Author's note: BOOM! CHAPTER! Happy Birthday everyone!
So a couple of notes before we get started:
Number one: If you haven't heard what Fletcher's lullaby sounds like yet, head on back a chapter and click the new link in the last scene. I collaborated with the fantastically talented Javyero on this project and he completely nailed my vision for changeling chirping, so check it out! It's beautiful!
Number two: It seems a lot of folks were confused by the last line of the last chapter, "Master...". I apologize. I wasn't trying to be cryptic or anything. The 'Master' he's referring to is his Master Dizzy Spell. The reason I bring this up is because I said we'd learn about him during this flashback arc, but he's not in this chapter. This is only chapter one out of three in the arc.
That said, and without further adieu... My friends, I present to you, Chapter 5: Innocence.

“Ba-tem! Ba-tem! Wait for this one!” Fletcher called out. He was running as fast as his tiny little legs could carry him, trying to catch up with two of the older males. When they stopped and turned around, Fletcher was going too fast to stop on his own. Luckily for him though, most of the adults were used to his… high energy, and the stallion he was about to run into had his forelegs open wide to receive him.

“Whoa, slow down there, Bo-nem,” the stallion chuckled. “If we weren’t here to stop you, you’d be halfway to Zebrica by now.”

Fletcher looked up at him with a sheepish smile as they laughed. “Sorry, Ba-tem Woolly,” he said.

In the hive, little foalings were raised by the entire colony, which meant they respected their elders. Good foalings called the adult stallions Ba-tem, and the adult mares Ma-tem. Conversely, little colts were called Bo-nem, and the fillies, Fa-nem. Also, good changelings did not refer to themselves as ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’, and so forth. Those were respectfully reserved for the Queen. Whenever they weren’t in disguise, changelings would refer to themselves as ‘this one’.

After his humble apology, Fletcher couldn’t help but laugh with the older males. Ba-tem Woolly and Ba-tem Mizer were two of his favorites. Unlike a lot of the adults that were usually depressed for some reason, Woolly and Mizer were just about always cheerful, and that really mattered to little foalings like him.

Woolly gave Fletcher a smile. “It’s ok, Bo-nem. What did you need?”

The foaling gave him a hopeful look.

“Can this one come on your mission with you?” he asked.

Both Woolly and Mizer winced. “Hmm... This one’s not sure, Kiddo. You’ve never been on a mission yet.”

“This one will be good, it promises! Pleeeeeeeease???”

That’s when Fletcher hit ‘em with his signature puppy dog eyes, and Woolly knew it was all over. He shared a look with Mizer and sighed.

“What are the rules?” he asked the foaling with an eye roll.

Fletcher’s face lit up. He was in! Eagerly, he began to recite the rules that had been drilled into him ever since he could talk.

“Always stay in character. Even small mistakes like a slip in language could blow your cover and possibly the whole mission,” he started.

Wooly and Mizer nodded. “M’hm, go on,” Woolly said.

“Never reveal yourself. Ponies are mean.

“Always keep your cover story straight.

“Always support another changeling’s cover story.

“Never talk to other changelings in disguise unless your characters know each other, or you have a private place to talk,” he recited.

“Yep, keep going,” Mizer said.

“Always choose inconspit… incomspek… incom… Always choose targets and disguises that don’t stand out... unless the mission dictates otherwise.”

The stallions had to strain themselves to keep from laughing. Inconspicuous was a hard word to say, so they felt for him, but it was just downright adorable to watch him try. They motioned for him to keep going.

“Never replace a target until you’ve gathered enough intel on them and their relations.

“Foalings should never use combat techniques, unless they get caught.

“If you do get caught, never blow another changeling’s cover. They can’t help you if they’re caught too.” he finished.

Woolly nodded. “And when in doubt…” he started for him.

“...follow Ma-tems’ and Ba-tems’ orders,” the foaling responded.

Woolly turned to Mizer. “Well?”

Mizer stroked his chin. “Hmm. Well it’s definitely too soon for him to try a replacement… Show these ones your best original disguise, Bo-nem.”

Fletcher nodded. He squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated hard. He thought about the characteristics he wanted and focused on the spell. Once he had all the thoughts stable and gathered at the front of his mind, he released the magic. The warm flames not only enveloped the surface of his body, but they coursed through his entire being, exchanging his chitin for skin and fur, and exoskeletal segments for bones. It didn’t hurt, but it sure tickled.

Contrary to other creatures’ popular belief, changelings weren’t completely like bugs. They did have some bones. They were more like turtles in that regard. They had spines, which were fused to the shell on their backs, and they had bones down to their knees. From the knee to the hoof however, they were exoskeletal, with segments at the fetlocks and hooves that allowed flexibility.

Fletcher felt the last of the flames dissipate. When he opened his eyes he looked down and was met with a little brown pegasi body. Checking himself over, he confirmed that his mane and tail were a dusty red. He turned to his Ba-tems with an expectant grin.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Mizer broke into snickers, while Woolly tried his best not to laugh. “Well, not too bad Kiddo, but uh… *snicker* you’ve uh… got one eye a different color than the other, there,” he said.

“Awwwwww, dang it,” Fletcher moaned. That was gonna cost him points.

Woolly chuckled. “Multicolored eyes aren’t completely uncommon. Here, let me show you how to do it convincingly…” Woolly engulfed himself in green flames and turned into the same colt that Fletcher had, but with a simple difference. “See?” He pointed to his face. “If you give yourself a patch of different colored fur around an eye, and then blend it in with more patches around the body, it looks like you have a differation of pigment,” he told him.

That’s why Fletcher loved Ba-tem Woolly. Instead of chewing him out for his mistakes, he’d always either turn them around into something useful, or give a friendly tip for avoiding them in the future.

Fletcher tilted his head in confusion, “What’s a figment?”

The stallions chuckled. “Pigment. It’s what gives living things their color,” Mizer said. “But remember, choose inconspicuous disguises. You don’t want to stand out or be memorable,” he advised.

“Right,” Fletcher said. He cast his spell again and corrected his mistake. “So can this one come with you?” he asked hopefully.

Woolly and Mizer looked at each other and both nodded towards the opposite direction. “Group huddle,” they said in unison. Then they made a big show of wandering off a few steps, throwing their forelegs over each other's shoulders and making whispering sounds. For extra effect, they would alternate looking up and peeking back at Fletcher. They had already long since reached a decision, but it was just too good an opportunity to pass up, making the poor kid wait in suspense. Deciding they’d tortured him for long enough, they broke their huddle with a ‘break!’, and returned. Fletcher hung in anticipation. If the foaling leaned any more forward, the poor kid would quickly be having his first makeout session... with the floor.

Woolly cleared his throat, “Ahem. Well Bo-nem, after much deliberation, These ones have determined that you are ready to attempt your first mission.”

Fletcher’s face lit up. “YES! Yes, yes, yes!” he cheered. The foaling dispelled his disguise and ran up to hug his Ba-tems. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” he cried. He gave them a large burst of love, which they happily accepted and returned as they laughed at his jubilation.

Mizer threw a hoof in the air. “This one calls stallion!” he called.

“What?! No way, you always get stallion!” Woolly yelled indignantly.

Mizer laughed. “Exactly. That’s because This one calls it. Gotta be quicker next time~” he teased.

Woolly gave him a playful shove. “This one will quicker your next time!”

Mizer and Fletcher gave him a funny look. “Haha, what?” Mizer asked.

“Don’t ask questions you fool, just move out!” Woolly said theatrically as he turned and started walking. “Come on, Kiddo!”

Mizer chuckled again and turned to Fletcher. “Ba-tem Woolly’s not very good at comebacks, so he settles for confounding your logic with rubbish,” he said as they shared a snicker.

“This one heard that!” Wooly called from up ahead.

“Well of course you did, you Dippy! This one wasn’t whispering,” Mizer teased. He winked at Fletcher, who was caught in a giggle fit.

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Fletcher rode on Woolly’s back while they flew to their target destination. He could hardly contain his excitement! While it wasn’t his first time venturing into pony country, this would be the first time he got to do more than just intel and reconnaissance. He was dying to test out his acting skills! Looking the part was only half the battle. You had to be able to act convincingly, or the ponies would find you out and throw stones at you, or tie you up and throw you in the river, or toss you in a vat and boil you into rainbows! Fletcher shuddered. He heard a story about when that happened once to an old changeling called Crazy Flick. Rainbows were pretty, but Fletcher definitely didn’t want to be one.

They changed into temporary disguises as they crossed the border into Equestria. Fletcher chose a little blue colt, saving his other disguise for later. Mizer chose a colt as well this time, albeit a slightly older one that would have no problem flying on his own and Woolly choose a young stallion that could easily pass for their older brother. Fletcher turned to Mizer.
“Does everything look ok, Ba-tem?” he asked. He didn’t want another screw up like before.

“Lookin’ good, Kiddo!” he answered.

Fletcher smiled and snuggled his head into Woolly’s withers for the rest of the trip. Ponies were mean, but there was just something about the feeling of fur rubbing against his cheeks, it was just so...soft.

After two hours of flying they were approaching a town called Trotter Dale. Woolly and Mizer had been monitoring a couple there over the last two weeks. Tonight they were going in.

They landed in a park where they could see the house they were targeting. Fletcher hopped down from Wolly’s back and run up to the fountain with Mizer and pretended to play in the water while Woolly, like a young bachelor would, pretended to hit on the mares in the park.

As they feigned interest in the water jets, taking turns covering them with their hooves and giggling, Mizer gave Fletcher the low down on the mission.

“Ok Fletcher, just across the street at 2 o’ clock, you see the house with the two mares talking out front?” Mizer muttered under his breath.

Fletcher followed the protocols he was taught for subtle surveillance, and continued to play a few moments before looking where Mizer mentioned. For good measure, once he made a note of the house, he continued his sweeping glance before returning to his activity.

“Affirmative,” he muttered.

“Nice execution, Kid,” Mizer muttered, making the foaling smile. Then he worked his way around the water jet to face Fletcher. It was a small thing that didn’t look like much of anything to the ponies, but Fletcher recognized that even this was a tactical move. Number one, it gave them a combined view of virtually 360 degrees around them, so if anyone was watching the two of them more than they should be, it was them who’d be doing the monitoring. Number two, he put the water jet between them, which would help to mask their words from any of the closer ponies.

“That’s the house where the targets live,” he continued, “The blonde colored mare out front with the red mane is Cherry Pie. She’s just finishing her 3:00 weekly get together with her friend Lackadaisy. Her husband Gyroscope is an architect. He should be off work at 6:00 and home by around 6:20. Tonight, these ones will infiltrate and replace the targets after dark when they’ve gone to sleep. Once we’ve replaced them, our alibi for you will be that you are our nephew that came to stay with us while his parents renovate their house. The mission is for This one and Woolly to observe some the ponies and projects at Gyroscope’s office, but you don’t need to worry too much about that. What these ones will have you do, is go to the school here where the Mayor’s daughter attends, observe her, and then report your findings back to These ones. These ones aren’t trying to gather love on this mission, so don’t worry about trying to get any of the other foals to like you. This one expects this mission to run for approximately two weeks, possibly more. At that point, the targets will be brought out of stasis, the memories they missed will be transferred back to them, and these ones will be on our way. You got all that, Kid?”

“Affirmative,” Fletcher muttered.

“Any questions?” Mizer asked.

“No Sir!” he whispered.

“That’s my Bo-nem!” Mizer muttered with a wink.

Fletcher smiled. That was one of the reasons Fletcher loved Ba-tem Mizer. Even though saying ‘my’ would get him in trouble if the Queen heard him, he loved Fletcher and many of his other Bo-nems and Fa-nems enough, that he wasn’t afraid to express his pride in them.

“Alright,” he continued, “the first objective is securing our mode of entry. Are you familiar with tactic 583?”

Fletcher nodded.

“Good,” he said. He then proceeded to give him some more specific directions.

“Ok, the mission is hereby dubbed, ‘Operation Snowy Owl.’ Commence objective one: Snowy Owl Primo,” he ordered.

Fletcher played for a few more minutes until he felt he had waited enough. Then he ran over to his ‘older brother’ and tapped his leg.

“Big bro, I need to go to the bathroom,” he said as he pretended to do the potty dance.

The mares Woolly was talking with squealed in adoration.

“Awwww, he’s soooo cute! Is this your little brother?” they asked him.

Woolly chuckled, “Haha yeah, this is my youngest little bro, Blitzer.” He pretended to look around for a solution. “Um… come on buddy, let’s go ask the ponies in one of these houses if you can use their bathroom. Climb up!”

Fletcher climbed up on Woolly’s back as he winked at the mares. “Hold that thought, Ladies, The Tank will be back momentarily,” he said with a cheeky tone and took off.

Fletcher didn’t need to see their eye rolls to know Woolly wasn’t getting any love from the mares. It wasn’t surprising since Woolly was acting like one of those clueless show pony stallions, but Fletcher was confused that Woolly would act that way if he was really trying to gather love. He knew his Ba-tem had way better ways to go about it.

He didn’t bother thinking too hard on it though. Woolly knew much more about gathering love than he did, so he was sure if he really wanted any he could get it.

“Mizer fill you in on the mission details, Kiddo?” Woolly muttered to him as he ran.

“Yep, This one’s all set,” he muttered back.

“Good. This one will getcha in and then chat up the target while you do your thing,” Woolly said as they approached the door steps.

“Affirmative,” Fletcher whispered as he jumped down and they climbed the steps together. Woolly knocked on the door, and was soon answered by the mare that Mizer identified as Cherry Pie.

“Hello?”

“Pardon us, Miss, but would you mind if my little brother used your bathroom?” Woolly asked.

“Oh not at all, Dearie!” she said as she opened the door wider and stood aside. “It’s just down the hall to left and it’s your third door on the right, Darling. Go right on ahead,” she said sweetly.

“Thank you, Miss!” Fletcher replied. You can’t fool me with your sweetness, Lady. I know you’d boil me into Rainbows if you knew what I was and you had your way! He scuttled inside, keeping up his potty dance act, and left her to be distracted by Woolly.

Now that he was inside, his objective was to ensure an entryway would be unlocked tonight. He didn’t bother with the back door. It was too obvious and would simply be relocked at night. No. He would find an appropriate window to unlock. Not to open it mind you, as an opened window drew attention to itself, but an unlocked window, if not unlocked by the inhabitants, would go as unnoticed as a speck of dust in a lint ball. After all, why would a foal unlock a window if they were just there to use the bathroom?

Fletcher counted his steps as he navigated his way to the bathroom, committing the house’s layout to memory as much as he could. Finding the room in question, he looked inside. There was a window on the far wall, but it was no good. She already had it open, which meant she’d be closing it before she went to bed. He turned away from the bathroom and looked in some of the other rooms in the hall. He found what he was looking for in the guest room, a moderately sized window that was currently closed. Careful not to make any noise he undid the window’s lock and make a quick mental note of where it was in relation to the outside of the house. Then he returned to the bathroom and quietly closed the door. He’d been keeping track of his elapsed time in his head, and so far he was at 81 seconds and counting. Mizer told him he shouldn’t go further than three minutes. That still left him with lots of time. Should he look to see where the master bedroom was so he could report its location to his Ba-tems? Knowing exactly where the target room is would be a huge help to them tonight since they wouldn’t have to risk making unnecessary noise checking rooms and opening doors, but straying that far from the path to the bathroom was risky. If Cherry Pie came back in the main house for any reason, it would be pretty hard for him to say he got lost… on the second floor.

91 seconds.

He had to make a decision. Woolly had her distracted, but in the off chance she did catch him returning down the stairs or something, he wasn’t sure what he would say...

94 seconds.

… but he really wanted to impress his Ba-tems... So on the way up he noticed they had some pretty nice pictures on the stairs...

Fletcher nudged open the first door he came across and looked inside. Nope, looks like an office.

108 seconds.

He peeked inside the next door. Laundry room. Next. Another bathroom. Next. A bedroom? Fletcher creeped in a little more. The bed was pretty big, but there was nothing on the dresser, no jewellery box, no pictures, nothing. Guestroom.

122 seconds.

Thankfully, there was only one more door at the far end of the hall on the left. It was obvious, but Fletcher double checked. Yep, Master bedroom located!

129 seconds.

Fletcher headed back for the stairs, but to his horror he heard Cherry Pie’s voice from the kitchen...which was right at the base of the stairs.
“...sorry Dearie, I just have to take this bread out of the oven,” she called out to Woolly. “You can come in while you wait if you want to.”

Fletcher heard Woolly’s borrowed voice reply, “Thank you Miss.” He sounded nervous. Most likely because he was worried about Fletcher.

136 seconds.

Fletcher peeked around the corner at the top of the stairs. He could see both Cherry Pie in the kitchen and Woolly sitting on the couch in the living room. Thankfully Cherry Pie had her back to him, so he waved to get Woolly’s attention.

When he saw him, Woolly’s eyes went wide and desperately shot a glance at Cherry Pie to see where she was looking. The coast clear, Woolly turned back to his Bo-nem and began to silently signal him with his hooves.

What are you doing up there!?

Fletcher replied with his own signals.

Side objective. Run distraction so This one can get back to the bathroom.

Affirmative.

“That smells delicious, Miss… I didn’t quite get your name,” Woolly said.

“Cherry Pie,” she replied, “and thank you very much, Dearie.”

“Do you have a special talent in baking perhaps?” he asked as he signaled Fletcher to move.

155 seconds.

Fletcher padded down the stairs in silence and quickly backed into the first hallway, keeping an eye on Cherry Pie as she and Woolly continued their idle chit-chat. He finally made it back to the bathroom and silently closed the door with 15 seconds to spare. Fletcher decided not to use them and went straight to flush the toilet, then turned on the tap. He waited a couple seconds and turned it off again, then faked the motions of drying his hooves with an air towel, and made his exit.

“Thank you, Miss,” he said to Cherry Pie as he joined Woolly in the living room.

She turned from her conversation with Woolly and smiled at him. “It’s no problem at all, Dearie,” she replied as she walked them to the door. “You two go have a good afternoon, ok?”

“Ok!” Fletcher beamed. I see right through you, Missy!

He returned to his spot up on Woolly’s back, who gave his thanks to the mare and turned back for the park.

“Alright Kiddo, lets have your first Mission Report,” Woolly ordered.

“Mission Accomplished, Ba-tem” Fletcher said happily.

“Nice work.”

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The sun began to set, and the other ponies in the park began to take their leave. Fletcher and his Ba-tems pretended to play tag and hide ‘n’ seek until after dark, no one asking questions since they were being ‘supervised’ by Woolly.

Fletcher didn’t have to pretend very much. He was having a blast! He loved playing games with his Ba-tems, and cherished every chance he got to spend with them. The street lamps came on and it would be time to move out in a few hours, but this was their cue to settle down and disappear into the night, to bide their time until it was time to strike. They crossed the street and hide themselves in the darkness of an alleyway, 5 houses down from the target. Fletcher really wanted to change back into his original form so he could see, but it wasn’t time yet. He had to wait till just before they entered the house, otherwise there was still a chance of being seen. Thankfully though, he could ‘see’ where Woolly and Mizer were. Or rather, he could feel where they were by their emotional presence. They were… not so much excited as… in a state of anticipation. Fletcher on the other hoof, was definitely excited and he was certain they knew it.

They waited there in silence until they heard the town clock off in the distance strike one in the morning. Snowy Owl Secondo was now underway. They took the back alley behind the houses so they could stay out of the street lights’ glow.

“Which side is the entry point on, Bo-nem?” Mizer whispered as they came to the target house’s backyard.

“South. First floor, center window,” Fletcher answered.

“What was that side mission you were on, Kiddo?” Woolly asked.

Fletcher smiled. “This one got the exact location of the targets’ bedroom so Ba-tem Mizer and Ba-tem Woolly don’t have to make extra noise looking for it,” he said happily. He was quite proud of himself for his forethought and hoped they would be too.

Mizer and Woolly looked at each other with surprise.

“That’s… very smart, Bo-nem, well done. That will be very helpful,” Mizer said as they ruffled his mane.

Fletcher was on cloud nine. He felt their pride in him and their love in the form of appreciation. They were impressed. Mission accomplished, Fletcher thought with giddiness.

They walked along the side of the house and with the coast clear, Mizer gave the go ahead to change back to original form so they could finally see what they were doing. Woolly opened the window Fletcher unlocked and climbed in. Once he was inside, Mizer passed Fletcher to him directly, so as to make as little noise as possible. Truth be told, hovering in would have been easier. Changeling wings were among the most versatile in the world, allowing for pin-point hovering and even backwards flying, but they were very noisy. Not appropriate for stealth missions. Finally, Mizer climbed in and quietly closed the window behind him.

Woolly signaled to Fletcher. Alright, where are the targets?

Upstairs, end of the hall, last door on the left. He answered.

Mizer nodded. Ok, These ones will take it from here, Bo-nem. You stay here so noise is reduced as much as possible.

Fletcher nodded. A pony foal might have taken that comment personally, thinking the adults were insinuating that they were clumsy and can’t move quietly. Changeling foalings knew better. They were taught early on, that when trying to be stealthy, the less you had in numbers, the better.

So Fletcher sat down on the kitchen floor and waited as his Ba-tems climbed the stairs. He sat in silence, listening intently for any sound. He supposed it was a good thing he couldn’t hear anything. Ba-tem Mizer and Ba-tem Woolly were good at stealth.

Based on where he sensed their presence, he guessed that they were at the bedroom door. He could tell they were concentrating hard, probably trying to open the door silently. After a moment, Fletcher felt a trickle of relief from them and assumed they must have been successful. Then their concentration intensified as he felt them very slowly move into the room and make their way to either side of what Fletcher assumed was the bed. He felt them concentrating magic, building it up... and then finally releasing it. There was a pause… then came their full relief. They did it!

Fletcher breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. He sent them the feeling of happiness as a form of congratulations. He felt them smile back at him. Or rather, the emotional equivalent of smiling. He continued to wait there as ordered, while they were busy with, what he assumed, was the process of wrapping the targets in chrysalises. Sure enough, after several minutes, Mizer and Woolly came downstairs with two black and green chrysali floating overhead.

Fletcher signaled to Woolly. Is it ok to speak now?

“Haha, all clear Kiddo,” he chuckled.

They set the chrysali against the wall for a moment. Fletcher ran up to one of them and leaned up against it to get a better look. He’d never seen a chrysalis with a real target in it before. He looked in and recognised Cherry Pie sleeping peacefully inside. He tapped on the membrane and waved his hoof in front of her face.

“Will they wake up if there’s noise or anything?” he asked.

“Nope,” Woolly answered, “The stasis spell These ones put on them will keep them knocked out until it’s released. They’ll wake up about two weeks from now, not having missed a thing, and feeling like they just had the best night’s sleep of their lives.”

Fletcher shook his head. And everyone calls us parasites.

Mizer opened up the basement door and picked Gyroscope up again. He carried the pony down the stairs followed by Woolly and they set them in the corner, covered with boxes and things. Then they returned upstairs and closed the door.

“Well, mission accomplished,” Mizer said. “Objective Secondo is a success. These ones shall talk more about the next objectives in the morning but for now, let’s get some sleep.”

Fletcher and Woolly nodded and followed him upstairs to the master bedroom, and they all piled on the bed together. They didn’t have the numbers for a cozy cluster like they would sleep with back home in the hive, but they had enough to generate a decent amount of body heat, and share a healthy flow of emotions. Fletcher fell asleep, comfortably snuggled in between his Ba-tems, for whom he felt so much love.

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Fletcher was roused from his sleep as Mizer got up and out of the bed.

“Mmmm, Ba-tem?” he groaned.

“Morning, Bo-nem. It’s time to get up and go over the cover story before Gyroscope has to get to work, and you have to begin your first observation mission at the school,” he said with a wink.

Fletcher smiled. He was excited. His Ba-tems had enough faith in him to pull his mission off solo… which now that he thought about it, kinda made him nervous. Woolly seemed to pick up on this, because he ruffled his mane and said,

“Don’t worry about it, Kiddo. You’ll be fine. All you have to do is stay in character, and watch how the Mayor’s daughter behaves. You don’t even have to talk to anyone aside from answering direct questions. You can just play shy, since your character doesn’t know anyone. Then later tonight, you’ll report to These ones what happened. Sound good?”

Fletcher nodded. He could do that.

“Good,” Mizer said as he changed into his Gyroscope disguise. “Now lets see your disguise.”

Fletcher concentrated and cast his transformation spell, turning him into the brown pegasus he tried earlier, minus the mixed up eyes. He looked himself over. Everything seemed ok, but he looked to Mizer for confirmation.

“Looks good. What’s your name?” he asked.

Fletcher already had one picked out. “Roasted Chestnut!” he beamed.

Mizer smiled. “Nice one. What do you call your Aunt and Uncle?”

“Hmm. Auntie Pie and Uncle Gyro,” he answered.

“Good, and what are your parent’s names?” Mizer continued.

Fletcher raised his eyebrow. “Uh… Mom and Dad? Duh,” he said.

Woolly howled with laughter. “HaHaHa! Way to stay in character, Kiddo!”

Mizer blushed as the others had a laugh at his expense. “Alright, Chuckles, how about this?”

They continued to test him and to unify their cover story as they made their way down stairs, until they had everything set in place. They finished just before Mizer had to leave for work, but before he left they gathered together for a traditional farewell ritual.

Changelings greeted each other as well as sent each other off with a ritual called Lomenvai, or the Touch of Hearts and Minds. It was a tender and intimate bonding exercise that involved touching their foreheads together, creating a space where they could share the smallest of whispers, or simply bask in each other’s presence. Mizer touched foreheads with Fletcher first, gently holding the back of his head. They circulated love between each other and whispered their well wishes for success and safety.

“Lo Men Vai,” they said in unison, and then broke contact.

Fletcher smiled as he watched him walk over to Woolly next. He navigated around Woolly’s horn and touched his forehead as they took each other’s heads in their hooves.

“Go with wisdom and safety, My Brother,” Woolly whispered.

“Aie,” Mizer responded. “Don’t burn the house down while I’m gone.”

“Haha, I make no promises,” Woolly chuckled.

“Lo Men Vai,” they said. Then Mizer headed out the front door.

Woolly turned into Cherry Pie and turned to Fletcher.

“Well, I’d best get you to school then, huh Dearie?” he said in the mare’s sweet voice.

“Ok, Auntie,” he replied with a smile.

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Cherry Pie dropped Chestnut off outside the schoolyard.

“Ok, Sweetie, I’ll see you after school,” she said.

“Bye Auntie Pie,” he replied.

Fletcher wandered into the schoolyard and saw all the other foals playing. Despite himself, he still felt a little nervous. He was secretly hoping there would be another changeling in disguise among them, but he couldn’t feel any. He had to remind himself that the goal wasn’t to gather love on this mission, so like Mizer said, it didn’t matter if the other foals liked him or not. Though he was looking forward to seeing what love from a pony ‘tasted’ like one day.

Fletcher quietly sat in the shade of a big tree and simply watched the others run around and play on the jungle gym, until a little pink filly with a red mane ‘n’ tail walked up to him.

“Hi,” she said. “Are you a new pony?”

Fletcher nodded.
She smiled and offered her hoof. “My name’s Sugar Heart, what’s your name?”

Fletcher tentatively took her hoof and shook. “Roasted Chestnut,” he answered.

“It’s nice to meet you!” she beamed.

That’s when he felt it. His first taste of pony love. Not the kind you’d get from a smile, or when teenaged mares think you’re cuter than a bunny rabbit. The kind of love with genuine intent behind it. The kind that says ‘I want to get to know you.’ He could feel it… and goodNIGHT, was it tasty!

Fletcher was suddenly aware of a pink hoof waving in front of his eyes.

“Huh? What?” he asked as he rose out of his stupor.

“Are you ok?” she asked. She had a concerned look on her face.

Fletcher shook his head. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. It’s nice to meet you too, Sugar Heart,” he said with a smile.

She looked relieved. “You can call me Sugar if you want. Is it ok if I call you Chestnut?” she asked.

Fletcher nodded. That’s when the school bell rang. The filly grabbed Fletcher’s hoof and pulled him toward the school.

“Come on, it’s time for class,”she said. “I’ll introduce you to Miss RoseBud.”

----------------------------------------

“Ok class, everypony take your seats, we’ll be starting now.”

A green unicorn mare with a rosy pink mane ‘n’ tail stood up at the front of the class tapping her pointer stick on the board. The fillies and colts did as they were told and fell silent.

“We have a new student that will be joining us for a little while, and I’d like you all to be extra kind and make him feel welcome. Come on in, Dear,” she called out the door.

Fletcher hesitantly stepped into the classroom and crawled toward the teachers side. He never thought he’d be put in the center of attention right off the bat like this. It was nerveracking having all those eyes on him, especially since they weren’t changeling eyes.

Then he saw Sugar Heart in the crowd. Her smile made him feel much more at ease and confident. When he finally made it beside the teacher she put a hoof around him.

“Tell everyone your name, Dear,” she said.

Fletcher gave her a glance, then turned back to the class.

“Um…Hi everypony,” he started. Then he focused on Sugar. “I’m Roasted Chestnut. You can just call me Chestnut if you want,” he said.

“And where are you from, Chestnut?” the teacher asked.

“Fillyshire.”

“How nice. Fillyshire is a pretty small town, so not very many of us know about it. Would you tell us where it is?”

Fletcher could have told them exactly where it was down to the mile, but he was in character. He had to hold back a bit.

“Um… which way is East?” he asked her.

“Well North is that way so East would be--” she began to point but she didn’t get to finish before Fletcher turned to the class and said,

“It’s that way!” he said with a big goofy grin, pointing there first.

The class broke into giggles, including the teacher.

“And what brings you here with us, Chestnut?” she asked.

“I’m staying with my Auntie Pie and Uncle Gyro while Mommy and Daddy fix the house,” Fletcher answered.

“Well, we’re happy to have you, Chestnut. Welcome. Go ahead and choose a seat,” she told him.

Fletcher did as instructed and to his good fortune, found an empty desk just behind Sugar. But just as he sat down, he heard snickering from somewhere behind him. He turned around to see who it was, but it stopped. There were still a few rows of ponies behind him so he couldn’t quite tell who it was. When he returned to face the front, the snickering started up again. Fletcher shrank into his desk. They were laughing at him. Did he say something wrong? Wait. Did… did one of them just call him a ‘blank flank’?

----------------------------------------

As soon as the bell rang for recess Fletcher was the first one to run out of the room. After two hours of listening to the sneers and snickers behind him, he just couldn’t take it anymore. Ponies are mean. He ran as fast as he could back to his little tree hoping to find rest. He figured his tree was far enough out of the way of the field and the playground, that the other ponies would just play, and leave him alone. What’s a ‘blank flank’ anyway?

Unfortunately he was wrong, and he soon heard snide giggling. Somepony saw him hide behind the tree.

“Well looky here, guys, it’s the blank flank!” a filly said.

Fletcher looked up to find three of his classmates. The filly who spoke, a light grey filly with a pink and purple mane, was accompanied by a red filly and a big yellow colt that was almost twice as big as Fletcher.

“W-why do you keep calling me that?” Fletcher stammered. “What does that mean?”

His ears fell when they laughed at him.

“It means you don’t even have a cutie mark yet, Loser! The whole class has already gotten theirs,” she jeered.

My cutie mark? I thought most foals this age didn’t have them yet? He’d have to fix that for tomorrow, but there was nothing he could do about it now, which meant today was going to suck. All the disdain they were directing towards him was starting to making his tummy feel nauseous.

“Leave him alone, Cashmere!”

Fletcher looked up and saw Sugar Heart running up behind his verbal abusers. Did she say Cashmere? That’s the Mayor’s daughter…

“This is none of your business, Booger Heart,” Cashmere sneered back at her as she arrived.

“It is so my business! Chestnut is my friend, and just because he’s different from you doesn’t make him different!” Sugar argued.

Fletcher blinked. uhhh…

Cashmere and her friends burst out laughing. “Uh, yeah, it kind of does, Idiot!”

Sugar Heart stamped the ground in defiance. “No, it doesn’t. Everypony’s different. Life would be pointless if they weren’t. The very fact that he is different means he’s no different than anypony else, and you have no right to be mean to him for it!”

Fletcher was stunned. Did… did she really mean that?

“Besides,” she continued, “I’d hate to see him be just like you, the world has enough jerks already!”

“Agh!” Cashmere shrieked.

That made Lug Nut angry. He stomped up to Sugar Heart and raised his fore leg.

“Why you little--”

“Leave her alone!” Fletcher yelled as he ran out in front of her, but Lug Nut only smirked. “Heh, I wanted to beat your blank flank anyway,” he said as he threw a punch.

The moment he saw the wind up, Fletcher’s training kicked in and told him to block and counter. But as he raised his hooves, he remembered the rules.

Foalings should never use combat techniques, unless they get caught.

Well, he wasn’t caught yet, but showing that he knew more than his character would at this age, would be a rather quick way to rectify that. In the brief second he restrained himself, a big yellow hoof connected with his face and knocked him over to the side. Fletcher heard Sugar gasp, followed by hoofsteps in the opposite direction. She’s running away... That makes sense I guess. That was kind of the point of jumping in to save her.

He touched his throbbing muzzle. Sure enough, when he checked his hoof there was blood. Still, he would hold them off. Fletcher got up on his wobbling hooves, and glared daggers at them, but that only made them laugh.

“What? You want more?” Lug Nut chuckled. Then he hit him again, this time harder, and once again poor Fletcher was down on the ground. Lug Nut proceeded to kick him while he was down, literally, and all Fletcher could do was curl up and cover his face. Just when the colt was winding up for another kick, his body was suddenly paralyzed by magic.

“LUG NUT!” Rosebud yelled. The teacher came running from the school building, followed by Sugar Heart.

Fletcher wearily looked up and saw the two of them coming. So that’s it, she was getting help. He dropped his head back to the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’re in BIG trouble little stallion!” she barked at Lug Nut. “As are you two!” she said, pointing to Cashmere and Velvet. “All of you go inside and sit at your desks until I get there,” she said as she began to check Chestnut over. “You three will be suspended if not expelled for this behavior,” she added.

Cashmere shrieked, “WHAT?! You can’t suspend me! Do you have any idea who my father is?!”

Rosebud’s ears perked up, which made Fletcher’s whole body go tense. He felt her emotions go from appalled and upset, to down right livid.

With a deceivingly calm look on her face, Rosebud slowly turned and approached the filly. Cashmere shrunk back as her teacher leaned within inches of her face, and spoke with a cold intensity.

“Now you listen to me, Princess. You’re going to get that little idea that you’re somehow better than everypony else out of your head real fast. Your father was voted into the position he has because he is a good stallion that has done a lot of good things, but more importantly because ponies like him. Now you on the other hoof are about to learn very quickly that if you continue to treat ponies like you’re better than them, you will find yourself in a hole, where nopony likes you. Nopony likes a filly who acts like a brat riding around on her fathers wings, and does whatever she pleases. Have I made myself clear?”

Cashmere could only nod.

“Good. Now get inside.”

She didn’t need to tell her twice. That filly booked it into the school building like she was being chased by a wild animal.

Rosebud turned back to Chestnut and Sugar who was stroking his mane.

“Miss Rosebud, he’s bleeding,” Sugar reported.

“We’ll take him to the staff room. There’s a first aid kit.” she said. She tapped Chestnut’s shoulder. “Are you ok to climb up on my back, Sweetie?”

Fletcher’s head rolled around in a haze. He could feel concern coming from both of them.

“B-but I’ll get blood on you,” he objected groggily.

“Oh Chestnut Dear, don’t worry about that. That’s the least of my worries. It’ll wash out,” she said as she knelt down beside him. “Help him up please, Sugar.”

Sugar nodded and eagerly helped Chestnut get up on Rosebud’s back. As the mare stood up and started towards the school, Fletcher rested his head on her withers, snuggling his cheek into her fur. Maybe not all ponies are mean.

----------------------------------------

Fletcher was laying on his side in a bed in the staffroom, which was really a cross between a staff room and a nurses office. Sugar sat in a chair across from him, idly swinging her legs as they dangled off the chair. Rosebud had finished bandaging him up and his nose had stopped bleeding, so she was putting things away. She sighed.

“Well, I guess I’d better go have a talk with those three. Stay in bed and try to rest, Chestnut. Sugar, you can go back outside if you want, it’s up to you,” she said as she approached the doorway.

“Thanks Miss Rosebud, but I think I’ll stay with Chestnut and keep him company,” Sugar replied.

Rosebud smirked to herself as she left.

Sugar and Chestnut sat in silence for a while, until Sugar piped up.

“Thank you for saving me, Chestnut,” she said.

Fletcher gave her a confused look. “What do you mean? You saved me first,” he said.

She shook her head. “I stood up for you when they were just saying mean things, you defended me when they actually started throwing punches...” she looked away, “I’m not sure if I could have done the same,” she muttered.

Fletcher looked down. “Yeah well, sometimes the words hurt more than the punches...” he said as he rubbed his stomach. It was feeling alot better now after Miss Rosebud and Sugar Heart took care of him. “...so...thank you.”

She tilted her head in confusion, but there wasn’t much else to say. “You’re welcome?”

Fletcher looked back up at her. “Did you really mean what you said?”

“When I said what?” she asked.

“That being different doesn’t matter,” he said.

“Of course,” she beamed. “Don’t worry about the things they said, you’ll get your cutie mark some day soon.”

“Ok… but what if I was really different? Like a monster or something, with fangs and sharp claws, or dragon wings, or something like that. Would you still want to be my friend then?” he asked.

She tapped her chin and thought for a moment. “Hmmm, I guess it depends. Would you still be you, or would you be the mean kind of monster that kidnaps ponies, and eats baby bunnies?”

Fletcher’s breath caught in his throat. Monster that kidnaps ponies?! A horrifying thought came to him. Are...are we the real monsters? He was brought out of his thoughts when he realized she was still talking.

“...but I think you would make a cute monster, like a teeny tiny manticore!”

“Heh heh, yeah,” he chuckled nervously.

“But as long as you were still nice, then no, it wouldn’t matter to me if you were different. I would still be your friend,” she said resolutely.

Fletcher blinked. Really? He silently wondered what would happen if he showed himself to her… He shook his head.

Never reveal yourself. Ponies are mean.

But... maybe not all of them?

“Hey,” Sugar said suddenly. “My mom said she would be making cookies today. Would you like to come over after school for some milk and cookies? She makes the best chocolate chip cookies.” she said excitedly.

Fletcher couldn’t help but smile. “I… I’d like that,” he said.

Yeah. Maybe not all of them.

----------------------------------------

After school was over, Chestnut went with Sugar Heart over to her house. She led him up the steps and opened the door.

“Mom, I’m home!” she called.

“Welcome home, Sugar Bear!” came the reply.

Fletcher was hit with a wave of delicious scent. Usually changelings only ate food to keep up appearances, but Fletcher had a feeling he was going to enjoy these... cookies.

“I brought a friend over for some milk and cookies, is that ok?” Sugar asked as they stepped inside and closed the door.

“Oh, of course, Sweetie. Who is it?” her mother asked as she came into view. She was a white pony with cream colored hair, and beautiful light pink eyes. She saw Chestnut and smiled. “Hello there, what’s your name, Dear?”

“Mom, this my friend Roasted Chestnut,” Sugar introduced, “Chestnut, this my mother, Cream Puff.”

Chestnut gave a tiny wave. “Hi, Miss Cream Puff,” he said quietly.

“You can just call me Cream.” She gasped suddenly when she saw the bandages around his belly and rear ankle. “What happened to you, Dear?!” she cried.

At her reaction, Chestnut sat down, self consciously trying to cover his wounds. “Um… it’s nothing--”

“It was those bullies again, Mom,” Sugar cut in. “It’s not enough they have to go around bothering everypony else, they had to go and tease the new kid just because he doesn’t have his cutie mark yet. Then when I came to tell them to leave him alone, Lug Nut tried to hit me, but Chestnut defended me and took the hit himself. Then Lug Nut kept beating him until I came back with Miss Rosebud. She was mad. Cashmere and Red Velvet got suspended for four days, and Lug Nut got expelled. He’s going to have to be home schooled now,” she said.

Cream listened to all this in stunned silence. She closed her eyes a moment. Then without saying a word, she picked Chestnut up and gently hugged him. Fletcher blinked. What is she doing?

“Thank you, Chestnut. Thank you so much for protecting my Sugar Bear…”

Was that a tear?

“...I’m so sorry you had to go through that. You’re a hero... we need more Stallions like you.” she said.

Hero?

“B-but he beat me up. I couldn’t even stop him. I wasn’t brave like a hero or anything,” Chestnut objected.

She held him out so she could look him in the eyes. “You protected somepony from a bully even though he was significantly bigger than you. That was brave, Dear,” she told him.

“Really?”

She smiled. “Yes. Come, let’s get you two some milk and cookies,” she said.

Chestnut and Sugar nodded as she put him down and led them to the kitchen.

...she’s nice too…

He was really starting to wonder if all ponies were as mean as his Ba-tems and Ma-tems said they were. Although something told him, if he suddenly changed in front of her, Miss Cream would lose her kind demeanour in a hurry...

“Miss Cream?” Chestnut began.

“Yes, Sweetie?” she asked.

“Sugar and I were talking about being different earlier. Would you care if somepony was really different? Like if they had claws, or fangs, or eyes in the back of their head or something?” he asked.

“You mean like a monster?” she asked as she brought out some plates and glasses.

“um… yeah…” he said as he circled his hoofs around each other.

“Well I suppose it would all come down to how they behaved, I guess. If they acted like a monster then sure, something would need to be done about them, but otherwise… there’s lots of other creatures in Equestria and the rest of the world. There’s no reason to be unkind to them just because they’re different. Ponies are different too,” she answered.

“Really? You wouldn’t be scared, or try to boil them into rainbows or something?” he asked.

Both Cream and Sugar gave him funny looks. They looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

“Where did you get an idea like that, Dear?” Cream laughed. “Rainbows aren’t made of monsters, they’re liquid light. They infuse water with sunlight using special prism crystals at the rainbow factory. There’s no monsters or animals involved, I assure you,” she giggled.

Sugar giggled with her. “Yeah, we learned about that in class a few weeks ago. Didn’t you guys cover that at your school?” Sugar asked.

“Um… must have been sick that day,” Chestnut muttered. So that story wasn’t true. Now that he thought about it though, it did sound like a bit of an exaggerated campfire story. The name Crazy Flick should have been his first clue.

“But to answer your question, Dear…”Cream continued, “no I would not be mean to somepony because they were different, unless of course they were mean to somepony else first. Here you go, you two,” she said as she slid the plates of cookies towards them.

“Thanks Mom!” Sugar beamed.

“Thank you, Miss Cream,” Chestnut added.

“You’re very welcome,” she said with a smile.

----------------------------------------

Fletcher walked up the front steps of his temporary home and walked in.

“I’m home Auntie Pie!” he called as he closed the door behind him. He didn’t call him Ba-tem just incase there was company or something.

Always stay in character. Even small mistakes like a slip in language could blow your cover and possibly the whole mission.

“Hi, Sweetie. How was your day at school?” came the reply from the kitchen.

“It was ok.” He noticed that Woolly didn’t take any chances either, as expected.

As Chestnut wandered into the kitchen to meet her, Cherry Pie turned from what she was doing and signed to him.

All clear.

Chestnut signed back.

All clear.

Then she took on a look of concern.

“Fletcher what happened to you?” she asked, pointing at the bandages.

He looked down sadly. “This one made an oversight with its disguise. It didn’t think every foal at school would have their cutie marks already. It figured it would stand out less if it was among the half that didn’t have cutie marks, but it turns out This one’s mistake only made it stand out more. This one got picked on by three of the other foals including the subject. The colt tried to hit a filly that came to help This one, but This one got in his way…”

“You didn’t use any combat techniques did you?” she asked.

Chestnut shook his head. “No Ba-tem, This one was a good foaling,” he assured.

“Oh Bo-nem…” she said as she picked him up and held him, “This one knows how hard that is. Well done... well done...” she cooed. “This one is proud of you.”

Chestnut hugged her back and took a moment to receive the love and comfort from his Ba-tem. It was hard to take those hits, knowing he could have easily defended himself. He could proudly tell his Ma-tems and Ba-tems back home how good his self control was.

“What happened after that?” Cherry Pie asked.

“The filly that tried to help This one got the teacher and she came out and stopped them. The teacher bandaged This one up and stopped its bleeding muzzle. Then she suspended the subject as well as the other filly for four days. The colt was expelled,” he reported. He looked up at Cherry Pie with a sorrowful expression. “This one is sorry, Ba-tem. Its first mission is compromised for a few days because of This one’s mistake,” he apologized.

Cherry Pie shook her head. “No Bo-nem, you didn’t make any mistakes. It’s highly unlikely that an entire class or even the majority of them would already have their marks at this age. Based on that information, you made the right educated guess, it just didn’t work out. This one is sorry it turned out that way.” She stroked his mane for a while, then set him down.

“What can you tell This one about the subject?” she said in a more authoritative voice.

Chestnut stood at attention and saluted. “Sir! Subject has light grey fur and a pink and purple mane and tail. Subject has the same height and weight as This one’s current disguise. Subject is rude, spoiled, self entitled, and mean as a rattle snake, Sir!” he finished.

Woolly had to force himself to fight back his laughter for the sake of professionalism. He loved foalings, they’re hilarious.

“Anything else to report?” Cherry asked.

Fletcher thought for a second. Should he tell him about Sugar Heart or Cream Puff? He wanted to raise the question about whether ponies were really as mean as everyone in the hive said they were, but Ba-tem Woolly and Ba-tem Mizer needed to focus a lot more on this mission than he did, so he decided maybe it was best not to mention unimportant things till the mission was over.

“Sir, no Sir!” he answered.

“Very good. Atease, Bo-nem. Job well done!” she said with a salute.

“Sir, thank you Sir!”

----------------------------------------

And so the next few days followed in similar fashion for Fletcher. He went to school in the morning, and played with Sugar Heart at every chance he got. Cashmere and Red velvet came back eventually, but they didn’t bother them at all. They mostly just kept to themselves, which gave Fletcher the chance to surveil her behaviour from a distance. Then at the end of the day, he would report the important things to his Ba-tems.

But one morning, as he waited for Sugar Heart to arrive, he was disappointed when she didn’t come. Puzzled, he went to her house after school to see where she was. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door. After a moment the door was answered by her mother, Cream.

“Hi, Miss Cream,” he said, “is Sugar home? Can she come out and play?”

“Oh hi, Chestnut. I’m really sorry, Dear, but Sugar Bear’s sick with a cold right now,” she said.

“Is she ok?” he asked.

She gave him a reassuring smile. “Oh she’ll be just fine in a few days. You’ll know when she’s feeling better when she comes back to school, Ok? Then you can come over and play after school,” she said.

“Ok. Please let her know I hope she feels better soon,” he said as he turned to leave.

“I will, Sweetie. Thanks for visiting.”

----------------------------------------

Fletcher was sitting in his desk just before the bell rang. He eagerly watched the door as fillies and colts slowly filed in, hoping each time that Sugar Heart would be the next one to walk in. He hadn’t seen her all week. Hopefully she was feeling better now, especially after the weekend.

To his disappointment, the bell rang and there was still no sign of her. Miss RoseBud walked in and put her things down at her desk. She wasn’t showing it much, but from what Fletcher could sense, she should have had a sad look on her face. Why do adults always do that?

Miss RoseBud stood up at the front of the class.

“Ok, everypony take your seats please,” she said.

The final stragglers that were still chatting away finally took their seats as the room went quiet.

“I have some bad news, everypony. As you all know, your classmate Sugar Heart has been home sick this week with a cold…” Miss RoseBud started.

Fletcher slid to the edge of his seat, listening intently.

“As it turns out, it’s a little bit worse than a cold, I’m afraid. The doctors aren’t entirely sure what’s wrong with her, but her body’s internal organs, those are things like your heart and your stomach, are starting to fail her. I don’t want you to be scared, but the doctors say it’s pretty serious, and she needs all the help she can get. So this morning we’re going to make a big get well card for-- Chestnut? Where are you going, Dear? Chestnut?!” she called after him, but he was already gone.

-----------------------------------------

Fletcher booked it as fast as he could, making a beeline for Sugar’s house. His heart was working overtime, not only from the running but from the fear and dread pumping through his veins.

Cherry Pie was out shopping at a market stall, when she saw Fletcher run by on the other side of the street. Fletcher? What are you doing, Bo-nem? he wondered. Then he sensed his emotions. He’s terrified! Cherry quickly thanked the vendor and galloped after him. Woolly tried to reach ahead and calm the foaling down by sending him reassuring feelings, but his Bo-nem didn’t even seem to sense his presence. So he leapt up and took flight to close the distance, then dived in and scooped him up. “Chestnut, what’s the matter Darling? What’s got you so wound up?” he asked with Cherry Pie’s motherly voice.

Chestnut struggled in his aunt’s forelegs. “My friend is sick! I have to see her!” he cried.

Cherry blinked. “What friend?”

Chestnut stopped struggling and turned around in Cherry’s forelegs to face her. “My friend Sugar Heart,” he panted.

“How long has she been sick?”

“She’s been home from school all week,” he answered.

Cherry’s eyes widened. “Where does she live?”

Chestnut pointed in the direction he had been running in.

“Climb on,” she ordered.

Chestnut wrapped his forelegs around Cherry’s neck and shuffled around to his back, careful not to interfere with his wings as they kept them aloft. With Chestnut securely in place, Cherry took off towards the house.

It wasn’t long before Chestnut directed Cherry Pie to Sugar’s house, and he jumped down before she even fully landed. The foaling ran up the stairs and knocked on the door as Cherry joined him. It took a few minutes before the door was finally opened by Sugar’s mother, Cream. Her mane was unruly and her eyes were red. She had clearly been crying for a while. She wiped her eyes before she spoke, “Yes? *sniff* Can I help you?” she asked Cherry Pie.

Fletcher piped up. “Is Sugar ok?”

Sugar’s mother looked down at him. “Oh, Chestnut. Um... we’re not sure, Dear. She’s not doing too well,” she said.

“May we see her?” he asked.

“She’s not really awake right now, Sweetie--”

“Please?” he begged. “I’m really worried about her.”

Cream saw the tears forming in the corners of the little colt’s eyes, and couldn’t bring herself to deny him. She gave a weak smile. “Sure, Sweetie,” she almost whispered, “come on in.”

Cherry Pie touched the mare’s shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look. Cream held the offered hoof and gave an appreciative smile as she let them in and lead them to her daughter’s bedroom. In her room, there was a bunch of medical equipment surrounding the filly’s bed. A stallion who Fletcher assumed was Sugar’s father was talking to a doctor in the corner. Fletcher scurried to the bedside to get a good look at his friend.

The poor filly was completely pale and was wrapped up in several blankets, but the most disconcerting thing, was what appeared to be growths of blue crystal behind her ears, and down to her jaw line. Once they saw her, Fletcher felt Woolly’s emotions change from simple concern to a mixture of despair, anger, and regret. For Woolly to feel this way, Fletcher knew things were not ok. That’s when panic truly began to set in.

“A-Auntie?” Chestnut’s voice was hoarse. “What’s the matter? What’s going on?”

Cherry Pie gestured out the door. “Come with me for a moment, Dearie,” she said softly.

Fletcher complied and followed her out of the room and into a bathroom she lead him to. Once Woolly closed the door behind them, he cast a sound proof barrier around them, and turned to the foaling with a disappointed look.

“Why didn’t you report this, Bo-nem?” he said in his normal voice.

Fletcher looked confused. Why was he mad at him? “This one doesn’t understand, Ba-tem,” he said.

“Why didn’t you report that you were receiving love from someone?” he asked sternly.

Now Fletcher was really confused. “Aren’t we supposed to gather love, Ba-tem?” he asked.

Woolly shook his head. “Not with an original disguise, Bo-nem, not for this long. That pony is going to die because you let her give you too much love and you didn’t tell These ones it was happening all this time.”

“W-what?” Fletcher squeaked.

“And now there’s nothing These ones can do because there is no real Roasted Chestnut to divert her love back to. This is why you need to report these things, Bo-nem!” Woolly lectured, as he paced back and forth.

Fletcher was mortified. It… It’s my fault? His breath became shallow as his heart rate quickened. “But… But This one has always loved you, Ba-tem, and This one has never gotten sick,” he whimpered.

“You are a changeling Bo-nem. Giving your love to another changeling won’t hurt you anymore than if a pony loves another pony,” he lectured.

“No one ever told This one receiving love would kill anyone!” he yelled as tears ran down his cheeks.

Woolly held his brow and pushed his hoof through Cherry Pie’s mane in exasperation. “That’s why we usually abort and return the impersonated targets before the subjects get sick, or before they get attached to an original disguise.”

Fletcher suddenly thought back to the mares in the park. That’s why Ba-tem acted that way. He was purposefully making sure they didn’t get attached to his original character.

“T-This one will just leave,” he begged. “She’ll be ok if This one isn’t here, right?” To his horror Woolly shook his head.

“Leaving won’t sever the stream of love. It doesn’t matter if you fly across the sea, it won’t change the emotions that subject feels towards Chestnut, and since there is no Chestnut, those feelings will go to you, regardless of how far away you are. Your only hope of saving that filly, is if you somehow manage to wake her up… and get her to hate you,” he said grimly.

Make her hate him? How could he? He was her friend. “B-but she’s This one’s friend! She’s nice to This one! She likes This one!”

“She likes Chestnut, Bo-nem,” he corrected.

Fletcher blinked. He just got hit square in the muzzle with a harsh dose of reality. That’s right... She didn’t like him at all. She’s a pony. She’d take one look at the real Fletcher and probably scream bloody murder...

Woolly put his hoof on the door knob. “This one will distract the adults in another room. You go do what you can,” he said quietly. He held the door open and gestured for Fletcher to go first. The poor foaling fought to make his legs move forward as the tears came back in streams.

When Chestnut entered Sugar’s bedroom the adults noticed his tear stained face and blank forward stare as he slowly approached the bedside. They looked at Cherry Pie.

“What did you say to him?” Cream whispered.

With a sullen tone Cherry said, “I need to tell you something Darling, perhaps you could all join me in the living room?”

They nodded and reverently followed her. She stepped into the middle of the seating area.

“You may wish to sit down for this,” she said quietly. The couple shared a nervous glance, but did as instructed.

“I’ve seen this before in Manehatten,” Woolly lied. “It’s a disease called Sapherous and unfortunately there’s no cure… I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but... there’s about a 96 percent chance… she won’t make it.”

---------------------------------

Fletcher leaned up on the side of Sugar’s bed. He bit his lip as he watched her lay there. Why didn’t I tell them? He slowly reached out a hoof to touch her shoulder. She was ice cold. He squeezed his eyes shut as he fought back the overwhelming feeling of guilt, and gently started to shake her.

“Sugar? Sugar? Please wake up. Sugar?” he pleaded. After a moment he heard a soft moan come from her lips. “Sugar?”

Her eyes flickered. “Mmmm, Chestnut? What are you doing here?” she mumbled.

“Sugar listen to me,” he sniffed. “I… I need you to hate me,” he said. He honestly didn’t know how else to do it. No one ever taught him how to be hated, only how to be likeable. It was moments like this that reminded him that he was still just a naive little foaling.

Sugar started to laugh but was interrupted by a fit of coughing. “You’re my friend, Chestnut. I could never… hate… y~” she muttered. She was drifting in and out of consciousness. He could feel the love he’d been getting all this time, gradually getting weaker.

“Sugar you don’t understand! I’m the reason you’re sick! I’m the reason you’re… you’re…” He couldn’t bring himself to say the word. “Sugar you have to hate me, or else you won’t get better. Please Sugar.”

His words were lost on her until she drifted back into consciousness again. She gestured a hoof towards herself. “Come closer,” she whispered.

Fletcher leaned forward with his ear towards her so he could hear her better. His eyes widened when he felt something cool and wet. She licked his cheek. He looked down at her in shock.

She stared back at him with sleepy eyes. “I really like you... Chestn~” she trailed off and her eyes slid closed. Fletcher blinked. No. He felt the love taper off... till it finally extinguished like a candle. No.

“S-Sugar?”

He couldn’t feel anything from her, and the machines by her bed started to ring a long, harsh tone. No, please no!

“Sugar wake up!” he pleaded, “Sugar?” He shook her shoulders, trying to rouse her. Then the adults ran in, responding to the sound of the machines.

“Sugar please. Sugar please don’t go…” he whimpered, tears flowing full force. Cherry Pie’s foreleg wrapped around his belly and pulled him away, as Sugar Heart’s parents ran to the bed and pulled their lifeless daughter into their tearful embrace.

“I’m so sorry…” Cherry said to them as she dragged Chestnut out of the room.

“No! No! Sugar wake up!” Fletcher cried deliriously as he struggled in Woolly’s gasp. Woolly had to pry the poor colt’s hooves off the front door’s frame as they left the house.

Fletcher screamed in delirium all the way home. Woolly slammed the door shut, threw his back against it, and slid down until he was sitting on the floor with a weeping foaling in his lap.

“Why Ba-tem?! Why her?! She didn’t do anything wrong!” he sobbed.

“Shhhh, This one knows, Bo-nem... It knows,” his Ba-tem whispered, stroking the foaling’s head.

“She wouldn’t hurt anyone! Even if she wanted to!” Fletcher whimpered as he fell into long bout of heart wrenched sobbing.

Woolly was dying on the inside. It hurt to see his Bo-nem like this, but he knew there was nothing he could do, except hold him tight, and sing him a lullaby.

Fletcher squeezed Woolly’s barrel, and cried well into the afternoon. He didn’t care what anyone back at the hive said or did, he would never take love from a non-changeling ever again. He didn't need to wonder anymore... he was the monster here.

Never again.

Author's Notes:

Anybody else need a tissue?

Hey, Doctor Dizzy. Whatcha doing?

Oh, hey Sugar. Nothing Sweetie, I'm just wrapping things up on chapter 5 for everybody.

That's the one I was in, right?

Yep.

Did I do a good job?

You were absolutely phenomenal, Sweetie.

Are...are you crying?

Sniff* No, no, not at all. It's just that your performance was very moving. You did a very good job.

Don't cry Doctor! It's just a story! *hug* I'm ok, honest!

Haha, I know Sweetie. Thank you. You give very nice hugs, by the way.

Thanks!

Next chapter in the flash back will be a little more action oriented. I have no idea how long it will take because, like this chapter, I know what's going to happen but I don't have any of it written at this point.

Thank you all so much for your comments and the support you've given.

And as always, if you like it be sure to show it with a like and a fav, and please share your comments, but be good. This story isn't rated everyone, but still ;)

Cheers!

"MA-TEM!"