When a changeling gets a bright idea

by Rarity Belle

Chapter 16

Grunts, moans and gentle hisses all came from the changeling in anger. She came back to knowledge, unaware of what happened. All she knew was that something terrible had occurred. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, ignited by the fires that usually allowed her to change both shape and form. It was an agonizing pain that she went through of course. A hoof was set on the ground, followed by another in order to rise up at least a little bit. There was something strange about the floor. Instead of stone that she knew, it felt different. It almost felt like it was made from crystals, precious stones. Chara didn’t knew what to expect, but decided to keep her eyes shut for a little while longer.

The wings began to buzz a bit, making sure that she was able to plant her hind legs on the floor as well. She had to stand stable before doing anything and think about her current situation. She remembered facing Twilight on the town’s square, but what had happened afterwards was unknown to her. A shake of the head was given and the eyes were finally opened.

Darkness engulfed her for the first few seconds, than she noticed how the arcane torches were burning just a bit further in the distance. She was in a cell made to contain her. A cell that was made out of crystal, nearly unbreakable by any magic that she knew. A grumble left the changeling. Escaping was impossible and the fire that burned within her, took away the ability to change.

Whomever had put her down there, sure knew how to handle a changeling in captivity. But whom was it that had placed her down there? She knew a pony who was capable of that, and she refused to even spill the name of the being.

The whole concept of time had faded away for the changeling, countless times had she seen the arcane fires be dimmed to simulate a night or become brighter to tell it was daytime but Chara knew that it was all just a play of light. The hours she had spent in the cell were far shorter than the light illustrated. Not only was she imprisoned by somepony, she was being tortured to some degree as well. Not to mention, slowly being starved to death.

If Chara wouldn’t have gotten a bit of red flow soon, she didn’t knew for how much longer she would have survived down there. Yet from the looks of it, she was the only being that was present there. The thought of making her own red flow was taken away from her in just that very instant. A deep, near defeated sigh left the changeling, while not a word followed it up. Patience was required. She had to sit out the torment, one way or the other.

Maybe soon, the being who caught her would have shown the face that it carried and then, Chara could curse it to Tartarus and far beyond of that. All she needed, was the time to stay alive.

~~~~

Twilight sat in her library with the glasses placed in front of her eyes. She was reading through a couple of books that involved both the changeling culture and anatomy. The first time that she had done that, was of course to identify with what kind of changeling she was dealing, but she wanted to know more about them. And Twilight took her time with that. There was no doubt in her mind that she could try to reason with the creature, that dwelled in the dungeon of her castle.

Spike had often asked why there was even a dungeon underneath there, and nopony really knew the answer on that one. Until that situation had happened. From that moment on knew they both why they had it. It was safer to lock them away in there, than some house that was occupied by somepony else who wasn’t even involved in the matter. And it might have saved the town a bit if friends decided to show up.

The alicorn continued to read through the books with a careful eye, reading all of the facts that were known about the changelings as they were to the present day. “It’s curious though, Spike, why would one changeling try to even consider about breaking us apart from the inside. There’s little information known about the red eyed variant to begin with, and I doubt Chrysalis will be happy if I pay her a visit.”

“After the last time? I don’t think she’s going to be friendly to anypony that even dares to enter her hive,” returned Spike, who sat across the table. He was glancing through some books himself, but hidden between the pages was another issue of the Power Ponies. It was Twilight’s problem, he had decided. She wanted to keep the bug down there, she would have kept it down there and dealt with it herself. He wouldn’t get involved in it in any way or form.

Twilight let out a deep ‘hmm’ while she continued to read. “Doubt she will have gotten the liking of me over time. No, the red eye thing is not something that is known through the land and might only be known to changelings themselves. Which means that there is only one thing that I can do, go down there and talk to the creature.”

Spike closed and dropped the book, eyeing Twilight with a risen eyebrow. “And just what makes you think that the changeling wants to listen to you?”

Twilight’s eyes went up. “I think that we can help each other out here. I get the information that I require, while the creature is allowed to keep its life. It’s been down there without any emotional contact for so long already, I doubt that it will last much longer before it begins to starve.”

“Good point, do what you gotta do, I’m not going down there!”

A chuckle left Twilight while her own book was lowered. “I never expected you to go down there with me, Spike. It could turn us against one another and feed on the negative emotion from the bad blood that will come through. Changelings are creatures of deception, remember? They will try everything as long as it gives them what they need.”

“Uuuh, okay, good luck Twilight!” Spike said while the alicorn had left her chair.

She would have gone down to the dungeon, to have a very, very good talk with the changeling. “Oh and Spike, could you collect our friends here, I think they have the right to know exactly what had happened between them, maybe than they will come to realize that it wasn’t the one on whom they have their sights.”

Spike nodded and left his chair with an eager motion. He wanted to tell the ‘good news’ to the five others. He wanted to see them again in the castle that they all called a safe haven.

~~~~

The hoofsteps of another being echoed through the dungeon and Chara woke from a slumber. The light only increased while the steps became louder. They were actually there. It wasn’t a trick of the mind, or a spell that was cast. There was an actual, physical being that came down there. The changeling rose up from the makeshift bed and stretched all of her legs and wings. She then let a buzz echo through the dungeon, announcing her presence.

It didn’t slow the hoofsteps by any means and before Chara knew it, the face of Twilight Sparkle was revealed in the arcane candle light. The devil herself had returned to the dungeon and the changeling had to admit that it invoked a sense of fear within her. She gulped for the moment and naturally prayed that she wouldn’t come to hurt her. But her mouth always remained shut.

Twilight came closer to the bars and even laid a hoof against them. Her magic remained silent but her mouth began to speak. “You and I, are going to have a little talk. But first, shall we start with the beginning? My name, is Twilight Sparkle. What’s yours?”

Chara hissed and gurgled in response. She wasn’t in the mood to even talk to the mare. But the presence of Twilight might have meant something for her. She didn’t wanted to talk, but maybe Twilight could have helped her? She didn’t knew, yet. Maybe, just maybe, letting her through on a bit of information might have been more of an aid than a hindrance. The changeling wandered over to the bars and pressed her face lightly through them, staring deep in the eyes of the alicorn with those red, hellfire colored eyes. “The name’s, Chara...”

“What?!” exclaimed Twilight, “you mean the name that you told us, was your actual name? Or is it a disguise that you like to wear?”

The changeling let out a gentle chuckle and shook her head. “It’s my actual name, you fool. Changelings aren’t born with a name, but I took it because I got banished! All because of the red eyes that I have! All because I feed on negativity...”

Twilight felt that she was getting somewhere, maybe nowhere. Either way, she had gotten the changeling to talk to her, that was the way that she should keep it. “But what was your plan? To break the friendships between the Elements of Harmony from within and then? What did you want to do when that was done? What gain would have that given to you? You don’t look like the type that wants to take over Equestria for itself,” she dared to wonder aloud.

Chara left out a hoarse laugh and shook her head. How stupid was this alicorn exactly? How did she even become an alicorn in the first place? How was she even qualified to be a researcher? All those question lingered through the mind of the changeling, who only chuckled to herself once more. It was just priceless to see a clueless Twilight like that. Maybe she felt pity for the alicorn. On the other end, what sense did it make to keep everything hidden from her? Her plan had been foiled and Chara had lost the battle. What if she just told everything to Twilight?

“You want to know it, don’t you?” Chara asked her in a serious tone. “You’re, curious..?”

Twilight nodded.

The changeling accepted that as a yes and began to tell why she had done it. Why she had tried to break the friendships between the elements. She told the alicorn how the plan was forged, how it came to be and how she had executed it.

Unknown to Chara was the fact that the alicorn recorded all of the words with her magic. The entire confession was placed somewhere safe in her mind, ready to be broadcasted whenever it was needed. Ready to prove to her friends that it was all a game they played with open eyes.

But Twilight had to admit that she too was surprised. Surprised to see the sheer dedication that the changeling had in what she had done. How just one little changeling had managed to do where so many others had failed, only because it would give her a high never experienced before. It was worthy of a standing ovation with dedication and cunningness, but only because Spike’s words rung truth had she figured out that there was something wrong.

It was a good plan, a risky one too. But the way in which it had all played out was marvelous to behold. Twilight had to admit that she had never seen the likes of it before. A chuckle left her in the end when the changeling was done with her tale. She was just glad that the full effect was never revealed to her, that the plan hadn’t fully succeeded whatsoever.

The changeling got a hold of the bars with both of her forelegs and coiled the hooves around them tight. “I’ve committed high treason. Not just against your law, but also against changeling laws. I should be decapitated on the spot for having even told you these things.”

Twilight on the other end wasn’t a mare for violence. Not unnecessary at least. “No, Chara, times have moved on since the days of the Changeling Wars so many years ago. Which means that I’m giving you an option here, one you should consider very deeply after I’ve left you here. Either you die here, starved from the cut off the red flow, because you’re too dangerous to be kept alive and from what you told me, I doubt that any other hive would like to have you.”

Chara already saw the future grim for herself, anything and everything could have happened in it. But one thing was for sure, she would die either way, with our without the protection of a hive. “And the second option?” she dared to ask in a stone cold voice.

“The second option is that you remain alive, but you’ll become my guinea pig on the subject of changelings. I would love to know more about your kind and customs.”

The changeling let go of the bars after she heard the words. There was no reason to speak furthermore to the alicorn. Twilight had driven her in a corner which was impossible to get out of. Both methods would have killed her, one fast and the other slow. It was just a matter of how she wanted to die. Another buzz and gurgle left her while she retreated to the shadows, only to remain hidden from all eyes, with the burning pain still raging in her heart.

Twilight nodded once and took a deep inhale. “Take your time with coming up for the answer, I just hope that you make the right one for you. When I’m getting back to you, I hope you have made up your mind. Goodbye for now Chara.” And with those words would Twilight have left the changeling to just continue to rot within the dungeon.

The alicorn’s hoofsteps faded away from the dungeon, and Chara began to scream like mad.

~~~~

The five ponies all sat on their thrones and they were baffled by what they got to see. The recording that Twilight had made was shown to them in the greatest of detail. None of them even knew a word of what they had to say in response. It was devastating to see how they all had been played for fools by one single changeling. Apologies were required of course, and they would make amends with one another, in their own way.

Twilight let the recording play out in full to give them a full extent to the abilities and capabilities of the changeling. It was strange to behold though. Each of them was sure that it was the true pony against whom they had a feud. Chara had even told how she once added the sleeping berries to the cupcakes of Pinkie Pie to get Fluttershy in a good sleep before starting to torment Rarity. She had spilled how her illusion magic was capable of making the sounds and shimmers of fruitbats invading the orchard of Applejack.

Everything was spilled on the table. Even how Sweetie’s fall was planned out in the greatest of detail. Rarity nor Rainbow could have believed the facts presented to them. It was impossible, right? And yet, the genuine tone in which the changeling female spoke, changed everything.

“Ah can’t believe it!” Applejack commented once the recording was over, gob smacked.

“Can you imagine my surprise when I heard all of that? One thing you got to give the changeling through, she’s honest when she’s got to be,” returned Twilight after her horn had been discharged. A rub on her eyes was given while she tried to figure out what the best course of action was. She couldn’t just force her friends to apologize in the throne room. No, they had to do that all in their own times, when they were ready to accept the truth as it was. At least she hoped that.

It was a lot to take in and some already smiled to the others, knowing that it wasn’t the real pony whom did the deeds. Nopony would be able to speak a word for some time to come, but that may have been a good thing for a change.

Spike sat on his throne next to Twilight and he didn’t fully understood what the changeling all had mumbled about. Maybe Twilight would have explained it to him at a later date or something. Not that it mattered much now.

Fluttershy was the one to speak up first, out of all of them, it was the timid mare who took the responsibility upon her. “It does, clarify a lot of things. Everything that had happened, all the interactions we had with each other, it all felt out of characters, but we were blinded by anger.”

“Can’t say I dare to argue with that fact, but I do think that our emotions got the better of us, which allowed the changeling to strike us in full,” added Rarity, agreeing with Fluttershy.

The others couldn’t deny the facts either and all agreed to the matter as well. They were ready to accept the apologies that would have followed soon enough. Twilight got a tear to her eye and she knew that it would all have been over soon. She let out a deep sigh and saw how they all moved from their thrones. A group hug was imminent.

The five of them all hugged each other in a circle which was soon strengthened by both Twilight and Spike. The seven of them all spoke their sorry’s to the pony whom they thought they had wronged. Amends were made and spirits were lifted.

How they had ever fallen for the charm of one stallion was beyond them. Not to forgt how they had spilled so many secrets to a face that seemed trustworthy, it was all an ordeal that now laid in the past. Everypony was just happy for the fact that everything had ended without them breaking their friendships to the ground.

In a way, it was yet another triumph that the Elements had received. A challenge that was greater than anything and everything that they had ever dared to even imagine. All the ponies held each other tight in the hug, strengthen not only that, but their friendships as well.

It took care of one problem and five minds had cleared their conscious from the matter. But Twilight still had one last matter to deal with. A matter she would deal with, the following morning.