The Changelings Have a King

by Jade Ring

Chapter 20: You Will Know the Truth

Ponyville

“He’s over there.” The violet coated representative from the Cloudsdale Home for Wayward Pegasi pointed a hoof at a group of laughing colts and fillies enjoying the (miraculously undamaged) playground equipment of the Ponyville School-House. The youngest was no less than three and the oldest was no older than twelve. Her hoof was aimed at one colt in particular; a stocky pegasus with a coat of lime green and a mane of light brown. He smiled widely as he pushed a younger, laughing filly on the swings.

Macintosh and Fluttershy peered over at him and listened as the filly squealed with delight. “What’s his name?” Macintosh asked.

“He doesn’t remember.” The mare sighed and adjusted her glasses. The strain of taking so many new foals into the Home was showing clearly on her face. “He doesn’t even know his exact age. From what we can gather, the Changelings snatched him a very long time ago.”

“What does he remember?” Fluttershy asked as she adjusted the sling around her neck that held a snoozing Scarlet.

“He remembers hearing from a friend about the rogue dragon attack in Trottingham. That happened at least one hundred and fifty years ago.”

Macintosh and Fluttershy’s jaws dropped.

“Remarkable, right?” The mare chuckled. “Evidently being converted into a Changeling stops the aging process entirely." She cleared her throat to continue, remembering that she shouldn’t scare the prospective parents away. “He’s a very smart boy. And he’s wonderful with the little ones. He actually prefers them to ponies of the same age. He’s very sweet. And…” She cut herself off, cursing internally.

“And?”

She sighed. “He seems to have retained some small part of his… Changeling-ness. He can… feel things. Sense them almost. It’s hard to explain.” She chuckled again. “Sometimes I get the feeling that colt can read my mind.” She smiled hopefully. “Would you like to meet him?”

Macintosh returned the smile. “We’d love to.”

“Great!” The mare sped off towards the playground to collect the colt.

Fluttershy tried to control her breathing and ran a hoof through her short hair. “I’m still not sure about this, big bunny.”

Macintosh raised an eyebrow. “It was your idea.”

“I know, but…”

“…but what if you don’t feel anything?” He finished for her.

Fluttershy nodded sadly. “I don’t want to be a bad mother, Mac. These little ones have been through so much already. I just want them to have the best mother possible.”

“Little wing, you will be.” Macintosh cupped his wife’s chin in his hoof and tilted her head up. “Yer the most carin’ pony I know. Yer so full of love and compassion that yer practically poppin’ with it.” He kissed her and smiled. “Let’s just meet him and see how it goes, alright?”

Fluttershy took a deep, calming breath, swallowed hard, and nodded.

“…and don’t mention the stallion’s eye.” The mare floated back with the colt in tow. They landed and she presented him fully. “Here he is.”

The colt looked up at the grown-up ponies with the wide, inquisitive eyes of a child. “Hello.”

They smiled down at him. “Hello back.” Macintosh rumbled as gently as he was able.

“Ten, these are the Apples; Mister Macintosh and Missus Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy looked at the mare in confusion. “Ten?”

“It was my number. In the hive, I mean.” The colt looked at the ground and pawed at the grass. “I don’t remember my name from before.”

“Do you remember a lot from… those days?”Fluttershy asked gently.

“Just bits and pieces. I mostly just did what Mother told us to do.”

The representative frowned and put a hoof on the colt’s head. “Ten, what have we talked about?”

The colt sighed. “Queen Chrysalis wasn’t really my mother. She was a monster who stole me from my real mother and made me into a monster like her.”

The representative smiled softly at the couple. “Some of them are having a harder time letting go than others.”

Fluttershy glared at her. “Because it was the only life he knew for over a century! How can you refer to them by the names they had then and then turn around and tell them the only creature that cared for them all this time was a monster?”

The representative stiffened. “Because she was a monster.”

“Then, by your logic, so were they!” Fluttershy smacked the mare’s hoof away from the colt’s head. “You’re treating these foals like they’re burdens! I can see it when you talk about them. When I was in the Home, Firefly would never have treated us like that.” She snorted angrily.
“Shame on you.”

The other mare’s jaw worked soundlessly for a moment before she broke eye contact. “I… I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” She tilted her head at the colt.

The representative looked at the colt and bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”

But the colt wasn’t paying her any attention. His gaze was focused entirely on Fluttershy. He was feeling something from her, something he hadn’t felt since…

Fluttershy looked over to see her husband’s pleased face. “What?”

“And you were worried.” He chuckled.

Fluttershy’s reply was cut off by movement from the sling. She looked down to see Scarlet waking from her nap. “Good morning, little one.”

“Morning Mama.” Scarlet yawned. Her tail thrashed briefly, now tied with the ribbon of her beloved aunt. “I dreamed about my prince friend again.” Her little face scrunched up as she struggled to recall details. “He was… sad. I can’t remember why.”

The colt, curious about the tiny voice, leaned forward and peered over the sling. “Hello.”

Scarlet spied the colt and smiled widely. “Hi! I’m Scarlet! I’m a Apple like my Daddy.”

“Nice to meet you.” The colt returned the smile.

And in a moment that stunned her parents, little Scarlet held out her forelegs for the colt to pick her up.

The colt looked at Fluttershy. “May I?”

Still shocked at her daughter’s total trust in the colt she’d literally just met, Fluttershy just nodded.

The colt carefully lifted the little filly from her sling and cradled her in one of his wings.

Macintosh and Fluttershy shared a look. “Well.” He chuckled. “I think the decision’s been made for us, don’t you?”

Fluttershy could only nod.

“Great.” The representative lifted off again. “I’ll just fetch the paperwork.” She was gone, happy to be away from the mare with the terrifying stare.

Macintosh smiled down at the colt playing peek-a-boo with his daughter. “Yer gonna need a name though…”

“Jack.”

The colt hadn’t even looked up when he said it. Now it was Macintosh who was struck dumb. “How did you…?”

“There’s a lot of happiness in your mind around that name. A lot of sadness too.” The colt looked up at him and smiled for the first time at the stallion. “I don’t think just Jack would work, though.”

Macintosh returned the smile. “Nah. But I do like the sound of Jack Junior.”

Fluttershy kissed her husband’s cheek. “So do I.” She looked at the young ponies. “What do you think, Scarlet? Do you want Jack Junior to come home with us?”

“Yay! Jay-Jay! Jay-Jay!” The filly squealed and nuzzled the smiling colt.

The colt who had now lost both a name and a number smiled around at the three ponies. “Then I guess I’m Jay-Jay now.”

Macintosh and Fluttershy stepped forward and embraced the colt. “More than that, kiddo.” Macintosh hoped his baritone hid the quaking in his voice. “Yer an Apple now.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“To Applebloom?”

“To Applebloom.”

Two glass bottles of hard cider clinked together. The noise echoed off the wooden walls of the long neglected walls of the tree house. The two mares sat heavily on the moth eaten cushions and took long drinks of amber liquid.

“So,” Sweetie Belle started. “How’re your folks?”

“Fine, I guess.” Scootaloo grimaced at the dust particles in the air. “We’ve all been helping with the recovery effort as best as we can.” She tilted the bottle’s neck towards her best friend. “You?”

Sweetie Belle laughed, a harsh and coughing sound. “Dad is helping with burials during the day and drinking himself to sleep at night. Meanwhile Mom only leaves her bed to bathe or use the restroom. She’s still eating what I cook her, thank goodness, but…” She sniffled. “But I hear her crying in her sleep. She calls out for Spike sometimes. And she just keeps muttering that it’s all her fault.”

“That’s awful.” Scootaloo murmured. “How’s Dimmy?”

“Painting. A lot.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah. I think that’s how he’s working through all this.” Sweetie Belle examined her bottle. “I don’t think Dad’s up to taking care of him right now. I think… I think I’m going to take a leave of absence from school. A short one, just until things get back to normal around here.”

“Button Mash will be happy, at least.” Scootaloo offered the unicorn a supportive smile.

“Yeah.” The thought of her long-time colt-friend made Sweetie Belle smile. “He’s one in a million. He’s been great through this whole thing. He’s been there for Rumble more than anypony.”

“Oh Luna, I haven’t been to see Rumble!” Scootaloo face-hoofed. “Were he and Applebloom still…”

“Yeah. Didn’t you get his letter asking what her favorite stone was?”

Scootaloo looked away and took another drink. “I haven’t gotten any mail in awhile.”

Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side. “Why? Is the school having issues?”

Scootaloo blushed hotly. “I, uh, left Manehatten last month.”

Sweetie Belle’s magic flickered in shock and she just barely caught her bottle. “What?! Why would you leave…?” She raised an eyebrow. “This is about your cutie mark, isn’t it?”

Scootaloo’s blush intensified as her wings unconsciously stretched back to cover her still quite blank flank. “Maybe.”

Sweetie Belle sighed heavily and drained her bottle. “Scoots…”

“Save the lecture.” Scootaloo snapped. “I clearly wasn’t finding my special talent at the university, so I bounced.”

“Where have you been?”

“Up and down the road. I’ll find my purpose one of these days, I know it.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Scootaloo, I know…”

“No. You don’t know. You and Applebloom got yours on the same night.” Scootaloo drained her own bottle and hurled it at the wall. It shattered against the aged chart of cutie mark schemes they’d drawn as fillies. “I still wake up terrified that I was supposed to get mine that night too but I missed my chance.”

“That’s not how it works and you know it.” Sweetie Belle muttered, her eyes fixed on the pile of broken glass.

Scootaloo sniffed. “Applebloom’s gone. She’s dead. What if… what if I die without… without…” She broke down and started sobbing. “I wish she was here! I wish I could talk to her about it! I wish…”

Sweetie Belle hurried over and pulled her into a hug. The two remaining Cutie Mark Crusaders wept together as the sun climbed higher into the sky.

An apple scented wind blew in through the window and against a board covered with newspaper clippings and several letters. One letter was pulled free and flew over to the crying mares.

Sweetie Belle felt the paper hit her coat. She lifted it with her magic and examined it. A smile spread across her face despite the tears. “Hey Scoots.”

“What?” The Pegasus looked up and saw the paper. She smiled too. She wiped her eyes. “That’s…”

“Yeah.”

She remembered the trio’s discussions into their letters and what they’d done after the reading was done. “Can we…?”

“Go see her? Absolutely.”

The mares stood and left the clubhouse, heading for the part of the orchard where they knew their friend was at rest. The unicorn’s magic returned the letter to its proper place on the board.

A stray beam of sunlight illuminated the old paper’s first line;

Dear Applebloom…

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Applejack pulled her hat from her head and stroked her white streak. She yawned. Sleep had not come easy the night before. Dash had wanted her to stay in bed, but there was work to be done. She looked around at the bustling activity in Ponyville’s town square. The survivors were hard at work cleaning debris and wreckage. Ruined buildings were explored for anything salvageable.

She spied Lyra and Bon Bon passing out fresh pastries just removed from the ovens of Sugarcube Corner. Pound and Pumpkin Cake stayed close. Applejack smiled, happy to see that that shocked look on the twin’s faces was finally starting to fade. A bit of hope, she reckoned.

“Applejack?”

The earth pony turned to find a pegasus she didn’t instantly recognize. “Yeah? Can I help you, uh…”

“Carmel.” The brown mare offered a smile.

“Like my cousin?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. The stallion in question was one of the few actually doing better since the attack. He hadn’t touched a bottle since and was actually on his way to Appleloosa to bring more help.

“No. But I hear that a lot.” The mare shook her head to clear the irritation. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

Carmel looked around before borderline whispering her question. “How did you do it? The thing with the plants, I mean?”

Applejack’s heart quickened with sudden panic. “I don’t know what yer referrin’ to.”

“I saw it too!” A stallion trotted over. He didn’t bother to watch his volume at all. “Your hair was all wavy and your eyes were glowing! You looked like…”

“Don’t you say it!” It came out harsher than she’d meant it. She felt like an animal being backed into a corner. “I don’t know what ya’ll think you saw, but you need to…”

“I saw it!”

“So did I!”

“Me too!”

A crowd was gathering now. Applejack’s eyes darted every which way. Ponies were leaving their tasks and heading towards her. They clearly had been waiting for the chance to talk about the apparent miracle they had witnessed. Her breath coming in short, rapid bursts, she jumped on the rim of the fountain and looked out at the crowd. It was just like when she’d rallied them before the battle.

But she didn’t feel strong. She felt weak and scared.

“AJ?”

Applejack looked up to find Rainbow Dash looking at her in concern. “Dash…?”

“How did you do it?”

There. There went her last lifeline. She had no choice now. “Everypony wants to know, huh?” She took a deep breath. “Well, I’ll tell ya.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Back at the house on Sweet Apple Acres, the tome called Apple Family Secrets… twitched.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“The truth is… I don’t know how I did it. I still don’t know how these powers work. I’ve practiced ‘em a little, but what happened during the attack was spontaneous. It was an accident, I swear!”

“What powers?” A mare called out. “I’ve never seen earth pony magic like that!”

Applejack had to take another breath. “Because it ain’t strictly speaking earth pony magic alone.”

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The book’s pages ruffled. It made a noise that sounded like an irritated grunt. The magic contained in the tome was experiencing something new.

Something dangerous.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“AJ,” Rainbow Dash landed beside her. “What are you talking about?”

Time stood still for Applejack Apple. She closed her eyes to center herself. In her mind, she saw herself standing on the edge of a cliff. There was a huge chasm before her, and her only hope lay with a cliff on the far side. The problem was that there was no way to tell how wide the distance was to safety. She had to jump, to take a leap of faith.

She exhaled and opened her eyes.

She jumped.

“The truth…”

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Apple Family Secrets flew open to the words written by Granny Smith in a final message to her grand-daughter.

“The truth shall make you free…”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“The truth is… Princess Celestia is my great-grandmother.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The book screamed in rage and pain as it burst into flames. Lightning lanced into the air as the ancient book was reduced to ashes. The ambient magic, released at long last, bounced around the room. Furniture exploded into splinters. Applejack’s large mirror shattered.

As the after-spell faded, the remaining flames began to feed.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Every pony there gasped in shock. Several took a few steps back.

In her mind, Applejack began to fall into the abyss…

A foreleg wrapped around hers.

She looked over to find her love standing close, looking not shocked but concerned.

A tremendous weight seemed to lift from Applejack’s heart. She smiled at Dash and squeezed her own foreleg.

“So you’re an alicorn?” A small filly asked.

The panic flooded back. Applejack looked back at the crowd. Some were talking amongst themselves and gesturing at her. Some looked plainly terrified. “No! I ain’t no alicorn! I ain’t a princess and I sure as shootin’ ain’t no goddess!” She tried to smile at the ponies. “I’m just plain old Applejack Apple.”

“No.” Carmel said in wonder. “You’re not.”

And, to Applejack’s absolute horror, she bowed.

One by one, the ponies of Ponyville began to imitate her…

“Applejack!”

The farmer's attention flew to a hovering Scootaloo. “What?”

The mare gestured frantically towards Sweet Apple Acres. “The farm!”

Applejack was off like a bullet, terrified at what she was about to find but thankful to leave behind the staring and muttering crowd.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The house was on fire.

Applejack stared at the house she’d been born in as the fire spread across the second floor. Black smoke poured from the windows as the glass shattered from the heat. Part of the roof caved in with a hideous crash.

Rainbow Dash landed beside her. “What happened?”

Applejack said nothing. She pulled the pegasus close and held her tight. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, sugarcube. I love you so much and I swear I’ll never keep anything from you from this day forward.”

Rainbow Dash returned the embrace before pulling away. “Hey, I love you too. But your house is on fire so we should probably talk about this later.”

Applejack wiped her eyes and nodded.

A thundering of hooves signaled the arrival of Macintosh and Fluttershy. They stared at the house in horror. A colt Applejack didn’t recognize stood beside them. Macintosh looked at his little sister. “AJ…?”

“Later. I promise. We’ve got a lot to talk about.” Applejack winced as more roof caved in. “We’re gonna need a mite more help, I reckon.”

Dash pointed back towards Ponyville and smiled. “I don’t think help is going to be an issue.”

Applejack turned and saw the entire populace of Ponyville racing towards the farm. Some carried buckets already sloshing with water.

Applejack didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Instead, she turned back to the house and charged forward. “C’mon. Let’s get as much stuff out as we can.”

The black smoke curled from the house and into the sky, a black mark on what was otherwise a beautiful and sunny day.

Comments

[Yami Vizzini]

Welp....

Frankly, that book was a bundle of poison and it's probably a good thing it's gone, black mark on the day (and the farm) or not. Grandma Sunbutt's in for some interesting times, though.

Dang, I hadn't even thought about Rumble until Button came up, and then he's mentioned right afterward. Poor guy. And poor Scoots. Her time will come.

And Fluttershy... remains Fluttershy.

Great way to finish the day.... Now let's go see how much more screwed up things can get in 800 words....

[Triforce of Doom]

Glad to see Flutters be as caring as ever. Seeing Ponyville slowly recover is nice to see. I was wondering how AJ would get confronted about the powers.