//------------------------------// // Not Sweetie Belle (Edited 2014-09-06 15:04 EST) // Story: CMC Changeling Protectors // by contodaslasganas //------------------------------// “So, how we doin’ so far?” Silver continued to check off items on a list that trailed several ponies long. “Well, Apple Bloom, today we have tried tree-planting, parachuting, sword-fighting, summoning other-worldly creatures, and bungee-jumping, all failed attempts.” The three fillies were huddled in front of the colt, frowning a bit as he counted off all the failures. Silver noticed this and changed his voice to a happier tone. “But, we still have one thing left on our list: hide-and-go-seek experts! Come on, I’m pretty sure that we’ll get our cutie marks in that. What are we waiting for?” Silver was joyous to see their frowns replaced with smiles, their determination rekindled, their happiness restored. “Okay, then, I will be it. You three hide while I count to ten.” Silver knew that he was a bit lacking at tracking other creatures and finding things (at least, in his current form), so he decided this was a perfect chance to train. “Alright, guys, let’s go hide!” Scootaloo was already pumped up for the game, telling herself that she would win this competition quite easily. The three fillies soon ran off as Silver slowly counted. “One… two… three…” Sweetie Belle ran over to one of the trees, hiding behind a small line of bushes. “Four… five… six…” Apple Bloom walked very slowly, attempting not to make any noise, and hid under a large box that had been upended in a previous attempt at finding her cutie mark. “Seven… eight… nine…” Scootaloo was looking for a unique place to hide, congratulating herself for finally finding it: a small tunnel, one that she and Apple Bloom had made when trying to earn a cutie mark in tunnel-digging a few days back. “TEN! READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!” To Silver, it was much like his training, only instead of trying to find food for his queen (he shuddered at the thought), he had to find three little fillies. The colt carefully looked around, checking for anything that seemed out of place. Of course, when numerous items were strewn about the ground and everything seemed out of place, it became a difficult task, though not impossible. Silver placed his muzzle down to the ground and inhaled, noticing the dampness of the grass. Dang, it's too wet to find them by smell alone. But maybe… over here? Apple Bloom was the first to be found. As Silver walked around the pile of objects, a slight movement of a box caught his eye, and as he approached it, it started to wiggle around more noticeably. I found y— Before he could lift up the box, though, it shot in the air, landing open-side up to reveal… a sneezing earth pony? “Ah… ah… AH-CHOO!” Must have been the dust in the box, Silver thought to himself as a small smirk edged its way onto his muzzle. “Aw, Ah guess that means Ah lost, huh? Ah’ll never get my cutie mark.” Apple Bloom’s eyes had begun to water as that realization dawned on her. Luckily for her, Silver was right by her side. “What do you mean? We can always do more tomorrow! In fact, you’re not done yet!” Silver noticed Apple Bloom's inquisitive expression and continued. “Now you have to help me find the others! Who knows, maybe you’re not good at hiding, but you could get your cutie mark in seeking!” “Of course! Why didn't Ah think of that? Ah’ll go find Scootaloo, you go find Sweetie Belle. At this rate, Ah’ll get my cutie mark in no time!” Apple Bloom suddenly bolted away, ready to start her search. Silver, on the other hand, had his attention on a certain bush that lay in front of him. I think I found another one! I guess I'm not too bad at finding ponies when I'm in this state. As if on cue, the sun moved one degree forward, reaching the exact angle angle to project two shadows near the bush onto a tree trunk. He thanked his good luck and stealthily cantered forward… until he noticed that one of the silhouettes was the slightest bit off. It’s not shaped quite like Sweetie Belle… and I can’t see its wings… Two more steps, but he could still not see the figure. Two more. One more. And then he finally caught a glimpse of the creature that had left that shadow… It was a changeling. Come on, tracking skills! Don’t fail me n— CRACK Silver looked down at the twig he just snapped with his hoof. Curses! And then he saw the changeling’s eyes, those dull green irises that held no emotion. Had… Had my eyes been like that once? But now was the time to act, not think. The colt prepared to attack… Only for the changeling to dash away from the scene. Probably the same scout as before. That’s not good… But wait… There were two shadows! As he jumped behind the bush, his eyes spotted a white unicorn filly. “Sweetie Belle! Are you all right?” “Huh? Oh, um… I’m fine.” “Are you sure? You seem a bit… disoriented.” “No, no, I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Come on, let’s go back, this place is giving me the creeps.” Before Silver could ask Sweetie Belle any more questions, Scootaloo’s voice rang throughout the clearing. “HELP! Silver, anypony, HELP!” The two unicorns quickly galloped towards the origin of the voice, suddenly spotting Apple Bloom and Scootaloo surrounded by seven or eight… bunnies? “Wait, I thought you were crying for help? Are you hurt anywhere?” Silver was quite flabbergasted at what Apple Bloom said next. “Naw, she’s fine. She was hidin’ in a tunnel when she felt these lil’ critters on her hooves and started panicking. She was just bein’ a ‘fraidy-cat.” “I am not a ‘fraidy-cat!” Scootaloo’s response was quite loud, but she could not hide the small waver in her voice. “Oh, and Ah see he found ya too, huh, Sweetie Belle?” “Oh, uh, yes, I guess he did.” She looked over at Silver but she failed to make eye contact with him. Something is not quite right… But what could Silver do? “Let’s have one last round of hide-and-seek. Sweetie Belle, you can be it. Count all the way to 100, just like you told me to.” “Me? Oh, okay.” It was clear that the other two fillies were going to protest, but Silver gave them a warning glare. “Okay, so just stand next to the tunnel and count to 100. Face the trees, and remember, no peeking!” Sweetie Belle began the count, and Silver motioned to the other two fillies to follow him. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, a bit dumbfounded at his actions, nevertheless obeyed him, stopping at the center of the clearing behind large piles of books. “Okay, I want no interruptions. Time is of the essence. Now, here is the situation. That is not Sweetie Belle.” “Wait, what are y–” “I said no interruptions. Listen, that Sweetie Belle is a changeling. She never told me anything about counting to 100. See that metal cage over there? I need your help to carry it and place it over the changeling to trap it. Quickly, we only have sixty seconds! And remember to be quiet! Changelings have a better sense of hearing than ponies do!” “But sh—” “Do you want to live? Then help me!” The fillies uneasily rose to the task and helped Silver lift the cage off the ground. They slowly made their way towards the counting filly, each second getting ever so closer, but the count was almost still progressing. “Seventy-one… Seventy-two…” Only a little more… “Ninety-seven… Ninety-eight… Ninety-nine…” Silence. Complete, utter silence. Not even the wind dared to whistle as the count drew to a close. “ONE HUNDRED!” SLAM The three ponies dropped the cage onto the unsuspecting filly, who turned to each of the captors in turn. “Hey, what are you doing? Let me out!” “We will not let you out until you tell us the truth,” Silver replied. “Why are you doing this? It’s not funny anymore. I thought we were friends.” “Stop the act, Sweetie Belle, or should I say… changeling?” The white unicorn suddenly stopped moving, and the two fillies outside the cage stared in awe as a horrendous transformation took place before them. Sweetie’s hind legs were the first to disappear, two black appendages left in their wake… But by far the most horrible part was the head as the trio watched it morph demonically, all white stained dark and eyes filled with an unseen malice. “We know it’s you, 1349, and once I tell the rest, we will finally regroup and catch you.” The raspy voice cut through the stillness of the clearing, making the ponies shudder slightly. Silver regained his composure and continued. “Not like you are now, you can’t. Now, what have you done with Sweetie Belle?” “Ah, you mean that white unicorn? You’ll never find her. By now, she should be halfway t–” “Ah found her!” Apple Bloom’s cry astonished the ponies, who became even more awestruck when they saw her rolling a white-coated filly towards the center of the clearing. In that brief instant, the changeling in the cage took his chance and charged up a magical beam that tore a hole through the cage. Good thing Silver’s instincts were still working. “Hey, get back here!” The colt started running behind the creature, but the changeling was just too fast. As his strength failed him, Silver was going to give up… At least, until he spotted another being— another changeling, but for some reason one felt a strong connection to. “F-F-Father?” Silver suddenly forgot everything else, ignored everything around him, and focused only on the figure up ahead. “Father, is that you? Father, I’m here! Come on, quickly! We can escape the hive mind! You just have to believe!” Silver was now galloping as fast as he could, never taking his eyes off of the creature. The changeling had heard him, and (to Silver’s dismay) he began to condense magic on his horn. By the time Silver noticed it, though, it was too late to evade. “No, you have to stop!” The beam was shot— that swirl of magic embedded with despair, anger, and hatred, the emotions of the entire hive. Why, Father? I’m here to rescue you! And so he braced himself for the destructive force of the impact. … … But it never came. Huh? Silver chanced a look, and he was surprised at what lay before him. The beam had stopped in its path, striking some sort of shield! But who… That was when he saw the unicorn, a mare with a purple coat and mane, the spell clearly taking its toll on her. Still, she kept it up, and returned the swirling ball back at its shooter, who easily dodged the missile. The two changelings retreated off into the distance. “Twilight!” Scootaloo suddenly appeared behind Silver, running past him and stopping in front of the tired unicorn. Twilight? That must be her name. She must be really strong to stop such a powerful attack. “Quickly, Twilight, you have to help Sweetie Belle! She’s stuck in this green magical rope and we can’t get it off her!” “Sweetie Belle’s in trouble? Where is she?” Twilight followed Scootaloo as she led her back to the clearing, the colt following his savior. The purple mare was greeted immediately by Apple Bloom. “She’s right there, Twilight!” “Okay, girls, stand back.” Twilight charged up a small light at the tip of her horn, slowly growing in brightness until the unicorn started sweating from the strain. She touched her horn to the magical rope, which broke into millions of pieces and freed its captive. As everything died down, Twilight shakily sat on the ground, exhausted. Sweetie Belle had already started to wake up, attempting to take in the entire scene around her. “Wha-What happened?” Sweetie Belle inquired, the other two fillies explaining the entire situation. “Well, I guess I have Silver to thank then. Wait a minute… where’d he go?” The three fillies looked all around, unable to find Silver. “He must have hidden from Twilight! Remember how he didn’t want anypony to see him?” Apple Bloom’s logic was sound, but the three fillies were still worried about him. “Let’s ask Twilight to find h—” “Are you crazy, Sweetie Belle? That’s probably the last thing Silvah wants. Besides, look at Twilight! She's more tired than my sis during applebucking season!” With that, the three fillies went over to Twilight and thanked her profusely for helping them. “So, are you fillies alright? That’s good to hear. But wait, wasn’t there another pony with you? A small colt with a silver mane?” “Nope, I don’t remember a colt being around here. Do you?” Sweetie Belle asked the other two fillies, putting on a weak smile. “Nope, no colt here,” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom replied in unison, also wearing weak smiles in hopes that Twilight would believe them. “Hmm… must have been seeing and hearing things, probably a product of magic overexertion. I guess I’ll just have to be more careful,” Twilight muttered, the three fillies releasing a sigh of relief. But still, Twilight thought to herself, I could have sworn I was protecting somepony from that blast earlier. Perhaps he fled afterwards. Oh, I hope he’s alright… “Hey, Twilight, how’d ya even know that we were in trouble?” Apple Bloom’s question broke the purple unicorn’s train of thought. “Well, I was tracking some changelings with a wide area spell and it led me all the way here. I’ve never seen them so far inland, but for now I’m just glad I got to you fillies in time. Now come on, let’s all go back home.” The party of four suddenly began their walk back, Twilight cautiously inspecting their surroundings in case of an ambush. Remarkably, she didn’t even notice the small colt that had suddenly appeared behind them. Scootaloo was the first to notice him; she kept walking slower and slower until she was right next to him, and she talked in her quietest voice: “What the buck was that? Why’d you go run off after the changelings? You could have been killed!” “It’s… It’s complilcated. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to know any more about me. It would only put you more in danger.” “Oh, come on, Silvah! Didn’t ya hear anything we said? We’re yer friends now, and we would like to know more, so tell us, why’d ya do that?” Silver hesitated at Apple Bloom’s words, still unsure over what to do. “We want to know, Silver.” Sweetie Belle had overheard the conversation and joined in as well. “All we want to do is help. I promise, no matter what you tell us, no matter how sad or bad, we will still be your friends. Who knows, maybe we can help you, and we won’t tell anypony else. We Pinkie Promise.” “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” each filly recited, almost taking their eyes out with their hooves. So… This is the famous Pinkie Promise? He looked over to each filly, seeing each one of them smile warmly, but Sweetie Belle’s smile was what ultimately let him make up his mind. I have to. It’s the only way. “Meet me at night in the clubhouse. Say you guys want a sleepover or something. I will tell you everything then.” The colt then disappeared as rapidly as he had appeared, though not without a small rustle. “What was that?” “What're you talking about, Twilight? We didn’t hear anything, right, girls?" “I didn’t hear anything. What about you, Scootaloo?” “Nope, not a thing!” The three fillies looked at her sheepishly, wearing innocent grins as Twilight continued to lead them out of the foliage and back home.