The Watcher In The Dark
The void was neither an unpleasant, nor a pleasant place, and as I floated there aimlessly, I considered the distinct possibility that I was dead. It would make sense after all, as despite all I’ve experienced in life, floating aimlessly through an endless black void was new to me. No drugs or near-death experiences included this level of realism, which ruled out the possibility that I was drugged or poisoned.
Well, it didn't quite rule out the poison, it just meant it did its job.
I would have sighed if I had the organs necessary to do just that, but as it stood now I was unable to do much other than gaze out over infinity.
Speaking of time, that wasn't really something that I could keep track of, as there was no reference point, never mind the fact that time may be faster or slower here. I didn't even want to consider the possibility that my perception of time had been altered as well, seeing as I no longer had a brain. Fun fact, the reason flies are really hard to swat is because they experience time faster than humans, this is also one reason they don't live very long.
I pushed that thought out of whatever facsimile of a mind that I had and continued to stare out at the vast expanse of completely nothing.
I wondered if it was an aneurysm that got me in my sleep, which would explain why I couldn't remember anything other than going to bed the night before. Maybe I was shot in the head so I couldn't even wake up before I expired. Either way, it didn't really matter now, as something told me there wasn't exactly a way to go back from wherever here was.
As I lay there, floating through eternity, I considered my life, and what a worthless sack of meat I had been.
Sure I had a few accomplishments, I had written a mediocre book and had a small house, but other than that my life was, for lack of a better word, empty. My parents died a number of years ago, both from natural causes. Work and my own piss-poor personality kept me from making true friends or dating anyone that wasn't just a good lay.
“I really should have asked out that last yoga instructor, they were hot,” I muttered, or at least imagined I had, I’m honestly not sure which since I didn't have a mouth to speak of, pun intended.
As I lay there, time seemed to stretch on into infinity, and I wondered if this was hell. If so, they vastly overestimated the torture part, as this was boring but not agonizing. Oh sure I was going to go mad eventually, but madness wasn't really a torture, merely an altered mental state only considered torture by the sane, something I wouldn't be in a few years.
I chuckled at my bizarre line of thinking, a part of my brain wondering just how long it would take before I flipped my lid.
Then, just as I was trying to think of some mental game to help keep my sanity for a little longer, I heard a voice.
It was quiet, to the point that I couldn't even really make out any words, and I strained to try and hear what it was saying, desperate for some sort of stimuli that didn't come from my own head.
I wondered if I had snapped already, but it hadn't felt like I had been here long enough for that to happen yet.
“-sure about this my queen?” A hesitant, buzzing, and oddly feminine voice asked.
I paused and would have cocked my head if I could, the voice being so unlike anything I had ever heard before that I couldn't even imagine who or what was speaking. Though it had a distinctly alien reverberation to it, there was no mistaking the sense of worry that undercut its tone.
“This is the only way we are going to survive out here.” An older, yet still alien voice barked back angrily before breaking down into a fit of coughing.
The second voice was different in the fact that it had a certain air of command to it as if it was used to taking charge and telling people what to do and knowing that her instructions would be carried out. It also had the distinct air of desperation that made me imagine the speaker being terrified of both what she was doing, and whatever had driven her to such a choice. The coughing was also quite unpleasant to listen to, the creature sounding like it was about to fall apart at the seams, or cough up a chunk of itself.
“But a demon.” The first voice muttered. “Are you sure you can control it? The last demon to be summoned to Equestria nearly-”
“I know well what happened the last time someone did this. Now be silent and light the braziers, we have precious little time before the ritual window will close completely.” The second voice yelled back, making the first voice whimper before its owner did what was commanded of it.
Odd. I thought to myself, the talk of demons and summoning made me imagine dungeons and dragons, something I hadn't truly thought much of in over a decade.
I focused closer, pushing whatever senses I had closer to where I felt the voices were coming from. Though there was no up or down that I could distinguish, I was beginning to find a sort of current, or pull that was drawing me towards the voices.
The first voice gasped suddenly. “It's coming my queen, I can feel it!” She murmured in shock.
“I can feel it too, focus and do not let up. Remember, we are binding it to the very hive mind, so it will have no vessel of its own.” The second voice exclaimed, a hint of fear worming into her words before coughing several times and spitting something wet on the floor.
“Yes my queen, I’ve made sure to adjust the summoning circle appropriately.” The first voice replied, disgust and worry evident in her voice.
As I floated there I decided that I was gonna call the first one zippy, and the second one barky, it seemed to fit their personalities and it sure beat thinking of them as alien one and alien two.
As I waited patiently for them to speak again, I was irritated to find that they had fallen silent, the two creatures working on something important enough that they had stopped speaking to one another. Quickly growing bored with the silence after being treated to some sort of stimuli, I pushed harder, testing the limits of my new sense of direction.
Sure enough, I heard Zippy gasp again. “It's coming!” She yelled.
“The circle is ready, get back and remember the chant.” Barky shot back angrily, a small hint of worry worming its way into her words.
This was just getting stranger by the minute, were they referring to me? I’m not a demon, I may have been a bit of a depressed jerk, but I was never outright cruel. Or at least, I was pretty sure I never was.
What came next was the strangest chanting I’ve ever heard in my entire life. It was one part Gregorian, one part throat singing, and one part creepy demon speak. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but honestly, that's what it sounded like. As I ruminated over the strange chanting, I felt myself get pulled closer and closer to the strange chanting, my ethereal self being dragged away from the void I had existed within until now.
This irritated me, as I had not made the choice to move closer, but was instead being pulled forward like a dog on a leash. The comparison only made me madder and I couldn't help but pull back on the feeling, testing to see if it even could be resisted. Though the chanting rose a few octaves for a second or two, it continued as strong as ever, my body or spirit unable to resist the call.
Odd, did it sound like Zippy was in pain for a second there? I brushed that thought aside and merely sat back, observing the situation. On the one hand, I didn't really care where it was pulling me as it sure beat the endless black hell I had found myself in not too long ago. On the other hand, this new place might just be hell, and I was in some sort of purgatory until now. I couldn't help but imagine the devil checking his day planner and noticing my name on some list, only for him to realize that he had an appointment and he was late.
The thought amused me, and I simply let the chant continue without resisting, determined to face whatever my final fate was with at least a little dignity.
A few seconds later I could feel something strange, and after wiggling my nose, I realized that I could do just that. Not only that, but I could also smell something oddly coppery, my mind conjuring images of a bloody ritual circle of some kind being laid out before me on a cold stone floor.
The thought was repulsive, but it also made me curious if I was an accident of some kind, as it wasn't like I was a demon. Though, if I was destined for hell, that would make sense as to why it might have ended up grabbing me.
Either way, I was just happy that I didn't smell brimstone or something awful like that. That being said, blood wasn't exactly a much better indicator as to whether or not this was hell.
Remaining motionless, I allowed myself to be pulled more fully into whatever reality the voices were coming from. My hearing expanded slowly, allowing me to realize that there were more voices than I had first anticipated, a great many more voices no less. An entire chorus of strange chittering voices was crying out to the heavens in order to bring me down to their realm, their manner of speech and even stranger language leaving me rather unnerved. A strange sense of pride filled my chest and I wondered if my summoning was a great feat of magic or some strange science human minds had yet to comprehend.
Putting aside those thoughts for later, I slipped further and further into their reality, my mouth filling with the taste of blood, as a flickering scene suddenly came into view.
At the center of the room was a wide magical circle of some kind, the contents of which made my head swim just looking at it. Symbols my mind could barely comprehend filled the circle, and I quickly realized that the circle was where the copper smell came from, as the lines were painted in bright red blood. Blood that seemed to originate from a small horse… thing, that lay off to the side, its eyes glassy and its mouth hanging open.
On second glance, the horse clearly wasn't a horse, but rather some sort of dwarf pony of some kind, its eyes far too large, and its body far too small to be a true horse. Once more I pushed that thought aside, focusing instead on what else lay in the room and ignoring the horse’s cyan fur and frankly bizarre mane and tail.
On either side of the circle were two more horse things, but these were different from the first dead horse thing. For one they had no fur and instead were clad in what looked like chitin of some kind, like some kind of ant or something. Holes perforated their bodies, and though they had the same-sized eyes, they also glowed faintly and were different colors. Stranger still was the strange seaweed-like hair that fell from their heads and butts. I quickly realized the later hair must be a tail of some kind, though I didn't care to look long enough to establish some kind of understanding of their unique styles.
I was more fascinated by the large fangs that poked out from either side of their mouths, indicating that they were at least omnivores of some kind. That was nice to know, as I wouldn't be able to live without a good steak every once and awhile, provided my existence could be considered living, that is.
Not like I couldn't eat vegetarian mind you, but something tells me eating meat around the other horse things was a way to be ostracized rather quickly, never mind the cost of what must be a luxury item amongst a herbivore society.
As I thought more about meat, I noticed that the smaller holey horse was growing disturbed, as if she was reading my thoughts about bloody steaks and the market dynamics of a mostly vegetarian society. I stopped and looked around, realizing that my point of view seemed to move as I wanted it to, despite the fact that I had no body to speak of, nor eyes for that matter.
What was going on, I wondered, my mind swirling with strange emotions that I knew weren't my own.
The larger holey horse grit her teeth, her horn flaring brightly as she dragged me fully into their reality.
I admit I felt rather stupid for not having noticed the horn and wings both of them sported as well as the different eyes they had, but in my defense, my world was changing disturbingly fast, and I was still reeling from the realization that I was indeed in another reality entirely. Not like that took me too long to adapt to, as I was happy to return to any reality at all.
Taking a closer look at the room I noticed that the chamber was in some sort of cave, the floor being slanted slightly down to the left, with a large door built into the stone wall to my right. The room was illuminated by a series of braziers that flickered with a strange greenish light that made me feel odd for some reason.
The emotions I had felt before suddenly surged back to me and I was distinctly aware of a spike of panic that ran up where I imagined my spine would be. Spinning around, I realized that the panic was coming from Zippy, yet somehow I was the one feeling it.
The sensation was an unpleasant one, but it couldn't hold a candle compared to the all-consuming hunger I felt clawing away at my very soul. It was a deep, and voracious thing, the urge to devour everything I could get my hands on becoming nigh overwhelming. For a moment I wanted nothing more than to lash out in an attempt to devour anything and everything in the room, but knowing that I had no mouth from which to eat, I surmised that such an urge would be as futile as it was vicious. Without a mouth or any body to speak of, I was left with little choice but to try and bear it with some kind of dignity, or at least survive the pain it inflicted upon my being.
I had always prided myself on my willful nature and had strived continually since my adolescence to sharpen that will until it was as strong as steel. With all that said, my will was still tested by this new hunger I felt, as it was so unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was a craving bordering on madness, with my very soul feeling empty and demanding sustenance.
For a long moment, I remained motionless as I fought against the hunger, pushing it down and shoving it into a box at the edge of my mind. Though difficult, I managed it, leaving me with only a dull ache at the edge of my perception. I made a note of getting something to eat at the earliest opportunity and ignored it utterly, turning my attention back to the room.
Where two rather stunned-looking holey horses were looking at me.
Which made me realize I had a body to even look at for that matter. Looking down I noticed that I was like some sort of force ghost or spirit of some kind. My features were blurry though, leaving me as little more than a humanoid shape made of glowing emerald energy.
“That is odd,” I murmured, only to blink when I realized I had both said that aloud, and actually heard what I had just said.
“Fascinating,” Barky murmured, walking around the edge of the circle and taking position next to Zippy, a hoof pressed against her aching heart.
“It cured the hunger,” Zippy murmured, turning to Barky with a look of complete and utter shock.
“Neigh, not cured, but rather compartmentalized, it's still there if you look for it,” Barky replied.
Little Zippy closed her eyes and remained motionless before nodding. “You’re right, it's like I stubbed my hoof or something.”
“Not to intrude, but who the hell are you? And where the hell am I?” I inquired, taking a step forward.
Barky took a step back, her taller stature enabling her to almost look me in the eye, though her intimidating and alien aura was somewhat diminished by the damaged state I noticed she was in. Chitin was cracked and broken, and one eyelid was only half open, barely hiding a milky orb that contained a slitted pupil unlike little zippy who had strangely featureless eyes. “You have been summoned to Equiss, and I am your new master, queen Chrysalis.” She announced, striking a bold pose.
I blinked several times, aware that the holey horse was trying to be intimidating, but had only succeeded in looking kind of cute and somewhat pathetic.
“We are not holey horses, we are changelings.” Zippy corrected.
“Wait, you read my mind, how?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Your mind is inside the great collective unconscious of the hive, none of your thoughts are secret any longer,” my apparent queen replied. “Indeed your very body is a projection of our consciousness and does not in fact exist at all.”
My eyes narrowed, and I strut across the circle, making my way closer to the larger changeling and glaring down at her, ignoring the existential dread I felt building in my gut. “I’m assuming this is the part where you are supposed to offer me something, yes?” I asked pointedly.
“You will help us dominate the land of Equestria and in return, I will give you whatever you desire,” Chrysalis announced, a smirk on her face. “Unless you'd rather go back to hell?”
I frowned, already not liking the idea of dominating any land or returning back to the void. “That wasn't exactly hell that I came from, but wherever this is, it sure beats there,” I shrugged. “Sure, why not? First thing’s first though, I am going to need information, and some kind of body, because I can already tell this is going to be a problem.”
Zippy gulped, and glanced nervously up to the larger changeling, wanting to speak, but deferring to her elder.
“I have a body ready, but even then, you will still be tied to the hive mind, and it will not be a true vessel for your dark spirit,” Chrysalis remarked, before turning and hiding a cough that threatened to break her regal aura. “Come, your lessons begin immediately.”
“You sure don't waste time, do you?” I mused, walking to the right of the queen and doing my best to ignore the fear and disgust that seemed to radiate off the both of them in equal measure.
“My children are starving, we have little time and much to conquer,” she replied evenly, as if she were old friends with both conquest and desperation.
I nodded along, pushing this way and that within the mental realm, I felt slowly emerging all around me. As I poked and prodded I noticed that not only could I feel what they felt if I focused, but I also had a sort of mental map that I could feel pop into existence the moment I tried to imagine my location. On it, I noticed Chrysalis was represented as a large green flame, while Zippy in comparison was little more than the diminutive light of a tea candle.
“My name is Pupa,” Zippy exclaimed.
I shrugged. “I like Zippy better.”
I could feel Chrysalis’ anger before she even spoke, giving me ample time to anticipate what was coming next. “Her name is Pupa, and you will respect her, as you will the rest of my children,” Chrysalis demanded.
Once more I shrugged, unable to truly care about these utterly alien creatures or their egos a single iota. “Sure, whatever.”
Looking up, I noticed that the tunnel was slowly winding upwards, gaining more and more signs of civilization the higher we went. I could feel like there were small side passages splitting off at odd and odd angles but when I looked I found them difficult to locate. The offshoots emerged seemingly at random, having been further refined from what must have been natural offshoots, and uncaring to the fact that they both went up, down and in strange slanting directions before twisting off to the side. The realization that they used the tunnels meant that they must have some way to stick to walls much akin to flies or other insects was an interesting one, and I pondered just how far that assumption went.
Turning a corner I noticed a trio of changelings standing on the side of the hall, their backs straight and their gaze straightforward and respectful as they stood guard, reminding me of medieval soldiers in a lot of ways. Peering into the changeling’s minds I quickly realized that was correct, with the centermost one being the only non-guards, his mind being slightly duller and emptier than the other two. From him, I got the distinct impression that his purpose was simply to dig and tunnel and was more like a trained animal rather than a true person like the guards that stood on either side of the tunnel that the dumb one was in the midst of excavating.
“My children are not animals,” Chrysalis snarled, turning to me suddenly.
“Look, I’m just calling it as I see it,” I shot back, stopping and crossing my arms over my chest. “The other two seem to have something going on upstairs, but that little walking block of swiss cheese doesn't even seem capable of experiencing fear like the other two.”
And the other two were indeed experiencing fear, the duo nearly quaking under my gaze and trembling when I had briefly glimpsed into their tiny minds and strange, definitionless eyes.
“All changelings have a purpose, and there is only honor in completing that purpose,” Chrysalis exclaimed angrily, while using some sort of magic to force me to my knees, so she may look down upon me.
Rather than be annoyed, I simply raised an eyebrow. “Fine, fine. Just don't expect me to hold a conversation with the dunce.”
The queen suddenly exploded with rage, a single raggedy wing extending from her back as magic coursed through her horn, making the room light up as it was bathed in green light. “Your apathy is irritating but tolerable, however, there is one thing I cannot and will not tolerate and that is disrespect of my children.”
I blinked lazily, pondering what exactly she could do to injure a glowing green ghost while also contemplating something else entirely. “So do you give birth to all of them, or?”
“The queen lays royal eggs, but the drones, guards, and other classes birth more of each other when needed,” Zippy replied helpfully, only to frown when she realized I was still referring to her as Zippy in my head.
“You will kneel!” Chrysalis boomed, my body moving on its own and forcing me to kneel once more before the angry changeling. “You want to know what I can do to make you suffer?”
“Kinda. Right now this entire thing is frankly too bizarre to really take in. One minute I’m floating through the void and the next I’m dealing with talking horses, getting turned into some ghost thing and being forced into the service of some bug horse, thing.” I explained. “This is a lot to take in all at once and I’m pretty sure I’m in some kind of mental shock.”
“We are not bug horses you idiot,” Chrysalis barked, only to stop herself, having no doubt realized I was trying to get a rise out of her. “Fine, you want to get straight to the punishment, let's get straight to it then.”
Before I could muster a response, her magic flowed over my form, and I found myself thrown bodily against the floor, my mind exploding with pain. A quick look over my form told me that I had no physical damage to speak of, but that made sense as I still lacked a true body. Despite this fact, pain the likes of which I had never experienced before suddenly filled every fiber of my being and I could only flail weakly on the floor, moaning and trembling.
“And to answer your question, this is all the pain and suffering that the hive is experiencing in this very moment,” Chrysalis explained, leaning down to eye level. “Every paper cut, every case of mana exhaustion, birth, broken leg, shattered horn, and numerous other injuries now course through you.”
Clutching my head, I tried to push back against the wave of pain, but unlike the hunger, this new sensation was not able to be beaten and no matter how hard I tried, it continued to pound into my psyche. “Enough,” I muttered weakly. “Please.”
I could feel Chrysalis’ eyes on me, yet for how long she stared while she said nothing I did not know. So vicious was the pain and the length of its stay that it got to the point that I began to wonder just how long she would make me suffer before letting up. Just as I was readying myself to do something risky, she let up, the pain vanishing in an instant. The experience was akin to whiplash and I found myself shaking for several more seconds before my brain seemed to catch up to the rest of me.
Reaching out with a hand, I pushed my knees under me and forced my head down to the ground, prostrating myself before the changeling queen. “My apologies, your highness. Please forgive me.”
The changeling queen radiated pride, a feeling that doubled when she realized how repulsive I found the emotion. “Don't forget this moment. I am not above simply locking you deep within the hive mind and using you as little more than a repository for all the pain my children feel.”
A shudder ran down my spine, and I couldn't help but grit my non-existent teeth. “That will not happen.”
Chrysalis turned and raised her head. “You had best not give me a reason to then.”
And with that, she began to trot away, leaving me to scramble to my feet and follow close behind her, a wary Pupa close at my heels.
For the first time in my new life, I began to wonder if this truly was better than the void, at least there I could do whatever I wished.