Severance

by StealBox

...Maybe it Was, a Little Bit...

While my new friend was doing his thing in town, I sat in intense thought, trying to plan out what to do from here, and how to deal with the coming encounter.

What should I say? What can I say? I don't want to abandon them, but... how can I even help them now? That land is useless, they'd never be able to build on it, they'd just get discovered... I could try to smuggle them out of the country, but they've still lost everything already... I could go and see what's left of their camp? If the Royal Guard pursued the changelings immediately after they started to run, then maybe the camp is still there? And we could salvage it, or at least some of it...

In the skies above Ponyville, two groups of armored pagasi passed each other moving in opposite directions. There were three pagasi per group, and they were obviously on some sort of perimeter patrol route. I made myself invisible as soon as I noticed them... I didn't want them coming down to check me out.

*Sigh* They probably have the whole forest covered, just waiting for the changelings to show themselves... No matter what I do, they're going to need to stay in the forest for a while and wait for the heat to die down. As of now, they'll never even make it out of the forest, little own the country, without being spotted.

This did leave me with another conundrum however... How do you keep an entire population of hungry changelings hidden deep in a forest for an indeterminate amount of time without them doing something drastic? It would only be a matter of time before the ponies develop a working method of detecting a changelings disguise, and after that happens...

...What options are left? They'll need to send changelings out constantly in order to gather more energy, and while it's impossible for the Royal Guard, or any local authorities, to perform random inspections on every citizen, changelings will still get caught on a regular basis... "Oh god," I sighed, sliding down onto my back and placing a foreleg over my increasingly tired eyes. It won't even matter if I explain that to them, they'll still need to do it. There's no other way for them to gather food... With another heavy sigh, I rolled over onto my stomach. "How did my life get so complicated," I sighed out, closing my eyes. It's been a long day... I'll just take a little nap until what's-his-face get's back...

---

"Oh my, Rarity, it's..!"

Mmm? I dazedly thought, barely even registering that I heard someone talking.

"Don't get so close Fluttershy!"

Huh? What's that noise, I thought, slowly blinking my bleary eyes as I started to wake up.

"But he might need help..!" I heard the unmistakable voice of Fluttershy attempt to yell, even though her voice wasn't raised at all. As the blur faded from my vision, I saw her standing right next to me, but with her head turned as she talked.

The very sight of her brought up the buried feelings of anger I had for the part she played in turning Pinkie against me.

"He was probably run out of his home by the changelings, just like all of my animal friends..! *Gasp*" She said, before turning back to look at me, only to let out a nearly inaudible gasp as her eyes met mine.

I've been told that I have a very intense glare when I'm angry.

"He may very well be a changeling, Fluttershy!" Called out Rarity, causing Fluttershy's pupils to contract in fear as that thought entered her mind.

"I appreciate the thought," I said while getting up, although the tone of my voice made it abundantly clear that I did not appreciate it. "...It is your element, after all... But I don't need any help, least of all from you."

"Hey!" Rarity shouted, running up to Fluttershy's side. "Don't you talk to Fluttershy like that, you hooligan! She was only trying to help. A kindness you certainly don't deserve," she said, turning her nose up at me in an exaggerated manner.

"Of course," I said, my mouth moving almost on it's own. "'Trying to help'... that's what she always does, isn't it..? But being helpful... doesn't always help," I said, sending Fluttershy a pointed look. "Just be on your way!" I interrupted, as Rarity opened her mouth to retort. "I know you didn't come by here to see me. So just leave."

She spluttered for a second at being so rudely interrupted and dismissed, but she recovered quickly.

"Come on Fluttershy," she said, turning around and going back to the dirt road. "Obviously, he's doing just fine on his own." Fluttershy didn't hesitate long to follow her, and soon they were both on their way again, down the road leading to Fluttershy's house.

*Sigh* I sighed, trying to relax my tensed body. I hate this hate. I don't hold grudges, but... that's exactly what I'm holding now...

"Who were they?" Asked a voice from behind me.

"No one important," I replied, turning to face the fake pagasus. "I assume you're ready to go now?"

He merely nodded, walking back into the forest. The plan from here was simply to keep walking back the way we came until he could feel the other changelings again. From there, he'd lead me to them.

"...So, who were those ponies to you?" He asked again after a few minutes.

"I told you, they were no one. Just some old acquaintances I used to know."

"Hmhm," he chuckled, "meeting them must have rattled you, I can feel your emotions very clearly now," he said, sending me a sideways glance. "...I assume they wronged you in some way?" He asked. "So they did," he concluded before I could even open my mouth and tell him to drop the subject.

I silently seethed for a few minutes at how unhinged I was after something so minor as a brief meeting.

"...So what's your name?" I asked after giving myself another minute to calm down. He looked at me intently for a second before facing forward again. I thought he was going to just ignore me, but after several seconds he finally spoke up.

"Happy," he stated, simply and without fanfare. Hearing that made me double take, and for a moment I thought he was joking. "You find my name odd?" He questioned, sensing my confusion.

"Well, I, uh... thought changeling names were all based off of, uh... something to do with copying... is all," I answered, lamely.

"Fah," he scoffed, "ignorant," he mumbled. "You meet one changeling and suddenly you think you're an expert on us?"

"I see your point," I said. He stopped a few steps later, eyes closed.

"This way," he said, adjusting the angle of our path. It was a few more minutes before I asked my next question.

"So... 'Happy'?" I questioned, not having seen any indication of him living up to that name.

"What?" He replied, not seeming to have gotten my question.

"What made your parents go with that name?" He sent me an annoyed glare before answering.

"Because, that's what I was when I hatched... Back before I grew up, and learned what it meant to be a changeling in a world that hates and fears us," he said in a tone clearly saying 'this conversation is over'.

Taking the hint, I allowed the rest of our journey to pass in silence.

I can't wait to see Emulate again... It'll be nice to see a friendly face, and hopefully she can help me gain the hives trust.

---

It took roughly an hour to get to where his senses were pointing, although the changelings seemed to have taken refuge underground. Finding the entrance took us longer than getting here had, as the swarm was apparently congregated far within the tunnels. When asked how he knew there were tunnels, he said it was because the feeling of the others was sprawled out in various directions, rather than clumped together in one large circle.

The entrance wasn't as big as I'd thought it would be for having allowed access for such a large group, but there was undeniable evidence in the torn up dirt, riddled with hoofprints, leading inside. Two, maybe three ponies could walk into it at a time, and it wasn't much taller than me. It was under an overhang on the opposite side of a hill, topped with a tree leaning dangerously over the entrance, as if the ground had collapsed out from underneath it. Half of the roots, now exposed, as well as some moss, partially hid the hole from view.

"How did they even find this place?" I thought aloud, "...It doesn't even look like it goes anywhere."

Not bothering to speculate, Happy marched in, dropping his disguise as he went. I followed shortly after, noting that his chitin seemed much... shinier... than I remembered. Like he'd been recently polished.

The incline was very steep, but solid, the once loose dirt having been packed down by thousands of hooves before ours. After descending three or four meters below the surface, the ground abruptly leveled out into a large tunnel, gently sloping deeper into the earth. Lighting my horn to better see in the darkness revealed suspiciously uniform walls, stretching out of sight. The tunnel was about twice my height, and the immediate area was strewn with rubble, but the floor quickly became free of debris as we walked farther in.

Definitely not natural, I thought, continuing to follow Happy, who didn't seem to care as he kept walking without pause. We didn't go far before we reached a crossroads with several tunnels branching out in all directions. Happy didn't hesitate, though, as he chose a path and kept walking, so I simply trusted in his senses. As we moved, however, I noticed an object attached to one of the walls. A torch sconce? I recognized, on closer inspection. The top ring was blackened, and after a short search I found the remains of the torch on the ground. Seeing the size of the remaining stump, I figured it must have burnt itself down until it was too short, and fell out on its own before going out.

"Are you still coming?" Asked Happy, looking back at me from a ways down the other tunnel.

"Yeah, just... looking at something," I answered, catching up to him. "...I think this is an abandoned diamond dog mine shaft. I don't know of anything else that digs huge tunnel networks like this."

Happy made an acknowledging sound, but did not comment further.

As we drew deeper underground, the branching tunnels started to jut out from the main path at all angles, and in a multitude of sizes. It gave me the vibe of being inside a giant ant hill or something. The dogs certainly weren't big on organized digging, and it was a wonder they didn't cause cave ins on a more regular basis. Through it all though, Happy never hesitated when he had to choose a direction.

He claimed that changelings don't have telepathy, but clearly they can still communicate remotely to some degree.

My thought was proven right, as far as I was concerned, not long after when we passed another set of branching tunnels. My brain had just enough time to register the sound of buzzing wings before the back of my head erupted in pain.

---

*Groan* When did I fall asleep? I groggily thought, rolling onto my- "Fuck!" I shouted, bolting upright and bringing a hoof to the horrible bruise on the back of my head. "Where the hell did this come... from..." I trailed off, finally opening my eyes for long enough to see where I was.

It was a small alcove of rock, with a ceiling I must have just barely missed headbutting when I shot upright. The lighting was dim, yellow, and flickering slightly, indicating torchlight.

"I'll get the captain." Turning around towards the voice, I saw two changelings standing on the other side of the iron bars to what I now realized was a cell. They were each wearing some form of armor consisting of a simple open-faced helmet, a chest plate, and ...back armor, I guess you'd call it, with openings to let their wings through. One started walking away, while the other nodded in acknowledgment before turning to face me. He proceeded to stare at me without saying a word... it was kind of creepy. Especially since the torch was on the opposite wall, causing the shadows to completely conceal his face, leaving only the barest glint of light reflecting off of his eyes.

fortunately for me, I've always felt anger much more strongly than fear.

"Fuck you assholes!" I shouted, using a foreleg to kick some dirt at him through the bars. "Why the hell do you people keep attacking me! First Ass-Face tries to kill me, or whatever his name was, then you give me a fucking concussion! You could have given me brain damage! Jesus fucking Christ, I might have brain damage now for all I know!" I yelled, feeling at my bruise again- "Dammit!" I shouted again, taking the hard hoof away from the back of my head, "Hooves fucking suck!"

Neither the clump of dirt or my yelling seemed to be fazing him. This guard was apparently quite good at his job.

"Screw you!" I yelled again, throwing another bit of dirt at him. "Take me to the queen, I want to talk to-"

"The Captain will be here shortly to deal with-"

"Piss on your useless Captain!" I loudly interrupted, "let me out of here before I turn your chitin into graphite!" I threatened, banging a hoof against one of the bars with a loud clang. "This isn't how you treat someone who's trying to help you, you paranoid fucks!" It seemed he'd gone back to ignoring me. He likely wasn't going to do anything until I actually tried to escape or attack him. "Grr... At least let me see Emulate. Let me talk to-"

"The traitor is not here, unicorn." Looking towards the voice, I saw the other guard return, accompanied by another armored changeling. This one was obviously the captain, from the roman-style mohawk attached to his helmet. "...Many of us are not here," he said, his voice calm and collected as he stopping in front of my cell, although the words themselves made my heart skip a beat.

"You don't mean..?"

"During the fighting, and our subsequent flight from the forest, many changelings were captured," he replied.

"Oh thank god," I muttered, lowering my head with a sigh of relief. "Let me out of here," I said, looking back up at him, "we need to rescue them, I can help you-"

"We need to rescue them, yes," he cut me off. "...But as for you," he continued, disdain thick in his voice, "...the last time I saw you, you assaulted our Queen, and then went on to make one of our own betray our secrecy!" He shouted, wings buzzing in agitation for a moment before settling back down. "Give me one good reason not to have you killed right now, before you can do any more harm."

"She didn't betray anything! She believed in my promise, and I followed through! It's not my fault that you're too-"

"'Not your fault'!" He cut me off in a mocking tone. "What a petulant answer! Happy's told me all about your little deed... and about your worthless excuses!" He barked, marching right up to the bars so he could yell directly into my face. "'If only you'd asked around'," he continued, once more mocking. "'They'd've pointed you right to me', are you truly so inept! You told Emulate to meet you in Ponyville... and that was all you said. You gave no other information, no meeting place, no time of day or night, nothing! Do you not know how suspicious that is? And you still expected us to go out of our way to trust you?"

"But, I-!"

"But nothing!" He again cut me off. "And to top it all off, you were waiting for her outside of the town itself, at a location neither she, nor any of us had any way of knowing about! You may have gone through with your 'purchase', but you demonstrated a supreme lack of initiative in following through with your word! That kind of willful incompetence is just as bad as if you'd been lying in the first place!"

"But I didn't lie-!"

"Do you really think that even matters anymore!" He shouted, pounding the ground with a hoof as his wings buzzed angrily. There was a pause as the lingering echos of his voice faded. After a moment, he continued, his voice heavy with exhaustion... "The only home we've ever had was just destroyed, leaving us trapped in enemy territory... We have hundreds of injured, and dozens more who were captured... You have brought nothing but pain and despair on our hive, and I cannot afford to waste any more time on you. Normally, we would just erase your memories... the dead provide us nothing, after all... But you have shown yourself to be too much of a nuisance in that regard."

"You're right," I started, heart pounding hard in my chest, "I can't fix the past, but I can still help!"

His horn started to glow, casting his face in a sickly green light as he charged a spell. A moment later, the two guards followed suit.

"Killing me won't help anything!" I shouted, backing away from the bars as I started charging my own horn to defend myself. "It won't get your people back! It won't get your life back!"

"You don't have anything to bargain with. How can a social outcast with no connections help us? Your just a loose end," he replied.

"Because I'm not a changeling! It's only a matter of time before they develop a method of detecting you in disguise, and when that happens, you'll all be finished! You're going to need someone on the outside!"

He narrowed his eyes at me, but unless it just takes an abnormally long time to charge that spell, it looked like he was listening.

"...How do I know you don't intend to betray us?"

"If I wanted to betray you, I could have done it a dozen times before now. Why would I risk coming here at all if I didn't mean what I said?"

"So you would know our location, for one."

"Than I could have just killed Happy and gone back after he showed me the entrance to these tunnels," I replied, letting the energy built up in my horn dissipate. "You can feel my emotions, you know you can trust me. You're just reaching for excuses now, I can tell from the way you're talking... I know how important the safety of your people must be to you, but please don't let that commitment to your duty blind you to a genuine offer for help," I pleaded, moving right up to the bars. Too close to dodge.

"...No one helps us," he countered.

"There's a first time for everything."

For several seconds our eyes stayed locked as I met his glare with a steady gaze. Soon, the light faded from his face as he released the charge built up in his horn. The two guards followed his lead a moment later, leaving only the light of the torch once again.

"...I will consult with the Queen on this," he said, walking away. "...She will decide your fate." He stopped, just before leaving the room, giving one final warning, "...Do not attempt to escape."

I didn't think I would need to.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the short chapter, but I thought this would be a good place to cut it off. I'll try to aim for mid April with the next chapter. A big thanks to everyone who still has an interest in this story

Comments

[Dr_D]

e.lvme.me/daggjup.jpg

[Sir Appleslice]

Dont know how i found this story, but im glad that i found it. And that it is not dead.

[Razzy]

Once they find a way to strip changeling disguises or detect them, changelings will do what they've always done - change. If ponies can devise ways of detection, changelings can just add really devise ways to stay hidden.