//------------------------------// // Chapter 48 // Story: "Little Pony" // by ButterscotchFTW //------------------------------// Princess Celestia was not having a good day. Neither was her sister, but at least she wasn't the one getting verbally laid out as she walked at the moment..  "What do you mean you can't immediately organize a recovery effort!" The very outraged and emotional voice of a mother yelled at her. For what seemed to be the hundredth time as she tried in vain to organize her guards and send out unicorn messengers. Even if she didn't want the council to be a part of this, she had to let them know what had happened. An incident like this just can't be pushed into obscurity like they tried to do with the last encounter with changelings. It made her eye twitch every time she thought back to almost being killed by the overpowered changeling Queen. Who also happened to get away… but she really couldn't think at the moment. She fixed her with a very terse response layered in her usual motherly and empathetic tone of voice "my little pony.. I understand the shock and emotions of losing a chil-'' but was immediately interrupted by an even louder outcry from her. Craning her head around and pausing mid step as she looked down at the pink pegasus. "What the buck are you trying to appropriate into my mind right!? There's no trying to work around the fact that my foal was ponynapped!" She accentuated as she flew into the air, throwing her hooves up and letting out an exclamation "by CHANGELINGS! Not even regular changelings, the QUEEN. The mother bucking Queen of all changelings princess!" She finished while crossing her hooves against her chest.  No. She was not having a good day.  Celestia dropped her raised hoof back down onto the tiled floor and turned her body completely to face her. Taking in a deep breath as an excuse to figure out how she would word out an acceptable answer.  "--Mrs.Snowdrift.. I understand. I understand and am aware of everything you've told me." She paused, "But it is time for you to understand that my sister and I are trying to sort out the situation." She gave her a reassuring smile as she continued "that includes sorting out the process of rescuing your foal. But in order for me to do that, I need to keep the rest of the castle populace in a calm state of mind" she explained. Not paying attention to how the pink pegasus was proving that a frown could go even deeper than you'd expect it to. She continues on with trying to use her words to her advantage once again "-also, not only do we have to worry about your child being taken, there has also been two of my solar guards reported mis-". Hazel was thinking bad thoughts. "Princess." She interrupted in an oddly calm tone. Her otherwise enraged face was replaced by a tight smile as she looked up at the princess.  "-yes?" Celestia responded.  "What BULLSH-" I couldn't really count the amount of time that passed whenever I hauled ass away from Queen whatever her name was, since I suddenly realized that I never learned her name. I learned her apparent sister's name, but not hers. Though what matters most is the fact that I was now hiding for my life inside of a disgusting and very wet crevice I found when I turned a corner and tripped over myself and thumped my muzzle. So I was "safe" for the most part, but I couldn't count on it because staying still in a place that's akin to a xenomorph's playground was sure to end up with me getting screwed.  "Right.." I sighed out before flipping myself onto my stomach and crawling forwards so I could peek my head out to see what exactly my options were, which was more dark and decrepit looking hallways covered in that alien shit. Luckily I couldn’t see any changelings scouring the halls and every nook and cranny for my ass, which was sort of concerning. The Queen didn’t outright do everything in her power to try and stop me from escaping that room she had me in, and she also didn’t go bat shit crazy and run me down like her sister tried to do back at the castle.  I let out an exhale of air before fully pulling myself out of the little nook I was hiding inside of and pushing myself back onto my feet and crouching down, making sure to take another look around at the surrounding area before raising myself and walking. At a brisk, yet careful pace. I was already covered in all of this gunk and I wasn’t in the mood to eat shit again and risk exposing my position to whatever plan the Queen is hatching up while I’m none the wiser.  “Anyways…” I said while coming to a stop at an intersection. Where all the ways that I could go were on the walls, on the floor and even on the ceiling, my lips pressed into a thin line on my face as I looked around at all of them. “This is...” before shaking my head and stepping forwards, only for my hoof to meet air and my brain stopping for a moment before it realized that I was falling.. For about five seconds before I landed on an incline and started sliding the rest of the way down, like some sort of haphazard slide that led me through complete and utter darkness for what seemed like hours until I flew out of the tunnel and was thrown face first into a puddle.  "Ah-pthew!" I spit out the droplets that landed in my mouth as I scrambled back onto my feet, taking a moment to look at what I landed in before trying to shake it all off.   "Phtew! The hell is this?" I said in disgust, wiping a hoof across my forehead before letting out a sigh in discontentment.  This lasted for a few more moments before I gave up on trying to completely rid myself of the li- which was now turning into some weird gel!  I immediately leaped forwards and as moved as far as I could away from that puddle, watching as it congealed and turned into a weird amorphous glob of goo. I made a face before looking down at my body and spotting the small specks of goo that formed, making that face turn into a deep scowl. "...." but I didn't have time to deal with this nonsense, I had to keep going if I didn't want to get caught with my pants down.  Which now that I look at the room I am in, where the walls are lined entirely with all the congealed goo that mixed with some stone pillars- made me even more apprehensive. I stop appraising the room and turn towards the two main pillars adjacent from each other, connected to a stone archway that sat above a hallway and walked over to it. Quietly stepping over small holes and puddles that litter the floor of the hallway, I continued on and took a left at an intersection of corridors. I got a few feet into the corridor before my ears perked all the way up as I caught something audible, my eyes narrowed and I crouched down with my head raised. Listening out for that sound again. I paused. "-ce m-" I craned my head further. "-ace me!"  "There it is.." I said in a quiet tone. Continuing to listen to the voice and turning my head in every direction until I found the correct one.  I mentally nodded before turning my head around looking at the corridor across from me. That's where it seemed that the voice was coming from, which was confusing. Everything here had been empty and barren thus far except for when I woke up trapped and escaped the Queen.  Which meant that it was a changeling patrol looking for me, or rather someone who's also been captured by these bugs. Itd still be a risk going either way, because there could be changelings there guarding them, or it could also be a trap in itself to try and lure me out. "Hm…" I thought for a moment. If this proved in my favor then I could possibly have another person to help escape with. But I'm also screwed if it's a trap, because I'm not sure if I can pull off another escape or even fight back if there's nothing here I could use. I looked down at my hooves and frowned. 'These hands are also not hands anymore, I can't throw down with them like I could if I were human.' I mused. But after a few minutes and the voice getting quieter pushed my decision and I stood up and pressed forwards in that direction. Passing through the middle of the intersection and entering the hallway, which was littered with twists and turns and some dead ends. That could've confused me if the voice wasn't there leading me towards it, if just barely.  There was a feeling In my chest that chilled my spine as I listened to the voice suddenly silent as I turned a corner. Before immediately widening my eyes and ducking back around the corner, my breathing picked up and the chill ran through me as I processed what I saw. Pressing a hoof to my chest and feeling my heart beating rapidly, I took a moment to calm myself before peeking back around the corner.  'Holy shit..' I mentally cursed as I was witness to two changelings standing right in front of a glowing egg sac looking thing right at the center of the room. The same thing that the queen trapped Spitfire inside of whenever she tried turning her house into a psuedo-hive. Only this time, there was a blurry image of a blue pony inside of it. My eyes drifted away from the changelings hissing back and forth to each other in their creepy changeling speech, and I looked at the rest of the vast room. Feeling my eyes widen again as I took notice of all the egg sacs lining the walls in rows, thankfully none of them were or glowing and or had any other ponies inside of them besides the one in the middle. 'This looks like the cloning facility on kamino..' I referenced instinctively before shaking my head and ducking down as another changeling flew into the room.  This was much larger than the other two and was visibly authoritative, seeing as the two changelings flinched and haphazardly saluted them. But I could've guessed that from their stature and the stupid hat they were wearing, looked like they were apart of the third reich with how many tassels the shoulders pads had. But despite that. They hissed out something in a deeper tone than the other two before motioning toward a tunnel in the ceiling, the two smaller changelings nodded before all three of them spread their wings and took off one by one into the tunnel. The buzzing and hissing got fainter and fainter until it was completely silent in the room. Finally giving me the chance to step around the corner and enter the room fully. Really taking a moment to drink in the reality of this whole situation as I looked at all the egg sacs. "Jesus.." I whispered to myself. But the glowing sac that held the pony inside of it drew my attention once again, making me turn my head and quickly walk to it. Making sure I looked around and made sure nothing else was in here before stopping just in front of it. Staring up at it in awe and slight anxiousness, thinking back to how Spitfire was placed inside one of these. The way I got her out of there was with a kitchen knife, which I didn't have at the moment, and pressing a hoof against the surface of the egg. Proved to me that I wouldn't be able to pop it with just my little kid hooves. It was squishy yet dense.  So how was I going to free this pony? I did a 360 of the room again and found absolutely nothing, until my eyes led me to a couple of stalactites sticking out of the walls. Which confused me, since they usually grow on the ceiling of caves. Was this hive dug inside of a cave? If so, how deep down? Hopefully not bedrock deep, because that'd be a pain in the ass to try and avoid all these changelings whole climbing every single level of this hive.  'Whatever. Break off a piece of stalagmite and pop the egg. Then we get the hell out of dodge.' I nodded, spreading my wings and quickly flying over to the spiky rocks.  I looked for the least thickest part of its cone shape, before maneuvering my body around it and placing both back legs against it while holding onto another with my front legs. I reared my legs back and kicked at it, and kept doing so until the rock finally cracked under the constant abuse.  Making me grin as I gave one last kick and it broke off, the modest piece of rock fell to the floor. Making a small thud. I flew down and picked it up with both hooves, hugging it against my stomach and flying back into the air. Struggling as its added weight was straining my wings.  I flew over towards the glowing egg and ascended to the point where I could press the sharpened tip of the rock against the top of it. Removing an arm from around it and pressing it against the top of the spear, using the force to press down even further against the egg until it gave way. Sinking an inch or two into it before pushing down, gradually cutting away at the dense material and letting the disgusting fluid inside of it spray onto me.  I scrunched up my face as I finally cut all the way through it, dropping the spike and jumping back as the wave of fluid rushed from the egg and dragged the blue pony from inside of it. Dropping them unceremoniously onto the floor, covered completely in the rancid smelling liquid. I shook the drops from me before approaching the pony, taking a better look at their appearance. For one, they were a pegasus. Two, they were a ''he' if not for the short black hair and tail that literally hid nothing!  That's why I planned to keep my tail long and bountiful for as long as I could, I could not live with having everything exposed 24/7.  Besides that, he was unconscious, obviously. Which meant that I had to wake him up through any means necessary, seeing as the current situation requires it. I walked over to where his face was and sat down in front of it, raising a hoof and lightly patting at his muzzle.  Before immediately sucker punching him. Which wasn't much of a 'sucker' punch since I'm basically skin and bones, but since I hit him in the face. It proved effective. He stirred and groaned, his eyes cracking open ever so slightly.  'Green eyes.' Noted.  He blinked once or twice when he noticed me, his body shifted and he fixed to push himself up. "Hm...kid? Wait. Kid?!" His voice exclaimed as he immediately slipped and fell back onto his face.  His yell caused me to widen my eyes and lean forward, pressing both of my hooves against his mouth so that he couldn't speak.  "S-shut the fuck up you dumb bitch!" I whisper yelled at his surprised expression, which caused me to realize what I just said.  'Ah crap.' I mentally sighed.  To be continued...