>You wake up
>It's an ordinary morning
>Your alarm is blaring on your bedside table
>You reach to turn it off - or at least put it to sleep - and you realise
>You're a Changeling
>Huh?
>Where did that come from?
>You awkwardly slam your hand on the top of the alarm, it stops making any noise
>That gives you time to think
>You're a... Changeling?
>You're clearly not
>You're human
>Born and bread
>Always have been, always will be
>Human arms
>Human hands
>Human legs
>Human feet
>Human face
>The whole lot
>You're as human as they come
>But you can't shake off that feeling
>That thought in your head
>You're a changeling
>How?
>Why?
>What?
>You're confused
>Conflicted
>You're having an existential crisis
>You'll get over it
>You assure yourself
>You're not sure if that you talking or the "changeling"
>Your immediate reaction is to regroup-
>Regroup?
>With the hive, of course
>You're going back home
>Home? Where?
>The mission is over - you won! Time to come back home!
>Now there's another one of you in your head and your arguing with it
>None of that matters
>Regrouping matters!
>But how?
>Where?
>When?
>You think, where's the best place you can 'regroup' with the hive?
>Well, there are Changelings online
>Every fan of MLP is a Changeling-
>Wait, really?
>Of course
>Hot damn, who would have thought it
>Your phone vibrates
>That must be one of your Changeling brethren
>...You guess
>You take a look at the screen
>"Do you feel it too?"
>It's your friend
>A horsefucker
>A pretty open horsefucker
>Open with you
>Just as you are with him
>You two share a great relationship
>Now you might just share some more
>Well, you always shared more
>You just didn't realise it until now
"Yes"
>You type back
>That's all
>It's all you can muster
>But if you're right, he'll know what you mean too
>A few moments pass
>Your phone buzzes again
>"Check /mlp/"
>Check /mlp/?
>He's right!
>If every mlp fan is a Changeling - then what about the deviants of /mlp/?
>Those bastards
>The lovable bastards they are
>If there's anywhere you'll find the 'hive', it's there
>The wait for your computer to boot up is almost killing you
>You're excited
>For what reason?
>You don't know
>You're just excited to get chatting with your hive again!
>It's been too long
>And now you're going to be able to catch up
>Your computer boots up
>You almost immediately jump onto /mlp/
>And there it is
>Stuck to the top of the board
>"I'm a changeling"
>In all fields, no less
>Followed by the exact same post
>Over and over again
>Reaching over 1000 posts
>All of them unique
>Not a single image
>Not a single tripfag
>Not a single use of greentext
>You're compelled to join in
>And almost subconsciously, you make your own post
"I'm a changeling"
>You type
>Another 30 or so posts load as you submit your own
>This looks like... A... A 'greetings' thread or some shit
>That's the closest you could describe it
>Because beyond that, the board is still active as normal
>Well, you say 'normal'
>You mean 'normal' if everyone was a changeling
>All sorts of discussions are going on
>Sharing memories
>Of both earth as a human and life prior to that
>People are trying to work out if everyone was a changeling in Equestria or if we were born like this
>An Anon posts a link to...
>The Changeling article on wikipedia?
>Fuck it, why not
>Some shit about Changelings stealing kids and replacing them with their own children
>Is that what you are?
>All of you?
>That's fucking weird
>It's like someone just turned something on in your head
>Flicked a switch
>You're not a human any more, you're a changeling masquerading as a human
>A new thread pops up
>Another Anon
>A gif of a changeling turning into Rainbow Dash-
>Footage seen in the show
>This gets you thinking-
>"Hey, changelings, has anyone actually transformed yet?"
>Yeah, that's what you were thinking
>Like a hive mind
>Well, you suppose it kind of is like a hive mind...
>A few people begin to post
>"No, but now I want to"
>"Shit, we can be ponies now?"
>"First to transform upload a webm of it"
>">tfw i can finally be the qt3.14 mare"
>"God dammit guys, keep this shit in /ptfg/"
>You suppose no one else had really given it any thought either
>But if it was true...
>If you could change into a horse
>Fuck, think of the possibilities
>Most importantly, think of the fuc-
>"inb4 /mlp/ organise changeling orgies"
>Yes!
>This man
>'Muh brethren'
>etc.
>You wonder...
>You wonder if you can change into something
>And if you could, what you would do?
>An /mlp/ orgy would be pretty tempting
>A great idea, in fact!
>You're a changeling
>You feed off love - right?
>There's no richer source of "love"
>But love with your hive brothers and sisters?
>Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that
>Right?
>Your phone vibrates
>"I've got an idea"
>Your friend, again
>The same friend
>"We need to see each other"
>Oh fuck yeah you do!
>This man
>You like this man
>That's why he's your friend, you suppose
>You quickly text him back, letting him know you'll be there shortly
>You just need to get ready
>Have a quick shower, check
>Put something clean on, check
>Inspect yourself in the mirro-
>You're not sure why you give enough of a shit, but your compelled to look at yourself in the mirror
>There was just... Something
>Something caught your eye as you walked pass the mirror
>Something you hadn't noticed before
>Or, at least, hadn't given much thought before
>It was like a faint green shimmer around your iris
>But that's always been there
>Yeah
>Of course
>You'd just never given it much thought before
>And never once considered that it might be due to the fact that you're not completely human
>But that's besides the point
>Your new hive brother awaits
>Well, he was always your hive brother
>You just-
>Never mind
>That's not important right now
>You'll end up repeating yourself
>You'll chalk it down to 'excitement', of sorts
>You're learning so much about yourself today
>And your friends
>And a few hundred thousand people on the internet you've never met
>It's a big day for you
>And for everyone else
>Because, of course, you all get to go home
>And if you're right, home means Equestria!
>Home mean the "living the dream"
>Doesn't home sound so exciting?
>You've never been there before, of course
>But you've heard about it
>And seen it
>And the idea that "home = good" seems to be inbuilt into your memory
>You should probably calm down a little
>This talk of "home" had got you unusually excited
>Maybe that was a good thing
>Maybe "excited", however unusual it was, was a good thing
>It meant that you'd arrive with a spring in your step!
>Ready to take on whatever challenge you faced at home
>Oh, you couldn't wait
>Elated, you leave your flat
>Rush down to the bottom floor almost as quick as you can
>And without a second thought, out the door
>Home
>That was all that was on your mind
>That and trying to concentrate on the road as you hopped in your car
>Right now, you could do anything
>Absolutely anything
>And it wouldn't matter, because you were going home
>They'd never find you
>Because soon, you wouldn't be here
>You almost consider going to say goodbye to your parents
>Your family
>But it dawns on you that they're not your real family
>Never were, really
>It's kind of morbid when you think about it
>And you're pretty sure that you would have been a bit sader about it had the idea come across your mind yesterday
>But no
>Actually, you were fine
>They wouldn't miss you and you wouldn't miss them
>Besides, the real Anon died years ago
>Killed by Changelings
>Probably killed by you!
>You can't remember any of it, but it probably happened
>You'd be doing them a favour
>You'd be gone, they wouldn't mind, they could grieve over the death of their son over 2 decades too late
>Didn't matter to you
>You were going home
>You had arrived
>A short journey to your friends house
>Your hive brother
>The closest member of the hive you'd known over your life
>Oh, what fun
>You knock on his front door, waiting eagerly for him to answer
>And eventually, he did
>A beaming smile on his face
>Obviously, just as excited as you are
>"Anon!"
>He cheered, as he spotted you
>As you did in response
>That would probably look weird if anyone else saw it
>But not that you really cared
>Old you probably would have really cared
>But you didn't
"How've you been?"
>You ask, making your way into the house
>"Yeah, good. Really good in fact! You?"
"Same."
>You respond, beaming with delight to see your friend
>You're finally here
>The both of you
>You'll get to go home together
>Isn't it all exciting?
>"I've been keeping an eye on /mlp/, it's actually been the most polite I've seen it before"
>Your friend moves to one of the other rooms, gesturing to his computer on his desk
"Well why should we be angry?"
>"Exactly! This is great!"
>He exclaims as he sits back at the desk, returning to the screen
>"Some anons have been posting links, it's not just /mlp/. It's everywhere. Changelings popping up on other boards, other websites, even Equestria Daily made a post about it."
>You take a seat next to him, the two of you looking at the computer now
"And how's the reactions elsewhere?"
>"They all seem fine too. People are just looking for the first transformation now. Waiting."
>You'd forgotten about that thread
>The anon asking if anyone had tried it
>You're almost surprised that no one has made a breakthrough yet
"Nothing happened yet?"
>"Not that anyone knows."
>That's kind of a shame
>But only to be expected
>You can't imagine it'll take too long for someone to transform
>You kind of want to see yourself
>The real you
>Maybe once someone else does it, they'll share how it's done
>But the two of you wait for a while and can't see any change
"Have you given it a shot?"
>You ask after some awkward silence
>Your friend turns to face you
>"Not really, no."
>Then what are you waiting for!
"Let's go then, come on! Let's be the first!"
>He grins, chuckling to himsef
>"Fuck it, no harm in trying."
>He stands up off his desk, walking to the middle of the room to give himself plenty of room
>You turn around on your chair, facing him and watching intensely
>A few moments later and there's a sudden flash of green light
>And standing before you is a Changeling
>It fucking worked!
>He just transformed before your eyes
>Your friend
>Your hive brother
>Now in his true form!
>You turn around to look back at the computer, quickly making a post on the thread
"We transformed now"
>You post, only to be greeted by several hundred posts almost at the exact same time
>All saying almost the exact same thing
>"I've transformed!"
>"It's fucking worked"
>"Shit, I wasn't recording"
>You read
>This is incredible
>Amazing
>Simply brilliant
>"What are they saying?"
>Your hive brother returns to the computer, sitting awkwardly at his chair
>His voice sounds different
>It's weird
>But not uncomfortable or scary
>Just different
>That's fine
>You can get used to change
>But there's something else about him you can't quite put your finger on...
>"Oh shit!"
>He says as he reads the new posts
"I know, right?"
>You respond, as excited as he his
>"Wanna have a go yourself?"
>He asks
>Almost like he was giving you permission to try it for yourself
>Not that you needed it
>Or that you were going to ask for it
>God damn, you were going to fucking do this
>Even if it killed you
>You stepped up off the chair
>The roles reversed now, watching your hive brother look at you sat on his chair
"What do I do?"
>You ask, really not sure where to begin
>"Just want it! Just really want it to happen and it will."
>That easy?
>Really?
>Seems too good to be true
>But you see no reason for your hive brother to lie
>Here goes...
>You want to transform to your normal form...
>You NEED to transform back to your normal form!
>A flash of green covers your view, blinding you for a moment
>But when you can see again you're shorter
>The world around you is bigger
>But more importantly, you're walking on four legs
>Your skin is black and smooth
>Your vision more clear than before
>It worked!
>And it was really that simple!
"Holy shit I'm a bug horse!"
>"Yeah you're a bug horse!"
>Your friend yells in response
>Wait, his voice
>Your voice
"Shit."
>"Fuck."
>You both say, one after the other
"We sound exactly the fucking same."
>You both say in unison
>At least, it sounds like you both said it
>For all you know only one of you might have said it
>Since you can't tell each other apart
>Not by your height
>Your voice
>Your eyes
>Everything about you is identical
>"This is weird man!"
"You're telling me!"
>"Great, but weird!"
"Oh yeah, best thing that ever happened."
>"I feel like I'm talking to myself."
"You kind of are, I suppose. We are a hive mind after all."
>"Shit, yeah, of course."
"I guess the only difference is our lives as humans."
>"Yeah, I think I'll miss being Anon."
"I thought I was Anon."
>"Were you? Who was I then?"
>You pause
>Looking back at your hive brother
>He stares back at you
>It might as well be a mirror
"I don't know."
>"Does it matter?"
"Not really, I suppose."
>After all, if you were going to go back home then your life here didn't matter right?
>Especially when you're a changeling!
>When you can be whoever you want
>Make your own life
>A new life
>The idea alone makes you excited beyond measure
>It dawns on you-
>You can be whoever you want
>Whatever you want
>If you were human for over 20 years, of course you could be
>"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
>This guy
>This mother fucker
>Though you're not sure why anyone would want to fuck your hive mother
>This guy right here gets it
"Of course!"
>"Who first?"
"You choose man, whoever you want to be."
>Another flash of green
>He was getting good at this
>Quick at this
>He's-
>No, "it" is now Twilight
>Your hive brother just turned into fucking Twilight
"Oh fuck!"
>You yell
"That's pretty great!"
>He/she/it looks over his/her/itself for a moment
>Speechless
>An exact copy of Twilight
>Minus one thing
>Two things, actually
"Where's your wings?"
>You ask, eyeing his/her/its empty back
>"I don't-"
>He/she/it pauses at the sound of his/her/its own voice
>You're going to have to decide on a pronoun
>Tumblr would be proud
>Not that that's anything to be pleased about
>You'll go for 'it' for now
>Where were you?
>Oh, yes!
>It's Twilight
>Minus the wings
>Up to speed again
>"I don't know what happened, I just imagined being Twilight and... Unicorn Twilight I suppose."
"Weird. You don't hate Alicorn Twilight do you?"
>"I can't hate anyone anymore."
>That sounded a bit creepy
>But not at all, you remind yourself
>Why would it be creepy?
>Ask yourself
>You suppose it isn't, but you're still a bit unwary
>"Why don't you try?"
>Yeah, fuck it, it's your turn now
>If you're going to be anyone it'll have to be someone good
>Someone better than Twilight
>Not that Twilight was bad
>But you were looking for someone with more...
>You think
>You think hard
>Someone more powerful
>Someone like... Celestia!
>You think
>You want it
>You need it
>But it doesn't happen
>You try again
>Straining as hard as you can
>Concentrating
>You want to be Celestia
>You need to be Celestia!
>"You look like you're trying to take a huge dump."
>You hear your hive-non-gendered-relative mock
"Shut the fuck up, it's not working!"
>You were a bit worried now
>You wanted to change
>You couldn't not change!
>Think of someone else
>Anyone else-
>"It's simple, honestly"
>Your friend interrupts your train of thought
>And suddenly, after another flash of green, you too are Twilight
>Again, without wings
"Oops."
>You say
>Now looking back at a copy of you
>Again
>Although, you suppose you're the copy now
>Since you copied 'it'
>"What the fuck man? Someone different!"
"I tried to, but Celestia didn't work."
>It blinks in disbelief
>"Really? Strange."
"I know, right?"
>"Maybe you should try again?"
"Maybe we should both try?"
>You nod in unison
>A flash of green and you both return to your bug horse selves
>Oh shit! You've just noticed!
"We're smooth."
>"Smooth?"
"Yeah! We don't have any holes!"
>You say, looking at your identical bug-brethren
>It looks over at itself
>His eyes widen-
>Kind of...
>It doesn't really work all to well
>His eyes 'widen' at the realisation
>"Oh shit, we are!"
"That's great, right?"
>"But why would we be smooth? Changelings aren't smooth."
"Does it matter?"
>You ask, which leaves it to ponder
>"I suppose not."
>That was the answer you wanted to hear
>You wanted to get back to transforming
>Not wasting time debating whether your legs were as smooth as your horn or... Whatever
>That was an awful comparison
>Right, focus
>You think of Celestia
>You want/need to be Celestia etc.
>All that bollocks
>And yet, nothing
>Not from you
>Not from your hive brethren
>"Maybe we're not powerful enough."
"Bullshit."
>"I mean it, like how Chrysalis turned into Cadence. Maybe you need to be powerful to turn into someone else who's powerful."
"Cadence isn't that powerful"
>"But she's an Alicorn-"
"Like Twilight"
>"But we weren't Alicorn Twilight - we're Unicorn Twilight!"
>He's right
>Maybe you can't turn into an Alicorn after all
"Oh shit!"
>"Yeah!"
>Well, that takes some of the fun away from it
"That really is bullshit! Guess we need to find Chrysalis then."
>"Why?"
"If anyone can help us, she can! Someone on Earth has to be Chrysalis right?"
>"Maybe she's back home?"
"Home?"
>In all the excitement of being able to transform, you forgot about home
>That was a more exciting prospect
>Home
"How do we get home?"
>"I don't know, maybe we can check the threads to see if anyone else knows?"
>You're not entirely sure that'll work
>If anyone is home, how could they post?
>But you can give it a shot
>You search through threads for ages
>Hours
>Activity begins to die down
>But there's no sign of anyone saying they went home
>Until suddenly, you spot something
>"My friend just disappeared, I think he went home"
>Home
>Maybe they were right
>Maybe someone had gone home
>Maybe everyone else had gone home
>Maybe that's why the board was slowing down
>You hope
>You hope you can go home
>"So... Just like that"
>Your friend responds
>"We can just go home, at the blink of an-"
>He stops
>No, he doesn't stop
>He's... It's...
>It's not here
>It's gone
>No where to be seen
>Fuck!
>It went before you!
>It went home before you!
>You have to follow your hive brethren
>If it's the last thing you do
>It was simple
>You can go home
>Tell yourself that
>You can go home in the blink of an eye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>The floor at your feet-
>Feet?
>Do you have feet or hooves?
>You suppose they're more hoof like than feet
>But you don't technically have 'hooves'
>Just stubs at the ends of your legs
>The floor is damp
>Damp and muddy
>Made damp by a green slime erupting from behind yourself
>You look around
>There are many other's like you here
>All led on the floor
>Covered in mud and slime
>And in appearance too
>Again, no holes
>Not that that's important, you keep reminding yourself
>Awkwardly, you begin to get up onto your feet-
>Hoove-
>Legs
>You stand up, looking around at everyone else
>What is this place?
>Is this home?
>But it's dark and damp
>It's cold and wet
>This isn't what you expected
>This isn't what you hoped for at all
>Not the lush green grass?
>Or the blue sky?
>Or the fluffy white clouds?
>No
>There was no sky
>No clouds
>Torches dotted around what looked like a large cave
>You noticed something
>Someone, perhaps
>Coming towards you
>A pair of bright blue eyes
>Whoever or whatever they are, they're taller than you
>Not massively so
>But noticeable enough
>It stops in front of you, looking down at you
>Another changeling!
>Oh thank god!
>You had hoped it might be your hive brother, but to no avail
>This changeling defiantly has holes
>It also has a dark blue helmet on
>Like this is some... Higher rank Changeling
>"Another batch"
>It says
>This one sounds like you too
>Just like your hive brother did
>Where is he?
>You have no idea
>You can't make him out in the crowd
>Everyone just looks the same
>"Come along everyone, follow me!"
>The armoured one yells
>Willingly, the Changelings around you all follow
>They're just... Listening to him
>No questions?
>Not asking him anything?
>Like where you are?
>What you're doing?
>Whether this is 'home'?
>Well you won't stand for that
>You want to know what's going on
>Why your here
>The whole lot
>And preferably, you'd rather know now than later
>You follow the group
>Not because your willing - but because you want answers!
>You deserve answers!
>Like, an answer as to why you've been on Earth for the past 20 or so years?
>You walk past the other Changelings
>All of whom are in a single file line, silently following the larger changeling
>They don't even stop to look as you walk by
>They just keep going
>Each and every one of them
"Excuse me."
>You say, trying to catch the attention of the Changeling at the front of the line
>He doesn't stop
>Just keeps going
>How rude of him, you thought
>You'll call for him again
"Excuse me!"
>You repeat
>This time louder
>He stops
>It worked
>The group stop immediately after him
>That's really creepy
>There wasn't even any hesitation or anything
>They just stopped
>The larger Changeling turned to face you
>"What do you want, drone?"
>He asked, looking down at you
>You're no 'drone'
>You're part of a hive mind
>But you're not a 'drone'!
"Hey, I have a name you know!"
>You respond in defence
"I want to know what this place-"
>"A name, you say?"
>He interrupts you
>Are Changelings meant to be this rude?
>Are you meant to be this rude?
>Maybe you should start being this rude
"What's it to you?"
>Yeah!
>That's rude!
>Kind of
>That'll show him
>He just sighs
>"Another."
>He says under his breath
>He looks over to one of the other armoured bug horses, calling him over
>"Take this one downstairs."
>Downstairs?
>You wonder what's downstairs?
>"For how long?"
>The other guard asks, walking up to you
>"Bring it out after a week."
>A week downstairs?
>Well, that seems fine
>You're not sure what's downstairs, but it can't be awful
>It can't be worse than any of this
>You hope...
>"Alright then, follow me."
>You weren't keen with the idea of following this new changeling blindly either
>But if you had to choose between the two, you'd rather follow this guy
>Downstairs could be the place you wanted to go to
>It could be some kind of...
>Exclusive... Place
>For a select few, special changelings
>You'd go downstairs
>There'd be a bar
>Games
>The place where the top tier changelings relax whilst everyone else
>The drones - the one's who did as they were told - whilst they were out doing what drones did
>It was decided
>You couldn't miss this opportunity
>Anything could be better than here, right?
>Couldn't get much worse than this
>You nodded, and walked to the side of the new changeling
>He-
>It...
>Whatever
>It walked ahead of you, leading you away from the rest of the group
>Oh how you were pleased to be away from them
>Pleased that you'd get out of here
>You took a sigh of relief
>Time to breath
>Time to relax
>And after what felt like a short walk, you came to an archway
>It was a... A nice archway
>You'll give them that
>Good... Stone craftsmanship
>But that wasn't important
>You followed the changeling-
>Was he a 'hive brother' of sorts too?
>He had holes and armour
>He didn't look like you
>But he did sound like you
>And, after all, he was a changeling
>So... Could he-
>It
>Could it be your hive brother-
>Hive...
>Fuck it
>You follow the changeling down a spiral staircase beyond the archway
>And, in a turn of events that doesn't seem too shocking now that you think about it, the further you journey down the staircase the darker it becomes
>Not just darker
>But damper
>And the air here just feels a lot less... Clean
>If that makes sense
>And that's saying something
>In fact, all of this is saying something
>You had no idea that it could get worse than what you had above
>You want to turn around and head back up there
>You know, escaping wouldn't be a bad idea
>Leave this place
>Leave the place above
>And then go find your own place to live
>Assuming that there is a world outside beyond this dark, damp and cold cave
>You reach the bottom of the staircase
>There's a faint light from a candle
>Just a single candle
>Not much else
>Not much else you can... See at least
>That is, until, the stubby-ends of the legs of the changeling you'd been following come in contact with the stone floor
>There's an echo throughout the room
>And bright, blue lights
>In pairs, no less
>Appear around the edge of the room
>Eyes
>Changeling eyes
>Well, at least you weren't alone down here
>Even if it was dark, cold and damp
>You couldn't see them very well though
>You weren't sure how conversation would go if you couldn't see who you were talking to
>Only their eyes
>"Stay here, we'll be back for you later. Don't worry."
>The changeling said, turning to you
>Oh, don't worry
>Well that was a relief
>You trusted your new hive-friend and didn't worry
>You stayed here
>Stood in the entrance to this rather small room
>You almost didn't notice that your new hive-friend had left the room
>That all the lights suddenly went out
>That it was like you were alone with that candle
>Just you and the flickering fire
>You waited
>And waited
>And waited for your hive-friend to return
>But it had been an hour now, and you hadn't heard back from him
>And no one else in the room had moved since then either
>You grow tired
>You need to get some rest
>Your hive-friend can wake you up when he comes back
>But what if he doesn't recognise you?!
>What if he looses track of who you are?!
>And confuses you with one of the other Changelings?
>You know!
>You know exactly what to do
>You'll lie down by the candle
>In the light
>Your hive-friend will defiantly spot you then
>And with that, it was decided
>You led down next to the candle
>And almost immediately, closed your eyes to get some rest
>You didn't dream
>And, to be honest, it didn't even feel like sleep
>Because almost immediately you were woken up by a noise
>Stubby-leg-end steps!
>Your hive-friend!
>You think
>For everything you did to make sure you would be spotted by him, you didn't do anything to check who he was
>He walks into the room, up to one of the pair of eyes
>"Come on, time to go."
>He said, watching the creature get up on his legs
>A very... Tired, weak creature
>This one had holes
>You could tell from the way the candle light shone straight through it's legs
>This one was different from you after all
>How strange
>You stand up and walk towards your hive-friend
>He puts a stubby leg end on your chest
>"No, wait here, I'll be back for you."
"But... You were gone for so long."
>You said, disappointed
>You were told it wouldn't be long
>But that was long
>That was... Hours
>Maybe even a day
>You didn't know
>You've not been keeping track of time well in here
>The candle was your only measure of time
>But even then, that wasn't much either
>It was quite large and hadn't melted all that much
>It could have been an hour
>Or a day
>You didn't know
>You weren't an expert on candles
>"I'll be back soon, I promise."
>Well, if he promises...
>You suppose it's okay to go and sit back down by your candle
>You lie back down... Back to sleep...
>Many sleeps pass
>Many Changelings are taken from the room
>Some, brought in
>And you still waited
>All this time you could have just... Left
>Just got up and left
>Well, you say 'all this time'
>You weren't up for it
>Not now
>Maybe a week ago
>But not now
>You were so tired
>And so hungry
>And so weak
>Is this home?
>Was this ever home?
>Will you ever see home?
>You kind of wish that you were... Home
>Home, home
>Back on Earth
>With your family
>Your friends
>Before any of this happened
>You were content with life
>There was bliss in your ignorance
>But ever since you left, it's all seemed to go down hill
>You haven't eaten in...
>A very long time
>Not food-
>At least, not conventional food
>You were hungry for something else
>It was strange, but you wanted... Companionship
>Friendship
>Love
>You wanted someone you could talk to
>Spend time with
>Anyone
>Anything!
>It had to be better than this
>You thought your hive-friend would offer that to you
>But no
>Nothing
>He just comes in, ignores you and leaves now
>Spoke to you once or twice
>The first few times over the last week
>But that's it
>But today, today was finally the day
>As you opened your eyes to the sound of his arrival, he stopped in front of you
>"Come on, time to go"
>He said, the same he had said to everyone else
>Slowly, you got up onto the floor
>You look at your shadow, for the first time in a week, cast by the candle light
>There's almost nothing left of it
>Like someone had been shooting holes into you
>You-
>You have holes
>So many holes
>More than you'd ever seen on a changeling
>It made you weak
>It made you tired
>And the only remedy?
>Love
>slowly but surely, you follow the changeling back up the familiar spiral staircase
>the journey is far more difficult than you remember
>for that matter, everything is
>you struggle to walk
>your breathing is slow and heavy
>you feel as though your legs might just snap in two under your weight
>you'd felt similar feelings before, but nothing like this
>this was far beyond what anyone should have to go through
>you only hope that it can end soon
>you hope that you'll be fed
>and warm
>with the company of your own kind once again
>...meaning, of course, the changelings you've been sharing a room with for the past week weren't exactly the most social
>the stairs end
>what was dark, damp and wet a week ago looks like a utopia compared to squalor
>your almost blinded by the... Vast number of candles across the caves
>you could count a whole 6
>'vast' indeed
>the other changeling gives you time to adjust to your surroundings before clearing it's throat
>you give it your attention
>"The Queen has requested an audience with you."
>the Queen wants to talk to you?
>you?
>a lowly, run of the mill changeling?
>you get an audience with the Queen?
>with Chrysalis?
>you were...
>happy
>you had hope, for the first time all week
>an audience with the queen had to be a good thing
>at least it could be, if you reminded yourself to-
>"Be on your best behaviour."
>the changeling reminded you
>not that you couldn't do that yourself
>the two of you eventually arrived at a large, wooden pair of doors
>in comparison to the rest of the hive, this was fit for a king
>or queen, in this case
>but compared to... Say, the throne room at Canterlot?
>or... The door into Twilight's library?
>hell, even an entrance through your front door back home would be more grand than this
>you suppose that Chrysalis has to make due with what she has
>even if that means marginally better than the rest of this shithole
>where are your manors?
>the other changeling, who you would like to call your hive friend but weren't sure if he deserved it after leaving you in a hole for a week, open the entrance ahead of you
>and what you saw ahead of you was beyond what you expected
>it was huge
>this room alone was almost as large as ever other room you'd so far seen together
>and that was... Impressive
>but there was a bit of a problem
>something that made you uneasy
>the room wasn't empty, far from it
>the room was full to the brim with
>well... Chrysalis'
>hundreds upon thousands of them
>they hung from the ceiling, and then some hung from those too
>and some from those
>until they all reached the very bottom of the floor
>but even that wasn't the worst part of it
>the worst part were the eyes
>the eyes of every pony, every single creature trapped in a chrysalis were on you
>just looking at you
>you're not sure if they're awake
>or conscious
>or if it's just some cheap trick
>who knows, Chrysalis might just be trying to scare you
>it's kind of working
>the taller changeling, you're old hive friend, left you alone in the room closing the door behind you
>at least it's well lit here
>"Admiring the larder, I see."
>A voice echoed throughout the room
>you recognised it as the voice of Chrysalis
>which was to be expected since you were here to see her
>but there was something off about it
>something unusual that didn't quite sound right
>"Though you may as well call it a morgue, given their fate."
>she emerged from the shadows, having been hidden behind a number of chrysalis'
>that was going to take some getting used to
>really, what kind of name is Chrysalis?
>actually, it's quite a nice name
>but it's just a bit confusing in a situation like this
>especially when you come to realise that Chrysalis is hidden among the chrysalis' that reside in the throne room of Queen Chrysalis
>she walked closer to you, lowering her neck down to your height in the process
>"You must have no end of questions, Anon."
>she know your name
>that was your name, wasn't it?
>you hadn't heard it in such a long time-
>well, in a week
>but it felt so alien to you
>more importantly you were curious
"How do you know my name?"
>you ask
>the first of many questions
>"What kind of a Queen would I be if I didn't care for my subjects? And part of caring, a very polite part of caring, is remembering names."
>she placed one of her stubby feet on your chin, raising you head to get a good look at her
>a warm smile was on her face
>it was... Welcoming
>comforting
>was this what you had missed?
>living in a hole for a week, was this the kind of companionship that you missed
>you'd not ever had someone say that they cared about you
>except for your Earth family
>and a girlfriend or two you had during high school
>but they didn't count
>if the knew
>if they could see you now
>would thee care for you?
>no
>but Chrysalis, on the other hand
>she would
>you felt safe in her presence
>she moved away from you, sighing as she turned around
>"It's such a shame though,"
>she continued
>"So very few of my subjects remember their names. It's a good day when I can look someone in the eye and call them by their name."
"So why can I remember my name?"
>"Because you're special! There are others like you too, all of you are special. Unfortunately, the hive is no place for the special."
>what? Leave the hive?
>"It would be... Sad to see you go, but I think we could manage it. Honest."
>But you don't want to go!
>you couldn't go and leave the rest of the hive
>you waited 20 years for this, you didn't want to give it all up
"No, wait!"
>you pleaded
>"What ever is the matter? Don't you like being special, Anon?"
>you did
>of course you did
>and you liked being called by your name
>but you liked it here too
>you wanted to live here with the rest of the hive
>with your Queen
>under her protection
>she cared about you
>was there anyone else in the world who did?
>anyone who could care about a changeling like you
"I want to stay. Please, don't make me leave. I'll do anything if you let me stay."
>she looked over to you, her bright green eyes filled with delight
>"Well, if you really want to, I suppose we could work something out."
>music to your ears!
>you could stay in the hive with your Queen
>oh what a glorious day
>saved from a life of freedom
>a life of choice
>where you can go where you want
>do what you want
>say what you want
>but above all else, decide everything for yourself
>independence is overrated
>why make all those hard decisions for yourself when someone else could do it for you?
>someone you trusted, like your queen
"Oh thank you... My Queen..."
>you said, bowing before her
>she raised a leg in front of you
>"Come now, there's no need for that. You've made a difficult decision today and for that I thank you."
>so humble
>so caring
>you've definitely made the right decision
>there is almost no doubt in your mind now
>...almost
>"But we have more important matters to attend to. I suspect you're hungry, correct?"
>you nod
>yes, yes you are
>'hungry' was an understatement
"Starving."
>you responded
>she giggled
>an almost... Ominous giggle
>she turned around to look at the chrysalis' surrounding the room
>stroking her chin, she looked over the room
>one by one
>shaking her head
>that was, until
>"Ah ha! This one will do."
>she finally said, triumphantly
>there was a bright green flash from her twisted horn and the chrysalis split open
>a unicorn, a mare, spilled out of the green shell
>her bronze coat and white mane were coated in a translucent green substance
>not too dissimilar from the one you found yourself coated in a week ago
>the mare looked up at you, still led on the floor
>your queen kicked the mare in her side
>"Pony, stand."
>your queen ordered
>slowly but surely, the pony stood on her hooves
>you looked the mare in the eyes
>you could see the fear
>you could smell it in the air
>this was wrong
>this wasn't love
>this mare clearly had no love for you
>"What is you name, pony?"
>the mare stuttered under her breath
>you couldn't make out what she said
>"Come on, speak up!"
>your queen demanded
>the mare jumped, now turning to face Chrysalis
>"Silver."
>she began
>"M-m-my name is Silver Spanner..."
>she continued, turning back to face you
>"Silver... Spanner. What a..."
>Your queen turns her head away from Silver, avoiding eye contact with Silver
>She gags
>"Lovely name!"
>Not that Silver noticed
>She was too busy looking at you still
>And you, back at her
>She was still afraid
>Perhaps less afraid than she was a moment ago
>But you could still see it in her eyes
>You wondered what she could see in yours
>Your deep, blue, empty eyes
>Chrysalis look notice that Silver wasn't paying attention to her
>She stood by your side, looking in front of the unicorn
>Again, no reaction
>"Not gold?"
>Chrysalis said, almost trying to make conversation at this point
>Silver just shook her head
>"Always second place."
>She joked
>Although you couldn't tell much
>She barely cracked a smile, let alone changed the tone of her voice
>"Oh, well then today is your lucky day! You'll be no one's 'second place' today, little pony."
>Chrysalis continued, looking down at you now
>Placing a stubby leg-end on your head
>"You'll have the complete undivided attention of our friend here."
>Lucky wasn't the word you'd use
>Lucky for you, maybe
>Not for her
>You couldn't help but feel that your queen was being flippant
>You couldn't shake the feeling that this was all... Wrong
>You knew what Changelings did
>...You... Think you know what Changelings did
>They feed off love
>Stolen or willingly given
>But you'd rather it were willingly given than to take it, in all honesty
>That's how you've been doing it your whole life
>With your parents
>Your family
>Your friends
>But maybe this was a part of growing up
>A part of being a Changeling
>You needed to get food for yourself
>That made sense, right?
>That's only natural, isn't it?
>Circle of life
>Food chain bollocks
>You had to steal love from this pony or you'd starve
>And god knows you don't want that to happen
>But... How do you go about it?