//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: A Blind Eye // by Doctah WAAwee //------------------------------// "This is escalating very quickly..." Pinkie said. The human had to agree on that. A conversation between him and Love Tap about alcohol, whatever that is, started off the day. Then this mare came in and spawned some sort of celebration in less than 4 seconds... Then these 'changeling' things appeared. With mouths that smell like blood and, to top it off, these insect things growl like rabid animals. "Oh my, a swarm of changelings appear, and the whole town is panicking in fear." Zecora calmly walked next to the human as the residents of the town ran around like headless chickens as the swarm descended towards the town. The only ones that kept a cool head consisted of a familiar rainbow pegasus, Zecora, the human, and Pinkie Pie. Her mane regained its original poofiness. Love Tap was unconscious and asleep on the couch, the day's events too much for her. "100,000..." the human said as he 'looked' into the sky. The group looked towards him in surprise. "Surely you jest, otherworldly guest. The sky is blotted black, too many to keep track. Although knowledge on you I lack, of this I am sure is a fact." "Nope, he's being cereal!" Pinkie said as her tail twitched violently. The human didn't pay her any attention. The swarm took all of his attention. The chaos, the sense of primal hunger that emanates from this raging swarm of insect like creatures. The rapid wing beat, the intense labored breathing, and the constantly changing sounds of the town, made his ears twitch... The screams of the ponies as they ran, frantic and erratic hoofsteps, sounds of doors violently slamming against the frames of houses... Slam! Slam! Slam! The scent of foreign blood and saliva coursing through his nose. His heightened olfactory perception picking up so many ambient scents... The adrenalin given off by the horrified ponies, the adrenalin of the hungry, ferocious, changelings, the dirt scuffed up by the mass panic of the town. The scents of the different variety of ponies that ran to and fro... Oranges. Lavender. Apples. Mint. Cake... Fear. The ponies smelled of this. The changeling however: a completely different story. Dirt. Death. Rotting pus... Hunger. He could tell by these "Changelings" breathing patterns that they haven't eaten in a very long time. That hunger, the primal desire to survive, that deep lust for the next meal that will determine whether you live or die. Telegraphed to him by the erratic patterns of their breathing. A wobbly flight path, the wing beats faltering every now and then... All of that primal want, directed at him. If given the chance, the changelings would rip into his body, chew and devour everything that constituted his physical being... ... Pinkie Pie started shivering, her 'doozy' prediction making itself known to the group. The human paid no attention to this action however, he stood perfectly still as the changeling ocean raged in the sky. "Oh boy... this is a doozy alright." She said as she looked over to the human. His eyes were covered by the length of his hair... Something inside him changed. The atmosphere around the human suddenly birthed an astounding pressure. Something just happened, and nopony dared to speak, lest they rouse the wrath of this invisible force at play. Rainbow Dash didn't even have the mental constitution to stay airborne, she dropped to the ground, barely able to react in time to land on all four of her legs. Pinkie's mane drooped as her mood was visibly changed because of this force. Zecora shifted on her hooves and took a deep, shaky breath. The human, ever so slowly, started walking back to the house. The group followed in him when he did this, even Rainbow Dash. She was headstrong; not stupid. But when Rainbow Dash turned, she spotted a rouge changeling barreling towards the group, but more specifically, the human. "Look out!" she screamed, Rainbow took flight and started barreling towards the human to knock that changeling into next week, even though she only knew the alien for about 5 minutes, she wouldn't stand idle as a handicapped being, pony or otherwise, got hurt. Her flight proved to be in vain as the black blob was already too close for her to intervene, the artificially dark sky gave the rouge changeling more than enough cover to gain some time before she spotted it. Rainbow decided, that if she couldn't stop the changeling, she could at least rip the thing off him as soon as possible. The human never showed any sign of acknowledging the offending projectile heading straight for him. When the changeling was in range... He tilted his head to the side to dodge the changeling that was flying towards him. The changeling did something that no pony, not even Pinkie, could have predicted... It promptly slammed into the ground, bouncing a couple times before finally settling next to the house, completely unconscious. He continued walking. Crash! The sound of another changeling falling through a roof of a random house assaulted groups ears. Thud! Another changeling dropped, falling straight into the ground. Crash! An innocent cabbage stand was destroyed as a changeling fell into the stand at terminal velocity. The sounds of multiple changelings hitting the ground and other buildings could be heard as the human slowly walked towards the house... "...What's happening out there?" A southern accent said from inside the house. "Applejack...your still here? I though you peeled out like everypony else." Rainbow asked the orange mare as she looked over to Love Tap's unconscious form on the couch. "Someone had to look over Tap here, she's plum tuckered after all this... confusion." Applejack looks over to Pinkie, who seemingly ignores her look. The human kept walking towards Love Tap, not stopping for anything. Applejack felt the same pressure that the group faced outside, and promptly got out of his way. Without saying a word, he picked up Love and started to go upstairs. The sounds of changelings raining down on the town are not lost to his ears. He went towards the room that had a similar scent to the mare, and promptly put her on the bed. "..." He didn't say a word as he tucked her into the bed. She snuggled into the covers and breathed a sigh of relief. As he moved towards the bedroom door to descend down the stairs, a change in Love Tap's breathing pattern alerted him to her awakening. The loud thumps made on the roof by the Changelings, ironically, dropping like flies turned her from her much needed sleep. "W...who's there?" Love Tap groggily stated as she slowly picked herself up from the bed. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves and looked over to the humans direction. The man turned his body to meet Love Taps gaze. He gave her a small smile before turning and moving towards the doorway. "Wait..." Love Tap's voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned around and addressed her. "Tap, you need some sleep, please go back to bed." "I have something for you in my closet...winter was scheduled for next week, so I made you a robe..." The man, following Love Tap's directions, opened the closet, picked up a box, and fished out the robe Love Tap made. The robe consisted of a soft, but strong, cloth with white cotton sleeve ends. The robe had length, to accommodate his bipedal stature. Simplicity is a big theme in this robe, Love Tap knew that looks didn't matter to him in the slightest. He also felt a pair of underwear next to the box, and promptly put them on. They sensually caressed his boys like the hug of a loving mother. The undergarments fit perfectly. He put the robe on his back, clicking together the neck clasp that he found by feeling around the collar of the robe. "Thank you, Tap. A lot of these "changelings," as you call them, are attacking the town... they're after me." "W-why?" the tired mare asked in horror. "I don't know, but I do know that your son is in danger." "W-what? M-more than everypony else?" "Yes, he has my smell on him. But don't worry..." A vast pressure flooded Love Tap's mind as she suddenly slipped into unconsciousness. Her body fell to the bed, gently guided by the human's hand. When the man tucked her in, he stood up and walked out of the room and preceded down the stairs. The ponies only looked at him as he walked towards the exit. He opened the door leading outside. Changelings were still dropping like rocks all over the town, he closed the door and continued on towards the center of town... Click. "What... in tarnation just happened?" Applejack asked. "I don't know...but those panties, sexy as hell." Pinkie said. The group just looked at her with bewildered expressions. *Thump!* "Ahhh!" a colt screamed a little as he cowered under his desk. The schoolhouse doors locked and barricaded with pieces of wood, desks, and many other things. "Now kids, please. I know you're scared but please, try to stay calm." Cheerilee shakily said as she huddled up with the many kids in her classroom. The sounds of tearful sniffles was overwhelmed by the constant- *Thump!* The tears grew in quantity on the kids faces as another changeling slammed into the roof of the schoolhouse. Cheerilee forbade the class of looking outside. The bodies of changelings strewn about on the floor didn't do well for a developing child's mind. She almost threw up when she saw the mass of starved changelings on the floor, green internal fluid caking the floor. Some of them fell on the white wooden fence that surrounded the school... The fence looked like it had nausea. "Mrs. Cheerilee?" a quiet, squeaky voice sounded from Cheerilee's left side. Breaking her out of her morbid thought process. "Yes, Sweetie Belle?" "Why are changelings dropping on our school?" she asked. "I...I don't know dear-" *Thump!* Another changeling dropped on the roof of the schoolhouse... But this one sounded a little bit different from the others. *Creak...* The roof creaked a couple seconds after the loud thump sounded. *Creak...* Another creak sounded...and one after that one. The sounds moved towards one of the barricaded windows of the school. The entire classroom huddled together in fear as the slow creaking sound advanced to the blocked window. One of the schoolkids made a squeak of his own as the creaking got weaker in sound... The creaking stopped. Every child in the class, including Cheerilee, stared at the window in fear... "Whew...I-" *Crack!* The sound of shattering glass cut the schoolkid's relieved exhale short. The class yelled in fright as a guttural scream of pain escaped from the changeling that destroyed the glass window. "Feed..." *Wham!* The sound of a hoof smashing against the wooden barricade frightened the children even more. "Children, move behind me." Cheerilee said as the barricade started to move, the sounds of the changeling slamming its hoof on the flimsy wooden barricade made the children huddle even closer together. Cheerilee gulped as she stood at the ready, fishing an unused 2x4 from the supply closet in the room and bracing herself for battle. The sounds of wood failing started to signal the breaking point of the wood, tiny slits of sunlight illuminating the room as the wood started to give way... The smashing stopped. Cheerilee was biting the 2x4 so hard, she could have sworn she broke a tooth. She stared at the window for a second, hoping that the changeling either gave up, or...succumbed. *Crash!* A starved changeling runs through the remnants, stumbling on the ground as splinters and green ooze flew everywhere. Some ooze got on Cheeriliee's face. The changling...had a hulking mass. The muscles that hid deep in it's chitin was compensated by the severely depraved and starved appearance. It's entire body riddled with small holes that either spurted green ooze, or had glass, wood, or a combination of the two, in them. The changeling looked at Cheerilee with a primal, cannibalistic, rage. It had a good three feet over Cheerilee. "Feed..." Cheerilee takes action and swings her 2x4 and manages to get the sickly looking changeling in the face. It stumbles, but it doesn't seem to phased by the hit. *Screeeeeeaaaaaaaa!* The changeling let loose a high pitched screech that mercilessly ripped through the eardrums of the class and the school teacher. So great was the pain caused by this sound that Cheerilee dropped her 2x4 and screamed in agony, as well as the rest of the class. The changeling saw its opportunity. With almost the last remnants of its strength, the changeling rushed forward, gripped Cheerilees neck with its mouth, and hurled her to the side like she was yesterdays newspaper. The children, who tried to hold as many tears as they could for the sake of Cheerilee, screamed and cried as they watched their beloved teacher crash through the closet door. Her body laid still as various cleaning items cascaded down the shelves onto her unconscious body. The changeling slowly shuffles towards the group of ponies huddled in the corner of the room, the changeling sifts its view to the children... But more specifically, Button Mash.. "Human..." The changeling bore its solid light blue eyes into the scared brown colt's gold ones. The changeling opened its mouth as the swiss-like horn on the top of its head glowed a sickly green. "Feed us..." But as soon as the changeling tried to siphon its food from Button's young body, an apple struck the side of the changeling hulk's head. "Leave em' alone, ya big palooka!" A voice said from near afar. The changeling looked back to see Applebloom, with copious amounts of apples to her left and right. Another apple made its way towards the changeling's horn with pinpoint accuracy. The throw lodged the apple on the tip of the changelings horn, making it slightly less intimidating. "Not so tough...now." Applebloom said as the changeling... Smiled. Its holey horn again glowed that sickly green color...the apple on the changeling's horn started losing its color and wilting before Applebloom's eyes. When the apple was nothing more than a dull gray shriveled up husk, the changeling tilted its head to the side, The once plump and delicious apple fell to the ground like a leaf in fall. Some of the changeling's wounds healed slightly as its smile widened... The monster's horn glowed slightly as Button Mash suddenly rose into the air, too fast for any of his friends to hold him in place. The pegasi in the class tried to move, tried to help, tried to do anything. But fear froze them in place... A ten year old colt was about to get the life sucked out of him in front of their eyes... "Somepony...help me." Button whispered as fear took his voice... The wind blew into the schoolhouse through the gaping hole the changeling barged in from. An overwhelming pressure was felt by the changeling...the same pressure that caused it to fall from the sky in the first place, reared its ugly head for the second time. The changeling's magical hold on the brown colt faltered as the behemoth lost consciousness for the second time, the changeling landed on the ground with an audible thud. Button soon felt himself falling to the ground as the magic suspending him vanished. But before he could land on the ground, he felt himself being stopped prematurely by something. "You...okay?" said a familiar voice from above him, he looked up to see... "Mr. Alien Dude!?" Button exclaimed in surprise. The human somehow got into the school and caught Button Mash as soon the changeling lost consciousness. One arm holding up Button, and the other arm gripping the cane Love Tap gave him. "Yeah...Mr. Alien Dude. You kids alright?" he asked the other children in the group, who looked at the red clad human in surprise. "Yeah...we-we're alright. But, Mrs. Cheerilee..." one of the children said as she shakily pointed a hoof to the ruined supply closet. *Thump!* The children flinched as another changeling fell near the school. "Alien Dude? What happened to the changelings...why are they falling?" Button asked. "It seems that they had... "A change of pace."