did was right.” She said. “Did you give in when you felt you were alone? No. So if those so called ‘heroes’ won’t give up, then neither can my mother.” “Actually, I did give in and tried to make night Eternal as Nightmare Moon. And I was there; Starlight offered her friendship, to change and make a new kingdom. However, your mother refused and flew off, swearing vengeance on her.” “And why should she? She just ruined her entire kingdom and made her own subjects go against her. You don’t know how she felt. You don’t know how long it took for her to even start a new kingdom.” She said as she was getting more angry. “And I hope that whatever my mother has planned will work and she’ll get back at every one of you. Her kingdom was starving, and what did you do? You first blasted her out of Canterlot and then even had the audacity to come to her own hive and make things worse for her. She was only trying to survive, to keep her subjects alive, but none of you ponies cared!” “We would've helped rebuild her kingdom if she accepted and joined our forces; we would respect her culture and subjects, as we have done with Saddle Arabia, Yakyakenstan, and the Dragonlands. And it took me a long time to rebuild my life, all 1000 years of it. And, if you had paid attention, your mother invaded Canterlot during Shining Armor and Princess Cadence’s wedding, along with kidnapping all of Royalty and the heroes alike. Starlight just wanted to do the right thing.” “You say that you care, but did you even care if Chrysalis was even okay after what happened in Canterlot? Did you ever thought that she did that cause she had no other choice since none of you would help a pony like her? I know that anypony who saw her would run away or even try and make her go away without asking why she was there in the first place.” She said. “And I know that you wouldn’t cause when Thorax came to the Crystal Empire, none of you guys thought on talking to him. Just imprisoning him just cause he was spotted. If it wasn’t for that purple lizard, he would be dead and nopony would care!” She said. “You only care about yourselves, and the only reason you even try to befriend another creature is if you think that you’ll have no chance of winning in a war! Yaks can trample you, dragons can burn you to a crisp, and I bet you became friends with Saddle Arabian diplomats is cause they probably have goods that you could never get without them.” She stomped her foot, the ground cracking underneath her. “You ponies are no better than those greedy griffins!” “... Harsh. I'll be seeing you tomorrow night after your meeting with Thorax.” She disappeared as leaves blowing in the wind. The demonic Chrysalis and the Changelings all ran to her and pounced, destroying the dream.