Pinkie Pie invites a changeling to a wedding. Not everypony is happy to see him.
Switchback has been living in Ponyville for about two years now and everything is great. He's able to discreetly feed without anypony knowing about it, except for Pinkie Pie of course. He still hasn't figured her out entirely, but she's kept his secret so that makes her a good friend in his book. So why would she invite him to come to a wedding without disguising himself?
Takes place during and right after the 100th episode: Slice of Life.
"Ding Dong" the door bell sounded through the quiet house that Ponyville's strangest inhabitant now called home.
"Coming!" Switchback yelled from across the living room as he made his way to the front door. As he walked, he wondered who could possibly be outside. He didn't get many visitors, which was okay with him. He was quite content on living a peaceful life in Ponyville among ponies, even if he did get lonely from time to time.
Switchback was not your average unicorn, neither was he your average pegasus or earth pony. He could be though, if he wanted. He could even be all three at a time, but unknown alicorns tend to draw attention and that's the last thing he wanted. No he was perfectly happy secretly being a changeling. There was always love somewhere in the air to sustain him and he didn't even have to drain some poor soul of it. Indeed, he was happy not attacking ponies just to survive. He was happy not acting like a monster and causing fear. He was happy living in harmony with the ponies around him.
After a quick thought, Switchback enveloped the door handle in front of him in the green aura of his magic and opened the door. Standing before him was absolutely nothing. No visitor, no lost pony asking for directions, not even a package. He looked around to make sure nopony was hiding behind a bush or something.
"That's strange," he thought to himself as he began to close the door. Just as the door was about to make contact with the frame, he quickly opened it again and looked around, attempting to catch the pranksters. Still nothing. "Hmm, maybe I'm just hearing things." He closed the door again, this time all the way and turned around.
"Hello!" Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically, maybe a little to enthusiastically, as she hung upside down from the ceiling.
"Aaaagh!" Switchback yelled as he jumped back in surprise, changing from a crimson red unicorn to a bright yellow alicorn with purple stripes and lime green mane. His eyes were also different colors. Every hair on his new multi-colored body was now standing straight up.
"Dang it, Pinkie Pie. One of these days you're going to make me jump out of my exoskeleton," Switchback said as he recomposed himself, turning back into the crimson unicorn with snow white mane. His eyes also turned back to purple.
Pinkie giggled and snorted once as she fell back to the ground, landing on her head. No harm was done as her hair caught her and bounced her back upright like a spring.
If Switchback had just now met her, he would have asked her how she did that, but he knew better than to ask stupid questions. She was Pinkie Pie. She can do whatever she wants.
"Exoskeleton? That's funny," Pinkie continued giggling.
"Um, no," Switchback replied. "I'm insectoid, therefore I have an exoskeleton."
"Yeah, but not in pony form though, silly. Your bones are on the inside then."
Pinkie Pie had a point. Switchback really couldn't argue with it, mostly because he had no idea what to come back with. "Alright, you win," he said, defeated by the logic that came seemingly from nowhere inside the barrel of sugar that was Pinkie Pie. "Can you please stop doing that, though? Please?"
"Oky doky loky!" Pinkie let out a few more laughs. "Sorry, I just like seeing what you change into. Anyways, I have super duper amazing news!" She smiled super wide, even by her standards.
Things were silent for sometime. Switchback looked around confusingly. "Soooooo?" he asked.
"Oh right!" Pinkie said after doing some super fast thinking. She laughed again. "I was so happy I completely forgot to tell you what I was going to tell you. Oh silly Pinkie." Yet again, she laughed. "Soooooo, I got picked to be Matilda and Cranky's wedding planner, and I've been so so so so so so busy! So many preparations! But now that I have time to get my own dress together for the occasion, I thought I'd just drop by and see if you wanted to come with me as my plus one!"
"Y-you want me? Like, me, me, not some other me to come to the wedding with you?" Switchback wasn't making any sense at all, but Pinkie Pie somehow replied to it as if it was the most sane thing she had ever heard.
"Well of course I want me to come with I to the wedding! You're the best kind of me!"
Switchback smiled, even though he no longer had any clue of what was happening.
"It will be so much fun. After the ceremony there will be cake and dancing and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah sugar blah blah blah blah blah love blah blah...
Pinkie kept talking, but Switchback didn't here a single word that Pinkie was saying. All he could think about was the wedding ceremony, all that love in the air, the heartfelt reciting of vows, the teary eyed family members, THE KISS! If there was one thing that all changelings knew about cuisine, it was that the kiss of a couple at their wedding was the most delicious thing in this world or any other beyond. Switchback could not miss out on this, he wouldn't miss out on it. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him! At least, that's what it felt like. Surely more ponies would get married, but his taste buds, not his common sense, were really the only things working as he started drooling all over the place.
"...blah blah blah blah blah," Pinkie finished. She had actually started saying blah after noticing that her changeling friend wasn't exactly 'all there.' Most ponies would probably get mad at him for not paying attention to them when they were talking, but Pinkie Pie was more playful than a kitten in a yarn factory. "So are you coming?" Pinkie asked after a moment.
Switchback shook himself back to reality. "Absolutely!" he answered excitedly. "I wouldn't miss it for all the gourmet, daisy sandwiches in the world." After running away from the hive, Switchback actually tried to eat like a normal pony. Turns out that normal pony food is actually pretty good. None of it came anywhere close to the emotions that he fed on though.
"Great!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It's tomorrow afternoon in the town hall. It's going to be so much fun!"
"That sounds great, Pinkie, I'll be sure to wear something that compliments the crimson color of my coat."
"Or," Pinkie began to suggest. "You could just go as yourself and I could introduce you to all my friends. I'm sure they'd love to hear about what life in the hive was like and the story of how you came to Ponyville."
Switchback froze and looked at Pinkie Pie with a shocked stare. "You mean, not disguise myself?"
"Of course! This is a perfect opportunity for you to make some more friends and show ponies that you're not a complete monster! All the princesses will be there. If you can become friends with them, then everypony will like you and you wont have to hide inside your house anymore. I'll even introduce you."
"Wow Pinkie. That would really mean a lot to me," Switchback replied, happy that Pinkie Pie was willing to be such a good friend and help him out like this. He had known her for the full two years that he lived in Ponyville, starting when she threw him a big welcome party, but she only discovered that he was a changeling about a month ago. She obviously wanted to make up for those years that he had lived as a loner by making him feel more welcome.
"But..." Switchback frowned. "What if everypony just freaks out and attacks me? I bet they won't even give me a chance."
"Oh come on," Pinkie said. "Turn that frown a full one hundred eighty degrees, show me some teeth, and express a little joy! I'll walk in with you so that everypony knows that you're my best changeling friend."
The two hugged. "Thanks Pinkie Pie," Switchback said as he smiled with relief. "You're the best."
"No, I'm the party pony," Pinkie said.
Switchback let out a small laugh at this comedic comment, causing him to smile even more.
All of a sudden, Pinkie freaked out and inhaled loudly for a solid five seconds. "I just remembered something. There's sorta kinda been a giant bugbear attacking the town the entire time that we've been talking. I have to go now, but I'll see you at the wedding. Bye!" She took off out the door, letting it close behind her. Only moments later, what sounded like an oversized party cannon going off caused the entire house to shake.
Switchback smiled again. "That's Pinkie Pie for you," he thought. "Here in an instant, makes you smile, gone in an instant, and keeps you smiling even when she's not around." He was really glad that out of all the ponies that could have ended up being his only friend, it was her.
Switchback couldn't catch his breath as he rapidly breathed into a brown paper back, causing it to inflate and deflate repeatedly. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't the bugbear outside that had just taken out a donut shop that was making him panic. He was quite used to seeing all kinds of monsters show up. Usually it was two to three a week. As a matter of fact, not even five minutes ago, he was outside watching Princess Twilight and the rest of the Elements of Harmony take on the behemoth that threatened the town's existence. Nothing to really be alarmed about.
So why was Switchback panicking? Well obviously it was because something horrible had happened. No, there wasn't a giant asteroid headed for the planet, but there might as well have been. While watching the battle in the streets and trying not to choke on the stench of anger and hate that radiated from the bugbear, Switchback overheard Matilda and a unicorn mare that he had never met saying something about needing to move the entire wedding to today! Something about the date on the invitations being a day ahead of schedule.
After a few more minutes with the crumpled paper bag that no longer had a bottom, Switchback managed to regain his composure. "Okay, okay," he began to say to himself out loud. "You've got this. You still have time to figure this out. The wedding is going to be happening soon and Pinkie Pie is still fighting a giant monster that is showing no sign of tiring."
He began to panic again. He didn't want to go in alone. What was he supposed to do, not go to the wedding? No, he would not miss out on this opportunity. Not just the opportunity of getting to taste the love generated from that magical moment, but of being accepted and never having to live with the fear of being discovered, ever again. He hated being afraid all the time. The only reason he hadn't left the town was because he was even more scared of returning to the hive and facing the queen.
Most of the time when a pony is nervous about something, time seems to slow to a crawl. Switchback was not so lucky. For him, time actually felt like it leapt forward just to spite him. Hours flew by like minutes and the minutes within those short hours seemed like seconds.
Switchback rose from the floor where he had been curled up in a ball and peeked over the window sill. Sure enough, life was trying to spite him... He frowned. ...again. The bugbear was still causing havoc, and Pinkie Pie was still preoccupied trying to defeat him along with her friends.
The wedding was supposed to begin in around thirty minutes. If he was going to go, he would have to leave now to make it on time. He wanted more than anything to be at that wedding. The flavor made him drool just thinking about it. "Yes, I must go," he decided as he started towards his front door. He also decided that he would just go with a disguise.
Switchback opened the door and stepped out into the open air. As he made his way through town, he made extra sure not to stumble into the bugbear. The last thing he wanted was to get hurt badly enough for his magic to fail. Then he would be in pain and exposed to the world. Slowly, but surely, the town hall came into view.
He took a deep breath. This was it. He was about to walk right into the middle of a wedding that he never received a written invitation to, and try and pass as a normal pony who was invited by Pinkie Pie without her actually there to vouch for him. Sure, piece of cake. If he got caught he could just run around a corner and change into somepony else. No problem. The fact that he could change didn't bring Switchback any comfort. It only made him more nervous about being what he was, where he was.
As he got nearer, he noticed a loud noise, even over his own nervous thoughts that argued with each other over whether or not this was good idea or not. It was music actually, some sort of mix between what sounded like something with strings, Switchback didn't know much about musical instruments, and electronic music. It was getting closer by the sound of it as well.
Switchback looked in the direction of the sounds origin. At first, the street he looked down was mostly empty with only a few ponies continuing on from their day to day activities, but all of a sudden, what appeared to be a large set of speakers on wheels, came racing down the road with at least half of Ponyville clinging on for dear life. To make matters worse, they were all headed straight for the town hall. In a way, it would be ironic if the crash that would no doubt result, crashed the wedding. If the wedding were to be crashed, Switchback fully expected it to be because of him, not a random fiasco on wheels.
After nearly running over several poor ponies, the mobile speakers, along with everypony else on board, were flung into the air.
"Uh oh," Switchback thought as he watched from half a block away, or at least what was the equivalent to that distance; Ponyville wasn't really known for having organized roads, something that lead Switchback to getting lost when he first moved to the anything but quiet little town. He looked away, not wanting to watch the crash that would more than likely injure so many.
The loud crashing and banging and tumbling noises and sounds of ponies being pulverized as they hit the ground never came, instead, there was silence. Switchback looked up with confusion. Before him, there was no scene of a gruesome accident, no broken windows, no scared ponies yelling for help. There wasn't even a sign that the fast moving group was there.
Had Switchback just imagined it? Was his subconscious trying to tell him something? He knew his mind pretty well, but this just stumped him. He ran to the town hall as fast as he could and looked through the doors that had been left wide open. When he did, he discovered that everypony that had been on the speakers, which now sat intact on the other side of the room, was sitting in a seat somewhere in the large room. There were a few exceptions, though. A couple of ponies were hanging from some of the balconies after being tossed into them, but they were helped up by pegasi bystanders.
Everything was fine. Switchback had made it to the wedding and nopony else had been injured. Seeing that everything was in order, he took a seat near the back. As more and more ponies began to arrive, Switchback looked around to observe his surroundings. To his right, near the gift table, stood, none other than, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They were talking about something, probably really important. For some reason, though, they looked nervous. Switchback could even sense some kind of stress between the two. It was kind of a blandish flavor.
Up in front of him a few rows, sat the princess of love, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and her husband, Prince Shining Armor. Him being here made Switchback just a little more uncomfortable than he already was. Before moving to the crystal empire, he was captain of the royal Canterlot guard. And if the news reports were to be believed, Queen Chrysalis had actually nearly succeeded at crashing his wedding. He couldn't help but feel kind of bad for him. "Chrysalis was nothing but a no good, dirty, rotten, little..." Switchback cut himself off. This was a wedding and he didn't want to pollute the air with his foul language.
There was something off about Prince/Captain Armor. For some reason he was wailing like a baby.
"It's alright," the princess to his right said to the pony next to them. "He always cries at weddings."
Switchback looked around a little more. The room was now thoroughly crowded, with almost every seat taken, except for the back row where he was. It was only a matter of time before everything would begin. He had to admit, it was way too easy getting in. He wasn't even asked for an invitation. Before he could ponder this any further, the doors swung open and in walked a mare wearing sunglasses. Her name was Bun Bun, at least, that's what Switchback thought her name was.
"Attention everypony," 'Bun Bun' announced as she removed her sunglasses. "Our friends have done it. They've defeated the bugbear." She threw her glasses to the side.
The crowd erupted in cheers of excitement. Everypony shouted for joy, including Switchback. With the bugbear defeated, it would only be a matter of time before Pinkie would show up. He was in the clear, except he wasn't. A few more minutes passed and Pinkie Pie still didn't arrive. "Oh Pinkie, where are you?" Switchback thought to himself.
One final pony walked in. He was wearing a long scarf that dragged across the ground as he walked. At the same time, Cranky stood at the back of the room next to a giant sea monster who was only able to attend this event by leaning through an open window. He was helping Cranky with his hair, who then walked up to the front of the room after being encouraged by his sea monster friend. Switchback could only imagine how that relationship came to be.
"Well, is everypony here?" the mayor asked from the front of the room as Cranky and Matilda took their positions.
"All set mayor," a pegasus mare at the door replied as she shut it, letting the bar fall into place.
This was a problem. Pinkie still wasn't here. Switchback could almost feel his heart skip a beat. This was it; the point of no return. He didn't know exactly why, but all of a sudden he felt something, courage. Everypony was looking forward and he was in the very back row where there were several empty chairs. If he turned into his own form now, maybe, just maybe, he would be able to be there long enough for ponies to realize he meant no harm. This was his one chance to show everypony that he wasn't a monster, and he would be damned to miss it.
The ceremony began and the mayor began to speak. Switchback knew it was time. He slowly deactivated his magic and revealed his true changeling form. He hoped that he wouldn't regret it. He began to breath heavily as he sat there uncomfortably, but was able to bring his breathing back to a normal level only a few seconds later. His heart continued to pound rapidly in his chest.
Switchback did everything he could to remain calm. "No sudden movements, just stay seated," he thought to himself as he sat. As the mayor continued her speech about ponies coming together and each character in a story being important no matter what role they play, he couldn't help but look around to see if anypony was reacting to him yet. He looked to his right. Sure enough, there was a group of young fillies and colts all huddled up, hiding behind one another, each looking at him worriedly. He looked forward again, paying them no mind. The last thing he wanted was to frighten them.
The ceremony continued on perfectly smooth without any interruption. Switchback caught sight of a few other ponies that saw him. They all looked more confused than hostile. They were no doubt wondering what he was doing there, but he made no sign of wanting to cause trouble which kept them calm.
Eventually, the ceremony came to an end after both the bride and groom said 'I do.' The two walked forward after the mayor announced, "I now pronounce you Jack and Jenny." It was about to happen. Switchback had waited so long for this and it was only a few seconds away. His mouth was open half way with his tongue hanging out and he practically pranced in his seat, but then a thought came through his head that made him feel sort of guilty.
"This isn't right," Switchback thought to himself. "This isn't my moment. This isn't my kiss. It's Matilda and Cranky's. I have no right to experience this. That would be like stealing it and would make me no better than the other's back at the hive. No, this isn't mine, and I refuse to take it from them."
Switchback had already been nibbling on the emotions that flowed through the room like a river, but he now realized that that was all he should be allowed to have. Before he was able to get another thought, a wave of warm, affectionate love washed over him. He didn't taste it though. He could feel it, it was soft, but he used every ounce of energy he had to keep his sensory organs from taking in the flavor. He even closed his eyes, looked away, and covered his face with a porous hoof.
Switchback knew that he was blowing his only chance to experience the most coveted of changeling experiences, but he didn't care. Deep down, he knew he was doing the right thing. When he looked up, everypony was cheering, and somehow, the large bouquets of flowers were erupting into fire works. They shot up into the air and created a beautiful light show that complimented the scene quite nicely.
"AH HA HA HA! OF COURSE!" some random earth pony stallion yelled from the middle of the crowd. "THEY NEED LOVE TO IGNITE! HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED IT!?"
Switchback had absolutely no clue as to who this stallion was, but something told him that he had something to do with the light show. After a few more seconds, Matilda and Cranky broke their kiss and the wave from their loving kiss vanished. There was still love in the air everywhere Switchback looked, but any love that may have been produced from that kiss was now gone; lost to him forever. He sighed. Although it sucked, he was proud of himself for not giving in to his desires.
Before he could even begin to worry again, Switchback felt a slight tug on his leg. He turned to his right to see one of the colts from the frightened group.
"Excuse me sir," the child asked nervously. "Um..." He hesitated, but managed to find his voice. "A-are you a real changeling? My friends wanted to know."
Switchback looked over at the small group that was still huddled together. They all sat just a little closer. He turned back to the little colt in front of him who undoubtedly had been elected to confront him. He leaned in closer. "Yes, I am a real changeling," Switchback replied in a soft tone, before changing into his usual crimson unicorn disguise and back into his pure form with two quick flashes of green magic.
The colt, who was noticeably much smaller than all the others, gasped and began to visibly shake. "You're not here to eat us, right?"
Switchback looked back at the small group once again. They were all whispering to each other. He then turned back to the small colt in front of him. "Well first of all," Switchback answered with a slightly amused smile. "We don't eat ponies. We eat love. We can also sense other emotions, but if certain ones are strong enough, they can be toxic."
Another pony, a small filly, ran over and whispered something in the colt's ear. "So, if you don't eat ponies, why do you have large, sharp teeth?" He pointed to Switchback's mouth.
"Oh, these?" Switchback replied, opening his mouth to reveal a row of sharp teeth and two long fangs that already protruded from his mouth. "These aren't actually for eating meat. Back in the hive that I'm originally from, there are these special fruits that are highly acidic. We eat them to help our bodies produce fluids necessary for creating the goop we use for many different purposes. Most have hard outer shells that we have to break open, but some others are softer and we use our fangs to drink the juice inside."
"I thought you said that you fed on love," the small filly said. A few more of the children had gathered around, curious to hear what he had to tell about his species.
Switchback climbed down from his chair and sat on the floor next to them. "We do feed on love. The fruits help our bodies produce our body fluids, but due to our anatomy, that's all our bodies are able to do with it. Love is really the only thing that we are able to use to sustain ourselves. We only need a little bit of this fruit so it's only grown in small amounts in the top layers of the hive."
"What's the hive like?" another filly asked. They were now all taking interest in what Switchback had to say.
While most ponies were now leaving to head for the reception, all the children were sitting in a circle around Switchback, who had them entranced with his story. Many other ponies noticed this and shot him a dirty look before noticing the happy and curious looks on the children's faces. Then they were just confused. This changeling, this stranger, this wild beast, was sitting with the youngest of ponies simply talking to them?
Ponies had always known changelings to be tricky creatures, using their magic abilities to lure unsuspecting ponies into traps so that they could suck them dry, but this changeling in front of them was not in a disguise of any kind. He was sitting out in plain view, as if he didn't care that he wasn't welcome, looking happy as he told the foals stories.
As more and more ponies followed the newly weds out the building to go celebrate, more and more of them noticed Switchback sitting on the ground with the group of kids. Not everypony noticed him due to how crowded the aisle was, but two very important alicorns did and they were quick to cut through the adults who were quickly gathering around the group.
"Is that why you ran away from the hive, because all the other changelings were meanies?" one of the fillies asked, continuing the conversation.
"Well, not all of us are mean," Switchback answered. "But yes. I didn't like doing all those mean things to ponies."
"I assume that means you're not hear to cause any trouble then, correct?" a feminine voice sounded from behind."
Switchback turned around to counter whoever it was that had made the remark, but as the pony, actually two ponies, came into view, he froze with both utter shock and paralyzing fear. Standing before him, were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. He was done for, he just knew it. Any moment now, Celestia would charge up her horn and fry him. He tried to compose himself, but he couldn't. Every ounce of his fear showed on his face like a mask. To put it lightly, he was absolutely terrified.
"Do you have no tongue?" Luna asked, quite authoritatively. "Surely you haven't lost it so quickly. You were able to address so many young only seconds ago."
Switchback tried to reply, but he could only stutter like a broken record that had been fixed by an amateur with scotch tape. Even if he could speak, what was he supposed to say?
Celestia looked at her younger sister. It was her turn to speak. "Please Luna, you're scaring him. Let me try." She turned to Switchback. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Her voice was much more compassionate than Luna's. "You seem different somehow. Something tells me you aren't here to invade our country once again."
The sound of Celestia's voice was comforting and helped Switchback to find his own. "N-no, of course not. I swear I had nothing to do with that. Honest." He crossed his heart with a hoof as he spoke desperately. "I'm really sorry if I've caused any kind of disturbance." He was still shaking a little.
"You didn't answer her question," Luna said. She sounded less intimidating now, but her position still scared the chitin off of Switchback.
"Luna, please," Celestia said to the other alicorn. "That isn't nece..."
"Pinkie Pie invited me," Switchback said abruptly. "She's my only real friend at the moment and she wanted to introduce me to everypony so she was going to use this as an opportunity to do so. The only reason I agreed was because there would be a lot of love floating around and I wanted to be able to not be scared of ponies anymore. Then she didn't show up and I panicked so I took off my disguise thinking that I could introduce myself all on my own, and then the kids showed up and we started talking and maybe that was a bad idea and I'm sorry and..."
Celestia placed a hoof on Switchback's mouth. He was nervously talking at a million miles per hour, but who could really blame him. "I understand," Celestia said forgivingly. She had a slight smile on her face.
Switchback looked around for a moment and noticed that all the fillies and colts had left to go with their parents, who would probably tell them to stay away from him. He looked back at the two princesses. "Really?"
"Yes," Celestia replied. "As a matter of fact, I do believe there is somepony here to see you."
Celestia and Luna stepped aside to reveal a not so happy Pinkie Pie. She rushed over to him worriedly, practically tackling him to the ground with a hug. "Oh Switchy, I'm sooooo sorry! There was this bugbear and he was all like 'roar!' and I was all like 'oh no!' and Twilight was all like 'pew pew pew!' with her magic lasers, but we managed to defeat him and we tried to get here before the wedding started, but somepony locked the door and we had to watch through the window."
"Pinkie it's alright. Nothing bad happened," Switchback assured.
"So you're not mad?" Pinkie asked sadly.
"Of course not. It isn't your fault that I decided to undisguised myself. And we can still go to the reception together." Switchback turned to the Princesses uncomfortably. "If that's alright with you."
"So you were telling us the truth just earlier?" Luna asked, unsure if Switchback was to be trusted. She turned to Pinkie. "How long have you known this changeling Pinkie? I'm sure you aware of the risks that come with such a friendship, no?"
"His names Switchback," Pinkie said happily. "I've known him ever since he moved to Ponyville two years, four months, and seventeen days ago. He's my best changeling friend."
"Hi," Switchback said nervously.
Luna was slightly surprised to hear just how long he had known Pinkie. Of course, if any pony was to befriend a changeling, it would be Pinkie Pie, wouldn't it. "I take it that you invited him then?"
"Yep, I know how much changelings like love so I thought it would be great for him to come." She turned to Switchback. "How was it, by the way? Did you get to taste the love from the kiss?"
"Um..." Switchback rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I didn't taste it. It wouldn't have been right of me to steal a kiss like that."
This surprised everypony. He had given up the chance to feed on something so wonderful as a matter of ethics. It was kind of impressive.
"Well," Celestia said. "I do believe that all is in order here. We wont keep you any longer. The reception is starting and I'm sure neither one of you want to miss out on that."
Switchback couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had basically just been given approval by the princesses to attend the reception. This was going to be great.
After saying goodbye and wishing Switchback luck, Celestia and Luna took their leave.
"Alright," Celestia whispered to her sister as they walked out of the town hall. "Go find where we parked the chariot, get to Canterlot, grab the gift and get back here as fast as you can. I'll keep ponies distracted so they don't realize you're gone."
"Why do I have to go? You're the one who left it on the counter," Luna replied.
Celestia sighed. "Can't you just do us both a favor?"
"Fine," Luna said. "But you owe me."
Just as Luna left, somewhat angrily, Switchback and Pinkie stepped out into the night. The sun had just disappeared beyond the horizon and the stars were starting to show. In the street, several ponies had managed to set up all the tables for the reception during the ceremony and the cake had been carried outside. Everything was perfect. And now that Switchback was confident that everything would be just fine, there was only one thing left to do.
"Come on," Pinkie Pie said as she headed towards the reception. "I think I see Twilight. She'll be super glad to meet you."
Switchback followed. He was nervous just a little, but he knew that Pinkie Pie being here would make things a thousand times easier for him. And now it was actually time to introduce himself to some ponies. This was going to be great.
Twilight looked around. Everypony was having a great time celebrating the marriage of the newly weds. "Where are Cranky and Matilda?" she wondered. "I still need to congratulate them." Before she could even begin to look, her ear drum was assaulted by a loud high pitch voice coming from her right.
"Twilight! Over here!" Pinkie Pie shouted enthusiastically.
Twilight turned to see her pink overly enthused friend running towards her.
Pinkie Pie jumped up and did a cartwheel before landing back on all fours. "Twilight, Twilight," she said. "You have to meet my friend Switchback. Just promise me you wont freak out, though."
"Okay," Twilight said slowly in confusion. "Why would I freak ou-..." She stopped at seeing a changeling in front of her. Her mouth didn't hang open as much as Switchback expected, but he could still read the confusion on her face. He could also taste it. It was one of the few emotions that no changeling could really describe. It was confusion after all.
"Um... hi," Switchback said with a nervous smile. "It's nice to meet you."
Twilight recovered from her confusion relatively quickly and looked at Pinkie. "This isn't a joke is it?"
"Of course not silly," Pinkie replied. "Switchback is my best changeling friend." She moved beside him and put a hoof around the back of his neck. "He's been living in Ponyville for two years now, hiding in his house, but I'm helping him make some friends."
Twilight squinted at the changeling carefully, observing him. He was interesting. An insectoid creature that had the wings of a bug and a horn similar to that of a unicorn. He could use his magic to shape shift as well. She found the holes in his legs especially intriguing. "How curious," Twilight said to nopony in particular. She had always wanted to study the changeling race, but never got the chance to because of recent hostilities.
Twilight brought herself back from her deep thought, only to notice that she was holding his hoof in hers, looking at the pores in his hooves. She looked up at him after letting it go. "So, you're here to make friends?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," he replied. "Pinkie actually invited me. I wouldn't have even known that there was a wedding if it wasn't for her."
Twilight thought about his answer as she inspected him again. "So what were you doing here in Ponyville in the first place?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Surely there's a reason you've been living here for so long." She squinted at him, this time with a mild amount of preeminent anger.
"Uh, It's not what you think," Switchback said defensively as he backed up a little. "I... um... I came here because I wanted to get away from the hive."
"Wait, what?" Twilight thought she had him. She expected a lie of some sort from him, but nothing like this.
"Yeah," Switchback replied. "Ever since the famine started a few years ago, things have been pretty tense there. So, I left. I was going to try and seek aid, but then Chrysalis lead an invasion on Canterlot, so I figured that was out of the question. I've been living here ever since."
"So, you had nothing to do with that," Twilight said. As she spoke, she couldn't help but just keep staring at him. He was a very interesting creature.
"Right," Switchback said "I left because I didn't want to hunt ponies and suck them dry like we were being forced to do. I came here because Ponyville is a small town and easy to hide in. Not a lot of guards either."
It was all starting to make sense to Twilight now. The side of her that was still cautious and somewhat angry over the whole Canterlot mess was telling her to mistrust this changeling and to keep an eye on him. Her logical side that made most of her decisions, especially the important ones, was telling her to calm down a little and take his word. He was a friend of Pinkie's after all. "Alright then. Welcome to Ponyville." She hesitated for a second. There was something she wanted to ask him, but she didn't know if it would be appropriate at this time. "Can I ask you something?" Twilight finally said after a quick thought.
"Yeah, sure," Switchback answered. "Ask me anything."
Shining Armor stared an evil glare across the dance floor and just over the punch bowl table in the direction of a few ponies having what appeared to be a normal conversation, at least, most of them were normal ponies. He growled softly to himself.
"Yeah," Shining replied without taking his eyes off his target that to him had big red flashing letters above it that said 'DESTROY.' "One of those things is here."
"One of what things?" Cadence asked, not sure what her husband was talking about.
Shining Armor pulled his wife close to him and pointed out the changeling that was only thirty yards away. "Must kill," he said robotically.
"I don't know, Shining," Cadence said. "He doesn't look like he's causing any harm. I think he's just here to enjoy the wedding. Can't you just leave him alone."
"No, absolutely not," Shining responded. "That thing, that monster needs to be taught a lesson."
"You know that you're kind of being racist, right?" Cadence replied with a worried expression. "Just because he's a changeling doesn't mean that he's a monster."
"Racist?" Shining Armor repeated. "Racist? This isn't racism. It's righteous anger. There's a difference you know."
"Yeah, just like there's a difference between crying and liquid pride," Cadence retorted sarcastically.
"There is," Shining argued.
"So which one was it before and during the ceremony?"
"Neither. It was fluidic joy."
Cadence rolled her eyes. "Right," she said before looking back over where the changeling was standing. "Well it seems to me like he's just fine the way he is. Twilight sure looks like he's enjoying his company."
Shining Armor froze. He had been so focused on the changeling and lining "it" up in his crosshairs, that he didn't even notice that Twilight, his little sister, was standing right there next to "it." He gasped loudly before taking off. He sped across the dance floor, managing to not knock anypony over, and leaped over the punch bowl table in a single bound. "You!" he said furiously. He stopped and gave the now worried looking changeling who had noticed him a death glare. "Get over here!"
"Oh crud, oh crud, oh crud," Switchback said aloud. Now he had done it. The captain of the royal guard was after him.
Shining Armor enveloped the hilt of his sword in his magic and drew it. The only problem was that there was no sword, and he now looked like an idiot as the ball of his aura hovered in front of him. "Darn it," he said. "I knew I should have brought my sword."
"I'm glad you didn't," Switchback said as he covered his head with his hooves, preparing himself for the beating of a lifetime.
"Quiet you," Shining Armor barked back. He looked around and picked up a stick that had conveniently fallen from a nearby tree two days ago just for this moment. That sad little stick was now about to find purpose in life once again. "This will do," Shining said before he started making his advance.
"Please don't hit me," Switchback pleaded.
Fortunately for him, Switchback had Pinkie on his side. She jumped in between the two and held out here hooves to protect her changeling friend. "Stop," she said. "Please?"
Shining Armor halted, but only by his own will for a few seconds before a purple magical aura, belonging to a certain alicorn grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch," he complained as his hooves skidded across the ground toward his little sister, who disappeared around a corner with him following.
"Sorry about that," Cadence said as she stepped forward. "He still hasn't gotten over what happened before our wedding."
"That's alright princess," Switchback replied as he felt his heart slow back down to a normal rate. "I understand. I probably wouldn't be happy to see me either if I was him."
"I tried to talk him out of it," Cadence explained. "But once he goes into kill mode, he can be hard to persuade."
After the apology, formal introductions proceeded in a civilized manner that would have made the warrior in Shining Armor sick to his stomach. Cadence was very understanding and welcomed Switchback to Ponyville, even though he wasn't new anymore. As they talked, it became very clear to Cadence that she was right. Not all changelings are monsters. Switchback even apologized for the whole wedding fiasco in Canterlot, even though he had nothing to do with it in the first place.
Just then, Twilight returned with a Shining Armor who wore an unamused expression as he held his head low and stared straight ahead. The two stood silently before the alicorn, earth pony, and changeling who all looked at them, waiting for something to happen. Finally, Twilight punched her BBBFF in the shoulder blade and then jerked her head to the side, motioning toward Switchback.
Shining Armor huffed loudly, then looked back at Switchback who stood there squeamishly, preparing himself to fly away if he needed to flee. "I'm sorry that I yelled, and attacked you like I did. I beg for your forgiveness and hope for a future where we can be friends." He forced a smile.
"See," Twilight said. "Was that so hard."
Shining Armor kept staring at the changeling with his forced smile that began to seem less and less genuine as each second passed.
"Well, thanks," Switchback replied somewhat uncomfortably. "I know it must be hard for you to trust me. I really am sorry about your wedding."
Shining Armor, not wanting to stick around the changeling anymore, excused himself to go to the punch bowl. Before he left though, he gave Switchback a squinting glance that conveyed the message, 'I have my eyes on you.' He then backed up slowly.
"I'll talk to him about this," Cadence said as she too took her leave. "It was nice meeting you."
After Cadence left, Switchback looked back at Twilight to continue their conversation. "So what was it that you wanted to ask me before all of..." He looked around, trying to find the right word. "Whatever that just was?"
"Oh, right," Twilight said as her original thought popped out of the file cabinet that she kept in her head. "I was just wondering if I could study you."
"Study me?" Switchback said confused.
"Yeah," Twilight confirmed. "Not a lot of ponies have ever had the chance due to tension between our species, but since you aren't here to attack anypony, I was hoping you would let me study you. Not right now of course. I would love to have you over to the castle sometime, though... that is, if you're interested.
Switchback thought about this for a few seconds. "If by study, you mean ask me some questions, then of course. I'd be happy to come over sometime."
Twilight smiled enthusiastically. "Oh thank you! This will be great."
As Twilight danced around excitedly in front of him, Switchback began to sense a confusion mixed with fear radiating from behind him. He turned around to see who was causing these emotions only to see Pinkie again, who had slipped away and returned with four mares, three of which just stared at him in bewilderment. The fourth hid behind the others nervously. She must have been the source of fear.
"Well, go ahead," Pinkie Pie said. "Introduce yourselves.
"Are you nuts, Pinkie Pie?" one of the mares asked angrily. She was orange and wore an old Stetson hat. "You should know better than to bring a changeling here."
"Yeah," the rainbow mane pegasus in the middle agreed. "What made you think he can be trusted?" She shot a look at Switchback that made him uncomfortable.
"Because silly," Pinkie replied to Rainbow Dash, giving her a boop on the nose and giggling slightly. "He's my best changeling friend. Duh."
"Heavens dear," Rarity said in worry. "Are you sure that being friends with such a... a... creature is a good idea. The affects on your health could be disastrous. What if he gets hungry."
"Um... we don't eat ponies," Switchback said from behind Pinkie. "It's nice to meet you too, by the way."
"It can talk?!" Rarity exclaimed in astonishment.
Switchback made a confused face. He had been called an "it," been mistrusted, nearly attacked and killed, but somepony being surprised that he could talk was a first. "Yeah, I can talk," he answered. "And I'm a he, not an it. Also, I don't really get why ponies think I'm some kind of monster. I do live off of love after all."
"It does kind of make sense when you put it that way," Fluttershy piped up from behind the group that looked dumbfounded. "Um... maybe we should um... give him a chance."
"Are you crazy, Fluttershy?" Rainbow exclaimed. "It's one of those things that attacked Canterlot and nearly ruined the royal wedding."
"Again, I'm a he," Switchback interrupted. "Not an it. Also, I moved to Ponyville before that attack, so I pretty much had nothing to do with it."
Everypony but Pinkie and Twilight looked at him again in confusion.
"Did you know about this, Pinkie Pie," Apple Jack asked.
"Well of course I did," she replied. "I know everypony in Ponyville remember. Switchback has been living here for around two years, although I didn't know he was a changeling until a few months ago."
"And you didn't tell any of us?!" Rainbow Dash complained. "What were you thinking?!"
"Well, when I found out, I nearly freaked out," Pinkie Pie explained. "But one conversation later I ended up making a Pinkie promise that I wouldn't tell anypony that he was a changeling."
"You still ought to have told us," Apple Jack criticized.
"What?!" Pinkie exclaimed. "And break a Pinkie promise? I could never do that."
"Pinkie, darling. We're just trying to look out for you, that's all."
"I'm not dangerous," Switchback reminded. "I just came out to make some friends. Is that to much to ask?"
"No, not at all," Fluttershy began. "I think..." she was cut off by Apple Jack.
"Why? So you could lure them into a false sense of security and then drain them of all their love."
"He could be telling the..." Fluttershy tried to speak but was interrupted again, this time by Rainbow Dash, who flew just above the others with her forelegs crossed. She glared down at Switchback.
"Yeah, who says you didn't plan on sucking Pinkie dry?"
"I've known her for two years," Switchback answered. "If I was going to drain her, don't you think I would have done it by now?"
"Well... yeah, but..." Rainbow Dash thought about this for a second. She had to admit that this made sense. She wasn't going to admit it though. For what other reason would a changeling want to come to Ponyville? "Alright," she said abruptly, still hovering above the others. "Why did you come here then?"
"To get away from the hive mostly," Switchback began to explain. "Like I told Twilight only a few minutes ago and Pinkie when we first met, the hive was in a state of chaos. Everypony was fighting because of starvation. I came to Ponyville hoping to eventually be accepted into its society and maybe even find aid. Then there was the invasion that ruined any chances of that. Chrysalis pretty much has everything under military governance now."
"You really expect us to believe that?" Apple Jack asked getting closer to the changeling.
Rainbow Dash also made a bit of an advance. "Yeah. You really think that we're dumb enough to believe some sob story? I bet you're just here as a spy."
Switchback began to retreat slowly as the two mares pushed toward him with their accusing glares.
"Now girls, please calm down," Rarity pleaded. "He could be telling the truth. The poor thing must have been desperate. We cant hold something against him just because he's different."
Switchback felt a little comfort when Rarity said this. He was glad that there were even more ponies willing to look passed his appearance on the outside. He was still a little scared of the two mares in front of him who seemed to be growing more and more hostile toward him. Before they could do anything that would make him regret coming here, a soft but firm voice spoke up.
"Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said in an upset tone. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. Picking on somepony and judging them based on your own prejudices."
"Oh come on Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash complained. "Not you too."
"No, Rarity has the right idea." Fluttershy's voice, although soft and delicate, spoke with a just harshness that could make anypony take heed of her words. "It isn't fair that you don't even give him a chance."
Apple Jack sighed. "She's right RD. It wasn't right of us to do that."
"What?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "You got to be kidding me."
"Rainbow Dash, don't you remember what happened with Discord?" Twilight reminded. "Fluttershy showed him kindness to become his friend. Giving Switchback a chance could lead to him becoming our friend as well."
"Yeah, but Discord betrayed us and almost destroyed Equestria when Tirek returned. Remember? Who's to say that Queen Chrysalis wont show up and use him to get to us."
"I don't even like Chrysalis though," Switchback said. "She was never very nice and is forcing us to steal love. That's why I left."
"Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy addressed her friend as she stepped forward. "We still have to give him a chance. It wouldn't be fair otherwise."
Rainbow Dash sighed loudly after thinking back to how things ultimately turned out with Discord. Sure there were some bumps, but things were okay in the end. This changeling supposedly didn't even need to be reformed. She could find it within her to give him a chance. Beside, how many ponies could honestly say that they were friends with a changeling. "Alright," she said. "I'll give him a chance."
Fluttershy walked up to Switchback and held out a hoof. "I know it may be hard for you here, but I want you to know that we'd love to be your friends."
Switchback returned the gesture, placing his hoof against Fluttershy's giving her a thankful smile. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you a lot." He looked back at the rest of the group that had gathered around him. "So, what now?"
"NOW WE PARTY!!!!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed ecstatically.
And party they did. Dancing and mingling followed and soon Switchback found himself not only meeting and talking to many different citizens of Ponyville, but actually being accepted by them, including Matilda and Cranky who were in too good of moods to even question him. The young fillies and colts that he had met during the wedding found him again and brought even more of their friends and even some of their parents.
Switchback was glad to share everything he knew about his species with everypony who was curious. At one point, he was confronted by Bun Bun and one of her friends who seemed a little too excited to see him.
"So you can like, change your form right?" the minty colored unicorn asked with a hopeful expression.
"Well of course," Switchback answered, changing into the crimson unicorn that he had used as a disguise for so long.
"Awesome!" the mare exclaimed in utter joy. "So can you change into things that aren't ponies? Like, creatures that don't have hooves."
"Oh boy," Bun Bun said. "Here we go again." She didn't seem to enthused about the topic for some reason.
"Switchback paused for a second. He had never thought about this before. "You mean like, a gryphon?"
"Yeah, like a gryphon. Only I was thinking more along the lines of something like a minotaur. They have these amazing things called hands on their upper limbs. I've always dreamed of having some."
"I'm sorry about this Switchback," Bun Bun said uncomfortably. "Ever since this minotaur named Iron Will visited Ponyville, Lyra here has had a bit of an obsession."
"Oh it's no trouble," Switchback assured. "I'm happy to answer almost anything." He turned back to Lyra who stared at him with a raging curiosity that he had only seen in small hatchlings discovering their magic for the first time. "As for your question, it really depends on the changeling. The queen is capable of becoming different species, but it takes a lot of energy. Bipedal creatures are even harder and I doubt that she would be able to mimic them perfectly. As for gryphons, that's an easier one. I could probably pull it off, but it would most likely leave me sore and exhausted. Also it might cause permanent damage."
"So you're saying that there is a way to obtain hands," Lyra said quickly without missing a beat."
"If you have really strong changeling magic, then... um, yeah, I suppose so," Switchback said nervously. There was something seriously wrong with this pony.
"Uh, Lyra," Bun Bun said, trying to grab her friends attention. "You're kind of getting creepy... again."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lyra said rapidly, waving Bun Bun off. "I'll be fine Bon Bon."
Switchback made a mental note to himself that her name was Bon Bon, not Bun Bun. He didn't know how he got that confused, but was glad that it was cleared up before he embarrassed himself. Before he could even give this another thought, he was barraged by more questions from Lyra who began leaning in really close to Switchback.
"Is there a way to get changeling magic? Can it be caught in a bottle? Or can you just give it to me? What is..." She was cut off by Bon Bon, who grabbed her and pulled her away.
"Excuse us for a moment," Bon Bon said, after noticing that Switchback was a bit off balance.
"I have to know!" Lyra cried from behind Bon Bon, struggling to make her way back to Switchback.
"Ooooookaaaaaay," said Switchback, who was now thoroughly weirded out.
Bon Bon had to think fast as Lyra began to make a scene, but thankfully, cake was now being cut. Everypony could smell it and wanted a piece. Even Switchback wanted to try it. He had never had cake before. He imagined it being very cold and crisp, like a fresh head of lettuce, only a bit softer. He didn't know why he imagined it to be like that.
"Oh boy!" Pinkie Pie said as she bounced up and down happily to Switchback's right. "It's time for the cake!"
Switchback leaned over to Pinkie Pie. "So, what exactly does cake taste like?" he asked.
Pinkie Pie immediately stopped jumping around and gave Switchback the most serious look that he had ever seen her give anypony. Her mouth literally dropped to the floor. "Are you saying that you've never had cake before?!" she asked in a panicked tone as she squished his cheeks together with her hooves and pulled him in, pressing her muzzle right up to his and staring him straight in his still purple eyes.
"Um... yesh," Switchback managed to say.
Pinkie Pie inhaled loudly without letting go of Switchback. "This is terrible. I have to get you a piece of cake right away!"
Switchback rubbed his jaw after Pinkie let go. She had really strong grip. When he looked back at her, somehow she was wearing a camouflaged headband and bandolier of tootsie rolls and had a black line under each of her eyes. She squinted and wore an even more serious face than before as she targeted the table with the cake that was being cut and distributed.
"Initiating Operation Cake for Changeling." She squatted down. Her joints made a noise that would accompany hydraulics as she did this.
Switchback held out his hooves and grabbed Pinkie. "Hold on," he said. "We can just walk over there like normal ponies. No need to go all commando."
"If you say so," Pinkie responded before she began to happily trot to the table.
Switchback followed her until they were right up next to the large cake that had a quarter of it cut out of the side. It's sheer size was almost intimidating. He looked over to see a slice floating just within his reach. It was sitting on a small paper plate and was surrounded by a purple aura, the source of which was Twilight.
"Here you go," Twilight said.
"Get ready Twilight," Pinkie warned. "You are about to see Switchback experience his first piece of cake. ISN'T IT AMAZING!!!!"
Switchback took the cake in his magic and levitated a piece up in front of him, eyeing it curiously. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Twilight looked at him hopefully, each dying from the anticipation. He opened his mouth and ate the piece of cake. It was soft and creamy.
Switchback smiled. "This is amazing."
"That's what I said!" Pinkie Pie replied.
"Glad to see you like it," Twilight said. "The Cakes really outdid themselves on this cake."
Switchback continued to eat the cake. How could he have never discovered this on his own. It was like eating a piece of a sugary cloud. There was something so wonderfully strange about this new food from heaven that he was eating. It made him feel really fuzzy on the inside. After eating the rest, he found that if he wasn't awake when his adrenaline was pumping during the wedding, then he sure was awake now.
"Um... are you okay?" Twilight asked in a worried tone.
"OhI'mjustgreat," Switchback said rapidly. He changed into an orange pegasus and flew up above Twilight. "Everythingiswonderful!" He changed into his usual unicorn disguise and dropped down to his hooves. "IfeellikeIcouldjustexplode."
Twilight backed up a little. She could tell something was wrong. "Calm down, Switchback. You're talking way to fast."
He quickly cycled between a few more forms before settling back into his pure form. "Noit's... alrightI'm... fine." He began to breath short, heavy breaths.
"Are you going to be okay?" Twilight asked worriedly, placing a hoof on his shoulder.
Switchback shook his head as he struggled to catch his breath. He fell back on his haunches and covered his abdomen with his hooves. His stomach then proceeded to make gurgling noise that could only mean one thing. "Oh no," he whispered.
Twilight noticed as Switchback visibly became several hues lighter until he was almost white. She rushed to his aid as quick as she could. "Breath, Switchback," she said, trying to help him. "Long calm breaths. In and out."
Switchback struggled to do this as he felt a hot burning sensation assault his throat. He placed a hoof over his mouth as his cheeks puffed up. He pushed Twilight back and hobbled on three legs to the nearest bush, leaned over it, and proceeded lose everything he had eaten over the last month or so. His species didn't eat much solid food, so for a changeling, puking was like resetting their entire digestive tract.
Twilight patted Switchback on the back as he vomited. "There you go, let it all out." She looked from side to side, hoping nopony would notice. Fortunately, everyone was too busy dancing or mingling to pay them any mind. She looked back down at him. "Better?" she asked.
"I think I'm going to stick to vege..." He was cut off by another wave.
Twilight continued to rub his smooth, furless back. She truly did find his exoskeleton interesting. How a creature could have one and so easily change into others fascinated her. She would have to do an in-depth analysis of it. She couldn't wait to begin drawing diagrams.
Switchback finished and collapsed onto the poor innocent shrub who's life had just been ruined. It was such a soft shrub. At the moment, it felt like he was resting on a cloud, which made him feel a lot better already. The pigment in his shell soon began to return and after a few more minutes he was back on his hooves. "Never again," he moaned.
"Yeah, something tells me that was the sugar," Twilight said.
"What makes you say that?" Switchback asked.
"Well you did seem to get really hyper just before things went south," Twilight explained. "Sugar might just be an energy source that's a little too foreign for your body at the moment."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you eat love, right? And love isn't a solid food. It's an emotion that you feed directly off of. Therefore your body is built to take in energy from the love you consume and not solids that you digest. I hypothesis that this new form of energy conflicted with your bodies normal functions and made you sick."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Switchback cant have cake!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed frantically. "This is terrible! What a world!" She put her hoof on her forehead and fell backwards, only to be caught by her mane, which bounced her back onto her hooves.
Just then, Rainbow Dash flew by. "Oh hey everypony. Just a quick warning, somepony totally lost their lunch behind that bush over there." She pointed over to the miserable little shrub.
"Don't mention it," Switchback said, not wanting to remember what he had just done.
Dash looked at Switchback who seemed a little off and then glanced back at the shrub and then back at him. She put two and two together and realized just what he was talking about. She smirked a little, trying not to laugh. "Something go wrong?"
Switchback looked at her unamused. "Sugar," he said.
Dash didn't exactly know what he meant by that, but she didn't really care. After some more time, she eventually began to open up to Switchback and found that there really was friend in him. She didn't know it yet, but in the future she would eventually brag to ponies that she was best buds with the towns only changeling.
Switchback actually made a lot of friends that night. At the end of the night he looked around at everypony that he had met. It was a strange feeling for him, but a good one.
Eventually midnight came and only the late night partiers were left to enjoy the night. Switchback decided that it was time for him to go and said his goodbyes. A few ponies insisted on him staying longer, but to no avail. He was just to tired.
"Hey Pinkie Pie," Switchback said tiredly to his friend who had decided to walk home with him.
"Yeah?" she replied, curious to know what Switchback had to say.
"Thanks... for everything. I really enjoyed tonight."
Pinkie smiled at him. "No problem. It was great having you. I'm super glad you came."
Switchback smiled back. "Yeah, me too."
When Switchback made it back home, he sat down and looked out the window for some time. Things seemed so different now. To think that he had been afraid to go out and talk to anypony only a day earlier. It felt like Ponyville had some how changed, but also stayed the same. It was no longer a hiding place. It didn't feel like just a haven that he was having to sneak into. For the first time in his life, Ponyville felt like something more. To Switchback it felt like a home. And he was glad to call it that.
