//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Forever a Changeling // by Scootaloo-009 //------------------------------// Forever a Changeling by Scootaloo-009, a.k.a. Mechsrule1 My Little Pony and related names, images, and scenarios are property of Hasbro Inc. Chapter 6         “Rrrgh. Mmmmph,” Twilight mumbled.         “Geeze, Twi, I didn’t know unicorns were so sensitive there,” Rainbow Dash, taking a brief pause to make a joke.         “Huh? What? No!” Twilight sputtered. “I’m just trying to use magic is all.” “Well I think I should be almost done,” Rainbow Dash replied. She gave the tasty substance a few more licks and was rewarded with a shower of sparks that lit up the inky blackness. “That was all it took, huh?”         “Just be quiet!” Twilight snapped.         Rainbow Dash then received a splash of cold water, dumped all over her. “Brrrrr!”         “I thought you could use a little cooling off,” Twilight said in a mocking tone. She repeated the spell several more times. Each rush of water washing away the goo, allowing them to move finally.         “That is so much better,” Rainbow Dash cooed, stretching her back like she still had wings.         Twilight pulled her legs free and stood up. She’d had enough of the darkness and cast a minor light spell, summoning a tiny orb of dim light that floated slightly in front of her. “Gah!”         “What?”         “Put my-your head back on right!” Twilight shouted, covering her eyes.         “Oops,” Rainbow Dash said. She was still Twilight’s clone, only her head was on completely backwards. A burst of blue fixed that. “We’re still not safe. They could come back at any moment and we don’t stand a chance at fighting them.”         “Then lets go,” Twilight said.         “Wait,” Rainbow Dash said. “We don’t want to forget him.” She led Twilight over to where the other unicorn was behind held. The scrawny white stallion was trapped similar to how they had been, but there was a large amount of uneaten food on the ground. Twilight summoned some more water and quickly freed the last captive. Rainbow Dash walked over and easily lifted the unconscious pony onto her back. “Do you know how we can get out?” Twilight asked. “Hmm,” Rainbow Dash said. She stood very still for a while. Finally she pointed in one direction. “That way, I think.” “How can you tell?” “There’s a very slight breeze coming from that direction.” “Really? I can’t feel anything.” “Weather ponies have to be extra sensitive to that sort of thing.” Twilight just nodded and the two began walking off in the direction she had pointed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         Great. A crossroad. Which way?”” Shining Armor groaned. They were still in the water tunnel but the group had to stop. The tunnel they were in was crossed with another. “Meadow Breeze?”         “Huh? Oh you were asking me?” Meadow Breeze asked. “I’m sorry it all reeks down here. I can’t tell.”         “We’ll have to guess then,” Shining Armor said.         *Burb*         “Spike?” he asked.         “It’s a letter from the Princess asking about our progress. How should I reply?” Spike asked, pulling out a blank scroll and quill.         “Tell her we’re following a lead. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were definitely abducted by changelings. No direct enemy contact yet,” Shining Armor dictated. Spike wrote it out and lit the scroll on fire. It turned into a cloud of green specs and flew away back through the tunnel they had come from.         “What was that?” Meadow Breeze asked.         “I send letters to ponies that way,” Spike explained.         “Can... can you send them to anypony?”         “Just friends I think. I’m still learning what I can and can’t do. Wait... hey, that’s it!”         “What’s it?” Shining Armor asked.         “Why didn’t I think of it sooner? I can send a letter to Twilight and we can follow it!” Spike said excitedly. He pulled out another scroll, scribbled something on it, and sent it. The wisp went down the right tunnel.         “We can’t exactly follow it but at least we know where to go,” Shining Armor said, leading the group after the letter. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         “Oh!” Twilight said. A scroll had suddenly appeared in front of her and landed on the ground. She picked it up with her magic and unrolled it. It had a short message on it.         ”We are coming to save you.                         -Spike and Shining Armor.         “She sent my brother to save us?” Twilight said out loud.         “I’d have thought he’d never want to see another changeling again,” Rainbow Dash said.         “That’s probably why the Princess sent him.”         “Then I should not shapeshift until we explain things.”         “That would be a good- woah!” Twilight said, scooting backwards quickly. Rainbow Dash looked and saw they were standing at the edge of a chasm. “I’ll give us some more light so we can see.”         “Don’t! They’ll see too! I’ll fly us across.” Rainbow Dash shrugged off the unicorn. She brought her wings back but they matched her current coat, making Twilight laugh a bit.         “So that’s what I would look like as a princess.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and instead took to the air, hovering over Twilight. She put her forelegs under Twilight’s.         “Just grab him, okay?”         Twilight mimicked Rainbow Dash and grabbed the other unicorn. Rainbow Dash then lifted her up. Her legs strained with the weight of the second pony.         “Go quick! I can’t carry him for long!” Twilight groaned.         “She said to the pony carrying both of them,” Rainbow Dash retorted. She quickly began flying them over the open spot to the other side. She made sure to follow the breeze she had felt. The path took her in an upwards direction. It was very disconcerting. She couldn’t see anything but blackness. She wasn’t even sure if she was even moving.         Just as I expected. Keep coming.         Soon enough the chasm ended and they found another piece of land. Twilight’s legs were burning by the time they landed. She rubbed them while Rainbow Dash once again shouldered the third pony.         “These caves are really nice,” Rainbow Dash commented.         “They’re hoof carved,” Twilight replied. “This place must be really old.”         “Yeah. I wonder how long they’ve been here.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         “Get lost kid.”         “I just want to know if Rainbow Dash came back yet!” Scootaloo whined.         The train station pony groaned again. “I don’t stare at every pony on every train that comes in here.”         “But she’s very noticeable!”         “Isn’t she a pegasus? Maybe she flew into town or something.”         “Well... yeah... shut up!” Scootaloo stormed off. She left the platform and walked through Ponyville. She never wanted to see Rainbow Dash more. She barely paid attention to the throngs of ponies around her.         “Bye, mommy,” said a nearby filly.         “Bye, Muffin. I’ll see you after my second mail shift.”         “I need to figure out a way to be there when Rainbow Dash comes home. I can’t fly up there. I need somepony to fly me up there. But they won’t do it if they know why I’m doing it...” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         As they moved, Rainbow Dash kept her senses active. She wanted to know as soon as possible when they were near the surface.         “Wait,” she said suddenly.         “What?” Twilight asked.         “Can you take him? He’s starting to get heavy,” Rainbow Dash said. Twilight nodded. She moved closer. When they were close, Rainbow Dash whispered in her ear. “Be careful. There’s something up ahead.”         “Like what?”         “I’m not sure. I got a signal a second ago but it’s gone. They might be repressing their emotions.”         “That means they’re expecting us,” Twilight whispered.         “I have since I discovered you were free.”         Twilight and Rainbow Dash jumped in fright as a bright light illuminated the area around them. Sitting a few feet away was a giant queen changeling with a purple shell and a pale red mane.         “Uhh... run?” Rainbow Dash suggested.         “I wouldn’t advise that. My guards will capture you in seconds,” the queen said. “I see you have freed that first pony. Maybe you can talk some sense into him and get him to eat again.”         “What?” Twilight asked.         “I don’t want him to die but he refuses to eat.”         “You... you actually care about his safety?” Rainbow Dash asked, confused. “But you attacked us! Foalnapped us!”         “I’m very sorry about that but I have to do what I have to to protect my hive. I’m sure as a queen, you feel much the same.”         “I’m not a queen,” Rainbow Dash said. Then she slapped herself in the face.         “Then you are the most independent drone I’ve met. I am Queen Capas and this has been the home of my hive for as long as this city has been around.”         “And since I’m invading your territory, you’re going to kill me, right?” “Don’t concern yourself. I was going to send some of my drones to let you go but you went ahead and did it yourselves.”         “You were going to let us go?” Twilight asked.         “It all started with that idiot Chrysalis!” Queen Capas roared. “What was she thinking, attacking? We survive by being subtle. By remaining in the shadows and out of the minds of most ponies. But no, she had to go and try and take over a whole city. Then what was she going to do? The rest of Equestria would fight them off if Canterlot couldn’t. She is an idiot who ruined everything for all of us! Then he showed up. Trying to root out my little changelings. I... I panicked and had him brought down here. I thought I could reason with him. But he stopped eating, then you two showed up, and now the royal guards are here. It’s over. And all because of that one stupid queen.” “I knew my brother and assistant were here, but the guards too?” Twilight exclaimed. “At least twenty, with more to come, I’m sure.” “You’re going to use us as a bargaining chip,” Rainbow Dash accused. “If I left you down here, you would likely perish before they found you. We know these caves by heart but we won’t be here to help them find you.” “Huh?” Twilight uttered. “We’re leaving. Fighting Canterlot would be a waste of life on both sides and would only result in my loss. We will find a new home rather than fight,” Queen Capas explained. “No,” Rainbow Dash declared. “You don’t have to leave.” “Rainbow, they kind of have to,” Twilight said. “No, they don’t. Right now the only ponies who know there are actually changelings down here are us and him. If we stop your brother before he gets down here, we can just say we got lost in the city.” “That would be a huge lie!” “Sometimes you have to lie to protect the good in the world,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Look at this place. Like she said, it’s as old as the city. They’ve found a way to live in peace. The pony’s will never accept them being here, but if they don’t know, they can stay.” “We have always been careful. My drones go up into the city to collect the ambient emotions the citizens give off. That way we don’t end up hurting anypony, physically or emotionally,” Queen Capas added. “And they’re kind of like its protectors. As long as they’re here, they can stop other hives from moving in. Another hive might not care about the safety of the city but they do,” Rainbow Dash finished. “They still attacked us.” “But they didn’t hurt us,” Rainbow Dash countered. “They could have easily killed us, but they didn’t. Twi, think of how many ponies could get hurt if we don’t hide the fact they’re here.” “I don’t like the idea of lying to everypony. Even Celestia can’t know. But I do agree. It’s the right thing to do,” Twilight said after thinking for a moment. “What do we do about him?” “Erase his memory, duh,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’d have to replace it, not just erase. It would be too easy to undo my spell and having that big of a blackout would be a red flag.” “Just make him think he went to a rave and passed out. We can say we found him in a gutter.” “That might not be possible,” Twilight said sheepishly. “To make a convincing false memory it has to be something you’ve experienced yourself, or at least know well enough. I’ve never been to a rave.” “A bar then.” “I’ve never been to a bar either.” “A party with beer?” Twilight just shook her head. “Have you at least gotten drunk once?” “Is Sweet Apple Cider alcoholic?” “Twilight, we let fillies drink it, of course it’s not.” “Then no.” “We’re going to change that when we get back to Ponyville. For now... can you use me?” “If you’re sure... I’d rather not be blasted again.” “My birthday, three years ago. You’ll have to change the setting and perspective, but that shouldn’t be too hard, right?” “I’ll be careful. Let me know if I go too far and I’ll stop.” Twilight grabbed Rainbow Dash’s head and gazed into her eyes. Rainbow Dash looked back, unable to look away. Suddenly she was flashing through her memories. The experience was similar to how it had been the last time. It seemed slower this time, like Twilight was nervous, but that was obvious enough. “You can go faster,” Rainbow Dash said, unsure if she could hear her. “You need to go three years back.” The tape of her life continued to rewind itself. In a matter of seconds, two years had zipped by and now the images were slowing down as Twilight pinpointed the right memory. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Rainbow Dash was sitting on a barstool, listening to some lame bad playing in the background. In front of her was a trio of empty glasses, soon to be joined by the fourth in her hoof right now. “Dash, are you going to sit here all night or are you going to party?” Rainbow Dash looked to the side and saw her beaked best friend looking at her. “You know me. I party the rest of the year, but this day I reserve for just getting drunk.” Gilda rolled her eyes and climbed onto the stool next to her. “Dash, you’ve got to get over it. You do this every year and it’s not cool.” “Like you have any idea what it’s like,” Rainbow Dash muttered into her drink before taking a swig. Gilda grabbed her by the shoulder and forced Rainbow Dash to look her in the eyes. “I should beat you for saying something so stupid. You know I lost my little brother this year! It was his first hunting trip and he got himself gored by a wild boar right in front of me. Four years ago, my uncle was killed by a dragon. I miss them alot but you don’t see me replacing them with cheap cider.” “At least you still have family,” Rainbow Dash growled back, swatting the talon away. “How about instead of getting wasted, you do something productive. You should do something to remember them other than drinking half the cider in Cloudsdale.” “Yeah I could become a carpenter and make houses that don’t fall in on themselves!” Rainbow Dash shouted before finishing the glass and waving for another. “You’re a pegasus, downy brain. Try being a weather pony.” Rainbow Dash actually nodded. “That’s not a bad idea. You’ll have to remind me when I’m sober.” “If you’re going to waste the whole night in a bar, you should at least have some fun and not waste all your bits. Let’s go hit the dance floor, find a couple of gullible colts and get them to buy us drinks.” “Ditch them, find some more, repeat,” Rainbow Dash agreed, smiling. “That’s my Dash!” Gilda cheered. “Just a sec,” Rainbow Dash said, grabbing her fresh drink. She held it and became very serious. “To you guys. If you’re looking down on me, you might want to look away for the next few hours.” Then she chugged the cider and joined Gilda. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         The real world returned and Rainbow Dash saw Twilight holding the other unicorn’s head. His eyes were open but they were dull and stared straight ahead. Her horn was glowing as she gave him some false memories.         “Hey, do you have our stuff?” Rainbow Dash asked the queen.         “It’s around somewhere. You,” she said, pointing into the darkness. “Go get the belongings of these three and bring it here. If you can’t carry it all, get another drone.” The drone just flew off without any acknowledgement of understanding.         “Hey, I was wondering, is all changeling goo magic proof?” Rainbow Dash asked.         “Changeling goo?”         “That stuff we were stuck in.”         “That’s not goo, that’s solidified emotion.”         “No wonder it was so tasty,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Do all emotions work?” “There is no functional difference between what emotion is used and the result. We use frustration and related feelings for ours so the trapped being produces more, though we rarely ever have to use it. Most hives can make it, but ours includes special enzymes that repel magic. It’s our hive’s special ability. That and we’ve developed excellent night vision down here.” “I’m guessing all hives have a special ability then.”         “As far as I know. I’m not sure what they all are, though, they tend to be secretive. I know Chrysalis’s changelings can create a protective barrier of magic, Ovi’s can read the deep desires of ponies, Sereat’s hive can imitate pony like creatures like mules, zebras, and hippogriffs, and Pravore drones can swallow ponies whole to use as a portable food source. Those are the only ones I know off hand. You don’t have to share yours if you do not wish to.”         “I don’t have any idea what it is,” Rainbow Dash replied, shrugging.         “Let the rest of your hive know they may use these tunnels as a safe house if they need to,” Queen Capas said.         “They won’t need it. I have no idea where my hive is, if it even still exists.”         “I’m so sorry.”         Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight, who was releasing the other unicorn. “I’m fine with my friends. They’re so awesome I should be too fat to walk.”         “He thinks he met a nice filly at a bar, she just used him and left him in an alley. He tried to go after her and fell down a storm drain and blacked out. It’s foggy which will be ideal to convince him,” Twilight said, joining them. On cue, two changelings arrived, carrying their belongings.         “Then lets go meet your brother before he stumbles in here.”         “I am very grateful,” Queen Capas said. “Because of you, we can keep our home. If there is anything I can do for you in return, let me know.”         “Just don’t make me regret lying to Princess Celestia,” Twilight said.         “You, carry her. You, carry him,” Queen Capas ordered. Two changelings flew over and picked up Twilight and the other unicorn. Rainbow Dash shifted into her normal form. “Take them to the south tunnel. And quickly.”         “And if you hear any word about my hive, let me know. I live over Ponyville,” Rainbow Dash said before following the four drones and two ponies. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~         If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:         My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.   The Seven Tribes, a rather long fanfic that, like many stories, tries to explain the past.   Samurai Applejack, a drastically different kind of story. It’s rated mature for violence and some suggestive lines.   Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s my most popular. It’s just one chapter long.         The end is in sight. Not that soon, but I only have about 3 more chapters planned out. It depends on how long they end up being, so it may be more. There is only one more arc remaining after this one ends is what I’m saying, and it won’t be just Twi and Dash alone together next time.