The Last Changeling War

by Coyote de La Mancha

Chapter Nine: My Heart Is Ready. (The Rear Guard)

The weanling gave a delighted half-scream, half-laugh as she arced and zig-zagged through the crystal-filled cavern. Other foals ducked and giggled as she careened though the place in a series of uneven curves and loops, her flight only partially under control.

“Better watch out, kid,” Sunrise called with a grin. “You’re not the only one around here with wings, y’know.”

As if in response, Scootaloo sprang out of nowhere with a "Gotcha!", tackling the giggling alicorn and bearing her back down to the ground.

“Hey, woah, careful, Scoots,” Sunrise said, rising to her hooves. “Small child, remember?”

For her part, Scootaloo rolled as the two landed in a tangle, taking the impact on her back as she did. She looked at her teacher with a wink and a grin of her own, saying, “Uh-huh. Alicorn, remember?”

Sunrise rolled her eyes as she settled back down.

“Yeah, okay, fair,” she conceded. “But be careful anyway. Too much rough stuff could still hurt her feelings.”

For her part, Flurry Heart gave a delighted raspberry and a flap of her over-sized wings, levitating herself and her captor both into the air.

“Hey! Woah, no fair!” Scootaloo laughed.

As the two foals started a new game with several pegasi in mid-air, Sunrise re-examined their surroundings for probably the thousandth time.

She was lying on a flattish stone formation at one end of the cavern, which served two functions. One, of course, was that it gave her a good view of the ponies she was watching over. But the other, just as important, was that they could always see her. They could see her calm, relaxed, confident, and in control. And, taking their cue from her, the kids had for the most part relaxed while they’d all been down there.

Which was good. Because there was no way of telling how long they’d need to stay.

The cavern was old, incredibly old, and deep below Canterlot Castle. There was only one way in or out, with most ponies not even knowing it existed. Apparently, Queen Chrysalis had imprisoned Twilight and Cadence here, years ago, as part of some crazy plan to… well, whatever it was she was trying to do then.

Sunrise wasn’t completely sure, actually. Most ponies who had been there weren’t, either.

But it remained: against assassins who might target children, the expansive cavern was a pretty good place to hole up until the war was over. All the under-agers of Canterlot, Ponyville, and who knew where else were there, though that was a heck of a lot less than Sunrise had expected. Apparently ponies had a lower birth rate or something.

For the most part, the foals had fallen into a kind of command structure pretty easily. There had been a few arguments, but by and large everypony had agreed to defer to their elders, with the older foals taking responsibility for the younger. Old grudges had been set aside – well, mostly, they were still kids – and the priority of the matter had been recognized by pretty much everyone.

Which had gone, for all its bumps and bruises at first, much smoother than Sunrise had expected. Maybe Equestrian society’s focus on teamwork had that much effect, even on the young. Or, maybe it was just part of being herd creatures.

Inwardly, Sunrise shrugged. What mattered was the foals’ safety. The rest was just academics. Twilight could help her figure out everything after—

Her heart gave a stabbing sensation at the thought, and Sunrise sighed as she forced it down.

Not too deep, though, she reminded herself. And not for long. I've learned that much, at least.

So, Sunrise was the adult on watch – or ‘emotionally immature token authority figure,’ as she’d joked to the princesses – for the duration of the war. She’d arranged snacks, confirmed a chain of command, settled arguments, designated a no-play rest area, and above all set up boundaries where the foals would and would not go.

Only one way in, after all.

There were only a few other adults in the place, and all of them were deferring to her until the war was over. Which meant she was ultimately responsible for the safety of every foal down there until peace was declared… and maybe a little bit after.

So, yeah, no pressure.

One of her fellow guardians, of course, was Jack. She’d been a little surprised at first. But after a second’s thought she’d realized that she really should have expected as much. After all, what had he been doing all those centuries if not exactly what they were doing now?

Sunrise glanced over at the foals sleeping in the rest area with a smile. Even with his having taken watch at the cavern’s entrance high above, she knew Jack would be guarding their dreams as well.

Another adult was a surgeon named Stable. He and a small medical team were stationed in a chamber to one side with a host of equipment that they and everypony else hoped they wouldn't need.

And the last adult, she noted, was on his way over to her now. The foals parted for him, giving him maybe a little too much room. Many of them had known him before this – at least, they’d thought they had – and even with the Cutie Mark Crusaders vouching for him there was still some hesitation among the children there.

He was, after all, a changeling.

Sunrise gave him a smile as he approached her perch and scooted over, wordlessly inviting him to either sit, or lie down as she was.

He sat, looking over the cave, his wings giving a momentary buzz of nervousness.

Sunrise cocked an eyebrow. “You okay?”

The changeling sighed.

“I think so,” he said. “It’s ironic. I’ve spent years as Black Rainbow, travelling shock rocker and minor celebrity. But this is the first time I’ve been the focus of attention as me.”

Sunrise nodded. “That ritual over the palace is pretty powerful.”

“It is. But then again, if the princesses had asked me to, I’d have been here in my true form anyway.”

For a time, the two of them said nothing further, just watching the foals under their care play, argue, and work out minor disagreements. Twice Sunrise started to rise, thinking she might be needed… but then the younger ponies obviously came to some agreement, and she settled back down.

Finally, the changeling next to her spoke again.

“There’s a lot of love in this place,” he said. “For each other, and especially for you. You’re very lucky.”

Sunrise chuckled. “Yeah, I am. You know, it might have been easier if you’d become a babysitter instead of a rock star.”

Despite himself, Black Rainbow chuckled as well.

“Yeah, that irony has also not been lost on me,” he said, settling down at last, folding his limbs under himself pony-style. “But I’d never experienced parental love before, or the love a child has for their guardian. It never occurred to me that it was possible. And by the time I found out…”

He gave a sad smile. “By that time, I’d discovered that I loved performing. I loved music. And my fans loved me, and they glutted me with that love. It was… intoxicating.”

Then, he looked out again over the various foals, saying, “But it was more than that, too. I spent years travelling among you. I learned to love this land, and the ponies who live here. Your customs, the little things you do and say. I didn’t understand that, at first. I didn’t understand what I was feeling, I thought I was just drunk on affection and hero worship. And okay, yes, I was that, too. But…”

He sighed and looked down. “That night, after my performance in Ponyville, the Cutie Mark Crusaders snuck in through my window. Absolutely convinced that I had a substance problem, and absolutely convinced that all I needed was a friend to help me find my way.”

Sunrise nodded. “I remember seeing you on stage that night. You did seem a little off your game, no offense.”

Black Rainbow chuckled again. “I remember hearing them whispering as they snuck in. Sweetie Belle reminding her friends what would happen if their older sisters found out, and Scootaloo whispering back, Yeah, so, we don’t get caught!”

Sunrise laughed a little. “Yeah, well, that sure worked out, didn’t it?”

Black Rainbow smiled. “It did for me. I tried to take on my pony form, but I wasn’t fast enough. They saw me. They saw me, and yet…”

He shook his head in disbelief. “And yet, they still offered me friendship. And the next day, they introduced me to Applejack and Rarity.”

Sunrise smiled at the memory. Apple Bloom, somehow managing to be both defensive and indignant, saying Well, we didn’t git in trouble, so we are followin’ your orders!

And then Applejack, looking down at her sister, one eyebrow upraised, You sure about that, sugarcube?

Sunrise shook her head. “Frankly, I think the CMC just wanted me there just to keep the explosion level down. And even then, I thought those two were gonna have square hemorrhoids… what?”

The changeling, for his part, had covered his mouth to stifle his sudden laughter. And mostly succeeded.

“Thank you for the visual,” he said at last.

She grinned. “I’m here for you.”

He looked at her again, reappraising her. “You don’t speak like other ponies.”

“Well, plenty of us have our own ways," Sunrise hedged. "Some families even have their own accents, passed down as tradition. But yeah, I was raised away from Equestria. I mean, I didn’t even know this place existed until just before I got here.”

Black Rainbow nodded. “That makes sense. I’ve been touring through this place for years, and every time I think I’ve finally figured ponies out…”

“You get a new surprise,” she finished for him.

He smiled. “I do indeed. I wasn’t expecting the CMC at all, of course. And I was certain that meeting their guardians could only end in disaster.”

“But you met them anyway,” Sunrise pointed out. “And the foals did bring them around in the end.”

“They did,” he agreed. “But on one condition. And so, that night, I met the Princess of Dreams.”

He shuddered a little, adding, “She was not in her most comforting form. But I guess she was ultimately convinced of my sincerity, and I met with the other three the following day.

“I won’t speak of how exactly they confirmed my intentions,” he went on, looking away. “The truth spell they used was… harrowing. Apparently the original version was far worse, but…”

He shook himself.

“Anyway. At length, they were satisfied, and let me get on with my life. No, more than satisfied, they welcomed me. Me, a changeling. An enemy. And… they welcomed me.

“And then, in time of war, they asked me…”

His throat closed, and he swallowed. He lowered his head, eyes closed.

“They asked me to guard their children,” he finished in a whisper.

Sunrise shifted slightly, reached out, and hugged him. Shocked, Black Rainbow tensed for a moment. Then, slowly, uncertainly, he put his arms around her as well, clinging to her in a desperate embrace.

Somewhere in the distance, Sunrise could hear Sweetie Belle’s voice: “Yay!”

“I get it,” Sunrise said, still holding him. “When I came down here, I was terrified. These kids had just seen me at my absolute worst. I’d showed things about myself… well, I mean, I’m glad for the results, but I was pretty ashamed. I still am.”

They pulled apart, and she looked into his insect-like eyes.

“But they welcomed me back,” she said. “They’re my friends, and they welcomed me back.”

He nodded, smiling again. “I saw. It was a beautiful moment.”

Sunrise blushed, looking away as she let go, though she was smiling.

“Okay, yeah, now you made it weird,” she said.

He laughed. As his laughter filled the cavern, many of the foals paused in their various activities. Then, they seemed to kind of shrug and go back to whatever they’d been doing.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “I’m not used to any of this.”

“No problem,” Sunrise said as she settled back down, still smiling. “I’m not either, really. But I’m better than I was.”

He settled down next to her. “Yeah. Me, too.”

For a while they continued to lie side by side, watching the foals under their care. Eventually, Sunrise spoke again.

“Hey, can I ask a potentially personal-slash-sensitive question?”

“You can always ask.”

“Are there others like you?”

The changeling considered the question carefully.

“So far as I know, I’m the only changeling to actively run away from the hive,” he said at last. “But something the Queen learned at Princess Amora’s wedding was the need for more study in matters of imitation. She also determined that long-term infiltration was needed.

“So, shortly after the wedding – I don’t know exactly when – she started sending out sleeper agents. Spies and assassins who would take on a role for months, even years. They would start out as animals or inanimate objects, only becoming ponies after they were certain of their ability to pass. I think they were encouraged to invent their own identities, rather than imitate others, in order to avoid suspicion. Only a few of us can take on an original form perfectly.”

“Like the way your horn is still twisted when you’re a unicorn,” Sunrise nodded.

“Exactly. I made that part of my persona, but most roles don’t offer that option. So there have been a few agents placing themselves in pony culture here and there over time, but probably not many. And all the ones I know of… have turned.”

Sunrise looked at him, surprised. “So, her spies have been going native?”

He shrugged. “That’s as good a term for it as any. In the hive, we learn that love is a sign of weakness, and that feeding upon that weakness is strength. To learn differently through personal experience, well, after a while it demands a change.”

With a bitter smile, he added, “And change, for a changeling, is ironically very difficult. Though obviously not impossible.”

“And the princesses know about this?”

He nodded. “I’m sure of it. When they were testing me, the whole thing felt like something they’d done before, multiple times. I wasn’t the first changeling, nor even the third, to undergo that ordeal.”

“Huh. Wonder why you’re the only one we know about.”

He shrugged, his lambent wings shifting over each other gracefully. “There’s a magical oath of loyalty. It means giving up your powers as a changeling, living as a pony, for as long as you keep the oath.”

“What happens if you break it?”

“No idea. But it’s a magical oath, so probably nothing good. I was going to take it – spores and spines, I was even eager to take it – but at the last minute Princess Celestia said I didn’t have to.”

He looked out at the pegasi looping and playing among the crystal-laden ceiling. “I don’t know why she did, but I’m glad. I don’t have unicorn magic, after all. And it would have meant giving up flight.”

“Well, she usually knows what she’s doing.” Sunrise nodded.

The changeling nodded as well. “Yes. If nothing else, I’m sure my siblings have been a wonderful source of intelligence over the years.”

At that moment, Scootaloo ran over.

“Hey, Thorax!” she called. “We’re gettin’ a buckball game together, and we need another flyer! You in?”

The changeling started, then smiled.

“Buckball, eh?” his wings buzzed in anticipation. “Which team am I on?”

“My team,” the filly grinned.

Thorax’s eyes narrowed as he grinned as well.

“Oh,” he said. “They are in so much trouble.”

With that, the changeling swooped down and scooped up Scootaloo in a deft maneuver, carrying her over in a series of barrel rolls to where the game had been prepared.

Scootaloo's delighted “Wha-hoooooo!” filled the cavern.

While Sunrise looked on, the foals cheered their final player’s arrival, and the game began.

She smiled.

Let Twilight and the other Elements have adventures, she thought, and charge into the fray. Let Luna and Celestia rule, write laws, and dictate matters of war. Let others be the famous warriors, the big-time wizards, and whatever else would find their way into the songs and stories of future generations.

She would protect whoever needed it, and guard and guide those future generations until they were ready to stand on their own.

There was nothing better than that.

Author's Note:

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Sunrise nodded. “I remember seeing you on stage that night. You did seem a little off your game, no offense.”