Creatures and Magic

by EpicGamer10075

Chapter 5: All the Sweeter

Twilight pushed open the door to the pink and blue shop, the sudden noise of bell ‘ding’ing as she did so, startling both her and Spike, who was sitting atop her saddlebag-laden back, and making them look up at the small golden bell hooked up to the top of the door. They paused for a moment in bewilderment, but any debate between them about the bell’s purpose was quickly tossed away when they heard a call from the other side of the shop.

“Hey,” The voice called, drawing both the Zebra and Changeling’s attention over towards what seemed to be a series of glass boxes lined up on the floor, many different pieces of what they’ve come to know is called ‘candy’ on different shelves within the boxes, all labeled and presented for any creature to view. The boxes did also separate out a small section of the main room behind them, behind which stood a Changeling with their attention turned towards them, a friendly smile on her face while a curly mane of pink and dark blue sprouted out of her head.

“Oh, hello there...” Twilight spoke back to her tentatively, not at all expecting her to be another Changeling, “I do believe Lyra is creature for which you care..?”

“Yep, you can call me Bon-Bon,” The Changeling replied in her faintly buzz-filled voice, waving them over towards her with a hoof. “You’re Twilight and Spike, right?”

“Er, yes, that’s true...” The Zebra responded, slightly wary as she moved slowly towards Bon-Bon, but also glanced back at Spike, who’s eyes were affixed onto the glass boxes with the candies inside. “How did you..?”

The other Changeling laughed a bit good-naturedly, and simply answered, “Lyra told me about you.” Getting a short ‘Oh’ in response, who was looking over the rest of the room with its pastel colours painted on all the booths and tables that filled much of the room, some creatures sitting amongst them and mostly ignoring the conversation, and all of it lit up by the daylight beaming in from the large windows that made up much of the wall the entrance door was on. “She said you’d probably like some of the stuff here, especially ‘cuz of your species..es.”

“...What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked as she stopped near the boxes in front of the other creature, “I thought these...” She gestured to the candies, “Mostly just served to make creatures fat.”

Bon-Bon raised an eyebrow for a moment, seeming somewhat amused as she replied, “I’ll try not to take too much offense to that.”

Suddenly realizing just how rude her comment sounded to the creature that made the candies, Twilight sharply pulled back and tried to apologize, “Ah, s-sorry! I didn’t--”

“It’s alright; I know you didn’t mean that,” The Changeling replied calmly, a smile still on her face as she watched the other creature try to settle down. “It’s the sugar that’s the main culprit,” She explained as she crouched down to look at some of the candies in the boxes (which Twilight suddenly realized were open on the back side), specifically at a tray of striped shiny swirls atop thin white sticks, “That stuff already causes problems in Ponies if they have too much, but other species that aren’t exposed to eating it by the barrel-load would end up even worse.” Pulling two of the candies off the tray with her green Changeling telekinesis magic, one of them made of blue and red swirls while the other was coloured white and green, she then pushed herself to stand back up at look at the Zebra, continuing, “The ones I make have a lot less sugar in them than Pony-made ones, and while they may taste odd to them, I’ve gotten a lot of other species that prefer these more.

“Of course, I’ll just let you judge these lollipops for yourself,” Bon-Bon finished as she presented the two candies, apparently known as ‘lollipops’, to Twilight and Spike, with the former looking at them for a moment before glancing at the candy-maker for a moment. Getting an encouraging smile in response, she tentatively reached for and grasped the stick of the blue and red lollipop with a hoof, then pulled it towards her face to examine it more closely. Spike, however, while still quite enamoured by the quantity of the candies, had taken to staring at the white and green one in Bon-Bon’s magic as she moved it over to him, letting him eagerly take a hold of it in his own magic and bring it close to his face, then swiftly lap at the surface of shiny part of the lollipop.

Seeing how her brother definitely enjoyed the taste of it, despite the supposedly lessened sugar amount than other candies he’s liked in the past, Twilight slowly took a lick at her own lollipop, and... “Oh, wow...”

“Nice, isn’t it?” She heard Bon-Bon ask, making her nod instinctively as she savoured the sweet taste of the candy that was nowhere near as overpowering as the stuff she’d had in the past. “Don’t worry about paying me for this, either; it’s on the house.”

Twilight took a few more licks at the lollipop in captivation, but did soon look up at what the other creature just said and asked in confusion, “...’house’?”

“Right, sorry,” The Changeling replied in something akin to guilt, “I just meant it’s free. You don’t have to pay for it.”

“...Oh,” Twilight muttered in response, then took another lick, incredibly intrigued by the flavour and how unique it was, before adding, “Well then... thank you, Bon-Bon.”

Nodding in thanks, Bon-Bon then gestured over to the main section of the room with all the booths and tables, saying, “Well, you can go sit down while you enjoy that. Don’t want you to get in the way of any other customers here.”

“Oh, right,” Twilight started, and spared a look at the other Changeling on her back, who was still lapping away at his own lollipop, making her roll her eyes and say, “Well, come on, Spike.”

The Zebra then begun trotting over towards the booths for a moment, spotting a pair next to the main window with no other creature sitting on them, but got stopped when she heard an almost-shout from behind her.

“Wait!” Bon-Bon sharply called out, making the two creatures stop in place and turn their heads back over to see her, some level of worry on their faces. “S-sorry, but... You don’t have anything important to do for the rest of the day, right?” At a hesitant shake of each of the other creatures’ heads, she requested, “Well, can you stay in my shop for a couple hours until I close it? I’d like to talk in private about...” She trailed off, seemingly not knowing what to say, but finished by gesturing to her body, likely signaling her species as a Changeling.

Twilight and Spike looked at each other for a moment in contemplation, both of them worried about what exactly the other creature wanted to talk about, but the latter was clearly still excited to be in a place filled with sweets, especially ones that didn’t make him ill. Twilight was less optimistic, weighing her options between simply leaving at that moment, leaving after they were done with their lollipops, or waiting as requested, and in the end, she knew she might as well oblige, given how unlikely it was other Changeling would harm either of them and how she had already gifted them some sweets as a sort of peace offering.

“..That’s alright with me,” The Zebra returned with a nod, and spotted the excited smile his brother had at her agreement, then glanced down at her saddlebags, and added, “Luckily I have some books I can read.” Looking back at Bon-Bon, who smiled and nodded in thanks, Twilight then resumed her trot over to the empty booth, feeling a little uncomfortable as she held her lollipop close to her chest while weaved through the tables, passing by the other creatures that sat around, still mostly ignoring her and Spike, before she eventually reached the booth itself.

Pausing for a moment to let Spike hop off her back and sit up onto the left booth, shuffling down towards the window as Twilight moved over to sit down as well, setting her lollipop carefully down on the table. Next, she reached down for the straps on her saddlebags to undo them and pull the bags off her, lifting them up and setting them onto the table, before opening them and pulling out the book about mathematics and setting it out. Hesitating for just a moment, Twilight decided to take the saddlebags back off the table first, placing them onto the wooden seat between herself and Spike, before finally being able to put the lollipop back into her mouth and open up her book and get to reading to let the time pass.

---

Multiple hours did indeed pass, and Twilight managed to learn some more things about basic algebra while the lollipop in her mouth slowly got whittled away by her saliva, leaving her with just the stick in far more time it took Spike to do the same. He, though, was just left bored by having to wait, and while he tried to pester his sister about getting more candy, she put her hoof down with how even if this candy was better than normal candies, he still shouldn’t be eating a lot of it at once. After that, and with nothing else to do, he just went to sleep leaning against his sister as she continued to read.

During that time, as the Sun slowly set with dimming light coming in through the window, Bon-Bon continued to work at her shop, greeting and selling her candies to customers of all species, with most just talking with a calm smile, some children popping in every now and then to make a bit of noise, but all were cowed by the candies before they left, and the occasional creature making a bit of a ruckus, though they were handled expertly by the calm, yet firm shopkeeper who’s no doubt seen it all before.

Eventually, though, as the night truly kicked in and some magical lanterns on the ceiling turned on, Bon-Bon talk to the few dwindling customers that remained so that they left before locking the door and turning around the ‘Open’ sign to have it say ‘Closed’, leaving her to sigh heavily in exhaustion as she headed over to the glass boxes, and turned her head to call out to the two customers still left inside, “I’ll be with you in a minute; I just need something to drink first.”

Taking her eyes off her book for a moment as she heard the Changeling speak, Twilight nodded in understanding as Bon-Bon went back behind the boxes and headed through a door on the wall behind them that the Zebra didn’t actually notice beforehand, throwing her off for a second before she shook her head and turned back to her book. A few more minutes passed in peaceful silence before that door opened back up with Bon-Bon trotting through it, closing it behind her before she approached her customers’ table.

Looking up from her book as she heard the other creature approaching, Twilight could clearly see just how tired she was from her slightly hanging head and drooping body, but also that she held a mug in her magic, steam wafting out of its top. Mentally marking her location in her book, Twilight then closed it before reaching down to open her saddlebags and put the book inside.

“Sorry about that,” Bon-Bon said as she got to the booth and sat down opposite her customers, taking a sip from her mug before setting it onto the table before her, which let the odd, somewhat bitter scent of it waft out towards the other creatures.

“What is that smell?” Twilight asked of her, unable to place it despite all her knowledge about plants and what could be made from them, “Its source I am unable to tell...”

“It’s coffee,” The Changeling explained, taking another drink of it, “It’s a stimulant of sorts, and it helps keep me awake. Normally this stuff’s actually pretty dangerous for my species due to it being so strong, but I’ve diluted it a bunch to help with that. I still wouldn’t recommend it to him, though,” She finished, gesturing to the other Changeling at the table, who was still sleeping against his sister’s side.

Looking down at Spike as well, Twilight commented in response, “..I suppose that makes sense.” Knowing that Bon-Bon wanted to talk about her own species in particular, she figured her brother would have some input as well, and wrapped a foreleg around his shoulder to shake him slightly. “Eating the sweets already seemed a bit up to chance.”

“Eh, you could say that,” Bon-Bon replied, sounding slightly thoughtful, which drew the Zebra’s attention. Shaking her head a bit, the shopkeeper elaborated, “Low-sugar candies were a bit of a hard sell at first, honestly. While Lyra can be a bit annoying, her shoving the idea down creatures’ throats pretty much forced them to try it out, which helped get all this off the ground.”

Nodding in (slightly amused and worried) understanding, Twilight looked back at Spike as he started to wake up, opening up his eyes to blink blearily at his sister.

“It certainly didn’t help that I had some pretty strong competition,” The other Changeling continued, her head tilting down slightly to look at Spike with a muddled mixture of emotions. “No doubt you’ve seen that pink Deer by now, Pinkie Pie,” She said, getting almost a wince from Twilight as she remembered that blindingly-excitable creature, “She works at another store, Sugarcube Corner, and they mostly work in baked goods, like donuts, scones, cupcakes, etcetera. All of them are very sugar filled and would no doubt cause a lot of problems in any of our bodies if we were to eat them, but other creatures around here love them and have loved them for years, so...

“Anyway, I know there’s definitely a market for low-sugar sweets in this town now that I’ve started this,” Bon-Bon turned her line of speaking a bit, still watching the younger Changeling wake up, his attention mostly on her words as he did so. “I don’t doubt that Pinkie and the other creatures that run the Corner have contemplated about making low-sugar versions of their own stuff to get customers from that area too, but you know why they don’t?” An intrigued look and ‘hm?’ from Twilight allowed her continue, “Because they’re better than that.”

Turning her head to look more fully at the other creature, Twilight replied uncertainly, “I’m.. not entirely sure what you mean. Could you please explain?”

Nodding with a hint of an amused smile, Bon-Bon swiftly answered, “If they were to actually sell that stuff, it would take away customers from me. The Corner’s already a bigger operation, with more creatures working there and more customers, so they want to take any sales away from me, who relies on this job very heavily.”

Twilight nodded slowly as she processed the information, with many of the terms going over her head, but... “If I understand this correctly, them selling low-sugar sweets would harm you indirectly?”

“That’s right,” The Changeling responded, leaning back in her seat and lifting her mug to take another drink of it before going on, “I know you don’t really like Pinkie all that much, but I can assure you she’s a good creature. She never gives the best first impression, with literally being ‘in-your-face’ and all, but I really think you ought to know how hard she tries to help everyone else around her.”

Hearing Spike scoff at it, Twilight turned her attention down to him as he said, some sleep still clear in his voice, “Yeah, that’s an understatement. She only stopped being really annoying after we almost threw a potion at her face.”

Snorting a bit at the memory herself, the Zebra felt a little guilty as she turned back to the creature across from them, empathy written on her face. “Well, we’ll try to keep that in mind, just.. in case we see her or her kind.”

Yawning as he finished waking up, Spike changed the conversation as he said to Bon-Bon, “Yeah. Cool to see another Changeling around here though. Especially one that isn’t all... you know.” A slightly amused, yet moreso solemn smile came up on the shopkeeper’s face, and Twilight remembered how he’d already said how strict and mindless the hives usually are. “Not exactly sure what happened to your mane, though,” Spike also remarked a bit tactlessly.

“Well, yes,” Bon-Bon muttered in reply, glancing up at her pink and blue mane for a moment, then looked at Twilight to ask, “You already know we’re shapeshifters, right?” Getting a nod back from the Zebra, she continued speaking to both of the other creatures, “This whole thing is just a change on my base form, really just because it makes me feel more... me, if that makes sense.

“Like, I could...” She continued for a second, then with a quick flash of her Changeling magic, a green flame wrapped around her mane, emerging from one side and swiftly shooting across to the other, leaving her mane completely gone behind it with only the typical very dark green ‘fin’ in its place. “...do this, but now I’m just a normal drone, not.. Bon-Bon.”

“Yeah, I got it...” Spike replied slightly offhandedly, his attention seemingly taken a bit elsewhere by his thoughts as he analyzed the other Changeling’s appearance for a few seconds, eventually saying, “You’re an.. A-class, right?”

Humming and nodding in agreement, Bon-Bon swiftly flashed her mane back its previous form, and Twilight could definitely agree it fit her a lot better, but her attention was far more taken by what the shopkeeper replied in a slightly hesitant manner with, “Number 192, under Princess Embioptera...”

“Huh, I’ve heard about her..” Spike muttered back, tilting his head a bit, but just as quickly shook it off to reply, “Well, I’m TC304.”

Bon-Bon raised an eyebrow, saying in a bit of awe, “The Queen, huh?” Smiling genuinely as she leaned forward with an elbow on the table, forehoof supporting her head.

“Um, sorry to interrupt,” Twilight felt like she needed to interject, “But what exactly are you meaning? I have known of his... ‘ID’, and have found it very demeaning...”

Turning to the Zebra, Bon-Bon took a moment before replying, “Sorry, I was just a bit surprised...” Putting her hooves back down and taking another drink of her coffee, she then cleared her throat before explaining, “Well, I should probably start with the entire reason we have IDs in the first place, and that’s because were generally all replaceable. You already know about the general way our hives are structured, right?”

“Yes, Spike has told me so,” Twilight answered, feeling somewhat perturbed as she recalled the way he described it, “The Queen was at the top, with all others utterly below.”

“It’s part of our physiology, so try not to feel that bad about us,” The Changeling slightly admonished, clearly noting the other creature’s tone. “We’re made in droves, clutches of at least fifteen each, and are all completely mindless at birth. It tends to be kept that way for multiple years, with only experiencing the outside world as the main thing that can make a Changeling become properly sentient.

“I only got that because of my class, being an A, which stands for Assassin,” Bon-Bon continued, making her Zebra customer pull back in shock, but she quickly clarified, “Most of what we do isn’t actually assassination, mind you; it’s moreso just spying, but A is just the classification we’re given.” Twilight was clearly still put off, but mostly acquiesced at her explanation and let her gesture to her brother and continue, “Spike here has the T class, which means Thief, and I will say they do certainly steal.

“I imagine Spike’s made you aware of how Changelings feed off of emotion?” She asked, getting a nod from both of the other creatures, “Well, Thieves are meant to steal large quantities of those emotions and store it in their bellies. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but his barrel is actually very soft, and that’s because of how much his belly is supposed to expand in order to store a lot of excess emotion that gets transported back to feed the hive.”

Twilight nodded as she digested the information, taking a second or two before turning her head to Spike, who looked back at her and nodded in response. “Yeah, that’s information we’re taught pretty early to help us work together better.”

“Yes, and also...” Bon-Bon interrupted, getting a very intrigued and slightly overwhelmed Twilight to turn her attention back to her, “You can see that my horn’s a lot larger than his,” She pointed to her horn and then to Spike’s, “And while part of that is obviously because he is younger and smaller than me in general, the other reason I because I’m an Assassin, and having stronger magic with more control is really helpful when blending in and trying to stay hidden.”

“...Okay...” Twilight muttered, closing her eyes for a few seconds as she processed everything she was told, with the classes of Changelings clicking in her mind. It was clear to her those numbers were the number of that type Bon-Bon and Spike were, with the multiple other classes there must’ve been meaning were at least thousands of Changelings in each hive! And that wasn’t even accounting for one other thing...

“And, as for this Princess, you called her?” She asked of Bon-Bon, “What exactly.. is her position of power?”

Taking a moment to close her eyes and nod almost solemnly, the Changeling took another sip of her coffee, and seemed to finish it given the distinct noise it made, and set the mug back down before beginning, “Her name is Princess Embioptera, and she rules over her hive of Changelings, much like the other Princess and Queen Chrysalis herself, who rules over the primary hive. Princess Embioptera has always been very careful and conniving, with any enemies getting manipulated away from her hive before they can become a real threat.”

Nodding slowly once more, Twilight pondered on the nature of that Princess for a moment, with the general knowledge that her manipulation likely wasn’t isolated to her enemies, and as Bon-Bon told her about becoming more sentient with finding out about the outside world, she had a hunch... “Perhaps I am reaching here, but did this Princess of yours lead you through fear?”

The Changeling looked at her for a second, seeming to think about a response, then tilted her head in a sort of amused manner. “I won’t say that’s untrue,” She began carefully, “But once again, our very minds and bodies are made with the sole purpose to serve our ruler. I don’t think she ever did a bad job as Princess, and she never tortured any of us.” Staring more directly into the Zebra’s eyes, she continued more passionately, “She’s not evil, and if you’re asking if that’s why I left, then you’re wrong.”

Pulling back and lowering her head in regret, Twilight quickly apologized, “S-sorry for assuming about that, then. I...” Taking a deep breath, she lifted her gaze to look back at the creature across from her, “I am mostly concerned with why you’re no longer in her den.”

“Yeah...” Bon-Bon replied with a mostly assenting shrug, and took a glance at Spike before adding, “It is pretty weird to see a Changeling living outside the hive, after all.”

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that, with the three creatures sitting there for multiple seconds, Twilight taking a quick look outside the window at the starry sky with the moon still not seen above the houses, but it was ultimately Spike that broke the silence, asking the other Changeling, “So, if the Princess isn’t the reason you left, then what is it?”

Pursing her lips and looking at him for a moment, Bon-Bon turned her head to look out the window, but it didn’t seem to be an annoyed dismissal of the question; no, it was moreso like she didn’t know what to say...

It took several more seconds of silent contemplation on the older Changeling’s part, but she eventually spoke, “...Honestly? It was mostly Lyra.”

Twilight tilted her head, and she had a hunch as to what the other creature meant, but she had already pushed her luck before and now chose not to respond. Thankfully though, Spike wasn’t so hesitant and asked Bon-Bon, “Really?”

Nodding slowly, Bon-Bon paused a little bit longer before explaining to the other of her species, “You know how it feels, to... be within your hive. This... urge to serve your ruler, with no other goal within your mind, and no obstacle you’re not willing to try and push through.” Turning her head back to lock eyes with Spike, she continued with enflamed passion, “I had already became sentient before I had ever met Lyra, and it was only by sheer chance that she saw me with my disguise down from my exhausting trek to Ponyville. But, unlike many others I’ve met, she wasn’t repulsed by my appearance or parasitic way of life; no, she was enthralled by it.

“She’s always been a very curious creature, even if I’ve helped her tone down the overwhelmingness it can manifest in, which you no doubt remember from meeting her,” Bon-Bon continued, some wistful ‘oh, you’ vibes creeping into her voice, and Twilight was growing certain about the strength of her feelings toward Lyra, “She definitely made me uncomfortable back when I met her, poking and prodding me, both metaphorically and literally, as she tried to figure out the way our species worked, but... she ended up making me feel safe.

“As my sentience and knowledge of other creatures’ culture grew, I started to get.. attached to that feeling,” The Changeling kept going further, her tone now becoming more somber and... regretful, almost. “In Princess Embioptera’s hive, and probably in all hives, honestly, “There’s this feeling of...” She gestured widely, clearly uncertain of her words as she started speaking more towards Twilight than Spike, “It’s like, some mix of both dread and relief. It’s... well, we’re replaceable, and while that may ensure how we’d never be saved without a truly reason, it also means it doesn’t matter if we fail at something, as some other Changeling will always end up doing it in our stead.”

Taking a few breaths, Bon-Bon let her gaze fall down to the table, and her words only became more unsure as she resumed, “With Lyra, I felt.. unique, a-and special... and I didn’t like that feeling. It was alien to me, and went against everything I was made to be and wasn’t ever something I felt like I earned, but... as I continued my mission, staying within Ponyville and with Lyra herself, as I learned more about other creatures and started to empathize with them more, I started to like that feeling.

“I... started to care less and less about how I was meant to be just another drone who never earned a Name, and instead I used the name Lyra gave me.” Her cheeks turned the slightest shade of green while she glanced over to the glass boxes that contained the sweets she clearly loved to make, and she finished, “After the candy she helped me make.”

The silence came back over the three creatures, but it was more calm this time around, with all of them thinking about the speech that was just given, the emotion infused into it so very clear in each of their minds. For her part, Twilight was starting to understand just how little she knew about Changelings and their culture, with the replaceability at their core running counter to any and every piece of advice she’d be taught as part of her tribe, and being even more contradictory when coming to the way she thought about creatures. She had heard of things like that before from Spike, but this example, this bearing of one’s soul really put into perspective just how different it all was to her.

“So...” Spike began, startling Twilight a bit as she looked down to him, “How did you manage to leave the hive for her? There’s no way Princess Embioptera wouldn’t have had you executed for treason if she knew about you abandoning her.”

Twilight shivered a bit at the casual mention of such a quick and violent sentence, but now knowing what she knew about Changeling society, she didn’t bother doubting it, and instead turned her attention to Bon-Bon as she responded, “Obviously. That’s why I didn’t let her know about it.” At the confused looks from the other creatures, she pointed at her deathly-sharp horn and elaborated, “I am an Assassin-class, remember? Any of the changelings sent in my stead that I had to kill, I ended up making it look like the creatures of this town killed them, so any other Changeling, including Princess Embioptera, would just figure that I was another victim of them.”

Shuddering a bit further at more mentions of killing, Twilight leaned back into her seat and took a deep breath, images of creatures she’d seen die flashing through her mind, and she just couldn’t comprehend how either of the Changelings could bring themselves to do that... How they could possibly end someone, with all the years they’ve lived amounting to nothing, and the years they had yet to live getting cut short... and they speak about doing so like it was normal.

Of course, that’s probably because it was normal to them, with the threat of death looming over them at all times, both having it happen to them and doing it to others...

Suddenly, though, Twilight felt something brush down her mane, and she closed her eyes and took some deep breaths, feeling just how weak and shaky her breathing had gotten from her panic. Taking some more time in the quiet blackness of her closed eyes, she evened out her breathing and tried to relax.

Eventually, she opened her eyes back up and looked over to her brother, still feeling his hoof brushing through mane and she said, “T-thank you, Spike.” Smiling at him to help assure him she was okay, she then looked over at the other Changeling, who was clearly somewhat worried as she looked back.

“Are you alright?” Bon-Bon asked, that same worry also in her voice.

Twilight nodded quickly in response, and took a second to gather her words before saying, “Yes, I am well. Just... what you said led me to... dwell.”

Bon-Bon nodded and looked away, replying with a level of guilt, “Sorry. Sometimes I forget that... well, death isn’t that common for other creatures.” Glancing back at getting a nod of relative understanding from the Zebra while Spike took his hoof off her mane, Bon-Bon then returned her gaze to the window, and seemed to be thinking uncertainly about something.

“I honestly...” The Changeling started, hardly sure of her own words as she trailed off, taking a couple seconds before looking back towards her customers and resuming, “I feel like doing all of that might have had some... side-effects.” Seeing the confusion on their faces, she elaborated, “Princess Embioptera isn’t really on good terms with Equestria, and despite their replaceability, she’d still take issue with her subjects dying to this nation, and might... well, you might be able to guess the consequences by now.”

Twilight and Spike returned a shaky nod and worried look respectively, the latter deciding to add, “And obviously you can’t explain it to them...” Given everything that had already been said, Twilight could already tell what that implied, and she was forced to take another deep breath. While she knew she could trust Spike and Bon-Bon, the way their species worked was starting to make her uneasy around them in some regard.

“I can’t take any of it back,” Bon-Bon said, her tone that of acceptance of her past mistakes, and she grew a sad smile as she added, “Now I just gotta keep going with the life I have now with Lyra.”

Twilight was taken aback by the level of regret in her tone, especially with how calm and casual the Changeling seemed to be, but it was also clear just how much she loved and devoted herself to Lyra. But, there was something else in her expression as well, and it seemed almost.. empathetic, as though she could tell both Twilight and Spike had made mistakes in their pasts as well and was trying to tell them something...

Thankfully, Twilight was given a reprieve from trying to think about that when Spike stirred, drawing keen attention from both the other creatures as he looked both amused and confused, then asked of the other Changeling, “I wanted to ask earlier, but what exactly is the deal with her?” Getting a bewildered and slightly offended look from Bon-Bon, he seemed to rethink his words, and then specify, “I mean, the--uh, the way she sits is very weird.”

“Oh!” Bon-Bon gasped in sudden understanding, and dropped her glare to smile apologetically and reply, “That is pretty odd, isn’t it?” Her smile turned both more genuine and more baffled as she answered, “Well, apparently she’s gotten obsessed with myths about an odd race of bipedal creatures--by that, I mean they stand on two legs, like... most dragons, if you’ve ever seen them?” Getting a hesitant, partially understanding nod from both the other creatures, she continued, “These creatures, I think she called them... ‘Hyoo-mans’?

“Um... Lyra’s always described as industrious and technological, their inherent and utter lack of magic pushing them to create things that might have well have been magic.” Very intrigued looks, especially from Twilight, prompted Bon-Bon to further elaborate, “They supposedly made small bricks filled with wires that do many different things, like compute mathematics, take photographs, record and play music... but it also was connected to this massive network of different but similar devices that allowed for instant communication across the world and predictions of weather patterns.

“Uh...” Looking directly back at Twilight, who was leaning very far forward over the table in immense interest (to put it lightly), Bon-Bon cleared her throat and added with a hint of concern, unable to keep her eyes off the Zebra, “I will say again, these are only myths, not actual records, so there’s no real evidence of this race ever existing at any point...”

Blinking for multiple seconds as the sudden surge of curiosity faded with the knowledge that it may have all been made up, Twilight needed a moment to realize just what she was doing, and how uncomfortable it was making the Changeling across from her. Swiftly jerking back and looking guiltily at her, she quickly moved to apologize, “S-sorry about that! I, um...”

“I-it’s alright…” Bon-Bon replied hesitantly, though clearly tried to be reassuring. “You get very invested in these things; I get it. Lyra’s a lot worse at times, honestly.”

Nodding quickly and laughing guiltily at herself, Twilight settled uncomfortably back into her seat, keeping her eyes away from the other creatures to not feel further embarrassed at her behavior.

“Anyway...” Bon-Bon then spoke, her tone clearly trying to divert the conversation as she looked at the other Changeling, and asked of him, “Spike, right?”

“Er, yep,” He replied, seeming a bit startled by suddenly being asked something.

“I know you’ve heard a lot about why I’m out of my hive, but what about you?” Bon-Bon asked, sounding genuinely curious. “Like I said before, living outside a hive is far from normal...”

Spike nodded at the assessment, and his head turned towards Twilight for a moment in questioning, and as the Zebra was calming back down, she caught his look and nodded back at him, already having been told his past, but believing it would be best for him to tell it himself.

“A-alright, well...” He started hesitantly, looking back towards Bon-Bon, “I was still just a drone when it happened, so I don’t really remember everything very clearly...” He shifted a bit in his seat, and continued uncertainly, “I know I was out on a mission far out in the Badlands desert, with the black cracked ground serving as good camouflage for us. Something must’ve startled us--that being me and some other Changelings--out of our group and into hiding around, but I didn’t find them after that. I wandered around for a while, and probably would’ve died if I wasn’t found by Twilight...” He turned to look up at her, trailing off as she looked back and they both recalled those distant moments where they found each other.

“...I was outside my tribe for a break,” Twilight picked up the story, still keeping her eyes locked on her beloved younger brother, “Very far away, just so I could think. But I then found him, starving and broken... My own tribe would’ve easily left him to end. But I was different, and kept him alive on my own.. even if how to keep him alive was very much unknown.” Sighing in a mix of exhaustion and pain from her past, she lifted a hoof and put it on Spike’s shoulder, then turned to Bon-Bon, who was clearly invested in the story. “It took me a while to figure out what he should eat.. until I learned it was not grass nor meat. Thankfully, emotions are common enough, but the ones in my tribe were typically quite... rough.

“But, I still did what I needed to keep him alive,” She continued, her voice only growing more passionate as time went on, and she leaned towards her brother as well, “It took so much effort to let him thrive.. and that’s one of the main reasons we moved here; a friend of mine told of this place’s lack of fear. By then though, I started to notice something with Spike...” A smile crept onto her face, small and tired, but awe-struck and utterly loving, “He was far more than the mindless drone I met on that hike.”

Bon-Bon smiled back at the both of them from across the table, clearly touched by their care for each other, but for Spike and Twilight themselves, a quiet moment of reminiscing on the good times they had in the past was sorely needed after the dark stories of Changelings’ replaceability. They were hardly even hugging, but just keeping their hooves on each other’s back was enough to keep them stable, and knowing that despite whatever else they’d have to deal with in this town, they’d be able to do it together.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Does this story have any fighting in it?

[EpicGamer10075]

11684105
I’m not exactly sure why you’re asking, but there is only one fight presently, and it’s in chapter 3.

[TasermonsPartner]

You've outdone yourself! Most writers have trouble even getting Zecora to rhyme, but you did Twilight! And it's not the same thing; Twilight, even Zebra Twilight, has a different personality than Zecora, so the content and context of their rhymes are different, but you still pulled it off. I was enthralled visualizing Twilight as she rhymed! Almost every rhyming line in this chapter was superb! Kudos to you on your hard work!

[EpicGamer10075]

11685905
Thank you!
I never really understood how difficult it would be to do rhyming like that, but after actually writing some stuff with Zecora in previous stories, and especially with this one now, I know it can take several minutes to figure out just one line.
Obviously, keeping Twilight as rather inexperienced on the concept gives me some leeway, but it’s still very difficult, so I definitely appreciate you commenting how much you enjoy it.

[PonyofEntropy]

Just got caught up. Great updates.