ChangeAnon, Chapter 4 - Change[l]ing

>A changeling?

>You’ve heard about them from tales of Rainbow fighting them during Princess Cadance’s marriage.

>Bug-like ponies who fed off of emotions and love ponies had for one another. You didn’t like them for that, especially for trying to takeover places like Ponyvile..

>But you didn’t really hate them. They didn’t have to go to such extreme lengths, you think, but they were created like that, and had to feed like everyone else. Even if they were a little different.

>How were YOU a changeling though? As far as you could tell, you were all pony. Regular pony body, hooves, tail and all, no need to feed off of people’s emotions, freaky changeling powers..

>Oh right, you could do that. Still, you didn’t need to feed off of people’s emotions and you couldn’t even change into another pony…could you?

>Imagining yourself for Rainbow Dash for a second, you concentrate hard and wait..nothing. Good, not a changeling then. At least not fully..so what did this mean?

>All you could do was give Rainbow a confused look. You weren’t all changeling..and you guess you weren’t all pony either. What were you?

>Dash just shakes her head at you, anger starting to overtake the sadness. “You…you used me! Tried to play me and my friends so you could sneak in your little changeling buddies into Ponville! I thought..I really thought we were friends, Anonymous..”

>Damn, those words hit you strongly and your face showed it too, even if they weren’t true.

“Rainbow..The time I’ve spent with you..with ALL of you, was real. Rainbow, please, remember that time I caught you when you were falling, during-“

>Your interrupted as Dash promptly punches you in the face with a cyan hoof, knocking you on the floor.

>Standing up, you give her a shocked expression. Rainbow was only getting madder as you tried to continue on, telling her all about the times you’ve spent together, trying to get her back on your side.

>It wasn’t working, none of it was getting to her. Dash raised up a hoof, continuously slamming it into your face, even as you collapsed back onto the floor.

>”You were just toying with my emotions, you changeling punk! I’m gonna buck you up so hard your Queen is gonna feel it from here!”

>You would have laughed at that if you weren’t the one on the receiving end of her rainbow rage, getting repeatedly smashed in the face. Dash could hit almost as hard as Applejack.

>To your surprise though, but only after a couple seconds more of getting punched in the face, Fluttershy stands up for you, holding up a hoof in front of Rainbow to get her to stop.

>”Wait! You guys didn’t read the report through all the way, he’s not ALL changeling. He’s still part pony..”

>Rainbow stops hitting you, but still has her hooves raised up, locked in position, as you take this time to stand up. “Yeah..but that doesn’t change him still being a changeling!”

>Twilight nods in agreement with Rainbow. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter HOW much of a pony Anon is, he’s still a changeling! He was probably going to stab us in the back anytime now!”

>You spit out some of the blood pooling up in your mouth so you could talk properly. It wasn’t the normal color of blood though, it was green..changeling blood. It proved just how much more alien your body was.

>Or well, more changeling.

“Look, I haven’t been completely honest about you guys with some things..but that doesn’t mean I’m trying to hurt you!”

>Applejack scoffs at you, staring you down with her steely gaze. “Your little bug buddies woulda probly seen tah that.”

>Fuck, you had no idea how you were going to convince them. Unless..

“Rainbow, if I can’t prove to you I'm on your side, then you can beat me senseless until I bleed out, but just hear me out for a moment.”

>She says nothing and just stares back into your eyes, anger in hers. At least she calmed down long enough for her to listen to you.

“Remember that time we..I was..”

>God damnit, you really didn’t want to say this, at least not in front of other ponies. This wasn’t exactly your strongest moment in the world.

“I was..crying. Alone, on the edge of your cloud house and..you came out, comforted me. I cried into your shoulder and told you all about my past life. My wife, my children, my cancer..”

>You looked into Rainbow’s eyes, a few tears you tried to hold back making it out of your eyes as you recalled the event.

“That..that was real. I couldn’t make up something like that. How could I?”

>Dash’s hooves tensed up again. Oh shit, she didn’t believe you, she was going to resume beating the shit out of-

>Much to your surprise again, she wraps her hooves around your neck in a hug. You tense up at first, but start to relax, wrapping your own hooves around her.

>”Oh Anon, you’re such a big baby..”

>You started to laugh but quickly stopped, wincing. Damn, your face hurt..

>The other mares in the room are just staring at you and Rainbow with a shocked expression, Twilight more so than the others.

>”Rainbow, how could you believe that? He’s obviously lying, that’s not possible!”

>Guess you’ve got some explaining to do. You were really wishing you could have just..skipped explaining the whole thing. Guess not.

“I’ll start from the beginning…”

 

 

>The mares in the room sat around you in a circle, wearing the most shocked expressions you have ever seen as you wrapped up your story. Excluding Rainbow of course, who was sitting next to you.

>You were doing very much better at telling that story without sobbing all over the place, but still wore a glum expression through all of it.

“..And that’s how me and Rainbow met. Any questions?”

>Twilight’s hoof immediately shot up, and you poorly suppressed a chuckle. “You should be dead then, if your story is true. How are you here now?”

>All you could do was shrug; you didn’t know the answer either.

“I wish I knew. I should be dead, but I’m not, for whatever reason. Some being likes me a..but not enough to make me all pony, apparently.”

>Rainbow rolls her eyes next to you and playfully punches you in the shoulder.

>”It..it wouldn’t make any sense though! That would mean completely different dimensions from our own with a completely different species and, and-“

>You hold up a hoof, getting Twilight to shut up.

“Twilight, please. Just entertain the thought for a second, believe me. I don’t think this is possible for me to make up something like this. Just look at me.”

>You showed off your body with a hoof.

“I’m the first half pony, half changeling in existence.”

>Twilight seemed to accept this, but it looked like her brain was running on overload with all this new information, about to explode.

>The other mares though just shrugged, accepting it as well. You guess they weren’t too interested in things like this as much as Twilight did, not wanting to think about it too hard.

>Probably for the best.

“So, what happens now, Twilight?”

>Twilight pieces her brain together long enough to give you a response. “Well, I’m going to have to tell my teacher about this. A half pony, half changeling! Fascinating!”

>Her teac- Celestia. Right. You were going to have to meet a princess, and technically a god.

>You just hope her reaction of you being a changeling would be less like Rainbow’s, or you were going to be scrapped off of a wall.

>The more you thought about it, the more unpleasant it sounded to you, meeting this princess.

>Twilight magicked over a scroll and quill to herself, writing down a couple sentences to her princess. “Spike! Come down here, I need you to send a letter!”

>You heard some shuffling before seeing Spike waddle down the stairs into the basement. “Sure thing, Twilight.”

>He grabbed the scroll from her and breathed fire onto it, apparently sending it off to the sun-goddess somehow. You really needed to learn magic sometime.

>”So..who’s the new guy? Is he an Alicorn? Sure doesn’t look much like one..”

>He was right, you really weren’t much of an Alicorn. You weren’t even close to being as big as one, even if you were taller than the other ponies.

>And as far you knew, you couldn’t do any magic or knew any sort of spells. If you were an Alicorn, you were the weakest Alicorn in history.

>”No Spike, he’s just..half changeling.”

>The little dragon shrugged. He burped out a scroll a few seconds later, handing it off to Twilight and heading back up the stairs to continue his chores. “Oh, cool.”

>Well..that was a new reaction.

>Twilight’s face brightens up as she reads down the scroll. “Yes! We’re going to Canterlot! Celestia sent some chariots to pick us up in a little while.”

>That just made you more nervous. Would she just throw you in one of the royal dungeons, for the rest of your life? Do they even have dungeons, would they just burn you at a stake?

>You should have paid more attention in history class; you knew absolutely nothing about royalty.

>Rainbow senses your nervousness and nudges you in the side. “Calm down Anon, it’ll be alright. You got me looking after you!”

>She puffs her chest out and strikes a pose, making you chuckle.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

>She pats you on the back. “Of course I’m right. Celestia’ll listen to us, don’t worry Anon.”

>You nod, Dash settling your nerves. Good thing you made friends like her, who knows what would have happened if you just suddenly appeared in Celestia’s room.

“Thanks Rainbow. So..can I change back now? It’s a bit different from a changeling’s, so you guys might want to..look away.”

>All of the mares nodded and looked away, except for Twilight and Pinkie Pie. Twilight was probably just watching to get a better gist of your abilities, but Pinkie Pie?

>Oh well, if Pinkie wanted to watch she could go ahead. Closing your eyes you concentrate your mind, horn slowly receding back into your skull.

>When you opened your eyes, Twilight was already on you, tapping the part of your head where the horn receded. You winced, giving Twilight a confused glare.

>She ignored you, writing a couple things down on a scroll. “You feel pain whenever you do a transformation?”

>Was she..studying you? Well, you were the first ever of your kind, as far as you could tell.

“Yeah. The wings aren’t that bad, but the horn is the worst. I’d rather not have to show anyone else my..abilities. They hurt a lot less going back in, though.”

>Twilight just shrugs, writing a few more things down. “If Celestia asks you to do it, you’ll probably have to.”

>Damn. That was not something pleasant to look forward to.

>”Can you do anything else, like take on someone’s form or do any sort of magic..?”

“No, as far as I can tell.”

>Twilight nods, finishing up her scroll and pocketing it in a bag she magics onto her back. Was she writing a report for the princess?

>”Hey Twilight, the guards are here!”

>Guards? You shuffled nervously into place behind the mares, walking up the stairs and out into the open air.

>There before you were a small group of royal Pegasus guards in a line on both sides of the house, one of them motioning you to get into the chariots.

>The six mares all piled into chariots out before them. You tried to join Rainbow in hers, but a guard stuck out a hoof, stopping you.

>He motioned toward one of the smaller chariots. Apparently, you were supposed to ride by yourself. This was going to be a nerve-wracking ride…

     

     

>You are now strapped onto a wooden table in the Royal Canterlot dungeons.

>Recalling the earlier events of the day, talking with Celestia, you aren’t quite sure how you got here, or just what went wrong.

>You and the mares were explaining to Celestia just what you were, and how you had gotten to be in Equestria.

>Celestia had been taking all of this knowledge in with a straight face, which worried you a bit, but at least it wasn’t negative.

>She ‘scanned’ you with some magic after the explanation, saying it was too ‘Make sure her student’s report was correct’.

>Celestia smiled after that, saying that would be all for today. She offered the girls and you a room for the night, saying you all would have a very busy day tomorrow, and needed sleep.

>You weren’t quite sure what she meant by that, but she was offering you a room in a CASTLE. You weren’t about to refuse royalty.

>But before you could go, Celestia wanted a private word to you alone. You stayed, watching as the last of the mares exited out of the room and turned to face Celestia.

>That was the last thing you remembered before a yellow magic bolt struck the side of your face.

>Now here you were, strapped onto a wooden table, ropes bounding you tightly.

>You struggled against the tight bindings, but before you could loosen them to get free, Celestia and her sister, Luna, teleport in front of you.

>Celestia looks down at you with cold eyes. “If I were you, I’d stay still, ‘Anonymous’.”

>She said your name in a mocking tone as if you were someone else..Oh. She must think you’re working with the changelings!

“Celestia, listen! I wasn’t lying back in there, not once. And neither were your ponies..my frien-“

>The sun-goddess puts a hoof up to your mouth, stopping you. “Then you wouldn’t mind if took a little peak into your..head.”

>Before you can respond, Celestia and Luna look at each other nodding as you’re encased in both of their magic.

>You felt a shift, and then nothing. Taking a good look around yourself, you figure you’ve been teleported to..nowhere.

>The whole area around you is black and you’re just standing on air.

>A bright flash of yellow and dark blue appear by you on either side, Celestia and Luna appearing.

“What did you..where are we?”

>Celestia looks down at you. Man, that size was intimidating when you were right up next to her. “Your mind.”

>..What.

>Celestia and Luna slowly trot down the halls of your mind as you follow quietly behind them. You’re not sure what they were looking for, but it probably wasn’t here.

>Luna freezes after a good ten minutes of walking, holding out a hoof to the both of you, making you stop. “I feel a sinister presence up ahead, ‘Tia. Prepare thyself.”

>They both ready a magic spell, their horns glowing with their respective colors. A sinister presence in your mind? You had no idea what was happening, or about to.

>Before you can head much farther though, you are met with laughter. That laughter was so familiar to you..it had a dark meaning behind it, but it was so calming. At least for you, and you didn’t know why.

>”The sun and moon goddesses..you have finally arrived. Good. I have been waiting.”

>You can make out a figure approaching you and the Princesses in the darkness. Its eyes were green, fangs sharp and white. From what you could tell, it stood just as tell as the two sisters next to you.

>Luna narrows her eyes at it. “BEGONE FOUL CREATURE, BEFORE WE MAKE YOU REGRET THY PRESENCE!’

>That..that was a scary voice. You were glad you were standing next to Luna, or else you’d probably have been blown away.

>The creature in front of you just cackles, charging her own horn with green magic. “Creature? Such harsh words, moon princess. You should regard your future ruler by her name..Queen Sillis.”

>The Queen continues to laugh, even as the princesses unload the magic they’ve been charging up, just as Sillis does at the same time.

>They were both going at it, Sillis trying to overpower the two goddesses.

>The magic was too strong though, the foundations of your mind starting to crack slightly as the explosions of their God-like magic rocked the world around you.

>Soon, all four of you were blasted out of your mind, landing right back where you were before being sent off into a magical trip into your mind.

>Celestia and Luna catch their breath, the magic they used taking a bit of a toll on their bodies.

“Wha..what just happened?!”

 The moon princess stares down at you with cold eyes, you still being tied up to the table. “’That’ was your Queen, changeling. We have rid her of thy mind. She was hiding inside of it, spying on us all.”

>Your face twists into a mask of rage and confusion, for several reasons. Your whole time in Equestria was being watched by the Changeling Queen and you were apparently helping her.

>Celestia stands up tall, talking to you with a sharpened, cold voice that seemed to pierce right though you, making your heart stop. “Your execution shall take place tomorrow changeling, for plotting against royalty.”

>She left the room quietly, leaving you with Luna. The moon goddess looked down at you with hateful eyes, not even a single strand of pity in them.

>“We suggest getting rest for your ‘big’ day tomorrow, thou shalt need it..changeling. ‘Tis a shame, as thou are one of a kind.”

>She walks out of the room, leaving you with your thoughts. No matter what you said, they didn’t believe you, and now they were going to kill you.

>The sight of a changeling Queen in your mind was enough for them to know that you had been spying on them, even if it was unintentionally.

>You struggled against the tight rope bindings, but it only burned your skin. You couldn’t escape.

>They were really going to execute you tomorrow, and your newly made friends would probably not even be told. They’d just make up some story of how you attacked them alone, but were stopped.

>You were going to die here.