The Changeling's Tale

Chapter Two

Party in Ponyville

The train glided to a stop at the Ponyville station, and I couldn't help but feel a little excited as we moved to get off- Lyra and Octavia had made the little town sound like a haven, a picturesque hamlet safe from prejudices and hate- two things that they claimed to have endured a lot of in their original home town, both for being fillyfoolers and for reasons they weren't willing to share with me.

Upon stepping off of the train and into the cool country air, I found myself both impressed and let down by the town that surrounded me. It was indeed quite beautiful, and certainly warranted the term picturesque, but Lyra's artistic words had made it seem almost magical. As for hate and prejudice- well, Lyra and Octavia were two mares, walking through the train station with their tails entwined and sides snuggled up to each other, and not a single pony batted an eyelash- So, I assumed that prejudice wasn't a problem either.

Just as Genesis and I were about to follow, there was a loud bang and the two of us were showered with a liberal amount of smoking confetti and charred streamers. For obvious reasons, we jumped about three feet into the air- and I'll admit, I screamed a bit, and looked around in terror. My eyes were met by one of the strangest sights I'd ever seen- a rapidly bouncing pink pony pushing a smoking cannon.

She bounced up to us and smiled a grin so wide that I was worried that her face would explode. After a few seconds of staring of that terrifying grin, I recognized her- Twilight Sparkle's party-fond friend. I could tell from the recognition in her eyes that she, somehow, knew who I really was. That little spark made me cringe when she opened her mouth-

But, rather than a shout of fear or an accusation, crazy-maned pink pony delivered a warm hug and an overly friendly greeting. "Hi! Welcome to Ponyville, the bestest town around! I'm Pinkie Pie, your new greatest friend- and you're lucky today, too, because not everypony new gets to be decorated by my party cannon! Oh, since you're new, I am soooo going to throw you a welcome party! It'll be a 'Welcome,... Uhh, what're your names?" She asked, and I took a moment to let my brain catch up to her speech.

"Oh, well, um, I'm Silver Screen, and this is my younger brother Smoke Screen." I said, praying to whatever gods existed that she wouldn't call me on my lie.

But, apparently, she could've have cared less. "So, it'll be a 'Welcome, Silver and Smoke!' Party! There'll be balloons and cake and cupcakes and dancing, oh, and cake and punch and decorations and party hats and-" Her rant was interrupted by Lyra's mint green hoof slapping over her mouth, though not unkindly.

The unicorn gave an uncomfortable chuckle, obviously as unnerved by Pinkie's antics as I was. "I think they get the idea, Pinkie Pie. Hey, have you seen Scratch? I was wanting to talk to her about something." She asked, the way she bit her lip giving away the fact that she was merely trying to change the subject.

Surprisingly, a light bulb seemed to switch on in the party pony's head, and she gave a huge gasp. "Ohmygosh, that's right! Scratchie wanted you and Octo- I mean, Octavia- to meet her at the park! She seemed really excited about something! I asked her if it was something fun, and she said it was, and I asked her if I could come see it, but then she told me that then there would be nobody to tell you to go to the park, and that made me sad, but then she said I could come with you to look at it, and so that's where I'm goi-" Again, the torrent of words pouring out of her mouth was cut off by Lyra's hoof, who seemed to be quite good at silencing the pink pony.

"Thanks, Pinkie! We'd better get going to the park, then- and you should go get started on that party if you wanna have it ready by tonight!" Lyra urged, and the party pony nodded as her thoughts were completely derailed by the mention of the party. She turned and hopped off, leaving her party cannon on the platform where it was. I looked at Lyra, intending to see if we should remind her, but the unicorn just shook her head hurriedly and gestured for me to follow.

We got around the corner and out of the party pony's line of sight, and I looked at Lyra, who was heaving a sigh of relief. I smiled at her when she turned and noticed me looking. "Thanks for the rescue, Lyra- again." I said, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from my forehead. The four of us shared a quick laugh as we walked- our destination was an archway whose top loomed above some houses before us- and we made some small talk as we went. We were just passing an enormous carousel-shaped building when a thought occurred to me. I nudged Lyra, who broke off noisily eating an apple (no idea where she got it) and turned to look at me. "So, who's Scratch?" I asked, earning a mischievous grin from the mint-green unicorn.

"You haven't heard of Vinyl Scratch? You're in for a treat- it's hard to not like Vinyl." She promised, and I noticed Octavia roll her eyes and scowl, playfully muttering the words 'childish' and 'uncouth'. Lyra just kept calm and walked on, ignoring her marefriend's teasing.

We rounded the corner and walked under the over-decorated archway to be met with the head and mouthwatering scents of apple pie and hot cider whisked towards us by the breeze. The smells originated from a small picnic, at which a cream colored mare with a navy-and-pink mane sat, waving us over.

Octavia smiled and quickened her pace, apparently quite pleased to see the candy-flanked mare. "Bon Bon! How good to see you! I missed you so much while we were in Appleoosa." She said, embracing the surprised mare.

The mare, Bon Bon, smiled and patted her gray-coated friend on the back gently. "Octavia! I missed you too- if only you hadn't had to go in the first place." She said, then lowered her voice to where she must've thought we couldn't hear. "Your father's men are gone- but just barely. Stay away longer, next time." She murmured, and Octavia gave her a subtle nod before breaking the hug and turning back to the rest of us.

The dark gray mare smiled at us, one leg still around Bon Bon's neck. "Silver, Smoke, I'd like you to meet my best friend and older sister, Bon Bon." She said, and the cream colored mare under her arm smiled and waved.

"A pleasure to meet you both, and welcome to Ponyville. Judging by the confetti in your manes, I suppose it's safe to assume that a party's going to be held tonight?" She asked, and Genesis and I deadpanned and nodded. She laughed at our expressions, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Pinkie's never easy to get used to. Gave me quite a fright the first time I met her, bursting out of that bowl of muffin mix like that." She said, and Genesis and I shared amazed and somewhat frightened glances.

Just as I was trying to formulate a reply, there was vibration beneath our hooves and a wall of pure, powerful bass bowled the three of us over, leaving only Lyra and Genesis standing- both of whom looked to be thoroughly enjoying the thunderous music. (which was so loud it was actually visible) I looked toward the source and saw an electric-blue maned unicorn sitting atop an enormous set of wheeled speakers that I could've swore hadn't been there a moment ago. After a few moments of this and a variety of screamed curses and threats from Octavia and Bon Bon, the unicorn cut the music and joined us on the ground- where she was instantly involved in a  confused, violent-but-playful wrestling match with Lyra. For some reason, Lyra was easily besting the far-more-fit DJ.

Octavia stomped a hoof in irritation, shouting at the tussling unicorns, a look of worry plain on her face. "Lyra, Vinyl! Enough of this childishness at once! I'm serious, Lyra- You know she can't see, you might hurt her!" The musical mare continued, and the two mares slowly wound down until they were lying on the ground, panting and still chuckling a little bit. Once they'd caught their breath, they aimed annoyed looks at Octavia- or rather, Lyra gave her an annoyed look while Vinyl gave the air about a foot above her shoulder an annoyed look.

Lyra nudged Octavia, giving her a stern look. "I know she can't see, and so does she. We've never hurt each other before, you know." She said, the look on her face confusingly hurt. "We can't put her in a plastic bubble, y'know." She added, trying to lighten the situation a little bit, after apparently realizing how serious she'd looked.

"I know, Lyra, I just- well, you're so rough with each other. It's worrying- I'm a bit inclined to worry, you know that." She said, then smiled and nodded her head toward me. "But, anyway, why don't you introduce Vinyl to our new friends?" She suggested, pointing at us with a hoof and giving Lyra another apologetic smile.

As if just remembering we were there, Lyra looked over and grinned widely before dragging the white unicorn over to us. "Vinyl, I met these two in Appleoosa- Silver and Smoke Screen, meet Vinyl Scratch." She said, and I smiled kindly and held out a friendly hoof.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Scratch!" I said, then frowned a bit when she smiled at the air over my shoulder and ignored my outstretched hoof. "Um, are you all right?" I asked after a moment, and her head jerked around so she was actually looking at me.

She smiled and, with a little help from Lyra, took and shook my hoof. "Sorry,- It's a pleasure to meet ya too, and yeah I'm fine- s'just I'm, well, blind." She said, and my heart sank immediately as the feeling of rude awkwardness fell upon me.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I heard her say you couldn't see, but I didn't even make the connec-" She cut me off with a quick wave of her hoof, smiling away my worries.

She reached out and patted my cheek- her accuracy surprising- and her smile widened. Even though it was aimed above my shoulder, it was comforting. "Nah, it's cool. I do a pretty good job of getting around and looking normal, so anyone could make the mistake. You're Silver, right?" She asked, and I nodded while her hoof was still on my cheek.

Genesis spoke up from off to my left, interrupting the friendly moment. "She is, and I'm Smoke- Awesome speakers, by the way. I've never seen a setup like that before! It's amazing." He gushed, and Vinyl just laughed softly- though there was a maniacal tinge to her chuckling, I'll admit.

Octavia and I shared a concerned look before turning to leave Lyra, Vinyl, and Genesis to their music and tech talk. We went back to Bon Bon, who was sitting on the picnic blanket and plucking twigs and leaves out of her mane while casting irritated glares at the blind musician. "I'll never understand how you tolerate that blinded brutish buffoon, my dear Octavia." She grumbled, shaking her mane out and pouring herself some cider huffily.

The gray mare settled down next to her friend, stifling a giggle. "Really, she's not so bad. She just a little rough around the edges sometimes, Bon Bon- not everyone can be as elegant and cultured as we are." She said jokingly, though her tone was a little bit protective as well.

"Anyway, can I offer either of you something to eat?" Bon Bon asked, changing the subject quite abruptly and glancing about irritably. Octavia looked as if she was going to pursue the subject, but our rumbling stomachs put a stop to any confrontational notions she may have had, and before long we were all munching happily away on the food Bon Bon had provided us.

Throughout the picnic, I noticed Bon Bon looking around from time to time, her expression wistful and somewhat lonely. She always kept up the conversation well, and faked happiness and interest in every word we said- save for Vinyl and Lyra, of course- but her smiles never quite reached her eyes, and she seemed unwilling to even look whenever Lyra and Octavia shared an intimate moment. She looked away from them almost all through the picnic, and I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her, and more than a little concerned.

"Well, thanks for your help." Bon Bon said as I used my magic to toss the last bag of picnic trash into the park's dumpster. I just nodded and gave her a friendly smile, which she hurriedly returned- an honest smile, this time. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, then. Have a good night." She said, then turned and walked off across the field, leaving me somewhat confused at her abrupt departure.

I turned and walked back to Octavia, worrying slightly for the departed candy-mare, and found Octavia debating quietly with Vinyl and Lyra. I walked past Genesis's sleeping form and joined them settling into their circle and yawning while I tried to catch up to the conversation. Octavia was speaking rather animatedly about something she obviously felt strongly about. "Lyra, stop your scoffing. Bon Bon really is feeling down. Ever since you and I got together, I haven't had as much time to spend with her, and she's not the best at making friends..." Octavia said, scowling at her nonchalant marefriend.

The mint green mare pointed a hoof at me in her desperate search for a reply. "Well, what about silver? She seemed to get along well enough with her- It wasn't even awkward!" She pointed out, and I had to nod in agreement- Bon Bon and I had hit it off quite well, as we'd both found each other quite interesting.

Now, it was time for Octavia to scoff. "Have you at least paid attention to how Silver acts? She's refined- elegant, even. Can you say the same for many ponyvilleans?" The musical mare asked, leaving Lyra stumped. Octavia smiled wearily, pleased to have gotten her point across. "So, we have to do something about it." She said, and Vinyl threw her hooves into the air- wobbling slightly as she did.

"Like what, Octy? She hates me and dislikes Lyra. You're the only pony here who can do something." The blind DJ pointed out, clearly annoyed. After a moment, she sniffed the air and grumbled. "I can smell Pinkie finishing up the party snacks. We're gonna be late." She complained, and indeed the smell of cakes and other party favors was heavy on the breeze.

Octavia held up a victorious hoof at the mention of the party. She spun and pointed a hoof at me, and I suddenly found myself irrationally frightened of the determined look on her face. "That's perfect! The party! Silver, you should go and bring Bon Bon to the party!" She said, grinning, and the other two seemed to think it was an excellent idea as well.

I found myself backing up, shaking my head, and blushign furiously all at the same time. "Oh, no, I'm not really interested in..." I trailed off, embarrassed. I was confused and a little bit amazed- was she really suggesting that I take out her best friend after knowing her for a grand total of three hours?

It took Octavia a moment to understand what my issue was, but when she did, she too started blushing, and started avoiding my gaze. "Oh, no! I just meant as a friend, because she doesn't really have a lot of friends that want to go places with her, haha... I wouldn't think to assume that you like, ehm...." She let the sentence stutter to a halt and drop, but I understood- she hadn't meant to insinuate that I was what her people called a 'fillyfooler'. I took a moment to think about her idea, then shrugged and smiled.

"You know what? Sure, why not. It couldn't hurt anything." I said, nodding in agreement and earning a bright smile from Octavia. "So, where's she live? And is there anything I should know about her?" I asked, figuring that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Octavia and Lyra shook their heads- Vinyl grunted something about being stuck up, but said nothing further. Octavia pointed a hoof down the road that we'd come up when we arrived. "Bon Bon lives in a red house on the left side of this street, way down on the end. From there, just go back to Sugar Cube Corner- you remember the place that looked like candy? Yeah, that building. The party will be there." Octavia said, and I nodded.

"See you there, girls. Oh, and could you drag my foal of a brother with you?" I asked, gesturing at Genesis's snoring form. At their nods, I turned and left, making my way to Bon Bon's.

I'm sure that hearing about all of this is boring you, but bear with me, the story is just beginning...

I arrived at Bon Bon's door and knocked politely, humming a little tune to myself while I waited for her to answer. The door opened and a sleepy eyed Bon Bon stood behind it. Her face lit up a bit and she smiled when she recognized me. She opened the door wider, letting me in.

"Oh, come on in, Silver. I didn't expect to see you again so soon. What brings you here?" She asked, sitting in the doorway behind me and yawning.

I smiled apologetically, suddenly feeling rather rude. "Well, I came to see if you wanted to come to the party, but I didn't mean to wake you up..." I said, rubbing my nose in embarrassment.

But, even as I was saying it, Bon Bon was shaking her head. "No, no, I wasn't asleep. I was just starting to think about it, though." She said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She yawned and stretched, waking herself up, before grabbing a brush between her hooves and trying, rather awkwardly, to brush her mane. After watching her flail around for a few minutes and catching her a second before she fell, I finally just cleared my throat meaningfully.

"Would you like me to help, Bon Bon?" I asked, doing my best to suppress the grin and laughs that were fighting to emerge. At her blushing nod, I grabbed the brush with my magic and attacked her tangled mane fiercely but gently, following her muttered instructions to the letter. As I brushed, I slowly deduced from her bitten lip and puzzled expression that she wanted to ask me something. "What's bothering you, Bon Bon?" I asked, and the curiosity in my voice was genuine.

The mare held a hoof up and pointed at the magic aura that surrounded her brush. "Most of the magic I've seen has had seemingly random colors. I was wondering why." She said, and I learned two things- she wasn't very observant, and she didn't know much about unicorns.

"Well, most unicorns' magic actually resembles their eye color. Like, you may have noticed that Lyra's is that... um... bronzey-yellow?" I asked, and she frowned a bit, her expression that of somepony who's heard something they didn't like. She shook her head and smiled, pretending as if nothing had happened.

"No, I hadn't noticed. I don't generally pay a lot of attention to Lyra, to be quite honest." She admitted, and I nodded, pretending to understand what she was trying to say, then continued when she said nothing.

"Well, then, a better example is that my eyes and magic are both green- see?" I asked, looking into her eyes as I finished brushing her mane with a little flourish.

She blushed slightly, confusing me, but then smiled and stood, shaking herself awake one last time and taking a few steps toward the door. "I see. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. Shall we get going to the party, then?" She asked, surprising me- she'd never actually said she was going to go to the party, so I'd assumed she wasn't.

But, I nodded as she led us back to and out the door, seeming quite satisfied for some reason. This mare bewildered me- such wild emotions, and they changed even more frequently than a changeling's. I was brought back to reality by the sound of some bass-heavy music in the distance, and I looked over at Bon Bon, who was trying very hard to seem as if she didn't like the entrancing tunes.

"What exactly should I expect from this party?" I asked her, suddenly realizing that, with the exception of the horribly childish party the pink pony had planned for Cadence's wedding, I had no experience with Equestrian parties.

Bon Bon shook her head, her expression a mix of amusement and slight annoyance. "Well, before the wedding, I'd have said to expect a six year old's birthday party, but since she started hanging around with that ne'er-do-well Vinyl Scratch?" She paused, both to make a disgusted face and, I suspected, for dramatic effect. "Well, I'd expect loud music, debauchery, and possibly copious amounts of alcohol." The candy-maker said, her disapproving tone clashing with the way her tail swayed to the music.

We walked around the bend, and Sugar Cube Corner came into view. The building, earlier a picturesque fantasy house, had become a fortress of neons and strobe lights. Artificial fog billowed out every time the front door opened, and the ground beneath our hooves vibrated with the thump of the bass. With each step I took closer to the building, another layer of my royal reservations seemed to dissolve. I noticed, with some obscure part of my mind, that Bon Bon too seemed to be forgetting her distaste for this exact kind of party.

I pulled open the door and we walked through the cloud of cool fog into the dimly lit and intense room beyond. I was hardly able to process everything I saw inside- the densely packed dance floor full of ponies, writhing and moving in a way that made me blush just by looking at it. The stage that had been somehow erected in one corner flashed and sparked with lights and Vinyl's intense magical energy, which seemed to fluctuate in rhythm with the music. Then, of course, there was the refreshment bar, staffed by a Pinkie Pie so laden with glow sticks that she shouldn't have been able to stand.

In short, it was a little bit wild. I walked across the room toward where I thought I'd seen Octavia, and instead came face-to-face with the mare who was almost entirely responsible for my defeat in Canterlot- Twilight Sparkle. Despite our history, I found it next to impossible to hold any hard feelings against the lavender mare as her face stretched into a welcoming grin.

"Oh, Hi there!" She said brightly, opening up a door with her magic as she turned to talk to me. "You're Silver Screen, right?" She asked, and I nodded. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and it's a pleasure to meet you." She said, her grin growing wider by a few teeth.

I smiled right on back, even though something about her behavior seemed a little off. "No, the pleasure's mine!" I assured her, then gestured to the party raging around us as I searched for a conversation topic. "This is some party, huh?" I said, seizing upon that as an adequate topic for idle chit-chat.

Twilight nodded, gesturing toward the door she'd opened with a hoof. "For sure! We're having to bring out more snacks." She said, then turned to go in- and stopped, looking over her shoulder at me. "Hey, would you mind helping me with these?" She asked, prompting me to nod and follow her in. The room was very, very dark. I heard Twilight trip, then I tactfully chose not to hear her utter a rather offensive curse. "Hold on, let me find the light switch." She said, and I sat down while I waited.

Then there was a rustling and breathing behind me, and before I could even consider turning around, something heavy hit me in the back of the head and everything started to fade. As I drifted off, I heard a faint voice.

"Ah think Ah got her, sugarcube. Ah sure hope yer right about this."

I woke to a hoof rapping on the top of my head and a somewhat scratchy, tomboyish voice. "Rise and shine, faker. You got some questions to answer." She said, and I opened my eyes to look at the annoying cyan forehoof prodding my head. The rainbow-maned mare saw my eyes open and looked over her shoulder in excitement. "Girls, she's awake! Get in here!" The pegasus called, and it slowly dawned on me that this was Twilight's friend, Rainbow Dash.

As if summoned by my thoughts (or Dash's voice) Twilight and that country pony, Applejack, walked into my field of view. Did they know who I was? I decided to play it safe and assume they didn't. I let my eyes water and my lip wobble and assumed what I liked to call the 'pathetic look'. "T-Twilight?" I asked timidly, shivering a little bit for effect. "What's going on?"

Instantly, I saw Twilight and Rainbow Dash faltering a little in their 'tough girl' roles, and I could tell my little act was working. But Applejack's face remained as stone, and she frowned hard at me. "Ah wasn't convinced ya were trouble til just now. Ah may not be the sharpest plow in the barn, but I can tell an act- even a really good'un like that." She said, and the other two seemed reassured once more. I cursed the orange country mare for all she was worth- which, considering she worked on a farm, probably wasn't that much.

Twilight took a step closer, her face carefully blank- probably to hide her emotions from me, like a judge. "You can stop the act, Chrysalis. Pinkie Pie told us it's you." She said, the tension in her voice botching her carefully constructed self control. "What are you doing here?" She asked, and Rainbow Dash jabbed me in the chest.

"Yeah, and what do you want with Bon Bon, of all ponies? She's never done anything to you!" She asked, earning a puzzled glance from Applejack.

"Ah didn't even know you knew Bon Bon, RD." She said, and Dash flushed a little bit in embarrassment, avoiding meeting the farm pony's gaze.

"I don't. I... I heard Twilight say the name earlier." She admitted, and Applejack stifled a laugh despite the seriousness of the situation.

Twilight gave them both a reprimanding glance before turning back to me. "Answer the question, Chrysalis." She commanded, and I sighed and avoided her eyes.

"Would you believe anything I have to say?" I asked, feeling quite justified in wondering that, but Applejack stepped up defiantly, eying me with distaste.

"Ah'm a pretty good judge of truth and lies, missy. Just tell us, and I'll know if yer bein' truthful with us." She said confidently- and as far-fetched as it seemed, I was inclined to believe her.

"Well, then." I said, sitting up so I could address them better, (Dash bristled suspiciously) and clearing my throat. "I'm looking for a new home. I'm... not welcome among my own people anymore." I said, giving a weary grin. "As for why I'm here in this particular town? A friend recommended it to me." I said, thinking of Lyra. I looked over at the window, watching the sunlight stream in. Genesis and my friends must have been worrying by then, as late in the afternoon as it seemed to be.

Twilight interrupted my musings. "Why wouldn't you be welcome with your own people anymore? You are their queen, aren't you?" She asked, puzzlement clear on her face. I rubbed my forehead with a hoof.

"I was their queen. There were a few reasons that they cast me out- one of the biggest was our loss here. I don't want to talk about the others." I said, and watched as Twilight and Dash looked to Applejack, who gave a little nod that apparently signified that she thought I was being honest.

Celestia's favored student seemed to be in deep thought, a hoof held to her chin and her eyes far away, as if contemplating something beyond us. After a few moments of this behavior, she refocused on me and frowned. "I'm going to have to inform Princess Celestia." She said, and I felt myself pale.

"Wh-what? Please, don't!" I yelped, suddenly panicked. I'd heard rumors of what Celestia did to her enemies- one banished to the moon, one turned to stone, and one bashed to death by her magic back when Equestria was just a bunch of feuding city-states. I did not want to meet her face-to-face without my royal strength. "I'll do whatever you want, just don't turn me in to your Princess!" I said, begging and hating myself for it.

On unspoken consent, the three mares took a few steps away from me to convene quietly, murmuring to each other just low enough that I couldn't hear. Then, they came back with identical evil grins- well, except for Twilight. The lavender mare, as usual, took the lead for them. "We'll make you a deal, Chrysalis. We won't tell Celestia you're here..."

Dash took over. "But in return, you have to serve as an indentured worker to the three of us!" She declared, her grin growing only wider. I looked around to see Twilight facehoofing and Applejack matching Dash's grin. I looked at Twilight and raised a disbelieving eyebrow, and she gave a shrug and a sigh.

"I tried to stop this, but I was outvoted, sorry. It's not permanent, though- just til at least two of us feel that you've earned our trust. If and when that happens, you'll go free." She assured me, lending me a hoof and helping me up. She smiled a bit and, though it was a small smile, it was a legitimate one.

"Um, deal- but where will I live?" I asked, looking around at the three mares. Before Dash and Applejack could speak- and they clearly wanted to- Twilight stuck a hoof in both of their mouths.

"With me." She said, looking at Applejack. "You'd probably make her sleep in a barn, and..." She then looked at Dash. "She doesn't have wings. If someone saw her leaving your house with her wings hidden, they'd probably get suspicious." She finished, and they both bowed their heads in defeat. Twilight turned back to me and smiled a suspiciously sweet smile. "Let's go- you've a library to organize." She said, grinning darkly.