Day 7,020
Wow, a lot has happened since I last wrote in this field diary. So I might as well start at the beginning. I might release this journal to the world someday. I want my readers to understand my state of mind at the time. I was kicking myself pretty hard for losing my first real prisoner. I’m told what happened next happened close to a week after the incident with Gallus. But as far as I was concerned it was only a day or two.
I started wondering what to make of the guards and the illuminated tunnels. It was apparent that a refugee wave was still coming and that guards were likely to escort the next wave. I knew I had to be on high alert, especially if the boy was with the next wave. He’s just too dangerous to not take seriously. Honestly I was somewhat eager for a rematch with the only guard that had offered me any real resistance since this whole invasion started.
After returning to my hideout for a brief rest I worked back through the tunnel to wait for the next wave. However when I got there, I found all of the lights had been shut off. I assumed that the reason they killed the lights was to signal that this tunnel wasn’t safe to escape through. I felt a swelling of pride at having completed my mission in preventing anyone from escaping through these tunnels. The less safe routes out of Canterlot the better for the hive.
My bile was more or less depleted after that fight with the boy, I couldn’t risk using any on a trap. So I took to just patrolling through the tunnels the old fashioned way. A few hours by my reckoning passed before at long last I heard changeling chittering emanating from the straight tunnel. Military changelings have a special chittering language we use to communicate without alerting our enemies to what we're saying. Most of the creatures that might read this could probably hear it but I know it falls well outside the hearing range of dragons. We developed it specifically because of fighting with dragon raiders on the hive.
Whoever was chittering at me was telling me to come out of hiding and reveal myself. I quickly responded with my own chittering that I was coming out. When I emerged my heart soared as, I saw General Pharynx had come to rescue me personally. This wasn't the first time I'd been separated and then rescued by my hive mates. However, most of the time when that happened, my rescue came from other corporals under other generals. But this time here was General Pharynx coming in person to rescue his lost corporal.
I started off by saluting my general, it was protocol after all. After that General Pharynx demanded a report on the mission. I immediately launched into my status report on the mission, I reported the stragglers I had found including the guard that escaped from me the previous day. I motioned to the tunnel I had came from and told him we should set up a more permanent post up there. After I had finished, he chastised me for being out of contact for so long and demanded to know why I hadn’t reported back. I retorted that I was only out of contact for twenty eight days and that was well within protocol. He apologized for his mistake and said he wasn't aware of exactly how long I had been underground. With that out of the way at last General Pharynx praised me for my good work over the past several weeks and issued me new instructions. Apparently he was under orders from high command to personally escort me back to the surface to undertake a new mission. I acknowledged his orders, and he began to lead me out of the cavern.
On the way back we got to talking about how the invasion was going. He smiled and said everything was going well for the hive. He coaxed me into talking about the specifics of my encounters he said it was important. So I told him about the campers, the refugees, and the gryphon guard. I couldn't help but laugh as I told him the tall tale Gallus had told me about it being twenty years, he laughed along with the whole affair. Then he did something he rarely does with any of his corporals he allowed me to speak freely.
In hindsight I realize he was analyzing my state of mind when he gave me that privilege and too be fair it was entirely warranted given what had happened. He enticed me into to talking about our Queen and how loyal I was to her. A part of me feared this was a secret loyalty test but I trust Pharynx. So I told him I was loyal to the hive above all else. He applauded me for that and asked what I’d do if the queen betrayed the hive. To that I told him I'd happily banish her from the hive myself. I can’t abide traitors to the hive even our queen is not above punishment.
Then things got bizarre. He frequently asked me if I trusted him. Naturally I said yes because I'd trust him with my life. But when he got even more adamant about my loyalty and faith in him I started to wonder if something was wrong. His repeated desire to test my loyalty to him over our queen lead me to believe he was plotting a coup against our queen. In all likelihood that incompetent oaf Cadrodia had made a massive mistake and our Queen was refusing to dismiss him because of his loyalty to her. I likely would have supported him in this endeavor I've always hated Cadrodia. The son of a bug ordered me to ram head first into a maulwurf nine times times for no tactical gain.
Eventually I worked up the courage to ask him if he was asking for my support in a coup against the queen. He shook his head but appreciated the sentiment. My heart swelled at him praising me for being a great and loyal soldier before, at last telling me the truth.
“Everything that Gallus told you is true. You’ve been down here for twenty years.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Hearing those words come out of General Pharynx's mouth sent my mind into a total tailspin. I pleaded with him relentlessly, begging him to let up from this prank. However, deep down, hearing it from General Pharynx was more than enough to convince me. He was my commanding officer and a close friend who rescued me from that maulwurf I mentioned a bit earlier. I still can’t really fathom how I had somehow managed to stay down there for twenty years without knowing. I can only guess that the underground caves messed with my sense of time.
But one’s subconscious thoughts don’t really translate to conscious thoughts right away. So naturally I ran myself in circles refusing to accept the truth but eventually I came around to and admitted the truth. Of course accepting I had been trapped down in a cave for twenty years brought all kinds of dark thoughts. What would my sister think about all this? Would she even be able to accept that the sister she believed to be dead was still alive? General Pharynx told me that Spiracle was shocked but extremely happy to learn I was alive. But what about the new king? Gallus told me the hive was reformed and peaceful. Was there even a place for a changeling like me in the new hive? At that General Pharynx just chuckled and put a hoof on my shoulder. He promised me there was a place for me just like there's still a place for him. He then asked me if I was at long last ready to go home. With a yes he escorted me back up to the surface to be greeted by the guards I had fought a few weeks ago.
So there we have it twenty years late and at long last I’m relived of my duty. I was worried that the guard regiment and tourists I attacked would hold a grudge but they were surprisingly forgiving and understating. The guards understood I was just following orders, and many of them showered me with praise for showing a reliance most guards would never be capable of. Turns out ponies are fairly forgiving people and most of the tourists were fairly sympathetic. In fact the filly who took my picture was grateful for what happened. Apparently she managed to wow her friends by seeing the bug monster of Canterlot caves and having proof. That kid reminds of me when I was younger telling my sister tall tales about the big jungle beast I had seen the day before. Now I’m on a train back to the changeling hive in the personal care of my old commander.
This is Corporal Cephalon, lost soldier of the fifth battalion signing out.