The Magic of Change Ch1

>You are Anon. For the past few years, you have been living in the magical land of Equestria, which is inhabitted, for the most part, by brightly colored, talking, magical p0nies.
>Through your years of living in the town of P0nyville, you had met and befriended most of the p0nies in town.
>At least you knew most of them by name.
>But today you would find out that p0nies are not the only intelligent life forms on the world.
>The day begins like any other.
>You wake up next to your long-time marefriend, Twilight Sparkle, and, like clockwork, she wakes up at almost the exact same time.
>That's one of the things you love about being around her.
>Everything is so orderly and precise.
>As the sun shines in through the window, you look over at your special somep0ny, struck as you are every morning by how beautiful she looks in the suns first rays.
>You lean over, and kiss her, right on her horn.
>She giggles, and pretends to push you away, but then jumps on you, and kisses you on the lips.
>”Good morning, Anon.” She says these words so simply, yet they set your heart aflutter.
“Good morning yourself, Twiley.” She kisses you again, then gets up to go take a shower.
>”Will you be joining me?” she asks all too innocently.
>Damn, but she knew how to work it. You wonder where she had learned it from. It certainly wasn't from you.
>When you had first started courting her, you'd had all the grace and poise of an out of control school bus being chased by a group of fat women, screaming, “STOP THAT TWINKIE!”
>But as time went on, things became easier.
>You wonder if she has any books on dating, hidden from your eyes.
“Nah, you go ahead, hun. I'm gonna step outside for a smoke.”
>Thank god tobacco grew in Equestria. When it had become apparent that you wouldn't be able to leave, you'd almost gone on a mass murder spree. But luckily Spike knew where the good shit grew, and together you had cultivated a small garden.
>Twilight didn't approve of your habit, and made as much apparent as when swished her tail at you while walking away. She didn't like the smell, that was really the only problem. You were a little afraid of what she would do if you told her what cigarettes did to people on earth.
“I promise I'll quit someday,” you say as you walk downstairs to meet Spike for a morning smoke.
>”Yeah, yeah,” you hear her mutter, chuckling to yourself.
“Good morning, Spike. How'd you sleep?” you ask conversationally.
>Spike simply groans. He's usually like this in the morning. Just because he's used to mine and Twilight's sleep schedule, doesn't mean he liked it.
“Don't worry, bud. That coffee bush looks like its ready for harvesting. How do you feel about a cuppa joe later?”
>He nods, still groggy, but excited. Coffee beans were another thing you thanked god for. Once you had shared their properties with Twilight, she had insisted on planting and growing one. She didn't drink it herself, but thought that you and Spike were hilarious when under its effects.
>The two of you make your way outside. You inhale the fresh, clear morning air. Its still early, so only a few p0nies are out and about.
>Pulling out two of your handmade cigarettes, you hand one to Spike. He breathes a short jet of fire to light it, then does the same for yours.
“Spike, why doesn't Twilight every say anything about you smoking?”
>He shrugs. “Probably because I'm a dragon. My system can handle smoke better than yours or hers.” As if to prove his point, he takes an impossibly long drag from his cig, burning it almost halfway down. He holds it in for a moment, then breathes out clear air.
“Showoff,” you mutter.
>As you smoke, you see a p0ny approaching you and Spike. It's Applejack.
>”Howdy Anon, Spike. Up bright and early, ah see.” You nod, and drop your cigarette into the ashtray you and Spike had made months ago. Most p0nies were used to your strange habits, but you didn't want them to suffer the effects of secondhand smoke. Especially one of Twilight's friends.
“Yeah, you know the saying-”
>”Yeah, the early bird catches the worm. Yer hilarious, Anon. Anyway, I was wonderin' in you'd be willin' to help us out 'round the barn today. We gotta pick up some slack, and ah thought you'd be best fer the job, seein' as you can reach apples we cain't.”
>You think about it for a second, then nod.
“Sure, no problem. When would you like me there?”
>”11 o' clock oughta do it. And don't worry. There'll be a pretty penny in it for yer help. See ya'll then.” She turns and trots away.
>You go inside, while Spike tends to the coffee bean bush. “How do you want you coffee, Anon?” he asks.
“Black, as usual.”
>”Right.”
>Leaving him to his gardening, you creep back upstairs, and into the bathroom. Twilight is still in the shower. Slowly opening the door, you quietly undress, and slip into the shower with her.
>”Aaah! Anon, holy Celestia you scared the hell out of me!” she says grumpily.
“Hey, you're the one that offered.” She tries to hold the angry look, but almost immediately softens her expression.
>”Oh, whatever.” She magicks the spray of water at your face, which cause you to flail around, pretending to be helpless. As soon as the spray stops, you lunge at her, and begin rubbing her belly and scratching her ears.
>”Ah.. Anon...,” she moans. Her ears are especially sensitive. “We do need to.. ah.. get out of the shower at some point...,” she pants as you continue your attack.
>You ignore her words and move in for a kiss, the hot water running down both of your backs.
>It ended up being a long shower.
>About a half hour later, you and Twilight finally get out and dry off. “At least the smell of the shampoo helped mask your smoker breath,” she says, magically brushing her hair.
“Is it really that bad? If it truly bothers you this much, I'll try harder to stop,” you say, your voice full of concern.
>She grins. “I'm just giving you a hard time. After all, isn't that what marefriends are for?” You both chuckle at this.
>After you are both dried, and you have put on clothes, you tell Twilight about Applejack's request.
“I gotta head out in about an hour.”
she checks her daily planner, then nods with a smile. “Just be home by 5, alright? I'd like your help with some... archiving.” She grins mischievously.
“Alright, I promise.” You kiss her cheek, and scratch under her chin. “What do you want to do until I have to leave?”
>She consults her planner again. “I have to do some research on Changelings. Its homework from the princess. Wanna help me compile my notes?”
“Sure. Anything for you, dearest,” you say, kissing her again.

 >11 rolls around faster than you thought. You sigh, not wanting to leave Twilight. As boring as it sounds, the notes on Changelings were actually really interesting, and you'd found yourself excited to see Twilight's next set.
“I'm heading out. I'll be back before you know it.”
>She smiles, then says something she's never said before. “I love you, Anon.”
>You don't even think about it and respond:
“I love you too, Twiley.”
>Her face goes beet-red, and she smiles.

>”Alrighty, Anon. Me and Big Mac are gonna buck these here fields to the north. Applebloom's got the feild's closer to the barn, and you'll get the south field. We'll meet back here  in an hour fer a break, alright?”
>You nod, and pick up a stack of baskets for collecting apples. As you walk through the fields, you notice that the southern fields aren't quite as well kept as the others. Looking around, you see that a lot of the trees here had been stripped clean by forest creatures. Then again, it was right next to the Everfree Forest.
>You set down your baskets, and start climbing a decently sized tree. Once you reach a branch that can support your weight, you begin dropping apples into the basket. There aren't that many in this tree that are good, so you quickly finish and climb down. You look into the basket to count how many apples you'd gathered, but were disappointed by the total.
“Only four?” You had been sure it was more than that, but shrug it off. Moving to the next trees, you repeat the process, this time keeping count of each apple you drop. After climbing down, you count the four apples you'd originally had, plus the fourteen you'd gotten from this tree.
“Eight, nine, ten...?” You look around, trying to see if one of the apple family members is playing a prank on you, but see nothing.
“Alright, everyp0ny, that's really funny.” you say out loud.
>There's no response. You look around, straining your ears to hear the sound of hooves moving, but hear nothing. Shrugging, you move on to the next tree.
>This time, however, you have a plan. You climb into one of the lower branches, and bring a basket up with you. Acting like nothing is amiss, you start picking apples again, this time carefully watching to see if anyp0ny is messing with you.
>There. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a shadow rush out of the bushes, aimed directly at your apple basket. You drop the basket you had brought up with you at the last second, then scramble down from the tree to hold your captive.
“You're very funny, Applejack. Didn't think I would notice, huh,” you say to the squirming basket, but there's no response. “Appleboom?” you ask. “Now, I know for sure Big Mac wouldn't fit under this.”
>There's still no response.
>You carefully lift up one side of the basket, and peek inside.
>”Bet you think you're real clever, huh? You're just lucky I'm in this form.” says a voice from inside.
>What? That doesn't sound like one of the apple family. You lift the basket up off of your captive. Its a strange creature, completely black, save its long gray hair. It looks almost like a p0ny, but distorted, as if a p0ny had decayed and been corrupted somehow. It had wings and a horn, and what looked like holes through its hooves. It looks familiar, though. You know you haven't seen it before, but maybe you'd heard a description of something similar?
>”Well, you gonna sit there and gawk, or are you gonna punish me for stealing?” it says cockily. It's green eyes are fixed on yours, a challenge glare blazing forth.
>Suddenly, you remember why it looked so familiar.
“You're a Changeling!” you say excitedly.
>All the notes you had taken for Twilight this morning suddenly come to the fore in your mind.
>”Gee, you're a real genius. How long'd it take you to figure that one out?” It flares it's wings in annoyance. “I'm not just any Changeling. I'm the queen! Queen Chrysalis!” Se strikes a pose.
>But you are unimpressed.
“Really. The queen? I thought you were supposed to be... I don't know, bigger?” you say, scratching your head. “I guess, seeing as your a changeling, you could change your form to be smaller. But why would you? I read the you have an insatiable sense of pride. Why would you be this small? You're about the size of your average p0ny.”
>Her eyes narrow, and she looks away. “It's not like I wanted to be this way. That damnable Princess Celestia made me this way.” She starts to walk away, clearly not wanting to divulge anything more to you. “Forget you saw me, human, and there wont be any repercussions.” She then trots away, into the Everfree forest, leaving you bewildered.
“Wait! How did you know I'm a human?” you yell after her.
>She laughs. “There are many things I know.” And with that, she disappeared into the forest.

>”Anon, that's kinda pathetic...,” Applejack says ad you bring your meager load of apples back to the barn. She gives you a look that clearly says you won't be paid as well if the work doesn't improve.
“Sorry, Applejack. There were... uh.. raccoons that kept stealing my apples.” You decide on the spot not to tell her about the changeling. You didn't want any... repercussions.
>”Ah, ah'm sorry ta hear that, Anon. If ya want, we can switch fields, if it makes ya feel better.”
“No, its quite alright. I'll just be more vigilant.”
>She smiles, and nods in affirmation. You get the feeling that she respects someone who works hard, no matter the conditions. Maybe she'll pay a little more now?
>Granny Smith and Applebloom arrive then with enough glasses of cold apple juice to go around, and everybody drinks their fill.
“Thanks, Granny Smith, Applebloom. That really hit the spot.” you say, smacking your lips.
>”Oh, its no problem at all, Anon. It'll really put the pep in your step.” Granny Smith says, taking a long drink from her glass. “These here juice is made from zap apples. Should give you enough energy to work till lunch.”
>After the break is over, you head back to the southern fields, and start working on the trees right near the edge of the forest. Every so often, you hear the sound of branches rustling, or a twig snapping and wonder if that changeling is watching you from the forest. You scan what you can see of the forest, but don't see her.
>She could conceivably change into anything she wanted, so not seeing her didn't mean she wasn't there. You decide not to worry about it, and focus on picking the apples.
>The changeling hadn't been back to steal your apples, so you had a much bigger haul by the time the lunch bell rang than before. As you prepare to head back, you pause by the edge of the forest. Nothing's there. You turn to leave, then decide to leave a couple apples for her, as a way of apology for catching her earlier.
>Well, she did steal a bunch of apples from you. And was supposedly evil. But she hadn't really done anything wrong to you, and you can't hold a grudge. You feel bad for dropping the basket on her. That's just the kind of guy you are. You stack the five apples in a small pyramid, then yell into the forest:
“Queen Chrysalis, these are for you!” There's no response, but you hope she heard you.
>After you finished working for the day, you head home, a cool 60 bits jangling happily in your pocket. You decide to make a quick stop at Sugarcube corner to say hey to Pinkie Pie, and pick up a treat for Twilight.
>”Oh, hey Anon! Here for the usual?” Pinkie asks, her usual hyperactive self. You nod to her, and pull out 15 bits for the fruitcake. You weren't a huge fan of fruitcake, and never had been, even back on Earth. But it was Twilight's favorite, and you loved seeing her happy.
“Yeah, thanks Pinkie.”
>”How is Twilight doing today? I remember she said the princess had asked her to do some research on changelings. Do you know much about changelings? Me and my friends saw a whole bunch of them once. Has Twilight ever told you this story? I bet she has. After all, she probably shares everything with her special somep0ny.”
>You simply nod your head, quietly saying that you had to go. She would talk for the next few hours without stopping if you let her. She's sweet, no pun intended, but sometimes a bit too much to handle.
>Gingerly carrying the wrapped pastry, you set off for home, waving to a few of the p0nies you passed in the street.
>As you reach the library, you see the mail p0ny putting your mail in the bow, and stop to chat with him for a bit.
“Hey there, Jim, hows the day treating you?” you ask, looking through the mail.
>”Oh, not too bad, I suppose. How're you, Anon? Keeping the old girl busy, right?” he says chuckling.
“Oh you know it.” You both laugh. “You wanna meet up at Larry's later for a drink?”
>She shakes his head. “Any other day I would, Anon. But the word is Celestia's personal guard is in town, and they aren't too happy about something.”
>You look off into the distance to where you can see the mountainside city of Canterlot.
“Any idea why they're here?”
>He shrugs. “Nobody knows for sure, but Larry says he overheard them saying that they were looking for something or someone.”
>Hmm. You think back to the changeling in the woods who'd claimed to be Chrysalis. Maybe they were looking for her? She DID say that Celestia had made her the way she was. Perhaps her seemingly obvious lie hadn't been a lie at all. That would also explain why the princess was having Twilight do research on changelings.
“That is pretty odd. Well, I'm gonna head inside. Same time tomorrow?”
>Jim laughs. “Of course.”
>You walk inside, and see Spike cooking something in the kitchen. Smells like fish. When you'd first come here, you'd been worried you body would deteriorate from lack of protein. But, Spike, ever helpful, had found a solution. Fluttershy helped him collect the fish, and  he cooked it for you and himself. Turns out dragons don't only eat gems.
“Smells good, buddy. Seen Twilight?” you ask.
>He nods. “Last I saw, she was upstairs reading a book.”
“When isn't she reading?” you ask, laughing. You make your way upstairs, quietly, as you didn't want to disturb her studying. You need not have worried though. She's asleep on the bed, the book she'd been reading draped over her face. You smile. Twilight can be so adorkable sometimes. It was just another thing you loved about her.
>You carefully remove the book, and kiss her cheek. Her eyelids flutter, and she slowly wakes up. “Ah... Anon..?” she says sleepily. You answer with another kiss, this time on her mouth, and she responds by leaning into it. “Oh, I'm sorry Anon. I wanted to be awake when you came home. But I just got too comfortable.” She grins apologetically.
“Its alright, love. I brought you something, though.” You hand her the wrapped fruitcake, which she opens with delight.
>”Oh thank you, Anon!” She wraps you in a tight embrace, then carries the cake downstairs. You follow, and upon entering the kitchen, sit down to eat the meal Spike prepared for you. Twilight wrinkles her nose at the smell, but then starts eating her cake.
“At least it's better than the smell of smoke.” you say.
>She wrinkles her nose again. “I don't know about that...” She sniffs the air again. “No, you're definitely right. Smoke is worse.”
>Dinner goes normally, the three of you chatting about your day. You refrain from mentioning Chrysalis, as you still don't want to deal with 'repercussions'. But you can't help but touch on the subject.
“So, how goes the study of Changelings?” you ask, nonchalantly. She shrugs.
>”Its going as well as it can. The only books I have on the subject are really old, and some are written in a different language. It's been especially tough without an assistant.” Spike looks up at this.
>”Hey, what about me?” he says indignant.
>”Oh Spike, I appreciate your help. You know that. I just miss Anon when he's out.” She blushes, and touches your hand with her hoof.
>Spike chuckles. “You two already act like a married couple.” He laughs as you both blush, and look around awkwardly.
“So.. uh.. did you hear that the Royal Guard is in town?” you ask, not wanting the subject to be on marriage.
>It seems Twilight feels the same as she answers quickly. “Oh yes. They're looking for the queen of the changlings. In fact, that's why the princess asked me to do this research. I am to aid them in any way I can.” She sighs. “However, the current captain of the guard, Mr. Smiles, is a very proud man. He won't ask for help unless he has no other option.”
“Sounds like a hard-ass.”
>”Yeah, pretty much.”
“What did the queen do, anyway?” you ask, not looking at her. You didn't want to have her implicated if the guards found out you'd seen Chrysalis in the forest.
>”Well, Chrysalis and Celestia have quite a history. That alone would be reason to hunt her down. But apparently, she actually made an attempt on the princess' life.”
>This brings you up short. Sure, she had seemed cocky and kind of a bitch, but you didn't know she had done something so drastic.
“Wow. Any idea where she went after that?”
>She shakes her head. “The Guard has been tracking her for a while, but haven't found her. Anyway, it's not something we should concern ourselves with. The Royal Guard can handle it.” She looks at you sweetly, and everything else drains from you mind. “You finished there, handsome?”
>You nod, and laugh as Spike gags. “Just keep it upstairs this time.” You laugh even harder, remembering the time you and Twilight had fallen down the stairs and right onto Spike in a fit of passion.
“Sorry pal, no promises.” Winking at him, you pick up Twilight, and carry her up to the bed.