The Change of Heart(Cancelled)

“Woohoo!  Awesome!”

“I feel so happy for them.”

“Go Equestria!  Go Equestria!  Go Equestria!”

These were a few of many, if not, hundreds upon thousands of cheers that shouted in the streets of towns and cities.  It finally happened in Canterlot: Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, were now husband and wife.  Cheers and hoofstomps flooded the quiet air with rowdy celebration at the balcony of Canterlot.

Ponies everywhere were rejoicing.  From Canterlot to Ponyville, ponies filled the streets.  Many laughed, sang, or simply held a drink in cheers.  A joyous day indeed, with the rich sunshine, perfect day, and warm temperatures.  The rich and elite made the use of a royal wedding as small talk, little foals doodled pictures of the newlywed couple, and many more gave their regards for a new future.  Celebration confetti flew lightly above the ponies’ heads, at Canterlot Castle and beyond.

Celebrations went on for days and nights.  Many discussed the fortunate events that took place at the wedding, while some got the ability to move and discuss how this will affect their futures.  Eventually through word of mouth and couriers, ponies spread out, and too far to see Canterlot, heard of the wedding.  In the end, many called this wedding a triumphant victory for the future.

While changelings called this a colossal defeat.

Far from the grassy, celebrating lands of Equestria, and from the horizons of the ceremonial Canterlot laid the grey, lifeless, mesh mountains.  The concept of color seemed to be unknown to these parts.  Fluffy white snow caps never formed, and lush green grasses never formed at the base.

The grey mountains almost were pitch black.  Cloud covers shielded the dull mountains from the open blue sky.  Pegasi were too busy celebrating and took the opportunity to take the day off, so they simple clustered the clouds over the distant mountains.  The mountains shadowed darkness to the point where one could mistake it for night, if it were not for the clear Equestria ahead, which changelings looked so enviously at.

Hidden deep within the dead mountains there laid a large series of underground labyrinths.  Hundreds of feet beneath rock, were tunnels filled with dim lights.  The tunnels were rushed through the mountains like veins in a body.  Several sections made up some joints of the tunnel systems.  Here, was the changeling training sections where day after day, night after night, changelings would routinely return here to initiate basic exercises.

Even farther down inside the mountains were one of many barrack chambers.  A very large room mimicked one of many like it.  The grey walls held no decoration, which was enough for a pony to go insane.  Along the walls were jutted out stone slabs that stuck out from the grey rock.  Each had something that resembled a small pillow and blanket.  On many of these primitive beds were changelings, while many had bright white casts on them.  Some slept, while others moaned and the rest simply conversed.  The whole room was filled with crevices of different sizes, all lit by gooey, slimy green and yellow crystals.

In that same room, a changeling was preening himself in front of a green crystal that grew flatly out of the walls.  The changeling appeared to be touching his face, making different expressions with it like a puppet.  He turned his face that he could only see one cyan eye, then turned so that he could only see his orange eye.  He opened his mouth wide and guided his tongue towards his fangs.  The tip of his tongue danced on the ridges of teeth that were chipped.

“Aww man,” Claw moaned with his mouth open.  “I can’t believe this.  This is horrible.  My little pride is all gone.”  He rubbed both of his chipped teeth, which seemed to look like an identical pair of broken teeth.  “Fangs….They are...they are all gone,” he cried quietly.

His depressed state suddenly made himself remember what had happened before hand.

It was midday in what seemed to be a normal afternoon at Canterlot.  But the strange, purple sphere that surrounded the city suddenly bursts.  The operation was not going to as planned.  The Queen’s identity was compromised as Princess Cadence was suddenly found.  The Queen progressed to improvise, which was to have a direct assault on Canterlot.

Corporal Claw was one of many fire team leaders that were ordered to attack Canterlot.  The pony’s defenses proved to be more weaker than anticipated.  One by one, the fire teams were able to defeat squads of guards.  He felt joyous of beating the guard ponies that he had to disguise himself as for so long.  That was until he received new orders from Colonel Mantis.

To hold off this group called The Mane 6.

Claw thought that this would be easy.  Facing off against 6 ponies using an army against them?  Claw felt confident about his combat prowess and encounters in the past.  But he was not prepared for them.

Entire swarms, even in numbers enough to be platoons, attempted to stop them.  But they proved to be stronger than they all thought.

But from there, Claw would never forget one of those ponies.  A light purple coat with a straight mane of dark and light magenta stripes.  With several stars and magical-looking symbols as her cutie mark.

He would never forget her for what she did.  It would be hard to forget the pony that slammed one’s face into concrete.  And to add insult to injury, he was hit hard enough to render him unconscious.  Claw felt humiliated enough from this revelation, but to get his little fangs smashed out was a blow to his pride.

He also couldn’t forget this bright, pink pony there as well.  For an earth pony, she fought pretty hard, and indiscriminately.  Somehow, she managed to bring out a party cannon in the middle of nowhere, something that definitely perplexed many, but packed a heavy punch.

He continued to mope around by the crystal mirror about the loss of his pride.  How easily defeated he was in one of the pivotal moments of all changeling kind.  Then suddenly, rushing feelings of vengeance would engulf him.  Visions of getting slammed into the ground repeated in his head, like a punishment he was given.  Back and forth, these two emotions came and went in shifts.

Now no matter how hard he tried to close or open his mouth, the fangs will not show.  He now longer had his little slice of pride.  He went on to warp from anger to despair in a matter of seconds, which seemed to freak out the changeling behind him.

“Hey, Claw?  Corporal Claw?  That you?”  A voice said behind him.

He turned to see the changeling bothering him while wiping away the tiny tears he accumulated in his eyes.  All there stood an average changeling.

“Coxa?”

Coxa gave a small nod.  “Yup, that’s me dude.  Listen, all of Platoon 15 has been called.  We are to report to the war room.”

Claw noted the large frown he had on his face.  A time when something really bad is happening.  A rare occasion and all this was he needed to know about the dire situation.

“This is bad isn’t it?” Claw affirmed his worries.  “So, who called us?”” He sniffled.

Coxa gave a small nod towards Claw’s first question, then his frown went to arc down even further.  “Commander Thorax.”

The moment of hearing the Commander’s name, his eyes shot open.  His whole body froze.  He knew that this call was going to be more than a scolding.  Something else is really going to happen.  Commander Thorax was not a changeling to disappoint.  Claw gave a large sigh, fully aware of the danger that he was in.

“Alright.  No use in making him wait then.”

***

***

“This is Unacceptable!!  Horrendous!!”  Thorax yelled throughout the uneasy room.

He paced back and forth in the war room, breathing quickly through his nostrils.  All the changelings present in the room were fenced by the wall, being forced to take every word heard.  All they could do was stare straight ahead.  Not at any other changeling, or paper, or map, but just straight ahead.

No changeling had ever seen the commander this upset before.  And every changeling was afraid to see him upset.  The hero with a cold heart.

“We had planned this moment for years!  Years!!  I predicted every outcome that was possible!  I have simulated plans for hundreds of times!  I carefully chose each changeling in that plan that would perform their job correctly!  All that!  Several years worth!  And for what?!  Nothing!  But absolute failure!!”

The furious Commander Thorax slammed his front hoof onto the large, square, stone table.  Instead of a thud, a crash was heard.  The spontaneousness of the smash was enough to send each changeling flinching back.  A small puff of dust emerged from the zone.  The Commander, still breathing quickly, but this time through his gated teeth, slowly lifted his hoof away from the hit zone, revealing a rather indented hole in the table.

Commander Thorax slowly drooped his eyelids over and rested a hoof on his face.  “I had given you all strict instructions.  Instructions that were foolproof.  Instructions that would have guaranteed us all success.  Instructions that even our larvae could do.  Instructions that all you had to do was follow them!!”  He picked up his screaming attitude from his momentary calmness.

At that moment, Cilia stepped forward from her spot.  She kept her stiffness and tried to stare forward as much as possible.

“I don’t know what went wrong commander, but everything did go according to plan.  I have checked on every fireteam.  I have read and reread every report they have given.  I have directly reported to you.  Every changeling of Platoon 15 did according to plan.”  She reported as calmly as possible, being prepared to shield herself from the commander.

“Perhaps is was just bad luck in the smallest of odds?” She went to add, trying to ease tensions in the war room.

Thorax turned towards the out-of-place Cilia.  He began to walk towards her with eyes of fury.  But halfway through, he stopped in his tracks and took in a deep breath.

“Yes Lieutenant, I am aware of the reports.  But each fire team had to file in their OWN report.  I have read each one, including yours Lieutenant.  And by much, I was impressed by the fact that you were able to alter the ponies’ defensive plan in our favour.”  He said trying to suppress the anger in his speech.

“But all of that, ALL of that would have been just fine, if it weren’t for one thing.”

Every changeling’s eyes in the room switched from left to right.  Eyes were shifted but no words were said about what caused the plan to fail.

“And that is because Princess Cadence was found,” he angrily muttered.  A sudden, small shiver conducted throughout Claw’s spine.

“One of the main goals here is to keep Shining Armor and Cadence apart!  How hard is it to keep two stupid love birds apart?!  We have planned this so that the two would never find each other again!  But soooomehoooow, Cadence suddenly pops into the wedding ceremony!  How she was found, I don’t have a solid idea, but the point is that she was found!!”

Seconds after Thorax’s scold, Claw slowly stepped forward, focusing the attention of every changeling in the room.  He tried to stand proudly as he could, not noting the fangs he no longer had.  He also tried to resist the urge to collapse at the Commander’s fury.

“Perhaps it was just tough luck?”  Claw squeaked, barely making an echo in the room.

The whole room once again hanged in awkward silence.  Commander Thorax looked towards Claw in absolute dumbstruck, with his teeth grinding in anger at the same time.  The two stared at each other in mystery.  The commander breached those stares by dashing towards Claw.  And giving him a punch in the face.

The blow was sudden and painful towards the unexpected Claw, which the force of the punch sent the back of his head smashing the wall behind him.  His body dropped onto the floor, and curled up in a fetal position, covering his head.  He gave cries and moans of pain and suffering.

Claw shook painfully while the commander looked down at him darkly.

“I have wondered why your report was so vague,” he hissed to Claw.  “And now I know why.”

“Your report was only a few sentences long.  I have thought that it was short because you were being lazy, exhausted from your job.  But now I see the true reason.  You knew that you didn’t do your job correctly!  You didn’t put her into the 5th cave system.”

“What does it matter?!”  Claw wheezed back.  “All the cave systems look the same, so it’s easy to-”

“Of course it matters!!”  The commander screamed back.  “Queen Chrysalis would teleport any pony that got suspicious of her down into the cave systems.  More specifically, the 1st cave system!  I wanted the Princess to be in the 5th cave system, not the 2nd!!”

“Hence the reason the truth was discovered.  Hence the reason why the Queen’s identity was revealed!  Hence the reason why the two ponies were reunited!  Hence the reason why the whole plan failed!!”  He remarked loudly.

“You didn’t listen to the reason WHY?  Did you?”  The commander looked at the curling Claw expectantly.

“I...ah….” Claw could only stammer.  He tried to formulate an answer in his mind that would be acceptable.  But it seemed like every answer he would give seemed to make the commander angrier and angrier.

“Of course you didn’t.  Of COURSE you DIDN’T!”  The commander yelled before Claw could give a legible answer.  “And now because of your incompetence and stupidity, our goal was taken from us!  From within our grasp, it was now pulled away two times farther now.”

“Sir I...I swore that we dropped her off into the 5th cave system!” He hopelessly tried to defend himself.

“Well apologizing and thinking you did so isn’t enough,” the commander bounced back Claw’s defense.  “Because you know very well that this is your fault!”

The changeling in the fetal position quickly opened his eyes.  “All...my fault?” He thought surprisingly.  He had never had such a burden onto himself.  He now knew that he was the burden here.  The commander was right, his laziness finally caught up to him.

“Oh.  Ooooooh, now I see it now,” the commander said in realization while looking up to the brighter, crystal lamps on the ceiling.  “Now I see what you are doing here.”

The commander looks back to the moaning changeling who was looking right back now.

“You already knew that this was all your fault.  You already knew that your platoon would be scolded.  You already knew that the platoon would be punished.”  The commander said accusingly.  “So now you’re trying to focus all the blame on yourself?  Make it so that your platoon goes off scot-free?”

All the eyes of the changelings turned towards Claw, curiously awaited his response to this.

“P-punished?  The platoon?  Wait, me?  My fault?”  Claw said while trying to piece the bits he was thinking of.  “Wh-”

“Well it’s not going to work.  I admire your sacrifice, but examples must be set.”

Claw could not believe what he was hearing.  Stepping forward to take the blame?  The was never intended in his plans for this scolding.  Claw took some small comfort in the sacrifice of himself for his comrades.  But now he knew that this won’t be the case.

Commander Thorax stuck his head away from Claw’s and turned around to face the entire room.

“Attention!  I have now declared that Platoon 15 is the fault in the failure of the Equestria takeover!”  He announced to every changeling present.

No reaction was seen any of the changelings.  This announcement was towards and will directly affect them.  And yet they only stood as emotionless as they could.  But on the inside of every changeling, they were shaking violently.

“And due to the price of failure of duty, all of Platoon 15 shall be subjected to martial punishment!”

Claw’s fetal shaking suddenly stopped.  The words reached his brain and could not believe it.  His whole platoon was going to be subject to martial punishment.  And it was all his fault?  That he truly could not believe, but he is still shaken internally from suspense of the actual punishments.

“Examples must be set and remembered for every changeling in this Hive!  I don’t care if the blame is pointed towards one or more, because many more will face the consequences!  Punishments for your platoon may and will include demotion, imprisonment, exile, and execution!”

The silently angry commander went back towards Claw who was just about to get up.  He stuck his face so close to Claw’s that they could feel each other's breaths.

“ ...Starting with you.”  He threatful whispered.  “I told you, do NOT fail me.”

Claw’s eyes slowly opened in the realization that this was reality he was in right now, not some nightmare or weird dream which would be waken up by a party cannon.  Reality in all of it’s pain.

The commander’s eyes suddenly narrowed.  His horn began to glow vigorously, and a large beam of green magical energy shot out from his horn. The energy beam was hitting Claw’s horn, which prompted him to moan in agony.  For several long seconds, he had to endure a pain that was just as bad, maybe even worse, than the commander’s punch.  After several seconds of the rest of the changelings being forced to watch, the commander finally stopped, seizing the beam and Claw’s moans.

Cilia could only watch, for she did not wish to include herself and other of her troops into the Commander’s brutality.  As much as she wanted to help Claw, she forced to restrain herself.

Claw took deep breaths to alleviate the pain of his head.  He had an extremely painful and concentrated headache by his horn.  He went to do a body check of himself, everything seemed to work fine.  Then he tried to used his magic.  Nothing.  My magic….it’s….gone!  He thought loudly to himself.  But words could not escape his mouth because the process left him heavily fatigued.

“And another thing…” The commander added.

The commander concentrated once again, and shot another magical beam towards Claw.  This time, towards his chest.  Another set of seconds of Claw enduring the pain, he ceased his spell.  Claw stiffly looked towards his chest.  This can’t be!  The double layered triangle that he wore proudly was now ruined.  Across it, a large, gray scar ripped across it, disfiguring the left half of it.

“Corporal Claw.  For Dereliction of Duty, I am now charging you with the crimes of treason.  As of now, I am stripping you of your magical abilities.  Tomorrow you shall await your summative execution at 1200 hours exact!”  He announced more loudly to the entire room.  “Say your final words and eat your final meals.  Because tomorrow will be your last!”

Claw then dropped back down onto the floor.  Not out of anxiety, but out of lifelessness.  He was too drained of emotion he already endured.  He held no reaction to it, he was already too tired to say or do something.  Claw only gave a neutral frown and blinked slowly.

Commander Thorax went to address the rest of Platoon 15.

“Know this everyone else,” he darkly announced.  “He will be only a martyr for your platoon.  He won’t be the only and last changeling of this platoon to be executed.  He is just going to be the first example of failure.  Expect more of you to be gone.”

Commander Thorax stared back at Claw while he stared into deep space lifelessly.  “Prepare for your final day in the life of the changeling army, Claw.  So you can take this time to finish up whatever you started.”  He said through his teeth.

“As for the rest of you, you can now report back to your barracks.  So expect punishment to be brought upon all of you in a few days tops.  You will all receive your sentences by me or Colonel Venom.”

“So for now, Dismissed!”  He finished with his hiss.

One by one, the changelings of Platoon 15 shifted their way towards the door.  Filled with anxiety, they exchange their concerns and thoughts of the current situation with each other.

Cilia tried to approach the still, curled up Claw.

“It’s all over,” Claw murmured emotionlessly.

Upon hearing that, Cilia slowly backed away.  She knew that it was the inevitable truth, and yet she tried to give Claw comfort of it.  Nothing is comfortable about being executed and being called a martyr at that.  Feeling that Claw needed to settle in with this alone, she goes to leave the war room while Commander Thorax retreated through the other door in the war room.

“It’s all over…”

***

***

“It’s all over...It’s all over,” Claw repeated to himself.

He stared motionlessly up to the grey meshy ceiling that seemed pretty far away.  Hey laid on his stone bunk bed that was jutted out from the walls.  He really could not do much, only think and say his goodbyes.  Knowing that he was going to be executed the next day was something very difficult for a better-than-average changeling drone to take in, let alone hours ago.

Then something flew up behind him, hovering by the high, stone bunk.

“Hey.  I was just checking on ya,” a changeling’s voice seeped behind Claw.   He turned to see his perpetrator for conversation that he has not had in hours.  Hey saw a normal drone from his platoon.

“Hey Coxa,” Claw said while looking back towards the ceiling.  “Here to say your goodbyes as well?”

The floating changeling only brought his forelegs and shoulders up.  “Well, kinda.  I already did say goodbye to you.  Like 15 minutes ago?”

Claw only stretched out, cracking his bones and stretching his chitin.  “Well I don’t know then dude.  Not gonna matter much if you say it twice.  Because pretty soon, there won’t be a chance given twice for me.”

“So was there something else you wanted?”

“I just wanted to say that I was snooping around for a bit and found something interesting.  I’ll probably tell you about it later, not like it’s going to help anyway.”

Coxa then slowly showed his deck of cards to Claw.  “And well I was hoping that we could just play a game of cards.  But seeing you now, it doesn’t look like it.”  He said while placing the cards onto Claw’s bed.

“Speaking of you, why aren’t you doing...you know….stuff?”

The horizontal Claw gazed towards Coxa.  “What do you mean ‘stuff?’”

“You know, like saying your final goodbyes.  Writing out your confessions?  Kiss Cilia?”  Coxa’s last suggestion instigated a surprised and impressed look from Claw.

“Okkaaay, maybe not that last one.  Heh, you would have a better chance of meeting Princess Celestia as a changeling than that happening,” Coxa chuckled slightly.

“Whatever dude, whatever,” Claw stated while facing his head back upwards.  “I guess it’s just from what the Commander did to me.  He cast some spell on me, it hurt a lot, felt drained, and now I can’t use magic.  I guess it’s just the thought of adding more insult to injury,” he finished off with a shrug.

“Hmm, yeah.  Being punished and having your magic being taken away.  That sucks,” Coxa hummed.

For the next minute, the two were silent together, until Coxa summons up the courage to ask a question that would seem hopeless for Claw.

“So, what are you gonna do?”

Claw stood up onto his haunches.  “Huh?”

“You know, what are you going to do about all this?  Your execution being tomorrow?  You just seem to want to sleep it off?”

Claw scratched his head while looking down the barracks to the bottom floor.  “I...really don’t know,” he answered honestly.

“I don’t know for sure, I’m just hoping this is all one big nightmare.  I guess I am just accepting it already.  I half-expected some miracle to save me, but it hasn’t happened.  What more can I do?  I am already being charged with treason.  And my final day is less than 24 hours.  What else is there?”  He shrugged.

Coxa then tilted his head while raising one of his eyes.  “Did you really consider all of the options?”

Claw looked back at the questioning Coxa.  “What are you talking about?”

“Well there are more choices available than simply just accepting it, you know.  You don’t have to stay for it.”

He pondered about the meaning of Coxa’s quote for a few moments.  Then Claw’s eyes sprang open.  “Wait.  Are you suggestion that I just...leave?”  He gave his interpretation of Coxa’s advice.  “Like, abandon the Hive and every changeling in it?”

“Can’t be worse that what you are about to be facing, and dying as a martyr,” Coxa reinforced his idea.

“I guess, yeah…” Claw went on.  “No no, that’s a stupid idea.  I’ll just be killed,” he then shook his head.

“Is it?”  Coxa retorted back Claw’s first refusal.  “Trying to live in Equestria with ponies can’t be worse that staying here, awaiting your death for tomorrow.  I mean, sure, there are high chances of death out there.  But a little chance of survival is always better than a certain chance of death.”

Claw took a moment to think about Coxa’s suggestion.  Leave the Hive?  “No changeling dares to do that.  The only thing outside of it are ponies that persecute and vilify changelings.  Not a safe place at all.”  He thought to himself.  But then again, he could stand a decent chance in the world, but it could only delay his demise.  Claw took all of these factors into consideration.

“Well, what about you guys?”  Claw asked.

“We’ll be fine I guess,” Coxa answered while pursing his lips.  “Cilia probably will be imprisoned or demoted; shes that too much of a high rank to simply remove.  I can probably just slip into another platoon unnoticed, or dodge punishment altogether.  You know me,” he said while giving Claw a light thump.

“As for the rest of the platoon, well,” he said while giving his trademark shrug.  “Every changeling will be punished.  So by execution, imprisonment, or if you’re lucky, transfer.”

Coxa stopped himself after noticing Claw’s deep mental state.  Claw was being torn apart for what to do.  “I….need to think,” Claw mumbled.

Coxa nodded at Claw’s request.  “Alright then dude, seeya.”  Coxa began to fly away before stopping mid air and zipped back to Claw’s bed.  He swooped up his deck of cards.  “Sooooo….now do you wanna play cards?”  He asked trying to brighten the mood.

Claw gave a small smile at his comrade’s comforts.  “Alright dude,” he said while sitting himself upright.  “So I guess it’s best 71 out of 140?”

“Screw that!  Best 149 out of 296!”

***

***

“So, this Claw, when will he be executed?”  Queen Chrysalis asked looking towards Commander Thorax.

“In approximately 30 minutes my Queen,” He reported while he still remained looking forward.  “The apostate and his platoon will get what is coming to them.  Martial law may be brutal, but is essential for ensuring loyalty.”

The tall, changeling raised an eyebrow.  “Oh?  Claw the Apostate?  Under what reasons for these charges?”

The Commander pursed his lips before saying his answer.

“The fool got lazy and stupid!  He did not follow the plan to the word,” he greatly hissed so that some saliva left through his sharp teeth.  “The fool put Cadence onto the 2nd cave system, not the 5th.  Which is the reason why she turned up anyway,” he finished off while giving a heavy stomp with his hoof.

The Queen showed no response as they made their way through the long halls.  Changelings passing by gave deep bow as the pair passed.  Chrysalis looked at Thorax with a slightly concerned look.

“But is the punishment of an entire platoon necessary Thorax?”  The Queen questioned the firm Commander.  “I could understand why Claw would be punished.  He allowed his dreams to shatter our near-realities.  But why the changelings in the same group as him?”

“Even though Claw is at fault, his whole platoon must take blame.  They were all taught they in order to succeed, they must play their parts.  Should one of them fail, they all would.  We need to reinforce those teachings.  We also need to set examples for the punishments of failing.  And..”

The Commander’s stiffness suddenly dropped down loosely and let out a sigh.  “I guess I wanted us to succeed.  I know how much this whole plan meant for you and all of us,” he said quietly while dropping his head down lower.  “It’s just hard to believe that all of that planning suddenly went down the drain.  I just want to make sure that next time, we will succeed.  But sacrifices must be made,” he said with a sigh.

Chrysalis still remained muchly unchanged, but shown a hint of pity.  “Do not worry Commander.  All we need is time Commander.  All we need is time,” she said while a sinister smile grew on her face.

“Time?”  The Commander looked back at Chrysalis with shock.  “We spent years gathering data and information.  We spent years predicting outcomes.  We spent years plan-”

Before Thorax could finish himself, the Queen held out a holey hoof, ordering him to be silenced.  “Time is something we have plenty of, if you keep forgetting that,” she reminded Thorax.  “Now, about this Claw…”

“Your highness!  Commander Thorax!”  A larger-than-average changeling raced down the halls towards the two.  Both of their attentions shifted towards the soldier fast approaching them.

Commander Thorax looked expectantly at the Changeling as she gave a bow.  “Lieutenant Cilia.  What are you doing here?”  He asked dully.

Cilia gave a respective salute, despite circumstances directly affecting her.  “I have some urgent news!  It is about Corporal Claw sir!”

The Queen began to curve her lips slightly upwards and allowing her fangs to be shown outside of her mouth.  Her eyes slowly shifted towards Thorax who still looked on seriously.

“Ahh yes, Corporal Claw.  He is due to be publicly executed in a short while.  Has he been prepared for the execution?”

“No sir, it’s actually about that,” Cilia said while beginning to feel nervous about the Commander’s reaction.

“Corporal Claw, he’s….he’s gone!”

The Commander’s face sprouted right open.  Every facial feature seemed to expand that that announcement.  Suddenly, the surprise’s effect wore off, and left the after effects of the outrage that would arrive soon.

His eyes narrowed, his nostrils tightened and his teeth began to grind.  “What do you mean….gone?”

“He is nowhere to be found!  I’ve had all my changelings in Platoon 15 search for him and asked Platoon 2 to help out as well.  Not a sign of him anywhere!  Nowhere in the Hive is he to be found!”

“Damnit!”  The Commander stomped the ground hard as he grinded his fangs.

The Queen, on the other hand, still held her amusement on her face.  Her eyes lazily faced the two soldiers while her smile seemed to heighten more and more.

“So, what are you going to do now?”  The Queen asked manipulatively to Thorax as she threw her head close to his and pulling it away.

“I’m gonna...I’m gonna…” Thorax hissed while furiously shaking his black hoof.  Then that internal tension stopped as he began to calm his internal anger.  “I’m going to do nothing then,” he said while a grin slowly grew on his face.

The Queen raised an eyebrow while keeping his amused smile.  “Nothing then?  Why then?”

“Because Claw is going to meet his own demise out there.  The only place safe in Equestria for a changeling is here.  All the ponies out there wish to see us destroyed.  He will be persecuted and hunted by ponies wherever he tries to seek shelter at.  He will die out there if he doesn’t die in here.  In any case, he will also be charged with desertion, the first case I might add.”

“Well then,” the Queen curiously replied.  “This should be interesting then.”

***

***

Claw stared back towards the mountain range in the distance.  He hovered above the lush, green forests with trees that shielded the roots and creatures below.  Going through it was a mesmerizing river that seeped through it all the way from the mountainside of Canterlot.  He was far away enough that he could call the grey-dirt mountains the horizon.

He could only look back at what was his home and memories.  In those mountains is where he was born.  In those mountains is where he grew up at.  In those mountains was where he trained at, believed at, and most importantly, lived at.

Claw has devoted his entire life, swore his loyalty, and loved the Hive that he lived in.  “Finally, home”  he would think everyday he returned.  Now that lifelong reality and service was shattered.  His home is where he would’ve died at.  He had hoped that he would die in battle for his home, or die a ripe, old age of a lifelong term of service.  But he would’ve died as a martyr and a failure.

He sadly took in the scenery that he has seen so many times.  After all this, being failure, now deserting the Hive, he no longer could call the Hive his home.  He reached into a small sack he brought along and brought out a beautiful medal that he has had for a long time.

Its was a golden metal of a fancy shield with two swords crossed behind it.  Surrounding it was a wreath that was detailed to each and every leaf.  On the shield was an insignia of a funky “C” with short, vertical lines at both points and with a sword passing through it.  On the top of the shield stuck out wings that would most closely resemble the wings of the Queen.  Extremely Fine details covered each feature of the gold medal that would require the finest artisan available to Changeling kind.  It was attached to a very luxurious, velvet red neck ribbon.

He slowly and carefully turned the medal over and examined the tiny inscription, that he memorized so many times, on the back.

For the opportunity and endurance of staying behind enemy lines while suffering extreme internal conditions.  Private Claw of Platoon 15 accidently infiltrated WestHoof military camp.  Instead of reporting back to his Commanding Officer, he insisted to himself that he shall and endure the semesters.  Despite enduring 3 months without love, causing him extreme malnourishment and even brinks of death, he still persevered intense physical training in his condition.  He successfully graduated from WestHoof as the first disguised changeling.  Doing so, he has carried information to the Hive that will be instrumental for future operations.  And so, he is to be honored with the Award of Valour, for serving more than the boundaries of his oath.

Claw remembered the day he was given that.  It was presented to him by Queen Chrysalis herself, and said those exact words on the back.  Changelings of much higher ranks, from Captain to Colonel, shown up at the ceremony to offer their congratulations for being honored with the highest award given to any changeling.

Claw tightly held the medal close to his chest then slowly loosened his grip.  In his mind, he was trying to concentrate all of his service memories into this medal.  After gazing at it sentimentally, he finally dropped it.  He watched his prized possession slowly turn in the air as it became farther and farther from his grip.  It rapidly lost size until finally it hit the leaves below.

The gravity of the medal caused the leaves to swish at the medal’s way.  Only at a detail elevation could the details be noticed while Claw only see the reflections of light change where the leaves were hit.  The sudden dropping of metal from the sky caused an owl to fly away, being surprising it.  Claw watched the spooked owl fly away, until I no longer saw point in watching.

Claw nostalgically took a last look at the mountains that he once called home.

“Well, this is it.  Good-bye home,” he said to himself quietly.  All those memories of serving and growing were now right below him.  He was no longer welcome at the Hive.  He would only be called a traitor, a martyr, and a failure.  All this he knew very well, but he didn’t have the slightest clue on what to do next.

He was already many miles from the Hive, and he wa being charged with treason, with a death penalty.  When he did this, the only thing he thought of was being alive.  Now that he was out, he mind was blank.  He subconsciously thought that he could find another changeling chapter to join.  But there weren’t any, and he knew very well why.

He turned himself around in the air.  In his sights were the majestic city of Canterlot, hitchhiked on the side of a mountain.  A thin, blue stream casted way down to the forest from the faraway city.  Not too far from his position, the cloud covers stopped, creating a fine boundary of light and darkness in the forest.

He looked onto the Canterlot city that he was thrown from, and began to drift towards it’s general direction.  Realizing that Canterlot was still recovering, and possibly paranoid with changeling imposters, he directioned himself towards the right, hoping to not be spotted and hoping that he would find a nice, little nook for himself.

Before beginning his journey, he took one last view of the bright lands of Equestria.

“So, Equestria.  You’re filled with ponies that hate every inch of me, right?  So will you be my home?....Or my grave?”