//------------------------------// // Preparations // Story: Changed // by Dream Seeker //------------------------------// Cocoon burst through the doors, ducking to avoid a tomato that flew in overhead. She closed the door and looked up to see Shady Dark sitting in the office chair, his unamused face covered in tomato that was dripping down his suit and onto a very important-looking document bearing Princess Celestia's seal. "Oops... I'm so sorry-" Cocoon began but she was cut off. "It's quite alright. I'll be back in one moment, I have some trash to take out." Shady said, marching to the doors. He picked the remains of the tomato off his face, flung open the doors, and hurtled it back at the growing angry crowd outside before calmly closing the doors again and picking up a nearby napkin. "Let's start over." Shady said as he cleaned his face. "I am Counselor Shady Dark. It is my job as the Changeling-Pony Relationship Management, or the CPRM, Counselor to improve the relations between the local ponies and the incoming Changelings. I take it you are Cocoon, also known as Golden Waves?" "Yes. You can call me Goldy." "Okay, Goldy. Nice to meet you." Shady held out a hoof. "Nice to meet you too, Counselor Shady Dark." Golden took the proffered hoof. "You can just call me Shady, I don't care." Shady chuckled as they shook hooves. "Now, on to business?" "Of course." Golden replied. "I've been looking around at potential jobs for you, and I think I found a nice spot as an accountant at a nearby bank. Does that sound good?" "Yes, thank you. However, I've been having trouble finding a job that will accept me due to my Changeling nature..." Shady Dark grinned. "That's what I'm here for. There is no law preventing a Changeling from getting a job, and I have Princess Celestia's full permission to do whatever I have to in order to destroy racism. I intend on doing just that. Now, let's go!" Invigorated with new confidence, Golden threw open the door, ready to march into a new future, only to find the way blocked by the mob that was still sitting outside. Shady Dark just scoffed at them. "Seriously, it's like they think that there isn't another way out of here. Of course Princess Celestia knew this would happen. Follow me." Shady led Golden down a secret passage behind a bookshelf, through an underground tunnel to a stairwell, where they stopped. "Okay, Goldy. We walk up this stairwell, across the street and we're at the bank. Don't mention that you are a Changeling unless they explicitly ask. Ready?" Golden just nodded and started forward, emerging from the staircase at street view. She crossed the street, dodging the various cars and impatient ponies rushing about their lives, before arriving at the bank. Walking forward to the pony sitting at a desk labeled 'questions', she opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted, "Have you come to apply for the job?" the desk pony said, her voice a cross between bored and annoyed. "Yes, I have." Golden replied. The mare at the desk pressed a button that buzzed in response, opening a door. "Go in there, the manager can talk now." Golden entered the room nervously. The rest of her life could ride on this job. "Hello? I've come for the job." Golden said. The manager turned in his swivel chair slowly, almost ominously. "I've been expecting you." Prince Blueblood said, clapping his hooves together. Somehow he made the normally pleasant sound appear frightening, and Golden shivered. "Hello, I'm Golden Waves and I've come to apply for-" "No." Blueblood interrupted. "My sources know what you are, bug. You can forget about ever getting a job anywhere, too, I'll make sure of that." Golden felt a combination of horror and fury come over her, but she hid it behind her disguise. Now she was never going to get a job! "I believe that is where you are wrong." Shady Dark's voice interrupted. A moment later, he walked out of a shadow in the corner of the room, ending some sort of invisibility spell. "I have just recorded your statement. That is all I will need to get you convicted in court." Blueblood sneered. "I own the court, and they know it. Nothing will ever be proven without my permission. Celestia herself could not stop me." Shady Dark smirked. "Princess Celestia gave me explicit permission to do anything I feel necessary to stamp out anti-changeling racism. ANYTHING." "You wouldn't dare do anything to me. I'm her nephew." Blueblood said arrogantly. "These bugs aren't even a race. They are no ponies. There are only parasitic monsters who eat emotions." Shady Dark's smile turned deadly. "Say that again." "These parasitic bugs are hardly alive. These love-sucking vampires don't deserve to scrape the mud from the streets. And there isn't a thing you can do to stop me from doing as I like." Shady strode across the room in three paces, before delivering a bone-shattering blow to Blueblood's crotch. "How about that?!" he roared as Blueblood impacted the wall, coughing and crying as he screamed in pain. "I, Shady Dark, speaking with the highest authority of Their Highnesses Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, do declare that you, Blueblood, be stripped of your title as Prince as well as your property and all of your capital. All of your property legally belongs to the Crown. You are hereby sentenced to one year of community service for Crimes Against Equanity, High Treason, Corruption, and Abuse of Status." Blueblood whimpered once more and Golden stared in awe as Shady spoke. "Guards, come out. Take this criminal to a medical institution." The guards who were hiding just outside the room entered and carted Blueblood away, making sure to jostle the stretcher they carried him in as painfully as possible. Shady turned back to Golden Waves. "Thank you for giving me the chance to take out that bastion of corruption that Blueblood kept safe. He'll soon tell us of everypony involved." Shady began to walk out the door before turning his head. "By the way, Goldy? You've just been hired as a junior accountant for this bank." Golden stared in shock as Shady left the room, before breaking out into a huge smile. "YES!" she yelled, pumping a hoof. Princess Celestia and Star Watcher sat together in a room, sipping tea. "I hope you have been well?" Princess Celestia asked. Star Watcher just chuckled, "Depends on your definition of 'well'. I've been changed into another species, walked across Equestria and back, traveled the sewers of Manehattan and made a few friends." "I'm glad that you finally took my advice." Celestia smiled warmly. Star Watcher looked confused for a moment, before realizing. "You did ask me to make friends, many years ago. I had forgotten." "Never underestimate the magic of friendship." "I won't, trust me," Star Watcher laughed. "It tastes like a warm crepe. Crepes are delicious." Celestia smiled back. "It is certainly interesting that different emotions would have different flavors like that, but I am afraid we have more important problems at hoof. Recently I have heard rumors that there is a rogue Changeling running loose." Star Watcher sobered up immediately. "Indeed. He stole love from the Hive, driving us out and starving us. We are dying." "We can't have that happening." "You're going to help, just like that?" Star Watcher asked, surprised. "Of course. You are still one of my little ponies, after all." Celestia said fondly. "Then there's no time to waste! A bastion of starving Changelings, maybe all there are left alive, are on the road near Hoofington. They plan on capturing ponies and draining them to survive." "We will depart as soon as I gather the guard. In the meanwhile, I will send you ahead." Celestia hoofed Star Watcher a scroll with a seal on it. "Write on this scroll and break the seal to send me a message. However, it only works once, so use it wisely." Star Watcher nodded, understanding its importance as he deconstructed the horn on his body and replaced it with a pair of wings, the transformation covered by a green flame. He then shot out a nearby open window, heading for the Changeling camp. Twilight and her friends rushed through the forest, panting as they went. "Are we close yet?" Rainbow asked Twilight. "I don't know, but I think so," Twilight replied. "It can't be much further than this." Almost in response to her words, the trees thinned out and a camp appeared, causing Twilight and her friends to halt. In one corner of the camp, a violent fight appeared to be taking place between two Changelings, one larger than an Ursa Minor. Unnoticed by the six friends, several Changelings creeped up on them from behind and simultaneously struck their heads. Twilight and her friends were knocked out cold. The Changelings took them to a room where they would be encased in a cocoon to be drained of emotion. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS EVIL CHANGELING HUNTERS YAY!" "Follow me!" Scootaloo said to her friends as they trotted off into the woods. "I know a shortcut!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle followed Scootaloo through the forest. "Ah'm sure glad ya told us about the Changelings," Applebloom said as they walked. Scootaloo smiled. "What, you think I would be able to stop myself from telling you that I can fly now?" "I'm really sad about the evil Changeling who's been stealing all the Hive's love though," Sweetie Belle said. "That's why we need to stop him! Come on!" The three friends ran through the forest before being stopped by a pack of Timberwolves. "Uh oh..." Scootaloo said, wincing in fear. Suddenly, a large Alpha Timberwolf came out of the woods behind them, growling something in its language. The other Timberwolves stepped back submissively, before the Alpha turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "We ain't afraid of you!" Applebloom said defiantly. The Alpha chuckled, a sound similar to claws across a chalkboard. "You have no reason to be," he growled. "I'm Star Watcher." The Cutie Mark Crusaders' jaws dropped. "You can turn into a Timberwolf? Why didn't you tell us, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle said indignantly. "I didn't know..." Scootaloo replied, amazed. "What are you doing here?" Star Watcher asked. "We're going to battle!" Scootaloo replied. Star Watcher shook his Timberwolf head. "You're too young. You'd just get in the way. Go home." With that, Star Watcher took off, Timberwolf pack behind him. "We're following him, right?" Applebloom asked. "Totally," Scootaloo agreed. Star Watcher entered the Changeling camp, followed by a stampede of Timberwolves. "Attack the Changelings," he barked to his escort. "Except the next three I will appear to be." Star Watcher transformed into Bugze, then into Scootaloo, then reverted to his normal form. Those were the only Changelings he knew he could trust. "Obey their orders as if they were my own." With the Timberwolves battling the evil Changelings, he turned around. "You can come out now," he called. It was only a guess, but... "Aw, he's got us!" Scootaloo said as they walked out of the trees, submissively. Star Watcher sighed. "Well, you're all here, and you all disobeyed my orders. I need you to stay safe." "But-" Sweetie Belle objected. "But nothing," Star Watcher replied. "Don't think you won't be useful, though. Somepony needs to free the trapped ponies." The Cutie Mark Crusaders' eyes brightened at that. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS PONY RESCUERS YAY!" As they rushed off, Star Watcher turned to the battle at hoof. Bugze appeared to be holding off the giant Changeling that appeared to be Dark Claw. How did he get so much love? Star Watcher wondered, before realizing. He must be the traitor! With no further ado, Star Watcher leaped into battle, chuckling as he realized that Bugze was using several inventions from his Grandbuggy in the fight, inventions that Star Watcher had proclaimed 'useless'... "Come on, girls, let's find the next tent!" Sweetie Belle said as Scootaloo finished dissolving the cocoon off of the ponies who had been trapped. Most ponies remained dazed for a minute after being removed from their cocoons. "Let's go!" Scootaloo responded. They went to the next cocoon storage area, when they saw Spike, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy in cocoons! Applebloom bucked the cocoons, breaking their connections to the roof, while Sweetie Belle levitated them down, and Scootaloo dissolved the casing around them. They coughed and panted for a moment before recomposing. "What are you all doing here?" Everypony in the room asked simultaneously. "We're saving trapped ponies," Applebloom said. "We came to find Rose," Twilight replied. Scootaloo brightened. "We can tell you about him!" "Her," Twilight input. "Him," Scootaloo insisted. "His real name is Star Watcher, and he's really nice! He was kind of upset after you found him out, but he's a good Changeling and he's trying to beat up the meany Dark Claw. He's here now." "What?" Twilight asked, trying to process this information. "He's here? Trying to fight off an evil Changeling? We've got to help him! Come on, girls!" Twilight and her friends rushed off, leaving Spike behind. "Wait!" he cried. "What about me?" The Cutie Mark Crusaders had already left to save more cocooned ponies, leaving a dejected Spike behind. "Phooey," he muttered, walking around. "They never let me help." Spike kicked a crystal as he walked, before stopping as he realized. "A crystal? Food!" he joyfully announced as he picked it up and consumed it. He belched and a large green fire emerged from his mouth, and for some reason the ground appeared further away. A few awkward steps later, he realized that the ground wasn't moving... He was growing! Twilight and her friends rushed towards the main fight, not stopping to question why a hoard of Timberwolves were fighting off the Changelings. Soon they reached the battlefield, where the Ursa-sized Changeling was fighting two Changelings. "Star Watcher! Rose!" Twilight cried, rushing towards them. The rest of her friends just shrugged and headed for Dark Claw. "Twilight?" Star Watcher asked, turning away from the fight for a second. Immediately he was hit by a hug from the sobbing pony. "Rose, Star Watcher, I'm so sorry. I never considered... I didn't know..." "It's all right, Twilight." Star Watcher said gently. "It's alright. Now, we have to defeat this giant Changeling. He's been stealing love from the Hive, and now he's extremely powerful. Are you up to it?" Twilight broke the hug, a determined look in her eyes. "As ready as I'll ever be. Rose, Star Watcher- What should I call you?" "Call me Star Watcher," he replied. "It was my original name, after all. I'll tell you everything once we've won." They returned to the fight, where Bugze was dousing Dark Claw in fire, Rarity was pelting him with sharp gemstones, Rainbow Dash was impacting him relentlessly, Applejack was bucking him, Fluttershy had her animal creatures swarm him, and Pinkie Pie was blasting him with her party cannon, each of whom retreated when Dark Claw attempted to focus on them, making it impossible for him to hurt any of them. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!" Dark Claw roared. "FEAR MY FINAL FORM." Dark Claw once again was covered in green fire, glowing as he grew still large, not stopping until he was larger than an Ursa Major. Everypony gasped in horror. The battle had seemed hard enough when he was the size of an Ursa Minor, but now? It looked impossible! Suddenly, green fire rose up from the other side of the other side of the encampment. This green fire rose up until it almost matched the size of Dark Claw. The green fire receded, and the form of the creature was clear. It was- "Spike?!" Twilight gasped.