Mantis
We watched as the hybrid left with his pony lover, off to who knows where. Turning towards my sister I looked at her with a clear mind I barely possessed two weeks ago.
Gone were the holes I remember her having and in its place was a powerful, healthy carapace. No scaring, no weakness in plates.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to say something only to be interrupted by the pony Princess.
“Do you honestly believe that this could work? That he could ascend?” She asked while studying that notebook my sister brought.
Dicty shifted in place, making herself more comfortable, “I don’t see why not, he’s already partway there. I mean did you see him?”
“He’s a hybrid,” I shrugged my shoulders, “For all we know that’s how they all look.”
“There is more to it than just his looks, idiot. Sweet Celestia…” Said princess raised an eyebrow, “it’s been years and you still didn’t learn to see things beyond your muzzle.”
“Hey! I did learn.” I huffed indignantly, “It's why I became one of the top infiltrators in the first place.”
“Which tells me exactly how low the mad Queen has fallen.” Dicty snickered and I felt my blood starting to boil. I worked hard to be where I was. Especially since she left all those years ago.
“Excuse me,” the Princess approached us, “but I would like my query answered straight. What makes you think that he will ascend?”
Dicty went quiet for a few moments, and I took the time to calm down.
“It’s like this, Princess” Dicty started, and I perked my ears to hear this, “unlike ponies we changelings have a very specific growth path. Other than a few differences here and there, most of us are more or less the same. Black carapace, green eyes, fins.” She pointed at each mentioned bit with her hoof. “However, us changelings have senses that can help tell us apart more easily, and it’s those senses that are useful in this case. Patchwork, to me, stands apart not just in looks but in the way he feels. He essentially feels like Chrysalis; royal, powerful, above us… Kind of like yourself.”
Then it clicked for me, “So that’s what that was!”
“Now you get it!?” My sister teased. She turned to Celestia, “Anyway like I said, he already feels like a royal, which tells me that he is partway there. All he needs is a push.”
“I would have felt it easier if I had more practice at it,” I muttered.
“So why didn’t you,” Dicty teased again.
“Cause Chrysalis goes mad whenever someling tries to get a feel for her,” I shrugged and my sister frowned.
“It seems to me that she is more paranoid than I gave her credit for,” Muttered Celestia, and I silently agreed with her. “So, what do we need to for this ritual, other than large quantities of love?”
“Well, my working theory always was that it has something to do with our ability to molt.” Dicty explained, “It has always been a known fact that large amounts of love can allow our kind to force a molt. Molting in such a way always resulted in a stronger changeling.”
“How so?” The Princess asked. I decided to take a cookie. It was delicious.
“It has something to do with our bodies. The more love we get the more energy our body can use to strengthen itself during molts. Especially if we survived an ordeal.” Dicty rolled her hoof, “There is a limit to how strong we can get, especially as a normal changeling, but for a royal things are different. Tell me, Princess, if you would” My sister shot a pointed look, “Has he ever gone through a molt or a change where he completely changed the way he looked?”
“His very first cocooning,” It didn’t take long for her to answer. “He came out looking like he does now, but he was shorter.”
“So, if my sister is correct,” I approached the two of them with a cookie in my hoof, “a forced molt with a massive amount of love could result in actual royal growth. Maybe if we cocoon him in with a love infusion it might work even better.”
“You may be onto something, brother.” My sister agreed and I about purred at the praise given.
“So, it seems that we have a bit of preparation to make. Let’s get to it.” All three nodded to us and plans were made.
Patchwork
“I can’t believe you’re a prince.” Velvet exclaimed. We were in the privacy of her room. She was lying on her back on one of her pillows and kicking her legs up with glee.
“I’m not a prince,” I muttered out with distaste. I was rather peeved at the whole thing. I mean, in one claw being a prince would be cool, but on the other, the level of responsibility is not something one can just jump in without a care. It would also be annoying. Red tape always made me gag.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Vel flipped on her stomach with a worried look on her face.
“I said I’m not a prince,” I said out loud with more conviction. “I may look like one from their perspective but I’m not.”
“But it looks like they need you to be one.” She got off her pillow and approached me. She put a hoof on my chest and looked me in the eyes which got me to immediately calm down somewhat.
“Well, I don’t want to be one. I want to help them, sure, but being a prince? Fixing their whole messed-up situation? I’d rather not. I am perfectly content in having an easy life rather than needing to tell at least five people that I need to use the toilet.” I huffed indignantly.
“OK, so don’t.” Velvet giggled as she started messing with my tuft of fluff on my chest, “Just go to the toilet like a normal pony.”
“You know what I meant,” I snorted but I still ran a claw through her mane. “You know, you seem to be awfully happy that I have to become a royal changeling. If I didn’t know better I would think that you are with me because of my status.” That got me a scowl and a light shove.
“I loved you even before I knew how messed up your life actually is.” She crossed her forelegs and turned with a huff. She was adorable like that. “Besides, it is a dream of every mare and filly to one day marry her Prince Charming.” Velvet swooned cupping her hooves together.
I growled at that thinking of that snot-nosed bastard. Celestia managed to keep me well away from her descendants that visited the castle on occasion, but I still sometimes saw him strut around. I am almost one hundred percent sure that Prince Blueblood would be his son in the near future. Okay, fine the guy isn’t a total moron; he married a ‘commoner’ filly at a young age, and he gave me a happy wave when I spotted him a while ago, but his attitude is something I’m not sure I would tolerate. But now every filly and mare dream to be swept off their hooves by another member of the royal family.
A peck on my lips shook me out of my dark cloud and I looked down at Velvet.
“I now remembered that you wanted to talk to me about something today. What has been bothering you lately? Especially over the last week.” Sensing her emotions, I only got love and concern out of her, but it still got my mind to immediately jump to some unfounded fears.
Sighing I ran a claw through my mane, getting it stuck on the band holding it together.
Shaking my head, I pulled up one of Vel’s pillows with my magic and laid myself down on top of it.
I decided to talk about her constant asking to walk around as a changeling.
“Look, one of the reasons why I’ve been… angsty, is also one of the reasons why I don’t want to be a prince. It’s also why I can’t just walk around undisguised at the moment.”
“That’s a lot of reasons for one thing.” She lightly shoved me to the side with her nose and took her place next to me on the same pillow. It was cramped, but it made me happy all the same that she was so comfortable with me.
“It is,” I nodded. “The problem is Vel, that at the moment there is a silent war being led between ponies and changelings.” There, one more thing out in the open.
“A war?” Her eyes were wide and there was an undercurrent of fear slowly rising from her.
“Wrong choice of words on my side,” I backpedaled. “Look, the way things are, the changelings are currently being led by an egomaniac of a ruler that thinks of herself as Faust’s gift to this world.” I swallowed thickly as I decided to take the plunge, “They are taking ponies Vel. They are foalnapping everyone they can and forcibly feeding off of their emotions.”
That got a reaction. Velvet was now on her hooves and looking at me with wide eyes full of fear.
“Is that what today was about?” She asked in a quivering voice, “You want to stop this?”
“I do… but it’s not so simple,” I shook my head.
“How so, if they are taking ponies against their will that it should be simple: she needs to be stopped!” Vel all but shouted. The quiver in her voice made her look very vulnerable and I immediately got up and hugged her holding her tight.
“That’s what we want to stop, love. But they are starving. You haven’t seen it, but they can barely survive off of what they get.” I lowered my head and nuzzled the top of hers, being very careful with her horn.
“Why not look for alternatives?” She returned the nuzzle and wiggled trying to get as much of herself into the hug.
“Because she doesn’t let them, or some of them don’t want to?” I questioned it. Who knows how many of them see their current way of feeding as the only possibility. Who knows how many of them see themselves as superior. Tartarus there are some ponies even today that do that, so why not changelings.
Velvet sniffed, “So, how does this factor into you not wanting to be the prince.”
“Because I don’t know what to do, Velvet. I may be a decently smart individual, but I am no prince, or noble.” I sighed, “How am I supposed to get a race from the brink of starvation? What do I do when some of them refuse cooperation? If we return all the captured ponies, how will provide them food to compensate?” Now I sniffled.
“That’s a lot of big questions.” Velvet said with a quiet voice.
We stayed like that for a few minutes, just hugging each other and thinking. Fear was slowly ebbing away from her and was being replaced with rising confidence.
“Do you think that Princess Celestia has some plan to help?” She asked me while raising her head to kiss my chin.
“She probably does.” I nuzzled her again while stroking her mane with my claws, “Tartarus she was probably making plans since we decided to help them.”
“So maybe you should talk to her. She probably has an idea on how to help everypony.” There was a small smile on her face. I raised my head in thought.
“Probably, but I have some other reasons why I don’t want to be a prince.”
“Yea, you told me, lazybones.” She giggled at me, and I huffed in annoyance. Vel raised her hoof and gently turned my head to face her, “They need you Patch. You know that, right?” She asked softly.
“I know.” I nodded rubbing our noses together. They need someone to challenge Chrysalis and I am the only one at the moment that could do it without involving the ponies. I already wanted to do something about it, except now I’ll be saddled with more than just fighting Chrysalis.
Celestia
Shield was asleep, taking a nap and snoring the day away. Her snores weren’t bad, but they were constant. A perpetual reminder that she is alive.
Me on the other hoof, my mind was abuzz. I held Dicty’s notebook in front of me, open at a specific section, the last bits of Chrysalis’s diary entry.
“The parallels are there, how did I miss it,” I whispered trying not to wake my wife. Tears were slowly pooling in my eyes as the memories rushed back, as they did every time the subject is brought up.
Chrysalis was slowly losing the battle with the spirit she took in, and her journal entries were more and more frantic, with the last being a simple ‘goodbye’.
‘It couldn’t be…’ I always wondered what happened to my sister, what drove her to madness. Reading this entry and Endo’s heavy tears began to fall as I put the pieces together.
“She was possessed,” I tried to dab at the tears with a napkin but it was a losing battle. I heard shuffling from the couch causing me to try and stifle my hiccups.
I moved to my study, notebook in tow.
Putting the notebook down on my desk I took a deep shaky breath. This spirit… This Nightmare, had centuries to cause issues for everypony. It now became even more important that she is stopped.
It also gave me an idea of what happened to Luna. I needed the elements, maybe if we…
“No, first Chrysalis then we plan for Luna,” a hollow laugh escaped me. “To think, if he wasn’t here...” I failed once; I won’t let it happen again.
Patchwork
“You’ve been experimenting on other changelings?” I asked shocked. I was following behind White Light as we made our way to the dungeon level of Canterlot Castle. Velvet was slightly behind me munching on a breakfast donut.
“I didn’t ‘experiment’ on anypony. We examined those willing to go through with it and made comparisons.” He stated.
“Where did you even find more changelings? How… I mean how many are there anyway?” I was honestly surprised they found more in the first place. Right now, the amount of changelings I know outside of the hive is two, Dicty and her brother.
“Easy there, son. There are fewer of them than you think. We have only four that were willing to work with us, and ten of them altogether.” White Light confirmed as we followed him.
Finally reaching the cell we were looking for, Velvet looked green in her face as we watched Dicty, and Mantis prepare the cocoon I was supposed to be placed in. It only took them four days to finish it up and one day to fill it to the brim.
Celestia was to the side of the cocoon examining the love bottles that were left over as White Light approached the green mass to study it. Looking at the mountain of empty bottles, I wasn’t sure about my chances.
“You are going into that thing?” Velvet asked all the while looking like she would lose the donut she had just eaten.
“Think of it as a deep mud bath. Like that one you took a few months ago.” I examined the thing from afar. I honestly did not know if this would work, and I wasn’t looking forward to finding out. I have never tried absorbing the amount of love I would consume today.
“That’s completely different,” She swallowed heavily but her voice was indignant.
“It is not as different as you may think, my dear.” Confirmed Celestia as she was approaching the two of us. She gave me a nuzzle that I eagerly returned as Velvet shied back, but with a happy smile on her muzzle. “Are you ready, Patch? They are almost finished.”
I watched for a moment as Dicty and Mantis finished the cocoon. It was now or never.
“Yeah, let’s do this before I lose my nerve.”
Me at the beginning of every f####ng project.
Yep. Chryssi is definitely in a NMM-type situation.
Welp, cant wait for the epic Changeling royal vs Changeling royal fight that happens in almost every human becomes changeling fic ever.
So I guess his guard training is being put on hold while he grows bigger?
Also, Patch becomes the biggest so he da boss!
It makes one wonder, if Celestia didn't get the tip-off about Nightmare like she did here in canon, how frail her plan really was with the Elements, held together with hope and bubblegum...
11214254
Wait really? It’s a trope in may human turned changeling fanfic that the mc has a royal changeling battle with Chrysalis?
Then again I don’t read a lot of human turned changeling stories. And the few I have read are basically canceled or on indefinite hiatus.
This is the only HTC story that (I’ve read) that actually continues to update.
the molting 2, electric boogaloo
Velvet: you're even bigger
Patch: yup, taller too
velvet: *blush intensifies*
11214277
Well... kinda sorta. Most of the stories involving changelings involve chrysalis for the same reason ones with ponies have the princesses. They exist and have specific rolls in cannon. Most either work with chrysalis because she's actually nice' or work against because she is a tyranosaurus-Karen.
11214287
I can definitely see that being a thing. Though I think it'd be like this:
Velvet: you're even bigger
Patch: yup, taller too
Velvet: *blush intensifies and she picks Patch up in her magic* Okay, we're finding the nearest empty room.
Shield: Just don't break anything and I expect grandfoals, Private.
Do he keep his gender or will he become
'Queen Patchwork' ?
Thanks for chapter!
I’m not ready. No one ever is, we don’t get to choose our time. <= The ancient one and doctor Strange (marvel).
Not wanting to do something but doing it anyways for the greater good is a rather noble and heroic mindset.
Have a good day!
Not a fan of the Nightmare apsect. Chryssy never needed it and never liked it with Luna either. Makes a scape goat for both.
Might just be me on this but I'd be very pissy about having my entire life railroaded around by Celestia like I was just some cog in her machine. All of this just seems like blatant pathological manipulation done by her to get lil patchy to move from a pawn into a queen, or in this case, king.
Needless to say, I hope the little guy gains some testosterone from his love coma.
11214287
Velvet: you're a big guy.
Patchy: for you.
11214293
Ha. I love that. That got an actual lol out of me.
Jeffry, or whatever his first name was, is gonna go super saiyan, huh? That'll probably be fun.
11214277
A good half of them do. The other half is just trying to find a peaceful life before getting it.
11214310
c.tenor.com/I1X0d8zmmGkAAAAC/invader-zim-tallest.gif
11214414
.... I don't get it.
11214417
Almighty Tallest from Invider Zim. They are the Irken leaders just because they are taller than everyone else. Also they have a lot of changeling vibes, even more in this fic with introduction of eating sweets as the main solid food.
11214424
Ah, okay.
I'm going off topic here but Blueblood married Applejack
11214277
Happens in a lot of "X was a Changling" stories too. The Irony of Applejack, Change, etc. Predatory races with Queens imply wars of succession.
Hope it goes well. Fingers crossed.
Nice chapter and revelations. Can't wait to see the new Patch and here's hoping they can free real!Chrysalis.
11214250
me for my taxes
11214457
I guess that makes sense. Most stories that I’ve read that even deal with the thrown either redeem Chrysalis or have Thorax take over like in cannon.
Patch probably become a femboy woth a slender frame when be comes out of it and will get his muscle and bulk back with the following feedings and training.
I give him a solid 8/10 chance that he will have Changeling and non Changeling admirer sooner than his Marefriend can say:
"Back off! I call dibs on his first Grubs clutch!"
11214571
10/10 couldn't put to paper my thoughts on the chapter better than that
Thanks again drFRAUD for another amazing chapter
I imagine once this all starts to get more serious, I hope Thorax will be a close ally.
11214353
Eh, I agree and disagree. There's upsides and downside to both paths. If Luna was sane that means she didn't just try a coup she tried to exterminate the planet with eternal night, if she was controlled by moon spirts what would they care about eternal night, if she was insane she doesn't need to be thinking logically.
If Chrysalis is sane she's a really stupid ruler unless you contrive multiple reasons to explain away revealing her race, attempting to ruin her food source, and starving her hive. Which is doable, but the reasoning of "they were starving" can be considered a moral scapegoat anyway and doesn't make her less petty when they find out how to permanently feed the lings and she still wants to be evil. Making her crazy and petty gives her more understandable motivations, it's not all her fault she's just not right in the head.
I understand that generally scapegoating is a terrible trope but I think it works in MLP so much because it's a kids show and they gave the villains very dumb or childish acts of evil that only make sense if you contrive some form of scapegoat. Personally I think that's why so many people didn't like Starlight Glimmer. She didn't get a scapegoat, so you're left with her childish and over the top evil action of destroying the world several times over for petty revenge. So when the big reason is she's just a petty pony who didn't know how much trouble her actions were causing we're left with this gaping hole of fault that can't be possibly filled unless you wave away the bad actions with a specific time paradox theory that either means the alternate timelines never existed anymore or that they were always going to exist regardless of Glimmer. And neither is satisfying.
Personally I like three origins equally. The Chrysalis was a pony that got turned into the first changling by some curse, the Changlings were originally Flutterponies that were cursed by Discord into Changlings, and the Comics origins of undead plant pony magic creatures.
11214714
Not that it matters for this story, but there's a funny thing about the Nightmare as a separate entity, it is entirely a fandom creation. The show never once mentions the Nightmare as being something separate from Luna. Indeed every time we get a Luna episode, it always focuses on how Luna is dealing with the guilt of her actions, not the actions of some entity that mind-controlled her.
Now the Nightmare did make an appearance in the comics, but it's not as if the comic writers created the Nightmare. I've seen fans referring to the Nightmare as far back as 2011, but the comic where the Nightmare features wasn't printed until 2013. So even they merely adopted a fan theory.
And while Luna's actions were dumb, they weren't what I'd call unrealistic. People who are getting mentally unstable (for whatever reason) can do very dumb and dangerous things. A moment of suppressed fury can see someone lash out at a loved one, a depressed person can end his life even if it takes other people with him. It does mean the Elements have an element of Fridge Horror (after all, 'the Elements exorcised the evil being' is a lot less creepy than 'the elements essentially brainwashed Luna to make her good again') but given that they did the same thing for Sunset Shimmer, who wasn't possessed but was really more on a power rush, that does seem to be what they did.
11214714
this world has had crazy rulers in the past. they don't need some random entity to be the cause. the only reason Nightmare exists is for Nightmare Rarity to be a thing. grant i love that design but the story is crap. find a better way to have her.
If Nightmare is a seperate thing then why should Luna feel any real guilt. enough to create the Tantibus. I wish people would abandon this concept it's not canon
11214751
Following cannon is boring though.
11214751
Yeah? Well I wish people would abandon this concept of there being multiple Changeling Queens/Hives, it's not canon. It is just scapegoating Chrysalis to paint changelings as a whole in a better light, that's a bad trope. She wasn't introduced as "Queen of the Badlands Hive", she was established as "Queen of THE CHANGELINGS".
*looks at Admiral Q's page*
OH! You're one of those people that keeps using(in multiple stories) that old non-canon scapegoating trope! Golly, I'm not sure how appropriate it is to be going around bitching on other peoples stories for things you do yourself... pretty sure that's the thing they call "hypocrisy". But hey, I'm just Nopony so what do I know, Mr. Pot?
11214822
where? hmmmm. i never once use Nightmare as a seperate entity
Oh this is going to be interesting to see just how strong Patch becomes.
11214714
What about the "Windigos were transformed into changelings gaining the ability to transform and flipping the emotion they fed on from hate to love so they could co-exist with ponies and that's why there aren't any more windigos" origin story?
I don't like discord being attributed to their origin as typically he's reformed in the same fic yet it's never suggested he attempt to fix it or he is given or gives some blatant cop out reason for not doing so.
11214751
Because sometimes what can be taken as cannon or gets changed is some times maddening? Try starwars after Lucusarts sold to Disney and what is now Canon. Besides the moment you start wrighting a fanfiction it's no longer apart of any canon. Only how much is similar or not
Cuando Pachwork salga de la cápsula de recuperación, ganará el legendario super Chageling que multiplicará su poder base x10, tendrá el chakra suficiente como para alcanzar a Celestia, Su poder espiritual se elevara tanto que superará el potencial de Twilight canon y de haki más su imaginación superaran a discord
Todo esto combinado lo hará más fuerte que los 7 elementos de la armonía combinados y forjados en una sola arma
todo lo que dije es joda, no te lo tomes a mal... o peor, no lo integres a la historia
*gets turned into primordial soup as his body is completely restructured*
"yes, just like a mud bath"
11214457
Royalty of any kind implied that.
Succession is often a bloody affair.
He's come a long way. From starving deranged bug, all the way to pony changeling royal.
Wonder how far Patch will go? Can't wait to find out. :)
Uhh what? Don't you mean "I purred"?
Wait wait wait, Prince Charming is the name of an actual pony? Oh son of a-
Ineffective use of words in a sentence. Just keep one of the highlighted words, although I recommend for it to be formatted like this:
I just look and think that Shineling and Twiling get to be prince and princess from birth!
11218188
No, it’s right. It means basically “almost”. It’s not as commonly used, but it’s grammatically correct.
Refuse bug, become royalty.