A set of curious blue eyes watched a display case full of resting caterpillars. A small girl lightly tapped the glass impatiently. “Most of the caterpillars are in pupae stages.” A smile flashed across the child’s face as she cooed at her precious pets. “They are going to be so pretty when they dance for me.”
“<--->, are you outside?” She could hear her father from the house. The girl gasped and ran back towards the house. Fog slightly obscured her vision as she jumped between the tree trunks. She had to be careful of the thorns in the thick forest.
The girl leapt onto the front porch and dove through the open front door. Her father was tall, lanky, and had an air of scholarliness. He opened his arms and kneeled down to her level. His daughter squealed before she jumped into his chest with a love tackle. The girl enjoyed the embrace, but it felt prickly. She looked up at her father’s face. His eyes were gone. A black abyss of nothing stared back at her.
The Queen woke up with a gasp. She felt cold. She always felt cold after those dreams. The Queen crawled out of bed with a depressed groan. “Haven’t had dreams like that in a long time. I think the last one was decades ago.” Heavy clops echoed in the chamber as she approached her full length gem embodied mirror. “Those creatures don’t even exist, why are they even on my mind?”
‘Aw, is the little queen getting all worked up over a scary dream?’
The Queen grabbed her brush and sneered at the mirror. “They are hardly worth any effort to even think about. I find them annoying.”
‘Is that why your eyes sting every time you wake up from one?’
‘I like the dreams, until the scary parts.’’
“Waste of time.” The Queen brushed her mane carefully as she continued to glare at herself. Her green unforgiving eyes were slightly moist and she hated it.
‘Why do you even bother dolling yourself up? These bugs won’t know the difference.’
‘Hey, don’t talk bad about our subjects.’
“Enough!” The Queen threw the brush back into its holder and placed her crown on her head. “We have work to do.”
We must feed
“I know.”
The Queen hovered across her room and parted the slime covered door with her magic. She walked out onto a balcony and beheld her kingdom. It was a massive underground fortress, big enough to hold Canterlot in. The mountain that contained the kingdom spiraled high into the sky; it warned travelers of the dangers close by. The Queen couldn’t recall who constructed this ruined kingdom, but such antiquated thoughts were far from her mind. The morning sun pierced through the many cave entrances on the mountain side.
Hundreds of thousands of changelings could be seen as they scuttled around with their assigned duties. The Queen’s horn started to glow a bright green. Her mind was one with the Hive and the voices of all her subjects overtook her. As simple minded changelings are, they are loud when a million of them talked at the same time. The Queen could feel a familiar warm buzz when they all recognized her. They all welcomed her to another morning.
The Queen chuckled before she jumped off the balcony. “So much to get done.”
We must feed
***
“I love you, Scarlet.” A pale, drugged yellow pegasus stallion with a wind wisp cutie mark whispered sweet adorations to his beloved. His eyes glowed a sickly green while he nuzzled her. His mind was so lost that he could not see that he was in a prison held together by a green goo and cold stone. The weak sounds of moans from his cell mates could be heard.
A cherry red earth mare kissed him softly on his cheek. “You look tired, Butler. Get some rest darling.” Her companion mumbled an agreement before resting his head on the pile of hay under him. Scarlet Cake slinked her way out of the holding cell, her stomach churned. The love was forced and stale, but it was needed. Food was always better from a willing gullible source, but The Queen rarely did any field work. The only exception to that rule was large plans that required her touch.
‘Well that was dull. I think we should’ve removed the mind spell just so we could hear him scream.’
‘That would be mean.’
“Shut up.” The Queen hissed. “I have enough to make another brood.”
‘Great, moldy jailbait love, just what we needed. This brood is going to be the cream of the crop.’
‘I want to name the little ones this time.’
The Queen sighed as she trotted down the empty poorly lit corridors descending farther down into the labyrinth depths. She hoped that the field harvesters would come soon so she could create superior changelings. The ones created from the dullard prison ponies really could only do simple manual labor. If she gave anything too complicated they would trip over their own hooves.
Celestia
“Give it time.” The Queen came upon a heavy stone door that guarded the Swarms’ most precious commodities. Only the Queen was allowed beyond this sacred door, only she could make use of the ingredients found inside. “We’ve almost recovered from the failed Canterlot invasion. I need to formulate another plan soon, maybe a fake diplomacy meeting.”
‘You tried that remember. That was about one thousand seven hundred and seventy one years ago.’
‘Luna was pretty mad at you that day.’
The ancient door swung opened as The Queen glided past the rows of plants and thorns preserved in time jars. All the ingredients needed to create changelings were here, it looked like a greenhouse frozen in place.
Colorful alien flowers plucked from their plants and only found here wrapped themselves around their containers. Enticing shrubs covered in white and pink flowers hung from the ceiling. No matter the season, these poisonous shrubs were always green and full of life. Just like the other plant, though it’s more obvious that it is an evergreen. The shrub plant was covered in needles and bright red berries. The crown ingredient was a shrub with small scarlet flowers and thick thorns. These thorns could easily cut flesh and had to be handled with care.
Green changeling flames flickered at the workbench. The Queen casually levitated over a jar of thorns towards herself as she has done countless times before. The Queen had been doing this for so long she one time successfully created a brood while she slept. Her horn glowed as green slim grew in front of her. After she created the incubator, she placed the thorns inside with the crushed flowers and berries. The Queen exhaled tarnished love over her creation. A carapace started to form in the thick ooze.
Food
The Queen looked up at the ceiling as a familiar buzz crept up in the back of her mind. “I think my harvesters have arrived.”
‘Let’s go get some of that love.’
A ring of green flames sprung to life around The Queen and she started to sink into the floor. A black void overtook her; it was the fastest way to travel through her hive even if it scared her a tiny bit. She would never admit it. Celestia’s sun eventually pierced the darkness as The Queen rose from the earth. A swarm of changelings that numbered in the hundreds buzzed all around her, they greeted her with blank stares. She could taste the warm stolen love that off from them. The harvest this year has been productive.
‘Aw, they look so happy.’
The Queen grinned. “Excellent.”
***
‘We could spark a war between two nations. That would be fun.’
‘Boredom is not a valid reason to start a war.’
“Everything is peaceful among the dragons?” The Queen asked a young harvester that smelled distinctly of soot and ashes. It nodded and a small buzz ringed in The Queen’s mind. “Not surprising, they all just got home from their migration. Most of them will be sleeping for a couple of decades. As usual, that’s when we can take some valuables from their horde. Dismissed.”
Pony
‘Yep, this one definitely smells of ponies. Wonder if anything tasty is happening.’
‘He seems anxious.’
The changeling landed before its queen before it started to chirp. As it fluttered its wings, the same buzz returned to The Queen’s mind. Happy ponies in their happy towns and their happy pointless lives. The more things change...wait.
“Some of the Elements are in a herd.”
‘Oh this is perfect. Can we completely ruin their happiness?’
“Your report of their stallion is strange. Why?” The Queen leaned down to the changelings face. It fidgeted a bit but did not back down. “You don’t recognize it. Transform.”
Bright green flames flashed as the changeling changed. The process was a little slower than normal, but whatever it was it was tall. The Queen’s neutral expression vanished as soon as the changeling finished.
‘W-w-what?’
‘What is the meaning of this?’
‘Those creatures are merely dreams. How is this possible?’
‘Il se trouve!’
‘He’s not lying. Changelings can’t lie to us!’
‘thEy aCtually Do exisT.’
“A human! A real human!?” The Queen backed off and stumbled over her hooves. Her eyes were wide as her wings twitched uncontrollably.
‘All this time, all those dreams.’
The Queen looked straight into the human’s eyes and hesitantly approached him. Her breathing was heavy as she closed in. “Where did he come from? Do you have anything else on him?”
The human stared back at her. His eyes did not move and his expression remained hard with no emotions to be found. “Lero. His name is Lero. Stallion and herd member to Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Lyra Heartstrings.”
The Queen bit her lip and started to pace around Lero. This could give her answers. Those dreams have persisted with her all her life. He might be connected to them somehow. A grin grew on her face.
“Time for a trip.”
***
‘Ah Ponyville, the sight of our many failures. Isn’t it great?’
Sweet Bread sighed as she glided over the simple town. The golden brown pegasus viewed the humble town and all the little ponies as they moved about. They were not important; it was the human that mattered. For now anyway.
‘Keep to the skies. The pink, loud one won’t be able find us there. She always scares me.’
Out of the corner of her eye, Sweet Bread could have sworn a pink pony zipped down an alley way.
‘For the love of all things, go higher!’
“Hi there!”
Sweet Bread screamed as she came muzzle to muzzle to the very pony she wanted to avoid at all cost, Pinkie Pie. “Oops, didn’t mean to scare ya.”
Sweet Bread held a hoof as she tried steady herself. This could end poorly. “Hello, you’re riding an interesting...thing.”
“Oh this old thing.” Pinkie Pie leaned back and presented her thingamajig with pride. “Just something I threw together one day. It’s not important though, you are a new pony. Rrrriiiighhhttt?” Pinkie Pie looked at Sweet Bread with raised eyebrows and a small grin.
“Yes, I’m Sweet Bread.” A batch of confetti flew into her face accompanied by an out of tune horn melody.
“Welcome to Ponyville! Have a cupcake.” Sweet found herself an owner of a lemon glazed strawberry cupcake that she viewed with hidden disgust. “What brings you to our small humble totally amazing town?”
‘Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie.’
“I’m just looking around.” Sweet Bread piped up a little louder than she wanted to. Then an idea crossed her mind.
‘Don’t do it.’
‘That’s a really bad idea.’
‘She knows. We are not fooling her.’
“I heard about this strange creature called a human and I was a little curious.”
Pinkie Pie gasped and grabbed Sweet Bread by her forelegs. “You should totally meet him. Lero is like the bestest human friend a pony could ever have. I try my hardest to get my ears scratched by him at least once a day, which feels really, really good.”
Sweet Bread ears perked up and she grinned along with Pinkie Pie. “Really? Can you can introduce him to me?”
“Sure, come on.” Pinkie Pie immediately throttled her thingamajig and sent them both into corkscrew nosedive. Sweet Bread was dragged along with gritted teeth the whole way. Somehow, Pinkie Pie safely bypassed all traffic despite her reckless maneuvers, some of which even Rainbow Dash would have scolded her for. Sweet Bread squeaked as Pinkie Pie suddenly stopped and they crashed into each other. Sweet Bread suppressed a growl as she laid muzzle first into the ground.
“Are you crazy? Were you trying to put us in a hospital?” Sweet Bread pulled herself out of the ground with a loud pop and tried to glare at Pinkie Pie. Instead, her vision was filled with somepony’s pants who stood on their hind hooves. A small gasp escaped her lips as her gaze carried her up. This guy was not a pony and was really tall. The changeling got the red facial hair and mane correct, though this one was a little scruffier. He smelt nice.
“Pinkie, who is this?” A distinctly deep voice sent shivers down Sweet Bread’s spine.
Sweet Bread attempted to formulate words, but Pinkie Pie decided that introductions that took more than a second to start were far too long. “Lero, this is Sweet Bread. Sweet Bread this is Tasty Bread, I mean Lero.”
“H-hi.”Sweet Bread slowly got her to hooves, her gaze never left Lero. The changeling got his appearance slightly wrong, he was a lot broader.
Lero knelt down to her eye level. He had a calm smile that belied his intimidating appearance. Finally, after hazy dreams that confused her for eons, Sweet Bread was finally able to confront the one thing that has haunted her every move. She almost trembled with anticipation, but she managed to suppress her eagerness. He held out his hand to her palm up.
“Don’t mind Pinkie, she’s always trying to help others. It is a pleasure to meet you Sweet Bread.”
“Sure.” Sweet Bread placed her twitching hoof into his palm.
Spark.
Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie. Aimee. Everything you are is a lie. A lie. Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie. Everything you are is a lie.
Enough
Sweet Bread jerked her hoof out of Lero’s hand like it was on fire. All of her extremities tingled uncontrollably as her heart raced like she just got done with a marathon. A sharp headache pulsed in her head which made her wince. Sweet Bread’s wings twitched at full mast with some of the feathers jolted out of place.
Lero flinched. “Ouch, did you just come from a lightning storm?”
“No, sorry, so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” With ears folded back, Sweet Bread backed away from Lero only to bump into Pinkie Pie. “I should go.”
Before either of them could protest, Sweet Bread took off. If they did say anything, she was too far away to hear them now, and her mind was too fuddled to make anything out. She flew up as far as she could; she wasn’t sure how high she went. Clouds and pegasi past her by in a blur as the air started to chill her coat. She started to wobble as exhaustion started to set in. The trip to reach Ponyville was far enough as it was, but now Sweet Bread just felt drained. She threw herself on a cloud.
‘Well, I have nothing.’
‘Was that normal for humans?’
‘What was the meaning of that?’
‘Plus jamais.’
The cloud she had landed on became more comfortable as Sweet Bread sank into darkness. After everything that had happened, she welcomed sleep.
***
“Surprise!!!”
The lights come to life as a crowd of humans popped out from behind furniture, under tables, and that one funny guy that likes to hide behind the lamp. He’s portly enough that the love seat couldn’t hide him. The room had balloons of all the colors of a rainbow tacked on everywhere. Streamers spiraled down from the ceiling and confetti climbed up from hands that tossed them.
‘My friends. All my friends are here!’
The birthday girl tackled hugged her friend closest to her at that moment and was soon followed by her other friends into a group hug. Just her and her friends, dad will just have to hang out somewhere else.
The party became a blur with activates lined up. Board games, dancing, sports, and rode on some of daddy’s horses. All throughout the day, her friends gave her flowers and wished her a happy birthday.
“Happy Birthday Aimee!”
***
The Queen woke up peacefully. Which was new as all her other dreams left in a crippled state. On top of that, this dream was not as murky and hazy as all of her other dreams. She now knew the name of that little girl, Aimee. This dream also did not end with imagery that frightened her.
‘When was the last time we had a dream so close together?’
‘This was pleasant.’
“Did Lero, have something to do with this?” The Queen got up and shook the drowsiness off her body.
Despite the good night sleep, she still felt trepidation. Something happened yesterday, she wanted closure, but now all she was left with was more questions. The Queen growled as she started to scrap the cloud with her hoof. The cloud turned dark as she pondered her next move. She was not about to leave this alone, not now.
Go back
“I don’t think so.” The Queen spat. “I refuse to let this one slip by me.”
He is nothing
Go back
“No!” The cloud beneath her sparked with lightning as she stomped her hooves.
“You will not tell me what to do. I will not live with this thing gnawing, pestering, and eroding me. I have lived far too long to be denied. This human, whatever he may be, is connected to my dreams. I hate them! They have been nothing but a thorn in my flesh; a worm that has poisoned me. My mind is weak from the torment and my own body has betrayed me. Answers will be my salvation, and he will surrender them.”
‘Maybe we can hurt the Elements while we are at it. Nothing warms the heart like a beautiful misunderstanding followed by a resentful breakup.’
The Queen laughed. “Yes, but of course.”
The cloud crackled and glowed as electricity warped around it. The Queen leapt off towards Ponyville ready to do what changelings do best, they stalked their prey.
***
Lero was hunted for days; to be a successful changeling this is very necessary. The Queen needed to study her target, not just his habits and patterns, but of those around him as well. What does he like, who does he consider his closest friends, how he acts around his herd mates; all these are important if she wanted to learn to exploit him without trouble. She watched him work, eat, sleep, and make love. Normally this would be a job for one of The Queen’s harvesters. They don’t get bored, while The Queen could.
This week was different though. She hunted a human, not a pony. He did not act like a pony and yet he lived among them. Well he tried to anyway; some pony body language was lost on him. He really was not aware how good it felt to ponies that got scratched behind the ears, or if they made a rude gesture. The latter was not all that common, but it was obvious that some ponies did not really care for him. One earth pony mare in particular organized a group to antagonize him. The Queen could smell the fear from her.
‘Ya, that one has xenophobia painted all over her.’
A familiar mindset the ponies have that The Queen has used to justify most of her actions. Not that she really needed to justify herself, but when a self-righteous warrior would bother her a nicely prepared speech of the cruelties of the world was enough to leave them open for a death blow. Idiot heroes.
‘Some of them genuinely felt sorry for us, even if you did lie.’
‘Speaking of idiot heroes.’
Twilight Sparkle, that accursed mare that led to The Queen’s last failure, lived a happy blissful life with Lero. The Queen watched as Lero and Twilight interacted with one another. She would brush up next to playfully, steal kisses at unexpected moments, and serenade to him when he napped. Twilight actually did this with her other herd mates as well, but she especially enjoyed his reactions. Lero, in turn, would occasionally let her ride him on his back (he found it rather funny), help her with research, and kiss her horn in private.
‘I’m sure many suitors in Canterlot curse Lero’s name for taking her.’
Twilight and Lero sat alone in a secluded spot at the park. It was a little after noon, and they both had a cone of ice cream. Twilight snacked on mint chocolate, while Lero licked a vanilla/chocolate swirl. The sun threatened their dessert so they raced against their treat’s short lifespan.
“You got a little bit dribbling down the side.” Twilight couldn’t help but smirk as her long tongue slurped all around her ice cream cone.
Lero quickly turned his cone, and quickly lashed out his tongue. “Got it.”
Twilight nudged him as he lapped up his ice cream. “I think it got you.”
“Huh, where? I don’t see anything.”
“It got you right about...” Twilight quickly kissed him on the lips then licked his nose. “...there.”
They giggled as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in closer. Twilight sighed as she nuzzled his neck and carefully rested her head on his shoulders. She could hear his calm heartbeat and the love that came with that. He grinned mischievously as he quickly helped himself to a little bit of her ice cream. Twilight quickly yanked it away, but it was too late.
“Hmm, you don’t usually go for mint.” Lero laughed as he licked his lips.
“Something different for today. Thanks for meeting with me. I know we are both busy with things to do, but this has been nice. If we had more time, maybe we could have had some more fun.”
Lero gave her a smile that suggested he knew what she implied. “Well, maybe later tonight,” he started to play with her mane with his free hand. “We could mess around and discuss some of that energy flow math. I know you love that stuff.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Twilight busted out with a giggle-snort. “Be careful what you wish for. I just might bring it home, and then we can use the coefficient of thaumic fluctuation to a—“
“Welp, this about to quickly go into Lero you don’t know jack.” Lero got up as he swallowed the rest of his ice cream cone. He knelt down and pecked Twilight on the lips. “I need to get going. I’ll see you later.”
The peck he intended to give her lasted a little longer; Twilight could taste chocolate in his mouth. They lingered for a moment before he broke it off. “Love ya.”
“I love you, and you’re about to be late.”
“Oh, shoot!” Lero quickly scratched her ears then scrambled off. Twilight sighed happily with her half finished ice cream still in her magic grasp. Her happy smile vanished as soon as Lero left and with a quick flick of green magic threw the ice cream into the trash.
***
Aimee held her baggage tightly as the mass of people around her shifted. She bit her lip as she squirmed in her seat. The world passed her by outside the train window. It didn’t matter to her; she could easily remember the green countryside from her previous trips. A hand wrapped around her shoulders and squeezed tightly.
“Are you going to be alright?” Her father, Dr. Chevalier, softly smiled that gave a hint of pride.
Aimee allowed a forced chuckle to pass her lips. “Just nervous; I mean this is big. I’m going to college. Not any old college, one of the biggest ones in the country. I am definitely going to be a minority. I might be the only girl there.”
“That hasn’t bothered you before, and if you have any trouble with boys remember what I taught you.”
“I remember a lot from what you taught me, but like you have said, experience is the best teacher.” Aimee slumped down into her seat.
Her dad reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small bar of candy. “You were practically my assistant; I had trouble trying to keep you out of my work. You’ll be just fine.”
Aimee smiled as she grabbed the candy bar and took a bite. “Minty.”
***
Rainbow Dash was a mare that had tendencies that conflicted with her. She loved attention, relished in it. Rainbow Dash lived for the moment, whether it resulted from physical prowess or heroic deeds. However, she was sensitive to slander and would react aggressively when insulted.
‘Doesn’t help that she’s ugly.’
‘I thought, we thought, that you thought that all ponies were ugly.’
‘This one is considered over muscled with no bounce in her flank.’
‘It’s probably why Lero is perfect for her; he’s blind to her physical imperfections.’
‘If she was born in the Iron Hoof era she would have been considered beautiful.’
‘Rainbow reminds me of a war lord, like that one mare, Storm Breach.’
‘Hate her, she killed so many changelings.’
‘And ponies. She was the first pegasus war lord that used some of the other races in her army. Her tactics using earth ponies were brutal.’
‘I don’t remember, what happened to her?’
‘wheN She wAs olD And feeBle, We bRoke hEr necK.’
That perfectly happy couple that loved each other despite what anypony had to say. Rainbow Dash out of all the mares in the herd was more physical with Lero, and not just for the passionate moments. She would always have a wing close enough to touch him, and if they were sitting down close to one another she would hug him close with a wing. Rainbow also nibbled on him occasionally if nopony was around. She loved how he tasted, smelled, and felt against her coat. Lero was not alien to her, regardless of his nature.
‘Then we have him. Lero is certainly interesting.’
‘She was his first. I wonder what motivated him to be with her.’
‘Regardless, he is connected to her. I don’t know how but a small piece of him is with her. Like he made a vow with her.’
‘Can humans do magic? I feel something.’
‘Not a clue. Equestria's natural magic doesn't mesh with him very well.’
Rainbow Dash hung on a cloud as she watched Lero slug his way home from Sweet Apple Acres. The dirge of weather soaked him to the core. He most likely just got done with a tedious job that required his skills. Rainbow was pretty sure that the apple fritters that he loved so much encouraged him to make the trip. Lero loved them almost as much as Rainbow loved apple cider.
Lero was not in any real hurry, it would be pointless. The heavy rainfall was warm and the clouds above him allowed some sunlight to pass through. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes as the rain washed over him. Rainbow fluttered down behind him and landed carefully. He didn’t make any indications that he heard her as she slinked her way up to him. She stood up on her back hooves and covered his eyes with a wing.
“Guess who?”
“Hmm, soft feathers so obviously someone with wings, young, and probably just got done working hard. Blue Lightning, is that you?” Lero had a mischievous grin on his face.
“Blue Lightning? So you’re the reason my subordinates have been slacking? ” Rainbow Dash proceeded to rub his head vigorously.
Lero ducked under her hoof and attempted to escape her grasp. “She still works harder than her boss.”
“Hey, when I can do my job faster than you can take off your pants I have all the time I need.” Rainbow hugged tighter as she softly bit his neck.
Lero squirmed as he squashed his head down on her. “Giving you plenty of time to play or nap thus proving my first point. Gah, stop that!”
Lero stifled a laugh as Rainbow Dash started to dig in. “This is way too much fun.”
“This, however, is even better.” Rainbow pulled Lero around and kissed him. Rainbow tittered in the air before she landed on her back hooves and wrapped her forelegs around him. The rain was the only sound heard as they embraced one another. Their wet hair intertwined as his hands went through her mane while her wings wrapped around him and covered his back.
Lero broke the kiss. “How’s work?”
Rainbow Dash groaned as her wings slightly drooped. “There was a freak cold front that came out of nowhere. We almost had the rain turn into a freezing shower.”
Lero slightly cringed at the thought. “That would not be pleasant to run through. Thanks for stopping that.”
“No problem, my team is way too awesome to have something like that stop us.” Rainbow Dash laughed as she brushed the tip of her feathers on the back of his neck. “I’m on a quick break right now and I knew exactly where to find you.”
“Glad we met up.” Lero wrapped an arm around Rainbow as she hovered next to him. He walked down the muddy path with a warm smile on his face. Rainbow Dash flicked her ears as her human stallion started to hum. She turned her head towards him with a dropped jaw and wide eyes. If he noticed he didn’t show any indication.
I'm singing in the rain
Just singing in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again
I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ready for love
I don’t remember the rest
Something about chasing clouds
Still singing in the rain
I’m happy again
Rainbow Dash hummed along with Lero as he finished his song. “You had something really good going on there, but you dropped the ball.”
“Hey now, it’s been years since I heard that song.” Lero gave her a side glance with feigned frustration.
“But you know what big guy?” Rainbow flew around in front of him. “It sounded sweet.” She pecked Lero on the lips and smiled. “I have to get going.”
“I’ll see you at home.” Lero watched Rainbow fly above the cloud line. He turned down the road and with a spring in his step whistled along home.
High above the clouds, Rainbow watched him carefully.
“Juste chanter sous la pluie.”
***
Aimee threw her container against the wall as she screamed. Pencils and pens scattered everywhere in her dorm room, one pencil hit her light on the ceiling while a pen exploded against the wall. Aimee gave the new ink spot on her wall no attention as she paced the room. The lamp swung erratically as displays full of butterfly exhibits casted long shadows over stacks of papers.
The display cases showed the stages of caterpillar to butterfly stages as the insect transformed inside the chrysalis. Several dozen species were used with paper diagrams that pointed out all the differences and nuances between them. One of the projects had fallen over because some of the pens and pencils had flown into it.
Aimee hands gripped one another tightly as she looked at the desk where all her work was. Surrounded by stacks of papers was a single report with red ink letters imprinted on the cover. Some of her work was cut to ribbons, evidence that someone rummaged through and cut out sections of important information. She walked over to the paper and stared at the offensive report.
See me later
Aimee sat down on her chair and buried her face in her hands. She could fill a moat with the candle wax that she has burned from all her long nights, and now she was accused with copying another student’s work. Aimee had to plead desperately in order to not be expelled, but it still cost her grade and the class. Her dad warned her to be careful and she was, but it was clearly not enough.
Aimee’s attention was caught by a slow knock at the door. She looked up and saw her dad as he leaned on the door. In an instant she was in his arms, tears flowed down her face. His hand held her close as he began to whisper condolences.
***
There was once a master of fighting, this mare was so powerful that it was said that she subdued dragons with a stare, parted unstoppable rivers, and laid waste to kingdoms. The art was named Still Way after her name. A student that truly understood Still Way had complete control of not only themselves, but everything around them. A pony could look at another and see them down to their core. The idiosyncrasies of a pony’s heartbeat, strayed twitches of muscle fibers, and the mana that flowed throughout their form; all of this was revealed to the Still Way masters.
‘Which is probably why this young warrior finds him so interesting. She sees something new in him every day.’
‘This mare seems familiar, did we seduce her once?’
‘She was assigned to guard Princess Cadance during her wedding.’
‘Oh right, we had to neutralize her. Mind controlling Still Way masters is always fun.’
To understand Still Way is to be complete in body, mind and spirit. Which is why it is encouraged to have a love life, if it completed the pony then balance is found. Lyra saw Lero as that someone who brought her balance. She loved to watch him move, how he saw the world, and it was cute when he tried to figure out something new. The Queen could not figure out the circumstances that brought Lyra to Lero, but they were together now.
He was a lot like Lyra in a way; Lero, The Queen discovered, is extremely patient and often tried to avoid conflict whenever he could. In the herd dynamics, Lero or Lyra would be the ones that calmed arguments. While both Rainbow and Twilight were very intelligent ponies, they had a tendency to be impulsive and emotionally driven. Both Lyra and Lero served as anchor points and solid foundations.
Lero lounged in the open field with his eyes closed. Tall grass swayed around him as a stray leaf landed on his forehead. He brushed it off lazily and continued to daydream. An apple rested in his hand as he slowly carved it with a small knife. Lyra slowly traced her hooves on a nearby rock, she breathed quietly with a steady rhythm. The world was balanced.
Pony belly flop on human.
Lero gasped at the sudden weight on his trunk, his face jerked up and immediately got a face full of pony tail. Lyra laid on Lero longwise and stared at blue sky like everything was perfectly normal.
“Lyra!” Lero spat out ponytail.
Lyra rocked her head as she hummed to herself. “Yes, Fingers?”
Lero tried to respond but a well placed tail flicked across his nose. Lyra dragged her hoof down Lero’s leg to his exposed feet. “You want me to play with your very sensitive feet, is that what you are asking me?”
Lero wiggled an arm loose and grabbed the tortuous tail. Lyra couldn’t see his sly grin. “Why dear madam, are you trying to seduce me?”
Lyra flicked her tail out of his grip and spun around to face him muzzle to nose. “Nope, if I was doing that I would be flirting with you.”
“Of course.” Lero rolled his eyes. He laid his head back down and stared up into the cloud free sky. “You’re done with your Still Way training?”
Lyra seemed to ignore his question as she laid her head down on his chest. He sighed as he started to stroke her mane. Lero took a slice of apple and gave it to her. Lyra licked it slowly before she grabbed it with her mouth. She carefully manipulated the apple slice with her lips then kissed her human stallion. Lero gingerly received the kiss and bite a part of the apple slice from Lyra’s mouth. She giggled as she chewed her half of the fruit. They stayed there in perfect silence as Lyra snuggled under Lero’s chin.
“What happens in the end?”
Lero raised an eyebrow at the sudden strange question. “The end?”
“After life ends what happens?” Lyra asked as she gestured absentmindedly with her left hoof.
“Like after we die?”
Lyra nodded. “I’m a little curious what my favorite human thinks.”
“Well we had a lot of ideas back at home, but no real definite answer.” Lero glanced at her before he continued. “A popular idea is that we all have spirits that go on to a place that knows no suffering or pain. There are different qualifications depending on the religion; usually you have to be good. Those who are evil end up living in eternal torture.”
Lyra’s ears folded back and her tail twitched. “Oh, what are the others?”
“Well there is this one religion where you try to find inner balance with one’s self like your Still Way, but they are trying to not be a part of the world. Supposedly the world is full of nothing but pain and suffering, so they find peace by removing themselves from it, being enlightened if you will. I’m sure there is a religion that you would have joined. Like I said, humans had a lot of ideas and we would be here all day if I tried to explain them all.”
Lyra flashed Lero a bright smile. “That doesn’t sound too bad of an idea.”
“Of course you don’t think so; you’re not the one that can’t feel their foot.” Lero poked her muzzle with his pinky.
Lyra snorted. “Well I don’t have a foot to begin with...are you calling me fat?”
“Oops, gotta go!” Lero quickly rolled her off, Lyra squeaked in shock. He bounced up and tried to make a mad dash for it. He forgot one thing though, his leg was still asleep and he stumbled. He felt his ankle grabbed by a telekinetic force that held him up. His entire world was upside down and all he could see was the mad grin of his herd mate.
“Now where are you off to in such a hurry, you almost had an accident.”
“Well you know, I have a bad case of foot in mouth disease. Something very unique to humans, I don’t think you would understand. Very serious.”
“Sounds fatal.” Lyra kissed him while he dangled from her grasp.
“You’ve gotten stronger. Normally you would be straining holding me up this long.” Lero held out his hands as Lyra slowly lowered him to the ground.
Lyra hugged him as he got up. “I’m going to stay here for a while. Don’t you have an appointment with Fluttershy?”
“Ya, the chicken coop have holes in it, and I think Fluttershy must have been watching some hyperactive fillies.”
“I’ll see you later, Fingers.”
Lero chuckled as he his hands brushed across her withers. “Love you, Horny.”
Lyra did not move from her spot when he left. Her whimsical smile was replaced with a dead expression that betrayed no emotion, her eyes sealed shut.
“What happens in the end...”
***
Terror. Dread. Helplessness. How else could anyone have felt? A storm of dust, thunder, and lightening loomed on the horizon, and a nightmare of metal and fire rolled across cities. Most could not escape the destruction; the train rails were demolished, planes shot from the sky, and to use a vehicle meant you gambled with your life.
Aimee had to take that chance. The invaders approached from the north and death stretched out before them. South is where she could escape and reach her home, where she hoped to meet up with her father. From there they would take a ship to someplace safe, like the Americas.
“What are you doing?” Aimee looked up at the desperate face of her classmates, she couldn’t remember his name at the moment. Probably didn’t matter anyway.
“What does it look like? I’m getting out of here.” Aimee grabbed the essentials, canteen full of water, a few extra clothes, a towel...
“If you leave the German army might blow you up. They won’t target civilians, but they are hitting refugees.” His British accent started to annoy her as she rifled through her paper work. Timothy, that’s his name.
“Might get blown up here as well. If that doesn’t happen there are other possibilities.” Aimee picked a segment of her butterfly display. Her shoulders drooped as she placed the old project back on the desk and grabbed her art book. A loose page fluttered out and drifted lazily across the room before it landed at the young man’s feet.
Timothy sighed as he knelt down to get it for her. “Didn’t know you could draw, and it’s not about an insect.” It was a colored picture of a blue roan Andalusian horse with no distinctive markings. On the bottom left was a name: Amie.
Aimee snatched from his hands a little harsher than she intended. “It’s my horse back home. Dad has a bunch of animals that we take care of; just another reason why I have to go back.” She grabbed her heavy and very expensive school books and stuffed them into her suitcase.
“Hey, if you wait for me I can help.” Timothy took out his keys and dangled them. “I’m not going to risk my chances here either.”
“Really, you’re going to help me?” Aimee’s eyes widened as she paused.
A thunderous boom faraway is heard, they both cringed and Timothy dropped his keys. “Y-ya, let’s get going.”
***
The Queen paced furiously in the safety of the Everfree Forest. The forest did not move, make a sound, or challenge her presence. For what can stand against the Queen except the Sun and the Moon?
“The dreams have become clearer and clearer every time we make contact with Lero. Her name, feelings, dreams, and goals...all of it. Why is her life my mind’s entire focus!?” With a sudden pulse of green magic a tree was obliterated with green fire. “What makes this girl so special? I have nothing to do with her!” The Queen stomped towards a clear pool of water and glared at her reflection.
‘Those dreams have started to feel real. That should be impossible.’
‘Before we met Lero the dreams did not make sense, but now they can be pieced together.’
‘Maybe they are—‘
“No.” The Queen snarled.
‘—our dreams. Maybe we—‘
“No!”
Do not
‘—we are Aimee.’
“No!!! We are The Queen! I am mighty, powerful, and without peer. For all who behold my beauty despair, and we are as terrifying as the coming of night. My wrath has laid waste kingdoms, dragons bow to my whim, and the Sun and the Moon weep like helpless foals. My bite is colder than a windigo, my gaze deadlier than a gorgon, and my magic is darker than death’s cowl. I am not a shivering mortal human girl!” The forest grew dark as The Queen roared. Her eyes sucked in any light that surrounded her. Drops of saliva sizzled when they hit the ground.
‘We have never had a name. We were always The Queen. Always!’
‘We kIlL, KiLl, kILl! oUr pUrpoSe iS To deVouR.’
‘We are proud, do not speak blasphemy.’
We have fed go back home
‘He was tasty. I think he was the best meal we’ve ever had. Even stronger than Shining, we can make a fantastic brew of changelings.’
The Queen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This journey was successful, and if she wanted to she can come back later to do it again. Leave the herd intact. Waste not, want not.
‘Change.’
The Queen perked her ears up.
‘Change into her.’
“Excuse me, what do you think you are doing?” The Queen demanded, her voice harsh.
‘We didn’t come here to eat, we came for answers. Change!’
No
‘Change!!’
NO
‘Change!!!’
“Fine!” The Queen screeched and an explosion of green flames covered her. Her form became lithe and petite. Gone was The Queen and in her place something less, yet more.
The Queen panted hard as she stared at the ground. In her vision were two hands, both delicate and white. They felt sensitive, her whole body felt sensitive. The Queen felt naked, weak. She had never felt this venerable, not even as a pony.
The Queen trembled as she gathered her strength and her legs pulled her body up. The dreams were frightfully accurate. She took a step, then another, followed closely by the next. The Queen reached the reflective pool of water and peered into it. Brown hair and dark brown eyes greeted her. The eyes were sharp and dominate. Her body felt comfortably familiar.
‘This is wrong.’
“This feels right.”
‘Well, yes, it feels right, but why?’
“I don’t know.”
‘What is your name?’
“We will never demean ourselves by having a name.” The Queen growled.
‘Fine, I am Aimee Chevalier.”
The Queen gasped and stumbled backwards. “Y-you just...what’s going on!? Where is everyone else?”
“There was never anyone else. Just pieces of us.” Aimee steadied herself before she fell over.
“Leave me!” The Queen whipped her arms out. “I will not suffer an interloper; take your dreams and leave.”
“And who do you think is the interloper here? I’ve always been here. The others came and left over time.”
The Queen grinned wickedly as she pointed her finger at Aimee. “The dark voice. He’s always been there.”
Aimee folded her arms and smirked. “Do you hear him now?”
The Queen’s eyes searched her reflection. Nothing. “What is wrong here? Why are you doing this!?”
“I didn’t do anything.” Aimee countered.
“Lero.” The Queen hissed. “He did this.”
“And for the better. Have you ever felt more at peace? Just listen.” Aimee covered her mouth with her hand.
The Queen stopped and listened. A minute turned into five. Peace. “This is strange, but not wholly unwelcomed. I want to know, why are you in my body?”
“I don’t really know.” Aimee shrugged. “Maybe you’re in my body.”
“You’re a human, fool. If this was your body how did this happen to you?” The Queen frowned as she cracked her knuckles.
“Do you remember your birth?”
“That’s a stupid question; do you even remember your own birth? Of course not.” The Queen laughed and shook her head.
“Fine then, do you remember where you came from? Why you are the way you are?” Aimee pouted and looked away.
The Queen’s fingers grasped each other tightly and looked around the forest. She scrunched her forehead and closed her eyes. “I don’t have an answer, and I’m also not completely sure that you are who you say you are.”
“So basically we have more questions than ever. My memories before this are fuzzy, but I think the dreams help.” Aimee sighed as she cracked her neck.
“You know what though?” An evil grin grew across the Queen’s face. “We can take Lero in this body. His love was delicious and I have never felt this good, ever. I was able to defeat the Sun with Shining’s love, but this is something special. This is a human’s love; I won’t find anything like it anywhere else.”
***
Lero laid belly down on the couch with his book opened. He was alone tonight and with the heavy shower outside he was resigned to take it easy. The soft rain was occasionally interrupted by a flash of lightning followed by the thunder.
A sound at the door caught Lero’s attention, hooves scraped across the porch. He closed his book as the door creaked open. A flash of lightning briefly concealed the pony before Lero could make out who it was. Twilight Sparkle stood there, soaked to the core and with heavy breath.
“Hi Lero, give me a moment.” Twilight grabbed the towel nearby and started to dry herself off.
Lero got up and stretched. “Twilight, I thought you were busy with that project with the princess.”
“I was, but I found something interesting, and I’m a little curious.” Twilight placed the towel back on the rack. She turned around as started to saunter over to Lero. “I wanted to try this spell out with the others here, but they are busy tonight, and I really want to try this out.”
Lero knelt down and scratched her ears tenderly. Twilight was still a little damp. “What do you plan on doing?”
A smile grew on Twilight’s face. “I am going to turn into a human.”
“Really?” Lero stopped and raised an eyebrow. “That would be...interesting. Why though?”
“Well, we need to have a human female template for a couple of tests.” Lero noticed Twilight swished her tail. “I’m feeling a little experimental. Do you mind if we try this?”
Lero chuckled as he took a step back. “Well, this is certainly different. All that work and now you have something to share. Let’s see it.”
Twilight smiled as she closed her eyes. Her horn glowed a bright green before green flames erupted around her. In a second her form was covered by a magic flash which forced Lero to shield his eyes.
Then he beheld something he never thought he would see again. A young and very naked woman stood before her with a pleased grin. Much to Lero’s surprise the hair and eye color did not match to her normal unicorn colors.
“Well?”
“U-um, well that is amazing Twilight.” Lero gulped. “You are definitely an attractive human girl.”
Twilight grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs. “Come on, this will be fun!”