Author's Note
Greetings!
A small note, this takes place within the third season after the invasion of the changelings.
Changeling in the pool
Changeling in the Pool
By
Mimic Kairatta
And
Limescale
Proofread by: lunarstallion
“Fluttershy, may I ask you something?” Twilight asked.
“Um, of course. What is it?”
“Why is there a changeling in your pool?”
Fluttershy looked out the window of her cottage, seeing the black bug-like creature floating within an inner tube, content to simply swim in the pool she had put in for her animals, while said animals were clustered around the water staring intently at their guest. Given what had happened a few months ago in Canterlot, this should’ve been a sign of an impending emergency… yet, so far, none of the animals seemed to be panicking… nor was Fluttershy.
“Oh,” Fluttershy said. “Well… he’s relaxing.”
Twilight nodded, then shook her head in disbelief.
“Yes, I can see that, but why is it relaxing in your pool?” She demanded. Fluttershy’s eyes popped open in realization.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I forgot to ask! Should I go out and ask him? Would it be too rude to ask now after saying it was okay?”
Twilight just stared in greater disbelief at her pegasus friend.
Her eyes grew wider in alarm. “You… said it was okay? You let… as in, willingly allowed, a changeling onto your property? Around your animals?”
“Hey Twi, what’s with the yelling?” Applejack walked into the kitchen. Briefly, she noticed her unicorn friend looking like she’d just seen the return of Nightmare Moon, and her pegasus friend looking very uncertain and afraid she’d committed a heinous wrongdoing.
Both were quickly forgotten when she looked out the window between the two and saw what was outside.
“What the starry apples… is that… is that a changelin’ Ah see out there in the pool?” The farm pony stammered.
“Um… yes?” Fluttershy replied while Twilight was trying to process what Fluttershy said previously.
“Uh… might Ah ask why?” Applejack said, doing Twilight the service of snapping her from her shock.
“I just asked that.” The unicorn cried. “No, wait, I asked Fluttershy to confirm that she, in fact, allowed it in the pool, and was aware it was there… but before that, I asked why.”
Both mares turned to Fluttershy, clearly expecting an answer.
“I, um… didn’t really ask.” Fluttershy admitted. “He looked tired, and was looking so peaceful in the water that I… um, let him stay there?”
She smiled in hopes that’d satisfy her friends worry. Sadly, all it earned her was more slack-jawed stares of shock.
“Erm… I can go ask him right now what he’s doing if you want?”
There was a moment of taut silence.
“Yes? Please?” Twilight said insistently.
They watched Fluttershy walk out of her cottage and to the pool area. Through the window, they watched the scene unfold, though they could barely hear anything. They seemed to exchange some words, then Fluttershy nodded and walked off. Moments later, she comes back inside.
“Well?” Applejack asked.
“Well,” Fluttershy started. “He wanted to relax and… um, gather the ambient love in the air after a hard day’s work. The animals are providing him with plenty of that because they love me so much.”
The pegasus managed a giggle, hoping she had now diffused the situation. Again, sadly, her efforts were in vain.
“A hard day’s work… of what? Planning a second invasion? Scouting out Ponyville so Chrysalis can capture it? Wait until we let our guards down and enslave us?” Twilight said, her eyes twitching more violently with each sentence.
“Twilight, darling, what are you screaming about? It’s quite upsetting to listen to.” Rarity stepped into the kitchen, knitting her eyebrows together at her friend’s panicked look. “Whatever is going on here?”
Applejack glowered and point out the window.
“That is what’s going on!” She said.
Rarity saw the changeling and covered her mouth with her hoof.
“Oh, dear! Fluttershy, are you aware one of those loathsome bugs is in your backyard pool?” The unicorn asked.
“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy said. “I was telling Twilight and Applejack about it. He isn’t really doing anything bad.”
Rarity looked out the window again, noting the changeling indeed seemed to be doing nothing except floating in the water, legs spread, eyes closed, and a serene smile on his face. The animals continued to mill around the pool, giving no sign they were at all bothered by its occupant.
“Well… still… shouldn’t this be a cause for some alarm?” Rarity asked. Twilight groaned and held her head.
“SOME alarm? We need to tell everypony about this now! Get the guards out here! Tell Celestia to declare a state of emergency! This could mean anything from another invasion to an all-out declaration of war!” Twilight turned to the living room. “Spike, take a letter! Now!”
The dragon duly came running in, frantically pulling out a scroll and a quill and looking quite confused.
“I’m here, I’m here, Twilight! Where’s the fire?” He asked. The four mares looked at him, then at the window.
“There’s a changeling out there!” Twilight explained, pointing out the window to the changeling in the pool.
“Oh… um,” Spike’s panic subsiding to confusion. “What is it doing?”
“He’s relaxing,” Fluttershy responded.
“In the pool?”
“Yes.”
“... So what’s the problem?” Spike asked.
Twilight proceeded to flap her mouth comically.
“What is… what is.... The problem, Spike, is that there is a freaking member of the scummy love suckers...”
“Kevin,” Fluttershy said. Twilight paused, going through several rather painful-looking facial contortions.
“I’m sorry, what was that, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked.
“His name is Kevin. I… uh… forgot to mention that.” Fluttershy frightfully replied. Twilight managed a few more feats of remolding her face like it was putty.
“There is a freaking member, called Kevin, of the scummy love suckers that kidnapped Princess Cadance and brainwashed my brother out there. Planning who knows what sort of crazy scheme to-”
“Oooh, a crazy scheme? Where?” Pinkie Pie promptly bounced into the room. “I know all about how to throw crazy schemes!”
The mares were halted in their tracks again, giving Pinkie time to look out the window.
“Oh! A changeling!” She said in horror.
“Kevin,” Fluttershy responded, to Pinkie’s increasing alarm.
“A changeling! Called Kevin! Who’s out there without a welcoming pool party!” The pink mare cried. “We can’t have that! Everyone who comes to use Fluttershy’s pool deserves a pool party!”
Pinkie zipped out of the kitchen, then almost instantly she returned, now loaded down with pool toys, inflatable rafts, a kayak, a fully stocked pool bar, lounge chairs, and beach umbrellas, somehow balancing all of them on her back.
“Don’t worry, girls! I’ll make sure that changeling, called Kevin, is taken care of!” She swore, before charging out the front door of Fluttershy’s cottage at Mach speed.
The mares watched as Pinkie, in pure party fashion, filled the entire space where the pool was with various party materials. The birds were enjoying the birdbaths, the frogs had lily pads to hop on, kitty pools for the felines, and much more. The changeling was looking around in absolute confusion.
“That’s… nice of Pinkie,” Fluttershy said. “Although, I don’t think you’re supposed to put boats in a pool.”
Twilight grit her teeth and did several other things that probably were not good for her facial muscles.
“We’re not throwing a party for that thing! We have to capture it! Ask it what it’s doing here! What it’s plans are!” She demanded.
“Uh… Ah dunno, Twi. Ah mean, if it were dangerous, don’t you think it’d have done something by now?” Applejack asked as Pinkie whipped up a drink for the changeling and handed it to him. Kevin awkwardly accepted the beverage, then looked behind him as a padded backrest was slotted into place, followed by a pillow for his head.
“Well, technically, it is doing something, dear.” Rarity replied. “It’s doing what most ponies do amid Pinkie trying to improvise a party for them.”
“Hey, somepony mind telling me what’s going on in here? I thought we were just going to have tea and talk, next thing I know you’re all in here, and...” Rainbow Dash paused as she flew into the kitchen and saw the scene before she looked out the window and saw the cause of it.
“Oh… there appears to be a changeling in Fluttershy’s backyard pool… that Pinkie is trying to get drunk and bury in pillows and blankets...” Rainbow narrowed her eyes at the bizarre scene unfolding. “Soooo… anypony want to explain?”
“His name is Kevin,” Fluttershy said. “He’s-”
“We’re throwing him a pool party!” Pinkie exclaimed, popping from the cupboard in a burst of streamers. Twilight proceeded to scream.
“No! We’re arresting him for crimes against Equestria and interrogating him for information!” She declared, much to her friends’ shock.
“Crimes? Ah, mean, yeah, Ah get where you’re coming from, but… he’s just sitting out there, Twi. Do we know fer sure he was involved in the invasion?” Applejack asked.
“He’s a changeling! They can’t be trusted!” Twilight said.
“Really, Twilight? I mean, yes, a great number of them proved themselves to be quite a menace in Canterlot, but isn’t it a bit harsh to tar them all with the same brush?” Rarity queried.
“For that matter, can’t we just ask him to leave if he’s that much of a problem?” Spike spoke up, much to his caretaker’s chagrin.
“Does no pony remember what the changelings did? How they nearly killed Celestia? How they turned my brother into a mindless zombie? What is wrong with you all?” Twilight demanded. The room lapsed into silence again as all six mares, and one dragon stared at each other.
“I just wanted to throw him a party.” Pinkie replied.
“Ah think we’re jumping to conclusions.” Applejack said.
“I say we’re giving that damn bug the punishment he deserves.” Twilight seethed.
“I still think that’s being a bit harsh.” Rarity replied.
“I’m still just as confused as when I came in here.” Rainbow Dash said with a sigh.
“I’d like to point out that the changeling is at the window now,” Spike replied.
All eyes turned to see Kevin politely rapping on the glass with his hoof. After a moment of disbelief, Fluttershy walked over and opened it.
“Um… yes?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yeah, um...” Kevin said. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think I should get going. It’s getting pretty crowded and noisy here for my liking.”
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sorry about that...”
“It’s alright. I relaxed enough, anyways.” The changeling smiled. “Thank you for letting me use the pool, and the drinks.”
“Oh, you’re very welcome.” Fluttershy replied as Kevin spread his wings and flew off into the skies. She shut the window and sighed happily. “Well, that was nice of him.”
She turned around, and her smile faded upon seeing her friends were again staring at her with the slack-jawed expression of guppy fish at feeding time.
“What… th… you… you let him leave!?” Twilight screamed. “How could you do that, Fluttershy!?”
“Well, he was quite courteous about it. Very much a gentlecolt.” Rarity said in amazement. “My my, who’d have thought a bug would be so well-mannered?”
Twilight held her head with both trotters, sparks shooting from her horn as her magic started to go wild. Eventually, she let out another scream and slammed her hooves into the ground.
“We… are… going after that changeling! We are capturing it, taking it to the Canterlot dungeons, and seeing that it gives us some answers!” She declared… to little support.
“Uh, actually, I was planning to help Big Mac with his evening chores after this.” Applejack said.
“I just want some tea. If that’s not on the table anymore, I think I’ll go find a cloud to nap on.” Rainbow Dash replied.
“But… but… I made all those drinks for everypony! Now they’re all going to go to waste.” Pinkie Pie lamented.
“Fluttershy, would you care to accompany me to the spa? This whole situation has me feeling a bit stressed. I think I might be developing a pimple.” Rarity rubbed her cheek in worry.
“Are you girls kidding me? A changeling just escaped from us! We can’t let it get back to… wherever it was off to!” Twilight pleaded.
“Why not? Ah mean… what did it do wrong?” Applejack asked.
“Really. All I saw happen is Pinkie buried it in pool stuff, and then it left. Not really getting why that’s cause for alarm.” Rainbow mused.
“My drinks.” Pinkie whimpered.
Twilight groaned. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”
Fluttershy bowed her head in lament as her friends continued to argue and yell and bicker, only to look up when she felt a pat on her side.
“Say… um… since the pool is available, do you mind if I go for a soak?” Spike asked. “This is kind of giving me a headache.”
Fluttershy looked to her still fighting friends and sighed.
“Of course, Spike. Make yourself at home.” She replied. The dragon smiled.
“For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing.” He said before walking through the bickering mares and heading through the front door.
Outside, the animals had dispersed, having lost interest in the pool, save for a few frogs who could still make use of the toys in it. Spike grabbed one of the drinks off the pool bar and hopped onto one of the inflatable recliners, kicking back and enjoying the sun on his scales.
“I can see why Kevin does this,” Spike said. “It’s pretty relaxing.”
Bonus Ducks! (Extra Chapter/Omake)
Chapter Duck
The group of mares watched as Twilight finally walked out, having spent all her breath yelling about how great an annoyance and frustration this afternoon had been. She never had to deal with an argument that was so one sided despite history regarding the topic.
Spike, after several politely requests, and one or two thinly veiled threats, left the pool and followed after her.
Rainbow Dash was at the window and once she saw Twilight walk over the hill, turned to the others.
“Alright, all clear.”
With a sigh of relief and a few chuckles, the group of mares burst into flames. Standing in the room were five changelings. They were laughing and hoof-bumping each other.
“Ha ha! Did you see the look on her face?”
“I know right? I was sure she was going to burst into flames!”
“Kevin was right, these ponies are crazy!”
“In a good way.”
“Yeah!”
“Do you think we over did it?”
“Nah! I mean someone had to knock her down a few pegs. Did you hear what she called us?”
“Scummy love suckers.”
“Pssh! Figures.”
“To be fair, their capital did get invaded.”
“So? We didn’t have anything to do with that. And anyway, a prank is a prank.”
One of them was looking around, poking some of the furniture.
“Say, did anyone make sure Fluttershy was out before coming here?”
One at the couch raised his hoof. “Right here! I saw her leave for the store.”
“How long ago was it?”
“Uh….”
There was a pause.
“Two hours ago?”
“Wait, two hours ago? Does that mean she’s likely to be here any-”
They heard the front door open. They looked over to the door and saw Fluttershy standing there, staring at the five changelings in her room. One on her couch, another on the ceiling, another with a duck on his head, one with an afro, and another in a box. They looked at her. She looked at them. They all stood staring.
“Uh,” The one in the box spoke. “Quack?”
Fluttershy squealed and fainted on the spot, stiff as a board.
“...”
The changeling on the ceiling looked to his compadres. “Bail?”
They nodded. “Bail!”
They promptly hustled out of the cottage, leaving the fainted pegasus to wake up after a few minutes.
“What...oh my did I just see...”
Fluttershy looked around, noticing she was thankfully alone.
“Oh dear. I thought for sure I saw a bunch of those scary changelings in here.” The pegasus breathed a sigh of relief, gathering up the groceries that had spilled from her saddlebags and heading into the kitchen to store her purchases. By chance she looked out the window, pausing as she noticed the scene in the backyard.
“Wait, why is the pool full of toys, and boats, and floats...and is that a tiki bar in the center?”
Now completely confused, the pegasus walked out into her backyard, staring at the impromptu party set up, complete with freshly made exotic drinks.
“Was Pinkie planning to throw me a party? But, it’s not my birthday or anything...” Fluttershy paused as she heard someone knocking at the front door. She quickly dashed back inside her cottage and opened the door to receive her second shock of the day.
“Wha...P-Princess Celestia?” The pegasus gasped at the sight of her diarch, staring at her with a confused expression.
“Good evening Fluttershy,” Celestia responded. “I just got an alarmingly strong worded letter from Twilight that you’ve had a changeling in your pool today. Could you, perhaps, talk to me about that?”
“Changeling?” She asked her eyes widening as she connected the dots between the changelings she thought she saw in her house, as well as the pool toys and party supplies littering the area.. “Oh my...”
Author's Note
Special thanks to Naiba for suggesting the idea.
