How to be Cruel

by Erisn

Chapter 6: A Bad Pony

Changelings can dig. This is a fact. They can dig, but it is important to say that they are still inferior to other animals in many regards. Changelings who share the same body shape as ponies must dig with their hooves, but it has to be said that they are far quicker than ponies. Their smaller shape and chitinous bodies mean that they can burrow with far more ease, rivaling diamond dogs in their digging ability. Nevertheless, changelings, like diamond dogs possess one crippling weakness: they have to breathe.

They were buried ten feet down, crushed by several tones of soil. In that state, few of them could move, but those that could didn’t even know what direction to dig in. Half of them dug down instead of up and died suffocating. The rest dug up. Eleven changelings fought for the surface digging as fast as they could, shifting earth like water.

But there was no air down there. And they had been buried deep. One by one, the changelings began to run out of air. At first one, then two and three at a time they faltered. The changelings stopped in the earth, unmoving as their comrades dug on. How many were left? Five changelings fought upwards. One fell away, too weak to move. The other had no air left and collapsed. Two remained. They fought upwards, lungs straining for the slightest hint of air in their dark, warm tomb of earth.

And then they reached the surface. The smooth forest ground was suddenly broken by flailing hooves, dark shapes pulling themselves out of the ground, collapsing. The pair of changelings lay there for quite a long while, gasping for air. But eventually, they rose unsteadily and left their grave. Their comrades were left to rot in the ground. The two changelings did not look back. Instead, they moved through the forest. Hunting.

How long did it take them to find the cottage? Hours. Weak and unsteady, their progress was slow, and the Everfree was massive. But they had the night, and more importantly, the rage to go on searching until they found it. That was why when Fluttershy was about to sleep at the hour just past midnight, she heard a knocking on her door. And when she opened it, it was the changelings who stood outside.

----

The changelings were in front of Fluttershy. She stopped in horror but her body reacted faster than her mind. She turned to run.

One of the changelings caught Fluttershy’s wing in his mouth. The other kicked her in the side. Fluttershy felt her wing bend and then snap as the first changeling bent it back. She screamed. The second changeling kicked Fluttershy again, and she felt her ribs crack. Then the changelings threw her back into the cottage.

Fluttershy hit one wall. Her cracked ribs broke, and she slid to the ground in a heap. Around her were her animal friends. They stared at her and the changelings in shock. The changelings entered the living room. They weren’t smiling or grinning. Their eyes were locked on Fluttershy, and there was only hatred in those depths.

Fluttershy was aware of the animals around her retreating as the changelings advanced. They cowered against the walls as the changelings walked forwards slowly. Fluttershy tried to stand, but there was pain in her side and in her wings. She was trying to find her hooves, but her mind wasn’t working. She didn’t have anything in her head, just a dull ringing.

A clatter came from the top of the stairs. The changelings stopped and looked up. Angel was standing at the top, bleary-eyed from being awoken from his sleep. He took in the scene below in one horrified moment. The changelings hissed at him.

Angel leapt to the bottom of the stairs in one bound. The animals around him stopped shaking. The changelings looked at him. The Angel looked back. Slowly, Fluttershy’s friends left the walls and came to stand behind Angel. They were a small group at first, and then more, until every animal was standing together.

How many were there? Fifty…sixty…Fluttershy had never counted her friends, but there were so many that came to her house every day. More now than that; those who had come to help her lay the trap. They clustered behind Angel, watching the changelings. The cold confidence that had filled the changeling’s faces changed. Their eyes narrowed, and they crouched, baring their teeth. The silence extended, and Fluttershy saw Angel take one slow step forwards. Then he screamed and the animals attacked.

They came in one huge rush, not a group of individuals but a horde, a mass, an avalanche of bodies. The changelings were thrown off their hooves by the sheer weight of bodies. The animals bore them to the floor, biting, scratching, kicking. The rodents and other terrestrial creatures covered the changelings while the birds circled overhead. They were nearly blind in the darkness, but they dove and pecked at the changelings, trying to strike their eyes.

The changelings were covered, immobilized by the sheer numbers. They were also stunned by the attack. So many creatures they preyed on were trying to kill them, fighting with suicidal abandon. And with so many, they would eventually kill the changelings by smothering them to death if nothing else.

But.

The changelings were not killed so easily. They might have been weaker than ponies individually, but they were still creatures far larger and stronger than any animal in Fluttershy’s house. And what was far worse, they were predators. Born to kill.

One of the changelings rolled and threw off the animals covering him. It snarled and threw a beaver to the ground. The changeling stomped, and Fluttershy heard the beaver’s bones snap. The changeling looked up and jumped into the air. It caught the toucan as he tried to flap back.

It tore Mr. Toucan in half. His name was Toucan, because he had wanted to be named after his people. The red blood covered Fluttershy’s living room. And the changelings kept on coming.

Mice swarmed up one changeling’s leg and covered it’s body. Biting. Scratching. But these mice had no sharp teeth, no experience. No hope. The changeling did not bite them but smashed itself against the wall and floor. When it got up, blood and skin hung from its body.

Other rodents tried to stop the changeling, but it trampled them underfoot contemptuously, biting them in half, kicking them, until all around it was a sea of gore.

The second changeling rounded the table. Fluttershy screamed as it came closer, but the beavers, the beavers leapt on it. And their teeth were sharp enough.

Green blood hissed as it met the floor. But it smoked and vaporized the fur of the beaver family as they bore the changeling to the ground. It fought, ripping, tearing, throwing body after body aside. In a few seconds though, it jerked and stopped moving as the green of it’s inner self spread across the floor.

None of the beavers got up either.

The second changeling was left and it came for Fluttershy in one charge. It trampled bodies underfoot, and the shrieking birds could do nothing in the near darkness. They flew overhead, screaming birdcalls but only smacked against the walls and ceiling. The sounds of their necks breaking matched the bones of the fallen crunching under the changeling’s hooves.

It came at Fluttershy but stopped when Angel jumped at it with the knife.

The changeling hissed and tried to dodge, but the knife struck it in the shoulder and lodged in the changeling’s carapace. Angel landed on the ground and bounded away. The last of the animals attacked, a hummingbird, three squirrels, an old porcupine and Angel.

The changeling swatted the porcupine and shrieked in pain as several quills pierced it’s hoof. But it struck the porcupine again, so hard that it flew and hit a wall. Fluttershy heard the porcupine’s bones break and the thump as the body hit the floor.

The squirrels jumped and bit, but the changeling threw them away. The hummingbird had no time to react. The changeling’s jaws closed with a crunch.

Angel hit the changeling with a pan. The squirrels raced up the changeling’s body, jumping to avoid its hooves and teeth. One was trampled, the other failed to dodge the jaws and was torn in half. The last found the changeling’s right eye and bit.

The changeling screamed loud enough to shatter Fluttershy’s windows. It tore the squirrel away and smashed it into the ground until all that was left was a red paste. When it looked up at Fluttershy, she saw it only had one eye. The other was an empty socket.

Angel jumped at the changeling, but it was too quick this time. It grabbed Angel and tossed him to the ground. Then the changeling stamped.

Angel rolled before the hoof stomped, but he couldn’t escape entirely. The changeling caught his paw and leg and crushed them. Angel screamed.

Fluttershy was up on her feet in an instant, but the changeling just grinned and pinned Angel with one hoof. She hesitated, and the changeling bared its teeth in a vicious smile. The green ooze dripping from it’s empty socket ran into its mouth as the changeling slowly bent it’s head. It brought it’s head down opened it’s mouth slowly over Angel’s head. It kept Angel’s body pinned with one hoof as it did, and Fluttershy knew that if she moved an inch, it would crush Angel to death.

The changeling opened it’s jaws until it’s mouth was larger than Angel’s head. It paused with Angel’s head halfway in it’s mouth. Fluttershy couldn’t think. Her mind was filled with panicked rushing and dead silence. There were too many thoughts, but only one filled her mind. She watched the changeling, unable to move, but unable to stand still. She knew what the changeling would do just as she knew her own nature.

Fluttershy’s heart beat slowly, or so it seemed to her. The world was slow around her, and seconds seemed to pass like days. She watched the changeling and it looked at her. There was no pity in it’s eyes, no remorse. It’s jaws began to close and Fluttershy ran.

Too slow, too late. The jaws would close and take Angel with it before Fluttershy got halfway across the room. Fluttershy knew it, but ran onwards. She couldn’t stop. But she was slow. Too slow.

Fluttershy screamed, but what came out of her mouth wasn’t a cry of despair but a roar. It was the loudest sound she had ever made, and it thundered throughout the house. Her hooves hit the ground in thunder, as she charged at the changeling. She cared nothing for her broken ribs or her screaming muscles, but only for more speed. Her eyes locked with the changeling, and there was no pity in her eyes either, only hatred. Hatred, and rage.

The changeling froze, mouth half-closed as Fluttershy hurtled at him. The scream consumed every sound as Fluttershy came at him. The changeling jumped away from Angel as Fluttershy struck him. One of her shoulders caught the changeling’s midsection and threw him against one wall. The changeling slid to the ground, capapace cracked. Fluttershy’s headlong rush carried her into another wall, where she crashed against it. The bones in her shoulder crunched, but she turned back to the changeling in an instant.

It was getting up, slowly. It seemed to be having trouble getting to it’s feet. Fluttershy waited, heart beating out of her chest as her lungs strove to take in air. When the changeling got to it’s feet, it looked at her with pure hatred. Fluttershy’s eyes mirrored the changeling’s. Her heart beat loudly. In her heart, there was no pity, no remorse, not even kindness. Only hatred.

In the darkness, Fluttershy and the changeling clashed.

----

The changeling struck Fluttershy with one hoof. Fluttershy threw him sideways with her good wing. She tried to trample him, but lying prone he kicked her in the chest. Fluttershy felt more ribs go and ignored it. She bit the changeling on his shoulder. Her teeth cracked the chitin and her mouth filled with acidic blood. The changeling screamed.

It wrenched away from her and stabbed Fluttershy with it's horn. The horn pierced her shoulder but missed anything vital. She turned and the changeling was forced to pull it’s horn out or have it snapped off. Fluttershy raised her head and brought it down on the changeling’s. The changeling stumbled, and she saw a small crack appear on his head. Fluttershy shook her own head to get rid of the ringing.

Then the changeling bit her on the neck.

Fluttershy yanked herself away instantly, but the changeling’s teeth had already lodged in her skin. She felt a terrible ripping, the pain, and then wetness. When she looked down, she saw her coat already covered in blood. Dimly, Fluttershy realized that the changeling hadn’t pierced her throat, or she wouldn’t be breathing. But it had taken skin and blood. Too much blood. Fluttershy put a hoof to the side of her neck and felt it running freely.

The changeling stepped back, and gave Fluttershy a smile. His teeth were stained red with her blood. Fluttershy felt dizzy, weak, and knew that this was it. In a moment of icy clarity, she knew she didn’t have enough strength for anything more. The blood loss would make her too weak, and the changeling would easily overpower her. This was it. She had to kill the changeling now, or die.

But there was no way to do that. Fluttershy wasn’t strong enough and she didn’t have the space or the strength to slam him against a tree again. She could barely move her legs, and her head was the only part of her body she could move easily. And the changeling knew it. It grinned and watched her. All it had to do was wait for Fluttershy to lose more blood, and she could do…nothing.

Fluttershy felt helpless, dizzy, weak. She had to stop him. She had to kill him. But she had no idea how. There was only silence and the slow drip of her blood against the ground now. And in that silence, something whispered to her. The dark voice spoke to her.

There is always another way.

Fluttershy looked up. The moon was shining tonight, but the clouds over Ponyville made the light weak, diluted. Fluttershy’s eyes were a light blue, the color the sea and the sky. In the darkness, they were dark pools, the depths of the sea or the blue of the sky at night. The changeling stopped smiling, tensed itself.

In the darkness, Fluttershy charged for the last time.

She ran at the changeling, but not quickly. Her legs couldn’t move her fast enough, and so she barely moved faster than a trot. The changeling waited horn lowered, but Fluttershy paid it no heed. As she reached him, the changeling slashed downwards with his horn.

Fluttershy felt the skin on her face open and part before the horn. But she didn’t stop. She kept running, letting the horn open a deep cut all the way down the side of her face as she pressed against the changeling. Then she was pushing against him, knocking the changeling to the ground.

It hadn’t expected this. It struggled, hissing, but Fluttershy was lying on top of him, and her weight was enough to hold him down for a few seconds.

Fluttershy looked into the changeling’s eyes. It was hissing at her, struggling to bite her. So close. Closer than Fluttershy had ever been to a changeling. It’s one good eye was a brilliant blue, even in this darkness. It shone brightly, the color of blue skies and open seas. It was like her eyes. Fluttershy had never realized that until now.

The changeling struggled, but Fluttershy held it down with all of her strength. It was now. Now, or never. Fluttershy lowered her head, found the changeling’s neck, and bit.

The armor cracked, and then broke off. Fluttershy came up with a fragment of chitin in her mouth and felt it cut the insides. She spat it out in a trail of blood. Then she lowered her head and bit again. This time she found the changeling’s carapace too smooth to get a grip on with her teeth. She tore off another layer of exoskeleton instead.

Fluttershy felt the changeling lying under her. It was paralyzed, shocked. It didn’t seem to believe what was happening. Fluttershy didn’t give the changeling time to recover. When her teeth found the changeling this time, they pulled away part of it’s flesh.

Fluttershy spat out the acidic blood and flesh. At this, the changeling finally began to fight back. It struggled madly, fighting to get free with all it’s strength, but Fluttershy was at too good an angle. All she had to do was use her weight to pin the changeling down. It was even lighter than her, and didn’t have enough muscle to lift both of them.

The changeling twisted and threw it’s head back and forth to escape, but Fluttershy bit it’s throat a fourth time and felt more skin and shards of chitin in her mouth. Her teeth were not sharp, not like the changeling’s so she bit and ground her teeth and finally ripped away more of the changeling before spitting it out.

The changeling was bleeding now. Fluttershy felt it’s blood in her mouth, searing it, and saw the greenish liquid oozing to the floor of her house, bubbling and hissing on the wood. She heard it’s wheezing as parts of it’s throat was exposed to the air. And she heard something else. She heard whimpering.

The sound stopped Fluttershy for a moment. She looked down, and saw the changeling looking back at her. It wasn’t snarling now, nor smiling. It didn’t look angry or mean at all in fact. It looked…afraid. It looked scared and hurt and frightened.

Fluttershy hesitated. She looked into the changeling’s eye, and saw no more hatred. No more fury. None of the monster that had killed her friends. The changeling’s mouth was open, but it wasn’t hissing. It was whimpering, making a soft, small noise that Fluttershy understood. It was begging for mercy.

For a long time, Fluttershy stared into the changeling’s eyes. Something told her to bite it. Something told her to kill the changeling for all it would do, had done. But every other part of Fluttershy screamed at her not to do what she was intending. It was wrong. It would be murder, not self-defense. The voices told her to stop.

Fluttershy looked into the changeling’s eyes. It had killed her friends, but she had killed it’s friends too, hadn’t she? It was a soldier. Killing was what it did. But it wasn’t what Fluttershy did. She had killed a changeling once, to save Angel. And she had…helped kill changelings to save the Crusaders. But this was different.

The voice was whispering in her ears, telling her this was the only way. But Fluttershy knew there was another way. There was always another way. Did she want to do it?

Fluttershy had changed so much over the last few days. She had fought, bled, witnessed the death of her friends. She had killed. She had discovered hatred. In order to protect her friends, she had abandoned kindness and become…cruel. There was no other word for it. Where had kindness gone? It had died with her friends.

Fluttershy stared at the changeling, and heard the dark voice of her heart once more. But a new voice rose, and spoke to Fluttershy above all the rest.

You may be cruel, but are you a murderer?

Fluttershy stared at the changeling. Tears were leaking from it’s eyes, and the blood was still dripping from it’s throat. It was crying. It thought it was going to die.

Can you decide to kill? Are you willing to end someone’s life?

Fluttershy felt the changeling’s body against hers. So cold and foreign, but still another being.

Are you a bad pony?

Fluttershy slowly stood up. She had been pinning the changeling with her hooves. She moved them now, and got off the changeling. It looked stunned.

Fluttershy looked down at the changeling. She gave it a small, sad smile. It looked back up at her. Slowly, it smiled back.

The changeling lunged for Fluttershy’s throat. Fluttershy’s hoof came down on it’s chest and smashed it back down into the ground. The changeling gasped in shock, but Fluttershy was already on top of it again. Her head went down and found the changeling’s neck.

The changeling fought, unable to bite her but scratching, pummeling her body with it’s hooves. Fluttershy’s ribs cracked and snapped. Her flesh ripped. But she held the changeling’s throat in her teeth. She opened her mouth wide. Wide enough to fit the rest of the throat in her mouth.

Fluttershy bit down. What remained of the changeling’s skin gave way and was crushed, torn between her teeth. She bit and ground her teeth together, and felt something snap. The changeling had been struggling as hard as it could, fighting against her. Now, it’s body stopped in one sudden movement. It was still.

Slowly, Fluttershy got up. She spat something out of her mouth and looked down at the changeling. Where it had once been one, there was now two parts of the changeling on the floor. The head had snapped off and was staring empty-eyed at the ceiling. Fluttershy sank slowly to the ground, staring at the changeling.

It didn’t look angry, or sad, or even scared. It’s expression was just empty, and it’s eye stared vacantly upwards, as if looking at a sight Fluttershy couldn’t see. She slowly reached over and closed the eye with one hoof. The changeling was before her, but now it was blurry.

Fluttershy’s hoof went up, and she brushed at her face. It came away wet, but not with blood. Wet liquid shimmered in the moonlight, and Fluttershy stared at it for a while before realizing what it was. Tears. They flowed from her eyes and down the sides of her face, slowly, as if carrying away something special.

Innocence.

Fluttershy sat in her cottage, the corpses of a changeling before her. It was missing it’s head, and it’s body was battered. Another changeling lay dead, covered in wounds and surrounded by the bodies of Fluttershy’s friends. In the center of the cottage lay a rabbit, bones in one hand and leg broken, but still alive. He and Fluttershy were the only creatures still living in the cottage.

Fluttershy sat there and cried long into the night. As the sun rose, the light fell upon her tears and slowly dried them. But it could not take away the blood that remained, nor heal her wounds. The sun rose, but all that vanished were tears. And morning came and Fluttershy was still alive. And thus, Fluttershy started a new day.

Comments

[i_am_the_jam]

And, of course, the bear is nowhere to be seen...

[Tom the bomb]

5216587 The bear went back to is bear house to do bear things.

[mehperson]

5216587
It was at Hogwarts.

[North]

5216587 Perhaps the bear was the changelings' inside man.