literature

Single parent seeks special somepony, part 5

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The silence was broken by a loud, insistent rapping at the front door, frightening the life out of Surprise and Berry.

The sudden noise was so unexpected that all they could do was look in the direction it had come from, unable to believe they had actually heard it.

A second series of knocks came, shaking Surprise out of her shock.

“Who the hell is that?” she asked Berry, her whispered voice almost accusatory in tone. “Who would want to see you at the time of night? Who is it?”

The pony shook her head in response, as confused as the changeling was, and was about to speak when they heard muffled speech from outside.

“She’s probably passed out. Please, let’s just leave it. Talk to her in the morning, it doesn’t matter.” The voice was pleading, upset and unmistakeably Lyra’s.

Her begging went unheard. Bon Bon knocked again, harder, crying out: “I know you’re in there! I can see your lights on! Come out, I’ve got something I want to say to you!”

Surprise’s teeth were clenched and her eyes reflected her fear. Her plan could easily be exposed here and, if it was, she would have to fight three ponies instead of one.

“Stop!” she hissed as Berry went for the door.

The earth pony turned her head, realising that she had the advantage here and Surprise knew it.

“I have to answer. They know I’m here and if I leave it much longer, they’ll start looking through the windows – if they haven’t already.”

Surprise hunched down instinctively, panic taking hold. “Please, I’ve told you how much my race depends on this. Get rid of them.”

She opened her mouth slightly as a thought struck her, then relaxed her posture. Berry realised at the same time she did that she could simply hypnotise her to do her bidding.

But it was too late. Berry turned her back on her and marched towards the front door – if Surprise tried anything, there would be a struggle first. The ponies outside would hear it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do it,” the earth pony said, keeping her voice as even as possible. She pointed to a door on the side. “That’s my daughter’s room, hide out in there.”

She heard the latch click twice as Surprise followed her suggestion, then exhaled once to compose herself and went to face Bon Bon.

The other earth pony had been on the verge of knocking for a fourth time when Berry opened the door wide. Lyra was standing a few yards away, looking incredibly tired.

“What took you so long?” asked the cream-coated mare, caught off-guard for a second. Then she launched into a verbal assault: “What was that all about at the bar? What gives you the right to shout at Lyra like that? Accusing her of being unfaithful? Oh, we’ve had ponies doubting our relationship before, we’ve been told that it’ll never last, but the least of all ponies I expected to hear that from was you. Where did you even…”

“Bon Bon.” Berry was so exasperated that she spoke louder than she intended to, and she winced at the harshness in her tone. Her next attempt was more conciliatory. “Bon Bon, it’s really late and we’re both drunk. What is it, what do you want?”

“I want an apology!” she shouted, leaning forward with her eyes shut. “You made Lyra cry. You made me cry. You…”

She paused to take a breath, not for the need of oxygen but to hold herself together. Her eyes were wet. “You really hurt me,” she said, suddenly vulnerable.

Berry bowed her head, the realisation that she had let her friends down momentarily overwhelming her fear over the changeling in her child’s bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m truly sorry. It’s just, you two have it all. You have everything that I want. And there was something that Lyra said earlier, something that I obviously misunderstood – I can’t even remember what it was now – and it upset me.

“I misread it, I thought she was stringing you along. I was wrong, I see that now. And when my evening didn’t end well, I took it out on her.”

She attempted a smile, but it faltered. “Please don’t hate me for it. Don’t ditch me – I’m lonely enough as it is.”

Bon Bon frowned, still upset but now lacking a suitable target to vent it on. Lyra walked over and nuzzled against her in an effort to cheer her up, then turned to Berry. “That’s okay, for tonight,” she said. “Things got a little emotional, we understand. I’m just not used to being shouted at like that.”

Bon Bon pouted, not fully herself yet. “If we go out again, I’m keeping you away from the booze. I’d heard rumours. I believe them now.”

“Come on,” said Lyra, nudging her. “We’ll speak about this tomorrow, Berry, when we’re all sober. This isn’t really the right time.”

“Wait,” said Berry, holding up her hoof and speaking in a whisper. “Just wait a minute.”

“Hmm? What is it?” The unicorn noticed the change in her tone, that something else might be bothering her.

Berry was unable to speak, her mind torn between two choices. She could tell them about Surprise, save herself. But then she would be dooming the changeling race.

Yet, if she didn’t, it could lead to Ponyville’s downfall. Despite Surprise’s reluctance, she had to remain loyal to her own kind.

Together, the three ponies might be strong enough to take her down. A better idea would be to go back to the bar and find help. They could stop this attempted conquest.

But what would happen next? This was the changelings’ last-ditch attempt at finding food but would they really stop if it failed? What would be the next step after subterfuge failed? War?

She was certain of it. When faced with extinction, why would they have any reason to hold back? Ponies could die. Pinchy could die. She had no other choice than to attempt a peaceful solution.

“It’s… it’s nothing,” she said, brokenly. She had taken so long to reply that the other two ponies didn’t believe her.

“What’s wrong, Berry?” asked Lyra, concerned. “Has something else happened? Come on, tell us.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s alright. It’ll wait until morning.”

Bon Bon stepped forward. “Well, I’m not taking that for an answer. You’re happy enough to throw accusations on a whim but when something’s actually wrong, you stay quiet? What’s up with you?”

Berry held up a hoof. “Seriously, let’s leave it for now. We’ve had enough drama. I’ve had too much to drink and, not to be rude, I feel like I’m about to be sick.” That much was true, though it was fear that was making her queasy.

“Right. Well. Tomorrow morning, then,” said Bon Bon. She took stock of Berry and thought again. “Actually, let’s make it the afternoon.”

The purple-coated mare nodded and watched them go, praying she was making the right decision.

Surprise emerged from Ruby Pinch’s bedroom as soon as she realised the coast was clear.

“You sent them away,” she said, dumbfounded. “You could have told them I was here. I was preparing for a fight. But you sent them away.”

Berry didn’t respond at first. The first tinglings of a hangover were starting to spike in her brain, but she had sobered up to the point where she could think things through relatively clearly.

The changelings were hostile in intent, this much was true, but it was born out of a survival instinct rather than being part of their nature. Her interactions with Surprise had proven that.

The pegasus’s guilt in being forced to subjugate ponykind was tangible and they had been talking perfectly naturally before her true nature had been revealed. Berry hadn’t been all that impressed with her behaviour in the bar, but that was down to the fact Surprise had been trying to get her alone as soon as possible.

“It’s going to better for us all if our races can get along,” she said. “If not, changelings and ponies will keep fighting until one of us become extinct. We can’t let that happen.”

“What do we do next?” asked Surprise. “Ponykind have essentially been our lifelong enemies. How do we change that kind of mindset?”

Berry held a hoof to her chin, trying to think. “One day,” she said. “Give it one day. If we can spend all of tomorrow together and learn to trust each other, truly trust each other, then we’ll have proof that it’s possible. Then we go from there.”

“My race doesn’t have more than a few days,” said Surprise. “We can survive on our energy reserves for a while but they’re not going to wait that long. Our deadline was set for tomorrow night – if we hadn’t succeeded by then, we were going to resort to plan B.”

“So we have to make this work,” she said. “Twilight’s a reasonable pony. If we can help create the foundations for an accord, I’m sure she’ll listen to us. I’ve already made a connection with her, so I think she’ll hear me out.”

Surprise nodded. “Chrysalis will allow me to at least put my case to her. Whether she agrees with it will be another matter.”

The earth pony rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the tight sensation within. The beginnings of a headache were starting to form.

She decided to press her luck. “Surprise, I’ve made a concession. I’ve shown you can trust me. I need you to return the favour.”

The changeling looked at her questioningly, one eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”

“You mentioned you had a potion with you. Something designed to make Twilight weaker against Chrysalis’s hypnosis. I’m not going to feel safe until you destroy it.”

Surprise raised a leg self-defensively, perturbed by her request. The potion was the crux of her mission – without it, there was no way she could complete the task. Berry wondered briefly if she had overstepped the mark.

The pegasus recovered from the shock and then appeared to give the matter some thought. Whatever the benefits peace would bring, this was not an easy decision.

“Okay,” she said eventually, in a quicker time than Berry had expected. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll do it now, I have it with me.”

“You do? Where are you keeping it?” Berry asked, looking her over. “Your mane?”

She shook her head. “Bear with me a moment.”

A flicker of light passed over her body as she transformed into her changeling form. Her white coat gave way to reveal a black hide. Her legs were peppered with holes, as though they had been torn open and never fully healed. Her back was a dark blue, her wings akin to an insect’s, while her eyes were milky and did not have pupils. A horn grew out of her forehead, the source of her magical energy.

Berry was unprepared for the sight and had to force down her sense of disgust. It was one thing talking to Surprise as a pony, but she had never seen a changeling in the flesh.

“S-so, where’s the potion?” she asked, almost losing her nerve.

“In here,” Surprise said, raising a leg. Her horn glowed as she used her telekinesis to remove a liquid-filled tube from one of the gaping holes near her knee.

“It was under your SKIN? GAH!” Berry recoiled in horror.

Surprise levitated the tube in the air, her brow furrowed as she lowered her head. “You see?” she asked, her voice laden with disappointment. “You see? There’s no way this is going to work. You ponies can’t accept us in our true form. You’ll want us to skulk around in disguise, hiding who we really are. Have you any idea how that’ll make us feel? We were originally born out of jealousy. We won’t be able to cope with our resentment.”

“I’m sorry,” Berry said hastily. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t ready for it. You’re completely different to us – it’ll take some getting used to, but we’ll manage. There’s no reason to give up on this idea yet.”

The changeling simply looked back at her, her expression downcast. Her confidence had clearly been shaken. Berry had to do something to restore it.

It took her a moment to think of it, but the solution was obvious. She could offer herself as a gesture of trust. She could give the changeling what she needed.

“You feed on emotion, don’t you? Can you tell them apart when you absorb them?” she asked. Surprise nodded.

“Okay,” she said, then cautiously took a step closer to her. The changeling narrowed her eyes, scrutinising her, unsure of what she was up to.

Berry tilted her head slightly. “I’m going to try something. It’ll prove that I’m not put off by your appearance and that I’m no longer afraid of you,” she said, then hesitated. “Um, would you mind retracting your fangs for a moment?”

Surprise blinked and pulled her head back, cottoning on to what Berry intended to do. She took a second to contemplate it, then complied with her request.

The earth pony licked her lips apprehensively, waited a moment longer, then went for it.

The kiss lasted no more than a second, but it was enough. Berry stood quietly, watching the changeling’s expression after they broke apart.

“That was… fascinating,” said Surprise. “So many emotions and feelings put into one single action.” She smacked her lips together, as if to taste. “The overwhelming flavours I’m getting are acceptance and hope. The first one’s not as strong as I would like, but it’s there. There’s also a hint of embarrassment and reluctance, but they’re understandable given the circumstances.”

She grimaced sourly and stuck her tongue out. “Yech. A bitter aftertaste of desperation.”

The potion tube was still hovering by her head. She regarded it, pursed her lips as she gave it one last thought, then smashed it on the floor.

“We have the foundations of something here. I think… yes, we can work it out,” she said. “If we can find common ground, even after what I’ve put you through, then our races might stand a chance.”

She looked out of the window. It was past midnight now and all of the other houses nearby had fallen dark. “So, what’s our next move?”

“I don’t know about you, but I need to go to bed,” said Berry. “Tomorrow’s too important. I can’t face it without getting a good night’s sleep.”

“Sleep. Ah, yes. Of course,” Surprise said absently. She looked as though she was about to say something else but then thought better of it. “Would you feel safe if I stayed here?”

The question sent a jolt down Berry’s spine, but she recovered swiftly. She realised that kicking Surprise out could damage the work they’d done already, and the changeling had given no indication that she was something to be feared any more.

Surprise smiled when Berry nodded her head. “I’ll hunker down on the floor out here. I’m seen your daughter’s bed and it’s not for me, it’d be too soft.”

With that, they bid each other good night. Berry collapsed onto her bed, wondering if she’d even be capable of sleep at this point. Her hangover was starting to kick in with a vengeance and there was still the instinctive fear of the changeling outside her bedroom door.

One thing was certain – it was going to be one hell of a morning after.
A short chapter, but with quite a bit happening. A little foreshadowing thrown in there too. I like foreshadowing.
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