Subject 114: Unexpected Assistance
I waited for what seemed like forever. Nothing. Confound it all. Was I really going crazy? No...no way. I could have sworn that I was able to sense something. Something...sinister and sickly. I couldn’t see it but I knew it was there. Okay, but there was no way in Tartarus’ name that I would simply stand idle while something went down. I had to go investigate some more. So I took a few steps out across the field surrounding the school to see what I could find.
“Nothing...yet this damned sensation won’t go away.” I tapped the side of my head as I began to think. “What to do, what to do...oh, I got it.”
This called for a more taciturn approach.
Inside the Schoolhouse…
Being a teacher was more enlightening than I could have ever imagined. So many wonderful young ponies off to lead successful, meaningful lives--partly due to my positive influence? It was enough to make this older lady cry.
Snips for instance. He had managed to become a surgeon! Just how he managed to do that I will never know. But I was elated to know that he found his calling in life--something that helps other ponies.
Snails had followed in my hoofsteps and become a professor for animal biology. Zoology I think it was called. I was overjoyed due to the fact that he was inspired by what I did with my life, and decided to make his own path with it.
Cotton Cloudy had grown up to be a professional cloud sculptor. Something that I didn’t even know existed. How does one manage to sculpt and shape clouds? She showed me pictures of her artwork and they were all stunning. Art of the Pony Lisa and the Mare With Earring to be precise.
Truffle Shuffle had become a professional chef. Apparently, he worked in so many different restaurants over the years that he finally decided to start up his own. The first fine dining establishment in Ponyville to be precise. He even gave me a special coupon that took 50% off a meal for two. Now who would I bring with me?
Button Mash was now a graphics designer. To be honest, I had never fully understood the appeal of video games until very recently. And now? Mash was helping craft imagery for films, documentaries, games, and other mediums. I couldn’t wait to see what he had come up with in the last few years. Though one of his greatest achievements was helping work on the upcoming Power Ponies movie as an artist. Now I was certainly going to go see it.
Overall? I was just so happy it was indescribable. Though I did notice that Pale had gone absent. Was he off snooping around for evidence? Or did he eat too much of the pizza that was ordered for the party? Either way, I hoped he returned soon--he was easily the greatest achievement I had made in the last decade if that made any sense. The fact that I had come into contact with somepony that cared about me so much and managed to keep ahold of him for this long...well it was an achievement unto itself.
But where was he?
I heard Applebloom call out to me which halted my thoughts. “Cheerilee!”
“Hm? Oh. Yes, Applebloom?”
She beckoned me to come on over for a few pictures. “C’mon! Let’s get some photos of our class together!”
I clapped my hooves, and trotted over to meet them. “Ooh, that sounds like fun!”
Outside…
It wasn’t long now. I knew that someone was out here because their aura felt closer and closer. But the more I took time to search, the less I found. In fact, I only managed to acquire more questions than answers due to my search.
“I don’t get it,” I muttered to myself, “It feels as if the magical ambience is practically right on top of me. They have to be nearby. Unless…” I took a look directly upwards. The clouds in the sky had suspiciously lingered above the schoolyard the entire time. Could it be?
Only one way to find out.
I picked up a nearby rock in my hoof, and launched it into the air with all of the might I had.
FWOOSH!
I stared with a keen set of eyes. The rock went straight into the air, and struck something--or rather, someone.
“OW!”
Moments later, someone hit the ground. It looked like a pegasus pony at first, but wait--they could simply fly! This had to be the work of…
The pegasus pony reverted back to their bluish-black form with green hair and solid green eyes.
“A changeling,” I growled, and stepped forward, “Just who are you, and what are you doing here?”
For a moment or two, they stayed silent. It wasn’t until I got close enough to prod them that they finally replied. “...Not one more movement. Lest your wife’s entire class becomes food for the hive.” The voice sounded feminine and raspy in tandem with a multi-layered voice that was similar to Chrysalis and Elytra’s.
“Ghh…” I let out a small gasp, and scowled. “What do you want, you insect?”
The new breed of changeling stood up, and fluttered her tattered wings. “You. Just come quietly, and nothing bad will happen. I can promise you that.”
I shook my head. No way in hell was I going to adhere to some nonsensical prattle. “Your words are meaningless. I’ll be placing you under arrest immediately and taken in for questioning.”
She let out a sigh. “Pity, though not unexpected. If you want to die like the macho-stallion you claim to be, then you can do just that. But first, you will be food for Elytra--whether you submit or not.” She licked her lips--a disgusting, almost alien substance of saliva stained her teeth, “And I can already tell that your body contains thick, juicy, decadent love that can satisfy the entire hive!”
I almost laughed as I stared down the beast of a bug. “I’d rather sell my soul than feed any of you. What you’re doing is going to hurt the entire planet in the long run. If you take away everypony’s love and suck the planet dry, you’ll all die out from malnourishment. It’s the exact reason why Chrysalis’ hive went bad. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it’?” I stomped my hoof. “Because that is exactly what you’re about to do if you keep this up.”
“Oh look at you,” she mocked me as she put her hooves up to her cheeks and squished them to make herself look ‘cuter’, “You think you’re just so smart by rattling off quotes from somepony that was probably better than you.” She placed her hooves back down, dropped the facade, and stared at me with an unimpressed frown. “Look. At the end of the day, I don’t give a flying femur about you or those kids in that school. I’m just doing my job because it’s the only way to survive or else I die. We aren’t like those other changelings you know that are led by that punk of a ruler Thorax--more like Snorax, am I right? So either you accept this is how it has to be, or kill us. Kill us all like the bloodthirsty monster you are!” she hissed at me.
Damn. The last thing I wanted to do was fall back into old habits. I genuinely figured that, if Thorax and the other changelings could be rehabilitated, then so can these. But she spoke as if there was really no hope for the ‘Elytra’ hive, and all they could do was eat the souls of others, conquer, and nothing else.
But there had to be another way...right?
“Time’s ticking, bud,” she hissed once more, “make a decision before I raid that entire building of its love.”
Buck me. This was especially annoying because Trixie had been spying on me, Starlight had expressly told me not to get involved, and Twilight wanted me to relax. Unfortunately for me, my existence seemed to attract danger wherever I went. Was I just that unlucky and unable to do anything right for the sake of those around me? Was I eternally cursed to bring about destruction no matter what happened?
Gah, get your mind out of the coffin, Pale. I’m better than that, I know I am.
I took a look at my flank for a split second. I eyed my puzzle-piece outline cutie mark, and tilted my neck both ways to loosen my joints. I stood on my hind legs, and got into a combat stance. “You’ll go no further. For her sake…” I planted my hooves firmly into the ground, which made the earth crack beneath where I stood. “I will not fail!”
“Hmph.” The changeling clapped her hooves twice--as a signal for an attack, “Suit yourself.”
A swarm of the new ‘Elytra’ hive changelings flew down from the clouds above, and surrounded me in the Schoolyard. There were at least one hundred of them. I had no idea if I could realistically take them on my own.
“Heh. Not bad--but as soon as one pony in that building glances out the window, they’ll be out of here before you can blink,” I responded in a casual fashion.
“Oh no, they won’t be able to tell,” the female bug-pony that I had been speaking to snapped back, “Our disguise magic can transcend the entire environment. Not just our bodies. When they look out here, all they’ll see is what appears to be you resting beneath a tree.” She cracked a wide smirk, and took a mocking sort of bow. “Genius, I know. No need to thank me.”
“Tch…” Well I had to admit, I was as good as bucked in this situation. It was extremely hard to pinpoint the magical aura of each changeling that surrounded me on all sides with hungry looks in their solid green eyes. It was pretty bad, and I knew I couldn’t exactly do this alone. “Rrgh...I need help here…”
SHIIIING!
My ear flicked. The sound of crystalline, frozen ice caught my attention. I looked up, and saw a blue stallion ride an entire path of ice through the air. He jumped, performed a backflip, and landed right next to me with his back against my own. He had a hood on, a distinct cold blue coat color, a mane that was slicked back with one half blue and the other yellow, and a pair of amber eyes with the left having a scar that went down it--but it seemed like he could see just fine through it. I could tell he was a bit older than I was, and more experienced as well.
Wait a second, he was an earth pony! The same one that I had seen a few times before! How could he control the element of ice?!
After his entrance, all he said were a few simple words.
“Just follow my lead. Stay focused, stay alive.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.036 seconds
Total duration
988 users online
420,490 hits today, 2,054,621 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.®
From a meta standpoint, being a fanfiction protagonist means that whoever is in that role is already born unlucky. Twilight wasn’t just born with a silver spoon, she’s also BORN lucky! The only bad thing that happened to her was Tirek destroying the Golden Oaks.
10565394
LOL. You have a point. I wished that it stayed around longer or that Twilight at least built a new library.
😁 Nice to have Cheerilee's POV in this, too.
😟 And it's like I said, Pale is a magnet for trouble. What the hell do these new changelings want with him? It doesn't make sense.
🤔 Hmm. Good question about the ice powers. Reminds me of Rundas from Metroid Prime 3. Is this Rarity's hubby coming to the rescue?
10565411
I’m starting to understand why Sunset and Trixie are envious of Twilight. Starlight, on the other hand, is a communistic cheeky tart who makes most edgelords shiver with her crap backstory. Honestly, even complete monsters have better stores than her!
Unfortunately, Ponyville is still stuck with the crystal eyesore.
10565420
It's all part of their plan....you'll see. 😁
And yes, Cheerilee deserved to give her perspective.
And it might be him. Stay tuned!
10565444
Yeah I'm not the biggest fan of Starlight either.
And yeah that castle has always looked weird.
‘You’re only hurting the planet.’ I remember hearing that when I was a kid but it was about wolves. People thought wolves were hurting the forest but when they removed them, the herbivores caused more damage than the predators. What if somewhere in Chrysalis’ and Elytra’ mind a reason they have to steal love? I mean you don’t create something good that change everything without a drawback. Cartoons, anime and videogames always show them drawbacks. Also about what she said about survival; perhaps that what all Changelings do in the past; survive the changing world as some races believe they’re superior. Where’s the drawback where Thorax convince the Changelings to share love and change into their new forms? I mean Discord reform and yet, he nearly got of Equestria destroyed for helping Twilight and never got punished or hated for his actions?! Where the hell is the surprising twist where you play, read or watch appears when you never expected it to happen?
10565394
Agree with you on that. Everything was victory was base on luck.
10565554
You make good points. Things are only going to get better. You'll see!
10565599
Or worst. There’s always a possibility for better or for worst.