Somewhere near Ponyville…
Discord let out a huge sigh, swinging back and forth in a hammock high in the air. He let his goat leg fall from it and swing back and forth, a little glass of chocolate milk clutched in his taloned hand and a fisherman’s hat placed over his face to block the sun. It had been a long day of chaos making. Turning Applejack actually INTO an apple, walking around with jars of peanut butter on his feet, making Princess Twilight jealous of the time he had spent with her friends while she was busy organizing her library for the umpteenth time. But now all that was done, and he was bored.
Fluttershy and the others had went home, leaving him with nothing to do. An idea popped into his head, a glorious, conniving chaotic plan. He tossed the glass of chocolate milk over his shoulder, and rubbed his clawed talon and lion’s paw together. Oh yes, this should keep him busy, for a few hours at least. He looked towards the badlands and the changeling kingdom. Surely Chrys wouldn’t mind if he ‘borrowed’ one of her changelings for a while. With a snap of his fingers, he teleported over to the changeling castle.
Things were fairly silent around it today, very few changelings were out and about on the grounds. The iron gates of the stone wall surrounding the castle were closed, two changeling guards standing at attention outside of them, spears nestled in each of their right forehooves. Shiny dark blue armor covered their backs and heads, frilly manes combed straight, their mouths held in an emotionless expression.
Discord turned his attention away from the guards and spotted Apatelodes coming out of the main castle doors. The tall changeling was alone, which was surprising, he being Queen Chrysalis’s personal guard. His face held a scowl, and he growled at one of the feeder ponies passing by. The days of holding ponies in cocoons of green mucus were past, and they now roamed free on the grounds as long as they didn’t leave them. The little red earth pony raced back inside, not wanting to put up with the changelings wrath.
“Someling is not having a good day,” Discord said and grinned. “I think he will be perfect for my little idea.” He circled down, keeping out of sight as Apatelodes turned the corner, heading to a different part of the castle grounds. Only one other changeling was now near him, a young nymph colt with a streak of blue through his dark grey tail and mane. Upon seeing the scowling older changeling, he lifted his wings and flew off, leaving Apatelodes all alone.
Discord snapped his clawed fingers, and appeared right in front of the changeling, startling him enough to make him fall back on his rump. Apatelodes glared up at Discord as Discord laughed. “What do you want Discord?” he said, slowly standing up and brushing grass and dirt off his chitin.
“I can’t make a visit to one of my favorite changelings?” Discord asked, a clawed talon to his chest, frown on his face big and eyes wide like a sad puppy.
“Not without wanting something,” Apatelodes said, “that’s the only time you ever visit me.”
“Well I do have this idea I think you will love!” Discord said, and Apatelodes just lowered his gaze. “It will be fun! You’ll see.” Discord said and grabbed up Apatelodes around his barrel, flying over the wall of the castle.
Apatelodes let out a gasp of shock, looking down as Discord flew them deeper into the woods surrounding his home. “And who said I would go along with this plan of yours? My Queen needs me,” he said and struggled to get out of Discords grasp.
“She’ll be fine without you for a few hours,” Discord said mysteriously, landing by Silver Lake, a small lake about a mile from the castle. He dropped Apatelodes onto the sandy shores and stared at a spot between two trees. “Yes, should be able to get there from here.”
“Where?” Apatelodes said, standing up and shaking sand from his chitin.
“Oh you’ll see,” Discord said and with a swipe of his claws between the two trees, and a clap of thunder, blue and black smoke appeared between the trees, slowly opening to reveal another sandy shore. Seagulls could be heard calling in the background, and the tang of salt filled Discord’s mouth. The sound of rolling waves crashing against the shore, and brightly colored blankets and umbrellas lined the sand in the distance.
“What is this place?” Apatelodes asked, curiosity getting the better of him as he looked through the portal.
“Another world, another time, and right now? It is filled with chaos.” Discord chuckled, looking over at the changeling. “Now, go have fun!” He grabbed Apatelodes around the barrel again and tossed him through the portal.
Apatelodes gasped and curled up, feeling a tingling sensation as he tumbled through the portal only to land in the deep sand beyond. He stood and shook himself, but could still feel sand making its way to his deepest crevices. “Have fun!” Discord called as the portal began to close.
“What? No!” Apatelodes yelled and raced at the portal, jumping for it just as it closed and ramming into some huge fat creature. It had on some thin, stretchy material, dark blue with a stripe of white down the side covering its lower half. It’s upper half looked bright white except for its arms which were pink, as if it had had some covering over it to protect it from the sun. As Apatelodes landed after ramming into it, he looked up only to feel something cold and slippery fall onto his muzzle. He licked it, to find it was mint chocolate chip ice cream.
The creature looked down at him by its feet, black sunglasses covered half its furless pink face. An empty ice cream cone was held in one of its fat pink appendages, similar to discords paw but with longer fingers. Was this the creature he had heard about in legend? That that one pony, Lyra? From Ponyville had gone on and on about when he was there as an infiltrator a few years ago, a human?
He and the creature watched each other for a moment, then Apatelodes shook his head, the last drops of ice cream flicking off and onto the sand, and backed off. He jumped in the air upon hearing a scream behind him, a similar creature to the one in front of him, only this one taller and much skinnier, was behind him, the mane on it a bright orange and standing up on end as it pointed at him.
He looked to his left to see more coming his way, and gulping, turned tail and fled to the right, toward a stretch of woods that lined the beach. As he slammed into the bushes and trees the others lost interest in the chase, and he took deep breaths, heart pumping frantically. Where had Discord sent him? This didn’t look like anywhere in Equestria, and he had traveled to many places by his Queen’s side. The trees were strange too, tall thin little things with only a few large leaves blowing in the breeze high above him. The whole place smelled odd too. There was no smell of pony, changeling, or even diamond dog in the air, instead it all smelled like those creatures on the beach, and some type of cooking meat and fruit.
His stomach growled and mouth watered. It had almost been lunchtime after all when Discord whisked him away. Apatelodes followed the scent of the cooking meat and fruit, until he came to a little stall at the end of the beach, he stayed beneath the bushes as he watched it. One of those creatures –oh what the hay, might as well call them humans until proven otherwise- walked up to the stall and handed the human inside some long pieces of green paper. The human inside handed out a stick, with some type of cooked meat, pineapple, and carrots speared on it.
Apatelodes licked his lips as his stomach growled again. He wasn’t much for meat, being he had rarely been one of those infiltrating the homes of diamond dogs or griffons, and ponies rarely ate meat if at all so was easier to just be a vegetarian, but if it would help quell his stomach, he was all for it. He’d just have to figure out how to get some. Changing into one of the humans would probably be easy enough, but how to get hold of some of those green bits of paper?
He watched one as it walked away, stick of food in hand. Tall and skinny, black mane and black eyes, then closed his eyes as it walked around the corner and back toward the beach. Green flames washed over him, and when he opened his eyes, he looked down at his new body. He held up his front arms, to find them smooth, soft, and with a fine layer of hair on them. The paws at the end, so like Discord’s but also so different, intrigued him as he wiggled the fingers around. The nails were far too short for them to be meant as a weapon, but the grip felt strong as he put them both to the side of a tree and held on to the thin trunk, using it to pull himself up onto two legs.
Thankfully, the clothing the human had been wearing came with his disguise as well, blue shorts? with white stripes by the belly and each leg. He had not seen any of these humans completely without it, though some had less than others, so he assumed it was required by these humans. He took a step forward to feel a tug on his right leg. Apatelodes let out an ‘oomph’ as he fell back to the ground again. Looking behind him, he saw a vine had become entangled with his leg. “Now I know how my Queen felt, when she first arrived.” He said softly and used the new hands to toss the vine away.
He stood again, holding onto the tree trunk, and stepped forward. It was wobbly going at first, but he slowly made his way to standing in line for the stall. It didn’t take long for those in front of him to get their stick and walk off and soon he was at the head of the line.
“Aloha David, back for another pineapple pork and carrot kabob?” The man in the stall said.
“Um yeah,” Apatelodes said, surprised he could understand their language, though it did have an accent to it that was strange to him.
“You must be very hungry. Or did Stitch steal your kabob again?” The man asked, turning around to a little stove, flames beneath it cooking up little slices of meat and pineapple.
“Stitch?”
“Yeah, Lilo’s dog. How could you forget him?” The man said, turning around as he held up the stick he had had cooking.
“Oh right, Stitch. Yeah he stole it from me.” Apatelodes said, and frowned.
“Well then, this one is on the house. You need to watch your food more carefully. Stitch nabs it from you too often.” He held out the stick to Apatelodes, who grabbed it up and licked his lips, drool filling his mouth already.
“Thank you!” he said.
“No problem David, have a good day!”
Apatelodes walked off slowly, and sat down on one of the benches near the stall. Stuffing the upper half of the stick and food in his mouth, he pulled a few pieces of pork, pineapple and carrot off of it and chewed. The pork melted in his mouth, with the pineapple juice simmering along his tongue. If anything, these humans sure knew how to cook! He finished it within a few more bites and rubbed his stomach. He could still use some more, but at least that would do him for now while he tried to figure this place out.
Author's Note
And yay a new story! This idea came to me randomly when I was rewatching Leroy and Stitch yesterday, and it yelled to be written! Will probably be a lot shorter than Long Live the Queen. Was originally going to be a one shot but then I just ended up having too much to write for it to be so a few chapters at least. Feel free to comment/critique/etc!
Also Long Live the Queen is still being worked on, I might just alternate months for when both of them update, depending on what I have time for and what my muse is wanting to write at the time. Have a great day/night everypony!
