A Change of Pace

Rain awoke to the feeling of liquid dribbling down her nose. She couldn't remember much, but she knew she was badly injured. She couldn't remember her name, or her birthday, but she did know she was a Changeling. Her black carapace seemed to be damp, and she felt the trickling of water on her body. She also felt dried mud on her side which she laid on, and dirt was in Rain's mane. She tried to move but everything was numb. She could hear the sounds of Timber Wolves howling; it sounded like they've found a meal.

Rain tried to use magic, but realized it wouldn't work; her injuries were already using her magic to heal as fast as it could, but it would take at least three days to be at just 50% speed. Her strong, bug-like wings were still intact, but the soft, slimy substance was ripped a bit on the edges. She would be able to fly, but with great difficulty. The worst: Rain was starving. She'd be dead in about five days if she didn't get at least some water and soon.

Suddenly, the feeling of being bottle-fed like a foal overcame her senses, the taste of sweet love in her mouth almost agonizing. It tasted like love, but felt like pity. Rain wanted many things in life, but pity was not on that list. She heard the sound of hoof steps coming close to her, and the vibrations in the ground told her some pony was standing over her; probably laughing at the weakened 'monster' so many had called her kind.

Rain could see her blue violet mane covered in mud, and her hooves were splayed out in front of her body, mud covering them as well. She struggled to move; to get away, but her weakened body would not allow anything, nothing above a low growl in her voice. Rain moved her cat-like irises to try and see the pony behind her, but couldn't quite see them. Their mane was a dull pink color, and was short and spiky. From what she could tell they were a unicorn, and their fur was as white as snow. It was almost blinding the poor predator who lay weak on the ground.

"Tsk tsk tsk." The figure spoke, a strong, feminine voice present. "We should clean you up."

Rain was infuriated as she was picked up in a force of magic and carried against her will. She was being spoken down to. She didn't need any ponies help. Especially not this Pegacorn! Rain could now see the wings on this white being, and see that she was rather attractive. Rain growled and yelped and did as much as she could to tell the pony she didn't need her help. She couldn't make any vocalizations, barely even growls and murmurs.

"Calm down. I know a pony in need when I see one, and I know it hurts your pride." Light smiled arrogantly.

Rain wasn't liking this pony. She was proud, brave, arrogant, and strong, as well as smart. All the things Rain was. Rain didn't like ponies and she only hung around with them because she needed their love. She didn't like being spoken down to, like she was a foal. She hated it, loathed it, despised it. She felt resentment boiling in her heart, and felt her stomach lurch. She was already feeding off the love of this naive Pegacorn. She'd be healed in about a day if the Pegacorn kept this amount of caring up for her.

The white Pegacorn with pink, short, spiky hair had a cutie mark of the two theater masks; a happy one on the right, the sad one on the left. But this was different from the two masks... they were one mask, half and half, cut vertically. Rain saw this and assumed this pony would be quite the actress, making things up and lying to get her way. If she was going to get her way, Rain sure as hell wouldn't make it easy for her.

Rain felt so tired. Her eyes felt heavy and her brain felt muddled. She felt a spell creep into her brain from the troublesome pony, and growled as it successfully drew her into unconsciousness, even after fighting it all the way through.

Rain awoke in a room with two small windows, circular in shape, with steel bars making a tic-tac-toe board. It was obviously a prison, but seemed more like a home. A place to call home. Rain looked around, taking to note everything in the room. There was a small bookshelf with about five or six books in it, a desk and a rolling chair, a bed with a steel frame and a cage to lock down on top of it. Rain suspected some sort of sick pleasure in making her sleep in a bed with a cage locked down to it, but it was to be expected of a crazy pony who lives by a forest.

Rain looked out the windows, her clean hooves on the sills. It seemed they were in the mouth of a cave, at the base of a mountain. Through the other window she saw a nice path leading to what looked to be Ponyville's own Everfree Forest. She heard a knock at the door, and felt her throat become dry, and a growl escaped her throat.

"May I come in?" The voice asked.

Rain still didn't trust the pony, and wasn't going to make this easy. She kept quiet, low growls signaling ponies to leave her be or she'd bite if she had to. Her low growls were not heard by the pony however.

"I'm coming in, if that's okay." The voice said before the door opened and closed quickly.

Rain could hear the click in the door handle, it already being locked in that short amount of time to open, go through, and close the door. Rain growled at this strange pony, as if to say 'back off'.

"I'm here to help you, and you don't see that from many ponies do you, you Changeling?" Light attempted to press Rain's buttons, but failed miserably.

Rain didn't respond. She just growled and barked like a dog.

"Can you talk? Can you understand that I'm trying to help you? Can you understand what I'm saying?" Light asked and asked and asked.

"I can talk. I choose not to. I don't trust ponies who come up out of nowhere and steal me; I don't think any pony would." Came her hoarse voice, strained from her growls and sounding dark and rusty.

"This is good, we've made progress. My name is Light. What's yours?"

"Did you really just ignore me? I don't trust ponies who steal me in the middle of the night."

"I didn't steal you. I helped you. I cleaned your..."

"Carapace?"

"I cleaned your carapace, washed your hair, and put you in a nice room. How many ponies would do that for a changeling?"

It was true; not many ponies would even touch a changeling, not much less than help it. It was a nice room, and she was clean.

"Tell me... Light. Why should I trust you if I have a bed like this?" Rain asked, pointing to the strange cage.

"Just to be sure you don't sneak out and get yourself into trouble or die. I felt like I needed to help you, and I knew you'd die if I left you out there in the Everfree!"

So it was the Everfree Forest.

"Please. I just want to help. Tell me about yourself, and I'll tell you about me." Light said, sitting on the bed next to Rain.

"You first." Rain growled, sitting down unsure if it was a good idea.

"Well... My name is Light. I am a Pegacorn. I can be arrogant, and I like to be the boss. I don't always share things with ponies, and I don't always care. I am a great actress as well, might you add."

"Hmph."

"Please. I shared with you, you share with me."

Reluctantly, Rain spoke. "My name is..." Rain didn't want to be honest, but this pony seemed to be quite the honest AJ. "I-I can't remember my name. All I know is that I am a Changeling from the Cloud Clan. I must've done something wrong. They must've beaten me up and left me for dead..."

"So how old are you?"

"I... I don't know! I look to be 22 at the most though. I just... I don't trust many ponies, and in this state, memories might as well be a grain of sand in 20 thousand acres of grass, okay?"

"It's okay. We'll get through this together, I promise." Light said, being compelled to hug this pony, but fighting it enough to distract herself.

"I feel tired... I want to leave." Rain said, angry.

"You can't leave. The guards will kill you. Just... just stay here with me, at least until you feel 100%, okay?"

Rain sighed, but nodded anyway.

"Hoof swear?"

"Yes, hoof swear." Rain growled.

"You need a name." Light said. Rain started to fall from the sky, resulting in a downpour. "How about Rain?"

"Rain... yeah, I-I like that name."

"Okay then, Rain. Let's try and help you remember." Before she could protest, Light touched their horns together, green and blue colors mixing together.

"I-I remember now. My name was Rain! I lived in the Wastelands with my clan. But I'd regularly sneak out disguised as some pony... I don't remember who I was disguised as. I helped ponies by taking odd jobs... and something else. I can't remember that part though.... My clan found out... and they took me to the Everfree... and beat me up... gave me narcotics, and they left me for dead..." Rain yelped as she clearly relived every moment she had forgotten, felt every twinge of emotion.