Chapter 2:
When a Dashibug Cries
By: Changeling Dashed
Dash awoke to see Celestia's sun rising up on the horizon, bathing the Changeling in warmth. She slowly opened her eyes and blinks looking out of the hole she dug. Slowly she crawled out of it and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. After feeling it was safe she moved out and stretched her limbs and wings. Hearing her joints pop a bit and snap back into working order. She let out a yawn, getting over the fear of nearly being killed yesterday.
"What was his problem, you think we were planning another invasion."
She huffed and shook her head once again ignoring the growls that came from her stomach.
"No time for breakfast, I have to find Fluttershy, I can eat then. I bet she has an entire town under her control by now."
Dash's mouth watered as she giggled thinking of all the love her sister had to have gathered up and stored for them. That was actually easy, simply trick everypony into thinking they love each other all the time and you have a never ending supply. Thought it was done only once, and the number of Changelings it fed was roughly.. Ten. However with enough ponies a changeling could have one for them selves. She giggled again and took to the sky like a black bullet, leaving a familiar Rainbow trail behind her.
"Fluttershy! Here I come!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flutterbug hummed to herself as she walked the streets of Ponyville. It had been a month since her presence was released to the citizens of the village. Many of them were against her staying, claiming she was a spy that would bring about the fall of Equestria. Others feared for their families sake and wanted nothing to do with her. However after Twilight wrote a letter to Celestia about the situation, Celestia herself showed up to put the ponies at ease by showing them Flutterbug was not there to harm them.
It took a lot of convincing from Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy herself to prove that the Changeling wasn't going to be feeding on love. Celestia was still angry at Chrysalis for attempting to invade her lands, and now a copy of her own Elements shows up. However Celestia admitted that Flutterbug was not a threat to her little ponies, and gave her a pardon, in case anypony had an idea to turn her in for finding a changeling. Luna wasn't convinced and requested Twilight send her constant letters each week on how Flutterbug behaved.
Twilight apologized profusely for the having to right the letter all the time, but Flutterbug waved it off saying that she understood. Her mom had instilled great fear into the ponies, to the point where many relationships broke apart for fear of dating a Changeling. However once the fear had finally died down to an extent, many of them got back together.
Flutterbug felt the eyes on her, she didn't bother hiding who she was, what was the point? She proudly walked through town with her changeling body, greenish yellow carapace, Purple pinkish main and tail, Insect wings upon her back, and a horn like Chrysalis's on her head. Her horn wasn't as big, but it was a staple mark that told other Changelings that she was different and favored by the queen. She had the eyes of the real Fluttershy, something Fluttershy liked about her. They both met and actually became very good friends. Seeing as they had so much in common, but were different enough to not be twins.
She looked around noticing some ponies scowling but leaving her alone, a couple smiled and waved to her, while many others simply ignored her. Best to be ignored than ran out of town right? She looked at the stores and found one she thought would be good to visit.
The Show Pony was emblazoned across a sign over the storefront. She blinked and found it to be curious, so she headed towards it looking at the outfits and hats displayed proudly in the window. She looked around a bit and then found the sign that read, "Yes We're Open," and smiled great big. She moved to the door and pushed it open only to be met with a pair of voices, one obviously a mare. The other was more like a Stallion that inhaled a bit to much helium.
"I know, but I can't simply ASK the princess that on Live air," said the Stallion.
"Why not? I think it's pretty legitimate and honest," stated the mare.
"I would rather ask Rainbow Dash such a question instead of Princess Luna herself."
"Then why don't you ask her then? I want to know the answer dang it!"
Flutterbug walked inside and looked around, the door chime was lost in the argument and raising of voices. Seemed to her that the Stallion was loosing, and bad. So she silently made her way towards them spying a brown Unicorn wearing a green vest, and green Shades. Upon his flank was a crisscrossed set of Microphones, and matching blue with light blue mane and tail. He looked to the side and she noticed that his face had a blue goatee upon it.
The mare huffed and moved to stand broadside to Flutterbug and she noticed that the mare was exotic in appearance. She had brilliant yellow eyes that looked to the Unicorn Stallion with radiant love for him. She had her Navy blue with green streaked mane in two buns, while letting two long streams of it flow around her ears, and down the sides of her face like waterfalls. Her tail was the same colors, and done up in a single bun to allow another cascading affect towards the ground. Upon her flank was what appeared to be a smiling doll of a flower, there was a button for an eye, and crossed threads for the other. A light blue bow was seemingly attached to pink frill that circumvented the rest of the seemingly creepy face. What appeared to be a mouth was turned in a smile with threading keeping it sewed shut. The mare had a sense of fashion as well, wearing hoofless leggings that were black with violet bows on the top and bottom keeping the leggins in place. She wore a collar like item that made her appear fancy that had black and a violet ribbon tied into a bow keeping it in place as well. Her Baby powder blue coat made everything else flow together.
Flutterbug gently stalked them, keeping silent and moving slowly as to not draw attention to her self. She watched the two with a predator like style keeping them both in her field of vision, lining herself up behind the Stallion. She raised her flank to the sky readying to pounce upon her unsuspecting prey. She waited a few more seconds ensuring they didn't notice her, and when the mare looked in the opposite direction, Flutterbug took the opportunity. She jumped into the air sailing with dignified grace of a killing machine. She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath as she descended towards the pair.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dash started to give up hope on finding her sister. After stopping by several towns, nearly getting killed yet again, and having various of unmentionable items thrown at her. She saw Equestria as an unforgiving place that hated her kind with a passion.
"Jeez you think mom had committed mass genocide here or something?"
She continued to fly across the land looking in any inhabited places for her sister. She was starting to loose hope when she spotted a small village in the distance. She looked at the oddly colored buildings and seemingly overly happy atmosphere of the town.
"I know she can't be there.. can she?"
Dash had checked Manehatten, and Phillydelphia in her journey to find Fluttershy. She couldn't pick up on where her sister was, nothing, nothing at all. This town ahead of her was literally her last hope at finding the sister she longed for. She was about to start forward when a trail of familiar rainbow colors streaked by over head.
Dash was watching the real Dash busy clearing the sky of clouds, watching the pony she was modeled after hard at work bucking the clouds from the sky. She was fast, way faster than herself. Knowing that, the Changeling Dash became upset and jealous of her faster counterpart. She huffed and took to the sky darting out and making sure to keep out of the view of the real Dash.
Once she had managed to avoid the real version of herself she found herself among the rooftops of Ponyville. She looked at the one she had made it to and blinked taking in all the color to it, She looked at the buildings, the grass, and the ponies. The amazing, so full of love ponies. Couples walking on dates, new love budding between filly's and foals, old love's that had been around for many many years. Her mouth watered and her stomach growled, but she kept her focus.
"No.. no time to snack, I have to find my sister, and get her home. Failure is not an option for me."
She looked around trying to spy her sister, darting from building to building. She started to give up and then got a new Idea. She looked up and decided a cloud would be the best place to watch this little town from. If her sister was here that would be how she found her.
The Changeling Dash hovered over the cloud and started to put her hooves down on it. Chrysalis used her magic to give them each minor traits of the original, the Pegasus could stand on the clouds like their counterparts. She gently set herself down and peered over the edge at Ponyville keeping her eyes pealed for the Changeling sister of hers. She was about to take a small nap with a whoosh was heard on the wind. She blinked and looked to a cloud across from her, spotting the real Rainbow Dash landing on it and then flopping down to start her afternoon nap.
"Darn it.. why did she have to be here?"
Changeling Dash looked around and tried to find a way off the cloud before the other Dash saw her. She kept stealing glances as if she was at war with the other one. Feeling as if she was pinned down behind a wall while a vicious predator lurked on the other side. Dash sat there for what seemed like ages, although it was only five minutes. She finally stood up and looked at her other self.
"I guess I could have some fun while I wait."
She smirked and started to fly upwards gaining a bit of height. She was about to do what no sane pony should ever to in their entire natural life. She was going to disturb Rainbow Dash's nap, and make it something to remember. She shook her body from the front to the back and pushed her wings out ready to take off. She danced a little bit getting ready to take flight. Slowly she lifted up into the sky gaining altitude before locking her magenta eyes upon her target. The cloud just under Rainbow Dash. She took a deep breath and let it out, pushing herself forward and bolting for the defenseless cloud. Her mane and tail creating the all to familiar rainbow streak as she narrowly missed the real Dash, hitting her target dead center. She continued on, looking back to see the cloud suddenly explode into the vapor it was, and the sight of a cyan Pegasus plummeting to the ground below.
Rainbow Dash had just started to drift into her wonderful nap, she started to drift away on the very cloud she rested. Tending to the sky's was tough work, especially when you did all you could to do it in under ten seconds flat. Why did she do this, why not? She won the Young Fliers Competition, performed the Sonic Rainboom twice, and was the coolest more awesomest pony in all of Ponyville. What more could she ask for other than to be Captain of the Wonderbolts. Well at this moment she was also asking for answers. For starters, where did her nice comfy cloud go, and second, why was there a familiar rainbow trail cutting through where it once was? She quickly recovered and flapped her wings following the fading trail to a small figure in the distance.
Now Rainbow Dash was mad, not only did this imposter ruin her nap, but now this pony was stealing her colors as well. This was not going to stand. She flapped her wings harder and barreled after the now distant imposter, gaining on the figure rather quickly. She was mere moment from catching the wanna be Rainbow Dash, when the pony suddenly did a 90 degree turn, straight down. Did she just get shown up? Oh it was on now! She quickly pulled out a turn she had been working on all month to get perfect. She quickly made an upward motion rolling over onto her back and then aiming herself towards the ground. She became satisfied that the turn was now smaller than the first time she did it. She felt the pull of gravity take her and push her faster than before. The thrill of the chase, the adrenaline of the speed hammering in her blood stream. She was having fun, that is.. until she caught sight of what it was she was chasing.
Changeling Dash was having a blast, she didn't see what it was she was doing wrong to be honest. Yes she messed up a cloud, so what. Rainbow Dash was racing her, and she could get the chance to show off what she could do. She made turns that a normal Pegasus would find nearly impossible, in which she thanked the bug like nature of her wings for allowing her to do that. She managed to keep away from Dash till she looked back and saw the disgust and anger on the Cyan Pegasus's face. She gulped and pushed herself faster hoping to set a lot of distance between her and Dash. She looked back with a look of panic upon her face scanning the sky for the original. Dash started to panic as she looked up and thought she saw the original above her. She slowed down a bit and decided to be cautious in her movements. She was breathing heavy, feeling weaker from the lack of feeding. Her mind tried to tell her to land, that she would be safer on the ground. She didn't listen, her mind was a blur asking where Rainbow Dash was, wanting to know where her sister was. What she didn't know was Rainbow was streaking straight for her, burning mad with anger.
Rainbow Dash saw the Changeling slow down and become confused. So she flew in the opposite direction putting distance between them. She angled upwards and gained altitude as well and hovered for a bit. She locked onto her target and tracked her, the small black dot against a massive white cloud. She growled a bit seeing the abomination and glared at her prey.
"Come into my skies, pretend to be me, AND ruin my NAP!"
Changeling Dash had broke all three of Rainbow Dash's personal rules. Rule 1: You do not try to show Rainbow Dash up, Rule 2: You do not mimic the Rainbow Dash and sully her good name, and Rule 3: You never, NEVER interrupt her hard earned naps. Well ok, maybe not "Hard" earned but they were her naps none the less. To add into all this it was a changeling, a rather stupid one that didn't even try to disguise herself. Then again maybe she did and only managed the mane and tail. Either way she was going down, and Dash was going to make sure she remembered her.
Changeling Dash looked to the sky and around her, eventually stopping and looking around confused. She couldn't for the life of her find where the original had gone off to. Maybe she gave up, maybe she just decided to let her go and found another cloud to take her nap on. She started to set her hooves down on a cloud and relax when she heard the distance whistling sound.
Rainbow couldn't believe her luck, her target had become complacent and relaxed. Providing her with the perfect opportunity to slam into the Changeling at full force. She could see the slightest hint of her about to form the cone that would signify her breaking the sound barrier. She smiled wide knowing the bug in front of her, was about to become a green smear across the white cloud.
Changeling Dash looked up and towards the sound seeing the original coming at her faster than she even thought possible. The Sight of her caused the Changeling to quickly become Rainbow Dash as her fight or flight senses took over. Her head chose flight as the threat became even more evident. She took to the skies flying away from RD as fast as her now Pegasus wing could carry her. She felt the wind whip past her face not daring to look back at the angry Pegasus. She only knew she wanted to get away, and hopefully not face the wrath of Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow watched the Changeling and to her horror she saw the bug change into her and bolt for it. That was the last straw, not she was really impersonating her and she was running away. Rainbow Dash never runs from a fight, and this Changeling was only getting under her fur more and more. Dash pushed herself harder, her wings had long since stopped flapping, the familiar cone forming around her fore hooves, her face pushed back by the shear wind force. Tears fell away from her eyes as she did her best to keep them open and keep her target within her sights.
The sky was calm, birds chirped their song to a hovering Fluttershy. She smiled and gave a gentle giggle watching her friends sing a lovely song. She turned to feed one of her squirrels, only to find the little critter looking skyward. She blinked and looked around seeing all her animals looking up and that had her curiosity peeked. She looked up in time to not only hear the earth shuddering boom, but the amazing spectrum of rainbow colors radiating from a central focal point. Then she witnessed the familiar line of rainbow cutting across the sky. Fluttershy simply smiled and shook her head gently.
"Rainbow dash is just practicing little ones, It's ok."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Changeling Dash found herself tumbling through the sky, screeching out for help. Her limbs flailed wildly around her as her vision was a blur of blue and green. Eventually become more green than blue as the ground was coming up fast. She flapped her wings trying her best to recover, trying to correct her flight path. The Rainboom had hit her hard sending her tumbling from the sky as a blurred Dash bolted past her. This was the first time Changeling Dash had ever heard or experienced, the intense color, the shear shock wave that slammed into her.
That was how she ended up in the shape she was in now. A screeching tumbling black mass heading towards the ground at an angle. She flailed one last time before he body found the ground with a sickening crunch. She bounced and rolled over in the air hitting the ground with another sickening crunch. Then she started rolling and sliding across the grass for a good few hundred feet. She stopped finally laying there knocked cold from the impact as she started breathing low.
Rainbow Dash finally slowed herself down and circled back scanning the ground for her target. The changeling that had not only broke her rules, but insulted her to no end. She kept her eyes peeled for the bug that was out to ruin her name, or she thought it was anyways. Why else would there be a look a like of her? She knew of Flutterbug, and honestly hated the idea of letting her roam free in town. However Celestia had told them to leave her alone, and Dash wasn't about to go against the order of a Princess. However this new look a like was free game, and Dash wasn't about to let her have the chance to run to the Princess for protection.
RD finally came across the body of the Changeling. She landed and quickly pinned the creature down staring into it's unconscious face. She snorted thinking the Changeling was pretending to be knocked out, thus furthering the insult. Dash didn't notice the severely busted wing, or the fact that her hind leg was starting to swell. In fact, the changelings entire body was covered in scraps, scratches, and had severe internal injuries.
"So, you thought you could just waltz in here, impersonate the coolest pony around, and then make her look like a chicken? You are pathetic, your whole race is pathetic. Know what, just because you are nothing to me, I should take you out like the rest of the Garbage!"
RD raised her hoof getting ready to begin pummeling the defenseless Changeling, when out of the corner of her eye she saw a pink blur moving faster than she dream of reaching. RD had enough time to brace herself for the inevitable impact of Pinkie Pie before she found herself and the Party Pony tumbling end over end away from the quarry that Dash intended to destroy. When the two came to a stop RD was looking up into the not so smiley face of Pinkie Pie.
"Dashie.. tell me you were not about to end that Changelings life.." Pinkies eyes seemed to plead for a no, but revealed that she knew it was yes.
"P... Pinkie." Dash looked away from the pony and refused to answer her. RD finally let out a sigh and slowly looked at the Pink pony, "You know that they will keep coming, if we don't stop them now they will..."
RD fell silent seeing the tears start to well up in Pinkies eyes hearing her close friend talk about the Changeling as if they were a plague. Pinkie rapidly shook her head and gave her a look of strong determination and hurt.
"Dashie.. how could you? You know that Flutterbug would cry, she would cry if you destroyed one of her sisters. Flutterbug is our friend now, so why can't you understand that?"
"She isn't my friend, she is a changeling, that one is a changeling. All Changelings are evil, especially the one that is on the ground over there. She looks like me, but doesn't act like me. Pinkie, how can you easily befriend creatures that kill ponies by devouring all their love!"
Pinkie remained silent as she stared at her friend, the pain evident within her eyes to hear her friend say such things. She wanted to turn and tun to Twilight and cry her eyes out, but she remained pinning the Pegasus knowing that Dash would jump on the Changeling if left alone. Pinkie remained silent as she looked back, only to find the space that had once held the changeling, was now Vacant. Pinkie moved off of Dash and looked around starting to panic.
"Oh no.. no no no no, Flutterbug is going to be sad. One of her sisters is in town, injured, hurt by one of my closest friends, and I haven't been able to throw her a party!"
RD just shook her head and then looked to town, she decided the only pony she could really talk about all this to was Twilight. Twilight would help put her mind at ease, the book smart pony knew everything about anything right?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This chapter went on longer than I had intended, but I have the Chapters preplanned. I hope you can over look the mistakes, and offer constructive criticism. The Rainbow Dash in this story is based off a version that is on the RP sight. I hope the flow is great, and I hope that you all enjoy the story so far. Chapter 3 will be up soon.