//------------------------------// // Chapter One- The Beginning of the End // Story: The Bitter Taste of Love // by QuantumKitten //------------------------------// In the seemingly peaceful time of Celestia's rule before the great war, myths and legends abounded. Ponies would tell each other stories around the campfire on a dark night, about the creatures that still roamed the land. The Cockatrice, a mix of beast and bird, that could turn your skin into stone in the mere blink of an eye. The cunning three headed serpents of Draconic lake which lured sailors to their doom. Gilded Mirror Beasts which revealed the future that could have been. The Diamond Dogs, wolves that lived right underneath your feet, waiting to pounce at any time... The one story most feared though, told with squeals and whispers, was something completely different.  Creatures that could kill in an instant, which showed no mercy in their brutality. Creatures that would not only steal your emotions but your form, your entire life. Their history was spoken about in hushed tones... Some even said they were the twisted creations of Discord himself. Changelings. "V'tara! Do I have to repeat myself again?" The exclamation brought V'tara out of her daydream, her attention returning to the tall, frowning changeling in front of her. She could taste his emotions in the air, the frustration practically palatable. "Sorry Korak!" She winced, trying her best to remember his words. "Heh. What were we talking about again?" The changeling sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hoof. He was old, eyes faded with age. "Shifting. We were talking about shifting. Now can you assume the chosen form or not?" Considering these words, V'tara nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I can! Just watch..."  Concentrating, green eldritch fire shot across her body, the gleaming black of her carapace shifting to blue fur as her wings vanished with a spark. Her emerald green eyes flooded with new colour, changing to a bright cerulean. As the transformation slowed, Korak regarded V'tara with disinterest. Where once had been an ordinary if hyperactive changeling, there now stood an equally impatient earth pony, her blue coat and cream mane a stark contrast to the surroundings. "Impressive." The older changeling said sarcastically, "But not good enough. Your tail is flickering." "What?" V'tara glanced down at her treacherous tail, which sure enough was flickering, revealing her true form beneath. "Focus on your control and speed. Those ponies," he spat out the word in disgust as V'tara shifted back, embarrassed. "Those ponies above ground will destroy you the second you reveal yourself. Don't give them the chance-"  Wearily, V'tara shifted her focus, used to Koraks speeches. "Surely up there can't be that bad..." She thought, looking at the familiar low ceilings of the hive with eyes well adjusted to the near darkness. Orbs hung from the shiny black carapace-like surface of the walls, flooding the area in a faint green glow. Tunnels led off in countless directions, one of which lead to the overground, forbidden to all but the harvesters.  She sighed. She'd probably be stuck down here converting emotional energy into food for the hive her entire life. Not that she minded- if that was what the Queen decreed, then who was she to disagree? Still, the idea of the outside couldn't help but spark curiousity. All wind and rain, with a ceiling that never ended and a burning orb that hung in the sky through magic undreamt of. "Korak..." She started, hoping he'd calmed down enough to answer a question. "What's the sun like?" "The sun?" He stopped, taken out of his fervor. "Tell me young one, did you listen to a word I just said?" He was no doubt about to berate V'tara for asking such a question when they were both interrupted by a low rumbling sound, the lights flickering as a layer of fine dust fell from the ceiling. "I-Is it an earthquake?" V'tara asked. Earthquakes weren't unheard of, but something about this felt... off. The rumbling didn't fade or increase. It just ecohed constantly. Korak had gone uncomfortably quiet, motioning for her to be quiet as the changeling strained his ears. All around them the faint emotional link all changelings shared could be felt as the rumbling echoed throughout the tunnels. Fear, confusion, panic... And realisation? And then V'tara could almost feel the breathlessness of a scout running into the throne room in terror. Time seemed to freeze as thousands of changelings stopped to hone in on the emotions of one very small, very scared scout. Her eyes went wide as the Queen's rage emanated from deep within the hive. Changelings everywhere seemed to erupt from every tunnel, Korak himself disappearing with the wave of bodies rushing towards their positions, shouting at V'tara to find cover. The din was unbearable as she hurtled down a tunnel, the days lesson a distant memory. The impossible had happened. They were under attack.