The Element of Identity

by CEverw00d

Prologue

Prologue

It’s believed that everyone and everything has a role to play in the world. Some share their roles, work together, support, and are supported.

The changelings find their role in unity. Each one would benefit the other and the other would benefit each more in turn. It was all in support of the Queen who, herself, supports her brood.

There was one changeling, however, who only supported, but never needed support. His name was Exulus. He was stronger than the normal changeling, in mind and in body, and he had a strong desire to succeed and to dominate. Some were frightened that if his desires went out of control, he might try to take over the hive. This was only speculation though.

There were two qualities that were clear about him so, as he was the one who said them. The first was that he felt no sense of place in the brood. He only gave, but he didn’t receive, there was no need for him to receive. In a collective effort, his aspirations were not in synch with the rest.

The second quality was his burning hate. He hated the queen, he hated the brood, he hated ponies, he hated dragons, he hated friendship, and he hated the world. He was a changeling in a perpetual rage that threatened the rest of the brood.

The rules of the swarm are simple: If you benefit the brood, you are one of the family, but if you are a hindrance, you are cast aside and left to die alone.

Exulus knew that he would soon be banished, driven out by the swarm, so he made a decision: he would leave of his own accord…..but not before paying the dear Queen Chrysalis a visit and a farewell first….

In the brooding caverns’ royal chamber, Queen Chrysalis attended reports from her children, telling her of more possible locations where she may feed on love while she regains her strength from the crushing defeat in Canterlot. Exulus marches through the opening.

Exulus seemed slightly larger than the average changeling, his wings were longer and less tattered. Instead of having blue eyes like the typical changeling, his eyes were a dark red. His expressions were typically some form of scowl and he was often seen gritting his teeth.

As he spotted the dear Queen, he shouted, “Chrysalis!”

She turned to him, both startled and angry that he wasn’t calling her “queen,” though he stopped doing that long ago. Her eyes narrowed, things were bad and if Exulus was around, things weren’t going to get better. She growled, “What do you want Exulus?”

“I came to bid you farewell. I felt it only proper since you’re the queen, not that that actually means anything.”

“Bidding farewell? You’re leaving on your own? Going off to die by your lonesome?”

“Shut up you wretched, miserable, washed-up weakling!” Exulus snarled, “I never needed your worthless brood and I still don’t! Your carelessness cost us the entirety of Canterlot, yet you DARE mock me!?”

“How dare you talk to me in such a way! I am your queen! I am the core of this hive, I am the one who formed the plan, I am the one who lead the changelings in, I am the one who commands them!”

“And you did well until you screwed up MISERABLY. How could you impersonate someone so terribly!? The rest of the changelings may follow you, but I refuse to follow someone who screwed up such a large plan so completely. Besides…the others don’t know….but I know….about you…” Exulus began approaching Queen Chrysalis, a wretched grin on his face.

Chrysalis seemed intimidated, but tried not to show it, “What are you talking about you fool!? Stay away from me!”

“You know what I’m talking about. You know FULL well.” Exulus got up on the same ledge as Chrysalis stood upon as she once looked down at Exulus. She had her back to the wall now. Exulus growled and his grin shrank. There was no way he could be happy about this, he was too enraged. “Your powers weakened severely since you were cast out from Cantelot. So severely that even I could kill you should I feel the need for it.”

“Y-…..You’re lying! No changeling is as powerful as I!” The Queen could only bluff. It was true, she had lost so much power she could only sustain herself.

Exulus lunged forward and put his horn up to Chrysalis’s neck, “Oh how easy it would be to puncture your frail little neck right now….but fortunately for you, that’s not what I came here to do. I’ve come to bid you farewell. That is all. I will find my own source of love to consume while you and your piddling little swarm can work together to barely survive. Pitiful!”

With that, Exulus turned his back on the Queen and flew towards the doorway he had come through. Before leaving, he looked back at the Queen, who was both scared and enraged, and said, “If I find you or any other changeling near my feeding grounds, I will exterminate them. This is your only warning.”

Exulus took off flying through and out of the caverns, into the sky, towards the clouds. He looked around, a desolate wasteland for quite some distance. Yet far out, on the horizon, there was green, there was growth, there was life, and there was love. Exulus knew where his first destination was…Canterlot.

Comments

[Repony]

It's pretty good. But now I am going to have to find a new title for mine. o well