Chapter 1
"I'm sorry, I didn't get that. Could you repeat the question?" asked Twilight in medias res.
Fluttershy pursed her lips. "Would--if I weren't actually a pony, would it matter?" She scuffed her forehooves on the wooden floor, retreated behind her long, flowing mane, and leaned slightly away from Twilight - these, as you may know, are common signs of anxiety. "I mean...what if I was actually a bell creature with psychic powers that somehow managed to transform into a pony?"
Twilight, raising her eyebrows askew, cocked her head approximately 0.25 radians to the right. "What about it?"
"Would it matter? To you?" Fluttershy lifted her head four degrees and thirteen arcminutes. "We'd still be friends, right?"
Twilight shrugged. "I don't see why not." Her ears flopped around as she reshelved books. "That is, of course, assuming you've been a bell creature all your life, and that such creatures do not replace ponies the way changelings do. And it might be kind of weird depending on what kind of bells they're like. Little sleigh bells are one thing, but chapel bells would just be a nuisance. Plus there's the uncomfortable implications of what it'd mean to have psychic powers. But none of that matters, because you're my friend, Fluttershy, and nothing's gonna change that."
As she listened, Fluttershy picked up a book, then, realizing it had nothing to do with anything, put it back. "Oh, thank goodness."
"I'm glad things are alright. But why'd you ask? It's not like you to ask weird questions like this."
Fluttershy smiled nervously. It was a seemingly static smile, but twitched at a frequency of five hertz. "It's because I wanted to tell you that I'm actually a Chingling."
"A changeling?"
"A Chingling. A bell creature with psychic powers."
Twilight was shocked until she realized she shouldn't be. After all, Fluttershy always had a few idiosyncrasies: her ability to talk to animals, the Stare, and the fact that she sometimes jingled a little when startled. It should have been obvious, and she felt quite silly for not noticing.
"Huh," she said. "Oh yeah, I've read about those! Didn't know they could shapeshift, though."
"You aren't scared of me or anything?"
"Of course not, Fluttershy. That would be racist, and racism is bad."
"Good. I was afraid I'd have to lecture you about that."
Twilight giggled. "Yeah, that's my job."
"Can I show you what I really look like?" Fluttershy was looking at Twilight more often than at the floor, which meant her anxiety was at manageable levels.
"Go ahead!" Twilight nodded.
Fluttershy took a deep breath, then vanished into a black sphere of roiling void. Soon, a tiny creature emerged. It fell, but stopped with a jingle before hitting the ground. Twilight leaned in for a closer look. The creature was yellow, much like Fluttershy. Unlike Fluttershy, it was round, with nubbly legs. Two tassels floated behind it, floating aloft as if held that way. They were red, with a large white stripe swirling up each.
Twilight had seen worse Fluttershy cosplays.
The creature jingled. "It's not so bad, is it?" the tintinnabulations seemed to say. "Oh, I'm using psychic powers to communicate...if that's alright with you."
"It's fine," said Twilight.
"Oh, I can tell you're a little uncomfortable. I can see you scuffing your forehooves." In a flash of darkness, Fluttershy the Chingling vanished, and Fluttershy the pegasus returned. "But I appreciate how understanding you are. It might be for the best if I keep looking like a pony."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Fluttershy."
Coming out as a Chingling to her closest friends went more smoothly than Fluttershy predicted. Besides Twilight, Pinkie Pie enjoyed having a living noise maker for a friend, and Applejack appreciated Fluttershy's candor.
Rainbow Dash didn't give a damn. "If I did," she said, "that'd be racist, and racism is bad."
Now, only Rarity was left. Fluttershy opened the door to Carousel Boutique. The doorbell, to her surprise, didn't ring. Looking up, Fluttershy noticed it was gone. Rarity was nowhere in sight, but Fluttershy knew she was back from Carousel Canterlot.
"Rarity?" she called.
"Com-iiiing!" Rarity's voice rang down the stairs, soon followed by the unicorn herself. "Oh, Fluttershy! How good to see you! I'm so sorry for not being prompt; I've just taken the doorbell down. Bells are such dreadful things, interrupting my work at all hours of the day. But I digress. What can I help you with, darling?"
"Um, well, I was--"
"Oh, that reminds me of something absolutely ludicrous that happened the other day! Back in Canterlot, some absolute boor of a mare stormed into my boutique and asked if I had any dresses with bells on them. Bells? How tacky! I quite nearly lost my composure and had to ask her to leave."
"T--that's, um..."
"And don't get me started on those new chimes they put on the town hall. They should send those things back where they came from."
At this point, Fluttershy's hoof had started dragging itself on the floor of its own accord. "Rarity, are you...racist against bells?"
Rarity frowned. "Why...I suppose I am, Fluttershy."
"Rarity, you know that racism is bad!"
"I know, darling, but I just cannot help myself! Their tolling takes a toll on one's psyche, so to speak. But enough about that! What do you need, dear?"
Fluttershy took a deep, deep breath. "I know this isn't a good time to tell you, but I'm actually not a pony. I'm a bell creature with psychic powers. That's what I came here to tell you. I've told everypony else."
"No! This cannot be!" Rarity stepped back, frantically looking around for the nearest fainting couch. "My best friend turns out to be the worst - possible - thing!"
"Don't worry, Rarity. As a Chingling, I have the power to cure your racism. Now, I'm going to show you my true form, okay? Do you promise not to freak out?"
Rarity pursed her lips. Now her hooves were scuffing the floor. It was carpet, so the floor would be alright. But her fresh pony-pedi was under threat, and that just made her even more anxious. "All right, Fluttershy. If an enormous gong appears before me, I shan't react negatively."
One flash of darkness later, and Fluttershy emerged in her true form. Rarity just stared, stoic as a statue. It would all be fine soon, they knew.
Fluttershy shook herself. The ringing made Rarity wince, but only for a moment. Fluttershy's body rang with the power of the Heal Bell technique, which cures negative status conditions - and racism, dear reader, is the worst status condition of all.
Soon, it was finished. The last tinkle faded away, and Fluttershy floated still. "How do you feel, Rarity?"
Rarity had a relaxed smile on her face. "That was lovely! Fluttershy, I apologize for what I said about bells. You're clearly one of the good ones."
"Um..."
"Oh, right, sorry. That was still racist of me."
"Apology accepted. And I feel a lot better after sharing this secret with all my best friends."
"I'm glad to hear that," Rarity said. "Ooh, i-de-a! I've thought of just the sort of dress that'd complement those lovely tassels of yours."
"I'd love to see it when you're done!"
Jingling joyfully, Fluttershy flew out of Carousel Boutique. No longer burdened by her secret, her movements were smooth and free.