//------------------------------//
// CH 6 (some learning) 
// Story: Accepting Change 
// by drFraud 
//------------------------------//

Patchwork

 

‘I’m not normal.’ I think that while in a body that’s a hybrid of a changeling and pony, with a human mind.

The reason for that is the information that has been given to me by one of the researchers I have been dealing with.

To summarise what is known about changelings and how it pertains to me.

Several centuries ago, a pony named Ruinous Mind (‘there is a name only ponies can ignore’) ran into a changeling and managed to ‘subdue’ it. After that, he’s done some extensive studies on the body and magic of the poor bug-pony.

What was found out is that changelings are quasi-golems. Golems are beings created by magic and given agency by their creator. Changelings are beings created by magic but given agency by themselves. They are fully functional ‘flesh golems’ with malleable bodies, which allows them to change shapes at will. If there are limits to it, we have yet to discover them.

They are essentially their own beings, creating a race produced by magic. I knew their origin from the comic, but whether it was correct or not is up to debate.

What was noted is that changelings possessed no recognizable organs, such as the brain and a heart, but they did have them. Their purpose is only clear now with ponies studying me. But while I do have some of those ‘strange’ organs, I have recognizable pony organs as well.

What was, however, recognized in changelings is a set of four cores. Three for magic and one, large, heart-shaped core in the very center of the body. The same core I possessed.

Some pony scientists and biologists practically creamed themselves when they found that same set of cores inside me, and it took me an hour of questioning until I got the answer for it.

Golems, by design, need a core. That core consists of all the nuances and spell matrices required to not only power the artificial consciousness but to also keep it functional, and reactive to its masters orders. Without that core, all you have is a pony-shaped lump of whatever you made the golem out of (I was told that there was even a metal golem at some point, but it did not last long).

With changelings, however, not only can they be recognized as organic golems, but their core is so advanced and so complex, that most of the ponies just about had an aneurism.

Celestia was called, as was Arch-mage Spell Scroll, and I was given an extensive list of questions that bordered on lunacy.

Such as: how did I come to life, who is my master, and, best of all, are my morals just.

It’s like they completely forgot that I have appeared in Equestria less than three months ago. Seriously, what is with ponies… they can jump from one emotion and state of mind to another in the span of seconds… it’s dizzying.

At the end of the day, both Celestia and Scroll apologized, with Celestia even admitting that she got swept into all the nonsense by accident and the other ponies got a stern talking to for starting all of this in the first place.

The examinations afterward were done with White Light and/or Scroll present for most of the day in order to prevent the flighty species from starting another panic. It was later found out that the pony that started this all was a young newbie mage that was studying golemancy; he did not know I was from another dimension.

So, all that being said, the conclusion is I’m not normal. I’m a quasi-bio-golem that is a combination of a pony, changeling, and carrying a human brain (I know what a human brain looks like, I have seen their scans, pony have a different brain structure).

Also, on top of extra organs (to process resin, magic, and emotions) I have extra bones in several locations, not counting my claws which were different compared to usually segmented hooves ponies and other ‘lings have (pony hooves are split into four, digit-like segments, which was something I found very surprising), and lastly my teeth are sharper, and my eyes slit.

My magic also received attention.

I have learned over the course of five days that pony magic relies on micro-vibrations generated by the unicorn horn that reacted to surrounding energies. After four explanations I got the gist of it.

How it works is as follows, and I was so immensely giddy when I managed to use magic myself, even though I suck at it for now.

First comes the intent. A pony must have a clear focus of mind to know what his spell needs to do. Be it intent to lift, attack, burn, or any other intention.

After that comes the micro-vibrations. Unicorns have a name for those vibrations, but the translation spell laced into the walls of the room had difficulties translating it… as well as some other words (ponies have several different terms for ‘friend’: blood friend, old friend, new friend, family friend, etc.). Anyway, those vibrations serve two purposes, to gather the local magical energies to the horn and to draw on the inner energies of the unicorn.

Once the necessary level of energy has been reached (a ten-to-one ratio of outside to inner magic) a spell is then introduced via the conscious effort by the caster using one’s thoughts. The spell can be a simple as levitation (or arcano-kinesis) to more complex as teleportation. I was told that there were formulae, but I opted out of that conversation. I am not ready to face the math of magic. Fuck math, and the professors that had no patience to explain it.

Anyways…

After all the three steps have been achieved, the spell is then cast; and because some spells were so simple, an explanation such as ‘focus on the object and the intent’ was all that was necessary.

Changeling magic was no different, apparently.

I can levitate light objects with no problem (the buzz of my horn was barely noticeable even when I focused on it), but anything more complex was utterly impossible for me. For now.

Changing shapes was also a challenge, and though I was familiar with the show itself as well as its fandom, shapeshifting was never explained. So, I had to learn on my own from the ground up… At least the mages offered to help.

 

Celestia

 

I heard the door open and close.

I raised my head from the scrying orb in front of me and spotted my wife coming in my office with an easy smile on her muzzle. She approached me with a skip in her step.

“Wat’cha gots there Sunshine?” She said, giving me a gentle kiss. One I savored for all its worth.

I pulled her towards me with a wing and gave the top of her head a nuzzle.

“Just keeping an eye on our little changeling.”

“Pfft…” My shield shook her head. “You knows this colt is almost as old as me, right?”

“I know my dear,” I looked at the orb again, he was practicing his flying right now. “But with the way he behaves, one tends to forget such information. It’s what makes it so easy to like him.” I said with a giggle. It is true; he doesn’t act his age, and he’s also eager to help, kind, modest, and protective. It pains me that such an individual was robbed of his home by somepony like Spark Hoof.

A sharp, but gentle poke on my side stopped those thoughts, and I looked down on my wife.

“Tha’ bug-colt’s gonna be fine, Sunshine. Ya gots’ ta’ stop being such a mother hen, ta’ him. It ain’t yer fault that he ended up where he did.” She gently caressed my jaw with her hoof. “Ya ain’t the guilty one, love,” my Shield added with a whisper.

“I may not be the guilty one, my love, but I feel guilty nonetheless.” I sighed. “While it’s not my fault that he’s here, it’s still my fault in part. That mirror is mine, those records Spark Hoof used, are mine… I may not be the reason he’s here, but he is still here because of me.” I looked down. Shield was looking at the scrying orb, smirking at Patchworks’ attempts at flight. He has gotten decent with his wings, but still, there was much to be learned.

“Does it bother you, my Shield, that I wish to make his stay as comforting as possible? That I’m trying so hard to make it as pleasant as I can?

After all, we have put in this prison, and have kept him here for months now.”

“Maybe, Sunshine.” I saw her looking up at me, from the corner of my eye. I saw that horrendous tattoo as well but have chosen not to mention it for now. “But if ya keep an eye on ‘im any more than tha’ im gonna starts tha’ think youse will try to adopt ‘im.”

I snorted at that, shaking my head with a smile. She was pulling my wing, of course, she did.

The thought of adoption did not cross my mind… Not yet anyway. And even if it did, he’s old enough to make his own decision. During our regular meetups, he hinted at nothing but friendship. And I am very much ok with it. While I have adopted in the past, and will in the future, it does not mean I have to adopt anypony that comes up… Even if they can be as adorable as this one.

We watched as the hybrid tumbled and tripped while trying to fly. He kept getting up every single time, determined to succeed.

 

Patchwork

 

I flipped the phone in my claws, trying to figure out how I can use it, without damaging it with my claws.

We came up to the point where their curiosity over my, and other, devices became too much. They did what they could to figure it out, but now they came to the only expert they knew.

The first thing I told them is to charge both devices. My laptop wasn’t fully charged yet, but my phone was. I don’t know how they did it, but they did. I will not question providence.

There were five ponies with me, watching my every move with barely constrained excitement. I did not bother with their names, I knew too many ponies to begin with, and my memory would ensure that I would remember them anyway. All of these ponies rotated on a regular basis, and I’ve yet to see some of them more than twice, maybe.

Anyways… I finally decided to try it.

My fingerprint scanner wouldn’t work (‘no fingerprints, duh’) but my code will. I turned on my phone and typed in the passcode as gently as I could. It seems that luck is on my side, as I managed not to scratch the screen.

I was surprised that my phone was undamaged when they gave it to me. I expected that my arrival and the portals’ collapse would at least crack the screen, but there we go.

“Look at that,” a grey-furred mare spoke behind my back.

“Astounding.” Came from my right.

“If you guys are surprised by this simple showing you will have a heart attack by the end.” That got a chuckle out of them.

Still holding my phone, I walked over to some of the small tables that were set not far from us. Putting the phone down, I waited until they were all ready.

There have been quite a few changes to my room these days. The construction of my ‘apartment’ has started as well as setting up of all the equipment they wanted to use on me. I even saw a giant hamster wheel, but I was told that it has its purpose. I did not like it one bit.

With all the construction and setup going on, there were tables EVERYWHERE. So, we took some of them and have been using them for the past couple of days.

“Right,” I started when everyone settled down (‘I refuse to use everypony, even at others insistence’) “Who wants to start?”

“UH! Me, me, me! What does this device do exactly?” A dark-pink mare asked.

It was one of the first questions asked, and I already had a headache. How do you describe something like a smartphone to someone that has never seen or heard about it? To us humans it’s a mundane, everyday object with use so wide it replaced just about every piece of tech we possessed.

“That is such a broad question for a device such as this.” Was my response. It became very obvious that it did nothing to them as they have all looked confused.

“What do you mean by that? Surely a device like this has some function that distinguishes it from others.” Indicated Wiped Calculation. I liked his name, so I ‘remembered it’.

“Maybe in the original creation, sir.” I turned towards the stallion. “Originally this device was made only for long-range communication. But over time its components and utility advanced to such a degree, that this,” I poked my smartphone with a claw, “has over ten functions in it.”

“Ten!” was a unanimous gasp.

“I find it hard to believe such a small device can do so much.” Scoffed a strawberry-colored stallion.

“Find it hard all you like, but just to prove it. I will show you.”

Picking my phone up I blew their collective mind. Videos, games, pictures, texts, calls, calculator (that got them really excited for some reason), music, voice recording, notes, and lastly my small personal library (which got them even more excited). One after another, the more I showed the more their eyes glazed over with possibilities. By the end, most of them haven’t even moved and I had a victorious, toothy smirk, on my muzzle.

The rest of the day proceeded in the same manner once my laptop was fully charged.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I stepped into my new home… of sorts.

The apartment was the first construction to be finished and I got to bask in its ‘glory’

Immediately upon opening it, I gasped at its size. It wasn’t massive by any means, but It wasn’t small either. I saw five different doorways straight from the entrance, which opened up into a spacious living room.

I turned my head to see other ponies setting up some last pieces of equipment, noting that none of them have been paying attention to me.

I wiped my claws/hooves on the welcome mat and entered the apartment, closing the door behind me.

The walls of the living room were nice leaf green, giving the room a bit of a darker feel like one was in a shade of a tree, and I loved it – my, still new, instincts going wild. It contained one large sofa, a couch, a coffee table, and a large bookcase that was currently empty all in nice light brown color.

There were also some plants strewn about, hanging off the wall by a fixture… despite me saying I do not need them, nor want them.

Absorbing the room for a moment I decided to head left, to the closest doorway.

The doorway ended up leading into a darkened kitchen (‘oh sweet, sweet horror game memories’). I turned on the light next to the doorway and gave the kitchen a wide overview.

A table, four very low chairs with cushions on top, a fridge (‘I think’), an oven, sink, some drawers, and cupboards along with a decent free area I could use between the fridge and the sink. The floor and walls were tiled with light green tiles on the walls and white (‘is that marble from the outside’) marble on the floor. The furniture was brown except for the olive-green fridge.

Turning off the light and leaving the kitchen I trotted over to the second room, spotting the light in the bathroom and a separate toilet (‘why?’).

The second room I entered was the bedroom, with a massive four-poster bed, two nightstands, and two chest drawers (‘hopefully not the one I nibbled on’). The thrice-cursed alarm clock was on the farthest nightstand, and I had half a mind to toss the darned thing out… I barely held myself in check. The room was also in greens and browns, and I was noticing a trend. I did not like it.

Don’t get me wrong, brown, and green are nice colors, but they aren’t blue and pink. Oh well, at least it felt homey.

The toilet and the bathroom were next, and while sparse they held all the necessities I required, such as a toothbrush, soap, and towels. I immediately jumped into the shower and sighed gratefully at the water cascading down my body.

I had fun watching the water bounce off of my various plates and drop like waterfalls. It was relaxing and for a moment I forgot where I was. I desperately needed this, and I felt all my troubles temporarily wash away along with the grime and sweat of the day.

After the shower, I looked at the last door confirming it to be a small broom closet along with the said broom and a few other things I needed to keep this place clean.

A loud knock startled me, as I was passing by the main door. I took a deep breath to settle my heart and opened the door.

“Heya bug-colt. How you likin’ the new crib?” Captain Strike asked, entering the apartment without an invitation. I guess she is partly responsible for it in a way, but it’s the principle that mattered.

“I like the ‘crib’,” I said closing the door behind her after checking for any other guests.

I heard her rummage through the kitchen, and upon inspection saw her drink some water from a tall glass, holding it in her hooves. I noticed that her forelegs were bare of any pouches and pockets others usually wore. I never saw her wear anything other than a small pouch around her neck.

“Sorry ta’ barge in like that. But I’ve been thirsty for an hour now,” she said, pouring another glass full. “Also wanted to talk to ya’.”

“What about?” I walked over and sat at the table, dropping my head in my left claw. I turned to Shield who sat next to me, glass in tow.

“There is this filly… mare, called Little Zap that wants to meet ya’. And we need to introduce ya’ to two other ponies as well. Circlet Ball and Quill Swift.” She gulped down the last of water like a shot of alcohol.

“Why?”

“Little Zap is our foremost expert on tech, and she and her team want you to explain as much as you can about the… wat’chu call them… ‘gadgets’…” she shrugged, “yea, gadgets. Anyway. She is about a month away from Canterlot, so we have ta’ wait a bit.

Circlet Ball and Quill Swift will be your teachers.” Strike got up from the table and poured another glass of water, talking all the while.

“Circlet Ball will teach about your body a bit more… social stuff and tha like. What tha do with yer’ ears and tail. It’s the stuff you need to learn since you weren’t born as… ya know.” Sitting back down she took sips of her water this time. She didn’t speak for a few moments, like she was lost in thought.

I cleared my throat and she jumped slightly like I startled her. ‘I think she needs a break’

“Right, sorry, Patch. Got lost in the ol’ noggin.” She laughed.

“What about Quill Swift? I’m guessing language teacher.”

“Right on the bit, bug-colt. Quill will be teaching ya Equish since the translation spell cannot be kept on the wall indefinitely. Also, eventually, ya will want ta’ leave this place, ye?” She pointed the, now empty, glass at me before nodding and standing up.

Yeah, I wanted to leave this place eventually. I told Celestia as much when we talked a few days ago during our regular meetups. She also confirmed that, as soon as they have all the info they need, that they will let me out into the wild outdoors.

“So, when do I meet these ponies?” I asked watching as Shield Strike started to leave, exiting the kitchen. I decided to follow after her.

“Soon-ish. I’d say give it a day or so till we organize it.” Strike opened the door and turned around towards me. There was a glint in her eyes.

“Enjoy the quiet days bug-colt. It’s only gonna get busier from now.”