4: Back in charge, just like in the old days.
Pacing back and forth between the sleeping mare and the immobilized minotaur, I’m trying to think about the next course of action.
“How did you get here?” I ask. The minotaur just growls at me. Yeah, this won’t get me anywhere, “Look, I will let you go. I can even help you get back to the surface, but I need to know how you got here in the first place.”
The minotaur glares. I sigh.
“Do you guys eat bread, cheese...” I shove my head into my big bag of food, “or whatever this moss thing is supposed to be? I mean, it was on the shelf too, but it could be mold,” I fling it away with a flick of my hoof.
He keeps glaring.
“Look, if you promise not to take a swing at me again, I’ll release your forearm so that I don’t have to feed you.”
“I will snap your neck and feed it to the frostwolves, bug,” growls the minotaur. Damn this stubborn creature. What would Eight do- wait no, what would One- definitely not, what would Three or Four do in this situation?
“I’ll take that as a yes then,” I choose to be nice and hope for the best. Stepping on his palm, I remove the binding on his wrist, and redo it around his bulging biceps, then I shove a wheel of cheese towards him as well as half a loaf of bread.
“Poison,” he turns his head away.
“If I wanted you dead or unconscious, I wouldn’t have woken you up,” I facehoof, “Is there something inside that head, or do you just have it so that it doesn’t rain into your neck? You know, like an umbrella with googly eyes on top.”
”From my experience with the minos, mostly the latter,” Scream adds her two bits to the one-sided conversation, ”I’m pretty sure that edible moss you brought with you is smarter than these guys.”
The minotaur shows at least some intelligence, and carefully bites into the cheese. After some consideration, he lets go, and devours the whole thing as well as the presented bread. Without question, I push the barrel closer to him, and tip it just enough to let a stream of beer into his muzzle. Some chugging later, he gives me a thumbs up.
”That means you stop,” explains Scream, I return the barrel into its original position, and the minotaur returns to his glaring. A favorite way to pass time, it seems.
“So, how about we start over?” I sit down, crossing my forelegs on my chest, “Who are you? How did you get here? And where exactly is here?”
“How about you start with the introduction, changeling?”
“I can literally blow you up right now, and I’ve had a really rough day full of alcohol, flamethrowers, and angry screaming beards with very sharp axes. You’re testing my patience to the limit,” I stomp my hoof, “So here’s my bio - I’m a changeling, as you know, I’m in some tunnel somewhere, and I HAVE BIG SHARP TEETH, SO START FUCKING TALKING!”
Gurgling behind me announces the larva waking up in response to my raised voice. I can feel its tiny developing mind as a new accessible hive link, and contrary to all expectations from the defenseless newhatched, I don’t sense fear, only wariness as it crawls to my foreleg. I scoop it out of reach of the minotaur, just in case he somehow broke his bonds, and put it on my back.
The obviously unimpressed chocolate brown minotaur only raises his eyebrow.
“My name is Steelback, and I was tasked by warlord Darkhorn to be an ambassador resolving deep core mining disputes between the dwarves and the united tribes settled in Rift.”
”Scream, got any background on this?”
”Some two years ago, a… friend of mine subjugated the majority of the minotaur tribes living in the northern wastes, and made them settle in a city they built inside a giant ravine cleaving a whole mountain in half which they named Rift. As far as I know, they have some business ties with the Crystal Empire and the rest of Equestria these days. The remaining wild tribes aren’t too happy with the Rift settlers, but that’s about all they can do, since the Rift minotaurs have heat and access to technology. This guy must be one of the more civilized ones then, and that means we must be somewhere deep under Rift, or at least near. So, congratulations, and welcome to the coldest place in Equestria, excluding Cadance’s thighs. Seriously, princess of LOVE and she’s banging only one guy. Such a waste. Hey, can we invade Crystal Empire and turn Cadance into a breeding whorse for all changelings, minotaurs, and crystal ponies? Few centuries of that and she’d learn to use her assets properly.”
That’s a lot of names that don’t mean anything to me. Not good.
”Yes, more royal enemies, that’s exactly what I need right now.”
”You’ve got me as a royal ally.”
Royal pain in the ass, more like.
”Do I have to explain the N part or the O part of the definitely freaking no?”
”Maybe later?”
”I’M NOT KIDNAPPING A PRINCESS AND TURNING HER INTO A BROODMARE!”
”Come on, imagine how cool a line of changelings from her would be.”
”Not arguing with that, but still no.”
Scream rubs her chin.
”We’ll see, we’ll see. Alright, back to the interrogation.”
Thanks to the internal nature of the conversation, to the unaware minotaur it passed in a blink of an eye.
“And how did you get here, Steelback, as in here into this specific air vent?”
Using his free-ish arm, he rubs his temple, and furrows his brows.
“I… I am not certain,” the minotaur looks genuinely confused, “I’ve been down here in Brauheim for over a month. Our miners struck some veins which led into… hazardous areas.”
Hey, finally stuff I know something about - digging.
“Like cave-ins, tunnel worms, vampire bats, giant blobs of chitin-eating slime which drip into your ear and melt your insides until your eyeballs drop from your leg holes?” I ask. Steelback gives me a confused glance followed by a slow nod.
“Yes, no, and what the actual hay? Our tunneling did indeed lead to the more common encounters, but… do you know what istrium is?”
“Never heard about it,” I shrug.
“It’s a type of crystal that forms only in great depths. Old legends say that it could be used to craft armors many times stronger and lighter than the best steel. We haven’t been able to find anyone with any knowledge about such metalwork for the longest time, but the crystal ponies use it to make some enchanted items.”
“Let me guess, the dwarves know something.”
“Their clergy supposedly keeps istrium forging a secret. Why? I don’t know. One of the reasons I was sent here was to negotiate with the dwarven king in that regard. It turned out much more difficult than anyone anticipated,” he stops himself. To be honest, I don’t intend to push him about this. I couldn’t care less about their politics, “I digress. The next reason I came here, as I said, was the threat we found in the depths. Our mining operations led through the istrium veins into deserted hallways looking to be of dwarven origin. Some… I don’t know how to even describe it… something possessed the miners. That’s what I came to enquire about. Once again, I hit the wall of silence regarding the dwarven clergy. Hoping to discover something later, I stayed here to work out details about the more standard mining operations. I doubt you want the boring details about that. One day, I was supposed to attend another meeting with the king and queen about some strange huge gem they discovered… next thing I remember is a changeling like you, only in shades of red wine… and then I woke up here with you standing above me. How long I’ve spent here, I don’t know.”
“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to be so open about it. Thanks, I guess.”
“I haven’t shared any secrets, and if you want those you’ll have to pry those from my lifeless body.”
“Nah, I think I’ll settle for the alive guy able to tell me what the hole is going on.”
”Now that I think of it, I probably should have asked this sooner. Scream, how long has it been since the changeling invasion of Canterlot?”
”I’m not too big on timekeeping, but four-five years, give or take?”
Oh dear.
I sit down to think, strength draining from me after hearing I’ve been asleep for so long, and the larva slides from my back, harmlessly bouncing off of the stone floor due to its chubby body. The minotaur seems deep in thought as well, likely trying to come up with a way to escape.
“Hmmm,” I hum to myself, coming to a conclusion about next course of action, “You, Steelback, if you promise not to rip my head off, I’ll let you go.”
“What?” he looks at me, clearly paranoid.
“We’re inside air vents not too far from a huge ass cavern with an enormous bridge. You won’t be able to get out of here unless you can fly or climb a wall of solid, smooth stone. I’m pointing that out just so you don’t try to do something stupid we’ll both regret. So, how about that? You don’t go crazy, and you won’t starve up here. You’re free to walk around a bit and see I’m not lying.”
I’m feeling somewhat safe in the knowledge that this guy seems rather smart, and that in the worst case scenario I can blow him up… probably. When he finally agrees, I lick his bonds one by one, quickly darting off after each dissolves successfully.
Steelback stretches, showing off how tall he actually is. He could dwarf princess Celestia easily. Strangely enough, even this air vent allows him to do it fully.
I notice the larva crawling up to him too late. It bumps against the hoof of his leg. As he looks down, I immediately growl:
“Don’t get any funny ideas.”
He looks at the sleeping dwarven mare, then at the larva as long and only a bit thicker than three of his fingers, and picks it up. I’m ready to blow his lower body off, but if he decides to crush it, I know I won’t be quick enough.
“Is this… creature one of your kind?”
“Yes, a larval stage,” I nod, “When I came here, the mare still had an egg inside her from… whoever brought the two of you here.”
Without another word, Steelback looks close at the grub who stares back intently, and I quickly sense a mind tugging at mine. Calling on an instinct I used to use the most in my previous life, I find myself looking partially from mine, and partially from the larva’s eyes.
This should be impossible. Larvae are just instinct-driven blobs of flesh, and a proper mind forms during their first metamorphosis. They might retain a memory or two, but that’s about it.
Yet, a part of me is sitting inside a developing mind that by all rights shouldn’t exist. Carefully, I withdraw myself as Steelback puts the larva on the floor where it starts shimmying back to me. I send some love the strange grub’s way. I mean seriously, not even Four who was born with enough love and was the smartest little cookie I knew developed like this.
”Ewww...?” Scream leans away when the surface of the larva’s white body turns into green film.
“Did I do something?” Steelback tilts his head.
“N-No… I think...” I poke the green blob. Where its mouth used to be, a stream of goo spurts out. In fact it begins seeping from all over the body. The only reason I’m not panicking is because, contrary to everything I know, the tiny mind is still connected to mine.
“What’s going on?” I hear a quiet whisper which belongs to the dwarf who slowly crawls over to the rapidly growing heap of goop.
“The first metamorphosis,” I explain, trying to keep my voice steady, “It should form a cocoon soon.”
As if in response, the top of the puked and secreted pile now as tall as the broodmare smoothens out, forming an egg-like cocoon inside.
“This might… take… a… while...” my jaw drops when a changeling silhouette forms before my eyes, and within several minutes its tiny head snaps forward, jaws breaking through the surface and immediately chomping the cocoon even faster than in its larval stage.
It’s a female changeling, and from her shape I’m pretty certain she skipped her drone stage. Whether due to some strangeness regarding… everything about her development, honestly, or because Eight set the egg up to immediately become an infiltrator I don’t know. Remains of green slime gets absorbed into her chitin, and she tilts her head, short red mane falling on one side as she looks at me.
“King,” the slow, flat statement is completely emotionless, as if she was simply categorizing the first things she’s seeing.
HOLY BALLS BACK OFF A MOMENT!
I understood what the dwarf said a moment ago. The fresh mind connected to mine is not just learning what little she can from the information stored in my hive mind, she’s also allowing me to decipher the language I until now needed Scream for. Hmmm, can I speak it? Nope, I can’t, likely because the new crazy infiltrator is barely speaking herself.
Alright, time for my bossly- kingly duty. I’ve got just the right name for a changeling of her abnormal qualities.
“You, little critter,” I lean to the changeling less than half my size who looks up, silent question in her eyes, “Are you okay with the name Two?”
“To-” she frowns, “Too-” her frown turns into a ferocious scowl, and I feel a spark of anger from her, not aimed at me but at herself, “Two!” the emotion disappears, replaced by Two’s confident smile.
“Good ling,” I pat her head, making her beam before she catches herself, and pushes her chest forward in an attempt to look serious.
“Hungry,” to my utter horror, she walks over to Steelback without any fear, and pokes his thigh with her nose. Frowning again, she pulls herself on her hind legs, propping her forelegs against the sculpted thigh, and…
...shoves her muzzle into the minotaurs uncovered crotch. Headbutting it repeatedly. With care, though, with care. Can’t damage the lust dispenser, that wouldn’t be good.
“Feed,” she adds by the way of explanation.
Yep, she’s Eight’s alright.
”WAY TO GO, GIRL!” cheers Scream immediately.
She certainly did inherit Eight’s brand of tactful and careful approach. I’m sure that if she could physically push Steelback on the floor she’d already be jumping him.
With only a quick glance my way, Steelback grabs Two under her forelegs, and pulls her to eye-height.
“Wrong amount of legs here, changeling,” he frowns at now clearly puzzled Two, then puts her back on the floor.
”Enough cock?” she gives it one more shot.
“Shoo!” Steelback shakes his finger at her. She has no clue what the gesture means, simply following the finger with her eyes. She gets the idea when nothing further happens, though.
My heart almost stops when she walks over to an empty spot near me…
...and looks straight up at Scream, poking her hoof through her projection.
“Weird,” without giving it more thought, she now visits the sitting dwarf mare, softly poking her, “Sex?”
Scream rubs her chin.
”That isn’t normal, is it?” she asks.
”Heh, straight to the point, isn’t she?” I chuckle, ”And no, she’s definitely not normal.”
“N-No,” the broodmare’s voice shakes, “I-I just gave birth to you...”
Two blinks.
“So? Tired? You,” she smacks the side of her head with her hoof, “Are you tired?” she smiles again, “Much better.”
The pace of her adaptation and growth is unnatural, yet I don’t sense anything wrong with her changeling mind when I look out of her eyes. She immediately knows I’m inside her, and doesn’t resist when I test out moving her foreleg up and down.
”Can I eat her?” Two’s voice comes through our mind link.
“Yes, I am, but I’m your mother...” says the mare. She freezes, when Two answers:
“No.”
”Two, let me handle this.”
”Did I do it wrong?”
”Just watch. Ponies think about foals differently, even strange underground ponies like her, I believe.”
”Alright,” she sits down, throwing a quizzical glance my way.
“A-hem!” I clear my throat, making everyone look at me, unaware of our quick internal exchange, “Changelings don’t consider broodmares their mothers. Two’s mother is the changeling who laid her egg into you. To her, you are just a vessel, I’m sorry.”
To my surprise, the mare looks at the floor, her eyes misting over. To my lightning bolt tier shock, Two’s hoof gently brushes the mare’s cheek.
“Thank you for carrying me,” she says, tightly closing her eyes for a breath, “Miss Crumble.”
The mare’s jaw drops, and so does everyone else’s. Without a word, she hugs Two, and I see something looking like a burning flame inside her, sparks of which seep into Two who savors her first taste of love. Confused love, but free from the taint of venom.
”Two?”
”Effective lie. Harms no one, as I felt you wanted, and helps both us and her,” she replies, ”I didn’t see a better course of action.”
”What a horrifying little manipulator,” Scream’s devious smile portrays pure joy, ”I like her, but if I were you I’d never use the phrase ‘over my dead body’ in front of her. She might take it literally.”
Sending some love Two’s way, I sense that her capacity is far greater than a newborn changeling’s, and a wave of weakness finally hits me.
”Oof! This… will have to last, Two… at least until we can find a way to refill.”
Two nods, letting go of Crumble.
“We need food,” she proclaims, “Let’s go.”
“Can you fly?” I transmit to her mind the map of the underground I’ve managed to uncover. A moment later, her wings are buzzing as she hovers short distance above the floor, “Alright. Now, Steelback, I’ll carry you and Crumble out one by one. You first.”
”You’ll leave her alone and conscious up here?” asks Scream.
”Steelback doesn’t seem like a bad guy, definitely not a bloodthirsty savage you said minotaurs were. However, if he tries to rip my legs off on the way, it’ll be on his conscience that Crumble will stay here and starve to death. Hole, I hate thinking like that.”
”Cold,” comments Scream.
”Effective mental pressure,” adds Two.
”I DON’T want to do it, and it’s wrong. If I had a safer option then I’d take it. Anyway, let’s get this over with, and hope the love I still have lasts.”
”I can help,” Two perks up.
”No, with your size and strength, you’d have to burn more love than I will over both trips,” I insist, ”but you can keep Crumble company until I get back.”
Two looks as if she wants to say something, but my hopefully intense glare makes her sit down by the slowly recovering dwarf now chomping down some bread. When I take a peek at myself through her eyes, I feel I look more as if I ate some really nasty love.
Thankfully, I was right in Steelback being smart, and while he’s heavier than my previous load of food and drink, the fact that he can hold me on his own makes all the difference. It doesn’t change the fact that when I land on the bridge for the second time, now with Crumble, I’m gasping for breath with my head spinning.
I stumble, Steelback darts forward to catch me-
-and I still fall on the floor.
Steelback’s rescue attempt was stopped by growling Two baring her teeth at him.
“I’m not going to harm someone who just saved me,” says Steelback slowly, staring down at Two, “Not even a changeling, so calm down, little one.”
“I’ll be… right… back up...” I raise one foreleg, “Just gimme… a second… or an hour… week tops...”
“I can carry you,” offers Steelback, much to Two’s obvious annoyance.
”What’s wrong, Two? He doesn’t feel like a bad guy.”
”He’s food, and he attacked you before. He...” she feels apprehensive, as if just her next words would harm her or me, ”He is too strong for me to handle right now, King. I’m sorry, I will work to remedy that as soon as I can if you give me a chance.”
How does she know? Was she connected to me when she was asleep as a larva? Nevermind all that, she looks downright adorable with the puffed out chest and an embarrassed blush tainting her chitin. She was born not even an hour ago, and she thinks it’s her job to protect me, not the other way around.
”The best way to ensure our safety is to find allies wherever we can and have them cooperate willingly, Two. Infiltrators can’t just go around eating ponies. Well, they can, but it doesn’t end well.”
She nods. I finally catch my breath, and get back on all fours.
“Crumble, can you walk? I mean, you must have been through a l-” my jaw drops as I notice the mare casually doing push-ups, her now only slightly sagging belly touching the floor with each.
“Give me few hours and a good bath, and I’ll be mining diamonds down in the shafts better than any lager-guzzling shortbeard,” she yawns, “Or maybe some real sleep, that’ll help too.”
“Then I guess it’s time we part ways,” I shrug, “Do you need a guide to the barricade?”
“What barricade?” ask both Steelback and Crumble, exchanging glances.
“There are a bunch of collapsed hallways, and most of the passable ones are guarded by a duo of dwarves each,” I explain, “I thought those were a border of the dwarf tunnels.”
Crumble shakes her head.
“No, there are a ton of nasty surprises underground, but there hasn’t been any attack on Brauheim that would warrant sentry posts in my lifetime. How long was I… up there?”
All I can do is shrug.
“I haven’t met anyone other than dwarves when I went in to get food for you two.”
“Then there’s no reason to stand around and chat,” says Steelback firmly, “We have to go back and see what’s going on. I don’t want to hear that the threat we discovered in our mines attacked your city.”
”Ehm, King?” I hear Two’s quiet voice, ”Can I suggest something?”
”What is it?”
”How about you hide up in the vents and have some rest while I follow these two, and infiltrate the dwarf city?”
I freely admit I’m tired from the heavy lifting, and if I don’t have to burn love to recover faster it’ll be a good bonus. On the other hole, do I want to put Two in danger?
”Two, are you sure you can handle that? It’ll be dangerous. Changelings aren’t generally accepted by ponies, dwarves or not.”
”I… think Steelback’s aggressive reaction to you happened only because he thought the changeling who captured him returned. Crumble won’t rat me out. I feel that even after your explanation she considers me her foal. Of course, I only serve you, King.”
I CAN shapeshift now. I CAN act on my own.
I can also screw up on my own in the middle of enemy territory, and become a liability to be rescued. My experience lies not in shapeshifting, not in lying somepony eye to eye, all in all not in infiltrating.
Two was made to infiltrate. I was made to… be the pair of eyes behind someone else’s, to control the situation using… pawns. Two’s motivation might be different from what she’s saying, but she’s right. It’s safer for both of us if I’m safe, and also keeping an eye on her.
”Alright, Two. I’ll be watching from inside you. My order, however, is that if you get into real danger, just flee as fast as you can back here. The dwarves don’t seem able to get into the vents at all.”
”Yessss!” she punches the air with a grin, much to the curious stares of Crumble and Steelback, “I mean, I will not fail you, King,” she scrunches her nose in an attempt to look serious.
“Oh, that looks absolutely adorable!” Crumble gives Two a chitin-crushing hug, making the infiltrator flail her legs in an attempt to get her off. Unable to free herself without resorting to violence, Two gives me a pout, and relaxes in Crumble’s embrace.
“Ehm,” I clear my throat, “I need some rest, but Two will accompany you to the guard post,” sighing, I add, “Please, don’t make me regret letting you go.”
“You are not the changeling I bear a grudge against for causing such a hole in my life, I’m sure of that by now,” Steelback presents his arm, which after some recollection I shake, “But I would be a pretty bad diplomat if I didn’t come to the conclusion that you know something about said changeling. However, I have more pressing matters to deal with.”
Crumble lets Two go. The infiltrator walks around her in a circle before…
...a ‘whoosh’ of green fire happens, and Two transforms into a passable dwarf mare.
“AWW! SO THIS IS HOW MY DAUGHTER WOULD LOOK,” Crumble practically bounces on the spot, “I’ll call you Hammer, and I’ll have you wear my grandma’s chainmail, you have the figure for it. How about that?”
“I’m Two,” says Two flatly.
“I think Hammer is a lovely dwarf name,” a tone of mischief I wasn’t expecting comes from Steelback, “Fitting for someone of your… directness.”
Here it is, my first new changeling’s first angry eye twitch. Awww, the little moments in each parent’s life.
“Can’t you think of a name with… with more subtlety?” pouts Two.
Ignoring Crumble doubtlessly thinking about another name for her, unimportant details aside, daughter, I only give them a wave as I finally take off back into the vent system. As soon as I find a good horizontal shaft, I lie down, and close my eyes.
The next thing I hear are three sets of hoofsteps as disguised Two leads Steelback and Crumble through the complex.
”Be careful, Two.”
”I won’t fail you, King,” she replies, ”And once we get rid of Crumble and Steelback, the four of us can see this… Brauheim.”
In a way…
...it feels good to be back.
”Wait, FOUR of us?”
Well, now you know the timing - set somewhere between the second part of "Thawing the Frozen Heart" and the end of "Dawn of the Silver Sun".
You might also get a faint idea about the threat Steelback was talking about. (And if you are a Prattchet fan, you can guess the link between dwarf society and traditionalist clergy)
And one final thing, if you've read "Imbalanced", you know that aside from Scream being a manipulative ass (a perfect, round, jiggly yet firm ass, though), she has one specific ability relevant to current situation.
And no, it's absolutely not necessary to read any of the mentioned stories, but I like to keep the world consistent. (And also want to plug my other stuff 
)
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Two: adorable, inteligent, and a subtle as a hammer.
This chapter... i like it! another!!
Damn... doing pushups right after childbirth... dat dwarf is badass moma!
The four of us?....*interest intensifies*
how long until their eaten by carps
9330847
Next week, next week,
9331386
I'm pretty sure fish aren't involved in this one. Tentacles maybe, but no fish.
9331573
http://www.dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/40d:Carp
9331592
Ohhhhhhhhh, I completely forgot.
9331603
Will you at least reference the dwarves daycare
9331617
Wasn't planning on it, but I might add it to something. I'm having a bit of trouble writing this week, so some outside idea might catch on.
I feel like two needs to capitalize on the source of motherly efection that is baddass momma dwarf. I feel like it would be a good source of love and info. Two things they need right now
9332877
The problem is that neither Steelback nor Crumble have any idea what's going on.
OOH new title art
9340384
A complete one. I don't think I'll be changing it unless I get a serious writing block and want something to do. I tried to add Scream to it as well, but bright colors don't seem to work well for me in pixelartmaker.
Yeah, four?
ah yes, the dwarves have dug too deep and discovered the circus-- i mean the evil mind-possessing ore.
Two's mental bootstrapping is concerning. What incredible new things have happened in changeling bioengineering in the last half-decade?
Wonder if Scream can travel with Two, that could be helpful...