“Z-978 does not want to leave! What if Carrot Plate comes back? There is no hive, there is no Train Wreck, who will take care of Carrot Plate if she comes back?” The colorful young changeling asked sadly.
“It’s gonna be fine, Z.” Deadlift reassured her. “Me and you are gonna go to Baltimare while the others go on ahead to Las Pegasus. I promise, we’re gonna find out what happened to Carrot. But you have to be ready to accept what we find.”
“Carrot Plate is alive! Z-978 knows that she is alive!” Z countered definitely.
“I hope your right, Z, and I promise, we’re gonna find out for sure.” The pale horse smiled sadly. “I just don’t want to get your hopes up too high. The reports say they’ve identified all the survivors and… we’re gonna find out, one way or the other, I promise.”
“May the cards show mercy on our journey.” The Blind Goat Bleated as he tossed a small bundle into his long neglected show cart. “We’ll travel together as far as Ponyville. From there you should be able to purchase passage by train without drawing any undue royal attention. The sun shines brightest when it sees it’s own shadow, and I fear Decanter will not be safe for us any longer.”
“Mom,” Candy Apple looked uncertainly between the tavern that had always been her home and the ragtag caravan of carnival freaks, “Are you sure you can run the Belfry on your own?”
“Luna’s Ghost in the moon, dear,” Caramel Apple laughed easily, “It’s past time you left home with a proper carny! If spendin’ our youth with our flanks planted in one spot was in our blood we’d be apple farmers. You go and you take good care of Billy. Next time I hear word, it better be about the greatest act in Las Pegasus, ya hear?”
Mother and Daughter shared a tight embrace as the girls of the freak show wet about their practiced routine of preparing to move on for the next town.
=-=-=-=-=
“You were right Moth! They’re really gonna do it!” A happy voice bubbled from a disembodied smile.
“Of course I was right, dear niece. Being right about what makes ponies and changelings tick is what I do after all.” The older changeling chided.
“I feel bad about lying to Z, though. She really liked Chitin!” The younger changeling mused. “And he was nice. Are you sure Night’s gonna behave herself?”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head, Thirteen.” Moth smiled gently. “Your sister knows I’m the only thing keeping her out of Celestia’s dungeon… or worse if the rumors I’ve heard about Diane have any truth. Our little love struck guard will wake up in an alley with a bad hang-over, a broken heart, and no idea how he came by either.”
“It’s too bad, though. Chitin was really nice.” Thirteen hummed a little tune to herself. “Serves him right though for pervin’ up on my big sister like that!”
“No Thirteen, Chitin didn’t do anything wrong.” Moth scolded her young ward. “He just stood in the way of what has to be done. That was a masterful performance, however, you should be proud of yourself.”
“It was weird, pretending to be Not-Pinkie-Pie.” The invisible filly giggled shyly.
“Well you did a wonderful job!” Moth’s words filled the young mutant’s heart with pride. “Now how about we go get some ice-cream, and if you can keep a decent filly disguise the whole time I’ll take you to the redlight district and let you find a wicked pony to play with...”
-=-=-=-=-
“Stop it!” Diane slapped the blue pegasus hard across the face. “I don’t care how many spoilers you pull out of your stupid plot! I know who you are! Stop doing this! Why are you saying things just to hurt me!”
“Diane, I’m not trying to hurt you!” The former human shouted angrily. “I never wanted to hurt you! I… dammit, Diane, I was shitty failure of a person in my world, and I played a shitty failure of a god in yours. I thought I was doing right, but in the end everything went to hell. You don’t belong here, Diane, but I do. I just don’t know how to get you out.”
“Damn you, Charlie! I’m tired of this! You keep on throwing everything away for me, like it’s so important that you love me, well it’s not! Do you hear me buster?!?!” Diane fumed, her razor teeth snapping in the colt’s face with each word. “Is that all you think I care about? Do you think I just follow you around through all this… insanity… just for your stupid, icky love? Because your love smells funny, mister! And it tastes like depression and self loathing!”
“Diane, I…” His words were cut short by another hoof to the face.
“I’m not finished!” The changeling practically spat in his face. “You know what else I’m tired of? All these damned pony-forms! You wanna be the text? Then explain that one to me! What? You’re a pegasus colt now, so that makes the whole weird dynamic okay? Over and over we’ve played this out, what’s it supposed to be, Charlie? Am I your waifu, or are you gonna play uncle daddy? You’re the text! So tell me, how being a giant tentacle monster and adopting me made things less weird than marrying me? Or was that just all about you wanting to be with Pinkie Pie?”
“Diane… it was…”
“Just a story Charlie? Just like Iam Noone was just a story? Because if you're just making up stories, why be with some stupid broken changeling, right?” Diane swung her stinger in the colts stupid, blue face. “One sting and I could make you love me! I could make you love me the way you love HER! The way you love anypony but me! Is that what it takes, Charlie? Is that what it takes to make assage your stupid guilt complex?” The changeling collapsed, defeated and emotionally deflated. “Because it’s just not worth it. I don’t care if you love me anymore, Charlie. I love you, but you just don’t want to believe that. And I don’t know what else I can do to convince you that I don’t want your love, I just want to give you mine.”
Their eyes met, and something exploded.