//------------------------------// // Invitation // Story: Changelings Like Weddings // by NightScript //------------------------------// Chapter 1 "Ding Dong" the door bell sounded through the quiet house that Ponyville's strangest inhabitant now called home. "Coming!" Switchback yelled from across the living room as he made his way to the front door. As he walked, he wondered who could possibly be outside. He didn't get many visitors, which was okay with him. He was quite content on living a peaceful life in Ponyville among ponies, even if he did get lonely from time to time. Switchback was not your average unicorn, neither was he your average pegasus or earth pony. He could be though, if he wanted. He could even be all three at a time, but unknown alicorns tend to draw attention and that's the last thing he wanted. No he was perfectly happy secretly being a changeling. There was always love somewhere in the air to sustain him and he didn't even have to drain some poor soul of it. Indeed, he was happy not attacking ponies just to survive. He was happy not acting like a monster and causing fear. He was happy living in harmony with the ponies around him. After a quick thought, Switchback enveloped the door handle in front of him in the green aura of his magic and opened the door. Standing before him was absolutely nothing. No visitor, no lost pony asking for directions, not even a package. He looked around to make sure nopony was hiding behind a bush or something. "That's strange," he thought to himself as he began to close the door. Just as the door was about to make contact with the frame, he quickly opened it again and looked around, attempting to catch the pranksters. Still nothing. "Hmm, maybe I'm just hearing things." He closed the door again, this time all the way and turned around. "Hello!" Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically, maybe a little to enthusiastically, as she hung upside down from the ceiling. "Aaaagh!" Switchback yelled as he jumped back in surprise, changing from a crimson red unicorn to a bright yellow alicorn with purple stripes and lime green mane. His eyes were also different colors. Every hair on his new multi-colored body was now standing straight up. "Dang it, Pinkie Pie. One of these days you're going to make me jump out of my exoskeleton," Switchback said as he recomposed himself, turning back into the crimson unicorn with snow white mane. His eyes also turned back to purple. Pinkie giggled and snorted once as she fell back to the ground, landing on her head. No harm was done as her hair caught her and bounced her back upright like a spring. If Switchback had just now met her, he would have asked her how she did that, but he knew better than to ask stupid questions. She was Pinkie Pie. She can do whatever she wants. "Exoskeleton? That's funny," Pinkie continued giggling. "Um, no," Switchback replied. "I'm insectoid, therefore I have an exoskeleton." "Yeah, but not in pony form though, silly. Your bones are on the inside then." Pinkie Pie had a point. Switchback really couldn't argue with it, mostly because he had no idea what to come back with. "Alright, you win," he said, defeated by the logic that came seemingly from nowhere inside the barrel of sugar that was Pinkie Pie. "Can you please stop doing that, though? Please?" "Oky doky loky!" Pinkie let out a few more laughs. "Sorry, I just like seeing what you change into. Anyways, I have super duper amazing news!" She smiled super wide, even by her standards. Things were silent for sometime. Switchback looked around confusingly. "Soooooo?" he asked. "Oh right!" Pinkie said after doing some super fast thinking. She laughed again. "I was so happy I completely forgot to tell you what I was going to tell you. Oh silly Pinkie." Yet again, she laughed. "Soooooo, I got picked to be Matilda and Cranky's wedding planner, and I've been so so so so so so busy! So many preparations! But now that I have time to get my own dress together for the occasion, I thought I'd just drop by and see if you wanted to come with me as my plus one!" "Y-you want me? Like, me, me, not some other me to come to the wedding with you?" Switchback wasn't making any sense at all, but Pinkie Pie somehow replied to it as if it was the most sane thing she had ever heard. "Well of course I want me to come with I to the wedding! You're the best kind of me!" Switchback smiled, even though he no longer had any clue of what was happening. "It will be so much fun. After the ceremony there will be cake and dancing and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah sugar blah blah blah blah blah love blah blah... Pinkie kept talking, but Switchback didn't here a single word that Pinkie was saying. All he could think about was the wedding ceremony, all that love in the air, the heartfelt reciting of vows, the teary eyed family members, THE KISS! If there was one thing that all changelings knew about cuisine, it was that the kiss of a couple at their wedding was the most delicious thing in this world or any other beyond. Switchback could not miss out on this, he wouldn't miss out on it. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him! At least, that's what it felt like. Surely more ponies would get married, but his taste buds, not his common sense, were really the only things working as he started drooling all over the place. "...blah blah blah blah blah," Pinkie finished. She had actually started saying blah after noticing that her changeling friend wasn't exactly 'all there.' Most ponies would probably get mad at him for not paying attention to them when they were talking, but Pinkie Pie was more playful than a kitten in a yarn factory. "So are you coming?" Pinkie asked after a moment. Switchback shook himself back to reality. "Absolutely!" he answered excitedly. "I wouldn't miss it for all the gourmet, daisy sandwiches in the world." After running away from the hive, Switchback actually tried to eat like a normal pony. Turns out that normal pony food is actually pretty good. None of it came anywhere close to the emotions that he fed on though. "Great!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It's tomorrow afternoon in the town hall. It's going to be so much fun!" "That sounds great, Pinkie, I'll be sure to wear something that compliments the crimson color of my coat." "Or," Pinkie began to suggest. "You could just go as yourself and I could introduce you to all my friends. I'm sure they'd love to hear about what life in the hive was like and the story of how you came to Ponyville." Switchback froze and looked at Pinkie Pie with a shocked stare. "You mean, not disguise myself?" "Of course! This is a perfect opportunity for you to make some more friends and show ponies that you're not a complete monster! All the princesses will be there. If you can become friends with them, then everypony will like you and you wont have to hide inside your house anymore. I'll even introduce you." "Wow Pinkie. That would really mean a lot to me," Switchback replied, happy that Pinkie Pie was willing to be such a good friend and help him out like this. He had known her for the full two years that he lived in Ponyville, starting when she threw him a big welcome party, but she only discovered that he was a changeling about a month ago. She obviously wanted to make up for those years that he had lived as a loner by making him feel more welcome. "But..." Switchback frowned. "What if everypony just freaks out and attacks me? I bet they won't even give me a chance." "Oh come on," Pinkie said. "Turn that frown a full one hundred eighty degrees, show me some teeth, and express a little joy! I'll walk in with you so that everypony knows that you're my best changeling friend." The two hugged. "Thanks Pinkie Pie," Switchback said as he smiled with relief. "You're the best." "No, I'm the party pony," Pinkie said. Switchback let out a small laugh at this comedic comment, causing him to smile even more. All of a sudden, Pinkie freaked out and inhaled loudly for a solid five seconds. "I just remembered something. There's sorta kinda been a giant bugbear attacking the town the entire time that we've been talking. I have to go now, but I'll see you at the wedding. Bye!" She took off out the door, letting it close behind her. Only moments later, what sounded like an oversized party cannon going off caused the entire house to shake. Switchback smiled again. "That's Pinkie Pie for you," he thought. "Here in an instant, makes you smile, gone in an instant, and keeps you smiling even when she's not around." He was really glad that out of all the ponies that could have ended up being his only friend, it was her.