Changebro - Prologue (AiE; Changeling Drone)

>Be Anon
>Rough times in Ponyville
>Place is full of chicks but they don't put out nearly enough for your liking
>Plus ya know, horses
>Hiking in the Everfree Forest to clear your head and maybe catch some dinner
>That's the other downside of Ponyville, no meat
>And when Fluttershy found out what you were doing with the chickens you were raising...
>Fucking bitch...she didn't need to tell everyone
>Guy's gotta eat, right?
>Thoughts get interrupted when you trip on something
>That something clicks and hisses in protest
>The hell?
>There's a little black...thing on the ground
>It's beat up, its wings look busted and its legs are all...holey
>It hisses at you again but it's in such bad shape its hardly something to worry about
"What happened to you?"
>It seems surprised you can talk
>Maybe it thought you were a monster because now its whimpering and trying to stand
>Poor thing
>Deciding dinner can wait, you lean down to examine it
>It has some kinda weird armory stuff on it that's cracked in a lot of places
>It's leaking green goop too
"You're pretty messed up, what happened?"
>It shakes its head and clicks something at you
>You don't know what it's saying but at least you know it's more than just a creature or something
"I'm gonna bring you back home, we'll see if we can't fix you up, ok?"
>It nods
>You take your time slowly scooping the injured bug-thing up
>Walking home is a lot slower, carrying the bug with you
>It was hard to tell when it was on the ground but it's a lot heavier than it looks
>It's grateful for your help though, it quickly curled against your body and chirped something
>It sounds like a giant cicada, a little soothing almost
"So how the heck did you get there?"
>It's quite chatty and goes on and on
>You can't understand it but its chirping is distracting from the long hike
>Nice to know it can understand you even if you can't quite get around its bug noises though
>Your house is right on the edge of the forest, not quite as close as Fluttershy's but far enough from town
>The little guy is still chattering, whatever the heck happened to it must have been pretty interesting
>You get to your door and shove it open with your shoulder, never bothering to lock it except when you're home
>For some reason ponies never go in when you're out, but love letting themselves in when you're home
>It got a little tiresome so you lock the door behind you then deposit the bug on the couch
"I'm gonna get some stuff for those wounds, ok?  You get comfortable"
>It nods and lays on the couch, stretching a little
>You head to your closet and get some of the first aid stuff you had
>Pony medicine was weird at times when magic was involved but at least they still had antiseptic and gauze
>Thing was, what the heck was even on your couch?
>Did it need this stuff? Would it even work?
>Shrugging you get the basics and head back to your living room
>The bug, whatever it was, was stretched out on the couch with its eyes closed
>It must have passed out
>Or maybe it trusted you enough to sleep?
>Not bad considering your first meeting involved your foot
>You take a seat on the couch near the sleeping bug-creature
>For something that was black, covered in green slime and cracked chitin, it managed to look cute sleeping there
>Its wings buzzing every few minutes as its chest rose and fell
>You decide maybe surprising it with alcohol covered gauze might not be the nicest thing to do so you give it a shake to wake it up
>It groggily lifts its head, its big blue eyes questioning why you are bothering it
"You're hurt.  I need to clean you up so you don't get sick. It's going to sting a little"
>You get an uneasy chittering as a reply but it rolls over and exposes the worst of it on its back
>Some of the hard skin is cracked and there is that green ooze leaking out
>You put some antiseptic on gauze and move some of the chitin
>He snarls and winces but doesn't bite or try and move
"Sorry"
>You give it one last warning before you apply the bandage, and as expected you get a yelp and a hiss from the bug
>For its credit though, it still doesn't move, somehow it seems to understand you only mean to help
>You're relieved, because for the first time you see the sharp fangs in its mouth
>Getting bit by this thing wouldn't have been pretty
>You manage an OK dressing on the wound and are compelled to pet it on the head when you finish
"All done, little guy"
>It buzzes and checks your work, then smiles
>First time you ever wrapped up....whatever the heck it is
>Laying its head back down, the little creature yawns and closes its eyes again
"Tired?"
>It nods and curls its wings on itself
>How is something this ugly this cute?
>You take a blanket off the couch and lay it atop the thing
>It chirps in thanks and pulls the blanket over its entire body
"Sleep well"
>You leave it in the living room, headed to your kitchen to grab a snack before retiring for the day
>You can't leave it alone in your house
>Sighing at how boring a world without TV and internet was, you grabbed a few ciders and went to your room
>A few hours go by, a few bottles of Apple Family booze gets consumed while you try and busy yourself
>Occasionally, you check on the sleeping whatever in your living room and for the most part it's still alive and still out cold
>Part of you is considering going to Fluttershy and asking for some help but you and her were still on barely speaking terms after the chicken incident
>Plus her house is full of pets and lord knows what else, they might not jive well with something you found in the Everfree Forest
>Maybe you'll talk to her if you need to, but not yet, you can handle this yourself
>How hard can it be to take care of...?
"What the heck ARE you?"
>You say that aloud, the slight buzz of the cider getting the better of you
>Your guest stirs and looks your way, shrugging the blanket off and stretching its forelegs out
>The holes in its body really should be unsettling but for whatever reason you're not bothered by them
"Sorry, never seen anything like you before"
>It sits on its haunches and shrugs, licking its fangs a little
"You hungry?"
>Suddenly its very much awake and nodding
>What the heck does it eat?
>Well that's simple enough, let it pick
>You motion to the kitchen and the bug-thing crawls off the couch and click-clacks where you're pointing
"I have fruit and some sweets and stuff. hope you don't eat meat I haven't--"
>It practically flies face forward at a bowl of chocolates Pinkie made for you
>One month in Equestria anniversary party, that's what it was for
>Shit, that as a week ago practically
>Time sure does fly
>Your bug friend seems to like licking the chocolates for a minute then dropping them back into the bowl
>The ones it's done with are left with some of that green slime
>Little gross but, hey, whatever helps it feel better right now
>Not like you were eating them anytime soon
>It methodically licks and slimes every piece of chocolate in the bowl
>For a bit you thought of high school biology when they teach you how flies eat
>But it never went for the same piece twice
>Something on the chocolates was delicious to it though, cause it dug around for each and every one of them
"You like chocolate?"
>It gives you a 'gross!' kind of look and shakes its head, ironically as it grabs another piece from the bowl
"So then what are you doing?"
>It chirps and points to its stomach
>So it IS eating just...not the chocolate
>Of course, how could you miss that?
>Just when you were making sense of the world...
>It seems to notice your confusion and it points to the chocolates with its leg, then to your chest, then to its mouth
>Followed by a rub of its belly and a smile
>That only makes your expression more lost and it chitters in annoyance
>You were wondering how long the language barrier would piss one of you off
>Snorting, it resumes whatever feeding ritual it's practicing
>You sip your cider and watch, because you had nothing better to do, and it fascinated you a little
>When it finishes, your candy bowl filled with green slime and chocolates, it buzzes its wings and takes to the air
>Somehow it looked better than before
>It must have been hungry
>It smiles at you and chirps what you can only assume is a thanks
"You're welcome, glad you liked...whatever it is about those you liked"
>With a lick of its fangs, it lands back on the ground
>It looks you up and down and rubs its chin with its leg
>Then it gasps and smiles, its crooked horn glowing green
>You're not sure what's going on but before you can ask
>It its you with a burst of energy square in the forehead
>You feel slightly dizzy for a second and grab the wall
>You're about to swing your bottle at it when it talks
>Not the clicking and chirping either, but actual English
>"Phew...finally!"
>You blink but lower your bottle
>"Sorry, big guy, was too weak before to use magic...."
"You can talk now...?"
>"Yea I....whoa!"
>The bug stumbles a little and sits down on its haunches, rubbing its temples with its legs
>"Still a bit tired, that took a lot out of me. Thanks again for rescuing me, I thought I was a goner for sure!"
>You nod and take a seat yourself
>"Guess I should introduce myself, my name is-"
>What follows is a bunch of clicks and buzzing you couldn't hope to repeat or pronounce
>"-you.... don't have to worry about my name right now! I'm a changeling!"
"What's that?"
>"Oh, you don't....good! I must be really far from Canterlot then."
>You cock your head and go to ask but the changeling shakes his head
>"Don't worry about it, long story. I'll tell ya some other time, maybe after you had a few more of those"
>He points to your cider
>You shrug and take another sip
>"That stuff looks good, who made it?"
"A pony named Applejack, they brew it up once a year"
>"That explains it, mind if I lick the bottle when you're done?"
"...why?"
>"To get the love they left behind when they made it! Changelings feed on good emotions like love and happiness and other stuff like that"
"So....when you were licking the chocolates Pinkie made for me--"
>"Yup! Either she really likes you or she really likes baking candies! Was delicious no matter how you look at it"
>You set the glass bottle down
>This is, to be blunt, surreal
>There is a talking bug in your kitchen who says it eats emotions
"You're not going to bite my neck while I'm sleeping, are you?"
>"Oh hell no, it doesn't work that way. Plus you saved my life, that wouldn't be cool"
>You can't help but chuckle at this and how he's talking
>He sounds a little like you, come to think of it
"That's a relief, then"
>You take your last swig of the cider and toss him the bottle
>Sure enough, he starts licking it the same way he did the chocolates
"Taste good?"
>"Mhm! Whoever made this really loves apples"
"You have no idea..."
>You find the other empty bottles and let the changeling lick them up
>After the last one he belches and sighs, rubbing his protruding belly
>"That hit the spot. I haven't eaten that good in weeks"
"Weeks?"
>"Yea we can eat regular food if we have to but its not the same, we get weaker and stuff. I was eating berries in that forest when I wasn't hiding from timberwolves"
>You nod and collect the empties from the floor, trying not to get changeling slime on you
>He swears up and down its harmless but you're still not used to it yet
"How did you get lost in the forest? You have a family?"
>"Ehhhh, not really. It's complicated."
>You nod and head back into the living room
>He follows and hops back onto the couch
>"You got a nice place, dude. This couch is comfy"
"Yea I used to crash there till I got a bed. The ponies found out and they were all--"
>"Ponies?!"
>He jumps and looks around nervously
>"Where are we again?"
"About a half a mile from Everfree Forest, right near--
>"Ponyville, ah crud. Do they know I'm here?"
"No...why would it matter?"
>"Lets just say my boss got into a bit of a fight with their boss. Ponies don't really like changelings much"
"...I see....so should you hide?"
>"Only if a pony visits. You think they might?"
"They pop in from time to time"
>"Dammit, and I'm too weak to...you'll have to hide me then!"
>You start to protest but he looks at you with sad blue eyes
>You did save him and he doesn't seem all that dangerous
>...minus the fangs, the magic, and the fact he learned your language with a spell that scanned your brain...
>...could be worse, you guess
"If a pony comes by go to the bedroom and lock the door. Its down the hall"
>"Thank's bro! You're a good friend"
>He punches his holey, chitin covered leg into your hand
>...did he just high-five you?
>You two get lucky, for with the exception of Rainbow Dash dropping by about Wonderbolt Derby tickets, the ponies don't bother you
>Gives you plenty of time to shoot the shit with your new changeling friend
>He learns a lot about humans and you in particular, how you got there and what you do
>You get a pretty good explanation about changeling stuff
>You can tell he's hiding some details but you don't press for them, the stuff he does talk about seemed pretty rough
>And to be honest, he was really fun
>Not like parties and games like Pinkie Pie or in your face like Dash
>Just a chill guy, every time you mention something outdoorsy or things like the Derby his big blue eyes light up and he's all into it
>You've been pretty solitary since arriving, having an actual friend who wasn't a feminine pony would be pretty awesome
>Plus, once he's all healed up, apparently he can look like a pony
>"Hell yea, it's pretty wild. I can look like anything! Well, mostly anything, don't think I can do human, you're a little too tall"
"I wouldn't bother. Ponies might notice a second human walking around"
>"But won't they notice you with a friend they never met before?"
"We'll fake meeting each other in town, say you're from Baltimare or something"
>"Cool, we can do that tomorrow"
>You finish another bottle of cider and toss him the bottle
>He does that thing he does
"You need a name thought, I can't pronounce whatever you are. How bout Ditto?"
>"Ditto? The heck is that?"
"Something from a video game. It turns into things like you do. Plus it passes for a pony name"
>"Works for me, boss"
>So with that decided and a six pack of cider gone, you decide to call it a night
>Ditto goes back to the couch with a promise he won't bite your neck while you sleep
>He's laughing when you take him seriously
>You shake your head and go to your bedroom
>Just in case you lock the door
>No need to find out trusting him was a mistake
>But for some reason, you don't think so
>He seemed like a pretty cool guy...bug...thing

Next - http://pastebin.com/VK2xmcA2