Aftershock
Chip dug his hooves in the puffy cloud surface below. For the second time in his life he was standing at the threshold of a golden gate, egged on by a dozen of his friends to come over and stay with him.
“Come on Chip, it’s fine, really,” cooed Sweet Strokes, reaching out to the changeling with a hoof.
“It’s all good here,” assured Twilight, “we aren’t mad. There is no suffering or pain, no wars or secrets. Everyone’s a friend. Come join us.”
“Come on, Chip, son,” purred Chrysalis, emerging from between his two friends. “I forgive you. Come to your mommy, darling.”
Chip squared his withers and pouted, swishing his head to the side. “No,” he grumbled.
* * *
“You always have my work cut out for me, Princess,” scoffed Dr Hoffenweiser, throwing a green-stained rag on top of a wheeled table. “Although I must admit it has been some time since I last saw our… unique friend.”
The elder unicorn sighed and tsked, looking down on the heavily bandaged form of a red stallion in front of him. At first he didn’t really believe it was the same hulking creature he barely managed to save way back when in Canterlot, but the blood that refused to accept any other type and turned green after an extended period of exposure to air made him reconsider.
“He’ll live, I think,” the doctor finally said, turning to regard the rest of the ponies that watched his every move. If the scrutinizing gaze of Princess Celestia wasn’t enough, he had to endure the hard stares of Captain Shining Armor and his sister, who at the moment was waiting outside to cool down after a panic attack struck her mid-operation. Some ponies. Losing it at the sight of the smallest arterial fountains, he tsked internally.
“And what of his injuries? Will he recover?” inquired Shining, fearing for the worst. His first glimpse of the changeling reminded him of the crystal hedgehogs from olden legends, only much more bloody and with splinters peppering his body. The changeling managed to smash through a glass door and shatter the counter of the cafe, embedding himself deeply enough to require several unicorns to dig him out.
Hoffenweiser shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, Captain. Last time it was but a measly cut, and the stallion was in his, eh, natural form. Since I have no understanding of how his transformations work, I cannot really tell, but, well, on the bright side,” chuckled the doctor, adjusting the glasses on his muzzle, “if he were a regular pony, we’d be having a funeral right about now.” He ignored the scowls of his audience and tapped the steadily beating heart monitor to his left. “Our friend clings to life like a starved foal to his mother’s teat. I won’t bet my career on it, but I believe he will be making a pretty solid recovery. All he needs is plenty of rest.”
“Thank you, doctor,” sighed Celestia, making way for the unicorn. “I would still appreciate if you would withhold your… personal humor when dealing with my friends.”
Hoffenweiser felt chilling pinpricks on the back of his neck as the golden aura that surrounding the room for the entirety of his stay parted slightly, allowing him to exit the room.
Before the shielding spell sealed itself again, Twilight Sparkle barged in, her eyes darting across Chip’s unconscious form. The changeling looked like a mummy, with red flowers blooming here and there on his torso. A quick look at the Princess and her brother reassured her that the changeling was in no grave danger.
“So, how is he?” whisper Twilight, tiptoeing to the bed and sitting beside it, looking miserable.
“The doctor says he’ll be fine,” assured Celestia, putting a wing around the troubled mare. “While Chip recovers, we still have the matter of our other guest to discuss.”
Everyone’s eyes floated towards the tan pegasus gently dozing on a pillow in the corner of the room. Her delicate snores were barely audible through the buzzing of a dozen spells cast on the mare.
“I still think we need to wipe her memory,” sternly said Shining Armor, standing to face Celestia. “While she doesn’t know too much, a keen infiltrator could still put some pieces together from her experiences with Twilight and Redberry. It is far too dangerous to let her just roam about, even if she promises to keep quiet.”
“On any other occasion I would agree with you, Shining Armor,” nodded the solar princess. She sighed heavily and looked to the resting mare with misty eyes. “Still, this young mare has been through much in her life. Her experience with Chip was something that we simply cannot take away. She has seen the light of kindness for the first time in many years.”
“Princess,” tried Shining Armor in a softer tone, “I know. I’ve seen it all too. Even so, can’t we just leave her with an impression? A vague feeling that something nice happened? Surely there must be spells-”
“No,” interrupted Celestia, approaching to sit beside Sweet Strokes. “Mind altering magic in itself is a horrible art. I try and refrain from using it whenever I can. Even if this would be the easiest way out, erasing the solitary speck of good against her sea of pain would simply be criminal...”
“I understand, Princess,” sighed Shining. He stood beside his ruler, observing the unaware Sweet Strokes. “What other choice do we have, though? Do you really wish to drag another one of your subjects, an innocent, into this whole affair? We would have to hide her, deal with her learning the truth… and then what?”
“Shouldn’t we ask her what she wants?” offered Twilight, turning away from Chip. She flinched when the two looked at her, but pressed on. “I mean, isn’t it fair that she be aware of what is going on? It’s not her fault she got involved in… this.” She passed a hoof over the changeling for emphasis. “She can choose to forget it, or stay in the castle and work something out. Doesn’t that sound better than making the choice for her?”
“Twi, I understand your concern for others,” said Shining, “but this matter is too important, too big to consider the comfort of others. We all make sacrifices here to help prevent a war that could-”
“Sacrifices? But does that mean we have to be ruthless about it?” The chill in Twilight’s tone made Shining put on a quizzical expression. “Just because our country is in danger doesn’t mean we can cast aside our moral values! Even our greatest criminals, murderers or otherwise, are being sent to jail instead of being brain-washed into being better ponies!”
The silence that fell afterwards sat heavy on everyone’s consciences. Celestia was torn. It was one thing to wipe out a few minutes from a drunken guard’s mind and cause him to repent, and totally another to rob a poor soul of memories that could set her life straight. It was times like these that the burden of her crown weighed heavily on her temples. Being ‘just’ meant acting in everypony’s best interest. How could she compromise when the good of the many stood in contrast with the well-being of just one?
“Princess, let me talk to her,” sighed Twilight, delicately putting a hoof over Chip’s leg. “It was partially my fault all this happened. If I hadn’t acted so… irrationally.”
Shining stood up to say something but was hushed by Celestia’s hoof.
“If there is anyone guilty, it would be me,” admitted Celestia. “I should have known better than to let Chip roam free. I was too distracted to think clearly.” The monarch approached Twilight and nuzzled her briefly. “Very well, Twilight. Talk to Sweet Strokes, and we shall decide what to do from there.”
“Yes, Princess,” replied Twilight, watching as Celestia left the room with a grim Shining Armor in tow.
* * *
“... you mean...”
“...Princess...”
“...never… changeling...”
Chip’s conscience swam on the outskirts of his body. It was very reluctant to don its mortal frame again, as a pretty real promise of vivid pain lingered on the edge of his senses. It waited like a prowling timberwolf ready to pounce and tear into him.
What little contact he had with reality let him see blurry images, some noises and smells that didn’t make much sense. He tried accessing his memories without rousing his body, but to no avail. It came with the package and they were all out of trials.
He took some time to stallion up and pray to the Princess that it wouldn’t hurt as bad as it felt it would. Gingerly, as if threading through a minefield, the changeling sunk into his skin. The sensations weren’t all that horrible - a numb thumping in his chest assured him that his heart was still pretty much operational, and despite his limbs not responding just yet, he was certain they’d come around soon enough. His control spread, slowly inching towards the neck and cranium. As soon as it touched upon the mind, a sudden starburst of pain surged through his being.
“Nu-uh!” yelped the incorporeal Chip, swirling away from the offending organ. “It’s a trap!”
Despite trying to pull back, he was too far gone - his conscience was getting comfortable in his mortal jacket and a strong force was drawing the changeling spirit back towards the boxed up pain. Even though there was no air to be had in the immaterial realm, the phantom Chip took a deep breath and shut his eyes closed, the gates of his tortured mind opening ever so slowly.
* * *
“And that’s how we ended up here. At least, that is as much as my brother let me know,” finished Twilight, sighing with content. For all the bad things said about Sweet’s profession, she was a very attentive listener and didn’t interrupt during her speech, save for some welcome questions here and there.
“So… Redberry here. He’s a changeling?” asked Sweet Strokes, pointing at the unconscious mummy on the bed.
“Yes.”
“A-And I didn’t kill him or anything?”
“The doctor says he’ll live,” warmly smiled Twilight.
“A-And y-you want me to...” Sweet gulped, looking around the room. The golden glow made her uneasy.
“To choose where you want to go from here.”
“What choice do I have, though?” sniffled the pegasus, slumping on her pillow. “I either get my brain washed and go back to who I was or… or disappear for good.”
“I’m sorry,” apologized Twilight, putting a hoof over the shaking mare. “I’m sure the Princess can think of something.”
“Like what? Huh, maybe I’ll be her personal…” Sweet’s voice broke and she started crying. ”She probably doesn’t even swing that way! And what about him? Did he do something to me? Did he steal my love?”
“What? No, nonono,” quickly assured Twilight, patting the pegasus on the back. “Chip’s different! He would never do that! He was just being friendly. He loves making new friends!”
“*sniff* Really? He didn’t *snort* do this for the *sob* love?”
“Trust me,” whispered Twilight, nuzzling the mare. She got pulled into a tighter hug, still patting Sweet on the back. “He’s a really good colt once you look past his… awkwardness and foalish behavior.”
Sweet chuckled lightly through the tears. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to come between you two. I’m really, really sorry. It’s just that-”
“I know,” smiled Twilight. “He has that weird effect on ponies. You can’t really tell if he’s fooling around or just clueless. Or both.”
The two shared a moment in relative silence when the heart monitor decided to go haywire. The beeping became erratic and an alarm sounded, startling Twilight and Sweet. Without a second thought, the unicorn rushed to the door, the golden glow oozing away to let her pass.
“Doctor!” yelled Twilight at the top of her lungs.
* * *
Hoffenweiser set the heart monitor back up straight, his magic moving away a cart with a defibrillator unit.
“Well, seems our patient will have to be kept asleep for the time being,” sighed the doctor, shaking his head. Despite the air of professional aloofness he tried to maintain, he could not help but feel sympathy to his suffering patient. “I wholeheartedly admit to underestimating our friend’s pain. Or perhaps overestimating his body’s resilience. In either case, we will keep him asleep while his body does its thing.” He worriedly looked over the gathered ponies. The past hour or so had been truly draining.
Twilight and Sweet were shaken the most, being there the moment Chip’s screaming started. It was a sound that raised hairs and tore into the soul - even without empathic abilities the mares were frozen solid by the amount of agony it carried.
Hoffenweiser recoiled the moment he entered, but kept his professional cool and begun working his healing magic when Chip’s heart stopped the first time.
Celestia and Shining came just in time to hear the crying and sputtering. They both held the smaller mares and shielded them while the doctor did his best to sedate the writhing figure without causing his heart to fail again.
It took an hour that might as well been an eternity before Chip slumped back onto his bed, his throat no longer capable of carrying sounds other than wet gurgles, the bandages he was wrapped in damp with greening blood.
“Of course it goes without saying that I’ll stay the night in the hospital,” sighed the doctor, pursing his lips as he tried to delicately replace the changeling’s bandages. “It would be a shame if our friend gave out after suffering so much.”
“Thank you, doctor,” said Celestia, spreading her wings. “I, however, am afraid that I am out of time and must return to my royal duties.” The Princess turned to leave, stopping shy of the door frame. “Sweet Strokes, please stay here for the time being. We will talk about our options tomorrow morning. Is that alright?”
The mare shook slightly, but noded nonetheless. “Y-Yes, Princess.”
“Good. I hope Chip will recover soon. I will have to speak with Silverline in the meanwhile. Shining Armor,” addressed Celestia, “it is best you return to your duties as well. I will be taking the shield down, so please keep your wits about you.”
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. The Captain followed his ruler outside, glancing one last time at his worried sister. He gave her a reassuring smile and closed the door, leaving the room with only the steady beeping of the heart monitor to break the silence.
* * *
Before the sun managed to set, Twilight and Sweet got comfortable with each other’s presence, the tension of the day washing away in idle chatter.
At first, Twilight was ill at ease. Her reservations to the other mare’s lifestyle boggled her mind. As Sweet opened up more she learned that, indeed, the wrong pony in the wrong time and place could be a life changer. Some were just dealt the wrong cards from a rigged deck.
Sweet Strokes herself wasn’t too fond of Twilight to begin with. The pony was everything she wasn’t - successful, with a loving family that cared for her and a dream job to boot. As the librarian started talking about her outlandish adventures though, her own tales paled by comparison. Even though Sparkle dismissed it, she led a dangerous life as a bearer of an Element of Harmony which proved time and time again to be the only way to defeat the evils that threatened Equestria.
In the absence of doctor Hoffenweiser, the two mares relaxed and nearly forgot about the sleeping changeling, his barely audible breathing unhearable over the chatter and giggles.
“Ladies,” scolded Hoffenweiser, entering the room with three bowls. “Please, I ask that you keep it down! The enchantment is not as potent as I’d like it to be and we must keep quiet.” He put two of the containers on a wheeled cart and pushed it towards the mares. “Hospital food isn’t as good as it used to be, but it will suffice.”
* * *
It was way past midnight when the doors to Chip’s room opened soundlessly, wrapped in a magical aura. A dark figure entered the room, its horn aglow for a longer moment before it faded out.
Silverline looked around the spartan room and the four sleeping figures, three of which he put into deeper sleep just in case. His eyes were focused on Redberry and his bandaged body.
He read the report of the incident at the cafe - it was something he wouldn’t have even glanced at if it weren’t for the medical reports attached. From the soldier’s experience, the amount of lacerations and shards of glass that got stuck in his body coupled with a blow that nearly snapped his spine should have been enough to carry the recruit before him into the next life.
And yet you still draw breath, and the doctor claims you’ll recover pretty well, if not fully. Silverline smirked, circling the bed and looking over the massive earth pony. By all means, I should hire that mare that knocked you out. Regrettably, she’s not on my list, and I’m not trying to replace any of my soldiers back… back home. He sighed silently. Even though he spent only a few days with Chrysalis, he was already sick and ready to come back into her loving embrace.
He shook himself violently, staring down Redberry with steel in his eyes. Still, I guess you’ll do for now. I’ll call you Brick. You’re big, stupid and resilient. My horn still throbs when I do magick, goddamit. With a bit of unprofessional spite, he telekinetically slapped Chip across the muzzle. Let this be a payment in advance. I’ll build you into something useful yet, Brick. That, or you’ll really die trying.
Without as much as a sound, the military stallion left the room and trotted down the corridor, his horn steadily warming up as it drew power. With a faint pop the stallion’s form burst into silver mist, swooshing away into the night.
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Cmon, we can do 1000 likes. I KNOW WE CAN
4909008 it's so close!
bandages?
Also hmm.. I'm confused as to why he'd slap Redberry, aside to just wake him up and cause him more pain... but that's pretty much all I can think of at the moment. JUST waking up and reading something really causes some weird scrambled thoughts.
.. also what the heck is this thing?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/romhvt9fi7vx59u/daheck.jpg?dl=0
4909023
Coz he's a dick. Also, spoooky phantom pony, I can't see him on my screen
4909075 4909023
Yeah, idk wtf that is, but how do I get it? I want bad alicorn OC emoticons.
4909104
Most likely he got chosen as sacrifice by the bad Alicorn OCs. He will have to appease them by applying more vivid blacks and acidic greens to their manes and sticking horns and wings all over their bodies.
Chip really go worked over with that double barreled kick and cafe trashing. Silverlight is definitely setting himself up for a slapdown.
Hope Sweet finds a nice, useful place. and why cant she be hired to kick grunts around, or otherwise deal with them? Special forces can do the weirdes, and most effecive things in their line of work.
Wow, Sweet Strokes can buck!... wait, did you intend that pun?
*surrounded?
So... I was way off. Oh well, you're the master! Fantastic chapter!
And however did Silverline get in and out and not observe the fact that Chip's dried blood is green? Even if it was dark, I'm sure he's got experience seeing in the dark.
4909270
The bandages were clean, changed by the good doctor
I just figured it would be more trouble if they fled, since most guards would recognise Shining's sister and charge them both with a hit n run so to speak
4909281
Very true, even though at this point, she still isn't a princess. But yeah, I was going the route of, "how the heck are they gonna get outta that one?" when he got bucked through the friggin' front of the building in the middle of a public Canterlot road.
I'm still curious as to how they did it in your canon world.
4909291
Patiently waited for the guard to arrive and take them to the hospital I guess. Shining Armor would get notified of Redberry getting there, so he and the Princess would get there pronto
4909338
GOSH DARNIT IT'S 1002 NOW
Still, yay! It's raffle time
4909351
Oh... well, simple enough.
4909356
Raffle? What?
Another amazing chapter.^^ Glad to see Sweet Strokes will likely stay. I think she and Chip look cute together already.^^
4909449
Yay
4909441
In the canon chapter, she didn't.
4909469 Hmm.... well, there IS the concept of a 'herd' possible. With the mare to stallion ratio in Equestria, there's no doubt that they used to have such in the past. Likely is considered an ancient concept though in modern Equestria since it seems the ratio is slowly changing. Definitely not their first possibility to think of for them due to the concept's age.
Irregardless though, so far, I actually think I prefer Sweet with Chip, rather than Twilight. XD
4909481
Or maybe, I'll totally left field it and introduce a gay stallion 
Time will tell who'll get a slice of the chip pie
4909485 lol Sincerely hope not on that last bit. XD
One has to wonder though... considering changeling adaptability, I wonder if their dna can allow for hybrids? XD
Oh, and since Chip learned about how doctors could potentially learn one's identity by knowing things about the inner workings of ponies that changelings normally overlook, I wonder if he studied up enough to create more accurate transformations.^^
4909497
In the chapter where he got almost ded after the assassination, he did vow to put more detail into his disguises. I guess testicles and... khem, would indeed be present. Given they aren't a thing on the changeling body to begin with
4909521 And it'd also be the same were he to take a female form, eh? And that... could potentially cause problems. XD
4909533
Preggers Chip. Totally doing it later.
4909075 I missed the perfect opportunity to do some CoD shenanigans with that typo.
BANGADES! INCOMING!
Bangade through th' dohr.
Those like flashbangs but with more aids?
Yo wench gimme yer bangade.
Hm.. bangade. Does it come in any other flavor aside from Pain Punch? I'd like Cool Clocks myself.
<censored> RIGHT IN THE <censored> BANGADES BABEH! WOO!
4909620
Let it go *pats on the head* just... let it all out
4909631 I'm not british, so I can't do a good Cpt. Price imitation, so... meh. There goes a majority of -those- jokes.
4909598 lol Thought you might like that. And were he to do so with either Sweet or Twilight, it could also lead to a hybrid that way. Though, perhaps he could test out being a mare due to seeing how happy one of them is when discovering pregnancy, or something. XD
I wonder if there will be enough episodes to get 1337 likes
*foreshadowing intensifies*
4909853
It's called character development
An evil traitor, working with the vile invaders he's infatuated with to bring down a society from within...
I'm sensing an air of familiarity in this situation... (looks toward Washington DC...)
As the G-Man once said, "The right man in the wrong, place can make, all the diff...erence, in the world."
Another really really good chapter!
Sounds familiar to me.
4912110
There just ain't no rest for the wicked
4911814
Thankies
4913223
(I like you now.)
Ah...
I remember when you still had that scary old picture of yours, and when you had those intense old chapters of yours. (I mentioned that the picture was scary right?) I also remember when this story wasn't all that popular back then, and when you were still in college, I believe. Yes, those were pretty fine old memories indeed -- maybe even vintage! The way times change...
And yeah, I know that I don't exactly know you other than that "author on the internet," but I enjoyed reading this story, and as with all my favorite authors, I'm thankful that you exist.
By the by, I knew this was going to get famous!
All it needed was some time! And If I remember right, I said that it was going to get popular... And I was right! 
I would celebrate this, but... Time seemed to have effected me too. 
So, as a congrats and maybe even a goodbye, a shanty from one of my favorite games.
Here you go.
If you ever feel down when you're writing, working, or anything like that, just remember that I think you're awesome.
________________________________________________________________
EDITED, RE-EDITED, EDETTED, AND EDITED AGAIN!
I just wanted to add: I don't own that video! Or whatever it is showing! And et cetera, et cetera! I take no credit! Those aren't products of my blood or my sweat or even my tears!
P.S. -- Can we be charged with copyright cause of these things? I'm not so sure.
4915774
In the meanwhile I'll continue writing this and other stories 
A goddbye? Awwww. Well, thank you for believing in me
Just a recommendation, you should probably get rid of the "of Chapter One" in the description. Just saiyan.
4933654
Well derp, thanks
4935430
Can't wait for the next chapter of Changeling Doll though 
Hope you enjoy
4909008 Brick? really...!? the more i read the more i think this is becoming a borderlands cross over XD.
wil twi joins the ops under the name siren?
if any i would call chip 0/zero because of the stealth and stuff, but seeing it from that side of the story yeah brick works... will there be a tiny tina?
Chip Brick. Nice.