Chapter 7
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 7
“Then you pour the mix into the crust,” Pinkie said, explaining her actions. “Put it in the oven for an hour and what do you get?”
“Pie!” Pumpkin Cake cheered.
“That’s right!” Pinkie cheered back, closing the oven door. She turned around and was met by a scroll appearing out of thin air and falling to the floor. She picked it up and read it. “Hey, my missing friends have been found! I didn’t even know they were missing! How’s that for fast work? You know what this calls for?”
“Party!” Pumpkin Cake giggled.
“You’re so smart, Pumpkin.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Minutes earlier
Shining Armor, Spike, Meadow Breeze, and the platoon of guards slowly made their way through the dark, wet tunnel. Their magically conjured lights did little to brighten the oppressive darkness. Ahead another light source came into view around a corner.
“All hold!” Shining Armor ordered.
Within the other glow, two heavily laden ponies came into view.
“Twilight!” Spike cheered. He ran forward but Shining Armor grabbed his tail and pulled him back.
“Shining! Spike!” Twilight said. She sped up, but couldn’t go very fast, she was weighed down with numerous bags. Behind her was Rainbow Dash carrying another pony.
“Stay where you are!” Shining Armor shouted before Twilight could get close. He cast a spell that sent a wave of energy over Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash felt her entire body tingle. Her head ached and throbbed. Immediately she was reminded of the day she had found out she was a changeling. The feeling was not unlike Twilight’s spell. And just like that, it was over. Her head was still sore, and as she looked at herself, she discovered she had reverted to her changeling form.
“What the heck!” she shouted. She went to turn back but when she did so, she just got some tiny blue flames to appear and her body stayed black. “What did you do to me!”
“It’s a spell I developed,” Shining Armor said snidely. “It forces changelings to drop their disguise and shorts out their powers for a few minutes.”
“I created a variant of it,” Twilight told Shining Armor. “It affects a wider area and knocks them out but it takes a lot more magic.”
“And why exactly did you do this?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“We’re on the trail of some changelings. This stops them from hiding, and disrupts any hypnosis they might be using. And it looks like we found one,” Shining Armor said, raising his magic again.
Twilight stepped between the two of them. “Shining, she’s not a threat.”
“And how do you know?”
“I was at your wedding and kicked changeling carapace!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“I still don’t trust you. Twilight, I’m glad you’re safe,” Shining Armor said. “How did you escape from the other changelings?”
“What other changelings?” Rainbow Dash asked innocently.
“You were foalnapped, weren’t you?” Spike asked.
“I smelled changelings in you room,” Meadow Breeze said.
“Meadow? What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I needed to talk with you. But what about the smell? I can smell it here, too.”
“You must be smelling something else. There aren’t any changelings in this city,” Twilight said.
“Except it,” Shining Armor snapped.
“Back off. She’s not evil!” Twilight said, holding her hoof up between Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor.
“Moving on,” Shining Armor said through gritted teeth. “What do you mean, there are no changelings? You three were all taken out the hotel!”
“No, we went exploring for him. We found him down here and we’ve been finding our way out since,” Twilight lied.
“He needs medical attention. I’m sure once he is better he can tell us how he ended up here,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Can we just get above ground?” Twilight grumbled.
“I’m not going out like this,” Rainbow Dash countered.
“That’s not our problem,” Shining Armor said.
“Actually it is, because you shorted out my powers!”
“I really have to go!” Twilight whined.
“We’re in a sewer, Twi. Just go anywhere,” Rainbow Dash said.
“It’s gross down here!”
“You sound like Rarity.”
“I’m not going down here,” Twilight said, very finaly.
“Fine. You go on ahead. I’ll catch up once I can be me again.”
“You’re how you are supposed to be,” Shining Armor said.
Rainbow Dash snarled. “This is what I am, not who I am!”
“Shut it, you two!” Spike shouted. “We have a hurt pony and we need to tell Princess Celestia what happened. How about we talk about this on the way home?”
“I will need to make my report in pony,” Twilight said.
“You can take the train, I’ll just fly home,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“I don’t want to leave you here,” Twilight protested.
“I’ll be fine. I can fly faster than any train,” Rainbow Dash said. “Go on. Besides, Meadow Breeze wanted to talk with me about something.”
“I don’t think you should be allowed to go alone,” Shining Armor said.
“I’ll go with her,” Spike said. “I’m a lot lighter than a pony, so she could carry me, right?”
“Yeah. I could do that,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “I’m still not leaving until I can use my powers again, but I can easily fly with Spike.”
“I’d rather a guard went with you,” Shining Armor replied.
“None of them are pegasi and there is no way I’m letting one of them lay on my back for hours.”
“Shining, it will be fine. We need to get going,” Twilight urged.
Shining Armor sighed. “Fine. Iron, take the unconscious pony. Pole, take the bags.” Two guards came over and Rainbow Dash helped transfer the sleeping unicorn over. The other relieved Twilight of her burden. “The exit is this way.”
“I’ll take that,” Rainbow Dash said, grabbing her tiny saddlebags.
Shining Armor led the group back through the metal pipe and to the bay. The sun had set so the unicorn guards brightened the area with their horns.
Rainbow Dash got a few blue flames to appear, but still couldn’t shapeshift. “I’ll see you in Ponyville,” she said as Twilight left.
“I hope this works,” Twilight said, staying close to her brother as they walked off along the narrow edge above the water.
Meadow Breeze had stayed behind, awkwardly scuffing the metal pipe with her hoof.
“Spike, could you go over there for a second?” Rainbow Dash asked, waving her hoof towards the docks.
“Why?”
“Meadow Breeze and I have to talk about mare stuff.”
“Why do I have to leave? What kind of mare stuff have I not already heard?” Spike complained.
“Spike, just go, okay?”
“Fine. I’ll let everyone know you’re okay.” Spike frowned and walked off.
Rainbow Dash waited until she was sure he was out of earshot before turning to the other pony. “You said you wanted to talk with me?”
“Yes. I... I’m sorry for running away before. I was-” Meadow Breeze started to say.
“It’s okay. This is all new to me too. I just found out by accident. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience.”
“I told my parents about what had happened, but I left out your claim I’m a changeling.”
“I’m pretty sure you are.”
“I’m not.”
“This isn’t going to get us anywhere. What were you going to tell me?”
“My parents told me this story they’ve never told be before. When I was sick, I got really bad. My parents had all but given up hope when a strange mare came to our house. She said she could cure me. I was at death’s door and they were desperate so they let her see me. Whatever she did, worked. She didn’t ask for payment either. Instead she gave my parents this,” Meadow Breeze said. She pulled out a small blue box, the same color as Rainbow Dash’s fire, with no discernible way to open it. “She said to give it to me when the time seemed right and I would know how to open it. But see, I’ve always been me, not a changeling.”
“Are you going to?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I don’t want to. I’m happy. You can have it, if you want.”
“You need to know incase something happens. You saw what just happened to me back there. You could be hit by a spell by accident too and there would be nopony around to teach you how to go back.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Meadow Breeze said before leaving Rainbow Dash alone, holding the mysterious box.
“Can I come back now?” Spike called, seeing Meadow Breeze leave.
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied, putting the box away. Suddenly she had a great idea for a prank. She backed into the pipe and tried her shapeshifting. The headache had gone away, so this time it worked. It was harder working from memory than it was looking at the pony, but she did the best she could. She was quite satisfied when Spike was able to see her. “Hello, Spikey wikey,” she said in her Rarity voice.
“Woah!” Spike gasped. “Pretty good voice, but the looks need work.”
“Darn,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “I got Twilight spot on, see?” She shifted into her Twilight copy form. It was felt strange, assuming the appearance this time. Everything just fell into form with almost no thought or difficulty. Her body or magic or whatever seemed to remember what to do.
Spike eyed her carefully. “That one is pretty good. Hmm...” He slowly walked around her, looking at every detail carefully. “I can’t tell the difference,” he announced when he was done.
“So what did I have wrong with Rarity?”
“It was really obvious. You had her horn a quarter inch too long, it’s shorter than Twilight’s, not the same. Also you forgot her makeup, her mane is a few shades redder, and her coat is off white not pure white.”
“Well I’m new to this,” Rainbow Dash retorted.
“But you had Twilight perfect,” Spike pointed out.
“But I did her before, not Rarity.”
“Can you do me?”
“I can only do ponies, see?” Rainbow Dash said, shifting into her earlier dragon attempt.
“Aw...”
Rainbow Dash changed to her normal form. “Hop on. I want to see if we can get back before sunrise.”
“Okay,” Spike said, climbing on her back between the saddlebags. Once he was gripping her neck, she took off. She was glad to be getting away from that place. The changeling smell was awful.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“I need a train to Canterlot. How soon can you have one ready?” Shining Armor asked one of the ticket ponies at the train station.
“There’s one leaving in ten minutes but it’s already full,” she replied.
“This is royal business. Add another car or bump somepony.”
“I... hmmm. There are two storage cars you could ride in.”
“Fine. Just notify the conductors.”
The ticket pony disappeared into a back room.
“I’ll be back in a second,” Twilight said, galloping off.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“So you’re a good changeling?” Spike asked as they cruised over the wilderness.
“I’m Rainbow Dash,” she replied. “I’m as good as I always was.”
“Twilight didn’t really say what you two had done before she left again.”
“We went to Los Pegasus because there’s a Queen there. She taught me how to shapeshift and use my pony sense.”
“Pony sense?”
“It’s hard to explain but I can basically tell where ponies are and what they are feeling. I still haven’t worked out how to tell what emotions are what, but it’s not as hard as she made it out to sound.”
“Is that just ponies too?”
“No, I can sense you, too. Anything that can feel.”
“So what am I feeling now?” Spike asked.
“I told you, I can’t tell emotions apart,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“I’m hungry. And sleeping.” Spike yawned and hung on looser. Rainbow Dash made sure to fly as level as possible from then on.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Shining?” Twilight asked. She was very uncomfortable, wedged between some crates, but at least she was able to sit down.
“Yeah?”
“I know you hate changelings and you have every right to, but you can’t take out your anger on Rainbow Dash. She isn’t really one of them.”
“How do you know that? She could have easily fooled us this whole time. Chrysalis did.”
“I looked into her memories. I know she is our friend.”
“Twili, that kind of magic is forbidden!” Shining Armor snarled.
“I was scared, okay!” Twilight shouted. “I thought something had happened to our Rainbow Dash and I had to do what I could to find her.”
“Only it was her.”
“She. I acted like that too. She’s still a mare. She’s still the element of loyalty.”
The two fell silent for a while, just listening to the sound of the train rolling along the tracks.
“It does make sense to me,” Shining Armor said after a while. “A changeling pretends to be a pony to get love. Makes friends that will protect it no matter what. It has a source of food and protection.”
“She didn’t know,” Twilight said. “What we think happened is her parents found her as a newborn. Either she looked like she does now or changed later, but that seems the most likely scenario.”
“How could she not have known?!”
“Until my spell shorted out her powers, she’d never shapeshifted before. Changelings can apparently eat and drink regular food. I’d need to do research to see if it can sustain them. I don’t think she would agree to it.”
“My sister the scientist,” Shining Armor said, rolling his eyes.
“She’s a good pony. Chrysalis was the exception, not the rule. Most other hives just want to live in peace.”
Shining Armor sighed. “Princess Celestia is allowing it and I have to do as she says. I have to trust you but I can’t. I won’t do anything now, but if I catch word of anything funny going on, I will have her arrested and exiled.”
“I’m sure she just wants everything to go back to the way they were.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Here we are,” Rainbow Dash announced, landing just outside Twilight’s house. Spike had fallen asleep so she decided to just carry him in. The door was locked but Rainbow Dash knew where to find the spare key and she let herself in. As soon as she did, she was jumped on by four ponies, knocking her down.
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cheered.
“You’re back!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“We’re so glad to see you!” Rarity added.
“Y’all are back, right?” Applejack asked.
“Girls! Stop crushing me! Please!” Rainbow Dash begged, trying to free herself from their group hug. They let go and Rainbow Dash collapsed. Spike had fallen off her back in the confusion but he was still asleep.
“Sorry about that,” Rarity said.
“We were afraid you weren’t going to come back,” Fluttershy explained.
“Why wouldn’t I? This is my home,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Now I should go put him to bed. We were flying all night.”
“All they way from Manehatten? That’s quite the trip,” Applejack commented.
Rainbow Dash shrugged and picked Spike back up. She carried him upstairs and put him in his bed before returning to the main room.
“So? Did you meet your queen?” Pinkie asked.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I think the hive is dead.”
“Ah’m sorry,” Applejack said.
“I’m not upset,” Rainbow Dash replied. “It could have told me where I came from, but I know where I am and that’s good enough.”
“And you look just like your old self too,” Fluttershy commented.
“Yeah. It turns out shapeshifting isn’t that hard when you know how to do it.”
“So what happened? We’ve been in the dark this whole time.” Rarity asked.
“I’ll tell you girls everything but not now. I’m really tired,” Rainbow Dash said, yawning. “Maybe tomorrow, okay?”
“Don’t you want something to eat first?” Pinkie asked.
“No thanks, that hug was enough,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling widely.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Home Rainbow Dash thought as she flew closer to her cloud house. However, as she got closer, something caught her attention. Something was off. When she landed by the front door, she realized she had had her emotion sense turned on since she had left Twilight’s house by mistake. What had bothered her was not that there was a signal coming from her house, she assumed Tank would have one, but that there was two signals.
“Huh,” she said out loud as she went inside. She focused, trying to learn what she could about the intruder. One source of emotions was nearby and very stable. A quick look confirmed it was her pet tortoise. His feelings abruptly began changing when he noticed her. Rainbow Dash gave him a quick petting. “Who’s here, guy?” she asked quietly.
He blinked and looked back.
“Hmm.” The other signal was coming from upstairs and was very erratic. She quietly crept up the stairs, careful to not make any noise that might alert the other being. She was fairly certain it wasn’t just some wild creature. As she got closer, she was better able to pinpoint where it was. It was in her room!
Rainbow Dash walked into her open bedroom and looked around. Didn’t I leave that closed? She walked over to where the source of emotions was. Whatever it was, was in her closet. In a fluid motion she wrenched the door open and a small figure tumbled out.
“Woah!” it cried, flailing its forelegs as it fell.
It was too dark to see properly so Rainbow Dash quickly turned on a light. “Scootaloo!?” Rainbow Dash shouted, recognising the orange filly.
“Huh? Whah?” Scootaloo mumbled, looking around, confused, before fixing her eyes on the older pony. “Rainbow Dash!”
“What are you doing in my house?” Rainbow Dash demanded, jabbing her hoof at her. “And how did you even get up here?”
“Oh, I just shipped myself.”
“Shipped?”
“Like I hid in a box and waited for the mailmare to deliver it.”
“Thats so... Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted, mentally slapping herself. “Stop avoiding the question. What are you doing in my house?”
“I was waiting for you to come home! You’ve been gone for days!”
“Have you been in there this whole time? Aren’t your parents worried?”
“I’ve only been in here a few hours,” Scootaloo said, sticking her tongue out. “And my ‘parents’ don’t care.”
“Look, kid, I know you’re like my number one fan, but this is just creepy. You can’t break into my house just to see me!”
“Well I also had to ask you a question,” Scootaloo said.
“No I will not attend your next fan club meeting,” Rainbow Dash said dryly.
“I wasn’t going to ask that.”
“No I will not try teaching you to fly after what happened last time.”
“Not that either.”
“No I will not make you my sister, daughter, or mother.”
“I had a new question!” Scootaloo exclaimed.
“What?” Rainbow Dash grunted.
“Are you really Rainbow Dash?”
Rainbow Dash stopped and stared at Scootaloo. “What did you just say?”
“I heard a rumor that you weren’t. That you were a changeling in disguise.”
Better play it cool. Only the girls and Celestia know for sure. “Well they’re wrong. Who told you that, anyway?”
“Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo replied, feigning disinterest. “She heard it from her sister.”
“That’s silly,” Rainbow Dash said, trying to sound convincing. “She must have misheard her or something. I’m the one and only, Rainbow Dash!”
“I also heard from Sweetie Belle that Spike got a letter the other day. Something about you and Ms. Sparkle being foalnapped by changelings, only he said something about you being one.”
“Uhhh...”
“Well?” Scootaloo demanded, pressing her face against Rainbow Dash’s.
“I... uhh.. you see... it was a... joke?”
“I may be a D student but I’m not stupid enough to fall for that. Why won’t you just say it?”
“Fine! You want to see?” Rainbow Dash shouted. Her body burst into blue fire, causing Scootaloo to leap back in shock. Rainbow Dash had reverted to her changeling form. “Yes, okay! They’re telling the truth! Are you happy now?!”
“So you are a changeling!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “But who are you?”
“I’m just a changeling who thought she was a pony,” Rainbow Dash said, laying down on the cloud floor. “And now everypony knows.”
“I’d better go tell everypony that the club is over,” Scootaloo said sadly, dragging her hooves to the door. “We can’t have a Rainbow Dash fan club if there is no Rainbow Dash any more.”
“Wait,” Rainbow Dash called. Scootaloo stopped and Rainbow Dash walked over. “Look, my whole life has been turned upside down for the past week, but I do know that I still am the Rainbow Dash you know. I did the sonic rainboom, I fought Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Chrysalis. I just don’t know where I came from.”
“I can relate,” Scootaloo said. “So are you Rainbow Dash or a changeling called that?”
“I’m Rainbow Dash and I just happen to also be a changeling.”
“That’s good enough for me!” Scootaloo hugged her tightly, erasing any lingering hunger Rainbow Dash had.
“Come on, I’ll fly you into town,” Rainbow Dash offered, assuming her normal form.
“I already had a way down,” Scootaloo replied, pulling out an unused mailing label.
“Come on, Squirt. You can’t hang out here all night, you’ll freeze, and I’m sure your parents are worried sick about you.” Rainbow Dash walked over and picked up Scootaloo by the mane. She tossed the filly into the air and caught her with her back. Before Scootaloo could react, Rainbow Dash leapt out the window and into the air.
“Woah!” Scootaloo gasped.
“Where do you want me to take you?” Rainbow Dash asked as she glided over Ponyville.
“Just... just anywhere is fine.”
“It’s no trouble.”
“Really. Anywhere. I can walk just fine.”
“I’m taking you right to your front door and that is final.”
Scootaloo sighed. “The Ponyville Orphanage...”
“Sure,” Rainbow Dash said plainly. She veered to one side and flew down in front of the building. She lowered herself so Scootaloo could climb off.
“Go ahead. I know you want to say something,” Scootaloo groaned.
“Not really. I know why you haven’t told anyone. They’re the same reasons I didn’t.”
“Whah?”
“That’s what makes me so scared. I’m afraid that I replaced the pony my parents loved,” Rainbow Dash admitted. She tried to dry her face with her hoof but it wasn’t helping much. “I just don’t want it to be a lie.”
“I don’t even know my parents,” Scootaloo grumbled.
“Things will get better as you get older. Just give it time.”
“You were wrong before,” Scootaloo said.
“About what?”
“About everypony knowing you’re a changeling. We’ve kept it between us. ”
“That’s a huge relief,” Rainbow Dash said, sighing heavily.
“We learned our lesson about spreading rumors.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Scoots,” Rainbow Dash said, spreading her wings.
“Wait,” Scootaloo said. “Um... is there any way I could be a changeling too?”
Rainbow Dash looked at her, confused. “No, I’d be able to tell.”
“But can I become one?”
“Why would you want to?”
“Because it has to be better than this,” Scootaloo said, pointing to the orphanage.
“Well if I find a way, I’ll be sure to let you know. Bye.” Rainbow Dash ruffled Scootaloo’s mane before taking off for home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“The Princess will see you now,” the guard said, opening the door to Princess Celestia’s private chamber.
Twilight walked in slowly. It wasn’t often she was invited in here, though Celestia had said she was always welcome. She found Princess Celestia idling resting on a blanket by the fireplace.
“I’m back, Princess,” Twilight announced.
“I know. I have already been to see the pony you rescued. Thank you.”
“It wasn’t really a rescue. We just found him in one of the drainage area’s under the city. Rainbow Dash was able to sense him out. If we hadn’t found out what she was, we might not have found him,” Twilight said, laying down nearby.
“Things always work out in the end,” Princess Celestia said calmly. “Tell me, Twilight, why did you tamper with his memories?”
Twilight fell over in shock, but tried to recover fruitlessly. “What- what do you mean? I didn’t do that, and how would anypony even do that?”
“Twilight, I know it was you,” Princess Celestia said sternly. “You are one of very few ponies with access to the forbidden spells and you are the only one to come in contact with him recently. Few enough ponies have the talent to cast them and I am certain you can.”
Twilight waved a hoof dismissively and continued to lie through her teeth. “That doesn’t mean I actually read them, they’re forbidden for a reason. And how can you even tell his memories are erased?”
“I said they were tampered with, not erased,” Princess Celestia said shrewdly. Twilight stuffed her hoof into her mouth. “I am the one who made the memory spells long ago. There are distinct markers they leave behind. They are not mentioned in the books so I have a way of detecting their use. If a unicorn knew about the markers they might try to work out a way around them. Most unicorns won’t notice them and none will understand what they mean, but I do. Now would you please tell me what happened that you had to erase?”
“There are no threats to Equestria in Manehatten,” Twilight stated clearly. She was backed into figurative corner, but she couldn’t let this cause a war.
“I believe that, but that does not answer my question.” Princess Celestia stood up and looked at Twilight sternly. “What happened?” she said sharply.
“I promised not to tell.”
“You also promised to never use forbidden magic on other ponies, and to never lie to me.”
Twilight looked at the floor. “We found a hive under the city. They’ve been there for centuries.”
“And why did you keep this from me?”
“A lot of ponies would have gotten hurt. Shining Armor was going to find the hive and there would have been a fight. They were going to leave but... Rainbow Dash convinced me it was better to lie and let them stay.”
Princess Celestia looked away and began walking about her room. “So. You went to Manehatten and stumbled across an entire hive under one of Equestria’s largest cities. And the reason you did not tell me was you were worried some guards might get hurt?”
“They were also keeping the city safe from other hives. The fight would be hard for us too. They have armor that repels magic.”
“Is this hive a potential threat?”
“I don’t think so. They have been peaceful this whole time, and unless a future Queen wants to change that, they will stay that way.”
“Then I know what must be done,” Princess Celestia said coldly.
“Don’t attack!” Twilight shouted. “If you just ask them to leave, they will! I promise!”
“I wouldn’t attack peaceful creatures,” Princess Celestia said, her tone softening. “I think I’ll send an emissary to them. Have something writing so they know they may stay as long as they are peaceful. What do you think?”
“I think Queen Capas would be very happy with that.”
“Maybe I’ll invite her here as well. A hive loyal to Canterlot would be an invaluable asset.” Princess Celestia said, returning to her spot on the floor. “Is there anything else you wanted to report?”
“Well, we still haven’t learned everything about how Rainbow Dash became Rainbow Dash, but I think her parents adopted her as a newborn. She’s learned how to shapeshift, sense emotions, and she can change her voice to sound like other ponies.”
“I think she will be happy to be herself again. Who did you find to teach her?”
“Queen Ovi in Los Pegasus taught her.”
“Her,” Princess Celestia growled. “I’d love to have her removed from Equestria but I can’t get the support to do it. Every time I suggest it, I get a chorus of ‘no’s’ from the guards and nobles.”
“You could just do it anyway.”
“I could but then I remember it’s better that it is her subjects doing that than mine.”
“That’s not very nice.”
“Neither is why I invented memory spells but we do what we have to do to maintain order, even if we feel it is wrong. That is a burden of leadership.”
“Princess?”
“Yes?”
“Do the archives have records from every town in Equestria?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Rainbow Dash has never told us when her birthday is and I’m going to find out.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On an IRL note, I will be going to next years BronyCon. I’ll post more details on my user page as the time gets closer, but I’m just letting you all know. I am planning on going in a costume that will be recognizable to my tumblr following. This story won’t be going on that long so you should probably follow my tumblr if you are going as well and want to meet up.
Slight fanon note: Once Rainbow Dash has shapeshifted into a form, it becomes a ‘set’ form, and she can shift back into it with little difficulty and she no longer requires a visual reference to do it. Even if the form is flawed, as long as she does not change it, it will be a set from. For example, she can go into her flawed Rarity form but if she changes it to be more accurate, then when she shifts to her Rarity form, it will reflect the changed appearance.
Right now her set forms are: Normal, changeling, Twilight, dragon attempt, griffon attempt, diamond dog attempt, Luna attempt, Rarity attempt, Rainbow Blitz, and Rainbow Posh. Her unicorn attempt became Rainbow Posh.
And before you say anything, no, Rainbow Dash will not be adopting Scootaloo. That is not the point of this story.
Also, the story is looking like 10 chapters. Like I said, I wasn’t sure but there is only one more story arc to come and that is definite. I also have two epilogues planned out based on whether or not a statement made in the last chapter is true or not.
If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:
My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.
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.
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
983 users online
1,548,836 hits today, 2,724,632 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.®
Hm... the chapter has a few missing commas. But its not too bad.
Hehe. Love this story, keep up the good work.
...
Oh, also... *pinches a Rainbow Dash, cackles, runs like hell*
What, you expected me to First? :D
Firstly: 'Od damn it, Shining!
Secondly: Very intriguing.
And at last: Good luck.
I'm gonna guess it ends with Rainbow's birthday party
On an IRL note
love this so much even if it is going to be so short.....plz if possible
SEQUAL!!!!!!!!!
Well... I had classwork that needed to be done... but then I saw this...
Classwork, or read a great story... Easy choice.
Noooooo... I want RD to adopt Scootaloo...!
lol. I'm sure once you run out of story ideas... :D
1615051
I won't write a sequel because there is going to be two endings. If I make a sequel, it would make one ending canon and I don't want to do that. Sorry. You can make one if you want.
1615165
If you want that, read my other story, The Seven Tribes. That's a major part.
I love this chapter, scootabuse along with her wish to be a changeling like her hero to make her life better is so adorable in a sad way. Also, Celestia can be one shrewd princess. she not only actively checks those markers, but had the foresight to keep them a secret. She is like batman is supposed to be, a good detective and manipulator. (instead of you know a rich crime-fighting ninja with tech)
I was putting reading this off but now I don't know why, this is a great story! I can't wait to read more about the well woven plot of deception and misconceived fears that lead to well played plot twists! You are also great at not leaving your subplots hanging, such as Meadow Breeze wanting to just leave it alone rather than find out she is something she doesn't want to be. (nice dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Octavia_plot.png
)
1615173 i might i donno if i could do it justice though
I think I am starting to see a fascinating possibility as to who Rainbows queen is!
I won't say just yet in the slight chance that I might be right and it would act as a spoiler.
Shinning Armor, realy, REALY, he is acting like a total fool, he just basicaly threat RainbowDash terribly and just can not wait to have her arrested or exiled, and he even said Twilight in the face that he can not trust her, REALY, funny, because no one trusted Twilight on the wedding, and what, SHE WAR RIGHT, and RainbowDash helped to save Equestria many times, and did Shinning Armor even thought for a moment that not only he would separate Twilight from one of her best friends, but he would also get rid of element of loyality, so basicaly, Discord can take over or any other super villan.
Realy, Shinning Armor is annoying me in this story, he was not the only one hurt on the wedding, Cadence was captured in dungeons, Twilight heart was broken because of his words ( but his words were his own, not forced by mind manipulation ), if sometink, he own Twilight alot of faint and trust for what he did.
I just hope that sooner or later somepony or changeling will kick SHinning Armor in the head or give him a lesson.
Also keep up with good work, sad that there will be only 3 chapters left.
1615577
I concur.
Some of the conversation between Celestia and Twilight seemed weird. It felt like it jumped around and they mentioned things that had no relation to the previous sentence.
The concept is nice, but the writing needs some serious work, especially when it comes to punctuation.
Okay, sorry, but Shining Armor can go f**k himself.
1615577>>1617418
Hey, give the dude a break.
His mare was foalnapped and he had a queen messing with his mind for several days. It makes sense he would have issues with changelings after that.
Rainbow Dash made sure to fly as level as possible from then on.
Look what I got, a writting error in how to fly. Looks like someone don't have the flyinglessens. The right thing is:
Rainbow Dash made sure to maintain flightlevel after that.
1617537
Piffle. If I were Twilight I probably would have threatened him with lasting bodily harm or worse for even suggesting that. Having issues with changelings is not the same as threatening someone who was your sister's friend for years and was at your own wedding. Interestingly enough, this would suggest Rainbow Dash wasn't thrown out with the other changelings. What does that mean about that spell he and Cadence did, does it only affect changelings from a specific hive or what? Oh, and Shining Armor has major trust issues. Why shouldn't he trust his own sister?
1617537
Issue yes, but he is also acting selfish.
He is angry on changelings for what the Queen did ( group blame ), but he have no consideration of her sister fellings, after all Twilight had horrible day to, his wife Cadence as well, he was not the only one, and yet he complitly ignore it.
For example, he hurt Twilight greatly on the wedding, and it were his words, far to honest for a manipulation, basicaly he hurt her because he not trust her as sister, he not trust her as smart pony who helped to save Equestria twice, basicaly his lack of faith in Twilight hurt her, and he once again do not belive Twilight, basicaly he is doing the same mistake twice, he do not belive Twilight and even knowing that he would hurt her futher, he is willing to imprison or banish Twilight friend, one of those who fought hard where his guards failed.
I m not angry for Shinning to be vengedfull agian changeling, I m dissapointed because he do it even thought he hurt Twilight in a way, and I would be happy if he would get a lesson, and it not realy need to be a physical punishment, it can be somethink like reeducation, a event when he realize that it is not easy for Twilight that her friend is changeling, and the fact that he not trusting her sister what he hurt on the wedding is just making thinks worse.
And you continue to give us excellent content for your story. Things read as being a bit rushed this time, but then considering that Twilight and Dash are doing their best to get everyone out of the tunnels to protect the Hive there, I don't see that as really being too much of a bad thing. Shining Armor really is coming on as being a little over the top on his xenophobic response to changelings, but considering his only experience with them to this point, I think that I can certainly see why he's even resistant to accepting his sister's reassurance that Rainbow Dash is on the friend side of things and that nothing's wrong in Manehatten on the changeling front. Frankly, as close as the two are supposed to be, if anyone was going to pick up on her prevarication about the lack of a Hive in the city, I'd expect him to be the likely suspect. (Well, other than Princess Celestia, but then that's a special case.)
Nice touch with Scootaloo's scene. That was something that needed to happen, it's too bad that she hasn't felt like opening up to her friends about her family status And even if she hasn't worked out how to work it, Dash's got her first clue about her Hive heritage. That ought to be interesting to see, when she finally gets around to really looking at it. (Of course, knowing Dash, that may be a while, especially if she can't easily figure out how the box works.)
Looking forward to the next installment.
My mind is doing terrible things right now with that quote
Good stuff, keep it up.
1614720 And 'commas' is missing an 'm' and doesn't need the apostrophe.
1615577 You do know 'Shining' is spelt with ONE 'm' right? And "faint" is meant to be "faith" and "own" is "owe" aren't they?
Also, there are so many other mistakes in this comment 1620169 as well, but too numerous to point out individually.
1615642 That matters WHY exactly?
1629258
It matters cause it just didn't feel real, breaks a little of the worlds believability (getting past the fact this is a story about talking horses). You may just ignore this, but I feel I should give a little criticism if I feel it is constructive.
1629318 That's because it ISN'T real, the characters ARE NOT REAL, the world they live in IS NOT REAL, NOTHING ABOUT THE STORY IS REAL NOR EVEN "BELIEVABLE" YOU DEMENTED NUT JOB!!!
1629342
Neither is any fantasy story or techno thriller, but they still work to create a believable world where the characters act on a consistent basis. This includes dialog that flows and follows a logical path, this is following the assumption that the characters speaking are both logical and don't jump trains of thought quickly (that cuts Pinkie out). As I said you can take or ignore the criticism, it was just something I noticed that broke the flow of the narrative.
1629371 There is no such shit thing "believable" about ANYTHING fictional and you are still a nut job for having the audacity to tell me as such. REALITY IS WHAT'S BELIEVABLE, DEAL WITH IT.
Edit: "Broke the flow of the narrative" is amongst the most retarded things I've ever heard. Also you apparently didn't contract "because" properly 'CAUSE you forgot the apostrophe at the start, like I didn't do myself.
1629258 Well i'm not a grammar nazi so i dont really give a f
k.
1629393
Yes I know it is not real, yes it is purely fiction, but I think we are having an issue as to what "believability" means. I see it as a characteristic a story has that makes it have meaning to and engages the reader. Without such a quality readers will dismiss the work and move on to read something more engaging.
1629448 Bringing "engaging the reader" into this?!! Either let me have some of what you're smoking so I might actually concern myself with what you're RABBITING on about or just commit yourself to some serious psychiatric treatment 'CAUSE YOU NEED IT!!!
1629472
i.qkme.me/4hx2.jpg
If you are serious, then there is no point to continuing this conversation.
1629535 Oh believe me I am deadly serious. So deadly I'm top of the FBI's Most Wanted (that can be seen as sarcasm but nonetheless I am very much serious about everything else).
1629535
Look, while I always love seeing the comment counter go up, this is getting old. Four, I am totally on your side on this one. Broken dialog can definitely break the immersion and stop engagement, which as a writer, I strive for. While I would argue I don't think I totally broke the engagement at the end, it could have been much better. And Vern, just because someone may or may not make a spelling or grammar error when making a point does not invalidate the point unless the point revolves around the point maker's perfect use of spelling or grammar.
1614782 I LOVELOVELOVE your profile pic!
1629571 If I may still be allowed to post anything, I do apologise for getting heated but that is the kind of talk from Fourpony that I do not need to know to "enjoy" anything as long as I kill time while doing it. I do not need to feel "engaged" in something to read it since it's all fiction and I have no concern for fictional things.
1630030 thank you
t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcyvqevCSXYEGXui43ZfEqrGzw2nEFwgdNaf0BrgbICWJKdvksTQ
Can't wait for more!
So Scootaloo, you want be a changeling huh? I think Twilight from Wanderer D's story can help you there. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Twilight_Sparkle_lolface.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Scootaloo_lolface.png
My face when reading these chapters
MMMOOOOOAAAARRRR!!!!
Armor needs a kick between the goal posts from Twilight at a later date: Check.
Lying to Celestia failed miserably: Predicted and Check.
Scootabuse: Check.
Scootaloo not Proto-Queen Changeling: Check.
Birthday Party incoming: Check.
Vernerok87 is a Troll, but not towards the Author: Check.
//dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_TwilightWut.png <Did I miss anything?)
Great story!
I liked the Derpy and Dinky cameo.
gee twilight you should have just said.
looking good.
Is Scootaloo schizophrenic or something?
One moment she seems overjoyed to see Dash, then irate for having her questions ignored, then heartbroken at the prospect of her hero being completely fake, then oddly neutral as she "can relate" to Dash's problems and them puzzlingly overjoyed once more, all within the space of a few lines.
Epic story :D
2075024
Wrong mental disorder. Schizophrenia is when you have voices in your head telling you to do things that you know that you shouldn't. You meant to say Bipolar. And even then, that doesn't explain it, as, like the name suggests, the disorder is a mood swing between two extremes, not 4 extremes.
First Pinkie gets a sense, then it's Maud, then it's Cheese Sandwich (Or whatever his name is) and now RD gets a sense too, and they ALL relate to ponies in some way. Pinkie is when something bad happens to a pony in the near or slightly far future, Maud is detecting things taken, given and possibly other interactions with ponies, Cheese knows when parties are meant to be made, such as in Ponyville or Appleoosa (Or whatever the town is called) and RD senses the feelings and emotions within ponies. Who's next? Twilight with the power to sense when anything is going to happen!? STOP MAKING SENSES SUCH MARY SUE ABILITIES!!!!
Yeah: let us destroy everyone under ground! Let us turn them all to dust!..
Hum-m-m... That's a wonderful idea!
(Flowey agrees
!)
...Today I'm feeling cruel... Let Pinkie cure me. She knows of ways to make me happy! Like nongory cupcakes. Or not-smothering embraces... Undeadly amounts of sugar... And so on. All brought by the canonical, not crazy Pinkie...
BAAHAHAHAHAHA CLEVER GIRL
