June 16: Secrets
“BARK! BARK BARK BARK!”
Twilight groaned and rubbed her head. The constant sound of rain hadn’t been good for her sleep the other night and the last thing she wanted to do was get up early. Unfortunately, Winona had other ideas.
The collie barked again, scratching on the door, causing Twilight to sigh. “I get it Winona, you want out. Just a minute...”
Yawning, Twilight looked in the mirror to make sure her disguise was still applied, then opened the door to see Applejack standing in front of it. “Ah, there ya are, Winona!” The farm mare gave Twilight an apologetic look. “Sorry if she bothered you, Ms. Sparkle. We’re all used ta wakin’ up early, see.”
“Oh, it’s no problem at all...” Twilight yawned, noting that there were an awful lot of presences in the area. “And please, call me Twilight...” She yawned again. “Er, you don’t happen to have any coffee don’t you? I didn’t get much sleep last night...”
Applejack gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Ponyville hasn’t kept coffee around ever since Pinkie Pie got her hooves on some...” The mare shuddered as if trying to get dirty images out of her head. Upon seeing Twilight’s curious glance, Applejack merely said, “You do not wanna know, Twilight. Ever.”
Twilight curbed her curiosity for a moment as she watched Applejack lead Winona downstairs and let her outside so that she could do her business. How the collie could leap around in the pouring rain as if the sun was shining in full force, Twilight doubted she’d ever know.
After a few minutes, Applejack poked her head back inside. “Say, Twilight, mind doin’ a small favor fer me?”
Twilight perked up at that. If there was one thing she hated, it was feeling useless. “Of course, what do you want me to do?”
“See, Fluttershy – she’s Ponyville’s unofficial vet – is supposed be giving Winona her yearly checkup today.” Applejack chuckled as she watched the collie in question. “Not entirely sure if she needs it, but Ah’m not gonna argue. Anyway, Ah hate ta have ta ask ya, Big Mac an’ Ah need to work on preparations fer the Summer Sun Celebration, Granny Smith can’t go out in this weather, and ta be honest, Ah don’t trust the fillies after what happened last time.”
Twilight decided not to ask, instead putting her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Really, I don’t mind doing that, Applejack. Just tell me where to go.”
Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks so much Twilight. All ya hafta do is go out of Sweet Apple Acres the same way as yesterday an’ turn left. Eventually you’ll come across this house, looks kinda like Golden Oaks Library, right on the border of the Everfree. Just tell the mare that lives there that Ah sent you, and she’ll help ya right quick.”
“Got it.” Twilight looked out the door. “Will I have any problem with Winona?”
“Ya shouldn’t, she trusts ya enough ta sleep in yer room.” Applejack gave Twilight an umbrella, which she accepted gratefully. “Be careful out there!”
Twilight nodded. “I will, don’t worry.” And with that, she exited the house, using her magic to hold her umbrella above her. True to Applejack’s words, Winona followed Twilight, though it seemed more out of excitement than obedience.
The rain was very peaceful, and Twilight found herself drifting into memories as she walked.
“C’mon, Twilight!” Thetis called as she ran from Twilight. “You’re being boring!”
Twilight huffed as she tried to catch up to the tiny changeling. She never liked being active, Especially since Minuette would always shock her when she was out practicing running in her pony guise.
“Or maybe... you’re too quick...” Twilight gasped for air as she slumped down. “How do you have so much energy, Thetis?”
“’S a secret!” The filly beamed contentedly. “C’mon, c’mon, I wanna play some more!”
Twilight held back a groan, and instead tried her best to muster a smile for the filly. “Sorry, Thetis, I’m a bit played out. How about we get started on that schoolwork instead?”
“Aww...” The little foal pouted. “Why do I have to learn boring facts?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “They’re only boring because you think of them as boring.” She selected a random book from the shelf – Creatures of the Deep – and opened it to a random page. “Oh, this is interesting...”
Thetis piqued up. “What?”
“Apparently, there’s a very odd creature found in the depths of undersea trenches called a Hagfish,” Twilight read, herself fascinated by the strange creature. “They exude a strange slime used in a great amount of seapony cuisine. A visiting pony diplomat from long ago described it as being ‘far more flavorful than our own foods.’”
“Really?” Thetis was amazed, and Twilight couldn’t help but smile. “That sounds... disgusting.” Twilight’s face fell a bit until Thetis grinned maniacally. “I want to know more.”
Twilight smiled as she scooted aside to make room for the little princess. The rest of the day was spent learning of the wonders of the deep sea.
“Bark bark!”
Twilight blinked as the memories faded. As she looked around to get a better sense of her surroundings, she noticed a cottage matching Applejack’s description. And she had almost walked right past it. “Thanks Winona, I guess I was a bit distracted.”
“Bark.” Winona seemed to smile smugly.
Twilight shook her head. That was a dumb idea, a dog being smug. She walked up to the door and knocked lightly.
The door opened just a crack, revealing a pair of sky blue eyes. “Y-yes? Who is it?”
“My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m a traveling—” Twilight stopped herself from continuing with that line. ’Stupid!’ “Applejack asked me to take Winona in for her checkup.”
“Oh, come on in!” The door opened all the way to reveal a butter-yellow pegasus with long, pale pink hair. Interestingly, instead of having a long tail to match her hair, she had a short bobbed tail. “Sorry about keeping you out in the rain so long. M-my name’s Fluttershy, and these are all my friends.”
Twilight’s eyes almost popped out of her head. Rabbits, squirrels, birds, a bear and even a jackalope were crammed into the tiny cottage, including a little white rabbit that Twilight could swear was exuding pure malevolence. “Y-you take care of all these animals?!”
“Oh yes!” Fluttershy smiled, beaming with pride. “I could never just leave any of my friends to fend for themselves out in the Everfree forest!”
Twilight held back a snort. She had never understood why ponies were so afraid of the forest. Most of the creatures were easily fended off if they were even encountered, the dangerous plants all stood out, and for goodness sake, there was a zebra living in there all on her own! “I’m sorry, I’m not from around here, but is the Everfree Forest really that bad?”
“Oh yes,” Fluttershy replied as she inspected Winona. “For one thing, there are so many wild beasts that are very hard to communicate with! Some of them are nice, like manticores, but most of them are almost impossible to reason with.
“And then there’s the plants!” Fluttershy continued as she shone a light in Winona’s eyes, the collie standing perfectly still for her. “Oh sure, they may look pretty, but just one touch could do all sorts of nasty things to you! You just can’t afford to be careless in there!
“And to top it off, there’s the weather...” Fluttershy shuddered a bit as she wrote the report. “You move a cloud and then, a few minutes later, its gone! Not to mention the fact that sometimes it will just suddenly start raining on you, or even shoot out lightning when you’re nearby...” She shuddered again as she continued. “There are rumors that sometimes you can even hear them laughing afterwards.”
Twilight grimaced at the last part. ’Mental note: have some... words with the weather team once I get back.’ “Well, I’ll make sure to stay out of the area, then.” She turned to look at the animals again. Her chambers at the hive seemed so dreary compared to the activity in this tiny cottage. “You know, I’ve always wanted a pet... Maybe I’ll stop by later.”
“Oh, that would be so wonderful!” Fluttershy cheered quietly, grabbing Twilight’s hoof. “Some of these poor critters have gone through quite a lot, and all of them would love a home where they wouldn’t have to share attention with all the others.”
Twilight nodded as she grabbed her umbrella. “I’ll definitely come back then. I have to get back to Applejack’s, but I’ll see you later, for sure!”
Fluttershy nodded and waved as Twilight waited for Winona to exit and closed the door behind them.
“She was rather nice,” Twilight said to herself as she walked back to Sweet Apple Acres. “A bit timid, but very nice.”
She made sure not to get distracted by memories this time, instead focusing on the scenery of the area. She had always found the rain peaceful, though it was always frustrating when she wanted to read a book outside. It always seemed as if the world went silent, save for the sound of the rain itself. It was so serene.
The serenity was cut off by a growl from Winona. Twilight looked at her with concern. “What is it, girl? is something wrong?”
Now that she thought about it, the rain had lightened up a bit, and the leaves were audibly rustling, despite the lack of wind. Remembering the killer hive her brother had warned her about, she braced herself, ready to defend herself if need be.
When what seemed like half an hour had passed, Winona stopped growling. Twilight sighed with relief, though not quite relaxing. “C’mon, Winona. We’d better get back.”
Despite Twilight’s concerns, the rest of the trip was rather uneventful. Twilight sighed in relief. “Thank goodness... I don’t think today could have been more tense!” She opened the door to the Apple house and–
“SURPRISE!!!”
–Promptly proved herself wrong by instinctively shifting into her changeling form.
The world stood still for a few seconds. The shock and fear overloaded Twilight’s senses as all the ponies she had met stood there, mouths agape. Even Fluttershy was there – she must have passed Twilight when she thought she’d heard an ambush.
The silence broke when Rarity stepped forward.
At once, everything Twilight was taught came back to her. All the stories of changelings being discovered and ran out of town, or... worse.
Names and dates ran through her head as she grew more panicked. ’Hoofington,1939 AC. Changeling runs into town badly injured, was thrown out and died from injuries. Manehattan, 1785 AC. Changeling uncovered, lynched. Canterlot 1847, Changeling reveals self to pony lover, stabbed in the neck that night.
’Rejected.’ Twilight shrunk back, trying not to make eye contact with any of the ponies.
’Killed.’ She took a shaky step back, and then another. None of the ponies made any moves to stop her.
’Betrayed.’ That thought hurt most of all, like a dagger sinking into Twilight’s heart.
She turned around and flew out of the house and into the Everfree Forest, refusing to look back.
’How could I have been such an idiot?!’ She berated herself as she flew. ’I should have waited, should have taken the time to relax, and now...
’Now they hate me.’ That thought, combined with the fact that a rest stop was below her, stopped her mid flight. ’They hate me and it’s all my fault.’
Slowly, she sunk down to the forest floor, towards the entrance. “Maybe I should just stay out here,” she whispered to herself. “Maybe something will...”
Twilight’s ramblings were cut of by whimper beside her. Shocked, she looked to her side to see a familiar collie looking up at her “Winona?” She whispered. “You really shouldn’t be here, this is no place for dogs...” She tried to nudge Winona away, but the collie just stuck even closer to her.
Twilight sighed and shook her head. “I don’t have time for this... just... follow me I guess.” She opened the trapdoor of the rest stop and walked inside, Winona trodding in behind her.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough. A bed, a chest of drawers, a closet, and a candle. ’Just like at Sweet Apple Acres.’
Another pang of guilt hit Twilight. The Apple family had been so welcoming to her, and she had just...
She couldn’t finish that thought as, once again, she was cut off by Winona giving a small whimper. Twilight stared at the dog, somewhat shocked by the look of worry on her face, before chuckling. “You’re right Winona, I shouldn’t worry about that right now.” She fluttered into the bed and under the covers, Winona jumping up and curling up next to her.
’Tomorrow,’ she thought to herself, ’I’ll be making sure Winona gets to Sweet Apple Acres, get my things, and then...
’Then I’m going back to the hive.’
The farmhouse was completely still for minutes after Twilight’s departure, until Pinkie Pie – the one who, one could argue, caused the whole mess to begin with – quietly whispered something about a doozy.
“Okay,” Rainbow Dash grumbled, “What the hell was that?!”
“Heck if Ah know!” Applejack retorted. “Gah... Ah should’ve known somethin’ was up with her th’ moment she came outta th’ Everfree forest!”
“Everfree Forest?!” Granny Smith yelped. “Applejack, ‘bout the only good thing that’s come outta th’ Everfree was zap apples!”
“And, um, critters and medicinal herbs...” Fluttershy meekly replied, still recovering from the shock. “B-besides, how do we know she was really that bad?”
“Yeah!” Applebloom agreed, with Dinky nodding beside her. “We can’t jus’ judge a book by its cover, an’ we can’t jus’ assume Twilight’s a bad pony jus’ cause she’s a... a...”
“Changeling,” Rarity supplied.
“Yeah, a changeling!” Apple Bloom finished, before her eyes, along with those of the other ponies in the room, widened and turned to face Rarity. “Say what?”
“She was a changeling,” Rarity repeated. “They are a rather... reclusive race of shapeshifters that feed on ambient emotions – ambient, Rainbow Dash. Perfectly safe.”
Rainbow huffed and crossed her hooves. “Alright, but how do you know all this? Are you, like, a spy or something?”
Rarity gave the pegasus a flat look. “Really, Rainbow? If I was a changeling, there is no way on Equestria I would let myself have green hair, or at least not green on white.” She shuddered before continuing. “I would truly love to tell you all exactly how I know this, but it’s not my secret to—”
“It’s Diamond Tiara, isn’t it?” Dinky interrupted. When she got astonished looks from the gathered ponies – except for Pinkie Pie, of course – she shrugged. “In hindsight, it makes a lot more sense than ‘she wanted to pull a little prank on the whole school with no rhyme or reason’.”
Apple Bloom nodded in understanding. “Come ta think of it, she only really pulls pranks like that when it’s Nightmare Night or durin’ test days...”
Rainbow Dash blinked. “Huh... never really took her for a prankster... Gah, that’s not important! Twilight went toward the Everfree Forest, right?”
Rarity growled. “If you even think about setting a hoof on her, Rainbow—”
“I’m not that thick, Rarity!” Rainbow shouted, much to Granny Smith’s annoyance. “I’m not gonna hurt her, I’m gonna make sure she’s alright! She’s in the Everfree Forest for cryin’ out loud!”
“She came outta it too,” Applejack spoke up. “Ah’d bet bits ta berries that goin’ in there would likely just put us in danger, an’ we probably wouldn’t even find her anyways.”
“She’s right,” Fluttershy piped up. I remember one time when I was out helping Mr. Bear find a den for the Winter, I found this strange little cave with a chair, and a closet, and everything.”
Rarity sighed. “Oh, sure, give away all the secret hiding spots of an extremely secluded race, I’m sure they won’t mind...”
“Well you started it!” Pinkie giggled. “At least you didn’t Pinkie Promise not to tell, that would’ve been messy.”
Rarity coughed nervously. “Yes, well... I did Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony that Diamond Tiara is a changeling, but that ended up being moot.” Dinky giggled sheepishly as Rarity continued. “Even so, I would have told you about changelings – I couldn’t let poor Twilight’s name get ruined like that, especially not when I knew the truth.”
“Alright, enough gabbin’!” Granny Smith hollered. “Now Ahm afraid we don’t got ‘nuff space for everypony in th’ house, so it might be best if’n y’all get back t’yer homes before—”
Whatever Granny Smith was going to say was interrupted by the roar of thunder. “...Nevermind. Big Mac, see if y’all can scrounge up some blankets. Some folks will have to make do sleepin’ in here, blanket o’er hay.”
“Eeyup!” Big Mac uttered as he walked out of the barn.
Pinkie Pie jumped into the air with a burst of confetti. “Slumber party!” She squealed excitedly. “Oooh, it’s my favorite kind of party ever, well except for Birthday parties, oh and Hearth’s Warming parties are pretty good too. Can’t forget about about Nightmare Night or Hearts and Hooves day either... ooh, Maredi Gras, Maredi Gras!”
Minuette was starting to get suspicious.
It wasn’t something that she usually did. She found it boring and, in the end, extremely awkward. If something bad was going on, there would be very clear clues, or it would just happen with little to no warning at all. There were no internal plots in the Everfree Hive. No militia looking to overthrow the Queen, no underground manticore-fighting rings, no secret party corps. (Although she wouldn’t have minded that last one.)
Yet something Twitch had said before she left stuck out in her mind. Why in the Hive would Twitch and her friend study pony culture? Twilight wouldn’t need to interact with ponies anytime soon, since she was a part of the royal family. And Moondancer... Minuette had met Moondancer before. At least, if you called looking with pity upon a stuttering mess of a changeling ‘meeting’ them. Poor girl wouldn’t last a day as a changeling infiltrator. How she had even managed to befriend Twitch was a mystery, really.
And yet, here they were, the two changelings most unlikely to even come into contact with ponies, studying pony culture. Then, one day, when Mom calls Twitch in to help with the food shortage, she ‘conveniently’ has an idea fully formed that Mom could only trust her with, sending her on a mission where her knowledge of pony culture ‘coincidentally’ happens to be a great benefit. And, to top it all off, by sheer ‘chance’, there just so happens to be a killer hive on the loose.
Though, to be honest, she questioned if that third one was even related, but even so, she was suspicious. She would have brushed it all off if it weren’t for one small thing.
Moondancer was happy.
Moondancer, the changeling that spent her day eating, sleeping, and reading, was skipping around the hive for no reason whatsoever. Moondancer, the changeling who had spent most of her life in the library, was roaming the corridors and attending concerts. Moondancer, the changeling who was rumored to have her scowl etched into her chitin, was grinning ear to ear.
If it was just Twitch, Minuette would just brush it off as pure coincidence.
If it was just Moondancer, she would have gone to Canterlot and make sure the seal on the Destructive One was still intact.
But it wasn’t just Twitch, or just Moondancer. It was both, and that’s what worried Minuette.
So, fearing the worst, she did what any normal elder sister would do: capture her younger sister’s hoofmaidens and interrogate them. Gently.
“YOU WILL TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON WITH TWILIGHT OR SO HELP ME, I WILL FEED YOU TO A HYDRA!”
Okay, so maybe ‘gently’ wasn’t the right word.
“P-p-please, Y-Your H-H-Highness, we d-don’t know!” Twinkleshine cried. Sobbed, really.
Lemon Hearts, on the other hand, was much more calm. “I’m afraid we don’t know much more than you, Your Craziness.” Minuette always did like Lemon Hearts. “Of course, if you told us what you’re trying to figure out, we might be of more help.”
Minuette rolled her eyes. Of course, they wanted to be reasonable. Boring. “I’m talking about what’s going on between Twilight and Moondancer, why they’re interested in pony culture, why Moondancer has to be so Queens-damned chipper all the time, etc.”
Twinkleshine whimpered. “P-please... We d-don’t know anything...”
Minuette sighed. “Right, you’re free to go Twinkles.” The hoofmaiden eagerly jumped out of the room, leaving Minuette alone with Lemon Hearts. “...Well?” Minuette asked.
Lemon Hearts shrugged. “The only thing I can tell you is that, in their research, they just throw any books portraying ponies in a negative light into the nearest wall, declaring them ‘a horrendous excuse for scientific literature’.”
Minuette scowled. “Free to go. Leave me.” She cursed herself as Lemon Hearts rushed out of the room. She’d been so stupid. Why had she gone for the small fry when the source of the problem was within reach?
She gave a gleeful cackle. Tomorrow was going to be fun.
Cadence still found it hard to believe what was happening. Just the day before, she had been ambushed by a group of strange bug-ponies, only to be saved by a different group of bug ponies led by an overworked and protective prince and his sarcastic right hoof.
It was all a bit confusing, to be honest.
She sighed as she looked at the stars above. She didn’t have many memories of her birth parents, but one thing she did remember was watching the stars one night and them talking to her. She didn’t even remember what they had said. Maybe they were pointing out the constellations, or regaling her in the tale of Nightmare Moon.
It was one of the best moments of her life.
“Fancy seeing you out here.”
Cadence turned to see the changeling from before. “Ah, I’m sorry...”
“Pedestal Placer, Ma’am.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, we have just as much trouble telling your royal guards apart.”
Cadence let out a laugh at that. “Glad I’m not the only one.” She breathed out a sigh, looking back to the stars. “So what are you doing here? I thought you were on duty.”
“My shift just ended,” he replied, taking off his helmet. Cadence couldn’t help but note the unusual sheen of his fin. “What about you? Why are you out here?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” she lied.
“Ah.” He turned to watch the sky. After a while, he spoke up again. “Y’know, if you look closely, you can see the ancient changeling heroes of legend.”
Cadence raised an eyebrow. “Really? Please enlighten me.”
“Sure thing.” He pointed over to a straight formation of stars. “That’s Setanta, the Loving Lance, and that over there is Sidhe, the Peaceful Rest.” He pointed to another formation. “And lastly, if you look way out over there...” He pointed behind them, to a single star with a chaotic line of stars above it. “That one represents our hive’s hero, Anam Cara, the Bonded Flame. You can’t see the other three at this time of year, but they are still something to behold.”
“Wow,” Cadence whispered. “They’re all so different from our constellations.”
“Yeah...” They were silent for a while before Pedestal turned to Cadence with a serious expression on his face. “Hey, mind if I ask a favor?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“During this trip, could you look after Shining Armor for me?” Cadence rose an eyebrow as Pedestal continued. “Ever since his fiance... well, died, he just hasn’t been the same. Now, with his sister away, I’m afraid he might be close to the breaking point, and I can only do so much to help. Could you try and make sure that he doesn’t break down?”
Cadence thought about it for a bit. She still wasn’t completely one hundred percent sure that she could trust these changelings, but Pedestal seemed to be sincere, at least. And she was the Princess of Love after all. Wasn’t it her job to help mend broken hearts?
So she nodded. “I’ll try my best.”
I'm starting to think that I should tag 'Winona' as a character.
A good chunk of this chapter was done when I was trying to give my sleep schedule a hard reset. That's why Minuette is Minuette instead of a slightly silly big sis.
Who needs alcohol?! All I need is to skip my adderall or sleep! No biggie! 
Please give me critiques and hat mail! Not hate mail please! Like if you like it! Eat more pineapples! *Runs off into the woods singing 'Smile!' wearing nothing but a belt made of banana peels.*
-One week later-
Never. Again.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Rocky Boulder · 5.6k words · 67 3 · 3.7k views
- Insanecrusader · 8.4k words · 20 6 · 806 views
- Amethyst Sparkle · 5.6k words · 48 6 · 3k views
- MatCor1337 · 8.7k words · 150 8 · 7k views
- Sugarcube66 · 2k words · 23 2 · 2k views
- corvusbray · 1.7k words · 82 5 · 3.7k views
- SuperPinkBrony12 · 3.3k words · 38 5 · 1.2k views
- The Blackcuno · 17k words · 128 20 · 5k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.403 seconds
Total duration
965 users online
2,011,566 hits today, 2,073,628 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Shoot Twilight! are you kidding MEEEEHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
more please
Well, I may have not needed to wait a year for an update but I'm glad to see this story being updated. Liking the direction so far.
Once again, this is an excellent chapter. Again, great job on revealing more information without giving away too much. I particularly liked, Twilight's flashback, Twilight's exchange with Fluttershy, the others' reactions to the accidentally revealed truth about Twilight (especially how well Rarity, Fluttershy and the fillies stuck up for her), the attempted interrogation scene , and the exchange between Cadance and Pedestal . And, somehow, I have a feeling that, yeah, things are going to get worse before they get better (mostly due to the upcoming return of Nightmare Moon AND the threat of the mystery "killer" hive) , but they WILL get better.
At any rate, I will very definitely be looking forward to more, but will also be quite willing to be patient.
I was NOT expecting this. You would think a changeling princess wouldn't be spooked into revealing herself. I really do like this development!
It lives!
*jumps up and down repeatadly while confeddy rains from above
Great work on this chapter.
“A bit timid, but very nice.”
The pot calling the kettle black.
8661265
I know I'm late in replying but... dang. You're almost completely right. What you aren't right about will be kept a secret, though.
Love this story!
well if the update scadule holds the pattern then a new update will be next year
A very nice and interesting story so far, can't wait to read more of it.
Is the next chapter coming any time soon?
if this ever continues I'd love to read it.
This is great, mate!
I love the way you're playing around with canon to make something unique :3