Running From Change

Our world is made up of stories. From the edging adventures with terrifying monsters and battles, to the tragic romance novels that cause us to jerk tears, stories are what make our world turn each and every day and night. You might look at this one and think "this shall be a horrific story, with monsters, terror, and lives lost," but that only goes to show you should never judge a book by it's cover. Because, this just so happens to be one of these emotional tales of love and adventure. Filled with runaways that wish to start anew, and kindred but lonely souls that would soon flourish from their arrival, and dark forces following that will cause those loyal to question all that they know. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves now; let's just say that this is the story of one who would come from the most unlikely of places to become the best of friends.

Welcome to the land of Equestria; a rich and bountiful land full of wonder, adventure, and most of all, friends. For this is the home of the ponies, the most peaceful and compassionate creatures you will ever live to see. Amongst them is a young, pegasus, mare by the name of Fluttershy. Her elegant beauty and musical voice alone have enticed many a creature, but her kind heart is what has caused many to become smitten at the mere sight of her. But, this has also made her the cause of many heartbreaks to come. Fluttershy has always been the kindest of ponies around, but she has always been the most timid. To this day, she remains alone in her cottage, caring for her animals, and afraid that she may never find someone who could understand her. However, the day she became convinced of this was the day everything changed. Outside the comforts of her village, other events were conspiring for change. Inside the society of the Changeling Hive, under the tyranny of Queen Chrysalis, this was the home of the most vile, sinister, and heartless creatures ever known, the changelings. Creatures of pure consumption, who would take on the forms of those closest to you, and feed off the love you had for them. Driven by an unsatisfied gluttony, truly all changelings were monsters, who could think of nothing more than consumption. That is, all but one. For the first time in 10 centuries, Cloak Dagger may have been the first changeling to question their ways, and the lives they were hurting. However, when you live as part of a hive mind with a million brothers and sisters, your individual thoughts can only enrage those around you. Cloak was charged with treason, and for 10 years was locked away to suffer in the vile pits of justice. Though, not for much longer. It was Spring time in the land of Equestria, and creatures of all shapes and sizes were filled with cheer. Not only was it the time for Ponyville's 10th annual Spring Fling Festival, it was the day prisoners of the Hive would be paroled by the judgment of the Queen. Two seemingly unrelated events, but would come together by fate. For that night, just before the festival began, Cloak Dagger broke away from custody, and ran, and he ran, and he ran.....

The air was filled with fury and rage, as the military of the Changeling Empire swarmed out. That night, Cloak Dagger's betrayal had unleashed the full force of Tartarus from the confines of the Hive, and he knew it too. Running as fast as he possibly could, no magic and no wings, every breath Cloak takes is a moment wasted when he should be running.

"After him!" cried Hornet. With the Commander of the Changeling Armada, and the demonic hisses of the Queens loyal followers, closing in, every cell in Cloaks body trembles with fear of the thought that they will catch him, and the rage they will place down upon him.

"Huff, huff, huff...Which way do I go?!" Cloak exclaimed in fear. "Time for the old x-ray vision!" As the distant landscape quickly became visible to his compounded eyes, Cloak was beginning to lose the last scraps of hope he was still able to hold onto. "This way will bring me to a town. I can’t go to a place filled with so many ponies! What about this way? A river? *Gasp* With a log! I can get away!"

"Spread out!" Hornet cried. "Don’t let him get away maggots!"

"Yikes!" Cloak exclaimed. "I’ve gotta hurry!"

"Aerial Squad, report!" Hornet ordered.

"Commander! We have visual, going south by southwest!" His prime officer reported. "He’s headed for the canyon!"

"Hmph," Hornet scoffed. "He’s not getting away this time!" Cloak and Hornet had a viscous history; this was not the first time Cloak attempted to escape. However, Cloak had many close calls in his previous attempts, and Hornet had been demoted a long way for his lack of control. He had enough, and was not letting anything stand in his way this time.

"Huff, huff, huff, I’m almost there," Cloak stated as he approached his sanctuary. "Haha! Made it!" Though Cloak's hope for anew came far too soon, and straight from above a beam of Changeling magic came crashing down on top of him, obliterating his only chance of escape into the chasm below. "NOOOOO!!!!! AAAH!!!" As a flash of light engulfed him, and the sound of sirens surrounded him, the last bit of hope he held onto suddenly disintegrated away.

"It’s over Dagger," Hornet cried out. "You’ve got nowhere else to run! You’re wings are clamped, your magic’s blocked, and you can’t change without it! So, why don’t you just turn yourself in, and maybe the Queen will go easy on your extended sentence. Say, only another 10 years, 12 tops." To any other Changeling his threats would give them promise for their later lives, but Cloak was not like any other changeling, and would not give in.

"I’m not going back to that pit," Cloak shouted in fear. "I’d rather suffer in the actual Tartarus than that hole you stuck me in!"

"There’s no way out Dagger," Hornet replied. "No flight, no magic, no shapeshifting, and you’re surrounded by everything the Changeling Military has! How do you plan to escape, swim?! You might as well hang yourself right now! You’ve got no other options Dagger, so just give yourself up!" On the edge of a cliff, with nothing below him but the rushing cold waters of the river, Cloak was frozen with fear about what he would do next. However, one moment later, all of the freezing fear evaporated away, and he did the one thing even Hornet would not expect. He ran over the edge, and let out an ear piercing cry as he dove straight into the rapids below. "NOOOOOO!!!!!!" As the current swept Cloak away, in between life draining gasps for air, every part of Hornet suddenly became engulfed with rage and revenge. "All changelings in the air now! Swarm around every part of this river! One way or another, this is one prisoner who will not escape the law! Dead, or alive!!!!!" Two hours later, the armada had spread out all over the river, with no luck.

"We’ve searched every corner of this river for the last 10 miles sir," Hornet's Primary Officer reported.

"And?!" asked hornet with a more than obvious tick in his voice.

"No sign of him," He replied. "As good as Cloak Dagger is, he cannot fake drowning, no changeling can. We can only assume that his body has been washed further downstream."

"Hmph," Hornet scoffed. "All troops, return to the hive! We must make our statement for the elders! Hehe, the Queen should be pleased to know that the number one on her most wanted list is dead. We will be rewarded greatly for this." Though, what the armada hadn't realized was that Cloak was much closer than they originally thought, and had more help than was anticipated. Just around the bend of the stream, there lied Cloak; unconscious, and waterlogged, but alive.

"Cough, cough, wheeze," as Cloak hastily purged the water from his lungs, he suddenly became aware of his surroundings. "Oh! I’m alive! Okay…. I’m alive. But, how am I alive? Even by my skill, I should’ve drowned after I hit that rock." Lost, confused, and afraid, Cloak took it all in with one great sigh, and decided to move on. "I don’t know how, but I need to get a move on; before it’s too late and those dumb drones catch up to me. Now, where am I?" As Cloak walked away from the edge of the river, a sudden rustling came from the bushes, and an eerie voice whispered to him, warning him about the perils ahead.

"Everfree is no place for a wanderer such as you," it whispered. "Get out as quickly as you can, is what you need to do." As the voice faded away, Cloak only walked further and further into the dense woods ahead, unaware of the warning entirely, and that he was in the most dangerous forest ever to grow on the face of Equestria.

That same day, Fluttershy was flying through the air. Taking care of her animals, and singing with the most joyous of spirits.

"There’s music in the treetops, and there’s music in the vale, and, all around the music fills that sky! There’s music by the river, and there’s music in the grass, and the music makes your heart soar in reply!" Fluttershy was gliding through her garden, with the most gentle of ease. Without a care in the world, she was simply enjoying herself, with the company of her animals.

"Hi Fluttershy," Twilight abruptly said. Twilight had caught Fluttershy off guard, and she took a sudden drop to the ground.

"Oh! Hello Twilight and Rainbow," Fluttershy realized. "Oh, and hello girl’s coltfriends too, Flash and Soarin’. What brings you all by?"

"Well, Soarin’ and I are taking these two beautiful fillies to the colosseum tonight," Flash flirted.

"I’m competing in Cloudsdale’s annual Sky Rider 500 for the first time," Soarin' said with excitement. "Now that I’m a Senior Officer, I’m qualified to compete for the Wonderbolts!"

"Hold your horsepower dude!" Flash replied. "Don’t forget that I’ve been team captain of The Crystalbolts for the past 3 years we’ve been competing. We haven’t lost a race yet!"

"Well maybe this’ll be my year," Soarin' gloated.

"We’re going to cheer them on, and get dinner afterwards," Twilight explained.

"I guess it’s like a double date," Rainbow shrugged. "But eh, whatevs." Rainbow had been dating Soarin' for a few months now, but she wasn't one to just stand on the sidelines and just cheer for her man; she wasn't going to be in that kind of relationship, but she knew when to back down and just lend support. Though, that didn't make her any less interested when she didn't get to compete.

"Come on! You know you like it!" Soarin' teased. Fortunately, Soarin' knew just how to get her out of it; the one thing that could get her to cheer up was always when Soarin' teased her, with his lovey-dovey attitude.

"Anyway, we were talking about how everything’s gonna be so much fun," Rainbow said blushingly. "And that got me thinking, you still don’t have any plans on Saturdays." Though Rainbow tried to be sensitive, sometimes she couldn't help but be blunt sometimes. "Ow! Watch it!" Which usually resulted in her getting it jabbed into her head by her friends.

"What Rainbow is trying to say is," Twilight explained. "If you’re free tonight, we’d like you to come along with us; we can find you a date!"

"Orange Swirl told me her brother, Blackberry Twist, is single," Rainbow exclaimed. "I could ask her to give him a call."

"What about Comet Tail?!" Twilight interjected. "I think he’s been hinting at you for a while!"

"Um, girls?" Fluttershy tried to say, but it was no use. The two of them just kept jabbering back an forth on a date that Fluttershy had no part in planning. "Giiiirls?" She tried to calmly tell them she didn't want to, but it just couldn't get through their back and forth jibber jabber. Finally, she had enough, and just had to get it through. "Girls!"

"Huh?" Rainbow said in confusion.

"Were you saying something Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," FLuttershy said. "I appreciate that you girls want to include me, but I’m going to have to decline."

"What?! Why?!" They both said in shock.

"I’m sorry, but I’m just not ready to date and try to find somepony," Fluttershy explained.

"Ugh! Come on Fluttershy!" Rainbow exclaimed. "You’re into your twenties, and you still can’t put yourself out there?!"

"I’m sorry," Fluttershy said nervously. "But the idea of love just kind of scares me. I mean, there are going to be big challenges as a couple, looking out for eachother all the time, and then there’s the possibility of heartbreak when we breakup. I’m just not ready for all of that."

"That’s alright Fluttershy," Twlight assured. "We all find love in our own ways, and if you’re not ready we won’t force you."

*Sigh* "Alright, if you really need more time before you can, we’ll let you get comfortable first," Rainbow supported. "At least say we’ll see you at the Spring Fling Festival tomorrow!" Though her plan didn't stop there, because then she went on to mumble: "Maybe we can set her up on a blind date… Ow!"

"Fluttershy doesn’t have to date yet if she’s not ready, and we can’t force it on her," Twilight enforced. Fortunately, even though Rainbow had problems with her attitude, her friends made sure to keep her from going too far.

"Thanks Twilight," Fluttershy happily giggled. "I’ll see you all at the festival tomorrow anyway. But please, don’t worry. I’ll find somepony who’s right for me, but for now, baby steps."

"Well, we’d better get ready if we’re gonna make it to the colosseum in time," Flash interrupted.

"Yeah, otherwise I won’t be there to kick your team’s tails!" Soarin' snarkily said.

"Hehe, we’ll see about that!" Flash replied.

"Alright you two, we’ll go" Twilight said. "We’ll see you later Fluttershy."

"Okay, goodbye you guys," Fluttershy said. I hope you have fun."

"She always uses that babysteps excuse now," Rainbow mumbled as they left. "Always..." Though she mumbled, Rainbow's voice did carry. Fluttershy sighed in sadness, and felt that Rainbow was right.

"Huh? Oh, thank you Angel," Fluttershy said as the lagamorph gave her a snuggle. "But there’s no use denying it. I’m just nothing special. I’m never going to be able to look somepony in the eye and know that they’re the one." She sighed in state of loneliness, and felt she would be left alone for the rest of her days. Fortunately, her animals were there to remind her that she wouldn't be. "Oh! Hm, besides, why would I need a special somepony when I have all of you to love and care for? Mmhm, I’ll get some more food for you all." As she walked off, content with herself, her animals looked at each other in concern; worrying that the pony they all loved would in fact be alone, and wanting to help her find somepony who could make her happy.

That night, as Cloak walked through the Everfree Forest, he grew filled with fear and weakness; worried something would jump out of nowhere and eat him for lunch.

"H-hello? Is someone there?" Cloak called out. As a rustling came from the bushes, he grew all the more scared of what was going to come out. "If this is a joke it’s not very funny!" No one answered. Maybe it was just a little field mouse, or a cockatrice he could drive away, but he wasn't just going to stay back without knowing what was there. "If anyone’s there, I demand you show yourself!" Just then, the noise changed from an ominous rustling, to a ferocious snort and growl. "Oh, no…." In that moment, Cloak knew he had to run. With and earth shattering roar, the creature came out, and charged at him with an unquenched hunger in it's eyes. "Cragadile!!! Someone! HELP!!!" Cloak ran as fast as he could, and cried for help at the very top of his lungs, but it was no use. Even if someone heard him, he knew they would just leave him to be eaten. No one ever helps a Changling. "Eeeyah!!!!" Cloak had barely managed to stop before going over the very edge of yet another cliff. Only this time, there would be no river for him to safely jump into. "Why am I always ending up at cliffs?!!!" As the creature roared with a terrifying force, Cloak started to lose his breath, with no idea of what to do. "If I jump, there’s no way I’ll survive this time... On the other hoof, if I don’t I’m gonna wind up a cragadile’s lunch!!! Unless..." As the creature slowly crept it's way toward Cloak, his mind went into action, as he rapidly came up with a plan to escape. "This might work! Alright cragadile! You want a bite of me?! Then here it comes!! Eeeeeeeyaaaaaaaah!!!!" As Cloak charged headstrong towards the Cragadile's jaw, it opened it's mouth, ready to snap down on the soon to be dead, juicy, cadaver of the Changeling escapee. But, just before it could, Cloak took a great leap above the monster's head, and just as it started to close it's mouth in shock, he landed on it's muzzle and leapt into the upper canopy. Determined to get his fill, the Cragadile started stomping and shaking in an attempt to knock him out of the branches. Though, this had a much greater effect on the ground beneath his feet. That is, until it's bad attitude caused Cloak's branch to finally snap, and fall down right in front of the white, gaping, fangs of death. "U-u-u-um….. Aha!" Fortunately for Cloak, his quick thinking found him an escape. As he ran, and slid underneath the Cragadile, he ran around a loose tree and started to push it down onto a rock. Straining to get it to fall over, the Cragadile wasted no time in charging after Cloak, angrier than ever. As it drew closer and closer to him, Cloak drew strength from the fear of escaping the hive, just to be swallowed by a monster in the Everfree forest. Until finally, the trunk snapped and came down on top of the rock, caving into the ground, and finally causing the cliff to break. Sending the beast into the brush of the forest below. As Cloak stared down, with a look of relief on his face, he turned to walk away before something bigger came along, only to be held back by a fiery sting of pain. "Dow My leg! That cragadile hit me hard!" As Cloak endured the strain on his leg, he slowly began to make his way through again. As he limped away, there was only one thought coursing through his mind. "Whatever’s on the other side of this forest better be worth all the trouble!"

The next day was the Spring Fling Festival, crowded with ponies on rides, playing games, and scrumptious carnival food. Though, not everypony was having a very good time.

"Mmmmm, swoosh!" Flash exclaimed as he tossed his ring. It did him no good, as a buzzer then went off, shouting to the world that he'd lost, again.

   "Ooh, sorry sonny," The barker smugly said. "Better luck next time."

"Ugh! That’s 6 times now!" Flash exclaimed with agitation. "This game is rigged! Come on Twily, I’ll win you a prize at another game." Though, Twilight wasn't so sure, and before Flash realized it, she taken a shot at the toss herself. Ding-ding, a bell had gone off, and Twilight had won.

"We have a winner!" the barker exclaimed.

"Hahahahahaha!" Twlight laughed with joy. She was so happy she'd won, on her first try no less, but all Flash could do was stand there with a jaw, dropped in shock. "Um… Beginner’s Luck?" Twilight knew Flash was sensitive when he couldn't do something for the girl he loved, and tried to cushion the blow, but it did no good.

"Hey lovebirds!" Rainbow called out as she and Soarin' swooped in from nowhere

"How you guys enjoying the fair?" Soarin' asked. Flash couldn't really talk, and was too agitated to say anything other than an incoherent mumble.

"It’s great," Twilight exclaimed. "And Flash won me this big teddy bear!" Flash quickly lifted his head, as he looked to his fillyfriend in surprise.

"Eh, I guess that’s cool," Rainbow said.

"Dude, nice!" Soarin' congratulated as he gave him a hoofbump.

"Thanks sugar spell," Flash whispered. He gave her a light kiss on the cheek; he was grateful that Twilight didn't tell them what happened, and had save him from a barrage of teasing from the two of them. "Has anypony seen Fluttershy?"

"Now that you mention it," Twilight replied. "I haven’t seen her all day."

"Ugh, I knew she wouldn’t show!" Rainbow said in irritation. "How does she expect to ever meet somepony, if she won’t even come out to the social events?!"

"Rainbow, you heard Twilight," Soarin' interrupted. "She needs to go at her own pace."

"Ugh, fine!" Rainbow replied. "But, if she would just come out for one festival…" Before she could finish, they all gave her a stern glare, and made sure their point was clear before she tried anything. "Nevermind…." Meanwhile, on the other side of the fair, Fluttershy was trying to break through the crowd of ponies, with no luck.

    "Oh, why does a fair have to be so loud?" Fluttershy asked herself. She tried to make her way through, but it was no use, and she just kept getting one bump after another, until she was knocked to the ground "Ow! Oh, this is no fun. It’s so loud, so crowded, and I can’t find any of my friends. *Sigh* I think I’ll just go home to my animals…"

"Cotton Candy!" cried the Barker. "Get your cotton candy right… Oh, good day ma’am." Fortunately, while the rest of the crowd was too busy to notice, there was one pony who wouldn't just let her lye on the ground. "Here let me help you up."

"Thanks," Fluttershy said sadly.

"Here, it’s on the house," He generously said as he handed her his fluffiest cotton candy swirl. "Say, if you’re Fluttershy, I think I heard some ponies looking for you on the other side of the fair, near the games. I’d better get goin’, enjoy the fair. Sweets! Candy! Sugary snacks….."

"Hm, well, maybe I’ll stay a little longer," Fluttershy giggled as she trotted off to find her friends.

Meanwhile, in the Everfree Forest, Cloak was slowly making his way to the end. He hadn't been able to sleep all night, and was exhausted.

"Ugh! I’ve been hiking all night," he moaned. "I feel like my leg’s gonna fall off." Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he suddenly heard the melody of the birds, through all the other eerie noises of the Everfree. "Huh? Wait, is that? *Gasp* Yes! The end of this nightmare at last! I hope it’s a lush field, a cool little creak, or maybe it’s a….." As he ran towards the light at the edge of the forest, he was filled with hope of sanctuary. Only to have his hopes crushed by the sight of something he knew would be far worse than anything the Hive could've done to him. "Oh no…... Not a town!"