Chapter 4
Forever a Changeling
by Scootaloo-009, a.k.a. Mechsrule1
My Little Pony and related names, images, and scenarios are property of Hasbro Inc.
Chapter 4
Smoke burst from the train’s smoke stack. The wheels began turning. Slowly it edged its way out of the station.
“So?” Twilight asked once it had vanished from sight. They’d gone almost nonstop from Los Pegasus to Manehattan, stopping only long enough to pick up some of their traveling things in Ponyville.
Rainbow Dash sniffed the air. “Eh. It’s really hard to tell. I can’t really work out what’s a changeling smell and what just stinks. I think the only way I’ll know is if I smell something you can’t.”
“That’s okay, my original plan was to walk around and cast my detection spell until I found it.”
“They’ll see that coming, Twilight. That’s probably what happened to the other unicorn. They saw him or her and attacked when they got the chance.”
“So what do you suggest we do?”
“We should definitely stick together for one thing. Do you know where the other unicorn was when they were attacked?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“No and I can’t track them either unless I knew who they were.”
“Do you atleast know where they were staying?”
“Princess Celestia did say they were at the Grand Hotel for three days before they stopped sending progress reports,” Twilight answered. “She already booked me a room there.”
“Great idea. We just stay at the same place the last guy went missing at.”
“It would still be a good place to start,” Twilight shot back. “We should head right there.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rainbow Dash couldn’t stop looking at the city around them. She’d never been to Manehattan before. It was about as populated as Cloudsdale but there were far fewer pegasi and far more unicorns and earth ponies. Most were dressed in suits and dresses, making the two of them stand out in their nudity.
Rainbow Dash was very glad that her pony sense was inactive by default. She would have surely been overwhelmed by now if she hadn’t worked out how to turn it off. She looked over at Twilight who didn’t seem as nearly as interested. I wonder if she’s just focused or used to big cities. I wonder...
Queen Ovi had explained how to actually sense ponies by their emotions but had emphasised that it was difficult to master. An experienced changeling could walk into a party and tell the exact emotional state of everypony in the room. An amatuer would be a fast learner if they could even count the number of ponies.
Rainbow Dash did as she had been instructed and opened her mind, letting the feelings of the nearby ponies just-
“Ack!” Rainbow Dash cried out and clutched her throbbing head. It was like a thousand radios had all turned on at once inside her head. She couldn’t understand any of it and it was becoming more and more painful so she closed herself off again, hoping the agony would go away quickly.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, putting a hoof on her back.
Rainbow Dash looked up and saw several ponies were staring at her. “Stubbed my hoof,” she lied to the crowd.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Twilight and Rainbow Dash entered the glittering building through a revolving door. The lobby was immaculate, with marble tile, and a great open area that went up to the very top floor. From almost the entire lobby they could see every single floor. Behind them, Twilight carried her luggage with her magic. She’d brought two large suitcases while Rainbow Dash had only brought her saddlebags.
“Welcome to the Grand Hotel. How may I help you?” asked a reddish unicorn wearing formal attire.
“I’m Twilight Sparkle, I believe Princess Celestia already informed you I was coming?”
“Yes, I was expecting you, but I didn’t know you had a guest,” he said. “I’m Highrise, the manager. We will have to give you a different room, the one we had set up only has one bed.”
“I’m sorry if we’re being a bother,” Twilight said.
He dismissively waved a hoof. “This whole thing is so embarrassing. A court mage vanishes without a trace in my hotel.”
“Any sign of a struggle?”
“No. When we found he was missing, it was when a maid went to clean his room. It was like it had already been cleaned without a trace of him anywhere. Nopony saw him leave either. We left the room as it was so you can see it for yourself.”
“Thank you.”
“If you come with me, I’ll get you the key to his room and your room key,” Highrise said. He turned and walked over to the desk.
Twilight followed but noticed Rainbow Dash had wandered out of the lobby at some point.
“Could I get the key to room 610, please?” Highrise asked one of the receptionists. She quickly got it and hoofed it to him. “Also we need to move room 1018 to a room with two beds.”
“I’ll see what we have available,” the receptionist said. She rifled through a notebook. “1025 is available.” She went over to a big board covered in keys and took one down. She returned to the desk and gave it to Highrise.
“Perfect. Here are the keys.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said, seeing Rainbow Dash had returned out of the corner of her eye. “I think we’ll go look at his room first.” Twilight gave a slight bow then walked over to Rainbow Dash. “Did you find something?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Rainbow Dash said, her head turned so she was looking down one of the first floor hallways. “Do you smell that? I know the smell from somewhere, but I just can’t place it.”
Twilight shook her head. “I don’t smell anything.”
“Do we have our room?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yes, it’s on the top floor.”
“Good. Let’s go. I’ll tell you about it there.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The room was quite the surprise. It must have been a suite of some sort because the amenities were top notch. It even had a mini kitchen area. Rainbow Dash had initially gagged at the sight of all the hanging paintings and lacy curtains but one she laid down on one of the beds, she changed her mind.
“Okay, so what is it you wanted to say?” Twilight asked once she had laid her suitcases on one of the beds.
“Feels just like a cloud!” she sighed, a contented smile on her face.
“Rainbow Dash, could you please tell me?”
“Oh, right,” Rainbow Dash said, leaning forward. “Down in the lobby I think I caught a whiff of another changeling.”
“Are you sure?”
“No, but you didn’t smell it, so it probably is. Trouble is, I can’t get to her.”
“Why?”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A few minutes earlier
Rainbow Dash and Twilight entered the hotel lobby. There seemed to be a pony waiting for them and Twilight went off to talk with him. Rainbow Dash moved to join her but something caught her attention.
She sniffed the air several times. It smelled like... like... She couldn’t place the smell exactly. It was so familiar too, like something she was always around but she just couldn’t remember it now. The scent was faint, but as Rainbow Dash walked through the lobby it grew a bit stronger. Still curious, she followed the smell into one of the halls leading off the main room. She stopped in front of a set of open double doors.
Rainbow Dash peeked inside and found the room was full of ponies in fancy outfits milling about, talking. There was a large sign just inside the door reading “The AflUNIent Club Annual Meeting”
“Huh.” Rainbow Dash looked and saw they were all unicorns. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. One flash of blue later and her wings had vanished, instead a little horn poked through her mane. Confidently she walked into the room only to walk straight into two burly earth ponies in hotel uniforms.
“Name?” one barked.
“Uh... Rainbow Dash?” she said nervously.
The other pony took out a clipboard and flipped through the pages. “You’re not on the list. This convention is for club members only. Get lost.”
“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash snarled, getting close. They didn’t budge. She snorted but stormed out. Once outside the door she changed back to her normal form then returned to the lobby.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“The AflUNIent Club,” Twilight repeated, looking thoughtful. “I’ve heard of it. You think the changeling we’re looking for is hiding in there?”
“No, I don’t,” Rainbow Dash replied. “The meeting is all weekend and it just started today. If it was the changeling that attacked the mage, then why is it still here? Still, I’d like to check out his room to be sure.”
“We should unpack first,” Twilight said, pointing to one of her suitcases lying on the bed. She opened it with a spark of magic and began carefully taking out the items one by one and placing them where they should be.
“Done,” Rainbow Dash said. Twilight looked over, surprised she had finished so soon. All Rainbow Dash had apparently brought was a simple rainbow colored dress, which was now hanging up, a Daring Do book, some sunglasses, and a pack of gum.
“Rainbow Dash, that’s all you brought? We could be here awhile!”
“This is all I need. Probably more, but I’m working on my third readthrough of Daring Do. I’m the fourth book already!”
“But what about a hair brush, money?” Twilight exclaimed.
“I have some bits on me. I don’t need anything else.”
“No toothbrush?” Twilight said, opening her mouth and sticking her tongue out in disgust.
“If I get a cavity I can just give myself a new tooth,” Rainbow Dash said dryly. “If I want to style my mane, I can do it in two seconds.”
Twilight thought about it for a moment. “You’ll still get bad breath.”
“That’s what the gum is for.”
“Princess Celestia was nice enough to get this room for us but we’re on our own for meals.”
“You mean you’re on your own,” Rainbow Dash corrected. “I’m not eating.”
“What?” Twilight exclaimed.
“I don’t need to eat. I figure, why bother? It’s just a waste of food.”
“Surely you’ll still get hungry...”
Rainbow Dash snorted and smirked to herself. “It’s funny how I never noticed I never got really hungry unless I was away from other ponies. I haven’t eaten since... well since I found out I’m a changeling. I still feel just as full.”
“So you’re not ever going to eat again? Just like that?”
“Saves a lot of hassle,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I’m going to go check out the other room.”
“Here’s the key,” Twilight said, a worried look on her face.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rainbow Dash entered room 610 and at once began sniffing around. It was faint but she definitely smelled something. It wasn’t like the brothel but it was definitely foul smelling.
She didn’t know anything about detective work so she basically walked around and waited for Twilight to come along. The room itself was suspicious. It was too clean, too orderly. According to the letter, the mage had been staying here for three days before he vanished, yet the room was as neat and tidy as though it had been unused. There was no sign of any luggage or a struggle of any kind.
“You two must leave.”
Rainbow Dash whipped around and saw a light purple pegasus in the doorway.
“What did you say to me?” Rainbow Dash snarled.
“Leave. Or be killed.”
“I’d like to see you make me,” Rainbow Dash shouted. She bent her knees and stared him down.
“Fool.” The pony was engulfed in purple flame for an instant. It was no longer a pony but a changeling with a purple shell and no mane or tail. Faster than she could follow, the changeling pounced on her and the two began rolling around on the floor. The changeling went for her neck.
Her hoof forced, Rainbow Dash responded with her own burst of blue fire. The other changeling's fangs couldn’t pierce her thick black skin. She kept bludgeoning him and he battered her back.
“Stop!”
The two stopped and looked at the door. There stood Twilight. The unicorn’s horn glowed and the other changeling was forcibly yanked off of Rainbow Dash and into a wall.
“Colt am I glad to see you,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “How did you know which was me?”
“I sort of guessed,” Twilight said sheepishly.
“Fools!” the changeling shouted.
“Stay right where you are!” Twilight ordered.
“You two leave. And take that unicorn with you!”
The changeling looked at the two of them. It must have changed its mind about fighting them because it turned and began running for the window. Rainbow Dash gave chase. She half expected him to do something before he hit the window but instead as he neared there was a flash of purple and suddenly he was outside.
“Wah?” Rainbow Dash said before she slammed into the window herself. She slumped down onto the floor. “Ow.” Beyond the window the changeling had turned back into a purple pegasus and was now flying off into the distance.
“Are you alright?” Twilight exclaimed, rushing over.
“Yeah. I guess we know how they got him out without anypony seeing,” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her face.
“Short range teleport. That’s something I haven’t seen a changeling do before. At least we know where the changeling is.”
“No we don’t,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“Huh?” Twilight said, confused.
“That guy smelled just like this room did. It’s not the same one I smelled earlier.”
“That means there are at least two here!”
“Right. And that other one...” Rainbow Dash went quiet. “I think they’re a sibling.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“I’m sorry but I can’t let you go into the convention if you’re not a member,” Highrise said.
“But sir, we are certain there is a changeling in there,” Twilight replied.
“The AflUNIent Club is the single biggest event this hotel sees. Nothing else even comes close to the amount of money those stuck up unicorns spend. I cannot jeopardize that for anything. They’ve been having their annual meeting here every year since they formed. They pay very well to keep non-members out. If there really is a changeling in there you’ll have to wait for them to get out. I’m sorry.”
“But...” Twilight whined.
“Come on, we’ll figure something out,” Rainbow Dash said. She practically dragged Twilight away and into one of the hallways leading off the lobby. She kept walking until she found a bathroom and forced Twilight inside.
“Um... What are we doing in here?” Twilight asked as Rainbow Dash checked the stalls to see if there was anypony there.
“Can you lock the door?” she asked once she was sure they were alone.
Twilight rolled her eyes, but cast a simple locking spell. “What’s this all about?”
“If we’re going to get in there, we’ll need to find a pony who’s already in there that I can disguise as.”
“And the reason we’re in a bathroom?”
“Well I don’t think it would be a smart idea to talk about this out there, and we need a place to put the pony.”
“This doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Twilight said nervously.
“Do you have a better one?”
“Well... no...”
“Hang on,” Rainbow Dash said. She turned to the mirror and focused. A second later her wings were gone and once again there was a horn poking out of her mane. “There.”
“Hey, now there’s an idea,” Twilight said. “Why don’t we at least try getting in by saying we want to join?”
“That’s... yeah, let’s do that.”
“But you can’t go out like that,” Twilight said, walking over. “You need to at least look nice.”
“Fine,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. She turned back to the mirror. “Hmm...” She thought back to a fashion magazine she'd glimpsed in Rarity’s store one day. She focused hard and let out the burst of blue fire. “How’s that?”
Twilight had to laugh at the incredibly ridiculous mane Rainbow Dash was now sporting. It was so unlike her. Each color had been separated into individual locks that were now draped at various angles. “Just one thing. Your cutie mark.”
“What about it?” Rainbow Dash asked, biting her lip.
“It’s clearly a pegasus cutie mark. You’ll have to change it.”
“Sure, why not? It’s not like it’s even real!” Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted.
“Rainbow... You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to...”
“I don’t have to, but I have to. I have to know if this changeling knows anything I don’t. I have to.” Rainbow Dash’s flank burst into blue flames, replacing the rainbow lightning bolt with a rainbow stretching between two clouds. She closed her eyes and turned her head away. “Is this good?”
“They’ll probably buy that. Let’s go.” Twilight went over to the door and removed the spell. Rainbow Dash lingered at the mirror before following. Twilight walked through the hallway towards the convention hall. As she watched, Rainbow Dash began walking more confidently.
“I hope they’ll let us in,” Rainbow Dash said as they neared.
“Well, hello,” came a voice from behind them. They turned and saw an off white unicorn with an azure mane standing there. He was wearing a suit and a monocle and was looking at them with interest. “Have we met before? You two seem ladies seem very familiar... Now I remember! You’re friends of Miss Rarity, right?”
“Uh, yeah,” Twilight replied quickly.
He leaned in and looked closely at Rainbow Dash. She held her breath for a few tense seconds. “Say, I could have sworn you were a pegasus.”
“Er...” Twilight mumbled.
“That-” Rainbow Dash began, then she cleared her throat. “That’s a common mistake, darling. You are probably thinking of my twin sister, Rainbow Dash. I’m Rainbow Posh.”
Twilight had to force herself not to stare at Rainbow Dash. Her voice had completely changed and she sounded like a combination of Rarity and Princess Luna. She was even talking like Rarity normally did.
“Rainbow Posh?” the dapper unicorn said curiously.
Rainbow Dash waved a hoof dismissively and rolled her eyes. “Parents.”
“So what brings you to Manehatten?”
“We were taking a vacation and we heard about this AflUNIent Club. It sounds simply fascinating but they would not let us in,” Rainbow Dash explained.
“Why don’t you ladies come with me? I’ll see about that.” The unicorn moved passed by them and walked off towards the hall. Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at eachother then followed.
”I didn’t know you could do that with your voice,” Twilight whispered. “Is there anything else Queen Ovi told you when she kicked me out of the room?”
Rainbow Dash coughed again then spoke in her normal voice. “Even I didn’t know I could do that. I told you basically everything she told me.”
“Basically?”
Rainbow Dash smirked and coughed. “Basically,” she replied, sounding exactly like Twilight.
“Okay, that’s creepy.”
Rainbow Dash replied by coughing again.
“Name?”
“Fancy Pants.”
Twilight hadn’t even noticed they were already outside the convention hall. Two burly earth ponies were blocking the entrance. One was busy flipping through some papers at the moment.
“Welcome, sir,” the earth pony said, putting the papers away.
“Your names?” the other asked Rainbow Dash and Twilight.
“They are with me,” Fancy Pants answered. “Prospective members.”
“Very well,” the second earth pony said. The two backed away, allowing the three to enter.
“This is a virtual who’s who of unicorns!” Rainbow Dash commented, once more in her cover voice.
“It is, isn’t it,” Fancy Pants agreed.
“Why, is that-” Rainbow Dash trailed off. She took off in a brisk walk toward some unseen pony.
When it became apparent Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to come back soon, Twilight settled in, staying near Fancy Pants as he met with various unicorns, very few she had ever heard of.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Hey, Twilight.”
Twilight turned around to see Rainbow Dash standing behind her. She had been gone almost an hour by Twilight’s count and Twilight was about to fall asleep from boredom. It was an entirely new feeling for her. She could listen to any professor lecture for hours and not lose her focus once, but hearing these unicorns drone on about what they just bought or how their foal is doing in some private school was torture. She could understand why Applejack hated this city so much.
“Did you find it?” Twilight asked.
“Her,” Rainbow Dash corrected. “And I’m pretty sure. I went around the room twice and I found the mare who smells the strongest, though she could have just been hugging the changeling for a long time before coming here. I need some way to be certain.”
“I have an idea,” Twilight replied. “How good are you at controlling your pheromones?”
“Uh... I don’t know? I can’t smell my own so I can’t tell if it’s working but I do know the basics.”
“My idea is we test to see if she can smell you, then we’ll know.”
“What, we walk up and say, ‘hey, can you smell me?’, yeah that will go over real well,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes.
Twilight scowled and used her magic to conjure a glass jar with some water in it. She levitated it over to Rainbow Dash who held it and looked at her with one brow cocked.
“You’ll have to play along. Try to not release any pheromones until I tell you to open the jar, then go into overdrive. Can you do that?”
“I’ll try.”
Twilight excused herself and left the group. “Where is she?”
“She’s this way,” Rainbow Dash answered, pushing her way through the throngs of unicorns. “She’s light green with a light blue mane.”
Twilight looked at the crowd. “The one that’s... kind of acting like how Fluttershy would be here?” The unicorn she saw was looking about, trying to to be see in the congregation of ponies.
“Yeah.”
Twilight began moving towards the nervous pony while Rainbow Dash followed. She focused on staying as emotional as she could. As it had been explained to her, changelings actually produced more pheromones when they were calm then when they were feeling something. Queen Ovi’s guess had been this was because changelings were naturally calm and only rarely had or even more rarely showed emotion. She just imagined herself flying over and over.
“Hello,” Twilight greeted the scared looking unicorn in the softest voice she could think of.
The unicorn looked at her, wide eyed, unsure of what to do. “H-Hi?”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this is my... associate, Rainbow Posh.”
“Um... hi... my name is Meadow Breeze. This is my first time here.”
“Us too,” Rainbow Dash replied. She hung back a bit, imagining the sensation of the wind through her mane. The thought keeping hear heart light and hopefully her scent down.
“The thing is I’m here conducting an experiment. I make perfumes. By accident I made a fragrance that only some ponies can smell and I’m trying to find out why. Would you mind if I tried it on you?” Twilight explained.
“Um... sure. I mean, I don’t mind,” Meadow Breeze said.
“Rainbow,” Twilight prompted. Rainbow Dash nodded and stepped closer. She opened the jar and at the same time she took a deep breath and did her best to empty her mind. She just looked at the jar and didn’t allow herself to think of anything but.
Meadow Breeze leaned in and sniffed the air around the mouth of the jar. It was tentative at first, but she did give it a few good sniffs and smiled.
“Do you smell it?” Twilight asked.
“I think so,” Meadow Breeze replied, her nerves seemed to have vanished for the time being. “It... it kind of smells like apples. Is it supposed to smell like that?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight answered. “I can’t smell it, but Rainbow here can.”
Apples... I knew it smelled familiar! It’s like Sweet Apple Acres in the morning! Rainbow Dash put the lid back on the jar and nodded. “We’re the only two here who can.”
“Oh,” Meadow Breeze exclaimed.
“Would you mind coming with us to our room? If I... have the two of you there I... can look for similarities between you two and... maybe discover why you two can smell it and I can’t,” Twilight said slowly, trying to come up with a good excuse. She didn’t want to cause any commotion in such a crowded room, but getting her to leave might be tricky with how-
“Sure,” Meadow Breeze agreed, almost at once. “Um... would I be able to take some of that home? It smells wonderful.”
“We’ll see what we can do,” Rainbow Dash said, scratching the back of her head.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Wow, you have a top floor suite?” Meadow Breeze commented, entering their room. Twilight was in the lead while Rainbow Dash followed. She took the brief moment to change back to her normal form. “Just who are you?”
“We’re just really lucky is all,” Twilight replied.
“So you wanted to find out if we have similarities? Well I like-”
“Not like that,” Twilight interrupted. “It would have to be biological.”
“Twilight, we already-”
“Rainbow, let me do the talking,” Twilight said sternly. “Now, is there anything that might make you unique?”
“Um...” Meadow Breeze said. “Not that I can really think of. My parents are both unicorns and they’re the only reason I got into that club. I’m not really anything special.”
“They’re both still alive?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm... are they here?”
“Yes.”
“Rainbow Dash, any chance-”
“I know what you’re going to ask, and no. It’s just her,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“I’m very confused,” Meadow Breeze said.
“Think, is there anything in your foalhood that seemed strange? That not everypony has or goes through?”
“Well when I was really little I nearly died,” Meadow Breeze said. “But what would that have to do with it?”
“Almost died? how?” Twilight asked, pressing her. Meadow Breeze shrank away.
“I... I was really sick. The doctors thought I was going to die but I pulled through.”
“Do you remember anything around that time? Before? After?”
“I... why are you even asking this? I thought you wanted to know why I could smell something.”
“Twilight, what are you doing?” Rainbow Dash demanded.
“Rainbow Dash, we might actually learn something,” Twilight replied, raising her voice.
Meadow Breeze had glanced at Rainbow Dash but now she couldn’t look away.
“You... why are you a pegasus?” Meadow Breeze cried, leaping away from Rainbow Dash. “You were a unicorn!”
“Wow, you really don’t know,” Rainbow Dash said, not sounding very surprised. “This jar,” she went on, dropping it on the floor, “is full of water. Nothing else.”
“But... that smell...”
“That scent was changeling pheromone,” Twilight explained. “Only changelings can smell it.”
“Wha-” Meadow Breeze was utterly terrified now. She was backing away and bumped into the door. She couldn’t move any further back so she just pressed her body to the door as hard as she could.
“It’s okay,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling at her like she did when Fluttershy was scared. “You’re not alone.”
“We don’t want to hurt you, just to talk,” Twilight said softly.
“No! You’re lying!”
“Meadow, it’s true. I didn’t want to believe it at first either, but I can’t deny it. I want to help you.”
“Get away from me!” Meadow Breeze shouted.
“You were going to find out sooner or later, and you might as well learn in here and now while you’re safe, rather than by some bad pony who wants to hurt you,” Rainbow Dash said. She took a deep breath and removed her disguise. “This makes us like... sisters!”
“Aaahhhh!” Meadow Breeze screamed. There was a flash of light and she was gone.
“Drat, I didn’t expect her to teleport,” Twilight said glumly. “That could have gone better.”
“I can’t blame her, I’m about ten seconds away from doing that myself,” Rainbow Dash said. She walked through the room and stopped by the big windows. She looked out and stared up at the moon.
“You are? But... you seem so calm. I thought you were actually okay with what’s happened,” Twilight said, joining her.
“I have something to do. Something to focus on. Twilight, it’s like I don’t even know myself anymore.”
“Well I know you,” Twilight said, leaning against Rainbow Dash.
“Thanks,”Rainbow Dash said, staring out the window. Suddenly she jerked away, causing Twilight to lose her balance for a second.
“What’s the matter?” Twilight asked, turning around to look at the panicking changeling.
“We’ve got to run, now!” Rainbow Dash said urgently. She immediately began galloping for the door. “Come on!”
“What did you-” Twilight began. Suddenly there were five flashes of purple fire as five changelings in purple armor teleported through the window. “Ahh!”
“Come on!” Rainbow Dash snarled, grabbing Twilight by the mane and pulling her away as the changelings pounced. Twilight got up and fired a bolt of magic at one of the changelings. When the magic hit the armor it dissipated. Twilight cast a few more spells and they didn’t do anything either.
“What do we do now?” Twilight asked. The five first changelings had gotten up as well and a dozen more burst into the room. She turned around and saw six changelings had come in from the other side of the room, effectively surrounding them.
“Uhhh.. in here!” Rainbow Dash said, pulling her into the bathroom and slamming the door. “Put up a forcefield!”
Twilight nodded and cast the spell immediately. “That won’t hold them for long. I’m not as good at shield spells as Shining Armor.” Outside they could hear the thumps of changelings throwing themselves against the barrier.
“Just teleport us out of here,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Um... I can’t do it with the shield up, I had to do that so they couldn’t get in,” Twilight replied. “And it’s a bad idea to teleport when you can’t see where you’re going unless you know the area really, really well. You might get stuck in a wall or another pony and that’s really bad.”
“What if I can become something tougher?” Rainbow Dash wondered out loud. She walked over to the vanity and looked at herself in the mirror. “How about a diamond dog?” she burst into blue flames but was disappointed by the result. She was gray like a diamond dog, and her face was a bit like theirs but she was still very much a pony. “A dragon?” This time she was a bit more distinct, with a series of rainbow colored nubs running down her back and a mouth full of fangs but she was still a pony. She even tried breathing fire but nothing came out.
She tried a third time, envisioning Gilda. Again, her coat pattern changed. Her front half was white while her rear half was blue and she had yellow on her muzzle and forehooves. “Clearly I can’t turn into anything that isn’t a pony. Now who could really frighten them...”
Rainbow Dash shapeshifted again. Her coat became dark blue and her mane was slightly translucent with little white specks in it. She even had a horn, wings, and a crescent moon cutie mark.
“Luna? Really?”
“Well I couldn’t remember what Nightmare Moon looked like well enough to do her.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “And I’m still the same size. Ovi was right, you can’t get bigger with shapeshifting.” She gloomily changed back to her normal form.
“I guess that makes sense though. Besides I don’t think they’ll scare that easily. Chrysalis’s changelings didn’t seem to have any problems with attacking Princess Celestia”
“Hmm. I’ve got an idea, but you have to trust me on this one.”
“Have you ever given me a reason not to?”
Rainbow Dash looked at the door, then at Twilight. Suddenly she grabbed the unicorn’s head and looked at her closely. After a second of this, Rainbow Dash burst into blue flames. Now Twilight was staring at a mirror image of herself.
“Um...” was all she could say.
“Sorry about this,” Rainbow Dash said. She let go of Twilight and began rubbing herself against her instead.
“What are you doing?” Twilight groaned, her face turning red.
“I figure they’re pretty stupid, so if we go out there looking the same then they will be confused and we can use that to get away.”
“And your idea to get away is...”
“We do what they did. Run at the window and you teleport us outside where I’ll fly us away. They’ll never be able to keep up with me. Then we go back to Canterlot and get Celestia to send in the army. There is definitely an entire hive here.”
“And the reason you’re doing whatever you’re doing is?” Twilight asked, trying to pull away but Rainbow Dash kept rubbing herself against her.
“You’ll have to smell like me too, at least to them.”
“Fine. Can you just hurry up?” Twilight whined, her face was entirely red now and Rainbow Dash didn’t look any paler.
When she was satisfied, Rainbow Dash went over to the door and looked back. “On go, drop the shield and we run. One... two... three...”
“Go!” Twilight shouted.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“I’ll admit that could have gone better.” Rainbow Dash said, still looking like Twilight.
“Who could have guessed they actually spit this stuff,” Twilight added, referring to the massive slime pile they were stuck in. There were chunks on each of their horns and they were encased in it from the neck down.
The changelings had spit the disgusting substance at them. It was incredibly sticky at first but it had hardened within seconds into a hard shell that the changelings had carried them off in. The two were back to back, seemingly alone in a dark cavern of some sort. They hadn’t seen exactly where they had been taken, but they knew it was somewhere underneath Manehattan and it was part of the changeling hive. After they had been dropped off, they had been left alone for what must have been several hours by now.
“And that it blocks magic.”
“That must be what they make their armor out of or something.”
“At least they were so confused by the two of us they brought us both here.”
“I’d like to think it’s because I’m just that naturally awesome of a power I’ve only known how to use for like two days, but I’m pretty sure it’s just because they’re so stupid,” Rainbow Dash said.
The two were quiet for a while.
“Ever read a book on what to do in this sort of situation?” Rainbow Dash asked, half joking.
“What? What to do if you are trapped in a hole in the ground encased in solidified goo with no hope of rescue?”
“Well when you put it that way...”
“I have, actually,” Twilight replied. “Do you know what it said?”
“Nothing useful, I’m guessing.”
“It went something like 'Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Or, alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you, which is more likely given your current situation, consider how lucky you are that it won't be troubling you much longer.' It also had an entire chapter on towels.”
“Terrific.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:
The Seven Tribes, a rather long fanfic that, like many stories, tries to explain the past.
Samurai Applejack, a drastically different kind of story. It’s rated mature for violence and some suggestive lines.
Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s my most popular. It’s just one chapter long.
My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.
Stats
Page generated in 0.047 seconds
Total duration
864 users online
417,383 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.®
Not Contradictory. Also, motels existed initially for the use of cars, and being able to park next to your room.
Don't panic? lol
Coming this fall to NBC, a changeling with a past, a mare with magic... this fall Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle are... The Other Mares
ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTc0NDQzNTA2Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzI2OTQzMw@@._V1._SY317_CR0,0,214,317_.jpg
darn wasn't a ponified version of this
I got a million internets. I really like this story, keep it up.
I need MOAR!
All take what is hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy for 200 alex
Oh, that reference.
I think I love you.
The towels line is a dead giveaway. Not a very subtle reference.
I think I was going to get the reference at the end but then a fish fell out of my ear...
Well all i have to say is this The changelings in trottingham just seriousely bucked up you don't take celestias prized student and get away with it.
o and waiting for the slaughterdl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Twilight_crazy.png
cheers
A Hitchhiker's reference? Sweet. But what about Meadow Breeze? I'm just bringing it up because so many idiots manage to turn a minor OC into a plot hole faster than you can say "Holy one-shot character, Batman!". Not that I consider you to be an idiot or something. I'm probably not lying.
How I imagined Twilight and Dash's faces
static.lockerz.com/decalz/mobile/image0013237037005771w1d5p.jpg
Thank you comments, I knew I recognized that last quote from somewhere. I just didn't read it in accent.
Anyone for some hitchhiking?!
I see what you did there.
good gob what to do witha million internets? maybe marvin will know
42424242424242424242424242424242424242424242
Sounds like an early pre-alpha version of the Guide
Don't Panic!
Good chapter.... keep e'm coming....
Wow, I would not have expected a version of the Guide to have shown up in the Canterlot Library, though I suppose that it if any non-pony-written work was there, that would be the one. You're been busy with the plot strings this time, giving Dash a Hive sibling, though it's starting to look like her Hive Queen operates under a very offbeat set of rules for activity for her drones. I'm guessing that Dash's Queen discovered that the only way to give her drones full personality was to cuckoo them practically from birth with a family, likely one that had an infant in distress, given what we've seen so far with the backstory of our two exemplars. Although, unless there's a subtle link back to the Queen that Dash isn't aware of, I have to wonder if perhaps Dash's Hive isn't just a different Hive, but is part of a completely separate branch on the Changeling family tree, being like a more benign version of the cuckoo wasp. (Hmmm... now that this thought's come up, I wonder if Dash's Hive is exclusive to ponies? It seems to me that an instinctive reaction to a Hive sibling might help explain why a pegasus would develop a close friendship with a griffon at such an early age.)
Ah well, that's long-term stuff, right now our two friends have a more immediate concern, since we've already established that Hives don't like to share territory, and they're in a (ahem) sticky situation. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you have planned for the next chapter.
so that unicorn is a changeling of rainbow dash hive right? or i got something wrong from the other chapters?
btw just pointing some errors i saw, hope you dont mine:
“I think they're siblings.” or since RD was talking about that other changeling "I think he/she/it is a sibling" (i dont know what sex you used for the changeling)
it should be "i dont want to, but i have to"
All of that was brilliant.
All of this is brilliant.
More, I say. MORE!
I know some of you got the reference but how many actually heard the guide when it was on the radio?
Lol, hitchhiking...
Welp, I'm hooked. Can't wait to see how things go from here!
Well... A million internets for me then...
But honestly, that referance was payment enough.
1404663 Your profile pic is just so apprpriate.
Yay! I get a million Internets.
I'll bet that book Twilight read had Don't Panic written in big friendly letters on the cover.
honestly, I don't think there are many people here who wouldn't get that reference. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ftw!
I've been waiting too long for this chapter but it's worth it
Twilight, you would read that book. :3
Great story, waiting for more! Loved the reference at the end!
Now, what to do with these million internets...?
HITCHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY!
1405508 They WERE in a sticky situation, then it became a hard place
HG2TG!
Hmm... I don't know, that's just SUCH a toughie... I mean, NO ONE HERE could have POSSIBLY read that...
XD Sorry, I shouldn't be so antagonistic. Yayifications for having maor interwebs now! :3
1407682
Ah but have you heard it? After all, the radio show came first.
The towels... Perhaps Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
NEED MOAR CHAPTERS!
That's another million Internets to me (I don't know what to do with all these Internets I keep accruing). I liked this chapter and look forward to more.
A Hitchhiker's Guide?
No, no I must be crazy
Um, quick question: Why is Meadow Breeze a go-to name for one-shot OCs?
I mean there's nothing wrong with the name itself. It just seems so... uh, much more mainstream than it should be.
encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRsRzSiHJf9n-AImEfXYa461k_JY21HBK2X-KOmdlUHyO9kgIDf
Wow im suprised that no one noticed you were trying to turn RD into her g3 self.
1382384
Oki doki! ^^
I get the reference... it was Harry Potter right
The ending was rather confusing, why Twilight just not fire laser into wall fast to make hole in it and than Dash grab her and rush ASAP, that would work out better than whatever just happened instead.
oh dear, that could have gone better,
As for Dashes origins I have read the basic concept of the classic changelings and wonder if this is not the case...
however it almost sounds like the memories are experienced... how could that be if they were replacements? Memory transfer?
But then again... I have to wonder, if a conversion chrysalis reshape a being from a pony (or other) to a changeling they probably would also make miraculous healing chambers as they are intended to reconfigure living beings, of course there would be that one "side effect" afterwards but better then being dead.
Maybe a lone queen out there just goes around looking to use her powers in an unusual "secret guardian angle/super hero" way.
and why do I keep thinking of the tok'ra from stargate?
"If the was the changeling that attacked" I think the first "the" should be a "it" or something. Otherwise: nice chapter.
I look forward to the next chapter :)
1404613
hey, i didnt get the reference, can you plz explain? or link to the material being referenced? i do love a good joke.....