//------------------------------// // Discord // Story: Through Alien Lives // by Woorali //------------------------------// Watching the pink blur moving around the town square, I regretted stopping her from singing. I could feel the earth move beneath my hooves, and small sparks flew off whenever Pinkie made a sharp turn. “I’M GONNA HAVE A PARTY!” Pinkie stopped in front of me, tied a balloon to my horn, and grinned. “Or else you’ll be sorry…” I was already sorry for coming early. That this harmless, food-producing creature could look so like a diamond dog about to strike made me sorry I existed, though. Getting her to stop singing may have been the worst thing I have ever done. “Smile, silly. This is your welcome party, and it’s almost ready to start!” she said, before shooting off to Sugarcube Corner. If I survive this, I swore again and again, I would never underestimate ponies. Looking around me, I saw Ponyville’s center hung with ribbons and balloons, games at every corner, and tables laden with strange, burnt things the ponies find so delicious. I knew from the many reports changelings gave that nothing ponies prepared for consumption had any value as a mineral supplement, and most pony games were impossible to win with skill. At least Pinkie also provided a few pitchers of water and other liquids, so I could pretend to enjoy her offerings. For some reason, I wanted her to know I appreciated this, even if I hated the very idea of spending time in a crowd of creatures that would kill me on sight if I revealed myself. Perhaps, her similarity to me made me care? Maybe Twilight Sparkle’s naiveté concerning interspecies relations rubbed off on me? Untying the balloon from my horn and watching it fly upwards, I noticed a rainbow-colored pegasus flying overhead. Seeing her dive down, I tried not to flinch when she stopped her fall less than a wingspan from the ground. I hated her on the day of the invasion, and I hated her still. “Hello! Welcome to my welcome party!” I tried to smile and look cheerful. Whatever my feelings, I wanted to blend in. According to Pinkie Pie, that meant loving parties. “Hey, you’re Woog, right? I’m Rainbow Dash! Pinkie’s going all out on this party. What did you do?” she asked. “Well, I…might have stopped her from singing once or twice.” There is no way I could manage to be civil around this pony, I decided. It would be much better to just give her something to focus on. “Wow! You know, she’s gonna make you party extra hard, right? And, she’s probably gonna make YOU sing!” Rainbow Dash giggled, slapping me on the shoulder with a wing. “Me, singing?” The thought never even entered my mind, but letting it show would serve me here. “Don’t sweat it, Woog. Just sing something you know, or go along with whatever crazy tune she cooks up. Pinkie’s great at improvising. Or, she always comes prepared. I can never tell. Did you know she once caught me, the fastest flyer in…” Letting Rainbow Dash talk served both to keep other ponies interested in meeting me from approaching and saved me the trouble of coming up with conversation topics. I could concentrate on surviving this insane get-together. Singing anything a pony would be familiar with could give me away. One bad note or wrong sound, and my shell would be emptied. Trying to sing along with Pinkie, as much as I realized I liked her, would be stressful, as well. I could do nothing but translate a changeling tune and alter it to suit the ponies’ expectations of what a scholar from Canterlot would sing. Were I complete, the whole process would take less than five minutes, but I spent almost fifteen thinking of words to rhyme with “green-beyond-green-sea-waves-of-Great-Cavern” that would make sense in ANY pony language. And, it looked like Rainbow Dash was getting tired of discussing the many ways in which she is awesome. “You know, Woog, I never had anypony…well, except Scootaloo… listen to me like that. You’re cool, even if you are an egghead.” This compliment given, she flew off to help Pinkie with some contraption she brought out of a nearby bush. Looking around for something else to save me from pony scrutiny until I was ready, I saw the pair from before, the ones I witnessed in the window. I volunteered to help them set up a chocolate fountain. BonBon and Lyra, they were called. The pair had almost as many adventures as the Elements of Harmony, if the clues they dropped were anything to go by. Lyra kept trying to convince me, as the wonderful Canterlot scholar that I am, to recognize the existence of “humans” while BonBon tried to explain that the whole thing is not in any way related to the Mares in Black rumor that went around Canterlot last year. “Lyra, BonBon, thank you for the wonderful welcome, and for letting me assist…” I said, levitating the fountain high enough for the two ponies to put the table with the tiny motor underneath it. “But you won’t be researching humans, or helping us fight the Cider-Drinking Dog…” I nodded as Lyra looked downwards, and the sadness spread several feet around her. “On the other hoof, I will be sure to mention your good fight against Equestria’s enemies to others!” the smiles they gave me then were worth it. Those two had to feel love and joy. Anything else from them would be a crime, even to a being of my nature. “Woorali! There you are! How can there be a welcome-to-Ponyville-party-of-epic-proportions if you’re not there to greet the guest of honor! She came here herself, after Spike sent her a letter about you! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! Come on!” Pinkie grabbed me, and suddenly, I felt cold. “Who?” I hissed, dragged along past an orange pony wearing a hat. Applejack gave me a dirty look, but continued speaking to Twilight Sparkle, who nodded to me, smiling encouragingly. “She’s nice! Don’t worry!” Twilight giggled. “We’re gonna sing a song for Princess Celestia herself! Maybe I shouldn’t sing more often! So many great things happened! Like a new friend! And a party! And Celestia! And cupcakes!” before I could protest, she shoved one of the horrible things down my throat, and I found myself standing before a throne in a brilliant azure tent. “Hello there, Woorali Mirrortelling…Hooves. Spike tells me you’ve been curious about changelings. I’m surprised you traveled all the way to Ponyville just to hear Twilight’s story and learn what she knows.” Celestia smiled down on me. I looked around. She brought no guards. None of the ponies looked armed. She did not know! I swallowed the bitter cupcake, and smiled back. “Well, your majesty, I wanted to know everything. The changelings pose a threat…” I began. “And I bet he’s one of them!” the baby dragon jumped from behind the throne, pointing an accusing claw at me. “Spike, dear! Don’t interrupt the royal audience! Besides, that Woog seems like such a gentlecolt…” Rarity, the fashion pony, said from somewhere behind me. The fuming reptile passed me as he went to join her. I almost forgot she even came. Could she have been avoiding me on purpose, like Fluttershy? “Hmm. Yes, well, as I was saying. The changelings present a threat, but…” by Sectum, I had the means to see Queen Chrysalis! “I believe I can communicate with their Queen. The key lies in using mind magic to send images and ideas directly. If she sees what we see, and knows how much you care, she might agree to meet you and settle everything peacefully.” “Then, it’s settled, Mister Hooves. The Elements of Harmony will travel with you to meet Queen Chrysalis. Just in case you can’t talk things out with her.” She winked to Twilight, who I realized stood on my right. That bothered me for some reason, but Pinkie standing on my left felt so soothing… “Why won’t anypony listen to me! He’s a changeling!” Spike’s voice rang out once more. “He’s NOT!” Pinkie Pie screamed behind me. “He loved my cupcake!” she explained. The pain in my gut doubled, but I kept smiling. This trickery, this masterful move, felt inspired. I would see my Queen. I would rejoin the Hive. And all the while, who would be helping me, if not the ponies responsible for my current state! I tricked Celestia herself! What is a little pain, compared to the value of the defense pony cuisine provided? “Spike, I like Queen Chrysalis and the changelings. They are, like diamond dogs and minotaurs, our fellow creatures. But, I’m not one of them. I’m not pretending to be somepony.” Applejack sniffed at me as I said that, and for a moment, I wondered just what talents the Element of Honesty could have. But, then she shook her head and smiled at me, nodding. “That’s right. Spike, just because I like apples, that don’t make me a tree. Now, stop bein’ paranoid. The fella wants to help us. Let ‘im!” she said. Had I truly done something Chrysalis could not? “I think Woog isn’t a bad pony.” Fluttershy stood up for me. I chirped despite myself. How could Chrysalis possibly fail with these creatures? “Alright. But, you guys have to write every week. If you don’t, I’ll…I’ll…I’ll do something about it!” with that, Spike left the tent. Princess Celestia watched him go, almost sadly. “Twilight, please tell Spike how thankful I am that he wrote that letter. If it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t have Woorali to help us.” Celestia said, and I felt Twilight’s presence leave. “Now, you have a party to attend to, and as much as I’d love to stay longer, I must go. Rarity, tell Twilight I’m sorry…” “Wait! You said Woorali and I would get to sing a song, and you’d listen!” the pink pony jumped up and down. “Your majesty, please let her sing! I’ll sing anything! JUST PLEASE LET HER SING!” I fell on the floor in what I hoped looked like a pony begging position. Pinkie must sing, or something terrible would happen. It nearly did, when Celestia decided to visit. “I call this one the Smile! Smile! Smile! Song!” I fear what happened then will live on in my memory. Changeling opera and military maneuvers could not prepare me for this. It was a party to end the world with.