A Complimation of Incomplete (for good reason) Storiesby CxcdChaptersSurprise Walks the Two WorldsDerpy's Eye ExamCelestia's Personal Double - 01Celestia's Personal Double - 02The Doctor Explains RegenerationSurprise Walks the Two WorldsAuthor's Note This story was born from an idea of trying to write a story about split-personality disorder. I kept feeling like I was flubbing it up, so I litterally split Pinkie into her G1 equivalent. I canned it because- honestly, I just didn't like the way I was writing Surprise. Surprise Walks the Two Worlds T’was late at night, not a filly stirring. The wind blew quietly through the glistening castle as all ponies were sleeping. There, sitting upon a chair, reading a book, was a purple alicorn named Twilight Sparkle. She used her magic to flip the page, the candle bringing her light burning dangerously dim. From afar, the only features lit up were her muzzle, eyes, left ear, and horn. Then, like a ghost in the night, the wick sputtered and spent it’s supply, draping darkness’s blanket across the library. Twilight heaved a sigh, mentally placing her page number in her mind. It was a beat or two while she decided what to do next, when suddenly, the sound of a crashing window broke her stupor. Eyes suddenly split wide awake as she scanned the library, heartrate ever increasing. The glass hit the floor, creating a sound not too disimilar from a cascade of rain on a stormy night. Slowly, Twilight prepared every defensive spell she knew, channeling her magic through her horn. She cast a light spell, creating a purple glow across the castle floor. She scanned each room, using her princess training like a true soldier. At this moment, she really wished she asked for guards at her palace. In every room, she found nothing. Not a peep, nor a shingle out of place. Everything was exactly as she left it. Even Spike seemed to be snoring through the event. She shook her head as she closed the door to Spike’s room. Eventually, she came to the door she wished she hadn’t. In the long hallway, this seemed to be the last door to be the culprit. Even more scarily, it was the door that lead to the room containing a magical gateway, disguised as a simple mirror. It lead to another world, full of critters called ‘humans’ and the like. Twilight pushed her defensive magical spells to the forefront of her mind, and pushed open the door with a hoof. On the ground, shattered into a million pieces, was the mirror. Her only direct access to the human world- gone. And she hadn’t even said goodbye. Twilight shook her head, directing her attention to yet another mystery. The sound of the shattering of glass was from the mirror. That much was obvious. So that begged the question into why the nearby window was also shattered. And why there was no glass on the ground from said window. Twilight leaned out of the window, being sure to avoid any broken glass. There was her answer. There was no broken glass near or from the window, because the window broke outwards. Something had gotten out. The wind howled a ghostly melody. It seemingly rolled off of the Everfree, infecting the entire town. Although it wasn’t Nightmare Night yet, it sure seemed like the town was in the mood. Posters hung for the next freakshow, lights dangling from house to house. There were certianly pockets of activities, as it wasn’t like the entire town was asleep. Here, there were ponies dancing to festive music. There, there were ponies drinking spiked cider for their own bemusement. A white pegasus made sure to avoid these areas. Her coat was becoming stained with blood, specifically around her front hooves, dragging lines behind her as she hovered a solid foot above the ground. A nearby pony, walking from presumably a bar, gave her a friendly wave. With a forced smile, she returned the wave. She loved making ponies happy. It was her special talent, after all. Even in the most dire circumstances, if a pony were to wave, she would wave back. And right now, this seemed pretty dire. She was in a completely unfamiliar town, surrounded by unfamiliar ponies, in an unfamiliar land, and quite possibly in an unfamiliar world. This was, by definition, the most dire situation. Not to mention the bleeding, which she seemed to be able to ignore less and less as the pain in her hooves only flared up more and more. Her friend, Twilight, told her to stay away from the creatures of this world. She said that she might not know their customs, greetings, language, or even whether they were friendly to them or not. But- from a cursory glance, they not only looked identical to where she came from, all of the shop signs looked like legible language. There was one about muffins, there was one about quills and sofas. It all seemed pretty stock standard from where she came from. But the true differences were the subtleties. She looked up, and what she saw wasn’t her night sky. It wasn’t the night sky she grew up under. It was completely different. Not a single constellation nor star was in the same place. Everypony’s Cutiemarks were larger, and less complicated. Although hers was simple, being five balloons, she knew her friends would stick out like a sore thumb. Whatever Twilight said, she had to swallow her pride, and ask for help. No matter how terrible it would be. Another nearby pony waved as she flew by. With a sickly gulp, she turned around and flew towards him. “Hello?” She asked in a suspicously meek voice. The stallion, being brown with a spiky mane, turned and looked at her. She couldn’t make out much of his face due to the darkness, but she could atleast tell his eyebrow was raised. “Hello, my dear.” He said, slightly slurred. “How might I help you?” He asked. She almost put a hoof to her nose, smelling the alchohol emitting from his breath. “H-Hey. So- I had a bit of an accident. I’m new here, and I broke a window.” She held out her hooves. “Do you know of anypony that could help with this?” The stallion looked down. There was perhaps a twitch of the head, and any sluriness that was once covering his voice suddenly vanished. “Great wickering stallions!” He said at an above-room voice. “Are you okay?” “Me? Oh, I’m fine.” She said. “What about you?” “My dear, I would recommend you-” He looked around for a moment, spotting a nearby building. “Go knock on that door. There’s a really nice mare in there named Pinkie Pie. I’m sure you’ve already met her. She’s great with her hooves, and can help fix you up in a giffy!” “Thank you.” She said, starting to hover away. “It was nice meeting you!” “My pleasure.” He said. “My name is Doc. What’s yours?” “Surprise.” She said, turning towards the building as the stallion trotted away. The building he pointed to was a large, towering place. It stood taller than nearly every other building in the vicinity. It’s walls were similar to a gingerbread house, support struts made of candycane as the roof looked like it was practically melting chocolate. She took a deep breath, flew towards the door, and knocked. The thing about knocking with cut hooves… it hurts. Surprise let out a gasp of pain in the middle of her third knock, flying back aways and holding her hoof close to her chest. With a little nursing, it wasn’t out of the question that she forgot she had knocked in the first place. When she heard the door open, she instantly flipped and turned around. It was a tall, lanky stallion. His hair was frayed orange, and his coat was a darker yellow. His green eyes looked tired as he stared Suprise up and down. “Err- may I help you?” He asked in a customer-service esk-tone. “Oh- sorry to bother you, sir.” Surprise apolagized. The porch light shone down on her, highlighting her own blonde mane as she flapped in the wind. “I asked a stallion over there, and he said I should come here!” The stallion raised his eyebrow, still staring at her. “Come here for what?” He finally asked. “Oh! Right.” She said sheepishly, taking her hooves out from behind her back. “He said I could get some help here?” “Geesh!” The stallion said, taking a sudden step back. “What happened? Did you take a dive from a window?” “Yes.” Surprise deadpanned. “The stallion said a pony named Pinkie Pie could help me.” “Oh, of course!” He said, taking a step back and clearing the door. “Come on in!” “Thank you.” She said, flying through the unobstructed door. Inside, it was obvious the place was a parlor of some kind. Empty display cases sat near the side, and a till was left open with nothing in it. A few dim lights were on, giving the place a more than spooky vibe. “Are you alright?” A new voice asked. Surprise turned, meeting the careful gaze of a slightly pudgy blue mare with a pink, ice-cream swirl of a mane. “Oh- uhh- yes, thank you.” Surprise said, dipping her head. “I appreaciate the concern. It doesn’t hurt.” She lied. “Oh well, that’s just fine then.” She smiled. “My name is Cup Cake. That was Carrot Cake.” “Nice to meet you.” Surprise held up her sliced hoof. “I would bump hooves, but- you know.” “Oh, not a problem, dear.” She said. “You can take a seat if you’d like.” “Oh, thank you.” Surprise said, landing onto a seat near a table. She debated putting her hooves on the table, but eventually decided against it, wanting to keep her new friend’s table as clean as possible. The stallion came back, telling Surprise that the Pinkie Pie was gathering some equipment first. Then, Cup cake offered her a glass of water, to which she generously accepted. She used her wings to take a sip. “Don’t worry, Doctor Pinkie is on the case!” That voice… Sounded awfully familiar. Surprise tilted her head, taking in the full sight. It was a pink pony, true to her name. Her mane was poofy, and she wore a huge smile. It was a matter of moments where Surprise’s eyes tilted down to her Cutiemark. It was almost identical to hers. Except instead of five balloons, it was three. Now that she noticed her Cutiemark, her mane was styled almost identically to her own. “What may be the problem- wo-o-oah!” Pinkie exclaimed, looking down at her hooves. “That doesn’t look too good! Don’t worry, I’ll have you fixed in no time!” Pinkie began working on her hooves. Surprise stared in surprise as she worked, surprisingly painlessly, on her hooves. The poofy mane, the cutiemark, even the wide smile on her face. She looked… She looked so similar to herself. “So.” Surprise started. “What do you- uhm- do?” “Me?” Pinkie asked, her mouth tightening a bandadge. “I throw parties!” Surprise felt even more unsure. “Yup!” She spit out the fabric. “Ponyville’s premiere party planner!” Ponyville. That was the location of her home, too. This place kept getting weirder and weirder. “So. What do you do?” “Huh? Oh- I plan parties.” Surprise said. It wasn’t two seconds until she had realized her mistake. Pinkie temporarily stopped wrapping her hooves and looked up at her with a surprised look. “This is getting weird.” Carrot Cake said, breaking silence finally. “I mean- you two look like clones!” “Heey- did you, by chance, “My name is Surprise, and I think I’m you from another dimension.” The silence that followed was short lived. “What?” Pinkie yelled. “That’s super-awesome! Double Pinkies? Can you imagine what we could do? We could throw like- the biggest party ever!” Derpy's Eye Exam“Uhh-” “It’s alright, sweetie. Take your time.” “Err- E.” “Very good! Now, can you tell me what this one is?” “E.” “Ooh, sorry, Ditzy, this is an ‘F.’” The doctor’s words had a profound effect on the filly. She drooped her head a few hooves, her eyelids fluttering closed as she took a deep, shaky breath. The doctor cringed slightly at the scene unfolding in front of him, a bluish-gray pegasus mare with a lighter-brown mane quickly wrapped a caring hoof around her daughter, currently sitting a decent distance from the white poster on the wall. Off to the side, sitting disinterestedly, was an earth-pony stallion. His coat was a dark gray, his mane white. He wore oval-shaped spectacles, his blue eyes beyond barely paying attention. His hooves were crossed over his chest, almost itching to get out of the doctor’s office. “Doctor, what’s wrong with me?” The small filly asked in a polite, yet squeaky voice. The doctors heart dropped a few notches as he remembered what the filly’s mother, Graceful Falls, had said earlier about the filly. Along with eye-sight issues, she had a few developmental issues as well. Most the time, she couldn’t understand, or would pretend to not understand the situation unraveling. Most pediatric psychiatrists said she was trying to get the adults to talk when she felt they were in uncomfortable situations. And so, the doctor talked. “Nothing, Ditzy. You’re just a tad bit… special? Sometimes, ponies don’t grow up one-hundred percent. But that’s nothing to be ashamed of. As a matter-of-fact, you are special. And you should feel special.” He had approached the pouting filly, resting a hoof tentatively on her shoulder, along with Grace. The moment was interrupted by a scoff from the stallion. “Special? I’ve never seen a filly her age who can’t read.” The doctor took a deep breath inwards, trying not to snip back at the father, Zippy. He leveled his emotions back, still facing away from the stallion. He decided the best coarse of action was to completely ignore him. “You have an excuse, Ditzy. Your eyesight isn’t normal. You’ll just need more help in the future-” “Lot more help.” The doctors throat clenched again. He tried swallowing the lump in his throat. Judging by Grace’s expression, this wasn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply once more. His face temporarily contorted to one of frustration before remembering peering eyes were focusing on him. Well, one unfocused peering eye. The other one was drifting towards the floor. “S-So.” Graceful Falls spoke for the first time since arriving. “Is there a- a- spell you could use?” “I’m sorry, Grace, but these sorts of things are very delicate. There isn’t always a magical spell to fix everything-” The doctor realized his condescending tone, and mentally took a step back. “Sorry- I didn’t mean for that to sound rude. I mean for a developing filly like Ditzy, her condition developed in such a short amount of time, we likely would’ve never caught it.” “Doctors…” The stallion grumbled. He clenched his teeth again. “I- I understand. It’s okay, it was a dumb question anyway…” “No! Not at all. No medical question isn’t worth asking.” He gave her a small smile, to which Grace only looked away, back at the attentive filly. Although she was atleast partially looking at the doctor, it seemed like something else was going on inside her mind. “There are 35 tiles in this room.” “...What?” “35 tiles. The ponies who painted this room took 1,326 paint strokes with a roller.” “Huh?” “That, and the previous pony in this room had an advance form of hay-fever.” “How- did you know?” “About what?” “T-The paint strokes. Your eyes… you can’t see the wall!” “I can’t. When we walked in, I ran a hoof over the wall. If each portion is a brushstroke, I eye-balled the multiplication along the length and height of the wall, times four for each wall.” “R-Right. Then what about hay-fever?” “Did the last patient have hay-fever?” “Y-Yes?” “Yeah. I can smell it.” “What?” The doctor shook his head, trying his hardest to expel the confusion and refocus onto the filly sitting in front of him. “Y-You can smell hay-fever?” “Yup. When a pony looses one of their senses, their other ones are raised to make up the difference.” The doctor took a long sigh, for perhaps the tenth time that day, and offered a smile. He raised a hoof, ruffling the small filly’s mane. “You were always the smart one, weren’t you?” “Yup.” She said, smiling back. “Alright, time to get the hay out of here.” Zippy said, standing onto his hooves. “I dunno about you guys, but I am hungrier than a horse. Grace, you’re paying.” “Wait! I still need you two to fill out-” “Grace can do it. I’ll be waiting out in the lobby.” He quickly pushed open the door to the rest of the hospital, and walked out. “Mom- why is Daddy mad?” Ditzy looked to her mom for comfort. She diverted her gaze away from the filly. “B-Because he doesn’t like hospitals.” She lied. “Mom. You know I’m not asking about today. I’ve asked this question a thousand times. Why is Daddy always mad? Why can’t I get him back the way he was before?” “B-Because- h-he doesn’t. Umm.” Graceful came to a mental halt, still not meeting one of the filly’s eyes. “Because your father doesn’t understand you.” The doctor cut in. “You need to be there for him to understand. You need to be the filly who ropes him back in. Ya’ got that, sis?” “Yeah. Thanks.” She looked to her hooves. “...I wish I had you for a dad.” An icy-dagger was thrust through the doctors heart. How could somepony be so cruel to such a precious thing? “I- Ditzy, I’m your family doctor. I’ll always be there, alright? Please, never discredit your father. He does try. He’s just… confused. Now, I believe you have a hungry stallion waiting for you, hmm? Let me go grab that paperwork.” He got up, and paced to the door, taking one last look at Grace holding Ditzy in her hooves. The sight warmed his heart. Hopefully, he could see this through. “E.” “Very good.” He moved the stick down lower. “What’s this one?” “F, then P.” “...And?” “T, O, Z.” “...Aaand?” “L, P, E, D.” “Aaaaand?” “PECFDEDFCZPFELOPZDDEFPOTECLEFODPCTFDPLTCEOPEZOLCFTD.” “Very, very good!” The doctor dropped the stick from his magic, instead opting to grab a nearby clipboard, going over a few simple notes. “Well, everything here looks absolutely fantastic! She is a perfectly healthy 6-year-old unicorn.” Ditzy’s smile grew a few paces wider, and quickly made to wrap her daughter in a constricting hug. “Dinky- I’m so proud of you!” The small purple unicorn started to struggle breathing. “M-Mom, it’s a physical!” She took a deep breathe in. “You can’t really do ‘good’ at a physical!” Finally, Ditzy’s grip loosened, and the filly took several deep breaths, her head swimming with built-up oxygen. “But you can!” Ditzy looked at the doctor, one eye slanted towards the floor. “Doc, don’t you remember my physicals?” “Why, can’t say I don’t.” He put a hoof on his chin, remembering the years past. Dinky’s face turned to one of pure confusion as she looked at the doctor like her world was shattered. “Wait!” She half-yelled. “You were mom’s doctor, too?” “Of course, Dinky. Family doctors are just that. Family doctors. We stick around for life.” He puffed his chest up, displaying proud. “Just how old are you?” “Dinky!” Ditzy suddenly shouted, pulling her into yet another hug. “You can’t just say those things!” “It’s quite alright. After all, a doctor never reveals his tricks.” The doctor winked at the filly. “B-But that’s what Trixie says. Wait, were you Trixie’s doctor, too?” “Can’t say I’m familiar with the name. I’m not everypony’s doctor, unfortunately.” “Oh. Was mom healthy?” “Err-” The doctor turned to Ditzy, who gave him a smile and nodded. “Well- Mom always had developmental problems, you know this. She had to have extra help growing up. You better be happy you take after your-” He stopped, mouth still open. Nope. Touchy subject. Don’t go there. “After my what?” “N-Nothing. You’re just lucky you didn’t go through what your mother did.” “What did she go through?” Dinky turned to Ditzy. “Mom, what happened?” “Well, sweetie…” Ditzy looked forwards, pondering what to say next. A lump formed in her throat. “You know how grandma is sweeter than an apple pie?” “Yeah?” “W-Well, she wasn’t always like that. Everypony makes mistakes, and while Grandma was having me, she made… a lot of mistakes.” “Like what?” “S-She married the wrong stallion. That stallion let her- uhm- hit the cider?” “Oh. Wait! Does this means I have a grandpa?” “No!” Ditzy accidentally shouted in the small room. She put a hoof over her mouth, and looked warily at the doctor. Dinky moved away from her mother, and looked at her in the eye. “Why not?” “H-He wasn’t very nice. He died a few years ago.” “Like dad?” “Eurgh-” Ditzy didn’t want to be reminded of him, either. And the fact she’s lying about the circumstances around Dinky’s father’s disappearance. “N-No.” “But just ‘cause he’s dead doesn’t mean he’s not my grandpa.” “Dinky, grandpa wasn’t a nice man. Family means sticking together. He didn’t stick together, so he isn’t family.” “Oh.” The doctor had failed. He hadn’t watched the family pull through. He was watching a broken single mother with her only daughter. Yet, they still seemed extremely happy. Ditzy was talking like nothing was wrong in the world. It was like watching Ditzy explain what an apple was, and why they tasted good. Then a thought occurred to him. Something Ditzy did twenty years ago. Dinky was asking questions because she was concerned for her mother. She already knew the answers. Ditzy knew she did, too. Dinky was trying to get Ditzy to talk, because she thought it got too uncomfortable. Deja-vu. Although the sad scene almost brought a tear to the doctor’s eye, the sadness couldn’t help but become overwritten by a bout of happiness. Although the two ponies in front of him had their hardships, they were still smiling to each other. They were still happy. The battle was fought and lost. They laid down their swords, yet they were still happy. “Dinky, I have one last thing to give you.” He reached a hoof into his coat-pocket. “Lollipop?!” Instantly, the small filly was sitting directly in front of the doctor, puppy eyeing him. “Yup. And it’s all yours.” “Gimmiegimmiegimmiegimmie-” She took the lollipop, and without a moments hesitation, sunk her teeth into it. “The wrapper needs to come off first.” “Puh!” She spit out the plastic. “Knew that!” And continued eating. Author's Note This was, litterally, my second ever attempt at writing a MLP Fanfic. My first attempt was Rusty Gear, and that came out about as well as you would think. This one is very rough. First draft rough. I canned it because it felt too overly- i dunno, edgy? Some of the character dialogue made me raise an eyebrow while writing it. Also, I made Derpy super smart for like- no reason. Reeks of early writing. Celestia's Personal Double - 01The dark dungeons were properly full of gunge and other unnecessary liquids. The changeling drone cried softly in the corner, keeping to herself and away from the barred walls. For the first time in her entire existence of being a changeling, she was alone. Alone not only in physicality, but also mentally. Only her own thoughts drifted pointlessly through her brain. The swarm had decided she was a lost cause, being captured by the Equestrian Royal Guard for participating during the Canterlot siege. The swarm had cut her off. The swarm expected her to die. And so she would. She was loyal to her Queen… Right? The Queen that almost got her killed during the love-shield blast. The Queen that will now get her killed after taking away her only supply of love, via the residual energy in the hive mind. In the dungeon, she couldn’t taste love. Not here, not anywhere in Canterlot. Everypony always looked through the bars with a disgust riddled on their faces. The only energy emitted from those ponies were anger, or disgust. Neither of which she could eat, and neither of which she could survive on. They weren’t even particularly good tasting. As she laid curled up in a ball on Canterlot’s patheic excuse for a bed, she felt the cold grasps of forever sleep liquidating the last remnants of sanity as she slipped deeper into the end. Starving was such a horrible way to die. For anything, not just Changeling. The guards didn’t even spare her a second glance as their shadows danced across the flickering flame-light, most likely unaware that she was dying. They gave her food in the form of colorless glop each and every day, three times the day. But Changelings couldn’t eat pony food. That was a lie. They could, but only to fit in. A mere disguise mechanism to properly fool anypony. They didn’t gain any nutricional value from eating food. Which made her mad. Angry, even. Angry at her own bio-chemistry for being so useless. Perfectly good food going straight through her system. Perfectly nutritional food being turned into unescesarry waste. Her mind drifted back towards her Queen. Why couldn’t they be like any other hive? Why did they have to steal love? The other eastern hives traded love. ‘Let us feed on your love, and we will pay you!’ Those purple-maned changelings didn’t even need to leave their hive, ever! Ponies willingly walked in! Then there were other hives. Smaller, illegal hives all thought Manehattan. It was the same concept as the previously mentioned hives, but instead of feeding on love, they feed on… Well, lust. Hence why they’re illegal. Right now, the dying changeling wished so purposefully that she belonged to one of the other hives. Any other hive. Any other hive that didn’t attack Canterlot because their way of feeding on love was shit. Who said changelings can’t produce their own emotions? Because right now the changeling laying on the torn cot was producing an unhealthy amount of rage. She would give anything in order to switch hives. Switch her predominately blue highlights to something purple. Something red. Fill her black holed hooves. Change her chitin to white. Replace her pheromones to the neighboring hives. It had been done before, so why. Why was her Queen so utterly incompetent? Why was her Queen willing to sacrifice her enitire hive for what, a temporary boost in love? There’s only so much love you can extract forcefully before a pony becomes… well, less-than-pony. The other hives functioned on willingly giving love. Forcing love drained ponies of their life energy, something not every creature has in abundance. Capturing the entirety of Canterlot, then making ponies forcefully love them? That was the problem with their hive. Replacing ponies was something lone-wanderers did. Lone scavengers. In the Changeling political world, it was unheard of for a massive hive to still predominately replace ponies. Yet Chrysalis did. Was she stupid? And even more importantly, how did the hive get so damn big? The only logical conclusion the changeling could come up with was the hive was a hand-me-down from an older Queen. No way in Celestia’s hooves could Chrysalis form a hive that large with only replacing ponies. It was madness! It was madness… It was death. She was dying. She was starving. Changelings could, in theory, live forever. With a strong enough source of love, even the weakest drone could live for hundreds of hundreds of years. It was such a shame she was only six. The average life-span for a changeling in the Chrysalis hive was twelve. They were starving. She was starving. And the changelings forgot to mention death was this painful. Her head was throbbing. Lack of food. It hurt to breathe. Every breath only made her headache worse. She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the golden light. She only wanted a release. Starving was slow. She wasn’t sure if she would die now, or live for another two days. In all honesty, she wished for death now. Atleast then she wouldn’t have to put up with this pain. Maybe it gets dulled after a while. She wouldn’t know. She hasn’t died before. Maybe you get used to the pain… Who said anything about an easy death? ...Huh? Nopony said anything about a painful death. Or- Not painful. Easy. It was an easy death. No no- I wasn’t a painful death. It was a painful death. It was an easy death where she went- Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. A warm glow seemed to eminate throught the cell as she laid in her own little ball. The sounds of shuffling keys jingled through the changelings ears as an unfamiliar clicking sound signaling the latch had been lifted subsequently lifted her hopes. “Your Majesty… I highly suggest not approaching the prisoner!” “Please, Lieutenant Brick. Every creature deserves to be treated with care.” “But she’s a Changeling!” “And you are a Unicorn. I fail to see the problem.” “They attacked Canterlot-” “By saying ‘they’ you imply all changelings. This is untrue. I have many diplomatic relations with the other hives, and they all discourage what Queen Chrysalis has done. This matter is nothing different than if a tribe of Pegasus attacked Canterlot, or a tribe of Unicorns attacked Manehattan. Would we disgrace entire tribes just because of the actions of a small group? Please, let’s not have a repeat of the Thesterals.” “But-” “Hello? Can you hear me?” She asked kindly. The changeling kept laying in her own ball, barely having the energy to focus on the confusing godly voice passing through her ears. “I want to help you. Can you hear me- Lieutenant Brick, how long has she been in this dungeon?” “Oh- Uh-” The sounds of shuffling papers filled the cell. “About eleven days.” “E-Eleven days?” The mare sputtered. “Eleven days without food?” “We’ve been serving her the prison slop-” “Changelings don’t eat food. They eat love.” She explained. “Quickly, send for the royal doctor. Tell him it’s an emergency!” “Princess, I highly recommend-” “Now!” She shouted. The Lieutenant seemed to get the message, hooves shuffling quickly out of the shell. The changelings ears had barely perked up at the word ‘Princess,’ but due to her current incapacitated state, she could barely give the energy to care. “It’s going to be okay.” She heard an uncommonly soothing voice. A hoof touched her back. A soft, delicate hoof stroking her hard chitinous surface. It’s fur seemed to radiate the sun itself as it retracted, restarting it’s course. A feeling brewed within the Changeling as she felt the soothing hoof. A feeling she shouldn’t have ever felt if she had been anything loyal to her previous hive. But her hive had left her for dead eleven days ago. That didn’t matter. She felt her loyalty change. What was once an undying loyalty to Queen Chrysalis had now shifted onto this new pony. She also felt a familiar feeling. A feeling she was absolutely convinced she would never, ever feel again. She started feeling love. It was barely a trickle. Just the uneven drops of a leaky joint spilling out. But it was enough to keep her going. It was enough to keep her conscious. It was even enough to let her fall asleep without the immense fear of never waking up. And so that is exactly what she did. Author's Note First time writing something dark- kind of. I think I did a piss terrible job. If I ever finished this one, I was gonna scrap this chapter. I hate it. Celestia's Personal Double - 02Author's Note I scrapped this story because the 'vomiting' part was just- weird to me? It kind of felt like writing a fetish without being a part of that fetish. I could rewrite the story without the vomiting part, true, but I wanted to play the vomiting part as a bit for other ponies to realize Celestia was a changeling. Celestia's Personal Double - 02 The squirming feeling overpowered her stomach. She hated it. She hated it so much. And she had tried so, so desperately hard to avoid this. Avoid this horrible feeling. It had been growing for the past half-hour. She had thought she had almost gotten through the day without any… accidents. She had even taken extra time, talking with the nobles, wearing them down, and making her list progress as slowly as possible. Yet it wasn’t enough. It was usually enough, but today it just wasn’t! “And that’s why extending the day by ten minutes will give everypony a massive benefit!” The orange stallion concluded, lowering the marker currently held in his magic back onto the lip of his portable white board. “I’m sure a Princess of the day like yourself understands-” That was almost too much. Princess Celestia actually gagged, her throat muscles tensing up as the stallion kept giving her affection. She managed to swallow down the vomit, plastering her fake cheery smile. The stallion didn’t seem to notice, which was good. Neither did his two assistants, or Raven Inkwell, Celestia’s personal assistant. She had to stop this. She had to stop this, now, or else she actually would vomit. “What a lovely proposal!” She said cheerily. The stallion beamed an excited smile. Once again, Celestia had to force herself not to throw up. “But.” She said. And there it was. It was finally over. Or, at least delayed. The stallion’s ears drooped significantly, and she could no longer feel the love emitting from him. “The prospect of giving my day ten more minutes is very… intriguing. But there are a few concerns you failed to mention in your brief presentation.” Princess Celestia explained, even though his presentation had lasted well over the allotted hour time slot. “Although ten minutes may not seem very long, my sister deserved equal treatment. Thus, extending her night by ten minutes as well. That allocated twenty minutes in total. Twenty more minutes to the Equestrian calendar. I understand you speak for the benefits of ponies all together, but I don’t think the Equestrian creatures would appreciate having to exchange their entire system for twenty extra minutes.” “Don’t get me started on the daylight-savings committee. They would have a field day. It’s always ‘Oh no, you lowered the sun thirty seconds early!’ They say. ‘Now crop production will be thirty seconds early, and the whole system is-’ I’m rambling, aren’t I?” She asked. All four ponies in the room nodded. “What I’m trying to say is: I appreciate the thought, but unfortunately I cannot implement your system.” The stallion looked saddened and disheartened by the prospect. In Celestia’s mind, at least this was the most sensible proposition the nobles had given by far. The other nobles suggested bulldozing the entirety of Ponyville for a new manor… That was a headache. “Oh, alright.” He said, scratching a hoof at the ground. “Thank you for your time, Your Majesty.” They turned around, his two assistants packing away the white board and trotting away. He followed soon afterwards. “And that’s the list!” Raven, Celestia’s personal assistant, said. “Your Majesty, can I ask who I’m speaking to currently?” Princess Celestia looked down from the throne with a smile. “I’m sorry, Lady Inkwell, but I cannot disclose that information. If I do, that makes the reason why I hired a changeling redundant. Do you remember why I hired a changeling?” Raven looked almost miffed by the response. “So you can take breaks from the throne, and that we won’t be able to tell which one is which.” She responded in a flat voice. “Very good. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in my royal quarters.” She hastily said, standing up from her throne. Raven looked almost taken back for a moment at Her Majesty’s sudden movements, but decided to start folding up the list instead. Princess Celestia almost stretched like a cat, before the impending doom suddenly regurgitating it’s presence in her stomach made itself painfully aware of it’s existence. Celestia clenched her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut until tears slid down her cheeks. She quickly trotted out of the throne room and through a hallway only reserved for the most royal of royal ponies. Which meant basically only the Princess. The gleaming archways were beautiful, and to her right were beautifully decorated stained glass windows. Standing on the red carpet, a couple dozen hooves in front of her, was her sister. The blue Alicorn stared thoughtfully out the windows, gazing upon the setting sun. It wouldn’t set unless Celestia forced it down like she did every night, but the twilight of the day still made its purple hues dance beautifully. “I see you are done with your-” Princess Luna started. The royal hallway didn’t only have windows in it. It also had a royal bathroom. To which Princess Celestia slammed the door shut in Luna’s face. Luna stood momentarily shocked before her ears flapped down, mouth contorting into a painful and sympathetic cringe as she listened to her sister dispel her guts in the bathroom with a horrible retch. “Love Sickness?” She asked, putting her face mere inches away from the door. Her response was a dilapidated ‘uh-huh’ through the door, followed by the sounds of spitting. Princess Luna sighed, pulling her face away from the door. “So I assume I’m speaking to the changeling, am I correct?” Celestia responded by giving another halfhearted ‘uh-huh.’ Princess Luna knew how it felt to be sick. The horrible feeling of dragging hooves as her bones ached. She remembers how unpleasant it feels to be sick enough to vomit. Imagine how it feels to vomit like that every day. “P-Please!” Celestia called through the door. “Stop loving your sister!” She yelled, followed by the sounds of yet more retching. “Sorry.” Luna said. She placed a spell upon her psyche that limited the amount of love escaping her. It was an anti-changeling spell, developed mere days after the changeling invasion. Yet, it seemed to serve another purpose. “Thank Celestia…” Celestia said through the door, a hearty sigh escaping. The spell was great when the two acquainted each other after court. But more than once, Luna had forgotten to place the spell… which is what happened today, apparently. Alicorn-sister energy is nothing to be toyed with. It’s more powerful than a hydrogen bomb, if they knew what that was. Unfortunately, the spell did nothing when placed upon the changeling-Celestia. It only limited the amount of love dispelled, to which changelings don’t. They, unlike ponies, didn’t generate love themselves. They relied on outside sources, like stealing or feasting on love. Although they could feel love towards ponies, there was simply no way to express that love outside of words and actions. No emotions would be delivered. Princess Luna would be lying if she said she didn’t care for the changeling. It’s not just that she looked like her sister, outside of noble-settings, she acted nothing like Celestia. She was entirely different. She had her own personality, own set of morals, and own way of joking. In many ways, as much as she hated to admit it, it was like having a second sister. “Your spell is failing!” Celestia slurred. Luna reapplied it. “Franks.” Love sickness was a horrible thing that could plague all changelings. Changelings fed on love. This is common knowledge through Equestria. Ever since the attack on Canterlot six months ago, plenty of school curriculum have modified to include the once-thought mythological beasts. It is less common knowledge to know that changelings could overfeed on love. Love sickness is a semi-rare occurrence that only happens in the most successful of hives. Which means Chrysalis never had to deal with Love sickness, ever. Changelings that developed Love sickness usually expel the extra love through… vomiting. It’s similar to eating a three-coarse meal for a pony, then not stopping eating. Changelings can’t help it, of course. It’s just biologically programmed into them to feast on love. Changelings can feed on an infinite amount of love. Their love-storage has no bounds. Love sickness develops when it all comes too quickly. Like shoving a cake down your throat as apposed to eating a slice at a time. Long story short, Love sickness is multiplied when you happen to be impersonating the most loved individual in the entirety of Equestria. Celestia emerged from the royal bathroom. Her flowing mane was pulled back behind her ears and below her shoulders. Her eyes were watering a faint red hue, and her muzzle has appeared to be cleaned with soap and water, plus an aggressive amount of scrubbing from an abused towel. “Are you okay, sister?” Luna asked, knowing fully well that the pony infront of her wasn’t her sister. “Could’ve been better.” She admitted dulfully. “Let’s go get Celestia before I blow a fuse.” “Agreed.” She responded. Together, they marched through royal hallways. Not once did they meet another pony. This was entirely intentional by Celestia, who couldn’t stomach another does of love from a passing guard or maid. Not that love was a physical source of food. It was entirely magical energy. “You know what?” Celestia said, stopping as they came to a T split in the hallway. “I think I’ll retire to my quarters. I just cannot deal with this right now.” “Okay.” Luna said. “Celestia is in her royal spa, correct?” “Indeed.” “Take it easy, near-sister.” She said before turning away from the sickly pony. Celestia went left, Luna went right. Princess Luna approached the royal spa, positioned high up and in one of the towers, overlooking the city. It was a glamerous sight as Luna slowly walked up the staircase. Canterlot was lit with hundreds of candles in glossy windows. The streets were illuminated with yellow lamp light. Luna, upon her thousand-year hiatus on the moon, appreciated how much the common pony adapted to the night. It seemed every day more and more ponies stayed up late, enjoying her night time and making the lunar princess all the more happy. Soon enough she came upon a set of gleaming blue double doors, built entirely out of crytstal. Only something her sister could think of pouring thousands of tax-payers bits into. “Welcome, Princess Luna!” She heard, upon entering the royal spa. “I was just cleaning up for the day, but if you would like a treatment I’d be happy to stay!” Of course, the spa staff only comes in on days of appointments. It would be borderline cruel to keep them locked in the tower when nopony has to come in. “No, no, that would be alright.” She waved a hoof. “I’m just looking for my sister. I heard she was supposed to have an appointment today?” “Oh yes.” The spa mare nodded. “She just finished up. Said she was retiring to her quarters.” She explained. “Although, I do wonder whether that was the changeling or not…” She tapped a hoof to her chin. “Thank you, and please do take care.” Princess Luna said before taking flight. It would be like her sister to instantly retire. Her sister had the weirdest ways to relieve stress. Every couple years, she would take a week to herself to relax. This ‘changeling princess’ replacement strategy is yet another way to relax, although to do it more often across her lifetime rather than a few isolated times. Once, Princess Celestia turned into a regular pegasus and hung out with her student. Another time, she turned into a regular pegasus stallion and lived in a cardboard box for six months. It was just what she liked, apparently. This new changeling princess let her do it far more frequently. Eventually, the lunar princess landed on her sister’s balcony. However, despite the fact the sun was currently setting, she didn’t see Celestia setting said sun… Luna took a moment to herself, rising the moon where Celestia usually set the sun. Then, she knocked. “...Sister?” She asked through the balcony doors. No reply. “Sister, it’s me.” She said again. She pushed open the doors, and found a completely vacant room. A vacant room, with a letter on the bed. Dear Sister. I will be taking a prolongued vacation. Do not expect me to be back this week, or the next. And do not attempt to search for me. I will be living happily with margeritas and unsafe amounts of alchohol. I will be back, this is a promise, but leave the changeling in charge. Safe your words for when I get back. And don’t think to get Twilight to send me a letter. I have severed the connection. Thanks, bye bestest sister ever! Oh buck. The Doctor Explains RegenerationAuthor's Note I have no idea how to write a Doctor Who episode. I would be a worse writer than Chris Chibnall. Which- would be an achievement, to be fair. Also, I brought up the weird dynamics of forceful transgender. I wanted to direct it more, but i'm not experienced enough personally to deal with that can of worms. The Doctor Explains Regeneration The two sat in peaceful silence, staring down upon the blue marble they called Earth. Currently facing them, half-covered in glorious sunshine, the other half dipped below darkness, was the continent known as Equestria. In a world devoid of electricity, devoid of technology, in a world devoid of anything The Doctor could call a ‘level one civilization,’ the ponies had become surprisingly resiliant to their unfortunate biology. At the same time, evolving to become in-tune with a sort of electromagnetic grid was impressive in it’s own right. Even more so was the fact that three seperate tribes arose, evolving entirely seperate from one another, and then managing to come together to form harmony. Well, the three tribes plus the Thestrals, but history had seemed to forgotten them… for now, at least. The Doctor sat contently on the sandy surface of the moon. To his right, his ever-so-faithful assistant sat similarily, soaking in the same atmosphere- or lack of. She sat much more naturally than The Doctor, letting her hooves rest, tucked into herself. The Doctor, despite being stuck in this body for the past century, still sat like a toddler. He brought her out to discuss something important. Something important she needed to do incase the worst happened. Earth, in this universe, was a closed system. The only celestial bodies that existed was Earth itself, along with The Moon, and The Sun. The stars were mere projections made by the lovely Princess Luna. No other bodies existed in this universe. The Doctor could fly the Tardis in one direction for eons and eons, and only find nothing more than blackness. The only reason he knew this was because he did try flying the Tardis in one direction. Four hours in and he got bored and materialized back on Earth. Although only Earth existed, that didn’t mean it was any less dangerous. Forwards in time, backwards in time, they always managed to find themselves in the middle of a horrible battle, a conflict of nature, or a simple disagreement. Hay, there had been a few times where the two escaped by the hair of their chin. But what if he couldn’t escape? What if The Doctor was shot by a stray bolt? He could save his faithful assistant using the Tardis and it’s pletura of medical equipment, but him? If he blinks out of life for even a moment, the worrisome and ever-so-jaded ‘regeneration’ process starts. At that point, nothing he can do will stop it. He’s tried before. He’s tried almost every cycle. Hold it in. Direct it. Reject it. But nothing ever seemed to work. Regeneration energy is scary. Very scary. Regeneration energy can bust through every single type of force-field imaginable back in his own universe. Even the Daleks couldn’t defend against a focused blast… And that’s why The Doctor needed to tell his assistant. He needs her to understand before it’s potentially too late. He needs her out of the way. Out of danger’s reach. The Doctor shot a glance towards her. She was a pegasus of average stock. Her mane and tail were combed flat against her head, both being the same shade of blonde. Her eyes followed a similar story, despite how they were- a little crooked? But that’s being different for you. The Doctor knows what being different feels like. He knows how good it is to have another pony there to cope with. The Doctor had, in all his years, never felt this way towards another being before, pony or human. It was like staring at her caused butterflies to rile in his stomach. An uneasy sweat to break across his forehead. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Even if he was a near-immortal god-pony timelord. He wanted to protect her. So, he talked. “Ditzy…” He started. His assistant looked towards him. In all his years of traveling, he had never met another pony so… attenative. All his other companions would ignore his commands, brush him off, or run towards danger. Not Ditzy. Ditzy listened. Ditzy was smart. Ditzy, as horrible as it sounds, had lasted longer than any of his other companions. She was reaching her thirties. The Doctor tried to limit his time exposed to her. Hence why The Doctor and Ditzy’s ages were so different. While it was true The Doctor was reaching towards six-hundred years old, (if you exclude the fact he forgot his own age and started re-counting a few regeneration cycles ago.) Ditzy was still young. “I wanted to say… I- If there comes a time when I get hurt-” “Doctor?” She asked. The stallion looked up, meeting the pegasuses eye. “If I get hurt… Badly-” He shook his head. He started talking without a plan. “You know Timelords are different from ponies, right?” He asked. This elicited a giggle from the pegasus. “Of course, dummy. I’ve been traveling with you for a decade.” She said. “I’ve picked up on a few things.” She said while leaning forwards. “Two hearts. Always clammy hooves.” “H-Hey! My hooves aren’t clammy!” “Yes they are.” “Anyways- Timelords have a neat trick. It’s a way of cheating death, really…” “Cheating death?” She asked. If Ditzy wasn’t attentive earlier, she sure was now. Her smile dissipated, her body turned even more so towards The Doctor. “You know how old I am, right?” “You told me five-hundred and eighty-two. Before you lost count, you said you were really more towards eight-thousand.” “Right.” The Doctor suddenly felt old. “Have you ever wondered how I got out of so many situations before? How I never- bit the bullet?” Ditzy tilted her head. “How I never died?” He elaborated. Ditzy developed a small frown. “No. I couldn’t imagine such a horrible thing happening to you.” She said, placing a hoof on The Doctor’s own. He blushed, trying to hide it under a head turn. “Ditzy… In truth, there’s been a few times I haven’t escaped.” He said. Ditzy turned paler than her usual gray. “Timelords, when they die… don’t.” He explained. “Are you immortal?” “N-No. Not immortal. When Timelords hit the end of their life, they change faces.” Ditzy still looked confused. “When a Timelord dies, their bodies change. It’s their way of creating a work-around for death. ‘This current body doesn’t work anymore, we need a replacement.’ So, in a burst of energy, every cell, every molecule, every fiber of my being is re-arranged into a new person. A new pony. I’ll still be me, but it won’t be my face anymore.” “So-” Ditzy leaned in a second time, her hoof still on his. “If you die, you get a new body?” “-In a way, yes.” He said. She looked lost in thought for a moment, finally taking her eyes off the doctor. She stared at the blue marble in the distance. “How many times has this happened?” She asked. “Ten.” “T-Ten?” She sputtered, her eyes locking right back onto The Doctor’s. “You’ve died ten times?” “Yeah. This is my eleventh face. There has been ten times I’ve not been able to escape a situation before. There has been ten times I’ve died.” Ditzy looked positively shocked as she took in this information. “Does it hurt?” She finally asked. “Yes. Extremely.” She winced. “Every cell in your body erupts. As it turns out, it takes a lot of energy to change your molecular struture. All of these years I’ve been alive is just building up reserve energy to do another transformation. And I’ve been alive a lot of years.” “Are you scared?” She asked. The Doctor looked down. “Remember how I said ‘It’ll still be me, new face?’” “Yeah.” “That’s only partially true. It wont- really be me.” Ditzy’s ears fell flat on her hed. “It’s like this. I have the memories of the past ten incarnations of myself. I know their experiences. I know their emotions, heartbreak, secrets… but I’m not actually them.” He explained. “I don’t remember being them. I remember their memories, but I don’t remember being them. Along with a new body comes a new personality. A new way of expressing myself. The Doctor you are looking at right now will… in a way, die.” Ditzy looked towards the lunar soil, her expression somber. “There will be a new pony in my place. They will remember everything I’ve done. They will be me, but they won’t be who I was.” “I-If this ever happens… How can I not be mad? A new pony with your memories?” “Don’t be mad at them. Don’t be sad at them. At that moment, that pony is more scared than you will ever be.” Ditzy looked up, meeting The Doctor’s eyes once again. His old, blue eyes. “He will be given a whole life. An entire new pony created on the spot. He will have all my memories, but he wont know what to do with them… And that scares him. I know, I was in the same situation. Remember, eleventh face?” “So- if you die, I’ll have to be there for you?” She asked. “I would very much like that, yes.” He nodded his head. “Listen to me. When I die, the last face I want to see is yours.” They stared deeply into eachother’s eyes. “When they wake up, the first face I want them to see is yours.” “Doctor?” She asked. The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “I think I might love you.” … “I think I might love you, too.” Ditzy couldn’t react in time. Her wings couldn’t carry her fast enough. She barely saw the blue bolt of magic whip past her muzzle as time itself seemed to slow down. Ditzy could make out every scuttle of hoof, every trickle of noise, and every buzz of energy as she watched the bolt. It went right past her face… And right into The Doctor’s chest. A yelp of pain seemed to break her out of her trance as she watched The Doctor collapse onto the cobblestone street. “Haha! I told you, I’ll get the last laugh!” The manical unicorn laughed. “You hear that, Doctor? I’ll get the last-” She was silenced when a hastily-made leather strap was wrapped around her muzzle, preventing her from talking anymore. Ditzy stood over The Doctor. She couldn’t feel tears rolling down her cheeks. She was in too much shock to even react. There, the mighty stallion that protected Equestria for years and years, a century and a half of his own life, a decade and a half of Ditzy’s… Now laid completely motionless on the ground, dead. He fought the biggest of beasts, kings of timberwolves, and worst of alicorns. Yet a single unicorn caught him offguard. A single, little mare. And now he was dead. Ditzy, without thinking, laid down next to him. She laid her head in the crook of his neck, and as her breath caressed his ear, she whispered one word. “Regenerate.” A gasp of fresh air rocketed Ditzy from her sollum slumber. She stood up, as did the stallion. “Doctor!” She shouted, latching onto him. “Thank Celestia above!” She shouted. The Doctor was much too preoccupied looking at his own hooves. His hooves, which were currently glowing a yellow radiation. “Ditzy…” He said, warning boiling off of his lips. “Get to the Tardis.” “What?” She let go of her hug, staring at the stallion. “Why-” And that’s when she noticed his hooves. “It’s started.” He said. “It’s started, and I can’t stop it.” He sounded chokeful, like he was about to burst into tears. “No…” She whispered. “No, don’t- Let’s go.” She stood up, pulling the stallion to his feet. Together, for perhaps the last time, they trotted back towards the Tardis. The familiar coral interior greeted them. The Tardis usual glowing orange lights seemed to have dimmed, as if it already knew what was coming. As if it already knew what had started. It had, after all, seen him do it nine times before. The Doctor threw a heavy switch, the machine whirling to life as it took off. “Ditzy… I’m going to change.” He said. Ditzy looked on. “I’m going to change, and you won’t recognize me.” “I know.” She said. The Doctor looked up. She looked sad, her ears drooping low. But, at the same time, she looked hopeful. A small smile spread across her face. “I’m going to miss you.” She said. “But you’ll still be here.” She made a motion to approach the Doctor. Instead he took a few steps back, shaking his head. Instead, Ditzy placed her hoof on her heart. “Here.” She said again. “Ditzy… Thank you so much.” He said through a half-choked sob. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. In all my years of traveling, I’ve never met somebody- anycreature who made me feel like this. The past century I’ve spent traveling with you has been the most enjoyable century of my entire life.” “Doctor.” She said. “If I knew you weren’t about to explode, I would hug you.” “Thank you, Ditzy.” “And to you, Doctor… Goodnight.” The next few moments were hazy for both parties involved. To Ditzy, where once stood the doctor now was a colum of light brighter than the brightest sun. Her fur turned excruciatingly painful as she used her feathers to block the heat radiating off of where The Doctor once stood. A huge whine of energy coarsed through the tardis, making Ditzy wish she could cover her ears if she currently wasn’t using her hooves to block the heat. Then… It stopped. All at once, it all stopped. No big bang. No over-the-top explosion. Just silence. Slowly, Ditzy lowered her gray feathers. Where The Doctor once stood now laid a new pony, entirely incapacitated and asleep. It’s coat was a light blue. It’s mane, a darker sapphire blue split up with streaks of light gray, eerilie similar to Ditzy’s own coat. What was most off-putting was the fact The Doctor was no longer an earth-pony, rather he now had a horn protruding out of his head. Another stark difference was the fact his muzzle was much, much shorter. Instead of The Doctor’s usual broad shoulders, it was now replaced with dainty, almost lithe frame. His backside also had a little extra padding not there before- Then it hit Ditzy. The Doctor was a mare now.
Surprise Walks the Two WorldsAuthor's Note This story was born from an idea of trying to write a story about split-personality disorder. I kept feeling like I was flubbing it up, so I litterally split Pinkie into her G1 equivalent. I canned it because- honestly, I just didn't like the way I was writing Surprise. Surprise Walks the Two Worlds T’was late at night, not a filly stirring. The wind blew quietly through the glistening castle as all ponies were sleeping. There, sitting upon a chair, reading a book, was a purple alicorn named Twilight Sparkle. She used her magic to flip the page, the candle bringing her light burning dangerously dim. From afar, the only features lit up were her muzzle, eyes, left ear, and horn. Then, like a ghost in the night, the wick sputtered and spent it’s supply, draping darkness’s blanket across the library. Twilight heaved a sigh, mentally placing her page number in her mind. It was a beat or two while she decided what to do next, when suddenly, the sound of a crashing window broke her stupor. Eyes suddenly split wide awake as she scanned the library, heartrate ever increasing. The glass hit the floor, creating a sound not too disimilar from a cascade of rain on a stormy night. Slowly, Twilight prepared every defensive spell she knew, channeling her magic through her horn. She cast a light spell, creating a purple glow across the castle floor. She scanned each room, using her princess training like a true soldier. At this moment, she really wished she asked for guards at her palace. In every room, she found nothing. Not a peep, nor a shingle out of place. Everything was exactly as she left it. Even Spike seemed to be snoring through the event. She shook her head as she closed the door to Spike’s room. Eventually, she came to the door she wished she hadn’t. In the long hallway, this seemed to be the last door to be the culprit. Even more scarily, it was the door that lead to the room containing a magical gateway, disguised as a simple mirror. It lead to another world, full of critters called ‘humans’ and the like. Twilight pushed her defensive magical spells to the forefront of her mind, and pushed open the door with a hoof. On the ground, shattered into a million pieces, was the mirror. Her only direct access to the human world- gone. And she hadn’t even said goodbye. Twilight shook her head, directing her attention to yet another mystery. The sound of the shattering of glass was from the mirror. That much was obvious. So that begged the question into why the nearby window was also shattered. And why there was no glass on the ground from said window. Twilight leaned out of the window, being sure to avoid any broken glass. There was her answer. There was no broken glass near or from the window, because the window broke outwards. Something had gotten out. The wind howled a ghostly melody. It seemingly rolled off of the Everfree, infecting the entire town. Although it wasn’t Nightmare Night yet, it sure seemed like the town was in the mood. Posters hung for the next freakshow, lights dangling from house to house. There were certianly pockets of activities, as it wasn’t like the entire town was asleep. Here, there were ponies dancing to festive music. There, there were ponies drinking spiked cider for their own bemusement. A white pegasus made sure to avoid these areas. Her coat was becoming stained with blood, specifically around her front hooves, dragging lines behind her as she hovered a solid foot above the ground. A nearby pony, walking from presumably a bar, gave her a friendly wave. With a forced smile, she returned the wave. She loved making ponies happy. It was her special talent, after all. Even in the most dire circumstances, if a pony were to wave, she would wave back. And right now, this seemed pretty dire. She was in a completely unfamiliar town, surrounded by unfamiliar ponies, in an unfamiliar land, and quite possibly in an unfamiliar world. This was, by definition, the most dire situation. Not to mention the bleeding, which she seemed to be able to ignore less and less as the pain in her hooves only flared up more and more. Her friend, Twilight, told her to stay away from the creatures of this world. She said that she might not know their customs, greetings, language, or even whether they were friendly to them or not. But- from a cursory glance, they not only looked identical to where she came from, all of the shop signs looked like legible language. There was one about muffins, there was one about quills and sofas. It all seemed pretty stock standard from where she came from. But the true differences were the subtleties. She looked up, and what she saw wasn’t her night sky. It wasn’t the night sky she grew up under. It was completely different. Not a single constellation nor star was in the same place. Everypony’s Cutiemarks were larger, and less complicated. Although hers was simple, being five balloons, she knew her friends would stick out like a sore thumb. Whatever Twilight said, she had to swallow her pride, and ask for help. No matter how terrible it would be. Another nearby pony waved as she flew by. With a sickly gulp, she turned around and flew towards him. “Hello?” She asked in a suspicously meek voice. The stallion, being brown with a spiky mane, turned and looked at her. She couldn’t make out much of his face due to the darkness, but she could atleast tell his eyebrow was raised. “Hello, my dear.” He said, slightly slurred. “How might I help you?” He asked. She almost put a hoof to her nose, smelling the alchohol emitting from his breath. “H-Hey. So- I had a bit of an accident. I’m new here, and I broke a window.” She held out her hooves. “Do you know of anypony that could help with this?” The stallion looked down. There was perhaps a twitch of the head, and any sluriness that was once covering his voice suddenly vanished. “Great wickering stallions!” He said at an above-room voice. “Are you okay?” “Me? Oh, I’m fine.” She said. “What about you?” “My dear, I would recommend you-” He looked around for a moment, spotting a nearby building. “Go knock on that door. There’s a really nice mare in there named Pinkie Pie. I’m sure you’ve already met her. She’s great with her hooves, and can help fix you up in a giffy!” “Thank you.” She said, starting to hover away. “It was nice meeting you!” “My pleasure.” He said. “My name is Doc. What’s yours?” “Surprise.” She said, turning towards the building as the stallion trotted away. The building he pointed to was a large, towering place. It stood taller than nearly every other building in the vicinity. It’s walls were similar to a gingerbread house, support struts made of candycane as the roof looked like it was practically melting chocolate. She took a deep breath, flew towards the door, and knocked. The thing about knocking with cut hooves… it hurts. Surprise let out a gasp of pain in the middle of her third knock, flying back aways and holding her hoof close to her chest. With a little nursing, it wasn’t out of the question that she forgot she had knocked in the first place. When she heard the door open, she instantly flipped and turned around. It was a tall, lanky stallion. His hair was frayed orange, and his coat was a darker yellow. His green eyes looked tired as he stared Suprise up and down. “Err- may I help you?” He asked in a customer-service esk-tone. “Oh- sorry to bother you, sir.” Surprise apolagized. The porch light shone down on her, highlighting her own blonde mane as she flapped in the wind. “I asked a stallion over there, and he said I should come here!” The stallion raised his eyebrow, still staring at her. “Come here for what?” He finally asked. “Oh! Right.” She said sheepishly, taking her hooves out from behind her back. “He said I could get some help here?” “Geesh!” The stallion said, taking a sudden step back. “What happened? Did you take a dive from a window?” “Yes.” Surprise deadpanned. “The stallion said a pony named Pinkie Pie could help me.” “Oh, of course!” He said, taking a step back and clearing the door. “Come on in!” “Thank you.” She said, flying through the unobstructed door. Inside, it was obvious the place was a parlor of some kind. Empty display cases sat near the side, and a till was left open with nothing in it. A few dim lights were on, giving the place a more than spooky vibe. “Are you alright?” A new voice asked. Surprise turned, meeting the careful gaze of a slightly pudgy blue mare with a pink, ice-cream swirl of a mane. “Oh- uhh- yes, thank you.” Surprise said, dipping her head. “I appreaciate the concern. It doesn’t hurt.” She lied. “Oh well, that’s just fine then.” She smiled. “My name is Cup Cake. That was Carrot Cake.” “Nice to meet you.” Surprise held up her sliced hoof. “I would bump hooves, but- you know.” “Oh, not a problem, dear.” She said. “You can take a seat if you’d like.” “Oh, thank you.” Surprise said, landing onto a seat near a table. She debated putting her hooves on the table, but eventually decided against it, wanting to keep her new friend’s table as clean as possible. The stallion came back, telling Surprise that the Pinkie Pie was gathering some equipment first. Then, Cup cake offered her a glass of water, to which she generously accepted. She used her wings to take a sip. “Don’t worry, Doctor Pinkie is on the case!” That voice… Sounded awfully familiar. Surprise tilted her head, taking in the full sight. It was a pink pony, true to her name. Her mane was poofy, and she wore a huge smile. It was a matter of moments where Surprise’s eyes tilted down to her Cutiemark. It was almost identical to hers. Except instead of five balloons, it was three. Now that she noticed her Cutiemark, her mane was styled almost identically to her own. “What may be the problem- wo-o-oah!” Pinkie exclaimed, looking down at her hooves. “That doesn’t look too good! Don’t worry, I’ll have you fixed in no time!” Pinkie began working on her hooves. Surprise stared in surprise as she worked, surprisingly painlessly, on her hooves. The poofy mane, the cutiemark, even the wide smile on her face. She looked… She looked so similar to herself. “So.” Surprise started. “What do you- uhm- do?” “Me?” Pinkie asked, her mouth tightening a bandadge. “I throw parties!” Surprise felt even more unsure. “Yup!” She spit out the fabric. “Ponyville’s premiere party planner!” Ponyville. That was the location of her home, too. This place kept getting weirder and weirder. “So. What do you do?” “Huh? Oh- I plan parties.” Surprise said. It wasn’t two seconds until she had realized her mistake. Pinkie temporarily stopped wrapping her hooves and looked up at her with a surprised look. “This is getting weird.” Carrot Cake said, breaking silence finally. “I mean- you two look like clones!” “Heey- did you, by chance, “My name is Surprise, and I think I’m you from another dimension.” The silence that followed was short lived. “What?” Pinkie yelled. “That’s super-awesome! Double Pinkies? Can you imagine what we could do? We could throw like- the biggest party ever!”
Derpy's Eye Exam“Uhh-” “It’s alright, sweetie. Take your time.” “Err- E.” “Very good! Now, can you tell me what this one is?” “E.” “Ooh, sorry, Ditzy, this is an ‘F.’” The doctor’s words had a profound effect on the filly. She drooped her head a few hooves, her eyelids fluttering closed as she took a deep, shaky breath. The doctor cringed slightly at the scene unfolding in front of him, a bluish-gray pegasus mare with a lighter-brown mane quickly wrapped a caring hoof around her daughter, currently sitting a decent distance from the white poster on the wall. Off to the side, sitting disinterestedly, was an earth-pony stallion. His coat was a dark gray, his mane white. He wore oval-shaped spectacles, his blue eyes beyond barely paying attention. His hooves were crossed over his chest, almost itching to get out of the doctor’s office. “Doctor, what’s wrong with me?” The small filly asked in a polite, yet squeaky voice. The doctors heart dropped a few notches as he remembered what the filly’s mother, Graceful Falls, had said earlier about the filly. Along with eye-sight issues, she had a few developmental issues as well. Most the time, she couldn’t understand, or would pretend to not understand the situation unraveling. Most pediatric psychiatrists said she was trying to get the adults to talk when she felt they were in uncomfortable situations. And so, the doctor talked. “Nothing, Ditzy. You’re just a tad bit… special? Sometimes, ponies don’t grow up one-hundred percent. But that’s nothing to be ashamed of. As a matter-of-fact, you are special. And you should feel special.” He had approached the pouting filly, resting a hoof tentatively on her shoulder, along with Grace. The moment was interrupted by a scoff from the stallion. “Special? I’ve never seen a filly her age who can’t read.” The doctor took a deep breath inwards, trying not to snip back at the father, Zippy. He leveled his emotions back, still facing away from the stallion. He decided the best coarse of action was to completely ignore him. “You have an excuse, Ditzy. Your eyesight isn’t normal. You’ll just need more help in the future-” “Lot more help.” The doctors throat clenched again. He tried swallowing the lump in his throat. Judging by Grace’s expression, this wasn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply once more. His face temporarily contorted to one of frustration before remembering peering eyes were focusing on him. Well, one unfocused peering eye. The other one was drifting towards the floor. “S-So.” Graceful Falls spoke for the first time since arriving. “Is there a- a- spell you could use?” “I’m sorry, Grace, but these sorts of things are very delicate. There isn’t always a magical spell to fix everything-” The doctor realized his condescending tone, and mentally took a step back. “Sorry- I didn’t mean for that to sound rude. I mean for a developing filly like Ditzy, her condition developed in such a short amount of time, we likely would’ve never caught it.” “Doctors…” The stallion grumbled. He clenched his teeth again. “I- I understand. It’s okay, it was a dumb question anyway…” “No! Not at all. No medical question isn’t worth asking.” He gave her a small smile, to which Grace only looked away, back at the attentive filly. Although she was atleast partially looking at the doctor, it seemed like something else was going on inside her mind. “There are 35 tiles in this room.” “...What?” “35 tiles. The ponies who painted this room took 1,326 paint strokes with a roller.” “Huh?” “That, and the previous pony in this room had an advance form of hay-fever.” “How- did you know?” “About what?” “T-The paint strokes. Your eyes… you can’t see the wall!” “I can’t. When we walked in, I ran a hoof over the wall. If each portion is a brushstroke, I eye-balled the multiplication along the length and height of the wall, times four for each wall.” “R-Right. Then what about hay-fever?” “Did the last patient have hay-fever?” “Y-Yes?” “Yeah. I can smell it.” “What?” The doctor shook his head, trying his hardest to expel the confusion and refocus onto the filly sitting in front of him. “Y-You can smell hay-fever?” “Yup. When a pony looses one of their senses, their other ones are raised to make up the difference.” The doctor took a long sigh, for perhaps the tenth time that day, and offered a smile. He raised a hoof, ruffling the small filly’s mane. “You were always the smart one, weren’t you?” “Yup.” She said, smiling back. “Alright, time to get the hay out of here.” Zippy said, standing onto his hooves. “I dunno about you guys, but I am hungrier than a horse. Grace, you’re paying.” “Wait! I still need you two to fill out-” “Grace can do it. I’ll be waiting out in the lobby.” He quickly pushed open the door to the rest of the hospital, and walked out. “Mom- why is Daddy mad?” Ditzy looked to her mom for comfort. She diverted her gaze away from the filly. “B-Because he doesn’t like hospitals.” She lied. “Mom. You know I’m not asking about today. I’ve asked this question a thousand times. Why is Daddy always mad? Why can’t I get him back the way he was before?” “B-Because- h-he doesn’t. Umm.” Graceful came to a mental halt, still not meeting one of the filly’s eyes. “Because your father doesn’t understand you.” The doctor cut in. “You need to be there for him to understand. You need to be the filly who ropes him back in. Ya’ got that, sis?” “Yeah. Thanks.” She looked to her hooves. “...I wish I had you for a dad.” An icy-dagger was thrust through the doctors heart. How could somepony be so cruel to such a precious thing? “I- Ditzy, I’m your family doctor. I’ll always be there, alright? Please, never discredit your father. He does try. He’s just… confused. Now, I believe you have a hungry stallion waiting for you, hmm? Let me go grab that paperwork.” He got up, and paced to the door, taking one last look at Grace holding Ditzy in her hooves. The sight warmed his heart. Hopefully, he could see this through. “E.” “Very good.” He moved the stick down lower. “What’s this one?” “F, then P.” “...And?” “T, O, Z.” “...Aaand?” “L, P, E, D.” “Aaaaand?” “PECFDEDFCZPFELOPZDDEFPOTECLEFODPCTFDPLTCEOPEZOLCFTD.” “Very, very good!” The doctor dropped the stick from his magic, instead opting to grab a nearby clipboard, going over a few simple notes. “Well, everything here looks absolutely fantastic! She is a perfectly healthy 6-year-old unicorn.” Ditzy’s smile grew a few paces wider, and quickly made to wrap her daughter in a constricting hug. “Dinky- I’m so proud of you!” The small purple unicorn started to struggle breathing. “M-Mom, it’s a physical!” She took a deep breathe in. “You can’t really do ‘good’ at a physical!” Finally, Ditzy’s grip loosened, and the filly took several deep breaths, her head swimming with built-up oxygen. “But you can!” Ditzy looked at the doctor, one eye slanted towards the floor. “Doc, don’t you remember my physicals?” “Why, can’t say I don’t.” He put a hoof on his chin, remembering the years past. Dinky’s face turned to one of pure confusion as she looked at the doctor like her world was shattered. “Wait!” She half-yelled. “You were mom’s doctor, too?” “Of course, Dinky. Family doctors are just that. Family doctors. We stick around for life.” He puffed his chest up, displaying proud. “Just how old are you?” “Dinky!” Ditzy suddenly shouted, pulling her into yet another hug. “You can’t just say those things!” “It’s quite alright. After all, a doctor never reveals his tricks.” The doctor winked at the filly. “B-But that’s what Trixie says. Wait, were you Trixie’s doctor, too?” “Can’t say I’m familiar with the name. I’m not everypony’s doctor, unfortunately.” “Oh. Was mom healthy?” “Err-” The doctor turned to Ditzy, who gave him a smile and nodded. “Well- Mom always had developmental problems, you know this. She had to have extra help growing up. You better be happy you take after your-” He stopped, mouth still open. Nope. Touchy subject. Don’t go there. “After my what?” “N-Nothing. You’re just lucky you didn’t go through what your mother did.” “What did she go through?” Dinky turned to Ditzy. “Mom, what happened?” “Well, sweetie…” Ditzy looked forwards, pondering what to say next. A lump formed in her throat. “You know how grandma is sweeter than an apple pie?” “Yeah?” “W-Well, she wasn’t always like that. Everypony makes mistakes, and while Grandma was having me, she made… a lot of mistakes.” “Like what?” “S-She married the wrong stallion. That stallion let her- uhm- hit the cider?” “Oh. Wait! Does this means I have a grandpa?” “No!” Ditzy accidentally shouted in the small room. She put a hoof over her mouth, and looked warily at the doctor. Dinky moved away from her mother, and looked at her in the eye. “Why not?” “H-He wasn’t very nice. He died a few years ago.” “Like dad?” “Eurgh-” Ditzy didn’t want to be reminded of him, either. And the fact she’s lying about the circumstances around Dinky’s father’s disappearance. “N-No.” “But just ‘cause he’s dead doesn’t mean he’s not my grandpa.” “Dinky, grandpa wasn’t a nice man. Family means sticking together. He didn’t stick together, so he isn’t family.” “Oh.” The doctor had failed. He hadn’t watched the family pull through. He was watching a broken single mother with her only daughter. Yet, they still seemed extremely happy. Ditzy was talking like nothing was wrong in the world. It was like watching Ditzy explain what an apple was, and why they tasted good. Then a thought occurred to him. Something Ditzy did twenty years ago. Dinky was asking questions because she was concerned for her mother. She already knew the answers. Ditzy knew she did, too. Dinky was trying to get Ditzy to talk, because she thought it got too uncomfortable. Deja-vu. Although the sad scene almost brought a tear to the doctor’s eye, the sadness couldn’t help but become overwritten by a bout of happiness. Although the two ponies in front of him had their hardships, they were still smiling to each other. They were still happy. The battle was fought and lost. They laid down their swords, yet they were still happy. “Dinky, I have one last thing to give you.” He reached a hoof into his coat-pocket. “Lollipop?!” Instantly, the small filly was sitting directly in front of the doctor, puppy eyeing him. “Yup. And it’s all yours.” “Gimmiegimmiegimmiegimmie-” She took the lollipop, and without a moments hesitation, sunk her teeth into it. “The wrapper needs to come off first.” “Puh!” She spit out the plastic. “Knew that!” And continued eating. Author's Note This was, litterally, my second ever attempt at writing a MLP Fanfic. My first attempt was Rusty Gear, and that came out about as well as you would think. This one is very rough. First draft rough. I canned it because it felt too overly- i dunno, edgy? Some of the character dialogue made me raise an eyebrow while writing it. Also, I made Derpy super smart for like- no reason. Reeks of early writing.
Celestia's Personal Double - 01The dark dungeons were properly full of gunge and other unnecessary liquids. The changeling drone cried softly in the corner, keeping to herself and away from the barred walls. For the first time in her entire existence of being a changeling, she was alone. Alone not only in physicality, but also mentally. Only her own thoughts drifted pointlessly through her brain. The swarm had decided she was a lost cause, being captured by the Equestrian Royal Guard for participating during the Canterlot siege. The swarm had cut her off. The swarm expected her to die. And so she would. She was loyal to her Queen… Right? The Queen that almost got her killed during the love-shield blast. The Queen that will now get her killed after taking away her only supply of love, via the residual energy in the hive mind. In the dungeon, she couldn’t taste love. Not here, not anywhere in Canterlot. Everypony always looked through the bars with a disgust riddled on their faces. The only energy emitted from those ponies were anger, or disgust. Neither of which she could eat, and neither of which she could survive on. They weren’t even particularly good tasting. As she laid curled up in a ball on Canterlot’s patheic excuse for a bed, she felt the cold grasps of forever sleep liquidating the last remnants of sanity as she slipped deeper into the end. Starving was such a horrible way to die. For anything, not just Changeling. The guards didn’t even spare her a second glance as their shadows danced across the flickering flame-light, most likely unaware that she was dying. They gave her food in the form of colorless glop each and every day, three times the day. But Changelings couldn’t eat pony food. That was a lie. They could, but only to fit in. A mere disguise mechanism to properly fool anypony. They didn’t gain any nutricional value from eating food. Which made her mad. Angry, even. Angry at her own bio-chemistry for being so useless. Perfectly good food going straight through her system. Perfectly nutritional food being turned into unescesarry waste. Her mind drifted back towards her Queen. Why couldn’t they be like any other hive? Why did they have to steal love? The other eastern hives traded love. ‘Let us feed on your love, and we will pay you!’ Those purple-maned changelings didn’t even need to leave their hive, ever! Ponies willingly walked in! Then there were other hives. Smaller, illegal hives all thought Manehattan. It was the same concept as the previously mentioned hives, but instead of feeding on love, they feed on… Well, lust. Hence why they’re illegal. Right now, the dying changeling wished so purposefully that she belonged to one of the other hives. Any other hive. Any other hive that didn’t attack Canterlot because their way of feeding on love was shit. Who said changelings can’t produce their own emotions? Because right now the changeling laying on the torn cot was producing an unhealthy amount of rage. She would give anything in order to switch hives. Switch her predominately blue highlights to something purple. Something red. Fill her black holed hooves. Change her chitin to white. Replace her pheromones to the neighboring hives. It had been done before, so why. Why was her Queen so utterly incompetent? Why was her Queen willing to sacrifice her enitire hive for what, a temporary boost in love? There’s only so much love you can extract forcefully before a pony becomes… well, less-than-pony. The other hives functioned on willingly giving love. Forcing love drained ponies of their life energy, something not every creature has in abundance. Capturing the entirety of Canterlot, then making ponies forcefully love them? That was the problem with their hive. Replacing ponies was something lone-wanderers did. Lone scavengers. In the Changeling political world, it was unheard of for a massive hive to still predominately replace ponies. Yet Chrysalis did. Was she stupid? And even more importantly, how did the hive get so damn big? The only logical conclusion the changeling could come up with was the hive was a hand-me-down from an older Queen. No way in Celestia’s hooves could Chrysalis form a hive that large with only replacing ponies. It was madness! It was madness… It was death. She was dying. She was starving. Changelings could, in theory, live forever. With a strong enough source of love, even the weakest drone could live for hundreds of hundreds of years. It was such a shame she was only six. The average life-span for a changeling in the Chrysalis hive was twelve. They were starving. She was starving. And the changelings forgot to mention death was this painful. Her head was throbbing. Lack of food. It hurt to breathe. Every breath only made her headache worse. She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the golden light. She only wanted a release. Starving was slow. She wasn’t sure if she would die now, or live for another two days. In all honesty, she wished for death now. Atleast then she wouldn’t have to put up with this pain. Maybe it gets dulled after a while. She wouldn’t know. She hasn’t died before. Maybe you get used to the pain… Who said anything about an easy death? ...Huh? Nopony said anything about a painful death. Or- Not painful. Easy. It was an easy death. No no- I wasn’t a painful death. It was a painful death. It was an easy death where she went- Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. A warm glow seemed to eminate throught the cell as she laid in her own little ball. The sounds of shuffling keys jingled through the changelings ears as an unfamiliar clicking sound signaling the latch had been lifted subsequently lifted her hopes. “Your Majesty… I highly suggest not approaching the prisoner!” “Please, Lieutenant Brick. Every creature deserves to be treated with care.” “But she’s a Changeling!” “And you are a Unicorn. I fail to see the problem.” “They attacked Canterlot-” “By saying ‘they’ you imply all changelings. This is untrue. I have many diplomatic relations with the other hives, and they all discourage what Queen Chrysalis has done. This matter is nothing different than if a tribe of Pegasus attacked Canterlot, or a tribe of Unicorns attacked Manehattan. Would we disgrace entire tribes just because of the actions of a small group? Please, let’s not have a repeat of the Thesterals.” “But-” “Hello? Can you hear me?” She asked kindly. The changeling kept laying in her own ball, barely having the energy to focus on the confusing godly voice passing through her ears. “I want to help you. Can you hear me- Lieutenant Brick, how long has she been in this dungeon?” “Oh- Uh-” The sounds of shuffling papers filled the cell. “About eleven days.” “E-Eleven days?” The mare sputtered. “Eleven days without food?” “We’ve been serving her the prison slop-” “Changelings don’t eat food. They eat love.” She explained. “Quickly, send for the royal doctor. Tell him it’s an emergency!” “Princess, I highly recommend-” “Now!” She shouted. The Lieutenant seemed to get the message, hooves shuffling quickly out of the shell. The changelings ears had barely perked up at the word ‘Princess,’ but due to her current incapacitated state, she could barely give the energy to care. “It’s going to be okay.” She heard an uncommonly soothing voice. A hoof touched her back. A soft, delicate hoof stroking her hard chitinous surface. It’s fur seemed to radiate the sun itself as it retracted, restarting it’s course. A feeling brewed within the Changeling as she felt the soothing hoof. A feeling she shouldn’t have ever felt if she had been anything loyal to her previous hive. But her hive had left her for dead eleven days ago. That didn’t matter. She felt her loyalty change. What was once an undying loyalty to Queen Chrysalis had now shifted onto this new pony. She also felt a familiar feeling. A feeling she was absolutely convinced she would never, ever feel again. She started feeling love. It was barely a trickle. Just the uneven drops of a leaky joint spilling out. But it was enough to keep her going. It was enough to keep her conscious. It was even enough to let her fall asleep without the immense fear of never waking up. And so that is exactly what she did. Author's Note First time writing something dark- kind of. I think I did a piss terrible job. If I ever finished this one, I was gonna scrap this chapter. I hate it.
Celestia's Personal Double - 02Author's Note I scrapped this story because the 'vomiting' part was just- weird to me? It kind of felt like writing a fetish without being a part of that fetish. I could rewrite the story without the vomiting part, true, but I wanted to play the vomiting part as a bit for other ponies to realize Celestia was a changeling. Celestia's Personal Double - 02 The squirming feeling overpowered her stomach. She hated it. She hated it so much. And she had tried so, so desperately hard to avoid this. Avoid this horrible feeling. It had been growing for the past half-hour. She had thought she had almost gotten through the day without any… accidents. She had even taken extra time, talking with the nobles, wearing them down, and making her list progress as slowly as possible. Yet it wasn’t enough. It was usually enough, but today it just wasn’t! “And that’s why extending the day by ten minutes will give everypony a massive benefit!” The orange stallion concluded, lowering the marker currently held in his magic back onto the lip of his portable white board. “I’m sure a Princess of the day like yourself understands-” That was almost too much. Princess Celestia actually gagged, her throat muscles tensing up as the stallion kept giving her affection. She managed to swallow down the vomit, plastering her fake cheery smile. The stallion didn’t seem to notice, which was good. Neither did his two assistants, or Raven Inkwell, Celestia’s personal assistant. She had to stop this. She had to stop this, now, or else she actually would vomit. “What a lovely proposal!” She said cheerily. The stallion beamed an excited smile. Once again, Celestia had to force herself not to throw up. “But.” She said. And there it was. It was finally over. Or, at least delayed. The stallion’s ears drooped significantly, and she could no longer feel the love emitting from him. “The prospect of giving my day ten more minutes is very… intriguing. But there are a few concerns you failed to mention in your brief presentation.” Princess Celestia explained, even though his presentation had lasted well over the allotted hour time slot. “Although ten minutes may not seem very long, my sister deserved equal treatment. Thus, extending her night by ten minutes as well. That allocated twenty minutes in total. Twenty more minutes to the Equestrian calendar. I understand you speak for the benefits of ponies all together, but I don’t think the Equestrian creatures would appreciate having to exchange their entire system for twenty extra minutes.” “Don’t get me started on the daylight-savings committee. They would have a field day. It’s always ‘Oh no, you lowered the sun thirty seconds early!’ They say. ‘Now crop production will be thirty seconds early, and the whole system is-’ I’m rambling, aren’t I?” She asked. All four ponies in the room nodded. “What I’m trying to say is: I appreciate the thought, but unfortunately I cannot implement your system.” The stallion looked saddened and disheartened by the prospect. In Celestia’s mind, at least this was the most sensible proposition the nobles had given by far. The other nobles suggested bulldozing the entirety of Ponyville for a new manor… That was a headache. “Oh, alright.” He said, scratching a hoof at the ground. “Thank you for your time, Your Majesty.” They turned around, his two assistants packing away the white board and trotting away. He followed soon afterwards. “And that’s the list!” Raven, Celestia’s personal assistant, said. “Your Majesty, can I ask who I’m speaking to currently?” Princess Celestia looked down from the throne with a smile. “I’m sorry, Lady Inkwell, but I cannot disclose that information. If I do, that makes the reason why I hired a changeling redundant. Do you remember why I hired a changeling?” Raven looked almost miffed by the response. “So you can take breaks from the throne, and that we won’t be able to tell which one is which.” She responded in a flat voice. “Very good. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in my royal quarters.” She hastily said, standing up from her throne. Raven looked almost taken back for a moment at Her Majesty’s sudden movements, but decided to start folding up the list instead. Princess Celestia almost stretched like a cat, before the impending doom suddenly regurgitating it’s presence in her stomach made itself painfully aware of it’s existence. Celestia clenched her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut until tears slid down her cheeks. She quickly trotted out of the throne room and through a hallway only reserved for the most royal of royal ponies. Which meant basically only the Princess. The gleaming archways were beautiful, and to her right were beautifully decorated stained glass windows. Standing on the red carpet, a couple dozen hooves in front of her, was her sister. The blue Alicorn stared thoughtfully out the windows, gazing upon the setting sun. It wouldn’t set unless Celestia forced it down like she did every night, but the twilight of the day still made its purple hues dance beautifully. “I see you are done with your-” Princess Luna started. The royal hallway didn’t only have windows in it. It also had a royal bathroom. To which Princess Celestia slammed the door shut in Luna’s face. Luna stood momentarily shocked before her ears flapped down, mouth contorting into a painful and sympathetic cringe as she listened to her sister dispel her guts in the bathroom with a horrible retch. “Love Sickness?” She asked, putting her face mere inches away from the door. Her response was a dilapidated ‘uh-huh’ through the door, followed by the sounds of spitting. Princess Luna sighed, pulling her face away from the door. “So I assume I’m speaking to the changeling, am I correct?” Celestia responded by giving another halfhearted ‘uh-huh.’ Princess Luna knew how it felt to be sick. The horrible feeling of dragging hooves as her bones ached. She remembers how unpleasant it feels to be sick enough to vomit. Imagine how it feels to vomit like that every day. “P-Please!” Celestia called through the door. “Stop loving your sister!” She yelled, followed by the sounds of yet more retching. “Sorry.” Luna said. She placed a spell upon her psyche that limited the amount of love escaping her. It was an anti-changeling spell, developed mere days after the changeling invasion. Yet, it seemed to serve another purpose. “Thank Celestia…” Celestia said through the door, a hearty sigh escaping. The spell was great when the two acquainted each other after court. But more than once, Luna had forgotten to place the spell… which is what happened today, apparently. Alicorn-sister energy is nothing to be toyed with. It’s more powerful than a hydrogen bomb, if they knew what that was. Unfortunately, the spell did nothing when placed upon the changeling-Celestia. It only limited the amount of love dispelled, to which changelings don’t. They, unlike ponies, didn’t generate love themselves. They relied on outside sources, like stealing or feasting on love. Although they could feel love towards ponies, there was simply no way to express that love outside of words and actions. No emotions would be delivered. Princess Luna would be lying if she said she didn’t care for the changeling. It’s not just that she looked like her sister, outside of noble-settings, she acted nothing like Celestia. She was entirely different. She had her own personality, own set of morals, and own way of joking. In many ways, as much as she hated to admit it, it was like having a second sister. “Your spell is failing!” Celestia slurred. Luna reapplied it. “Franks.” Love sickness was a horrible thing that could plague all changelings. Changelings fed on love. This is common knowledge through Equestria. Ever since the attack on Canterlot six months ago, plenty of school curriculum have modified to include the once-thought mythological beasts. It is less common knowledge to know that changelings could overfeed on love. Love sickness is a semi-rare occurrence that only happens in the most successful of hives. Which means Chrysalis never had to deal with Love sickness, ever. Changelings that developed Love sickness usually expel the extra love through… vomiting. It’s similar to eating a three-coarse meal for a pony, then not stopping eating. Changelings can’t help it, of course. It’s just biologically programmed into them to feast on love. Changelings can feed on an infinite amount of love. Their love-storage has no bounds. Love sickness develops when it all comes too quickly. Like shoving a cake down your throat as apposed to eating a slice at a time. Long story short, Love sickness is multiplied when you happen to be impersonating the most loved individual in the entirety of Equestria. Celestia emerged from the royal bathroom. Her flowing mane was pulled back behind her ears and below her shoulders. Her eyes were watering a faint red hue, and her muzzle has appeared to be cleaned with soap and water, plus an aggressive amount of scrubbing from an abused towel. “Are you okay, sister?” Luna asked, knowing fully well that the pony infront of her wasn’t her sister. “Could’ve been better.” She admitted dulfully. “Let’s go get Celestia before I blow a fuse.” “Agreed.” She responded. Together, they marched through royal hallways. Not once did they meet another pony. This was entirely intentional by Celestia, who couldn’t stomach another does of love from a passing guard or maid. Not that love was a physical source of food. It was entirely magical energy. “You know what?” Celestia said, stopping as they came to a T split in the hallway. “I think I’ll retire to my quarters. I just cannot deal with this right now.” “Okay.” Luna said. “Celestia is in her royal spa, correct?” “Indeed.” “Take it easy, near-sister.” She said before turning away from the sickly pony. Celestia went left, Luna went right. Princess Luna approached the royal spa, positioned high up and in one of the towers, overlooking the city. It was a glamerous sight as Luna slowly walked up the staircase. Canterlot was lit with hundreds of candles in glossy windows. The streets were illuminated with yellow lamp light. Luna, upon her thousand-year hiatus on the moon, appreciated how much the common pony adapted to the night. It seemed every day more and more ponies stayed up late, enjoying her night time and making the lunar princess all the more happy. Soon enough she came upon a set of gleaming blue double doors, built entirely out of crytstal. Only something her sister could think of pouring thousands of tax-payers bits into. “Welcome, Princess Luna!” She heard, upon entering the royal spa. “I was just cleaning up for the day, but if you would like a treatment I’d be happy to stay!” Of course, the spa staff only comes in on days of appointments. It would be borderline cruel to keep them locked in the tower when nopony has to come in. “No, no, that would be alright.” She waved a hoof. “I’m just looking for my sister. I heard she was supposed to have an appointment today?” “Oh yes.” The spa mare nodded. “She just finished up. Said she was retiring to her quarters.” She explained. “Although, I do wonder whether that was the changeling or not…” She tapped a hoof to her chin. “Thank you, and please do take care.” Princess Luna said before taking flight. It would be like her sister to instantly retire. Her sister had the weirdest ways to relieve stress. Every couple years, she would take a week to herself to relax. This ‘changeling princess’ replacement strategy is yet another way to relax, although to do it more often across her lifetime rather than a few isolated times. Once, Princess Celestia turned into a regular pegasus and hung out with her student. Another time, she turned into a regular pegasus stallion and lived in a cardboard box for six months. It was just what she liked, apparently. This new changeling princess let her do it far more frequently. Eventually, the lunar princess landed on her sister’s balcony. However, despite the fact the sun was currently setting, she didn’t see Celestia setting said sun… Luna took a moment to herself, rising the moon where Celestia usually set the sun. Then, she knocked. “...Sister?” She asked through the balcony doors. No reply. “Sister, it’s me.” She said again. She pushed open the doors, and found a completely vacant room. A vacant room, with a letter on the bed. Dear Sister. I will be taking a prolongued vacation. Do not expect me to be back this week, or the next. And do not attempt to search for me. I will be living happily with margeritas and unsafe amounts of alchohol. I will be back, this is a promise, but leave the changeling in charge. Safe your words for when I get back. And don’t think to get Twilight to send me a letter. I have severed the connection. Thanks, bye bestest sister ever! Oh buck.
The Doctor Explains RegenerationAuthor's Note I have no idea how to write a Doctor Who episode. I would be a worse writer than Chris Chibnall. Which- would be an achievement, to be fair. Also, I brought up the weird dynamics of forceful transgender. I wanted to direct it more, but i'm not experienced enough personally to deal with that can of worms. The Doctor Explains Regeneration The two sat in peaceful silence, staring down upon the blue marble they called Earth. Currently facing them, half-covered in glorious sunshine, the other half dipped below darkness, was the continent known as Equestria. In a world devoid of electricity, devoid of technology, in a world devoid of anything The Doctor could call a ‘level one civilization,’ the ponies had become surprisingly resiliant to their unfortunate biology. At the same time, evolving to become in-tune with a sort of electromagnetic grid was impressive in it’s own right. Even more so was the fact that three seperate tribes arose, evolving entirely seperate from one another, and then managing to come together to form harmony. Well, the three tribes plus the Thestrals, but history had seemed to forgotten them… for now, at least. The Doctor sat contently on the sandy surface of the moon. To his right, his ever-so-faithful assistant sat similarily, soaking in the same atmosphere- or lack of. She sat much more naturally than The Doctor, letting her hooves rest, tucked into herself. The Doctor, despite being stuck in this body for the past century, still sat like a toddler. He brought her out to discuss something important. Something important she needed to do incase the worst happened. Earth, in this universe, was a closed system. The only celestial bodies that existed was Earth itself, along with The Moon, and The Sun. The stars were mere projections made by the lovely Princess Luna. No other bodies existed in this universe. The Doctor could fly the Tardis in one direction for eons and eons, and only find nothing more than blackness. The only reason he knew this was because he did try flying the Tardis in one direction. Four hours in and he got bored and materialized back on Earth. Although only Earth existed, that didn’t mean it was any less dangerous. Forwards in time, backwards in time, they always managed to find themselves in the middle of a horrible battle, a conflict of nature, or a simple disagreement. Hay, there had been a few times where the two escaped by the hair of their chin. But what if he couldn’t escape? What if The Doctor was shot by a stray bolt? He could save his faithful assistant using the Tardis and it’s pletura of medical equipment, but him? If he blinks out of life for even a moment, the worrisome and ever-so-jaded ‘regeneration’ process starts. At that point, nothing he can do will stop it. He’s tried before. He’s tried almost every cycle. Hold it in. Direct it. Reject it. But nothing ever seemed to work. Regeneration energy is scary. Very scary. Regeneration energy can bust through every single type of force-field imaginable back in his own universe. Even the Daleks couldn’t defend against a focused blast… And that’s why The Doctor needed to tell his assistant. He needs her to understand before it’s potentially too late. He needs her out of the way. Out of danger’s reach. The Doctor shot a glance towards her. She was a pegasus of average stock. Her mane and tail were combed flat against her head, both being the same shade of blonde. Her eyes followed a similar story, despite how they were- a little crooked? But that’s being different for you. The Doctor knows what being different feels like. He knows how good it is to have another pony there to cope with. The Doctor had, in all his years, never felt this way towards another being before, pony or human. It was like staring at her caused butterflies to rile in his stomach. An uneasy sweat to break across his forehead. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Even if he was a near-immortal god-pony timelord. He wanted to protect her. So, he talked. “Ditzy…” He started. His assistant looked towards him. In all his years of traveling, he had never met another pony so… attenative. All his other companions would ignore his commands, brush him off, or run towards danger. Not Ditzy. Ditzy listened. Ditzy was smart. Ditzy, as horrible as it sounds, had lasted longer than any of his other companions. She was reaching her thirties. The Doctor tried to limit his time exposed to her. Hence why The Doctor and Ditzy’s ages were so different. While it was true The Doctor was reaching towards six-hundred years old, (if you exclude the fact he forgot his own age and started re-counting a few regeneration cycles ago.) Ditzy was still young. “I wanted to say… I- If there comes a time when I get hurt-” “Doctor?” She asked. The stallion looked up, meeting the pegasuses eye. “If I get hurt… Badly-” He shook his head. He started talking without a plan. “You know Timelords are different from ponies, right?” He asked. This elicited a giggle from the pegasus. “Of course, dummy. I’ve been traveling with you for a decade.” She said. “I’ve picked up on a few things.” She said while leaning forwards. “Two hearts. Always clammy hooves.” “H-Hey! My hooves aren’t clammy!” “Yes they are.” “Anyways- Timelords have a neat trick. It’s a way of cheating death, really…” “Cheating death?” She asked. If Ditzy wasn’t attentive earlier, she sure was now. Her smile dissipated, her body turned even more so towards The Doctor. “You know how old I am, right?” “You told me five-hundred and eighty-two. Before you lost count, you said you were really more towards eight-thousand.” “Right.” The Doctor suddenly felt old. “Have you ever wondered how I got out of so many situations before? How I never- bit the bullet?” Ditzy tilted her head. “How I never died?” He elaborated. Ditzy developed a small frown. “No. I couldn’t imagine such a horrible thing happening to you.” She said, placing a hoof on The Doctor’s own. He blushed, trying to hide it under a head turn. “Ditzy… In truth, there’s been a few times I haven’t escaped.” He said. Ditzy turned paler than her usual gray. “Timelords, when they die… don’t.” He explained. “Are you immortal?” “N-No. Not immortal. When Timelords hit the end of their life, they change faces.” Ditzy still looked confused. “When a Timelord dies, their bodies change. It’s their way of creating a work-around for death. ‘This current body doesn’t work anymore, we need a replacement.’ So, in a burst of energy, every cell, every molecule, every fiber of my being is re-arranged into a new person. A new pony. I’ll still be me, but it won’t be my face anymore.” “So-” Ditzy leaned in a second time, her hoof still on his. “If you die, you get a new body?” “-In a way, yes.” He said. She looked lost in thought for a moment, finally taking her eyes off the doctor. She stared at the blue marble in the distance. “How many times has this happened?” She asked. “Ten.” “T-Ten?” She sputtered, her eyes locking right back onto The Doctor’s. “You’ve died ten times?” “Yeah. This is my eleventh face. There has been ten times I’ve not been able to escape a situation before. There has been ten times I’ve died.” Ditzy looked positively shocked as she took in this information. “Does it hurt?” She finally asked. “Yes. Extremely.” She winced. “Every cell in your body erupts. As it turns out, it takes a lot of energy to change your molecular struture. All of these years I’ve been alive is just building up reserve energy to do another transformation. And I’ve been alive a lot of years.” “Are you scared?” She asked. The Doctor looked down. “Remember how I said ‘It’ll still be me, new face?’” “Yeah.” “That’s only partially true. It wont- really be me.” Ditzy’s ears fell flat on her hed. “It’s like this. I have the memories of the past ten incarnations of myself. I know their experiences. I know their emotions, heartbreak, secrets… but I’m not actually them.” He explained. “I don’t remember being them. I remember their memories, but I don’t remember being them. Along with a new body comes a new personality. A new way of expressing myself. The Doctor you are looking at right now will… in a way, die.” Ditzy looked towards the lunar soil, her expression somber. “There will be a new pony in my place. They will remember everything I’ve done. They will be me, but they won’t be who I was.” “I-If this ever happens… How can I not be mad? A new pony with your memories?” “Don’t be mad at them. Don’t be sad at them. At that moment, that pony is more scared than you will ever be.” Ditzy looked up, meeting The Doctor’s eyes once again. His old, blue eyes. “He will be given a whole life. An entire new pony created on the spot. He will have all my memories, but he wont know what to do with them… And that scares him. I know, I was in the same situation. Remember, eleventh face?” “So- if you die, I’ll have to be there for you?” She asked. “I would very much like that, yes.” He nodded his head. “Listen to me. When I die, the last face I want to see is yours.” They stared deeply into eachother’s eyes. “When they wake up, the first face I want them to see is yours.” “Doctor?” She asked. The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “I think I might love you.” … “I think I might love you, too.” Ditzy couldn’t react in time. Her wings couldn’t carry her fast enough. She barely saw the blue bolt of magic whip past her muzzle as time itself seemed to slow down. Ditzy could make out every scuttle of hoof, every trickle of noise, and every buzz of energy as she watched the bolt. It went right past her face… And right into The Doctor’s chest. A yelp of pain seemed to break her out of her trance as she watched The Doctor collapse onto the cobblestone street. “Haha! I told you, I’ll get the last laugh!” The manical unicorn laughed. “You hear that, Doctor? I’ll get the last-” She was silenced when a hastily-made leather strap was wrapped around her muzzle, preventing her from talking anymore. Ditzy stood over The Doctor. She couldn’t feel tears rolling down her cheeks. She was in too much shock to even react. There, the mighty stallion that protected Equestria for years and years, a century and a half of his own life, a decade and a half of Ditzy’s… Now laid completely motionless on the ground, dead. He fought the biggest of beasts, kings of timberwolves, and worst of alicorns. Yet a single unicorn caught him offguard. A single, little mare. And now he was dead. Ditzy, without thinking, laid down next to him. She laid her head in the crook of his neck, and as her breath caressed his ear, she whispered one word. “Regenerate.” A gasp of fresh air rocketed Ditzy from her sollum slumber. She stood up, as did the stallion. “Doctor!” She shouted, latching onto him. “Thank Celestia above!” She shouted. The Doctor was much too preoccupied looking at his own hooves. His hooves, which were currently glowing a yellow radiation. “Ditzy…” He said, warning boiling off of his lips. “Get to the Tardis.” “What?” She let go of her hug, staring at the stallion. “Why-” And that’s when she noticed his hooves. “It’s started.” He said. “It’s started, and I can’t stop it.” He sounded chokeful, like he was about to burst into tears. “No…” She whispered. “No, don’t- Let’s go.” She stood up, pulling the stallion to his feet. Together, for perhaps the last time, they trotted back towards the Tardis. The familiar coral interior greeted them. The Tardis usual glowing orange lights seemed to have dimmed, as if it already knew what was coming. As if it already knew what had started. It had, after all, seen him do it nine times before. The Doctor threw a heavy switch, the machine whirling to life as it took off. “Ditzy… I’m going to change.” He said. Ditzy looked on. “I’m going to change, and you won’t recognize me.” “I know.” She said. The Doctor looked up. She looked sad, her ears drooping low. But, at the same time, she looked hopeful. A small smile spread across her face. “I’m going to miss you.” She said. “But you’ll still be here.” She made a motion to approach the Doctor. Instead he took a few steps back, shaking his head. Instead, Ditzy placed her hoof on her heart. “Here.” She said again. “Ditzy… Thank you so much.” He said through a half-choked sob. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. In all my years of traveling, I’ve never met somebody- anycreature who made me feel like this. The past century I’ve spent traveling with you has been the most enjoyable century of my entire life.” “Doctor.” She said. “If I knew you weren’t about to explode, I would hug you.” “Thank you, Ditzy.” “And to you, Doctor… Goodnight.” The next few moments were hazy for both parties involved. To Ditzy, where once stood the doctor now was a colum of light brighter than the brightest sun. Her fur turned excruciatingly painful as she used her feathers to block the heat radiating off of where The Doctor once stood. A huge whine of energy coarsed through the tardis, making Ditzy wish she could cover her ears if she currently wasn’t using her hooves to block the heat. Then… It stopped. All at once, it all stopped. No big bang. No over-the-top explosion. Just silence. Slowly, Ditzy lowered her gray feathers. Where The Doctor once stood now laid a new pony, entirely incapacitated and asleep. It’s coat was a light blue. It’s mane, a darker sapphire blue split up with streaks of light gray, eerilie similar to Ditzy’s own coat. What was most off-putting was the fact The Doctor was no longer an earth-pony, rather he now had a horn protruding out of his head. Another stark difference was the fact his muzzle was much, much shorter. Instead of The Doctor’s usual broad shoulders, it was now replaced with dainty, almost lithe frame. His backside also had a little extra padding not there before- Then it hit Ditzy. The Doctor was a mare now.
