Tales from Tinies: Pupa's Purpose

by Pixel Berry

Chapter 5

Pupa woke up to see her cocoon being shaken rapidly, in the teeth of some pink thing, growling like a dog. She was tossed to the side, shaken, but made out that the pink thing was a pony… if it was made from cotton balls.

She was caught completely by surprise by the sudden action and random pony, completely not screaming in fright. She tried her best to get out of the cocoon, being successful and landing on the table her cocoon was set upon

“Dang it! She got out again!” Eyeballs yelled. Doomy groaned as he went to her.

“Come on, you weird hair ball.” But it seemed that no matter how hard he pushed her, the Fluffy pony didn't budge. It just stood there, sticking it's tongue out, almost entranced by the air itself. “Ugh! Get the cocoon!” He stormed off, returning with Eyeballs, both holding a cocoon. Web-Head stood next to Pupa.

“Oh dear, are you alright?” she asked.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. Just a little surprised.” She mumbled, rubbing her head as she was a little dizzy.

“Forgive us, but this… thing is just random.”

“Is it to any threat to us? Do you think it might reveal our shed and expose us?” She asked, thinking as to how this thing can be random and dangerous.

“... We honestly don't know about her at all. She can't even talk. Ask it a question.”

She looked up at the fluffy pony before she asked a question. “Will you expose us?”

“Ptthtp!” It raspberried.

“I don't even think it can even tell anyone about us. I don't think she's any threat. She can stay, just make sure she doesn't poke her muzzle in things she's not supposed to know.” She decided. The pink pony leaned in and stared at Pupa. It gave her a slobbering lick, ruining her hair.

“... I think we should get to the human village, your highness.” Web-Head suggested.

Pupa blinked after the slobbering lick as her hair stood up on one side. “Alright. B-but let me just get myself ready.” She said.

“Of course.” She turned into an elderly woman, complete with a cane.

Pupa was placed down as she went to her bag and took out a small comb to brush her hair down. It was easy since it was wet, but it smelled now as she took a small flower petal me started rubbing her body with it, making herself smell like the said flower.

Once everything was done, she shifted into a small human girl in a ring of green fire. Soon, with some help from Eyeballs, they made it to the human village. Unlike Ponyville, where everything looked a bit nice and the same, the human village was dirtier and more makeshift, giving each house their own distinct look. Plus, unlike the ponies, everything here was crammed together, making the place feel Claustrophobic.

She couldn't help but feel a little bad at how much worse the tiny town was. ‘Doesn't anyone even care about them?’ She thought as she was only reminded on how the ponies were just selfish.

“Alright, plenty of people here to try to get them to bring back to the hive.” Web-Head spoke. “I think the school is around the corner. And if anyone asks, I'm your grandmother and we just landed here, okay?”

“Uhm…c-can I be a pony-person?” She asked as she wasn't sure she was used to not having any magic in her grasp.

“Of course. As soon as no one is looking. Oh! And here comes one!” The sound of loud footsteps approached to them. Walking, and looking down, was a pony-person. It's sheer size alone towered any person around, and it could destroy any of the homes with relative ease. Strange enough, while it had the head of a pony and the body of a human, save for a tail, it wore clothing, albeit, patched clothing that didn't look good, but it seemed to know better than to walk around naked. This pony-person, as mentioned, strolled along, going from one end of the village to another, looking for someone, or something.

Pupa was quick to try and hide within Web-Eye’s mane as she was quick to turn into a pony-person after she saw the creature. She was a light blue unicorn with a two-toned pink and purple mane and tail. Her eyes were a bright green as her cutie mark was of a music note with a streak of a magical aura beside it. She was wearing a long light pink skirt that even covered her knees. Her chest was covered in what you may call a tapa, which had no straps, but covered the fluff on her chest. She had a gray hair clip on that moved her long hair from her eyes as she looked cute with a side of attractiveness.

“Huh… that's an interesting look.” Web-Head commented. “So what are you gonna do? Use your looks to attract some guys?”

“N-no. I just…I’m j-just curious on how it feels. And I just came up with it.” She said.

“Well, you're a giant to humans, but still small to ponies. What are you going to do?”

“I…I don't know. B-but is it okay if I explore this by myself?” She asked as she crawled down from her back.

“Of course. I'm just here to drop you off.” Web-Head turned and walked away. “Just remember; five is the minimum.”

She nodded as she looked back at the tiny village. She fumbled her hands a little as she wasn't sure where to start. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted a group of kids running, seemingly playing a game with each other.

‘Well, kids are the most easiest to take. But what if they have a family already?’ She thought, thinking on how they might feel if there taken from their family. Her train of thought was interrupted as one of the kids bumped into her leg. The kid was a boy wearing glasses. He fell to his back and crawled back a bit, a bit afraid of her.

“Uh… s-sorry miss. I-I don't want any trouble.” The other kids arrived and jumped at her presence. They too didn't know what to say.

“N-no. It's okay.” She shook her head before she offered a hand. “I was in the way. Here, let me help you up.” She gave a warm smile to show that she wasn't upset in any way. The boy hesitantly accepted her hand (Or finger, due to her size) and stood up. He ran to his friends, all looking at her, anticipating her to yell or give chase.

She was a little nervous by the kids starting at her, her ears folding down as she looked away, the smile gone from her lips as her mane hide one of her eyes shyly.

“Um… who are you?” The oldest looking girl asked.

She glanced back at the tinies, not sure if they were talking to her, so she only placed a hand onto her chest. “Me?” She asked. She nodded. “O-oh, uhm… m-my name is Final Note.” She answered as she glanced away again. The kids sounded a bit confused.

“That's a weird name.” Another girl spoke in a squeaky voice.

“It does go with the weird creature I am.” She mumbled as she still felt a little odd. ‘Why did I think this was a good idea.’ She thought. They giggled at her answer, making her feel a bit better.

“Hey, would you like to join us?” One of the boys asked, who wore more sport-like clothes. “School's been canceled and you seem like a good person.”

“R-really?” Her ears perked up. “Are you sure?” She asked.

“Of course!” The last boy spoke, looking a bit more clean than everyone else. “We'll be hiding and you'll be it.”

“What is this game called?” She asked, confused on why they would want to hide from her.

“... Hide and seek.” The first girl answered. “Haven't you played this before?”

She shook her head. “Am I supposed to know?” She asked, her ears going down a little.

“It's easy.” The glasses boy spoke. “We hide and you have to find us after counting to a specific number.”

“And no peeking!” The squeaky girl added.

“Why can't I? If I can't see, then I won't know wher--oooh.” Her eyes widened at the realization. “I guess I just got confused by the name. Where I'm from, we call it ‘Bug Hunt’.” She smiled a little.

“... Where are you from?” The sports boy asked.

“O-oh, just a place surrounded by trees. There were so many bugs to find, that we came up with the game. The ponies hiding are the bugs while the seeker is the bug catcher.” She said.

“That must've been easy for you then.”

“What makes you say that?” She asked. They all pointed at something. Pupa turned to see Apple Bloom with an orange mare wearing a hat and both her yellow mane and tail were in ponytails. It didn't take her long to remember that while Pony-people are much taller than Tinies, ponies still tower over them.

‘Ponies? What does ponies have to do with being good at Bug Hunt?’ She thought as she only looked up at the two ponies. The sound of running caught her attention. Only the glasses kid remained.

“Better start counting! We'll be ready!”

“W-wait, what?” She didn't have enough time before one of the hoofsteps of the Apple siblings made a gust of wind happen and she shielded her eyes. When she could see again, the kid was gone. She sighed as she shook her head. ‘Might as well play along with their game.’ She thought as she covered her eyes and started counting. “1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10.” She uncovered her eyes. “Alright, where are you guys?” She looked around as she tried to see if she could spot any of them easily. Unfortunately, the crowd below, and the mess made everything harder than expected.

She huffed as she knew she couldn't find them by standing in the same spot. She started walking through the crowed of tinies, trying to see if she could spot something familiar from the kids. Her answer came when she heard some giggling in an alleyway. Though she didn't exactly see, but she swore she saw the silhouette of one of the kids hiding behind a barrel.

Pupa smiled as she slowly crawled over to the barrel. She got close enough until she poked the tinies back. “Found you~” She said with a smile. It was the clean boy. He shrieked and tried to run for it.

“You gotta catch me!” He huffed trying to get past her feet and legs.

“I think you mean you have to try and get away from me.” She smiled as she was easy to pick him up from under his arms.

“Aww~! And I just had my clothes washed.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” She was confused at that last part, putting him down.

“... You're not gonna eat me?”

“Why would I eat you?” She asked with a raised brow. “I mean, unless you want to. I never even ate a tiny before.” She admitted with a small blush. “I really can't see what's so good about eating a living being.”

“Oh, thank goodness! Ponies and Pony-people that play with us usually with someone, or the whole group in their gut. I-I can help you look out for my friends… if you're not hungry.” He smiled nervously.

“Don't worry. I promise I won't eat any of you guys…unless you're somehow into that.” She blushed again after she said that.

“... What does that mean? Oh, never mind. George, the sports fan, told me he was going to the school and hide there. Y-you should go over there and seek him out.”

“Okay. Do you want to come along? I could always use a second pair of eyes.” She asked as she didn't feel that leaving him alone was right.

“You caught, so I might as well help.”

She smiled before she started walking to where she thought the school was. There were some other kids around, all of whom stared at her. Her partner squirmed.

“There he goes! He's going to another neighborhood! You can't get away, George!”

“You snitch, Zach!” He yelled before running away.

Pupa only smirked as she started chasing after him. “You can’t get away! I’mma getcha no matter what.” She said as her smirk turned to one of mischievous. George kept running for his life, losing his breath and slowed down.

“Wait! Don't!” He gasped.

She didn’t hear him as she pounced right at him, tackling him while the who tumbled, Pupa making sure that it was only her hitting the ground as they soon stopped and she was on her back again. “Gotcha.” She smiled.

“Oh great! Zach! You know you're just delaying your time in her gut!”

“Not unless you help us.” Zach replied, climbing and holding onto Pupa’s left ear.

“I knew you'd-! Wait… what?”

“I don’t eat humans, so unless you’re into that, I don’t think they’ll be any humans being eaten today.” She smiled as she picked hip up and placed him on her other shoulder. “Six eyes are better than four or two.”

“Uh… OK… this is expecting. I think Stacy is in the market, we should check there.”

“Sounds good to me.” She smiled as she started making her way to where she could obviously see was the market place. Some of people saw her enter and made space for her. The other Pony-People gave her a curious look, but rolled their eyes, continuing on with their day.

“Who’s this Stacy anyways?” She asked, a little embarrassed that she didn’t get to know their names before the game.

“She's the first girl that talked to you.” George answered. “Her sister is Stephanie, and the glasses guy is Philip.”

“Okay. I gotcha.” She nodded before she went back to searching for this Stacy girl. Her answer came as a box began to move on it's own.

She smiled once again as she put the two humans on her off of her as she started crawling to the moving box. With a shake of her tail, she was quick to go under and use her magic to illuminate the inside. “Boo!” She shouted.

“Ahh!” Stacy screamed, turning and trying to run away.

Pupa only smiled as Stacy was too scared to run out of the box easily. ‘Huh, scared like the little larvae from my hive.’ She smiled as she had to wipe some of the dirt off her fur and clothes.

“She's gonna get away!” George spoke.

“Don’t worry. She’s not going anywhere.” Pupa smiled as she easily grabbed the back of her shirt. “Easy Stacy, no need to scream bloody murder.” Stacy giggled nervously.

“Um… you're not following the ladies first rule when you're hungry, right?”

“What? I’m not hungry. And even if I was, I really wouldn’t be in the mood for humans since I never tried one.” She said as she let her go.

“Oh… a-are you going to taste us?”

“Of course not. Do you think that I’m that much of a jerk to just up and eat you?” She asked as she tilted her head.

“Well, not like a jerk, but… a little bit.”

“Is that all you assume with anything that remotely looks like a pony?” She asked as her ears went down, she being a little hurt that every tiny assumed that.

“Um… k-kinda. But it happens so much, you kinda get used to it.”

“O-oh...” She mumbled as she looked away. But she shook out of her saddened state. “So, what do we do next after I find everyone?” She asked.

“... You win, I guess. But, if you're not hungry… maybe we can find something else to do.”

“Like what? A new game?” She asked.

“I guess. But we have to find my sister and Stephen first… you know who they are, right?”

“Uhm… no?” She answered. “You’re the most recent person I found.”

“Let's just keep an eye out for a boy and a girl together.” Zach suggested.

“Okay then.” She nodded as she lifted the box up so that Stacy could get out and so could she. “I think it’ll be much easier if we split up.” Pupa suggested.

“Hopefully, they didn't see us.” George commented, jumping off and landing on the floor.

“Well if they did, it might be a little more interesting.” She smiled as she looked around to see if she could spot either of the two. However, she noticed that Twilight and Starlight stood at the edges, both lowering some bags and talking to each other while looking through some lists.

Pupa only glanced at the two as she felt that they weren’t on the hunt for her. She didn’t see the bags they placed down, but she saw the last two kids running to them.

She only chuckled as she started heading to where the two were going. They both saw her and sprinted, running to the two ponies. Her eyes widened as she saw where they were heading for and she could only try and run faster so that they wouldn’t be caught by two ponies that will definitely eat them. Sadly, the two climbed into one of the bags, probably thinking they lost Pupa and were in the clear.

‘I gotta get them outta there!’ She thought as she caught up and jumped into the bag, landing in front of the two as her face met the bottom of the bag. They both screamed, quickly climbing up something that looked bumpy, but slightly gave in to their weight, showing that it was soft.

She groaned a little before she slowly sat up and shook her head. She saw that the two were on something soft and bumpy, the bag not letting much light in to see what it was they were on. “Come on you two. You have to get out.” She said as she grabbed the boy first before she lifted him out of the bag. Before she can toss him out, the bag closed, leaving them in darkness, and the place rocked, meaning that they were moving.

She dropped the boy from her grasp as she tried to find a way out of the bag without making the owner of the bag notice them. She tried to feel for a way out, but when it felt as if she was trapped with the two kids, she found a small hole that was big enough for the kids to go through… but unfortunately it was too small for her. “Come on, go through this before the space between us and the floor is too far for you.” She commanded.

“W-What’s going on?” Stephanie asked in fear. “What about you!?!“

“Forget about me. I’ll find another way out, just go before it’s too late.” She said. “And you two snuck into a pony’s bag and need to leave before you’ll be nothing but pony snack for them.” She answered Stephanie’s question.

“W-Well we're not going without you!” Philip responded. “We'll get out with you!”

“I said I’ll find my own way. I don’t know if you two have parents or not, but I know that if you do, they won’t be happy that you snuck into a pony’s bag. And your friends might get worried when they can’t find you.” She said, trying to make the hole bigger so that maybe she can go down with them, but thanks to a really good seamstress, it wouldn’t tear any further. She picked them both up. “Sorry guys.” She stuffed them down the tear and dropped them. She watched as they rolled across the floor and looked up with worried expressions.

Then, one of the things fell onto Pupa, pushing her from the tear. She tried to move the thing off of her, but her hands would only press against it and feel how soft the thing was. ‘Damn it! I can’t get out.’ She thought as she even tried to grab onto the insides of the bag and pull herself out from under it, but even that was impossible.

After trying one last time, she gave up, her ears going down as she knew she was going to be caught. ‘Whoever bag this is might think I tried to take whatever was in here...’ She thought as she could only look up at the darkness. But soon the rocking of the bag and the warmth within it started making her fall asleep, the nightmares from last night not making her sleep very well. However, Luna wasn't there at all, whether it was good or bad was debatable, and it felt short as the rocking continued. The top opened, momentarily blinding her, seeing one of the things being taken out… and followed by loud chewing.

“How many of those have you had?” The voice of Starlight asked.

“*Just one*.” The slurred voice of Twilight replied, barely making out to Pupa’s ears.

‘Dang it. It just had to belong to them...’ She thought as she tried to get out from under whatever she was trapped in once again. ‘Ugh, I could feel my fur get dirty over whatever this is.’ Her stomach growled, making her blush pink. She looked up at what she was trapped under again and saw that it was a muffin. Her mouth watered as her stomach growled once again, but it was shorter as she tried to tear through the paper wrapping under it before she started eating it. ‘It’s still warm.’ She could taste the melted chocolate in the muffin as this tasted much better than the rations that she had to eat at her mother’s castle. Tears of joy fell down her cheeks, and she continued to eat her way into the muffin, pigging out.

After what felt like an eternity of eating that large muffin, she was finally satisfied as she rubbed her stomach and sighed, the warmth close to making her fall asleep then and there… even though her legs were already asleep since the lack of blood flow to them made them feel numb. It was interrupted as the bag she was in fell with a loud flop, opening the top.

“King Thorax.” The two mares spoke together with a respectful tone.

She winced a little at the impact as her back was the one that met the floor as she resisted the urge to groan. She saw the top was opened while eating some of the muffin made it easy for her to finally slip out from under the pastry. But before she got up, she had to think back on what those two mares just said. ‘Hold on… King Thorax?’ She thought as she slowly crawled to the other end to which was the opposite from where she heard their voices from. ‘Curse you Luna, you knew this would happen...’ She grumbled as she tried again in breaking the tear more before she started her rather short climb to the top of the opened bag. It came to a stop as her top half stuck right out and she was face to face with the traitor king himself, Thorax. His head and horn was lime-green, as his eyes were purple, and protruding out of his head were twin orange antlers that looked like pincers. He blinked at her presence.

“... It seems you brought me more than muffins.” He spoke in a deep, but somewhat gentle voice.

Pupa could only stare back with widened eyes, her ears going town to her head as her tail went limp, her hands shaking as it kept a tight grip on the end of the saddle. ‘Is this how I’m gonna die… facing the most famous traitor of the changeling hive?’ She asked herself in her mind as she felt she was going to faint right then and there.

“What the-!?” Twilight yelled in shock, picking Pupa up in her magic. “How'd you get in there?”

“We are so sorry, your majesty!” Starlight apologized. Thorax let out a chuckle.

“Oh, it's alright, I've been meaning to see more Pony-people around here. You must've read my mind.” His antlers glowed blue as he took a napkin out and cleaned Pupa. “And who might you be?”

Pupa could only stay silent as she was too scared to say a single word. Her tail tucked between her legs as she curled close to herself, her shaking in fear being more noticeable as she didn’t have a bag to hide her bottom half. But she had to speak or else they might get suspicious… somehow. “I… I-I’m F-Final N-Note.” She stuttered, her voice also adding to her fear driven state.

“Aww, it's alright, there's no reason to be afraid. You may have heard the stories of Chrysalis and her Changelings, but you're with me, King Thorax, and my kingdom of Changedlings.”

“Ch-Changedlings?” She repeated as she was still a little scared, her tail out from between her legs and now covering her muzzle.

“I know, it's not the best of names, but we still honor our ancestry, even if we had, well… changed.” He looked to the two mares. “I apologize, but it's been awhile since I gave a tour to any other guest. Would you mind waiting in our tea area?”

“Oh, it's no problem, your majesty.” Starlight replied with a bow. “Twilight?”

“From one royalty to another.” Twilight added, giving him a box.

“More Tinies, I presume?” He asked.

“It it Teaching Thursday.”

“And I can't argue with that.” His antlers glowed, taking Pupa and the box from Twilight. One of the other Changedlings approached and took the box without any verbal word spoken. “I think you'll love it here; it's a complete change from Chrysalis’s old Castle, but for the better.”

Pupa decided to remain quiet as to not try and speak out. She didn't want the arm to happen and for her to be revealed. ‘Who knows what he might do if I'm Queen Chrysalis’ daughter. He might try and blackmail her with me being a part of it!’ She thought as the imagery only made her more nervous and scared. However, once he opened the door, and her eyes adjusted to the light, she found that the outside was literally, and physically, full of life. Unlike back home, many plants were growing, some being bushes shaped like the Changedlings, with the sounds of birds chirping, bees buzzing, and water flowing.

“Unlike Chrysalis’s Kingdom, we maintain our outer look as the inside, welcoming anyone, and anything into the safe Haven that is our kingdom.”

She only looked around with widened eyes as she had to look everywhere. But after awhile, she looked down with her ears going the same direction. ‘Why…why does this place look better than my home? Aren't they the enemy?’ She thought. ‘He betrayed his queen, and this is what happens? I…I wonder what would happen if ponies went against the princesses?’ She thought, thinking on the many ways it could look better.

“Of course, most of these plants and designs came straight from Canterlot, a welcoming donation from the princesses themselves. Some new statues will be arriving very soon, but we're not quite sure what they should be. The only thing that anyone agrees on is a statue of me, but I don't know what pose it should be. What do you think it should be? I don't want to look like a tyrant, nor someone too weak.”

She didn't reply as she was too deep in thought. ‘Mom…mother must've had a reason to fled. She…she wouldn't give up all this for no reason.’ She thought as she was going back to doubting her mother again. She held her tail tighter as she didn't know what to think anymore.

“... Hm, maybe another time. You still need to see more of our growing Kingdom.” Thorax carried her around. Some of the other Changedlings flew around, maintaining the more inviting looking castle, but many others maintained the gardens. “Also unlike Chrysalis, we offer more diverse jobs rather than guard, drone, and nurse. Now, they can work in the gardens, maintaining both the look of our garden, and grow food. Some of the other jobs include therapeutic sessions where can talk about our personal problems, building homes that are much more comfortable than the cocoons, and being real teachers and give real education to each other, rather than just being reminded every day that if we thought of something different, we'd be labeled as a traitor to our kind.”

Everything that Thorax said only wanted her to speak out more and more. Every word he said was just insulting her home and what her siblings and cousins worked hard on getting. They didn't need the help of a princess and they are perfectly fine. She loved sleeping in the cocoon and he just insulted her three teachers in what they do best. She felt nothing but anger to this Changedling, wanting to just try and end his life to show that no one disrespects her mother and everything she worked hard to recreate thanks to this tyrant. But…she couldn't say a word. She couldn't yell at him or even try and strangle him, knowing that her mother wouldn't want him dead yet or for her to blow her cover.

She could only look away and down at the floor which was also as colorful as the Changedlings around her.

“Yep! We allow new ideas and changes to our kingdom. Why, just a few weeks ago, we opened our own art studio. Some of our paintings are now hung, and the music we made have brought up many spirits. I'm pretty sure that in a few months, we will be a large kingdom, and we can walk around freely with no need for a disguise. Care to join me for some tea?”

She didn't answer with her words, but more like her stomach growling for the tea, her throat a little dry after eating a good chunk of the muffin in the bag. She blushed pink, but didn't look up at him or say anything. One of the Changedlings approached, already with a tea set ready; a large cup for Thorax, and a smaller one for Pupa. Thorax took the tea.

“Thank you, Good sir. One of the best perks, at least for me, is that everyone is ready to please without any orders given, not like Chrysalis, who yells a lot. Try the tea, we've mixed it up with love.” He sipped his tea as he walked. “Ah… delicious love. Given, not taken.”

She looked down at the cup as she didn't know if this meant she was betraying her mother if she drank this. But…if she didn't, he might ask why, and she doesn't have a good enough lie to fool a traitorous changeling. With a nervous gulp, she brought the cup to her lips and started drinking it. She had her eyes shut as she drank the tea, first to try and end it quickly, but now to consume all the love since it tasted so good. ‘Maybe I could give this love with the others.’ She thought as she looked down at the now empty cup.

Thorax approached to a gazebo, where Twilight and Starlight sat down, looking relaxed. Thorax gently set Pupa down, another chair coming out of the table and ready for her. The next part that made her jump was something she didn't think was possible; there were other Pupas, almost like her, but like the Changedlings, they too were colorful.

“Thank you for tending to our guests.” They simply bowed to him before flying off. “Poor little ones. If none of my subjects had found them, they may have never had the strength to survive.”

‘D-does…does Chrysalis know about this?’ She thought. ‘There…there are more like me. Are…are any of them even related to me? My mom did say that my family did pass and I was the only survivor. But…there are more.’ She thought as her hands were shaking even though they were gripping the cup tightly.

“Is there something wrong? Do you have any questions? Comments? I'm open for constructive criticism.”

‘Yes there is something wrong! Why are there more of me!? And…and why do they look so pleased to do your bidding!?’ Pupa only shook her head as she put the cup down, looking down from the two mare's and the one Changedling.

“... You can speak up.” Twilight spoke. “Thorax is a great listener, unlike Chrysalis.”

“I know,” Starlight added. “Her pride was her ultimate downfall, personally.”

She was gripping her skirt tightly as she had her eyes shut now, but she shook her head. She wanted so badly to speak out, to tell them they were all wrong, and that she cares and listens to her when she needs to. But she just couldn't.

“... I think I need to chat with her.” Thorax spoke.

“Don't worry, we'll be quiet and-”

“Alone.”

“... Sorry?” Twilight asked.

“Just a personal chat with her.”

“...but-”

“We have a new spa ready.”

“... We can work with that.” Starlight spoke, standing up and following another Changedling. Twilight followed, leaving Thorax and Pupa alone. Thorax crossed his forelegs. His expression turned serious.

“Princess Luna told me about your arrival, Princess Pupa.”

Pupa tensed up at the realization that she was caught. She was quickly off her seat and now backed a good distance away, her angry glare at the ground changed to one of fright as she looked up at him with fear. Her tail curled around her for protection as she had yet to drop the disguise.

“Drop the disguise. I'm curious as to what you look like.”

“…I don't take orders from a traitor.” Her look of fear changed to one of anger and a bit of courage.

“Of course you won't, but you have questions that only I can answer. Come, children.” The other Pupa-look-alikes landed on the table. “More specifically, how they can exist.”

“That is useless information that I don't need.” She said as she didn't flinch or back away any further. “And submitting to you is just as worse as when you abandoned your own brothers and sisters.” She added as she was close to revealing her wings and flying off to escape.

“I did not abandon my brothers and sisters. I went to find a better way for all of us to survive.”

“Which resulted in you going against us and choosing those ponies over your own kind!” She said as just the sound of his voice made her angry.

“I did not go against you. I told Chrysalis about my plan that we should attempt to befriend the residents of Equestria. My plan was supposed to be a way for all of us to no longer go hungry, but Chrysalis only saw it as one thing: a challenge to her power.”

“You were plainly telling her to submit to those ponies who blasted her out of Canterlot. To those who never cared for changelings. You know that if it wasn't for that baby dragon, you'd be dead. Not a single pony saw you as good. They hated you and wanted to find a way to get rid of you so you wouldn't take their love.” She said. “Both of us know that.”

“The Canterlot wedding was the first time we showed ourselves.”

“And what? It was obvious that she was trying to find a way to feed her subjects. And even if she tried to show up at that place, nopony would help her cause she looks different. Admit it, they would see nothing but a freak of nature trying to see their princess and probably harm her.”

“I said that was our first time revealing ourselves; we've been an unknown species, always working in the shadows, feeding off of love like parasites. Chrysalis decided that it was time for us to rise, so of course ponies now saw us as evil creatures. But do you know what else looked like evil creatures? Griffins, Minotaurs, even Discord himself, all of whom had a rough history with Equestria, but you know what they did?... They worked with the princesses and are growing. Certain things had to be sacrificed, but others were kept. All of this would've been your mother's, and in retrospect, yours. Starlight offered your mother peace, and your mother's pride stopped what would've been progress.”

“She had a right reason to do so! That dumb unicorn ruined my mother's empire and you think that she'll brush that aside just so she can be another creature under the hoof of those princesses!? I know that the only reason they wanted to befriend those creatures is cause they had no chances of winning them in a war. A griffon is faster and more agile than a pegasus, minotaurs are stronger than earth ponies, and Discord is the God of chaos. Ponies are nothing but selfish and scared. And when there is someone that is weaker than them, they just trample them over like every other tiny that is scared for their lives every time they see anything that resembles a pony!” She said as she stomped her foot. “And if you ponies cared so much, then why haven't you bothered to look for my mother if you care so much about her!?”

“... You're right. They don't. But I do.” He stood up and looked out into the forest. “There are days that I wished for the simple times, back when we were still one hive. Of course we weren't allowed to think for ourselves, but that made everything simple. I just want to meet her once again, and hopefully, let our kingdoms reunite as one.”

“The only time that'll happen is if none of this ever happened.” She huffed as she turned away from the king.

“And I sometimes wished that I hadn't. If Spike hadn't found me, I probably would've starved, be frozen, or caught by the guards. And yes, I agree that they're not the best, heck, Spike persuaded them with a song, but for what they lacked, they more than made it up with friendship.”

She didn't respond as she stayed looking away. Her tail curled around her as she was once again at an impasse. She wanted to proceed in making him know how much he said made him unlike a changeling, to make him not even worthy to be a drone Chrysalis raised and trained. But she felt as if she already had her point across. And yet… she feels as if he doesn't understand the pain she went through.

“But, there seems to be no way I can persuade you. You've become nothing more but a miniature version of your mother; too stubborn to listen to anyone and unwilling to change what needs to be changed. You probably think that I'm just spreading lies to you, in hopes that you betray your mother and join me, but I don't want to do that. All I offer is the truth, one that you can choose to listen or ignore.”

Pupa once again remained quiet and facing away. She didn't want to choose. If she let him talk, he might convince her that her own mother is bad…but if she didn't, she might be as blind as a bat to what he had to say.

She breathed out, hating that she had to do this, before a green ring of fire surrounded her before the disguise was gone. The other Pupa-Lings (something she quickly thought about calling them) gasped at her look. Thorax turned to her.

“... Hm… you're shorter than I expected.”

“Just start talking before I decide this was a stupid idea.” She simply said as she didn't care for his or those Pupa-lings’ reaction to her appearance.

“You won't be.” He took his seat. “But what would you like to talk about? Why some of my children look like you, perhaps?”

“…fine. We can start with that or whatever.” She mumbled as she remained looking away.

“I may not follow all of your mother's actions, but I did one thing to help my kingdom grow. All of these were human babies that my subjects found. Your mother taught us this spell, as it changes anyone into us. Now, it works fast with ponies, but it's slow with Tinies. Have you felt so different from the others in your hive?”

Her ears went down when he asked that. She didn't want to admit that she did feel alone or different, but her head moved to a slow nod, her eyes being closed shut.

“And have you ever noticed that every Changeling went, how shall we say… ‘wuby dubby’ around you when you were younger?”

She couldn’t help but blush at how he describe to how the changelings acted towards her. She didn’t stop her head from nodding again, her ears lowered to the lowest point in which they could go.

“And, let me guess. Chrysalis told you that you were hatched from an egg and your egg was accidentally crushed because it was so small?”

She didn’t nod this time. She didn’t know how he would know this unless he was there. ‘And mother only told me that… it was just the two of us.’ She thought as the only reason is cause he used to work for her mom, probably knowing her more than she does.

“Pupa, if you're willing to listen to me, you're not Chrysalis’s real daughter. In fact, like my other subjects, you were taken in by Chrysalis at a young age after accidentally causing mayhem that made every Changeling go crazy and fight each other for you. And you're on the royal quest to find at least five subjects to take home with you, aren't you? This is probably your second day, isn't it?”

She didn’t answer as she didn’t know what to think anymore. All that he said sounded nearly impossible, but… she always wondered why she wasn’t made fun of over how different she looked. She would guess cause she was a princess, but even when her mother was busy and she was alone, not a single changeling thought that they could show how much they really ‘adore’ their princess. She could feel a lump in her throat as she was now thinking that her mother would just lie to her… right in her face. But… was there anything to even gain from lying? If Chrysalis told the truth, would things be different? Even through her closed eyes, she could feel her eyes began to water. Thorax reached over and grabbed her, giving her a warm hug.

“There, there. It's a whole lot to take in. Trust me, I know after becoming the new King.”

She only stayed still in the warm embrace, not even sure who she could even trust or believe anymore. She felt empty inside… and lost. She just wanted to go back home… but was the castle even her home anymore? Was her name even Pupa? Did she even have memories when she wasn’t in the castle? Did Chrysalis wipe her thoughts about that? Question after question kept on filling her mind as her throat became dry, too dry to even speak. One of the Pupa-lings arrived with ready tea. Thorax gently set her down.

“You have questions for me. I can answer most, but probably not all.”

Pupa finally shook her head, not wanting to hear any more that might make her think even less of her own mother. The shaking of her head made the tears trapped in her eyelids seep through and go down her cheeks.

“... Perhaps another time, then.” The sound of hoofsteps approached. “You might want to change, or fly away.”

She decided to choose the latter as she felt she couldn’t even stay in disguise after everything he said. Her wings unfurled and she was quick to start flying off, going down to the ground around the palace before she flew into the forest, her one destination being the place she thought was once her home.