Imprisonment of a Changeling

by Southern Wing

Break Down

Dash stood there, watching the unconscious changeling lying on the floor. A surge of emotions racked her mind. Was this changeling different? Was Wing telling the truth? Was Wing even his actual name? She took a breath to regain control of her thought process. As she did the changeling slowly began to regain consciousness.

“My head…” The changeling mumbled. Her voice was soft. Despite the injuries, she kept whatever resolve she had left.

“Well, you’re awake,” Dash said, announcing her presence in the cell.

“Rainbow Dash?” the changeling questioned, looking up.

“So you recognize me too, huh?” Rainbow replied with a bit of venom in her voice. “Are you here to try to gain sympathy from me?”

“What?!” The changeling leapt, or rather, used the door as a prop to get herself off the floor. “Why would I do that?”

“You’re a changeling, why wouldn’t you?”

“You are being so stubborn, you can’t see how those beasts treated me!”

“Doesn’t mean that you’re trustworthy.”

“I am the sister in law to Duke Firestorm. What makes me so untrustworthy?”

Dash stood there for a moment in silence. “You’re lying.”

“What?”

“You can’t be the sister in law to Duke Firestorm. His wife is a batpony.”

“But I am her sister!”

“That is impossible!”

“It’s the truth.”

“If that’s what you want to believe fine.” Dash scoffed.

“My name is Costa, since you were so rude not to ask.”

“You already know my name.”
“Yes, Rainbow Dash. Only living pony capable of performing the legendary Sonic Rainboom.”

“Duh I’m the best!”

“Man, Schkitz wasn’t wrong about you. You are a braggart!”

“Schkitz?”

“Oh that’s right, you only knew him as Southern Wing.”

“So you’re with him aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m from the same hive as he is. Understand that while I have a different colored chitin than his, we’re still from the same hive.”

“Prove it, then.”

“Hmm?”

“You say you’re from the same hive as he is. Prove it.”

“Okay, Dashie Washie.”

Dash gritted her teeth, making angry noises.

“Not to mention your husband, Sev Divine, and him are bond brothers.”

Dash’s face started to glow with anger.

“Are you mad, or am I misinterpreting your emotions?”

“No, I’m only…” Dash tried to ignore her anger, but found that she couldn’t. “Okay! Yes! I’m angry! Are you happy?!” Dash shouted.

“No… but at least you’re coming around.”

“To what?!”

“Why, to admit to yourself that not all changelings are bad.”

“Argh! I’m not talking to you anymore!” Dash crossed her hooves and sat down, facing away from Costa.

“Alright then.” Costa changed her position so she was against the wall. She thought about the changelings she was closest to. Her mind then turned to the taste of royal jelly. A small smile came across her face at the memory, a comfort when she needed it the most. She gave a sigh as she began to meditate.

-----------------------------------------

As Costa and Dash sat in their cell, Celestia, Luna and Chiton were sitting at a table, having lunch of pasta. The deafening silence carried around the room as the three ate. “So… Wing was telling us about royal jelly?”

“Oh! Yes it’s a delicacy I make it myself. What did you want to know?” Chiton asked.

“How is it made?” Celestia asked.

“Does it have any other uses? I would very much like to know,” Luna added.

“To answer how it’s made, it’s purely natural,” Chiton replied. “As for other uses, it can be taken orally to heal minor injuries. More serious injuries require full submersion in a cocoon with it. It’s also used for cooking and baking, as Schkitz stated.”

“What’s with the different names?” Luna asked.

“Oh well, changelings that live outside the hive, as you’ve figured out, have two identies. One is the changeling, the other is the pony,” Chiton replied as she ate some more of the pasta. “But the majority that live inside the hive have one name, but they do have a pony identity ready if they have to leave the hive.”

“I imagine it can be hard to juggle between the two,” Luna thought.

“Not at all, Princess Luna, at least for adult changelings. Changeling nymphs have it harder since they need the disguise spell cast on them.”

“Because they can’t control it otherwise?” Celestia inquired.

“Exactly,“ Chiton noted. “When a changeling reaches about school age, they are able to control it more. For those who live outside the hive, the spell remains til they return home.”

“By the way, how are you finding your meal?” Celestia asked.

“Oh it’s quite delicious. Almost as good as what we have back at the hive.”

“You got any recipes to give our chefs for your next visit?” Celestia followed up.

“We could find some. I daresay your mother and grandmother would be happy. We are talking.”

“You knew them?” Luna almost spat her wine out from shock.

“Yes, we not only did we know them, but until the changeling civil war started, we had occasional lunches with them.”

“Why did that stop? because of the civil war?” puzzled Celestia.

“It was an internal matter of ours and we treated it as such. To be frank, it was none of your business. Also, we asked your mother to stay out of it, because we didn’t want to drag you into our affairs.”

“Understandable,” Celestia nodded her head. “Equestria had just formed and as such was vulnerable.”

“Precisely. You could scarcely afford to help.”

“But I assume some did help?” Luna butted in.

“Yes, there were ponies that served, but on their own accord.”

“This will make Mother and Grandmother’s next visit interesting,” Luna mumbled quietly to Celestia.

“Indeed, sister.” Celestia replied. “Speaking of the changeling civil war, how did you treat prisoners of war during that time?”

“First off, understand first we have different morals than you, although, we treated them fairly well by your standards.”

“Speaking of prisoners, I have finished the testing on the royal jelly,” the Doctor stated, trotting in. “It’s poison free and…”

“You can stop there, Doctor. Queen Chiton is informing us as we speak,” Luna interrupted.

“Oh…” the doctor looked like he had just had his ego deflated.

“Don’t worry, Doctor. You have a chance to study its effects and the healing abilities on ponies for it,” Chiton replied.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the Doctor bowed.

“You are welcome,” Chiton replied. The Doctor trotted off, a bit more hopeful.

“Speaking of prisoners, we should really free Duke Firestorm and his wife.”

“Indeed, Princess Celestia. His mother will be quite angry otherwise.”

“Yes, and an angry dragon mother is the last thing we need.” Celestia signaled a pair of guards, and they trotted over to see her. “Send word to the dungeons to free Duke Firestorm and his wife.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The pair bowed and rushed off.

“So what is your court system like for non POWs?” Luna asked.

While Chiton started her explanation, Duke Firestorm and Nightling sat in their cell. They were having a lovely meal which consisted of sandwiches and chips. “Kind of an unfulfilling meal isn’t it dear?” Nightling asked

“It’s not bad, though I wish it had some ruby dust on it,” Firestorm replied.

“We can get some of that when we get home, which should be soon,” replied Nightling

“Yes, it would be quite wise. Mother would probably fly down herself to express her displeasure.”

“The last thing anyone wants is an angry dragon,” Nightling agreed. Nightling remained silent for a few moments. The sound of rapid hoof steps interrupted the silence. A forest green earth pony in royal guard armor rushed into view.

“I apologize this took so long, Duke Firestorm,” the guard stated, unlocking the door.

“It is quite alright,” Firestorm replied. “I understand you had to be thorough.”

Nightling and Firestorm walked side by side to the door, exiting the cell. Sev, Fluttershy, Rain and Winter were exiting their cell around the same time. “Ah I see they’re releasing you.” Sev commented

“Going to see Wing, I see?” Firestorm asked.

“Yes, and I shouldn’t wait any longer,” Fluttershy replied.

“Mind if we go with you?” Nightling asked.

“No, we don’t mind at all,” Sev replied.

“The guards should leave you alone if you walk with us,” added Nightling.

“That’s true. Plus, I’m sure Wing would like to see that you’ve been freed.” The group walked to the medical wing, chatting about various recent events. Right before they got there, Firestorm got a thoughtful expression on his face.

“It’s weird we haven’t heard from Costa in a while.”

“She does travel a lot for her work,” Fluttershy noted.

“Yes, but she’d have checked in with me. It’s like her communications are being blocked.” Nightling noted.

“Could be you’d know if she’d been disconnected.”

“And I haven’t felt that. That is extremely odd.”

“Perhaps we should inform Queen Chiton?” Fluttershy asked.

“Most definitely. If she’s in trouble, we should find her as quickly as possible,” Sev agreed.

“If somepony or someling took her, may Faust have mercy on them, because I’m not giving it to them,” Firestorm declared.

“They will meet their end… painfully,” Nightling said, closing her eyes. “But this isn’t something we should discuss in front of young ears.” Nightling motioned to Winter and Rain.

“Huh?” Winter and Rain wondered.

“Nothing you two need to worry about. We’re taking care of it,” Fluttershy remarked.

“Okay then,” Rain replied, shrugging.

“Whatever,” Winter thought. The two fillies simply went back to their conversation.

----------------------------------------------------------

Wing was laying on the hospital bed, reading when he noticed the doctor trot in, looking disappointed. “What’s up doc?”

“Your Queen reminds me of Princess Celestia in many ways.”

“Yes, Mother can beat you to the punch when she wants to. So were all those tests for nothing?”

“Not at all, You did the paperwork and got all the information down. That is still important,” the doctor replied. He brought the jar of jelly over and set it on the table next to Wing. “So are you the only changeling of your… uh, what’s the term?”

“Brood? No, I’m not the only one. In fact, most of my brood is in the hives’ military. But I’m mainly a reservist, not full time.” Wing opened the jar and ate a spoonful of jelly.

“Fascinating. Do you have any pictures of your brood together?”

“There is one in my wallet. I could get it for you if you want to share. You want to learn more, which I’m happy about.”

“I'll be back in a moment.” The doctor left to go get the wallet while Wing continued eating the royal jelly. After a few minutes he returned and levitated the wallet over to Wing.

“Ah, thank you, doctor.” Wing opened the wallet, retrieving a photo of about a hundred changelings. They all sported military uniforms, and they were posed in front of a large ship. The design had two massive guns on the bow, one on the stern with smaller guns on both ends. The smaller gun in the bow was above the second main turret, and the stern one was above the stern turret. In the center was an array of close weapons systems and missiles. The overall design was similar to the design of a ship from Japoneighse history.

“I...is this…” the doctor asked, his eyes widening.

“Yes it is,” Wing spoke softly. “Though we call it the Dra'kak class, after the ancestral homeland of all changelings.”

“My grandfather told me stories about seeing it during the Second Equine War...but to actually see this...”

“Pilot or sailor?” Wing inquired.

“He was a pilot,” the doctor replied. “He still can remember that day vividly.”

“Well, won’t he be surprised when he finds out there are five ships that are basically clones of her sailing around.”

“Indeed, he will be very surprised. I’m surprised, for that matter.”

“Hopefully, it’s not too much of a shock.” Wing took another bite of jelly. “With this jelly and bedrest I should be up and about soon.”

“Don’t rush yourself. I don’t want you to end up back here anytime soon.”

“Yes, yes, get my rest and eat well,” Wing replied, continuing to eat his jelly.

“Don’t eat that too quickly, you’ll get a stomach ache,” Fluttershy said out of motherly concern, trotting into the room with Storm, Nightling, Winter, Rain and Sev.

“Yes, dear,” Wing replied, taking one last bite before putting the lid back on the jar with a smile. “Of course you’d give me tips about my diet when you see him.”

“That’s Fluttershy for you,” Sev chuckled. “How are you feeling, buddy?”

“Better, just need to let the jelly work its magic and I'll be up and about in no time.”

“Indeed, but we do have a question for you, Schkitz,” Nightline brought up.

“Go ahead. I’ll be here all day.”

“Have you heard from Costa? Before the wedding, that is.”

“No, not really. Something wrong?”

“We haven’t heard from her, either. She’s been missing for some time,” Storm informed him.

“That’s not a good sign.” Sev brushed his hoof through his mane.

“Indeed. Have you told Mother?” asked Wing.

“No, we figured that Costa was unusually busy at first,” Nightline replied.

“But now, you think she might have been captured by Chrysalis’s changelings? Certainly possible,” Wing thought.

“Whoever took her will pay dearly.” Storm stated, reverting to his more draconic two legged form, clenching his claws into a fist. The hospital staff, naturally, were a bit freaked out by the ordeal, but Nightling approached them.

“Dragonponies are capable of this form, so it’s nothing to be freaked out over. It’s a bit like our transformation magic in a way. He won’t attack you.”

“Still doesn’t make it any less unsettling.” the doctor replied.

“I’ll fight by your side when we track her down,” Wing replied

“I’ll be right beside you, buddy,” Sev countered.

“I know you two can fight, and I’ll take all the help I can get,” said Firestorm.

“Do be careful, please.” Fluttershy trotted up to Wing besides his bed “I almost lost you once. I don’t want to even think about losing you for good.”

“Don’t worry dear, I will be careful,” Wing comforted her.

“I didn’t realize it worked that fast,” the doctor noted, checking up on Wing’s state. “Everything seems to be fine. Although, we do need to run more tests, so if we can do that now, we should begin right away.”

“I hear you, Doctor,” Wing agreed. “Let's get these tests done. A few hours of all this, and I’ll be fit for combat. Although, it mainly works fast on changelings and halflings. It’s slower for ponies.”

“I see.” The doctor took down several notes. “This’ll make for quite the research paper.”

“We have a rescue operation to plan, too.” Wing followed the doctor along the way to the testing area.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Dash and Costa had spent a few hours in silence, Costa was meditating, while Dash grew more irritated by the second. “Fine! You wanna talk, let’s talk!”

“Oh, I wondered when you’d wanna talk without getting into a shouting match,” Costa quipped. She opened her eyes as her concentration broke.

Dash shot an angry glare at Costa. “Let’s say I believe you for one second about being good. How would we escape?” Her tone still had an air of suspicion, but less intense as earlier.

“Escape? Us? I’m in no condition to escape at the moment. Not to mention, attempting escape from most changeling prisons gets you beaten, not like your pleasant pony prisons.”

“But would it be possible?”

“Yes, but if we got caught, we’re likely to get transferred to the main hive. That would make any escape impossible.”

“How so?”

“For one, the security there is more advanced, and there is more of it.”

“Any idea how many are there?”

“One or two friendly changelings, both of those who have turned their back on Chrysalis. Dunno if there are anymore.”

“Where are they?”

“One of the higher security levels. They look worse than I do from what I’ve seen.”

“So how do we escape?”

“It won’t be easy, we’d need outside help. Not only that, but all non loveist signals are being blocked, so I can’t contact anyone on the outside.”

“Damn, so nopon… I mean changeling is in any condition to escape.”

“Pretty much. But if I know my brother in law, he’s already searching for us as we speak.”

“So you say...I still think you’re full of horse apples, but maybe you’re telling the truth. You might be lying to my face. We’re about to find out.”

“I understand. That is your decision to believe me or not, after all.”

Comments

[Changeling404]

UPDATE!

[rikithemonk]

10464147
None of us is Ernest Hemingway, but this is a good story and you do have my interest.

The Monk
“Come into my parlor, Ted. I have cookies!” -Reykan

[Starlight Glimmer1]

Moar

[John bostock]

Hows it going

[Southern Wing]

10889896
going a bit slow due to some writers block but am aiming to get the next chapter up by the end of the month.

[John bostock]

10890760
Keep up the good work no rush

[Starlight Glimmer1]

So much for the end of the month. Oh well.

[Southern Wing]

10924172
I’m doing what i can. And I have made progress on the next chapter

[Starlight Glimmer1]

10924558
I’m not complaining or anything.

[Southern Wing]

10924567
I know. I’m disappointed mainly in myself for not getting it out when I said I would.

[Starlight Glimmer1]

10924575
Ah.