Standing Outby Bronze GearsChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1 I buzzed down a narrow dirt path and finally reached the doorstep of the cottage. I gently tapped against the wooden door and heard tiny steps heading to the entrance. The door creaked open and nopony was there, Thump! Thump! Thump! I looked down and noticed a white bunny smiling up at me. "Oh, hi Angel," I greeted. Angel opened the door wider and pointed to a light yellow pegasus sitting in a lounge chair, flipping through a thick book. I patted Angel on his tiny head and walked inside to Fluttershy. "Hi... Um... I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything..." I looked down at the floor apologetically. Fluttershy looked up. She seemed delighted to see me. I sat down on the rug while she closed the book and set it to the side. "Hi Icarus!" She greeted excitedly. I said hello, but my words came out jumbled. "I was just coming to visit, I haven't had a lot of time lately, I'm sorry..." I poked the ground with my hole-filled hoof. Fluttershy stood up and came over, situating herself next to me. "Don't worry about it, you're not in any rush." She answered. "Oh, but I should be sorry! It's so quiet and lonely out here." I said. I stood up. I felt so sorry for Fluttershy, spending all of her time alone. It didn't seem that peaceful. "Oh don't worry about me, I have the woodland critters if anything goes wrong." She replied modestly. She trotted over to me as I flew outside. "Well... Ok then, Fluttershy. I guess I'll see ya later." She smiled and waved goodbye as I trotted over the river and into the Everfree forest. I waved to her until she disappeared from view. I knew she did the same. I frowned when I began to hear the evil chants of laughter in my head. "Oh look! Here comes the Wrongling!" I heard in my head, though I realized, it wasn't my imagination. I looked up and saw a group of Changelings smirking at me, their eyes narrowed, chanting to themselves, laughing hysterically. In perfect sync, all 4 of the Changelings transformed into Fluttershy mimics. The whooped and hollered in laughter. My anger built more and more every time one of them chanted. My eyes began to twitch. I stamped my hoof on the ground, but remebered Fluttershy's words to stay calm no matter what. I puffed smoke through my nose and trudged past them, trying my hardest to block out the screams and whooping. I blew through my teeth when I heard the group following me. I turned around, and so did they. I growled, so did they. I reared up, so did they. "Freaking idiots." I mumbled. They turned around, eyes narrowed, growling angrily. "WHAT?! What did you just say?!" They growled. I stamped my hoof and answered them angrily. "I said, FREAKING IDIOTS. Is there a problem?!" They backed up, and charged straight towards me. I felt a fat tear roll down my cheek a moment before I blacked out. "MISFIT! MISFIT! MISFIT! WRONGLING! WRONGLING! WRONGLING!" All buzzing in my head, making me even dizzier. Chapter 2 I jerked up in a small bed, in Fluttershy's cottage. I groaned and flopped snout-first into the pillows, puffing out white feathers decorating the floor. I heard light wingbeats push through the air. Fluttershy peeked around the corner and smiled at me. I glanced at myself and saw dried blood and a few bruises, I looked into a mirror and saw I had a black-eye. I mumbled to myself and noticed Fluttershy, I smiled fakely and hoped she didn't overhear anything rude I might have said. Fluttershy trotted in excitedly. "I'm glad you're awake. What happened out there when you left? I heard screaming, so I tried to see what was wrong, when I found you passed out in the woods with bruises and some blood, I had to take you home." I sat down and sighed reluctantly. "C'mon Flutters, you don't need to worry about me, it was just a few bullies." I tried to explain, she trotted over and situated herself next to me. "Why would anypony want to bully you though?!" She asked concerned. I sighed, I knew the answer, but it would hurt her feelings extremely. "I... Well... They... It's just that..." I stuttered, trying to find a nice way to put it. Fluttershy picked up my drooping head and smiled into my eyes. "I was bullied as a filly, and you know that. But they stopped after a while, they got bored, because I would ignore them, so why don't you too?" I sighed and explained something she hadn't realized. "Changelings have a knack for fighting. They... They love it. And since I've learned from a wise pony that fighting isn't right, they would push me around, give me black eyes, and just plain toture me. I know... you were bullied too as a filly, but not as brutally. I CAN'T ignore them is what's wrong. I'm sorry Fluttershy, but I have to leave, for who knows how long, it may be years. I want you to know that I will always remember you, I don't want to leave, but I have to. I have to become a little stronger in my will before I can come back. Goodbye, I am going to miss you." With that, I turned around and left for the door, I waved one last time and walked back into the Everfree Forest. I could already hear a group of Changelings approaching, so I transformed into a white pegasus with a blue and green mane and tail. I flew above the trees and heard a Changeling shout out, "LOOK UP THERE! IT'S A PONY!" I darted away the moment the sentence was finished, they were coming for food. They nipped at my tail and I flew faster, leaving a trail of green behind me. I glanced at them, it was the same group from yesterday. I had learned their leader's name, Zigzag, he was the largest of the group, but also the fastest. I transformed back to my Changeling self, they stopped and stared, shocked to see somepony like me flying this fast. Others had always doubted my speed, strength, and other abilities, but they had never truly seen me try. I snickered to myself as they stood frozen in flight, staring at me. Chapter 3 I slowed my pace and landed on the damp ground. I walked along a path that wasn't well trampled, loose weeds and briars poked out from the dirt, stabbing my hooves every once in a while. I didn't really know where I was going, until I noticed a tree with strange masks and relics surrounding the roots. I cautiously approached the wooden door and gave a slight knock, I began to back away from the strange faces hanging around the outside walls, they looked scared and sad, some looked even worried. "Come in my fellow friend, tell me, what help can I lend?" A voice said from inside. I creaked the door open and saw a zebra standing on a shelf, reaching for a bottle of herbs. I walked in, unsure what to expect. She saw me and her eyes grew a little worried, her smile turning fake. "Um... Hello... I was just wandering around and... I noticed your hut so I just wanted to... Well... See if you needed anything... I haven't seen you around so I just wanted to say hi..." I ducked my head down as I spoke. The zebra climbed down and greeted me, "Zecora is how I would like to be addressed, so what is your name my guest?" She asked. "Icarus... I guess I'm not much of a pony to you... I'm a Changeling..." Zecora stepped back cautiously. "Why are you down little insect? What seems to be incorrect?" She asked while she retrieved a glass of blue bubbly liquids, and poured some into her cauldron. I explained to Zecora about the bullies and how I had always had conflicts in my life. She listened carefully while she dumped spoons of different spices into the pot, stirring them occasionally, and tasting, often giving a sour response. When I finished speaking, she nodded and dumped a few chopped up leaves into the cauldron. "What are you cooking up anyways?" I asked. "Im brewing a solution for one, they are feisty and after any battle...they have won. I immediantly thought of the group, and Zecora knew also. She poured a small container of the blue, thick, bubbly liquid and tossed over to me. "For me?" I asked concerningly. She nodded. "Oh my... Thank you!" I fought my urge to dance around, and I calmly walked outside, thanking Zecora and leaving. She waved "Farewell! For the best of luck in the future! I Hope the potion suits you!" Chapter 4 I buzzed away from the zebra's hut and smiled bigger than my own head. I unscrewed the cork lid and put a drop on my tongue. I stopped, winced, and almost puked, it tasted like a wet dog's breath that just ate a branch rotten lemons. I gaged and tried to swallow down the liquid, but the aftertaste was even worse. I eventually got over it, but I still had a sour breath. After a few minutes, I began to feel different. My legs cramped up a little, and my wings stiffened. I felt stronger, my bones felt thicker, and I seemed meatier, I went over to a once heavy rock and lifted it up with ease. "Wow, nice job potion. Seems like I've taken steroids or somethin'." I laughed as I stared at my huge legs. I noticed I was much taller, maybe even taller than Zigzag. I did a barely noticeable dance to myself, and thanked Chrysalis for meeting Zecora. I could tell the next time those punks saw me, they'd be even more shell-shocked than they already were. I narrowed my eyes and smiled when I heard buzzes from Changeling wings. Now it's my turn, I thought to myself as I watched them fly into view. Zigzag stopped dead in his tracks, crouched down nervously, and stared directly at my eyes. "Um... He-hello... I've never... se-seen you... around he-here..." He said in a shaky voice. "Wow, I'm surprised you don't remember me." I said with an evil grin. The group sank lower into the ground. "Wh-what? Wh-who are you?" Zigzag said. I laughed, "It's me... Icarus." I said confidently, stepping closer to them. Their eyes grew enormous, and their pupils shrank. One of the 4 Changelings grew dizzy and fainted. "No you're not! You can't proves it!" Zigzag screamed, his eyes swelling with water. "Oh, can I?" I corrected, I turned my neck and showed him the birthmark on the bottom of my head he had always teased me about. His eyes almost popped out of his head. "Bu-but how?" Zigzag stood up, with a confused look. "I have caring friends." I said kindly, softening my harsh tone. "Your point? I have friends too" Zigzag said blankly. "They understand problems and don't fight, they listen to others, not tease before they even know what happened. Zigzag, why do you tease me?" I explained. "Because you seem weak and don't want to fight." He answered nervously. "Exactly, but you were shocked to see how fast I was, because you'd never seen me try to fly like that. You just don't understand why I'm like this." I said, the last 2 Changelings flew away, leaving only me and Zigzag, and the fainted Changeling. I began to explain to him what had happened. "Zigzag, when I was only a few weeks old, I was abandoned, my family set me on the edge of the Everfree. When somepony named Fluttershy found me, she raised me until a while back after I left her. And during my life, she told me fighting would NEVER solve anything, even if something was funny to somepony else, and it was serious to you. She learned not to bully, what are you going to solve in fighting anyways? If you're mad, hurting others is only going to make it worse." Zigzag stared at the ground the more I explained, though the more I explained, the more Zecora's potion wore off. As I shrank back to normal, I finished telling how I felt. Zigzag looked up silently and gave me a slow, sad nod. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, I just wanted Zigzag to understand what it was like being bullied. Zigzag sighed and stood up. "Um... I'm sorry... Now that I know that... I feel horrible for what I've done to you..." He poked the ground with his hoof quietly, a tear rolled down his cheek and splashed into the grass. "Hey, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to-" I was cut off by him. "No I deserve it. I know, you were trying to explain, and I've realized what it's like to be in you're shoes. Because I'm a bag of dirt in my dad's eyes." He said, 2 more tears rolling off his snout. We sat silent for a while, and finally stood up, walking our different paths back home. I didn't technically know where I was going until I heard hoofsteps behind me. It was Zigzag. "Where are you going?" I asked him puzzledly. "Where I should be going. Home." With that, he walked back to Fluttershy's cottage with me.
Chapter 1 I buzzed down a narrow dirt path and finally reached the doorstep of the cottage. I gently tapped against the wooden door and heard tiny steps heading to the entrance. The door creaked open and nopony was there, Thump! Thump! Thump! I looked down and noticed a white bunny smiling up at me. "Oh, hi Angel," I greeted. Angel opened the door wider and pointed to a light yellow pegasus sitting in a lounge chair, flipping through a thick book. I patted Angel on his tiny head and walked inside to Fluttershy. "Hi... Um... I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything..." I looked down at the floor apologetically. Fluttershy looked up. She seemed delighted to see me. I sat down on the rug while she closed the book and set it to the side. "Hi Icarus!" She greeted excitedly. I said hello, but my words came out jumbled. "I was just coming to visit, I haven't had a lot of time lately, I'm sorry..." I poked the ground with my hole-filled hoof. Fluttershy stood up and came over, situating herself next to me. "Don't worry about it, you're not in any rush." She answered. "Oh, but I should be sorry! It's so quiet and lonely out here." I said. I stood up. I felt so sorry for Fluttershy, spending all of her time alone. It didn't seem that peaceful. "Oh don't worry about me, I have the woodland critters if anything goes wrong." She replied modestly. She trotted over to me as I flew outside. "Well... Ok then, Fluttershy. I guess I'll see ya later." She smiled and waved goodbye as I trotted over the river and into the Everfree forest. I waved to her until she disappeared from view. I knew she did the same. I frowned when I began to hear the evil chants of laughter in my head. "Oh look! Here comes the Wrongling!" I heard in my head, though I realized, it wasn't my imagination. I looked up and saw a group of Changelings smirking at me, their eyes narrowed, chanting to themselves, laughing hysterically. In perfect sync, all 4 of the Changelings transformed into Fluttershy mimics. The whooped and hollered in laughter. My anger built more and more every time one of them chanted. My eyes began to twitch. I stamped my hoof on the ground, but remebered Fluttershy's words to stay calm no matter what. I puffed smoke through my nose and trudged past them, trying my hardest to block out the screams and whooping. I blew through my teeth when I heard the group following me. I turned around, and so did they. I growled, so did they. I reared up, so did they. "Freaking idiots." I mumbled. They turned around, eyes narrowed, growling angrily. "WHAT?! What did you just say?!" They growled. I stamped my hoof and answered them angrily. "I said, FREAKING IDIOTS. Is there a problem?!" They backed up, and charged straight towards me. I felt a fat tear roll down my cheek a moment before I blacked out. "MISFIT! MISFIT! MISFIT! WRONGLING! WRONGLING! WRONGLING!" All buzzing in my head, making me even dizzier.
Chapter 2 I jerked up in a small bed, in Fluttershy's cottage. I groaned and flopped snout-first into the pillows, puffing out white feathers decorating the floor. I heard light wingbeats push through the air. Fluttershy peeked around the corner and smiled at me. I glanced at myself and saw dried blood and a few bruises, I looked into a mirror and saw I had a black-eye. I mumbled to myself and noticed Fluttershy, I smiled fakely and hoped she didn't overhear anything rude I might have said. Fluttershy trotted in excitedly. "I'm glad you're awake. What happened out there when you left? I heard screaming, so I tried to see what was wrong, when I found you passed out in the woods with bruises and some blood, I had to take you home." I sat down and sighed reluctantly. "C'mon Flutters, you don't need to worry about me, it was just a few bullies." I tried to explain, she trotted over and situated herself next to me. "Why would anypony want to bully you though?!" She asked concerned. I sighed, I knew the answer, but it would hurt her feelings extremely. "I... Well... They... It's just that..." I stuttered, trying to find a nice way to put it. Fluttershy picked up my drooping head and smiled into my eyes. "I was bullied as a filly, and you know that. But they stopped after a while, they got bored, because I would ignore them, so why don't you too?" I sighed and explained something she hadn't realized. "Changelings have a knack for fighting. They... They love it. And since I've learned from a wise pony that fighting isn't right, they would push me around, give me black eyes, and just plain toture me. I know... you were bullied too as a filly, but not as brutally. I CAN'T ignore them is what's wrong. I'm sorry Fluttershy, but I have to leave, for who knows how long, it may be years. I want you to know that I will always remember you, I don't want to leave, but I have to. I have to become a little stronger in my will before I can come back. Goodbye, I am going to miss you." With that, I turned around and left for the door, I waved one last time and walked back into the Everfree Forest. I could already hear a group of Changelings approaching, so I transformed into a white pegasus with a blue and green mane and tail. I flew above the trees and heard a Changeling shout out, "LOOK UP THERE! IT'S A PONY!" I darted away the moment the sentence was finished, they were coming for food. They nipped at my tail and I flew faster, leaving a trail of green behind me. I glanced at them, it was the same group from yesterday. I had learned their leader's name, Zigzag, he was the largest of the group, but also the fastest. I transformed back to my Changeling self, they stopped and stared, shocked to see somepony like me flying this fast. Others had always doubted my speed, strength, and other abilities, but they had never truly seen me try. I snickered to myself as they stood frozen in flight, staring at me.
Chapter 3 I slowed my pace and landed on the damp ground. I walked along a path that wasn't well trampled, loose weeds and briars poked out from the dirt, stabbing my hooves every once in a while. I didn't really know where I was going, until I noticed a tree with strange masks and relics surrounding the roots. I cautiously approached the wooden door and gave a slight knock, I began to back away from the strange faces hanging around the outside walls, they looked scared and sad, some looked even worried. "Come in my fellow friend, tell me, what help can I lend?" A voice said from inside. I creaked the door open and saw a zebra standing on a shelf, reaching for a bottle of herbs. I walked in, unsure what to expect. She saw me and her eyes grew a little worried, her smile turning fake. "Um... Hello... I was just wandering around and... I noticed your hut so I just wanted to... Well... See if you needed anything... I haven't seen you around so I just wanted to say hi..." I ducked my head down as I spoke. The zebra climbed down and greeted me, "Zecora is how I would like to be addressed, so what is your name my guest?" She asked. "Icarus... I guess I'm not much of a pony to you... I'm a Changeling..." Zecora stepped back cautiously. "Why are you down little insect? What seems to be incorrect?" She asked while she retrieved a glass of blue bubbly liquids, and poured some into her cauldron. I explained to Zecora about the bullies and how I had always had conflicts in my life. She listened carefully while she dumped spoons of different spices into the pot, stirring them occasionally, and tasting, often giving a sour response. When I finished speaking, she nodded and dumped a few chopped up leaves into the cauldron. "What are you cooking up anyways?" I asked. "Im brewing a solution for one, they are feisty and after any battle...they have won. I immediantly thought of the group, and Zecora knew also. She poured a small container of the blue, thick, bubbly liquid and tossed over to me. "For me?" I asked concerningly. She nodded. "Oh my... Thank you!" I fought my urge to dance around, and I calmly walked outside, thanking Zecora and leaving. She waved "Farewell! For the best of luck in the future! I Hope the potion suits you!"
Chapter 4 I buzzed away from the zebra's hut and smiled bigger than my own head. I unscrewed the cork lid and put a drop on my tongue. I stopped, winced, and almost puked, it tasted like a wet dog's breath that just ate a branch rotten lemons. I gaged and tried to swallow down the liquid, but the aftertaste was even worse. I eventually got over it, but I still had a sour breath. After a few minutes, I began to feel different. My legs cramped up a little, and my wings stiffened. I felt stronger, my bones felt thicker, and I seemed meatier, I went over to a once heavy rock and lifted it up with ease. "Wow, nice job potion. Seems like I've taken steroids or somethin'." I laughed as I stared at my huge legs. I noticed I was much taller, maybe even taller than Zigzag. I did a barely noticeable dance to myself, and thanked Chrysalis for meeting Zecora. I could tell the next time those punks saw me, they'd be even more shell-shocked than they already were. I narrowed my eyes and smiled when I heard buzzes from Changeling wings. Now it's my turn, I thought to myself as I watched them fly into view. Zigzag stopped dead in his tracks, crouched down nervously, and stared directly at my eyes. "Um... He-hello... I've never... se-seen you... around he-here..." He said in a shaky voice. "Wow, I'm surprised you don't remember me." I said with an evil grin. The group sank lower into the ground. "Wh-what? Wh-who are you?" Zigzag said. I laughed, "It's me... Icarus." I said confidently, stepping closer to them. Their eyes grew enormous, and their pupils shrank. One of the 4 Changelings grew dizzy and fainted. "No you're not! You can't proves it!" Zigzag screamed, his eyes swelling with water. "Oh, can I?" I corrected, I turned my neck and showed him the birthmark on the bottom of my head he had always teased me about. His eyes almost popped out of his head. "Bu-but how?" Zigzag stood up, with a confused look. "I have caring friends." I said kindly, softening my harsh tone. "Your point? I have friends too" Zigzag said blankly. "They understand problems and don't fight, they listen to others, not tease before they even know what happened. Zigzag, why do you tease me?" I explained. "Because you seem weak and don't want to fight." He answered nervously. "Exactly, but you were shocked to see how fast I was, because you'd never seen me try to fly like that. You just don't understand why I'm like this." I said, the last 2 Changelings flew away, leaving only me and Zigzag, and the fainted Changeling. I began to explain to him what had happened. "Zigzag, when I was only a few weeks old, I was abandoned, my family set me on the edge of the Everfree. When somepony named Fluttershy found me, she raised me until a while back after I left her. And during my life, she told me fighting would NEVER solve anything, even if something was funny to somepony else, and it was serious to you. She learned not to bully, what are you going to solve in fighting anyways? If you're mad, hurting others is only going to make it worse." Zigzag stared at the ground the more I explained, though the more I explained, the more Zecora's potion wore off. As I shrank back to normal, I finished telling how I felt. Zigzag looked up silently and gave me a slow, sad nod. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, I just wanted Zigzag to understand what it was like being bullied. Zigzag sighed and stood up. "Um... I'm sorry... Now that I know that... I feel horrible for what I've done to you..." He poked the ground with his hoof quietly, a tear rolled down his cheek and splashed into the grass. "Hey, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to-" I was cut off by him. "No I deserve it. I know, you were trying to explain, and I've realized what it's like to be in you're shoes. Because I'm a bag of dirt in my dad's eyes." He said, 2 more tears rolling off his snout. We sat silent for a while, and finally stood up, walking our different paths back home. I didn't technically know where I was going until I heard hoofsteps behind me. It was Zigzag. "Where are you going?" I asked him puzzledly. "Where I should be going. Home." With that, he walked back to Fluttershy's cottage with me.
