//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Wasteland 
// Story: Replica 
// by Netap 
//------------------------------//

The Land outside the Hive is barren and empty, no life can sustain itself with the harsh conditions found in it.

No Life except for Changelings, that is.

Changelings are unique in that they don't need food or water to survive, and they can go on for weeks without eating love before the effects start to show.

However, that does not mean changelings can survive the Wasteland outside the hives for long. They might be able to fly none stop close enough to civilization before they run out of love, and some lucky few might find a traveler to drain along the way. But the sun is just as dangerous to Changelings as it is to other creatures.

By virtue of them being an Insect-like species and not requiring water, Changelings do not sweat.

This is the main reason as for why the Hive is dug underground, beneath a mountain.

Should a changeling be underneath the blazing sun for the duration of his exile into the Wasteland, he would surely be cooked alive and die of heatstroke.





Under the watchful eye of the moon, a young changeling flies northeast over the dry and barren ground of the Wastelands.
Should he continue with his trajectory and speed, he should make his way to the land of Equestria in just over a day's time.

And as the moon started to set and the sun began to rise, Looper landed on the sandy floor of the Lands outside Equestria and started a process that every Changeling gets taught to them, no matter their occupation or caste in changeling society.

How to dig a hole.

With a small burst of green fire, Looper's hooves are burnt away and replaced with two large, flat claws, similar in shape to a shovel.

One of the many weaknesses of Changeling Transformation that Looper managed to discover over his four years of practicing and experimenting, is that a Changeling can not shapeshift into an inanimate object.

To combat this weakness, a solution has been made.
By transforming into a living creature that simply looks and feels like an inanimate object.

And so, by transforming the hooves on his legs into flat bones similar to the spine of a stegosaurus, and covering them with a layer of thick hide, Looper has successfully transformed his arms into shovels.

And with a grunt of effort, He started digging a hole to hide from the sun during the day.

By the time the suns rays hit the spot where he sat as he dug the hole, Looper was already fast asleep, saving energy for one night of flying in this empty land he was exiled to before he reaches a land where he may finally do what he has always wanted since coming into the world.

Study Magic.

Not simply learn how to cast a spell, but learn how far Magic can go.

Looper will become what stories would consider an all-powerful wizard. When the most famous wizards in the world are talked about, Looper would be mentioned right between Gandalf and Merlin.

With what might sound like a giddy laugh, Looper turns in his sleep.





"This night has gone on longer than usual," Looper thought to himself as he continued flying over the wasteland.
He could already see some vegetation in the distance, Bushes and Cacti, meaning he was getting close to Equestria.

However the moon hasn't yet started its descent towards the horizon, It actually seems to have remained stationary in the middle of the sky, as if the time is still Midnight when it has clearly passed hours prior.

"A Celestial event perhaps, similar to an Eclipse? That would be something to study when I reach Civilization." He whispered to himself as he continued flying, soon passing over the vegetation he saw earlier and into a valley.

However, be it fate or simply bad luck, the moment he turned to take another look at the moon stationary in the middle of the sky, A bright light blinded him.

As the moon he was watching gracefully light his way during his midnight flight was in a manner of seconds replaced with the scorching sun, its rays piercing into his eyes.

And in his Blindness, he started plummeting from the air.

"MY EYES!" He screamed as he held his hooves over his face, shutting his eyes tightly whilst he tried to balance himself from the free fall he was currently taking.

A loud snap was heard as Looper's body hit a branch from a dried tree growing out of one of the cliffs on his way down, the impact ruining all chances of Looper realigning himself.

And as the ground came closer and closer to his falling form, Looper knew he had to transform into something to survive the fall.

The Impact wouldn't kill him, his exoskeleton is too tough, but it would surely take away his consciousness.
With the sun now in the middle of the sky directly above him, he would be in danger unmoving on the ground.

If the sun wasn't directly above him, the cliffs on his sides would have shielded him, alas it seems that luck wasn't on his side.

And so with a flash of green fire, Looper shapeshifted into the shape he only saw and heard of from other changelings in the Hive.

Where once was a black carapace, now is an orange coat of fur, Where the black fin on his head is now replaced with a mane of yellow hairs, a single black streak adding diversity to the color, The horn on his forehead gone and his dull blue eyes replaced with wide blue eyes, His insect wings replaced with those of an orange bird.

And most noticeably, on his flank, a caricature of a sun with sunglasses. Likely a joke concocted by his panicked subconscious for the reason he was in this situation in the first place.

And as Looper finished his first-ever transformation into a Pegasus, he landed on the floor of the dried canyon between the two cliffs and blacked out.





Chief Thunderhooves loved many things in life.

He loved the sky above and he loved the land below, he loved watching the clouds and he loved counting crickets, He loved the sun and he loved the moon, He loved his ancestors and he loved his tribe.

But above all else, Chief Thunderhooves loved his daughter.

So when Little Strongheart ran to get his help in finding a pony she saw in the distance fall from the sky, he followed her without question.

He understood her fear, when he woke up in the morning he was surprised to find that the moon was still in the sky. Clearly the ponies tried playing with celestial bodies again.

He would never mention it, but he didn't feel safe having the power to move the celestial bodies in the hooves of Princess Celestia. It was a known fact that Ponies and Buffalo don't get along well, the ponies' use of magic was seen as an insult to the respectful and traditional ways of the Buffalo. Not even mentioning the land disputes.

But although Buffalo and Ponies have no strong love for each other, Chief Thunderhooves wouldn't wish for the death of a pony, especially not in a freak accident like the sudden shift between Moon and Sun that happened.

And so with his hooves beating on the ground, a small group of younger Buffalo following him, he ran after Little Strongheart towards the two cliffs at the edge of his land.

Hoping that whoever it was that fell from the sky was safe.