Chrysalis led Jack through the carved-out hallways of Kruziik-Ahrol, the pair walking at a somewhat quick, yet leisurely pace. The changeling queen held a small smirk on her face, the only betraying sign of her twisted satisfaction. Her human follower bore a blank expression, eyes only straying from the majestic insectoid in front of him when one of her lesser brethren created some small movement that registered on his peripheral vision.
Jack’s attention was largely focused on the image of the changeling hive that rested in front of him. The Hive Mind provided no guidance this time, as the teen had no idea where he was going. He settled for simply observing the layout of the Hive, a mental push here and there rotating the image that existed only in his mind. With a short sigh and a blink, the layout vanished from his vision.
“So...” the human began slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Where are we going?” Chrysalis asked for him, turning her head slightly to look at him over her shoulder. “I’m still feeling a bit hungry after that incident. We’re going to stop at hub so I may consume some of the love a drone brought back.”
A flicker of irritation flashed across Jack’s features, the twin spines on his back flaring for a moment before settling down. “And what about me? What am I supposed to eat?”
The changeling queen chuckled. “The same as me.”
Jack’s slight aggravation was displaced by a sudden thought. “Wait. I felt the other changelings give you energy through the Hive Mind. Can’t you just feed that way? Is it really necessary to go to a... a hub?”
“Very astute of you,” the queen commended. “I suppose I could feed like that. But doing so leaves you... hungry, even as it sates you. I prefer to feed with my subjects.”
Jack shrugged. “So it’s like Chinese food. I guess I can live with that.”
Chrysalis gave the human an odd look before refocusing on getting them to the closest of Kruziik-Ahrol’s many hubs.
The two eventually arrived at a large cavern not unlike the one Jack had given his address in. A large cavern, with numerous holes in the walls and ceilings for entries and exits, and a stone spiral that ran around the cavern up to a ledge that extended over the floor. A small crowd of changelings was in a constant state of shrinking and expanding as the polymorphic creatures came and went. The only constant was a single changeling that stood in the center of the hub, body rigid and radiating a bright pink light. Its fellow changelings would take a seat as near to it as they could, stay for a few moments, then leave.
Jack felt inexplicably drawn to the still changeling, yet he repressed his urge to get any closer than the queen he was following. He kept behind Chrysalis as she stepped closer to the immobile changeling, her subjects parting to allow the both of them passage. The changeling queen stopped once she was directly in front of the glowing insectoid, slowly laying down with a large sigh.
The queen allowed her head to fall backward as she closed her eyes, the pink glow that came off of her brethren developing around her as well, though it was much dimmer. Jack sat down next to her after a moment’s hesitation and closed his eyes as well. The human felt Chrysalis’ conscience through the Hive Mind, attempting to talk to her without disturbing either the changeling or the noticeable near-silence that pervaded the hub.
“Is this how changelings share love?” he asked, aware that although his lips still moved, he prevented himself from speaking aloud for the first time. He allowed himself a small smile.
“It is...” Chrysalis responded slowly, almost lethargically. “It may seem strange... but this is one of our most... sacred practices....”
Jack shivered as he felt a tingling at the back of his mind. At the same time, he felt slightly more energetic, and a feeling of faint fullness. “... do I seriously have to subsist off of love from now on?”
Chrysalis’ mirth was clearly felt through the Hive Mind. “Yes... you do... though I take it you need to be shown how. Or would you rather I feed you, like someling would a larva?”
The teen couldn’t suppress a growl. “As if I need your coddling. I can figure this out myself...”
The human ignored the queen’s lighthearted laughter as he focused on the task at hand. He sat still, trying to calm himself as he felt for the changeling that was currently sharing it’s gathered love. He quickly located the drone’s presence in the Hive Mind, but that alone was not enough.
Jack frowned, trying to figure out how to take some of the changeling’s food. He focused on the insectoid, observing it’s mind to the exclusion of all else. The network of the Hive Mind faded from his focus, and he began to see a pink mist in the air, despite his eyes still being closed.
The mist seemed to expand, flowing all around the human. His mind reached out clumsily, trying and failing to grasp what he guessed was the love radiating off of the changeling drone.
Suddenly, Jack felt himself being assaulted by a haze of memories...
***
A mare frolicked happily through a flowery field, her giggles and laughs filling the air. Her wings flapped a few times, allowing her to rise into the air and descend upon her not-partner...
“I love you, Midnight Forest.”
***
Jack felt a pang in his chest, one that hurt him more than any previous spasm. He tried to shy away from the ambient love, but to no avail. A single unbidden thought coursed through his mind.
“No...”
***
The mare and the drone sat at a table in her home. The pegasus ate heartily, practically plowing through her meal. The changeling, on the other hand, took a more measured pace. The food was bland, simply another part of the ruse.
“You alright, love? You usually eat a lot more than that...”
***
The teen stood up, his heart feeling like it was in a vice. His entire body shook, and he fought to resist the tears that were clawing their way to his face.
“Alone...”
***
The mare stood poised over the drone, the light of the moon shining through the open window the only illumination in the bedroom. The pony smiled, fancying herself the predator that night.
“Even as they prey on us, we prey on them.” The voice of the queen echoed through the mare’s not-partner’s head, tone heavy with amusement.
“Ready, love? Maybe this will shake you out of whatever’s got you in a funk, hmm?”
Love.
Rich.
Pure.
Filling.
Love.
“Love...”
***
Jack’s staggered steps quickly turned into a walk, then a run, then a sprint. His eyes opened, dispelling the mental sensory image of love and replacing it with the realism of the changeling hive.
The human ignored the startled and disrupted buzzings, chirpings and hissings of the changelings behind him, even the shouts of Chrysalis herself doing little to garner his focus. He was occupied with only one thought.
Escape.
He took seemingly random turns and pathways, going nowhere and anywhere. The few changelings he ran past did nothing to stop him, even moving out of his way when it seemed they would halt him, even through inaction.
The human’s chest ached with pain, and his vision began to blur with miniscule droplets of water. He tried with every ounce of willpower he could to keep moving, but he could feel his body giving out on him, tiring more quickly than he wanted it to. A red trail faded into existence in front of him, the Hive Mind guiding him no matter how much he tried to push it away.
Jack eventually stumbled and collapsed into a dark room. He lay sprawled out and panting on the floor for some time before he gathered the strength to pull his head off the floor and look around.
The room was dug-out, a feature the teen was now fully associating with changeling architecture. Bioluminescent green domes, almost like cocoons, were attached to the walls and ceiling, and even some of the floor, each holding a small object inside them. The walls and ceiling shared not only the domes, but also bubble-like excavations that allowed increased storage space.
The human dragged himself over to the nearest dome, which rested on the floor. He ran a hand over it, feeling the smooth shell that held no rough edges or imperfections, texture akin to glass, yet the dome had the barest give to it, reminiscent of a balloon. Jack gazed at the object inside, and despite the slight distortion that the shell gave it, he was able to make out a small, curled up, worm-like creature.
Jack pulled back from the cocoon, a deranged smile spreading across his face. He laughed tiredly and fell backwards, chuckling to himself.
“Of all the places to wind up, I go to a nursery...” he muttered to himself, letting his head roll back and forth as his limbs went numb. “At least I’m not a... a...”
He choked up, forcing himself to squeeze out the last word, regretting it immediately.
“Alone...”
Instantly, his chest constricted once more, and tears flowed from his eyes. The teen slowly pulled himself into the fetal position, refusing to allow his last shreds of dignity to fade away with the sobs that were building up inside him.
“No, don’t you dare cry... do NOT be weak...”
“Why...”
“I can’t... I just... can’t...”
“It’s... it’s not fair...”
“Stupid emotions... you’re weak... weak for letting them get the better of you...”
“Why... “ Jack choked, feeling the Hive Mind just outside his reach, leaving him devoid of any contact with any other being to comfort him. “Why... does she get... to be happy?”
“Stop.”
The sobs he tried so hard to hold back came forth, shaking his form as hot tears accompanied them.
“BEING.”
“It’s... it’s not fair...”
“USELESS. WEAK.”
“UNLOVED.”
“Taking up space on my floor again?”
***
Chrysalis’ words left her mouth softly, more of a call than a mocking. She had taken her time following him, not too worried since his lack of recent feeding meant he would be low on energy. She was somewhat regretting her leisurely following, not particularly pleased to see the one she had sacrificed an entire leg for curled up on the ground and crying like a pony newborn, sorrow shaking the Hive Mind that he had unconsciously pushed away. But that did not mean she was particularly upset either.
The queen laid down next to the crying human, gently sliding a holed hoof under Jack’s chin and lifting his face they could look at one another. If he dried and opened his eyes, of course.
“You are in pain,” she said softly, knowing that she could just as easily get the human back to normal as she could send him into a despair in which he would likely remain until he either took his own life or swore revenge on her. Needless to say, she preferred the former option.
“It’s... nothing...” the teen sobbed, in clear contradiction of his words. Chrysalis let out a soft sigh.
“You’re lying,” she whispered, leaning down next to his ear. “Tell me what ails you.”
Jack ceased crying, letting out a soft chuckle followed by a loud sniffing. “You sound like my mother...”
“I am a mother myself, remember,” the changeling reminded him. “I may not have borne child, but I am monah-lun. Mother-Leech, in your tongue. All changelings are my children, regardless of their birth mothers.”
The human looked around the bio-illuminated room again, tears having ceased now that his mind had been engaged. “So... these larva... I’m guessing they’re larva at least... you didn’t birth any of them?”
Chrysalis shook her head. “No, these are all blood-children of the females you see around the hive. Although...” The emotional parasite let her head hang. “Not all of their mothers are alive today.”
The pair remained silent for a moment, both flashing back to the failed Siege of Canterlot. Jack was the first to speak.
“Why did you follow me?” he asked, sitting up. “Why do you... care?”
Chrysalis brought her head up and gazed at him, studying him for a moment. He was fragile, but she knew and understood why. She had felt his emotions flare in response to the drone’s memories of its hunt that pervaded the love it was supplying. She felt his pain, a pain that was not so different from a lovesick pony. She did not fault him for it.
Yet at the same time, he was strong. She didn’t know the rest of his kind, if his kind indeed existed according to legend, but she at least knew that no pony would have so willingly or so wholeheartedly become part of an entirely different species. She respected him for that.
With all that in mind, Chrysalis chose her next words carefully.
“I care because... you are more than just the legend I thought you were. Make no mistake, I do not... love you.” Jack’s suddenly slumped shoulders did not escape her notice. But the changeling continued. “I do not think I am capable of love as you perceive it. But I am not heartless. I will not let you grieve or suffer while it is within my power to prevent or stop it.”
Jack gazed at the ground for a long while. Eventually, he looked back up at Chrysalis and let out a shaky breath. “I... I think I’ll take you up on your offer...”
“There is no shame in needing help accepting the new,” Chrysalis said, her horn lighting up with a greenish-pink glow. “Hold out your hand.”
The teen slowly extended his right hand at first, then retracted it and held out his left. The changeling queen smiled softly.
“So you are learning.”
She then touched her horn to his palm, siphoning some of the love she had acquired from her drone to Jack. Immediately, he straightened up, taking a deep breath as he experienced his first feeding. Chrysalis felt a tingling at the back of her mind, as if an untouched portion of her had been restored and reinvigorated. She briefly wondered how deep her connection ran with the human, but decided to find out later.
“When you feed,” she began, drawing her horn away from Jack. A short sigh was her response. “You must rely on your changeling parts to absorb the love. From what happened in the hub, I would say you tried to use all of yourself, correct?”
Jack nodded slowly, and Chrysalis continued. “You are human. You are not meant to feed on emotion, that much I can tell from when we were... reconstructing you. But your hand, your spines, your implants... they cannot survive on ordinary food. You can touch the Hive Mind at will, and that is signal enough that you are part changeling. I do not know if you share the ability to shapeshift, but you may... no, you must feed as we do.”
The queen gently used her link with the human once more to take control of his left arm, and for once he allowed her to do so. She raised his left hand for him to inspect, rotating the gauntlet slowly for the teen to inspect every inch of his chitinous appendage. She returned control of the hand before she continued speaking.
“It would be easiest for you to use your hand to feed. Simply draw the love in through there, and you will be fine.”
Jack nodded and stood up, wiping away the last bit of unwanted water on his face. He held out his hand, and Chrysalis graciously allowed him to assist her to her feet. He cleared his throat before speaking. “I think we can continue with your tour...”
Chrysalis grinned, taking a step back and gesturing all around them. “Then for your first true stop, let me show you one of the birthing chambers.” She walked over to the same dome Jack had observed earlier, gently rested a hoof on it.
“Inside each of these is a single larva. Each cocoon is filled with love-saturated fluid to feed its occupant. The shells have a very durable exterior, but a larva can easily puncture it from the inside.”
Jack looked around expectantly at each of the dome-cocoons. “You know, this is usually the part when a larva randomly hatches so I get to see the birthing process.”
The changeling queen rolled her eyes. “You don’t want to be here for that. It’s messy, and cleanup is always a pain.”
The human looked at her quizzically. “Messy?”
“Very much. The fluid spills everywhere when the larva hatches, and since mature changelings can’t absorb it, it just sits there. And obviously, a new cocoon has to be made for each larva.”
Jack frowned. “Seems kind of wasteful.”
Chrysalis shrugged. “Such has been tradition for as long as we can recall. It has never been a problem, so I do not see any need to change it.”
“Fair enough, I suppose...”
The queen turned and gestured with a flick of her head. “Come. You have more to see.”
***
Jack followed Chrysalis through the hive, relying on his mental image of Kruziik-Ahrol to try and determine where they were headed. From what he could tell, they were currently circling upwards around a massive open portion of the hive, one of the few areas exposed to the outside.
With a blink, the human refocused on the passage before him. He and Chrysalis proceeded down a long, darkened hallway, the light of daytime shining in from the far side. Jack could hear a rough symphony of hisses, buzzes, and a variety of scraping noises filling the hallway, unconsciously flexing his chitin gauntlet, his spines twitching as his perception of the world gradually but noticeably sharpened.
“Where are we?” the teen asked, confused by his body’s involuntary actions. His changeling companion glanced over her shoulder, grinning savagely before responding.
“Someplace I think you will become very well-acquainted with,” she answered, saying no more until they emerged from the tunnel.
Jack was momentarily blinded by the brightness of the sun, having become somewhat used to the dimness of the changeling hives. When he was able once more to see clearly, his eyes widened at the marvel before him.
The gigantic open-air chamber Chrysalis had brought him to was set up like an arena. A circular pit below was filled with brawling changelings, a dozen tunnels carved for those who wished to enter or leave the pit. Several rows of seats sat well above the pit, high enough so that bystanders could watch in safety yet still low enough to observe the fighting clearly. Jack and Chrysalis stood on an ornately carved ledge that extended roughly halfway over the rows below, a position made especially desirable by the last feature of the chamber.
The air.
Changelings filled the air, fighting with one another just the same as their brethren below. In contrast, however, the fact that these changelings remained airborne meant that their duels were far more space-consuming, made possible by the sheer amount of open space above the seats as the chamber reached towards the sky, a gaping hole in the ceiling allowing sunlight to flood in.
Jack stood and marveled at the chamber, watching one fight after another from his perch. His eyes flicked from the sky, to the ground, and back again. He noticed that, for once, neither he nor Chrysalis were being shown any sign of recognition or notice at their arrival. He grinned and walked to the end of the ledge, his old fear of heights suddenly absent, replaced with a strange eagerness to join the massive scene of combat.
“A coliseum...” Jack said, more to himself than anything. “Much better than the one in Rome, I’d say.” He turned his head to look at the changeling queen.
“Do you...?” he began, words drifting off in favor of feeling. A feeling of eagerness, of excitement, and of bloodthirst. A feeling that his companion felt acutely.
Chrysalis took a deep breath and closed her eyes, wings fluttering as she comprehended what he was trying to express. “Twice as much, yes. But I refuse to. Our numbers are thin, and we cannot replenish as we once could.”
The human ground his teeth together and hissed. “I’m going to regret this, but... will you allow me to?”
The changeling looked him over, her gaze stoic and evaluatory. After a brief pause, she nodded, her horn lighting up as a green glow surrounded Jack’s body. The changeling levitated him off of the ledge and down into the pit, her expression unreadable as she became ever farther away. Jack heard her voice in his head, communicating a single thought.
“Do not kill anyling.”
Jack grinned as he touched down, his body quickly released from Chrysalis’ magical grasp. He scanned around himself for an opponent, an energized feeling coursing through him. His left hand clenched and unclenched in anticipation.
Eventually, a changeling came forward. Jack locked eyes with the insectoid, both of them settling into their respective fighting stances as they waited to see who would make the first move.
Abruptly, all the fighting around the pair ceased, every changeling in the room abandoning their own fights in order to observe what would be the first true human-changeling fight. A wide circle was formed around the two opponents, room being given on the ground and in the air.
Jack’s eyes flicked once to the crowd, observing their movements for but a moment. The changeling in front of him did the same, hissing lowly in anticipation. The two competitors began circling one another, tension slowly mounting. The crowd watched unblinkingly, watching for the entirety of the changeling race.
Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, Jack charged.
Two long strides were all that was necessary to bring the human into melee range. Left claw bared, Jack brought his chitinous talons down in an arc, performing as much a slash as a grab. His insectoid opponent easily ducked under the swipe, following up with a counter-jab with its horn, pushing off of the ground to give itself more upward force.
The teen twisted, narrowly avoiding the rising horn that caught on his shirt and tore away a chunk of fabric. Ignoring the damage to one of his last earthly possessions, Jack used the momentum of his spin to send his right arm in another arc, this time successfully grabbing onto the changeling’s veritable spear. The hold only lasted for a moment however, as the beast quickly took flight, buzzing wings sending it skyward and freeing it from the human’s grasp.
Jack’s lips raised in a snarl as his adversary took a moment to observe him from the safety of the air. His eyes flicked to the ledge that Chrysalis was observing him from, feeling a faint sense of amusement from the queen that irritated him to no end.
In his moment of inattentiveness, the human’s foe took the opportunity to dive down at him, four hooves poised and ready to deliver a painful blow. The attack was easily evaded by a sidestep, the changeling smashing down to the floor of the pit, what would have been a crippling blow turning into a massive opening.
Not missing his chance, Jack leaped on top of the insect-like creature, mounting it like the very things it preyed on. He dug his heels as harshly as he could into the changeling’s sides as he leaned forwards to put the insectoid off-balance. His left arm wrapped around the throat of the drone while his right hand grabbed hold of the horn once more, this time immediately pushing left in order to force the changeling to the ground.
The combination of sudden weight, abruptly lessened air supply, and dual attempts to disrupt its balance worked almost instantly on the changeling, the beast toppling over with an indignant hiss. Ever a creature of the fight, the changeling struggled and thrashed in an attempt to free itself, succeeding through a lucky toss of its head that impacted its would-be conqueror. Both combatants briefly disoriented, the changeling scrambled away from Jack, intent on renewing its assault once its vision had completely refocused.
The teen shook his head and stood up, growling lowly. Anger bubbled inside him, amplified by the heat of battle, however non-lethal it was supposed to be. As the emotional predator across from him once again settled low to the ground and hissed defiantly, Jack clenched his chitin gauntlet tightly, the gifted appendage slowly being encompassed by a green aura.
The changeling charged, wings buzzing into motion once more as it flew towards the human, horn lowered with lethal intent. Jack brought his hand up swiftly, fingers uncurling to resemble a set of talons once more.
The effect was instantaneous.
The charging insectoid was immediately caught in a green aura, halting its forward motion immediately. Jack allowed himself a savage smirk before pulling his arm back and thrusting it back forwards, the ensnared creature suddenly flying back the way it came, and into the wall of the pit.
Jack’s sudden use of magic stole the breath from his lungs, making him hunch over as a wave of weariness washed over him, then faded as quickly as it had come. He stood back up and turned his gaze upwards, looking past the wall of hovering changelings and at their queen. She stood impassive for a moment, then nodded and levitated him back up to her ledge.
The pair stood and gazed at one another for some time, not so much as blinking to disrupt their gazes. Words were unneeded to express themselves, simple feelings of intermingling pride, contentment, relief, and the like cycling between changeling and human.
A curt nod came from Chrysalis as she turned and started back through the entry tunnel, her human compatriot in tow.
***
The two companions walked back down into the depths of the hive, the light of the sun slowly being replaced with the ambient bioluminescence Chrysalis had spent almost her entire life in. She ignored the mumblings of her human follower, keeping her eyes forward as she led them to their next destination.
“Oh crap...” Jack groaned, immediately stopping and hunching over, clutching his stomach.
Chrysalis halted and turned around, surprise written across her features. “Well that was rather fast,” she commented as Jack began coughing and hacking.
The human continued coughing, staggering and eventually falling to his knees. He began wheezing as his face turned red, then suddenly lurched forward once, twice, three times.
On the third lurch, he vomited.
The changeling queen watched as bright green goo was forcibly ejected from the teen’s mouth, falling to the ground in front of him and forming a dimly glowing, highly viscous puddle. Jack spat out another stream of goo, causing the puddle to expand until it slowly flowed around his knees.
He hacked a few more times, the last drops of green goop falling out of his mouth. Chrysalis watched as he stood up, breathing heavily and looking at her exasperatedly.
“So what, emotional distress catches your attention, but me puking glowing green stuff is completely okay?” he asked, hands on his knees to support himself.
“Of course not!” she replied, looking even more surprised. “I’m just slightly surprised you digested your meal so quickly! It usually takes a whole day for a changeling, but I guess humans can do it faster.”
Jack opened his mouth to respond, finger raised pointedly in the air. He then froze, looking at the puddle, then at Chrysalis, then back again.
“Does this mean I never have to use the restroom again?” he asked.
The changeling queen chuckled. “Yes, yes it does.” She then levitated the green goo into the air as Jack stood up fully and shook his head. The goo was held in front of him, the queen looking at the teen expectantly.
“What?” he asked, looking at the goo. “Am I supposed to carry it or something?”
“I would think you would know full well by now what I expect.”
The human paused, then nodded once. He raised his left hand, slowly grabbing hold of the goo, his magic gradually replacing the queen’s. He received a nod of approval, then continued following Chrysalis as she set off once more.
“Since you’ve already processed your meal, we’re taking a detour,” she said, moving more slowly than before as Jack visibly struggled to multitask walking and using his magic.
“Where...to?” he asked, eyes pinned to his not-vomit. He momentarily stumbled over his own two feet, disrupting his concentration for an instant and nearly letting the goo fall to the ground before he caught both it and himself.
The changeling queen noticed his slip-up but did not comment on it.
“We are going to the Depot.”