//------------------------------// // Chapter 64 // Story: To Be a Changeling // by PlagueRat //------------------------------// Rarity, standing in front of a large empty display window, anxiously chewed on her bottom lip as she stared off down the street, looking for her missing employee. “I do apologize,” the unicorn seamstress said to the annoyed mare beside her. “Sassy is normally a very punctual pony.” Idly tapping a hoof, Miss Bygone, was a no nonsense pegasi well into her golden years. With her gray mane tied back into a tight bun, the shrewish mare viewed the world through a pair of silver framed spectacles and had the look of somepony who had just caught a strong whiff of flatulence perpetually locked on her face. She was also the building’s current owner. “But I suppose we could get started without her,” Rarity added when the mare harrumphed and give her a displeased sideways glance. As Miss Bygone turned to unlock the weathered door, which desperately needed to be repainted, Rarity privately wondered if all landlords were such difficult ponies or just the ones she had the pleasure of dealing with. “Well, come on in,” the elderly pegasus said, waving a wing in the direction of the open portal before traipsing inside, “I ain’t getting any younger.” Biting back a quip, Rarity cast one last glance down the street for Sassy and then entered the building. “It’s a little hard to see in here darling,” commented Rarity, looking ahead at the pegasus. “Is there a light switch?” “On the wall by the door,” answered Miss Bygone, stopping in the center of the room and showing no indication of moving let alone turning the lights on. Rarity fought back the urge to roll her eyes at the old mare’s attitude and used her magic to flick up the switch; but the bulbs must have been very old and only provided a merger amount of illumination. “Oh dear, it seems your bulbs are dim,” Rarity noted, receiving a suspicious glance from Miss Bygone. Small puffs of dust kicked up in the unicorn’s wake with each step she took across the room; and, only after creating a furrow with her hoof in the debris, could Rarity see the lightly colored maple wood flooring hidden beneath the layers of grime. Some youths must have broken inside at one time or another because most of the walls had been covered in graffiti. Surprisingly, the ceiling and floor had been spared and none of it appeared to be vulgar. “It seems some vandals have made their way in at some point,” Rarity said as she inspected the peeling wallpaper. “No, it’s always looked like that,” snorted Miss Bygone. “Really?” The unicorn quirked her eyebrows. “How long did you say the store’s been unoccupied again?” “It’s been vacant for about eight years now,” answered the pegasi. “May I enquire why you’ve waited so long to sell it?” ask Rarity. “Taxes,” scoffed the pegasus. “My aunt left the place to me but since I have no use for it, it doesn’t make sense to keep paying the taxes for it.” “Oh, well, I’m terribly sorry about your aunt's passing,” Rarity said sympathetically, moving across the room to check out a cluttered display case made of wood and glass.   “I ain’t,” said Miss Bygone as if they were talking about the weather. “She was a real delinquent and her loose morals was a stain on the family name. Probity left me the place just to roil up my blood one last time.” Taken slightly aback, Rarity couldn’t help but turn to look at the senior with surprise at her lack of compassion for her relative. “I know it’s none of my business, but what could she have done that was so uncouth?” the unicorn asked as she perused a few scattered pieces of paper on top of the display case. “She was one of them ‘punks’,” complained Miss Bygone, “had her mane all spiked up and everything. Wearing a leather jacket with spikes on the shoulders and had her body pierced in all kinds of places. Completely disrespectful and distasteful.”  While the old mare continued her diatribe, Rarity cleared the dust from the papers in front of her, revealing them to be old photographs and concert fliers. One picture in particular caught her eye and the fashionista couldn’t help but smile at the grinning pink pegasus mare in it. With a tall black mohawk and her forelegs playfully draped around the necks of a laughing griffon and a zebra, the memento was a beautiful testament to the life of a unique individual. “Oh now what in Equestria is going on?” snapped Miss Bygone, stomping over to the display window. Rarity pivoted her attention to the sight of a frightened herd of ponies running past the store. A few within the stampeding crowd noticed the old pegasus watching from the window and must have assumed the previously closed store was now open. They quickly scrambled inside to take refuge despite Miss Bygones angry protests. “What do you hooligans think you’re doing!?” Miss Bygone demanded to know. “The changelings are attacking!” a mare cried out, pointing a hoof back toward the way she came in. “Changelings?” Rarity balked, peering outside and searching the area. “Yeah, long blue mane, crooked horn, holes in her hooves,” a stallion elaborated. “She tossed around a couple of foals and flew off,” explained the mare, “now there’s another one shooting magic and flying all over the place!” “Long blue mane and a crooked horn?” questioned Rarity, “You don’t mean Chrysalis do you?” “No, she’s really tall right? This one was way shorter,” said the stallion, lifting his front hoof up to the bottom of his barrel. “About this high as far as I could tell.” “Well I don’t see no buggy changelings zipping about, so get,” barked Miss Bygone, trying to shoo away the newcomers. Rarity let out a gasp as a dark shape streaked across the sky, followed by a squad of pegasi dressed in police uniforms. A second later the unicorn put a hoof up to her mouth, having a sudden realization that the absence of Sassy Saddles’ and the appearance of changelings could very well be related. “Miss Bygone, I am sorry to so rudely cut our meeting short like this,” Rarity said as she rushed out the door, “but I need to try and locate my missing friend!” It had taken some coaxing, but eventually Pupa explained what had frightened her so immensely; or at least she tried to. Expressing the nuances of her experience was plainly difficult for the nymph and she acted rather self-conscious as she revealed the ‘vision’ she had. The queen listened patiently the entire time, while showing no outward signs of judgement, as her daughter described strange creatures that walked on their rear legs and the environment they dwelt in; and only spoke once the nymph had finished. For her own part, Bristletail stayed out of the way, standing by the sheds single window and periodically checking on the outside world through a hole in the curtain. Occasionally she would peek over at the royal changelings, feeling slightly awkward as she unintentionally eavesdropped on the fantastical tale the young queen chronicled.  “Have you had any other vision before?” Chrysalis asked even though she already believed to know the answer. “Yes,” Pupa quietly admitted, her eyes focused on her front hooves as she nervously rubbed her frogs together, “but they weren’t like that one…” “Could you tell me about one?” the queen requested. Pupa paused for several heartbeats before nodding and going into a subdued retelling of her encounter with the ferrets while at the princess of friendship’s school. Apparently the sight and scent of the weasel-kin had triggered a vision; and that vision also seemed to impart knowledge of the little beasts upon her as well. “I’m sorry,” Pupa whispered once she finished. “Sorry for what?” Chrysalis asked. “For being... all messed up…” sniffed the nymph. “You are not ‘all messed up’,” said the queen angrily, causing her daughter to peek up, “and don’t even say something like that again. Understand?” The nymph started to lower her gaze again but the queen cupped a hoof under her chin and tilted her head back up. “Pupa, you are a changeling queen,” Chrysalis said, putting power behind her voice, “and as a future ruler you need to be strong. You can’t let some, visions, make you feel inadequate.” “Do you know why I’m having them?” Pupa softly asked. “I’m not sure,” Chrysalis conceded after a long pause, “but we’re going to figure it out.”