Chapter Five: Unnamed and Unknown
"...what if she really is Rainbow?"
Twilight looked up from her thick tome, giving Fluttershy a flat look. "I beg your pardon?"
The pegasus tilted her eyes behind her mane, but didn't break her gaze. "I mean... what if Rainbow Dash was... always a changeling? And, um, some changeling mother didn't want her to, um, have the same life as all the other changelings and... somehow managed to convince a pony couple to adopt her?"
It was a valid theory, Twilight realized. It would explain a lot... but then again, there wasn't any evidence for it. Or against it. And theories without any positive or negative possibility simply could not be reasonably explored. Evidence, then theory.
"There's no way to tell," she replied eventually. "And given that the queen changeling replaced Cadance, it's probably easier to assume Dash was replaced."
"...what about the Element of Loyalty? Um, wouldn't it recognize its bearer?"
The unicorn sighed. "I don't know. It didn't react badly to being put on Spike... it didn't react at all, actually. And there's no actual proof that there's ever only one bearer for each element. The fact that the changeling doesn't believe her--him..."
She trailed off, staring into the distance for a moment.
"...itself?"
"Herself." Fluttershy lidded her eyes and frowned at Twilight. "If she thinks she's female, then we should respect that."
"Herself. She doesn't believe herself to be Rainbow Dash. So even if she was Loyalty's bearer... we couldn't convince her to activate it." The unicorn sighed. "I just wish this were that easy...."
"...when... when we do find Dash... what are we going to do with, um, her?"
Silence filled the atrium at Fluttershy's question. Normally, Twilight would simply say the changeling would be banished but... from the way that she acted, she was as much a victim in this as anypony else. On the other hoof, she had replaced Dash, and justice would have to be served on somepony; the invasion was too recent to alleviate anti-changeling sentiments. Leniency would just cause ponies to think Celestia had been conquered by Chrysalis...
"I don't know."
"Oh."
The two sat in silence for a while, Twilight compiling Fluttershy's observations.
"...what will Rainbow think of her?"
"She'll probably be a bit upset that she was replaced... and captured..." Twilight shivered. "If she can get past that, maybe... maybe she'll be able to make friends with her."
"She's always been very accepting," Fluttershy mused. "Well, more she's always treated everybody she met equally. The species didn't matter to her, so long as you were a nice... person."
"I don't know, though... After everything that happened..." The unicorn pressed a hoof to her brow. "Our priority right now is finding out what happened to Rainbow Dash. We can worry about what to do with the changeling after that."
"I know, I know... but..." Fluttershy sighed. "Even if she isn't Dash, she feels... like a friend. Do you know what I mean? Like she needs us..."
"Of course she needs us." Twilight snorted. "She feeds on love, right?"
"No, not like that! Not like... more like, like if she didn't have us... she wouldn't do anything." The pegasus shivered. "Like she's in the snow, and we're... torches? And she'll let herself be buried by the wind if we go out."
"...That's... unexpectedly grim of you, Fluttershy."
"But it's true."
The unicorn stared at her friend, considering her words carefully. That the changeling was so... dependent on them, in ways more than sheer survival... that a single slip could cost the life of somepony, someone she knew only casually...
She shivered. "That's... I don't... I just want Rainbow back."
"Even if she has to die?"
"I DON'T WANT ANYPONY TO DIE!" Twilight yelled, slamming a hoof on the table. "I don't even want her to die, I just want Rainbow back! After, after we get her back then we can deal with this, alright?"
Fluttershy sighed. "Twilight.... it might be too late by then."
The unicorn glared at her, but the pegasus held her ground. A tense, terrible quiet clustered and coiled into the room, denial thickening under the constant assailment of worry and compassion. Two forces so great and powerful strove in those humble locked eyes, wrestling around the ponies, battle locked in stalemate.
A third force then walked in and chopped them down at the root. "Hey girls! Who wants cupcakes?" Pinkie placed the tray of pastries down with a toothy grin.
Instantly, Twilight and Fluttershy looked away from each other in shame. Their argument dropped, unresolved, as they both gave their friend thankful smiles.
"I guess... I guess we have been in here a while, and I am feeling a bit peckish." The unicorn levitated a sweet to her mouth.
"Um, yes... Thank you, Pinkie."
"No problemo! Anything for my friends is anything I can do!" The earth pony paused, reflecting over her words. "Wait, that doesn't work. Things I can do are anything for... no. If my friends need anything, I'll... no, that's cliche..."
"We get it Pinkie." Twilight snorted, putting a hoof on the baker's shoulder. "Thanks."
"You're welcome! So have you decided what to do about Wob Niar yet?"
"Who?"
"The changeling, silly filly!"
Fluttershy gasped. "All this time talking about her and we haven't even given her a name! Oh my goodness how could we be so mean?!"
"Well, she didn't give us a name," Twilight pointed out.
"Because she doesn't know her own name! Oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness..."
The unicorn sighed. "You... have a point. I guess we'll run Wob Niar by her for approval..."
***
670903 reporting in. Current location: Rambling Rock Ridge. Status: Rear legs broken, gash in chest. Internal magic at 400 thaums.
Maintain position and await further orders... 923302, go to 670903 and initiate healing spell.
784501 reporting... I found another bonfire. No survivors. Moving on to next region of Fillydelphia.
Hold. Attempt to gather remnant thaums. Hive knows we need every scrap we can get now...
They found me! They found me! Someling, get me out of Appleoo--
Chrysalis cursed to herself as another voice went silent. There was a time when the mourning song would have keeled out through the hive, but after the first few thousand dead there was just no point.
Damn those ponies! They deserved to be SHREDDED OPEN, every foal, mare, and stallion, and the only reason she was restraining herself from doing so was because she didn't have the power to do so. Why couldn't they have submitted to her glory? Why didn't they realize what she was offering?! Eternal bliss, and all they needed to do was be cocooned up so a changeling could sip some love off of them on occasion.
Honestly, it was as though they wanted to descend into independent chaos... They claimed to adore harmony, but rejected the true unity of the hive. Hypocrites!
The queen stilled herself, letting her mind wander through the network of connections. Her drones... those that survived were scattered and disconnected. She'd had to have them all construct personas, and even then they had to be careful; too many orphan sob stories would illicit suspicion. The filter was small and inconsistent. And a single misstep could cost the hive not only a life but... food.
Damn the ponies....
Damn them all.
Chrysalis was already constructing another plan. One that didn't rely on unknown factors. She'd show those equines true harmony. She'd show them.
After all, one of her own was a wielder of their ancient magics...
***
The changeling's ears perked as the door opened. She turned around, keeping her gaze on the ground. "Hey."
"Howdy."
Silence.
Applejack took the time to examine the creature with her eyes. There were similarities, she had to admit to herself. Uncanny ones. its barrel was thick and round, just like Dash's. The way she nervously folded and unfolded her wings...
But...
In the end, the creature had replaced her friend and expected to get away with it. Even if it didn't know... well. It had some part in this whole scheme.
"...what do ya want?"
The changeling sighed. "I... I want you to have Rainbow Dash back."
"And after that?"
"I don't care." It slumped, curling up on the floor. "Kill me, dissect me, forgive me, I don't give a flying feather. Get it? I don't have feathers. So I can't give them." The voice was listless, simply tired.
"So that's it? After ya failed in yer little charade yer jus' gonna give up?"
The changeling chuckled, raising her eyes to Applejack. "Are you trying to rile me up? That would have... that would have worked, if... If I was her." She sighed. "But I'm not. Time we all accepted that."
Applejack snorted, pawing at the ground. "Fahn. Ah don't have time fer yer games anyway. Where is she?"
"I don't know. I really don't."
Somehow, the farmer could see she was telling the truth... or at least thought she was telling the truth. She nodded, walking around the changeling carefully.
"...Why Dash?"
The prisoner snorted. "Why her? I dunno. I think maybe it was meant to be some sort of joke. Or maybe she was just in the right place at the right time. You know when Cadance... when the bug queen came up and asked her to escort her home? That's probably when it happened." She pressed her ears flat. "Weird thing is, I... I still remember being Dash all through the day. Probably some constructed memories. Except for the part where the bug was the hottest mare on earth."
Applejack blushed. "What?"
"I think it comes with being a changeling. For some reason... for some reason the only time I can remember being aroused is when she was in the room...." The changeling rolled her eyes. "I absolutely hate her but she had one sexy... something. Something about her was sexy. I can't even remember what. I'm trying to, but.... I don't even remember." She sighed. "Rainbow probably flirted with everypony, though...."
"Actually...." The earth pony rubbed her neck. "Ah had a talk with her bout that once. She... she said she could understand what made a pony attractive, but.... she had tah force herself on. She never even went inta heat."
The changeling blinked. "I... I remember that..."
Instantly Applejack was on alert. "Do ya now?"
"I..." She shook her head in confusion. "These aren't constructed memories... these are... stolen. Stolen... Of course!" The changeling jumped up with a grin. "If Twilight just probes my mind she can find the, the, the break or whatever! And then maybe she can use that to egghead out where Rainbow is and..."
She paused, staring at the wall.
"...and I'll... just stay in this cell. Forever."
Applejack could only watch as the changeling curled back up, laying down on the floor again.
Well, ya'll deserve it.
She couldn't bring herself to say that. Even if it was true... she couldn't.
"...why do ya have a mane?"
"Huh?"
"All tha changelings out there, cept the queen, they all had fins. Why do ya'll have a mane?"
The changeling looked up at her, rubbing the back of her neck. "There's a fin under there, actually... kinda small, but it's there..." She waved a holey hoof vaguely. "I don't know why I have a mane."
"Maybe yer a princess changeling."
"Ha. I hope not... Celestia has loads of paperwork to do every day. I can barely stand..."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"...I was going to say I can barely stand the weather paperwork. But..."
The farmer nodded. "Ah see."
Silence descended once again on the pair, each trying to find a way to move the conversation forward. Neither of them could find any hook to latch onto, any information worth giving or requesting. They couldn't console each other in their respective situations; any assurance by the changeling that Dash would be found felt, in her mind, like an insult, and for her part Applejack didn't know whether she wanted to promise the changeling freedom or even a purpose in life.
The earth pony examined the prisoner with confusion; she had entered assuming that the changeling would, inevitably, be the enemy, but she had found nothing worth being angry at in the creature's words or acts, nothing that aggravated her. Even the sadness she exhibited was too mellow to earn her ire.
Eventually, she simply tipped her hat and walked out.
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This does not work and is a blatant lie.
Chrysalis revenging herself through the Bearer of Loyalty? Intriguing, but it seems doomed to failure. Still, that failure could be glorious to watch...
In any case, I look forward to more.
They are going to feel so bad when they find out.
Wob Niar? I see what you did thar, mister Rainbow-spelled-backwards-er!
Don't you dare start going to an inconsistent schedule. THis story is just too awesome to let that happen to!
Looks like we're getting closer and closer to Twilight and the others discovering that this changeling has been Rainbow all along. If Applejack passes that suggestion onto Twilight, that part could get resolved sooner rather than later.
Odd thought. The Harmony between the Bearers of the Elements - it seems to me - is what gives the Elements the power that keeps Discord trapped in stone. With one of the bearers no longer in Harmony with the others, might he break free again? Wonder what he'd have to say about this situation?
LIES!
Hsad Wobniar is a great name.
Sounds exotic.
Middle Eastern.
She'll have to wear a turban.
Rainbow Dash would look great in a turban.
Do that now.
Woo-hoo I love it
Nice details you have here. While I don't know if the numbers of changelings have any significance it's refreshing to see a bit into the inner workings of their system.
Also that:
For some reason, I really like this inverted order from the song.
Oh, and I love how you are incorporating the comment section into the story.
2437322 I dunno. I keep coming back.
Course the fact that it's well-written and quite suspenseful helps.
False, my good sir.
This story is such an awesome... story.
I like how it makes you feel for Rainbow without going overboard into either emo territory or 'this is depressing' territory. It's a great melancholy kind of sadfic.
2437322
It works on me. Got tons of stories where they update regurlarly and I simply loose interest. But the moment this story updates i MUST read it.
2437322 Actually, it's true
Variable rewards work better than consistent rewards
Wob Niar huh, someone has been watching Turnabout Storm. Still, I'll be happy when Rainbow reclaims her name, if she even willing to reclaim her name. She may feel that it doesn't belong to her even after she finds out the truth.
2437372 2437322 I second this motion.
Okay, so Twilight's gonna look through her mind and find that something is weird about how her memories of the Sonic Rainboom feel. Maybe there's a sudden skip, or they feel less concrete than the rest...
I like how they're suspicious but not immediately damning her as a monster. That's why I stopped reading Solitary Locust.
I. Need. MORE! Seriously I do.
ones. its (forgot to capitalize 'its')
Dammit, Chrysalis. I can already tell that her plan is going to move into gear just as the others are starting to trust Rainbow, and it's going to mess everything up.
2437360
"Doomed to failure"? Maybe in the sense of storybuilding, but Rainbow is very vulnerable to manipulation right now, what with her not just questioning her supposed loyalty (which is actually loyalty, but she doesn't know that), but her own life, place in the world, and future are all in question, and no pony is giving her a straight answer on what they're going to do to her (if anything) when they no longer need her to find Rainbow Dash. If Chrysalis came with just the right offer, I can see her easily being turned into doing things that will likely horrify her later when Chrysalis's plan (as you say) inevitably falls apart and she realizes the truth...
Anyway!
Wob Niar: reference or easy coincidence?
Yes! Do the mind probe thing!
This whole "Who am I?" "Who are you?" stuff can only last so long.
At least they figured out how to find out what happened to Dashie, when she was freaken five lol. MOAR!
2437322 It's not a lie. It's simple. If you KNOW it's going to be there every single friday, then when you don't need to check on it, you KNOW it is there. If it's random, you DON'T know that it's there. So you HAVE to keep going back and looking, to make sure it's there.
Common Sense.
As for you 2437438 , It's a different thing. You lose interest in the story not because of how much it updates, but because you just don't want to read it anymore. It got worse, or your likes changed, or something else. And when it's random you HAVE to read it, cause you never know when it will update again.
2437732
Yes, but if a story is really good, then you just have to wait a week for it to come out, instead of waiting weeks or months for the next installment.
Also, if you favorite the story, fimfiction automatically alters you when it updates.
I have to say, this is the second most lucrative changeling story ive stumbled upon. The first being Princess Celestia The Changeling Queen
Anyways,
Chrysi with a devious plan?
YES I AM!!!!
Rainbowling in denial?
Applejack in denial also?
Twilight being twilight?
Im just making up random things to say?
DERPY!!!!!!
But seriously... give me more or else ill post a youtube link to cupcakes in HD
2437751 FiMFiction alters you when it a faved story updates? What does it alter you to? Hopefully a FiM style pony with the ability to use computers. Normal hooves are not compatible with computers and their accessories.
2437751 Indeed it does, which makes the topic pointless for anything on this site. But with anything else, it works like. Cause if you know it's there, by an update or anything, You don't have to go look. Imagine if the site didn't alert you every time the story updated. You wouldn't check on the stories that updated at a set time, cause you know it would update only on those times. But the ones that are random? You would check them all the time, cause you don't know when they would update.
Who knew author notes based hypothetical pondering could be so controversial... He never said he listened to it or not, he probably just wrote the story on his own time.
Ugh, now back to the dreaded Economics studying. Hey, you should post another chapter, so I have an excuse not to study!
FALSE. The key to success is to give rewards as frequently and quickly as possible without attention to detail, quality, quantity, characterization, story, tone, drama, or plot.
never mind. Take your time! We love you for your story, not your update schedule. 
Wait...
It's too bad that this isn't exactly a reward. It's more a privilege.
So anyway, let's see who we've seen visit the changeling that was Dash: Twilight, Fluttershy, and now Applejack. Did I miss anypony? The one I'm looking forward to will probably be a major factor in the process: Scootaloo. She'll probably the one to take a look at the changeling and say, "Hi, Rainbow Dash!", thus ending hostility. (Yeah, right. As if that'll be what happens.)
I like the way RainbowDash act in all of this, I am looking forward to more mane 5 and Rainbow Chageling interactions.
You are a mean, mean man. This chapter flew by far too fast for my likes, though I have been reading 10k chapters recently. Any story that has my interest I read right away. Ones that are sorta "meh" I put on the back burner and get to them when bored; though, I read all the new chapters in one sitting then.
2438090
Not really. If the "reward" sucks, it's not much of a reward, and therefore the readership fades away in a tidal wave of apathy.
Also, I love the interactions between Rainbow and the other Mane 5. I said this once before, but I really like the way Rainbow both knows and doesn't know who she is--most stories would be about RDs desperate attempts to convince the other characters that she was always a changeling, so having her react with an identity crisis is pretty new, at least as far as I've seen. That, and the quality of writing is excellent.
2437322 You do not work and are a blatant lie...
Cause no one insults famous quotes! NO ONE
Unless they want to go to Tartarus...
fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/272/2/c/forever__by_kefkafloyd-d4b9k05.png
Might want to use "elicit" instead of "illicit", they're different things.
Great update! Keep up the good work!
2437322 The ACTUAL thing this is a warped version of is as follows:
There was an experiment in which some chickens were given food every time they pecked a button, and some other chickens were sometimes given food for pecking it and sometimes not. Then they stopped giving out food for pecks. The ones who sometimes got food kept trying much, MUCH longer than the ones who had always gotten food.
So the moral is, if you update sporadically it will take longer for your audience to admit your fic is abandoned when you abandon it than if you were updating regularly before abandoning it? Yay?
Eternal bliss, and all they needed to do was be cocooned up so a changeling could sip some love off of them on occasion.
Honestly, it was as though they wanted to descend into independent chaos... The claimed to adore harmony, but rejected the true unity of the hive. Hypocrites! GEE I WONDER WHY THEY DIDNT WANT THIS. Maybe ponies dont enjoy being held against their will you dumb bug! I still love you Chrissie
I was just wondering when this story was going to update earlier today. And then it did! And then nothing really happened this chapter. Still well written and good to know that it's still going, though.
Give chapters regularly pls. I want them to find out the truth but at the same time I dont. Hope they r nice to dash when they find out what really happened. Will they ever find her 'grave' tho?
Was that author note a way to say that chapters will only come out when you want them to?
That seems logical to me, but don't do it like some other stories where a new chapter takes months to come out.
IT LIVES
really liked this chapter ... i like how they're slowly developing individual rapports with Changling Dash and how they seem to be going through something similar to the stages of grief ... can't wait for the next chapter
You know I read somewhere that rewarding someone infrequently keeps them coming back more consistently then giving them rewards on a regular schedule. Hmmm.
I just like to read.
2438992 Actually, there was another experiment with rats, except the rats pushed a lever instead of a button. The ones that got food randomly pushed the lever far more often than necessary. This resulted in the creation of a technique called the Skinner Box, where the rewards given out are random, which is used in lotteries and MMORPGs to get people to play more.
Wob Nair? I would have gone with 'Double Rainbow' or just 'Double' since she is supposedly Rainbow duplicate. That and it is easier to pronounce. But I think Rainbow wouldn't like either names.
Then you're just being a dick.
Sadly, true. In most cases, but we are bronies, what else do we have to do?
2438735
- Kills joke by implying story will fail.
- Praises story.
wat.
2440745
I wasn't trying to imply that the story will fail. I'm not entirely sure what made me think of the rewards thing I was talking about, but I was really overtired and I have a tendency to latch on to a small part of a sentence and respond only to that part when I'm that out of it. Honestly I'm amazed I actually remember what happened in the chapter.
Also, what I meant by the first part of my comment was that some of the stories that do suck will have contests where the winner gets their OC included in the story or whatever. I was more thinking about how this is a bad idea because doing things like that can easily derail what the author intended if done halfway through a story. Mostly I was just incoherent and within reach of a keyboard, though.