Book Binding CYOA Part 2 - Yer A Changeling, Anon

Your eyes shoot open. You can hardly see or feel anything. Silhouettes walk around you, tinted a sickly green by whatever it is you're floating in. This feels real for a change. You're awake, but you're not free yet.

 

You scrape at the walls of the pod with your hooves and magic. It's actually pretty fragile, and gives way without much effort. You fall out and take the first breath of real air you've had for some time.

 

The changelings around you hardly care that you're free. One of them approaches you as you pull yourself together. She calls you the new guy. What's that supposed to mean? You take a look around, trying to figure out what's going on. She puts a hoof on your shoulder and tells you to chill out. Chill out? You're in a cave full of changelings for fuck's sake! Wait, that hoof on your shoulder doesn't feel like it normally does. You take a look at yourself. Oh no. It's too late. You're a changeling now.

 

You ask the changeling if you can step outside for some fresh air. She says you can go as long as you come back in a few minutes. For creatures that lives through deception, they sure are easy to trick. You grab the cowboy hat from your pod and leave.

 

The cave is right in the middle of the Everfree Forest. It shouldn't be too hard to find a way home. You fly above the trees on your new wings and see that Ponyville is only a mile or two away.

 

The walk home gives you a little time to adjust to your new body. Everything about it feels different. Even your memories. They feel like stories of some other pony's life. There isn't any emotion to them. Is this how Book feels?

 

Alright, here's Ponyville. You talk to the guards, and they take you to Twilight Sparkle. She doesn't believe you at first, but when you tell her all about your life, she starts to come around. A guard is sent to get Book. He'll definitely vouch for you.

 

Book runs into the place seconds later. He looks like he's been crying. It must have been a while since you disappeared. He quizzes you on all kinds of things only you would know. Once he's confident that you're you, he asks the guards for some privacy.

 

He apologizes for not being able to save you. It's kinda sad, but you don't feel anything. Do you even love him anymore? Only time will tell.

 

Book explains the basics of being a changeling. It's mostly stuff you already knew, but there are a few helpful tips in there. He says you're not gonna feel much for a while, but you'll be almost like your old self eventually.

 

The poor guy's been through a lot since you left. You hold him close and promise him you'll get better. He doesn't seem entirely convinced, but he kisses you anyway. Hell, maybe this will even improve your relationship. You're on equal footing now.

 

Book shows you the necklace you gave him. He says he's kept it on since you left last week. Whoa, you felt something! Maybe your emotions are beginning to resurface!

 

Yeah, this is something! It's a feeling deep in your gut that might be a sign of something good. Wait, no it's not. The changeling goo must've given you gas.

 

This is just fucking perfect. You had so much going for you, but now you can't even feel anything! You lean on Book's side and start crying. He seems unsure of what to do, so he just pats your back and holds you.

 

As you begin to calm down, you notice another change to your body. Your tongue is a lot longer and more flexible now. You try moving it around, and it accidentally goes up Book's ear. He freezes for a moment, then shudders. You put your tongue back in your mouth. That was gross.

 

You guess there's not much to do but go home. This changeling body is gonna take a lot of getting used to, but Book seems like he's happy to help.

 

Storm Chaser is waiting outside of your apartment complex. He already heard the news about you, so he came to say hello. You talk for a while, and he tells you how his week went. He and the other guards found the real Caramel. Not only does he not know Storm, he's also convinced he's still in a relationship with Big Macintosh. It's sad news for everyone. Storm seemed really happy with the fake Caramel.

 

None of you ever knew the real Caramel, but you all decide to help him get back to his normal life. Maybe if you talk to Big Mac, you can get them back together again. Book goes off to Sweet Apple Acres, leaving you and Storm to go find Cara.

 

It's an awkward walk there. Storm still feels a bit apprehensive about this whole situation. You assure him that he's doing the right thing here, but that doesn't help him much. You get to the hospital, where all the former prisoners are staying for now. Oh, you should probably put on some sort of disguise. You think about your old appearance (plus a couple improvements), and you're feeling like you again. Storm knocks on the door, and that doctor from the hospital answers. You ask to see Caramel. He hesitates for a second, then leads you to a guest bedroom.

 

Caramel is even more awkward than his imposter was. He just sits there and stares at his hooves while you and Storm explain everything that's happened since he was abducted. Then you bring up Big Macintosh. He gets upset at the very mention of the name. Somepony must've told him what his replacement did. You tell him that if he just goes and talks to Mac, they could probably get back together. Surely, he would understand that Caramel wasn't in control of his actions when they broke up.

 

The three of you leave the hospital, headed for Sweet Apple acres. Storm asks if he can keep the rainbow socks. Caramel turns redder than his coltfriend and nods weakly.

 

You meet Book at the end of the path up to the farm. He stops you all to tell you what happened. Big Mac took the news very poorly. He's mad that a changeling dumped him, mad that he didn't realize Caramel was a fake, and worst of all, mad that Cara wants to just pick up where he left off. Well, mission failed. Caramel's crying again, and Storm can't get him to stop. Maybe they'll get together or something.

 

You feel some kind of energy coming off of Storm. It's like a refreshing aura going into you and Book. This must be what it feels like to absorb love. It's not that strong, probably because the love isn't for you, but it's there.

 

That part of you that still feels emotions grows stronger.

 

You need to talk to Book about this. Now. Luckily, there's an old barn nearby. You leave Storm and Caramel alone and step inside.

 

You ask Book why you're feeling like this. He reminds you that you've had every ounce of love sucked from your body. It'll take a while to absorb enough love to pull yourself together. Now that that's cleared up, what will you do?

 

You ask him Book when he became a changeling. He says it was about the same as your transformation, but he gave up his pony life for a long time after he became a changeling. Only recently did he adopt the "Book Binding" persona and come to Ponyville. Well then, what was his pony life like? Even after you pry for details, he insists that it was nothing special.

 

Whatever. You're getting some strange sexual urges now, so maybe you should give this new body a test drive. You could probably do some crazy stuff now that you're both changelings.

 

You find a pile of hay in the far corner of the barn. It's a nice place for a quickie. What are you two gonna do now? There's a whole world of new things you could try.

 

Why limit yourself to one thing? You turn yourself into a gryphon and pounce on Book. Wow, he's REALLY excited. Kissing him is hard with this beak, but you figure something out. Then, Book comes up with a new request: face sitting. Might be cool. He lies down on the hay pile and you come up behind him. You're not really sure how to do this, so you just go and sit on his face. Unfortunately, you're unfamiliar with your new gryphon ass. Your tail pokes him in the eye or something, and he screams. Oh shit, time to get out of here!

 

You grab him and fly up into the rafters just as Applejack enters the barn. How the hell are you gonna sneak out now?

 

There's a big open window up here. That'll get you out of the barn. You fly out and see Applejack searching the barn in confusion. That was close. Well, this Caramel situation is over, so you should probably go home. Or maybe you could go out somewhere. You deserve a treat after all the crazy shit you've been through recently.

 

You decide to go to the bar you first met in. The place looks a lot better than it did when you fought Chrysalis. Book points over to the same barstools you sat in that fateful morning. You sit down, and the bartender comes over.

 

He asks you if you're the one who wrecked the place fighting the changeling Queen. You reluctantly confirm his suspicions. He'd better not be asking you to pay for damages. No, he wasn't. He just shouts it out to the rest of the bar. Some guys there buy you a pitcher in exchange for the story. You and Book get very, very drunk before last call. Eventually, the time comes for you two to stumble home. Book leads you down an alley as a shortcut home. You can just make out the roof of your apartment when a mare's voice stops you dead in your tracks.

 

You're drunk and it's dark, so you ready a spell to retalliate against whatever might be back there.To your relief, it's only Rainbow Dash. She looks a little inebriated herself. You're getting a weird feeling about her as she stumbles your way.

 

She gets right up in your face and says "Hey bugfucker!"

 

You and Book stay silent. It's best not to provoke ponies at times like this.

 

"Ya know, now that you're both bugs, why don't ya be a normal couple? One of you can be a mare and then you're not colt cuddlers anymore!" She laughs. This is funny to her? What a bitch.

 

Book turns to leave. You're about to follow, but Rainbow swoops around to block you.

 

"So which one of you is the mare, anyway?" The bitch jabs a hoof at your chest. "I bet it's you!"

 

That's enough. You don't want to start anything, but she's crossing the line. You give her one hard slap across the face and walk away.

 

As an added "fuck you," you turn into her likeness as you approach your apartment complex. Maybe she'll think about what she said once she sobers up.

 

You and Book are home now. It's past midnight, and all you want to do is go to sleep. It's gonna be a very hungover work day tomorrow.

 

You lock the door behind you and tell Book about your great idea. With a few adjustments and one big addition, he becomes Rainbow Blitz. Damn, Rainbow's pretty sexy as a dude.

 

You lay down on the bed with him. Maybe you should try something new tonight. You turn to face the other way, leaving you with a great view of Book's massive balls. You tease him with a hoof, and he does the same to you. Oh, this could be good. As you wrap your lips around his growing member, Book begins to mirror your every movement. He's just so huge in this form that you could never hope to get to the base of the shaft. Instead, you're focused on the first half of his dick. The rest is left up to your magic. You can't help but moan around his shaft as he uses his tongue in all the right ways. You can't hold back much longer, not with the way Book's going down on you. You cum down his throat, and soon enough your mouth is flooded with spurt after spurt of his seed.

 

That's all the energy you've got left in you tonight. You pass out right there, with Book's dick still in your mouth and his cum still running down your face.

 

You're awoken by a loud knock on the door. Shit, you can't answer the door like this! You're covered in dried cum and you're really hung over. Book's about the same, but he's still passed out and in Rainbow Blitz form.

 

There's only one way to go about this. You throw the blanket over Book, turn into your old pony form, and get the door. It's Rainbow Dash. It was a VERY good idea to cover up your coltfriend.

 

Rainbow came over to apologize for what happened last night. She hardly even remembered what she said, but she knew it was something bad. Her apology seems sincere. You assure her that you're not upset. After all, everypony says things they regret when they're drunk. She's relieved by your understanding.

 

Just then, Book sits up and tells you both to keep it down. Yeah, she definitely saw him. How will you explain this?

 

You don't feel like coming up with a bunch of lies with this headache, so you choose to ignore it. Instead, you try some small talk with Rainbow Dash. She tells you all about how she's been busy coordinating some weather stuff for Nightmare Night. It's all a bunch of nonsense to you, you never learned much about how pegasi control the weather. After a while, she leaves to go clear the sky or whatever she does all day.

 

You and Book take a long, cold shower together to get over the hangover. It barely helps, but at least you'll be able to stay alert at work.

 

Work looks like it's gonna be another day of nothing. Hardly anypony ever shops here, you usually only have to do your job when the boss is around for inventory. You have a bunch of books stashed behind the register for boring days like this. You're just starting a new one about weather control when the bell on the door frame rings. A customer? This early? It's a big zebra dude. Not a terribly uncommon sight around here, zebras do have a thing for enchanted antiques.

 

This one has no interest in your wares, it seems. He charges up to your counter and knocks the cash register to the floor. A robbery is good for some excitement, but you really wish it happened on a day you weren't trying to avoid migraines. Oh well. Time to teach this stupid fuck a lesson.

 

You change into the largest, scariest changeling you can imagine. Quite a contrast from the scrawny unicorn you used to be. He shrinks back. He's probably reconsidering this whole robbery thing. Your horn lights up, and he slumps to the floor. He'll be immobilized for a few minutes. Now it's time to try something. You begin to drain love from him. Not enough to risk turning him into a changeling, but more than enough to refuel yourself. You're feeling more like the old you with every passing second!

 

Once that's done, you use your telepathy to drag him out into the street and call for a guard. Storm Chaser swoops in and escorts him off to the station. All in a day's work, you guess.

 

Once Storm Chaser leaves, you decide to go on break. It's not noon yet, but you think you need a breather after that. You go down to the market and grab some snacks. It's really relaxing, at least until you notice another zebra trying to sneak up on you. Has a zebra gang set their sights on you or something? You've been mugged by a zebra, had your store robbed by a zebra, and now this colt's trying to jump you or something.

 

While you ponder the implications of the zebra crimes, that guy gives you a buck in the back of the head. You're out cold before you even hit the ground.

 

You wake up moments later. The zebra is nowhere to be seen, but several ponies are crowded around you.

 

You go back to the shop. You forgot to lock the place up when you left, but it doesn't look like anypony was here anyway. The rest of your shift is pretty uneventful. You finish the book on pegasus weather magic. It gives you a better understanding of what Rainbow Dash was talking about this morning.

 

Before you know it, your shift's over. You lock the doors and go home. Once you arrive at your apartment, you notice that Book's just getting home as well. That's odd, he's usually home an hour before you.

 

You ask him if he's noticed anything weird with the town's zebra population. He tells you all about a young zebra that stole a barrel of apples at work. This is so weird. Maybe they're targeting the two of you because you're minorities now. Ethnic violence and all that.

 

But whatever. You're sure that with a couple of them arrested, they'll start to back off. In the meantime, you'll be extra careful when you go out.

 

You enter the apartment together to see five zebras crowded around your kitchenette. They're eating all your fucking food! You don't give them time to react to your entrance, each one gets a blast of changeling magic. Book leaps over you and starts casting more spells. In seconds, every one of the intruders is unconscious and piled on the floor. Well, the next logical step would be to get the guards again.

 

This guard is somepony you thought you'd never have to see again: Storm Chaser's father. Although Storm had started talking to him again, their relationship was still strained by his bigotry. He was not the kind of pony you wanted helping you with a possible hate crime.

 

He didn't ask many questions, just the basic cop stuff. When that was taken care of, you helped him carry each zebra out into the street. More guards were waiting outside to take them somewhere. One of them, a stranger to you, started asking all kinds of questions about who you might've angered and stuff like that. You answered honestly. You'll help however you can if it'll get these guys to stop coming after you.

 

The guard assures you that pretty much the entire gang was in your apartment. There's nopony left to exact revenge on you.

 

You wake up to see somepony walking around the bed. You know it's not Book, he's still hugging you in his sleep. Looks like that guard was wrong. It's not over yet. This time, you want to make sure he's the last zebra to fuck with you. You seize him with your magic and slam him into a wall. He sees you approach, and it must be horrifying for him. It doesn't take much to get him to tell you everything.

 

His gang is dying out, and to reassert their power over this shitty neighborhood, they decided to weed out the changelings. Now, they're all in prison except for him. He came here to threaten you or something.

 

Something in you gives way to the brutality of your changeling mind. You take the zebra out to your front yard. It's time to send a message to whoever's in charge of this gang. The zebra's crying now, he must know what you're about to do. You kick him hard enough to shut him up for a while. The lasso from your cowpony costume gets looped around a branch of a nearby tree, leaving enough slack to tie a loop at the end. You lift the zebra up to it and coil the rope around his neck.

 

The knot holds, and you sit there and watch him die. There's something deeply troubling about your altered mind. You wouldn't have even considered doing this a month ago. Will you be able to live like your old self if you're willing to kill somepony? You're not sure. For now, this is all that matters to you.

 

You go back inside and wake Book up. You tell him what just happened. He's shocked that you're capable of murder, but he doesn't seem angry. He knows how it feels to deal with all this changeling shit in your head. His only concern is keeping the two of you out of jail. Even though Twilight's rules are pretty much null now, something like this would surely land you in the dungeons with the rest of Chrysalis's changelings.

 

Neither of you get much sleep that night. You're up for a long time finding a place to bury the zebra. When that's taken care of, it's almost time to go to work.

 

At the shop, you can hardly focus on doing your job. How the hell could you kill somepony in cold blood? You're worried this might be a permanent thing. What if being a changeling makes you abandon your morals? You'd be no better than one of Chrysalis's drones. The only solution is to do what Book said: absorb love until you're back to your old self. But how long will that take? Weeks? Months? What horrible shit could you do in that time?

 

Your thoughts are interrupted by the bonging of a clock. Your work day is done. On your way into your apartment, you grab the mail. There's something from your landlord. Wow, and you were having such a great day already...

 

It's an eviction notice. You haven't paid your rent in three months, almost the whole time you've been here. Guess the landlord got fed up with you. You have a week to get out of the place.

 

Well this fucking sucks! You have no idea where you can find a place to stay within the week (and within your budget). Book suggests setting up camp in the forest like when you first met, but with the changelings still prowling around out there, that's risky. Maybe one of your friends will have an idea.

 

Storm knows this town. Maybe he's seen some houses for sale or something. You and Book arrive at his house after a short walk, and you stop for a moment to admire the place. It's a damn nice house, the royal guard salary must be pretty great. Book knocks, and Storm opens the door almost instantly. He's glad to see you two. You explain your problem to him, and he comes up with a couple solutions.

 

You could try to renegotiate your lease, but that's bound to fail.

You could get an outrageously expensive loan and buy a house.

Or you could stay with him for a while. Caramel's not living there, so there's extra space.

 

It might be a little awkward living with Storm again, but you'll gladly accept his hospitality. He helps you move your stuff into his house. There's not much besides your clothes and some entertainment stuff. Your furniture gets set up in the empty extra room.

 

You're really grateful for all Storm's done for you since he left your apartment. He's proven to be a great friend. You should probably do something to thank him for taking you in.

 

Hey, there's an idea! You can use all the money you never spent on rent to get him something nice. What should it be, though? You think about everything you know about Storm. Well, he's a guard, he's gay, his dad's an asshole, and he liked those rainbow socks. That's all that comes to mind.

 

Shit, you don't really know much about him. If the Caramel that dated him were around, you'd just ask him. Wait... Caramel! The real Cara hardly knows Storm. Maybe you can get them back together somehow! You tell Book about the idea, and he begins laying out all sorts of plans to set them up. His idea involves a lot of trickery and a fairly large price tag, but it might be the only way to make it work.

 

Oh wait, you should make sure Caramel never got back with Big Macintosh. That would really throw a wrench in your plans. The next day, Book comes home from his applebucking job. He talked with Mac, and it looks like they're on pretty bad terms. That's good news. Now it's time to start Book's plan. He wrote up a list on his way home from work.

 

>1: We disguise ourselves as Storm Chaser and Caramel.

>2: "Storm" asks Caramel out.

>3: "Caramel" asks Storm out.

>4: We give some fancy restaurant a big wad of cash to pay for their meal.

>5: Maybe we should give Storm a little hint so he knows what we're doing.

>6: They hook up, everypony's happy.

 

It sounds pretty good to you. If you can think of any changes to make, now's the time. Otherwise, you should pick a pony to be and get going.

 

Maybe you should come up with a backup plan. The last thing you want is for one of them to want a movie date or something, that would fuck the whole thing up. You work out the flaws with Book, and then it's ready. He recites the steps once more, and you go your separate ways. He decides he'll be Caramel, so you're stuck with Storm Chaser.

 

You arrive at Caramel's brother's house and give the door a knock. Hopefully, things will go smoothly and you'll get Cara to go out with Storm. Hey, this is your first sneaky changeling thingy! So this is what it feels like!

 

While you're thinking about that, Caramel's brother comes to the door. Shit, what are you supposed to say? You ask if Caramel's here. He says yes, but it looks like he recognizes Storm. He tells you that you don't know the real Caramel, and almost shuts you out, but Cara walks by and sees you standing there. He's excited to see you. That's a good sign! He beckons you back to his room, where you can have a little privacy with him.

 

It feels like second nature to act just like Storm as you shoot the shit. The conversation soon turns to Storm's time with the fake Cara. His brother must've told him about that. You tell him that he made you happy, and you want to see how much better the real guy is. Smooth as fuck. You invite him to dinner at that fancy restaurant tomorrow night, and he accepts without any hesitation. He tries to kiss you, but you back off. You make up some lousy excuse to leave, and get out of there before you do something that blows your cover.

 

How's Book doing about now? Surely he's better at the changeling stuff than you are.

 

When Book arrives at your meeting spot, the look on his face tells you that something went wrong. He tells you a long, elaborate story about how Storm figured out who he was and got really pissed. Maybe you would've been better off if you let Storm in on this plan. Well, whatever. You should probably go apologize to him. He'll understand you were just trying to do something nice for him.

 

After a bit of explanation, Storm seems to come around. He actually thanks you for doing this. He'd been trying to work up the courage to ask Caramel out for days. He's still taking your cash for the meal, though. Consider it your rent for the month.

 

Storm doesn't come back for several hours. That's a good thing, right? You sorta skipped over the "getting to know" phase when you met Book.

 

He sashays in with Caramel at his side, both looking happier than ever. They go straight up to Storm's room. Storm sees you in the corner and mouths "thank you" before he follows Caramel and shuts the door. Well, it's probably time for bed or something. You've been up all night waiting to see how the date went.

 

You get to bed and sink into a long-awaited sleep. It's a little tough with all the noise coming from Storm's room, but you manage. They must be having fun over there.

 

When you wake up, the house is completely silent. That's odd, Storm should be up by now. He's working today. Well, whatever. You start making some pancakes. You're just pulling the first ones off the pan when Book comes frantically stumbling down the stairs. He tells you to come quick, something happened to Storm.

 

The room is a disaster. Decorations are ripped from the walls, a wardrobe is overturned, and the bed is covered in blood and semen. It takes you a second to see where Storm is. He looks real bad. All this blood must be his. You rush to his side and cast whatever spells you can to help him. It's not enough. He'll be dead soon if he doesn't stop bleeding.

 

Meanwhile, Book searched around the room for any sign of Caramel. Storm pointed a hoof to the bathroom door. He must be hiding in there.

 

You tell Book to look after Storm and burst into the bathroom, horn blazing with powerful magic. Caramel is in the tub, covered in Storm's blood. He looks like he's totally lost it. Something the changelings did to him must've really fucked him up. He sees you and starts screaming. Maybe the changeling look wasn't the best idea.

 

How are you gonna fix this?

 

You know he's damaged goods and all, but that's not gonna stop what's coming. You're getting a feeling just like when you killed that zebra. You looks out into the bedroom. Book is putting Storm on his back, probably to rush him to the hospital. Good. He shouldn't be around for this.

 

You run at Caramel, fangs bared. He throws out his hooves as a meager defense, but with your magic you pin him to the wall. You almost feel guilty for what you're about to do, but what he did to Storm was inexcusable. You grab a couple pairs of scissors off the counter and lift them up to Caramel. His eyes somehow grow even wider than before. His screams become unbearable. You magically seal his mouth shut. That's better.

 

Now for the good part. You stab the scissors all the way through each of his forehooves, and then through the wall. You stare into his eyes and see nothing but fear.

 

Hey, you should try to drain his love and see what happens. You reach out to his heart, but there's hardly anything left to take. Damn changelings.

 

Now that that's done, you don't really know what to do until he dies. It'll take a while to bleed him out this way, and you want to have everything cleaned up by the time Book gets back. Oh well. You go back to your room and get the book you've been reading. Caramel's just where you left him when you return. You sit on the counter and flip to your bookmark. If you have to wait, you should at least have some entertainment.

 

When you look up from your novel, Caramel isn't moving anymore. It's about time. You drop him back into the tub. Now you have to cover this up. You use the scissors to turn his stab wounds into deep slits, and fill the bathtub with warm water. A few minutes later, you've turned the murder scene into a convincing suicide. Your old pony conscience is nagging at you, but you'll get over it.

 

You're fucking starving after all that commotion. The pancakes are probably nasty by now, so you call for a pizza. The guy gets there within minutes, and you tip him well so he won't say anything about your bloodstained raincoat.

 

The cops arrive about a minute later. Luckily, you had time to magically zap all the blood off your clothes and curl up in the fetal position. You put on the waterworks and start babbling about a fight and the bathtub, and they fly up to Storm's room to investigate. You think you even hear retching sounds. Gross. One of the guys comes down to talk to you about the corpse upstairs. They take police assaults very seriously around here, so they'll be sure to gather any information they can about this. You tell them all about how Caramel was traumatized by his captivity, and he snapped and attacked Storm Chaser. Then he must've gone and slit his wrists in the tub.

 

They sorta trust you. After all, you did help them fight off the changeling army a few weeks back. However, that won't stop them from thoroughly investigating this case. They take you down to the police station for more questioning and a temporary detainment. You get one phone call. Who are you gonna call? Book's busy at the hospital, Storm's dying, and Caramel's dead. That's practically everypony you know.

 

You call the only other pony that comes to mind: your mom. She lives halfway across Equestria, but maybe she'll come through for you.

 

It only takes two rings for her to pick up the phone. She sounds just like you remember. How long has it been, anyway? You tell her where you are, and her tone shows her concern. She says she'll make some calls, but there's no way she can come down to Ponyville to help you. A guard tells you that you time's almost up, so you say your goodbyes. She makes you promise to call her as soon as things are cleared up. Well, that was probably a wasted call. Twilight probably could've gotten you out of this.

 

You're lead into a pretty nice cell. This must be where they keep the well-behaved prisoners. All that's left for you to do is bide your time until someone gets you out of here. At least it's only county; those prisons built for the changelings sound brutal.

 

Days pass, and you still haven't received any news on the case. You don't even know if Storm Chaser lived or not. The suspense is killing you.

 

Eventually, the sheriff takes you into his office. He says that you're being transferred to Princess Luna's Prison For Illegal Changelings. It's nopony's fault, probably just a fuckup in the paperwork or something. Everything will be sorted out soon, and you'll be back home with Book and Storm and it'll be okay.

 

Your hopes are crushed when you receive a package on the transport cart. This is no fuckup, you're being imprisoned for ponyslaugher. It's a year sentence minimum. Luckily, you're not being charged as a changeling thanks to your status as a former pony and a changeling defector. That doesn't mean you're not going to changeling prison, though.

 

You see the prison as you approach. It looks like the most secure fucking place you've ever seen. Well, that rules out escape. The cart comes to a rough stop, and you're yanked out by a mean-looking unicorn.

 

Your first few hours there are nothing worth detailing. You were registered as a prisoner, checked for diseases and smuggled items, and given a box with your prison shit. It's got your cell assignment, your uniform, and a collar that bears some resemblance to Book's old one. You lock it around your neck with a sigh. Say goodbye to shapeshifting and almost all of your magic.

 

You go to your assigned cell. There are four beds in here, two of them are occupied. You go to claim the nearest one, but a changeling mare stops you. Must be somepony's already. You set your box on the other bed instead.

 

The mare sees how new you are (to prison and to being a changeling) and explains how things work around here. Basically, you do whatever the fuck you want. Just don't try to escape or hurt any guards, and you're fine. It's not nearly as bad as you expected. There are programs you can sign up for to take time off your sentence, like classes on integrating into pony society and life skills and shit. You ask her about visitors. She giggles. According to her, nopony really knows how the visitation system works around here. Who wants to visit a captive changeling, anyway?

 

You thank her for the help and leave the cell. A large sign points you to the councilor's offices down the hall. Maybe he can tell you how you can talk to Book. It's been over a week since you've seen him.

 

As you walk down the hallway, a small figure darts out of the shadows and comes right at you. You thrust a hoof at it out of reflex, and hear a loud crunch. A scrawny changeling falls to the floor, barely even twitching. Oh shit, that was somepony! This feels different from the other ponies you killed, you feel so wrong for doing this. Is that what's been happening to you? Just being a changeling is making you do these horrible things? Where will you draw the line?

 

A few changelings have gathered around you. They feel your emotions, and try to calm you down before you do something else stupid and increase your sentence. You brush them off and keep going to the office. Fuck, this has to end.

 

The councilors tell you all about the visitation system. You give them Book's information, and they tell you that they'll send him some paperwork to file for it. In a week or so, you'll finally get to see him again.

 

The changelings you pass on your way back to your cell feel very angry. You can literally feel their anger. That must be the hive mind stuff ponies are always talking about. Well, that must mean they feel your fear, because they take the opportunity to push you into a cell and hook your collar around a bedpost. You're not going anywhere until they let you out.

 

They take turns kicking the shit out of you for what feels like hours. Your left big fang gets ripped out by the root. Hopefully those can grow back. Besides that, you hardly feel any lasting damage. They have their fill after a while, and leave you stuck there. That nice mare from earlier comes around, and you call for her help. She unhooks you from the bed, making a comment about your ability to find trouble so easily, and leads you back to your cell. It's gonna be a long year, but maybe with ponies like her it won't be so bad. Book's coming in a week too, so at least you have something to look forward to.

 

Days in here feel longer than anything you've ever experienced, but you begin to get the hang of prison life. It kinda reminds you of high school.

 

Soon, the day of Book's first visit comes. You're both nervous and excited to hear some news about the outside world. You practically gallop down the corridors that lead to the desolate visitation hall. They even have a guard posted just for you! As you enter the room, you see something impossible. Have you completely lost it, or what? It looks like Caramel is sitting right there! Wait, no. That's just his brother. With his hair grown over his horn, they look identical. It only serves to remind you of what happened to Caramel.

 

While you were reflecting, Book came around the table and locked you in the tightest hug you've ever had. It's great to see him again, and he's obviously relieved to see you're okay in changeling prison. He fills you in on everything that's happened in the month you've been locked up.

 

Storm is starting to recover, but it's still uncertain if he'll ever be back to his former condition. He always took pride in his fitness. Now, he'll be lucky if he can fly in a straight line.

 

Caramel's brother just sat there as you got caught up. He looked angrier by the moment, so you asked Book to help defuse whatever situation he was about to start. The doctor (whose name you never actually bothered to learn) says he just wanted to see the piece of shit that killed his brother. He tells you that he can't believe how much you've changed since you were back in that hospital, and how he regrets ever letting Caramel get involved with all you colt cuddlers. Fuck, you hate that term. It always just rubbed you the wrong way. Book knows that, and he gives the doctor a little "shut the fuck up" nudge. He collects himself and sits back down. Now he looks a bit more like the calm doctor you remember.

 

You spend the rest of the time talking about everything you've done in prison so far. They both tell you that they hope you get over whatever your problem is while you're here. It hurts to hear that from Book, but you know it's true. You have some serious issues.

 

As they leave the prison, you feel another one of those urges. You just want to reach out and throttle Caramel's brother for calling you a colt cuddler. It's such a petty little thing, but it's scary how worked up you can get so easily. They're right about you.

 

Book comes to visit every weekend. He's all alone at Storm's house now, and his social life consists of visiting his friend in the hospital and his boyfriend in prison. It almost sounds like he has it worse than you do.

 

The months start to pass like nothing. You're feeling a little crazier every day. Those strange feelings become more frequent, and harder to resist. Well, there's no better place to get over your problems than a prison with changeling therapy, right? That might be just what you need to work things out.

 

You sign up for therapy the next day. It's run by some of the nicer changelings in the place, as well as a couple actual therapists. It sounds like a great way to bridge the gap between your old pony identity and your newfound changeling-ness.

 

Turns out it isn't. The therapists are only trained to rehabilitate the typical sneaky kidnapping changelings that make up the majority of the prison's population. You're a bit of a special case, so the best they can do for you is wish you the best.

 

About a month later, your councilor calls you into the office. He introduces you to Mental Math, a new therapist specializing in changeling psychology. You start your first session immediately. Mental proves to be exactly what you needed. He understands how different everything feels now, and how your behavior has been altered by your transformation.

 

You're starting to feel better about things. Book is relieved to hear that when you talk to him the following week. You meet with Mental every day to discuss your problems. He doesn't judge you for giving in to your feelings, or even for trying to cover up Caramel's murder. Hey, maybe by the time you get out of here, you'll really be better.

 

Your next memory is another murder. A bloodied corpse lies under your hooves, barely recognizable as Mental Math. You've done it again. Is this it? You've just given in like that? The guards will be here any moment now, and they'll make sure you never see the light of day again. You can't let that happen, not when your queen worked so hard to win you over.

 

Fuck! You shoot out of bed, almost tipping the shitty prison cot over. It must have been a nightmare. You tell Mental about it at your next meeting. Instead of the shock you expected, he got out a new notepad and began writing all about Queen Chrysalis's presence in your thoughts. It explains everything. From the moment you fought her, she's been digging her fangs into your mind. Now you just have to break whatever connection you have to her. Book would probably be a good pony to talk to about this.