Hello everyone

I am truly sorry that this update took so long; life does tend to get in the way. I also wasn't quite sure about this chapter and actually wrote several re-writes. I hope this final piece is to your liking.

Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!

"Uh….So….This is where the picnic is located?"

Within the confines of a beautiful grassy plain the Pegasus disguised Changeling was sitting down surveying the sight with his young eyes. He must admit it was rather color, he found himself getting a similar feeling to what he had when he was back on sweet apple acres….well at least until he was the would be victim of that cursed contraption called the Crusader Slingshot.

The feeling was similar but different really, but it was rather odd to place for the young one. Back at the apple orchard there was growth, almost like a cycle. Here, there was like a harmony a peaceful stillness that just couldn't be placed into mere words; at least none that he young mind could think of. However, while he would have loved to take in the scenery there was something else that caught his attention, something that seems to bring a shiver down his spine.

"Yep, and there are the others over there." Apple Bloom cheerfully pointed with one of her front hooves.

Skeet was already looking into the direction that the young Earth pony mentioned. In fact, what his eyes caught was the reason he had that uneasy feeling. He saw rather familiar ponies, the other two members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders as well as Bloom's older sister Apple Jack but it was the extras that caused him to look on with caution…truth be told Applejack gave him a similar feeling but he didn't pay much attention to it until now….In fact they all gave him this uneasiness…..there was just something about their appearance….he remembered hearing about similar descriptions but where?

"OW!" Skeet found himself the recipient of a solid bonk on the head. He clutched his head with his hooves as he looked over at Apple Bloom who looks at him with a sweet yet concerned look on her face.

"You were drifting off there again Skeet."

"Um…you know you could have just given me a nudge or something." Skeet said with a slight hint of annoyance as he rubbed his noggin in an effect to make the pain stop.

"I know, but this was more fun and quicker."

Skeet blinked in confusion as he watches Apple Bloom trot off in the distance, but he raised an eyebrow when she stopped and looked back at him. Apparently she noticed that he wasn't following her towards the event.

"Well are you coming?"

"Huh?" It actually took Skeet a couple of moments before he finally realized that Apple Bloom was talking to him. "Oh right, yeah…coming."

Skeet finally began to move after Apple Bloom in a walking position. In truth he was no hurry to get there, not to mention the fact that the closer he got there, the more uneasy he felt. He remember hearing the stories of the Changelings' defeat at Canterlot and he almost remembered Several of the Adults mentioned how six particular ponies manage to defeat a good chuck of their forces…one pony he herd actually attack a few of them with party favors, something that Skeet found very amusing…at least at the time.

As the walk through Ponyville the disguised Changeling found himself sneaking quick glimpse over at Apple Bloom. He didn't know why but he felt he should be careful around her. Sure she manage to get the better of him with that lucky move over at the school yard but there just seems to be more to it than that. Everything in him that was Changeling said that he should be wary of her. Sure he got that feeling with all the ponies but with Apple Bloom there was something different.

"So…." Skeet in a rather futile attempt to calm his nerves, he began to see the picnic sight in the distance and the close he got the more he trembled. He wasn't sure he was ready to meet any more ponies right away. Heck, he got his tail handed to him by Apple Bloom: the first pony he officially met and later on she and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders decided to best way to apple buck was to sling shot him into tree at what seemed to be a million miles an hour. Now, he was going to be MORE of them? "These other ponies...what are they like if I may ask."

"Oh, well…. "

"That is Strange….." Skeet chimed in, his face giving off a mask of confusion.

"What is?"

As they moved closer the red colt was seeing more and more similarities to what he heard from the adults report and what he was actually seeing. An indigo unicorn who's hairs show streaks of the various shades of violet. There was a bright yellow Pegasus with light pink hair…and there was a female pony pink wearing a party hat. She was on her hind legs dancing and singing….and if he didn't know any better he swore he could hear something. "Is…that music?"

Apple Bloom sighed calmly as she realized Skeet's confusion. "Oh yeah, it is one of the things you get used to, trust me."

The young Pegasus stopped for a moment to actually listen to make sure he wasn't just hearing things. His new 'friend might said that it was something you get use too but that didn't make him any less curious. After a few moments he found that it was true, he was actually hearing music… but, it made no sense, there was nothing to show that a music playing device was present anywhere. Perhaps he was overthinking it, after all he hasn't officially arrived at the picnic yet so the music was sure to be explained there but there the others that was present but there was something else that was bothering him.

~Hum, This has to be a coincidence….there is just no way.~ Skeet thought to himself as he continued looking on at the picnic and it's resident at a distance. The descriptions he heard from the adults were getting more and more similar as he watched on. These couldn't be the same six that tried to counter attack their efforts. Esquistra was a huge place after all, what are the odds?

"Skeet HEADS UP!"

"Well the…BRUHWAHAA!" The crimson pony found himself tumbling and skidding across the grass. He really wasn't sure what hit him. One moment he was gathering his thoughts in order to answer Apple Bloom and next he was hit on what could only be described as a pink blur. Now his reality was nothing more than a clash of colors and light, unable to control the direction his body moved….not that he could anyway for whatever clashed into him was also clinging to him and was clearly in control of the situation. All he could do was just wait for this little nightmare to end.

Skeet found himself lying on his back, his body still tense and his eyes tightly shut. It seemed whatever hit him was a pony and the unexpected right was over but everything that was everything about him told the young Pegasus to keep bracing himself and keep his eyes shut at all cost. He really didn't know why but his mental alarm was going overdrive. This was true torment his brain was telling him to not do anything and maybe it will go away but his youth fuelled curiosity was telling him to see who or WHAT it was.

Despite his better judgment he slowly opened his eyes to see who was standing over him. He was many things but he was no coward and he was confident that whoever it was he would be able to handle the situation.

"HHHHHHHHEEEEEEELLLLLOOOOOOOO NEW FRIEND!"

The red colt's eyes opened to see the improbable large grinning face of a female earth pony. This was it….It was over. The ponies knew about his infiltration all of this time. They knew he was a spy sent to discover their weaknesses. They played along waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike with their ultimate weapon. All he could do was to recoil in terror completely under the mercy of this living pink torpedo.

" ' 'tevenbegintotellyouwhatareli efitistoseewellImeanyoureall ylookworseforwelltheresoitis agoodthingwemanagetotakecare ofyouintimeOHbytheway…."

Skeet was curled up into a ball of despair. He had absolutely no idea what was happening or how to make it stop. The Pink Pony Torpedo wasn't content just striking its prey this was the TRUE killing blow. It was just incredible….this pony with an aura of cheerful innocent…. there was just so much feeling…so much positive feeling that it couldn't…no SHOULDN"T be focus on one person. It was all so overwhelmingly powerful this aura of friendship and love…..adult Changelings couldn't handle this much energy let alone a child.

"And that's what happened all day yesterday…." The pink mare suddenly perked again as she gave the most disturbing innocent grin that Skeet has ever encountered. "Would you like to know what happened today before you arrived?"

The Crimson colt's eyes suddenly became wide as dinner plates when the Pink pony asks the question that would have changed his real colors white. With the combination of adrenaline and desperation consuming him the young boy screamed to the heavens as he manages to pry energetic mare off of him. Standing on just his hind legs with his front hooves in the air he was still crying out to the heavens. "Nnnnnoooooo no more! I surrender I SURRENDER!"

"Uh…..Skeet…."

Skeet finally opened his eyes as he herd the familiar voice of the young filly Apple Bloom. His orbs scanned the area to find that he was now the center of attention. He quickly got back on all fours again and lowered his head so that he would face the ground. His cheeks were now a bright shade of red from the Embarrassment. He was literally two seconds away from bolting towards any location that wasn't this picnic. "Oh…uh"

"Uhhh...Pinky Pie, Remember that the young boy is still recovering…that might not have been the best approach to say hi."

Skeet's young eyes slowly rose from the ground to place a face to the owner of the calm voice speaking on his behalf. His attention focused on the pony that was the color of lavender with a mane that only could be described as indigo with streaks of pink and purple. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her…she seemed harmless enough but she could be like that crazy pink pony just taking a bit more time so that his guard down.

The truth was that the pink attack was kind of a wakeup call. He didn't know why but was slipping and was getting a bit too relaxed around Apple Bloom, well…now that he had a firsthand taste of pony brutality he wasn't going to let his guard down any time soon.

"Okie Doky Twilight. He is off the hook…for now…."

Skeet suddenly grew pale as the pink pony was suddenly upon him again looking at him with a magnifying glass. The young Changeling could feel shivers going down his spine, his heart racing, almost paralyzed with fear as the possibility that this mare knew who he truly was. Who was she…and now that he thought about it he wondering where that magnifying glass game from. Was this it? "…fo….for now?"

"For now…BACK TO PARTYING!"

Over the latest outburst the red Pegasus was bracing himself for another attack but instead surprise griped him when he saw the energetic mare do backflips away. With that, he found himself exhaling and collapsing back on the ground. He just didn't know what to make of all of this….one moment he was peacefully walking through a grassy plain the next he was being attack by a pink super weapon….and the energy,…. all of that energy that pink mare was giving off, it was all so overwhelming, He never felt so full and miserable in his life. The fact is that She could single handedly feed the entire Changeling population for a hundred years.

Right now he needed to regain himself. When he began this little assignment he had no idea that it would be so dangerous. Now that he actually thought about it, there hasn't been one thing to go right for him…at least not in the purest sense. It seemed that whatever progress he made there was always some kind of price to go with it.

"Um…..Skeet was it?"

Skeet gave a tiny whimper in reply. He figured it was low enough so that whoever was addressing him wouldn't notice but if they did then he didn't care. He didn't quite recognize the voice that was addressing him but that was ok. He was still recovering from becoming one with the wood, right now he wanted to go back into the soft comfort known as the bed once again.

"Sorry about Pinky Pie, She can get a bit carried away with introductions, but she often means well."

Skeet's eyes slowly rose from the ground and scan the pony that was addressing him. To his curiosity it was the Indigo colored one. She didn't seem as crazy as her friend but he has been deceived before, he was going to have to proceed with caution.

"Oh yeah?" Skeet began in a weak but calm voice. As he rose to stand on his hooves he could hear some giggling and acknowledgement in the background. It seemed that that was the basis of a private joke that everyone was in on except him. "She wouldn't happen to come with subtitles would she?"

"I heard that…"

A wave of fear and dread fell over the young cold as he suddenly herd that oh so familiar voice of the pink one. He quickly turned around to see the one called Pinky Pike standing on her hind legs with her front hooves crossed over her chest looking down at the red Pegasus like a Warden to an inmate. Her blue eyes seem too pierced right through the young boy.

"NOW YOU GONE AND DONE IT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PONY TALKS ABOUT ME LIKE THAT, DURING A PINIC, THREE MINUTES AFTER NOON ON THIS DAY OF THE YEAR?!"

"Um Pinkie…don't ya think that…"

"OH NO Apple Jack. HE WON"T GET OFF THAT EASY! IT IS TIME TO PAY THE PINK PIPER!"

"Uh bwu hg wh….." Poor Skeet couldn't force out a coherent word out of his mouth. He was slumped down and walked backwards trying to avoid the Titanic stomping of Pinkie Pie. All he could do was move back and look around the area his eyes pleading in vain for help from the others only to get sadden looks by the other ponies, which caused the wave of fear to only intensify. Under the mighty gaze of the pink one all he could do was tremble in fear. He couldn't figure what he had done wrong. It was just a simple comment, did he truly deserve the fate that was about to befall him.

"AND NOW…..PREPARE FOR…"

Skeet raised his front hooves in a defense position, sweat dripping from his entire body, his mind racing at a million miles an hour, his voice crying out to the heavens as he was certain that this was the end.

"The Pink Huggles of Friendship!"

"Huh?!" The overwhelming fear that consumed Skeet was now replaced with Surprise as he was suddenly scooped up into the arms of Pinkie Pie who proceeded to hug and cuddle him. While he would be quite to admit that the gesture itself wasn't half bad….it was actually quite pleasant. But the fact was that Skeet was still recovering from being the test subject of the Crusader Slingshot and then in the span of ten minutes he has become the victim of a physical, emotional, and energy bombardment thanks to the pink one the likes of which even his Queen Chrysalis couldn't hope to recover from. He was just limp within the pink mare's embrace

"Uh…I think you broke him Pinkie Pie…."

"Aww

Skeet could feel himself slipping away. Even he wasn't a youngling he knew his body wouldn't be able process all of this. His young body and mind just couldn't take so much at one time or perhaps any time. The fact that he was still injured didn't help matters either. Against his will he was being force to do the one thing anyone would do in his position…Faint.

Maybe, just maybe things would calm down after a nap. Things sure couldn't get worse right?

….please?...

Well there you all have it. I am sorry this chapter is shorter than the earlier ones. I will try to do better next time. I hope I manage to capture at least the spirit of Pinkie Pie. I am really nervous about that.

Anyway hope you all enjoy the chapter. See you next time!

Xul