The Misadventures of Changeling 42by Changeling 26ChaptersNew life, part 1New Life, part 242, candy makerA Minty Tale (side adventure)New life, part 1Banished. That was the thought that ran through the Changelings mind as he walked depressed through the Everfree Woods. With every step of his holed hoof the changeling recalled the events that had passed only a few hours ago. He knew he was in trouble when he heard his Queen scream out his name in rage, her voice ringing through the hive. “42!!” Howled the queen of the changelings. Her voice made every changeling clinch in fear, looking around to fin the very changeling she had called upon. 42 wasn’t a very bad changeling, with that said he wasn’t a very good changeling either. He had always questions the Queen’s reckless decisions, but he chose to obey them obediently. He feared what would happen if he ever did defy and deep down he knew that he was about to find out. He walked into the hive’s throne room with his head held high, the whispers of his fellow changelings echoed through the room. Chrysalis, the queen, was sitting on the highest chair in the room. It stood higher than any other changeling and seemed to be a part of the walls around it. She looked down at the shaking changeling who stood before, she had a look of anger that 42 had never seen. “Changeling 42, that is your identity, is it not?” The Queen asked. She knew very well that it was. No changeling would be stupid to take the place of another. Even though they all looked identical to each other, the Queen seemed to be able to spot the differences between every single changeling in the hive. She knew their identities, their jobs, and when they were born. “It is, my queen” The changeling looked straight forward in the official stance one was suppose to give when talking to the queen. Chrysalis hovered down to the ground, inches away from 42’s head. Seeing no reaction to her sudden movement, the Queen seemed satisfied and continued to address the changeling. “Do you know what you are here, 42?” “I do not, my queen.” He stayed steady, even though he was fearful for his life. Even though it was his hatching day, he knew the queen hadn’t called upon him to give him some cake and ice cream. The Queen never calls upon a changeling for good news, only bad. “Perhaps you will recall a few months ago, during our invasion of the capital.” Chrysalis said, started in to slowly pace around him “What was your job, 42?” “The find and subdue the local population, my queen” the Changeling answered, his voice staying steady as he began to recall the events that had passed. “And did you succeed?” The changeling queen asked as she got close to his face, watching it closely for any sign of weakness His job had been to find the ponies that lived in the area he was assigned and subdue them with his tar-like mucus. He was one of the first changelings in the area, and loyal to his duty. For weeks he had prepared to bring terror to every pony he saw. But upon landing he heard something he had never heard before. It was music. Long, drawn out, beautiful notes played by an expert musician. 42 stood outside of the house where it was coming from and watched as an earth pony bowed on an expertly crafted cello. The changeling watched her play for hours until he was finally blasted away by the royal couples blast. He had failed at his mission, but he felt that it was worth it to listen to the, dare he say, beautiful play the magical music. Changeling 42 looked up at the Queen and said “No, my queen. I did not”. She was taken by his honesty and the defiance in his voice. “And why is this?” Demanded the Queen 42 looked Chrysalis in the eyes “Because I experienced something better than anything I had ever felt before.” Queen Chrysalis took a few steps back, surprised by the Drones defiance. 42 just looked at the queen with pride, yet at the same time he feared for his life. Controlling her rage, the Queen calmly said “Very well then. Changeling Drone 42! For your negligence during the Canterlot Invasion, I hereby banish you from the hive!” Banished. The word had rung through the hive. Not a single changeling had been banished in a hundred years, and now 42 had become the first. Though the Queen claimed it was for his “negligence”, 42 knew that he was actually a scape goat to his queen’s rage. He was forced to walk the embarrassing path to the exit of the hive. All of his fellow changelings watched him, whispering insults about him. The sad little changeling looked back once before leaving the hive, and began his lonely journey into the Everfree woods in search of a new home. So it is then that we find our little changeling, wandering alone. Hooves sore, stomach grumbling. 42 was begin to regret his decision of defying the Queen. He began to think about what he could do to make it back to her. A sound then began to rise into his ears, a familiar sound that brought joy to his little holed heart. Music… He followed the notes as they echoed through the woods, making 42 remember why he left the Hive in the first place. The louder the music got, the faster his body moved through the forest. He began to ignore the pain and the hunger and focused only on the sweet pleasant music leading the way. He was almost blind with his passion for the music filling his mind. 42 almost didn’t notice the clearing that he was approaching. He smashed through the woods and into the clearing and came to a sudden halt. He stood there, unsure of what to do. The changeling was standing on the edge of a small town filled with countless ponies. Each and everypony was ignoring the changeling blending in with the forest behind him. “Well…” thought the changeling to himself “This is going to be a problem” New Life, part 2The first thought that came to 42’s head was to change into one of them. He focused on a pony nearby and studied everything about his appearance, placing it in the back of his mind. After focusing for several minutes, he released his magic and lit up with a green flame. He opened his eyes to see if he was successful. “Son of a…” panted 42 after seeing he still looked like a changeling. “What the hay is wrong with me, Ive never failed at changing before!” At that moment, 42’s stomach let out a large growl. “Ah, that explains it. I haven’t fed for days, I must be running on fumes.” His natural instinct was to find a pony and steal enough love to fill his stomach. But how does one sneak up on a pony in a village of ponies in the form of a changeling? Could he actuly bring himself to steal love from these unsuspecting ponies? After all, this may be the only place he will be able to call home. If he is caught stealing from these ponies, they may never trust him again. The thought kept running through the changelings mind. He would come up with a solution to his problem and then eliminate it. 42 kept going in loops around his brain, almost making himself dizzy until suddenly, a loud excited voiced boomed behind him. “HI!” The voice exclaimed, making 42 jump 3 hooves in the air. He turned around rapidly in a half scared, half attack pose. “Who are you?!” Hissed 42 “What do you want with me?!” 42 was staring into two bright blue eyes on pale green skin. He backed away and saw the pony before him with more detail. Her mane was white with faint pink streaks, poking in-between locks of her mane was a small thin horn. “I saw you hiding in the bushes!” She said with a moderately high pitched voice “I thought you were playing hide n go seek! And I found you!!” She bounced a step back from the changeling who had a very confused look upon his face. She gave him a happy giggle as she saw how confused he was. “Y-yes…” 42 chuckled weakly “yes you did.” “I know! Isnt it great?!” The unicorn mare said with a bounce “Im Minty Fresh!! What’s your name?!” “Uhh… “ The changeling stumbled over his words. He had never been asked by a pony for his name before. “Im… 26… Changeling 26.” “26? That’s not a proper name!” Minty got close to 42’s face, examining his every feature. Shee looked deep into his eyes, flicked at his battered ears, and examined his jaws before finaly standing back and saying “Orange!’ “What?” asked the changeling confused. “Orange!” Minty Fresh said satisfied “Orange Mist! That’s your name!” “oh… well… thanks?” Asked the changeling even more confused. He had never had an actual name before. He never needed on. Changelings had numerical identities in the hive, It was more efficient to track a number then a name. The thought that this pony had given him a name stirred something inside him. He felt something warm, something nice towards this unicorn. 42 could give this feeling a name, but he liked it anyways. “Your welcome!” Grinned Minty “so what are you doing here in Ponyville anyways? Cause I know that you wern’t really playing hide and go seek.” “Well” said 42 “I was sort of banished from my hive. “ Minty gave a sad look to 42 “Oh, im sorry. That’s terrible!” “Yeah, can I ask you a question, Minty?” “Yeah sure” she replied with a slightly worried look The changeling sat down in front of the unicorn “Why are you not frightened of me?” Minty cocked her head sideways and gave him a funny look. “Frightened? Why would I be frightened of you?” “I’m a changeling! I’m a monster!! I steal love and take the form of other ponies!! Why wouldn’t you fear me?!?” Screamed 42, throwing his hooves in the air. Minty gave him a frown “Orange Mist!! You are not a monster!!! You are a changeling, and you wouldn’t steal it if you didn’t already have it! So I assume you don’t need to steal any of it now!” “What? What do you mean I won’t have to steal it now?” 42 asked, very confused on the pony’s reaction. “Orange… you are my friend now! I’ve been giving you love this whole time!” So that was what that feeling was. It was his stomach being filled enough to be content. “Minty, im not sure what to say…” he said shocked, why would pony just give him love without even knowing him? “Thank you…” “You don’t need to thank me! You’re my friend, it’s what friends do.” She said, walking over and placing a hoof on the changelings black shoulder “Now as for you changing into different forms, I think it would be best if you made your own.” “What? You want me to make up a new pony?” 42 stood up in shock. That would be impossible. He always needed to see an existing pony, to study its every detail to take their form. “Yes, I know you can.” Minty Fresh walked up to 42 and got close to his face “Just close your eyes” The Changeling listened “I’m honestly not sure this will work?” “Hush.” She said putting a hoof on his mouth “focus. You need to breath, open your mind. Think only about yourself.” Her voice became softer and smoother with each word the unicorn said. Minty’s voices seemed to echo gentle in his head, all his worries began to fade away. “Now” She sighed into his ear “Change.” On her command, 42 released all the energy he had stored up and allowed his green magic flame to engulf his whole body. Minty backed away, and the flames began to clear. “Orange…” She said “Open your eyes!” He slowly opened his eyes and the first thin he notices was a single lock of brown hair in his right eye. He brushed it away and noticed his new orange hooves, free from any holes. There wasn’t a single hole or spot on his body. His mane was short brown hair, with a horn pushing out of his head. Marking his flank was a metal plate and a spoon as his brand new cutie mark. “Minty, this is incredible!!” he smiled, running over and giving the unicorn an awkward hug. “I cant believe this! Im a pony, my very own pony self!!” “Yes! I know! I knew you could do it!” The two ponies began bouncing up and down in excitement. It was a rather unusual way for 42 to express his happiness, but it seemed the only way to do it in his new pony body. “But this is only a temporary form. It’s only going to last you long enough to get back to my house.” 42 stopped his bouncing and gave a slightly worried and confused look. “Your house?” “Yeah, of course!” Minty said with another big grin “You said that you were banished, so I assumed you need somewhere to stay. I live alone in my home and I have a guest bedroom you can stay in. “ “Minty, I don’t want to be any trouble. You’ve already done so much for me. I honestly can’t ask anything more from you” Said the changeling backing up “No! Please!” said the unicorn stepping closer to him, “I insist. I can help you out until you can get on your own four hooves.” “No, I can’t. I just can’t” He said, trying to step away from Minty She just gave him a big, sad look, pushing tears into her eyes. “Please?” He stared into her teary blue eyes, part of him wanted to push her away and sleep in the woods. Another part, a new stronger part, told him that she was right, that this was the best thing that could happen to him. If he denied her request then he would regret for the rest of his life. “Alright” He sighed “I do it, only because you are so insistent” “YEA!!” Exclaimed the unicorn, bouncing up and down. “Come on! Let’s go, now before you lose all of your energy.” Minty Fresh grabbed Orange Mist, aka Changeling 42, and dragged him out into the town plaza. He led him all the way to her small one story home located just down the street from Sugar Cube Corner. She took the changeling and pushed him inside and showed him to his room. It was the most comfy bed that 42 had ever been on. As he lay in his new bed, he thought back on all of the events that had happened in the last two days. As bad as most of it was, he smiled. All he could think about was the great new friend he had made. How she had opened his eyes to possibilities, and how she welcomed him into her home. He had some form of warm, kind feelings toward the Pony. 42 were unsure what there were, but he liked them. “I could probably get used to life here.” Sighed the pony happily as he stretched out and fell asleep. And this is where the real story of Changeling 42’s new life begins… 42, candy maker“WAKE UP!!!” screamed an excited voice in 42’s ear “TODAYS THE DAY!!!” The changeling groggily woke up and looked at the mare in front of him. It took him a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the amount of color before him. Minty’s green skin and her white and pink hair seemed to almost blind his eyes. She was hoping about the guest room 42 called home using her magic to open the blinds. “What are you talking about?” He said covering his eyes with a hoof, which was ineffective because of the holes running throughout his limbs. “Today is the day for what?” “For your first day on the job!!” she said with a smile. The changeling looked at Minty Fresh with a confused glare “What do you mean my job?” “With me at the Candy shop!” exclaimed the pink pony grabbing 42’s hoof and dragging through the one story house and into the kitchen. “Don’t you remember? I told you a few days ago that you were going to work with me making sweets in my shop.” She threw Changeling 42 into a chair and placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of him. He sniffed it cautiously and had to control his gag reflex. Changelings don’t need to eat solid food. They fed on love for nutrition and Minty Fresh was giving him plenty of that. He had enough to feed himself and the entire hive for a week. Not wanting to be impolite to his friend he grabbed the bowl and began to force the soggy, gooey food down his throat. “I’m not sure if that is such a great idea, Minty.” Said 42 trying to ignore the food he was eating. He didn’t mind most pony food, most of it tasted fine. But this, this was the worst thing he had ever tasted. He placed the bowl down and slowly began pushing it away from himself. “I’m not much of a candy kind of pony. I can’t even properly make toast. You do remember what happened when I tried to make breakfast yesterday, right?” Minty shuddered slightly thinking about the previous days morning. “Yes… but this time I will be there to guide and teach you the art of candy making!” “Yeah, but..” “Shhh…” The pony placed a hoof over the changelings mouth “I will teach you. Besides! It’s way easier than making toast!” The removed her hoof from 42’s mouth and grabbed his home and pulled him towards the door. “C’mon! We need to get going! We are going to be late!” Minty said as they left the house “Minty, aren’t you going to eat breakfast as well?” asked the changeling “NO NEED! NO TIME!! LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!” Hollered the excited unicorn leading the way down the street and to a little shop decorated with candy canes, taffy, and chocolate bars. “We’re here!” “Nice place.” 42 said as he looked at the rows and rows of candy sitting on trays behind the counter. “Thanks, now the first thing we need to do is to fire up the machines!” explained Minty as her horn illuminated and three large machines coughed and wheezed to life. The changeling walked over to the machine trying figure out how it worked and what it did. “What is it, Minty?” he asked She gave the machine a sturdy pat before saying “This here what I like to call ‘The Super Duper Candy Pooper’! She can produced twenty to thirty candy canes and minty treats per second” She stood there smiling proudly at 42. “Alright, what do we actually do?” “We load the ingredients into that opening.” She pointed at an opening at the top of the tall machine in front of them “And then the candy comes out here.” Minty then pointed to a conveyer belt. “I see…” the changeling said “So why don’t you go back into that closet and get the bag with the green stripes and pour it into the machine while I start to open up the shop!” She pointed to a nearby closet and then walked off to the front of the store, leaving 42 alone to do his new job. “Alright, 42. This is a simple job. Just empty the bag with green stripes into the Pooper.” The changeling reassured himself as he walked over to the closet. He opened the door and let out a frustrated sigh. Every bag, every single bag had green stripes. “OK, it seems simple enough. Clearly I just need to take any one of these bags and put it in the Super Duper Candy Pooper.” He picked up a nearby bag, ripped it open with his fangs and hovered up to the Pooper’s opening. He shook the whole bag in and listened to it rev up. 42 landed in front of the conveyer belt at the same time Minty returned to check on his progress “All done?” she asked “Yep” grinned the changeling with a tooth grin “That was was easier then I though it was!” “Good” Minty picked up one of the candy canes, “Now all we have to do it is test out the treats!” Minty stuck the candy cane in her mouth, sucked on it for a few seconds, and then spat it out. She rushed over to a nearby sink and began washing her mouth out. “Is something wrong?” 42 asked walking over to the mare After looking up and and glaring at 42, Minty panted and said “What did you put in the Super Duper Candy Pooper?” He took a few steps back from the irritated unicorn “just the… uhh… bag with green stripes!” “Which one?” she asked stepping closer to the slightly scared changeling. 42 gave her a quick glance ”What do you mean ‘which one’? They are all bags with green stripes!” Minty Fresh slapped hoof on her face “42…” “yes?” “They are all labeled with what machine to put them it!” Minty sighed “Well you never told me that!?” shouted the Changeling “All you said was to put the bag into the machine. You never said identify which bag with green stripes!!” Minty Fresh slapped her hoof to her face “Ok, how about I finish this up. You go to the next machine. It is exactly the same thing on you want the bag filled with coca chunks. Do you understand?” “Yes yes, I understand now” the changeling sighed as he buzzed into the closet and pulled out a bag. “Is this the correct bag?” he asked sarcastically holding up the bag So Minty could see it clearly She sighed “Yes, now just pour the chunks into the machine!” “Alright, No need to tell me twice” mumbled 42 as he hovered up to the machine, leaving Minty to fix his mistake. He once again ripped open the bag and began to empty out the contents into the hungry machine. Once all of the cocoa beans had been dumped into the machine, 42 threw the empty sack over his shoulder. It got caught in one of his wings and hung down low enough for the machine to grab hold of the sack. It began to drag the changeling towards the open mouth of the machine. “Minty! Help!” hollered 42, but the machine’s rumble was to loud for anypony to hear him. Closer and closer, he kept pulling and tugging on the sack, trying to get it off his wing. The machine kept drawing him closer and closer until it violently drew the changeling in. “Odd,” Thought Minty as she heard a the machine c At that moment the changeling was riding out of the machine on the conveyer belt. He was encased in a thick layer of fudge and a cherry had been placed on top of his head. “42!” the unicorn gasped as she ran over and tried to help the glaring changeling out of the fudge. “What happened?” “I got... the bag… in!” 42 panted. “Oh my!” Her horn illuminated and surrounded 42 in and green aura making nearly all of the fudge on his body disappear. All that remains was a small patch on the head surrounding the cherry. “How about you call it a day, huh?” Minty said as she grabbed the cherry from 42’s head. “That seems like a marvelous idea.” 42 hopped off of the conveyer belt and began walking towards the door. “I don’t think I’m made to be a candy maker.” “Oh 42, sure you are!” the unicorn led him to the door “You go back home and rest for tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?” Asked the changeling half way out of the door. Minty Fresh just gave him a big grin before pushing him out of the shop saying “Why we can’t let you quit because you had a bad day!” She shut the door and left the worried changeling outside. He was about to start flying home when he thought he smelled something. Something in the air that most ponies cant smell, magic. But it was pony magic; no this had a muskier smell. It smelled almost like… changeling magic? But that’s impossible, thought 42. He looked around the town square he was hovering in, sniffing the air to find the source. He thought he was getting closer to finding the source when the fragrance of Minty’s candy and the pastries being made at Sugar Cube Corner. Maybe he was imagining things. Besides, if there was another changeling in Ponyville, he would know… right? 42 shrugged off the thought and flew back home. Somehow, after everything that went wrong, 42 enjoyed his first day on the job. Minty seemed to enjoy his help, and whatever made Minty Fresh happy made Changeling 42 happy. A Minty Tale (side adventure)“Hello world!” Sighed Minty as she breathed in the crispy Canterlot air. She had just hopped out of the Friendship Express from Ponyville and was grinning, thinking about what she was going to do now that she had returned to her old home. Sure she was only here for a few days in order to attend a candy makers convention, but that wasn’t going to stop her from visiting old friends and family. Minty hadn’t been back home since she moved to Ponyville to start a new branch of the family shop. “First thing I'm going to do,” Minty told herself “is to check on Mum and Pop.” She gathered her bag and headed off towards the busy market district of Canterlot. The streets were crowded and the shops were bursting with upper class customers looking for the latest and greatest trend. Minty shoved her way through the main square and into an almost calm and quiet alleyway where a small sign hung above a bright green door. Minty Fresh walked through the door and was greeted by the familiar smell of candies being baked in the back and the sound of smooth jazz playing from a nearby gramophone. grinning she walked around the shop crammed with sweets, taking in the same pleasant sites she had seen as a Filly. She walked over to the main counter and rung the light bell sitting near the register. “Just a moment!” sung a high pitched bright voice from the back room. The sound of the Mares voice made Minty’s smile grow twice as big. That same smile grew even bigger when a large yellow stallion with purple hair stumbled behind the counter, his face being blocked by a large stack of chocolate bars he was carrying with his hooves. “Hang on let me put these down…” panted the earth pony Minty cover her mouth with a hoof, trying to hold back a happy chuckle “That’s ok, I can wait” The earth pony froze in his tracks and threw all the chocolate lazily on a nearby shelf and turned and looked at Minty. He smiled and ran around the counter and gave her a big hug. “Minty!” He smiled as he kept a tight grip on the unicorn “Its so nice to see you again!” She returned the hug saying “I know, Dad! I’m glad to see you too.” “Cherry!” Minty’s father shouted to the back kitchen “some see who’s here!!” He let the unicorn out of his hug, but kept his hooves on her shoulders. “Look at you, it’s been awhile, Minty” “I know, sorry about that. I’ve been really busy lately with the shop and my new fri-“ She was cut off by a loud high pitched voice “Lemon! So help me! I am in the middle of making five batches of chocolate turnovers, five pies and…” As the red earth pony mare walked out into the shop screaming at Minty’s father. She stopped and stared at the green unicorn standing beside the yellow pony . “Mint…” gasped Cherry Fresh, Minty’s mother, as she ran over and grabbed Minty in an even tighter hug. “Welcome home.” “Thanks, Mom” She exhaled as she returned the hug “C’mon” said Lemon Fresh, Minty’s father, as he picked up her bag she had dropped during their hug “We want to here everything that’s been going on with you” “Well I would love to drop everything, dear” Sighed Cherry as she let Minty go “But we do have a large number of sweets that need to get made for the royal banquet tomorrow. And we both know how fast Celestia goes through all of our candy.” Lemon moaned with frustration “That’s right. How about you come back a little later today, Minty. We can all catch up then.” “Well, If you guys don’t mind, I was hoping I could bake with you guys. We can catch up while doing what we all love, just like when I was a filly.” “That would be wonderful!” Cherry sighed “I’ll just place your bag in the closet, and ill join you guys in the back.” Informed Lemon with a big smile. The Fresh family entered into the kitchen and began working on a large order of sweets. Minty told them everything from when she arrived to when she had opened her shop for the first time. Her parents shared all of the latest Canterlot gossip, how they were doing with the shop. Lemon fresh ranted about how he hated working in such a small shop in an alleyway. He felt they deserved a large shop with a giant window to show off their work. Cherry Fresh would, as usual, settle him down by explaining how Canterlot upper-class doesn’t want to be seen eating such unhealthy food and how their business is doing just as good as it would if it were on the main road. The whole afternoon was filled with smiles, laughter and the sweet smell of candy baking in the ovens. The whole visit was going great until Minty’s parents began telling her their point of view during the Canterlot Invasion. They explained that they saw the changelings attack their friends and how a small pack of them broke into the store and tried to capture them. “The holed mutts lunged at us” Exclaimed Lemon Fresh “I bucked them right in their nasty mouths!” He grinned and walked over to a nearby shelf where are large fang was being displayed “I knocked this out of one of ‘em!” he boasted “It was so frightening” Cherry sighed “Thank Celestia your father was here to keep me safe. Who knows what would have happened.” Minty looked a little annoyed “I’m sure they wouldn’t do anything to bad, Mom” “I could see it in their lifeless eyes!” Cherry said in a serious tone “There is no good in those… those things!” “It’s true” Lemon agreed, as he stirred in a large bag or minty flavoring into a mixture “Those little monsters deserve to be locked up and put away. And don’t get me started on what I would do to one if I got my hooves on one.” “DAD!!” Minty Shouted “How could you say such a thing! They were probably just solders following the orders of their Queen.” “Doesn't matter, dear” Cherry argued as she pulled a large tray of truffles “They all had a choice, and they chose to attack us and steal our candy!” “You’re talking about Changelings as though they aren’t ponies like us!” “No, honey we’re not.” Gasped Cherry as she walked over to Minty Lemon, following his wife’s lead “We are simply saying that we don’t think those particular changelings made the right choice. We don’t hate all changelings, just the few that attacked us.” “Are you sure?” Asked Minty with a confused look “Of course, honey you know us.” Cherry smiled “Have ever seemed racist to you?” Minty chuckled a little “Yeah, your right. I don’t know what I was thinking.” “It’s ok, I can see now how bad we did just sound.” Lemon said “But I don’t seriously mean any of those things, I just get worked up easily.” The three ponies chuckled over the misunderstanding they had just shared, but Minty still felt a little unsure about it all. She decided not to tell them about the Changeling she was now living with and how she might be having warm fuzzy feelings about him. Instead she changed the topic to the latest recipes they had been trying, and ended her visit with her parents by trading recipes. She gave both her parents warm hugs and went off to check into the small hotel she was staying for the convention. Over the next three days, she learned new candy making techniques, saw the latest and greatest in candy making technology, and she even gave a presentation on how magic and technology can work together to make delicious candy fast. She was having tons of fun talking with the other inventors, swapping recipes with her fellow candy makers, and gather bags upon bags of merchandise. The last night she was staying the hotel she was greeted by and unexpected knock at her door. When she looked thought the peephole, she saw the form of her two parents. “Mom, Dad!” She exclaimed while opening the door “What are you two doing here? As they walked into the room they looked at Minty with Nervous smiles. “Your father and I have been thinking…” Cherry Fresh said while sitting down in a chair. Minty looked at her parents, confused and a little scared “What about, mom?” “We think it’s time that you knew something…” Lemon said as placed a hoof on your shoulder “Something about yourself…” “What is it?” She asked. What came out of her parents mouths shocked her at first, but it made sense. All the odd things about her life finally made sense. She wanted to keep this a secret to most of her friends, there was no need to frighten them with such a surprise. But there was one pony that would understand her and wouldn't care. Minty Fresh decided that she was going to tell the changeling living in her guest room as soon as she got home.
New life, part 1Banished. That was the thought that ran through the Changelings mind as he walked depressed through the Everfree Woods. With every step of his holed hoof the changeling recalled the events that had passed only a few hours ago. He knew he was in trouble when he heard his Queen scream out his name in rage, her voice ringing through the hive. “42!!” Howled the queen of the changelings. Her voice made every changeling clinch in fear, looking around to fin the very changeling she had called upon. 42 wasn’t a very bad changeling, with that said he wasn’t a very good changeling either. He had always questions the Queen’s reckless decisions, but he chose to obey them obediently. He feared what would happen if he ever did defy and deep down he knew that he was about to find out. He walked into the hive’s throne room with his head held high, the whispers of his fellow changelings echoed through the room. Chrysalis, the queen, was sitting on the highest chair in the room. It stood higher than any other changeling and seemed to be a part of the walls around it. She looked down at the shaking changeling who stood before, she had a look of anger that 42 had never seen. “Changeling 42, that is your identity, is it not?” The Queen asked. She knew very well that it was. No changeling would be stupid to take the place of another. Even though they all looked identical to each other, the Queen seemed to be able to spot the differences between every single changeling in the hive. She knew their identities, their jobs, and when they were born. “It is, my queen” The changeling looked straight forward in the official stance one was suppose to give when talking to the queen. Chrysalis hovered down to the ground, inches away from 42’s head. Seeing no reaction to her sudden movement, the Queen seemed satisfied and continued to address the changeling. “Do you know what you are here, 42?” “I do not, my queen.” He stayed steady, even though he was fearful for his life. Even though it was his hatching day, he knew the queen hadn’t called upon him to give him some cake and ice cream. The Queen never calls upon a changeling for good news, only bad. “Perhaps you will recall a few months ago, during our invasion of the capital.” Chrysalis said, started in to slowly pace around him “What was your job, 42?” “The find and subdue the local population, my queen” the Changeling answered, his voice staying steady as he began to recall the events that had passed. “And did you succeed?” The changeling queen asked as she got close to his face, watching it closely for any sign of weakness His job had been to find the ponies that lived in the area he was assigned and subdue them with his tar-like mucus. He was one of the first changelings in the area, and loyal to his duty. For weeks he had prepared to bring terror to every pony he saw. But upon landing he heard something he had never heard before. It was music. Long, drawn out, beautiful notes played by an expert musician. 42 stood outside of the house where it was coming from and watched as an earth pony bowed on an expertly crafted cello. The changeling watched her play for hours until he was finally blasted away by the royal couples blast. He had failed at his mission, but he felt that it was worth it to listen to the, dare he say, beautiful play the magical music. Changeling 42 looked up at the Queen and said “No, my queen. I did not”. She was taken by his honesty and the defiance in his voice. “And why is this?” Demanded the Queen 42 looked Chrysalis in the eyes “Because I experienced something better than anything I had ever felt before.” Queen Chrysalis took a few steps back, surprised by the Drones defiance. 42 just looked at the queen with pride, yet at the same time he feared for his life. Controlling her rage, the Queen calmly said “Very well then. Changeling Drone 42! For your negligence during the Canterlot Invasion, I hereby banish you from the hive!” Banished. The word had rung through the hive. Not a single changeling had been banished in a hundred years, and now 42 had become the first. Though the Queen claimed it was for his “negligence”, 42 knew that he was actually a scape goat to his queen’s rage. He was forced to walk the embarrassing path to the exit of the hive. All of his fellow changelings watched him, whispering insults about him. The sad little changeling looked back once before leaving the hive, and began his lonely journey into the Everfree woods in search of a new home. So it is then that we find our little changeling, wandering alone. Hooves sore, stomach grumbling. 42 was begin to regret his decision of defying the Queen. He began to think about what he could do to make it back to her. A sound then began to rise into his ears, a familiar sound that brought joy to his little holed heart. Music… He followed the notes as they echoed through the woods, making 42 remember why he left the Hive in the first place. The louder the music got, the faster his body moved through the forest. He began to ignore the pain and the hunger and focused only on the sweet pleasant music leading the way. He was almost blind with his passion for the music filling his mind. 42 almost didn’t notice the clearing that he was approaching. He smashed through the woods and into the clearing and came to a sudden halt. He stood there, unsure of what to do. The changeling was standing on the edge of a small town filled with countless ponies. Each and everypony was ignoring the changeling blending in with the forest behind him. “Well…” thought the changeling to himself “This is going to be a problem”
New Life, part 2The first thought that came to 42’s head was to change into one of them. He focused on a pony nearby and studied everything about his appearance, placing it in the back of his mind. After focusing for several minutes, he released his magic and lit up with a green flame. He opened his eyes to see if he was successful. “Son of a…” panted 42 after seeing he still looked like a changeling. “What the hay is wrong with me, Ive never failed at changing before!” At that moment, 42’s stomach let out a large growl. “Ah, that explains it. I haven’t fed for days, I must be running on fumes.” His natural instinct was to find a pony and steal enough love to fill his stomach. But how does one sneak up on a pony in a village of ponies in the form of a changeling? Could he actuly bring himself to steal love from these unsuspecting ponies? After all, this may be the only place he will be able to call home. If he is caught stealing from these ponies, they may never trust him again. The thought kept running through the changelings mind. He would come up with a solution to his problem and then eliminate it. 42 kept going in loops around his brain, almost making himself dizzy until suddenly, a loud excited voiced boomed behind him. “HI!” The voice exclaimed, making 42 jump 3 hooves in the air. He turned around rapidly in a half scared, half attack pose. “Who are you?!” Hissed 42 “What do you want with me?!” 42 was staring into two bright blue eyes on pale green skin. He backed away and saw the pony before him with more detail. Her mane was white with faint pink streaks, poking in-between locks of her mane was a small thin horn. “I saw you hiding in the bushes!” She said with a moderately high pitched voice “I thought you were playing hide n go seek! And I found you!!” She bounced a step back from the changeling who had a very confused look upon his face. She gave him a happy giggle as she saw how confused he was. “Y-yes…” 42 chuckled weakly “yes you did.” “I know! Isnt it great?!” The unicorn mare said with a bounce “Im Minty Fresh!! What’s your name?!” “Uhh… “ The changeling stumbled over his words. He had never been asked by a pony for his name before. “Im… 26… Changeling 26.” “26? That’s not a proper name!” Minty got close to 42’s face, examining his every feature. Shee looked deep into his eyes, flicked at his battered ears, and examined his jaws before finaly standing back and saying “Orange!’ “What?” asked the changeling confused. “Orange!” Minty Fresh said satisfied “Orange Mist! That’s your name!” “oh… well… thanks?” Asked the changeling even more confused. He had never had an actual name before. He never needed on. Changelings had numerical identities in the hive, It was more efficient to track a number then a name. The thought that this pony had given him a name stirred something inside him. He felt something warm, something nice towards this unicorn. 42 could give this feeling a name, but he liked it anyways. “Your welcome!” Grinned Minty “so what are you doing here in Ponyville anyways? Cause I know that you wern’t really playing hide and go seek.” “Well” said 42 “I was sort of banished from my hive. “ Minty gave a sad look to 42 “Oh, im sorry. That’s terrible!” “Yeah, can I ask you a question, Minty?” “Yeah sure” she replied with a slightly worried look The changeling sat down in front of the unicorn “Why are you not frightened of me?” Minty cocked her head sideways and gave him a funny look. “Frightened? Why would I be frightened of you?” “I’m a changeling! I’m a monster!! I steal love and take the form of other ponies!! Why wouldn’t you fear me?!?” Screamed 42, throwing his hooves in the air. Minty gave him a frown “Orange Mist!! You are not a monster!!! You are a changeling, and you wouldn’t steal it if you didn’t already have it! So I assume you don’t need to steal any of it now!” “What? What do you mean I won’t have to steal it now?” 42 asked, very confused on the pony’s reaction. “Orange… you are my friend now! I’ve been giving you love this whole time!” So that was what that feeling was. It was his stomach being filled enough to be content. “Minty, im not sure what to say…” he said shocked, why would pony just give him love without even knowing him? “Thank you…” “You don’t need to thank me! You’re my friend, it’s what friends do.” She said, walking over and placing a hoof on the changelings black shoulder “Now as for you changing into different forms, I think it would be best if you made your own.” “What? You want me to make up a new pony?” 42 stood up in shock. That would be impossible. He always needed to see an existing pony, to study its every detail to take their form. “Yes, I know you can.” Minty Fresh walked up to 42 and got close to his face “Just close your eyes” The Changeling listened “I’m honestly not sure this will work?” “Hush.” She said putting a hoof on his mouth “focus. You need to breath, open your mind. Think only about yourself.” Her voice became softer and smoother with each word the unicorn said. Minty’s voices seemed to echo gentle in his head, all his worries began to fade away. “Now” She sighed into his ear “Change.” On her command, 42 released all the energy he had stored up and allowed his green magic flame to engulf his whole body. Minty backed away, and the flames began to clear. “Orange…” She said “Open your eyes!” He slowly opened his eyes and the first thin he notices was a single lock of brown hair in his right eye. He brushed it away and noticed his new orange hooves, free from any holes. There wasn’t a single hole or spot on his body. His mane was short brown hair, with a horn pushing out of his head. Marking his flank was a metal plate and a spoon as his brand new cutie mark. “Minty, this is incredible!!” he smiled, running over and giving the unicorn an awkward hug. “I cant believe this! Im a pony, my very own pony self!!” “Yes! I know! I knew you could do it!” The two ponies began bouncing up and down in excitement. It was a rather unusual way for 42 to express his happiness, but it seemed the only way to do it in his new pony body. “But this is only a temporary form. It’s only going to last you long enough to get back to my house.” 42 stopped his bouncing and gave a slightly worried and confused look. “Your house?” “Yeah, of course!” Minty said with another big grin “You said that you were banished, so I assumed you need somewhere to stay. I live alone in my home and I have a guest bedroom you can stay in. “ “Minty, I don’t want to be any trouble. You’ve already done so much for me. I honestly can’t ask anything more from you” Said the changeling backing up “No! Please!” said the unicorn stepping closer to him, “I insist. I can help you out until you can get on your own four hooves.” “No, I can’t. I just can’t” He said, trying to step away from Minty She just gave him a big, sad look, pushing tears into her eyes. “Please?” He stared into her teary blue eyes, part of him wanted to push her away and sleep in the woods. Another part, a new stronger part, told him that she was right, that this was the best thing that could happen to him. If he denied her request then he would regret for the rest of his life. “Alright” He sighed “I do it, only because you are so insistent” “YEA!!” Exclaimed the unicorn, bouncing up and down. “Come on! Let’s go, now before you lose all of your energy.” Minty Fresh grabbed Orange Mist, aka Changeling 42, and dragged him out into the town plaza. He led him all the way to her small one story home located just down the street from Sugar Cube Corner. She took the changeling and pushed him inside and showed him to his room. It was the most comfy bed that 42 had ever been on. As he lay in his new bed, he thought back on all of the events that had happened in the last two days. As bad as most of it was, he smiled. All he could think about was the great new friend he had made. How she had opened his eyes to possibilities, and how she welcomed him into her home. He had some form of warm, kind feelings toward the Pony. 42 were unsure what there were, but he liked them. “I could probably get used to life here.” Sighed the pony happily as he stretched out and fell asleep. And this is where the real story of Changeling 42’s new life begins…
42, candy maker“WAKE UP!!!” screamed an excited voice in 42’s ear “TODAYS THE DAY!!!” The changeling groggily woke up and looked at the mare in front of him. It took him a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the amount of color before him. Minty’s green skin and her white and pink hair seemed to almost blind his eyes. She was hoping about the guest room 42 called home using her magic to open the blinds. “What are you talking about?” He said covering his eyes with a hoof, which was ineffective because of the holes running throughout his limbs. “Today is the day for what?” “For your first day on the job!!” she said with a smile. The changeling looked at Minty Fresh with a confused glare “What do you mean my job?” “With me at the Candy shop!” exclaimed the pink pony grabbing 42’s hoof and dragging through the one story house and into the kitchen. “Don’t you remember? I told you a few days ago that you were going to work with me making sweets in my shop.” She threw Changeling 42 into a chair and placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of him. He sniffed it cautiously and had to control his gag reflex. Changelings don’t need to eat solid food. They fed on love for nutrition and Minty Fresh was giving him plenty of that. He had enough to feed himself and the entire hive for a week. Not wanting to be impolite to his friend he grabbed the bowl and began to force the soggy, gooey food down his throat. “I’m not sure if that is such a great idea, Minty.” Said 42 trying to ignore the food he was eating. He didn’t mind most pony food, most of it tasted fine. But this, this was the worst thing he had ever tasted. He placed the bowl down and slowly began pushing it away from himself. “I’m not much of a candy kind of pony. I can’t even properly make toast. You do remember what happened when I tried to make breakfast yesterday, right?” Minty shuddered slightly thinking about the previous days morning. “Yes… but this time I will be there to guide and teach you the art of candy making!” “Yeah, but..” “Shhh…” The pony placed a hoof over the changelings mouth “I will teach you. Besides! It’s way easier than making toast!” The removed her hoof from 42’s mouth and grabbed his home and pulled him towards the door. “C’mon! We need to get going! We are going to be late!” Minty said as they left the house “Minty, aren’t you going to eat breakfast as well?” asked the changeling “NO NEED! NO TIME!! LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!” Hollered the excited unicorn leading the way down the street and to a little shop decorated with candy canes, taffy, and chocolate bars. “We’re here!” “Nice place.” 42 said as he looked at the rows and rows of candy sitting on trays behind the counter. “Thanks, now the first thing we need to do is to fire up the machines!” explained Minty as her horn illuminated and three large machines coughed and wheezed to life. The changeling walked over to the machine trying figure out how it worked and what it did. “What is it, Minty?” he asked She gave the machine a sturdy pat before saying “This here what I like to call ‘The Super Duper Candy Pooper’! She can produced twenty to thirty candy canes and minty treats per second” She stood there smiling proudly at 42. “Alright, what do we actually do?” “We load the ingredients into that opening.” She pointed at an opening at the top of the tall machine in front of them “And then the candy comes out here.” Minty then pointed to a conveyer belt. “I see…” the changeling said “So why don’t you go back into that closet and get the bag with the green stripes and pour it into the machine while I start to open up the shop!” She pointed to a nearby closet and then walked off to the front of the store, leaving 42 alone to do his new job. “Alright, 42. This is a simple job. Just empty the bag with green stripes into the Pooper.” The changeling reassured himself as he walked over to the closet. He opened the door and let out a frustrated sigh. Every bag, every single bag had green stripes. “OK, it seems simple enough. Clearly I just need to take any one of these bags and put it in the Super Duper Candy Pooper.” He picked up a nearby bag, ripped it open with his fangs and hovered up to the Pooper’s opening. He shook the whole bag in and listened to it rev up. 42 landed in front of the conveyer belt at the same time Minty returned to check on his progress “All done?” she asked “Yep” grinned the changeling with a tooth grin “That was was easier then I though it was!” “Good” Minty picked up one of the candy canes, “Now all we have to do it is test out the treats!” Minty stuck the candy cane in her mouth, sucked on it for a few seconds, and then spat it out. She rushed over to a nearby sink and began washing her mouth out. “Is something wrong?” 42 asked walking over to the mare After looking up and and glaring at 42, Minty panted and said “What did you put in the Super Duper Candy Pooper?” He took a few steps back from the irritated unicorn “just the… uhh… bag with green stripes!” “Which one?” she asked stepping closer to the slightly scared changeling. 42 gave her a quick glance ”What do you mean ‘which one’? They are all bags with green stripes!” Minty Fresh slapped hoof on her face “42…” “yes?” “They are all labeled with what machine to put them it!” Minty sighed “Well you never told me that!?” shouted the Changeling “All you said was to put the bag into the machine. You never said identify which bag with green stripes!!” Minty Fresh slapped her hoof to her face “Ok, how about I finish this up. You go to the next machine. It is exactly the same thing on you want the bag filled with coca chunks. Do you understand?” “Yes yes, I understand now” the changeling sighed as he buzzed into the closet and pulled out a bag. “Is this the correct bag?” he asked sarcastically holding up the bag So Minty could see it clearly She sighed “Yes, now just pour the chunks into the machine!” “Alright, No need to tell me twice” mumbled 42 as he hovered up to the machine, leaving Minty to fix his mistake. He once again ripped open the bag and began to empty out the contents into the hungry machine. Once all of the cocoa beans had been dumped into the machine, 42 threw the empty sack over his shoulder. It got caught in one of his wings and hung down low enough for the machine to grab hold of the sack. It began to drag the changeling towards the open mouth of the machine. “Minty! Help!” hollered 42, but the machine’s rumble was to loud for anypony to hear him. Closer and closer, he kept pulling and tugging on the sack, trying to get it off his wing. The machine kept drawing him closer and closer until it violently drew the changeling in. “Odd,” Thought Minty as she heard a the machine c At that moment the changeling was riding out of the machine on the conveyer belt. He was encased in a thick layer of fudge and a cherry had been placed on top of his head. “42!” the unicorn gasped as she ran over and tried to help the glaring changeling out of the fudge. “What happened?” “I got... the bag… in!” 42 panted. “Oh my!” Her horn illuminated and surrounded 42 in and green aura making nearly all of the fudge on his body disappear. All that remains was a small patch on the head surrounding the cherry. “How about you call it a day, huh?” Minty said as she grabbed the cherry from 42’s head. “That seems like a marvelous idea.” 42 hopped off of the conveyer belt and began walking towards the door. “I don’t think I’m made to be a candy maker.” “Oh 42, sure you are!” the unicorn led him to the door “You go back home and rest for tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?” Asked the changeling half way out of the door. Minty Fresh just gave him a big grin before pushing him out of the shop saying “Why we can’t let you quit because you had a bad day!” She shut the door and left the worried changeling outside. He was about to start flying home when he thought he smelled something. Something in the air that most ponies cant smell, magic. But it was pony magic; no this had a muskier smell. It smelled almost like… changeling magic? But that’s impossible, thought 42. He looked around the town square he was hovering in, sniffing the air to find the source. He thought he was getting closer to finding the source when the fragrance of Minty’s candy and the pastries being made at Sugar Cube Corner. Maybe he was imagining things. Besides, if there was another changeling in Ponyville, he would know… right? 42 shrugged off the thought and flew back home. Somehow, after everything that went wrong, 42 enjoyed his first day on the job. Minty seemed to enjoy his help, and whatever made Minty Fresh happy made Changeling 42 happy.
A Minty Tale (side adventure)“Hello world!” Sighed Minty as she breathed in the crispy Canterlot air. She had just hopped out of the Friendship Express from Ponyville and was grinning, thinking about what she was going to do now that she had returned to her old home. Sure she was only here for a few days in order to attend a candy makers convention, but that wasn’t going to stop her from visiting old friends and family. Minty hadn’t been back home since she moved to Ponyville to start a new branch of the family shop. “First thing I'm going to do,” Minty told herself “is to check on Mum and Pop.” She gathered her bag and headed off towards the busy market district of Canterlot. The streets were crowded and the shops were bursting with upper class customers looking for the latest and greatest trend. Minty shoved her way through the main square and into an almost calm and quiet alleyway where a small sign hung above a bright green door. Minty Fresh walked through the door and was greeted by the familiar smell of candies being baked in the back and the sound of smooth jazz playing from a nearby gramophone. grinning she walked around the shop crammed with sweets, taking in the same pleasant sites she had seen as a Filly. She walked over to the main counter and rung the light bell sitting near the register. “Just a moment!” sung a high pitched bright voice from the back room. The sound of the Mares voice made Minty’s smile grow twice as big. That same smile grew even bigger when a large yellow stallion with purple hair stumbled behind the counter, his face being blocked by a large stack of chocolate bars he was carrying with his hooves. “Hang on let me put these down…” panted the earth pony Minty cover her mouth with a hoof, trying to hold back a happy chuckle “That’s ok, I can wait” The earth pony froze in his tracks and threw all the chocolate lazily on a nearby shelf and turned and looked at Minty. He smiled and ran around the counter and gave her a big hug. “Minty!” He smiled as he kept a tight grip on the unicorn “Its so nice to see you again!” She returned the hug saying “I know, Dad! I’m glad to see you too.” “Cherry!” Minty’s father shouted to the back kitchen “some see who’s here!!” He let the unicorn out of his hug, but kept his hooves on her shoulders. “Look at you, it’s been awhile, Minty” “I know, sorry about that. I’ve been really busy lately with the shop and my new fri-“ She was cut off by a loud high pitched voice “Lemon! So help me! I am in the middle of making five batches of chocolate turnovers, five pies and…” As the red earth pony mare walked out into the shop screaming at Minty’s father. She stopped and stared at the green unicorn standing beside the yellow pony . “Mint…” gasped Cherry Fresh, Minty’s mother, as she ran over and grabbed Minty in an even tighter hug. “Welcome home.” “Thanks, Mom” She exhaled as she returned the hug “C’mon” said Lemon Fresh, Minty’s father, as he picked up her bag she had dropped during their hug “We want to here everything that’s been going on with you” “Well I would love to drop everything, dear” Sighed Cherry as she let Minty go “But we do have a large number of sweets that need to get made for the royal banquet tomorrow. And we both know how fast Celestia goes through all of our candy.” Lemon moaned with frustration “That’s right. How about you come back a little later today, Minty. We can all catch up then.” “Well, If you guys don’t mind, I was hoping I could bake with you guys. We can catch up while doing what we all love, just like when I was a filly.” “That would be wonderful!” Cherry sighed “I’ll just place your bag in the closet, and ill join you guys in the back.” Informed Lemon with a big smile. The Fresh family entered into the kitchen and began working on a large order of sweets. Minty told them everything from when she arrived to when she had opened her shop for the first time. Her parents shared all of the latest Canterlot gossip, how they were doing with the shop. Lemon fresh ranted about how he hated working in such a small shop in an alleyway. He felt they deserved a large shop with a giant window to show off their work. Cherry Fresh would, as usual, settle him down by explaining how Canterlot upper-class doesn’t want to be seen eating such unhealthy food and how their business is doing just as good as it would if it were on the main road. The whole afternoon was filled with smiles, laughter and the sweet smell of candy baking in the ovens. The whole visit was going great until Minty’s parents began telling her their point of view during the Canterlot Invasion. They explained that they saw the changelings attack their friends and how a small pack of them broke into the store and tried to capture them. “The holed mutts lunged at us” Exclaimed Lemon Fresh “I bucked them right in their nasty mouths!” He grinned and walked over to a nearby shelf where are large fang was being displayed “I knocked this out of one of ‘em!” he boasted “It was so frightening” Cherry sighed “Thank Celestia your father was here to keep me safe. Who knows what would have happened.” Minty looked a little annoyed “I’m sure they wouldn’t do anything to bad, Mom” “I could see it in their lifeless eyes!” Cherry said in a serious tone “There is no good in those… those things!” “It’s true” Lemon agreed, as he stirred in a large bag or minty flavoring into a mixture “Those little monsters deserve to be locked up and put away. And don’t get me started on what I would do to one if I got my hooves on one.” “DAD!!” Minty Shouted “How could you say such a thing! They were probably just solders following the orders of their Queen.” “Doesn't matter, dear” Cherry argued as she pulled a large tray of truffles “They all had a choice, and they chose to attack us and steal our candy!” “You’re talking about Changelings as though they aren’t ponies like us!” “No, honey we’re not.” Gasped Cherry as she walked over to Minty Lemon, following his wife’s lead “We are simply saying that we don’t think those particular changelings made the right choice. We don’t hate all changelings, just the few that attacked us.” “Are you sure?” Asked Minty with a confused look “Of course, honey you know us.” Cherry smiled “Have ever seemed racist to you?” Minty chuckled a little “Yeah, your right. I don’t know what I was thinking.” “It’s ok, I can see now how bad we did just sound.” Lemon said “But I don’t seriously mean any of those things, I just get worked up easily.” The three ponies chuckled over the misunderstanding they had just shared, but Minty still felt a little unsure about it all. She decided not to tell them about the Changeling she was now living with and how she might be having warm fuzzy feelings about him. Instead she changed the topic to the latest recipes they had been trying, and ended her visit with her parents by trading recipes. She gave both her parents warm hugs and went off to check into the small hotel she was staying for the convention. Over the next three days, she learned new candy making techniques, saw the latest and greatest in candy making technology, and she even gave a presentation on how magic and technology can work together to make delicious candy fast. She was having tons of fun talking with the other inventors, swapping recipes with her fellow candy makers, and gather bags upon bags of merchandise. The last night she was staying the hotel she was greeted by and unexpected knock at her door. When she looked thought the peephole, she saw the form of her two parents. “Mom, Dad!” She exclaimed while opening the door “What are you two doing here? As they walked into the room they looked at Minty with Nervous smiles. “Your father and I have been thinking…” Cherry Fresh said while sitting down in a chair. Minty looked at her parents, confused and a little scared “What about, mom?” “We think it’s time that you knew something…” Lemon said as placed a hoof on your shoulder “Something about yourself…” “What is it?” She asked. What came out of her parents mouths shocked her at first, but it made sense. All the odd things about her life finally made sense. She wanted to keep this a secret to most of her friends, there was no need to frighten them with such a surprise. But there was one pony that would understand her and wouldn't care. Minty Fresh decided that she was going to tell the changeling living in her guest room as soon as she got home.
