Exile's Dream

by Gentlehoof

Darkness

Author's Note:

This is my first story here, and I hope you all like it. Its going to be a bit long, so bare with me.
Its going to start out a bit dark and scary, but it will lighten up in a few chapters. I tried to use original names for the ponies I created for the story. But if I did use a name that someone is already is using, my apologies, it was not my intention.
I would like helpful feedback. Thank You. Enjoy

Darkness

Life in the Changeling hive was harsh and cruel, even for a Changeling. Drone G946 hurt all over, baring her fangs she hissed a warning to the snickering and laughing Drones, that were gathered about her. They liked to pick on her and today was no exception.

She knew it was hopeless but she tried to run anyways, leaping into the air, she flapped her insect wings as fast as she could, but they were ready and she was struck down. Pain lanced though her shoulder as she struck the ground.

"Where you think your going?" The leader of the group said, stepping over her, "we're not done having our fun, you silver eyed freak."

And before she could gather herself, they were on her, and G946 huddled into a ball as they kicked and beat her. It wasn't long before they grew bored and moved off, laughing and joking to themselves at their fun activity.

G946 gathered herself, and slowly made her way back to her cell. She was scraped and bruised, her shoulder hurt so much she limped, and there was a buzzing in her head from a hard kick that got though. This was not the first time she was attacked in her young life, and it won't be the last. She knew the reason she was picked on, it was because G946 was different then the other drones and being different was enough. They saw her a defective.

As she entered her cell she clasped against the wall and huddled into a ball. It was now that she started to cry, quietly to herself. That was one of the differences she had over the other drones, she could feel things they didn't, like sadness. For there was one thing that every Drone knew and that was Drones never cried.

There was another thing that was different about her, a normal Changeling could change themselves into any pony they saw, no matter their height or color, they were even able to copy any cutie mark. But no matter how hard she tried, G946 was only able to turn herself into a little earth pony filly.

Try as she might, she couldn't even change her color, her coat was always a light grey, her mane was always black with white tips, and her eyes, that was the strangest bit, they were silver even when she was in her Changeling body, and that made her stand out among the Changelings, for what Changeling had silver eyes?

She layed there shivering, as the darkness closed in around her, and she despaired, all she felt from the darkness was the cold, cruelty and fear, the three things that best described the Changelings No wonder they had steal love from elsewhere, for there was no love here.

She didn't know how long she slept, but she was startled awake when she heard voices outside her cell harshly talking among themselves.

"Is this the one?" One voice demanded.

"Yes, thats the one." Came a response, "I saw her go in earlier."

"Hay! You taking out the trash?" came a third voice. "Can I watch? Hay everyone, they've come to take the freak!"

"About time." Another voice said, and others voiced their agreement.

G946 had no place to hide, her cell was small and had no corners, huddled up against the wall she watched as two Soldier Drones entered and approached her.

"I didn't do anything." G946 whimpered as they grabbed her and started to drag her away, once in the hall, she saw all the cruel smiles of the all her fellow Changeling neighbors, as they watched her be taken away.

"Please, don't do this." G946 pleaded, tears falling down her face, she couldn't stop them from falling." I can still be useful, you don't haft to do this!"

They sneered at her when they saw the tears, which was not a Changeling thing, "No talking!" And stars exploded behind her eyes as one of them back hoofed her across the muzzle, she tasted blood.

She knew where they were taking her, it was a horrible place that she hoped she would never see. A place where Changelings were taken to be executed. When she thought about dying, and she cried all the harder, she didn't want to die, she was too young to die, still just a child.

She had cried herself out by the time she was taken into a dank chamber, deep in the hive. Taken to the center she was ruffly dropped to the ground. The sound of hoof steps made her look up, and what she saw made her cringe, The Inquisitor stood over her, and in the crook of his leg, was a great staff, with a glowing green crystal on the top.

The Inquisitor was feared by all Changelings, not only was he one of a few stallion changelings, he was also known for taking great joy in using a Changeling destruction spell, that he had learned by Queen Chrysalis herself. A horrible spell that killed Changelings in the most gruesome of ways, when struck by the spell, the Changeling in a matter of minutes would dissolve into a puddle of green goo on the ground. It was said that they would scream for most of the process, that is until there was nothing left to scream with.

The Inquisitor glared down at her. "It has come to my attention that you are defective, do you deny this?"

G946 started to shiver, "I....I'm not defective." She managed to get out. "I'm normal, there is nothing wrong with me." G946 fought back her tears, there was one thing she needed to do and that was to not cry, if the Inquisitor saw her cry, that would be the end of her.

"I will be the one to cast judgment, not you." The Inquisitor struck his staff against the ground with a solid thunk that made her flinch back. "I want to see you to change."

In a flash of green magic, G946 cast her shape spell and changed herself into a little light grey filly. "There see, I'm normal."

"Perhaps." The Inquisitor regarded her, "Now, change again, something different this time."

G946 screwed her eyes shut, and focused really hard, harder then she has ever done, and then cast the change spell. Nothing happened.

"No no, wait! I can do this!" G946 tried again.

Nothing. Again and again she tried, to no effect. She couldn't stop it, tears started to form in her eyes. She tried one more time, focusing every part of herself into it, nothing else mattered except changing, and she released her spell.

Opening her eyes she looked down at herself, and saw that nothing had changed, she was still the light grey little earth pony filly. Looking back up. "Please." she pleaded "I can still be useful, just give me a chance."

The Inquisitor looked unfazed. "How can you be useful like this?" He said jabbing his staff at her. "We need drones that can gather love, how can you gather love like this?" This time he jabbed even harder. " Who would love a useless scrap of nothing like this? Pathetic."

His bent and crooked horn lit up with magic, but not the normal green color of a changeling but a deep red color, of the Killing spell. He was going to kill her!

There was nothing she could do, no place to hide, no place to run too, she didn't even have time to cry out when the spell hit her. Every cell in her body felt like it was exploding and freezing at the same time, she was sure it was only a few moment but it felt like hours.

The pain began to fade away, and she could feel herself laying on the cold hard ground. Is this what it felt like to be dead? Strange, she thought it wouldn't hurt so much. Another question came to her, why was she breathing? It dawned on her that she still lived, how?

G946 felt something poke her hard, and she couldn't stifle the moan of pain, as it was to her injured shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw the form of the Inquisitor looming over her with her staff out. "Alive?" The Inquisitor said in a shocked voice, then something caught his eye. He leaned down, and peered closely to her face, he was so close she could feel his rank breath. Then he carefully, reached his hoof forward and brushed it against her cheek. Standing back up he examined what he had on his hoof."A tear?"

She realized that she was weeping.

"Guards!" He cried out.

A set of guards approached and came to attention, "This... thing, has somehow survived," gesturing down at her. "And somehow it has... feelings. I want you two to take it down to the Black Labs, and tell him to take it apart, I want to know how it did it." He started to turn, but the paused. "And one other thing. Tell him that his experiments are getting out of hand, he's been taking too many liberties. He is no longer to be allowed in the hatcheries from now on, without my permission."

G946 felt the guards grab her and drag her out, she was too weak to try to resist and everything was spinning around, her head was so dizzy. She had never heard of this Black Lab as he had called it, but she knew she didn't like the sound of it. She tried to not wonder about what new tragedy she was fated to meet.

She lost track of how many turns they took, and how many levels they descended. She was good and lost, she stopped paying attention and stared blankly, wallowing in her misery, and she lost track of time. She snapped out of it when she was thrown to the hard ground. She looked up and immediately regretted it. Everywhere she looked there was shelves full of large glass jars, each one containing various parts of ponies, and even changelings, suspended in a fluid.

Not far from her was a stain covered table with straps. On a table next to it, many sharp and pointy instruments were laid out, ready for use. The place reeked of chemicals and things she didn't want to even think of.

She was going to be sick, she realized that this was going to be her fate, she thought, all her parts removed, and stuffed into jars. To be made into part of this foul collection. She couldn't control her shaking.

One of the guards was talking to a particularly gruesome, and twisted Changeling. As the guard spoke to it, she gestured to G946, and that was when the twisted Changeling looked at her. Their eyes met. G946 had thought that after what had happened with the Inquisitor, that nothing could compare to that fear. But what she felt now, was so much beyond it. Before she knew it she was scrambling for the door, she wasn't strong enough to stand, so she found herself frantically dragging herself across the floor, her breath came in ragged gasps, and everything in her screamed for her to escape. That her fate was going to be far worse than she first thought.

She didn't make it far when she felt herself hoisted up, she screamed and flailed about. Turning her head, she bit one of the guards, that only got her punched in the gut. Roughly they shoved her into a cage, which was promptly locked. She watched helplessly as they departed though the door, leaving her alone with the twisted Monster.

G946 curled into a tight ball, and hid her face. Shivering, she listened to the hoof steps as the Monster approached her cage, coming to a stop, she was able to hear its raspy breath.

"My, such a little thing." Its voice made her skin crawl, and her shivering turned into shaking, as the Monster began tapping her cage. "They told me that you have feelings. That you are able to cry, how interesting, all the other drones I have examined have only shone fear and hate, so boring." He stopped tapping and began rubbing his hoof on the bars with a grating sound. "But with you, I will be able to learn so many new things. I wonder what else your able to feel? Perhaps love? Yes, I wonder if your able to love. Interesting, yes very interesting. Lets find out together, we are going to have so much fun tomorrow." He moved away and began to laugh.

She lost control, and peed herself.

Somehow during the night she had fallen asleep. It was light and fitful, and sometime during the early morning hours, she noticed a strange commotion in the hallway, Changelings were rushing by, and by the sound of it, there was a lot of them. She dared to look up, from where the cage was she was unable to see much though the door, but what she could hear, sounded like a battle.

At first it was far away, but after a long while they grew closer, she was able to make out sounds of hooves striking medal and flesh, bright flashes of magic illuminated the doorway followed by great booms that shook the ground, voices were crying out in pain. It went on for while, until they moved off and became more sporadic.

Hoof steps approached in the hallway, and two great armored stallions stepped though the door into the lab. One was a white unicorn with a red mane, the other was a Teal colored Pegasus, with a deep green mane. Both had beautiful golden armor on. G946 had heard descriptions that matched what these stallions looked like before, they had to be Princess Celestia's Royal Solar Guard.

"By the suns holy light, what horror is this, Fire Step?" The Pegasus asked the unicorn.

"Keep your voice down, Soft Breeze. This area hasn't been fully secured yet." Fire Step ordered, as they both examined the room.

Fire Step had his ears pinned back, and a look of disgust on his face. "This must be the Black Labs, she was right, he has started his operations again. If there was ever a pit of despair in this world this would be it." Pausing at a table, with various tools of the dismemberment trade strewn across the top, he suddenly whirled about and lashed out with his steel shod hooves, sending the table and its offending implements across the room smashing into the wall. It landed so close to her that G946 cried out.

"So much for staying quiet." Soft Breeze said, then his ears perked up "did you hear that?"

"I did, it came from over here." Fire Step approached her cage, he lit his horn and peered into its dark interior, his eyes widened when he saw her. "By the light! There is a filly in there."

Rearing back he smashed his steel shod hoof onto the lock, smashing it.

"Fire Step, is she okay?" The Pegasus asked.

Gently Fire Step checked her, G946 flinched at his touch. "Its okay now" the he said in a gentle voice "your safe." Turning to the Pegasus. "Soft Breeze, we need to take her to the Princess, she will want to see her."

G946 felt herself lifted up and gently laid on his strong back, why were they helping her? And why were they being so gentle with her? Why would they care about a Changeling? And then what he had said when he had found her hit her, she was still in the form of a filly, they thought she was a pony!

The signs of battle were everywhere, fallen Changelings were strewn about on the ground. Great chunks were blasted out of the walls, and floor. Occasionally she would hear shouts, and the clang of steel on steel, the occasional blast of magic from some offshoot corridor, as the Solar Guard would find some holdout Changelings. Fire Step carefully avoided the fights, and in short time they reached the surface.

For the first time ever, she saw the sun. It was the most beautiful thing she ever saw, it was so bright, everything around her was bright. And then she saw her. By the description she had heard, it could be none other that Princess Celestia, her beauty was overwhelming.

"Princess!" Fire Step called out to her, and she found herself taken right to her. "Princess, we have found a captive, she is injured but alive. And Princess, we found her in the Black Labs." He added the last bit in a lowered voice.

The Princess seemed alarmed at his words. "So the Black Labs were here after all. Was He there?"

Shaking his head. "No, Your Majesty. The rest of my unit is still searching the deep areas but it appears he may have escaped. The only thing we found down there was her." Fire Step gestured his head to G946.

The Princess took notice of G946, "Oh my a filly, very good Fire Step, let me take a look at her." She was shocked to see how caring the Princess eyes were, as she looked her over. A golden glow enveloped the Princesses horn, and G946 felt a worm tingle throughout her body, after a moment it ended. Lowering her head down to her, Celestia smiled. "Hello little one, what's your name?" The Princess asked G946.

She didn't know how to answer, she had no name but G946, and if she told Princess Celestia, she would know her to be a changeling. And she couldn't think up a name for herself, her mind was blank. Princess Celestia, the most power being in the land, the bane of Changelings was a mere few inches from her. She started to panic, and her body began to shake.

"Oh, you poor dear, your in shock" Then Celestia did something strange, she nuzzled her with her muzzle, and draped her wing over her, G946 felt oddly comforted by it, and she could feel a warmth coming from her. "There, there, little one, your with friends now. We are going to see that nothing bad happens to you, okay?" Her voice was so gentle.

G946 nodded her head.

"Good, now I want you to do something for me, okay?"

G946 nodded again.

Celestia's smile warmed, "I would like you to be brave, little one, can you be brave for me?"

Sniffling, she nodded, adding a small smile of her own.

"Good, can you tell me if your mother or father still in there? Was there anyone else with you?"

She gave her head a small shake. "No, I... I was alone. They locked me in a cage, and that mean Changeling said he was going to have fun with me." And thoughts of what she had gone through started to make her tear up again.

Celestia nuzzled her again. "There, there, its all over now my brave little one. You have been very helpful but now, will you do something else for me?"

Wiping her eyes, she managed to say. "yes."

Gesturing with her other wing to Fire Step "This nice gentlecolt is going to see to your safety, I would like you to go with him, and listen to what he tells you to do, okay?"

She nodded "Okay." Relief flooded he. She had managed to not be discovered by the Princess.

Turning to Fire Step "Its too dangerous for her to remain here, please take her to the chariot, and post a guard, see that no harm comes to her."

Fire Step saluted. "Yes, Your Majesty."

They were almost to the chariot when a great commotion erupted behind them. A group of Changelings masquerading as Solar Guards attempting to escape were discovered, and a fight broke out. A group of Changelings lead by the Inquisitor broke free and took to the air. As they flew by, blasts of magic from Solar Guard Unicorns, shot down some of the Changelings around him, but the Inquisitor continued on, ignoring the fallen, until a blast of magic stuck him and he crashed to the ground, not far them them.

The Inquisitor was only stunned and soon was back on his hooves.

Fire Step came to a stop. "Hold on, I'll make sure nothing happens to you." A blue aura lit up his horn.

The Inquisitor's hate filled eyes fell on them, and they widened in surprise when he saw her perched on his back. "You!"

Fire Step shot a powerful blast of magic at the Inquisitor, who blocked it with a shield spell. A Changeling attacked from the side, and Fire Step was forced to dodge. He quickly dispatched it with another blast of his magic, and turned back to the Inquisitor, who had already used the distraction to make his escape, and was already in flight and some distance into the open sky, with a host of Royal Guards taking off in pursuit.

Fire Step brought her the rest of the way to the chariot, and then used his magic to levitate her off his back and onto the chariot's soft cushions. "Stay here, and don't leave the chariot." Fire Step said giving her a warm smile. " Turning he called over a Unicorn "Watch her, keep her safe." He ordered.

The young unicorn snapped a salute "Yes sir."

Fire Step left to join the battle, and the unicorn Guard took up his post, standing at attention and glaring about, making sure no danger came to his young charge.

G946 took this time to wonder what she should do, if she stayed, then Princess Celestia would probably discover who she is and that would be beyond bad for her. And as for returning to the Changelings, unthinkable.

Not wanting to risk discovery G946 decided to run. She managed to stand, if a little wobbly. Checking on her protector, she saw that he was looking outward, for approaching danger and not paying much attention to her. G946 quietly slipped out the side of the chariot and vanished into the nearby woods.

Comments

[Minecraftgunner]

very good, cant wait for more.