The Prelude, Illuminate the Shadows Book 1

by SaphireTsuki

An-Bale

On the Changeling An-Bale

An-Bale are a fair bit less antagonistic than our own political factions. The Queen is motivated entirely by their role as leader of the Hive, Warrior-Queen, and Protector of their territory and all the creatures within it, even non-changelings. Thus, an An-Bale is less of an armistice, political agreement, or diplomatic term, and more a declaration to share territory... in other words, something along the lines of ancient oaths to be Blood Siblings among chiefs of tribes or otherwise. The members of the An-Bale can be as numerous as possible, but they are far more important than just a promise of aid, it is a declaration to put forth as much effort for your people as for the people of the fellow members.

The only group among us that is even close are the former Bearers of the Elements. Frankly, pony kind will never truly understand it, if only because of our lack of the ability to sense emotions. There are no lies in an An-Bale, and there is no threat of betrayal or falling out. If a Queen wants to leave the An-Bale, she can, but while it might lead to hurt feelings the other Queens would understand and reconciliation would be, barring a great betrayal that only the likes of Chrysalis would perform, swift, if not painless.

This is because of the exact role that the changelings naturally perform. They are not damaging as commonly considered, though they are in fact a kind of parasite. Each Hive has different levels of involvement with their Host race, but only rarely do they devolve to actual parasitism, as Chrysalis. Instead, they are at worst Communalist, where they merely feed on love and neither help nor harm their Hosts, but in most situations they are actually Mutualistic, generally serving as protection for races too weak or pacifistic to defend themselves. In fact, they are responsible for driving away the Wendigos in their own region, using the gathered love ruthlessly against them, driving out a threat to their Hives as a whole. This was done in a unanimous decision by the Conclave, in one of the rare emergency meetings, the entire race acting as one gigantic An-Bale for the sake of the entire continent.

Coincidentally, this is also when the term was first used. Originally there was no term for factions, but at one point in their history a dangerous event occurred. One Queen, knowing exactly what was necessary, sought the aid of the others. It was, to our knowledge, not an easy path, but in doing so she grew from her youth to adulthood, and stood before the Queens as an equal well before she had enough support to bring it to a vote. The exact details are hidden from us ponies, but in a fit of magic equal to that of the Alicorns, she bound their magic together, using the combined might of every Queen to fight back this ancient threat, winning peace. The event came to be called The An-Bale, and Queen Artista was given an honorary title.

Over time the term came to be applied first to all of their heros, and eventually to the factions themselves. However, An-Bale remains a solemn oath, one far greater than Equestria understands, and one which serves the singular purpose of protecting the Hives. It could be considered a sign that two Queens are closer than sisters... but even then, we only scratch the surface of their understanding of the term.

This humble one has begun to wonder if we ever will fully understand them...

Author's Note:

Instead of a full chapter, have this mini-codex entry. I am working on an extra long chapter for next Wednesday, Christmas. Until then, I have to work on school work mostly, so I thought a short post like this would be a fitting compromise. I hope you like this window into Changeling culture!

Comments

[Changeling404]

That was the coolest thing that setup story info, I have read in a long time.

[EverfreePony]

10000415
Sure, just send me a PM and we can talk about the details

Well, the atmosphere you created is pretty fluid, so narrowing it to one particular spot is rather hard. But I think the description of the valley was the most impactful part. As for improvements, the scene in Hollow Shades after Polaris wakes up may have been a little more tense and dynamic to emphasize her current state.

[SaphireTsuki]

10000425

I see! I admit I did have the most amount of time for the first chapter, and the clearest idea of what I wanted the location to look like. I've been considering how to design later locations, so I at least know the same style is very impactful... a useful bit of knowledge. Polaris' wake up scene... yes, I think I understand what you mean. When I eventually go over and edit the story I'll give some attention to that point in the story, and see if I can find some way to improve it, or whether or not I'll just have to accept that it's a weaker part of the story.

9995126

Thank you very much, Rome2580! I have had moments where I explain too much in the Author's Notes, so at times when I need extra I might start doing these codex-like entries from time to time. I hope you will like the story long enough to see the next one!