Author's Note

Chapter 9 is divine!

Oh, have some Billy Joel.

It's relevant to the chapter.

I promise.

9. This is a Changeling?

Edited byTuxOKC.

Once Rachnera had captured the two Diamond Dog leaders, something of a cease fire happened. Some of the dogs offered to help put out the fire still burning. This was agreed upon (over distrusting glares through more than a few black eyes and various bumps and bruises between both sides) and for the rest of the night, the blaze was battered to nothing more than smoke and embers. In the meantime, the sun soon rose far too quickly, in Rachnera’s estimation (The physics involved were impossible and no ball of continuously exploding hydrogen should take less than a minute to push above the horizon).

The town hall had a new pair of large doors, being the replacements for the ones Lucifer had destroyed the night before. It was filled with ponies and dogs, split into their respective groups: ponies on Rachnera’s right and dogs to the left side of the hall. There was shouting between the two parties as accusations flew across the room. Hooves and claws jabbed as angry words were exchanged. Above, in the rafters, pegasi sat, wings fluffed and chests puffed as they made odd little displays at the Diamond Dogs. The emotions were real, but there was something keeping them from coming to blows right there in that building.

There was webbing set up in a way to keep them apart, though it was just an afterthought laid out by the one who had set it out. Rachnera Arachnera was not in a good mood. She was tired, worn out, cranky, and had shed hair itching the skin between her breasts. Commanding the center of the room, a table had been set, courtesy of Lucifer. At the table were Sunrise (still bound) and Winter (not bound) and the apparent leaders of the Diamond Dogs (bound together). All eyes were on her, or more specifically, her glowing red eyes and sinister smile.

“All right, I said it before,” she began, flicking her gaze between the leaders, “this is going to be a peace talk. We”—she swung a finger between herself and the representatives—”are going to figure this out so I can get a ticket to horse capital and meet Princess Leia and find out how I can get home.” No one tried to correct her, given the horrifying fangs she showed with her open grin.

Lucifer had commandeered a small table for himself and watched the ‘peace talks’ unfold with wry bemusement. Bria was busy helping to tend to the various cuts and bruises that had happened from the fracas. Her husband sported a black eye, a fat lip, and a satisfied grin. A glass of wine was in one of his massive hands and he sipped it like a connoisseur. A bottle awaited him on the table before him. Every time he looked over towards the Diamond Dogs, they flinched and made a little less ruckus.

Somebody had fun last night.

The foals were with their mothers, who were in turn against the wall and as far from the Diamond Dogs as possible. The guards formed a front and were just as willing to trade insults as their civilian friends did with the dogs. With the foals in the same room, ears seemed more perked and alert. Eyes were constantly roving, as if one of the dogs would try to make a go for them. Random was with his grandmother, who had chosen not to sit at the table, having claimed emotional distress. It was interesting to see the glares she was throwing at the dogs. Hadn’t she been claiming changelings as being responsible?

Bright...Luster was it? had a troubled look. The unicorn paced between the guards and her Lord and Lady, glancing at Rachnera with fear. Where was the nice monster that had been polite and accommodating? She had been civilized. Bright was very concerned, but never approached Rachnera directly, preferring to defer to Winter.

Now there was this savage-looking beast, pissed off and tired of the idiocy going on between the pony village and the dog colony. The farmers seemed unruffled by this, convinced through Peggy’s assurances Rachnera was a friend. Some were even pleased to see Lord Shimmer trussed up in ‘silk pajamas’. There was sympathy for Winter Shimmer, of course, as she was seen as the future for Shimmering.

“Give ‘em what-fer, Miss Spider!” one of the villagers yelled out. There was an awkward pause from the speaker. “Or somethin’ like that!”

“Well?” Rachnera pressed, ignoring the speaker. Her eyes bore into the two Diamond Dogs. “Let’s start with easy questions and go from there. For starters, what’s your names?” She leaned on the table and gave them a Cheshire smile.

The wolfish pair shared a nervous look. They spoke at the same time.

“I Fargo.”

“I Fungo.”

Both said in one voice, “We twins.”

“You don’t say?” Rachnera smirked. “A good start. Maybe you two aren’t as dumb as you sound.”

Fungo, the one on the right, gave her a little growl. “Not dumb. Some pony words hard to say. Diamond Dog mind think different. Mind make mouth speak different.”

“Of course, my apologies,” she said, plucking at her pendant. “Now, the ponies were good enough to release the three friends of yours who had the misfortune of digging into my quarters.” Rachnera gave a slight tilt of her head towards Winter. “They were looking for your missing pups?” An eyebrow quirked. She waved at the dogs in question. They were far back against the wall behind their packmates and waved nervously back at the arachne.

“Yes! Three pups. One dog, two bitches. Very young. Weaned. Mothers want them back. Alpha wants them back. We get them back,” Fargo growled, “or we no good protectors. Ponies take them. Bitches see ponies take pups. We follow. Pup scents all over village. We no get in. We no find. Smells confusing. One moment there, then gone.”

“We’re missing foals!” Sunrise snapped, struggling in his silken prison. “This is unacceptable, monster! Undo these bonds!”

“No. Not until you and the doggies make nice,” Rachnera told him. “I told you already. I’ll keep telling you. Why can’t the two of you combine your resources to find your missing children instead of quarreling like children.”

There was a general murmur of agreement from both sides of the room. “Why are the ponies leaders no wanting for talk?” cried out a dog.

“I’m wantin’ my daughter, not a flamin’ war!” a familiar sad-faced stallion yelled over his fellow ponies.

The agreements were getting louder. Sunrise gave his fellow ponies a look of indignant shock. “There are bandits in the ruins of the forest!” he insisted in a nasal, whiny voice. “I assure you, my dear ponies, I will root them out and return to you your dear foals! I swear this to you on my family name!”

“Do you have proof?” Rachnera asked, resting her chin on a palm as she rested an elbow on the table. “Hearing about it is one thing. Keeping vital information a secret? That might be criminal, wouldn’t you agree? Now,” she held up a hand to stave off a protest from Winter, “I haven’t been around long enough to know what’s really going on, but from what I’ve heard, this whole ‘bandits did it’ thing isn’t holding water. Why, might you ask? Bandits normally take valuables. They steal. They destroy. They want you to know they’re there so they can control you through fear and intimidation. Since I haven’t heard anyone else even make a mention of these vagabonds, either these are some of the worst thieves and murderers that ever existed, or the truth is being withheld for one reason or another.” A wry smile curled one corner of her mouth. “How close am I?”

Her six eyes bore into Sunrise’s two. “My concerns are for the safety of my subjects!” he protested. “You know nothing of me. You know nothing of my methods, monster. How my mother-in-law sees you as an asset is beyond reason! I am bound, humiliated before my subjects and they are laughing at me!”

“It is funny, milord!” came a voice over the pony side of the room.

Winter, in a subtle whisper said, “He’s not wrong.” There was a twinkle in her eye, which left Rachnera to wonder if she was bipolar. The mood swings of the mare were jarring.

“And you two,” she pointed a lethal fingertip at Fungo and Fargo. “What’s your excuse for terrorizing innocents? Have the ponies attacked you?”

There was a moment of agonizing silence as the two brothers stared at her with guilty eyes. “No,” they admitted.

“Alpha Father told us to seek pups and get back,” Fargo grunted, his nostrils sniffing at the air.

Fungo nodded, “Pups most important. They future of colony. Diamond Dogs get pups back at any cost.”

“To the point of starting a war?” Rachnera queried, sounding both bored and annoyed. “What about Peggy’s house?”

“I didn’t see any dog prints,” Lucifer offered in a loud voice.

The pair sang, “~We didn’t start the fire!~”

To Rachnera’s horror (and fascination), both sides broke into a song. It was a parody and for the next four minutes, there was a back and forth between the two groups. The ponies got the first and third verses, the dogs the second and fourth. Everyone in the room (including the baffled and bewildered arachne) sang the chorus. Rachnera sang the fifth verse all by herself and could not stop! It ended with her throwing up jazz hands, with foals draped all over her (Random was perched on her head for half the song, singing his little heart out), and the adults encircling the arachne (apparently Diamond Dogs can do jazz...paws, too, along with the up-to-the-challenge ponies with their jazz...hooves). Then, everyone went back to where they had been before, as if the attack of Harmony had never happened.

The mood in the aftermath (or was that afterglow?) was better, at least.

Rachnera reflected on what just happened, muttering under her breath, “The horror!” Yet, there was a conflicted side of her that found the experience...enjoyable. “The horror!”

Fargo and Fungo whispered to each other, their ears perked as their discussion included them nipping at each other as they began to argue. Finally, they glared at each other before turning their attention to Rachnera.

“We help find bandits,” they offered in the form of a demand.

“Absolutely not!” Sunrise roared, struggling against his silken bonds.

“Why not?” Rachnera asked. She indicated them with a gesture, “It would foster goodwill between you and the doggies, promote friendship, and would be a good start towards rebuilding relations with them. Right, boys?” A smile was thrown towards the brothers.

They nodded and smiled back, hopeful. Their fellow Diamond Dogs yipped in agreement. “We want our pups! We want our pups!” they chanted.

“We don’t have them, you stupid dogs! We’ve never had your puppies!” Sunrise cried in frustration.

Rachnera could hear Winter say, “Dear, your blood pressure.” From the tone and expression, the unicorn was getting tired of her husband’s attitude. “Maybe you should let me handle things from now on? You’ve not exactly been wowing the very ponies who look to you for protection.” She turned his chin with a hoof until they were looking directly into each other’s eyes. “I insist.”

He tried to outstare his wife, but faltered within a few moments and sighed. “Fine. You win.”

“Oh good, I adore winning!” Winter pecked him on the lips, then straightened herself. “Now, about these bandits. I’m afraid I’m with Miss Spider on this, dear husband. You mentioned early last evening to everypony about them. How did you get your information?”

Rachnera half expected Peggy to blurt the word ‘changelings’, followed by a mouthful of twangy country drawl that was more poured than spoken, and only understood by the locals. But the spark in the old mare’s eyes had gone out since her home had burned down. Was it a coincidence? Did a changeling burn down the old unicorn’s house because she was spouting on about them?

The arachne was not certain. What had been going on had been utter chaos. She needed sleep, but that was going to have to wait, which in turn made for irritation and a waspish nature. Rachnera Arachnera was falling deeper and deeper into a foul mood and only sleep and laziness could cure it. As it was, Peggy was delightful in personality and had welcomed the spider monster with open arms...er, hooves. Now her house was gone and so went that spirit.

There was another thing she was noticing and it would have nothing to do with her directly; the ponies and the dogs were starting to communicate. From what she could tell, there was no real animosity between the regular, day-to-day denizens trying to work for a living. Sunrise Shimmer, lord of the land and noted outsider, seemed to be the sort determined to leave a mark, even if it meant potential disaster. Maybe he was trying to impress his peasants? Like Agent Smith, he was being irresponsible.

Something was off. Rachnera could not quite put a finger on it, but there was an ominous air in the room. Unfriendly eyes were boring into her and she had yet to catch who it was. There was fear and a trembling she felt but could not sort out. Her threads were useless. There were too many hooves and paws touching what she had left lying around. It was something she did; leave silk everywhere. It had everything to do with being a spider. No thought went into the laying of silk: it was like the process of breathing.

Annoying. Very annoying.

If there was a drawback to her silk, it was the flood of information overwhelming her senses to the point where she had to ignore them by cutting them loose. This was done with a flick of her fingers, her sharp nails slicing through the threads. To anyone looking, it would have seemed as if she was just stretching her fingers.

She missed what what was being said through her musings, but no words spoken had caught her attention. Instead, she used her senses and scanned the crowd. There was animosity, but it was driven by what, rather who was not there. Instincts begged there was a who here interested in keeping things heated up between the dogs and the ponies.

So, with Winter effectively telling her husband to shut the hell up and let a local handle the peace talks, Rachnera focused on trying to see something unusual in a crowd of aliens with habits and mannerisms she was only barely aware of. Easy, right? Although lazy by nature, this new challenge engaged her mind and had her interest. Rachnera prided herself as an intellectual and enjoyed a mystery every once in a while. It was much better than hanging around in an apartment with some greedy human trying to make money through blackmail and scams.

So long as the results would get her home, Rachnera’s mind wandered towards some less than ethical roads that might open before her. No, no, and...maybe? Disappointing Honey was not something she wanted to do. Somehow, he would know if she had been a good or bad girl.

A small sigh escaped through her lips as her attention fell upon Peggy. The old mare was staring at the table, pupils flicking to and fro from her daughter and her husband and the two bound Diamond Dogs. Her expression seemed to indicate irritation. There was something off about her. Rachnera could not put a finger on it, but she could recall with clarity how Peggy changed her mind about who was responsible for the arson project upon her home.

“It can’t be that easy,” she whispered, fingering the pendant. One spider leg tapped at the floor. A racing mind went back to the moment. There had been so much chaos going on, Rachnera had lost sight of Peggy when the Diamond Dogs first showed up.

Her attention went to Random. He was still sitting next to the old mare. A sleepy look had fallen over him and he could barely stay awake. Bria came up behind him and without saying a word, scooped the colt up into her arms. She weaved through tables, chairs, and ponies to the group of foals. Blankets had been spread out and already a few had fallen asleep (or were trying to) surrounded by watchful mares. She set him down, gave a scratch behind an ear, and went back about the business of tending to boo-boos.

There was something wrong, but it could be chalked up to the old pony being senile. Rachnera was positive the old mare was positively ancient, though she had no idea how long ponies lived.

Lucifer rose from his seat and took long, thumping steps towards the door. He slid past Rachnera, giving her a quick grin. She could make out the scarred side of his face, faded and proudly worn. He swung his horned head, curling a lip at the dogs while clenching and unclenching his massive meathooks. Out the door he went. Bria paused in what she was doing and stared after him, her expression unreadable.

Lucifer was old, his age also unknown.He had also been acting strange, though to be honest, Rachnera had known the bull for less than two days. He was, in her opinion, the village’s Red Button for When Things Go Horribly Wrong. Not a bad red button to have, if Rachnera were to judge. She suspected he could exude fear as she no longer felt any from him. Watching him fight Diamond Dogs, they had become terrified after closing in on Lucifer. The black bull with his crimson eyes (a fan ficiton no-no, to be sure!) seemed to hold back and played with his victims, much as Rachnera enjoyed playing with her housemates. She could respect that.

But why was he leaving? Was he suddenly bored with the peace talks?

Rachnera shifted her focus on Fargo and Fungo as they bickered with Winter and Sunrise. Oh, well, that was a pretty good reason.

Lucifer opened one of the doors and suddenly jerked to one side. A gray and gold blur flew in along with a long, drawn-out, “Whoa!”

It was a wobbly blur and feathers were dropping off it and chasing after in its wake. Lucifer plucked something else out of the air and gave it a brief examination. It was a blue cap with a small black bill. Following the flying thing with his eyes, Lucifer wore a bemused expression.

Rachnera ducked as it cried, “Gang way!” covering her head with her arms. Ponies and dogs scrambled to get out of the way. Guards tried to intervene, but where brushed aside by brute clumsiness. Wings smacked them aside and pony bodies were airborne, crashing in all directions. Fungo and Fargo were not spared as a green coated militia earth pony rolled over them and they were helpless in their silken bonds.

It flew into Rachnera’s webbing, intended to keep the dogs and ponies separated. A cry of alarm went up from the pegasus, as the threads caught on her wings, legs, and body, slowing her down. She panicked as the webbing stuck to her fur and feathers. Squawking and whinnying in terror, she went wild and became even more dangerous to approach. It was now she could be seen wearing a pair of saddlebags strapped to her barrel and a sort of uniform beneath it. Well, once one could see through the flurry of feathers falling all about the room. The poor thing was now in full flight mode and was desperately trying to find an escape from the webbing. She had large golden eyes, made wider by fear. They seemed to look in two different directions as they rolled wildly in their sockets.

Rachnera watched with a mix of concern and fascination. She didn’t want to see the pegasus hurt herself, but at the same time, she was stretching the webbing to the breaking point, which should have been impossible given her supposed mass. Then again, the arachne gave thought to the possibility that if unicorns could do magic with their horns, then perhaps it was reasonable to assume some form of magic could be created through wings. After all, it was the only explanation that made sense given how small pegasus wings were compared to their bodies.

Ponies and Diamond Dogs were still trying to guess which way the panicking pegasus was going as they scrambled for questionable safety. Rachnera stayed put, in part because she felt there was nowhere to go without running someone over. The liminal also believed she could react quick enough to dodge if necessary. Rising on her legs, she bent all eight of them, ready to spring in any direction.

The webbing snapped, surprising Rachnera, and the pegasus shot forward like a bullet. She clipped a table and careening forward, tumbling end over end, straight for Peggy.

The old unicorn managed to cry out before impact. There was a resounding crash, a tangle of legs and wings, and a burst of strange green energy. Was that a magical discharge? Rachnera winced as the carnage unfolded before her, biting the tips of her nails.

Then there was green fire enshrouding both ponies, but there was no smell of smoke nor the sensation of heat. It burned away and there was a ball of gray fur entangled with something shiny and black, like Rachnera’s armored lower abdomen. There were holes through the legs, which was creepy even by the arachne’s standards. The shape was pony-like, but with a healthy dose of insect thrown in for nightmare fuel. It had a dorsal fin where the mane would be on top of the head and its ears appeared like flexible chitin. The eyes were monochromatic blue, yet it still seemed as though they were rolling in their sockets. Its short tail was stubby and made up of chitinous fibers. Gasping for air, the opened mouth revealed rows of sharp little teeth, with a pair of long, gleaming canines. A pair of wings like those of a dragonfly’s buzzed from its shoulders.

Lucifer was suddenly there, reaching down for the gray pegasus. His eyes widened and locked on the thing that had been Peggy. There were suddenly screams of fright as those still inside saw the creature and did what was only natural.

The farmers seemed to know what it was.

“Changeling!”

The word was repeated several times.

“Miss Spider?” Lucifer pointed at the dazed creature, “Would you mind while I sort this young mail carrier out?”

“Eh,” Rachnera replied, already moving, “I suppose.”

As she approached the ‘changeling’, its eyes stopped lolling about as it heard the sound of the tips of spider legs making dull clicks as they struck the wooden floor. A horrible, shrill hissing sound came from its throat as the creature scrambled to its hooves. Its wings buzzed, the eyes were wide as they were expressing several layers of horrified as Rachnera loomed ever closer and with terrifying speed.

“Where’s me mum?” Winter cried, having lost her more cultured accent. “What did ye do to me mum, ye horrid beastie?” She charged at the creature, her horn lit up as a snarl had formed on her lips.

“Honey?” Sunrise tried to mollify her, which was going to be difficult, considering he was still encased in silk. “Please don’t go backwater accent on me.” He was terrible at mollifying.

In less than ten seconds flat, there were two hissing and spitting creatures on the floor and trussed up like holiday turkeys, but in a suggestive manner. One of them was a unicorn. The other was possibly a changeling. Rachnera picked up the changeling (she would assume it was one until told otherwise) and held it out with both hands. She held the thing out in front of her and tilted her head to one side, levelling a flinty gaze into its eyes.

“You know what?” she mused, her head tilting to the other side. “I’d like to know where Peggy is. Also, I’m hungry. I’d like to know where the foals and the puppies are, too. Did I mention I was hungry?” A broad, sadistic smile was added for emphasis.

The ‘changeling’ fainted.