Two weeks ago Sarah had passed the initial test. That time had been fierce, and hard and she had to face it alone. Marenaris was her mentor, teacher, lord and god throughout it. And had apparently decided that a year long education was to be packed into the next two months of training. She was learning rank and military discipline. Physical exercises took a second importance to learning how to sneak and think tactically. Though a head shorter than most ponies, she already had a rank and a uniform. Here she wasn't Sarah, she was special agent Umbra. The lunar guards that Marenaris came from had been espionage experts. They knew how to hide and make use of disguises and shadows. Those, Marenaris taught her in endless drills, which she mixed up with her being given the responsibility of leading teams of guards all older than herself. She failed a lot, yet Marenaris never looked frustrated. Umbra was a casual earth mare, and not a military expert, yet they were trying to teach her all those skills in as little time as possible. The big success last week in all of her failed training session, was having one of her team members 'survive' in the training game.
The mission outline was her bible now. It contained everything any pony had ever managed to learn about the changelings, both from the few mentions in history of them, and from eye witness testimonies and magical studies during the Canterlot invasion. Yet Marenaris had told her nothing about the time she had spent as one. Not when they would do the procedure, or what exactly it consisted of except the extraction of a pony's life seed, and adding the minuscule lifeseed of a particular insect. From the time the clock rang six A.M in her bunk, to her being in her dark uniform and cleaned, was less than fifteen minutes. She saluted Marenaris. Another morning in hell had begun. "This is going to be different. They're moving up some of the schedules, it seems the changelings are going to do their attack sooner than expected." The base of operations was a seemingly innocent looking farm, though a whole base had been dug underneath it. They walked through rough shaped tunnels, passing Evodian guards. The frequency of unicorns not in uniform was increasing here as they went towards the magical division. "They're going to make you a changeling today, and you'll train as one for the rest of the month. After that, I'll give the mission a go or no-go."
Sarah very nearly stopped in her tracks, in fact she did trip over her hooves quite suddenly, and only barely avoiding falling flat on her face. She quickened her pace to catch up to Marenaris, having fallen behind. There were a million and one things she wanted to say, but nothing that she dared to say. "Yes ma'am." She said. Her eyes reflected fear, but her voice retained confidence. She had been unusually withdrawn the last few days, but if something was bothering her, she had made absolutely no mention of it. "A few weeks ago, where you go, I followed. Soon I will lead, and others will follow. That is if I could stop killing Sage Brush in training," she laughed weakly.
They were being lenient with her, or perhaps Marenaris was showing off a maternal side. The pet some called her. She was allowed to be at ease around Marenaris outside of training. Thankfully her having an officers rank, but only just and practically only of symbolic meaning, meant she could speak freely around most of them. "You will make it Umbra, even if I'm gonna have to kill you to make you make it." She said. Two more lunar guards saluted Marenaris and Umbra as they went through a door. There weren't many of them, clad in dark iron armor. Were they here on Luna's behalf? That seemed enormously unlikely, but did that mean that these guards were here against her knowledge? The door opened up to a large room, unicorns of all sorts were everywhere. In the middle was a single crystal coffin standing vertically, and open. Next to it was a long silver lance that tapered into a thin point. A small jar was located nearby with a black and fairly aggressive insect inside. Many of the unicorns stomped their hoof in a welcoming clap. "Our test subject Umbra has arrived. We will proceed at once." Marenaris removed Umbra's uniform and emblems. "Being afraid is fine, use the adrenaline to stay focused, after the change you might lash out. I'll be right there to take it."
Sarah was confident that she could do it. Even if she wasn't doing as well as she wanted to do in her training, compared to all the tests she'd taken trying to define her talents, it was the mos successful thing she'd ever done. Even if she couldn't be an earth pony, she was convinced she could be a damn good soldier, enough to make her parents proud of her. She stood and looked Marenaris in the eyes, a little nervous perhaps, but definitely not scared. "I've come this far, I'm not giving up now. I can do this!"
The mission profile had told her what changelings were like, as seen from the outside. How they had acted, and what could be gleaned about their instincts and drives. Marenaris smiled with pride "Don't tell me kiddo, show me." Now was the time to see what it was really like, and finish her training. Two unicorn doctors gave her a health examination, before asking her to stand up on two inside the coffin. There was a small circular hole in the translucent crystal like surface. She was strapped in and made to relax. As much as was possible when they finally closed the lid. Outside, seen through the bluish haze that she could see through the crystal that surrounded her, she saw the silvery needle being brought closer.
Her mind was blurry, she knew they had talked to her through some of the steps. Asked her to answer simple questions, adding numbers, asking about events of the past few day. A long thin silver needle had been pushed through a circular hole in the coffin. It had penetrated her belly with a sharp pang, quickly dulled by anesthetic spells. Its cool length had slid into her being. And when it pulled out.. she felt like she was falling, all sounds seemed to quiet, the world seemed to darken. Substance-lessness. Her weak voice screamed not-quite sounds in the coffin. It had been taken from her, she was half herself, and not really there. Emptiness was filling her with a sickening sense of nothing-to-feel. Then some foreign entered her body, something that counteracted the nothingness that was eating away at her. All her limbs filled with its sensation, her jaw, her eyes, her tail, all parts of her got a sense of feeling back. A hunger burned in her chest, pure rage. Her pulse was beating quickly inside of her. She fought the straps with strength she'd never had before. The crystal coffin opened. Marenaris was looking at her as the straps were giving away. Spittle filled her mouth, around new sharp teeth. She was hungry indeed.
Sarah was confused, enraged, disoriented. This new being of hers was both complete and incomplete at the same time. For brief moments, there were lapses in judgement, as if she wasn't entirely sure who she was. She knew she had to feed, but food was in short supply. Her mind whirled. Meat? No. That wouldn't do. Her attention focused on a guard standing near Marenaris. A guard whom had a wife and three foals at home, a family who he'd give anything for. It was him that Sarah tried to lunge for, jaws gaping.
Wonderful unrestrained motion. It was as if she had been held back all her life, and was only tasting real freedom now. Movement has swift as reflex, and driven by pure instinct. It was intoxicating. He braced himself for impact. A loud female voice yelled something. Familiar. Sarah's entire body felt hollow as a bell, she needed to be filled. Hard dark exeskeleton impacted a hoof that came between Sarah and the guard. Marenaris wrested her with surprising speed into the ground, pinning all four hooves of Sarah against herself. "Agent Umbra control yourself. I got blood thirst when I got out as well, it will pass. Be at ease!" She commanded.
Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was an angry hiss. She had not yet asked if Changelings could speak properly, and hadn't seen it in the file. Of course, if she could, it would take a moment of adjustment, and she would find her words again. But for now, just an angry hiss. The voice was familiar, and Sarah struggled. But something inside her told her that this voice was one to be listened to. Eventually her struggling became minimal, then subsided altogether.
All struggles were futile against her captor. Some unicorns approached, perhaps to subdue Sarah magically, but the lunar guard ordered them to stand their grown. Slowly, the red hot aggression leaked out of Sarah. She remembered the proceedings, going in there, what they had been trying to do. She had turned into a changeling. Ready to spit something that was gathering in her throat at Marenaris, and... it wasn't clear exactly what her instincts wanted her to do afterwards. Feed, was the only part she understood. Her mouth felt odd, large sharp teeth had replaced her molars. The rage inside her lessened to the point where she merely felt like breaking something. "You will get something to feed eventually, soldier." Marenaris said. "Are you ready to stand up at attention?"
Sarah did not stand. She wanted to feed, and she wanted to feed now. These others had the ability to give her food, and they were withholding it from her. Sarah was slowly regaining her control, to the point where she told her new body that it would be unwise to spit at Marenaris. But the Changeling spat at her anyway. Her body was having minor seizures, as if it wasn't entirely in complete control of itself. Sarah was fighting back.
Marenaris ducked out of the way and only caught some of the large green wad of thickened ooze that hit her face. A pink unicorn got her face smeared in it, falling onto her back. The lunar guards grip was relentless, and she kept her head away from Sarah's. The anger was slowly subduing, turning into a deep sensation of frustration. Sarah had never felt a hunger like this in her life, even when she was her most ravenous. If you want on hunger strike you'd be hungry for the first few days, and after that the hunger disappears. This was hunger turned up to maximum, it resided in her belly like a beast. "Agent Umbra, are you at attention?" She asked again, gelatinous rubber like goo hanging from the right side of her face.
Sarah finally managed to get in control of herself. It was hard, extremely hard, but she was not one to give up that easily. At first, she merely stopped twitching. Then the resisting stopped. Eventually, a flare of recognition went up in her eyes. Her legs were shaking, but Sarah managed to raise herself to all fours. Sarah saluted Marenaris. She couldn't speak just yet, but was at least in control of herself.
She noticed the dark appendages she was raising to her head, and the three holes clean through it. The red hot fury was dying, blood lust it had been called. Fitting name. She'd could have bitten straight through Marenaris. The hunger was still there, but she knew that they'd soon provide her something to feed. Behind Marenaris was the large silver needle they had plunged into her. At its back was a small crystal vase. And inside that hovered a faint light, a little minute green spectre. "At ease Umbra, you did well. Are you in control of yourself?"
Sarah gave a few nods of acknowledgement. She was indeed herself, at least as much herself as could be expected in current conditions. Her eyes locked on the crystal vase, distracted, and for a few moments lost eye contact with Marenaris. She knew instantly what it was, but that didn't make it any less fascinating.
Three unicorns were actively scrutinizing it, measuring its size and shape, commenting on its brightness or lack there of, some of them seemed to be convinced that it was noticeably dimmer than Marenaris and what that might mean. Rolling up various instruments to examine the little amorphous lump of pale light. Her seed, this is what gave her all her talents and abilities. Extracted from her, it meant that she no longer had them permanently. At least not on her own. Her form still bore the imprint of Sarah. Yet as long as she was a changeling, she would not unlock anymore potentialities that Sarah could unlock in herself. She would have to unlock her changeling side instead. Put back into her, it should restore her. The unicorns shot off a champagne bottle. Sarah felt more and more unsteady on her hooves. "Walk with me." Marenaris ordered and took her out of the room into the hallway. "You'll always be hungry, don't think that the meal you're about to get will change that. You won't be dying from hunger, but its always going to gnaw at you." She explained to the new changeling.
Sarah walked, but tripped several times. She didn't like the feeling of air through her holes, and wondered if she would give off a whistling noise if she moved fast enough. She was unsteady but could walk, and followed her instructor obediently. She began to ask Marenaris a question, but all that came out was a rapid series of clicks, and she gave up her attempt midway through a long chirp.
"Speak slowly, don't just talk, you've got a whole new brain in there. Think about how your tongue used to move, you can do it agent Umbra." She said as the guards escorted them to a room. Inside was a unicorn standing ready to take notes. And a female guard without her armor. It was obvious that she one simple from her confident and almost defiant stance. Mild contempt went across her face as she saw Sarah. "This is Agent Umbra, she has just finished her change. Agent Umbra this is Star Burst, she has volunteered to be your meal… now we are not just going to let you go nuts and eat her mind. She is going to think of a very positive experience she had, this will be the easiest for you to feed on. Once you're finished with that, you're going to stop and back away. Don't feed until your hunger is gone, you'll always be hungry. Is that clear?" Marenaris explained.
Sarah nodded again. She was scared, but there was no room for error here. She had read her file and her mission briefing, and had a fairly good idea on how to react. It was just difficult juggling two personalities and two species in one body. At the same time. Sarah's tongue felt thick and heavy, but she eventually managed a weak "...'esssss..." She felt embarrassed, as if more was expected her and she'd been a disappointment thus far.
They worked quickly, she had barely been brought out of the chamber, or even gotten partly used to her body and they were already presenting her food on the new terms. The lust came back, her throat almost seemed to open up in readiness. Star Burst looked a little revolted, but consigned herself to it. "Do not put up a fight Star Burst, let her approach and do it on her own terms." As unnatural and wrong as it was, it couldn't have felt more right. She was just doing what was coming naturally. Her jaws opened, fangs gleaming, and she leaped upon Star Burst.