> Dual Melody > by Coolestninja1242 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I have the same dream every night.” The room is dark and the only thing to be herd is the gentle breathing next to me, I feel the soft fur of the hooves that hold me, and I feel her warm body against mine. These are no comfort to the nightmare rattling in my brain. In the dream, that dream I have every night since we met and I fell in love with her that mare I love, I awake as my true self. The cold, insect like monster pony kind has come to fear. We feed off of love and affection. We hide in plane sight, we are the Changelings and we must feed. I awake like that wrapped in her loving hooves and then I turn to see the look of shock, horror and hatred on her face. “We can never be together” I mutter in my sleep, tossing and turning. BE-BEEP! BEEEEP! BE-BEEP! BEEEEP! The alarm rings on, swiftly I get out of bed leaving her alone and cold. Rushing to the bath room I check my reflection in the mirror for what feels like the millionth time. A sigh of relief escapes my lips just as it dose every morning. Same face I’ve worn since I’ve met her. Same lavender eyes, same gray fur and mane and the same purple musical cutie mark. “I…I am Octavia Melody.” I mutter to myself in a moment of self actualizing. Another sigh, I stare into my own lavender eyes. “Octavia Melody.” I repeat the lie. A changeling, that is what I really am and what I always will be…I know this but I hope I am aloud to lie one more day. So long as it means I get to spend one more day with her, Vinyl Scratch. I hear a yawn from the other room, hoof steps coming to the door, quickly I grab hold of the brush to make as if I had been grooming my mane the whole time. “Tavi?” Vinyl yawns leaning against the door frame. Its six a.m., Sunday, in our Manehatten apartment. I never liked the place, it was always in a bad neighborhood…but she always made me feel safe here. “D’you have that bad dream again?” I put down the brush, no use in pretending. Yes, I see the irony. I don’t say anything just look right past her…I can’t bare to look into her wonderful crimson eyes. A warm foreleg drapes over the back of my neck and I burry my face into your white fur. Minutes of this go by to soon I pull away and apologize admitting to having the same nightmare I’ve always had. I still refuse on telling her what the dream was about, like always Vinyl gets rather annoyed by this. “Come on Tavi we’ve been together for over a year now you know you can tell me anything. I don’t even mind your little habit of eating your pea’s one at a time. Nothing can be worse than that.” I can think of several things, being a bug pony highbred that is feeding off of her love right now is one of them. We don’t do it on purpose. Changelings, and eating love that is to say…its just natural for us to siphon it…even if it makes the other creature weaker. She’s gotten thinner since we’ve met even if she won’t admit it to either of us, I’ve noticed. This leads me into thinking my dream is true…at least in one aspect we can’t be together…it’s killing her. I find my bow clip, Sunday, a day for us to spend together even if you’re more than a little tired from the week end gigs that took place these past few nights. Always the party animal, or at least I’m told by every pony I’ve ever met since we’ve been together. Vinyl crawl back into bed, slumping her head on the now cool pillow yawning loudly. I smile despite my fears. “I’m sorry I woke you…” I mumble out quietly gently kissing her fluffy, white, cotton ball of a cheek. My cello rests in the corner inside it’s case, quietly I pull it out and begin to play a sweet lullaby. As I play I hear her mutter something incoherently in her sleep. I’ve gotten rather fond of the cello. Originally I only learned to play to impress Vinyl but frankly I’ve become quite good at it. The sound of the music relaxes me and my dear Vinyl drifts quietly off to sleep. Silently I place the instrument into its case and sneak into the other room to make breakfast. As a changeling I don’t really require normal pony food, I can eat and digest it just fine but eating is merely for pleasure and for looks. The smell of pan cakes and hay bacon strips…which when you think about it is odd in itself. Hey bacon strips? Does this mean there are regular bacon strip, and if so what are they made of? My am I distracted this morning. The smell of pan cakes and hay bacon strips fill the small dirty kitchen/living area/dinning room/place where Vinyl likes to leave things laying around, things that are not important, things that enviably get lost or thrown away. The smell that is filling this particularly dirty area is intoxicating and wonderfully covers up the smell of dirty socks that are for…personal reasons. I place one of my records onto the player silently enjoying my breakfast accompanied by its haunting melody as the sun rises over the Manehatten sky line. Bits of orange, red, slight pinks and some dark purples and blues peek past the massive sky scrapers and the tiny shops that adorn this large metropolises. Its quiet now, peaceful. Its moments like this that I’ll miss the most when the cat is let out of the bag so to speak. I know I can’t keep up this act for much longer. Octavia Melody is a changeling, a monster feeding off her best friends love. That alone is reason enough for me to logically leave, but there’s more. I’ve felt it for the past few weeks. Something is coming. Something I prayed would never come back. The changelings are here. Quietly I place my dirty dishes in the sink and begin to tidy up. This place is more than a mess. It’s a pig pen. It takes roughly two hours to clean up making the time around ten o’clock in the morning. Yes, that makes sense. Our conversation must have lasted longer than I thought it had. With a loud thud I here Vinyl drop out of bed, she was never really one for grace. Another sign of Vinyl being awake, a loud yawn is herd form the bed room and then the shuffling of hooves. Magically the door opens and her white form appears in the living area with all the elegance she can muster she scratches her flank and mutter out, “Do I smell pan cakes?” I smile and nod warmly, “Yes dear you smell pan cakes and hay bacon strips I saved you some of the batter and some of the uncooked bacon strips on the stove. I could cook them for you if you’d like.” With a flip of her amazing blue mane and a glow of gray magic you float the batter, the bacon strips, and the pan over to the stove with ease. “Nah, I got it Tavi don’t worry so much.” A horrid pet name I’ve grown to love…just like the idea that your magic changed color after we had become…more than just friends. It was an interesting fact about unicorns you shared with me that I didn’t know up until that point. I would have never guessed that unicorn magic was fueled by a unicorns basic image of what is most important to them…I became very flattered when you’re magic turned a very light, very pleasant gray. I sigh contently at the memory. Changeling magic isn’t like that, it’s cold, calculated. It’s not nearly as whimsical as Unicorn magic, regardless I miss using it. I should have shifted into a Unicorn. “Something wrong Tavi?” Vinyl asks with a muzzle full of ugh…bacon pan cakes. What ever gave her such a stupid…yet ingenious idea I’ll never know. Probably some silly cartoon she watched, she’s such a filly…I love it. I sigh again, “No Vinyl everything’s fine…I love you.” A faint blush appears over her muzzle and white fluffy fur, its nice to know that those words still have such an effect on the mare I care so deeply about. Vinyl gulps loudly, “L…love you t-too Tavi.” she says embarrassed and looking away still eating her pan cakes with hay bacon inside of them. I don’t even need her to say it back. Dear Celestia I didn’t even need to be a changeling to know that Vinyl Scratch is in love with me. Her face says it all, her syrup covered, bright red face. Vinyl finally comes up for air after inhaling two bacon pan cakes in about two seconds, “So any coffee?” I should have known this was coming. I should have predicted she’d try and sneak some of that reached black tar that makes her breath stink and act like a nit wit. I should have known, but because I didn’t I take a very long pause. Vinyl waits with a dim witted expression on her face. I can only describe it as Vinyl because I haven’t seen anypony else make a face of both exhaustion, dumbfoundness, and something I cannot describe in front of fillies. Make her stop looking at me like that. Stop it! STOP! “No Vinyl I didn’t make any coffee…You know what that stuff dose to you.” Vinyl also knows I threw the can she bought last week out…three bits neither of us will ever see again. Her look shifts from Vinyl to angry Vinyl…which is the same look as before but a little miffed. “Octavia it keeps me awake! I have to work tonight!” She pleas, even though Vinyl in fact does not have to work tonight and I know that. I remain firm, the only thing coffee does is make her bonkers…and a bit horny. Her look then goes from angry Vinyl to disappointed Vinyl, which like angry Vinyl is all the looks that are part of her normal Vinyl expression with a large lump of sad eyes tossed in for good measure. “Please Tavi? I’ll be good…” I know she’ll attempt to behave but we both know she’ll fail miserably. I sigh heavily, “Alright Vinyl you win this round. Go get me my bag.” She bounces around like an existed school filly who had just been told they can get that silly new toy they were eyeing while they thought their mother wasn’t looking. She was looking, and you looked very stupid Vinyl. With a massive heave hoe from her magical arm Vinyl tosses my saddle bag onto my back. “I’m only going to get you one small cup. Alright?’ I emphasize the word small as best I can but she still looks so eager to get that cup of coffee. With a gentle peck on her muzzle I leave the apartment and head for the elevator. “Hold the doors!” I yell to the two ponies inside. I’ve yet to identify them but move from a walk to a light trot. The doors remain open with a light badge magic. Sadly I did not realize before getting into the elevator and the doors closing shut behind me what a horrible idea taking this magic metal death box was. “HEYA TAVIA!” Ugh…Lyra Heartstrings and her mare friend Bon Bon…or were they married now? I could never keep track of our floor mates lives. That was Vinyl‘s…and with her snuggly back at our apartment I have no choose but to socialize solo. Celestia help us all. “So, what’re you up to Tavia? Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?” Are all unicorns this bouncy and hyper active or just the ones I know? “Tavia~” Lyra sings out, Celestia and Luna in Canterlot I hate that nick name! Just say Octavia its only two letters more! Lyra continues to bounce around the elevator as Bon Bon mutters out what I assume is an apology as she puts her head in her hoof. “Yes Lyra, hello, I see you.” I say calmly trying not to explode from rage, “I’m headed down to Star Buck’s coffee shop for Vinyl.” I’ve had enough of her antics and yell, ”Also…STOP CALLING ME TAVIA!” Lyra stopped bouncing and looked down rather down trotted. “Oh dear…Lyra I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell. I haven’t gotten much sleep lately.” Lyra and Bon Bon both snickered, “What?” I began to piece together what they found so funny but refused to admit to it until Bon Bon asked, “You and Vinyl have a fun night again Octavia?” Ugh, these mares will be the death of me. Them or other changelings, either way not a fun end. “Now Bon Bon you’re bed room is right next to Vinyl’s and mine…if we had a “fun night” as you so presently put it don’t you think you and Lyra would be able to hear us?” Bon Bon puts up a hoof to protest but I cut her off, “Don’t answer that, allow me to answer for you. Yes, yes you would. I know this because Vinyl and I hear you and Lyra very frequently. Do you want proof Bon Bon of a thousand voices because I could beg you like Lyra dose to use that one voice and call me a hu-” Bon Bon cuts me off cheeks a flame with embarrassment, “Stop! Stop! I get it!” Despite how rude I am to these two…they are my only friends aside from Vinyl, and they are a lovely couple. “Lyra! Apologize to Octavia now!” Bon Bon demands. Lyra began to protest that she didn’t do anything but I stepped in, “It’s alright girls really. I simply had a bad dream. Nothing to worry about.” I sighed loudly and with a thud planted my flank on the floor as the elevator slowly made its decent to the ground floor. “Nothing at all…” I say a bit distraught. Lyra and Bon Bon both feeling the tenseness of this situation come over to comfort me, Lyra gets there first placing a warm mint green hoof over my back. “Taviaaaaaaa…uuuuhhhhh…Octavia” Lyra caught herself at the last minute fixing my name. She laughs a bit to try and make things a bit lighter, it doesn’t work. “Octavia.” She repeats sounding more serious. “You know if you ever need to talk to somepony…somepony who isn’t Vinyl I mean. You know, you always have Bon Bon and me. We’re right next door so we can all just play music together, eat some of Bon Bon’s awesome Bonbon’s, bitch about Vinyl and just chill…Sound good?” Lyra pulls her hoof from my back and shoves it in front of my face asking simply for what some of the younger set (oh Celesita I’m old) call a “bro hoof.” With a slight pause I regrettably clap hooves with Lyra who squeals loudly and begins to hop around the now grounded elevator in delight. I leave the apartment complex with a small smile on my face. Today is turning out to be an adequate day after all. I still live with the mare of my dreams (even if she’s been in more nightmares than dreams), I still have two very delightful friends (even if they are a pain in my flank) and I still have yet to be found by any other changeling. In fact the changelings have been very quiet since the Canterlot Wedding fiasco but what did Queen Chrysalis, in her infinite wisdom, think would happen after she replaced that princess with out back up and then had all of the changelings break the dome her false fiancée created? A dome she let him create in the first place none the less. It was and is the stupidest plan I had ever herd in my life as a changeling (which is a difficult feet because all of us are suppose to be connected to one hive mind). I almost immediately decided to take a different course of action. “We feed on love.” I though to myself back then as I made my way into Canterlot before Queen Chrysalis, praise be to her where ever she may be, even made her switch. On the train way from Manehatten to Canterlot I saw a fiddler pony with canary yellow fur, a dark blue mane and a mark on her flank that I would adopt as my own. The treble clef. I felt some alterations needed to be made before I could properly make my appearance on the train. Turn the yellow fur a light gray, turn the blue mane a gray as well but darker than the fur. Then there was the treble clef, I couldn’t simply leave it dark blue…so I mad it purple. Then with a pilfering of a pretty pink bow clip I was ready. That was when I saw her Vinyl Scratch in her infinite beauty and that was something I was not made ready for. My seat was across from hers and though at first glance you were very uninterested in me as the trip went on we became very good friends, we even stayed at the same hotel and when the wedding came around I saved her from the changelings. Going against everything I was taught, everything I had ever known and loved I chose Vinyl Scratch and I would do it all again in a heart beat. If I still had a heart that would give a beat. That’s a bit of changeling humor, we don’t have hearts in the traditional sense…this might be why we feed off of love to begin with. “NEXT!” I’m awoken from my daze and memories by a loud screeching voice. This voice belongs to Star Buck the coffee mare. A cameral colored mare with a long flowing blond mane that is tied up into a pony tale. She wears a green apron with her own face on it, though the picture looks much happier than the mare before me. “What do you want?” She asks coldly, she eyes me and then smiles a wicked smile that makes my stomach turn. “I mean, what will you have miss…?” she trails off asking me for my name. Assuming its for the coffee wait I tell her, “Octavia…umm I’ll have a small-” She cuts me off, “We don’t have smalls we have tall’s.” I clear my throat a bit taken aback by this nonsense of calling a small cup a tall cup, “Umm…alright then I’ll have a tall cup of decaff coffee.” “Flavorings? Milk, sugar, with or with out whipped topping?” She continues. I soon feel, “I…I would just like a small…TALL…” I quickly correct myself. “cup of BLACK, DECAFF coffee…please.” With a huff she fills a very small, almost minuscule cup of coffee that looks and smells like tar mixed with urine. Why anypony would drink this is beyond me. She tosses me the cup of coffee and gives me the same creepy smile that chills me to my bones. Something about it feels so familiar. “Eight bits please.” She commands with her creepy smile that shows way too many teeth for my liking. Wait…eight bits!? That’s outrageous! “Excuse me…don’t you think eight bits is a bit high?” I ask trying my best to sound pleasant. There is a glint in Star Buck’s eye that tells me its time to just pay my eight bits and leave. I place the bits quietly on the counter, grab the coffee and leave. The bell on the door chimes happily at my exit. Only a few slow dreading hoof steps away from that coffee shop from hell do I hear the bell ring again…and then hoof steps right behind me. This fact doesn’t seem to alarming if you aren’t on the run from an army of shape shifters who could be any where or any one. I don’t bother to glance behind me, no need to panic Octavia plenty of ponies live out this way, even a few donkey’s and that one gryphon with a temper problem…or was that every gryphon? Not “dose every gryphon live out this way” but “does every gryphon have a temper problem” why does that gryphon have such a temper any way? I never did anything to her and…oh dear how did I end up down this ally? The hoof steps are still behind me and I turn to see…Star Buck’s? What is she doing out of the shop? It doesn’t close for a few hours. “Star? What are you doing out of the shop…you don’t close for several hours.” I just said that didn’t I? The coffee mare draws closer, her eyes turn from hazel to a bright emerald green, the pupils became slits and soon she grows taller. Her fur became black and more scale like, holes appeared in her now regal changeling legs and I have no choice but to bow before queen Chrysalis. > Chapter Two > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter two I’m at a loss for words. I’m at a loss in general…No really I’m lost. I have no idea where I am or how I ended up in this ally. My back is blocked off by a brick wall and my front is blocked by the changeling queen herself. I’m going to die. I’m going to die! I’m going to die and I will never get to see Lyra, Bon Bon or Vinyl again. My sweet, stupid Vinyl. I’d give anything for one more day with her. Instead I’m going to die at the hooves of queen Chrysalis. Wait, why hasn't she throttled me with her magic or worse her Swiss cheese hooves yet? “I herd one of my changeling drowns had gone astray…“ She pauses staring down at me.“ I would have never imagine you’d end up in Manehatten all on your own.” She states with a sort of bored expression on her face. I’m still quivering in fear in the guise of a pony that doesn't actually exist as my short life passes before my eyes. Much of it is very inappropriate. “Don’t just stand there like an idiot!” queen Chrysalis demands. “Change into your true form.” I ignore the command. This is my true self, this is my moment of defiance. “I said change bug!” She zaps me with an emerald green energy blast. Nearly peeing on the concrete below me I change into my changeling self. The cold, black, insect pony with bright blue eyes. I slowly look up at my queen distraught at the blast. I see the scorch marks at my feet. She missed and it was no mistake. “Status report.” She isn't going to kill me. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks, or like an over used simile. She wants to talk, she wants to see what I've learned from my time away from the hive, she wants to use me to find a foot hold in Equestria. “I…I…” I can’t seem to find the words. As a changeling I’m obligated to report in or do what ever my queen asks of me but I can’t seem to tell her about my life as a pony. She glares at me waiting for me to speak up. Her horn flairs up with magic again. Finally my fear and my words find me. I tell her everything. I tell her how I ran off finding my own way into Canterlot, I tell her how I remained hidden during the attack, how I gained the trust of all the ponies around me, and how I have been living with and feeding off of Vinyl ever since. I wish I hadn't told her about Vinyl, please don’t go after Vinyl. She smiles a toothy grin that sends a chill down my spine. “Interesting. So you've gained this ponies trust?” I nod helplessly in response. Please just stay away from Vinyl. “Excellent.” She laughs widely and lightning crashes behind her as the sky grows dark and a small chores of changelings come out of the wood work to sing a song of evil and malice. Alright, so I made up the part about the changelings, and the lightning, and the singing but she is laughing in a manner most evil, and I hate it. “I’ll gather my forces and with your help and my brains we will infiltrate Manehatten, then Baltimare, then Fillydalphia, then Canterlot and finally we will take all of Equestria! Those princesses will rue the day they trifled with me, Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings!” Again she laughs evilly. My this is getting a tad annoying. “Now then,” Oh good she’s stopped laughing. “I want you to go back to this mare of yours, feed, and” She begins to turn into a white Pegasus with a bubbly golden mane and balloons for her cutie mark. “stay strong bug.” With those parting words she fly’s off into the bright summer day. As much as I wished it she brought Vinyl into this, then again my darling unicorn isn't any more involved in this stupid scheme then she was this morning. I was only instructed to feed which I do naturally. Perhaps the queen has gotten soft, or perhaps she’s planning something much worse then gaining a foot hold in Equestria. I shift into my earth pony form, my real self, and make my way back to the apartment building. I feel defeated, deflated, and depressed as I climb the many stairs up to the apartment Vinyl and I share. The elevator is too good for me right now. Heck, the stairs are too good for me right now but I need to make it home. It isn't until I get to the door I realize I left the coffee in the ally where I was cornered by Chrissie. I sigh very loudly at the thought of entering the apartment empty hoofed. Vinyl will be so disappointed. With a turn of the handle and a push of the door I enter the apartment. Its cleaner then I left it. I can’t believe my eyes, Vinyl cleaned. Vinyl Scratch the lazy, good for nothing (well nothing I can mention) DJ cleaned our apartment. Just to send this point home to you I say, “Vinyl! Y-You cleaned?” I notice the mare I love sprawled out on the sofa watching TV, I take the recliner opposite. She smiles at me, then notices I’m empty hoofed, and then sees the look of worry on my muzzle. With a concerned expression she turns off the TV and sits up facing me. “You alright Tavi?” I try to keep a neutral face, I try not to cry, I try so hard not to tell her everything then and there. I try not to tell her I’m a changeling, I try not to tell her that the last year and a half we've spent together magical as its been is a lie. I succeed but barely. I feel the tears roll down my fluffy cheeks as they dampen my fur, I can feel the panic in my own expression and I cry out the biggest lie I've ever told in my life, “I ran into my ex-mare friend!” What did I just do? What did I just say!? I try to pull myself together. “Oh.” Vinyl says. That’s all she says. I can see her face grow longer by the second. I’m so stupid, “I mean…I…uh…huh? We. The-They! They were out of coffee!” Its to late the damage has already been done and my poor attempt to come up with a better excuse is faulty. “Vinyl I’m so sorry…seeing her again…” I pause for a long time and then the words trickle from my muzzle like water from a leaky pipe. “It brought up a lot of old feelings.” If a learn anything today let it be that you never, ever, ever tell you significant other that seeing your made up, imaginary, ex brought up old feelings. “Oh so now you’re in love with your ex!” Vinyl yells. “What’s she look like huh? What’s her name? What makes her so much better then me? Huh? Octavia!?” Clearly Vinyl is a bit upset. She begins to breath heavily and I notice a few tears streak down her fur. “Vinyl,” I begin. “That isn't what I meant at all.” I have to come up with a fake name quickly. “Surprise!” I shouldn't have yelled that. “Er…I mean Surprise is an awful, awful, awful, pony. All she did while we were together was boss me around and call me “bug”. I’m not sure why I stayed with her so long or why I dated her in the first place. I’m sorry if I upset you dear.” I feel the mood in the room. Vinyl is still very upset. “When I said that it “brought up old feelings” I meant that I was reminded that she was the worse thing to every happen in my life. Vinyl,:” I bring her face up to mine with my hoof. Tears still outline her crimson orbs. Off record, her eyes truly are bright, demon spawn, red. She wears colored contacts to make them look magenta in case her glasses fall off during a show. She doesn't want to freak any pony out. It took months of begging to get her to show me that. I’m off topic again aren't I? “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.” And I mean it. I mean every word of it. Chrissie is the worst creature I've ever had the displeasure of knowing. I pray she doesn't read this because if she does my hide is squished like the bug I am. “You still didn't tell me what she looked like.” Vinyl says in a harsh tone. She seems a little better, I can feel the love radiating off of her body again. It’s warm and sweet just like her. I smile and sigh trying to sound defeated and likely failing miserably. “She’s a white Pegasus,” I begin. “With purple balloons on her rump as her cutie mark. For a mare that loves to party she sure was a stick in the mud.” Vinyl begins to chuckle. “Her hair is curly and bright blond and she is the biggest bitch in all of Equestria.” Vinyl laughs widely but not at what I thought. “So Tavi you have a thing for white fur huh?” She boops my nose with her fore hoof grinning like an idiot. I chuckle back, “So what if I do?” Today is both the best and worse day of my life. > Chapter Three > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3 I have had the same dream every night for over a year except tonight, tonight’s dream was different. I revile my self to Vinyl like I do in all my dreams and like before she stares at me with horror on her face. I cry out to her, “I thought you loved me!” I feel panicked. I feel unsure. Most of all I feel trapped, stuck. Then to my dismay in a voice that is both hers and not hers she says, “Who could ever love a bug like you.” I hear that same laugh that sends chills down my spine and before I even realize it begin to cry. I sit up in bed tangled in our sheets. Three in the morning and I’m alone. Vinyl is still at work and there is no one here to comfort me after my nightmare. I really did imagine it. “She isn’t like…” I stop myself remembering that the walls of our apartment are paper thin and Lyra and BonBon can likely hear everything I’m saying. Even if they should be asleep right now its better not to risk it. I bang my head lightly on the wall trying not to cry, “She isn’t Surprise…She’d never…” I trail off again. Suddenly I hear two gentle knocks back. “Tavia you okay over there?” Of course Lyra herd everything. Of course Lyra isn‘t asleep like any reasonable pony. Of course. “I herd you screaming and well I know V is clubbing right now…wanna chat?” No sense of malice in her voice, no sarcasm, no joking tone…just two really lame nick names she gave Vinyl and I. I say nothing but Lyra has known me almost as long as Vinyl has…they were friends before Vinyl and I met. I suspect they were more but was never told upfront that they were. Besides I trust Lyra she’s a good mare who’s always been good to Vinyl and me and especially to BonBon. That’s what matters most to me. I knew Lyra briefly before she started dating BonBon and she was a very…active…mare. I hesitate then let out a sigh and say, “Alright Lyra. Outside. Five minutes.” It’s cold. It’s cold, and it’s raining. It’s cold, it’s raining, and Lyra is late. I gave Lyra one thing that she is in fact a good mare, but damn it all if she ever showed up on time. I place my bottom on the cold grass outside of our apartment building. I love the rain. To be frank I love anything that makes me seem…alive. I don’t mean to say changelings are undead we just don’t really have lives of our own. Ever since I took this form, ever since I met Vinyl everything that I felt as my old self just seemed…wrong. Like it didn’t matter, like that life didn’t matter. I just wish it wasn’t so cold. “TAVIA!” Lyra shouts as she runs out the front door nearly slipping in the mud. “Sorry I’m late Bonny woke up just as I was gonna step out then I had to explain where I was going and that just took forever.” She chuckles as her light green and white mane bounces up and down. It’s already begun to slick down with rain. “So what’s up?” I always hated that saying. Many things are up, the sky for one, hay prices for another, and well the ever growing chance of a changeling attack for one more. “It’s nothing Lyra…thank you for making me wait out here in the cold though. The rain really helps me clear my thoughts. I will oh so enjoy the illness that will fallow tonight. It means so much.” That was a bit rude and very sarcastic. “Octavia how long have we known each other? I know when something’s up.” She called me Octavia…alright Lyra Heartstrings I suppose I can tell you what is up. “I…I had a nightmare that’s all.” I didn’t realize how taken back I was by serious Lyra. “Usually Vinyl is there to console me, but when she wasn’t I just sort of broke down. Alright?” It’s not a total lie but I still feel like I’m hiding the truth from Lyra who honestly just wants to help. “Yeah V’s good at that…Smoke?” Lyra offers me a cigarette. “I thought you quit?” Lyra and Vinyl both smoked for years before I met them. They both did a lot of things they probably shouldn’t have before we met. Smoking, drinking, drugs, and a lot of sleeping around. I remember one night in particular I was spending the night at Vinyl’s before I had officially moved in. I hadn’t really had a place of my own at the time but Vinyl came home from work late. Later then when she had said she was going to be home. I wanted to wait up for her and surprise her with a nice hot meal. I learned very early on with my new form to enjoy cooking. Vinyl came home later then she normally did drunk as a skunk, stinking of alcohol, sweat, vomit and what I could only assume was the other mare hanging on her foreleg. We weren’t exclusive yet but it still hurts to think about. That poor mare though didn’t stand a chance. I shoved her to the floor the second Vinyl uttered my name and took what was mine right in front of that other mare. The next morning Vinyl vowed to quit all of her bad habits. The smoking, the heavy drinking, the drugs, and yes, even the other mares. She begged me to forgive her. Of course I did, we wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t. Besides I was already doing a worse thing to her then she could ever do to me. Back to what was happening with Lyra, “Oh…oh yeah. Please don’t tell Bonny. I only light one up every now and then I swear. Only on really bad nights. You’ve had bad nights right Tavi?” Lyra’s eyes plea with me to not tell a soul. Lyra has always been a little unstable, at least she has been as long as I’ve known her. She often herd weird voices calling out to her, non-pony voices. She became obsessed with them, she says they call themselves “humans.” They told her things, and promised her things. Back when she lived in Ponyville she went to a psychologist. Apparently she was well enough to move to Manehatten with Vinyl . That or something else happened. I never herd the full story but it involved sleeping with the doctor’s mare friend if I remember correctly. Oh and never being aloud in said doctors office ever again. If I recall correctly the doctors name was Lemon something or other and the mare that Lyra slept with was called Screw Shine? No, that doesn’t sound right. I really should focus. I nod and sigh, “I won’t tell a soul, but I swear to Celestia if you get Vinyl to pick up that filthy habit again I will never forgive you.” We both laugh a bit nervously, though I am completely serious. Those sticks made Vinyl’s fur smell vial. Lyra and I don’t really spend much alone time together. We don’t really have much in common aside from Vinyl and a love of stringed instruments, or maybe that was stringed instruments and a love of Vinyl. I don’t think I’ll ever be sure which it is. Lyra exhales smoke through her nose, “So what was the dream about?” I’m taken back for a moment, regaining my balance I say, “That’s personal.” Lyra stamps out the cigarette, “Octavia I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the problem.” Despite her many issues Lyra is a good mare. A stupid mare but a good one. Even if we aren‘t close she is still the closest thing I have to a real friend. “It’s about you and Vinyl isn’t it? I’ve been down that road Tavia sometimes you just need to learn to let go.” Wait, what? “What do you mean you’ve been down that road before?” They didn’t seriously date did they? Vinyl would have told me if they did. I know Vinyl would have told me if her and Lyra dated. I just know she would. Wouldn’t She? Lyra looks at me puzzled, “Vinyl didn’t tell you? We dated for like three years. Okay, it more or less added up to that. Neither of us could stay tied down long enough to really date for more then a week. We always ended up back together though. Big fight, would go out drinking, fought some more, slept around a bit, fight a bit more, run into our old dealer Happy Pills, make up and stay together for another few days. That was our routine.” They not only dated but slept around. I knew that last part why does this surprise me? Why does this information hurt like it does? I feel…betrayed by my two closest friends. They dated and neither even bothered to tell me. I have no right to feel this betrayed. I’m a changeling pretending to be an earth pony. That is so much worse. “Does BonBon know?” I asked trying not to sound furious, or worse cry. Lyra nods, “Of course Bonny knows. I tell her everything.” That sentence hurts more then anything else right now. Of course BonBon knows. Lyra is an open book. She couldn’t hold onto a secret if you glued it to her hooves. “Okay she knows everything except me still smoking.” I could see instant guilt on Lyra’s face. “Guess I’ll have to tell her that when I get upstairs…who am I kidding she probably already knows. I probably stink like smoke. Shoot.” Lyra rambles on but I’m only half listening. She feels so guilty over one tiny secret while my relationship with Vinyl is based off of one huge secret. One huge lie, I am an earth pony. I have to tell her, I have to tell somepony. “So this dream?” Lyra asks again. I feel my chest grow heavy, my breath becomes shallow and then I do something I would never imagine myself doing, I just spit it out. “I’ve had the same dream every night!” I yell much louder then I expect to but continue on in a lower tone. “I…I wake up…as a changeling. An-and Vinyl sees me like that and she freaks out.” My voice is shaking, “Tonight in my dream I call out to her and she says to me that she could never love a bug like me.” I feel tears welling up in the corner of my eye lids. “Alright, Lyra…that’s the dream, and my dream is right. I can’t be with Vinyl!” I begin to cry. “Lyra…I-I’m a changeling.” The words hang in the air for a minute, tears flood down my cheeks. Lyra’s face is pure shock. “I’ll take the cigarette now.” I joke trying to lighten the mood. My whole body is shaking, I really do need something to calm me down despite my joke. Lyra scoffs trying to relax, “Tavia you’re not a changeling. Changelings are buggy and evil and eat love. You’re nice and earth pony-ish and…eat…pancakes?” She isn’t going to believe me with out proof. This place is too out in the open though I have to tell someone I need to get this off my chest. My life is a lie. I’m so sorry Vinyl I promise I’ll tell you soon just right now I need someone to talk to. Tears continue to trickle down my cheek. “Please…Lyra just come with me. I need to show you something.” I sound more panicked then I mean to. She gives me a strange look, “Alright Tavia.” She fallows me into the ally between our apartment building and the flower shop next door. “I can’t believe you think you’re a changeling Tavia, that’s just silly.” I take a deep breath and let the green change magic take over me, I look like Lyra now. I have her mint green fur and the mane to match. The bright orange and yellow eyes, the unicorn horn and the mischievous smile. “That’s just silly.” I repeat in her voice. Lyra laughs, its more of a nervous laugh, “That’s a cool trick Tavia! Mirrors right?” Lyra is a good mare, stupid, but a good mare. I turn into Vinyl and in her voice I say, “Oh yeah totally mirrors dude. You know its been a while since we’ve been in a dark ally like this.” I change into BonBon, “I think you’d rather like this form better.” I nuzzle Lyra’s neck mainly so she can feel I’m really there and it’s not a mirror or some other kind of gag. She seems to be enjoying it to much though so I slip into my changeling form and give a quick hiss. Lyra jumps back terrified. Then she smiles nervously, “You…you weren’t kidding.” She laughs loudly. It‘s a nervous laugh. “Tavia you’re a changeling!” It seems to be too much for Lyra to handle. She begins to shake, cry, and laugh all at the same time. “You’re a changeling…does…does V know?” I only look down at the question not even bothering to change back. The question is just sitting there on the cold concrete between Lyra and I. I don’t even bother to answer, my face says it all. “No…Am I the first pony you told?” Still I say nothing. Lyra is reading my expressions like I’m an open book. “Wow…that’s heavy Octavia.” The mood in the ally is as dark, cold and heavy as the evening itself. It feels like hours before either of us say anything to one another again. “Did I ever tell you I was attacked by changelings?” The question comes out of no where but still Lyra sounds completely sympathetic if not a bit freaked out. I hesitate, “I don’t think you have. No.” My voice sounds off. I haven’t herd my changeling voice in so long and not like this. It only now registered I was still a changeling. Quickly I shift back into my earth pony body. I see Lyra relax a little. Lyra begins her epic tale of how she was a brides made at the Canterlot wedding, and how the queen had brain washed her and the other brides maids into doing her bidding. In the end she was saved by Princess Twilight and the real Princess Cadence. “Me and V went together you know.” This was news to me because Vinyl and I had met at the Canterlot wedding and I do not remember Lyra there in the slightest. “I didn’t know that.” She continues talking, “Oh yeah she was DJ-ing the event and had a plus one ticket. Was kind of useless because… well I went to school with the bride and groom. They were a year ahead of me long story. Short version the bride sent me a letter and asked me to be in the wedding. It was a long time since I’d been to Canterlot…oh yeah I’m originally from there, you do a good expression of the accent by the way or did you know like take that form?” I wasn’t sure what to say the amount of information Lyra just presented to me has completely gone over my head. She was talking way to fast. “Equestria to Tavia, or is there a real Tavia?” I get it now, “Oh! Oh, oh no. I didn't replace anypony. I…I saw this mare at the train station that looked kind of like this and just started looking kind of like her.” Lyra looks at me slightly confused. “The train station like…right before Canterlot. That’s where I met…oh…oh no you two were still together then weren’t you?” Lyra raises her eye brow, “When?” I let the question hang in the air again. I gulp very loudly feeling more guilty now then I had earlier. “When Vinyl and I met it was on the train going to the royal wedding…She was sitting alone so I just too the seat next to her…well rather across from her. She never said she was waiting on anypony else or-” Lyra cuts me off mid-sentence. “Let me stop you right there Tavia. V and I had an open thing.” I still look really worried that I may have upset Lyra, or worse stole Vinyl from somepony else. As if sensing my worry Lyra says, “We were broken up. We broke up right before the train. I don’t remember what it was about but it was bad. We were never getting back together after that. Actually that reminds me I saw you guys after her gig was over…you two looked so great together. Then when we all moved into the same building and Vinyl Scratch, the DJ-P0n3 was still together with the same mare…Octavia I never told you, Vinyl, or even Bonny this…” She pauses and smiles at me. “If Vinyl and I hadn’t broken up…” again she pauses. “If you and her hadn’t met and gotten together…” She trails off rubbing her hoof with her chin. This seems to be really painful for her to say. “Bonny…oooohhh my dear Bonny Bon would have been like every other mare I was ever with. She would’a been a one night stand and we wouldn’t be happily married right now.” So they are married! Wait a minute, they never invited us to the wedding those dirty rats! I laugh and then squeal a little bit in glee, “When did you two get married? Why weren’t we invited?” Lyra beams, “It was just a little thing down at the court house. Honestly we didn’t invite any one, but I’ve been officially off the market for the last month.” I smile, beaming back at her. “Congratulations!” I cry out sobbing with delight for maybe the first time ever. “We must throw you two a party some time.” Lyra smiles, “Whoa, Whoa slow down there Octavia I’m pretty sure somepony needs to know your little secret first.” My smile fades. Of course Lyra is right. “You should really show BonBon!” I smack Lyra across the face as hard as I can. Alright to be fair I know she’s only joking but it still isn’t funny. “Vinyl. You twit. I need to tell Vinyl.” I still probably over reacted. Lyra smiles a knowing smile at me. “I know…I said it not you…” She’s right. She’s absolutely right. I never thought I’d ever hear those words come from my brain. “I promise Lyra…I’ll tell Vinyl as soon as she comes home. On one condition.” Lyra grins, “Name it.” “You quiet smoking you dolt!” I laugh loudly until I begin to cry. It’s cold and it’s raining. We’re standing in a smelly ally way between our apartment building and the flower shop next door, I’m with Lyra and she now knows I’m a changeling. I need to tell Vinyl. These are all things that are certain right now. If that’s the case why does life suddenly feel so uncertain to me, so shaky and unreal. Maybe it’s because I’m not real and I suddenly have to come to terms with that and tell the only pony who matters to me. No matter, I best get back inside. I’m freezing. > Chapter Four > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Four I can’t sleep. I’ve been laying on the sofa since I came in from the rain. It’s raining harder now. I hope nothing bad happened to Vinyl. She late again. She’s never this late unless she stays out drinking. I’m very worried. I’ve also been thinking. Thinking about a lot of things actually. Mostly about how badly this will ruin things for Vinyl and I. I should have left ages ago, left her, went back to the hive. None of this would have happened if I could just admit to myself that I am only a simple changeling. A monster that was only born to play pretend. Maybe that’s why this has all been so difficult for me. “Don’t be a coward Octavia.” I tell myself aloud. I’m still waiting on the sofa staring down the door. My brain going a mile a minute thinking not only of all the ways in which Vinyl will react to finding out the truth but also the reason she’s taking so long. She’s never this late unless something has gone horribly wrong or she’s been drinking. My mind fabricates the image of Vinyl being hit by a taxi. Both her and the driver are seriously hurt and they are taken to the hospital. They call me and I rush right down. In my minds eye I see Vinyl hooked up to thousands of machines…and… I shake it off. That isn’t what happened. Vinyl is fine. She’s probably just out drinking with some fans. Fans who loved her set. Fans who think she’s attractive. Fans who are buying her drinks. Fans who have their grubby little hooves, and claws…for some reason that griffin from down the street is there, on my Vinyl. I begin to fume at the idea. No that can’t be what happened either. Okay, maybe she’s having a few drinks with some of the regulars and maybe they’re paying for her but they all know me there. They wouldn’t dare lay one hoof on Vinyl’s wonderfully messy mane. What if…and I’m not sure if I can even bare to think this, but what if the changeling army went to her club. What if Chrissie tried to get to Vinyl by using me. She walks in as me and starts…No! Nope! Nope! Nope! I will not think about that! I can’t take it any more. I get up from the sofa and begin to pace. My eyes never leave the clock in the corner of the room next to Vinyl’s records and my music stand. I watch as the minutes tick away, minutes that feel like hours, and hours that feel like days. I shortly become panicked and out of breath, only a few minutes have passed but it feels like I’ve been running for weeks. My mind is playing tricks on me. I need sleep. I need Vinyl to come home. I need to go find her! I have to make sure she’s alright! I rush to the front door and then stop. This is stupid. She’ll probably be home any second now. No need to panic Octavia. You’re just going to tell her that you’re a changeling and that the entire life you’ve built with her is a lie. My rational mind suddenly doesn’t sound so rational. I open the door and run down the steps back out into the cold. I run in the direction of the club Vinyl is working at tonight. I’m not sure why I’m running so fast or even why I’m running at all. All I know is right now I really need to see Vinyl. I know I’m running to Vinyl but at the same time I can’t help but feel I’m running away. I feel like if Lyra was here right now she’d be questioning what I was doing. This wasn’t part of the plan. Heck, even I’m questioning what I’m doing right now. It feels like I’m on auto-pilot. Like I have no control over what I’m doing and frankly I don’t care. I just really need to see my Vinyl right now. The realization that this wasn’t the plan at all and my want to see the mare I love just makes me run faster. My hooves seem to fly off the ground as I ram into a pony walking the opposite direction of me. I hurtle over them crushing into some trash cans left out for the night, flying out into the street with an unholy crack only to be greeted by a taxi nearly hitting me and the trash cans. Luckily, I avoid being hit by the taxi thanks to a last minutes save by some dark gray magic that grabs me by my likely already broken foreleg. “Tavi!” I hear the other pony cry out in a slurred tone as I hit the ground once more. I can feel my right foreleg snap back and bend in a way it really shouldn’t have. The worse part was it did that naturally. If it wasn’t broken before, it most certainly is broken now. I catch a better look at the pony who tripped me as they kneel down into the light to help me. Of course it’s Vinyl and of course she is very intoxicated. Well at least Chrissie didn’t get her. Silly brain making up things. She calls out to me in a very slow, very slurred tone, “You alright Tavi baby?” She nudges me under the neck with her muzzle. “My little Octi.” She’s practically singing the words in my ears. I bite my tongue and clench my teeth. “Vinyl,” I say sounding very much in pain. “You’re late. You’re late and you’re drunk and” She gently brushes against the offending foreleg and I hiss in pain, “I think I’ve broken my foreleg.” She instantly looks both panicked and downtrodden. “Vinyl, honey, listen to me.” It hurts so much. I still have to tell her the truth. I have to. “I need you to set the bone with your magic.” She’s far to drunk for this. Who am I kidding Vinyl wouldn’t be able to do anything this delicate even if she was sober. Luckily she sobers up enough to say, “No Octavia we need to get you to a hospital.” She levitates me with her magic and begins to run back the way she came. “I’m so, so, so, so, so , so sorry Tavi. If I would’ve come home when I was suppose to your foreleg wouldn’t be busted right now.” I can feel my changeling magic starting to heal my leg. Shape shifters in general have healing abilities and changelings are no different. It also helps that Vinyl is amplifying my powers with her love and concern right now. You’d think with all these powers taking over a place would be simple right? I blame bad management. “Vinyl I’m fine, I think it was just a sprain.” Please don’t notice the green flow of energy. “Please, Vinyl its very late can we just go home?” She stops turning around a bit. She shakes and stumbles a bit. I see her close her eyes under her glasses and her cheeks turn a pale green. Oh Celestia no. She makes to talk but the only thing that comes out is…I’d rather not talk about it. Lets just go with Vinyl is in no shape to be running home or to the hospital for my leg. I hop off her back. My leg is nearly healed now, just a minor sprain. I was always the fastest healer in the hive. “Vinyl,” I say raising her face up with my better hoof resting on my flank as to keep my balance. “Look at me.” I can see her eyes shift under her purple sunglasses. Honestly no wonder we ran into each other. She’s blind as a bat and drunk as a skunk. While I was running blind with no sleep fueled by fear and paranoia. “We need to get home. We need to talk and I don’t want to do that here. My leg is fine but do you think you can walk drunk as you are?” “Buh you’re leg Tavi?” She stammers out still looking rather ill. I stand on all fours the leg completely healed. “It’s fine see?” Still not believing me she pokes the leg. No pain what so ever. I managed to heal it perfectly with out her even noticing. I shrug her foreleg around my back to help her balance. I can see by the look on her face that she’s trying really hard to concentrate on what’s going on around her and failing miserably. By some miracle we end up back at the apartment. It’s now five in the morning and I’m so exhausted. I think Vinyl might be even more tired then I am though. She wobbles against me but I manage to keep her steady. “Come now you drunker. Off to bed.” I laugh a little bit. We take it one hoof at a time off to the bed room and then to the bed. I help Vinyl up and pull the blanket up to her neck. “I’m sorry Tavi…” she mutters out half drunk half tired. “You must’a been so worried…I really should’ve called. I was playing this awesome set and it went on a little long and then after some of the fans and the dude who owns the place wanted to have a few drinks…maybe talk money.” Her eye brows scrunch up as she tries to recall the night. To be fair I’m also saying it how she meant it, not how it sounded. It sounded a little more like this, “Iff Tavi. Sue muster worried….called. Epic…epic night. Oh! The monies!” I’ve gotten rather good at translating drunk Vinyl. She goes on to say, “Fish are friends not fish.” I’m not exactly sure what she means by that and I frankly don’t want to know. I chuckle a little bit crawling into bed with her. I’m so tired. I can wait until she sobers up tomorrow to tell her everything. Tonight has already been far to long. I hear Vinyl snore quietly next to me. Already out like a light. Good. I sigh contently throwing my forelegs over her. I’m not sure who to ask for just one more wonderful night with Vinyl before I tell her that I’m a changeling so I’ll ask everypony. I’ll ask anypony really. Just give me one more night of empty bliss. > Chapter Five > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Five A dreamless sleep. At long last a dreamless sleep. I think I may cry. I can feel the sun on my face, I can feel Vinyl next to me, I can hear her snore softly, can smell her scent, and I can feed off her love for me. I don’t want to. I don’t want to be able to feed off of her like this any more. I don’t want to ever leave this amazing moment. I don’t want to tell her that I’m a changeling. I open my eyes slightly. I can see Vinyl smiling back at me in her sleep. My chest feels heavy. “She looks so peaceful…” I sigh, my voice is no more than a whisper. I lightly cup her face with my hoof only to be greeted by drool covering my hoof and rolling down my foreleg. She is the most adorable thing I could ever imagine. I giggle a little bit. “Gross.” Vinyl’s eyes flicker open. They are more red then normal, but then again she must have on hell of a hang over right now. She smiles at me and then winces in pain. “Mornin’ Tavi…” She mutters rolling over on her back. “Sorry ‘bout last night…” I say nothing, I just roll over wrapping myself in her foreleg, nuzzling her a bit. I hear Vinyl chuckle, it echoes in my ear as her chest moves up and down. “Weird question Tavi…” Her voice is light but at the same time filled with pain. Her head must feel like its going to split. “Did you propose last night and then turn into Lyra, or was that some crazy dream I had?” She laughs. “I don‘t really remember much of last night. I mean that was a dream right? But you coulda proposed I think.” I freeze up. She had a dream about me proposing…and then turning into Lyra? I nervously laugh it off, “What nonsense Vinyl…of course it was just a dream.” Tell her! I need to tell her now! Tell her now! Vinyl laughs opening the side table drawer with her magic, her dark gray magic, my color magic. “Yeah, you’re right…“ She needs to know. I have to tell her. I have to tell her now before either of us do something we’ll regret! “It doesn’t matter any way…I‘ve been wanting to do this for a while.” She smiles looking lovingly at the small box she pulled out of the drawer. “Even talked to my boss, Loan Shark about buying this thing. It cost a lot of money…but you know what he says, “Fish are friends not food” so he was happy to help me out.” She laughs a little but I can see the pain from the head ache she clearly has. Oh god, that’s what she meant last night by “Fish are friends not fish.” she got money from Loan Shark. Why in Equestria would she do that? I examine the box. Its not a really big box. In fact it’s a really small box, and it’s covered in red velvet. She goes to open it with her hoof, “Octavia…I’ve been thinking this over for a while now. Last night I decided I’d trade all the parties, all the mares, all the stallions, all the booze, all the drugs and even my career to spend my whole life with you…” It sounds like she’s struggling to form the words, finally she takes a deep breath and asks, “Octavia Melody will you marry me?” She flips open the box and in it is a lovely engagement ring. My tongue turns to lead. I want to scream “yes” loud enough for everypony to hear, and ignore the fact that I’m a changeling. I want to ignore the fact that Vinyl still doesn’t know and ignore the ever growing, every looming fact that when she finds out she might change her mind. “I…” I manage to peep out. Tears well up in my eyes, Vinyl likely thinks they’re tears of joy but, in reality I‘m suffering more than ever. “Vinyl…I’m a…“ I can’t get the words out. My hooves are stone and my tongue is steal. She needs to know, I can‘t hold it back any longer. “Vinyl…I’m a…I’m a changeling!” I yell it. I yell it loud enough so that everypony can hear. “W-what?” Vinyl asks taken back. “Changeling!” I repeat much louder than I had before and much louder than I intended to. “I’m a changeling…Vinyl…I love you so much, so very, very much, but you need to know that…that everything inside of me thinks we can be together. I’m sorry.” I lower my head…dropping the act. She looks on in horror. “Please, Vinyl understand…I wanted to tell you sooner.” My voice doesn’t sound like mine right now but she needs to see me this way. “Those…nightmares I had. They were always about the same thing. Vinyl, they were about this. How you’d react to seeing me…like this.” She needs to feel me this way. She needs to know how sorry I am. “I’m so very, very, sorry.” She can‘t focus and her magic stops the box from floating mid-air it lands on our mattress with the lightest of thuds, “Sorry!? You’re sorry?” She seems a tad upset. “You lied to me.” I can see her physically shaking. I put a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her, she looks at it. It’s full of holes, she looks me in the eyes, my great, big, massive, glazed over, bright, blue eyes and says, “You’ve been lying to me for over a year! I was…I was going to marry you! I love you, I LOVED you and you lied to me!” This is almost exactly how it goes in my dream. She pushes off my hoof. “Anything else I should know Ms. Melody…oh wait you’re not even really Octavia Melody are you?” Her face grows dark and cold. She jumps on top of me. We both tumble to the floor. “What did you do with her!? What did you do with Tavi!? I swear you little insect if you hurt one hair on my Octavia’s head I will blast you all the way to Saddle Arabia!” She’s foaming at the mouth and her horn is sparking with deadly magic. I’ve never seen Vinyl this angry, it’s both heart warming and terrifying. I’m both the cause and the focus of that anger, I am a horrible, horrible, pony. I’m sure there’s a joke in there some where about changelings being horrible ponies to begin with but now really isn’t the time. “Nothing!” I cry. “I didn’t do anything to your Octavia! I am your Octavia…” I let the disguise of Octavia Melody fold back over my changeling skin, it feels more natural this way. Vinyl grows very quiet again, she‘s still on top of me holding me down. “There…there was never a real Octavia Melody…I made up the name.” I have to tell her everything. If she ever meant anything to me…Means anything to me at all, she has to know. “I…I saw this mare she looked…almost like me. Her fur was yellow and her mane was-” Vinyl cuts me off, “Dark blue. I’m such an idiot. That’s Fiddlesticks.” She says in an explaining tone. She looks tired now, tired and annoyed. I’ve never seen Vinyl just look an emotion, there was always that hint of Vinyl in it. This is just wrong. “She’s a really nice, down to Earth mare, and I can’t believe I never noticed the resemblance.” She puts her face in her hoofs getting off of me. I sit up finishing my story, “Yes well…I changed myself to look like her so I could get into Canterlot long before the wedding. The queens plan made no sense what so ever. I was going to start the invasion myself…Then I met you.” I feel one last weak spark of love fly off of Vinyl and I move closer. “We grew close…and I realized that I really and truly loved you. It…it hurts to tell you all this. It hurts to have you find out this way…” My body weighs a ton right now. I shouldn’t have let it come this far. I shouldn’t have left with her to begin with. I’m such a terrible pony…er…changeling. Then again I’ve been feeding off of this pony for over a year before I was found out so I suppose I’m a good changeling but still I am most definitely a horrible pony. “Vinyl…I really do truly love you. I’m so very sorry it has to be this way.” Vinyl narrows her eyes, I can still feel small weak pulses of love flow off of her in waves. “Have you ever fed off of me?” She asks looking more serious than I have ever seen her. I know this is going to be the moment that defines the future for Vinyl and I. If I really do mean everything I just said, if I really do love Vinyl I have to be honest. No more lies. I hesitate, “Yes.” I can’t look her in the eye. She hates me right now I can feel it. Hell, I could feel it even if I wasn’t a changeling. Then again if I wasn’t a changeling we wouldn’t be having the conversation. “Vinyl it’s hard to explain…I can’t control it! I swear if I could just turn it off that would make things so much simpler….” I can turn it off, I could leave. That would shut it off. I could have told Vinyl sooner I’m sure the love would have stopped flowing then. I could have not left with her to begin with or I could end my own life that would defiantly halt the process. She puts up her hooves as if trying to rationalize things. She looks at her hooves, then at me, then back to her hooves and finally says, “That explains why I’ve been getting so skinny.” She says more to herself than me. She looks more tired than I’ve ever seen her before. “Get out.” She’s very hurt but I won’t be defeated so easily. “Vinyl I-” She cuts me off again, “Octavia…or what ever your real name is, just go. I can’t deal with this right now. Just leave.” I feel a spark of anger grow in me if only for an instant, “I could have made you love me!” I don’t know why I yelled that. I shouldn’t have yelled that. I am so horrible. Why would I say that? Stop saying stupid things you stupid twit and just leave! Learn when you’re not wanted! It’s too late the words already left my mouth. I feel horrible, I feel worse feeling all the fear and anger coming off of Vinyl. I need to fix this, “Vinyl…I swear I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t want to feed off of you but I never made you love me either and I could have!” Nice save! Clearly everything will be fine now right? I feel only pain and anger coming off of Vinyl, if anything I made it worse. Before there was hope that she might forgive me. Hope that she might look past the idea that I am a shape shifting monster that was using her as a food supply but now she can‘t even look in my direction. “I can’t even stand to look at you right now. J…just go!” I can see her tears very clearly and it breaks my heart, or it would if I had a heart to break. I quietly stand up, exit the bed room, leave the living room, and pass out of the apartment. There’s no point in me staying and trying to fix it. She needs to cool off. If I want to make this work I need to give her space, but maybe it’s best if I don’t let this work. Should I stay then? I notice a picture of us on the way out and grab it from the side table its on with out a second thought. The second I’m out of the apartment I begin to hear loud, angry cries and that I can’t stand. I cling to the photo and with my own eyes burning with tears I walk next door and knock gently on the door. I hear something crash down from our apartment, I ignore it. She’s fine, just likely breaking anything that was mine. In hindsight that sounded awfully like my cello. Lyra luckily answers the door. “She…kicked me out.” My voice rings out hallow and dead. Lyra lets me in but I can still see the disapproval and rage on Vinyl’s face, I can still hear her cry and I can still feel the hate ooze off of her like slime from a dead dogs eye. I cling to the frame of the photo. We look so happy in it. Lyra leads me over to her sofa, “Tell me everything that happened.” I shake my head the tears now burning my eyes. Its too fresh. I can’t. I’m not even sure what happened any more and it was minutes ago. “Alright, we’ll take it slowly…Did you tell Vinyl?” I nod. “So, she freaked out.” I nod again. “Anything else I should know?” “She proposed…then I told her. I messed up Lyra…I really messed up.” Lyra’s eyes grow visibly wide, “Vinyl proposed to you!?” She hops of the sofa. “That’s huge! I mean…Tavia it’s not your fault, you are who you are but, Luna in Canterlot! The only pony who’s less willing to commit then Vinyl Scratch is well…” “You?” She’s taken back for a moment and then replies, “Well uh…Yeah me, or at least the old me. I mean, I was going to say Happy Pills but you know. I’m sorry Tavia it’s just really surprising to have Vinyl do something so…huh…I don’t wanna say rash because Vinyl always is running into things horn first but, at the same time I can’t think of a better word.” I smile at this, rash is absolutely the right word for Vinyl but Lyra is right it really doesn’t seem to fit this situation. “How about spontaneous?” I offer. Lyra nods with a smile and a wink, “That sounds about right. Wow…V really, really likes you…” “Liked.” I correct. Anything Vinyl had for me is gone now. I blew it. I blew it and I didn’t do anything but tell her the truth. Be yourself my flank. “It’s over between us Lyra and quiet frankly its for the best…I can‘t keep feeding off her. I can‘t keep hurting her like this…I love her too much for that.” Its true. I really do love Vinyl. I can’t explain it because as a changeling I’m not suppose to be able to feel love this way. Love is suppose to only be a food source to me but I love Vinyl Scratch more than anything, or anyone in the world. I can feel something from the other room. It feels like anger, fear, and candy? Wait, that can’t be right…candy doesn’t have a feel or at least not how I’m using the word. Out of no where BonBon rushes into the room from what I assume is their bed room. She tackles me to the floor. My head bounces and I give a loud “Oof!” BonBon is dragged off of me by a tan force of magic, Lyra’s I am assuming. “Whoa now Bonny! What’s gotten into you!?” Lyra’s horn is glowing the same color that surrounds BonBon, its also the same color as her fur. Interesting, so Vinyl wasn’t lying to me about that. Good to know. “I herd everything!” BonBon yells struggling against the magic. “Lyra let me go! She’s not Octavia she’s a changeling!” Oh no. I forgot our bed rooms are right next to each other. BonBon must have herd everything! Wait, she said she herd everything. So, I guess she did hear everything. Oops. “What’er you talking about Bonny? Tavia’s not a changeling she’s an earth pony. Changelings are evil and feed off of love and stuff like that! Tavia’s nice and eats pancakes and hay fries and stuff like that. Right Tavia? Come on Tavia tell her.” Lyra say’s nudging me in the side with the fakest smile I’ve ever seen, and that’s a lot coming from a changeling. I see no point in lying to BonBon, “Lyra…let it go. She knows.” Lyra sets Bon Bon down on the sofa genially. Then gives her the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen. “Bon Bon please don’t be mad at Lyra. I made her promise not to tell.” I sigh deeply as Bon Bon glares at Lyra and I poised to attack. “I…I’m a changeling. I always have been and I always will be. Nothing can change that just like nothing can change what I’ve done. I should have never left with Vinyl in the first place. I should have never gotten on that train.” Lyra looks down trotted, “Yeah, but Octavia…that thing I told you…about Bonny and me? Remember?” What in Celestia’s name is she talking about. Oh! I get it, “Oh, yes! Lyra still smokes.” I know that isn’t what she meant but at the same time I feel like Lyra needs punished. It might just be me not wanting to suffer alone, but still. “SHE WHAT!?” Bon Bon yells glaring down at Lyra, who I swear to Celstia shank down in size. “You said you quite! You and Vinyl both quite! That was the deal Lyra! I mean…ugh! You know what those things can do to you! No wonder your fur has reeked lately.” “Yes, Bon Bon I know but that not what I meant!” I don’t think I’ve ever herd Lyra yell. I mean I’ve herd her scream like a little filly. I’ve herd her cry out in pain, but I’ve never really herd her shout like this. Good work Octavia not only have you messed up your own relationship but you might have ruined Lyra’s too. You’re a great friend. “Bon Bon…If it wasn’t for Tavia I probably would have left you a long time ago. You remember how I was? Moving from mare to mare not caring who got hurt. Yeah, well Octavia and Vinyl changed that. They made me think that maybe I had somepony worth keeping around. So yeah, hate Tavia for being a changeling but if it wasn’t for that changeling you wouldn’t be married right now.” I’m touched really, and here I am trying to make Lyra suffer when she just said the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me ever. Bon Bon on the other hoof does not look so moved, “So, you still smoke.” She says in a matter of fact tone. Lyra nods. “Its only once in a while and you promise to really quit this time?” Lyra again nods. “Alright Lyra I forgive you.” They hug tightly, a little too tightly, should I…should I go in the other room? “So how long has our neighbor been a changeling?” Bon Bon asks me. “Um…forever. I don’t remember being hatched in an egg or anything. I know that’s the on going theory of where changelings come from. Though, the first thing I can really remember is me thinking how stupid the queens plan for taking over Canterlot was. I remember a story…Well I think it was a story. It was about an empire made of light or something like that. I remember it being very bright. We lived there before, or so the story goes…and we weren’t like this. We were normal…something about a usurper king and a love potion..? I’m not exactly sure where changelings come from and I am one.” I’m already being honest with everypony I may as well continue that trend. Everything I just said is true. I don’t know how I came to exist. There are no signs of eggs in our hive but at the same time I see how ponies came to that conclusion. It’s interesting that nopony seems to know much about changelings, its odd that most changelings also don’t know much about changelings either. We talk for hours. Bon Bon asks me more questions, I answer them truthfully. Some of the questions aren’t even about me being a changeling. Like this one for example, “So, why did you leave with Vinyl any way?” The only thing that comes out of my mouth is a long train of, “uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….?” Why did I leave with Vinyl to begin with. I take a moment to regain myself. “At first…I thought she’d be a good way to get close to the bride and groom. Originally I had all intentions of just replacing her at the party, but we talked on the train and she was…she’s amazing.” I can’t help but smile. “We started talking music and the way she talked was just so wonderful. The fire she had in her eyes, the passion she has for her art is so…wonderful. I don’t think I knew it at the time but I fell for her instantly. So, instead of replacing her I simply joined her as her guest. Thinking back on it I had forgotten all about the invasion until it happened. Those first few days with Vinyl were magical. I never wanted that feeling to go away. I just liked being around her. Then after the invasion happened…well I saved Vinyl from some other changelings. They likely saw it as me claming my food, but that wasn’t it. I just really didn’t want them to hurt her. I still don’t. That was the first time I felt a…uhhh…a little spark of love come off her for me. As nice as that was…that probably should have been the moment I left.” It feels wonderful to get all of that out in the open. Bon Bon rubs her chin with her hoof, “Well…” She finally says after a long delay. “It doesn’t sound like you brain washed her or anything…that’s a plus.” She is still looking at me with shifty, untrusting eyes. “It’s getting late…I should start dinner. Do you want to stay for dinner Octavia?” She smiles at me getting down from the sofa. She believes me good, it’s nice to know I didn’t ruin my friendship with Bon Bon and Lyra. “I’m not exactly sure what changelings eat…so you might have to help me.” I smile back, “That’s alright Bon Bon. I’m not very hungry any way…we can eat it just doesn’t fill us. It’s hard to explain. I’ve eaten before and it seems like I can digest pony food just fine but it never makes me full.” “I think you explained it just fine.” Lyra laughs. Bon Bon on the other hoof doesn’t look amused one bit. Lyra must have noticed this too because in a very nervous tone she asks, “So Bonny Bon, my Bonniest of all the Bon Bon bon’s, what’s for supper?” I’ve never herd anything quiet so annoying, but at the same time quiet as sweet. Bon Bon must just find it sweet because she is turning a bit red in the cheeks. She sighs trying to calm down. “If Octavia isn’t joining us I guess I can make your favorite Lyra.” “You?” Lyra says in a flirtatious voice. Bon Bon lights up like Manehatten on Hearts Warming Eve. “The other favorite Lyra! You know, the one that’s food.” She’s trying really hard to suppress her emotions right now I can tell. It’s another one of those oh so amazing things you can do when you’re a changeling. Feed off of love, ruin lives, lie to everypony about who you are, sense emotions, heal yourself, almost always be forced to do what ever queen Swiss cheese hooves tells you too, these are all things that come with being a changeling. Lyra smiles, I can feel the love between these two. It’s so heart warming, or it would be if I had a heart to warm. I think that’s why we have to eat love. I think that’s why I never feel full. Somewhere along the line the changelings lost their hearts. Somewhere along the line we became monsters. I hear a familiar creek from a front door I know only too well. It’s the door to our apartment, or it was the door to the apartment I shared with Vinyl. It’s only been a few hours but I miss her already. Wait, what time is it any way. Seven o’clock? Why’s she leaving. She wouldn’t have work for several hours. I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit. “I think I herd Vinyl just walk out the door.” Really good ears, that’s another thing changelings have. Really good hearing. She’s still sniffling a bit, I can feel the pain and sorrow all the way from here. Lyra peaks out the front door, “Yup, that’s V leaving alright. Can see her white flank going down the stairs.” Panic sets in right away. Where’s she going, is she going to do something drastic, why now and not any of the hours that had come before this? She’s been in there alone all day. That can’t be healthy. I mean, I’ve had Lyra and Bon Bon to keep me company, cheer me up a tad. Vinyl has been alone this whole time. My panic is made worse by Lyra saying, “She looks really down Tavia…You know, not her normal Vinyl-y, self.” I push Lyra away from the peep hole in the door, taking a look myself. Lyra’s right, “She looks awful.” I feel a pain in my chest. An emptiness, a sadness I had only really felt once before, this morning when I was kicked out. I grab Lyra by her shoulders and stare her straight in the eyes, more panicked than ever. “Lyra!” I only manage to yell her name out. Come on now Octavia use your words. “Uh…yeah?” She looks very uncomfortable. Bon Bon looks like she wants to rip my spine out, dip it in some caramel and sell it to some nice school fillies. “I…I need you to go with her.” “Go with her? As in you want me to tag along with V?” Why is this so hard. I just want Lyra to go along with Vinyl to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid, or that no pony tries to hurt her, or worse comfort her. That came out wrong. I…I still really love Vinyl. I simply don’t want some full of himself colt thinking he can just waltz up and make moves on my Scratchy! I grab Lyra tighter, “Please…I just don’t want anything to happen to her. Please Lyra I’m begging you to go with her.” “Don’t I get a say in this?” Bon Bon interrupts. Lyra pushes my hooves off, “Sorry Bonny but you don’t.” Bon Bon looks positively homicidal. “I get how Tavia feels. If you were pissed at me and I was staying with them I’d totally ask Tavia or V to do the same thing.” “But what about dinner?” Lyra smiles, I feel like she’s trying to act cooler than she actually is. Frankly she’s just coming off goofy to me, but I think Bon Bon is buying it. “It’s just gonna have to wait Bon Bon.” Lyra walks over to her wife giving her a gentle hug. “I promise I won’t be out late, I won’t hit on anypony, and I’ll keep Vinyl safe.” She says that last part to me. “After all what are friends for?” Lyra walks out the door. The last thing I hear from her is, “Hey V wait up! Lyra’s coming out to party! Woo! Woo!” Celstia I hope everything goes alright. > Chapter Six > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Six How long has Lyra been gone? I feel like I’ve been on this sofa for days. I’m tired but I can’t sleep. That emptiness in my chest won’t go away, if anything it’s gotten worse. I miss Vinyl. I can still see her smile. I stare off into space, I can almost see her, almost touch her. “Vinyl?” I grab on to somepony. “No Octavia for the fifteenth time its Bon Bon. You know the mare who you’re staying with? The one who’s wife you sent out with your crazy ex. You know the one? Lyra, mint green unicorn with the adorable snout, gave up the party life and is probably passed out in a gutter some where because your ex pushed her too hard? I’m not worried or pissed off at all.” She says sarcastically. Luna’s moon is high in the sky, I’m not even sure what time it is and frankly I don’t care. I’m not even sure when Lyra left. I’m so fuzzy on everything right now. I’m having a hard time remembering who I am, where I am, or why I’m here. All I can see is this wonderful, white, unicorn smiling at me and that hurts. I’m not sure why it hurts but it hurts. My stomach growls loudly. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat Octavia?” This tan pony mare keeps calling me that. She keeps calling me Octavia. Who’s Octavia? Am I Octavia? I am. I am Octavia. I need to hold it together I must just be hungry. What do I eat? Well from the looks of it I’m an earth pony so I must eat…pancakes and things like that? No, No. I’m not an earth pony. I’m a changeling I feel the magic drop and I’m the creature I’m suppose to be again. I feed off of love. I could feed off of this mare. What does this mare like? She said something about a mint green unicorn did she not? I could change into that. I need to feed. No, no, no! I can still see the white unicorn smiling at me. Her smile is both haunting and warming at the same time. I let the magic make me that earth pony again. I need to focus. Focus, you are Octavia Melody, that is Bon Bon. Bon Bon is your friend. She is not food. You are a changeling but you do not feed off of friends. You do not trick your friends into thinking you’re their wife and then feed off of their love. As much as you really need to right now. I sit down, the room is spinning and I feel like I might pass out. When was the last time I’d eaten? Who’s the white unicorn? Why is she smiling at me? Why won’t she go away, or rather why isn’t she here. I need to focus. Octavia Melody, that’s Bon Bon, we don’t feed off of Bon Bon. Changeling, changelings feed off of love. I could feed off of Bon Bon, no Bon Bon is friend we don’t feed off of friends. I can feel the magic changing and tearing me apart with every thought. It stops, I’m a changeling “I need to eat!” I yell out in a pained, almost demonic voice. Bon Bon grabs me and stuffs something in my mouth. It taste sweet, and wonderful, and reminds me of Vinyl. The white unicorn. Her name is Vinyl Scratch, she’s my mare friend…and I love her. I’m still a little shaky, but I feel better. I feel fuller. “What was that?” I ask Bon Bon who seems to be enjoying some of them herself. “My world famous Bon Bon’s. Made with love. Did they actually help?” I take the rest of the box and scarf them down like somepony who hasn’t eaten for days. “I’ll take that as a yes. You were starting to scare me there for a little bit Octavia. I thought you were going to attack me or something.” So sweet. So tasty. They almost taste like Vinyl’s love for me, almost. I sigh, “To bad I can’t just eat these instead of feeding off of Vinyl. That would make things so much simpler.” Bon Bon sits next to me, “Why not?” She asks taking the now empty box. “It just doesn’t work that way. I feed off of her naturally. Its not something I can really turn on or off.” Bon Bon sets the empty box on the table next to us, “So, wait. Does that mean you can feed off my love for Lyra? Like if me and Lyra are having a sweet moment you can feed off of it?” I shake my head, “No it has to be directed toward me. I can feel it. Its nice, you two are really sweet but I can’t eat it.” Me and Bon Bon sit in silence for a long time. “Those things were great though.” I finally say breaking the silence. “Thanks…Octavia I have a question.” It’s not like she didn’t have questions before. I smile trying to keep things casual. Ignore the fact that I nearly drained her dry of all the love she has for Lyra. “Shoot.” I say with a smile. I change back into my earth pony skin realizing I was still a changeling. “Why are you still here?” Why am I still here? Any sane pony would’ve left ages ago. Any changeling would have left after they had been found out, but nope I’m still here waiting for Vinyl to take me back. I’m being completely selfish. “I’m being selfish.” I tell Bon Bon. “I’m being selfish and I’m being stupid and…and I just can’t imagine my life with out her any more. I know what I’m doing is wrong but I can’t stop. Bon Bon…I need help.” There has to be a way that I can make this work. A way for me to make up for the huge lie I told, a way to make me a real earth pony and not some horrible monster feeding off of somepony I claim to love. I can’t do this any more. Tears well up in my eyes and I find the picture I took of Vinyl and me. She’s so beautiful, she so wonderful, and I’m killing her. She’s gotten so skinny lately…I’m afraid she’ll just blow away in a light breeze soon. Bon Bon wrap’s her hooves around me, and I begin to feed off of the small amount of love she’s showing me. “Octavia listen,” She begins. “If Lyra doesn’t come back soon I will break your neck. Understand?” What? That’s horrible! It’s not even that late! It’s only…3 o’clock in the morning and Lyra left around seven. Oh pony feathers she’s been gone that long? Which means Vinyl has also been gone that long. Oh no. “I feel for you Octavia.” Bon Bon says in an uncomfortably sweet tone petting my mane. “But so help me if Lyra isn’t back with in the hour I will crush you like the bug you are.” She keeps the same sweet tone of voice. Bon Bon scares me. I pull away shaking in my skin, “I-I’m sure they’ll be back shortly.” I laugh. “I mean what’s the worse that can happen…aside from passing out in the gutter, getting pony napped, mugged and left for dead, oh and the changelings are in town so they might see them roaming around and, and, and…We need to call the police! What if any of that happened? No, no wait we can’t call the police they’ll find out I’m a changeling and alert the royal guards, they’ll torture me and put me in pony prison. I can’t go to pony prison! Do you know what they’d do to a changeling in pony prison?!” I grab Bon Bon shaking her. “They’d have me turn into what every they wanted! I’d be the inmates new favorite toy! I’d get passed around like a pair of well used socks!” Bon Bon smacks me across the face. “Octavia!” She yells. “Calm down. I’m sure they’re fine, we don’t need to call the police. No pony else is going to find out that you’re a changeling. Worse comes to worse we’ll go look for them.” That won’t be necessary though. Just as we begin to sit down again Lyra burst through the door with Vinyl on her back. “Vinyl!” I yell running over. She’s out could but for the most part doesn’t appear to be any worse for the wear. She reeks like alcohol, but that was expected. Lyra reeks too, she has a black eye, and some other scrapes and burses too. Bon Bon lightly slaps Lyra across the face with her hoof. “That’s what you get for scaring me.” They hug as Lyra levitates Vinyl over to the sofa. “Now, what happened?” Bon Bon asks shutting the door and locking it. She then checks out the peek hole to make sure no pony else is there. “I hope you two didn’t get into too much trouble.” “Oh relax Bonny even if we were being followed the epicness that is me lost them ages ago.” Lyra walks over the ice box and pulls out a bottle of water. Don’t listen to what any pony tells you, Manehatten city water taste like sewage. She takes a long sip from the bottle as I sit down next to Vinyl. She has a few cuts on her face but nothing major. I wonder…I let myself slip into my changeling form and gently touch my bent up horn to Vinyl’s face. I focus on how it normally looks, not scratched like it is now and…It worked. It actually worked. The scratches are gone. I was able to use my changeling magic for something good. “Lyra come here a second.” I put my horn on Lyra’s eye. “What’er you doing Tavia?” She asks putting down the water bottle. Focus on Lyra’s face, how it should look. No black eye, no scratches or burses, just Lyra. I feel a small burst of magic and then open my eyes to see if it was successful. I back away with a smile and see Lyra feel her eye. “Tavia…what did you do?” I laugh loudly and whole heartedly. “Changelings can heal themselves…but apparently we can heal others as well. This is an amazing discovering I might actually be able to do some good! This is amazing if we can do this maybe I won‘t have to leave. Maybe I can figure out a way to stay in town and maybe even figure out a way to stop feeding.” “One problem.” Bon Bon points out. “You’re an earth pony. Other ponies would get suspicious of an earth pony who can do magic.” She’s right but it was a nice thought any way. You can’t blame me for trying Bon Bon. She sits next to Lyra throwing away the empty water bottle. “Now back to what I asked when you two came in. What happened?” I guess we’re moving away from my amazing discovering. Fine, what ever. I wanted to know that too any way. No sense in arguing, besides Bon Bon still scares me. I’m surprised she hasn’t turned me into a candy coated cockroach because of that black eye Lyra had. Lyra yawns loudly. “I don know Bonny it’s a pretty long story an’ it’s pretty late. You sure you wanna hear this all right now?” Which is Lyra for we got into some shenanigans we shouldn’t have and I don’t want to make you mad. Bon Bon and I both nod as I take my seat next to a Vinyl Scratch that is still out cold. I guess I can’t fix that. Oh well, I stroke her mane peacefully as she smiles sweetly in her sleep. “Alright I’ll tell ya guys but you gotta promise no interruptions.” She looks at me. “Me interrupt? I’d never.” Lyra smiles at me, “The human’s tell me you’ve been doing this narrator thing Tavia. Well no more of that. For the time being this is now officially my story.” > Lyra's Story (Chapter Seven) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let’s start from the beginning. I was a filly born in Canterlot to a wealthy family who wanted nothing more than for me to be a famous painter. I learned the lyre instead. Alright, I know Tavia wants to say this isn’t important to the story. The story being what happened to me and my fillyhood friend. Her name’s Vinyl Scratch, I’m Lyra Heartstrings by the way. I know what BonBon’s thinking. We know this, we know who you two are, but the humans don’t. The human’s know my name, and know I love my Bonny very much but they don’t know me. They don’t know that I was gonna be an artist. That I grew up in Canterlot, and by Luna this might be the only chance I get to tell somebody. This isn’t just Octavia’s story. This is our story. A story about three ponies and a changeling just trying to make it in the world and frankly I want my story told, but never mind. It isn’t really important who I am, or who’s story this is. What is important is what happened to me and V after we left the apartment building. That story starts with me rushing out the door yelling, “Hey V wait up! Lyra’s coming out to party! Woo! Woo!” She was a bet skeptical at first. Who wouldn’t be? I haven’t really partied hard in months. I totally get it. After a little convincing she let me tag along though. She always did. If V had a gig her right hand mare was always there to snag us some fine fillies, or maybe some hot stallions, or maybe some good looking griffons. We did have that one night. It was epic, and involved all three. Ahh, memories. Now where was I? “Alright V?” I asked bumping my flank into hers, this was going to be just like the old days. It would have to be. I needed to remind Vinyl that the old days sucked. They sucked hard. They were a blur of drugs, booze, and Celestia knows how many other ponies or whatever we slept with. Most importantly I need to remind Vinyl we are no good for one another. Some ponies think I’m just some ditzy mare who gave up her dreams and settled down with some candy maker. You know what they say though, getting married young’s like leaving a party early. Some ponies might be up for that long ass party but not me. Not any more. I need to help Vinyl see that she left the party a long time ago. Heck, she left before I did, even if she doesn’t know it. I smirked at her, she didn’t look amused. Her eyes were blood shot. I’m not stupid, even if she was wearing those stupid shades I bought her I can tell when the mare I’ve known longer than anypony else has been crying. “Aww now come on V, buck up. Where we going?” I asked as we went down the stairs. “You know where.” She said with a huff. I did know where. There was always one bar me and Vinyl would go to when we were bummed out. It’s this really old place on the south side. That’s the bad part of Manehatten in case you didn’t know. Then again several people reading this wouldn’t know. I probably should stop breaking that forth wall everyone keeps talking about and get on with the story. So Vinyl and I went to our usual sad spot. That old tavern on the south side called Pub. We were told it was named Pub after the original owner Pub O’Hare. He was apparently a rabbit. Nobody’s too sure if that’s true or not but they go this picture of a rabbit on the sign so everyone believes it. So, V and I go into Pub and they have our usual spot at the bar free as always. It was like the current owner always knew when we’d be around. We never did learn her name, but she had a chain saw as her cutie mark. Frankly, I don’t think I want to know her name, or piss her off. Vinyl and I take our normal seats at the bar and chainsaw butt takes out drink orders. Two hard ciders. She didn’t even bother asking us what we wanted. It was we always got when we came here. Vinyl rests her head on the bar top with her forelegs around it. I put a comforting hoof on her back and rub gently up and down. “V…” I say sounding concerned. “Wanna tell me what’s up?” She just moves away from my hoof groaning. “Come on Vinyl, we’ve know each other since fillyhood. You know you can tell me anything. Right?” I move closer. “V?” I practically sing the name. “Tell your aunty Wyra what’s wrong.” I sing in a childish tone. She smiles a bit. With a smile on her muzzle, but a glare in her eyes she said, “I’m older than you.” True enough, but who’s gonna split hairs over a few months. Besides I’ve always been more mature then Vinyl…then again a month old foal is more mature than Vinyl. She sighed heavily as she looked down into her drink. Neither of us touched a drop. I didn’t want to, four months sober after all. I didn’t want to go and break my record now. I’m not sure why Vinyl didn’t drink. That’s what Vinyl did when she was depressed, or happy, or just bored. She drank, or at least the Vinyl Scratch I knew drank when she was all those things. My smile faded, “Come on Vinyl. Seriously, tell me what’s wrong. If it’s between you and Octavia I can help.” She looks back at me, I knew that behind those shades were the eyes of somepony who had been crying all day, somepony who needed a friend, somepony who was so scared of breaking down again. Luckily for Vinyl she needed somepony like me. She seemed to be struggling with the words she wanted to say. I knew what was coming though, “Lyra…Tavi’s a…she’s a…” Come on Vinyl I don’t have all day, and neither do the nice humans reading this. Get on with it. “Octavia’s a changeling.” She whispered it, but I still herd her loud and clear. I smirked, “That’s all?” I said sounding arrogant as could be. The bar was empty save for the chain saw marked bar tender, and a lonely drunk here and there. The bartender was so numb she likely didn’t care what we had just said, even if she herd us. I doubt she herd us though. She was at the way other end of the bar after all. The other drunks were either too intoxicated to make heads or tails of us, or too far way to even notice we were there. Good place to tell somepony a secret. Now you guys know why Vinyl and I liked this place so much. Vinyl looked beside herself, “That…That’s all!?” She yelled. Some of the other ponies in the bar rustled, the bartender looked our way. I singled her to turn around, it wasn’t any of her business, a few more bits on the bar convinced her of that. Vinyl stared me down hard, grabbing me by the shoulders. “Do you even hear yourself when you talk?” She yelled visibly shaking. “I just told you my marefriend, the pony I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with, is a changeling and all you say is “that’s all?” I mean Luna and Celestia…no, hell, Cadence even! How does this not shock you? I nearly killed Tavi when she told me and then I tell you and nothing. That’s cool, she’s a changeling you say? She must be awesome in bed. Well she is…but that’s beside the point.” I chuckled a bit, Vinyl always went on weird tangents when she was mad. It some how always came down to things that happen behind closed doors. “Calm down,” I tell her, smile still plastered over my muzzle. “She told me.” Vinyl’s eyes went wide, she looked about ready to go back to her rant. Alright Lyra you can’t let that happen so lets start talking before she does, “Vinyl,” I started with. I think it was a good start. Saying her name gets her attention and makes her realize I’m in charge of this conversation. “Octavia was freaking out. She wanted to tell you first but, you weren’t home. I over herd her talking to herself and she showed me.” Vinyl nodded as I explained things, she didn’t interrupt, didn’t make faces, didn’t touch her drink. She just nodded. I continued on, “First she turned into me, and well I didn’t believe her. I thought it was some parlor trick. Soooo….she turned into you, and-” I paused. I couldn’t exactly tell Vinyl that Tavia made the moves on me as copy of Vinyl. That’d be weird…weirder would be if I told her about the part where Tavia looked just like Bon Bon and I almost…uh…never mind. “And after that I believed her. Couldn’t really be some parlor trick if she was you right? Octavia’s not magic after all…she can’t do any fancy spells or anything like that. I mean she can, because she’s a changeling and all but…” And now I was the one ranting. Nice going Lyra. “Short version, she was worried, I helped, we agreed she needed to tell you, she told you, you guys fought, we are here.” That was difficult. More difficult then I expected it to be. “She told you first…” Vinyl sounded heart broken. “She didn’t even care enough to tell me first.” She set her head on the bar and stared at the foamy mug of cider. She used her magic to remove her shades, and closed her eyes. She just looked so distraught. “Vinyl…she didn’t tell you because she was worried.” I said as I took that first sip of cider. I didn’t mean to. It was just out of habit really. Me and a bummed out V sitting at our sad sack bar, I just kind of sort of took the drink with out thinking. It tasted great though, oh well seven sober months down the drain. I quickly polished off my drink. Hold it together now Lyra your friend needs you. “I mean really V what’s changed?” Vinyl looked up, she looked puzzled. What had changed? To be honest, so much had changed since the last time we were at this bar, on these stools, drinking almost this exact same cider. I’m married now, Vinyl has settled down a lot, I had seven months of sobriety until today. We’ve both grown up and changed so much! I smile at her, “The only thing that changed with Octavia is you know.” I was right of course. “She’s always been a changeling Vinyl. The only thing that’s changed is you know what she really is. You know who she really is and frankly that’s kind of what happens when you get really close to someone. You learn everything about them. What they like, what they don’t like, what their scared of, the fact that their a changeling.” I laughed with that last part. I remember laughing with that last part. Vinyl still looked worried. “Think of it this way V, she trusts you enough to show you who she really is. I’d also bet that changelings are awesome in bed.” I grabbed Vinyl pulling her over closer to me, out stretching a hoof for dramatic explanation I say, “Just think Tavi could fulfill every weird fetch you have, if you have any. No judging here buddy o’ mine.” Vinyl perks up a bit, “Thanks Lyra…I…I think I needed that.” She drank her cider and we order another round, hell I think at one point I ordered a round for all the a sad sacks in the bar, even chainsaw butt had one or two. Everything was going great, Vinyl was laughing and smiling. She even said, “I’m going to ask her to marry me again. I think I love her Lyra…I think I love her more than anypony else I’ve ever met.” Everything was going exactly like it should. Until we left the bar. I was a little drunker than I’d like to admit. Come on seven months with out any in my system at all…I went over board. So, this parts a bit fuzzy for me but I’ll try my best. V and I left the bar in high sprits. I was clinging to Vinyl for support when we suddenly ran into an old friend of ours. Happy Pills. Happy Pills was a funny little earth point, he had a shaggy bright neon green mane and tail. His fur was a tanish, burnt orange color. His cutie mark was an insane looking smiley face and frankly all of that suited him. Pills was known for making, supplying and taking several powerful drugs. In our old days he was a blast to have around but like I said before Vinyl and I have grown up. Pretty sure we’ve out grown Pills. In his manic tone he shouted at us, “Vinyl! Oh, look and Lyra too. Too much fun tonight Ly? Eh? Eh? Huh? Where am I? Oooooo! Lyra! Vinyl! Long time no see! How’s my two best clients?” I’m pretty sure this pony is insane, but something seemed off. Vinyl smiled at our old friend, “Not much pills. Just had a few drinks, talked about life, the universe and everything.” “Forty-two!” Pills yelled going into a manic fit of laughter. “Eh…yeah.” Vinyl continued. “We were just heading home.” Pills didn’t seem to like the idea of us heading home. Didn’t seem disappointed, seemed more angry and suspicious. “Awww come on girls you can’t do this to old Pills.” He didn’t sound right. Something about all this just felt off. I didn’t like it. I forced myself off of Vinyl’s back and tried to stand up straight. Oh Celestia why did I do that? Everything started to spin right away and one Happy Pills became two. “Come on Lyra think. Think of something quick. This is obviously not Happy Pills.” I thought trying to keep my balance. I stared at Pills hard. I stared for a long time trying to think of something. Then it hit me. I laughed grabbing Happy Pills by the neck in a half cocked embrace. “Hey Pills…” I said still laughing a little bit. I was nervous, and still a little bit tipsy. “Remember that one time you and I got so shit faced drunk that we started making out?” I see Pills face grow red as he reflects, a huge, creepy smile spreads over his muzzle. “That I do girly. That I do.” He laughed with me. I stop laughing, “Yeah…except I never made out with Happy Pills. Even if I did Pills would be too out of his mind to remember. I don’t know who the hell you are but you sure as Luna raises the moon aren’t him!” I pushed Pills on to the hard concrete and he changed right before my eyes. “Aww crud he’s a changeling!“ I thought. “Awww more crud! That means Happy Pills is probably dead in a ditch some where or in a cocoon. What ever changelings do to the ponies they replace.” Then again it was just Happy Pills. Don’t get me wrong Pills was my friend but he’s kind of a jerk. So if anypony could be replaced by changelings and not really be noticed it’d be Pills. Damn, well played changelings. “Hey, Lyra a little help!” The changeling was on top of Vinyl who was doing her best to keep him at bay with her magic. She was tired, and a little drunk, and her back was to the wall. If I didn’t do something fast that thing was going to kill her. Thinking quickly I head butted the changeling, and then got my horn stuck in the wall. Not my best plan. I quickly shook it off getting my horn unstuck, Vinyl was on the ground and the changeling was after me. I set one warning zap past his head and- “And?” Octavia asks me in her fake Canterlot accent, I should know I am from Canterlot. My story is winding to a close, can’t say I’m gonna miss it. That is harder than Tvaia makes it sound, keeping you humans entertained and all. I smile, “That’s it. The changeling ran off after that, I scooped up Vinyl and ran right here. Tavia fixed us up and I started telling my story. Got a little off track for a while but that’s it. Short version, V still loves Tavia, changelings suck, no offense Tavia, the end.” I can see a lot of lights going off in Tavia’s head. She’s thinking really hard about something, I don’t envy her right now. She looks at Vinyl. I don’t know how I’d react if it was Bonny and me like this. I just don’t know what to do, I’m scared for my friends. I smile trying to hide all that crap, “So Tavia…whatcha gonna do?” > Chapter Eight > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- can either run away with Vinyl and kill her slowly simply by being with her, or rejoin my hive. Neither of them are real options any way. I can’t stay with Vinyl it’ll kill her and I don’t think I could live with myself then. I can’t really return to my hive either. Her majesty likely knows that I’m not really into this whole invasion thing. What am I going to do? Lyra and Bon Bon have been staring at me for a good few minutes now waiting for an answer. I stumble, “There really isn’t much I can do. I’m doomed if I do, I’m doomed if I don’t.” There really is only one option, and it is the second dumbest idea I’ve ever had. I get to my feet and stare lovingly at Vinyl. I really wish things had been different. I wish I had been different. “The only thing I can do is confront Chrysalis. Sure she’ll squish me like the bug I am, but it’s better then the alternative. Please don’t try to stop me.” Neither Lyra or Bon Bon move. I begin to panic a moment, “You two aren’t going to try to stop me are you?” Bon Bon shakes her head, “It’s the right thing to do.” She says with a big cheesy grin. I’m sweating bullets. I just told my friends I’m going on a suicide mission and they’re encouraging me! I should have never told them I was a changeling. Lyra pulls me into a hug, “If you think it’s the right thing to do Octavia…” She pauses. “Well good luck any way. Bonny and me will take care of V.” Lyra hugs me tighter and I begin to feed if only for a second. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you figured out changelings can heal other things besides themselves…I’m sure you could…” She trails off. I know exactly what she means, “No Lyra, this is something I have to do.” There is no way. Even if I did nothing but eat Bon Bon’s bon bon’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner I’ll still feed off of any love Vinyl gives me. I’ll kill her. By the princesses if I stay any longer she’ll die and it’ll be all my fault. I hold back the tears. Falling for her was easy, I don’t think leaving will be as such. Even if it’s the right thing to do. I take one last look and make for the door. I turn back to Lyra and Bon Bon, “When she wakes up,” I smile. “tell her I really did love her. With all my heart, if I even have a heart.” My hoof s are out the door and I hear Lyra say, “Biggest heart out of anyone I know.” I walk down the stairs and outside our apartment building, the further I get the faster I move. I know I need to get there soon, I know where they are. Of course I know where they are. Some time later, at an abandoned factory just outside of Manehatten. Many of the factory’s had been abandoned and not just in Manehatten either. Fillydaliphia and Detrot where worse by far. After a lengthy war with the Griffon Kingdom, Princess Celestia ordered many of the factory’s to move to the decimated kingdom as part of the relief effort. They were suppose to make branches over there and then come back but frankly with opposable digit’s the griffons were more suited to the work, they also worked for far less then anypony in Equestria ever would. So the factories in Equestira shut down and now my hive is stationed in one. I sigh a deep sigh. It’s a sigh of dread and a sigh of longing. Through my entire walk over here I’ve only had one thing on my mind, Vinyl Scratch. Just her over and over. Her lovely white coat, her shocking blue mane, her gorgeous, striking red eyes, and her smile. I don’t know why but that mare’s smile just melts my…well as I said many times before I’m not sure if changelings have hearts or not. For the sake of this metaphor we’ll just say that I do have a heart. Her smile just melts my heart. I think it’s what first attracted me to Vinyl. When she sat down next to me and smiled I just felt warm inside. We talked and then she trusted me enough to show me her biggest secret. Her eyes. Vinyl hates her eyes, she thinks they are ugly, and horrible, and monstrous, and that was the first time I kissed her. I kissed her and I told her I thought her eyes were wonderful, and striking, and gorgeous, and how I could just stare into them forever. I can feel the tears welling up again, I need to stop thinking about this. I need to stop. I can’t love Vinyl, it’ll kill her. If I really love Vinyl I know what I need to do, I need to confront the queen. I take a step into the cold, dank, abandoned factory and am greeted by the angry buzzing of my thousands of brothers and sisters. They make a path for me to go through and I see a changeling talking to the queen. He is bruised, beaten and it looks like at one point his tail may have been on fire. You failed to mention that one Lyra. I approach, the queen looks at the injured changeling, and then back to me. “Oh,” She says in her sly, cold voice. “so you’ve come to explain yourself?” She towers over me. You forget how big someone can be when you haven’t seen them in nearly two years. I can feel every set of sickening, blue, glowing eyes staring at me. I feel one set of glowing, lizard like eyes staring down at me. I remain as an earth pony, I remain Octavia Melody. I remain who I am, and who I am suppose to be. I need to be Octavia for her and this time I will not change, weaver, or back down. Not even for the queen of my kind. Not even for Queen Chrysalis. “We’re waiting. Change and explain your actions!” She demands. I feel green flames lick at my hide. I am not afraid, not any more. I feel light, I feel like Vinyl is right here with me, and that makes me brave. I make myself as tall as I can with out using my powers to change my height. In a bold voice I exclaim, “I have nothing to explain to anyone, least of all you and I will change for no one.” The queen doesn’t stumble or waver. I’m starting to feel small again. “I love her.” I say in a very small voice. I’m trying to be brave but I’m starting to feel less and less attached to Vinyl. I need to remember her name, I need to remember who I am. I need to remember who she is and who we are together. “I…I want you all to leave!” I say sounding bold again, though I can still feel it wavering. The queen laughs loudly and a roar of laughing and chattering from the army of changelings behind me fallows. I am not afraid. “You want us to leave?” The queen says with an evil smile on her face. “What authority does a bug so small have to a queen?” She asks pushing me to the floor. The sudden shock of pain causes me to change into my changeling form. I’m dazed and confused. Why am I here? What was I doing? I need to remember my name. My name is Octavia Melody and I can see a pure white mare smiling at me. She has red eyes that sparkle like rubies, and an electric blue mane. She seems so wonderful I wish I knew her name. I wish I could remember why I was here. The queen stares down at me with an ugly smirk. I hate it. I hate the queen, I hate what we’re doing, what she’s planning on doing. I hate that I can’t be with…I can’t be with. I remember her name. Her name is Vinyl Scratch. She’s a DJ and she loves me. I love her back, with all my heart. There is no doubt as to what I have to do, I get to my hooves and change back to my earth pony form. No, I become my real self. There is no changeling Octavia or earth pony Octavia. I am Octavia Melody, an earth pony who just so happened to be a changeling at one point and I will no longer change for anyone. Not ever again. Chrysalis glares at me, she still has that stupid smirk on her face. “Well?” She says. “We’re all waiting.” She’s mocking me. She doesn’t believe in my love, so I tackle her to the ground and start beating her with my hooves. “I have all the authority I need! As a citizen of Equestria it should be my duty to deal with pest like you and your kind.” She stops my hooves with her magic. “Enough!” She shouts in a purely demonic voice. I keep to my real self. “You abandon your own kind, you attack your queen, you denounce us all for what!?” She looms over me like a large shadow. I hurt every where but I will not change. My vision is going hazy, I still see Vinyl in my minds eye. I smile and look up to the queen, “For love…” I say weakly. “It doesn’t matter if you kill me. I love her and I always will…and with me gone she’ll finally be safe.” The queen knocks me in the gut with her foreleg. Pain shoots in my body more violently now, but still I don’t change. She grabs me up with her magic, “You poor diluted soul. I was once like you. I once believed love could fix anything.” She examines me and then bashes against a wall. I hear the hive cheer loudly. I’m starting to black out but I keep my true form. “Love only gives you pain, it’s selfish, and anyone who falls in love is a fool who deserves whatever they get!” I can see the hurt on her face. Is that how we all got this way? We loved and were betrayed? Something about a love potion and a usurper king…I can’t remember. She pulls me close so she look in my face, “And what you get bug is for them to see you for what you really are.” She dangles me in the air with her magic, I can’t fight it. I can’t feel anything any more. I’m so weak I can’t even keep up my disguise any more. No, not disguise. Even if I don’t look like Octavia Melody it’s still who I am. I’m so sorry Vinyl. The last thing I feel is the queen blasting me with her magic, a hard thud that breaks my spine and then nothing. Before blacking out I hear faint screams and I know I’m in Canterlot. > Chapter Nine > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Nine I feel like I’ve hit a wall. I feel like I got the tar beaten out of me and have just been left to rot for six months. My current location? A Canterlot holding cell. Why am I here? I am a changeling who despite being a changeling was stupid enough to fall in love with an awesome pony, who I miss a lot. I am an enemy to pony kind a traitor to my own. My name is Octavia Melody and I play the cello. Has it really been six months? Have I really been asleep since June? My body refuses to move, I ache everywhere and every breath is agony. Vinyl, I really hope you’re alright. “Sir!” I hear someone call out. “The changeling is awake.” My eyes slowly adjust to my surroundings. My foreleg is chained to the floor, through one of the holes in my legs no less. I shouldn’t have to tell you that is both excruciating and infuriating. I am in a cell, there is a bowl of water to my right, a bowl of food to my left, and the whole thing has an odd pink tint to it. Pink energy cannot be good. Too much pink energy is in fact dangerous. A colt steps up to my cell, for an instant I mistook him for Vinyl. He has on a purple set of armor, the helmet was removed showing off his long blue locks. They matched Vinyl’s in color only, as did his fur. His horn was a glow with magic showing that he alone was the one keeping me imprisoned here. The prince of the Crystal Empire and captain of the royal guard, the colt who probably hates changelings the most, his royal highness Prince Shining Armor. He examines me for a moment only, I try not to move, I try not the breath. It feels as though my heart has stopped. He then calmly walks into my cell momentarily lowering the shield. “I’m assuming you know who I am.” he says taking a seat across from me. He exams my for leg, the one with the chain. “Who did this!?” It was less of a question and more of a demand. He uses his magic to unchain me and then reattach the restraint properly. “I’m so sorry about that, my men are usually pretty kind hearted, but we all have some bad history with the changelings I’m sure you understand. Please eat something, have something to drink.” He gestures towards the bowls of food and water. What’s his game? Why is he being so calm? My people ruined his wedding and nearly killed him. There is no reason he should be treating me this nicely. I take a drink, water is something even changelings need. The food however would do nothing for me. I stare at it, “Why are you being so kind?” I ask in a dry, raspy, buzzing voice. I hate my changeling voice but I dare not change. I can feel the tension in the air, the stability of this situation depends on Prince Shining Armor and myself. “You have to understand my skepticism. My people ruined your wedding and nearly killed you. I see no reason for you to be so…clam.” I lower my head squinting at the prince. His similarity to Vinyl is extraordinary, I hope she’s okay. Prince Shining Armor takes a look at the food and then back to me. “Glimmer you can come and remove the food dish.” Again the shield is lowered and a crystal Pegasus steps into my cell and removes the food dish. She begins to leave but prince Shining Armor lifts a hoof to stop her. “Glimmer would you mind backing me up for this questioning?” The crystal Pegasus lowers her head but sits. She’s rather standard as far as guards go, a shot, grey mane and tail, purple fur to match her purple armor. She looks at me rather uneasily. “Glimmer here is my body guard. My wife insisted I have one for this mission. She worries a lot, I still love her to bits.” Glimmer turns away looking both embarrassed and uncomfortable. “Glimmer here and most of my men think of you as a threat. My wife probably does too, but Princess Celestia herself gave me the debriefing and we think otherwise. Six months ago you fell into Canterlot like a green commit. You hit the ground hard, got up for a second and said one word before you collapsed, “Vinyl.” Now, I was called in a week after you fell and was immediately put in charge of watching over you, making sure you don’t escape, and finding out just who Vinyl is.” Glimmer looks down more embarrassed. What is up with this royal guard? “I have my theories, but I’d like to ask you some questions first. I’m sure you’re not comfortable like that.’ Prince Shining Armor gestures towards my whole self. He’s right of course I hate being in my changeling form any more. It doesn’t feel like me but I don’t think he should know that. “I’m fine sir. Please ask away, I will do everything in my power to help.” Part of me keeps nagging at me to tell the prince to shove it, or try and rip his throat out, or to pretend to be Princess Cadence and feast upon his love. I’m not sure what’s keeping me in check, what’s letting me act on my better judgment despite my hunger. I take another look at Glimmer the crystal…unicorn? Wasn’t she a Pegasus not only a minute ago? My mind must have been playing tricks on me. “I hate the Queen as much as you do and would be happy to help…with one request.” Prince Shining Armor smiles at me, I can almost see why the Princess and the Queen fell for him. He has a rather dashing smile, “Of course.” He lowers the shield completely. “I’d prefer to do my questioning before we talk about your request though if that’s alright with you.” His smile vanishes as he pulls up a clip board and quill. “Can you give me your name please?” I still don’t buy this overly polite bit. It doesn’t feel right, Glimmer staring at me constantly and then looking away when I look at her also doesn’t feel right. This has to be a trap I’m sure of it, “Sir you must know changelings don’t have names. To our queen we’re each nameless bugs who share the same face. I’m not any different.” I take another drink. Maybe there’s a truth potion in the water. No, there’s no way he’d know that I’d need to drink. Besides that isn’t exactly the whole truth, at this point I’m not even sure I can call myself a changeling. He smiles at me again looking up from his parchment, “I understand, but I thought that maybe you were more than a changeling. We have it on file from a source, a Miss Heartstrings if you must know, that you’d been posing as a pony for two years prior to this.” That’s his game. He knows everything about me already he just wants me to confirm it. They’d gotten to Lyra and probably to Vinyl. No, I can’t think like that Lyra wouldn’t have told them about Vinyl, but she did tell them about me. Damn it Lyra. “That’s right.” “So you know Miss Heartstrings?” Prince Shining Armor asks with a smirk. “Yes.” “Would you like to change your answer then?” Damn it Lyra. “Octavia Melody. My name is Octavia Melody.” I lay down, I feel utterly defeated. How could Lyra do this to me? I look at Glimmer, she stares at me for a moment only and then looks away…blushing? What is going on here? Prince Shining Armor jots something down, “We have it on record that a Miss Octavia Melody was born in ‘86 to a Octavian and Song Melody. Is that you?” I sit back up uncomfortable, “Falsified records sir.” I actually forgotten I did that. I mean I didn’t exactly replace anyone so I needed some form of identification and well here we are. Maybe if I wasn’t such an idiot I wouldn’t have had to make fake documents but that’s not the world I live in. Again Prince Shining Armor looks up from his parchment, “That’s a serious crime, but I’ll allow that for now if you answer one more question. Did you replace anypony?” He gets this serious look in his eyes. I can see Glimmer out of the corner of my eye, she looks like she wants to say something. I take a deep breath, “No sir. There was a mare who looked similar and instead of replacing her I simply copied her and changed the color scheme. I was meant to run recon but met somepony and…well…fell in love.” I sigh loudly. “I really, really miss my mare friend. I just want to go home sir, I just want to make sure she’s okay and then I’ll leave forever, go back to the hive, let you and your princesses crush me like the bug I am…whatever it is you’re going to do to me, I’ll do it if I can just see Vinyl one more time.” Prince Shining Armor fixes his paper work and makes way to leave, “That’s all the questions I have for now. Glimmer keep and eye on our Miss Melody, I know you want to.” The prince chuckles as he leave the cell shutting the door behind him. “I’m going to go fetch the princesses, try to keep everything PG you two.” Then he leaves the room. “Y’sir…” Glimmer says in a somewhat filmier voice. What did he mean by all that? I’m alone now in my cell, no in the whole room with the crystal pony Glimmer. She looks at me and starts to walk closer. I back away slowly, “Can I help you?” I say nervously. She still makes her way closer as I continue to back away. I feel my back hit the wall, “Eep.” I say quietly. A changeling probably killed her boyfriend, or maybe her sister, or her mom. A changeling definitely killed somepony she cared about and now I’m gonna pay for it. I’m gonna pay for it and never see Vinyl again, this sucks. This really, really sucks. “Yeah,” she says coming way to closer for comfort. “I’m looking for my girlfriend.” A changeling killed her girlfriend, I knew it. I’m so dead. “Maybe you can help me find her.” She’s so close to me. “She’s got this long black mane, and this cool grey fur,” She’s whispering all of this into my ear, “and this purple treble clef as her cutie mark.” That…that sounds like somepony I know. Glimmer pushes me against the wall. “Her name is Octavia Melody, she’s a changeling, and she plays the cello.” Glimmer smiles at me, I just now noticed how much she looks like Vinyl. It wasn’t in obvious ways like fur color, mane color, or her cutie mark, but in more subtle ways like her eyes, her body shape, the way her face curves. I’m all nerves right now and can’t help shaking. Red eyes just like Vinyl’s, how could I have missed it? “V-Vinyl?” My body reacts in away it never has before. As soon as I realized it was Vinyl pinning me to the wall I instantly changed into who I feel I really am. Octavia Melody, earth pony, cello player, Vinyl Scratch lover. “H-how?” It feels so good to hear my voice sounding normal and proper again. “Why do you look like that?” She kisses me lightly on the cheek. Was this all part of some elaborate plan, “It’s a long story babe. When I heard about you crashing in Canterlot I came right away, Lyra came too but she went home a few months ago. She’s the only reason the princess talked to me. She went to school with Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, she convinced them to listen to me. They were looking for me any way.” Vinyl starts to tear up. “They didn’t really believe me at first, it didn’t make any sense to them. I mean you’re a changeling after all…why would you…why would a changeling be in love with somepony as awesome as me right?” She laughs while tears fill up her eyes. “Vinyl…” “So we hatched this plan, I’d pose as a guard when you woke up using some potion Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia cooked up. I mean the affects are only work for a little while. I‘m sure you can see that..” I can see, her manes nearly gone back to normal. “I mean their little theory was you’d be able to sense I was there and be more like you, you over you know changeling you, you.” She wraps her forelegs around me and nuzzles her muzzle into my shoulder. “I-I’ve missed you so much Octi.” I hug Vinyl back, “I’ve missed you too Vinyl.”