A changeling's visit to Skyrim

Darkness surrounded Stross’s weightless changeling form as he aimlessly drifted through an endless void.

“Am I dreaming again? I am? Great... just great. There's a reason I choose not to sleep, you know.”

His complaining was interrupted by a bright light shining before him, opening to the view of his past self. He lay on his back atop a rickety bed attached to one of three smooth grey walls. To his front was a wall of thick iron bars that matched the ones on the small window to his right. Outside the cell, a Pegasus guard in gold armor lazily stood at attention.

“Oh great, which time was this that they captured me?”

“Alright Hailstorm, I’m here for my shift.” A firm but feminine voice called from the side.

Both Stross’s actual conscious and his dream form perked up as he listened to her approach.

“Sure thing Swift, it’s all yours.” The Pegasus guard said before happily leaving. Taking his place was an earth-pony that Stross remembered well.

Once he was sure the other guard was well out of earshot, Stross walked over to the bars to greet her. “Hey there Swift, good to see you again.” He said in a chipper tone.

“Ah Swift Strike, you were the only guard that could stand to even talk to me while you had me cooped up. I just wish things hadn't gone the way they did.”

“You realize I’m not supposed to talk to you, right?” Swift said in a slow, even tone “According to regulation seven dash three, amendment four; any changeling prisoners are not to be interacted with under any circumstances, in order to prevent the risk of changeling mind control.” Swift Strike broke her professional stature and cracked a smile “But even so, I can’t just let you starve in there either, now can I?”

“Only if you got sick of talking with me.” Stross joked as he leant his head though the bars.

Swift smirked and pulled off her helmet, the uniform’s enchantment coming off with it to reveal her fur’s true shade of sky blue. Her curly white mane fell just past her shoulders as she discarded her helmet entirely and brought Stross’s face to hers. She closed her eyes and gently pushed her lips against those of her changeling prisoner, enjoying the feel of his smooth scales for a moment before pushing through with her tongue.

“What would I have ever done without you there?” Stross reminisced in the days he was held in that prison just outside Canterlot. Unlike the previous times he was captured and written off as some kind of beast or mutant, this was after Chrysalis had invaded, and changelings were now a legitimate threat in the eyes of the pony populace. The first few days in that place were easily the worst, the interrogations making it so. Who knew wet noodles could hurt so badly?

After they’d gotten nothing out of him, they’d resigned to simply have him executed and be done with it. But it would seem that the paperwork was lost in the black-hole of bureaucracy, and Stross had spent nearly a month testing his cell for weak spots, learning the guard’s patrols, and thinking of any possible way to escape before his time was up.

One day, Stross had collapsed from his energy reserves finally running dry. Luckily, Swift Strike had been there, and though Stross hated himself for it, he used a changeling influence spell on her, forcing her to save him. Within seconds she had rushed into his cell, smothering him with her love and bringing him back from the brink.

Now, Stross knew he could have escaped then and there, all he'd need to do is take her form and walk right out. But that would mean leaving her behind to take all the blame, and he just couldn't bring himself to do that to her. So instead he stayed behind and promised himself that he’d find some way to make it up to her. He made a copy of the cell’s key with his resin for when he needed to escape, threw himself back onto his rickety bed, and began to think of something nice he could do for the mare that (unwillingly) saved his life.

It was actually pretty easy to get started; a simple compliment after a couple of the other guards had teased her about being a mare in the royal guard, and a small smile her way. After that day they would share a conversation every now and then, and even a few games of cards when nopony was watching. In their time together, Stross had learned a great deal about Swift; how she liked the smells of forests, about the time when she was a filly she jumped out of a wagon trying to get her hat back, and how she had a daughter that she was raising on her own after her husband left her.

Stross even learned that Swift had wanted to become a guard since she was a filly, but got teased for it all the time because “Mares aren’t supposed to be guards, Swifty”, as everypony had told her. So in the end she signed up more out of spite than fulfilling a dream. She also said that she loved to talk with him, because he didn’t look down on her for having different opinions about how things were or how things should be; she could just talk to him and he would listen.

It felt to Stross like he’d made a real friend, or even something more, and that she felt the same way. Perhaps that was what convinced her to keep him alive and happy while he was supposedly waiting to be killed, and Stross was extremely glad for it. A little company can go a long way when you’re locked in a cell, even though he technically volunteered to stay in there.

What Stross “forgot” to mention to her was that she didn’t actually have to kiss him in order for him to absorb energy from her, but judging by the way she noisily swished her tongue around inside his mouth and pulled him as close as the bars would allow while they kissed, it likely wouldn’t have changed anything if he had.

“Oi! Would you two knock it off over there! I‘m tryin’ to think angry thoughts!”

“Oh by Celestia, that guy.”

Crookshank was the only other prisoner in that wing of the prison, and he was nasty. Sentenced to death for the murder of a family of four, Crookshank was the most criminally psychotic pony Stross ever had the displeasure of knowing, even from a distance. On the first few days, Crook had done nothing but endlessly repeat demented nursery rhymes about how screwed Stross was. It would have driven him crazy if the guards hadn’t eventually put a stop to it.

“Be quiet over there.” Swift snapped at him.

“Why don’t you come over here and make me?” Crook taunted “Or are you too busy snogging your little monster coltfriend? You know he’s not your stinkin’, good for nothin’, cheat of a husband; no matter how much you want him ta be.” He said with a wickedly mocking grin.

Swift froze for a second. “What… did you say?”

“Swift? Are you okay?” Stross put a hoof on her shoulder.

“That business-pony left you for a darn good reason if you ask me. No stallion would want some tom-colt guard for a wife.” Crook threw over casually.

“Oh, not this again. Please don’t make me watch this… don’t walk over there…”

Swift stomped over to give him a piece of her mind. “Now you listen here, you criminal scum! If you thin-”

She didn’t get to finish before a shank made of a splintered bedpost was shoved into her neck.

“Oh, what’s that? I’ve been pardoned from my death sentence? Well thank you kindly.” Crook sarcastically sneered as he took the keys to his cell from Swift while she bled out “Don’t bother escorting me out, I’ll just make my own exit.”

“NOOOO! SWIFT! Someone get in here and stop this guy!” Stross yelled from over at his cell.

“What’s the matter bug? Can’t live without your precious little guardmare?” Crook chuckled and kicked Swift in the stomach, making her bleed even faster before he dashed out the door.

Stross called for help several times, but his voice was drowned out by the shouting coming from outside the seclusion wing. It seemed as though Crookshank was giving the rest of the guards the fight of their lives. They would all be too occupied to even realize Swift was in danger.

Then a small movement caught Stross’s eyes. He looked up to see Swift Strike roll over to face him, her whole body covered in her own blood.

“Swift! Just hold on, please!” He called over to her. Remembering the key he'd made, he scrambled to unlock the cell door and rush to her side, kneeling down beside her and taking her in his hooves.

Swift looked up at him through the tears in her eyes and tried to say something, but it was lost as blood flooded her mouth and throat. Slowly and weakly she reached out to him, still choking on blood as she did. With the last of her strength she smiled, reaching up to touch his face and unintentionally smearing it with blood before her eyes closed and she went limp.

“Swift, stay with me. I can’t lose you.” Stross said softly as he focused his magic on the mare in his hooves “You’ve been so kind to me, and given me so much love…” Stross began to glow as he channeled his own life force into Swift. “Let me give it back to you.”

The giant puncture wound in Swift’s neck and windpipe began to close as Stross healed her, and in a few long minutes, it had closed completely.

Stross was exhausted after using up so much of his power, but all that mattered to him was Swift. He felt for a heartbeat, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt a faint thumping in her chest; she was going to be okay.

“St- Stross?” Swift Strike groaned as she came to.

Stross smiled down at her. “Yeah. Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine now.”

“Stross… I love you.”

Stross would have been overjoyed to here this from here, were it not for the green glow he saw emanating from her eyes. When he did, any happiness he’d had vanished in an instant and he broke down crying.

“Stross… what’s-“

“You don’t love me, not really.” Stross told her, the words themselves hurt as he said them “I completely forgot. I can't believe I forgot. My spell has been on you this whole time, Swift. That’s what made you love me, it wasn’t real.”

“No…” Swift cupped his face with her hoof “Stross, that can’t be true. I do love you.”

Stross looked at her as more tears spilled down his face. “I’m sorry.” His horn lit up, dispelling any lingering magic he may have held over her.

When he looked back at Swift, her expression had changed from one of happiness and joy to one of confusion and inner conflict. She softly pushed away from him, and with an absent-minded expression, she walked out of the room.

Then something unexpected happened. Not in the memory, but to Stross himself. He was pulled from his body as the entire scene froze before him, with Swift Strike leaving through an open door, and his past self lying in a heap on the floor, crying to his eyes out.

In his confusion he accidently passed right through a nearby wall like a ghost.

“What the- What’s going on?” he asked to no one in particular.

“You are in a dream.” a voice rang out “You are one I have sought to find for quite some time.”

“Who’s there?” Stross frantically looked around for the source of the disembodied voice. Then, a ripple appeared in the dream, and in a shimmer of light, a midnight blue alicorn stood before him.

“Princess Luna? What the what?” Stross said, baffled at the presence of the Princess of night.

“Do not be afraid, changeling-“

“Stross, my name’s Stross. What are you even doing here?”

“Oh, okay then Stross. Do not be afraid, and…” Princess Luna took a deep breath “NEVER INTERRUPT ME AGAIN IF YOU VALUE YOU LIFE!” she yelled in her signature Royal-Canterlot-voice.

“Oh-kay then… what do you what from me?” Stross asked after recovering from the verbal onslaught as well as the sadness he felt from reliving another bitter memory “No offence but I thought that since I wasn’t in Equestria, I wouldn’t have to deal with you or your sister anymore. Kinda’ outside your jurisdiction if you know what I’m saying.”

“That may be true. But we know of the havoc changelings can wreck, and neither I nor my sister will allow any world to fall into chaos because of our negligence.” Luna told him with her stoic expression “Now that I’ve finally found you, I can bring you back to Equestria so you can’t do any further harm.”

Stross immediately tried to defend himself “I’m not doing any har- Okay maybe I have been just a little. But I’m not doing evil changeling things to- Well I guess I did Syphon all those bandits and vampires to death. Well at least I’m being a good- On second thought I’m allied with the Thieves Guild now sooooo…”

Luna looked quite unamused.

“Okay, okay, okay. Just hear me out.” Stross begged.

Luna gave him a stare that said “I am listening, but quickly losing my patience.”

“Alduin the dragon god of time is raising his army of evil dragons to destroy the world. Fenora is Dragonborn, the only person capable of stopping the dragons once and for all. I’ve been helping her since it all started, and together we’re saving the world with the power of friendship… also magic and swords.”

Luna stood there rubbing her chin in thought before looking back up at Stross. She looked over at the dreamscape, particularly at Stross crying over Swift Strike leaving, even after he sacrificed his own life essence to revive her. She then turned back to him and said not a single word, but placed her hooves on both his shoulders.

“Uhh, your highness? What are you do- OW!” Was all Stross could say before the Princess of night head-butted him and the world snapped to white.

“Gah!” Stross’s eyes shot open and he fell backwards, hitting his head on a stone tablet. The snowy landscape, brown dirt, and greyish blue skies greeted him as he rubbed his aching head, and a steady counting greeted his ears as he saw a pair of familiar faces approach.

“1068… 1069… 1070 and 71…”

Stross smiled as he watched the silver-haired Bosmer approach with a ragged looking Lydia following behind.

“Hah!” Fenora exclaimed as she jumped triumphantly on the stone step nearest to the end of the path “That’s only one-thousand and seventy-six steps, and only four-thousand four-hundred and eighty-one actual footsteps! Seven-thousand steps indeed, what a scandal!”

“Did you actually walk all the way down the mountain just to count how many steps it takes?” Stross staggered over to her.

“Four times!” Lydia yelled as she collapsed.

“So what’s up with you? Have a nice nap there, Mr. Party-hard?” Fenora chuckled.

“Weeeellll…” And then Stross let his calm demeanor fall apart. “The dream police live inside my head! They're coming to arrest me, OH NO!” he yelled as he gripped onto Fenora for dear life.

Fenora lifted Stross’s chin up to look him in his buggy blue eyes… and promptly slapped him.

“Snap out of it man! Now tell me what happened.”

*ONE PANICKED EXPLANATION LATER*

“Dang Stross, how many girlfriends have you had?” Fenora said, feeling a bit jealous.

“Did you not hear what I said about the Princess of night wanting to drag me back to Equestria and away from you!?”

“Right… that’s not going to happen.” Fenora told him confidently “Stross, you’re my changeling. If some namby-pamby pony Princess wants to take you, then they’ll have to go through me. Or more correctly, I’ll have to go through them.”

“IS THAT A FACT!?” an all too familiar voice yelled at them.

Turning around, the three of them found Princess Luna standing there with a very angry look on her features.

“You dare to not only stand between a Princess of Equestria and her royal duties, but also have the nerve to challenge us!? Well you shall not… Why art thou staring at us like that?” Luna asked as she noticed her normally intimidating presence was having very little effect.

“Well you see Princess, Stross has told me all about how things work in Equestria. And he’s told me about how you and your sister are like the godly-powerful rulers there.” Fenora took a few steps closer, getting within a mere couple of inches of Luna “But you’re not in Equestria anymore, and if you want anyone to take you seriously in Skyrim…” Fenora smirked “You may want to put on some clothes first.”

Princess Luna broke eye contact for a moment to look down at herself, and found that not only was she not in her equine form any more, but she was also not wearing anything save for her royal jewelry. A heavy blush formed on her face as she looked back up at the Bosmer.

Meanwhile, a mischievous grin crossed Fenora’s face.

“Squeeze squeeze.” She said as she reached out and did the unthinkable.