- >That moment in time seems to last an eternity.
- >Chrissy pinning you down against the stone slab.
- >The dark night sky bearing down on you two.
- >And a pair of prying eyes catches the whole sight.
- >In an instant, Chrissy, still in the guise of Cadenza, hops off of you and runs.
- >Taking another exit, she rushes into the Labyrinth.
- >This leaves you with the invader.
- >It walks closer, coming into view.
- >Purple mane.
- >Pink coat.
- >Wings.
- >It's...Cadenza?
- >But you just saw Chrissy run away.
- >Oh...
- >This is bad...
- >"A-anon! What was, I..."
- >She stammers at what she just saw.
- >It makes sense.
- >How could she process it?
- >She saw HERSELF.
- "Cadenza, wait-"
- >"SHUT UP!"
- >You have no idea how you're getting out of this one.
- "Cadenza, listen to me."
- >The panic in her voice rises.
- >"WHAT WAS THAT THING?!? IT...It looked like...."
- >Her eyes become wide with realization.
- >You did the only thing you thought you could do.
- >Lie.
- "What thing?"
- >"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT THING?!? It was on top of you!"
- "I was lying on the bench, Cadenza..."
- >"NO, it was holding you down! It looked like...me! I mean she...I...."
- >You grab her shoulders, shaking her lightly.
- "Cadenza, listen to yourself!"
- >Come on, come on...
- >"But...but I saw..."
- "I don't know WHAT you saw, but it wasn't there."
- >In what can be only described as hysterical, her mannerisms continue to degrade.
- >"YES I WAS! I mean, she...I..."
- "Listen to yourself!"
- >It's working.
- >To be honest, if everything she was saying weren't 100% true, she would sound crazy.
- >"I..."
- "Look, Cadenza-"
- >"Cadance."
- "...there wasn't anyone here."
- >"..."
- >Her silence confirms that your words have stuck with her.
- >A few moments later, you're leading her out of the labyrinth.
- >The pink mare simply looks to the floor, following your footsteps out.
- >Right, straight, right, left, left, right...
- >You didn't bother to change up the route.
- >As you walk into the gardens, you look behind you.
- >Cadenza's steps are lagging, and as she leaves the Labyrinth, she grinds to a halt.
- >"...Anon."
- "Hm?"
- >"Promise me."
- "...what?"
- >Her downwards look changes to a piercing glare, tear filled eyes staring at you.
- >"Promise me that I didn't see anything."
- "Cadenza, you know-"
- >"PROMISE ME."
- "You didn't see anything!"
- >She continues to gaze at you with an angered expression.
- "Cadance, I promise."
- >With that, the gaze fades, replaced with a happy grin.
- >"Okay!"
- >She wipes the tears away.
- >Finally, it seems like she believes you.
- >"I'm going home now, I'll see you tomorrow~"
- >She trots off, heading back towards town.
- >But before she's completely out of view, she yells.
- >"YOU STILL OWE ME A TEA PARTY!"
- >The next morning...
- >*bbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnngggggg*
- >That school bell never ceases to be an annoyance.
- >You trudge to school, jacket and backpack in tow.
- >Last night was...
- >Odd.
- >To say the very least.
- >You barely slept, worried about Chrissy.
- >Her number one worry, her only fear.
- >Being seen...
- >It happened.
- >What kind of friend were you?
- >You let this happen by being careless!
- >What if she never comes back to the Labyrinth?
- >You messed up big time.
- >And to top it all off, it was Cadenza who saw you two.
- >Luckily, you managed to convince her that she was crazy and didn't see anything.
- >She is just a filly after all.
- >You may be just as young, but you were clever.
- >Walking into school, you leave your bag with the others, and take a seat in the back.
- >Everyone seems to be staring at your today...
- >A few of the girls make glances and giggle.
- >Except Cadenza.
- >Weird.
- >Today's lesson? Writing.
- >Another easy one.
- >You get your work done in half the time, considering you don't have to write with your teeth.
- >Passing in the assignment, you sit back down to your desk.
- >More doodles, you suppose.
- >Lifting the desktop open, you grab your notebook.
- >Flipping past your past drawings, you find a fresh piece of paper.
- >A few minutes pass, and the bell rings once more.
- >You didn't get much drawn
- >It was more like staring at your pencil tip, hoping it would move on it's own.
- >You leave your notebook on the desk, heading outside for recess.
- >As you take a seat on a bench outside, Shining follows suit.
- >"Hey Anon."
- "Hey Shiny."
- >"So, uh, is what everyp0ny saying true?"
- >This gets your attention.
- "What do you mean? What IS everyp0ny saying?"
- >"Well, that you and Cadenza were in the Labyrinth last night."
- >You freeze.
- >How the heck could anyone know.
- >"Ano~n!"
- >Speak of the devil.
- >"Hey, Cadance."
- >Instead of a greeting returned, Shining recieves a glorious declaration.
- >"Why yes, Shining, it IS true."
- >She can't be...
- >"I can't believe everyp0ny found out about it~"
- >She grins, looking at you.
- >To everyp0ny else, this was a cute smirk at her special somep0ny.
- >To you, it was a look of victory.
- "No, we weren't! I swear!"
- >You try to convince the crowd, which wasn't working.
- >"Anon, there's no need to be bashful!"
- >She sits next to you on the bench, uncomfortably close.
- >A flash of memory hits your mind.
- >She's reminding you of Chrissy from last night.
- "C...Chrissy?"
- >She stops for a second, then gives you an angry look.
- >"Cadance!"
- >She smacks you in the back of the head.
- >Definitely Cadance.
- >And she's playing you like a fiddle.
- "Look, we weren't at the gardens!"
- >"I never said anything about the gardens~"
- >Oh man, she's playing hardball.
- >And everyone's buying it.
- >P0nies stare at you two, giggling.
- "Cadance, stop, tell them-"
- >"Anon, listen to yourself!"
- >That tone of voice.
- >Those words.
- >She's...mimicing you.
- >From last night.
- >Stupid girls.
- >You stand up and walk back inside, not willing to deal with their jostling anymore.
- >Swiping your backpack and jacket, you head for the front door.
- >"ANON! School isn't over yet!"
- "I'm already done."
- >You toss the assignment on her desk and leave.
- >Stupid girls, stupid school p0nies.
- >Rushing away from the schoolhouse, you head into the castle.
- >Up the steps, through the halls, and upstairs to your room.
- >You slam the door shut, and fall onto the bed.
- >The Labyrinth is no longer a safe haven.
- >Chrissy could be in trouble right now as it is...
- >Never again.
- >You'll never put her in danger again.
- >Meanwhile...
- >*bbbbbbbrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnngggggggg*
- >The schoolbell rings once more, to signal the end of the day.
- >Your writing wasn't the best...but eventually your magic will work!
- >Then Mi Amore Cadenza will never have to write with her teeth again!
- >Haha!
- >Writing is the last thing on your mind however.
- >Anon has been pretty sneaky lately...
- >And last night took the cake!
- >You KNOW you saw something.
- >It looked like...you!
- >But YOU'RE you!
- >No one's that pretty!
- >Something's fishy.
- >And you think you have an idea what it might have been...
- >Anon left his notebook of silly doodles on his desk...
- >As the other ponies leave, you can't help but sneak a peek.
- >There's the drawing from the other day!
- >That swiss cheese p0ny...
- >Hmm...
- >You take the drawing, and place the book in his desk.
- >Leaving the school, you beeline straight for your home.
- >You need to ask the smartest person in all of Equestria about this!
- "Mommy! Mommy!"
- >You run up to your mother, waving the drawing around.
- "Look what I drew!"
- >Your mom looks down at you.
- >"Hello, Mi Amore! What have you got there?"
- >She levitates the drawing out of your mouth and inspects it.
- >"Oho! I never knew you liked ancient myths, my sweetie!"
- >Ancient myths?
- "Uh, yeah! I liked drawing the...uh..."
- >"Changeling?"
- "YEAH, changeling!"
- >Feigning knowledge of what it's called!
- >You're a smart one, Cadance, yes you are!
- >But what's a changeling...?
- >"Interesting creatures indeed, said to be able to take another p0ny's form!"
- >You stand there speechless.
- >"I personally liked the Windigo, from the old stories..."
- >You jump up, snatching the picture in your teeth, and dash away.
- "THANKS MOOOOOM!"
- >You scream as you run out the door.
- >Somep0ny's got some explaining to do.
- >Returning to Anon...
- >Your face has been buried in your pillow for the last few hours.
- >Comfortable?
- >Absolutely.
- >Helpful?
- >Not in the least.
- >Chrissy still wracked your mind.
- >Is she safe?
- >You sure hope so.
- >As you go to reach for an apple, you overhear something.
- >"Is Anon here?"
- >"Why yes, he's right upstairs!"
- >Oh no.
- >Who could possibly want to see you?
- >Your door swings open.
- >"Why hello there, Anon."
- "Cadenza. Look, you need to-"
- >She slams the door behind her.
- >"CADANCE. And 'I' don't need to do ANYTHING."
- >What...
- >"You PROMISED me I saw nothing."
- >She starts walking towards you.
- "Cadance, I don't-"
- >Cadenza pulls something out of her bag.
- >Your drawing.
- >How...
- >"I knew I wasn't crazy...this CHANGELING of yours was impersonating me!"
- >Ah crap, she knows, she knows!!!
- "I can explain!"
- >She puts a hoof on your chest, giving you a shove.
- >"You don't NEED to explain. All you need to do is listen."
- >What could she...
- >"If you don't want your friend getting found out, you're going to do what I say, got it?"
- >Wha...
- >She can't be serious.
- "Cadenza-"
- >She stomps her hoof, shaking the room lightly.
- >"CADANCE!"
- >Best not say it wrong again.
- "Okay, Cadance...I..."
- >She's not kidding.
- >But...Chrissy.
- >You promised yourself...never again.
- "Okay."
- >With a smile, she steps back.
- >"Okay, my special somep0ny..."
- >Whatever it takes.
- >She'll never be in danger again.
- >Last night...
- >A young changeling runs out of the labyrinth.
- >Tears fill her eyes, as a light green flame overtakes her body.
- >The pink coat of the mare she was mimicing disappeared.
- >The wings she grew for the facade attempted to carry her away, but to no avail.
- >Flight was out of her reach as the wings faded, leaving her black back bare once more.
- >Her pink horn and purple mane, in a flash of green, returned to their original hues.
- >Chrissy was Chrissy once more.
- >And for now, she ran.
- >She had been seen, by no other than the mare she was impersonating.
- >She broke the first rule set upon her.
- >The first thing taught to young changelings.
- >Never.
- >Be.
- >Seen.
- >She had been found, and it's all over now.
- >Rushing back to her clutch, she passes by the sleeping changelings right to her parents.
- >They sit on the throne.
- >Awake, surprisingly.
- >The mother notices her daughter's presence immediately.
- >"My dear daughter!"
- >She sits up from her throne to meet her daughter.
- >Chrissy hugs her legs, and instead of being returned the favor, she only feels the familiar pull of her mother's magic.
- >The light green glow extracted from her horn, flowing into her mother's.
- >She only ever greeted her if she had this glow.
- >Her father was much more sympathetic.
- >"Chrysalis, my daughter, you look sad. Is something wrong?"
- >With a sniffle, Chrissy runs to her father, recieving a hug as she gives one.
- >"I...made a mistake..."
- >Her father looks down to her.
- >"Hm?"
- >She shuffles a hoof, and looks up at him.
- >"I've been hiding in plain sight...but...I got seen..."
- >The changeling king gasps at this prospect.
- >"You've been sneaking out to see p0nies?!? And you were seen?!?"
- >Her mother, after indluging in the glow she extracted, returns to her throne.
- >"As long as she's alive, it's quite alright."
- >Chrissy begins to weep once more.
- >"I'm sorry mommy, I'm sorry daddy..."
- >Her father bends down to hug her once more.
- >"It's okay, my dear. But NO MORE visiting the p0nies, okay?"
- >It's at this point her mother interjects.
- >"My king, don't you think that's a little harsh? We shouldn't limit her like this!"
- >Looking up from the hug, he glares at the queen.
- >"We are not going to allow our daughter to risk her own safety, and the safety of the hive!"
- >The queen is clearly disgusted with him.
- >"You are a weak fool, our daughter is plenty capable. Come here, Chrysalis."
- >Chrissy walks to her mother.
- >"Little one, where have you been going?"
- >She looks down at the floor, ashamed.
- >"Don't be ashamed, my dear. Tell me where you've been..."
- >"C..Canterlot..."
- >Her mother recoils.
- >"My, that's where all this love has been coming from?"
- >The king intervenes.
- >"NO! We cannot allow her to-"
- >"Quiet you old fool!"
- >He sits down in his throne, letting the queen have her way.
- >"My dear Chrysalis...whoever you have been getting this love from..."
- >Chrissy seemed confused.
- >She still did not understand this 'love'.
- >"I need you to keep following them. Watch them from afar...but do not be seen..."
- >The mother allows her horn to glow once more, the energy she had absorbed continuing to sustain her.
- >"You need to do this for as long as you can, do you understand?"
- >Chrissy thinks about it...and nods.
- >"Yes Mommy."
- >Chrissy would listen to her mother's orders.
- >Watch from afar...do not be seen...
- >For as long as she could.
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Just Like You - Chapter 4
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