Things had been going surprisingly well for Swarm, or as he was called when disguised, Time Turner. He’d come to Ponyville a few years before the wedding invasion fiasco, and by the Emperor’s blessings, he’d managed to set up a clock shop and garner a friendship with a local mare named Roseluck. Sure, he still fed on the love of the ponies of the town like any changeling would, but he managed to be careful as to how much he drained from their systems. However, stress was rather high, and mistrust was spreading. Ponies feared another attack from the changelings was imminent, despite Emperor Carapace’s promises that Queen Chrysalis was a rogue element within the Empire. Fear was building, and such was bad news for Swarm. If let to grow, the fear would soon overrule the love, and he would start to starve. After all, changelings only fed on love. However, Swarm had a plan in action already. Now, he knew that a lone changeling could never possibly alleviate the fears of the ponies. He knew that if he were to reveal himself that they would chase him out of town without a second thought. He then thought to himself, That’s why I persuaded Roseluck to do me a favor. I have also managed to ease the tensions around town some. The love is flourishing once more, just as I anticipated. Swarm knew that this was selfish of him, but if he didn’t do something then he’d likely perish from starvation. Perhaps if I’m lucky, Twilight Sparkle and her friends will be willing to help me out as well. He then nodded. He was going to do this. He was going to find a way to get the ponies of Ponyville to stop fearing. It was a monumental task, but he was up to it! Now all he had to do was gather his helpers.
The work had been going smoothly so far, and the populace of Ponyville had started to really calm down and open up again. Sure, there was still a lingering air of fear throughout the town, but that was to be expected this early in the venture. Swarm had kept a low profile so far, even with Roseluck and Twilight helping him out. Though, he would admit that it was getting a bit… hazardous… for him to continue. After all, if he was reading her emotions right, which he probably was, Roseluck had started to garner romantic feelings for him. He felt absolutely horrible about what he’d have to do, but he knew it would be better for Roseluck in the end if he just let her down gently. But, for some reason, he didn’t want to. Perhaps it was the fact the the love directed towards him felt absolutely addictive. Or, perchance, it could be something else entirely. Perhaps he cared enough for her as to not want to hurt her in that way. But, no matter what the reason was, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He sighed to himself. Oh, what a tangled web I’ve woven. How am I supposed to get myself out of this one?
A few days passed, and Swarm could almost believe that things in Ponyville were starting to calm down to a point where the town’s fear was pretty much non-existent. Swarm sighed. I’d never thought I’d make it this far. He looked over to see Roseluck coming to the shop. Her feelings towards him were strong as ever, seeing as he hadn’t had the heart to turn down her request to be a couple. Also, this strange warmth in his heart prevented him from even thinking of doing so. It was always warmer when Roseluck was around, but when she was away everything seemed a tad bit colder. Perhaps I’m starting to reciprocate her feelings. That’d certainly be interesting. The rumor of changelings being heartless was entirely bogus, after all. However, he couldn’t dwell on that. After all, rumors had started to spread yet again. He knew that these rumors had some meat to them, however, because he could smell a fellow changeling coming to the town. Judging from the smell, it would be a few days before this changeling arrived in Ponyville. However, something about the scent seemed oddly... familiar. Swarm knew very few changelings personally, and he thought that all of them were back home within the Empire. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew this changeling rather… personally. Swarm had to make sure that Ponyville was prepared to deal with this changeling should things get… nasty.
A few days had past, and Swarm had prepared as best he could for the arrival of the changeling. This changeling that was coming to town was alone, but Swarm couldn’t figure out why this changeling was coming to Ponyville. He was knocked out of his musings by the sound of music coming from the edge of town. He traveled to the edge of town to see an absurdly large crowd gathered, and Roseluck as well as Twilight and her friends were there. The music was coming from a travelling wagon of sorts, which was being pulled by a dark teal unicorn stallion. Swarm sniffed. That’s the changeling! But why does he seem so familiar? Swarm shook his head, and paid closer attention to his fellow disguised changeling. He’d given himself a reddish brown mane that had a single turquoise streak down the center. His tail sported all seven colors of the rainbow, and his eyes were blue-green. He’d also given himself a peculiar cutie mark: a turquoise music note superimposed over a paintbrush in an X shaped pattern, and the brush had the seven colors of the rainbow curved under it in a leftward arc. He wore blue glasses, a royal blue vest, and a platinum locket around his neck that was engraved with his cutie mark. Gotta give this guy credit, Swarm mused, not many changelings go this overboard with their disguise. Then, the stallion stopped at the edge of town, and cleared his throat. Is he going to sing? If so, that’s a very effective way to gather love. Then, the changeling started to sing, just as Swarm predicted.
“They call me Maestro Spe~ec~trum, Though it’s not my real name!
They don’t know where I’m fro~om, E’en wit my sky-rocketin’ fame!
I’ve traveled endlessly for miles, So why don’t cha come on down,
I’m only here t’ make ya smile, I promise not ta make ya frown,
So come on into my Em~por~ium, Come in to see my art,
Come and experience Eu~phor~ium, It’ll steal your heart!
I’ve got…
Paintings, Statues, Pottery,
My art’ll…
Last you for eh~ter~ni~ty!
I’ve got…
Songsheets, Playwrights, so much to see,
Trust me now with my absolute guar~an~tee!”
Ponies in the crowd murmured a bit, but that didn’t slow him down.
“You seem skeptical of my words, which I can understand,
So let me prove them to you now, to spread word ‘cross the land!
My art can survive…”
With each of the next few lines, he actually performed destructive acts on his artwork, with aid from the magic of his horn.
“Burning heat it can defeat,
Crushing weight it can abate,
Weather doesn’t lift it by a feather,
Time’s cruel hand it can withstand,
In brutal cold it does not fold,
In nature’s hive it will survive!”
The artworks survived all of the tests, and now the crowd was enraptured by his performance.
“It don’t matter what ya are, I won’t turn ya away,
So why don’t cha c’mon down, toooo~daaaay!
Now you can see, I’m honest as can be,
I’m loyal to a fault, the danger I’ll halt,
I’m kind to all I see, an’ generous as can be,
I buoy ya wit my laughter, good natured ever after,
An’ when you’re at the end of your rope,
I’ll shine bright with the light of hope!
So come on down!”
The crowd was cheering. “Maestro! Maestro! Maestro!” Even Twilight & co. were shouting at the top of their lungs. The changeling was drinking up the attention, and was grinning like a fool.
He then bowed with a flourish. “Thank you, Ponyville! You’re a wonderful audience!” His eyes gleamed with satisfaction, drinking in all of the adoration of the crowd.
Swarm saw that the ponies of Ponyville were starting to wane, and decided to act. “Imposter!” The crowd gasped, looking towards Swarm as he pointed a hoof towards the other changeling. “He’s a changeling!” The crowd started to murmur at that, but the other changeling just smirked at that.
“Oh? Such accusations!” The changeling grinned. “And what proof do you have of this, hmm?”
Swarm then yelled, “THIS!” He tossed a single jar of liquid at the changeling. It burst, and the changeling howled in pain as he was engulfed in green flames. The ponies of the crowd gasped and backed up. The fire cleared, and in the place of the dark teal stallion was a changeling stallion with sleek black chitin, fierce blue eyes, red mane and tail, and a stripe of blue on his back. Swarm’s eyes widened. Is that Catydid? I thought that he was still incarcerated!
He snarled. “Oh, phooey. How dare you ruin my fun.” His pupils dilated a bit as his horn lit with green magic. He pulled out from the travelling wagon a stallion that looked exactly like the changeling had before his disguise had falled. The poor guy was bound with cords, had a gag in his mouth, and had a magic suppressor on his horn. “Here, I’ve no need for this guy anymore. Keep ‘im.” With a flick of his horn he tossed the stallion to the crowd. He then started to fly away, but before he left, he called back. “Oh, and one more thing.” He then turned in midair, and looked across the crowd. “Swarm? I know that you’ve hidden yourself in this town. Let me tell ya, it won’t last much longer. Best jet on back to the Changeling Empire while you have the chance. See ya.” He then flew off into the sky.
Swarm’s eyes widened as the ponies murmured to themselves. It was over. He was through. All his effort to create Time Turner was for naught. They’d find him, and accuse him of atrocious things. And, worst of all, Roseluck would hate him. It was all over now. Swarm looked down dejectedly as he walked away, ignoring Roseluck’s pleas. His heart ached, but he never looked back.
Author's Note
My first one-shot! I'm cruel, aren't I? But hey, I interpreteted the prompt my way. Credit for the story idea goes to LoyaltoRainbowDash. If you like/dislike/fave the story, I'd appreciate some feedback. Constructive criticism is encouraged. Thanks go to Just A Random Pegasus for editing. I hope you all have a good day!
Epilogue: Maestro's Luck (Also other loose ends)
Maestro had managed to salvage the situation he’d been thrust into, but it had been seriously aggravating to do so. He stopped the ponies from attempting to find this “Swarm” character, and kept them focused on his Emporium. He even stayed longer than intended, because of a mare known as Sarah Von Strokenheimer. Too bad she was a bit too pushy for Maestro’s comfort. Eventually, that “Time Turner” character returned, and patched things up with that Roseluck mare. Maestro smiled. It was good to see romance bloom in spite of… differences. Oh yes, Maestro knew that “Time Turner” was actually Swarm the changeling, but he wasn’t going to say anything. After all, ponies needed to learn that some changelings were decent folk. Well, besides Catydid. Maestro shuddered. Remembering him left a bad taste in Maestro’s mouth. Rouges never did sit well with him. Maestro sighed. It was time to pack up, and go to another town. The ponies of Ponyville whined about how he should stay and whatnot; but Maestro explained that, as a traveler, he couldn’t stay in one place forever. As he waved and went on his way, he sighed. Well, there goes that town. Nobody there really seemed truly interested in me as a person, aside from Sarah. He then put his head up. No matter. There’s always the next town, after all. Maestro wanted to find something that all bachelors wanted to find- true love. This search of his had spanned many nations, where he’d had dates with many races. Oh sure, most ponies went for other ponies, but Maestro was a very open-minded pony. Although, he only ever went for females. After all, such was what nature intended. He sighed again. I’ve received many “love letters” over the years, but none of them have actually been truly about love. All of them have basically begged for my money or to share in my fame. It’s quite appalling. Maestro then looked to the sky, which was clear and blue. However, I’m not going to let that drag me down; I’m going to find my true love, no matter how long it takes. He then looked into Hoofington, and he saw a showmare’s stage. He was intrigued. The show was going to be by one “Great and Powerful Trixie.” Maestro appreciated stage magic, in fact he’d once considered trying his hoof at it. He chuckled lightly. I wonder just how good this “Trixie” is. I hope that it’s worth my time. He went up to the stage, and sat in the front row. This caused many ponies to murmur, but he paid them no mind. Right now, he was just a part of the audience, not some big-shot artist. Then, the mare of the hour stepped onstage. She was a powdery blue unicorn, and she had a silvery mane and tail. Her dark violet eyes shone with a modicum of defeat, and her star-studded purple cape and wizard’s hat looked a bit worse for wear. Her cutie mark was visible for a split second, but Maestro remembered it well: a star tipped wand that had a cloud of smoke speckled with pinprick stars shaped like a crescent moon emerging from the utmost tip of the star wand. To Maestro, the mare’s show was wonderful, but the crowd didn’t seem to agree with him. They started to whisper about her being a “no-good blowhard” or something to that effect. One in the crowd even tossed a tomato to the stage. Trixie closed her eyes and braced for impact. However, no such impact came. The crowd gasped, and Trixie opened her eyes. Shimmering in front of her was the tomato, caught in a turquoise aura. The tomato then floated away from Trixie, and over to Maestro, who had a similar turquoise aura around his horn. He then took a bite out of the floating tomato, and swallowed. He grinned. “Come now! No reason to ruin a perfectly good entertainer’s show with insults and projectiles! Let the show continue!”
One in the crowd then shouted, “But she’s a liar! Didn’t you hear about her trip to Ponyville, and her claims that she made there?” At that, Trixie cringed.
Maestro shook his head. “While I have heard of that debacle, it is my understanding that she wasn’t the only one in the wrong that day. Who were the uncouth swine that interrupted her show that day? Wasn’t it those ‘Element Bearer’ characters? Why do they get off scot-free for ruining an artist’s show, while Trixie suffers unjust ostracization for one lie? Sure, she shouldn’t have claimed to be able to take down an Ursa Major, But until she was rudely interrupted, she was only doing her job as a stage magician. It’s well known that stage magicians use illusions and sleight of hoof to entertain crowds. Sometimes, they might even wind a tale or two, though usually it is based in some kind of fact, however. While I do see your point, you must now consider mine. Is it just to torture Trixie this way while others get no flack for what they’ve done?”
Trixie’s mouth was gaping, and the crowd was murmuring. Maestro looked very pleased with himself when one of the crowd piped up. “I guess… we should give her a chance to change her ways…” The stallion lowered his head as he turned to Trixie. “Can you ever forgive us for causing you such pain?”
Trixie looked at Maestro, the stallion who just might have saved her career. She then looked across the crowd at all of those apologetic eyes. Trixie stood taller. “Trixie will forgive you, as long as you help me ‘clean-up’ my show a bit.” she sighed. “Using tall tales to gain an audience isn’t going to work anymore.”
The ponies cheered, and the show went on. When she would start to stumble into fraudulence, the audience would just glare at her a little, and then she would dust herself off, and try again. Maestro smiled at this display. Now this is a conducive environment for change. After the show ended, the crowd went away with smiles. Maestro walked up to Trixie. “Well done, Trixie Lulamoon. I think Quartermoon would be proud of the direction you’re taking your show in.”
Trixie turned to face Maestro. “Why did you step in? Why protect me from the crowd, and even go so far as to get them to apologize to me?”
Maestro chuckled. “Trixie, I’m a pony of principles. If I see somebody being treated unfairly, I tend to step in, as I did today. That’s just how I roll.”
Trixie then cocked an eyebrow. “That’s all? You had no ulterior motive?”
Maestro tapped his chin. “Well, I just wanted to see your show at first, but when things got a bit ugly, I stepped in. That’s about it.”
Trixie still seemed skeptical, however. “How can I know that you’re not pulling something?”
Maestro chuckled. “Ah, a careful type. I respect that.” He then held out a hoof. “If you really want to know if you can trust my intentions, then how about this: We’ll be friends, traveling the road together. Over the course of our travels, I’m certain that you’ll see my true colors shine bright.”
Maestro smiled, and Trixie hesitated a bit before placing her hoof in his, and shook. “Alright, you’ve got yourself a deal. But no funny business, alright?”
Maestro nodded solemnly. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of it. After all, we barely know each other. Trust must be built between two individuals before any sort of relations may be built, be they friendship, or something more.”
Trixie blinked a bit, and attached her wagon-stage to herself with a harness. “What are you, a philosopher?”
Maestro shook his head. “No, but I did grow up learning philosophy when I was younger. I guess some of it stuck with me.” The two artists traveled together after that day, going from town to town, Maestro selling his art, and Trixie doing her magic show. What will be in store for these two? Who knows? After all, the future is quite the fickle thing, constantly shifting at the drop of a hat. Perhaps they part ways amicably later on. Or, their friendship might blossom into something more. But, that’s not important right now. What’s that? You want to know what happens with Roseluck and Swarm? Well, it is soon revealed to Ponyville that Swarm is a changeling. However, thanks to his relationship with Roseluck, ponies were actually willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Roseluck and Swarm do end up married in most futures, albeit after many troubles that are thrown their way. Point is, everybody lives happily ever after. Except Catydid, because screw him. Oh? Were you wondering how Catydid and Swarm know each other? Well... Let's just say they were "partners in crime" before Swarm got disgusted with what they'd stooped to and decided to turn his life around, starting by turning in Catydid. You can imagine how that went down. So dear reader, if that's everything, farewell.
Author's Note
So, thanks to popular demand, a sequel/epilogue! I was debating putting this up as its own fic, but then I decided against it. As always, criticize constructively. If you faved this story, don't forget to upvote. If you liked/disliked, I'd like to see your thoughts poured out in the comment section below. Thanks go to Just A Random Pegasus for editing. That's all for now!
