//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // 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 10         Applejack yawned and stretched as she awoke. Her legs were stiff and sore from the hard mattress, but she felt good. She looked out the window and realized that if she had been home, she would have said she had gotten up late. Celestia had risen the sun already. She looked over at the other two beds in the room.         It seemed hard to imagine anypony could share a room with Pinkie, given the amount of stuff she had in Ponyville, but this room had apparently contained Pinkie and both of her sisters for years. It was plain with just three wood beds and white walls. The whole place was like that. If Applejack could name a place that was the exact opposite of Pinkie Pie, it would be this house.         PInkie Pie was already missing. Applejack could hear her downstairs, doing something, but she couldn't make out the noises. Rainbow Dash was up as well, curled up in the fetal position.         "Mornin' Rainbow. How did yah sleep?"         Rainbow Dash looked over with a pained expression. "I shouldn't have eaten dinner," she groaned.         "It was pretty good. What's yer problem?"         "I haven't eaten food in weeks. I wasn't sure what would happen, but now I know what happens: pain."         "This wouldn't happen if yah just ate," Applejack said.         "But if I don't, then I don't have to spend half my paycheck on food."         "What were yah eatin' bahfore that was that expensive?"         "I'm exaggerating, okay. But food still costs bits. This way I have more to save."         "Well it's yer life."         “Which may not be very long. I feel awful.”         “At least yah ain’t goin’ hungry,” Applejack retorted.         Rainbow Dash paused as she thought about it. “No, I’m not. And good thing too, I’m not getting anything off of them. At least we can be sure there’re no changelings around here. There’s no food for them!”         "Girls, I made breakfast," Pinkie announced, bursting into the room. Rainbow Dash groaned, but Applejack chuckled - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         "Good morning, Rarity," Twilight greeted, entering the Carousel Boutique. She saw Rarity hard at work as always on a dress, though this one was familiar. It was Rainbow Dash's Galloping Gala Dress, but Rarity was busy nearly pulling it apart. "What's going on?"         Rarity jumped slightly. "Oh, I didn't hear you come in. I get so focused sometimes..."         "It's no big deal. I was just wondering if you had been able to mend my bed sheets."         Rarity was quiet for a minute, trying to remember. "Oh, right, from the other night. I'm sorry, but I haven't gotten around to repairing them yet. I'll get on that."         "There's no need to rush yourself. It's not that important, I have more than one set," Twilight said.         "Well alright, but I will try to get to it today."         Twilight looked the dress up and down but was at a loss as to what Rarity was trying to do. "Why are you working on Rainbow Dash's dress?"         "Well it's to match her new abilities. She may just be getting used to them, but I think she will eventually feel comfortable with using them. I'm trying to make her dress work with any kind of pony so she can shapeshift while wearing it. The trick is to get wing holes that don't look like wing holes without the wings there. I haven't quite got it worked out," Rarity informed Twilight. "And don't get me started on trying to make the wreath look good with a horn."         "How about an illusion spell? You could enchant a jemstone and hide it on the dress to power it. It could make the dress look whole," Twilight suggested.         "Oh, Twilight, magic isn't always the answer. I must do this as a tailor. No outfit can be beyond my ability to make. I will figure this out."         "Then let me get out of your hair."         “Actually, that does give me an idea. Do you think you could enchant a clasp to open when she shapeshifts?”         “Maybe. I don’t know anything about changeling magic, and there may not be a difference when she sprouts wings or a horn.”         “Mark my words, Twilight, I will figure this out.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         After Applejack and Pinkie Pie ate, the three piled into Pinkie's balloon. They brought their stuff with them. Rainbow Dash was pretty sure the trip would only take a couple hours, but they insisted. The air was favorable and even with the three of them and their stuff, they moved quickly. It only took them an hour before the terrain began to look very familiar to Rainbow Dash.         The mountains looked different than they did in her vision, but that was because of the different seasons. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were surprisingly quiet. Rainbow Dash spent the time by hanging half out of the basket and gazing out at the scenery.         "Hey! There it is!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Her friends perked up and leaped to the side to join her in looking.         "That mountain?" Applejack asked.         "Yup. There's a cave about half of the way up."         "The forest is too dense to land there. I'll have to land the balloon in that clearing over there and we'll walk there," Pinkie said. She began fiddling with the balloon control and they slowly descended. When they were close enough, Pinkie pulled out a giant anchor out of nowhere and heaved it over the side. It slammed into the ground, yanking the basket downwards a few feet. Pinkie than wound the rope up, pulling them in.         "Where did you get that from?" Applejack asked.         "And wouldn't it weigh the balloon down just as much inside the basket as outside?" Rainbow Dash asked.         "I keep it in my portable hole. Stuff inside it doesn't count towards the mass of this universe,” Pinkie said. The basket was just inches from the ground so Pinkie tied the anchor rope up and gave it a tug to make sure it was secure.         "Uh huh," Rainbow Dash and Applejack said together, just nodding.         The clearing was deceptively close to the cave from her vision. The forest was humid and the day was hot so they were all pretty sweaty from the short half mile long walk up the mountain. They kept walking up until they hit a cliff face. It was only a few yards high and covered in foliage that hid it well. Rainbow Dash knew the cave would be along it.         It was a few more minutes before they came to a gaping hole in the cliff face. A yawning black hole extending far into the mountain. It was definitely at least partially dug out. The opening was far too smooth and rounded to be natural. Rainbow Dash sniffed the air and caught the distinct scent of Sweet Apple Cider.         "This is it. I'm positive," Rainbow Dash announced. “Girls, I think you should wait out here while I scout it out.”         “We came this far, we ain’t leavin’ yah now,” Applejack declared.         “Yeah. Why are you trying to leave us behind?” Pinkie asked.         “Because you might get hurt. We don’t know if my hive is friendly to ponies or not. They could try to capture you and keep you here forever,” Rainbow Dash said. “Fine, come along, but you have to promise that if things start to go bad and I tell you to run, you run.”         “I’m not leaving you behind,” Pinkie Pie said firmly.         Applejack nodded to Rainbow Dash. “Ah promise. And Ah’ll make sure she gets out safe, too.”         “Good. Let’s go.”         "Wait," Pinkie said.         "I have to go in there, even if it’s dangerous. No matter what I find. If I don't, I'll spend my whole life regretting it," Rainbow Dash said.         Pinkie rolled her eyes and pulled three yoke lanterns out of her saddlebags. "I meant wait until I got these. It's really dark in there."         "Oh. Good thinking." Pinkie slapped the lanterns on them and lit them. They weren't proper yokes, but fit around their necks snuggly with an oil lantern on each side. Without a unicorn they didn’t have a source of magic to illuminate things. They could have held flashlights but this freed up their mouths. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and entered the cave.         The inside was just as dark as they expected. The lanterns were a blessing. They wouldn't have gotten far without the bright light they cast. Six beams of light bobbed up and down and moved about the walls as they went on. They moved slowly and deliberately in the dark interior.         "Do you feel anything yet?" Pinkie Pie asked.         "Huh?" Rainbow Dash mumbled. Her mind was on other things. It took her a second to realize what Pinkie was talking about. "Er, I, uh.." she turned on her pony sense. She had almost forgotten she had turned it off when they started this leg of the journey.  "No. There's nopony here I can tell, though I know changelings can hide their emotions."         "So they could be anywhere in here," Applejack said.         Rainbow Dash took another step and put her hoof right into something soft. "Oh, gross!" She backed up and leaned down to cast some light on it. The floor had a small pile of blue goo on it.         "What the hay is this?" Applejack asked, tapping another pile near her.         Rainbow Dash watched her, then stepped in some more goo. It easily gave way to her hoof. "Huh."         "It doesn't taste any good," Pinkie complained. She was busy licking a glob of it on the wall. “It doesn’t really taste like anything.”         "Pinkie, whah would yah just lick something yah found on the wall of a cave?" Applejack shouted, pulling Pinkie away. “It could be poisonous!”         "It's okay. It's just solid emotion. It’s kind of strange, the last time I saw this stuff, it was solid, not soft like this. Still, this means we must be getting close. There are definitely changelings here," Rainbow Dash explained. She shifted into her changeling form, just to be safe.         “This stuff is hard as a rock. What are yah talkin about?” Applejack asked.         “See?” Rainbow Dash replied. She scooped some up and balled it up. “Really soft.”         “See?” Applejack retorted, kicking some. “Really hard.”         “Maybe it’s because you’re a changeling,” Pinkie suggested.         “Maybe. This just means we’re getting closer.” Rainbow Dash let the matter drop and continued on.         Rainbow Dash rounded the first bend and there she was. A changeling queen with a blue shell and a light purple mane stood in the cave. The mane stood out because unlike the other changeling queens she had seen, this queen's mane was not a thin membrane. It was solid, albeit with some holes, but it still looked very similar to how Rainbow Dash's did. She didn’t seem surprised to see them, in fact, she seemed to be waiting for them. “Hello, child,” the queen said.         “I don’t believe it,” Rainbow Dash said, dumbstruck.         “Believe it. Welcome home. I am your Recarn, your queen,” the queen said.         “Hi!” Pinkie said, giggling.         “Howdy,” Applejack greeted.         “So... you... you left that egg shell there so I could find my way here?” Rainbow Dash asked.         “Yes.”         “Why?”         “So if you found out what you were, you could find your way home. I do this for all my children, though you were a slightly unusual case.”         “I... who am I?” Rainbow Dash asked.         “That is for you to decide,” Queen Recarn replied.         “Yah know what she meant, don’t get all philosophical,” Applejack said.         “We came here for answers,” Pinkie added.         “Fine. Maybe an explanation will clear things up,” Queen Recarn began. “You are probably aware I am a changeling queen.”         “We figured that out,” Applejack said         “As you can see, my hive is rather empty. This does not mean it is small. Like all hives we have a unique ability. However this is more an entirely different way of living. While we have the body of a changeling, we each have the heart of a pony.”         “What? I don’t get it,” Pinkie pie said.         “Is that why I have feelings? Why I have these memories?” Rainbow Dash asked.         “Yes.”         Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead. “So... if I’m not Rainbow Dash... then who am I?”         “You are Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said.         “You’re still our friend,” Pinkie said.         “You really are her,” Queen Recarn said calmly. “Have you examined your fangs closely?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Well they are unlike other changelings fangs in that they are hollow. Because of that we are able to take out everything that that pony is and make them into a changeling.”         “Er... what?” Rainbow Dash asked, cocking her head to the side.         “After a nymph hatches, I let it grow here until it is big enough, I then go out into the world. I seek out a foal who is sick and dying. I then give them a new chance at life as one of my changelings.         “In one such time I happened across a tiny earth pony village that had just been hit by a terrible storm. I was on the outskirts when I found a poor filly that had been crushed beneath a tree limb. I used my nymph to save her, then moved her to where she could be found. I spotted a search party and joined them to make sure she was spotted. I found the filly, who had awoken, so we helped her find her way home. However her family had perished that day.         “This had never happened before. I was relying on her family being able to feed her. I was going to bring her to the hive with me. I would be able to think of something then. But then one of the ponies in the search party said they knew of a place to bring the filly. I couldn’t risk exposing myself so I instead told them I would stay behind to notify the townsfolk of what had happened.”         Rainbow Dash sat there, wide eyed. “That... that was you?! But... then why do they think I’m dead?”         “I went back to your old body. I intended to hide it or bury it in a family grave if I could locate one. I try to be as respectful as I can in these kinds of matters. However when I returned, some of the villagers had already found the body. There was nothing I could do at that point. I could not reveal what had happened so I was forced to depart.         “I did not know where the ponies had gone so I could not find you. I had intended to give you a way to find me like I do with all my children but could not. I was forced to wait until the family was laid to rest when I placed part of the nymph’s eggshell there so that you could find it.         “And it seems like that filly has found her way back here,” Queen Recarn finished. “And she has friends even in her new body.”         “So... just what am I?” Rainbow Dash asked.         Queen Recarn sighed in annoyance. “You are the heart and mind of the pony Rainbow Dash in the body of one of my changeling nymphs.”         “So you just... turned me into a changeling? Why didn’t you save my parents?”         “I only had one nymph at the time, and it doesn’t work on the already dead. There are limits.”         “So what happened to the changeling in this body?”         “There was none. Our nymphs are born empty, capable of only the most basic of bodily functions. They have no soul of their own.”         “Does that include you?” Applejack demanded.         “Yes, just like the queen before me and the queen before her. I was once a pony but I ascended into this form. I’m not actually sure how this all started. Not that it matters any more.”         “So I am Rainbow Dash. All my memories of my parents... They’re real...”         “As real as my memories as a foal until I fell out of an airship and was saved by the previous queen,” Queen Recarn said.         “See, Rainbow, yah had nothin’ tah worry about,” Applejack said, putting a hoof on her friends shoulder.         “This has been a huge relief,” Rainbow Dash said. “Thank you for explaining it. And saving my life too, I guess.”         “Are we going home together?” Pinkie asked.         “Yes. I can’t wait to tell Twilight the truth.”         “You can’t,” Queen Recarn said. Rainbow Dash looked at her, confused. “You may not tell anyone what I just told you,” she said authoritatively.         “What, I can’t tell my other friends that-” Rainbow Dash stopped. It was like the words had caught in her throat. She began gagging.         “What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked, rubbing Rainbow Dash’s back.         “I... I don’t know. I was just going to say-” The words caught again. She couldn’t say it. All she wanted to do say was she was a pony who had been turned into a changeling but she couldn’t. No matter what she tried the words would just not pass her lips.         “What did yah do tah her?!” Applejack shouted.         “I am her queen. She is physically incapable of disobeying any order I give her,” Queen Recarn answered.         “That stinks,” Rainbow Dash said.         “Well we can still tell them,” Pinkie said.         “That was another thing. I cannot allow you to leave,” Queen Recarn said. She said it so calmly but it didn’t stop the three from shivering in fear.         “What!” Rainbow Dash growled.         “We won’t tell nopony about this. We promise,” Applejack said.         “I can’t take that chance. Take them to an empty chamber, stick them to the wall so they can’t escape, and keep them there until I have suitable replacements,” Queen Recarn ordered.         “What?” Applejack exclaimed.         “I cannot allow any to know of our existence. We have survived for thousands of years because of this,” Queen Recarn explained.         “But ponies will come looking for us! They know where we went and they’ll come here! When they find out what you’ve done, they’ll get you!” Applejack shouted.         “They won’t. I’m not going to kill you, merely make you two into my children. Then I order you to never tell about me, and everything will be fine.”         “Except we’ll be dead!” Applejack yelled.         “You will be reborn, better and more beautiful. You will be able to fly and use magic. Don’t tell me you would refuse such gifts.”         “It would be cool to shapeshift,” Pinkie agreed. “It seems like so much fun.” "Ah was born an earth pony and Ah'll die one," Applejack snapped.         “You don’t have a choice. Take them, Rainbow Dash,” Queen Recarn ordered.         “But-” Rainbow Dash began. She went to turn around, but instead her body began moving towards her friends. It wasn’t like she couldn’t control herself, but she was unable to do anything but what she had been ordered to do. “Girls, run!”         “We’re not leaving you here, Dashie!” Pinkie declared.         “I have to do what she says!” Rainbow Dash shouted, straining to stop or turn. She could just see the entrance around the corner. They could easily make it outside and to the balloon. “But that doesn’t mean you girls can’t run! I’ll be fine! Just go!”         “Stop talking and get them, drone!” Queen Recarn commanded.         Rainbow Dash’s mouth slammed shut. Rainbow Dash wanted to cry out, to protest, but her jaw remained firmly closed.         “Stop it! Can’t you see she doesn’t want this?” Applejack begged.         “What a drone wants is irrelevant compared to the needs of the hive. You will take them to be transformed now. Do it!”         “Nnn. Nnnnn... Nnnnn...” Rainbow Dash mumbled, unable to open her mouth. She stood there, shuddering, not wanting to move. It felt like every muscle in her body was trying to keep her moving. Her will clashed with her biology as she did everything she could to stay as far away from her friends as possible.         “Now!”         “Nnnn. Nnnnn... No!” Rainbow Dash shouted.         “What did you just say?” Queen Recarn looked at her, surprised. Then she snarled and glared at Rainbow Dash.         “Nnnn, no! I wah- won’t l-l-let you h-hur-tt muh-my f-rr-ends.” It took every ounce of effort she had. Rainbow Dash slowly put one hoof down, then another, turning around to face the queen. Her queen.         “You cannot, will not disobey! Grab them now!”         Rainbow Dash felt herself take a step backwards. But she forced herself to bring it back and took a step forwards instead. Her body burned with pain. Her changeling body was trying to force her to comply but she wouldn’t do it. “No.”         “I’ll do it myself and make you watch!” Queen Recarn snarled.         “No!” Rainbow Dash snarled back. Recarn had made a mistake. She’s inadvertently cancelled the order Rainbow Dash had been fighting against. Without her biology holding her back, she lashed out, striking her queen with a jab to the face.         “How dare you!” the queen roared. Her hoof burst into flame, becoming a sharp blade. She grabbed Rainbow Dash with her other hoof and before anypony could react, thrust her other hoof through Rainbow Dash’s abdomen until it poked out her back.         “Gah!” Rainbow Dash gasped. Her eyes went wide with shock.         “Rainbow!”         “Dashie!” Blood poured from the wound, soaking the queen’s hoof blade. She threw Rainbow Dash to the ground where she lay. Her vision was blurred. Each weaker heartbeat pumped more life out of her. Her body was nothing but pain now. But she could still make out her Queen moving towards Applejack and Pinkie Pie. She had to do something.         “You two will suffer for this,” Recarn said, storming towards them. “Know that you brought this upon yourselves. I’m just going to kill you now. No pony will ever find your remains, I will make sure of that.”         “No!” Rainbow Dash shouted. With a burst of strength, she leapt through the air and onto Recarn’s back. “Girls, run! I’ll hold her as long as I can, but you have to get away!”         “You welp! Get off of me!” Queen Recarn shouted.         “But-” Pinkie protested.         “You heard her, let’s go!” Applejack yelled, dragging Pinkie by her tail.         “You will not get away!” the queen shouted, charging a blast of magic. With the last of her strength, Rainbow Dash grabbed Recarn’s head and pulled it back, causing the queen to miss and hit the roof of the cave. The ceiling cracked apart and began falling. The passage collapsed in on itself just as Applejack and Pinkie made it out. Glad they were safe, Rainbow Dash let go and fell to the ground, not caring about the rocks and dirt still falling down, nor the blood still seeping from her chest and back. They were safe. That’s all that mattered. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         Applejack and Pinkie panted heavily, outside the cave. The mouth had caved in, giving them ample time to flee. Pinkie broke down and started loudly crying.         “Dashie! We left her in there!” she wailed.         “Pinkie, there was nothing we could ah done. That was a fatal wound. We have tah get away or her sacrifice will be fer nothing,” Applejack said, trying to force her friend to stand. “If we stay here, we’re next!”         There was a rumbling sound and part of the rubble erupted, creating an opening in the cave. She let go of Pinkie and pulled out a rope. She tied it into a lasso and began spinning it so she was ready. A few rocks flew out of the opening, surrounded by a blue glow. Out of the hole poked a rainbow maned, black, changeling head.         “Dashie?” Pinkie exclaimed. Applejack didn’t stop her twirling but looked surprised.         “Hey!” Rainbow Dash called back calmly, climbing out of the hole.         “You survived!” Pinkie cheered.         “Well I am a changeling. I just shapeshifted myself better,” Rainbow Dash explained. “A falling rock must have knocked her out. We should get out of here while we can.”         Applejack threw the end of the lasso and ensnared Rainbow Dash around her neck. She wrenched her off of the dirt and stone mound with the rope and slammed her into a tree, head first.         “What are you doing!?” Pinkie shouted, yanking Applejack’s tail hard.         “Rainbow Dash don’t know magic! It’s the queen in disguise!” Applejack shouted, pushing Pinkie off. She galloped over as the changeling shifted forms, proving her right. Applejack was faster and spun around, connecting both her hind hooves with the Queen’s head, knocking her senseless. She collapsed and Applejack began tying up the changeling. When she was satisfied, she stood back. “Hogtied until we can figure out what tah do with her.”         “Can’t she just magic herself away?” Pinkie asked.         “Good point,” Applejack agreed. She grabbed the Queen’s horn with both of her front hooves and wrenched them to the side. The horn snapped with a loud crack and Applejack tossed it to the side. “There. That... Pinkie?”         “I’m over here,” Pinkie called. She was busy trying to dig through the hole the queen had just made.         Applejack galloped over and pulled her away. “Pinkie, what are yah doin’? It’s dangerous!”         “I’m not leaving Dashie behind!” Pinkie growled. She bared her teeth, causing Applejack to release her. She went back to furiously digging into the rubble.         It wasn’t hard to get through and soon they had a narrow hole that was large enough for them to crawl through. She had lost her original lantern yoke so Pinkie grabbed another out of her saddlebags and lit it from the one lamp Applejack still had burning.         “We have to find her,” Pinkie declared.         “We should bring home what we can,” Applejack agreed glumly.         Pinkie and Applejack moved slowly and cautiously through the half collapsed tunnel. They were determined to find their friend. It wasn’t long before the cave opened up and the damage was behind them.         “Did we miss her?” Applejack wondered out loud.         “Look,” Pinkie said, pointing to a trail of wet blood on the floor. They followed the liquid as it zigzagged down the tunnel before veering off into a side chamber. The outside of the chamber as well as the inside was coated in the blue goo. It covered the floor and walls to the point where they seemed to just be made of the substance. The blood stuck out even more and they followed it to find-         “No...” Applejack whimpered. She had been expecting to see this the whole time, but it still didn't cushion the blow she wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Her heart sank even lower and she felt sick.         There was no hint of movement in the black body before them. The delicate membrane wings were broken and limp. No more blood oozed from the fatal wound. The once shiny skin was covered in dust and tiny wounds from debris. The rainbow colored mane was limp and lifeless.         They stood in silence for what felt like hours. Each looked for some, any sign of movement.         Slowly Pinkie laid down in the dirt beside their fallen friend and wailed, “Dashie!” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -         "Twilight, are you around?" Rarity called into the library.         "Hello, Rarity," Spike greeted. "Twilight's upstairs, but you can stay down here with me if you want."         "Maybe some other time," Rarity said. She sheepishly trotted past Spike and went upstairs into Twilight's room. The door was open but she knocked anyway. "Twilight, I finished mending your sheets."         Twilight was busy reading as always but put the book down. "Thank you, Rarity. I wish I could remember how they got torn. That night is still a bit of a blur."         "Oh and I finally finished Rainbow Dash's dress," Rarity announced.         "You figured it out? Congratulations!"         "Not exactly. There are two extra pieces that are held in place with manual clasps to hide the wing holes, but I hope you can enchant them to work on their own."         "I’ll try."         "I can't wait to show Rainbow Dash. She'll be so surprised!" Rarity cheered.         “Hello, Twilight and Rarity,” Fluttershy greeted as she came in the room. “I’d hate to think I was interrupting you, do you know when Rainbow Dash is getting back?”         “She didn’t say how long she would be gone,” Twilight replied.         “If you see her and it’s not too much trouble, could you let me know when she does come home? I want to thank her again. Mr. Sugar Glider is okay thanks to her.”         “I’ll have Spike send you a letter as soon as I know,” Twilight said.         “You know who I haven’t seen today? Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said suddenly. “It’s been very quiet without her around.”         “And Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh were running the apple stand today. I wonder if Applejack is okay,” Fluttershy said.         “Half our party is missing!” Twilight exclaimed. Rarity and Fluttershy looked at her in confusion. Twilight turned red and kicked at the floor. “I figured I should say something random since Pinkie isn’t here.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~         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 is surprisingly popular. It’s just one chapter long.