I've come to realise, over the course of my internment in this broken, monstrous body, that Ponies are loud. Or perhaps I am listening far too hard, maybe I'm just too good at listening.
Clip-clop clip-clop on hard stone and rotted wood, squish on mud, heavy breath on chilled air of the dawning morning. Even the splatter of dewdrops and gentle whispers from the two guards did not escape me. Twilight was silent, her steps nervous, aura shot with streaks of anxiety.
"How do you even detect them?" One guard (Quick-wing I think) whispered to his companion, his eyes testing the shadows and failing to spot my dull black carapace. "Magic?"
Tailwind snorted -- making their charge jump slightly before she resumed her silent walk-- then whispered back "Alicorn level magic maybe." He had his own glance around, this time directly at my current hiding spot before moving on "According to the princess we're not dealing with a standard 'drone' here, the one we're chasing is a bigger version, a 'king'."
"They have royalty?" Quick cocked his ear as I did.
Tail nodded, a tinge of smug happiness growing as he explained "Something like that, all I know is what the princess told us. You'd know too if you'd been listening harder."
I was distracted while I eavesdropped so much so that I didn't quite watch my hooves, I winced as a twig snapped under my chitinous limb, luckily Tail was too engrossed in his speaking to notice the sound, though I swear Twilight's ear cocked.
Tailwind thought for a second before continuing "...Anyways, all I know is, these 'king' changelings are scary. apparently they can use their own magic to block most if not all scanning spells, so they could be only a few feet away and you'd never notice."
It took all of my willpower not to call out then, to not wave a hoof and yell "You got that right!" Just to see their reaction, I could get away easily enough, but it would only let them know I was heading the same way they were. So I kept my silence...
For Hours...
It took no end of time to trek through that dark dank forest, the twilight of dawn turning it pitch black as the sky warmed up. It was made worse by the fact that they were walking slowly in a state of paranoia, forcing me to crawl along slower and slower in order to maintain my stealth
The tidbits I found out were interesting however, the ever knowledgable Tailwind at one point stopping and snorting "Y'know, I heard that there's one fool-proof method you can use to spot any changeling."
Twilight and Quickwing both stopped and gave him a questioning look.
"Their magic" Celestia's teats I wanted to punch that smug little face in. I restrained myself just barely and listened in, creeping ever so slightly forward on my perch in a nearby tree. "I heard it from one of the guards The Princess sent to gather Miss Fluttershy." he continued, pointing at Twilight's horn as if for emphasis "All changeling magic has a green glow,. It's the one thing they can't disguise."
Twilight made a funny face here "But doesn't that mean they can't impersonate a unicorn with any other colour?"
Tailwind shook his head, aura flaring with delight at her ignorance --I made a strangled growl of irritation as I watched, an act that left me absolutely terrified that they had heard-- "Nope. They've got some sort of innate 'Notice Nothing' spell going on, means you can't see the difference in colour unless you're looking for it really hard."
There was silence for a moment as the implications sunk in.
Then Quickwing made a sidelong glance at Twilight "Say, Miss Sparkle..."
She knew what was coming. You didn't even have to listen to know what he was going to say next.
"You wouldn't mind casting a little spell for us would you?" He and the other pegasi closed ranks slightly, forming a united front to scrutinize the now nervous element bearer.
Twilight was nervous, more embarrassed than anything, but her lip stopped quivering long enough for her to regain her footing and confidence "Not at all Sirs." She smiled.
It was in that moment that it dawned on me that I didn't know any magic.
Her stance loosened, breathing slowing and steadying as she reached into the roots of herself...
I certainly didn't know any scanner-blocking spells.
That stubby purple horn began to sparkle, seemingly in slow motion with the rest of the world, a neon glow growing into life around the spiraling bone like a gassy purple flame.
I was completely defenseless, without any cover beyond the dark and my skill. Suppressing my terror to a hissing scream I retreated back, my limbs moving as if through syrup rather than air.
Her eyes closed as the spell pulsed out, purple light going out like the concussion wave of a bomb. It washed over me like tingling wave of gentle electricity.
And what else would a paranoid mare cast in a dark forest, but her very own detection spell. There was no running from this, I knew it the instant the spell touched my skin, only fighting. With an inaudible gurgle I let a wad of gooey cement-saliva build in my mouth, my lips opening as I prepared to spit and horn beginning to glow as I prepared a destructo-bolt
Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes, locking onto mine in the split second before she screamed.
The next minute was a blur of motion, made visible only by my adrenaline fueled reaction-time.
*SPLAT* The glob of green goopy glue flew as an arrow to splatter against the rearing unicorn's face, wrapping around her head and, more importantly, that dangerous little horn.
*woosh-thump* "YO-" *ba-BOOOM* Quickwing launched into the air with a shout, only to be caught mid-air by a detonating bolt of green fire.
"Miss Sp-" *Thud-Crack* It was a sickening noise, but exhilarating really, when my hoof caught the stallion's muzzle, mere seconds after I tackled him to the ground. I felt --saw through my tremorsense-- and heard the crunch of bone grinding along with the snap, the blood telling me I may have broken his jaw. I bit him and injected just to be sure.
I was no trained fighter, but I was strong and fast. Enough to take them down. Quickwing lay in a shallow trench, the surrounding undergrowth smoldering damply with a few green flames, Twilight was writhing weakly on the ground, her body slowly going limp while the goo hardened and cut off her oxygen.
I rushed faster than I had ever done before to scrape and lick the snot-green cement from her nostrils and a little from her mouth. She gasped, the panic in her aura lessening a little as her body began to suck in it's gaseous fuel.
Such a complex mix of emotion, anger and fear playing host to slivers of gratitude that were soon quashed by terror, the facts of her predicament no doubt dawning.
I ignored it all, working quickly to bite and bind the two guards before they could rouse themselves, thick green ropes to secure them to a tree while I tried to think. Twilight I just roped, I couldn't bring myself to bite her... I had promised Fluttershy, and I owed it to both her and my old brony self to try and salvage something from this.
So there I sat, waiting for her to calm down, watching her struggle against her bindings, head still enshrouded in changeling cement. It took a long time, but I was patient enough, the sun was creeping up into the sky by the time she finally stopped struggling and hung limp. Her aura had simmered to a low-key resigned fear, an acceptance of whatever fate awaited her.
Smiling to myself (Another mask... I was disgusted with myself, with what I had to do for survival. My body wasn't) I stood and walked over, rearing up high to begin my task. Her struggles began anew when she felt my tongue run accidentally off the goo onto her neck, forcing me to pin her in pace with my immense black limbs. I kept going, she had to breath.
As soon as the gag was bitten and lapped away she spoke, her denial and anger were long gone, taking her to bargaining "Let me go... Please..." Her mewling voice was pathetic, heart wrenching to hear, made all the worse when my gentle licking let tears out "I p-promise not to tell anyone, I'll let you go on your way if you just let me and the guards go..."
I stopped licking then, I couldn't bear to see her eyes, to let her see me. Again there I stood, hooves pinning my 3rd favourite of the mane six to a tree, like some monster out of a terrible fan-fiction, my fangs inches from her pulsing jugular and carotid, from her windpipe. I let some green fire go to change my throat, letting me speak in a rasping tone.
"I'm sorry... I can't ." It hurt to say that, physically hurt to see her expression fall and fresh tears appear as fright and sadness took hold again.
"Why?" was all she asked, half-heartedly tugging at the gooey ties that held her limbs.
I didn't have an answer, instead dropping down and walking away, uncaring for the dead leaves that rustled in my passing.
"Why!?" Twilight yelled, tugging a little more fiercely "What do you want from me?"
I hissed, setting myself back where I had been sat for the past few hours "Nothing but some time to think Twilight."
She tensed, her mind racing "Are you going to hurt me?" she cringed away, untrusting of the dark and muted world her goopy helmet allowed "Are you going to hurt Quickwing, or Tailwind?"
I chuckled lightly with false humour, even that sound setting the unicorn on edge. "Of course not Twilight. I'd never hurt you." I stood again, moving to check n the paralyzed pegasi, whose auras blazed with fury and fear. Their eyes were free to watch me as I came, checking my mini-splint on the broken jaw was holding. I let my tone take on a hint of my own depression "I-I love you girls... I really want nothing more than you to be safe, to be happy and loved by others that can do it better than I. Fluttershy made me promise no to hurt any of you."
The purple librarian surged with vitriolic anger, sudden and strong "You expect me to believe that!? You almost killed her..." Tears fell as sad memories tainted her fury "...Y-you MONSTER!"
Her anger infected me, the revival of that horrid moment put a glaze of red over my eyes, prompting me to rear up and roar into her face, something primal reaching up and grabbing control of me for the moment. I smashed splintery craters into the wood either side of her whimpering, cowering body and snarled with fangs centimeters from her "I don't care if you DO!"
The bestial me took some satisfaction in her flinch, even as I growled through the angry haze "If I am a monster, what then?" My roar was a chaotic mix of all kinds of predatory creature, from lion to the tyrannosaurus "WHAT! THEN?!
She retreated into herself, cowering away as best she could. I leaned in closer, enough that when I spoke my fangs grazed her cheek, my horn dug into the rotten bark above her head.
I held there for a moment, breathing hot rage into the face of Twilight Sparkle and watching her aura flicker through shades of terror and panic. Then I calmed. Then I wept beneath my mask, dropping down to my hooves and looking up at her "Nothing Twi- Miss Sparkle, nothing at all..." I sighed "Because I am a monster, and I don't want to hurt you. I promised."
Her silence dissolved into gulping, terrified sobs.
I felt like hanging myself, despite a jovially black-humor tone "Besides Miss Sparkle... If Celestia wants my head on a platter for injuring Fluttershy, can you imagine how angry she'd get if I hurt you?"
She didn't share my chuckle, instead continuing to try and calm herself --rather unsuccessfully.
I tried to put on a brave face "Would it help if I turned into one of your friends?" Applejack's form became mine in a wash of emerald flames "Do y'all need a hug?"
Equestria has a sense of dramatic I would later suspect. Because when I reared up on my borrowed hooves to give Twilight a friendly embrace I heard a voice pipe up behind me, an unfamiliar female.
"...You're not helping you know..."
I stopped mid-hug, made cautious by the strange sense of elation welling up in Twilight and the guards at the sound of the voice.
The newcomer lounged at the edge of the clearing, wearing the skin of a pink alicorn with a curly multicolored mane.
Twilight crowed despite her fear "Cade-" I shoved a glob of goo on her mouth, barely even noticing her struggling uner my hooves
I was Stunned, shocked so hard my disguise fell away and I dropped to all fours again. In the moment after I looked to the Alicorn I saw through her disguise, the eyes green and cat-like under the fakes, teeth where fangs would be, Chitin and holey hooves beneath the false skin
I was staring at a creature just like myself, a changeling.
She (I knew it was a she, I just did) made anger rise like bile in my throat the longer I stared, a name rising in my throat like poison before being spat out into the world.
"Chrysalis"
It was not my mind that knew that name, some remnant of my body's old owner spoke it for me, made me snarl and hiss, body slipping into an attack stance with horn aglow.
The false pony (Chrysalis or Cadance?) merely smiled, eyes twinkling with malevolence that only I could see.