//------------------------------//
// Options 
// Story: The World is Cruel 
// by Fluttersherp 
//------------------------------//

	The group walked along a gravel path covered with a thin layer of leaves in a variety of reds, oranges, and yellows. The leaves crunched under the weight of the ponies, creating a chorus of dry snapping. The leaves above the group rustled in the wind. Hux had a hard time walking as his front legs were tied together, making him walk in more of a limp. After about an hour after leaving the clearing, Hux finally spoke his case.
"Okay, look," he said aloud over the sound of the crunching, "I didn't want any conflict. It was merely a coincidence we met at that... thing."
Twilight, who was walking beside him, looked at him, obviously not believing his remark. "That thing was a tower that is supposedly connected to Star Swirl the Bearded. I bet you queen-"
"I don't even know who that is," he said, turning to meet her eyes.
The group was silent yet again, allowing the crunching and rustling of the leaves to take over. They continued down the path. Hux admired the scenery since this was most likely going to be the last time he would see the beauty of nature. He started to linger, receiving a push from an eager Rainbow.
"Don't dilly dally." Hux turned to look at the prodding pony, meeting her glaring eyes.
"Calm down," he said, "it's not like I'm gonna try and escape."
"That's what I'm worried about. You things are sneaky."
Hux rolled his eyes, returning his attention towards the direction they wandered. Did he have a chance of escape? If he tried to run, he would probably be caught soon enough. He might as well let the ponies lead him along. It didn't take him long to notice the yellow pegasus walking beside him sneaking peeks at him. From what he could tell, she was the most held-back of the group, refraining from speaking when it is almost necessary.  
He turned to look at her peeking eyes, "if you have something to say-"
"Shut it, changeling."
Hux looked back at Rainbow again, this time glaring at her. If he was being taken prisoner, then he deserved the right to speak. Turning his head back to Fluttershy's, he said, "if you have something to say, just say it. Don't let these ponies hold you back."
Fluttershy lifted her head up, turning it fully towards Hux. "These ponies are my friends." She looked annoyed.
"You see," Rainbow spoke, "she doesn't want to talk to you."
Fluttershy turned to Rainbow. "I never said that, did I?" She turned to look at Hux. "I feel like we are treating him worse than we should be. If he was going to try and escape, then he would have tried already."
Hux smiled a little and Fluttershy returned the gesture, returning her attention towards the ground. Rainbow rolled her eyes and spoke to Pinkie, who had been looking up towards the tree tops the entire time after they left the tower. "You see anything, Pinkie?"
"Nopey dopey!"
"Me neither. Twilight, we should be in the clear for a while."
"Okay, thanks Rainbow."
The group returned to silence, but only for a moment, as Fluttershy broke the silence by asking, "what is your name?"
Hux immediately thought about giving a fake name, but it's not like it would do him anything good, so he pushed the thought out of his mind. "It's Hux."
Fluttershy pondered the name for a moment and then said, "that's a nice name. Hux." She smiled. "Pretty unique, too."
"Thanks." He looked around at the group surrounding him. "What are your names? I know Rainbow and Twilight, but the rest of you are basically a blank to me. If I am being taken captive, don't you suppose I might as well know your names?"
The white pony in the front of the group looked to Twilight, who gave a small nod. Rarity returned the nod and proceeded to start the name chain. "I'm Rarity."
The pink pony turned her entire body to Hux, forcing her to walk backwards. "My full name is Pinkamina Diane Pie, but my friends call me Pinkie."
Hux nodded, now turning to Fluttershy. She noticed him looking at her, and she took a deep breath in. "I'm... Fluttershy."
Hux smiled. "That's a nice name."
Fluttershy revealed a weak smile before turning her head away from the group to conceal it. Hux then looked to the orange pony walking in front of Twilight. He waited, and waited, and waited, but to no avail.
"And you?"
"Now, listen here," she responded as she looked to meet Hux's eyes looking in her direction, "I ain't got to tell a changelin' like you my name." They stared at each other, eyes neither blinking nor looking away, until the pony broke the line and looked forward again, pulling her hat over her eyes.
"That's Applejack. She kinda has a grudge on your," Twilight pondered for the word, "kind."
"Why? For the attack on Canterlot?"
"Yes! What else would I be holding against y'all?!" Applejack stopped, the group stopping along with her. "You things almost ruined Twilight's life!"
Hux backed away. "Our queen was just trying to get us food."
"Well, I'm guessing you haven't had any love since then?"
"No, but-"
"So why was it so bucking important to get love?! You things seem to be doin' just fine without it!"
Silence overtook the group, all except Hux and Applejack turning to look away from the pair, Rainbow rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't know why she did it," Hux responded, smashing the silence, "but she must have had a good reason."
"What kind of reason?!"
"I don't know..."
She stared at him, eyes blazing with anger. She lowered her head, eyes still pointing at Hux. "This is why I hate you things. Never fess up when ya' did somethin' wrong." She turned back down the path, leaving the group behind. The ponies looked at each other as Hux stared at the slowly fading pony.
The group got started up again, soon catching up with Applejack. They continued in silence, the leaves crunching beneath their hooves and the leaves above rustling in the wind.

Hux sat alone on a hard bed, deep within the basement of a crystal castle. The room was lined with crystal walls with bits jutting out, sharp enough to cut into somepony. The bed he sat on hung out from the wall on a crystal pedestal, covered with a mattress and sheets not even thick enough to block out the light coming from the torch hanging above the door, which was shut and locked. Boy, was he in a predicament.
As he sat there, he had been hearing slivers of conversation from outside the room, the sound coming from the six ponies who had escorted him and another pony that had joined the conversation after his imprisonment. He had considered putting his ear up to the door to try and listen in on the conversation, but had decided against it. Where would eavesdropping get him? Knowing when he was being executed or thrown into the gates of Tartarus? 
The sounds stopped outside, and the click of hooves on the stone floor could be heard coming closer to him. It advanced, stopping right outside the door, where the jingle of keys could be heard, followed by the turn of a tumbler and the chain on the door loosened and dropped to the floor. The door opened, pushing the chain inside the room, and Fluttershy walked in.
"They're ready for you, Hux."
"Uh," he responded, "could you close the door for a minute?"
Fluttershy studied him quickly, and then stepped inside and shut the door.
"I just wanted to say thanks for your friendliness back on the way here. You were the only one who didn't give me glaring looks behind my back."
Fluttershy smiled a little. "It's no problem. Thanks for getting me to speak my mind."
Hux nodded and pushed himself off of the bed, stretching after the long sit. The motion was followed by a succession of cracks. He watched as Fluttershy opened the door once more and motioned her hoof to lead him out of the room. She lead him down the hall into a room with seven chairs, one empty, which he assumed was hers. He was surprised that crystal carried sound that well, considering he thought the group was right in the hall outside his room.
The chairs in the room wound around a small circular table halfway, leaving a full half circle just for the "guest of honor." On the table sat many plates topped with treats and cups, each bellowing steam. Twilight sat at the end opposite of Hux. To the right of her was the empty seat belonging to Fluttershy, then Rainbow Dash, proceeded by Rarity. To the left sat the pony he didn't recognize, the one that most likely joined in during the conversation, then followed by Pinkie and then by Applejack. All of them gave him emotionless looks, all but Applejack, who still looked at him with anger and mistrust.
"Just take a seat right there," Fluttershy said, pointing to the chair on the other half of the circle. The chairs weren't grand, especially this one, the most elegant looking one being occupied by Twilight. He scooted the chair out, creating a high pitched squeak. He stopped pulling and lifted it up instead, "sorry." He took his spot in the chair, all eyes on him.
"Before we get started," Twilight spoke, her tone reminding him of his queen, harsh yet nice, "I would like to introduce you to Starlight Glimmer, a new addition to our group."
The pony raised her hoof off of the table and waved at him. He didn't wave back.
"So," Twilight continued, "who wants to start this off?"
"What exactly are we doing," Hux asked, completely in the blue about this situation.
"Well," Starlight started, "we will basically tell you different options we have come up with for what to do with you and you will either take one willingly, or you can tell us why we should choose a suggestion of your choosing."
Applejack turned to face Twilight and Starlight. "Can't we cut that option out, considering he is, you know, a changeling?"
Twilight looked at Applejack appallingly. "We can't just take away that option. It is the system we all agreed on and we got it signed by Celestia and Luna."
"Well," Applejack retorted, "we can take the option away. We are the ponies, at the moment, with the most power. We can do whatever we want."
The group turned to face her, each one not even considering her proposal. She rolled her eyes and looked back at Hux, a hoof supporting her moping face. Hux looked at her, guiltily smiling inside.
"So, returning to the conversation at hand, who wants to start it off."
None raised their hooves, not even Applejack. Eventually, a certain pony spoke up.
"I guess I will," Fluttershy said.
Twilight nodded, turning back to look at Hux.
Fluttershy cleared her throat, then said, "our first option is to keep you locked down here for a while, holding weekly interrogations."
"Would I ever be set free?"
Fluttershy froze for a moment, probably considering the question. She turned to Twilight, who took the hint.
"Once we have all the information we need and it is proven to be true."
Applejack pointed her head down further. Hux nodded.
"Next one," Fluttershy continued, "is to... ex... execute you."
Hux nodded, scrunching up his face to the fact that that was even a considered "option."
"And, finally," Fluttershy said, "would be to put a spell on you and technically use you as an inside spy for us."
The group was silent, Hux considering his options. He didn't have many good choices. Either be a prisoner, be a spy, or be killed. Execution was out of the question. He did not want to die on account of his first day of his responsibility. Being turned into a spy was also out. He would rather die than turn against his hive. Always. And lastly, he truly didn't want to be held down here as a prisoner anyways.
Twilight broke his chain of thoughts. "So, Hux, you can either take one of those options or fight for your own option."
Hux looked around the half-circle of ponies, considering his chances of his option going through. "I want freedom."
"No." Applejack looked up at Hux. "No."
"Now Applejack," Twilight spoke, trying to persuade the orange farm pony, "let's consider this-"
The ring of a hoof smacking crystal rang through the room and the halls as Applejack beat the table. "Twilight, we can't just let him go and tell his friends to attack us!"
"Applejack! This is how it works!" Rarity, the only one who could easily oppose Applejack, stood up on her hind legs, her body supported by her hooves planted on the table. "We have to consider anything that gets spoken about here!"
Applejack turned her nose up to Rarity. She stared at her for a moment, then stormed off, leaving the group one member short.
Rarity, eyes still full with anger, lowered herself back onto her chair, calming down as she did so.
"Can you plead for your option of freedom?" Twilight looked like she would actually consider it, so he took his chances.
"From what I can tell, you ponies didn't want conflict back at the tower, same as me. If I leave, I will take it happily, knowing that you are the ones who let me leave. I will tell my comrades to not attack your civilization further."
Twilight looked at her friends, who didn't give an opinion on his case, so she let out a breath and spoke, "no. I can't allow that. With the problems you have given us in the past, I will not let it happen, at least not right now."
Hux looked down, knowing that that was his only good choice. He knew he would have to choose one of their options.
"What if," Fluttershy spoke, voice full of passion, "we give him time to let us trust him. If he passes, then he can leave willingly. If he fails, then we can keep him here as a prisoner." She obviously didn't like to say that word, as she said it much more softly.
"And how do you propose this, Fluttershy? We can't learn to trust him if he is down here. Are you saying, like, do trials down here-"
"I am saying let him wander in Ponyville. It is hard to let him do that, I admit, but it is the best way to test our trust in him."
The group was silent, the only voice breaking the awkwardness was the voice coming behind Hux.
"I agree with Fluttershy." Hux looked around his chair, spotting Applejack leaning in the door way. "I don't like you, Hux, I'll admit. That is all the more reason, though," she walked towards him, standing beside his chair and looking Twilight in the eye, "to make me learn to like you."
She  perched back on her seat, staring at Hux with a different, slightly less mad, look.
"This raises a new problem," Twilight said, "the town will riot if they learn we let a changeling wander freely."
Fluttershy looked at Twilight, "you realize he is a changeling, right?"
Twilight looked at Hux, "can you hold a disguise for a day at a time?"
"Depends," Hux responded, happy to have somepony standing up for him, "I can hold a disguise longer the more recently I last saw them."
"Wait," Starlight spoke, "you can shape shift?"
"Have you never seen a changeling before?" Hux was holding back a laugh.
"She had been holed up in a town in the desert for a long time." Twilight looked to Starlight, a smile on her face. "Plenty of things happened there."
"So," Starlight spoke, "who are you going to take the form of? It has to be one of us, otherwise things could get nasty."
Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Applejack.
"He can be me for a while. There is no better way for me to trust him than letting him be me. Just let me tell ya', Hux," her eyes pinpointed on his eyes, "if anything happens to my friends or family, or my farm fer that matter, then you better be praying for execution."
Hux nodded. No matter how much she hated him, she was starting to grow on him. After the conversation was over, the group headed up back to the main room of the castle, where the exacts were worked out. Hux would be Applejack for five days, visiting the castle every night at midnight to see Applejack again. Hux was not allowed to leave Ponyville. He didn't care though, because he was the luckiest changeling in the world.
He was the only changeling to receive a chance to prove themselves.