So you want to be a Changeling?

by Diamond Sparkle

Chapter Five-The Traitor

As soon as she was within a mile of Ponyville, by which time it was almost sunrise, Scootaloo looked around with care to make sure she was not being watched and to consider her options. What have I done? What the buck have I done? she thought. I am not only a traitor, I'm a double traitor. I turned my back on pony kind to earn my wings so that I could fly, and delivered up a fellow Crusader to the Changelings as a gift. And then I promptly deserted from a Queen and a Hive that had fully accepted me as part of them, and stole my gift back. Queen Chrysalis will never forgive me for it, and neither will Changelingkind as a whole. They hate traitors. She turned her shape back into her old Scootaloo one in a flash of green flame and freed Sweetie Belle's cocoon from her. Sweetie had a big smile on her face and was clearly enjoying it in there, but Scootaloo knew what she had to do and carefully slit the cocoon with her fangs and opened it. Sweetie Belle yawned, opened her eyes and saw Scootaloo. "I was having the most wonderful dream...why am I wet?" She realised that she was lying in the pulpy remains of a changeling cocoon, and in disgust she leapt to her feet. Then she remembered what had happened, and Scootaloo clamped her emotion gathering sacs tightly closed against the avalanche of hate that poured out of Sweetie Belle.

"Scootaloo-you traitor! Why? Why did you become a changeling? Why did you fang me and wrap me up? Why? I deserve to know why you would go against you country and our friendship."

"I....I was homeless, my mother died several years ago and my father rejected me and threw me out. My skateboard was all that I owned and I could not even fly. I was too embarrassed to tell you that. So I decided that if I became a changeling, not only would I gain wings that would work, but I would gain the love and protection that I always wanted as part of a changeling swarm. When the swarm attacked Canterlot I decided that I wanted to be one of them. As one of them I would always be loved and cherished. To earn my wings I had to fang you, and I planned to take your place."

"Rarity will have to hear of this, I'm sorry." Sweetie Belle galloped away and Scootaloo watched and let her go. "She's right, I am a traitor. I deserve the trouble that I get into."

Sweetie Belle galloped into Ponyville and hammered on the door of the house where she and Rarity lived with her hooves, almost bucking it down. "Let me in, sis, let me in! Scootaloo is a changeling!"

Rarity soon came down and let her in. "A changeling? What do you mean? How did it happen?"

"I was in my bed asleep when Babs Seed and Scootaloo came in and fanged me...you can see the marks on my neck. And then I woke up in a burst cocoon because...because Scootaloo set me free. She may have fanged me in the first place, but she also set me free."

"The Royal Guards and the Princess herself must hear of this...Scootaloo and Babs Seed must be arrested or at least driven far away from Ponyville and we need to get Twilight to find or write a spell to uncover any more Changelings that are hiding amongst us. Stay with me in case you are attacked again." Scootaloo made no effort to stop Rarity and Sweetie Belle from alerting their friends and the small Royal Guard post in Ponyville, although she did take the shape of a random pegasus pony whilst she decided what to do. The Guards captured Babs Seed that morning, grabbing her as she walked to school and clamping an anti-change collar upon her neck. The Princess Celestia herself was told by Spike herself what had happened and showed up personally to interrogate Babs Seed, who cowered in front of her.

"How many other changelings like yourself are in Ponyville?" Celestia demanded, glaring at the captured changeling.

"First, I don't know, most of the time changelings operate on a cell-based system or even alone, so if they are captured, they cannot betray their Hive even under torture. Second, I don't grass, informing on a fellow changeling is normally one of the lowest things you can do in our world. There is one exception, and that is to rat out a traitor. Scootaloo, it has to be Scootaloo who informed on me. She is a changeling too. Do your worst, pony Princess. I will die if need be with the name of my Queen upon my lips, faithful to my Hive. As for Scootaloo, she is a dead changeling walking if my Hive find her. They will rip those wings right off her body. When you join a Hive rather then being born into one it's blood in, blood out."

"I admire your steadfastness, and how brave you are. What happened to the real Babs Seed?"

"She's bones now in some changeling bone pit, no doubt."

"I could have you executed for murder, locked up in Foalsom Prison for the rest of your days, or sent to join Discord in my Statue Garden. But the death penalty has not been used for decades and bringing it back would be a horrible shock to my little ponies. And turning you into immobile living rock requires the magic of the Elements of Harmony, and they are on the blink at the moment. Do your unknowing *parents* love you? Do they cuddle you and kiss you and give you all the love that a changeling would need?"

"Yes, they do, in fact I'm sometimes embarrassed with the public displays of affection that they give me."

"If I was to let them know that their beloved daughter had been dead for years they will be heartbroken. After the attack on my capital during the recent Royal Wedding, there was a lot of study done upon Changelings and amongst other things, a potion was developed that when injected into a changeling's leg, prevents it from ever changing again. Your sentence is that you will be Babs Seed, a sweet loving daughter, for the rest of your life. Whilst you will still be able to feed upon love, you will never again be a threat to the Equestrian state. If the news gets out to Bab's parents that their daughter is a changeling, investigations will be started into whoever leaked state secrets and said pony or ponies if caught will be in trouble to say the least. Be Babs Seed as well as you can, and live her life for her."
A guard came forward and injected Babs Seed whilst Celestia's magic held Babs still, and then the anti-change collar was taken off and Babs was released.

Hearing this, Scootaloo came forward, shed her disguise and took Scootaloo shape, knelt before Celestia, prostrating herself upon the ground, and said "Your Majesty, I ask for the same thing for myself. Send me to replace some pony's missing daughter so that I may do some good in life, and yet stay fed and safe from the spies of the Chrysalis Hive."

Celestia stared at her, clearly not impressed. "You are not only a traitor, but a double traitor, who crossed the line not once, but twice. You are incapable of staying faithful to any country, be it Equestria or the Badlands. I ought to extradite you back to Queen Chrysalis as a peace offering. However, instead you can spend a few days in the juvenile wing of Foalsom Prison whilst I decide what to do with you. I might decide to grant your request, keep you locked up, or see if the Elements of Harmony can be fixed so that you can be turned into a pretty little stone statue next to Discord. Guards, put an anti-change collar on her and take her away to prison. Leave her ability to change intact for now however. I may have a use for her in time, but for now, get her out of my sight."

As Scootaloo was collared and dragged away, she considered herself to have got off lightly, at least for the moment.

Comments

[RC]

*blink blink* so scoots is a double trator, freed her capta...capat...captive, and turned her self in. Ok. And as for babs, that was mean ans sadistic, but a good choice. But i vote scoots becomes herself and has to work for her love.

[GIGA-XISBASS]

This is an interesting turn of events. Ironic for Babs and possibly bad for Scoots. I do hope things go well for her in the end.

[JumpingShinyFrogs]

Pacing. You need it. There's too much going on in this one short chapter at once, and it all happens too fast.

Also, I feel like you have an issue with run-on sentences. For instance, this:

After the attack on my capital during the recent Royal Wedding, there was a lot of study done upon Changelings and amongst other things, a potion was developed that when injected into a changeling's leg, prevents it from ever changing again.

Could become this:

After the attack on my capital during the recent Royal Wedding, there was a lot of study done upon Changelings. Amongst other things, a potion was developed that when injected into a changeling's leg, prevents it from ever changing again.

It seems neater, and lets the words sink in more. Long, run-on sentences such as the above example tend to make the reader read the sentence fast, and so skim information and emotions. Just a little tip.