//------------------------------// // 1st: Going Squash // Story: The Rule of King Cocoon of the Changelings // by Hooves Like Jagger //------------------------------// The Rule Of King Cocoon of the Changelings Most stories are best told from the beginning, but I'm going to start off by describing how I'm feeling right now: nearly dead. I'm on my hands and knees, roasting in the sun in some clearing of a god forsaken forest. I am absolutely certain I am going to die, partly due to circumstance and partly due to my own stupidity. So why start there? Well, when a man is on death's doorstep he tends to reflect on what got him in this situation. Now, how did I get here? How did I end up in Equestria? It's quite simple really: I got hit in the head. Seriously! I was deconstructing a bed loft when it happened. I'd just propped one end of the bed frame up against the wall, then I turned around to pick up a screw I'd dropped on the ground. Last thing I remember is turning my head slightly to see the bed frame falling towards my face. When I came to, I was in Equestria. I keep hoping this is some sort of coma induced dream and dying will bring it to an end. The pain, the weakness, and the burning sun all feel way too real though. Curse my luck. How is it I end up in Equestria, turn into a changeling, and die all in the same day? Maybe I should have listened to those darned bugs. But now I'm just confusing you. Let me bring you up to speed... My eyes flitted open. My head, surprisingly, didn't hurt. On the other hand, I kind of felt like I'd just come to after undergoing anesthesia for surgery. I felt flimsy, numb, and my vision was really blurry. There was also a persistent buzzing in my ear. Buzzing, hissing, something that sounded like people talking. It was way too much activity for me to put up with right now. With a good deal of effort, I managed to flail my arm at them and moan a complaint. That'll get them to shut up. Nope. I'm pretty sure the number of voices just increased. I still can't see, but I can make out black figures gathering around me. I also seem to be staring up at the sky. Last I remember I was in the fourth floor of the dormitory, so why am I outside? Did someone call an ambulance? I feel my body being lifted. Whoever these people are lifting me up, it feels like their doing it with their fists. I can't really complain, I was starting to feel uncomfortable on my back. They prop me up against something. I think it's a log. I muster up the energy to move my hand and feel out what they've put me against. It is a log, fancy that. My vision is slowly becoming less and less blurry. That's odd. Why do the people around me look so much like... "Changelings!" I'm on my feet way faster than I should have been. My legs turn to gelatin and I topple forwards. I would have gone face first into the dirt, but the buzzing insects catch me before I fall. They help me back into a seated position against the log. Okay, this has gotta be some kind of weird dream. Changelings only fictional creatures in My Little Pony. If they're here that would mean I'd somehow ended up in Equestria, but that's ridiculous. When I look though, all around me are hundreds of little, black changelings. Most of them are buzzing about the sky, but a handful of them are down here on the ground with me. One changeling in particular, wearing an extra, dull violet shell on his back and head, is standing between my legs looking up at me. Uh... hold on. Are those my legs? They do seem attached to my body... but... "Yikes!" I try to stand up again, but my legs wobble and I nearly crash sideways. Once again, the changelings stop me and set me back down. Usually, I am covered in kind of tan and pinkish skin like so many others of the human species are. Today, I seem to have ditched the whole skin thing for what looks like thick, hard, black exoskeleton. I bring my hand around so I can look at it. Sweet Nonspecific Deity... After a few experimental openings and closings of my hand, I have indeed concluded that I'm covered in hard exoskeleton now. There's a green, almost translucent looking band around my midsection where my abs would be. Also on the list of new things, my fingers and toes end in plated claws now. As far as I can see, my whole body is completely transformed. The only thing I can't see is my face, but something tells me that's changed too. "What the heck is this?" I asked the armored changeling before me, pointing to my body. I feel really stupid asking a changeling about all this, but there isn't anyone else around to ask. "That is your torso, your majesty," the changeling hissed. Well, I'm glad we cleared that mystery up. ... Uh... hold the phone... "What did you call me?" "Your majesty, your majesty," the changeling echoed. Yep, that's what I thought he said. "Uh... who do you think I am?" I questioned further. "Your majesty, your majesty," this bug was beginning to sound like a broken record. "No, no, no, no," I waggled a finger at him, "I am not your leader or anything like that. Isn't Queen Chrysalis your leader?" "The Old Queen is no longer here," the changeling explained, "You are our leader now, your majesty." "Wait, what happened to Chrysalis?" I'd watched enough of My Little Pony to understand that Queen Chrysalis was the presumed matriarch of the changelings. Last I saw of her, she was flying into the wild blue yonder after being defeated by Cadence and Shining Armor. I can't say for sure that this Equestria had the same timeline of events from the show, but the first thought in my mind was that they'd lost her after that explosion. "We don't know," the changeling admitted, "We thought she was you." "Excuse me?" even if you're a bug, how do you mistake a black, cavity-ridden alicorn for a human being? I guess we do have the same color scheme now, but still that's absolutely ridiculous. "Changelings can detect their leader from far off. We were separated from the Old Queen Chrysalis, but we followed our senses here. We did not find her, but we did find you, your majesty." "Okay," I processed what I'd just heard, "But just because you found me instead of her doesn't make me your King." "We sense that you are our King, your majesty. That is all we need to know," I was becoming increasingly aware of how simple minded these changelings are. I looked back down at my hand. After a few moments of thought, I came to an interesting conclusion. "Am I a changeling?" the question got the first change in facial expression I'd seen from the changeling. The question obviously caught him off guard and the other changelings started whispering amongst themselves as well. "Yes... your majesty," he eventually responded, strangely resolute on the "your majesty" part. I only nodded in response. That's all I needed to confirm my suspicions. "Okay then! I'll see you all later then!" the changelings backed off as I began to stand. My legs were still a bit wobbly, but balancing became easier once I spread my wings out. I glanced behind me. Sure enough, I had a pair of large, tattered, translucent wings on my back. With my new resolve though, this didn't bother me even in the slightest. Of course I had wings! Makes perfect sense. Careful step by careful step, I began wandering towards the edge of the clearing I was in. I must be in a forest of some type, because all I can see are big leafy trees, little skinny trees, and more trees of different kinds. I wandered out of the clearing and into this forest. "Where are we going, your majesty?" I ignored his question. I turned around to see he entire swarm of changelings was still behind me. "Do you have something I can look at myself in, like a mirror?" I asked. The changeling turned to the rest of the swarm to consort with them. Soon enough, Two changelings flew up to me and promptly began throwing up a green sludge between the two of them. It was pretty gross. They flew upwards and I watched the sticky sludge thin out, turning into a glossy and reflective surface. I watched as a very interesting looking being looked back at me. Oh, that is me... I guess. Indeed, my body was covered in black exoskeleton, save for a green band around my abdominal region and a sort of green collar that had sprouted around my neck. I reached up and touched it. It was weird touching a body part I never had before. I hadn't taken note of it before, but I wasn't stark naked. My lower regions were covered by a pair of faded shorts that looked like they'd seen much better days. I take a quick peek inside to confirm a few things. Most shocking of all the developments was my face by far. I haven't shaved in ages, so my beard, mustache, and unkempt hair combination normally made me look about twenty years older. All my hair, beard and all, had turned into a silky blue material that made even more of a mess across my face. I looked positively ancient. No one would ever guess I was just under twenty. My eyes were now blue, with a milky, white bead in the middle. I opened my mouth, revealing rows of jagged teeth and two sharp fangs. I ran my forked tongue across their sharp edges. I lifted my new hair and looked at my ear. The top was longer and ended in two spikes. I stepped back and took a good look at myself. I look pretty awesome. I strike a few poses, observing myself from every angle. I throw a few experimental punches. My body is surprisingly lithe and quick. I hope up and down a few times. Being a runner, my legs are pretty darn strong, but now that my body is so light I could probably jump over myself. I take a fighting pose against my mirror image as the changelings watch in silence. I bring my hand to my hip, drumming my fingers on an imaginary holster. I draw my finger gun and point it at my reflection. "Bang!" to my surprise, every changeling in the imaginary line of fire scatters. I half expect a bullet to fly out of my finger just based on their reaction. The armored changeling looks like he's about to have a heart attack. "Your majesty, I would ask you to be careful where you point your horns like that, if that is acceptable," he whimpered, afraid for a reason I cannot even begin to comprehend. "Horns?" I look down at my hand. Fingers do kind of look like horns. Come to think of it, every changeling has a horn. No such protrusion exists on my head, so maybe my fingers are horns. Just out of curiosity, I turn away from the changelings and point my finger at a tree. I can't even begin to imagine how magic works, so I just wing it. I imagine power gathering in my finger, but nothing happens. I concentrate on my finger with all my might. Still nothing. I try thrusting my finger forward repeatedly. Zilch. I glare at the tree I'd been targeting. For a while I just stared at it, hoping something would come to me. In one last attempt, I pointed my finger at the tree. My brain commanded my finger to touch the tree, hard. Much to my surprise, a sickly green bolt shoots out of my finger and blasts a hole into the tree. I stare at my finger for a moment while the changelings applaud the display. "Very good, your majesty," the armored changeling congratulated me, "It has been a while since our last feeding, so I would suggest yo-" I wasn't listening. I began blasting trees willy-nilly. Once I'd gotten it figured out, it was pretty darn easy to blast things, not to mention fun! After a felling quite a few of the trees before me, I felt satisfied with myself. "This is the coolest dream ever," I squealed, clapping my hands together. With that, I continued to wander deeper into the forest. "Dream, your majesty?" the armored changeling buzzed right up next to me. It was odd having a creature the size of a fully grown English bulldog hovering right next to me, but anything is possible in a dream. "That's right," I nodded resolutely, putting a little skip in my step and blasting a tree across the way, "I hit my head, so this is obviously some sort of weird dream I'm having as a result." "Very good, your majesty," the changeling doesn't seem to grasp what I've told him, but he's just a figment of my imagination. "What about feeding, your majesty?" "Yeah feeding, whatever," I yawned, blasting away a twig that lay in my way. All this changeling stuff was making me tired. "Your majesty, I don't think you should be so reckless with your energy," the changeling warned me. I spun around and faced him, and as a result I also faced the other hundreds of changelings that had been following me. "I'm the King, right?" "Yes, your majesty." "Cool. So, your King commands you all to buzz off!" with that, I waved them off and plodded deeper into the forest. "How do we 'buzz off', your majesty?" "It means leave me alone!" I yelled back at them. I didn't hear a response, but I listened as the buzzing grew fainter and fainter behind me. I yawned again and sent a green bolt into the sky. I didn't know why I was so tired all of a sudden. I also felt really hungry. What do changelings eat, anyway? "Oh yeah, love," I snickered. I don't know exactly how one feeds on love, but I know it has a lot to do with changing into someone else. It couldn't be too hard, could it? With all the changelings there seem to be, a little love must go a long way. This was all a dream though, so there was no point in trying to riddle everything out. I just continued wandering through the forest, hoping a plate of apples would eventually magically appear. And now here we are, with me dying in the forest. Seriously. After breaking off from the swarm, I just kept walking and getting hungrier and hungrier. Now I can barely move, reduced to a crawl across the forest floor. It's all thanks to my idiotic spree of shooting off all of those magic bolts. Even if I hadn't, who knows how far I would have made it. I don't know what I did to deserve this fate. I worked hard at running, I worked hard at college, I was good to my friends, so I don't know what I did wrong. Maybe fate had nothing to do with it. Maybe it just happened and I handled this all very poorly. Even if this was a dream, I should have tried to stay alive. I don't think I can go on much longer. I can't even keep crawling now. I don't even know where I'm crawling to. It's not like I know where I am. I should just close my eyes and resign myself to... death? Something smells good. Something smells so good I get up onto my feet and shuffled towards it. The very smell fills me up with energy, but it fills me up with something else as well. I feel a primal urge rising inside me. I know now it's food I smell. Quietly, I creep up on what smells like a feast. There, by some bushes, is a stallion. He appears to be taking a number two. I memorize everything about him immediately. Medium build, yellow coat, brown mane, green eyes, and a wrench on his flank. I slink away from him, following the scent of food elsewhere. Taking a deep whiff of the air, I instinctively course what magic is left in me through my brain and back into my body. I command my body to turn into what I just saw. The transformation is not gradual or pretty. Pain courses through my body as green energy crackles across my hard shell. My shell turns into fur. My hands and feet turn to hooves. I begin plodding on all fours as my face warps into a muzzle and my beard is sucked back into my face. The transformation drains me though, and I collapse just as I reach my quarry. "Oh, darling!" I blink my eyes and look up. There is a mare standing over me. She's light blue, with a deeper blue mane and turquoise eyes. More importantly, she smells absolutely delicious. "Are you okay?" she sweeps my limp body into her hooves. Lighting courses through my body. All of my senses are instantly back online as her love empties out of her and into my body. I've only scratched the surface though, nibbling on the edges of the love she's putting out. There is more deep inside her. I tilt my head and look up into her eyes. She looks back into mine, her gaze full of tenderness and care. It tastes so good. I command my eyes to steal her love and they do. I watch as her irises turn green and her expression dims. As her grip on me gets weaker, I get stronger. She nearly tumbles over, but I catch her and reverse our roles. I drain it out, all of it. All that sweet, succulent love is sustaining my body. When she loses the scent of food, I let her drop to the ground. She's not dead, as I can see her breathing, but she's out cold. "Honey!" a stallion calls. He enters the clearing where he left his love. She's standing there, gazing at him with hungry eyes. "Are you ready for round two?" he asks. I smile. "Yep!" his love was mine the moment he looked into my eyes. I'm not hungry anymore, but I can't just pass up such a wondrous feast can I? His love tastes just as wonderful as hers did. It's funny, that he thinks I'm actually her. I just look like her right now, that's all there is to it. How can your love be so strong if you're fooled so easily? I don't care, in fact I'm glad things are this way. It makes having such a good meal so easy. To think, I was rolling over to die not five minutes ago! All the time I was starving, these two were romping about with so much love inside them! This is just desserts for their selfishness! The laws of justice dictate I shall drink until the very last drop! The scent of food vanishes and I returned to my senses. I wish I hadn't though. "Great... now I feel bad..." I grumbled, but only out of guilt. Another, more relieving wave of green energy passes over my body and I return to my changeling form. Other than feeling guilty, I feel absolutely wonderful. Physically, I feel like I have the energy to run straight up a mountain. Love is some potent stuff. I went ahead and stowed the unconscious stallion in the bushes where I hid the mare. I didn't even have to touch the stallion to drain his love. I was packing some seriously dangerous equipment. I felt bad for the two ponies I'd used as a meal because it's really unfortunate what's happened to them. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. My remorse is somewhat deadened by the fact that if I hadn't used them like that I'd be dead. Hopefully they just wake up with bad headaches or something. I'd feel really bad if I killed them. My next thought was what to do next. I was overflowing with energy now, but I wasn't about to throw it away like earlier. I was much smarter now, and the smart me says I shouldn't stick around here. Somebody, or somepony, might come looking for these lovers soon enough. Unless these two were star-crossed lovers living out their days in peace out alone in a cottage in the woods, their presence here indicated that there was civilization nearby. I looked around me, hoping to catch a glimpse of something through the trees. It was hopeless though. There wasn't a path anywhere or a building in sight. If only I could see over the trees. Oh wait, I can fly. Now, I realize there is a huge difference between having wings and being able to fly, but I'm a changeling now and changelings can fly. That makes sense, right? I unfolded my wings and flapped them a bit experimentally. They were so thin and full of holes, I seriously began to doubt having flight capabilities. I began flapping them faster as I crouched down, preparing to leap into the air. I watched as the grass around me was blown about by the gale I was stirring up. With one salute to the good 'ol ground, I leapt into the air. I felt myself accelerating upwards. I was going higher than I could by just jumping. Within moments, I was above the canopy, staring out over the trees. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Trees stretched out as far as I could see, with only a lone mountain standing in the distance. I looked above me at the fluffy white clouds dotting the sky. They were so close, I felt I could touch them. I flapped my wings harder, trying to get higher, but I found myself slowly descending. In the end, all I'd achieved was a glorified jump. Before dropping below the canopy, I spun around to see if I couldn't find civilization. Sure enough, I saw a large city not too far from my position. It lay in a low valley outside the forest, which is probably why I hadn't seen it. It looked pretty big, even from up in the air. I dipped back beneath the canopy and landed lightly on my feet. Even if I couldn't fly, the ability to jump that high could come in handy. "What the?!" someone shouted from behind me. I quickly whipped around. There, standing just outside the bushes I'd just stashed my former meal, was a unicorn mare. The ash colored pony was staring right at me with violet eyes. She looked pretty darn freaked out. "Who are you!" she quickly snapped out of it though, scowling and pointing her horn right at me. Other than her crimson mane, she didn't have any other prominent features. I just hoped her cutie mark wasn't a fly swatter. "Hello there! I am not your enemy!" I tried the friendly approach. That earned me a warning shot of white magic exploding at my feet. "I don't believe you! All changelings are enemies!" was it really that obvious? "Who are you?" I don't know why she was asking who I was. If all changelings were enemies, why not just blast me already? It probably had something to do with the fact that I was standing on two legs. I seriously mulled her question over, though. Who was I? I used to be a human named Cooper who went to school, ran, and pulled shenanigans with his friends. Now I was a changeling who happens to be the new leader of Chrysalis's old swarm. It hit me for the first time that I really was king of the changelings now. At least, the changelings thought so, but according to them that's all that matters. I had a brand new identity, and my new identity needed a new name. King Cooper had a nice ring to it; however, seeing as the former Queen was named Chrysalis, I came up with an even better name. "I am King Cocoon of the Changelings!" I ducked as the unicorn shot a blast of energy at my head. Maybe I should have lied. "I guess I'd be doing the world a favor by killing you then," the unicorn advanced on me slowly. I couldn't believe it. I was having my first conversation with a pony, and what were we discussing? Killing me. Fantastic. I should just blast her and be done with it, but I've already caused enough trouble. I jumped to the side as she tried to nail me with another blast. Now she was galloping, her horn pointed right at me. She gave me a warning shot, so I should extend to her the same courtesy before deciding to blast her. I've seen what I can do to trees and doing that to a pony would leave a bad taste in my mouth. I pointed a finger and blasted a round right in her path. She skidded to a halt, but once she had stopped she fired at me again. She was far too close for me to get out of the way. Instinctively, I lashed out with my hand. My brain commanded my fingers to stop the oncoming attack. In response, my whole hand lit with a sickly green fire. When the white ball of heat and my hand met, the result was explosive. I winced at the light given off by the impact of the two energies, but I had successfully blocked the spell. In my relief, I hardly noticed the unicorn lunging at me from the side. Once again, I found myself acting instinctively. I curled my hand into a fist and swung at her, intending to knock her out of the air. My magic took over again, causing my hand to erupt into a flaming streak. I nailed the unicorn right on the cheek. The impact altered her trajectory away from me, causing her to fly past me and crash into the ground face first. I opened my fist and the green energy extinguished. Despite the fact that I'd just cleaned the clocks of a creature much smaller and weaker than me, I was pretty jacked about what had just happened. My victim, thankfully, was knocked out. That allowed me to clear out of there and head towards the city I'd seen. Still feeling like I was the Energizer bunny, I'd taken off running. In my now significantly lighter body, I was able to run leisurely at a speed that would have been a dead sprint when I was fleshy. The next clearing I came to, I jumped up to make sure I was going the right way. Thankfully, the city was indeed closer than it had been before. I don't know what I'd do once I was there, but I'm used to winging things. It's not like I had the experiences of another human to draw off of. I was reminded of how easily I'd ended up in Equestria. One conk on the head and boom I was here. I didn't like it. It was far too simplistic. If it was that easy, who's to say I'm the only human here? Who's to say I'll be the last human to come here? I spotted a large rock in the clearing. I marched up to it and set to work, carving out a message with a glowing claw. I found stone a bit harder to alter than wood, but the activity wasn't too strenuous. I scrawled out a simple message. The summary was "this is Equestria, there is a city that way, let's try and meet up". I signed my new name and title, then went on my way. I figured the probability of somebody finding this and the information being relevant was really low, but the ever so slight chance that someone might see it was a bit comforting. I felt less alone out here in Equestria. Ponies would see me and instantly be afraid, so the only way for me to live peacefully is through deceit. Even if I could deceive them forever, I'd still have to feed on their love. I'm still not clear on the side effects, but I don't want to be doing to ponies on a whim. The bottom line was that I need to get home. I need to get back to Earth where I belong.