A Changeling That Changed

The second the words left Merricks mouth, Rainbow frowned and jumped out of her seat.

"Woah woah woah there buddy!" She said loudly. "I said I was all for going with this plan! Not that I wanted to spend my day hanging out with a Changeling!"

Merrick looked at the ground and kicked his hoof around in little circles. Her immediate anger had made him extremely sad and self conscious.

"Well Rainbow you did agree to it." Twilight said. "Maybe you two will have more common interests than you think! Now get out there, and keep him disguised until you make it somewhere he can be himself and talk with you."

"What do we even talk about!?!" She asked as they walked towards the door.

Merrick smirked at her. Her reluctance had stopped upsetting him, and started to entertain him.

In a flash he turned into a pegasus as they left the building, and entered the streets of Ponyville. Merrick casually walked along the road, using his typical "Windy Wings" disguise, as Rainbow hovered next to him with her shoulders slumped over and a frown on her face.

"Look uh Merrick is it?" Rainbow asked him as they reached the field near Sweet Apple Acres far enough away so that nopony would see them.

He nodded in reply, as he changed back into his regular self.

"Alright then. In case you still think I'm just "the rainbow one" I'll let you know that my name is Rainbow Dash. So you better remember it."

"Okay Rainbow Dash," He replied "There's no need to be so antagonistic. I'm sure we can be friends!" He smiled at her while he said it.

He extended his hoof for a hoof shake like Pinkie had told him to do when he was meeting new ponies.

"Yeah I'm sure..." Rainbow said as she walked off and ignored the hoof shake. "We probably have so many things in common." She rolled her eyes while she said it.

"Well what do you like to do? Maybe we do have a common interest!"

"Like what?" She said with a snort.

"Princess Twilight told me you like Daring Do!"

At those last words her ears perked up. Merrick smiled as he knew he had caught her attention.

"Yeah I like Daring Do! She's like the most awesome pony ever! You've read the books?"

She stopped herself for a moment, and tilted her head to the side.

"Changelings can read?" She said with a tone in her voice that sounded like genuine surprise.

Merrick giggled at her question.

"Yes I can read!" He said still laughing. Her foal-like interest amused him. "We aren't savages you know!"

"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to offend you I j-" Rainbow Dash scrambled to apologize. She didn't want to offend him. If she was being mean than that would make her the bad guy.

Rainbow Dash was cut off by Merrick's laughter, as he fell to the floor giggling. He tried to collect himself, and choke out a few words.

"Offend me? You couldn't offend me. Hundreds of ponies have done that throughout my life. The savages thing was merely a joke! When everypony hates you you learn how to make them about yourself." He got the words out between each little giggle.

"Oh. Yeah. A joke... I just thought you were offended. I guess maybe being a Changeling you get used to offensive things huh?" Rainbow Dash was confused by him. He definetely seemed different from the Changelings at Canterlot. Maybe that was just because all they did was hiss and attack. This one felt so much more like a living creature with feelings. He had emotions, he told jokes, and apparently he even read.

"It's okay. What you said was far from offensive. Especially with the things I've heard."

"So... um... how far are you through the stories?" Rainbow asked quickly trying to change the topic.

"Well I just started. The princess- I mean, Twilight gave them to me. I've enjoyed the little bits I've read!"

"You're in for a great story full of adventure and excitement! I'm even a star in her most recent book!"

"In the book? How does that happen?" Merrick asked.

"I got to meet her, and we helped her out on an epic adventure!"

Rainbow Dash said the words with pride. She flew up into the air, did a loop and flew back down. Merrick got the idea she loved talking about herself. He didn't mind though, if she didn't hate him he would love her. Well love as much as a Changeling can.

"Meet her? How did that happen, she's just a story character." Merrick asked with amusement.

"It's a long story. But let me just tell you that she's real! And she's even more awesome in real life!"

"This is a story you'll have to tell me another time than!" He said happily. "I fear it may take too long for me to be able to spend time with any of the others today!"

There was a silence for a second.

"You see Rainbow Dash we're making ground. Maybe you'll like me more than you expected!"  He paused for a moment. "Well at least I hope you will!"

"Okay Merrick, maybe you're right. We need to try other things if we're actually going to be friends! Or if I want to weigh in on you staying. What else do you like doing? I feel like spending everyday trying not to be discovered would be quite the hassle. You probably haven't had any fun in weeks!"

"Well I'm willing to do pretty much anything. I mean I'm quite adaptable to any situation given that I can transform into anypony at any time."

"Wait. You can be anypony?!? I thought Changelings could only be ponies of the same size or gender or whatever! I thought that's why only Chrysalis could be Cadence!"

"No I can be anypony. Some Changelings have restrictions on what they could become. But if you couldn't tell by how I look so different, I have some extra powers. Like the Queen I can become... Anypony. Anything. I could even be you." He said the last bit with a smile.

"Wait a second other Changelings have restrictions? Like what?"

"Well most Changelings can only become ponies their size. Amongst, other restrictions. If I recall Queen Chrysalis could only be ponies her size. Hence why she became Princess Cadenza at the wedding."

"So wait... Then why are you so special?"

Merrick laughed for a second, and then thought on it. Why was he special? He frowned at the thought, rezlizing it was probably genetics. His parents' abilities combined. And he realized that his father was most likely dead.

"I guess... It was my parents. My father was a very high ranking officer in our army. I never met my mother, but apparently she was a very special Changeling. Very different abilities than most. I was born with her abilities and my fathers, allowing me to be.... Anything I want. Well, with a little practice. I could probably become a griffon." He paused for a moment and smiled again. "I could definitely become you."

"No way!" She exclaimed.

Merrick smiled again. Her amusement with him made him forget his sorrows.

"It's true!" He said with a smirk. Her enthusiasm greatly excited him.

"That's so awesome! Do it!"

Merrick chuckled a bit.

"Do what?" He said. "Transform into you?"

Rainbow Dash nodded her head excitedly.

"Why do you want that?"

"Because double the Dash means double the awesome! Duh!"

Merrick chuckled a bit, and his horn sparked up. In a flash he became Rainbow Dash, and even completed it by copying her exact pose.

"That's so awesome!" She screamed as she flew up into the air and threw her hooves out.

"Do it again! Become somepony else! Could you become Spitfire from the Wonderbolts? How about Soarin?" Rainbow Dash was talking a thousand miles a minute, as she listed off several ponies.

Merrick smiled at her as he transformed into each pony she listed. Each time he changed she freaked out a little more. She asked him to turn into more ponies, and each time she thought it was entertaining.

"I don't get why this is so amusing to you!" He said with a laugh "I'm positive you saw this happening in Canterlot."

"Well yeah but in Canterlot it was evil! This is just.... so awesome!"

Merrick continued laughing, her amusement made him happier than ever. This was the happiest he had felt in a long time, the joy had filled him with a warmth. And that warmth let him know that he had fed.

"Okay... Okay!" Merrick said with a smile. "Is there anything else we should do? I feel like we've been doing this for a while."

Rainbow Dash thought about it for a second. And then she realized what she wanted to do.

"So you said you'll do anything right?" Dash said with a smile.

"Within reason yes."

"So does that mean you're up for a little race?"

Merrick turned into Spitfire looked her in the eyes and said

"Are you sure you can beat a Wonderbolt?" He said with a smile, all the while trying to contain his laughter.

"Buck yeah I can! I'm the fastest pony in Equestria!" Rainbow Dash said, with her pride at stake.

"Well in that case," He said as he changed again, this time into Rainbow Dash "Might as well even the odds. Up for a race against yourself?"

"Oh you're on! Or wait am I on.... This is confusing! But lets do it! I want to know if you replicate everything when you change into somepony! Even speed!"

"I'm sure Twilight would love to know that too!" "Rainbow Dash" said. "She's been studying me a lot."

"Then you're on!" Dash said as she took off into the sky. Merrick soon followed behind with a smile on his face.

*                                                                            *                                                                                              *

"I don't like him!" Applejack yelled at Twilight.

They had been arguing over it since Merrick had left with Rainbow Dash. Rarity and Pinkie Pie had left shortly after, and that's when the argument started. They had been going on like this for a while now, and Fluttershy sat there caught in the middle.

"AJ you can't make a decision until you've met him!" Twilight yelled back. "He really wasn't that bad! Besides I want to study him!"

"Well you study him and then he goes! He steals love from other ponies! I don't want my family around a thing like that! Think of Applebloom! He could suck all the love from her, leave her some.... Emotionless.... THING!"

She stomped her hoof on the table they were sitting at. Her eyes had started to water up from the thought.

"AJ I understand what you're saying... But please give him a chance! We have to be willing to do at least that."

They sat there silently for a moment, both of their arms crossed. Fluttershy had practically disappeared into her wings. She hated seeing her friends fight, and right now that was happening to the extreme.

"If not for him.... Do it for Pinkie Pie." Twilight said.

"What do you mean "Do it for Pinkie Pie"?" AJ asked.

"Well... I think she may have taken a.... rather deep... liking to him."

"You think she loves him?!?" AJ and Fluttershy screamed in unison.

"What!?! No! I think that she does indeed love him, but only as a friend. She seemed to really like him." She paused for a moment. "Maybe she does love him. I don't know. But I think she wants to be at least as close with him as she is with us."

They sat there silent again for a moment.

"So please AJ. Give him a chance." Twilight said sincerely.

"Twilight... I understand that you like him too. But... I can't risk it. My family is too important to me. Maybe I'll spend time with him. But don't expect me to be friendly."

"Well I'll try my best to be friendly!" Fluttershy said with a smile.

They all giggled. Flutterhy's gentle nature was enough to calm anypony down.

"I knew you would Fluttershy!" Twilight said with a smile. "Now if you all could do me a favor, Merrick is expecting you to be at your own homes."

They both took the hint and stood up to leave. As they walked out Twilight stopped Applejack.

"Please try AJ. For me."

AJ looked at her and frowned.

"I can't make any promises."

She shifted her hat on her head and walked away.