Pony and the Changeling

Chapter 14

Applejack smiled at Katana for a moment, but was short lived when the changeling fell towards the ground. As Applejack and Katana went towards him for assistance, his breath was very slim. Katana noticed his heart was slowly dying due to the fatal attack from Chrysalis earlier.

"Applejack..." the changeling slowly responded.

"I'm here."

"You're back..."

"Of course. I never mentioned to you that I'd stay forever. If I had only stayed behind, none of this would've happened."

"I think...it's better this way..."

"Don't talk like that. You'll be fine. You need to take the love and you'll be better. Okay?"

"I can't..."

"Why not?"

"I can't steal love...no pony can never trust...a..."

"Don't you dare say that to me! At first, I knew I couldn't trust you, but somehow, you changed me. You gave me a new life I never thought of before. I can trust you. Just enough to give you the love inside me. Please..."

"AJ...I..."

Before he could tell her how he felt, his eyes slowly became dim and closed for good. His hoof, which Applejack held on to, fell towards the ground. Such determination, she intended to wake him up to see her face one last time before he left forever.

"No! Don't you dare give up on me."

Without a moment to lose, she went towards his mouth for a kiss. Though that would've been dangerous for her to kiss a changeling, she couldn't risk losing the one she loved ever so much. At the exact same time, the three crusaders and the rest of the gang came in the Moon wing and noticed the changeling in AJ's hooves. When her lips departed from him, she cried in such pain. Katana turned aside and shed one single tear from her pony formed eye as it slowly turned into a changeling. In defeat, the girls bowed their heads for a moment of silence.

"He was a great changeling." Scootaloo replied.

"Though he never got his cutie mark..." Sweetie Belle responded.

"...he surely will be missed." they both finished in unison.

Apple Bloom went towards Applejack for comfort.

"Sis...are you going to be alright?"

"I... I don't know if I'll ever be, sugar cube..."

As she walked away brokenhearted, the crusaders sighed in defeat. As Sweetie Belle turned around, she noticed a light shining on Katana Blaze.

"Look!"

As all of them turned towards the direction of Sweetie Belle, Katana slowly disappeared, allowing the changeling to float towards the air. However, the changeling remained still as a certain figure came out of the shadows and towards the group.

"Who are you?" Applejack asked.

Though the group was about to strike, the pony in question removed her hood, leaving everyone in shock.

"Katana?"

"That is the name that you know me by. But it is not my true name. I'm Rainbow Blaze, the unicorn enchantress. Allow me to explain why I did this."

The group wasn't sure about the mysterious figure, however, she must've known about her true intention to curse him. They sat down as Rainbow Blaze explained.

"Many years ago, a wealthy family outside of Canterlot had a son,"

She gestured to the changeling, still trapped in his bubble.

"He wasn't the nicest of fillies and had little interest with friends. You see, what neither he nor his parents knew that when they had hired me, they hired me not just as a maid, but to be able to help her son to be kind and loyal. Do you understand so far?"

Applejack nodded while the other followed along.

"As time went on," she continued "the son's behavior had improved, but only slightly. So I prepared a final test to see the results, but the outcome is obvious as it seems. He was cursed to become a changeling and remain that way forever until he could learn to be honest, kind, and love that pony, which is you Applejack."

"But he never said he loved me," Applejack said.

"He didn't have to," The unicorn smiled. "Think back from the past couple of moons before. Hasn't he revealed his affections to you ever?"

While Applejack pondered those moments, a tear formed, and slid down Applejack's cheek.

"You are right," she said, sniffling. "So, when will you lift the spell?"

"As soon as you say those words that you mean in your heart."

"I love him. That's the absolute truth."

The unicorn's horn began to glow, and a bright light filled the room. When it faded away, Applejack blinked rapidly, confused at the sight in front of her.

"Who are you?" she asked, staring into the colt in front of her.

As he glanced all over his body, he realized that all of the changeling ugliness had been removed and he was set free from the curse. When he turned towards Applejack, she was surprised as he was. Without hesitation, the pony ran towards and hugged her.

"AJ! I can't believe you did it!"

Though Applejack would've backed away, she couldn't move at all. Startled with this character, she glanced carefully and noticed his deep blue-teal eyes. His eyes were the exact of her love.

"Changeling?"

He shook his head as he caressed her face with his hoof.

"It's Shadow Star."

As their eyes were locked towards each other, their noses touched as their love bloomed. While they nudged, the girls were filled with awe as their happiness couldn't be much better. As the girls awed, the CMC noticed something shiny glowing near his flank. Shadow Star glanced as well and recognized his cutie mark with a star twinkling around a certain flower.

"My cutie mark… What does it mean?"

"A pony with seeds of pain and of hate," Zecora replied while coming towards the Moon Wing, "would bloom with love with the mare which he dates."

"What in the hay does that mean?" Applejack asked.

"I think what Zecora is trying to say," Twilight explained, "is that though his life before may have been ugly, it changed his personality because of you."

"And," he continued, "I couldn't do it without these magnificent fillies."

He knelt in respect in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Though they don't know how they did it, but they helped a pony find his true talent: finding the good in everything, even if it was ugly.

"Did you three learn something from today? " he implied.

"We worked so hard to find out what our true talent is," Apple Bloom noticed.

"Yes, and...?"

"When we took the time off, however," Sweetie Belle observed, "we helped you find out what your true talent is."

"Good. Now, do you see the connection here, girls?"

As they pondered, Scootaloo started to smile. It was as if they got a connection of what he was talking about.

"We need to work even harder to get our very own cutie marks!"

In defeat, Shadow Star shook his head in disbelief. It would take a long time for them to discover it soon enough. The girls and Discord chuckled at the fillies, knowing that those three will never change. Granny had fully recovered at the rehab clinic so much that she was able to work in the farm with Apple Bloom once again. Big Mac met a marefriend outside of Ponyville that he and his girl got married and worked in the farm next door. As expected, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo received their own cutie marks. Though it took forever to understand what Shadow Star implied, they are now the best crusaders in all of Equestria. Shadow Star and Applejack did get married, but instead of living in the barn or in the city, they lived in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters where they would work on the Zap Apple Jams for Granny Smith. Now, what happened to Rainbow Blaze, you may ask? Some pony say that she disappeared into the night and lived within the walls of the castle. Others say she became one with the apple trees in the Everfree. No pony knows, but I do. Why? Because she was me.

THE END