//------------------------------// // Choices // Story: A Different Breed of Changeling // by Zoljen //------------------------------// Talon sighed as he glanced up to the ring that was currently stuck on his horn. While he was left untied in the cell, the ring was kept in place and he was still under constant watch in case he’d make an escape or something while they decided what to do about him. On the plus side, he was given history books and a new bed. It was a board with a cushion on it, but it was better than a pile of hay. He grumbled slightly as he used a hoof to turn the page in the book he was reading. “You know, this reading would be easier if I could use my magic to turn the page.” The pegasus huffed in annoyance. “And until we can prove you're trustworthy, the answer is no. Now stop asking.” Talon shrugged, it was worth a shot at least. He looked towards the pegasus again. “So.” The pegasus sighed, another question coming his way as the changeling continued, “Equestria now has four alicorns in it? I know of Celestia and Luna, but this Cadance and Twilight are new to me.” The pegasus turned slightly to gaze at the changeling, “Yes, Cadance, Princess of Love. She currently resides in the Crystal Empire. A place you’re most certainly forbidden to go. And Twilight Sparkle, who recently ascended to godhood. She resides in Ponyville. Any more silly questions?” Talon sighed. “Ok, I know you hate what I am, but I wasn’t even here during that event. I can tell you hate me, I sense and taste that anger.” He scrunched his face. “And it tastes horrible, just so you know. But honestly, Amber Dawn, I am not your enemy!” Amber Dawn turned fully to face the changeling. “I am aware of your innocence, doesn’t mean I have to like you. You caused a scene when you first arrived, and until we decide what to do with you, you're stuck here under our watch.” Talon shook his head and sighed, “Right, and even then. I get the feeling the glares are going to continue on. Oh well.” He returned to reading the book for a few moments, before glancing up at the guard. “Ya know, if you have other important stuff to do. You can go do it.” “And leave you alone to remove that ring and teleport out of here? No.” “The notches in my horn would make that difficult to do. And besides, I wouldn’t need the ring to get out of here.” Talon stood and stretched out a little, flaring his wings to the sides as he did so. Amber Dawn just watched him. “What do you mean?” he asked as he watched Talon trot up to the bars and poke at them. “Standard steel, right? Melt under intense heat, not enchanted to withstand fire.” Talon kept poking at them. “Right, Unicorns don’t generate fire except through magic.” Amber kept his eyes on the changeling, wondering what he was doing. Talon shrugged slightly. “I know my metals pretty well, have to if I wish to emulate them. However, there is a trait I inherited from dragons and drakes.” He walked back to the bed, turning and sitting on it with a smirk. “But, I wouldn’t get very far, and it would break any trust I had built up to this point,” he sighed, and promptly fell back onto the uncomfortable bed. “Yes it would,” a new voice made itself known as a turquoise mare with a two-toned yellow mane entered the jail room. Talon and Amber Dawn both looked towards her as she trotted up to the bars. “Descent wants to see him, so he can stop pestering you with questions now.” “Good,” Amber said as he moved to unlock the door, Talon sitting up and looking towards the pair. “So what is going to happen to me now?” Talon rolled out of the bed and looked towards them. The mare looked at him with a faint smirk. “That depends on you, if you can show him what you're capable of that is.” The mare watched as Talon moved out of the cell and looked between them. “And… not getting my magic back ‘til we get there, right?” The mare just nodded and started back out of the jail room. Talon fell in line and Amber Dawn brought up the rear, keeping the changeling in between them. “Well, I suppose I can ask you about Twilight Sparkle then?” “Not much to say about her. Recently became an alicorn, the princess of friendship, really needs to work on her flying, but that's to be expected as a unicorn who is suddenly granted wings,” Lightning Dust casually remarked over her shoulder. “Though as a changeling, you can fly in almost any form, huh?” Talon nodded, “Just can't as an earth pony. I fake it as a unicorn, using my magic to make my wings glow and say they are just summoned at will.” “Clever,” Amber remarked behind him. “What can I say? I am a pony of many talents, though mind reading isn't one of them. What's your name, ma’am?” “Oh, so polite too. I am Lightning Dust, and you can just call me Dust.” She turned a corner and lead them down a semi-lit hallway. Talon was certainly getting a tour of the palace as they made their way towards wherever they were going. Guards stood at attention as they passed by, each one glaring at the changeling, making his ears go flat, as it went past. Talon let out a soft sigh after the third set of guards they passed glared at him, drawing the attention of Dust. “Ok, I didn't cause that big of a scene when I, er, dropped in. Did I? Or is all this anger I'm tasting from the wedding invasion that I, clearly, wasn't a part of?” Dust chuckled softly. “You did cause a scene when you dropped in, but yes. The guards aren't overly fond of changelings at the moment, and I doubt that is going to change any time soon.” “Even if this changeling wants to join the Wonderbolts?” Talon asked, looking at Dust who stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. “Why would you want to join them?” She asked, as he stopped to get stared at in the eye by her. “Well, er, why not? I doubt I could join the guard here, not without constant glares even if i was disguised.” “And you think the Wonderbolts would just let you in?” “Well, no. I’d have to work for it, but I’d rather show off what i can do naturally, then let my magic speak for me. Sure, I can change what I look like, get bat wings or even dragon wings, grow claws, but most of that is for show.” Talon lifted a hoof up. “But I can't alter my speed or my strength. If doing whatever the Wonderbolts do to increase that helps my combat abilities, then it's worth it.” “Huh, weird talk for a changeling harvester. Why would...you…” Dust trailed off as Talon began laughing. “Ok, what's so funny?” Talon calmed down enough to speak. “That you consider me a harvester, which I'm not. I am a soldier, bred and trained to protect.” He grinned widely, making Dust step back from the toothy visage. “Harvesters would avoid combat at all costs. We soldiers protect the hive, protect those who can't defend themselves.” He trailed off, looking down. “Even if I failed in that role.” “Is that why you were exiled, only way for a changeling to leave their hive, that we know of.” Dust turned back forward and resumed trotting towards the throne room, Talon following behind as he kept her hooves in his view. “Hard to be exiled when your hive is crushed before your eyes,” Talon mumbled barely loud enough for the pair to hear. Amber noticed how Talon started to carry himself, at first with with pride, now it looked like shame. His tail was sagging and wings were barely holding at his sides. “Must of been a harsh blow,” he commented, “I don't know how something could have crushed a whole hive.” “I’d rather not talk about it.” Talon said glumly, as the grand doors opened to reveal the long throne room. Princess Luna, Descent, and Starry sitting at the far side of it. Talon glanced up and noticed the lunar alicorn and shrank slightly, folding his ears back. Amber noticed and started to push the changeling forward. “Willing to face dragons, but not her?” He smirked as he kept nudging Talon up. Dust trotted up to Descent and gestured back to the changeling. “Here he is, as you requested.” Dust moved to stand beside Descent as he stood up and looked over the changeling. “Hmph, where is the warrior we saw the other day? All I see before me is a cowering foal.” Descent stood in front of the changeling and looked down at him as Talon slowly straightened out. “J-just took a moment to catch up, sir,” Talon tried to say calmly as he tried to ignore the alicorns’ presence in the room. He glanced at each of the pegasi before him and took note of their emotions, pretty much all glaring at him. “Does she intimidate you?” Descent motioned his head towards Luna. “Well, partially. With dragons, you know of how you may, er, die. With alicorns, it's a whole different story.” Talon shrugged slightly as he stood at attention. “You never know what could happen if you say or do the wrong thing. I learned that the hard way.” “Thou wound up in our throne room after dealing with Discord.” Luna chimed in, looking the changeling over. “We would not erase thou from existence, as we have naught a reason too.” “Well, that is refreshing.” Talon said with a faint chuckle, then looked at Descent was slowly trotting around him, looking him over. “So, what's going to happen to me?” “Well, that depends. Are you a fighter or not? I would assume so as you deflected magic.” Descent stopped behind the changeling and glanced up at Luna. “I am a soldier, yes. Bred to fight and protect, so regardless of what happens, I would prefer to be somewhere my skills can be put to use.” Talon glanced over his shoulder at Descent. “And that technique used to deflect magic?” “Passed down from generation to the next from the last Changeling war. It barely comes up but it is a good skill to have when conserving energy for barriers and shapeshifting.” “And your combat skill?” Starry spoke up from next to the throne in her usual flat tone, making Talon look at her. “While not trained in a military function, I do know how throw a punch.” “Anypony can throw a punch.” Descent started, “but only those that are trained know how to put their weight and muscle into it.” He was to Talon’s left now, looking the changeling over again, he stopped directly in front of him and smirked. Talon tilted his head slightly, looking over Descent. The changeling was having trouble trying to figure out the emotions he was getting. Dust was easy to read, but Descent and Starry weren't, heck Starry was harder to read then Descent was! Talon shook his head slightly, as he gazed up to Luna. At least she proved easy to read, curiousity was at the top of her list, although she still had a fair bit of magical power. He sighed and looked back to Descent, “Guess military training makes your emotions hard to read.” Descent let out a scoff as he gave one final glance over the changeling. “Well, time to see what you're made of.” Descent lunged at the changeling, making him duck down to dodge the attack as Descent flew into the air above and behind him. Talon quickly stood back up and turned to face Descent. The stallion landed and stood on his hind legs, throwing a punch at the changeling. Talon stood up to quickly block the attack, wincing at the amount of power Descent put behind it. “And I thought dragons hit hard! OW!” Talon thought as he blocked another attack from the stallion before him, making him take a few steps back. “Well, at least you know the basics of defending yourself,” Dust commented off to the side as she watched Descent throw hard blow after hard blow into the changeling, each impact making him step back. “Ever so helpful Dust!” Talon said as he sidestepped to dodge a swing. He took the moment to swing back, only for his arm to get caught and thrown over the pegasus. Talon grunted as he landed and bounced to his hooves and looked to where the pegasus stood. Descent stood there, still reared back, looking over the changeling. Talon growled as he stepped forward and threw a punch, it getting easily deflected as he started to throw more. All of them were easily deflected and brushed aside with a single arm. “Enjoying yourself?” he asked as he threw another punch, getting himself caught as Descent flipped around and held the arm up behind the changeling. “You really need to work on your offense. But I could see some promise in you with the right training,” he said, before throwing Talon forward to the ground. Talon tried to stand up but was kept down as Descent placed a hoof on his back. “I’m sure the previous Wonderbolt captains would be willing to train you.” Descent kept him in place as he glanced to Luna. “Care to remove that ring? I doubt he is going to teleport away.” He let up on the changeling who looked up to his horn, then over to Luna who was already powering up hers. He saw the deep blue glow appear above his vision for a moment than a soft pop as the ring was teleported away. Descent watched Talon for a bit as the changeling glanced to his horn again, smirked, and vanished from view. Descent leaned a little to the left as a holed limb suddenly went past his head, and Descent suddenly extended his wings, granted him an ‘oof’ from behind. He turned around and saw the changeling holding his stomach and looking up at him. “How…” he said slowly as Descent took a step back. “Awareness, and that move being predictable. I suggest you aim more for the side, not the back.” Descent looked towards Luna, who shook off a shocked expression. Talon shook his head quickly and took a few steps back. “Aw shards,” he said softly as he straightened out. Luna looked over the changeling. “Thou art the first changeling we have seen to teleport.” Talon sat and kept a hoof over his stomach, “It's more short range, kind of like blinking really. A teleport is more long range, I can only go about a yard, maybe two if i try. I haven't really tried to go farther.” He relaxed slightly and grinned. “It consumes far less power to do that too, since I don't have the same reserves as you or a unicorn.” Luna nodded slightly, keeping an eye on the Talon as Descent spoke up. “Well, we should get going. We can drop him off at the base and resume our patrol.” Dust and Starry nodded as they stood and trotted towards the balcony. Talon looked between each of them, getting the hint quickly he stood and followed as well. Descent watched him as he moved. “Though you should take a pegasus disguise.” Talon glanced back at Descent and nodded slightly, engulfing himself in fire for a moment. In his place was a deep red pegasus, with a dark blue mane that had black spots in it. He looked slightly bigger as a pony, than a changeling, and his Cutie mark was a hoof engulfed in green fire. Descent nodded and took flight, leading them as Starry flew by his side. Talon was stuck in the middle with Dust behind him.