You know, I've come to realize over the last couple of minutes that gravity is not a friendly entity. Sure it keeps you from falling in the wrong direction, but falling in the right direction isn't a big improvement. It’s a fact that's made even worse after you realize you're moving at a speed that is making the landscape a complete blur and would probably crush a normal pony without a protective exoskeleton.
Shape-shifting might help but- oh that's right didn't explain that did I? I’m a changeling, like a shape-shifting bug pony that feeds off of the emotion known as “love”. I know what you're probably thinking, “Eww giant bug! Oh Celestia its going to eat me!” but i'm not a mindless drone looking for a meal. Amazing what most ponies think of an entire race, but we’ll get to that later on account of me falling.
I was thinking about just opening my wings and hoping for the best, but then I remembered my wings aren't made for this speed. After realizing this, I was going to shape-shift my wings into a ponies, but then remembered that their wings aren't strong enough for this. A Gryphon's wings though...that might do the trick.
I would do a dragons wings, but I doubt I had that much power in me after the invasion. Shape-shifting is pretty simple despite what some ponies think. Normally a changeling can do anything not too large or small, like a dragon, hydra, or a mouse. Its takes quite a bit of magical power to do things like that, and considering Changelings get magic from love, I don’t think I have enough for dragon wings. But a gryphon's wings might work in this situation.
Mustering up what I could, I channeled some of my leftover energy from the invasion into just my wings and reworked them into flesh and bone. Luckily most changelings are smart enough to not put in a nervous system until after its fully formed. Most changelings anyway…
After I finished forming the wings I opened them to catch the winds flying past me in hopes of slowing my decent. Even bracing myself didn't help with the strain it put on my temporary appendages, holding them open against the powerful breeze going past my body was damaging the newly formed muscle tissue, and it felt like they were being ripped off by an angry hydra.
Still my descent slowed down to a point where I could level myself with the ground so I could see where I was. Unfortunately, After slowing down to a normal flying speed I realized that I was mere inches from a forest. I panicked and looked up to make sure- *CRACK*
-that I didn't hit my wings on a bucking tree! Of course I had to hit the ONE tree high enough to hit a newly formed wing on and BREAK IT! And by break ‘it’ I mean both the wing and the thick tree branch obviously! Okay, lots of pain, luckily the wing went back to being a normal insect wing after it sustained that kind of trauma, but I doubt I’d be flying anytime soon after this, even if I could figure out what direction the hive was.
After spinning out of control for a few seconds I tried to level myself out enough to see where I was going to eventually hit a tree trunk and leave a me sized imprint on it. Fortunately, after that bucking tree came out of nowhere I seemed to have cleared the forest. Very quickly I also realized my luck also sucks and looked down to see fields of gold stuff-
And that's when I realized the ground was coming up to me a litt- ah to hell with it, it was coming up WAY the hell too fast! I looked around for something, hell, anything to cushion the fall. But the rate I was going down was as fast as my luck, and the closest thing i could see was a wooden structure off in the distance, but there was no way i’d even make it far enough to get squished on it.
I looked down and decided to accept my bad luck and fall into the hopefully very soft golden stuff all round these fields.Maybe my carapace will break the fall for me, but even then i’ll probably starve out here.
Buck you gravity, and the pony you rode in o-
*CRASH*
“Oh no! The trains coming!” I said in as feminine a voice as I could for a child, pretending the stuffed pony I was voicing was a women in distress.“Someone save me!”
I left that doll tied up on the small wooden train tracks I left in the middle of my bedroom. It was a pretty simple building, even for the changeling capitol. My room consisted of 4 walls, a window, a door, a small bed and a toy chest with only a few prized toys. Mommy was in the other room talking with the scary bald changelings about something so I had no interest in leaving my little bedroom. What I did have interest in right then was saving the pretty pony from the train.
I grabbed the other pony doll I had, a bit bigger than the other one and this one had armor on it I made myself out of cardboard I found in the closet and some tinfoil from the kitchen. In as deep as a voice I could do I said “I’ll save you pretty pony! Come along Spear Pony!” I then went off to save the damsel, attempting to fly with my buggy wings but I fell on my face instead. Shrugging off that slightly embarrassing attempt at flying, I continued towards my toys. But when I turned around my toys were gone.
“Huh? Where’d the pretty pony go...and my train!” I let go of the spear pony to search the room, but found nothing, not even under the the bed i was using as a train tunnel. I Turned to grab the spear pony and maybe go ask mom to help, but the spear pony had vanished as well.
I was starting to get really upset at this. I left the sanctuary of my room to go ask mom where my toys had gone, but when I got to the living room mom was gone as well. I checked the Kitchen, the bedrooms, the bathroom, but there was no sign of anyone.
I was about to start crying like the foal I was, but I heard a distant noise. It sounded like...laughing? No, there was a better word for it but I couldn't remember what the teacher said it was. I went to investigate the sound and found it was coming from the front door of the apartment. I could tell it wasn't moms laugh, it was much nicer than the mean sounding laugh I was hearing. What was that word...we learned it just yesterday…
I was scared at first, but then I thought ‘Whoever is laughing this much must have took my toys! Well i’ll show this mean bully not to mess with my stuff!’ with the mustered courage I had now, I walked towards the...hearty laughing? Ah, this is so aggravating! I know what the word is but I can’t think of it! Using this frustration to fuel the anger that was going to be soon used on the bullies stupid face, I turned the knob on the door and-
Stared at a black shadowy cloud with REALLY mean looking eyes and teeth!
“HAHAHAHA! Come little Foal! I’ll turn you into a loyal Changeling of the Swarm! HAAAHAHAHAHA!”
Guffawing! That was the word! Okayrunningnowbye! I turned and ran as fast as my little hole filled legs could go, and ran out the back door of the apartments, only to run into a giant swirling hole in the ground and stop just short of a very bad end.
“Don’t run my little changeling. I will make a devoted drone out of you and you will help feed your people!”
Not knowing how to respond to something like that under stress and slowing back up to a ledge I did the only sensible thing I could do.
“MOOOOM!!!”
Unfortunately, mom was gone. And the only thing to replace her was this Nightmare before me, and the big hole that gravity was pulling me down to.
One thing I've noticed about ponies is that they all seem to think that when you wake up you're supposed to sit straight up in bed and go “Aah!” or something. From what I've personally experienced, this is almost never the case. Normally you slowly come to your senses and wake up. Sometimes, if you were out drinking, you will wake up like nothings wrong and then have all the memories of last night hit you like a brick wall and realize you slept with a bug who feasted on one of your emotions last night and that's why you feel like garbage.
For me, I didn't have to try to remember what happened before I fell asleep because the pain emanating from every part of my body immediately reminded me of the rough landing on the not cushion'y golden stuff. I was more worried about my own health instead of personal safety, so I decided to gauge the pain in my joints. Unfortunately, even trying to move my wings resulted in pain that made my groggy vision go white. My hooves ached a lot, but i'm sure I could stand on them if I really had too.
After the White in my vision decided it was done making fun of me, I decided to try and figure out where I was. first thing I noticed was that instead of lying down in a crater, I was on a pony's bed. And boy was it soft, I really didn't want to get up, but that might have also been due to the pain. Looking around, I found myself to be in a small room with hardwood floors and walls with actual wallpaper. Probably the guest room considering the lack of anything defining it as someone's personal bedroom.
Noticing a door on the other side of the room that was open enough to see a toilet, I decided that I should probably get up and relive myself since that crash surely put me out for a few hours at least. so I stood up off the bed only to collapse onto the floor and groan in even more pain. My back left hoof was in searing pain, and after taking a good look at it I found that my exoskeleton was cracked. Only one was to fix it.
I spat on it.
Changelings make a sort of slime from the glands in their mouths that we use everyday for things, like candle wax, or makeshift lights, or even glue. luckily spitting it onto a cracked exoskeleton helps protect it from infections, and it has special healing properties for changelings to help the exoskeleton mend itself. So no, I did not just spit on an open wound to make it worse.
Hobbling my way into the bathroom I saw something move out the corner of my eye and panicked slightly, only to realize it was my own reflection. I could see I didn't look that bad considering I just crashed into solid dirt. in fact it looks like somepony tried to clean me a little...maybe I was covered in dirt. On the top of my head I could see the tell tale sign of my hair growing. changelings in the swarm were forced to shave it all off on a daily basis, but I liked my hair. And because of how much I liked my Ice blue mane I always got in trouble when I didn't go to get it cut as soon as possible.
After using the facilities and washing my hands with no soap since somepony didn't put any in here, I decided it would be best if I tried to leave as stealthily as I could befo-
“Oh, you finally woke up! How’s the leg?” Said the mare who had apparently walked into the room while I was washing my hooves. She wasn't a bad looking mare either, Light brown coat with a very bright yellowish gold mane topped off with a horn of the same color. Her cutie mark seemed to be more of the gold stuff from earlier in a row.
I bet she gets all the stallions in town. and mares.
My lack of a response was mainly due to me remembering I didn't shut the door behind me and I was a bit paranoid she watched me relive myself, but it was met with her going, “Wait, do you even speak my language...CAN. YOU. UNDER-STAND. ME?”
“Ye-” i tried talking but i had to cough a bit first since it felt like I hadn't talked in a long time. How long was I out…
“Yes, I can understand you, i’m not deaf.” I replied with a little bit of snideness, but that was from the pain of her loud voice and my aching hoof and wings.
“Oh good, I was afraid you wouldn't even be able to walk, let alone hear me after that crash landing you took into my Wheat fields.”
Oh, so that's what that golden stuff was. I think ponies used it to make bread, among other things.
“Well, i’m walking, I can hear just fine, and you don’t need to worry about me not being ok.”
“Well sorry! I saved your life you know! You could be a little bit nicer you know!”
She’s right, she probably did save my life. Not to mention I seemed to have landed on her farm, and I probably caused some damage considering how fast I was going.
*Sigh* “You're right, sorry, its just i'm in quite a bit of pain right now and you yelling at me didn't help. I guess I should at least try to be friendly since you save my life. What’s your name?”
“Amber. Amber Waves. Nice to meet you! You got a name?”
I was going to say something, but the only name i could think of was of the pony i was impersonating in Canterlot recently, and I didn't want to risk her tricking me into admitting i was with that idiot of a queen.
“Uhh...I...don’t have a name.”
“What? you mean bug ponies don't get names when they’re born?”
“No, they do, its just I...don’t remember what it was…” I got flashes of a train set and evil laughing cloud for a moment, only to get a little down about how my life is. Dammit gravity, even working on my emotions…
She must have seen my melancholy look because she decided to change the subject.
“So...where you from?”
I was a bit caught off guard. Most people don't ask someone like me that. At least not when they’re talking to me and not a disguise.
“Pterygopolis, the changeling capital. Where am I right now is my question.”
“The guest room.” She said in a matter-of-fact way.
“...Could you be a bit more specific?”
“My Farm house.” she said again, in a matter-of-fact way.
“Okay, a lot more specific.”
“My house on my farm that you landed on, Golden Plains Farm. You crashed in the western field of the farm, which now has a crater in it by the way, and you've been unconscious in the guestroom for the past week making me wonder whether or not you were alive!” She said in a mostly passive aggressive way that made me wonder if she nursed me back to health to kill me for the damage.
“Well, that’s alo- A WEEK?!” I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A WEEK?!”
“Yea. You must be heavy sleeper..”
I had no words. My mind was trying to wrap around the fact that it had been a full 7 days since the Invasion of Canterlot. I needed to get back to the...hive. Wait, I can’t feel the hive...i should be able to feel what direction its in with my magic but...either somethings blocking me...or...that weird explosion (That tasted SO good) did something. Either way, I’m in no condition to try and find my way back...and I really didn't want to go back. That means that i'm free from the queens will! I could do whatever I want!
“Well shit...what do i do now...I'm...free.” I said to myself.
“Ooh no. You're not going anywhere until you either pay me for the damage to my farm, or help me fix it!”
“Oh really? And if I refused?” I said smugly.
"I can report to the local guardsmen that a changeling has appeared in town. After the wedding fiasco that happened the exact same day you crashed into my farm, im pretty sure you be locked up, or interrogated! or-”
She didn't have time to finish that sentence as i spat adhesive goo onto all her hooves.
“Sorry, I finally have a chance at freedom from that evil tyrant, i'm not letting anyone ruin my life again. I’m really sorry for the damage I did, and i'm really sorry for kinda proving the stereotype that changelings are bad, but I will never be a slave, for you or any queen.”
“W-wait! Don’t leave me here you ungrateful little...you weren't going to be a slave! I just need help with-”
She stopped talking when she realized i was getting ready to spit more adhesive onto her mouth.
“No! don't do it! That's disgusting! Don't you da-”
Well, that takes care of that. I left the guest room to look for stuff to use in the house. I found a cloak hanging on a coat rack which should be more than enough. When I entered the kitchen I briefly thought about going back upstairs and getting some food...but I figured that she probably already had a bad opinion of me and didn't want to make her madder. In the kitchen however, I found a picture of a Stallion with a light gray coat and brown mane wearing a long brown jacket. The guy didn't look like he was used to smiling. I shape-shifted my self to look like him, but then I found a map of the nearby area, noticing the closest town was very, very small.
The thing about small towns is that everyone there probably knew who this stallion was, and I could get mistake for him. Deciding it best to try something else, I changed the mane to a different color (Ice blue! Just like mine!) and changed my coat to a darker grey. I should probably be a Unicorn since my wings need time to heal and magic would be very useful to have just in case.
I put on the stolen cloak, and took the map with me to find this town on the map marked as “Gallopton” (ah, pony races and their punny names) and exited the small farm house. I was immediately blinded when i left the house, realizing that it was sometime after noon. The Wheat fields were an absolutely beautiful gold in the sunlight around me. When I was done admiring the scenery, I decided to walk in the direction the map took me.
A 20 minute uneventful walk down a dirt road later, and I found myself walking down the “Mane street”. From the distance I could tell it was a VERY small town. It seemed like an old west frontier town, but in all honesty it looks a bit more modern. The kind of small town where everyone knows each other and word travels a little too fast. A good distance away from the nearest build was a structure that I was pretty sure was for intimidation purposes, but I had a feeling it was still used today: A Gallows.
“Not the most welcoming sign.” I said to myself. I’m sure that if anyone in this town found out what I was I was guaranteed dead thanks to the backwater inhabitants. now that I thought about it, if that girl told anyone in town about me, then I’d already be dead...I guess her farm is really important to her. No wonder she wanted me to stay and fix it.
Well, after ignoring my feelings of how much of a jerk i must be, I continued into town. Surprisingly, most ponies i passed on the street said ‘hello’ or smiled and waved at me to welcome me to their small town. This was much different than changelings towns. Hell, it was different from Canterlot, and I was there for a royal wedding! I thought small towns were supposed to be reclusive and hide some horrible secrete behind closed doors.
I was walking down the street like most of the inhabitants seemed to be doing at this time of day. I passed a building that smelled vaguely like a house of love which immediately reminded me of home. Oh yea, that's basically what a whore house is in the changeling lands, mainly a tourist trap for food, but its a very distinct smell. I continued past it, ignoring my stomach, when I noticed most of the inhabitants of the small town seemed to all be going to a building with a sign that said “Stiff Drink’s Saloon” and I could hear some kind of pony music coming from the building. I was a bit curious, pony music was always nice sounding, if a bit too cheery, so I went inside to see what was going on.
I've only ever been in a bar once, and changeling bars aren't too impressive from what I remember. But there was one key difference between that bar and this saloon. This saloon has happy ponies that are jolly as all hell and they all smelled like they worked at a brewery that was recently lit on fire. Ignoring the smell of alcohol, I noticed the music was coming from an older looking stallion playing a...Piano I think its called, never really seen one. But better than his playing skill was the mare in the dress singing!
I very rarely ever got to hear pony music, but when I did it was always this upbeat cheerful stuff that made you feel good. This pony was dancing and singing around to the Piano ponies music like she felt like she was on fire and loving it! Of course most ponies wouldn't enjoy being on fire, but considering she also looked like she was on fire is the reason I said that. She had on this dark red dress that seemed alluring, but underneath it she had a bright orange coat that went along with her mane, which matched the dress. The dress was covering her cutie mark, but if I had to guess it had something to do with singing!
I watched her sing and entertain the small crowd for a while before having a look around the bar. Figured if I was going to stay and listen to the show I might as well have a seat. In the back of the bar however, I found a stallion shuffling pieces of square paper around in his hooves muttering to himself. He had a black coat darker than mine at the moment, and blood red hair. (Not the best looking stallion…) i could see his cutie mark had some of the weird paper on it in a sort of row, with some symbols i didn't recognize and numbers.
When he noticed me staring he said, “Well, you must be new in town! don’t suppose you know how to play poker, do ya?”
I, being a changeling who was pretty much raised into a drone for the swarm, had no idea what “Poker” was.
“No, ive never really had the chance to play it. don’t suppose you could show me?” whatever he was doing I had a feeling people would be a bit suspicious if i didn't know what this Poker thing was.
“Well, unlike most drunken asses that come in here, you're actually willing to learn, so I’d have to say heck yes! Sit down in that chair and I promise to go easy on ya’, rookie.”
“...And that's pretty much it! Some people like to make a few side bets to make some extra bits, but i'm sure you could figure it out!”
I’d lost track of time while i was learning how to Gamble money away in a card game. It was really fun, but i didn't see why ponies would want to waste their hard earned bits on a card game like this, especially since this guy obviously cheated at it. I saw him grab cards out of his jacket sleeve more than once, but even so i managed to get about 10 bits out of him.
“Thanks! Its really fun. you know, I never caught your name.” I said. figured i might as well learn who it was trying to cheat me out of my bits. I could recognize him a mile away with his terrible mane and coat colors, which I could tell he dyed them since his sweat dulled the colors a bit.
“Just call me Dealer, kid. you don't need to know me as anything but a nice man who taught you how to play a game. Hell, let me tell you a story about this one girl i taught and her husban- Oh hey there she is now! Hey Amber Waves! Hows the farm doin’?”
Wait, where have I heard...oh horse apples.
I felt something grab my shoulders from behind and get a little too close for my personal space. “Pretty good Dealer! I see you met my cousin from out of town!”
Cousin? the hell is she getting at…
“Cousin? Girl, I thought you said you didn't have any relatives?”
“when did I ever say that?” she said nervously.
“Always! Nearly everyone in this town kno-”
“Well you're completely wrong. Don't suppose you could move somewhere else while i have a chat with my cousin?” Ah crap. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get away from this girl easily, now that we’re in public and spitting goo at her is definitely not going to work this time.
Dealer left as fast as he could. I wonder if he was afraid of her…
“Well , where did you think you were going when you left the house in a hurry?” She put emphasis on cousin as if i didn't realize she was giving me something to work with.
“Well cousin, I was planning on skipping town and going out to make a living free from that laughable excuse for a queen. But now it seems i'm stuck in a bar full of ponies who will know the moment something goes wrong. So tell me, what do you want from me.?”
“Id like you to work off the damages you caused to my farm. Its not very cheap to fix a crater, plus i looked up a bit on changelings and realized, you really have no where to go now. If you hate this queen as much as i'm thinking you do, then you won't go back, but since you're alone in a land of people who probably only see a bug, i'm the only person who's going to offer you a warm bed and a roof over your head. Hows that sound?”
In all honesty, it was actually sounding like a decent deal. she did save my life and i was regretting running away earlier…
"Don’t you have a husband though? I saw the pictures. I highly doubt he’d be ok with it.”
“Hes been dead for 5 years. But lets not dwell on that. By the sound of it you're considering my offer, is that right?”
“Yes, but I doubt i'll be staying long without a way to pay you back for the damage, and i highly doubt you have a way to feed me.” Really hoping the food part scares her off if she did her research right.
“I’m sure you noticed the whore house on you way into town. besides, i doubt it’d be that hard to find a different way of feeding you. So, it’s a deal?”
She held out a hoof to me over the table. i'll admit, if i could make a name for myself in this town, id probably never have to worry about food ever again. I bumped her hoof with mine, sealing the deal.
“Great! we can talk about ways for you to make money after we celebrate our friendship! Prairie! I need 2 root beers over here!”
“Coming!” I heard a sing song voice across the room respond. I was surprised to see it was the flaming hot mare from earlier, only this time in a waitress outfit and carrying a plate with 2 fizzy drinks on it with her head. I noticed her cutie mark was a flaming music note over a shot glass. Well, not surprised in the least after seeing that performance earlier, even for an Earth pony.
“Two root beers! And- oh hello! you must be new in town! I saw you walk in during the performance earlier.” The fiery mare was very upbeat…
“Prairie Fire, this is my cousin...uh...Frozen fields! Yea, he came from Canterlot to stay with me for a while and help with the farm! Isn't that right, Cousin?” I’m guessing her family has a history of farming if she put fields in there...
“Yeeaaa, i'm from Canterlot. After I left Celestia's school I came here for...uhm, peaceful farm life and to follow my roots and stuff.” Amber chimed in with "His side of the family used to farm in cold places like Tundras, and stuff." She didn't give me any better details. If anyone asks which part of her family were my parents, i'm screwed.
“Amber! I thought you said you didn't have any cousins! And I didn't expect him to be handsome to boot!” She barely knows me and shes flirting with me? Who knows, maybe she can be useful as a buffet…
“Everyone keeps saying that. But yea, he’ll be staying with me while I show him the farm. In fact, hes going to help me repair the damage from that meteor that hit the farm."
“Well that's great! If you ever need a drink, Frozen, just stop on by! Or if you ever want to see a fantastic performance, I might be persuaded for a private show, only for good freinds of Amber's of course.” I don’t know about drinks, but I did enjoy the music, that's for sure. And she didn't seem like a prostitute, so I'm hoping a private performance meant watching her sing. And no, not in that way, i meant actual singing!
“Alright! It’s settled! To my cousin!” She held the drink in the air with her magic, I'm guessing she expects me to toast with her..
“To me!” I used my magic to bump the drinks together, while droplets of the fizzy concoction fell to the ground, ever being pulled by gravity.
Author's Note
Leave a comment Below!
first story I ever actually did. Now I just need to go back and fix stuff...
if anyone notices anything or something, please leave a comment! always looking for ways to improve!
EDIT: I went back and cleaned as much of it I could find, hopefully its legible now.
I remember hearing some old pony saying that went “Home is where the heart is.” I never really understood it, but then again there are a lot of things about Ponies I don't understand. I mean really, its your heart, if its not inside you then you're dead. How would you be able to call a place a home if you weren't alive to call it such?
Oh well, not like pony philosophy really mattered to me. The only place I ever called home was the small apartment i spent a short amount of my childhood in. I never called the castle barracks home, that's for sure. Pterygopolis was a hometown, but i feel that’s different than an actual home.
This small town I've ended up in...I wasn't so sure I could call it home. Not yet at least. I knew a total of two ponies here, the girl who saved me and gave me a place to stay, and the mare who served me a drink (A very foamy one at that…). But if i was going to stay here and work as a freelance...well, freelance pony, then i had a feeling i was going to meet a lot more of the town ponies. I've already met the bar owner, Prairie Fire, who did musical numbers every now and again at the bar. I also noticed that Amber liked to watch her walk away back to her customers while she stared at her...well, lets say tail.
And shortly after we made a toast to me, a pony walked up to the table we were at and decided to investigate who the new pony in town was.
“Amber! Good to see you in town for once. Who's the unicorn?” A large Earth pony with a gruff voice said behind me as he approached. The first thing that stood out on him was the polished silver star shaped object on his shoulder that had the word ‘Sheriff’ on it. The jacket he was wearing looking like cowhide, the black stetson had some wear and tear, and around his back and waist was a length of rope, but tucked under the rope so it was just barely visible was what appeared to be a noose. Likely a intimidation trick. His cutie mark was a Golden Star like the one on his chest, but it had a pony skull on it. Classy.
The look on this guys face said ‘Make a move, I dare you. Give me the excuse.’ This guy rubbed me the wrong way, just like chrysalis did those years ago. I have a feeling me and him are not going to like each other.
“Oh hi sheriff. This is my cousin Frozen Fields! He came all the way from Canterlot to stay with me and get a job here in town.” Amber didn't seem intimidated by him, but the air in the bar went quiet after he walked in.
“Cousin? Really?” I didn't like that tone the ‘really’ had…
“Well, Frozen whatever, which one of Amber's many Aunts and uncles are you related to?” I’m pretty sure any idiot could tell this was a trick question, especially since he seems to know Amber pretty well, and the fact that Dealer and Prairie Fire had pretty much mentioned that it was well known she didn't have any cousins…
“Oh, hes uh...Auntie Lichen’s child!” Amber said, and i'm really hoping he believes that.
“I thought your aunt Lichen died young?” He asked with quite a lot of doubt.
“She did, rest her soul, but before she died she had Frozen Fields here. He grew up in an orphanage. Hell, I didn't even know about him until i traced my ancestry a few years ago!”
“Right, and why didn't he answer the question?” Oh, this guy is trouble.
“Because I find it rude to interrupt people while they’re talking.” Perhaps being snide with the local law enforcement was stupid, but hes asking for it.
He stared at me for a long moment before he smiled and sat down. “Well! Good to see some ponies have manners! Oh, i forgot my bag of bits by the phone...Amber? Would you kindly go get them for me? I'd hate to leave just after I sat down.”
“Sure thing!” Amber got up and left me alone with this Earth Pony. Now that he sat down, i got a better look at him. His coat was dirt brown, but i’m not sure if that's because he was dirty, or if it was his natural coat color. His mane looked to be a very bright blue, if it also wasn't so dirty looking.
After she was out of earshot he turned to me and grinned a crooked and toothy grin.
“Listen here, smart ass. I know for a fact that she doesn't really have any cousins, so you magically appearing in my town out of thin air is suspicious. And i don't like suspicious people. So why don't you go ahead, and tell me who you really are, tough guy?”
“I really don’t know what you're trying to say sheriff. I’m Frozen Fields. I only found out she was my cousin a few years ago.” I tried to say it with as little smugness as I could, but even then he still seemed to not care.
After a moment of silence, Amber returned with his bits in her magic. “Here ya go sheriff! C’mon Frozen, I still have to show you around town!”
With that the little “talk” with the sheriff ended and we got up to leave the bar. Amber said goodbye to Prairie Fire and we walked out the doors, only to bump into someone on the way out and knock him down.
“Uh, sorry about that.” I helped him up. First thing I noticed about the skinny pony was the same silver star the sheriff had, only it said ‘deputy’ instead. The next thing I noticed was that he was a Pegasus, which would explain why he was so skinny and lightweight. The Silvery pegasus was dusting himself off after being knocked into the dirt. At least he had a much cleaner coat then the sheriff. After patting the dirt off of his dull yellow hair, he looked up and noticed me. I must stand out quite a bit in this town, was it the horn?
“Oh hey! You the new guy in town. I wanted to find ya before my brother the sheriff did.” He seemed pretty happy about meeting a new face, unlike his jerk of a brother.
“He did. Its ok though, I'm guessing its only me he tries not to make good impressions on.”
“Ah, yea he's a bit rough with new people. Anyway, what's your name, stranger?” He asked and held out his hoof.
Taking his hoof and shaking it like i saw other ponies do, i said “Frozen Fields. I'm Amber's ‘non-existent’ cousin.” I said with a deadpan attitude.
“Well, nice to meet you Frozen Fields, I’m Silver Star, and welcome to town! Id show you around, but I have to make sure my older brother Lone Star doesn't arrest someone for looking at him.” The stallion hurried off into the bar. He seemed like a nice guy. I wonder if there was anyone in town he was seeing, it seemed like all the mares would like him at least. Although he seemed a bit...girly.
“If you're interested in him go ask him out, he's into stallions.” Well, so much for getting mares. She must have noticed i was staring at his cutie mark. It was a silver Sheriff's star, but it had wings behind it. I had no intention of asking him out, in fact, there was really only one thing i could ever need from him, but it would probably be bad to feed off of a law official.
“While he is attractive, I don't think feeding off him would be wise, y’know.” I might as well tell her my intentions since the ‘I was looking at the cutie mark, I swear!’ excuse probably wasn't believable.
“No, I meant asking- oh never mind. We should probably find someone to make sure your ok after the crash, even if you need to stay disguised. C’mon, i'll take you to the town doctor!”
After being taken a few buildings down the street Amber took me to a normal looking two-story building, only hanging out front was a sign with a red cross, the international sign for a doctor. After being led inside by Amber, I entered a wide, clean and room with a few chairs for ponies to wait in, but nobody in them. Considering this was a small town I guess they really did only have one doctor. Sitting in the chair at a desk reading a magazine was a Zebra, surprising to see in these parts of Equestria. He had the normal stripes, a short mane cut and short tail. The glyph, or whatever zebras called it, was a outline of a scientific beaker with smoke coming out of it.
“Xenos, why are you just sitting there?” Amber said. The Zebra turned to look at her and noticed me standing nearby through his glasses.
“No patients today, yet. Who’s this nice looking stallion? New in town?” And now the Zebra is flirting with me. What's that, two ponies now? Amazing. I noticed on his desk was a small statuette, made of Jade and amber resin, the base of which was made with changeling slime! That's a piece of changeling art, I've only ever seen art like it in the palace! Did that mean he knew about changelings? Maybe I should try showing him who I was, probably be easier to fix my wing if he could see it.
“This is my cousin, and before you ask yes i really do have a cousin, Frozen fields. He-”
“Its nice of you to keep covering for me, but I have a feeling I can trust him.” I interrupted amber, and proceeded to shut the blinds of the waiting room. I then revealed my normal changeling form to the zebra, who was surprised at first.
“Ah! A changeling! It has been a very long time since I've been to their lands. Amber is wise to keep you hidden. Most ponies are not very friendly to...different ponies, like you and me.”
“Tell me about it. Even disguised, the sheriff is a jerk. Anyway, Amber brought me here to have my injuries looked at, and I heard you're a doctor?”
“Of course, come to the exam room, its better lit. I’m guessing by the look of you that you were once part of Chrysalis’ swarm?” It worried me that he knew so much already, but that probably means he can actually fix me up.
“Was. I hated it since the moment I was forced into it. After Canterlot though...I don't feel chained to her anymore. Free, if you will.”
“Yes, I remember the magical ritual that bound changelings to the queen's will. But I thought you had to volunteer for it?”
“Not anymore.” I answered. As we walked I remembered the horrid ritual. After it was complete, it felt like being trapped in your own body with very little you can do to influence your actions. They bound you to her will, into a mindless drone of a slave to work or clean or fight. when they picked me to be a warrior, I was only glad because it meant an early death from my fate.
“I’m sorry to hear about that. Changeling laws must have changed since i was last there. Lie down on the exam table.”
After I did what he asked he took a good look around my body. I felt like he was taking too good of a look...
“I see you fixed the crack in your foreleg. I have something that will mend it quicker though...Your left wing seems to be healing well, but the right wing isn't.”
That comment made my mind jump to a conclusion involving chopping a wing off. “Is there anything you can do to fix it?”
“Its going to take an extra potent remedy, but yes. Although after drinking it I advise you from flying or even hovering for a few days. How long has you wing been like this? I need to know for the dosage.”
“About a week now.” Amber answered for me. I saw the doctor cringe at that.
“Your wings have been like THAT for a week and you didn't have anypony look at it?!”
“I've been unconscious for the whole time. Blame her.” I really didn't feel like getting chewed out for something I would have done.
“H-hey! I didn’t know what to do! I knew if i brought you into town the sheriff would have probably attacked you on sight.” She had a very good point...
“Oh well, its just...going to take a bit more materials. And it might not taste too good.” He said as he rummaged around the alchemical ingredients he had in a cupboard.
“I'm a changeling. Anything you combine together is going to taste like sh-” I noticed him putting in a flower that i could tell was full of love, Hearts Desire I think the plant was called. It was a flower zebra's used for all kinds of different potions, and changelings like to use bits of it in alcohol and food, but its a luxury item in most places.
“I used to tend to changeling mares and stallions, not to mention royalty. Believe me, its going to taste moderately good with a hint of bleh. Although if you want more love to go with the medicine, you're going to have to ask Amber to leave for a bit. Or she can stay, if shes into that sort of thing. I think its legal with cousins...” He gave me as seductive of a look he could try for. Wow, he’s really going for it. Points for trying.
“I’m not hungry. And I prefer the direct way of taking love.” I turned down his tempting, if forward, offer. I could see Amber blushing at the implications the zebra was making. Knowing i wasn't really her cousin probably helped make it less creepy for her.
“Odd, how are you not hungry? You've been out cold for a week...wait, you were at the Canterlot invasion?”
I nodded “Ah! It must have been the Love Explosion! You must have absorbed a fair amount of it and don’t feel the need to feed. Wonder how long it will be untill it wears off… So anyway, why do you prefer the other way of feeding?”
“Because I have self control. Plus its a stereotype in pony lands from what I've seen. Some changelings get addicted to the sex method and it's all they ever want. After being in an army of mindlessness, i'm not going to let myself be ruled by an addiction.” I've seen many changelings get addicted to that method. some went to work at the Houses of Love in the cities, but some...they would rather take what they want.
The zebra put the bowl of fluid in front of me and I drank it. He was right, it tasted like crap. But at least I could kinda taste a bit of the love in it, so it went down better.
“Keep off those wings for at least three days, otherwise you could risk the muscles tearing or worse. I do hope you visit again soon, It's always a bit slow in the office, and its rare I get to work on changelings, especially attractive ones.” I’ll keep that in mind if i ever get hungry…
“Thanks doctor.” I shapeshifted back into my disguise.
“It’s no trouble. Oh, I never caught your real name.” I hope he wasn't keeping medical record on me now, last thing i need is for someone to see them and find out my secrete.
“I...don’t have one. I forgot what it was ever since I joined the swarm. I can’t remember what my own mother ever looked like either…” I remember flashes of blue hair like mine...but that's it.
He must have sensed it was not a pleasant topic. “Frozen Fields then. If you ever think of a better name please do share with me!”
Amber seemed a bit excited for me to finally be healed enough to go meet the rest of the town. “Thanks again for patching him up. I’m going to keep showing him around town, so he’ll be staying with me.”
“Come again soon! I can never get enough mares or stallions in here, I keep them too healthy!” With that, Amber led me out of the clinic and back out into the town she called her home.
After a short walk across the street, Amber led me to another building with a sign out front with a book on it saying ‘Library and book store’.
“A Library? We walked across the street just so you could show me a library?” I wasn’t entertained by this. I almost felt like she was trying to imply something.
“Yea! Library’s have books on all kinds of things like farming, or mythical creatures and monsters, or pony culture!” She seemed a little too excited about showing me.
“I already know that, it’s not like we don’t have libraries where i’m from.”
“I-I didn't mean it like that! I meant there's a lot of stuff ponies can learn from libraries! I bet you could find a picture of a Breezie and turn into one!” Breezies? Did she really think I could turn into one of those things?
“I can’t shapeshift into something that small. At Least not without a lot of magical power. But I don't think that's a discussion to have out in the open, lets go inside. I’ll be surprised if I can find a book on my own culture.”
We walking into the slightly cramped building, there was practically a maze of bookshelves lining the room. Thankfully the ones not attached to a wall weren't so high that we couldn't see over them. The whole place smelled of dust and age, like the smell a really old book gives off when you open it. there was a small book-lined hallway leading into another part of the store, a staircase leading to a balcony with even more books, and a door behind the counter in the corner with a sign that read ‘Adults only’ on it. I'm guessing that's where the more steamy books are kept. I also smelled...wait, was that cat piss?! Man, cats hate me, they always attack me for no reason!
Up the stairs I could hear a rustling noise. Amber shouted up the stairs at whoever was up there, “Hey Page Turner!” I heard a crashing sound. I guess we freaked out the pony who was up there…wait, aren't you supposed to NOT shout in a library? What the hell Amber?"
“What?! Who is it?! Who’s there?!” A Bright white Unicorn with dark green messy hair looked over the balcony at us. He seemed to calm down a little when he saw Amber, but when he saw me I could tell he was on edge again. This guy seemed a bit...jumpy.
“It’s Amber. I brought my Cousin to show him your library.”
“Cousin? you don’t have any cousins, you said so yourself. “ He squinted at me as if he was trying to find a resemblance. Good luck with that, buddy.
“You not the only person to say that today. Why don’t you come down and show him around? Maybe we’ll find something good to read.”
The skittish pony contemplated it for a second before he started coming down the stairs.
“Page has been jumpy and paranoid ever since a string of murders five years ago, his neighbors were killed, The Butcher, The Baker, and The Candlestick maker. Poor guy hasn't trusted anyone ever since.” Amber whispered this into my ears while we waited for the stallion to come down.
“H-hello. I’m the librarian. is there anything in particular you're looking for?” It was clear he didn't like meeting new people.
“Uhm. Got any books on Mythology, Cultures of the world, or Creatures? Maybe some books on spells?" I’ll admit, it was probably useful to know what some things looked like should i ever need to change into one. I also wanted to see if he had books on my culture since i knew very little of it.
He used his magic to summon some books off of different shelves and laid them on the counter next to a cash register. On the wall I noticed a certificate of graduation from Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. At least now I knew what one looked like.
“Monster-pedia, Myth’s of the World, Spells for the Magically Inclined. Is there a specific Culture you're looking for?” He held up at least six different books of varying sizes in the air.
“I've heard a lot about changelings recently after the wedding…” With that he plopped down a mid sized book labeled ‘The Changeling Empire, a research guide’ with a rough looking sketch of a changeling. a drone by the look of it.
“20 Bits.” He looked expectantly at me. I grabbed the bits from my poker game out of the cloak pocket and handed 20 of them over, and bagged the books in the pockets.
“Thank you for your patronage, now please leave. I have to organize the bookshelf that got knocked over.” Well, he wasn't very nice. He clearly didn't want strangers around his library. If i didn't know any better i'd say he didn't even want the locals near it.
“Alright. Hey Cousin, is there anywhere in town to get something to ‘Eat’? I’m starting to feel a bit peckish.” I hoped Amber understood what I was implying, otherwise id have to say it out loud.
“Yea sure thing!, i’ll show you where.” She sounded a little too excited to show me where the local whore house was…
“You do realize I meant something I can actually eat? I wasn't talking about pony food.” Amber led me to another building, but the sign out front said ‘Diner’ and had eating utensils on it. Don’t get me wrong, changelings can in fact eat normal food, but it all tastes terrible. I guess centuries of eating emotions kinda dulls you taste. Changelings used to have their own foods a long time ago, but that was before food tasted like bland dirt.
“I refuse to believe you can't eat normal food! Besides, Buttermilk makes all of her foods with love.”
“That’s just a pony saying. I highly doubt there is any real edible love inside of anything she cooks.”
With that she led the way into the building. It kinda looked like the bar, with a long counter taking up most of the room for people to sit at. Behind the counter cooking up a couple of different foods was a Brown mare in an apron. She had her hair up in a bun or something, and her cutie mark appeared to be...what were they? They looked like brown disks, covered in syrup or something, and had a yellow square on them. I think I heard a pony in Canterlot call them ‘Pan-cakes’ or something.
“Buttermilk! Meet my cousin from Canterlot! And yes, I have a cousin.” The brown mare and her light brown hair bun turned to look at me and Amber.
“Well, he is a decent looking Stallion. I hope his taste buds aren't spoiled by any hoity toity Canterlot food!”
“Lets find out! Make him some of your famous buttermilk pancakes! And make sure to put as much love as you can into it!” She winked at me, and I still doubted her about and love being in it. Still, it would be impolite to turn down her food. I guess ill just have to stomach it…
“Girl, you know I put as much love as I can into my cooking! Hell, its on the house for the newcomer!” Very generous.
“Buttermilk's from the same part of the world as Sapphire Shores, that's what the accent is about.” Really, I could barely notice.
We waited and chatted for a while at the counter. The smell of the food cooking was delightful.
“So...do changelings say stuff with a ‘ling’ suffix? Like ‘Anyling’, or ‘Everyling’?”
“That’s is probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard, and i was in a changeling army.”
“I was just wondering…And if the food isn't good, the 'Hidden Raven' is about a block away from the bar.”
Luckily Buttermilk finished cooking, i didn't know if i could handle another dumb question. The fluffy looking disks on the plate were a golden brown and coated in tree sap. Why would ponies use tree sap in cooking…
“Here ya go, sugar! Lets see if you like them!”
I levitated a fork into the pancakes and lift a small slice of it into my mouth. Imagine my surprise when it actually tasted amazing! I’d never eaten food like this. This was NOT a thing I've ever even heard of! I must find out how ponies actually put love into their foods!
...After I finish devouring these amazing pancakes!
Author's Note
Chapter 2 took forever, mainly because everything i wanted to cram into the chapter would make it about 10k words. I've gotten most of the spelling mistakes, but ill probably go back through and proof read it with a friend.
Let me know if there's something i should change! I'm always looking to improve.
