My Little Changeling: Friendship is Survival

--Canterlot Intruder--

--I--

My stomach had been feeling empty but I was holding up surprisingly well considering I had been walking for a couple of hours and hadn't eaten all day. It was more than just feeling well though, there was an energy behind it, like I was gaining strength from something.

I just hope this lasts.

Changelings supposedly required love instead of food to survive but I had always been able to feel real hunger, I was feeling that right now. The thought was disconcerting though. what happens when a changeling isn't receiving any?

I still hadn't exited the woods despite how long I had been walking for. I made a point of heading towards the first sign of civilization I saw. Which, after the first few hours of walking, ended up being structures jutting out from the side of a mountain. They were white towers capped with golden spires, surrounded by a large city. I didn't need long to deduce that it was Canterlot, I may never have been there but the place was extremely iconic.

Maybe this won't be so bad, I hear this city is great.

Unfortunately, I had seriously underestimated the sheer size of Canterlot's castle. I had already been walking for hours and I had to go for a few more before I finally reached the freaking city. My legs had never been so sore in all my life. It was easier when I reached an actual paved road that led into the city.

I hesitated to approach the front gate, afraid that any guards posted there would somehow know what I was. The notion that they could just know something like that was ridiculous but I still had to build up a bit of nerve to walk through it.

Just act natural and they won't notice a thing...

I tried to take a deep breath which immediately hitched in my throat. I could not have been walking more stiffly while going by those guards. Not breathing? Check. Walking stiff and unnatural-like? Check. Yep, I walked through the front gate just like normal ponies do.

I should get an award for such quality acting.

Evidently those guards somehow didn't notice me or just didn't care. I'm not sure which explanation for their lack of action I found more disconcerting.

I acted far more casually once I was inside the city. I had to admit, what I had been told about Canterlot was true, this city was amazing. I had lived in a fairly small town and this place was far more beautiful and absolutely massive. Not to mention crowded and noisy, I wasn't sure how I felt about that part.

So... I'm here. And once again I have to ask myself, what now?

I could kick myself for my complete inability to plan ahead despite having been given hours with nothing to do but think.

Canterlot wasn't a city I was familiar with, which made coming up with a good plan difficult. In truth, I had no inkling of what I should do. I had no place to stay, no money, it wasn't a good situation to find myself in.

I opted to wander around for a while, hoping a solution would jump out at me.

Which it did.

“That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!” A pony shouted.

A colt shoved another white colt towards the ground, causing two other young ponies to approach in response. A cursory examination of the situation told me that the pony who had been shoved down was about to be attacked by all three.

A fight was definitely about to break out in the middle of the street and I realized destiny had just handed me a golden opportunity. I was alone in this city and I needed a friend if I was going to get by.

Looks like fate just gave me three.

All I had to do was help those three ponies beat that one up and I would be set. I didn't have much time, I needed to jump in quickly and show how tough I could be. I charged right on in prepared to beat down on that poor colt and attain a glorious new friendship with a foundation built on violence. I stopped by his side, raising my hoof up to stomp down on his face.

...And I hesitated to go through with it.

...Which caused him to think I was offering to help him.

...Which caused him to immediately spring to his feet and shout at the other ponies.

“Hah! Let's see how tough you are when it isn't three on one!”

Whoops...

I was hungry, I was tired, It was a two on three fight, these were the excuses I would make for the rest of my days about why I absolutely got beaten down.

The pony who initiated the violence continued to attack the white colt while his two friends attacked me. One rammed into my side, flooring me. The other immediately stomped down on my head, dazing me. I had never been in a fight in my life but I was pretty sure cringing into a ball on the ground as two people kick you is a sign that you're losing.

After getting kicked about a dozen times I finally forced myself to stand back up. They moved on both sides of me and I kicked my hind legs backwards hitting the colt standing behind me in the face. It absolutely floor him. I had never hit anypony before so I got pretty excited. That excitement distracted me from the pony in front of me who struck his hoof down over my head, knocking me back down.

He didn't end up striking me again because a couple of the town guards finally showed up to break us up.

“Hey! That's enough, break it up!” The guard shouted towards us.

I was still struggling to get back on my hoofs when the three colts bolted out of there. The white colt I had unintentionally backed up stuck around to face the consequences of fighting with me.

Luckily there weren't any.

One of the guards examined my head for a few moments. “Are you all right?”

I nodded at him with a hint of indignation. I was pretty sure the only reason they weren't angry about me fighting was because of how badly I had been doing. Still, their pity saved me from having to explain who I was or why I was alone in the city.

He seemed satisfied that we were fine after a few moments and let us go. I was completely fine with his decision but considering I had been hit in the head twice I would've thought he'd be a little more thorough.

Take some pride in your work, geez.

“Hey, thanks. Those odds were pretty bad, it took some guts to help me,” the white colt said.

“Yep.” I decided it was better to keep my original intent to myself.

At least I had gained one friend. It was all I really needed anyways. I was going to need him to show me around this city.

“So, I'm... Visiting this city. I don't actually live here. Any chance you know this city well?” I asked.

He nodded at me. “Sure, it would be the least I can do. I'm Gale Force.”

“I'm Shining Star,” I responded as we began walking.

I took a moment to look over Gale. He was a white unicorn with three clouds for a cutie mark. Two clouds were different shades of gray with an additional white cloud in the front. It was odd for anything other than pegasi to have weather based cutie marks. He noticed me examining it.

“Meteorology, study of natural atmosphere changes.”

Ah, meteorologist. A crucial member of weather teams production of weather related bullsh-

He interrupted my thought. “I don't have to be up in the sky to study what it does.”

I mulled that over for a few moments. “Can't weather teams change the weather pretty easily? Who cares what it does naturally.”

He gained a slight smirk as he spoke. “Everypony living around here is so used to having weather teams they forget not everyone has them. Not to mention it's kind of important to keep track of more severe weather like tornadoes.”

“I guess that makes sense.” I glanced towards Canterlot's castle. “Hey, have you ever been in there?”

“I went up there with my dad once, the only ponies our age that go there regularly are the ones who are in the academy.”

I raised an eyebrow in response. “You... Don't go to school?”

He chuckled to himself. “Of course I do. I go to the regular school. The one up there is quite a bit more impressive. The only ponies who go to that one are either extremely talented, rich, or royalty.”

That last part did not escape my attention.

Royalty?

I stopped walked and turned to him. “Rich or royal. When you say that do you mean royalty doesn't necessary have to be rich to go there?”

He considered what I said for a few moments. “Well, I suppose? I mean I don't know any royalty that do not at least have a degree of wealth, upper middle class at least, if you will. But, yeah. I don't think royalty pays anything.”

“Fascinating. And what do you know about the royals? Any particularly iconic ones around here?”

“Well, there's blueblood. He is Celestia's cousin, three thousand times removed, or something,” He gained a slight smirk at his comment, “I've never actually met him despite being around our age. I'm not sure if he goes to the academy.”

“Home schooled?” I asked.

“Possibly,” he responded.

A plan was slowly beginning to form in my mind. “So... How about, you know, adult royals?”

…

We took in the sites around Cabnterlot for a couple of hours as we chatted. It was occasionally just casual conversation but I made a point of learning everything I could about well known royals. It felt good to be chatting with someone, I was happy to be distracted from my situation for a while.

We saw quite a few different places, a massive library, some kind of museum, the public garden, I didn't ask if we could visit the castle, specifically the part Celestia stayed in. It didn't seem likely that we would be able to just meet her like that but I didn't want to risk it. The idea of meeting her made me very uncomfortable, I didn't want to roll the dice on her being able to tell what I was.

It couldn't last forever of course and we soon had to part ways.

“Thanks for showing me around Gale,” I said.

“No problem, if you ever visit this city again be sure to look me up,” he responded.

I nodded to him before I walked away. He had shown me Canterlot's library during the tour of his city, which was good, I had quite a bit of studying to do before I could put my plan into action. I have no intention of living on these streets completely homeless.

Someone royal, iconic, and above all, not currently present in this city or planning to return. Lets do this!