Chapter 12: Not Just a Drone
As evening descended over Equestria, and Celestia's blue sky began to give way to Luna's moon and stars, Trixie and Leech had parked up their wagon to settle down for the night. They'd made good progress that day - they'd managed to get clear of the wastes of the Badlands, and were now approaching the edge of a desert area.
Their next destination was Appleoosa - although a pony town, Trixie figured that its populace were so far out of touch with the rest of society they would not yet have heard of what happened in Ponyville.
What Trixie didn't know of course was that the Elements of Harmony had friends and family in the remote settlement, and almost everypony there knew about it. Trixie and Leech would definitely be in for a surprise when they arrived in the town the next day!
Trixie had been sulking for much of the journey - for the first time in her life she had genuinely been a hero, and helped to save both changeling and ponykind alike - and alas, nopony was around to acknowledge it! Sure, she had the gratitude of Chrysalis and the swarm, but what good did that do her? It was the adoration of her own kind she craved, and she knew that nopony would believe her if she told them about the events of the last few days. Leech reminded her that they were both safe and well - although more by luck than judgement - and that was what really mattered. Trixie couldn't help but agree, and presently her mood improved. She exited the wagon, trotted down the steps and joined Leech who was sitting on a small dune.
As the the unicorn and the changeling sat admiring the sunset over the sandy plains, the cool evening breeze blowing over them, Leech decided to question Trixie's logic in heading back into pony society.
"Why are we going back to poniezz?" he asked. "We should finish tour of Zzebrezzi Valley first! ZZebras were friendly enough, and zzseemed to like uzz!"
Trixie looked away awkwardly, as her mind wandered back to the day after Leech had left her with the zebra tribe...
----------
Trixie ran as fast as her hooves would allow her with the heavy wagon hurriedly hitched up to her. A mob of zebra followed, cursing in their own language and hurling sticks and rocks at the fleeing Unicorn. Trixie didn't quite understand why they were so angry - she'd only been telling them the story of how she single-hoofedly defeated Discord using nothing but a paperclip and a banana peel! Her story had just entered its seventh hour when the entire tribe turned on her! As she exited the Zebrezi Valley, her pursuers ceased their chase, satisfied that they had driven her off. It was at this stage that Trixie had decided she'd better go and find Leech...
----------
It seemed that even the infinitely amiable zebra had their limits, and Trixie had managed to surpass them in less than a day!
Quickly snapping back to the present, Trixie hurriedly made her excuses.
"Er... well... Trixie got bored in the Zebrezi, as much as the residents loved her. We shall return there at a later date, maybe." she said, only semi-convincingly.
Leech seemed none the wiser.
"Leech underzzstandzz." he nodded, not really understanding. His gaze was taken by a tiny dark shape flying over the deep orange horizon. Trixie had noticed it too.
"Celestia's beard! What's that?" she gasped, as the little dot zig-zagged across the sky, getting closer and closer to their camp.
"Izz it a bird?" asked Leech.
"No, it looks more like a comet, although comets don't fly in zig zags. Or at near-ground level. Coming straight towards us." she answered, with some nervousness.
Trixie needn't have worried, however - it wasn't a comet, but a pegasus! A gray pegasus with a blonde mane and slightly crossed eyes landed in front of the amazed duo. In her forehoof, she clutched an official-looking scroll.
"Hello!" greeted the delivery mare brightly. "Are you Trixie Lulamoon?"
Trixie blushed deeply as Leech muted a snigger. She absolutely hated her surname, and never used it, especially not in front of her friends.
"I prefer to be addressed as The Great and Powerful Trixie, if you don't mind!" she replied haughtily.
"Oops, my bad!" answered the mailmare, her good cheer undiminished. "I have a letter for you, it's apparently very important!"
Trixie's horn glowed, and she levitated the scroll out of the mailmare's hoof and placed it on the steps of the wagon. She turned back to the wall-eyed pegasus.
"Umm... thanks." she began. "Before you go, can I ask a couple of questions? First of all, how in Tartarus did you find me when I don't have a fixed address?"
"Oh that's easy!" replied the mailmare, bouncing cheerfully on the spot. "I just flew around and around, all over Equestria until I found you! It only took eight days!"
Trixie and Leech looked at each other, neither sure of what to make of this.
"A commendable work ethic, I guess..." replied Trixie. "Speaking of which, why have I only ever seen you delivering mail? Doesn't the postal service have any other delivery Ponies?"
The gray pegasus muttered something about postal budget cuts and her being the only delivery mare willing to be paid in muffins before merrily bidding Leech and Trixie goodnight. She took flight and disappeared over the horizon, just as quickly as she had appeared. Leech finally found his voice.
"That wazz... different." he buzzed, confusedly.
Trixie trotted over to where the scroll lay, and levitated it up to eye level. With a delivery time of over a week, she was certainly glad she wasn't paying for the postage on it! She unrolled the parchment, and began to read. As she did so, her face began to drop, her ears became flat and her voice turned increasingly shaky.
"L...Leech..." she shuddered. "This is-is from the R-R-Royal Castle! It's a summons from Celestia herself!"
Leech trotted over and peered over Trixie's shoulder at the still-levitating piece of paper in front of his friend's face. During their previous travels, Trixie had taught him some basic literacy, and Leech was interested to see if he could make sense of the letter.
----------
From the Royal Household of Princesses Celestia and Luna
Dear Trixie Lulamoon and her Changeling associate,
The Royal household has received several reports of your recent activities, and as such I feel compelled to request your immediate presence at the Castle as soon as you receive this communique. I have placed a spot teleportation spell upon this scroll - please touch the Royal Seal at the bottom of this message with your horn, whereupon you will be immediately transported to Canterlot. My guards will escort you from there.
Regards
Princess Celestia
----------
Below the message was a glittering golden seal bearing the official insignia of the Royal household. Trixie began to panic as she read the message over and over again.
"Oh no! She knows about what happened at Ponyville! She wants to get us to Canterlot so we can be put on trial! She'll banish us forever! Or throw us in a dungeon! Or maybe even both! Twice! Us, the saviors of Canterlot, locked up!" she wailed, increasingly hysterically. "Leech, we've got to get out of here, we'll have to go on the lam! The Great and Powerful Trixie is NOT about to become a common prisoner!" she continued urgently, not entirely sure where they could hide from a near-omnipotent sun goddess.
Leech was much calmer - although it wasn't clear whether this was because he didn't understand the implications of Trixie's words, or because he'd given up trying to read the letter after the word 'Princesses'. Either way, he strode up to the floating letter, his chest puffed out with pride.
"Leech will fix thizz!" he said cheerfully. "Leech izz ambazzador now, remember? Leech take Trixie to Canterlot and will uzze hizz 'ambazzading' zzskillzz to get uzz out of thizz mezz!"
His eyes turned back to the scroll as he strained to find a clue as to how to get to Canterlot from their current location, so he could go and make things right. Eventually, he was able to decipher the part about the teleportation spell within the royal seal.
"Perfect! he buzzed. Before Trixie could stop him, Leech gently touched his horn against the royal seal.
"Leech, NO!" cried Trixie, but it was too late. A blinding flash enveloped the two, and when it subsided both they and their wagon were in the gardens of Canterlot Castle.
Trixie grasped Leech's face with her front hooves, moving her own face mere inches from the changeling's.
"You numbskull!" she said, panicking even more. "Now we'll never be able to hide from her! We racked up a charge sheet longer than a griffin's tail back in Ponyville, and now we're almost certainly going to the dungeons!"
"It'zz OK!" reassured Leech. "Leech izz changeling ambazzador azz Leech zzsaid!"
Trixie facehoofed.
"Leech, changelings don't have any sort of political representation in commonwealth Equestrian society! You're classed as a feral species, like ursas or manticores, you don't have any sort of real power! It's just a ceremonial title, not an official one! The idea is that you keep acting like yourself to prove changelings aren't all bad, not to act in any sort of official capacity!" she explained, panic still present in her voice.
Leech's eyes widened as he took in what Trixie was saying to him.
"Zzso... Leech cannot negotiate for uzz?" he said slowly.
He then began to join Trixie in running around the lawns of the castle gardens, yelling in a frightened frenzy.
"Leech doezz not want to go to zzslammer!" he buzzed. "Leech doezz not like prizzon food!"
"My career is over... nobody will want to watch a show put on by a convict!" wailed Trixie.
----------
From a tower overlooking the gardens, a dark alicorn with a wavy, ethereal mane watched the two strangers hurtling about the gardens in their despair. She chuckled gently to herself, and opened a line of telepathic communication with her horn.
"Celestia, I think your guests are here!" whispered Luna to her sister.
She received a confirmation from the sun goddess, and her horn ceased to glow as she resumed her duty of watching over the night.
Four royal pegasus guards soon approached the two terrified outsiders, causing them to cease their dashing about and stare in horror.
"Trixie Lulamoon?" enquired the lead guard. "Princess Celestia has requested the presence of you and your shapeshifting friend in the throne room, immediately." he said, gruffly.
Both Trixie and Leech, after very briefly considering making a break for it, decided to accept their fates with a heavy sigh. There was no backing out now, they may as well get it over and done with.
As the guards led them up stairs and along corridors, both the unicorn and the changeling's hearts were beating like bongo drums. Adrenaline coursed through both of their bodies, making their minds race and their legs feel weak. With beads of sweat forming on Trixie's brow and Leech wondering if it was possible to vomit despite not eating physical food, the two arrived in the throne room. Celestia was waiting for them - she approached them as she thanked and dismissed the guards.
When the throne room doors closed and she was alone with Trixie and Leech, Celestia addressed them.
"I see you received my summons." she began with a smile. "I trust that your journey here was not too unpleasant?"
"It...was... okay...." Trixie choked, shuffling her hooves awkwardly on the room's marble floor. Celestia's attention shifted to Leech.
"And you... you must be Leech, yes?" she asked.
Leech looked up at the Princess for a moment, before flinging himself forwards and wrapping his forelegs around one of Celestia's.
"Pleazze! Don't zzsend Trixzzie and Leech to dungeonzz! Ezzpecialy not Trixzzie! It wazz all Leech'zz fault!" he begged, attempting to protect his friend.
Celestia let out a soft laugh, before gently levitating Leech away from her leg and back onto his own hooves.
"I am aware of what happened at the Gemstone Festival" she began, a hint of sternness in her voice. "And I was certainly displeased to hear of it. However, this isn't what this is about. The citizens of Ponyville dealt with that particular incident, and I see no need for further action." she continued, her warm tone returning.
Trixie felt a wave of simultaneous relief and confusion wash over her.
"So if you're not going to put us on trial... why exactly have you brought us here?" she asked, gathering her thoughts together and recovering from her previous panic.
"All will become clear in the morning." explained Celestia, with a suppressed yawn. "However, it is now extremely late. You will doubtless be tired from your travels - I have guest quarters set up for you. If you prefer, you may sleep in your wagon although I do ask that if you sleep there, please don't try to leave during the night."
Trixie tapped a hoof to her chin for a few moments. She sometimes missed having a proper bed to sleep in, and she was certainly tired after the events of the last few days!
"Trixie will take the guest quarters." she beamed, her confidence returning. Celestia nodded, and showed them to their room before bidding them goodnight.
"Get plenty of sleep." she instructed. "You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."
Leech didn't need telling twice. After dragging all of the sheets and blankets off his bed and forming them into a makeshift basket at the foot of it, he was soon curled up and sound asleep. Trixie watched him snore for a few minutes, shaking her head at his inability to comprehend furniture. She then lay back in her own bed, before drifting into a troubled sleep. She wondered what the summons was all about, but was really too tired to stay up thinking about it.
----------
"Good morning!" said Celestia cheerily the next morning, cantering into the guest quarters.
Leech and Trixie were already awake, and had just finished their breakfast. Trixie had enjoyed an apple smoothie, and Leech a massive gutful of a powerful love source that seemed to be coming from immediately outside the castle. Both were surprised to see four ponies following Celestia into the room - ponies whom they recognized immediately.
The three Earth ponies and the pegasus stood smiling at the stunned Leech and Trixie - they were the ponies who had been the synthetic Sentries! After the greetings, hugs, and the how-do-you-dos, Celestia properly introduced the four ex-changelings to Trixie and Leech. She nodded towards the Earth ponies first.
"These three are Sage, Savvy and Shrewd, the Wisdom brothers." she said, each of the Earth ponies nodding as their name was mentioned.
All three looked almost identical aside from their mane colors, even having the same cutie mark of an abacus, the beads being color-matched to their manes. All had light brown fur, Savvy had a mint green mane, Sage's mane was an ultramarine blue whilst Shrewd possessed a medium gray mane.
"The brothers form a large part of my team of trusted personal advisors." explained Celestia. "Things have certainly been more difficult for me since their disappearance twelve months ago."
"We wanted to thank you properly for your efforts." explained Sage Wisdom, stepping forwards. "We didn't see much of you back at the hive, and wanted to meet you again." His brothers nodded in agreement.
Her attention turning to the pegasus, Celestia continued.
"This is Snap Happy, one of the top journalists for the Canterlot Chronicle." she explained. "Despite his brainwashed state, he was the one who managed to get a warning out to us shortly before the changelings' Royal Wedding invasion."
Sure enough, the off-white pegasus possessed a cutie mark of a camera and a quill in addition to a short mane and tail of an unusual turquoise hue. He addressed the changeling and unicorn that stood before him.
"What they said!" he grinned, nodding towards the Wisdom brothers.. "Thanks for everything. We couldn't let your deeds go unrecognized - whilst we couldn't stop ourselves doing what we did, we still remember every detail. So when we eventually returned to Canterlot, we told the Princesses about everything - the invasion plans, the experiments, and the battle that took place outside the city walls. And as a journalist, I made sure the good news traveled fast!" he finished, with a wink towards Celestia.
----------
Celestia beckoned for Leech and Trixie to follow her. All seven present trotted out of the bedroom and down a long, grand corridor. Guards saluted the party as they passed, eventually stopping at a large set of double doors at the end of the corridor. A nearby Unicorn guard opened the impressive entryway for them, and the assembled ponies (and changeling) went through it. The doorway led onto a large balcony overlooking the main courtyard of the castle...
... and the sight that greeted them made Trixie and Leech freeze with surprise.
Hundreds, if not thousands of cheering ponies filled the courtyard, many of them calling and waving to the two individuals who had saved their city from Aurora's terrible scheme. Snap Happy had, during the last week or so, been spreading the news of Leech and Trixie's heroics throughout the city and beyond - and it seemed everypony was gathered to give them a heroes' welcome!
Trixie and Leech scanned the crowd, dumbstruck and in disbelief. It seemed everypony who was anypony was there - they even recognized a few Ponyvillians in the crowd, including all six of the Elements of Harmony near the front. All were joining in the cheering, except for Rainbow Dash, who seemed to have a disgruntled scowl on her face.
"Yeesh." thought Leech out loud. "Zzsome poniezz really hold grudgezz!"
Celestia stepped forward to address the gathered ponies.
"Citizens of Equestria!" she called across the sea of faces before her. "I give you Trixie Lulamoon and Leech the changeling, the heroes of Canterlot City!"
Trixie was very briefly mortified - Celestia just announced her dreaded surname to everypony! She soon realized however, that the cheering crowd didn't seem to care, and continued to whoop and holler for both her and her unique friend. Very soon, her theatrical instincts took over and she began to drink in the cheers and praise - she'd waited her entire life for a moment like this!
"Yes, that's right! The Great and Powerful Trixie is here, Canterlot!" she called, her voice mostly drowned out by the cheers.
Leech looked across to Trixie. Whilst he was pleased that his friend was having a good time, Leech wasn't so keen on the attention. He shrunk back and tried to hide behind Celestia.
"What's the matter?" she asked, kindly.
"Leech izzn't sure he likezz thizz." he said nervously. "Leech izz juzzt a drone, Leech doezzn't get recognition like thizz!"
Celestia could only smile at the little changeling's modesty.
"You are far more than just a drone, Leech. More than you'll ever know, most likely. Whatever status you held back in your hive, you're in Canterlot now - and here, everypony counts!" Celestia reassured him.
Encouraged by the Princess's words, Leech strode forward and stood beside Trixie, and lamely attempted to join her in waving to the crowds, his shyness still getting the better of him somewhat.
At that moment, everypony's attention was drawn by a pink blur zipping through the crowds, seemingly defying gravity as it raced up the wall of the castle and came to a stop on the edge of the balcony, in front of Trixie and Leech.
"Alright, everypony!" called Pinkie Pie. "Let's REALLY get this party started!"
----------
Another eruption of cheering greeted this, and Celestia led Trixie and the still-shellshocked Leech down to the ballroom, where Pinkie had arranged one of her trademark parties. The celebrations continued throughout the day, and well into the night.
During the party, Celestia had noted that Trixie and Leech had no permanent residence in which to live, and had offered them the use of an apartment in the heart of Canterlot itself. Trixie had been delighted at the idea, and after some consultation with Leech, had agreed to live in the city for a while.
As the celebrations finally began to subside that night, Trixie was seated at a table with several ponies gathered around listening in awe as she told her version of the story.
"Sho I shaid to Aurora and Shwitchher..." slurred Trixie, a little worse for wear from a day of continued cider consumption, "... I'll take you on with three hoovesh behind my back! He ssshtarted crying, and she tried to run away but she wassh no match for Triksssshie! I shaid to her, 'It'sh on! It'sh on, like...' zzzzzz."
The ponies cheered and stomped their hooves at the unicorn's story, and wanted to hear more. Unfortunately, Trixie was sound asleep in her chair at this stage.
A short distance away, Leech was gazing thoughtfully out of the ballroom window, at the shining full moon that Luna had skilfully raised as usual. He'd just finished giving what felt like an interview with Twilight Sparkle, who was desperate to know if he'd learned any friendship lessons from his experience. With some help from Twilight, Leech had managed to reach the conclusion that everyone can make a difference, no matter their status or how insignificant they may feel. And just sometimes, the least likely individuals can have the biggest impact on the world around them.
Despite the happiness of the occasion, much uncertainty still ran through his mind.
Was he really much more than the drone he was born to be? He chewed over Chrysalis and Celestia's words - he'd saved the hive and Canterlot too - so maybe there was something to it. Even if most of his 'heroics' had in fact been accidents caused by his own incompetence. Nevertheless, maybe he really did have a destiny beyond that of a maintenance worker.
He also had some reservations about living in Canterlot - he enjoyed his life traveling with Trixie. But he knew how much getting into high society meant to Trixie, and didn't want to ruin her big chance for her.
He smiled as another thought entered his mind.
"Whatever doubtzz Leech hazz, one thing izz for zzcertain..." he whispered to himself,
"...Canterlot izz never going to be the zzsame!"
END
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=') That was beautiful.
(The whole thing, not just the chapter >.<)
... And now back to waiting 2-3 weeks between updates of other stories ~ drat.
Freaken sequel to this sequel. amazing story bravo bravo
... and that just about wraps it up!
I hope you all enjoyed it.
Where to start with this one... I think first and foremost, it got WAY darker in the middle than I intended it to when I first set out. Lots of implied deaths, and two on-screen deaths of speaking characters? DubYaTeeEff?!
That's something I wasn't happy with, but I think I did alright in rolling with it and bringing it to a satisfactory conclusion. I deliberately started bringing the humor back into the story towards the end in an effort to lighten the mood, and also set the tone for the third story... (yep, more on that later!). I'm not sure how well the fade out/fade in of the humor worked, but the general idea is that the three stories can be read back to back as a single entity, and I wanted to avoid any jarring changes in tone.
Characters... well, Trixie definitely got the short straw here.
Almost no additional characterization, and spent most of the story being a scared Changeling hybrid! I'll be addressing this next time...
Leech however, I think I did OK in giving him a bit more depth. I tried to show that he *is* capable of working on his own initiative when he has to, but prefers not to. One of his continuing flaws other than his stupidity is his constant need for guidance, whether it be Trixie, Chrysalis or Clone, he'll immediately fall into line when he encounters someone he sees as an authority figure. It's an aspect of Changeling psyche he hasn't been able to overcome just yet. Additionally, I tried to show that whilst he's usually extremely passive, and has near infinite patience (especially with Trixie), he does have limits and can be quite ferocious when the need takes him. How well all of this came across, I don't know.
Also... my first attempt at villains! Whilst Aurora was the 'big bad', I definitely think Switcher was the main villain here. What did we think? Too evil? Not evil enough? No idea, I'm usually crap at writing evildoers.
I wasn't sure when setting out with this story whether to go for a sympathetic depiction of the Changelings, or the more militaristic, brutal portrayal. Both seem to be popular... in the end I went for both, with Chrysalis and Clone representing the formers, Aurora and Switcher being the latter, and the other Changelings just following whoever happens to be in power at the time.
Coming back to something I mentioned before - there's going to be a third Leech story! Oh yes, the ending was a set-up for where the third story will begin. It's going to return to the slice-of-life/comedic tone of The Braggart and The Bug, with the characters in a different setting once again (this time, Canterlot.) I've even done a spot of pre-planning, and have both a title and a general storyline! And I almost never plan ahead!
BUG IN THE CITY
After months of being worshipped as heroes, Trixie and Leech must finally face normal life as Canterlot citizens - it seems in the superficial culture of Canterlot, even heroism has a shelf-life. After the furore has died down, Trixie has begun working the Gala circuit with her magic shows - but is her dream of hitting the bigtime really everything it's cracked up to be?
And just how does a Changeling with the IQ of a potato sack get by in a society with such incredibly high standards?
Whaddya think? Coming soon to a FIMFiction near you.
As a couple of little spoilers, there STILL won't be romance - I want to prove it's possible for a male and female character to be best friends without it ending in shipping or clop! Additionally, Trixie discovers there IS a lasting effect caused by her mutation in this story - an effect which could enhance her career beyond her wildest dreams if used responsibly. Unfortunately, this is Trixie we're talking about...
It's also going to be the final Leech story for now - if there's one thing Police Academy and Harry Potter taught us, it's that you shouldn't keep beating the crap out of the same concept. Whilst I have loads of Leech story ideas, I do want to experiment with other things and don't want my page to become "Look at mah OC! He is teh amazing!" I think three is probably the maximum number of stories I should have in the same continuity.
So, that's that then. Thanks all for your continued support, and I'll see you all for the finale.
I'll leave you with the words of Revolver Ocelot from MGS1...
"You still OK? Want me to go on? Can you take one more?"
Great story, it's sad it that this is the end of story :(
873914
Don't worry, see my comment above. This is going to be a trilogy.
873931
It's freaking good news :) And wow that you have idea to make more of it xD
An excellent story, through and through. Masterfully crafted and executed. I thank you for this incedible read, and I hope to be regaled by your story-telling again in the future.
And I sympathize with your lack of foreplanning. But hey, when you can tell a good story, who needs it?
873911
Sounds interesting!
a song for the end
FOOLY COOLY !!
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
"Ride on Shooting Star",.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Slide of an orange reflects in the sky
Hanging the pride of a sponge
Spider
No need to hide
the premonition of life captured
it is like a colored dream
Ride on shooting star
I continued singing
like a shotgun with all my heart
A grunged hamster becomes more mature
and is accompanied by a lobster of revenge
Sniper
What do you say that
you can see in that framed world?
I want to touch it before you aim
Ride on shooting star
I'm looking for you and I'm having withdrawal symptoms
I lied to you
Ride on shooting star
I continued singing
like a shotgun with all my heart
Epic ending! It was nice to see the Changelings learn something as well. And I always had my suspicions that Trixie was a cider addict.
You sir have won my like. I was not disappointed at all with how you did the ending! I find Leech to be one of the most funniest and memorable OC's out of all the stories I've read, the only other one being High-General Double from Smoke and Mirrors.
Also, I'm glad to hear the ideas you have planned for the next story.
Now to explain why Leech is memorable. Now many of the changelings depicted in fan fictions are great, and I find each of them to be quite amazing in character development. But Leech is different. I will say, that at first, I found him to be a blundering idiot that I pitied. But after these two stories, my respect has grown and grown for this OC. He has that funny, innocent personality that you rarely see in a changeling character.
Leech is something different from the rest. He has to loyalty of all the other Changeling OC's out there, but with the innocence to show he just wants to belong. I don't know if that was your plan, but I will say that's what I got from it.
He's a changeling that doesn't really change at all. And that's because of one thing. He's already learned it. He already knows how to love other ponies back. He already knows what most changelings out there don't, but because of his stature, the hives ignores him. Leech is a pure character and I can't imagine ever having him develop beyond what he is already.
As for the author, I will say this. You work fast! Don't worry about how to write a proper villain, because this is a cartoon your writing about and usually the best villains are the ones who don't even know that what they are doing is evil. In fact, the best villains often think of themselves as doing good. But that's another topic, and most villains today are not what the description above depicts them as.
And don't worry if you never plan. Sometimes the best ideas are the ones we think everyone else will hate. Sometimes improvising on the spot creates a better story then the ones you plan for months. It's probably best you don't follow in the footsteps of other great ideas that rammed themselves to the ground with too many mini-series and sequels. So I'm glad your putting this into consideration.
So yeah, thanks for reading all that rambling I did. You don't have to follow any of that. In fact, just work however you want to work, because there's no point in writing if you don't love what you do.
I hope to see you continue your work and produce more fun-loving OC's to be forever remembered!
873876
Thanks!
I think my next story will update a bit slower, mind you. Managed to burn myself out a bit on this one. 
I do wonder if it's the rapid updates that put people off these stories, since fast updates are usually a hallmark of a bad fic. 
873884
Yes. Yes there WILL be a sequel to this sequel. See my other comment for the full lowdown.
874017
You're very welcome.
Not sure I'd describe it as masterful though! I thought it sort of went alright.
874881
Whoa, epic comment!
I thank you for all of the feedback.
I honestly didn't know where I wanted to go with Leech initially - at first he was meant to be a vaguely-competent assistant for Trixie, and the stories would have revolved around her efforts to keep him a secret. But as I wrote the first story I decided to make him an idiot purely for comedic value - it actually worked really well, far better than the average-intelligence Leech I was going to write. As you said, it adds an innocence to his character that isn't usually seen in Changeling OCs. As for development - I do plan to develop him a little bit beyond this, more specifically his intellect. He's got much to learn still, and he's going to learn at least some of it. Not too much, mind you! On some levels, Leech may be academically the dumbest of the swarm, but... read between the lines and he may well also be the smartest of them all on a different level. Despite not knowing much he leads the happiest life of any Changeling out there!
As for villains - I suppose Switcher could go into that category. He thought he was doing his species a favor by strengthening the swarm and attempting to take them to the top of the food chain in Equestria. Unfortunately his innate sadism and his cruel methods overrode any noble intentions he may have had!
And lastly - sequels after the third story. As I said before, I'll probably stop after the third, although maybe not permanently. I plan to move onto other ideas, and refine what further Leech ideas I have and pick only the best ones. Then I might return to the Leech series at a later date with a couple of short stories. That's about as close as pre-planning as I get - I like the chaotic writing style of improvization, it keeps things interesting! Nobody know what's going to happen next, not even the author!
Thanks to you all once again for your likes, comments and followings.
At PointlessGizmo and Grazehunter:
Your posts are too long-i stoped reading them in the middle:rainbowlaugh
But i give you 10/10 for the whole thing.
I really love these stories, as well as the characters.
Trixie's personality is spot on as far as I'm concerned, especially with how quickly she got herself cast out by the zebras. She's loud and obnoxious, but I can't help but still like her as a character.
Leech is the very definition of an idiot-savant. His pure spirit and naïveté, as stated already, make him one of the most memorable characters I've seen in a while.
Clone is your typical "good guy" character; but despite the obvious cliches, he is still an endearing character.
I love what you did with Chrysalis, and I'm not ashamed to say that I squee'd so hard at the scene where she picks up Vek. Good lord, that was adorable! I also love how you reversed her role in the fight from what it was during the wedding. More on this below.
Aurora is an interesting case. She has the typical villain "the throne should be mine" complex, and follows the ensuing lust for power to a "T". What I find interesting, though, is how you essentially put her in the same power struggle with Chrysalis as Chrysalis herself was with Celestia and Shining Armor/Cadence at the end of season 2. Chrysalis was now the one forced into the role of defending her people as well as herself against the would-be usurper Aurora. Chrysalis was finally able to see why she was defeated before, while Aurora was forced to learn the same error of her ways as her queen had. Unfortunately for Aurora, it was quite a bit more than she could handle.
Switcher... I'm not sure what you were worried about with your villains because this guy is perfect. He's arrogant. He's mad with a lust for power. And he's repeatedly humiliated throughout the story by the heroes until the turning point, where he takes control. He is a classic villain who receives a very fitting and much deserved end.
All in all, a great story with a great cast. I can't wait to see what happens next.
On a completely different note, if you were to have Twilight (or some equally nerdy pony) join Trixie and Leech, you've essentially got the pony version of "Ed, Edd, and Eddy".
891595
Whoa, nice analysis! Thanks very much, I'm glad you enjoyed.
I guess since I wrote the characters, I can't really get a 'feel' for them in the same way as someone reading the stories for the first time. So it's always nice to have feedback like this so I can see how I'm doing!
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I was wondering if/when someone would notice that.
Good skills!
i enjoyed this story a great deal more than your first one, i believe your writing skill increased significantly between stories, i cant wait until your finished the next story and see how you have progressed.
the first story, everything happened too fast, but i feel it happened at a much more agreeable pace here, although it felt like the changeling queen was a bit too nice here, does not strike me as the nice type, but its your story, so i guess you can do whatever you want :P
but i had fun reading it and i cant wait for more
Leech looking at reflection in window singing: Who is the drone I see, staring strait back at me? When will my reflection show, who I am insiiiiide? dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Octavia.png
Hmm... sorry, but Trixie being driven out by the Zebra makes little sense, especially considering how respectful they were to her. Other than that, great! Also, Dashie? Buck you. Buck. You.
Oh, Twilight.
omg
that was awesome! i loved the whole thing! hell i love these two! X3
good story god charaters and good humor defenatly going on my top 10 stories i have read! XD
one thing though might want to add a dark tag to it.
that paart of the story compelatly blind sided me, and i did love it at the same time i was pissed XD
still all in all GREAT story!
This was much more hectic and crazy than the previous story, but still good. Leech and Trixie got their happy ending.
"It's ON... It's only... zzz". (c) TF2 Demoman.