Introduction
Shifting Hearts, Changing Eyes
By PrinceShadow
Introduction
To those who happened upon it, the little workshop tucked away in the back of the alley in New Canterlot’s music district
seemed peaceful. Inside, however, was a sight that would have made Discord proud. Various parts were scattered everywhere: on the floor, across the wooden tables, and in little suspension fields powered by the talismans embedded in the walls.
Under one of these piles of parts lay a young colt, a thin line of drool working its way onto the device he was working on below. The unicorn’s mane, black as the vinyl of the old records, was messy and tangled from the countless nights he had spent up late, completing repairs on the new C-players. It was a tough job, but he was the only one who understood how they worked well enough; the machine’s inner workings were very sensitive, as the colt was reminded of when his impromptu pillow began to spark, providing a rude awakening. He groaned and rubbed his crimson-ringed eyes, willing the blood within to move and provide him with some semblance of sight.
It was a couple of minutes, but his eyes eventually caught up, and the familiar sights of his little workshop returned to him. He ventured out the door, into the back alley, and looked up at the sky, colored a deep magenta by the shield around the city. He was glad for it, considering the dangers that lay outside. 5 years after the Royal Wedding incident, Queen Chrysalis had returned to Equestria, and this time, her plans worked. One by one, the great population centers had fallen to the changelings, until those who remained were forced to pull back to Canterlot. The city’s ancient architecture was all but lost at this point, the refugees trading form for function, replacing the homely stone houses with the massive skyscrapers that now made the city shine like a beacon of hope to the few minor safehouses that dotted the countryside.
The young colt was from one such safehouse, the green coated unicorn having barely made the trip. Electric Tones was his name, or, at least, the only name he could remember, that being the one currently logged in the utterly confusing census papers. The colt smiled, but that smile soon vanished, falling to the ground much like the object that had landed in front of him.
Changing Views
It had taken quite the effort to get the object inside, but Tones had managed to do so. To his surprise, however, the blackened object began to show signs of life, as it stood up. The first, and most obvious, detail was her legs, pockmarked like certain types of cheese. His eyes began to widen as the details added up: the jet-colored chitin; the curved, bent horn; and the familiar wispy blue hair. It left no doubt in his mind that he had just made a possibly dangerous mistake.
The changeling, however, was running on fumes, the simple act of shaking the soot and dust off of itself bringing it to the ground in a slump. Fear was forcefully shown the door in the colt's mind, replaced by cautious sympathy. He carefully brought the exhausted uni to the bed, laying her (as he had determined) upon the white sheets. He then began to recall everything that the Ministry School ha taught him, hoping to find something in his scrambled memory that could help this creature make it through the night.
The first thing the changeling felt as she woke up was throbbing, a dull thump much like someone hitting her in the head with a pillow. As she regained her faculties, however, she learned that it was not her head, but the deep, pounding rhythm of whatever music was playing. The next sense to return was sight, her emerald eyes taking in the chaos that made up the workshop. So I'm not in the New Canterlot prison, she thought. Her ability to walk, however, seemed a long way off, as her first attempt to stand brought her tumbling to the floor in a tangled heap of hooves.
The sound of the fall reached the ears of the young colt, and he rushed out to help the poor mare up. "I'm glad to see that my plan worked. You were almost gone when I found you."
The unicorn looked at him quizzically, trying to focus and remember. "W-what happened to me? All I remember is a bright pink light..." She shook her head, groaning. "Name's Mayu. Guess I can at least give you my name when you tell the guards."
The colt grinned. "Sorry, but you're not going anywhere." He gave her a smile full of warmth, and compassion. "While most ponies may turn you over, i'm not most ponies. Now....Mayu, was it? Let's see what capabilities you have at your current state. Can you walk yet?"
Mayu struggled, but the effort paid off, with the changeling now able to move around, if only a couple hoofsteps. "What is that thumping? It makes it hard to think." She turned around to find the one working C-player in the shop. "And what in Chrysalis' name is that thing?"
Tones facehooved, the attraction between the two almost magnetic as he realized that he hadn't shut off the C-player. "That's dubtrot that's playing. I guess my love for it saved you...somewhat." He walked over and nosed the switch, cutting off the incessant pounding in Mayu's brain. "The device itself is a C-player. I'll explain more a little bit later. For now," his voice became stern at this point, "I'd like to know why you're here."
By some miracle of fate, Mayu's hoof made its way to her face, avoiding the colt's fairly easily. 'I wish i could remember." She sighed, her horn glowing, and soon fizzling out. "Well, I can't shift, either. Buck me," was the response as the slightly distraught shifter hung her head.
"Well, you can stay here, at least until i find out how you got here. innocent until proven guilty, as the law supposedly states."
He would soon find that those simple words would steer his life on a new path, one he never expected...
Mixed Signals
Mixed Signals
The little back-alley workshop, still seeming as quaint as ever, now took a new resident. Mayu had proved a suitable house-guest, albeit one with many stories.Her tales shattered quite a few misconceptions, both about her and her race in general. She had also helped to organize the workshop's interior, making it easier to work.
Life wasn't fun and games for them, though. There was the rare, odd customer that came in, which meant that Mayu had to shelter herself in the kitchen or bedroom while Tones had the shop open. Off days seemed to be a gift to her, and the two would spend them trying to piece together the shards of her memories, trying to figure out the circumstances that caused her to, quite literally, land on his doorstep. This was one such day.
"Damn it!" Mayu fumed as her shifting fell flat for the umpteenth time that day. "It's been at least a week since you took me in, and I still can't shift!" The anger in her voice was evident, but it masked something else: distress. Her heart had begun to sink, taking any hope she had of returning to her full potential in its wake. "If I don't get out of this tiny workshop soon, I'm gonna go insane..."
The changeling soon found a hoof on her shoulder, the kind colt trying to comfort her slightly frayed emotions. "Wish there was some way I could help. Any ideas as to what might be blocking the ability?"
He received a shake of the head in response, a single tear falling from the mare's cheek, born of the confusion and fear that was flooding her mind at this point. "No idea. Maybe a little bit of thinking will help to clear my head."
This prompted the colt to smile. "I just thought of something. I'll be going out for a bit to pick up some food, and I'll see if i can find something to help you with this. Keep yourself hidden, and keep the door locked." He donned his saddlebags, making sure they were empty before heading for the door. "I'll be back soon." With that, he walked out, leaving Mayu to think of a solution to their problem.
Thinking soon proved futile against the giants of her fear and frustration, and the mare soon found herself wandering through the workshop. She tried menial tasks to keep herself in one place, but her fruitless efforts only succeeded in adding boredom to the steadily growing list of issues.
The next thing that she tried was cleaning. One of the boons of having her magic back was the convenience of the levitation spell, and, soon enough, various objects were flying through the air, each one finding its proper place. Then, after finding a broom and dustpan that looked like they had never been touched, let alone used, she began to sweep, beginning the fight against the stubborn layer of dust that the colt had been forgetting to sweep. The dust put up a good fight, especially in Tones's bedroom.
While sweeping under the bed, Mayu unexpectedly swept out something else. The book she had come across was old, or at least looked like it. The edges were tattered, even burnt in some places, and the lettering on the coveer had become too faded to read. Curiosity reared it's head, as was expected, and Mayu was already flipping through its pages, trying to discern the reasoning behind its being hidden under the bed..
The realization soon hit her as she began to notice the dates at the top of each entry. This is his journal, she thought, a pink hue gracing her cheeks at the thought. I wonder if there's anything in it about me... Flipping to the latest entries, she was quickly able to locate the date she had met him, and started reading:
20th day, 3rd month, 5 PCE
I don't know what the Ancients have against me, but thing seem to get harder and harder for me. First, i got hammered by the Vinyls (again) for my occupation. Then a couple hours ago, i became the host to a changeling. Normally, I'd have just thrown her to the guards, but something seemed.... different about her. Not to mention the fact that she couldn't even stand, and everyone has heard the report of guard brutality towards the changeling prisoners. I may risk death or expulsion, but i won't have her blood on my hands.
Mayu was grateful as she read on. Her mind told her to keep reading, that there was something she needed to see, and so she flipped to the next entry:
3rd day, 4th month, 5 PCE
Life has been...different with Mayu around. As i expected, she seems nicer than a normal changeling, although that could be due to her being severed from the hive. But I digress. Her recovery is coming along smoothly, except for the fact that she is unable to shift. Both of us are clueless as to the cause, but i'm beginning to have my suspicions.
She's easily healthy enough for me to throw her to the guards, but i just can't do it. And it's not just me being chivalrous. Something is truly different about her, but I can't put my hoof on it. It frustrates me to the core.
One thing is for sure, though: she can't stay in New Canterlot. We'll have to escape. Tomorrow's market day, and i'll be calling in some favors. I hope it will be enough to get out.
Mayu frowned and shut the book, sliding it back to its original position as her brain started arguing with itself.Why? This colt has a nice job and a good house. Why would he give it up to help a monster like me? I don't understand... Meanwhile, as her brain rationalized and tried to process this oddity, her heart understood. A seed had been planted there, and it kept it hidden from the changeling's logic and hunger.
Tones grumbled as he stepped into the living room, slamming the door behind him with a loud thud. His magic held up numerous bags of food, the combined weight giving him a massive headache. "Where are you, Mayu?"
His question was quickly answered as Mayu stepped out, a frustrated look indicating her irritation over the conundrum that had arisen earlier that day. "Right here." She looked around the room, confirming what she had read. There was too much food for a week's worth. The thing that confirmed it, however, was the presence of a map, which floated out of the bag and onto the nearby table. She scanned it over, quickly pinpointing certain key areas. "Is this...a map of Equestria?"
"Indeed. I've decided to take you home." Tones looked at the changeling, his expression one of sadness and regret. "Before I do that, however, there's one place i need to go." He pointed at a seemingly mundane point on the map. "From what I can tell, the old safehouse is here, right along the road leading out of the kingdom. I want to check on my family, to see if anyone's left." His head dropped to the floor, tears rolling down his cheeks.
This earned a sympathetic hug from the changeling. "Come on, Tones. You need to focus, or we'll never make it past the gate." She watched as the colt nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.'
The two guards at the western gate enjoyed their jobs. The thorough patrols, combined with the near-impenetrable shield, made their job a cakewalk. They stood still, as always, but, more often than not, one of them was off daydreaming. That being said, it barely registered on their mental radar when two shadows darted past their field of view.
The first pulled his hood back as he hid behind the building, and turned to face his partner. "We're almost there. Watch my back, and cover your ears when i tell you." The cloaked pony nodded, keeping her face hidden. Tones turned and peeked around the corner, his horn giving off a muted-bronze color as a pulse shot out from his hooves, guided to form a neat hole as it impacted and moved along the shield. This resulted in a low-pitched whine being emitted, startling the guards. The unicorn worked quickly, tuning the pulse to match the frequency of the shield.
The guards turned to face each other. "Go and get the patrols. I'll stay here and-" He was soon cut off as the whine increased to a painful pitch and intensity, causing the shield to shatter and the armored ponies to double over, stunned and in excruciating pain from the aura assault. They watched as Tones and the cloaked pony quickly made their way out, the unicorn guard committing what he could of Tones's face to memory before he blacked out.
