Life Of Lust Against Love

Lance had one Taurtarus of a day. One would think that being on gaurd for the incoming shipments of bits wouldn't be much of a hassle beyond stadning around looking imposing as it was wheeled off the carts and into the bank vaults, but today had brought a little surprise to not just lance but pony society as a whole. It happend so fast and it was, unpleasnt, to say the least. A group of three stallions had wandered into the bank and almost instantly had their faces hidden before anyone could get a good look at them. They trotted up to the tellers, not too far from the open vault door lance stood gaurding at. He was ready to spring forward expecting the run of the mill bandits trying to hold up the bank. He had handled that sort of situation before, but these bandits were not like all the others.

The one's Lance had faced earlier that day had bizzare new weapons strapped into a shoulder rig that could send balls of lead flying right at you. It was hard to pur exactly into detail just how these new inventions worked but they were definelty a sign that the act of war, conflict itself was rapidly changing. Now Lance was on his home, he had been held back by a few hours due to having to give a statment to Bravestar and the sherrif's deptatment. the whole town was both very equally spooked and tired. not a soul was out after what happened, Appleoosa felt more and more like a ghost town then anyhting.

Gone was that friendly and neighboorly attitute that the town was oh so well known for and in its place was this sense of dread, and fear. Fear of the unknown and of the future. Lance opened the door and sighed heavily kicking his shoes off his hooves and calling for swift. "Swift? You home?" he called, almost as if on cue she slid down the banister to with a duster in hoof.

"Hello master and how was your day?'' Swift said, the little changling mare was blissfully unaware of the new world that was awaiting not just here, but so many others.

"I take it you havent heard the news?" Lance said as he took a bottle down from one of the high cabinets, a bottle resevered for certain occasions, and normally happy ones but not this one.

"Actually master I have news for you, I think you'll be happy to hear that I wont need to hide myself anymore." She said as she gave his nose a tickle with her duster, Lance was not amused.

"What are you talking about?" He said as he shook his head a bit before looking to the cabinets where the glasses were usually kept, then just put the bottle to his lips and knocked back a long drawn out swig of hard cider. Swift only rolled her eyes as she went to the desk where Lance's mail and important papers were kept until she found a newspaper. Taking a quick glance at it Lance could see it was an edition made before the headlines in the papers where screaming the end days were upon everyone and that it was time to panic.

The photo for the headline depicted a creature Lance had never seen before, and yet it looked oddly famillar. With those eyes the color of gems, the solid almost shell looking hide, and the protruding horn like growths on its head. The creature stood beside the Princess Twilight herself, who looked quite happy to be beside him. A few more like him stood in the photo's background and it wasn't long until everything folded into place...

"No way! Those are, Changelings?!" Lance said as Swift nodded and giggled with a mix of joy and even a hint of..pride.

"I think I used to go to School with him, his name's Thorax, well Prince Thorax now and he...he found a way to turn us, all of us changelings into these beautiful and colorful, welll I mean we still look kinda like bugs only not as repulsive. Repulsive to other ponies besides you I mean." She said as her guise of a pony was shed and she reverted back to her sleek black form. "I know we had a little deal and I'll still honor it if you want, but I was wondering if I go meet thorax and learn how to be one of these, oh Lance I'm just so happy! Nothing could ruin this moment, I can live with you and we dont need to lie about it. It's like a new beginning. So what's your news?"

Lance could only put the cap back on the bottle of booze then quickly set it down to embrace her tight in his hooves. When he first found this lost little bug, she and another had held him as a captive intent on feeding off him until he was drained and left for dead in some vast unforgiving wasteland. At the time he thought that would be the worst thing in the world that could happen to anypony. Now with the ever changing world shifting and taking turns foe good and for bad, Lance would give anything to have Swift in his hooves. He gave the top of her head a little nudge and sighed as he saiid,

"Nothing Swift and if that's what you want I wont stop you from." He was cut off as a bright light nearly blinded him. It seemed to emit from her blue sapphire like eyes and the from her very shell, A shell that began to crack and split as it broke away from her body. the hard crust like exterior crumbled to the floor like soot, dust to dust. When the light fadded to where Lance could see again, there where once stood an ebony changeling mare. Now was a creature with soft almost pony like skin that glowed ever so faintly a vibrant and tantilizing golden color with a lighter yellowish shade to her wings. Her eyes a comlimenting shade of orange red, almost like two mini suns. Fitting given how lance saw her as that bit of sunlight in a dark, cold world.

"I love you Lance." She said before planting one more kiss upon him, her lips were warm, warmer then they'd ever been before.