With the Queen incapacitated, she turns to one of her few subjects who is still in good health to deliver a treaty to the princess, only problem is that the changeling has a phobia for that hatchling eater.
Stan was one of the lucky ones to make it out of the Canterlot disaster unscathed, unfortunately for him that means he now has to deliver a treaty to the princess. Who happens to be one of his most deepest darkest fears.
Every changeling in the room jumped as Stan yelled at his crippled queen. After realizing that, Stan recoiled and said, “I-I’m sorry queen, it's just that...It's just that I don't want to.”
“Stan…” His queen said. “You’re one of the few changelings who can still walk on all fours, you are perfectly capable to handle such a mission.”
“No, I’m not.” Stan looked around his fellow brothers and sisters, most of them we either sleeping, awake, or still in a coma, and almost all of them had a bandage on them, or a limb missing since it was no longer useful to them. Every single one of them were looking at him with eyes filled with desperation.
One of them craned his neck toward him and said, “Yes you are, ya got four legs, you can use them.”
Another one shouted, “And you have wings too, some of us only have one, even more have none.”
“And your eyes have depth perception,” Yet another said. “unlike mine which only has one eye working.” Another yelled.
Stan was darting his eyes around as his siblings continued to rabble. All of his brothers and sisters have been brought here to witness what plan the queen had after the Canterlot disaster, but after she told them about it, most of them thought she hit the side of the cave too hard, and her brain had come up with it while she was still dazed.
Her plan was a desperate one and it was too risky, but after some discussion they knew there was no other option. The only way their species could survive is by getting help. They needed to make a treaty.
They had taken a massive beating after that attack; only a small hoof full of changelings were able to walk after the massive surge of energy came crashing toward them, the only reason Stan was still standing was because a hole in his hoof decided to catch a branch before he could land on a pile of rocks. Unfortunately for him, a couple of his siblings weren’t so lucky at catching branches as they fell toward him, several of them landing on the rocks. Stan could swear he could still hear the bones snapping and cries of pain.
The queen raised a hoof, motioning for her children to stop yelling, grunting in pain as she did. One of her helpers, who was in the same conditions that Stan was, helped lower her arm to a more comfortable position. After a thankful nod to her helper she looked back at Stan. “Listen to me my child, right now, every single one of us is dying.”
“B-but you’re all gonna get better...Right?” Stan gave a weak smile and looked around, none of his siblings smiled back.
“I wish I could agree with you,” His queen continued. “but as you can see, many of us can't even move, even I can’t raise a limb without help.” She looked toward her helpers, one of them smiled while the other two looked at her in pity.
“But why me.” Stan pointed at one of her three helpers. “Why can’t she do it?”
The helper crossed her arms and looked her queen, making Chrysalis sigh. “She can't do it because she actually knows how to take care of a broken bone.”
Stan opened his mouth to object, but he closed it after realizing it wouldn't help. He didn’t know anything about being a healer, the only skill he had was sneaking around, he was glad to know his small size gave him that talent, now if only he had more muscle.
“And Stan,” One of the other helpers said. “besides us, the other three non-incapacitated changelings are too busy helping with the hatchlings; you are the only one who doesn’t have a job in this hive right now.”
Stan raised his hoof in the air. “I do have a job! I take care of...no...I uh, I do the...no...I guard the…” He lowered his arm in defeat.
“You have no job child,” His queen said blankly. “but this is something you can do, and it might just be the most important job anyling has ever done.”
Stan groaned. “All I’m doing is delivering mail.”
His queen turned toward one of her helpers. “Bring me something to write with.” She said. The changeling bowed and flew off; Chrysalis turned toward Stan again. “This is no mail my son, this is an important message, one that must be treated with the utmost care, remember that when you are leaving.”
Stan rapidly shook his head. “I told you, I’m not going.” He started thinking of a way out of this. “W-what if I got caught by the guards, they could lock me away forever.”
One of Chrysalis’ helpers came back with with a jar of ink and a book stolen from the Canterlot library. “This was all I could find my queen.” He said in sorrow.
The queen smiled. “That will do, my caretaker.” Using all her strength, she lit up her horn and levitated the jar and book to her, she took out a piece of her hair and used it as a quill as she wrote on the back of a page in the book. “Listen to me my son, as I said before, you are to take this to the princess up in Canterlot as soon as possible.”
Stan's heart skipped a beat once she said princess. He started thinking that giving it to the guards wasn’t a bad idea. “C-can't I just give it to the guards and have them deliver it to-”
The queen paused for a bit to relieve herself from the pain of using her magic. “No, I don’t trust them, if you give this to them they might just rip it to shreds, plus you said they could keep you prisoner, so you must give it to her in changeling.”
“But what if she kills me on the spot!?” Stan blurted out. He glanced around to see a few of his siblings give in awkward stares, even the queen raised an eyebrow.
“What makes you think that?” She questioned. “I know she might hate us for what we’ve...I’ve done...but I’m sure she will show some mercy if you tell her why you came.” She looked down and mumbled. “At least, I hope she will.”
“b-but..but..but…” Stan was starting to stutter, every part of him didn’t want to go, it wasn’t because of the long journey or sneaking through Canterlot, but it was because of the destination. "The princess...She'll-"
The queen put down the strand of hair and magically rolled the written paper “Stan, Please..Don’t make a queen beg for one of her subjects to help.” Stan stared deep into the eyes of his queen, he could see nothing but sorrow in them, he could almost see a tear too.
“Queen...Its just that...that princess…” He looked away shivered once he said that word.
“I’m sure she’ll understand. She has subjects as well,” Chrysalis looked around the room at her many changelings. “though they may be in a better state than us.”
Stan continued to shake, the more he thought about it the more he wanted to not go through with it. He heard all about that princess. His fellow brothers and sisters told stories about the white tyrant, and what she did to changelings who-
“Stan.”
He shook his head and looked back at Chrysalis. “Y-yes?”
The queen levitated the rolled up page to him. “Take this and go.” She said in the most serious tone of voice. Stan took hold of the page and gulped, knowing now there was no way back. “please go, go and...and...and...” Her voice started trailing off and her eyes started to close.
The whole crowd of changelings started shouting, “Queen? What's wrong? Are you alright?” in a mixture of voices, and before any could move, Chrysalis’ head collapsed on her resting bed.
Gasps were heard and voices started raising. Stan started backing up with the paper in one of the holes in his hoof. “Calm down everyling!” One of her caretakers yelled. “She just passed out from the pain, no need to panic. You!” Stan flinched as the caretaker pointed at him, every blue eye in the room was looking at him. “Go take that letter to her, and hurry!”
"But-"
"Do it for the swarm!"
Stan’s mind went into autopilot as he flew away from the scene, he kept flying past many of his siblings who were still bedridden. As soon as he was outside, he collapses on a nearby tree from the amount of stress and the small workout on his wings.
He looked up at the night sky and sighed. “Of all the changelings,” He said. “in all the world, she picks the one who has a fear of that.....hatchling eater…” He shivered once he said that, then he closed his eyes and drifted off into his deep slumber, not wanting to face the journey he would soon make.
“Well...This is it.” Stan looked up at the large pair of doors to the castle. He held the paper tight in his grip, hoping it would save him from whatever he was soon to face. He took a deep breath, and walked up to the door.
He raised one of his hooves and gently knocked. He stood there listening for a couple seconds before saying, “Welp, looks like no one’s home.” He quickly turned and started walking down the flight of stairs, but then the pair of door swung open, stopping him dead in his tracks. He turned around and looked past the doors into the dark abyss. He gulped, knowing he would have to walk in now.
He took his first step inside. “H-hello?” He whispered, wanting now answer. He took another step. “Hel-”
Suddenly, the doors slammed behind him, he yelped and flew into the dark air. He looked around get a scene of his surroundings, but there wasn’t a source of light anywhere. He started panicking, looking everywhere for something that he could see. Anything.
Then his ears twitched. He immediately stopped flying and crashed down on the hard floor. He rubbed his flank while his ears continued to twitching, he could swear that he was hearing some weird music in the background. “Is..Is someling ther-”
A bright light that shined above interrupted him, before he could ask where it was coming from, a voice all too familiar to him started talking.
“Well, well well,” It said. “what do we have here
a little changeling, huh?
Oh! I’m just so scared
so you’re the big brave bug commin’ into my home
AH HAHAHA!”
Stan jolted as another bright light shined on a figure that he knew all too well. It was her. In all her winged, horned, rainbow hair flowing, white coated glory.
“You’re joking,” She said. “you’re joking
I can't believe my eyes
You’re kidding me, you gotta be
there's no way this bug will survive”
Stan could feel an aura begin to surround him. before he could react, he felt his entire body get moved from one place to another. he shut his eyes, not wanting to see anything.
“He’s scared stiff, and smells tasty
I wonder what I'll do next
perhaps I should rip him apart?
no, I don’t want to create a mess.”
Stan eyes were forcibly opened by her magic, and in an instant he screamed in fear as he came face to face with the princess, her white sharp teeth and glowing red eyes were enough to make him petrified with fear.
“When the princess of Equestria
feels a changeling in the area
you’d better start worrying now
because I’m Celestia.
And if you are afraid,
which I think you might be
you’d better start realizing
you’ll be dying by the hooves of me.”
She then grabbed Stan by his arms and started dancing, spinning him a couple times and then stopping mid way to look him in his eyes. Stan couldn’t move the entire time due to the constant fear in his mind.
“And if I’m feeling hungry,
or I need a snack or two
I might whip up a delicious batch
of young hatchling stew.”
Instantly, Stan found himself in front of a boiling cauldron filled with green liquid, with the white tyrant stirring it.
“And don’t you know the one thing
that would make it oh so nice,”
She magically grabbed Stan and brought him up to eye level.
“a lovely little changeling
to add a little spice.”
She then threw him at wall, where he slumped down to the bottom of it as she cackled with laughter. Stan lowered his ears and tried to think of a way out of this, then he remembered the treaty.
“Listen princess” he said “I have something
to show that we mean no heresy.”
He held up the treaty for her to see.
“this paper says that we want peace
so please just show some mercy.”
The princess only laughed more and levitated him again, slowly pulling him toward her.
You’re joking! you’re joking.
I can't believe what you've been tellin’
Guards! Quick! Tie him up,
before I start to kill him.”
Within seconds, a dozen guards came charging at him at full speed. Stan could feel his entire body get hit like a freight train, he tried to struggle but the red eyes from the princess kept him still.
“Its funny.” She said. “I’ve been laughing,
little bug, you’re becoming too much,”
The guards backed off and she came face to face with the petrified changeling.
so, without your permission
I’m going to do my stuff.”
Stan closed his eyes and looked away as she glided her long green tongue across his face. “What..What are you going to do?”
Celestia giggled. “I’m gonna do the best I can.” With her horn ablaze with magic, she picked him up and turned him upside down, he started struggling again, but the rope made sure that wasn’t going to happen. After realizing he was doomed he decided to at least look at what was going to kill him, he gasped in surprise to see that he was now being suspended right above the cauldron full of his dead siblings. Before he could plead, Celestia rose behind him and continued to sing.
“NEHAHAHHA, the sound of your cries and struggles,
are like music in the air
cause I’m an evil princess
so of course I don’t play fair.”
She grabbed Stan’s side and put on an evil smile.
“but its much more fun, I must confess
when a life is on the line
not mine, of course, but yours, little one
now that would be just fine.”
Stan’s heart was beating faster than ever, and he was starting to breath too hard. He swallowed and said,
“Princess, please stop doing this to me,
I’m only here to give you a treaty.”
The princess continued grinning and held up the paper with her magic.
“Oh little bug,” She said, bursting the page into flames. “you’re something
you put me in a spin,”
She used all her strength in her arm to spin Stan around in the air.
“and you don’t seem to be comprehending
the position that you’re in.”
He stopped spinning and his eyes adjusted to see the pair of red eyes again.
“It’s hopeless.” She said. “You’re finished.
I hope your body’s ready
because I’m the Evil Tyrant Tia,
and you’ll make a nice room
In. My. Belly."
She cackled with laughter as she released Stan, making him scream as he started falling closer and closer to the green goo. All he could do now was close his eyes and wait for the inevitable. Which should be happening any second now….Any second now.
“Ow...” Stan yelled as he rubbed his head. He opened his eyes and panted his lungs out. He looked around to see that he was no longer tied up or in a dark castle, but in the forest. He breathed a hefty sigh. “Thank the Queen, it was just a dream.” He said, giving a nervous laugh.
He stood up and looked up, now seeing what happened. “Must've made my way on the branch last night." He groaned. "Curse my sleep flying syndrome.” He rubbed his head and started making his way out of the forest, but as he continued walking, something in the back of his mind told him to go back home, and that that dream of his could come true. He just shook that thought out of his head and kept walking. This was a fear he had to face. “For the swarm.” He said to himself, but not before throwing up in a nearby bush.
Stan was starting to lose the feeling in his hooves. He was flying for a couple hours before his wings gave out, so he stuck to walking, luckily for him he managed to get out of the forest so now he was just on the outskirts, but now his arms and legs were starting to feel the burn. The worst part wasn’t just the pain in his body, or the fear in his mind, it was something greater than that.
He had absolutely no idea where he was going. He knew what the place looked like, but when he and his siblings were flying to Canterlot, he spaced out through the whole trip; it wasn’t like he was ever gonna go back anyway.
“Oh yeah.” He said. “I do need to go back.” He flung his body on a nearby hill and laid their in pain. “This is so pointless!” He yelled. “Why does the Queen think that she’ll even agree, she hates changelings.” He rubbed his hooves, trying to get some strength in them again. “That princess will just…”
He stopped rubbing, he felt something, something in the ground, it wouldn’t stop vibrating, and he knew exactly what it was. “Oh Chrysie.” He whispered. “She’s right under me!” She must've heard him when he was yelling. his mind was now bringing images of the dream last night into his head.
He activated fight or flight mode and went with the latter as he flew into the air, hitting his head on a tree branch in the process. He clung to it like a helpless hatchling clinging to a caretaker. “Oh for queens sake don’t find me…”
He trembled in fear and closed his eye, hoping for it to go away, but he could still feel the vibrations even though he was in a tree. He could almost hear her laughter, the horrible cheesy song, the galloping of her hooves, her whistle, and…
“Wait, does she whistle?” Stan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the area. “Whew, no princess, just a train.” He glanced over at the hill side to see train tracks mounted on the top, and a train was soon to pass. "Wait..a train." He smiled, knowing now he would be getting a free ride.
He leaped off the tree and flopped on the hillside again, making sure the train drivers couldn’t see him, he felt the whole ground shake as the train finally passed him. The loud sounds were forcing his ears to fold down. He craned his neck to the left to see just how long this train was.
“It seems normal size," He murmured "about ten carts..." but that didn’t matter to him, he put on an sly face as the last cart pasted him and charged at the caboose while running on the tracks, he would've used his wings but they were still resting. His hooves were already starting to give in too.
“Come on Stan, you can make this...Just...pretend you’re being chased by…” His eyes went wide as that thought came to mind. In shock, he looked backwards to see the crazed alicorn chasing him, her eyes ablaze, her fangs razor sharp, and her green serpent-like tongue gliding across them.
“I gotcha now, little bug”
Within seconds, Stan's eyes closed and his wings flew open. Before he knew it he was hanging on to the door of the train cart. It took him some time to open his eyes (even more for him to stop shaking,) but as they did, he looked in all directions for that changeling chomper. “W-where did she go?” He asked himself. “D-d-did she fly away? Well forget this.” Without another word, he flung open the door and dove right in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A pony panted heavily in front of a sink, thinking that any moment now that ‘they’ will find out. “Okay...Deep breaths, they don’t know yet...For all you know...they are completely oblivious.” He looked up at the mirror and frowned. “How can anyling fall for this.” He groaned and slumped down to the floor of the bathroom. “Oh, who am I kidding, they will find out, any minute now they’ll just burst through the d-”
*BASH*
The pony fell to the floor and shielded his face from the pain that he thought would soon come. “Okay okay! I confess...I’m...I’m a...ah....wait…what?” He lowered his hoof to see a creature he hadn’t seen in a long time, one he had thought was now long gone, a beast that he knew couldn’t be real. “Brot-”
Before he could make another sound, the creature leapt right on top of him and looked deep into his eyes. “You didn’t see anything ya groundwalker!” The black bug yelled. “If you so much as...wait…” The bug squinted his eyes at the pony, the stallion was starting to get a bit nervous.
“They hatch from a cave.” The bug whispered.
The pony’s eyes lit up. “Only on the walls.” He whispered back.
The bug then picked him up by his shoulders and brought him to his feet. “What is a changeling like you doing on a train.” The changeling said in a serious tone. He knew this pony was an impostor since he knew about the counter response to his statement.
The impostor pony gulped. “Well, you know...just...starting over.” He looked down on the floor. “So how are you doing, Stan?" He gave a grin, that then went away as his brother smacked him across the face, dropping his disguise in the process.
“I’m doing horrible Carl,” Stan said. “right now I need to deliver this” He held up the paper with his magic. “To a princess.” He lowered the paper and put his face inches away from Carl. “but besides that, I’m just fine. So, how's the whole 'creating a new life and abandoning us' going?”
“I-I didn’t abandon you guys.” Carl darted his eyes back and forth. “I just...knew what was gonna happen and just...went with it.” He tried to smile, but Stan’s face was starting to make that too difficult. "I-I even have a job as Jr. train operator."
Stan stepped back and closed the door. “So you left us, you and about a bunch of other brothers and sisters who decided that leaving the hive and helping themselves would be a better idea than helping us.”
Carl stepped forward. “You don’t understand Stan. I-”
Stan put a hoof in his mouth. “I don’t want to hear it, and frankly, I don’t care; So do you think you can help me?” Stan just wanted to get this behind him, normally he would want to hear all about how this traitor of a bug decided to leave them, but right now, he just wanted this paper to be in that monster's white hooves.
Carl spit in the sink and looked back at him. “You’re just delivering a letter to that purple alicorn right, I don’t see how I could help?”
“All you’ll be doing is getting me off this this...purple alicorn?” Stan raised one of his eyes to simulate a raised eyebrow. “No, I’m giving it to...well...you know.”
“The pink one?”
“No.”
“The dark blue one?”
“No!”
“Oh! the white one.” Carl smiled. “What was her name again?”
Stan's back legs were starting to shake. This was becoming too much for him, he was trying to pull of this tough guy act in front of this bug, but right now, he was starting to get a little big scared. “I...can’t really remember.”
“Oh wait, I know.” Carl ran up to Stan and smiled. “She’s that hatchling eater right?”
Stan immediately pushed him away. “She’s not...a…a...” He could feel his heart beating already.
“Come on Stan.” Carl flapped his wings and looked down on his sibling. “You remember that story.”
Stan’s lungs were starting to work in overdrive. “N-no I don’t, a-and I don't want to.”
Carl landed next to him and wrapped his arm around his neck. “Oh come on, that story was one of the best ones our older brothers told us. They really kept us up at night, huh?”
“...Right” Stan put on a weak smile and gulped, he knew all too well about that story, and how his brothers went into as much detail as possible when telling it.
“But us being older, we know she doesn't actually eat changelings.”
Stan started to sweat. “Carl.”
“Or that she doesn’t actually rip them apart with her bare hooves.”
“C-Carl.”
“Or that her eyes can't melt your brain.”
“Carl.”
“Or that her teeth can't chew through-”
“CARL!” Stan yelled as he flew into the air, hovering over his sibling. “I don’t want to hear it.” He landed in front of him and sighed.
“You okay, you know it was just a stor-”
“Its not just a story Carl!” Stan started breathing heavily.
Carl recoiled from Stan's constant outbursts. “Easy Stan, I’m just trying to remind you of the good old days.”
“Carl,” Stan said blankly. “all I want to do right now, is take this paper to her.”
“Why?” Carl took the paper from his hooves and looked at it. “What's it about?”
Stan grabbed the paper from him and snarled. “It's a...it's nothing.” Stan knew that if he got him involved with this, Carl would most likely be killed by that white tyrant, she goes after the dumb ones first anyhow, and as much as Stan wanted to, he knew it wasn’t right.
“Alright, fine. If you don't want to tell me, that's okay.” Carl started making his way to the door. “Welp, good luck with that brother.” He changed back into his disguise and opened the door. “This train is heading for Canterlot anyway, so I hope you have fun on your little journey.”
“Carl-”
*SLAM*
Stan groaned. “UGH, stupid insect.” He turned on the sink and started washing his face. “Maybe I should let him come with me, it would at least buy me some time to run from that beast, how long would it take for her to eat him though?”
“I’d rather have you little one”
Stan instantly raised his head and looked at the mirror to see the Princess looking deep into his soul. He screamed and fell to the floor panting.
After a few seconds, he got enough courage to stand up and look at the mirror again, only this time he could see himself. He sighed and said. “It's just a story Stan...just a story…” He turned and walked out of the bathroom, but not before retching into the sink first.
The guard rolled his eyes. “ID. You know, the card that tells us who you are?” He tapped his hoof on the ground impatiently, eyeing the mare and the stallion in front of him.
Carl and Stan just looked at each other, their disguised pony faces had signs of worry. “What do you mean?” Carl said in the most high pitched voice possible. “My names Carly and this is my….coltfriend Stanley.” He wrapped an arm around ‘Stanley’s’ neck and smiled.
The guard shook his head. “That’s not enough, I need a photo with info. For all we know,” He pointed at Stan. “this stallion could be a changeling.”
“Nice rhymes.” Carl said.
Stan glared at him. “And just what is wrong with being a cha-”
Carl put his other hoof in Stan’s mouth. “Um..What he meant to say was that we...left it on the train, yes, be right back.” Without another word, Carl dragged Stan into the train cart, leaving the guard to sit there and continue waiting.
As soon as he slammed the door shut, Stan spit Carl’s hoof out of his mouth and turned to him. “Why didn’t you tell me they need ID now?”
Carl readjusted his long mane and said. “You didn’t ask.”
Stan yanked on Carl's hair in anger, making him yelp in pain “That information would have been useful!”
Carl yanked his fake hair away from his grip. “OW! Hey, fake or not, hair still hurts when you pull it ya know.”
Stan smiled. “Well, if you picked scissors instead of rock, then maybe you wouldn’t be a mare right now.”
Carl rolled his eyes. “Well how was I supposed to know you would pick paper. Who picks that?"
“You weren’t Now, how do we get out of this?”
“Hey, don’t look at me, you’re the stealthy one, you think of something.”
Stan tapped his chin. This wasn’t something he dealt with before, admittedly he has only been out of the cave three times, not including this or the attack, so he wasn’t sure how to handle this. While he thought of something, Carl glanced outside, making his eyes go wide with fear. “Uh, Stan?”
“Shush,” Stan closed his eyes. “I’m still thinking.”
“Well, could you think faster.” Carl started backing away from the window.
“A plan wasn’t made in minutes, Carl.”
“Well, I don’t think we have minutes, Stan.”
Stan opened his eyes and looked at him. “Why?” Carl motioned Stan to come closer and look outside the window. As he did, he put on the same expression Carl had.
“Looks like the guard is a little bit suspicious about us.”
Stan took his eyes off of the dozens of guards standing outside of the train and looked at Carl in annoyance. “You think?”
They backed away from the window and sat next to the door. “Welp,” Carl shrugged. “I knew this was gonna happen sooner or later, should we go quietly or fight for it? I prefer going quietly, at least the princess won't-”
Stan slapped Carl across the face. “If you mention her one more time...fight...Wait a minute, I have an idea. Carl quick, disguise as me.”
The guard continued to tap his hoof impatiently. “How long does it take a pair of changelings to realize they're trapped.”
One of them chuckled. “One’s that try to think of something. Trust me captain, I’m sure any minute now they’ll be walking out nonchalantly and saying how they left it at ho-”
Suddenly, the door burst open, making all the guards jump into attention. A stallion landed on the ground in agony.
Before the guards could react, another stallion who looked just like the one on the ground walked outside and said. “I should've know it was you!”
The pony on the ground got up. “Me? For it is surely you who is the fake one.” He turned to the guards and grabbed one of them by the neck. “Guards, arrest this pony impostor, he was gonna tie me up and take my ID.”
“Nay! Take him, for he was about to get the jump on me and make a run for it.” Both the ponies started circling one another, leaving the guards to look at the scene in astonishment.
“Oh, surely you jest changeling, you must understand that a pony has his ID on him at all times, unlike you who just sits around and feeds on love."
“NO! For it is you who does...that…” The stallion looked around in worry. “F-for you most likely sit in a cave and..and...feast off the living.”
“You are filled with lies, changeling, I am one-hundred percent pony, these lies are a shame to me, for that!” The stallion turned around and took hold of a spear one of the guards were holding. “I challenge you to...The death!”
The guards and other ponies who were starting to crowd around them gasped, all of them were unable to understand the situation. The other pony looked around and rolled his eyes.
“So be it impostor me,” He said. “for your death shall be one long remembered.” He made his way to another guard and reached for his weapon. “For you will die by the hooves of this!” He pulled out the guard’s dagger and looked at it in surprised. he nervously laughed. “Um...not that one...This one!” He gave the dagger back and pulled out his sword.
The guard put his dagger away and walked up to the impostor with a sword. “Will the both of you calm down, let us handle-” Before he could get another word out, the pony shoved him out of the way and lunged toward his double, the one with the spear dodged and barreled out of the group of guards. Crashing into a nearby cart of fruit. He got back up and held his sword into the air.
“Is that all ya got, impostor!” He yelled while he started backing away.
The one with the spear moved his way out of the crowd of guards and ponies and walked to his double. “You have yet to see the fullest extent of my power bug.” He lunged again, this time making contact with his doppelganger's sword, causing both of them to land on the ground.
“You really think this will work?” The one on top whispered while their weapons grinded against one another.
“Trust me,” Stan said, making sure he didn’t put too much strength in his sword. “This will work, just make sure we don’t attract too much attention, now…” He flung Stan off of him and got back up on his hooves. “May you burn in Tartarus for your crimes of espionage, you insect.”
Carl smiled and stood back up “Not if I burn you first you, traitor!” They then lunged at one another, making metal clash and ponies stare in amazement, and making sure to bring the fight toward the castle before they end it.
“I have fought your sister, or your brother, it’s hard to tell the difference between you bugs.”
Stan rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it…” He then noticed the watchful eyes of the crowd. Almost all of them looked at the pair in awe, while others started eating popcorn. As for the guards, they just facehoofed. “I-I mean, You dare call me a changeling yet again, for that I shall have your head.” Stan swung his sword and intentionally hit it against Carl’s spear.
“Perhaps if you aimed for my head you would've had it by now.” Carl flung Stan’s sword into a wall with his spear. “Oh ho, for now you are disarmed changeling!” Carl held his weapon in front of Stan’s face.
Stan looked around, seeing that now an entire crowd of ponies were gathering around them, he was starting to realize it was going to be a lot harder to get out of this. “Think I’m disarmed, do you?” Stan ran out of the crowd and into a guard. “Do you mind if I take this?” He took hold of the spear he was holding.
“Yes, actually, I do mind.” The guard yelled as he struggled to hold his weapon. Both were fighting over it until Carl gave a warriors yell and charged toward them. Realizing that it would be futile, the guard let go, making Stan land on the ground and Carl charge out of the group of ponies instead of charging into Stan.
“HA! Your bug eyes must be effecting your vision.” Stan rose to his feet and held his spear erect to his brother.
Carl stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. “You best give up now and surrender changeling, the princess might go easy on you.”
Stan’s whole body went tense when he said that. “Um...surely the….p-princess will...uh…come on Stan, stay in character."
“Or perhaps she will slay you like the rest of your kind.”
Stan started breathing heavy. “She...She will...uh…” Stan was trying to form words, but his mind was too busy thinking about what the princess would do to him if he actually got caught.
“I’m sure the princess will show no mercy for you.”
“Indeed; I won’t, little bug”
Stan snapped at that point. His left eye twitched and his face was filled with fright. “THE PRINCESS WILL NEVER TAKE ME!” Stan screamed with tears in his eyes. “None of you will!” Stan dropped the weapon and ran past Carl screaming all the way, leaving Carl to stand by the crowd alone.
After a long and awkward silence. Carl looked back at the crowd, seeing that most of them were starting to understand the little scheme that he and his brother put together. Carl smiled and started stepping away. “Well, uh...looks like he was truly the changeling after all. Y-You all can, uh, go back to whatever it is you ponies do.” He dropped the spear and clamped his mouth shut once he said that.
A guard stepped forward from the crowd and said. “What do you mean, ‘you ponies’?”
Carl continued stepping back, looking for a way out of this. “Wha-What do you mean..’You ponies.’” He felt his flank hit the side of the building, making him yelp.
The guard slowly walked toward him, with several other ponies doing the same. “Where’s your ID, changeling?”
Stan continued to scream and run from what he thought would be his death, he barreled through streets and knocked over various foods and trinkets the shop vendors were selling. “You-you will n-never h-h-have me for a meal you...you tyrant!” He screamed in the air, making ponies from all around him gave him looks of either worry, fright, or 'what is wrong with that pony'?
Stan turned away from all the attention and went into a dark alley, crashing into a trash can in the process, and dropping the paper as well.
As he laid in the pile of trash he tried to get his breathing and heart rate back to normal. “I-Its okay...she...she can’t find you here….you’re….you’re safe…” He smiled and breathed a hefty sigh; then snapped his mind back to attention. “Wait...w-where’s the paper!”
He spun around looked in all directions to find the treaty, he rummaged through the trash, but to no avail. It wasn't until he tossed a trash can, having the lid land on his head, out of the way to finally find it. He gasped.
“Oh...no...no, nonononoNONONO NO!” He ran up to the now water soaked paper. He held it in his magic and unrolled it to see of the words were now illegible, the water completely ruined it, the ink was dripping down the page, and now the words were no longer there. He slumped down, unable to comprehend that this happened. “No...oh for Chrysie’s sake no. It can't get any worse.”
“Yes it can...”
Stan stood in attention, only to get the lid of the trash can to cover his eyes. He slowly looked behind him and tipped the lid to look at his worst fear st right in her glowing red eyes. She leaned in on his ear and whispered.
“Run…”
“O-okay…” Stan screamed like a hatchling and ran past her, dropping his disguise in the process, and crashing into something both soft and hard. Before he could see what it was, he felt something crash into him with a lot of force, pinning him into the ground. Stan quickly put two and two together to realize that the royal guard finally got him. He struggled, but the pony on top of him must've weighed a ton to keep him in place.
“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Stan’s ear stems went up as soon as he heard those words, he was slightly relieved to know it wasn't that nymph muncher's voice, but a rugged stallion, who was the one holding him in place and staring down on him. “About time you gave up. I was thinkin’ your brother was the only one who had some sense in his head.” The guard turned around and whistled.
Stan craned his neck to see Carl in chains from his neck to his hooves. Stan tried to make eye contact, but Carl kept looking at the ground in shame. Stan looked back at the guard. “You let us go.” he snarled.
The guard chuckled. “We’ll let you go when we reach the castle.” He leaned into his ear and whispered, “I’m sure our princess would love to have a word with the two of you."
Stan immediately went into a frenzy and pushed the guard off of him. He flailed around and screamed, shouting, “NO! YOU’RE NOT TAKING ME ALIVE!” and, "You're not turning me into another meal!" The other guards struggled to keep him in place. Carl could only watch in horror as his brother was starting to go borderline insane.
“What do we do captain!” One of the guards, who was trying to restrain him, yelled. “This bug is crazy!”
“Knock him out or something cadet!” The captain yelled.
The next thing Stan felt was something cold and hard hit him against the head. As he started losing consciousness, he could only hear two things, his brother screaming his name, and a soft but evil voice whisper...
Stan could only hear the clopping of hooves. He tried to open his eyes, but he was finding them hard to open with a green light shining in his face, and his whole body was finding it hard to move as well.
“Stan? Come on buddy, don't die on me.”
Stan eyes finally adjusted, he was now starting to see who was talking and why he couldn’t move. “C-Carl…” Stan’s mouth felt dry as he spoke. He looked down from the weight of his neck and saw that he was tied up in chains, and that he was sitting upright in a cold steel chair.
Carl breathed a hefty sigh. “Oh thank Chrysie. Alright, come on Stan, get up.” Stan assumed it was Carl who grabbed him and started pulling him up. He stood up in a bipedal position, wobbling a bit before he got his stance. “Steady now, steady."
“W-where am I?” Stan asked.
Carl turned to look at the darkness around them before dimming the light of his horn and looking at Stan in worry. “Look, Stan, I know you’re a little bit woozy and confused right now, but I’m gonna get you out of this okay.” Stan could only look at him and nod in acknowledgement. Carl smiled and looked behind him again.
“What...What is it?” Stan tried to look past him, but Carl’s body blocked everything.
Carl looked back at him, his smile was replaced with a face of seriousness. “I’ll explain everything on the way, alright, we just need to get you out of these chains and find a way out of here, okay? You hear me? Stan?” Stan was starting to drift off again, his head was starting to pound and his legs were starting to shake. “Stan!” Carl yelled and shook him a bit, making Stan look up at him again.
“Stan...If we don’t get a move on, we’re gonna be in a lot of trouble, so you need to listen to me, you’re in terrible terrible dang-GYAH!”
Stan’s mind finally jolted in attention as he saw the tip of a horn inches away from his face, he looked past it to see that his friend was impaled by the same white horn through his chest. As the horn slid out he saw, out of the corner of his vision, a pair of all too familiar looking glowing red eyes.
“Oh, I don’t think you’re in any danger, little bug.” The alicorn placed her hooves on Carl’s shoulders and leaned in on the side of his face. “As for your friend here…” She started to smile and show her teeth.
Stan’s breathing and heart rate started rising as he saw his friend cough up blood and his eyes start to close. “S-stan….r-ru-” Carl was interrupted by the fangs of Celestia biting him. He cried in agony as he felt the teeth dig deep into his neck.
Stan lost his footing and fell to the floor. He slid to the side of a wall and looked up to see that the princess had already killed his friend, she had bitten his head clean off and was now getting to the limbs. Stan couldn’t take anymore, he had to do what his friend said and make a run for it.
He pushed his body up against a wall and started getting on his back hooves, he wasn’t sure how he was gonna run on two legs instead of four, but he could worry about that later. He slid across the wall and ran into the darkness.
The princess noticed this and dropped Carl’s body and limbs. “Playing hard to get, are we?” She smiled and started walking after him.
Meanwhile, Stan was now realizing why he wasn’t bipedal, he couldn’t stop sliding off of the wall and landing on the floor. The adrenalin in his body kept kicking in every time he looked behind him, because every time he did, his phobia was right there, walking towards him with no worry whatsoever. She knew Stan was doomed, and he was starting to get the same idea, but that didn’t stop his legs from moving.
“S-Stay back!” Stan yelled as he fell again, this time he slumped on a wall in front of him, he looked around to now realize he had just ran into a dead end, and now he was cornered. He looked up to see the princess standing right above him. Her mouth dripping with the blood of his lost brother and her smile was only making him hyperventilate even more.
“Looks like a two course meal for me.” She snarled and lunged her teeth toward Stan's face. “Goodbye, little bug.”
Stan screamed as the last thing he saw was the mouth of his worst fear coming toward his face. All he could think of was how something like this could ha-
Stan coughed and spit out the water that had gone in his mouth. He rose and tried to get a picture as to where he was, but the water in his eyes were making it difficult.
“Man, I thought he was never gonna shut up, changelings.” Stan’s ear stems recognized that voice. It was one of the guards.
Stan started wiping the water out of his eyes. “Wh-where am I?” He opened his blue eyes and started to understand.
“You’re in jail, you shape shifting rat!” One of the two guards on the other side of the bars yelled. Stan saw one had a bucket with him. He could only guess what it was filled with.
“Was soaking me in water necessary?” Stan said as he shook the liquid off of him.
“You wouldn’t shut up in your sleep, and there was no way we were gonna get in that cell with ya, so we did the next best thing.” The guard smiled and lifted the bucket in the air. “You were gettin’ pretty annoying to.”
The other guard nodded. “Yeah, all that screaming and yelling was starting to bug us, no pun intended. We were surprised you didn’t wake yourself.”
Stan sat down and checked his body, he wasn’t tied up and it felt like his face was intact, but there was something else he was worried about. “Where’s Carl?”
“Your friend?” The guard’s smiled. “He’s currently being interrogated by the princess.” Stan assumed that ‘interrogated’ was just some sick term for having his limbs torn off. The guards turned around and started walking. “And you’re gonna be next in a little bit, changeling.” With that they walked out of the room and locked the door behind them, leaving Stan to sit there in his cell and think about the situation.
“Okay Stan,” He said to himself “just...just stay calm, your friend might be dead, and the treaty is most likely ruined, and your body might be a meal in some time, but...maybe you can think of a way out of this…yeah…” Stan sat down on the floor and shook his head in misery. “Oh who am I kidding, I’m a dead bug.” He knew his life was gonna be over soon, and that his death was going to be a painful one, but at least it wasn’t in vain. He laid on his back and looked at the ceiling...waiting for the inevitable.
“NO!”
He yelled, standing up and giving a look of determination. “I am not just gonna sit here and wait to become a meal, I’m gonna find a way out of this.” He rose to his hooves and shouted, “I swear it!”
He then puked into a bucket in the corner of his cell.
“For the last time, he told me there was nothing on the paper, and that he was giving it to you. That is all. I. Know.”
Celestia shook her head and continued looking at the paper in worry, the guards gave her this and the changeling once they entered the throne room. She knew the changeling wouldn’t say a thing with the guards around, so she thought being alone with the creature would be for the best, but so far the changeling hasn’t told her anything useful. She sighed and set the paper next to her.
“Changeling, you must-”
“My name is Carl,” Carl looked away and grumbled, “Hate it when ponies do that.”
“Do what?” Celestia leaned in. Granted, she didn’t trust this thing one bit, so she knew that there was a reason for two of them being here.
“Nothing!” Carl yelled, looking back at her and giving a slight tug on the collar around his neck. “I just hate it when you refer to us only as our kind. Whenever I walk around, I always see you guys saying each others names when you greet one another.”
Celestia nodded. “You do the same to us; do you hate us?”
“No! I...Well...I might...sorta...kinda.” Carl trailed off, not sure how to answer that. He had lived among them for some time, and he was used to what they do, but he wasn’t so sure that ‘hate’ was a right word to use on how he felt about them.
“Are you...afraid of us?” Celestia raised a brow.
“PFFT. Afraid? I don't think anyone of us are afraid of you guys, I’m pretty sure it's vice versa.” Carl grinned, but it quickly went away as the princess continued to stare at him with the greatest poker face he had ever seen. “Uh..can ya stop?”
Celestia recoiled a bit while keeping the same face. “Stop what?”
“Looking at me like that, it’s startin’ to freak me out a bit.” Carl adjusted his collar, he was starting to hate this thing with a passion.
Celestia ended up smiling. “Is this better?”
Carl rolled his eyes. “Look, can you just let me go? I’m getting kinda bored here.”
She got rid of her smile and raised the paper with her magic. “If you can just tell me about this paper, then I will.”
Carl groaned. “I’ve said this a dozen times, I. Don’t. Know! Stan didn’t tell me what was on it when we met.”
“I’m guessing Stan is the other changeling?” Celestia asked, with Carl giving a slight nod in response. “Where did you two meet?”
“At a train, but I didn’t even know he was coming here, he just bashed through the door while I was in the bathroom.”
Celestia chuckled. “Quite a greeting.”
He nodded. “I know, the dude's crazy, he even ran away from me while we were fighting.”
She looked at him in surprise “You two fought?”
Carl scratched the back of his neck. He was starting to feel okay with telling the princess all of this, it wasn’t like he was part of the hive anymore anyway. “Sorta, you see, we kind of...faked it, it was a pretty good maneuver though, don’t ya think?”
Celestia smiled again. “It certainly gave you two a lot of attention, almost all of Canterlot was there to watch both of you.”
Carl shook his head and chuckled. “Yeah, it was a pretty good fake fight, wasn't it?”
“I’m sure it was.” Celestia was glad that she was getting on this changelings good side, and if she could do the same with the other one, then she could finally get some answers. “So, why did your friend come here again?”
Carl looked up at her again. “He said he was ordered by the queen to give you that paper.”
Celestia looked at the paper again. “It looks like it was torn from a book.”
Carl shrugged. “I wouldn’t doubt that, paper is a pretty hard to come by for changelings, last time I heard anyway.”
The princess was shocked to hear that. “Why’s that?”
Carl stared at his hooves. “I just think the hive runs low on supplies almost all the time. That was one of the few good reasons why I left.”
“You left your home? Please explain.”
Carl raised his head in attention and smiled, he was glad to know that someone was interested in why he left his hive in the first place, now he could finally tell his story. “Well, it all started when-”
*CRASH*
Both Carl and the princess jolted and turned to where the front doors were. Sounds of running and smashing were heard in the distance. Carl raised one of his eyes. “What in the name of the queen.”
Celestia started walking to the door. “What is going on out-”
“Don't let him get away!”
“He’s going to the throne doors!”
“You ain't takin’ me to her! You hear me!”
“Just slow down for five seconds!”
“You’re not-”
*BASH*
Seconds later, a changeling all too familiar to Carl busted through the door, his body was wounded and he was holding the bottom half of a spear in his hooves. The changeling turned around and stood up, facing the guards. “If you think...I’m, hugh...running away without him...you are...whew...sadly mistaken, hungh.” Stan used the spear to keep his balance and continued to pant uncontrollably, he had never run this fast in all his life.
Carl smiled and walked as far as the chains could allow. “Hi Stan.”
Stan sat down and continued his heavy breathing. “Y-Yeah hi Carl. Now I suggest all of you...wait...Carl?” His head went into attention and his heart finally got some rest to realize his friend was still alive. He turned around and smiled.
“Oh thank the queen Carl, I thought you were de..de…..dea…..d-d-d...dehehahaaa….” Stan dropped the spear and stared past his friend, his entire body froze, and the entire room was silent.
Carl tilted his head and said. “You okay Stan? How did you get here anyway?”
Stan continued to look at the floor as he made his way to his death. He kept thinking of a way out of this, but every plan he came up with involved him not being collared while being escorted by two guards with them holding the chains connected to him, and other plans involved him having a weapon, which both guards were carrying.
“Nice to know you’re not yelling anymore bug, I was thinking you were gonna be pleading the entire way.” The guard to his left said.
Stan raised his head. “What what makes you think that.”
“You were pleading back in the cell about something,” The guard to his right said. “We just thought you were dreaming about us taking you to her.”
Stan shivered, he knew if he didn’t think of something fast, then that dream will come true. “Why don’t you two just interrogate me?”
The right one shrugged. “We would, but the princess asked us to take both of you to her, and only one at a time for some reason.”
Stan looked down again, he didn’t want the guards to see the look of worry that was on his face, all he wanted to do was get out of this, this entire plan was a failure anyway, and if he went back to the hive, the others would...he didn’t even want to think what the others would say, so he might as well go somewhere else after he found a way out of this.
...
“NO!” He yelled again, making both guards jump. Stan realized his outburst and laughed a bit. “Um...what I meant to say was...um.” Then he got it, the perfect idea, one that he knew wouldn’t fail. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
Both guards stopped walking and looked at him. “Really? Now of all times you ask that?” The right one tightened his grip. “I’m telling you right now that we’re not lettin’ you go.”
“So you’ll help me go then.” Stan said with a sly smile.
Both guards looked at each other, knowing full well about the dreaded bathroom breaks, always coming up when they take their positions at night. The right one groaned. “Son, we guards keep our bladders strong, and our kidneys even stronger. So you are not-”
“Oh come on captain,” The left one said. “We all know about this situation,”
“Private.” The captain said, stepping closer to him. “Last time I remember you made up some ridiculous excuse on why you took so long.”
“It wasn’t an excuse, it really happened. I still have the cut on my hoof to prove it.”
The captain rolled his eye. “It takes a lot more than some scar to-”
“Look!” Stan yelled, looking at the captain. “I'm telling you right now. It’s either right here or in a restroom.”
“You got two minutes changeling, use it wisely.” With that the captain shut the bathroom door, leaving Stan to sit and think about his next move, he adjusted his collar, wishing that they would've at least taken the collar off him.
“Alright, now lets see here…” His eyes wandered around the bathroom, hoping to find what he was looking for. “Come on now, these ponies have to have...AH HA!” He pointed to the wall and found just what he was looking for. An air vent. “Cliche,” He said. “but it will do. At least its not on the ceiling”
He walked up to it and started using his teeth to unscrew the grid, he was then interrupted by a knock at the door. “You done in there yet?” A voice that Stan could only assume was the guards.
He spit one of the screws out of his mouth and yelled. “Just about, I need to...uh...wash my hooves.” He walked up to one of the sinks and turned on the water. “Alright, now if there was some soap in here then maybe...”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Stan fell to the floor once he heard that, that voice sounded just like his, he looked around. “Who said that?” He yelled.
“You.”
“Me?” Stan go up on his four feet and looked around. "Then where am I?"
“Right behind you.”
Stan turned around to see his own reflection, except he didn’t have a collar on and he was sitting upright with his arms crossed. “What the heck?” Stan said in bewilderment.
“Its me...your conscience.” His reflection said.
Stan groaned. “You have got to be kidding me. It's bad enough I’m seeing her, but now I’m talking to myself.” He slumped on the sink head first. “Am I going insane?”
“No,” His conscience said. “You’re just silly, but you’re gonna be going insane if you leave now.”
Stan looked at the mirror in annoyance. “Oh really, how do you know I’m getting out of this castle?”
“Well first of, I’m you, and second, I know you’re leaving the mission that the queen told you to do, and you’re leaving one of your own kind to die.”
Stan backed away and shrugged. “So, I’ll just tell the queen that the princess didn’t accept the treaty, and why should I care about Carl. He left us anyway, he and a hoof full of others.”
“Doesn’t mean he should die over it, and the queen will know you’re lying.” Stan opened his mouth to say something to argue with that, but he couldn’t think of anything. “So, are you just gonna run away then?” His conscience tapped his hoof.
Stan looked away shamefully. If he ran away, he’d be just like his brother, always on the run and never caring about his family, and if he went back, his queen will be so disappointed in him, she might even shun him from the hive. “Then what should I do?”
His conscience shrugged. “Hey, if you don’t know, then I don’t know, but I suggest you come up with something quick,” He looked at his invisible watch. “because its been way over two minutes.”
*KNOCK KNOCK*
“HEY! Its been way over two minutes, will ya come out already.”
Stan froze not sure what to do at that point, he looked at the mirror again, but his conscience was gone, all he could see was a collared and chained changeling. Then he looked at the air vent again, with a little bit of strength, he could pull the grate off. He looked at the door one more time before he made up his mind, but not before puking into one of the stalls.
“Okay changeling, I’m counting’ to three. One. Two…”
“Three!”
The private burst through the bathroom door before the captain could finish. Making him groan in anger. “PrrrrriVATE!”
The guard stood up in attention and saluted. “Sir yes sir.” He then regained his composure and looked at his commander.
He walked in and glared at the private. “And why did you run in?”
The private looked around the bathroom. “B-Because I thought that the changeling was….gone?”
The captain rolled his eyes. “Son, I doubt that that monster is…gone…” Both ponies looked around in shock to see that their prisoner was no where to be seen.
“Where did that slimy little rat get off to?!” The captain looked around in anger, trying to find some hint as to where the changeling could of gone.
“Uh...sir?” The private pointed at the grate on the ground, his commander turned around and gasped at the sight of the exposed air vent.
“Why the dirty, unoriginal little...” The captain turned around and pointed at his fellow guard. “Private, you stay here.”
The private shuttered. “Me? But-”
“Don’t throw your buts at me, son. Just follow my order, I’ll be right back with the shape shiftier in my hooves.” With that he turned around and started crawling through the vent, leaving the private alone in the bathroom.
The private sat down and sighed, wondering what to do next. “Why would the changeling be going through an air duct, it doesn’t even go outside, now if I were a changeling, I would-?”
“Be knocking out a guard.”
“Nah, that’s not something I would want to…” The private quickly turned around and came face to face with the changeling.
Stan smiled and grabbed him by the head. “Now just hold still.”
The private started shaking, knowing this was gonna hurt. “I-I’d rather no-”
Before he could finish, Stan headbutted him, instantly making him fall to the floor. Stan stumbled a bit and shook his head. “Whew...Glad to know I still got it.” He picked up his helmet that fell of the pony and put it one.
He looked in the mirror, then back at the now unconscious pony, making sure to get every feature that the private had. “Now lets see, gotta get every detail down, not a single thing missing, and to make sure you look-”
“Delicious”
Stan screamed again and fell to the floor...again and clutched his chest. “For Faust sake! When will this end!” He got back up and made his way to the door.
“This will all be over soo-”
Stan closed his eyes and ears and ran out yelling. “Just shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!”
*CLANG*
Stan landed on his flank and rubbed his head. “Ugh...Will you watch where...you’re…” He slowed his speech once he saw what hit him. He had no Idea that this pony was here, nor did he know why, but he knew exactly what he was gonna do next.
The stallion in front of him got back on his hooves and looked at Stan in concern. “Wha...Private, is that any way to talk to your-”
“Changeling killer!” Stan leaped on the white stallion and knocked him into a wall, pressing his hooves around his throat. “You...YOU!...”
The stallion struggled. Using is back legs, he kicked Stan off of him, smacking him on the other side of the wall. “*Cough* what is wrong with you cade-”
“The brothers and sisters shall be avenged!” Stan charged at him again. making sure to end his life by any means necessary.
The private laid in the bathroom, groaning in pain. He had never experienced getting hurt in the head before, he had a few punches and kicks to the stomach and legs, but getting head butted, it was something else. After coming to his senses, he turned over on his belly and pushed himself up.
“PRIVATE!”
He jumped into the air and held his hoof to his forehead. “Sir yes...sir?” He then landed on the ground and saw that his commander was covered in dust. “Um...Sir?”
“Private…” The captain sighed. “I’m gonna give you some advice. One, don’t go in air vents, they are...evil, and second.” He closed the gap between their faces. “Don’t go to sleep ON THE JOB!”
The private shifted his hooves. “I-I wasn’t sleeping sir, that changeling came in here and-”
“Oh, so now you’re telling me another one of your ridiculous lies.” The captain was now starting to glare daggers into the private.
“Sir, I’m telling you the truth.” He pleaded.
“Really now? Well then where is he?” The captain snarled.
*SMASH*
Both ponies shielded their faces from the door debris as another pair of ponies came crashing in, one of them strangling on top of the other. The one on top yelled. “This is where you suffer the same fate as Terry! He died for a cause you son of a-”
Stan then landed outside from a fearsome punch to the face, where he then undisguised and looked up at his assailant. The captain, who then cracked his hooves. “You dare try to assassinate the captain of the royal army.”
“No, I will assassinate that murderer.” Stan charged at him while the private pulled the white stallion up and saluted on instinct.
“Are you alright, captain Shining?” The private said in worry.
Shining dusted himself off and coughed. “At ease private, I’m fine. Just a bit shook up is all.”
“Sir, what are you doing here?” The private continued to salute.
“I heard yelling while I was in the main halls. Thought I should check it out.” They looked back at the fight to see that their friend was currently getting kicked in the stomach. “Turns out it was this beast of abomination!”
Stan stopped and turned around. “Like you’re any wor-” Stan yelped in pain once he felt his leg get a powerful kick from the captain, making him fall while the guard started getting his revenge.
The private shifted his hooves nervously. “Should we...you know, help?”
Shining pointed at him and said. “Private, go get reinforcements. This bug is dynamite.”
The private nodded and started running, with his hoof still to his forehead. Stan noticed this and pushed pushed the pony off him. “Ohhoho no you don’t!”
He stood up and ran at him with full speed, tackling him to the ground. “Private! Why did you let the bug tackle you?” The captain yelled. Shining shook his head and starting running to help.
Stan turned around and held the private by his neck, making everyone else in the hall freeze. “Make one more step. I dare ya.” Stan said with an evil smile. “I’m sure necks can snap faster than you can run anyway you...monster.” Private looked up at Stan in fear while Shining and the captain stood their ground.
“Changeling,” Shining said. “think about what you’re doing.”
Stan snickered. “I know what I’m doing you murderer. I’m giving payback for what you’ve done to us. You and your precious pink princess.”
“Nice alliteration.” Private whispered.
Captain growled. “What's with your hate toward captain Armor, what has he ever done to-”
“He killed two-hundred and fifty-three of my brothers and sisters! That’s a start as to why I hate him.” Stan heavily breathed while both guards looked at each other.
“How’d you do that captain?” Private said through the slight pressure on his throat.
Stan looked down and adjusted his grip on him. “Oh, you wanna know how?” He looked up at Shining with fire in his eyes. “He and his wife blasted us with that spell, it knocked us clear out of Equestria. I hope you know that some of them had the slowest death imaginable, and others had to kill the ones they knew weren't gonna make it, and only six made it out okay!”
Shining couldn’t say a word, he never knew what happened to all the changelings once he blasted them, he thought they landed without a scratch. That’s what made him sleep at night. Shining looked up at him with sorrow “Look, changeling. I know what I did was a little bit too harsh.”
“YOU THINK!" Stan adjusted his grip on the private again, making the others flinch.
“B-but I’m sure that princess Celestia will help you with this.”
Stans heart skipped a beat once he said that. “T-That princess won't help us.”
Shining took a step forward. “Celestia is sparing, she will understand what you’re going through.”
Stan was starting to shake and his grip on the private was starting to loosen. “She won’t un-understand a thing.” His breathing sounded more afraid than angry.
Shining was now a few yards away from them. “If you just let him go, we can bring you to her, and then you can talk about this.”
The right side of Stan's face twitched. “Is that just some sick way of telling me that she’ll kill me!”
Shining stepped back after his outburst. “No! Why would you think that, she is a-”
“MONSTER! You’re never taking me to her.” Stan lost it at that point, he held his hostage into the air and flung it at them before he made a run for it.
Shining helped the private up. “You okay?”
The private was about to respond, but the captain shouted. “There’s no time for that! We need to stop that bug before he goes after the princess.
Stan continued to run, he didn’t care about being disguised at that point, the fear in his mind was making him not even think about where he was going, or what he was seeing. He thought he was hearing screaming at one point, a snap of a stick, a punch and a kick, the feel of a bite, these sounds and images and feelings were going through his mind until he finally came to his senses, he found himself on the floor with a stick in his hooves and was now looking up at a group of guards, Shining being in the middle.
Stan stood up and facing the guards. “If you think...I’m, hugh...running away without him...you are...whew...sadly mistaken, hungh.” Stan used the spear to keep his balance and continued to pant uncontrollably, he had never run this fast in all his life. Nor did he know what he was talking about, who was he talking about anyway?
“Hi Stan.”
Stan’s ears twitched, he thought it was just some wind and said, “Y-Yeah hi Carl. Now I suggest all of you...wait…” Stan’s mind got the picture, he came here to save his friend Carl, that was the whole point, there was another reason why he came here as well, but he couldn’t remember.
With a smile on his face, Stan turned around and said, “Oh thank the queen Carl, I thought you were de..de…..dea…..d-d-d...dehehahaaa….” He dropped the stick and dropped his jaw in horror once he saw what was in front of him.
The entire room was dark with a single light shining on top of Carl, who was dead on the floor with a pool of blood surrounding him, and right next to him stood the worst nightmare of his life with one of his limbs in her mouth.
“Well well well, so you’re the big brave bug that came into my home.”
“Stan. You hoo, Staaan?” He waved a hoof in front of Stan’s face. “Hello? anyling in the cave?”
Carl then proceed to clop his hooves in front of his friends face, hoping to snap him out of whatever trance he was in, but Stan continued to sit still on the floor with his mouth hung open, his ear stems flopped down, and his eyes wider than ever. Carl groaned and looked past Stan to the guards. “What did you do to him?” He asked.
One of them lifted their hoof and the air. “WE didn’t do anything. That bug barreled through all of us. He didn’t stop for anything.”
Carl laughed. “Yeah, sounds like something Stan would do.” He looked back at Stan’s still wide open eyes. “Kind of Reminds me of when you, me, Billy, Steve, Rob, Rachel, Andrew, Tyler, Joel, Patrick, Winchester, Larry, George, Mason, James, and Kyle used to run around in the hive all the time. Good times.” Carl realized the silence in the room and looked over Stan’s shoulder again to see the guards making the same expression Stan was. “What?”
Celestia stepped forward. “How did you remember all those names? I thought you weren't in the hive anymore.”
Carl shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I don’t remember when I was in it.” He held his head high. “I can almost remember all two-thousand and twenty of them. Thought, there might be less now...”
Shining walked out of the group of guards and said. “You changelings can do that?”
Carl nodded. “Even the queen can remember all our names,” He turned to Celestia. “I’m sure you do the same right?”
“Um.” Celestia thought about it while she looked at the guards. Most of them scratched the back of their necks and looked away, while others looked at one another. “I’m sure I can remember some.”
Carl tilted his head. “Only some?” He flew as far into the air as the chains allowed. “Come on. I’m sure you can remember over five-hundred, even Stan can remember all of them.”
Celestia looked at him in bewilderment. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Carl flew next to Stan and nudged him. “Come on Stan, show her what you know.” Stan responded with a slight tilt in his body from the force of his friends nudge, which then led him to fall sideways on the floor, with the expression of fear still on his face. Carl rolled his eyes and walked up to his face. “Look Stan, I know you’re a bit nervous being here, but I’m sure if you just-”
Stan then proceeded to yell at the top of his lungs, but not before puking on Carl’s face. Everyone in the room shielded their ears while Carl wiped slightly digested love off of him. “Blegh, Stan! What the bu-”
“WHY!?” Stan stood on all fours and pointed at Carl “Why did you take him for queens sake, he didn’t do anything, he was just a coward!”
“Coward? *petoie* Stan I’m not-”
“He didn’t even know anything,” Stan continued to stare at Celestia in both anger and fear. “w-why did you have to kill him?!” He started backing up toward the group of guards while everyone else in the room gave looks of concern.
“Uh..Hello. Stan, I’m still here.” Carl shook the rest of the throw up off him and looked at Stan. “You are acting really crazy.”
“No...n-n-no…” Stan ran into Shining and tackled him into the ground. Shining shielded his face from what he thought would be a punch, but all he felt were drops of some sort of liquid. As Shining looked up, he saw the changeling in tears.
“Changeling?” One of the other guards tapped him in the head, but Stan seemed unfazed by it and continued looking at Shining with eyes filled with tears.
Stan leaned down and whispered. “Don’t let her….fu-fu-ff-for queens sake don't let her...I-I-I don’t want to…” Stan sniff a bit of snot and continued to shake and quiver.
Shining looked back and forth at Celestia and the guards, trying to see if they knew how to handle something like this. The guards just shrugged and some were starting to back out of the room, and Celestia looked just as confused as them, that was, until she walked up to Carl.
“His name was Stan, correct?” She whispered.
Carl turned away from the scene and raised an eye at Celestia. “Yeah, why? Wait, don’t tell me you’re gonna-”
“Stan! Would you kindly walk over here.” Celestia motioned her hoof for Stan to come to her.
Meanwhile, Stan continued to bawl his eyes out into Shining’s shoulder. It wasn’t until his ears twitched that made him raise his head in the air and turn to Celestia. He then turned back to Shining, grabbed him by the sides of his face and brought him to eye level. “Please, I know you hate us, and I know what we did was probably the worst thing we could ever do, but will you just find it in your cold dead heart to realize that I am still a creature with a soul, and that I don’t want it to be eaten’ by...” He hid behind Shining and pointed a hoof at the white alicorn. “h-hu-hu-h-her…”
“Shining.” Celestia said in the most serious tone possible. “Will you and the guards escort Carl out of the room and leave me and Stan in here.”
Shining could feel his entire body shake from the changeling constant shivers. He couldn’t understand why he was acting like this. Just a few minutes ago this changeling was bent on ending his life, but now he begging for his own life not to be ended. “Are you sure princess?” Shining asked.
Celestia nodded and Stan tightened his grip on Shining's shoulders. “No..n-n-nono, don’t leave me…”
“Orders are orders changeling.” Shining said with a shrug. He looked at the guards and tilted his head toward Carl. “Get him out of here.”
Carl raised his hoof. “Um, can I have a say in this?” He asked.
Celestia leaned in on his ear. “You said this friend of yours was ordered by the queen to deliver that paper, he probably knows more about this situation than you do.”
As Carl was unchained escorted, he looked back at Celestia. “But why do you have to talk to him in private.”
“Just a theory I’m testing.” Celestia smiled and motioned the rest of the guards to leave, as they did, Stan continued to cling to Shining.
“Don’t you see the evil smile...She’ll rip me to shreds, she’ll eat me piece by piece, or swallow me whole...and I am not into that…” Stan was now pulling on Shining to stop him from leaving, but the other ponies, even Carl, was helping Shining out of the room.
“Will you just give it a rest. I’m sure she’ll go easy on you.” Shining grunted as the others were on the verge of shutting the door. Stan wouldn’t let up. His fear reaction was making him almost too strong for the rest of the guards to handle. It wasn’t until Stan felt something on his hooves that made him let go of Shining. He and the others fell to the floor, and before Stan could get up, he felt his body get dragged across the floor.
Stan’s breathing and heart rate went up again as he realized he was being held by magic. He struggled to get out of its grasp, but it was too strong for him to handle, he craned his neck to the doors to see if someling could help, but they were already shut. It was just him now. Him and…
Stan then felt the dragging stop and he was now still on the floor, he laid there, motionless, his mind was telling him to run for it, but his body was too petrified to make a move. He was about to scream for help but what happened next made him regret even thinking about it.
Celestia was now hovering over him, her smiling face was mere inches away from his, and as Stan continued to breath heavily, the white alicorn said. “Nice for us to finally meet. So, do you mind telling me why you decided to come into my-?”
“FOR THE LOVE OF THE QUEEN, DON’T KILL ME!”
Celestia recoiled in surprise and Stan ran to the double doors. He was about to make a grab for them, but Celestia quickly regained her senses and caught him again with her magic.
“Stan, please stay still.”
“What?!” Stan yelled while flailing around in the air. “So you can have an easier time chewing me into bits!” Stan got out of her magic aura and flew into a nearby column.
Celestia flinched at his pain. “Please changeling I only Want the meat from your bones.”
Stan looked back at the red eyed alicorn and yelped again. “Don’t!” He flew around the column and into another on the other side of the room.
“Can you please stop flying and let me rip you apart.”
“NO!” Stan yelled as he went for the windows. “You’ll never make a meal out of-”
*SMACK*
“Oh my…” Celestia held a hoof to her mouth as Stan slid down the window. He didn’t even think about how tough a wall of glass could be. He then landed head first to the floor and later fell flat on his stomach.
“W-when will this end…” Stan groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head.
“Right now.”
Stan jolted into the air and flew again, knocking over the royal throne chair and falling down the short flight of stairs. He got up again and decided to run instead of fly. “Queen help me...Just leave me-”
*SLAM*
“...Alone?” Stan said in a daze, after shaking his head a bit, he looked up to see what hit him. He gasped and fell to the floor once he saw the white tyrant right above him, her wings were outstretched and her smile was replaced with a look of seriousness.
“You leave me no choice changeling.” She yelled. Stan shield his face, he didn’t want to see it coming, he just wanted it all to end, so he couldn’t feel teeth rip him apart, or his limbs being ripped off, or a strange warmth surrounding him, or….
Warmth? Was he in her belly already?
Stan decided that, since he was still alive, he would at least see what was with this warm, fuzzy feeling. He opened an eye and expected to see the the walls of a stomach, but it was something else entirely.
As both his eyes opened, he looked down to see the face of the princess, her eyes were closed and her neck was right under his chin. Stan looked to his sides to see that her wings were embraced around his body, as were her arms. His mind was now trying to process this, wondering why she wasn’t killing him yet, was she actually….hugging him?
A few minutes of silence made Stan get the courage to ask. “Um...w-what are you doing?”
Celestia opened her eyes and looked up at him from where her head was. “Calming you down.” She then closed them again and continued to hold him in place.
Stan’s mind was still trying to figure out what to do. He was starting to think this was some sick trick into killing him, but wouldn’t she of done it already? And why were her eyes no longer red. He thought about getting out of this strange grip, but he felt somewhat safe in the position he was in. It kind of reminded him of when he was just a hatchling, and the queen would help him and the others get to sleep by doing something like this...it was like she was trying to...to…
Stan had to ask, he didn’t care about what the answer could be, he was dead anyway...or was he? “Are you...trying to…”
“I already said I was calming you down.” She turned her head so she could look at him upside down. “Are you calm?”
Stan wasn't sure how he was suppose to answer that. He was too busy figuring out why she was doing this. Her face didn’t really look scary anymore, it looked...beautiful actually...Why did it look like this? She wasn’t like this a second ago. She was snarling with sharp teeth with blood dripping from her face. “I-I-I don’t know...why are you-”
“You were acting a bit crazy…” She turned him around and so that his body faced her’s. “But I’m sure you’re okay now, right?”
Stan continued to look both confused and scared at her. “I...I think so.” Stan had to admit, he was a little bit calm after that weird hug. He looked up at her to see that she had a paper next to her in her magical grip.
“Would you mind telling me what this is?” She asked in a tone that was way too motherly for him to handle. Stan couldn’t take much more of this. He should be running away from this alicorn, but the way she talked, and the way she looked at him made him feel somewhat...safe.
“Well…” Stan scratched the back of his neck, it was hard to make eye contact with your worst fear. Or was she? As of right now, she was acting more like a...friend.
“Or perhaps you could tell me how all this happened. Would that make it easier on you?”
Stan breathed a hefty sigh, he had never been this confused. Why was he okay with talking to this monster? She ate little hatchlings for queens sake, but here he was, sitting in a room, with just the two of them. He decided that maybe now was the time to finish this. Maybe later he could get Carl and get out of this confusing place. “I might as well start from the beginning…”
Stan flinched at the princesses outburst. He could of sworn he saw her eyes go red for a second. “C-calm down, I meant there’s only six of us that are not incapacitated, the rest are either injured or...well, you know.”
“Dead…” Celestia said in a grave tone of voice. She was beginning to understand why it was just him who came. “But what about Chrysalis?”
“She’s...she’s okay, she's just...um…” Stan didn’t want to tell her about the queen, he still didn’t trust her. What if she was just getting information so she could plan an attack. Fear or no fear, he wasn’t going to tell her.
Celestia bent down to eye level. “Please tell me chan- Stan, I need to know if your queen has survived or not.”
“Why, what will you do if she’s dead?” Stan looked both suspicious and scared at her, he was beginning to think that she would have an easier time getting rid of his race if she found out.
“Because I need to know if I can talk to either her or whoever is second in command in your hive.” Celestia continued to look as serious as possible to Stan, making him still shake in fear.
“I honestly don’t-”
“Just tell me you bug!” Stan started seeing her monstrous face again, making him reel back in horror.
Stan’s eyes started going wide again. “O-Okay okay!...She...she’s...she’s so injured that she can’t even move without any help from us.” Stan blurted out before shielding his face with his hooves incase he angered the princess to the point of her taking a bite out of his face.
“So it isn’t possible for her to come here?” Celestia said in a more calming voice.
Stan looked through the hole in his hoof to see she was looking at him with a different, more serious face. “Um..yup..hehe, no way for her to make it...completely immobile. C-can I go now?” Stan put on a smile in hopes she would understand she is currently freaking him out, and that he didn’t want to tell anymore secrets to her.
“But why did she bring you here?” Celestia asked, making Stan’s smile vanish.
Stan sighed and pointed at the paper. “She wanted me to bring you that.”
“This?” Celestia grabbed the paper with her magic and looked at it. “It has nothing on it.”
“It use to, it told everything. I just wish I could’ve read it before I soaked it in a puddle.” Stan looked down on the floor, it was getting really hard to stare at her, the more he staired, the brighter her red eyes got.
“I’m sorry for that, but I must know what it said?” Stan was starting to hate how this mare continued to talk like this. That motherly tone was scaring him more than usual.
“I-I don’t know exactly, b-but I do know that she said it was a treaty.”
“A treaty?” Celestia let go of Stan and looked at the paper, trying to find some source of information about their surrender. “You expect peace?”
Stan flinched. Did he hear that right? “W-what?”
Celestia faced him again. “I asked if your queen wanted peace between my little ponies and her changelings.”
Stan shifted his hooves. “W-well, we...don’t really know what else to do…we..” Stan was starting to back up a bit from Celestia constantly looking at him. Her face was starting to return to that look of pure evil.
“You what? Can’t she find others who can help?” Celestia took a step forward every time Stan took a step back, and with her having longer legs, she was getting closer.
“F-finding help is...hard…” Stan started seeing the red in her eyes again.
“Why didn’t you ask for help the first time, we would’ve given it to you!” Stan started hearing that low voice of her’s again to, it sounded just like his brothers when they did their impressions on her.
“We...we...we were...just…just.” Stan yelp one he felt his flank hit the side of wall, had he really been backing up this quick?
“Or were you just trying to enslave us?” Stan was at the point of cowering in fear with this alicorn walking closer and closer to him.
“We...I...she...us…” Stan and sunk to the floor and Celestia had her shadow looming over Stan.
“Well, we’ll kill you before you even try to-”
“PLEASE DON’T” Stan grabbed her hooves and started crying, making Celestia look down in shock. “D-don’t p-p-please, we didn’t do anything, sure we tried to capture your kind to use as food, and we even put you in a cocoon, and r-r-ruined that captain’s and that other alicorn’s wedding, but you need to understand that we had tohohohohooo.”
Celestia started feeling her hooves get wet from the constant crying. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. All she asked was why they came here, and why attack, and why they didn’t just ask for food. She opened her mouth to say something, but Stan stiffed snot into his nose and continued talking. “We..we...we weren't even going to attack in the beginning, the plan was to just replace the princess long enough for our queen to get the love that we needed, b-but it was like she changed or some *sniff* something.” Stan hiccuped and continued to cling to Celestia’s feet like a hatchling.
Celestia knew she had to say something to calm him down. She could ask questions later. “W-why did-”
“SHE TURNED EVIL! OKAY!” Stan yelled as Celestia regretted even thinking that. “She said that there was plenty of love to go around.” He said while extending his hoof in the air. “And that if we forgot the plan about sneaking and blending in with the rest of the ponies, than we could have all the love in the world if we went for a full frontal assauhahahhahalt.” Stan made another roar of cries at Celestia’s hooves again.
She tried to think of something, calming him down was the first step to figure this all out, but now it was like she broke him, he wouldn’t let go of her feet, and his constant cries of mercy only made her think that this changeling was...afraid of her.
“Stan…”
“W-we were just following orders…”
“Stan.”
“And...and...and she realized her mistake once we were out.”
“Stan.”
“All we wanted was to live!”
“STAN!” Celestia took hold of him with her magic and brought him to eye level. “Please calm-”
“For queen’s sake DON’T KILL ME!” Stan covered his eyes with his hooves and continued to tremble in fear.
Celestia’s jaw dropped once he said that. “Why would you say something like that? What? Do you think I’m some sort of-”
“Monster.” Stan lowered his hooves to look at her with eyes full of tears. “Y-yeah...I...I do.” Stan looked down in both shame and fear. He was sure that now she was going to-
“So all of this is because you’re...” Celestia looked at him in worry and motioned her hoof for him to answer her.
Stan sighed. “Because I’m...I'm...afraid of you.”
Celestia gave a slight gasp, but Stan ignored that and continued. “You've...you've scared me since I was a hatchling...you...you’ve been in my dreams where you would...try your best to...scare me, or you would just flat out kill me or my friends” He looked down, not wanting to even look at her while he was explaining all of this. “I’ve..I’ve been seeing visions of you throughout this entire journey…I” He looked up at her. “I just hope the stories are not...not…”
Now Stan’s jaw dropped, he had never thought he would see something like this, this was something the others said the white tyrant would never do, something that she would cause only to others. Something that a pony like her can’t do.
She was crying.
Celestia wiped a tear from her eye and held Stan by his sides. “W-where ever did you hear such things little one?”
Stan then remembered just why he was afraid of her. “My...my older siblings, they told me stories about you, how you...killed our kind and ate our bodies and...”
Celestia’s mouth gave a slight wiggle before pulling in Stan for a hug, burying his muzzle in her chest and slightly crushing him while doing so. “I am telling you right now, that I would never do something like that to any creature. I don’t care what you did or what you do. I will never hurt anyone like you.” She closed her eyes and continued her embrace.
“T-that's nice.” Stan grunted. “Now can I...Breathe for a sec?…”
Celestia shot her eyes open and pulled him out from her hug, he let out a gasp of air before she let go of him. “Sorry, I was just...caught up in the moment.” She blushed a bit and looked down at him. “Are you, still afraid of me?”
Stan had to think about that for a second. This alicorn had been haunting him for years, almost every few months he would have a dream of her scaring him, forcing him to sleep with the queen that night, but now he finally understood just why this happened. He knew for a fact his siblings were gonna pay for this.
He looked up at her again. Her face wasn’t scary at all, her teeth weren't sharp, her eyes weren’t glowing red, and she had a smile that didn’t make him afraid, but made him...happy. It was making him smile. So, after a quick laugh, he said. “No, I don’t think I’m scared of you anymore.”
Celestia gave a sigh of relief. “Good, so, now that that's out of the way, can you tell me more about what state your kind is in?”
Carl continued to walk back and forth in front of the double doors, hoping that they would open soon. Shining was also there, tapping his foot impatiently, as for the rest of the guards, they went back to their posts, not wanting to wait for something like this.
“I don’t know changeling.” Shining said, making Carl glare at him in anger, Shining then realized his mistake and said. “I-I mean, Carl.”
Carl just rolled his eyes and continued walking back and forth. “Stan should’ve come out by now, he’s great at talking his way out of things...or was that Sally who did that?”
Shining tilted his head. “Sally?”
Carl stopped in the middle of the doors and faced him. “Yeah, I think it was her who was good at talking out of stuff, like this one time, she talked her way out of doing her chores."
Shining rubbed his chin and smiled. “Pretty talented girl, were you good at anything?”
Carl smiled, he knew that now noling would stop him from telling his story. He leaned against the doors and rubbed one of his hooves on his chest. “Me? Well, how about I tell you from the beginning.” He cleared his throat. “Now, when I was born, I-”
*SLAM*
Carl was then pushed off the doors and went flying past Shining and into the wall. “I’m okay.” He said, sliding down the wall.
Shining cringed and looked back at the doors to see that they were open. With an alicorn and a changeling beside one another. “Princess, Stan. How did it go?”
Celestia smiled. “It went very well,” She looked down at Stan, who smiled back. “me and Stan were able to-”
“Stan? Stan!” Carl turned around to see his friend, who he then tackled and spun him around while hugging him. “Oh. It’s nice to see you again.”
Stan pushed him off while rolling his eye, but with a smile this time. “I was only gone for a few minutes.”
“Try like, half an hour,” Carl nudged. “and the whole time, I thought for sure that changeling chomper would chain ya up and send you back to the cells.”
Stan looked at the princess, who was raising an eyebrow at his friend. Stan laughed nervously and pulled Carl’s ear stem to his mouth. “Um..Carl, you know she’s not a ‘changeling chomper’ right.”
Carl pulled his ear away from Stan, closed his eyes, and waved a hoof in the air. “Yeah yeah, I know. So, what's the news, did you guys talk it out?”
Stan looked at Celestia, who just winked at him and smiled. “You could say that.”
Carl raised an eye and smiled. “Oh...I see, so how was the ‘negotiating?’”
Stan smacked him again. “Not that kind of talking!”
Celestia walked up to them and pulled them in with her wings. “We just talked about how your’s and our kind are now at peace, and that we will be helping the changelings get back to health.”
Carl looked at Stan in confusion. “Wait...you guys are hurt?”
Stan just smiled at him and looked up at Celestia. “Not for long I hope.”
Shining walked up to the three of them. “So...now what. Will you be going back to your hive?”
Stan nodded. “Yup, and I’ll be sure to tell the queen that we’ll be getting help from you guys. Right?”
Celestia nodded and looked at Shining. “Indeed, and I’m sure your team can aid them, correct?”
Shining crossed his hooves and glared at both the changelings. “I don’t know, they destroyed my wedding and their queen practically brainwashed me.” Both Stan and Carl flopped their ears down, thinking this captain still held a grudge, but Shining just smiled and extended a hoof. “But I’m sure they won’t do it ever again, and will make up for the mistake, right?”
Stan and Carl came out of their wing hug and shook his hoof. “You can count on it.” Stan said.
“Well, lets get a move on.” Shining craned his neck to the doors leading outside. “Your queen's waiting.”
Celestia started walking out, Stan was about to do the same, but Carl tugged on him. “Should I stay here? I don’t want the queen to hate me when she sees me, I hate it when others hate me?”
Stan tugged him back and started walking again. “Oh, come on man, I’m sure she won’t hate ya if you come with us. She might even praise you for what you've done.”
Carl tilted his head. “But, what did I do?”
Stan shrugged and put a hoof on the outside door. “You helped me get here, that's enough for an achievement.”
Carl smiled and held his head high. “You're right, and I will help you from here on out. No matter what the danger is, I will be at your side.”
Stan laughed and opened the doors. “Carl please, I don’t think there’s anything else that will...w-w-wi-will….” Stan froze, making Carl curious.
“Uh, Stan, you’re making that face again.” He stepped outside and looked where Stan was looking. “What are you even looking a-a-ahahaaahahaaat…”
Both Stan and Carl went wide eyed as they saw what was next to Shining and Celestia at the bottom of the stairs. It was the most horrifying thing they had ever seen. Both of them had heard of this creature from their older brothers before, how it chewed on bones, how it ripped flesh, how it drank blood. It was the...the-
“Oh Stan, Carl. Nice of you two to finally come out here.” Celestia waved at them and turned toward to what Stan and Carl were looking at. “I’d like you to meet a...friend of mine. His name is Discord. He’s, well...nice when you get to know him.” Celestia smiled nervously while Discord flew up to the changelings.
“Ah, you must be the fresh meat right off the street; name's Discord, recently reformed, so tell me a little bit about yourselves.”
Both Stan and Carl held one another and screamed. “I-its...its..its El Discordtalantilo!" Stan said while pointing at him.
“HIDE YOUR HATCHLINGS!" Carl screamed as they ran back inside, shutting the doors behind them.
The others stood there in amazement once the doors closed. Discord looked at Celestia and shook his head. “You meet the strangest creatures princess. I’m surprised you haven’t scared any of them yet.”
