//------------------------------// // Manipulation // Story: A Changeling Tradegy // by Reddling Rain //------------------------------// As bitter as it was for Lazni to think about it and equally bitter as it was for Pupae to accept it, Prominence had been right. Dawn was breaking when only two drones crawled back the forest, both worse for the wear and looking exhausted. They were barely holding together their pony disguises, which seemed to be all the strength they'd be able to muster. Lazni had estimated that at least a half a dozen drones had escaped the landslide, and yet now there stood only two of them, for a total of five changelings. Lazni helped both of the drones settle down to rest for a moment, hugging them closely as they pointed in the direction of a settlement of ponies. Despite their work, both Lazni and Prominence had told them that they would have to go further south. All settlements were beholden to Hive Lalartu as gods, and the changelings from Lalartu would instantly pick them out in their current condition. Pupae did not seem happy about accepting this, but she would not have any measure of a hive if she took any more risks. "Why must you shoot down every plan of action?" Pupae hissed, still cleaning mud and leaves off herself from the night sleeping next to Lazni. "Perhaps it was your snoring that put me in a bad mood, I didn't sleep at all!" Prominence sniped back. "We can't rely on established settlements because they are all beholden to Hive Lalartu. Our best hope is to find some traders and pose as mares, get them to take us in and then rob them for all they can give. "Oh yes, a robbery on the highway, I'm sure that won't draw any attention." Pupae rolled her eyes, leaving Lazni to groan as she listened to the two bicker their guts out. Pupae was busy fussing over her mane, trying to get it clean despite being unable to cleanse dried mud from the locks of hair. Prominence meanwhile looked like some veteran of trench warfare, wearing her mud and leaves proudly over her chitin. "By the time Lalartu will have heard about the robbery via a settlement, we can be ten leagues away. They will not be able to simply pursue us in the open, they will not risk revealing themselves as less than gods to their subjects. You can stay here and wait to be found, and try taking your chances with Lalartu after half her soldiers drowned in a mudslide, with most of your hive I might add, or you can accept my plan and we can escape. Both changelings narrowed their eyes, Pupae scoffing and giving a short nod. "I will assist you in this manipulation, but do not assume that I like this, or that we are partners in any way. We have a bargain for the moment and nothing more." "I wouldn't have this any other way." Prominence turned, beckoning for Lazni to follow her. Lazni pulled herself free of the mud and leaves, sticking close to Prominence's side as she led the way, keeping low to the ground and creeping through the treeline and brush as the five slowly made their way forward, leaving Hive Lalartu behind them and encroaching on one of the many roadways that littered the territories south of Equestria. Before any of them left the brush, Pupae, Prominence, and Lazni all took on separate pony forms. Pupae largely resembled her mother in a pony body, although one head shorter and with a fairer coat. Prominence had a long mane that shifted into being a full and thick pony mane, complimenting her amber body and making her seem like she was the heart of a newborn fire. Lazni simply adopted a white coat and kept her other features the same, save for making them look like a pony's body parts would. Each of them kept their own eyecolours-- Pupae and her drones were green, Prominence had flaming yellow-red eyes, and Lazni 's eyes had become a glassed-over purple. While they would have all been quite pretty fillies, being covered from tail to mane in mud and sticks somewhat ruined the charm. Despite the concerns with being spotted, none of them protested against dipping into a stream by the roadside. Lazni was fairly sure that none of them could fly with the mud caked onto them, so at least if it became necessary to run, they'd have the ability to do so after a bath. From the moment that Lazni stepped in the water, she suddenly felt very off. Pupae and her drones waded off in the stream, both of them washing each other and their queen clean. Bathing was very much a communal thing among drones that Lazni had observed both in other hives and participated with in her own. It was rare that a drone bathed alone, and if ever given the chance, would jump at the opportunity to clean their Hivemother. The sudden distance of the life Lanzi had known seemed to crash into her shell with every pulse of the stream, sending her consciously swirling away with the water. She did not recover from this sense of loss until she felt Prominence pull on her mane, peeking around to look her in the eyes. "Lazni, what's wrong?" Prominence asked. Lazni gave a little shake of her head, blinking at the Princess and giving an uneasy shrug. "I guess I'm still shocked about-- everything. Everything that happened last night. I just..." Lazni felt herself sit down in the riverbed, Prominence swiftly sitting by her side and reaching for one of Lazni's hooves. Prominence's hooves were gentle and surprisingly smooth now that the water had washed mud off of them. She had the ability to be quite tender with her hooves, contrary to her otherwise fiery personality. "I know, it's a lot to deal with, isn't it?" Prominence asked rhetorically, petting Lazni's mane and side while she began to use water to wash away the grime. Rather than fight for the right words, Lazni gave Prominence a nod of thanks, keeping her head low as she watched the water. Although the sky was quickly becoming overcast and threatening another storm, the water still produced a shimmering reflection of Pupae and her drones. Both drones were carefully working to remove twigs and grime from Pupae, most of her chitin already shining again like she had never slept in the mud. Although the other two tireless drones were not as muddy as their queen, Lazni could vaguely sense strands of misery from the two through the empathetic link. Their energy was long sense spent, and it was merely the will to survive and love their Queen until the end that kept them standing. As muck from Lazni's body clouded the stream and blocked out the picture, she continued to worry about it in her mind, trying her best to paint a positive picture of Pupae. Surely she could sense their sadness and it troubled her? But even if she could, perhaps she wasn't sure what she could do about it. "There." Prominence announced, gesturing to the stream. "Swim a little bit and rinse out the last bits and you should be clean, Lazni. I'm going to ... fight with my own mane now." "Oh, no, Princess-- please, let me help you with your mane." Lazni protested, shaking out of her mental worries in alarm. she had totally neglected Prominence while she was trying to figure out the machinations inside Pupae's head. "No, I can do this myself." Prominence said, already ducking into the stream and wading away from Lazni, "There will be other chances for you to wash my mane." Lanzi gave Prominence a smile with a slight shake of her own head. She knew Prominence was so much more fun when she was relaxing, not that any of them had possessed much time to relax lately. Lazni accepted that she wasn't going to be able to sway Prominence once her mind was made up, and instead ducked into the water, moving slowly through the opaque stream towards Pupae and her two drones. Pupae looked up curiously, watching Lazni join them. Lazni felt a wave of apprehension splash on her as she emerged, sitting up and facing the other three from deeper in the water. She wasn't exactly sure what her relationship to Pupae was. Certainly they had needed each other to survive the other night, but now it was the next day. "Pupae, how long do you think we will be traveling together?" It was a measured question on Lazni's behalf. Pupae was still a foreign entity, and while all of them had no choice except to trust one another at the moment, There was no telling how long that moment would last. "As long as we need each other." Pupae remarked, brushing her chin. "Once we are safe enough from Hive Lalartu's immediate reach, I intend to begin construction off my own hive. My drones who died by her orders will be avenged. It is my hope that we will remain together for some time." Pupae interrupted herself with a giggle, glancing snidely over at Prominence. "Perhaps in time you and your Princess will call me 'Hivemother,' after Lalartu has paid for her tricks, of course." "You are overplaying your hand, Pupae." Prominence said from under her mane as sh worked out a nasty twig. "I do agree we will find safety and then have revenge, but you will never be leader of a hive in this land." "Oh, and why is that?" Pupae's teeth sparkled as she gave a luring smile to Prominence. Prominence's eyes flickered under her mane as she drew it back, looking a little unhinged due to her wet mane and the grime still running down her face. "Because I am going to become known as Queen Prominence, and this land is not big enough for two hives!" Lazni let out a groan, sinking further into the water and regretting ever starting this line of conversation. Unfortunately, Pupae took notice of this and decided to capitalize on the situation. "While I love the mental picture of you laying eggs and hatching drones, Prominence, the real power here is actually with Lazni." "What!?" Lazni and Prominence said. "Lazni-- you are exceptional, no doubt, and we do need your skills and knowledge--" Prominence said, trailing off by the end. "And it is because of this that you will be very valuable in training new drones. Queens are experts at nurture, but rarely in subterfuge of your aptitude." Pupae had turned her eyes from Prominence to Lazni during this talk. Lazni could feel the world closing in around her, the stream suddenly claustrophobic as her mind frothed from the use of bigger and bigger words mixed with fresh stress. Why couldn't these two just get along? Or... Lazni stopped as a thought occurred to her. She could make them work together. "Neither of you will get help unless you stop fighting!" Lazni cried out, splashing in the water and glancing between Prominence and Pupae. Both Pupae and Prominence leaned back a little, surprised by the sudden cry that accompanied Lazni's flailing. "I will help both of you as best I can, but only if you stop fighting and work together. R-Remember, you need my aptitude." "Yes, your 'aptitude,' we will call it." Prominence flicked at the water with her own hoof before turning and laying down, letting her hair float around her head as the last clumps of dirt began to wash away. Pupae only gave a nod to Lazni, marking her begrudging agreement. --- After being freshly cleaned, the Changelings set their course southbound on the nearby road, leading away from Hive Lalartu. The sun overhead was barely able to show it's face, which suited everyone fine. It was a cool and crisp day, more akin to a fall rain than a summer storm. Lazni had been soaking up her favorite kind of weather when Pupae's voice drew her out of the moment. "So, we still haven't found any traders to rob, as you plan to do." Pupae stated, keeping a disgruntled gaze on the sky for any pegasus ponies or changelings that might be flying. "Afraid of something?" Prominence asked, quickly adding, "and I don't mean you looking at the sky, I mean the lack of any intelligent life. Trust me, this is normal. Most towns like to keep to themselves, and the hills and mountains are so isolating that nopony else attempts to make them do otherwise." Prominence made a wide gesture towards the landscape, a great earthen bowl swallowing many smaller bowls. "That will serve as an advantage to us, then." Pupae noted. "If we can make it over some of these mountains, we will at least be clear of Lalartu's immediate wrath." "But not too far away to strike back." Prominence's voice smoldered as her gaze drifted from Pupae over to Lazni, who had been silently listening to their conversation, but averting her eyes to avoid being drawn in. She feared that perhaps their talk would turn into another fight, and she didn't want to play peacekeeper all day. "Lazni," Prominence said, hesitating for a second, then pointed eastward. "What would be the closest settlement over those mountains?" "Ah, so that's the true reason why you are so insistent that she survive." Pupae mocked. "Did your mother not teach you geography?" "She did actually." Prominence glowered at Pupae darkly, turning away from her and facing Lazni, awaiting a response. Lazni had to think about this for a moment. In all honesty she wasn't sure the name of the settlement close by, but she knew there was a small town at the base of the mountains, however... "The nearest settlement that I am aware of is on this side of the range, right at the base of the mountains. I'm not sure about the other side." Prominence gave a tsk, but nodded in acceptance. "Perhaps we can procure a map and supplies in that town before we try to cross some mountains?" Pupae suggested, her voice simply waiting for Prominence's inevitable negativity. "It's out of the questi-" Prominence started, but Lazni cut her off. "We'll blend right in." Lazni said. "If we just stop in and buy a map to the other side of the mountain, we'll look like tourists. Even better, I bet we can find a map with trade routes or paths over the mountain. We could watch those routes and easily find some ponies to take supplies from." Pupae held her head up smugly, challenging Prominence to defy the group's logic. Prominence gave a controlled nod, obviously displeased about being overruled. "I don't like it, but I don't have a better plan. How do you intend to pay for this map?" Pupae opened her mouth, and then closed it, a curious expression on her face. "Why would we buy the map? We can just take it." "And then the town's guards are going to be called, and we'll definitely cause a scene escaping. Just wait until one of Lalartu's drones hears about this. She'll send the swarm to scour the countryside." Pupae waved her hoof at Prominence's argument. "I believe I can handle this. Follow my lead, Princess, and I will show you that you don't need to set everything on fire to get your way." --- Still in full disguises, Lazni and Prominence followed Pupae into the pony settlement, which they had learned was called Three Hooves. Lazni judged that based on the bronze statues erected near major streets, this name might have come about from the town's founder-- for whom his amputated limb was certainly among his better features. Lazni came to a stop right beside one of the statues as a pony jumped out in front of Pupae, an array of gadgets and trinkets showing under his oversized coat. "May I interest you in some charms? Something to make your luck stay with you?" The pony asked. Pupae lit her horn and effortlessly pushed the pony back into the alley they had appeared from, her face twisting in annoyance. there was a thump as the pony tumbled into some dirt and mud, the air filling with his cursing. Lazni put some extra speed in her hoofsteps, following after Pupae before the pony could recover and vent his spleen. "That was unnecessary." Pupae told herself. Lazni was fairly sure that pupae was referring more to the pony approaching her rather than her aggression towards him, but she wasn't about to test Pupae in the middle of a street. The group wound up and down the streets until they finally came across a store that fit Pupae's desires. Although they had passed many general stores, Pupae had waited to decide on one until she had found the highest costing and most deserted of them all. "Drones," Pupae hissed, starting towards the door. "There are curtains tied back by the windows. Use these and obscure the windows. Lazni, once we are all inside please lock the door." Lazni raised her brow at this, but nodded to Pupae as she pushed open the front door and stepped inside. Although Lazni was not fluent in the mathematics or written languages of ponies, the shop Pupae had picked was clearly an oddity. Every shelf was crammed with objects that had been painted gold and encrusted with crystals or fake gemstones. there was a large section for maps, but it was roped off with long numbers on every price tag. Lazni caught Prominence's gaze and found that they both had the same expression on their face-- fascination at how such a store was able to stay open in this town. With a little click, Lazni magically locked the door behind her, looking for the storekeeper. The curtains in front fell, darkening the room . Pupae's ear twitched as she heard a floorboard upstairs creak. Pupae was already on this however, and strode across the store towards a set of stairs that would lead up to a loft above the storefront. Prominence magically slid away the rope on the map section, grabbing the least sparkly satchel she could find from a nearby shelf. Lazni glided to the Princess's side, beginning to pour over the maps and look for one a local one. While there were not too many options to choose from, they both had no way of knowing how long Pupae would keep the shopkeeper distracted. "This one." Prominence said, holding up a map that looked like it belonged to some general. It had a lot more detail than was truly needed, and seemed beyond just the territory that Lazni had known as home. "It's a little big, don't you think?" Lazni asked. Prominence already had an oaken tube out, using her magic to tightly roll up the map and stuff it in. "We're going to need it." Prominence assured her, fixing a lid to the top of the tube and then burying it in her new satchel. "Go fetch Pupae, and then we leave this town. I cannot stand it here, the smell is unbearable." Lazni wrinkled her nose, sniffing at the air. She had spent so much time close to ponies to observe before reporting back to the hive that she had mostly gone deaf to the smell of ponies, a luxury she had forgotten the others likely did not have. "Right, of course." Lazni nodded, turning away from the maps and following in Pupae's hoofsteps. Pupae could make out odd flashes of light from the hallway at the top of the stairs, and carefully crept up, glancing over the floor level to see what was going on. Pupae was sitting on the ground, her changeling from revealed in all it's glory. the shopkeeper, a rather sleezy looking fat stallion, had his eyes locked into Pupae's eyes. Pupae coyly rubbed the stallion's chin, patting his flabby cheek. "Time to leave, Lazni?" Pupae asked without turning around or breaking eye contact with the pony. "Uh, yeah." Lazni mumbled, more enthralled with the pony than why she had come up here in the first place. "What exactly are you doing to it?" "My mother taught me lots of tricks. This is mind control." Pupae gave a loud clap of her hooves, causing Lazni to jump slightly. The storekeeper fell to the floor, appearing to be asleep. "Hypnosis? That's..." It was pretty incredible, is what Lazni had planned on saying, but Pupae shook a hoof at her. "No, no. Hypnosis only works with voluntary targets. Mind Control has no such requirement." There was a flash of green fire, and once more Pupae stood before Lazni in her disguise, her hooves regally descending the stairs. Lazni followed behind her, her mind wandering about what other powers Pupae might possess that she had not shared yet.