The Changeling's Tale

"Muhmf" I groaned, grumbling through a mouthful of the gray sand that filled that forsaken desert. I was laying half buried in a sand dune, my stores of energy exhausted and body aching from dehydration. I gasped and spat, trying to clear my mouth of the accursed gritty substance, but the sand was like cinnamon- stiflingly dry and stuck to every part of my mouth. I sighed, summoning the strength to roll onto my back so that I could look up at the sky. After a moment of consideration, I closed my eyes and grumbled to myself again- it seemed too cliche to die staring up at the sky.

Just as I was starting to contemplate what the afterlife would be like, I heard the soft sounds of someone's hooves on the sand carried on the wind. I opened my eyes once more and looked around- in the distance, I could vaguely make out the silhouette of someone standing on the dune that served as the horizon, approaching from what I was fairly sure was the same direction I'd come from.

I hoped that they'd see me- oh, how I pleaded with fate that they would have water, or anything to drink at all. Then, as if time had passed me by, they were suddenly walking past me without a second glance. Guessing that the night had shrouded me from their gaze, I watched in despair and made a frantic effort to make any kind of noise, struggling to get their attention in some way or another. But, all I could squeeze from my tired and dry vocal chords was a tiny squeak, less than that of a mouse. I closed my eyes once more and let my head fall back against the sand- if I hadn't already been laying on the sand, I might've slumped in overtly theatrical defeat.

A sob rose in my throat, and I suddenly became furious- I choked out the sob and growled to myself. If I had the strength to feel sorry for myself, I had the strength to call for help. I sucked in a deep breath, drew up all the strength I had left, and yelled. "Help me!" I shouted into the wind, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the night-cloaked figure stop and turn. I watched them approach, heaving a relieved sigh as my consciousness slipped away. The last thing I saw before the mini-coma claimed me was a strangely familiar pair of lightly glowing violet eyes.

I woke to something astounding- grass and a nice, cool breeze. My throat felt as if I'd somehow gotten something to drink, and from what I could feel, someone had cleaned most of the sand off of me. I raised my head and gave a quick look around, searching for my savior and trying to figure out where in the world I was.

The land around me was brown and rugged, and most of the flora was stubby and coarse- but, from the clear blue skies and fresh breeze, it wasn't hard to tell that I'd somehow reached the western border of Equestria. I'd made it, just barely, to what the ponies called the 'Mild West'. Just as I came to this conclusion, I heard a rustling sound behind me and jumped up, spinning to face the source of the disturbance with a defiant hoof raised.

I came face to face with the violet eyed changeling that had been my savior- and my assistant for a very short while before that. "Genesis?" I asked incredulously, staring at him in pure surprise. I stared at him like a fool for a few moments before he smirked and walked around me, back to the campsite.

After a few moments of standing there like a dumbstruck child, I shook my head and went back to sitting where I'd been, across the small fire from him. He smiled at me and pushed a small clay bowl full of greens toward me, which I gratefully dug into. He cleared his throat, and I looked at him through bites of food. "I'm glad I found you when I did, My Queen. If I hadn't, we might've lost you for real." He said, and I spared him a confused glance.

I sat back and swallowed my food before speaking, then frowned at him. "Why did you come after me? And I am your queen no longer." I said, twitching in my ear in an unhappy mixture of frustration and confusion.

He chuckled- that same infuriating laugh that he always seemed to drop when I was annoyed or frustrated- and shook his head. "Yes, I heard about that. So, what shall I call you then? Just Chrysalis?" He asked, and at my assenting nod, he continued to answer my other question. "As for why I followed you- Well, my family and friends are mostly all dead and gone. I had nothing to keep me in the Outlands, and I figured I could be of more use to you than the city." He said, and I smirked.

"That's one of the weakest lies I've ever heard, my dear assistant." I said, and he gave a rueful grin. I didn't wait for him to try to defend himself. "Don't worry about it- your reasons may remain your own. I trust you." I assured him, trying to put as much meaning into those simple words as I could, and his smile became genuine. After checking to be sure I hadn't left any food behind, I pushed the bowl back to him and stretched. "So, have you any idea where we are?" I asked him, and he gave a quick nod, standing up.

He pointed a hoof off to his left and bit his lip. "About half a mile that way is Appleoosa, probably the largest town around here." He said, and I nodded to show that I understood. I was about to speak when he, in the fashion he was so fond of, cut me off again. "What exactly do you plan to do now, Chrysalis? What is... our purpose?" He asked, and I frowned.

I wasn't annoyed because it was a stupid question- because, indeed, it was not- and nor did I think him impetuous. I frowned because- "I really do not know." I said truthfully, and he nodded solemnly. I stood up and stretched once more before starting to walk in the direction he'd pointed. "I may not know what I want to do, but I'm fairly sure this 'Appleoosa' is a good place to start. At the very least, we need supplies." I said, but before I could march off, I felt a hoof holding me back.

I stopped, annoyed, and found him giving me an almost professional 'are you stupid?' look. "You forgetting something?" He asked, gesturing at me. I looked down at myself and almost facehoofed when I realized what he was referring to- the Appleoosans might not react well to a Changeling striding into their town and demanding food and lodging. I held a hoof to my chin thoughtfully, trying to think of the best way to solve the problem.

After roughly five minutes of this, I sighed in frustration and turned to glare at Genesis, unconsciously blaming all my problems on him. "What are we to do, then, Genesis?" I asked, but I kept speaking before he could reply. "We haven't time to kidnap two ponies and steal their shapes, nor would it be worth our time to do so!" I spat, stomping a hoof against the ground like a foal.

I looked over at Genesis to see him rolling around on his back, shuddering with violent laughter. I gave him a half-hearted kick, and after a moment he sobered enough to stand. "As I was going to say before you- ahah- went on your little tantrum, I happen to have studied a branch of Changeling magic that may be particularly useful here." He said, trailing off and giving me a teasing grin.

I rolled my eyes and considered kicking him again- perhaps harder, this time- but in the end decided it would be easier to just humor him. "and what branch of magic would that be, my troublesome assistant?" I asked, giving him the most patronizing tone I was able to muster.

He smiled and took in a deep breath before he spoke, and I settled down for what was likely to be a lecture. "Years ago- Centuries, really- the Doppelgangers conquered our people. Our natural ability to steal the shapes of other beings was useless against them, as the Doppelgangers were without their own form. So, our eldest and most powerful mages found a way to disguise ourselves without stealing shapes. They found a way to use our magic to create our own new shapes." He said, and I couldn't help but gasp.

For all their lives, young changelings are taught that their only special ability- our only ability- was to steal the forms of others. What Genesis was saying, if it was true, would mean that the education of our entire people was a total lie. "Well? do you know the spell, Genesis?" I asked him, starting to become frustrated with his deliberately dramatic antics.

He must've picked up on my growing impatience, because his stance lost most of it's fake romance. "Yes, Chrysalis, I do. It is difficult and takes a lot of energy to cast- But, once the spell is cast, it's requires only miniscule tributes of energy to maintain." He said, and I nodded, pleased with that- repeated overuse of one's magic could dry it up. After a moment, he spoke again, his tone instructing this time. "Okay, now, focus on how you want to look. Check every single detail, no matter how miniscule- if you miss something, this spell can hurt. A lot. He continued, and I nodded, closing my eyes to envision myself the way I wanted to be. I heard him take a deep breath, so I divided my attention between him and building myself. "When your form is ready, simply imagine it to be yourself and cut your magic loose. It'll do the rest on it's own." He said, and I nodded.

I spent a good ten minutes perfecting my design of- well, myself- before I broke down the walls holding my magic in place. I felt a cold, scuttling sensation, like the legs of millions of tiny insects scurrying all over my body, tickling me with their chilly little legs.

All in all, the feeling was rather delightful, much unlike the normal sensation of stretching and tearing that accompanied a stolen shape. After roughly five minutes of this, the insects faded away and I opened my eyes. I looked down in gasped in delight as I examined myself.

My legs were whole, devoid of the swiss-cheese like holes that had always been present- and they were white! A soft, cloudy white that almost glowed in the sunlight. Then, there was my mane and tail- such a lustrous, vibrant shade of red! They glinted like a pair of flowing, precious rubies before my eyes. After giving my flank a quick check- it was adorned by one of those frowny masks from the theatre (never really knew what those were called.)- and making sure my wings were gone, I turned to look at Genesis.

His transformation was not quite as impressive. His coat was a drab gray, and his mane a limp black mess that hung around his face like one of those Equestrian 'Punk Rockers'. He looked me over and whistled appreciatively. "Not bad, Chrysalis. You look pretty good." He said, and I barely managed to conceal a self-satisfied smile.

"I wish I could say the same about you, Genesis. You look like you're some kind of... some kind of dirty bum." I said, and he grinned.

He held a hoof over his chest, swooning dramatically as if I'd wounded him. "Your cold words cut deep, my cruel lady." He said, his voice high and breathy like an actor in some tragic play. He knocked it off shortly after, though. "Seriously, Chrysalis, you did good. Hid your wings and straightened your horn on the first try. Those green eyes of yours shouldn't be too big of a problem- they kinda go well with your mane and coat." He complimented, and I turned away to hide a pleased blush.

I cleared my throat and took a few steps toward Appleoosa. "Shall we go, Genesis?" I asked, then started walking before he could reply.

The sound of his hooves crunching against the foliage joined mine, and I heard him say something, though I couldn't quite make out the words. I slowed and tilted my head toward him to show him I hadn't heard, and He repeated himself once he was a few steps closer. "We should probably get our names and our story straightened out, hm?" He asked, and I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we should... But what should it be?" I mused, holding a hoof to my chin- and somehow managing to still walk on three legs- while I considered the problem. A lightbulb flashed on in my head, and I turned to look at my cutie mark, flashing a grin at Genesis. "I shall be Silver Screen! Actress extraordinaire!" I said, holding up a triumphant hoof. I heard an odd choking noise, and turned to see Genesis again rolling around in laughter.

He stopped laughing quite quickly, however, when I delivered a sound kick to his ribs. He coughed and choked slightly, then straightened up and gave me an annoyed look. "What?That's the cheesiest name I've ever heard!" He complained, and I scowled.

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see what you come up with, fool." I growled, and he stood up to give me what must'vce been his attempt at a suave smile.

He struck a slightly exaggerated heroic pose as he spoke, his tone now one that reminded me of a minor noble I'd met in Canterlot. "I shall be the one they call Honeyed  Word, the-"

"Penniless Storyteller?" I asked, flashing a teasing grin his way.

"Dashing Rogue." He corrected flatly, earning a scoff from me. He let an irritated groan and walked away, continuing on the path to Appleoosa- and it was truly a path now, worn into the rough vegetation that grew low to the ground.

I followed shortly after, still giggling, and watching him stomp irritatedly down the trail. "Oh, Honey." I said, emphasizing the first part of false name teasingly. "Art thou truly so offended?" I asked him, doing my best to phrase the question archaically. "Dost thou truly wish to be such a rogue?" I asked, doing my cheesiest impression of my ancient literature tutor.

He spun around and I jumped back upon seeing the expression on his face. "Very well, Chrysalis, I'll admit it! My name is as silly as yours! Now, please, shut up!" He exclaimed harshly, his face inches from mine.

I took an intimidated step back, then I realized what was going on. After that, I was just annoyed. "Jeeze, did I strike a nerve?" I asked rubbing the side of my head- his raised voice had given me a bit of a headache.

He sighed and turned to keep walking. "I... I haven't really had a lot of friends. Most of my knowledge about people is from books, so..." He trailed off, but by then I understood.

I trotted up to walk next to him quietly. I realized that it was time for a cheesy heart to heart- though, I didn't think of it like that at the time- and nudged him. He glanced over at me, and I smiled. "You know, growing up a Princess, I wasn't allowed to have many friends, so I kinda know how ya feel." I said, then let out a little sigh- that was a surprisingly painful truth to share.

After a moment's silence, he nudged me with one of his wings. "How about this..." He said, and I perked up my ears and gave him my attention. "being your assistant is all well and good, but maybe you and I could be friends." He said, and the expression on his face was like that of a foal making his first friend. In retrospect, he probably was.

I held his gaze for a moment before grinning and nodding. "Sure, sounds good. Just friends though- dashing as you may be, you aren't my type." I said, (and it's as true now as it was then.) He was just about to reply when we crested a hill and were surprised to see that we'd already reached Appleoosa. The little town was a busy little hive community, with streets full of busy ponies going back and forth.

Genesis looked over at me, a nervous look plain on his face. "You ready for this, Silver Screen?" He asked, and after fighting a short and ferocious battle with my nerves, I nodded.

"Let's do this, Honey." I said, then collapsed into a fit of giggles.

A few minutes later, Genesis (Now renamed Smoke Screen, and playing my brother.) and I strode down the street, cradling the pouch full of bits we'd managed to steal and looking for somewhere to find a good meal- feeding on love doesn't make up the entire diet of a Changeling, we need traditional nutrients as well- that wasn't too expensive.

Genesis nudged me and pointed to a large, wooden building labeled 'Apple Street Diner' and I nodded- it seemed popular enough, and being a diner, it couldn't be too expensive. We walked toward it, and soon found ourselves speeding up as the delicious smells of apple pie and other sweet treats met our noses.

We walked through the glass door, only to be met by the gruff face of an apron wearing stallion. "Sorry, kids, but we just ain't got the room. You're welcome to wait outside if you like." He said, crowding us like some kind of rude bouncer. Our replies were interrupted by a voice from off to the right, and I looked over to see a mint green unicorn waving.

"Nah, it's cool, we've got room at our table!" She said, and after a moment he gave a gruff nod and we hurried over to sit across from our unicorn savior and her dark gray companion. "That was a close one huh? That guy is so rude- he tried to do the same thing to us when we came in, but I was just li-" Her rant was interrupted by a quick jab in the ribs from her companion, which quieted her rather quickly.

The gray earth pony smiled at me and spoke- her voice was somewhat posh, and very feminine, unlike her friend's. "What she means to say is, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Octavia, and this is my mar- Em, my friend, Lyra Heartstrings." She said, smiling as if her self-correction had never happened.

I smiled back and did the same. "I'm Silver Screen, and this delinquent," I nudged Genesis, "Is my younger brother, Smoke Screen." I said, and he gave me an irritated glance.

He turned back to our saviors, and was suddenly all smiles. "It's a pleasure to meet you both- and I appreciate the rescue, Lyra, that brute looked a bit like he'd actually throw us out. Brave move, there." He said, surprising me with how well he acted natural. I couldn't help but think that he'd had more people to talk to than he'd suggested.

Lyra waved off the compliment, but it was easy to tell she enjoyed it. "Aw, it was nothin'. People don't mess around with me- when they do, I teach 'em a little less-" She was cut off, again, by a jab in the ribs from Octavia, who received an aggravated glare for her troubles.

"She means that you are most welcome, Smoke." She said, matching Lyra's glare blow-for-blow. "So," She said, after winning the staring contest, "What brings you out here to the Mild West? You two seem... Well, as out of your element as we are." she said, and Genesis and I shared a glance. After a moment and an unspoken agreement, I took the question.

"Smoke and I had a bit of a... Disagreement with our parents. It's safe to say we're not welcome there anymore. "We're trying to find somewhere to live, at the moment." I said,  doing my best ot make it seem like it wasn't important.

Lyra and Octavia looked at each other, and Lyra gave me a sympathetic smile. "Octavia and I know about family issues- ours don't want us around either." She said, and Octavia gave her another nudge, this one rather half-hearted.

It was about then that our waitress came and took our orders whilst delivering appetizers, and conversation subsided as the four of us dug into some bread and apple slices. At least, it subsided for awhile.

"Any idea where you're headed?" Lyra asked, ignoring Octavia's muttered commands to chew with her mouth closed.

I shrugged, not minding Lyra's lack of manners so much as her friend was. "I truly have no idea. I know little about the other cities of Equestria." I said,and Lyra pointed to herself for a moment, garbling through a huge bite of food, before she swallowed and spoke clearly.

"Well, you could do a lot worse than Ponyville." She said, grinning. "That's where 'Tavi and I live." She said, and I gave a nod, sharing another glance with Genesis.

He shrugged and rubbed the side of his head with a hoof. "We could check it out. Which way is it?" He asked, and it was Lyra and Octavia's turn to share an odd glance.

Octavia pointed with a hoof. "Umm... That way. Why? you're not considering walking, are you? It really is a long way." She warned, giving me a concerned look. "why not take the train?" She asked, and I sighed.

"Not sure we've got the bits, to be honest. We didn't take much with us when we left home." I lied, holding up the meager bag of bits that would barely pay for our food.

Lyra tapped her chin thoughtfully for a few moments before reaching into the saddlebag next to her and hoofing ten bits across the table to me with her magic.

"Tickets are only five bits a pop. Don't worry about payin' me back- I do well enough for myself. 'Tavi and I are takin' the next train, if ya wanna go with us." She said, all in one breath, just as our food arrived.

I hurriedly thanked her before we all dug into our food, and I tactfully ignored the admiring and caring look Octavia was giving Lyra. The two mares ate in silence, while Genesis and I had a quiet conversation amongst ourselves.

"So, Ponyville, huh?" He asked, speaking between bites of fruit salad (yummy, yummy) and giving me an odd look.

I nodded and arched an eyebrow at him. "So it would seem- why? And what's with that face?" I asked, and he shook his head as if to say 'nothing'.

I glanced over at Lyra and Octavia- then looked back when I realized they wre getting up. Lyra smiled and nodded her head toward the door. "That's our train, guys. You gonna come on this one?" She asked, and I almost immediately set my food aside. For some reason, I felt like I shouldn't separate from these two yet. Maybe that was just the loneliness in me, but I decided to go with it regardless.

I nudged Genesis out of his seat and smiled at Lyra. "Of course I am! Come, Smoke, We've a train to catch." I said, and he grumbled but obeyed. We paid on the way out and were soon walking across to the train station, sharing quiet laughs and trading stories (ours mostly fake) with Lyra and Octavia.

"So, Octavia ran off the stage in tears. Turns out, she hadn't studied at all- for like, the first time in her life." Lyra laughed while the rest of us just stared at her. After a moment, she realized she was the only one laughing and looked around at us. "What?"

Rather than an answer, she got Octavia's hoof upside her head. "How is that story funny? My parents were furious and I was miserable!" She growled, before laying on another whack. "And if it wasn't for your stupid, trouble-causing filly flank, I would've got my work done!" The musical mare accused before turning on the spot and storming into the train station with her nose in the air.

Lyra looked over to give us a bemused smile and shook her head. "No worries, she gets like that sometimes, and she doesn't really hit that hard." She assured us, and after sharing a 'what the buck just happened?' with Genesis, I followed her into the train station.

I stayed in the dimly lit interior only long enough to purchase our two tickets and before long, I was seated on the train, sharing a carriage with our two new friends- and yes, they'd become friends, without me even noticing.

The train was slow and repetitively dull, and my three companions dozed off rather quickly, leaving me sitting alone. I looked at Lyra, sleeping with her head resting on Octavia's back, and momentarily considered disposing of Octavia and taking her place. But, even as the thought crossed my mind, I found myself repulsed by it. I blinked in surprise at that- my mind had just balked at a feast of some powerful love, just because I'd gotten to know and like the two ponies involved. That was monumental and, admittedly, rather disturbing. Never in all my life had I passed up the kind of meal these two would have provided, and there I was, disgusted by it.

I walked over and looked out the window, contemplating the horizon and the little town that sat on it. The conductor's voice rang out as I walked back to my seat. "We'll be arriving in Ponyville in around fifteen minutes. Please, make sure you have everything that belongs to you and be ready to disembark." He said, and I sat back in my seat as my companions stirred.

Friends, huh? I thought to myself, smirking. Well, this must be my chance at a fresh start. Here's to hoping I don't screw it up.