A Village of Lost Ponies.
Pinkie Pie's first day on the job
Pinkie Pie bounced up and down in the middle of town while the dreary changeling warrior Ice Storm watched her.
"It's time for a get to know everypony party!" Pinkie announced. The changeling just watched her, Naiad had insisted Pinkie and her friends be given guards for there stay, she was apparently afraid they would be in danger during there stay.
Suddenly Pinkie was in the guards face "Where do you think we should have the party?" The guard just blinked at her. "Where are we staying anyway?" she contenued
He waved a hoof around them "Pick a house"
Pinkie gasped "We cant just barge in on somepony!" then she glanced around "Where is everypony anyway?" The guard opened his mouth only to be cut of "ooooooh I know, there all digging giant tunnels underground filled with diamonds"
"Umm..... no. They're probably hiding in there houses" he responded.
Pinkie bounded to the nearest door and knocked after a moment Ice followed her. A timid gray Pegasus with yellow eyes and a flat black mane and tail opened the door. Her eyes flicked between Pinkie and Ice "C-Can I help you" Pinkie pie bounced up and down some more before very suddenly stopping.
"Hi! I'm Pinkie pie What's you'r name?!"
"G-Gray scale"
"Well hiya Gray why're you all locked up inside you should be outside, because its sunny and stuff."
Ice glanced around, several of the ponies had come out of there houses at least a little bit to see what was going on. Some darted back inside when they realized he was looking, other's just coward on the ground.
"Anyway" Pinkie continued not giving the pony a chance to answer. "We'r gonna have a party Ya'wanna come?" Then she smiled hugely "What a sill question of course you wanna come It's a party!" She spun in a very random circle "Aaaand!" sudenly she shoved Ice forward, Gray Scale flinched Ice just blinked a little startled. "He has something to tell all of you"
Ice looked around and realized rather suddenly almost everypony in the entire town had gathered to watch the pink pony. They crowded around the porch. many seemed suddenly to shrink when his gaze went over them, the local mayor Able Soul stood in the front and dipped his head politely if a bit nervously when Ice Storm glanced at him. "Well now's as good a time as any I suppose" Ice muttered. Then clearing his throat he pulled a scroll out of his saddle bag.
"By Royal decree Of Her Highness Queen Naiad of the Bee-Keep Hive" he read
"Long live the Queen." The crowd responded as tradition demanded
"The Ponies in the territory of the Bee-keep Hive are here by recognized as a sentient species and will be treated as such." Somepony gasped a murmuring broke out in the crowd "SILENCE!" Ice roared the crowed immediately went dead silent. Ice returned tonelessly to the scroll "Ponies will there fore be given the right to freedom of the following but not limited to, organizing their towns in accordance to there own needs, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of the press within the same standards expected in the Hive, freedom to teach as they will withing the same standards expected in the Hive, freedom to move to any village in the territory, freedom to work as they may, freedom of thought, the right to independence, the right to individuality, the right to fair treatment, and the right to innocence until trial. As I do not expect to get down everything I need to write in my first try I will not attempt it. Ponies will be held to the same expectations as any member of the Hive. Ponies will no longer be abducted and enslaved, eaten, or tormented. Should a changeling need to feed they will do so in town where the pony fed apon will then after remain and be allowed to recover in peace."
He cleared his throat again "By decreed of My Queen Naiad so let it be"
"Long live the Queen" the crowed responded. then started murmuring again while Ice handed the scroll to a very stunned Able Soul.
"HEY EVERYPONY!" Pinkie yelled and everypony fell quiet
"We'r gonna have a party! Anypony know where a good place to have it would be?!" She announced while Ice rolled his eyes...though since he was a changeling, nopony could tell.
Able bowed to her "You can use town square I'll gladly take you there now." though as he spoke he gave Ice a questioning look, the Drone gave the smallest nod.
"Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie spun around to face Gray scale "You'r coming right" The poor confused Pegasus gave the smallest nod. "Yay!" Pinkie sprung in the air facing Gray scale and somehow landed right in front of Able facing him. "So which way to town square?!"
Ice storm had never felt so confused. A pink whirl wind spun around the town square, pulling party decorations out of no where and putting them up. The square was filled with silver and grey streamers, they matched the Hive, and Ice wondered why the pink pony would choose to decorate in Naiad's colors. Still, he's been told to deliver the Queen's decree and protect the earth pony he was escorting, not question her actions.
Pinkie finished and looked around before bouncing up to her changeling companion and the town major. "I'm all done! now its time to paaarrtay!" The she swirled around town opening everypony's door and yelling "Party time!"
"She's hyper." Able whispered.
"She's annoying" Ice replied flatly.
Eventually Pinkie had dragged everypony out to her party. She snapped some DJ equipment down out of no where and started playing music.
An hour passed by at a snails pace, under the watchful gaze of Ice, the ponies didn't seem all that interested in Pinkie's party. Though they did eat the snacks and whisper to each-other none of them smiled. They all stayed in tight nit groups, glancing around themselves with a good amount of suspicion. It was clear to Pinkie they where just to afraid to enjoy themselves, It was also clear to Pinkie that they'r fear stemmed from the silver shelled changeling that was watching them as if the concept of them actually enjoying themselves was a personal offence.
Pinkie watched them for a moment more then put the music on auto and stepped in. She walked right over to Ice, grabbed him, and yanked him into the party. Pinkie started doing the pony poky only a moment before it started to play, which would have been very odd to anypony who realized the radio was set to play songs in a random order. After a moment of staring at her like she'd gone mad, or maybe she was always a bit mad, Ice also started doing the pony poky. He told himself when he started that the Queen had ordered him to aid this pony, and she clearly wanted him to dace, but by the end he was just having fun.
Once they got over the fact that a changeling was dancing to perhaps the silliest song in the world, the ponies of the small town actually started to enjoy themselves.
After all if a changeling could enjoy himself, they should as-well.
Plus, he wasn't quite as intimidating when he was making a fool of himself.
Twilight and the Scholar's Solution to Unhappyness
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A Village of Lost Ponies.
Twilight and the Scholar's Solution to Unhappyness
Twilight Sparkle, forth Princess of Equestria, walked down the blood soaked road. Screams could be heard echoing in the night.
"Please no! Please no!"
"Mommy!? Daddy!?"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Twilight?"
"Somepony?! Anypony?!"
"HELP!"
"Twlliiight?"
Somepony screamed Twilight flinched and started to run. She had to get out of here.
"HEEEELP!!!!
"Please somepony!"
"Twilight?"
Who was saying her name? Twilight didn't see anypony near her and they certainly weren't yelling
"Twilight?"
Twilight sat bolt upright and blinked in the morning light. "Have another nightmare?" asked the changeling known as Glaze.
"Yes." Twilight sighed as she stood up. "It seems like its almost every night now."
"Hopefully we'll be done soon and then you can go home" Glaze chirped with a smile.
They had been at the village for a few days now and it seemed to Twilight like there was nothing they could actually do to help. She had tried everything to cheer the ponies up. She'd tried talking to them, lecturing them, helping with every imaginable task and having Glaze help as-well, she had even thrown a party she hoped Pinkie would be proud of. Nothing had worked and it was, in her humble opinion, high time she played to her strengths.
"What are we gonna do today?" Glaze asked as she hopped slightly in place. "Throw another party? That was so much fun."
"No" Twilight replied crisply as she dusted herself off "We will talk to everypony."
"But we already tried that and it didn't work anyway and it was boring." Glaze piped
Twilight sighed at the grammar of that statement and looked calmly at Glaze, "We will try something different this time, can you gather everypony in town square?"
"Yes ma'am!" Glaze saluted her and darted off.
Twilight yawned and walked out of her room and into the kitchen, "Good morning, Cookie Dough" She smiled at the pony in the kitchen. Cookie dough owned the house they where staying in... Well she kinda owned it, Twilight had learned very quickly upon her arrival that, according to changeling law, Cookie Dough and everything the pony owned, belonged to the current Queen of the Bee-keep Hive. Queen Naiad's new reforms only went so far to change that.
"Good morning Twilight Sparkle" Cookie Dough responded, though she didn't turn from her work, she was making something wonderful, Twilight could just tell. Cookie Dough was an amazing chef. She was also the only pony in town who could face Glaze and not cringe every time the changeling spoke.
"What are you making?" Twilight inquired
"Hash browns, fresh baked bread, fried apples and some honey." Cookie Dough frowned at the oven. "The changeling's meal is ready, I would rather it not lay around, where did she go?"
"She went to gather everypony in town square, I have an Idea that I hope will work better than my speeches." Twilight said calmly, she sneaked over to the oven, hoping to get a peek of whatever it was that Glaze ate. The changeling diet fascinated her but so far both Glaze and Cookie Dough where being careful to keep her from seeing Glaze's meals.
Cookie cut her off and stood blocking her path with a sharp stair "I'm sure there is a good reason the Drone doesn't want you to know what she eats, Twilight Sparkle, and even if she doesn't I have my orders."
Twilight sighed and backed off, a moment latter she was rewarded with a large meal of her own. "Go sit down and eat." Cookie ordered. Twilight thanked her and moved to the dinning room. She would have loved to savor the meal, everything was perfectly seasoned, but she was in a rush.
Glaze buzzed in and went strait to the kitchen to eat. Twilight waited a moment looking at the kitchen door with longing. Eventually her curiosity won her inner battle and she marched over to the kitchen and threw the door open.
Cookie was pressed against the far wall with her ears flat against her head, her discomfort was clear. That besides her two hazel eyes where staring at Twilight in shock. Glaze was by the oven, she had clearly just pulled her meal out and dug in, a dead rabbit lie on the ground in front of her, half devoured already. Twilight wasn't actually sure whether the changeling was looking at her, but Glaze had frozen mid bite. Her mouth was half open, hovering over the rabbit.
Twilight's ears slowly slid back to flatten against her head, at the same time her eyes widened. She stood shivering for a moment before darting out of the room.
Glaze watched Twilight flee with mixed feelings. The room lingered in silence for a second, then Glaze turned to the coco brown earth pony. "Go after her." The Drone's voice had lost the playful humor it carried whenever Twilight was in the room "Tell her whatever she wants to know." Cookie Dough shot after Twilight, clearly terrified. Glaze turned back to her meal, The earth pony was certainly a good cook, she would have to recommend that she cook for The Queen sometime soon.
"Twilight?" Cookie asked quietly as she slipped out onto her porch. The unicorn had thrown up over the edge of it and was panting. "You knew they ate meat right?" she asked quietly.
"Y-yes I just, I didn't think that..." Twilight stuttered not turning around
"The proclamation The Queen wrote said "Ponies will no longer be abducted and enslaved, eaten, or tormented."" Cookie quoted
"Y-you mean they actually- They actually e-eat ponies- n-not just suck the love out of them." Twilight gasped
"Yes." Cookie responded
"I'm not- I mean I don't think- h-how can I get every pony to be comfortable around them when- all this time- I just- I don't...How?!' Twilight was shaking.
"I don't know Twilight" Cookie replied
"Will... Will you stand with me today- when I talk to everypony?" Twilight asked.
"If you want me to." Cookie responded
"Th-Thanks... How- how are you not freaking out." Twilight seemed to be calming down a bit.
"I'v grown up around it, my mother grew too attached to my brother and me. It made her an easy target. Our dad never hid what happened from us." She sighed "I'm the only chef in town so whenever a changeling visits and wants a cooked meal I take care of it. I..." Cookie trailed off and Twilight turned to look at her. She was in tears, but she continued anyway. "I-I'm s-so relieved th-that they're not gonna eat- eat ponies anymore. Y- you cant even i-imagine what its like to-to be handed somepony's body a-and be told to..." she trailed off again and burst into tears.
Twilight pulled her into a tight hug, "I had no idea." Twilight whispered, "I'm so sorry," she pulled Cookie tighter "It's okay now, everything's going to be okay now"
In the end rather than going with her original plan of having a debate with the town folk, Twilight left Glaze at home, went to town square, and had a group therapy session. Everypony shared a story or two, most everypony cried as Twilight told them that, according to the new law the changelings couldn't do one thing or another. It went on for some time. Eventually everypony seemed to realize that the never ending threat of death, loss, and tormented had ended. They seemed happier for it, and they where definitely closer together.
Twilight asked Cookie Dough why no pony was even questioning whether or not the changelings would actually follow the new law, to this question Cookie Dough responded "Changeling Drones are obedient by nature and so if The Queen makes a rule they will follow it, if The Queen makes a law and doesn't follow it herself it is like admitting a mistake, something a changeling of any kind would never willingly do."
Author's Note
The story gets way darker all of a sudden...
