Changing Odds

by Melody Brush

Ch. 3-3: Meetings And Reunions

Part Two
Chaos And Disharmony

Chapter Three
Meetings And Reunions

Anorum was sitting alone in the living room feeding her newborn baby girl while Vitam was out searching for Gnator again. Zuro still lived happily in Ponyville with friends and a lover who know what he is and willingly accept him, regardless of what they have been taught about the changelings, which eased the fear she had for her son, but the fear still lingered. And Dili was with her favorite brother for the month, which was (excluding all the ponies who were not in the know) the safest place to be.

She looked down to her baby, whom she came to call Dulcis, as she feed from her mother happily, and almost greedily. Dulcis was too young to go and feed on love on her own, so she had to feed through her mother's milk and love her mother gave to her in order to grow strong and healthy for a changeling.

Anorum cradled her baby in her forelegs, treasuring these moments as they passed while she thought about doing the same thing to the last three of her children before they became to old to nurse.

"Don't worry sweetheart." Anorum told her daughter as she fed. "There's plenty enough to last."

Dulcis let go of her mother and made a funny face. Anorum smiled and lifted her daughter over her shoulder and began to pat her back. After a minute Dulcis let out a rather large burp for one of her size, then let out a happy hum as she nuzzled her mother's neck.

"Oh my!" Anorum chimed. "That was a good one young lady." She lifted Dulcis up at arms length, earning some giggles from her as she flapped her forelegs up and down, then she reached up for her mother. "I love you too, Dulcis." Anorum laughed as she leaned her head closer and kissed her daughter on the nose. Dulcis wrapped her tiny hooves around her mother's muzzle and refused to let her go until she was satisfied.

Anorum hummed happily, knowing her newborn daughter loved her as much, if not more so, than Dili loved Zuro. Then it hit her! Zuro had been gone for three years, and in all that time he never once returned to their home, not even to just visit. Zuro never met his new baby sister, and it would take a few years at least before they could bring Dulcis to pony civilization without running a risk of exposing their family.

"Zuro, why don't you come home?" She asked.

Just at that moment, Dulcis pulled away from her mother's muzzle and looked off into the distance. After a minute she made a look that said she was about to cry. Anorum was about to ask 'what's wrong' when she felt distress coming from her eldest son. Soon after she felt the same level of concern coming from Vitam and even Gnator as the feeling filled her heart with fear. She gasped.

"Zuro!"

Dulcis then let her cries become reality as she let tears streamed down her cheeks. Anorum pulled her crying baby up closed and hugged her, comforting her as she got up and made for the front door, immediately. She ran out of the house and transformed into a yellow pegasus mare with red mane and tail, and took off toward the direction of where her eldest child's distress was coming from.

She now had a mission. A mission that all mothers had in which the rules no longer applied to her. She had to go help Zuro, and whether or not any of the ponies saw her newborn did not matter. Only one thing mattered now, and that was her son.

"Mommy's coming, Zuro!"

~~)oOo(~~

Vitam had been out looking for his youngest son since sunrise this morning. He had gotten up early, planted a kiss on his wife's and newborn child's cheeks, then left their home to once again find out where Gnator was. He knew Gnator was alive, that much was certain. But where he was, that was completely blocked, not only by Gnator, but by someone (or something) else, which bothered Vitam greatly.

Why are you hiding from us, Gnator? He asked quietly. What could you be doing that you don't want your own family to know about?

He flew through the streets, asking the other changelings if they had seen Gnator anywhere in the last month to a year. He soon spotted a familiar changeling he knew since he was younger and flew up to him.

"Excuse me?" He asked the changeling who was out enjoying the morning mountain air. The changeling turned to see his old friend and smiled.

"Yes, Vitam?" The changeling replied.

"Have you seen my son Gnator recently?" Vitam asked. The changeling's smile instantly faded away.

"Sorry old friend. But I haven't seen, or heard from your boys for quite some time. The last I saw Zuro was just before his sixteenth birthday, three years ago. And Gnator I've not seen since just over a year ago." Vitam sighed and dropped his head at the reply he was given.

"That's what I was afraid of." Vitam said, matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry my friend." The changeling said as he reached up and placed his hoof on Vitam's shoulder.

"You've nothing to be sorry about." Vitam replied.

"Have you ever thought he may have joined the queen's army?" The changeling asked. Vitam's eyes sprang up at the question. A look of both fear and determination visible in the blue hue.

"Why would he have?" Vitam asked.

"Any number of reasons." The changeling replied.

"Don't tell." Vitam said.

"Shouldn't I have said 'don't ask' first?" The changeling asked.

Vitam let out a small chuckle, then froze in place with his eyes wide open. He just stood there for a minute, locked in place with his eyes growing more wide by the second before he slowly turned his head toward the direction of Ponyville.

"Uh... Vitam?" The changeling asked.

Vitam continued to remain silent for several minutes. Something terribly wrong was happening. Something was happening to Zuro in the small town that was causing Zuro's anger and stress to rise. Not only that, but he also felt great joy, relief and happiness coming from a very powerful source. A very powerful and old creature the changelings believed to be extinct long ago.

Soon Vitam turned his focus to the rest of his family to see if he could sense anything wrong with them. He soon found out that Gnator already knew and was following his brother's feelings. His wife also felt the problem and was well out of their home on the way to where they could feel their oldest son.

Without another word Vitam took off toward the direction he was staring as he transformed into the pony form he took while visiting Zuro in the town, leaving the other changeling behind with a concerned look on his face. Vitam did not know what was going on, but he knew something was wrong with Zuro, and he needed to get over to his son before anything else happened!

~~)oOo(~~

Gnator and Entibus were flying at top speed toward the direction of his brother's troubled emotions. They both were taking the forms of griffons, because they were Gnator's favorite race, and they offered more speed with their impressive wing strength.

Gnator could sense his mother and father's fear and love for their eldest son heading in the same direction as he was. Something big was going on, and his brother was right in the middle of it. Gnator was not going to sit this one out, even if Queen Chrysalis herself ordered him not to go and help.

"Gnator, what's going on?" Entibus yelled through the rush of the wind.

"Something is happening to Zuro, and I'm not sitting this one out!" He replied.

"What do you mean 'sit this one out'?"

The two passed the mountain line and entered the dark forest. The town should be close. Gnator said to himself as the sun became blocked by the leaves of the trees.

"Darling?" Entibus asked.

"Just over a year ago, when the sun didn't rise, we all knew Zuro was in trouble." Gnator began. "I wanted to go and help, but dad said to stay and protect mom and Dili. I did, but nothing ever happened. I was so furious, when dad asked me if I wanted to come with him and Dili to see Zuro I said 'no' and ran off. That was when the queen found, and recruited me. I sat the last time out, I'm not doing it this time."

"And maybe you can tell your brother what the queen is planning and have him join us to save our race." Entibus suggested. Gnator gave no reply for a minute.

"Maybe."

They flew the rest of the way through the forest, neither one of them breaking to feed and regain their strength. The new captain and his corporal were now on a mission of 'search and rescue' and there was no room for error on this one. Gnator had his mind, and senses locked on his brother with only one thing in mind.

I'm coming for you Zu.

~~)oOo(~~[/i[

Anorum flew as fast as her pony wings could carry her through the forest with Dulcis in her forelegs crying for her brother, whom she ha never met, yet still loved. Changelings, even at birth could sense who their family was, especially their parents. This made family bonds strong and helped them to be closer together. It allowed them to come to one another's aid in situations such as this.

Anorum felt the love of her husband for her coming in close behind her, but she made no effort to slowdown. She had to find her son and help him. She did, however, give a good amount of attention to her crying baby and cradled her in her forelegs.

"Shh shh. It's okay baby." She said sweetly. "We're going to help your brother."

"Anorum!"

The voice was barely a measurable whisper over the howling wind in her ears, but the next time it came it was more clear.

"Anorum! Wait!" Vitam called out.

"Don't you dare tell a mother to stop when her firstborn son is in trouble!" She shouted without slowing down or turning back.

"I never said stop, I said wait! You're not going there alone with Dulcis still to young to transform!" Vitam said as he caught up with his wife.

"Zuro's in trouble. I don't care what the ponies think!" Anorum stated as she comforted Dulcis.

"Anorum, think about...." Vitam stopped short as they passed a hut in the middle of the forest. The fact that it was there was not what bothered them, so much as the fact as they could sense their daughter in there. They both stopped and flew down to the hut. They burst through the door without bothering to knock and found a blue pegasi mare standing next to their daughter in front of a zebra.

"Mommy, daddy!" Dili cried as she ran up to them pounced in Vitam's forelegs and nuzzled his chest, forcing her tears onto his coat.

"Vitam. Thank Celestia you're here." Angel said.

"Angel, what's going on?" Vitam asked.

"You're Angel Wings?" Anorum asked.

"Yes." Angel replied.

"You're the one who accepts my son, even though he's not a pony?" Anorum asked. Angel nodded her head, earning a squeak from Anorum. "Oh, I've been dying to meet you." said as she allowed her pony form drop.

"Anorum, my love, I thought Zuro was number one right now." Vitam said as he transformed.

"Daddy, I can't change, and bubba went to stop the chaos thingy." Dili cried.

"What do you mean you can't change sweets?" Vitam asked.

"Things have been going chaotic all day." Angel began. "Zuro went to try and straighten things out, then she transformed and it's all because of that weird dragon looking old fart with the different body parts. And why did I say old fart?"

"Wait a minute." Vitam said.

"Did you say dragon with different body parts?" Anorum asked.

"... yes." Angel replied.

"That's impossible. The last draconequus died over a thousand years ago. They're extinct." Vitam said.

"In the matter of the ancient believed to be dead, these are words of truth that have been said." The zebra said.

"Come again?" Anorum asked.

"Zecora means what I just said is the truth." Angel explained.

"Mommy, daddy, Gnaty just past us."

~~)oOo(~~

Gnator and Entibus flew past a small hut in the forest. Gnator felt his parents in that hut with his two sisters, but he was not concerned about them.

"Gnator, I felt other changelings in that hut. Were they your family?" Entibus asked.

"Zuro wasn't in there." Gnator replied. "We're here to find Zuro and help hi..." They both stopped as they reached the edge of the forest. Just outside of the forest was... choas. The ground was a chess board and soap, houses were floating in the sky, and ponies were acting strange.

"What's going on here?" Entibus asked.

"... I don't know." Gnator answered.

They hovered there for a minute, watching chaos unfold everywhere before Gnator started flying into the town with Entibus close behind. They stopped short when a large pepper shaker appeared overhead and shook itself upside-down over them. Pepper began to fall all over them and fly into their nostrils, making their noses tickle. After a few gasps and quick breaths, they threw their heads back and let out a large 'AAAHHHH-CHOO!'

The air was filled with laughter as Gnator and Entibus sneezed from the pepper in their noses. Gnator looked around to find the source through his sneezing, but with no luck.

"Who's... ah-choo!... there?" He called.

"Ahahahaha... you should see your faces! Priceless!"

"Oh, ple... ah-choo!... please. not another whack job." Entibus said.

"Whack job? Me? And what does that make you, Entibus?"

Both blinked at the mention of her name.

"How do you know her name?" Gnator said just before another sneeze.

"The same way I know yours and your family's names, Gnator."

In a quick flash of light the large figure of the draconequus, Discord, who was laying on a cloud with a puff of cotton cloud hovering over him, which he stuck on a candy-cane striped cone and took a bight.

"Y'know, I only just recently found out why a certain pegasus loves these clouds so much. You wouldn't know her, but she's your brother, Zuro's manager." Discord said through the melting candy in his mouth.

Gnator and Entibus both stared at Discord in shock at what they saw before them. They both knew about the draconequus race, but they believed they were, and have been extinct for over a thousand years.

"So, not only do we have a whack job on our hooves, but an extinct whack job." Entibus mused.

"What do you know about my brother?" Gnator asked.

"Would you like to see her?" Discord asked with a smug grin.

"Her?!"

Discord snapped his claw and the mare that was Zuro with the dog who was his best friend Jet Blast. As soon as the mare appeared with her derped eyes and dumb smile Gnator could sense right then it was Zuro, but something was really off.

"Say hello to my lovely little girl, Screwball." Discord said.

Gnater stared at his brother in shock with a rage slowly building up with each passing second as he realized what had become of his brother.

"You... are going... to pay... for this...!" Gnater said through gritted teeth.

"And you're going to stop me, is that it?" Discord asked.

"Lay one hair on my son and that'll be the end of it!" Came the voice of Anorum.

Entibus looked back to see the two parents coming in for a landing in their pony forms, Anorum glaring daggers at the draconequus while Gnater kept his burning eyes locked on the same target. In Gnator's eyes this was about to get ugly, and the draconequus was a bout to suffer. It was four changelings against one 'monster', and if Zuro was in his right mind than this was as good as done.

Comments

[goddamnAnimal]

damn, discord be all crazy and shit

[Melody Brush]

2713433 Eeyup.

[Melody Brush]

2733344 Eeyup. Spelling errers are almost impossible to avoid.

[Burnasius]

Even with the bit of family power, I have a feeling that Zuro and Gnater will be in a bit of an issue. But until the invasion plot happens, I'm hoping for it to be canon.

As for this scene and the next one, Discord will be victorious, as usual, he's the spirit of chaos and disharmony for crying out loud, Changelings or not, he'll be having fun in messing them around.

[Melody Brush]

2734795 Eeyup.

[Melody Brush]

2735151 Trixie completely skipped my mind.

[Starcat5]

2735422
Too bad. Showmares have to wear many "faces" while preforming. And Trixie wore hers around everypony, even when not on stage. It would have been interesting to see a Changeling's take on that turn of events, rather than of those who wear who they are on there "sleeves" like the Ponies in Ponyville do. Oh well, maybe we can get a flashback in the sequel, once the events of Magic Duel come around.

...assuming there is a sequel.

...assuming this story doesn't just keep going after the wedding and covers that episode anyway.

[JazzyWaffles]

[/i[

Uhhhhh

[The REAL Mister Pkmn]

2735422
Heartless of you to skip best pony.