> Re:Changeling
>  by Robomac
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Re:Born
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is a saying that truth is stranger than fiction. As somepony who has read nearly every book she's come across, I can say that this isn't necessarily true, even in a land of magic like Equestria. The reality behind the quote is that truth only feels stranger than fiction because reality can sometimes force a pony to change their view on what is real and what isn't. I too had to come to grips with a reality matching even the strangest fiction I've known…but perhaps I should start from the beginning.

Even after so many years, I remember it like yesterday. The night started out like any other. I went over to one of my friend's house and attended a small party. The games and the food were excellent, but they didn't matter in light of simply spending time with my closest friends and goofing off.

The dancing and partying tired me out and the copious amounts of sweets and snacks made me sluggish. I made my way home with thoughts of my soft bed and warms blankets filling my mind. These thoughts were momentarily banished upon spotting a unicorn stallion standing under a streetlight.

He was Fine Slice, a professional chef that had moved into town nearly a full month ago. He had a plain brown coat and nicely styled black hair that never showed signs of being compressed by a hair net. I often found myself running into him every time I left my home. It was unusual, but the cheerful stallion was a joy to talk to whenever we bumped into each other, sometimes literally.

This particular encounter struck me as strange though. Not once had we ever encountered each other at night. He had a dark appearance that strongly contrasted his normally cheery demeanor. I called out to him thinking it some trick of the light, but he didn't respond at first. I wondered what could cause the stallion I've come to know to act so strangely, so I approached him.

Once I came under the light, he looked up with a smile. He told me that he didn't notice me, which was weird to me even then. I didn't have time to think on this as he spoke to me excitedly and pulled out the source of his elation: a brand new knife.

He held it to me in his magic aura and allowed me to the examine it closely. The blade was heavily serrated, wavy, and was even jagged. As a tool for preparing an eye-catching meal, it seemed poorly suited for the job. I asked him about this and he gave me a toothed smirk.

There was a flash of light and pain, but I was too stunned by the sensory overload to notice anything else. I didn't even have time to fully comprehend what happened when his horn charged with magic and fired a beam in my face. I was blasted back and felt like part of my chest was being torn out. Even through the pain and fear, I managed to look down and find a wound bleeding heavily. It was then that I realized the knife's purpose: Murder. Everything about it was perfect for making a pony bleed out.

The knife came again and struck the base of my wing, making me cough up blood. It was a precise, crippling blow meant to keep me down. I tried lifting my head to look at my attacker, but another blast of magic kept me down.

My thoughts and senses became muddled, but I was still aware of everything happening. Four more stabs came, one for each leg. There was even a violent twist for my exposed cutie mark.

I was completely incapacitated, and I knew it. I've spent years of my time mastering all kinds of offensive and defensive magic. I managed to become a very capable flyer and was also fairly strong. To a stallion with a knife, it all meant nothing. The blade hovered over my head and came down on me. Without a doubt, that's when I died.

But, as I said, that was only the beginning. I still remember everything that went through my mind. It felt like I was walking from a dream, but I knew that it was no dream, nor was it a nightmare. My death, that pain: They were both very real.

How? Why? I needed to know why I felt alive , and I'm not proud to say that I panicked. I struggled and squirmed against my confines, but they would only budge, never break. I tried to breathe, to force myself to calm down, but my lungs wouldn't work. This made me panic more. I thrashed violently to no avail and with no concern for my own exhaustion. Only when I heard something did I stop. I strained my hearing, but could only hear a muffled voice.

The voice was kind, which helped calm me down. I still couldn't breathe, but I realized that I didn't feel the need to. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't respond. I tried to find my voice, but the lack of breath impeded my efforts.

I did everything I could to rationalize what was happening. Somehow I survived and was brought to a hospital. The voice was the nurse trying to calm me down. My restraints were the bandages keeping my wounds from bleeding out. The lack of pain was the anesthesia. There were still inconsistencies: I could think clearly, I could still move around some even though the bandages should have prevented it, and my body felt slimy for lack of a better word. The biggest inconsistency was that the anesthetics that would numb my pain should make all the inconsistencies impossible. I thought on it as much as I could, but my exhaustion quickly came over me. With nothing to go on, I decided to sleep it off and wait for more.

I didn't know for how long I slept, but I woke up restless. I did my best to remain still, to remain calm, but the desire to move was like an itch that demanded to be scratched. I squirmed within my slimy confines until I quickly tired.

This cycle continued for longer than I could have possibly kept track of. Each passing moment had my panic returning gradually. The voices were drawn to me every time I struggled, but they never did anything else. My bandages were long overdue for being changed, but I never felt them doing anything to me. I successfully used my struggles to draw their attention whenever I heard them, but they never did more than speak excitedly: almost approvingly.

Without either my nurses or any pain to discourage my movements, I continued to do so whenever the need arose. I had long since given up on figuring out the inconsistencies; after all, the only other option was to go mad from the lack of information, and that could never end well.

Time continued to pass as my desire to move only grew yet my confines were getting more and more constricting. I was forced to work against the elastic bindings in order to satiate my need. What I never expected was for the bindings to tear.

Any concern I might have had was buried under my excitement. For the first time since waking, I could feel the cool air against my skin and the need to breath. It took some effort, but I managed to inhale. The air felt like ice creeping down to my very core, but that fortunately warmed quickly.

I tried to open my eyes next, but even the dim light was too bright for them to remain open for long. I groaned in discomfort, but it sounded more like cooing. I heard the sudden shuffling of hooves across hard floors. I felt somepony's magical aura and lift me out of whatever I broke free from. "Hello princess, it’s good to finally meet you."

Before I could ponder the nature of what she said or form a response, I felt myself being laid out on a hard table with a single soft towel. When the aura released me, the towel was used to wipe whatever sliminess still clung to my body. The cloth moved unimpeded down my body multiple times until I realized a massive inconsistency. 'My legs! Where are my legs?! My wings: What's happened to me?!' I screamed out what sounded like screeching rather than my usual yelling.

Just as my voice went raw from the screaming, the mare's magic brought me up so she could cradle me in one leg. A small part of my mind noticed how the mare was large enough to hold me in one limb, but the thought was drowned under discovering that I suddenly became a hexaplegic. The nurse did her best to try to calm me with soothing tones and gentle touches, but losing their limbs is not something anypony simply calms down from. I tried to open my eyes and hoped will all my heart that I didn't lose those as well. My eyelids were unsurprisingly heavy but I put my all into opening them. The seconds it took to open them felt like minutes. My sight was blurry and my vision was awash in light.

It took time and considerable willpower, but my eyes eventually adjusted. While I was growing tired of being surprised at this point, I was still shocked at the sight of a shape similar to a pony, but clearly wasn't one. The horn had the shape of a curved spike instead of a pony's spiral cone. It also had insectoid wings and a body covered in a black shiny carapace. It's mouth had two large canines in contrast to a pony's flat teeth. It's eyes were sky blue with a gradient that turned completely white where the pupils would be. I could go into further description, but I'll say for simplicity's sake that it was a changeling looking down at me with an expression I could only call affectionate. “Wow, you opened your eyes already. You're a special one, princess.”

I couldn't really process what she was saying at the time since my mind was fully focused on trying to wrap itself around the visual information alone. The changeling lifted me in her magic and brought me close enough to nuzzle. As catatonic as I was, I failed to react to the close contact.

She then carried me around and eventually stopped in front of a polished mirror that I was turned to look at. Even with my blurry vision, I could make out a pasty/pale lump of flesh hovering in the changeling's magical aura. I remember not even asking myself if that was me. It's difficult to ask anything when you pass out.

I was not aware at the time, but this marked the end of my first week.
> Re:Alization
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wasn't sure for how long I slept after fainting, but it couldn't have been any longer than half a day. Before even opening my eyes, my ears started picking up a voice. It sounded like a somewhat harsh mare's voice overlapped with a creepy mare voice. To my surprise, the voice was familiar as was the song she was singing.

---s -ay --- b--n -st ---fect.
--is --- ---t I ----ned si-ce not -g ago.
P---cess Sparkle -ade a ---t-r,
Th- -irth of my --ious daughter,
I hardly believe that this is all so.

Thanks to the mention of my name, I was completely awake by the end of the song. I opened my still heavy eyes and looked upon the face of one that some part of my subconscious had already feared would be there: Queen Chrysalis.

There looking down at me was one of the many enemies of myself and everypony I knew. I couldn't move against her magical grasp; heck, I could barely keep my eyes open. There was also the fact that she was much larger than I could remember and I could not seem to access my magic. I did what any sane pony would do in that situation and screeched at the top of my lungs.

With my eyes closed and my voice turned up to eleven, the only information I could process was through feel. What I felt were the sensations of being shaken in every imaginable direction, being flipped upside-down, and being poked in the cheeks. Those were clearly attempts to quiet me down, but there was one lesson from a friend that filled my thoughts at that time: If it isn't getting you hurt or killed, cause your captors as much grief as possible and milk them for all they're worth.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" The sudden voice eclipsing mine stopped my screeching. I opened my eyes to see what I assumed was the floor. "WHAT ARE YOU...ahem. Pardon me for my directness your majesty, but what are you doing?!"

"I, I was singing. She woke up. She kept crying. I tried to make her stop." I couldn't see the queen's face, but I easily imagined it being as dumbfounded as her tone.

The other voice sighed in exasperation. "I understand that your majesty is new to this, but you must never shake a larva."

'What larva?!' I found myself thinking. The one being shaken ... was me?'

I was suddenly pulled into direct contact with Chrysalis chest and was flipped right-side-up before I could follow through with my train of thought. "I was not shaking my daughter!" she half-yelled in indignation.

'Daughter?!'

"Then why was she facing the ground?"

"I wished to give her a new outlook on life," she responded with almost no hesitation.

That...off comment stunned the other changeling long enough to allowed me enough time to think. 'Larva, daughter. Larva are the infant stages of many arthropods; especially those with hive systems. Larva, daughter, shaking. She was shaking a larva that was her daughter. Daughter, shaking, me, Chrysalis.' My eyes widened as much as they could. 'A nightmare, that's all this is. Princess Luna will show up any moment, get rid of all this, then we can laugh about it in the morning.' I laughed at the absurdity of my situation, though my laugh was squeaker than I remember. 'It’s nothing. My brain's just trying to get the details right.'

It was then that I heard a little gurgling in my belly. Thankfully, relief came in the form of a foreign object being jammed into my mouth. I bit down on it in surprise then suddenly found my mouth filled by a delicious fluid. "Here you are, Princess. I wouldn't be much of a Caretaker if I let you miss out on your first meal," she said with a motherly tone and a touch of pride.

I finished the bottle quickly and immediately felt an onset of drowsiness. I closed my eyes and tried to let the sleep within a dream take me. Unfortunately my desire to sleep with my full stomach was impeded by Chrysalis's nuzzling and cooing. "Oh what a healthy appetite you have my lovely little aphid. I can't wait to see you grow up big and strong." She nuzzled me more firmly and her tone shifted. "I know that you will become a splendid queen."

My heart skipped a beat at her tone. It was one I was certain I never heard before; yet some deep, instinctual part of me knew what it was. The dread I didn't know why I felt didn't last long as my exhaustion was revealed through a yawn. "Your Majesty," I heard the other female changeling saying, "perhaps we should lay the princess to bed so that she may get some rest. It'll be some time ‘til she can remaining awake for long."

Chrysalis emitted a quiet snarl for a few seconds before huffing. "Very well. You are the finest caretaker in the hive after all."

"Thank you Your Majesty, and excuse me for saying that I am honored to have the opportunity to aid in raising the future queen."

"Yes, well I expect that you will live up to the honor I've bestowed upon you. I am sure you understand what fate shall befall you should these expectations not be met" The underlying venom in her tone and the following silence reminded me clearly of the evil she was capable of. "Contact me the instant she wakes." After a few more moments, I was transferred between two different levitation auras then was wrapped in a soft blanket. It took me only a few seconds to fall asleep.

In my next waking moment, I found myself still wrapped in a warm blanket's embrace. A mild stinging pain around my stomach told me that I was hungry again. I opened my eyes with slightly more ease than previously and looked up at the same cave-like walls from before. I tried to vocalize my distaste for the fantasy's persistence, but the sound came out as an adorable mew. It didn't even take five seconds when I heard a whoosh sound coupled with seeing a torrent of green light.

"Where is my daughter so that I may spend time with her?!"

I managed to quickly squirm around enough to lay eyes on the smaller changeling holding her hoof in front of her lips. "Shhhhh. You mustn't arrive so loudly, Your Majesty. You could startle the princess."

Chrysalis chuckled back at her dismissively. "Nonsense, she is my daughter and, like me, is ready to deal with any and all surprises with poise befitting one of noble birth."

'Yes, because you responded so well against my brother's love-powered spell shield that 'didn't' completely foil your Canterlot invasion schemes.' Dream or not, I would have loved to see her reaction to such a comment.

I was unfortunately denied the opportunity to imagine what her expression would be when I was picked up in Chrysalis's magic. She nuzzled me then chuckled. "You agree with me, don't you my darling little aphid." I chuckled back at her tone and expression: Anypony would when watching one of Equestria's terrors treating them like an infant.

"Your Majesty, it is time for the princess to feed."

Chrysalis gave the smaller changeling an annoyed glare. "Then instead of wasting our time telling us this, present to me her meal Caretaker." I tried to groan at her rude behavior, but the sound once again came out as adorable. "I know little one, but we must show our subjects patience. She will learn soon enough."

I rolled my eyes at her continued sense of superiority. Chrysalis may have been the mother in this fantasy, but I could clearly tell that she knew less about raising a foal ... or larva as the case may be, than the other changeling. I decided to absentmindedly suckle on the bottle I was given while mentally running through the details I picked up on. Chrysalis has so far acted like a dotting parent with only hints of her maliciousness cropping up in place of what could otherwise be called hammy behavior. My caretaker, which also seemed to be her name, seemed mostly submissive to Chrysalis's whims, yet she still exhibited some small level of authority.

Then there was myself. Despite the fact that I was really supposed to be an alicorn pony, nothing about being a larva felt out of place. There was a complete lack of phantom sensations and every movement I made felt completely natural. I honestly had to admire how well the dream inserted me into the role of a changeling larva.

The last detail that ran through my mind was how long the dream was. I knew that every second that passed in this dream was a second in the waking world. The only place I've heard of dreams forming a shift in temporal speed was in fiction: usually as a plot convenience. It’s actually something that has irked Princess Luna to no end.

I finished the bottle and my thought then enjoyed the full sensation while trying to ignore Chrysalis praising my appetite again. My digestive system had other plans in the form of an uncomfortable pressure in my belly. I tried to work it around for safe expulsion, but it couldn't be so. The inevitable result was a stream of liquid shooting out of my mouth and all over the changeling queen's face. 'I'll have to look into figuring out how to do that at will sometime.'

"Your Majesty!" yelled Caretaker as she used a towel to start wiping the bile from my mouth then from Chrysalis's face.

She only wiped the queen twice before the towel was taken from her magic. "Enough! Your purpose is to care for my daughter, not me; I am more than capable of that."

Caretaker bowed. "Of course Your Majesty." I scowled at the oppressive queen: Yes Chrysalis could take care of herself, but that is no excuse for snapping at somepony…someling, somebuggy…someone who's only trying to help.

'Hmm, I wonder what term changelings use in addressing strangers or a group?' I shook my head and returned my thoughts to the length of the dream I found myself in. If I've yet to wake after days worth of mental activity, then I can't be sleeping naturally. That meant that this had to be an induced dreamlike state. 'Then what's happened to my real body?'

'Scenario one: Everything that happened prior to waking up in that egg was real and this reality was the construct of the most advanced dream projector available.' The problem with that theory was that the would be much happier and Luna would've revealed herself by that point.

'Scenario two: The attack was real and I was taken to one of my enemies while, changelings most likely. This dream exists as a way to incapacitate me further with the possibility of inflicting Stockhound Syndrome.' The problem there was in how I was transported without bleeding out.

'Scenario three: The attack was also a fabrication on top of the rest of scenario two.' The issue there was that I remembered the attack: the pain, the bleeding, the shock. It felt as real as anything I ever felt, but so did being a changeling larva.

'Scenario four: I really died and this is some freaky afterlife that I am going through as some kind of joke: a very unfunny one.'

I was pulled from my contemplation by a hoof nudging me on the side. I turned towards the source to see Caretaker and Chrysalis looking at me with worried expressions that shifted to relieved. "Caretaker, what was that?"

"I … I don't know. She's not blind. There's nothing wrong. It's like she was lost in thought."

"Lost in thought?" Chrysalis asked while blinking dumbly. She blinked a few more times before smiling widely and pulling me in for a firm hug. "What a brilliant larva you are! Already you are learning to plot the downfall of your enemies!” I saw Caretaker raise a hoof to interject, but she decided against saying it; though, if I had to guess, she would've mentioned how infants don't have enemies to plot against. "We must foster this budding brilliance. What stories do we have to read to her?!"

"We can read to her Ants and Aphids."

"Of course! What young changeling's life would be complete without hearing that tale?!" She raised a hoof towards Caretaker and waved it dismissively. "Go and fetch a copy so that I may share this tale with my lovely daughter."

Caretaker departed as Chrysalis cuddled up to me with uncomfortable closeness. I distracted myself with what little anticipation I could drum up for what I knew would be a children's book. I was curious about what kind of story this construct would form for me. I only wished that I would be able to read it under my own power, but I knew it was impossible in my condition. That left me hoping this dream Chrysalis could read a tale properly.

It only took a few more seconds for Caretaker to reveal herself levitating an unfortunately thin book. As the book passed between the two changelings, I got a clear view of the title: "Ants and Aphids."

'Whaaaaa?!" I blinked, then blinked again. Over and over I blinked only for the words upon those covers to remain unchanging. 'That's impossible! The parts of the brain responsible for dreams are completely separate from the parts responsible for recognizing writing. You can not read in a dream.' Quick, shallow breaths tried and failed to provide the air needed to fuel my ongoing panic. 'There has to be an explanation!'

My thinking locked up as a horrifying thought pervaded my mind that I would have easily dismissed had I been calm. I tried to silence it; tried to quell the idea, but it had already come. 'No, can I really be…?' I couldn't be sure if it was either my mind or my body playing some kind of prank, but in that moment one of the two decided to make me feel another, more familiar pressure in my digestive system that I knew would not be denied with my current bowel control. I had no choice but to let it happen and to tune out Chrysalis' shocked and mildly horrified expression in favor of figuring things out.

'This can't be! Reincarnation is nothing more than a superstitious concept! Even if it was real, memories are stored in the brain. How can I remember? No-no-no-no-no! This can't be happening! There's no way I'm a baby, and not just any baby: Chrysalis' daughter! So what if everything adds up. Things like this don't happen to anypony! This joke has gone on long enough Princess Luna...Princess Luna!' There was no response.

My panic continued as every attempt to think of a reason this wasn't real only ended at evidence proving the contrary. "What is happening, Caretaker?!" yelled the queen with a panic that didn't help my own.

"I-I...I think she's hyperventilating."

"Then what do we do about it?!" Chrysalis yelled threatening.

"We need to calm her down!"

'Then why don't you two stop yelling?!' which is what I would have loved to yell out loud if changeling larva had functional vocal cords.

"Try talking or singing to her," Caretaker suggested oh so helpfully.

'Great idea, because a song is exactly what a pony needs when dealing with an existential crisis!' I thought sarcastically. 'Got any better ideas?!'

My thoughts went unheard, leaving Chrysalis to pursue the idea. A stroke of inspiration flashed in her eyes then she started humming a tune that I found oddly familiar. My breathing normalized very slightly, emboldening her into song.

This day has been just perfect.
This day that I planned since not long ago.
Princess Sparkle made a martyr,
The birth of my precious daughter,
I hardly believe that this is all so.

...
My breathing did a full 180 from being completely erratic to being nearly as dead as every bit of deniability I had left. What was left in its place was a level of emotion that could not be described with one word, so I used all of them: abhorred, agitated, angry, antagonized, antipathetic, bitter, displeased, enraged, furious, hateful, hostile, irate, infuriated, irked, loathing, malicious, miffed, nettled, outraged, peeved, pissed, piqued, rancorous, resentful, revolted, upset, vengeful, venomous, vexed, vindictive, wrathful, and any other unmentionable synonym.

Chrysalis, my mother, looked at me with a hopeful smile. I glowered at her, took a deep breath, then screamed with all my might.
> Re:Percussions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One thing that I quickly learned about changeling larva is that they are very different from pony foals. Even after only a week, a foal would be able to move around of their own accord. Some would even start demonstrating the magical traits unique to their race as early as a month after being born.

Larva don't have even a fraction of that autonomy. All a normal larva can do is lay still, cry, eat, and unmentioned necessities. It was the kind of thing that could drive a full grown mare to insanity. It was fortunate for that I had what I felt about my dear - sweet - mother to distract me. It was actually ironic that it was my anger that guarded me from madness, and I had a lot of ways to vent that anger.

I screamed, writhed, and spit whenever got close to me. Still, I wished I could do more; had more. Hooves to strike out with or magic to unleash, but it had to do. I felt a sense of anticipation when a magical aura picked me up from the crib I was resting in, anticipation that was washed away when I saw that it was Caretaker. It was here that I idly considered how fitting it was for a hive society to have a utilitarian naming system.

Regardless of what I thought of her name, I didn't concern myself with Caretaker one way or the other. She may have been a changeling, but she had nothing to do with her queen's crime. I only had to bide my time till I can strike. It was after I went through half the bottle I was given I was given that she showed up. There was a trace of apprehension in her steps as she approached. I smiled at that.

Caretaker back away from me slowly as Chrysalis's magic aura took over. She held the bottle more firmly than needed, but I knew that the hold wouldn't last forever. It still slackened sooner than expected when she brought me in for close contact. Once the bottle was empty, I quickly chewed through the soft material with my now well formed mandibles, spit it out, then took a deep breath. "Your Majesty, she's..."

The rest of Caretaker's voice was drowned under the sound of my own. Chrysalis levitated me a short distance back and turned me away from her. She was learning. That was bound to happen considering that I screamed and spit at her for what I guess was nearly a week. She was bound to become more cautious. It had been fun tormenting her, but fun was all it could be. There was no way that I could do anything significant as a larva. I only recently managed to figure out how to move around of my own accord. 'I wonder who's fault that is?' I turned my head and managed to get a glimpse of Chrysalis' face, and she looked frustrated. I would have felt sympathy for her it not for the small details of her orchestrating my assassination, taking from me my future, as well as everything I've known and loved. That fact allowed me to draw some satisfaction from her stress.

"Why does my daughter despise me so?!" she yelled towards Caretaker with a stomp and glare.

"It must be a phase Your Highness. Surely she will grow out of it," she said pleadingly rather than with the assuring tone she likely wanted. I would have liked to assure them that I did despise her.

"They why does she react only to me in such a way?!"

"I don't know, but you can never know what a larva will do next. She has done those things to me too." 

‘Yeah, but mostly to keep up appearances.’

"Not every time you get close! I can't even bring her close without her reacting! Every! Single! Time!

"I...I don't know."

"You are the finest Caretaker in the this hive ... how do you not know?!" Caretaker simply backed away silently with her head held down. Chrysalis kept the distance the same and lowered her head threateningly with her horn still glowing from the spell holding me. "I recommend you find out before you instead learn how easily a changeling's rank can fall."

"Queen Chrysalis!" All heads turned towards a new changeling that I assumed to be male from his voice. His words were caught in his throat; likely due to a glare from the queen.

"Class, rank, and hive. Now!" she yelled while emphasizing with a hoof-stomp.

He flinched in fear then saluted. "Informant. Two. Hive 14."

She mulled over the information for a moment then resumed glaring. "What is an Informant from a Scholarly Hive doing here?!" That raised my already piqued interest.

His posture lowered significantly. "That is why I'm here Your Majesty. I have urgent news."

"Then out with it!" she snapped.

"For your ears only," he said with a gulp.

She snarled at him for a moment then relaxed slightly. "Very well then." After placing me back into my crib, she and the Informant were gone in a torrent of green flame. I wanted to know what was happening, but there was nothing I could do.

I heard the sound of tentative hoof-steps followed by Caretaker peaking over the stone crib's edge. She levitated me back up and looked me in the eyes. "I don't understand you. You're nothing like any of the larva I've helped raise. It's like...you know what you're doing." She shook her head suddenly. "What am I thinking. It's crazy to think that a larva knows what she's doing." I laughed a bit and she chuckled back. "Even you think I'm crazy."

'Not exactly.'

She sighed and glanced over to the door. "I wonder what was so important." She and I both mulled over the question. Whatever kind of news that Informant had for Chrysalis, it didn't seem like it would be good. "It doesn't matter." She returned her gaze to me then closed in for some nuzzling, which I decided to allow. "All that concerns me is making sure you grow up properly. I only wish I could make you understand how much your mother loves you."

'Oh I understand completely. How else could she have gone through with having me killed?!' I thought angrily while planning what I would do once I finally had hooves and magic. There were all sorts of spells I knew that would be perfect for dealing with her. I was particularly fond of the idea of using a memory spell to make her experience exactly how it felt when that blade first pierced my lungs.

"Somebuggy is a grumpy grub. Maybe…maybe you'd like me to try reading you a story again." That was something that was impossible for me not to perk up at. Sure it was a children's book, but after my first 'episode' occurring due to a book, it made sense that she would keep them from me. I looked at her with what I hoped was a curious expression; I couldn't really nod at her yet.

After a good amount of time without me making a fuss, she reached out with her magic and pulled out the same book that kicked off my rage. Now that I was no longer blinded by either panic or wrath, I took notice that the book was bound in a well aged cover. I found this beyond exciting because it meant that the story was actually a piece of changeling history. After bringing the book a short distance away from me, she began inching it closer; no doubt she was making sure I wouldn't react the same way I did last time: no chance of that. The last thing I wanted to do was lose book privileges for life.

Despite the time I was doing so wearing on my patience, I maintained an interested appearance as she moved the around me in close proximity. When she let out a sigh of relief, I knew she was done. "I am glad that I do not have to deny you my favorite story." She finally opened the book to the first page while beaming with enthusiasm.




Ants and the Aphids.


Long ago, on an island far away, existed an ant colony unlike any other in the world. This colony was very mighty; so much so that they were feared by all other creatures on the island, be they bug or beast. The ants were powerful, but their strength was not all theirs: not completely. The true source of their power came from the ones they protected, the aphids.

Under the protection of the ants, the aphids were able to eat, play, and grow to their heart's content. It was thanks to this safety that they were able to produce a nectar so sweet and nourishing, any ant that ate it would grow up big and strong. With the ants acting as guardians and the aphids ensuring they remained mighty, it was a bond that neither side was willing to throw away, until that very fateful day.

From beyond the island appeared an aphid unlike any those on the island had ever seen before. His chitin was an unheard of black and he was large enough to look down on any but the mightiest ants, but what truly set him apart was his mind.

Where other aphids were content to live under the protection of the ants, he was not. He felt that the aphids shouldn't have to share any power with the ants, and so he set out to break their bonds. He spun a tale of how the ants weren't allies, but were instead oppressors whenever he spoke to the other aphids.  The lie he gave to the ants warned them that the aphids were planning to hoard some of the nectar that the ants depended so much upon. Every time he spread a lie to one more member of the island, the other lie would come closer to becoming truth.

The change came far faster than could be noticed by even the wisest ants and aphids. The ant leaders had taken to imprisoning any ant that was suspected of hiding any nectar. The aphids of course took it even further and stopped producing the nectar at all. Under the guidance of the Black Aphid, they produced a new nectar that would strengthen aphid, not ant.

War broke out with the Black Aphid leading his smaller brethren and the ants divided between wanting reconciliation, restitution, or repercussions. Divided and weakened, the ants stood no chance against the more numerous aphids and their powerful leader. The war ended as swiftly as it started with nearly all of the ants being wiped out.

With the ants defeated, the aphids made the black one their king. He sat upon his throne with a hidden smile over how it went exactly as planned.



With the story's end, I was having trouble figuring out what to think. On one hoof, it gave me a spectacular idea on how to handle my would-be-family once I grew up. On the other hoof, it was the closest thing to respectable literature that I've been subjected to since my demise and subsequent reincarnation.

As anger began to win over my demeanor, a loud wistful sigh brought my attention to Caretaker. "Everybuggy has told me that this story is an inspiration to changelings: and example of how one clever infiltrator can make any lie they want into truth simply with the right form and words." She ran a hoof across the pages as I watched silently, thoroughly interested in what she would say next. "I don't agree with them. To me, it feels like the story is incomplete, like it ended too suddenly. Every time I read this, I am left wondering what happened after the black aphid took over...No other story does that for me as well as this one."

I had to agree with her. Not only was the story incomplete, it felt like it skimmed over important details. I couldn't think on it long however when the whoosh signifying the queen's teleportation spell. I couldn't even think to look her way before she grabbed me with her magic and pulled me in close. I felt her having some jerky movements in the few seconds of nuzzling it took for me to regain myself and screech in her face. Chrysalis flinched for only an instant, then she resumed coddling me despite my efforts. "Do no fear my daughter," I heard her say into my ears with a shaky voice. "I know that I may be scary, but you will always be safe with me."

I stopped crying from sheer confusion. Never before had she tried to talk to me like that as I screamed; however my new habits wouldn't fade away that easily. A quick shift in my throat forced out my phlegm, which I immediately fired upon Chrysalis's face. The glob of spit that coated her face stunned her for no more than a second. She then simply smiled at me in an almost forced manner and began cleaning the mess left around my mouth not with her magic nor a cloth, but with her tongue. Imagine my reaction when the one I hated more than anything I've ever hated before started doing something so intimate to me. Without thought, I opened my mouth and bit down on her snout as hard as I could. "Gah!" she yelped out while backing away and losing control of her magic.

It was only thanks to Caretaker's quick reflexes and magic that I hit the ground softly. With me safe, she then went over to the queen. "Your Majesty"    she said craning her neck to look at the queen's face then gasping "   you're bleeding!"

This news caused me to widen my eyes. I didn't expect to nor intended to draw blood. I could even perceive the copper-like taste of her blood in my mouth. Despite all that I lost thanks to her, I for the first time felt like I went too far. "Your fault," I heard Chrysalis mumbling just loud enough to hear.

"Excuse me," replied Caretaker with confusion written all over her.

"Your fault," she repeated darkly.

Caretaker's eyes along with mine widened. She backed away slowly, trembling. "Y-Your Majesty, I-I don't..."

"It's all your fault!" The glare I saw her giving the frighted changeling terrified me. It was full of rage and lacking in all reason. Her horn lit up and the spell threw Caretaker to the far wall. "You've made her love you more than I, her own mother!"

"Your Majesty," she choked out. "I don't..." Another burst of magical levitation cut her off and knocked her into another wall.

"Did you know this?! Did you know that my plans failed?!" She approached Caretaker with steps that seemed to cut through the air itself and crack the stone below.

Seeing Caretaker's terrified and confused expression half hidden by Chrysalis' leg, I finally snapped out of my shocked state. 'I have to stop this!' I thought with panicked tears forming at the edge of my eyes. I took a breath and let out a sorrow filled wail.

It proved to be for naught when Caretaker as thrown again and hit with a magic beam. "She chooses your side even now! You intend to turn her against me, to make her into the queen you desire!"

'No! Please…You don't have to do this!' I held back further tears and instead squirmed towards them. I thought I was crazy to try and stop her, but that didn't matter. 'I have to try!' I crawled along as fast as I could while watching Caretaker being lifted by Chrysalis's magic and pulled across the room. 'Please stop! I promise, I won't cry again! I'll be a good girl; just stop hurting her!' Oh how I wished, begged even, that I could say something: anything that could stop her. My pleading thoughts reached nothing.

"Well," Chrysalis started with a calm tone that didn't match the void of rage that filled her eyes, " I will not let you take her from me." With one more burst of magic, Caretaker was thrown headfirst into the far wall. The sound of her collision was made silent by a sickening snap.

I looked over to Caretaker's motionless body with no clue what to think, but that lasted for only a second. I turned towards Chrysalis intent on glaring her down only to be once again stripped of thought. The changeling queen looked neither angry nor satisfied; she looked horrified. The rage that clouded her eyes was gone. She took a single step forward only to fall to her knees and hang her head. "What have I done?" Her voice was low, and broken. She raised her gaze and looked into my eyes as I looked into hers. She tried to forced her eyes to stay open, but they screwed shut and dripped with tears.

When her eyes weren't shut, they were staring at Caretaker. I however remained unblinking as I took in her downward spiral. Things remained unchanged until her eyes widened then she instantly dashed over to Caretaker and looked her over. 'Is she?' My heart spiked with relief when I saw the smallest of movement from Caretaker's body. 'She's breathing!'

Chrysalis turned towards the door and left in a rush. "Medic; I need a medic!" I heard her yell with a fading voice. I crawled over to Caretaker's comatose form and looked her over. I knew that there was nothing I could do for her, but I had to know how bad it was. I knew nothing about Changeling anatomy, so I was only left with what I knew about ponies. It hardly looked like she was injured at all, but that couldn't be true. Her body looked the same as before, until her head came into view. A blueish green fluid leaked out of a stub where her horn used to be.

The sudden sound of thundering hooves startled me and drew my attention back to the door. Three unknown Changelings stormed in with Chrysalis leading them. The horror and regret in the queen's eyes had been replaced by firm determination. The other changelings gently moved me out of the way then began casting some sort of magic over Caretaker's body. "Inner furnace is stable."

"Microfractures at the shoulder and flank."

"Horn is not salvageable."

"How'd this happen?" asked one looking at Chrysalis.

An instant of regret flashed across her face only to be replaced by a stern glare before the Changelings could even recognize it. "She disappointed me. Pray that you don't do the same." It was a bluff. I knew it couldn't be anything else. The three changelings fell for it all the same and carried Caretaker away urgently. Once they were gone, Chrysalis collapsed and pressed her face into the floor. Her body shuddered from her restrained crying. If I wasn't worried enough over her state of mind, her crying shifted halfway into laughing. "I hurt one of my s-subjects. I-I've never... Sure, I threaten, yell: what's happening to me?" She looked at me and replaced her mad revelry with a touch of realization. "It's you; you're the reason."

'What?!' I was confused. 'What does that mean? How am I the reason?' Chrysalis stood up and took a few steps towards me: her expression unreadable. 'What is she doing?!' I thought in fear.

What I feared meant nothing. I could only stay still when she picked me up, placed me back into my crib, and ran a hoof along my body. "Love," she said sadly. "I've sought after it for so long, that I thought I knew what it was. I knew it was powerful, but I never understood, ‘til now." She leaned in close and gave me a gentle kiss. "I love you."

She walked to one of the room's corners and lay down, but she might as well have left me alone. My mind raced as it tried to make sense of everything that happened. 'I'm the reason? She loves me?' I didn't have all the pieces, but a picture still formed in my head. 'This is my fault. I pushed her to this. If only I acted, normal...If only I didn't try to torment her.'

I learned a powerful lesson that day. Little did I know at the time, Chrysalis would be learning the very same lesson under a far harsher teacher: For every action, there is a greater and more horrifying reaction.
> Re:Compense
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Broken: that one word fit the two of us perfectly. That shocking event had a massive effect on both me and Chrysalis. It had only been a few days since her outburst, but it felt like weeks. Every following day she would come into the room and lay down in the corner as far from me as she could while letting herself be buried under her thoughts. Our direct contact was limited to when she would take care of my needs. Not once did I resist her as I have been doing prior the event, and yes, it is true that I did fear sending her into another envious rage, but above that; I could not bring myself to put her into a state of emotional torment like that again.

Every time I looked at her almost permanently dejected expression, I would feel my guilt and shame over my actions. Being panicked, distraught, and angry were no excuse to act like a foal; although, realizing that I was technically a changeling foal did make me smile a little. Any humor I could find was welcome, but it never lasted long. I only had to look at Chrysalis again to take part in her depression. Even with what she's done to me - and before that, my brother - I could no longer hate her. Instead I felt a combination of sympathy and pity.

The sound of hoofsteps approaching interrupted the longstanding silence. Suddenly yet unsurprisingly, Chrysalis stood up from the corner and dropped all signs of the emotions that were trying to crush her; instead putting on a appearance of confidence and dominance. Part of me pitied how she tried so hard to appear strong. The other part wondering where those acting skills were back during the wedding.

A Changeling walked into the room and addressed his queen with a salute. "Your Majesty, I have a report on the injured Caretaker from five days ago."

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. "Out with it then, Informant!"

"O-of course. She had not recovered fully, but she is well enough to resume working for the hive."

"What of her horn?" she iterjected.

His eyes widened." I-I-I th-they."

"Enough!" she yelled with a stomp. "I get the picture...Go find a suitable Caretaker for my child while I see to Caretaker-1's condition."

"Yes, Your Highness." He stayed there for a moment watching Chrysalis approach me with a fierce expression on his face, then he ran off to follow her order. I ignored him and tried to feign sleep so Chrysalis would hurry up and check on Caretaker's condition, which I was very invested in. She still went through the full set of checks regardless of my feelings before finally leaving.

Thanks to my elation over Caretaker's potential return, it took me a minute to realize that I was actually left alone in the middle of the day. Alone was a very boring thing to be without a single decent book to keep me company. All I had as a replacement were all the equivalents of chew-toys, so I gnawed on a wooden block until I heard hoofsteps coming in.

I looked up at the door and saw who I recognized as an unknown changeling wearing a saddlebag walking into the room. The individual looked around with a quizzical expression for a second before focusing on me. "Well hi there, deary. Why are you all alone in here?!"

Her voice was shrill and unnecessarily loud. 'What the hay! I can't imagine a foal anywhere that could tolerate that kind of voice.' Of course I wasn't a foal, but that didn't make her voice any more pleasant.

"Ooh, I know what's wrong: You're sick."

I looked at her with one eye wide open and another narrowed; my replication of a raised eyebrow. 'Excuse me, but do I look sick?!"

"I have just the thing for you." She spoke in a way that gave me a really bad feeling. Using her magic, she combed through her saddlebag and pulled out a small tube I recognized as a thermometer.

I mentally sighed. 'Let's get this over with.' I opened my mouth as the thermometer approached me, but the device passed me by. It was after a half-second that this fact registered in my mind. 'Uh oh.'

"Now this won't hurt a bit deary."

I didn't care if it would hurt. I didn't want a thermometer shoved up my rectum. I squirmed and writhed in effort to make myself a difficult target, but she simply held me in place with both fore-hooves. I cried out in discomfort when the thermometer was put to use.

During my cries, she suddenly put a hoof over my mouth to muffle the sound. "Now now, deary. It's not that bad."

She was right about it not being bad and I did stop crying...but the two facts were not linked. No, I stopped crying for a whole different reason. 'I can't breath!' Whether she knew it or not, the mare was covering both of my airways. When I tried to move from her hold, she rolled me over and applied more pressure. If that wasn't bad enough, she was looking at a blank wall as if pretending that I or my plight did not exist. This left me with no other choice but to the very thing I recently regretted doing: I bit her hoof.

"Agh!" she gasped out whilst withdrawing her hoof. She then glared at me and snarled. "Why you cheeky little ant!" As quick as a blink, she flicked me with her hoof hard enough to sting my forehead, or my anatomical equivalent at least. Now I was no stranger to minor pain, but that was as an adult. What this mare did was suffocate then strike an infant. I didn't like her. With crying out the window, I did something that I would have never thought of doing as a pony: I hissed.

She glared at me with a curled lip. "Oh we have a feisty one here...we'll have to fix that," she said while lifting her hoof.

"Halt!" Her limb froze mid-swing as we both looked at the voice's source: Queen Chrysalis. "What..." she paused to snarl viciously. "What do you think you're doing to My Daughter?!"

I looked at the queen's face in fear for the changeling between us. She was fueled by jealous rage in the last incident, but now what she felt was clearly righteous fury. The last thing I wanted was for something to happen again, but there was nothing I could do about it. "Your Majesty!" yelled out a familiar voice from a changeling that stepped in the queen's way: Caretaker. I could not see the face she was giving Chrysalis, but it managed to soften her fury which instantly became a hardened glare upon looking at the changeling nearest me.

I knew the situation was diffused, but there was also no way she was getting off unpunished. Chrysalis slowly walked towards her. "Leave this hive and pray that I never visit the hive you flee to. If that prayer is unanswered, pray that I never encounter you; and if that too is unanswered, pray that I don't recognize you."

Upon finished that tirade, she brought her face within an inch of the frightened changeling's. "I-I-I-I-I didn't kn..."

"Leave, while I am still...merciful." I've only seen Pinkie Pie run that fast. I looked back at Chrysalis and saw her clearly losing her restraint. With a vicious yell, she fired a charged magic beam at a wall, one that I didn't have to look at to know that it now had a mark that was burnt red-hot. The queen breathed laboriously for a long moment as Caretaker slowly approached. Once she placed a hoof on Chrysalis's back, the queen snapped at her, still seething. Caretaker backed away in fear until Chrysalis's breathing suddenly slowed followed by her walking past the smaller changeling with a slightly hung head. "Take care of her."

With the queen gone, I took my first good look at my Caretaker. There were some bandages wrapped around her body, but the most noticeable thing was the bandaged stump where her horn used to be. There was no way I could look at it without feeling a sickeningly, cold chill all over my skin. It was a harsh reminder of what my selfishness and anger had caused.

She reached behind me with her fore-hooves and pulled out the rod which I've forgotten about. "There you go. I'm really sorry you had to be alone with Caretaker-11. I could have sworn that none of the lower ranked members were told about you, but now we suddenly have only 10 Caretaker's for this hive now." She picked me up in her hooves, but the extent of her trembling limbs was too great to keep me from slipping from her grasp. "That's weird. I can't keep my hooves still." She used one limb to put pressure on the other, but that led to her whole body shaking. Once I saw the onset of shallow breathing begin, I knew there was no stopping the incoming panic attack.

I watched helplessly as she pranced around inflicting pain upon herself in a desperate effort to regain control. "I thought she was going to kill her. I thought she was going to kill me. What if I mess up? What if I make a mistake? Is...is this what fear is?" She snapped her unsteady gaze towards my face with her breathing visibly erratic. I found the look in her eyes unnerving, but I maintained eye contact with as neutral of an expression I could maintain.

The impromptu staring contest paid off as she returned to normal behavior gradually. With one final deep breath, she walked up to me, picked me up with her entire limbs, then placed me on the floor. "Sorry you had to see that, princess," she said crouched down to eye level. "I think it's time you get some exercise. We can't keep you in that crib forever now can we?

She collected up my toys and started kicking them around within my field of view: A clear attempt to goad me into chasing the objects. I would have preferred some books over physical activity, but I could see no good reason to ignore what she wanted from me.

As I chased the toys around, I occupied my mind with thinking on Caretaker's panic attack. There was no doubting that the incident destroyed Caretaker's trust in the queen. I couldn't be absolutely sure, but I got a feeling Chrysalis asked her to continue being my Caretaker, which she may have seen as granting the closest thing to an apology that the prideful ruler would allow herself to give. This, however, was being seen as a lose-lose situation by Caretaker where she thinks she is doomed if she does poorly or is doomed if she does too well. If I was going to help both of them get through this, to get over what I put them through, I'd have to do something I never thought I'd need to do for a couple of changelings: make them into friends.

Come next morning, I knew exactly what I to do. As for how I would do it: I had no idea. It wasn't like I was the Princess of Friendship anymore, but I had to try. Caretaker soon arrived and promptly took care of all my needs, even without the aid of her magic. Next came story-time, but I paid more attention to the sound of hoofsteps outside the room. Every time a set got close, I turned to the door hoping, even praying that Chrysalis would come in. This undesirably caused Caretaker to stiffen up in fear of the very thing I was asking for.

Story-time ended later than usual and was followed up by play-time. I still focused on the sounds of hoofsteps outside of the room while chasing the toys around and ignoring how much I felt like a dog. Another set came close, but these were much softer sounding than the typical hoofsteps. This time I knew that it had to be Chrysalis, yet I was still elated when she poked her head in. She clearly tried to remain hidden, but that didn't last long with me crawling towards her. "Your Majesty!" exclaimed Caretaker in surprise and worry.

Chrysalis was shocked for a moment before returning to her false superiority. "Pay me no mind Caretaker. I am merely checking upon my daughter's well being." She looked at the crib then around the room, but not down. "Where is she..." Caretaker gasped and Chrysalis stepped back in surprise when I bumped into her leg. We locked eyes and I did my best to look...cute, or as cute as a pale lump of flesh could be. I was still lacking in the plan department, but I at least needed to keep Chrysalis in the room. She alternated between looking at me or Caretaker a few times before stopping at the other adult in the room. "What is she doing?"

There was a slight pause. "I-I think she wants to play with you."

"Is that why there's a block in her mouth?"

I crossed my eyes inward and sure enough, there it was. 'Huh, forgot that I even had that.'

"Y-yes. I believe she wants you to kick it around for her."

"Why?" Chrysalis asked in confusion.

"Um, so she can chase it around," replied Caretaker as if it were obvious.

"No, not that!" She spoke with some force, panic, and shock adding instability to her voice. "Why now does she want to be with me?! Why now does my daughter suddenly not hate me?! Either she cries and throws a fit if I get near her, or she ignores me if she has no other choice! What changed?!" Her short tirade was a bad sign to me.

"I-I'm not sure." Caretaker’s voice squeaked in a way that made me imagine her balled up like Fluttershy does when she feels intimidated.

I could barely make out the guilt in Chrysalis's eyes before she screwed them shut. "I see. Perhaps I should leave her well-being to you."

I glared when she turned away.  'Oh no you don't! Que the whimpering!' A soft puppy-like whine came out causing Chrysalis to pause mid-step for a second before resuming her departure. I tried to follow, but Caretaker scooped me up, slung me over her shoulder, and held me there with one hoof; which put me in the perfect position to watch Chrysalis walk away. 'I-I failed.' I dropped the block I had; the sound of it hitting the floor echoed in my mind long after becoming silent. 'Of course I failed. I'd have to be crazy to think I could even keep them in the same room together for longer than a minute. Fallout from an outburst like Chrysalis' doesn't fade in just a week. I'd need a miracle to make it work.'

Caretaker must have noticed how I was feeling because she started stroking me after putting me back in my crib "Why...why did you do that? I'd think you'd hate...dislike her more than ever." She sighed loudly. "I wish you could understand me, that we could communicate. How amazing would it be if I could simply ask you what you're thinking?"

She left my side as my eyes slowly widened in deep realization. The idea of communicating with them had crossed my mind before, but I discarded the thought back when I had it. It would've been foal's-play to encourage yes or no questions and to respond with nods or shakes, but it wouldn't have served my purposes back then. Now it was the only choice I had with any chance of working.

The checklist immediately began to form in my head. 'Step 1: get caretaker's attention; Step 2: convince her we can communicate; Step 3: get her to tell Chrysalis; Step 4: apo...apologize for my behavior, and Step 5: become a mediator.' I realized it was simple and had holes, but it really was my best shot at making up for what I did to them.

I prepped myself with a deep breath but stopped when I heard loud footsteps approaching the room. 'That can't be Chrysalis: it's too soon.'

My assumption was proven correct when a slightly familiar changeling poked its head in. "Caretaker-1!" he commanded with the same voice as the Informant from yesterday.

She snapped into an erect position facing him and dropping the toys she was cleaning up. "Yes!"

"Your presence is required in the meeting hall: your rank needs to be reevaluated." His expression was stern.

Caretaker bunched up a bit and looked at him fearfully. "But, what about the princess?"

"The evaluation won't take long and princess or not, I am sure she'll be fine for a few minutes."

"But I--"

"Enough!" he yelled with a stomp of a hoof. "We can not have the princess being cared for by one who not our finest."

"But the Queen…"

"The Queen is not in a calm state of mind. As soon as you leave, I will seek out Caretaker-two, who will surely be you replacement."

Caretaker hesitantly shifted her focus between me and the other changeling. 'Please stay,’ I thought, but she ultimately left me alone with the other changeling.

I glared at the male changeling while he regarded me with a cool expression. "Hello there, princess." His tone came out smooth and harsh at the same time. "We're finally alone together." That and the following chuckle put me on guard.

I backed away from him but was stopped by my crib's walls. Never before had they felt more like a cage. Every time he stepped closer, the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach grew. I dared not to think what that feeling really was, and I hoped that I wouldn't find out.
> Re:Sponse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The changeling stallion stalked with a grin that grew ever more feral with each step. It took a few seconds to recognize when I last saw that expression: when Fine Slice was killing me. I watched the approaching changeling with new-found terror while the sensation I now recognized as dread brew within me. 'No! No! I don't want to die: not again!'

"I'm surprised that I couldn't get you alone yesterday, but I couldn't let your mother suspect me in this: I have plans after all. Still, it was fun sending that worthless Caretaker-11 to you and hearing about her getting kicked out." He chuckled. "I can imagine her broken up over not even knowing that you were the princess. It's not her fault that only the two highest ranked members of each class were told why Chrysalis was really here." His expression shifted to a snarl    "I didn't even know!"    then it shifted back just as suddenly.

It was clear to me that this changeling was unhinged, which only compounded upon my fear of him. I took a deep breath and put all the effort I could into screaming louder than ever before. It only took a second before I began to feel the strain, but I had to keep at it. Without Caretaker, without Chrysalis; I was defenseless. A green magical light flashed from his horn followed by me hearing something truly terrifying despite my loud crying. Silence.

"I do love that silencing spell. It's perfect for when those pathetic low-rankers won't shut up long enough for me to give my message." He suddenly brought his face inches from me. "It works on crying brats too," he added with a dark chuckle before starting to prance around me. "I honestly don't see much difference between the two: all the whining, always needing help, and can't do anything themselves. I can't imagine how Informant-5 is only one rank below me." He smiled a sinister smile.

If I had noticed that he was monologuing, I would have calmed down slightly, but I was more concerned over having no way of dealing with the threat: no magic, no wings, and no strength. Anything that I could try to use against him would've only made him want to kill me more. Even then, I couldn't completely accept that I was going to die as a defenseless infant. 'Not like this! I need something, anything that could work!'

"I have to admit, when those Rankers from Hive-1 asked me to kill the princess, I was impressed. They did pick one of the few who'd actually go through with it, and why wouldn't I.  Our dear queen made only two big moves against Equestria, and both ended in complete disaster for changelings everywhere. I'm sorry princess, but those Rankers and I all agree that we can't have you taking after your failure of a mother."

'That's why he wants to kill me ... because of Chrysalis's mistakes. I - I - I don't ... I can't even follow that logic.'

"Of course that got me wondering, what's to stop our dear old queen from having another little brat, but they answered me before I could even ask: she can't. The queen can have all the sons she wants, but just one daughter and she's done." He let out a long relieved sigh then smiled down at me. "You know, that felt good: therapeutic even. You can't imagine the stress from half of everybuggy in this hive not wanting to listen to me or thinking I got the message wrong. I'd love to see if they manage to get this message wrong."

He levitated a bottle out of his bag and began mixing together some liquids, pills, and herbs with a large amount of dark paste. 'Is he going to poison me?' He then took the mixture and put it in a bag-like bottle that was affixed to a stone nipple that I knew I couldn't chew through. 'He is going to poison me!' Expecting to be killed versus having proof were two different beasts.

Still, new-found hope filled my heart once I realized what his method was. "Open wide princess," he said as if I would comply. The bottle dripped some of its contents onto my mandibles, but I kept them closed. To my amusement, the changeling growled in frustration as he continually poked at the barrier guarding my mouth. "I said," he growled out while adding my jaws to his magical grasp, "open up!"

What followed for the next few seconds was him struggling to force my mouth open until he put the bottle in his mouth and put all his magical focus on me. Once that proved futile, he started using his hooves to physically force my mouth open. I failed to understand why he didn't simply rip my jaws apart or even more simply, inflict a fatal wound, but I was more concerned with keeping him at bay. Unfortunately my strength couldn't last forever, and fade it did.

He wasted no time working the stone nipple into my mouth. I reacted by blocking the liquid's path with my tongue while simultaneously hoping that the poison couldn't be absorbed through my skin. "Well princess ... how's those sedatives and painkillers taste."

'Mildly sweet, but there's no way I'm going to swallow,' but I was glad to know what was in me and even more glad for an opportunity to ruin his plan. With a firm bite to hold the bottle, I jerked my head to the side and watched with mischievous glee when his fangs tore through the bottle's relatively soft casing. Sure, some of it landed on me, but it was worth it to see him spitting and sputtering in reaction to the liquid in his mouth.

It was because of the liquid in my mouth that I keep myself from laughing; though I still smiled widely and snorted. "Why you little!" he yelled as his hoof came up and struck mehard on the head.

The blow dazed me and caused most of the liquid to seep out of my mouth while the rest made its way down my throat. I was too stunned in the moment for my mind to register the small sensation, but I did watch as Mr. Monologue's eyes shifted from an angry glare to being widened in fear. He turned away sharply and spread his wings then left with all the haste that he could manage. This left me wondering why he'd suddenly run, but my lack of clues and dazed state of mind left the mystery unsolved.

I did at least keep track that only a few seconds passed between him leaving and me seeing the familiar green flames of Chrysalis's teleport spell. She immediately ran over to me and looked me over with a horror stricken expression. "No... it cannot be. I thought we wiped this knowledge clean from the hives." She lifted me magically and gasped upon bringing me close; then she brought over a cloth rag to clean me off. Once that was done, she held me over her shoulder and began casting a spell.

My eyes widened and mind cleared as a familiar and unpleasant turbulence cascaded into a boil within my stomach. I made no effort to hold back the vomit that expelled what little I swallowed on top of rinsing out what adhered to my mouth. My mother let out a loud sigh of relief, but it did not clear away her worry. "Where'd your Caretaker go?!" she asked me not expecting an answer that I wouldn't be able to give her anyways.

I could only watch as a symphony of different emotions raced across her expressions: rage, calm, confusion, then finally worry. She picked me up in her magic and raced out of the room with me in tow. It was the first time I was ever outside of the room, but I could not enjoy the experience due to the racing speeds and my still recovering senses, but I did notice that the area was sparsely populated and presented as well as cave caverns could be.

Time blurred with the background up until I fully recovered. It was at this time that she stopped near a group of mostly unrecognizable changelings with the exception being the one with her head hung low. "Caretaker!" yelled the queen urgently. Most of them looked at their queen in surprise, yet some looked scared. They turned to run but were zapped with a spell that instantly brought them to the ground. A wall of Chrysalis's flames then surrounded the downed changelings, Caretaker, and us.

I knew she teleported us all, but I could not initially see where due to the blinding light. My eyes had yet to adjust when I realized that for the first time since before my death, that I was seeing the light of the sun. By the time I adjusted, Caretaker had already entered a panic over the sudden activity. "Your Majesty, what's going on; why are you doing this; are we   "  she gulped loudly then froze "   outside!"

Caretaker began hyperventilating but was stopped short thanks to a spell Chrysalis fired into Caretaker's forehead: similar to the one her disguised self used on my brother, minus the screwy eyes. She visibly calmed down but still attempted to appear as small as possible. "What's happening Your Majesty?"

Chrysalis ignored her and instead grouped the other four changelings together then used her magic to cocoon them together. Once she was sure they were secure, she levitated me over to Caretaker who took me gently into her hooves. Chrysalis then spent a few moments catching her breath, something that made me realize how much she must have pushed herself with all the spells and running on top of levitating me the whole time. As a magic expert, I knew that she should have been a fair bit more exhausted than what she was showing. Even so, she looked down at Caretaker with all the presence of a proper leader. "I have a lot to explain and not much time to do so. I believe there are changelings within the hives that are conspiring against me and my daughter's eventual succession."

"What?! Why would they..." A stomp and glare from Chrysalis silenced her.

"I said there is no time!" she growled out. "First you must refresh my memory on how to perform the Detox Spell."

Caretaker's eyes widened in shock as she struggled for a moment to find the words she needed while repeatedly glancing down at me. "Are - are you sure?"

"Time is wasting Caretaker!"

Caretaker recoiled, but maintained some steel in her gaze. "We need to know what's in her." I once again wished I could talk. "We need to know what's in her. Do you know how to scan her?"

"Remind me!" Caretaker flinched back from the outburst which made Chrysalis look apologetic. "Hurry."

Caretaker nodded back. "A scanning spell is fed by  " she gulped "  fear. It works like telekinesis, but you must force your will upon them instead of infusing them, then you must draw your magic back into yourself."

My eyes widened in confusion and surprise. I didn't understand the mention of fear, but I knew that telekinesis involved the forcing of magic onto the target while scanning used infusion. Not only was her description wrong, it was in complete opposition.

"Give me some of your fear," said Chrysalis, interrupting my thoughts. "I do not normally feed off such emotions." Before I could object to what I thought would be a disaster for me, she used what felt exactly like a scanning spell on me.

"What do you feel?!" asked the still panicked Caretaker.

"I can't tell!" Chrysalis yelled fearfully. "I feel nothing from her!"

Caretaker let out sigh of relief that I shared in. "That means that there are no poisons in her system."

"How can that be?! I saw the poisoned liquids all around her! She must be poisoned!"

Chrysalis nearly took a step back from a hoof suddenly being placed on her. "You must calm down Your Majesty. Are you absolutely sure she drank any?"

Chrysalis looked up from Caretaker and stared blankly at empty space. "No ... I don't think she did."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I remember. There was a lot of poisoned liquid around her. She couldn't have drunk more than a few drops. What she did consume must have been expelled when I made her throw up."

The queen quickly shifted into having deep controlled breaths. I honestly found it impressive that she was able to clearly remember how it really was even during something like that. I was already certain that I didn't have much toxin in my system, and I was glad they came to the same conclusion: a detox spell can cause more harm than good.

Caretaker nodded firmly in satisfaction. A second passed until her eyes widened instantly and she dropped back into a submissive stance. "C - can you tell me tell me what's going on?"

Chrysalis sent her a sharp glare. "First tell me why you were with them instead of my daughter."

Caretaker looked up at Chrysalis's oppressive glare in fearful confusion. "You d-don't know?"

"Do you think I'd ask if I did?!" snarled back the queen.

Caretaker gulped, swallowing both her fear and her reservations. "I was told that my rank was being re-evaluated. I did worry for the princess, but believed Informant-4 when he said she'd be fine. Before I got to the meeting hall, I was stopped and told that you wanted to banish me too. They were escorting me out."

The pieces were starting to come together for me, but Chrysalis's growing rage and the magic arching from her horn distracted me from the full picture. I could feel a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach that somehow felt connected to Chrysalis and the five unconscious changelings. Her rage subsided, but the pressure inside of me remained. "Very well then; I will tell you. ... I suspect that these five are conspirators and I intend to get any info I can out of them through any means necessary."

Caretaker looked accepting of the explanation for a second, but again had widened eyes. "Then what will you do to them?"

Chrysalis froze for just a single instant and gritted her teeth. She quickly turned away from us with a growl. "I'll - I'll have to dispose of them."

"You can't!" yelled Caretaker, mirroring my own feelings.

"What other choice do I have!" she snapped back; her even more distorted voice showing her fear and uncertainty as clearly as the look on her face. "These conspirators want my daughter dead! I can't let that happen!"

"How are you so sure?!" she yelled back in tears. "Why would anybuggy want to betray you?!"

"Because I! ..." Her panicked expression suddenly fell into one as cold and oppressive as death. "Who gave you permission to speak to me as if we were equals?" Caretaker tensed for a single instant before dropping low to cower before her Queen. She held me uncomfortably tight; as if to draw some sort of security from my proximity.  Even I felt that I was the only thing keeping her safe.

After an amount of time I couldn't think to track, Chrysalis released an exasperated sigh that also dispelled the frigid atmosphere. "I am certain that you know about my latest failed plan, but may be ill-informed on how violently it backfired."

A sense of dread griped my heart at the mention of violence. I knew that she was speaking of my assassination, but only then did I realize the potential repercussions of my death. I was a princess, known throughout all of Equestria and many other countries. Not only that, but the nature of my death was unsettling without doubt. There could only be one conclusion, war. 'No, all my work spreading friendship undone just like that.' I knew it wasn't my fault, but I felt responsible just the same.

Through my musings, Chrysalis herded us into a cave saying that she'd interrogate the five captured changelings. With a torrent of green flame, Caretaker and I were left alone. Any awareness I had of my surroundings was tuned out by my thoughts over what would be happening to the captured changelings. I doubted that she had real proof linking them to the conspirators. 'What if they're innocent?! What if they had no idea about anything?! ... What if they're guilty?!' There was no possibility I could think of that didn't fill me with dread ... and the thought of death.

I finally decided to find a distraction in my surroundings, but there was very little to see in a dark hole in the ground, though I did find it unusual that she was able to find a cave we could easily hide an adult changeling in the middle of a savanna environment. Something like it would have had to been dug out by something big. 'Uh oh,' I thought with bugged out eyes. 'Please no, please no, please no!' The sound of low rumbling and claws scrapping against dirt ruined all hopes I had. 'Buck you to Tartarus Spurphry's Law.'

Caretaker immediately acted on the only option left to her: she dashed out of the hole as quickly as possible. I barely made out the figure of the creature whose home we narrowly escaped; it had an irregular outline and it was noticeably larger than Queen Chrysalis; easily twice Caretaker's size.

I hoped that the creature would be too stunned by our sudden appearance to give chase; a hope that was crushed by a sound that was a cross between a squeal and a roar. A loud thump signaled the creature's pursuit. The sense of dread I felt proved its intent.

My terror pierced my core once I realized that with one limb holding me, Caretaker only had three hooves to run with. I tried to think of any solution, but screaming out in hopes of attracting Chrysalis was my only option. Caretaker looked down at my screaming self with a worry stricken expression: a fatal mistake as she missed a hurdle that took her hooves out from under her. Her hooves shot out instinctively, leaving me at the mercy of the the laws of motion.

At the pinnacle of my arc, I caught a glimpse of our pursuer: a bush boar. I knew of them from books, but no illustration could do those sharp tusks riddled with even sharper thorns justice. I hoped that they weren't as ferocious as the rumors claimed, but I realized that it was ferocious enough.

The fundamental laws decided then to grant me my impending appointment with the ground. The blow forced the air from my lungs and made replacing it a challenge. My vision blurred, but I could easily make out the dull green figure stalking towards Caretaker's prone form.

Before any hopelessness could set in, a torrent of lime-green flames rose up at my side. I forgot about the boar's presence at the wave of warmth from Chrysalis's arrival. She barely spared me a worried glance before narrowing her eyes coldly. "Leave, or you - will - burn!" The boar squealed back in defiance.

Even with the heat of Celestia's sun beating down, a chill passed across my skin. Not only did I feel her killing intent, I could feel it all being directed towards the bush boar. The tension between them grew as Chrysalis slowly approached the steadfast boar. Only the flames conjured protectively around Caretaker made it step back. It continued its retreat from Chrysalis, but only after she passed through her flames did the boar flee with an angry squeal.

It took more than a minute before Chrysalis relaxed and released her flames. She then levitated me to her side and cast a spell to soothe the ache from my fall. "There, there, you are safe now. I won't leave you again." She inhaled and exhaled sharply. "At least... at least not yet," she whispered with a pained tone.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't..."

"Enough." Gone was the the oppressive and authoritative tone; replaced instead by  something subdued and ... broken. "You did well."

"I ... how? I dropped her; I practically threw her?! How can you forgive me like that?!"

Chrysalis looked up from me and towards Caretaker. I didn't know what expression she had, but it made Caretaker immediately back away in shock. "At birth, all changeling princesses are at risk of being assassinated by others that want the title of Queen for their own line. I do not know how long it existed, but queens eventually developed an innate spell that alerts them when their daughter feels pain. I would have not arrived in time had you not dropped her." Chrysalis gave a long pause to allow this information to sink in.

Normally I would've tried to analyze the nature of what Chrysalis said, but I was overwhelmed by the intensity of the last half-hour. Soon the silent reprieve devolved into awkwardness. Caretaker shuffled in discomfort while Chrysalis diverted her gaze to likely follow stray trains of thought. It was a minute before Caretaker worked up the nerve to speak through the tension. "W-what happened to..."

"Those five I captured," Chrysalis interrupted. "I got my answers, but had to come to your rescue before I could administer punishment. They likely escaped by now. Do not apologize," finished Chrysalis, interrupting Caretaker before she inhaled the breath that would feed her apology. Chrysalis' gazed into Caretaker's eyes firmly, but with a hidden gentleness that I thought was reserved for only me. "I asked you before now who gave you permission to speak to me as if we were equals. It seems I've found the answer myself." She took a moment to close her eyes and smile softly, then snapped her gaze into one of firm kindness with an undertone of pride: it was as if Celestia took her place for that instant. "Take heed of my words."

Caretaker snapped into a full attentive posture, her body becoming an motionless statue, except for her eyes; her eyes which held a glimmer of fear ... and confusion. "As you should know, all changelings have a duty to the hives, myself included. As queen, it falls upon me to ensure that all my subjects are safe and that their future is secure. How I go about achieving this is left to my own discretion; none of my subjects are privy to my reasoning unless I allow them to be." Chrysalis sat with a strong posture with the pride of a queen and the confidence of a true leader. The air itself took on a sense of significance in response. "I've decided to trust you with everything, but I must grant you a gift to cement the trust I have in you."

Caretaker's shocked gasp of realization reminded me that I too had forgotten to breathe for a moment. I could see all of Caretaker's fear being replaced by hopeful expectation with the stunned silence of her expression. "Caretaker 1 of hive 19! As thanks for your service to the crown, I am prepared to grant you the highest honor I can freely give. Know that you are free to share this gift with whomever you chose, but be aware that there are those who know how to use it for their own gain. Open your ears and never forget what I say." Chrysalis exhaled and inhaled audibly, reminding Caretaker and I to do the same. "As your Queen, I have decided that you will no longer be known to me as Caretaker. Now we, and any that either of us deems worthy, will forever know you by the name ... Formica."

A name: something that I've had since shortly after I was first born. Always I've taken it for granted, but only then did I realize what it meant to have an identity that is yours and yours alone. The expression on Caretaker... no, Formica's face drove home the significance of Chrysalys's gift: tears, joy, and so much confusion. "Y-y-your Maj-Majesty..." 

Chrysalis's raised hoof silenced any response that rested upon Ca - Formica's tongue. "Save your objections. I still have as story to tell, so follow me and listen well."
> Re-Collection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chrysalis took a few steps away from us before glancing back. "Formica, we have no time to waste. Come to my side and do not fall behind." I looked up at my caretaker, who was frozen in place aside from her mouth working to shape words that her breath could not form. It didn't take much of this before Chrysalis wrapped us in her telekinesis then set us at her side. Another set of spells levitated me to Formica’s back and used the cocoon spell to attach me to her back. Formica remained still, so Chrysalis skillfully manipulated her into following her every step.

We didn't travel too far before Formica snapped out of it. She looked up at her Queen in what I expected to be confusion yet took over her own locomotion without missing a step. "Why?"

"Save your questions for later: I have a tale to share that should answer some." Formica turned her gaze to the ground and tensed up slightly.

"Back when I was a nymph, survival was far more difficult for changelings. We numbered at somewhere over three thousand.” Formica gasped. "There were many more of us before my birth, but they were lost to my grandmother's ambition; except, I realize now that it wasn't ambition that drove her.

"Creatures from which we could siphon off emotions were difficult to find, and even then, they weren't complex enough to feel any more than base fear. Any sentient being we could come across was seen as the most irreplaceable treasure. Hunger was such a constant, few understood that they were even hungry. Among those that did understand was my father.

"Day and night passed in a near endless cycle of death, hunger, and exhaustion, but no cycle can remain unbroken forever. I remember the excitement in the air then like it was yesterday. Everybuggy close enough to attend gathered to marvel over the greatest change in our society in a generation: the birth of a princess. What many of them didn't expect was how violently she would react to all but a select few getting too close.

"The food shortage only grew worse as our Queen would hoard what emotional energy she could to prepare the gel she'd need to feed her child. The deaths that followed opened many eyes, and my father wasted no time in sharing his wisdom with the disgruntled masses. I was there to see every one of his manipulations and assassinations. The Queen remained blind to his efforts: caring for her daughter and leading our pilgrimage took all her focus

"Over time, the numbers of those loyal or neutral to the Queen fell while the quantity of dissenters rose. Everything was moving smoothly until that fateful day when my father came across a loyalist Pathfinder that spun a tale of green lands to the north. What he described was the sort of fantasy that I could scarcely imagine. Even helping my father drain the Pathfinder into nothing did not disrupt my attempts to imagine such a world.

"With knowledge of greener pastures available to him, my father made the decision to accelerate his plans. I was left ill-informed and told that my role was the same as it has always been: stay at his side

"The next day, my father ran to the Queen screaming about news of fertile lands. No time was wasted in offering us an audience with his mother. He spun her a tale of a heroic Pathfinder that discovered fertile lands to feed many times our numbers. He told of how that same Pathfinder perished from hunger in his efforts to bring us this news with haste. Had she not been euphoric over the news, she would've realized that a Pathfinder foolish enough not to gorge their self with energy upon finding such a bounty is too foolish to return in time to share such news.


"In her celebration, the Queen turned away for a second: one solitary second. That's how long it took for my father to lunge forth and sink his fangs into the defenseless princess and tear out a massive wound. For three seconds, he laughed in triumph with his horn alight as the Queen turned towards him with an expression of horrified rage that haunts my thoughts even today. Not a full second passed before she turned her rage from her dead heir to me. Her magic gripped me tight and dragged me across the ground until I was at her hooves. She was ready to end me for mere association to my father, but something she sensed stopped her.

"She pressed me into the sand and glared at me with a fury I’d never seen before.  'Did you plan this?! Was this your plan all along?!' she yelled. I looked up silently, terrified for my life. I may have been with him every step of the way, but I knew nothing of what his ultimate plan was. Even as his accomplice, my father was able to raise me as an innocent bystander who knew no better, and in his last seconds, father casted a spell that transferred the essence of the slain changeling princess to one who was ignorant of the crime. The Queen admired his artful manipulations even through her grief, so she adopted me in hopes that I would possess the same cunning. I only found out later that she had had less choice in that decision than she had led me to believe.

"Once I confirmed that a Pathfinder did come from the north, we all set out for the new lands. The lands changed gradually until we reached the green plains that the Pathfinder's tale spoke of. All but the Queen stood in awe at the bounty of life that lay before us; however, that paled in comparison to when we came across our first town of ponies.

"Never before did we see beings whose form we could so easily assume. It took some time for our Infiltrators to find an opening through which they could replace an individual. That one pony had more unguarded emotion than even four other sentient beings combined: enough to feed dozens of us. The Infiltrators were full, actually full, in only half a day of feeding on the unrefined emotions in the air. There was only a few hundred of them against our thousand, so we attacked.

"We thought it would be easy; we thought that they would submit to our numbers: we were wrong. Once we had them surrounded, they fought with a ferocity that would do predators proud. Over half our number were incapacitated as a price for our victory. Being too starved to heal and too injured to feed, it was a death sentence. I remember clearly that all but one of us felt glad that there were fewer changelings to feed. The Queen was that one exception.

"Once we had gorged ourselves, the Queen pulled me aside and asked me what I thought about the battle and our newest prey. I answered that they may have been strong enough to face starved changelings, but they would eventually fall to our superior numbers. I was certain of my answer until I looked at her expression which was what I now recognize as disappointment. 'Tell me,' she said, 'do you know how many of us they killed?' When I said 650, she shook her head and said, ‘None.’…I still don't understand her answer.

"Regardless, that day marked our first acts within the lands we would later know as Equestria as well as the prelude to my first lessons on how to be Queen." Chrysalis stopped walking and turned her gaze to the orange tinted sky. "The day is growing short. We shall find shelter and rest for the night."

Formica nodded and followed Chrysalis into some tall grass. It only took seconds to reach a burned away clearing were Chrysalis was already at work using her cocoon magic to form what I expected would be our shelter. It impressed me how versatile that spell could be.

Formica only put me on the gel floor after all potential escape routes were closed. With one last spell, Chrysalis formed a hard gel bowl that she filled with a small flame, a clear sign that she had experience with camping. The two adults laid down in a good position for keeping me within their vision while focused on each other. "Now would be a good time to ask some questions."

As Formica contemplated her questions, I had only one thing I wanted to know: what happened to the villagers. I knew that Chrysalis's story about the villagers was true. It was recorded as both the worst tragedy and the biggest mystery of the last century of pony history. Any attempt into letting myself believe that those ponies ended up okay felt like I was deluding myself, and try as I might, I could not hate them for their actions however wrong they were.

"What was her name?"

Chrysalis narrowed her vacant eyes before a quick flash of inspiration. "You mean the Queen before me? She had no name: no changeling did back then. The use of names was introduced under my rule."

"I - I've never heard of any of this. How long ago was this?"

Chrysalis tapped a hoof against her chin and hummed into the air. "I do not concern myself with tracking time. I believe it was six or seven generations ago."

'The frontier tragedy occurred 69 or 70 years ago depending on how much time has passed since my…assassination. A generation is based on what age a population begins reproducing. This would mean that changelings start reproducing as early as ten years old. With that kind of maturation rate, a changeling in their thirties would be ancient.'

I turned to Formica who was making attempts to say something while fighting like Rainbow Dash during one of my lectures. Chrysalis watched her do this with half-lidded eyes before sighing. "Tell me, would you ever do harm to any larva if…"

"I'd never!" she yelled out before snapping a hoof over her mouth.

"Then ask your question. I know that it is related to how I became the Queen's heir."

Formica swallowed loudly then took a shaky breath. "Can anybuggy be queen if they…"

"No," said Chrysalis without waiting for Formica to finish her question. "Only female changeling nymphs or larvae can receive the princess' essence. You are too old by a number of years."

The relieved sigh Formica let out seized my heart in ice. 'Was-was she actually tempted?'

"How can you trust me with this?"

Chrysalis gave me a momentary glance then sighed. "Because as one who has earned my daughter's complete trust, you've earned mine. She won’t let me raise her, so it may be up to you to tell her of her heritage should I never get the chance to do so myself."

My brow furrowed as Formica's eyes widened. "What…do you mean Your Majesty?"

Chrysalis had already turned her back to Formica and laid down by the time the question was asked. "That is enough questions for today. We shall continue tomorrow."

'Wait, what was that about?' I groaned in displeasure as I closed my eyes. 'I hate cliffhangers.'





A sudden impact to my side made me stumble and scowl through an instant of irritation. I immediately neutralized my expression and turned towards the offender. He was an unfamiliar stallion that didn't look much unlike Filthy Rich aside from his age, manestyle, horn, and darker coat.

He scanned the ground frantically mumbling phrases along the lines of, "Where'd it go?"

I repressed a chuckle at his behavior then began to scan the ground for anything out of the ordinary. It took only a second to spot a green tube sticking out from beneath my hoof. "Here," I said lifting my hoof from the object an instant before a lime-green field levitated the object's silvery blade right past my leg. I yelped and backed away from the sharp blade. "What are you doing with that?!"

The stallion turned his green eyes upon me and smiled as if nothing was wrong. "Sorry, Miss." He then turned his full attention to his knife, rotating it continually as he inspected it. "Does this look nicked to y…"

"Ah!" I yelped again with a reflex shield knocking the threat well away from me.

"Fillet!" he yelled as he dove for the knife with outstretched hooves, only to end up catching it in his magic. I got a good look at his mark, which looked exactly like his knife. He examined it again then unleashed a long exaggerated, "Noooooooooo!"

I was torn between scolding him for his reckless behavior or feeling sorry for his distress: I eventually settled on bafflement. I watched him cry over his blade until I noticed a miniscule flaw in the edge. "Here, let me help." I sent a touch of magic, a standard request control over something being held by another unicorn.

He gave me a good look then suddenly released the knife to me. All it took was a quick repair spell to bring the blade back to a pristine state. The stallion's wide eyes turned back to the blade before he shifted into a beaming smile. "Thank you, oh thank you!" he yelled with a lunge turned hug.

"You could've sharpened it yourself," I mouthed soundlessly: Indignant remarks are not conducive towards meeting new ponies on friendly terms.

"How can I repay you?!"

I repressed a sigh and straightened my posture the best I could. "I would like to be let go and I'd like you to promise not to hold a knife so close to anypony again."

He gasped, looked toward the dirt, then groaned all in practiced order. "Oops, I did it again."

That rose my eyebrow. "That's a…habit of yours."

"Yeah. I'm really excitable when it comes to my tools. I forget that other ponies don't like them as much."

I rolled my eyes at his somewhat familiar behavior. "That's okay, but please try to remember that knives are sharp." His chuckle opened a perfect chance for introductions. "Hello, I'm Twilight Sparkle," I said with a hoof extended.

"Fine Slice." We then bumped hooves.





'He never stopped with that habit of his. Was he Chrysalis' changeling the whole time?' I took my time opening my eyes to the dawn light. Everything was tinted green by the crystalline gel tent around us.

A quick glance around had me finding both changelings still asleep. I mentally debated the pros and cons of waking them myself versus letting them wake naturally. Eventually I reached the conclusion that an early start would be a good idea.

I inched towards Formica and nudged her with my mandibles. She roused immediately then smiled upon spotting me. "Good morning, Princesses." She blinked twice, took in her surroundings, then shot to her hooves. I could actually see her coming to terms with yesterday's events.

As she panted loudly. I tried to bring her out of her panic, but there wasn't much I could do except for playing the role of an affectionate kitten.

"Formica." She froze in place. I rotated myself over to see Chrysalis wearing what I could only describ as a patient glare. My sight was drawn to her glowing horn that randomly sparked in a way that left me lost on the nature of her spell.

Formica calmly turned towards Chrysalis and stood still breathing carefully measured breaths. Only seeing the pinprick whites of her eyes darting around proved that she hadn't magically become calm. It was then that the truth hit me. 'She's controlling her!'

"It's okay," Chrysalis said before I could think of a way to admonish her for using such a spell. "We are safe. You are safe."

Formica remained still for a few seconds after Chrysalis' horn stopped sparking, then fell to her front knees and greedily filled her lungs. A few second later and she was back to calm breathing. "Th-thank you, Your Majesty."

Chrysalis averted her eyes for a second then put on a miniscule smile. "You're…welcome."

*GGGRRRRGGrrel*

That was the most embarrassingly loud growl of my stomach that I've had in either of my lives. Having both changelings stare at me in absolute horror was not helping with the rush of blood filling my head.

Chrysalis' sudden roar stunned Formica and I, and lasted longer than comfortable. "Chrysalis, you fool. How could you forget something: so-so simple, so basic, so essential?! This is your heir, and you can't remember to bring food!"

She seethed for minutes before sharply turning to the shivering changeling beside me. "You will feed her, and I will provide all the energy you need!" Her horn glowed green and the shelter dissolved into nothing as Formica leaned over to me with weird alternating lunges. "Oh no. She isn't?"

There were a lot of things that I do not recommend: I even have a list. Being lip locked with a changeling as she regurgitates your meal into your mouth made the list as number twelve, right in between facing down a group of jerky teenage dragons and quesadillas. 'Ew, ew, gross! I think that was her tongue!'

The experience did not last long, but I knew it would happen again in the near future. Before I knew it, I was strapped to Formica's back with straps made from crystalline gel. Chrysalis' body was coated in flames leaving a tall, slender, and sandy coated unicorn with a two-toned light-brown mane in her place. "Take a pony form that is most efficient for you and stay by my side."

The flames of Formica's change were like being at the perfect distance from a cozy fireplace. The form she took was of a white pegasus with a dark pink mane. Even my bindings took the form of normal rope and straps. I was still a larva, unfortunately.

We left hastily at a slow trot, which was a fast walk for Chrysalis' longer stride. "I shall finish my tale now: We won't have a chance once we find ponies to feed from."

"We made our way further north in high spirits. Only the Queen and myself acted with our emotions subdued. In my case, it was all the lessons in poise and intimidation that restrained me from expressing my excitement. I'd be reprimanded for every dip into plebian habits. I must admit that I was glad for her lessons because only she saw my panic upon finding the next pony settlement. They easily outnumbered all that was left of our kind ten to one.

"Faced with those odds, our Queen decided that a more subtle approach would be best from then on. All surviving changelings were ordered to spread out in groups of one-hundred to form hidden hives and gather what information they could about our new prey.

"The Queen and I made for the country's core alone in search for the center of power. What we found was their soldiers and the commander of the sun. That very sun that had cooked so many of our number in those wastes we walked. It was decided then that we could only hide, but I wanted more.

"The years passed with me hidden away and learning all that the Queen could teach me on how to lead. Eventually I began to notice her becoming weakened with each passing month. When I asked why, I was told that she was dying. There can only be one queen, so when her time would come to pass, my time would begin."

"Wait…"

"Yes, Formica. My days are now numbered. It will be close to five years before I pass my life and title to whosoever possess my daughter's essence. If my daughter does not survive, I will find it nearly impossible to act against her successor.

"I promised myself that I would never sire a successor the day the Queen passed. What I did not expect was how much I needed to have a daughter. I held back the urge with countless sons, but I realized that my resolve would not last. It was upon that realization that I decided that it was time we returned from parasites to predators, and the royal wedding was my perfect chance."

Chrysalis snorted with grit teeth that held back even greater rage. "That day was a farce. Never could I have imagined that anything other than a changeling could harness the power of love. So many of our finest warrior did not survive that day”  her eyes went from hard to downcast  “so we had to hide away all over again. News spread and distrust festered across the pony population. Infiltrators were tested every day and finding food became ever harder to come by.

"Eight years later, the need to birth my heir became unbearable, but I could not birth her. I failed: Surely she would be killed just like the Princess before me. I needed to cement my worth, so I formed a new plan: a plan to take away their hero, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"I just knew that it would work. I would show those ponies that none of them were safe, not even their hero. I would show them that we were more than parasites." She suddenly stopped and stomped with all her force. "I was a fool! I've always been a fool, only now do I realize it! They are right to want my daughter gone, but I will not let her perish easily! They'll have to earn her life! My daughter will be Queen, no matter who or what stands in her way."

Chrysalis lowered her head and struggled to replace the breath lost in her rage. "I will not lose her, I can't." Tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to shed them.

Moments passed until the transformed queen's breathing calmed. Formica approached slowly and placed a hoof gently upon her side. "Your Majesty?"

Chrysalis looked up at Formica with a smile that was much less unsettling with a pony's mouth. "You are proof that my daughter is wiser than I am." Chrysalis stood tall, as if all that weighed her was gone, and continued forth. "Come, it would be a shame if I let hunger claim her."

And so we went in search for food that I hoped wouldn't involve hurting anypony to get.
> Re-Gression
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A thin, near tasteless fluid flowed into my mouth from Formica's mouth. 'I can't believe how easily I got used to this.' It wasn't too hard when starvation was the alternative.

We had been traveling for five days, and the signs of exhaustion were painfully clear on Formica's and Chrysalis' disguised forms. My heart was torn asunder between not wanting to slowly starve and knowing that finding food will ultimately necessitate in hurting somepony. I knew that there were alternatives. They had to exist. Unfortunately, I was not in a position to look for those alternatives, let alone act on them.

After feeding me what she could, Formica took to the sky so she could scan the horizon like she does every other time she's fed me since Chrysalis presented the idea. I understood the reasoning, but I could not understand how they hadn't found anything yet: not even any animals. I knew they could feed off them if Chrysalis' story was any indication.

'I'm hungry and bored. How in Equestria does Chrysalis or Formica not know were to find anypony here? You would think that they'd place their hives close to valuable resources. So why?'

I was pulled from my internal thoughts by seeing Formica diving faster than ever before. She tried to halt just in time for a clean landing, but her inertia and exhaustion compounded into a soft crash at best. Chrysalis walked over to Formica with a regal poise in spite of her bedraggled appearance. "What did you find?"

Formica beamed up at her Queen without any sign of the hesitation that gripped her a week ago. "I think I saw houses a little bit north of where the sun will set."

Chrysalis furrowed her brow and audibly hummed in displeasure. Rather than be scared, Formica took a stance of cautious curiosity. "Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" I found it a pleasant surprise three days ago when I realized that they were able to reconcile without me.

"Yes. I deliberately guided us away from any major towns that any spies would search for us at. If what you say is true, then your Pathfinders have failed in their most important purpose."

My mind latched onto the first half of her comment, sparking another deep scowl at the foresight impaired Queen. 'Congratulations, your paranoia has saved us from the possibility of misfortune! Now we're going to die of hunger! First will be Formica! Next will be you, because far be it for you to deny your daughter the opportunity to watch buzzards pick you apart before becoming bird food herself! Ironic considering I'm already what many birds would consider a Pinkie sized serving of breakfast.' I can get sarcastic when I'm stressed.

Formica returned me to her back then took to Chrysalis' side. "Should we take a look?"

"Can we afford not to? I will enter first. A pair of ponies caring for a changeling larva will raise far more questions than I will be able to lie about."

Chrysalis trotted in the direction Formica pointed out while the smaller changeling followed at a more leisurely pace. I tried to occupy myself with looking at the scenery, but there wasn't any more to see than in the last five days. I once again entertained the notion of opening communication with Formica, but without the need to reconcile the conflict between her and Chrysalis, I decided it would be better for both of us if I continued to play the part of an innocent infant that happened to have an obvious tell for when she needed to do her business. I had no idea how Chrysalis would take her daughter not being who she thought she was.

It wasn't that I was scared that Chrysalis would try to kill me if she found out who I truly was. It was that I knew that she would be devastated should she find out. 'I can't imagine what it will be like for her when she finds out who I am beneath her daughter's skin. She had me killed to protect the daughter that I would take from her regardless.' I chuckled with my cute and squeaky baby voice. 'It's funny. I've already taken the perfect revenge on her without knowing how it happened. Whether I survive or not, Chrysalis will never know who her daughter should've been.'

I repressed a remorseful sigh over the life I denied an innocent baby, but I didn't keep myself from sinking further into Formica's back. This didn't go unnoticed if her turning to look me in the eyes were any indication. "It's okay, Princess. We'll find food, I know we will."

'Other ponies are food. I'll never be able to get used to that idea; I'll never let myself get used to it…Maybe it would be better if I didn't survive. I'd never want to chose between starving or hurting somepony.' The worst was realizing that I may not have a choice.

My musings were broken by spotting Chrysalis approaching from the town's perimeter. "The town is abandoned!" she shouted from well within earshot.

Formica sagged for a second before perking up. "Your Majesty, ummm…what is that?" she asked while pointing at a white bundle carried in Chrysalis' magic.

A quick flick revealed a large, white, and slightly dusty cloth. I could tell from her expression that she considered it a good find. "We will use this to hide my daughter from prying eyes." She sure was optimistic about encountering any prying eyes. "We shall rest in town tonight. It should save us from wasting some energy."

"Your Majesty, how much do we have left?"

She closed her eyes with a meditative humming before heading back to the town. "It will be a week before we risk effects from our hunger. We should encounter a traveler by then. We can only hope they are with a large group or alone."

'Please be a large group.' I had no delusions on what would happen to anypony that she found alone. 'She'd suck them dry; or put them in a pod, then suck them dry; or she'd stick them in a pod, suck them dry, then leave them to die.' My lack of knowledge on how changelings feed left plenty to my imagination, and having somepony suffer for my sake was not how I wanted to learn.

Chrysalis stopped at a building halfway into town along one of the main roads. A quick look at the sign with a crescent moon symbol made me sure that it used to be an inn. I also suspect it's where Chrysalis found my new blanket.

The inside was exactly what I expected; tall ceiling, rounded dinning area with a stage, and a front desk right next to the stairs. The place had clearly seen better days though. The stairs and tables had decayed into debris, and if the rubble behind the manager's door was any indication, the second floor was in a worse condition. I had to wonder where anypony could've found an intact blanket.

"Stay with my daughter, I will collect some bedding."

Formica followed Chrysalis up until the Queen went through the manager's door. I could hear Chrysalis rummaging through the debris as my Caretaker searched the hidden shelves. There were only old dusty bottles there, most containing a noxious looking slime. Still, she toyed with them with an unusual degree of interest, even humming in thought a few times.

"Formica."

"Ah!" she yelped out with a flinch that accidentally knocked over a bottle she had a hoof on, causing it to shatter.

"Were you thinking of using those to feed my daughter indirectly?"

"N-n-no' Your Majesty. I-I just thought they were interesting."

Chrysalis nodded, the two mattresses on her back shifting as a result. "Good. Even the little energy wasted on the bottles' sides would be more than we should spare."

'Not to mention that having to kiss to eat is such a pleasant experience.'

"Of course, Your Majesty." Chrysalis moved towards the stage, but Formica took a moment to look back at the counter before following. They quickly set the two mattresses a short distance from one another with Chrysalis instantly claiming the one closer to the entrance.

That left Formica and I sleeping together once again. As darkness began over the interior, I focused on my breathing so no stray thoughts could keep me from my slumber.





I woke to a lack of warmth. I shifted to the side until finding a warmer spot to lay. The chill returned regardless. I rubbed against my sheets. The friction worked, but the effort woke me fully.

It was dawn. I looked around and found myself alone, not counting Chrysalis. My scan of the room revealed an equine figure next to a dozen bottles glowing different shades of blue and green. She was bent over another bottle and filling it with more fluid. 'What…why's she doing that?'

I crawled from my bed and inched towards her. She filled two bottles upon me reaching the stage's drop-off. She wobbled halfway into the next bottle then collapsed.

My heart clenched and eyes widened. Realization made ice crawl across my skin. 'FORMICA!' I had to get to her. The stairs were too far. I crawled off the drop-off without hesitation. It hurt. I didn't care.

I could hear somepony rise sharply behind me: I forget who. I inched further and heard a panicked shout: I cared not what she said. A tan mare leapt from the stage and crashed into a rotted table as if she'd forgotten her lack of wings. She scrambled from the debris then ran to the white mare.

I pushed through the sharp wooden obstacles with abandon. I had to know, had to see that she'd be okay.

As I reached the edge of the decaying minefield, I brushed against a table that collapsed over me. Dust clouded my vision. The wood pressed against me from all sides. 'No, no! I have to be there!"

The dust cleared just as I returned to my senses. I could see Chrysalis panicking over Formica's prone form. She looked between the bottles and my Caretaker with wild indecision. She brought her hooves to the side of her head just like I would when trying to block excess information. Her scream rattled the building and dropped a lump of wood over half my field of view.

"Why?! We had time! Why sacrifice yourself?!" I could see Formica speaking, but it was too faint to hear. "I did not order this from you! Take-take-take…RRRAAAAGGH!"

Chrysalis fell to her knees and tried to squeeze her tears back into her eyes. "How dare you take this decision from me?"

Formica took a deep breath. "No…buggy should make…that kind…of decision."

Chrysalis grit her teeth then yelled out once again. My blood ran cold. 'No. You have to save her. Force her to drink, put energy into her, just-just don't let her starve. Save her! Chrysalis, somepony, anypony: Please save her!'

"Wow, such drama."

The tension shattered at the random stallion's voice. 'Huh?'

Chrysalis slowly looked up towards a direction beyond my vision. The rest of her was a statue. "I know this is serious and all, but just look at this. Two friends traveling together, one is the leader, the provider. The other, she is the foundation, the emotional support. Soon the dynamic reaches its eventual conclusion: The supporter forgets her value, seeing herself as no more than a burden, so she seeks to remove herself. Truly a tragedy."

'Huh?'

Chrysalis blinked twice then shot up with a sneer. "Who are you and what inane nonsense are you prattling on about?!" The stallion trotted into view but stopped at a stomp of Chrysalis hoof. "Answer me!"

The eggshell coated stallion tilted his head, causing his golden mane to bounce with the movement. "Ah, yes. I am known by many as Wordsmith, and I'm in the habit of telling stories whenever inspiration strikes. I am not the important one here though. We should see to your friend before she meets her final fate."

He trotted past the dumbfounded Chrysalis and sat at Formica's side. He used one hoof to raise her head and appraised her carefully. "It's strange how malnourished you are." He then used his free forelimb to pull a small stack of crackers that he held close to her mouth. "Here, eat this. They have strong medical properties."

She gave him a good pensive look before taking a small bite. "Good. No need to rush."

His calm gentle tones helped me relax. Chrysalis too looked like her confidence was overriding her confusion. She half glanced at the stallion with a small smirk and dangerous eyes. 'Oh no.'

"Tell me Wordsmith," she said with a sultry tone, "how did you come across us?"

"I spent my night in a place just a few homes away from here. It's good that I was nearby, or you'd be alone on this." 

"Yes, it is," she said with a hissing tone that made her intent clear to me. "Tell me, would you happen to be alone here?"

"Why yes." Chrysalis crouched into a predatory stance as I drew my warning breath. I didn't care about the coincidences, I couldn't let it happen. "And no."

'Huh?'

Chrysalis froze mid-pounce just in time to play it off as a stretch. "Well, which is it?"

"Which is what?"

"Are you alone or not?!" The punctuating stomp of her hoof buried me deeper into the debris.

"Well," he started with a tone not unlike my friend Rarity, "there's no need to lose your temper. The answer is both."

I swore I could feel Chrysalis' eye twitching until I realized it was my own. I wished I could argue against him, but Chrysalis was already on it. "It cannot be both. You are either alone or you are not!"

The stallion slowly rose and fixed Chrysalis with an indescribably serious yet serene expression. "Full of absolutes, this world is. Up, down; white, black; in, out: But for every absolute, thousands of maybes there are. Between dark and light, the brightest path often exists."

"What nonsense are you spouting, and why are you talking like that?!"

"Upon your question's intent, the answer depends. If asking if I'm completely alone, no; asking if alone with you, yes. For how far alone remains alone, you must also ask."

While I understood what Wordsmith was doing, Chrysalis clearly didn't. Her falling to her haunches, the twitching of her ears, and the steam over her head that I mentally swore couldn't be real, were all signs of Chrysalis' utter bafflement. This made a perfect opening for the coup de grâce.

"As for my speech: Connects me to the essence of a wise hermit, this pattern does."

"Wait, you're a hermit?"

In response, he laughed gaily and waved a dismissive hoof. "Oh heavens no. I'm with a group holed up just three buildings from here. I'd have to be alone to be a hermit."

'He's doomed. There is nothing I can do to help you Wordsmith. May Harmony bless you in the hereafter.'

Chrysalis stood slowly with the beginnings of a spell tinting her horn green "  Wordsmith, did you find what all that racket was all about?!  " then quickly canceled the spell at the mare's voice.

"Just some mare trying to off herself to save supplies for her friend, nothing to worry about!"

I heard hooves entering but couldn't see who it was. Chrysalis and Wordsmith turned towards where I assumed the mare was. "Yesh, Wordsmith, are you sure your talent isn't for finding strange ponies in strange places?"

"Life is a story, and what story would be complete without colorful characters. So without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Scorched Sands and Maternity Wing. Ladies, this gruff mare is Precious."

'Wait, what?! When did Chrysalis come up with those names?! When did she share them with him?!' I would've suspected it to be a subtle manipulation spell if not for me noticing Chrysalis' flabbergasted expression.

"That's it! I give up! Call me whatever the buck you want!" I heard her take a deep cleansing breath. "Name's Stacked Bits. What's your real names?"

'Wow. This stallion is quirky…and I know quirky.' As confused as I was about their interaction, I had little doubt that Chrysalis was nowhere near being in her element.

Chrysalis remained stunned for three seconds before Stacked chimed back in. "What's wrong with you? Ya' drank some of that glowy gunk too? What is that stuff?"

Wordsmith stood up on his back legs and slowly raised his forelimbs reverently. "It's the…"

"Nope! No! No! None of that! Just get rid of the stuff so no fool-pony stumbles on it an' gets ta' thinking that it might be tasty."

"Aye aye Sargent Facet!" he said with a sharp salute. The sound of hooves transitioning from wood to dirt followed Wordsmith's declaration. He took a few steps from Formica and stopped in a perfect spot for me to see his mark: a globe with a quill writing upon it. I looked up at his eyes and froze at seeing his pupils perfectly in line with mine.

That lasted an instant before he trotted off. "I'll head back and make sure that they don't leave without you ladies. I'm sure you won't need me to deal with those bottles."

With that, he left. 'Whew, that was close. I can't believe that didn't take a turn for the worst.'

Chrysalis literally shook herself from her stupor, growled with menacing annoyance, then went off to gather together the bottles of liquid emotion. "I hate ponies. Why do they all have to be so crazy?"

'Hey, most of us are perfectly normal.'

She set them down by Formica and appeared to be glaring her down if the white pegasus finding interest in the wooden floors was any indication. "Drink." Chrysalis turned and took three steps towards the stage before pausing for a glance back. "Restore what energy you can, I'll prepare us for departure."

Formica began drinking from the bottles as Chrysalis stepped past my field of view. A bottle fell from Formica's grasp due to Chrysalis' shriek. "Where's my daughter?!"

'Oops, that's my cue.' I began grunting and moaning in my effort to escape the debris holding me in place.

It only took seconds for her to find me and clear away my prison. Without missing a beat, she pulled me right into an unwanted nuzzling session. "Oh my poor daughter. How'd you get over here?" I struggled against her barely before she pulled me away and looked at me in sorrow.

I wasn't directly hostile to her anymore, but I knew she didn't see it that way and I felt no need to correct her. She levitated me to Formica just as she downed half the bottles. "Feed her the rest."

Once I was in Formica's hooves, Chrysalis began to cast a spell that made the glowing liquids begin to look like oat-milk even as I was drinking one. She then turned her horn to me and casted something that distorted my vision just like any illusion spell would when cast over somepony. I was no doubt made to look like a pony foal, but it wouldn't hold under close scrutiny.

I felt Formica tense up and looked up at Chrysalis' hardened eyes that quickly softened with a wet sheen. "Did you really have so little faith in me?"

That hurt. It was not my pain I felt, but I could easily sympathise. If Celestia said something like that in this same context, it would break me. Imagining it only hurt.

Once all the bottles were gathered up and wrapped around another blanket, we went outside and stopped abruptly. While I couldn't make them all out through the illusion, I could still see nine ponies, five of whom had various shades of gray on each of their coats and manes. The other four were red, turquoise, green, and white for Wordsmith.

The red pony rose from the ground and hovered towards us, marking him as a pegasus. "Well would you look at this. That motormouth actually did something useful for a change. What brings a pair of lovely mares like you to these parts."

Formica tensed up like an iron rod, and I couldn't blame her. He sounded exactly like the type of stallion my friends and I would go out of our way to avoid. Chrysalis shared my opinion if her growling was any indication.

Before anything could escalate, a white figure interposed himself between them. "Hello ladies, glad you could join us." He near instantly went over to the group of gray ponies. "These fine Zebras are Faraji, Akua, Zamir, Zamora, and Banana: spelled like banana and pronounced in the way a child or rich snob would say it." There were a few chuckles coming from the zebra. "These three are Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady," he said pointing to the red pegasus, the turquoise pony, and the green one attached to a cart.

The flying stallion turned sharply and hovered in place. "You know what, I actually like that one." I could guess he meant the name.

"Glad you like it. Those two are Scorched Sands and Maternity Wing."

Chrysalis looked at Wordsmith with what I suspected to be false confusion. "How did you guess our names?"

"I simply have a fantastic naming sense. What you see as coincidence, I see as proof of my amazing abilities. Isn't that right Swords Dance."

"My name is Sky Cutter! Give me one more stupid name and I'll show you why!"

"Give it up Cutter, I know I have," said the turquoise mare. "It never even bothered Surehoof." He only gave a stiff confirmation.

"Well, now that introductions are done, it's time for this story to progress." Wordsmith began marching off while the others followed, though Cutter made sure to grumble out some form of complaint.

Chrysalis followed from a distance with Formica sticking close by. "It is not as large a group as I hoped, but they'll do. Given a few weeks, we'll be able to maximize our energy storage. Once we are full, we will capture one and make our escape. I know you are not an Infiltrator, but it should not be hard to remain quiet. If they ask a question you're not sure on how to answer, tell them you'd rather not talk about it."

"O-o-okay."

"Good. They've yet to take notice of my daughter, so I will refine the illusion around her and make sure you know all you need to know for proper infiltration."

I was not fond of two parts of her plan. The first part was obvious. The second part was that I knew that a more advanced illusion would obscure my vision further. Only knowing that our survival depended on it kept me silent.

Thanks to the illusion, I had no idea that anypony was approaching until a pair of gray blurs came into focus. "Hello friends, we are Zamora and Zamir," said the male zebra.
"We are curious on how you came to be here," finished the female. "Not often that through these lands, ponies roam."
"We know this is where we Zebra feel more at home."

'Rhyming. They must be shaman like Zecora.'

"I don't want to talk about it," Chrysalis responded, already putting the advice she gave Formica to use.

"Very well, but if we may be so bold," the stallion started.
"Is it safe to say you have quite the story to be told?" finished the mare.

"One I won't be sharing."

'Yesh, rude much?'

The Zebra seemed to look us over for a second before the mare gasped. "Brother, is that a foal I see?"
"It is dear sister, a foal most assuredly. Are one of you the mother?"
"Or perhaps she belongs to another."

"Another," Chrysalis growled out.

"To be abandoned by her mother is a grand shame," Wordsmith said from beyond my vision. "I know that I'd have strong words with whoever's to blame."

'And now he's doing it.'

"Will you leave us alone. Your constant rhyming is grating on my nerves."

"Alright then. I can stop any time, but for any zebra shaman, it's only natural that they rhyme...oops."

"We know now that we are unwanted Misses Sands and Wing."
"But you may find joining us far less depressing."

And with that, the two zebra went to join the group. Time passed with a silent monotony that left me with nothing to do but think until I fell asleep. I wondered where we were going, what we'd do once we got there, and how I'd keep Chrysalis from ponynapping one of our companions.

I eventually woke from my slumber to Formica nudging me on the side. Night had come and the illusion around me had been lifted. Once I felt lips against my mandibles, I opened up so the sweet liquid emotion could sate my hunger.

"As much as it pains me to say this, we can't distance ourselves from them for long. It limits how much energy we get and will make them suspicious over time. I've told you all I can about getting close to ponies. Tomorrow, you'll have to put that knowledge to use."

If how tense Formica felt during Chrysalis' explanation was any indication, she wasn't looking forward to the experience.
> Re-Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning everyone! It's time for the next chapter of our lives to begin! Just think of the adventures that wait for us in the barren waste…"

"Shutup!" yelled Chrysalis, Cutter, and Stacked all at once.

"Hmp, nobody likes spoilers," Wordsmith said petulantly. "That's what you are: a bunch of spoilers."

An unfamiliar zebra mare chose to chime in then. "You cannot expect all to be happy with such a morning report, and I suspect you meant to call them spoiled sports."

"I meant what I didn't say."

There was a small round of chuckles that I suspected came from the zebra. I on the other hoof was in the spoiled sport camp. It was too early for this.

I opened my eyes to the sight of a big light brown blur. 'She must've restored the illusion after I went back to sleep.’ I rose my head then rolled myself to the nearby pink and white blur. If I was going to be up at the crack of dawn without coffee, then I was at least getting breakfast. Formica fortunately had the sense to use one of the bottles instead of feeding me directly. I didn't want to see them try to explain that.

As I carefully slurped down the disguised beverage, the dark green blur that was Surehoof came into view. "What's her name?" His voice was firm and level, much like a more monotone Big Mac.

The lack of a smooth southern drawl made him more intimidating. The way Formica stiffly held me close meant that she shared my opinion. I could feel her trying to form a response, trying being the operative word.

I could hear his hoof shifting in the dirt, but I couldn't see if it was the nervous circling or aggressive scrapping. "Good question Onyx Steel. What is the name of this lovely little filly?" asked the off white stallion with a hoof wrapped over Surehoof's back. "All little ponies need a name. A character without a name might as well not exist, and no one should be treated like nothing. ”

'Wait, what is my name?' In all the time I've spent in my new life, I've never been addressed with anything more than princess. 'Will I even get a name?'

"She doesn't have one," said Chrysalis from behind Formica, who immediately relaxed at the presence of the Queen.

"No name! How could you have not given her a name yet?!"

"Stop your infernal yelling  "

"Okay," he said sitting down.

"  I already said that this is too ear…ly!" It took a moment to process how easily Wordsmith agreed to her demands. She growled at him as if not completely convinced that he would stop.

"Still, she must have a name. If you want, I could lend my services."

"I will name her!" Chrysalis growled out with a stomp.

"Soooo, I'll take that as a maybe."

"It is a no!"

"Don't worry one bit. I won't disappoint," he said smacking his chest with a hoof, cupping his mouth with that hoof, then turning to his left, "isn't that right Banana?!"

"His ability is sound, without bound; from highest cloud to lowest ground." The Zebra's voice sounded young and sharp compared to the others.

"Cloud didn't rhyme!" Sky Cutter yelled with a jeering singsong.

"To speak in lyric takes time and skill!" snapped the same mare that admonished Wordsmith for his wakeup call. "Let's see you try without a single spill."

"Akua!" said a elderly voice that found the perfect balance between firm and soft. "Never again speak words so cruel. We sing our wisdom to be heard with mind and  heart. Words are a beautiful and wondrous tool. Causing harm with them is a habit you should never start."

"Omba msamaha Faraji."

"Very well. Hate cannot win if you counter its spell with the calm within."

"Can we please get moving?!" yelled Stacked Bits. "We've wasted time on this every morning. Is it too much to ask for everypony to just get ready! Time is money, and I'd rather get paid in this lifetime."

"She's right everyone!" yelled Wordsmith, "we're burning daylight!"

"You're the one that gets them started every morning! If you do it again, you're pulling the cart today." Rather than a confirmation, I could hear Wordsmith responding with exaggerated hums of thought. "No!"

"What! I'm just wondering if it would be worth it. What would my incentive be to remain quiet during my punis…"

"Okay, okay. Can we just get these shaman to Canterlot before the end of the season."

"Aye aye Captain Pay Day!"

And with that, all the sounds that followed were limited to hooves shuffling across dirt and clipped conversation too distant to make anything specific out. This didn't last long until all but two of us took a central position near the cart. The strong scent of many unique herbs and chemicals assaulted my nasal cavity. It made sense a group with so many zebra shaman would have access to the types of ingredients they would use in their alchemy, but it also brought to mind the most obvious question.

"Why are you getting paid to escort five zebra shaman into Equestria?" Chrysalis asked to my approval. I turned my head to see her asking the green blur that was Surehoof her question.

"Don't know. They're pay'n for shaman and escorts get a cut."

"It's a mystery with what I bet is one heck of a story behind it. What kind of event could drive Equestria into paying well beyond the services of a skilled shaman. I must know why."

Chrysalis scoffed loudly as an obvious show of her opinion. "If that is all you know, then I have no idea why I bothered to ask."

"You were curious. What more reason do you need?" Wordsmith said as if it were absolute fact.

'I'm pretty sure she only cares about information she can use, at least as far as ponies are concerned. I shouldn't consider that a surprise with how everypony sees her character.'

"Speaking of characters..."

"What?!" Chrysalis yelled at the exact same instance I thought it; her because of how random his segue was, and me because of the timing.

"What kind of character do you think that little filly will have?"

There was a pause as Chrysalis thought about the question I already knew the answer to. "She will be clever. She will be strong. She will be a leader."

"Yes, yes. What about being honest, showing kindness, having generosity, filled with laughter, or practicing loyalty."

Chrysalis couldn't have scoffed with more derision if she tried. "What good is honesty when none want to hear your truth? What good is kindness when others would rather hurt you? Why should I be generous when I have so little I can afford to offer? How can I laugh when I can find no joy?! Where should I place my loyalty…" Her breath hitched and she stopped with everypony else following suit. I felt Formica's shoulders sag deeply, but I couldn't guess why. "Where should I place my loyalty when those I risk everything for betray me at their first chance?"

'That, that's...' I didn't know what to think. I knew full well why Chrysalis said what she said, but hearing her dismiss the elements for a good reason was more than I could process. 'We've never given them a chance. Some princess of friendship I am…was.'

"Seriously! You just had to be a Miss Melodrama!" All heads turned around to look at the red pegasus hovering in the back. I knew none of them approved. "And here I was…"

"Enough!" came Wordsmith's sharp voice as he stepped between the disguised Queen and Sky Cutter.

"You think I'm going to listen to you?! I've been trying to tune you out since you joined us."

"You've said enough Sky Cutter." There was no ice, no force in his voice. There was no frigid wind or oppressive pressure, but everypony else froze just the same. I could see Chrysalis looking around in confusion and felt Formica doing the same. "There are rare times when tearing into someone's character is necessary so they may progress, but this isn't it. So shut your poisonous trap. Would. You. Kindly."

Only a few seconds ticked by before Wordsmith performed a sharp 180 and began moving ahead of the group. As he slowly blended into the background, the pressure that truly wasn't there lifted. Without the sound of hooves against dirt, the wagon's wheels, and wind against dry grass, there would be absolute silence.

Hours passed before even whispers could be heard around me. Chrysalis took this as a signal to begin her own hushed meeting with Formica. "Keep your guard up around Wordsmith. I do not trust anypony that can control others with only words, nor do I trust anypony that holds those accursed elements in high esteem. Try to stick to the green earth pony. His affection for you will serve us well if this ends in conflict."

'Wait, Surehoof has a crush on Formica?!' The biggest surprise in that revelation was remembering that they all thought she was a pony. Once I could disconnect from my preconceived knowledge, it was easy to see why he was interested. Pure white coats with a mane that matches one of the colors of Celestia's are highly desirable. Formica didn't have a bad personality either. Knowing the only way it could end was disheartening to me.

I eventually decided to let myself fall further into the role of a mindless infant. It was little more than, eating, sleeping, and listening to Chrysalis' nightly overview of each day.

Through the passage of each day, I formed my own observations on our companions.

I focused on how the group we joined behaved and interacted. My most prominent thoughts were on Wordsmith. It only took him a day to return to his jovial behavior, but he never returned to using fake names for Sky Cutter. The Zebra never received alternative names, but he always rhymed with them. Chrysalis and Formica were often on the receiving end of character analysis and fantastical speculation that was only a little off from a bullseye.

Stacked Bits was a no-nonsense sort of mare who was motivated by the bottom line. She spoke like a capable leader, but I wouldn't feel comfortable putting her in charge of more than a dozen ponies.

Sky Cutter continued acting like the stereotypical brash pegasus, but he would always clam up when Wordsmith talked to him. Otherwise he lacked the filter that kept others from hearing his negative opinions. At least Rainbow Dash would whisper under her breath.

Surehoof, an earth pony judging by the name, seemed like a stallion much like Big Mac except rougher around the edges and hard to read. If it wasn't for Chrysalis explaining his intent, I would've felt like he was a bit creepy.

The Zebra were mostly similar to each other, with how they rhymed being their most distinctive traits. The twins Zamora and Zamire often spoke together, finishing each other's rhymes. Akua rhymed normally but had a more confrontational personality. Banana spoke in rapid fire rhymes, but often used words that sounded similar. Faraji was the eldest, and it showed in anything he said and in how he spoke in A-B-A-B verse.

Chrysalis' nightly updates revolved around planning how they'll capture the one she targets and on who that target will be. When she wasn't plotting, she was complaining about either Wordsmith or Sky Cutter: Cutter because he was obnoxious and Wordsmith because he never missed an opportunity to confuse and/or irritate her. Him clearly doing it on purpose was a good source of amusement for me and the only reason Chrysalis hadn't attacked, if parts of her ranting were to be believed.

After ten days of travel, Wordsmith decided to begin telling stories each night, and even convinced Chrysalis to join with the thought that I should have a bedtime story. She complained about that case of manipulation for half an hour.

The first genre was adventure. Wordsmith spun a tale of a green knight who was forced to leave his forest home to search out ancient relics so he could reach a powerful artifact before it fell into the hooves of a dark king that fooled everyone else into thinking he was a friend. He found the relics, only to have his achievement stolen at the last moment. It was very Daring Do like with more monsters and gadgets, but got far more interesting in its second half.

The following night was a comedy story following a deadbeat father that, after being forbidden to interact with his foals by their mother, disguises his self as an elderly mare babysitter just to get close to them. The jokes were spot on, the voice he used was a joy to hear, and the familial lessons learned were heartwarming.

The third story was an action/romance with a setting that wouldn't be out of place in one of Spike's comics. It was about two young superheroes who kept their identities secret even from each other. The romantic twist was that the mare had feelings for the stallion when they were out of costume while the reverse was true when in costume. The action didn't appeal to me as much, but I found the near random nature of the mare's special ability intriguing.

I intended to go to bed imaging the myriad of ways the two could be revealed to each other only for Chrysalis to kill my good mood. "Tomorrow's the night. Those stories helped open up their emotions enough to fill up a few days sooner. I want to capture either Surehoof or Wordsmith. What do you think?"

Formica averted her gaze and fidgeted. My heart went out to her. I could tell that she was having difficulty deciding between her loyalty towards Chrysalis and her newfound fondness towards the group. For the whole week, I'd hoped that she'd try to convince Chrysalis not to follow through with her plan, but I thought that, just maybe, it being her last chance would be enough to convince her to try. "I, I…I think that I don't know how to choose."

I sighed softly in disappointment, just quietly enough not to draw too much of their attention. "Very well," said Chrysalis. "We shall make our move on Wordsmith when they go to sleep after his next story."

'Then I know when I need to scream.'

Even with the following day crawling by at a snail's pace, evening came much sooner than I would've liked. We all gathered in a half-circle with Wordsmith sitting at the opening. "Okay everyone, I'll decide on the genre this time, and I'm feeling like a horror/tragedy this time around, one that flips the script."

The story that followed confused me by opening with a young filly that fell into an underground world filled with monsters. Except for one that chose to be the filly's new mother, every monster attacked her and was defeated. Only after tricking the motherly monster was the true monster revealed.

Suddenly, the monsters had names and true individuality. My heart broke when a silly, puzzle obsessed skeleton was cut down for offering redemption, and still believed in her. Fear gripped my heart when a kid who reminded me so much of Scootaloo was nearly killed, but was saved by a heroic knight.

The hope the knight gave me was killed when she killed the filly, because she had the power to try again endlessly. The knight eventually fell, her final words revealing how truly horrific that filly was.

I completely zoned out until the end, just in time for the final horrific twist. For showing her first sign of goodness ever by defying the thing that was guiding her the entire way, her soul and the world were destroyed.

Wordsmith seemed to smile at the group, seemingly the only one unaffected by the story he just told. "Well, pleasant dreams everyone."

A small but understandable silence pervaded the air before everypony made their way into their preferred grouping. We  as in Chrysalis, Formica, and I  left the group for a distant piece of flat ground. Once they wrapped me tightly and had me out of view, the illusion was released.

"You know," Chrysalis said with uncharacteristic hesitation, "that was an interesting story. I never thought anypony would tell a tale where the only pony was the villain. I'm curious…maybe he has stories that don't portray changelings as the monsters ponies see us as. They refuse to understand that we need their emotions to live. I've decided that we'll ponynap Wordsmith." I went rigid at the sudden reminder of Chrysalis' plans for the night. Wordsmith's story completely wiped the thought from my head. "He is the most emotionally open and I am interested in him. We strike in two hours."

'And I'll be counting the seconds.' I was fully prepared for a tiring stakeout, a battle of will versus my own boredom, but it was only one minute until Formica spoke up. "Your Majesty, do we have to?"

I watched as Chrysalis slowly rose from her prone position and fixed Formica with a glare that held a hint of curiosity. "What are you asking?"

She gulped nervously but slowly forged the look in her eyes into steel. "Do we have to hurt them? We're both as full as we can hold, we even filled those bottles we kept. We don't have to put anypony in a pod. If we're not monsters, then why can't we prove it?"

Chrysalis's eyes slowly widened and relaxed. I could see the thoughts running through her head, as if trying to reconcile what Formica just told her with everything she's known and thought for as long as she's known. It wasn't the kind of decision that anypony could come to terms with in one night, and she fortunately understood that. "I'll think about it. Regardless of my decision, we will leave tomorrow night. Be ready."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

'Yes, thank you.
> Re-Gime
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just like every morning before, we were woken by the sound of Wordsmith's 'good mornings.' He was more subdued than usual though. "Up and at'em everyone. Today's going to be a special day, I can feel it."

'Yeah, this is the day Chrysalis plans to leave.' I had finally gotten to the point where I could trust Chrysalis to do what is right. Things were looking up enough for me to see myself being able to tell Chrysalis who I am. I've seen what changelings are really like; Formica and even Chrysalis have shown that they weren't really the monsters everypony thought they were. It wouldn't be easy, but I was in a perfect position to arrange friendship between ponies and changelings.

First, I'd have to try and convince Pinkie Pie. I couldn't imagine what it was like for her when I went away. Just like how I couldn't imagine how she'd react once she realizes that her lost friend has returned. Maybe she already knew somehow. One way or another, it would end up being the biggest Pinkie party ever. 

My other friends would be confused. Applejack would be really suspicious at first, but if I made sure to be up front and honest, I'd be able to convince her. Rarity would eventually warm up to me so long as I didn't do anything by accident. Fluttershy would be scared of me, but only time could help with that. Rainbow Dash would be the hardest: I could easily see her getting in my face and making threats within seconds of me revealing myself. I'd need the others to help reign her in. Spike, he must have gone through so much heartache: he's known me his whole life. Once I'd convinced him, he wouldn't leave my side for at least a month. And finally, Starlight. Harmony knows how poorly she had reacted to losing a friend that first time.  I could only hope that the rest of our friends had stayed by her side. 'Hold on everypony. I don't know how long it will take, but I am coming home.'

"Group ahoy!" Wordsmith yelled out with all the energy of a sailor spotting land for the first time in ages. I tried to look up to see what he had spotted, but I'd completely forgotten about my temporary blindness in my excitement. Wordsmith had no such limitation. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I smell excitement in the air. See ya."

And with a stampede of one, he was gone. I suddenly heard the laughter of the eldest zebra off to my side. "That Wordsmith is a strange one, but it is with him can be found much fun," Faraji said with his subtle double rhyming.

Chrysalis scoffed at him in an attempt to hold on to her usual character. "I agree…he is strange, but I've seen stranger." Seconds passed by without the followup question that would be expected from a comment like that. Chrysalis had proven time and again that she would not be sharing anything that could be linked to her past. Only Wordsmith could trick a response out of her, and doing so usually had her clamming up for hours afterwards.

It wasn't long after that exchange that I could hear Wordsmith's voice addressing us excitedly. I felt some of his excitement until suddenly, it changed. A small yet dense chill pervaded the air...and Chrysalis was the source. "No," she whispered just loud enough to hear. "It can't be him. No no no nononono." She took a sharp breath through her teeth and leaned towards Formica as inconspicuously as possible. "Try to remain calm. If something happens, flee. Fly away as fast as you can. I'll distract them and find you later."

I had gone from excited to terrified in seconds. What or who could get such a reaction out of the normally stern queen? In hindsight, it should've been obvious. There were only a few ponies who could do so, and only one was a stallion.

"Hello everyone. These fine guardsponies are Leo Shard, Ralph Fell, Don Spell, and Pike Jello," he said, gesturing towards a stallion with a blue mane, red mane, purple mane, then orange mane respective to each name he shared. They all looked to have some green markings on their white coats when I squinted.

The orange one immediately doubled over laughing while the red one got into Wordsmith's face. "What kind of names are those?" They're Wordsmith variety names. "You don't even know our names!"

"Sargent Heat, that's enough!"

'That voice…it can't be.'

"I'm Captain Shinning Armor, and these guards and I just want to take a few minutes of your time. All I ask is that you remain quiet and let us do our work." I was shell shocked. What were the chances of running into my brother out here? And why Captain? He's supposed to be a prince.

"So you're not going to tell us what's up with the green paint jobs?" asked Stacked Bits with suspicion.

"Hopefully you won't have to find out. Will you all please come to us one by one." I couldn't believe it. We couldn't have possibly been close to the Crystal Empire, in fact, I believed we were in the southern half of Equestria. "Why don't you go first?" I wanted to be happy about the encounter, but his harsh tone and my knowledge of exactly who was only one step away from me effectively crushed all the joy I could muster.

"Fine. Let's get this over with." Stacked walked up to the guards and was led away by Shiny and the purple maned guard while the others, Wordsmith included, positioned themselves to block our view. Judging by his stance, the red one wasn't too happy with the story teller's proximity.

"Next!" Why was my brother doing this, why was he being so cold? He always firmly believed in showing his softer side when dealing with new ponies. It was like he was treating everypony here like an enemy.

One of the zebra left, but I couldn't tell who it was. Just like before, they were hidden behind the line of ponies.

"Next!"

"Next!"

"Next!" 

"Next!" The Zebra were gone. We didn't know what was happening. I was scared.

"Next!" Sky Cutter.

"Next!" There went Surehoof. If only I knew what was happening. All who were left was Chrysalis, Formica, and me. This had to be when something would happen. I wanted to remain hopeful, I wanted to think that it would be just fine. "Next!"

Chrysalis gave us a sideways glance. I couldn't fully make out her expression, but I could feel her trying to keep it as neutral as possible. "Be ready."

She walked forward, giving all the presence of a criminal being incarcerated. That's when it happened. Wordsmith, I could see him as clearly as if he were right in front of me. As he turned his head to look back at where Chrysalis and Shiny were, I could make out individual hairs on his coat. What stood out the most, however, was an expectant grin on his muzzle. Just as the still blurry guard next to him turned to share in his curiosity, Wordsmith took a deep breath then screeched at the top of his lungs, "Changeling!"

In a flailing of limbs, he knocked both of the guards next to him over and kept screeching about changelings. It was funny, but only out of context and without him running straight for us. Formica splayed her wings out and took to the air before the impending collision. As my first trip into the sky since my death, I never missed my wings more than in that moment. And of course, the illusion had to fade in that moment. Receiving a clear and nauseating view of the world shifting around me made it all the more unpleasant. "Get her!" came a yell with my brother's voice.

When Formica banked, I was given clear view of a pegasus guard taking off into the air only to get shot down by Chrysalis' magic. Most of her body was still transformed, but her head was back to normal aside from a few green streaks over her black chitin. "Flee! I will hold them!"

"Don't let her get away!" Formica was already well off the ground and the only pegasus guard was still recovering from Chrysalis' attack.

There was no way he could recover fast enough to give chase before Formica dived out of sight. She banked again, giving me a clear look at the other pegasus I forgot about. She saw him too and redoubled her efforts. It didn't matter. I could tell in moments how much of an inexperienced flyer Formica was. The me from just a year after gaining my wings could've easily outpaced her. With a name like Sky Cutter, he would be far better than that.

She dove closer to the trees, likely hoping against all hope that they would help her lose her pursuer. With a flash of flame, she dove deeper into the trees and returned to her changeling form. Aided by her insectoid wings, she darted between trees and branches with an agility that only the most skilled flyers wouldn't envy. In a forest, this more than made up for her loss in speed. It didn't hurt that her sudden transformation may have disoriented Sky Cutter long enough for Formica to dive out of sight.

Unfortunately, I realized that her agility wasn't perfect. Time and again, I noticed her having to kick off a branch or outright bumping into one. These were clues to her location...a trail that could be used to follow her movements. I wanted to warn her, but any distraction would be disastrous. All a pegasus flying above her path would have to do was wait for her to slow down before dive bombing. This escape was doomed, and she was too panicked to realize it.

It took a minute for her to actually stop to take a break. Her gaze swiveled side to side as I braced myself for the inevitable. Seconds crawled by at an agonizing pace, yet nothing sudden happened. When she dropped to the ground, I was confused but slowly beginning to relax. 'Maybe he isn't very good at tracking, maybe she wasn't kicking off the trees too hard, and maybe he lost us right after diving in.' For every second that he didn't suddenly pop up, I became slightly more hopeful.

After a few minutes of frantic walking and looking around, Formica finally stopped at a tree where some small animal had dug a hiding place in between its roots. She only had to do a little more digging before there was enough space for her to fit...and so there we lay, waiting for the events to blow over.

Only minutes passed before we heard it, the sound of hooves pounding against the forest floor. I was terrified of who it could be…and of whether or not  they'd find us. It was obvious that Formica felt the same way. It's for that reason that we froze when the pony laid down with his back up against the roots. All it would take was him turning his head, and he'd find us.

"Whew, that was fun!" It was Wordsmith. His voice was jovial despite the events, "Who could've predicted that Maternity Wing and Scorched Sands were really a changeling and Queen Chrysalis herself!" He spoke a question, yet his tone was more of a statement. "Those guards certainly suspected changelings…it would explain why they have that green paint that reveals the truth beneath the surface."

The description was familiar to me, until the memory hit me like a Reckless Dash. 'The timeline when Chrysalis won!'

"That also explains why Equestria is so interested in shaman. It has something to do with Princess Twilight being killed by by a changeling: Equestria is readying for war."

"WAR?!"

"No, not war...an extermination." The following chuckle unleashed a wave of ice that froze my soul for an instant. "That begs the question…what was Chrysalis doing out in the open?" My heart thundered in my chest at the growling tone he asked his question in. "That foal wasn't a pony she found, it was her child. It couldn't be safe out here, which means it was more dangerous with other changelings."

With every word, his tone shifted from jovial into something deep and dark. With every sentence, he hit the nail on the head. "Now what would've happened if I never convinced the others to stay at that abandoned town? The drone would've died and two paths would open for the Queen and her child: starvation, or finding a pony town. After she spends a few months settling in, Equestria would make its move by sweeping every town at once. She'd be caught off guard by more guards she could handle and lose everything. Eventually, the changelings will fall."

The laughter that followed seemed to make the world tremble. "Death, death, and more death. How…boring. But now, death's door is closed. Where oh where will the story lead now? Only the future will tell."

I was reeling from his tale. Piece by piece, I took everything that I knew and combined it with Wordsmith's words, and only found one thing lacking: Would the Princesses really be willing to perpetrate such a thing? I had to believe that they didn't want that.

"Well, that's enough of a soliloquy. I've played my role, so Chrysalis, Formica, and the princess are on their own…for now at least."

I couldn't process it. He knew too much…things he couldn't possibly know. I could only banish him from my mind and hope I never saw him again.

I was so focused on my thoughts, so riddled with questions, that I failed to notice when he departed. Formica was still tense, her thoughts more than likely as muddled as mine.

It wasn't long before more hoof-steps began closing in on us. Shadows covered the ground around our hiding spot and just stayed there. "Come out! We know you're there!" It was Stacked Bits, ensuring that we didn't get a moment of rest.

Formica retreated more tightly into our hiding place and rivaled a Chihuahua's shivering. There was laughing: Sky Cutter's. "I can't believe how stupid you were! Did you honesty think that I lost you?! I watched you crawl into that hole. I kind of hoped that freak would spot you so I could see him panicking again. That was hilarious. Shame I couldn't enjoy it. You know...monsters to chase down and all that!"

"Enough," Surehoof said with an icy monotone. His hooves soon tore into the tree roots and split all our cover apart. That left the two of us looking up in fear at two ponies with deadly serious expressions on their faces.

Sky Cutter's expression was a cross between a sneer and amusement. After a few seconds, the latter emotion began to overcome his expression before leading into raucous laughter. His two partners gave him a sideways glare until he finally gained control over himself. "I can't believe we were worried about her magic!" He stepped closer and flicked Formica where her horn once was. "Kind of hard to do that without a horn...ISN'T IT!" he yelled right into her face before slipping into another round of laughter.

I was angry. She was helpless, and he was mocking her. I glared with all the ferocity I could manage. If I could harm him with my gaze, I would've. Instead, I only drew his attention. He blinked in confusion once, twice, then jumped back in shock and pointed a hoof at me. "What the buck is that thing?!"

There was only a half-second delay before Formica spun around and cradled me out of view. All of a sudden, her body was no longer shivering. She had become a firm wall between me and a perceived threat. I could easily visualize her bared fangs as she pushed them back through the force of her hissing alone. They looked between one another in uncertainty at the idea of dealing with an aggressive changeling, magic or no magic. Unfortunately, the intimidation tactic did not work for long.

With a flare of magic, Stacked Bits, who I finally confirmed to be a unicorn, threw Formica back into the tree. The movement rolled me over enough to clearly see my caretaker's eyes being filled with fear. It lasted for only a second. What followed was a ferocious determination, much more than you'd expect from a glorified babysitter. Those were the eyes of a mother, protecting one of her own. "Don't. You. Touch. Her."

There was a moment of silence before it was broken by Sky Cutter's laughter. "Or you'll do what?!" He approached me, punctuating every closing inch with a stomp of each hoof. Formica struggled and growled, but she wasn't strong enough to escape Stacked's magic.

Once he reached me, Cutter rolled me across the ground with a nearly painful amount of pressure. Even with my head spinning literally, I couldn't possibly miss Formica's guttural roar. The red stallion only smirked triumphantly before raising high on his back hooves. Time seemed to slow as I recognized what he was going to do. I wanted to move out of the way, but I was frozen in fear. I could only watch as he came down. "PRINCESS!"

His movements hitched before his hooves landed next to my head. He looked between the two of us in shock before laughing yet again. "Oh this is too rich! We've got the bug princess herself here! What should we do with her guys?! I say squash her."

"No!"

Two of them ignored Formica's scream, but Surehoof looked directly at her then at me. "It's a baby. Changeling princess or not, that don't sit well with me."

Cutter snorted at the response before looking to Stacked, who appeared lost in thought. "What about you boss?"

She continued thinking for a few seconds before reaching a decision. "She's just a baby, right? Who's to say that she'll even remember any of this. I think we should sell her off. There's no telling what kind of bits those nobles would pay for a prize like this."

Blood drained from my face as Cutter developed a malicious grin. "And that's why you're the boss. Any complaints big guy?"

"Nope, so long as I have a little chat with our friend. Make sure she don't fly away."

A flare of magic threw Formica to the ground, after which, she wasted no time in shielding me with her body. "Stay away!" The threat came out weak. There was no way that she would be able to keep them at bay, and they knew it.

Even with Formica cradling me, I could see Surehoof approaching with all the presence of his namesake. Once he was just out of the reach of Formica's fangs, he stopped and stood over us like a tower. He glared down at us, daring Formica to lash out at him. It was a dare she would not rise up to, for it would mean leaving me unguarded for an instant. The instant she pulled in tighter, he spoke, as if her retreat was the opening he was waiting for. "Where is she?"

In her confusion, Formica loosened her grip on me. "Who?"

He was on her in a flash of green, one hoof holding her head firmly to the ground. She pulled me tightly into her undercarriage and froze. "Where is the real Maternity Wing?"

There was a moment of silence that passed between the two before Formica finally let out a snort. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." The confidence and assured tone in her voice was a shock to him and me. For so long, she has been uncertain and reserved. Being in a do or die situation can have that effect on anypony it seems.

Surehoof leaned in close with a snarl plastered upon his face. "Try me."

I could not see it from where I was, but I could practically hear the smile in her voice. "You're stepping on her."

"Don't toy with me!" he screamed into her face.

Even with the angry stallion standing over us, she was as firm as steel. Something about the situation had tempered the soft and brittle caretaker I've come to know into a guardian statue. "Pink mane and a while coat. It's as easy of a change as they come, and not even a creative one. I didn't even come up with my own name, and I didn't have to act like anypony else. Everything Maternity Wing was is right in front of you."

"You're acting pretty different to me!"

"There's no point in being scared of what you'll do to me for being a changeling! Not when you're already doing it!"

Surehoof flinched as if hit with a piercing blow. I could see the gears turning in his head as the seconds ticked by. He raised his hoof from her slowly before suddenly stumbling back. He looked at her with wide-shaky eyes that seemed to symbolize something changing within him. His gaze shifted from me to her time and again before he finally reached some kind of decision. With resolution in his eyes, he stood and faced his two friends.

"What's going on here?!" yelled a voice that interrupted whatever Surehoof was going to say.

'Shiny!'

The three ponies remained silent as my brother trotted into view. He gave the area one quick scan before settling his cold gaze upon the two of us. Gone was the warmth that I've always associated with my brother. He was the same pony in name only. "Good job you three. I'll make sure you're rewarded."

At the prospect of a reward, Stacked had managed to find her words. "That's not the best part, Prince Armor. See that big worm she's holding." She gave him a moment to pick me out from Formica's limbs. "That's the changelings' princess."

The cold in his gaze became a blizzard in an instant. Unrestrained magic sparked across his horn as I felt something towards my brother that I couldn't have possibly ever imagined feeling about him: true fear. There was a flash, then I was no longer in Formica's grip. "NOOOOOOO!" Formica's scream was silenced suddenly with a dull thunk. I turned to see her trapped beneath a dome shield, bucking and screaming in futility.

I was forced to look at my brother when he picked me up and began inspecting me like he would an apple he wanted to buy. "So you're Chrysalis' daughter. I wonder if she even cares about you." My heart beat like a drum, and yet blood drained from my face. "She certainly didn't care about my sister." He released his magic, dropping me harshly. "I wonder if she'll feel what I feel. She was a good pony, one of the best. Now...she's dead."

Realization struck me. I looked up at him, the pain from landing ignored in favor of looking at him with fearful and tear filled eyes. 'No, this isn't you. Don't...don't do this!' I mentally pleaded.

His snort shattered my heart. "Cute. You can blame your mother for this." A blade was pulled from his armor and held over me. "I think...I think she'd be ashamed of me for this, but she's gone now. Cadance would be ashamed too, now that I think about it." The small spark of hope I felt was extinguished instantly. "But an eye for an eye, family for family."

"Stop!" We both snapped our gaze to the side to see Surehoof in an aggressive stance. "She's just a baby!"

He only snarled at the earth pony. "Stand down." Shining only said that much before rising the blade higher. There was the sound of hooves slamming against the ground before a green blur crashed into my brother's side. The blade fell into the dirt harmlessly as the green and white stallions wrestled across the ground. The other three, Formica included, stood frozen in shock over Surehoof's actions.

The tussle continued until a burst of magic threw Surehoof high into a tree trunk before crashing harshly on the ground. I couldn't process much more before black limbs snatched me from the ground and began carrying me away at high speed. Apparently Formica's prison fell in the middle of Shining's distraction. He was still able to erect a barrier that she had to turn her back towards so I wouldn't be hurt by the impact, but the shock still caused pain. Another flash of light teleported me again to Shining's hooves. "That's enough. Goodbye, Princess." I watched in slow motion as the blade was aimed at me again. Formica and Surehoof were too stunned to help again, and the others wouldn't help. I was going to die again...in the most ironic way possible.

A wrathful scream shook me from my sense of finality, followed immediately by a beam of green magic sending my brother flying. Another set of black limbs pulled me from the ground and went to Formica. A wall of green flame surrounded us, appearing to burn away the world around us and replace it with another. Gone were the ponies, the barriers, and the blade. Soft pre-noon light filtered through the tree leaves, basking the small section of forest in an aura of peace. It was safety, so I cried. I cried, for I finally understood what an idealistic fool I was.
> Re-Growth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know for how long I cried for. My heart was in shambles and my world view had been shattered. What laid below that was a torrential storm that consumed everything that I believed to be true. There could be no friendship for me. There's no way I could return to the harmonious life that I've known for so many, yet too few, years. Twilight Sparkle was…is dead.

On some level, I knew what happened to me was bad, but I never understood. How could I…how could anypony? There was no book for this, fictional or not. There was nopony to tell me what to do, or how to do it. I was completely on my own.

Maybe that last bit wasn't completely true, but it didn't mean that they could help me. Formica was the most caring individual I've met since my initial death. Could she possibly understand the pain of watching somepony who has helped protect you try to do you harm?

Yes…she could. The memory of Chrysalis' outburst from so early in my new life pervaded my mind. Whenever I looked at where her horn used to be, I would remember that incident, but it's raw impact has long since faded. Now she and Chrysalis are close to what I would call friends. If they could make up, why couldn't I do so with Shiny.

'I'll just convince him of who I am and he'll be my BBBFF all over ag…' No. I couldn't do that to him. It would only end in him facing the same horror I was facing. How could I tell my brother that the same changeling princess he tried to kill was his own sister's reincarnated self? It would destroy him.

It was hard to believe that he was willing to kill any infant, but it made some twisted bit of sense after I thought about it. I was the changeling princess, Chrysalis' heir. The viewpoint had changed, but it was in essence the same as why some changelings wanted me gone so I couldn't grow up to be like Chrysalis. To Shiny, Chrysalis was the one responsible for my death. Of course he wouldn't want another. Justifying it didn't make it any less painful though.

Strangely enough, my thoughts returned to Wordsmith. I wanted to deny the last words I heard from him, but I couldn't do that anymore with the evidence glaring me in the face. Equestria was preparing for war, but I had to believe that they didn't want a true extermination. I had to believe that losing me like that wouldn't be enough to drive Celestia and Luna that far, at least not permanently. Maybe the wound was still fresh.

That begged the question: How long has Twilight Sparkle been dead? Not once did Chrysalis mention how long it has been since then, nor anypony else for that matter. I only had my time as a larva to judge the passage of time. It took some effort, but I eventually figured that it was close to seventy days since I first woke up inside my egg, give or take a few. I would've figured this out a week sooner if not for how much disarray my mind was in. That meant that it had to have been at least two and a half months since my death, with however long it took for me to be reincarnated added onto that. I could be certain that Chrysalis waited until after Twilight's death before she conceived me. 'If I can learn how long it takes between conception and hatching for changelings, I can have a much more accurate timetable.'

Of course I could calculate, analyze, and speculate all I wanted, but none of that told me what to do. I needed a plan, and for that, I needed information. I looked at Queen Chrysalis and saw her pacing relentlessly. She had spent every moment not trying to distance herself from the recent encounter trying to come up with her own ideas. So far, she only had three, along with one joke plan and another inconsiderable one.

The first was the original plan of hiding out in a pony town. What was once the best option became just as bad as the others thanks to the anti-changeling salve. Chrysalis would've still tried plan A if not for Formica explaining that Wordsmith believed that Equestria planned to bring the salve to every town at once. Any attempt to counter this strategy would require her to go with plan B or C.

Plan B involved ignoring all risks associated with potential usurpers and returning to the hives as if nothing was wrong. With the future conflict incoming, she would be too distracted to watch over me at all times. She had a few changelings she could trust without question, but she was certain that they'd be outnumbered and overwhelmed by any sort of direct assault on my life.

Her joke plan was handing me off to Equestria and telling them to raise me as they saw fit. She laughed it off as ridiculous in the instant after the words escaped her muzzle. The inconsiderable plan was to withdraw permanently from the rest of the hives and let them fend for themselves. This defied every instinct Chrysalis had that wasn't centered on me, especially when Formica informed her that the hives won't survive without the information Chrysalis had.

Plan C was to separate me from anypony that could link me to my heritage and leave me with a changeling she trusted above all others. She refused to talk about him much. Whenever Formica asked, she became evasive rather than aggressive/defensive as she usually did.

Her greatest concern with this plan was not being able to contact me for fear of tipping me off to my heritage, leading me to revealing myself through youthful innocence; barring the possibility of me revealing myself on my own. In other words, the biggest chink in Plan C was the natural assumption that my mental age was the same as my physical age.

Like me, her lack of information limited her options. I stared at her for a few more seconds before nodding in grim determination. 'Here's hoping this doesn't backfire.'

I crawled away from Formica and began to search the forest floor for the necessary tool. It didn't take long to find a stick in the desirable shape and thickness, but I still needed to shorten it. My mandibles proved very effective at splitting the wood piece by piece. Once I had my makeshift pen, I searched for a section of ground that wasn't covered by debris or undergrowth. I managed to find something desirable, but I still needed to clear a bit out of the way. This seemed to draw Formica's attention, which was exactly what I wanted to do regardless.

I glanced over and saw her looking at me with soft eyes and a small smile. It hurt me a bit to know that what I was about to do would shatter her understanding of me, but I needed to make a move. Chrysalis and I were both going around in circles, and it was the only way I could think to break the cycle. With that thought in mind, I carefully began to draw in the dirt. I couldn't do anything complicated without using up a lot of time, so I drew something simple yet undeniably intelligent: the words yes and no. I had drawn them as carefully as possible to ensure they were unmistakable. 

I looked back at Formica an saw a flash of confusion before she smiled normally. "That's lovely. Did your mother teach you that?" I immediately turned and poked the spot under the 'no,' before turning back. I looked into her eyes, which showed a temporary flash of understanding. "When did you learn this?" I only stared at her: This would get complicated quickly if I tried to answer anything more than yes/no questions. I was still not ready to share everything about myself. "Do you know how to read?" 'Yes.'

She looked at me with wide eyes for three seconds before snapping her gaze towards Chrysalis. "Your Majesty?" Her voice was that unique fusion of urgency and confusion that anypony would use when addressing the one who could have the answers. When Chrysalis didn't immediately respond, she tried calling out to her again.

Her second attempt proved more effective than the first. "What is it Formica? Can't you see that I'm trying to come up with a plan!?"

Formica completely ignored her biting tone. "The Princess is doing something," she explained with an unsure singsong tone.

The Queen looked towards us with a scowl on her face before relenting with a sigh. "Very well. It may do me some good to spend some time with my daughter."

And so would begin the literal moment of truth. 'It's up to you now Chrysalis. What will you do?'

Chrysalis took appraisal of the area before shooting Formica an inquisitive expression. "What is this about?"

"I think she can understand us." I decided then to point at yes.

Chrysalis looked between the two of us, nonplussed. I could count the seconds before she finally reacted. "Are you certain?"

"I don't know! She's always been more quite and observant than any larva I've ever known, but…I don't know."

"Nor do I." Formica slowly looked up at Chrysalis in bafflement. "The former Queen was forthcoming on how to rule the hive, but she was sparse on details pertaining to raising my own successor. We must test this: Any advantage we can get is worth it."

'Well...this is turning out easier than I expected.'

"What should we ask her?" After Formica asked this, they began brainstorming questions between one another. Most were more complicated than I could answer with yes or no. The rest were them confirming how far back I can remember. Due to embarrassment over my initial behavior and the associated complications, I let them believe that I only remembered as far back as when we first encountered Wordsmith. Applejack wouldn't approve, but she'd understand not wanting to reveal the full truth.

As they continued their debate, I decided to write down my goal. They paused their exchange of potential questions as I was half way through writing the final word. "We need to make a plan," they both read out simultaneously.

Chrysalis raised a hoof to her chin in thought for a few seconds before turning her focus on me. "Tell me my child...do you think you'll carry this memory through your pupation?"

Electricity coursed through my system at the question that I never thought to ask. Yes, what was happening to me was unusual, but how could I know that it wasn't typical? No child in the world retains the memories of their time as an infant. What if what I was experiencing was in fact the norm? I gave the only answer I could by drawing a question mark upon the ground. She growled and forced her hooves into the ground for a second. I could hardly tell that it was a tantrum considering how tame it was compared to others. It only took her one quick breath to resume a calm yet vacant gaze. I could not tell if she was concentrating on adding the possibilities involved with what I told them or if she was blanking out, just so she could give her mind a moment of rest.

Regardless of which she did, life returned to her eyes abruptly with the light of confidence glowing across her features. "We will go with Plan C provided that my daughter retains her memories. If she does not, then we will hide her near a hive and periodically send out trusted individuals to provide food as needed." I tilted my head at the new plan she came up with. Something about me partially revealing myself helped calm her enough to consider a new possibility.

"My child." Chrysalis' voice brought my attention back to her. During the seconds I spent zoned out, she had lowered herself so that her eyes were level with mine. "I hope that all of this is true, rather than coincidence. A princess should not be forced to live away from her future subjects because of the mistakes of her mother. I hope that you can forgive me."

I had forgiven her, but that was before I was forced to understand how bad it was. My forgiveness was cracked, but it wasn't so bad that I'd return to being petulant. I gave her an exaggerated nod that she returned with a subdued tilt before she stood tall and began channeling massive amounts of magic through her horn. The aura around her horn pulsed every second, growing slightly larger with each pulse.

Expecting some sort of big spell, I was surprised when absolutely nothing followed the small flash that indicated her spell's completion. "I've contacted our ally that still hides within Equestria's borders and told him all he needs to know. We should be able to meet with him before my daughter escapes her cocoon. Now would be a good time to decide how to confirm if your retain your memories...and I have the perfect idea."

She looked into my eyes with pride shinning from her slitted gaze. "I have watched you as closely as I was able since you were born, and Formica has watched you any time I couldn't. We both agree that you've always demonstrated skills in observation beyond your age. Your ability to understand and react has astounded me time and time again. Perhaps this is why I am so ready to believe that you understand us. Even before now, I knew how intelligent you are and knew what name I wanted to give you.

Once she gave me my name, the plan was set. The weeks passed by uneventfully until I suddenly began feeling an overwhelming and irrational sense of exposure. It was like thousands of ponies were watching me; judging my every move and my every breath. Celestia's disappointment, my friends' sorrow, Formica's shock, Chrysalis' horror, and my brother's rage all stood at the forefront. I tried to hide, but no refuge was reclusive enough.

Nausea hit me like being caught between a buffalo and yak stampeding into each other. A smidgen of relief came when I inevitably vomited upon myself. The skin covered in my puke stopped crawling. I kept at it, not thinking for a second about what I was doing. It made me feel safer with each glob I spewed.

By the time I regained my sanity, I was fully cocooned. I understood what was happening to me seconds before the drowsiness set in. I only had time for one thought, 'Will I really retain my memories?'





Cramped.

It was so cramped. I couldn't move at all. I could feel my muscles flexing against my confines, but I couldn't generate enough force. It made me angry, furious. I could fell an energy building up around the crown of my head. It was familiar, yet different. I didn't think about it. I just let it build ever stronger until it exploded in a burst of magic.

Finally using magic for the first time in months didn't register ahead of taking a deep gasping breath. I reached out of what remained of my confines and fell forward upon overextending. Instead of falling on my face, I landed squarely on my hooves. That was the moment when it hit me. A rush of elation flooded my system like liquid sunlight. I felt like a pony again. I opened my eyes but winced at the sun shining down on me. I brought my leg up to block the light, but it only worked for one eye.

I adjusted quickly and opened my eyes fully. It took a few seconds for the black blur ahead of me to resolve into an unfamiliar changeling. I froze, as did my blood. It was a harsh reminder that the me from then died long ago. I looked around and found neither Chrysalis nor Formica in the vicinity. I was prepared for this, but it didn't make it hurt less. I looked my new guardian over. He looked much like any other changeling except for the armored shell on his back wrapping around his front. Beyond that, I was barely able to differentiate his gender. His expression was stern and static, like a soldier. "Name?"

'Right...the plan.' I was left with two choices. I could feign ignorance and pretend that I couldn't remember anything. Chrysalis and Formica would come back and I'd be taken to a secluded location where Formica will watch over me and Chrysalis would send other changelings towards us periodically to ensure we don't run out of resources. With this option, came the possibility of escape. I could get away and try my hoof at returning to Equestria.

The second plan was to play along. I know next to nothing about changelings. Joining a hive would give me a chance that no pony has ever had before. Maybe that would give me the edge I need to end this conflict the right way. All it would take was abandoning everything I used to be.

I looked into his eyes and saw no sign of impatience. It seemed that my prolonged silence alone would not be enough for him to decide on an answer on his own. I tilted my head subconsciously as I tried to puzzle him out. "That's disappointing."

My heartbeat sped up when I realized that my display of curiosity had been mistaken for confusion. I could not be sure of what exactly came over me, I only knew what I said. "My name is Princess Antennae."