I sighed as I went over the day I had just had.
Which had started with intense, but thankfully brief, pain. Followed by finding myself covered in what I would later realize was changeling gore. Not to mention the fact that not only had I somehow changed species, I was now the queen of the changelings. Prereformation changelings. Specifically the late Queen Chrysalis' hive of changelings, in the Badlands, south of Equestria. Placing me in a world where the only previous knowledge I had about came from a children's show, a movie, a comic, and innumerable speculative art and fanfiction.
Any amount of which could be either frighteningly accurate or wildly off model, and I would never know which I was dealing with until I was able to do some research. And even then, I'd never be able to know for sure.
Where, or rather when, in the timeline was I? Before Thorax' ascension, certainly, but by how long? And did it even matter? I mean, it's extremely clear to me that I wasn't the first former human from my world to end up on this one.
Either that, or the names of Gandahar, Amorphous Metamorphous, and Ambisextra were the mother of all coincidences. Not to mention the prophecy I quoted from the very same movie.
How much would even be the same if somebody else had already been thrust into this world generations ahead of me, making God knows what changes just from being here so long ago?
"Pardon, my Queen, but Humblebee said that you requested sustenance?" A changeling entered the throne room, pushing a trolley. I recognized it... her... as the more sensible of the pair who had helped clean me up shortly after my arrival.
"You may approach," I stated, once again cribbing my phraseology from what little I knew of royal mannerisms. Mostly sourced from novels, movies, some television shows. And, yes, cartoons. Still, it seemed to be working so far, even if I caught my subjects giving me odd looks from time to time. At least noling had turned on me yet...
And that was another thing. Why the bloody Hell was I using ponyisms (or would that be changlingisms?) even in my head!?
Calm.
Remain calm.
Above all, don't panic
Huh. The tray on the trolley has a bit more variety than I had been expecting. Bowls filled with various consistencies, ranging from watery soup through jellies to one bowl of thick pudding. A plate with what I assume is the solids version of the variety platter, considering that it seems to have balls of gel, cookie-like things, and a sort of... I want to say cake? And a smaller tray of crystalized samples. Unfortunately, all of it being a particularly unappetizing shade of snot-green.
I poke at one of the gel things experimentally with a hoof, then carefully take a sniff of the offerings before me...
Well, at least it smells better than it looks, even if I can't identify the scent. A quick nibble proves that it also tastes better as well.
"Thish ish acshually pretty goosh," I comment, forgetting to swallow first. I correct that immediately. "Condensed love, right?"
"Yes, my Queen."
I couldn't really describe the flavor, as I had literally never tasted anything even remotely like it before in my life. This one or the previous one.
No point in worrying about going back. If it happens, it happens, but so far all signs point to "no." Otherwise my distant "ancestor" wouldn't have had the time to have founded Gandahar.
I really need to learn how to read so I can get started on those archives Humblebee told me about.
Well, that and find out what passed for written entertainment in this world. Daring Do novels of course (assuming that I hadn't arrived too early for A. K. Yearling to have started writing down her adventures), but what else? I seem to remember Spike reading a story about a heroic dragon to a group of kids at the Ponyville Hospital during one episode, and Rarity is apparently into mystery novels. Not to mention the fact that comicbooks were a thing here.
Assuming, again, that my knowledge of the show actually has any bearing at all on the world I've found myself in.
And I've just been sitting here, eating and thinking to myself while my attendant is standing there dutifully. Is she waiting for a command or a dismissal? I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to give her ear-scritchies or a treat...
Oh, God, my mind goes off on some pretty damn strange tangents. Some people have trains of thought. My trains are rollercoasters. Complete with switchbacks, loop de loops, and sharks with freakin' laser bea...
Stop that, Brain! I'm trying to make with the thinky thinky here!
Hmm... The crystal things are a bit harder to chew than the other goop.
"Ah, my Queen, you are supposed to suck on crystalized love. If you chew on those, you could ruin your..."
CRUNCH!
"...teeth."
Jawbreakers never did last very long with me. I run my tongue over my teeth, but don't feel anything I hadn't when I had done so earlier, and no sudden pain either, so I figure that my new teeth are fine for now.
"Ah... My Queen, you might want to slow down your rate of consumption. You're projecting..." Aww, she's adorable! Like a big huggable cuddlebug! C'm'ere, you!
Ah yes, dealing with an external source of emotion is really difficult when you don't know what you're doing. Its a good thing it was a positive emotion and not a wrath or hate like emotion.
A scene from undertale comes to mind, "Dogs can pet other dogs?!?"
"Changelings can love other changelings?"
If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?
9884222
Alarmingly large cicadas. Perhaps with some droning. You know, that sound you hear right before something nasty stings you.
9884208
Well, to be fair, you're a weird puppy in that scene.
New Queen was Love Drunk.
Loving the start. Keep it up.
9884294
Starlight Nova’s method gets foiled.
Whelp, time to see what a Loveover feels like XD
Looking forward to more of this, keep it up!
YES MORE FEED US MORE FANFIC PLS YASS
The way this story starts makes it seem like Zeus was bored.
Nice to see inside her head a bit! I did think the opening was a little redundant, since we had a nearly identical recap at the beginning of chapter 2 (or maybe it was 3). Interesting to learn how she is accepting her new lot in life. I know I would be freaking right out, but I applaud her mental fortitude and philosophical acceptance of her new fate, although is she ever going to ask HOW this happened? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN???
The idea of condensed love being made into something like normal food is delightful.
9884763
Zeus: "There! See, Neptune! I can make ponies too!"
Poseidon: "One, I made horses. Two, that's not a pony."
Zeus: "Details details!"
Ah, Spacebattles. The place where 40k always wins in a fight for the worst possible reason.
9884797
Awesome reason
What a cute little scene.
Seems like she might set off the reformation early if she gives enough love to the adorable changeling.
*Sees Kirby reference earlier in fic*
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! I am happy! Victory Screech!"
But now a part of me can't help but hope that you somehow build Heavy Lobster at some point, if only because the thing was actually quite the powerhouse.
9884222
Exotic,female,duelvoiced ?
I wonder if we get a Overlord result. Plays evil but actualy is more neutral/pragmatic. Anti-Hero? Anyway she gone trough a lot in a day. Impressiv
Sooo... Whats the Hive strength in numbers. What the current food situation. How many nations are observed by Changlings? How many other Hives exist? Can we expect her to build colonies in the far future should the castle be lost for some reason? I noticed no backup on Pony or Changeling capitols
roflmao
oh looks like the hive so lucky to get a considerate and a hidden semi fun queen but a firm queen as well
I wonder if are queen gonna make some investments in items or hire people? I think of those enchanted comics as something to look into and artifacts plus other crazy things to not be used or looked into would drive are queen crazy I bet there be some run-in with SMILE or daring doo cause harmony is an odd murphy law kind of force or bad guy messing up and monster in a can situation but mostly murphy law and may be discord.
I wonder if the reform option was only possible due to the harmony power of weird change like thorax couldn't have been the only other changeling to have tried to live as a ling among others right?
So am I the only one who saw the Emperor's New Groove reference? Cause that was hilarious. And I now wonder if Cuzco wasn't worried about murder cause he thought people could fly...
9884797
Crossing the Greek and Roman variations on the names there. If you're using 'Neptune', then it's 'Jupiter', not 'Zeus'. If you're sticking to Zeus, then it's not 'Neptune', it's 'Poseidon'.
If you don't want any mythological history buffs coming down on you, you might want to get those straight.
Also, Loki's calling from over in Norse Mythology. He's holding up photos of her adorable Sleipnir.
9885295
alot of us saw it don't worry someone even posted the video of the exact part of the movie
9885474
Fixed, Thanks!
I knew I had the wrong version, but at the time I had forgotten completely who Neptune's counterpart was.
And, for reasons that escape me, it never occurred to me to event try to do a search for it online...
9885561
Smack yourself in the side of the head to check if you hear any clanging metal bits. Make sure nothing's loose.
Uh-oh.
If she starts actually sharing love, we could have a premature Technicolor Revolution.
9884208
I don't know... but we're about to find out!
Lovedrunk bug is best bug.
Oh! She needs to get her butt in gear and send out spys to document the birth of the Elements of Harmony. For, uh, future embarrassing blackmail material. I'm also getting a strong "protective fairy godmother" vibe, like in Maleficent-- keeping "beastie" safe as she grows up without making herself known to the girl. (Maybe not so much for Twilight as she lives in Canterlot, but the rest of the girls living in or near Ponyville)
But meddling in the timeline with future knowledge, always the cornerstone of HiE fiction. Should she defuse situations before they become a problem or let them play out so the girls learn their lessons?
9884990
Noooo, them butterponies can burn
Seriously tho to me them futterponies, to me look bad, just, like an five year old had gone mad with a rainbow color fully automatic paint gun with infinite ammo, also who wants to be 'reformed' if you don't need it or even WANT it what-so-ever
9885658 Suddenly Skittles...
9885658
9885845
It's not going to be quite as quick or simple as what had happened with Thorax' ascension and the reformation of the changelings in canon.
Although it has been mentioned, in story, that the pastel bugpony appearance is apparently what the changelings used to look like way back when Gandahar was founded by the First Queen, and didn't change to the darker, more jagged appearance until some point during the reign of their fourth queen.
What *hasn't* been mentioned yet in story is that this Great Change took place several thousand years ago.
9885711
I figure Thorax and the others, at least subconsciously, had wanted a more severe break from Queen Chrysalis when it happened. After all, they had all just found out that their queen had been deliberately keeping them in a state of semi-permanent starvation.
HAH! The pony motto is:
“When in danger,
When in doubt,
Yell and scream
And rush about!”
9885658
If that so simpel than it happen long ago... Plus many of us would lose interest... 'PlagueRat' made a great story 'To be a Changeling' . Looking more realistic and not accepting cartoon logic Hasbro had rushed
That's easy to narrow down: How does the moon look like?
Contains a horse: between Lunas banishment, but before the show.
No horse: either long before the show or after the start of the show. Public known legends will help to determine which of this two possibilities.
Very reliable sources, you know.
Is it weird I expected an bound and gagged pony full of love?
9886569
Well, it's her fault for presenting the whole meal all at once! That's why you move in courses.
9885195
this reminds me of a scene in "a different perspective" by Goldfur where Twilight Sparkle ate too much of something that contained Condensed Love...she became very amorous for a while, but then was unable to feel ANY positive emotions for days...which nearly caused her to lose a friend!
End is still PRICELESS
snrrk
9884797
Will this be canon at some point?
9929662
link ?
Cuddlebugs and humor for the win ♡
Day 1 and this Queen already did a lot. Im eager to do mutch more