Shiloh Retcon

The sound of applause was all that Octavia heard as she pulled her bow away from the cello. Her band had finished their set, and it seemed to receive the same warm welcome it had been having for the last few weeks. It was still strange to her how much recognition that she'd been receiving, but she still welcomed it regardless. The grey mare's eyes roved around the crowd before drifting to the side, meeting Vinyl's own. She owed that amazing unicorn everything.

Only three weeks earlier, Octavia had been at a local gig to perform for a small dinner party, and the pay was horrible. They had accepted the offer; being paid fifty bits each was still better than literally nothing at all. That night they were told to play their usual fare; classical style music that had been almost entirely forgotten over the years.

The band was just finishing their set when somepony snickered and commented that they were one of the worst bands that he'd ever heard. It was only then that they realized that they'd been called up only to be made mock of, and it became apparent when everypony around started laughing at her.

Octavia had never felt so bruised before, and she started to rethink her life, wondering whether music was really her thing. All her life, the grey mare had been told that she had talent, and yet nopony wanted to listen. It was slowly eating away at her, and she was just about ready to get up and quit when somepony else interceded for her and her crew.

"Hey, cut that shit!" Vinyl had shouted, an angry scowl darkening her face. "Look, I don't give a fuck what kind of music you shitheaps are into, but good music is good music, and I fucking hate it when cunts like you bash it like that. It's not fucking funny!!"

The room fell silent, everypony looking over at Vinyl as she berated them. They all stopped, looking around for something of imagined importance to escape her glare. Vinyl watched them, her eyes scanning the offending crowd for any challengers before saying, "So I want every one of you little pricks to apologize, or I'm leaving."

Just like that, every single one of them shut their mouths and muttered an apology. The whole room went quiet at the words of one mare, and the very paradigm had shifted from one of mockery to scorn. Octavia looked over at the white mare in amazement.

As the crowd finished murmuring their apologies, Vinyl seemed to lighten up a little, a small smile donning her face. "That's better! No foul, no harm, right? You'd better pay them double though, or I'm gonna be pissed. Are we clear?"

“Yes Ma’am!” they all stated in unison.

“Good!” alabaster mare stated, looking pleased for a moment before going back to laying down with a beer in her hoof like a common slob. Octavia looked over at her, and couldn't help but smile. Wherever this mare had come from, she was wonderful! The grey mare decided right then that she would not leave until she had a chance to talk to Vinyl.

As for unicorn in question, she had been essentially bored out of her mind. Not only was the party rather dull and empty, but the entire atmosphere contained nothing but petty arguments and idle praise to those who happened on a title. She kept her smile up, feigning pleasure to the party as a whole, but it was as empty and hollow as the praise she was given.

Vinyl Scratch had always known she was a skilled musician. Yes, she had grown up with that bit of information being jammed down her throat by every pretentious bastard in her family. It wasn't that she didn't like music, but it really sucked to have the whole matter rammed up your ass for the sake of 'family honor."

Or more precisely, playing at 'family honor.'

The white mare stood up, trying to hide her scowl as she trotted towards the kitchen. A passing stallion gave a goodnatured wave. Without even thinking about it, she smiled and waved back, inwardly glad that not everyone there was an asshole. She’d still like to find the prick who'd had the gall to set up such a prank against good music.

To be honest, the classical style of music had always been one of Vinyl's favorites. Before even learning how to mix, she'd learned to use instruments such as the piano and the violin, something that came in immensely handy when she changed genre's over to dubstep and techno. As it turned out, her prowess in the former style made her above the cut for the latter.

Vinyl had always thought she was good. She might even have been considered the best. The praise raining down on her made her start to believe it until that night. She'd always been able to express herself through the beats and could organize her wubs perfectly to sync with her emotions, and it had always made her proud. Then out of nowhere this B-side classical band shows up to play at a party, something she had not expected, and she had seen the inherent skill and talent flowing through every one of its members. Every single one, especially that ashen gray mare who held her cello more like an extension of her soul than a device at hoof.

The unicorn mare was enraptured, caught by every note, every dip, every harmonic undertone that flowed out of that mare's wooden instrument like a river cascading down over the rapids. It was calm one minute and then fast the next, flowing through the notes as it saw fit. The bow flew across the strings, crying, singing, weeping, and laughing all in the same few lines! In only a few minutes, Vinyl had been shown both everything she was and everything she was not. There’d never been an experience quite so humbling.

And then those fucktards at the party laughed and sneered at it, treated it like so much garbage from a dumpster, left to rot while the crows pick at it. The music was nothing but grating noise to them. It was sickeningly disappointing, seeing how blind every one of those ponies could be.

"Hey, Vinyl, do you have a moment?"

She looked up, her red eyes meeting Octavia's magenta. The two looked at each other for a moment, staring for their own reasons, before suddenly looking away, giggling as they blushed. Octavia looked back at the white mare, smiling as she tried to put together what to say.

"Vinyl..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

It should have been obvious to her that Octavia would say that, considering the fact that she had just stuck up for her while nopony else did, but there was no luck in getting her head to think straight. She looked deeply into the gray mare's eyes, before composing herself.

"Eh, no problem. Your music though..."

Octavia looked worriedly at the white mare. Everything she represented hung on that one single moment, and she suddenly found herself almost inconsolably nervous, wondering idly if Vinyl had meant a word that she'd said at the time.

"I don't know how describe it, but...that wasn't music. No, such a simple word as 'music' fails to describe what you did there. I don't know what to say..."

"What?"

"Octavia?"

"Yes?"

"Will you tour with me?"

And just like that, they were on the road together, going from major event to major event as they pleased. Simply by association with her newfound friend, Octavia's little group was given the time of day to perform, and that had opened up the opportunities that they'd needed. Days passed by in a blur, each performance becoming more and more like the last as the crowd started to pay attention.

"Hey, Octy!" Vinyl called out, trotting over to her friend as the cellist trotted pleasantly off of the stage. "That was amazing! I'd have thought by now you'd have done something to let me down, but wow!"

"Thanks, Vinyl," she replied, looking happily into the white mare's eyes. "That means a lot to me."

"I meant it."

The white unicorn started to trot up towards the stage when she stopped, turning around. "Hey Octy, I'm going to be over at that Inn around the corner after the set. Do you wanna meet and hang out?"

Octavia looked stunned, not being particularly used to have invitations to anything aside from business. "Uh, sure," she replied. "What do I wear?"

"What? Oh, nothing. It's nothing official, just you and me hanging out, okay? You can relax!"

The grey mare smiled, beaming at her friend. "Okay, I'll be there!"

"Great! Well, I gotta go, but I'll see you in about two hours, okay?" The white mare didn't wait for a response before trotting up to her set, preparing to show the world her latest masterpieces as she blasted them with the deep-throated roars her subwoofers were known for. Octavia just laughed light heartedly, glad to see that she had made a real friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"317-B, Tallus Road."

Ocatavia looked up at the building in front of her, muscling up her courage before entering. A mare stood at the front of the business, idly treating her hooves behind her counter. The grey mare walked up, not even bothering to speak up as she waited for the mare in front of her to notice her presence.

"Can I help you, dear?" the innkeeper asked, before looking up to see the grey mare standing before her. Recognition donned her face as she realized who she was speaking to. "Oh, Octavia! My dear, I am so sorry! Vinyl said that she'd be ready in about ten minutes. Please, make yourself comfortable!"

“Sure thing!” Octavia complied, moving over to one of the nearby lounge chairs. She waited, idly tapping her hooves to the beat of one of Vinyl's newest songs. That mare was more than capable of creating a catchy tune, and she found herself humming them more and more frequently as the tour went on.

“Damn it, Vinyl! And I thought I didn’t like electro…”

A few minutes later, the innkeeper returned, stating that it was about the time that Vinyl wanted to see her. Without further ado, Octavia stood up and trotted towards the hallway that she was directed to. Soon enough, she reached the doorway to room 136 and gently knocked.

There was a slight bounce to her step as she waited for Vinyl to answer it, and she sat there considering what to do next. Did she hear me? Octavia knocked again. Again, there was no response, and the grey mare started to look a little annoyed. After knocking a third time, this one being a little more forceful, she realized that the door was unlocked. Octavia felt a little unsettled, as if something was not quite right...

With the twist of a hoof, the door opened, revealing a rather quiet, if well lit, room within. It seemed to be more than a mere hotel room, instead containing all the pleasantries of a full apartment. The kitchen was held off to the left, and a small hallway lead down to what was obviously the living room. While large for its station, it was not overbearing and came across nicely. The place would probably have normally been considered cozy were it not for the absence of any form of life. Instead, the place seemed more than a little disturbing, lacking any indication that all was clear. As soon as Octavia entered the living room, her jaw hung loose as she stared at the grisly sight before her.

The body of one of the cleaning maids was turning slowly as it dripped what was left of the non-coagulated blood. Well, the upper half of the body, that is. From the waist down, there was nothing but the ragged, bloody mess of where the flank and legs should have been, instead allowing the mare's guts to hang free. Some of the intestines were carved out, used instead as the rope from which to hang what was left of the body. But all of that paled in comparison to the main part of the grim spectacle.

The mare's mouth was turned up into a smile, the shock and terror still present in her eyes as her mouth remained nailed in an unnaturally extreme position. Octavia bent over and vomited at the grisly sight, her entire evening meal blowing out of her mouth as she retched.

Where's Vinyl?

The idle thought slammed into Octavia's head like a battering ram. The fearful look on her face was soon replaced with outrage. She decided right then and there that whatever pony was responsible for this would be at the opposite end of her hoof, like it or not.

The grey mare ran around the entire quarters, looking for any sign of Vinyl's person. Having found nothing, she ran back into the main room, looking back at the body. That's when she noticed the wall behind it was smeared with streaks of clotting blood, the entire image remaining barely legible in its condition.

I will make you smile.

Octavia stared at it, looking long and hard at the matted gore that now plastered the wall. She stared, trying to keep herself in check as her stomach started to heave once again. The words were instantly burned into her skull. Even when she looked away, the mare could only see the dark inscription in her mind.

There was a slight scraping sound in the next room. Octavia's ears perked up, her body tensing as her instincts kicked in. The scraping continued, almost like somepony was trying to break out...or enter.

The sound of a window breaking was all it took for Octavia's mind to react in the most primal way it could: flight. The mare turned on her hooves, galloping out of the building as quickly as she could. She slammed the front door behind her as she left, hoping it would slow down whatever had broken in.

'Please don't follow, please don't follow, please don't follow!!' her mind screamed at her. She was just turning around the corner when something flitted around the corner of her vision.

Octavia had never been so scared in her life. She was a well-to-do musician in a previously unsuccess band, not used to running for her life. It was only that matter of a few blocks before she was out of breath and very, very lost.

"N-no..." she stammered, looking around the abandoned alleyway she'd ended up in. Her frantic breath droned out the sounds of the living city around her, but it didn't take long to notice the casual clopping of hooves against pavement.

The gray mare looked for somewhere, anywhere to hide behind. After taking in the sights around her, Octavia spotted a pile of filth and litter. With no other option, the panicked pony dove into it, letting the garbage wrap around her. She really hoped that none of her was sticking out.

The sound of somepony trotting came nearer and nearer as Octavia waited. She founder herself holding her breath, desperately hoping that her pursuer would simply pass her by unnoticed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm normally pretty good at catching people's bullshit. Throughout my childhood, I'd had to put up with quite a bit of it around town. Perhaps that's why it surprised me when I found out that there would be a slight delay in my changeling 'education'. Still, it was nice not to have to worry about anything for a few days. I might've been confined to quarters again, but that didn't particularly bother me.

Most people would say that being confined to quarters sucks, and normally I'd have to agree. However, I knew that my solitude wouldn't last, so it was best to enjoy what was given to me. Besides, there were all kinds of mindless victims for me to play with. Hell, half the guards that saw me were either whispering about how I must have gotten railed or giving cat-calls for what they must have assumed was some form of a changeling saunter.

"Hey, babe, ya wanna see what a real stallion can give you?"

"Nice legs, bug."

"Hey, bugbrain, why don't you turn us around for a full view? You're killing us!!"

Having grown up in a less than perfect neighborhood, I knew what I was doing. I smiled pleasantly, trying my best to ignore their scathing jeers and rather blatant bigotry as I tried my best to saunter over to the lead stallion. I don't know what rank he was, and I honestly don't care. All that really mattered was the fact that he was the officer, and therefore my primary target.

If you want to devastate a pack of animals, whether predator or prey, the quickest way is to eliminate the leader. You can partition the rest by challenging him, whether directly or not, and the rest of the pack/herd/flight/flock would fall into chaos. The same was true in any application, even a military one, and this guy was obviously a few cards short of a deck. Mind, he wasn't stupid. He was just rather out of it as far as his station was concerned.

"Hey, hot stuff," I asked, letting my eyelids drop to half-mast. "You say you can show me what a real stallion can give me?"

"Yeah, of course, Bitchcakes," he replied, pulling his lustrously generic blue mane back in a rather arrogant manner. "Trust me, I'll make you scream."

"Oh, you'll make me moan, won't you? You'll make me moan all night while I ride you like the pony you are."

"Yeah, I'll-" he paused, wondering what I meant by 'riding' him. "Are you talking about...riding me?"

Apparently they'd never heard of reverse cowgirl, so I just decided to go with it. "Yes, of course. I didn't realize you were into other stallions, or that you knew that I was, but I suppose that could work. So, you want top or bottom?"

The stallion in question looked rather flustered, trying to keep the same arrogant look on his face. I could read him like a book, and resisted the urge to smile deviously. He looked over to one of the other stallions in his unit, looking for some support, but apparently subordinates just leave their officers to the fryer and let him or her deal with the consequences.

"So wait...you're a stallion?"

"Yes," I lied, trying not to chuckle. "Why, can't you tell?"

"But you look so..."

"So?"

"Feminine."

I chortled lightheartedly, smiling as I pulled him into a deep hug. "It's alright," I whispered into his ear, my hoof idly playing with his mane. "That's not the first time one of you has made that mistake. How about we go aside and teach you a little about changeling anatomy? Then maybe I'll rail you like no other stallion's ever been railed. I’ve got to warn you though, we’ve got spiked dicks. I'm sure some lube could help, though."

That was all it took for him shut up. He was actually kinda cute when he kept his trap shut. Without further ado, I turned and started trot off. Just before I could turn the corner, I looked over my shoulder and winked at him. "If you ever need a good time, honey, just come over to my quarters!"

As soon as I was out of earshot, I busted up laughing. It was fun, dealing with people that while not quite stupid, lacked any sense of humor beyond that of a young teenage boy. I trotted back to my room, not even caring. I had business to do, and there wasn't exactly much time to do it in.

The first part in all of that was learning to walk normally, and that could only come from practice. I trotted across the room I was in, trying to keep steady and act as if I had been born with hooves. There was no one helping me, but that was fine. No one really needs the help anyways, so I just did my part.

Getting used to the world was not an easy thing. Every nuance, every idiom, every piece of subtlety in the dialect that I failed to understand was going to come back to bite me. What's more, I even recalled being mentioned as not looking quite like most changelings, and I had no perception of what 'most changelings' looked like. Was it in my voice? My looks? For all I knew, it could just as easily have been my mannerisms. Whatever the case, I failed to come across like a normal changeling.

I stared into the mirror more than once, trying to see if there was anything that off about me, but even with the facility's library, I failed to find anything regarding changelings beyond that they were a parasitic blight upon ponykind. I read several works, hoping to find some inkling as to what form I had taken, but  with the material given to me, I might as well have been trying to paint the Mona Lisa blindfolded. Everything really was a shot in the dark, and I had to work with what was given.

I'd memorized my appearance almost immediately, which was well enough. I stood somewhat taller than most of the mares I saw, being little shorter than the stallion guards themselves. My eyes kept wide pupils, round in shape and well carried as my green locks of hair, er, mane fell flat over my face. I was not what I'd consider attractive, that was for sure. Of course, as a former human, who was I to judge?

Changelings apparently had both wings and a horn, something that had me confused at first with the Alicorns that ruled Equestria. What further shocked me was the fact that every Alicorn alive held a position of higher power, regardless of their credentials. They were old, seemingly immortal, and that was the second thing that surprised me.

All of that was secondary, however, to the basic nation itself. Even the races within the species were somewhat divided and segregated in their own way. While the few 'immortal' Alicorns held office at the head of government, the unicorns weren't that far behind in the social ladder. They held offices at a smaller scale most of the time despite supposed 'equality' and an opportunity to rise. At the same time, the majority of the Equestrian military was composed of pegasi with unicorns as the highest command while the earth ponies seemed left to rot at the bottom of the hierarchy. Those that lacked the wings or horns to attain the power within the world were kept ignorant, handed all the menial and unfulfilling tasks that other races were too good for due to their abilities in magic or in flight.

I suppose it was somewhat understandable from an objective, uncaring viewpoint. What irked me was the fact that a score of earth pony mares or stallions would take almost all day to complete their tasks where one single unicorn could complete it in fifteen minutes, but was too busy goofing off to do so. Such was the bigotry of a world where one race is clearly superior to another.

The ponies maintained an illusion of equality, sporting marks of purpose for what they were chosen to do. I suppose that whoever came up with the concept found it a lot more likely to succeed in its task than by branding them. Each of the races even gained a leader of 'royalty' to head their respective branches, all three coming together to for a Triumvirate from which to rule just beneath the very few ponies that were treated as gods.

I read every book I could on the structures of equine society, and all I got for it was more questions than the answers they stemmed from. After nearly a week of doing so, I finally grew tired of it.

"Fuck this shit!" I yelled, slamming the book closed with an annoyed hoof and proceeding to throw it at the wall. It made a satisfying thud as it hit the target, slowly sliding to the floor. I scowled, looking at the textbook as it sat there as impassive and lifeless as ever. I tried to look away for a moment, but then went back to staring at it. If looks could kill, even an inanimate object such as a book would probably die, but fortunately looks cannot.

"Don't look at me like that, you prick!" I shouted at it.

"Young lady," the old librarian stated, his small spectacles bobbing slightly on the bridge of his snout as he forced out the word 'lady'. "We don't talk like that in the library. This is a place of learning and information, not half-mad ramblings. If you need to shout at another inanimate object while waiting for it to respond, please find a psychiatrist as he'd be happy to provide one."

An embarrassed blush flooded my face as I bent over to pick the book back up. "Sorry, sir, but the book was frustrating me."

"Then please, go read something else."

"Yes sir," I replied, already trotting off towards the maze of shelves and ancient looking tomes.

The shelves rose up towards the high-roofed ceiling, leering down at me with their cold demeanor. All the tomes here were leather bound, something that made me more than a little hesitant when it came to their society. I wonder where they get their glue...

“Ohnonono-Oof!”

I turned my head around in time to see a young mare getting tackled by a sizable pile of books. I guess I’m not the only klutz around here…

“Are you alright?” I asked, offering her a hoof. The young mare looked up at me before accepting my offer. I felt a slight tug of weight as I hauled her back onto her hooves and tried to dust her off.

“Oh I’m fine,” she said, smiling winningly. I looked her up and down, smiling to myself as I took in her rather fascinating features. She was a white coated unicorn, even her mane being a bold frosty blue. Her eyes were a deep indigo to match and she carried herself like most of the nobility I’d seen. The blush on her face made it clear that she knew I was checking her out.

“So,” I started. “What’re you looking for?”

“Oh, nothing much! I was just looking for a new spell book on thaumaturgical process and kinetic theory!” she beamed. “Did you know that energy can be recycled in an ice based freeze spell just off of the atomic stasis created by draining their motion? It’s simply fascinating!”

Ugh… “Well as amazing as that sounds, I really must get going. I’m still trying to figure out how to read in Windings and hearing advanced spell theory isn’t likely to help,” I said, turning around to ignore her.

“Oh, you don’t know how to read? What’re you doing in a library?” the white mare asked. She looked at me skeptically. “Please tell me you’re not going to invade us again or anything?”

“Of course not! Would they have let me in here if I was? Silly! And for your information, I do in fact know how to read. It’s just a little weird reading from right to left is all,” I chuckled. For such a smart mare, this one really seemed like a bit of a ditz.

“So are you just bored?” she asked. My grimace probably gave that away. “Well don’t worry!” she said, a manic smile spreading across her face. “I know just what we can do!”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this…”

“Okay, just a little to the left!”

I moved the canister a little closer to the left, allowing room for the splash effect. With some careful guiding and some pretend ballistics, I had my targets in sight.

“Loose!” the mastermind cried just before I poured a bucket full of purple paint all over the guards below us. The whole concoction spread rapidly as it fell, landing spread out over all three of the stallions below. Their white coats quickly turned a darker shade of lavender as it slid all over their bodies.

“Hey!”

“What the fuck?!”

“Damn you, Daring Doo!”

The two of us quickly turned to flee, escaping in a fit of giggles after our fourth successful prank. We kept galloping down the halls, careful to hop over the pitch and tripwire we’d set up earlier. The indignant cries of our pursuers as they got ‘tarred and feathered’ only made us laugh harder. A few corners and some time in concealment later, the two of us burst out laughing.

“That was great!” My companion chortled. “I’ve never seen the guards so flustered!”

“That was,” I agreed, nodding in satisfaction at the sounds of the palace guard searching frantically for the culprit. “We should totally do so again sometime. My name’s Shiloh, by the way,” I said, offering her my hoof.

“My name’s Winter. Winter Morning,” she said, bumping my hoof with her own.

The name sounded somewhat familiar to me, but I just shrugged. All their names were practically identical anyways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3Be-26 was a bitch.

I'm sorry to say so, but there's no other word to describe her. She was moody, impetuous, and a real hardass when it came to training. That changeling had no inhibitions when it came to slave driving and it showed. She certainly didn't mind driving me into the ground. I was more tired than I'd ever been in my life.

"Shift."

My face twisted into a snarl as I tried to force myself to change shape yet again. I felt my bones twisting under my carapace as a soft coat of fur started to cover my body. I was halfway through turning form before I collapsed from exhaustion. All the progress I made towards a true transformation was lost as soon as I stopped.

"I-I can't," I said, looking at my instructor with pleading eyes. She just snorted, kicking me in the ribs in a gesture to get back up. "I'm serious, I didn't even know-"

"The first thing about magic before coming here? That line didn't work the last twenty times you've used it and it won't work on the next twenty either. Now get up off your ugly plot and get back to work," she said, looking down at me with nothing short of disgust. "You do know that all this work is for your own sake, right? The only person you're cheating is yourself."

"Why can't I just use an illusion? I'm getting good at those!"

"Yeah, because they're fucking easy," the changeling snorted. "You should already know by now that your illusions only last as long as you remain awake. What happens when somepony finds you asleep, hmm?"

"Well I don't-"

"Oh cut your whining. You and I both know that you need to learn how to transform quickly if we're going to be blending in with the ponies around. Have you come up with a disguise yet?"

I shook my head, looking down at my hooves. As much as I hated to admit it, the mare in front of me had done more for helping learn how to use my changeling abilities in the last two weeks than any unicorn alive could teach in a lifetime. For that matter, she'd taught me more about how to use my own body than anyone else would've been willing to.

"It's got to be something fairly plain and non-descript. You could even feign being a stallion if you wanted to, but that isn't necessary since no one knows about you as you stand. Just be sure that it looks like a real pony and not an abomination, okay?" the changeling stated. "If you want, I can show you a few of mine just to give you an idea how to go about it."

"I think that would be helpful," I said, smiling for the first time that day.

The changeling paused for a moment, her face remaining still as she concentrated. With a flash of green, her form shifted to that of a white unicorn mare. She turned to me and smiled. "You can call me Winter," she said, her voice suddenly taking on a level of emotion and depth otherwise foreign to her normally dry tone.

"So what do you think?!" the white mare asked enthusiastically. I did a double take at that. "We really must go shopping sometime soon! Of course, you simply must get a better coat on first. I'll brush your mane if you want!"

"Um, who are you and what did you do with my mentor?"

"Silly, you have to live the character you make! Don't create a personality just like your own or your enemies will catch on. Try something new!" my mentor replied, absolutely beaming at her own little pep talk. She bounced over to my side, draping her hoof over my withers before dropping the happy expression. "Just realize that you are still who you are inside. Don't loose yourself to the character you're trying to impersonate. While having a good facade is a great way to remain hidden, you can't afford to forfeit the mission for the sake of a pony that doesn't even exist."

"Okay," I answered. She looked me seriously in the eye before dropping the image. "So when should I transform and when should I just use illusions?" I asked.

"Thing is, that's purely a judgement call on the part of the pony doing making the decision. You can't simply transform at a whim like you can with an illusion, but you don't need to concentrate once the transformation is complete. So let me ask you this, if you were suddenly ambushed by a group of ponies who had realized what you were and were trying to hide in a crowd, which should you do?"

"Illusion."

"Why?"

"Because it's 'fucking easy'."

"Exactly," she replied, seeming content with my answer. "You wouldn't have time to properly shift in a transformation spell, so a mere illusion would have to suffice. Which is actually something you seem suprisingly skilled at."

"Was that a complement?" I asked, smiling at my part-time instructor, part-time slave driver.

"Don't get used to it."

"Well you just-"

"Shift!"

"Damnit," I muttered, focusing once more on changing shape. I looked up in time to see her smiling at me before she noticed and quickly did her best to replace it with a frown. Maybe I wasn't doing so bad after all...

"Get up!" 'Winter' said, throwing a picture at me. "We're going in town."

I groggily sat up in my bed. "Isn't it a little early?" I asked. She certainly didn't seem to think so. I just sighed and got up, trotting over to the nearby lamp and turning it on with a flick of my magic.

"Not for a bar-run, dingus."

"So we're going to a bar?" I asked. "I don't know how long I can keep up an illusion drunk."

"How many times do I have to tell you? You can't rely on illusion magic alone!" the changeling said, scowling. I tried to meet her gaze evenly, but out staring that crazy mare was about as likely as staring down a rock. That mare must have nerves of steel!

"Well I don't see you casting transformation spells left and right!" I growled indignantly.

"No, you're right. I don't. I also don't happen to have these," she said, pointing to my eyes. "Nor do I have the mind or the magic of a Hive Queen. After all, I'm just a lowly drone."

"Yeah, I get that. You're oh so helpless!"

"Fuck you too, Shiloh. Now get off your dirty plot and get ready." She stopped for a moment before seemind to remember something. A green ooze flared out of her horn and settled on me for a moment before she stopped. I felt a little sick to my stomach, but that was about the extent of it. "There! Now your illusion spells will fizzle."

"What?!"

"It's not enough to just practice, you know. You've got to get your hooves dirty sometimes!"

"How am I going to keep a full transformation spell up all night?!"

"By listening to my lectures and learning how to close the spell off to your naturaly energies. It's not an illusion spell, so quit casting it like one! If you went into that bar with an illusion spell, all it would take is a few shots of hard liquor and you might as well have walked in there as a changeling from the start. Besides, they check almost everyone in the city for changelings, but you wouldn't exactly be a changling anymore would you?"

"Well how the hell do you know so much, huh? I thought you were 'just a drone!'"

"Because fuck you, that's how!" she snarled. "But that's beside the point. Take a look at that picture. Take one long look because you're going to be going to the bar as that stallion."

"Who is it?" I asked, my curiousity piquing.

"Blue Blood the sixteenth. He's been dead for like a millenia now, so don't worry about getting recognized."

"But I'm a mare he's...well, a stallion." I stated. "I don't see how in the hell I'm going to turn into one of those."

"It doesn't matter if he's a stallion. When you transform, you aren't turning any of your chromosomes into male chromosomes, just changing your physical body. I mean a master shape-shifter might be able to do that, but in the end your genes are still that of the changeling you are. So don't worry about anything like that."

"Wait, if a master changeling were to shift their genes..."

"Then they wouldn't be able to turn back, yes. Now try and turn into him already!"

"Fine," I muttered, trying to take in the stallion's features. He certainly had an air of presence about him. The guy had a rock solid jaw set on his alabaster face and a deep blue mane that probably made most mares swoon. That wasn't what caught my attention most though.

"He looks an awful lot like Lucious..."

"That's because they're related, smart one," 'Winter' replied.

"That feel when you try to do something so totally against your nature that you don't even understand as the issue at hand. It is merely superfluous intuition to assume that everything you know and see is something that can be both analyzed and addressed. You are merely pawns in the big cosmic scene of utter stupidity. Eat my tacos, bitch."

"Is that idiot for 'I need a break?'"

"Yes, please," I said. "You're a real slave master, you know-"

The sudden slap across my face had me awake in seconds. I scowled at my aggressor, not at all pleased with what she'd done.

"What the fuck was that for, you little-"

A second strike across the face turned me from indignant to furious. This bitch had the gaul to slap me not once, but twice!

"What the hell's your problem?!" I asked.

"If you're awake enough to be shouting at me, you're awake enough to continue. Now get off your ass and practice. I don't care what excuses you have for why you can't do as your told, but trust me; they don't matter here. In the real world, nobody gives a rat's ass about whether or not you're upset or tired. If you let that break, you'll end up dead."

"Well who gives a flying fuck? I'll just kill their ugly ass!"

"Really?"

"Hey, I'm not bad in a fight! I'll have you know that I got into a lot of fights as a kid!"

"Oh goody, it looks like we've got a badass over here," she replied.

"You don't think I can fight, do you?"

"Oh, I don't doubt your skill in a filly fight on a playground. I'm sure you're the master at busting small foal's faces in."

"You're a real bitch, you know that?"

"I try my best," she said, smirking. I wanted nothing more thant to hit her right that moment.

"Tell you what," she started, that smug look all over her face. "I know you'd love to beat my ugly face in. You're free to do whatever you like to me right now. After you're done, you can go have a break."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I...my father always told me not to start fights."

"Did that ever stop you from hitting those kids?"

"Stop it."

"I bet you really enjoyed beating them senseless."

"I said stop."

"It must've felt great, taking out your own insecurities on all those children. I bet you even broke a few snouts."

"I said stop!"

"Did it make you feel like a big pony? I bet you felt like a real badass right then. You're mother would've been proud if she were alive to-"

"I SAID STOP!!"

I didn't even realize that I'd tried to hit her until I found myself on the floor, her hoof coming down on my gut. I started gasping for air as soon as the blow landed, stars swimming in my vision. In retrospect, it probably should've been pretty obvious how utterly stupid taking her up on that offer was.

"Feeling better? My offer still stands."

There wasn't air enough in the world to make me capable of replying to that comment.

"No? Well then, get back up and shift."

I didn't even bother responding. She was the last pony I wanted to look at right then.

"I said get up."

Ignoring her was easy for me. I'd been ignored by most of my piers for a better part of my life, so learning to reciprocate that wasn't all too difficult.

"That's an order!"

Stop, I thought. Just go away already.

"NOW!!"

I felt the side of my face burn as her hoof slapped across my muzzle. I started to curl up into a ball, taking it without a glance. My gasps for breath were starting to subside as my diaphram finally started to un-cramp. That didn't take away the shock of near-asphixiation.

"I said get up, you worthless sack of shit!" she yelled at me. "I have never failed Celestia in any task she has given me yet, and you're not going to change that for me. She gave a direct order to get you in shape, SO GET UP!!"

I felt her hooves wrap around my waist, pulling me onto my hooves. My head was spinning as I tried to make the difference between up and down.

"No little shit like you is going to be the cause of my failure! You're going to learn how to work, or my the Gods damn me!"