A Changeling's Love to Hate

by Hoshiro

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Adventure, Tragedy, Sad
Length: 10517

When a rebellious Changeling decides that he couldn't take Chrysalis's ways anymore, he leaves it all and wishes to find a better way for Changelings to survive

Dark Fang, a Changeling with Heterochromia iridum, causing his right eye to be green and his left to be purple, has lived with the Changelings his entire life. He always lived their ways of feeding off of love of other creatures. He has a mentor by the name of Waver he teaches Dark Fang and his best friend, Night Wing, all the ways of the Changelings. However, during the latest invasion, something traumatic has happened that made Dark Fang see the Changelings much differently. As they abducted a few fillies to convert to their side, it did not just help the Changelings, but it really hurt their former families as well.

Dark Fang, now displeased with the results of their way of life, has decided that maybe things can change for the better of not only the Changelings, but other species, such as ponies, as well. But when he tried to convince Queen Chrysalis not to attack Canterlot, things did not turn out into his favor as he was punished through banishment and had to leave Night Wing and Waver behind. As he traveled on his own, he soon finds an unusual pegasus who also seemed to have misfortunes that prevented her from returning to her true home. As Dark Fang has adventures with her, he soon learns that his purpose in life isn't always as what he thinks it is. He also learns that the mistakes he make in the past will one day come back to haunt him and that it will take a heavy toll.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-12 21:50:02 UTC

Chapter 1: Dying Dream

There was buzzing everywhere. The sounds of swarms and swarms of Changelings has buzzed right into the city to feast. They flew in from the west where the sun was setting, flying past homes and guard towers, not bothering to stop until they find a victim to feed the love off of.

Ponies residing in the city were panicking, screaming, and running for their lives. Many of them got tackled by hordes of Changelings, chuckling and laughing at their pathetic attempts to escape. Some of the Changelings even managed to corner the ponies against walls, leaving them as easy targets to feast on.

Some ponies, dressed in silver armor, were trying to fight back the swarm, but to no use. The shear numbers of the Changelings heavily outweighed the number of ponies in total, showing the obvious victor of this battle.

One Changeling, in particular, had a green eye for his left and a purple one for his right. He was different from them as he had something known as Heterochromia iridum. He easily stood out of the crowd of Changelings thanks to this, but it didn't really bother him much. The Changelings would identify him more easily like this anyways. Another Changeling was flying right next to him. A she Changeling with blue eyes. The both shared feelings for each other as they watched each others backs in case any enemy tried to ambush them. The Heterochromia Changeling's mission was to find a young pony to fillynap and convert so they could join the Changeling cause, as more Changelings would guarantee their success on their most dangerous mission ever, which would come up in twelve days; invading Canterlot. After they took control of Canterlot, Equestria will be all theirs to have.

The two Changelings flew just above the rooftops of the ponies' homes just to pinpoint a target for them to take on. As they flew, they noticed there were three ponies, a stallion, a mare, and their filly, running into their house to hide. "There!" The she Changeling shouted, pointing at the door that just closed.

"Alright, Night Wing! For the queen!" The Changeling with different colored eyes shouted. He dove down towards the door with his rear hooves first. He dove with a tremendous speed and kicked down the door with ease. As the door shattered, the two heard the scared family screaming with terror. The two Changeling intruders grinned as saw the three huddled up in a corner. The mare and the filly and terror in their eyes, but the stallion just glared at the two intruders and got in front of his wife and daughter to protect them. He had a determined look to keep the two Changelings away.

"Ah, a fighter! Finally!" The she Changeling known as Night Wing said, chuckling. "Hey, Dark Fang, mind if I have the honors?"

"Go ahead." The Heterocromia Changeling said, grinning. "But I can't let you have all of the fun."

The two Changelings with their menacing looks approached the stallion slowly. They crouched into a fighting stance, getting ready to slaughter him. The stallion, still not backing down, did they same, until he charged, shouting, "Stay away from my family!"

The two Changelings, being well trained for fighting, have jumped off to either side and allowed him to charge past like a bull, but not without Night Wing delivering a nice solid hoof to the head. The stallion was slowed down, stopped, and started wavering from the concussion to the head. The Changelings weren't done yet. The two of them both charged at the stallion and kicked him in the side, knocking him right out the window. The two Changelings laughed at the pathetic attempt of the stallion to defend what he loved most. "Oh please, that wasn't even a challenge!" Night Wing raised her hoof for Dark Fang to high five.

Dark Fang laughed and acknowledged her, giving her a nice smack on her hoof. "I hope Canterlot is a bigger party than this! This bores me!" Dark Fang then stared at the remaining two ponies. "Now... to collect the prize."

As Dark Fang approached he stared into the filly's eyes, who couldn't help but stare in horror. Her mother was also too shocked in horror to do anything. As Dark Fang got too close, they screamed, "Agh! Help! Leave us alone!"

Something switched inside Dark Fang's mind. He stopped immediately and stared at them. Why did he stop? What was going on? He wasn't like this at all, was he? He's a Changeling and this is his mission... but... the sensation of his throat starting to bubble stopped him. This was wrong. It was all wrong. What he was doing was bringing terror and sadness to these ponies. This is not what a Changeling should be feeling. Not for these ponies.

"DARK FANG!" A very loud voice thundered. The voice was really loud and echoed in his head. Surprisingly, even to Dark Fang, it terrified him. It terrified him even more than how terrified the ponies he was scaring.

Dark Fang turned his head in multiple directions rapidly. He looked up, he looked down, he looked outside, and he looked at the ponies he terrified. But what's even more confusing is that Night Wing was no longer in the house. She was no longer anywhere to be seen. Rather, when he looked outside again, there were no more Changelings swarming the skies. It was like they no longer existed. He turned back to see if the family was still there. They weren't.

When he looked out again, he saw the full moon. The moon was ginormous. It looked as big as a movie screen. He could even see the mare in the moon in it. Wait... mare in the moon?! was the only thing that appeared on his mind. It shouldn't have been possible. Nightmare Moon was no more, so why was she still in the moon? What is going on?

"DARK FANG!" He could hear the voice boom again. He got startled and dove right under the coffee table, shutting his eyes tight as if he was trying to take shelter from an earthquake. "DARK FANG! STOP NOW! CHANGE NOW!"

"Who... who are you?! And how do you know me?!" Dark Fang shouted, "W-Where's Night Wing?!"

He then heard another female voice. It was a much more familiar voice speaking to him. "Dark Fang..."

"Night Wing?" Dark Fang slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see the she Changeling back. However, something was not right. This Changeling did feel like Night Wing, but her eye color was telling him otherwise. They were red as blood and were filled with hate. And what's making matters worse? Those eyes were piercing through him. That deadly gaze was meant for him... and only him.

"Dark Fang..." The Changeling repeated. "I WILL KILL YOU!" The Changeling dove in at Dark Fang, baring her fangs.

Chapter 2: Rebellious Changeling

"Wah! NO! DON'T!" Dark Fang shouted. He jump up out of his bed and accidentally landed on something soft.

"Oof! Hey! Get off me you double sighted tub of lard!" Whoever it was has bucked him right off, slamming him into a wall. Dark Fang was a bit dazed after getting hit against the rocky wall of the tunnel they were in. He was still stuck in the was he was leaving a nice dent in it the shape of him. "Seriously Dark Fang, I didn't ask for a wake up scream. So stop getting those nightmares and let me get my beauty sleep."

"Death Moon... that would kill a normal creature." A Changeling that seemed a bit older than the two said. He was sitting in the corner, marking stuff on the cave wall with a stick with green goo on it.

"Meh... he'll be fine. Dark Fang is strong!" Death Moon said, chuckling, trying to get back to sleep. "But definitely not brave. Heh heh!"

Dark Fang slowly slid out of the wall and plopped onto the ground. "Oh, I'll get you for that!"

"Oh yeah?" Death Moon jumped up and glared at her opponent. Sleep didn't matter to her anymore. Putting this Changeling in his place was more important now. "Try me!"

"Stop it now before you hurt someone else!" The older Changeling said.

"Sorry, Waver..." The two Changelings said, being slightly depressed as they were having a bit of fun with each other.

"Now, Dark Fang, you've been getting too many of these nightmares. Anymore and Death Moon definitely will want to kill you someday, and we don't want that now do we?"

"Of course I'd do that!" Death Moon was chuckling, but Dark Fang just looked kind of depressed. He was staring at the ground, not saying a word. "Okay, come on Dark Fan, you know I'm joking like always."

"It's not you..." Dark Fang muttered sadly. "It's the dreams I keep getting."

"Oh? What's going on then?"

"Yes, please tell us. It'll probably help ease your pain." Waver said, staring at the Changeling.

"Well... I've been getting weird messages. Weird messages that in a way... I feel are meant for me. It's telling me that we are hurting other species too much. It's telling me that... gah! Nevermind. I can't say it." He banged his head against the wall of the cave a couple of times.

"Oh come on. It can't be that bad." Death Moon said. "Go on, tell us more!"

"Death Moon, maybe we should leave him be until he's ready." Waver said.

Death Moon sighed and looked kind of annoyed. "Alright, fine. Then what can we do today, mentor?"

"Practice some more fighting techniques of course. But let's go meet the queen in the great chamber. She said she's got an important message. It's about the invasion going on next week, and everyone needs to be ready." Waver stood up and started walking down farther into the cave. "Oh, and Dark Fang, it would be nice if you could attend. We could use your fighting techniques in this big battle. With you, surely we can't lose!"

"Ha ha! With him we'll surely lose because the two of us always fight!" Death Moon laughed about this, "Come on Dark Fang, you know how true that is, right?!"

"Shut it, Death Moon. You're not helping." Waver said, glaring at the young Changeling.

Death Moon sighed once more and trotted up next to Waver, looking annoyed with her best friend who's now traumatized by nightmares.

Waver gave a sad look to Dark Fang who happened to still stare at the ground, looking depressed. "You sure you don't want to go? It's very important. All of us are going to be there." Dark Fang did not budge at all. He didn't even move, except for blinking regretfully about something. "Well, I guess we'll just share the news with you once we get back. Take care, young one."

With that, the two Changelings trotted down the tunnel to head straight for the meeting they were talking about. Dark Fang lied down on his back, staring up at the ceiling of the cave. He felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. This was the way he lived for his entire life. His constant dreams made him question his way of life. No, not his. It was the Changeling way of life. His dreams showed him that other species were getting hurt very badly because of this. Even families were losing their kids to them. These kids were being lost because the Changelings were converting them against their own will, never to see their true parents again. Not only that, but when they feed off of love, sometimes they'll feed off of so much that the ponies they feed on will die, like as if they lost all of their blood. Ponies were being sacrificed... for the good of the Changelings. It was wrong and he knew it.

He couldn't sit around and do nothing about it. But he was also afraid of what might happen if he tried. This could mean that he was to be starved to death. It could mean he get banished... or worse... execution.

Though, what really is driving him to a decision, is that voice in his dreams. That loud female voice when he sees the moon. Who was it? Why was she talking to him? And how does she know him? He wanted answers. He wanted to know more about what was going on. And maybe... if he tried to do the right thing, maybe he'll get the answers he seek. Or... at least... that's what he felt.

"Well... only one way to find out then..." He muttered. He stared down the cave where the other two went. The cave looked miles and miles long, even though in reality, it was just a short walk to the curve. His eyes were telling him that this is a one way trip. "There's no going back after this..."

"Welcome my subjects!" Queen Chrysalis shouted above all of the noise at the top of the highest mound in the giant room of the cave. The room was much larger than a football stadium, with the highest mound being in the center of it all. Along the edges, the room sloped up so Changelings in the back could see. There were tens of thousands of them in the room, and they were all cheering for their queen. "As you all already know, next week is our invasion of Canterlot. Once we finally conquer Princess Celestia's throne, all of Equestria will be ours for the taking! We will live on for a long time and convert Princess Celestia to our side. Our species... will be unbeatable!"

"YEAH!" The crowd of Changelings shouted. "All hail Queen Chrysalis!"

"That's right, my subjects! We will thrive forever!"

As Queen Chrysalis was giving her speech, Dark Fang was watching from the entrance of one of the caves. He looked all over the place and saw that pretty much every Changeling living in the hive was present in the meeting. There were all happy and content with this life, but not Dark Fang. Dark Fang wishes that there was another way that Changelings to feed on love. A way that wouldn't hurt anyone. Though, he wasn't sure how, but maybe the queen would listen to what he had to say.

"Excuse me, pardon me. Oh sorry about that!" Dark Fang muttered as he tried to get through the crowd down to the mound. It felt kind of uncomfortable to be squished in within all of these Changelings. He even wondered how he managed to survive being with all of them at once as well. Though, he manged to get on through the crowd after about 10 minutes of struggling through. By the time he got to the bottom, he stopped. He was at the edge where the crowd stopped and broke into a huge circular gap within the crowd. In the middle of it was the Queen on her mound. Dark Fang felt a little embarrassed to even think about walking out into the open like that, where everyone will pin point him.

"Go!"

"What?" Dark Fang muttered silently/

"GO!"

It was a voice inside of his head. It was the same one that thundered in his dream. The same one that terrified him. At this point, he wasn't sure of which he was more afraid of now. Talking to the queen in front of everyone he knew or the mysterious voice that nags him to do the right thing.

"GO!"

Tell me who you are first! Dark Fang thought, thinking that maybe it's a way to communicate back without attracting much attention from the Changelings around him.

"Go, and all shall be revealed!"

Please, tell me who you are first! I want to know!

The voice inside his head stopped. Dark Fang was still hesitating while the queen was talking about her plans to ponynap someone by the name of Mi Amore Cadenza and impersonate her. Dark Fang didn't know who that was. Rather, he didn't want to know as more ponies will definitely get hurt. Maybe even worse, they will lose their beloved leader.

"Go! Everything will be fine!"

Dark Fang didn't protest this time. He felt his legs move on their own towards the queen. He couldn't help it. It's like as if the voice inside his head was controlling him. He didn't know what to do. Not even knew what to say. Oh, please don't make me do this! He thought very hard. Please let this nightmare be over... I just want to...

"Yes? What is it Dark Fang?"

Dark Fang looked around and saw that he was in front the one and only Queen Chrysalis. She looked kind of terrifying, even though he's already seen her many times. But this close up to her made him feel as though he was talking to another one of his worst nightmares in person. He swallowed hard, he looked into her eyes, and sweated with nervousness.

Even though the queen was actually giving a friendly smile, something about her felt very menacing, making Dark Fang frozen solid in place. But then, the words finally escaped his mouth. "I think we should cancel the invasion!"

There was a loud gasp going on within the entire crowd of Changelings. Lots of muttering and murmuring can be heard among them. Lots of them were glaring eyes down at him, as if they wee angry with him disrespecting the queen's ways.

The queen herself, unfortunately, also didn't look too happy with what Dark Fang said. "Okay... care to share your thoughts then?"

Well, at least she might hear me out... Dark Fang thought. "It's just... so many ponies getting hurt because of us. Those ponies out there are terrified because of us. We threaten them and then suck the love right out of them." There was more murmuring going on in the crowd. They clearly weren't pleased to hear Dark Fang's words. This didn't stop him, though. "And what's worse for them is that many of them lose their fillies to us because he convert them into us. They aren't even real Changelings and we have to live with them!" The crowd starting yelling protests of Dark Fang's words. Everything he was saying was only making situations worse. Dark Fang wanted to stop. He really did. In all of his life he really did. But something deep down inside him made him know he was doing the right thing, which felt kind of good for some reason. Though, seeing as how he got everyone's attention, he may as well finish his thoughts. "And these ponies... they have families! They have families like how we are one big family! It'll be a grievance to some of us if we lose one Changeling, even if we are thousands! They are not much different than us! They are heartbroken because of our way of life! I say... we need to change our ways and find a better way!"

As expected, the Changelings started to snarl and taunt Dark Fang. Dark Fang managed to pinpoint where Death Moon and Waver were. Death Moon was the only Changeling to look shocked and sad towards him. Waver also looked kind of shocked, but he was more disappointed than anything. Waver shook his head and then walked up the slope and back into the tunnels, followed by Death Moon.

"You fool! You realize how disrespectful you are to Changelings all around?! You mocked your colony! You mocked me! And most important... you mocked Changelings all over the world!" Queen Chrysalis's voice was roaring like an erupting volcano. Dark Fang was starting to think that maybe letting that voice in his head nag at him all day was heaven compared to this. "Oh... there will be a heavy price to pay now thanks for your insolence!" The queen flew up high in the room, almost to the selling. Her voice was shaking the entire room, causing almost all of the Changelings, including Dark Fang, to cover their ears. "From now on... I HEREBY BANISH YOU! LEAVE BY TOMORROW AND NEVER RETURN! And should you decline this punishment... I'll have you EXECUTED!"

Chapter 3: One Day, One Tantrum

9 days till invasion of Canterlot

Dark Fang lied down next to a pond deep in the forest next to where the hive was located. He stared down at the waters and watched his own reflection, and below that, watched the fish swim around very peacefully. He could hear the sounds of birds chirping and the slight sound of the breeze rustling through the leaves. It felt very peaceful here, but it just didn't fill the emptiness in his heart. It's been six hours since he's finally left the hive for good and already he started feeling very homesick.

Oh man... I'm such an idiot! Dark Fang smashed his hole filled hoof into the pond, scaring away the fish. He felt really torn. He just wanted to roll over and cry his eyes out to create another pond for the fish to swim in. Why? Why am I so different from other Changelings like this?! Why are my thoughts like this?! He then smashed both of his hooves into the pond, having the water splash back onto him. He regretted everything he said to the Queen. He knew the Changeling ways were wrong, but he didn't want to get banished just for thoughts like that. "And all for what?! NOTHING!" He cried out. "I lost my friends... my family... everything! Gah!" He then smashed his head into the pond. His tantrum was growing stronger as he kept thinking about his own actions.

"Dark Fang... I can't believe you just said that! Everything we lived for... everything we've done... our way of life! You just insulted it all!" Night Wing screamed, crying as she confronted her friend.

Dark Fang hesitated. He tried to speak, but he kept stuttering a bit. "I-I'm s-sorry! It... It's just..."

"Shut up! Leave me! I don't ever want to see your face again!" Night Wing charged down the tunnels at an incredible speed, leaving a torn Dark Fang behind, alone in his room only to say goodbye to it. Night Wing never gave him a chance to say goodbye to her. Only to the room they slept in.

Dark Fang looked at the spot where they usually slept. His eyes were getting all teary, as he was going to miss sleeping with her. Though, as he always recalled, even though it felt nice, it's just that something was missing whenever he slept with her. He's always had a companion, but there was some form of hole inside his emotions that just made him feel as if there was something missing. He never knew why, and maybe now he may never know. But that hole in his emotions was starting to expand, knowing he's never going to go to sleep and wake up with his favorite Changeling friend anymore.

Dark Fang recalled at the memory from a few hours ago. He probably shouldn't have done that, as he started tearing up even more now, adding more droplets to the ranks of water droplets in the pond.

He cried about it. He cried about losing it all, just because of one foolish little act. No... not foolish... the biggest act he's ever made. He didn't mean to insult the Changeling way of life. He just wanted to make it so that things were different so nopony could get hurt in the process. Even pony families were being hurt in the process. Why must they do this? He wondered.

Dark Fang slept on a branch of one of the trees near the pond he cried in. He finally managed to cry himself to sleep after about ten hours of throwing a tantrum, and already the sun has fully dropped down in the Western Skies. He wasn't able to sleep without doing it, as he's never actually slept without Night Wing right next to him. He was really torn about it. Not just about himself, but he wondered how Night Wing would feel about things changing so rapidly like this. It didn't matter at the moment though, as he was sleeping.

While he slept, there was rustling in the bushes nearby. A shadowy figured crawled out of it and stood up. The figure looked like a pony. Rather, it looked like a large pony with wings and a horn. It looked a lot like it was holding a folded piece of paper in its mouth. The pony's eyes started to glow a bright white color, scanning the area. The pony then noticed a strange figure up in one of the branches. It was Dark Fang. The pony flew up to him and dropped the folded paper on his back as she noticed that he was sleeping on his belly with his four legs dangling down from the branch. The pony then looked up and flew up into the sky and off into the Eastern horizon, its mane flowing through the air as it flew. "His journey's just begun." She silently whispered to herself. "Now to have him be brought back to Night Marington. Where is that adventurer at I wonder?"

Chapter 4: Blue Storms

8 days till invasion of Canterlot

"Chirp chirp"

"Huh?"

"Chirp!"

"What?" Dark Fang slowly opened his eyes. His vision was really blurry at first. He sat up and used his front hooves to rub his eyes. His vision became more clear and saw a blue jay standing in front of him.

"Chirp chirp!"

Dark Fang wasn't sure what to make of this. This was the first time he's ever seen a bird come up to him this close. Though, it's always nice to be polite when someone or some creature greets you. "Um... good morning?"

The blue jay jumped off of the branch and dove down under it. Dark Fang watched as it dove, wondering what it was doing. Then he noticed that there was a sheet of folded paper falling down to the ground. Paper? he thought. What's that about?

The blue jay grabbed it with its feet right before the paper landed on the ground and flew back up to Dark Fang. It flew over his head and dropped the paper on his forehead as he watched. "Let me see." Dark Fang grabbed the paper off of his forehead and unfolded the paper. As he did this, the blue jay flew off up into the sky. Dark Fang didn't bother to follow it. He was more interested in the paper. There should be something special about it since it appeared out of nowhere and the blue jay seemed to have been telling him it was urgent.

After Dark Fang completely unfolded the paper, he looked carefully at the paper. It was a letter. A little that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Was it magic? Was it that the blue jay sent it to me? How'd it get here? He wondered.

He then began reading the letter, wondering if it really was meant for him and who wrote it.

Dark Fang, the Changeling,

"Wow, guess it is for me." Dark Fang silently muttered. He then continued right after reading the header.

I have watched you carefully in your dreams. You certainly are a Changeling like no other. I also see that you were suffering a bit in the Changeling hive and started to question the ways of the Changelings. From what I can understand, you really aren't all that happy staying in the hive.

"What?! I was happy living in the hive! How dare you?!" Dark Fang shouted at the letter with a very convincing voice. Though, no matter how convincing it was, he still felt kind of empty about it. He still felt a bit doubtful. He didn't know if he telling the truth. He didn't even know if he was being truthful to himself. Now that the letter did mention it, he does feel a little less sad about leaving the hive. Maybe the letter was right. But he still was upset that he left his mentor and Night Wing behind. He still continued reading the letter.

I have decided that maybe it's best you stay with us for a while in Night Marington. It is a town far east of Canterlot and it is where I, Princess Luna, rule, so long as my sister doesn't need me for anything that is.

"Princess Luna?" Dark Fang muttered, wondering why the princess of the night would been very interested in him. Why would she help him anyways? He's done so many bad stuff to her and Princess Celestia's subjects. Though, as he kept reading, it seemed as if the letter was reading his mind.

Never mind about the misdeeds you've done in the past. What's important now is what's to come. I have seen that you are really willing to change the Changeling's way of life. I regret to inform you that this is a task that will take a very long time o make and won't be something that happens over night. Though, if you still really want to know, then you must know of another way to obtain love. A way that wouldn't hurt others in the process. There are other Changelings here in Night Marington that seem to be doing very well. These Changelings are also outcasts and has each found their own way to have food. Maybe you could learn something from them?

Dark Fang started to feel a bit excited. Could this really be the key to change the Changeling's way of life? Were there really other Changelings that thought the exact same way like him? He started to feel reassured now. The sadness that was in him was banished out from him like he was from the hive. "Wait... how do I get there?" He muttered. He started reading again, and like always, it's like the letter was answering his every question.

I have made sure that there would be a white pegasus with a wavy mane that is striped light blue and white to take you to Night Marington, should you accept my offer that is. However, be warned, that if you don't find her before nightfall comes along, she'll assume your answer is no and leave. If you wish to find her, then try searching along the edge of the forest. She should be stationed at the exit where it would lead to Canterlot. To make sure that you are the right Changeling, she'll ask you a question. No matter what the question is, just say "Not until a blue moon." This will acknowledge her that you are the one she's looking for.

Have safe travels and we hope to see you soon, should you accept.

-Sincerly

Princess Luna

The Changeling was really happy with the news. This should solve most of the problems he's having right now, with the most important of not having a home to stay right now. Though, what really is irking him is that he has to look all across a perimeter just to find this pegasus that is supposed to take him to the place. Might as well try since I have no other choice... He thought.

It's been five hours since he's flown along the edges of the forest. He saw Canterlot just a few miles away from the forest. The white castle that Princess Celestia lived in was an obvious landmark to distinguish it from any other cities that may look fancy as Canterlot. He turned to face down towards the ground as he flew along the edge of the border to keep searching for the Pegasus. It was already in the afternoon and he was starting to run out of time. Plus, he was getting kind of tired. Typical... I have to fly all over the place to find a pegasus on the ground. It's like trying to find a Changeling within a huge crowd of ponies, except that it's a bit more easier to tell who the Changeling is. He thought. But then, he realized something. Wait a minute! Pegasuses can fly! So why didn't they have her fly up into the air to make things easier for me? This got him irked up a bit more. Really, this is a wild goose chase!

The sun was finally starting to set as Dark Fang had zero luck in finding the Pegasus. He was really peeved now as he flew all day for nothing. Just my luck. The Princess obviously did this to punish me! He thought. Though, as he thought more and more about it, he started to feel more depressed now. Eh... I guess I deserve it. No one wants me. I'm a criminal to ponies and a traitor to Changelings. Both races hate me. Of course this would happen. He sulked as he slowly hovered in the air just above the forest's perimeter. He wondered what he should do now. He didn't have a home to go to and no one to feed him any love. Speaking of which, his stomach started to ache from hunger pains. He could hear it growl as he hasn't eaten since he was forced to leave the hive. He looked around to see if there was anypony who could help him out. He even took a look at the city off in the distance. It had him wondering if he should go. He could go there to Canterlot to try and absorb enough love for him to survive, but that would go against what he believed. Of course, if it was necessary, then he'd be willing to do it. Necessity has no bounds after all... He thought.

Dark Fang turned his back on the forest and was about to fly to Canterlot to try and fill his hunger. Though, a very loud disturbance has stopped him dead in his tracks.

BANG!

"Huh?! What was that?!" It sounded like it came from behind him. The sound of a weird kind of... explosion.

CRACKLE!

He turned around to see what was going on. There was nothing in the skies except thin layers of clouds. He didn't really see anything down in the forest either. Of course, there were trees covering the entire forest though so there's almost no way for him to see anything in all of it very easily. All except for something that flashed in one spot about 500 yards from the perimeter. Four seconds later, he heard the noise it made.

POW!

Dark Fang wasn't sure what was going on. He decided to fly down to check it out. As he approached, the flashes and the noise became much more recognizable. He thought he knew what it was just as he was about half way there. "Is that... lightning? From the ground?!"

Dark Fang knew that pegasi were capable of manipulating Equestria's weather. This must have been the pegasus that was mentioned in the letter. Maybe this lightning was meant for him so he could get her attention. But... why inside the forest rather than the outside? This could destroy a few trees, as Dark Fang knew.

Dark Fang decided that maybe it would be unsafe to fly right in from the top. He stopped and turned around to, instead, fly into the entrance and walk towards it instead. "Better to walk a distance than to be a crisp bug..." He muttered.

As Dark Fang got closer and closer to the source of the flash and the noise, he could start hearing voices. It wasn't easy to make up thanks to the constant loud explosive noises of the lightning bolts, but he could make out that this supposed pegasus wasn't alone.

Maybe Princess Luna's also there... He thought.

He finally stumbled upon lots of fallen trees with scorch marks on their trunks. It was obvious that the thunder bolts the pegasus was conjuring was the cause of it. He could see that the trees were still smoking from the charred spots and the stump that no longer supported the tree. What was notable about them is that they all seemed to have fallen away from the source. Dark Fang knew he was close, but getting there seemed to be more difficult as he had to climb over the fallen trees and walk through jungles of sticks and leaves.

CRACKLE BOOOM!

Right after he heard this noise, he finally stumbled upon a forest clearing. The perimeter of the clearing only had fallen trees, bending away from it. All of them were charred. In the middle of the clearing, he could see the white pegasus that was mentioned earlier in the middle. She looked really battered down as she was heavily breathing with her mane and coat looking a bit messed up and had a couple of gashes lined and dripping red. Is she... bleeding? What's going on? Dark Fang thought. He then noticed that there were three other ponies in the clearing. No... not ponies. They looked like ponies, but they were translucent. They looked as if they were made of... "Ice?!"

"You better tell us now where she resides!" The ice pony in the middle commanded at the white pegasus. This ice pony looked bigger than the other two. He also seemed to have a helmet that looked kind of like something that the guards in Canterlot would wear, except this one was also made of ice. The two ice ponies next to him looked just like normal ponies. No armor, no helmets, and normal size. All three of them, unlike regular ponies, had no cutie mark at all.

"Heh, is this all you have to offer? I already melted your squad." The pegasus said, still huffing. She managed to break a grin on her face, still showing her determination to fight.

"How persistent do you have to be?!" The ice pony leader shouted. He looked very irritated with the white pegasus. "Tell us now or we will have to eliminate you on the spot right now!"

"So how many soldiers do you have left? Two aside from yourself? And how many did you have to start? Twenty-five? If you are their so called squad leader, then you send yourself at me!" The white pegasus bent her front hooves into what looked like a very aggressive looking crouch. She spread her wings out, as if she was threatening to charge. As Dark Fang watched, he took note of the oddest thing he's ever seen a pegasus do. The wings looked like they had minature sea serpents swimming through them. No... not sea serpents, it was electricity.

Dark Fang awed at the sight. He knew that pegasi can use lightning with clouds, but he never thought that a pegasus could be able to summon them at will with their wings. This must be a special kind. Maybe she was actually an alicorn? He looked at her forehead to see if she was an alicorn, but there was no horn. Just a pegasus.

The leader of the ice ponies looked very enraged now. "Gah! That's it! Kill her now!" He pointed at the pegasus, ordering the last of his soldiers to attack. The two ice ponies started to charge with a loud war cry. As they started to close in on the pegasus, the pegasus dashed with her wings spread, running right in between the two ice ponies and slapped them with her wings.

ZAP!

"Grragghh!" The two ponies shouted as the wings touched them. A surge of electricity could be seen electrocuting the two, making them spaz out. Their bodies were shacking a lot, up until their ice structure fractured into pieces, melting on the forest floor and seeping into the ground.

"The squad that Winter Wrath has entrusted with me..." The leader started, staring at the carnage the pegasus did, "It's been... YOU!!!" He glared directly at the pegasus with a menacing stare. "I will kill you for that!"

"It's your fault you've been an incapable sergeant! And if all of you Frozies are like this, then your leader is ONE SORRY PONY!" The pegasus shouted.

Frozies? Dark Fang thought. Oh, I get it... frozen ponies. That must be what they are called.

"That's it! Fight me!" The leader said. "I won't stand here to watch someone with such a low caliber insult our great and wonderful leader!"

The pegasus looked very annoyed now. It must have been how the ice pony called her a "low caliber." After all, even Dark Fang would agree that he would get pretty mad at someone if someone were to tell him that, as he took pride in his fighting skills. He still continued to watch, but before he knew it, it was over.

"Graggllgahh!" The leader cried out as he got electrocuted to death, having the same fate as his subordinated did, along with the helmet he wore.

Dark Fang and the pegasus just both stood there, staring at the ground where the squad leader once was and shook their heads, both unamused at how the squad leader was pretty much defeated just like that. Dark Fang was hoping to watch a more exciting fight, after all, to see the pegasus's capabilities. Maybe compare them to his own.

"Low caliber? He couldn't even stand a second in a fight!" Dark Fang heard the pegasus mutter. "How did they even appoint him as a squad leader? Dumb and weak. Worst combination for a leader."

Dark Fang actually kind of agreed, even though he doesn't know what Frozies are, aside from the fact that they are ponies made of ice and they melt when they die. Even the Changelings are smart enough to appoint the strongest and smartest as the squad leaders. The pegasus was still just standing there, looking around. Maybe she was looking for him? Dark Fang then scanned the clearing to see if the coast was clear. There was no signs of any other pony, being made of ice or not, nearby.

Dark Fang crawled out into the clearing and slowly approached the pegasus. The pegasus noticed this and turned her attention towards him. Dark Fang took note of her Cyan colored eyes as she stared into his green and purple eyes. The pegasus smiled, relaxing her tensed up body and folding her wings. All of her signs of hostility were gone.

Once they were face to face now, Dark Fang kind of stuttered a bit. It was the first time he's actually tried to communicate with a normal pony now. "Um.. hi. Are you the pegasus in the letter?"

The pegasus nodded. "I'm Cyan Thunder. I'm an adventurer. And you are?"

As she asked the question, Dark Fang was about to answer, "Da..." but then he recalled the letter. If she asks a question, answer "Not in a blue moon," or something like that. "Not in a blue moon!"

The pegasus's laughter was the only response he got, with her saying, "Okay Mr. Blue Moon!"

"What?! I thought I was supposed to say that?!" Dark Fang kind of got annoyed now. He was sure that was the question he was supposed to answer with that.

"Oh I'm just teasing with you! I know who you are. Luna told me that you are Dark Fang, the Changeling outcast."

Dark Fang frowned, looking a bit depressed at the reminder and turned his head away to hide his shame.

"Oh come on." The pegasus said, still smiling. "Tell me, what's it like to be a Changeling? What do you guys eat? Who's your leader? And most important... how did they Changelings come to be? Oh, and how many of you are there?! Where do you guys live?!"

The pegasus kept asking so many questions that he couldn't hear himself think. He set aside his depression for a bit to at least say, "Please! Be quiet! I can't handle this many at once!"

The pegasus snickered a bit. But she indeed, stopped her barrage of questions. "Sorry, it's just that I love to discover new places and species. Of course, we do have Changelings back where I'm staying, but they refuse to show me much. All I know is that they are filled with holes, have a tough exterior, they buzz around, and that they can shape shift into anypony or being. All of the wonderful things you can learn just by asking questions. Plus, it's always good to know as much as possible about the world you live in, is it not?"

"I guess that's true." Dark Fang said, nodding.

"Heh." Cyan Thunder said. "So, seeing as how I asked so many questions, why don't you ask one?"

Dark Fang thought about this. He still felt kind of depressed after being called a Changeling outcast, but he may as well get used to it as that's how most ponies will probably recognize him anyways. However, that wasn't important right now. He really wanted to know one thing right now. Just one about the pegasus. "Er... How do you do that? That... thing with the wings and the lightning?"

"Oh?" Cyan Thunder turned her head to look at her wings. She then turned her head back to him, blushing a bit, saying "Oh, you saw that? How embarrassing of me. Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to tell you that my wings have been struck by lightning, both at the same time, and ever since then, my feathers got fried. But I did manage to gain this nice power. Zapping anything I touch with these!" She even got into her fighting stance with her wings spread, as if she was trying to prove it just like that.

Feathers fried? Does that mean she's "Flightless?"

"WHO TOLD YOU?!" She shouted, backing up as if she's really surprised.

"Er... you said your wings were fried."

Her surprise immediately faded, "Oh yeah, so I did. But yeah, I guess I am flightless. But hey, at least I have this cool power!"

That explains why she wasn't flying at all... Dark Fang thought.

"But enough talk. We're losing too much daylight." Cyan finally said. She walked past Dark Fang and started heading out of the forest. "We should head to Canterlot to spend the night at an inn or something, despite my dislike for that place."

Dark Fang wondered what's up with the pegasus. This seemed kind of unusual for a pony. Rather, he was wondering why she wasn't afraid of him. She looked much more interested than anything else. Did she not know of the things the Changelings done? Plus why were those Frozies after he in the first place? And why did she dislike the capital of Equestria? All of these questions were popping into his head very rapidly. Almost as rapidly as Cyan's barrage of questions.

Chapter 5: Dancing Pony Inn

"Alright, here we are, Canterlot. The capital of Equestria." Cyan muttered when the two reached the entrance gates. There was a hint of sourness in her voice. Dark Fang didn't understand why. She didn't actually have to do this for him if she disliked Canterlot so much. It looked like a beautiful place, even at nighttime like this when all of the lights illuminated the nice and clean looking buildings.

Dark Fang has already shape shifted his form into a dark blue pegasus with a white mane, contrasting Cyan's colors, and had a circle within another circle as a cutie mark. The circle on the inside was black and the one on the outside was purple. It was a form of a pegasus whom he once killed. Dark Fang looked up with his now gold eyes at the banner of the entrance and nodded. He was thankful that she was doing this for him so he could have a place to stay, but he didn't want her to go through the trouble of suffering in a place she didn't like. "Hey, if it's fine with you... maybe we could... just... you know..."

"No! Luna's orders were for me to take you into Canterlot for the night. She said she's arranged us a ride at noon tomorrow. It should take us to Night Marington in like three hours anyways as opposed to walking like 24 hours. As much as I'd love that, it's better if I get you to that place as soon as possible."

"But... you said you hate this place." Dark Fang complained. "I can't let you go through the trouble of that!"

Cyan looked into Dark Fang's eyes, looking a bit confused. "Did I say that?"

"Yeah, you said you disliked this place."

"Oh! That's not what I meant honestly. It's just that... well..." Cyan reverted her eyes towards the entrance, like as if she was trying to point out something. "In popular places like this, it tends to have... well... snobby ponies. Thinking they are all better than everypony else who's not from Canterlot. Canterlot itself is a very nice place. It's just the ponies here I can't stand."

"Oh" Dark Fang said. He remembers experiencing that form of "snobbishness" from the Changelings that actually sit right next to the queen or personally serve her every whim. He didn't think that ponies would act the same just by living in the capital of Equestria. Maybe it's because Princess Celestia lived here?

"Plus... there's one pony that lives here that's really irked me up to the point where I actually want to punch somepony in the face. Luckily, I don't see him right now. And let's leave it at that." Without another word, Cyan started trotting into the city.

Dark Fang thought about it for a moment, then started trotting along with Cyan, keeping close to her. He was wondering what somepony would do to make her so annoyed. But then Dark Fang remembered the time in the forest when that one Frozy insulted her. Does this pony do the same thing to her? Dark Fang pondered this for a few minutes, before setting it aside. Hopefully they won't encounter that pony. He doesn't want to see Cyan get even more annoyed. She might hurt somepony.

"Well, here we are! The inn of the Dancing Pony." Cyan sad, pointing to the roof at the inn that was located on the western side of the city. The inn was within the row of buildings on one side of the sidewalk, with another row of buildings just on the other side of it. These buildings were all sorts of different things, such as bakeries, flower shops, souvenir shops, a fortune teller, and all sorts of shops like that. "I always spend the night here whenever I'm in Canterlot. Unfortunately, I sometimes attract unwanted attention by that certain somepony."

"The inn of the Dancing Pony..." Dark Fang muttered. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

"Eh, kind of does sound like Lord of the Horns, doesn't it?" Cyan said, laughing a bit. "I'm really into literature you know. Especially Daring Do. It's what inspired me to go on adventures."

"Daring Do?" Dark Fang asked.

"Why, she's a fictional character. Rather, she'd probably be the best adventurer out there if she really did exist. She's smart, clever, and, well, just like me, her wings got damaged so she's also flightless."

"So, it's solely just Daring Do who's the reason you're an adventurer?"

"Nope. She's just one of the many reasons. Anyways, let's head in so we can check in in the inn."

Dark Fang kind of chuckled at the number of "in's" there were when Cyan said this as they both headed into the inn.

As they entered, Dark Fang took a look around and saw an indoor balcony in the room with a long bridge leading into many different rooms. The balcony overlooked the main room where there was a front desk at the right side and lots of tables that look like they were meant for eating on. Actually, they were, as there were a handful of ponies just finishing up dinner. All of the ponies here seemed to be trying to be as formal as possible. They used napkins to wipe their faces, took sips of their drinks from the cups, and were talking like, "Indeed, it is a fine weather today. Thanks for asking."

Dark Fang wondered if these were some of the snobs Cyan was talking about. But then again, if she hated snobs, why would she always stay at this inn? Maybe they weren't snobs?

"Ah, Cyan!" The pony at the front desk said as he saw them walk in. "Welcome, welcome! How have you been? How's life all over the world?"

"Doing great, Fall Inn! And how's business doing here?"

"Doing great! Thanks for asking!" The pony said, smiling. He was a brown maned stallion with a blue body. His cutie mark was a candlestick on a pedestal. Dark Fang must've thought that it meant warmth of indoors, which an inn would be a perfect example of. "Wait a second!" The pony said, frowning. "What happened to you? You look all worn out!"

"Oh!" Cyan said, looking at her body. She noticed that she still looked a bit battered up. Dark Fang actually seemed to have a surprise look on his face, realzing that he completely forgot that she did kind of look a bit worn out. "Long story. Just... you know, business stuff."

"Oh, okay then. Well, as long as you're okay." The innkeeper said, smiling. "The usual stuff like always. Oh, and who's the dark blue pegasus there? He your friend?"

"Acquaintance more like." Cyan said, smiling. "Princess Luna specifically asked me to take him to Night Marington."

"Ah, so you still spend lots of time there?"

"Of course! It's a lot of fun as you get to meet all sorts of different creatures there and learn about their lifestyles. Knowledge does empower ponies after all."

"That is true, but some things you are better off not knowing." The innkeeper said, looking up. His eyes looked a bit nostalgic.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. But... things happen because there's a reason for it after all."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyways, you two here for a room for the night?"

"Of course!" Cyan said. "Preferably one with two beds, please."

"Alright, there's still a few open. Anyways, that'll be 10 bits."

"Alright." Cyan said, paying the innkeeper the 10 bits. Cyan got a card key from him in return.

"Oh, and also, you should have some dinner, on me." The innkeeper said, smiling, "And your room is Room 205. Enjoy your stay." He bowed, with Cyan bowing back a thanks. Dark Fang was just watching as they have finished their short conversation.

Cyan then motioned her head towards one of the tables, saying, "Come, we'll eat first and then rest."

"Alright... I guess." Dark Fang said. Should I tell her? He thought. He was a Changeling. Their hunger isn't satisfied by real food. Only love. Didn't she know that? He didn't say anything, though, as they picked a table to sit down at.

Cyan then trotted over to the dinner bar where they were serving an all you can eat buffet. There were fries, salad, bread, oatmeal, daisy sandwiches, and lots of other stuff ponies might enjoy eating. Cyan picked a plate, filled it with salad and place a daisy sandwich on top of it.

When she returned, she set the plate on the table and sat down, beginning to eat the sandwich first. She then noticed Dark Fang who was just watching her, as opposed to actually getting food for himself. "Um..." She said after she gulped down her first bite. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Eh... I don't eat that stuff..." Dark Fang silently muttered.

Unfortunately, Cyan didn't catch it. "I'm sorry, what?"

"We don't get our fill with that stuff."

"Oh come on, it's good for you!" Cyan Thunder said, gulping down another bite of the daisy sandwich.

"That's not what I... oh never mind. I'll explain later."

"Okay then." Cyan said, finishing up her sandwich so she could move onto her salad.

Guess she really doesn't know after all... Dark Fang thought.

After Cyan finished her meal, the two have entered their room and made themselves comfortable. They sat in their beds that were on either edge of the room, each with its own lantern. Cyan Thunder was sitting on the left side, with Dark Fang on the right. Dark Fang then lied down, staring up at the ceiling. I wonder how she's doing. He thought. I wonder if she'll be fine. She does have Waver after all. She should be fine so long as she's with him... hopefully.

Cyan stared at Dark Fang, looking a bit worried. He hasn't eaten dinner. She wondered what was going on. She knew that Changelings could morph their form, but she didn't understand their eating behavior. "Say, Dark Fang. You sure you'll be fine without eating dinner?"

"Huh?" Dark Fang said, sitting up and looking at his new roommate. His gold eyes looked into the cyan colored ones of the white pegasus. He then looked away and back up at the ceiling, saying, "Us Changelings... we don't actually eat like you ponies do."

"Oh? Then how do you survive? What's your food source?" Cyan lied down on her belly towards Dark Fang, resting her chin on her hooves as if she was ready to listen to a bedtime story.

"Well... it's kind of hard to explain, but... we basically feed off of the love of ponies and other creatures. That's what our hive does is to protect each other and maintain our species by sapping love from other ponies."

"Ah, and this hurts other ponies?"

"Yes!" Dark Fang exclaimed, staring back into Cyan's eyes. "It's just that we get very carried away by sapping all of the ponies' love until we bleed them dry. Sure we get food for a few weeks per pony, but it's wrong! And to make things worse... we are kidnapping fillies just to convert them to our side! It's wrong in every way!"

"Well, it's your way of survival isn't it? After all, necessity has no bounds." She said. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. Dark Fang wondered if it was because of the way he told her that their love sapping abilities... or maybe the Changeling conversion that did this. He didn't know. But as he watched, he could see sadness in her eyes. Sadness and nostalgia. Her eyes reverted to the ceiling, as if she was looking back at some form of memory.

Did she have a bad reputation with Changelings? Dark Fang thought. "Hey, I'm sorry."

"Huh? What?" Cyan shook the feelings out of her head and looked back at Dark Fang.

"I'm sorry if the Changelings have done anything bad to you."

"Oh... no, it's not that. It's... well, Changelings haven't done anything bad to me at all so far... it's just, I remembered my old mentor. It's just that he's always taught me to never use anger as a weapon. Bad things will happen if it happens. One day... he disappeared and... oh never mind! This is ridiculous! You wouldn't want to hear..."

"No! No! Please... continue!" Dark Fang said, he was in the same position as Cyan was now. "I wish to know. Maybe I could help."

"I'm afraid you can't about this. Anyways, one day, he disappeared. Princess Luna, my friends in Night Marington, and I, all searched everywhere for him. He was one of us, and we couldn't afford to let any pony have an unfortunate fate. One day, we stumbled upon a frozen forest north of Canterlot. And I mean very far north. Anyways, Princess Luna found it and showed it to us. We searched in it to see if we could find any signs of him. We actually did find him, but... he was gone by then. He was spiked by icicles through his neck." Cyan started to tear up when she said this. Her voice was getting tense. "And then... we saw the killer. It was a Frozy... his name is all very clear to me, which I shall never ever forget. His name was Captain Cold Heart." Her sadness now turned to anger. Her wings started to spread out, making sparking noises as if the electricity in her wings were about to overload. Dark Fang looked a bit worried about this, but Cyan still continued. "He was the one who killed my mentor! How angry I was. Princess Luna managed to get everyone else out of the way before my rage got the best of me, thankfully. I remember my lightning turning to red, a voice shouting 'I will kill you!' And then... silence. I was standing there, huffing and puffing. There was nothing but a puddle right where I stood. I looked at my hooves, and saw that they had cuts on them, bleeding. I don't know what exactly happened, but I won. I avenged my mentor's death. But... there was emptiness. My mentor was gone. He was taken away from me."

Her anger softened, her wings were lowered, no longer sparking. "Oh... how I wept for days right at his grave. I never moved from that spot, refusing to eat anything. Barely drank anything either. But I eventually accepted it. One of my buddies told me that he did not die in vain. His purpose in life was fulfilled, and his time came. He told me that I've wept enough, that even my mentor would not wish to see me like this. The best way for me to honor him, was to always remember him. Always remember his teachings, and go on adventures, just as he would want. My buddy was right. It's exactly what he would've wanted me to do. If any reason I was going on adventures, this is the one and only. Of course, Daring Do did inspire me, but my mentor had an even bigger impact."

Dark Fang took all of it in. He imagined everything. He knew what it felt like to be separated from his mentor and Night Wing, but he's never actually thought about them being dead. It's probably much worse than being separated from them. Having their lives taken... that's what he'd never want. "I'm sorry for your loss..." Dark Fang said, silently, but loud enough for Cyan to hear.

"It's fine." Cyan sat up and crawled into the blankets. "Let's just get into bed. And I'm sorry too, for your banishment."

"It's fine." Dark Fang said, sitting up and crawling into the blankets. "Can't be as bad as actually knowing a close pony of yours died."

"Guess not..."

The two turned off their lights to start sleeping.