4 - Touching Bases with Your Peers
I ran at a full gallop back through the forest. Thankfully nothing saw me as a tempting snack, and I got out without any real encounters worse than a loose vine here or there.
It was late afternoon, and that made me happy. The other school foals should be let out any moment, and that meant I could get to them without awkward new questions. Silver Spoon, or maybe even the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but the CMC were all related, or at least close, to the ponies that fought off the changelings, now that I thought about it... Maybe they wouldn't be the best ones to ask first. They might dis...
I felt my disguise wearing thin before it happened! I was getting better! I stared at the spot that was turning rogue and it seemed to 'reset' without the whole wall of flame effect. This was good, very good! But I was also feeling hungry. How often did changelings need to eat?
Then it hit me. I wasn't living like a 'normal' changeling. I was keeping up a disguise all the time. It was like a unicorn using a spell all day or a pegasus never coming for a landing ever. Of course I'd get hungry and tired.
Great, more things to worry about, but there wasn't anything I could do about that. I wasn't going to parade around as a bug! Even the real bug didn't do that. I wondered how much practice he had before they signed him up for school.
Where had he gone anyway? He said we could talk the next day, at school. I just had to make it to then, then maybe get some answers. I could already see my classmates drifting out through town, headed home, or to get a snack, or just milling around, some with friends. No Silver Spoon yet... Oh! What if she went to my house looking for me?
I hurried off despite the building hunger, or maybe it was because of it. Running into Silver Spoon felt like a really really good idea. There she was! Like I thought, she was walking straight to my house, like the best friend she was. I waved at her a little more excitedly than I first planned. "Hey! Silver!" She paused, then turned to look at me with a smile.
"Oh, hey Diamond. I thought you'd be at your house, like, doing important business things." She walked towards me and I could feel the warm edge of her love as it came over me. She was my friend, my true friend, and I knew it more certainly than ever before.
I could taste it, and it began to pour into me. I was seized by a powerful urge. I was hungry, and there was a source. I wanted more! I gave a little sip without thinking about it, but something happened. It kept moving, but the sip never happened. No sour tang, no heady rush. No satisfaction?
"Are you alright?" She looked at me with concern. "They weren't asking you to do too much, were they? Was it your mom?" She suddenly turned her eyes down a little. "What is that?" She pointed a hoof at the laughing donkey on a string that ran around my neck. "I don't mean to be a bummer, but that really isn't your style... Or anypony's."
Yuck, it was ugly, wood, not even crafted especially well, and did I mention ugly? But... It had worked. It kept me from hurting Silver, and I didn't want to hurt her! "Silver, forget about that a moment. There's something way more important we have to talk about. We're closer to my house, let's go there, alright?"
Silver threw a leg over me. "Sure thing." She wasn't normally so fast to hug. "Are you sure you're OK? You know you can talk to me about anything."
I felt frustrated, and filled with happiness. She cared about me, but... "We'll talk about that, I swear, let's just get inside first. It's private."
She let me go and nodded before adjusting her glasses. "I can wait a little bit. You didn't miss much in school. Changeling this. Changeling that. It was so boring and icky. You were totally right, Diamond Tiara, they are disgusting."
I laughed nervously. "Yeah, disgusting..." And I was one... Was she going to freak out the moment I told her? Would all that friendship flip inside out the moment she knew? "So, uh..." I glanced sideways to her as we walked side-by-side. "If I caught some way gross disease, you'd still be my friend, right?"
Silver Spoon looked confused a moment. "Of course I would be, but if it's catchy I might be your friend from a distance." She smiled like it was a joke. It wasn't! "Why? Do you feel sick? Shouldn't we be headed for the hospital?"
I waved a hoof dismissively. "I'm just saying, you know, theoretically." As the house came into view, I realized I was starting to feel the edges come off my hunger. I was still hungry, but the ravenous level had faded down to 'just' hungry. If I could hang out with Silver Spoon for the rest of the week, I'd make it, even if I didn't figure anything else out.
Silver gave a slow nod as she pushed open my gate. "I hope neither of us catch anything gross like that. Just think what'd it do for our image? Especially if we were the only ones? Yuck." When I walked past her, she started moving right up against my side. "But if I had to be sick with someone, at least it'd be you."
That was kind of sweet, in a weird way. How do you even reply to that? "You're such a goof!" I gave her shoulder a nudge, but let her keep walking up beside me. That was good enough.
Mom wandered past and stopped. "Hello, girls. I heard you showed up everypony today, well done. Though I'm wondering when you picked up an interest in changelings? Not a very refined interest, or one that's likely to earn you much respect." She was looking down at me with the little twist of her face that showed how disapproving she was. "Learning is good, but you can find so many better subjects than disgusting insects."
Silver looked baffled, but had the sense t-- "You have an--" I shoved a leg around her suddenly and clasped a hoof over her mouth to silence the question coming out of her.
"Just read the right book at the right time, mother. Not a 'true' habit, I assure you. Is that a new earring?" I smiled at her brightly.
She looked confused, then surprised. "Oh! I didn't think anypony would notice." It didn't always work, but when I found the right mark, flattery could distract mother like nothing else. "Thank you. I ordered it from this very exclusive outlet in Baltimare. It was just delivered today. It highlights my eyes, don't you think?"
I let Silver Spoon go and she was quick to nod. "Oh it looks lovely on you, Missus Rich!"
Mom smiled at us both. "Dinner's in an hour. Are you staying over?" She looked at Silver Spoon as she asked that.
Silver tilted her head a little. "For dinner, yes please. Thank you."
"You know you're welcome here, Silver Spoon. You're the right kind of pony." She wandered off on whatever had her mind at the moment. She wouldn't be the one cooking, pfft. I doubt she ever cooked in her life. Not that I had either, outside of a school project.
We finally made it to my room and I kicked the door shut. "Silver, I have something extremely important to talk to you about."
Silver sat down and nodded. "What's been bugging you all day?" Did she have to use that phrasing? "I've never seen you so nervous before." Was it that obvious? "You know you can tell me."
I took a slow breath. I did know I could tell her. I was going to tell her.
A soft knocking at the door made me jump. The butler nudged it open and entered with a tray of cookies and two big glasses of milk on his back. He nodded at us both and set the tray down before slipping back out. I shook my head quickly. "Randolph, I demand privacy until dinner!"
He nodded at me placidly. "Very good, madame." He closed the door behind himself, and was gone. I noticed I didn't feel any love coming from him. We've been together forever! Hay, longer than I'd even known Silver Spoon. Didn't he care about me? Why that... that... Oh... I sank to my haunches as I realized I had treated him pretty awfully.
Of course he didn't love me. He did what he was paid to do, but that didn't mean he had to like it, or me.
"DT?" Silver waved a hoof in front of me. "Like, you were saying? Are you alright?"
I shook my head to clear it and suddenly Silver recoiled and fell over herself. She looked utterly terrified. Oh shoot, did I just slip? Right when I was going to tell her?! "Please don't panic! And no yelling!"
She shrank back away from me, and the flow of love cut off. "What'd you do to Diamond?!"
I put a hoof on my chest. "I am Diamond Tiara." I gave her a smile, but it seemed to unnerve her. Oh yeah, big ugly bug teeth. "Who else would so easily sidestep my mother?"
She glanced towards the door, then back at me. "We've been snatched once before... Maybe you learned it from us. How can I be sure? I don't want to be foalnapped!"
I set my hoof down and saw it was black and holed. My disguise was gone. I'd have to convince her as I was. Changing back would probably freak her out more. "Silver Spoon, we have been friends for a very long time. I've been cursed, and I... I need your help. You know I don't like... saying that, but it's true. Please."
She slowly sat up. "If... And I'm not saying you are just yet, but if you are Diamond Tiara, how did we first meet?"
I smiled at the memory. I knew that story well, and shared it with her. "...and we never separated, except that one time I got kinda carried away with the whole election thing. Sorry about that." I stood up and felt my new wings spread out on their own. For just a moment I wondered what it'd be like to actually use them.
She put a hoof over her mouth as she gasped with amazement. "How? What happened?! Is it... how?!" I felt the love begin to flow again, lessened but there. "Are you alright?"
I patted over my shelled body softly. "I'm not hurt, not like that. But I am a super icky bug! Look at me..." I didn't really want to be stared at, but she had to know how important this was.
She reached for me and gently brushed a hoof through my mane. "At least some of you didn't change." She had a little smile.
I couldn't help but giggle a bit as the flow became more powerful. She believed. She believed and she cared! "I was told--" I tried to talk about Chrysalis, and that wasn't allowed. I didn't know how or why, but I couldn't say anything referring to her. "I was told I had a week. Then I could change back."
"By who?"
"Look, that doesn't matter, but if we can't figure out how to turn me back early, then we just have to wait a week, and then I'm free." I set a hoof on her shoulder. "Will you help me?"
Silver suddenly jumped at me and gave me a big hug, even if I was a yucky bug. She didn't seem to care too much. "I'll help! We'll get you back to normal, one way or the other." She let go and backed up. "Shouldn't you... change back? How does that even work? What's it feel like?"
I summoned the image of my true self and with a rush of heat and flames, I was back to normal, at least on the outside. I began describing that intense wave of heat to Silver Spoon and she looked at me with fascination, but the most important thing was she was still my friend, and she still cared.
I could do this.
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Why, next she's going to discover the many, MANY quirks of changeling biophysiology that didn't get covered in the show.
6552779 We've delved into a few already, non?
6552802
Only a few. Believe you me, I've run through numerous fanon explanations, and there are LOADS of possibilities.
The infiltration continues! One pony down, one town to go!
Suddenly Changelings aren't so icky, are they Silver? (huh, that felt a little weird...)
The sippy straw works! Yay Zecora!
Keep going! ;)
6552829 As best I can. Out of town, no computer, but I do have a tablet! And a full sized bluetooth keyboard. Almost as good? I managed this chapter with it!
6552809 Bare in mind the rating/flags, for what subject matters are likely to crop up. I don't want any rude surprises for anypony reading. There surely are other aspects of being a changeling that will crop up.
This version of SIlver Spoon probably wouldn't do anything mean if she wasn't led astray by Diamond Tiara. That kind of makes past Diamond even worse.
Capitalize I
She really shouldn't have any idea what's normal for a changeling yet, and I don't recall it ever being said that Rainbow eats more than other pegasi.
I noticed I didn't
)
(That's a real shocker
When were they snatched? Are you just referring to the Ponyville incident in the comics?
You are implying that this is the end of an unwritten sentence, so it should be "...and we never..."
(No headcanon first meeting? Aw...)
I like the way you depicted Diamond's reaction to the realization that her butler didn't love her. If she takes this curse as an opportunity to find out how pones really feel about her, and fix it, this could be a really heartwarming and encouraging story. Maybe it could even end with her declining Celestia's offer to have Chrysalis executed.
Such a curse yet quite the blessing to be so in tune with how people feel towards you. Kinda scary, and can lead to a lot of heartache I'd imagine for some. In the case of Diamond Tiara, you can't help but feel how blessed she is to have such a young and open mind willing to look past your exterior. I was pretty worried there that Silver would accidentally trigger a reflex perhaps in Diamond from that contact and sip in some of her friend's love involuntarily.
Man, if she can make it through a day in class... not sure how she'd deal with all that sensory overload. Not so much overload as it would be to just feel how everyone around you feels for you. A nice way to tell potential friends from leechers as I'd imagine her mother probably filled her head with how ponies will always see you for your money first or whatnot. Who knows.
Great chapter. Loved the mother scene as well. Diamond and Silver got that flattery stuff down to an art xD
6552866 Typos taken to the hive for feeding.
I didn't feel making up sudden headcanon sidestepping for their meeting would add much, and wasn't sure I could do it justice. I'm honestly not sure how they met, other than it was likely adorable and a bit awkward.
It isn't specified as Rainbow Dash eating more or less, really, but she sure can eat and has never been shy chowing down when made available, while other ponies seemed a tiny bit more reserved. Headcanon territory? Yes.
Changelings are usually changelings. It doesn't seem a stretch to me that being in a disguise takes more effort than their natural form, even if it's not lot of effort, it's still a thing they do. Things you do take energy.
This is pretty interesting. I mean, I realize that it's basically the first day, but she's really not encountering any true paranoia from anyone she knows. I wonder how she's going to learn her lesson at this rate, when all she finds is support and only one pony not caring about her either way. If Chrysalis' point was to make her see how paranoid and fearful ponies are about changelings even now, she's not making much progress.
I did notice two things about her (DT's) mom, tho. One... we didn't really get any emotions out of her. And Two, she seems way, way, waaay nicer than the show portrays her as. I almost thought she was AU DT Mom, except you referenced the latest Crusader episode there.
6553029 She greeted them with scorn for knowing her studies... on the wrong subject. DT and SS deflected her away, but she was being pretty unpleasant. She wasn't actively attacking, but she didn't have too much to actively attack about.
Until she notices that ugly pendant DT is wearing...
6552987 She did try to drink deep, but she's wearing Zecora's amulet, and it blocked her from actively feeding. It's taking much longer for her to feed, but she is only passively soaking what radiates at her instead of drawing it in and hurting Silver Spoon. She even, internally, commented on it and was grateful for not hurting her friend. Thank goodness for awfully tacky accessories!
Things are looking up, for now.
The moments between DT and SS were very adorable.
It's starting to get even more interesting.
6553078 Glad it came through properly. :)
I'm having fun with this story.
6553092 I can tell.
Hmm, like it so far. I just hope it won't end with everything blowing up in Chryssie's face.
And start learning that lesson, you little bigot. >.>
Cya
Raziel-chan
I curse GaPJaxie for their Would it Matter If I Was? for I was totally distracted by waiting for DT to say those exact words to SS.
I like the story and I am really interested in where it will go. It does have the CMC tag so I expect them to find out sooner or later. Probably gonna help DT at some point. Also I eagerly await the result of DT touching the poison joke. I am not sure what joke she will wake up to. Hopefully it is not going to interfere with the whole changeling problem. (Who am I kidding, ofcourse it will.)
Also
6552893
Where was that mentioned? I thought Sweetie Belle said in the first chapter Celestia and Chrysalis made peace.
6554508
It wasn't mentioned. That was just some extrapolation on my part. You know, 120 chapters from now, when everything has gone to heck and back and everything is out in the open, Chrysalis has been caught and proved guilty, and Diamond shows how much she's grown by deciding not to press charges. That kind of thing.
Wouldn't it be ironic if changelings were immune? (Maybe that's where they came from in the first place)
6554518
Also, wow you skipped mentioning quite a few steps in your extrapolation there.
6554583
I said, "Maybe [the story] could even end with..." so I was implying some intermediate steps.
So changelings can only feel love or Randolph is dead inside for years of abuse ?
vary sweet tasting chapter, vary good work David Silver.
I find describing Silver Spoon as delicious is accurate and wholly appropriate.
Loved how you made Silver Spoon doubt the moment Diamond Tiara unveiled herself and then believed after a little convincing.
7230376 It made me feel unnerving