Chapter 1
I am no ordinary changeling, I knew that. I escaped the hive-mind and broke the queen’s control over me, and thus, began to become my own individual.
I was Major Mimic. I abandoned that title when I escaped the hive. I’ve probably been branded a traitor to my hive, but I’m not sure. I didn’t stick around long enough to be banished. Now it’s just Mimic.
I’m heading toward a small town, probably one of the last few places a changeling would ever go. It was so small that all the residents knew each other fairly well. It was also home to the Bearer’s of the Elements of Harmony. I’m going to Ponyville.
But, as I already stated, I am no ordinary changeling. Most, if not all, changelings would consider what I’m about to do against the way of the Changelings and suicide.
I’m about to walk into Ponyville undisguised.
I’m hoping to begin to pave the way toward peace between changelings and ponies. I know that most of my kind will not attempt to peace and live amongst ponies. But I’m hoping that with time, more changelings will see this path, and when they do, it is clear, at least clearer and less dangerous than it is for me.
* * * *
I follow the trail I am on until I arrive at the outskirts of town, and began setting up my shelter. I hid it behind some bushes on the side of the trail. I decided that if things did not go as well as I hope, then I should have a place to hide and rest before trying the next town. I am hoping that it wouldn’t come to this, hoping against hope that the first pony-inhabited town will accept me. As a changeling with no disguise, no lies, no deceit.
I had done some research, and found out that changelings don’t need to steal love to survive, but that we can earn it. We didn’t even need love, we just needed positive emotions towards us. It was then that I realized why we didn’t earn love, and it was because it was so much easier to steal it, and led by power-mad rulers such as my ex-queen.
It was getting late by the time I finished my shelter, so I decided to sleep until morning before making my way into Ponyville.
* * * *
I awoke when a ray of sunlight reached my face.
I began my way into the town, with high hopes of being the representative the changelings deserved, and changing the future for the better.
As I walked down Mane Street, I saw many ponies eyeing me with looks of hate and disgust, others with terror, but none had yet lashed out at me. Probably to see why a lone changeling is walking in daylight, with no disguise.
I was not sure where I was going, probably just wandering around, looking for a pony who did not hate or fear my race.
I was walking along a building that resembled, what I’ve read about pony society, to be a large gingerbread house, when suddenly a bright pink blur burst through the door. It skidded to a halt, transforming into a bright pink mare with a poofy, magenta mane. The mare then screamed loudly, then yelled “CHANGELING!”, and charged at me, with an angry look on her face.
I did the only thing I could do. I sat down, braced for impact, and said “Please stop” ,without casting any magic. To my surprise, and apparently to her confusion, she did, skidding to halt.
“Wh-What did you say?” she asked, with a puzzled look on her face.
“I-I said please stop.” recovering from the near disaster.
“Why didn’t you attack me? Or cast some magic to stop me?” the pink one asked, sitting down.
“Why would I attack you?” I replied.
“Because you’re a changeling.” she said, softly pointing a hoof at me, with a slight anger in her eyes.
“I know. What does that have to do with me attacking you?” I said, raising an eyebrow upon saying ‘you.’
“You’re supposed to be evil, rude, at the very least not nice.”
I sighed. “This again. How about we go someplace to sit comfortably and talk?”
“Okay.” We started walking into the giant gingerbread-house. “By the way, I’m Pinkie Pie. But everypony just calls me Pinkie”
“Mimic.” I said. “Can I call you Pinkie?”
“Of course.”
We sat down at one of the tables, with some suspicious looks from other ponies. I’m still surprised none of them have called for the guards yet.
Once we sat down, I began telling her my story. Of me feeling that the changeling way wasn’t right, breaking free of my now ex-queen’s control over me, deciding to earn my food and leaving the hive, becoming my own individual, and hoping to help other changelings see the light of hope of peace and reach it, up to her not crashing into me.
“And that’s my story.”
“Wooow” Pinkie said, sounding amazed. I could tell she was impressed, by the feeling of a snack in my gut, slightly lessening my hunger.
I lightly chuckled. “Thank you.” I said, with a small smile.
It was then I heard the rustling and clinking of armor. I turned around to see two stallion guards, one brown unicorn and one white pegasus, staring daggers at me.
I waved and smiled at them. “Hello. What seems to be the problem, officers?”
The pair pointed their spears at me. The unicorn said “Skip the chatter, changeling spy.”
“Why does everypony think I’m a spy. If I was a spy, I would be in disguise.”
“Yeah, leave him alone.” Pinkie said, getting between the guards and me. She was defending me, I realized. I was surprised. She was defending me, a changeling, who not an hour ago she was charging at. Few changelings would bother helping a fellow changeling out, saving them.
“Please move out of the way, Miss Pie” said the pegasus guard.
“No. What has he done wrong?”
“He is a changeling spy.” The unicorn guard responded.
I decided to start defending myself and my race. “How do you know that I’m a spy? As I said a minute ago, if I was a spy, I would be in disguise.” I gestured to my body. “Does it look like I’m disguising myself?”
“N-No” stammered the pegasus.
“That’s what I thought…So, what happens now?”
“We are going to have to send you to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”
“Why? And all the way in Canterlot” I asked stunned and pointing a holed hoof in the direction of Canterlot.
“To be questioned and judged. And not in Canterlot, they are actually here in Ponyville.” said the unicorn guard
“What are they doing here? And where?”
“They came to see why an undisguised changeling would be walking around in the town that is home to the Elements of Harmony. They are currently waiting in Golden Oak’s Library.”
“Can I escort him there, Mr. Guardsmen?” Pinkie asked.
The unicorn sighed. “Very well, Ms. Pie.”
“Great.” Pinkie and I said together. “Let’s go.”
* * * *
A short gallop later, we arrived at the library, appearing as a very large treehouse.
“Come on, let’s go in.” Pinkie gestured for me to go in while opening the door.
We went in, and inside were three alicorns standing in the middle of the main room. There was Princess Luna, Celestia, and the newest one, the one who helped stop the changeling invasion of Canterlot, Princess Twilight Sparkle.
“Greetings, princesses” I said, bowing to each of them. This seemed to surprise each of them. “Would any of you mind telling me exactly why I am here?”
Celestia was the first to speak. “Pinkie Pie, you may go outside now, you can wait there if you wish.”
Pinkie moaned and said “Fine. Okey-dokey-lokie.” She exited the library and closed the door.
“There now, glad that was taken care of.” Celestia continued, “Yes, we received reports from several sources saying there was a changeling in Ponyville, not even attempting to hide.”
“I have no reason to hide, your majesties. I’m hoping to be accepted into pony society. To help end the harsh feelings both of our races have towards the other.” I then told them my story that I told Pinkie Pie earlier. As I told my story, each of the princesses tried to maintain a state of regal composure, but when I told about my breaking free of the hive mind, Princess Sparkle began taking notes. When I reached the part of me wanting to change, of looking for another way, Princess Luna lost some of her regal composure, and in it’s place seemed to be a personal interest. I kept going. As I was nearing the end of it, with me wanting to bridge the gap between our races, leading to lasting peace, Celestia’s mood seemed to shift slightly from serious to somewhat hopeful.
When I finished, there was silence for a few moments, until Luna said “Your story makes sense, though it does seem to have required much willpower to have broken free. How would you have gained enough to escape?”
“As I’m sure you may have noticed, I am not an average changeling. For me, the connection to the hive had always seemed weaker for me than for others. So the grasp of the hive-mind was always weaker.” I explained.
“How did you come to realizing that parasitism wasn’t necessary for changelings?” asked Princess Sparkle.
“With experiments with the animals around the hive. Don’t worry, it’s not what you think. I befriended them, and every time I went to see them and interacted with them, they seemed happy, and I felt stronger, less hungry. This led to me realizing that changelings didn’t need to steal love and other emotions to survive.” I explained to the young alicorn.
“And why was this not discovered before?” the purple alicorn asking a follow-up question.
“Probably due to the queen’s control over all changelings. The amount of power that would bring, having an entire army consisting of your offspring and knowing you can make dozens more at a time. That amount of power would make any being go mad with power.”
The three alicorns whispered amongst themselves, deciding my fate.
“Very well, you are free to go, Mimic.” Celestia said, dismissing me.
I exited the library to find Pinkie waiting for me, smiling. “So how did it go?”
“I told them my story, they asked a few questions, now I’m free to go. I’ll be honest, this went a lot better than I had feared it would.”
“Glad it did.” Pinkie said
“Okay. See you later Pinkie” I waved goodbye, and she waved back.
“See you later.” Pinkie said, with a smile on her face.