//------------------------------// // Chapter III: Gray Wings and the Diamond // Story: The Changeling Trials // by PastCat //------------------------------// "It was a dark and snowy night, very cold and windy, so all around poor flying weather. I have never seen such a storm before nor since. It was one of those blusterers where you can not tell what direction the wind is coming from without getting blown half the way to Griffonia. We were on patrol near the border. I think we were all complaining up a storm as much as the storm was complaining about everything, including us being out in it. All of a sudden, we heard the sound of someone whimpering. Now, I was not a parent yet, but it takes a harder stally than me to ignore the cry of a young thing in distress. "The six of us in that night’s patrol, it was me, Wild Ride, Blue Stone, Ice Slider, Rooke, and one of the rookies, Candlewick I think. Any ways, it was us six all following this little sound in a snow storm when Rooke stumbled into a little black thing. It looked like a rock that had been covered with ice, but we saw it wiggle a little and realized she was breathing. We did not know that she was a changeling, not that we knew what a changeling was of course, but it would not have been right to leave any critter out in that storm. Blue took her up on his back and said she felt cold. Well, you can bet we rushed her back to base as quickly as we could. We took her straight to our medic, Golden Touch. Sweet as honey, that one, I always loved her even back then." “Daddy!” “Sorry, Sandy” "Anyhow, Touch got the little ling all warm and cozy and the six of us who found her took turns stayin’ up with the little thing and reading her stories and whatnot. She did not speak at all, but she was understandin’ us all the same. We did not realize it at the time, but whenever we were in there takin’ care of her, she was taking the bits and pieces of TLC, ya know, tender loving care, with an emphasis on the L. She would not eat anything, which was perplexing to all of us, but eventually Touch found an old book that said something about how changelings like to eat love. It did not seem worth causing a ruckus about, since it was just the one little ling. I never saw another changeling looking for her when we were out patrolling, so I guess she was outside of any hive connection. "Anywho, she stayed, and once the little ling taught herself how to shift into something pony enough that we could understand her speaking Equestrian, she managed to worm her way into every pony who came into camp, from the travelers and merchants just passing through to those of us who were based there. She even had the commandant tied around her hoof. It was never any harm, you understand. She was always real sweet to everybody and as friendly as all get out. She never had to steal love from any pony. It was freely given by the trough full. As she got older, she stuck with us, doing all our exercises and going out on patrol and even fighting alongside us or helping Touch with the medical stuff. We joked that she was the luck of the regiment and to us she was the most valuable, the most special jewel in our treasure hoard. That’s where the name came from, you see. We were all these rough types, out for adventure and whatnot, and through it all was this little changeling, flying with us, fighting with us. She would do other things too. When we got new recruits especially, Di would give them some kind of initiation. Usually it was some kind of crazy over the top prank. I saw everything from a recruit’s uniform being dyed neon green to whoopee cushions in some pony’s cot to when she somehow filled a couple cannons with confetti during a ten-gun salute for the commandant’s birthday instead of shot. "It was a lucky happening that she was with us when my patrol got caught by a pack of timber wolves. I stayed behind as rear guard to let the rest get away, but she stayed with me, though I did not realize it at the time. I got torn up something awful and I guess I was knocked out. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in Golden Touch’s hooves at the infirmary with one wing and one eye bandaged. When I was able to talk again, dear Goldie told me that it was that little diamond in the rough who persuaded the commandant to send another patrol out to look for me and bring me back. If she had not, I would not be standing here. "Well, after that I spent a lot of time getting used to what happened to the eye, but the wing just would not set properly. Golden Touch would stay by my side and so would Diamond. They were the only two ponies on base I felt I could talk to. Eventually we realized I was grounded permanently and the commander gave me a medal and a discharge and I retired back here to Canterlot. Golden Touch came with me as my nurse, and later as my bride. I never forgot about Diamond though. I would send her letters all the time. She sent me some too. Then after the Royal Wedding they just… stopped coming. I didn't know what had gone wrong until the commander wrote to me about what happened. I knew I had to do everything I could for that little diamond in the rough, just as she had done for me. It is a life debt, you know, Princess, as strong as any comrade’s blood bond or earth pony cupcake promise or pegasus feather swear or unicorn magical vow. "She is a friend, Princess, one of the only ones still with the regiment. It always meant so much to her and the other guys and gals to have her there. I imagine that they all feel really unlucky now. That's dangerous, ya see. A pony who feels unlucky is more likely to be unlucky and come to disaster in battle. Just as an army with a reputation for being unbeatable wins battles, that regiment is lucky because it feels lucky. And since it only feels lucky when she is there…"