//------------------------------// // Great And Powerful // Story: Five Changelings In Equestria: The Sixth Path // by Bucking Nonsense //------------------------------// "Awaiting further instructions." Leiurus Quinquestriatus, the Deathstalker, child prodigy magic user of the changeling hive, and designated living weapon of the swarm, repeated the phrase that, by this point, had become a mantra for her. Her last orders, prior to her sudden ejection from Canterlot, were to "await further instructions". And she had. For three weeks now, she had awaited further instructions, still sitting in the mud puddle she had originally landed in. She had repeated her mantra, once every five minutes, hoping somebuggy would hear her and tell her what she needed to do next. Over the last three weeks, she had repeated those three words a total of six thousand, one hundred twenty-six times. If she had been allowed to hate, she would say that she hated those words with all her heart and soul by this point. She was not allowed to sleep without orders to do so. She was not allowed to feed without orders. As a living weapon, she was not allowed any free will of her own. The consequences for acting without orders were... dire. She could not even do anything about the timberwolves chewing upon her. Since their teeth were far too weak to pierce her chitin, they could not actually harm her, which would allow her orders about self preservation to come into effect. Instead, they served only as a distraction as they worked their teeth on her the way that a small dog might chew on a bone that is simply too big and tough to chew. Leiurus heard a sound approaching. It sounded suspiciously like a cart. Sitting in her mud puddle on the side of the road, she watched as a cart came by, pulled by a blue unicorn mare with white mane and tail. When the mare came close enough to see the changeling with her three timberwolves, gnawing upon their favorite chew toy, she stopped and stared, her jaw practically on the ground. After a minute or so, she used a spell to pull out a pan and a ladle from the cart, and started banging them together. The timberwolves abruptly stopped their chewing, started yelping in pain, and ran for it. Once the creatures were out of sight, the unicorn stared at the changeling with a look of confusion. The changeling simply stared ahead, her expression dull. After a few seconds, the changeling repeated mantra, "Awaiting further instructions." The unicorn raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Instructions? From who?" Leiurus raised her head, looked the unicorn in the eye, and thought for a moment. She'd never been given specific orders regarding whose orders she was supposed to follow... To her shame, she allowed a trace of desperation to color her tone as she said, "Anyone..." The unicorn said, her expression neutral, "Then do as you please." The changeling nodded, then said, "Affirmative." She promptly passed out with a splash into her mud puddle. Twenty one days without any real sleep will do that to you... ------------------- The Great And Powerful Trixie... no, not anymore, she really needed to stop thinking of herself that way. After the whole incident in Ponyville involving the Alicorn Amulet, she was determined to become at least a little more humble when off the stage. Of course, on the stage, she'd resume her more confident "persona", but that was different: that was show business. Anyways, Trixie gazed down at the undisguised changeling slumbering in the mud puddle, wondering what she should do. After the Canterlot invasion, she'd not heard anything about the changelings. There'd been a mustering of troops, she'd heard, along the border of the badlands, just in case there was another invasion, and security checks to make certain there were no more infiltrators in Equestria. That was hardly Trixie's business, but now she was faced with a small filly (she was only five years old, from the look of her, for Celestia's sake!) that was obviously in no shape to look after itself. The small creature was caked with mud and grime, and had apparently been so lost and unsure of what to do that she had sat here waiting for someone, ANYONE, to tell her what she should do. Someone, perhaps somepony, should at least keep an eye on the poor thing, until better arrangements regarding her care could be made. The changeling in question seemed... different from what she'd heard of them. Oh, nearly all the features were there: the black shell, blue compound eyes, the wings, everything was in place... but the horn seemed a bit longer and pointier than she'd seen in photographs, and the changeling had a tangled mess of black hair atop her head. The only changeling with hair that she'd heard of was the queen, and the changeling she was looking down upon was hardly regal. What to do, what to do... Well, Trixie thought to herself, I've resolved to start trying to be a little nicer. May as well start now... ------------------- Leiurus woke up, uncertain of where she was. She appeared to be inside some sort of conveyance, given that she felt that she was in motion. However, it was... odd. There was a blanket, somewhat old and threadbare, placed atop her, and a second blanket beneath, as a cushion. There was a bed in one corner, with a much nicer blanket, and a pillow, but whoever had given her the blankets she now slept on must have decided that they weren't going to use the good blankets until the changeling had a chance to clean herself off. She was still incredibly tired, and barely felt strong enough to raise her head. Since her orders were currently "Do As You Please" the Deathstalker decided that it would please her to sleep some more, and promptly did so. When she woke up again, it seemed to be later in the day, and the pony she had seen earlier was standing over her. "Good evening, sleepyhead. It's good to see you're awake. I've stopped for the evening, so we can have a little talk." She sniffed, then wrinkled her nose, and said, "But not before you've had a bath. There's a stream here that we can use. Come along, and we'll get you washed up." Feeling a little stronger, Leiurus stood up, then nodded. "Affirmative." The mare had parked the cart a short walk from the stream she had mentioned, and instructed the changeling to go in up to the base of her neck. While cold, the water was bearable. Once done, the mare began scrubbing at the changeling's shell, seeking to remove three weeks of dirt, mud, and grime. Once she had finished off all the parts that could be removed with just water and a brush, she began working with soap to get the more stubborn places. Then came the shampoo, and a severe brushing and combing to get the knots and tangles out. All in all, it took the better part of half an hour. Once fully washed off and rinsed, the mare stood up and walked out of the stream... then turned in surprise to see the changeling was still standing up to her neck in water. The mare, confusion clear upon her face, asked, "What are you waiting for?" "Orders," the changeling said, her teeth chattering a little. The mare rolled her eyes, then said, "Get out of the stream, and follow me so that I can dry you off." "Affirmative," the changeling said, then promptly marched after the mare. A quick toweling off later, the mare tsk'ed at something. "What in the world were you thinking, letting those timberwolves chew on you like that? You've got scratches all over your shell..." Leiurus shrugged, then her horn flared briefly with light. Her shell suddenly turned pure white, then fell off... revealing a perfectly whole shell, unscratched and untarnished, that was just underneath. Her hair remained unchanged: that never came off, as far as she knew. She'd been due for a moult for several days, but had suspended it, due to the timberwolves: her undershell would have been far too soft to withstand the gnawing of the vicious creatures. The mare's jaw, having dropped upon the sudden demonstration, snapped shut with a click, and she said, "I wish you'd said something before that bath: I could have saved that soap for later." Leiurus looked at the mare, and recited, from memory, "Regulation 17c: Do not shed your outer shell before cleaning yourself thoroughly: dirt, grime, and mud can easily get into the seams of your carapace, causing severe irritation, and potentially severe damage before your carapace can sufficiently harden." Even a hatchling was supposed to know that... The mare cocked her head to one side, then said, "Fair enough." Looking over at her cart, she said, "Wait here a moment." She walked into her cart, and, after a few moments, returned levitating a cauldron. She put it down in front of her, then started levitating sticks and stones, and gathering them in front of her. Once a ring of rocks and a pile of kindling and tinder were in gathered, another spell ignited the campfire. "Now, I don't know anything about what changelings eat, so I'm afraid that if you can't eat vegetable soup, you'll have to figure something out on your own." Leiurus did a brief self-assessment, then stated, "Current love levels are within acceptable ranges. My current supply can sustain for 87 days, provided no spells are cast during that time period, and physical activity remains nominal." "I... see," the mare said, seeming a little confused by the statement. Leiurus cleared her throat, then said, in a less formal voice, "In laybug's terms, if I don't do any heavy lifting, I will be 'fine'. I am not 'hungry'." "Riiiiiiiiight," the mare said. She then lifted the cauldron and placed it upon the fire. Her horn flaring, a mass of water was then pulled from the stream, then poured into the pot. "Well, while I wait for the water to boil, we'll have that little talk I was mentioned. Let's start with introductions. I am..." The mare stopped herself suddenly: she had seemed, for a moment, on the verge of making a grand announcement, then stopped, and said, "My name is Trixie Lulamoon. I am a stage magician. What is your name?" "Leiurus Quinquestriatus, Codename: Deathstalker. Designation: Weapon, Level One, Prototype," the changeling said, her expression completely serious. Trixie appeared to be shocked by this pronouncement. "What do you mean, Weapon?" Leiurus, expression still neutral, stated, "Any and all offspring of an aristocrat and a commoner are to be deemed completely without value. Even a rock has some sort of value. Therefore, a hybrid is of equal or lesser value in comparison to a rock." The changeling closed her eyes, then continued, having a little difficulty in remembering the next part perfectly, since it had been said so long ago. "As such, a hybrid can be equated to a cannonball: an object to be launched at the enemy with the intention of destroying a target." Trixie's mouth gaped open, seeming to be horrified by what she was hearing. After a moment, her mouth closed with a click, and she asked, "Who... in their right mind... would ever say that?" "Lord Braconidae, aristocrat, leader of the infiltration unit of the swarm, and project Deathstalker director," the changeling said. "He may possibly be my father as well, although that is only supposition based on circumstantial evidence." ----------------- Trixie placed a hoof against her face, closed her eyes, and thought for a moment. She'd heard of some terrible things in her life, but that... that beat everything she could currently think of. Seriously? Raising a child to be a weapon? Especially your own offspring? That... that may very well surpass Sombra levels of villainy. This was well beyond anything that she was equipped to deal with. This kid needed help. Professional help. She'd been headed for the Crystal Empire to try and outrun the "laughingstock" reputation she had earned after Twilight Sparkle had outdone her on her first trip to Ponyville, and the "supervillainess" reputation she was bound to earn after her terrible actions during the second visit became common knowledge. She'd need money to see her through the winter, and the rock-farming season was already over. Worse, she'd wasted all of her money on that stupid amulet, and a refund was out of the question. She'd hoped that by entertaining Crystal Ponies during the big festival they held before Winter Startup, she'd earn enough money to keep her until Winter Wrapup, maybe longer. She had too much on her plate as it was. She couldn't handle this as well. Well, there was a princess in the Crystal Empire, maybe she'd have some idea of what to do. In the meantime... Trixie cleared her throat, then asked, "Young lady, will you follow any orders that you are given?" The changeling nodded. "Even from me?" The changeling nodded her head again, this time seeming a little more enthusiastic about it. "Alright. Listen very carefully: I want you to forget any order that this... Braconidae gave you. From now on, you listen to what I tell you, and only what I tell you, until I say otherwise. Understand?" The changeling nodded again. Trixie, after a moment, continued, "Now, I'm heading north, to the Crystal Empire. I'm planning on putting on a performance there, and will, if all goes well, be spending the winter there. While I'm there, I'll see if I can find somepony better able to look after you. In the meantime, I'll try to teach you everything that you need to know so you can make your way in the world... and see if we can clear out all of that garbage your so-called father crammed into you head. Alright?" Again, the changeling nodded, a little subdued. "Good," Trixie said, smiling, "Now that we have that out of the way, I'll teach you something useful: how to cook vegetable soup..." --------------------- After she helped Miss Trixie cook her supper, and got everything ready for bed, Leiurus lay upon Trixie's bed and stared up at the ceiling. The mare had, after a little thought, decided to let the changeling share the bed with her, since she was small enough that she didn't take up much space... after making certain the changeling understood that love draining was definitely not allowed. The Deathstalker was having to re-evaluate her worldview in the light of what had happened today. The changeling understood, in a vague way (she was only five years old, after all), the concept of a hierarchy. And that concept was very, very important right now. Braconidae had given Leiurus a very simple order if she ever heard of the Crystal Empire returning: Go immediately to the city, and wipe it off the map. Reduce it to gravel, then reduce the gravel to a fine dust, and scatter that dust to the wind. Why, she didn't know, and wasn't supposed to care, but that order had been given to her... and she'd just been told to disregard it by somepony without a clear position in the hierarchy. But was that an order that she was required to follow? Now, she did understand that an order from a superior officer can be overridden by a higher ranking superior officer, which, in the hive, meant the queen could override an aristocrat. However, Trixie Lulamoon was not the queen... but she was not, in any way, part of the hierarchy of the hive, either. So now, the five year old had to decide whether that meant she went someplace beneath a hybrid on the map of the hierarchy of the world... or somewhere above the queen, or at least an aristocrat. Well, she thought to herself, let's be logical: On the one hoof you have the bug who may or may not be your father, and has spent your entire life telling you that you are worth less than nothing, and that her only purpose was as a tool of destruction. On the other hoof, you have the mare who picked you up off the side of the road in your time of need, gave you a bath, has promised to look after you until she can find you a better place to stay, AND has promised to teach you what she can so you can look after yourself... Which one do you really want to take orders from? After a few minutes thought, Leiurus placed Trixie a few steps above the queen as the mare's tentative ranking. She could always change that ranking later, and if it turned out that the mare was, in fact, below Braconidae in the grand scheme of things, she could always annihilate the Crystal Empire then...