The changeling is locked up in the highest-security cell we could manage, monitored twenty-four/seven by no less than four guards. Mrs. High Mighty, the one in charge of internal Warriors affairs, got statements from the guards and me. I told her the truth: I went to Blockade and Signal Flare, conversed a bit, then the changeling comes down the tunnel, apparently looking for me. Blockade stopped him before he could get too far. No, I have no fucking idea why a changeling would want me; I haven’t ever been outside the compound!
In the end, she had no choice but to let me go; I truly didn’t know anything about this. The base remained on alert for a while, until it was confirmed nothing else had found the entrance. As I settle uneasily into bed, one thought keeps playing in my mind. Why was he looking for me?
----------
I land in the middle of a street. I shakily climb to my hooves; I look up to behold a massive purple and black dragon looking down on me, mouth open, green flames licking the back of its throat. I can’t move; my feet refuse to respond. As the dragon unleashes his fury, I am tackled by another being, falling into an alley. I look; it’s the changeling! I try to scramble him off of me, but I seem to be merely an observer.
He points to the street. Five other somewhat familiar, but blurry, shapes stand against the drake. He climbs off, and joins them. This is different; five unknowns, and the changeling. What could it mean?
The dragon fires again, but a dark shield erupts over the group, absorbing the flames. One of the fliers now holds a small ball of green fire in its hoof; it launches the ball back at the dragon. As it impacts, everything turns white and green.
----------
My eyes blast open. What in the ever-loving fuck was that? Whatever it is, that changeling is part of it. I leap out of bed and make for containment.
I get there easily enough; it’s getting in that proves to be the difficult part. I manage to wear the guards down to where I can at least go to the room with the one-way glass, and watch the interrogation.
The pony in charge of the interrogation is one I’ve never seen before, but he’s grilling into the changeling with all he’s got. The changeling isn’t budging at all. “I will only speak to the dark-furred one, the one who controls the light and the dark. It is imperative I speak with him!”
“Buddy, you aren’t speaking with anypony but me. How did you find our base?”
“I will only answer the dark-furred one.” This goes back and forth, but I went numb after the first sentence. First, this thing is looking for me, and claims to know who I am. Then, I get that dream with him in it. Now, he knows my magic specialty! How?
I turn to the guard. “Get me in there.” The guard argues, but I cut him off. “It’s obvious he’ll only speak to me. If he wanted to kill me, I think you guys wouldn’t be able to stop him. I would’ve died in my sleep last night, and he could’ve slipped out without anypony ever knowing. And why would he come in alone, undisguised, at the main gate?”
The guard rubs his chin in thought, then turns to an intercom. “Hey, Eye Spy, get in here. Got a bit of a proposition.” The interrogator stands with a huff, and walks out of that room and into this one. The changeling watches him leave patiently, then his eyes focus right on where I am; that shouldn’t happen, it’s called ‘one-way glass’ for a reason!
Eye Spy enters, and spots me. “Oh no. No no no no no! We are NOT sending a foal in there!”
“Boss, just hear him out.” I explain myself, and Spy visibly becomes tenser. I finish with, “And just in case, I’d like to have one guard in the room with me. He can’t take out the both of us.”
Spy sighs. “Fine. I wasn’t getting anything out of him anyways. You have five minutes, kid. Then, you’re coming out even if we have to drag you out. Shield, you go with him.” The guard salutes, then leads me into the room. I sit in the same chair Spy was in.
“Okay, buddy-”
“Please, I am Chryssid.”
“Alright then, Chryssid. Why did you come here? Even better, how did you know about this place?”
“I learned of it in a vision. A vision involving you.” I try not to let my emotions show, but it’s hard trying to get your jaw not to drop when you almost lose all muscle control. He had a vision with me, just like I had a vision about him? This is just getting weirder and weirder.
“O-okay. Now, we’ll get back to that in a minute. For now, how did you get here?”
----------
“Sir.”
…
“Sir, I believe I would be more qualified to speak about my flight across Equestria than someling who only heard it.”
… Fine, C. You have the mic. Just don’t bore the prospective audience, ‘kay?
“I shall keep my journey focused on the most important aspects.”
Okay. I need a drink.
Sound of a door opening, then closing. A shuffling is heard as Chryssid sits.
“I am Chryssid, the last son of Chrysalis, and this is the tale of how I fell into the rebellion.”
----------
I took the title of ‘Last Son’ because I was the last egg ever hatched under the rule of Queen Chrysalis. As the one known as Twilight Sparkle and her cohorts destroyed my mother, I was spirited away by a small group of other changelings who, in and of themselves, were rebels. They had become disgruntled over Chrysalis’ decisions, the invasion of Canterlot, the severe rationing of resource, the personal vendetta against Sparkle. They broke off from her control, and were working to free all of the changelings when Sparkle attacked. All the drones were immediately re-enslaved, then used in another attack on the pony capitol.
Unlike Chrysalis, though, she succeeded. I was told all of this by my primary caretaker, the changeling who gave me my name. She had no name of her own, as the Queen never allowed any drone something as individual as a name. We hid out on the outskirts of Zebra lands, siphoning just enough energy off of the nearby villages to survive and not draw attention.
We hid, until the Empress marched on the Zebras. We ran again, but everywhere we ran, the armies of Equestria followed. The griffons, the Minotaurs, the dragons, none were spared the Empress’ wrath. We lost some along the way, until it was just me and her.
By the time we were forced to return to Equestria, some seven years after the Fall to a small town called Ponyville, Empress Twilight had abolished the control of changelings, and made them all citizens of the Crown. Thankfully, this made things easier for the two of us; we could interact openly with ponies, undisguised. However, some ponies still bore… resentment. My friend fell when a group of anti-change (yes that is what they called it) ponies cornered her in an alley and slit her throat. I continued on; one of the lessons passed down is that no matter who falls, you keep working to make sure they are not missed.
I worked as a model for the owner of a store called the Carousel Boutique. It had business, but was a bit tarnished by the fact that one of the Queens had called the place home before the Fall. It was degrading, but one of the best jobs a changeling could get. Because we can take almost any form we desire, I helped the owner with both pony and changeling garments.
I worked successfully for the next twelve years, until about one week before my encounter with the Warriors. I had rented a room from the owner to call my own, and had settled down for the night. Changelings do not require sleep, but we have been known to enter a state of dreaming in the late hours of the night.
In my dream state, I beheld a great city, watched over by a beautiful purple-maned Queen. I stood on the outskirts, with six others. Five were obscured in shadow, but the sixth showed clear as day. He was tall, strong, with a muted purple coat and piercing light purple eyes. He motioned for me to follow, and the other five faded away. He led me through the city, through the many twists and turns of the streets and alleyways. He led me down into the underground, to a carefully concealed tunnel. The dream ended with him looking me in the eyes and saying, “Find me.”
I awoke, and immediately set out for the city. I told the owner first; he was unhappy I was leaving, but he understood that sometimes, people just have to move on.
I gathered all the money I had accumulated, and boarded the first train for the great city of Manehattan. I tried to remember the route the dark one had taken me on, but once within, the skyscrapers quickly became an impossible maze. I was chased through the streets; the resentment here against my kind was strong. I finally found a familiar section, but became cornered by a group of young ponies. They began beating me, yelling speciesism slurs. I did not retaliate, because I was afraid I would send the wrong impression and call the law enforcement down upon me.
The younglings eventually left, laughing as I lifted my bruised body up. I stumbled towards the underground entrance, and located the tunnel. The rest, Shining Star has already spoke.
----------
The door opens again, remaining partially open. A slight dripping is heard.
Hey, C? Tiny sabotaged the bathroom again.
“Why do you not go fix it then?”
Because you’re obviously done with your piece, and it’s your turn. I did it last time.
*grumble* “Fine, Sir.”
Chryssid slides out of the chair and out the door. Shuffling, as Shining resumes his place at the table, still dripping.
Okay, now that that’s done, Chryssid told us how he got to the Warriors, and how he knew of the entrance.
Now, the only problem is, I had to stop the rest of the Warriors from executing C for finding our base. Hey, I didn't like him any more than any other pony, but there was something special that the two of us were a part of.
----------
“Sorry, kid. There’s nothing I can do.”
“Come on, Battle! There’s something strange going on, and that changeling can help!”
“Shining, you know you can’t trust a changeling! What if he’s here just to get us to lower our guard, so he can call all his buggy friends?”
“But what about the shared visions?”
“Shared?”
Oh yeah, I never told Battleborn about my dreams, and the changeling’s vision. I tell him, and his eyes widen.
“Son, why didn’t you tell me earlier? This changes it!”
I’m suddenly hopeful. “Really?”
“Yeah. Princess Celestia had a certain sense of, premonition let’s say. She would know when events were going to happen, and was able to plan accordingly to stop whatever force. For instance, when Nightmare Moon began to make her comeback, Celestia sent her student to Ponyville to make friends that would prove essential to defeating Moon. Some called it blind luck, but I knew Celestia had the whole thing planned out.
“Your dreams are similar. When you see six beings fighting the Empress, and one of these beings just so happens to be a changeling that JUST SO HAPPENS to find our base the next day, that’s fate. Now, I don’t know exactly what kind of fate, but we can’t let them kill him. Come on, I know who to talk to.”
He leaps from the workbench, and I scramble to follow. He leads me on a twisting path through the base, eventually stopping beside a large iron door.
“Sorry, Shining. This is where I go on alone.” I’m taken aback.
“Why? I need to be with you to explain everything! Uh… what’s back here that we need to explain this to anyways?”
He smiles. “Sorry, kid. Maybe someday.” He slips inside, locking the door behind him.
Fifteen minutes later:
I’m busying myself bouncing a ball of light against the wall. It’s just something to keep me from going insane with the wait. Chryssid’s execution is going to happen any time now! Where is—
Ch-thunk.
The door unlocks. I quickly wink out the ball and stand up. Battleborn steps out, floating a piece of paper beside him. He takes off down the tunnel.
“Come on, kid! That execution’s not gonna stop itself!”
----------
We make it back to the Armory with barely any time to spare. Battle skids to a stop at the firing range. Chryssid is at one end, shackled to the ground, standing proudly in the face of death. Five ponies are leveling guns at him from the firing boxes.
“Ready… Aim…”
“STOP!” I shout. I see Loudmouth about to give the order to fire, but he is startled by our sudden appearance. Battleborn slaps the piece of paper into Loudmouth’s face. He pulls it off, and reads it. He then gestures at the firing squad.
“Release the prisoner.” The ponies are confused.
“But sir, it’s a change—”
Loudmouth turns his wrath on the unfortunate victim. “YOU WILL DO AS I SAY, SOLDIER, OR YOU’LL BE BACK TO PRIVATE BEFORE YOU CAN FINISH THAT SENTENCE!”
The pony cowers, and meekly obeys. Battleborn motions the changeling over. “Shining, meet your new roommate.”
Everything stops. “What?”
“Read it and weep.” He hoofs me the paper.
Battleborn,
The changeling identified as Chryssid is to be immediately released from imprisonment, and welcomed into the Warriors with open arms. He will be placed under the care of Shining Star until he can prove himself loyal to our cause.
The winds of Fate are blowing; let us hope they are in our favor.
Signed,
The Commandant