First Impressions
Chapter 2: First Impressions
Lyra took a deep breath in as she tightened the string on the harp again. She gave the instrument a gentle strum, and smiled at the tickling sounds in her ears. Perfection achieved, the angelic notes worthy of the Canterlot opera flowed forth once more.
The unicorn mare sighed in relief at a job well done. She got up and marked the harp on her schedule. 11 o’clock on the dot, perfectly on time. The three violins and cello she’d fixed earlier this week led her to think that the Canterlot Opera must have been playing some very riot-inducing plays recently. Not that she was complaining; broken instruments were good for business, and the odd ocarina she’d made for the latest ‘Zelda’s Tail’ was a nice change of pace.
She looked around, sniffed the air and noted that once again that sweaty odour hung around her, the aroma that accompanied all driven artists. She always worked better in quick bursts, but the aftermath usually left her tired, today being no exception.
She turned her head to stretch her stiff neck and caught sight of a fond memory. To her left in the workshop, there was the little lyre she’d made when she was nine. Three strings made from firecat hair and a frame made of the most delicate exotic hardwood, she’d played her little heart out on it after making it. The unicorn fondly recalled those heavenly sounds she’d produced. It was a moment she’d never forget, the moment she got her cutie mark thanks to her own little lyre.
Of course, other ponies had never really understood why she’d make such a fuss about a lyre made of shoelaces on a coatrack. But hey; it got her a cutie mark, and that meant that despite the silliness she’d grown up a bit and discovered her talent.
As the mare plopped down at the living room table, her magic fetching some tea, she couldn’t stop thinking about talents and futures. Particularly concerning her new ward, or rather her son. She’d jumped at the chance of having a child to call her own, even if it wasn’t exactly what she’d expected. Sure, the whole idea of adoption implied she’d be getting a child who’d suffered some loss, but both her and Bonsy had agreed that they could handle it.
She wasn’t so sure of that notion now. Even when they’d agreed there had been a few iffy points to clear up. The legal matters and the fact that he couldn’t be left alone were simple enough, but that one conversation with Sapphire Gaze still stuck with her as feeling off somehow.
Lyra took a deep breath to steady herself. Even at this late hour, she felt wide awake, and the tension she and Bon Bon were feeling was definitely at the root of that.
“Just out of curiosity, assuming everything works out and he gets to stay with us, what are we supposed to say when we have the talk with him?”
“The talk?” Sapphire asked.
“You know, ‘the talk’. When he grows up, tries to make a family of his own?”
“Oh, right. Um, nothing you wouldn’t say to any other child, I guess. We can breed with any species, if the – you know – anatomy matches. Our genetic material doesn’t work like that of other species, but it does work.”
“Okay, but at some point he’s going to ask about his kids being like him or not. That’s the part I’m worried about. What are we supposed to say to that?”
“He err… he doesn’t know any of that yet, so you’d have to start from the beginning. He knows it takes a male and female, since he was supposed to be bred and all, but that’s it. As for any progeny; our material changes when we change. Whatever shape he’s in when he’s… mating, that’s the material he’ll be passing on.”
“So if a changeling’s turned into a pony, their kids are ponies? Normal ponies?” Bon Bon asked.
“Completely normal,” Sapphire answered with a nod. “There’s no trace of our kind in a child like that. It’s actually happened that changelings start families out of their species and aren’t even found out to be changelings until they die. Rest assured, there’s no effect on the next generations, none.”
“And if he doesn’t change shape?” the unicorn asked.
“Then the result is changelings. Same rules for grandchildren, but a female can’t change shape while she’s expecting, things just lock up. It’s a choice he-- we are going to have start considering, I suppose. Like I said, we don’t work like other species do. What part of the genes we can’t use is discarded and replaced by the changeling parent’s. If we’re really far apart, the child is pretty much a clone. But we’re quite close to ponies, so any children would look like a mix of him and their mother, just like ponies do. Their species would still be ours, though. Are you sure you’re willing to go through with this? We can try to find another solution.”
The two ponies looked through the crack in the door. The little lump in the bed was sound asleep, all worn out from seeing the sights of Canterlot with the pair of mares. The boy had spent most of the day with a smile on his face as he thought he was just getting a little treat. He hadn’t even realised the mares might be a lasting presence in his life.
Lyra and Bon Bon exchanged a glance. After the briefest moment, they just smiled and nodded.
“We’re sure. If he’s okay with it, he can come live with us.”
Lyra suppressed a chuckle as she sipped her tea. She decided she was worrying too much. After all, Bastion had jumped at the idea of having parents. He never even bothered to ask any questions about the how or why.
Except for one question that Lyra silently decided she’d treasure forever.
“So… do I get to call both of you ‘mom’ now?”
Looking around the living room, Lyra put a hoof on what exactly it was that bothered her. Bastion acted like the two were his moms, even after just two weeks of staying at home. He didn’t show any embarrassment about it, no little remarks about his birth parents. If Sapphire hadn’t explained everything they’d never have known.
It wasn’t normal for a kid to act like that with total strangers.
Then again, what they had wasn’t a normal kid.
The mint-green unicorn finished her tea, and idly wondered if she should get Pinkie Pie to read the future in the leaves left. Another look around the place, and she decided against it. Something about the living room made her mind wander and her breath quicken. It wasn’t the fact that she could see the beehive they’d gotten Bastion as a welcome gift. While it did take a little getting used to, the bees weren’t dangerous, and Bastion had turned tickled pink (literally) when they’d shown him the wooden buzzing box. Twilight’s suggestion had been spot-on, not that there was ever any reason to doubt her. The boy loved his new home, and he loved her and Bon Bon, no doubt about that.
Even if Bastion hadn’t really had a mom before, now he’d get to have two. It was as simple as that. As far as the mares were concerned, the boy’s birth parents were gone, and he'd been left alone for far too long. Bon Bon and Lyra were his parents now, that’s all there was to it.
Lyra glanced around the living room again and finally settled on a course of action.
"We’re gonna need pictures."
Bon Bon and Bastion trotted along the street, the mare laden with her groceries and the boy nervously shifting his gaze around as the merchants shouted on and on about their wares. The Earth pony could tell the little changeling was getting nervous, despite his new shiny look.
“Mom, I think ponies keep watching me. Can we go home now, please?”
“Don’t worry, Bastion. They’re looking at you because you’re new in town. Berry Punch looked at you too when she came over, and she was nice, right? Everyone knows you’re with me and Lyra. A lot of ponies have asked about you while you were sick, actually. And come to think of it...”
Right on cue, a mass of pink flung itself from the shadows into Bastion. All at once, he was tackled, scooped up and placed on a pedestal that erupted in fireworks and ribbons. All his efforts at trying to lay low had apparently failed.
“Mom?”
“It’s alright, honey, it’s just a Ponyville tradition: a little baptism by fireworks and confetti. Pinkie Pie calls it the ‘welcome wagon,’” she replied calmly.
“What’s a Pinkie Pie?”
“That.” Bon Bon pointed to the pink mare who was currently doing a song and dance routine.
“Hi! You must be Bastion!” she exclaimed when the confetti settled. “I’ve heard so much about you, we’ll be best of friends!”
“Can I come down from this now?” the boy asked his mom with an air of dread.
Bon Bon nodded at him and smiled as the pink mare kept on hopping around the boy.
“Pinkie Pie, would you mind calming down? He’s not used to ponies. You don’t want to scare him, do you?”
“Oh, sorry.” Pinkie held up a hoof to her lips in apology, before extending it to Bastion. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie. I always welcome new Ponyvillians.”
Bastion tentatively took the hoof and slowly moved it up and down like he’d seen on TV.
“Oh. Umm… thanks?”
“You’re welcome.”
Bon Bon smiled a bit at the scene unfolding and stepped in. She’d weaned him on normal ponies, true, but Pinkie Pie’s presence was overwhelming at best. Part of her wanted to tell the mare off, but a deep, calming breath got the better of that reflex.
Keep your cool, Bon Bon, don’t snap. No point getting annoyed over nothing. ‘Laugh at everything’, like Lyra always says.
The boy whimpered, bringing the mare’s attention back in the present.
“She also likes to make friends. Pinkie here’s friends with everypony with town.”
“That’s right: every pony, every mule and every donkey. Not every changeling, though,” Pinkie Pie remarked, leaning in close but backing off when she noticed the boy's tension.
“Wuh-what would I have to do to be friends with you?”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes at that.
“You wouldn’t have to do anything special, Bastion, not for her.”
The pink mare leaned in with a slightly intimidating smile. She got so close he could tell what she’d had for breakfast. He also noticed her dinner from the day before must have involved spinach, but he thought it prudent not to bring up the topic of nutrition to a pony who might have a little too much sugar in her diet.
“Well, do you want to be friends with me?”
For once, he didn’t look to his mother for approval.
“Err, sure?”
“Great!” Pinkie exclaimed with a hop. “Oh, just one thing, then: when’s your birthday?”
Bastion blinked.
“My what?”
Pinkie Pie gasped in shock.
“You don’t know what a birthday is? But then… you’ve never had a birthday party? You’ve never even had a birthday? But if you never had a birthday, then that means you were never born! And if you were never born, that means you’re not real! But how can you be standing there if you’re not real? Are you a ghostie?”
The little changeling pouted sadly, not even fazed by the onslaught of questions but hurt by the sentiment.
“I am not a ghostie. I’m a changeling. And I was too born, I just don’t know what day. We didn’t really keep track of all that, I mean, I didn't. Didn't think I'd need to.”
Pinkie Pie calmed down and lowered her voice.
“Oh hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad about it. But if you’re going to live in Ponyville, you should get a birthday. You’ve got a lot of parties to catch up on, and you can’t throw a birthday party without a birthday, right?”
“We’re still working out some of the details, Pinkie Pie,” Bon Bon interjected. “We’ll let you know when we settle on a date for his birthday.”
“Great! I’ll see you around then, Bastion!” Pinkie Pie bade him goodbye with another excited hop, before carting off her welcome wagon.
Bon Bon nudged the boy just a little to get the surprise out of his system.
“Yeah. See you around.”
Bon Bon resumed her pace, with Bastion in tow.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it? Pinkie Pie is a little odd, but she’s nice. She always tries to cheer her friends up when they’re down, and she throws the best parties.”
The two headed to their next stop; an apple stand.
“Applejack, good morning.”
“Top of the mornin’ to ya, Bon Bon. You’re here earlier than usual,” Applejack started, before letting her gaze fall on the changeling.
“Well, we had an early spa visit.”
“Now that you mention it, you do look pretty shiny. And who’s this fine gentlecolt?”
Bon Bon noticed her son quivering a little at the mare’s look. That was odd; he’d lightened up with Pinkie Pie just then. He’d been doing so well so far, there wasn’t any reason Applejack should make him nervous.
“I-I’m Bastion Pristin, ma’am. And I’m not really a colt. Not a pony, I mean.”
Applejack’s ears twitched at the sound of his distorted voice, but her expression didn’t betray anything.
“Aw, shucks, hun, you don’t have to call me ‘ma’am’, Applejack’s fine. And if you don’t like being called a colt, what am I supposed to call you?”
Bastion cringed a little, and turned his head away. Applejack raised an eyebrow in confusion at the gesture.
“It’s okay, sweetie. ‘Colt’ is what we call all the boys, so you do count as one. You’re certainly not a bull or a buck, are you?”
He meekly looked away, before staring at all the apples on display.
“No, I guess not.”
“So what’ll it be today, Bonsy? Apple pie, apple fritters, apple tarts?”
“The usual. Six apple fritters, six apple tarts, and… which apple pie would you like, Bastion?”
The baker noticed her son staring at the little market stall. He closed his eyes and sniffed, before hovering up with a little buzz and pointing to a pie behind the orange mare.
“That one, please.”
Applejack chuckled.
“Can you really smell the difference between that pie and the others from there?”
Setting down on the ground, his eye fell on the cornucopia of apples and apple dishes again. He barely looked at the mare, his eyes kept darting to all those apples.
“Sure, if I concentrate. That one’s got more... saffron in it, right? And nuts?” he guessed, trying to recall the name of the aroma.
“It’s an apple crumble,” Bon Bon explained with a wink. “You’ll see why it’s called that when he have it for dessert tonight. Is something wrong, Bastion?”
He shook his head, then looked at his mom. She looked down and raised an eyebrow to encourage him to talk. He still looked nervous being around Applejack for a reason she couldn’t divine.
Finall taking the hint, Bastion cracked.
“Um, I was just wondering, are all these apples and apple pies yours?”
“They sure are. Made those fritters and pies myself just this morning.”
“Applejack’s family owns an apple orchard,” Bon Bon explained. “The oldest orchard in town, actually. She harvests it with her family. The Apples go way back, there wouldn’t even be a Ponyville if it weren’t for her ancestors. The Apple family supplies pretty much all the apples in Ponyville, and a lot to the neighbouring towns as well.”
To Bon Bon’s surprise, the boy’s jaw started to hang a little at that.
“So how do like Ponyville, Bastion?” Applejack’s question snapped him out of his reverie. His eyes lowered right after that, though, going back to the plethora of apples in front of him.
“Oh, um… it’s really nice. I already made a new friend on my first day.”
Applejack flashed knowing grin.
“Pinkie Pie?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well, she’s a good friend to have.” Bastion shivered at the remark, though Bon Bon couldn’t guess why. She stroked his mane to get it in order again, he kept getting the tip of it in his eyes.
“But you’ll make more friends in school, won’t you?”
Applejack’s ears perked.
“Oh, you’re not in Cheerilee’s class, by any chance?”
“Y-Yes, ma’... err, Applejack.”
“Applejack’s little sister is in that class, too,” Bon Bon added. Despite her best efforts, though, she couldn’t get him to stop staring at the little stall. She nudged him a little and gave him a look to speak his mind. He winced, embarrassed.
“Somethin' wrong, sugarcube?”
“No, not really. It’s just that… you must have a really big family to get all those apples. That’s a lot of food for one family to make.”
The orange mare chuckled at that.
“Aw, that’s sweet of you to say, Bastion, but it’s really just me and my brother who do the harvestin’. My little sister pitches in, too.”
Bon Bon noticed his wings buzzing nervously again at that. He went wide-eyed.
“You get enough apples for the whole town? All on your own?”
Applejack smiled warmly and leaned in a little closer. As she did, Bastion’s buzzing abated a little. Bon Bon couldn’t make much sense of the boy’s reactions. Was he embarrassed by her somehow?
“Yup. We have some get-togethers every few months, actually. You could come by sometime and see for yourself.”
He smiled brightly, finally relaxing around her.
“I-I’d love to. Thanks.”
“Well, I suppose that’s a date, then,” Bon Bon announced as she turned to leave. “Applejack, I’ll see you around.”
Applejack tipped her hat to the pair.
“See you around, Bonsie, Bastion.”
As they walked off, Bon Bon couldn’t shake the mild oddity of her son’s behaviour.
“Why were you so nervous when you talked to Applejack?”
“I-I didn’t think she liked me,” he replied with his wings buzzing nervously again.
“Honey, she only just met you. You can’t expect to make a judgment like that with somepony you just met. And besides, she was nice, wasn’t she?”
Bastion was staring into the distance, completely lost in thought.
“Yeah. Does she really get that many apples with just her brother and sister?”
“Sure, on a daily basis, even. Why do you–“ she stopped herself from going any further. “Oh, now I get it. Your hive went hungry for a long time, didn’t they? You don’t understand where all this food is coming from.”
Bastion nodded, looking back at her.
“It’s just confusing. We didn’t have so many different foods, and I don’t see why Ponyville does. I thought ponies had to grow their own food, like changelings do.”
“Ponies do grow their own food. There’s lots of farmers around to make sure we don’t go hungry.”
“And bakers,” Bastion remarked, looking up, “like you.”
“Yes, that too. Most of the time a pony follows their talent. If that involves growing things or making food, that’s what they do. And we’ve had a long time to learn how to grow more, so we don’t go hungry.”
“Do you think I could make food?” he asked out of the blue.
That question caught her by surprise.
“I don’t see why you couldn’t learn. You’ve got that little beehive already, that’s a good start. You got a nice bit of honey on your first day, that’s something even ponies can’t do so easily. Unless that's their special talent, I guess.”
The nervous expression on his face lightened, turning to a smile.
“It is pretty fun. I think I might’ve overworked them a little, though.”
“They’ll be fine, Bastion. They have you to take care of them, remember? Which reminds me,” Bon Bon started, heading over to another stand, “you should thank mister Bumbles for that queen he got you.”
They got to the honey stand at the market, and the mare was about to say something, but she heard the oddest noise next to her. She snapped her head around to make sure she hadn’t been hearing things.
Did my boy just squee?
“Alright, class,” Cheerilee announced, “I’d like you to welcome a new student. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
The changeling stood in front of the class, twelve foals staring at him as he gulped. Everyone had name tags for him, which made things a little easier. Their eyes were a little unsettling, though. Some eyes darted to his face, some to his perforated wings, a few to his horn. The ones that went to the holes in his legs were the ones that made him really uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he steeled himself and took a deep breath.
“Hi, I’m Bastion. Bastion Pristin. Um, what am I supposed to say?”
“Well, what do you like doing, where do you live?” Cheerilee offered.
“Oh, I live at the south end of town, and I like taking care of my beehive. My mom’s a baker, and she’s started showing me how to make honey waffles, I like doing that. I’m not very good at it, though, they all come out burnt.” The boy grimaced.
Scootaloo perked her ears at that. Their new classmate had a weird echo in his voice, or a double voice, but it wasn't as scary as she'd been led to believe.
“Wait, you’re living with Bon Bon and Lyra, right?”
“Yeah. My other mom’s a unicorn. She makes and fixes musical instruments, but I don’t think I should try that. It looks pretty hard.”
“You have two moms?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Isn’t that kind of weird?”
“Why would it be weird?” Rumble retorted. “If he asks ‘Mom, what’s for dinner?’ one of them’s bound to know, right?”
Cheerilee snickered to herself.
“Quite right, Rumble. Anypony else have any questions?”
Diamond Tiara raised a hoof.
“Do you really feed on love?”
The changeling flinched a little at the question.
“Not just love. I eat and drink food, if that’s what you mean.”
“I think she means if you go hungry or get sick when your parents aren’t around,” the teacher tried.
“No, I don’t. It doesn’t really work that way. It’s more of a reserve kind of thing, and I mostly spend it with magic. I do need some every now and then, or I start falling apart. But I don’t use magic that much, so it’s not a problem.”
Scootaloo smiled when the boy’s eyes drifted to her, then turned her head. A little sound next to her drew her attention, and glancing next to her she realised Apple Bloom was moping about something. She was resting her head on her hoof, and her jaw looked clenched. It didn’t make much sense, but she guessed Apple Bloom just wasn’t too happy about the changeling in class. Still, at least he would be in good company.
“Alright then, Bastion. Why don’t you take a seat next to Diamond Tiara?”
Scootaloo winced. So much for good company.
Cheerilee took out her book and started narrating. “So today we’ll be talking about pony history…”
The pegasus pony turned to the blackboard, ignoring Apple Bloom’s apparent frustration for now. If her friend was feeling down, she’d probably talk about it over recess, anyway. And at least the new kid tried to pay attention. He looked pretty riveted, actually. There was something off about the way he sat, she felt. He looked kind of stiff.
Then again, he did have skin plates, and on a first day of school everypony’s a little stiff with nerves.
“Anypony wanna play dodgeball?” Scootaloo called out.
“Okay,” Rumble replied with a shrug. “Three on three?”
“Sure,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Us three against you, Dinky and Shady?”
Rumble looked around as Dinky Doo came walking over.
“I think Shady Daze is off taking pictures again. Hey, Bastion, you wanna play?”
The changeling looked left, then right, then slowly walked over to the five while the other foals played along.
“Alright. How do you play this game?”
Rumble pointed to the lines of the field.
“You move around so you don’t get hit, but you stay in these white lines, and you throw a ball. If you get hit, you have to move to the opponent’s side of the field, behind their back line, and you’re out. You can get back in if you hit somepony again when the ball moves that far back. It doesn’t count if you just catch the ball. If the ball doesn’t hit the ground, you’re not out. The team that’s left standing wins.”
The changeling looked to the lines of the field, then to the opponents and the ball.
“Got it.”
“All right,” Rumble started as Dinky Doo and Bastion flanked him, ”we’re ready.”
Scootaloo grinned and flung the ball at a bobbing and weaving Rumble. He took off from the ground to dodge it, letting the ball bounce harmlessly on the ground. Dinky Doo bolted towards it, picked it up and threw it right at Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo barely heard a tap and a hum, then the ball was hovering in front of the changeling, covered in a green glow. He looked about as startled as most foals look when they get one of Apple Bloom’s patented cannon ball tosses their way. He’d reacted pretty quickly, though.
“Hey! No fair!” Apple Bloom objected. “You can’t use magic.”
“Oh, sorry.” Bastion set the ball down and grabbed it in his paws. He flew up next to the hovering Rumble to launch the thing again.
“And no using your wings either,” Apple Bloom continued.
“What? Why?” Dinky asked.
“Because it’s not fair,” Apple Bloom replied. “We’ve got one pegasus pony, one unicorn and one Earth pony. You’ve got a pegasus pony and a unicorn, so Bastion counts as an Earth pony.”
Bastion nodded in agreement.
“Okay, that sounds fair. So I count as an Earth pony, right? No magic, no wings.”
Scootaloo looked disapprovingly at her friend, but she didn’t speak up. Even when the changeling removed his horn and wings with little green flames, she just suppressed a sigh. It was only Bastion’s first day, and Apple Bloom wasn’t being very nice so far. Sweetie Belle’s pouted in agreement, but neither of them wanted to call her out on it in front of everyone, least of all in front of the changeling.
Bastion got on his hind feet again and threw the ball to Sweetie Belle as she ducked. Before she could react, Apple Bloom had planted herself in between the unicorn and the ball and caught it.
Dinkie Doo was close enough to score a hit, and she wasn’t moving back and forth too quickly. Still Apple Bloom flung the ball at Bastion, catching the changeling off guard just as he ducked to the left.
He took the projectile to his stomach, arms wrapping around it in a reflex as the impact sent him flying. The changeling was knocked on his back and skidded to a halt on the ground.
“What is your problem?” Rumble asked. “Go easy on him, will you?”
Apple Bloom swallowed whatever it was she was going to say and trotted over to the prone changeling. She heard a vague hiss, and saw an edge of his elbow sticking into the ball.
“I think I popped a hole in your ball. Sorry.”
Apple Bloom smiled and shook her head.
“That's okay, it’s just a ball. I’m sorry I threw it so hard; I thought you had Earth pony strength, too. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
He got up with a cough.
“No, I’m fine, don’t worry. Honest mistake, I should have said so. I’m really sorry about the ball. I’ll fix it for you.”
“You don’t have to, Bastion, but if you really think you have to, knock yourself out.”
Realising the game was over, Bastion conjured his wings and horn back.
Diamond Tiara snuck up on the boy, flanking him from behind.
“Hey, Bastion, you can turn into ponies, right? Would you mind showing us?”
Scootaloo looked around in confusion as she noticed the other foals in school were watching the new kid.
“I don’t know if I should. My mom says I’m not supposed to.”
“Come on, we’ve never seen a changeling change shape before. Try turning into me!” Silver Spoon shouted excitedly.
The changeling winced at the sudden request. Rumble seemed to agree.
“Silver Spoon, you don’t ask a boy to turn into a girl. Would you like it if I asked you to turn into Snails?”
“Eww, gross!” The filly stuck out her tongue in disgust.
“Hey!” Snails called out, offended.
“How about turning into Rumble?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Just to see what it looks like.”
Bastion looked to the colt next to him, who just shrugged. With a sigh and a squint, the changeling wrapped himself in green flame that went from the tips of his paws to the edge of his nose. When the flames cleared, a second Rumble was standing there.
For reasons she wouldn’t understand for about five more years, Scootaloo’s wings suddenly felt a lot more rigid.
“Cool,” Rumble admitted.
“What would Rumble look like if he was an alicorn?” Sweetie Belle blurted out.
“A what?” the disguised boy asked, even getting the voice right.
“Like that, but with a horn,” the filly replied, tapping her own horn to illustrate.
Clenching his eyes shut, the boy reluctantly put a horn on his ensemble. Scootaloo shot Apple Bloom a weird look as some of the other fillies started calling out their suggestions. The original Rumble didn’t really know what to make of all the attention, by the looks of it. Apple Bloom just shook her head and seemed to be restraining herself from saying anything. Bastion kept conjuring his green flames and doing what he was asked to do, always keeping the same basic shape but with little alterations in proportion, colour, and species.
And somehow, before anyone knew what was going on, there was a black alicorn with a red mane and tail standing in the playground. He looked vaguely like Rumble, but the red slit eyes were a bit over the top, not to mention his bat wings.
“Okay, I think we’re getting a little carried away here. Maybe you should turn back,” Rumble suggested.
With another green flash, Bastion transformed into a grey colt with a dark grey mane and purple eyes. He’d shed his wings and horn, but had kept parts of the disguise. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at that. It almost looked like the changeling suddenly had trouble shifting his shape, and had gotten stuck in an Earth pony Rumble form. Another squint, and the holed legs and gauzy wings returned along with the rest of the changeling’s shape.
Diamond patted him on the back.
“That was pretty fun to watch, Bastion. You’ve got a really cool talent. Better than any of the blank flanks around here.”
Rumble and the Cutie Mark Crusaders huffed a little. The school bell interrupted any retort, though, and Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara herded the boy to class, flanking him while he kept the busted ball on his back.
Scootaloo shook her head in thought as Rumble and the rest followed. She looked to Apple Bloom.
“Did you really think Bastion had Earth pony strength?”
“Of course I did. I don’t see why he doesn’t.”
“You did throw that ball pretty hard at him, twice,” Sweetie Belle remarked.
“Look, I always aim for Shady Daze when he plays. I’m supposed to hit hard and aim for the hard hitter on the other team. It’s how we always play, and it’s fair. So what’s the big deal?”
“You never complained about me using magic, Apple Bloom, or about Rumble flying, even though your friends can’t do either,” Dinky said. “Are you sure you’re not being a little harsh on him?”
“What? We always play with one of each, how else is it supposed to be fair?” the filly objected.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes as they got back to class.
“Okay, class, that leaves just one more thing: a special homework assignment. For the next two weeks I’d like you to put up your own little business to see if you can make money. You don’t have to start right away, you don’t even need to use all the time you have, but in two weeks I’ll be expecting an essay about what you did.”
“Does that mean we have to work?” Diamond Tiara asked with more than a hint of outrage.
“You’re welcome to put as much effort into it as you like, as long as you can explain why something works or not. I’ve talked to some of the other ponies in town, you can ask for help if you feel like making or selling things. Your parents or siblings can help, too. But no garage sales; that’s not the point of this. What matters is that you get a taste of enterprise, and maybe get to use some talents you didn’t realise you had.”
Apple Bloom lit up at the mention of talents, as did Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
“You’re also allowed to work in groups, if you think that will make things easier. But I’ll still expect one essay per student, two pages minimum. It doesn’t even matter how much money you make. Whatever you try, make sure you understand why it worked or not. So, if there are no more questions, I take it some of you know who you’ll be working with?”
“We’re working together,” the Cutie Mark Crusaders attested with a raised hoof.
Smiling knowingly, Cheerilee jotted down a first group.
“I think I’m gonna work alone,” Rumble called out.
“Me too,” Twist spoke up, “I can probably sell cinnamon sweets alright.”
The foals who hadn’t joined a group yet muttered among each other. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara grumbled a little, which caught Scootaloo’s attention. She turned to her fellow Crusaders and whispered.
“Maybe we should ask the new kid to join us?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Apple Bloom replied with a worried look.
“Why not? He’s a blank flank, like us,” Sweetie Belle remarked.
“He’s a changeling,” Apple Bloom retorted, “his flank’s supposed to be blank.”
“I’ll join Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, if that’s okay with them,” Bastion announced.
Scootaloo turned her head away from the huddle and to the new kid, before settling on Diamond Tiara. The pink filly looked at the changeling for a little while, then shrugged.
“Sure. If you can come up with an idea by tomorrow, we’re all ears.”
Apple Bloom leaned in to whisper.
“See? Problem solved.”
The pegasus filly sighed. Bastion didn’t notice anything, to her relief. He just looked towards his team mates and ignored the Crusaders. Still, Apple Bloom wasn’t acting like herself today. It didn’t feel right.
“Scootaloo, would you mind walking Bastion home?” Cheerilee asked quietly as the rest of the foals raced out through the door.
“Um, why? Doesn’t he know the way?”
Bastion walked up to the girl, shrugging.
“It’s kind of embarrassing, but I’m not supposed to walk around town alone. Ever.”
Cheerilee smiled at the fact that the boy was speaking up.
“It’s just a silly rule, nothing more. You always head his way before you go to Sweet Apple Acres, don’t you, Scootaloo?”
“Yeah, sure, I don’t mind.”
“Thanks.”
“And don’t worry about keeping up in class, Bastion; tomorrow we review math. I hear you’re quite good at that?” Cheerilee asked.
The boy blushed.
“Umm… sort of.”
Scootaloo shook her head and got on her scooter, quickly making good their escape. The changeling buzzed along, flying slightly higher than her shoulder and keeping up with her brisk pace. She slowed down to talk, motioning for him to quiet his wings like her. He settled down and walked along as she pushed her scooter forward with just her hooves.
“Sorry about Apple Bloom. She’s really nice, but I think she might need a little time to get used to you. It’s nothing personal.”
“That’s okay; it’s only my first day.”
“And if the grownups are embarrassing you, try not to let it bother you too much. They do that sometimes, it’ll pass.”
He stopped and coughed.
“You okay?” On closer inspection, the changeling looked like his skin was getting a little damp. Some of his shine was dulling.
“Just a little tickle in my throat. But what’s the rest of your class like? Is Diamond Tiara nice?”
Resuming the pace, Scootaloo cleared her throat at that one.
“I guess that depends. She’s not nice to me or my friends, but she might be to you. Just be careful she doesn’t set you up. She can get you in trouble.”
“Alright, I’ll try to keep that in mind,” the changeling replied with another cough. “What about Rumble? I guess everyone likes him?”
Scootaloo perked her ears and looked at him intently.
“Why would you say that?”
“Well, everyone liked it when I turned into him, and you like him a lot.”
“Whoa, stop right there.” She extended her hoof to make sure he slowed down with her. “You think I like Rumble or I love Rumble?”
“I’d guess it’s love? It sure looked like it.”
“Bastion, I do not love Rumble. I don’t even like him like that.”
“Really?” The boy backed off, surprised. “But I noticed you when I turned into him. I thought you blushed.”
“What? No, I didn’t, why would you even- oh, right. I guess you would look out for that sort of thing.”
Bastion blushed.
“Sorry. It’s kind of a survival instinct, but I guess it’s not perfect. I never really got to practise it, so I don’t know what it means to you, exactly, but I thought you liked Rumble a lot. So don’t you?”
Scootaloo sighed.
“Look, Bastion, I don’t know how you think things work, but if you don’t want to upset ponies, you don’t go telling them you think they like or love somepony. That’s personal, and usually secret,” Scootaloo warned. “I don’t like Rumble, not the way you think I do. And even if I did, you can’t be that blunt about it. If you do that with anypony else, they’re going to get angry at you.”
“But they talk like that in movies. It’s okay there. Is that one of those things that’s not real? I thought I could tell the difference.”
“Yes, that’s definitely a movie thing. And I don’t know what you noticed about me, but it doesn’t mean that much.”
“Oh. Sorry.” He cringed at his mistake.
Scootaloo shrugged, resuming the pace.
“No problem. I guess you can’t really know how things work around here, huh?”
“I didn’t really have anyone to compare with. Most of our hive was all drones, and I never had to blend in with ponies. It’s a lot to take in. I mean, I can tell a couple things from looking at a pony, I just don’t know what to make of it, or what to say about it. I’m worried I’ll keep messing up, you know?”
“I’m sure you’ll get it. Don’t worry; a lot of ponies are pretty weird, too. And you’re learning fast for someone who’s never been around ponies. You’re a lot less uptight than I thought you’d be, and you didn’t seem to have any trouble in class, even though it was your first day in any pony school. Besides, the way you look now is what you normally look like, right?”
He coughed again before turning to her, slowing down when his stop came into view.
“Yeah, it is. Why?”
“You don’t look dumb to me.”
Lyra came trotting out from the little brewery across the street, waving to Berry Punch as she left. Her expression went from flashing a smile to looking worried. She sighed at the two as Bastion smiled nervously.
“Bastion, did you change shape?”
He hung his head in shame, smile fading.
“Yes.”
Lyra put a hoof to his forehead and by Scootaloo’s reckoning she did not like what she felt.
“What did we tell you, honey?”
“No changing shape,” he replied morosely.
“That’s right. You see what happens when you don’t listen?” The unicorn kissed his forehead to confirm what the sweaty beads on his face already suggested: he was running a fever.
“I’m sorry,” Bastion said, keeping his head low.
“It’s okay. But now you know, right?”
“It’s not his fault, Lyra. The other kids asked him to do it. He was just trying to show what he could do,” Scootaloo explained.
Bastion didn’t look up. He just kept looking at the ground, like he thought he was about to get shouted at.
“Of course. I knew I forgot to tell Cheerilee something. Thanks for walking him home, Scootaloo. Could you tell your classmates he’s strictly not allowed to change shape?”
“Sure, but why?”
The mint green unicorn ushered the silent boy in as she spoke.
“He had his shots pretty recently. If he turns into a different species, his immune system changes too. Right now he can’t turn into any kind of pony. He can only turn into a sick pony.”
“What?” Scootaloo gasped. “Oh, no, sorry. Bastion, you should have said something.”
Lyra stood in the doorway as the boy got in without a word.
“It’s not that big a deal, but make sure the others know, alright?” Lyra asked with a warm smile.
Scootaloo nodded as she started flapping her wings to speed up.
“I will. See you later, Bastion!”
“See you tomorrow, Scootaloo!” Bastion called out, before breaking out into coughs.
Lyra sighed.
“Come on, little prince, you go lie down while I get you some aspirin.”
With her back turned and her ears suddenly perking, Scootaloo blinked as Lyra’s words registered in her mind.
Little prince?
She shook her head and kept going.
“Nah, couldn’t be.”
Lyra kept her son close to her as his fever started dropping.
“Much better. Try to be a little more careful next time, okay?”
“I will, mom. Thanks.” He nuzzled her neck and hugged her as tight as he dared, clenching his eyes shut with a quiver.
“It’s okay, honey. Little mistake on your first day, no biggie. But now you know, right?” Lyra tried, keeping her voice calm and soothing. The boy’s body unwound as her words sunk in. He nodded, keeping her close in his hug. She rubbed over those parchment wings, and right in between the spot where they sprouted, a little nerve spot she’d quickly learned was a good way to get him to relax and stay still.
“So how was your day? Did you make any new friends?”
“Lots. I played dodgeball with Sweetie Belle and her friends. But then Apple Bloom got me in the stomach. It didn't hurt, but I accidentally popped a hole in her ball. I think my spurs are still a little sharp. Can we fix Apple Bloom's ball?”
Floating the deflated toy over with her magic, Lyra nodded.
“Doesn’t look that hard. What about class? Did you like that?”
“Uh huh. We had pony history. I don’t even know where to start.”
She playfully rubbed his mane with a chuckle.
“Any homework?”
“We got one assignment; setting up a little business to see if we can make money. I teamed up with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.”
“Good call. They would know how to go about that sort of thing. And you were thinking you could sell changeling blood, right?” Lyra asked with a knowing grin.
He shivered.
“I don’t think I really should, but it’s kind of the only thing I’ve got. And you did like it, right? Do you think ponies would like me if I tried selling that?”
“I know they would, honey. It’s a tasty treat, and it’s definitely something we don’t get very often around here. And it’s not like you’re going to run out any time soon, right? You’ve got a pretty good stock to start off with. You could make quite a bit of it, say it’s something rare and special just for the ponies in Ponyville. Get it to a few ponies who try, and then they’ll get other ponies interested. In a town like this, I’d bet you’ll almost run out in three days.”
“You mean it? I don’t know if it’s that good. And I wouldn’t know how to sell anything to ponies. I thought maybe I could ask Berry Punch from across the street? Would she help?”
“Sure. She already had a taste, she said she liked it. And she agreed to take care of that little care package Ramp sent you. No reason to think she’d refuse, right?”
“No, I guess not,” he admitted, turning his head away with a blush.
“Don’t worry about it, Bastion. It’s a great idea, you should try it. It’s a good way to get known in town. If you just try and be smart about it, it’ll let you make new friends.” Lyra hugged him a little tighter.
The changeling rested his head against the unicorn’s chest, content in the warm embrace.
“Okay. I’ll get Diamond and Silver to try it. If they like it, I’ll ask Berry if she can start bottling as much as I can spare. I should have enough for about a hundred bottles if I get a good mix, right?”
“That’s a good boy. Berry Punch will get you a good mix, you just have to ask, and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will know how to sell it. I’m sure everypony will like it. And they’ll definitely like you when you come with something that tasty.”
He smiled and closed his eyes, then nodded off. Lyra kissed his cooled-down forehead, and decided to just hold him like that ‘till Bon Bon got home. She could feel his heartbeat, all fluttery and excited about the day’s events. Even stroking his wings, she could feel the little quiver in his body.
“You rest up now, my little prince. Can’t have those big plans running wild in your little head.”
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Every single chapter, you always add ONE, single, inconspicuous line that causes the gears in my head to turn, run backwards, or disassemble themselves from sheer WTF.
On the first chapter, it was "How serious?" at the end.
On the second chapter, it was "The big one or the spare one?".
And now, you blow those two away with the following gem:
WAT.
2590446
Hmm... you're impressed by my single strange sentences?
i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/270/530/0ca.jpg
Seriously, though, I have a tendency to write with certain powerful lines and scenes in mind. It's like animation: I have my keys and my tweens. That line is a key. As for scenes, because of how the conflict unfolds, everything is important. When you have a character portrayed as ignorant of ponies, it's essential to have scenes that show what he is shown, so his motivations make sense in the story. Whether they then make sense to the reader is another matter entirely
.
I'm not too sure what to make your question, though. It seemed pretty straightforward to me.
Hmm, I have to wonder why the last two chapters didn't show in my updates. I do have a lot of unread ones. Maybe I'm at some critical threshold. Or maybe it has something to do with the age of the chapter. On my last chapter update on Cubic Zirconia, I actually had to unpublish it, and publish as a new chapter before it would show up as updated on the main page.
Anyways, liking it so far. Like Bastion and his misadventures with his spurs. Everypony wanting him to change shapes seems about right, and the red and black alicorn moment was classic.
The changeling blood line might be the key here, but it seems to be like the 'little prince' bit will be important, too...
2594302>>
I'm not sure, but I get the impression my updates are indeed not showing. No clue how to fix it, if it is a problem. Maybe it's because I still have a password set for unpublished chapters? It wouldn't affect it if I removed this password, right?
And yay! Glad you like it. Judging from the initial view spike, I think this might be the best thing I've written yet. It's close to Flight Camp in terms of plot and complexity, but it's getting numbers I'd expect from something simple like Upside to Your Backside. It beat the WaiWai fic in a matter of days, which is impressive from where I'm sitting. So yeah, all in all glad I decided to throw it out at long last
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Now, chapter comments: the shape-changing thing was just too easy to pass up, and a good opportunity to give Rumble's character a little more of the 'cool guy' effect. As for those 'important' lines... no real way to tell at this point, is there?
2594319
I wouldn't think the password would affect things. On mine, the create date of the chapter was in April, and to get it to show on the main page, I actually created a new chapter, copied everything to it, unpublished the original, and published the new version. Which was a pain.
I wish I'd seen it on the feature page. Seems like it's doing well, in any case. And who can tell what lines will end up being important, but it was certainly one that peaked my interest.
I was writing Scootaloo trying to clear her mind earlier today, incidentally. Funny that the largest concentration of her thoughts in one place is in a spot where she's trying not to think. Feels about right so far.
2594344
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I'll be sure to try it like that, then. It should be up tomorrow afternoon. Here's hoping it works
2594348
Hope it does. I'm planning on doing that with the next chapter of Cubic Zirconia, when it's ready. Haven't written anything past that yet, so chapters after that won't be an issue, at least on that front.
No idea if I'm publishing anything this weekend, incidentally. I'm 1279 words into the first draft of the next Just Winging It chapter, and 561 into the latest draft of Cubic Zirconia.
Oh, and "review maths" is how you'd say it in the uk, but "review math" is how it'd be said in the us. Not sure if that's a mistake, per say, but I thought I'd point it out.
"Changeling blood", I can only think of two things to explain this phrase:
1) The innocent misunderstanding; It's simply the name for the drink he invented i.e. the same way a 'white Russian' isn't actually a liquified person
2) The major mishap; It is in fact some sort of changeling based product that probably contains some sort of mind altering/subverting effect (hence why everypony likes it so much) and Bastion's unaware that what he's doing is wrong.
Well there are my wild theories for the day.
From the description:
Back to this chapter:
Shenanigans, I calls 'em. AB is already showing signs of intolerance/racism/"species-ism"; whatever you want to call it, it's there, and the "Changeling blood" issue hasn't even really begun--at least, AB couldn't know about Lyra and Berry already having some.
When I saw "changeling blood" as a sort of delectable, so to speak, I started twitching worse than Pinkie
2590676 #stonerpinkie
I like Lyra as a instrument repair pony, that's an interesting role for her. New to me too, since I normally see her portrayed purely as a musician of some sort.
Scootaloo's crush denial is pretty funny.
Huh. So that's what the title is all about. Now I just wonder if Changeling Blood is actually, y'know, a Changeling's blood or if that's supposed to be an euphemism of some sort, like how a Bloody Mary isn't literally blood.
Scoot's denial of her crushing on Rumble is pretty cute
Now I wonder if Apple Bloom's creeping species-ism is all her or if Applejack's been peddling tales over the dinner table or something.