//------------------------------// // 2a: Of Bugs and Steelskin // Story: A Changed World // by dredaich //------------------------------// It was a warm and sunny day in the Crystal Empire. Shining Armor and his love Cadence were sitting in a private dining room in one of the highest floors of their castle, which granted them a magnificent view at their city. They were eating lunch, but honestly Shining Armor wouldn't be able to answer, what he was eating without looking down. His magic and his mouth did it automatically, while he did a far more important thing: enjoying the view on and the conversation with his beautiful wife. She amazed him still like on their first date. Suddenly a flash of light blinded him. When his vision cleared his eyes went wide, where his Cadence have been, was now a pink changeling queen with purple eyes and a mane similar to Cadences one, but with some holes in it. Her slitted eyes were of the size of saucer and her mouth hang open, showing her fangs. He has been tricked again. Another changeling queen has dared to take the place of his loved Cadence, trying to feed of his love for her and to brainwash him. “What have you done to my wife?” he yelled, while smashing the heavy crystal table with his left hoof to the side. The changeling jumped of her seat and ran to the open balcony, screaming in terror. With a powerful jump over the balustrade, she lifted off. Her wings were beating far slower than those of the changelings at his wedding did. Without thinking he jumped after her, biting her tail to stop her escape. But to his horror it ripped and he fell with his back first. He screamed, seeing his life pass in front of his eyes. He felt wetness under his eyes, while he closed them. It was not for himself. I failed you again, Cadence, echoed through his head for the couple of seconds, that seemed to stretch into eternity. The impact was different, from what he expected. He felt only a distant pain in his back and in his head. The main sensation was the sound of shattering crystals and a panicked scream from beside him. The floor felt warm, but dry. He heard hoof-steps coming near. Opening his eyes he saw the same sky as he had when he fell. An earth pony came into his view. He looked remarkably similar to Doctor Medicine, a doctor from the hospital near the castle. The doc had supervised Shining’s healing of a broken leg, he got from an accident while training the recruits. The white fur, the red mane, the pink eyes, the brown bottle with a heart on the label as a cutie mark and even the serious frown were exactly like Medicine’s. Only one thing was different. Doctor Medicine was a crystal pony not an earth pony. “Am I dead?” Shining Armor asked. The response was a confused frown, followed by a quick inspecting look over Shining’s body. “Don't think so, you don't even seem to have bruises. I still should check you for broken bones or internal bleeding. How do you feel?” “Uhm... Well... I think?” Shining replied. How did he survive a fall of about 100 meters? His mind tried to wrap around this, while he was examined by this earth pony Medicine. “Well you seem fine. But can you tell me why your are coated in this metallic substance, mister?” the doctor asked, emphasizing the last word. “What do you m...?” Shining stopped mid word, when his eyes fell on the front hoof he had lifted to look at himself. Like the doctor said it had a metallic shine to it. By close inspection he could even see a deformed mirror image of a metallic pony head. A metallic pony head without a horn. His eyes slowly raised upwards, scared to confirm what he had seen in his hoof. After he couldn't find it with his eyes, he frenetically tried to touch it with his hoof. As this also failed, he exclaimed in total disbelief, “How is this poss...?” While speaking the most obvious answer came to his mind. Discord. Everything made sense now. At least as much as it could with this manifestation of chaos. “You should come with me to the hospital, I'm a...” Medicine started, but Shining Armor interrupted him. “I'm fine,” Shining Armor stated emphatically, “it seems I just need some time to understand some things.” He rolled away from Medicine onto his hooves and got a short glimpse on the quite impressive cracks he had caused at the street. “I thank you for your help, Doctor Medicine. Be assured that, we will bring everything back to order.” Without leaving Medicine any time to reply he ran towards a side entrance of the palace. But before he made it there, he came to the conclusion, that he needed some special preparations to be done. He turned around and ran back into the city. ---.--- Shining Armor was in front of the door to the sleeping room he shared with Cadence. He had a bouquet in his mouth and was balancing a huge box of chocolates and a card with a teddy bear saying “sorry” on his back. It was neither as much nor as perfect as he wanted, but it was all he could get. Most shops were closed and it seemed most ponies were hiding in their houses. Only a group of kids had been roaming the streets having fun, not caring about or even enjoying their new forms. Most of the were still ponies, just not crystal ponies anymore, but he also saw two griffon chicks and a minotaur calf among them. The group was a heartwarming sight in the dead streets. The only open gift shop he found was run by a pegasus mare, who was clearly stressed out and, as he found out a bit later, was trying to deny, that anything had changed at all. Troubles arose from that, when he realized, that he didn't wear his armor nor any saddlebags and therefore had no money on him to pay. He couldn't go back to the castle, so he decided to tell her, who he was and that he would pay later on. She denied it, screamed it was impossible and called the guards. A single guard came. A pink changeling with pony-like purple eyes in the armor of the royal crystal guard to be exact. His appearance was the final stroke, that broke the poor mare. She sagged to the floor, tears streamed from her face and in seconds a small pool had formed. “Take it!” she wailed, “Take it all and leave me alone!” He felt horrible and made a step closer to say something reassuring to her. “We will make everything right again” and such stuff. But the mare screamed, when he was a meter away, “Leave me alone!” in a volume, that made his ears ring. “Sir, may I ask you, what you are doing to that mare?” the changeling barked. Shining suppressed his urge to facehoof. This situation had to look highly suspicious for that guard. “My name is Shining Armor. I didn't do anything to her,” he said calmly. The changeling guard had an unfazed impression on his face. “I just told her, who I am and asked her if I could pay a bit later. She didn't believe me, cried for guards and had a breakdown, when she saw you.” “Is that true, Ma'am?” the changeling asked in a softer, but still serious voice. She had made herself as small as possible, her eyes clenched shut, crying and mumbling something under her breath. The guard came closer, but like for Shining, when he came as close as a meter she begun to scream frenetically. The guard made some steps backwards. After some seconds he turned to Shining and took a good look on him. “Let us assume, you're Shining Armor. Why would you come here right after, this chaos erupted?” “You see guard, Cadence was transformed into a changeling queen by the... Change. Since another changeling queen has tried to replace her in the past, I thought that she was an imposter too. I…” he made a short pause, thinking how to sugar-coat his actions. Finally he didn’t do it, but instead he told him blunt what happened: “Well, I went berserk and bite of a part of her tail, but she luckily escaped from me, before I could really harm her. Now I want to apologize to her and I thought that some gifts would help my case.” The guard eyed him again, but then just nodded. “Even if don't know what a 'changeling queen' is, I believe you. I know that the princess had a small fight right after it happened,” he made a short pause and added then: “Don't ask me how I know it, I don't have the slightest idea. May I ask you a question, sir? Do you know, what happened to us?” “Discord, the Incarnation of Chaos happened to us. But stay calm, I don't think this will last very long. When my sister Twilight finds out about this, she will end his so called hijinks. If we're lucky, by turning him to stone, so that he cannot harm anypony ever again. I will write her a letter right after Cadence and I are reconciled,” Shining said in a loud firm voice, hoping that the shopkeeper might hear him too. Sadly, she didn't show any reactions. The changeling soldier helped him get some stuff and paid for him and escorted him to the palace. He blinked, he was still standing in front of the doors to the sleeping room. He felt uneasy and asked himself if this was really a good idea. But he knew that he had no other choice. He knocked, but nothing happened. He knocked again, louder this time, even louder than he expected. He didn't realize the thin cracks forming in the door. Silence. He knocked a third time, stronger again. At least he wanted to knock, but instead the large double door burst open. Dumbstruck, he stared at the now open door, then at his steel coated hoof and again back at the door. He didn't even used half his strength to do this. It scared him a little, but it fascinated him much more. He shook his head to get his mind to things, that were important now. He saw a pile of bed sheets beside the bed, under which somepony was struggling. “I'm shorry, Cadanshe,” he said, while he tried not to bite through the banquet in his mouth. “I'm shorry for earlier today. I couldn't know, that Dishcord would dare to turn you into a Changeling Queen.” “He did WHAT?” he heard her from under the sheets. It was muffled and she sounded hoarse. Her struggling increased, but it seemed, that her cocoon of embroidered silk just got more tense. “Let me help you wis that.” After a heroic, short and quite one-sided fight, he freed his beloved princess from the monstrous bed sheets. She was worried at first when she saw him, but after some seconds, a smile formed on her face. It was almost as beautiful as before. “For me? Oh, thank you, Shiny.” She threw her fore legs around him, giving him a hug while she discovered the second part of his appeasement offerings. She held the hug, for a short while. “This is so sweet, honey. Thank you so much, I feel so much better now,” and in fact she didn't sound hoarse at all anymore. Only moments after she said that, he felt her flinch. “Be silent,” she whispered. Shining retracted his head confused. She made some steps backward, holding a hoof against her head. Her eyes filled with fear were searching the room for something. “Please, leave me alone!” Shining backed off completely confused. When Cadence saw, what he was doing she pleaded “No, Shiny I didn't mean you. Please, stay with me. Help me, make them stop!” “Help you with what, my dear? What'sh happening?” Shining replied, dropped the flowers, looking around searching for anything strange, but found nothing. “Don't you hear them whisper?” “Who? What do they say?” “I don't know,” she answered, “It started, when we... changed, since then I hear whispering. The numbers of voices varies and I can only understand single words. The voices seem to come from everywhere.” She was shaking. “Am I getting crazy?” He shook his head and pulled her back into a hug, ignoring the chocolate falling from his back. “Everything will be okay. It's just a sick prank of Discord. We have to keep strong, until Twilight solves him. We should inform her right away.” He wanted to move to get a messenger, but she held him tightly, and he felt something wet dropping onto his neck. He opened his mouth to insist, that they need to send a messenger now, but decided differently. Cadence needed his support now, while changing everything back to normal would take time. Twilight would need at least a day to come, even if they would find a way to send her the message instantaneously. So being turned back some minutes sooner or later wouldn't make a big difference. So he did his best to allay Cadence fears.