Gamine had left Antarès behind, galloping down the slope at full speed, entering the Badlands. “Fifty-three... fifty-four...”
"It is funny that we have the same modus operandi."
“I had no other option,” Gamine replied, oblivious to the innuendo, so focused on keeping track of the countdown. “If I had released the bat pony as promised, the Major would have had no reason to let me go. Now it is essential to get as much of a lead on them as I can before they come after me… sixty-five…” She felt her fatigue resurfacing slowly. She had to ration her strength so she wouldn’t collapse and be easily picked up by the first creature that found her.
"Gamine, about these changelings. You are well aware of the consequences if you find them, are you not?"
"...Seventy-seven... Yes. I shall probably disappear temporarily and you will regain control of your body. I guess I am forced to trust you. Just find and resolve the origin of this call peacefully. If you keep your word, I will owe you one... eighty-eight."
"Your favour is worthless to me when all I have to do is visit these devourers of love regularly to keep you in a permanent, forced sleep."
“Ninety-three. Your plan is to spend the rest of your life with them for the sole purpose of being the only one in command of your own body? As long as we are alive, I will make sure you remain prisoner within your body. You will undoubtedly be free to act, but be assured that I shall come back at some point. One hundred and seven.” She made good use of the remaining seconds she had left to observe the horizon. The moon bathed the huge natural basin consisting of arid land and dusty stones as far as she could see in its soft light. From one end of the basin to the other, there were no signs of life. No clue that gave her any indication of where to go. She looked over her shoulder towards where she had come from. She slowed her pace, dropping from a gallop to a trot. “One hundred and nineteen. I have almost a kilometre lead on them. Yet, this is nothing. They will surely catch up to me in no time. My main concern is the changelings. If they do not show interest in the spectacle I prepared, I will have to send all these bat ponies away. One hundred and thirty-nine. I have less than a minute before Antarès will give orders for my capture. When she does and the changelings see them closing in on me, they might be more likely to consider that I am not an ally of the bat ponies.”
“And, ipso facto, not just a bait to lure them out? You are deluding yourself. These changelings are predators. Luna's army has been trying to eradicate them since I left. They will not let their guard down for a second for a unicorn that went through the barricade."
“One hundred and fifty-nine. Have you forgotten? They feed on love. To them, I am not a unicorn—I am a walking meal. I am a bowl of hot soup prepared with love that they crave. I go to meet these predators so that they can feed on my love. One hundred and sixty-seven. Ten seconds."
"By the way, how am I supposed to find the source of the call if you disappear?"
"You should feel my magic activate if the source is active again. But since when do you need support to hunt?"
"Since the goal is to hunt a creature that is not my prey."
Gamine started running again as she hit the three-minute mark in her head. Less than a minute later, the bat ponies were after her. They didn't give any warning, given the criminal's liabilities. They were just waiting for an opportunity to immobilise her. Given the way she defended herself, firing beams of magic to keep them at bay, they exercised patience. She took a sharp turn around a rocky massif. As she noticed the recess in the sand in front of her, it was too late. Forelegs assisted by a green magic dragged her by her hooves into an underground tunnel. The unicorn screamed as the braids of her tail disappeared under the eyes of the dazed bat ponies. Gamine landed on her belly in the tunnels below the badlands. She was enveloped in total darkness, and could only see three pairs of phosphorescent blue eyes fixed on her. Clattering teeth echoed through the darkness. While cautious at first, she raised her voice with her usual nonchalance. "Let’s hope that you are not Changelings, but just some unintelligent bugs."
Gamine wanted to illuminate her surroundings, but Pepper stopped her. “Do not. The less you seem a threat to them, the easier it will be for me to fulfil my task.”
The one with loud teeth and a glowing pair of eyes in the middle put one hoof on the unicorn’s mouth. "It seems to me that this is not your lucky day, pony. We're changelings, and you're our evening meal."
Gamine moved away and got up. "I think there has been a mistake. I am not your evening meal."
"Oh, really? Then tell me: What are you, if not a meal?"
"Oh, very simple." Gamine said stoically. "I am..." Suddenly, she reared around and ran away, following a cold wind blowing in her face. "... Gone!" She knew exactly how it would end. But she had to run away for appearance’s sake. The worst thing was that she couldn't see anything, and couldn’t use her magic to light her way. She could only hope to not run into a wall. She didn’t get five metres away before the two changelings, spat out a sticky ball, immobilising her hind legs. Gamine fell on her stomach, at the mercy of the predators. The three changelings threw themselves on the mare with wide-open mouths, starting to feast.
Immediately, the unicorn found herself paralyzed by a pain that spread like venom and took hold of her entire being. While they didn’t physically touch her, it still felt like a thousand bites mutilating her body, digging into the flesh and muscles with pointy teeth, strong enough to crush bones. She felt nothing but agony as their hunger made its way to her heart.
The monster watched the guardian who had deprived her of control of her own body for far too long from the bottom of her cage. Watched her being consumed as these changelings filled their belly with the love she was composed of.
Gamine struggled against the force coming from the darkness, struggled to delay her disappearance, begging the monster with her eyes. She wanted to say something, but was already too weak to be heard. Not even a simple whisper escaped her as she disappeared, sucked away into the darkness with the last ounce of her love.
And Pepper was finally free. She observed the space in her head where the young guardian had been just a moment earlier. “Till fate do us part,” she said to the void.
As their stomachs bloated with a fair amount of love after such a long hunger, the changelings licked their lips. The meal had been most delicious. They had a short discussion in their strange language, which sounded like teeth clattering and barely audible chirps. Finally, the leader walked ahead as the other two began to drag their prisoner through the tunnels.
Pepper was breathless as she reopened her eyes to the outside world. The prolonged pain had tensed all her muscles to such an extent that the simple act of breathing was agony. But it was the price she had to pay to finally be the one in control of her own body. With her pupils dilated as large as they could, she looked around, her ruby eyes wide open. Without any light, she was not able to see past the tip of her snout. She was tempted to let herself be dragged to the end, but was afraid to fall asleep halfway. She couldn't afford that, at least not right now. "Why are you dragging me? I can walk."
The changelings stopped at these words, turning to their unexpected guest. They stood up, trying to shield their leader. "Still conscious? Our victims usually can't handle the feeding process."
Pepper took advantage of the delay to turn to the three creatures, get on her forelegs, sit, and look into their eyes. "I feel good. No, I feel even better than before."
The changelings were rattled by these words. The one who had spoken so far stared at the mare with a nervous look, whistling for a brief moment, wings vibrating. "Feeding on creatures doesn't make them feel better at all. It is even worse when three feed on the same prey. Who are you?"
She couldn't tell them who she was. She couldn’t predict how they would welcome the mare who had killed Celestia. She, who had come from beyond the stars, was a monster unique in Equestria. "Lone Star," Pepper said, looking back at those three pairs of arctic blue eyes.
"Tell me, Lone Star, why do you smell like a bat pony? It's faint, but I can smell the odour of armour oil on you. You didn't wear it. No, you were exposed to it indirectly," said the leader, who was trying to determine the origin of the unicorn’s scent.
"They were blocking the border,” Pepper explained coldly. “I tried to get around them, but I was spotted."
"Could you tell me how many of them there are?" the changeling asked with interest.
Pepper realised that, if she wanted to gain the trust of these creatures, it was better to answer their questions. "As crowded as Canterlot's restaurant district during lunchtime," she replied.
"How precise of you," commented the changeling, rolling their eyes. "Anyway, what are you doing in the Badlands, pony?"
Without knowing the consequences, Pepper could not explain the reasons that had brought her to the southern region of Equestria, and she didn't want to try to beat about the bush to avoid raising suspicion. "I am travelling south. Now, I shall ask two questions myself. What are your names, and is it possible to free my legs?" She pretended to try and loosen her hind legs without success. She could have easily used her magic, but it was better to keep up the act of being a normal unicorn in the eyes of these changelings.
"You can call me Chitin. Only the highest ranking changelings have a name," replied the leader. They gave orders to the changeling on the right, clattering teeth in the process. The changeling in question approached Pepper and used magic to melt the organic slimy shackle. Before the mare could get up, the changeling that freed her grabbed her by the neck. "Now you're going to get up and let yourself be escorted to our hive, pony," the leader hissed.
Pepper was docile for the time being. "Shall I light the way with my horn, or do I have to walk in the dark?"
"We changelings see perfectly in total darkness. We will guide you to the hive like this. When we get there, you’ll have enough light to see."
Pepper didn't know what the changelings had in mind, but if they were feeding on love, they certainly wouldn't let her leave just because she asked. "So there is nothing I have to worry about," she said, words dripping with irony.
"Oh, please, Lone Star, keep worrying,” Chitin said with a grin. “We'd love to have you for the next meal, again."
"Keep worrying?" Pepper repeated.
"In your heart, there was mostly regret, guilt and worry. Love, too, but not true love. More like filial love. A delicious blend of flavours if you ask me," Chitin detailed, rubbing their tongue against their palate - like a gourmet chef who was breaking down the ingredients of a meal they had just been served. "I hope you'll be just as delicious for brunch."
"Wait, you ate my love, and you are able to tell my feelings from that?" Pepper asked in surprise. She was appalled at how easy it had been for the insect to detail the emotions that tormented Gamine's heart.
"You ponies think that we only feed on your love, but the truth is that any feeling is potential food for us changelings. Love is just the predominant one in Equestria. It is also the most nourishing," replied Chitin, looking down their nose at her.
"Emotivore," Pepper spat in a whisper.
"Oh, I love that term! It sounds like music to my ears," Chitin answered with a sinister smile, wings buzzing.
"If you can detail my feelings, can you also tell where I came from, where I am going, and my last meal? Maybe you can even read my future from tea leaves?" Pepper asked sarcastically.
"If you're done with your mockery, we can reach the hive a bit sooner," Chitin said.
"I am in no hurry to worry," Pepper replied.
Meanwhile, in the Lunar Guard's military camp, inside the imposing command tent with its dark purple drapes, Antarès sat in front of a desk in a corner of the tent, hurriedly writing her report. She recorded all the information she had memorised while she had tried to lead who she thought was Pepper as slowly as possible to the Badlands. She looked up for a moment, watching the armour of the nightmare alicorn at the other end of the tent. It sat on a rack, waiting in cold silence for almost four months now. Waiting for its owner to return and put it back on again. The major kept her eyes fixed on the armour for a moment, remembering the interview with the regicide. She recalled her glances toward the monster in detail, the words they had exchanged.
Swift stuck his head through the heavy canvases at entrance to the tent. She looked over to him, past a table that had a map of the region laid out with small figurines next to it. "Cute Bite, our queen has arrived. She’s on the outskirts of the camp."
Antarès snorted as she returned to her report once more. She had nothing to add to the notes, and it gave her the impression that she was failing in her duties. "Swift, go to the infirmary for a full check-up.” She stored the report in a compartment on the left side of the desk. “I can't believe what happened to you was without consequences."
"I'm not made of sugar, and even if I were, I'd survive it.” A grin crept on his lips as he began to tease her. “Or did I taste like mango? That would explain why you're desperately trying to keep me away from you, Cute Bite."
She reached the entrance of the tent in record time, despite her heavy armour, as well as the weight of her own sword and the claymore of Nightmare Moon - which she had to carry due to her being Aide de Camp - secured in their respective sheaths crossed and harnessed on her back. She grabbed Swift by the neck with her outstretched wings and turned to one of the bat ponies who were guarding the tent. "Shadowbolt Nebula, I want Private Swift in the infirmary for a full check-up, ASAP. He was the target of an unknown spell, and I want a vampony to make sure that there are no long-term consequences. Use force if necessary," she ordered, pushing Swift toward the guard.
The Shadowbolts were an elite military corps of ten bat ponies. Becoming a Shadowbolt was a privilege—it meant that they no longer had to answer to the primogen of their lineage. They were the queen’s personal guard, distinguished by a purple uniform. Only their hooves and their heads, from the base of their neck up, were of a deep black, delimited by a fine yellow flash. They responded only to the queen’s orders, those of her lieutenant, and, for three months now, her Aide de Camp.
The soldier left her post, saluting Antarès with the thumb of her wing on her temple before turning her electric-blue eyes toward Swift. Her stern look was mostly hidden by yellow glasses, but she simply took her sword in her mouth, preferring the use of - for now, implied - force right away.
Swift complied without uttering a word. Her reaction had assured him that Cute Bite was in a good enough state of mind to report what happened to their queen.
The Major then went to meet Nightmare Moon and found herself face-to-face with the tantabus, which had taken the form of the lunar monarch. The Major saluted her in haste with a practised motion before speaking. "My Queen, Pepper Chilly. She was there. I tried to delay her, but she went to the Badlands."
Nightmare Moon didn’t react to the news immediately. Having the Tantabus for a body had many advantages, but there were also many disadvantages. In her current form, she could only communicate with Luna telepathically over a short distance. Materialising a physical form required a substantial expenditure of magical power. However, since the Tantabus was fueled by Luna's guilt, Nightmare Moon was confident that the flow of energy would increase now that Celestia's death had been confirmed. She used a third of her current magical strength to take a physical shape: The body of an alicorn with an ebony coat, her ethereal mane and tail a royal blue. It was almost as if she had never crossed paths with Twilight Sparkle. In her physical form, she gave an inquisitive look to her Aide de Camp. "Your report, right now," she ordered, walking towards the command tent.
Antarès fell into a trot next to Nightmare Moon. "Thirty minutes ago, I heard galloping in the forest along the hill from Private Swift Chess's post. Swift Chess left his post to assist me as I went after the trespasser and intercepted them. At first, we thought they were just a pegasus who, despite our orders, did not identify themselves. Only when Private Swift Chess approached them did we realise who we were dealing with."
Nightmare Moon entered the tent and looked at the map, remaining attentive to the bat pony’s report.
"She took Swift Chess hostage by turning him into a candy ..."
Nightmare Moon was slightly shocked at the mention of this fact.
"... With our orders to not let any creature escape the Badlands, and given the estimated magical power level of the criminal, I decided to make her believe that I was conceding to her demands to be led to the barren lands. I took the longest path, hoping to see you arrive in time to defeat her. During this time, I tried to ask her questions that I thought were the most relevant, and she gave me answers whose truth has yet to be proven. Once through the tunnel, she paralyzed me with a spell, then led me to believe that she would not lift the spell she had used to turn Swift into a candy. Once released from paralysis, I immediately sent guards after her, but they reported that she was caught and pulled underground, probably by changelings. I think that the spell cast on Swift has faded on its own. I am ready to take responsibility for my mistake—for letting Pepper Chilly pass, my Queen."
Nightmare Moon thought about the situation for a minute while she studied the map. . Finally, she looked up at Antarès and said calmly, "At ease, Major. I don't blame you for tonight's event. Pepper Chilly lied to everypony for two months. If it is true that she has gained power by absorbing the soul of Celestia as she has told Luna, then it was certainly wiser of you to not encourage her to break through by sheer force."
Despite her superior’s words, Antarès had the nagging feeling that she could have done better. She looked at the Moon over her shoulder through the gap between the canvases. "What colour is the moon tonight, my Queen?"
"Make it short," replied the living nightmare to the coded message.
"About the Eclipse project?" asked the major.
Nightmare Moon nodded again, eyes closed. "Yes, it is true, the Eclipse project is taking a completely different turn. Until now, Luna had been hanging in there, under the illusion of having control of the situation. Now that Pepper Chilly is back, and Celestia's death has been confirmed, things will undoubtedly accelerate. If I manage to slip the severed head of the one she had considered to be a friend into her bed, and she looks into Pepper's glassy eyes in the early morning, she will understand that she can never get the slow and painful revenge she wanted. That realisation will make her insane. With her mind crushed, I will be able to possess her body. Even if Twilight Sparkle tries to use the elements of harmony on me, Luna will remember that she has nothing left in this world! Even though she has a bond with a few fillies, it will not prevent her from sinking back into darkness, allowing me to take over once more. No matter how hard Twilight tries, she will have to accept the idea that Luna can no longer be saved. Then I shall reign by myself over Equestria and Broncoliande. With Shining Armor now being prince consort of the Crystal Kingdom, I will have to elect a new captain for the Royal Guard for Canterlot Castle. A position that may suit you, Major. However, I fully understand if a military career is more appealing for you."
"It would be an honour to ensure the well-being of you and your palace, my Queen," replied Antarès, loudly and clearly.
"Now, I'll be entering the Badlands," announced the ebony alicorn.
"I'm going to gather a squad to escort you-"
"There is no need for that. If Chrysalis is not dead yet, she won’t like to see a group of bat ponies come. Not even in small numbers. But if I go alone, she might more easily concede to a meeting with me. In the eventuality of an aggressive welcome, I can return in my ethereal form without having to worry about the fate of an escort."
The bat pony had to admit that this tactic provided an easy retreat if the changelings refused to talk. In the current climate, it was not difficult to believe that they would refuse. "When I asked her, Pepper Chilly said she was going to the Badlands because she felt a call. And she became agitated when she heard about the genocide of the changelings."
Nightmare Moon frowned. "She's not the altruistic type. If Chrysalis has the foresight to end her, that would be fine by me. The problem is that she must not know what her subjects have dragged into her hive. Major, regarding Pepper Chilly, the orders are not to engage in hostilities. If she has returned to gather power, she will show little interest in anypony who is not an alicorn. There is no need to risk lives in a fight without a chance of victory," she said as she walked towards the exit.
"My queen. A thought came to mind. Since she has returned, do you think she is the mare from the prediction that announces the return of the Crystal Empire’s tyrant?" asked Antarès, uncomfortable to raise the subject, though curious to hear her queen's opinion.
Nightmare Moon spread the heavy canvases with her wings. "All the more reason to make her surrender her last breath before she has a chance to say the forbidden name. We already have a regicide on the loose. No one wants this tyrant to come back and claim an empire that was never his."
"Yes,” Antarès agreed. “One unnecessary war is one too many. The Crystal Kingdom was lucky to reappear last year. The absence of Princess Celestia affects the morale of the Equestrians a lot. His return wouldn’t help the situation."
"One unnecessary war is one too many? I wasn’t aware your lineage had such wisdom running through their veins, Major. Or it is the private Swift Chess who rubbed off on you somehow? Teasing aside, keep it up, that's the way I expect a second-in-command to think." Nightmare Moon left the tent to fly to the Badlands, changing back to the simple form of a black cloud to preserve her strength.
In the tunnels below the badlands, Pepper raised her voice. “Chitin?" she asked.
"If you ever ask me again when we arrive, pony, I'll rip your tongue out," grunted Chitin, who already had no patience with Pepper's attitude.
“We have just walked and turned so many times. What else am I to do in such a maze? Oh, I know! What is your Princess' name?" she asked.
"Princess? There is no Princess here. That's a title that’s only good for your alicorns. Here, it is the title of Queen that suits the one who runs our hive, and her name is Chrysalis," Chitin said proudly, sounding haughty. "Stop,” they suddenly ordered, clattering their teeth to make the other two Changelings move a rock that looked like any other out of their way. “We’ve arrived,” they said, as a passage leading to a large, bright room was revealed. "Walk in, Lone Star."
Pepper walked toward the middle of the cavern. Looking up at the ceiling, she squinted her eyes. Large green cocoons that glowed, allowing her to see as if she was in broad daylight. She stopped and turned around to finally see her hosts.
One of the three Changelings did not wear armour. The chestplate and helmet of the armour were of the same colour as the deep-blue shell on the top of their backs. At close range, these creatures seemed to be cut out of obsidian - not only because of their colour, but also because of their apparent fragility, mostly in their legs.. The mare did not understand how they could stand on these limbs, which were riddled with holes that gave them anatomically improbable shapes. Their ridiculous wings were also perforated with holes that shouldn’t allow them to fly. As her gaze lingered on their heads, she saw upper canines sticking out of their mouths as well, their horn like a curved ice pick. Pepper was glad to know that the changelings were only after love. "How can you run with legs like that? They seem as if they would break at any moment with all these holes. You all look like wooden shields after a rain of arrows," Pepper said stoically.
"Are you mocking us, pony?!" Chitin shouted, while the other two Changelings hissed.
Pepper did not understand the reason for their outburst. "I am not laughing. This is my first time meeting Changelings. I am curious to know more about your species."
Chitin gave orders to the Changelings, who went back into the tunnel and closed the passage behind them. "No pony is curious when they see our true appearance. They get scared, and—” she giggled— “TRY to run away."
She turned away from Chitin, leaving the room to enter a new tunnel, following the sticky substance that connected the light sources together. "The ones from Equestria, no doubt,” Pepper answered, “but I am not from there. I am a traveller, and I am looking to go further south. Where is the southernmost exit of this hive?"
The Changeling followed her, making sure she didn't go into sensitive areas of the hive. "Please, Lone Star, accept our hospitality and stay for the rest of the night. We'd be so very happy to have you to eat for brunch."
The offer brought a grin to Pepper's lips as she took in the sights of the rooms she walked past. "There's not much left to eat, but I intend to come back at every opportunity. It is very liberating."
"Tell me, what happened to make you feel such remorse that you thank us for eating your feelings? I am sure that we can find a way to revive them and have a midnight snack," Chitin said, licking their lips in advance.
Pepper was going to give a fake answer before she stopped in front of a room that was even bigger than the very first. In contrast to the previous caverns, the one before her was lit by blue crystals. "This is different. What is this room?" she asked, entering and looking at the large seat placed opposite the entrance.
"This is the throne room, where we’ll serve brunch to our queen at eleven o'clock,” Chitin answered. “So, this remorse, where did it come from? I want to turn the knife in the wound."
Pepper ignored Chitin's words. She felt like she was being watched, so she approached the throne carefully, convinced that someone was hiding behind it. She walked around it, then came face-to-face with the one keeping their eyes on her.
Hidden behind the royal seat was a young Changeling who looked quite different from the other three. A tiny, female changeling. Barely bigger than Pepper’s head. She had eyes akin to that of a pony, her pupils slightly formed like those of cats: Two vertical slits looking back at Pepper, full of curiosity. Her differently coloured eyes reinforced the power of her gaze - her left iris was of a deep malachite green, her right one was of a soft yellow, like the colour of sulphur. Pepper could see her head filling with questions while the changeling looked at her.
She took a few steps back. "Who is hiding back there?" asked the mare in a whisper, sitting down on her rump.
The Changeling child took off, buzzing as she hovered before Pepper, biting her hoof to try and suppress in vain a question that was burning on her lips. "Are you a pony?" she asked in a chirp, putting her hoof on the unicorn's snout.
"Aglowing Shell? What are you doing here?" Chitin slowly approached them, eyes fixed on Pepper, all the muscles of their body tense, ready to jump on her if she ever tried to make a move towards the child.
"Well, I..." Aglowing avoided looking in the direction of warrior Changeling.
"I am a pony," Pepper confirmed with a smile. She continued to observe the small Changeling, ignoring the tensions in the air. The child’s mane was a dark, cerulean blue, except for a celestial blue wick that cut her mane by passing to the left of her horn, then descending to the middle of her fluffy chest.
Aglowing Shell had stars in her eyes. She leapt on Pepper's face, belly to her muzzle. The child’s hooves clamped down on the mare’s muzzle while she rubbed her face against the pony’s forehead. "Whoooooa! A real pony. This is the first time I've seen a real one! Thank you, Mother! I wanted a pony for such a long time now!" the little Changeling chirped excitedly.
"Mhmf?" Pepper muttered between her teeth. She looked towards Chitin.
The latter disappeared into a pillar of greenish flames. When the flames faded, the Changeling looked vastly different: Taller and slender, a small black crown sitting atop a long mane made entirely of ceruleum blue strands that fell heavily on her shoulders. Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings, smiled with satisfaction at having deceived Pepper all this time. "As you can see, you should worry for two. We will need at least that much for our eleven-hour brunch."
Aglowing remained silent, simply observing.
Pepper used magic. Ethereal hands appeared at the end of her hooves, and, with rare delicacy, she encouraged Aglowing Shell to free her jaw, dislodging her from her face before handing her to her mother. "You may insist as much as you want, but I shall not stay for your brunch. Where is the southernmost exit, so I can continue on my journey?"
"Oh? But! I thought we were going to play," Aglowing said with a sad pout.
"Play? Do you not have friends for that?" Pepper asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What's a friend? Is it edible?" asked Aglowing Shell innocently.
"A friend is somepony you play with. Somepony you like to see every day. Somepony you get along with," Pepper explained.
"Oh! Mother is a friend then," said the little Changeling.
Pepper dared to look at Chrysalis while she held back a laugh.
The Queen was reluctant to have fun. She slammed her teeth together, then licked her lips to display a carnivorous smile.
Pepper examined the sovereign and her daughter. Now that she was paying more attention, the mother looked more like an insect. The skin was made of a very dark-grey shell. She also had a shiny shell on her abdomen, while the girl had fluffy fur there. The child's horn was more like that of a unicorn, although it had a few holes and seemed as pointy and deadly as her mother’s. "Not quite. A friend is someone who is not part of the family, but whom you like," Pepper tried to explain patiently.
"That… I… like?” Aglowing Shell thought for a minute. “Oh! Like as in love?! Someone from whom I collect love every day then?" she chirped with a big, childish smile.
Pepper and Chrysalis laughed for different reasons, and Aglowing joined in.
The mare turned to the Queen. "I could use a little help right now," Pepper pointed out, amused.
"It's a pony thing. You're going to have to manage alone, Lone Star," replied Chrysalis, a little smile on the corner of her mouth. She was appreciating the irony that a pony had trouble finding the words to explain the concept of friendship to someone who was foreign to it.
Pepper sighed, smiling, and returned to the young Queen. "All right. We'll keep it simple. A friend can act in several ways. They can be kind, they can make you laugh, they can offer gifts without asking for anything in return, and, most importantly, they never betray you no matter what. Friendship…” she paused. “No, wait, that's five. What am I forgetting? Handsome, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity... Oh, yes, Applejack. I always forget her Element. No wonder why,” she thought before resuming her explanation. “Friends also never lie to each other." Despite her explanation, she saw the large question marks in the child's eyes.
"Don't listen to her, my daughter. We are the Changelings. We don't need friends, just ponies like her to collect their love. Otherwise, there would be no pleasure in playing with your food."
Pepper focused on Aglowing. "Putting the remark from your mother aside, did you understand what a friend is?" she asked.
"A friend is complicated," the child answered.
The so-called Lone Star giggled. As she thought about it, she realised that if the child didn’t have any reference points, she had to be given some. "Yes, it is. Look, if it helps you, here's how to know if someone is a friend." Pepper took a deep breath, and ,without singing, she thought of the six elements of harmony, making them into a nursery rhyme. "Goodness in the eyes, Laughter on the lips, Honesty in words, Generosity in heart, Loyalty in choices. Friendship is ignited by a spark of Magic. If you can say that anyone reacts like that to you, or makes you react like that, then maybe they are a future friend. Of course, it is rare to see them all at the same time."
Aglowing and Chrysalis suddenly turned their heads toward the entrance of the room, ears perked. The drone had come back at a gallop, alone. They only stopped when they had stepped into the room. They immediately began to snap their teeth, their wings vibrating frantically to convey a message. Chrysalis's face hardened, fury in her eyes. She gave new orders to the changeling, then to Aglowing Shell before leaving the room in a hurry.
"What is happening now?" grunted the unicorn before noticing that the subordinate changeling was watching her like a cat in front of a mouse hole. "And what do you want from me?"
"It's Chitin. They sent the drone to transmit a message: <She asks to see the Queen.> Then mother gave them the order to watch you," Aglowing said, her voice trembling.
Considering this new information, Pepper saw an opportunity to leave the hive and continue her journey. But she had to get rid of the drone first. The child was not likely to cause complications. "Oh look! There is another pony," Pepper said, pointing away from the changeling supervisor.
"Where?!" the child asked, a big smile on her lips as she fell into the trap.
Pepper took advantage of Aglowing Shell's inattention to turn the watcher into a candy, quickly picking it up before the little changeling realised that she had been duped. "I shall release them once I have found an exit. I can only hope that I do not have to dig one," she thought.
"There is no other pony!" said Aglowing, frustrated at first, then shocked after turning back to Pepper. "Where are they? Where is the drone? They were here just a moment ago!"
Pepper looked at Aglowing, acting all innocent. "I do not know. They just suddenly vanished." Pepper walked toward the exit. "Well, if your mother is looking for me, tell her I am no longer... there." She stopped. The orange wisps appeared again. She had to turn around as Gamine’s magic activated..
Head down, the young Aglowing broke into tears. "I... I don't want to... finish alone."
Pepper came closer. "I can not believe it. It was her. I can not believe I almost missed the source of the call," she thought, rubbing her snout against the top of the child's head to get her attention.
Aglowing lifted her nose towards Pepper, her eyes blurred by tears. When she saw the orange wisps, she got scared, falling on her back.
"Calm down,” Pepper said, trying to reassure the child. “This is... like kindness in the eyes. If you calm down, it will fade away."
Aglowing exhaled, trying to drive away the sinister ideas that invaded her mind. She wanted to believe in the mare’s words.
Slowly, the wisps began to fade. It was still present, but barely noticeable. "See, I was telling the truth," Pepper said, a soft smile on her lips, although she had trouble believing it herself.
"Is that what happens every time somepony worries?" asked Aglowing. Her little voice sounded curious, broken by emotions as she stood up.
"I think, in your case, it is more than mere worry, FaceHugger," Pepper said.
"FaceHugger? My name is Aglowing Shell," the child protested.
The right corner of Pepper’s lips curved into a smile. "Do not mind. This is a bad habit of mine. I sometimes give a nickname to those I like. Look, I am here, just for you, to help you. If you need anything, just ask. Generosity in the heart," Pepper said.
"Honesty in words?" Aglowing asked with a little glimmer of hope in her eyes.
Pepper couldn't help but laugh. "You learn fast. In that case, I have to introduce myself. I am Pepper Chilly," said the Unicorn in turn.
"Pepper Chilly? Mother called you Lone Star earlier," said the little changeling, sounding surprised.
"I could not give my real name to your mother, Aglowing Shell. I can not stay here forever to play with you, but I can help you now, so you will not end up alone. You just have to tell me what is wrong,” Pepper explained.
Aglowing thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay," she said, thinking about the whole story with a little nostalgic smile. Then, she began to tell her worries. "The hive. It was full of life before, full of changelings. They used to go out all the time to collect love. Everyday, they went outside, then came back. We were happy." As suddenly as it had come, the smile disappeared. Sadness took its place. "Then, one night, fewer came back than were sent. Those who came back were wounded, and I didn't understand why. They started to make balls of light with magic, which stayed on the ceiling for a few minutes. It was beautiful, like the stars of the night sky. The next night it was the same: Others didn't come back, and there were the lights again. The next day, mother ordered not to go out. ‘We have enough food for the whole hive, so we can take a day off,’ she told me. But I could see that she was not well."
Pepper thought it was clever to start the genocide by attacking the Changelings that were isolated from the rest of the hive. She assumed this event made Chrysalis suspicious, and forced her to send out a search for the missing individuals. This gave Nightmare Moon a last opportunity to cull the changelings before to besiege the hive.
Aglowing coughed a sob. "Days passed. We didn't go out anymore. ‘More days of rest,’ I was told. Every changeling was restless. Mother started to send most of the drones to sleep in cocoons. But it didn't change anything. There was less and less food for the hive. Then, one evening, Chitin ran in saying they were at the entrance of the tunnel. Mother locked me in my room before leaving with every warrior of the hive that was still awake. When they came back hours later, they were wounded, and ..." She began to cry.
Wary, Pepper raised an eyebrow as she witnessed Aglowing’s magic crackling around her horn.
"And... there was almost no one left. I understood then. I understood what they were trying to hide from me. All those lights, all those changelings who had disappeared. They're never coming back! And mother hates me. She keeps me locked up all the time. She doesn't want to see me anymore. She doesn't want to play anymore. She tells me to stay in my chamber again and again. She wants others to forget me. Said that it's better for me. Several times changelings tried to open the door, but mother chased them away. She yelled, she shouted through the whole hive not to approach me ever again. But I don't understand what I did wrong. Why she scolded them. Why she punished me. Is it my fault? Should I have protected the hive? Why did she never teach me how to defend my own subjects? If I had known, I could have helped her! I could have saved them! I'm destined to be the Queen. But if I don't protect the hive, if the hive is empty... What good am I?" Distress squeezed her throat, making her voice sound hoarse.
Pepper frowned the eyebrows. Something was clearly off in this story.
Aglowing’s tears kept flowing. "I don't know what to do. There is less and less food, and soon there won’t be enough left to feed the changelings that are sleeping. They will starve to death in their sleep. There are four changelings left awake to save them. I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do anymore! And..." Her imagination was running wild with the worst possible outcome. “And, I don't want to end up alone! I know that, one day, mother and Chitin will never come back! I don't want to see these balls of light anymore. I'm afraid to see them again. I never want to see them again! I don't want to feel bad when I see them! I don't want to learn like that, that one of our own won't come back. And just thinking about it hurts. It hurts so much! My body hurts so much. It tightens. As if a rock fell on my body. Is that how it feels when you disappear? What did I do wrong to make this happen to us? Why doesn't mother tell me what I did wrong so I can do it right? Why? Why?! WHY!?"
Pepper listened in silence. The wisps grew stronger. Touched by the child's story, Gamine was reviving herself. Pepper understood. The guardian misled her - it wasn’t just her magic, but a passive ability that activated itself. If she could feel true despair, she concluded that this child’s despair was so strong that it had reached the guardian despite the distance between the Badlands and Canterlot. Aglowing was very young and already thought of the responsibilities that ruling over an entire hive entailed. The mare took the changeling in her forelegs to offer some comfort. "You are not at fault, FaceHugger. You are not. We shall fix this one way or another. We will fix it.”
"How?" asked the little Queen, sniffling.
"First, you must be hungry. Collect my love," Pepper said, wiping tears from the child's face. "Can you do that at least, little Queen?"
"Yes, Mother taught me how." With those words, Aglowing Shell set to work.
The monster needed to lean on a hoof to avoid falling on her rump. Even coming from a child, the feeling of being punctured was painful. Fortunately, this time, there was only one changeling, and there was not much to eat. But it served its purpose - Gamine was sent back to the darkness - and, even better, her presence seemed slightly smaller than before.
When she finished, Aglowing looked at Pepper, tilting her head slightly. "I think I'm done. Why are you grinning?"
"Oh, I sat on a rock," Pepper lied. She looked around the room. She needed a plan. With her mind devoid of the guardian’s sentimental distractions, she soon had an idea worthy of a monster. "Now we shall play a game," Pepper said with a grin.
"A game? What game?" asked Aglowing Shell.
"Munch the candy," Pepper replied with a smile.
"I don't know this game," said the changeling, sounding intrigued.
"Oh, believe me, you will like it," Pepper whispered with a malicious grin.
Meanwhile, Chrysalis arrived at the entrance to the cave to see Chitin and Nightmare Moon staring each other down. Chitin held a more offensive position, while Nightmare Moon stood in a defensive manner.
"I repeat - my intentions are not hostile, changeling," the alicorn said.
"NOT HOSTILE?!” the warrior barked, unafraid of dying at the alicorn’s hooves. “When you came with your army, you killed drones, not even warriors ... but drones! You killed any changeling that came close enough! That isn't hostility? If only you would die, all of you," Chitin shouted. They would defend the hive at the cost of their life.
"Chitin, enough," Chrysalis ordered as she came out of the tunnel, catching her breath.
Chitin spat onto the ground in front of Nightmare Moon's hooves. Then, they backed away without turning around and stood next to Chrysalis. They tensed their hooves, ready to jump at the throat of the living nightmare should she try any sudden move towards her Queen.
"Get to the point," Chrysalis said dryly.
"I have come to warn you that you have a monster in your hive," summed up Nightmare Moon.
"I am facing it right now," Chrysalis commented coldly, the genocide still fresh in the Queen's mind.
"I am serious, Chrysalis. Pepper Chilly is dangerous," explained the mare of the Moon.
Chrysalis looked to the warrior on her left before returning to the intruder. "Pepper Chilly? I haven't met anycreature of that name," she said.
"A female unicorn with a white coat and a braided carmine mane. The cheeky kind," Nightmare Moon said.
"You mean Lone Star," corrected Chrysalis.
"She gave you a fake name."
Nightmare Moon's commentary made Chrysalis apprehensive. “Why?”
"Right now, the most important question would be, where is she?” asked the thousand-year-old mare, sounding concerned.
"In the hive..." Chrysalis replied, her discomfort growing.
"Don't tell me that she's alone with Aglowing Shell," said Nightmare Moon, her tone sounding worried.
"No, she's with... How do you know about my daughter?!" the Queen asked in anger.
"That's not important. Your daughter is in danger! Pepper Chilly is not from our world, and even worse... is a soul eater," said Nightmare Moon.
"Y-you are joking... right?" Chrysalis’s hollow laughter sounded incredulous.
"Everything that has happened in the last four months is due solely to her crime.”
Chrysalis suddenly realised something. When she ate the content of Lone Star’s heart, there had been no fear. "Chitin, make sure she leaves. I'll get to the bottom of this," Chrysalis shouted as she set off alone towards the throne room at a full gallop. As she could see the throne room, she could hear an explosion going off. Entering the room, Chrysalis only found Pepper Chilly.
She was sitting on the throne, alone in the almost total darkness. Her attention was focused on the sole of her hoof. All the crystals in the room that were embedded in the walls and ceiling had magically exploded. An almost perfect circle made up of residues of these crystals delimited a comfortable area around the royal seat. With her horn illuminated by a golden aura, she used the circle to erect a hemispherical barrier to prevent any attacks against her.
"Pepper Chilly, you dirty liar! Where is Aglowing Shell?" Chrysalis asked as she approached. She noticed a candy on the ground under the hooves of the soul eater.
The mare had a satisfied smile on her lips. She looked up at the queen. "Oh. Greetings, Chrysalis. I want to play a game," Pepper said, presenting with her left hoof another candy that she had looked at just moments earlier.