Zearou the Changeling

by ZearouPon3

From Peon to Paladin (WIP)

Zea emerged from the forest and flew towards the equine-populated town. Colorful ponies smiled as they roamed the streets of Ponyville, presumably excited over the royal wedding that was about to take place in Canterlot. This was surprising to the white pegasus, considering what Zearou and his comrades had done yesterday. After several minutes of walking through the town, however, Zea managed to spot a number of guards scanning the crowds and posting safety notices on the sides of the thatched cottages. Wary of their presence, she approached one of the less crowded posters to examine the writing.

Citizens of Ponyville,

On the wedding day of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, a large-scale army of changelings invaded the capital city of Canterlot, but were quickly defeated and driven out by the Royal Guard.

In light of this surprise attack, the Royal Guard will increase the level of security and surveillance in the surrounding communities until further notice. Civilians are urged to stay safe and remain vigilant during this time.

Changelings are parasitic creatures that are capable of assuming the form of another. They feed off the emotions of their hosts and are known to be highly aggressive. They have black-coated bodies with insect-like features and their limbs have numerous holes. Below are composite sketches of the changelings and Queen Chrysalis, the one responsible for the recent threats against Canterlot.

If you see somepony acting suspiciously or out of character, there is a chance that he or she is a changeling. Do not attempt to confront the suspect yourself. Stay calm, act normal, and report your sightings to the Royal Guard or local police as soon as possible. The Royal Guard will carefully consider and investigate any leads.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Zea was immediately presented with several artistic representations of changelings. The visual likeness of the drawings was impressive, but their portrayal of the changelings was upsetting. Zearou and his comrades were soldiers capable of planning and manipulating others through cleverness and trickery, but whoever made the illustrations had depicted them as savage monsters that couldn't be reasoned with. Although Zea had to agree that many of them had acted in a barbaric fashion, she knew at least one changeling that could behave better than that. With a small huff, Zea turned her back to the poster while the changeling within her took the images as a challenge.

Returning to the task at hoof, Zea then headed towards Golden Oaks Library. If Zearou was going to have to fend for himself as a unwelcome foreigner, she needed to gather all the information he needed to better survive in the Everfree Forest and to defend himself from any aggressors. Although the lavender unicorn who usually staffed the library was still in Canterlot, her feathered companion was able to greet Zea with a hoot as she entered the front door. Owlowiscious' beady eyes followed the white-coated pegasus, who then realized that the library was otherwise deserted. With nopony else to aid her search, she began hovering along the bookcases, darting her eyes for a promising book title. This task would have been much more easier for Zea had Zearou given her a horn instead of a pair of wings. With the pet owl watching over her, however, changing form or using magic was out of the question, so she patiently continued to browse the shelves, flipping through the pages of whatever books caught her attention. After a long hour of searching, Zea retrieved several reference guides, including a copy of Supernaturals and a hardcover book containing the first thirty-six volumes of the Magical Compendium.

Aware that she was losing daylight faster than she anticipated, Zea scrambled to write down whatever useful information she could fit on a roll of parchment. When a second hour had passed, she succeeded in creating a condensed list of edible wildlife, medical herbs, natural remedies, survival tips, and a selection of spells that Zearou could use to expand his repertoire of magic. She then carefully replaced the Magical Compendium before stacking the other references in a pile of books to be sorted, hoping that the librarian would overlook the signs of her visit. Fastening the scroll and tucking it underneath her wing, Zea left the library as Owlowiscious saw the pegasus off.

As Zea departed for home, she noticed that many of the Ponyvillians were eating, which meant that lunchtime had already started. With no bits to buy a snack for Zearou, who was probably starving given her own hunger, Zea trotted straight for the Everfree Forest. Before passing Zecora's hut, Zea picked up the bottle and stopper she left along the dirt path and inserted the scroll inside for safekeeping. When Zea finally returned to the black oak, Zearou stashed the bottle in his chrysalis and resealed the hardened case with an adhesive secretion. Eager to make good on his promise, Zearou darted straight for the river, weaving through the trees trunks as he flew below the canopy. Landing alongside the river, Zearou then prepared a small campfire while deciding on how he would catch his second meal of the day.

Comments

[G-AB Acid]

I sincerely hope you know that you don't need to have a published chapter in order to edit it.

With that said, you best not pull a stunt like this [chapter] again, buster. This is a bannable offense.

[ZearouPon3]

2511012
Really? I did not know that. I didn't see anything in the FAQ about partially completed chapters. Still, I'll take your warning seriously. Thanks.

[Azard]

2518879 Ok that makes sense. I think.

[ZearouPon3]

7976666 Zearou is male. He's just using a female guise at that point and clearing his tracks.
(Boy, I haven't continued working on this fanfic for years!)