Chapter 5: Flashback and History
Chapter 5: Flashback and History
The fire crackled and cackled, the flames licking the hearth's stone structure and illuminating the cottage den. Double-Take basked in its glow as the heat chased away the chills and shivers of her illness and fought further back the icy winds of mid-winter. Her hostesses were kind enough to get her some water, which she desperately needed. Starlight and Velvet sat on the couch, watching the Changeling's every move. This was the first time she got up in… well, ever since the two mares found her half-dead. Not long, in the grand scheme of things. Still a long time to be bed-ridden, but far shorter than either of the mares expected consider the way they found her.
Double-Take looked over her shoulder, the flames silhouetting her already shadowy exoskeleton-like hide. “You harbor a fugitive,” she uttered, equal parts grim and steady. Her voice had a distinctly insect-like quality about it; rough, echoey, unnerving, but not unpleasant. Eerie, in other words.
Velvet looked… shock? …No, it was a look of awe; the dumbfounded expression of a mare who had just heard the most unexpected of things. This was the first time the Changeling spoke. And she spoke a foreboding warning of a wrong already done. “You… can talk? I thought Changelings were all just-”
“Slaves to the Hive?” Double-Take interrupted. “Mindless drones and worker and soldiers, following blindly a queen born to her position? That we exist in that predetermined egalitarian society where our only concerns are the hive and the queen? Where our roles are predetermined by our physical standings at birth? What a grand lie would be." She scoffed in contempt and turned away, walking to the window, her blue eyes scanning the flurries of snowflakes in early evening light, looking for nothing where everything was to be found. Hunger was returning with a vengeance, and her head began to ache, as though a small insect was stinging at the back of her brain as pressure built around it. "We are not typical arthropods. We are as much insect as we are pony. We do not follow 'typical' hive insect hierarchy. We have no biological castes. We do not even have differing tribes. And the Queen is to us what an Alicorn is to you. Your Princess Cadance did not always have her horn. She was a Pegasus before, if the reports are to be believed.
“But that is beside the point." She returned her gaze to the duo of mares. "We Changelings are individuals. We think, we speak, we love, we have individual families and, at the end of the day, we dream. We do have a hive mind of sorts, though not in the traditional sense that equine fiction paints it. It is more of a 'network' through which we may share thoughts, emotions, and, with enough practice, memories and even dreams. It is second nature to us.”
“And you're only just now telling us this? You've been here a week.” Velvet bit her tongue and quelled her frustration upon remembering that the Changeling was mostly comatose for that time.
Double-Take made no reply.
Starlight simply took a breath and assessed the situation. “What crimes did you commit?”
Double-Take sighed. “Treason. But not against Equestria.” She shook her head, forcing herself to admit yet another thing she so desperately wished to hide and forget. “No, the crimes I've made against Equestria are of a different sort.”
Starlight's eyes widened, Velvet following along with once more a dumbfounded expression. “Treason against…”
The question hung in the air for an awkward moment. “Queen Chrysalis. The Changeling Queen. The Mistress of Deception. Whatever you want to call her." She turned again, as if fighting the urge to pace around the room. "I call her tyrant. We… call her tyrant.”
Starlight moved to speak again, but Double-Take once more interrupted.
“It's a long tale and I'm certain you do not wish to hear it all. But simply my being here puts you both in danger. I deserted the Queen three years ago. I deserted the rebellion against her nearly two weeks ago. Treason on both accounts.”
“I have the time to listen.”
The Changeling sighed. “Then you've entered a rabbit hole that has no end. To start from the beginning...”
Double-Take closed her eyes, thinking of how best to explain. "Changelings have the benefit of time. You ponies average one hundred twenty-five years; we live twice as long, though the Queen might very well be immortal, much like your princesses. About one hundred years ago, tensions between the Hive and the Griffin Kingdom strained to a breaking point."
"The Eastern Changeling Incursion," Velvet stated.
Double-Take nodded. "We call it 'The Morning of Tragedy.' Official propaganda in the Hive says that the Griffins started the war, but I know better. Both sides were at fault and Chrysalis struck the first martial blow, but no one truly knows who started the diplomatic and political transgressions. After about a decade of political crossfire and growing tensions, the Changeling Royal Council secretly declared war and Chrysalis launched a campaign within days. She struck quickly and silently, capturing over a quarter of the Kingdom in a matter of weeks, and pushing the Griffins back to their deepest strongholds just after the six month mark. She's a brilliant tactician and her campaigns rarely give her opponents the chance for open warfare." Double-Take's voice began to quiver slightly, more from hunger than from the thoughts of the bloody conflict.
"But the Changelings lost the war," Velvet stated.
"Only after the Griffin Kingdom's allies intervened," Starlight corrected.
"Yes," Double-Take began again. "She called for help, and Equestria, Saddle Arabia, and Tauren responded. Equestria and Saddle Arabia placed an embargo, and all Equestria and Tauren sent troops to help the Griffins. Chrysalis suddenly found herself fighting a war on four fronts with all trade cut off. What happened then was... bloody.” Double-Take sighed before continuing. “After nearly a year a fighting, and… staggering casualties for both Griffins and Changelings – far fewer for Tauren and Equestria – the Griffins had reclaimed all of their land, and we were loosing our own territory. We faced siege. If not for Chrysalis's tactics, we would have been wiped out within days. We had been driven deep into the heart of our own nation. With little land and diminishing resources, we faced famine. Changelings began to starve in the streets. And without trade or travel, the Changelings that did have food grew ill from a lack of emotions. Disease spread life wildfire. Famine… and plague. Those two things can reduce empires to ash, topple dynasties, destroy nations, break tribes. Chrysalis surrendered. She had little choice. Her subjects were dying in the battlefield by the dozens each day and field hospitals could not… compensate, or they were starving in the streets, or flooding civil clinics.” Double-Take was visibly disturbed. The war took place before her time; she only had stories from veterans or books written by eye-witnesses and official reports. But… it still ate at her. Her voice was weak for a conglomeration of reasons. “Chrysalis is a tyrant, but she is not evil. She cares about her kingdom as much as Princess Celestia, or King Galewind, or Archon Labyrinthine. She's simply... not as kindhearted.”
“Power-hungry?” Velvet proposed.
Double-Take's shoulder's slumped in resignation. After a moment, she finally replied, though a defeated and almost regretful tone had taken hold. “Perhaps. That may be why she started the war when tensions strained. She sought to expand her kingdom.” Double-Take turned away once more, as if ashamed by the Queen's actions. “It was one of her... few... miscalculations.” After another sigh, she continued. “We were given back most, but not all, of our land. The rest of it was converted into a demilitarized wasteland. The Hive is a region dominated by old-growth forests and primeval wetlands. Even the flowers in what grasslands remain tower over ponies. It is- It was fertile land. War fires and politics destroy many things. Losing that land was-" Double-Take had to take a breath. The products of the war, its destructive consequences, still had ramifications. "It was devastating. Many of the forests and wetlands were destroyed. Only about a decade ago has grass begun to grow once more in the Wastes. Crops still fail more often than not. We… never truly recovered from the war.” She swayed slightly, putting a hoof to her forehead. The hunger was unbearable, now. “I… think I need to… to sit…” She nearly collapsed, and Starlight rushed to catch her.
“What's wrong?”
The Changeling's voice was weak. “It's… it's been a while since I… last ate.”
Starlight tensed, but relaxed after a moment. Double-Take had given them no reason to fear her, made no acts of malice to cause distrust. “If you… need to feed off me-”
“No,” the Changeling interrupted, rushed and adamant. After a moment, she spoke again, pacing her words more evenly. “I refuse to feed directly. I don't want to risk you turning to a husk.”
Starlight opened her mouth to retort, but she stopped herself. Everypony in the room knew that Double-Take would die if she didn't feed, and the Changeling didn't need to be reminded. “Would one time really risk you draining me of all my emotions?”
“Normally, no,” she answered, lowering herself to a chair with Starlight's help. She continued at a slow, steady pace. “But I haven't eaten anything of significant proportion in nearly a month. Not of emotions, anyway. We risk emotional starvation at about three weeks, depending. With other, physical food, I haven't had much in about a week and a half. Assuming I've only been here a week.”
“What more do Changelings eat, exactly?”
“Our diets are consistent with Ponies and Minotaurs, with the addition of emotions. We physically need it. We begin suffering from illnesses. Fevers, chills, bone softening and chitin decay, as well as something resembling iron deficiency anemia. But we're not restricted to positive emotions; they're simply more potent. And we can feed off of strong or otherwise dense emotions passively, which is why we mostly spent our time in other nations, among other kinds. You see, we can't take emotions from fellow Changelings. Anyway, we usually use ambient love, friendship, and kindness to supplement our diets, but some resort to… parasitism. At that point, they can survive off of emotions alone, but it's… unsustainable. The victim dies, slowly. They weaken, physically and mentally, until the last of their emotions are gone, and they become… husks. Mindless, emotionless corpses, walking vessels for the Changeling's will. Slaves, in other words. It's horrific to see, and even more so to experience. As far as I know, you're fully aware the whole way through… To watch and be unable to do anything…” Double-Take stopped. She was visibly disturbed, as if some terrible memories, too horrific to mention, had resurfaced. It was something she was trying to suppress for nearly six years. “It takes a special kind of evil to do that without reason. Only someone sufficiently desperate or twisted could watch someone suffer through that, or to cause it. But there is always a motive.”
“What do you mean?” Velvet asked, her more scholarly side having followed the entire conversation. It caught her interest.
“Emotions aren't just a necessity for Changelings. It's also a source of power. But only in sufficient potency and quantity. The more we feed through parasitism, the more powerful we become.”
“Like a Vampony?”
The Changeling scoffed. “Comparing us to a foal's tale?”
“I didn't mean any disrespect. And there's actual evidence that Vamponies were real in some respects, and very well could-”
“Velvet!”
She stopped. “I'm sorry, regardless.”
The Changeling's shoulders dropped even lower. “The apologies are mutual.”
Starlight turned back to the Changeling, who wore another shameful look. Starlight smiled. “Well, enough talk about famine and plague. What do you want for dinner?”
Double-Take tilted her head slightly. "You're sure? Even after I told you that I'm a fugitive?”
“Of course. I don't know what you've done personally, but I have no reason to hate you. You've been completely honest with us. Even if the story's not finished yet.”
Double-Take fought the keep her head up. If she had to trade the rest of the story of a good meal, so be it.
Starlight cooked up a quick dish for her “guest.” Dusk carrot soup, a fresh spring greens salad, and a grilled cheese with tomato and avocado with a tall glass of non-alcoholic apple cider. Starlight never did anything half-way, especially with guests. Besides, the poor girl looked like she needed it.
Of course the Changeling accepted the meal eagerly, like an orphan foal lost in the woods, taken in from a storm. The kindness of the gesture itself left a lingering sense of friendship, which was quickly drained by the hungry Changeling as her horn and fangs acquired a faint, luminescent, organic green shade. She shuddered with the burst of warmth, her eyes brightening. She sat slightly taller, energy returning to her. She scarfed down the sandwich with starved ferocity, too hungry to maintain proper etiquette. She had a decent grasp of pony mannerisms, though not of dining. She never spent a lot of time in Equestria before, though it was enough to learn Equine and speak it fluently. Most of her espionage for the Queen took place in Saddle Arabia or the Griffin Kingdom. Next was the salad. It was a side salad, but it had plenty of substance: arugula, kale, daisies, dandelion greens, walnuts, and so on. It wasn't the most simple of salads, but Double-Take couldn't complain. In fact, she was delighted by the variety. If it was larger, it could have been a meal on its own, and it made a delicious compliment to the grilled cheese. And finally, the dusk carrot soup. It was a nightly lavender shade with a decidedly sweet, almost intoxicating, aroma, and the flavor matched perfectly. The warm liquid did the Changeling nothing but good. The apple cider wasn't anything special, but the Changeling didn't mind. Apple cider, alcoholic or not, was one of her favorite Pony drinks. She remembered it from the first time she was sent to Equestria. It one of her first missions in the Shadow's Wings.
Double-Take finished her meal and, after a moment, looked to her hostesses, who were both finishing up the last of their dinners. “Thank you,” she finally said, as politely as she could. “It was delicious. All of it.”
“You're very welcome, Changeling,” Starlight replied. “But, I suppose you have a name. I'd hate to have to refer to you as 'Changeling' all the time.”
She laughed. "You would hardly manage to pronounce it, let alone remember it. Our language is alien to most equines. But my name roughly translates to 'Double-Take' in Equine Modern, so you can call me that.”
The starry-gray mare smiled. “Double-Take it is, then.”
Double-Take lifted her head to gaze around the field. Rosie and Blossomforth were still unconscious, but Double-Take realized she had passed out in her true form. With a tired blink and shake of her head, she forced herself to her hooves. She had to get out of open, at least until she could transform again.
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This chapter was a wall of exposition.
I liked it. And having something like this as the prologue is really a style choice, so it's really not a bad or good thing to have it here. Personally, I like having exposition later on in the story as part of a flashback or something because it gets readers hooked into the story and by the time you explain it, they're already invested. Good job as always, DFTBA.
I lack the words to say how incredibly good this was.
3695295 Hunter,
I know I've answered this I.R.L. already, but I have, as of today (months after telling you at school), decided that really should get into the habit of answering questions like these and interacting with my audience. So, to reiterate both for you and for the benefit of all those that may also be curious, it's more a noodle incident than anything. Silver Anvil is essentially a smith Braeburn/Pinkie hybrid, but in Canterlot.
So... yeah. I wanted to include him, but the story's taken a massive change in direction.