The New Meal

by exuvium

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life
Length: 17622

Groundskeeper from Ponyville finds a new friend in the Everfree Forest

A groundskeeper from Ponyville is bored at his job, so after work he goes exploring in the Everfree Forest to keep his senses sharp. He finds a creature unfamiliar to him in the forest that seems injured, so he brings it back to Ponyville hospital.

Many thanks to my fellow WoW guildie who helped me with the first couple chapters. Much love and many thanks ^_^

Edit Again: I've picked up another proof reader. Thank you guy for all your help! :-D

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-11 07:25:26 UTC

Chapter %i% - The New Face In Town

Chapter 1 - The New Face In Town

All was dark in the forest.  The sound of crickets could be heard throughout.  A single candle light pierced the darkness like an arrow.  The candle hung from a saddle bag belonging to an earth pony, a young stallion who should not have wandered out alone in the forest by himself unless he was seeking an untimely demise.  The Everfree Forest was well known for the dangers that lurk there, hidden among the shadows.

The stallion's eyes darted left and right, keeping as sharp a lookout as possible.  His job as a groundskeeper in Ponyville didn't typically require him to be alert.  He recently started heading into the forest from time to time to keep his senses sharp.  Unfortunately having a light with him not only allows him to see, but also to be seen.  It had been a lucky night so far with no harsh encounters, but he wasn't going to get complacent.

This was the only place in Equestria where the ponies didn't control the weather.  The animals took care of themselves as well, not needing the ponies to make nests for them or wake them up from hibernation.  Aside from the flora and fauna he also wanted to see the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters.  Maybe in doing so he could learn why the forest was so irregular.

All sorts of danger and adventure were to be had for anyone brave or foolish enough to enter the forest.  Tumbler was leaning toward the latter.  He was hoping for a chance to meet Zecora, a zebra that lived in the Everfree Forest.  Of course she came into Ponyville from time to time but he never worked up the courage to introduce himself.

“Tumbler, how hard can it be?” he would ask himself.  “'Hi Zecora, my name's Tumbler.  I was wonderin' if you'd be interested in having a grass sandwich or an apple with me some time',” he said in a mocking tone of his own shyness.  “Aww, who am I kidding?  I'll never squeak out anything past the first 'Hi'”.

He grumbled and resigned himself to his fate when out of the corner of his eye, he notices a small black equine-looking creature lying on the ground.  He couldn't see it too well, but it was definitely not moving, save for the irregular rise and fall of labored breathing.

He tapped it lightly with his hoof to see if it would react.  Upon touching it, Tumbler discovered it didn't have a coat of fur.  Instead, it had a very shiny black skin that felt like a beetle's exoskeleton.  One detail that stood out about this creature, was that it possessed both a horn and wings, like the princesses.  The wings did seem a bit small though.  The creature's wings and legs also had several holes in them, which immediately alarmed Tumbler.

“Poor guy, he looks badly hurt,” Tumbler thought to himself.  He decided to ignore the possible danger of bringing a creature from Everfree into Ponyville.  He used his hooves and head to pick up the creature and lift it onto his back.  With it secured, Tumbler headed back to Ponyville and directly to the hospital.

The trip back to Ponyville was uneventful, thankfully.  A nice, cool breeze was blowing.  It was a typically nice sunny day in Ponyville, a stark contrast to the constant nightfall over Everfree.  The shops were already open, and there were a few looks and odd glances from different shopkeepers, but Tumbler was focused on getting to the hospital and wasn't going to stop until he got there.

Once Tumbler arrived at the hospital, he burst into the main reception room, and called out for help.  A purple earth pony looked up from her desk and gasped.  The creature looked nothing like anything in Ponyville.

“What is that thing?” the receptionist asked.

Tumbler told the receptionist he had found this creature in the Everfree Forest, a prone victim to whatever might have come by.  The receptionist called for the nurse who then appeared from a back room.  She was a bright minty green unicorn with a white mane wearing a nurse outfit.  “How can I help you?” she asked.

Tumbler gestured toward the black insect/equine hybrid creature on his back.  “I found this creature in the Everfree Forest,” Tumbler said.  “He looked hurt so I brought him here.”

The nurse eyed the creature carefully, trying to discern what exactly was wrong with him.  The holes in his legs looked natural, as opposed to injury.  The creature's “skin” was shiny and smooth, but hard like a beetle's exoskeleton.

“Poor little guy,” said the nurse.  “I've never seen anything like this creature before, but we'll definitely do our best to get him back on his hooves again,” the receptionist assured him.  She called for a few orderlies to bring a gurney.  The two orderlies, one an earth pony and the other a unicorn, arrived and lifted the creature onto the gurney then wheeled him to the ICU.

Tumbler sighed and looked down at the floor.  The nurse walked up to him and put a hoof on his shoulder to reassure him.  “We'll do everything we can for him, but I can't promise you anything,” the nurse took her hoof off Tumbler's shoulder.  “We don't even know what he is.”

Tumbler looked up at the nurse, then sighed again as he looked back at the floor.  “I know, I just wish there was more I could do.”

“We'll keep you posted, and there's always visitation hours,” the nurse reminded him.  “For now, just being there can help in his recovery.”  She walked around behind the desk and took her seat to fill out some paperwork for the newly admitted patient.  Tumbler looked around nervously, unable to sit or stand still.  Finally, the nurse had to send him away for being too distracting.

Tumbler left the hospital feeling pretty low, unsure if his efforts were in vain or not.  For a few days, his work was sub-par.  He couldn't help himself, he was too distracted.  The grass around Fluttershy's cottage was getting unevenly cut, a problem that became more apparent as the week dragged on.

After Tumbler did his chores each day, he would go to the hospital for any news on his creature friend, only to find disappointment.  The doctor did discover that there were a few cracks in the exoskeleton that may prevent him from doing anything strenuous for fear of causing even worse damage.

Tumbler asked if he could volunteer to help out around the hospital, allowing the nurses and doctors to spend more time with the patients and less time worrying about cleaning, food, and basic patient needs.  They agreed, but let him know that they couldn't pay him.  Tumbler didn't mind.  It was volunteer work after all.  Plus, it would help put his mind at ease doing something that might help the patient.  The hospital staff finally agreed to allow it, seeing the earnest concern in Tumbler's eyes and heart.

It went on like this for at least a week.  Tumbler would wake up early in the morning around five o'clock, mow the grass, water the flowers and bushes, and just generally taking care of the flora in Ponyville.  He'd usually finish around seven o'clock, right in time for breakfast.  Tumbler always spent breakfast in the creature's room at the hospital.  After he finished eating, he would clean up the room and wash the dishes, then he would return to the hospital room and sit in the corner to wait, keeping watch.

The ritual continued at lunch time, and again for dinner.  He would get a meal for himself and the patient, despite the patient being unconscious.  Tumbler would then eat, clean up afterwards, then watch.  Not just to see if and when the creature would wake up, but also to protect him as well it seemed.  It was almost creepy.  Nevertheless, the hospital staff was glad to have someone volunteering to help out in any way that he could to make their jobs a little easier.

The creature eventually woke up after another week in the hospital.  Opening his eyes slowly, he notices he's in a bed in a room with little else but a curtain, an end table with a lamp on it, and a book cart.  He notices the same brown stallion from the forest napping in a chair in the corner.

Tumbler drowsily stirred, then noticed a minute later that the creature had woken up as well.  He was suddenly alert, excited at the turn of events.  “Oh, thank Celestia!” he exclaimed.  “Nurse!  NURSE!” he called out.  The minty green unicorn entered the room in a hurry, hearing the alarm in Tumbler's voice.

The creature started to speak, “Where am I?” but was immediately silenced by the nurse.  “Shh shh... just relax for now,”  She gestured with her head toward Tumbler, “This pony stayed with you the entire time you were unconscious.  You're very lucky to have a friend like him looking out for you.”  The nurse went about taking vital signs and checking things before she turned to leave the room.  “Just remember, if you need anything, feel free to ask for me,” she said just before she left the room.  “I'm Nurse Wintergreen.”

Tumbler and the creature were left alone together.  Tumbler smiled at the creature.  The creature however wasn't quite sure what to make of his circumstances.  He didn't know how long he was out for, but he obviously hadn't eaten anything in that time either.  The nurse had already left before he could collect his thoughts enough to ask for food.  Looking around the room, he saw there was a clock, an end table with a lamp on it, a small book cart with several books on it, a curtain, and an empty bed complete with its own end table, lamp, and curtain.

He sighed to himself, dreading his embarrassing circumstances.  Locked up away from the swarm, injured from impact and subsequent fall, and completely at the mercy of his enemies.  What do they want?  What're they scheming?  Are they going to interrogate him?  He'll have none of that!  I've got to get out of here, he thought to himself, looking around for a possible escape.

“So tell me, how did you end up in the Everfree Forest?” Tumbler inquired.  He had a kind aura about him that was disarming.  The creature was expecting more of an aggressive interrogator than this namby-pamby pony stuff.

Just as the creature was about to answer though, Tumbler cut him off with a second question, “Also, I've never seen anything quite like you, what are you, and... where do you come from?”

Tumbler seemed friendly enough to the creature.  According to Nurse Wintergreen, he looked after him while he was unconscious.  If the tales of this land were true, these ponies probably wouldn't do anything truly malicious to him.

“I can answer both questions at the same time,” he said, “I'm a Changeling, from beyond Equestria's borders.”

“A what?” Tumbler asked, not quite sure he heard right.

“A Changeling,” he repeated.  “Call me Asouva”.  He tried to adjust his position in bed, but pain engulfed him again, causing him to grunt.  That repulsion field sure hit like a train.  It'll be a while before he can be up and walking on his own again, much less flying.

“Don't push yourself,” Tumbler said.  “We want you to rest so you can get all better.”

The Changeling winced.  These ponies didn't seem hostile at all, thankfully.  The ones he'd been speaking to didn't, at least.  This one actually seemed genuinely interested in his well-being, even if he was a little annoying with his incessant questions.

Tumbler returned to his initial question finally.  “So how'd you end up in the Everfree Forest?”

“It's a long story...” the Changeling replied.

“I've already finished my work for the day,” Tumbler sat down.  “Nothing but time at the moment.”

Asouva sighed with annoyance.  This pony was nice, but getting to be very annoying.  He hoped this wasn't how all of them were.  He changed the subject, “Thank you for saving me.”

Tumbler smiled raised a hoof to shush the Changeling.  “You're quite welcome,” he replied.  “I couldn't just leave you there, especially in as bad a shape as you are.”

“Nonetheless,” the Changeling insisted, pleased that his distraction worked.  “I didn't expect one of your kind to risk himself to save one of my kind.”

“Why is that?” Tumbler asked.

“Well, it started.. well... I don't know how long ago,” the Changeling began.  “How long was I out for?”

“It's been two weeks since I found you in Everfree,” Tumbler replied.

“Oh... I see...” Asouva said in response.  His expression looked sad for a moment, as if he harbored great regret.  “It was about a month ago...” the Changeling finally said.  He told Tumbler about the attack on Canterlot just before the royal wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor.  He described how the Queen and her hive nearly won everything too, but the betrothed couple had spoiled her plans, knocking them all out of Canterlot with some kind of repulsion bubble shield spell that sent them all flying in different directions.  A large portion of the Changelings ended up in the Badlands, while he ended up in the Everfree Forest.  The impact from the shield plus the damage from landing were responsible for his current state of health.  During the course of the story, Asouva also described briefly about how they feed, which tied into the whole reason for the invasion in the first place.

“Wow...” was all Tumbler could say in response.  “That's... quite some story... and I find your food source fascinating.”

“Now you know why I'm surprised you helped me,” Asouva said.

Tumbler pondered the words of this would-be adversary, and chuckled.  “Nonsense.  We're a friendly, loving bunch of ponies.  By no means are we heartless.”

“But-” Asouva began, but Tumbler interrupted him.

“Doesn't matter, I would've helped you anyways,” Tumbler shrugged.  “I couldn't just leave you to die.”

After an awkward silence, Tumbler suddenly stood up.  “Well, it's getting late,” he announced.  True enough, it had started to get dark outside.  “I'll be back in the morning to check up on you,” he promised.  “In the meantime, you get some sleep.”

Asouva was getting tired too, now that Tumbler mentioned it.  Yawning, he let out a good night before dozing off.  Tumbler headed home, content knowing that he made a new friend.

Chapter %i% - The New Princess Report

Chapter 2 - The New Princess Report

It's a bright and beautiful morning in Ponyville.  The moon put to sleep by the princess, and the sun freshly risen by the other princess.  The grass was green and the roads were swept clean.  Tumbler had woken up extra early to finish his jobs early so he'd have more time to visit his friend in the hospital.  Tumbler looked around outside and smiled at the sunlight.  All in all, it seemed like a nice uneventful morning in Ponyville.  Tumbler just had a feeling that it was going to be a great day.

Tumbler visited his new friend in the hospital.  He had the usual chit-chat with Asouva, talking a little bit more about changeling society, while he told Asouva about how things were in pony society.  Asouva was surprised to find that the sun and moon were actually controlled, instead of just naturally cycling.

Tumbler called for Nurse Wintergreen to ask if they had any books on the legend of Nightmare Moon.  The nurse said she would have to look, but if not, Tumbler could always go to the library.

“Oh, don't trouble yourself, I'll go the library.” Tumbler told the nurse.

“It's no trouble,” the nurse offered, but Tumbler was insistent.

It was early afternoon still, Tumbler having spent all morning at the hospital talking to Asouva.  He walked over to the library on the other side of town.  It was an uneventful trip, just the usual hellos with the shopkeepers.  Tumbler wanted to keep the news of his friend hush hush for now, especially with how some might react.

Tumbler was surprised that he hadn't heard about what had gone on at the castle during the wedding.  That sort of thing just doesn't escape the public eye easily.  No point in worrying about it now.  He arrived at the library without incident and knocked on the door.  A familiar lavendar unicorn answered.

“Hello, how can I help you?” Twilight greeted Tumbler with a warm smile.

Tumbler could stare at that smile all day.  The longer he did though, the bigger his own smile got.  Twilight and her friends just had that quality about them.  He shook his head to clear his thoughts and remind himself why he came to the library.

“I wanted to check out a book about the legend of Nightmare Moon,” he explained.  “Also, I wanted to know if you had any books on insects.”

“I didn't know you were interested in history,” Twilight remarked.  “This is great!  Even though Nightmare Moon is no more, it's still a big part of our history, and we would be doing a disservice to our youth to keep it secret.”

“Um, Twilight, I'm at least a few years older than you are,” Tumbler responded, “And it's for a friend of mine in the hospital.”

“Is it anyone I know?” a concerned Twilight asked.  “Is it Rainbow Dash again?”  Her voice got considerably more snarky on the second question.

Tumbler laughed at the question.  “Rainbow Dash, yeah, with all the crazy flying she does, I'm surprised she doesn't end up in there more often.”  He composed himself and continued, “It's a new friend I met in the Everfree Forest.  He's the coolest looking guy I've ever seen!”

Twilight was intrigued by this cool-looking pony.  “I'd like to meet him, are you headed back that way now?”  Her horn glowed purple as she levitated the requested books into a saddle bag, which was then levitated onto her back.

“Yes, yes I am,” Tumbler replied.

“Excellent!  Let's go then!”

The two of them headed off to the hospital.  Along the way, Tumbler could've sworn he spotted some movement out of the corner of his eye, but was never able to catch much more than a pink blur.  He had his suspicions of course.  The Pink One, as Tumbler liked to refer to her as, was pretty terrible at sneaky stealth operations.  She was quick though, Tumbler had to give her that much.

Once at the hospital, Nurse Wintergreen greeted the both of them and provided an update on Asouva.  “His exoskeleton was cracked before, but it seems to be healing up nicely.”

“Exoskeleton?” Twilight asked.  Up to now, she had assumed the new friend was another pony, or maybe even a zebra.  It didn't even occur to her that “new friend” could be something else entirely, like something insect-like...

“Yes, exoskeleton, you know, like a beetle, or a roach.” the nurse replied.

Tumbler started getting nervous at this point, more and more with each step they took closer to Asouva's room.  A thought suddenly hit him.  This was the prize student at Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, who had been sent to Ponyville specifically to oversee the millenial of the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville.  Twilight and her friends did leave town for a whole week around the time Asouva said the attack had gone on... then it hit him.  Twilight was there.  She knows about the changelings, because she dealt with them directly.  And she is not going to be happy about this.

“Um, Twilight, he might not be recovered enough to receive visitors...” Tumbler stammered and trailed off.

“Oh don't be silly, the nurse said he's healing just fine,” she said as she smiled.  Then they entered Asouva's room at the hospital.

Tumbler nervously smiled and waved.  “Hi Asouva.”

Asouva looked up and was pleased to see Tumbler had come back.  His look had changed to one of shock and fright as he saw the mare he had brought with him.  Several thoughts flashed through his mind, like maybe it had been a trap all along, and Tumbler was a much more skilled interrogator than he gave him credit for.

Twilight had entered the room with a smile on her face, but as soon as she saw Asouva, her jaw hit the floor.  Immediately thoughts started to flash through her mind.  What's a changeling doing here in Ponyville?  Is there another attack in progress?  Why are we using our resources to help the enemy?  Why aren't the guards here?  SPIKE!!!

Twilight was speechless.  She started to back away slowly, unable to form any words.  Tumbler broke the ice.

“I know, his appearance initially left me speechless as well,” Tumbler said jokingly, acknowledging Twilight's silence, but sounding more obviously nervous than anything.  “But, he was hurt when I found him, so I picked him up and brought him here.  He looks pretty awesome though, doesn't he?”

Twilight nodded slowly in agreement, not taking her eyes off the changeling.  She was still wide-eyed from shock.  Meanwhile, the changeling's eyes started to widen incredibly.  You didn't have to be a wild animal to smell the fear bubbling up in the room.

Tumbler looked back and forth between the two nervously, feeling the tension become palpable.  He finally decided to cut it with the proverbial knife.  “Alright, no one is here to hurt anyone!”

Both Twilight and Asouva look at Tumbler, a little bit shocked at the outburst from the normally easy-going pony.  Tumbler's breathing was very deliberate.

Twilight spoke first.  “Tumbler!  Why didn't you tell me you were harboring a war criminal!?”

Asouva spoke next, “Tumbler!  So this is your trick!?  Gain my trust then turn me over to the authorities!?”

They both started talking at the same time.  Pretty soon, all the words just started to blend together until Tumbler couldn't stand it anymore.  “Enough!  I'm half-tempted to let you two duke it out here and now!”  His breathing became even more intense as his frustration grew.  “Asouva, you're at a disadvantage for two reasons.  One, you're in a hospital bed, and two, Twilight is the prized pupil of the princess herself.”

Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but smile at number two.  She had always taken pride in her studies and magical aptitude.  Her horn started to glow a little, almost instinctively.

Tumbler then turned to Twilight.  “But you Twilight, are at a much more serious disadvantage.  You have to get through me.”  Tumbler grinned.  “I can't match you for magic, at all really...” his voice trailed off a little bit, but his confidence picked up awfully quick afterwards, “But I can take you down faster than you can say 'Abracadabra'.”

It was Asouva's turn to smile a little, but Tumbler's display was more relieving than amusing.  He felt safe enough to close his eyes and try to calm down.

Twilight eyed Tumbler carefully.  Was he actually going to side with  the changeling over another pony?  More importantly, was he actually going to make good on his threat.  He seemed very confident that he could, and there was very little distance to clear before he'd have her.  There really wouldn't be any time to get a spell off.  Her horn stopped glowing.  “Alright, Tumbler.  You win.  But I must let the princess know about this.”

“If you feel you need to,” Tumbler replied, not breaking eye contact.  He was full on angry at this point, enough to have made the threat in the first place.

“Oh!  Before I go, that book you wanted to borrow,” Twilight remembered.  Her horn glowed as the saddle bag was lifted off her back and onto Tumbler's.  “Remember to have it back at the library before the deadline.”

Twilight turned and left the hospital in a hurry, galloping at full speed back to the library.  She didn't stop for anything, or anypony.  Once at the library, she immediately called out for her number one assistant.  “SPIKE!!!”

Spike was busy organizing some shelves and dusting.  The sudden calling of his name startled him, which in turn startled his pet phoenix Peewee, who had been sitting on his shoulder as he worked.  Some books got knocked over.  Peewee fell to the floor, but landed on his feet, unhurt.  Overall not a library-collapsing event, but he'll have to redo some of the shelving work he had been doing earlier in the day.

“What is it Twilight?” Spike asked, concerned at the considerable alarm in her voice.  He bent over to pick Peewee back up off the floor and placed him back on his shoulder.

“I need you to take a letter to the princess immediately!” she commanded.

Spike raced over to his desk to get his quill and parchment.  “Ready!” he exclaimed, holding quill and parchment up.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began, as her letters typically did.  “We are on the precipice of disaster.”

Spike wrote everything down as quickly as he could, while Twilight continued.  “For you see, a changeling has been discovered here in Ponyville.  Something must be done to make sure that a repeat of the attack on Canterlot is avoided.  I await your quick response.

“Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle”

“That letter sounds awfully familiar,” Spike remarked.

“Send it,” Twilight sternly replied.

Spike knew that arguing was pointless, and did as he was told.  “I'm gonna go back to cleaning and reshelving,” Spike said.  He was certainly concerned about everyone's safety, but the previous threats had been by very powerful beings.  This was one changeling.

After Spike had finished up his chores, there was a knock on the library door.  “I'll get it,” Spike called.  “You should take a break from reading, or take a nap, or something.”

Spike opened the door.  It was Tumbler.  He had made his way over to the library at a more leisurely pace to give himself time to cool off.  “I'd like to speak to Miss Sparkle, please.”

“Twilight?” It was Spike's turn to call towards the back for her.  “It's Tumbler, he wants to talk to you.”

Twilight sighed heavily before trotting down the stairs.  “The deadline for returning the books isn't for another two weeks.”

“I left the book with Asouva so he could read it,” he explained.  “Twilight, I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier, I was out of line earlier.  I shouldn't have threatened you like I did.”

Twilight was surprised, but pleased.  “I'm sorry too, I may have overreacted a bit as well,” she conceded, “But it's still something that I felt I needed to let the princess know about.  Considering that national security may be at stake.”

Tumbler raised a hoof and shook his head, “No no, you're right.  Because of that whole attack on Canterlot during the wedding, it's a legitimate concern.”

Twilight was taken aback.  “How did you...” she started, but then realized, he'd been chatting with Asouva the whole time, it only made sense he would've learned about it from him.  She invited him into the library so she could tell him about the Royal Decree where no one else could listen in.

Twilight began her story.  “The princess decreed that no word of the attack on Canterlot by the changelings would reach the public ear.  She did not want everypony to become paranoid and stop showing the love and friendship that Equestria is known for, what ultimately brought the changelings here in the first place.”

Tumbler thought about what Twilight had said, and it made a lot of sense.  After all, when you're dealing with not one but an entire race of creatures that can make themselves look like anypony, loved ones, family members, even the royalty, as was the changeling queen's case, there was definitely a cause for concern.  That level of paranoia where you could accuse anyone of being a changeling was certainly not something Princess Celestia or Luna would have wanted for their people.  However, recalling what Twilight had told him earlier about the legend of Nightmare Moon, it seems like this would rank up there as being an important part of history.  He had decided to bring this to Twilight's attention.

“Twilight, what about the legend of Nightmare Moon?  You said hiding the truth from everypony would be bad.  Isn't this the same thing?” Tumbler asked.

Since Twilight was there at the royal decree, she was already prepared with the explanation.  “There's a difference between history of a people and the potential genocide of another people, especially once accusations are thrown around and innocent ponies are forced to suffer.”

It made sense, but something still bugged Tumbler.  He would have to let it go for now though, as since it was already evening, he would have to start getting ready for bed.  All contemplation on the matter was interrupted, however, from a loud belch in the next room over.

Spike came running into the room with Twilight and Tumbler with a letter in hand.  “Twilight!  It's from... it's from the princess!”

Spike began to read the letter aloud, “To my faithful student...”

Chapter %i% - The New Citizen Of Ponyville

Chapter 3 - The New Citizen Of Ponyville

It had been a beautiful shining day in the capital city of Canterlot.  The sunlight reflected off the castle spires magnificently.  It was the sun princess's best work yet.  But it would soon go ignored, as it often does.  When one delivers a spectacular view every morning, it seems to become less so.

This was one of the things that kept Celestia from being bored.  Despite having lived longer than anypony else, there was always something for her to do, something to fix, something she could really put her mind to, coming up with a solution.  It was this same reason that she was excited to find another letter from her faithful student each week.  Well, up until she made the whole town crazy when she didn't have one.

Celestia chuckled to herself, remembering the humorous-in-hindsight scenario.  The solution was simple.  She didn't have to fix everypony individually, all she had to do was disenchant the doll, and the rest took care of itself.

This most recent letter, however, appeared in the middle of one of the magic classes that she was teaching.  As she read it, her thoughts harkened back to the wedding between her niece and Twilight's brother.  Despite all that happened, it was still a much better wedding than if her nephew had gotten married.

Shaking her head of the thoughts, she remembered where she was and called everyone's attention.  “Excuse me, my little ponies, but I've received a letter from Twilight Sparkle that I believe deserves immediate attention.”

The princess continued to speak while everypony's mouths were hanging open, “I must meet with my sister to decide what to do about her concerns.  The rest of you, talk amongst yourselves.”  She left the room in a magnificent teleportation flash.

Princess Celestia appeared up in her sister's room and gently tapped on the headboard.  It was still mid-day so Luna was asleep.  From the looks of it, she wasn't waking up any time soon either.  Celestia decided the Royal Canterlot Voice would be necessary.

“LUNA WAKE UP!” she spoke.

Princess Luna woke up with a start and fell out of bed.  “I'M UP I'M UP!” she yelled back, not knowing yet whom she was addressing.  Celestia chuckled, but quickly regained her composure.  “Sister, we have matters of utmost importance to discuss.”

Luna blinked her eyes.  “Oh, it's just you.”

Celestia couldn't help but chuckle again.  She missed having her sister around, and the last two years she had been struggling with making up for lost time.  Their differing sleep schedules made this a challenge, but it was a challenge that Celestia had eagerly accepted.  Luna was worth it.

“Luna, we have something to discuss,” Celestia reminded her.

“Can't it wait until twilight when I'm awake?” Luna pleaded, giving Celestia puppy dog eyes.

Celestia ignored the puppy dog eyes.  “Funny you should mention Twilight,” she said as she held up Twilight's letter.  “This is what she wrote to me:

“Dear Princess Celestia,

“We are on the precipice of disaster.  For you see, a Changeling has been discovered here in Ponyville.  Something must be done to make sure that a repeat of the attack on Canterlot is avoided.  I await your quick response.

“Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle”

Luna listened to the whole letter without interruption, annoyed at the play on words.  But the letter did contain vital data.  “Changelings?  You mean, those things that were at the wedding?” Luna asked as she got up off the floor.

“Yes, the same wedding you slept through,” Celestia replied.  She was a little annoyed that Luna had missed everything, but not outright angry.  The moon princess needs her sleep too.

“Sister, you know I sleep during the day so I can raise and lower the moon at night,” Luna said as she got back into bed.

“I know sis, I just wish you could be with us during the daytime more so we could do more together,” Celestia said wistfully.  “But we're getting off-topic.”

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle's letter,” Luna said.  “Well, it's a Changeling.  That could be troublesome.  We don't know how many there are.”

“The letter says 'a Changeling', so I'm guessing one.”

“Oh, that's not so bad then,” Luna said, promptly followed by turning around in bed and pretending to sleep.  After Celestia turned around, Luna opened an eye to make sure her sister couldn't see that she wasn't actually asleep yet.

Celestia chuckled, “Goodnight Luna” she smiled.

Luna, despite her intentions, actually helped Celestia make her decision.  It IS just one Changeling.  Twilight and her friends have proven to be able to take on several at once already.  If anything did get out of hand, Celestia had complete faith in her student's ability to take care of things.  This could even work out in her favor.

There's still a lot they don't know about Changelings, except for what they feed on, and their hierarchy structure.  They have a queen, and she's the ultimate authority.  As a princess, her role was similar, but Celestia preferred to have others involved in the decision-making process.  This way, the ponies took part in their government and didn't feel oppressed.

As a teacher herself, Celestia was always looking for ways to turn experiences into lessons, either for herself or her students.  Teaching was one of those things that never got old no matter how long she had been doing it.

Celestia blinked out of Luna's room with a bright flash and back to her own chambers.  She levitated a quill, an ink well, and piece of parchment over to her desk.  She thought about what she wanted to say, how to say it.  Once she had the ideas formed in her head and what she wanted to write, the quill scribbled frantically across the page.

Once she had finished writing out the letter, she gave it to Philomena, “Here Philomena, please send the letter with all due haste.  I must get back to my class and hope that Twilight can take care of the matter in the way I have instructed her to.”

Philomena chirped as she took hold of the letter in her beak and scorched it with flame from her plumage.  It was a trick the phoenix learned to facilitate sending mail between the princess and her prized pupil more easily.

Celestia then blinked out of her chambers, again with a bright flash, and back into her classroom.  The room fell silent as she appeared, as they were all engaged in tomfoolery instead of actual studying or discussing.

“That, by the way, is a teleportation spell,” Celestia began, looking very cross with her students.  “I can appear in class before any of you notice.  So, if I'm not here yet, act like I'm here already, and feel free to actually study instead of goofing off.”

One student was about to raise her hoof when Celestia spoke again, “Alright my little ponies, turn your textbooks to page 122, and use your horns, not your hooves.  We're going to start learning more than the simple telekinesis magics that most unicorns already know.”

-***-

Spike read the letter from the princess:

“To my faithful student...”

“Twilight Sparkle, you know that I hold your family in the highest regard, for without all of you, instead of a princess on the throne there would be a Changeling queen, or a draconequus, or my sister would have brought eternal night dooming Equestria to an age of darkness and famine.”

Twilight smiled and nodded as the letter listed off each of their accomplishments.  She might not be an athlete like Rainbow Dash, but she was still not without pride.

Spike continued, “But in this situation, I must ask that you stand down and bear no hostility toward this Changeling.”

Twilight gasped in surprise.  She was puzzled; this was an enemy of the state who participated in the attack on Canterlot.  He should be locked up and interrogated!

Spike ignored Twilight and continued reading, “The Changeling queen may have performed evil and deceptive deeds, but she was merely trying to feed her people, as a proper ruler should.  Had Equestria not been so prosperous, I couldn't promise you we wouldn't have resorted to similar tactics.  So far, the Changelings have learned that the only way to get their nourishment is through a parasitic relationship with their prey.

“This could be the ultimate friendship learning experience for all of you.  I urge you all to seek this opportunity and not turn away a potentially valuable ally.  There is much we can all learn from each other.

“Signed, Princess Celestia.

"P.S. Despite being a friend to the Changeling, remaining vigilant is still a good idea, in case things don't turn out well."

Tumbler sighed in relief.  He was worried that the Canterlot royal guard would've been beating down the door of the hospital as soon as that letter arrived, if not sooner.

“The princess knows what's best, of course...” Twilight started, but she was still troubled with doubt.

Tumbler tried to reassure Twilight.  “Miss Sparkle, I understand your hesitation,” he began, “but the princess's words ring true.  We wouldn't be any different from them if we weren't such an affluent nation.  The fact that Canterlot has an elite upper class is proof enough that we have excess.  If we can share what we have and love our new Changeling friend, he'll learn a new way of life, without having to resort to his queen's brand of deception.”

Twilight was starting to come around, but still had her reservations.  “First, I want to see that the Changeling can, well, change.”

Tumbler nodded in agreement.

“Second, we can't have him just sitting around, he'll have to be a productive member of the town.”

“Where is he going to stay?” Tumbler asked, “Once he gets out of the hospital, of course.”

“We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  For now, it's late.”  Twilight stifled a yawn.  “We can talk about this tomorrow.  For now, it's time for bed.”

Tumbler bid Twilight farewell and good night, and then stopped by the hospital one last time before heading home to bed.  Asouva was asleep in his bed already, the book opened and lying next to him.  Seems like he fell asleep reading, Tumbler thought to himself and chuckled.  He closed the book and set it on the night stand, then pulled the covers over Asouva.

As he was leaving the hospital, the receptionist stopped him.  “He'll be ready to leave tomorrow.  I hope you have somewhere he can stay.”

Tumbler bit his lip, Twilight had just said earlier that day they would cross that bridge when they got to it.  But now it seems they're getting there sooner than he thought.  But, she did say tomorrow.  Tonight, it was time for shuteye.

-***-

He was awoken in the morning by his alarm as usual.  He quickly got up and dressed in his usual hat and vest and set out to perform his chores.  Raking up leaves and mowing the lawn went as normal as one expected.  It was another beautiful day in Ponyville.  The Summer Sun Celebration was coming up soon, and even though it wasn't being held in Ponyville this year, the weather was still scheduled for clear skies.

Once Tumbler finished his chores he was back at the hospital.  To his surprise, he found that Twilight Sparkle was there already.  She had been talking to Asouva and Nurse Wintergreen for some time it seemed.  Nurse Wintergreen excused herself to get some paperwork ready for the discharge.

“What's going on?” Tumbler asked.

“We've figured out what to do for Asouva's accommodations,” Twilight said as she smiled.

“That's great!” Tumbler was excited.  He was worried that some serious deal-making would have to be done.  Little did he know, it already had been.

Asouva spoke up first.  “Twilight has agreed to let me stay in the library in exchange for teaching her a magic trick or two.”

Nurse Wintergreen entered the room at that moment, carrying clipboard with some forms on it.  “I need you to sign this paperwork saying that you're taking him into your custody and you're clearing the hospital of any liability due to the care received,” she declared.

Tumbler asked Asouva, “Do you feel the care here was adequate?”

Asouva scrunched up his face.  The food was okay, but would still leave him feeling hungry.  His non-food needs were seen to in a timely fashion, but it was still altogether an unpleasant experience.

Tumbler chuckled, “Sounds like adequate hospital care to me then.  Sign it, Twilight,” he said as he smiled.

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle as well.  She signed the paperwork using her horn to levitate the pen of course.  Once that was all done with, the nurse disappeared with the clipboard, then after a few minutes reappeared with Twilight's copies of what she signed.

“You'll want to keep those for your records,” the nurse advised.  “He'll also want to make sure he does his physical therapy.  He hasn't been out of bed for a while, and his legs and wings will need to get acclimated to walking again.”

Asouva got up out of bed and tested out each of his limbs to make sure they all still worked.  He had a hard time at first from the atrophy, but it would improve with time.

The three of them, Twilight Sparkle, Tumbler, and Asouva, were all headed to the library to set things up for the new resident.  Upon arrival, Twilight noted that everything was eerily quiet.  In fact, it was very quiet, and very dark, in an old familiar way.  Twilight barely had enough time to roll her eyes before the lights came on and everypony in town shouted “SURPRISE!”

Chapter %i% - The New Beginning

Chapter 4 - The New Beginning

The party was a blast.  Pinkie Pie always threw the best parties.  She would say it was always because her best friends were there.  It was certainly more fun than Asouva ever had in his life.  Between the music, the dancing, the visuals, the games, it was far more stimuli than Asouva was accustomed to.  He had overeaten though.  Tumbler told him this was not unusual for somepony's first party.  Asouva had to be dragged back upstairs to his bed by a couple stallions that night.  The next morning, Asouva was still feeling the effects.

“I'm never doing that again,” Asouva groaned.  He was quite simply overstuffed from food and love.

Tumbler chuckled, “You can never have just one Pinkie Pie party.”

“Ugh... is this party a regular occurrence?” Asouva asked.  He really wanted the answer to be no.

“Yes,” Tumbler answered flatly.  He put a hoof over Asouva's head to feel and make sure he wasn't actually sick.  He didn't feel anything except his cool forehead, with its shiny hard exoskeleton.  “We'll have to find a new way to tell if you're ill.  The forehead thing doesn't work with, well, you.”

“Then let me tell you, I feel ill,” Asouva moaned into his pillow.

Tumbler chuckled again, “I'm sure you'll be fine.  Just need to rest and recover.”

Asouva raised a hoof to wave Tumbler away, moaning and groaning some more.  Tumbler smiled and turned to leave when a thought came to his mind.  “Isn't today your first day of work on the farm?”

“Ugh,” was Asouva's initial reply.  After a moment of laying still, it hit him.  He bolted upright and had a look of considerable alarm on his face.  “I'm late!  I'm late!” he exclaimed as he jumped up and ran out the door.

There was no way he'd get there quickly just from running, so he took to the sky to get a bird's eye view of the town.  Upon spotting the farm at the far edge of town, he made directly toward the house in the middle, nosediving the same way the Changeling army did after the barrier around Canterlot shattered.

A small crater was formed in front of the house where he landed.  There was no one around.  It was quiet.  He looked up at the two-story, brightly painted red house and sighed.  Right as he was about to knock on the door, a couple of wheelbarrows were pulled up by two ponies; one was a massive red stallion with a large green apple sliced in half on his flank, and the other was orange with a trio of three small red apples on her flank.  They both had blonde hair, but the larger red pony's mane was a darker blonde.  Asouva recognized the other as one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

“I'm here!” Asouva yelled.

“Sorry Sugarcube, but we already finished our apple-bucking for the day,” Applejack said.  “However, you can still buck a tree or two to practice until you get the hang of it.”

“Sounds great!” Asouva eagerly replied.

“Big McIntosh, you go ahead and get these apples stored away, I'm gonna go help Asouva with his learnin'.”

Big McIntosh nodded his head and pulled both apple carts toward the storage barn while Applejack took Asouva out to the orchard to begin his training.

The two of them happened upon a couple of trees that still had apples.  Applejack looked up at them while talking.  “We gotta get the apples out of the trees by bucking them.”  She laid out a few baskets at the base of the trees.  Afterward, she turned to face away from the trees, stood on her front hooves and let out a mighty kick with her hind hooves.

Asouva's mouth hung open in amazement as every apple fell from the first tree into the baskets.  Applejack took some more empty baskets and put them underneath the next tree.

“Why don't you give it a try?” she asked.

“Looks simple enough,” Asouva replied.

Asouva walked up to the tree, cautiously examining it.  It was just a normal tree, with apples.  He turned around to face away from the tree, turned his head around so he could see what he was doing, and let loose with a mighty kick!

Two apples fell from the tree.  Asouva kicked again, and one more apple fell.  Frustration building to higher levels, Asouva turned back toward the tree and closed his eyes, deep in concentration.

“Whatcha doin' there?” Applejack asked.

Just then, a green glow began to emit from his horn, followed by a green glow surrounding all the apples on the tree.  All the apples were then simultaneously plucked from the tree and dropped into the baskets.  Asouva opened his eyes once done and smiled.  “There we go, much better,” he said.

“Uh uh, no way!” Applejack snarled.  “We do NOT use magic on this farm!  We do things the Earth Pony way!”

Asouva didn't understand.  “I thought the job was to get the apples off the tree and into the basket-”

“The way I showed you, with hooves!  Not horns!”

“Does it matter?” Asouva asked innocently, which seemed to be a berserk button for Applejack.

“Ya darn tootin' it matters!”  Applejack was yelling by this point.  “Ponyville was founded by Earth Ponies, mah family, and since day one we've always done things the Earth Pony way!”

“I'm sorry I couldn't be of use to you then,” Asouva said sadly, looking at the floor.  He then turned and ran back into town, toward Golden Oaks Library.

Once back at the library, Asouva collapsed in the middle of the floor.  “I only wanted to help!” he cried.  Twilight and Spike came running in from the next room.

“What happened?” Twilight asked.

Asouva's face was a mess from crying, and his speech labored, “I got to the farm late, so they were done with their work for the day, but Apple-Mare had me try to kick apples out of a tree, and when I couldn't do it, I used magic, and she kicked me off of the farm!”

“Shh, it's okay, it's okay,” Twilight said, trying to comfort the Changeling.  “The Apple family is very particular about doing things the Earth Pony way, from harvesting crops to the change of seasons.”

“But magic,” Asouva sniffled, “it's just so much more efficient.”

“The ponies of Equestria all have their own kinds of magic,” Twilight explained.  “Unicorns are the most obvious example, being able to actually control magical energies with their horn.

Asouva nodded in understanding as Twilight continued.  “Pegasi have their flight, the ability to carry things with them even when physics would say otherwise, and of course, controlling the weather.”

“What about Earth Ponies?” Asouva asked.

“Earth Ponies have a special connection with the ground, the soil,” Twilight explained.  “Back in olden times, Earth Ponies provided the food, for any crop harvested by Earth Ponies would be more fresh, more delicious, more plentiful than the same crop harvested by any other type.”

“I see...” Asouva said, looking down at the floor once again.  “Twilight, I'm none of these pony types.  How can I hope to even help out on the farm?”

“You don't have to work on the farm, you can find somewhere else to work,” Twilight thought for a moment.  She seemed to get a eureka moment, which was followed by taking out a quill, and a small piece of parchment.  Putting quill to parchment, she jotted down a short checklist, and upon finishing, gave the list over to Asouva.  “Here's a list of my friends here, perhaps you can visit them to see if there's somewhere you can help out.  You can start with Sugarcube Corner.  I know Mr. and Mrs. Cake would be happy to have you.”

“Sugarcube Corner?” Asouva asked, looking back up at Twilight.

“Sugarcube Corner,” Twilight replied.  Right at that moment, there was a knock on the door.  Both Twilight and Asouva looked to face the door.  “Come in!” Twilight called out.

The door opened and the familiar Earth Pony Tumbler walked in.  He had a saddlebag on as well as his usual hat.  “Hello Asouva, Twilight.”  He smiled, “It's good to see you two getting along.”

“Yes,” Asouva nodded.

Twilight chimed in, “Asouva just came back from Sweet Apple Acres after an... unsavory experience.”  Asouva looked down at the floor again.  “I suggested he try Sugarcube Corner, with Pinkie Pie and the Cakes.”

“That sounds like fun, if you can deal with Pinkie's over-the-top antics, and the overly stressed out Cakes,” Tumbler remarked.

“Where is this Sugarcube Corner?” Asouva asked.

“Why don't I give you a tour of the town?  It'll help you get your bearings, and you'll learn where things are besides the library and the farm,” Tumbler offered.

Asouva agreed to the tour.  It would certainly help knowing where everything is.

And so, Tumbler took Asouva from location to location, describing what each place did.  Asouva had already been to Sweet Apple Acres, the hospital, and was currently staying at Golden Oaks Library until his own place could be built.  Tumbler pointed out Sugarcube Corner, Carousel Boutique, and City Hall, among others.  Tumbler only pointed in the general direction of the forest, sensing Asouva's reluctance to ever go back there.

It was quite a different sight from what Asouva was accustomed to in the Changeling kingdom.  So many colors, so many sights and smells, a veritable feast for the senses.  The Changeling kingdom was very dull, having mostly just had blacks and greens.  Canterlot was mostly white, gray, purple and gold, and even that seemed rather plain compared to the bright pinks and purples and blues and greens and yellows and reds that made up Ponyville.  It was a lot to take in all at once for the unaccustomed.  All good things must come to an end however, and the Ponyville tour was no exception.

“So, what do you think?” Tumbler asked.

It was a few minutes before Asouva would respond.  “It's very colorful,” he finally said.  “Hypnotically so.”

“I'm glad you like it.  What was your favorite place?” Tumbler asked.

“I think my favorite place is the library,” Asouva finally replied.  “It was the quietest part of town.”

“Yeah, that library is run by Twilight Sparkle.  She's living there tempo..rar...ily.”  Tumbler paused for a moment to think.  “You know, she's been living there 'temporarily' for over two years now...”  Asouva was getting annoyed Tumbler.  He seemed to get easily sidetracked by random thoughts.

This went on for a few minutes before Asouva finally interrupted.  “Well, I better get going to Sugarcube Corner.  I'm sure they'll still have things for me to do, with or without magic.”

Tumbler snapped back from his own little world.  “Alright then, I'll catch ya later.  By the way, I found something remarkable in the Everfree Forest you're not going to believe.  I'll show it to you later.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Asouva said as he began to hover, turning to fly away.

“Alright, but if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“Will do!” Asouva called out as he flew back toward the pink two story house known as Sugarcube Corner.

Asouva arrived without incident and noticed that there were a couple ponies sitting at tables, a pony rushing from table to table to ensure that everypony was provided with food, it seemed hectic.  Asouva waited for a good moment to speak up, but it never came.  His frustration grew and his face made a snarl.

“Hi!” came a familiar high-pitched voice from behind.  Asouva jumped in the air, startled.  He immediately recognized the voice as belonging to Pinkie Pie.

“Hello Pinkie Pie,” Asouva greeted her, once he recomposed himself.

“Farm work didn't work out for ya, huh?” Pinkie asked.

“No, it didn't-” he started to say, but cut himself off.  “Wait, how did you know about that?”

Pinkie smiled and chuckled, “Oh you're so silly.”  She trotted away toward the back to fetch ice cream for a couple of ponies seated across from each other at a table.  She offered no further explanation.

Asouva walked up to the counter where there was another pony standing.  She had a light cerulean coat with a light crimson mane with even lighter highlights.  Her mane looked like the frosting on some of the treats offered.

“Hello dearie,” the pony said.

“Hello miss...” Asouva started, trailing off to invite the completion of his greeting.

“Cake.  Mrs. Cake,” she smiled.  “Would you like to order something?”

“Umm, I actually was hoping you could give me a job,” Asouva stammered through.  “I was told that I have to earn a living, contribute to the town in some way.”

“Well, we can always use help,” Mrs. Cake said.  “We can have Pinkie Pie show you how to bake, Mr...?”

“Asouva, and that would be fantastic!” Asouva replied.  He turned to walk toward the back from where Pinkie was just now emerging, carrying ice cream dishes to be delivered to one of the tables.

“Dearie, would you be a sweetheart and show Asouva here how to work in the kitchen?” Mrs. Cake asked Pinkie Pie.

“Of course, Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie replied.  “Come Asouva, to the kitchen!”

She squeaky-bounced her way into the kitchen, with Asouva walking behind.  The sugar and cupcakes and everything was just so sweet smelling, he was finding it hard to resist just devouring everything there.  As Pinkie Pie explained the use of each utensil and pot and pan, Asouva's mouth started to water, imagining each tasty delectable delight that would come out of that oven.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake even made the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness in this very oven.  We called it the MMMM."  Pinkie patted her belly and licked her lips as she recalled the very yummy cake that was so unjustly robbed of the first prize at the National Dessert Competition.

"First we'll start with cupcakes," Pinkie began.  Pinkie lifted one hoof and then another, alternating in some kind of rhythm, perhaps a song that only she could hear in her head.  After a minute or so of this, she began singing:

"All you have to do is take a cup of flower,

Add it to the mix,

Now just take a little something sweet, not sour,

A bit of salt just a pinch,

Baking these treats is such a cinch, add a taste of the vanilla,

Add a little more then count to four and you never get your fill-a!  Cupcakes, so sweet and tasty, cupcakes don't be too hasty,

Cupcakes, cupcakes cupcakes CUPCAKES!"

Pinkie finished her song, then opened her eyes.  Asouva was nowhere to be found.  She heard the sound of gorging though, and followed her ears beneath the table where Asouva was hiding, shoveling chocolate into his mouth as quickly as possible.  Pinkie was amused by the problems he was having as chocolate kept slipping through the holes in his legs and hooves, but he managed somehow to devour most of it from a single bag just in the time Pinkie was singing.

Mr. Cake walked in to check on how the progress was going and get Pinkie started on making some orders when he saw the Changeling under the table gorging on chocolate.

"Oh no!  I can't afford to have TWO gluttons eating all the product!" Mr. Cake yelled.

"Mr. Cake!  Asouva was only..." Pinkie started, but realized she couldn't really defend him on this matter.

Mr. Cake stood firm, "I'm sorry Pinkie, but if he wants to eat, he'll have to pay just like the other customers."

Asouva's chocolate binge was hastily interrupted by Pinkie wrapping a leg around him and pulling him out from underneath the table.

"Nooooo, my chocolate!"

"I'm sorry Asouva, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake can't let you work here if you eat all the chocolate."  Pinkie was sad, she was looking forward to teaching Asouva all about baking and pastries and sweets and so forth.

Asouva looked down at the ground, not knowing what came over him.  Tears began to well up in his multifaceted eyes, and when he could hold in the tears no longer, he ran out the back door, crying.

Mr. Cake tried to comfort Pinkie, "I know you wanted to have a friend to work with here as well, but I can't afford the both of you eating us out of house and home."

"I know Mr. Cake," Pinkie said finally.  "I just had no idea he'd go crazy for sugar sweets, like... like..."

"An insect?" Mr. Cake frowned.

"Yeah..." Pinkie replied sadly.

-***-

I might as well head back into the Everfree Forest, he thought to himself.  It's not like they would miss me.

He wound up at the entrance to the Everfree Forest.  Asouva blinked his eyes a couple times before closing them to lie down.  He didn't really want to go back.  He didn't have a lot of memories from his time in the forest, but everypony said it was miraculous that he wasn't killed by the local flora or fauna.

He was lost in thought for what seemed like a long time when he heard the familiar squeaky toy sound that the pink one always made while hopping in lieu of walking normally.  When he opened his eyes, he spied a pair of light cerulean eyes looking into his own.  It was the pink pony from Sugarcube Corner.

“Oh my,” she said with a shudder.  “That's impressive!  I've never seen anypony eat that much chocolate!  Well, except for me of course!"

Asouva looked up into the pink Earth Pony's eyes.  "How could I have done that?"  Asouva looked away from Pinkie, ashamed of himself.  "I ate so much chocolate... but it was SO DELICIOUS!"

"I didn't know Changelings liked chocolate so much," Pinkie said.  "But then, who doesn't like chocolate?"

“I appreciate what you're trying to do,” Asouva began, “but I think I want to be alone for a bit.”

“Nopony should be alone when they're feeling down,” Pinkie said, “and I know just the thing!”

“Not another party...” Asouva said, covering his face with his hooves.

“No silly,” Pinkie replied.  Pinkie wrapped her forelegs around Asouva in a hug and held him tight.  “We just had a party last night.  It's much too soon for another party right now.  We'd have to wait a few more hours at least!”

“Delightful,” Asouva responded sarcastically as he was being squeezed by Pinkie's vice-like grip.

Pinkie released her hold on the poor Changeling.  “There.  You feel any better?”

Asouva gasped for breath as soon as Pinkie let go of her vice grip.  After he was able to breathe again, he had to admit, yeah, he was feeling a little better actually.  "Alright, time to pick myself up and get to the next item on the list."  Asouva checked off Sugarcube Corner and moved on to the next item on the list.  Fluttershy.

-***-

Asouva was flying over Ponyville toward the small cottage at the edge of town to meet up with Fluttershy.  From his vantage point, he was able to see quite far, including a yellow Pegasus on the ground who looked like she was being attacked by a manticore.  Wait, what!? Asouva thought, and immediately dove toward the mare in trouble.  Asouva wasn't really the heroic type, being a Changeling and all, but life in Ponyville really was a chance at a new beginning for him.  The manticore noticed the new arrival and growled at him in a threatening manner.

"Don't worry, ma'am," Asouva consoled the mare.  "I'll take care of this."  Asouva steeled himself, looking the enormous manticore in the eyes, not once showing even an inkling of fear (but he sure felt it on the inside).  Mere seconds later, he launched himself at the beast, delivering a swift kick across the its head, landing just behind him.  A quick charging attack to the side, and the manticore went down quickly.  Not dead, just on its side, roaring in pain.

The yellow Pegasus mare looked on in horror as Asouva stood proudly, having saved her from the beast.

"What did you go and do that for?" she asked angrily.  Asouva was taken aback by the Pegasus's ungrateful attitude.  "That manticore is one of my friends!  He was just coming to visit for a back massage!"

Asouva deflated immediately.  He offered an apology, but the yellow mare would have none of it.  Not until the manticore was better.  Asouva offered to help heal it, but the yellow Pegasus simply met his suggestion with a cold Haven't-you-done-enough? stare.  Asouva meekly walked away, getting about ten yards away before taking flight and continuing over to Fluttershy's cottage.

-***-

Asouva knocked on the door, but there was no answer.  Looking around, he noticed that this place seemed to be more of a private residence than a place of employment.  There were lots of small birdhouses all over the place though, and it was a large tree with an impressive canopy.  Whoever lived here must really love animals.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" came an angry yell.  Asouva quickly turned to look to the source, and was shocked to see that very same yellow pegasus mare from earlier.

"I was told to come here to see a Miss Fluttershy for..." his words were caught in his throat.  He began to get a very sinking feeling.

"Well, I'm Fluttershy, and the answer is NO!" Fluttershy yelled.  "Now get OFF my property, or I'll get my friends to remove you themselves!"

Talk about a double-whammy Asouva thought to himself.  He slowly trotted away for a few feet before taking to flight again.  He heard her yell something to the effect of never wanting to see him around her house again, but he was too far to hear her distinctly.  Mid flight, he took out the parchment and quill and crossed off Fluttershy's name.  This day was turning out to be not such a good new beginning after all.

Two more names; Rarity - Carousel Boutique, Rainbow Dash - Weather Factory Asouva thought to himself.  He wasn't a Pegasus, so his chances at manipulating the weather seemed like it would end up the same way trying to work the farm did, so Carousel Boutique it was.

-***-

Asouva sadly flew over to Carousel Boutique.  When he first entered the store, there was no one to be found.  There was a faint noise in the background, the tell-tale tingle sound that magic makes when it's used.  The Changeling meekly said, "Hello?"

“Come in!” a voice called from deep inside the house.  “You'll have to excuse me, I'm incredibly busy filling an order from one of my clients.”

Asouva cautiously stepped inside and looked around.  There were mirrors, mannequins, huge reams of cloth and even trunks of gemstones.  That was always one thing that amazed him, how plentiful the gemstones were in Equestria.  In most other nations, these kinds of gemstones were rare, but here they grew like fungus.

He looked up from the gemstones and into the next room, the source of the voice that had initially welcomed him in.  In that room was none other than Ponyville's own fashionista, Rarity.  Asouva recognized her as one of the element bearers, generosity, he believed.

“Ah, there you are,” Rarity smiled.  “Pinkie said you might be coming.”

Asouva looked around confused, “How did she, did you?  What is...?”  He put a hoof to his head, already getting a headache from trying to figure things out.  "You know what?  Nevermind."

Rarity chuckled, “Oh darling, don't try to figure out Pinkie Pie.  We've had our fair share of unicorn scholars go crazy trying to.”

“Duly noted,” Asouva responded.  “Now, I'm told that you could make good use of my magic?”

Rarity took a break from her dress-making for a moment.  “Why yes, of course!” she responded.  “Whenever I get a client for some new dress or suit, I always have to use these boring old mannequins as models.”  She smiled coyly at Asouva.  “But, with your shape-shifting, I can see how the finished product will look on a client long before they ever come in to pick up their order.”

Asouva looked down, a little disappointed.  He was hoping his magic could be more useful, and not for something so frivolous.  Picking up on his sentiment, Rarity's expression changed from excitement to sad.  “Dearie, what's wrong?”

Asouva looked back up at Rarity, “I was just hoping that my magic could be more useful instead of, well, this.”  He gestured all around them, indicating the mannequins, the clothing, just everything around them in general.

“Oh, but this IS important!” Rarity tried to assure him.  “And since I'd be able to work faster with a live model, I could fill my orders that much more quickly!”

Asouva wasn't feeling Rarity's enthusiasm yet.

“With the increased sales and business, I could afford to pay you more, then you can move out of that old library and into your own house.”

Asouva started feeling it now.  He jumped up, eager to get his own domicile.  “How do I begin?  What do you want me to do?”

“Excellent!” Rarity exclaimed.  “First we'll need to go visit my next client.  I don't know how he'll feel about Changelings, so it might be a good idea if you disguise yourself for now.”

Asouva was a little saddened by this, but not entirely surprised.  Changelings were the enemy, and the very sight of one within the Canterlot city limits could put the guards on alert.

He changed shape to match the pony he was most familiar with up to this point, that of Tumbler.  That should allow him to slip through Canterlot without being noticed.

Rarity took out a quill and parchment to write a note, then rolled up the parchment and put it in her bag.  "We'll have to stop by the library first before we go," she said.  "I need my little Spikey-wikey to do something real quick..."

Chapter %i% - The New Student

Chapter 5 - The New Student

Dear Princess Celestia,

Friendship is delicious...

-***-

Tumbler found himself exploring the Everfree Forest as he normally did when he was feeling bored.  Asouva was very busy now that he landed himself a cushy job at Carousel Boutique, even if he hated it.  Asouva felt it was a frivolous use of his magic.  Tumbler chuckled at Asouva's "plight".  Then again, being cut off from friends and family was certainly not easy for him, no matter how well he's treated in Ponyville.  He must miss it sometimes, Tumbler thought.

It was getting close to Zap Apple harvest, so he had to be careful of timber wolves.  They'd usually hang around waiting for the first apples to bloom.  Being made of wood, they were more resistant to the electrical shocks given off by the trees when trying to pick the apples early.

-***-

The ponies here in Ponyville have been nothing but kind to me and have accepted me into their home.  I'm currently on my way to Canterlot, and I must say I'm very nervous.  It's been a while since I was last here, and it was on very unfriendly terms.

-***-

Tumbler tried to look around, but it was too dark to see well.  He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a lantern and lit it up so he could see.  Unfortunately, as it has in the past, it made him easier to see as well.  In the past he's had to run from a green dragon (whom the Ponyvillians seemed to have nicknamed Reginald for some odd reason) and a manticore so far.  He never did find Zecora's Hut, despite having wanted to meet her and possibly ask her out.

Tumbler grunted in frustration.  He wanted to show Asouva the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, although mostly it was just an excuse to hang out.  Knowing Rarity, it'll be a while before Asouva will have time to hang out again with all the long hours he'll be putting in.  Asouva had been reading up on a lot of Equestria's history since he had nothing better to do at the library.  Tumbler wanted to show him a very important part of the history in the flesh, or, chitin, or whatever phrase Changelings used, he didn't know.

-***-

I'm here with Rarity, the fashionista that runs Carousel Boutique.  I understand she designed the dresses that Princess Cadence and her bridesmaids wore.  She's very talented.  Your highness should have her design something for you to wear too.  Unless you prefer to go everywhere naked, that is.

-***-

Tumbler trotted along carefully, as quietly as he could to avoid waking anything.  It was a personal challenge for him.  This was compounded by the fact that ponies have hooves.  Hooves are just not quiet when struck upon anything.  He tried to retrace the steps taken by the element bearers when they had traversed the Everfree Forest the first time.  Between a bridge, some cliffs, a wild river and local wildlife, it was quite the trip.

Despite all the horrors that live in the forest, it's odd that none of them came out to trouble Tumbler, and he didn't know why.  The river that the element bearers crossed was home to a sea serpent that mysteriously gone.  The manticore was mysteriously gone.  Heck, even the timber wolves that normally came out this time of year were mysteriously gone.  Tumbler wasn't quite sure what was more unnerving, the wildlife, or the lack thereof.  Once he arrived at the castle, he was startled by what he found there.

-***-

I don't want to cause a ruckus, as I'm sure if I slip up and reveal myself at all, it'll send the whole castle into a panic again.  Because of this, I have taken the form of one of Ponyville's groundskeepers, one by the name of Tumbler.  Rarity assured me that no one in Canterlot would recognize him.  Ah, we are pulling into the train station now.  I suppose I can deliver the letter myself while we are here.

Sincerely,

Asouva

-***-

“Ready Tumbler?” Rarity asked, with a wink and a smile.

Tumbler put the quill down from his writing, then cleared his throat.  “Ahem, I reckon we're ready to tangle with a rattlesnake somethin' fierce,” he replied.

“Tumbler sounds nothing like that,” Rarity scolded him.

Asouva looked down at the floor.  “I know, I'm just messing around.”

“Don't worry about it too much.  Just act normal, well, just don't draw attention to yourself.  Avoid talking if possible.”

Asouva understood.  He was just there with his new boss on a business trip.  He's the hired help, there to get a good look at the client, then assume their form once back at the boutique so Rarity will have a perfect 'mannequin' to tailor her dresses on.  He felt it was a waste of his talents; His skills were much more well-suited to tactical espionage/reconnaissance applications.  But, if it allowed him to earn some coin and be a productive member of pony society (not to mention get his own house in the north side of town where nothing happens), he could put up with it for a while longer.

“Besides, you've spent more time with Tumbler than anypony else has,” Rarity pointed out.  “You before anypony should know what he sounds like.”

“I'll just.. not talk, and we can say it was due to some accident or something,” Asouva said.

Rarity thought for a moment, but then finally said, “well, deception is more your line of work, so I'll leave that to you.”

Asouva winced.  His past life with the swarm did involve a lot of deception.  It was a Changeling's nature.  That's how they fed.  But that's not who he was anymore.  Despite still being good at it, Asouva didn't like being reminded of it.

“So, who's the client?” Asouva asked.

“Some ponies I met the last time I was here on a business trip.  Jet Set wanted two new gala dresses for his wife, Upper Crust.” Rarity answered.  “It's of utmost importance that I don't mess this up.  It could lead to all sorts of new clients if I can get it right.”

“Wait, am I going to have to take a female shape?” Asouva asked.

“Dearie, you're just full of questions today.”  Rarity smiled.  “Now, when we meet with the client, I want you to take the measuring tape I gave you earlier, and get her measurements while I discuss what type of dress she wants.  It'll help you become more familiar with her dimensions, and help me make the dresses the right size.”

Asouva nodded and trotted behind Rarity at a brisk pace.  They headed toward a large house that was outside the castle proper, but still within city limits.  Rarity knocked on the door.

“Hello, Madam Rarity,” a pony said as she opened the door.  “The mistress has been waiting for you.”

“Ah, thank you dear.  Surely she won't mind if my assistant joins us?”

“Not at all, Miss Rarity.”

The servant pony leads the two visitors to the backyard where Upper Crust and her husband, Jet Set were waiting.  As Rarity discussed a few things with the client, such as the next Canterlot Garden Party and the Grand Galloping Gala, in addition to what type of dress and what colors to use, Asouva went about the business of taking Upper Crust's measurements.  Once he was done, Asouva nodded to Rarity who then addressed the couple.

“Well, I better get to work on this right away.  I want you to be absolutely pleased with what you see when the dress is finished.”

After exchanging smiles and glances, Rarity and her assistant departed, but instead of heading toward the train station, Rarity led Asouva up to the castle.  Asouva started getting nervous, given the last time he was here it was under much different circumstances.  Rarity assured him that there was nothing to worry about, and the guards let her and Asouva in once they recognized her as one of the Elements of Harmony.

“Um, Rarity, what are we doing here?” Asouva asked.  He didn't have much opportunity to admire the beauty and craftsmanship that went into building the castle the last time he was here.  Again, different circumstances and all that.  Admiring the scenery wasn't exactly on the itinerary.

“You wanted to deliver your letter personally, did you not?” Rarity responded.

Asouva shuddered nervously.  He had only seen the princess before as a foe on the battlefield, as she dueled horns with the Queen and lost.  Now he was about to see her in a much less tense scenario.

Rarity addressed one of the guards, “We wish to see Princess Celestia.  Is she available?”

The Unicorn guard looked at her sternly (as they always did) before answering.  “She's busy teaching a class right now.  I can pass on any message you may have for her.”

Asouva found a little courage and spoke up, “It's personal, I have to deliver the message personally.”  He quickly swallowed a gulp after boldly stating his intention.

The guard looked at him suspiciously and seemed to be deep in thought.  “Very well.  Follow me.  But under no circumstances are you to interrupt any of the other classes at the academy.  Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Rarity smiled, with Asouva nodding in agreement.

Rarity and Asouva followed the guard into the castle and to the wing where Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns was located.  The guard knocked on the door leading to Celestia's classroom.

“Come in!” a gentle voice called from inside.

The guard opened the door and let Rarity and Asouva in.  Celestia looked at the two of them and smiled.  “Well look we have here class, a popular fashionista from Ponyville, and a Changeling!”

Asouva froze in his tracks.  This was precisely why he assumed a form and did NOT want to be singled out.  “Hey uh, um, how did...”

Rarity spoke up, “I let the princess know ahead of time that we were coming, so she could let the guards know to not be on alert.”  She approached the princess at the front of the class.  “I'm most sorry for interrupting your class, but Asouva here has written a letter to you and wanted to hoof-deliver it personally.  Of course, he's much too shy to say anything himself, so I had to drag him with me to meet a client and stop by here on the way back.”

“That's wonderful, Miss Rarity.”  Celestia turned to face Asouva.  “Do you have that letter with you now?”

“Yes, your highness,” Asouva replied.

Asouva hoofed over the letter from his saddlebag.  Celestia took it in her horn aura and opened the scroll.  She briefly skimmed it, chuckling at first, then as she got further down, seemed a little bit embarrassed and chuckled again.  Once she was done, she rolled the scroll up again and placed it in her teacher bag.

The princess suddenly turned to Rarity, “Rarity, would you be a dear and take an order for a dress for me?  I would very much like to have something nice to wear for formal occasions.”

Rarity froze in place, unable to speak.  Making dresses for her friends was simply being generous.  Making gala dresses for all sorts of ponies for wearing to the gala was good business.  Making dresses for the Canterlot elite was more than she could've hoped for.  When Celestia asked her to make the dresses for Princess Cadance and the bridesmaids she was floored.  But now, to make a dress for the ruler of Equestria herself!  That was something quite extraordinary.

"Oh, and while you're at it, you may need to visit my sister as well.  I believe she desires formal attire for the evening of the Gala too."

While Rarity was standing there babbling incoherently to herself, Asouva kind of shuffled nervously on his hooves, not sure what to say or if he should even say anything.  His letter was partially to blame for this, after all.

Remembering what he was supposed to do, he quickly got out the measuring tape and approached the princess.  The guard mistook the action as a potential assault and tackled him, right in front of the class.  Celestia looked sternly at the guard who got up, noticed the princess's look of discontent, and sheepishly backed away.

“Lieutenant, surely you didn't think he was going to garrote me with measuring tape, did you?”

The class was chuckling before at Rarity's reaction to Celestia's request, but they outright broke into laughter at this point.  An intense, stern look from the guard silenced the class.

The guard faced the princess again to address her, “But your highness, he's a Changeling, he's-”

“Here with my blessings,” Celestia interrupted.

“Yes, of course your highness, please forgive me,” the guard said.

“Of course, you're only doing your job, and I commend you for it.”  Celestia smiled.  She had a way of disarming others and making them feel comfortable again.  It's part of how she's kept peace in Equestria for so long, as well as minimizing hostilities with neighboring nations.

Asouva picked himself up again, grabbed his measuring tape and proceeded to measure the princess.  Rarity, was unable to act at the moment, so Asouva took the initiative.

Meanwhile, Celestia kept lecturing the students on magic theory and basic spells.  It was this point that Asouva noticed that all the students were unicorns.  Asouva then remembered one of the things Pinkie mentioned he could do as a profession was work in Canterlot, probably in some schooling manner.  Teaching about Changeling culture, how to spot a Changeling (which would be considered treason, he was sure), maybe even simple illusion spells to change one's appearance, similar to the ones that the young Changelings learn to use before they can fully change their form.

During all this time, Rarity hadn't moved.  Once Asouva was finished taking the measurements, he nudged Rarity to let her know that it was time to go.  The guard had already left after Celestia assured him there was no danger.  Asouva asked to speak to the princess after the class was over, and she agreed.

“What can I help you with, Asouva?” she asked when the room was clear.

“I understand that you told the ponies in Ponyville to be my friend, is that correct?” Asouva asked.

“Yes,” the princess answered.  “Because I believe that your queen isn't evil, she was just hunting for food.  If we gave you a chance at having friends, you wouldn't have to resort to your queen's deceptive tactics to steal love from my little ponies.  You would receive it willingly, and in abundance.  I also let them know that it could be the ultimate friendship learning experience for them.”

“Ah, okay...” Asouva looked around the room, trying hard not to look nervous.  “It's just that Pinkie said-”

“Yes, Pinkie Pie,” Celestia interrupted.  “She can be quite insensitive in her word choice sometimes, but she means no ill-will by it.  I've had the pleasure and privilege of meeting with her adoptive parents, the Cakes at a party they had while I was visiting.  I had brought my pet phoenix, Philomena, with me and... Well, that's a story for another time.

“Just keep in mind that Pinkie always means well, despite her naive insensitivity at times.”

“Got it.  By the way princess, I hope I did not offend you with anything in my letter.  Your student, Twilight Sparkle, suggested I start writing them to you to keep you updated on things in Ponyville.”

Celestia agreed, “That sounds like a marvelous idea.  I look forward to reading anything you have to write.  Maybe we can learn a lot from each other.”

“Alright!  I guess it's time we got back to the shop.  Rarity will no doubt want me to assume your shape so she can design a dress around, well, you, without you having to be there.”

“I'm sure whatever she makes will be wonderful.”  Looking up at the clock in the classroom, Celestia realized she was about to be late for a meeting.  “I'm sorry Asouva, I really must get going.  Matters of state and whatnot.  Duty calls!”  With a large flash of yellow magic sparkles, Celestia disappears from view.

Rarity was no longer able to hold herself up in her petrified-with-surprise state, and fell over.  This also woke her out of said state and allowed her to come back to reality.  “Wha, wha?!?”

“It's okay boss, time to go.  You have an unexpected client or two,” Asouva told her.

“Yeah... I mean, yes.  I need to get started right away!”  Rarity was still a little awestruck at the sudden order the biggest name client of them all.

The two left the classroom and found the guard again, who started to escort the two back to the train station, but was stopped by the Changeling.

"Princess Celestia told us that she desired to get a dress ordered for her sister as well," Asouva said.  "May we be escorted to the Moon Princess?"

"Very well," the guard said, and led them to Princess Luna's quarters in the castle.  It was still day time, so the guard knocked gently, not knowing if the night princess had awoken yet or not.

"Who is it?" came a soft feminine voice from behind the door.

"Lieutenant Whistles, Your Highness."

"Come in," the voice behind the door responded.

The door was opened into a most extravagant bedroom, with a large fireplace, a beautiful silvery canopy bed, a vanity, and of course, pillows everywhere.  The vanity looked like it hadn't been used in a long time, despite the night princess having been back in Canterlot for two years now.  Princess Luna was sitting in front of it now, but it was still dusty though.

"You're here to measure me for one of your dresses," Luna stated plainly, sitting in front of the mirror on her vanity.  There was an intense look on her face, like she was trying to study and pick apart the flaws of her visage.  She didn't seem pleased with what she saw.  "No doubt my sister put you up to this."

Coughing nervously, the guard excused himself.  "By your leave, your highness..."

"Very well," the princess's voice boomed.  She stood up and turned around, facing Rarity and Asouva directly instead of their reflection in the mirror.  "My sister has been wanting me to participate more in the things.  One of the duties.." that last word sounding like it had a bad taste in her mouth, "she wants me to attend the Grand Galloping Gala, for example."

"Oh, I know, it's simply the biggest event of the year, and it would be a shame to not have both princesses in attendance for the evening!"

"I RAISE THE MOON, MY SISTER, THE SUN!" Luna yelled before taking a moment to compose herself.  "We should not have to put up with all of... this," the last word seemed like it tasted awful as she gestured vaguely around her.

"But Princess," Rarity pleaded, "it simply would not do to not have both of you there.  Equestria needs you, Your Highness."

While the two were talking, Asouva was already busy taking Luna's measurements.  As the argument started to get more heated, Asouva just dropped what he was doing and gave the princess a hug.  This took everypony by surprise.

"Asouva!" Rarity yelled, "What do you think you're doing?"

Luna gasped and looked down in shock at this pony hugging her.  Not out of anger, but genuine surprise.  Nopony just ups and hugs a princess.  Asouva leaned his head into her shoulder, nuzzling her with a smile on his face and looked up into her large round eyes.  This went on for just under a minute while everypony else just stood there aghast.

Asouva noticed that everypony was shocked, and relinquished the hug, taking a step back.  "I'm sorry Your Highness, you looked like you needed a hug just now," he said meekly, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

The room was quiet for the longest time until Rarity interrupted the silence by clearing her throat.  "Umm, well, your sister commissioned me to make a dress for you as well as her, so... I shall make it my duty, neigh, my privilege  to make this the most fabulous dress ever offered a matriarch."

"Very well, I shall permit your assistant to finish his task so he could assume my shape later."  Luna turned toward Asouva who was busy as a bee.  "You are a Changeling, right?"

Asouva looked out the corner of his eye at her.  Does everypony know I'm a changeling? he thought to himself, maybe I shouldn't have bothered with the disguise.  Asouva nodded, "Yes, Your Highness..."

-***-

“Seize him!” came a voice from behind one of the statues.

Tumbler found out why there wasn't any wildlife in the area.  At least not anywhere near the castle.  He found himself face to face with a group of eight Changelings, one of which was clad in blue armor.  Some of them leapt out from behind trees, and some from behind stone walls, but all descended upon the unlucky Earth Pony, pinning him to the ground.

“Alright, what have you done with the Exuvia?” their leader asked.  At least, Tumbler assumed it was their leader, given it was the only one wearing armor, or anything for that matter.

“What in Tartarus are you talking about?!” asked a very confused Tumbler.  “What's an Exuvia?”

“You know exactly who I'm talking about,” the leader snarled.  “The traitor!”

“If by traitor you mean friend, then I don't know where he's at.  Could be in Canterlot, could be Dodge Junction, how am I supposed to know?”

“This is getting us nowhere,” one of the other Changelings said to the commander.

“He'll be of use to us, one way or another,” the leader said, grinning in a way that Tumbler found unsettling.

“Why are we hunting an Exuvia anyways?” asked another of the Changelings.  “Shouldn't that mean he's dead to us?”

“Normally, yes,” the leader replied, “but that Exuvia was one of my elite fighters, and has knowledge that could provide the ponies with a significant tactical advantage against future Changeling attacks.  He's a huge security risk.  We cannot let that valuable resource fall into pony hooves.”

“Yes sir, of course.”

The General turned his head to face Tumbler on the ground, still being held down by half a dozen Changelings, “We've got plans for you, little pony...”  His laughter reverberated throughout the ancient castle, bringing chills down Tumbler's spine.

Chapter %i% - The New Invasion

Chapter 6 - The New Invasion

It was a long train ride home.  At least it seemed like it.  Rarity was still excited about being commissioned to make dresses for the princesses.  This was an even bigger deal than a wedding dress for the client's niece.

To Asouva however, it was just another day.  Not having lived with the Celestia as his princess, he didn't have the same feelings of reverence toward her.  As a result, he thought nothing of walking up to her and taking her measurements in front of her class.  To her credit, the princess didn't react in any way and kept her focus and attention on teaching.

The only nerve-wracking thing about it was being in the heart of a former enemy's territory, where the slightest mishap could spell an untimely demise.  Being tackled by the guard in front of said class didn't help smooth things over either.

“Rarity, are you sure this is a good idea?” Asouva asked.  “Even in the privacy of your own home?  Somepony is bound to see me, and when they do-”

“Don't be silly, Asouva,” Rarity interrupted him.  “No one will even know a likeness of the princess is present.”

“Okay...” Asouva wasn't confident in Rarity's assertion, but boss's orders... He found a dark spot in Carousel Boutique to hide in to make his shift into a perfect likeness of Princess Celestia.

Rarity hopped and squealed in delight.  “It's perfect!  I'll be able to make such wonderful dresses with your help!”

Asouva nervously shifted from one set of hooves to the other.  “Here are the princess's measurements,” he said, levitating a small note out of his bag and toward Rarity.  Asouva's voice even mimicked the princess's perfectly.

Rarity was awestruck by the performance.  It also gave Rarity the idea for a prank, but it was probably the same prank idea that EVERYPONY had upon finding a Changeling friend.  “Hey can you turn into this pony and show up at another pony's house and see their reaction?”  Rarity chuckled to herself and thought that was more Pinkie Pie's game.  A lady such as herself did not partake in such immaturity.

Princess Celestia's horn glowed a green color as she levitated a piece of parchment out of her saddlebag.  The parchment contained the measurements that Rarity sought so she could begin on the dress.

“Now, I need something dazzling, something truly befitting our fine matriarchs...”

-***-

Tumbler was done adventuring for the day and headed back into town.  Thoughts raced through his head regarding his encounter.  His “task” was simple, deliver a message.  Then, he is to come back to the castle and await further instructions.

Once arriving in Ponyville, he set out to find Asouva.  Last he heard, the “Exuvia” was working for Ponyville's fashionista, Rarity.  Tumbler picked up the pace and nearly galloped toward Carousel Boutique.  No one paid him any mind as he ran by, being just an Earth Pony gardener, nothing really stood out about him.  Tumbler knocked on the front door once he arrived at the boutique.  Hearing a crash come from inside, he knocked on the door more urgently.

-***-

Rarity and her employee heard a knocking on the door.  “I wonder who that could be...”  Forgetting he was in Celestia's shape, Asouva was about to go answer it.  Then he sensed something was wrong.

“Rarity... hide,” was all Asouva said.

“What is going-” Rarity began but got cut off.

“NOW!” Asouva yelled, firing a blast from his horn he knocked Rarity into a closet and shut the door.  The knocking on the door got louder and more insistent.  Asouva opened the door with his horn and saw his friend standing there.

“Hello,” was all Asouva said, a stern look across his face.  Well, across Princess Celestia's face.

“Hello my friend!  Care to come explore the forest with me today?” his friend asked.  Something was very off, and Asouva knew exactly what it was.

“You can cut the charade,” Asouva warned, “I know you're not Tumbler.”

“Aww, this could've gone much smoother.  Still, a Changeling usually can see through another Changeling's disguise...”

“Is that why you thought the real Rainbow Dash was a Changeling taking her shape?”

“Middle of combat, mistakes happen.”  Tumbler grinned.  “The general wants you to come back with us.  You're too much of a threat in pony hooves.”

“Verdant or Cobalt?” Asouva asked, changing the subject.

“I beg your parden?”  Tumbler didn't quite follow.

“Which of the queen's generals is here?  Verdant or Cobalt?” Asouva asked again, a little more smug this time, almost as if he was taunting the visitor.

“I don't see why it matters,” the visitor said, trying to dismiss Asouva's question.

“It matters because I want to know how much hurt you'll be in when they realize you're interrupting my reconnaissance mission.”  It was a long shot, but Asouva was going to avoid the other Changelings at all costs if he could.  Bluffing this one may be effective.

“No way!  They called you Exuvia, you're banished from the hive!”

“And yet they want me back.  Doesn't that seem odd to you?”

“Grr...”

“Why do you think I'm in the princess's form?”

“Because you were hired here at the dress shop and they figured the best way your shapeshifting could be put to use in a trusting manner would be as a clothes mannequin.  Don't think I haven't been watching you.”

“You would think that, but no.  This happens to be the home of the most popular fashionista in Ponyville who visits the spa regularly.  She's privy to all sorts of gossip as a result, so I'm spying on her.”

The visitor took a step back.  Something about Asouva's story didn't check out.  He knew that Changelings were supposed to be accomplished liars as it was a necessary skill for them to feed.  A Changeling didn't lie to another Changeling though.  They were a swarm.  They lived together, they fought together, and most importantly they ate together.

“Wait, you said she's the most popular fashionista in Ponyville.  Isn't she the only fashionista in Ponyville?”

“That just makes her much more important.  Don't you know anything about civilizations or have you been waiting back at the hive too long for the queen to come back with food?”

The visitor chuckled at the accusation, an obvious attempt to rile him up, make him lose his cool.  “Anyways, if what you're saying is true, we wouldn't have the Earth Pony I'm pretending to be held hostage.  I was told to tell you to get to the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest.  General Cobalt wants you back in the swarm's custody.  You're too dangerous to leave alone in pony care.”

A groan was heard coming from the closet.  Asouva turned his head to look, which invited another chuckle from the Changeling visitor.  “You have our demands.  Tumbler is unharmed for now,” a smile formed on his lips, “but it'd be a shame if something were to happen to him should you fail to comply.”

With that, the visitor left, bidding Asouva a good night.  When no one else was within sight, 'Tumbler' assumed his true Changeling shape and flew off back toward the castle in Everfree.

Asouva simply stood in the doorway, shocked at what had just transpired.  If he did go with Tumbler that day into the forest, Tumbler still would've been safe, but he wouldn't have been able to help Rarity with her work in Canterlot.  He certainly wouldn't have had a chance to speak with the princess herself, and be so close to her physically that he could take her measurements for a dress that she commissioned on the spot in front of her class.

No.  Friendship before profit.  He would go to the castle.  He will see what Cobalt wanted, and see about freeing Tumbler somehow.  Maybe an exchange could be made.  He would need to seek help.  Or would it be too risky?  So many thoughts flooded his mind at that moment, but all of them were interrupted by a loud gasp.  At first from behind him (Rarity), but then also from several different ponies in front of him.  Then the love started flowing in, force-feeding him as he suddenly noticed several ponies in front of him, and he was still in Princess Celestia's shape.  He smiled and waved to all of them, then quickly shut the door.

Rarity was the first to speak.  “Enjoying the attention are we?”  A smile crept across her face.  “Who was at the door?  And why did you throw me in the closet?”

Asouva assumed his normal shape again, panting afterwards.  “It was another Changeling.  Apparently they've set up a small base in Everfree, at the old castle.  They want me to go with them to be their prisoner instead of staying here.”

“But why?” Rarity inquired, “You've done nothing wrong.”  Noticing his apparent fatigue, she asked a follow-up question, "Dear, you look exhausted, are you alright?"

"That happens when I try to take a shape beyond my mass and maintain it for too long," Asouva explained.  "But enough about me, they have Tumbler!”

"I shall notify Twilight," Rarity said and ran out the door toward the library.

"Have everyone meet me in the library, I have a plan."

-***-

The next evening, Asouva crossed the ancient bridge to the castle ruin. There seemed to be no one there, but Asouva knew better.

“I’m here!” He shouted, “Let me see Tumbler!”

A few heart beats passed, and then the Changeling Hunters emerged from the shadows of the castle, three of them, with more probably inside.  The front door opened, and General Cobalt stepped forth.  Clad in his blue armor, the general narrowed his multifaceted eyes at Asouva, the bitterness evident.

“So good of you to come, Exuvia!” Cobalt called, “Or should I say, Asouva?  Your surrender will make our job much easier!”

“I accept your deal,” Asouva said, taking a step forward.  “Take me in exchange for the Earth Pony.”

"Very well."  The general nodded, and one of the two Changelings accompanying him entered the doorway to go retrieve the Earth Pony.

-***-

Inside the castle's main hall, Tumbler lay tied up and unconscious, rendered so by Changeling magic.  He had two guards who stood to either side of him, alert and at the ready.  Despite their vigilance, they never heard a silent somepony creeping in through an adjacent hole in the structure.

The stealthy somepony picked up a small rock in one hoof and lobbed it high across the room.  It made a small clack when it hit the stone and the two Changelings whirled around to see the sound's origin.  That was all the shadowy assailant needed.

The first guard was felled by a blow to a weak point in the Changeling's carapace, right behind the left shoulder blade; the pressure point knocked the guard unconscious before he hit the ground.  The second guard turned back, but was too slow, a hoof colliding with the side of his face, followed by a rapid fire assault of blows to the torso.  The second guard crumpled to the ground.  The intruder stealthily hid the two bodies and waited in the shadows.

Some muffled talking could be heard from outside, then hoofsteps were heard approaching the door.  With the door already ajar, a hoof was able to just reach in and pull it open the whole way.

-***-

"I'm so glad you came to your senses, drone.  These ponies are not your friends, they just want to use you, and exploit you for their own personal gain."

"You're wrong!" Asouva retorted, taking a step forward.  "The ponies have shown nothing but kindness and understanding to me since showing up in Ponyville, starting with the one you captured."

"An act, to further their own ends, no doubt."  Cobalt snickered.

Just then, three Changelings descended from the sky, carrying with them the Earth Pony known as Tumbler still tied up.  The Changelings set him down on his feet and proceed to untie him.  One of the newly arrived Changelings quickly blinked his eyes twice at Asouva while Tumbler nodded toward the others.

Tumbler trotted down the stairs to join Asouva.  He grinned as he approached, turning the brisk trot into a galloping tackle!  Both landed on the ground, rolling a few yards before coming to a stop.

"You're not Tumbler!" Asouva said.

Tumbler quickly zapped Asouva with a green beam, dispelling the illusion and revealing the Changeling to be none other than Twilight Sparkle.  "Looks like you're not Asouva either," he chuckled.

"What is this!?" Cobalt asked incredulously.

"Elements!" Twilight called out as she kicked the Changeling off of her, "ATTACK!"

The two Earth Ponies and other Unicorn jumped out from behind the nearby trees, while the two Pegasi swooped down from above, getting into a combat stance.

Cobalt snarled and barked out the orders for his detachment to attack as well.  The four remaining soldiers got into attack formation, ready to strike, then one of them smiled then delivered a powerful kick to the adjacent Changeling.

"That's twice you fell for that trick!" the Changeling said.

Cobalt turned toward the kicker and snarled.  "Asouva!!!" he yelled, unable to contain his rage, he lunged toward the real Asouva.

The two groups charged each other, not unlike the Battle of Canterlot at the Royal Wedding.  The General wasn't kidding when he referred to Asouva as an elite fighter.  Asouva easily dodged to the side with such finesse and speed, using one leg to sweep Cobalt off his hooves, then putting both fore-hooves on his back, pushing him down to the ground.  Asouva followed up by placing his rear hooves on Cobalt's back, and using the general's body as a spring board to take to the air.

Cobalt gets up and charges Asouva, connecting with a strong kick to the side.  Asouva is knocked over and sent rolling a small distance.

Asouva stood up and charged Cobalt.  Cobalt grinned as he readied his counter attack, then suddenly POOF!  Asouva disappeared!  The general looked around, not believing his eyes.  "What!  Where did you..."

POW!  A green beam hit Cobalt from behind, forcing him into the ground face first again.  As he tried to get up, Asouva's hoof drove him back into the dirt again.  Looking around, he saw that his soldiers didn't fare much better.  It was four against six, not including himself or Asouva though.

Cobalt was furious.  How could he be tricked and his soldiers taken down so easily?  He was a General, one of only two Changelings to hold that rank in the Queen's armies.  General Verdant was going to have a field day with this one.  Worse yet, he may end up becoming an Exuvia himself for this disgrace.

Asouva looked down on the General, still on the floor.  The Elements of Harmony just looked upon Asouva is disbelief.  "Take your unit back to the Queen," Asouva said, "and report that you have failed."  The next statement came with a smile, "And you might also suggest that she send no further drones to this land, lest they share the same fate."

Cobalt raised his head from the ground, confused and frustrated.  "You could've come back with us, Asouva, and got your old rank back.  You could have been so much more, but instead you waste your energies with these... little ponies."  The last part was said in a disgusted tone, as if the words just tasted bad in his mouth.

"Nah, I find that having real friends and not to mention a steady limitless food supply is better than any rank or prestige I may have had in the hive," Asouva said.  "If your queen was smart, she would have come honestly and asked for help instead of trying to stage a hostile takeover."  Asouva looked over to Pinkie Pie and the rest of the elements of Harmony and smiled as he said, "You know, the whole thing about luring more flies with sugar and honey than with piss and vinegar."

Cobalt frowned at the analogy.  He got back up and dusted himself off.  "Drones!" he barked out, "We fly!"  He immediately took to the sky above the roofless castle rotunda where the elements of harmony were kept long ago.  The other four Changelings groggily stood up and looked around, confused.  Three more walked out, similarly dazed.

"NOW!" Cobalt yelled.  All seven of the Changelings took to the skies after their General as they departed, leaving the ponies alone at the castle.

It was a rough fight for everyone, all showing the signs of fatigue.  "Let's just... all go home now," Twilight said.

"Wait!" a voice called out from behind the door.

A tied up Earth Pony emerged from the door, hopping as best he could out of the castle where he met his worst foe, the stairs.  Tumbling down the stairs until he wound up on the ground, on his back, and in a world of hurt.

"Let's get him to the hospital," Applejack said.  Twilight and Pinkie Pie pick up Tumbler and put him on Applejack's back.  They all begin their trip back to Ponyville.

"Well Tumbler," Asouva began, "you've always wanted me to see the castle with you..."

"I wish it could've been in... ow.. better circumstances," Tumbler replied, still in pain from rolling down the stairs.

"If only I had-"

"No, don't you dare," Tumbler interrupted.  "You can't blame yourself for things you can't predict.  I'm just as much at fault for going alone into the forest to begin with."

Tumbler had a point, Asouva thought.

"So enough of this blame game, and just be glad we can go home and not to some Changeling hive, okay?"

"Alright," Asouva conceded.

-***-

"You really have a knack for ending up in here," Nurse Wintergreen said.  Asouva and the Elements of Harmony had just arrived at the hospital with Tumbler on Applejack's back.

"Yes, I'll need my frequent customer card punched again," Tumbler joked.

Once the necessary paperwork was filled, Tumbler was assigned a room.  As he lay on his back, he examined his surroundings.  There was little else but a curtain, an end table with a lamp on it, and a book cart.  On the other side of the drawn curtain, there was an identical bed with a similar end table, lamp, and book cart.  Tumbler chuckled to himself, thinking this must have been the same thing Asouva woke up to back when he was first here.

"Well, it seems the roles are reversed," Asouva said, walking in the door with a big grin on his face.

Tumbler sighed to himself, dreading his embarrassing circumstances.  Locked up away from his house, injured from the impact of tumbling down the stairs and now unable to do his job in the early mornings.

"Yes, I suppose," Tumbler said.

Asouva's smile got even bigger then assumed Tumbler's shape.  "Now, you're a fascinating creature, I've never seen anyone like you before, what are you?  Where do you come from?  What's your name?  How did you end up in the Everfree Forest?"

The questions just kept coming, and Tumbler knew what Asouva was doing.  It was payback time.  But more importantly, it was good to be back in Ponyville with his friend.