//------------------------------// // When's Lunch? // Story: Not a Cloud In the Sky // by OutOfTheBlue //------------------------------// "Alright Aqua, here we are." Pandora patted him on the head as they stopped in front of the fence of the school yard. Aqua had started out being excited, but now he was just plain nervous. Would the other ponies like him? Would the teacher be nice? When would lunch be? He jumped when he felt Cloud gently pat him on the back. "You'll do fine. Now remember, under no circumstance do you tell our secret. Got it?" Aqua nodded prompting Cloud to ruffle his mane affectionately. He took a deep breath before adjusting his saddlebags and walking towards the schoolhouse. Cloud and Pandora waved until he was through the door. "Alright, I'm off to find a wedding planner." Cloud said. "And I'll go find a dress, and a caterer." Pandora responded. "And then we'll find a venue." They said at the same time. The shared a quick kiss before turning their separate ways. ----------------------------- Aqua gulped as he walked into the classroom. He stood nervously inside the doorframe waiting to be noticed. The teacher, a magenta earth pony mare with a pink striped mane looked over at him and smiled warmly. "Welcome! You must be Aqua Cloud. I heard we were getting a new student so I already told the class you were coming. Say hi class." All the foals present gave a monotone "Hi Aqua Cloud." Aqua gulped, "H-hi." Three fillies near the front craned their necks, trying to see something behind him. They apparently saw something because they started chatting excitedly amongst themselves. The teacher pointed to a seat next to a pegasus colt with a silvery coat and dark blue mane. As he sat down the colt reached out a hoof. "Hi I'm Rumble, nice to meet ya." He bumped the proffered hoof before saying, "I-I'm Aqua." Rumble rolled his eyes. "Well duh, you were introduced in front of the entire class." Aqua blushed before chuckling nervously. "Y-yeah! I know I just... wanted to let you know to just call me Aqua." Rumble shrugged causing Aqua to sigh in relief. So far so good. He snapped back to attention just as he heard the teacher say, "Now, we're all going to say our names so Aqua Cloud can get to know us. I'll start, my name is Miss Cheerily." She gestured to a white unicorn filly in the front row. "My name's Sweetie Bell." The orange pegasus behind her was asleep and needed a quick tap to wake up. "Wah! Ugh, I'm up!" Cheerily shot her a look prompting a bashful smile. "Um... I'm Scootaloo." A pink and red filly was next. "I'm Berry Pinch." And then the yellow earth pony filly with a large red bow spoke with a strong country accent. "Ahm Apple Bloom, nice ta meet ya!" The introductions continued ending with Rumble telling his name and then everyone getting their pencils and paper ready (sans Scootaloo who was preoccupied sleeping.) "Alright everypony, today we will be having a brief safety announcement and lesson on how to avoid the danger of changelings." Upon hearing this Aqua immediately started paying attention. "Now then, what do you know about changelings." Sweetie Bell raised her hoof. Upon receiving the go-ahead from Miss Cheerily she launched into a quick description. "Changelings are shapeshifting monsters who feed on the love of ponies and try to foalnap ponies so they can replace them." Aqua winced at the word "monster." Another filly continued the explanation. "They look like gross, nasty bugs!" "Their evil!" "Their all bad and can't feel any emotions!" Aqua just kept drooping lower and lower. He wanted to speak up but then all the ponies in his class would be suspicious. "I think their really cool!" Rumble said. Everypony, including one changeling, stared at him in surprise. He shrugged. "What? If I were a changeling I'd turn into an adult so I didn't have to go to school anymore. And then I could be anypony I wanted to be. I could be Daring Do, or Princess Celestia, or even Soarin!" Scootaloo cheered, "And I could be Rainbow Dash and fly super fast and be just as cool as she is!" Cheerily cleared her throat. "Class, the reason we're talking about this is that changelings are dangerous! We need to be sure that you know how to be safe. Now then, until recess we'll be discussing how you can tell if somepony is actually a changeling in disguise and how to be safe around ponies acting strange." To say the lectur was uncomfortable for Aqua was an understatement. The amount of times the words "monster" and "heartless" were mentioned really made Aqua self-conscious. But not all changelings are bad, Mom's really nice to both ponies and changelings, and Dad loves her and she loves him. That proves changelings have hearts. Upon the bell ringing Aqua darted out the door on the verge of tears. "Aqua! Wait up!" Rumble shouted after him. He followed along as Aqua dashed off into the woods. ------------------------------ "I-I'm not a heartless monster! I-I'm j-just as much of a p-pony as *hic* all the o-other fillies and colts are." Aqua was sitting on a log staring into a small creek that ran through the forest near the school. Upon seeing nopony around he sighed before looking at his reflection. He sniffles as he saw the pony face looking back at him. He scrunched his face up before dashing his hoof through the alien face looking back at him. His disguise melted away as he broke down sobbing. "I-I'm not a monster, I'M NOT! I-I!" He started whimpering as he remembered what all the foals thought about changelings, about him. He froze when he sensed fear behind him. Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! I'm caught! He slowly turned to see a petrified Rumble standing behind him. Aqua started shaking in fear. He was going to be in so much trouble, he'd have to go far, far away and never see Cloud or Pandora again. And Pandora might get caught too! Why did he have to be the one to mess it up. Rumble continued quacking in fear. Aqua gulped, and that small motion caused Rumble to jump backwards and ram straight into a tree. "St-stay back! Changeling. You just st-stay right th-there and I'll go g-get an adult. A-and th-then I'm g-going to l-lock you up! S-so d-don't try anything." His speech slowly tapered off into an unintelligible whimpering sound. Aqua darted forward and got down onto his knees, forehooves raised into a pleading position. "Please Rumble! Don't turn me in! I'm not a bad changeling you've got to give me a chance!" Rumble pulled back a bit more. "B-but all ch-changelings are bad A-Aqua, M-Miss Ch-Cheerily said so!" Aqua started crying, sure his new life was over before it even got started. Rumble looked surprised, here was a changeling, a supposedly heartless monster, crying! He looked around, and upon deciding he could take a chance on this, gently patted him on the head. Aqua looked up. "Um... there there. I-I guess I won't tell anypony. If you promise not to hurt anypony." Aqua nodded fervently. "Oh yes! I want to be a pony! Not hurt ponies! I promise, just don't tell my parents." Rumble looked confused. "Wait, they know you're a changeling?" Aqua was about to say his mom was a changeling too, but caught himself. He nodded. Rumble breathed out, if Aqua's parents thought he was a good changeling, he probably was. "Alright, I won't tell anypony. But... can you turn into Soarin! I want a picture with a Wonderbolt!" Aqua shook his head, "I don't lnow what he lookes like, and ponies would wonder why you were meeting him in the woods." Rumble muttered something under his breath before shrugging. "Anyway, class starts soon, so we should head back. And I promise not to tell anypony about you being a secret changeling." Aqua nodded, "And I won't tell my parents I got found out. So, what do ponies do for fun?" The two trotted out of the forest and towards the school (Aqua in his pony form once again) and chatting about normal foal stuff, like hoofball, and comics, and how cool shapeshifting powers were. Rumble knew, this was going to be an awesome school year.