//------------------------------// // The Changling // Story: A Bridge Between Brothers // by Rammy //------------------------------// ബഐബഐബഐ Garble ബഐബഐബഐ I groaned as I popped my back. After dragging a wagon full of supplies over rough terrain for over two weeks with little rest is hard and infuriating. I am a dragon not a pack mule! Alas, as much as I would like to complain out loud I know what will happen if I do. I was just glad, though a bit surprised, when 'Master', shutter, suddenly stopped in a middle of a forest clearing. It is only early morning and until now we had only stopped for water, food, or rest. I know it was much too soon to be resting even if my back was killing me. Also there was no water here and usually it was late afternoon before we paused for food. The answer for the stop came to me when 'Master' suddenly teleported to the top of a nearby large boulder by the edge of the clearing that was just large enough to clear the tree tops. Once on top of the boulder 'Master' scanned the horizon for a while, clearly getting his barrings. I ignored him as I was going to enjoy what little rest I could get. However when he didn't come down after a while I began to worry. I'm used to 'Master' staring off into the distance but ever since we left his cave he had been more distant. Something that concerned me as it could mean trouble for me. I always got it worse when he got into one of his moods. "Master?" I questioned carefully, hoping that he was not in a sour mood. "Stay here and make camp." 'Master' called down. "I shall investigate the nearby pony villages. I shall be back before night fall." "Yes, Master." I sighed in relief when 'Master' jumped down from the boulder and disappeared into the trees. For a moment I considered taking this opportunity to escape but I knew that it would be pointless. He was quite skilled at tracking... and his rage... his rage could rival an elder dragon. Besides I am was too tired to get far anyway. Al least it didn't take me long to set up camp to 'Master's' exacting standards. Which left me sometime I hope to sneak in a nap. It had been a long two weeks after all. The sound of an explosion woke me up with a start. I really hope that it was not 'Master' on a rampage. I looked around to see what exactly could have caused it only to hear a large crash toppling several trees near by. A flock of spooked birds fly overhead. I tensed up even more. Hopefully, whatever caused it wasn't coming my way. My jaw dropped in shock when a pony of all things walked into the clearing moments later. I was not expecting that given what 'Master' said about the reputation of the forest. Something I which I had scoffed at until we got attacked by a flock cockatrices. Stupid stone staring creating chickens! Good eating at least. "Please, help me..." The pink horned pony gasped out nearly collapsing at my feet. Now why would I help a namby-pamby pony out? I crossed my arms in annoyance. Thanks to three ponies and a wretched hatchling I was now less then dirt to the eyes of every dragon around. I was sorely tempted to end this pony but I feared 'Master' more then I hated ponies. I was about to tell the pony to scram when I smelt something... off about this pony. I think. I have only been up close to ponies a few times. This pony smelled too 'clean' from what I can remember. That and the crashing of several larges trees from where the pony came from. "Please... I'm hurt... I need food..." I crossed my arms before scoffing. "I see plenty of grass eat that." "No... I need food." The pony stumbled closer much to my displeasure. "Gah, I don't care what Master says you are a bunch of..." I stopped when the pink winged pony spazed out for a second before falling to the ground with a sword in its back. "Damn parasitic changelings!" 'Master' growled out as he stepped out of the shadows. "Master!?" I gasped in shock as he pulled out his sword with a sick spat out from the dead 'changeling' this was not like him at all. He was not one to insult ponies. "Changeling?" "Take another look at our 'guest'" My 'master' gestured downward to the dead pony. "What the!?" I stepped back in revulsion seeing that the pink pony was now black with holes all over. Green blood and not red was oozing out of the hole in its back. "What the hell is that!?" "An insect like equine shapesifter that feeds on the love and other positive emotions that ponies produce for substance and power. Vile things." "But I'm not a nam... a pony...." "True, but this changeling was in a bit of a spot and severely injured from crash landing after being flung at high velocity dozens of miles. I'm amazed it had any mana left for a disguise." "Flung!? By what?!? "By ponies." "What?!" I yelled out in disbelief. "Impossible! No pony could fling something this big that far!" "At yet they did..." Earlier... ബഐബഐബഐ ??? ബഐബഐബഐ It wasn't long before I cleared the remaining of the Everfree lowering my hood. I knew that ponies, would be skittish if I popped out of the Everfree and left my cloak fully on. Especially if the pink shield encompassing Canterlot was more then just for show. I looked around a bit more to see if anyone was around before I began to trot to the nearby town of Ponville. With any luck I would get my answers there. This is odd... I wondered as I walked through town. Why would every store be closed and no pony in the street? I don't recall there being a pony holiday today. Though it has been a while... The pink shield came back to mind and my concern rose a bit. Could everyone be in hiding because of that? Or is it me? Maybe I should have fully decloaked instead of just lowering my hood, even if I don't like being in public without it. "Well aren't you a handsome hunk." Said a sultry female voice to my left. I would have jumped from the shock if I hadn't trained myself over the years to still my instincts. Training, however, did not prepare me for being called 'handsome,' especially from a pony, much less a mare. Then again I do look much different then I did in my youth. I sighed as I glazed at my reflection in a nearby shop window. I suppose my heterochromic eyes, the left green and the right violet, along with my spiky mane which not only constantly moves in an unseen wind but shifts through the color spectrum could be seen as roguish. But unless coloring one's horn was in vogue again my very long horn, which alternated along the spiral like between violet and green, killed the look. "So... are you taken?" The mare looked at me dreamily. "Please tell me no..." I resisted the urge to facehoof. First time back in pony lands in well over a millennia and I get hit on by a lovesick mare. Something in which I have never had to deal with before. Maybe tastes have changed or this mare is overly desperate. "Sorry miss, but I am not interested in any relationship right now." "Well can l at least interest you in a magazine?" The mare looked at me batting her eyes. Like that would ever work. I groaned inwardly. I was about to walk away when I noticed that beside the magazines there was several papers available including one that could prove helpful, The Canterlot Trot "I would like one of these. How much?" I gestured to the paper I wanted. The mare glanced down at the paper that I indicated. She then sighed dreamily again. "Five bits you dreamy, dreamy you." Bits? I wondered. Since when has it been bits? I had no 'bits' but I did have gems that could be traded, hopefully. With a flick of my magic I placed a large sapphire on the kiosk counter. The mare glanced at the sapphire for a second and for a second I wasn't sure it was going to work until I heard a very high pitched squeal. One look at the mare told me that it was maybe a bit much as the mare sported a manic grin. Gah! worse then dragonesses... I shook my head as I quickly walked away from mare before she could recover enough to do something I would regret or worse. As soon as I felt that I was sufficiently in the clear I took a look at the headlines, or in this case a single headline. Canterlot Royal Wedding Today Hmm... that would explain it... bah nobles... I spate in indignation. I never like the nobles. As Garble liked to say they are a bunch of namby-pambies... and that was being nice. Still it would be best to check just encase there was more going on. Lets see...Some Alicorn by the name of Mi Amore Cadenza and the Captain of the Guard a Shining Armor. Odd, I wasn't informed of any new alicorns in Equestria. Celestia is going to have explaining to do... Blah blah blah blah unknown threat?! Really? I wonder... I looked back up to Canterlot and saw that the shield was gone. Okay... Before I could think further the the shield suddenly and explosively reappeared. My eyes narrowed as I watched several black streaks in all directions from Canterlot. A few of them were heading right into the Everfree. Not wanting to head to Canterlot just yet I headed back to the Everfree and the direction where some of the black streaks were being flung to. I was about to give up figuring out where those black streak went when I heard something crying out. That sounds like the cry of a pony... What is a pony doing in this place? The Everfree is not exactly safe place for one to be wandering. I slowly walked towards the sound so that I could check it out discretely. I was not going to let my return to Equestria become known to the Two Sisters... at least not yet. I speed up when a came across a line of broken tree tops and branches. Something had crash landed at high speeds and from the smell of sap very recent too. I followed the path of destruction for some distance until I reach its end. There lying at the foot of a tree was the crumbled form of a tan pegasus stallion with what appeared to be a broken wing and foreleg. Clearly the source of the cries I heard and the destruction. I narrowed my eyes as I approached. I was beginning to suspect what had happened but I needed confirmation. "Oh thank Cr-Celestia someli-pony found me." The pegasus breathed a sigh of relief when he saw me. "Well this is a treat, I have not see your kind in a while." I snarked. Now the shield and the wedding made sense. "Kind?" The pegasus questioned. "But we are both ponies! Please help! My legs and wing are..." "Well..." I drew out thoughtfully waving a hoof dismissively, "your double wrong actually..." "What!?" The pegasus tried to get up again but the collapsed once again from the pain. "First of all you are are not a pony but a parasitic love sucker known as a changeling... I must say it was quite brilliant to take over the Equestrian Capital during a royal wedding. The amount of love available would have been heighten because of it but something went wrong didn't it? The ponies managed to repelled you with such force to send your entire hive flying in all directions..." At that the pegasus' expression turned angry before being enveloped in green fire and changing to the black holed insect pony that I expected. It hissed at me as soon as it was done with its transformation. "Please!" I rolled my eyes at the pathetic display as I conjured up my sword. "Hiss all you want! It will be the last thing you ever do. My sword is quite thirsty for blood and I think you will do just nicely." "Figures..." Garble grumbled. "Too weak and scared to get their claws bloody.. so they hide behind a shiel..." Garble wisely shut his mouth when he noticed my raised eyebrow. Ponies were not weak per say, but given their herbivore nature they did prefer more peacefully solutions to conflicts, at least in comparison to dragons or griffons. "You really are going to need to learn not overestimate the ponies. Sadly this is going to complicate things a bit..."