Two Changelings
She should have ignored the changeling when she first saw him. She should have continued past the Everfree Forest without looking back. Yet, against her better judgment, she chose to stop.
Harvester, she thought. She looked at his wings—small, thick, almost decorative, still rich in blue pigment despite the tears. Curious, she took a step forward, then another, and a third. The faintest of aromas tickled her nostrils, telling her what she had already suspected—the changeling drone was dying. Exhaustion and starvation had crippled him to a husk.
I should leave him, she thought. He'll be gone in an hour. There's nothing I can do about it. And even if she could, there wasn't a single reason she should. Nothing would be gained from this, only trouble and—
"Can you hear me?" Her voice rang sharply against the back noise of the forest. You traitorous mouth! I should just get rid of you! And yet her mouth blubbered on. "Can you talk?"
Four clicks sounded—the bare minimum to prove the changeling had enough strength for conscious thought. The bare minimum necessary to convince her to help.
"Take a deep breath." She moved closer, and a bright pink aura surrounded her horn. A ray of light formed, slowly trickling into the changeling's horn. Suddenly, his entire body shook in a series of convulsions. Then, several long seconds later, he opened his eyes.
"Do you feel your limbs?" She limited the flow of the spell to a gentle trickle. "Can you see?"
The changeling nodded. His mouth opened in an attempt to speak, yet only whispers came out.
"Don't talk." She placed a hoof on his muzzle. "Give it some time." The magic flow intensified briefly, then abruptly stopped. That much magic would be enough. "It will take a while for it to start circulating through your system."
What's he even doing here? she wondered. There were no harvest cells so close to the forest—no pony settlements, not even an isolated cottage. He had to have gotten lost to end up at an inhospitable place such as this. Was that the only answer, though? He had several scars and bruises, concentrated on his left side. Nothing life threatening—mostly old scrapes from what she could tell—but for them not to have healed, the changeling must have been starving for over a week.
"Did they chase you here?" she asked. No answer. The changeling closed his eyes, turning away as if he couldn't hear her. "Were you hunted? Did someone hurt you?"
Silence. So stubborn. Always so stubborn. His behaviour was stupid, reckless, deprived of all reason, and yet that didn't dissuade her. She levitated a flask out from her saddlebag and moved it in his direction.
"Drink," she said, more an order than a request. "It's not much, but it'll speed things up."
Hesitation. Fear. Doubt. A whole bouquet of negativity streamed from him. He took the flask. Apparently, his thirst was greater than any of these concerns.
A single word slithered out of his lips: "Thanks."
"You're an idiot to go there," she said, retrieving her flask. "There's nothing but woodlings in the Everfree."
"I know," the changeling replied, in a tone that had accepted the inevitable. It was almost as if his self-preservation instincts had been completely erased. "You're a scout?"
"Infiltrator," she corrected. Most changelings got that wrong about her. "Part of a deep cover mission." A green flame enveloped her, replacing her pony appearance with that of a changeling. Her frame was slightly thinner, her body less muscular with not a single scar blemishing the almost shiny surface. Even her wings were perfect.
"Were you found out?" he asked. He didn't seem the least bit interested in the answer, though, rather maintaining the conversation out of a sense of loyalty.
"No." She helped him up. The love she had transferred should have started taking effect by now. "I'm Shelly." She rested the greater part of his weight on her side. "Do you think you can move? I don't want to be in the open after dark."
He nodded, stiffly stepping about. By no means was this the most efficient way to walk, but it would have to do; Shelly wouldn’t risk waiting for Timberwolves to appear. His forelimb over her shoulder, she soldiered on. There was supposed to be a cave a few hours’ walk away. She had originally planned to get there around noon; having to drag a wounded harvester, she'd be lucky to get there before dark.
"Woodlings won't attack," he said, as he limped along. "They're attracted by the warm-blooded, not us."
"Makes sense." Shelly tried to take on his full weight. Her legs wobbled, trying to bear the other changeling’s weight. Normally, it wouldn't be an issue; in her weakened state, however, it was torture. "Where d'you come from?"
"Ponyville," he replied, almost laughing. "There used to be ten harvesters there. Each of us was as fat as a newborn larva. Then things changed."
Things had changed everywhere. Less than a month ago, there had been plans to make a move against the Crystal Empire. Then war had broken out. For changelings, nothing had been the same ever since.
"What about you?" the changeling asked. "I was never that important, but I would have heard of an infiltrator..."
"The Crystal Empire," she replied, looking away. "I was stationed there for an year. I had to leave."
More was left unspoken. Shelly absolutely didn't want to go into that, not with a changeling she had just met. Best just to leave him with his suspicions. What was of importance now was reaching the cave.
The journey was short, yet intolerable. For the better part of a year, Shelly had been adjusting her body to compensate for the cold, so she had gotten used to the fresh imperial mornings and the chilly nights. Here, though, she could feel the sun burn into her back. Have you taken a personal interest in me, Princess Celestia? Shelly tried to laugh it off. Humour usually helped, yet even it couldn't compensate for the lack of love. Never in her life had she felt this hungry.
"It's not far," she lied. "Let's rest a bit." The changeling felt much heavier. It didn't help that his despair enveloped them both in a cloud of sweetish putrid stench, a cloud that choked her. "Just a few minutes, then we go on." How do you stand this? It's like trotting through marshland!
He didn't argue, removing his foreleg from her and slumping to the ground on the ground like a sack of potatoes. Why did I even bother with you? Shelly frowned, as she tried to find a shady place to lay down. All that love and water wasted.
"Thank you," the changeling said. The phrase caught her by surprise. There was emotion in those words—a breath of fresh air in this wretched heat.
"I know nothing about you," she said. It would feel nice to take her mind off things, at least for a moment. "Who are you? Why did you leave Ponyville?"
"I didn't," he sighed. "I escaped from the hive. When the war started, they pulled us out. Strategic reserves. Same as always. When I got there..." He stopped, the stench of shame and fear surrounding him again. "Why did you save me? You didn't have to."
"I don't know." Yes, why did I? "I guess I didn't want to leave you to be killed by the woodlings."
"I went there to die." The words hit Shelly like a crystal slab. "The woodlings weren't interested, though. I wasn't worth the effort."
There it was, the emotion that had been choking the both of them: heartvoid—an emptiness so absolute that it erased all memory of food or joy. It was rare, extremely rare, and it prompted Shelly to act. Without hesitation, she channeled what remaining love she had into her horn, blasting it at the changeling. No changeling should feel empty. Ever.
Stronger than before, the magic surge pushed the changeling several steps back. A bright pink aura surrounded him, sinking into his body, bringing back a healthy glow to his eyes. Seeing it, Shelly felt a moment of joy, even as it was drained out of her.
"Why?" His wings buzzed loudly, bringing him closer. Shelly tried to smile, but her cheeks hurt when she tried. The complete lack of love had left her cold and shivering despite the heat. "You're crazy." She couldn't agree more. Yet she didn't feel any regret. "Pierce. My name is Pierce. In Ponyville, they called me Percy."
"Must have been nice." Shelly curled up, in an attempt to stop her shivering. "Tell me."
"It was..." Hesitation shined through his emotions. "It was sweet and calm. Didn't have to work much to get food. Every week a liaison drone would come and take our harvest. Then the war broke out." Regret. Fear. Sadness. "The ponies didn't talk about it, but we heard whispers. The princess left, then the Elements, then a few others. The visits from the hive stopped as well. Then when finally someone came they told us all to pull out."
"I-is that why you ran?" Her teeth clattered. So cold. So alone. "You sh-sh-shouldn't h-have. The s-s-swarm—"
"No." His expression hardened. "That's not why. There is no swarm anymore." The changeling glanced at Shelly, and then at the ground in front of him. "Just a crater where the hive had been. Two dozen survivors, half of them starving." He closed his eyes. "The Queen is gone. It's everybug for themselves. That... that is something I didn't want to live with."
"No Queen..." Shelly's vision grew blurry. She had expected Celestia to act, but not so soon, not so mercilessly. Killed infiltrators, a crippled swarm, a destroyed hive—all this she was prepared to deal with. Yet lacking a queen...
"You're fading." Warmth enveloped her, bringing colour back to her world once more. The icy cold was gone, yet the pain remained. "Why did you come here?" Pierce dropped down, wings still.
"You gave me the love back," she whispered—grateful, yet at the same time confused. It was less than before, far less, but enough to make her feel alive. "You should have kept some." A pink aura started to envelop her horn. "Here, let me—"
"Stop," he demanded, cutting her off. "You'll die if you give me more. I felt your hunger. You're as starving as I am. There isn't enough love for both of us to survive. I'm ready to go."
"We can share," Shelly offered. Her horn was still glowing.
"No!" he said adamantly, placing his hoof on her horn.
Shelly didn't listen. Concentrating, she sent all of her life source back to him. The cold grabbed her in its merciless clutches, yet this time she was prepared.
"You're wrong." She closed her eyes. "There isn't enough for any of us to survive. If we share we could possibly last till morning, but not more. I was hoping to reach the hive. If it's gone, there's no point." She took a deep breath. "Better spend a few moments alive."
Shelly tried to stand up. Pain shot through her hooves like spears of ice, lodging their tips into her spine. Midway through, she simply gave up. What's the point? "I was supposed to prepare for a colony in the Empire. There were thirty of us until the war."
"This is no war." Pierce sighed heavily. "It's an extermination. I met a scout from Manehattan. The entire city had been purged. He was the only one who managed to get out. The ponies had organized hunts."
"What happened to him?"
"Went for gryphon territory. Said he'd heard things were picking up there. You have any more water?" He glanced at her saddlebag. Shelly could feel he was lying.
"Half a flask." She smiled weakly. "Take the saddlebag and sit down next to me." Even with all that love you're still exhausted.
His actions were slow and sloppy, as one would expect. Afraid to use magic, he resorted to hooves to open the saddle bag. He took a bit longer than necessary to dig around inside, but he at least had the decency to only take the water flask. Shelly couldn't help but wonder what he was looking for. Weapons? Solid food? Pony bits?
"It's worse in the clouds," Pierce continued, after he had taken a long swig of water. "The pegasi caught them before the bugs knew what was going on. All a hundred and twenty of them, and they never stood a chance. Do you think that's what started the war?"
"Not sure." Shelly measured her words carefully. She didn't want him to suspect that in truth, that wasn't where the war started, not even close. "Did you try the coastal cities? Maybe it hasn't reached there yet?"
"Don't know." He took another gulp, then placed the flask in front of Shelly. "You're the second survivor I've seen after I ran from the hive." That meant a resounding no. "How did it all start?" Shelly could feel rage mixed with sorrow. "Things were calm. Ponies had stopped caring. One of my friends was even considering revealing his identity. Then, suddenly..."
"Everything changed," Shelly finished for him. Her mouth continued moving but the sounds were all garbled. She was fading away again. It was so tempting to close her eyes and forget everything. At least this way it would be like vanishing into a dream. A wave of magic jolted through her, bringing sensation back to her limbs.
"Tell me about the Empire," Pierce asked. Shelly could feel his body next to hers, quickly losing warmth. "Is it true that love flows through the streets?"
"No." Shelly attempted a laugh. "But it's a nice place. Nicer than Canterlot. You can feel it in the air; every pony is so full of joy, thankful just for being." And that's why they changed. The threat of losing what they had was just too great. "I remember the amount of joy that was during the birth of the new princess. Words cannot describe it."
"Sounds nice." Percy pressed against Shelly, seeking warmth. "You think they are still there?" He asked. "Maybe the change didn't affect them? It's all the way north, so..." His voice trailed off.
"Who knows?" Would there be any gain in telling him? Would it matter at this point? "No, they aren't," she finished, answering her own question. No more lies. "The war started there. If any of us stayed in the Empire, they're dead. Everyone in Canterlot is too, I suppose."
"Murdered?" The word summed it all up—not caught or captured, not even killed while fighting. Shelly nodded. They had been exterminated. "Why?"
Shelly could feel him getting cold as ice. If she didn't want him to drift away, she had to act now. The idea of returning to the icy cold repulsed her; she wanted to enjoy the warm embrace a bit more. Just a few minutes. Even thirty seconds would be enough…
No. The warmth left her body, directed toward Pierce. Soon, Shelly would be the one seeking heat from him.
"It feels... less," he managed to say, barely stirring.
"You lose some each time." And that was the last.
"You haven't been eating either, have you?" He tried to laugh. The sounds came out muffled, dry, humourless. "You're just as messed up as I am. How long?" Shelly didn't answer. "How long?" Pierce repeated the question.
"Since the start of the war," she said at last. At this point it hardly mattered. There wasn't anyone left to prove anything to. "I was full when I left, always careful not to use up too much. I didn't pass through any towns, avoided the main roads... for the most part I didn't meet anyone."
"That was stupid..."
"It wasn't!" she attempted to shout, but her weakened state made it sound like a whisper. "I started the war." The words were calm, dripping with the agony of regret. "The Queen ordered and so..." Her chest was hurting, and her lungs could barely drive the words out. "The thing that caused the change—the single most despicable act that caused the ponies to exterminate our hive, our race... I caused it." She felt like ice again. Her life had drained out far faster than before. It wasn't only the lack of food; there simply was no future left for changelings. "I killed a newborn baby alicorn."
Neither said a word. Shelly could feel the horror streaming from Pierce. The same horror she had experienced a month ago.
"I was supposed to replace the baby with a larva," she whispered after a while. "A harmless procedure I had done thousands of times. Just transfer enough magic from one to the other. I never expected the spells on her to be so strong. When I drained her magic, I ended her life. A giggle followed by a final gasp.” The words stuck in her throat. “A princess died that day. The first baby alicorn, and she died because of me..."
I caused the extermination of my own race. Maybe if I had stayed, if I had explained, maybe I'd be the only one to die. Instead, I had run...
"Do you think we are the last ones?" she asked, pressing against Pierce. Her body had grown so numb that it couldn't even feel warmth. "Do you think any made it beyond Equestria?"
Silence.
"Pierce?" Exerting what little strength she had left, she turned her head to take a look. He was just lying there, ironic smile plastered across his face. His eyes were dim and lifeless. "No! Don't you dare die before me!" She tried to scream, to hit him, but her body no longer had the strength to obey her. "I gave you all the love… you should have been alive for hours." A cloud of despair surrounded her, the only emotion she could produce. “A few more minutes. I don't… I don't want to be the last one...”
The wind grew louder, as if mocking her. Shelly relaxed her head on the ground. Her vision had started to fade; soon, the colors would be gone, replaced by utter darkness.
Heartvoid, Shelly thought. The state of emptiness in which you no longer care. It's rare—very rare—yet not rare enough...
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God damn. That... that was good. Crushing in an awesome sort of way. I'd always wanted a last survivor story, im glad I got it. Especially with the changelings, the most ambiguous race in Equestria.
With any other race, I would accept it as canon on the spot. The death of such a rare beautiful (personally wish Flurry Heart was never born) life, that of an Alicorn no less...
Cadence and Shining with do it. They would purge and kill them all. The love of parents is one of the strongest feelings any being can feel. Maybe even Twilight, blinded by grief and goaded on by Rainbow and Applejack
Not Celestia though. That pony has been around too long, done too much to do a genocide. A specieside? Whatever. It's OOC for Tia. But that's pretty much my complaint with the story.
They were just trying to keep their race going and... everyone... gone.
Well done.
...I honestly can't think of a criticism. It was tragic. It was sad. And it makes one wonder: What must it feel like to be the last of... anything? Moreover, what must it be like to know that you caused the extinction of your own species? I can't help but wonder if presidents of nuclear powers ever think and embrace the horror of that responsibility. We have the power to wipe out our own species with the push of a button. Trying and failing to replace this princess -- Flurry Heart, I'll assume? -- seems like the nuclear trigger that set off Armageddon for the changelings. The weight of that guilt, when Shelly ran when she should have stayed... probably wouldn't have made a difference -- there likely still would have been a purge. But the fact that it was her failure that caused that nightmare. At least she wouldn't have had to live all that time knowing that she had doomed her race.
That being said, genocide seems highly unlike Celestia. Maybe Luna would do it, maybe an enraged Shining Armor would lead a crusade, hell maybe even a snapped Cadance or Twilight... but Celestia doesn't seem to have the stomach for a complete slaughter fest, much less when all she has to go on is that one changeling killed one pony. To her mind, that wouldn't likely damn the entire race. She would likely drive out the changelings, but butchery? I doubt it, unless she too had completely, utterly snapped, and even in that case, I think Shining Armor, Cadance and/or Twilight would be the first to break.
Good story, though. Well done.
This was very touching, the way they shared their love just so they could live their last moments with a little bit of company. It really makes you feel the pain of a dying spices.
7458745 :) Thank you for the kind words.
Yes, I expect the entire Twilight family to literally break and go on a rampage. As for Celestia, she is almost a grandmother to it as well. I just interpreted the death of an alicorn to be enough to affect even her :)
7458863 Yes... At least they found each other. They managed to share enough love for a talk. :)
7458876 :D Thanks! You seem to enjoy my tragic stories a lot :)
Yes, you are correct about the trigger. I still interpret that if everyone close to her breaks, so will Celestia. Ponies come and go, alicorns (should?) last forever :) Having one of those gone, and 2 others be broken for decades might be what it takes for her to lash out.
7459677 Thank you :D
Tried to convey it best I could. Still learning how to do tragedies. :)
The news about the return of the changelings this season really has brought about an embarrassment of riches when it comes to stories about them. Bravo!
I find it amusing that commenters are grousing over Celestia's actions. I went back and re-read that passage and you cleverly left it vague. It is Percy who gives the news, and Shelly assumes it was Celestia.
For all we know, it was Twilight on her own, or her, Starlight, Shining, and Cadence acting together in some combination to take that ultimate step. I suppose it could even be the entire Mane 6 firing up their Rainbow Power, though I wonder if the Tree of Harmony wouldn't allow such an action to be taken? Good stuff to ponder.
A fantastic read. A chilling end, too.
We've seen that Alicorns are subject to extremes when their special talents cause problems... Luna went Nightmare.
How would the Princess of Love handle losing her foal, in what would have almost certainly looked like a murder out of spite from Chrysalis.
We could have had a Nightmare equivalent Cadence. From there... What happens? Twilight is family, the other mane 6 are her friends. What do you do in such a horrible circumstance?
They might have broken Equestria itself. Changelings murdering babies, and if they defended Chrysalis or she refused to acknowledge what was happening...
Great work. I love the term 'heartvoid'.
Very heartfelt and very well done.
dayum... just... ow
Very well done. Something passed through my brain as I thought it over. It was this:
Of course as you read this you're hoping that some kind hearted pony wanders by and saves them with love. Generally writers tend to write changelings in a sympathetic way (Including this story). But in our own lives there are other living things which we hate at a deep, deep level. What if ponies felt this way about changelings? What if they saw a changeling the way we see a tape worm? A maggot? A leech?
7461346 That is some deep shit.
Everyone get your boots and overalls on. It's going to be a messy load of philosophical feces here.
But seriously, that is interesting thinking right there...
7460374 Does this story make you more eager for the Changeling episode coming soon? Where Spike befriends a Changeling?
Something has left me wondering though... Remember the Hearths Warming Eve episode? The "Wind-igo" things fed off of hatred and made the entire and inhospitable from a few tribes squabbling. What power would they have from the forced extinction of an entire race? Would they freeze the world? Luna's Moon? Celestia's Sun? Beyond? I shudder at the possibilities.
7461372 As a die-hard Spike fan, I'm not sure it's possible for me to be any more eager than I already am! Spike making history by putting a dent in the hatred between ponies and changelings? Sign me up! In fact, I'm so eager for it I've already started writing a fanfic that serves as a followup to the episode, even though it hasn't even aired yet.
But yes, all these stories that are tying into the upcoming episode and the season finale are making me really excited!
I ask for a sequel to When in doubt, Water flowers and you kill off the whole race, remind me not to ask something about pegasi Lise.
7461591 If the episode airs and that Changeling screws all the ponies over, I'll get the rubbish bin ready for your fanfic.
7461634 I'm prepared for that possibility.
Although the previews for it have been, shall we say, extra-spoilery? So I'm not too concerned. 
My, my. This was excellent, really enjoyed reading it. Also, I gave you the number 69 upvote.
(Is it bad that I laughed when Shelly admitted what she did?)
Now that is how you do a tragedy.
Well done, Lise. Well done.
7461753 yes, it is
You know, I was supposed to go to bed tonight and be happy, even a sad story couldn't get me gown with all the joy I had, but YOU, YOU JUST HAD TO WRITE THIS HUH? Make me want read it and not be able to stop. WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD WITH WORDS?
Fine rants over, but I'm still fake mad at you, and refuse to take responsibility for my actions.
7461446 well the extermination of a race wouldn't be from so much hate, you have to think, this happens because a mother lost her child, which had definitely happened during the wind-igos rule just by logic, but the mother just happened to be an alicorn, and the race was killed in a few days, giving only fear in them, not much hate. But I may be wrong and anyway good theory, do love it.
By all accounts, this is a perfectly fine written story and a great example of a tragedy. I'm not surprised by its reception thus far at the time I'm writing this. So let me start off by congratulating you on its success.
That being said, I know this opinion won't be popular, but here it goes: I just didn't feel anything reading this.
And you know, it's weirdest thing is, because anyone this site who knows me knows my absolute love for changelings and might be confused why I haven't had a much stronger reaction to this story. Yet my feelings towards it can only really be summarized up as, "... Eh." I may have an idea why, though.
I've gone on huge tangents in the past how much I don't like popular trends in changeling fanfiction. I'm fine with the idea of good changelings and introducing moral shades of grey, but I don't like how so many stories go out of their way to portray changelings in an, at times, overly sympathetic light, especially ones that simply border on overbearing angst. It bothers me how very few stories explore the changelings' cruelty and wickedness from the show and comics further, showing what truly evil monsters they are. And yeah, whether its Celestia or Luna or strangely Shining Armor, I definitely don't like how so many changeling stories channel that kind of creative energy instead into turning the herbivore ponies who we do love into a faceless horde of murderous, borderline genocidal racists. Honestly though, that gripe's actually got more to do with their more prey biology rather than them just "knowing better."
I understand I'm in the minority here and how sympathetic changeling stories are what's popular, having been around this site since 2011 and seen thousands of changeling stories come an go. The concept and themes of "changeling starving/going extinct" often at the hands of a genocidal Equestria with the plot focusing on "the last changelings dying" is one I've just seen done so many, many, many times over the last five years and in eerily similar fashions.
I think that's why I don't feel anything towards this story. I've read so many stories of changelings suffering and being miserable and ponies behaving like blood-crazed racists, the shock factor of it just isn't there anymore. I know I'm supposed to feel sadness or pity for the changeling characters, and some horror and fury at the ponies, but I just... don't. It's become so normalized around the site, it's become, for lack of a better term, blasé.
On top of that, my own personal preferences already set me against the story from the start, so that's hardly fair of me.
But hey, credit where credit is due though, the role of Flurry Heart's death in the whole mess was an interesting choice setting this story apart from many of its kin.
Wow, I actually did go on another tangent there, didn't I? My apologies. Just to close off, again, I congratulate you on your stories' success and for writing a solid story that has quite evidently managed to emotionally reach people. It just didn't do anything for me, sorry.
I've never understood why these stories are as popular as they are. Maybe I just need to pound it in my own thick skull that this sort of story is never gonna my cup of tea and get over it. But if somebody can explain to me the popularity of these stories, I'd really appreciate it, because for the life of me, I just can't see it.
--Magic Man
7462260
It took long eclough to realise that. or will still cricism story that do it but then never constructively criticizing them and then lambasb the author.
I remember that time and it was I expect better out of you but maybe now you have turly grown from that
7462260
I agree on a level, and don't feel bad for rambling. It's legit criticism and it essentially shows that you, as an author, cannot appease everyone.
Also, thanks to your rambling, you gave me an idea. Thanks for commenting.
EDIT: Didn't say what I agreed on. Oops. I agree that the story made me feel nothing, but it wasn't entirely because I didn't think it hit me emotionally. There's just an emotional disconnect that the story caused that made me feel nothing until the ending lines hit. It just depends on how someone reads it, and how willing they are to read closely. Also, it depends on if they like the concept or not. The concept for this story is intriguing, but as I said, not everyone will like it due to the path it takes.
7462884
Double oops, replied to the wrong comment. This is why I shouldn't be commenting at 4 AM.
7462260 It took me a moment of reading to figure out we were supposed to be sympathetic to the changlings, rather then getting what them and their army deserved for essentially causing so much.
I'm not sure we are supposed to be considering the ponies blood crazed racists in this. Chrysalis practically declared war, ended up with a royal family member killed, and thus the army/kingdom of Chrysalis was purged beyond belief.
Of course I don't care to view changlings as most on this site do, that they deserve to be entitled to the ponies things because Chrysalis made a throwaway comment about food. (And considering she's a habitual liar..)
7460374 :) Thanks. Changelings are interesting (Then again so is every other character, as well as Flyrry :))
I'd think all of the alicorns would snap at such an event, but that, of course, is left to interpretation ;)
Now an curious if the Changeling shown turns out to be Flash. :P
7460903 Thanks!!! :) Means a huge deal coming from you :D
Nightmare Cadence would be quite interesting. Maybe something close to corrupted Galadriel :D Definitely food for thought.
On that note, curious how your own Cadence will react when she finds out O:)
7461278 :) Glad you enjoyed. :D
7461338 Well... Maybe this wasn't the happiest of stories... O:)
7461346
7461362
:D Interesting. Going by that logic, one might consider they also could be used to heal diseases in some fashion? Just like leeches do? :D
7461605 Aww. This wasn't that sequel! Don't worry :P
7461753 :) Thanks. Though, maybe it was bad you laughed... *ominous music*
7461789 Thanks, Soaring :)) Glad you enjoyed, and also curious what your fic would be :))
7462090 O:) Sorry... It's my editors! They are betterer in words than I am! :P
Hope I didn't cause you to lose too much sleep :)
7462260 :D Thanks.
Sorry, if was too cliche. I'm still fairly new and experimenting with stuff. Guess what was new for me wasn't new in general. (Still was a learning experience :))
I honestly have no idea why changeling stories are popular. Maybe because they can literally be anything? :) Maybe I should try an evil changeling story (like Saorin :)) In any event a very huge thanks for the great commentary :) (almost longer than the story itself :))
Will try more to make something that's a bit more innovative in future :D
7463772 eh I blame a different story for the no sleep, you just created sadness.
But still well written, I do like it
7463792
Hi Lise,
Thanks for being so understanding. I can appreciate you're still experimenting with stuff, but yes, this type of story has been hundreds of times on this website.
Well, my question wasn't about changeling stories in general, but why these types of stories about them are as popular as they are. We seem to love writing stories that try to portray changelings as more overly-sympathetic than they honestly deserve to be using ill-placed sentimentalism. It wouldn't be so unexpected from the MLP universe, were it not for the supreme irony of casting ponies as the villains to achieve said effect. It's that part that kills these stories for me.
In this story alone, even if Flurry Heart's death is supposed to be the trigger for Equestria actively committing a brutal genocide that would make the Third Reich blush, you're still trying to sell me that the pony characters who I know and love have become these red-eyed, murderous hyper-racists purely for the sake of the plot to work. That this entire nation of herd herbivores who hold friendship as a key pillar of their society has uniformly overnight gone from cowering in fear from zebras and bunny stampedes to now organizing mass hunts of sentient creatures to slake their murderous thirst for changeling blood.
It's a pretty big, bitter pill I'm being asked to swallow.
But hey, you know, if you do decide to write a changeling story featuring genuinely evil changelings, I'd be more than happy to offer any advice, that is if you're in need of it. You've got quite a few stories under your belt already so you'll naturally do fine, but just in case you're interested in discussing it, I'll be happy to chat.
Take it easy.
--Magic Man
God damnit Lise!!!! WWWHHHHHYYYYYYY!!!!
7463621
Since we all know that if only few soldiers had died it would have been all ok.
7463752 A lot can be expressed using few words granted that their properly used and you did an excellent job of that.
7465232
You know, I totally agree with your points in general.
With the two here talking about "the change" so ominously, though, I wonder if the ponies became so bloodthirsty the natural way, or if one (or several) of the magical powerhouses who loved Flurry Heart so dearly helped things along.
Magically.
Shining Armor, Cadance, Twilight, Starlight, Luna and/or Celestia, tapping into the wounded Crystal Heart... Yeah, that might do it.
7465918 In more medieval societies they wouldn't have actually counted, but I don't think Shining would take that lying down either. He's the sort of person I bet knows every soldier in each platoon.
7466195 Thanks, man. Going from our past interactions on these kinds of stories, we've got quite a lot in common.
That's actually a very plausible theory, even if it only makes the ponies look even more repugnant than they already do in this story. That basically, a character who we know and care about (more so than the changeling characters in this story) has condemned not only their soul, but has magically dragged down their entire nation and species with them for what is objectively speaking, a mind-numbingly stupid and selfish reason. (Yeah, don't care how special Flurry Heart was; one child's life isn't equal to millions).
A question I'm left asking after all these changeling extinction/genocide stories is 'Now what?' More specifically, what happens to the genocidal ponies after the changelings are all dead. What, does their blood-thirsty, crazed racism just evaporate and they seriously return to their normal lives like nothing happened? Where does all that hate and anger they've been channeling go? Or do the Windigos show up and deliver what many readers would call just punishment via complete destruction to their kingdom and lives, meaning the death of one child has ultimately led to the utter destruction of two civilizations, which only highlights the meaningless of it all.
Either way, there's pretty much no way the ponies come out of this not looking utterly repugnant and with all the sympathy and likability of snake vomit.
Beautiful.67.media.tumblr.com/cb26b485ed67aa0d7c18b69a7c5ae0a1/tumblr_nmbiws3buk1uqxdloo1_400.gif
7468159 :D Thank you :)
7461738
Hey, you could always file it under the alternate-universe tag. I'd read it.