//------------------------------// // Don't Give Up On Me // Story: King Of The Changelings // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// It had only been a fortnight since Sleight Gambit had defeated the stallion calling himself "Red Eclipse," saving Queen Chrysalis' hive and earning her love. He was now the first ever King in Changeling history. He was still getting to grips with the gravity of the situation; It wasn't so long ago that he was some two-bit carnival magician with a penchant for womanising. But, through an unforeseen turn of events, he had chanced upon Chrysalis' hive, and believed to be a prophesized 'hero' who would save them all. He had played along at first, intending to string the Changelings along for his own benefit, but when Red Eclipse and his army of racists had attacked, he found himself stepping into the role for real. Working together with his Changeling friends, Sleight used his natural skills to drive off Red Eclipse and his bigots. That act not only earned him the right to be called a hero, but the love of Chrysalis. And by accepting her love, he had risen to ruling the hive alongside her. It was a daunting task, but after the struggle against Red Eclipse, Sleight believed he was up for it. One morning, Sleight woke up in the royal bedchamber. "Ahh, good morning, Equestria..." Sleight smiled, and he turned to his right. "Good morning, Chrysalis..." Eyes still shut, he stretched out, looking to embrace his bedmate. But his hooves grasped thin air. Opening his eyes, Sleight saw that Chrysalis had woken up before him, and chosen to vacate the bed not long after. 'Where has my lovely wife gone, I wonder?' Sleight thought. Taking a moment to wash in the makeshift shower he had made for himself, Sleight donned his trusty waistcoat. He emerged from the bed chamber, with intent to find his new wife. As he searched through his new home, he found the wise old Changeling Wizel standing by a large door. "Good morning, your kingship." Wizel smiled. "Ah, come on, old timer." Sleight chuckled. "I told you before, you don't have to call me that." "I know." Wizel chuckled. "But I enjoy seeing you so humble. A far cry from the way you were when we first met." "Ha-ha." Sleight said flatly. "So, where's Chrysalis?" "Oh, she's quite busy at the moment." Wizel declared. "As she always is at this time of year." "Really?" Sleight frowned. "And what's so special about this time of year?" "Why, it's breeding season, of course." Wizel told him. "Breeding season?" Sleight asked. "Oh, yes." Wizel nodded. "For only a month each and every year, the Queen lays a multitude of eggs, which hatch into the next generation of Changelings. Same goes for other female changelings, but on a smaller scale..." "Multitude, huh?" Sleight asked. "How many are we talking, exactly?" "Oh, at least dozens." Wizel replied. "Perhaps hundreds." "Hundreds?" Sleight gaped, "But I've been by her side for two weeks, and she didn't look like she was carrying hundreds of foals in her! She seemed so normal..." "Well, of course you wouldn't notice anything." Wizel declared. "We Changelings are beings of magic, you know. Far more than even Unicorn ponies. Our biology is something of a wonder, if you'll pardon the boast. After all, the very first Queen came from a tree." "...These eggs don't happen to be from me, do they?" Sleight frowned. "No. Partner or no partner, these eggs are birthed from the Queen and the Queen alone." Wizel explained. "Oh, thank goodness. Fathering is something I don't want to face only two weeks into a marriage." Sleight sighed in relief. "So... where is all this 'laying' taking place?" "Right behind this door, actually." Wizel declared. "Really?" Sleight nodded. "Mind if I pop inside. Y'know, give our Queen a little moral support?" "I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Wizel frowned. "Queen Chrysalis tends to get a little... irritable during her egg laying cycle." "All the more reason to have her loving husband beside her." Sleight smirked. "Very well, my king." Wizel stepped aside. Under his breath, he muttered "It's your funeral..." Sleight opened the door, and entered the chamber. Inside, Chrysalis was sat in an awkward position, hooves splayed, his face twisted in agony as she laid egg after egg. Each egg was a pale green, and came up to about Sleight's knee. The new King shuddered at how it must feel for Chrysalis to squeeze even one out, let alone dozens. "Uh... hey, Chryssy." Sleight said awkwardly, realizing how hard it was to watch it now. "Just came to see how it's going-" "GET OUT!!" Chrysalis roared demonically. "Yes, dear." Sleight whimpered. Sleight hurriedly backed out of the chamber, closing the door behind him. "I shouldn't have gone in there." Sleight shuddered. "I did warn you, didn't I?" Wizel smirked. "Well, it sounds like Chrys is gonna be busy today." Sleight said meekly. "And things have been quiet around here lately. Maybe I can finally get around to seeing all of this hive." "Yes, I suppose you should." Wizel agreed. "A king should know his realm inside and out." "Yep. That, and I could use a little air after what I just saw... Remind me never to ask about the breeding season ever again." Sleight chuckled. "Catch ya later, pal." Sleight exited the tower, and walked into the main Changeling settlement. The small but spirited Sazh was there to greet him. He was donning Sleight's old hat, which was gifted to him shortly after Sleight saved them all with pride. "Good morning." He smiled. "You wouldn't say that if you saw what I just saw..." Sleight muttered. "Huh?" Sazh frowned. "Nothing." Sleight shrugged. "So, how are things? Still quiet?" "So far, yes." Sazh nodded. "Ever since you drove off Red Eclipse, we haven't seen any kind of trouble around here." "Good to know." Sleight smirked. "Wouldn't want to spend all my time bailing your guys out." "Faust forbid." Sazh chuckled. "So, what's on the royal agenda for today?" "Well, since Chryssy is... shall we say, indisposed at the moment, I figure it's high time I got the full lay of the land around here." Sleight declared. "Not to mention really get to know my subjects. Let's face it, besides you, Wizel, Chryssy, and that nut Char, I barely know any of you." "Well, after what you did, I'm sure every Changeling here would be honored to have you get to know them." Sazh smiled. "Here's hoping." Sleight grinned. Sleight walked across the streets of the Changeling settlement. Changelings all over bowed at his approach. "Mornin', fellas." He waved to a trio of drones who were fixing up a building that had been damaged during Red Eclipse's attack. "Good morning, your Kingship." The largest of the three bowed. "I hope our work pleases you." "Well, I'm no construction worker, but I'd say you're doing pretty good." Sleight nodded. He glanced over to another building, one which Red Eclipse himself had thrown him through not too long ago. He shuddered at the memory. "Think you can deal with that one next? Gives me some bad memories, y'know?" "As you wish, sire." The smallest of the trio nodded. "Thanks." Sleight smiled. "Just don't knock yourselves out doing it. It's not exactly a high priority. If you're tired, take a break. Don't want my subjects overworking themselves." "Yes, your highness." The final member of the trio bowed. "Have a good one." Sleight waved, as he continued onwards. Sleight continued his trek across his new domain, observing and marveling at the Changelings and their ways. Red Eclipse's assault had damaged them all in some way, but they continued onward, rebuilding and working towards their future. Their indomitable nature could only be admired. 'It's easy to see why ponies used to be afraid of these guys.' Sleight mused. 'They're unstoppable! No matter what happens, they just rebuild and keep on going...' All of Wizel's earlier talk of the "breeding season" had reminded Sleight that some of the changelings were children of Chrysalis, as well as queens before them. 'And here I am, playing step-dad.' He thought. 'Sure hope the kids don't grow up to resent me...' Making sure to great every Changeling he saw, Sleight decided to drop in on the nursery, and observe the new hatchlings. Not long after he first arrived, he had had the chance to hold one of them in his hooves. While repulsed at first, he had quickly looked past the young ones form, finding himself charmed by it, even thinking it was "ugly-cute." As he entered the nursery, he saw one of the midwife Changelings holding up a new egg. The little one's silhouette could be seen through the semi-transparent egg. It seemed to be fine, but as Sleight came closer, he saw that one of its front hooves was malformed, ending in a stub. 'Poor thing.' Sleight thought. 'It won't be easy for it to grow up like that. But at least here, it won't end up in some carnival freak show...' He grimly recalled a freak at the traveling circus he once worked at. The midwife held the egg over a pool of water. Slowly, the egg was lowered in, making Sleight think it was being cleaned. Those thoughts went out of the window as Sleight realised the midwife wasn't washing it, but rather just holding it underwater... as if she was drowning it. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He yelled, rushing over. "Your highness?" The midwife frowned. "What do you think you're doing?" Sleight pulled the egg out of the water. "I am disposing of a defective larva." The midwife said bluntly. "Disposing?" Sleight frowned, rubbing the ice cold egg, even taking off his coat and wrapping it up to warm it. "Seriously? The poor thing's barely even alive yet, and you're trying to kill it?" "But it is... defective, my king." The midwife declared, confusion written on her face. "And defective larvae must be destroyed. They can be of little use to the hive." "So you kill them?!" Sleight roared, outraged. "Just like that?!" "It is... our way, your highness." The midwife said awkwardly. "We have been doing this since the first queen, and she threatened to murder anyone who dared let one defective egg hatch." "Well, Chrysalis isn't this 'first queen' and I oughta give you a piece of my mind for trying to kill this little guy!" Sleight snarled, as he then checked the egg. The larva was twitching inside the egg, still alive (but barely). "You'll be fine..." "But, your majesty..." The midwife started. "But nothing." Sleight glared, as he then placed the young larvae with the other eggs, "If I catch you trying to kill this little one again, I won't hesitate to go 'Mystifying and Extraordinary' on you!" "But this is how things have always been!" The midwife protested. "All those who work in the nursery follow this code. Malformed and defective larva are to be destroyed! To preserve the purity of the hive!" "So for the sake of purity, you willingly allow yourselves to become child murderers?" Sleight scowled. "No way in Tartarus will I let this stand!" "But this is our law, set by our Queen!" The midwife explained, "If you are so against it, you will have to take it up with her!" "Oh, trust me, I will..." Sleight growled. Sleight stormed out of the nursery, deeply shaken by what he had just seen. That evening, Chrysalis, done with laying for the day, joined Sleight in the bedchamber. "Sorry for this morning." She apologized. "I can be a tad... testy during my laying cycle." "That's okay." Sleight declared. "I'd be a little testy too if I had to pump out dozens of beach ball-sized objects out of my backside..." "Sleight, what's wrong?" Chrysalis asked. "You seem like you have something on your mind. Something... troubling." "Can't get anything past you, can I?" Sleight smiled weakly. "Well, I am your wife, remember?" Chrysalis smirked. "Tell me what's bothering you." "Okay..." Sleight sighed. "After you told me to get out, I went to explore the hive, and I ended up heading to the nursery, and I found one of the midwives trying to drown this egg, just because the larva had a stub for one of it's hooves..." "Oh dear..." Chrysalis frowned, "You saw that?" "Yes." Sleight nodded. "What more, the midwife told me that this is how the hive been dealing with 'defective' larva for centuries..." He then gazed at Chrysalis. "Is this true?" Chrysalis gave a deep frown as she sighed. "Yes." Chrysalis agreed solemnly, "It was a law set by the first changeling queen of this hive, Queen Charaxes. All those with genetic defects are to be removed from the gene pool, in order to ensure-" "Purity?" Sleight growled. "So you mean to tell me that for thousands of years, you simply let a portion of your offspring be killed off, just because they were like born with a extra hoof or something?" "I know it sounds bad," Chrysalis frowned. "But it was for the good of the hive. We changelings pride ourselves on our strength and intelligence. And we believe it would be a waste of resources to bring up severely disadvantaged larvae in the world we live in..." "...The world we live in?" Sleight seethed. "I don't care if the world we live in is one where oceans bleed into the sky, drowning babies is not what I signed up for when I became King! Don't tell me you actually condone all this!" "No." Chrysalis answered simply, as if a bit offended by the question. "I may be a callous mare, but I don't wish any of my children, defective or not, any harm." "But then why do you allow such a barbaric display to happen?" Sleight asked. "Then... why do you let it happen?" Sleight asked. "Because..." Chrysalis shook her head wistfully. "It is tradition. Tradition that my mother, and her mother, and so on, had faithfully followed. We dare not defy it, for it was for the good of our hive. You know what life was like for us back then, don't you?" "But things are different now!" Sleight protested. "And I can care less about 'purity' or all that noise, I am not gonna let what almost happen today happen again..." "What are you saying?" Chrysalis asked. "I'm the King, aren't I?" Sleight snorted. "I have the authority to put an end to it, once and for all..." He then eyed his wife warily, "...Unless you have something to say about it?" "While it is tradition, it is one that I had never cared for." Chrysalis declared. "As you know, almost every Changeling that is born as of now is my offspring. My children. I have always regretting losing even one of them. And as history suggests, I would wage wars with ponies just to ensure their survival." "Something you won't have to worry about anymore." Sleight declared. "I'll make a royal decree, before the whole hive. Will you have my back? They will most certainly listen if you are there beside me." "I'd like to, but I have more laying to do tomorrow." Chrysalis groaned. "But I will bid you good luck." "Thanks, Chryssy." Sleight smiled. "You too." The royal couple kissed each good night before curling up to sleep. Each one had a big day ahead of them... The next morning, Sleight informed Sazh and Wizel of his intentions. "...So, what do you think?" Sleight asked. "About damn time, I say." Sazh declared. "I swear, I was lucky that I wasn't drowned when I was a larva. They told me I was a runt... fortunately, Wizel was there for me." "Is that so?" Sleight frowned as he turned to Wizel. "Then you know what I'm talking about." "Indeed." Wizel nodded. "However, the rest of the hive may not." "How do you mean?" Sleight asked. "Most Changelings adhere strictly to their traditions. And while those born from Chrysalis might be a bit more receptive, those that came before Chrysalis are a whole different story." Wizel declared. "They may not look kindly on you attempting to change one of them." "Are you kidding?" Sleight chuckled. "Those guys love me. I'm their big hero, remember? The one who saved them all from Red Eclipse. They'll be behind me a hundred percent." "We'll see..." Wizel mused. Some time later, Sleight ordered a gathering of his subjects outside the tower. He stood upon the balcony, looking out over the crowd. "My loyal subjects." He declared. "I stand before you today to make an important announcement." "What is it, my King?" One of the Changelings in the crowd asked. "Yes, tell us!" Another added. "I am here to correct a terrible oversight." Sleight stated. "One that has been left unresolved for so long." The Changelings shared looks, unaware of what Sleight was speaking of. "For years now, this hive has made a habit out of drowning the eggs of disabled, disfigured, or so-called 'defective' larva." Sleight declared. "As your new King, I hereby declared that this disgusting practice is hereby banned. Any Changeling caught trying to drown an egg, break it, or any other form of harm, they will be punished severly." A silence fell over the crowd, as Sleight's words sunk in. Sleight smiled, believing that his first royal decree had gone over rather well. 'Maybe I can pull of this King thing after all...' He thought. Suddenly, the crowd erupted into boos and outraged statements. "How dare you?" Why would you do such a thing?" "Um... excuse me?" Sleight frowned. "I just banned the drowning of innocent larva. Isn't that good?" The Changelings roared in the negative. "No!" "Never!" "What madness are you spouting?" "Hey, hold up." Sleight said awkwardly. "It's me, remember? Sleight, the Mystifying and Extraordinary, your great hero and King. Can't you guys trust that I have your best interests in mind?" "Ha!" One brazen Changeling spat. "You may be our King, but you know nothing of our ways. Our hive prospers because its members are perfectly normal, and optimally formed. If we follow your ridiculous new rule, we'll be drowning in freaks and misfits before we even know it!" "So you'd rather those 'freaks and misfits' drown instead?" Sleight asked. "Yes, for the glory of the hive!" Another Changeling yelled. "But back where I am from, that is abortion!" Sleight protested. "You are murdering children because of some minor birth defect!" "It isn't murder if it's just eggs!" One Changeling declared. "Of course it is!" One of those on Sleight's declared. "They're alive, aren't they?" "Only in the broadest sense of the word." An older Changeling countered. "They don't have any brain activity." "Neither do you, old timer." A brazen young maiden sneered. "Those eggs are living beings!" "No they're not!" A soldier yelled. "Yes, they are!" A drone snarled. "No, they're not!" The midwife from before insisted. "Look, I don't care!" Sleight snarled. "Bottom line, drowning is now illegal, those who disobey will be punished. I'm your king, and that is my final word!" The crowd started yelling again. Sleight turned away from them, and went back into the tower. "Well, that could've gone better." He sighed. "I did warn you, didn't I?" Wizel asked, as he and Sazh approached. "We Changelings can be very uncompromising when it comes to our beliefs. Especially when the future of our hive is part of the equation." "Yeah, I guess I didn't quite think this through." Sleight admitted. "Give 'em time, Sleight." Sazh urged. "They'll come around. ... Eventually." "Here's hoping." Sleight frowned. "Otherwise, I'll have gone from beloved ruler to hated monarch quicker than anypony else in history..." That evening, Sleight relayed the events of the day to Chrysalis. "You should had seen them..." Sleight despaired, "I can't believe they actually want to do this to those poor larvae." "I can't say I'm surprised." Chrysalis sighed. "Traditions mean a lot to our kind." "Wizel already said that." Sleight declared. "What are you going to do?" Chrysalis asked, "Would you like me to try and smooth things over with them?" "No, you got your own problems to worry about." Sleight shook his head, "I'll just have to stand my ground and hope this whole thing blows over." "As do I." Chrysalis sighed. The next morning, as Sleight walked around the settlement, most of the Changelings he passed through him dirty looks, while others refused to look at him at all. What was worse was that some of them were muttering under their breath as he passed. "...Must've been mad to make him our King..." "Maybe he should step down..." "Bleeding heart fool..." "Char was right about him..." "If I see a malformed larva, I'll drown it. Don't care about his ridiculous decree..." Sleight's public image had suffered a major drop, due to his first decree. But he wasn't going to back down from it. Not when the alternative meant drowning new life. But it still hurt to those who were once singing his praises throwing glares and muttered insults at him. Acknowledging the lack of interest in obeying his new edict, Sleight had Sazh watch over the nursery, making sure there were no further drownings. Sazh was of course more than happy to follow that order, though it didn't exactly improve his standing amongst his fellows. For the next week, Sleight continued to endure the scorn of his subjects. He had also gotten word from Sazh of Changelings trying to sneak any 'defective' eggs out of the nursery, in order to drown elsewhere. What was worse, one afternoon, he checked into the nursery to find an injured Sazh, barely standing. "Sazh!" Sleight rushed over. "I'm... fine." Sazh groaned. "What happened?" Sleight asked. "This thug came in, trying to take the 'defective' eggs by force." Sazh groaned. "I fought him off. Barely..." "I'm sorry, pal." Sleight sighed. "This is all my fault." "Don't blame yourself, Sleight." Sazh declared. "You're only doing what's right. Something that should have been done long ago. And I'm glad to stand up in defense of these larvae." "Thank, Sazh." Sleight smiled. "You're a real pal, you know that?" "Yeah, but it's nice to be reminded every now and then." Sazh grinned. Despite Sazh's words, the guilt still weighed heavily on Sleight. He managed to have two soldiers (the only ones who actually supported his decree) fill in for Sazh while he recovered. But he knew things could only get worse from there... "This can't go on." Sleight moaned to Chrysalis one evening. "There's got to be some way of calming things down." "I'm afraid there may not be a way." Chrysalis told him. "Changeling pride isn't easy to overcome. And I should know." "Don't they realise what a waste it is, killing those larvae?" Sleight snarled. "Sure, they may not be perfect, but who's to say they can't do some real good for this hive? When I was a kid, ponies like my father thought I would amount to nothing and... and..." "What is it?" Chrysalis asked. "I got it." Sleight declared. "I think I just figured out a way I can convince the hive to see things my way!" The next morning, Sleight called another meeting. The Changelings gathered outside the tower (mostly in the hope that Sleight was either going to repeal the decree, or just step down as King). "I hope you know what you're doing." Wizel told him. "I'm pretty sure." Sleight answered. "How sure is 'pretty sure'?" Sazh asked. "Seventy, eighty percent?" Sleight shrugged. "Well, it's better than sixty..." Wizel shrugged. "Good luck, Sleight." Sazh told him. Sleight walked onto the balcony. "Hello again, my subjects." He announced. "Now, I know you aren't exactly happy with my recent decree..." "You got that right!" The burly construction Changeling yelled. "By the first Queen, your so-called decree is nonsense!" Another added. "Oh, is that what you think?" Sleight asked. "That 'defective' Changelings should just be rejected and exterminated, without ever getting a fair chance?" "Yes!" The crowd roared. "Really?" Sleight crossed his hooves. "And why is that?" "For the purity of the hive!" One Changeling declared. "For tradition!" Another stated. "To uphold the values we've held since this hive's beginning!" A third announced. "I know that... but why now?" Sleight asked, "I mean, I understand that things were rough back then... but things are better now, aren't they? You are finally at peace with the ponies. You have your own land. You're no longer having to hide in the shadows. You can go out into the open, with barely any trouble!" "That's true." A stocky Changeling admitted. "There are those who still hate us, but they are not as widespread as before." "And we've never stayed in one place for so long..." An elderly female declared. "Things are indeed better for us now." "Then why must the larvae be denied the right to life because of their defects?" Sleight asked. "It is our way!" The old Changeling from before declared. "It is the way things have always been." "And it is for the best." A female drone stated. "Those poor larvae need to be put out of their misery." "That's right." A soldier nodded. "Do you really think any of them want to live their lives with the stigma of being a reject hanging over their heads?" "I wouldn't." A young drone declared. "Me neither." Another midwife nodded. Numerous members of the crowd started muttering in agreement. "Really? Well, it might interest you to know that I was once considered a reject." Sleight revealed. The crowd fell silent. "That's right." Sleight nodded. "Ponies thought I was just some useless no-name trickster who had no reason to be around. Why, my own father even called me 'worthless' a few times. But look at what I accomplished. I defended you all from Red Eclipse, kept this hive alive, despite my less than humble beginnings. Why, I even earned the love of your Queen. And I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I do have powers that are pretty incomprehensible." The Changelings muttered amongst themselves, acknowledging the truth in Sleight's statement. "Just because somepony seems defective doesn't mean they are." Sleight declared. "In fact, sometimes it drives them to be better. Helen Yeller was blind, deaf, and mute, but she went on to become a great writer. Stephen Horsing is completely paralysed, but he became one of the greatest minds in pony history! And we even have one right here. Sazh Teller. All of you thought he was nothing more than some little runt that would amount to nothing... yet it was because of him that I had came here to save you all. And now, he is my friend and my most trusted advisor... well, he's my only advisor, but you get the point." The Changelings muttered some more. "I recall that." "We thought he couldn't use magic." "But he managed it just recently." "Sure, some of those larva may be missing a hoof, or something else that doesn't make them 'perfect', but that doesn't limit their potential." Sleight continued. "All life is capable of accomplishing great things. That includes each and every larva in that nursery, imperfect or not. All they need is a chance. All I'm asking is that you give them that chance. I know you don't want to go against tradition, but sometimes tradition isn't all its cracked up to be. So what do you say? Will you give my decree a chance?" There was another round of silence. Sleight thought his plan had failed. But... "I will." One Changeling raised his hoof. "As will I." Another agreed. "Perhaps it is time for a change." A third nodded. "We already have a pony for a King, do we not?" "And perhaps this tradition has run it's course." A fourth declared. 'Well, I'll be...' Sleight smiled. "King Sleight has shown us a new way of doing things!" Another Changeling cheered. "We should respect his wisdom, and follow his vision!" "Hear, hear." The burly construction Changeling nodded. "If somepony as great as he could rise from such humble beginnings, who's to say our less-than-perfect larva can't do the same?" "King Sleight! King Sleight! King Sleight!" The crowd cheered. "It actually worked." Wizel chuckled. "Good." Sazh nodded, rubbing his bruises. "Standing guard over the nursery was really getting hard..." "Thank you all for trusting me, my subjects." Sleight said humbly. "I promise you won't regret this!" As Sleight left the balcony, more cheers ringing in his head, he found Chrysalis standing before him. "Well done, my love." She smiled. "Chryssy?" Sleight gaped. "I thought you were still laying." "I took a break." Chrysalis declared. "I didn't want to miss your big speech." "Oh, so, uh... what'd you think?" Sleight asked. "I thought you were just amazing." Chrysalis embraced him. "You really have a way with words." "Yeah, I've always been a silver-tongued charmer." Sleight admitted. "And I meant every word this time." "I could tell." Chrysalis smiled. "You've won back their admiration, there's no doubt about that." "Maybe I can get the hang of this King thing after all." Sleight smirked. "I know you will." Chrysalis kissed him. Sleight had overcome his first hurdle. As a King, one couldn't always hold his subject's hearts and minds. But as long as he spoke from his heart, he could always earn back their faith in him. That thought comforted him, as he knew there were greater challenges waiting in his future. But with Chrysalis, Sazh and Wizel at his side, he knew he could take whatever the future had in store for him.