-Changeling^2

Chapter 6: My Name Is

‘Who needs them anyway! It’s not like I am so dependent on that mean, trickey, audacious, beautiful, gracious, kind . . . Gah! Stop thinking like that already! Let’s start again. Just because Applejack doesn’t like me doesn’t mean this new life is going to be ruined. I did find out that my counting skill is actually something special! Yeah, and I still have friends out of the ponies I met on the train, not to mention the rest of the Apples seemed to be kind to me. Not to mention it can’t be too difficult to find another special somepony that cares for me. I mean there’s probably a million others just like Applejack: warm, accepting, strong, loveable, honest, thoughtful, loyal . . . I’m going to die alone aren’t I?’

Another morning at the Apple family farm, another aesthetic delight. Beautifully place dew drops pointing out all of the curves and personality of the landscape. Though this was less true as the sun had not taken to the sky completely yet. Inside the house, at an unprecedented hour, the youngest member awoke. This was not an accident however. She had risen like an alarm clock in her head just sounded off. Quietly she hopped off the bed, tip-hoofing down the hallway.

She made it to her destination without any problems. Her next step was to actually open the door. With a deep breath she opened the creaky wooden barrier. Apple Bloom flinched at the unsavory noise but seeing as how it didn’t affect the contents of the room, she pressed further.

The bed in the room was comfortable size for a smaller pony. Oddly enough it was smaller than Apple Blooms bed, the small pony noted. That curious thought ejected from her mind as the original task reentered. Like a thief she stuck to the shadows of the room until she reached her destination.

‘There’s just something strange about this whole thing.’ Apple Bloom thought as she stared at the subject in the bed.

How is it that a changeling could have a cutie mark in the matter of minutes? The CMC have spent day after day, all day, just trying to find something they’re good at. But this changeling already knew she was good at something but just never realized it. The irony of that would kill anypony else, so why did the changeling just shrug it off. If it was up to her, the obtaining of a cutie mark would be a celebration that would last for days and even years to come.

‘Those thoughts are just silly. I have to do something serious, like look at this pony's flank and study her cutie mark and oh what in the world am I doing?’ Apple Blooms apprehension halted her hoof from the blanket. But she needed to look, it was just so tantalizing and perplexing. A little filly like her is curious anyway, so why not sate that burning need?

Quickly she removed the blanket. It was revealed that the changeling was laying on her side, her face pointing to the same side of the room Apple Bloom was on. Another curious detail was that the pillow had been dampened by her head. The changeling had shuddered at the sudden rush of cold air which caused Apple Bloom to back away. The filly saw that this was an unconscious action though so she returned to her post. As the fear of waking the other pony subsided Apple Bloom focused on what was her target all along.

‘A sideways eight. A sideways eight? What does a sideways eight mean? I mean, she good at coutin’ maybe that’s what it means. Eights a number, and she counts. But then why would it be sideways? And why just the number eight, why not seven or one?’ Apple Blooms thoughts were starting drive her mad when her attention started to be drawn away.

Looking again at the cutie mark she saw a part of it that wasn’t the before. Maybe it was the fact that the eight was so big in comparison that she just missed it before. Three symbols were directly below the number. One was an addition symbol, the second was a subtraction symbol, and the third was a zero with a slash through it. All three of these were encapsulated by a parentheses.

‘Oh good, so this means . . . What?’ Apple Bloom facehoofed and the rubbed her eyes in extreme annoyance. When she removed her hooves, a third look gave her something she could actually work with.

The entire bottom of the changeling was covered in horrifically deep scars. Her eyes shot open as a gag was barely repressed. Apple Blooms curiosity slowly perverted as her hoof traced over the scars. They were like engravings on wood. Except this wood was breathing.

“Can I help you with something?” The changeling asked groggily scaring the filly.

“I was just uh, just, uh, uh. . .”

“You were just uh, uh, uhing. Sounds fascinating, tell me more.”

Apple Bloom blushed in embarrassment much to the changelings joy. After the changeling was released from her laughing fit she began petting Apple Bloom saying that the intrusion was no big deal.

“I’m sorry about that. I was just curious about your cutie mark.”

“What the white thing on my flank. What’s so special about these things again. It’s really kind of an eye sore”

“How can you say that! A cutie mark is only the most important thing in the world!”

The changeling looked at her flank.

“I don't get it.”

“Well, you probably don’t because you actually have it. Some ponies aren’t that lucky.”

“I’m sure that there are a few things in my life I would rather have than a cutie mark.” The changelings eyes then fell over to her scars.

Apple Blooms ears fell. She looked away at anything in the room besides her guests eyes. The changeling chortled again. She placed her black hoof on the earth fillies back, sending a shiver down her spine.

“But since you seem to be an expert on flank markings, could you maybe help interpreting this.” She pointed at the markings.

“Well a cutie mark tells a pony what he or she is good at. Since you have. . . um. . . Math on you, I would say that math is your talent or your destiny.”

“So what I’m confined to doing math equations for the rest of my days. Whoopee!” The changelings eye fell half way and she waved her hoof nonchalantly, to the chagrin of Apple Bloom .

“If you're done complainin' we could use a hoof out in the fields again. . . You still don’t have a name do you?”

The changeling shook her head.

“Then that won’t do. How about, Numbers!”

“I don’t know much about names and what makes a good one. I dependent on you for this one Apple Bloom.” the changeling said shrugging.

“Eh, now that I think about it Numbers just isn’t good enough. . .Oh I know how about Count?

“As in the verb?”

“No, No, No! I was thinking about the famous vampony that was immortal and all sorts of cool, and a he was an outcast. His first name was Count and he drank blood like changelings, uh, drink love? Anyway, I just thought with you being a changeling and your talent being math, that Count would, be, perfect.” Apple Bloom hesitated to finish the last bit of her sentence after the look she was getting from .

“Wait so you want to name me after a bloodsucker who was hated by everypony, because his name is is related to my mathematical ability?”

“. . .”

“Apple Bloom, you're a genius!”