Outcast of a Hivemind

by NovaSethyr

As Busy As A Changeling

Chapter 11

As Busy As A Changeling

I had plenty of tasks to do, and I liked to think I work well under stress. After all, I worked as an editor for a dying newspaper. Deadlines popped up more often than actual work, which was something that could get really annoying after a while. I've always done my work diligently, which took up a lot of time at work and even some time at home. I didn't mind it though, I never was one to go out often, if at all. But there was this one time where I had finished all my deadlines earlier than usual. I had nothing to do, and I didn't feel like spending more time on the computer, so I had decided to go have a drink or two as celebration.

That was the first mistake. For starters, I didn't know any of the nearby bars and didn't have any friends to help choose one. After driving around for a little, I choose a bar that was close to my home and didn't look very crowded. When I walked in, I saw why. The bar was empty except for a small group in the corner. When I had walked in, they all turned to me with the most vicious glares I've ever seen anyone give me. There were three of them, not including the one carrying me, and every single one of them looked at me like I was a pig with an apple in my mouth.

I'm not ashamed to say that I immediately left and drove home before any of them could get up. I was a bit panicked, but that was natural. I never liked people at the best of times, and this event was one that drove me to hanging out at home more so than usual. I ran with my tail in between my legs, yes, but at least I left the bar alive.

The same feeling I had felt back then returned with a vengeance as I was picked by a being twice my size by my back legs and carried me down into the dark depths of the pirate ship. My back legs were nearly crushed by the force the diamond dog used, and that was probably him trying to hold me gently.

He carried me down into a dimly lit room, and my eyes took a bit of adjusting to realize it was a dining hall, more specifically, a dining room with a couple tables and three other hungry looking diamond dogs sitting at them. I felt my stomach drop out of my mouth, and it wasn't because I was upside down. The voice I heard before was a diamond dog who was standing at a counter, but I couldn't make out the details. Other than he was a diamond dog, which was fearful enough in of itself.

Well, if I was going to go down being eaten, I might as go down heroically. I took in a deep breath and, taking a heroic pose of heroicnessity, I let out a terrifying squeal and promptly blubbered out something that vaguely sounded like "Oh please don't eat me I haven't bathed in days!" Thanks, mouth. Go ahead and ruin my heroic demise, will ya?

The collective hounds all turned at looked at me with a state of shock and terror, "Wot are ye talkin' about?" came the response. I opened an eyelid to see the previous diamond dog who had mentioned a sapphire and ruby stew, his mouth agape in horror. "Eat ye? 'Ow did yew come about dat conclushun, pony?" he questioned.

"I don't think she's ever seen a diamond dog, Baron." the diamond dog that brought me in piped up.

"Yeah, lookit her! She's shakin' like a leaf!" another dog added.

"Oi, shaddup, the lot of ye!" the Scottish chef, Baron, replied.

And then he actually hawked up and spat onto the floor. Right on the wooden floor! The diamond dog carrying me put me on the ground, which cause me to flinch. What if the whole floor was covered in diamond dog spit? My poor body has been through enough already, I don't need to step in spit.

I looked down at the floor, studying it in case there's any more spit visible. I didn't notice the diamond dog asking questions until he lifted my head to meet his eyes. They were hard, but they betrayed a sense of concern. Perhaps there was more to diamond dogs than what I had gathered from the show, it wouldn't be the first time that a species is judged on the acts of a few members. Humans themselves are a testament to that, and I felt my cheeks grow hotter as I realized that I had basically insulted a group of diamond dogs, who were pirates no less, by inferring that they would eat me.

The accuser walked over to me, grabbed by chin and lifted my head up to look him directly in the eyes. His slit pupils gazed back at me, "We ain't gunna eat yew, Rusty brought ye down 'cause yew was tresspassin' on our boat! What were yew thinkin' was gunna happen, flyin' onta a ship dat's obviously not yer usual vessel?"

I just gazed back at him, completely aware that three other pairs of eyes were watching me intently. My little habit of being unwilling to talk in groups came back in full force, and I was really doing everything I can not to break down and run out of the cabin screaming, which irked the diamond dog who wanted answers.

As Baron pulled away from me I could make out a few more key details. He was big, and I mean big. He was hunching over, similar to how the other diamond dogs were slumping, but if this guy stood up straight he'd hit the ceiling. One of his ears was torn off, leaving ragged straps of flesh that twitch occasionally. His other ear was filled with earrings, and one of his canines was broken off. To top off the aggressive look of a pirate, he wore an apron that said "Kiss the Chef." Most dastardly indeed.

"'Ey, speak when yer spoken ta, lassie!" the diamond dog in that Scottish like accent. Seriously, I couldn't tell if it was Scottish or not with how deep and guttural it sounded. I'm surprised I could understand it at all! The crew members held their silence, even Rusty, which didn't help me garner any courage to speak up.

My question went unanswered as I was picked up by the scruff of my neck again and held up to meet the speaker's eyes, and there was a look of annoyance about them and his brow furrowed. "Yew ain't gunna try anythin', are yew?"

I shook my head vigorously three times.

"Did yew board the ship on purpose?"

Shake shake shake.

"Are ye an associate of Drop Shot an' Saf?"

Shake Sh- Frown. Slow nod slow nod.

"Mmm, as aye though' - ye fit their description. The unicorn came aboard no less than two 'ours ago, an' the cap'n went ta have a little chat with 'em on their dingy raft o' a boat." He put me back on the floor and I immediately decided it was best to sit on one of the benches that was on one side of an empty table.

Hmm, that wierd pony did have a pirate look about him. He must have like ten earrings, and he had more than a few golden teeth, too. His eyes definitely had the leadership quality about them, and all he needed was a parrot on one shoulder and a wooden leg to complete the whole pirate ensemble. I looked back up to the diamond dog and raised an eyebrow, and I was actually surprised at how much of the unasked question he understood. Maybe I didn't have much of a poker face after all, Lady Gaga would be disappointed in me for sure.

"Aye, the cap'n has the information yer lookin' fer. I ain't gunna say no more 'til 'e gets back - and now we gots somethin' ta insure our well-bein' in case the deal goes south."

Oh well, that's good, it's not smart to go into a deal without wait what? That's not good, not good at all. I can't be a hostage! I don't have the time! Perhaps I could schedule one in after I save Manehattan from an army of changelings and rescue my fishy friend from the unfortunate but tragic fate of whatever horrors that my imagination can conjure up. Ew, except that - that was just putrid, imagination, and frankly I'm ashamed you even thought of that.

Before my mind could dig itself deeper into whatever deplorable hole it came from, a soft aroma filled the air, causing my stomach to gurgle before stabbing me in the gut in hopes that it reminds me not to skip on it's payment of daily food intake. As bowls were passed out, the three diamond dogs lost their interest in me and began to converse amongst themselves, but I could hardly understand a word they said. They spoke in a fast an guttural tone, and even the parts I did catch didn't make any sense out of context.

The big Scottish diamond dog carried a pot of the stew around and began filling up each of the bowls. "Well, at least nuttin' kin seperete us from a hearty sapphire and ruby stew! Alright, boys, chow down!" The crew happily obliged, if the slurping sound was any indication.

I stared at the empty table in front of me, as I though about why my friends, Drop Shot especially, would swallow their fear of pirates and start asking their leader questions. When I saw Drop Shot on the subject on pirates, he looked nearly ready to start killing them! And it didn't help they were diamond dogs either, if there was any sort of stigma attached to them.

The question was why, what caused my friends to abandon their comfort zone in order to help find the captured seapony? It just didn't add up, but I guessed that's what makes mysteries fun to solve - being able to piece together all the clues to make sense of the truth.

My musings were interrupted as a bowl of stew was placed in my field of vision, and there was a notable absence of colorful gems in it. I looked up to see the big chef, peering down at me with his sharp yellow eyes. He took a seat across the table from me, sipping readily at his own bowl of soup, with a few cracks as he bit down on the minerals. His eyes never left mine, and my gaze never left his either.

"Lass, do ye have the fain'est clue as to wot's goin' on?"

I glanced at the three rowdy diamond dogs and felt a wave of relief when they continued their own conversation at the other table, oblivious to the two of us. I look back at the big dog, "Depends, what are you willing to tell me?"

The dog's spoon hovered halfway between his mouth and the bowl for a second before continuing on its journey. "So, yer tongue is loose only when ye ain't bein' watched, issat it?"

I felt a ghost of a smile on my disguised face before I became business again. "Let's just say I'm not much of a group participant. Who is your captain, and why have my friends asked for his help?"

The diamond dog took his bowl in one huge paw and slurped the rest of it down, "Good stew, iffen aye say so meself." He stood back up and started to walk towards a door at the back of the boat. Before he left, he turned around and gave me another glare, "Why don'cha ask 'im yerself?" He pointed behind me and I complied.

I had expected the captain to return, but perhaps not in the fashion he did arrive in. For starters, he was bruised and bloodied, one of his fiery eyes was blackened and his grimace displayed a missing tooth. He was covered in a few more bruises, but that was about the extent of his damage. He was carrying the still form of a pony, and it took me a quick inspection of the second bruised body that it was indeed Drop Shot.

Huh, somehow I had imagined something like that would happen. Drop Shot didn't seem to like pirates, and this guy was 100% pirate. I rushed over to the captain's side, barely noticing his eyes as he watched me drag Drop Shot blue body off his back, the pegasus' darker blue mane held firmly in between my teeth.

I heaved the guy onto the empty table, and gave him a quick examination. His body was also covered in bruises, but they were much darker than the captain's were, and one of his wings was bleeding from a few cuts, and it seemed much too bruised to move. I guessed that the pegasus got himself bucked in the side, and his wing was damaged enough to keep it from flying. I was no doctor, but even I could tell that wing isn't going to see much action in the immediate future. His head had a nasty bruise, and one of them was bleeding a little. I hazarded a guess that this blow was the one that knocked the poor guy out.

Followed by the captain was none other than Saffron, the lime mare looked completely worn out. It was obvious that she had been crying, possibly when the two stallions had a fistfight... hooffight... whatever. She dragged herself over to my side, her eyes glued to the pegasus' unconscious body. She turned to face me, her eyes threatening to let loose up whatever moisture was left, but they also betrayed her shock at my presence.

"Lucky... What are you doing here? What happened to you? You've been gone for hours!" she exclaimed.

I put my hooves on her shoulder to quiet her, and I looked directly into her eyes, "Long story, but right now you need to tell me what you're doing consorting with pirates."

Saffron sobered up at the mention of pirates. "Lucky... I have some very bad news..." Why can't I ever get a break? "Captain Morgan here knows where Jetsam is." That's good news, not bad, so I waited for the bombshell to drop.

"Manehattan... Manehattan has has an underwater cavern that can't be accessed by a normal boat. The cavern is unreachable by conventional means, so that's where we suspect Jetsam is being held. Morgan said that he saw a few unicorns casting spells to make them breathe underwater, and that he's willing to cast the spell on us, but only if we help him." Well, that figures.

"Aye, lass," said a deep voice that seemed to be holding back all the anger he felt in his life. In fact he sounded like he had a hearty sandpaper sandwich for lunch. I turned to see the captain giving me a nasty grin, the kind you only see from those who know that you have nowhere else to turn. "And what I require is nothing simple." Of course it is, I thought. "The caverns below the city have been in my sights for quite a while now, but for different reasons than a couple of fish.

"You see, there's a few pirates who like to stash their loot down there," Oh, I know exactly where this is going. "We would like you to accompany us while we take you down there in search of said loot."

"As long as we can go and save out friend, we have a deal." I held out my hoof to shake. The captain didn't expect my sudden agreement, but he shook my hoof nevertheless.

"That's not the only thing we have to worry about, Lucky." Saffron said. She looked at me with a mixture of worry and fear, and eventually fear won out as she whispered, "There's changelings in the city."

Oh... OH! That's right, I ran into the cabin without my disguise on! Well, that was a load off my shoulders. But that still left unanswered questions. "Unfortunately we can't focus on the changelings at the moment, we still need to find where Jetsam is." Saffron still looked scared, but she nodded. I felt a bit guilty, I must have scared her really badly back there.

"Uuuuugh," groaned the now conscious pony on the table. "What happened?"

"Yer friend agreed to the cap'n's deal." said Baron.

Drop Shot and Saffron both jumped, they must have not noticed the diamond dog's presence when they came in. Looking around the room, I found the other three diamond dogs have left. I wondered if they were scared of their captain just as much as Saffron was.

The pegasus gave me an incredulous stare, "Lucky, what?" Why would you agree to help these... these monsters?!" he spat.

"We don't really have much in the way of time and options. Besides, he's was going to do it anyways. We might as well get help than going in alone. And we still owe him got providing the information in the first place."

Baron and his captain both looked hard at me, confused at my actions. I gave them a small smile, "Information is a commodity, so we owe you for that. As long as our goals don't interfere with the others it would be best to work together."

The captain gave me a toothy grin, "I like her," he muttered. He turned to the diamond dog, "You heard the lass, Baron, we're going down to the caverns! Wake the others and get my quarters ready. I've got a spell to cast."

With that, he and the diamond dog ran off to do their work. That left me, Saffron, and a rattled Drop Shot.

The pegasus glared at me, "Why?"

I glared back, "I'm not willing to risk innocent ponies, or seaponies in this case, because I was unwilling to leave my comfort zone. I suggest you do the same."

With that, I walked out onto the now busy deck. There were diamond dogs climbing up to the sails and furling them, making sure they don't get ripped in the process. I saw a couple of diamond dogs pack everything that wasn't bolted to the floor and storing it inside the ship.

"Hey," I caught the attention of one of the diamond dogs, "What's going on?"

The diamond dog grinned, "We're gettin' ready, lass. When the spell goes off, make sure you're holdin' onto somethin'."

I watched as the last of the diamond dogs retreated to the bowels of the ship. I briefly wondered what kind of spell they were going to cast when I felt the ship move. Following the diamond dogs advice, I grabbed hold of the railing and waited to see what happened.

Then the ship flipped upside down.

Comments

[NovaSethyr]

Hey, I'm not dead! Yes, it's been a while since I updated. About a month, to be honest. Anyways, I've been really really busy and I haven't had much time to write, but I'm still gonna write! I promise!

Along with an update to this, I've been working on a few other things I think you guys would like, but I'm gonna keep it secret for now. Anyways, don't be afraid to put your thoughts in the comments! I love feedback, and sometimes it's the only way for me to survive. You guys don't want me to starve, do you?

[Literature]

Update!!!!
Yesssss!
Lucky is a boss.

[NovaSethyr]

1341148

He won't be Lucky for long...

*bum bum buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!*

[Literature]

1341194
But I liked Lucky...
I had head-written a bunch of different ways she would be revealed as a changeling to her friends, only half of which involved him dying bloodily.
Now they will never come true.

[NovaSethyr]

1341517

Haha, don't worry mate, it wasn't a serious threat.

[glycose]

Wohoo, an update

[Literature]

1341790

[Snowfyre]

if he is going to be working with the sea ponies in the future, will he be able to take their form?

[NovaSethyr]

1408119

Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more say no more.

[Snowfyre]

1408442

now i cant wait for future chapters

[RubberBrony]

How much for a couple hundred more words?

[sketcher]

Needs the changeling tag

[The Changeling Spy]

i.imgur.com/aRTdsaQ.png

[Darkwhip]

Does the author have plans to continue this?