//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: My Life As A Royal Changeling // by Tangent //------------------------------// Queen Whatevra Wa'Nabe was perusing the records in the Royal Archives, having finally become familiar enough with the changeling alphabet that she no longer had to concentrate to remember which eye-jarring angular scribble represented which letter. For now, she was skimming various tomes, scrolls, and tablets in an attempt to get an overall feel for her new people's history and culture and try to see how close or far from the setting of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic the world she found herself in happened to be. Unfortunately, the sheer scale of the records were daunting, apparently covering thousands of years of Gandahar's history, the bulk of which occurring prior to the founding of Equestria to the north. Which had happened during the reign of Queen Wisp, who had been Chrysalis' mother. The gist of which being that, at the time Gandahar was founded, the region now known to outsiders as the Badlands had been a verdant basin filled with lush jungle and fertile fields, with numerous villages, towns, and cities. The jewel of which being the capitol city of Jasper, a sprawling changeling metropolis, and apparently a wonder of the world. A state that had been maintained until after the assassination of Queen Nymphodora a mere eighty years into her reign. Royal changelings, it seemed, could be expected to live many times longer than the regular varieties, with lifespans frequently lasting well past a thousand years. Queen Nymphodora's successor, Epagogikí Allagí, hadn't even been a "princess," although she had been selected from one of the fallen queen's brood clutches and fed specially prepared royal jelly until she took on the traits of a changeling queen. Once on the Throne of Gandahar, Queen Epagogikí Allagí's first official act was to use its power to seal the borders of Gandahar. This, from what little Queen Whatevra was picking up by skimming the records, marked the start of what seemed to be a very long series of mistakes, set-backs, and misfortune as Gandahar slowly declined into a mere shadow of it's former glory over the course of several thousand years. And somewhere along the way, the changelings had undergone not one, but two Great Changes: The first altering the changelings' base form into what it was to this very day, and the second altering the changelings from a race that merely supplemented their diet and power with love to one that depended on consuming it for survival. The once lush and fertile Gandahar was now the desolate Badlands, and all that remained of the proud metropolis of Jasper was the central hive spire. A spire that was itself a dilapidated husk of what it used to be. It was no wonder that Queen Chrysalis had the Royal Archives sealed. After being in a state of perpetual decline for several millennia, Gandahar seemed to be in its final death throes, with the only remaining "city", if it could be called that anymore, being Jasper itself. Oh, there were other changeling hives, such as the Jungle Hive located somewhere in the Untamed Jungle on the far side of the Bone Dry Desert, or the Island Hive located somewhere in the Celestial Sea, but that's all they had ever been, just hives rather than nations. And now that's all Gandahar was, the Badlands Hive, just one of who knew how many or few changeling hives remaining hidden throughout the world. And if nothing changed to stop this decline, within a few generations of the common changelings, the Badlands hive would be gone. Queen Chrysalis had been growing desperate. Not quite enough to outright attack Equestria yet, but Queen Whatevra Wa'Nabe could see why she had done so. "My Queen?" "Yes, Humblebee?" Queen Whatevra looked up from the book she was currently studying. "Meta Knight has requested your presence as an observer. Mayhem's unit is ready for their first combat trial." "So this is going to be them verses a unit of Royal Guards?" "Not exactly, My Queen." "Then what are they going to be fighting? A maulwurf? A tatzlewyrm?" "My Queen, they are going to be fighting Meta Knight." Queen Whatevra Wa'Nabe blinked, then tilted her head before getting up to follow her advisor. "Katydid, Cicada, continue tidying up the Royal Archives but leave the records I selected on the table for now. If I am not back by the time you're done, return to my suite." "Yes, My Queen!" the two attendants responded even as they continued their assigned tasks. "Katydid and Cicada are permitted breaks during which they may leave and return to their current task, but allow noling else within the Royal Archives until I return. If my attendants finish tidying up the chamber before I return, reseal the doors once they leave," Queen Whatevra Wa'Nabe instructed the guards as she left. *O o O o O* ​ What currently passed as Jasper's primary military training center consisted of several semi-permanent chambers and halls near the ground level and mostly within the southwest section of the spire. They were similar to the facilities used by the Royal Guard, located higher up the spire closer to the Queen's Chambers, but not as well defined nor as well "anchored" in place. Which suited the Queen's agenda just fine as she expected to have them relocated eventually once her army was large enough. The particular chamber Queen Whatevra Wa'Nabe was guided to was actually an elevated alcove overlooking another, larger chamber where the trainees were gathered before Meta Knight. She noted the presence two Royal Guards maintaining a force shield between them separating the alcove from what she mentally dubbed the arena, presumably there for the safety of the observers should things get too energetic during training. All twenty-one trainees were present, arranged neatly into two separate squads led by Inky and Flambé, with Mayhem and Calamity standing somewhat ahead of both squads as their overall leaders. The formations was not what the Queen would call parade perfect, as she noted the occasional changeling shifting their stance or briefly flaring their wings, only to settle back into position with a command from their sergeants (who were both taking their positions seriously, Wa'Nabe was pleased to note). And facing them all was Meta Knight, who was positioned to be able to observe both the trainees and the alcove above them. At the Queen's nod, he began the training exercise. *O o O o O* ​ "I've been given to understand that many of you feel that you've received enough training to be proper soldiers," Meta Knight addressed the gathered trainees. "That you feel that the training you have received so far, in combination with the experience you have all had with surviving the swarm rushes preferred by Queen Chrysalis, are more than enough to serve the hive on the field of battle." "Well, obviously," snarked the recently renamed Waterbug, who had been accepted into the troop despite having been tossed out of the spire. His behavior was still problematic, bordering on insubordinate and lacking in discipline, but at least he wasn't actively insulting his fellow trainees anymore. Being the bottom ranking member who had to fetch and carry for everyling else in the unit had done much to break at least that particular habit, if not his habit of mouthing off when he was supposed to remain silent like the rest of the trainees. "Be quiet, Waterbug!" Sergeant Inky cowed the errant trainee back into place for the time being. One interesting development Meta Knight had noted during training was that, despite being unable to change forms, Inky was physically more fit than the base forms of any of the other changelings in the unit, Mayhem and Calamity included. He had certainly proven to be a better one on one fighter than any other ling in the unit, much to Waterbug's consternation. "Now now now, Sergeant," Meta Knight chided, "I'll be handling the discipline for today's exercise myself. In fact, today's session should do just that quite nicely, without any extra punishment required." "Why are we being punished for Waterbug mouthing off!?" another changeling, Flake, demanded, eliciting a raised brow from several of the changelings present, Meta Knight, Mayhem, and Calamity included, while several others put a hoof to their faces. "We're in for the long haul now," Frost observed in her usual dry monotone. "Indeed you are!" Meta Knight agreed cheerfully. "Acting Captain Mayhem, your unit has earned you zero prep time today. You may commence the attack immediately." "What are we attacking?" Mayhem asked, looking around sharply even as she and the rest of her troop tensed for action. "Why, me, of course!" Meta Knight proclaimed just before leaping forward to strike Mayhem hard enough to send her flying back through one of the squads, bowling several changelings over in the process. With that, the battle that would come to be known as the Trainee Smackdown had begun... *O o O o O*​ Queen Whatevra Wa'Nabe blinked with a slight flinch back as one of the trainees struck the shield and stuck there for a moment before sliding down a bit with an intermittent squeaking noise before falling all the way off with a pop. "This seems to be a bit on the excessive side for training," the young queen commented as she set Humblebee back down (having most certainly not just reflexively grabbed her chief advisor to use as a changeling shield - nope, never happened). "I wouldn't know, My Queen," Humblebee replied as he straightened up, pleased that his new queen's first reaction was to defend herself, even if it had been a bit disconcerting to have been the closest changeling when she had done so. "Who was the changeling who hit the shield? I want to say... Waspinator?" "I believe his name is Dungbeetle, My Queen." "No. It's Waspinator now. See to it that he's informed of his name change." "At once, My Queen," the advisor complied, standing up to carry out his new orders. "After the battle, Humblebee." "Of course, My Queen." "Sit back down, Humblebee." "Yes, My Queen." The fact that Humblebee had... incidentally, he would assure you... sat down just out of foreleg reach of Queen Whatevra Wa'Nabe did not help the next time another trainee hit the shield after being tossed across the arena by Meta Knight, as the wing on that side shifted into an alarmingly flexible appendage that wrapped around him and thrust him in front of his queen once again. *O o O o O* ​ Dungbeetle (who has yet to be informed of his impending name change), shook his head to clear it as he got back up. This was, he immediately thought to himself, his second mistake so far (the first being to charge mindlessly forward at Meta Knight at the start of the battle). His third mistake was that he was running right back into battle as if this was one of Queen Chrysalis' swarm rushes, but he knew that he wasn't the best tactical thinker in the unit, and maybe he could buy some time for those who were better at it than him to regroup and come up with an actual plan... Dungbeetle's impromptu cry of "WHAT THE *klick* IS WRONG WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!?" as he fell back into the familiar tactics of the old way was yet another mistake, as it not only had a negative impact on the morale of those who heard it, but also drew Meta Knight's attention directly to him. In the end, Dungbeetle's sacrifice play bought the unit maybe half a second of reprieve as Meta Knight dealt with his reckless charge. Fortunately, he didn't get a chance to make another mistake as he was promptly sidelined yet again, this time staying down due to actually being unconscious... *O o O o O*​ The soon to be renamed Waspinator would probably have been, if not pleased, at least appreciative that the half second he had paid dearly for with his sacrifice play was indeed used by several of his fellow trainees... *O o O o O*​ Frost quickly cast several Icewall spells in rapid succession to spread scattered barriers throughout the arena for her fellow changelings to take cover behind while Flambé guarded her with a ring of fire... *O o O o O*​ Waterbug spent that brief moment dragging Acting Captain Mayhem behind the ice barrier he noticed Moth ducking behind, where the two worked desperately to revive their semi-conscious leader... *O o O o O*​ Rose, Onyx, Sapphire, and Emerald shifted into a single giant gestalt form of a cave troll, with Amber taking the form of a suitable weapon to threaten Meta Knight with... *O o O o O* ​ Calamity assumed the form of a giant Rockbiter Scarab and angled to come at Meta Knight's flank... *O o O o O*​ Inky charged in, ducking under Meta Knight's first counterblow in order to grapple the Royal Guard and hold him in place for R.O.S.E. and Calamity while Waterbug and Moth revived Acting Captain Mayhem... *O o O o O*​ Meta Knight laughed with disturbing joy as he witnessed the fruits of his training. Counter-grappling Inky, he used the brave but unfortunate changeling to disarm R.O.S.E., sending Amber unconscious into the same force barrier that he had sent Dungbeetle into before, knowing that the barrier would be more forgiving than the wall. He then tried to use Inky to strike Calamity with the follow-through swing, but Inky was having none of it, having twisted around to reverse the grapple yet again. Unfortunately for Inky, Meta Knight shifted out of the otherwise strong hold just in time for the combined flanking strikes from Calamity and R.O.S.E. to hit him instead, taking him out of the fight for the moment. Sturdy bug, that Inky, being dazed but not out... Taking the form of a gorgon, Meta Knight grabbed Calamity's Rockbiter Scarab form (good choice!) by the mandibles, using her momentum to swing her into R.O.S.E., breaking the gestalt form back into Ruby, Onyx, Sapphire, and Emerald, who immediately scattered to take cover behind various walls of ice. Calamity also shifted forms to effect a retreat behind yet another such barrier... Inky managed to recover enough to grab Meta Knight's gorgon form by the oversized snake tail, swinging the Royal Guard into one of the new walls of ice, which quickly grew more ice to encase him. Frost's work, no doubt. Best to do something about her sooner rather than later. Shifting from gorgon to yak, Meta Knight smashed his way out of his icy prison and charged directly at Frost, shifting into a cragodile form as he reached the ring of fire... *O o O o O*​ Flambé watched in horror as Meta Knight ignored her Ring of Fire, charging right at Frost in the form of some giant lizard thing made of stone. Shoving Frost out of the way, Flambé took the charge instead, doing the only thing she could think of as Meta Knight's massive form struck her - she set herself on fire! "BURN! BURN, DAMN YOU! BURN!" *O o O o O*​ Acting Captain Mayhem set aside her horror at Flambé's self-sacrifice play, rallying the remaining trainees to brace themselves against several of the ice walls Frost had formed. The moment Meta Knight knocked Flambé out (incidentally stopping the pyre effect) and tossed the now charred changeling out of the way, Mayhem shouted: "NOW! PUSH!" *O o O o O*​ Meta Knight turned to watch a sea of ice walls sliding towards him. Taking flight, he noted that the ice walls in his path grew taller to meet him anyway. Within moments, he was rammed against the wall of the arena as wall after wall of ice were added to the growing shell, trapping him in a frigid prison of ice... *O o O o O*​ "More Ice, Frost! Don't let up for a moment!" Mayhem ordered. "Moth! Waterbug! See to Flambé! Inky! You good?" "I'm good." "Great, you're with me and Calamity. Ruby, pick another form for your gestalt and stand ready!, My Queen, you... My QUEEN!" "This fight is over," Queen Whatevra Wa'Nabe stated coldly, less than pleased with how out of control things had gotten. "See to the injured and have Meta Knight dug out of that mess. And once everyling has been seen to and medically cleared, I want to see you and Meta Knight for debriefing." "I'll see to it immediately, My Queen," Acting Captain Mayhem acknowledged, noting that Queen Whatevera Wa'Nabe seemed to be very much her mother's daughter as she turned and left the training arena braced by the two Royal Guards from the alcove, with Humblebee hurrying along behind her (after stopping briefly to say something to Dungbeetle).