//------------------------------//
// 06 - Suidar 
// Story: The Changeling, The Filly, and The Library 
// by Cxcd 
//------------------------------//

He wasn’t sure if he was dead yet. At least, not yet.
He wasn’t quite dead, and he wasn’t quite awake, either. He was no longer soaked to the core, his chitin being completely bone dry. But, despite this, he was still extremely cold, shaking to his core as the tips of his hooves became awake and he pulled the blanket he found closer to himself.
When he was there, laying on the ground, soaked to the bone, and watching a Pegasus tower over him, he was confident it was the end of the road. That he wouldn’t wake up again. That would be it for the Changeling. The end of the line, closing of the book, and life would go on without even noticing that he had ever existed in the first place.
But instead, Radius creaked his eyes open, his mouth dry and parched and eyelids heavy with sleep.
There was a bright orange blurry glow somewhere in front of him. For a moment, that was his entire world. Something that looked like it should be warm, but was instead seemingly hesitant to give out any warmth to the freezing foal. He pulled the blanked tighter to his chin, suddenly aware that he was shivering.
He flinched when there was a sudden voice nearby. He quickly shut his eyes, and although he was still shivering, tried his hardest to stay as still as ponily possible. There was two voices, and from the sounds of it, they were arguing.
“You can’t keep the thing!” There was a flutter of wings, hooves hitting the floorboards, and through his eyelids, he watched the glow dim as a pony crossed in front of the flames.
“He’s only a baby!” A soft voice said, quiet, and desperate. “I-I couldn’t leave him out there, all by himself!”
“It’s some kind of bug-monster-thing!” The first voice shouted. “What if it tries to hurt you in your sleep, huh? It’ll try and rip your eyes out!”
“You can’t know that! He was covered in mud, crying, and bleeding. A monster wouldn’t cry like that. He’s harmless.”
“Crying? It was crying? How do you know it wasn’t faking it? It could’ve been faking it!” She stomped her hoof on the floorboards, making Radius involuntarily flinch from his sofa. There was a moment of silence as he felt eyes cross over him, but a second later, they went back to talking like they hadn’t even noticed him.
“He has a wound on his side. It’s… really bad. Why would he cut himself and then try and trick me?”
“I don’t know!” She shouted. “Why do you think it’s a baby, huh? I’ve never seen a baby with… with fangs!”
“So what?” There was a sigh, and more clicking of floorboards as one of the ponies approached the couch Radius laid on. Gently, a hoof caressed his head. This time, he didn’t flinch, instead tensing up at the touch. “Plenty of babies of species have fangs.” She said softly. “These fangs aren’t full grown. If I had to guess, he would only be… maybe a little older than Applebloom, or Sweetie-belle.”
“Look- I get it’s small, but just because it’s small doesn’t mean it’s-”
“Would you leave Applebloom outside in the rain?” She cut her off sharply. “If you saw her crying, out in the rain, would you turn away?”
“That’s not fair, and you know it.” She grumbled. “Plus, Applebloom can’t even talk. If you say this… thing was talking, then it’s like- a good few years older than Applebloom, at least.”
There was a silence in the room as the pony next to Radius kept caressing his head softly.
“Maybe they just age differently.” She eventually responded. The second pony just simply sighed, and not two seconds later, the two began to bicker once more.
Suddenly, without any warning or any time for preparation, sleep washed over him once more. His head became all of a thousand bricks as he felt his muscles let go, his head resting deeply onto the plushy surface. The world fell away, and he fell asleep.
Radius blinked back to the waking world.
The coldness was gone. Completely evaporated like it was never there to begin with. The bright orange flare turned into a silver alarm clock sitting innocently on his nightstand, ticking away without a care in the world. There was no ponies discussing his fangs, or his age, and he was instead alone, in his own bed, and comfy.
Radius blinked slowly, filling his lungs with fresh morning air. He mumbled something that sounded vaguely like a threat to the sun as he pulled a random pillow closer to his chin, burrowing his face deeper into it.
And then he waited.
And waited…
Something was… missing.A crucial component to his morning routine that usually ended in a burst of rage, and sometimes something being smashed. Yesterday it was the mirror, in a thousand pieces still yet to be cleaned on the floor. Usually it was the alarm clock, however.
Oh, right.
The alarm clock.
Radius grumbled once more, barely opening his eyes as he glared angrily at his bare nightstand. It was right where he had left it the previous day, still badly abused from it’s detour with his mirror. But it was still clicking. But… no, that wasn’t right. Somehow, the arms of the clock weren’t where they were supposed to be. They had long passed where his alarm should’ve been set, and-
Oh.
He had missed his alarm.
A disapproving frown formed on his face as he looked deeper into the alarm clock’s face. The glass of the clock was scratched and forming deep cracks all along it’s fragile surface from yesterday’s outburst. Yet it was still whole enough so he could see himself reflected. He shot his own Changeling body a glare. He reached his holey hoof out of the blanket and tilted the alarm in such a way so it wasn’t facing him anymore, and he could no longer see his own reflection.
He felt better now. Of course, he had missed work. That was a given. But, for some reason, he just didn’t care.So what if he had missed his work? He had never missed it before- that was sure to give him some leeway, right? He turned on his bed to face the ceiling, pulling the blanket up once more and fluttering his eyes closed.
Why didn’t he care? He wasn’t exactly sure. But that’s okay, right? All he needed was one long night’s sleep, and he would be set for the next century and a half. That was, of course, assuming that he lived that long. But he didn’t know. He was an unidentified Changeling who could live for half a millennium, or just long enough to pop round to the shop and back.
He began drifting back to sleep, into that surreal landscape. He could even hear voices, as faint as they might be. Maybe if he slept hard enough, he could finally figure out who those two ponies were.
*Knock knock knock knock!*
“Hello? Anypony home?”
Radius flinched like he had been electrocuted, his blankets flying off in random and erratic directions as his hooves scrambled to get himself off of his bed. He was in danger.
Somepony was at the door. Nopony knew where he lived, unless they stalked him on the way home. And he sure as hay wasn’t the type of pony to willy-nilly give out his address to complete strangers. His address was his and his alone, and if somepony had his address, that meant they had to get it through completely official means. Official means governing body. Government meant the guards. Guards were outside his domicile. That was the only way.
Staples finally hit the floorboards with a dramatic thump.
*Knock knock knock knock!*
“Gah! I’m coming!” He shouted, looking down at his hooves. The fact that they were holey in some areas were quite annoying, even though that was how every Changeling was. Blankets seemed to seep into these holes, tangling, and restricting his movements at they tied tighter than the strongest filly-scout’s knot. With an annoying huff of hot air, and a burst of common rage for his early-morning routines, the blanket completely dissolved under the intense heat, leaving behind a pile of ashes on the ground around him, and a very familiar looking Unicorn.
The entire world had turned blurry around him. His glasses were… somewhere. Guards being at the door meant one thing: somepony needed to make sure he was a real pony. He wasn’t even sure how he had messed up along the line to let it slip. It could’ve been his outburst at Sugarcube corner, or the fact that the owners of the bowling alley had finally reported him for the disaster he had caused. Whatever it was, his brain was now shifting into full panic mode.
He trotted to the kitchen table, where he had last left his glasses. He smartly put them onto his muzzle, adjusting them until he could properly read the text on last week’s newspaper.



‘Changeling Death Penalty Passed in Congress, Vetoed by Princess Celestia.’



It was only a matter of time. And if he was caught, then he would be one of the first Changeling’s on the chopping block. His face formed into a frown as his eyes re-read the title. The title had been printed by the printing presses up in Canterlot, waiting for an excuse to gossip and sell papers.
How? How had he been found out?
Could it be…
“Twilight Sparkle?” He whispered to himself, his eyes glossing over. “She figured me out… she… she did it.” He could almost see the visions appearing in front of him. The smart psychopath. She had probably been poking and prodding him during his visits to the library, making up her mind whether or not he was a threat. The photograph of the white and pink Changeling must’ve been the breaking point.
“Stupid… bitch!” He seethed, reaching his hoof up and knocking the newspapers loose. They floated to the ground in a heap, along with a few other loose photographs. He stared at the headline angrily, covered by multiple papers and photographs, until it was only reading ‘vetoed by Princess Celestia.’ His sneer deepened as he turned towards the door.
It had been a number of years since he had last fled town. He wasn’t even sure if he’d ever find another town like Ponyville. He supposed he could return to an old town he had visited, but by now, security must’ve tripled since his last visit. Plus, he would have to come face-to-face with the ponies he had once wronged in the past.
Ponyville was supposed to be his perfect home. It’s documentation, centuries out of date, had let him slip in easily. Other towns weren’t so easy. Life would easily return to hell for him.
It was over. It was over, and he was done.
He had his cake, he had eaten it, and now his luck had run out. Changeling checkpoints littered Equestria. Ponies in Canterlot were trying for the death penalty, and it would soon be over.
*Knock knock!*
The door to the outside seemed much more imposing and intimidating than it had ever been in his entire life. He was already disguised, already had his glasses on, and although his hair was uncombed and slightly messy, when wasn’t it messy? He took a deep, calming breath.
If he was going down, he wasn’t going down without a fight. He was going to at least try.
He slowly creaked open the front door, just wide enough for his eye to peek through the slot. At first, he was confused, as the pathway leading up to his house was completely desolate. Was this some kind of ambush? Were ten Pegasi guards flying above his house, ready to pounce? Who could’ve been knocking?
And then, he looked down.
Two fuscia eyes stared back at him, magnified by the thick purple glasses that sat upon her snout. One of her lenses were cracked, splitting her eye in half. Her hair was a bright orange, very similar to Radius’s own disguised, if only a little more on the pink side. Her fur was a tan, and she suddenly began to look very familiar.
The filly took a step back, away from the door. She observed him through the crack closely, as Radius did right back at her. He slowly pushed the door open more and more, only to get a better look at the filly on his front doorstep.
“So…” The filly slowly said, adjusting her glasses nervously. “You’re the… Changeling…”
A metaphorical stake of alarm pierced through Radius’s heart. He stumbled backwards, back into his own home, and landing onto his flank. The filly merely watched him with morbid curiosity.
“To be honestht, I thought you would be scharier.” She said. Radius’s breath had significantly picked up the pace, his eyes wide. “Why do you wear glathsess? Can’t you justht… wisth away your bad eyesight?”
“H-How did you figure it out?” He said quickly. “P-Please don’t tell anypony!” He quickly scampered onto the floorboards, leaning low to the ground and practically begging the little filly. “I’ll do anything!” He hadn’t ever sounded this desperate in his entire life. But, fortunately, the filly no longer seemed to be scared of him, taking a few hesitant steps forwards.
“You saved me, shilly!” The filly said, rolling her eyes. “Remember? I’m shorry for… kicking you in the face.” She laughed nervously. “And I’m shorry for… stumbling… into the river. That whas my bad.”
“What are you talking about?” Radius raised his head from the floor in confusion. As far as he could tell, the only river he visited was the one that ran through town, and even that was only in passing. “What river? I saved you from what?”
“Don’t you remember?” She asked with genuine confusion. “The river. I fell into the river, and you pulled me out. I… kinda passhed out afterwards. B-But I’m really thankful!”
“What river?” He said once more, standing up. “Kid, I’ve never met you before in my…”

The filly had a cream coat, similar to his own. Her mane was curly, like his, but a deeper red instead of Staple’s orange. Her Cutiemark was that of two candy canes crossing each other.

	Her hoof suddenly slipped off of the rocks she had been resting on moments before. She slipped. Right into the river.

	“I-I didn’t mean to… It was just… I scared her by- by accident, and, uh-”

“Princess Luna.” Radius said out loud. He looked up blankly into the sky, which for him was the ceiling, and sighed out slowly and heavily. The filly watched with curiosity. “Princess Luna… knows… I’m a…”
And then he promptly passed out.
He hit the floor with a thunk, and burst into orange flames as his consciousness slipped away. Now, instead of Staples, was Radius, the terrible black Changeling.
The filly stared, awkwardly stepping into the house and closing the door behind her.
She poked the Changeling with a hoof.
His skin felt weirdly… crinkly. Like an ultra-durable cookie sheet.