The Changeling's Way

by Blight Shallow

Those Who Follow

Shift awoke from his slumber, though he didnt sleep well enough to feel rejuvenated to take on the day. Valiidae did lead him to where they sleep, but she didn't say that they were slabs of rock when she talked of how comfortable they were along the way. He begged to differ. He tried to lay down in every position avoiding his wings so he wouldn't damage them and still couldn't seem to get comfy. Eventually he gave up and rested his head on his awkwardly folded legs and closed his eyes.

He got to his hooves but his joints felt stiff, yawning he stretched out his front legs to the back ones, each joint giving satisfying pops. But it didn't feel like it was enough to keep him from falling back to sleep, so he decided maybe he try some exercises to keep him occupied. Shift started with walking around in a circle on his slab, his hooves making soft clops with each step. Then sped up to a trot where he stumbled on his own legs. "Still a bit clumsy with these," shift talked to himself as he slowed down his pace to keep himself from falling off. his wings buzzed for a second and lifted him into the air. He grinned as he he made himself sway left to right while he was hovering. The next step was to land with all hooves. He lowered himself to the ground letting his back legs touch first.

He heard hoof steps coming his and thus broke his thoughts. He looked into the direction they were coming from and saw a small changeling looking at him.

"Morning Princess," Shift greeted the little changeling princess. She was on the ledge of the rock slightly above him doing a quick wave. She got up from the rock and used her own wings to lower herself down to Shift's level. She landed more gracefully than shifts even when he had a good and tedious time worki g on just landing. She took a moment to look around not speaking a word.

"My mother wanted me to keep an eye on you," she spoke softly like she hadn't used her vocal cords in a long time. She did talk to him yesterday. 'Why does she sound so different than that time?'

"Maybe it is because I was talking to you with telepathy and moving my mouth like I'm saying them" a voice in his head rang out that sounded like her. He wanted to panic. Maybe even convince himself he was going mad, but he couldn't. All he could do was looked confused at the princess. "What?" Her voice echoing throughout his mind, "you didn't act this way when I first did this."

"How did... you know what, nevermind" he knew he wasnt going to understand so he might as well just go with it.

She raised and eyebrow, "Anyway, Mother informed me that you will be assigned a cluster today because she feels like you are ready, so she wants you to meet your assigned cluster. You will get to know them, they will get to know you," she explained, her tone still soft, every so often she would turn her head as if she was distracted by something, "When your ready, they wil be waiting at the feeding chamber."

"If you still remember how to get back there," the changeling princess added teasing him innocently.

"That was only one time! And I was paying attention to your ass!" Shift exclaimed vainly that gave Valiidae some muffled giggles. The Changeling princess turned and flew off from his slab. He couldn't help but stifle a cough from the dust, but unfortunately he startled one of his neighbors above him scolding him with chatter and aggressive hum of wings. " Heh... Sorry," he responded with a nervous smile as his neighbor looked away from him grumbling something and fell back asleep. He then crept from his sleeping area, cautious not to wake him again (or her he couldn't really tell) and flew off towards his destination.

Through the vast tunnels were a bit too quiet yet the the only thing heard were the beating of his insect wings. Several minutes in from twists and turns he found himself in a fork that leads off to the left, right and one going down. He hovered there for a few minutes debating which way was the way to that fountain. He didnt want to have the princess walk him through which tunnels lead to where again. With just that thought in his head he flew to the left tunnel not even not even noticing a pale white changeling watching him the entire time.

Shift was confident that the way he chose was the right one, it even had some of the workers in there chatting up a storm before he passed them, then they were dead silent as they watched him fly by giving them a gentle grin and waved his hoof saying hello to them. But he stayed there staring at him ever so silently you could hear a pebble roll around before resting on that spot. Not wanting things to ever get much more creeped out than he already had been, he left swiftly without a word.

After a few minutes he stopped on a ledge as he could hear someone talking what seemed to him like gibberish but he didn't want to stay there long. He needed to get to that chamber as soon as possible. That's how he liked it when he was a human and now as one from the hive he felt this was where he needed to be. This place felt more like home to him, and he was happy to be here. But the others around see him as a complete stranger. That meant that he had to make the best impression to be liked and known. He paused for a second knowing that around the next corner of the tunnels he would be at his destination because he could see a faint pink glow and smelt the sweet nectar of the fountain. He felt that he didn't need it he had enough to last him a few days, but just imagining the sweet nectar running down his throat made his mouth water. Doing so he went to a trot and then to a canter to the entryway.

There was less changelings than there were last night. "Maybe they are nocturnal" shift thought. But a few moments of him scanning around he found the Queen speaking to a group of changelings with one of them wearing an azure shaded helmet and armor in the middle of them. He hesitated for a second before finding his courage to approach them.

So far the queen didn't notice him yet he wanted to know what was going on, so he had to catch her attention. "You wanted to see me Chrysalis?" He spoke up making the group look behind them to stare at him making him a bit sheepish.

"Ah shift, you are right on time, I'm impressed" she replied in much enthusiasm, "we were going over a briefing of the assignment set up for you and your new cluster."

"Really?" He spoke happily. The Queen nodded slightly making him very excited that he can do something. But when the changeling in the azure armor raised his brow, he calmed himself and spoke cooly, "isn't it a bit soon for me to go out i mean i just got settled down yesterday."

"That is true young one," the Queen promptly said," but it is the upmost inportance that all changelings do their part for this hive" . Shift made a quick "OK" nod and placed himself next to the changeling on the right since he was closer to that one. The queen then continued her briefing of the assignment. " as you may already know, " she started to pace back and forth in front of the group, her eyes on Shift for most of the time, "Cluster 56 has found a castle ruins in the middle of the forest of Everfree. And upon further observation, they have found a ravine a few hive lengths away. I'm counting on you 6 to investigate whats inside of there. It may have clues on defeating the Equestrians once and for all." The group did a quick stomp and "yes my queen" was murmured throughout. "And show your newest member what this cluster can do," she added giving Shift a wink before the cluster regrouped at he mouth of the exit. Shift went to join them but Chrysalis called him to stay to talk to him for a few seconds. "I want you to see the world me and my hive live in so i think this an opportunity to take it in. Listen to the one in the armor," she explained as shift craned his neck to see the cluster waiting patiently with the one in the armor shifted in place a little, "he is your captain from this day forth. Listen to him, but remember who you truly follow."

"Alright, thank you my queen," shift bowed his head and made his way to his assigned cluster. When he got there the captain asked if he was finally ready to go, "yeah im ready," he said eager to start. He nodded his head and lead the cluster out to the tunnels.

The Queen let out a deep sigh. She knew that she needed him to get out there and make a life out of this world as her changeling child. But she has to focus on the time to come. To take the world as they have called it very many years ago. The technology, their stupdity that she and her changelings dont exist to them. They will be ever so wrong.

As the queen thought about the new world in glee, she was interrupted by someling landing behind her and hoof steps followed. The queen didn't need to look back to see who it was. "I told you to keep an eye on the new one," she scolded her daughter. She then turned around with her emerald rimmed cat slitted pupils glared at a guilty looking Valiidae looking down at her hooves.

"I-i'm sorry to disappoint you mother," the princess managed to say her ears falling back every second her mother glared ever more at her, "but i have found something you will need to hear. Its important."

"Oh is that so? " the queen looked sternly at her trying to break her if she was lying as she despised it, "tell me what is imperative at this time."

"Mother, the changeling we imprisoned has gone missing within the hive, and maybe i fear that it has escaped to the outside," she flinched when the queen swelled in anger.

"What?!" She yelled her fangs bared as the green toxins dripping down. She had to tell the hive of this. That changeling can change everything she had planned, maybe stop her in her tracks. 'Attention to all my children, the prisoner has escaped! Find that traitor!' She could hear the fear and confusion within the mind. She finally calmed herself to the point of her having a headache.

'By the name of my mother,' she thought to herself , 'My children will not let that creature live.'

. . . . . . . .

Creeping around wasn't a good suit for someling that was different from the rest, with a white carapace and all, and the fact that flying wasn't a second nature to me while waiting for death row to call me up. I know I didn't want to die like this, so when no one, or was it noling was around, as quickly as I could I used my weight to break the green dried up goop off of my hooves. (Heh hooves, I'm not going to get used to that.) Looked around some more before i bolted out into that maze of caverns, making sure that none of those things were to find me.

It didn't take long for me to get around to one of those unused caverns to rest for a second. But wasn't much of a break when one of them flew above me and hovered there looking at one side to the other, like it was confused and the fact that it looked like it was in a hurry made me remember someone I hung out with before this alienation happened. A few seconds roll by and by luck goes the other tunnels and I'm trying to be calm and breathe softly, with my mouth slightly agape. Judging by how that thing left I could say I needed to go. Now before things get out of hand (ain't gonna say hoof this time). I got out of that spot as fast as i could while being as silent as my hooves allowed me out to a smaller sets of jagged tunnels made crudely, maybe made earlier but haven't been given the final touches. Without much care at the moment I stepped out about 3 feet from the exit of the tunnel and I could see the opening that had a very bright night mixing in with a red sun peeking out on the horizon right in front of me. I wanted to run out and start yelling FREEEDOM! But I heard those things talking again and saw shadows around the corner. I ran back into the ragged tunnel and made myself as small as possible on the left wall behind a rock but just enough to see and hear whats goin on.

"Alright rookie i want you to know my rules so listen up," one of them aid with a deep commanding voice, "There will be no wusses in our cluster , there will be no idiots in our cluster, and most of all," the voice paused, i leaned in a little more out of my hiding place and found the voice coming from the changeling in azure armor, " There will be no heroes unless you have a death wish. Is that understood?"

"Loud and clear sir, " i heard another say with a young and cheerful voice. The other ones nodded heads in agreement. Heh, that rookie sounds like one of my good friends. Wait a second, the cheerfulness is only there if.... no, the big one said he died months ago. That cannot be Timothy, it can't be.

"Alright so before we head out I need to talk with the cluster, but i want you rookie to be outside waiting for us to go."

"Uhh roger that," the rookie said as he fluttered his wings, lifting himself out into the air and left to the exit.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do to him?" The one on the left said with a girly voice but it was hard to see it as i was shrinking when one of the other looked down the tunnel.

"You heard what the Queen said, Mantis," the azure armored creature lurched into her face as she stepped back a few steps, "it is our assignment to get rid of him since he didn't die in the pods as he was supposed to." Mantis looked away as in thought but i think she saw me already, but wasn't going to do anything about it.

"I still don't get it Polyp, Shift looks like a great addition for this hive, this cluster! We could let him live and give him a chance to be honored to be in a cluster like this, not like that other one that nearly killed an entire cluster just with his wits". (Heh, that was actually fun.) Polyp put his hoof up to his chin, the holes on his hooves avoiding the gnarly fangs. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry Mantis, but what the Queen says goes." I could see the disappointment in the one called mantis light blue pupiless eyes as she looked a little down from that azure armored guy.

"My god they are going to kill him," I thought to my self felling that I should, no, need to do something. Just then he rookie poked his head back into the hive. "Hey you guys done yet, i want to see whats out there!" He called out with impatience that I knew Tim had but I'm still not sure if it is THE Tim that I know. The Polyp guy said something towards him in some sort of language of clicks and buzzing of those insect wings. Then all five of those so called clusters walked out to exit the hive. I had to wait a minute before I could leave my hiding spot because they were still chatting about instructions about patience I guess then they left all at once. I knew this is my chance to get to that rookie. So almost instantly I ran out into a cool wasteland keeping my eye on that group and not turning back that hell hole. I need to save him before its too late.

Author's Note:

I'm back and ready for business folks! Plot thickens and will our white changeling save Shift from his demise? Find out in the next chapter.

Comments

[Lazy_]

Nearly a year! Holy begeezus dude, take your damn time! No, seriously... But hey, it takes as long as it takes I suppose. I'm not complaining.

[Blight Shallow]

5768686 well i needed to get this out and now i feel like a have a firm grip to march on with this project of mine. Ive just been pushing it off and then things happened thwt i straight up forgot about the whole thing so...... here i am ready to open upnthe door towards the world i created.

[Blight Shallow]

5770958now off tto write the next chapter

[Darkwhip]

Ooooohhhh...
Reached the ending already? just as the plot kicked off too