//------------------------------//
// The Transformation 
// Story: Changeling Days 
// by Princess OtakuGeek 
//------------------------------//

✴✴✴✴Olivia POV✴✴✴✴

Where to start. I suppose I should start with me and where I was that day when everything changed so drastically. I was attending a convention. A pony convention called the Running of the Leaves in Denver Colorado. Yep, you guessed it, I'm a pegasister. I enjoy the show and the fandom. Anyways, it was the last day of Ponycon and on the last night they had a rave.

Usually I wouldn't join in since I'm not a fan of loud music, but I was feeling good that day so I thought 'why not'? Looking back, I'm glad I made that choice. Given when the transformation occurred, I would've still been driving when it happened. Imagine you're driving and suddenly you start turning into a different species. The change was slow enough that most were able to pull over, but there were some who freaked out and ended up crashing. A few even passed out at the wheel. Thank goodness nobody died, though in some cases it was pretty close.

As for me, I was settling down into a seat near the stage where the DJ was playing to rest after dancing when the pain started. At first it was small, but then it got worse and worse until I was finally on the ground clutching myself in pain. I barely registered that everyone else in the room was having similar reactions. At some point I blacked out and suddenly I found myself floating in an expanse of pure white. Looking down, I saw that I didn't have a body but instead I was a ball of golden light. Looking around, I found that I wasn't alone. There were five other orbs of colored lights with me. One was a vibrant green while another was fiery red. A third was clear blue like water while a forth was bright pink and the fifth was black as midnight. All six arranged in a circle.

Suddenly I felt like something shifted and a trail of light began streaming from all of us to the center. Right in the center where the streams met, a pearlescent ball formed and the exploded into a tree. It wasn't very big, but it was still pretty impressive. It's trunk was actually six trunks intertwined together and it's bark was as shiny and pearlescent as the ball it had exploded from and it radiated a deep warm feeling that made me relax. The branches and roots however were short and stubby like it was still growing but before I could think much about this, the vision was washed away as quickly as it came and I was left in darkness.

I lay there for several minutes reorienting myself and trying to piece together what the heck happened. The pain was gone, but now my body felt strange. Like everything inside and out had shifted around and changed. I wasn't too far off the mark. Unfortunately it's kind of hard to see what's going on when you can't see anything. At some point, the lights and music had shut off leaving us all in a pitch black room. I could hear people groaning and stumbling around. Outside I heard shouts and exclamations of shock and surprise followed by freaking out. Finally someone found the light switch and flooded the room with light so we could get a good look at ourselves.

Ten seconds later, we all started to freak out too.

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With several beings freaking out for various reasons at the same time, things quickly got loud and chaotic. I however was pretty 'calm' in comparison, and I use the term VERY loosely (but to be fair, I'd like to see you react calmly if you suddenly found yourself a different species). On the outside, I was looking myself over, but on the inside I was having my own private freakout session. I was more than a little confused at what had happened. More than anyone else. While everyone around me had suddenly become ponies, I however wasn't.

True, my body was equine in shape, but I was taller and more slender than than the ponies surrounding me. Instead of a soft coat, my body was covered in chintin. There were no holes in my hooves, but my teeth were more pointy than before and I didn't need a mirror to know that my eyes now had cat-like slits. I was a changeling and yet at the same time I wasn't like any changeling I was familiar with. For starters, I was taller than Chrysalis was and my chintin was dark grey instead of black. My mane and tail were long enough that they brushed the ground and were now a pale yellow color instead of brown like it was before. The plate on my back was a brighter, golden yellow and my wings.

As I lifted my wings up, I couldn't help but gasp in wonder. Positioned on my back were three sets of wings shaped like bee wings and were appropriately honey colored. As I admired and moved my wings in various ways, I realized that I wasn't panicking anymore. Sure I was confused, worried and a little upset, but I no longer felt like screaming. It was like there was some sort of presence that was calm and relaxed and by extension was keeping me calm. After taking in a few deep breaths, I looked up and took in the room. By this point, things had quieted down from the initial screaming and whooping (for some this was a dream come true) and the room was now all but empty as a large majority of people had left for various reasons.

Slowly I pulled myself up and began to take my first steps on hooves. At first I was wobbly and the image of a kitten or foal taking their own first steps popped into my head. But I had spent my entire life around horses, so I would be very surprised if I wasn't at least somewhat familiar with how they moved. I quickly got better and better at moving around until soon, I wasn't wobbling anymore.

'Okay, that's walking down. Now what?' I thought. I had no idea what happened but it was getting late and I wasn't confidant that I could drive with such an alien form. I wasn't even sure if I could fit into my rental car with my new height, and I was certain the airport was closed. Flying under my own power also wasn't an option for obvious reasons. If I didn't feel comfortable trying to drive with such an alien form, I definitely wasn't ready to experiment with my wings just yet.

As I went over my options, movement at the stage caught my attention. Curious, I trotted over to investigate. For the second time today, I was shocked. Standing on the stage, calmly putting away equipment was a second changeling. She was about my height with black chintin and a shoulder length glossy black mane with a tail to match. Streaked through her mane and tail were thin lines of color that were almost luminescent. Pink, orange, purple, red, green and blue. Almost like glow sticks. Poking through her mane was a horn that at first bent forward before curving up in a jagged fashion like a lightning bolt. Her backplate was a dusty luminescent purple shade that made me think about black lights and attached to it were her wings. Like me she had three set of wings but her's were vaguely shaped like firefly wings only they were longer and had a slight jagged appearance like her horn with a curl at the ends and they were black with veins in the same colors as the stripes in her mane.

But what was most shocking to me was the fact that despite the sudden change in species, she was casually coiling cords and storing equipment like it was just any other day. The other changeling's casual attitude was just so shocking and baffling that I just stood there until she noticed me. Luminous, dusty purple eyes blinked then she grinned as she approached.

"Hey there." She greeted casually as she got down so we could be eye level. "How's it going? Can I help you?"

"How can you be so calm?!" I burst out at the stranger. She blinked at my outburst, but I continued. "We've somehow been transformed into a different, mythical species with the possibility of it being permanent and for all we know it could be state wide or even global! And yet you're casually packing up your equipment. Just....how!?!"

The second changeling hummed and tapped a hoof before offering it to me. Still confused, I took the offered appendage and found myself being pulled up on the stage. After settling back on my four hooves, she answered.

"Well for starters, this equipment is delicate and expensive to replace or fix if it gets damaged and I don't have that kind of cash at this moment." She started and I shot her a deadpan look.

"Seriously?" I spoke in an equally deadpan tone.

"Yes, seriously." She said as she secured a coil of wire with an orange cuff. "Secondly, this isn't the craziest thing that's happened at a show. True this is a new one, but I've seen crazier."

That left me wondering what could be crazier than a sudden change in species.

"And finally, it's my philosophy." She continued as she packed one of her lights. "If this is temporary, than there's no point in losing my head like it's the end of the world. And if it's permanent, still no point in running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Just got to make the most of it and adjust. No point in crying over split milk. Just mop up the mess and get a new glass."

"I...guess that makes sense." I replied.

"Exactly." The other changeling agreed as she shut her laptop and put it in her bag. After a pause, she continued. "Plus, having something to do like this helps keep my focus off the situation." She said as she slung her bags across her shoulder.

"So this does bother you." I said in reply.

"Of course it does." The black changeling answered. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little upset and worried, but I'm looking on the bright side. For example, once I figure out how to, I'll be able to fly and use magic. Plus I've kinda liked changelings and I can't wait to shapeshift."

I looked at her curiously. "Wait, how are you so sure that changelings shapeshift?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Oh please, with how close Cadence and Shining Armor are, I'm pretty sure Shining would've noticed something was up if it was just an illusion." She explained. "Chrysalis may have fooled him, but he isn't brain-dead. If it was just an illusion, he would've been able to feel that Cadence was harder and taller than she normally is whenever he touched her. Now some might argue that since she had him under her control she could've altered his perception of her or something like that, but she'd have to get close to him first. Plus, Shining wouldn't be the only one who would notice something was off when they touched her. Everypony in the castle from the servants and guards to Princess Celestia and Luna would be able to tell something is off simply by touching her. None of them were under any sort of mind control and I doubt Chrysalis could pull that off. Ergo, changelings shapeshift."

I rolled that around my head for a bit and saw that she she had a point so I nodded. "Makes sense." I said simply, finding that discussing the show like this helped ease my nerves even more.

The second changeling nodded back. "Mmhmm, I thought so too. By the way, my name's Ivy, or if you prefer my stage name, DJ V. What about you?"

As she introduced herself, Ivy held out one of her hooves. Given my new form, I thought over how I should respond to the outstretched appendage before finally settling on an appropriate action.

"I'm Olivia. I don't have a stage name, so just Olivia." I said as I bumped my hoof with her's. Ivy grinned at the greeting.

"Hey, it's cool, Olivia's a nice name. Nice to meet you." She said in response. "Do you mind if I call you Olive for short?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't mind." I said. "It has a pretty cool ring to it."

"Thanks." Ivy grinned again. "Think you can help me move all this equipment to my car?"

I only nodded By this point, all of her equipment was packed and ready to go so we began moving everything out to the hall. In the hall there were more ponies, some trying to call friends and family while others were trying to calm down or be calmed down by others. We reached a clear area near a window and paused for a minute. As we stood there, Ivy let out a long low whistle.

"Whoa, I guess driving home is out." She said. I looked out the window as well and couldn't help but gape. All along the street, cars were stopped, some showing that the drivers had swerved and some were even up on the sidewalk. A few had crashed into each other.

"Dang." Ivy breathed, perfectly summing up both of our thoughts. "I hope nopony got hurt too badly." I only nodded agreement. We sat there in silence until Ivy spoke up.

"So, do you live nearby?" She asked. The question reminded me of my situation and my ears dropped as I shook my head solemnly.

"I kinda flew in from Washington state and I was going to board a plane back home tonight." I lamented. "But now I don't think there are going to be any planes flying."

"True." Ivy agreed. "So do you have any place to stay?"

A second forlorn shake of my head was my answer. I didn't have enough money for a third night at the hotel I'd been staying at and I had no idea when I would be able to return home. I drooped even more as I went over my options when suddenly, Ivy slapped her hoof on my back.

"Hey, its alright." She said kindly. "If you don't have somewhere to stay, you can come crash at my place." For the third time that day, I was thrown for a loop.

"W-what!?" I stuttered in shock. "But I don't know you and you don't know me and you're inviting me to stay with you?! For all we know about each other, you or I could be psychotic murders or worse!"

"Well are you a psychotic murder or worse?" Ivy countered calmly.

"No, of course not!"

"Well neither am I so that's one thing covered." Ivy continued. "As for not knowing each other, we know each other's names and I even have a nickname for you. All we need to do is get to know each other. I'll admit, under normal circumstances its a bit early in our relationship for me to invite you to my home, but as you may have noticed these aren't normal circumstances. And in these kind of situations, we all need to pull together. Besides, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

Ivy paused and looked at me with a concerned look in her eyes. "Also, I can't explain why but some part of me just doesn't feel comfortable leaving you in the dust. Like I'm abandoning a sister or close friend in need."

We stared at each other for a time and I found that I was feeling something similar. I couldn't understand why I was feeling this for a stranger that I'd just met (though I did have a theory or two) but it was still there none the less. I let out a sigh and nodded.

"Okay." I agreed and Ivy cheered then began leading me to an elevator.

"Yes! This'll be like a sort of sleep over." She said as we each hauled a speaker towards the elevator. "And tomorrow, I'll make bacon and eggs."

I raised an eyebrow. "How can we be so certain we can still eat meat?" I asked.

Ivy grinned, giving me a full view of her fangs and pointed teeth. "Do these chompers look like they're designed for a vegetarian diet?"

"Fair point." I conceded. It was at that moment that I started making notes on my new species. Note 1, changelings are omnivorous if not carnivorous.

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When we reached the parking lot, the first thing we did was go over to Ivy's van. With the streets in such a state, driving wasn't an option and since it wasn't possible to haul all of her equipment back, it was decided that we would just keep her stuff in her van. Ivy still brought her turntables and computer, but everything else had to stay. After making sure her car was secure, we then went to my car.

It was a rental and definitely too small for me to drive in so we unloaded all of my luggage. I had packed light, mostly because I wasn't staying long, so the the only luggage I had was a suitcase and my own computer bag. Ivy had an apartment a few blocks from where we were, so it wasn't too far. At first, we were quiet as we walked, then Ivy decided to strike up a conversation.

"So um, tell me a little bit about yourself." She started. "What do you do?"

"Not much." I admitted. "I work part-time at a local pet shop, but I also make some income from commissions and my Patreon account."

"Really? What kind of stuff do you do?" Ivy asks with no small amount of interest that made me feel like I was going to blush.

"I draw and animate a little." I answered quietly. Ivy grinned.

"You animate? That is so cool!"

"Not really." I said, actually blushing at her praise. "Some of my videos are just animatics or pictures."

"It's still cool that you're able to do that." Ivy insisted. "So what's your channel?"

I looked at her in surprise. "You would want to watch my videos?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Ivy countered.

"Well, I'm not exactly professional level and I could think of some people who are better than me." I admitted.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short." Ivy said firmly. "I know I haven't seen them yet, but I'm sure you're very talented. I mean you'd have to be if you're making a profit with commissions and Patreon."

"I guess. I just don't see myself at master level just yet." I admitted.

"And that's cool. Just so long as you know that you aren't worthless." Ivy said and I raised an eyebrow.

"That seems, oddly specific." I said.

"Uh yeah, sorry about that." Ivy replied. "I've just got a thing about stuff like that. See back during my high school years, I had a cousin that was so depressed she attempted to kill herself. She's alright now, but that sort of thing changes your world view. I just don't want you to go down that path and I guess I over reacted."

"Well I suppose I can understand that, but don't worry about me trying something that extreme." I assured her. "Sure I can get down one occasion, but that sort of thing has never occurred to me."

Ivy sighed. "Good." She said simply and we walked in silence for a moment. After that we made small talk for the rest of the walk.

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Soon enough, we reached Ivy's apartment building. Ivy led me to a door on the third floor and as she struggled to get the key into the lock, a sudden high pitched voice called out.

"Ms Ivy, is that you?" We both turned (Ivy dropping her keys due to lack of a grip) to see who was talking. Peeking out a door next door to Ivy's was a breezy. The little breezy had a spring green coat with a darker green mane and blue eyes. It took a minute for me to figure out that the little guy was a guy. Those huge eyelashes could really throw someone off. Considering how this breezy seemed to be Ivy's neighbor, I decided to wait a bit.

Sure enough, after staring at the breezy for a moment, Ivy's eyes widened in realization. "Mr. Nyström?! Is that you?" She asked. Cautiously, the breezy let go of the door and began to fly towards us. Halfway there, a strong breeze blew him forward where he was caught by Ivy's hoof.

"It is indeed me." The breezy that Ivy had identified as Mr. Nyström said as he gripped Ivy's hoof.

"Hey there Mr. Nyström, you look a little different, did you lose weight." Ivy said with a smirk and the breezy gave her a flat unamused look. "Sorry sorry, I didn't mean to be hurtful. It's just been a long day."

"Tell me about it." Nyström answered. "At least you aren't so small that anything can be a danger which brings me to what I need help with."

"Anything for my favorite neighbor, so what's up?"

"Would you mind too terribly if we stayed with you?" Mr. Nyström asked. "I wasn't the only one who was turned into a breezy and with what's happened, we don't feel safe in my apartment."

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, at that size just about anything could be a danger. Anyways, how was your family gathering?" She asked conversationally as she lifted her hoof with the breezy up to her mane. Mr. Nyström grabbed the strands of her mane and made himself comfortable.

"It was going fine until this happened." He answered.

"Yeah, I can imagine. But enough talk, let's go get your family." Ivy said then turned to me. "You coming Olive?"

I had been standing there in silence during the exchange and when Ivy finally addressed me, I blinked then nodded. Ivy grinned.

"Great!" She said. "This'll make things much easier, Mr. Nyström has a sizable family. Oh wait! Where's my head gone, My. Nyström this is my new friend Olivia. Olivia, this is my neighbor, Mr. Olaus Nyström."

"A pleasure to meet you, young lady." The breezy said with a wave.

"Nice to meet you too Mr. Nyström." I answered and the breezy smiled.

"No need to be so formal all the time. Especially right now." He said. "If you'd like, you can call me Olaus."

I nodded. "Okay, thank you Mr. Olaus."

"It's not a problem Miss Olivia." He replied.

"Okay then then now that introductions are out of the way, how about we get moving eh?" Ivy broke in then started down the hall towards Mr. Nyström's apartment with me trailing behind.

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Ivy wasn't kidding when she said that Mr. Nyström had a big family. It took both of us two trips to move them all to her apartment but we managed and now I was ready to sleep. Since the entire Nyström clan took over the guest bedroom, I had to sleep in the living room which wasn't bad since Ivy had a pull out bed. Soon I was set up in the living room and as I settled down in my bed, I pondered over the events of the day.

It had started out pretty ordinary, but then it took a sudden turn (or rather a detour) into weird territory and now here I was a changeling, sleeping on a pull out bed in a stranger's apartment. As I drifted off to sleep I had only this thought in mind, tomorrow is going to be one heck of a day.