//------------------------------// // The Trouble with Changelings // Story: Integration - Part Two of A Changeling's Story (Cancelled) // by CoAlFire //------------------------------// Belch. Poof. A letter arrived in the Ponyville Library. A purple glow enveloped it as it floated over to Twilight, who opened it eagerly and began to read to herself. Dear Twilight, I hope you don't mind me calling you Twilight. I'm sorry, maybe I should just start over. Dear Twilight Sparkle, In the past three weeks, I've been keeping a very close eye on Chrysalis, just like you asked me to, and I'm starting to think that she might There was a large scribble on the page that Twilight was fairly sure started its life as the letter a. I'm sorry. That was Chrysalis. She was the quill. I had to find a new quill. Also I had to stop crying. What I was going to say was that I'm starting to think that she might actually be starting to change. She can actually be kind of sweet sometimes. I've seen her playing with Scootaloo and teaching her things about being a Changeling, and she's actually doing really Another scribble that Twilight surmised was originally a letter w. I'm sorry. That was Scootaloo. She was my chair. I had to find a new chair. Also stop crying again. I'm sorry. This is my only piece of parchment, so I can't start all the way over. The letter continued in that fashion for the duration of the scroll. "Well, Spike, at least there's some progress over in Canterlot. I think." She scrunched up her nose before shrugging and going back to cataloging books. * * * "Chrysalis, I don't think that -" Fluttershy tried in vain to be heard. "That's it, Scootaloo, that's perfect!" Chrysalis shouted jubilantly. "Silence! We will not be interrupted! A thousand years upon the moon has made us extremely butt-hurt, and we have issues with our sister that we must take out on other ponies!" Scootaloo stood in the center of the room, as Princess Luna, while Chrysalis sat on the chandelier above. "Scootaloo, it's not very nice to pretend to be the Princess, I don't think she'd like it if she found out." "Silence, Fluttershy! Thy Princess is speaking." "Oh. Okay." She sank low to the ground and crawled out of the room into the adjacent one. "E... Echo, are you in here?" Fluttershy looked around. "Oh, please don't be disguised as something." She ventured further into the room, darkened by the green film that Echo had put on the windows. Suddenly, a door opened and light flooded the room. Fluttershy squeaked and bolted under the bed in the center. Echo tossed the towel down onto the sink's counter as she finished drying herself. These royal bathrooms are nice. That was the best shower I've ever had. She fluttered her wings and plopped down onto her bed, which proceeded to squeak. That's odd. My bed never used to ... oh. "Fluttershy," she called, "it's just me, you can come out." "I... I'm okay under here, thank you." Echo rolled her eyes and hopped down off the bed with a flit of her wings. "Fluttershy, we're friends, right?" "R... right..." "Do friends hurt each other?" "No..." "So am I going to hurt you?" "No..." "So will you come out?" "No..." Echo sighed and flopped onto her back. "Fine. I'll talk from here. I want to go home. The palace is nice, but I miss my own house in Ponyville." "Me too..." "I just don't understand why everyone is acting like they are towards us. Everyone here in Canterlot has been really nice so far!" She put her hooves in the air and flailed them as though trotting. "Uh... Echo... your mother has been -" "Ugh. My mother has been a nightmare! She acts like a hatchling who's just figured out how to shapeshift!" "Yes, I know, but she's -" "Not to mention how she's been treating you! It's awful!" "I know, but Scootaloo is -" "Learning about things ALL the wrong way! Why can't mother just let me teach my own filly?" "Princess Luna isn't going to like what -" "Celestia isn't going to like the way that Chrysalis treats Scootaloo either! Neither of the Princesses are!" "Yes, but Scootaloo is pretending to -" "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Princess Luna's voice boomed from the next room. There was a flash of green light from under the door, and a little black blur flew into Echo's room and directly under the bed. A few seconds later, Princess Luna stood, fuming, in the doorway. "Impersonating a Princess is a VERY serious offense!" Echo rolled to her hooves. "Princess Luna, good morning!" "Yes, well, it is evening for me, and I am extremely tired! Where is Fluttershy? It is time for her weekly report on Chrysalis' rehabilitation." A small squeak came from under the bed as Fluttershy cleared her throat. "She's fine, thank you, I'm sorry." The Princess stared at the bed with her bottom lip sticking out slightly. "I see." There was a faint flash of light behind Luna, and Celestia trotted in behind Luna. "Good morning, LuLu." Celestia smiled. "Tia? I have asked you not to call me LuLu in front of our subjects..." Luna's ears flattened. "Now, now, LuLu, run along and play, I will get the report of Chrysalis' rehabilitation." "I am not a filly, Tia." "Hush. Go on now." Luna huffed and stormed out of the room. As soon as she was gone, Celestia was surrounded by green flame, and a cackling Chrysalis was left standing in her place. "Oh, Mother," Echo groaned, "we're going to catch Tartarus for this..." * * * All four of them stood in the throne room in front of both Princesses. Everyone but Chrysalis and Fluttershy had their heads bowed. Chrysalis stood straight up, yawning periodically, and Fluttershy mostly just cowered. Luna fumed as Celestia talked. The elder Princess spoke calmly and kindly, but with all the firmness of a mother disciplining her foal. "Chrysalis, encouraging Scootaloo to behave the way she did is inexcusable," Celestia said as Chrysalis yawned, "and Echo, you should be more present for the lessons your daughter receives. You are as much responsible as Chrysalis." Echo bowed her head and her ears flattened back. "Now, Scootaloo," the Princess continued, "you should have known better than to impersonate my sister, and referring to her as 'butt-hurt' is wholly unacceptable." Celestia fought a smirk while Luna grumbled. "I recognize your newfound powers may be tempting, but please, try to control yourself." Echo raised her head. "Princess?" "Yes, Echo?" "I would like to return to Ponyville." "Twilight hasn't found a solution yet, it isn't safe for your family to return." Celestia said solemnly. "I don't want my whole family to return yet. I want to go back to Ponyville. I want to help Twilight fix this. I think ... that is to say, something tells me that I'm going to be needed there." At this, Celestia paused. "It could be extremely dangerous, you know." "Your Highness," Echo started, "I was a member of the Changeling military since the day of my hatching. I have lived danger, and even thrived on it. Were it not for Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, my efforts would have led to the capture of this very city. I believe I can handle the dangers that Ponyville presents." The Princess paused again for a minute before she nodded her head. "I suppose that is true, isn't it." She smiled brightly. "Very well. You may return to Ponyville and assist Twilight while Fluttershy remains here to oversee Chrysalis' rehabilitation." Fluttershy squeaked again as Chrysalis and Scootaloo grinned at each other. "Now," Celestia continued, "I'll set up a carriage to take you back to Ponyville. The driver will meet you at your room." Celestia rose from her throne, Luna followed suit, and the two trotted off to their respective wings of the castle. "Well," Chrysalis beamed, "This is FANTASTIC." Nobody noticed the small ball of yellow fur slink out the door in the direction of her room. * * * "Rebound!" Twilight called out from the library's basement room. "Down here please, it's time to start." "I don't really want to." Came the meek reply from upstairs. "Rebound." Twilight chided. "Now." "Fine!" He groaned. The basement door swung open and Rebound slinked downstairs with his ears plastered to his head. Twilight bounced hither and thither with excitement. "This is wonderful," she lauded, "I've studied Echo and Chrysalis, but this is the first chance I've had to study a male changeling!" "How come you never asked me to do this before?" "Because Echo and Chrysalis were both here, and that would have spoiled the environment. I know you, Rebound. Save for me, you're never the same pony - erm, changeling - around females." At that, Rebound had to concede. He did get around a bit, but wasn't that just proof that he was VERY good at being a changeling? Or maybe it just proves that I have my head between my flanks. "Fine," he said, "where do you want to start?" "Well," Twilight tapped a hoof, "most ponies have trouble telling male changelings from female changelings. Do you suppose you could tell me how you tell the difference?" "Well how do ponies tell the difference?" "Females tend to keep their manes longer, we're more slender, we're usually smaller, and our facial structure is different." "Right, well, it's kind of like that for us, except I think it mostly has to do with the pattern of holes in our hooves. The females tend to have fewer of them, but they're larger, whereas males tend to have more of them, and they're smaller." He twirls a hoof around to show what he was talking about. Twilight examined his hoof. "I... don't see any differences between this and Echo." "Gee, thanks. You basically just said I look like a mare." "Sorry." She winced. "I didn't mean it like that." "It's okay." He sighed. "How much longer is this going to go on?" "I just have a few tests I'd like to run. If you could please stand on this scale?" She motioned to a piece of equipment in the back of the room, and Rebound walked over onto it. "Now what?" "Just stand still." She began to take measurements. "Fascinating. You're actually lighter than Echo is!" "Yeah, of course. She's a female." "Fascinating! Sexual dimorphism. Why are the females heavier?" "So they can support the weight of the male on top of them during mating." Twilight blushed heavily and began to scribble on her parchment. "Twi, that was a joke. Truth is I don't know." "Well, why didn't you just say that to begin with?!" She scratched something out, and as she was about to continue, a knock came on the door upstairs. "Stay here, Rebound. I'll answer it." She trotted up, shutting the basement door behind her. As she was approaching the door, Spike came bounding downstairs, waving a scroll. "Twilight! This just came for you, it's important!" "Not now, Spike, there's a guest at the door." She reached out and opened the door. Candlelight, Echo's disguise, smiled. "Hi, Twilight. Miss me?"