The Bug and the Wanderer

by Thesane1

Prologue: Hello Alone

My entire life, at this moment, I decided, was cursed. Even with my plans, power, and an army with undying loyalty, I was defeated by mere luck. It was fate perhaps, a destiny to fail, it seemed, destined to lay here broken and alone. I cursed those that brought about my end. Though I was undoubtedly half delirious at this point, suffering from more than one head injury, some broken bones, and a rattle in my chest that signaled something very wrong, I was sure. The fall had been bad. Very bad. Images of bright green horrors seemed to flash before my eyes, turning my stomach with the memories.

Though even with all this, my mind wouldn't let go. I felt too much hatred for so many things in this horrid world. Fate for choosing this path for me, a destiny of royal blood, a weight carried for so long, a people on the brink of extinction for thousands of years. How could I have saved them? The next face in a line of cursed failures. It must have been hopeless from the start, I supposed. And yet, I still hated the damned fools who got lucky while victory was in my grasp. The dreams of my people living free from the darkened shadows of this horrid world...destroyed. Crushed by my fate.

It oddly enough brought about memories of my mother. The insufferable witch of a Changling she was. I was sure she felt validated rolling and laughing in the grave at my failures. Being my mother's favorite progeny really only meant that I was always under scrutiny and punished harshest for the most minor things. Never perfect. But that was so long ago now. Or at least it felt like a hundred lifetimes ago. The royal curse handed off, and she just got to escape to the quiet stillness. As my chest rattled again, drawing shaky painful breaths, I envied the long-dead ghost.

I felt defeated in every sense. The only thing I could hear in this dark, cold silence being my own rattling breath for what seemed like hours. In some way, it feels like I'm meant to bear witness to the horrible irony of it all. To be killed by love sounds ridiculous, yet here I lay in the dirt. A Shallow cave to be the final grave of the queen of the mighty changelings. To be alive still is undoubtedly a miracle, given the states of those I had known and trusted were green smears on the ground now. A newfound rage began to bubble up within me, burning, scalding the memories of them within my mind. I knew they would never fade, nor would I ever let them disappear.

It hurt far more than the wounds covering my body to reminisce about those I had grown fond of within the invasion force. Claw my most trusted general that led the main invasion force into Cantorlot. Claw was integral to the planning stages of the invasion and laying battle strategies in the field. He was genuinely brilliant. A far better leader than I ever could have been. More importantly, I would have called him my friend. He didn't make it out of the castle. I saw him flung against a wall as I was forced through a window myself. Sting had been my bodyguard someling, who time and time again put others above himself. Having observed his Selfless nature first hoof, I picked him in particular for the job. He had landed quite close to me with no extraordinary endurance or love oversaturating his form. He became more of a thick paste than anything recognizable as the ling who had brought me rations on the many occasions I would forget my own health while studying old changeling war strategy or writing out battle plans with Claw.

Krag loved to talk about simple things like how refreshing cold water was on a hot day. So many little things could make him beam, his presence lighting up the room. It allowed me to see the people I was supposed to be ruling, to see their simple joys. However muddied by the surrounding dire status of our people, that joy might be. It still existed, and knowing that meant the world to me when I had met him. It was because of me and only me that he had died today. He volunteered into the invasion force when everyling was told of our last hope. Because he knew me. Because he figured I could use a smile every now and then, or else it would all become too grim for me to bear. I was selfish; I desired his company and appointed him a made-up position near to me in the command and due to that. A tree branch went through his head near the end of the fall.

Those who stood at my back and would have reveled in the victory I had almost tasted. We had nearly tasted. The taste is bitter now. Sour. And leaves a sort of cold that pools in my heart. I wanted that shining future for my comrades in arms. A world so packed bucking full with love that it clings to the air. So very rich you never had to hunger for it. It would be paradise. No more holes. No more blight. How dare they destroy the dreams of my people like this.

The injustice burned within me so fiercely now. Waring with the cold vengeance I so wanted that eventually, as the pain in my body grew, the feelings ebbed. Less was I lost within shattered hopes and memories of smiling fanged faces, and now I was indeed in the dark. All alone. With so many injuries, I could actually feel the blood oozing out the cracks in my chitin. Perhaps the fire that had been in my blood not a few moments ago was pouring out. Leaving me numb.

I don't know how much time had passed before I heard something in the distance. It shattered the silence I had started to believe would be the final state of my existence. I thought my mind was playing tricks and that perhaps I had indeed begun to pass on. But when the voice, I could now distinctly tell it was a voice, started to get closer, nowhere near close enough into the cave to be intelligible, but the echoes of someone were reaching me.

Could someling be alive? Looking for me? I crushed the hope before it could form. Before I could start to imagine someling I knew being alive. I knew I would be wrong. It must be someone else. Perhaps a traveler or explorer?

I couldn't make out the words even straining my hearing, but the panic had set in; things like Maybe they will be kind, and they'll kill me if they find me passed through my mind. I stopped the morbid line of thinking as I tried to formulate a plan from my place on the ground. If I had the energy, I could change into a helpless, injured damsel in need of saving and have whoever this is, nurse me to proper health. My vengeance and rage could be carried out.

A smile almost crossed my face before I killed the idea and stamped the lines of thought out. As if the curse was so kind as to let such fantasies play out. No, it would end in ruin. Luck would win again no matter the scheming put forth before it. What could I do in the face of such things?

I tried moving my body deeper in. Nothing moved an inch. Why was I trying so hard? What was even left for me after this? Maybe I'm not ready to die if the intruder turns out to be a guard or search team sent to destroy the last of my people left. Perhaps I want to spare a kind soul from my curse. I've had quite enough of all the lies and posturing. Of struggling every day to give them hope and structure so they wouldn't realize it was all crumbling.

My heart had begun to ache again at the thought. My eyes being drawn down to the only thing I could still faintly see in the dark, my vision blurring; night vision poor at the moment given how dizzy I was, my hooves laying in front of me. It struck me. I'd been staring at a wall for hours now, not moving even my eyes. My mind had been caught within a dark mire I never thought I would sink into.

They looked so small. No wonder I couldn't hold on to it all, that it all slipped from my grasp. I was hoofed the wheel of a sinking ship and told good luck. Trying to bale out water with my bare hooves; no bucket in sight. It all slips through the holes.

I heard it again, this time much closer. The voice was now close enough to make out the words, and additionally, I noticed it sounded like the middle of a conversation. "Yes, I know you're concerned." The voice said, the words echoing to reach my ears, straining to catch everything I could. The voice sounded male, but other than that, nothing could be said about the owner just yet.

I briefly entertained trying to sense their emotions, but I figured doing anything more than laying here and listening while I stared at my hooves might be one thing too much. Even if listening was making me more confused by the second. "There was a lot of blood, not to mention it was green." the voice said but then, after a slight pause. "Well, what if someone survived? You know it really doesn't matter what color the blood is." Was the voice arguing with its self? "I'm worried we're going to run into bug people or something" That slight pause again. "Bug people are still people, Kelly."

I didn't know if I should be insulted or reassured, so I decided to ignore the conversations' implications to save myself from having to expend the brainpower that was admittedly fading now. "Why does it feel like we go chasing explosions and blood trails so often, huh?" That weird pause was going to drive me mad. If you're going to talk to yourself, monologue like the rest of us.
"Because that big of an explosion is never good besides...Hey, There's more of a distinct trail here, don't you think? Definitely fresh if brighter green is the indicator."

That particular comment was much closer. I tried to do something. Move? Use illusions! Basically, anything other than being a heap of pain, but it didn't work, and they were very close now, definitely within a stone's throw at this point. "You know it should have dawned on you at this point" They stopped approaching for a moment. "what should have?" This might be my last chance to do something while he's distracted with himself. I strained my whole body with effort and am rewarded with... a cramp in my left hoof. Marvelous. "that this could be a trap of some kind you know." I figured it out. The switch-off in the conversation he was having with himself was that pause in-between, now that he was so close. I could hear the nuance in the tone. It was the same voice still, but he would sound drastically different if you were listening close enough.
"If it is a trap, then we'll be fine. I'm the escape artist remember?"...
"I don't even want to dignify that self-proclaimed title with a response." I was trapped in a cave with a crazy pony, and I was utterly defenseless at the moment.

How did things get worse? How? After everything that had already gone wrong. Couldn't I get at least a dumb or gullible pony to find me? No. Of course, the curse would muck this up. Why am I even surprised at this point? Let the lightning strike me already, will you? My answer was the voice walking right up next to me, a light shining in my eyes as it turned the corner to where I was lying. "I mean seriously, Kelly, It's gonna be something completely normal li... Holybugpeople! You were right!"

There's the lightning.

I wish I could do something about being seen, but my vision had started to go, and my thoughts were going at the speed of a lethargic snail as my brain shut down. I witnessed it approach as I passed out due to blood loss or the concussions, a minotaur, in a weird costume or something; it was hard to see much more given that I had blacked out.

Comments

[Jojoleopard]

Nicely written, I look forward to more!

[Thesane1]

10987840
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

[Bronzedragon]

seems like a different take on Chrysalis. I'm in.

[Doctor_Den]

so far everything sounds interesting. Let's wait to see what happens.

[Ali della Morte]

An interesting first chapter. I look forward to more.

[Dodger2525]

I'll be curious to see if the human (on his cell phone) is in equestria. Or if Chrysalis got blown to Earth.

[Joaquin]

parece que te has puesto un reto, porque no puedo pensar en una forma satisfactoria de que termine esto. buena suerte

[Thesane1]

10988989
You know what they say about assumptions.

[Quantum Fang]

I have to say that I love the picture for the cover. Also a very interesting start. I wonder if Kelly and the unnamed counter part are the results of being alone without contact with others for too long or if there's an actual body share going on.

[Thesane1]

10989611
A good question.

[b300mussolini]

Very neat story, well written and it has good flow. You get a follow. Any idea when we will get more

[Thesane1]

10990434
The next chapter is coming within the next few days. After that I'm not sure. Hopefully weekly or biweekly updates.

[A Mule with no mane]

Good

[Bigwig6666]

Promising start. Always up for a good Chrysalis story looking forward to the next chapter

[Razzy]

Interesting start, always up for some good Chryssie stories.

[Xblaster]

Rereading because it came back to life, i do love the more realistic takes on the whole yeeted by a loveblast at thermal speed thing