The Lost Changeling: Feedback Backfire

by Joshua Crapo

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Changelings, Original Character
Length: 3120

Throughout Carve's countless recollections and many a Las Pegasan, it turns out no one has heard of Rolling Acres, nor the events that transpired before Chrysalis turned good. A unicorn in Manehattan though knows a little trick up his little sleeve.

The new year has nearly started, so naturally it's a decent time to reflect on what's happened to far for Carve. However, throughout the last part of the most recent and crazy year, nearly no one from Las Pegasus has ever heard about Rolling Acres, nor any of the stand-in changeling queen's role in helping Equestria accept a willing addition to its alliance.

For New Years, meanwhile, a unicorn from Manehattan is touring Las Pegasus and meets up with Rusty, Pane and Carve. As the three notice his cutie mark, it opens up the door to letting the public know about Carve and her friends. Here's hoping how well received this plan gets.

Published 2018-01-30 15:40:11 UTC
Last updated 2018-02-26 03:34:59 UTC

Prologue - Suprise Photo

I believe that this year has been quite a crazy year, especially towards the end. First, there was the early spring crystalling in the Crystal Empire, then Thorax’s claim to fame over Chrysalis, Rolling Acres’ demise, the Crater Hall scandal, me getting to be a stand in queen, misfortune with my first ride, Chrysalis becoming a friend to all of Equestria, and that heartbreaking cross between Hearth’s Warming and Christmas that resulted in Aita moving to Ponyville.

Luckily, everything’s died down now, so I am finally able to relax... but only briefly.

There’s one last thing that comes before the new year, and that’s the day I always use to reflect on what’s happened in the past five and a half years I’ve lived here, which is tomorrow.

“Hey Carve.”

I jump to a standing position and turn around to see Rusty entering the living room.

“Ooh... did I scare you?”

“Eh, a little bit. What’s going on?”

“I had a tour pamphlet in the mail today. Tomorrow, somepony from Manehattan will be performing at Gladmane Grand.”

“Well, what are we waiting for, Rusty?!? We need tickets to see that, right?!?”

“I suppose so.”

“Then let’s go!”

I open the door, only for Rusty bash it closed, holding on the best he can.

“Should we at least get some money to pay for it?”

Huh, I guess I didn’t think about that.

“Good thinking. But after that, it’s-”

“But we’ll have to also get you an ID to do that, and we can’t do that until they open up two days afterwards.”

“Well, okay. If I can’t get into Gladmane Grand without ID, you could probably buy yourself a- hey wait a minute. What about Pane? Wouldn’t she want to get herself a ticket to that kind of show?”

“Eh, it’s a bit more of my thing. It’s too bad we haven’t even gotten around to getting you an ID, since only now we’ve finally settled in with enough time to do so.”

“I see what you mean. Why don’t you go meet up with Pane at her house before buying the tickets?”

“Hmm. Okay, Carve. I’ll see if she wants to go.”

I nod as Rusty turns to open the main entrance and leave. The door closes, leaving me with myself and not much else, though it does mean I could think a bit.

If Gladmane Grand requires that I have both money and an ID, that probably does mean it’s a place that serves hotsauce. Maybe even-

“CARVE!!!”

As I enter the kitchen, I jump at the sound of the open door, followed by Pane calling my name. She rushes in and hugs me.

“Pane, what are you doing here? I thought you were home.”

“Wanted to cheer you up with a gift, but I didn’t know what. Suddenly, I got some mail that described a concert at Gladmane Grand! I hurried as fast as I could to find a photographer so I could get you an ID and-”

“What a minute... you got that tour pamphlet too?!? And I’m guessing you found a photographer?!?”

“Yes and yes!”

Looking past Pane, I see an earth pony with Twilight’s mane and tail, only white. Her coat is blue, but I could only tell through her face as everything else is covered in clothes. I can’t see her eyes through her goggles, but I guess those goggles could add to her attention to detail.

“IT IS I!!! PHOH-TOH FEE-NICHE!!! VERE ICH OWA I.D. MODEL?”

Wow. I knew she was excited to see me, but hearing her would’ve given it away if I weren’t a changeling,

“That would be me: Carve.”

I wave to her, prompting her to gasp. Another pony comes in and sets down what looks like a suitcase, which morphs into a camera when unveiled. That pony moves back to behind the entrance.

“OH!!! SHEEE IS DA WAN!!! PEN!!! YA FRIEND MAHKS DA FAHST OF HAiR KIND TO HAVE AN I.D.!!!”

Pane trots next to Photo Finish in order for my picture to have a clear distance. This past minute has made me so excited, I could just scream “best minute ever”. Oh my gosh, I’m Pinkie Pie again!

“NO!!!”

Briefly, I look down and watch my hooves return from pink back into the original color. I look back ahead, still rather excited about what Pane’s done.

“Yeeeeees.”

I hear the camera snap a photo and immediately the picture is printed. I head over to the camera and levitate it out. I still look incredibly ecstatic, which I like, since I was feeling just that way.

“YA PHOH-TOH CAPTIAS YA EMOTIONS VERY VELL!!! I VILL TAKE IT OVAH TO DA CITY HALL!!!”

“Great! Thanks, Photo Finish. She should expect it by mid afternoon.”

“BEH-SICALLY IN A COUPLE OF OWAS!!! NOW... I GO!!!”

Swiftly, Photo Finish compresses the camera back into a suitcase, putting the picture inside it, and takes off with it on her back. That leaves me and Pane the only ones in the house now, prompting me to hug Pane.

“Oh! Thank you so much for doing this Pane! I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

“Well, I wouldn’t know either. But I do have your back. After what happened last time, I think it’s safe to say that whatever problem needs fixing should start at Las Pegasus.”

Pane rubs my back as I continue hugging, that is until I realize what she said. Most of what had needed fixing up until that one time recently had been out of Las Pegasus, and just because Pane thought to go to Wisconsin instead of staying here is reason enough to try and stay here are much as possible. Pane and i let go.

“Um, Pane, you do realize that was the only time you could’ve stayed at Las Pegasus to fix a problem.”

“Oh.”

“We should take advantage of when we’re able to fix a problem while still in Las Pegasus, yes, but that’s not likely going to be the case unless it’s with us or our visitors. I’m glad you know now though.”

“Well, how about we go find Rusty?”

I nod.

“Okay.”

Chapter I - Meeting the Musician Himself

This is quite odd, I haven’t seen Pane anywhere since yesterday I have no idea what she’s doing, but I sure hope whatever it is is good. It’s practically going to be just me and her at the jazz auditorium.

Maybe I should check to see how Carve’s doing. She has gotten a bit skittish since Hearth’s Warming. Numerous times on accident, we’ve been repeating the time we first met, and it’s a bit worrying.

I get back home to see if Carve’s still there, and not only is she still there, but Pane is with her.

“Pane! Where’ve you been? I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Well, I decide to give Carve a belated b- Hearth’s Warming gift to help her out.”

“Sure, that sounds thoughtful, but unless it’s-”

“Exactly what I’ve gotten her, there’ll be no trip to Town Hall.”

“Um, what are you talking about?”

“I contacted a photographer to take a picture of Carve so that she could have her own ID.”

“Wait, WHAT?!?”

“What, Rusty?”

“Okay, Pane, so which photographer did you get ahold of?!?”

“Photo Finish.”

I twitch my left eye in surprise. I know exactly who that was. She’s the reason why Fluttershy got so famous years ago!

“So, is she a photographer and does she just leave it at that?”

“I don’t know. Am I getting an ID with a picture she took of me?”

“Well, you got me there. I bet that feels good. In the meantime, we could head over to City Hall and get it before we try going to Gladmane Grand again.”

“So, does that mean all three of us are gonna...” Pane starts,

I nod, which prompts Pane to fly over and take me off the ground. The resulting motion is me and Pane floating as if she has let every once of magic loose.

“Oh we’re gonna have so much fun! We can have quesadillas, and cherry pie, and rounds of pinball, and-”

Uh oh, I think I’m gonna be s-sick.

Carve grips the both of us with her magic.

“Okay, Pane. Yeah, I’m excited that all three of us are going to see a concert, but it’s not like we have somebody we look to that will be waiting to meet us tomorrow. It’s just a musically talented unicorn. There’s only so much we can get to see.”

“Only so much, huh? Are you sure about that? Somepony’s bound to-”

“Town Hall, Flim Flam brothers, all of Equestria’s royalty for Chrysalis’ sake? I know. But a Manehattanite?”

“Pane, Carve does have a point. No random pony is just going to recognize Carve unless they met her before.”

“Thank you, Rusty. Now, let’s go get my ID.”

;=;

When Pane, Rusty and I are all finally in Gladmane Grand, we all look for the room number where ticket sales are taking place.

And it appears that this room 917 is a legitimate jazz auditorium. The amount of seats impresses me that we’re going to sit here tomorrow. I look further and notice four stands, each with stacks and stacks of show tickets. So this is going to be pretty big if the stands are devoid of tickets by the end of the run.

“HEY!!! IT’S THE STAND-IN CHANGELING QUEEN!!!” one of the ticket vendors shouts in ecstatic recognition.

All four ticket vendors leave their posts and all come to me to greet me.

“Um, hi. I was wondering if I could buy a few tickets for the performance tomorrow night.”

“Why sure!” The second ticket vendor answers. “These tickets were carefully set in price by the owners themselves of this establishment. Only 2 bits each!”

“Incredibly low cost, isn’t that? Somebody could pay more just playing pinball. BUT I will take it, since there isn’t much to lose at this point.”

“Well, the arcade is where most of the income to run this place comes from,” the third ticket vendor notes.

It looks like a deal. Pane levitates six bits into one of the chests as the four vendors give us three tickets to tomorrow’s show.

;=;

SO. MUCH. PINBALL. SO MUCH CANASTA!!!

So, tonight’s the show, and we have a few hours to kill, so we all go our own ways and explore Gladmane Grand. While Pane goes off with 50 bits to play a game that grants free drinks, and while Rusty gets some supper, I decide to head to the bulk of the games.

Around the seventh game I win of Canasta, a yellow coated unicorn decides to take the place of one of the previous players. His mane is brown and his cutie mark is that of a quill riding on a metronome.

And then I win even against him. He may’ve had a couple of good starts, but some of the skills I learned are slightly absent with the stallion’s skill. By now, I think I had quintupled the amount I started out with.

“Say, you’re really good. When’d you learn to play this game so well?”

“Rusty taught me Canasta a couple of years before Rolling Acres got demoed. My winning method is to always find the right opportunity to take the deck, which is quite a balancing act of sorts, especially late-game.”

“I guess he taught you well. I may be good at Canasta, but you knock me right out of the park. Say, I’m going to play a quick couple of rounds of Roulette. I nearly always win there. But after that, I have to get to the auditorium.”

“Um, mind if I join you on Roulette?”

“No problem. I’m Tempo Quill.”

“Very nice to meet you. I’m Carve.”

After five wins on Roulette, Tempo Quill waves me goodbye and heads off to the jazz auditorium. Suddenly, I gasp. Pane, Rusty and I are all supposed to meet in front of room 917 ourselves. So, I take it that this Tempo Quill stallion is the one performing. I guess I’ll have to find out for myself.

I check the time: fifteen minutes before showtime. 1:30 PM.

Chapter II - Staying at his House

Rusty, Pane and I, after showing our tickets to the usher, take the seats we paid for. Luckily for us, we’re in the front row of the auditorium.

While I wait for the performer, I notice that the room is relatively chatty. Not deafeningly chatty, but enough to need a relatively higher volume to speak to Rusty and Pane should any of us have any questions.

After a few minutes, cheering starts and the right of the stage curtain folds out to make way for the familiar unicorn I had met through a game of Canasta: Tempo Quill. What he’s floating are two guitar picks, four fret holders, and a mobile capo.

Then he starts playing the guitar, prompting the crowd to fall silent from the cheering.

“Hello everyone. I figured that since tomorrow’s the new year, I’d reflect with you all and smile at the result of our recent events, starting with this song I wrote.”

Nutamona rotana lecan Hales Walemin?
Nota leya pere mona tahoto hi Windigo ro din?
Leya nota norata te za ga za rudar ro.
I vo ni nat deyo va curedo orinoda rudero.

Te liru diha, sotefala i yucoya le yote.
Uhedo le hin dega liruho; leyu "alada rote".

Te hi For Feri Peres ho Mehinhatan Tahim,
Hi mona peyuda nat leya dalama ga nihan rim.
Un uhedo le lona tereyo ho fu peyuda.
I hoya te za cinamur le tarolur ilabeda.

Te liru diha, sotefala i yucoya le yote.
Uhedo le hin dega liruho; leyu "alada rote".

Te liru diha, sotefala i yucoya le yote.
Uhedo le hin dega liruho; leyu "alada rote".

Tempo Quill’s performance is backed up by the second half of the first verse by two flutists, who are also unicorns, as well as a bass player who is a pegasus, picking up at the chorus. As the song finishes, the crowd starts to cheer again.

“Thanks everyone. Happy new year!”

The cheering amplifies.

Meanwhile, Rusty wraps his wing around my back.

“I think he was talking about you,” he whispers, prompting me to nod. I mean, I couldn’t tell by him talking my language and actually pretty well for a musical unicorn.

Tempo Quill walks behind the stage, never to be seen for another minute and a half. Within a bit of time into the rising chatter, I hear the door to the right from behind the audience open. The pony responsible was the galloping performer himself.

“Tempo Quill!!!” I call out.

He approaches me, skidding to a stop.

“Thanks for the music! I didn’t know you spoke like a changeling!”

“Alada, vo ni dalamu mona. I’m still not that great at proper cognates after all these years.”

“I don’t think it's anything to worry about. I’ve been rusty myself on Lingo. What matters is that you can sing like that. I loved it, and I’m glad you’ve found good in changelings way back when you were a foal.”

“Aww. Thanks. Say, after I’m finished here, I’m gonna get going home. I wanna invite you and your friends over.”

Pane suddenly gets up from her seat.

“Wait, what? You want us to come with you to Manehattan?!?”

Rusty pleasantly approaches Tempo Quill.

“Well, Tempo, I haven’t visited Manehattan in a good while.”

“And neither have Pane or I. I’d be up for it.”

“Me too,” Pane adds.

Rusty raises his hoof.

“And so would I.”

;=;

So as it turns out, Tempo Quill is situated similar to us, only in Manehattan instead of Las Pegasus. But his house is relatively large compared to Rusty’s or Pane’s. Rusty Flashlight may also have a second floor, but there’s not nearly as much to explore, and Tempo’s has the same space upstairs as downstairs.

Now with me, Rusty, and Pane having toured the house, while some necessities lie downstairs like the kitchen and the bathroom, all the bedrooms are upstairs.

So that leads me to what always happens right after a trip across Equestria.

Tempo Quill has us stay in the guest room, which has two twin beds and a clear bin of towels and blankets, for the night.

I start into the room by taking out the blankets and giving them to Rusty and Pane. I then take out the towels and set them on the floor, next to where Rusty chooses to sleep.

“So, what do you think?”

Rusty and Pane blink.

“About?”

“Getting to stay with a musician?”

“Oh, well I’m glad Tempo Quill is nice enough to let us all stay here. Surely you must be glad that Equestria isn’t entirely guilty of looking down on the changelings in the past.”

“Um, Pane, that’s low hanging love you just gave Carve right there.”

“You realize that you just did that for me, right Rusty? And yes, Pane. I’ve known that since I met Rusty. And-”

Something comes to me head suddenly, prompting me to gasp.

“THE NEW YEAR!!! There’s going to be a ball-drop here in Manehattan, right?!?”

“Well, yeah. It’s sort of the biggest one in Equestria,” Rusty answers.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

As I race out of the room, Pane levitates me in place.

“Whoa there, Carve. It’s already getting dark out. Rusty and I will be able to see it, but you seeing it will twist sleep your schedule more than it’s already been.”

“Pane, we live pretty far south, far enough that will extend day by an hour or two when compared to this. And like you just said, I have a pretty late sleep schedule. I can stay up LONG after dark at the moment. I don’t see why I can’t see the ball drop without you guys.”

Tempo Quill peaks out of his room and sees me.

“Well I’m glad you’re eager to join your friends. That’s what friends are supposed to do: spend time with each other. Just make sure to keep this between the four of us, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Tempo Quill,” I respond. “At least that leaves me with a few hours of free time.”

“Say, Carve, you know how Equestria is friends with the changeling kingdom?”

I nod at Tempo Quill.

“Yes.”

“I was thinking maybe I could provide some detail on it.”

I gasp in excitement of an idea that springs to mind.

“Hey! I can help you with that! Let’s go to your room."