//------------------------------// // Hunger // Story: Once Bitten // by Damaged //------------------------------// Shining worked her mouth, crunching the oats that had been provided. A shiver ran through her, but before she could even think about a way to warm up, Apple Bloom had moved in beside her, the other nymph pressed to her side. "Thanks." She meant the word more than she realized. "Here I figured I would be protecting the 'poor, defenseless fillies,' " Shining gave a little snort, "and I wind up needing to be looked after…" The situation stung Shining's pride. Scootaloo slipped in on Shining's other side, lifting her translucent wing and resting it on Shining's back. "You are handling it great, what's the matter?" "Yeah, not like me," Sweetie buzzed her little wings, chirping them together a few times, "I can't even tell a good lie." "That's what her problem is." Apple Bloom eyed Shining, watching the other nymph sink her head down into the little pile of oats. "Ah feel the same, really. Ah'm kinda good at the whole 'stories' thing, and all my family—back home—makes it easy to remember that higher archery stuff." "But I don't want to be good at this. I want to work on ways to get us out, I want to be the brave knight who rescues the fillies…" Shining Armor crunched at the oats a little harder than was needed. "If it was a matter of rescuing you three, and me staying behind, I wouldn't think twice. But it feels hopeless; they are going to teach me all these things, and I can't do a thing to stop them." Sweetie looked at Shining, taking note of how her ears slumped down, her folded crest. "Maybe Thorax was right, we just have to stick with it and—" "Hey grubs." Thorax stepped into the alcove the four had been assigned as their "home." Shining lifted her head, her attitude lifting slightly. 'That is strange, just another "strange" to throw on the pile, I guess.' "Hi Thorax, what's up?" The words tumbled out on their own, Shining realized she even sounded a little more chipper. "Just getting away from things. Queen Chrysalis is going to be 'visiting' later today. Classes are called off." Thorax looked back outside, pulling her head back in before the hole in the wall closed up. "So I figured—" "You are hiding in here." Shining was blunt. "So what is it you don't want our Queen to know about?" She managed a smile for the first thing, apart from their ongoing indoctrination, that actually seemed interesting. "It's complex." Thorax looked at the four nymphs. "Besides, gotta be somewhere while there are no classes." She looked around the nymphs. "What's wrong?" "Vinyl is—" Sweetie Belle found Apple Bloom's hoof in her mouth, she glared at her friend a little. "Nothin'." Butter wouldn't melt in Scootaloo's mouth, it had only been a week of "training," and she was already miles better at lying than she used to be—or so she hoped. "Please, you aren't even fully moulted of your pony-selves; I have been a changeling for years. Tell me what is going on?" Thorax's eyes darted from nymph to nymph. "Doesn't work anymore." Scootaloo stuck her long, forked tongue out and blew a raspberry with it. "In our biology lessons, they told us that as we adapt more, the venom our other self produces, and now that we produce, won't affect us." She wore a big, wide grin. "You will tell me, what is the problem?" Thorax repeated the question, looking around at each of the former ponies. "Vinyl is upset." Apple Bloom couldn't stop herself, and felt bad about it until Shining stretched a leg up and over her shoulder. "Sorry." "It's okay, Thorax is being a mean bug." Shining glared up at the changeling, giving Apple Bloom a little squeeze. "I'm sorry." Thorax gave a sigh and slumped down to the floor. "You think you have been having a hard time of it? You should see how it is at the end of all your training." She flopped over on her side and stretched her legs. "Wish I could be a pony, or just out of this place." "W-W-What's it like at the end? Isn't it all jus' training?" Apple Bloom didn't move from her position beside Shining, after all, Shining was a Crusader now. "Oh yeah, just training. I don't even know why they are doing the full training anymore, you are probably just going to get thrown at Canterlot when Queen Chrysalis invades." Thorax realized how bitter her tone was, but at the same time didn't care. Shining tilted her head to the side, looking at Thorax. "You don't like her, do you?" She saw the startled look on Thorax's face. "That's it, you really don't like her. What did she do?" "What did she do? It is what she keeps doing. She killed my pony-half." Thorax closed her eyes. "If you tell her… I don't think I even care anymore." She felt the pull of sleep and let the soft embrace of unconsciousness pull around her. "She's asleep?" Sweetie Belle got up and walked closer, poking at Thorax. "Yup." "It's okay, leave her be." Shining squirmed a little, getting more comfortable. "Might even have a nap myself." She yawned widely, showing off the two prominent fangs, along with the other assorted new mouth-cutlery. "Don't do that, or I will start… start…" Scootaloo lost her battle and yawned too, slumping the last of the way into relaxation beside Shining. "No fair." She lifted her head a moment when Sweetie Belle curled up at her side. "Cutie Mark Crusaders…" "Nap takers." Apple Bloom lowered her head down beside the already-asleep Shining armor. ~~~~~+++++~~~~~ "Shining." No sooner was Shining asleep, than Vinyl pounced into him, hugging him tightly. "Fight it, Shining Armor." "Yeah, fight it. But why does it all seem so… so easy? It is… It just feels right to learn, I can even justify it. I am helping to learn the enemy—" "… so we can report back exactly what is going on. I know. I am a lot like you." Vinyl grinned. "Those fillies… well… nymphs now I guess, they take good care of you." "I don't want to let them down, I want to fight, protect them." In the calm of his mind, Shining could get as angry as he wanted. "But I just—" "You can't right now, these changelings seem very good at this. They are breaking you down, I don't think I like them one bit." Vinyl nodded firmly. Shining grinned at the forthright attitude of his other-half, the way she could make a decision based on the smallest bit of information, and see it through. "Thank you." ~~~~~+++++~~~~~ "Wake up, grubs. Training again." Thorax wasn't sure when she had ended up snuggled in with the four nymphs, but she felt oddly good for having been like that. 'Probably just a little leftover emotion in them.' "Ah don't wanna go to school, my leg is broken." Apple Bloom tried to turn over, ignoring the demand to get ready. "It is not." Thorax couldn't keep the grin off her snout as she reached down and gave the lying nymph a nip on the back of the neck. "Get up, have some oats and get ready for another long day." Shining, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom all piled in and started munching, but as soon as Sweetie had a mouthful she spat them back out. "Ugh, what did you do to my oats?" She tried a bit more and spat that out too. "I'm hungry!" "You were changing ahead of the others…" Thorax squinted at the nymph. "Okay, you are probably all ready for this. Stop your eating, we have a new meal-plan." Thorax walked for the stone wall, timing it perfectly as it opened. Walking after Thorax, the four nymphs kept close, avoiding the other changelings in the busy hive. It wasn't long before Thorax led them down a wide tunnel, deep into the lower section of the hive. "And here you will find our farms." Thorax gestured to the huge underground cave. Lit only by soft green glowing goop, they could all make out ponies working in a field of mushrooms. "You have ponies trapped down here?" Shining felt anger start to rise. "You really are monsters!" "Monsters?" A pony had heard them, walking closer they eyed off the four nymphs with Thorax. "Changelings aren't monsters… they…" The pony sighed. "My name is Bright Hope." Bright held up a hoof to the first nymph, which happened to be Sweetie Belle. "What… what kind of pony are you?" Sweetie Belle was staring at the offered hoof, realizing she could see part of the way through it. When she realized she was being unfriendly, she lifted up her own black limb and gave it a little clop. "I am a crystal pony." Bright Hope smiled. "This a new bunch, Thorax?" Looking up at the adult changeling, Bright gestured to the four Crusaders. "Yup," Thorax chirped her wings together as a friendly greeting, "that little nymph just refused her oats. Figured you would be the best to teach them what they need to know about feeding." "Well, if anypony in all Equestria could be an expert on changeling feeding, it is me." Bright tapped his chest with a hoof. "So tell me, little-un, what do you know about changelings?" "They are mean, and stinky, and not nice!" Sweetie Belle, looking just like a little changeling herself, seemed to be the most precocious nymph ever. "Did I mention mean?" She turned to Shining. "Did I mention it?" "You mentioned mean, but you left out annoyingly vague, and icky." Shining grinned, an oddly playful temperament showing through her normally glum one. 'Was sleeping beside them all it took? No, there is something else about Thorax that… I like being near her...' "Oh, I remember this one." Thorax flashed with green fire, becoming a crystal pony not that unlike Bright. "Uh, mean, unfair, and changelings are all horrible liars!" Thorax grinned. "Did I get them all?" A round of giggles surprised even the nymphs. "Hey, there is Glimmer." Bright lifted a hoof and waved to Glimmer, walking into the huge chamber behind Thorax's little pledge. "Bet she has one or two refusing oats too." He raised his voice and asked as much, "Glimmer, need to teach your pledge how to feed?" Glimmer Wing trotted forward, raising an eyebrow at Thorax's disguise. "Yeah, nearly all of this lot decided it was time to eat big-'ling food." She looked at Thorax at last. "Thorax." Her greeting was a little stony, cold. Flashing with fire, returning to her normal shape, Thorax gave a soft sigh. "Hi S—" "Glimmer Wing, don't call me by that other name!" Glimmer rushed forward, glaring at Thorax. But her anger faded quickly. "Just… just don't. I am not a pony, no matter how much you wish I was." "Please." Though Bright's voice was soft, both changelings froze and turned to look at him. "We are here for the nymphs, not for you two to fight. I have never seen a pairing fight as much as you two do…" He turned to Sweetie Belle. "So, you are hungry?" She nodded. "And the oats aren't doing the trick? Taste a little bitter?" She nodded again. "Then you are a changeling now, and a fine one by the look of you. Close your eyes, and stick your tongue out, all the way." Shining looked at the older stallion leading Sweetie through… whatever it was. 'I think, at this point, I am numb to whatever they do short of actually hurting her. I… I wish I could help…' "Now, can you taste something sweet?" Bright watched the nymph's closed eyes bob up and down along with the rest of her head. "Good, now open your mouth, and take a bite of the sweet thing." Sweetie did that. She knew whatever it was floated right before her snout, so opened her mouth and started to reach forward for it, when she was overwhelmed by warmth and vitality. Her eyes snapped open and focused on little waves of pink that left Bright, twirling like streamers, before flowing into her open mouth. If it didn't taste so good, she would have snapped her mouth shut, and run screaming. "Rest of you, now. Come on, a few hungry nymphs aren't too much for me, yet." Bright chuckled, gesturing to Shining, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. "You three, before they lead me away to become a changeling myself."