Changing Ways

by Comma Typer

Sphere

Antennae hovered through the halls of the hive, carrying a sack of items on his back. Around him, he could see his fellow changelings strolling about and minding their own business past shapeshifting holes acting more like annoying doors to those who did not know how to navigate them—which usually meant the pony slaves being hauled around by not a few of his friends. Through the various holes in those walls, he could see changelings talk and laugh, playing this game or drawing up more plans for the lands beyond Equestria. The shape of this hall in particular made their conversations sound hollow, almost like non-stop echoes.

There, he saw a stall that looked out of place for an otherwise dark and gloomy hall in the hive. It was a wooden stand advertising its random assortment of food: cabbages, carrots, and cake, just to name a few. Also, there was ketchup, mustard, mushrooms, olives, beans….

Taking care of the stand was none other than Humerus himself, smiling dumbly as he waved a bell at the passers-by mostly ignoring his produce which were not really his—and he admitted it, if his “Stolen fresh from the farm!” sign said anything.

“Let me show you how it’s really healthy, these nice and juicy carrots here!” he shouted, looking at both changelings and slave ponies following behind them. “You see—“ picked up a carrot “—it’s rich in vitamin A, and, I heard, vitamin A’s good for the eyes and if your eyes are good and not bad, you’ll be able to see very far and read your books no matter what it is!” He paused and held up the sign for all to see. “So, why don’t you get some fresh carrots, blend it into carrot juice to digest the nutrients easier, and, with my help, you’ll be a better changeling!”

Antennae groaned. He noticed that the stall had been positioned in a very strategic place, right at a narrow point of the hall. There was no way he could get around it without being near the vendor.

He flew by the stall fast.

“Hey!” Humerus shouted, waving at him.

Antennae groaned again, slouching for his great plan had failed. “Not this again,” turned around to give the happy vendor a smile.

“I don’t know if you have good eyes,” Humerus said, pointing at him with a carrot and smiling at the sight of a familiar face, “but that doesn’t seem like a good way of holding your groceries.”

“They aren’t groceries,” replied Antennae in a gruff voice, holding up his sack. “They’re relics we got from the ponies. I’m sending them to Chrysalis so she can find something useful.”

Humerus nodded and held out a carrot. “But, don’t you want one of this? It’s good for your eyes!”

“I have good enough eyes, thank you very much,” and left Humerus alone with his stall.

“Goodbye, Antennae!” Humerus yelled, waving the carrot at him. “I hope she’s happy with you! I’m also sure she’s very happy with my jokes! Hey, do you want to hear a joke? I still got a lot leftover from the last comedy act—“

“I’m not gonna hear it!”

---

Antennae entered the spacious room. It did not contain much in variety, but what it did have was Chrysalis and lots of eggs of different sizes, all growing and thriving on the rocky and stony floor as the walls shifted around, opened and closed random entrances and exits from time to time.

The changeling bowed down to the queen despite being somewhat far off. Affecting a deep and respectful voice which reverberated throughout the spacious room: “Your Majesty, I’ve brought some relics you may want to investigate. I am certain that they have much value.”

Chrysalis, who was busy caressing a hissing newborn grub just hatched from his egg, placed the egg back down to the ground, leaving the grub helpless but yearning for his mother if constantly looking at her said anything. She turned to face Antennae, flew and landed her way right in front of him. “Ah, yes, it’s the delivery, isn’t it?”

“Uh...yeah. The delivery!” he said, playing along with her. He hoofed it to his queen who received the sack with that menacing scowl. “I hope you’re happy, your Majesty.”

Chrysalis nodded, her hoof already clambering around inside the sack. “Stay here, Antennae. You will be rewarded for your hard work.”

Antennae smiled.

“After all of these items have been examined, of course,” she said with a short, pitying chuckle. “There is no need to rush.”

He gulped and smiled, standing still on that rocky ground inside that warm chamber. He noted the abundance of eggs there, waiting to break open and bring a grub into the world. “I shall wait for my reward, your Majesty.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes at that. “You don’t need to say everything.”

Then, she picked something up from the sack.

“Hm? What’s this?”

She rotated the object around, observing its rectangular shape and its cardboard-like hardness. It was a box of candy, still unopened. Chrysalis scanned the list of ingredients and checked the expiration date. “A week from now,” she muttered as she turned it further, not seeing much since the design was quite minimal, showing only the name of the candies and the company who made them plus the usual list of ingredients and, as mentioned before, the expiration date.

“What is it?” Antennae asked.

Chrysalis looked down on him, disinterested. “These are just sweets for eating. Nothing special.”

Antennae hovered closer to her and the box. “What if they’re poisoned?”

Chrysalis chuckled. “That’s why I have my personal tasters. Isn’t that right, Burnt Sugar?”

The only pony in the room, sporting a brown mane and a gray coat, shivered. “I-I’m not ready to die!”

“Then, prepare yourself!” Chrysalis yelled as she rushed to her slave, grabbed her, pulled her over to Antennae and threw her there with a thud! The queen then ripped open the box and, catching the intense whiff of sugar, saw the contents which were jawbreakers, lollipops, and consumable gum of different flavors.

The mare gulped at the sight of the box. Smelling it only made her shiver more. She hugged Antennae for help, but the changeling hissed back and pushed her away, letting her fall to the floor and bruising her neck.

Chrysalis placed an orange jawbreaker on her hoof and shoved it in front of the Burnt Sugar’s face as she helped her up on her four hooves. “Eat!”

She gulped. Then, she licked the candy, smacking her lips to taste it. “It tastes good, like oranges—“

“I said eat, not taste!”

And Chrysalis shoved the candy into the mare’s mouth.

She swallowed it. The mare shuddered.

Then, she stood there, looking at her. “I’m...f-fine?”

Chrysalis threw her back to the side. “I’ll wait a full day before trying them.” She faced Burnt Sugar. “Tell the next pony in case you die.”

The mare nodded solemnly, then proceeded to sit alone between a set of rocky spikes in the cavernous chamber.

Chrysalis took the sack back up and brought out another thing. She raised it for a more clear view and found a hat. It was an unusual kind of hat for it was made of leaves and twigs.

“Burn it,” she said nonchalantly, throwing it down to the ground. “I see no use in it.”

Antennae nodded, though sweating on the side of his face, wondering if his queen would remember that promised reward.

Then, Chrysalis let her hoof fumble about inside the sack for something else. She tried to pull up the next object—“A bit heavy….”—and groaned at the weight of it. She placed both of her forehooves inside it and, with ease, carried it into the light.

It was a round silver object made of precious metal. The gems on it shone the green of the cavern’s lights hanging from the uneven ceiling.

Chrysalis gasped, her eyes dilated. “I-Is it…?”

Antennae looked at it, the reward materializing in his mind. “Shiny! Yeah, it’s shiny! Also, look at those colored diamonds! That’s probably my reward, huh?”

Chrysalis hissed at him. “It’s not! Do you know what this is?!”

After looking at it for a good while, Antennae shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s the Sphere of Fortitude!” she said, pointing at it, gasping for air. Then, she calmed down but kept her crazy stare. “You know what it does to those who wield it?”

Antennae shook his head silently.

“It grants victory,” she said. “It...grants victory to those who wield it.” She sighed, rolling it with her hooves. “Where did you find this?!”

Antennae shrugged again. “I wasn’t the one who found it.”

Chrysalis examined it again, rotating it around with both of her forehooves as she floated above the ground. “Who did?!”

“I-I don’t know!” He raised his hooves to the air in protest, floating above the ground as well. “How should I know?!”

“I’ll give that changeling half of what this sack’s worth—no, all of it except for the sphere!"

Then, calming down again by breathing slowly, she landed on the ground and motioned to him to land, too.

"You see, Antennae," she continued, holding the sphere before his face, "this is how you help the hive!”

Antennae fell to the ground, feeling miserable. “Am I not helping? I do all kinds of work around. I clean the corridors like a janitor, I take care of the grubs in my free time—“

“That won’t be enough!” Chrysalis yelled. “They are stubborn! Resistance is always stubborn and I can never rest until I see every single one of them wiped out!”

Antennae cowered and bowed down to his queen. “Yes, your Majesty!”

Chrysalis then threw a hoof at his direction. “Now, shoo. I’ll figure out a way to safeguard this on my own.”

And the changeling servant away, leaving through the hole, disappointed that the reward might not go to him after all.

“Don’t you forget this day!” she yelled after him, holding the glittery sphere up in the air. “Remember it forever, for it is the day our victory is assured!”

“Yes, your Majesty!” she heard echoed through the halls.

Then, she placed the sphere close to her eyes. She looked at it, saw her faint reflection on the shiny surface. Then, she laughed, she cackled, howling as her mad laughs echoed throughout the chamber.

Burnt Sugar shuddered in her place over there, hiding her face from the hysterical queen.