“You know, it’s not like I intended things to be like that. I simply acted on self-defense,” I point out to my current centipede companion who replied to me with a set of clicks and grunts as it gorged itself on something I was too squeamish to peek at.
“I’m sure there are some things that I could have done better in hindsight. I could have been a better diplomat, presented my case better; but it irks me when something is so illogical, it’s like, how do I wrap my head around two gods that can move celestial bodies? You get me?” My friend let out a low vibration that shook the ground underneath him.
Did it just purr at me?
“If only you could talk,” I wished aloud. The centipede-ling curled around its food in an effort to hide… whatever it was.
“Mrrawr,” It concluded.
“Or maybe not.” I doubt such a carnivore would have anything nice to say anyways.
“Are you done talking to it?” I turned my head to face the female voice that decided to break my contemplation. Another changeling (well they all were) stood there with an angsty air to her like she was having a bad day. “Cause I need to corral the bugs into their den.”
I pointed at the centipede-ling who seemed to be settling to sleep and she nodded. “By all means; I was simply taking expert advice on things like life and such.”
The changeling raised an eyebrow, “Oh yeah? And what did the expert say?”
“That I’m screwed either way.”
A laugh escaped her lips, “Doesn’t take an expert to know that.”
With a zap of her horn the centipede-ling growled in protest. “Come on you big dummy! Move!” The bug growl more in protest but did as it was told.
“Impressive,” I flattered.
“Not really, but thanks,” She smiled with a wink then moved on with the centipede-ling to a nearby sewer hatch.
I sighed. This was developing into a rather boring day. After the battle was over, the rest of the hive decided to clean up the war torn street they made; a decision which I suspect was brought by a threat from the mayor.
I shivered; someone must be watching me. But since he or she is nowhere in sight, there is little I can do about it. With nothing else left to do, I decided to take another walk around; again.
The smell of dust was lingering in my nostrils as i kicked through the rocks littering the road. The sounds of sweeping and moving more boulders came from a couple of changelings with brooms just a few yards away. I tried waving, but they didn’t bother turning their head. I shrugged and moved on.
“I wonder what Skipper is up to?” I wondered while trying to pass the time, “She’s supposed to be keeping an eye on Loveheart, spying on him. I should check up on her and see how she’s doing.”
I headed toward the main camp that we took refuge yesterday to see if anything interesting was happening there. At the front gate, an armored ‘ling stood menacingly at the door glaring over everything. I walked up and greeted him. “Hello, I’m looking for a newly named changeling called Skipper. Have you seen her around?”
The guard lifted his hoof and pointed as if he was punching something. He pointed sternly at a peculiar rump sticking out of a mail box. I glared at the bottom as the tail on top swished jovially left and right. “Thank you kindly for your help,” I said to the guard who simply nodded and went on glaring at something else.
I grumbled angry thoughts out loud as i made my way to the mailbox with a butt stuffed in it. As I stood before it, the box spoke, “Is anyone there!? Can somepony please help me out? I seem to be stuck!” she sounded like she was trying to speak with her muzzle stuck inside of a tin can or something.
For a moment there, I debated with myself whether I should leave her there for another hour or so. I sighed as I ultimately decided that would be too mean. “Skipper, what are you doing?”
“Support!” She exclaimed, “I didn't know you would be the one out there! H-ooh, I didn’t want you to see me like this...”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I did what you asked of me!” She answered defensively, “I was conspicuously spying on Loveheart but he somehow kept running away from me and I ended up trying too hard to follow him; then one thing led to another and-”
“I said be inconspicuous when spying on him!” I interrupted her by smacking the mail box causing it to fall.
“Ouch! What did you do that for!?” Skipper objected.
“Do you even know what being conspicuous means?” I asked the talking mailbox.
“No! I don’t know!” she answered, “Is that a secret code that only spies use?”
I yelled; who knew a changeling could be so blonde in a world full of multicolored ponies! For a moment, I wanted to hit that box hard but that would be too cruel even for my standards.
“Support? Are you mad at me?” Skipper asked upon realizing my anger.
“I should be!” I scolded, “I’m angrier at myself for expecting a different outcome!”
The mailbox shuffled out what I could have been interpreted as ‘sorry’.
“Ugh, come on, let’s go,” I said, then pushed the box toward the barricade. as I passed by the gates, the guard gave me a quizzical look. “Unless you have a better idea, I don’t want to hear it.”
In a gesture that surprised me, he went and opened the door for us. I stopped in my tracks; why did I not expect some kindness from him in the first place? Has this place turned me so cynical that I expected a sneer instead of a helping hoof?
“Um, thank you!” I scrambled out, “I didn’t get your name.”
“Number 34 under Commander Loveguard, Sir!” He bellowed out.
Okay, that was not something I expected. I thanked him again then went inside, mailbox in tow.
The main camp’s entrance was the barricade that we had entered yesterday during the fight between changelings. The barricade was made of many changeling carapaces stacked together that had the same texture and appearance as scales on a lizard or maybe a dragon.
I wonder if I will ever get to meet a dragon? Hopefully they aren’t wild beasts or anything cause that would make questioning them a bit more difficult…
Once inside the bug shell made of bug shells, things got a lot more interesting. The shell expanded into a central hub with several large holes open. I found, or rather smelled the hole that lead to the sewers, a few others I’m not sure where they went, and two other major holes in opposite walls that headed towards the buildings on either side of the street. The clicks of teeth and the clops of hooves rattled off the walls as changelings went about their business. I went through the left hole which led down a long hallway. at the end of the hallway was an office that was being “rented” as a base of command.
There was a lot of whispers floating inside the command room as the meeting seem to drag on for no good reason. Chrysalis and Loveheart were probably bickering over another small detail or something again; better go see what it is this time.
“Queen Nirvana is still our best bet,” Loveheart argued, “She has the soldiers and the equipment stored in the badlands that are necessary for such a large-scale operation!”
“But Zephyr is the closest with her arachna-lings in the forests!” Chrysalis countered, “She can provide the quickest reinforcements of them all!”
“And here I thought I was suppose to take part in these conversations,” I interrupted. Everyone looked at me with mild annoyance.
“I sent Skipper to get you since morning,” Loveheart said irritatedly.
“You mean this Skipper?” I pushed the mail box with the swishing tail.
Giggles erupted from the attendees standing around the room. I feel like I’m dealing with children instead of leaders right now.
“A newly named ass?” One of the changelings said, “Can’t blame her ass, can you?”
“Yes, I can,” I retorted dryly, bring the bemused atmosphere to a grinding halt.
“Just leave her there,” Loveheart gestured at the corner, “I’ll get her out as soon as we are done.”
As I pushed the mail-butt-box to the corner, Chrysalis called my name. “Support, What do you think? Should we asked help from Nirvana and her changelings in the badlands or call Zephyr from the nearby forests?”
I stared at her blankly. “Who are they again?”
She sighed exasperatedly. “My insufferable sisters; Nirvana, Your Queen, commands the wasp-lings in the badlands. she has the numbers and the magical power to completely destroy the discord-lings, but it will take days to reach her and even longer to mobilize her hive.”
“Queen Zephyr on the other hoof, is an hour by train and can be ready within a day,” Loveheart continued, “However, the Butterfly Queen lacks both the numbers and the firepower to carry a large scale operation, which will means we will have more losses than is really necessary.”
“The Butterfly Queen?” I asked.
Chrysalis jumped from her seat with a single leap and was above me with blood in her eyes. “She calls herself that because she has actual Blue Butterfly Wings! And I want to rip them apart and stuff my face in them while she watches despair!!” She spat.
Uh-oh, I just stepped on a landmine. “Then Queen Nirvana it is!”
“HA,” she jeered, “And give that self-righteous, arrogant, moronic, self-proclaimed queen of the changeling race the satisfaction of proving she is superior to me!? Are you crazy?!?”
I really, really hope that is the smell of my own fear and not something else.
I knew she wasn’t the sanest of the bunch (I mean she refused free education to her subjects), but this is beyond ridiculous. “Is neither an option?”
“No,” Loveheart stood, causing the Queen to turn her attention to him, “We are fighting a war on two fronts, so unless Chrysalis wants to give ponies everything, we need an ally to cover our backs.” With a humph, Chrysalis returned to her seat.
I waited until everyone got edgy. Edgy is good, it means I can take control of the debate if I broke the silence first. Loveheart was about to say something when I took the opportunity to ask, “Why do you wish for Zephyr for help though?”
“Didn’t you hear? Her territory is a mere hour by train away,” Chrysalis restated.
“Yes, but why do you want the quick one instead of the stronger one? You seem to hate them both equally, Your Highness,” I noted.
Chrysalis sat there uncomfortable, fidgeting left and right without saying a single word. Loveheart and the other changeling eyed her with trepidity.
“What did you do...?” Loveheart asked.
“I promised the mayor that we’ll be done by this weekend...” She quickly said before shrinking into her chair.
The level of disgust I saw from everyone present was surprisingly high.
“The air is thick all of a sudden,” Skipper noted.
“I can’t believe you made that promise to that… that…” Was Loveheart stuttering? This ought to be good.
“Psychopath!”
Oh, an antagonist? How peculiar.
“And who is this fellow?” I asked.
“Just an unpleasant individual...” Queen Chrysalis nonchalantly downplayed him.
“Mayor Good Wink is the scumbag of Manehatten who we bribed to keep his mouth shut on the changeling activities in the city.” Loveheart’s tone was dripping with acidity.
“Bribed?” I asked, but no one responded.
“I know that name,” The mailbox spoke, “He is usually registered in the books as Princess’s regular client. Also the very first night since his name appeared, another name started appearing in the medical logs the very next day. It’s freaky.”
“Skipper, where do you know that?” I asked.
“I kind of memorized all the books and the logs since coming here,” the tail said jovially.
I couldn’t help but smile; Skipper has to be the most annoying, clumsy, half witted creature I have ever dealt with and yet, that memory of hers is by far my greatest asset. I turned to the crowd who were trying to cut me with their glares.
“Well, that was enlightening,” I said and the glares intensified, “However, we should probably return to our original topic.”
“You are right!” Loveheart said, “I say we go to Nirvana, Who’s with me?”
“AYE!!” Came the resonating response from everyone.
I looked at Queen Chrysalis fuming but unable to refuse. It appears the mayor’s wishes weren’t really respected around here. But that isn’t the only problem the hive was facing; something was nagging at me. The way she described her sisters seemed... off.
She wanted to do horrifying and violent things to Zephyr, but she only insulted Nirvana. Is it possible that Nirvana may have so much control over her sisters that they can’t speak ill of her even in her absence? Is it really wise to ask for help from such a strong creature especially when the balance of power is in such a disarray? And then there is Zephyr. The need for such violence against her makes me think that she might have done something in the past that would elicit such mistrust. Is it truly wise to go with someone who might try to stab us in the back later?
Ugh, so many different things to consider I don't even know where to start. We need to jump on this as soon as possible so it doesn't get too far out out hand. But we need the forces to make sure that it is stopped once and for all. Then we still have to look at how big of an enemy we are dealing with. Is it a massive enemy with armies ready for combat or are they small resistance groups employing guerrilla tactics? If its guerrilla warfare, then we need to figure out where they might try to strike next. After that, then we can-...
Wait a moment…
why am I even analyzing all of this? Shouldn’t the answer be obvious to them? I am the foreigner here; I should look for my own interest instead.
“We should go to both,” I concluded with a shrug.
“Because we need quick actions?” Queen Chrysalis asked smiling as if she just overruled Loveheart’s vote.
“No,” I replied.
“Is it because we need a complete action plan for all contingencies?” Loveheart asked.
“No; well, yes,” I responded, “but mainly because I want to get this over with as soon as possible so that I can start finding a way to get back to my world.”
“That... doesn’t make any sense,” Chrysalis noted with confusion.
“It doesn’t need to right now. However, you guys are desperate for any kind of help,” I stated and everyone suddenly seemed to agree with me, “In fact, I thought you had three sisters? Why not ask her as well?” the overall response from everyone was mixed at best.
“Eh, Vedalia is too weak to help,” Chrysalis noted with a shrug, “But I understand your sentiment.”
Loveheart huffed, “Fine; I guess this will have to do for now. Let’s take a quick lunch break, we need to talk logistics and who will do what next afterwards.”
“Agreed,” Chrysalis said while standing up, “Support, would you like to dine with us?”
“Nah, I’ll have to pass,” I told her, “There is something I need to do first.” I walked over to Skipper still stuck in the mailbox, “How are you holding out?”
“Getting numb everywhere,” She answered, “But I’m fine.”
I sighed. I placed my hoof underneath the mailbox in an attempt to pick her up. But Loveheart stopped me with a gentle poke.
“As I said, I’ll take care of her,” He said.
I tentatively let go of the mailbox. “Did you know?” I asked.
“That she was spying on me? Yes, she kind of yelled it in my face when I asked her to fetch you.”
I knew it; Skipper really can’t be trusted with delicate stuff.
“And I don’t blame you for it.”
“Huh?”
“I have spent centuries avoiding being close to people, Support,” He said apologetically, “And that makes it a bit hard for me to trust you, or anypony, with important details.”
“You mean all the details,” I corrected and he laughed.
“Yes, all the details,” he said. He seemed kind of sad today for some reason. I was going to point that out when he spoke again.
“I understand that your heart's not into it,” he rested a hoof on my shoulder, “But I am asking you to participate in what I believe might develop into a massacre of both changelings and ponies alike. I apologize for dragging you into this, but we need someone who might be able to see through old grudges and stubborn prides to bring the changelings back to peace.”
I stared at him unable to utter a single word. What should I say? Should I tell him that I didn’t want in? Should I not tell him? Should I leave things as they are? For a while, I have been unsure of anything.
“I am not going to lie to you, I am not invested in either working with you, against you, or just going on my own,” I finally choked out.
“I understand,” He nodded dejectedly, “Why don’t you skip the logistics meeting and do something fun instead?”
I looked at him incredulously. “Why?”
“Well, the meeting itself is going to be about how are we going to work out our supply lines to benefit our troops in case something like yesterday happens again,” he explained in a rather monotone voice. his voice suddenly turned upbeat though; “Also, a lot of the changelings have been asking me about you. Right now you are the most hotly debated new guy in the hive that everyone wants to meet… and make out with,” he added with a teasing smile.
“Let me guess,” I crossed my hooves and raised one eyebrow. “You want me to go out and socialize?”
“Yes.”
“Do I look like the sort?”
“Isn’t it better than wandering around aimlessly in the city?”
I thought for a moment. On the one hand, I have zero changeling etiquette. If someone tried to make unwanted advancement, I just might give them a black eye. On the other hand, I have nothing else better to do, so it might be a good idea to just go out there and meet others.
...
There is no way I am going to give Loveheart the satisfaction of winning this argument. “I’ll think about it,” I answered before leaving.