//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 - Ocellus // Story: To Be a Changeling // by PlagueRat //------------------------------// Ocellus was thinking about how crazy life could be and how fast things could change without any warning. Just a few years ago she was a hole ridden, love stealing, shape shifting, magical pony-insect hybrid. She spent her days in a dark hive, among hundreds of others that looked just like her in almost every way. Her entire race were feared by the ponies of Equestria, whom they twice attempted to invade and conquer. Then in a sudden flash, a buzz of a wing, the entirety of changeling life was turned upside-down. She was still a shape shifting, magical pony-insect hybrid but everything else was now different. Her black chitin had been replaced with a beautiful arctic blue, the holes in her legs had vanished and she no long needed to steal love to satisfy her hunger. Within a few months the hive was blossoming with healthy green vegetation instead of being surrounded by a mile of desecrated land; and the very ponies her kind had once preyed upon had opted to forgive them. The ponies even opened up friendly diplomatic relations with their new king, offering any help needed to stabilize the infant kingdom. Then she had been enrolled as one of the first students in Princess Twilight Sparkles School of Friendship. At first she was shy and nervous about being around non-changelings; so much so that she would revert to her old ways and disguise herself to blend in. But after being accepted so quickly by so many new friends, she had become much more self-confident. Now, as she looked down at the little changeling nymph that sat next to her, she thought about how everything had been thrown for a loop yet again. Twilight asked her to take the nymph to her and Smolder’s room for the time being; and try to keep the little changeling out of trouble. Poor Starlight had to be rushed to the school’s nursing office after passing out from being drained of love too quickly but luckily she was expected to fully recover by the end of the day. For some reason the little nymph insisted they sit on the top bunk, even though it was Smolder’s. Thankfully the dragoness was willing to begrudgingly humor the changeling and take over the bottom bunk. The nymph had also just finished eating a small fish that Gallus was kind enough to catch for her and had bits of leftover scales stuck to her muzzle. Ocellus wiped away the mess with a napkin and it reminded her of when she use to help her parents with her younger siblings. “Alright, I just finished helping Silver and Yona straighten up,” Sandbar announced as he trotted into the room. “It’s kind of funny how long it takes to clean up a mess that was made so quickly when you think about it.” “Yeah, I bet that mess was real funny for Silver and Yona,” Gallus quipped, the griffon laying on his side next to the window so he could sun himself like a giant house cat. “So, is that how all baby changelings are?” Ocellus wasn’t sure if she should talk about the little nymph while she was present. The little changeling was unlike any nymph that she’s ever seen. She was able to not only talk, but understand what others were saying to her. That was something normal changeling nymphs wouldn’t be able to do until they were halfway to their first molting. She also had a natural mane which was something, as far as she knew, only Chrysalis herself had. Her build seemed more slender then a usual nymph too. “Not really…” Ocellus finally said. “No.” “Why do you think she was left hanging from a tree?” Smolder asked from the bottom bunk. Most likely wanting an answer to that question herself, the little nymph looked up at her, and it made Ocellus’s heart ache. “I don’t know…” Ocellus answered unable to stop her eyes from looking away from the changeling at her side. The nymph nudged the plate that once held her meal over the edge of the bed with her hoof, maybe because she didn’t understand how to express her frustration at the situation she was in. Gallus lazily reached out with a talon to catch it, despite being too far away, but it was Smolder who saved the piece of crockery with a leathery wing. “It’s not nice to break things,” Ocellus said to the nymph, “especially when they aren’t yours.” “I want to go home to the hive,” the nymph shot back. “We don’t know where your hive is,” Gallus said, “if we did we would take you there right now.” Now Ocellus had another conundrum to worry about. What would be best for the little changeling? Should they try and find her mother, Chrysalis? Chrysalis, who vowed revenge upon every being that had a hoof in her kingdoms downfall? What if they couldn’t find her? Would the nymph be taken in by Thorax’s hive, where she could learn how to live without feeding off the love of others? Should she be allowed to stay as she is, preying upon others, possibly hurting them like Starlight or worse? Would it be right if they try and reform her or should it be the nymphs’ choice and would she understand what they were asking her to decide? The sound of a magical chime coming from the hallway broke Ocellus’s concentration. “Was that the bell for class?” Smolder asked as she leaned out from her bunk. “You’d think afternoon classes would be canceled with everything that happened this morning,” said Gallus as he stood up and arched his back. “Maybe they didn’t want to cancel classes for everyone,” Ocellus said to them. “I mean what happened to us this morning didn’t really affect the rest of the school.” “Are you going to class?” Sandbar asked Ocellus. “How can I?” Ocellus questioned him, “I have to watch the nymph.” “Maybe you could take her with you,” Gallus said. “It’s professor Fluttershy’s class after all.” “Yeah, out of all the classes to bring her to, Fluttershy’s would be the best,” piped in Smolder. Ocellus looked down at the little changeling next to her unsure what to do. “Do you want to stay here or go see what our classes are like?” She asked her. Thoughtfully the nymph looked at Ocellus, then at each of the others in the room. “Will the alicorn be there?” she asked. “Why are you scared of Twilight?” Sandbar asked the nymph as he took a few steps into the room. “I’m not scared,” the little changeling snapped. “Really?” Gallus quirked his eyebrow. “Then why did you trash an entire room trying to keep her away.” The nymph hissed out her breath, sat up straight, and tilted her head down and slightly to the side as she glared at Gallus. The look might have been intimidating if the little changeling was older but, since she was only a fraction of Gallus’s size, the griffon just rolled his eyes at her display. “I guess I’ll go,” the nymph said to Ocellus after dropping her tough filly face. “Okay, but you’ll have to behave yourself,” Ocellus told her as she flew down from the top bunk and landed on the floor. “Do you want to walk or do you want me to carry you in my saddle bag?” “I can fly,” the little changeling said as her little wings buzzed and she lifted off the bed. “No you might hurt yourself,” Ocellus tried to explain to her, “your wings haven’t developed enough yet.” Her warning was ignored and the nymph hovered over the edge of the bed, wobbled from side to side and then descended quickly toward the ground. Smolder caught her a foot from the floor and placed the changeling down on her tiny hooves. “Fine I’ll walk,” the nymph said grumpily as she tossed her head to the side to remove the hair from her eyes. The little changeling tried to follow alongside Ocellus but she moved slowly on her unsteady legs. Occasionally she stumbled and was forced to reset her balance by firmly planting all four of her hooves on the floor. After a painfully slow minute the nymph had only made it out of the room and a short distance down the hall. “This is taking too long,” Smolder mumbled. “Smolder’s right, I’m sorry but I think it might be best if I carry you after all,” Ocellus said before scooping up the little changeling and depositing the nymph into her saddle bag, “if I don’t we’ll all be really late.” If the nymph was displeased by the older changelings action, she kept it to herself, opting instead to watch the other students they passed along the way. Apparently one coed stared at her a little too long and the poor flamingo colored filly ran away after being pelted by an eraser. “I feel like this is going to be a long day,” Ocellus sighed.