Fallout Equestria: Price of Change

by Midnight Page

The Awakening

The Awakening

My eyes fluttered and I began to breath quickly as a feeling of claustrophobia overtook me. It seemed a pod-like mass had formed around me and encased me in some kind of goo. I blinked trying to see through the hazy goo that hindered my vision and tried to figure out where I was. Luckily it seemed that the goo seemed to be supplying some kind of recycled oxygen and breathing was not an issue. I tried pushing forward with a hoof at the side of the pod, and felt the membrane weaker in some areas. In a digging motion I attempted to claw my way out, though once I had pierced the lime green shell, a wall of dark outer membrane blocked my path and I could not break it. It was strange that the black outer shell was there, it did not feel the same as the rest of the cocoon. And yet there was a distinct familiarity with it that I could not place... I then tried the top of the cocoon and it thankfully gave way without much effort. I half swam upward and broke free with a gasp of air as pieces of the shell fell around me. I slowly pulled myself up to the open edge of the cocoon and unceremoniously fell to the ground with a yelp of pain.

As I fell I noticed that while most of the cocoon was a light green, where the green shell had started to weaken an onyx shell had formed over top of it. Looking closer I saw in the center of the black shell was a crescent moon and knew Nightmother Moon had created it. But why would she go to the trouble? Rubbing my side I rose on my shaky legs to see where I was.

Apparently I was still in Chrysalis' bed chambers, though there was an odd decaying smell that filled the room. I took a step forward and gasped as a wet crunch followed.
Looking down the dead body of what seemed to be a changeling lay sprawled out before me. Or at least it had been a changeling, its body was bloated and looked deformed, and a strange pink ooze seeped from several bite marks along its body...
Barley resisting the urge to vomit I turned away from the corpse and started for the exit. A strange shuffling sound echoed outside the room and I crouched low and peered around the corner.
There were five of the... well I do not think they can really be considered as changelings anymore. I guess I will call them bloatlings due to their new appearance. But wait if they were changelings maybe I could reach out to them in what remained as their Hive mind?

“Hey... can you understand me?”
The bloatlings froze and seemed to sniff the air in confusion. I soon realized that they would not be answering my request, and I yelled out in frustration as my anger peaked.

“What has happened to you? What has happened to the Hive? Answer me!”

The bloatlings noticed my now revealed presence and started toward me, long fangs bared and eyes watching my hungrily. I looked around desperately for some kind of weapon to find them off as they encircled the entrance to Chrysalis's chambers, and found nothing of use. All around me the bloatlings hissed in amusement as they crept closer to their prey.
Ok, reaching out to them was not a good idea...

Just as a bloatling charged forward to my right, a shimmering dark bobble surrounded me and I sighed in temporary relief.
“My, my, has your time within the protective cocoon coupled with the willing loss of most of your memories turned you into this much of a fool?” Nightmare Moon's voice echoed around me and I glanced around to find where she was before looking up quickly.

Her jade eyes hovered above me, glaring down at me like I was a bad colt who had broken a rule but she could not punish me. Well she could easily punish me by lowering the force field, but my death would serve her no purpose.

“I... I just wanted to-”

“To attempt to communicate with the rouge mutated changelings that seem to now be feral yes I know. Honestly you should know better than this...”

My ears flattened at her scolding and I looked away.
“I expect better from you Midnight, it is not as if you lack experience in such things as combat and self defense.”

“I... I don't remember.”
The eyes narrowed and a swirling mist swirled around the eyes for a moment before the rest of Nightmare Moon's body took form and she landed in front of me. She tiled my head up to meet her gaze and looked straight into my eyes.
“What do you mean you don't remember?”

“I don't remember how to-”

She cut me off again her eyes widening in disbelief.

“You don't know how to fight anymore! You have lost this much of your skills along with most of your memory? This cannot be! You will die swiftly in the Wasteland without the skills you have honed in the many years of my service...”
She paused, her eyes narrowing.

“Tell me, what DO you remember? If you have been reduced to a total whelp that I will have to coddle to ensure survival so help me I will-”

“W-wait I do remember things! I can still infiltrate areas to learn secrets and the shadows of the night still embrace me as their own. And I can still be just as convincing as ever with my changeling abilities to assist me.”

She paused in mid rant.

“So you say your utilitarian abilities have not diminished, or at least less so than combative and survival ones then?”
I nodded, awaiting another below of outrage at my now apparent uselessness. She brought a hoof to her chin and pondered for a moment.

“Hmm we can work with this... Yes there are many mercenary groups that can handle protecting you out there. And I sense at least one of my chosen in the area near here.”

I frowned in confusion.
“Chosen? You mean like me?”

“No not like you, you and Ny-, ahem certain others are a special case. While my few Chosen that are left-or their descendants I should say- have traded the lives of their kin and future generations in eternal servitude to me in exchange for power or wealth, you act as direct conduits of my will and power.”

So there were others like me then! But wait...
“Why would they make their entire family serve you forever for a temporary reward?”

She laughed in dark amusement and shook her head.

“Why does anypony act upon whimsical feelings of greed or lust? It matters not to me. The point is they will have the skills to protect you, so that you may focus on serving me as you should.”

I sighed accepting her demeaning judgment over me.

“Now then seeing how you have forgotten your combative abilities, what spells do you still know?”

I racked my brain and unfortunately came up with only two, well one if you count telekinesis.

“Well I can still use telekinesis to lift things with my mind-”

“You would scarcely be considered a unicorn if you couldn't even do that much.” She deadpanned with a roll of her eyes.

“A-and I still remember my dark portal spell, though it is a bit out of practice and it is not as strong as it once was. Aside from that...”

She sighed heavily as her hoof met her face.

“Well at least it's something. Very well then, you will travel out of this tomb of a hive and seek out my Chosen. Then you will await further instruction and do NOT go off on your own again, is that clear?”

I blushed in embarrassment, the last time I went off on my own, I ended up becoming part changeling. I would rather not become something worse this time around.

“Yes Nightmother, but how will I recognize them?”

“They will bare my mark upon their body, usually upon their face or hooves. They will not be hostile toward you so you need not fear them. Now I have stayed far too long here and must check up on my other young foals. Just because you are my most useful foal at the moment does not sanction favoritism...”

“Other foals? Do I get to meet them? I-I mean we could probably serve you better in a joint effort right?”

Her eyes narrowed again.

“No you will not seek them out unless I explicitly say so otherwise, do you understand me? I will NOT tolerate disobedience in this. You are kept apart for a reason beyond the bleeding effect and because I command it to be so.”

What is she talking about?

“What is the bleeding-”

“ENOUGH! No more questions. I have commanded you to leave them be and you WILL do so.”
She started to disappear and I cried out, “Wait Nightmother what about the bloatlings? How am I supposed to fend them off?”

Her vaporous form sighed and solidified.

“Oh very well, I will return Eclipse to you. It will have some knowledge of what to do in a battle even if you do not...”

A dark wickedly curved dagger that shimmered in a dark blue that contrasted slightly with the onyx blade appeared beside me. I reached out and touched it with my hoof and images flashed before my eyes of the first time I had used it. To carve up the stallion who had mutilated my parents after butchering them to death in front of me. I could still feel the way the first strike felt. How easily it had been able to slice through their flesh like hot butter. I had awakened a hunger in the blade that night. And now it was starved like I was of emotion and demanded to be sated. With an effort I sheathed the knife and looked up at Nightmother who was watching me intently.

“I thank you for the gift Nightmother, it is most generous and it will... it will allow me to serve you well.”
She started to fade again, her eyes still watching me.

“No Midnight it is not a generous gift at all, but you will learn of that in time. Now go and serve me my little foal, and remember, I will be watching...”

She soon faded away and after a moment the protective dark sphere around me dissipated as well. And as my luck would have it, the bloatlings had not only stayed by it but had attracted more of their kind to me. Great. Now all I had to do was fight through this amassing hoard with little to no combat ability and figure out a way outside. Simple enough right?... Yeah I am doomed. With a deep breath I stepped forward and drew Eclipse, the soft yet ominous sound drawling the attention of the closest bloatlings and they charged forward with a starving scream.

I drew Eclipse and readied, crouching low, by the instinct of the blade more so than my own, and watched the bloatling charge at me. As it neared, I raised Eclipse, cutting into its chest and throat, the blade seeming to enjoy being soaked in enemy blood. I winced as a sudden fountain of blood momentarily blinded me. Thinking quickly I lifted the corrupted thing over my head with my magic, throwing it in the direction of the rest of the bloatlings.

Rather than continue the charge, most of the bloatlings paused and began to gnaw on the corpse of their now dead ally. Forcing back a bit of bile down my throat, I directed my attention to the pair of bloatlings coming up from my left. I lashed out at the closest one, slicing its throat open and ducking the spray of blood that soon followed. My right hoof feebly shot forward to strike at the other bloatling, but it only caused it to rub its nose in annoyance before continuing its attack. Eclipse met the charge, sinking straight into its left eye and out the side of its head. It gargled for a moment then collapsed in a pool of blood. Looking over at the remaining bloatlings, I noticed they had almost completed their meal. I throw the two bloatlings I had just slain to add to their frenzied feast.

I trotted closer to them and stabbed one in the back, then held my breath. Many of the remaining bloatlings barley seemed to register anything beyond their feeding and did not look up. However some began to twitch, as if the frenzy was wearing off. I could continue to stab them, but doing so at this rate would only be asking them to notice me.

“Remember Midnight, an illusion is based upon the perception of those watching it. Distract them sufficiently and you can do all a manner of things to and around them without their knowledge. It is magic of the mind, not the spirit...”

I shivered as Chrysalis' words echoed in my head. But she had a point. All I had to do was change their perception of time and I could kill them all easily! But there was no way I could affect their minds, let alone during their feast. But I could still affect one mind to my advantage. My own! If I made myself believe time had slowed, my body would be able to react more effectively than otherwise to what was happening around me. I began to eye one of the backs of the bloatlings. I stabbed one in the middle of the pack, which was the largest and probably the most dangerous, and as it screamed in surprise the others finally noticed me. I focused deep within myself, drawing upon the changeling ability to put others in a temporary dream like state.

It felt strange using it on myself and I almost had to resist falling asleep then and there! After a moment time seemed to slow to a crawl and the leaping bloatlings only inched forward in the air. I lashed out with Eclipse, slicing them then began to roll forward. While my own movements seemed to slow as well, I had plenty of time to plan where to dodge and strike. In only a few moments (though it had felt much longer) the bloatlings lay dead before me and I ended the spell breathing hard. I felt winded as if I had forced myself to run a marathon, which is far beyond what I even dream my body being capable of doing. I made a mental note to keep in mind the draining effects of this in the future. After a final look at the corpses I forced myself to move on.

I soon entered the spawning cavern, and the sight alone of what had befallen the thousands upon thousands of changelings froze me stiff in shock. Countless young lay dead in a withered dried up state. The Lesser Queens hollow husks surrounded by the young like a sea of desperate souls reaching out for relief and redemption. The Lesser Queens, those unfit or physically unable to lead there own swarm, were locked in an eternal version of their second form, the third being the final form which Chrysalis had reached and the first being a spawnling like every other changeling. In their second state, the lesser queens were large unmoving statuesque pony like forms with an appearance similar to a manikin, only one the size of a small boulder. They served as educators and caregivers for the young changelings, to teach them of everything they needed to know, from the changeling hierarchy to ways in which the various types fed on emotion. While the lesser queens can generate their own love like replacement to fuel themselves and the dreamlike state they place the young into in order to teach them, the young have no such luxury.

Should they go without a minimal amount of love, the still partially developing changeling's body will begin to eat itself to ensure the core essentials survive. While this happens to one extent or another on many creatures, it occurs at a very rapid rate and cause the many holes that riddle most changelings to form. If enough of the young focused their hunger however, they could feed upon the relatively defenseless Lesser Queen, which was how Chrysalis gained the many holes throughout her body. Somehow a part of me could sense that a few changelings yet lived somewhere within the piles of dead, perhaps only be feeding upon their dead kin. But I did not search for them. I could not make myself. I knew that if I did manage to find even one spawnling now, it would try to eat me in desperation to survive or worse. I would have to explain to it that I had not love to sustain it and more than likely leave it to continue to eat others, if only to live to some degree. I slowly spread my insect-like wings and began to make the slow flight to the next cavern that would lead me to the exit of the Hive. I just hope it will not have collapsed or something. I don't think I can bare to backtrack here at the moment...

As luck would have it, the pathway was clear and I did not encounter any more bloatlings along the way. But I stopped at the large stone door that would lead to the world outside. I had an odd sense of trepidation, as if I was about to make a huge choice that would once again change me forever. But to stay here was to wither and die, and I did not wish to suffer the fate of the spawnlings or become a bloatling in time. With an effort, I pushed the old door open and was met with a blinding light that seared my vision. Did I mention how much I hate the day time and light? I suppose much of it had to due with my extremely light sensitive eyes that came with my original albino unicorn race. In many ways I had been raised as a mock nocturnal creature for most of my early years of like. I suppose it is ironic how I became one after my pact-and adoption if you could consider it one-by Nightmother Moon.

After blinking away tears for several moments, I was greeted with a surprisingly warm breeze and a good view of the mountainside. Or at least the chard remains of what was left of it. Where once a dense forest had blanketed the entire area, was now a baron wasteland void of life. Stepping outside the cave I tried to take in the drastically different surroundings. Unfortunately I was so focused on trying to make sense of the new world around me, I failed to notice the small group of ponies rushing toward me until they were nearly on top of me. They were dressed in what appeared to be some kind of armor, though it was little more than random bits of metal and spikes fused together haphazardly around a worn leather barding.

They screamed lines of gibberish at me and raised various weapons in my direction. While I had very little experience in the art of maintenance, I could tell that the weapons were shoddily made and barley holding together as is. I drew Eclipse once again, shivering slightly as the blade seem to almost... pulse with excitement of rending these attackers to pieces. A stallion who's hooves were wrapped in a layer of spikes darted forward and swung at me. I managed to glance the blow just barley, and he used my momentary unbalance to strike me with his other forehoof in my stomach. I fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of me and a rough scrape across my belly dripped blood. The stallion laughed in some kind of sadistic merriment before rearing up to strike again. Fortunately for me, the other ponies had decided to stop and enjoy the show. Unfortunately for me, I doubted that any of them would be coming to my aid anytime soon. With a pained gasp I reached out and took hold of his heart with my magic and began to drain his emotions away as swiftly as I could.

He froze in mid strike, perplexed by the strange feeling that was undoubtedly taking hold within him. The gash in my belly began to heal and fade as I continued to feed upon him. The others watched silently, obviously confused why he had stopped his attack. Their answer came when he dropped to the ground with a distant, void-like expression and did not stir. I could sense their palpable fear radiating off them as one rushed forward and started to drag him away. I glared at him with all the hatred I could muster and he cried out, dropping the now half-gone stallion unto the ground and running back toward the group. I rose slowly, watching each of them intently with a challenging expression to see if they would want to meet a similar fate. Apparently none of them did as they turned tail and ran east, likely in the direction of their camp or home. Though one mare did cry out as they retreated, “You will pay for this you... you freak. We'll be back tomorrow and then we will get ya good!”

I sighed in relief and after they had gone out of sight I turned to the seemingly frozen stallion beside me. I began to search him for something valuable and instantly regretted it. Until now I had somehow ignored the foul stench that came off him. His coat was matted with dirt though at some point it had been a light shade of blue. His cutiemark depicted a pony impaled with spikes and I rubbed my stomach with a shiver. A part of me almost considered taking the stallion's armor and weapons to have some degree of protection as well as a back up weapon if Eclipse was taken from me. But that would likely only gain me tetanus and worse. I did notice on close inspection of his saddlebags after I had removed the thread bear sacks, that he had a small pouch of... bottle caps? Why would he be collecting those rather useless things?

Though he did seem rather mad so that could explain it. Out of spite for the wound he had given me, I took them and after a moment of staring into his empty, emotionless eyes, promptly slit his throat. With a sigh I looked in the direction the group of fleeing ponies had gone. What was I supposed to do now? I had no clear direction to take. And I sincerely hoped that Nightmother's chosen were not among these bandits. But as much as I would have liked to rest and think on what to do, the fact of the matter was that I desperately needed both emotion and food and water to survive. And if nothing else, the ponies would at least give me emotion. With a final look at the destroyed Hive, I turned my back from it and headed toward what I hoped would be a meal and a good nights rest...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Current Quest: Of Like Mind and Duty-Find and meet with Nightmare Moon's Chosen, and await further instruction.

Level Up:
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Stats and Traits
Strength: 4

Agility: 6

Intelligence: 6

Charisma: 9

Perception: 7

Luck: 5

Endurance: 4

Foal of the Nightmare: You have made a pact long ago with Nightmare Moon and it has changed you to become more than just your average pony. In addition to adapting to low light conditions (and even complete darkness) instantaneously, you gain a small bonus to all skills at night. However others fear what you represent and most factions will start initial hostile toward you until you gain their trust. You also gain an additional +1 to perception at night at the cost of suffering from -1 perception during the day.

Power over Powder: Due to the extreme magical enhancements of your body, it is no longer is effected by drugs positively or negatively. You shun anypony that resorts to the use of chemicals to imitate the power you already posses, and do an additional 15% damage to enemies under the effects of any drugs, as well as gaining unique dialogue with dealers and addicts.

Special trait: Half Changeling: Due to an unfortunate side effect of the Queen of Changelings feeding upon you while protected by the potion of Nightmare Moon inside of you, you have become part changeling and can shape shift into other ponies at will. Note this acts similar to faction armor so be careful who you disguise as.

Known Spells:
Levitation-Basic item levitation.
Dark Portal-Rank 1 You may summon a pair of dark portals no bigger than your hoof, which are detected by others based upon your sneak skill. You can also use them travel short distances if focused long enough to expand them sufficiently.

Tagged Skills:

Stealth

Lockpick

Science

Special Skill: Speech

Comments

[Deathpony]

really need some work done on this

[Midnight Page]

2705207 thanks for the feed back, anything in specific?

[Mysfit]

spelling could do with work, am willing to help :).

[sklee]

I like this story :)

[CloudedMoon]

Dark portal is really awesome, Just think about it may only be as wide as a hoof but short distance punch and steal items with being right in front of them.