November 21
It’s a funny world we live in. But I find that it’s how the world is perceived that makes it truly hilarious. Like how hate is considered so much more powerful than love simply for being more openly destructive, and yet no one questions getting in-between, say, a mother and her bear cub as an act of love, even if they do tend to pad the word with maternal instinct.
Though there is something to be said of the baseness of animal intelligence. No one, however, questions the love of any competent father over his only daughter, as many a local boy could tell you of the death glares they’ve received from daring to let their eyes linger on his precious gem.
Even something less powerful, like lust, has been noted to have been the cause of great wars and countless deaths of those who did not love the prize, and even lost their own love in turn for another’s.
There are countless forms of love, each with a varying level of power behind it, making even the most pathetically pacifistic person go out and better themselves to reach their goal in some way, shape, or form. Always striving, always adaptable, it has a way of broadening one’s senses, something that is done only to sparingly outside of love, and usually leaves one a babbling moron or just bullheaded. But when it comes down to it, love is the most powerful and destructive force in existence, or, at least that’s my uniquely insane perspective on things. Maybe that’s why I was ripped away from my home. It’s as good as any other of those disgusting internet rumors or theories.
… I’m feeling sad now, so I’m going to stop the entry.
***
Looking up I stare out into ocean of sand, the wind sweeping the fine white grains in shimmering waves as the more crystalline bits catch the glare of the full moon. I clutch the journal that now read “Property of: not YOU, so put it the hell down” on the back of the cover. It just didn’t seem worthwhile to mention my name, all things considered. Like being stranded a hollowed out mesa on a different universe’s planet for one, and some echoing paranoia at what my life has become for another.
Sitting on the only outcrop above the shifting waves of desert, of which I had found to be quite literal once I’d found the path down from the “roof” of the hollowed mesa I’d found myself on. I took one step and it went through with a puff of dirt directly into my eye, causing me to flail and fall in. Luckily, (I hate that word), I landed on my back, having twisted slightly as I fell and was able to paddle my way back onto stable land and now filled entirely with sand in every place I could imagine. And that little discovery only happened once I figured out where I was, or at least where I thought I might be after having stepped into a bloody puddle of water that went on for near eternity, only to wake up, prone, sputtering into a bone dry cave with the dried carcasses of what I could only surmise, after a good deal of screaming in fear and disorientation, as changelings. Dead desiccated corpses, though they held their shape much like they were still living, it wasn’t until I tripped over one in my haste and it broke apart with a crackling crunch, but rather than having my leg once again coated with another form of dust it was instead coated with whatever organic filth consisted of the creatures insides. Even better, it stuck to my pants, of which there was still sand stuck to, as much as conditions would allow. Maybe if I were more comfortable with myself I might have gone nude, but I’m not, and there were others around anyway.
Getting up, I leave the ledge above the twisting path down to the white sand sea, and I walk over the polished surface of the mesa to the hole in the ground which serves as a long curving spiral into the heart of the mountain. The novelty of the strange partially melted and bent rocks of the tunnel had yet to wear off. I assumed it was an acid of some sort, but it didn’t matter to me beyond the point of it, much like the ledge pathway, looks kind of cool.
“Hey Ralph,” I say to the crushed changeling by the door as my harsh whisper leeches across the high ceiling webbed with twisting stalactites with small alcoves lining them. As expected, no answer. I move to the supply closet, which seems to be the only thing that wasn’t absolutely ravaged by whatever happened here and try to make myself comfortable on, what I hope, is paper. It smells a bit funny, and the sickly green light from the glowing fungi above only helps to keep my paranoia growing.
Not that it matters. It’s now my third day and second night out here. No food, the changelings share too much to their non-exoskeleton counterparts to be of much good now that their rotting and I have nothing to starts a fire with, and no water. I clutch the journal and pen I’d found to my chest, the last motes of philosophy and the different paths of where certain lines of logic might lead to, a distraction to keep me from cursing God at my shit ridden fate. Closing my eyes I try to find some sleep past the grumbles of my stomach and the pain from lips that had immediately chapped and bled in the desert environment, only to o be forced away from sleep for a few more wretched minutes as my subconscious begins to play a song, just for me.
***
Flying in a tight line the head changeling lets a small line of pheromones pass behind her. ‘Move in fast’ it said. Numbers were on their side, a squad of fifteen, all specially bred for long distance flight their wings were noticeably larger from the burst flight of most of their hivelings, perfect for these long distance assignments, but it came at the cost of limb endurance, meaning that any confrontation had to be quickly won, and the enemy subdued. The outpost had not only failed to report for a week, they were also simply unreachable through the emergency contact lines. An irregularity of the clockwork precision the hive strove to maintain with its information collection. Without all the constant updates and re-evaluation of the old to make sure it was up to date and ready for the hive minds to give updates to food stalk personalities, the entire squads of retrievers could be put at jeopardy, and she was not going to let that happen, not again.
Catching sight of the black outpost in the Sand Sea, it was supposed to function as a weather monitoring site for pegasi as its cover, but the weathervane, and all the rest of the useless spinning mechanisms were missing from the mesa’s top, and now there was a glare reflecting off the top. Flying to the port-hole opening in the center she was able to see her warped reflection on the now completely smooth surface.
Once in the cavern the squad immediately fanned out, combing the air for pheromones, it was clear enough to see that nothing was alive, but the almost utter lack of scent was disturbing. There was, however, fresh scent leading away from the changeling at the door and went to the supply closest, of which one of the scouts had just entered. She didn’t have long to question any what-ifs as the scout quickly buzzed out and calling for silence with a low hiss. Silently creeping toward the leader the drone discretely releasing a small puff of pheromones, ‘You need to see this scout commander.’
It took me a few moments to piece it all together, but I was quite sure I had just awoken without a hint of fatigue. Considering my single digit years were long since past me I had to admit to enjoying a small bit of novelty at the act. The next few moments were similarly filled as I marvelled at my general lack of hunger, weakness, and want for water as they were now sated. I would have jumped for joy at my miraculous recovery were I not spread eagle, ankle and wrists locked in place. Laying out flat it was only by craning my neck as far as I was naked, that, and I was on some great circular table top. Beyond that I couldn’t say as the great beam of green light that covered the entirety of the table, me included, made other colors indistinct, the tabletop really could be green for all I knew. But it was warm, so that was something. Outside the beam of light however was a great big black nothingness, and with nothing better to do I immediately set to work on the worst case scenario could be and instantly began to try and fold in on myself, as much as I could, as fear began to gnaw at me until it too began to wonder at the oddity of my situation and simply gave up. Without fear to keep me occupied the crushing weight of boredom began to press at my chest, the sudden exhalation of breath came out as a low groan devoid of all life. It was then echoed backed across the unseen walls and ceiling of… wherever I was.
Perhaps there was a way I could pass the time after all.
***Queen Chrysalis***
Were it not for the exquisite cheese soufflé currently before Me, I would most likely descend into madness once more. Even if I didn’t have the excuse of excessive love exposure it was comforting to contemplate. Already the new hive was finally beginning the finer touches to its construction, even if it was only just, it made all the difference in the world to making it more like a home. After the Canterlot invasion the initial backlash of love swept through the entirety of Canterlot, crushing My hive with an offensive amount of love. The blast had been enough to send MY influence over the hive mind was obliterated and left My changelings with naught but echoes of my extreme hatred echoing through the multitudes, causing them to briefly share my madness. Not many had survived.
My love madness receding as I’d awoken in the dregs of the Everfree Forest, I spent the better part of a year tracking down the survivors of my backlash throughout Equestria, save Canterlot, I had been it’s only survivor due to my enhanced durability from the royal jelly. We ended up taking refuge in the Crystal Kingdom, of all places, once the kingdom resurfaced. Apparently the ancient unicorn Sombra had survived and had attempted to regain his throne, but had been repelled by the Elements of Harmony with special note to their Paige, an adolescent dragon who had ridden up at the end wielding the Crystal Heart.
It was beneath this artifact we began to rebuild, much the same as the ponies did above it. The once lost source of love was again ours’ to extract sustenance. Were I not still in My position I would most likely weep at this turn of events and bemoan the fact it had not happened just a few years prior to the invasion. But I was, it didn’t, and ultimately I had no way of knowing the Crystal Kingdom would just appear.
Slowly hollowing out the complex of stone beneath the Crystal Heart My hive once more began to take shape and grow. They didn’t have it within them not to follow me, they truly love their leader, but it didn’t mean I didn’t feel the weight of their own anxiousness in the edges of the hive mind on whether or not I would spontaneously erupt with love sickness even though I was no longer isolated from the hive, alone in a land where I alone attempted to garner the resources for My hive’s continued existence. It also didn’t mean I was not so ego driven that I did not feel the weight of my failure crush down upon me daily. But such worries would not be allowed to stop me from forever working to make My hive better than ever before, even if it I had to work into the next life to do it. Besides, I had other worries to occupy my time now.
A strange new batch of bipedal creatures had begun to simply sprout all across the land of Equis. They fleshy bipeds called themselves humans, and what’s more they claimed to come from a world completely devoid of magic, a few of them demonstrated a propensity for technology that made the claim credible enough as things like motor carriages and the most surprising thing of all a flying motor carriage, with great flat wings that never flapped, but nonetheless allowed for an occupant the ability of flight for a short period of time. An industrial revolution like that was enough to make these strange creatures endeared to all the races, even the more savage ones with other humans showing a propensity, or at least a skilled ability, to make weapons. The advent of “the gun” had been quickly accepted by the less magically inclined races, earth ponies included, as a form of equalizer. I can’t say I readily blame them, nor can I say their reasoning isn’t sound either. But their most noted ability quickly became the ability to quickly wield magic themselves. This sudden development’s answer was spearheaded by none other than the, now, princess of magic, Twilight Sparkle. To put it in words a pony might actually understand, humans are veritable magic sponges, and quickly pick up on the magic they are exposed to, to a limit. They can’t simply absorb on infinitely, and eventually they reach a cap and begin to metabolize the general flow of magic they absorbed. The myriad of results is interesting to say the least, some remain utterly unchanged, physically at least but might shatter a boulder with a simple flick of their wrist, while others, one in particular comes to mind: one child appeared in the dragon lands, and his exposure to them and their unconscious magic turned the boy into something of a human dragon hybrid. He now sports scales across his joints and softer parts around his head, and now shares the dragon’s immunity to fire as well as the ability to belch it out upon command.
The next problem became figuring out how the humans keep coming over in the first place, not many are here yet, barely over two hundred at the moment, but they claim to come from a planet with billions of them roaming upon it. Our planet could simply not sustain an unchecked growth, and a spell to stop any more from coming over was quickly weaved together, as well as one to send any humans who wanted to return to do so, few did. That’s where my problems began anew. For after all that time not a single human had been founded by my changelings, worse, the humans have showed a predisposition to eradicate my kind when they find them, something to do with a large sect of the humans calling themselves bronies, whose history still boggles everyponies mind as to how any part of anypony’s life might have been previously viewed in a magicless world. Luckily, none of my children have been uncovered here in the heart of the Crystal Kingdom, but they still posed a viable threat, and one that nopony, gryphon, or minotaur seemed apt to check these self dubbed ‘monster hunters’. That was when I set into motion my plans for a human deterrent of My own. Once the supplies could be spared from the surveillance workers, a few spotted outposts of My more magically inclined changelings were put to task at briefly breaking the seal and attempt to bring a human over from the other side. The lab post over in the Sand Sea had indeed succeeded, but the magical backlash from the spell, I’m sure it was a built in fail safe to discourage such actions, had been nothing short of a grim surprise once a scouting unit had been sent to check upon them and returned with a malnourished human on the verge of death. And now, it was in a secure and secluded healing chamber and under a constant stream of healing magic. Already its body showed signs of not only healing, but also increased muscle mass beyond what is normal for initial human standards in Equis. And now, it had regained full consciousness, that is to say the sedatives we had been keeping it on were no longer effective and sleeping spells would now be the only feasible means of keeping him in controlled unconsciousness for any preferable amount of time. He was expected to wake sometime today, and all I could do was wait.
Taking another bite of the perfect soufflé, the product of one of my replacing as one of the students at the royal culinary school in Canterlot, I sighed. It was indeed worth the effort to have something of this magnitude to help calm my nerves, for now. Things were about to become difficult, for as much as was known about humans there was so much more that I didn’t know. I needed to make it loyal to My cause, but let it keeps it’s wits about it to be of greatest use. As long I was in the sanctuary of my own mind, I would admit to being more than a little nervous.
A knock came from the stone door, my fork dropping from my aura, but was caught before it could clatter to the table. Placing it down gently I said, “Come in.” The slate grey stone door swung silently open as I recognized the scout modeled changeling Zeetha, who came in, making her respective bow, and opening her wings to me. Giving a silent nod to her she began.
“The human has awoken our Queen,” she said, though I could tell something was off, her sense of agitation was above the norm for dealing with me, which was a high enough bar as is, and would certainly not go down for my subjects for some time.
“What else seem to be the matter?” I said, using a spark of magic to control my vibrating voice, into a more unified cord. The effect pacified Zeetha, if only slightly, “W-well, it appears to be making use of harmonic convergence.”
“Oh?” I said before I could catch myself. I was slightly impressed, I’d expected the human to either start screaming in maddening fear or begin to be overwrought with sorrow in some fashion, yet it was singing instead. But such an odd course of action was just proof of how varied one human can be from another. You practically have to start from scratch for each one to come up with a working psychological model, even their eating habits ranged from pure carnivore to herbivore despite their biological endowments for omnivorous consumption. “Very well, you may leave. I will be there shortly enough, but if anything else should develop you will contact Me.”
“Yes our queen,” Zeetha replied, bowing once more then silently left the room with as much haste as she thought would not be rude.
It hurt a little each time one of my subjects showed even the slightest bit of fear towards me, reparations will be made to them, but first I needed to finish that scrumptious soufflé.
***
"-ife could be a dream. Life could be a dream. Shoo doot doot doot shah-OOOOooooOOOO,” it, well he, sang in a brassy voice as the last bits of the surrounding echoes peeled off from their own counterparts and harmonies and were replaced by My clicking hooves upon the floor, a look of surprise and a blush swiftly growing on his face. Though whether it was from being in a dark, for a human, room with someone else while in the nude, a cultural aspect many humans still clung to and considering their genitals had no sheathe it was understandable, heard singing, or simply a mingling of the two would be too difficult to directly assume, though easy enough to manipulate regardless.
“You have quite a lovely singing voice,” I said. A simple compliment to begin putting him at ease, though there was some truth to the statement regardless.
“Thanks,” he replied in a monotone voice, “And your voice sounds a lot like Chrysalis.”
‘Oh horsefeathers,’ I mentally swore as a wave of panic was swiftly squashed before it could manifest.
“I don’t suppose I could trouble you with the requests of not raping me and not filling my body with your young, could I, please?”
I was quite glad of the dark the human’s eyes could not penetrate as I swiftly facehoofed before I could fight the urge. Humans, as well as ponies for that matter, had the oddest ability of simply jumping to worst case scenarios when not provide with every last scrap of information.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said as a warbling sigh just escaped my lips. I don’t even think my nightmares were capable of dreaming of something like that, well, the latter one at least. “But while we’re talking about you, I should like to know how you’re feeling.”
“Uh, well, I feel pretty okay to be honest, in fact I’d say I was doing great on account of no longer feeling really hungry, or thirsty, or dirty, except that I appear to not only be shackled to a great big table but naked as well.”
‘So, one with a rather strong dislike of personal nudity,’ I thought.
“Well the previous is due to the fact that a pony tends to get a little twitchy when under a medical beam, so the restraints are there so you don’t unintentionally hurt yourself, and as for the latter, they were filthy and disposed of, though a replacement can be made readily enough should you wish.”
“That’s very kind of you ma’am, but do you think you could let me go now. You know, since I feel fine and all?”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” I said, as he sounded off with a sharp intake of breath, “that is, until I’m sure you won’t be a threat to My changelings.” Taking a silent breath to steady myself I began to explain to him the recent history of the world, and for the most part he remained silent, although he stopped me once I revealed just how common humans were here his stony face broke out into a rather disturbing smile, his facial muscles suddenly revealing a very sharp and strong chin and eyes that became all too feral with delight. But, it faded away once I continued past how my kind were hunted, though I couldn’t help but admitting to something of a more common changeling mindset. Specifically how more than a few believed themselves to being superior to many forms of life, but most especially ponies due to being born with both wing and horn, much like the Solar Sisters, and used it as an excuse to overfeeding upon many other species without a care of the debilitating effects it has upon them. Nor how it helped the image of my kind by becoming drunk upon a singular source myself, having gone for long periods of time with Shining Armor absorbing the radiant love energy he had for Princess Cadenza. I ended up finishing with the universal shield meant to keep any humans from reaching Equestria, and then took pause.
“So why, though I suppose how, am I here?” he said, a slight tremor hidden behind a voice pitched slightly higher than before.
“You are here because My changelings were ordered to discreetly breach the diversal shield,” I managed to say without letting my grief at their deaths cloud my voice, “The why, however, is a little more complicated.”
***
Once Chrysalis left the medical ward, I was apparently in, I was left alone to my thoughts, hopefully, and a days grace. I had some thinking to do. What had just been laid out before me would have been heart breaking had I not been strapped naked to a stone table even now that I’m supposedly better. I could agree, however that the state of changeling affairs was poor and they certainly needed to hire someone to get some good PR flowing for them, but whether or not I decided to do it, there would still be the stigma that I was being controlled like Shining Armor, for all I know I could be. Though the fact I’d been afforded the chance to simply walk away, but at the price of selective memory loss, the choice was still open to me. But if I did decide to stay Chrysalis told me, in no uncertain terms, she would have to personally go through my mind to check my sincerity. I was honestly ready to just clock out, but I was still under the healing beam and it was just supercharging me with energy.
So my choice was work for the changelings to assist them in some good PR or fall into Equestria somewhere else and essentially start anew. It seemed pretty straightforward, but if all they wanted was some good PR, then why not come out themselves. But then again, if something like us humans were able to take out a sentient flying creature with natural ranged weaponry, maybe they were weaker than I thought. The point was, I was stuck here, and the fact that it was at the cost of every changeling I had seen on the mesa didn’t help matters either, because, as Chrysalis surmised, it would most likely cost the lives of several others if I were to be sent back to Earth, and I certainly wasn’t going to do that.
Heh, Earth, things had gotten pretty crazy there lately. The religious types especially had been going absolutely bananas. So many were all so sure it was the end times. Though, those or the more stable religious variety, myself included, weren’t so sure because if that had really been the case then the occurrences wouldn’t have been so eclectic. But the lunatic fringe is what it is, no matter their affiliation or theism. But it still didn’t make sense, because it only sounded like a couple hundred humans had made it here, rather than the hundreds of thousands of people, many having been documented on camera simply vanishing. So, where were the others then?