A story about gaining an unlikely sister, forming an unbreakable bond, losing that sister and searching endlessly for her.
A sister is someone you can share secrets with, have fun times with, and go to whenever you're down. A sister will always be there for you, even if they sometimes like to pick on you. They are basically your first friend. But what happens when that sister is not just a different race, but an entirely different species, and they get taken away for it?
Rain poured down in buckets. Puddles filled the muddy land. Within this huge storm, a fire blazed in a forest west of Las Pegasus. Trees burned, lighting up the stormy night sky, and little did many know, a village was being burned to the ground.
The residents of the not so well known zebra village, Zvill, scattered in a panic. A strike of lightning hit one of the houses, and due to their wood and hay houses being close together, it caused a massive, town wide fire. Everyone was running for their lives, saving as much of their stuff and friends as they could. For some, it was already too late.
One female zebra was not so lucky. The light brown zebra with dark brown stripes had already watched her mother and father burn with their home, narrowly escaping. Seeing that as a preteen itself is horrifying. Thought her escape was not without injury.
Her neck was scorched by a piece of flaming wood that fell onto her, and her lungs were filled with smoke. As she coughed up a mixture of smoke and blood, she knew she didn't have much time left, but she had to get to her goal because she was carrying her infant sister on her back to safety.
As she fled with her sister, the zebra mare broke free from the burning forest. The air was much cleaner and she could feel air somewhat return to her lungs, but the smoke had scorched her lungs to the point of total failure. The only thing keeping her from collapsing on the ground dead was the filly on her back.
She trotted through mud and rain to get away from the ember. Safety for her little sister was all that was in her mind. She saw a light up ahead, not from a fire, but from a home. She hasn't noticed that she was now on farmland. She ran straight for the house, hoping and praying that someone was home.
She stumbled onto the porch and knocked on the door frantically. As soon as she stopped, her knees buckled and she collapsed onto her side.
The door opened and a shocked farmer pony saw her breathing very slowly, looking like she was going to die.
“Oh mah! Honey! Get the first aid! What happened darlin?!” The dark brown earth pony stallion asked, getting no response. He shifted his cowboy hat over his medium length, split bangs, silver mane. His wife ran down with a box labeled first aid in her mouth. The tan mare dropped the box in front of the stallion and gasped. Her blonde mane was already down, ready for bed.
The young, dying Zebra tried to mumble something, but the couple couldn't understand what she was saying.
“What was that honey? We couldn't hear yah.” The stallion said.
“P-please… h-help…” she nudged her infant sister toward them. She was wrapped in a pink cloth with a wood necklace with something etched into it.
“Take… care... of…” her eyes started to roll into the back of her eyes as she was so close to death.
“Oh mah! No!” The mare screamed.
“My.. sister.. p-please..” as she got those last words out, the life seemed to come out with the air as she passed away. She seemed at peace now that she knew her sister was safe.
The stallion took his hat off and put it over his heart on respect for the now deceased zebra. The mare picked up the infant, who was sleeping. She looked like she was crying at some point, but she was at peace with her sister.
The stallion used his hoof to close the zebras eyes for the last time, “don't worry.. we will.” He looked over at the infant, “what a tragedy.. when said we wanted a child tah adopt.. this is not what ah meant..” he continued with a sigh.
“Well.. ah think we need tah take er in.” The female said.
“But we don't know er name.” He claimed.
“Bia Brandy.” She said.
“Hm? How'd yah know that?”
“Er necklace.” She pointed to the wood necklace. It read ‘Bia Brandy’ in the etching.
“Well, we’ll take good care of yah, Bia Brandy. Don't you worry.”
A small, blonde maned, brown zebra poked her head up from the tall grass. She had been playing with her imaginary friend, Pedro. Though only three years old, she had a very imaginative mind.
“Comin mama!” She yelled in her very squeaky, high pitched infant voice. She turned to an open space and continued, “ah’ll be back, Pedro! See yah!” She ran off in the direction of her home, leaving her imaginary friend in the grass alone.
It had been two years since she was dropped off at the house she called home. She knew she was adopted, however, she knew little about her real family. All she got was ‘your parents were unable to support her’. She kept asking, but she never got a straight answer.
She didn't mind too much, she was very fickle due to her young age.
As the young zebra ran into the house, she got the smell of her favorite stew. This brought a huge smile to her face.
“Carrot stew!” She screamed, darting to the dinner table.
“Hold yer horses, go wash up first.” He adoptive father said, holding her back from her seat.
“Yes paw paw.” She quickly ran to the latrine and washed her hooves thoroughly, but quickly. As soon as she was done, she darted right back to her seat and stared at the doorway to the kitchen, waiting for the stew to come out.
“So what have yah done today, hun?” Her father asked.
“Well, After ah did all mah chores, I went to the grass field and played with Pedro!” She said as her adoptive mother walked in with a large pot of stew.
“Here yah go, darlin.” She set down the pot and poured some into a bowl that laid in front of Bia.
“Yay!!” She went straight into eating the stew, eating as if it were her first meal in days. Then her mother motioned to her father to follow her.
“Uh, excuse us, Bia. Keep eatin.” He said as he got up from his seat.
“Wiw dro!” She said with stew in her mouth, continuing to eat. The couple walked out of the room and upstairs. They closed the door to their room to make sure Bia couldn't hear them.
“Great, now we have two issues with er..” the stallion said.
“The fact that she's lonely enough to have an imaginary friend like Pedro?” She said.
“Yeah, do ya think we should give er a siblin?” He suggested.
“Corn graze.. you know what the doctor said.. we can't have kids.” She said.
“I know, I means adopt another child, Hazel crop.” Corn Graze said.
“Yah really think we should make that long trip into town with Bia? She's only three.” Hazel crop said.
“Well, she's lonely, and we won't get lucky again like we did with er.”
She sighed before she responded, “guess yer right. But what if someone mentions Zville? What if she found out?”
“It'll be fine, hun. We can-” suddenly, Corn Graze was cut off by a loud bang that came from outside that shook the house. As they both stump bled and tried to regain their balance, Corn Graze yelped, “what in Tarnation?!”
Then they heard a scream come from downstairs, one that shot fear through the hearts of the couple. It was Bia Brandy’s scream.
Corn Graze sprinted down the stairs faster than ever before. He had hoped and prayed that nothing happened to Bia.
When he got downstairs, to his relief, she was only looking out the window to what happened outside. When she realized he was there, through her stew covered muzzle, she said, “Paw Paw look! A pony fell outta the sky!”
Corn Graze felt confused by the statement. Though it could mean a Pegasus crashed in their farm, but how did it shake up the house so much? He decided to take a peek himself.
All he could see through the window was a small crater with smoke coming from it. Whoever.. whatever it was, they took a hard landing. He backed away and trotted to the door. As he left, Hazel Crop took a look at what it was through the window.
“You two stay here! Ah’ll investigate.” Corn Graze said as he ran out of the door.
As he approached the crater, he started getting the smell of ash and smoke. When he got close enough to the crater, he could make out the shape of a full grown Pegasus pony in the fetal position, looking as if they were protecting something.
He went with his gut instinct and dragged the pony out of the crater. As he grabbed them, he noticed that their fur felt off, as if it were almost artificial. As he brought them into the light, their bright blue fur was covered in blood stains and was split in some areas where they'd been cut.
The only thing he could tell about the Pegasus was that it was a guy, he was a light blue and his mane was gray with a pink accent. His eyes were closed and he was holding onto something small to where Corn Graze couldn't see what it was.
He stopped dragging him about 10 meters from the crater and checked his vital signs. They were weak, but there, in odd ways Ron Graze couldn't describe. They felt normal, but they seemed different at the same time.
“Partner, can yah hear me?” He asked, nudging the stallion. He didn't budge and wouldn't wake up. Then Corn Graze tried to pry the stallion's hooves away from whatever he was holding. That woke him up.
The pony jumped up and opened his wings as wide as he could to make himself look bigger.
“Stay back!” He yelled, turning his body to protect what he was holding. As he did though, he fell to the ground again. The pain from the fall was overwhelming him. “Gah!”
Corn a Graze walked over to the pony, “don't worry, ah’m not gonna hurt yah. Just wanna make sure you're alright. Yah musta took a nasty fall.” The pony then looked around at his surroundings. He seemed to somewhat recognize where he was.
“I-is this the home of Corn Graze and Hazel Crop?” He asked, looking up with his one eye that wasn't swollen shut.
“Why I'm Corn Graze. How'd you know who we were?”
“Oh thank the lord.” He said, relief flushing through his face. “You brought in a zebra from the destroyed town of Zville, correct?”
“Y-yes, but try an’ keep it down bout that. We don't want Bia to know how bad of a death her real family had.” He said.
“My apologies.. though, if you were to accept, I'd ask you to do the same with her.”
“What are ya getting at?”
Just then, the pony revealed what he was holding. It was a filly. Though not an ordinary filly.
“What the?! A changeling?!” He took a step back after seeing the sleeping, infant changeling.
“Please don't panic! You'll bring the rest here!” He sighed and looked down. “Look,” he then began to glow a bright, lime green. Before Corn Graze’s very eyes, the pony went through the transformation of turning back into a changeling. His blue-green eyes looked back at the farm pony with a mix of hope and worry.
“Y-you're..”
“A changeling.. yes.. listen, I'm not like the others. I don't want to hurt ponies for food and love. I wanted to get it naturally, and I wanted it for my sister too.” He looked down at the infant changeling again, “she deserves to gain love the right way, not by taking it. When I heard you took a young orphan in, I got hopeful that you might be willing to.. take my sister in.”
Corn Graze looked at the changeling with disbelief. There was no changeling on record that wanted to stray from the hive.
“Where yah get the scars? Leaving the hive?”
The changeling nodded, “they had found out about my plan to escape and tried to restrain me. I managed to keep my sister from being harmed, but at the cost of my health.. I'm afraid I don't have long left. They're still looking for me, but they don't know she's here.”
Corn Graze looked at him suspiciously, “how do we know yer not faking the injuries with yet changelin magic?” He asked.
“Because they can fake bruises and cuts, but not broken wings.” They both looked behind Corn Graze to see Hazel Crop walking toward them.
“Darlin, I thought I done told yah to stay in the house with Bia!”
“He won't harm us, dear. Look, changelings can't fake any broken body parts, look at his wing.” She pointed to his left wing that was bent in two different directions.
“I.. honestly didn't notice my wing. Must be why I couldn't fly anymore.” The changeling said.
“Darlin, can we talk.. alone?” Hazel asked.
“Pardon us.” He said as he turned to his wife.
“That's fine, just please don't be too long. I don't want them to know I was here.” The changeling said.
The couple grouped together for a discussion.
“Hun, I don't know about this. It's a changeling.” Corn Graze said, worried.
“Look, we know he ain't lyin’ an’ he's got a baby with him. Plus this is our chance to give Bia a sibling. I know it's not ideal, but we took Brandy in when she needed someone, why not this little filly? Sure she's a changeling, but a young one and she don't know she's supposed to be evil.” Hazel argued.
Corn Graze sighed, “I guess yer right. He does seem desperate.”
“Then we agree?”
“Eeyup,” they both turned back to the young changeling who seemed very nervous. Corn Graze continued, “we've decided that we'd be happy to take er in.” Suddenly, relief seemed to flood the changeling and he relaxed.
“Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me.” He sat down and lifted his little sister up and rocked her back and forth. “Don't worry, Niridia. You're gonna be just fine.”
The little changelings eyes slightly opened from her slumber, “brother?” She mumbled in her squeaky, infant voice.
“Everything's gonna be alright, Niridia. Everything will be alright.” He nuzzled her as she fell back asleep. He began to tear up as his last moment with his sister was upon him. He continued, “her.. her name is Niridia.. she's two years old, and she loves flowers.” Tears streamed down his face as he handed her over to the farmer couple. “Please don't tell her what happened to me..”
“Don't worry, we won't.” Hazel Crop comforted, patting his back.
“We’ll take good care of her. Make sure you live so she can see you again one day.” Corn Graze said.
With a sniffle, he said with a bit of doubt, “I-I'll try.. thank you.” He looked at Niridia for another moment, then ran off in the direction of the woods, using his Pegasus disguise again.
The couple watched him go, “what a sweet boy. He reminds me of Bia’s sister..” Hazel Crop said.
“He does, maybe that means they were.. destined to be siblings.” He said.
Hazel Crop nodded, they looked down at Niridia and smiled.
“Cmon there, Niridia. Let's go meet your sister.” Hazel said.
“Cmon, Niridia! Keep up!” Bia Brandy ran around the field of crops dragging a plow behind her. The black, hole riddled changeling that she called sister was behind her, dragging her own plow, but going much slower.
“Huff… I-I'm trying, Bia!” Niridia called out, panting at every step. Though her slim, scrawny body was probably not the best for farming, Bia insisted she help so they could spend more time together, which Niridia loved to do.
It had been nearly 15 years since Niridia and Bia Brandy were brought together as sisters. They spent so much time with each other. They were practically inseparable. Even though Niridia wasn't too fond of the farm work, she was willing to go through it all to be with Bia.
Bia finally reached the end of the field and came to a halt, waiting for her sister. Niridia panted as she practically crawled to the end, plopping down when she finished.
“How.. do.. huff… you do.. that..” Niridia said in between breaths. Bia stood next to her, offering a hoof to help her up.
“Well, ya don't pull plows like that by reading books n’ picking flowers.” Brandy pulled Niridia back to her hooves and let the changeling lean on her.
“Heh, you know I don't like doing heavy pulling.”
“Yeah, but yah do it fer me!” Bia nuzzled the changeling. That made a pink flower fall from Niridia’s ear. “Eep!” Bia scrambled to catch it, but wouldn't have gotten there. To her relief, the flower started floating with a green aura around it. It floated back to Niridia's ear, revealing she was using her magic to catch it.
“Oh thank Celestia fer that! Where’d ya learn that?” Bia asked.
“Learned it by reading books and picking flowers.” She said with a smirk.
“Ya learned a spell just for the flower I gave ya?”
“Heh, you think I wouldn't have a precaution in case it fell? It means too much to just let it fall.” Niridia smiled looking up at the flower, remembering the day Brandy had first put it on her head.
Seven years ago:
The family had taken its first trip to town since Niridia and Brandy came along. Both were filled with excitement as they finally got to see other ponies besides their family.
When they got to town, there seemed to be a sort of negativity in the air wherever they went that felt directed towards Niridia. Many ponies gave her looks of anger and hate, making Niridia feel awful about herself and who she was. Somepony even said that ‘someone should kill that thing!’
When they got home, she lost it, running straight to her room, leaving a river of tears in her trail. Bia felt so bad for her sister. She needed to do something more. Her parents and Bia’s words weren't enough to cheer the harassed changeling up. She went out into the field to find something she had wanted to give her sister for a while.
Fifteen minutes later and the changeling was still balling out crying. Bia knocked on the door before entering.
“Hey, sis?” Bia walked in carefully.
“Go away, Bia! You don't want to be close to a stupid changeling like me!” She yelled, covering her head trying to hide her face.
“But yer not a stupid changeling. Yer mah sister shangeling. Big difference.”
“Not very.. I'm a changeling. I'm evil, like those ponies said.”
“Sis.. yer not evil. If yah were, yah wouldn't be livin here.” Bia walked over to the bed and sat next to her sister. “Look, some ponies may think yer evil, ugly or any of those nasty things yah heard, but their opinion don't matter. Mama and paw paw see yah as beautiful. I see yah as beautiful. Yer sweet, kind, and overall fun to be ‘round. I love ya, sis. An’ if ya need help seein it yerself, then here.” Bia pulled out a pink flower and stuck it inbetween Niridia's ear and head. Niridia’s jaw dropped as she saw what flower it was.
“That.. that's a..”
“A nerida. I found seeds fer em in a paper mama and paw paw brought home one day, an’ I asked if we could get some fer yah.” She pointed to the flower, “this ones been growin fer a while now. I've been waiting to give it to yah.”
Niridia kept crying, but it seemed as though the pain and sadness faded from the tears. Instead, love filled the changeling. She smiled sweetly and wiped away her refs and hugged her sister.
“Oh sis… I love you so much. Thank you.”
“I love yah too, sis.”
Now:
“Aw, sis, I didn't know it meant that much to yah.” Brandy said.
“It does, I even looked up an enchantment spell to make the flower live as long as I do.” Niridia explained.
“All that work for a flower. Yer weird, sis. But I like weird.”
“Hehe, same to you, sis.”
The two sisters hugged and Niridia peeked her head up.
“Wait, that reminds me of something. Come with me, Bia!” Niridia dragged the sweaty zebra back to the house and into the changelings room. When they got there, Niridia started digging through her closet.
“Watcha lookin fer, sis?”
“This,” Niridia lifted a small, white box with her magic and placed it on her bed next to where Bia Brandy was standing. Brandy tilted her head in curiosity before Niridia continued, “I never did repay you for your thoughtfulness, so I got you something from town.. after I disguised myself. Open it.”
Brandy obliged and pushed the lid off the box with her snout. She gasped at what was inside. A bright pink bandana laid in front of her inside the box.
“Niridia..”
“D-do you like it? I know you sometimes complain about the sun on your neck and-”
“Sis.. it's perfect.” Bia picked up the bandana and tied it around her neck, the triangle facing down on her throat. She smiled and hugged the black changeling, “Thank you, sis. I love it.”
Niridia smiled and hugged her back, smiling with tears forming in her eyes. “I'm glad.. you're the best sister I could ever ask for, Bia.”
“Same to you. Ah don't know what ah’d do without yah.”
Bia Brandy walked into town with a joyful smile, bearing her new bandana around her neck as if it were the newest fashion trend out of manehatten. She was on her way to the grocery store when she overheard some ponies talking about her.
She hid around the corner to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Hey Zoom, who's she? I've never seen a zebra in town before.”
“Oh yea, that's cuz he only zebras that lived around here lived in Zville.”
“Lived?”
“Yea, it burned down years ago during a storm, little survivors and the ones who did survive never returned.”
Bia’s eyes widened, could that be where ahem from?! She thought. She quickly ran back home to confront her parents.
Back at the farm house, her mom was cooking something in a pot while her father sorted out some bills. She walked into the house with a determined look on her face. She stood next to her father, who looked up from where he was sitting.
“Yer back early, Bia. Somethin wrong? Don't tell me they're outta the best manure again.” He said.
“Mama, Paw Paw, where am ah from? Really?” She asked sternly.
“Well, yer.. um.. from some different place..” he said hesitantly, not really knowing wether to lie or not.
“So ahm not from Zville?”
Her parents both stopped in their tracks. They were shocked that she knew about the old, destroyed zebra town.
“H-how'd yah…”. Her mom started.
“Learned it from some ponies in town.. is mah biological family gone? Like.. dead?”
With a long moment of silence, her paw paw sighed before replying, “yes.. as far as we know.. your family is.. gone.. which is why we took yah in.”
Bia looked at her adoptive parents with a bit of relief, but also with more curiosity.
“.. do yah know what they were like?” She asked.
The parents looked at each other for a moment, silently deciding whether or not to tell her about her family.
“Hun, ah think it's time we told er.. she's old enough now.” Hazel Crop told her husband. He nodded and pulled out a seat, motioning for Bia to sit next to him. She did as requested and leaned in to listen to what her adoptive parents had to say.
“Now, we don't really know too much other than the fact that yer the only one in her family to make it outta the fire that wiped out the town all those years ago.. you were just an infant at the time.. but you were lucky..” he told Bia.
“How so?”
“Well.. Niridia.. isn't yer only sister.” Bia’s jaw dropped at her mothers words.
“W-what?”
“Yer biological sister is the one that saved yah.. she carried yah from the flames and to our door. She saved yah..” he said
“W-where is she now?”
“Bia, we already told yah, yer the only one in yer family to survive the fire..” when her father finished that sentence, her ears dropped. She just found out she had a biological sister, and at the same moment, learned she was dead. This left a hole in her heart. She almost began tearing up before her mom spoke up.
“We wish we coulda saved er.. but she was on death row when she got here.. yet through the pain and sufferin, all she cared about was you.”
Brandy sat silently for a moment. Her usual, cheerful self wasn't showing. Her parents tried to think of something to cheer her up, to help their adoptive daughter through this. However, they would not be able to help, but instead, one other pony was able to. Before the couple could say anything, a black figure came up behind Brandy and hugged her.
Niridia nuzzled her sister, trying to cheer her up. It seemed to work as Brandy visibly warmed up. She cracked a small smile and said, “ah was wonderin when you'd come outta hidin.”
“I'm so sorry to hear that about your sister. She seems like she would've been the best sister in the world.” Niridia said in a sweet, soothing tone.
“She may have been, but she ain't here cheerin me up.” Niridia smiled and looked at her sister.
“Well, when I save you from a fire, I'll finally be on par with her.”
The sisters shared a giggle.
“While ahm eternally grateful to mah biological sis, you'll always be the best sister I coulda hoped fer, Niridia.”
As they both embraced, their parents looked happily at their adoptive daughters. While they wish they didn't have to go through such tough events to get here, they were happy that they took the two little fillies in. While they seems to be two completely different beings, which in a way they were, they turned out to be inseparable. A parent couldn't ask for any more of their children.
Dawn broke the night sky, the sunlight pierced through Bia’s window, shining directly into her eyes. She pursed her eyes before jolting up in her bed.
“ITS NIRIDIA’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!” She yelled.
As the excited zebra proclaimed, that day was Niridia's date of birth. Bia had planned out the entire day of festivities for her beloved sister’s 18th birthday. She had made a special cider from her family’s old recipe, with an added ingredient. Niridia's favorite foalhood juice. She had hoped it would give her sister nostalgia of their foalhood.
Brandy quickly ran downstairs to set up all of the decorations, hoping Niridia hadn't woken up yet. She put up stringers and balloons around the house with Niridia written all over them.
After she was done, she grabbed the cake from a cooler that said “HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!” If anyone couldn't tell, she was very excited. This wasn't just her birthday, in fact they had no idea if it was or not.
Her brother had not told her parents what her date of birth was, so they decided to make it the day she was brought into the family, so this was also the anniversary of Bia Brandy and Niridia becoming sisters.
She grabbed the cider that she made for her sister and put it next to the cake and wrote a big N on the bottle.
“Oh she's gonna love this!” She exclaimed as she determined it was time to bring down the birthday girl.
She quickly ran up the stairs and burst into her sister's room.
“Happy birthday, Sis! Come down to-” in the middle of her sentence, Bia Brandy noticed that she was alone in the room. Her sister was not there. This was odd because she always woke up before Niridia.
“Sis? Where are yah?” She looked around the room, trying to find any sign of her missing sister. “Sis, this ain't funny. Where are yah?!” After looking for five minutes, she finally found something. Something that made her gasp in shock and fear.
The flower that Bia gave to her sister was on the floor under the bed.
“What in tarnation?!” She grabbed the flower and placed it on top of the bed. As she did, a green aura formed around it, scaring Brandy into cowering back. In her fear, she nearly didn't her an all too familiar voice come from the flower.
“Hey, Sis..” Bia’s jaw dropped at the sound of her sister's voice.
“N-Niridia?”
“If you found the flower, then I'm gone.. not at my own will. I found a spell that allows me to attach a voice message to an inanimate object in case this ever happened.. the hive, they found me..” Bia began to tear up as her sisters message continued, “they're coming as I speak.. and they know I know.. I met with them before. They agreed not to hurt mom, dad or you if I didn't resist. So.. this is goodbye. I love you, sis..”
Niridia stopped speaking and the flower stopped glowing. This left Bia Brandy all alone in the room, staring at the flower as tears fell down her cheek. For a few moments, she stayed silent, unable to muster up the strength to say anything, let alone call for help.
Then her parents walked up to the door. They heard the entire message when they were looking for Bia. They too had tears running down their faces, but not as much as the zebra who just had her sister taken away from her once again.
“Niridia..” she mumbled, grimacing at the flowers message. She tried to calm herself until she couldn't anymore, and she let her emotions take over, “Niridia!!”
She stuffed her face into the side of the bed and put her hooves over her head and cried out for her sister. Her parents tried to comfort her, but nothing was working. For hours she continued as what was supposed to be a very happy day became her worst nightmare.
That day.. that awful day… it haunted Bia. She had come close before, but that was the first time she had actually cried. Of course it had to be just a few weeks after she learned she had a dead biological sister. Learned that she had a sister that was taken away from her. Now, it's happened again.
Life on the farm wasn't the same for Bia. She did her chores with less enthusiasm every day. She had trouble getting up from bed most days. The worst thing in her parent's mind was was that she rarely smiled anymore. It was as if when Niridia was taken away, the changelings also took her happiness.
They initially tried asking the authorities to help, but they weren't able to do much due to a lack of evidence as to their whereabouts, along with the lack of willing ponies to look for a changeling. That made Brandy mad more than anything. She had gone off on a few ponies for saying things like ‘good riddance’ or ‘she was a danger’.
After a couple months of searching, the farm couple made the hard decision of calling off the search after it got nowhere. However, Bia couldn't bear to give up.
“Bia! We know yer heartbroken, but we have no choice! No one can help us, we have no idea where she might be! It's hopeless. Ahm sorry, ah don't wanna accept she's gone either, but we have to..” Corn Graze scolded the young, adult zebra. However, Bia didn't back down.
“Ah don't care how hopeless it seems! She wouldn't give up on us! She's part of our family! We have to keep looking! We have to! An’ if you ain't gonna help, ah'll do it on my own!” She stormed out of the room and out of the house. She may have been letting her emotions get the best of her, but she was determined to find Niridia. Even if she had to search the far ends of Equestria.
“Bia, wait!” Her mama called out.
“Ahm sorry, mama.. but ah have to find er.. she'd do the same fer me.. ah will find er. Goodbye..” she ran off in the direction of the town, leaving the home she grew up in behind. She had no idea when she'd return, or if she'd return, but that was the least of her worries. All she could focus on was her sister. She had to find Niridia.
In her rush to get out, she didn't have much time to grab things to travel with. All she had was a bag with Niridia's flower in it, the bits she had been saving, and the drink she was going to give Niridia.
In the first few months of her travel, she went through a few towns asking for Amy information, but it was of no use. No one really knew much about changelings, or really wanted to help find them.
A year had gone by since Niridia was taken away. Brandy had gotten nowhere with her search. She sat in her hotel room with a small drink. Niridia's flower sat on the bed next to the sulking zebra. She had slept with it next to her every night since that day, and tonight, she ‘celebrated’ her sisters birthday.
She raised her drink to the sky, looking down at the bottle she made for her sister.
“Happy birthday, sis. Wherever yah are, I hope yer doin alright. I love yah.” She took a sip of her drink and sighed. She felt so lonely. No one to celebrate with, no sister to hug, no family to help her cheer up. Suddenly, she heard a huge commotion outside her hotel door. Curious, she walked to the door and looked out of the peep hole. There were a bunch of ponies running around, freaking out.
Wow, the ponies of Ponyville are weird. She initially thought. Then she heard someone yell the word changelings. That's when she burst out of her room.
“What about changelings?!” She asked the nearest pony.
“You didn't hear?! Changelings attacked Canterlot and the royal wedding!”
Finally, Brandy found out something about the whereabouts of the changelings. However, it wasn't something she really wanted to hear.
What am I thinking?! Niridia would never hurt a fly. She thought. However, she knew that the changelings would force her to participate in some way. However, this gave Bia something she had been losing over the past year, hope.She had to get to Canterlot as fast as possible.
Brandy ran back into her room and packed everything as fast as she could. She paid the front desk pony for the trouble and ran quickly to the train to get to Canterlot.
When she got there, she was unable to get on the train due to guards blocking everypony from getting on.
“Sorry folks, we can't let you on! No trains to Canterlot till the issue is resolved!” The guard announced, getting protests from the crowd.
“But mah sister may be there! I have to get there now!” Brandy joined in on the protest.
“I'm sorry, but it's for your safety. We’ll make sure you can see your loved ones when it's over!”
“No yah don't understand! If ah wait till it's over I may not get to er on time!” She said to the blue Pegasus guard.
“I'm sorry, but I have my orders. I wish I could go help, too. But I'm stuck here.” He said, not letting her on the train.
Suddenly, they heard a huge bang come from Canterlot. Everypony looked up to see what it was. A huge burst of rainbow colored energy expanded from the castle and ponies could see little black specs on the outside of the explosion of energy. Boone knew what had happened until someone yelled out something everyone but Brandy wanted to hear.
“They did it! They expelled the changelings!!” Everyone jumped up in celebration, happy that the conflict was over. Everyone except Brandy, who kneeled over and stared up at the glimmering energy. She was too late. Her sister was yet again out of reach. She began to tear up again.
The guard she spoke to must have saw her because he stopped celebrating and knelt down next to the zebra.
“What's wrong? Your sister is probably safe.”
She didn't respond, instead, she let a tear fall down her cheek as she mumbled, “N-Niridia…” before the guard could say anything, Bia ran off away from the train station. He couldn't do anything g to help her, so he let her go. He did until he saw that she left her bag in front of him.
“Hey, ma’am! Wait!” He grabbed the bag and ran after her, but with no success. She was gone. He tried loooing around town for her, but with no luck. After giving up on his search, he decided to head home since his duty was done for the day. As he got home, he noticed that something in the bag was glowing.
Despite his brain telling him not to look in someone else's bag, his curiosity got the best of him. He looked in and saw the flower inside of the bag was the thing glowing. He took it out and placed it in the table.
Then he heard a voice come from the flower, getting the shock of his life.
The next day, Brandy laid in a field of grass, not moving. She hadn't moved since she collapsed there the previous day. After she found out all of the changelings were expelled, she wanted to listen to the message that her sister left her, but she found out that she left her bag at the station. She went back, but it was gone. So she ran until she couldn't run anymore and collapsed in the field where she is now.
Everything she had left of her sister was gone, everything. She had lost all hope now. At this point, she was just waiting for death to take her away from this pain she felt.
Suddenly, a shadow was cast upon her from above. She barely turned her head to see what was blocking out the sun. She could make out the figure of a Pegasus pony floating over her, looking down at her.
“There you are! I've been looking for you.” The pony floated down to stand next to the zebra. Bia then recognized the pony as the guard she saw the previous day. On his back, he had her bag. He pulled it off and set it next to her.
“Are you alright?” He asked, concerned for her well being. She nodded half heartedly and started to get up when she felt his wing on her side, letting her use it to get some leverage to get up.
“Thank yah..” she picked up her bag, “and thank yah fer findin mah bag.. I thought ah’d never..”she stopped her mopeful sentence short after realizing what she'd be saying. Anyone who didn't know about the flower would be completely lost, and she was in no mood to explain it.
“Listen, I'm sorry about what happened to your sister.” Brandy’s ears perked up.
He knows about mah sister?! How?!
“When I found your bag, the flower glowed and played the message. From what I saw at the station and what I heard on the message, I could put two and two together. Listen, I can try and help you find your changeling sister.”
“Y-yah can?”
“Yeah, the guard is being tasked to finding as many changelings as we can so another attack doesn't happen. If I find your sister, I'll help her out. I know what she sounds like now, so if I come across her, I'll bring her to you.” The Pegasus said.
Brandy almost broke down in tears. This pony, a guard nonetheless, was the first pony to offer to help, even when he found out her sister was a changeling.
“T-thank yah.. thank yah so much.. uh..” Bia Brandy couldn't recall if he'd said his name.
“CZ, names CZ.”
“Nice to meet yah, CZ. Names Bia Brandy.”
“Nice to meet you, too. In case I do find her, what's your sisters name? She didn't say in her message.” CZ asked.
“Er names Niridia.” She said.
“Alright, I'll do my best to find her.” CZ said.
“Thank yah.”
“If you're looking for a place to stay, I would offer to let you stay with me and my family, but our house is too packed as of right now.” CZ explained.
“It's ok, I wouldn't expect you to do any more than yer doin now.” Bia said.
“However, I do know a place that's always taking ponies, and non ponies in.”
“Ok.”
CZ pulled out a map of Equestria and circled a certain point in the undiscovered west. He said there's a town there called Dragontown. Normally ponies would be suspicious of someone being so nice to a sister of a changeling, but Bia felt like this guy was trustworthy.
After they said their goodbyes, she set off for Dragontown, hoping that maybe Niridia had heard of this town and would make her way there on her own.
It had now been nearly 3 years since Bia moved to Dragontown. The ponies and non ponies there were very nice and allowed her to stay for as long as she needed.
CZ would occasionally come by the town to give an update on the search. Sometimes one of his friends from his group they call the ‘Fam’ would give her the message. So far, there little to no leads. They had captured some groups of changelings, but they are very evasive and Niridia hasn't been among any of the groups.
Though about a week ago, there was an incident involving the changelings. They had attacked again, but this time, due to a certain changeling by the name of Thorax, most of the changelings had been reformed with the exception of Chrysalis and the changelings that were not in the hive.
Bia had no idea about what reformed meant, or if her sister was among the changelings in the hive at the time. However, since Thorax overthrew the queen, she knew her chances of seeing Niridia again were increased exponentially.
Bia was tending to the crops as each citizen had to work a job to help the community. Because of her background, this was the obvious choice. She was digging up a rogue weed when she heard a pony from outside of the farm call out.
“YAY WE HAVE A GUEST!!!” From the tone of the voice, she could tell it was Snow Stars. She tended to get over excited about things. She was also one of the connections between Dragontown, or they sometimes called themselves, the Selfs, and the Fam. She was dating a Fam pony by the name of Double Lemon. Who also happened to be in town at the time, so she had assumed it was just her.
Bia decided that she should go talk to Lemon to see if CZ had found out anything about Niridia.
She walked through the gate and into the town square. Then the familiar voice called her over.
“Bia!!! Over here!! I has news!!” She looked over to see the yellow pony with the shirt, brown mane waving next to her marefriend. She could only smile whenever she saw Lemons bombastic nature at work.
“Weeeeeellllllllll, he doesn't have the news, and neither do I. But she does!” She moved aside to reveal a pink, maneless being that looked like a pony, but had a changeling look to them. Her yellow eyes looked sweetly at the zebra. Her back was green and sparkling in the sun. She had a narrow, horn that had a half a hole in it and had bug looking wings.
Before Anyone could say anything, Brandy’s jaw dropped. Her eyes became watery with tears. She stepped toward the newcomer and looked into her yellow eyes. Bia didn't need anyone to tell her who was standing in front of her.
“N-Niridia?” She asked in a shocked yet happy tone. The pink reformed changeling smiled.
“Hey, Sis.. long time no-” Niridia couldn't even finish her sentence before the brown zebra tackle hugged her. Brandy wan crying gets of joy as she nuzzled the pink changeling.
“Oh mah gosh!! Sis, ah’ve missed yah so much!! I-I..” Brandy couldn't hold back her emotions, she cried out, so grateful that she was reunited with her sister. “Ah’ve missed you so much.. ah looked for yah for so long. Ah thought ah’d never see you again.”
Niridia nuzzled the crying zebra, “I've missed you too, sis. I dreamed of the day I'd see you again.” They continued their embrace for a few moments as the town onlookers watched two sisters, torn apart bye the evils of the world, reunite after four long years of separation.
Back at Bia Brandy’s humble home, the two sisters caught up a bit, well, Bia told Niridia what has been happening in the outside world. Niridia wasn't really in the mood to talk about what happened in the changeling hive.
As Bia continued talking, she remembered a very important detail.
“Wait!” She said, interrupting her own rant about the world.
“Hm? What is it, sis?” Niridia asked
“Yer missin somethin.” Niridia knew exactly what Brandy was talking about. The brown zebra ran to her room and quickly grabbed her bag. She came back with a huge smile on her face.
She pulled out the pink flower she had given her sister years ago.
“I can't believe you kept that.” Niridia said.
“It means too much to me. It was all ah had left of you. The thing that probably kept me sane was listening to your voice every night.” Brandy admitted as she put the flower between her head and ear.
“I'm gonna pretend that's not creepy.” Niridia said with a giggle. “You have a nice home here, Bia.”
“Thanks. Though it's a bit small. I chose it based on mah funds. I didn't have enough for a house for two.”
“I'm sure we can find a bigger home here.”
“Ah’s sure we could.. it's just.. as nice as everyone's been to me, it just.. doesn't feel like home.. it doesn't feel right.” Brandy said.
“Well, what about mom and dad? I'm sure they wouldn't mind us moving back there.” Niridia suggested.
Brandy sighed, “as good as that sounds.. ah don't think I could live there anymore..”
“What? Why not? I thought you loved mom and dad and the farm life.” Niridia said, a bit shocked by her statement.
“Don't get me wrong, I love mama and paw paw, and I love the farm life. It's just.. ah didn't leave on a good note.. ah yelled at them for giving up the search and stormed out. Plus ah’ve been on mah own fer four years now. I kinda like it.” Bia Brandy explained.
“Well, I still do wanna see them.”
“Oh yeah, ah’m takin yah to see em asap! Just, ah don't wanna live there anymore.”
“Alright, I'm ok with that. Anywhere you go, I go. I'm not leaving your side ever again.” Niridia said.
Brandy smiled, “thanks, sis.”
After a few days, the sisters visited their parents. It would be an understatement to say their parents were surprised. Both by Niridia's return and her new form. Though that didn't stop the happiness and tears of joy.
The couple both hugged the pink changeling lovingly.
“Oh, Niridia, we’re so glad yer alright! We missed yah so much!” Hazel Crop said, crying.
“I missed you too, mom.” They continued to hug until Bia couldn't resist joining in. She squealed and jumped into the hug.
Their dad released himself from Bia’s grip and scanned the two sisters.
“Ah’m glad to have yah back, Niridia, but I can tell yah aren't stayin.” He shockingly said, prompting a sigh from Niridia.
“Well.. I'll let Bia explain.” The changeling said.
“Bia?” Corn Graze looked at his zebra daughte.
“Well.. I-it's just..” she sighed and stood up straight, “ah appreciate everything you've given me and sis, but these past few years of me being on mah own.. ah’ve gotten used to it. Havin mah own farm, mah own customers, mah own home. I just can't see mahself livin here again like normal. I wanna live with Niridia elsewhere.” Bia looked at her parents who were a bit taken back by her newly found independence. Then her father stepped forward.
“Ah honestly can't say ah’m surprised..”
“What?!” Bia said, surprised that he wasn't surprised.
“Yah knew she was gonna wanna be independent?” Hazel Crop asked.
“I figured she would. Ah mean, she's been away for four whole years. That'll entrain independence in the brain. Plus with the way yah left last time.. I was worried that when yah did find er, yah wouldn't..” he paused for a moment, “wouldn't come back..” his head and ears dropped, showing his sadness and regret.
“Oh paw paw..” Bia hugged the sad earth pony, “ah’d would never think of not coming back. Yer mah family, and that's everything to me.”
Corn Graze sniffles and wiped away a tear, “ah’m so proud of yah, Bia. You and Niridia are everything a father could hope for in his children.”
“Aw, paw paw..” the two sisters hugged their father in another emotional embrace, tears falling from every party involved.
The two sisters decided to stay the night for nostalgic sake. They departed the next day, and after their goodbyes, the sisters started their new search for a home together. One they would love in for the rest of their lives.
While on the search for the perfect home, Bia and Niridia stayed at the house Brandy had stayed while on the search for Niridia. For weeks, they looked, unable to find the home that was meant for them. Then they learned that the perfect home was right under their noses.
“Hey Bia, I'm home.” Niridia said, walking through the door. She put down a bag full of groceries on a table using her levitation spell. After there was no response for a few moments, she tried again.
“Brandy? Where are you?”
Niridia started towards the back door that leads to the farm. As she was about to reach for the door handle, something Big jumped out at her from the door as it quickly swung open. An excited Brandy tackled the unsuspecting changeling with a huge smile.
“GUESS WHAT!! GUESS WHAT!! GUESS WHAT!!” She screamed as if a certain pink pony had taken over her. Niridia tried to pry herself free with no luck.
“What, sis?”
“AH FOUND US A HOME!!!” She said.
“Wait really?” She responded, a look of shock on her face. “How?”
“Weeeeellllll, remember Double Lemon?” The excited zebra asked.
“Yea? Why?”
A half hour earlier, Bia was working on the farm as usual. She plowed the field with ease, walking as if there wasn't a 200 pound plow dragging in the ground behind her.
Suddenly, in the middle of the field, the plow got significantly heavier, causing Bia to slow down.
“What in tarnation?” She stopped and turned to see what was slowing her down. On top of the plow sat a familiar yellow earth pony. Double Lemon smiled as she looked at the working zebra.
“Oh, howdy, Lemon. Y’know yah don't have to sit on the plow, right?” She said.
“Oh I know! But I don't want to ruin your work while I tell you something!” She said in an excited tone.
“It's alright, ah walk on the plowed land too. But what yah wanna talk ‘bout?” Brandy asked. She continued to drag the plow with Lemon on top of it.
“Well, I thought I'd let you know that Swil just got married!” She said.
“Oh, well when yah see him next, tell him Niridia and I said congrats!” Brandy said.
“Ooooor, you can catch him on his way out as you move in!” Double Lemon said, making Bia stop in her tracks.
“Wait what?”
“Well, Swil is gonna move in with Rainbows since they're gonna be parents soon, and since Anga moved out a little while ago, there are two rooms open in the fam house!” The excited yellow pony said.
“Wait, are yah sayin..” Bia was trying to contain the excitement that was building inside her.
“Yuperino! There's room for you and Niridia to join the Fam!!” The yellow pony's words made Bia’s face light up. She grinned from ear to ear and her pupils expanded to nearly the size of her eyes, glimmering with happiness. She started shaking as if she were a rocket about to take off.
She couldn't hold it in any longer. Bia burst out of her harness and jumped at Double Lemon, tackle hugging her with a huge smile.
“This is so exciting!! Thank yah thank yah thank yah!!!” She said, nuzzling the also excited yellow pony.
“Oh! I gotta tell sis! Wanna come with me?!” Brandy asked.
“I would, but there's stuff happening at the Fam house and I gotta be there soon. But I'll see you later, okie?”
“Okie! See yah!” Brandy said.
“Bai!” Lemon said as she trotted off.
Thirty minutes later, Bia smiled while pinning her sister down after relaying the news.
“Wait, really?” Niridia asked.
“Really really! We're gonna be Fam members!”
“And the leader is ok with this?”
“Yah mean CZ? Ahm sure he's fine with it. He's a nice fellow, even helped me find yah, remember?” Brandy explained.
“Ok.. if you say so. When would we move in?” Niridia asked.
“Whenever Lemon comes to get us. So we should get packin!” Bia said. “Ahm so excited! We get to move into a large house and make a bunch of friends together, sis! In Ponyvlle! That was the town we wanted, isn't it?”
“Yea, and with any luck, you could even rival the apple orchard with your own farm.” Niridia said.
“Let's not get too ambitious,” she said with a giggle, “they're way too big fer just me to compete.”
“I'm sure you could.”
“Ah appreciate the confidence in me, sis.” Bia got off of her sister and helped her up, “let's get packin. Knowing Lemon, she could pop in any second to take us to Ponyville.”
Niridia nodded, “alright, sis.”
They spent the rest of the day packing everything they could bring with them. After a good night sleep, Bia woke up with a yawn, stretching her hooves out. She sat up in her bed and looked out the window. After she saw that the sun had already risen nearly to the top of the sky, she looked in front of her where a yellow figure sat at the foot of her bed.
“You mumble countryisms in your sleep, you know.”
“Eek!” Brandy screeched.
Niridia ran into the room quickly and slammed the door open. “Bia! You alright?!” She quickly turned to see the yellow pony.
“Oh, hi, Niridia!”
“Oh, it's just you, Lemon.” She said after a sigh of relief.
“Yup! Just came by to see if you two were ready. Swil moved out last night so we can move you two in whenever!” Lemon explained.
“Yay!!” Bia was suddenly wide awake as she jumped out of bed, sending the yellow earth pony flying.
“Weeeeeeee!” Lemon cheered as she flew off the bed.
“Well, we have almost everything packed from last night. We could move in today if the Fam was alright with it.” Niridia said.
“Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine with it.” Lemon responded.
“Wait, they do know we’re moving in, right?” Niridia asked suspiciously.
“Of course! Cmon! Let's go!” Lemon said.
“Yeah, Niridia! Let's get goin!” Bia Brandy said as the two excited ponies skipped out of the room. Niridia, not as excited, but still happy, followed the energetic duo to get their stuff and move into the Fam house.
Later that day, Lemon walked into the Fam house and ran up to the blue Pegasus that carried a small, dark gray bat pony on his back.
“CZ! CZ!” She yelled as she came face to face with the pony, “oh, hi, Nova!”
“Aba!” The little toddler responded.
“What is it, Lemon? We're trying to figure something out right now.” CZ said, wanting Lemon to tell him what she was all excited about.
“Weeeeeeeell, you know how we have two spots in the Fam house now?!” She said.
“Yea, why?” CZ asked.
“Well.. come on in!” She yelled.
“Wait.. what are you-”
Before he could finish the sentence, Bia Brandy jumped into the house with excitement while Niridia hesitantly walked in.
“Howdy, CZ! Long time no see!” Bia greeted. She then gasped, “oh mah! This must be lil Nova!” She ran over to greet the infant, getting a squeak of glee from Nova.
“Yeah…”
“Hello, CZ. I believe we've met before.” Niridia walked up to shake hooves with CZ, who hesitantly took her up on the shake.
“Nice to see you again.. um.. hey Lemon? Can we talk in private?” CZ asked, putting Nova down.
“Sure!” Lemon responded.
“Here, Nova, keep them busy.” He said as he walked with Lemon into the other room.
“Yay! Play time!” Bia said as she rolled around with the happy infant.
“Bia.. I don't think he knew we'd be here..” Niridia said.
“What makes yah say that?”
Over in the other room…
“Lemon! What the hell?! You could've told me you invited them over!” CZ said, frustrated at the yellow pony.
“But I did! I told you I was looking for them to let them live here!” She defended.
“You said you were on a secret spy mission code word Biridia and Nrandy!”
“That meant finding them, duh!” Lemon said.
CZ let out a sigh, “ok.. we were going to use at least one of the rooms for Dani’s kids.”
“Wait, I thought they were staying with Racoon?” She said, confused.
“Lemon, Crimsons back. Her and Dani will take care of the kids.” CZ explained.
“Uh oh..”
“Uh-oh is right.” CZ said.
“So.. they can't.. live with us?” Lemon asked, her mood quickly turning to a depressed state.
“I.. ugh.. yes, they can. I'm not going to turn them down after all they've been through.” CZ said, making Lemon seem to glow again.
“Yay!!!”
“But we’ll still need to plan this out. I'll talk to them and talk to Dani.” CZ said.
“Thanks, CZ!” Lemon hugged him and rushed out of the room to give the sisters the good news.
From then, the Fam agreed to let them stay, even building a new section to the house to give everyone extra room. Brandy still lives with the fam, even getting her own farm near the house.
Despite everything that happened to her, losing her biological family, losing her sister, losing everything, Bia Brandy never ceased to enjoy every moment. While she cried and seemed depressed at some points, she always rebounded and found a way to get through life, and never gave up.
