KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Sawtooth slowly opened his eyes to his dingy Manehatten apartment. Around him sat various musical instruments, a record player, a beat up trumpet case, and an ever increasing pile of records and music posters from various artists and genres.
The changeling winced as the knocking grew more and more insistent. He yelled at the door, "Alright! Alright, I'm up." He stretched, extending bits of his black carapace before making his way to the incessant noise.
The door opened, revealing an auburn mare, who hastily stuffed a note into her mane, "Are you Sawtooth?"
The changeling lowered his eyebrows and his expectations, before generating a lopsided grin and a sarcastic tone of voice, "Isn't that the changeling living somewhere around here? Funny, I don't see any changelings. Do you?" He paused for a moment as he pictured the mare struggling to comprehend his sarcasm. His smile grew forced as his eyes narrowed, "That was supposed to be a joke. Yeah, I'm Sawtooth."
The mare peered inside the changeling's dingy, cluttered apartment, "You seem to be living the life of luxury. See, I can do jokes, too."
Sawtooth rolled his eyes, "Anyway, what's going on?"
The mare flattened her mane before beginning a clearly practiced speech, "My name is Road Trip. I work for Neon Lights. I'm sure you've heard of him."
Of course I'd heard of him. Who hasn't heard of him?, he thought. Still, he decided it would be fun throwing her for a loop, "I can't say I have."
The statement had the intended reaction, stopping her mid-speech.
Her brain silently hit the reboot switch, "Right, uh, well, Mr. Lights is set to perform at the Manehatten Music Festival tonight, and he's... incapacitated."
Sawtooth nodded, smiling broadly. "And that's where I come in. Alright. The usual fee is 70% of the artist's cut and a poster for the show."
"Don't you think 70% is a bit much?"
"No. I only take the missing artist's cut, and Neon obviously has enough money if he's gonna blow this show. If he wanted to get paid, he should have stayed sober."
Road Trip hesitated before agreeing to the changeling's terms. Sawtooth nodded, assuming the form of a nondescript orange pegasus.
The morphed changeling smiled, "Lead on."
Three hours and an incredibly long cab ride later, Sawtooth sat in Neon Lights' trailer, lounging in the comfort of the luxury sofa. There were still thirty minutes til showtime, so he wasn't worrying too much. That is, until his rest was interrupted, once again, by incessant knocking.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Alright! Alright, I'm coming." Sawtooth quickly hopped up from the couch of dreams, Wow, déjà vu, and began analyzing the poster he had been given.
He noted the stallion's light-bluish coat, grey spiky mane, as well as height, weight, and a few more features that weren't prominent, but still needed to be noted. If the real performer wasn't incapacitated, the change would likely have taken a split second, but the distinct lack of a third dimension on the poster made him slow to fully recreate the image.
After a quick glance at the mirror, the changeling had taken on a perfect image of Neon Lights. He donned a pair of sunglasses, a black shirt from the closet, and Neon's white tie.
Whoever was standing outside began knocking again. Sawtooth could feel the extremely high emotions before he even opened the door. When he did, he felt a tsunami of love rush over him. Sawtooth passively siphoned a small amount of the energy off the young mare standing before him when she started to squeak.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh- ok," The mare began taking slower, though not quite deep, breaths, "Mr. Lights, I just have to say what an honor it is to meet you. I love your music, and I'd like you to sign my poster." The mare held out the poster in question.
'Neon' smiled, "It's no problem. I'd love to help out a fan." He took the quill from the mare's outstretched hoof and quickly forged an autograph.
"Oh, thank you so much! This is amazing!" The mare happily bounced away, unknowingly leaving a changeling in her wake.
Sawtooth turned back into the trailer with a wide smile. The door began to shut behind him when it was caught by Road Trip, whose mischievous smile stretched across her face, "Uh, Mr. Lights? How was the food? I figured you'd need a little pre-show meal."
The changeling chuckled, "It was wonderful. Just what I needed to wake up."
"Right, well, the show starts in about ten minutes. I suggest you get set up before then." The door shut as the mare slipped out from behind the door.
'Neon' paused, checking his appearance in a mirror. He straightened his tie, nodded to his mirror and set out of the luxury trailer park. There were maybe a half dozen trailers, with twenty or so ponies wandering among them. The stage was at the edge of the park, facing the crowd on the larger section, cramming ponies, fans, of all shapes and sizes together like sardines.
A wisp of the fans' love of the performers was easily felt across the field, and Sawtooth had to resist the urge to siphon off a portion of it. There would be plenty during the show.
A white unicorn with jagged, electric blue hair trotted up alongside 'Neon'. She flicked her headphones before addressing Not-Neon, "Hey, Neon. What's up?"
Oh, crap. It's Vinyl. "Oh, I'm doing pretty good. You?"
Vinyl cocked her head, "Wait," She leaned in to 'Neon's ear, whispering, "Sawtooth?"
Sawtooth's disguised eyes shot open, "Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"
"Because I know Neon was drinking last night, and he wouldn't describe one of his monumental hangovers as 'pretty good'." She turned to face Sawtooth, "You know, you didn't have to hide from me, Saw"
Sawtooth rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Are we going on stage together again?"
Vinyl nodded, "Just like old times, huh?"
"Yeah, well, I didn't do this disguised in front of a roaring crowd. It'll be easier for the both of us if you just call me Neon for the moment."
"Right. Yeah. I'll, um, I'll see you on stage, Neon." She frowned, encasing her headphones with a magic aura. "Hey, after the show, do you wanna go for a drink?"
"Well, you know how I feel about alcohol. Maybe dinner. Not like a date or anything, just, you know, as friends."
She dropped her headphones back over her ears before replying. "Yeah. I'll see you after the show."
Vinyl trotted ahead, bobbing her head to the beat of a song only she could hear. Sawtooth followed close behind as they made their way up to the stage, side-by-side. The pair nodded to each other before throwing the door open. Sawtooth was floored. The flood of love he had been expecting was dwarfed in comparison to the massive surge of emotion that came hurtling toward the pair.
Sawtooth drank it in. There was far too much there for a single changeling, but the flood was there, and he decided to make the most of it.
Neon's smile grew to match those of the fans, and he happily trotted over to the microphone, "HELLO, MANEHATTEN! How are you all doing tonight?"
The crowd roared in response.
Neon's smile only grew wider as Vinyl stepped up to the DJ booth. She leaned into her own mic, "Well, let's make the night a little better, alright?"
The pair smiled, the crowd roared, and the music began.
"Sweet Celestia, that was awesome!" Sawtooth was bouncing down the steps as he giggled manically, "Why can't we stay on? I wanted to stay on! That was awesome! Wait, I already said that."
Vinyl was smiling as well, though she lacked the manic energy Sawtooth gained on his love overdose. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome. So, you wanna go get some dinner?"
"Yeah! That sounds fun. Why don't we stay and watch the rest of the show, first?"
"I think it would be better if you stay away from there for a little while. You're a little love-drunk. Why don't we head back to your place?"
Sawtooth lowered his head, "Oh, ok, I guess you're right."
Vinyl laughed, as Road Trip came up behind them. "Excuse me, Mr. Neon. Here's your payment for the night."
"Thanks, miss! You know where to reach me if there's anything else you need." Sawtooth took the sack of bits she was carrying before flagging down a cab. Within seconds, a bright yellow carriage screeched to a halt in front of them. "Sweet Celestia, it took like twenty minutes to get a cab last time!"
The stallion smiled to the pair, "Anything for you, Neon."
"Hey, I guess this job does have it's perks!" He laughed and bounced into the carriage with Vinyl and Road Trip in tow.
The stallion grabbed a piece of paper and held it up to 'Neon', "If you don't mind, could you sign this for my daughter? She's a big fan."
"Sure! I'd love to." Sawtooth grabbed a pen from Road Trip, gliding Neon's name across the parchment.
"Thanks, Mister. Where can I take you?"
"You know the Shady Acres Apartment complex?"
The stallion replied, "Of course." as the carriage lurched forward.
Vinyl turned to Road Trip, "Why are you coming?"
Road Trip shrugged, "I don't know. I'm sure whatever you guys will be doing is a lot more interesting than dealing with captain hangover."
Sawtooth shook his head, "Just make sure he stays sober for his next performance."
"Neon, why do you do this?" Trip asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Like, music. What got you into it?"
"Go right for the heart, eh?" Sawtooth shrugged, "Alright, in all honesty, I've loved music since the first time I've been in Manehatten. I mean, the city is just incredible, but music is what really keeps me here. Between the festival, the clubs, and the sheer amount of stuff to do, I just can't bring myself to leave. As for what actually got me into music, it's a long story that I would rather tell in private."
Trip shrugged, satisfied with the response. Vinyl nodded and let her headphones muffle the world around her.
The trio disbanded the carriage as it pulled in front of the apartment structure. Neon reached into his bit pouch before the stallion stopped him, "That won't be necessary." He held up the autograph, "I've already got my payment."
Sawtooth smiled as the carriage pulled away from the curb, "You know, that autograph would likely make him richer than a whole week's worth of cab rides."
Road Trip continued, "You're probably right. I don't think he'll be selling it any time soon, though."
Vinyl stared at the building lying before her, "Sawtooth, you live here? Seriously, man, this is-"
"Dark, dingy, and sort-of pathetic?" Sawtooth finished, "Yes, but it's cheap and the tenant doesn't ask questions."
Vinyl shrugged, "That makes sense." and walked inside.
A familiar sight surrounded Sawtooth as he made his way to his room. Vinyl entered, closely followed by Road Trip. "Good to be home?"
"I don't know, that show was pretty awesome," Saw chuckled.
Vinyl rolled her eyes, "Yeah. We know."
Sawtooth chuckled as he tossed the poster onto an established pile. Lime-green flames washed over him, stripping his disguise to a stolen shirt and tie. "I've got some leftover Taco Belle, if that sounds good," he mentioned as he trotted into the kitchen.
Vinyl fell onto the couch with Road Trip, staring at Sawtooth's music collection, "Yo, Saw, where'd you get all this stuff?"
Sawtooth's voice called out from the other room, "Stole some, bought most. Some of the posters are from the shows I've, uh, performed in."
Road Trip nodded, "So, that's why you put it into your contract."
Vinyl sighed, leaning forward in her seat, "Sawtooth, you said before that you would tell us why you got into music when we were alone. I believe this qualifies."
Sawtooth emerged through the doorway, midway through removing his tie. He smiled, "Let me grab the food, and I'll tell the story." He turned, levitating a plate laden with chips and re-heated tacos into onto the cluttered coffee table.
He chuckled before starting, "First, let me get into character." With a flash, Sawtooth the changeling was replaced with a dull orange pegasus. Sawtooth began, "When I was still a scout for the queen, I used to find places filled with love so the queen could..." He paused, putting a hoof to his chin, "Well, to be honest, I don't really know what she's been doing with that information. Anyway, that was my job, and with that job, I was cut off from the hive for months at a time."
"One night, I was sniffing out a particular spot of extremely high-concentrated love in Fillydelphia. When I got closer to the place it was radiating from, I could hear music. At the time, I thought, like, 'stupid ponies and their stupid pony culture', but the closer I got to the place, and the more I could hear the music, the more I liked it. Of course, I hated myself for actually liking pony music at the time. By the time I found the place, I could barely hear myself think over the music, which was okay since the music was just about all I could think about."
"When I found the place, I was surprised that that much love could be directed at one pony. One unicorn, in fact. If I remember properly," Sawtooth stared off into space, pretending to be lost in deep thought, "She had a white coat, electric blue mane, and incredible skill with a turntable."
Vinyl sat up, "Hey! I think I remember that show! Gallopaloosa, right?" Her eyes shot open as she stared at the pegasus in front of her, "I remember you! You were the one that followed me and started asking all those weird questions!"
Sawtooth laughed before donning a curious expression, "What was that music called? Why does everyone love you? Is there some way I could sit under the stage at your next show? Can I touch your hair?"
Road Trip was on the floor laughing while Vinyl smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, that last one didn't make me uncomfortable at all."
Sawtooth stripped back to his chitin, snickering, "I'm just glad I could give myself a second chance at an introduction. I've never been happier that I was a changeling than when we first met. Like, actually met, not just stupid questions that end with me getting hit with a Sapphire Shores album."
Trip turned to face Vinyl, "You threw a record at him?"
"Oh, relax," Vinyl waved a hoof, "It's not like I was trying to hurt him or anything. He was just being creepy, and I figured I should, I don't know, keep him away from me? That sounded a lot meaner than I intended. Besides, it's Sapphire Shores: not exactly remix material."
"Yeah, well, I was being pretty creepy. I was also violating about twenty rules for scouts, but I suppose curiosity killed the changeling, right?" His voice died down to a whisper, "I kept the album."
Road Trip glanced at Sawtooth, sputtered out, "You-" and started laughing again. She slowly calmed down before choking out, "I'm sorry, just- That was a funny visual. You must have been pretty annoying to get Vinyl stirred up."
"Yeah, well. Anyway, I started going to more and more shows until eventually I had stopped caring about finding love -not in that way, Trip, stop snickering- and just went for the music. That was around my second chance at an introduction with Vinyl." Sawtooth flashed bright green before changing into a light blue unicorn.
"We met after a show. I recognized her; she obviously didn't recognize me, and we just sort-of talked for a while. Eventually, she persuaded me to learn music myself, and from then on, I was hooked. We met up from time to time: a little conversation, a little playing together -Trip, stop it- playing music together."
Vinyl stepped forward, next to the disguised changeling, "Here, let me tell this part. So there was this band that was playing with me at some club in Fillydelphia, and one of the band members had to go home because his mom was sick. That night, Sawtooth comes up to me, and he's like, 'Hey, there's something I need to tell you,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, I have to tell you something, too' and so he told me about the shape-shifting thing, and I was just like, 'cool,' and I told him about the band and that it was a shame they couldn't play because one band member was sick, and he's just like, 'well, I can make myself look like one of the band members and perform for them', and so he did, and it was awesome."
Vinyl leapt back onto the couch, "You know, I think I'll leave the storytelling to Sawtooth from now on."
Road Trip raised a hoof, "Thing one, I think that entire story was one massive run-on sentence. Thing two, isn't 'sawtooth' a thing in electrical music?"
Vinyl nodded, "Yeah, now that I'm thinking about it, isn't it a bit ironic that a changeling unknowingly named after a music thing becomes a musician?"
Sawtooth shrugged, "A bit, yeah."
"Where did that name come from, anyway?"
Sawtooth sighed, leaning back in his hair, "I bit my caretaker hard enough to crack the chitin. I've only heard about it through stories, but I think while the caretaker was getting patched up, she said something along the lines of, 'That nymph's teeth could saw a pony's leg off,' and the name stuck."
Vinyl took a bite of reheated taco, sputtering, "Well, now I know not ta piph you off."
"I wasn't trained as a soldier, so I doubt I would do well in a fight." Sawtooth sat on the armrest of the couch, levitating a nearly-cold taco to his mouth, "Besides, I've grown to like you flesh-coated freaks, much to the queen's dismay."
Vinyl laughed, "Hey, you're in our country. That makes you the freak."
Sawtooth held up his hooves, "Alright, alright, fine. Road trip, why are you smiling?"
"Hearts and Hooves day is coming up. Do you two have special someponies?" Trip asked with a laugh.
Vinyl and Sawtooth exchanged looks and muttered, "I'm not-"
"We're not-"
Vinyl whipped around, "Trip, I have a marefriend!"
Sawtooth paused, "Wait, who?"
Vinyl rolled her eyes, "I'll tell you if she promises to stop pretending we're a couple!"
Trip quickly turned to look at a very interesting stain on the ceiling, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Vinyl leaned back, mumbling, "Octavia. Her name's Octavia."
Sawtooth put a hoof to his chin, "Wait, Octavia... I've heard that name before. Cellist? Grey fur and mane?"
Vinyl nodded, and Trip squealed with excitement, "Oooh, a cellist and a DJ! I never would have thought. You know, it just seems like a, uh, what's the word?"
"Oxymoron," Sawtooth offered.
"Yeah, that's it."
Vinyl rolled her eyes, "Well, she's not all uptight like you'd expect. I don't think she's a big fan of the club music I play, but that doesn't stop her from trying to get into it."
"It really has been too long, Vinyl," Sawtooth sighed, "Heck, this is the first we've seen each other in over a year."
Vinyl leaned back into her chair, "Yeah. I might be playing this after-party for a marriage in a few months. In you want to come, I might be able to get you in."
"That sounds like fun. I've never crashed a wedding before," Sawtooth chuckled.
Vinyl held out a hoof, "Oh, no. I am not letting you do that. I'll see what I can do to get you on the guest list. Otherwise, you're waiting outside."
Sawtooth grumbled, "Uh... Okay. What's the big deal about this?"
"Let's just say this isn't a wedding anyone should show up for uninvited."
Road Trip snorted, "Really, what's with all the secrecy? It's just a wedding. They happen every day."
Vinyl rolled her eyes, "It hasn't even been properly announced yet, and they told me not to tell."
Sawtooth nodded, "My species thrives on secrets. I'm fine without the gossip. Just let me know if you can get me in. I could play the organ, if you want. That's basically a fancy piano, right?"
"Somewhat, yeah," Vinyl answered, "I'll see what I can do, but no promises."
"Right. Well, how about you, Trip? We've all shared something about ourselves. Your turn."
Trip shrugged, "What is there to tell? I don't get some special-agent changeling backstory, or a marefriend and secret wedding."
Sawtooth rolled his eyes, "Right. You are just a manager for one of the most highly-recognized musicians in Equestria. What's that like?"
"Well, uh," Trip shifted in her seat, "I suppose it's just weird. I mean, it's more like they're more a bunch of overgrown children than highly-paid musicians, and I have to act as a foalsitter. They get in food fights. They challenge each other to chug bottles of hot sauce. I had to clear out the trailer for almost an hour because one of them left a fart bomb under the couch."
"So, you make innuendoes, and they make fart bombs. Seems like you're pretty much perfect for each other," Vinyl quipped.
"Oh, ha ha. That's hilarious."
Sawtooth rolled off the couch, "Hey, maybe I shouldn't go to the wedding."
Vinyl raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? You were just practically begging me to get you in, and now you don't want to go?"
He shrugged, "Hey, it's just that, you know, changeling. We feed on love. Guess what weddings have a lot of?"
Vinyl smiled, "Well, then I guess it'll be dinner and a show"
Sawtooth shook his head, "No, I've grown too fond of you meatsacks to risk chewing through a wedding. At least when I'm performing, the love is directed at me. No. I'm not stealing love from others."
"What are you talking about? You can still come, just don't feed," Vinyl suggested.
"It's not like that. It's like-" Sawtooth put a hoof to his chin, "It's like having a massive craving for chocolate cake, and someone smacks a slice of the world's tastiest chocolate cake right in front of you and says, 'don't eat that.' Sure, you can do it, but it's not easy. It takes a lot of self-discipline not to take in every scrap of love a changeling can find. Of course, we're taught that when we're still nymphs, but the longer a changeling goes without food, the more volatile they become."
Sawtooth shook, "Only, I've been cut off from the hive for the past couple years, per the queen's orders. Their food supply was dwindling before, and it freaks the heck out of me to think of what she might try if the whole hive is starving."
Vinyl took a deep breath, "Saw, maybe you should see a therapist."
He chuckled, "Eeh, maybe you're right. No, what I need is some form of contact with the hive. At least then, I'll be able to know what's going on."
Trip took a deep breath, "Well, this has been fun, but I think I'll save the serious talk for you two." She stood from her seat and trotted toward the door, "I might see you guys another time?"
Sawtooth stood, "Yeah. See you around, Trip."
Vinyl waved, "Adios, mi amiga."
Road Trip smiled as she swung the door open and stepped through.
Sawtooth sighed, "She was nice. Anyway, what time were you thinking about heading out, Vinyl?"
"Maybe in a bit. Hey, you mentioned something about the queen cutting you off from the hive. Is that anything important, or just the, uh, bitch is gonna bitch."
Sawtooth turned to Vinyl, sternly poking her with a forehoof as he growled, "Hey, she's still the queen. You cannot speak of her that way. She simply did not approve of my consorting with you ponies. She refuses to see you as anything but food, and I disagreed with her. Alright?"
Vinyl raised her hooves defensively, "Alright! Jeez, Saw what's stuck up your-"
"Nothing," he interjected, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lashed out like that." He shrunk back, taking a few extra cautionary steps away from his friend, "Ah, hell. I'll see you around, Vinyl."
Vinyl crawled off the couch, "Yeah. See you around," She turned to the changeling, "I know you don't want to go to the wedding, but maybe we could meet up after. I'll send you a letter when I get a chance."
Sawtooth waved to his friend as she opened the front door, "Take care, Vinyl"
"You too, Saw," Vinyl responded as she stepped out the open door.
The door shut with a resounding crack. Sawtooth stared at the door for a moment before sighing and staring at his hooves. Somehow, he thought, Everything will work out.
Author's Note
This story was based on the idea that a changeling could impersonate celebrities and feed on love from their fans. The idea progressed into the one of Sawtooth, where he is essentially paid to impersonate musicians when they're too wasted to go on stage.
The title for this chapter, Cambiare, is a musical term, meaning to change to a new instrument. It's also latin for 'change', according to Google Translate. I figure the two different singers count as two different instruments, technically.
Anyway, thanks for tuning into this story, which I wrote because I was bored.