Is my marefriend a changeling?
Night gave way to morning, and Cheerilee decided to get out of bed along with the rising sun. Normally she’d enjoy a sleep-in on a weekend, but too many thoughts had plagued her during the night to achieve any meaningful sleep. At least she was the only one who couldn’t sleep, as Cheerilee descended the stairs, she discovered that Sunny Skies was not only still on the sofa, but was sprawled out haphazardly, and snoring so loud the school teacher was surprised she hadn’t heard the snores during the night.
Collecting the blanket which Sunny discarded at some point during the night, Cheerilee made her way into the kitchen, as a school teacher, she knew the perfect remedy to late nights with next to no sleep, usually due to preparing lessons or marking work till the sun rose, but a coffee and some breakfast would work just as well now. One fresh pot of coffee, a blanket added to the laundry pile, and some porridge later, Cheerilee felt much more refreshed, she’d even come to the revelation that just because she didn’t know much about Sunny now, it didn’t mean she didn’t love spending time with the pegasus, and if she was staying here for at least another night, then Cheerilee had plenty of time to weasel as much information out of her as she desired, maybe a trip to the spa would help.
It was when Cheerilee was returning the oats to the pantry that she noticed a problem, she had barely enough food to feed a single pony, and while Sunny didn’t usually eat large amounts on their dates, Cheerilee wouldn’t dare allow any guest to subsist on basic hay, oats, and leftover carrots. Popping her head into the living room, she confirmed that Sunny was not only still asleep but had seemingly attempted to crawl towards the kitchen in her sleep, half fell off the sofa and decided to forgo further movement in favour of more sleep. How could the mare sleep through that? Delicately, Cheerilee moved to Sunny’s side and lifted the pegasus back onto the couch, despite how amusing a reaction Sunny would give, and how much Cheerilee wanted to get a little bit of revenge for last night's teasing, now would probably be the best time to do some shopping.
After leaving a brief note for Sunny, explaining where she’d be going and telling the pegasus to help herself to food and drink, Cheerilee set out for Ponyville market. The fresh air hit her like an out-of-control cart, and Cheerilee could feel her body crying out to go back inside, curl up in bed and sleep the day away, but then who would sort out food for the day? There was no way she could expect Sunny to do her shopping, so, taking a deep breath, Cheerilee forced one hoof in front of the other.
After what felt like an eternity, and a very hard-fought battle not to venture into Quils and Sofas for a nap, Cheerilee managed to get to the market, yet, the stalls were vacant, produce lay prepared to be sold, but neither shopper nor shopkeeper could be found, perhaps the CMC had done something again?
The sound of galloping hooves from behind her grabbed Cheerilees attention. As she spun around, Cheerilee saw Lily, one of the flower mares, running towards the town hall. Letting curiosity get the better of her, Cheerilee followed along.
As she got nearer to the town hall, Cheerilee could hear an ever-increasing murmur of chatter from a large group of ponies, as she finally arrived, to her shock, it seemed that it wasn’t just a large group of ponies who had gathered, but almost the entirety of Ponyville was currently stood before a stage that had been erected. To her knowledge, she wasn’t aware of any announcements or meetings, but judging from the anxiety that almost permeated the crowd, something had everyone on edge.
Cheerilee wouldn’t have to wait long for the answer, as Mayor Mare trotted to the centre of the stage, signalling everypony to be quiet.
“Greetings everypony. In response to growing concerns about the Changelings, I have arranged a presentation covering all the questions submitted to the Town Hall over the last week. After the presentation, there will also be a question-and-answer session. Now if you could all please give your attention to Princess Celestia’s personal student, Twilight Sparkle.”
Murmurs began up again as the local librarian took to the stage.
“Good morning everypony, thank you all for gathering so early today, first a message from Pinkie Pie, the “Post presentation distraction from Changelings party” is taking place in between Sugar Cube Corner and Bonbon’s Sweet Shoppe once the presentation finishes.”
“Now onto the presentation, as Mayor Mare said, I will be covering everything you need to be aware of now that we are of the Changelings, then I’ll answer the questions that have been submitted, but not covered yet, and finally answer any further concerns. Sadly, the Royal Guard believe that while Equestria is not at risk of a second Changeling attack any time soon, some Changelings might still remain.”
The Changelings are still a problem? But if they were defeated, why are they still a threat?
“What we know about changelings is that they are a race that feeds primarily, if not entirely on love. From what was learnt from Queen Chrysalis, Changelings can use magic to impersonate a pony whom you love, and feast on your love for that pony.”
They... feast on love? I knew that the Changelings needed Ponies, but if they could just pretend to be someone we cared about, how much do we even need to love a pony for them to eat that love? Would I even realise if someone I knew had been replaced? I would have noticed if one of the students had acted differently, and surely Rarity, as one of Twilight's friends was safe, but what about Sunny Skies? I barely even know her.
“As for how to tell if a pony has been replaced by a Changeling, there isn’t any clear sign, but a Changeling can only mimic the appearance and voice of a pony, they do not seem capable of mimicking their personality and memories, so it should be noticeable if a pony has been replaced.”
Should be easy, she says, but what about if you don’t know much about them? I don't think Sunny has ever been to Ponyville!
“It’s also believed that the Changelings may have been preparing for the invasion over the last few months -”
Months? But, then…
“- So it's not beyond the realm of possibility that a pony met over the last few months could, in fact, be a Changeling infiltrator.”
Could she… have been… a Changeling all along?
Cheerilee lost focus on the presentation, as the world around her began to fade away and anything said by Twilight became little more than a fuzzy drone. Memory after memory began to flash before her eyes, how Sunny appeared out of almost nowhere, had she been easy because of how desperate and sad she was when they met? Conversation after conversation, Cheerilee always leading, and while Sunny would speak about the goings on in Canterlot, it was always about groups, or events, never about herself.
An uneasy confusion rattled Cheerilee like too many Ciders to recover after a parent's evening, she needed to focus, to calm down, maybe Twilight would have something that would prove Sunny was innocent, it could all just be a misunderstanding, right?
“... The Changelings can be violent, so the Royal Guard does not want any pony to act on their own. So if you believe you might have found a Changeling, or believe some pony you know is under their control, please speak to one of the colts at the Ponyville guard station, or myself if I'm around. Even if all you have is a suspicion, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Now, onto the submitted questions, no, Changelings do not have hands, in fact…”
***********
The rest of the presentation went on much the same, Twilight would answer a question and sometimes divert into some other piece of information, however, nothing helped her current situation. She currently had a pony… hopefully, a pony sleeping in her house, whom she had grown to care deeply for over the last few months, a pony… Or creature she knew nothing about.
After what felt like an eternity, Twilight finally brought the presentation to a close, and the other ponies began to journey to Pinkie’s post-presentation party. Cheerilee hadn’t asked any questions during the presentation, but now that she could speak privately to Twilight, she could ask for her advice without creating a panicked mob.
“Hello, Miss Sparkle?”
“Hmm? Oh Miss Cheerilee, is everything ok?”
“Yes, or at least I hope so.” Said Cheerilee, she knew what she wanted to say, but, why was she suddenly so hesitant to simply say that she had a... Had a… Might have a Changeling in her house
“Theirs this pony, Sunny Skies, I met a few months ago…”
And it’s been wonderful.
“...And while we’ve spent a lot of time together…”
Was this right? It’s not like I ever pressed Sunny for information.
“...She suddenly went quiet, a few days before the invasion, she said she’d be busy that weekend…”
She lives in Canterlot, who wasn’t busy that weekend?
“...And afterwards, I didn’t hear from her at all, but she suddenly showed up last night, she was a bit worse for wear…”
Maybe Twilight could make sure she wasn’t seriously injured, maybe this would be good for Sunny?
“... I was wondering what you thought.”
Twilight pondered for a few seconds, but with a steeled expression gave her reply, “It’s certainly possible that she may be a Changeling, does anyone else in Ponyville know her?”
“No, not that I’m aware of.”
She never even talked about friends in Canterlot, I don’t even know if she has any family.
“Hmm, could you describe her?”
“She is a pegasi, her coat is white, and she has a pink mane.”
Memories of last night flashed through her mind, resting under a heavenly wing, pressed against her coat, talking about nothing of worth. She didn’t even remember what they talked about, sure they spoke about Cheerilee’s school work, but everything else just faded from her mind, but she was happy. In those quiet moments, she had spent time with a pony and was content, and then there was Sunny’s laugh, so pure and free. What if, she was making a mistake? Did it matter if Sunny wasn’t a pony? Last night had been real after all, it couldn’t have been an act, it had been a perfect night with the pony… creature she…
“Her cutie mark is that of a sun, partially covered by a cloud,” Cheerilee said on autopilot.
The one I love! But if she is a Changeling, then Twilight is going to catch her, and even if she is a Changeling, that doesn't mean everything was a lie. I don’t want it to be a lie, I can’t let it be a lie, even if she’s a Changeling, I love her!
“Thanks, Cheerilee, do you know where I might be able to find her? I’ll gather AJ and Rainbow Dash so we can ask a few questions.”
“She went out for a walk, she should be coming back from Whitetail Woods soon.” Cheerilee lied.
I can’t let them find her!
***********
As soon as Twilight was out of sight, Cheerilee raced back to her home, hopefully, she’d have enough time to fix her mistake, it would take some time for Twilight to gather her friends, and if they went towards Whitetail Woods, that should give Sunny a chance to make her escape.
Finally, she arrived at the door to her home, and without slowing, shoulder barged her way into the house.
“SUNNY!”
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What AI did you use?
11885539
I don't remember I'm afraid, it was a fair few months ago,
11885535
The troubles of being dyslexic and wanting to write as a hobby I'm afraid, I should probably get an editor, but I prefer to not bother anyone else. As for Cherry Blossom, I honestly had no idea she existed before today, I'm aware of some of the comics, but not all, apologies for that. Using Berry Punch as her sister was more of a nod towards the MLP Time Loops fic, and a convenient way to Cheerilee into a bar.
covering
Minor thing to mention, but sometimes you alternate between writing 'Changeling' with the 'C' in capital and lower case, for reasons of consistency I would recommend that you choose a way of writing the word and stick to it.
A loose asterisk here.
ciders
Ponyville
Cheerilee
Canterlot
There is a period missing from the end of this sentence.
This entire paragraph appears to be Cheerilee's thoughts, but they are not presented as such.
11885667
Oh wow I made a lot of blunders
Thanks for pointing those out, further proof I shouldn't post at 3am
And here we are. I hope it wont break her too much.
Ah...kinda reminds me of a changeling Story now that was never finished