Chapter 1
Stunt Double
DISCLAIMER: My Little Pony © Hasbro. This is a non-profit work of fan fiction.
====CHAPTER 1====
Upon the third floor parapet of the rustic central Equestrian chateau, a cream-colored unicorn mare with a red-orange mane dressed in her bridal gown galloped out and stopped at the ledge, propping her hoof up on the railing. She turned and scowled at the stallion of identical coloring pursuing her.
"Darling!" the stallion cried, "Please, be rational! Don't do this!"
"It's too late, father!" the mare shouted back, "I've made up my mind! If I cannot be free to choose my own love, then none shall have me!"
The screen of the editing room cut over to an overboard angle, slowly panning down while staying focused on the ledge. In the editing room, Applewood actress Ruby Flare watched herself on the screen as her other self on the video leaped off the edge and plummeted to her scripted demise.
"My daughter! No!" the father on the screen shouted, lunging after his child mere seconds too late.
Flare watched herself fall past each story, biting her hooves as the scene went into slow motion, her double's hair and dress waving dramatically through the air. The actress covered her eyes, only to peek over her hooves at the last moment.
On the screen, Ruby Flare collided with the ground with a sickening cracking noise, causing the off-screen counterpart to flinch back, as well as the rest of the editing staff watching the footage. Upon impact, Flare's body burst into flames, momentarily being replaced by nothing but a charred black body lying motionless on the ground.
"CUT!" the director called, "I love it! That scene's a wrap, everypony!"
On the set, the black equine got to his porous hooves and groaned, rubbing his sore neck.
"And Double, try to hit the air mattress next time," said the director, "Good effort though! I think we got it this time."
"We better have..." the changeling mumbled to himself as he hobbled to the break room.
Ruby Flare put a foreleg to her brow dramatically. "Every time I see him do it, I almost want to swoon!... Almost, of course."
The editor rolled his eyes and started flipping through camera angles, trying to set up the most dramatic shot while the lead actress went out to take her place for the final shot of her deceased character.
In the crew lounge, the changeling, Double by name, poured himself a cup of straight black coffee and took a seat at the small table in the middle of the room. He sighed and leaned on the stained wood, holding his head while blowing the steam away from his drink.
The door opened up, and in came a dark brown earth stallion with a golden mane and a microphone cutie mark. He pulled up a chair next to the changeling and propped his head up on a hoof. "Pretty good fall there, Dub. I caught that cracking noise at the end real good, heh, heh."
Double glanced at his coworker and rolled his eyes, a habit he picked up while in the form of other ponies, despite its lack of effect while in his native form. "Swell." He took a sip of coffee, holding the drink in his mouth for a moment before slowly swallowing it.
"Hey, your shell's not broken or something, is it?" the earth pony asked. When his companion shook his head, he asked, "Then what's bothering you?"
Double sighed and shook his head. "I dunno, Boom Mike. Some times, I think these studio bigwigs just enjoy abusing me. I mean, come on, who needs five different takes of the same suicide shot?"
Boom Mike nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can see that. But hey, you're still the top paid stunt double in all Equestria. That's gotta count for something, right?"
"Only cuz I'm working for three studios at once," Double countered, "And you know what I'm doing tomorrow?"
"No, what?" Mike asked.
Double lowered his gaze to his cup and gritted his teeth. "Sharks... Unicorn sharks." He shuddered.
Boom Mike raised an eyebrow. "'Unicorn' sharks?"
The changeling nodded. "Yeah. They shoot freaking laser beams out of their freaking foreheads!"
"Yeesh." Mike lurched back and grinned nervously. "Hey, at least the laser beams are just special effects, right?"
Double nodded shallowly. "Yep. At least there's that." He sighed again and flopped forward, stretching one foreleg out while still holding his cup with his other hoof.
Mike tilted his head. "Say, changelings don't need to eat, right?"
"We've been over this; we take in energy through emotions," Double replied, "Why?"
"Oh, I was just wondering if coffee did anything for you guys?" Mike inquired.
Double looked at his cup, then back to his friend. "Nah, I just like the taste."
Mike sniffed Double's coffee, then snapped back. "What? You actually like it black like that?"
"Bitter flavors are to changelings what sweet flavors are to ponies," Double said, "This is like eating ice cream, except without the brain freeze."
"Ah, I see." Boom Mike pondered the idea of getting his own cup of coffee, but he decided he was too tired from holding his namesake up all day, and opted to just relax instead.
The door opened again, this time heralding the arrival of a purple pegasus mare with a short, combed black mane. "Hello boys, what's up?" She took a seat on the opposite side of Double to Mike, grabbed the changeling's coffee, took a swig, then stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Ugh! How can you drink this sludge, Double!?"
The insectoid chuckled and pulled his cup back. "Nice to see you too, Loose Grip."
Loose Grip facehoofed. "I told you to just call me Lucy. Anyway, I saw that fall you took back there."
"Which one?" Double asked.
Lucy laughed and patted Double on the back. "All of them. Glad we finally got you out of that scene. How are ya holding up?"
Double looked at his body and rolled his shoulder. "Still sore, but I'm getting enough from you guys that I should be fine soon."
Mike grinned and elbowed Double in the side. "You might heal faster if I leave you two alone, eh? Eh? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge?"
"Oh, quit teasing him, Mike," Lucy said, jabbing the earth pony in the chest.
Double, however, wasn't even listening to his friend's jibe. Instead, he was staring off into space with his cheek rested on his hoof. "You know something? I bet I could do it."
"Do what?" Lucy asked.
"Act." The changeling sipped his drink. "I think I could do well in a movie. I mean, surely there's a role out there for a changeling, right?"
"There is!" Mike said excitedly.
"Is there?" Double asked him.
"Well sure there is!" Mike said, "Stunt double!"
Double's expression dropped like a brick. Lucy glared at the earth pony, then shook her head.
"Oh, alright, that was a bad one," Mike said.
"Yes. Yes it was," Lucy shot at him, and jabbed him in the chest again.
Double went to take another sip, then noticed his cup was empty and set it down. "Still, I bet I could act. I mean, how hard could it be? Watch." He slumped back and put on a drunken expression. "Well, my name is Jim. But folks around here call me... Jim."
"Aha!" Mike pointed his hoof at the insect. "You grinned!"
"I did not!" Double rebutted.
"Yes you did, right at the end!" Mike exclaimed.
"Oh, so what!" said Double indignantly, "I could still do it with a little training. I mean, who gets to be a major actor overnight anyway?"
"Ruby Flare?" Mike suggested.
"Yeah, but she's got the cutie mark for it," Double said, "so that doesn't count."
Lucy's eyebrows went up. "Actually, Ruby Flare is really a blank flank."
"I know, right?" Double said loudly, "And that's why she's perfect! She can wear any cutie mark for the part! And I'm a changeling! I can skip 80% of the makeup process, at least!"
Boom Mike tapped his chin pensively. "You know, the blank flank thing might also explain why Ruby's such a hammy actor. I'm just saying."
Lucy nodded, and then perked up. "Wait, I have it! Why don't you work as a stand-in?"
"A stand-in?" Double looked at her incredulously. "Isn't that, like, what I already do?"
Lucy shook her head. "No, see, as a stand-in, you cover for other actors so they can take time off. That would give you a chance to try acting like their characters, and to practice learning lines and following stage direction and such."
"Hmm..." Double touched his chin and looked down in thought. "That could actually work. Maybe I could start small, too. You know, be an extra?"
"You should try that!" Lucy said, "I'm sure somepony could use an extra extra."
Double nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks guys." The changeling stood up and put his paper cup into the trash bin, then rolled his shoulder, causing it to pop loudly as the carapace snapped back into its proper position. "Ah, leg's all better now."
Boom Mike scoffed. "Dude, you heal crazy fast, you know that?"
Double shrugged. "What can I say? Love heals. Anywho, I'm good enough that I think I can take some more abuse now. Better get back out there." He turned around and trotted towards the door.
"Hey, are we still on for Friday?" Loose Grip called.
"Sure thing!" Double replied with a wave behind him, then magically opened the door. He stopped to glance down at a magazine laying on a side table.
ROYAL WEDDING BELLS ARE A RINGIN'!
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza set to wed the captain of the royal guard this coming Sunday.
The changeling scoffed and turned away from the publication. "Heh, the princess of food is getting hitched. Good for her."
"The princess of..." Mike looked puzzled for a moment, then perked his ears up when it hit him. "Oh! I see what you did there!"
Lucy giggled and stood up. "We better get going too, Mike. The next shoot should be starting soon."
Double trotted briskly in the warm sun down the street between the Applewood studio houses. After a quick death scene at the end of a sword fight, his work day was finished, and it was time to head home. All the changeling had on his mind was getting to his apartment, and curling up into his snug cocoon for the night.
His peaceful thoughts were interrupted by the sound of vicious snarling coming from one of the other streets. He cantered forward and looked around the corner to see several ponies trying to corral a timber wolf back into its cage. The wooden beast snapped and growled at its captors, trying to scare them into giving it an opening so it could run free. Double could feel that the tamers were afraid; fear was an emotion that didn't need to be directed for a changeling to sense. By how much they were afraid, he figured they knew they couldn't keep the beast contained for long.
Flying up into the air, Double swooped in and landed between the ponies and the timber wolf, copying the predator's form in the process. He bared his new wooden fangs and let out a low, guttural growl, slowly advancing on his enemy. The timber wolf knew he couldn't take on one of his own kind along with all the ponies around him, and quickly submitted. With a warning snap from Double, the wolf slinked back and hid in his cage. Double shifted back and magically locked the cage up tight, smirking as he did so.
"Wow, that was incredible!" the lead tamer said, "I can't believe you got him in there!"
The changeling shrugged. "It was nothing, really. I couldn't have done it on my own, to be honest."
"Still," the tamer said, "If not for you, somepony could have been injured, or worse! I sure hope the lock holds up this time. Anyway, aren't you that changeling I've been hearing about?"
Double nodded. "Yup. Name's Double. I do stunts and stuff like that."
"But you turned into a timber wolf," said the tamer, "Could you do it again?"
"Uh, yeah, sure, but why?" Double asked.
The tamer stepped forward. "Well, you see, we got this scene we gotta shoot tomorrow afternoon that calls for a timber wolf. This guy here," he banged on the cage, "is just a little too ornery to use for the scene. I figure having one that could take directions and wouldn't bite anyone would be the better way to go. And we'd pay ya for it, of course."
Double tapped his chin. "So basically, you guys are offering me an acting role?"
The tamer looked in a slow arc, then nodded. "Uh, yeah, you could say that."
"Sweet!" Double said excitedly, "What time do you need me?"
"Three PM, at the latest."
The changeling hastily grabbed the pony's hoof and shook it vigorously. "Mister, you got a deal! I'll be there as soon as I'm done with the scene with the sharks!"
The tamer raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sharks?"
Double chuckled. "Yeah, for that Con Mane movie, The Spy Who Bucked Me."
"Ah," said the tamer, "Sharks. Nice. Well, we'll see you tomorrow then?"
Double nodded. "Yes, sir! See you then!" He turned and galloped off at fast pace towards his apartment, then took to the air and flew out of the studio lot. Double's spirits were high at the thought of landing his own acting part. At long last, the world would know the true talent of Double the Changeling.