Chapter 1: Choice
Dinky galloped down another corridor, internally cursing the castle's monotonous decoration scheme and lack of any sort of sensible layout. Every turn looked like the one before.
This was certainly not one of her better days. It had actually started out pretty good - great, even. To the surprise of both herself and her mother, they had been invited to a wedding; a royal wedding, no less. It had gotten even better when she found out that her three best friends were attending as well, and they had been asked to be the flower fillies. It was certainly a pleasant surprise.
But things went downhill fast. First, it seemed that miss Twilight had gone crazy, ranting about how the bride was actually evil.
Dinky reached the end of the corridor, groaning as she finally realized where she was. She had somehow looped back to the wedding hall, full of those bug creatures and that horrid queen. She immediately regulated her breathing, muffling her hoofsteps as much as possible. I have to be careful.
The worst part is that Twilight was right. She even came back with the real bride in tow.
And then the bug ponies attacked. Princess Celestia was taken off-guard, taken from behind. And worst of all, in the chaos, Dinky had lost sight of her mother. The last time she had seen her, she had yelled at Dinky to run, possibly to the train station or something. It was hard to tell over the sounds of fighting.
So she was doing that. Or trying to, at least. So far, she hadn't even managed to make it out of the castle.
Suddenly, she froze as she heard screams from the corridor opposite her. Screams she recognized all too well, but they were no screams of delight.
They're in trouble!
Dinky took a chance, sprinting across the packed room as quickly and quietly as possible. After all, nopony or bug was looking in that direction, anyway.
If something happened to them...
She spotted three familiar forms ahead, and forced herself into a gallop, despite her aching limbs.
A black shape inched towards them, forcing them against the wall - a dead end in a doorless corridor.
Eyes ablaze, she slammed into the bug creature, yelling incoherently as they both crashed into the wall.
Dazed, she stumbled away from the unmoving bug, who had fortunately taken the brunt of the crash, and looked at the shell-shocked Crusaders.
"Are... are you all alright?" she asked nervously. Apple Bloom nodded numbly, and Sweetie followed a second later. Scootaloo just stood there with shining eyes, a grin slowly forming on her muzzle.
"That. Was. So. Awesome!" she said excitedly, buzzing her wings rapidly. "You just went, 'Whack! Bam!'"
Scootaloo suddenly paused in her little "demonstration" of Dinky's heroics as the changeling they all assumed was unconscious moved suddenly and rapidly, despite the number of deep cracks on it's hard exterior.
Dinky cried out as its fangs bit into her leg deeply, releasing quite a bit of fluid into her bloodstream. Horrified, she watched as the light in its eyes slowly went out, slumping completely on the ground.
The four fillies stared silently at the bug on the floor. Monster or not, they had just watched another pony... die.
But there wasn't even enough time for that. Apparently, Dinky wasn't quite as stealthy as she would have liked, and the buzzing sounds coming from down the corridor meant only one thing - she had been followed.
The dead end behind them was now firmly cemented in all of their minds.
Dinky's eyes lit up as a desperate idea came into her head. "Come on! If we run, we might be able to break through!"
That seemed to startle the Crusaders from their dazed stupor, and they followed her at a run.
Dinky gulped as she looked ahead. There were at least twenty of the bug ponies hovering menacingly in front of them.
But the ground is mostly clear. If I can just catch them by surprise and dodge them long enough... we might be able to get through.
Dinky's mind was set. The three fillies behind her, however, faltered slightly at the imposing sight. That hesitation, however small, slowed them down just enough.
Dinky burst out into the wedding hall.
"-and finally, my subjects will be able to without fear of being discovered, without fear of being hunted! Our last salvation has succeeded in freeing the changeling race!"
Once again, Dinky did her best to silence her hoofsteps. She looked, back, ready to tell her friends to do the same, but they were no longer there.
"Quick, go to him!" The whisper was faint, but she heard it clearly.
Was... was that Twilight's voice? But it didn't matter. She had to find her friends-
A deep, painful sensation spread throughout her body. A wave of caustic energy.
She turned her head to it's source with some difficulty. Twilight's brother and the bride?
The light grew blinding, and she stumbled as another wave, this one much more powerful, passed through her with an agonizing pain. How the other ponies were smiling, she had no idea.
Dinky stumbled over to the wall for support, just barely aware of the other ponies leaving the room. Maybe they are looking for Princess Celestia.... that would make sense... Her hooves gave way under her.
The large black shape next to her moved weakly, the image resolving into a face Dinky wished she didn't recognize. But it wasn't filled with the hate or triumph she was used to. It was almost... pleading? It almost looked unnatural for that expression to belong on that particular face. But there was no denying its sincerity.
"Please... young one... Don't-" She winced with pain, the front hoof that propped her up giving way. "You have every reason to hate me... hate us. If our positions were reversed..." She shook her head. "Feel free to hate me with a clean conscience. But please, don't hate us. Do not reject all changelings. I... I take full responsibility. Please... do not let us die."
Dinky's eyes widened, the image of the changeling she attacked replaying before her eyes. "But I don't know any healing spells! I can't even pick up a book yet!"
The Queen allowed herself a weak chuckle. "And yet you stood up for your little "hive" when it was in danger, despite that. I respect that.
"Besides..." She gave a hacking cough that made Dinky's eyes water. "I have no choice. You... you are the only changeling left. All the others... all the others are gone."
That doesn't sound right... I thought changelings were their species. How could I be one?
But it no longer mattered. This was not the same pony that tried to conquer Equestria. This was... this was a dying mare. One that needed her help. Like when Nightmare Moon turned out to just be Luna that was sad and lonely.
She looked back at the queen, her mind made up. "What do you want me to do?"
Relief washed across the changeling's face, as her horn started to light up. Dinky stepped back slightly, a bit wary, but despite the queen's threatening appearance, her eyes were still desperate and worried.
"Take... take this gift. It's all the love I've gathered over the years. I have no use for it anymore."
Love? This was making less sense every minute. But she did say "gift." If this was supposed to help, she was going to do it, no matter how confusing.
The queen suddenly seemed very nervous. "Oh, you don't know, do you...?" She winced. "I'm sorry, I don't have much time left. I can't explain... I-"
Dinky interrupted her. "I said I would help. I don't understand, but I don't have to, either."
For some reason, the queen looked extremely uncomfortable at this. "Thank... thank you..."
The green light of her horn became blinding, and almost on instinct, Dinky knew what to do. She leaned forward, touching her horn to the Queen's.
Instantly, energy flowed into her in a torrent. At first, it was a comforting energy, washing out the pain of her muscles, and refreshing her like a good night's sleep. Then it became sharp like lightning, giving her something like an extreme sugar rush. Her horn and back felt oddly tingly, like they were full of needles.
But the flow kept coming, and the flow became almost painful. And then quite painful.
After what seemed like forever, the energy faltered, and the green glow vanished. Dinky sighed with relief, until she opened her eyes. The queen... Queen Chrysalis... had stopped moving.
Princess Celestia wearily walked back into her throne room, still repurposed for the wedding. She was flanked by her worried student, and followed by the soon-to-be newlyweds. There was certainly a lot of cleanup to do before the real wedding--
Her train of thought stopped suddenly as she noticed a little filly, sobbing in the corner on something pony-shaped.
Oh no...
Celestia rushed over, ignoring the puzzled look from her student - one that quickly turned to understanding and sorrow.
She recognized the filly. She was the daughter of that eccentric pegasus with the hard-to-pronounce name. The pony she was resting on was a bit hard to make out--
Celestia froze. That wasn't a pony. That was a changeling... the queen of the changelings?
She sighed sadly. So the blast ended up fatal. And this poor filly was left here to see it. If only more ponies could share such kindness towards creatures that so recently hurt them.
"Get away from her, Dinky! She's the queen of the changelings! She's evil!"
Dinky's head whipped around instantly, fury on her face. Twilight stepped back slightly. "She's not evil! She's dead! And her name was Chrysalis!"
Twilight's eyes widened. Never before had she heard such venom in the voice of such a normally kind filly. "But... but I--"
Celestia put a hoof on Twilight's back, silencing her.
Dinky stood up shakily. "I just watched... I just watched two ponies die in front of me." Her voice was strangely devoid of emotion.
Somewhat shocked, Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia's hoof grew more insistent.
"E-excuse me, I need to go get my friends out of their stasis pods." The filly left, trotting down the corridor with a broken gait.
Twilight looked up at her mentor. "Stasis pods?" she whispered questioningly.
Celestia simply nodded, a bit distracted herself. There was a strange power in that filly, now. Not the type that one would normally find in one so young. Nor an adult, for that matter. And the changeling queen was far too empty of magic to have died so recently. No, something else was going on here.
At least by the filly's demeanor, it seemed to be fully voluntary.
She turned back to her student, looking her directly in the eyes. "The death of a pony, Twilight, whether friend or enemy, is a great loss. A great tragedy happened here, and that filly was here to witness it. Worse, she understood it." She turned around, looking gently at the couple behind her. Shining Armor was holding Cadence, wiping the tears streaming down her face.
"Do not blame yourselves for this, either of you. You did not know what the outcome would be. Equestria sees you as heroes, and whether you believe them or not, you deserve it." She looked away, to the direction Dinky had left.
"Still, if you feel you have anything to atone for, protect that filly. She is now their heritage."
Twilight looked up at her mentor in alarm. "What do you mean, Princess?'
Dinky walked over to the three pods, trying desperately to ignore the changelings scattered around them. She looked to the first one. Sweetie Belle.
In an almost practiced motion, she swiped at it with her horn, slicing it cleanly from top to bottom.
She paused, reaching up to feel the tip of her horn. It was sharp. I guess it's happening already. I'd be mad at her, but at the same time... I understand. She looked to the side.
At least I know now why she felt so uncomfortable.
Dinky gently pulled her friend out of the nutrient solution inside, letting her get her balance as she slowly woke up.
"Wha... what happened?"
"You got captured," she said simply. "And it was too late for me to help once I realized."
Sweetie nodded slowly, a bit confused at her shortness, then looked at the others. "So how are we going to get them--"
*slash*
Her eyes widened. "Whoa."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm part Changeling now. Or at least turning into one. I think that changeling that attacked me did something. And then Chrysalis--"
"Who?"
"The queen. She did something else."
Sweetie grabbed her shoulder, pulling her away from Scootaloo's pod. "We need to get Twilight, the Princess, or something! We might be able to fix this!"
"No."
Sweetie's expression suddenly turned confused. "But..."
"She asked me first. And I said yes."
"But... but... um... huh?" Her eyes finally noticed some of the changelings scattered around. They widened, and turned back to Dinky. "Oh, no... I'm so sorry, Dinky. I didn't know... All of them?"
Dinky just nodded, turning to Scootaloo's pod as Sweetie numbly offered her assistance to Apple Bloom.
The farm pony blinked as she woke up, noticing both of their sad expressions. "Uh... girls? What happened?"
Sweetie answered first. "We got caught by the changelings."
She rolled her eyes. "I can see that. But both of you don't look very happy about something. What's wrong?"
"Well, Dinky's kind of a changeling now..."
She blinked. "Uh... okay? Those are the bug things, right?"
"Yes, but that's not the bad thing!" Sweetie added quickly, causing Apple Bloom to become even more confused. "Uh... it's kinda..." She lowered her head. "She's the only one left."
Apple Bloom winced.
Dinky pulled Scootaloo out of her pod. "And just so you know, the queen didn't force anything. She asked. Nicely."
The yellow filly blinked. She just couldn't see that happening, but she obviously didn't know everything. And as bad as she was, Apple Bloom couldn't bring herself to think she deserved death.
Scootaloo opened her eyes, regaining her balance as she stood up. "Uh... so what happened?"
Sweetie groaned and looked at Dinky. "Maybe you should have explained things after we were all out."
"I'm sorry, Princess, but both of us agree that we should reschedule the wedding. After what happened..." Shining Armor looked down. "As Captain of the Guard, I understand that sometimes, death is inevitable on the real battlefield. But actual genocide... we both need time to rest. Think things through."
Celestia nodded sadly. "I understand. If any of you need help or guidance, don't hesitate to ask. Both my sister and I have been in situations where the greater good was almost as bad as the alternative."
"That is so cool!" Scootaloo examined Dinky closely. Already, her teeth and horn were quite sharp. "I mean, I still don't understand why you would do that, but being friends with a bug pony is cool enough." Her ears drooped slightly. "But what happened to the others isn't cool at all."
The other three fillies nodded in agreement.
Dinky turned to face another corridor. "I have to go find Mom, though, and soon. I don't know when the changes might require me to be in a hospital."
"Yeah.... especially if we're not in Ponyville yet."
She trotted quickly back to the throne room, her friends following closely behind. She paused right before entering, however, as she heard voices.
"That's terrible! How could the queen do that do Dinky? What would she even have to gain from that?"
"Twilight, it is not as terrible as you think. Changelings are not mindless drones. Dinky still has her full mental capacity. And is it not so farfetched that the queen might have been thinking for the future of her race? Still, I didn't think that even she would change a pony's species."
Dinky stepped out, making no attempt to muffle her hoofsteps. "Chrysalis didn't do that, I don't think. She talked to me like I was already a changeling. She just gave me all her stored love or something."
Twilight suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. Apparently, she wasn't supposed to hear Twilight's real opinion. Dinky's teeth clenched slightly. It didn't help the looks Twilight was sending her horn and mouth.
"It was probably the changeling that attacked the Crusaders." This was more directed towards Celestia.
Twilight gasped. "Oh no! Did they also get infected?"
Dinky glared.
Celestia looked at her sternly. "Twilight. I will tell you one last time. Changelings are not cursed ponies. And they are not monsters. Let me ask you something. Are griffons monsters?"
Twilight's eyes widened. "Um... I mean, they are a bit rude, but that probably was just the one I met. But they are an ally of Equestria. Why would they be considered monsters?"
"Twilight, they invaded as well."
She winced. Of course. That was well documented history, too.
Dinky spoke up, trying to force down her anger. She liked Twilight. They always had fun reading together. It was just a misunderstanding... "I don't think the Crusaders have the same thing I do. I kinda..." Dinky winced. "...hit the changeling too hard. We thought it was unconscious, but it bit me. And it wasn't the usual paralysis stuff, since I could walk just fine afterwards. And then... and then he..."
Celestia placed a comforting wing over her.
Twilight blinked. "Wait, how did you know about the paralysis venom? That wasn't in any of my books, and I only learned that today... firsthoof."
Dinky sat down, rubbing her temples with her front hooves. "I think Chrysalis might have sent some information, too. Things on how to be a changeling, or something. She didn't really have... time to explain. I mean, I never remember her actually telling me her name directly."
Twilight's eyes widened while Celestia just smiled.
"This has so many implications--"
The sound of galloping interrupted her. "Where's my Muffin‽
Dinky reluctantly moved out from under Celestia's wing. "I'm right here, Mom."
Ditzy sighed in relief. "Thank Ce-- I mean, I'm so glad you're safe."
Twilight groaned. "Safe is such a relative term."
Dinky rolled her eyes. "I'm fine." She looked at her mother nervously. "Though I might be turning into a changeling now."
Her mother paused for a second, then nodded. "Okay."
Twilight's eyelid twitched. "Okay? Okay‽ How can this be just 'okay?' Your daughter just turned into one of the monsters that attacked Canterlot, and--"
The floor cracked.
Twilight froze, looking fearfully at her mentor. Her mane no longer flowed gently, but burned with a cool heat that was almost overwhelming.
"Xenophobia does not suit you, Twilight."
Twilight tried to open her mouth, but no words came out. She had failed the Princess, in the worst way possible. Never before, in any of the mistakes she had made, did Celestia ever look like this.
"Nearly an entire species died tonight. The least you could do is show some respect. Did you not remember what I said just thirty seconds ago?"
Twilight cowered. "Y-yes, Princess... of course... I'm sorry."
"I am not the princess you should be apologizing to."
Dinky looked at Celestia strangely. What was she implying? She looked at her mother, who just grinned encouragingly. Thank you, but that wasn't very informative, Mom.
Twilight looked equally confused.
"I suppose that can wait until later. Some ponies I am sure just want to get home and rest from this whole ordeal."
Ditzy nodded and gestured to Dinky, who followed her mother out of the throne room.
Twilight sank further into the floor, hooves over her head in shame.
Celestia sighed. "Oh, Twilight, what am I going to do with you?"
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Few errors like extra letters and stuff here and there.
But it's christmas, so hey... they happen.
Now though... i need some zzz.... it's 2:30 AM in finland and i'm exhausted.....
8628539
Thanks. When you aren't totally exhausted, I'd love it if you could point them out.
Xenophobia is spelled with an X, not a Z.
8628555
I knew that...
It's fixed now.
8628563
Other than that, I didn't notice any glaring mistakes.
IMHO, depending on how you handle this story, I feel this fic has the potential to be a really good 'Pony becomes Changeling' fic. I look forward to seeing where you go.
8628577
Thanks! I have quite a bit written out (on paper, that is), and while it needs a bit of editing, I think it's going to at least be reasonably good.
As in, there is a bigger plot than just "Dinky has to deal with being a changeling."
I don't think celestia has much place to talk down to twilight
8628605
Maybe not. But she would probably still do it.
8628632
Thanks!
Just curious, do you like the interrobang, or just find it distracting? I just don't like the multiple punctuation of putting both, but sometimes need to.
I can't say I liked this. The characterizations are jarring (pretty much everyone, but especially Dinky), the scenario feels messy and contrived, and the tone and themes established in this chapter clash with both canon and what the story itself has established.
I liked Guiding Light, but what I thought were minor issues in that story are dealbreakers here.
8629000
Could you be more specific? I really am interested in what you felt went wrong.
8629610
Regarding characterization, everyone except Twilight is being super chill about some seriously messed-up stuff, and you haven't provided substantial justification for that. Especially for Dinky; unless you've seriously aged her up, she's a preteen-to-early-teenager, and and she does not act like it. Even if she were an adult, though, I'd still say she was straying into Sue-like territory.
For everything else, you've made so many changes to the events of the episode, the characters involved (especially Chrysalis), and what was already established about Changelings during just the episode (minimal though it was), that the similarities feel almost incidental.
8630416
Yeah, I understand the lack of reactions being a strange thing. Trust me, the first reaction to huge changes, especially in the heat of the moment, is not instant panic as one might expect.
Freakouts are definitely coming later, once reality sets in. Now that I think about it, I probably should have released this once I had a few chapters done, just so it didn't seem that weird.
Also, the changes to the "episode" is the main reason this story is tagged "Alternate Universe." If you've watched Antony C's review of the episode two-parter, then you know the plot has gaping holes in it.
I would have avoided using any scene from existing episodes if I could, but for this story to happen at all, there had to be an invasion.
A lot of the similarites, like Twilight whispering "Go to him!" were to give the readers a visual representation, when none of the characters would actually be witness the exact details.
Thanks for telling me all those, though. It makes sure I pay particular attention to those things that would easily become flaws if I'm not careful. (For example, in my first draft of this story idea, Dinky really was a Sue character.)
And if there's anything else you notice, please be sure to tell me.
8631935
It's not just her lack of reaction to the changes. Dinky here is far more collected, proactive, and competent in this capter than someone her age and in her situation has a right to be.
I'm not familiar with Antony C, though I'm familiar with the episode and its numerous issues. But if you're using an existing story as the base for an AU, then your readers are going to use that story as a frame of reference. My issue is that you've recontextualized the story without establishing the changes that put the story in context. I used the original episode as my frame of reference because the picture you've painted of your AU is incomplete.
Also, one last thing (because you said please
), the CMC are flower-girls (flower-fillies?), not bridesmaids.
8632410
Ah. Yeah, I gave her a far more proactive character in this one. Probably due to my headcanon regarding her mother. (It is rather difficult being a single mother.)
Hmm... yeah, you may be right; I probably should have started things from an earlier standpoint, to better establish the divergence from the canon show.
And whoops... Yeah, I should go fix that detail. Serves me right for trying to use my possibly year-old memories of watching that finale.
Of course, you don't have to, but if you feel like still reading any future chapters I write, I would really appreciate hearing of any more flaws you might find. It isn't often I get feedback this useful.
Eh, I might edit this sometime.
Looking back, the tone is a bit off from what I wanted it to be. Too much telling and not enough showing. And the mood is all over the place. Like Celestia's reaction seems out of place without some context that I had in my head, but didn't really transfer it well into writing.
But my priority probably will be new chapters until this is further along. (This might change if new readers show more discontent with it.)
It probably is so "bad" because it is one of the few relatively untouched chapters from when I wrote a whole bunch on a whim, then scrapped most of it. The rest of the story ends up a lot slower paced.
9595706
I actually find this chapter alright the way it is.