A lonely changeling flew through the skies around Canterlot. He looked down on the havoc his fellow changelings were wreaking. The blackened creatures were destroying buildings and chasing the citizens of the city. Ponies were cowering in fear of the mighty changeling swarm. Queen Chrysalis’s plan had been a success. The changelings were now in a position to conquer the ponies.
However as the changeling flew around the shy, he had a rare difference of opinion. His kind had long searched for an area with enough love to sustain them. When they first found Canterlot and the neighboring town of Ponyville everything improved. The changelings fed off of the ponies’ abundance of love and the swarm almost doubled in size. It was the Queen who promised them more. She told them that they would no longer live as parasites to the ponies, oh no. Chrysalis promised to make the ponies their slaves.
The creature sighed. This was where the changeling saw the biggest problem with the Queen’s plan. The swarm was growing and the changeling’s were well-off simply hiding amongst the ponies. They didn’t need the ponies as slaves. What the changelings needed was for the ponies to love as much as possible. The changeling mulled over the problem in his possibly overly developed brain. If the ponies are sad won’t they love less? He wondered this prospect as he continued to watch the swarm ravage Canterlot.
What good does it do to destroy this city? The changeling remembered Chrysalis’s order to attack. She hadn’t been that forthcoming on WHY they needed to attack. Didn’t we just capture the princess? Why are we attacking these ponies? They never caused us any harm! The changeling began to contemplate his more radical thought. The thought that made all the other changelings avoid him and call him crazy. It didn’t matter to him though. He wouldn’t give up on his aspiration. For deep down inside the changeling always wondered why his kind didn’t just try to befriend the ponies.
Sure the changelings were fierce and scary, but the ponies seemed so nice and amiable. His kind had always hidden in the shadows. Why? Why couldn’t they try to make friends with other creatures? It had never been tried before. The Queen had expressly forbidden it. The changeling hissed at the sky. The ponies had other scary friends like griffons. Maybe they would’ve accepted us too?
Oh well that’s never going to happen now, the changeling moped. With the first impression they made today, changelings and ponies would never be friends.
The changeling growled. He always lacked the conformity needed to be a member of the swarm. When the Queen ordered them to charge all the changelings would fly into action, all the changelings but him. This changeling would always think before he flew. He never made any friends with that hesitation. Now as the changeling watched the city fall before him, his only thoughts were of the wasted potential.
I guess there’s nothing to do, but give in, the changeling thought. As he stared down at the ravaged city the lone changeling spotted a pony. The creature was cowering off in a corner far away from most of the carnage. Oh well, he thought. As a changeling it was his duty to follow the Queen’s orders even if he was morally opposed them.
The changeling landed a few feet from the frightened pony. He hissed at her, but then grew dispassionate. The pony was hiding with her hooves covering her face. This is going nowhere, the changeling thought. He wasn't even physically equipped to hurt her. Besides what would he gain by doing so? There was a much better question the changeling now started to consider. How do I get her to love me?
The pony was gray pegasus with a yellow mane. The strange mark on her lower region seemed to resemble bubbles. The changeling grew panicked. I need love not fear, he thought.
The changeling backed away and using his own magical powers he morphed into a clone of the gray pony. His disguise was foolproof. He walked over and patted the cowering pony. The scared creature looked up at her clone. She started to giggle.
However the changeling then realized his disguise was horribly flawed. This pony had very weird eyes. He couldn’t allow this inconsistency to remain. With a flash of his invisible horn, his eyes too became a copy of the gray pony’s. The pegasus clapped in approval. Then she jumped up and hugged the copy.
The changeling blushed. He just received a miniscule surge of love. The shock of this occurrence made the changeling lose his concentration. Within moments he was his old-self. The gray pony backed away scared. The changeling looked down in despair. That tiny bit of love made his day. Now that feeling was gone. He dropped to his knees in defeat. There was no reason for him to terrorize this pony or anypony. All he wanted was love to consume and violence would get him nowhere.
That was when something really weird happened. Something the changeling could never anticipate. The gray pegasus walked over and started to pat his head. The changeling looked up in disbelief. Was this pony crazy? We’re destroying her city! She should hate me! She should be trying to crush me! All these thoughts made sense to him, but where the pair stood isolated off in a corner of the city. It was almost felt like the invasion was worlds away.
“I’m Derpy,” The pegasus said. “What’s your name?”
His name? The changeling shuddered. He did have a name, but very seldom was he called by it. In the swarm all changelings were viewed as one. Any sort of individuality like names were viewed as a detriment to the group dynamic. Still the changeling loved his name, Blink.
However he couldn’t tell her that, at least not yet. As a normal changeling he could only speak a creature’s language if he copied their vocal cords. Queen Chrysalis could speak pony, but she had been around for centuries. There was little that the Queen couldn’t do. The changeling focused his magic. Within seconds Blink transformed back into Derpy. The pegasus looked amused by his powers. Blink whimpered, even if he could talk to her, his pony vocabulary was still very limited.
“Hi,” said Blink matching Derpy’s voice. The pegasus laughed.
“You look like me!” Derpy cheered clapping her hooves.
Blink started to ponder again. What was with this pony? She was actually happy. She was happy talking to a changeling. This never happened before. Blink racked his brain for more pony lines, he’d heard.
“I love you,” Blink said with a confused expression. He’d heard those words used a lot in Ponyville. Blink really liked that phrase because what usually followed it was a delicious surge of emotion. He stared at the pegasus he now mirrored waiting expectantly for the love. However all he was met with was a look of annoyance.
“If you love me then why are your friends attacking the city?!” Derpy yelled.
Blink backed away. He was startled by this pony though she made a good point. Why were they attacking the city? They could’ve peacefully declared power couldn’t they? And mostly importantly what did all this chaos have to do with finding love?! Blink looked down failing to meet Derpy’s gaze. Going through the poorly recorded list of pony quotes he knew, only one phrase felt appropriate.
“I’m sorry,” Blink said. The changeling wanted to run away. He couldn’t think of anything else to say. Was a simple apology really going to make up for all this cruelty? Of course not! A single tear fell from his eye, which was unique for Blink since he’d grown up believing that changelings couldn’t cry. The false pony shut his eyes, but nothing could stop the tears. I can’t take this, Blink thought. I need to escape.
Blink was about to fly away when it happened. Something that changed his life forever. He felt a warm sensation around his body. Derpy was holding on to him. Not in a painful way, but in a weird way. She was holding him in a way that felt… good. Changelings never held each other like this. Blink quickly lost his concentration and reverted back to his normal form. However even as the hideous insect he truly was, Derpy didn’t stop holding him.
“It’s okay,” Derpy said. “I forgive you.”
Blink stared at the strangely eyed pegasus with wonder. Is this a dream? Blink could feel his stomach fill. The pony was giving him love, real honest love. It was better than anything he’d ever tasted before. Now all Blink wanted was for this love to last forever. He never wanted to leave Derpy’s side. This was how the swarm would prosper. We didn’t need to conquer the ponies. We needed to be their friends!
This was a sign! Blink grew ecstatic. None of the other changelings ever listened to him, but if they could only feel this love. There would be no question. All of them would abandon the invasion. They’d beg the ponies for forgiveness. All we’d ask for is a little of this beautiful feeling. Even Queen Chrysalis would yield if she only knew how great this felt. Still how could this be? Who was this Derpy and how was she able to forgive him? Blink needed to know. She must be like me! Blink thought. A genius lost amongst the conforming ranks! Blink had so many questions! But this was all he ever wanted! His dream wasn’t a fool’s errand! A changeling and a pony could be friends!
Adding to the list of amazing feats to occur in that dark alley was a sound Blink made then. Changelings usually spoke in a screeching buzzing sound that other creatures couldn’t understand. However Blink felt a new sound rise up inside of him. His mouth opened and he said something. Something not in changeling, but in pony. “D..ee..eerr..pp..yy.”
The name was poorly pronounced but it was clear. Blink had said his first non-changeling word without a disguise! The pony smiled at him and held him tighter. The love Blink felt made him repeat the name over and over again. “Dee…err…rpp..pyyyy. De..errp..py. Derpy!” The name became simple for him. Was learning to speak pony this easy for the Queen? Blink grinned. I can do this, he thought. I can befriend the ponies! I understand now!
However, just as an epiphany passed through Blink’s racing brain he felt a new sensation. It was a much more painful one to say the least. Something shoved the changeling from behind. Derpy fell to the ground as Blink was pushed into the sky. He looked back to see the pink barrier that Queen Chrysalis said she would destroy. The sphere was back and expanding at an amazing rate. Blink could hear his fellow changelings scream as they too were slammed by the force field. The whole group was knocked flying even as the barrier stopped growing. As Blink flew through the air he stared back at Canterlot. His thoughts were jumbled, but he still knew one thing to be true. Violence doesn’t get you love. Only love does that.
