CHANGELING Book 2: Destinies Collide

by The Crazed Werewolf

Rating: mature
Tags: Gore, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Other, Equestria Girls, Science Fiction, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Main 7 (EqG)
Length: 2245

One week after Secret Rendezvous. Grimdark Cyberpunk.

Fluttershy learns to cope with what has happened to her. The Rainbooms come face to face with an enemy that has the power to kill them. What is Project CHANGELING? Who is "the Director"? Can Sunset Shimmer and her friends overcome the challenges that they will face in this dark world?

***

Part of the Dream Catcher Saga

The Dream Catcher Saga is grimdark cyberpunk. You have been warned. Updates weekly, more if I get new chapters done earlier.

Published 2018-02-12 23:40:11 UTC
Last updated 2018-04-05 10:17:02 UTC

Shattered Lullabies

Fluttershy stood gripping the chain link fence. She stared at the burnt remains of the warehouse. She couldn't remember much, but what she remembered most was the pain. Suddenly she heard the sound of tires rolling over gravel. Fluttershy turned and looked she saw a Canterlot Police car coming her direction. The car pulled to stop near where she was standing. Fluttershy watched as Rainbows dad got out of the drivers seat, like always he was wearing his mirrored sunglasses.

"Hey Fluttershy." Captian Hothoof said.

"What did Rainbow do," Fluttershy asked, "put out an APB on me?"

"No she called me and asked me to look for you, she said you stormed out of band practice." he answered, leaning against the hood of his car, "want to tell me about it?"

"I just get so frustrated, I don't have a clear memory of what happened and everyone is treating me like I am a fragile porcelain doll." Fluttershy said bitterly,What if when I pony-up I become that vampire monster again and hurt everybody.

"You know that everyone is just worried about you, Both Windy and I think of you as our unofficial daughter. Rainbow was heart broken when you were missing." Bow said, "after everything that you went through, all your friends want to make sure you aren't hurt."

"Some pain never goes away." Fluttershy said quietly. Fluttershy looked back at the remains of the warehouse. Whenever she closed her eyes she caught glimpses of that night, the night her friends found her and rescued her. She couldn't tell what was real and what was part of the nightmare.

"Chief Magnus is personally leading the investigation into this place." Bow said after a while seeming to read Fluttershy's thoughts. "So far nothing King Enterprises. They have damn good lawyers, But trust me, we won't let them get away with this."

Fluttershy just listened and stared at the ruins. She shivered slightly as the wind began to pick up and the sun began to set.

"Come on, Fluttershy," Bow said, "let me give you a ride home. Don't tell my wife, but there are some donuts in the car if you're hungry."

Fluttershy nodded and moved toward the car, and got in the passenger seat.

***

"Where do you want this Twi?" Applejack asked. Lifting the CPU of one of Twilight's custom built computers.

"You can put that one over in the corner." Twilight said, "thanks again for coming and helping me rearrange my lab AJ."

"Ah shucks, it was no problem Twi, but isn't this your parent's garage?" Applejack said.

"Oh, they park in the driveway." Twilight answered as if every hose had its own science lab.

Applejack looked around Twilight's "lab", there were several massive custom built computers, a seismograph, a device that reminded Applejack of the transporter from Star Trek. Then her eyes landed on Twilight's work bench, she saw a familiar looking round device in several pieces.

"Twi, why do you still have this?" Applejack asked.

"Mostly as a keepsake to remind me not to ever confuse science with magic again, and that there are somethings in this world that we can still not explain" Twilight said to her friend, "I've been thinking about what happened during the Friendship Games lately."

"Twilight, ah want you to listen to me," Applejack said, "you defeated Midnight Sparkle, who no longer has any control over you, she is gone."

"If only that was true AJ," Twilight replied, "she still whispers to me in the back of my mind, but I know that as long as I have you and the others, she will never be in control."

***

"I don't get it," Rainbow said in frustration, "why would she just storm out of practice like that."

"Rainbow, darling, Fluttershy recently went through a very traumatic experience," Rarity said, "her recovery could take a while."

"It's been two months," Rainbow responded holding back tears, "I just want my friend back."

Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash, she remembered how distraught the athletic girl had been during Fluttershy's ordeal. Rarity had been concerned that Rainbow might have done something drastic if Fluttershy hadn't been found.

"It's going to take patience and understanding with Fluttershy," Rarity said, "just like it did with both Sunset and Twilight."

"Yeah Dashie, not everyone can do things super duper fast like you!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Both Rainbow and Rarity turned and looked at Pinkie. Their normally loud friend had been do quiet that they had forgotten that she was on the stage with them. The band had decided to practice at the amphitheater instead of the school music room. The only other people in the amphitheater were two men in what Rainbow would call the cheap seats and didn't appear to be paying any attention to the girls.

"Pinkie, how are you going to get your drums home?" Rarity asked. Pinkie nodded toward a grey SUV that was pulling up behind the amphitheater.

"Maude is picking me up." Pinkie answered.

***

The sun was beginning to set, on the stage three teenage girls were packing away their instruments.

"Sir, we investigated the leak, the only thing that whoever did it managed to get was a few of the DREAM CATCHER files."

"Do you know who did it?" the Director asked, a touch of annoyance creeping into his voice.

"We're still investigating, whoever it was was an expert at covering their tracks."

"Anything else?" the Director asked.

"One thing, we managed to recover security footage from the warehouse. The quality is very poor and mostly useless, but there is one thing you must see. I'll the film for you tomorrow at the office."

***

Sunset was curled up on her couch wrapped in a blanket reading a book about human history. The book was titled "the Guns of Navarone". Lying on her coffee table was a journal, the cover had both hers and Princess Twilight cutie marks fused together. She had been writing Princess Twilight asking for advice on how to help Fluttershy. Twilight had few ideas and was sorry that she couldn't come to help due to her role as a princess in Equestria. Sunset yawned, it was getting late and Sunder decided to go to bed.

"So much power," a voice whispered, "so much power..."

Nocturnal Conversations

"So much power!"

Sunset suddenly found herself wide awake. She had thought that she had heard some one speaking in her apartment. She reached over and turned on the lamp on her bedside table. Then she noticed her phone vibrating. She had turned the ringer off before she had gone to bed. She picked it up.

"Hello?" she asked groggily.

"Sunset?" a soft spoken voice asked.

"Oh hey Fluttershy, what's up?"

"Um, if you aren't busy do you think you and Twilight could meet me at the diner on 5th Avenue?" Fluttershy asked, "that's if you aren't busy."

"Of course, I always have times for my friends," Sunset said, "5th Avenue, that's the Greasy Spoon right? Give me fifteen minutes to get ready and to pick up Twilight and we'll meet you there. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I just need someone to talk to and Rainbow and the others don't know what I'm going through." Fluttershy said.

Sunset and Twilight rode in silence to the Greasy Spoon. Twilight wasn't fully awake when Sunset had picked her up at her parents house. As they approached the diner, Sunset saw only Fluttershy's car in the parking lot parked near the front door. When they walked inside they found their friend seated at a booth. Fluttershy only had an untouched glass a water in front of her. The waitress came up to the table as both Sunset and Twilight sat down.

"Coffee for me, Twilight?" Sunset said. Twilight only yawned while nodding her head in the affirmative.

"Cream or sugar? The waitress asked.

"No thank you." Sunset answered, again Twilight only nodded. The waitress promptly brought the two girls their coffee.

"Would you girls like to order?" she asked. Both Fluttershy and Twilight shook their heads no.

"Could I please get an extra-large hashbrown cooked extra crispy all the way and two sunny-side up eggs with toast, oh and could I get extra jalapeno?" Sunset asked. Both Fluttershy and Twilight looked at her with looks of confusion.

Sunset waited for the waitress to leave.

"What's up Fluttershy?" she asked finally.

"Um, I wanted to talk to you two, since you both had similar experiences" Fluttershy said in a near whisper, "becoming monsters."

"What exactly do you want to know Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, her coffee having finally kicked in.

"How can you go on living day to day knowing that just beneath the surface..." Fluttershy said. Both Twilight and Sunset looked at each other. It was Twilight who spoke first.

"I wish I could tell you that the pain goes away," Twilight said, adjusting her glasses, "but I know that Midnight Sparkle will always be there."

"As long as we don't allow our dark sides to have any power over us we remain in control," Sunset replied, "not a day goes by that my inner demons don't try to consume me."

Fluttershy looked like she was about breakdown. She had hoped that her two friends had the answers she sought.

"But as long as we stick together, we can overcome the encroaching darkness." Sunset said, giving both Fluttershy and Twilight a spark of hope.

After dropping Twilight back at her parents house Sunset returned home to her apartment. Since it was a Saturday she decided to go back to bed. Quietly she turned off the lights and slipped between the covers and slowly, sleep overtook her.

"So much power, wasted."

Author's Note

I know that this was short, but I have more coming.

Tea Time

"Good morning, is this chair taken?"

The Director looked up from his morning coffee and smiled.

"Not at all," he said, "and to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Tea, Earl Grey, hot." the newcomer said to the barista.

"I heard an interesting rumor about you." the Director said pointing at his visitor's car, a 1928 Cadillac limousine, "that you have Capone's real car and the one the recently sold at auction is a fake."

"You know I can't answer that."

"Yes, yes, so what brings you here today Discord?" the Director asked, "here to arrest me?"

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure, but we both know that isn't how the games is played." Discord said as he was given his tea, "besides I know that the barista behind the counter is one of yours, as are the couple at the bus stop and the woman in the apartment across the street watching us through the scope of her rifle. What are they, Israeli or Russian trained?"

"I see Division Six has done it's homework," the Director said, "I'm not surprised."

"You won't get away with this." Discord said finishing off his tea before standing up and placing a few dollar bills on the table and walking toward his car. He nodded at the person seated in the back then turned to his driver, "the Yacht Club."

His companion handed him a file folder.

"We aren't the only ones looking into Dream Catcher." she said, " I put Smooze on it."

"Interesting," Discord said reading the file, "If there is anything to this, Smooze will find it."

Discord looked out the Cadillac's window for a long moment, clearly thinking over his next actions.

"Have you been cleared for field operations?" he asked finally.

"MD's cleared me last Monday."

"Good, put a team together. I have a bad feeling that a war is coming." Discord said.

***

Across town at a location known only to the Director and a select few, another conversation was taking place. A teenage girl was strapped down to a stainless steel chair. The room was brightly lit and sterile. She was alone, except for several cameras pointed at her and the loud speaker mounted on the wall opposite of her.

"Are you part of Division Six?" the voice asked her.

"Huh?!" the girl answered, " I don't know what you are talking about. What is Division Six?"

"Tell us your name?"

"Moo-(gulp)-Moondancer." Moondancer answered.

"Why were you snooping around King Enterprises' servers?"

"I was looking for a challenge, hacking is an adrenaline rush for me." Moondancer said quickly. She knew that she had to protect Twilight.

"We know you are lying, who ever you are protecting will fall into our hands eventually. But you have talents that we can put to use."

Moondancer heard a hissing noise as a sleeping gas was filtered into the room through concealed vents. She managed to scream before darkness overtook her.

Two people entered the room.

"Prep her." Tempest Shadow said to the man in the lab coat and medical scrubs, "the mind is such a wondrous resource, let's not waste hers, professor."

Author's Note

So this chapter got dark. Things are going to get darker. I was going to make this chapter a separate story that just focused on the conversation between the Director and Discord. I added the section about Moondancer to set the story on its dark path.

I'm looking for someone who would be interested in doing some unique cover art for the Dream Catcher Saga, as well as guest authors. If you are interested send me a message.

Countdown

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A Taste of Blood

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The Gathering Storm

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Event Horizon

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Opening Moves

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The Last Full Measure

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