//------------------------------// // Understand // Story: The Changeling's Way // by Blight Shallow //------------------------------// "Alright, nice and easy," the Changeling said as Tim propped himself with said changeling as leverage after many tries ending with him falling to his face and his sides. Luckily to his surprise, his body had hard skin making his faults less painful than it was supposed to. He took a few ginger steps away from the changeling. This is going to be a while to get used to. He took another step and stumbled over a rock protruding slightly from the ground. He tried to keep himself up but tripped over his front legs and face planted. Again. Tim could hear the changeling giggle behind him. "You went farther this time," it said. "Well that's encouraging," Tim muttered from his slumped position. He managed to shift his weight to one side and plopped to his side, from there he could get a better position. He hoisted him self with his front legs to lift his upper body to be in a sitting position. "Alright, now the back legs." He moved his weight to the front of his fore hooves and placed his back legs awkwardly beneath him. He grinned stupidly at his accomplishment. Tim turned towards the changeling that was helping him and saw that it was talking with what seemed like an exact reflection with itself. It turned its head towards Tim, looking slightly irritated, then nodded at the changeling. it walked away from them and to the opening of the dull chamber, then buzzing its insect like wings and flew out of the opening. Tim felt himself buzzing his own wings and he seemed to feel lighter than before. Looking down he saw that he was a foot off the ground. "Hey, I'm flying!" He shouted before his whole body tilted forward and he found himself gaining speed. all of a sudden he saw that the ground was coming towards him. "Oh shit!" he found himself meeting the rocky ground with a thud and slid from how fast he was going. He skid to a stop just inches away from the giggling changeling watching him. He cursed under his breath, then quickly tried to stand up, only to find himself falling yet again but his legs were splayed out this time. "Easy there Hot Shot," the changeling called out letting a grin sit on its muzzle. "Could you not call me that," Tim stated picking himself off the rocky ground, "and who was that you were talking to? "Who? Mirror?" the changeling tilted its head slightly to one side, "I asked him to go tell our dearest queen that you've awoken." "Oh ok, that seems like a reasonable thing to do ," Tim spoke calmly, "wait, why didn't she just check up on me every hour or so?" "She actually did so for a while, but she had a few things that were imperative to take care of "Things?" What things?" Tim scrunched his brow in confusion. "How should I know I'm just a Brood nurse, they don't really explain much to us." "A what nurse?" Tim looked at the changeling furrowing his brow if he still had them. "A Brood nurse," the changeling explained without pause, "they are the ones mainly for females who take care of the younglings". "Taking care of them as in, feeding them?' "Of course, they usually feed off the milk sacs from our-" "OKAY, I think I get the picture," Tim's eyes widened while waving his right hoof realizing that he shouldn't have asked. curiosity killed the cat as they all say. "I'm glad you understand," The changeling said with a gentle smile at him. "I can see that you are adapting quite well to your body," a feminine voice echoed behind the them. They both craned their necks to see where the voice came from. The changeling knew right away who it was and quickly bowed. Tim couldn't quite remember who that voice was from until a larger changeling stepped into the chamber. He recognized her right away knowing it was none other than Chrysalis herself. She stood at the opening of the chamber, her emerald rimmed eyes surveyed both Tim and the bowing changeling, her catlike pupils mainly on Tim, then towards her subject. "I see that you already met Silk String," She added. Silk got back up and gave her a friendly smile. She stood there for a few seconds staring at the Queen before she spoke again. "Excellent, you are dismissed Silk." Silk nodded and left them towards the opening before a voice rang out into the chamber. "Silky!" The voice cracking a little as something small flung itself around Silk's neck. "Princess! What a surprise," Silk returning the embrace with a hug, "what are you up to?" "I was wondering where Mommy was so I set out to finder her." she replied letting go of Silk. "Your mother is in there with someling new," she said motioning with her muzzle inside the chamber, "he seems very friendly so don't be shy this time." "Okie dokie, bye Silk," The princess said waving her fore hoof at Silk as she walked passed her, "will we play sometime?" "Yeah I'll look foreword to it," Silk called out before flying off. The princess went inside where Tim was discussing something with her mother, she crept as silently as she could over to the two like a lion stalking a gazelle. when she got into right position, she ran as fast as her little hooves could take her and launched herself at the Queen, her forelegs outstretched. "Why hello dear," Chrysalis responded smiling at the energetic princess, "have you finished with your studies?" "Yes mom, all the way up to when Queen Morphisis found the Crystal Heart before King Sombra stole it and was at war for thirty moons." "Good girl." Chrysalis replied her princess's magenta colored mane. Tim just stood there and stared at both of them with his mouth ajar. "Since she is here," she began letting the princess detach herself from her chest, "This is the princess and my daughter Valiidae." Valiidae greeted Tim with a energetic wave and a friendly grin on her charcoal colored muzzle. Tim returned with a nod and a faint smile. "W-What's you name new guy?" she asked sheepishly but kept that same smile. "I had a name where I was from but for now call me..." he began muttering to himself trying to set up a decent name for himself. He frowned. Some of the names he thought of seemed very lame to him. "Shift" the Queen blurted her emerald rimmed eyes lighting up, "From this day forth, you shall be known as Shift." "It's nice to meetcha Shift," The princess said with a more formal greeting, "hey, aren't you hungry?" Shift tilted his head to one side. He didn't feel like he was hungry. "I don't think I'm that hungry. But I feel a bit tired though." he said plainly. He knew he was a bit exhausted from just adjusting to the body he was given, yet he didn't notice until now he was mentally tired. "That is a side affect," The Queen spoke up. She then turned away from the two facing towards the mouth of the chamber, "Come. Let us take you to where we feed." Valiidae did the same and followed her mother to the entrance. Shift figured he had to follow them if it meant to make him feel more comfortable with this situation. He made his way to the two, his legs wobbling once or twice along the way. The two buzzed their wings and lifted them selves from the ground and into the air outside. Shift felt a familiar buzzing from his insectiod wings as he lifted himself into the air on his own will. He let himself lean forward towards where the two were waiting on him. when he caught up with them they set out downwards as Shift struggled to keep up with them and keep himself steady. They seemed to go down quite a ways down from Shift's perspective but then again, he couldn't really see much in the first place but the two ahead of him. Just to imagine if you would get lost here seemed to drift through his mind every now and again as he tried to squint just to see where the two were at. Much to his surprise however, he managed to catch up to the two just as they let themselves land not far ahead of him. he tried to imitate how they landed so gracefully but failed completely at it. From a simple hover to a stop and land on all fours it was more of a hover to be slow enough to make him slide over next to them. He grumbled something about how he would need to work on that. Valiidae nudged him in his forehoof to grab his attention. She pointed with her hoof in the same direction they were facing. he looked to see what he may have never seen when he was a human as pink light glowed all around the chamber. This chamber looked very similar to the ones he passed before getting here. but what set it off was the large rough version of a fountain could be spotted right in the middle of it with what seemed to be a pink liquid coming from it. He could see some of the changelings he saw were drinking from it. Some dipped their horns into the glowing pink liquid with their eyes closed as if they were concentrating. He also saw what looked like a young changeling jump into the fountain and began to play in it before two changelings encased it with green aura and levitating it out, the pink liquid dripping off of its body before he saw the larger changelings chuckled at it. "This is the Fountain of Love," Chrysalis broke the silence and his attention to the fountain, "Our food source." Shift looked back to the fountain and to the changelings alongside it. They all seemed to be...happy. "Recently we have been having a shortage some moons ago and is still going through it," She explained before letting her daughter head down to the fountain with her in synch, leaving Shift to clamber to catch up to them. "Come here Shift," Valiidae beckoning to him to stand next to her. He managed to do an awkward trot to her to then sit next to her. "I'll show you how to feed when you need to," she explained to him before he nodded in return. "you lower your head like so," she then lowered her head to where it was barely touching the liquid love, "then you just drink it," she finished, plunging her snout into the pink liquid before lifting her head out a few moments later. She then bobbed her head to the fountain before he mumbled an "ok". He lowered his head close enough to smell the love. He gently placed his muzzle into the pink water opening his mouth to let the liquid to flood in. He could feel the sweet love go down his throat. After a few gulps he felt his mind cleared up, he could hear the whispers being louder than they used to and out of his peripheral vision, he saw the Queen have a smirk as clear as day. Shift brought himself to his hooves wiping off the excess love while the queen stood next to him making him look up at her slightly. "Now that you got your fill, I want you to head with Valiidae," the Queen said making her daughter's ears perk up at the mention of her name, "she will take you to where you will most of my subjects take to slumber, whether she likes to or not," she heard a soft groan from her daughter while she got up from her spot. She beckoned to Shift to follow her, he looked back to Chrysalis. "Well good night I guess," he gave her a wave after she nodded in the same fashion as before as they took off from the opening they went through. "Good night Shift, may your dreams be pleasant," she replied while they went out of sight. She havent seen a changeling be so cooperative after they were awoken. Usually they would be more work than it needs to, even a bit violent. Like the last one was. Afraid and lashed out at her subjects trying to help that poor changeling. Her thoughts were broken when she heard buzzing coming from her side. She turned her head to see one of her scouts come to a stop a few feet away. "My Queen," it did a quick bow, "I have come with some good news." "What is the news Pincer?" The Queen spoke in her regal voice to her trusted scout. "Its about the changelings stationed at the new land," Pincer replied to his majesty, "they have discovered what that place has accomplished and much more what they can do." "All the better to take it," the Changeling Queen said, "keep them there. I want to know more of what the inhabitants on that land possess." "As you wish," Pincer replied bowed and flew off to another opening. Chrysalis couldn't help but to grin at how her plan will work this time and be sure to have a plan B.