//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: A Love Bug's Life // by Autum Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter 1 ___________________________________________________________ I sigh, turning my head to look down at my two charges as they sleep against my barrel. Why did things have to become so much more complicated? SEVERAL HOURS AGO I trudge through the Everfree, glancing around. I keep forgetting that I can sense emotions now, so I’d sense something that could be dangerous before actually seeing it. I glance over my shoulder at the nymph. She’s just looking around as we walk, her eyes filled with wonder. I can’t help smiling at that. Seems baby Changelings are like any baby, curious about the world around them. Then again, maybe that’s not how Changelings usually are. After all, since this little one’s proven the Hive Mind’s a thing; maybe normally the Hive’s queen would implant information via the Hive Mind, thus the nymph gains experience at a fast rate. Seeing as our current Hive Mind is just her and myself, she isn’t being forced to learn a ton of stuff at once, so is like any other infant. I shake my head. I’m thinking way too deep into this. I need to find a way to get back to my own body and leave this nymph with— I almost keel over as my body goes rigid, whilst a pain pounds in my head. It’s like a headache, if that headache was learning how to do the polka whilst playing the drums. Okay, mental note: don’t think about leaving the nymph ever again. Dammit! Must be some leftover order Chrysalis programmed into this Changeling before I somehow hijacked its body, right before its charge hatched. That’s gonna make getting home a bit trickier. Suddenly, a scream rings out, causing me to jump and a burst of fear to come from the little ling on my back. At once, I find I’m galloping. I’m not going to bother questioning how I’m running when I haven’t figured it out, lest I jinx it and fall flat on my face. I’m just going to run with it. Now that I’m trying to find the source of the scream, my nose is picking up three large portions of fear and something I can best guess it wild hunger. Increasing my pace, I burst through a clump of trees to find a sight that takes a moment to process. There’s a white stallion with a brown mane and tail, with a cross and arrow for a Cutie Mark, riding atop of Manticore. A little way off is a Pegasus mare with a coat a bit lighter pink than Pinkie Pie’s, but a curly style mane that’s just as dark as said party pony, blue eyes and a Cutie mark of four red love hearts with wings. In her forelegs she’s clutching a small bundle, one that’s crying. Her eyes turn to me and widen in greater horror, but I’m not giving any time to think about that, as I hear a cry, a sicking crunch and feel one of the large portions of fear just vanish. Whirling my head, I see the Manticore has managed to toss the stallion off its neck and torn into his own. It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out, the stallion is dead. “Arrow!” the mare cries in anguish, apparently forgetting about me. Her shouting was a mistake, however, as it causes the beast to turn and lunge at her. It’s as if every goes into slow motion. The mare turns, throwing the bundle, which I can tell from the crying holds a foal inside, the bundle flies up into the air. Instinctively, I feel myself tapping into my magic, reaching it out to the wrapped up foal and pulling it towards me. Time speeds up again and the half-scorpion, half-cat lands on top of the mare and she lets out a horrifying scream. I honestly don’t know what happened next. It was like I’d suddenly been pushed to the back of my mind as a rage seemed to fill my being, leaving me a spectator. A scream of anger leaves my mouth as green flames engulf me. when they’ve faded, the manitcore is several feet below me. From what I can gather, I’ve turned into a small version of Godzilla. I’m not given much time to question this as my right arm lunges forward, swiping at the manitcore. It gets tossed aside like a leaf, but it seems that’s not all. I feel myself stomping towards the downed beast, my right leg goes up, then comes back down on it. I just sit in the back of my mind, my jaw hanging open, so to speak at what the hell just transpired. At the same time, I suddenly find myself back in control of my now Godzilla body. Finding I actually preferred being a Changeling, most likely because they’re a lot harder to spot than a several stories high fucking lizard, I feel flames engulf me again and I feel myself losing mass. When the flames die down, I’m lying on top of the manticore; the dead manticore. I hurry down it, finding myself briefly using my wings to stop myself from faceplanting in the dirt, before landing. As soon as I’ve touched ground I become aware of the crying again, only it sounds like more than one foal is crying now. Turning to where I’d left the little Changeling royal and the bundle, I see that not only is the foal still crying, but so is the nymph. Maybe, seeing the foal doing it makes it think it should be, too. Whatever the case, I hurry over and start trying to comfort them, though I question why I’m not doing so for the nymph of the Hive Mind when it would probably be easier that way. “Med... Medley?” a voice rasps, sounding frightened. Looking up from the now slightly calmer infants, I see the Pegasus mare lying where the now dead beast had pinned her. Hurrying over, I see it completely crushed her throat; her breathing is wheezy and gurgled. Realizing she’s talking about the foal, I levitate it into her view; I’m not even going to question how I’m using my magic. That can wait for a less inappropriate time. “She’s here,” I say without thinking. The mare looks at me in surprise. “You... you can speak?” she rasps, her question being punctured by a coughing fit, how she’s even still living with her neck crushed is beyond me. I nod, trying not to feel insulted, as this technically isn’t really my body, so it’s not me who should feel offended by that question. “I can.” “What... what are you?” she gurgles. I decide to go with the simple answer. I can tell by her fading emotions that she’s dying, so no point in confusing her by trying to explain what I am completely. “I’m a Changeling. I’m a creature that feeds on emotions.” She stares blankly at me for a moment. “Can I... ask a favour?” she barely finishes before another hacking fit takes over. I nod solemnly. “Anything.” I hope she doesn’t ask me to try and heal her, though. Sure, I used my transformation magic somehow back there and I’m levitating two infants, but Healing Magic? I don’t even know how to figure out the first two and you can bet Healing Magic is way harder. Well, maybe not harder than Transformation Magic, but you get my point. She looks to her foal, then back to me, a grimacing smile on her face. “Look after Medley for me, please?” A part of me wants to argue, but I just tell that part of me to shut up and jump off a cliff as I nod sadly. “I will. I promise, Miss...?” As her eyes start to dim, she gives a sad, but warm smile. “Heart Throb, dear. And... thank you...” her voice trails off as her eyes close and her emotions stop. A sniffling tell me that the foal knows its mother is gone, so I pull it and the nymph close and hold them both. We all just remain that way for several long minutes, the only ones there to mourn Heart Throb and her husband’s passing. After some time, I use my magic to dig a simple grave and place both the ponies inside it, before burying them. Looking down at the grave, the little ones sitting on my back, I bow my head. I promise, Heart Throb, I’ll take good care of you foal. As I lift my head, I feel the nymph stiffen, before she starts shivering. Tasting her emotions I find out she’s scared. At the same time, I feel something inside my head. It’s like the Hive Mind, but, unlike when the nymph and I use it, this feels more like something pushing against it, as if trying to invade it. Glancing around, I see a pair of blue, pupiless eyes glaring at me from within some trees. “Hello?” I call out uncertainly. “Is someone there?” A hiss is my only answer, before the creature steps forward. It’s another Changeling, but, unlike myself, it is in really bad shape. It has tears all through its chitin and is foaming at the mouth. I take a step back, feeling just as scared as I’m sure anyone would in my situation. This Changeling, from the looks of it, has gone mad. Do Changelings get rabies? “Traaaaaitorrrr,” it growls through the foam in its mouth. “Huh?” is the best response my brain has to that. At once I feel the nymph inside the Hive Mind. She’s... she’s the one keeping the other Changeling out, I realize. It’s trying to force a link and she’s pushing back. She... she’s scared of the other Changeling. She doesn’t want it in the Hive Mind. Then again, seeing the difference in how I treated her and the way this one’s acting, you can’t really blame her, can you? “TRAAAAAITOOOOOOOOR!” the other Changleing shrieks, leaping forward. I hear the nymph scream in my head and I don’t even think. My horn flares and I hear what I can only describe as a sonic boom, which pushing up dirt and dust, blinding me. When it finally clears and I can see again, the other Changeling is scattered pieces of chitin all over the place. Not wanting to scar the two infants with what I’m seeing, I quickly hurry off in the opposite direction the Changeling had come from, on the offhand chance there are more around. The fact that I even found one shocks me, considering how wide spread I remember them being thrown apart. ___________________________________________________________ I sigh as I watch the two sleeping, leaning forward and using my snout to shift one of Medley’s wings a little. When I took the wrapping off of her, I found out that she’s a Pegasus. Having sat here for so long, I finally figured out where I’d seen her and her mother from before. They were ponies from the first generation of My Little Pony. I’d seen them when I found the pilot, Escape From Midnight Castle. Though the fact Medley is a foal and Heart Throb gave birth to her put my head through a bit of a ringer. As for how I managed to feed Medley when I’m a Changeling and she’s a pony, well, remember how I first feed the nymph? Turns out, liquefied love can nourish a baby pony just as well as a baby Changeling. How that works, exactly, I would have no clue. I doubt any Changeling has ever feed a nymph like that before, so it’s highly unlikely any studies have been made on it. I give a small shudder. Oh, god. I really need to make sure Twilight Sparkle never finds out about this. I’d become a science experiment, for sure. Though, I guess I wouldn’t go hungry, what with her love for science. Though, I don’t think I’ll be needing to worry about feeding myself for a very long time. Even though I know I had to have used up a ton of energy with that Godzilla transformation, not to mention that blast that destroyed that feral Changeling, and having feed the nymph twice and now Medley, I still feel tons of energy inside my body. Jeez, just how much love did Cadance channel into that shield? Whatever the case, I look back to the closed entrance as the rain continues to pelt it. I found this cave not too long after leaving the area where Medley’s parents died. A good thing too, as an Everfree storm was close to starting by then. Once inside, however, I’d feared if something came in during the night, or to get out of the storm too and found us. Experimentally, I’d tried hacking up and found I could produce something like resin if I focus on it. Working quickly, I’d covered almost the entire entrance with if, leaving some small holes for air. As for the inside of the cave, I knew we were safe. The moment I’d found it I did a scan for any emotions, even faint ones to hint at distance, but found nothing. It was just the three of us in here. With my two charges asleep, I’ve had plenty of time to think about what to do. For one, I feel I should head for the Crystal Empire. Sure, it will be dangerous whilst Sombra’s there, but after that, aside from that disaster during the Equestria Games and Flurry Heart destroying the Crystal Heart, I can’t think of any times the Empire had trouble during the show, so it would probably be the best place to go. Though, I’ve no idea when the Empire returns. Since, from what I can piece together, the invasion was today, looking at things from a logical standpoint, the Empire would return within a few weeks, maybe just one, after. Getting there, however, will be tricky. I need to find out when it will be safe, for the little ones, if nothing else. I’m not risking their lives against Sombra. I highly doubt I’ve enough energy to hold him off even for a little while, what with how fast Cadance ran out of energy in the episode. Though, I don’t know if she’d been holding the barrier up for more than a day, though what Shining says about her not eating of sleeping would suggest it, so I guess that’s not a fair example. I sigh, glancing back to the sleeping young ones. “What am I going to do with you?”