Who is the real monster?
The wedding of Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armour, meant to be one of the grandest moments within Equestrian history, was torn a part by the Changeling Army as they stormed Canterlot by force. The city plunged into utter chaos as changelings rained down from the sky as green fireballs, one by one mobilizing into a large swarm who's aim was to conquer. Despite that however, the ponies came together and defeated Queen Chrysalis' army, launching the offending troops and Queen out of the Equestrian borders. But not all was at rest as tension begun to rise between ponies, trust no longer free as they found it more difficult to trust each other with even a toaster.
With this, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both declared a mass sweep of Equestria for the next 168 hours. Guards were put on high alert as they launched from every base, every guard house, in order to remove all threats from the country. Civilians volunteered to help the cause to hunt down those black chitinous creatures from where ever hid. Through day and night, sun and rain, the ponies searched every corner until the deed was done and once again be able to lie rest peacefully at night.
The celebration when they found what is to be the last changeling within the Everfree Forest, in a hut manufactured from the nature around its small home. They cheered as they rode through the streets of Ponyville and through Canterlot with the Changeling between bars, constantly being pelted with all that the ponies could fine to filter their hatred through physical torture. And when he arrived at the doorstep of the princesses, he was instantly cast away into the dungeon until the day the princesses summons it, in which they shall decide his fate. The ponies up above in Celesita's light chanted, not for the imprisonment of the terrified beast, but for its death.
And the day came, where he shall face done what can be the cause of his demise.
***
He laid on his bed, which is only a piece of plank elevated from the floor by two chains that are hammered into the wall, within a state of confusion and fear. He knew what day it was and the high stakes if everything went south, yet he knew not of what he is condemned for. The mistakes of others that aren't his own? For being born a changeling that he had no choice in? His mind was at war with itself, struggling to make sense of the predicament the changeling finds himself caught in.
He knew not of the Queen or her army that charged into Canterlot, nor the wedding that took place. Then why was he here? These are questions that flooded his mind and what caused him so many sleepless nights. He'd have nightmares every time his eyes closed, a flash of the future of what they'll do to him if found guilty. They haunted him every night he spent rotting away in his dungeon cell, leaving the poor changelings restless and paranoid.
His innocence was being balanced on a thin thread that threatened to snap, one that would either save or tear his life away. Of course, he knew not what to think, the entire situation so far yet so close.
And then, from outside his cell, five guards stood tall and menacingly with weapons that would make the timberwolves go running for the mountains. The changeling didn't need to turn around to discover their presence, he could sense them even before they appeared right outside his cell. Their anger and hatred that bleed from them was enough to warn him of what he must do, even as frightened as he was, he knew that running is not an option.
He stood from his bed and only stared at the guards that approached him like a pack of wolves, trapping him within an impenetrable defense of gold. As afraid as he was, the changeling remained calm despite his mind that howled in fear. And so, they began to move out of the dungeon and through the palace. The guards weren't subtle or kind with him as they sent waves of threats and shoves to him, all filled by the drive to hurt. Despite the abuse the changeling received though, he kept moving forward because he knew that it was only a taste of what he would receive.
The walk was slow and painful, he only wanted to get it over and done with without problems, but the rational part of knew it wasn't possible. He didn't speak a single word, only ignoring every single glare he'd receive from the different ponies roaming the palace halls. And then, they stopped. He looked up to stare at the white and golden door which held his three judges. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before the guards pushed the large doors open.
Princess Cadence, the Princess of Love, showed nothing but the opposite of what her name suggested. Her face contorted into a mortifying glare that equaled to that of the eyes of a cockatrice, her emotions radiated disgust and anger. Princess Luna , who sat beside her and was more annoyed than anything else, stared daggers into him. Then there was Princess Celestia, the most unnerving of the three who awaited his presence within the empty hall. It wasn't that her emotions she gave were too much for him to deal with, but it was the lack of emotions that made her more terrifying. She was utterly unreadable, and he didn't like it.
"I assume you know why you are here, don't you?" Princess Cadence asked darkly as the changeling approached his seat opposite the three alicorns.
He could only nod, his voice failed to operate since he was captured, and today was no exception.
"Then you understand the costs if you are found guilty," she coldly states.
He nodded again, afraid to say or do anything that would provoke the mares.
"We're going to ask you a series of questions, answer truthfully. If you do lie to us, we will know and will harm what defense you have," Celestia said calmly. "My first question: why did you attack Canterlot?"
He stayed silent for a few moments as he tried finding his lost voice. "I wasn't there," he whispered which is just loud enough to be heard.
"LIES!" Luna shouted angrily before she realised where she was by her sister's stern look.
He knew they wouldn't believe him, they were too blinded by their anger by what his race had done that they failed to realise that there are innocents on both sides, not just one. But then at the same time, he couldn't blame them to act so irrationally because his people would've done the same.
"Explain yourself," Celestia ordered him.
"I- I wasn't born into a hive. My mother and father they l- lived in the Everfree when they gave birth to me." His voice wavered as he tried to form the words he wanted to say.
"Why in the Everfree?" Cadence asked, a small tingle of curiosity behind those words.
"I-I d-don't know." He replied nervously as he played with hooves.
"He is obviously lying to us!" Luna said a bit too loudly.
"Luna, I know you are not on agreeable terms but can you at least calm your voice." Celestia asked, annoyed with her sister's continued attitude.
Princess Luna grumbled to herself as she was forced to sit quietly and try not to shout out. Celestia sighed inwardly to herself as she thought to herself that this was going to a long day if Luna carries this on.
"Did you feed off ponies for their love to gain power? How many?" Cadence almost screamed, however was able to control herself.
"N-No! Of course not." He said quickly and loudly, which caused their suspicions to rise at the sudden outburst. "I do feed of ponies because I need it to survive, I don't feed to gain power!" After he was done speaking, he realised that he spoke too loud and shielded himself away thinking he messed up.
Question after question did they bombard the poor changeling, he tried his best to answer them at the best of his ability but he would stumble over his words. It didn't help that the three princesses still didn't fully believe him, but overtime they grew curious about him. He knew not when it would end, when he could just stand up and walk away and sleep away the day. And when he thought it was all over, a question was asked that completely stumped him.
"Why should we believe that you're telling the truth?" Cadence asked.
At that question, he didn't know what to do, he expected it to come sooner or later but now confronted with it, he didn't know what to do. Why should they believe him, for he is a changeling, a monster that feeds off ponies as food and deceives them in order to attain what they want, they even had the audacity to invade Canterlot. So the question stood, why should they believe him. They could've killed him on the spot, yet they gave him a chance to test his innocence. With the amount of time he attempted to conjure up an answer, Celestia literally made the three princesses tea and patiently waited for the changeling to provide them an answer.
Then, he had an idea. It wasn't an answer to the question but was instead a question of his own. "What am I?" He asked
The princesses looked up from their tea to stare at the changeling with a confused expression. It definitely wasn't the kind of response they expected. "You are a changeling?" Luna answered.
"So because what I am a changeling, what does that make me?" He asked, sounding more certain with his questioning.
As Princess Cadence opened her mouth to speak, it quickly shut as she lost he words she was about to say. None of them answered, they couldn't think of a reply that doesn't directly disrespects his race. With what he had shown them today, they could positively say that he's an innocent that was dragged into something more because of a misunderstanding. But because of what Queen Chrysalis did, they refused to see him in that light because he is a changeling, the same ones that attacked Canterlot that fateful day.
"Because I am Changeling, you will condemn me death. My innocence is nothing because all I am is a heartless creature." His words seemed to poke at their guilt as they realized that they have done. "Condemn an entire race because of the actions of a small amount of individuals who were misguided, kill off an entire species because you're too afraid it will happen again. We lie to do what we must to survive, so now we are automatically titled as the villian."
The princesses look at each other, unsure about the situation at hoof. They can't think of anything they could possibly say that can make the situation any better.
"The question still stands, why should you trust me? You shouldn't, because all I am is a heartless, love sucking creature." He was a bit shocked that he managed to transform himself from a terrified changeling to one that is now standing up against the princess. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn't like it.
"I have a question to you though." The princesses looked between each other, prepared for what he was going to ask. But what came out of his mouth, they weren't ready for. They couldn't think of an answer because they didn't know. All they could do was share glances between each other, both worried and shocked at what they let themselves do. They realized what they've did wrong, they realized that they aren't fighting Chrysalis but the entire race because they let their hatred get in the way of what they were really seeing. A civilian, victimized of a crime he hasn't done.
"Who is the real monster?"