Chapters A Nice Day In The Everfree
My clock was ticking loudly and annoyingly, the constant clicking noise filling my ears. Tick tick tick tick That was enough to keep me up for hours. I am that kind of person that doesn't know how to sleep. It's just kinda weird, it could take me hours to get some rest.
"Damn clock," I muttered as I got up from my bed to turn it off. Well, there is another way to get tired. Usually, it would just take a single episode of some kind of cartoon and to get me tired.
I did watch another episode of My Little Pony, before I went to sleep. It was the second season's finale. It was actually pretty cool, I mean. I'm always excited when we get introduced to a new villain. This finale had so much potential! It was quite exciting because we don't get that too often. But just because I re-watched the old episodes, doesn't mean that I haven't seen the new episodes. I am just re-watching the old ones for the fun of it.
Once I reached my destination, I grabbed my stupid clock threw it under my bed, sighing with relief when the ticking stopped. I then climbed back into my bed, wiggling around for a moment to get comfortable. Hopefully I would actually get some sleep this time.
________________________________________________________________________________
I woke up on something hard and cold. I tried to open my eyes but I failed with a task simple as that.
Way to go Shady...
My name is Shady by the way. Nice to meet ya. I am a normal teenage boy that lives with his family. I like to watch My Little Pony, well I guess you already know that. But give me a minute to deal with NotBeingAbleToOpenMyEyes situation first then we can talk more.
After trying to open my eyes for 20 minutes or so, i gave up and i decided to just get some more sleep.
Mom is probably sleeping and dad is working, big brother is in school. I will just wait for my mom to wake up and then we will see if that's normal for me not being able to open my eyes.
I couldn't get sleep again.
"What the hay"
Well, at least I can speak. Wait, did I just say hay? That's not what I meant!
"What the hay!" I repeated
My voice sounds strange, maybe I have some problems with my throat? Maybe, but not likely. I do feel kind of heavier than usual. I am that kind of person that doesn't eat much.
I finally got my eyes open.
"Fina...AAAA...!"
I was in somekind of forest. Did I get kidnapped or something? Everything did look kind of strange. I'd say cartoonish. Realization hit me. Hard. Only now I noticed a bunny standing in front of me.
He looks familiar... Where have I seen him? Realization hit me. This time even harder.
"Would you mind to stop hitting me?" I said to the white bunny in front of me
The white bunny blinked and continued to stare at me.
Wait, why is he staring at me?
"Is something wrong?" I asked
Right after saying that I realized how stupid that was, animals don't speak. As far as I know.
I was surprised when the bunny actually pointed at something that looked like a cottage.
The cottage looked like a big bush with some windows and a little courtyard behind it. And it looked very VERY cartoonish.
I realized that I was lying on some soft grass, next to a forest.
Wait, Everfree Forest!? Where am I?!
I tried to look around, but my neck was surrounded with pain, and I had to bear with it.
;--;
After thinking for a while, I realized that I have been teleported into Equestria. You don't wanna know my reaction to it. But I got over it surprisingly well. I won't lie. I always dreamed of getting to spend time with my favorite characters from my favorite show. But it was only a dream.
"I guess dreams do come true" I said still lying on the grass.
I didn't feel any pain in my neck anymore, so I thought that would be a perfect moment to look around. WAIT! I have forgotten the most important part. What am I? I mean am I still human? I didn't have a chance to see my body. I think now would be a good moment to check it out.
Alright.
1...
2...
3...
Go!
"Ye... AH!"
My body was completely dark with some holes in my hooves. Yes hooves. I am certainly a pony, but not a normal one.
I look just like those minions from the last episode I saw before... This.
Uhh, I don't think that I will win the beauty contest, but still I am in the Equestria. That is enough for me.
I stood up and walked to the bunny.
"Wait, I remember you. You are Angel bunny, Right?"
Angel nodded slowly. I asked if the bunny knew where are we. He simply blinked and continued to stare at me.
I looked around, I think I am somewhere around Everfree Forest. I think I should check that cottage. I should probably take Angel with me, I don't want the poor fella to get lost.
I asked the bunny to jump on my back, but he rejected my idea. I then asked if he would like to walk next to me, he liked this idea better than the last one.
We were heading for the cottage. It still had lights on. I guess Fluttershy was looking for him. It was afternoon already. Where am I going to sleep? Maybe, I could ask Fluttershy if I could stay with her for a night.
Then I stopped. I realized something. Ponies don't like changelings. I will probably scare her and she will go straight to Twilight and I will get banished to the Moon or something, or maybe even to the Sun. How am I supposed to breath on the Moon? In the space?
Ponies are crazy.
I needed a plan. We decided that we should take a break. I was lying on the grass and rewatching the episode in my mind. Then I remembered something important. The fight scene. All of the changelings shape shifted into one of the mane six. Changelings are shape shifters, right?
I could shape shift into somepony and ask if I could stay for night. This sound's a lot better than the previous plan. This plan was perfect. But it had one but. I don't know how to shape shift.
;-;
I told Angel that I will come back soon, and I hid behind a bush to try to shape shift into something.
But, what and how? Alright, I have something on mind I should try out.
Shape Shift
But sadly, nothing happened. I knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Next thing that I had on mind, was to try to use my mind for it.
I imagined that I was Fluttershy. Her mane. Her cutiemark, everything.
I was then surprised that I saw a pink mane in front of my eyes.
It worked? I guess there is only one way to find out.
"Hi?" I said as quietly as possible, but still so that I could hear it.
And It worked, my voice even sound's like her's. I just had to do it.
"Yay"
I should get back. I guess the poor fella is worrying about me.
I came back and I saw that Angel was lying on the ground and sleeping. I changed my form to normal, and walked towards him. I spotted the cottage, it was next to us. I should bring him to Fluttershy. But how, he is sleeping. I don't wan't to stay here. But I don't want to wake him up too. There are a lot of dangerous animals out here.
So, I picked the bunny up and we walked down the path.
;-;
We were next to the cottage. There were a lot of houses for birds. How much money did she waste on those?
I walked to one of the birdhouses and looked inside. Nothing.
I left the bunny in that house, and I hid behind a large tree.
Alright, so, I will need to shape shift into somepony and ask if I could stay with her. Simple. But everything can go wrong if I will do or say something wrong.
Then I shape shifted into Twilight. I don't think that Fluttershy would say no to a princess.
Now I saw a dark blue mane with a light blue stripe in front of my eyes.
"That'll work" I said to check if my voice matches her's "Perfect"
I checked my body, in case I missed something.
Horn, check, Wings, check, hooves, check. Alright, let's go.
It was kind of hard to find the one I left Angel in. They all look the same.
;-;
After wandering for a while I found the birdhouse where I left the bunny in.
I walked towards it and looked inside. I saw Angel standing there, looking angry.
"Hi Angel" I said trying to get his attention to me. "Wan't me to take you home? I am going there anyway"
Twilight would say something like that, right? Oh, I forgot to ask what was he doing there. Hopefully he doesn't suspect anything.
Angel turned his head to my direction, nodded and hopped on my back.
Damn, he is heavier than he looks. Probably because of all of the carrots he ate in Castle-Mania.
We were closer to the cottage than I thought, maybe 10-15 meters from it.
Well, thats it, no way back.
I walked towards the cottage, it still had lights on. It was night already. Fluttershy was obviously looking for Angel.
I was thinking about an excuse to stay with her for a night. Vampire Bats? Or maybe Celestia told me to navigate something in the Everfree Forest? I mean, Fluttershy lives next to it, It would be obvious that Celestia would send me to stay with her, and not with say Rainbow Dash.
We were at the door. I knocked at the door, It was quiet at first, but then I heard footsteps.
Door opened and I saw a yellow pegasus standing at the door, she didn't look happy. She was sobbing and I saw that she was holding a tissue in her hoof.
"Angel!" She yelled when she saw Angel sitting on my back. Great, she is now probably thinking that I stole him or something.
I let her take the bunny from my back, she looked a lot happier now. It was kind of nice to see her happy again.
"I found him in one of those birdhouses. He was probably sleeping there" I said
Fluttershy nodded and thanked me for finding him. She was telling me about how worried she was about him and blah blah blah. Then she asked, what I was doing here.
I told her my randomly generated story, that I have been sent by Princess Celestia to navigate if there are any Vampire Bats in the Everfree Forest.
"I thought that you are not her student anymore, Twilight"
"But this is an emergency" I told her trying to convince her "We can't let anybody start to panic, I hope you do understand"
Did I just say anybody? Sh-oot. I hope she doesn't notice this little mistake I made.
"Of course I do" Fluttershy said. "You are welcome to stay here for a night"
It was awkward and It was hard for me to not show any of it.
"Thanks Fluttershy" I said trying to stay calm, but I let out a short squeak.
;-;
Fluttershy told me that I could sleep in her bed, but i rejected the offer. I would feel bad and wouldn't get any sleep at all. So, I asked if I could sleep on the couch. Fluttershy told me that I can sleep there, but she kept telling me that I can sleep upstairs in her bed, I still rejected her offer.
She then mumbled that princesses are not supposed to sleep on couches. I told her that It is fine.
She then took Angel bunny and walked towards the staircase.
"Goodnight Twilight" She said and then she turned the lights off.
Shady never used to dream. When he was a child, he had slept untroubled through the night. But those days of innocence were many years gone. He didn't dream every night, but almost every other night. It might have been a sign of advancing age, or maybe it was just a guilty conscience. His mom has a saying: the mind with many secrets can never rest.
On some level he always knew when he was dreaming. There was a strange haze over everything, a bleary film that left the false reality feeling washed out and muted. Yet through this obscuring filter, certain elements would register with exacting precision, minor detail indelibly etched into his subconscious mind. The juxtaposition added to the surreal nature of his dreams, yet also made them somehow more vivid, more intense, than his waking world.
The dreams always ended in exactly the same place. And each time it did, Shady woke with his heard pounding, his muscles tensed, and his palms sweating, as if his body had been reliving the experience along with his subconscious mind.
He rolled out of the bed, leaving a tangled mess of covers behind. He moved with quick, confident steps down the room. His hooves clacked softly as he made his way down to the kitchen, and his wings swished faintly with every step.
The kitchen was empty, it would still be several hours before Fluttershy would come down for breakfast. Shady sat down on a chair. But then he froze when he heard a noise coming from beyond the kitchen door. His ears pricked up intently, and he could just make out voices coming from the living room. The apartment was dark, though he could see something glowing in the living room. He moved forward in a low crouch, presenting less of a target should the intruded attempt to take a shot at him.
"Hi, Twilight!" Rainbow's voice called out as he approached.
Cursing under his breath, Shady stood up straight and made his way into the living room to meet his uninvited guest.
Rainbow was lounging on the overstuffed couch in the living room.
"What are you doing here?" Rainbow asked when Shady came into view. "Still having nightmares, huh?"
Nightmares?
"What do you mean?" The question was out of Shady's mouth before he even realized he was asking it.
Rainbow shrugged indifferently, though there was a wary look in her eye. "Well you told us that you were having nightmares last week"
"Oh, it's fine" Shady assured her. "Just tell my why you're here"
"We are having a party at Pinkie's place, remember?"
"Is that why you're really here? Shady wanted to know. "Did Pinkie bring you all the way back from the Cloudsdale so you could check up on me?"
"I'm just passing through. Had to come in to clean up some business in Ponyville, so I volunteered to stop by on my way back to check on you."
How did she know that I am here? Something is not right.
"So, your coming or not?"
"I guess."
With Rainbow in the lead and Shady following they walked slowly down the living room to the door, until they were standing next to it.
Shady turned to Rainbow, but she had a evil grin on her face.
"Good night" she said.
The world slipped away before Shady had time to ask what she meant.
>:<
He had no idea how much time had passed before he finally woke up, but it felt like he'd been out for several hours at least. He now found himself lying on the floor in what appeared to be a makeshift holding cell. There was a door, presumably locked, on the far wall, and the only illumination came from light overhead. The room was devoid of all furniture and decorations.
Pushing himself into a sitting position, it took a moment for his still groggy mind to register the fact that he wasn't alone. Rainbow was sitting with her back against the wall in the opposite corner.
"What are you looking at, changeling "
He was confused for a moment, until he remembered what happened before.
Damn, she sure is angry.
There wasn't anything more to say, and so they sat like that for a good ten minutes before the door opened with a loud swoosh.
Twilight came into room, accompanied by the rest of the group, and set a small wooden chair down in the center of the floor. As she settled into her seat the rest of the six took up positions on either side of the door, which remained open.
"You realize this is a death sentence for me," Shady told her.
"Princess will protect you," Twilight assured him. "You have valuable information on Chrysalis. Princess will want to keep you around.
"They can't protect me," Shady answered, shaking his head. "It might take a month, or maybe even a year, but sooner or later one of her agents inside the Canterlot will get to me."
"What do you expect me to do?" Twilight asked him. "I can't let you go"
"No," he said softly. "No, I suppose you can't"
"You had to know this was going to happen," she told him. "But you did it anyway"
"It was never meant to be like this," he said softly, hanging his head
There was a awkward silence in the room.
Twilight stood up from her chair, and then she nodded to the others. They slowly walked towards the door. Twilight paused just before closing the door.
"Don't get too comfortable," she said, getting the last word.
>:<
"Keep a close eye on him," Twilight warned Rainbow and Applejack charged with guarding the door. "We're not taking any chances with him"
They nodded in an acknowledgment, and Twilight left them there, heading for her bed. It was already past midnight, and she was ready for some shut-eye. But there's something she must do before that.
>:<
He was trapped in a storage room, not a real jail cell, and the walls imprisoning him were nothing but the equivalent of drywall. Standing up, he went over to one of the side walls and began to slam the bottom of his hoof hard against the surface.
If the 'guards' were still out there they'd hear what he was up to. But Shady was banking on them being otherwise distracted.
>:<
"Why are we even guarding this door?" Cyan pegasus asked.
"We don't wan't that changeling to break out free and impersonate somepony" Applejack said.
"I am bored" Rainbow informed her.
"Would 'ya like some cider?" Applejack suggested
"Of course I do!"
>:<
After a few hard kick his hoof broke through to the other side. He put his eye to the hole to see what lay beyond. Kitchen. He continued his assault on the wall, and five minutes later he had broken away enough of the material to crawl through. No one had come to on him during his slow-developing escape, so he assumed none of the 'guards' were around.
He looked around the kitchen. Empty. Just then he heard hoof steps.
Shady hid behind a large locker. He then saw a orange mare stepping into the room. She was heading for a small room, that looked like a food storage.
Shady sneaked next to the storage door, and closed it.
"What the hay!"
I am so sorry... There's no other way...
>:<
What take's her so long. I am hungry for some good old fashioned apple cider.
Rainbow Dash was keeping an eye on the door while her partner would get them cider.
"There you are, what took you so long, and where's the cider"
"Twilight didn't have any" Applejack replied
"You sure?"
"Ah'm pretty sure sugarcube. Now, if ya'll excuse me, I have some chores to do."
>:<
Shady was moving quickly but quietly, he rounded the bend to find himself standing face to face with 5 members of mane six. Including Applejack and Twilight.
"Ya'll forgot to lock the door" Applejack said
Shady raced upstairs and he changed his form on the go.
This is NOT happening
Shady had been thinking this one thought over and over, ever since he'd wake up.
There's no way out...
Something caught his sight. A big window behind Twilight's desk. That's his only way out.
Shady was now dashing towards the window, but suddenly he felt relaxed. He suddenly fell down on the cold and hard wooden floor. He was tired. He needed to sleep it off. Nothing else he could do.
Don't you dare black out!
Somehow he found the strength to push himself up onto his hooves. That's when he saw Twilight Sparkle. Her horn was glowing, and it was not hard to realize what happened.
"Nice try, changeling" she said, getting the last word in.
The world blacked out.
Consciousness came back grudgingly to Shady. For a long while he floated in the half-world between wakefulness and sleep.
His mouth was dry. He tried to swallow, resulting in a painful, hacking cough as his parched throat nearly choked on his bloated tongue. His eyes fluttered open, then snapped shut as a searing light burned his pupils.
Even with his eyes closed, he could still see the brightness pressing insistently down on him. He tried to roll over to shield himself against it, only to find he was immobilized.
A jolt of adrenaline washed away the last remnants of the spell, and awareness came crashing in on him. He was lying on his back atop a cold, hard surface. His hooves were held down at his sides by thick straps on the wrists and elbows. His legs were similarly restrained at the knees. Three more straps—across his thighs, waist, and chest—completed his bondage.
He opened his eyes again, squinting to block out most of the light. He tried to turn his head from side to side to get a sense of his surroundings, but it, too, was anchored in place. A strap under his chin kept his jaw clamped tightly shut; he couldn’t even open his mouth to cry out for help. Not that he expected any help to come.
There’s no escape this time. They will do whatever they want to you.
A wave of panic swept over him, and he struggled madly against his bonds, straining and twisting in a futile effort to gain even an inch of play in the straps.
“You’ll only injure yourself,” a voice said, speaking from close by his side.
The brightness dimmed substantially and Shady opened his eyes fully to see Twilight leaning over him.
“You’ll have answers soon enough,” Twilight assured him as she leaned back.
With Twilight no longer dominating his field of vision, Shady could see a large lamp hanging down from the ceiling directly above him, like the kind found in an operating theater. It was off now, but it explained the unbearable brightness from before.
They weren’t alone. He could hear the sounds of other ponies moving about the room.
He cast his eyes from side to side, trying to take in as much as he could before they turned the light on again. At the edges of his peripheral vision he could make out just enough detail to realize he was in some kind of hospital or lab.
Twilight was standing just to his left, blocking out most of his view in that direction. But he did manage to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be several strange and terrifying pieces of medical equipment over his shoulder. And then the blinding light came on again, forcing him to once more close his eyes.
Shady concentrated on his breathing, struggling to keep it slow and even. Whatever was going to happen to him, he didn’t want to give Twilight the satisfaction of showing his fear, grief, or impotent rage.
She's watching you. Toying with you. Just stay still. Don’t move. Don’t give her anything to work with.
He could hear the others in the room—doctors or scientists, most likely. He heard hootsteps and occasionally he would pick up a snatch of a low, whispered conversation, but the voices were too soft for him to make anything out.
“We haven’t done anything to you,” Twilight finally admitted, once he realized Shady wasn’t going to entertain her with a reaction. “And we won’t. I keep my promises, and I wouldn't kill a fellow pony being without a good reason.”
You’re a real prince.
>--<
Shady woke to find himself in a dimly lit cell. He was lying on a small cot in the corner. There were no blankets, but he didn’t need any,he wasn’t cold. There was a toilet against one wall; against another was a built-in shelf stocked with enough food and bottled water to last several days. Apart from these few necessities, the room was completely empty. No sink. No shower. Not even a chair.
He had no idea how long he’d been unconscious. His limbs were heavy; his mind was groggy. As he sat up, a shooting pain laced its way from the top of his skull down through his teeth. Instinctively, he reached up to rub his head, then pulled his hand back in surprise when it touched bare scalp.
Oh... yeah... I'm a changeling.
He should have been afraid, terrified even. Instead, he just felt tired. Drained. Even thinking was a struggle; his thoughts were enveloped in a thick fog, and concentrating brought on more flashes of pain in his skull. But he needed to try and piece together what had happened.
His stomach growled, and he glanced over at the food.
Careful. It could be drugged. Or poisoned.
The last reason was enough to make him ignore his hunger, though he did open a bottle of water and take a long drink. He could go a long time without food, but he needed water to survive. And Shady wasn’t about to give up on life just yet.
He spent a few minutes examining the rest of the cell, only to find there was nothing else of interest to discover. Then utter exhaustion set in and he had to lie down again. Before he knew it, he was in a deep sleep.
Shady had no idea how long he’d been imprisoned in the tiny cell. He’d fallen asleep and woken up again five or six times, but that had little bearing on how many days had actually passed. He had no energy. No initiative. Just trying to stay awake required a monumental effort.
Nobody had come to see him. But he knew they were out there. Watching him. Studying him.
His best guess was that a week had passed. Maybe two. Probably not three. The passage of time was impossible to track in the cell. There was nothing to do but eat and sleep. But when he slept he had dreams—nightmares he could never quite recall on waking, but that left him shivering nonetheless.
Shady didn’t move when he heard the cell door open. He was lying on his side in the cot, facing the wall. He heard hoofsteps crossing the floor and he tried to tell how many ponies there were. Five, maybe six, but even if there had been a dozen armed guards it wouldn’t have made a difference; he knew this was probably his only chance to escape.
The hoofsteps stopped. He could sense someone standing beside the bed, looking down on him. He waited another half-second just long enough to let them lean in to check on his motionless form. Then he sprang into action.
But then he stopped when he saw who was standing next to him. Princess Sun-butt herself.
