The Lost Changeling

For the most part, the whole visit to the Ponyville hospital is just me pacing around the waiting room while Immunity checks up on Rusty Flashlight. After about twenty minutes, Immunity comes out alone, causing me to come to her.

“So, what’s going on? What’s wrong with Rusty?”

“It turns out he has a third degree burn on each of his forehooves. He’ll need some skin grafts to heal the burns. I have to wonder though. What happened that caused that?”

“He touched both plates of pancakes.”

“Odd. Pancakes shouldn’t be able to do that. I know they start out hot, but not that hot.”

“And it happened about an hour and a half after we got them.”

“Where did you get them anyway?”

“McDonald’s.”

“What’s that?”

“Exactly.”

I nod.

“Say, what happened to you?”

“Oh, I was in Rolling Acres before I met Rusty. Stepped into some glass shards. The hooves were fixed when I last came to.”

I wave my left forehoof forward to show that it works.

“Hey, if I do this, would you be able to keep it incognito?”

“Eh, I can do it.”

“Good. How long has it been since you came to?”

“About a day. Rusty first arrived at Rolling Acres almost two moons prior. Hey, wait a minute, speaking of Rusty, don’t you have skin grafts to do?”

“Well, another doctor has to do that. I just do the basic stuff. Just keep me taking off the bandages a se-”

“Wait a minute. Take off the bandages?!? But then how’ll Pane and Rusty recognize me?!?”

“Uh, by your voice?”

“You don’t understand, Another changeling could imitate my voice perfectly; it’s in our nature.”

Now, I change my voice to sound like immunity.

“Like this.”

“Whoa. Okay, that is freaky.”

I change back to my natural voice by clearing my throat.

“So, judging by your reaction to the appearance of the three of us, you probably have heard of changelings.”

Immunity nods.

“So, if you take off my bandages, what will be unique about me to set apart from the rest of my hive?”

Now, the earth pony just looks all over me to see something visually unique.

“I suppose your mane and tail have a bit more blonde than the rest; other than that, I don’t know what else to think of.”

“I think I might want to see what Pane thinks. Most ponies wouldn’t be able to catch that difference.”

Suddenly, Pane comes to me out of one of the chairs on the other side of the waiting room.

“What about me?”

“Hey, Pane. Do you see anything different that can set me apart from my hive?”

“Hmm... all I can really catch is that you’re a bit thicker than the rest, but that’s it.”

“Aw, hun! Useless! What about Rusty?”

“You’ll have to ask him.”

I nod at Pane, afterwards, turning around to the hall.

“Immunity, may I?”

“Afraid to say, but no.”

“What? No? Why not?”

“He’s waiting for the graftor, who’s going to be here any second and take him over to the operating room.”

“Can’t I talk with Rusty while he waits?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Come on, Immunity! I won’t hurt any of my friends, and that includes him! Just a simple question to ask him; that’s all!”

“Please, not until the skin graft is done.”

“Do you want to remove the bandages off my hooves or not? I need to make sure I’m recognizable without the bandages before they can be taken off!”

Suddenly, we stop as the door opposite to me, Immunity, and Pane, bursts open.

“Alright, Immunity; where is he?”

Immunity simply walks into the near hall as the door opens from the incoming stallion’s magic while I just blink alongside Pane. Suddenly, a rage visually starts to surface over me as the stallion passes me. Finally, as the nearby door closes, I can’t hold that rage anymore.

“No! No! No! No! NOOO!!! CLISARIS HUNUR DURU!!! Nuta hi hunur frema!!! Ve na hata vi; NI HUNUR OSIA!!! UGH!!! Why me?!? Neta hunur ve?!?”

As I shout, I begin to pound my forehead on the wall containing the door Immunity entered through with the graftor. At the end, I slide onto the floor from the wall, letting my cheeks itch as I cover my scalp with my forehooves. Suddenly, I hear Pane’s voice.

“Uh, Carve? Are you alright?”

“No.”

Pane puts a hoof around my upper back.

“Why, Pane? Why do we even bother?!?”

“With what?”

“Why do we even bother doing something only we would do... if no one ever gives us a chance to?”

Pane proceeds to rub my upper back with her hoof.

“Actually, Carve, you have done something only you would do.”

“What is it?”

“It’s everything you’ve done since we got here. No changeling would ever want to help a pony out. No changeling would ever care to see some random urban explorer in the hospital. But you did. Anyone can deny it, but we decide our own actions. Changelings are no exception, even if their decisions are unfortunate.”

Suddenly, the door bursts open again as the stallion from earlier carries an unconscious Rusty Flashlight across the room, Immunity following suit. I avert my gaze back to a comforting Pane Fall to my right with her hoof around my upper back. When the door across closes, I look at it, thinking of how infuriatingly difficult Immunity got. Then, I turn back to Pane as she gets up. I get up as well.

“Pane, I think I changed my mind. Immunity seriously shouldn’t remove the bandages. I thought I would’ve trusted her, but I found evidence plenty against it.”

“Yeah... I kind of noticed. Hell, even I wasn’t given a chance to see Rusty before he was carried off, and I’m a unicorn for Celly sake.”

“Well, looks like it’s time apply that old saying: ‘break a changeling, they break you.’ Let’s move.”

“Right behind you, leaper.”

And with that, Pane and I run for the door, levitating it open.