Sweat drifted from me as I dug a hole for the clones who came before me. Those who weren’t allowed to last. It would probably be my home as well before the day would end.
Even though it was sunny above the trees, the shadow made it difficult to see the details. Even more so in the hole I was in. I mostly just felt out the stones and roots as I dug with my hooves.
I stopped. Shivers ran down my spine. I felt as if I was being watched.
My legs kept hoofing at the ground. Perhaps it was Sweetie Belle checking on me. She could somehow detect things with her magic even if she didn’t see them with her eyes. She had explained it as—weaving channels… or something.
Just because I couldn’t see her around, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t observing my progress. Well… the lack of it. Making a hole in the ground sounds easy enough until you get your hooves dirty and start losing against the stubborn earth. There wasn’t much to show for my day’s work. It was fortunate that my hooves were quite sturdy, but it was still hard to dig. If only I had some tools to use or horseshoes to wear.
With a forehoof, I hit against the root which was making it difficult to get to the ground below the stem. It didn’t budge. “If only I had something sharp...” I plunged into the ugly brown nuisance horn-first. In an instant, everything became more—green. I shook my head and the surrounding earth turned to boring brown again. Maybe banging my head against the root wasn’t such a good idea, after all. Stupid root!
If only I could borrow Sweetie Belle’s knife... It just lay there on the rocks near The Mirror Pool. Then, I remembered seeing the dried blood on the handle. Maybe it was blood from the last Clonie who asked if she could borrow the knife. I cringed at the scary thought.
Besides that knife, we didn’t have any other tool. From what Sweetie Belle had told me, she had to leave in a hurry because everypony was jealous of her magic and wanted to cut off her horn. They were all evil and intended to bring her down by taking away her power.
I drove my teeth into the root and tried to slowly chew it apart. If my master wanted me to have a knife, she would have given it to me. She always knew what was best.
Maybe Sweetie Belle didn’t even need the hole I dug and only wanted me out of her mane. She probably didn’t want to get disturbed in the crystal hugging, midair levitation or absorbing the contents of the books that were floating around her. I wasn’t sure how she was even able to read them. Her eyes were rolled back whenever she hovered above the pool in that magical trance of hers. When I closed my eyes, I could only see blackness.
I wished I’d have at least a fraction of her powers. With magic, I could probably make a hole in a jiffy. Yet, I couldn’t even produce a glow, much less rip out the roots from the ground. Sweetie Belle had told me the pool that made me only produced matter; not any of the magic, inherent to real ponies. I was foalish enough to try it anyway, but I really didn’t have time to play around with myself, so I kept at what I knew.
Sweetie Belle had called me useless on several occasions. She’d been right to do so. When she would see how little progress I made with the hole, she’d surely call me useless again. Or worse...
I could probably escape if I just ran away when she wasn’t paying attention to me. But why would I want to do that, anyway? I was nothing and Sweetie Belle was something. I could only be more than nothing if I tried to compliment her. By helping her out, I could fulfill my purpose. It was the only reason why I existed. For Sweetie Belle, I’d do it all. Whatever she would achieve in her future, I’d be a part of it with my efforts to support her, even if I wouldn’t live to see the brave new world.
I may bleed and cry during my life, but it will all be justified in the end. There’s purpose behind Sweetie Belle’s actions, otherwise, she wouldn’t be doing any of it.
Even if I’m worth preserving, how could I live with condemning all the future Clonies to nonexistence? Sweetie Belle wouldn’t make any more of us if she found out that I ran off and betrayed her trust. Past reincarnations sacrificed themselves, so the future ones could exist. If I shied away from my purpose, I’d make their sacrifices meaningless. No! I’d never be the one who breaks the cycle of life. If I had a purpose, then so too would future Clonies have importance. By betraying Sweetie Belle, I’d be sacrificing a lot more than I’d be preserving.
“Clonie!” Sweetie Belle screamed from a distance. I had thought that she would at least let me finish the grave before she killed me, but what did I know? Her reasons were always a mystery to me.
I lifted my head from the hole. Her mouth was agape and ears pinned up. Yet, she wasn’t looking in my direction. It made me feel really small and insignificant; as if she had forgotten where I was. She had been the one that told me to dig at the spot. Then again, perhaps the patch of ground I was assigned to wasn’t the only mass grave, and she had trouble keeping track of all of them.
She needed to know where I was, so I waved a hoof above my head to get her attention. Her gaze stayed fixed on the bushes in the other direction.
She sprang to action and ran away from me. Her horn glowed. Rocks rose from the ground behind her and accelerated forward as she plunged into the bushes. A thump indicated that the stones connected with her target.
“Aaa!” A voice came from the growth.
That did sound like Clonie getting pummeled. It served her right for disobeying the master. But wasn’t I the only clone up at the time? Well, the only living clone, that is...
No, I certainly wouldn’t run away like that. I figured there must have been something wrong with that clone.
“Why would you run from me? How dare you?” The authority in her voice made me shiver. It was best to just get back to work since she clearly had the situation under control. I shoved my horn into the ground to loosen it.
“Wait! Don’t kill me.”
That was Sweetie Belle’s voice also, but it had a different tone to it. Clonie’s tone would also be different. The sound I heard was much more robust.
“You tried to escape from me!” She screamed. “What’s wrong with you?”
There was definitely something wonky with that clone. I could tell because I was myself a clone, and I wouldn’t try escaping like that clone did. I wouldn’t!
“How did you get to me so fast? You were still in a hole a moment ago.”
At that point, I was sure it wasn’t Sweetie Belle saying it. At the same time, it couldn’t be Clonie. It was too rebellious. I wouldn’t dare—we, Clonies, wouldn’t dare.
“You’re not Clonie,” concluded Sweetie Belle, making me proud of myself for having similar thoughts.
“Who’s this Clonie you keep going on about? I thought you were alone back in that hole.”
“I know what you are! I’ve read about your kind. Show your true self, changeling! I want to see what you really look like!”
“Ouch!” a deep voice boomed. “No need for the stones! We can talk this out, okay?”
Sweetie Belle obviously had everything under control. I threw some earth on the dirt pile beside the mass grave in the making, but then a green flash from a bush caught my attention.
“Did I just make those holes?” Sweetie Belle laughed. “I thought the members of your species were tougher than this.”
“No, you misunderstand. The holes in my body are not of your making. We, changelings, are born with the holes in our bodies. They help us with the alteration of our forms. For instance, you’re smaller than me. If it wasn’t for the spaces in my body I wouldn’t be able to transform into you.” He paused. “Put down your stones and I’ll tell you more. It’s not as if it’s a secret since the Canterlot incident.
The stones fell to the ground. “Talk!” Sweetie Belle ordered.
The changeling sighed with relief. “Okay. Here’s what happened. I came to town as an original pony. Everything was going fine until I got noticed by the pink one. I think she was on to me somehow.”
“That would be Pinkie Pie. She’s onto all new ponies who come to town,” Sweetie Belle snickered under her breath.
“That randomness of a pony is the reason I tried to find a person from the Ponyville to replace so I could fit in and be even more inconspicuous. Apparently, my black coat and red mane stood out for some reason.”
“You think?” She laughed.
“When I heard about you, I thought you’d make an ideal model for me. You removed yourself from the picture. I could just take over with minimal risk of sompony seeing both of us at the same time. All I had to do was make myself a copy of you. It’s why I followed the smell of the fel magic to this Chrysalis forgotten place. I needed to see you up close if I hoped to imitate you properly.”
“Now I feel kind of sorry that I didn’t just let you leave for Ponyville.” Her mouth morphed into a grin. “I’m sure they’d accept you with open forelegs.”
“Oh, I’ve heard you’ve misbehaved. I’m sure it was nothing a simple ‘sorry’ couldn’t fix. The ponies are so gullible.
“What I didn’t account for is your ability to teleport. I thought you hadn’t even noticed me in that hole of yours.”
Sweetie Belle laughed. “I can’t teleport anymore since I depleted the surplus of mana. It was really easy to do when I broke through my horn’s barrier. I’m sure there’s a trick on how to do it even with the lower amount of magic supply.”
“You ponies…” He sighed “Always having to work around your faults. We, changelings, have our inner horn protection just as thick as it needs to be. No breakage needed.”
“Well, since we’re being so honest with each other, why don’t I introduce you to my—sister.”
I let out a squeal. My face changed into a ginormous smile. She called me her sister! I’ve never been called anything non-offensive before.
“Clonie! Here! Now!”
I dropped a smirch of earth from a forehoof and jumped out of the hole. I galloped with full speed. Should I dust myself off first? I wondered. What if she wants me to be presentable. She did want to present me as her sister, after all. No! She said now, and her word is always final! I jumped over the bushes and decelerated with all four hooves to stop myself. I figured I was fast enough. Dust lifted from under my hooves. Oh no! I hope I don’t get her dirty.
“Changeling, meet Clonie. And you probably already know from your spying that I’m Sweetie Belle.”
“All you ponies look alike, but you two are exceptional at that! Excluding the shades of your horns, that is. I’m Zex, by the way.” He looked left and right between Sweetie Belle and me. “Even the cutie marks are the same. That’s extraordinary.”
Sweetie Belle faced him.
I moved to my master’s side, so the nosey changeling couldn’t pry at our flanks.
He looked me in the eyes. “Did you get your cutie mark at the same time Sweetie Belle got hers?”
I didn’t say anything. My one true master didn’t give me permission to speak.
I just looked back at him without letting out a sound. He was weird; repulsive even with his twisted horn and holes-filled body. The wings were like those of flies that gathered on fellow Clonies. Sweetie Belle will probably want me to get rid of him after she’s done playing. I’ll need to dig even deeper.
He faced Sweetie Belle. “I heard that your sister is desperately searching for you.” His head turned to me. “Yet, your name doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Rarity is searching for me?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yes, Rarity. How many sisters do you have?”
“Clonie is—my other sister, twice removed,” said Sweetie Belle. “But enough about me, I want to hear everything about you!”
Zex’s head moved back. “There really isn’t much to tell. I’m a scout for my changeling Queen just trying to find some love. That being said, I’m on a pretty tight schedule, so I’ll be taking my leave now. It’s been—interesting meeting both of you.”
He turned around getting ready to run, but a wall of stones erected in front of him, preventing his escape. His eyes opened wide, head leaned back.
Sweetie Belle walked in an arc around him. “We’re not done here yet, changeling!”
I sat down on the leaves and watched. The quarrel was between Sweetie Belle and Zex. There was no reason for me to butt in.
He glanced around, flapped his wings and kicked his hind legs against the ground launching himself in a somersault above me.
I instinctively ducked down even though he flew far above my head.
He landed behind me.
I was afraid to even look back. I just stood up and ran toward my protector.
A green glow emanated from behind and drew a shadow of me on the ground before me. A blob of green energy wedged around my neck and squeezed.
The pressure forced my tongue to drift out. I leaned against the bind with both forehooves, but it only squeezed me tighter.
The green tentacle around my neck lifted me up. My body dangled as I lost my footing.
“Stop or I kill Clonie!” Zex called out as he rotated me midair. The green, translucent tentacle came from his glowing horn.
A stone hit against my back, and I spasmed from the pain. “Aaa!” My vision blurred. I’d scream more, but I struggled to even breathe through my aching throat.
“You’ve got the worst aim I’ve ever seen!” His grinning was interrupted by a stone, engulfed in the purple aura, curving around me. It hit him directly on his forehead and knocked him to the ground. His horn light faded, and the magic tentacle around my neck dissolved into nothingness.
“I never miss,” my master said.
I fell on the ground. When I tried to take in a breath, the pain in my chest escalated. I curled up in a ball and sucked air with small sips.
The rock barrier moved and floated above Zex.
He raised all four legs in the air towards the stones. The outline of his muscles showed under the otherwise smooth skin surface. His body holes took on odd shapes. Not resembling tubes anymore but squeezed gashes. He ground his teeth. Sweat dripped from his bruised forehead.
The flying stones formed a dome around him.
I pushed my hooves on the ground and slid on the leaves away from the action. I didn’t want to get involved again.
“Surrender, changeling and I promise to kill you fast.” Sweetie Belle’s face turned to a grin.
“Wait! What do you want from me?” His head drifted from side to side while his eyes glanced from rock to rock.
“You know my secret. I need to make you forget it.” Sweetie Belle walked past me.
“What secret? You having a sister whom nopony knows about? That’s your big secret? Look. I won’t tell anypony, I promise. I have nothing to gain by telling on you.”
“Promises from a changeling. Now that makes me feel all fuzzy and trustful inside.”
“You’ve got us, changelings, all wrong. We’re the most loyal beings you’ll ever come across. As soon as we can speak it, we give the pledge to The Queen and The Hive. After that, we become an extension of Her will. It’s this dedication to the collective that keeps us strong. If we wouldn’t honor our promises, we’d fall prey to chaos and individualism.
“That’s what happened to one of the hives that Queen Chrysalis was more lenient with. The entire social structure collapsed in an instant.”
It’s the order that is engraved deep into the changeling society and genetics that will allow us to take care of every other race in Equestria—in time.”
“You won’t be doing much of the bullying.” She grinned.
The changeling didn’t react. His eyes kept shifting among the biggest stones and so too were his legs.
Sweetie Belle sighed. She lowered both eyebrows as she looked at the changeling and lifted a forehoof toward him. “Because you will be dead. That’s why you won’t be able to mess with anypony.”
“Your secret is safe with me, Sweetie Belle. I’ve never broken a promise in my life and I have no intention to do so in the future. If you get a promise from me, you can be damn sure I intend to keep it.” Before shifting his focus back to the stones, he glanced at Sweetie Belle. The expression on her face wasn’t revealing in any way. It was as rigid as usual. She didn’t buy Zex’s words. Or maybe she just didn’t care about them.
He dropped his head to the ground. “Sweetie Belle, you won.” His legs dropped down at his side while the muscles in his body loosened. “I don’t expect mercy from you. I know what you ponies do when you find us... If you spare me, I’ll owe you my life. And that’s also a promise. One time when you really need me, I’ll be there for you.”
“Just once?”
“I’m already bound to my queen. And even if I wouldn’t be,”—he glanced at me then back at Sweetie Belle—“I’d never agree to be your slave! One time favor for a one time favor. That’s all I’m putting on the table. Take it or kill me now.”
Sweetie Belle leaned her chin on a hoof. “Hmm…”