Think happy thoughts
It was a nice day in Ponyville. Warm, but not hot. Some clouds scattered about the sky. The perfect day to get things done. And many ponies were doing just that. The market was busy, a veritable hive of activity. The streets were crowded with ponies pulling carts, waiting in lines, haggling, and simply passing through to their next errand. The air was full of the sounds of chatter and laughter. Between two market stalls, there was a changeling holding a wooden sign attached to a sharpened stake, carefully keeping it standing up straight.
Whack! Whack! Whack! A chitinous lime green hoof fell heavily onto the top of the sign, driving it into the soft dirt. The same hoof pressed against it, checking its sturdiness. Satisfied, the pastel bug smiled at the result. The sign itself was made of three planks nailed shoddily together, then nailed onto the sharp stake. Dangerous pointy bits of iron protruded where the nails had gone through the wood. Large red letters were painted onto the face of it, with several thin, jagged lines extending down from them where the paint had dripped.
FEED
ME
The changeling hummed happily and sat on his haunches in the grass next to the sign. He put on a huge, dorky grin and stayed like that, observing passing ponies and absorbing their culture (and maybe a little excess emotion that passed his way). His brightly colored green chitin shined brilliantly in the sun, his small horn looking especially wicked as it glinted in the late morning light. Most ponies who glanced his way looked concerned or confused. A few seemed genuinely interested, but ultimately too busy to stop for him. No matter. He wasn't starving. This was just to meet some ponies and get to know them, while getting a little meal on the side.
He was an ambassador. King Thorax had sent him to Ponyville as a permanent representative of the reformed changeling hive. His job was basically to make friends and show ponies what they were all about. Answer questions, learn about ponies, and ultimately make sure Ponyville got along with them.
He was pulled from his thoughts as a mare suddenly trotted up to him.
"Here you go," she said cheerily, placing a half-eaten sandwich on the ground in front of him. He could feel a small surge of pride emanating from her as she smiled more to herself than to the changeling.
"Huh? Wha? Hey, you dropped your sand..." he started to say, but she was already walking away and couldn't hear him. "...wich. Hmm."
Shrugging, he leaned down and ate it straight off the ground. Less than a minute later, he sat back up, chewing on the last bite of sandwich, not minding the bits of dirt and grass that had come with it. His face was flecked with crumbs and soil.
"Mmm-mm! Pony food," he said to himself. He felt a sudden spike of disgust directed at him, emanating from a nearby pony. He turned his head and swiveled his ear tubes toward the source, curiously. He saw a small light pink filly talking to a middle-aged mare who he presumed was her mother. The filly's mane and tail were a faded purple with off-white streaks running through them. Atop her head was a delicate-looking crown of thin, overlapping silver arches topped with silver circles. Her mother had a coat of a darker faded pink, and a deep purple mane with subtle streaks just a small shade lighter. Her nose looked permanently upturned, as if doing it too much had gotten it stuck like that. The changeling could feel the disgust pouring off of her as she glanced his way.
"Yes, mother, really. I'm going over there with or without you," said the small one, confirming his suspicion that they were mother and daughter. He cheered internally at that small success and continued listening.
"We really shouldn't associate ourselves with riff-raff, Diamond Tiara. But, if you insist..." she said with a forced smile.
"I do," the one called Diamond Tiara said with a pleased grin, and trotted toward the changeling. He could feel some trepidation from her, but it was mostly overwhelmed by curiosity and excitement. Her mother, on the other hoof, was a ball of anxiety. She looked around as if worried she might be recognized by one of the many ponies around her. He could sense fear, but oddly, none of it was for her daughter, only herself. Soon they were both standing in front of him.
"Hi there! I'm Diamond Tiara and this is my mom, Spoiled Rich. Who are you?" the filly asked.
"The ambassador!" he replied cheerfully.
"Your name is The Ambassador?" she asked, confused.
"Well, I don't have a name. But it can be!"
"Wait, you don't have a name?" Sensing the confusion building up, he decided to settle this before it got out of hoof.
"Yes. It's Ambassador. My name is Ambassador," Ambassador said.
"Oh. Um... okay!" she said, ignoring the many questions and doubts she had just so she could get past this awkward introduction. "So. Mister Ambassador. Are you hungry?"
Ambassador shook his head. "Not really, no."
More confusion from the little filly. "What are you doing here, then? Why does the sign say 'feed me'?"
"I'm ambassador...ing. Ambassading? Um... Meeting ponies and representing the reformed changeling hive. And maybe getting a meal on the side."
"But I thought you said you weren't hungry."
"I'm not, but I'd never turn down a good meal."
"Well, we don't have any food."
"Sure you do!"
"No, we don't. Wait..." she said, pausing as she remembered something. "Changelings eat emotions, right? Is that what you mean?"
"Yep!"
"You might wanna add that to the sign, then. So ponies don't think you're asking for, you know, food food."
"Ohhh, that's why that pony dropped that sandwich by me," he said in realization. "Thanks, little pony! Er, I mean, Diamond Tiara. Oh, but I don't have my paint here to fix the sign. No matter. I'll do it later!"
Diamond Tiara giggled at the chipper changeling. "So are you, like, eating my emotions right now?"
"Nope!" Ambassador said. "Well, a little, I guess? It's hard to explain. Right now, I'm just absorbing whatever excess comes off of you and other ponies. Did you want to try feeding me?"
A sharp stab of discomfort came from Spoiled Rich, like an icy spike piercing his soul. It seemed maybe she did care for her daughter some. "That is, if your mother is okay with it," Ambassador was quick to amend, keeping his happy smile in place as he turned to her.
The older mare's smile was so awkwardly forced, even a blind pony could see through it. "It's up to her, really," the mare said. "Today is her day, after all."
"It's my birthday!" Diamond Tiara blurted.
"Oh! Happy birthday!" Ambassador said with a cheerful wave of his hoof.
"Thank you. And yes, I do want to feed you. What do I have to do?"
Ambassador lay down on his belly so that his face was level with hers and tilted his head down. "All you have to do is touch my horn and think happy thoughts. Careful, though, it's sharp. And, just pull away if you want to stop at any time," he said with a warm gentleness that reassured the filly.
With only a slight nervous hesitation, Diamond Tiara reached a hoof forward and lightly brushed the side of Ambassador's horn. She instantly felt an odd and somewhat uncomfortable sensation. It was as if some kind of hole had been opened into her soul, and at any moment it could slip through and be lost forever. She felt incredibly vulnerable, but trusted the changeling enough to keep her hoof pressed against his horn. Then she remembered what he had said. Happy thoughts, she thought to herself. Just think happy thoughts.
She ignored the odd and somewhat terrifying feeling of being so exposed, and focused on memories of good times. Her mind's eye saw her best friend, Silver Spoon, sitting across from her at a table, smiling and sipping a chocolate milkshake from a straw. That quickly melted away to the moment she befriended the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and how they had helped her rediscover her own talent. She then thought of her father and how he had taken her to Manehattan to see the sights there. The whole time, she could feel something draining from her, but it wasn't an alarming feeling. Just strange.
Suddenly, the feeling stopped as Ambassador pulled away from her and stood up. She wobbled, surprised at how unsteady she suddenly felt. "Okay, that's enough. I don't want to drain you too much," he said with a smile. "Thank you, Diamond Tiara. That was tasty. You seem to have a lot of love inside you."
The filly blinked a few times and shook her head as if to clear it. "Oh. You're welcome, Mister Ambassador. Were you... reading my mind?"
He shook his head. "No, no. I can't tell what you're thinking. Just what you're feeling."
"Huh. It still felt... weird," she said, already feeling back to her normal self again. "I'm glad I could help! Are you still hungry?"
"Well, I can pretty much always eat more, but any more from you would start to tire you out, and I don't want to ruin your birthday."
"No, not me..." she said with a sly smirk. "Her!" Diamond Tiara pointed a hoof at her mother, who gasped and dropped her jaw in shock.
"Absolutely not, Diamond Tiara!" the mare said. "It's quite enough that you fed that... thing. But I would never. It wouldn't be proper."
The little filly turned on her mother angrily. "Mother," she said with a dangerous edge to her tone, "it's my birthday and you promised. Anything I want today."
Spoiled Rich pulled her head back and looked around as if there might be some escape, then sighed, resigned. "Very well," she said curtly and stepped in front of Ambassador. Her upturned nose turned up even more with a backward tilt of her head and she held out a hoof. "Let's get this over with."
Ambassador was pretty sure he knew how this would go, but decided to do it anyway for Diamond Tiara. Steeling himself, he tilted his head down and gently touched the extended hoof with the side of his horn. She shuddered in discomfort, but said nothing. "Okay, just like she did. Think happy thoughts," he reminded her.
Spoiled Rich thought of her greatest defining moments. When Filthy Rich proposed to her, securing her a place among the elite. Her first trip to Canterlot as a wealthy mare, and how she successfully mingled with the posh ponies she had once been envious of. The moment she had met Cheerilee, a rival from her childhood, and rubbed her wealth in her smug face. Sure, she pretended to be happy, but now she was a homely impoverished mare teaching Spoiled Rich's daughter. Hah. Then she thought of her daughter... Possibly her biggest regr-
Ambassador jerked his horn away from her as soon as he sensed what seemed like a bottomless chasm of buried shame and regret. The selfish pride, the narcissistic love of herself, and even the schadenfreude were all edible. But the feelings that followed felt utterly toxic to him. As quick as he was to break contact, what he absorbed still made him feel slightly ill. "Thank you, Miss Rich," he said quickly, managing to keep a pleasant smile.
She looked at him with a judgmental sneer and snorted before stepping aside.
"Are you full now, Mister Ambassador?" Diamond Tiara asked, unaware of what happened.
"Yes," the changeling lied, "thank you both."
"Yay! I knew that would work!" she cheered. Smiling broadly, she continued. "Well, we should go. I still gotta go pick out a cake and see my friend Silver Spoon. It was nice meeting you, Mister Ambassador!" The two ponies turned and began to leave.
"You too! Happy birthday!" he shouted after her, his normal cheerfulness returning.
"Thank you!" she yelled back, then disappeared into the crowd of ponies.
Ambassador sighed and silently wished her well. He grabbed his sign and pulled it easily from the dirt. It needed to to be fixed anyway, which he could only do at home. Holding it with a hoof, he leaned it against his shoulder and started trotting toward his burrow at the edge of the forest.
It may have been a short day, but he did get one good meal and a name out of it. And half a sandwich.
Stats
Page generated in 0.032 seconds
Total duration
1,105 users online
1,637,088 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I for one would like to see more of this. His reactions to the different ponies in town could be quite interesting. Pinkey pies reaction might lead to indigestion due to over feeding.
I enjoyed it. Not 100% sure why yet, but something about it just..."clicked" with me, I guess.
I would certainly like to see more, that's for sure.
Interesting approach
Hm, this story wasn't that bad. I wouldn't mind seeing an additional chapter or two. Perhaps you could have the changeling's role in Ponyville evolve such that he becomes something of a therapist for the town. You could then introduce him to as many MLP characters as you want and have him help them with any insecurities they might have. Sunset, Starlight, Luna, and maybe even Trixie would be good contestants.
I fuckin' love it
Changelings being changelings around other ponies is an automatic win for me. I love how you portray the feeding, and I love redeemed Diamond Tiara. The world needs more of her.
I think that this would be a lot of fun as a series of one-shots, and it would be great to see more chapters.
Okay, I did not expect to get this much support this fast. I'm gonna go ahead and mark it as incomplete, and get started on some more. Thanks a ton, you're all awesome.
Love the characterization in this. Diamond’s little “I do” was perfect. It seemed that everything just seemed to fit so well in this little story. :D
9347260
I am super glad to hear that. I imagine that, even though she's not a bully anymore, she's still kind of a spoiled child with her parents and will take every chance she can to get her way.
9347243
Getting this kind of praise from you is really fantastic. I do plan to have each chapter kind of be their own contained story, just with the same changeling and his sign. I do love DT as well, especially reformed. There is a lot of potential for good character depth there all around.
Shouldn't he go to Twilight to announce his arrival, and maybe get some tips on how to go about being an ambassador?
9347293
That would make a lot of sense. So much that I'm glad I didn't think of it myself or I might have scrapped the idea and tried something else. As it stands, I'm sure there is some awfully convenient reason that didn't happen. I'll just have to figure out what it is.
Ditto what everybody else said. It's a fun little idea, and it's easy to see how it could continue.
I can totally see this as a little series of one-shots, how Ambassador reacts to each pony's various emotions. An anthology would be great.
You don't need to go this route at all, but there's another potential route if you'd like to go with a long-term continuity instead (at least, this was the first thing that came to my mind): 9347204 mentioned him becoming a potential therapist, and I think that could work quite well. First step is to talk to clients and see if he can help out that way (the preferable way), but if the pony seems too difficult to help—since you mentioned he could drain ponies of their emotions—he could do a very selfless act and drain their negative emotions, making each client feel exponentially better, but at the cost of him needing to hold those emotions himself. Over time, holding so much negative emotion could cause him to go into a bit of an overload, and ([insert next step here]—I don't want to suggest him doing any self-harm, since he's too cute for that). Just a thought that crossed my mind. Do with it what you will.
9347335
I actually like this idea a lot. I can't make any promises about what I'll write past this story, but that is definitely worth keeping in mind. Thanks for the feedback!
9347300
Don't get me wrong. I think it's funny and entertaining as it is. It does emphasize the idea of this all being new and foreign to the changelings. What I bring up in the previous question seems like an obvious idea, but at the same time, it could be so obvious to the ponies that none thought to tell the changelings, who never had an ambassador or such before, about doing so, and they not thinking about it because -- again -- this all all new to them and something they have no experience with.
Reminds me of the Bucking Nonsense story about free hugs.
OK, so no one can say I never read this. This story featured a simpleton story with a retarded third grader-esque interaction between a bum ass changeling with no sense of his surroundings and a very out-of-character Diamond Tiara. (NO, I DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE WRITTEN ANYTHING TO OPEN MY MOUTH ON QUALITY) I get to enact my critic's entitlement now by putting this here...
9347509
I know some people don't appreciate your comments, but I still love you.
9347515
Hey, its in my tag line, I am an asshole. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not pursuing some ulterior motive related to trolling. I actually can be a pretty good sport when people can see between the lines and not get butthurt over a few thorny comments over some silly fanfics. Though the angry triggered responses are good entertainment.
I must admit this story has a lot of potential to it and a lot of ways to go. In my opinion reading how the changling discovers ponyville could be a lot of fun, can't wait for another chapter. Keep them coming bro!
well, consider me intrigued.
Well, this is pretty darn brilliant. There's not enough good Diamond Tiara fics around here these days (and don't get me started on some of the stuff that clutters up the Features Box) so this is an ideal early Christmas present for me. Thank you!
I think he would have gotten better results if he had the sign say "Hug me!" instead.
It would help reinforce the notion that changeling buggos are cuddly-huggo-bugs. Better PR, I guess.
As a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong supporter of the changling internship program, along with the changeling union, changling internships for food, the Changing placement program, and various other changing related relationship development programs and group, I support slice of life feel good changing fics
Oof.
I like it, even if it kinda stings to read.
This is cute! The changeling sounds adorable. Spoiled Rich is a spoiled, er, b*tch...even her daughter isn't a happy thought. Bleh.
Speaking of happy thoughts, I found a pastel changeling plushie for sale on Etsy today! Yay. Finally. I've been wanting to add a new-style changeling to my massive collection of pony toys that totally belong to my kids and not me for a long time.
9347342
Oh, well, that’s easy. Look at the rest of the way he conducts himself. He probably didn’t tell Twilight because the thought honestly never even occurred to him.
I found it a little strange that any changeling would be nameless, judging by how that doesn't appear to be the case in the show - I feel it was more a case of individual names not having much use until the changelings moved past Chrysalis's old hive-mind setup, but it's a small observation, really.
Very cute little story. Good, very unique character interactions - Tiara and Spoiled are the last characters I'd see interacting with buggos, but now that Tiara is reformed this sort of thing is entirely plausible.
Buggos should set up shop in the Crystal Empire as well. I hear those guys have all sorts of love to give.
9347906
Link? Now I am curious, I've only seen Thorax and Pharynx as plushies.
9348026
Yeah, this is actually exactly my reasoning for most changelings not having names in my headcanon. Hive mind communication making them unnecessary. I like to think Thorax was kind of a rebel and wanted a name even if it was looked down upon by the queen. And even after he took over and they reformed, some of them just still hadn't bothered getting around to getting names. I imagine the hive mind is something that still exists for them, just interconnectivity between them that lets them instantly communicate thoughts and ideas to each other. And some of them just didn't really care about having a name until it became convenient. As for Pharynx, he was important enough to have earned a name, I think.
I'm sure none of this would hold true in the show if it came up, but it's how I like to imagine things being for them. Anyway, thanks so much for the feedback! And everyone else too, all the comments and stuff are really amazing to see.
Very interesting, I'll have to follow this
9348061
A random changeling was named 'Cornicle' in the S7 Premiere, but seeing as that was Twilight's fantasy it doesn't really count I suppose. I could easily see Thorax encouraging everyone to find names for themselves, in such a headcanon.
9348043
Well, she's actually Ocellus, but she's still adorbs. https://www.etsy.com/listing/590557932/ocellus-changeling-plush-toy-made-to?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=changeling+plushie&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1
9348113
those prices are a smiged out of my price range
Interesting. You need more chapters. As many as you feel like I suppose, but more regardless. Any Background or even main ponies you feel like including and psychoanalyzing :-)
9348195
Normally, me too. However...I do need to buy myself a Christmas present. What's better than a brand new adorable toy?
9348246
Nice
More! :)
9348113
Oooh, okay. That's cute, too. :3 I'd start throwing money away for regular reformed drones tbh. Maybe just a set of three or something.
This is no normal Changeling Drone, It's actually...... media1.tenor.com/images/5a7e3f2635a57c64676048a5305e1afa/tenor.gif?itemid=3576408
Ryback impersonating a Changeling! I swear!
Oh man, I was leaning down starting to get into it and then it stopped. I suppose that's kinda a good sign. I enjoyed it. More por favor.
Here's hoping we get to see Ambassador get up to some actual politicking in Canterlot, or nobles coming to Ponyville to attempt to garner favor with him. So much potential, I look forward to more!
I imagine that, over time and as he meets and gets to know ponies, his sign is going to change a lot and become a lot more detailed.
Wait Astral I have a question. Do you plan on continuing this as a series or wait a bit?
9348622
I plan to write at least a couple more chapters, more as standalone stories about the changeling and his sign than a tightly knit complex story. As in, the chapters will kind of loosely lead into each other, and there won't be some complex problem that gets solved. I guess the focus will be things that happen to him from day to day, and some character development of the sign. And the changeling I guess.
This is an amazing interpretation and description of it. I'm probably going to steal it.
That picture is adorable. Where's it from? Also, the story you wrote is quite cute too.
9348851
Just a picture I found on derpibooru, by an artist named Sapphfyr. It really fit the description well, being the right shade of green and also sitting down. And it's just cute as hell.
This was an engaging first chapter, and a well-written one-shot. I like the way you described all the emotions around him. Ambassador is a rather polite one too, and it's nice to see a story showing Diamond Tiara in a positive light. Thank you kindly for sharing.
That sounds a bit unnerving. She wasn't in any kind of danger, was she?
9349047
Thank you! That means a lot coming from a master of slice of life like you.
And no, no danger unless he wanted to harm her. I imagine that for a changeling to drain a pony of their emotion, they have to place them into a very vulnerable place first. They're forcing access to something that ponies should inherently not be losing. I dunno, that's just kind of the best way I could describe what I imagined she would be feeling as a result of him accessing her emotions.
9349068
Thank you for the compliment. 
Ahh, I see. Thanks for the reply. 
Aww! "a master of slice of life"?! I'm touched.