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Prologue. These Are Our Stories763 words
More Than Just An Insect2,361 words
Growing Difficulties5,088 words
Language4,590 words
Understanding3,915 words
Tradition2,442 words
Change5,743 words
Hope, Dreams And Family3,271 words
Beginning Of The End6,248 words
Epiolgue. This Is Our Testimony6,561 words

Hope, Dreams And Family

Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder.

Special thanks to Crepusculo.

Hope, Dreams And Family

<<>><<>><<>>

Almost a year had passed since the changelinks were recognized as the fourth tribe and they had chosen their name. And with a change so significant came progress.

Now aware of who and what they were, their teachings were adjusted to better suit their abilities. This, of course, was as much a learning experience to their teachers as it was to them. And the day they discovered that, when changed, the changelinks had access to either pegasus or earth pony magic, though in reduced strength compared with the original was a shocking revelation.

They would never be able to outfly a true pegasus or out farm an earth pony, but their ability to mimic not just the forms of another, but their magic as well took everyone by surprise.

Now with their new abilities, the village prospered in ways the original settlers could never have envisioned.

The farmers aided by transformed changelinks grew more food than they alone would have been able to manage. The pegasi gained a better grip on the sometimes unpredictable weather, and even the unicorns saw an increase in magical proficiency, even when the changelinks weren't transformed.

Their village grew steadily as some of the changelinks found residence among the ponies, though all would return to their home under the rock to help where needed. The reason for this, of course, was change.

They now knew change. They understood it. The spells they were taught, and the spell they created revealing their true nature. Nature they couldn't understand until Elinora was the first to change.

Now, this spell was a significant part of who they were, and it changed their still developing culture in ways they could not have foreseen but were eager to find out where it may lead them.

And as they grew as a species, so too did their home under the rock. They dug their tunnels deeper, carving new chambers to display their spell on the floors, creating more room for their growing numbers and moving towards a new discovery. A new change.

He was Seda, one of the older changelinks, and part of a small group of changelinks digging a tunnel. A task which came to a sudden stop as they could hear the stone before them beginning to crack and shift, and they swiftly moved out of the collapsing area while a billowing plume of rough dust followed in their wake.

All work under the rock came to a stop, their mother rapidly approaching to make sure none of her children were harmed and to learn what happened.

Slowly the dust settled, and Seda alongside one of the others carefully ventured back in; finding little debris as they neared the collapsed wall.

What they found changed everything.

<<>><<>><<>>

They hung from the wall, staring at their discovery while even more of their numbers continued to pour out of the tunnel; its size large enough to accommodate four changelinks standing side by side with room to spare, yet a mere dot compared to the immense void they had found.

They knew it was a cavern, with massive stalactites hanging from the ceiling, but none of them were able to see how deep it went, the darkness too dense even for their eyes.

Faint, whisper-quiet dripping from unseen water droplets was like lightning in the silence that permeated the expanse as the wetness fell from the ceiling, dripped on the massive spires hanging down to the unfathomable depths below, coalesced at their tips, then vanished in the darkness; unheard, unseen.

They hung there for almost an hour, staring at the mind-boggling chamber they had stumbled upon, slowly taking it all in as shock turned to wonder. Wonder turned to amazement; and amazement turned to excitement as a flicker of a thought blossomed into a plan, a vision, a goal for growth. A goal for change.

<<>><<>><<>>

The ponies of Yoke knew something had happened, the excitement of the changelinks obvious from the moment they arrived at first light and their overly energetic explanations which devolved in a mess of half-formed words mixed with insectile hisses and buzzing.

Of course, Apple Pie understood them where nopony else could, and an enormous gasp escaped her not long after.

Of course, this on its own was no cause for alarm. Apple Pie had always been an easy to excite pony, which had not diminished as she grew older. But the way she almost immediately joined the changelinks in their strange behavior did raise some red flags.

Before things could devolve into a complete mess of misunderstanding, one of the villagers managed to stop Apple Pie long enough to ask what the changelinks and, she in extent, were doing.

Apple Pie, wearing an ill-fitting metal helmet, saddlebags filled with various tools, and a stack of planks balanced precariously on her back showed arguably her largest smile to date as she answered: "We're building a village of course, silly." And she had sprinted away before anypony could formulate a response of any kind.

<<>><<>><<>>

By the time the ponies made their way to the rock, they could already tell things had changed.

The mountain of rock, metals, and precious gems the changelinks had created during their transmutation frenzy, and which was left to the elements for most of the time since, had shrunk considerably and a large patch of dead grass was uncovered as a result.

A large number of changelinks were also present as they collected either rock or iron from the shrinking pile, taking it with them under the rock.

Unsurprisingly, Apple Pie popped up amidst their line several times as she carried a respectable amount of stone on her back with a smile, showing no sign of any kind the weight affected her at all.

Now all the more curious what exactly was going on underground, the ponies carefully joined the mass of changelinks; some even taking small chunks of iron or rock with them despite not knowing what it was used for. The changelinks, however, were obviously grateful for the help as the villagers entered under the rock one by one.

Aided by the light the changelinks readily provided through their magic, the ponies slowly made their way further down underground; passing the chamber with the first iteration of the spell which allowed the changelinks to change, then moved deeper still.

Some of the ponies were breathing hard by the time they entered yet another tunnel, unable to tell just how far down they had gone when they stepped out in the open and their progression came to a sudden stop.

It was clear the changelinks had been busy; the tunnel leading to a large, cleared out area, where all the iron and stone taken from above, was stored. Off to the side, the ponies saw some of the changelinks working on very crude smelters, clearly constructed in a short timeframe, and modeled after the one the village smithy used. A bit further back, they saw the iron beams the changelinks had made cooling down.

On their other side, many of the shapeshifters were working on shaping the chunks of rock into bricks of various sizes, using both pony tools, as well as their natural abilities to break the stone.

But it was what lay before them that took their breath away; a vast space too immense to take in at once. No matter how much they tried, they could not see the other side of the mind-boggling chamber; only able to see several massive stalactites before darkness obscured everything else.

"Wha- what is this place?" one of the ponies asked.

"H-hopeee-" the changelinks' their mother, approaching the group, said with her usual struggling speech. "And dreamssss."

<<>><<>><<>>

Over a week had passed since their discovery, and Seda was working energetically with the rest of his kin as they further dug out the platform where everything had started.

At first, it was nothing more than a hole in a wall with a sheer drop at the end. Then, after a tremendous effort of all under the rock, they dug out a rough area to work and store all the materials in just a single night.

They had only just created the smelters, and cast the first bars of iron when the ponies arrived later on the day, and what they had envisioned could not yet be seen. But now, after more work on the platform, they had smoothed out the surface, placed the first iron supports in the stone where they planned for a bridge to be built, and the first tiles had already been placed on the floor.

It was all still silly in some way to him. Before they met the ponies, they didn't even care about these things; didn't even know about it. But now, after their first introduction to art, and trying their hooves at it, it quickly became part of who they were; who they became. And this was no different.

This, all of it, would be more than a collection of tunnels and chambers under the rock. The ponies had a village, a creation as strange as it was wondrous which they shared with them, taught them how it was made and used and, in doing so planted a seed which had now begun to sprout.

A village of their own. Testimony of all they were taught and a beacon of hope for the future to come.

He placed another tile, already seeing the picture he and the others were drawing; a grand mosaic describing one of their most cherished memories.

<<>><<>><<>>

With an excited chirp, Seda placed the last tile in on the ground, finishing the mosaic after a month of hard work.

A cheer of approval came from all the changelinks, both present and through their shared mind while he took to the sky and saw their completed effort as a whole.

It was a stylized drawing, much in the way they had seen in the books of the ponies. It was a style they had some difficulties with, much like most other things they had learned from the ponies, but Elinora, her muzzle buried in books more often than not, had helped significantly with the picture's design.

The image depicted two creatures; a pony on the right, and a changelink on the left.

The pony was light red, with wings spread out. The changelink was depicted wearing various mismatched skins… or, well, clothes as they now knew. And in the middle, their hooves were joined, a sign of their new friendship.

<<>><<>><<>>

One Year Later

Through muscle, magic, and foolhardy stubbornness Seda and the others were finally able to complete the bridge without further accident.

Several times the structure collapsed under its own weight, and every time they tried again; changing the design, their approach, and anything else they believed might be useful.

The ponies did offer some suggestions and solutions at first, but even they were unable to find a conclusive answer how to complete such a task without it failing halfway through; none of them have ever attempted to build anything like this and, holding things up through magic only worked for as long as the caster, or casters could maintain their strength.

Stumped by setback after setback, but unwilling to give up, the changelinks worked hard, studied the problems, and learned and devised solutions that had taken the ponies by complete surprise.

New designs were created, improved materials were constructed, and a new approach was devised.

They knew where they wanted the bridge to go; the nearest stalactite, so a group of them flew to the upside-down spire, carrying various tool and materials with them, and began construction on an anchoring point halfway up, while the others began construction of the bridge from the mosaic platform.

It was a difficult task, with failure looming over them every step of the way, but perseverance prevailed as both groups worked together and met in the middle; their impossible task made possible.

A cheer echoed through the cavern as they danced on the bridge.

<<>><<>><<>>

Five Years Later

The walkway had just been completed; a path spiraling up and down the length of the stalactite from the bridge.

It was easily twelve times the length of the bridge, yet its construction was done without any major setback. The experience and skill gained from the bridge's construction were of great aid to them. But there was one major problem they couldn't ignore: weight.

The stone spire itself was a colossal weight supported from the ceiling, yet they were adding to it and potentially resulting in its collapse. To solve this, they built the walkway at the same time they created their village. Digging out the rooms which would become houses, hatcheries, or storage rooms and using the material they dug out to construct the spiraling path connecting it all.

It was a simple solution, but one which did create another problem: balance. Remove too much from one side and things could collapse just as quick as if they added too much weight, and so they worked slowly; using the lessons they were taught by their earth pony friends, combined with their vast knowledge of stone and dirt from digging their burrow, they carefully watched and listened to the rock; making sure they wouldn't stress it beyond breaking as they gave form to their village.

But now it was done.

It had taken years. Years of hard work, mistakes, accidents and cracked hooves, but finally it was done and all changelinks were crowded together on the platform where it all began, the image drawn in stone impossible to be seen as they looked at their accomplishment.

The ponies, too, were here on this momentous day. Most of them had helped the changelinks with the construction in one way, or another. Even then, the incredible sight before them was truly a changelink creation.

From the stone bridge reaching out over the darkness towards the stone spire to the walkway spiraling up and down.

Torches were placed within the village, lighting everything up, and revealing the solid, circular wooden doors the ponies had created, all placed in a home of their own.

Furniture, too, was provided by the ponies; ranging from bookcases to tables to beds, and most of it had already been placed inside, only waiting to be put in place by their future residents.

Their mother, who had finally chosen a name for herself: Verae, stood at the front of the group, smiling proudly at them all.

Today marked a new day of change; a day they had worked towards for all those years. They had gone from simple creatures still learning about the world and themselves to a developing society. And now, on this day forever to be remembered in their shared memories, they took the next step: Culture.

All they had learned, they made their own and created this; a testimony to their growth. A growth that would continue as their culture would continue to develop.

Seda cheered loudly, as did all the others, as they rushed to their new home and began a new chapter in their lives.

<<>><<>><<>>

Seda stood on the walkway before his home, looking down at the group of changelinks several floors below as they worked on the new bridge.

Years had passed since they first moved into their village, and much changed in that time. The most noticeable change, the increase in numbers.

While it was their life-giver who they all referred to as their mother and de facto leader, it wasn't impossible for any of them to have nymphs of their own. It had happened in the past where one or two eggs not laid by their mother joined the clutch, and the hatchlings were raised alongside the others. But this too changed drastically during the next cycle after they had moved into the village.

It was something they had learned from their time with the ponies. Each and everypony would, once mature enough, forge a bond with another beyond mere friendship. They would live together, work together if possible, and have foals together.

This was a strange concept for them, as while they lived in a community in some ways similar to the changelinks, they also separated themselves from the rest. Families, they called it. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and many more which confused them greatly when first learning about it.

Now though, having learned and lived with the ponies for years, a truly wondrous change had occurred.

The concept of families was confusing to the older generations of changelinks. The young, though, not so much. Not set in their ways like the adults, they were able to understand these things better as they grew up with this new concept. And now, years later, this change in mindset had begun to show its effects as families began to form, and with them, explosive growth in nymphs.

The hatcheries they originally built in their village were rapidly approaching their maximum capacity, and thus expansion was required, which brought him back to the construction down below as he oversaw his charges.

Being one of the original builders, Seda now held the title of master builder along with most others of the original group responsible for the technical side of construction. While others, such as Elinora were now recognized as scholars. There were also bakers, most commonly those who could eat the ponies' food, and found joy in baking. Or artists, who did all they could to shape their village into something unique through sculptures or paint.

Looking up at the ceiling, Seda's wings flittered slightly at the sight of the glowing vines and leaves starting to claim the cavern's ceiling. Even their shared memories had begun to move into the village; growing through cracks in the stone they didn't know were there, and providing a faint light that grew just a bit brighter each and every day.

A young filly ran past him, drawing his attention back down as she giggled, her braided mane swinging from left to right and her small frilled wings buzzed excitedly.

And here was another, quite unexpected change. And in a way, neither the changelinks nor the ponies had expected. Though, in hindsight, at least for the pony side of things, it should have been obvious.

The changelinks' nymphs grew up with the ponies' foals, both learning from each other, friendships formed, and some of them grew into something more.

Love.

In all honesty, looking back at it, it really was no surprise when Apple Pie and Buzz joined together. Though the fact they had a foal, half pony, half changeling, was something that truly took everyone by surprise in the best way possible.

"Mud Pie!" Apple Pie called out, following after the energetic child to make sure she didn't do anything dangerous, "be careful."

She gave Seda a smile in greeting, then vanished around the bend as she followed the path up after her child.

Seda chuckled over the wonderful absurdity of it all, shaking his head.

Yes, things had changed in strange, amazing, wondrous ways and he was eager to see what the future might hold.

But for now, they had a bridge to build. And from there, a new spire to claim for their own. And as he flew down to the workers below, for a second he saw all that could be. Bridges connecting all the stalactites, and changelinks and ponies living and working together as one community and as a family.

Author's Note:

Please leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions. It would be greatly appreciated.

~Powerdrainer

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