Ch3: Different Shades of Green and Purple
Since it was getting late, and nopony had any patience left, Twilight consented to the request of everypony present to just let me do a quick verbal summary of the rest of my first night.
“Well, after Twilight went home, Fluttershy showed me to the basement.” I shrugged. “Really not much to tell. She spread out some newspapers, left me with a few blankets, a pillow, and a bowl full of water.”
Everypony gasped, and stared at Fluttershy, who shrank back, and hid behind her hair.
“Nonono! It wasn’t bad, it was everything I could have possibly hoped for, and I immediately went to work on building my cubby comb. Within a few hours I had chewed the water, newspaper, and a good portion of harvested love into a cozy little cubby comb nestled into a ceiling corner. I lined it with the feathers from my pillow, and then used my snugs to mold some lugs out of the inner walls so I could hang upside down comfortably. Finally, I lined the opening with the blankets to keep the warmth in, and went to sleep.”
“Oh, what was I thinking?” Fluttershy ran her hoof in a circle on the floor. “I should have given you the guest room, but instead I...I…” She trailed off with a pouty lip.
Pinkie cut in. “You gave Dreamy exactly everything he ever needed!” She bounced in place. “If he was happy with it, then how could it be wrong?”
“Perhaps common decency, dear?” Rarity raised a brow. “No offense, Fluttershy, but throwing somepony in the basement is a little odd, don’t you think?
Twilight’s ear twitched. “Yes, it is odd…” She stared at me.
“Pffttt… Common decency.” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “I’ve never been commonly decent!”
“It’s okay, really.” I was speaking to Fluttershy and Rarity, but my eyes were glued to Twilight as I tried to guess her thoughts.
Fluttershy’s eyes downcast, studying my hooves. “Still, I am really sorry for treating you that way. I should have given you a bed in my guest room. I can’t believe that never dawned on me.”
“Yes, very odd…” Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she bore into me with that critical gaze.
“I-It’s fine Fluttershy. Really, I understand. I wouldn’t have enjoyed sleeping in a bed anyway. We can work on your view of me later.” I tried to sound reassuring, and not at all nervous or embarrassed, but Twilight was making that impossible.
“Yay!” Fluttershy perked up. “Can we do it in the park? I’ll bring your favorite frisbee.”
“Frisbee!?” My attention snapped to Fluttershy. “Oh, yes please! That does sound wonderful!”
The following silence confused me slightly, then Rarity snickered. “You really are nothing more than a simple minded animal with a perplexingly large vocabulary.”
I glared at Rarity. “What? Too fabulous for frisbee?” I was getting tired of the snide comments. “Of course I also planned to make tea and sandwiches. Does that strike you as civilized enough?”
Pinkie’s eyes darted between us as we squared off. “Hay! That sounds delicious! Let’s have tea and sandwiches…right now!” She bounced little squeaky hops between us to cut off our glares. “Please… pretty please? I’ll bring the desert...”
“Galavanting about with a changeling playing friends? Sounds dreadful regardless of the activity.” I could feel the smirk in her voice.
Pinkie brushed up against me for support, nuzzling under my chin, glaring angrily at Rarity. Her actions brought some warmth despite the chill of Rarity’s icy words.
“Honestly, I believe Fluttershy has the right idea. You do seem tame enough to, with proper training mind you, perhaps make a decent pet. Now, if only you could learn your place, and stop drooling over Pinkie. Why I’d even be willing to make you a quaint little cage, and I’m sure Fluttershy could teach you, since you appear intelligent enough for simple instruction, to clean up your own filth.”
Being a changeling, I know the nature of the channel, absolute truth, by heart. Sometimes we hear something, and block it off from registering in our brains, stealing our emotions against such attacks. However, the channel breaks through those defenses. Emotions speak to emotions, directly from conscious mind to conscious mind.
In that moment, as I viciously lunged for Rarity, I came to understand that the bond of friendship does the same without the channel.
Perhaps if I hadn’t so desperately wanted her friendship back, her words wouldn’t have pierced me so deeply. But, no matter how I look at it, there was no excuse for what I did, and perhaps there was truth in hindsight to Rarity’s words.
For if Pinkie had not been there to pin me down, I would have bitten Rarity...hard.
Moments later, after the red haze had cleared around my vision, and much struggling to contain my feral nature, I realized Twilight had placed me in magical purple chains that connected from my ankles to my neck. Pinkie held the end of it, quietly staring at the floor next to me.
Fluttershy stared at me, the sadness in her eyes gnawing at my guilt. I suddenly felt like I had failed my trainer, though it brought some solace that she was glancing angrily at Rarity now and then.
Applejack glared at me, and had moved between me and Rarity as an extra precaution. She had stayed quiet for the most part, though disgust was written across her face.
Twilight had reprimanded Rarity for egging me on, and even Dash had made a few comments in my favor, saying she would have tried to punch her for it, but it only made me more irritated for failing to handle the situation in a more civilized manner.
The whole situation left me feeling queasy sick. “I’m sorry, I...”
“Would you shut up!?” Dash snapped at me. “You’ve been yammering all day, I can’t get your voice out of my head. I’m tired of hearing you talk.” Her voice quivered a little, and she mumbled quietly. “Besides, nopony likes you right now anyway.” She began pacing back and forth.
I shuddered, cold fear of losing Dash’s support gripping at my heart. “I thought you were okay with me being a changeling. We were joking around…and…”
“Did I say anything about changelings? No, don’t think I did. I don’t give a buck what you are. Maybe, I just find you obnoxious and irritating. I really hate this whole thing. We just spent the entire day listening to you drone on about your first day in Ponyville, had to deal with this truth speaking plot, and then after it all we’re right back where we started.
You’re dangerous! I don’t mean like fighty dangerous, I mean you almost just ripped Rarity’s throat out! What am I supposed to think about that? Yeah, she deserved a hoof across the snout, I won’t deny it, but Shatter, that was extreme…” She paused for a moment, studying her hooves in silence. Then with a deep sigh she continued. “I just want to get out of here and grab some hard cider.”
“I’d still like to drink with you…” I leaned towards Pinkie, but she shied away. I fought down a creeping panic that was crawling up my chest into my throat.
“Look around you, Shatter. When is it going to sink in? You are bucked! It doesn’t really matter if Twilight or the rest of us like you or not. Even if you do get to stay with Pinkie, do you really think the ponies out there demanding you be imprisoned are going to be all ‘oh, gee, if Twilight think’s he’s an okay creepy critter of nightmares then it’s all good with us! Sure, move on in, and make yourself at home. Eat a few foals while you’re at it!’ And what if you snap like that again?
Open your eyes Shatter, it’s over, and this is nothing but a waste of time!” The pain in her voice washed through me, as did the harsh reality of her words. She looked away.
In fact none of them would make eye contact with me.
I gritted my teeth. The whole situation was so out of hoof. It was gnawing at my insides, rising up, filling me with a queasy sand that threatened to suck me into the floor. If this was the reaction I was having in my true form, I shuddered to think how extreme it would be in my pony form.
“Well, all that truth speakin’ was a real pain in the flank. Quiet Dash!” Applejack paused, but her attempt at comedy fell flat as Dash’s only reply was to mumble quietly to herself in distraction. She cleared her throat with a nervous grin and continued. “I-I can see Dash being loud, and unable to control her thoughts. Rarity is a right lady-” She paused glancing over at Rarity. “-usually, so it’s not too hard to imagine her keepin’ shut when she want’s to.”
Rarity offered up a half hearted smile to Applejack, but avoided my eyes when I glanced her way. If I didn’t know better, I would think her expression was almost apologetic.
“As for Twi, yeah she’s quiet because she’s all focussed over there, and Fluttershy never really speaks her mind to begin with. But there’s one thing I just ain’t gettin’.” Applejack paused, taking a deep breath. “Pinkie! Pinkie couldn’t keep her mouth shut if she were hog tied, wearin’ a twine choker, and trussed up with an apple in her mouth. Yet, there she is, all quiet as can be. She ain’t really said nothin’ this whole time!”
Curiosity was palpable in the room, a lot of it my own as all eyes turned to Pinkie.
Pinkie cleared her throat after a long pause. “I’m trying really hard not to think right now.”
“Why?” I turned to face her. “I really want to hear your thoughts most of all.” I looked her over, taking note of how flat her mane had fallen to hang in half straight strands to one side of her head, still half fluffy in places.
Pinkies voice was sombre, and sad. “You are my first love, Dreamy, and my heart whispers wonderful things about you, but-” She looked up with wavering eyes. “-the voices of my friends are trying to change it’s mind. If I think too much, I’m afraid it will listen.”
Changelings can’t cry…
Whether it was her usual excitement, and upbeat random happy attitude, explosive anger, or now this new heart wrenching sadness, Pinkie never ceased to amaze me in her ability to express emotion in a way that affected...no, infected those around her.
One does not simply glance over Pinkie’s emotions. They suck you in, and flow through you. It’s what made Pinkie who she is. It’s what lured me to love her.
But…changelings can’t cry.
There were no jokes, friendly ribbing, or snide remarks. Even the angry looks my way stopped, as did the incessant scribbling of Twilight’s pad. I sat off to the side, my chains clanking as I watched them huddled together sharing their tears in a ritual of sorrow.
Pinkie had made it quite clear she didn’t want anypony to touch her. Including me at the moment.
I wished changelings could cry. I felt the pressure behind my eyes building up, but there was no release. It weighed on me, my chest felt like a void sucking in on itself, my head like lead as I finally gave into gravity, and slumped to the floor. My vision was tinted red around the edges, and the room was filled with little starbursts.
A void opened around my heart, I could feel Pinkie’s love draining from the craw in my chest. I clung desperately to the few drops I had left as I hid my desperate gasps for air from the others.
I didn’t want to make things worse. I didn’t want them to know. I didn’t want Pinkie to find out that sadness kills changelings.
I was fighting for survival in more ways than one, but this one was a battle I was determined to fight on my own. I had caused her enough pain.
They all broke off after Rarity reminded them it was a good chance to unwind over dinner. They decided eating at the kitchen dining table was best, and were soon shuffling out of the room.
Pinkie glanced over her shoulder, and shot me a half hearted smile. I stared back uncertainly, because that smile was not one I recognized from Pinkie. She never did anything half hearted. It was a smile that failed in the definition of who I knew Pinkie to be. A smile that matched the exhaustion in her eyes well, and held no food for me.
That smile tore at my heart more than all the snide comments of the day. However, by the time I looked back to say anything about it, Pinkie was already gone.
Rarity was last in the room.
“Are you coming?” Rarity looked back at me, her voice unreadable.
I was more than a little shocked, but I shook my head. “I’m not hungry, thank you.” I looked down at the ground, and smirked. It was difficult just staying awake at the moment. “I’m sure Fluttershy will bring me some leftovers eventually.”
A flash of anger passed over Rarity’s features, but she held herself in check. “It’s unbecoming of a male of any species to fail in defending their lover’s heart.” She raised an eyebrow, one corner of her mouth frowning at me. “She’s fighting for you, changeling. She’s fighting for her Shattered Dreams. Through all of this pain she comforts you, and protects your heart. The generosity of her unrequited actions are both inspiring and sickening.”
“What do you expect from me!?” I glared at her. “I’m doing the best I can over here, and you are making things worse!”
She leveled her glare at me, a piercing intense gaze accompanied by an accusatory hoof that hammered her point home. “You aren’t in a hive anymore, Shatter. You may not have mattered there, but to one very special pony you do matter. Please, try to act like it.” She turned to leave, whispering back over her shoulder with a furrowed brow. “Telling you is pointless, but for Pinkie’s sake…you need to figure it out soon.”
I stuttered, trying to come up with a reply, anything at all, but I withered under that piercing gaze. All I could do was stare at her as she turned, and left for the kitchen, leaving me to some rather angry and confused thoughts.
The moment the door shut, I slumped to the floor in exhaustion. I mulled over her words as I laid there, but the deeper I thought about it, the more they confused me.
I glared at my magical chains as they cast a faint purple glow that glimmered off my shiny black carapace. Usually dull, Pinkie had licked it into a brilliant reflective sheen. Except, for the love that had wiped off of Pinkie onto me! I quickly lapped up every little drop I could find.
A modicum of energy returned to my limbs, but I held my position, and stretched out on the floor. I didn’t know how long it may be before I could eat again.
“Rarity’s pretty awesome isn’t she?” I looked up to find Spike bounding down the stairs. He was eyeing me suspiciously. “Always full of constructive criticism.”
“Spike!” I perked up with a little rush of excitement. Then his words hit me, and I snorted. “Really? You should have heard her earlier. She hates me.”
“Yeah, and you’re lucky Pinkie held you back, or I’d hate you too.” Spike glared at me.
“Oh, you saw that…” I glanced off to the side, gritting my teeth. That would explain the look in his eyes.
“Uh-huh. You suddenly went nuts, so I guess it worked.” He raised a scaley eye ridge.
“What do you mean ‘it worked’?” I balked, momentarily losing control of my jaw. “Anything past insulting, attacking my pride, and completely infuriating me, her words were pretty pointless. Except, maybe the last few, but none of it makes any sense to me.”
Spike shrugged. “Well you’ve been depressed this whole time, acting half dead. Whatever she said snapped you out of it. For a minute there you almost looked alive for once. You were even ready to fight.”
Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I glanced at the kitchen door. It wiggled ever so slightly. I shook my head, ignoring it. I had come to terms with my unnecessary skittishness to such things a while ago.
“No, I think you are looking a bit too far into it. The last thing she would want me to do is fight. I’m counting her vote as the first to send me to Canterlot.” Even as I denied them, Spikes words nagged at the back of my mind trying to find some form of logic I must have missed. I hoofed at the door irritably. “Anyway, you going to join them?”
“Nah! You kidding? I don’t want to be anywhere near that drama right now.” He thumbed at the door. “Fluttershy is probably cooking something already anyway. I just came down to get a good look at you.”
I looked at him, my head turning sideways as I tried to reassure myself I hadn’t forgotten. “You’ve already seen my original form, though. Last week.”
A muffled exclamation came from the kitchen. I wonder what they are talking about? I looked back at Spike, who had been too busy talking to notice.
“Yeah, but only for a second before you changed back! I’ve never seen a changeling up close like this. Well...at least not one that wasn’t trying to hurt somepony.” He moved closer, his claw outstretched.
I stared at the encroaching claw, more than a little irritated. “If you try to pet me, I’ll rip it off…”
Spike snickered. “Yeah, right! Fluttershy should have named you Mr. Skittish. I’d say your growl is worse than your bite, but can you even growl?”
I snorted, and threw out my best sarcastic ‘Grr…’
Spike snickered, “Wow, if that growl is worse than your bite I doubt you have teeth. Exactly how did you survive in the Everfree forest? Let me guess, you gummed everything to death!” The corners of his mouth were slowly turning upwards.
I didn’t feel like laughing, but Spike had a knack for tearing a good chuckle out of my frowns. I snickered, rolling my eyes like a good sport. With a flash of green fire I shifted my forehooves into long jagged spikes perforated by my snugs.
Spike nodded, not even flinching as he began appraising them. “Well they look mean, but on you they aren’t much more than cosplay.”
“What’s cosplay?”
Spike gestured towards me to indicate everything that I was. “Fake.”
“So you’re saying prove it?”
“Couldn’t have said it more loud and clear if I’d screamed it from the balcony...” Spike leaned against the wall next to me picking the dirt out from underneath his claws in mock boredom.
I picked a random book off the shelf, balanced it on the end of a spike, and focussed my energy.
Spike startled. “Uhm, Shatter, a book isn’t…”
My spike hummed to life with a green inner glow. The book slid down, and split in half, falling to the floor.
“The best choice...too late...but nice light show! Too bad Twilight’s going to kill you now.” He shook his head.
A commotion from the kitchen caught our attention. Lots of muffled screaming, grunting, and what sounded like a table flipping. The walls vibrated as something heavy slammed against them.
My jaw dropped. “Wow, emotional mares can be scary.”
“Tell me about it, that’s why I stayed out here.” Spike rolled his eyes. “Anyway, how sharp are those things?” Spike ran over, and touched the tip of one experimentally. “Hay, it’s vibrating.”
“Yeah, they are special tuned to my target. I can cut through rocks with them, but they won’t hurt anything, or anypony who I haven’t tuned to. See, touch the tip as hard as you want, it won't break through skin even though I can shove it through a tree.”
Spike ran a claw around the bladed tip and up the serrated edges. “Wow, that’s really useful. So you don’t cut anypony by accident right?”
“Exactly!” I was getting excited. I rarely get to show off my skills. “You see, there can be hundreds of changelings in a battle to defend the hive. Some hives have thousands. My spikes are way sharper than normal, and if I didn’t special tune my weapons, I could accidently break somebuggy, and a broken changeling is a dead changeling.”
“Spikes are my weapon transformation. Not many changelings can do this. Most can only change into living creatures they have touched or at least seen. However, I caught the eye of princess Feelia. She put me through special training, and taught me all kinds of useful skills.”
“They look kind of like spear tips…” Spike shook his head. “Wait, you were trained by a princess?” Spike raised an impressed eye ridge. “Why? Were you really talented in magic or something?”
“Nah, no special reason, really. The other drones would avoid princess Feelia, and it was rude to speak to her without being addressed first, or unless it was an emergency. So, when we were nymphs she would snuggle with her favorite pink pillow somebuggy had brought back from a love scavenge as a gift. It was her only friend.”
Spike stared at me, eyes wide. “So how’d you become her apprentice?”
“I didn’t, I replaced her closest friend. One day, she looked kind of sad and lonely, so I tried to cheer her up by shapeshifting into a rock, but it didn’t work. I accidently shapeshifted into a small rock shambler which is a bipedal creature that sometimes sneaks into the hive and rearranges tunnels for nesting. The guards chased me all over, and kept kicking me. Luckily, rock shamblers are made of rock, so they couldn’t really harm me, but it was still scary.”
Spike began laughing. “Why am I not surprised? It’s pretty easy to imagine you running around from guards screaming.”
“I wasn’t screaming! I was yelling that I was a changeling, there is a difference. It was just unfortunate coincidence that rock shamblers don’t have vocal abilities… Anyway, she honored me with her presence in the grounding chamber later that day. I found out her favorite pillow wasn’t really up to the harsh environment of hive life, and had become a muddy pile of soggy lumps. She told me it was her only friend, and she really wanted her back. Then, she described it in such perfect detail I decided to try shapeshifting again.”
“Into a fluffy pink pillow?”
“Yes.”
“Wow… now, that I can’t picture.”
“Oh, well here.” In another bright flash of green light I leapt into the air and shifted. My body scrunched up into a soft fluffy pink rectangle roughly the same size as Spike. Lacy white ridges popped out around the edges. Intricate embroidered flowers flashed into existence across my back. I landed on four short thin little lacy legs with a silent fluff.
“Tada!” I said in a tiny high pitched voice as the glowing chains clattered to the ground around me, disappearing as they burst into purple mist.
Spike's jaw dropped. “The other day! That pillow was you!”
I blinked at him through little oval embroidered holes, and smiled with a lacy mouth as I haughtily rubbed a lacy fist on my immaculately hoof stitched chest. “Pretty cool huh? Spikes are a basic skill, tuning them is an elite skill, but you won’t ever see another changeling pull this one off! This skill is all mine. Like an ultimate!” I squeaked with pride.
Spike fell onto the floor, laughing hysterically. “Shatter! Oh, my Celestia! You… only you! You look ridiculous!”
“Hay! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get this kind of fluffy perfect!?” I jumped up and down ‘pomph-pomph’ for emphasis.
“Shatter! You’re the only one who can pillow fight as the pillow!” Spike rolled around laughing so hard he lost the ability to breath.
“That’s not true! Sweetie Belle can too…” I glared daggers at him. Which made things worse, but it was at least satisfying to see him gasping desperately for breath between fits of laughter.
Spike’s eyes went wide as something suddenly dawned on him. “Wait, you were with Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo the other day! That pillow was you, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t wanna talk about!” I glared fluffy little daggers at him. “I’m still trying to forget that day…”
Spike exploded into another round of laughter.
“Okay, I get it. Here it may be funny, but back at the hive it was really impressive, okay? Feelia would use me as a pillow for hours, and it made her happy. Mission accomplished.” I flashed back into my normal form.
Spike pounded at the floor. I half expected him to pass out, his face turning red from lack of breathing.
I smiled, chuckling a little, it felt good to be back out of those chains, and have a little fun. “I hope you die laughing…”
Spike stood up, finally catching his breath, and extended a claw.
“I swear I’m gonna bite it off!” I shied away. “Do not…”
He plodded closer, snickering uncontrollably, and scratched behind an ear. “Good boy!” As expected, my hind hoof began thumping at the ground. “Oh, good, I was worried it wouldn’t work in this form.”
“...pet me…” I glared at him sideways. “I cannot properly communicate my hatred for you right now.”
“Because you love it!” He fell back onto the floor, choking on his own mirth. “But if you somehow figure out how to properly communicate your hatred for me, please, say it in your ultimate form!”
I held the glare, my eye twitching, until finally a mirthful ball of pressure rolled up my throat, and burst out in a loud guffaw. “Diminutive drake!”
I joined him, rolling and laughing as Spike dragged me further out of my depressive slump. “Cowardly critter!”
“Gem gnawing grunt!”
“Frosted freak!”
I gasped, looking around frantically, and jumped to my hooves. “Spike!! That was private, you weren’t supposed to see that!”
“Hah, how could I not? I’ve been bored out of my mind watching you all think at each other all day. Pinkie licking you clean, and mumbling ‘creamy, creamy frosting’ was about the the only highlight.”
He smirked at me. “Oh, by the way-” He polished a claw on his chest, as he stretched out on the floor, his head propped up on an elbow. “-looks like I win.”
Suddenly I remembered the game. “Curse you livingwell lizard!” I shook a threatening hoof at him.
We joined each other in another good laugh. Spike holding his stomach doubled over, and me with my head down trying to catch a breath in between uncontrollable bouts of mirth.
“Thanks, Spike. I really needed this.” I grinned over at him. “I knew I could count on your friendship. I owe you one.”
Spike slapped a cheek. “I can’t feel my face!” With some effort, he brought his snickers under control, looking a bit dizzy as he continued. “Oh, and you owe me way more than one after covering for you this last week. Wasn’t my fault they figured out what you were.” He rolled his eyes at me. “They found out because you ran into a wall? Really? Does the hive train changelings to be as bad as you?”
“Oh, haha.” I returned the eyeroll. “Look, I get it. I should have listened to you, and just come clean from the start.” I ground my hooves together. “I was afraid of how they would react.” I glanced at the kitchen door, it was glowing faintly light blue. “Looks like my fears weren’t unfounded.”
Spike stayed quiet for a while. So, I stretched out on the floor as he focussed on breathing and studying his toes.
Just before I could speak up, he cut me off. “So, Shatter, you know I’m not a pony.”
I cocked a curious eye ridge in his direction. “Oh really? I thought something was off with the slight lack of fur, and the awkward posture. Oh yeah, and the fire breathing. Can’t forget that.”
Spike ignored my sarcasm. “Look Shatter, from one magical creature to another, I can understand how inner natures can be a real pain.” He fidgeted uncomfortably. “A while ago I kinda messed up, and let my greedy dragon nature get the better of me. You see, it was my birthday, and everypony was giving me presents. One thing led to another, and my hoarding instincts kicked in. I kinda leveled half the town, and started looting anything shiny.”
I gasped. “You’re so small, how?”
“That’s where the magical part comes in. The more I hoarded, the bigger I grew. It wasn’t long before I was taller than a building.” He brushed his cheek with a claw and a deep sigh. “If it weren’t for Rarity, I would have been taken over by it. Who knows, I could be destroying pony towns all over Equestria right now. She reminded me of who I was. She’s got a knack for seeing through others, knowing what they want, and helping them in ways they would never expect.”
“Anyway, after destroying half the town, ponies really feared me for a while. A lot of them would say things like ‘what if it happens again’, and ‘what if next time he really hurts somepony’. Some wanted me to leave, and a lot of them would avoid me.”
“Your own hiv...home feared you?” I whispered breathlessly. “I-I know how that feels…” I gritted my teeth in empathy as I listened, riveted. My hoof crossed between us to rest on his shoulder.
“Yeah, little ol’ me.” He smirked and brushed my hoof off, then began to chuckle. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I learned something that day. Nopony’s perfect, Shatter, and we all make mistakes. If you are honest with others, talk with them, and show them you are a good person inside, the fear starts going away. You make friends, and they will tell others you are a good person, or argue with anypony who says you aren’t. Eventually, everypony will start seeing you as a friend, and not some monster.”
He looked over at me, and I was stunned by the wave of confidence that shone through his eyes, his claws balled into determined quakey fists of dragonly passion. ”Shatter, let them know you aren’t just some drone here to suck the love from ponyville! They don’t fear you, they are protecting Pinkie. Prove they can trust you! Be her bug in shining armor.” He pointed a commanding claw at my nose. “Never give up! Show them who you really are! Do it for Pinkie!”
My body flooded with tingly chills, I could feel my confidence returning as the last remnants of my fear and doubt receded.
“You proved you were a good person as Shattered ‘Dreamy’ Dreams the pony.” Spike crossed his arms haughtily. “Now do it again as the real you, Shattered ‘Dreamy’ Dreams the changeling. You can’t change what you are, but you can be whoever you want to be, and I want to be Spike the generous! Friend to everypony, and awesome assistant extraordinaire!”
I barked out a laugh, completely caught up in the moment. “Fair enough! And I want to be Dreamy the friendly changeling, story teller, and hive to Pinkie pie!” We shared a good laugh, but I couldn’t quite shrug off the weight of the situation. “What of the towns ponies, though?” I looked down at the floor in worried thought, tapping my chin with a hoof. “They all fear me too, and I don’t have friends behind me like you do, Spike.”
Spike flipped a claw. “Pffttt, you got me! And what about Pinkie, Fluttershy, and the others?”
Rarity trotted out of the kitchen door before I could reply, letting it swing shut. A flurry of scattering hooves echoed behind her.
She glanced at me as she walked past. “We will take care of the towns ponies should the time come, Shattered Dreams. If you worried about what everypony thought about you, you would lose sight of who you are. Stop fretting over such trivialities, and focus on the ponies who matter. The friends who lost their trust in you.”
She turned to Spike, and kissed him on the cheek. “Spikey wikey, you are so caring and dependably sweet! Now, let’s get out of here.” She picked up a shocked Spike by the scruff of his neck, and glanced at me sideways, muffling around her mouthful of dragon something incomprehensible as she helped hold him aloft with her magic.
I stared after them. Was that worry in her eyes? I shook it off, and chuckled. Spike was in too much shock to do anything other than curl up into a ball as Rarity made swiftly for the door, her head arched back like a cat carrying a huge kitten. I smirked, and made a mental note to tease Spike about his own pet status when he returned.
Then the kitchen door swung open, slamming against the wall. Twilight pranced out, an enormous grin on her face as she looked every which way but me. Her head jerked from one angle to the next, eyes darting about dramatically studying the room. She made an inspection of each shelf, the desk, the ceiling, and finally the floor as she trotted around humming to herself.
“Well the library looks exactly the way we left it. No problems, nothing out of place, nothing broken, nothing cut in half. Oh…” She paused. “What’s this?” She glanced down dramatically at the two halves of book on the floor by my hooves.
I gasped. “Wow, you really are thorough in your inspections! I would have never of thought to specifically look for a book that had been cut in half!”
Her eye twitched.
“Princess, this book is damaged and needs magical repair.” I stated matter of factly as I picked it up, and held it out to her with a helpful smile.
Twitch, twitch...twitch-twitch-twitch…
I cleared my throat, feeling slightly uncomfortable as she stared at me. “Uhm...Twiligh…”
“Princess!” Twiwiwiwiwitch...
“Oh right, sorry...uhm, princess? I uhh, think you are doing the the crazy, twitch, delusional stare thing again...you know, the one Fluttershy, uhm…” I looked at the kitchen door.
Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were all staring at me from the doorway. I noticed, with no small amount of muted elation, that Pinkie’s hair was fluffy again. I also noticed they were all now covered in the love goo I had soaked her in. And finally I noticed their expressions were creased with worry.
I looked back to Twilight when it was apparent nopony was going to help me.
Twilight also had a few smatterings of love goo on her. One such patch was dripping down her cheek.
Twitch...twitch-twitch.
“I’m sorry I broke your book.” I grinned nervously. “Please...forgive me?”
A yellow cord magically popped into existence next to her head. Suddenly, I felt as if I was shrinking, and she was growing impossibly large as she loomed over me. “Damage fee…” She whispered through her toothy grin, her eyes glaring down at me, bathed in the demonic glow of purple magic emanating from her horn that sucked the light from the room, and reflecting menacingly off her pupils. “I don’t have your measurements in this form...yet.”
I screamed. As a changeling, in changeling form with full emotional control over my actions. Oh dear Chrysalis how I screamed...
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My Reaction.
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Admin's Reaction
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3837442 Dude, you just made me laugh so hard I nearly fell out of my chair.
Woohoo UPDATE!
Mmm Delicious drama at the beginning...good stuff.
Stay awesome. 
S.D. changing into a pink pillow? Wow.
Enjoyed this chapter alot! I can't wait for the next one.
3837502 Hehe, yeah, love writing the drama scenes.
Remember that pink pillow form, it's his ultimate! No other changeling can match it in form and skill of fluffiness!
3837546
You know that it's only one more step into becoming... PFUDOR
I enjoyed the Spike section, actually. I got the impression that he's trying to act mature in front of Shattered, but at the same time he's poking fun and asking childish questions. He may have been exposed to a lot of things above his age level, but he is still a juvenile.
3839035 Wow, if he came off like that then I did better than I thought.
Since that's kinda what I was going for. 
Glad you liked it! 
3838814 Ehem... YES PLEASE!
3840341
Imitating the pink fluffy unicorn who must not be named may summon it... and then you'll be bucked.
I liked it. All of it, especially the Spike section. If you did it for you, or for us, I thank you sir
.
That being said, the only thing that felt off about Spike's section was the way he left the room. Rarity picking him up like he was a cat was... strange to say the least. Just carrying him off in her magic would have been enough in my opinion.
The ending was great. Somehow I don't think Shatter was the first creature that she has done this to.
3844139 Yes, the cat carry was entirely for me!
I love the cat carry, that whole proudly prancing posture the carrier takes on with their head arched back is just adorable! Imagining Rarity doing it to Spike makes me squee, and was too good to pass up when the opportunity came along. I can probably never fit it into a fic again without it feeling forced. It just felt so natural there. I would have hated passing that opportunity up.
3843030
You know, I actually wasn't thinking of Flufflepuff when I came up with the pink pillow bit. There was a section I've already written later in this fic that called for this skill of his, and I felt it would make a great little quirk aspect for his character. I only made it Pink for shameless convenience since Pinkie likes pink things.
However, I fear you are right... he is a changeling shifting into something pink and fluffy. This could be a recipe for summoning a fluffy disaster. As long as it's not over the top ridiculous... I may consider it.
JOKING!
Oh man, that would just kill the semiserious backtone of the story. People would kill me. 
3844432 Well, I guess after the 'pretty pink pillow' thing I guess he had that coming
.
Just glad he made it into the story.
3844486 Spikes too awesome. It wont be his last appearance. Just like I haven't forgotten Angel Bunny or the CMC's.
Mwahahhahaha!
3844470
Such is the power of PFUDOR that even the mightiest fanfiction trembles at it's fluffy hooves...!
I cannot properly convey my love for this right now! =O
Oh my god, I can not wait for more chapters!!! If I knew where the author lived, I would be reenacting the events of Stephen King's Misery right now. XD
3851955 You sir have earned the creepiest comment of awesomeness award.
No seriously, should I be flattered or worried...
3852028
You should be flattered just as long as you keep the chapters coming!! Don't make me break out the sledge hammer!
Oh god, not really! Just thinking about that scene from the movie version makes me cringe.
Really though, this story seems to be hitting all of my emotional buttons; some I didn't even know I had! I am positively steeped in anticipation, and I cannot wait for more!
3852525 Yeah...that scene was the moment I stopped watching. I can't take stuff like that. Imaginations too vivid, I get horrible nightmares...
3853528 Wow, you too?! I stopped watching during that scene... XD
I love to hear rarity saying that, from an animal eating what grow out of its poop .3.
She's like, the least representative of her element too.
3854062 Yay
Brohoof for squeamishness... err, *looks at future Parfait chapter* eheh...well, I'll try to keep graphic content to a minimum, but there is a reason I had to mark this gore. 
3858569 Hehe, yeah, I tried to make her sound horrible, but there is a reason for that.
3858658 Uh, that's alright! I'm sure that I'll still absolutely love it!
I love this! I'm so glad I found it!
A fav and a like good sir!
3884241 What? I never said I was following the seasons
Actually the whole story is completely separate from most of canon. I don't even understand where you got that idea.
3884241 After looking further into it, I see how you could get that from the first chapter. No, that invasion had nothing to do with the Canterlot Wedding invasion, and was left generic for that reason. I am not tying this story in to any specific point on the MLP timeline.
4416289 Life is really really emotional and crazy right now. I'm going through a lot. I want to finish both my stories, but I have ton of other stuff to focus on right now, and I'm fighting some really heavy depression. Once things settle down, and I can get some semblance of normalcy back in my life, I will sit down and go crazy on the next chapters.
I actually refined my ending for this story, and have toned down the dark so it doesn't detract from the main story. I'm looking forward to finishing it, but I probably wont take it off hiatus until I have three or four chapters done and ready to go, though I will probably open up with a two or three chapters to say sorry for the wait.
Rarity's such a sanctimonious b*tch and I hate her immensely in this story. At least the others aren't outright attempting to sabotage SD.
Seriously, I would've tried to beat her senseless had she said something like that to me. Any self-respecting individual would. I don't blame SD at all for snapping and wanting to rip her throat out; she damn well nearly deserved it.
5019015
That is not extreme that's taking it sAfly
5019015 I would of been like BICH NO and offed my self
I never liked Rarity to begin with but this story just makes me HATE the bitch...