Adrian tried to get Riley to come back to their outpost several times, but no promise could elicit her to leave. Telling her about the real mattresses or the hot water for a shower didn’t either. It wasn’t entirely her fault; the others had made their way upstairs to see her one after the other, and none had been very friendly.
If he had been upset with Alex’s reaction, the others outright disgusted him. He could only imagine the things they were saying about her in the lobby. He couldn’t even go down to argue her case, because Riley just clung to his leg and wouldn’t let go. By then any trace of fear for her had long gone, and only love remained. This child knew the loneliness he sometimes felt, the pain that drew him to travel from colony to colony. Only she had been too scared to search. The more time he spent with her, the more absurd he considered the fear the others had demonstrated, as well as the revulsion. It wasn’t what he really felt.
He had promised not to leave Riley alone, so he called to Alex and asked her to bring him whatever he’d need to spend the night. He didn’t even leave the radio on to see what she might say in reply. If he had, Riley would hear what his friends were saying about her. No child deserved to hear people talking about her like she was a monster. Perhaps in the alien universe called Equestria these things were monsters, but this was Earth.
“So Riley, are you excited to come with us tomorrow?” Adrian had drawn the shutters as far as they would go, taking advantage of the failing light. The light was helpful: it made it easier to see the boxes of rotting food and other detritus he was dragging away with his mouth. That part was pretty gross, just not as gross as sleeping somewhere filled with rotten food.
Riley tried to make herself helpful, and she was piling up all the backpacks and unused sleeping bags in another corner. Her wings twitched, as they seemed to do whenever she was nervous. “I-I’m not sure if I want to go. I’ve never gone anywhere else. What if I can’t live there?”
“Oh, that won’t be a problem!” Adrian kicked another crate into the broom closet, slamming it shut on the stench. When he returned to the room, it already smelled better. The strange musk of some sort of insect hive remained, but that didn’t exactly surprise him. He would’ve smelled like stallion if he didn’t bathe on a daily basis.
“You won’t be living alone there, for one.” He grinned, trying to look as excited as he could. It wasn’t too hard, not about a topic he cared about. “I’ve got this amazing RV; it has a loft with a real bed you can sleep in! Not to mention we do way better for food. We already have a greenhouse; garden should start giving us fresh fruits and vegetables in just a few weeks with as insane as it grows. Not to mention we’ve got electricity, so you can watch movies and play video games, have lights on at night, or the air conditioner during the day.”
“I want… I want my family.” She dropped onto her rump, whimpering. “Mom would know how to fix this…”
Adrian had already explained the basics of what happened, but he risked reiterating it anyway. He didn’t want to make it seem as though his arrival was anything magical. He wanted to make things better for Riley, but he couldn’t stop the Event from ever happening. He would’ve done that back in May, if he could have. “They might not come back in time to see you,” he said. “But… tell you what. Do you remember where you live?”
She nodded. “How about we visit tomorrow, just to make sure. We can leave a note with directions-”
“It’s too far to walk. I t-tried once, but it… it got too dark.” She whimpered, tears threatening to overflow all over again.
“We can drive!” He smiled, touching her briefly on the shoulder. “I know I look small, but I’ve been driving all over North America.”
“Okay.” She didn’t say anything else on the subject, and he didn’t press her.
Eventually, Alex returned with the supplies. Not just dinner, but a pair of inflatable mattresses, a propane lantern, plus a can of fuel and all the supplies they would need for s'mores. She didn’t stay, though she looked like she wanted to.
“Alright Riley, time for your first real meal! No more rotten cafe food!” He unwrapped one of the large sandwiches, dragging it along the floor by the plastic and setting it at her hooves. “Homemade bread, fresh greens; Alexandria has better food than any settlement I’ve visited so far.”
He took a few steps back, opening his own and beginning to eat. He sat on his haunches, and gripped the sandwich between his hooves. So long as he pushed just right, it wouldn’t fall apart. It was a very delicate balance, between holding it together and dumping the ingredients all over the floor. He lost the battle more often than he won.
He watched the insect pony as she sniffed at the sandwich, trying to recognize familiar human emotions there. She didn’t look like a starving person being offered her first meal, that was for sure. Had she been eating grass? “There’s no meat. You guys don’t have any of that saved away?” She shrugged and took a bite, lowering her head to the floor and chewing. She took a long time before the next bite, as though tasting every bit before swallowing. She didn’t look impressed, which was strange to him. Adrian loved this sandwich, it was one of the Equestrian recipes!
“God no!” He set his sandwich down. “Ponies don’t like meat. Apparently it doesn’t hurt us, but… I’ve never seen a pony get it down.” He leaned close to her, grinning. “Dodged a bullet there, Riley. Trust me. The ones who make that mistake usually puke.”
Riley looked indignant. “No way!” She flicked her tail towards the hall and the broom-closet. “There were cans and cans of those — teeny hot dogs they put in grownup drinks — once I figured out how to open them…” She sighed, licking her lips with the memory. Even her tongue looked strange. “Ran out in three days. I probably should’ve eaten a little slower…”
She looked at Adrian then, her catlike eyes focusing on him for a moment. He couldn’t tell what she was seeing, and for a moment he felt a flicker of that same fear from before. Her fangs gleamed in the white of the propane. There was a brief, uncomfortable silence, before she offered, “No matter how much I ate, I didn’t feel full. Like, it would help for a while, but then I would feel hungry again.” She tilted her head slightly to one side. “Do you ever feel like that?”
“N-no,” he admitted. “I can eat like a horse, but there’s still a limit. These sandwiches are the perfect size.”
“They’re really filling! After… After the last few days, I’d given up on eating. But this- this is great!” She beamed, pushing half the sandwich away. “I guess it doesn’t need meat after all.” She patted her belly. “I’m full!”
Adrian didn’t put down his own until he was finished. “I hope you’re not completely full.” He gestured at the grocery bag with their desert. “Think you’ve got room for S'mores?”
For a moment, Riley looked skeptical. She approached the bag, sniffing at it, and nudging it with a hoof. Her eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously. “Yeah! I’ve got room!” She practically started bouncing up and down. “S'mores were the best! My parents used to take me and-” Riley froze, face falling. She sat back down.
Adrian had long since adapted to using his mouth for things, so he didn’t have any trouble wedging his pocketknife into the fire can and exposing the fuel-jelly inside. It had been a long time since he had cooked with one of these, and the results had been… fairly mediocre. To say nothing of the stale marshmallows they were using. At least the crackers and chocolate still looked good.
Getting the marshmallows onto the sticks was actually the hardest part. In the end, Adrian held them between his hooves while lowering the stick with his mouth. That done, he set out the rest of the ingredients and sparked his lighter, sending the fuel-gel into flickering blue life.
“Mhre, Riley.” He offered her a stick, ready to go. “Ymm mkow how mooo hmmld it?”
She rolled her eyes, but took the offered stick. So the roasting began.
It wasn’t as relaxing as it had been as a human; you couldn’t really talk while you did it, not easily. Maybe there was a way to get hooves to do it, but Adrian didn’t want to fight with it today. Even if he thought he had the dexterity, he didn’t want to make Riley feel bad if she didn’t. Alex had made sure to give them sticks long enough that their faces wouldn’t be burned in the attempt. Practical little pony she was.
Riley burned her first three marshmallows, giggling the whole way. Adrian kept giving her new ones, and she kept burning them. That was okay, though. Seeing her smile made the effort of preparing new marshmallows well worth it.
They stayed up for hours after that. Riley wanted to know about everything. Adrian didn’t talk about the Event, but he told her everything else. The colonies he had seen, the pony magic.
“But… your wing!” She gestured across the fire at his bad wing, protruding strangely from his side. “It looks hurt. Smells bad, too.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Yeah.” He tried to keep cool, but inwardly Adrian cursed himself. He hadn’t replaced the bandages when they tore! Nevermind what Riley had seen; the others had all visited too, at least for a few minutes! How many of them had seen, and he hadn’t even thought to cover it up! He felt like the stupidest pony in the world.
It wasn’t anything Riley had done though, so he forced himself to smile. “It doesn’t fly, no. But other ponies can! You’ve got wings; maybe Cloudy Skies can teach you!”
She shivered, glaring at the floor. “The pink one? She hated me.”
“What?” Adrian shook his head as vigorously as he could. “Cloudy Skies is one of the nicest ponies I know! She was just shocked to meet someone so different!”
“Nope.” There was no argument or malice in the word. Riley spoke it like it was a simple truth, without any doubt. “She was really, really scared. Guess I can’t blame her. I am a f-freak…”
And so began the third and last breakdown of the night. Adrian couldn’t staunch the tears this time, though he tried valiantly. It was all he could do to embrace her anew, holding her until she stopped, and reassure her all the while that he didn’t think so.
Yet somewhere deep inside, a part of him still did. Could she sense that too, as she had somehow sensed with Sky?
If she did, she made no sign. Soon she was asleep. Adrian covered her in the sleeping bags, then curled up on his own mattress on the other end of the room, staring at nothing.
He felt drained, listless, and ashamed.
It would be another sleepless night.
I've got a horrible feeling that Riley is subconsciously tapping off Adrian's love and damaging him in the process. She doesn't want to hurt him but it is in her very nature to do so. The "I can't help it, I'm a scorpion" rule may apply here.
The dumbass has let his wound get infected and probably gangrenous. Kick his tail, ponies. Then patch him up.
And surely SOMEONE at the settlement can find a book on "intelligent species of Equestria?"
I hope that Riley doesn't drain him dry before they figure out what a changeling is.
Hmm. Bit of a mixed bag, this. On the one hand, no one else seems enthralled. On the other, this can't be good for Adrian's health, especially if his wing is infected. As for Riley, I'm still not sure what to make of her, though she definitely doesn't seem to know what she's capable of. I'm feeling very uncertain here.
6209851
Yes, both. Anything moving. It would even extend to silly things, like people riding roller-coasters in later time zones, or other such things. (I doubt there were many of those on the east coast at three AM)
6210008
Well, I think that's the danger to a story that gives us a detailed, personal look at each character like this. We're bound to start to see all their flaws in much starker contrast than we would've otherwise.
6211209
Unless of course, they're not being truthful. >.>
6211745
We learned Alex was female in the conclusion three chapters of Last Pony on Earth, the three parter that was released on the same day. I hadn't ever been explicit about it before then, though.
6212170
That's exactly what I thought when Zutcha drew it! I was like "this drawing is going to get people killed."
6212179
I'm going to try to write it in such a way to minimize that happening, but only to the degree I don't have to compromise the creative integrity of this story.
6212231
If she has, we should find out soon! She wouldn't hold that information in, though she might not talk about it around a little kid...
6212295
Well, she has the eyes for it. It's QUITE POSSIBLE.
6212318
You're quite right that everything comes down to Riley's true identity. She seems to be acting like a child, but there's no way that's proof of anything. Regardless of her age, she is an emotional parasite. The question is, can there be some kind of symbiosis?
6212340
They are dangerous predators.
6212466
I'm not sure if Riley has said or not, but she's only been around a few weeks, she hasn't been around the months since the Event took place.
6212572
It's quite possible! What we might see as cute because they don't exist in our environment ponies might see very differently. Could it be an innate bias? Perhaps!
6212663
Well, we'll find out! If she does, I doubt it'd be intentional... unless of course, she was just made this young to be a better parasite, as some theories have suggested.
6212683
I'm not sure. I think we'll find out once we get to see more of Lonely Day's perspective on things. We haven't really seen much of her. I doubt she'd want to reveal it in front of the changeling herself.
6212763
Hey, there are other authors playing dirty! Now it's my turn! In seriousness, I've wanted to write about a changeling for a long time. Making her young just made all the arguments about what to do with her so much more... poignant.
6213148
It's possible. If the spell really takes 10,000 years, then what happens in these first years might be formative for the rest of history. the question really left to us is this: How much of how changelings behave is instinct, and how much is culture? How badly to ponies fear them, and could simple familiarity over time conquer that disgust? It seems to have happened in Adrian in just a few hours, though not for anypony else...
6213261
Yeah, drawing it that way was Zutcha's idea. Actually, most of the character design for all the characters was Zutcha's idea. He was lucky if I gave him two sentences to design a passable OC with. I believe the description I gave him for Riley was "cute young changeling, not a drone"
6213917
That fact was actually revealed in the three-part section in the last story, as well as the last entry where Alex says "learned how to be a mare". But yeah, I suppose here too.
6214108
Depends on how intentional the creation of changelings was, and how many there were expected to be. Alex was only in Equestria a week, after all. Now it's possible that even if Alex was never told, there would be something in the library that would help.
6214778
This is indeed a real place! http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/October-2012/St-Louis-Wonderous-City-Museum/
I've only been once, but that one time was amazing! If I could be younger again, I'd go back so fast!
6214785
Sixteen. She's sexually "mature"? (probably not enough to be safe), but old enough to feel things like attraction. I think it would've been too easy for her otherwise (though growing up again into puberty all over might be rough).
6215215
I DO THINK PEOPLE SHOULD TAG SPOILERS.
6215226
She would love that! Get it? >.>
Really, none of them have even considered turning to the was collection of knowledge they've been given? Surely the inhabitants could've seen something like this coming. Someone turning into a species and having no idea how their body works... And they would at least have had the brains to write something about Changelings like: Can shape shift and live of love.
Now, get back to the library you fools. If you mess this up for Riley somehow, I'll get to you somehow, even if I have to write my own side story!
I said it before, and I'll say it again, Riley is adorable.
Everyone really thinks poorly of Riley, or thinks this is a tragedy in the making. I think so too, but of the others having to master their emotions or come to some very harsh realizations about themselves. Even if they didn't feel anything towards Riley, the tension at shared meals could be cut with a knife already, and Riley is sensitive to emotions to bring it up.
It's kind of a shame that the others can't come to grips with how Riley's just a child.
I mean, sure she's got those fangs, and those eyes, and...
Well. Surely, we can move past judging on appearances, right? *cough cough*
I have the feeling this is either gonna end in the warmest and fuzziest of feelings, or the biggest cry-out-loud heartbreak of the year.
I'm honestly quite shocked that the Alexandrites would be so scared and hostile to Riley. They all know what happened to humanity. They can all see Riley is a child. She can communicate. So why the hostility and fear? Is it some instinct of their new pony bodies that they cannot control yet? It's especially surprising from Alex and Oliver.
6216659 Knowledge only goes so far in battling instinct. I may know that a centipede is a fairly harmless insect, that it is a fantastic hunter of other insects, but if I see one in my bathroom then it gets a nice heavy blast of Raid to whatever the hell end its face is on.
(But I wouldn't spray Riley. She's too cute.)
I think what Alex needs to remember is that Riley may have the body and potential instincts of a predator, but there is in fact, a little human girl inside. I also think that Alex needs to inform Adrian pretty quickly what changelings feed on before he becomes sucked dry. His system has enough to deal with with his damaged wing at the moment. If she doesn't, I see a tragedy in the future. possibly two.
6216867 Yes, I do understand that. But even if their instincts tell them to be scared, they should still be intelligent enough to look her up in the library. If I believed I was in danger and I could possibly have access to knowledge about the possible threat, I'd rather read up on said possible threat to minimize my losses.
I know I'm going to sound heartless here... but I kind of feel that even though we try to draw back from judging from first appearances (though with the adorable pictures we're probably not getting quite the same effect as the characters in the story anyway..), we shouldn't just stop there, but should still examine Riley's circumstances. To me, some of it still seems disquieting.
Adrian makes reference in this chapter to feeling only love for Riley, as opposed to describing it as something more expected like a protective instinct. In the previous chapter he also specifically noticed Alex's smile as "friendly, but it wasn't love", which is kind of an odd way of looking at it. I wonder if the effect that made him light-headed is not just Riley feeding, but also some mind-influencing magic that's inducing him to feel love in the first place?
Adrian also thinks "If he had been upset with Alex’s reaction, the others outright disgusted him.", even though when it was actually happening he was impressed with Alex's reaction. I wonder if the others' reactions weren't actually as bad as they sound here? If he's marking Alex's reaction as "friendly, but not love", anyone putting on a welcoming face while trying to deal with instincts telling them to run from the dangerous predator might be getting judged a bit harsher than they deserve.
Also, kind of interesting she didn't mind living among the boxes of rotting food, but she wrinkles her nose at the smell of Adrian's wounded wing...
Oh, so she's a meat eater in addition to being an emotivore? That's going to make things even more complicated if they can get her to come back to Alexandria.
Hmn, maybe not.
41.media.tumblr.com/39bf5ac78ceeda184b81206f0b7f9c15/tumblr_nrklaoLm1C1rsmidfo1_500.png
Oh god my heart!
Adrian's wing is hurt to the point that it smells bad? That's bad.
This is just sooo good. That will be all, thank you.
6216736 Was thinking along the same lines.
Riley could be the matchstick to the fuse here.
6216659 They might have thought of it, but they don't have it with them currently and so would not have had the chance to look. They're in St. Louis, and the Library is in Alexandria (previously Paris, Illinois).
6216791 I agree, but to be fair the other side of the question is valid too: would Riley be able to keep her predator instincts on check? Because she might or might not know she's draining Adrian's emotions, and may or may not understand she's hurting him if he's drained too much; and even if she both knows and understand that she might not help "eating".
6217185 You do have a point. But would it not make more sense for them to have the library with them, rather than leave it behind while they're not there to guard it?
6216943
I think that means it's gangrenous
6217268
I can honestly see this being in a way where we gotta have both or neither you know?
It'd be nice if Riley (or Alex) could learn a little bit more about Changelings, so that this'll be cleared up.
And let's also hope that it's nurture over nature. That'd be a really sad story if nature beat nurture this time.
.....
I feel like I messed up my English. Ugh.
Oy, this just keeps getting more awkward.
Well, this can only end badly.
I quote your fic's description:
Anyway, I'm going away for a week, so I'm gonna miss the next five chapters. On the plus side, I'll have five to read when I get back!
Okay, scared? Or actual hate from Cloudy? Because if it's the second she's going to go RIGHT down to my hate list again.
Geeze, I would have thought that ONE of the lot of them would be decent in SOME respect, nope, Adrian is the only one who seems to have a heart, it's understandable if one of them had hesitation at first like Alex but, COME ON!
6214785
That's actually higher than what I was originally going to say
Note to self: if I'm ever in St. Louis, go there
Aww, who cares if she's a "freak" she's still a kid and she's still in the same boat as you guys are though I will admit I didn't expect that reaction from sky in all honesty
I'm just waiting for when they get back for Oliver to give him a Good whack on the head and inspect his wing by force. Patient consent or not, the hippocratic oath must be upheld damn it
6220399
Star already answered that question. :P
6216943 Thats one thing im liking, the omnivorous nature, yet, that emotion sensing would be a heck of a dual edged sword. I mean, think about it, could you really eat meat, with the emotions of the animals about now?
6216924 If you've worked with wounds, there's a very unique difference between them. Natural decomposition has either a stink or a sweetness that is a little odd, but not bad. Rot, gangrene, or any kind of necrotizing. There is a very unique smell to it all its own, a fundamentally wrong smell. I don't know how to describe it beyond a foul wrongness. I know im not doing the description justice. But you've noticed a smell when you hit a hospital, or a nursing home? That odd off-putting smell you get in there, that mix of anti-septic and something else? That's as best a description of what rot is like. That smell you just can't place that hits ya.
You've heard how some dogs can sniff out cancer right, at a guess, id imagine she has that sniffer enough to do that, though in this case its the nature of his blood with the infection.
6221462
Hadn't known any of that, so thanks for pointing it out. Very interesting!
6221897 Its one of those things i sorta wish I didn't. But a scary thing now, given how easily one might become infected, from rusty metal, to the super germs of the era that modern anti-biotics, anti-fungal that are barely cutting it against them. I sorta wonder why they havent tried looking for homeopathic solutions. With the smaller towns, the mom and pop pharma spots would have that more than the name/off brands.
Now, even rabies is a potential worry, or other things like leprosy in armadillo's. Alot of native life carries some very nasty diseases that they are sorta resistant/immune to.
I have no idea what Riley will add to the group dynamic. Having a changeling in the group would definitely complicate things. However, I have reason to think that it (probably) won't end in disaster. in the 100th episode, there was a changeling at Cranky and Matilda's wedding.
derpicdn.net/img/2015/6/13/915959/large.png
I have no idea what that changeling was doing there. Maybe (s)he's a friend of Cranky's or something. However, the fact that a changeling was there at all is canon confirmation that changelings can safely coexist with ponies. So while I'm not gonna cross my fingers, I think it's best to give Riley the benefit of the doubt.
6216659
Don't worry, they haven't forgotten! They're just in St. Louis, so they don't have access to it right then. The library itself is in Alexandria. Once they get there, I would be very surprised if somepony doesn't jump right on that.
6216791
Hah, yeah. No way humans would ever judge somebody just based on how they look! That's never happened, like ever!
6216812
I feel like that's exactly right! But which, that's always the question.
6216859
It's instinct, yeah. The same way most humans would be frightened if they rounded a corner and there was a wolf standing there. Only this wolf is smart enough to talk.
6216882
That's assuming Alex even knows. Obviously no mention of changelings was made in the last story, but that's not to say she was never told. We just don't know at this point if she knew or not.
6216924
I'm glad to see there are some other angles on the Riley situation, other than the accepting her completely angle. Not that she doesn't act like a child, but... I'd want to be at least a little wary, if it were me. She's an unknown element, if nothing else.
6216943
I was a little concerned Zutcha's art might cause a few injuries with how adorable it is. Clearly I wasn't wrong.
6217339
Yes and no. The location they picked for it, a small town in the middle of nowhere, also happens to be far enough away that the chance of discovery and fire is basically zero. Traveling, on the other hand, could permit many hazards. The library is probably safer right where it is... at least in this situation. Later on, it may very well make more sense to bring it. It just depends on the circumstances.
6218418
Yep! They'll be waiting! They tend to pile up if you put of reading (or writing, but thats the reverse of piling up. That's a chapter debt, and it's something else entirely)
6219086
Well now they all saw his wing without any of the wrapping things he's been using to conceal it. Only a matter of time until something happens now...
6220397
Very, very true. I wouldn't go there if I was afraid of heights, that's for sure. Or small spaces. Though I guess I could just avoid the smaller parts...
6221462
That is an apt description and probably exactly what it smelled like.
6222015
I don't think Oliver will ever look for a homeopathic remedy for anything. Herbal, maybe. But not homeopathic. That just doesn't seem like him.
6222181
You can wrack it up to Adrian not being an experienced climber, or you also consider it part of the "Alternate Universe" tag on this story. When something really silly (like ponies walking up a cliff skrim style) happens in the show, I generally pretend it didn't happen and chalk it up to "things that probably didn't really happen but make it easier for the audience to understand the episode". There's a word for that in film terms, but I don't actually remember what it is at the moment. Sorta how I don't think Babs Seed really reached through a film screen and grabbed living snack people.
6224940
I suppose I'm not like most humans then. I'd be more worried about other humans encountered rather than a wolf.
6224940
I still want Oliver to basically have joe hold him down with his magic and have him inspect it
6224944 Well, most humans would indeed feel the urge to run (if they realize what they're standing in front of isn't just a large dog with somewhat different proportions). Even if you don't feel it consciously, there still is an evolutionarily very old part of your brain that doesn't care one bit about the veneer of civilization you've covered it with and screams "PREDATOR!". I'm sure there always were humans who didn't feel that way - they just got weeded out pretty quickly before they could reproduce.
And all humans judge other humans in the first few seconds after meeting them. The ability to get around this is located in brain regions that developed much later than those responsible for the first reaction. I remember a study concerning brain activity in relation to racism: show (white, in this case) persons who admit openly to being racist and non-racist people the image of a black man and scan the brain patterns simultaneously. The same deep regions light up initially - only in the non-racist people other, evolutionarily modern regions in the frontal lobes light up immediately after as well while this effect isn't visible in those describing themselves as racist.
Now add some newly acquired prey species (which humans aren't) instincts to that complicated chemistry and you have a Riley-reaction.
I guess Adrian is like you, while Alex has a LOT of self control in the face of danger as we know. Cloudy is the one most easily frightened and freaks out.
Smell of rotting meat in a dark den: check
Alien creature with very strange smell you can't place: check
Alien creature has slitted eyes and fangs: check
You're a prey species: check
Needs more coffee: check
6224940 I did mean herbal. Thats a big whupsie on my end. Sorry.
there are two ways people normally go with changelings.
one, them eating love is harmless
two, them eating love is harmful to the person they're feeding from.
for Lil Riley's sake, I hope it's the first one that you'll be going for.
but I'm sure it'll be an interesting read either way.
I know I am late to the party here so it has probably been explained in a later chapter, but the multiple sleeping bags; cafe food; Riley trying to find her parents at home; and the fact that they seem to be in a museum (The pinned bugs) all imply that Riley was on one of those 'night at the museum' field trip deals when this happened.
I have the feeling that this kid has rotten food piled up in her den because she actually eats it. And she probably likes it more than the fresh vegetables that the ponies eat.
I wonder how long it will take for them to figure out that she should be able to shape-change, and therefore take on a more appealing visage.
6230429 From what I've gathered, it's just tiring.
40.media.tumblr.com/39bf5ac78ceeda184b81206f0b7f9c15/tumblr_nrklaoLm1C1rsmidfo1_1280.png
This pic is adorable. Also, fire in a can!
Adrian. She gestured across the fire at his bad wing, protruding strangely from his side. “It looks hurt. Smells bad, too.”
Huston we have a problem. he needs that wing looked at stat before it kills him.
6406055
When i first read the label on the can, i thought it said: Fire'in my LASER!!!
Do you use the official IDW comics as inspiration? In IDW's MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #18, there is a stained glass window that shows an alternative universe version of Queen Chrysalis that is a defender of ponies. The next issue shows a good King Sombra saying his world’s version Chrysalis is defending the south of their pony nation. Why can’t Riley or another changeling queen turn good, becoming similar to the alternative Chrysalis?
vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/d/d1/Chrysalis_Stained_Glass_Window_Comic_18.png/revision/latest?cb=20140502222159
Adrian is officially best pony. If only because everypony else is a prick.
8121261
Ah, but Alex makes a close second. They both were initially disgusted and frightened by Riley's appearance, but while Adrian could empathise with her condition (which allowed him to escape the instinctive revulsion), Alex did not. However, she made a quick assessment of the situation and was able to overcome her instinctive response with practicality and tact. That makes her at least No.2 in my book.