//------------------------------// // Love or Hate // Story: Chibi Changeling // by Yukito //------------------------------// ‘The Changeling Locator 3000(TM)’. A basic device used by all changeling hunters, which uses a sample of changeling DNA to track down its host. It has an effective radius of five hundred meters, and runs on solar power, so on a clear, sunny day like today, it should prove most effective at keeping the town clear of any and all changelings. “Wait,” Archer said, taking the device from Junior and examining it. “If you need a DNA sample, does that mean you’ve already encountered the changeling in our town?” No response came from the colt. “Y’know, to get his blood?” “…” Junior pressed his hooves against either side of his head, and screamed loudly. “OH, NOOOOOOOO!” Archer sighed and took a few steps away from the distraught colt as he stomped his hooves and repeated the word ‘stupid’ over and over again. “So let me get this straight,” she started, though Junior didn’t stop his rampage, “You just spent two hours of your day off, and wasted twenty minutes of my time, walking around with a ‘Changeling Radar’-” “Changeling Locator 3000!” Junior corrected. “Whatever! You’ve been walking around all day with this thing, when it has no chance of actually finding your changeling, right?” “… That about sums it up,” Junior said with a blush, taking the device back from Archer and averting his gaze. He noticed the look of irritation on the filly’s face, and cleared his throat. “I-I’m sorry to have wasted your time like this, Miss Berry Pinch’s friend.” “It’s ‘Archer’,” Archer said through gritted teeth. “And don’t think you can wave this away with a simple apology! You promised me an epic battle between you and this changeling foe of yours! And instead, you just lead me around on a wild goose chase!” Junior turned his head and pouted. “It was my fault Miss Fluttershy’s geese were spooked. The least I could do was help round them up.” “Not what I meant!” Archer shouted, reaching over and grabbing the colt’s ear. “Now listen, you! How’re you gonna make up for the twenty minutes of my wonderful Sunday that I’ll never get back?!” “Ouch ouch ouch ouch! W-What do you want?” “Hmmm…” Archer released the ear, and gave Junior a sly grin. “How ‘bout you treat me to some cupcakes, over at Sugarcube Corner?” “Cupcakes?” Junior asked, receiving a nod. “You know that if you eat too many of those, you’ll get fa-aaaAAH!” Junior screamed and flailed about as Archer once again grabbed his ear. “Alright, alight! I’ll buy you some cupcakes, happy now?!” Archer released his ear once more, and smiled again. “Yup.” “Ah, but first, there was something that I wanted from the library.” Junior motioned to the building beside him, which was the Golden Oaks Library. “Related to the homework set out for us by Miss Cheerilee. We never covered the foundation of Ponyville up in Canterlot, so I was thinking of borrow a book about it.” Archer sighed, and looked over at a nearby fountain. “Alright, but hurry it up! I’ll be waiting for you over there.” She shot him one final glare. “And don’t even think about trying to sneak away.” Junior scoffed at the insinuation. “How dare you?! I am a gentlecolt! And I will remain true to my word!” Archer smiled, and ran over to the fountain to wait for Junior. On her way, she heard two mares giggling beside her, and looked over out of curiosity. “Aah, to be young and in love.” Archer titled her head, and then blushed when she realised that they were talking about her. ‘L-Love?! What are they talking about?!’ “I’m not in love with that nutjob!” she shouted, stomping over to the fountain and sitting down with a huff. The two mares giggled once more. “Aah, to be young and in love.” Trixie sighed as she levitated a glass of orange juice in the air, swirling it around in her magic whilst she stared into the air in front of her. “…” “Excuse me!” Junior shouted as he burst into the library. “I’d like to ask if you have any books here relating to the founding of Ponyville!” “…” Junior approached the blue mare sitting at the table in the centre of the room. “Miss?” The mare didn’t respond. She didn’t even seem to notice. “Are you okay?” Trixie’s ear twitched, and she turned her attention to the colt now standing opposite her. “Oh! Uh, sorry… Got some stuff on my mind right now…” “What kind of stuff?” “… Love troubles. A kid wouldn’t understand.” Junior smiled, and took a step back. “Well, I don’t know about that. You can often find great nuggets of information in the most unlikely of places!” Trixie didn’t say anything. She simply placed her glass to her muzzle, and began to drink her juice. “Well, at the very least, have you tried talking to your partner about this?” “… Not yet,” she said. “It’s… kind of complicated.” “How so?” “Well, it’s like, three days ago, I didn’t want to leave the library all day. Not unless Twilight was with me. I just wanted to be with her the whole day.” Junior nodded. “Sounds like a sweet romance, to me.” “But, yesterday, I suddenly felt that… I didn’t want to be around her. And I spent the whole day trying to avoid her.” “Maybe you feel you need time with others for a bit?” Trixie shook her head. “That’s not it. I hated her.” Junior’s gaze hardened, and Trixie continued. “It’s weird… I just… suddenly started to hate her all of a sudden. And now, today, I tried to break things off with her… but my feelings of love are still there, mixed in with my hatred for her.” Trixie grit her teeth together, and threw the glass across the room, causing it to collide and smash again the far wall. “What’s wrong with me?!” Junior circled the table, and wrapped his forelegs around the distraught mare. To Trixie, it was a simple hug to comfort her, which she gladly accepted. But to Junior, it was the chance to cast a spell on her. His horn began to glow gold, and he shot a gentle beam at Trixie’s horn. ‘… This residual magic energy… there’s no doubt about it! This is a changelings love-drain spell! A bit amateurish… Does that mean it was rushed?’ “Miss…” “Trixie.” Junior nodded. “Miss Trixie, listen closely! You must remember all of the times that you’ve spent with your partner! Remember the love that you share with her! Remember what drew you to her in the first place, and remember that you love her, not hate her!” “But… it’s not like this is the first time I’ve felt this way for her.” “What?” Junior asked, confused. “I mean, I’ve hated her ever since… Well, for a long time, now. And it was only recently that I fell for her. That I realised… I love her. I don’t even know why, I just suddenly realised that I was in love with Twilight Sparkle.” “That can’t be right!” Junior shouted, concentrating more energy into his spell. ‘What the? This spell wasn’t cast yesterday, or the day before… it was cast some time ago! What’s going on? A changeling fed off of her love, but then she developed feelings of love towards somepony?’ Junior released his spell, and put a hoof to his chin. ‘I don’t understand it, but there’s definitely a changeling in this town! I’ll capture them, and make them explain it! But first…’ Junior pulled back from Trixie, and looked her straight in the eyes with a stern gaze. “Miss Trixie, I’m sorry, but there’s only one thing you can do now…” Trixie gulped, and returned the colt’s stare. “And what’s that?” “… You must choose. Whether you love your partner, or whether you hate her. Whether you want to continue the life you’ve led with her, or without her.” Trixie’s gaze moved to the floor beneath her, and Junior turned away. “You must think hard, about which life made you the happiest… and which ‘you’ you would rather be.” A silence passed between the two for a moment, but was soon interrupted by the sound of the library’s front door opening. “Trixie! You came back!” Junior and Trixie turned to the purple mare that rushed into the library, and wrapped her forelegs around the blue mare. “I was so worried! Where were you all night?!” “…” Trixie looked over at Junior, but the colt simply turned away. He was telling her not to rely on him, but instead to make her own choice. “… I just… needed some time to think about something.” Trixie returned the other mare's hug, and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m done thinking now, and I won’t scare you like that again.” Junior smiled, and decided to leave the two mares alone. ‘That was close… Damnit! This is what changelings do! They destroy the most beautiful things in this world! They suck away our love, and leave us with nothing but hate… But, this time, it was different…’ Junior stopped after taking a few steps outside the library, and went over the incident a few times in his mind, trying to make sense of what had happened. “… AH!” He turned back to the library, and saw a sign hanging from the door, reading: ‘Closed’. “OH NO! I FORGOT THE BOOK!”