My Little Changeling -- "I" is Magic

by Wing Dancer


We Carry On

Celestia did not smile. Not even a trace of a smirk. Not a single muscle contracted on her face. Yes, it was pure deadpan. Her eyes traced the text, stopping a few times here and there, and little else happened.

“What happens now?” wrote the changeling, trying to break the silence that started feeling awkward.

The Princess took her time to think before answering. “I would prefer you stay here, in Canterlot. While I do not doubt Twilight’s abilities, I would like to be more personally engaged in the subject of changeling research.”

Another piece of text flew to Celestia. “Can I stay here,” she read aloud. “You mean here, in the cave?”

Nod.

“Well…I don’t see why you couldn’t stay here. But wouldn’t you prefer your former room up there, in the castle?”

Head shake.

“Oh…okay. Are you sure? I won’t be able to check up on you during the day, and you’ll be alone here for most of the day.”

Shrug.

The Princess sighed. “If that’s what you want, then fine. Nopony should disturb you here, so this might not be the worst place for you to stay in after all. Umm, do you need anything? Food? Drink?”

Head shake.

“Oh, right, you just…ehm,” coughed the Princess, suppressing another wave of nausea. “In that case, I think I’ll be going. It’s getting late and, uh.” She paused, staring into Chip’s eyes. The changeling seemed to lose his cheer all of a sudden. Did that…thing he did somehow affect him? Would he be alright? “Goodnight,” she finished, giving a small nod and vanishing in a bright nova of light.

Chip blinked away the shadows dancing before his eyes. He kept staring at the same spot, his mind mostly wandering. The room was silent, lit by some kind of magic source that wasn’t visible to the naked eye. For the first time in a very long while, Chip was alone.

* * *

Miles away from Canterlot, far up north, something moved in the pitch black of the night. Several figures dashed through the landscape, a subtle dim light surrounding their bodies. Their colors blended with the darkness, barely visible to the naked eye.

Their target was in sight now. Under Luna’s moon, the valley looked almost peaceful. The nearly vertical walls were riddled with thousands of holes, each bearing a mystery. A secret that was deadly enough to warrant the use of the Princesses’ most elite scouting forces.

Silverline, the leader of this operation, stopped and dropped on his belly. He didn’t have to turn around to know his ponies did the same, soundlessly following his every move. Seconds later one of them crawled beside him, a strange apparatus attached to his head. The soldier looked around, causing a lens to extend and retract from the machine.

A few short moments later the pony started gesticulating with his hooves. Silverline read those movements as an “All clear, no hostiles”. He hoped it would stay that way, but the many missions he already participated in taught him to predict the worst possible scenario at any given time. With a soundless sigh, the silver-maned pony turned around and begun briefing his men using gestures.

“Objective is to scout out enemy forces. No magic. Terminate mission on contact. There will be no coming back for anypony.”

They all knew this already. It was the same as with any other mission that they were called upon. Princess Luna and her sister Celestia used Silverline’s troops only when there was no other way to solve a problem. While scouting wasn’t their usual line of work, it didn’t mean that the ponies didn’t know how to sneak around or loose pursuit.

As soon as each pony got their assignment, the group dispersed, dashing from cover to cover with trained precision and discipline. Their eyes were darting from shadow to shadow, always vigilant and ready to tackle any enemy sentry that might have had the misfortune to bump into one of Silverline’s ponies.

As trained as they were, knowing full well whom they were facing, it was all not enough. Deep in the goo covered nest, Chrysalis smirked under her nose. She knew they were coming as soon as one of her changelings felt them at the edge of the canyon. They were well hidden, she had to give them that – she didn’t know how, but their smell was only faint, something that could have gone unnoticed should the hive be well fed.

“What could the ponies want from poor little ol’ Chrysalis, hmm?” hummed the Queen, stirring the hive to life. Yes, she would let them come a little bit closer and capture them. She would need to act fast though, as the enemies were all blasted unicorns. Having your prey teleport away was the most infuriating thing ever.

“Time to feast, my darlings….”

* * *

Chip tried to sleep on the cold stone floor, but for some reason he felt uneasy. Something was bugging him, and he couldn’t quite put a hoof on the problem. Was it the loneliness? The silence? The faint smell of changeling?

“I guess I should have taken the suite…maybe I could talk to Luna then.” He paused for a second, looking up for no particular reason. “I wonder what Twilight is doing?”

Well, it was just a few hours since they parted. She was probably asleep, looking forward to meeting her friends or going out somewhere, doing some pony stuff. Come to think of it, would she feel relieved now that Chip was gone? Changeling research kind of confined her to the library walls, and the only time they went out ended disastrously. Did he actually apologize for causing so much trouble? Should he? Was it actually okay to do that?

Chip got rid of sleep for good now. Little by little he was reaching the conclusion that checking up on the mare wasn’t such a bad idea. After all, the Princess didn’t say that he couldn’t talk to her. And apologizing for the trouble he caused as well as thanking her for the time they spent together seemed like a pony thing to do.

A green light filled the chamber and with a muffled pop Chip disappeared.

* * *

She was asleep. The changeling was finishing up a letter that he had been writing for the last half an hour, glancing ever so often at the sleeping mare. She was kind of cute, all silent like that, her mane a purple and lavender hurricane. Not to say Spike wasn’t adorable in his little basket – he had his tongue lolled out, his small body sprawled across the blanket he should be sleeping under.

Adorable? Cute? Where is this coming from? reflected Chip, gingerly placing the note beside Twilight. As he was leaning over her, her gentle breath blew across the swollen changeling’s face. It smelled of some kind of flowers. And it was nice.