The beating on the door of prince Blueblood’s estate comes to a sudden end after a loud crash which announces the end of all the buzzing and screaming from all over Canterlot.
Everything goes pink for a brief moment.
Prince Blueblood, sitting on his bed in his dark room with windows and shutters closed and aggressively holding a pillow, lets out a sigh of relief.
His ears twitch as he starts hearing something akin to a drawn out whistle which gets louder and louder until-
*CRASH!*
The reinforced anti-assassin, anti-magic, anti-commoner rabble scum, metallic shutters shatter with a massive impact sending their shrapnel everywhere and avoiding decapitating the already trembling prince only by sheer accident and the destiny’s malevolent desire to keep him alive.
Hearing the crash followed by the prince’s high-pitched girlish screeching, the zebra mare stationed outside his door -mostly so that no one would see the prince shake like a leaf and sob into his pillow while begging for his “auntie” to stop the invasion- enjoys her “boss’” incoherent panicked yelling for brief three seconds before barging inside.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Blueblood is pointing at a changeling lying amidst the wreckage of the super-shutters, glass window, and furniture.
“AAAAAAH! KILL IT WITH FIRE!”
“I am not a unicorn and we are not equipped with flamethrowers, your Highness. You sign our requisition bill every month, remember?” replies Zamira while approaching the black creature bent in shapes clearly inconsistent with life.
“KILL IT WITH ACID!”
“That’s more their thing, from what I’ve seen so far.”
“KILL IT WITH MAGIC!”
“Again, not a unicorn.”
“KILL IT WITH DEATH!”
“It’s not moving and I’m pretty sure that legs don’t normally bend that way. Same with necks.”
“MAKE IT DEADER!”
She tosses a long stick towards the prince which makes him squeal and shuffle away while dragging a blanket up to his neck.
“Here, you can use my baton. if you want to play with a changeling corpse, you’re a big colt and you can do it on your own.”
Blueblood lets the blanket go and carefully approaches the broken changeling lying in front of his bed.
The body twitches.
*Crack*
“Wha-?”
*Crackcrackcrack!*
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Blueblood lets out his trademark high-pitched girlish scream as the body’s foreleg snaps into shape, and lobs the baton right at the changeling’s head.
“...owwww...”
“IT’SNOTDEADIT’SNOTDEADIT’SNOTDEADMAKEITDEAD!” he pleads, tears welling in his eyes. Unlike the distressed prince, she has enough presence of mind to hear the very quiet:
“...owwwcrap...”
She raises an eyebrow, giving the changeling an examining look.
“How about we lock it up? Her Highness might want one of them for questioning once the situation settles down a little,” Zamira gives her combat horseshoes a testing kick against the floor, the equivalent of cocking a griffon shotgun.
“...thankyoustripedlady...”
“NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! DEAD! MAKE! NOW!”
“...holes...”
“There might be a royal reward in it for you. Perhaps some actual respect instead of ponies just kissing your plot because of your aunt.”
His indignant huff and bulging eyes are always a treat.
“You- what- how dare- I’ll-”
“You’ll do nothing, your father is employing me. On the other hoof, I might give a sworn testimony that you broke this changeling with your bare hooves in a fit of rage because it attacked your staff. I will even find a maid of yours willing to confirm in front of your “auntie” that you saved her life and innocence,” she sits down and crosses her forelegs on her chest with a smug smirk. She knows her ‘boss’.
Blueblood’s eye twitches and he grinds his teeth, weighing her insulting rudeness in private against the potential embellishment of his image in public.
“J-Just make sure that damn thing stays put. Break its legs if you have to.”
“...more pieces…?” groans 1313 quietly.
“Don’t worry, prince. I’m not exactly known for being gentle,” without much care, she slings 1313’s broken shell across her back, “Isn’t that right, changeling?”
*Gurgle gurgle!*
Frothing and broken 1313 has passed out in agony at her first touch.
***
“..owwwwww...”
“Rise and shine, bug monster!”
“...existence is suffering...”
“Yeeeah, you’re kinda all over the place. Not to mention all the blood. Is that green goo your blood?”
“...even my pain is in agony...”
“Weird, with your neck broken like that, I’d assume that your spine went through a blender and you wouldn’t feel anything.”
“...my fetlock hurts… and it’s lying over there...”
“I gathered all the pieces of you in a bucket, though the cleaning maids are going to have a field day with mops.”
“...my leg is missing...”
“Iiin the bucket.”
“...where’s the bucket…?”
“Turn your head.”
“...can’t. Neck broken...”
“How are you even breathing? Your barrel looks like a squeezed soda can.”
“...really wish I wasn’t...”
“No, seriously. Are you like some special immortal case or something? I went outside after dropping you off down here and the streets are littered with bug bits. Most of the corpses still look better than you, and even then I couldn’t make out which parts belonged to which body.”
“...just listening to that hurts...”
“You know, it’s a miracle you can still talk with a neck like… I know!” Zamira smirks, “Like one of those bendy straws from MareDonald’s.”
*Crunch!*
“....much more owww than before...”
“Did… did your foreleg just... break off?” Zamira’s smirk freezes, “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“...please not in the limb bucket...”
“Don’t act as if you’re going to use those parts again.”
“...just need… some duct-”
“Nooooooo...!”
“...huh…?”
“Don’t you dare say duct tape. You can’t tell me that you just tape those bits on and you’ll be okay. If you do, I can get extremely punchy.”
“...oookay…”
“Good.”
“...got a stapler…?”
“Celestia damn it!” she kicks the floor of the wine cellar so hard sparks fly out, “I’ll go get some bandages so that you don’t bleed out from the new stump. If I spot anything out of place, I’ll immediately go into ‘no messing with me’ mode and finish you off. Blueblood’s reputation and my reward for catching a live one of you be damned.”
“...don’t worry...” croaks 1313, “...by the time you’re back… half of me will already be outside that little barred window by the ceiling… I just need one working… throwing leg...”
*Crack!*
“...crap… that’s… that’s a bad amount of blood...”
“Serves you right,” she rolls her eyes, “Two fresh stumps it is then.”
“...wait…!”
“I genuinely doubt that you have any more time to be screwing with me-”
“...something… someone… loves...” the light in 1313’s eyes starts fading, his already quiet speech becoming slurred, “...object… of… love… bring...”
***
“I hate everything about this,” Zamira is taking careful steps to avoid the pools of goo surrounding the changeling who by no measure should be alive locked in Blueblood’s private wine cellar.
Hanging from her belt is a bucket filled with clean water mixed with some medical-grade cleaning solution and, on the other side, is a dream catcher she brought with herself the first time she left Zebrica. Unlike the usual superstition that one needs to be big and hanging in the sleeping pony’s room, this one is more the size of a big necklace with two interlocked rings as its ornament. The ‘object of love’ description might have surprised most ponies but even city zebras practice some minor kind of shamanism and know from experience that items get naturally imbued with certain aspects of the surroundings they’re in for a long time.
Still, how it could affect a changeling who might or might not still be breathing is a mystery. In the absence of any other ideas, she simply puts the dream catcher on its chest, careful to avoid the glistening green smudges of what must be the changeling equivalent of blood.
She grabs the sponge and cleaning solution, and applies just the tiniest of pressure to scrub the nearest spot of the changeling’s carapace.
*Crack.*
“Oh for hips of the great spirit!” she curses quietly to herself, “I barely pushed against it.”
“...very… brittle…” whispers 1313.
“Huh, you are still alive,” she steps over the changeling’s body to his head unnaturally snapped and forced to look left.
“...I play dead… a lot...”
She looks around the cellar at the broken off limbs, some in a bucket, and pools of congealed goo.
“Convincingly.”
“Got any… tape?” his voice grows a little stronger. Is the dream catcher thing working?
“I thought you were kidding...”
“No... no… it’s cheap… and it works...”
Zamira resists the urge to facehoof and pulls out a spool of bandages.
“Would this work or do you literally need glue to avoid falling into pieces?”
“Oooh… bandages...” 1313 tries to whistle, which only comes out as a gurgle, “Someone’s living… the high… life.”
“Wh-” Zamira freezes.
The creature isn’t messing with her, is it?
There were a lot of orphaned foals in her part of Zebrica who had nothing, for whom a lightbulb in their room was a miracle.
Right now, she’s getting exactly the same feeling from the changeling in pieces in front of her.
Zami, don’t let it play you. Observe, learn. Info about the enemy might net you a neat sum of bits, if nothing else.
Taking a deep breath, she asks:
“Are you trying to tell me that I just tie the stumps back to your body and you’ll be okay?”
“Yes. The love… from that bendy thing… is helping a lot.”
“I usually… put myself back… together… once the mob with torches and… pitchforks tosses me… in a ditch... but this time… the explosion… made something wrong.”
Don’t question it, Zamira. Clean that stump, carefully, and align it with the broken off foreleg.
The squelch as she presses the leg against the green wound is followed by the changeling grunting:
“...ohholeswhy…?!”
She pulls the leg off along with fresh strands of flesh.
“...andnowyourippeditoffagain…!” it twitches.
“Oh spirits, did those two pieces really start reconnecting already?”
“Yes! Just join up all the bits and get something to hold them together,” 1313 says in a strained voice, “Do I need to explain the concept of a duct tape to you?!”
“That’s… I’m having trouble deciding whether it’s amazing or utterly disgusting,” Zamira gives reconnecting the foreleg a second shot.
“Yeah, you are the one with the difficult part here- ohpleasedon’tripitoffagain!”
“No more mouthing off?”
“I’ll be good.”
“Perfect,” Zamira smirks to herself, “Now… it’s been a while since I last did a jigsaw puzzle but I think I swept up all the major pieces off the floor of Blueblood’s suite.”
“You thi-”
“Hmmm?”
“Nothing. I didn’t say anything. Specifically not anything that might make you crush, twist, or do anything else with that broken off fetlock you’re trying to glue back on me.”
“Hmmm, I could swear I heard-”
“Ididn’tsayanythingyoub-”
Zamira narrows her eyes and applies just a little too much pressure on his leg stump.
“-eautiful stripey lady,” 1313’s eye twitches.
“And don’t you forget it!”
Another 'Luna good, Celestia bad, bats like gods, ponies like shmucks' fic. This time with changelings being like orks, scaling infinitely with numbers, but seemingly harmless on their own, which invites one to lower one's guard. Their extinction event is long overdue, yet due to gullible stupid ponies it is not yet time :(
10675263
For someone complaining about a negative portrayal of Celestia, you are awfully quick to wish for an extinction of a sentient species.
And now we're back to 0-
I really don't get it. I cannot distinguish what the line is between 0- and 1-
10675266
Technically, when alone, most of them are about as sentinent as a cockroach or a mosquito (many even less so, now). That only changes once they consumed another sapient being (the rank thing), which implies this is how it began - a magical mutation of some simple insects that got wildly out of control. They're right to do what they do to survive, it's in their nature, and literally every other sapient being is right to want them extinguished, lest they all be inevitably enslaved some day. Again, like orks, after a certain critical mass in numbers and accumulated energy is reached the changelings will be literally unstoppable.
And, of course, eventually, if the changelings ever figure out a way to generate energy without taking love from others, they will have no need for anyone else, consuming all life on Equis and spreading to the stars.
Relax. I’m reasonably certain you don’t need a gallbladder anyway.
10675275
Rampant mutation or not, they are still sentient. (technically every single species existing is rampant mutation, that's how evolution works, but I'm not about to argue semantics) A lot of them are stupid and have severely atrophied sense of self-preservation, that much is clear, but that's not important. They have just as much right to peaceful coexistence as every other creature. As long as they themselves are willing to provide the other half of the peace.
10675316
Right now, they ARE willing to provide their part for peace, of course. It would enable them to recover their losses with no opposition and make the moment of victory come sooner than it otherwise might. It would lower equestians' guard, discredit any who would suspect them and open them for a mortal strike when the time comes. It is, of course, only natural. A parasitic race acting to their true strength, deception and misdirection.
I've only just noticed your avatar, of the NavelColt's reformed changedlings. Don't think of the ones here as anything like that, there's almost literally nothing in common.
10675263
10675275
I'm going to humor this kneejerk reaction with an actual answer, but only once.
I've been writing since 2013, so I'm working with a world set up at a time of roughly season 3 which evolved into a world with its own history and rules throughout my other fics. Some of the rules don't hold up that well now with 8 more seasons of MLP out, I get it. Here come you, spouting this without knowing ANY of the world's context. Now, I have zero doubts that you won't stay around long enough to actually read any source material that would show you how wrong that comment was (if I'm wrong, my bad), so I'll summarize certain already set world facts (if you dislike them, write your own fics because then you're not criticising flaws in style or logical inconsistencies, but you're getting into that stupid "I WANT THIS WRITTEN DIFFERENTLY BUT I CAN'T DO IT MYSELF BETTER, WAAH, WAAH!" territory which I genuinely despise):
- Luna, as the alicorn of Night, can see into dreams and through lies better than anyone, that's why she can gauge even changelings.
- Celestia is overprotective as fk because she's seen a lot of sh*t happen to Equestria, more than almost anyone. The thing is, so far there is no official history of changelings source material (I don't count that utter anticlimactic nonsense in the comics), so my other stories have already set a history which I will touch on here as well (not spoiling it in the comments).
- Bats like gods. I have zero idea what you mean. I have to suppose you dislike batponies or something because... reasons. Whatever, can'T even take this nonsense seriously.
- ponies like shmucks. Same as before, what the fk? Yeah, we like cuddly and defenseless creatures. If it wasn'T so, cats wouldn'T be pets.
And here come the bullsh*t changeling origins from the comics. The rest, though, is your own extrapolation based on no official source material or knowledge of my world. As expected, it's extremely incorrect, but I can't expect anything from someone who just slaps dislikes on stuff without caring.
I got to this part in the later stories when they introduced skittlebugs and Thorax, so the sharing love logic kinda applies, with the same problem that it was inconvenient fo the older queens to teach lesser lings about it so that's why no one really knows during the time of the invasion.
10675291
Operation build-your-own-changeling is underway.
10675269
The naming literally is (changeling group/individual): (their story number)-(chapter of story).
10675266
Sunbutt is overprotective (and has a secret history with lings) but PALADINS are a fanatical scourge to be purged (like any overly religious fks, really)!
10675316
Completely by design of the queens and partly Sunbutt.
Especially if they eat fking LOVE (and lust in this world). I get the feeling that too many people think they're like vampires that have to necessarily kill their prey which isn't true.
10675333
You immediately assume the worst intentions out of them, just because they happen to have more holes than is necessary. That's just racist. Pretty sure there was an episode about exactly that kinda thing in the show, and why it's bad. Or maybe even two.
I don't know why is this one supposed to be specifically NavelColt's. The image I used is cut from the show. And although I won't deny that KOTLB had a significant impact on how I view changelings in general, I am capable of separating two headcanons from one another. And after reading a few of the author's stories, I can safely say that the changelings presented here are also capable of coexistence with other races.
10675339
Ooh, I struck a nerve. Wow. The edgy writers are always the high-strung ones it seems.
So any art critique in the world is automatically invalid because either the observer is incapable of doing better, or should proceed to do so with all due haste instead of spouting their shoddy little opinion, provided it's not glowing praise, of course. An interesting concept, to be sure.
Believe it or not, I've not read the comics. It's just that this is the only viable explanation for what is described here. A virus in a vaguely ponified form, maybe born of Chaos magic, which is primarily transformative in nature. Not a part of natural equillibrium, it undoubtedly will destroy everyone and everything if not rooted out.
Related, I'm suddenly curious how would people react if Covid-19 came in the form of a cuddly silly bug pony. Maybe we'd all have been gone by now.
I'm sure you go on and on about it in your other works, here it just deserves a passing mention. Not to worry though, it's a common theme of the edgier side of the fandom.
I've skimmed the works you referenced here, just to see if the tone is the same and if I would enjoy it. I realised that this is one of the few tropes I dislike, a slow descend into the abyss - the Enemy is taking losses but plays pretend well and prevails in the end, the suspicion cast on It is relegated to the insane and the fanatic (Star Trail), and soon all hope is lost. In fact, perhaps the emotional whiplash between this and the main works is what promted me to leave a comment and a vote at all; normally I leave things well enough alone. 'Stop the world, I'm leaving', that sort of thing.
But, ah yes, I've already used up my one response ticket, didn't I. Most unfortunate.
Funny you mention that, btw. It got me thinking that this would be one way for sapient races of Equis to survive going forward, past their usefulness as cattle. As mindless pets to the changeling drones, they've certainly demonstrated the potential for sentimentality. Is It better than complete extinction? Mmm, it's up for debate, but at least the option is there.
10675365
You earned one more just because instead of being constructive in any way, you took the pathetic route and went for a personal attack.
I freely admit that people having no clue what they're talking about and not making any effort to correct that before opening their mouth gets to me. Also, calling me edgy is pointless, I'm way too far from my teens now.
Yep, that's all that is. Uninformed extrapolation not based on anything. That's why it can't be taken seriously and, the much worse part, I can't learn anything from it. From you, this is just empty, pointless, and unfounded criticism.
No. You're trying to apply real world natural biology to a magical world that breaks any rules you are working off.
Wrong equivalence. COVID doesn't feed on replenishable AND POSITIVE emotion that can grow stronger by its own acts. It kills or causes long-term damage.
Oh now I get it. Interesting perception. Now, you present yourself as at least pretend-smart so think about this in the terms of lizard brain psychology and walking around at night as well as the perception of sharp teeth. It might make more sense. Batponies are nocturnal and are used to the image of sharp teeth, hence they take much less of a psychological hit from the attack from both the nighttime uncertainty/lack of vision and in terms of danger. Final thing to this - Sharp is a commander of the Nightguard in the same way that Shining is for the Royal guard. If you can't get recognize BANTER, then you clearly haven't done any competitive sport. Judging by your spam of the word edgy, my guess might not be too far from the truth.
At this point I'm pretty sure you just like using the word because it works on evoking a reaction these days. Wish you people put that much effort in being constructive rather than just blindly destructive. But that requires some actual thought.
Yep, and writing that answers the question I had about the rest of the paragraph that makes no sense. Congratz on perfectly paraphrasing "I have no clue what I'm talking about."
Now, I'm sure you'd love nothing more than to pretend you'Re right about I'm not really sure what for one more essay but you've clearly presented you have no desire to learn facts and base your opinion on them, instead going off of "having skimmed stuff" in regards to 8 years of written work set in the same world. Plus, I'm sure you would love to use the word edgy a little more without, once again, having any clue why (you just don't like batponies).
In light of that, please type your next essay on reddit or what you young people use these days, tip your fedora, and go to the library or a university to learn what an "opponent" is supposed to do during evaluation of one's work, because I have finished university and your name is just you being a pretentious f*ck and sh*tting on what is actual work.
10675339
I suppose I just can't see the line that you see as delineating the story numbers. It confused me further since you appear to be indexing the story numbers from 0 but indexing the chapters within the first "story" from 1. (but from story 1-, you've indexed the chapter starting at 0.)
10676221
Yeah, it's weird but I thought it would be in theme with changelings just being numbers. Oh well, didn't work.
10676523
I like the changeling's having numbers for names, and I think the chapter numbers work fine; even Chrysalis's chapter number once I understood it. I just got confused by the story numbers.
I feel like I've heard this changeling's voice before...
"Existence is pain..."
10676856
This one's more nurmal but choked out due to extreme pain.
And damn, I've got a few TFS renditions I wanted to try from DBZA so at least someone might get them.
Oh, look, who's coming again after everything was settled down already and starts to poking with a stick
10675263
I disagree. Only Celestia's part is right, and I can't blame it in this particular fic at all
10675275
And, of course, eventually, if the changelings ever figure out a way to generate energy without taking love from others, they will have no need for anyone else, consuming all life on Equis and spreading to the stars.
I think you confound changelings with tyranids here. Yet you get close to NA's changelings.
But I think in other fanfics was the explanation how it works, why happened what happened, why things will not happen, and what would happen in scenario like that.
10675333
If you're a wise parasite you're gonna work symbiotic~
10675339
I could've accept it... If it were explain anything!
Umm... *looks at my hand* I will disagree. And my old fart is pretty adequate one!
Huuuuh?..
Looks I missed more than I thought. And looks like I'm not gonna regret this.
I think it's kinda what happened with dreamlings... but it's a special case.
But even if "bad" changeling will win I don't think it's gonna be the end of the world (not only in your universe)
I feel funny about this...
Also, never saw it in your fanfics - can even changelings kill someone by taking too much love?
10675360
And they pretty good in it
10675365
Not "eager". Regular. Night and Royal guards usually shown to be competitive to each ot other and cocky about their part being better. Why their leaders shouldn't act like that sometimes? Can't say really anything against it, especially in humoristic fic.
And will not tell anything about more offensive part.10675381
Oh, look. You're actually got it. Still don't feel related to NA's universe, but you got it.
10675399
10676221
I just gave up trying to understand chapters names so I'm just reading this.
Lol i love this one
Since breaking necks is supposed to be enough to kill one of them, I wonder why this one seems to be immortal.
10679479
Parasitism is a form of symbiosis I think the term you were looking for would be mutualistic
Gosh darn Destiny, and the rest of the strippers too