Changeling Days

by Princess OtakuGeek

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Changelings, Original Character, Slice of Life, Human
Length: 6671

Not everyone was turned into a pony when the ritual was altered. A few other species came into existence.

What do a geek, a DJ, a doctor, a nurse, a writer and a soldier have in common? Answer, all six of us became the first of our species. See, it all started when some nutjob started a ritual that would transform the country into some sort of wild lands with every human becoming mindless animals.

Fortunately, that didn't happen because of some very brave individuals. But there were trade offs. To make a long story short, the good news is that nobody became a mindless animal. But in exchange, America and the attached countries became a real life Equestria.

A vast majority became ponies, but some didn't. Some became thestrals, others were turned into Breezies and then there's us. We didn't turn into Breezies or thestrals, we became the world's first changelings. This is our story.

This is a part of the verse established in the Cool Story Bro, But it needs More......Ponies trilogy so check that out so you won't be confused.

Published 2016-11-27 21:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-04-17 18:53:31 UTC

The Transformation

✴✴✴✴Olivia POV✴✴✴✴

Where to start. I suppose I should start with me and where I was that day when everything changed so drastically. I was attending a convention. A pony convention called the Running of the Leaves in Denver Colorado. Yep, you guessed it, I'm a pegasister. I enjoy the show and the fandom. Anyways, it was the last day of Ponycon and on the last night they had a rave.

Usually I wouldn't join in since I'm not a fan of loud music, but I was feeling good that day so I thought 'why not'? Looking back, I'm glad I made that choice. Given when the transformation occurred, I would've still been driving when it happened. Imagine you're driving and suddenly you start turning into a different species. The change was slow enough that most were able to pull over, but there were some who freaked out and ended up crashing. A few even passed out at the wheel. Thank goodness nobody died, though in some cases it was pretty close.

As for me, I was settling down into a seat near the stage where the DJ was playing to rest after dancing when the pain started. At first it was small, but then it got worse and worse until I was finally on the ground clutching myself in pain. I barely registered that everyone else in the room was having similar reactions. At some point I blacked out and suddenly I found myself floating in an expanse of pure white. Looking down, I saw that I didn't have a body but instead I was a ball of golden light. Looking around, I found that I wasn't alone. There were five other orbs of colored lights with me. One was a vibrant green while another was fiery red. A third was clear blue like water while a forth was bright pink and the fifth was black as midnight. All six arranged in a circle.

Suddenly I felt like something shifted and a trail of light began streaming from all of us to the center. Right in the center where the streams met, a pearlescent ball formed and the exploded into a tree. It wasn't very big, but it was still pretty impressive. It's trunk was actually six trunks intertwined together and it's bark was as shiny and pearlescent as the ball it had exploded from and it radiated a deep warm feeling that made me relax. The branches and roots however were short and stubby like it was still growing but before I could think much about this, the vision was washed away as quickly as it came and I was left in darkness.

I lay there for several minutes reorienting myself and trying to piece together what the heck happened. The pain was gone, but now my body felt strange. Like everything inside and out had shifted around and changed. I wasn't too far off the mark. Unfortunately it's kind of hard to see what's going on when you can't see anything. At some point, the lights and music had shut off leaving us all in a pitch black room. I could hear people groaning and stumbling around. Outside I heard shouts and exclamations of shock and surprise followed by freaking out. Finally someone found the light switch and flooded the room with light so we could get a good look at ourselves.

Ten seconds later, we all started to freak out too.

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With several beings freaking out for various reasons at the same time, things quickly got loud and chaotic. I however was pretty 'calm' in comparison, and I use the term VERY loosely (but to be fair, I'd like to see you react calmly if you suddenly found yourself a different species). On the outside, I was looking myself over, but on the inside I was having my own private freakout session. I was more than a little confused at what had happened. More than anyone else. While everyone around me had suddenly become ponies, I however wasn't.

True, my body was equine in shape, but I was taller and more slender than than the ponies surrounding me. Instead of a soft coat, my body was covered in chintin. There were no holes in my hooves, but my teeth were more pointy than before and I didn't need a mirror to know that my eyes now had cat-like slits. I was a changeling and yet at the same time I wasn't like any changeling I was familiar with. For starters, I was taller than Chrysalis was and my chintin was dark grey instead of black. My mane and tail were long enough that they brushed the ground and were now a pale yellow color instead of brown like it was before. The plate on my back was a brighter, golden yellow and my wings.

As I lifted my wings up, I couldn't help but gasp in wonder. Positioned on my back were three sets of wings shaped like bee wings and were appropriately honey colored. As I admired and moved my wings in various ways, I realized that I wasn't panicking anymore. Sure I was confused, worried and a little upset, but I no longer felt like screaming. It was like there was some sort of presence that was calm and relaxed and by extension was keeping me calm. After taking in a few deep breaths, I looked up and took in the room. By this point, things had quieted down from the initial screaming and whooping (for some this was a dream come true) and the room was now all but empty as a large majority of people had left for various reasons.

Slowly I pulled myself up and began to take my first steps on hooves. At first I was wobbly and the image of a kitten or foal taking their own first steps popped into my head. But I had spent my entire life around horses, so I would be very surprised if I wasn't at least somewhat familiar with how they moved. I quickly got better and better at moving around until soon, I wasn't wobbling anymore.

'Okay, that's walking down. Now what?' I thought. I had no idea what happened but it was getting late and I wasn't confidant that I could drive with such an alien form. I wasn't even sure if I could fit into my rental car with my new height, and I was certain the airport was closed. Flying under my own power also wasn't an option for obvious reasons. If I didn't feel comfortable trying to drive with such an alien form, I definitely wasn't ready to experiment with my wings just yet.

As I went over my options, movement at the stage caught my attention. Curious, I trotted over to investigate. For the second time today, I was shocked. Standing on the stage, calmly putting away equipment was a second changeling. She was about my height with black chintin and a shoulder length glossy black mane with a tail to match. Streaked through her mane and tail were thin lines of color that were almost luminescent. Pink, orange, purple, red, green and blue. Almost like glow sticks. Poking through her mane was a horn that at first bent forward before curving up in a jagged fashion like a lightning bolt. Her backplate was a dusty luminescent purple shade that made me think about black lights and attached to it were her wings. Like me she had three set of wings but her's were vaguely shaped like firefly wings only they were longer and had a slight jagged appearance like her horn with a curl at the ends and they were black with veins in the same colors as the stripes in her mane.

But what was most shocking to me was the fact that despite the sudden change in species, she was casually coiling cords and storing equipment like it was just any other day. The other changeling's casual attitude was just so shocking and baffling that I just stood there until she noticed me. Luminous, dusty purple eyes blinked then she grinned as she approached.

"Hey there." She greeted casually as she got down so we could be eye level. "How's it going? Can I help you?"

"How can you be so calm?!" I burst out at the stranger. She blinked at my outburst, but I continued. "We've somehow been transformed into a different, mythical species with the possibility of it being permanent and for all we know it could be state wide or even global! And yet you're casually packing up your equipment. Just....how!?!"

The second changeling hummed and tapped a hoof before offering it to me. Still confused, I took the offered appendage and found myself being pulled up on the stage. After settling back on my four hooves, she answered.

"Well for starters, this equipment is delicate and expensive to replace or fix if it gets damaged and I don't have that kind of cash at this moment." She started and I shot her a deadpan look.

"Seriously?" I spoke in an equally deadpan tone.

"Yes, seriously." She said as she secured a coil of wire with an orange cuff. "Secondly, this isn't the craziest thing that's happened at a show. True this is a new one, but I've seen crazier."

That left me wondering what could be crazier than a sudden change in species.

"And finally, it's my philosophy." She continued as she packed one of her lights. "If this is temporary, than there's no point in losing my head like it's the end of the world. And if it's permanent, still no point in running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Just got to make the most of it and adjust. No point in crying over split milk. Just mop up the mess and get a new glass."

"I...guess that makes sense." I replied.

"Exactly." The other changeling agreed as she shut her laptop and put it in her bag. After a pause, she continued. "Plus, having something to do like this helps keep my focus off the situation." She said as she slung her bags across her shoulder.

"So this does bother you." I said in reply.

"Of course it does." The black changeling answered. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little upset and worried, but I'm looking on the bright side. For example, once I figure out how to, I'll be able to fly and use magic. Plus I've kinda liked changelings and I can't wait to shapeshift."

I looked at her curiously. "Wait, how are you so sure that changelings shapeshift?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Oh please, with how close Cadence and Shining Armor are, I'm pretty sure Shining would've noticed something was up if it was just an illusion." She explained. "Chrysalis may have fooled him, but he isn't brain-dead. If it was just an illusion, he would've been able to feel that Cadence was harder and taller than she normally is whenever he touched her. Now some might argue that since she had him under her control she could've altered his perception of her or something like that, but she'd have to get close to him first. Plus, Shining wouldn't be the only one who would notice something was off when they touched her. Everypony in the castle from the servants and guards to Princess Celestia and Luna would be able to tell something is off simply by touching her. None of them were under any sort of mind control and I doubt Chrysalis could pull that off. Ergo, changelings shapeshift."

I rolled that around my head for a bit and saw that she she had a point so I nodded. "Makes sense." I said simply, finding that discussing the show like this helped ease my nerves even more.

The second changeling nodded back. "Mmhmm, I thought so too. By the way, my name's Ivy, or if you prefer my stage name, DJ V. What about you?"

As she introduced herself, Ivy held out one of her hooves. Given my new form, I thought over how I should respond to the outstretched appendage before finally settling on an appropriate action.

"I'm Olivia. I don't have a stage name, so just Olivia." I said as I bumped my hoof with her's. Ivy grinned at the greeting.

"Hey, it's cool, Olivia's a nice name. Nice to meet you." She said in response. "Do you mind if I call you Olive for short?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't mind." I said. "It has a pretty cool ring to it."

"Thanks." Ivy grinned again. "Think you can help me move all this equipment to my car?"

I only nodded By this point, all of her equipment was packed and ready to go so we began moving everything out to the hall. In the hall there were more ponies, some trying to call friends and family while others were trying to calm down or be calmed down by others. We reached a clear area near a window and paused for a minute. As we stood there, Ivy let out a long low whistle.

"Whoa, I guess driving home is out." She said. I looked out the window as well and couldn't help but gape. All along the street, cars were stopped, some showing that the drivers had swerved and some were even up on the sidewalk. A few had crashed into each other.

"Dang." Ivy breathed, perfectly summing up both of our thoughts. "I hope nopony got hurt too badly." I only nodded agreement. We sat there in silence until Ivy spoke up.

"So, do you live nearby?" She asked. The question reminded me of my situation and my ears dropped as I shook my head solemnly.

"I kinda flew in from Washington state and I was going to board a plane back home tonight." I lamented. "But now I don't think there are going to be any planes flying."

"True." Ivy agreed. "So do you have any place to stay?"

A second forlorn shake of my head was my answer. I didn't have enough money for a third night at the hotel I'd been staying at and I had no idea when I would be able to return home. I drooped even more as I went over my options when suddenly, Ivy slapped her hoof on my back.

"Hey, its alright." She said kindly. "If you don't have somewhere to stay, you can come crash at my place." For the third time that day, I was thrown for a loop.

"W-what!?" I stuttered in shock. "But I don't know you and you don't know me and you're inviting me to stay with you?! For all we know about each other, you or I could be psychotic murders or worse!"

"Well are you a psychotic murder or worse?" Ivy countered calmly.

"No, of course not!"

"Well neither am I so that's one thing covered." Ivy continued. "As for not knowing each other, we know each other's names and I even have a nickname for you. All we need to do is get to know each other. I'll admit, under normal circumstances its a bit early in our relationship for me to invite you to my home, but as you may have noticed these aren't normal circumstances. And in these kind of situations, we all need to pull together. Besides, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

Ivy paused and looked at me with a concerned look in her eyes. "Also, I can't explain why but some part of me just doesn't feel comfortable leaving you in the dust. Like I'm abandoning a sister or close friend in need."

We stared at each other for a time and I found that I was feeling something similar. I couldn't understand why I was feeling this for a stranger that I'd just met (though I did have a theory or two) but it was still there none the less. I let out a sigh and nodded.

"Okay." I agreed and Ivy cheered then began leading me to an elevator.

"Yes! This'll be like a sort of sleep over." She said as we each hauled a speaker towards the elevator. "And tomorrow, I'll make bacon and eggs."

I raised an eyebrow. "How can we be so certain we can still eat meat?" I asked.

Ivy grinned, giving me a full view of her fangs and pointed teeth. "Do these chompers look like they're designed for a vegetarian diet?"

"Fair point." I conceded. It was at that moment that I started making notes on my new species. Note 1, changelings are omnivorous if not carnivorous.

✴✴✴✴✴✴

When we reached the parking lot, the first thing we did was go over to Ivy's van. With the streets in such a state, driving wasn't an option and since it wasn't possible to haul all of her equipment back, it was decided that we would just keep her stuff in her van. Ivy still brought her turntables and computer, but everything else had to stay. After making sure her car was secure, we then went to my car.

It was a rental and definitely too small for me to drive in so we unloaded all of my luggage. I had packed light, mostly because I wasn't staying long, so the the only luggage I had was a suitcase and my own computer bag. Ivy had an apartment a few blocks from where we were, so it wasn't too far. At first, we were quiet as we walked, then Ivy decided to strike up a conversation.

"So um, tell me a little bit about yourself." She started. "What do you do?"

"Not much." I admitted. "I work part-time at a local pet shop, but I also make some income from commissions and my Patreon account."

"Really? What kind of stuff do you do?" Ivy asks with no small amount of interest that made me feel like I was going to blush.

"I draw and animate a little." I answered quietly. Ivy grinned.

"You animate? That is so cool!"

"Not really." I said, actually blushing at her praise. "Some of my videos are just animatics or pictures."

"It's still cool that you're able to do that." Ivy insisted. "So what's your channel?"

I looked at her in surprise. "You would want to watch my videos?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Ivy countered.

"Well, I'm not exactly professional level and I could think of some people who are better than me." I admitted.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short." Ivy said firmly. "I know I haven't seen them yet, but I'm sure you're very talented. I mean you'd have to be if you're making a profit with commissions and Patreon."

"I guess. I just don't see myself at master level just yet." I admitted.

"And that's cool. Just so long as you know that you aren't worthless." Ivy said and I raised an eyebrow.

"That seems, oddly specific." I said.

"Uh yeah, sorry about that." Ivy replied. "I've just got a thing about stuff like that. See back during my high school years, I had a cousin that was so depressed she attempted to kill herself. She's alright now, but that sort of thing changes your world view. I just don't want you to go down that path and I guess I over reacted."

"Well I suppose I can understand that, but don't worry about me trying something that extreme." I assured her. "Sure I can get down one occasion, but that sort of thing has never occurred to me."

Ivy sighed. "Good." She said simply and we walked in silence for a moment. After that we made small talk for the rest of the walk.

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Soon enough, we reached Ivy's apartment building. Ivy led me to a door on the third floor and as she struggled to get the key into the lock, a sudden high pitched voice called out.

"Ms Ivy, is that you?" We both turned (Ivy dropping her keys due to lack of a grip) to see who was talking. Peeking out a door next door to Ivy's was a breezy. The little breezy had a spring green coat with a darker green mane and blue eyes. It took a minute for me to figure out that the little guy was a guy. Those huge eyelashes could really throw someone off. Considering how this breezy seemed to be Ivy's neighbor, I decided to wait a bit.

Sure enough, after staring at the breezy for a moment, Ivy's eyes widened in realization. "Mr. Nyström?! Is that you?" She asked. Cautiously, the breezy let go of the door and began to fly towards us. Halfway there, a strong breeze blew him forward where he was caught by Ivy's hoof.

"It is indeed me." The breezy that Ivy had identified as Mr. Nyström said as he gripped Ivy's hoof.

"Hey there Mr. Nyström, you look a little different, did you lose weight." Ivy said with a smirk and the breezy gave her a flat unamused look. "Sorry sorry, I didn't mean to be hurtful. It's just been a long day."

"Tell me about it." Nyström answered. "At least you aren't so small that anything can be a danger which brings me to what I need help with."

"Anything for my favorite neighbor, so what's up?"

"Would you mind too terribly if we stayed with you?" Mr. Nyström asked. "I wasn't the only one who was turned into a breezy and with what's happened, we don't feel safe in my apartment."

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, at that size just about anything could be a danger. Anyways, how was your family gathering?" She asked conversationally as she lifted her hoof with the breezy up to her mane. Mr. Nyström grabbed the strands of her mane and made himself comfortable.

"It was going fine until this happened." He answered.

"Yeah, I can imagine. But enough talk, let's go get your family." Ivy said then turned to me. "You coming Olive?"

I had been standing there in silence during the exchange and when Ivy finally addressed me, I blinked then nodded. Ivy grinned.

"Great!" She said. "This'll make things much easier, Mr. Nyström has a sizable family. Oh wait! Where's my head gone, My. Nyström this is my new friend Olivia. Olivia, this is my neighbor, Mr. Olaus Nyström."

"A pleasure to meet you, young lady." The breezy said with a wave.

"Nice to meet you too Mr. Nyström." I answered and the breezy smiled.

"No need to be so formal all the time. Especially right now." He said. "If you'd like, you can call me Olaus."

I nodded. "Okay, thank you Mr. Olaus."

"It's not a problem Miss Olivia." He replied.

"Okay then then now that introductions are out of the way, how about we get moving eh?" Ivy broke in then started down the hall towards Mr. Nyström's apartment with me trailing behind.

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Ivy wasn't kidding when she said that Mr. Nyström had a big family. It took both of us two trips to move them all to her apartment but we managed and now I was ready to sleep. Since the entire Nyström clan took over the guest bedroom, I had to sleep in the living room which wasn't bad since Ivy had a pull out bed. Soon I was set up in the living room and as I settled down in my bed, I pondered over the events of the day.

It had started out pretty ordinary, but then it took a sudden turn (or rather a detour) into weird territory and now here I was a changeling, sleeping on a pull out bed in a stranger's apartment. As I drifted off to sleep I had only this thought in mind, tomorrow is going to be one heck of a day.

Author's Note

Finally! I have finally been able to publish this story! I've been working on this for sometime sk I hope you enjoy.

The Hospital

The next morning I snapped awake initially confused as to how I'd woken up until I heard my cellphone's ringtone. Still a little bleary with sleep, I reached over and somehow answered. I then placed the device against my ear and muttered a sleep slurred hello. Immediately, I was assailed by my mother's frantic voice.

"Olivia!! Is that you?!" She asked and I blinked a little.

"Mom?" I moaned sleepily and she sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness I managed to get a hold of you." She sighed in relief. "Your father and I have been trying to call you all night."

"All night?" I was still slightly murky from sleep, but clearing up. There was a sound of movement and then I heard my dad on the phone.

"Technically not all night, I did insist that we get some rest considering all that happened, but yes we have been trying to touch base with you. However, it was much harder then it sounds, hooves aren't exactly built for typing in phone numbers."

In an instant, I snapped awake fully. "Wait, hooves?" I asked. More movement and mom was back.

"Yes, hooves. Somehow, I don't know how, we've turned into ponies like in that show you love to watch." She said. "Of course one of the first things we tried to do was get in contact with you and since we couldn't use our cellphones we tried using the landline. Even then we got the numbers wrong and called other people or rather ponies instead."

"Sounds like this isn't isolated, I've been transformed as well." I said then paused before continuing. "How are the others?" I asked, concerned for my siblings.

Mom sighed. "It all depends on who you ask. For the most part we're handling it rather well, though I did have to stop Willy from jumping off the second floor to test her new wings."

I chortled a little at that as I pictured my thirteen year old sister Wilhelmina, or Willy for short, trying to fly by jumping from upstairs landing towards the living room. It wasn't a hard picture to bring to mind. Willy had always been the more rambunctious and adventurous of my siblings, yet despite her tomboyish attitude, she still enjoyed some girly things like MLP. Matter of fact, she was as big a fan as I was and had desperately wanted to come to the con, but I couldn't afford another ticket and there was school stuff here. As I thought about my siblings, there was one in particular that came to mind. My sixteen year old brother, Logan. Logan was a good kid no doubt, but he wasn't an MLP fan to say the least. He respected that there were people who like the show including some family members, but otherwise he didn't want anything to do with the show and fandom. I wondered how he was taking all this.

"Hey mom, how's Logan?" I asked with concern. "How did he react to all this?"

Mom hesitated a minute before answering. "He didn't take it too well." She admitted. "At first he was in denial, but when he figured out that it wasn't a dream or hallucination, he threw a fit and stormed off to his room. Which brings me to the second unbelievable thing that happened. After Logan made such a fuss, you'll never guess who came to check and see if we were alright. Lizzy and Jane."

My jaw dropped. You see my family lives in a semi rural area and like a lot of our neighbors, we own livestock. Like horses. I pretty much grew up riding horses. Two of these horses being a pair of mares we'd named Lizzy and Jane. Based on the Pride and Prejudice characters of the same names, Lizzy and Jane were sisters and total opposites yet very close. Jane was more shy and reserved while Lizzy was friendly and outgoing. And according to my mother, they came to check in on my family.

"You're kidding." I finally said when I found my voice.

"No! Shortly after Logan slammed his door, there was a knock and when I went to answer, there they were asking us if we were okay." My mom elaborated and I swear my jaw defied the laws of physics. "They told us that they'd heard a ruckus and came to investigate and see if we were okay."

"Told as in talking to you with people speak not horse speak?" I asked, my head reeling.

"People speak." My mom answered and after I was silent for a beat, she continued. "I know, I had a similar reaction. And it seems as though it isn't limited to just Lizzy and Jane. But enough about us, I've been trying to get a hold of you to see if you were okay. How are things going on your end?"

I paused and took in my appearance once more. I suppose it was too much to hope it was a dream. "Same as you, I am no longer human." I replied. "But I'm not a pony either. I ended up turning into a changeling. Possibly one of the only changelings in the world."

"Are you okay honey?" My mom asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." I said, waving off her concern. "Nothing to worry about. I met someone else who got turned into a changeling and she invited me to her place."

"And your sure you're safe?" Mom asked, concern still evident in her voice.

"I'm talking to you right now aren't I?" I joked gently before continuing more seriously. "I can take care of myself if need be and besides, in a situation like this, it makes sense to pull together and help each other out. I promise you I'm safe."

Mom hummed and I could practically hear her hesitation but before she could voice any other concerns, there was a sharp intake of breath like she'd seen something. This was confirmed when she instantly started scolding someone on her end.

"Wilhelmina Faye Beckett, you get down from the railing right this instant young lady!!" She shouted. "And don't you even think of jumping!!"

That was all I caught before mom promptly hung up so she could deal with my sister. I chuckled at the thoughts of my sister's antics. She'd already made a habit out of driving mom up the wall before, one could only imagine how frazzled my mom would be now that she had wings.

"Mom in mother hen mode?" The sudden voice made me jump and I whirled around to see Ivy standing in the hallway leading to the living room.

"Um, pretty much. How long have you been there?" I asked.

"Roughly around when the phone rang." She said with a shrug before continuing towards the kitchen. "So, how are things at home?" She started conversationally as she looked around her fridge and cupboards.

"They seem to be okay." I said as I climbed out of bed and stretched as best I could. "One of my sisters seems eager to test her wings and a brother of mine may be having troubles with this change. Also, it seems as though the horses can talk now."

"Really? Wow, everything's really gone crazy." Ivy hummed thoughtfully as she pulled out potatoes and started chopping.

"I couldn't agree more." I said with a nod. "Sorry if my phone woke you up."

"Oh it did no such thing, I was already awake when your phone rang." Ivy said. "My mom called me too, only her call came in at around six or seven in the morning and after talking and hanging up, I just didn't feel sleepy anymore, so I hung out in my room. In hindsight though, I probably should've called her before. She tends to fuss and dote on me a lot, but then again I've kinda been her only child for a while so, yeah."

"Sounds a little exhausting." I said.

"It can be at times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything." Ivy sighed. "We've both gone through some hard times when I was a kid, it isn't easy being a single parent but we managed thanks to love, perseverance and family."

"What about your dad?" I asked in curiosity.

"To be honest, I don't really know him that much." Ivy said with a shrug. "When I was old enough, my mom told me that she made some poor choices when she was younger and ended up pregnant and dumped by the guy who impregnated her. Looking back, even if the situation wasn't ideal, she says she's glad she had me. After she told me that story, she made me swear that I would get married before having sex or kids. When she was raising me, she would've given anything for the loving support of a husband but she still had her family willing to stand by her and support her. And now, she has my stepdad."

"That sounds nice." I said with a smile.

"It is. Max is an awesome guy and he genuinely loves my mom and makes her happy." Ivy said with a grin. "I couldn't ask for a better stepdad. Heaven knows my mom's dated some not so great guys. I vaguely remember this one guy from when I was about seven or eight who was downright mean to my mom, even abusive. Thank goodness mom broke up with him before anything could get too bad."

I only nodded. What do you say when you hear something like that? I knew that I was pretty lucky to have such loving and understanding parents compared to some people but it's one thing to know about it. It's another thing entirely to know someone who was in that situation. As though sensing my thoughts, Ivy piped up.

"Hey, there's nothing you need to worry about." She said. "It was a long time ago and like I said, he wasn't around long enough to do anything too bad. Just delivered some major blows to my mom's self esteem and smacked her around some. But my mom's smart and a fighter so it didn't take long for her to figure out this wasn't a healthy relationship and she dumped the guy. We're both over it by now so you shouldn't feel the need to tiptoe around me."

"Right, sorry." I said with a slight blush.

"No need to be sorry. You aren't the first person to have such a reaction when I tell them that story. I've gotten used to it by now." Ivy set her knife down, bringing me back to the present. "Anyways, enough back story, let's just get some breakfast then take a trip to the nearest hospital to try and figure out what's going on."

Cindy POV

There was one word to describe the hospital at this time. Technically several, but they all boiled down to one word. Chaotic. Ever since the sudden species change, the hospital had been flooded with hundreds of transformed humans looking for answers that nobody had. I hadn't even had the chance to really think about my own transformation until now. Thankfully things had slowed down after a while, giving me a chance to take in my own appearance.

My new form was equine in shape but I was taller and more slender than the ponies I'd seen thus far and more insecticide in appearance. Large parts of my chitin were light grey with some parts pink in color. The plate on my back was flamingo pink and mounted on it were three pairs of cicada wings that were a pink blush. My mane and tail were longer than it had been before, reaching my knees, and were Persian rose pink and when I'd gotten the chance to look in a mirror, I'd seen that my eyes were rosy in color while my horn had a little curl at the end like a hook.

I wasn't really a fan of My Little Pony, but I had friend who was and we'd watch episodes together so while I wouldn't call myself a fan, I certainly knew enough to recognize a changeling when I saw it. Granted, I looked much different from the changelings in the show, like a combination of the ones seen in the wedding and the ones in the season six finale, but I was still recognizable as a changeling.

"Cindy!!" The cry broke me from my thoughts and I braced myself for the swiftly approaching impact.

'And speaking of friends.' I thought before I was tackled by my best friend. I held my ground, but still leaned back a little. Wrapping her hooves around me was a second changeling similar to me but with a green coloring instead of pink. Emerald green eyes peeked up at me through spring green curls that formed a shorter mane and poking out of that mane was a horn as bent and gnarled as a tree branch. The darker parts of the body were dark brown or forest green and mounted on her back were three pairs of pale green wings shaped like termite wings.

"Hey Sophia. What do you need?" I said calmly as I wiggled out of her grasp and dusted myself off. While normally the nurse was a little calmer, her new form was a dream come true for her and she'd been more hyper than she usually was which was a bit of a mixed blessing in this situation. Sophia bounced on her hooves for a moment before speaking.

"There are a couple of patients waiting for you in room 109 and I think you're going to like them." She informed me.

I raised a brow before making my way through the crowded hospital with Sophia following behind. As soon as I entered the room in question and took in the occupants, I froze. Sitting in the room were two more changelings, one almost completely black and the other grey and yellow. My mind idly noted the two breezies nestled in the yellow one's mane, but otherwise my focus was entirely on the two other changelings who also froze in shock when they saw me. Everything was silent for a few beats before Sophia bounced in and broke the silence.

"Look, we aren't the only ones!" She announced.

The next couple of hours were spent discussing the new situation we'd found ourselves in. At first it started as a basic examination, but eventually we began comparing notes and forming theories about our new forms and reached the conclusion that this required extensive testing and research. A sudden knock at the door broke me from our musings and I opened the door to admit a flustered earthpony that I now knew as Doctor Smith.

"Doctor Taylor, have you seen the broadcast?" He huffed and I raised a brow.

"What broadcast?" I asked and Doctor Smith sighed.

"It's been playing on all the channels for the past fifteen minutes." He explained. "Something about gnomes, magic and a ritual of some sort. You should come see, they're kind of explaining what's going on."

We all paused as we took that in then almost trampled poor Doctor Smith in our rush out the door to find the nearest tv. Once we did, we watched the broadcast in question and afterwards it really sank in. We were changelings and were always going to be changelings. Once that sank in, everything became numb and I can't remember what else happened that day.

Author's Note

And there's that chapter. Sorry if the ending seems a little rushed and lazy, I'm sorta trying to get past this part so I can really get into what I have planned. I hop you enjoyed this chapter and will continue enjoying any other chapters of this story I publish.