> Classroom Changeling
>  by Someguy458
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: A Surprising Way To Start A School Week
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

I groaned, stirring from under my covers. It was once again 7 AM, Monday morning. Would today finally be a break from the norm?

"Rise and shine, Rove!"

Nope, there's my little sis, right on schedule.

I sat up and gave my best fake smile. "I'm up, Bea. What's for breakfast?"

She's practically bursting with excitement as she stands in my doorway, replying, "Bacon pancakes!"

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Alright, just give me a few minutes to get ready."

She nodded, before skipping back down the hallway.

I should probably introduce myself. My name is Rove Hummel (no middle name), and I'm 15 years old. I'm 5' 3", and have dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a cleft chin. I've lived here in Akron, Ohio for all my life with my sister Beatrice and our mom, Mazarine. I enjoy writing and collecting baseball cards, and thanks to both Bea and a friend, I'm peripherally aware of a certain show about magical ponies.

And, up until today, my life has been pretty much stuck on repeat. Every day is the same routine: Wake up, get ready, go to school, sit in class, get back home, and do whatever until I go back to sleep. What I wouldn't give for just ONE interesting week!

Well, it seems that fate had reached the same conclusion, as I was soon about to learn.





After I took a shower, I ducked into my closet and grabbed an outfit, pulling it on. A strange thrumming had begun in my head, but I dismissed it as it wasn't too bothersome.

Once properly dressed, I made my way to the kitchen, where Mazarine was serving up breakfast. "Good morning, Rove," she said in her usual chipper tone.

My Mom is an interesting woman. Born and raised in Grove City, she grew up decently comfortable. When she was in college (majoring in the culinary arts), she met my Dad, Halley, at a school football game. He'd accidentally fallen over the bleachers, and she helped him up. They got to know each other, and soon, they started dating, eventually getting married in Fall 2004.

Eventually, the 2005 draft came, and my Dad was assigned to head out to FOB Caldwell in Iraq. Five years later, he returned home, and they celebrated, having me in the process. And two years after that, Bea came as well.

Now, Mazarine works a sous-chef on the night shift at a three-star French restaurant downtown (running the place with a passion as fiery as her strawberry blond hair). Meanwhile, my dad has been drafted again, this time being posted at Camp Dwyer in Afghanistan.

"Morning, Mom," I greeted her in kind, sitting down next to Beatrice at the table. "So Bea, got anything planned for today?"

My sister Beatrice is now 13, and is just shy of 5'. She has bright blond hair, dimples, and attached earlobes, and she's very spunky. In fact, when she was little, she was so energetic that Mom likened her to a "busy little bee", hence her nickname.

She nodded, pulling out her phone. "Today's Cliché Day, so I'm gonna perform all the clichés I can!"

Yep, that's Beatrice alright. Ever since last year, she's been obsessed with giving each and every day its own holiday. Today was November 3rd, and according to a site she'd found on the internet, that meant it was Cliché Day.

That same site had also said it was Housewife's Day and Sandwich Day, but whatever; one person could only do so much in a day.

But regardless, it was one of the only constant sources of variety I had in my life, and I was all the happier for it. "How's that going for ya so far?"

"Great! I already did the 'sibling wakes up sibling' cliché, and I'm getting a headstart at lampshading!"

I chuckled. "Glad I could help with that first one."

Mazarine served my breakfast, a plate of bacon pancakes. "What about you, Rove? You have any plans for today?"





I shrugged, cutting up a piece of pancake. "Not much; just gonna go to school, hang out with Osmond, and that's about it."

Mazarine frowned. "Again?"

I nodded. "I know it's the same thing I've done all semester, but I can't really help it; none of the after-school activities interest me."

This wasn't strictly true; there was, after all, a writer's club. However, when I first tried to join, I discovered it to be filled with self-important ass-hats who treat everything they write as "high art", even though they're not actually all that good. That was enough to drive me away from joining, and their continued attendance has kept me away ever since.

Mom shrugged. "Alright, if you say so. Still, you really ought to get some more variety in your life."

"I'm trying, Mom," I rolled my eyes, idly scratching my scalp.





Not much else was said after that. We all finished our breakfast, before Bea and I packed our bags and headed out the door to walk to school.

As we walked, Bea looked around. The cold weather had recently arrived, but not the snow, so everything was looking particularly desaturated.

Her gaze turned to me, and she suddenly frowned. "Is it just me, or are your eyes... Blue-er?"

I paused, then whipped out my phone and opened the front-facing camera. I squinted at my image on the screen, then raised an eyebrow. "Huh, that's odd."

Bea suddenly gasped. "Ooh, I have a cliché for this!"

I looked at her in bemusement. "Alright, let's hear it."

She then moved her hands to her hips as she mocked, "I've got a baaad feeling about this!"

We both had a good chuckle at that.

But then I looked back at my phone, at the strange sight of my more saturated eyes. It was rather strange, wasn't it?

I shrugged as I put away my phone, my minor headache returning. It wasn't hurting me, after all.





Eventually, we reached my school. I waved her off as she continued to her own, and I walked into the front doors. Students bustled around the hallways, some chatting to each other, others going through their lockers, and a few headed off to places unknown.

And waiting right by the entrance was my best friend Osmond Bellamy. "What's up, Rove?"

Os was a stand-up guy, and my best friend since 3rd Grade. He was half Swedish on his mother's side and half Korean on his father's, had hazel eyes, muddy blonde hair that nearly fell down to his shoulders, attached ear lobes, and a rather slim build that still backed a bit of power behind it. He enjoyed occasional karaoke, and lived in the suburbs with his mom (his father had divorced her for some reason I wasn't privy to).

I waved back, "Not much, Os."

We exchanged a high five, then he looked over me. "Yo, what's up with your eyes?"

I shrugged, "I dunno, man; it sorta just happened."

He teased, "Maybe you're becoming a cartoon character or something."

I playfully elbowed him. "Yeah, right. The day that happens is the day I give up my cards."

We both exchanged chuckles at that. Like me, Osmond was a serious card collector, although his range expanded outside of just baseball cards. He had football cards, Pokémon cards, MLP cards, and even a few tarot cards. In fact, we'd originally met when I brought a baseball card for show and tell, and he came up to me afterward to talk about it.

Oh, that's right; Osmond is that Brony friend I mentioned. He jumped on right at the tail end of season 2, when these things called "Changelings" attacked the capital city. He'd shown me some pictures from time to time, and I had to admit, the Changelings looked rather cool for a show of its calibur.

After that exchange, we continued to banter as we casually strolled down the hall. The topics ranged from card collecting to bands we liked, and jokes were crammed in every chance we got.

"Hey, did you hear about Lily?" Osmond eventually asked.

I shook my head, unaware of the news about our third, more distant friend. "What about her?"

"She's been holed up in her house since Saturday. She still answers her phone, but she refuses to come in for school."

I blinked. "Okay, that's weird, even for her." She'd always been rather reserved, but not to this level.

"I know, right?" He shook his head. "I keep trying to ask her mom about it, but she won't give any straight answers. Seems really nervous, though."

"Well, maybe she—"

I flinched as my headache spiked momentarily. Osmond took notice and asked, "You okay, dude?"

I nodded, rubbing my temple. "Just got a bit of a headache."

Before Osmond could reply, the bell rang. "Wish I could help, but we need to get to class now. Hope you get better, dude!"

I nodded, waving as he hustled off to first period. Standing there, I pondered the situation. My eyes have turned brighter blue, Lily's gone AWOL, and I've got a continuous headache.

What's going on?

I shook my head. Whatever it was, it could wait until lunch.





Throughout the morning, I kept getting momentary spikes in my headache, each worse than the last. My shoulders also began to ache at some point, and I swore I could hear faint buzzing. But I had to power through and get through classes.

Then, during Biology, something happened.

I was sitting there, watching as Mr. Adler explained natural selection, when my headache flared up again, much more powerfully than last time. It was so intense, in fact, that I actually let out a grunt.

Then it flared up again, even more intensely. I staggered at the disorientation, then reeled at a third flare.

Only this time, the flare didn't stop.

I clutched my head as the splitting headache tore at me with all the force of a semi-truck. The pain in my shoulders also flared up, causing me to lean backwards in an attempt to counteract it. The headache caused a dizzy spell to hit me, making me nearly fall out of my chair, but I managed to stay on somehow.

But the strangest thing, which I wasn't quite aware of at the time, was that I was changing.

And I mean really changing!

My skin hardened and turned black; my hair thinned out and greyed, standing straight on end in a mohawk; a bent conical protrusion formed out from my forehead; my canines grew longer as my tongue forked at the end and my mouth extended out into a muzzle; my ears elongated and gained new joints; my hands and feet quickly lost their digits in favor of becoming hard nubs covered in holes; my arms and legs reshaped themselves into a horse's limbs; a wiry tail grew out from the base of my spine; two razor-sharp insectoid wings burst out of my back, tearing through my shirt; my entire body shrunk and reshaped itself; and, although nobody could see it, my eyes turned a solid blue, with a slightly lighter iris.

The entire class, whose attention I'd drawn by that point, stared in silent shock as the transformation completed, and the pain subsided, allowing me a moment to catch my breath.

After a moment of respite, I took inventory of myself, but immediately froze as soon as I saw my holey arm.

I recognized this arm.

I turned to look myself over again, confirming my suspicions.

I just became a Changeling.

Right in the middle of fucking Biology Class.



...I did ask for an interesting week, didn't I?
> Chapter 2: If You Have Time To Worry, Then Run!!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





I sat there for the longest of moments, staring at myself. It shouldn't— no, it COULDN'T be possible! That same black chitin; those hole-riddled legs; the tail, the muzzle, THE WINGS AND HORN!?

I just became a Changeling.

A FUCKING CHANGELING!

My breaths became shallow and quick as I tried to wrap my head around this bizzare turn of events.

Then a cough attracted my attention, and I paled.

Everyone in class, including the teacher, was staring at me with wide eyes and a strange purple glow around them (which I later learned was something only I could see).

My breaths became even quicker as my brain threatened to shut down. What just happened, WHY did this happen, and why NOW!? A dreadful feeling dropped like a cannonball in my gut.

A short moment of stunned silence passed.

Then one of the girls screamed, and the classroom was sent into utter chaos.

Papers flew as the students rushed to their feet, likely scared witless by the sight of me; Mr. Adler rushed towards his desk to grab something for defense; and I was frozen in my seat, trembling in fear. What was going to happen to me? Was there anything I could do, or was I helpless?

It was only when Mr. Adler obtained a pair of scissors that I managed to move.

I scrambled to my feet — or rather, my hooves — and leapt off the chair, straight out of my much-too-large-for-me clothes. Students rushed out of my way as I made a break for the door, tripping and stumbling over my new appendages. I reached it in no time, but quickly realized I had a problem; I couldn't open the door anymore.

Frantically, I tried to use my hooves to open the door, but they were far too smooth to acquire any purchase on the knob. I tried my teeth, but yelped out in pain as my new fangs clipped the knob. Finally, in one last desperate effort, I stupidly tried clawing at the door itself with my hooves.

That, of course, provided no such luck.

By that point, Mr. Adler had rounded his desk and was approaching me, scissors gripped tightly in one hand. I caught sight of the blades and immediately panicked, rushing towards the back of the classroom like an idiot.

Almost immediately, I was cornered.

I cowered as Mr. Adler closed in, a look of terror on his face. He raised the scissors, and I put my hooves over my head as I cried out, "Please!"

He froze in bewilderment, recognizing my voice even through the strange vocal effect. "R-Rove...?"

I trembled, not even looking up. "P-please, Mr. Adler, I'm too scared to die!"

His eyes widened as my voice confirmed his suspicions. He lowered his scissors slightly as he stuttered, "Wh-what happened to you...?"

I shook my head, tears of fright forming at the corners of my eyes. "I d-d-don't know!"

His face contorted to one of frightened concern. His initial reaction subsided, and he dropped the scissors. "Y-y-you don't?"

I nodded slightly, whimpering.

Mr. Adler slowly, very cautiously, crept forward. I cracked an eye open at the sound, and the sight of my strange new eye made him freeze for a bit.

Then, mustering up the courage he had, he knelt down and placed a hand on my cheek, lifting up my head to face his. He shivered at the feeling of my chitin, but powered through like a champ. "Rove, I... I-it's, uh..." He struggled to find anything to say, but came up blank.

I opened my other eye and stared at him, utter terror written on my face. "Wh-what's gonna happen to me, Mr. Adler?"

"I... I have no idea," he whispered, the concern now starting to overpower his fear, "but whatever this is... Whatever caused this... I'll do what I can to help."

Sniffling up some snot, I gave a hesitant smile. "Th-thank you..."

Then instinctively, I reached forward and gripped him in a hug. He froze initially, but after a moment of composure, he moved his hand to comfortingly stroke my head.

The sensation of him practically petting me was frighteningly comforting.

Eventually, I managed to pull myself out of the hug. Mr. Adler stood up and moved back to his desk, past the students who were all off to one side as if I were a wild animal. He grabbed the phone and dialed the main office.

"Mrs. Farvald, we've had a bit of an incident."

He then began to explain what happened as best he could while the rest of the class looked back towards me, some even pulling out their phones to take pictures. I, on the other hand, went back to staring at my arm.

My Changeling arm.





As soon as Mr. Adler finished, he walked back to me. "Alright, Mrs. Farvald has asked me to bring you down to the office, where you can wait for your Mom to pick you up. Do you, uh, think you'll be okay walking?"

I nodded shakily. "I... I think so..."

"Alright, let's get going."

He reached down to take my hoof, and he helped me up. It felt freaky, being able to remember how to move fingers but not actually having any to move anymore. 

As he helped me to the door (grabbing my backpack and clothes for me), he turned back to address the class. "Class is on pause until I get back. Don't do anything you'll regret."

With that, we entered the hallway. It was eerie, the stillness allowing my hoofsteps to echo down the corridors. We walked in silence for a moment, me getting accustomed to walking on all fours. It was weird; I used to be eye-level with Mr. Adler's shoulders, but now I came up to just under his waist (not counting my horn).

Eventually, Mr. Adler broke that silence. "So, erm... do you have any ideas of, uh, what you are now?"

I nodded. "I think... I think I might be a Changeling."

He blinked. "A Changeling?"

I explained, "From a TV show my friend likes."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's one hell of a coincidence..."

"i know..." I chuckled emptily.

A moment of silence passed, before he asked, "And, uh, how are you holding up?"

I shook my head. "I dunno... Just this morning, I was wishing for something interesting to happen, but this? I mean, look at me; I'm a bug-pony!"

Mr. Adler took a moment to look over me. "You have to admit, you do look rather cool, even with all those odd holes in your legs."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't ask to become one! I've just lost my humanity, and become a freak! You saw how the class reacted; heck, you saw how YOU reacted!"

He cringed, "Yeah, I'm sorry; I didn't actually see it happen, and I just kinda panicked..."

I lowered my head. "I don't blame you. I've become a monster..."

Mr. Adler gasped at my words. "You are not a monster! You are Rove Hummel, and you're still a person; you just... Have a new body."

I considered his words for a moment. "I suppose... Let's just hope they'll be able to see it, too."

We walked a few more paces before we rounded a corner, coming within sight of the office. Through the door, I could see the secretary, Mrs. Farvald. She took a glimpse out the door, then did a double-take when she saw me, eyes widening in confusion. I wilted at her gaze, but Mr. Adler kept me moving forward.

When we entered the office, she asked, "Mr. Adler, is that... Is that Rove?" He nodded, and she looked back at me. "You certainly weren't lying..."

I looked down at the floor, unwilling to make eye contact. "C-could you just call my Mom, please?"

She nodded, reaching for the receiver without taking her eyes off of me. "T-take a seat, please."

I moved to the waiting area and jumped up onto a chair, taking a moment to get as comfy as I could. Mr. Adler placed my backpack next to my chair, then draped my jacket over my back. It barely fit anymore, but that allowed some room for my wings.

Everything just felt so wrong.
> Chapter 3: You Can Always Come Home (Though You May Need A Disguise First)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As we waited there in the office, Mr. Adler pulled out his phone and began to do some research. At my suggestion, he looked up 'changeling' and almost immediately found a match. It was freaky how similar I looked to the illustration, except I was real. I was a real, live Changeling, just barely bordering on the outside of the uncanny valley.

Thanks to the internet, we also learned what exactly Changelings were (Osmond never really showed me much beyond pictures). If the article was to be believed, Changelings were shape-shifters (hence the name) that fed on love.

I'm not gonna lie: it was rather interesting, the prospect of being able to shape-shift and fly. I didn't like the 'feeding on love' bit, but it wasn't clear what the effects of that would be on a willing donor.

We then decided to talk for a while, trying to get my thoughts off of my predicament. At one point, a janitor walked in and nearly fainted, but with a quick explanation, he seemed... Well, the aura around him was now dark blue and purple instead of pure purple. I had absolutely no idea what it meant, but it was certainly something.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Farvald's purple aura had become speckled with dark magenta, while Mr. Adler's was the complete opposite (deep magenta with spots of purple).

Eventually, my phone rang from my coat pocket. I instinctively tried to retrieve it, but without hands, I had to get Mr. Adler's help.

He answered the call and turned it to speakerphone, where I heard my mom's voice. "Rove, I've just arrived. What happened?"

I looked to Mr. Adler for comfort, then spoke. "You really need to see it to believe it."

"Why does your voice sound weird?"

I sighed. "Just come here to the office, and you'll see what I mean."

Her voice was now laced with concern. "Why can't you come out here to me?"

Mr. Adler spoke up, "Mrs. Hummel, please just come inside."

"Tom? Tom Adler, is that you?"

"Yes, Mazarine, it's me; now please come inside."

She paused momentarily, before replying, "Okay..."

The call disconnected, and Mr. Adler placed my phone back into my pocket.

That next minute was one of the most stressful of my life. What was she gonna think when she saw me? Would she freak out and attack me, like Mr. Adler did? Would she refuse to believe it? Would she just run away, leaving me all alone?

Finally, Mazarine rounded the same corner we did just a little while ago. From her position, she could only see Mr. Adler and Mrs. Farvald, so she immediately picked up the pace. "Mr. Adler, what happened? Where's my—"

Then she finally caught sight of me and froze, her hands clasped over her mouth. I looked off to the side, not having the courage to look her in the eye.

Mr. Adler placed a hand on my back and began, "Mrs. Hummel, let me explain—"

But he was suddenly interrupted by something neither of us had expected: she rushed up and hugged me. "Rove, is that really you?"

I was taken aback by her action, only managing to stutter out a weak, "Y-yeah..."

She tightened her grip on me, her purple aura gaining dark magenta and pink streaks. "Oh, my poor boy, what happened?"

"I... I don't know..." I stammered. "I was just sitting in class, then I got this h-headache, and.. and..."

I couldn't keep it together; I began to openly cry into my mother's shoulder. "I'm so scared, Mom... What's gonna happen to me now?"

She broke the hug to look me straight in the eye. "I'll tell you what's gonna happen: I'm gonna take you home, and we're gonna try and figure out how to fix this."

I whimpered. "A-and if we c-c-can't...?"

She smiled warmly. "Then you'll still be my son."

I gave a hesitant smile back, and we resumed our hug.

Mr. Adler waited until we finished before he spoke up again. "Alright, if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to come to me. I may not know how this happened, but I'll use my skills to help as much as I can."

Mazarine nodded. "Thank you, Tom."

With that, she picked me up into her arms and began to carry me outside. It'd been so long since she was able to carry me, I'd forgotten just how comforting it could be. Her arms were like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night, her heartbeat a voice that told me I wasn't alone, and that everything would be alright.









She managed to get me to the car without attracting any attention from passerby, placing me into the passenger's seat and buckling me in.

Once we pulled out of our parking spot, I just had to ask, "I thought you would've freaked out more."

She instantly replied, "Of course I'm concerned, Rove. You've suddenly become something from that cartoon that Bea watches, and we have no idea what to do about it."

I blinked, then mentally slapped myself. Of course she'd know what a Changeling is; she was often in the same room as Bea while she watched that show.

She asked, "Does it hurt at all?"

I shook my head. "Surprisingly, no. It may just be the shock of the whole thing, but I only feel slightly sore."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear..."

Then she added, "How about mentally? Are you holding up okay?"

I sighed. "It was freaky at first, but now I'm just kinda numb to it. I'm more concerned about how everyone else is gonna react..."

She nodded. "I can only imagine..."

We fell into an awkward silence for a while. I decided to turn on the radio, thankful that the knob had notches to grip my hoof on.

If I was gonna be like this for any longer, I'd have to find a workaround for not having hands.





We pulled into our driveway about seven minutes later. Mazarine checked our surroundings, then groaned when she realized one of our neighbors was outside, tending to her garden. "Alright, we're gonna have to be sneaky about this..."

She reached into the glove compartment and retrieved some wired earbuds. She tied the earbuds into a loop, making something that'd hopefully look like a leash from a distance. I pulled up my hood, and she draped the makeshift leash around my neck. "Act dog-like," she whispered before she opened her door and stepped out.

I hopped over the divider and followed her out, being careful to make sure none of my body became visible from under the coat. We began to make our way towards the front door.

"Good morning, Mazarine!"

We both froze, and Mazarine turned to see our neighbor waving at us. "Hello, Ms. Finch," she replied cautiously.

The sweet old lady looked down, spotting my covered form. "Is that some kind of dog?"

My mom, to her credit, replied quickly. "Yep, I thought it'd be good for the kids to have a little companion around. He's rather shy right now, but I'm sure he'll grow to love them."

She nodded. "That's so sweet. What breed?"

My mom froze, not versed in dog breeds at all. "I don't exactly know."

Ms. Finch stood up from her position at the edge of her garden. "Well, maybe I'd know."

Mazarine quickly objected, "He's really shy, especially around strangers. I only just about got him to come out of his shell."

Despite the circumstances, I had to hold back a snicker at that.

She seemed torn, but eventually backed off. "Alright, if you insist. But once he's grown more accustomed to others, you simply must bring him over; I'm sure he'd love Saffron."

My mom nodded, well aware that Saffron was Ms. Finch's golden retriever. "Sure, can do."

With that, she waved as we continued to the door.

As soon as we made it inside, I collapsed out of relief. "That was so close..." I breathed.

Mazarine looked torn, her aura a light grey. "It didn't feel good, lying to Ms. Finch like that..."

I wilted. "I know, but..."

I wanted to comfort my mom like she'd comforted me. I wanted to say this was only temporary, that we'd fix this so we wouldn't have to lie to anyone else.

But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. "...nevermind."

She breathed, putting that to the back of her mind. Her aura shifted to one of indigo splotched with orange. "Alright, we've gotten home; now what?"

I pondered for a moment, taking off my coat. She stared at me momentarily, making me realize that she hadn't yet seen my wings. I looked back, my neck much more flexible than before, and concentrated on my wings. After a moment of mental searching, one of them twitched.

Progress had been made.
> Chapter 4: Fly On The Wall (And On Social Media, Too)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours passed without a single word being spoken; we were too deep into our tasks. She was making a priority list of people to tell, while I was doing research on the family computer (I had to be careful about it, but thankfully, I was still able to use my hooves to press the keys and move the mouse).

That research? Watch any episodes of My Little Pony pertaining to Changelings, and observe them. Through this method, I learned quite a few things, including:

1. They could be INCREDIBLY creepy when they wanted to.
2. They could walk across walls (not gonna lie, that had me excited).
3. They could shape-shift into just about anything, even inanimate objects.

Alright, now that I had a good idea of what I could do, all I had to do was figure out how to do it myself.

But a rumble in my stomach alerted me to a more pressing matter — something I'd been dreading since I learned what Changelings ate.

I hesitantly walked out to the kitchen, where Mazarine was poring over the list. She looked up and began, "Alright, Rove, I've got a basic list down; is there anyone else you'd like to—"

"M-mom, I'm hungry," I stammered.

She blinked. "Well, why didn't you say so? What do Changelings eat, again?"

I gulped. "L-l-love..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Love?"

I nodded, wilting uncomfortably.

Her expression softened. "Are you worried it'll hurt me?"

I nervously nodded, eyes glued to the floor.

She smiled. "Don't be. Even if it does, I'l gladly let you."

I blinked. "R-really?"

In response, she got out of her chair, knelt down, and gave me a warm hug, her aura turning bright pink. Brand new instincts quickly took over, and I found myself inhaling some of that aura. It was incredibly sweet, like chocolate-covered strawberries.

Finally, I stopped, satisfied. To my relief, her aura barely seemed depleted. "Th-thank you," I smiled weakly.

She returned that smile at full force. "I always have love to spare for you."

Mazarine continued to hug me for a moment before she went back to her list. "So, is there anyone specific you want to tell about this as soon as you can?"

I thought for a moment, then replied, "Osmond and Lily. And, uh... I'd like to tell them today, if at all possible."

She nodded in response, writing them down.





I was sitting in my room, further testing my wings, when the front door opened. "Mom, I'm home!" Bea's voice caused me to lock up out of fear.

It was time.

I heard Mazarine's voice, serious as she began: "Bea, something happened earlier."

Bea paused. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"It's nothing like that," our mom clarified. "Something happened to Rove."

She didn't need to say anything else; the sound of quick footsteps rapidly approached my room, signalling Bea's approach. I cringed as my sister appeared in the doorway and immediately froze up at the sight of me.

"H-hey, Bea..." I smiled awkwardly.

If it were at all possible, Bea's eyes grew even wider. "R-Rove?"

I nodded hesitantly.

She stood there, frozen for a moment, before she slapped herself in the face. She shook off the impact, looked back at me, and gasped. "I'm not dreaming..."

I chuckled a bit. "The lack of rainbows didn't give that away?"

She gave out a snort of amusement. "Glad to see your sense of humor's still intact."

I shrugged. "It took a bit of adjustment, but it certainly appears to be back now."

She approached me, looking me over. "So, uh, how did this all happen?"

I shook my head, "Absolutely no idea."

She gasped. "Wait, is this why your eyes were so blue this morning?!"

I blinked. "How did I not register that until now?"

She giggled a bit to herself, before taking a good look around my new body. "How are you feeling about this?"

"I wasn't too thrilled at first, but after learning what Changelings can do, I have to admit that this may not be all bad."

She smiled, "That's the spirit."

Then she seemed to have an idea. "So, can you use your magic yet?" I shook my head, and she deflated a bit. "How about your wings?" I twitched my wings, and she nodded. "Have you tried walking on walls?"

I paused. "It shouldn't be too hard, right?"

She shrugged, "Only one way to find out."

I turned to face the nearest wall, and took a deep breath. Reaching out with my hoof, I placed it completely flat against the wall.

It didn't work.

At first.

But once I began to picture the act itself, I found myself sticking to the wall like a suction cup (except not actually, because of all the holes in my hoof). I blinked, then placed my second hoof higher onto the wall. When it stuck, I lifted a back hoof and planted it onto the wall.

My sister watched in nervous excitement as I psyched myself up before finally lifting my last hoof off the floor.

I stuck.

I could hardly believe it; I was standing on my wall! Granted, I could still feel gravity trying to pull me towards the ground, but I was seriously, legitimately standing horizontally!

"You're doing it!" Bea exclaimed, clapping. "You're really doing it!"

I chuckled, "I am, aren't I?!" I carefully began to inch my way up the wall. It took some effort to pry each hoof off the wall without having the others come off as well, but I steadily made progress upwards.

"What's with all the—" Mazarine came into the room, drawn in by Bea's excited cheering, but gave pause when she saw what I was doing.

I craned my neck to look to her, grinning like an idiot. "Look at me! I'm—"

But in my excitement, I lost my focus and came off the wall, falling to my rump. "Ow..."

"That was awesome!" Bea was hopping up and down out of excitement.

Even with my flanks sore, I chuckled. "Yeah, it was exhilarating!"

"Aw man, I'm so jealous right now! If we figure out how this happened, do you think I could become a Changeling, too?"

I frowned. "That's not something you should take so lightly, Bea; this isn't all sunshine and roses."

She groaned, but didn't argue. "So, do you think you can make it to the ceiling?"

I stood back up, sizing up the room. "It might take me all day, but I should be able to do it."

Mazarine smiled, thankful that our spirits were lifted (even if temporarily), and left to get back to her list.





Eventually, she returned.  "I've contacted Mrs. Bellamy, and she's agreed to bring Osmond over. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

I nodded from my perch on the wall, still feeling slightly nervous. "He's my best friend, and he already likes MLP. Besides, I'll have to tell him eventually."

She nodded, something still clearly weighing on her mind. "If you say so..."

I wanted to ask what was on her mind, but I already knew fully well what it was. "Still thinking about what happened with Ms. Finch earlier?"

She flinched, then nodded. "It didn't feel right to lie to her like that, especially with how willing you are to show Osmond."

Now that I wasn't as tense, I was able to find my words. "It's only temporary. Hopefully, we'll be able to stop lying before long. Besides, Ms. Finch is just an acquaintance, while Osmond is my best friend."

She seemed at least placated at that, nodding slightly before leaving.

Bea looked at me and asked, "What happened with Ms. Finch?"





Eventually, the time came. I heard their car pull up, Osmond left the vehicle, and the car drove away. He gave three sharp knocks, and Mazarine answered. "Glad you could make it, Osmond."

"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Hummel. You said something happened to Rove?"

She silently stepped aside, allowing the bend that led to the hallway to come into view.

And standing there, peeking around the corner, was me.

His eyes widened. "Wait, that was you?!"

I blinked, honestly not expecting that at all. "You- wha!?"

In response, he pulled out his phone and opened a social media site. After a moment of searching, he held the phone to face me, displaying a picture of me.

Me as a Changeling, that is.
> Chapter 5: The Smell Of Burning Flowers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh," was all I could mutter as I stared at Osmond's phone screen. There, sitting at a comfortable 27,000 views, was a collection of pictures of me — as a Changeling — lying on the floor of the school, staring at my own hoof with a mortified look on my face. Through the craziness of today, I'd completely forgotten that several students had pulled out their phones.

"This thing's practically blowing up!" He exclaimed, turning the phone back to face himself. " 'Classmate just turned into a Changeling, WTF #ClassroomChangeling'. And that's just one of the posts!"

I groaned, sinking to the ground. "So basically, this is already public knowledge, whether I like it or not?"

He nodded, "Yup."

I placed my hooves onto my head. Great, this was exactly what we DIDN'T want.

He then spoke up, "Though most of the comments seem sympathetic."

I blinked. "Wha?"

He approached me, scrolling down to the comments section. Indeed, the majority of the comments were something like "He looks so scared" or "I just wanna give him a hug". Of course, there were still the usual trolls, sceptics, and conservatives, but it really did seem like the majority of people, once they got over the initial shock, were —

Suddenly, Osmond's phone started to ring. He looked at the screen, blinking. "It's Lily," he stated, answering the call. "Hello? ...Yes, I've seen it... It's actually Rove..."

As the person on the other end spoke, his eyes widened. "...Really? You're asking us to?! ....alright, we'll be over in a bit."

He hung up, then turned to address me. "Lily just asked us to come over, and quickly."

I did a double-take. "She did? But didn't you say she's been holed up in her house since Saturday?"

He shrugged. "She said she'd explain there; it sounds urgent."

I looked pleadingly to Mazarine, who'd been off to one side while we talked. She smiled, "Alright, I'll drive you there."

I grinned, rushing up to give her legs a hug. "Thanks, Mom."





Thankfully, Ms. Finch wasn't outside this time, so Osmond, Mazarine, and I were able to get into the car without any hassle. Bea opted to stay home, since she didn't know Lily.

During the ride, I asked, "What do you think she wants?"

Osmond shrugged. "I'd guess, but I don't wanna jinx it."

I nodded, "Yeah, that's probably smart."

A moment of silence passed.

"So..." he finally began, "You're a Changeling now, huh?"

"Yup."

He observed, "You seem rather calm about this."

I shrugged. "I guess so. On one hoof, there's all the benefits of being a shape-shifting bug; on the other hand, there's still that lingering sense of loss of my humanity."

He pointed out, "If you figure out how to shape-shift, you could just turn back into a human."

I sighed. "I know, but I'd still know I'm not really human."

Osmond nodded, "Yeah, that's true..."

I lowered my head. "I want to be okay with this, I really do... My mind keeps trying to convince me that my life could be better if I embrace this change. Am I better this way, or is that just my reeling mind trying to cope?"

For the longest of moments, Osmond sat there, absorbing what I'd said.

Then he smiled. "Well, no matter what you decide, I'll be there for you. I'm not your friend because of how you look; I like being your friend because you're a great guy."

I stared at him, eyes misting over. "Y-you really mean that?"

He leaned over, extending out his arms for a hug that I gladly accepted. His aura was orange with just the barest hint of pink.









We spent the rest of the car ride talking about various things, trying to get my mind off of my predicament. By the time we arrived, we were laughing and bantering, as if nothing were wrong.

"Sorry to cut your conversation short, but we're here," Mazarine pointed out.

I looked forward, taking in the neighborhood. Truth be told, I hadn't actually been to Lily's house before. Even so, it was exactly how I'd imagined: not too attention-drawing, while still being pretty in its own right.

I decided to just get straight out of the car this time. Since I was already all over social media, it didn't make much sense to try and hide myself. Osmond and Mazarine got out as well, and we all approached the door.

But before we could even get to the door, it opened to reveal Lily's mother, Mrs. Brantley. She seemed rather frayed, as if she hadn't slept all weekend.

As I'd soon learn, that may very well have been the case.

She took one look at me, nodded in acknowledgement, then shouted back into the house, "Lily, your friends are here!"

"Bring them inside!" Lily's voice called back.

Mrs. Brantley turned back to us. "If you'll follow me," she stated, then backed into the house. We all looked at each other nervously, then stepped inside.

The room we entered was a nice enough living room, furnished with two sofas, an armchair, and a table that overlooked a small television. It also faintly smelled like ash, though that was easily explained by the ashtray on the table (although one thing I failed to notice was that the ashtray was brand-new).

I began the conversation, "Nice place you got here, Mrs. Brantley."

She smiled, but her aura was still indigo. "Thank you... Rove, is it?"

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm assuming you're wondering what I am?" She nodded hesitantly, and I gave her a good-natured smile. "Yeah, I'm not fully used to it, either."

Mrs. Brantley chuckled awkwardly. "Neither is Lily..."

Osmond raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

She shook her head, "It'd be better if she told you herself."

Osmond and I exchanged a nervous look. That didn't sound good...

Mrs. Brantley turned towards a nearby hallway. "You ready, Lily?"

Her anxious voice came around the corner, "Ready as I'll ever be..."

I began to ask, "Ready for whaaaaaaaaaaa....?"

Then I trailed off, completely dumbstruck as Lily eked around the corner.

Or rather, a dragon in Lily's clothing.

Her green eyes housed thin pupils like a lizard's; her reddish-orange hair had carried over to her main scale color, with a very desaturated chartreuse for the underbelly; a row of dark maroon scales ran lengthwise down her spine, ending in a sharp arrowhead on the tip of her tail; two horns matching the underbelly's tone curved down from her ears; and, in the most eye-catching part of it all, two folded, reptilian wings poked out through special holes in the modified shirt she wore.

Neither Osmond or I could say anything for the longest of moments, as we stared at the being our friend had become. She shifted uncomfortably under our gazes, clearly abashed.

Finally, Osmond broke the silence: "Okay, now I'm jealous."

Both Lily and I stared at him as though he were crazy.

He just shrugged, "What? You have to admit, she looks cool!"

She took a step back, blushing profusely. "Y-you really think so?" When he nodded, she smiled benignly. "Thank you, Os; you have no idea how disconcerting this has all been..."

I piped up, "I may have an idea, though."

She looked at me, her smile dropping. "I can hardly believe it happened to you, too..."

I pshawed, "Hey, look on the bright side; at least you still have hands." To emphasize my point, I held up a hoof.

She grimaced. "Right..."

Osmond, being the great guy that he is, decided to deflect the conversation and break up the tension. "So, is this why you've been holed up in here all weekend?"

Lily blushed. "I changed on Saturday, and we've been trying to figure it out ever since."

I frowned. "No such luck, I presume?"

She shook her head sadly.

I... I didn't know how to feel about that. My reasons have already been stated, so I'll refrain from repeating myself.

Although now, I should probably add 'Lily is clearly uncomfortable' to the 'Cons' list.
> Chapter 6: Pros and Cons of Being a Changeling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the longest time, the three of us sat in Lily's room, unable to think of anything to say. I was twitching my wings; Osmond was writing something on a piece of paper; and Lily was half-heartedly sorting through her secret leaf collection.

I should probably explain. Lily used to be bullied — and I mean really bullied — for her fascination with botany. In fact, I don't think there was a single bully that didn't go after her at least once. It was only when we started standing up for her that the bullying finally started to let up, and she began to actually feel comfortable. Even so, the bullying never entirely went away, and I fully admit that we should've been a lot closer than we actually were.

Finally, Osmond finished what he was doing, and looked up. "Alright, I've started a list of pros and cons regarding this situation."

I raised an eyebrow. "You did? Why?"

"To lift you out of the dumps and get you thinking critically about this."

I looked to Lily, who was just as curious as I was. "Alright, I'll bite; what'd you put on it so far?"

He regarded the list, clearing his throat. "Pro: You can both fly now."

Lily seemed surprised, as if she hadn't fully considered it. She looked over her shoulder and flexed one of her wings, already holding more control over hers than I had over mine. "That's true..."

He nodded, then continued. "Con: You'll need time to relearn your new bodies."

I nodded, "I've already fed on love once." When Os raised an eyebrow, I clarified, "My Mom willingly gave it."

"Ah," he mouthed, then turned back to his list. "Pro: you both have magic in some form."

Lily blinked. "How do I have magic?"

"There's a dragon in MLP that can send and receive letters with his fire breath. You may have that power, too."

She raised an eyebrow, then grabbed a blank piece of paper from her desk. She wrote something on it, then rolled it up and held it in front of her muzzle. After a moment of concentration, she was able to breathe out a small burst of fire, and the paper was, indeed, whisked away by it.

A moment later, a trail of smoke coalesced next to my head, bringing the (now slightly burnt) paper back into the world. I gawked at the feat, totally not-at-all jealous that she'd figured out magic before me.

For those curious, the paper said "This is a test".

Os nodded. "Seems my hunch was right. So, back to the list...

"Con: Until the world grows to accept it, you'll be alienated from your peers."

Lily's face sunk. "I can live with that; it's not like I wasn't used to that before..."

Os frowned. "Don't say that, Lily! Y—"

"It's true, though!" She snapped back, instinctively baring her teeth. "If I was bullied for my love of botany, then I'll be bullied for being a scaly, cold-blooded monster!"

I couldn't sit back anymore; I retaliated, "But you're a dragon! You're a mythical. Fucking. Beast! Do you know how many people would give anything to be in your position right now, to spend even one day as a dragon? If anyone gives you trouble for being cool, then they can just go suck it!"

She stared at me for a while, letting that soak in.

Then she asked, "Rove, are you saying you'd want to be a dragon?"

I blushed. "Th-that wasn't what I — It depends on— I-I...."

They both looked at me with mischievous smirks, knowing they had me cornered.

Finally, I lowered my head. "Y-yes, I would."

They both chuckled at that. "You know," Osmond pointed, "When you figure out how to shape-shift, you could just turn into a dragon..."

I retorted, "I don't even know how to use my magic yet!"

Suddenly, he seemed to get an idea. He picked up his pencil and shouted, "Catch!"

I was barely able to ask "Catch what?" before I registered that the pencil was sailing straight towards my head. I braced myself for the impact...

But it never came. I cracked open an eye to see why not, then did a double-take at what I saw.

The pencil was floating. It was glowing green, and floating.





Of course, the moment I realized this, the connection broke and the pencil fell to the floor. But it still happened; I just used magic! Fucking MAGIC!

I was almost beside myself, unable to speak for the longest time. Lily, on the other hand, was able to mutter "Holy crap..."

When I finally regained my voice, I stared at him in bewilderment. "How did you... How'd you know that'd work!?"

He smirked, "Saw it in a movie once."

I nodded, still astonished that it'd actually worked.





For the next half hour, I sat there, practicing my magic on the pencil. Focusing back on the feeling my horn had felt, I was easily able to get a grip on summoning forth the magic itself.

Actually directing that magic willingly, on the other hoof, was the tricky part.

I managed to accidentally tear off the eraser, grab the handle of a dresser that was on the other side of the room, and I even had smoke start coming out of my horn at one point.

Then, Os suggested something. "Maybe you're overthinking it? Try simply imagining yourself lifting the pencil."

I blinked, then took a deep breath. My horn lit up after a moment of effort, then I released the breath. The pencil was slowly surrounded by a lime-green aura, shimmering and shifting like a liquid. I pictured the pencil hovering off the table, and after a moment, the pencil began to shake.

Os's eyes widened. "Holy crap, it's actually working..."

The pencil slowly and very shakily began to levitate.

Lily was awestruck. "You're doing it! Rove, you're actually doing it!"

I didn't respond; I was too focused on the pencil. It reached 3 inches, then it unsteadily floated there.

Why'd it stop? I blinked, then began to focus even harder on the pencil. It became even more shaky, but it slowly resumed its trek upwards.

"Uh, Rove?"

Now it was 7 inches off the table, and I was pouring a considerable amount of effort into bringing it higher. The pencil's oscillations became faster and faster, but it kept inching its way upwards. I just wanted — no, I needed to know how high I could—

"Rove!"

Lily grabbed my shoulders, startling me and breaking my concentration. My magic flared in surprise, and the pencil shot straight up, lodging its tip into the soft ceiling.

I breathed heavily to get my heartbeat back under control as Os knelt down next to me. "Are you okay, Rove? You kinda zoned out there for a second."

I gave a hesitant smile. "Y-yeah, just got a bit too focused."

"Alright, just make sure you don't strain yourself. You look like you just ran a marathon."

I nodded, "Can do."

He smiled, then stood back up. Lily held me for a moment until I could get my breathing back under control, then she stood as well.

I, meanwhile, was kinda worried. What just happened to me? I just wanted to see if I could do magic at all, so why'd I get so obsessed with seeing how far I could go? Was it something to do with this new body? Maybe Mr. Adler could explain?

My stomach growled again, snapping me out of my thoughts. Whatever it was, it could wait until after dinner.
> Chapter 7: This May Be Bigger Than We Thought...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

7 AM, Tuesday morning. I quickly sat up, doing a check on myself.

Still a Changeling. There went any hope of this being a dream.

I groaned, swinging my legs off the side of the bed and dropping down on all fours. With a small bit of effort, I lit my horn and pulled open a dresser.

Then Bea came in. "Rise and— oh, you're already awake?"

I grunted half-heartedly, "Uh-huh."

She nodded, unsure of how to process this break in routine. "Well, okay... I'll, uh, be in the kitchen, then..."

With that, she left me to get ready.





After I realized that none of my shirts fit me anymore, I went to the bathroom (which was an experience I refuse to go into detail about) and headed out to the kitchen for breakfast. We weren't up for talking that morning, so we instead listened to the news on the radio as we ate breakfast. They covered some political events, a report on a recent spike in solar flares, and a fluff piece about a kitten that was rescued from a tree.

Once that was done, I packed my backpack before joining Bea on our walk towards school. Clouds were starting to gather, threatening to cover the city in gloom.

"So," she began, "what do you plan to do now that you're..."

"Not human anymore? I don't know," I admitted, shaking my head. "No offense to Mr. Adler, but I'm not sure how much help he'd actually be able to give me."

Bea nodded slowly, seemingly staring off in a random direction.

"I mean, he knows next to nothing about this, and —"

"Uh, Rove? You might want to look around."

I blinked, then stared at her. "What do you mean, Bea?"

"Just look around and tell me what you see," she stated evenly, eyes widened and aura purple.

I casually did a once-over of the surrounding area, then froze dead in my tracks. "What the hell...?"

Most of what we were seeing was normal; some cars drove along the roads, a few people were out and about, and I could even see some wild birds and squirrels.

But what caught our attention was the sudden increase in non-humans.

A unicorn was warily walking next to an older woman; I could see a Changeling's distinctive eyes peeking out from behind someone's curtains; and there was even a dragon out jogging.

Bea and I were flummoxed. We exchanged a glance, silently deciding to go up to one of them and ask, then approached the unicorn.

She took one look at me and let out a breath. "You too, huh?"

I nodded. "What's going on? When did you lot change?"

The unicorn sighed. "I don't know about the rest of them, but I changed on Sunday. I just woke up, and *bam*— I'm a pony now."

The woman walking with her added, "I only just convinced her to come outside again."

"When'd you change?" the unicorn asked sympathetically.

"Just yesterday," I replied.

The woman seemed to realize something at that. "Wait, yesterday? Were you the Changeling that was all over social media?" I nodded, and she gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry! That must've been so frightening, having this be publicly spread across the Internet like that..."

I shrugged, "It's okay; I can't control what other people do with their phones."

The unicorn smiled sheepishly. "If it makes you feel any better, seeing the response to those posts was actually what gave me enough confidence to come outside today."

I blinked. "Really?" She nodded, and I couldn't help but smile a bit. "Well, at least some good came out of this..."





The 'people-turned-non-human' situation only became more apparent as we reached my school. Now, I could see some pegasi, some earth ponies, a dragon or two, and even a griffon, all mixed into the regular student populous. There was even a cop or two scattered around, trying their best to keep the peace.

I gave Bea a worried look, a thought crossing my mind. "You don't think we're ALL going to change, do you?"

Bea seemed to share my thought. "We'd better hope not..."

But just in case, I looked over Bea as she was for what could be the final time. Then I reared up onto my hind legs and gave her a hug, and we split up once more.

I had to push myself to keep walking into the building, being met with odd glances as I walked by. Thankfully, their reactions were tempered by the influx of cartoon-ified people, so I didn't get much more than a slight flinch directed at me.

Then Osmond approached, looking just as confused as I felt. "Rove, are you seeing this!?"

I nodded, relieved to find a familiar face. "I know, right? Lily and I aren't the only ones!"

"Speaking of her," Os continued with a frown, "she's still holed up in her house."

Well, darn. I was really hoping that she'd be able to muster the courage to come back outside after seeing me, but I guess not. I just had to hope that—

Suddenly, Os flinched, grasping his head. I stepped forward and asked, "You okay?"

He tried to shrug it off by saying, "Yeah, it's just a headache," but that only confirmed my worst fear.

He was about to move on, when another headache struck.

Then another.

And then he transformed.

His stature completely changed into that of a pony's, tearing his clothes off in the process; his skin grew short brown fur; his ears distorted and shifted to the top of his head; he gained a muddy blonde tail as well as two wings; and his face elongated into a muzzle.

But what really surprised me were the ADDITIONAL changes: his teeth sharpened; his ears were fluffier than usual; and instead of ordinary pegasus wings, he had the leathery wings of a bat.

Os, now a thestral, took a moment to recompose himself before getting up from the ground and opening his new, pumpkin-orange, cat-like eyes. "I just transformed, didn't I?" he deadpanned.

I could only nod dumbly in response.

Os took a moment to look himself over, taking in his new body, but froze when he peeked down his barrel. I could practically hear cylinders misfire in his brain as he processed what he saw, before finally stating:

"Fuck, I think I'm a girl now."
> Chapter 8: Osmond Has A Few Thoughts About This
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stood there, frozen in shock for what felt like hours. My best friend Osmond just transformed into a bat-pony hybrid right in front of my eyes.

And apparently, he was a girl now.

Despite everything, some tiny part of my mind found this darkly absurd.

Os, meanwhile, was thoroughly shaken. The distant, glazed look in his (or is that 'her' now?) eyes told me he was lost deep in thought.

Then he screamed. "NO!!"

I jumped at his sudden increase in volume. Some of the nearby students who hadn't taken notice now had, and were staring as Os began to freak out.

He pushed himself up from his position on the floor, sitting on his haunches and subconsciously moving his tail into a position to obscure any compromising features. He sat there for a while, wide eyes looking down at his shaking hooves.

"Os?" I asked cautiously (eliciting a few gasps from the onlookers as they realized his identity). "Are you okay?"

He shook his head, not once taking his eyes off of himself. "I... This can't be..."

That settled it; I decided to do something. I turned towards the crowd and stated rather than asked, "Alright, people, don't you have classes to get to?"

Some students mumbled something, and a few actually began to leave, but the majority were still fixated on my friend.

Still, I stood my ground. "That was a hint, y'know. You're not making him feel any better by staring!"

That got the students to become self-conscious of what they were doing. Most of them shuffled off with apologetic looks; the ones who didn't went back to what they were doing beforehand.

I turned back to Os. "Is that better?"

He half-heartedly nodded, managing to look at me and give me a weak, fanged smile.

Then his eyes drifted downwards again. "Why...? Why'd this happen?"

I shook my head, "I don't —"

"I wasn't ready yet."

What?

I stared at him for a moment, brain reeling at what he'd just said. "Ready for what?"

He flinched, unable to look me in the eyes for a moment. Then, in a soft whisper, he mused, "I always was more comfortable around girls..."

My brain misfired, then crashed entirely. "O-Os...?" I stuttered with a great effort. "Are you...?"

A bright blush played across her face as she nodded. "I didn't want to come out with it yet, but yeah."

I sat there, shocked to my very core. The friend I'd known since elementary school... wanted to be a she?

Don't get me wrong: I'm perfectly fine with that kind of thing. It's your preference, and I have no say in it. But in this case, I'd known Os for so long that a secret of this magnitude collided with my perception of her like a bicycle into a freight train.

"I, uh..." I muttered, barely cognizant. "I didn't r-realize..."

She looked up at me with distressed eyes. "I'm sorry... I'll just leave now, if you—"

"Now hold on a second!" I snapped, coming somewhat back to my senses. "What makes you think I'd want that?"

She paused. "Y-you're obviously upset, a-and mad, and you probably hate me for keeping this to myself, a-and..."

I shook my head. "Os, I don't hate you! Sure, this is a lot to take in at once, but I wouldn't stop being friends with you!"

Os, for once, was speechless. She looked at me, as if searching for any sort of deception, and I knew I had to do something.

So, stowing my mental breakdown for later, I lunged forward and hugged her.

She was understandably surprised. "R-Rove...?"

I smiled, "I don't care if you're a boy, a girl, or even a cheese sandwich; I'm here for you no matter what."

After another moment of hesitation, Os returned the hug. We sat there for a while, no doubt eliciting some stares from passerby, but I didn't particularly care.





Eventually, though, we parted the hug. As I let go, I got a good look at her aura. A large part of it was baby blue, with additional wisps of indigo and orange, and—

Wait a second, what's with the trace amounts of pink?

Before I could pursue that thought any further, the bell rang, reminding me that we were still in school. "Looks like class is about to start," I pointed out.

Os deflated slightly, the indigo replacing the baby blue as the dominant color. "Right, I almost completely forgot about that."

"Honestly, so did I."

She chuckled dryly, then stood up and steeled herself. "Well, here goes nothing..."

With that, she unsteadily began to walk down the hallway, leaving me behind.

I took a quick moment to ponder the situation. Osmond turned into a thestral? That much I can handle. Os identifies as a girl? It'll take some getting used to, but I'm certainly not opposed to it.

But why did her aura have pink in it?
> Chapter 9: Back to School
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stood outside the door to my first class of the day — Algebra — and gathered up my nerves. What would happen when I walked in? So much was possible, I couldn't even begin to comprehend what might be the most likely scenario.

'This must be how Lily feels every day,' I realized, a pang of sympathy for her ringing in my head.

Eventually, I took a deep breath, and stepped in before my brain could refuse.

The classroom was oddly quiet; hardly anyone was talking, and even those who were did so at a whisper. From my vantage point, I could see about half the class. Most of them were still human, but there was an Earth Pony and a Griffon sitting at their desks, and the teacher was a substitute today, implying something happened to Ms. Una.

The sub looked at me and sighed in exasperated concern. "Another one? Crikey..."

With the teacher having addressed me, all eyes in the classroom turned to face me. I withered at their gazes, but pushed past and got to my desk.

The sub checked the seating chart. "So you're Mr. Hummel, I take it?"

I nodded slowly. "Y-yes, sir..."

He gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm Mr. Xanthe."





The rest of class went relatively smoothly, with the non-humans only getting a few uncomfortable looks from certain individuals. Mr. Xanthe, to his credit, was trying his hardest to be accommodating, even offering at one point to help the Earth Pony write.

The next class, Language Arts, was much the same; a Thestral (not Osmond) and another Changeling were among the students there, and the teacher, Mrs. Haris, showed us sympathy. Same with my English class.

Then I entered Biology.

All eyes were immediately upon me, yesterday's events still fresh on their minds. Among the students were a Hippogriff, a Pegasus, and another Changeling.

But this Changeling was staring at me as though it wanted to rip my throat out.

So understandably, I was immediately nervous.

Mr. Adler looked up from his computer, seeing me standing in the doorway, and immediately stood up. "Rove, is that you?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes off of the hostile Changeling.

"I'd like to speak to you during lunch, if that's alright with you," Mr. Adler continued. He then turned to the other Changeling and said, "And you too, Mr. Johannes."

But the other Changeling shook his head, "No thanks, Mr. Adler. I've got business to take care of."

I didn't like that tone of voice.





Class itself wasn't much different. We continued our natural selection unit from where we left off yesterday, then he passed out worksheets based on the lesson. It took a bit to get my magic to cooperate, but I managed to pick up my pencil and shakily worked.

Eventually, the bell rang for lunch, and everyone except for me began to shuffle out.

But as the other Changeling passed me, I could've sworn I heard him mutter under his breath, "You'll pay for this..."

I blinked, then went to look at him, but he was already lost in the crowd.

That wasn't ominous at all...

Once the room was cleared, Mr. Adler stood up and began to approach me, a small stack of paper in hand. It was honestly rather disconcerting, seeing him silently walking towards me at a height far above my own.

Then he sat down in the chair in front of me and asked, "So... How are you, uh, holding up?"

I shrugged. "I dunno; I'm not as upset as I was, but I'm still really unsure about everything, especially after seeing that others are transforming, too."

He nodded in understanding. A moment of awkward silence then passed.

Then he continued, "I, uh, did a little research last night, and I found some interesting things."

I perked up a little. "Like what?"

Wordlessly, he set the papers in his hand down onto my desk. I gave them a cursory glance, but froze almost immediately as two words caught my attention.

Rove Beetles.

Are you serious?

"Wha— My name is a fucking pun now!?" I cried out.

Mr. Adler nodded, stifling back some chuckles.

I sat there for a moment, absorbing this.

Then I started to laugh.

It was light at first, and heavily distorted by my new body's vocal effects. But it gradually built up as it truly set in just how ironic this was. My name is related to bugs, and I became a Changeling? Fucking priceless.

And then I started chirping.

I wasn't even trying; my wings just rubbed together on their own, producing a noise not unlike a katydid. Of course, as soon as I realized this was happening, I made a concerted effort to stop out of embarrassment.

But then Mr. Adler started to laugh at my chirping. And then my laughter redoubled, chirping and all.

I guess that, even when life seems to be screwing you left and right, it'll still throw you some amusement.





Once our laughter subsided, we spent the lunch period going over his research into insect-related things. Topics such as wing care and usage, body structure, and pheromones were discussed and tested, providing rather interesting results. With Mr. Adler's help, I made substantial headway into flying (namely, being able to move both my wings simultaneously), we speculated about the purpose of the holes in my legs (our working theory involves aerodynamics and dimorphism), and I even donated a sample of my 'mane' for him to study.

By the time the bell rang again, I was eager to learn more on my own.





The rest of the school day went relatively smoothly. I got a few looks from some people, I gave sympathetic smiles to other non-humans, and at one point, a classmate actually transformed during class (she turned into a Seapony and nearly suffocated, but thankfully, there was a sink in the room), but otherwise, I'm happy to say that most of it was—

*Ring! Ring!*

I blinked, looking back at the pocket of my backpack that held my phone. With a bit of careful fiddling, I was able to use my magic to retrieve it, and used the soft part of my hoof (the frog, I think it's called?) to answer it. "Hello?"

My mom's voice returned: "Rove, it happened to Bea."

Oh, fuck.
> Chapter 10: Buzzing Bea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as the bell rang, I bolted out into the light drizzle that had started. I didn't care about any of the odd glances people gave me as they walked by; I was too concerned for Bea at that point.

At one point, I was going so fast that my hooves were barely touching the ground.

Then my hooves STOPPED touching it altogether.

I blinked at that, then looked back at my wings. Thanks to the practice I'd had earlier with Mr. Adler, as well as some natural instincts kicked off by my desperation to get home, my wings were buzzing enough to lift me off the ground.

I was flying.

Fucking FLYING!

Well, okay, I was technically hovering, but still!

I would've been ecstatic at that, under any other circumstances. Bea's situation was still at the forefront of my mind, however, so I refocused myself on getting back home as quickly as possible.





I made good time, skidding to a stop on the front sidewalk. I stared at the door and took a deep breath to steel my nerves, dreading what was on the other—

"Oh my..."

I froze. That sounded like...

Slowly I turned my head to my left. My eyes met those of Ms. Finch, and we stared at each other for a moment.

"H-hi, Ms. Finch..."

To her credit, she kept from freaking out too badly. "Wh-wh-what the... Rove?"

I glanced back at my door before apologizing, "Look, I'd really love to explain, but my mom really needs me inside right now."

She nodded blankly, "I-I can certainly see why..."

'Oh, you don't know the half of it,' I thought to myself. My hoof waved goodbye, and she hesitantly did the same, before I magicked the door open and ran in.

I think I might've heard her faint, but I'm not too sure.





I bolted into the kitchen, where I found Mazarine with a look of dread on her face. "Where is she?"

She said nothing; instead, she pointed down the hallway, in the direction of Bea's room.

I got the hint and dashed down the hallway. With the way Mazarine was acting, I was dreading the worst.

So imagine my surprise when I find Bea, now a Changeling just like me, standing on the wall.

We stared at each other blankly for a moment, before she buzzed her wings and alighted to the floor. "Hey, Rove."

I didn't know how to respond. It wasn't the fact that she was a Changeling, too; in retrospect, the fact that we're related made that the most reasonable occurrence.

No, what rendered me speechless was the simple fact that she was getting the hang of her new body MUCH more quickly than I was. She'd already learned wall-walking, and she even used her wings on her descent to the floor?

I'll admit, I was a little jealous.

"Uh... You okay?" She asked when I didn't respond, snapping me out of my frozen state.

"Oh, y-yeah; it's just... You're already so adept..."

She giggled a bit. "I know, right? I mean, I'm still kinda freaking out a bit, but today is 'Use Your Common Sense Day', so I figured: if this has happened, I might as well get used to it, right?"

I managed a chuckle. Same ol' Bea, celebrating all the obscure holidays she could. "I only just got my wings working on the way over."

She gasped. "You did? I'm proud of you, bro!"

My face heated up a bit at the praise. "Th-thanks."

Bea then buzzed her own wings in excitement, "Do ya think we could go for a fly together?"

I shook my head. "Maybe later; right now, I've gotta see if Os is okay."

Bea frowned. "Did he transform, too?"

I nodded, "Yeah. She's a thestral now."

"Really? That's cool!"

Then she blinked as my words registered. "Wait, 'she'?"

Whoops. I chuckled absently, "Yeah, well, apparently, Os has been 'in the closet' about how she identifies for a while now, but since her new body lacked a certain... feature, she decided to come out."

Bea gasped. "Really? I'm so proud; I've heard that doing that is really hard, and with the circumstances, it'd be extra hard!"

I nodded. "She was convinced that I'd hate her for keeping it a secret."

She flinched sympathetically. "That's rough. But you didn't, right?"

"Of course not!" I defended immediately.

She let out a bit of a chuckle, raising a hoof to calm me. "I know, I know; I'm just messing with you."

I paused, then chuckled at it as well, letting my wings chirp instinctively. She found that extra funny, and started laughing, and I laughed even harder when she began chirping as well.

I think I like chirping now.





"So, how did things go?" I asked over the video call. It'd taken a bit to set up, what with our hooves, but Os and I had managed to make it work.

Os chuckled humorlessly. "My mom's still trying to wrap her head around it, but otherwise, things went rather well."

"And how about you; how do you feel about this?"

She shrugged, "Okay, I guess. I mean, these hooves aren't as dexterous as hands, and this heightened smell could get annoying, but the night vision and the promise of flight are definite upsides."

I nodded in understanding, before smirking. "Speaking of flying..."

I buzzed my wings and began hovering above my chair slightly.

Os's jaw dropped at the sight. "Woah, that's awesome! I can barely move my own wings..." To emphasize her point, she waggled a wing limply.





I smiled, "You'll get the hang of it, I'm sure."

She nodded, then changed subjects. "Say, when are you gonna be giving away your cards?"

I frowned. "When did I say I would?"

"Yesterday morning, when you said you'd give up your cards if you turned into a cartoon character."

I blinked, before frowning upon recalling the memory. "Aw, crap; I did say that, didn't I..."

She chuckled, "It's okay, Rove; I know you weren't serious."

A sigh of relief escaped my lips. "Good, I don't think I'm ready for that just yet."

We both shared a good-natured laugh at that.

"Heck, if anything, it's me who should be giving up my cards."

I frowned upon hearing that. "Os, you don't have to—"

"No, you know what?" she interrupted, now looking determined. "I can't exactly hold my cards with my hooves; you should have them instead."

"Os, no! You've been collecting those cards since before we met; I can't just take them from you!"

She shook her head, thoroughly convinced. "Nah, it's no trouble at all. I know they'll be in good hands— er, hooves— or Magic?"

I... didn't know how to respond. The mere fact that she was giving up her cards was a lot to take in, but to give them to me?

I felt utterly touched.

"Th-thank you, Os; I promise, I'll take good care of them."

She smiled, the faintest of blushes across her muzzle. "I know you will."

For a moment, we just sat there, gazing at each other through the computer screen. As we did, I felt something flicker in my chest, as though something warm, buried deep in my soul, was trying to make its way out.

Then a voice from Os's end piped up, and she listened to it for a moment. "Oops, gotta go; it's dinnertime."

I checked the clock. 6:30 already? "That's okay. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

She nodded, "See ya."

With that, we both hung up, that lingering warmth still in my chest.
> Chapter 11: The Changeling, The Thestral, and The Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rove and Osmond sat atop the Empire State Building, bathing in a tub of peanut butter. The sun in the distance was crying, but that didn't concern the two at the moment.

"Beware which way the wind blows," Os stated.

"Seek that which isn't lost, and you shall forever lose what is," Rove replied.

The two inched closer, taking each other by the hooves as a ninja played the pan flute.

"How long have we waited for this moment," Os asked, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Eleventeen days," Rove reminisced, running his forked tongue across his lips.

The sun's cries intensified, and for a moment, the moon on the opposite horizon glowed an intense white.

Then the moon opened its eyes. "Something has gone wrong," its silky voice cried out, "and there is little time to fix it."

Os and Rove did not pay attention; they were too lost in each other's eyes.

"Rove, Osmond, listen to me."

That caught their attention. Both of them blinked out of their trance, turning towards the moon.

"The link is growing," Moon began, "and with it, the changes."

"Uh, what's going on?" Rove asked as he became more lucid.

"I dunno..." Os replied, recognizing the oddities of their situation.

Moon simply continued, "There is but one chance for your world: find your Bearers."

"Bearers?" Os asked. "You mean, Bearers of the Elements of Harmony?"

"That is correct," The luna nodded. "Gather them where the change began, and combine power to stop the merge before it becomes too late."

"What is even happening right now?" Rove couldn't make sense of any of it. "Am I dreaming, or what?"

"How will we find them?" Os asked, not paying attention to her confused friend.

"I am out of time," the moon stated as she began to fade, "but you are not. Follow your instincts, and you will succeed.

"Now GO!"





I let out a strangled gasp as I snapped awake, a cold sweat running down my exoskeleton. It took a moment to calm my racing heart, which also gave me time to reflect on that crazy dream I'd just had.

"What the heck was that about?" I mumbled under my breath. "And why can I remember it so clearly?"

'Okay, let's go through that play-by-play. It started with Os and me in a tub of peanut butter atop the Empire State Building, while a ninja played a pan flute... I feel like that's a reference, but I'm not sure to what.

'The sun was crying, which could mean several things...

'Os and I started speaking gibberish about the wind and losing things... either really symbolic or utter nonsense.

'Then it seemed like we were getting ready to...'

My face heated up. "Okay, just gonna file that away until later..."

'But then the moon... it said something about finding bearers and fixing the problem? Then Os mentioned the Elements of Harmony — are those from that pony show?'

I winced as my head throbbed. "It's way too early to be thinking this hard," I muttered to myself. Glancing at the clock, I noted the time (5 AM), then settled in to try and fall back to sleep.

But the worries wouldn't go away.





*Beep! Beep!*

"Good m— ow."

Bea's usual morning wake-up call was abruptly stopped by her inability to open my door, causing her to run straight into it. She shook it off, then tried her darndest to grip the knob, but it was far too smooth to acquire any purchase.

"Uh, Rove? Mind getting the door for me?"

I groaned as I got back up, having failed to get any more sleep. My horn lit up, and the door opened to reveal a grinning Bea.

"Morning, Rove!" she chirped (both figuratively and literally). "It's Wednesday, and you know what that means?"

My groggy mind couldn't come up with the answer, so I shrugged. "No, what does it mean?"

"It's time to call Dad!"

Oh fuck. My eyes threatened to bulge out of their sockets as I suddenly snapped wide awake, all thoughts of the strange dream being pushed back for the moment. "Oh no, I completely forgot!"

My family has a sort of tradition where, every other Wednesday while he's deployed, we give him a video call and catch up with him. It'd been such a hectic week that I completely forgot that this week was the one we were supposed to call.

I leapt to my hooves and began to frantically pace around. "What're we gonna do, what're we gonna do?!"

Bea seemed oblivious to the problem. "What'll we do about what?"

To answer, I pointed a hoof at her, then at myself.

It took her a moment, but it clicked for her. "Oh, right," she wilted, ears folding back slightly.

Seeing Bea become sad like that managed to snap me out of my panic, and I took a deep breath. "Okay, it's not that big a deal; we can just stay off-screen while Mom talks."

"AAAAUGH!"

Both of us whipped our heads around at the sound of Mazarine screaming. I bolted out the door and ran into her room, followed by Bea.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Mazarine had transformed overnight, but she hadn't simply become a normal Changeling.

She was much taller than either of us; her blue eyes were slitted like a cat's; instead of our pale, fin-like manes, she had fiery red hair that fell in strands all around her head; and her horn was very long and curved, with a hook at the back of the base.

She was sitting upright in her bed, staring at her own hooves, a million thoughts running through her head.

And for some reason, Bea and I could faintly HEAR those thoughts.

"M-mom?" I finally found my voice, drawing her out of her catatonic state. She looked up, her breathing just above normal.

"I'm not ready to be Queen..."

With that, she fainted.
> Chapter 12: Wake-Up Call, Caught You In The Morning With A Changeling Queen In Her Bed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I don't die from the sheer stress of this week, the first thing I'm gonna do is go to therapy.

I stood there, staring at my fainted mother. I could hardly believe it; everyone in our house had transformed. My mind was racing, trying to cope with it.

"R-Rove, what do we do?" Bea asked, her voice shaky.

I couldn't answer; the stress of the past few days was catching up to me, and it was insurmountable. It felt like the walls were closing in on me, rooting me into place as they crushed my chitin into bloody —

"Rove, snap out of it!" Bea was suddenly in my face, concern written all over hers. "What. Do. We. Do??"

I took some deep breaths, but I couldn't shake off the impending sense of doom. "I-I-I don't know! I mean, what CAN we do? We can't just act like nothing's wrong; he'll flip out at the sight of us! And we can't ignore the call, because that'll make him think something happened to us..."

Bea was now pacing around, too. "What'll we do, what'll we do, what'll we DO?!"

My quivering legs finally gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor. I'd never been so unsure and so scared in my life, and I absolutely hated it. I couldn't even bring myself to words; I just lay there, shaking and hyperventilating. Bea soon joined me, and we both just shut down.





Eventually, Mazarine came to. She jerked back up, immediately looking at her hooves and grumbling when they were still hooves. "Damnit, not a dream..."

Then she heard our whimpering, and gasped when she saw us both huddled on the floor. Forgetting her own troubles for a minute, she stumbled out of bed, tripping over her own long legs. She practically dragged herself over to us, scooping our shaking bodies into a hug and whispering soothing words into our ears. "Shh-shh-shhhh, don't be scared; I'm alright, and I won't let anything bad happen to you."

My voice managed to return, "B-but what about D-d-dad?"

"If he's seen the news, he'll likely know about this happening," she assured us. "He won't abandon us because of something out of our control."

Bea managed to calm down a bit. "You really think so?" she sniffled.

Mazarine responded by nuzzling the base of Bea's horn. "I know so."





She sat there, holding us as we cried the last of our stress out. Once there were no more fearful tears, she set us back down, and we turned our attention to her.

"So, what did you say about being a Queen?" I asked, recalling what she'd said before she fainted.

She flinched, glancing back down at her new body. "Please, don't call me that. I may resemble the Queen from that show, but I'm still just your mother."

I blinked. She's a Queen Changeling? That'd certainly explain the differences between us and her.

Bea then piped up, "Is that why we can hear your thoughts?"

Mazarine balked. "You what now?"

"Before you fainted," I explained, "we started to hear your thoughts. I think you've formed some kind of Hive Mind with us."

She sighed. "Oh, great; there went my privacy..."

Bea clarified, "We didn't actually hear what you were saying, but we could still tell it was you; it had your voice."

I added, "And I promise not to eavesdrop through it."

She thought for a moment, then chuckled. "What did I do to deserve such wonderful kids?"

We blushed at the appraisal. "Aw, thanks, Mom."

She smiled, wrapping us in another hug.





So we waited for Halley to call.

And waited.

The normal time for the call came and went, but still, we waited.

Thirty minutes passed, and we became antsy.

Finally, at the forty-five minute mark, Mazarine decided to call him instead, making sure to turn off the camera first.

*Ring!*

*Ring!*

*Ri—!*

Finally, he answered, but something was wrong; his camera was off, too.

"Mazzie?" his voice came, garbled mostly due to the distance.

"Halley, we need to show you something."

A pause on his end. I could hear him breathing a bit more heavily than usual, before he replied, "I need to show you something, too."

The three of us blinked, giving each other worried looks. "Do you want to turn on your camera first?"

"M-maybe we should both do it at the same time," he replied in the shakiest voice I'd ever heard from him.

Mazarine gulped. Now or never...

"Okay, one..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

The screen brightened up immediately as his camera went on, a dark silhouette off to one side. It took a moment for our eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness, but when we did, we all gawked.

Halley was a Changeling now, too.

And not just any Changeling; he was a Royal, just like Mom. His moppy black hair was now barely tinted blue; his green eyes were cat-like; two fangs stuck out of his mouth; and he had a horn that complimented Mazarine's almost exactly (where hers went forward, his went backward). He still had his cleft chin and his glasses, but he was a Changeling in every other way.

And by the look on his face, he was just as shocked at the sight of us as we were at the sight of him.

"I-I can't believe what I'm seeing..." he muttered blankly to himself, helping to realize that the garble in his voice was only partly caused by the distance between us.

"Neither can I..." Mazarine replied in kind.

We sat there for a long while, just taking in the sight. The last time I'd seen him was two weeks ago, and if I'd've known he'd change so drastically so soon, I would've commited his face to memory.

"So..." he finally broke the tension, "uh... How's the weather over there?"

Mazarine couldn't help it; she began chirp-laughing, her chirps much louder than mine or Bea's. Bea and I joined her, and even Halley chuckled a bit.

But my laugh wasn't as full as theirs.





After that, we got to talking. Apparently, Halley also transformed just that morning, and he was also afraid of how we'd react to him. Talk about a coincidence!

So we talked about what we'd become, filling him in on what Changelings were and how they lived. In return, he told us about how some of the other soldiers in his squad were also changing, and we sent our best wishes.

Funnily enough, he noted that he could feel our love even from where he was, and we could feel the love he sent in return. Fancy that.

Eventually, his squad leader came in and told him he was out of time, so we said our goodbyes, and hung up.

"Well," I observed, "that went much better than I'd expected."

But I still couldn't shake the feelings in my stomach. Our lives were changing so quickly that I could hardly keep up with it all. And the way I'd just shut down earlier...

I never wanted to feel that powerless again.





Since Mom wasn't feeling up to doing much, she decided to call us all in sick (us from school, and her from work). That gave us a whole day to get accustomed to our new life.

A day I spent practicing my flight, moreso to distract myself than anything. The rain had stopped sometime last night, allowing us to practice outside, but the sky was still a collage of grays.

"C'mon Rove," Bea encouraged, "you can do it!"

I huffed and puffed as I buzzed my wings, barely a foot off the ground. I could tell I was doing something wrong, but I wasn't actually sure what.

Eventually, my wings gave out, and I flopped back to the dirt. Bea gave out a disappointed sigh, "You were so close..."

"Yeah," I retorted, "to buzzing my wings off of my body."

She began to pace as she thought. "What do we need to do to get you properly into the air...?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. Heck, I'm surprised I even made it that far off the ground."

If we were in a cartoon, a lightbulb would've popped up over her head. "That's it! You're still in the mindset that flying is impossible, and that's holding you back!"

I raised an eyebrow. "How exactly does that work?"

"It's the quitter's mentality," she explained. "You believe you can't do it, so you're subconsciously quitting before you've even started. It's similar to how, if you're expecting a movie to be bad and you head in with that mindset, you'll be more likely to pick out the flaws."

Huh. "Y'know, you scare me sometimes with just how smart you are."

She blushed. "It's a gift."

Then I looked back at my wings. "So, I've just gotta believe I can do it, huh?"

Bea nodded, "You've just gotta believe!"

"I thought 'Cliché Day' was Monday."

"Well, today's 'Gunpowder Day', and there's not much I can do with that."

That got a good chuckle out of me. "Alright, if you say so."

Refocusing on my training, I crouched down on all fours. My wings began to buzz, and I eventually began to lift up.

'Alright, just believe,' I thought to myself. 'You're not restrained to the ground anymore. You can already walk on walls; flying is just the next step. Just believe, don't doubt. The air is your friend, the ground—"

"Rove, look!"

I blinked, then looked down at my sister.

I was about fifteen feet above the ground. Bea was happily prancing about, celebrating my first successful flight.

I would've been celebrating with her were it not for one teensy problem: "Uh, how do I get down?"

She paused. "I dunno."

Fuck me. "H-h-help!" I began flailing my legs uselessly. "I can't get down! Help!"

Bea quickly started to panic, too. "Rove, calm down! I'm sure I can think of—"

"HELP!!" I cried out as I felt the wind pick up slightly.

It was then that Mazarine rushed outside, gasping at the sight of me. "Rove!"

"I can't get down!!" I screamed.

"Slow your wings!" she called out.

I tried as she suggested, but the increasing wind threatened to blow me out of the yard, forcing me to flap harder to keep steady. "The wind's too strong!"

Beware which way the wind blows.

I gasped as the words from my dream came back to me. I glanced in the direction the wind was blowing from, scanning the ground.

Then I began to glide.

I began pivoting my wings in a manner similar to a kid sticking their hand out the car window. Angling them to push against the wind, I slowed my descent substantially. The landing may have been rough, but I still managed to do it without any substantial injury.

Bea was immediately upon me, Mazarine not far behind. "Rove, are you okay?!"

I nodded, brushing my flank off with my tail. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"What were you thinking?!" Mazarine chastised me. "You could've gotten seriously hurt!"

"S-sorry, Mom," I wilted under her stern look.

She sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay. Be more careful next time, okay?"

I nodded, "Will do, Mom."

Mazarine gave me a small smile, before sitting herself on the edge of the patio to watch over us.

"Dude," Bea continued, "you were flying!"

I blinked. "I was, wasn't I?"

Her smile grew huge, and she resumed her prancing. I chuckled a little out of relief, then joined her celebration of my aeronautical feat.

But right as we were starting to wind down our celebrations, the doorbell rang. We all looked at each other, then I decided to get the door (I was the most comfortable in public out of all of us).

When I opened the door, I was surprised to see Os carrying a bunch of paper in her wings, and looking like she'd spent all morning running non-stop. "Os, what're you—?"

"Did you have the dream, too?"

I blanched. "You mean, that dream where the Moon talked to us?"

She nodded. "I think that was Princess Luna."

What.
> Chapter 13: The Stages Of Grief Are A Bitch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What?" I blinked dumbly, not quite believing I'd heard her correctly.

She hastily came inside, setting the paper she carried onto the coffee table. "I think Princess Luna contacted us through our dreams last night."

Now I was even more confused. "I-I'm sorry, could you maybe explain that so it, I dunno, makes sense?"

Os sighed. "Right, I forgot you don't watch the show. Princess Luna is one of the two rulers of Equestria, along with Celestia. Luna governs the night, raising the moon and protecting her citizens from nightmares."

I blinked. "Okay...?"

"I think last night, she used her dream-walking powers to contact us across dimensions, and tell us how to stop all these transformations."

I began to swerve the conversation, trying to retain some sense of normalcy. "Okay, I don't know what you started taking in order to believe this, but you need to get off of it now."

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof. "You had the same dream as me, right? With the Ninja Sex Party reference, and the crying sun?"

I balked. "That's what that was a reference to?"

"Their song, 'Romance Novel'. It's pretty funny, you should check it out sometime. Anyway," she got back on topic, "the moon spoke to us, and told us to find the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, right?"

I nodded. "I'll admit, that's too much to be just a coincidence. But really, Os? A cartoon character bridged the gap between dimensions just to tell two random nobodies how to fix this mess?"

"Well, that's just it; what if we aren't just two random nobodies?"

Did I hear that right? "What?"

She pulled out one specific paper: a list of names and dates. Included on it were me and her, with the dates of our transformations. And on top of that list...

"Lily?" my eyes widened.

Os nodded. "I went around and gathered dates of transformations, and I can't find anybody who transformed before her. And yes, I know this town isn't nearly a large enough sample size, so I even asked around online."

"Wh-wh-what are you saying?" I managed to stutter out.

"Remember what Luna said, in the dream? 'Gather them where the change began'. If Lily was the first one, then she'd need to tell those who know that! Lily hasn't told anyone other than us..."

"...so we were the ones she went to!" I finished. "Okay, but that still wouldn't explain how a fictional character contacted us in our dreams!"

She blinked, then admitted, "I haven't worked out everything, but it's all we've got right now!"

I thought over that, before slowly nodding. "Alright, so let's say that, hypothetically speaking, a talking pony princess did manage to bridge dimensions and talk to us through our dreams," I had to stifle a gag at how crazy that sounded. "What are we supposed to do about it?"

"Exactly what she said; find the Elements."

I balked, desperate to avoid the route this was going. "Okay, but aren't they, like, in their world?"

"You're only half right," she explained. "The physical Elements are in Equestria, but she said to find their Bearers."

"...how is that any better?"

Os groaned. "Look, the Elements of Harmony represent the key elements of Friendship — just bear with me on this," she added when she saw my incredulous look. "There's Kindness, Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Laughter, and Magic. The Bearers of each Element embody the trait their Element represents — except for Magic, which embodies all of them."

I nodded slowly. "So you're saying that we just need to find six people that represent these Elements?"

"Yep!"

"Well, good luck with that."

Now, it was Os's turn to balk. "Wh-what do you mean?"

I shook my head. "Forgive me, but I'm finding this incredibly hard to believe."

"Harder to believe than people turning into Equestrians?"

I went to retaliate, but paused. Should I really be doing this?

"...yes, yes it is."

Like a light switch, her energy seemed to drain away. "Wh-what are you saying, Rove?"

I sighed. "I just think the stress may be getting to your head."

Her brows furrowed. "What, are you calling me crazy?"

I quickly defended, "I never said that! I'm just saying, really listen to yourself right now. No offense, but what you're saying sounds like it came straight from a shitty fanfiction."

Almost immediately, I regretted saying that. Her eyes began to moisten, and midnight blue streaks began bleeding into her aura. "What happened to not abandoning your friends?"

I tried to recover, "Look, Os, I just think—"

"Just stop, Rove," she interrupted curtly, regathering her papers in her wings. "I can take a hint."

My ears laid flat against my head as she walked by. "Os..."

As she reached the door, she turned back to give me one last look. My heart sunk as I looked into the most hurt eyes I'd ever seen. "Well, at least we know one person that can't be a bearer..."

With that, she slammed the door shut, leaving me to think about what I'd just done.
> Chapter 14: The Things We Say
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shit.

I felt like shit.

My best friend just spent all her energy piecing a few small slivers of evidence into an explanation and a plan, and I called her crazy for it. And just after she'd bestowed her trust unto me for not abandoning her!

What a piece of fucking shit I am.

I couldn't even stand up anymore; I'd moved to lie on the floor with my chin resting on the coffee table at some point. The minutes felt like years as I lay there. Wallowing in my regret. Like the piece of shit I am.

Shit.

"Rove, are you okay?"

I lifted an eyelid halfway, finding myself looking at Mazarine. "No."

"Who was at the door?"

"Osmond."

"Oh? What did he want?"

I sulked. "She wanted to talk to me about this whole predicament."

Mazarine stayed silent for a moment, likely processing my use of pronouns. "...and?

"I destroyed her trust."

A look of concern came across her face. "What happened?"

I explained the dream we had last night (leaving out the first part), and theory that Os had come up with, which I'd promptly spat in the face of. She stayed silent for the entire explanation, taking in everything I said.

Finally, she spoke up: "Yeah, that was pretty mean."

I groaned, placing my hooves over my head. "I know, I know!"

"But it's not too late."

I blinked. "What?"

She gave me a reassuring smile. "Go to her. Tell her you're sorry, and work to make it up to her."

I threw my hooves in the air, "I-I can't. You heard that theory; it did sound crazy, right? Tell me it sounded crazy!"

She pursed her lips. "I will admit, it was a bit far-fetched. But what else do you have to go on?"

I opened my mouth, but froze. She was right. She was right, and that only made me feel worse.

Mazarine snapped me out of my wallowing by putting a hoof onto my shoulder. She looked me straight in the eye and stated three simple words that got me going:

"Go to her."





Os walked down the street, mulling over everything that'd just happened. She'd never felt so betrayed in her life. One minute, Rove had said he'd always be there for her; the next, he was leaving her on her own to find a solution.

So she stomped down the street as the wind picked up. She hardly even noticed when the papers in her wings' grasp started slipping out and blowing away in the wind. She didn't even have a word for how she felt; she was just... empty.

Finally, as the last few sheets of paper left her grasp, she ground to a halt.

And she started to cry.

She didn't know how long she spent crying; it didn't matter. She finally thought she'd found the one friend she could trust, the one friend who didn't abandon her when she came out, but just when she needed him most, he—

"Os?"

She froze at the voice. A venomous snarl tried to make its way out of her throat, but she held it down. "What," she stated in a low, even voice.

"I, uh... I think you dropped these..."

Os finally turned her head to face the voice.

There stood Rove, her sheets of paper in his magical grasp. He had a demure smile on, but he clearly wasn't happy about something.

Os maintained eye contact as Rove levitated her papers towards her, and she grabbed them with her wing.

A moment of silence passed. Rove's clearly fake smile began to falter.

Then he broke down crying.

"Os, I'm so, so, SO sorry! I should've been there for you like I said I would, I shouldn't have called you crazy, you were only trying to help and you were doing the best you could with the little we have to work off of, I'm a horrible friend, I don't deserve to know somebody as great as you, I'll understand if you never want to see me again but PLEASE FORGIVE ME-E-EEEEE!!!"

Os stared blankly at the quivering mess of a Changeling grovelling at her hooves. A thousand thoughts flew through her head, but she settled on one: "Why?"

Rove flinched back at her harsh tone. He sniffled, his face a mess from his tears. "These past two days have been just... they've been a lot. Everyone I know is turning into cartoon characters, I'm feeling things I've never felt before; it's frightening. I don't know why I pushed you away; maybe I just want everything to go back to normal, so hearing that more could be happening....

"That's not an excuse, I know. I don't have any right to be asking for your forgiveness; I spat in the face of your trust, and right after I told you I'd be there for you no matter what. I'm a horrible friend, and a horrible person, and..."

He couldn't continue; his sobs overtook him. Os wanted to tell Rove exactly why it hurt her so much; how she'd spent the last ten years trying to find a friend she found comfortable enough to come out to, and how she thought she'd found one in him, only to have it crushed the very next day.

But she just couldn't muster the energy. She silently shook her head, and turned around. Rove's expression turned to one of heartbreak as Os continued walking down the street.

"Wait."

Os paused. She turned her head slightly, giving him an even glare.

Rove, now more dejected than he'd ever been, lit his horn and retrieved a binder from the backpack she hadn't even realized he was wearing. "I should probably give these back to you, then," he stated as he levitated the binder towards her. She eyed it warily, flipping open the cover.

Her eyebrows raised. It was the first cards they'd ever traded with each other.

And they were still in mint condition.

Os looked up at Rove, who was already turning to trudge dejectedly back home.

"Hey..."

Rove's ear swiveled, but otherwise, he froze.

Os smirked a bit. "I might need a little help carrying these... wanna walk with me?"

Rove turned, blinking as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Their eyes met each other's; cloudy blue eyes meeting yellow slitted pupils.

"S-sure..." Rove eventually stammered.

Os nodded, smirk growing. "Then what're we waiting for?"

Rove turned around shyly and, when she didn't lash out, he hustled to Os's side, taking the binder in his magic.

And thus, they began to walk.





After a few minutes, Os spoke: "I was really counting on you, y'know..."

I flinched, despite her even tone. "I know..."

"I've never been able to put as much trust into anyone as I have to you."

I sighed. "I know, I know; you were only trying to help, and I had the nerve to call you crazy."

She shook her head. "Honestly, in any other circumstances, I'd be right there with you."

We both chuckled a bit, although mine was more forced.

Then I continued, "But still... I know I can never truly make up for how I treated you, but I want to try; I'll do anything."

She looked me over out of the corner of her eye, and I could swear I saw it sparkle. "Maybe come to my place and help me with my theory?"

I smiled. "Gladly."

With that, we gathered up what few papers hadn't been blown away by the wind, and set off towards her house.
> Chapter 15: Rooftop Revelation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness. Even when I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by darkness. All directions around me, as far as I could perceive, were nothing but a vast ocean of blackness that threatened to drown me in its inky nothingness.

Then, from that all-consuming void, three women slowly faded in, all facing away from me.

The first was tall; even taller than Mr. Adler, from what I could tell. Her bright aurora-colored hair flowed on an invisible breeze, and her white dress practically glowed with a warm light.

The second was about as tall as Mr. Adler. Her midnight-blue hair shimmered like a field of stars, and she wore a light blue business suit with metal adornments resembling armor.

Lastly, the third one was about as tall as my human self. Her dark indigo hair was streaked by purple and magenta, and she wore a uniform that seemed straight from the most respectable school in the world.

I'd have to be an idiot not to recognize them. "Wha— Princesses?!"

They did not respond; instead, they kept standing there, staring at the nothingness.

I willed myself forward, and found myself running towards them. "Princesses! Princesses, you've gotta help!"

Still they stood, motionless.

As I ran, I extended my foreleg out to reach for them, only to realize it was glowing. I faltered at that, tripping and suddenly finding myself falling into the endless nothing.

As the wind whipped past my ears, I began to hear a jumble of voices.

"It didn't feel good, lying to Ms. Finch like that..."

"I have made a terrible mistake..."

"What happened to not abandoning your friends?"

"The night shall last forever!"

"You're doing it! Rove, you're actually doing it!"

"It seems I have not learned my lesson after all..."

"I know, I know; I'm just messing with you."

"I never should've banished you to the moon! I should've destroyed you!"

"Whatever caused this... I'll do what I can to help."

"She warned me, but I did not listen..."

"Sure, this is a lot to take in at once, but I wouldn't stop being friends with you!"

"I'm sorry."

And then everything went white.





I jerked up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. Looking around frantically, I quickly calmed down at the realization that I was still at Os's house. The thestral herself was nowhere to be seen, but the evidence of our research session still remained — namely, all the papers that were scattered across the coffee table. The clock on the wall read 2:30 AM.

I sat upright and hopped off the couch, making sure my wings hadn't been crushed by my body. "Os?" I called in a hushed voice, "Os, where are you? Os, I just had another dream!"

No response.

Momentarily fearing that I was still in a dream, I bit my hoof, then winced as my fangs nearly pierced my chitin. Okay, not a dream, I thought to myself before starting my search for Os.





I found her sitting on the roof, staring into the night sky. Making sure to check the wind first, I took off and alighted next to her. "Os, what're you doing out here?"

She sighed. "Couldn't sleep."

"Something on your mind?"

She looked at me with a totally serious face and stated, "No, my body's just becoming nocturnal."

We paused for a moment, before laughing our asses off. Luckily enough, nobody heard us (or, if they did, they didn't voice any complaints about the noise).

Once we got it all out of our systems, we just sat there for a while. The clouds were finally starting to clear up, so we simply looked up at the stars and just enjoyed each other's company.





After about two minutes, I finally broke that silence. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She was quiet for a moment, before replying, "I'm just... thinking about everything that's happened. This time last week, we were just two ordinary guys, getting through high school; now, we're cartoon characters, I've come out as trans, and we're trying to find six people who can stop the human species from going extinct."

I paused. "That is a lot to take in..."

Then I wrapped a foreleg around her. "But you won't have to do it alone; from now on, I'm sticking by you like a..." I struggled to come up with a good simile. "Like a... a fly to... fucking, uh, Fly-paper!"

She chuckled a bit, then continued to look off into space. "Do you know why I was so upset when you almost didn't go along with my plan?"

I shook my head. "No, why?"

She sighed wistfully. "It's because of my dad.

"Last year was when I... figured myself out, if you catch my drift. The first people I told were my parents. Mom took it fine enough, but Dad..."

A shocked silence hung over us. I'd heard that Os's dad had left them, but I'd never understood why! For the longest time, I had no idea what to do as she sat there and held back tears.

Then I threw my arms around her and gave her the biggest hug I could muster.

"R-Rove, what're you doing?" She asked, barely able to breathe.

I simply stated, face buried in her mane, "Trying to give you the love I've collected; you clearly need it more than I do!"

Os chuckled, "I don't think that's how it works."

"Then how about this?"

And then I kissed her.

Time seemed to freeze as our lips met. I didn't even realize what I was doing until a second later; I was so wrapped up in trying to comfort her.

Once I did realize, though, I quickly pulled away, blushing profusely. "O-O-Os, I'm so sorry! I-I-I don't know what came over me; I was just trying to comfort you, I—"

"Rove?" Os was suddenly in my face.

I flinched. "Y-yeah?"

"Stop talking."

With that, she lunged forward for another, much longer kiss.

I was taken aback for a moment, but once the shock faded, I lost myself in the passion of the kiss. My arms instinctively wrapped around her body, and I could feel her wings do the same for mine.

After a while, we parted for air. Now both of us were blushing as we looked each other in the eye.

I hadn't noticed it before, but Os's eyes... They were absolutely gorgeous. The way the dim moonlight glinted off the colors, making them pop out like a neon jack-o'-lantern; the subtle points of the pupil, giving them a sharp and attentive look; and the emotion — damn, the emotion those huge pony eyes could convey was resplendent! I didn't even need to look at her aura to see what she was feeling!

And judging by the look on her face, she was lost in my misty blue eyes, too.

"Did we just...?" She finally asked.

"Yup."

"Did you enjoy that as much as I did?"

"Yup."

"You wanna, maybe, do it some more?"

"Definitely."

And thus, we did.
> Chapter 16: A New Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me tell you, shingles are not a comfortable thing to sleep on. Especially when your body is nothing but hard chitin.

But when you've got a furry snuggle buddy? They're at least tolerable.

I slowly woke up to the sound of light snoring. Blinking open my eyes, I quickly found the source of both the snoring and the fuzzy feeling: Os was sleeping peacefully on my lap.

I have to admit: she was really cute like that. The way her chest rose and fell as she breathed, the light blush from the crisp morning air, the way her ear unconsciously flicked at the distant sounds of urbanization, and how her brown and gold colors were made even more radiant in the rising sun's light...

The lingering taste on my lips drew my thoughts back to last night. We kissed! I just made out with my best friend of seven years, on the top of her roof, like some kind of cheesy romantic sitcom!

And it felt good! Not even in that "Changelings eat love" kind of way; it just felt... right. It was rather odd just how right it felt, but it did, and I didn't want to change that. I sat up slightly, making sure not to jostle Os, and took inventory on myself.

My wings were opaque now.

I held back a groan. In my research session, I'd watched the Season 6 finale of MLP, and I knew what this meant: I was a step away from becoming one of those garish new Changelings.*

But I couldn't keep a small smile from gracing my lips. If it meant I'd be with Os, I supposed it wouldn't be the end of the world.

<Rove?>

I blinked. That didn't sound like it was said anywhere nearby; in fact, I'd say it sounded like...

<Rove, can you hear me?>

I gasped slightly. It was Mazarine, contacting me through the Hive Mind we'd discovered! After a bit of effort, I managed to reply with a <Yeah?>

<Oh, thank goodness this worked. Where have you been?>

I winced. <Sorry, I'm still at Os's house. I meant to call you, but we just lost track of time.>

Her next reply came with the feeling that she was being coy. <"Lost track of time", huh?>

I rolled my eyes. <Not like THAT, Mom... We were just trying to figure out how to find the Elements of Harmony.>

<Any luck?>

<Not yet; we don't really know where to start.>

She paused for a moment. <Well, did you have any more of those dreams?>

I nodded reflexively, then winced when I realized she couldn't see it. <Yeah, I did, actually. I saw human versions of the Princesses standing in a black void, then I fell and started hearing voices.>

<Whose voices?>

I had to take a moment to consider. <I think Luna was the main one of them. Then I heard some things we'd said in the past few days, like when you said you didn't like lying to Ms. Finch. But there was one voice in there that I didn't recognize; she said something about destroying someone instead of banishing them to the moon?>

She seemed to instantly recognize the quote. <That was Daybreaker, Celestia's evil alter-ego, in Season 7's 'A Royal Problem'. Bea and I watched it just last week.>

<Celestia has an evil alter-ego? Okay, I've really gotta watch the rest of that show!>

She chuckled a bit through the Hivemind. <It's surprisingly good. But anyway, you said Luna was the main voice of them? What did she say?>

I had to think for a moment. <Something about making a mistake, not learning a lesson, and then an apology. I also heard Nightmare Moon declaring the Night would last forever, then the dream then ended.>

She thought for a while. Then she sent, <I think I've got a theory. Come home, and I'll explain on the way.>

<Okay,> I nodded, before the link went silent. Carefully, I used my hooves to lift Os's head off my lap.

Unfortunately, she had other ideas; in her sleep, she reflexively reached out and clung more tightly around my barrel, not wanting to leave my apparent warmth.

I sighed, then tapped her forehead a few times. Slowly, she stirred, yawning adorably (even with the fangs) before looking at me with drowsy eyes. "Hey, Rove," she smiled with a woozy smile. "Morning already?"

I nodded with a patient smile. "My Mom needs me back home, so could you please, uh, let me go?"

Her face turned confused for a moment, before her sleepy brain registered she was clinging around my middle. "Oh, sure," she retracted her hooves and sat up. "I like your wings, by the way."

"Thank you," I nodded, standing to stretch again.

But before I was able to leave, she piped up, "Hey, Rove? About last night..."

I turned. "Yeah?"

A light blush played across her face as her aura turned light magenta with pink stripes. "Do you, uh, wanna, maybe... g-get some lunch sometime? Together?"

I perked up a bit. "I'd love to. The Luigi's on Main Street sound good?"

She smiled, aura now becoming a vivid yellow with pink and sky blue stripes. "See you at noon, 'kay?"

"Can't wait."

We both stood there for a moment, just smiling at each other. Then I buzzed my wings, and flew off.





As I flew off (making sure to stay close to the ground so I wouldn't have a repeat of yesterday), I sent through the Hivemind, <Alright, I'm on my way. What's your theory?>

It took her a moment to reply. <Okay, so who exactly did you hear, and what did they say?>

<Well, there was you saying you didn't like lying to Ms. Finch, Os yelling at me for abandoning her yesterday, Lily congratulating me for using magic, Bea joking with me, Mr. Adler offering to help me understand my transformation, and me telling Os I wouldn't stop being friends with her because of her gender.>

She took a moment to process. <And what're the Elements of Harmony?>

<If I remember correctly, there's Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Magic, but wha—>

I froze. No way. It couldn't be... could it?

<I think we're the Elements.>
> Chapter 17: The Elements Inside Us All
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom Adler was not having a good morning.

Yesterday had been ordinary enough; he'd gone in to teach, helped several students with problems, taken some aspirin for a headache he was developing, and started grading papers.

Then he turned into a zebra.

Just like with Rove, it had been so spontaneous that it took him a moment to register what had happened. One minute, he was grading papers; the next, he didn't have any hands to grade them with. Unlike Rove, however, he was at least vaguely expecting something like this. More and more students had been transforming, and he figured it was only a matter of time before it happened to him, too.

No, the thing that bothered him was how different the body itself was. Being a Biology teacher, he had at least some knowledge on the anatomy of equinoids. So when he suddenly became a zebra, he was completely thrown off by the surprising amount of differences his new body had. He could move his forelegs to the sides, something he KNEW wasn't normally possible for horses; he could sit relatively normally, albeit with a little discomfort; and he could even feel some small flexibility in his hoof, allowing him to grab some things with it.

This, along with several other things like his mane being tinged purple, threw him off so much that he had to head home early (abandoning his car in the lot because he could no longer safely drive it) and study his new body.

Now, after a long night of study and comparison, Mr. Adler woke up feeling utterly exhausted. He'd have to take today off; he didn't feel like answering his own questions right now, let alone those of his students.

He stretched his new muscles as he sat up, trying and failing to blink away the sleepiness. After a moment, he jumped off the bed and made his way to the kitchen.

He was just pouring himself a cup of coffee when the phone started ringing. He managed to pick it up with his surprisingly flexible hooves and answered: "Hello, who is this speaking, and what is it you are seeking?"

Oh, that was another thing: he couldn't stop rhyming. He'd noticed it as he was dictating his notes (which were also in verse), and had experimented with it as well. If he stopped in the middle of a stanza, his next sentence would finish the rhyme. He physically couldn't end a line with a word that didn't have a rhyme, such as 'orange'. Even his thoughts rhymed! Eventually, he accepted it as another oddity of this new body.

"Tom, this is Mazarine Hummel," the buzzy voice answered on the other end of the line.

"Ah, Mrs. Hummel, what a pleasant surprise. Though I can't help but wonder what this call implies."

"Tom, why are you rhyming?"

"Nothing you need to fret about, my dear. Unless you'd care to explain the buzz I can hear?"

She paused for a moment. "I changed, just like Rove."

Mr. Adler's face dropped. "That is something I am sad to hear. Though with what happened yesterday, it is not that queer."

"Why? What happened yesterday?"

"I have suffered a similar fate as you lot. As for the species, it is zebra I got."

She gasped. "Oh, that's why you're rhyming! The only zebra character in MLP always rhymed, so you are, too."

Tom frowned. "The explanation is really that clear-cut? That doesn't sit quite well in my gut."

She paused for a moment, and the movement of hair could be faintly heard, implying that she was shaking her head. "Anyway, that's not the reason I called. I think we've found out how to stop these transformations."

He perked up at this. "You have? That is fantastic news! I wonder what it was that gave you the clues?"

"An explanation will have to wait until everyone's here. You know where Lily's house is?"





Lily sat on the couch of her house, staring at her claws. Her mind was still running a mile a minute, internally debating whether or not she should reveal herself to the public. Memories of bullies in middle school kept her rooted out of fear, but Rove's words still rang fresh in her mind.

'If anyone gives you trouble for being cool, then they can just go suck it!'

So she stayed there, uncertain of what to do. It didn't help that her own mother had recently transformed into a dragon as well; it only made her more uncertain.

*Knock knock*

Her head perked up at the sound. Hesitating for just a second, she steeled her nerves and decided:

'Just this one. I'll see how this goes, and go from there.'

Taking a deep breath, she got up and walked to the door. With a shaky claw, she reached out for the doorknob, and—

"Lily?" Rove's voice came from the other side of the door.

Lily sighed, both in relief and mild disappointment. She opened the door, and in came the Changeling—

Followed by two more Changelings, a thestral, and a zebra.

Lily froze, suddenly extremely self-conscious. "Uh, R-Rove? Who are all these?"

The thestral blinked. "Right, I guess we forgot to tell you."

Lily recognized that voice. "Osmond?!"

"I think we should explain," the littlest Changeling stated.





Several minutes later, Lily was sitting on the couch, mulling over everything we'd just told her. "That's a lot to take in..."

"I know, right?" I tried joking to help lighten the mood.

"So, you're saying that, not only are the characters from My Little Pony real, but we're also the Elements of Harmony, and we're the key to stopping these transformations?"

"If our theory is right, yes," Mazarine clarified.

"If it helps, I'm just as lost as you," Mr. Adler comforted Lily. "I'm also having a hard time believing it's true."

"Well, there's an easy way to figure it out," I pointed out. "Where were you when you changed, Lily?"

She thought for a moment. "I was in the basement, looking for our old SNES."

"May we see?" Os asked.

Lily nodded, "Of course."





"Well, that's different."

All six of us stood in Lily's basement, staring at the far wall.

Or rather, at the magical anomaly in front of it.

It looked like a fountain of magic coming out of a crack in the wall, spewing magic into the surrounding environment where it dissipated. The colors were indescribable, and that was without taking into consideration the aura my family and I could see! It just... It was so powerful....

"Rove!"

I snapped out of my daze at Os's concerned voice. "Wha-what happened?"

"You were moving towards it," she explained, a look of worry writ across her face. Looking down, I realized that she was right; I was, indeed, a few paces closer to the anomaly than everyone else.

I shook my head as I stepped back. "S-sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"Maybe I should be the one to approach," she suggested.

I shook my head, "No, you don't have any significant magical senses. Besides, I don't want to put you at risk."

"I'll do it," Mazarine offered.

I hesitated, looking from her to the anomaly. "O-okay, just be careful..."

She nodded, then started to edge her way forward. As she approached, the magic seemed to react to her presence, causing a light orange glow to emanate from her.

Finally, she reached the edge of the anomaly, and peered inside. "Guys, I can see something on the other side!"

"Who's there!?"

We all froze at that. It was a rather familiar voice to some, unfamiliar to others, but we all could tell that it was coming from the other side of the rift.

"Are you who Princess Luna mentioned?" the voice continued.

Now there was absolutely no denying it. "Twilight?!"

The voice gasped. "You know my name; you must be them! Please, help us!"

I stuttered, "H-how?"

Another voice, this one of Spike, piped up. "Just get close to the rift; our magic should do the rest!"

Our group looked amongst each other, not having any other ideas on what to do. I stepped forward, followed by Os and Bea. Mr. Adler came next, and finally, Lily joined us.

As we each got close to the rift, we started glowing a different color. I glowed lavender, Os glowed blue, Lily was yellow, Mr. Adler was dark purple, and Bea was pink. As soon as the last of us stepped forward, we began to feel something pulling on us. It wasn't a physical pull, but rather an ethereal pull, as if it were trying to tap into some kind of magic inside of us.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from Os to me. We both flinched, but stopped when we realized it wasn't hurting. In fact, it actually made me feel... I dunno, it just felt like I now had something I'd been missing. Another beam of light then came from Lily, followed by Bea, Mazarine, and Mr. Adler, all converging on me.

Then everything went white.





I don't know how long we were unconscious for, but I distinctly remember that I was the first of us to come to. I groaned, getting to my hooves shakily.

*Gasp!*

I blinked, then turned towards the wall where the rift was, and I gasped, too.

Now, embedded inside of the wall, was a mirror frame.

And on the other side of it was Twilight Fucking Sparkle.
> Chapter 18: A Gateway Bug, The Wizard, and Os
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stood there for what seemed like forever, absolutely stunned.

Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight FUCKING Sparkle was right there, on the other side of a newly formed gateway, staring straight at me!

And right past her, lying on the floor and unconscious just like my friends, were the rest of the main cast of the show! They all looked exactly like they did in the show, except they were real.

If only I were actually a fan of the show; then I'd be having a field day.

Finally, I found my voice. "Y-you're Twilight Sparkle, right?"

"Yeah," she replied, still shocked. "A-a-and you're a..."

"A changeling?"

She nodded absently.

"Don't worry, this was only a recent development."

She visibly relaxed. "Right, Luna said you're supposed to be human?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm Rove."

"Rove? As in, the family of beetles?"

I huffed. "Yeah, I'm still kinda miffed about that retroactive pun."

She managed a light chuckle.

"Oh my goodness..."

Both of us turned around at the sound of Os's voice. She'd just woken up, and was now staring at the gateway with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

I rushed over. "Os, you ok?"

She nodded absently, still fixated on the gateway. "A-are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Yep, that's Twilight Sparkle," I confirmed.

The lavender alicorn smiled and nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Miss....?"

"Osmond," she replied, "Osmond Bellamy, but everyone calls me Os."

Twilight nodded. I helped Os onto her hooves, and I made sure she wasn't injured by whatever it was we'd just done.

Speaking of which... "So, what exactly did we just do?" I asked Twilight.

She replied, clearly excited, "We just stopped the magic leak!"

"Magic leak?"

She nodded. "A tear opened up in the fabric of reality, causing our magic to leak into your world."

Os gasped, "Wait, is that what's been causing these transformations?!"

Again, Twilight nodded. "Your world has no natural magic, right?" At my confirmation, she continued, "My theory is that your world acted as a low pressure point for the magic to flow into. And since your world has no magic of its own, it couldn't handle ours. The magic must've compensated by changing your bodies into ones it's familiar with, so that they could actually handle the influx of magic."

I stared dumbly, trying to comprehend what she'd just said.

Os chimed in helpfully, "I think I get it. It's kinda like when your eyes adjust to the darkness, or when your skin gets pruny from being in water too long — except this is on a much bigger scale, right?"

Twilight shrugged, "That's a really unscientific way of stating it, but I suppose it gets the general idea across."

I piped up, "Hang on a second... How'd this all happen in the first place?"

"If what Celestia told me is true," Twilight explained, "it's because both of our worlds have been experiencing heavy solar flares. Our world doesn't experience them that often — only for eleven weeks every 6 years — so the fact that both of our worlds had them at the same time weakened the wall between our worlds... or something. Celestia didn't seem too sure, herself."

Os ventured, "Is the Mirror Portal open currently?"

Twilight thought for a moment while I was left in the dark. Suddenly, she gasped, "That's it! With the Mirror Portal already making the walls of our universe weak, both of our worlds experiencing solar flares at the same time was enough to punch through!"

I interrupted, "H-hang on, what's this about a 'Mirror Portal'?"

Thankfully, Os was able to explain. "It's a relic that connects Equestria to another universe for a few days every so often. It used to belong to Celestia, but after her previous student ran away through it, she locked it away until Twilight gained possession of it."

Twilight blinked. "Woah... Luna said you had some knowledge of us, but I didn't know you knew that much! How do you know all of this?!"

Os blanched. "Well, um, it's kinda a long story..."

Twilight raised an eyebrow sceptically. "How so?"

She inhaled sharply through her teeth. "In this world, you're fictional."

Dead silence reigned for a long moment.

"What?" Twilight finally managed to croak out.

"You know what a television is, right? From your visits to the other dimension?" Twilight nodded, so Os continued, "Here, you're the main characters of a fictional TV show."

Twilight had no words as she processed this. For a moment, I could've sworn I saw smoke leaking out of her ears.

Then she gasped. "Wait a second, Starswirl's Theory of Infinite Possibilities!"

Both Os and I looked sceptically at her. "What?"

"If an infinite number of parallel universes exist, then anything that's possible has theoretically happened in at least one of them! Your world must be one of those in which a TV show was made that just so happens to resemble our universe!"

"Oh!" Os and I blinked in realization. That was a much easier-to-swallow explanation than the alternative...

But before Twilight could get any further into metaphysics, somebody on her side began waking up. "Ugh, my head..."

I turned to look, and saw the pink pony getting up. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I suddenly got a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.

We stared at each other for a moment, before I tried to break the tension. "Uh... Hello there?"

That's when she struck. Zipping straight through the mirror as though it weren't even there, she got up right in my face and began speaking so quickly that I could barely register it as words.

Although I definitely heard the word 'party' in there several times.

Thankfully, Os came in between us. "It's nice to meet you too, Pinkie, but could you please calm down a little?"

She stepped back, a sheepish smile spreading on her face. "Oh, sorry! I'm just so excited to meet somepony from another universe!"

Os chuckled, "Honestly, I'm pretty excited, too. I just wish it could've been under better circumstances."

Meanwhile, Twilight was studying the portal. "Fascinating! It's a real-time portal with instant transfer, while allowing the traveler to retain their form!"

I blinked. "Uh... Could you elaborate on that? I'm not exactly versed in all things magical."

The alicorn blushed a little. "The last time I travelled through a portal to another dimension, it took a little bit to travel, and it changed me into a human to better fit in."

Wait, what?

Seeing my confused expression, Os suggested, "You really should just watch the movie about it."

I nodded, "You know what? I think I will."

It was at that moment that Pinkie Pie approached me again — thankfully at a respectful distance this time. "Hey Mr. Buggy, can you do any shape-shifting tricks?"

I blinked at the mare's sudden appearance. "First of all, my name is Rove. Second, I don't actually know how to shape-shift."

The party planner gasped. "You can't shape-shift!? That's gotta be the saddest story I've ever heard! A Changeling not being able to shape-shift is like... It's like Applejack not being able to harvest apples!"

It was at that moment that another character on their side woke up. Hearing her name, the orange mare jolted up, still half-asleep. "What? Ah can't harvest apples?!"

Pinkie gasped again, "Oh no, all my greatest fears are coming true!! What if I don't like cupcakes!?"

Then, to my eternal confusion, Pinkie Pie pulled a cupcake out of nowhere — while being on our side of the portal, no less — and ate it whole. She chewed for a moment, before sighing in relief, "Oh, thank Celestia."

Twilight groaned, rubbing her temple. "This is going to be a long day in all of the wrong ways..."
> Chapter 19: What We Do Next
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eventually, everyone awoke, and the situation was fully explained.

My heart nearly stopped when I realized that had been the easy part.

"So, what do we do now?" Rainbow Dash eventually asked.

"Normally, Ah'd be all about bein' straight-forward an' honest," Applejack admitted, "but this's a delicate sit-i-ation, an' we need a plan a'fore we do anythin'."

"I'll say," Mazarine agreed. "The revelation that there's an alien dimension in some random basement, even with the events of the last few days, would be pretty big news. If we handle this incorrectly, it could go horribly wrong."

Mr. Adler then pointed out, "But planning something like that takes time. What do we do in the meantime?"

"You guys shouldn't have to be stuck in the basement the whole time," Lily voiced.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "We could just go back to Equestria..."

Pinkie then whined, "Aww, but I wanted to explore!"

Lily smirked a little at the country pony, who was gazing questioningly at the pink mare. "You were saying?"

"I, too, am quite curious about this new world," Rarity corroborated. "If for nothing else, then just to get a sense of what these 'humans' look like."

Rainbow eyed her teasingly. "You just wanna see their fashion, don't you?"

Rarity huffed indignantly for a moment, stood stock still for a few seconds, then finally sighed and nodded. Rainbow chuckled a bit at her guess being true.

Twilight thought for a moment. "I'm curious, too... Well, if we just pretend that we've been affected by the leak, then we could head out for a bit. If that's alright with you folks?" She asked us.

I shrugged approval, and everyone else also apprehensively nodded. Even Applejack, who seemed the most against it, eventually agreed once Twilight assured her that they wouldn't actively tell any lies about it; they'd just opt to not say anything.

Bea, having zoned out during the conversation, finally perked up at it being over. "Alright, now that that's settled, I have so many questions!"

Fluttershy chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Well, I suppose I've got some time, since I'm not very good at all of this planning stuff..."

Bea flitted over excitedly. "Alright, first off, is your Stare magical?"

Fluttershy looked concerned. "Oh, I sure hope not! I wouldn't want to be doing anything to my animal friends against their will!"

Bea looked to Twilight expectantly, who chuckled at her enthusiasm. "As far as I can tell, there's no magical component to it."

"Woah!" My little sister was absolutely enamored. "And what about Applejack's lie-detecting ability? Does it have anything to do with her Element?"

AJ smirked. "If it did, then mah brother'd have it, too."

Bea gasped "Big Mac can sense lies, too?!"

"You don't know the half of it."

As Applejack began telling Bea (and Fluttershy, too) of one time that Big Mac caught somepony deep in a lie, the rest of the group began to discuss what to do about them revealing themselves.

Well, everyone except for me.







"In other news, President Nova has announced 'Project Hoof', where several top scientists from across the country have been called in to help determine the cause of the recent epidemic. More on that at nine."



At that point, I decided to turn off the radio; it wasn't really helping. I was trying to tune everyone else out, as thinking about this whole predicament for too long was stressing me out. With the radio not being nearly as distracting as I'd hoped, I tried to think of something else to do.

Os looked over and noticed me, leaving the conversation to approach. "Hey Rove, you gonna join in on this?"

I shook my head, "This is all just too much for me to handle right now. I mean, we're spearheading first contact with aliens; I don't really think my input would be very helpful."

She looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn't. "Well, when you put it like that, I understand. But still, I'm not gonna let you sit over here by yourself; let's go do something."

I smiled, "Thanks, Os."

She responded by giving me a peck on the cheek, before heading out back.

I, meanwhile, was momentarily stunned. Sure, we'd had that make-out session last night, but that was in the heat of the moment; this time, she was treating it as perfectly normal!

Not that I was complaining.

I shook my head, a small grin spreading across my face, and followed her outside.

When I caught back up to Os, I found her practicing her flying. She was certainly better than the last time I'd seen her try, but she still had a ways to go before she could comfortably fly for any length of time.

I thought about what I could do for a while. My wall-walking skills had improved significantly; I wasn't really up for flying at the moment; and, while I could always practice my magic, there wasn't anything out here light enough for me to try levitating.

Then I recalled something Pinkie had said earlier:



"A Changeling not being able to shape-shift is like... It's like Applejack not being able to harvest apples!"



Shape-shifting... That sounded like a fun challenge.

Focusing energy into my horn, I began picturing my body in my mind. The mental image of my changeling self formed, before I began making slight modifications to it. I imagined my mane as a different color, then let the energy in my horn out.

POW!

I reeled as the energy was released incorrectly, causing a blast of feedback that literally knocked me off my hooves. Os noticed and immediately rushed to my side, checking me over for any injuries.

"I'm okay," I insisted. "I didn't expect to get it on my first attempt, anyway."

"What were you trying to do?" she asked, concerned.

"Shape-shift," I stated simply. "I don't know what I did wrong; I just pictured myself with differently-colored hair..."

"You need to let the magic wash over you," a third voice said, catching both of our attentions. We turned to see Twilight poking her head out through the sliding door.

She continued, "A changeling I know, Thorax, has told me a lot about their magical technique. Don't try and force it all out at once, because that'll just lead to a burst of feedback. Instead, let it wash over you, as if you're slowly pouring a pitcher of water onto yourself."

I nodded, deciding not to question the expert. Focusing on my mental image once again, I lit up my horn. But this time, I took Twilight's advice, and simply let my magic flow over me. A warm sensation cascaded around my body, taking the form of flames, and a few strands of my mane became blonde.

Os grinned, "You kinda did it!"

I returned the gesture, then turned back to Twilight. "Thanks for the advice!"

She simply smiled, before pulling herself back inside and closing the door.





The next while passed while I continued to hone my skill. I managed to make about half my hair change before Os piped up, looking at her phone in her hoof. "Hey, uh, Rove?"

"Yeah?" I responded absently, still focusing on my magic.

"I know it's been pretty hectic today, and it's already well past noon, but, uh, you still up for that meal?"

I blinked, then remembered that we'd agreed to go out for lunch earlier. "Right, of course! We were going to the Luigi's on Main, right?"

Os nodded, heading over to the gate. I opened it with my magic, closed it behind us, and we headed towards the restaurant.

As we walked, I took a moment to straighten my mane, fixing the discolored patches left over from my practice. I then looked at Os, taking in her aura (at some point, I'd gotten so used to seeing them around everyone that I'd started ignoring them). She had a lot of tangerine yellow (which was new to me), mixed with ribbons of indigo (the color I'd come to associate with nervousness or anxiety) and some faint splotches of pink.

"Nervous?" I decided to ask, breaking the silence between us.

She jumped slightly, but nodded. "I'm going on my first date ever; of course I'm nervous."

I blinked. This was a date?

Damnit, now I was getting nervous, too.
> Chapter 20: A Date To Remember
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eventually, we got to Luigi's, a quaint italian restaurant run by a local family. The hostess, a teenage woman with red hair and freckles, put on a smile at the sight of us, her aura a mixture of pale rose and khaki (I should really start keeping track of what they mean). "Welcome to Luigi's, how many seats do you need?"

"Just us two," Os smiled back. The lady nodded, grabbing two menus and leading us to an open booth. Looking around, I was surprised to see a few other equestrians, including a hippogriff, two zebras, a dragon, and a fellow Changeling. 

The hostess got us to an open table, a nice little booth where Os and I sat across from each other. She placed some menus onto the table, then left us to look over them.

Os began, "So, anything happen lately?"

I shrugged, "My dad became a changeling yesterday."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow. "That must've been quite the surprise for him."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "He almost didn't pick up for our bi-weekly call."

"He's in Iran, right?"

"Afghanistan, actually," I corrected.

"Right, right."

It was then that the waitress came back. We ordered our drinks (I got chocolate milk while Os got strawberry lemonade), and she left again.

Os picked up a menu with a wing. "Alright, what still looks good...?"

I used my magic to levitate mine. "Well, I don't exactly need to eat real food anymore, but I still want to get some — keeps some amount of normalcy, you know?"

She nodded, then went back to looking at the menu. While she looked, her emotional aura began to rotate between multiple colors such as chartreuse, dark blue, and light orchid.

That settled it; I pulled out my notebook and began to write out a guide to my emotion sense. Os looked up, then paused when she saw me. "Uh, Rove?" Her aura was now maroon.

"Yeah?" I grunted, barely noting that she seemed confused and putting that next to maroon.

"Where'd your notebook come from?"

I paused, finally remembering the fact that I hadn't actually brought my notebook with me on this date. "Huh, would you look at that?" I checked the front; definitely my notebook, and not a completely new one.





"I think you just teleported your notebook here!" Os was now beginning to get excited, her aura turning tangerine yellow.

I made note of that. "I suppose I did, didn't I?"

"That's so cool! Do you think you could do it with anything else?"

I couldn't help myself; Os's excitement was contagious. "Let's find out, shall we?"

I then spent the next few minutes trying to get something else from my room to appear next to us. It took a bit of work to consciously do it, but once I realized that it worked better if I really wanted it, I began to get the hang of it pretty quickly. I managed to summon a box of tissues and three pencils before our drinks came. The waitress's aura turned maroon at the extra stuff now at our table, but she didn't comment.

We placed our orders (I got pasta e fagioli, while she got a chicken and spinach calzone), then went back to what we were doing before. I showed Os what I was writing in my notebook, and together, we came up with a pretty comprehensive list of emotions I could sense.

Eventually, the food came out. Even if it wasn't filling, that pasta e fagioli still tasted amazing. And judging by Os's pink-and-white aura, she was satisfied by her meal, too.

We talked for a little while longer about this and that — the kind of stuff only friends would find interesting. Eventually, the check came, and I summoned my stash of money to pay (Os wanted to, but I insisted).

But as we were leaving, a family entered the restaurant with a Changeling among them. And though we only made eye contact for a moment as we passed, his aura flashed a dozen colors.

But the lead color was fire brick red.





As we walked home, that Changeling plagued my mind. Os seemed to notice, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"That Changeling..." I muttered. "When he looked at me, he suddenly got really angry."

Os looked concerned, and her dark magenta aura backed that up. "Maybe, uh... Maybe they were just having a hard day, having become a Changeling, and the sight of you brought out all their emotions?"

I sighed. "Maybe you're right, but I just can't shake off this bad feeling it gave me."

She thought for a moment, then smirked. "I think I might know something that'll get your mind off of it."

Before I could ask what she meant, she suddenly took to the sky with unsteady wing beats. She gestured with a hoof to follow her lead, and I did so, buzzing up to meet her. She led me up over a house, in a direction I knew led to a park (Cascade Valley, I think?).

As we approached, she told me, "Close your eyes."

"What??" I balked. "But we're flying; I'll crash!"

She paused for a moment, then took my hoof in hers. "I'll make sure you don't."

I could feel a little blush invading my face, but I did as she asked, and closed my eyes. She led me forward for a bit, before we both landed on something wooden.

"Alright, open your eyes."

I did so, and was stunned.

The park looked spectacular. With winter coming in soon, all the leaves were beautiful shades of red and gold, and there was just a touch of frost on everything, making it all glisten. The boardwalk we were on overlooked a small valley with a river running through it, which shone in the evening sun. I'd been here once before, but never had I truly appreciated how beautiful it looked until now.

"Wow..." was all I could say.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Os asked. I looked over to her to find she was looking at me, smirking. "It truly is something to—"

She couldn't help but laugh at how cheesy she was being, and I joined her in it. When we finally wound down, we decided to just sit there, taking in the view.

Soon, I felt Os's hoof on my lap. I turned to see her looking at me again, this time more dreamily than last. I couldn't help but get lost in her pumpkin orange eyes again, just like last night.

It happened before I could even register what I was doing; I moved forward and locked lips with her, and we both melted into a kiss. This time, however, Os was a little more experimental; as soon as my mouth opened a little, she snaked her tongue in. I was taken aback a bit, before moving my own tongue forward to meet hers.

Suffice it to say, we made enough heat ourselves to stave off the cold autumn air.





<Rove, are you there?>

When I came to, it was just after sunset. I was still entangled in Os's limbs, but I didn't feel like I needed to change that anytime soon. So I simply laid there, taking in her wonderful smell while I sent back my reply: <What's up, Mom?>

<Where have you been? We were looking all over the house before I remembered the Hive Mind.>

<I'm on a date.>

She paused for a moment. <A date? I don't remember you mentioning dating anyone.>

<It was a recent development.>

Her next reply came with a bit of motherly teasing. <I see. So, who's the lucky other?>

I chuckled a little internally. <It's Os, actually.>

This time, there was a shorter pause. <Huh. I thought there was something else going on with you two, but I was never quite sure.>

I rolled my eyes. <Alright, did you really wake me up just to gossip about my love life?>

<Actually, no. While you were gone, we came up with a plan.>
> Chapter 21: Binge Party (or 'How I Learned To Love That Pony Show')
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I blinked. <You did?>

<Mm-hmm. Get back here as soon as you can, and Twilight will explain. Damn, it's still so weird to think that she's actually here.>

A little chuckled escaped my mouth. <Alright, we'll be there soon.>

Os stirred from under me, having been awoken by my laugh. "Rove? What's funny?"

I de-tangled my limbs from hers and sat up. "Just talking with my Mom. We need to get back to Lily's and—"

Os's eyes widened as soon as her gaze fell upon me. "Rove, have you seen yourself?!"

Huh? I glanced down at my hoof; I could barely make it out in the dim light, but it was a dark red now. "Wha— oh no, did I—?"

"—metamorphose into one of the new Changelings, either during or after our make-out session? Yep."

I groaned. "Alright, how bad is it?"

She didn't say anything; instead, she pulled out her phone and fumbled with it until the front-facing camera was activated.

I sighed, then looked over myself. My orange elytra was covered in brown mottling, getting thicker towards the base of my neck; my dark blue torso contrasted nicely with my dark red legs and head; my wings, tail, and fin were a nice shade of light blue; and my horn now had a second, smaller point just behind the first.

On the bright side, at least I didn't have those dumb-looking antlers.

"That's two transformations in the span of a week," I numbly pointed out.

"Three if you count your attempts at shape-changing," Os added.

"Not helping," I leveled a quick glance at her, not too harsh but still irked.

She seemed to get my intention and nodded. "Right, sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."

I smirked. "Thanks, but leave the sarcastic comments to me."

She rolled her eyes, but still smiled. "Whatever you say, buddy. Now, what was it your Mom said?"

I blinked. Oh, right.





When we returned to Lily's home, we found Twilight and Mazarine waiting in the entrance foyer. As soon as I was in their sight, my mom began to stare at my new form. "Rove, what—"

"Yes, I'm aware I changed again, but that's not important right now; what's your plan?"

Twilight nodded, not at all fazed by the change. "It came to me when Pinkie turned on the radio; it was a news bulletin discussing how your leader is gathering top scientists from across the country."

I nodded, "I heard something similar while I was listening earlier."

"So I had an idea: I'm going to get Celestia and Luna, and we're going to go to the conference they're holding in a week."

Os gaped. "Y-you're bringing the Princesses here?!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

In response, my friend started to panic. I grabbed hold of her shoulders and got her to do a quick breathing exercise, regaining control of her breathing.

She had the decency to blush as she regarded Twilight. "Sorry about that; I'm a big fan of the show."

Twilight pursed her lips in thought. "I'm still rather curious about that, actually. And since the conference won't be for another week...."

Os looked over at me expectantly, as if I was the final authority. "What?"

"You wanna binge the series with us?" she asked, eyes pleading.

I shrugged, "I suppose it'd be worth a shot."

Os cheered.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie bounced into the room. "I couldn't help but overhear you, and I have exactly one thing to say:

"BINGE PARTY!"

Then I realized something: "Wait a second, we have school tomorrow!"

Pinkie frowned, nearly deflating as she fell from the air.

Then she grinned. "How about Saturday, then?"

We agreed.





And so it was that, on Saturday, all of us returned to Lily's house and began the binge. It took two days of 12½ hour sessions, but by the time Sunday came to a close, we'd gotten through the first three seasons and the first Equestria Girls movie.

The entire time, the Equestrians pointed out little things, such as how the episode order didn't reflect reality, and how it took more work to solve things (like the Season 3 Finale) than what was shown; in return, we pointed out things such as the references to our pop culture and the inconsistencies we'd noticed, like their occasional use of the word "hand" (that one was, apparently, a fluke by the writers; even Spike consistently called his hands "claws" before they went to Canterlot High).

Twilight was particularly surprised at how many references there were to our world — particularly from Pinkie and Discord, but not exclusive to them — that were accurate to what actually happened. In fact, the show could be disconcertingly accurate, sometimes down to the word choice. She decided that, once she was done with this whole situation, she'd try and get in contact with the writers to see if she could determine what was going on.

Fluttershy wasn't particularly fond of the idea of strangers recording what she did, but we managed to explain that nobody was actually watching them (at least, not that we knew of), they were just... really good at guessing. Besides, the show's focus on morals helped reassure her that it was doing good.

Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity were all captivated by the idea of having such a large audience they'd never known about (although Rarity was rather displeased with how the writers tended to overblow her more shallow side).

Pinkie just kept smiling and quoting the episodes, even singing along with the songs.

Mr. Adler initially came to learn as much about Equestrians as he could, but eventually got sucked into the fun. I think it was the 'Huffy the Magic Dragon' joke in 'Over a Barrel' that finally got him to admit he was enjoying it.

(Speaking of that joke in particular, we were surprised to find out that it was also an adult joke in their world; apparently, there's a plant called 'magic dragon' that, when dried and burnt, the fumes act as an aphrodisiac. It's called that because the dried leaves' texture is similar to that of a dragon's scales. I was surprised that Fluttershy of all ponies had said it, but she said it just sorta slipped out before she could stop it.)

As for me? I can safely say that I now see what so many people like about the show, and I'd be lying if I said didn't enjoy myself.

Finally, as a capstone to the marathon, we decided to have some fun and watch The Princess Promenade (Lily had owned it since she was a kid). While it obviously wasn't canon to FiM, Twilight did actually recall reading a similar fairy tale when she was younger (it's actually where she got Spike's name from).

In fact, it was rather funny to them just how many characters shared names with ponies they knew. Rainbow Dash, in particular, walked out the instant that the pony sharing her name said 'Darling'.

Good-natured teasing from her friends ensued for the rest of the night.





On Monday, life continued on as normally as it possibly could. Mom went back to work (her burgeoning magic skills really helped in the kitchen), Os and I had another date at a bowling alley, I continued to practice my magic, and Lily even started coming back to school (granted, she was just as shy as usual, if not more, but it was still something)!

Meanwhile, the Equestrians came and went using the portal, sometimes venturing outside (luckily, Lily lived in a neighborhood of older people, so nobody recognized the main characters of the show). At one point, Lily's dad, Carson (who apparently had been away on a business trip the whole week), came home to find several ponies measuring the amount of magic that was in the air. After the whole situation was explained to him, he decided he didn't want to get involved with any of this, and headed to his room to catch some Z's.

Twilight also began preparing for her trip in earnest once the binge was over. She mapped out a route to Washington, D.C. that would only take her 9 hours of flight (not counting any resting or detours), then went through the portal to inform Celestia and Luna.

When she came back on Tuesday, though, her face was stricken with worry. "Luna isn't coming."

Os and I gasped. "Why not?"

Twilight shook her head, "She won't say. In fact, she won't speak to anyone until she speaks with, at the very least, you two."

Os and I looked at each other. What could she want with us? To congratulate us? To apologize for the hassle all of this caused?

Or maybe she was finally going to explain what those dreams meant?
> Chapter 22: Luna's Regrets
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I shuddered as my hooves felt the cold floor of Twilight's Castle. I didn't know whether to be excited or nervous to set foot in another dimension, but there were more pressing matters.

At least Os was with me. "This is so surreal! Though I wonder what Luna wants."

"Based on the circumstances, it's gotta be something important," I pondered.

Twilight soon piped up, still on the Earth side of the portal. "She's waiting in the Map Room. Just go down the stairs at the end of the hall, and it'll be through the doors at the end of the foyer."

Os blinked. "You're not coming?"

She shook her head. "She made it clear that she wants to speak with you two, not me. Besides, I still have to finish getting everything ready for our plan." We nodded in acceptance, and with a quick goodbye, we exited the room the portal was in.

Our hoofsteps rang through the crystalline hallway as we walked. The structure was much more impressive in person than in the few pictures I'd seen of it, but that was a given. I could even see our reflections in the walls, they were so clean.

Eventually, we reached the staircase leading into the foyer, just like Twilight had said. We both decided to fly down, our flying having gotten better over the past few days.

The silence was only broken once we reached the doors. "Well, this is it," Os commented absently. "Once we open these doors, there's no going back."

"I'd say we passed that threshold when we started searching for the Elements," I chuckled a little.

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

With that, we each pressed a hoof against the double doors, and pushed them both open.

Princess Luna sat in Twilight Sparkle's throne, with an aura of multiple swirling shades of gray — the colors of guilt and regret combining into despondence. Her ear perked up when the door opened, and she turned to see us.

That only made her despondence worsen. "Ah, you're here. I suppose it is time, then."

We both bowed. "It's an honor to—"

She waved a hoof. "No need for the formalities; I am not your ruler, and I would not deserve such respect regardless."

Os immediately countered, "What do you mean? Of course you're worthy of respect; you raise your moon!"

Her head drooped. "After what I've done, I fear I've lost all respect."

I chimed in, "Nightmare Moon wasn't that bad—"

"I am not referring to that."

Os and I looked at each other momentarily, before Os spoke up: "Then what are you referring to?"

Luna now looked closer to Fluttershy in demeanor. "This whole catastrophe... It's all my fault."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was the solar flares causing this."

"That is only part of it," Luna admitted. "But I am the catalyst."

Os gave me a quick glance, which I returned. "What exactly happened?"

"It was just over a week ago," Luna began, "and I was reading Twilight Sparkle's notes on the Mirror Portal. Her solution to controlling when it opened was so ingenious, it made me wonder if we were trying hard enough to understand it.

"Tia tried to warn me; she said that she'd spent two hundred years trying to understand the portal, even going as far as creating a specific scientific branch for Research Into Multi-Dimensional Travel. But Twilight's immediate success with modifying the portal had incensed me; surely there'd be something I could learn if I just tried hard enough?"

"You tried messing with magic you didn't understand," Os realized.

Luna winced, but nodded. "I only meant to get a look into the magic that formed the rift between our world and Terra, but the solar flares messed with my spell-work, and I accidentally punched a hole into yours.

"Thankfully, the rift was stabilized when you created the new portal, but the damage has already been done." Luna lowered her head. "I thought I'd left my stubborn ways behind when Twilight and her friends rescued me from the Nightmare, but it seems I was mistaken."

I blinked. Now I finally understood what that second dream meant!

"So go ahead," Luna finished, tears welling up in her eyes, "tell me how badly I messed up. Tell me how much this has changed your lives for the worse; tell me how you never wanted the responsibility of becoming your world's Elements of Harmony; tell me how much you hate—"

That's all she could say before Os and I interrupted her with a hug. "You really need to stop being so hard on yourself."

She blinked, the tears now freely flowing. "You forgive me, even after what I did?!"

"Sure, it's changed our lives," I began, "but it's not all bad. I can't speak for everyone, but I've grown to like some of the changes." I twitched my wings for an example.

"And I know how hard you are on yourself already," Os added. "But that won't cause anything but trouble."

"Yes, I remember the Tantabus quite well," Luna commented. "Thankfully, I haven't sunken that low... yet...."

I looked at Os for clarification, and she whispered, "We'll get to that episode eventually."

I nodded, then turned back to Luna. "We all make mistakes; I almost didn't help Os with this because I thought that, if I just ignored it, maybe I could retain some sense of normalcy. What's important now is that we learn from our mistakes and move forward with that new knowledge, so we don't make that same mistake twice."

I broke from the hug. "Besides, if this hadn't happened, Os and I wouldn't be dating right now."

She blinked, then looked at us both and smiled. "That... That is nice to hear. I did notice the two of you in that first dream, but I hadn't gotten the opportunity to see anything past that."

"Yep," Os placed a wing onto my shoulder, "we're practically married already."

I spluttered at that. "I wouldn't — we're not that far yet, Os!"

" 'Yet'?"

I blushed, and they both got a laugh out of it.

Luna wiped away a tear. "Thanks, I needed that. But still, your forgiveness alone can't atone for what I did to the denizens of Earth."

Os pointed out, "Then why aren't you joining Twilight's plan? If you feel so bad, work to fix it!"

The Princess blinked, then slapped herself. "You're right; what am I doing, sitting here and feeling sorry for myself, when I should be helping to fix this!?"

She suddenly stood up. "Hold on, Sister, I'm coming!" With that, she lit her horn and disappeared in a flash of light.

After a moment of silence, Os looked at me. "So... that just happened, right? We just comforted and motivated a Princess?" I nodded, and she continued, "Good, glad to see it wasn't just my imagination."

Then she fainted.





Once Os woke up, we decided to fly back to my house and take a load off — that interaction may not have been much, but it was still emotionally taxing. Besides, it was pretty late in the day (Twilight only came back through at about 5:30 p.m.).

While we were flying, something clicked in my mind. "What was it that Luna said about 'the responsibility of becoming your world's Elements of Harmony'?"

Os blinked. "Huh, she did say that...."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking that means?" I turned to her worriedly.

"That we're going to be the ones people turn to for help stopping anything magical that comes in the future?"

I gulped. "Exactly."

Os shrugged. "Eh, we'll worry about it when it comes. Right now, I'm feeling a little hungry."

"Oh?"

She then looked at me sultrily. "Yup. I could go for a nice, big, juicy snack."

I replied obliviously, "Well, we've still got some leftover food that's gonna go bad now that we don't need to—"

"Rove, I'm making an innuendo."

I paused, midair, and blushed. "Oh.... Are you really sure about this, Os?"

She nodded, and I could only detect very faint traces of nerve in her aura. "More sure than I've ever been about anything."

We looked each other in the eye for a moment, and she didn't back down.

Then I grinned my fanged grin. "Os, I would be honored."

She grinned her own fanged grin back. "Then let's do this."

And thus began the best night of our lives.





Meanwhile, somewhere else...

Harold Johannes stood in his bedroom, staring at a printed-out image of a changeling that was thumb-tacked to his corkboard. Just the sight of it made him irrationally angry.

'It's all his fault....'

He thought back to last week, in biology class. First, another classmate changed; the next day, several other students — including Harold — had been changed as well. Things like that happened for a reason; it was too similar to how disease spread to be coincidence.

'It's all his fault....'

His expression hardened into a scowl, and his horn lit up, fueled by his anger. With a *Zap!*, the picture was reduced to ash. He was finally ready.

"Just you wait, Rove," he growled. "Tomorrow, you're going to pay for making us like this."
> Chapter 23: The Note
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

I once again woke in the warm embrace of Osmond — only this time, we were actually in a bed. I groaned, wriggling my arm out from under me to try and shut off the alarm, then remembered I had magic. The alarm clicked off, and only then did I remember that we both had school today.

"Os," I gently shook her, "it's time to get up."

She stirred, her pumpkin orange eyes blinking drearily open. "Rove? What day is it?"

"Wednesday," I replied with a smirk, "November 12, 2025 AD. A week and two days since I changed."

She pushed me lightly with a hoof. "Okay, no need to get so specific."

I giggled. "Not sorry."





When Os and I came into the kitchen, Mazarine was humming to herself, while Bea read something on her phone, using her magic to hold a stylus.

I smiled. "Glad to see you're finally using your magic, Bea."

She jumped at our sudden appearance, blushing. "Y-yeah, well, I've had a lot of time to pract—" She seemed to finally realize that it was more than just me there, as she suddenly asked, "Why's Os here?"

"Oh, y'know," I dodged the question, "some late night studying."

Mazarine raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

Os, however, wasn't on the same page as me — either that, or she was too tired to get it. "What're you talking about? We—"

I elbowed her in the shoulder, making her flinch. But one look in my mom's eyes told me I wasn't getting away with lying. "Fine, we're dating now. You happy?"

She smiled. "I'm happy that you're finally happy."

Through the Hive Mind, I could tell she was remembering last week, when she'd asked me if I was going to do anything more with my high school life.

It was funny to look back at that after all that'd happened, so I smiled as well. "Me too, Mom."

Mazarine then winked. "Be sure to use protection."

I sputtered, face turning red. "M-Mom! Not in front of Bea!"

"You heard Mom," Bea stuck her tongue out. "Use some fucking protection!"

Everyone else shared a laugh at my discomfort, as well as Bea's comment.





"So," Os turned to Bea, "reading anything interesting?"

She nodded. "Project Hoof is taking place today, and you know what that means."

"Twilight's plan is about to unfold, right?" I guessed.

Mazarine nodded. "She and the other Princesses left last night."

Os blinked. "How do you know that?"

In response, she held up a scroll with her magic. We both read it; it was just a message saying that they were leaving, and that, if we needed to contact them for any reason, we could find Spike waiting at Lily's house.

"Yeah, that makes sense."





After a hearty breakfast for Bea (Mazarine was able to collect the love that the patrons of her restaurant felt for her food), and a bowl of cereal for Os and me, the three of us headed to school together. As we walked, people and ponies alike looked on at us, their auras seafoam blue (what I'd come to know as curiosity).

I responded by bringing out a wing and nudging Os's side with it. She glanced back at it, then carefully took my wing in hers in a 'holding hands' kind of gesture.

The auras of the onlookers changed, varying from apathy, to awe, to confusion. But that's when I stopped paying attention, as I didn't particularly care anymore.





Eventually, we got to our school. We said goodbye as Bea continued on to hers, and headed inside.

When we got to my locker, however, the mood was ruined. The door had been dented as though kicked, and a note had been attached to the outside:



Rove,

Come to the football field at 4PM. I've got a score to settle with you.

— Harold J.



I blinked. What'd I do to upset this 'Harold' guy?!

Os frowned. "Who's Harold?"

I shook my head, "No idea."

"Are you gonna go?"

I pondered it. "I'll at least show up. I don't know if he wants to talk, or fight, or what. But I have a feeling that, if I don't show up, it'll get worse than a dented locker."

She frowned, but didn't object. The bell rang, and we headed off to our classes.





The first three periods were normal enough, even with the number of changed students and teachers. Ms. Una had come back, having changed into a taller unicorn (like Fleur De Lis), and was teaching Algebra again. Language Arts today was about the changed students sharing what they'd learned about their new bodies (I was surprised to see Lily show off her wings, however hesitantly), and English was same as ever, even if none of the students there happened to have changed besides me.

Then Biology came, and while the class itself was relatively the same (even with Mr. Adler now being a zebra), I couldn't help but feel like the other changeling in the room was trying to burn a hole through my skull with his eyes alone.

Then once the class ended, he stopped at my desk and gave me a hard glare. "See you at four, Rove," he growled, not even trying to be subtle, before walking out.

I blinked, connecting the pieces in my head. That was Harold? What'd I ever do to him?!

Mr. Adler came up to my desk while I was thinking. "What was that about? And what is making you pout?"

I frowned. "I found a note on my locker telling me to meet him on the football field at four. I think he wants to fight me?"

He blanched at that. "It pains me to hear of such a spat. Now tell me, why would he want that?"

"I don't know," I shook my head. "I think I remember him saying something last week, about 'paying for this'? But I don't know what I did!"

Mr. Adler's aura became golden. "I'll speak with the lad. Maybe an understanding can be had."

"Please do," I sighed in relief. He nodded, and I was allowed to leave.





The last bell rang, letting us all out for the day.

3:15 PM, 45 minutes from the fight. Was it too late to back out?

As I walked down the hall, I was stopped by Mr. Adler. "I have spoken with Harold, but for naught. He won't listen until he's fought."

"Did you go to the Principal?"

"As the transformations progressed, they've become more and more stressed, dealing with everything that's been messed. And even if I did stop the fight here, he'll only return when I can't be near."

I huffed. "Well, did you find out why he wants to fight in the first place?"

"He believes you to have spread this change, like a bad case of mange. I told him the real cause, but he found it too strange."

I blanched. "You told him about Equestria?"

He nodded. "The Princesses are enacting their plan currently, right?" I nodded. "Then one way or another, it will come to light."

I mulled that over, eventually deciding he was right. "Alright, but we're going to wait until they've made it public before mentioning it to anyone else."

He nodded, then took notice as I determinedly turned to walk away. "I'd advise you refrain from fighting, friend. Talking is the best way this can end."

"I know," I stated, more to myself than him.

As soon as I exited the building, Os came up to greet me. "How was your day?"

"Okay," I replied. "I figured out that Harold shares my Biology class."

Her tone dropped. "Did you figure out why he wants to fight?"

"He thinks that I 'infected' him with Equestrian Magic, making him transform."

She frowned, thinking for a moment. "Is it at all possible that that's what happened?"

I shook my head, "I don't think so. I didn't go anywhere near Lily after she'd changed, and yet I still changed!"

"But it's still a possibility?"

I shrugged. "I suppose there's a miniscule chance that it could've happened. Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Yours, of course," she clarified, lightly slugging my shoulder with a hoof. "I'm just worried that he might have a point."

I held up a hoof. "Alright, I concede that there's a small possibility that he has a point. Only Twilight could really know for sure, but she's in D.C. right now."

Os nodded. "So, what do you plan to do about this?"

"I'm still going to show up," I began, "but now, I'm more determined than ever to talk it out."

She nodded, and we started towards the football field.
> Chapter AF: The 100% Canon Happy Ending, by Beatrice Hummel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damnit, Rove, I thought to myself, why'd you agree to this?! Are you crazy!?

Os and I had just arrived at the meeting spot, the school's football field. Harold was standing on the 40-yard line on the other side of the field, a nondescript look on his face.

"Well, I'm here!" I called out to him. "What's next?"

Harold said nothing; instead, he slowly started to walk down the field, his gaze fixated on me. Os tried to step forward, but I held him back, sensing something off about his stride.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, he stopped about a foot in front of me. We both stared into each other's eyes for a moment...

And then he kissed me passionately, to both of our surprise.

I jerked away suddenly. "What in the hay?!" I asked him, flummoxed. "Why'd you do that?!"

"Oh Rove, isn't it obvious?" He questioned, licking his lips. "Ever since September, I've been watching you from afar. You're such a clever guy, and so funny, too. I developed a fixation on you, and now that we both have something to relate on," he gestured to his new body, "I've finally gotten the courage to come out with it."

I flushed profusely. What reason could he have to say such things?

"But what about that note?" Os quizzed.

"You mean this one?" Harold pulled the note out from his pocket. " 'Come to the football field at 4PM. I've got a score to settle with you.' "

"Yeah, that one!" Os raved. "You wanted to fight him!"

"No I didn't!" Harold promised. "I just wanted you to come out here so I could confess my love!"

Os and I exchanged glances with each other quickly.

"So how about it?" Harold queried. "Will you go out with me, Rove?"

"I'm sorry, but I already have a boyfriend," I replied, placing a hoof onto Os's shoulder next to me.

To my surprise, Os shrugged. "Eh, if he's telling the truth, I'm quite willing to share."

"Really?" I quizzed.

Os nodded excitedly.

"Oh! Well, okay then!"

So we all got into Harold's car and flew off into the sunset, kissing and





Beatrice Hummel was interrupted when the door behind her slammed open, revealing none other than Kathy, AKA Someguy458. "Beatrice, what the hell are you doing here?!"

Bea gasped, trying to quickly hide under the table, but the author was too quick, grabbing her by the tail. "What're you doing to the story?!"

The cornered character tried to wriggle out of her grasp, but eventually gave up. "Well?" Kathy demanded.

Finally, Beatrice responded. "I was finishing the story!"

"And why's that?"

"Because you're taking way too long!" Bea shouted back. "And besides, your version is too much of a downer!"

Kathy sighed, letting go of the changeling's tail. "Look, Bea, it's not supposed to be all sunshine and roses."

"My brother deserves better! Os deserves better — heck, even HAROLD deserves better than what you came up with!"

Kathy shook her head, sitting down at the computer that Bea had been typing on. She read through the draft of the story, then stopped about halfway through. "Really? You made Harold kiss Rove?" Bea nodded. "But you read my version; surely, you know that Harold's Ace!"

"Yeah, but isn't making your antagonist asexual kinda hurtful towards that community?"

"His orientation has nothing to do with his role in the story!" Kathy countered.

Bea tried to argue, but failed.

Kathy read a little further in, raising an eyebrow. "Did you really try to make them a harem?"

Bea blushed.

The author finished reading, then turned to face Bea. "Alright, you know what? April Fool's Day is coming up soon, so I'll post this as a joke chapter, then get to finishing the real one, okay?"

Bea pouted. "Just go easy on Rove, okay? He doesn't deserve that...."

"I'll think about it," Kathy replied.

The character nodded, before disappearing back into the computer screen in a flash of light.

Once she was sure Bea was gone, Kathy shook her head. "Weird kid; didn't even remember that Os is a girl now...."

Then the story got too meta to handle itself, collapsing into a black hole.
> Chapter 24: Good L_ck (I'm F_cked)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily ducked behind a corner just outside of the school. Her breathing was quick from running, and her eyes darted around, trying to find a better place to hide. There was a large dumpster nearby, but it'd take too long to reach it.

Suddenly, a gruff voice piped up from somewhere around the corner: "Come out, little missy! We know you're somewhere around here."

Another voice chimed in, "We ain't gonna hurt ya; we only wanna chat."

"She can't have gotten far," she heard the first one mutter to the other one.

Lily struggled to keep her breathing quiet. Once again, she was being harassed by bullies — she'd tripped into a tough student and made him spill the contents of his drink on his shirt. Now, he and his Hippogriff lackey were in pursuit, and from the sound of it, they weren't going to give up any time soon.

Then she had an idea: she had magic, right? Quietly, she reached into her half-opened backpack and pulled out a text book. Concentrating on a destination, she blew a steady stream of fire onto it, whisking it away in a trail of smoke.

A few moments later, a loud thud was heard some distance in the opposite direction of her. The footsteps of the bullies stopped for a moment, then trailed off as they searched in the direction of the noise.

Lily waited for a moment in case they were tricking her, then quickly ducked behind the dumpster and sighed in relief. She'd have to wait here in order to retrieve her textbook once the bullies gave up, but she could always take the next bus back home.

At that moment, Os and Rove appeared from around the corner. Lily wanted to call out to them, but she also didn't want to risk being found by her pursuers.

"Did you figure out why he wants to fight?" Os was asking Rove.

"He thinks that I 'infected' him with Equestrian Magic, making him transform."

"Is it at all possible that that's what happened?"

Rove shook his head, "I don't think so. I didn't go anywhere near Lily after she'd changed, and yet I still changed!"

"But it's still a possibility?"

Rove shrugged. "I suppose there's a miniscule chance that it could've happened. Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Yours, of course," Os clarified.

They talked for a bit longer, before heading off in the direction of the school's football field. Lily peeked out from her hiding spot, concern written on her face.

"Quite a predicament, if I do say so," Mr. Adler's nearby voice startled Lily. "About their situation, I know."

Lily turned to see Mr. Adler covertly approaching her hiding spot. "Oh, Mr. Adler! Thank goodness; can you do something about that bully?"

"I'm afraid I cannot allay your fear; if I stop them from fighting here, they'll only resume when we can't be near. But with your bullies, I can gladly interfere."

Lily glanced back and forth between Mr. Adler and the direction that Rove and Os had gone. "Then what're we supposed to do?"

"I cannot do much with neither magic nor skill," Mr. Adler began, "but you, my dear, simply need your will."

She blinked. "W-what do you mean?"

"I have seen the way you act; you're quite strong when you need. While confidence is something you've lacked, you always heal after you bleed. You're friends with them, too; would they not assist you?"

Lily thought back to how she met the two.



"Give it back, please!" 10-year-old Lily pleaded to the three bullies that were holding her leaf collection hostage. The main bully Ashley (an 11-year-old transfer student from Norway who Lily could only describe as a 'Nordic Valley Girl') was standing atop a rock a distance from the school playground, while her entourage kept Lily from climbing up after her.

"What're you going to do about it, plantejente?" Ashley jeered back from atop the rock. "Throw worms at me?"

Lily was starting to cry now. "Please, my Mom will be so mad if she finds out I lost our leaves!"

The bullies all laughed at that. One of Ashley's entourage pulled out the drink from their lunch and handed it to Ashley, who threatened to soak the binder containing the collection.

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Leave her alone!" The four of them turned to see 10-year-old Rove and Os standing some distance away, trying their best to look heroic.





Ashley rolled her eyes. "This doesn't concern you, whoever you are."

"Maybe not, but it, uh..." Rove paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say.

Luckily, Os jumped in. "But we won't just stand by and watch!"

Lily rolled her eyes; they came off as rather dorky, and a bit showy. But she still smiled; their hearts seemed like they were in the right place.

"Right!" Rove smiled at his friend, then turned back to the bullies. "You'd better back up, or else we're gonna get the teacher!"

Ashley sighed. "Whatever." She lazily tossed the binder over her shoulder as she climbed down, leaving Lily to try and catch it. She managed to grab the binder, but some of the pages fell out and scattered over the ground.

The three bullies left as Lily went to pick up the scattered pages. As she began to pick them up, she was slightly surprised to see that Rove and Os were already helping her with them. She smiled silently, before continuing to retrieve her collection.



Lily opened her eyes and clenched her fists; she knew what she had to do.





Damnit, Rove, I thought to myself, why'd you agree to this?!

Os and I had just arrived at the meeting spot, the school's football field. Harold was standing on the 40-yard line on the other side of the field, looking incredibly ticked. 

I gave a look towards Os, who seemed nervous - and rightfully so. "Well, I suppose you should stay over here," I suggested.

"Yeah right," she retorted, "as if I'm gonna let you do this on your own!"

"Os, I appreciate the gesture, but he only has beef with me; I don't want you getting hurt unnecessarily. Besides, I'll need you to stay over here in case anything goes wrong. Be ready to run and get a teacher, or jump in only if needed."

Os looked at me with concern, but nodded, and stepped back towards the bleachers. I gulped, then turned and walked out onto the field.

When I got to the 40-yard line on my side, Harold finally acknowledged my presence. "So, you decided to show up."

"Harold, I think you've jumped to a few conclusions about this whole situation," I began.

The asexual changeling rolled his eyes - at least, I think he did; it was hard to tell because he didn't have pupils. "Are you just going to repeat what Mr. Adler said to me?"

I blinked. "Well, if what he said was 'The transformations were caused by magical leakage from another dimension that had nothing to do with Rove', then yes."

Harold didn't respond for a moment.

Then he began to laugh-chirp. "Y-you actually expect me to believe that?!" he managed to choke out in between guffaws.

"Yes! Because it's the truth!" I pleaded.

Harold managed to reign in his laughter. "Oh, puh-lease. You're just trying to shift the blame! Do you even realize how ridiculous that story is?"

"I get that it's hard to believe; hell, at first, I didn't want to believe it myself." I momentarily glanced back at Os, before turning back. "But dude, you've literally turned into a fictional creature from a show made for little girls; I think the line into the absurd was crossed a while ago."

"Wait a second," Harold realized something. "You're just stalling, aren't you!"

I blinked, "Why would I be stalling?"

"You totally are!" He continued, undeterred by my question. "You called a teacher, and are waiting for them to arrive!"

"No, I didn't!" I denied fruitlessly.

"Just admit it, you coward!" He accused, getting into a battle position.

I responded by getting into a defensive position. 'He isn't listening!'

He seemed to take my silence as an admission of guilt. "Well, seeing as I have limited time now, I'd better make this quick."

With that, he lunged. I dodged to the side as he sailed past me, his horn alight. He quickly turned his head and shot a blast of green fire towards me, grazing my tail but not actually damaging it. I took to the air, and lit my own horn in preparation.

When he next shot a blast, I shot my own, neutralizing his in mid-air. I used the collision they made as a temporary smokescreen, and started flying straight for him. He readied another blast, but I was too quick; I plowed right into him, making him shoot his blast off into space.

We exchanged blows with our hooves for a while, until Harold managed to throw me off, and get back to his hooves. I wiped a bit of blood from my forehead as we both charged our horns, and I prepared for us to have to fight to overpower each others' blasts.

I wasn't prepared for what he actually did.

As I shot my blast, he instead leapt to the side and shot his own shot afterwards. By the time I realized what he was doing, it was too late. The blast sailed directly towards me, and...

Before it could hit me, a brown figure jumped in its path from my right. The blast impacted, and I heard a feminine scream, before the shape flew backwards.

I turned, finding Os on the ground. There was a large burn mark on her right foreleg, which she was clutching with her other foreleg.

That bastard hurt her.

Gritting my teeth, I turned back towards Harold, who was stood there in shock, and lit my horn. The edges of my vision were turning red, but I didn't even notice; I was too furious.

I lobbed a green ball of fire his way, but he managed to dodge it. I shot a second one, and it managed to graze his left leg. A third shot hit him square in the chest, making him stumble backwards. Spell after spell, I pummeled him with increasing anger, driving him further and further back.

Finally, he collapsed, and I readied one final shot. I glared at him without really seeing him, and—

"STOP!"

A crimson shape leapt into my vision, coming between Harold and me. It took a moment for me to realize that it was Lily, with her arms spread out to her sides.

We both stood there for a moment, eyes locked onto each other's. Lily looked more sure than she'd ever looked, with a firm gaze in her eyes. We both stood there for a moment, and though we never said anything, our gazes said it all.

Then I slowly came back to my senses, unlit my horn, and backed off. When Lily finally eased up, I ran back to Os to see if she was okay. Thankfully, she only had a minor burn that, while it would hurt for a while, it would eventually heal.

Me, on the other hand? Well, in our hoof-to-hoof scuffle, Harold had managed to crack the chitin above my right eye. While it wasn't serious, it would leave behind a scar that would never truly go away.

"Wait, that's it?!" I looked over to Harold, who was being helped up by Lily. He looked both flabbergasted and annoyed at the same time. "We hardly fought! That doesn't even begin to —"

Unexpectedly, Lily slapped him in the face. "Now listen here, you insecure jerk. Rove and Os are two of the nicest people I've ever met; even IF they were the reason you turned, it was not on purpose. But that's not what happened, and you need to stop blaming others for something that was clearly out of their control!"

"B-but they were making excuses! Claiming that there's a magical land of ponies, and—"

But Lily seemed to be prepared for that argument; she pulled her phone out of her backpack and opened the camera, showing him several pictures she'd taken of both the Portal and the ponies that'd come out of it. Harold stared in silence for a moment, then his ears dropped and he suddenly couldn't make eye contact.

"Well, Harold?" Lily sighed in relief, having finally gotten through to him. "You have anything you want to say?"

He groaned, but eventually said, "I'm sorry."

I looked to Os, who nodded, then turned back to him. "Apology accepted."

Then Harold muttered, "Still don't like you, though."

Os shrugged, "That's fair."
> Chapter 25: Chicken Soup For The Changeling Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon, things went back to a relative normal. Mr. Adler came by and, now that the situation was resolved, took Harold to detention. Os and I decided to thank Lily for her help by inviting her over for dinner at my house. Mazarine was a little mad that I hadn't told her ahead of time, but she quickly readjusted her meal plans while we dressed both of our wounds.

As we ate a delicious dinner of BLT's and cottage cheese, an announcement came over the radio, detailing the events in D.C. Apparently, the Princesses were able to get into the meeting and talk with everyone there, which included the President and several top scientists from across the country. The specific details were kept under lock-and-key, but long story short, the truth about the pony world existing was now out there.

Bea was on her phone when she discovered something. "Hey, it's Chicken Soup For The Soul Day."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Okay, and...?"

I clarified, "She likes to celebrate obscure holidays whenever she can."

Bea nodded in confirmation. "And I've really been slacking this week, so I'm gonna get back on the ball as soon as possible."

I chuckled. "Alright, I'll bite. What does Chicken Soup For The Soul Day entail?"

She read from the site: "Apparently, it's 'a celebration of who you are, where you've been, where you're going, and who you will be thankful to when you get there'!"

I pondered that over. A day for self reflection, eh? How fitting, given all the growth we'd gone through in the past several days. We all took a moment of silence to do so.

First, I looked to my Mom, Mazarine. Just a week ago, she'd been her normal self, working night shifts at the French restaurant downtown. Now, she was a kick-ass bug Queen who could use magic and fly, and that was certainly helping with her career. She could certainly multitask like no other, that's for sure.

I then looked to Bea. She'd probably changed the least out of us, still being the same energetic little kid she'd been before her transformation. Although now, it'd certainly be harder to keep her down, given the fact that she was becoming more adept at flying than any of us. I also think I saw her looking through some books on insect anatomy at some point over the past week, so that's a thing.

Third, Lily. She'd seemingly gone through a lot of growth on her own, and I was proud of her for that. While she certainly wasn't done, and was going to need some help, she was clearly gaining enough confidence to overcome her personal demons. I vowed, then and there, that I'd make an effort to be better friends with her.

Then there was Os. In the span of a week, she'd transitioned to a woman, opened up about her dad, and we'd started dating. Even if I didn't have my emotion-sensing capabilities, I would've been able to tell how draining that all must've been for her. She'd inarguably gone through the most out of all of us, and I was incredibly proud of her for toughing it out.

And finally, there was me. While I hadn't gone through as much as Os, I still had quite an emotional journey of my own. I'd become the Element of Magic, the de-facto leader of a group of magical misfits, and we were likely going to be called for more adventures in the future.

But I was still shaken up at the memory of what happened on that football field. Why did I lose control like that? And it wasn't the first time, either; I'd nearly gotten absorbed into lifting that pencil when I first gained control of my magic, and I nearly walked straight into the magical rift when we first found it because I was mesmerized by its power. Was it my new biology reacting to powerful magic? Was something like that going to happen again?

Then I looked back at Os. If she was able to go back to her life after everything she'd been through, then I could do the same. I just needed to have faith that, whatever came our way, we'd face it together.







Two and a Half Years Later...







*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

I stirred from under the covers. It was once again 7 AM on a Monday morning.

Although this time, things were different. First off, I was now 18. Second, it was also the week after our graduation.

And third, I actually had something new planned for today.

I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and headed out to the kitchen. My dad Halley, who finally came back from Afghanistan last month, greeted me first. "Heya, Rove. You excited for today?"

I replied with a fanged grin on my face, "Of course! You know we've been preparing for weeks now!"

Bea looked up from her new phone and frowned. "I'm gonna miss you when you're gone, dude."

"And I'm gonna miss you too, Bea," I replied, a bit somber but still enthusiastic.

Mazarine then turned away from the stove, where she was using her magic to prepare a small breakfast of bacon. "Well, I think this trip will be enlightening for the three of you."

"Exactly! Three months of helping Princess Twilight in Equestria will not only look good on our resumes, but it'll also be good for us to experience their culture first-hoof. Plus, Lily will get to start on the Equestrian section of her book."

Bea pouted. "I know, I know!" She then added in a mutter, "I'm starting to regret volunteering to help at that summer school."

Mazarine levitated the plates of bacon onto the table, and we dug in, turning on the radio while we ate.

"...Ambassador Sentry is returning from the conference in Singapore, and will give a statement later today. In other news, Princess Skystar has made waves with her surprise appearance at the Hippogriff Pride Protests in Russia..."





As I flew towards Os's house (leaving my family to meet me at the portal), I looked down at my surroundings and reflected on how much things had changed. The sidewalks were dotted with people and equinoids of all kinds, the skies were peppered with flying creatures headed who-knows-where, and a lot of the infrastructure had been modified to accommodate ponies (for example, many elevators had their buttons lowered so that quadrupeds could press them more easily). It wasn't at all perfect - there was still a number of people who didn't think that all this change was necessary or even a good thing - but it was progress.

There were also a few remnants from our miscellaneous adventures over the years. Over on Neptune Avenue, the road was repaved where a magical argument broke out between two neighbors, and we'd had to help subdue it. The Italian restaurant on Main still had Bea and Harold's names on their ban list from when they got into a fight over Harold's treatment of me (he was actually more so on the defensive side that time, while Bea was just angry that he'd hurt me). And above my right eye, the scar Harold gave me during our fight still lingered on.

I landed in front of Os's house, set down my bags, and knocked on the door. I heard a faint shuffling from inside, before the door opened to reveal Os's Mom, Carola Majken Bellamy. She stood at roughly 6' 5" and had piercing amber eyes, curly platinum blonde hair, a somewhat thicker body, and a partial sunburn from sitting outside during our Graduation. She worked as a fast food cashier, with a freelance photography job on the side.

Her aura was a bittersweet kind of proudness when the door first opened, but once she saw me, she lit up with joy (while still retaining some of that sadness). "Oh, Rove! You're here already?" She leaned down and hugged me.

"Sad that Os is going?" I guessed, just a bit coyly.

Carola flinched. "I keep forgetting you can do that. But yeah," she then sighed, "I'm just not ready to be alone in the house yet."

From inside, I heard a meow as their pet cat, Foo (named as such so that Os could call her mom a 'Foo Fighter' whenever she had to get the cat under control), came out from behind the couch and looked at Carola in an almost indignant way.

"Well, other than you, Foo," she amended. The cat seemed to acknowledge her by blinking, before it padded away.

"I'll only be gone three months," Os's voice piped in as she approached the door, bags expertly clutched in her wings' grips. She was quite a bit taller now, and she'd let her hair grow out, but other than that, she still looked the same - blank flank and all. "And we'll be in touch; Twilight gave us all those books that can communicate with each other, remember?"

Carola glanced at her copy, which was on a nearby counter. "I know..." She was still a little sad and anxious, but she was trying to push past it. "I suspect you want to fly over there, while I drive?"

Os and I looked at each other and nodded, knowing what the other was thinking. "Actually," I said, "We were thinking we should ride with you. Give you a few minutes longer together, that sound good?"

She smiled, relief and joy bleeding into her aura. "I would love to."





So we loaded our bags into her convertible, buckled in, and began the drive. Traffic was almost stationary due to an accident down the road, but that just gave us all the more time to talk. Os complained about a bad book she'd read recently, Carola talked about how her photography career was doing really well (several newspapers had hired her to take pictures of the portal), and I talked about an old show I'd recently discovered.

"...and it turned out it was the comic's creator, who was angry with the film adaptation, that had kidnapped everyone! So Shawn exposed him, the creator was arrested, and, for the first time, nobody had to die!"

Os looked over, bemused. "You sure like that detective show, huh?"

"I like how you made sure you mentioned where the pineapple showed up," Carola giggled.

"Of course I—" I glanced towards her, and froze in my seat.

Also stuck in traffic, two cars ahead and to the left of us, I could see Harold Johannes sitting in the back of his family's minivan. He was facing away from us, but I knew it was him because I'd met his parents when they made him apologize for attacking us, and his dad was driving the van.

"What is it?" Os asked, picking up on my distress. She followed my gaze, and sighed. "Ugh, Harold?"

Carola tried to see who we were seeing, but she wasn't able to spot him immediately. "Where? I don't see him."

"Two rows ahead, to the left."

She squinted, then nodded. "I see him. Did he do something to you?"

"Actually, quite the opposite," Os corrected. "Ever since the news came out about how the 'Incident' happened, he's been nothing but apologetic."

"So then what's the big deal? It's been two years, and he said he was sorry."

I groaned. "It's not as simple as that. You weren't there; you didn't see how angry I got when he hurt Os. How I—I lost control, blasting him with spell after spell until Lily had to physically get in the way to stop me.

"It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, losing control of myself like that. He nearly... I nearly...."

Both Os and Carola were silent for a long moment, absorbing the angst-bomb I'd just dropped on them.

Then Os leaned over, and pulled me into a loving hug. "Rove, you're right; we have no idea what you went through, or what you're currently going through. But believe me when I say that I'll be here for you, no matter what."

Carola turned to look back at us. "If you want, I can recommend a good therapist. Dr. Shane's a good friend of ours; he helped us through my divorce."

Os smiled at the thought of her favorite therapist. "Thanks, Mom, but unless he's willing to commute to Equestria...."

Carola's face dropped, and that melancholy sunk its hooks back into her. "Oh, right..."

The cars in front of us then started to move again, so Carola refocused on the road, and we rode the rest of the way in a silence only broken by the radio.





With the traffic clearing up, we were able to make it to the Portal Complex in no time. It was amazing how quickly they'd been able to acquire the neighborhood, relocate everyone, and build the Complex where Lily's house used to be. Sure, she had to move across town with everyone else, but the longer commute was worth it if it meant that Equestria could get a foothold on Earth.

As we exited the car, I noticed a familiar Zebra standing near the entrance. "Hey, Mr. Adler!" I waved to him.

"Please, call me Tom, dear friend," he shook his head. "My time as your teacher already came to an end."

"Come to see us off?" Os asked, receiving a simple nod in response. "Well, thanks!"

"Hello, Tom!" Carola smiled towards him. "How's that study on Equestrian Zebras coming along?"

"Very well, if I may crow. It's reassuring, knowing what I now know. But Carola, if I may confide, I'd appreciate if images you could provide?"

Her smile rose to a grin. "Oh, I'd love to!"

I looked on as they continued to talk, taking notice of the spark slowly forming between them.





We found my family inside, looking at some photographs on the walls that depicted various Equestrian leaders meeting with various Earth leaders. We spent a few minutes chatting before Lily arrived, wearing a green jacket and purse, and wheeling her matching suitcase behind her with her tail. "I'm here, I'm here!" she called, out of breath, as she reached us. "Sorry I'm late; it was hard weaving across traffic with my luggage."

"Actually, you're a bit early," I pointed out, causing her to sigh in relief. "Hey, where are your parents?"

"They both have to work today. Don't worry, though; we already said goodbye." She reassured.

"Alright, if you say so..."

So, the only thing left was for us to say goodbye to our families. As Os hugged her Mom, I approached my parents and Bea. We looked each other in the eyes for a moment, our stares having the conversation our lips couldn't convey, before we all grabbed each other in one big family hug. Then Os, Carola, Lily, and even Mr. Adler joined in.

Finally, we all parted from the hug. "We'll see you in 3 months."

"Write to us once you're settled!" Mazarine called out.

"Have a safe trip!" Halley cheered.

"Don't do anything dumb!" Bea advised.

"Listen to the Princess," Carola warned.

"And most importantly of all," Mr. Adler finished, "have fun, you screwballs!"

We all waved goodbye, then turned and proceeded through customs. Once we were through, all that was left was for us to step through the portal.

"You two ready?" Os asked.

Lily replied, "Ready as I'll ever be."

For a moment, I didn't respond; I simply stared at the portal, feeling the power radiating off of it.

Then I smirked. "Let's do this."

With that, we all stepped through the portal, and into the next chapter of our lives.






THE END

...for now.