“For the last time, he told me there was nothing on the paper, and that he was giving it to you. That is all. I. Know.”
Celestia shook her head and continued looking at the paper in worry, the guards gave her this and the changeling once they entered the throne room. She knew the changeling wouldn’t say a thing with the guards around, so she thought being alone with the creature would be for the best, but so far the changeling hasn’t told her anything useful. She sighed and set the paper next to her.
“Changeling, you must-”
“My name is Carl,” Carl looked away and grumbled, “Hate it when ponies do that.”
“Do what?” Celestia leaned in. Granted, she didn’t trust this thing one bit, so she knew that there was a reason for two of them being here.
“Nothing!” Carl yelled, looking back at her and giving a slight tug on the collar around his neck. “I just hate it when you refer to us only as our kind. Whenever I walk around, I always see you guys saying each others names when you greet one another.”
Celestia nodded. “You do the same to us; do you hate us?”
“No! I...Well...I might...sorta...kinda.” Carl trailed off, not sure how to answer that. He had lived among them for some time, and he was used to what they do, but he wasn’t so sure that ‘hate’ was a right word to use on how he felt about them.
“Are you...afraid of us?” Celestia raised a brow.
“PFFT. Afraid? I don't think anyone of us are afraid of you guys, I’m pretty sure it's vice versa.” Carl grinned, but it quickly went away as the princess continued to stare at him with the greatest poker face he had ever seen. “Uh..can ya stop?”
Celestia recoiled a bit while keeping the same face. “Stop what?”
“Looking at me like that, it’s startin’ to freak me out a bit.” Carl adjusted his collar, he was starting to hate this thing with a passion.
Celestia ended up smiling. “Is this better?”
Carl rolled his eyes. “Look, can you just let me go? I’m getting kinda bored here.”
She got rid of her smile and raised the paper with her magic. “If you can just tell me about this paper, then I will.”
Carl groaned. “I’ve said this a dozen times, I. Don’t. Know! Stan didn’t tell me what was on it when we met.”
“I’m guessing Stan is the other changeling?” Celestia asked, with Carl giving a slight nod in response. “Where did you two meet?”
“At a train, but I didn’t even know he was coming here, he just bashed through the door while I was in the bathroom.”
Celestia chuckled. “Quite a greeting.”
He nodded. “I know, the dude's crazy, he even ran away from me while we were fighting.”
She looked at him in surprise “You two fought?”
Carl scratched the back of his neck. He was starting to feel okay with telling the princess all of this, it wasn’t like he was part of the hive anymore anyway. “Sorta, you see, we kind of...faked it, it was a pretty good maneuver though, don’t ya think?”
Celestia smiled again. “It certainly gave you two a lot of attention, almost all of Canterlot was there to watch both of you.”
Carl shook his head and chuckled. “Yeah, it was a pretty good fake fight, wasn't it?”
“I’m sure it was.” Celestia was glad that she was getting on this changelings good side, and if she could do the same with the other one, then she could finally get some answers. “So, why did your friend come here again?”
Carl looked up at her again. “He said he was ordered by the queen to give you that paper.”
Celestia looked at the paper again. “It looks like it was torn from a book.”
Carl shrugged. “I wouldn’t doubt that, paper is a pretty hard to come by for changelings, last time I heard anyway.”
The princess was shocked to hear that. “Why’s that?”
Carl stared at his hooves. “I just think the hive runs low on supplies almost all the time. That was one of the few good reasons why I left.”
“You left your home? Please explain.”
Carl raised his head in attention and smiled, he was glad to know that someone was interested in why he left his hive in the first place, now he could finally tell his story. “Well, it all started when-”
*CRASH*
Both Carl and the princess jolted and turned to where the front doors were. Sounds of running and smashing were heard in the distance. Carl raised one of his eyes. “What in the name of the queen.”
Celestia started walking to the door. “What is going on out-”
“Don't let him get away!”
“He’s going to the throne doors!”
“You ain't takin’ me to her! You hear me!”
“Just slow down for five seconds!”
“You’re not-”
*BASH*
Seconds later, a changeling all too familiar to Carl busted through the door, his body was wounded and he was holding the bottom half of a spear in his hooves. The changeling turned around and stood up, facing the guards. “If you think...I’m, hugh...running away without him...you are...whew...sadly mistaken, hungh.” Stan used the spear to keep his balance and continued to pant uncontrollably, he had never run this fast in all his life.
Carl smiled and walked as far as the chains could allow. “Hi Stan.”
Stan sat down and continued his heavy breathing. “Y-Yeah hi Carl. Now I suggest all of you...wait...Carl?” His head went into attention and his heart finally got some rest to realize his friend was still alive. He turned around and smiled.
“Oh thank the queen Carl, I thought you were de..de…..dea…..d-d-d...dehehahaaa….” Stan dropped the spear and stared past his friend, his entire body froze, and the entire room was silent.
Carl tilted his head and said. “You okay Stan? How did you get here anyway?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 minutes earlier
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stan continued to look at the floor as he made his way to his death. He kept thinking of a way out of this, but every plan he came up with involved him not being collared while being escorted by two guards with them holding the chains connected to him, and other plans involved him having a weapon, which both guards were carrying.
“Nice to know you’re not yelling anymore bug, I was thinking you were gonna be pleading the entire way.” The guard to his left said.
Stan raised his head. “What what makes you think that.”
“You were pleading back in the cell about something,” The guard to his right said. “We just thought you were dreaming about us taking you to her.”
Stan shivered, he knew if he didn’t think of something fast, then that dream will come true. “Why don’t you two just interrogate me?”
The right one shrugged. “We would, but the princess asked us to take both of you to her, and only one at a time for some reason.”
Stan looked down again, he didn’t want the guards to see the look of worry that was on his face, all he wanted to do was get out of this, this entire plan was a failure anyway, and if he went back to the hive, the others would...he didn’t even want to think what the others would say, so he might as well go somewhere else after he found a way out of this.
...
“NO!” He yelled again, making both guards jump. Stan realized his outburst and laughed a bit. “Um...what I meant to say was...um.” Then he got it, the perfect idea, one that he knew wouldn’t fail. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
Both guards stopped walking and looked at him. “Really? Now of all times you ask that?” The right one tightened his grip. “I’m telling you right now that we’re not lettin’ you go.”
“So you’ll help me go then.” Stan said with a sly smile.
Both guards looked at each other, knowing full well about the dreaded bathroom breaks, always coming up when they take their positions at night. The right one groaned. “Son, we guards keep our bladders strong, and our kidneys even stronger. So you are not-”
“Oh come on captain,” The left one said. “We all know about this situation,”
“Private.” The captain said, stepping closer to him. “Last time I remember you made up some ridiculous excuse on why you took so long.”
“It wasn’t an excuse, it really happened. I still have the cut on my hoof to prove it.”
The captain rolled his eye. “It takes a lot more than some scar to-”
“Look!” Stan yelled, looking at the captain. “I'm telling you right now. It’s either right here or in a restroom.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You got two minutes changeling, use it wisely.” With that the captain shut the bathroom door, leaving Stan to sit and think about his next move, he adjusted his collar, wishing that they would've at least taken the collar off him.
“Alright, now lets see here…” His eyes wandered around the bathroom, hoping to find what he was looking for. “Come on now, these ponies have to have...AH HA!” He pointed to the wall and found just what he was looking for. An air vent. “Cliche,” He said. “but it will do. At least its not on the ceiling”
He walked up to it and started using his teeth to unscrew the grid, he was then interrupted by a knock at the door. “You done in there yet?” A voice that Stan could only assume was the guards.
He spit one of the screws out of his mouth and yelled. “Just about, I need to...uh...wash my hooves.” He walked up to one of the sinks and turned on the water. “Alright, now if there was some soap in here then maybe...”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Stan fell to the floor once he heard that, that voice sounded just like his, he looked around. “Who said that?” He yelled.
“You.”
“Me?” Stan go up on his four feet and looked around. "Then where am I?"
“Right behind you.”
Stan turned around to see his own reflection, except he didn’t have a collar on and he was sitting upright with his arms crossed. “What the heck?” Stan said in bewilderment.
“Its me...your conscience.” His reflection said.
Stan groaned. “You have got to be kidding me. It's bad enough I’m seeing her, but now I’m talking to myself.” He slumped on the sink head first. “Am I going insane?”
“No,” His conscience said. “You’re just silly, but you’re gonna be going insane if you leave now.”
Stan looked at the mirror in annoyance. “Oh really, how do you know I’m getting out of this castle?”
“Well first of, I’m you, and second, I know you’re leaving the mission that the queen told you to do, and you’re leaving one of your own kind to die.”
Stan backed away and shrugged. “So, I’ll just tell the queen that the princess didn’t accept the treaty, and why should I care about Carl. He left us anyway, he and a hoof full of others.”
“Doesn’t mean he should die over it, and the queen will know you’re lying.” Stan opened his mouth to say something to argue with that, but he couldn’t think of anything. “So, are you just gonna run away then?” His conscience tapped his hoof.
Stan looked away shamefully. If he ran away, he’d be just like his brother, always on the run and never caring about his family, and if he went back, his queen will be so disappointed in him, she might even shun him from the hive. “Then what should I do?”
His conscience shrugged. “Hey, if you don’t know, then I don’t know, but I suggest you come up with something quick,” He looked at his invisible watch. “because its been way over two minutes.”
*KNOCK KNOCK*
“HEY! Its been way over two minutes, will ya come out already.”
Stan froze not sure what to do at that point, he looked at the mirror again, but his conscience was gone, all he could see was a collared and chained changeling. Then he looked at the air vent again, with a little bit of strength, he could pull the grate off. He looked at the door one more time before he made up his mind, but not before puking into one of the stalls.