Oddball

by The Infinity Doctor

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Queen Chrysalis, Princess Celestia
Length: 18585

Yet another twist on the 'HiE' concept. Human becomes part Changeling in order to save his girlfriend's life/

Sam the ordinary human gets turned into a hybrid to save his girlfriend, meeting new people (and ponies) along the way.

P.S. I started writing this before I read 'Black Queen, Red King', if there are too many similarities between this story and that one; my apologies

Published 2014-01-02 04:10:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-06 16:45:25 UTC

Chapter 1

"Well that wasn't a bad first date- was it?" I asked, getting into the car

"I thought it went pretty well" Elaine said

Pulling out of the parking lot of the resturant, I drove down the highway- passing a motel or gas station along the way

"So, would you want to do this again sometime?" I asked

"Sure, sounds fun" she smiled

"What should we do?"

"Uh- I don't really know...ever gone bowling?"

She laughed as we continued down the road

"Yeah, I've been bowling before- name the time and place" she grinned

"Well how about next week then? Those old lanes a few miles from the docks?"

"You're on"

We sat in silence for a short while, she looked out the window at the passing landscape

"So..."

"So..."

"Listen- I don't think things should be akward between us..."

"Yeah..."

More silence

"So, you like movies?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah"

"What's your favorite?"

"Oh I don't know- probably either Pirates of the Caribbean or Back to the Future"

"Nice, I like Nightmare Before Christmas and Ghostbusters"

"Into the creepy stuff, huh?"

"Eeyup"

Elaine's eyes turned to the road

"AAAAAhhhhhhhhh!"

"What? What?!"

"Deer! There's a deer in the road!"

"I see it!"

"Watch out!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying! The stupid thing won't turn!"

I tried turning the steering wheel to avoid hitting the deer, who looked about as frightened as we were.

The car's wheels went over the shoulder and off of the pavement- crushing bushes as we careened into the treeline, we hit the trunk of a large tree- sending both of us through the windshield

"E-Elaine? Are- are you alright?"

I didn't get a response as I tried to crawl over to her

I collapsed before I got there

Quickly losing conciousness, I groaned trying to sit up, keyword being 'tried'; darkness filled my vision as I passed out.

X

"...such a waste on your species- you would be much better with claws"

"Huh? Who's there?" I asked, trying to sit up

"You're finally awake, good"

"Who are you?"

"You, little primate, may call me Queen Chrysalis"

Where have I heard that name before?

"What are you?!" I asked, seeing her in the moonlight

"I am a changeling- now then..."

"Wait- wait! Where's Elaine?"

"Who? Oh, her"

"What have you done with her?" I almost shouted

"Nothing- she's laying over there" The Queen said, waving a hoof

I (painfully) crawled over to Elaine, she was still bleeding from the glass of the windshield

"Ohgodohgodohgodohgod..."

I shook her, trying to wake her up

"Elaine? Lainey? C'mon, wake up- wake up! please wake up; please"

I heard Chrysalis clear her throat and turned to her

"You've got to save her" I said

"I can't"

"Save her"

"...No"

"SAVE HER! Just- please, please save her..."

"You can save her"

"Wha?"

"On one condition"

"Anything! If it helps her"

Her horn glowed an emerald green, and felt like a migraine starting in my head

"There"

"What? What did you do?"

"You'll find out soon enough, now I believe you wanted to help the one you-"

She looked to Elaine

"-love" she spat

She disappeared in a burst of light, leaving me with Elaine I slowly stood up and gathered her in my arms, carrying her towards the road

X

"Alright, start again- from the beginning" The police officer said

I laid in the bed in one of the rooms at the hospital killing time and wondering when Elaine's results would come out

"We had just finished eating, and we were on our way home, and there was this deer in the road- I swerved to avoid hitting it, and we crashed into a tree- we, we both went through the windshield when the car stopped"

"That should be all for now" he said, closing his notepad "Thank you, and I hope she gets better"

'Yeah right...'

A short while after he left, my family came into my room

"Sam? Are you alright sweetie?" Mom asked

"I'm fine- I've just got some cuts and bruises" I said

"Your mother and I were worried" Dad said, pulling me into a hug "Don't you pull anything like that again"

"Dad- stitches"

"Oh, right, sorry"

He released me and I saw my sister at the edge of my bed

"Hey there squirt, how are you?"

"I should be asking how you are, not the other way around" She choked

"I'm alright- how are you?"

"G-great"

"Are you hungry?" Mom asked

"No, I'm fine- thank you"

"Well...just remember we'll be downstairs if you need anything" Mom said, ushering the other two out the door

'Was all of that out in the forest because of blood-loss, or did I really see Chrysalis?' I wondered

The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor soon put me to sleep, and I drifted off

X

"Wake up"

My eyes shot open, I sat up- finding myself in a pitch black void

"Chrysalis?"

"Yes, it is I"

"Where am I?"

"Inside your mind"

"That would explain a lot"

"Yes, now I believe we have a few things to discuss"

"Like what?"

"When you wake in the morning, you won't be quite...human"

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"Let's see if your pitiful little mind can comprehend this- the strength I gave you to save your 'special somepony' came with a few changes to your body"

"Wh-what?"

"Yes, it's only a matter of time before you start to notice"

"W-wait! What changes? Where are you going?"

She didn't answer as she disappeared into the void

I sat up in my bed, cold sweat soaking my shirt

"Whew, it was a dream after all" I laughed to myself

I buried my head in my hands, and noticed something very wrong- one eye felt considerably larger than the other, almost oval shaped

Throwing off the blankets and scrambling to the bathroom only confirmed my suspicions, one eye was its usual green, and the other was shaped like Chrysalis' -draconic and a hard gold color

Oh, and the horn, don't forget the horn

Chapter 2

I prodded the black horn sticking out of my forehead, noticing that my hands were covered in a black substance, sort of like armor, up to my elbows

Did I mention there were holes in my arms? No?

Chrysalis- what did you do to me?

I lifted up my shirt and saw that patches of the same armor-like shell were all over my body the largest ones covering my chest and stomach

"You know what? I'm just going to go to sleep and hope that all of this is a bad dream..." I mumbled, climbing back into bed

I didn't get back to sleep, however, as a nurse decided to come into my room

She lost it and ran into the hall, screaming

She soon returned with two doctors and the police officer from the night before

"See! See! I told you it was here!" she cried, pointing at me

"Everyone just slow down-" I said, holding my hands in the air "There's no need to-"

The officer withdrew his taser and fired, the barbs digging into my skin stung, then came the electricity- I fell to the floor, unconcious, as my body continued to convulse

'So much for that plan'

X X X X X X X

I groaned as I sat up

"Oh great- I thought it was all-"

I looked down at my arms

"Nope- not a dream..."

I looked around the room and saw that I wasn't in the hospital- or anywhere I recognized for that matter

'Where am I?' I thought

I continued looking around the room, and realized that I was in one of those interrogation rooms like you see on those cop shows; the ones with the one-way mirrors

'Something tells me I'm being watched'

The locks on the door turned, then swung open- a middle aged woman wearing a black uniform and skirt walking through, carrying a clipboard and pen.

"Hello" she said

"Um, hi"

"Do you know where you are?"

She spoke slowly, as if she thought I'd have trouble understanding her

"I don't know- Roswell? Hoover Dam maybe?"

A brief look of suprise flashed over her face before disappearing- she scribbled something on her clipboard and looked up

"Why are you here?" she asked

"Why do you think I'm here? The last thing I remember is getting tased"

"No, I mean why are you here? On Earth?"

"Wait-"

It all fell into place-

they thought I was an alien

I fell out of the bed, laughing

"What exactly-"

"hahahahahah"

"-is it that-"

"hahahahahah"

"-you find so funny?"

"That you actually think I'm an alien" I said, calming down

"How did you-"

"Oh please- did you really think I couldn't figure it out? Based on all of this?"

She stammered and blushed a little

"When can I leave?"

"I'm sorry, you can't"

"What?"

"It's the higher-ups' decision...you're being held here indefinetely"

"No- no! You can't do this!"

She backed out of the room

The door locked, leaving me alone in the cell

"No! Please! Let me out! Let me out!"

I banged my fists on the door, screaming

'Okay, okay, stop- this isn't going to get me anywhere' I thought

I went back to the bed and laid down, trying to figure out what to do next

X

"I'm sorry Miss- your friend died in his room this morning"

"I don't believe that for a second, if Sam was healthy enough to carry me all the way here, he should have been fine" Elaine said

He didn't answer her

Elaine sighed to herself as she went back to the grieving family

(The Dreamscape)

I looked around the endless black void as I did the first time- when I'd first met Chrysalis

"Hello"

'Speak of the devil'

I turned around and saw Chrysalis standing there

"What do you want?" I spat

"Nothing much, just to train you"

"Train me? For what?"

"You are part changeling, you may transform, as I do" She said

"Wha-"

She suddenly caught fire- or appeared to, green flames surrounded her

I shielded my eyes as they died down, in Chrysalis' place was a fairly young woman wearing a charcoal dress

"Chryssie?"

"Don't call me Chryssie" the woman snapped

"Is that you?"

"Who else would it be?" She asked, annoyed

"Um, right- so where should we start?"

She flashed back to her natural form

"Let's start with the basics, even our hatchlings are able to perform this exercise"

Her horn flashed again and a ball of fire formed between us

"Now- you try"

I tried focusing energy into my new horn, and got nothing more than a spark

"This will prove to be a very trying night" Chrysalis groaned

X

After several hours (I think), I was finally able to cast the spell Chrysalis had taught me

"Good" She said, unimpressed "I'll be able to teach you more in the coming nights"

"Oh, um, then where do we go from here?"

She looked off to the side

"You should be waking up soon"

"What do you mea-"

The Queen disappeared

X

I sat up in my bed, still in the cell those government people put me in

As soon as I stood up, the same woman from the day before walked into the room

"Hi" I said

"Hello"

"What is it they want this time?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your 'superiors', I don't think they'd send you in here without wanting to get something from me"

"They sent me in here to uh, get you- we're conducting some medical tests today" She murmured

"Alright, let's get this over with then..."

I felt something constrict around my wrist

"Really?"

"I'm sorry" she said, seemingly sincere "They're protocol"

I groaned as she placed the other cuff around my other wrist

She led me out of the cell and into a hallway, I was sure to try and memorize the way in case I needed an escape route.

"Sure are alot of cameras here, aren't there?"

"Yes..."

"So where are we exactly?"

"I've been ordered not to tell you..."

"Of course you have-"

She led me into what looked like a small hospital room- minus the windows

"They'll be with you shortly..."

"Uh, thanks- I guess"

She nodded and left the room

'I hope these people are as nice as her-'

The door burst open and a man in a lab coat and clipboard barged in

"Alright you monster-"

'No such luck-'

"-here's what's going to happen, I'm going to administer the tests, and you're going to sit there and be a good little whatever-you-are"

'Fair enough'

He went over to the small tray of instruments and pulled a syringe off the cart

Grabbing my wrist, he yanked it towards him- then proceeded to draw blood

Or he tried to, the needle actually bent and didn't leave a scratch

He took another syringe off the cart and tried again, recieving the same result

"You know" I said "They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

"Shut up!"

He set the useless needle on the tray, then attatched something to my horn

"Do it"

"Do what?"

"Whatever it is that's used for"

"I don't think-"

"I'll be the first to admit that, now do it"

"Okay, if you say so" I shrugged

I charged my horn and instead of the fire forming in front of me, the wire on my horn caught fire and soon the machine itself was in flames

The guy panicked and grabbed the fire extinguisher in the corner, the foam went everywhere as he put out the fire.

"I told you it wasn't-"

I was cut off as his hand collided with my face

"Shut up and get out, we're done for today" He snapped

I stood up and left the room, with what's-her-name leading me back to my cell

"It just occurred to me, I don't know your name"

"It's Sabrina, but everyone calls me Sady"

"Oh, well I'm Sam"

I offered my hand

"Nice to meet you" She said, hesitantly accepting the handshake

The feel of her hand against my 'chitin' (as Chrysalis called it) felt odd

She almost instantly jerked her hand away at the touch

"Sorry"

"It's alright" I said

We continued walking until we reached my cell- she hung back and entered the room a short while later "So, how did the tests go?" She asked

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"...alright, listen, I'm not supposed to do this- but I turned off the security cameras to this room, you can say anything you want"

"Why should I believe you? How do I know that you're not lying and that those cameras are actually rolling right now"

"I don't expect you to believe me...but I just think-"

"Think what?"

"It's just so- so- interesting! I mean, no offense to you- but no one's seen anything like you before"

"None taken...I guess I'll take that as a compliment"

'I really shouldn't do this- I really really shouldn't do this- but, she trusts me- you know what? I'll take my chances'

"...he tried to take some blood" I finally said

"Tried?"

"Yeah, the needle bent"

"It did?"

"Uh-huh, then he put something on my horn and told me to activate it-"

"Activate what?"

"My magic"

She just sat there- dumbfounded

"Magic-"

"That's right"

"Not the smoke and mirrors stuff, but actual magic-"

"I think that's what I said, yeah"

"Unbelievable"

"-so anyway, he tells me to activate it, and I tell him I shouldn't, he tells me to anyway and I comply- so I end up setting the thing on fire..."

"-and then what happened?"

"The idiot slapped me and told me to get out, end of story"

"I actually wouldn't mind if you'd set him on fire" She said, rolling her eyes

We both laughed

"You really don't like the guy, huh?"

"Not really, no- the only reason I put up with him is because I have to work with him"

"I feel sorry for you"

"Yeah...oh, and about what he did, I'll be sure he gets reprimanded for that"

"Here's hoping" I giggled, crossing my fingers

She sighed and stood up, she gave one last glance to me before exiting the room

I looked up and saw the red light on the camera come on

'Looks like I can trust her after all'

Chapter 3

"That was very foolish" Chrysalis said after I appeared in the void

"Not how I look at it"

"She will betray you, but no matter; onto tonight's lesson..."

"Will I finally learn how to shape-shift?"

"Yes you little foal- now pay attention"

Her horn glowed and the flames went up again, this time leaving a golden retriever

"Wow- you can turn into animals too?"

"Yes" the retriever said

"Now to transform, you just need to focus on who or what you want to turn into"

"Alright- let me try"

I focused on transforming into something simple- like a chair

I saw my own horn glow and I felt myself transforming

"Very interesting" Chrysalis said "Not many could transform into furniture on their first try"

"Er, thank you?"

"I didn't mean that as a compliment- just as a gauge of your abilities"

"Okay- if you say so"

"Now; let's move on to voice mimicry"

'This could be fun'

X

I sat up in my bed, again

'Is this the second or third day I've been stuck in here?' I wondered

"Another day in purgatory..." I muttered

Wait a minute-

"Why does my voice sound like this?" I asked myself

My voice sounded like Chrysalis' two-toned voice, only it sounded more like my original voice compared to hers

I noticed something else was wrong, too Looking down I noticed my feet weren't there anymore, instead there were-

"Hooves, of course I have hooves" I muttered

My legs were still pretty much the same, but transitioned into holed-hooves after my knees

'At least I've still got my hands' I thought

The door swung open and Sady walked in

"How are you?" I asked

"I'm fine, and you?"

"Great"

"So, where should we start?"

"You sounded pretty interested in magic yesterday, you want to talk about that?"

"Are you sure?" she whispered "If they find out- I don't know what they'd do to you"

"Well, let them do what they want"

She sighed and picked up her clipboard

"Alright, now do you know the limits of your magic?"

"Kind of"

"And by that you mean?"

"Well, I can do that spell I did yesterday with Mr-Fire-Ants-in-his-pants"

"Interesting- anything else?"

"Well...odd as it sounds, I can feel emotions"

"Really?"

"Yeah- like right now I can tell you're still a little afraid of me, and that you're feeling a little anxious"

She didn't say anything- because her mouth was hanging open

"Now I'm feeling shock, and excitement maybe?"

Sady leaned back in her chair and put a hand on her forehead

"...for as long as I've worked here...that has got to be the most incredible thing I've ever seen"

'You just wait'

"Hey- I think you dropped something" I said, pointing behind her

"Hmmm?"

The brief amount of time it took her to look behind her, gold flames washed over me and I changed into an exact copy of her- uniform and everything

"I don't think I dropped anyth-"

Correction: her jaw dropped

"Oh. My. God."

I sat there with a large grin on my face

"How did you do that?"

"How did you do that?" I parroted

"How are you-"

"How are you-" I repeated

"Stop that-"

"Stop that-"

"I mean it"

"I mean it"

"...are you finished?"

"Yeah..."

I slipped back into original form

"Top that" I said

"...I take back what I said- that was the most incredilble thing I've ever seen"

"Eh, it wasn't anything special-"

The door burst open and Ants-in-his-pants stood there with a sadistic grin on his face and two guards

"Take it to Testing Chamber Six" he ordered

The two guards were about to grab me when Sady spoke up

"James, you can't do this-"

"I can do what I want, I've got higher clearance than you" he said, waving a plastic card in her face

"I'll- I'll go over your head!" She threatened

"Oh please, like he'd do anything- besides, this is in the name of science"

'Yeah right, you just want to cut me open'

The two guards strong-armed me out of the cell and into the hall, they 'escorted' me into a room with research equipment and a table with restraints.

'James' came in a few minutes later and ordered the guards to strap me down to the table, as they did, Chrysalis' words echoed in my head

'She will betray you'

If I think about it- she didn't betray me, it was my own fault; my decision to change in front of Sady

Apparently James had gotten at least a little smarter since the last time we'd met, he produced a syringe and drew blood

"That should be enough for now" he said, placing the needle on a tray

"Now onto the real tests"

I gulped

"Transform"

"No"

"Transform"

"No"

"I said transform!"

"And I said No!"

"Alright then- let's see if you'll talk after this"

He nodded to one of the guards who threw a switch

"I don't- Oh ouchouchouchouchouch! Thereitis!"

The flow stopped

"Electrocution? Do you really think that will work?"

"We'll just have to find out then- won't we?"

The electricity started again and I tried to withstand the shock

"I...used to think...everyone just thought...you were jerks..."

BZZZZZZZZZTTT

"...now...I can...honestly say...you really are..."

"Put it back in its cell, we'll take a different approach tomorrow"

'Oh joy...'

The guards unstrapped me from the table and practically dragged me back to my room

I fell onto my bed and wept

X X X X X X X

"Sam? Are you okay?" Sady asked, cautiously stepping into the room

"I was just tortured against my will- how do you think I'm feeling?" I grumbled

"Sam- I want you to know, I'm really sorry about what James did- he had no right to do that; I reported him and I'm hoping he'll get busted"

"You didn't do anything- you shouldn't be sorry for something he did"

She flinched

"That's just it, I forgot to turn off the cameras before I came in..."

I took a deep breath and counted to ten

"It's alright, it was an accident- I would have made the same mistake"

"Thank you...I hope you can forgive me"

"I already have Sady, it's alright, really"

We sat for the next few ours and talked

"-so then I said-"

"Hold on" She said, holding her hand to her ear-piece

"We've got a situation; and I'm going to need you help"

"My help? What for?"

"...you'll see..." she sighed

With the handcuffs in place, she led me into what looked like a hospital wing for injured soldiers or whatever- what caught my attention was the bodies of flesh and chitin laying on at least five of the beds.

"What- what happened to them?"

"Apparently James gave some of our soldiers your blood..." She said

'Am I sensing disgust?'

The walking goofball himself walked into the room, followed by two other scientists

"So, you did this- didn't you?"

"Yes" he said, no emotion in his voice

"And just what were you thinking when you injected my DNA into their bloodstreams?"

"Think of it! We could create the perfect soldier- one who could blend in with their surroundings, change their appearance at will!"

"Even if this did work- how would you think other countries would react to you having this kind of technology?"

"The secret would never get out-"

"Ah, but what if it did? Then you'd have world leaders vying for the secret- everyone has their price; and if it got out, everyone would be using it to their advantage- you could impersonate anyone- and if that happened, you couldn't trust anyone; nothing but anarchy and havoc"

James had no reaction to my little speech, but one of the other scientists spoke up

"Wait- you said 'if', why wouldn't it work?" He asked

"Well my blood is specific to my genetic code, if you injected it into someone else- you get that" I said, pointing to the groaning soldiers

"What you've only accomplished now is sending them to an early grave"

"It will work!" James said

"Will it? Look at their condition now- it's only going to get worse"

"That's true sir, their statistics have dropped since injection"

James turned and glared at the woman who had spoken as if to say 'whose side are you on?'

"Then you can save them" James reasoned

I sadly shook my head

"I'm sorry, I can't- even if I could, I wouldn't even know where to start"

"Use your magic!"

I turned to Sady

"You told him about that?" she smiled sheepishly

"There's no spell that could save them, the blood's already worked itself into their systems- if there is a way, I don't know what it'd be"

"I'll bet you're just lying" James said, closing the distance between us "I'll bet you're telling us all of this just to decrease our numbers, catch us off guard"

"Dude, you have no idea how much I want to back-hand you; but I won't, only because of these" I said, showing him the cuffs "-and I wouldn't just let innoccent people die, it's not because I won't do anything, it's because I can't"

"What do you care?!" he shouted "You're just some freak! Maybe this was your plan all along! Maybe you wanted me to take your

blood-"

"Let me just stop you there before I really lose my temper- I didn't ask to be electrocuted! I wasn't the one who came up with the idea to give someone my blood! I didn't ask to be put through this torture!"

After my little rant, I felt realization and understanding radiating off all who were listening, excluding James

"You still won't listen? After all I've said? You know what- fine, play god for all I care! But if, pardon me, they croak- don't come crying to me"

I turned back to Sady

"Could you please take me back to my cell?"

Sady nodded shakily and led me back to the room

X X X X X X X

"I've just gotta say- that was impressive" Sady said

"What? The way I blew up like that?"

"Well, sort-of, I've been waiting for years to give James a piece of my mind, but you gave him some of yours, too"

As we continued to talk, I heard Chrysalis whispering in the back of my head

'Be ready'

'Ready for what?' I thought back

'You'll know it when you see it'

As if on cue, a muffled explosion was heard outside and alarms went off

"What- what's going on?" Sady asked

"I think- that'll be my escape"

"Indeed it is, now come"

I turned and saw Chrysalis standing there with a portal of green fire

"I'm seeing things, I'm seeing things- right?"

"Sady this is Chrysalis, Chrysalis this is Sady"

"That's Queen Chrysalis to you" she said, ignoring the introduction

"Now hurry!"

"Wait, what about Sady?"

"Her? She is of no use to me"

"-but it would be the right thing to save her"

"You humans are insufferable, just like those ponies- Fine! But hurry- NOW!"

I ran into the portal as fast as I could, Sady hesitantly stepped right in front of it Chrysalis groaned and pushed her through with a hoof

Chrysalis was the last to go through and the portal closed, leaving the room empty and no one the wiser.

Chapter 4

"So, where are now?" Sady asked, stepping out of the portal

"We're at your house" Chrysalis said, pointing to me

"We are? Why?"

"Pack your necessities, you're coming with me"

"...will I be able to see Elaine one last time?"

"Yes, yes, there will be time for your loved ones" she said hurriedly "Now go"

I slowly nodded and ran upstairs to get everything I needed

"So...where're you two going?" Sady asked

Chrysalis didn't respond

"Are you an alien?"

No response

"I know Sam isn't an alien, but you look like one, so I was just wondering if-"

"Silence!"

The sudden volume caused Sady to flinch

"Sorry..." Sady said

A few minutes later, Sam came down the stairs wearing a backpack

"Well...I'm all ready- when do we leave?"

"Right now"

Her horn flashed and she and I disappeared from the room

"Wait- what about Sady?"

"I sent her back to her own home-" was all her response

Travelling through the portal, we arrived at Elaine's house

"Are you sure she'll accept you in this form?"

"Probably not, but it'll be easier to get all of this over with"

"Sam? I-I-Is that y-you?" Elaine asked, coming out of her room

"...y-yeah, it is"

In her defense, she took my transformations alot better than I thought she would- she only screamed twice

"Are you quite finished?" Chrysalis asked

"Um, y-yes..."

She went to hug me

"They told us you died, I-I- was so worried"

"I know, and I'm sorry- I can't stay here while I'm like this..."

"I d-don't want you to g-go...but it's f-f-for the best"

We held each other for a little longer and we finally let go

"I'll- I'll try and come and visit every so often..." I said

"Goodbye Sam...I'm going to miss you..."

"...bye..."

Chrysalis' horn lit up and I was pulled through the portal

I felt like I was falling as the portal raged around us, Chrysalis stood there as if she were waiting for a bus.

We finally stopped and I felt the cold floor as I tripped

"Here we are, Hive Sweet Hive"

I stood up and looked around the semi-large cavern, some type of bioluminescent fungus forming on the walls

"It's very...cozy" I said

"This is the throne room" she said proudly "My chambers are just beyond here, and there's the matter of where you'll be living"

"Oh, um, what exactly will I be doing while I'm here?" I asked

"I shall keep that a suprise, you will find out soon enough"

"Finally developing a sense of humor are we?"

"You shall not address your Queen that way"

"I could be wrong, but I don't think you're 'my Queen'"

"We shall discuss that matter later, right now I will have one of my guards escort you to your quarters"

She clicked her teeth and her wings buzzed, two changelings floated into the room

"Yes your highness?" One of them asked

"Please escort Sam to his quarters"

The two other changelings shot me a glare and bowed

"Yes your highness"

I followed the two out of the throne room and into a network of tunnels and caverns, it was actually very hard to keep up with them, given that every changeling looks almost the same

"This is your cave" One of them hissed

"Thank you" I said, wandering into the space

There was a little more of that fungus I saw in the throne room, acting as sort of a night- light, a small bed of what looked like grasses and hay, and that was about it.

'Wow, this is actually pretty comfortable' I thought, sitting on the bed

I stood up and set my backpack near the bed

'Well at least I won't have to worry about cleaning up'

Two more guards appeared at the entrance of the small cave

"Her Highness requests your presence in the throne room"

I trooped after them, not trusting myself with using my wings yet- no matter how much fun it seemed

Chrysalis was sitting on her throne, the guards presented me to her and left

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, earlier you asked what your duties are going to be in the Hive"

"Yeah?"

"You're about to find out, follow me"

She stood up and left the throne room, with me trailing

Once more walking through the tunnels, I noticed that there were less and less changelings buzzing around as we went

"Uh, where are we going?"

"Somewhere that is very important to the future of the hive"

I didn't understand and continued following her until we arrived at one of the only chambers in the tunnel.

Chrysalis entered and I followed

"This will be part of your duties"

Nine or ten changelings were wandering around the spacious cavern, but there were a few differences between them and other changelings, they had harlequin eyes like mine and Chrysalis'.

"These are nymphs, potential Queens to the hive"

I rubbed my eyes and saw the small changelings

"Didn't see that coming" I said "Wait, why not kings?"

"Nymphs are always born Queens" she said, as if it were obvious

"Where did they come from?"

"Nymphs are hatched from eggs laid by the queen of the hive"

"So you-"

"Yes"

"-and then-"

"Yes"

"Wow"

"I must leave, I am trusting you with their saftey- do NOT disappoint me"

"*Gulp* I won't-"

"Oh, and one more thing, watch out for Mirror- she likes to bite"

And with that, she left

I stared down at the nymphs, who were all staring back at me

'Guess I'd better make the first move'

I sat down and let the nymphs crowd around me, they sniffed at my skin and chitin, one even tried to crawl on me

'Awwww'

One of the smaller ones bit down on my hoof (as I now had no need for shoes)

"Ow- you must be Mirror"

The small changeling only giggled

"Next time ask, please?"

The only response I got was another giggle

Some of the others were probably wondering what to make of me

"Well, we've got a few hours, what do you want to do now?"

My question was answered as the nymphs were determined to show me every nook and cranny of their 'nursery'- showing where the best spots to nap were and the places that were warmest during the cold season.

"The Queen has asked me to relay that it is time for the nymphs to wash"

I jumped at the sudden appearance of the changeling

"Thanks, could you wait a moment, I've got to get them all together"

He nodded and stood by the entrance

"Alright, come on- let's go" I said, corraling them towards the door

One of them raised both her forehooves towards me

"What?"

"Up!"

"You can talk?"

"Up!"

I lifted her up and cradled her, she struggled in my arms

"Alright- let's try this"

I moved her so she was practically laying on top of my head, her forehooves wrapped around my horn as she sat on my shoulders

"That better?"

"Mm-hmmm"

"Okay, let's go then"

The older changeling and I proceeded down the tunnel, trying to keep the nymphs between us

Changelings crowding the hall moved out of our way as we headed to wherever it is we were going.

"What's with them?"

The changeling rolled his eyes before answering

Wait, he had no pupils- how did he do that?

"The nymphs are royalty, having come from the Queen"

"Does she lay eggs often?"

"I'm not sure...I know they hatched a while ago" he said, motioning towards the nymphs

"Are there any that're older than them?"

"Didn't I just say I didn't know?"

"Uh, right"

"Here are the baths, her highness said she'll escort you back"

"Thank you"

I ushered the nymphs into the cave

Small pools of water connected into a larger one, which I assume was a hot spring, given the amount of steam in the air.

Queen Chrysalis was already in the spring, along with a few other changelings; who I noticed were like the nymphs

"I suspect they behaved themselves?" Chrysalis asked

"Yep, they were angels"

The smaller nymphs waded into the shallow end of the spring and played in the water

"Mother, you didn't tell us you had company" an older nymph said

"I've never seen something like you before" another said, getting out of the water and circling me

'I'm beginning to feel like sharkbait'

The others got out and followed her, the five circling me

"You'd make an excellent meal" another one commented

"For fang's sake Gem, it's not even dark yet"

"How would you know?"

"I just do"

"Oh yeah?"

"Girls!" Chrysalis shouted

The shout caused the nymphs to look to her

"Give our guest some space..."

They shrugged and trotted back into the water

My brain was still trying to figure out what just happened

"I think we might have broken him" one said

I shook my head and walked into the water about knee-deep

"You could come in if you took those clothes off"

"N-no!" I said, feeling heat on my face

"Why not?"

"My species wears clothes on a regular basis, there's a nudity taboo; and besides, I'd be naked in there with you"

"So?"

"Long story short, I'm not taking my clothes off"

"Awwww"

The nymph I remembered as 'Mirror' splashed me, I cupped some water in my hands and returned fire

She squealed and the other small nymphs joined in on the attack- by the end of it all I was soaking wet, but happy.

The older nymphs left the baths and I was with Chrysalis and the other nymphs

"You are either very good with foals, or completely crazy" she said

"Eh, either or"

"So, are you certain you could do this?"

"I think, I mean- there's more to taking care of them, but I think I could manage"

"You passed my little test, admirable"

"I should have seen that coming...so anyway, is this the only place to take a bath? In the whole hive?"

"No, these are my personal baths, there are other springs in the hive available for bathing"

"Just curious"

"Now then, I will lead you to the nursery, you won't be needed until later"

'Way to make me feel important...'

"Alright- so what should I do in the meantime?"

"It doesn't really matter to me, do what you like- as long as it doesn't interfere with the hive"

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind"

Chrysalis led me and the nymphs back to the nursery, then I went to my cave and dug through my backpack for a book

I had just started when-

"Hey there cutie" A nymph from the bath said

"Oh- hey there..."

"Resonation, but everypony calls me Rez"

"Hey there Rez"

"So- what're you up to?"

"Nothing much, just doing a little reading"

"Well I was just about to teach training drills, want to come?"

"Uh, sure- I guess"

She beckoned me to follow and we walked into a cavern almost as large as the throne room

"So this is what you guys do for fun?"

"Not exactly" she said "We mostly just spar and practice our fighting skills"

"And nymphs train the hatchlings?"

"-that and we get to boss everypony else around" she grinned

"Right..."

As other Changelings filtered into the cavern, Rez told me all about the different classes of Changelings-if I remember correctly, there were drones, workers, Behemoths, Nymphs, and finally, the Queen.

Drones and Workers were the most common of the classes, they were the ones that kept the hive from collapsing on itself and defended it if necessary

Behemoths were massive, standing almost two stories tall and almost as wide- I assumed they were more soldier-like than the workers or drones.

I saw two other Nymphs from the baths across the room, doing training drills with a squad of their own Changelings.

"So, ready to get started?" she asked

"Started on what?"

"I get teach you how to fight for a few days"

"Uh...I don't think I should...I'm not a big fan of violence"

"Look at this! The freak don't know how to fight!" One of the nearby Changelings taunted

"First of all- it just so happens I do know how to fight, it's just for self-defense"

"Oh really? Well defend against this!"

He charged me and I leapt out of the way, he skidded in the dirt and turned towards me again

I tried to get out of the way again, but flew around me

I felt him bite down on my leg/hoof and fell backwards

He triumphantly placed a hoof on my chest, declaring victory

"Some defense" he snorted

I grabbed his hoof and flipped him over, pinning both of his forehooves behind his back

"Say uncle!"

"Never!"

"I can keep this up all day"

"No"

"Fine"

"..."

"...I yield..." he muttered

"Good" I said, releasing him "Never underestimate your opponent"

Chapter 5

"I assume your 'free time' went well?" Chrysalis asked

"Yes, it did, got some reading done- battled with one of your guards...Lots of fun"

"Resonation told me of your sparring skills"

"It was just some self-defense, nothing special"

Chrysalis snorted

'Did she just try to laugh?'

"Chrysalis, I've been wondering..."

"What is it?"

"You've told me changelings feed off of love, correct?"

"That is correct, yes- where are you going with this?"

"I heard Rez saying something about how younger nymphs feed off of something else"

"Yes, that is partially true, when nymphs are very young, such as they are, they are able to feed on Royal Jelly and Nectar"

"Oh, but I haven't been feeding them either of those-"

"They've slowly been making the transition"

"That would make more sense...um, there's also something else-"

Chrysalis put a hoof to her head

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked

"Nothing...just a small headache..."

"Well- I'll just leave you to it then"

I prepared to leave when Chrysalis called me back

"Wait- could you come back?"

I noticed she didn't command me, and asked like a normal pers- pony

"Sure, what is it?" I asked

"Let us retire to my chambers, I'll postpone court for now"

'Something's up'

Once we were in the Chrysalis' chamber- she sat down on a large bed of grass and hay, much like the smaller one in my cave

The chamber was a little smaller than the throne room itself, a worn and cracked mirror hung from one of the walls, and a small vanity made from the natural rock of the cave

"Uh...what did you want to talk about?" I asked

She was silent for a moment

"Are you-"

"Do you consider me-"

"Consider you what?"

"A- a friend?"

She said it as if it were poison

"Why do you need to know?"

"...I detest the very concept of companionship, yet I feel drawn to you whenever you're in the vicinity"

'Oh god, is she saying what I think she's saying?'

"For all intents and purposes, yes Chrysalis, I do think of you as a friend- what brought this on?"

"I have no idea...it was just nagging at me for the past few days"

"Oh, well- I'll see you around then-"

"I have a favor to ask of you"

'Again?'

"What is it?"

"I realize that you have no real place in the hive"

'Thanks for that' I thought sarcastically

"So I'm sending you out for- let's call it extensive research"

"Where to?"

"A little town not far from Canterlot- Ponyville I believe"

"Alright, is there anything I should know or am I going in blind?"

"Don't get caught"

"That's...reassuring, when do I leave?"

"In two days, be ready"

"Er, I will..."

Chrysalis shooed me out of her chambers and I went to my cave to pack

'Well that didn't take too long...' I thought, slipping a bedsheet into the backpack

"Hey..."

"Oh, hey Rez, what's up?"

"I just heard the news, congradulations"

"Thanks, it's nice here, but I think I'll enjoy some fresh air"

"Yeah...just be careful- please?"

"Uh, sure"

'I was planning to anyway...'

"-because, y'know, it'd be a big loss to...the hive...and everything"

"Nah, I haven't really done anything except probably get in everyone's way"

"Well...I'm not great with 'goodbyes'"

"It's not goodbye, just farewell for now"

"Yeah- I guess that's true...I guess this is 'farewell' then, I've got some other things to do..."

"-bye Rez"

"Bye Sam"

She left the cave and I finished making sure everything was ready for my trip

X X X X X X X

"Goodbye Sam, it's been a very...different experience" Chrysalis said

She and the younger nymphs were lined up at the main entrance to the hive, wishing me luck on the way

"Chrysalis, I can't thank you enough for your hospitality"

"It was nothing- now you must be on your way"

I nodded and turned to the vast expanse of wasteland, my wings buzzed and I hovered above the ground

I heard another pair of wings and turned to see one of the nymphs trying to follow me, flying a few feet at a time.

"I'm sorry, you can't come with me"

She shook her head and stomped her hoof in the dirt

"No"

I picked her up and set her closer to the hive

"Stay"

She stamped her hoof again I looked to Chrysalis for help

"She's too cute; can't you do anything?"

"There's nothing I can do" she said with a hint of a smile "If she wants to go with you, that's her decision"

"Are you sure? I'd think you'd want to keep all of your hatchlings together"

"True, true, butour hive has slowly begun to deteriorate, our food supplies have steadily depleted...I suppose what I'm saying is- would you mind taking her with you?"

"I'd be more than happy to, but-"

"Your Queen commands it"

"I think we've established that you aren't my Queen..." I muttered "Yes, I'll take Mirror with me"

"You do understand that it is difficult for me to make these decisions? Don't you?"

"Yes...I just wish it didn't involve separating all of you"

"You won't, we're able to detect each other- remember?"

"Yes, I remember-"

"Good- now get going"

She led the rest of the nymphs into the hive and I looked down to Mirror

"Well, looks like it's just you and me now, kid"

X X X X X X X

Mirror and I 'trotted' through the desert-like landscape, stopping every few hours to rest or take a drink of water, whenever she'd get tired I'd pick her up, carry her, and fly for a little while, then repeat the cycle. Mirror enjoyed the short flights, spreading her hooves superman-style as the wind blew through her little mane- she squealed as I did small loops and a few turns, she was still giggling as I touched back down to the landscape.

For now though, she hung around my head the way she did back at the hive, I held her in place as she snored softly- it was night-time now.

A short while ago I discovered my golden-eye can glow, sort of acting like a flashlight, my eye shined ahead, reminding me of a spot light

I continued walking as Mirror shifted on my head

I assumed it was around midnight when I stopped and sat down and leaned against one of the rocks sticking out of the ground, careful not to disturb Mirror.

X X X X X X X

The sun burned my eyes as I sat up and looked around, noticing the abscence of a certain changeling nymph

"Mirror?"

I continued to scan the horizon

'She couldn't have gotten far-'

"Mirror?"

I heard her squeak and I looked down, seeing her staring up at me; I pretended not to notice her and held up a hand, as if looking at something in the far distance

"I wonder where Mirror could have gotten to?"

I felt her bat my leg with her hoof

"I cannot seem to find her anywhere- oh what shall I tell Chrysalis?"

Her hoof hit my leg again

"Perhaps I should- OUCH!"

I looked down at her, a look of innoccence as her little mouth was still attatched to my hoof

She frowned and whimpered as I pulled her off and set her down

"I guess I deserved that, didn't I?"

She gave a half-nod

"Where'd you learn to bite like that?"

She only smiled innoccently

"Well, let's keep going, I think we might be close to a town by now"

I transformed into an orange pegasus stallion and Mirror turned into a dark blue earth pony filly

I picked her up as we grew closer to the town

X X X X X X X

A few ponies greeted me as Mirror and I got closer to the town square

'This place isn't half bad'

For her part, Mirror seemed amazed at everything, especially with the statue in the fountain

"Pretty amazin' isn't it?"

"Hmmm?"

I turned and a unicorn mare was approaching us

"My son used to get the same look on his face whenever we'd visit here"

She turned her attention to the statue and sighed

"I sure miss those days...anyway, my name's Rose" she said, offering her hoof

"Nice to meet you" I said, shaking it

"I'm- uh, Silent Night, this is my little sister, Mira"

"Good to meet the both of you- so, what brings you to Trottingham?"

"Oh, well, we're on a trip around Equestria, this was our first stop"

"That sounds nice, I might try that myself- but like they say, there's no place like home" she said, gesturing to the square

"Yeah...well it was nice meeting you"

"Likewise, I guess I'll see you around then"

"Before I forget, do you know when the next train leaves?"

"I can't say that I know offhoof, you could try asking the stationmaster, where are you two headed anyway?"

"Ponyville is our next stop"

'Sort of the truth'

"Ah, nice place, my cousin lives there now, maybe you know her- mare by the name of Daisy"

"Can't say that I do..."

"Oh, well nice meeting you, good luck with your trip"

"Thanks, bye!"

"Bye bye!"

The mare trotted away and I looked back to Mirror, who was watching the conversation with interest

"See? It's not so hard"

After exploring around for a few hours, we were on the train heading for Ponyville

"Nice place" I said as the train pulled into the station

Mirror and I got up from our seats and walked out of the passenger car, we were about to decide what to do first when a purple unicorn carrying some sort of a reptile trotted past

"Excuse me, miss?"

"No time sir, I'm very busy, you can go to the library and I'll talk later if you want"

"Uh...okay"

'Wonder what that was about?'

Mirror sneezed and nearly fell off my back

I caught her with my wing and gently set her on the ground

"Don't wander off- okay?"

She nodded

"We really need to get you to start talking more..." I muttered "So- your decision, what should we do?"

She looked around the town and pointed to three fillies playing some sort of game

"You want to go play?"

She nodded eagerly

"Okay, but no feeding- I've got the jelly your mother gave me"

Mirror and I made our way over to the three fillies

"Girls, I was wondering if you might let my little sister play with you"

"Sure mister! There's always room for one more!" the yellow filly with the red mane said

"Just be careful please, she's still very young"

"Alright! Hey- we can show you our clubhouse!"

"What clubhouse?"

"It's where we hold our crusader meetings" the white-coated filly said

"What exactly do you crusade for?"

"The three of us are on a mission to get our cutie marks"

"Oh, well I'm coming to keep an eye on Mirror, is that okay with you?"

"Sure! You can meet my family while we're there"

"What are your names anyway?"

"I'm Applebloom"

"I'm Sweetie Belle"

"I'm Scootaloo"

"-and we're THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" they shouted at once

'I may just have a heart-attack, these ponies are just too darned cute'

The crusaders took us to a large apple farm, where I saw an orange mare and the purple unicorn from before

"Hey, looks like there's a new pony in town" Applebloom said, running up to the orange mare

"Hey there Applebloom, who're your friends?" the orange mare asked

"This is- um- um-"

"Forgive me, I didn't give my name, I'm Silent Night, and this is my little sister, Mira"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Spike" the unicorn said

"Oh, so now you have time to talk?" I asked

"That reminds me! I've got to get going, I'll see you all later" she said, leaving the farm

"Somethin' tells me that pony works too hard" Applejack said

Chapter 6

After leaving Sweet Apple Acres, Mirror and I wandered around town for a few hours and found ourselves in a large building where most of the ponies in town were gathered for this celebration that Twilight mare was fretting over earlier.

"Citizens of Ponyville- I give you, Princess Celestia!" a tan mare with a white mane announced

The curtains on the balcony opened to reveal-

Nothing, no-one(pony?)

'Isn't the princess supposed to be there?'

A midnight-black pony with a pair of wings and a horn wearing armor appeared on the balcony

The first thing I noticed about her wasn't her harsh, draconic glare, or the fangs that showed when she gave an evil grin, it was the amount of emotional turmoil that was radiating off of her

-Malice

-Hate

-Rage

...longing?

Mirror shivered from her perch on my back as she saw the alicorn

I took that as my chance to sneak out of the building, just as a rainbow-maned pegasus shouted something to the alicorn

"Alright, we need to get out of here, like now" I said to myself

Ponies around town were already beginning to panic, running here and there

"Forest" Mirror said

'That might be our best choice, I heard someone say that forest is dangerous at best, no-one would follow us in there'

Then I looked to Mirror

'But then, I'd be putting her in danger, but we'd probably be safer in there rather than face that alicorn'

I hesitantly walked into the forest, it was steadily getting darker the deeper we went

"This place isn't so bad" I said

Once we were a safe distance from Ponyville, I turned into my human/changeling form

"Okay, we should be fine for now" I said

Mirror nodded and trotted beside me as we came across a river

"Should be simple enough, we can just fly across"

I picked up Mirror and lifted off the ground, flying across the river only took a few minutes and soon we were on the other side.

We didn't get much farther than that, soon stopping right after we cleared the riverbank

"Now what manner of creature are you?"

I looked around the forest and didn't see anyone around, save for Mirror

"Both wings and horn? Perhaps you are Alicorn, such as I"

'It can't be'

"I demand you tell me what you are"

"I'm not even sure what I am"

"Insolent little foal! Do you not realize who I am?"

"I do not"

"I am the bringer of eternal night- NIGHTMARE MOON!"

"Oh no..."

"I will be sure to take care of you, later" She hissed "Right now, I must take care of the Elements"

'Elements? What elements?'

"I can feel your pain, Miss Moon" I said, suprising her "You don't feel loved, all you ever wanted was to feel the joy of your subjects, like your sister- who might she be by the way?"

She glared at me before she turned into some sort of ethereal smoke and flew off

'I have a very, very, bad feeling about this'

X X X X X X X

We followed the trail that Nightmare left, leading us to an ancient castle deeper in the woods

"Be very quiet" I whispered to Mirror

She nodded as she and I tip-toed(hooved?) to one of the broken windows of the castle

Twilight, Applejack, and four other ponies I'd never seen before were wearing necklaces that were actually glowing- the glow transformed into a rainbow and shot towards Nightmare Moon, it wrapped around her as she screamed.

The beam dissipated, leaving a smaller, navy blue alicorn in Nightmare Moon's place

'Wait...who's that?' I wondered to myself

A short while later, a flash of light eminated from the room and a taller, white alicorn appeared

'Is that the princess?'

The blue alicorn trotted to the white one

"I'm so sorry, sister" she said

They hugged as Twilight and the five mares watched

'Well...that happened...' I thought, turning away from the window

I returned to pony-form and picked up Mirror

"Let's head back to Ponyville, okay?"

"Okay"

We made the journey back to town, Twilight's group beat us there and found a celebration in progress

'I think I'm going to like it here'

X X X X X X X

*Knock Knock Knock*

"What is this sound I hear? Somepony knocking at my door, I fear" A voice said, opening the door

"Good evening, miss" I said

"You ponies have come to visit me? What may I ask has made you brave the Everfree?"

"My sister and I have been traveling, I humbly ask if we might be able to stay here...I could do chores for you"

"I would more than welcome the both of you into my modest home, as for your offer- I do need a specific tome"

"A book? Sure, what is it?" I asked, trotting in and setting down Mirror "This is a wonderful home, thank you for this"

"T'was no trouble, your thanks are quite welcome, would you mind telling why you and your sibling have no home?"

"Fire, big fire- we lived in Canterlot, thought we might try living here"

She nodded sadly and gently nuzzled Mirror

"May I ask who I have the pleasure of meeting? I believe we didn't have a proper greeting"

"I'm Silent Night, and this is my sister Mira"

"My name is Zecora, Mira and Silent, might I say you seem very pliant"

"Er...thank you? Now...about your book?"

"Ah, the book I require has the necessary script, for a certain potion I may have flipped"

"Is it at the library in Ponyville?"

"Your assumption is correct, and your sibling I will protect"

"Thank you Zecora, for everything"

I turned to Mirror

"You be good for Zecora, okay?"

She nodded

I gave her a quick hug and left the hut

X X X X X X X

'Finally, the library' I thought, opening the door

"Oh, hello Silent" Twilight said "I haven't seen you in a while"

"Good to see you too, Twilight- I'm looking for a book on potion-making"

"Oh yeah? What for?"

"Just curious, I guess"

"So where's Mira?" she asked, pulling a few books off the shelves

"She's staying with a friend, I'm just running a few errands"

"Well then, here you are" she said, floating two or three books to me

"Thank you" I said, taking them

"See you again"

"Bye"

I walked out of the library with the potion books, and was soon back on the path to Zecora's hut.

X X X X X X X H

"Zecora- I'm back" I called, walking into the hut

Mirror was sitting on the floor, sucking on a bottle of nectar

"Where did you get that?" I asked

"She got that herself, don't worry yourself silly, but I'll admit that she is a smart little filly"

"Where did she get it from?"

"She plucked it from your bag, without so much as a snag"

"Sorry about that" I said to Mirror "Guess I should have fed you before I left"

"S'alright"

I took the bottle and put it back in my backpack

"What is that concoction she does drink? I've never seen anything like it, I do not think"

"It's a uh, 'special' formula"

"I shall ask you again, when you aren't such a hen, right now my potion I must mend, and to your sibling I think you must tend"

"I do, don't I?"

I picked up Mirror and curled up with her on the floor

The sound of the crackling fire soothed Mirror as she relaxed and fell asleep

Chapter 7

I opened my eyes looked around the hut, Zecora was out cold on her bed, and Mirror was dozing next to me

'I wonder if you'll ever get to meet Elaine, or any of my family...'

I gently nudged her, waking her up

"Rise and shine" I whispered, not wanting to disturb Zecora

Her little mouth widened into a yawn as she sat up

"Good mowning..."

"Good morning"

She giggled and followed me as I got up and trotted out of the hut

"So...what should we do today?" I asked

"Expwore the fowest?"

"I don't think that's the best idea...Zecora's said this forest can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing"

"Okay..."

Then, I had an idea,

A wonderful idea,

An awful idea,

I got a wonderful, awful, idea

'Could I? Would I dare to? Would it even work?'

I looked to Mirror, then up to the sky in thought

"How would you like to visit somewhere comepletely new?"

"Where?"

"Ah, Ah, Ah, it's a suprise" I said, looking back down to her

I walked back into the hut and left a note for Zecora

Leaving it somewhere she could find it, I walked back out of the hut

"All ready to go?" I asked

"Yep!"

The portal of green fire popped into existence and I motioned for Mirror to go through

She poked a hoof through, as if she were testing water

Looking back to me for reassurance, she walked through, me following close behind

X X X X X X X

"Where is this pwace?" Mirror asked, donning the form of a young, human girl

"My world- or more specifically, my hometown"

She looked to me, then at the other people wandering around town

"Where you one of these cweatuwes?" she whispered

"I was human, yes"

"Why do you look so diffewent, then?"

"It's a long story..."

"Oh...so where awe we going?"

"To visit a friend of mine" I said, walking up the sidewalk to one of the houses

"Walking on two legs is tricky" she said, almost tripping

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah..."

We both stopped, and I knocked on the door

The door opened, and a woman stood there

"Sam? Is that you? Goodness, we haven't seen you in ages- Elaine's been worrying herself sick ...going on about aliens..." She muttered that last part under her breath "Won't you come in? I'll go and get Elaine for you"

Mirror and I stepped into the house, and stood in the living room

A short while later, Elaine and her mother came down the stairs

"S-Sam? Is that re-really you?"

"It is, Lainey"

"I missed you alot"

"I missed you too"

"I'll just be upstairs if you need me" Elaine's mother said, heading up the stairs

Elaine practically jumped across the room as she hugged me

"I was so worried, Sady explained everything they'd done to you...I thought you weren't going to come back!"

"What, and leave you behind?" I asked, returning the hug

She broke away and looked down to Mirror

"And who is this?" She asked, kneeling down to her

"Elaine, this is Mirror, Mirror, this is Elaine"

"Hello..." Mirror responded shyly

"Well aren't you just the most adorable little thing!" Elaine said, scooping up Mirror and hugging her

Mirror was squirming in Elaine's arms as she tried to pry herself away

"Uh, Elaine?"

"Oh...sorry, I can't help myself! You're just too adorable!" she said, setting Mirror back on her feet

It was Mirror's turn to blush as she backed away from Elaine and hid behind me

"So...now that introductions are out of the way, is there somewhere private we can talk?" I said

"Sure, we can go in the basement- is this about your, er...problem?"

"Yes, it is...and it's not a problem"

The three of us walked down the stairs to the basement, I had to carry Mirror since I was afraid she might trip like she did outside.

I wasn't sure how to start, so we sat in silence for a few minutes

"Would it be easier for you to be in your...real form? I guess you'd call it" Elaine asked

I nodded, the flames went up, leaving me in my Human/Changeling form

"So...how did...that happen?" she asked, gesturing to my form

"Do you remember our first date?"

"It's kind of hard to forget"

"I woke up before you did...and you were covered in cuts and bruises from the accident- that's the first time I met Chrysalis, the power she gave me helped save your life- and the rest is history"

"You're this way because of me?"

"You were hurt...it wasn't your fault, it was the only way"

"I-It was my fault!"

"No it wasn't! Elaine, I swear that you had nothing to do with what happened after the accident"

"If- If you say so..."

Meanwhile, Mirror was watching the conversation with interest

"C-could I ch-change too?" Mirror asked "It-It's kind of hard standing like this..."

"I'm sorry, of course you can" I said

She sighed with relief and green flames washed over her, reverting back to her normal body

"Goodness" was all Elaine could say

"You're not scared of me?"

"No...oddly enough, I'm not- your eyes are very pretty"

"Th-thank you"

The next few hours were spent talking with Elaine about what had happened since I'd first left for Equestria with Chrysalis, and naturally, I'd talked to her about what things were like in Equestria- her reactions were suprisingly calm throughout.

Elaine had gone upstairs a few minutes ago, and Mirror and I were sitting together in the basement

"So, do you like her?" I asked

"Yes, do you?"

"I do, very much"

"Is she your special somepony?"

"Special 'somepony'?"

"Sorry, someone?"

"I suppose she is, we like each other a lot"

"Do you love her?"

"See- the thing about love is...it's not as simple as that, love isn't something you can really explain- it takes time for it to happen"

"Oh..."

"Well, my folks are going to be out for a few hours" Elaine said, coming down the stairs "We've got some time to kill"

"What should we do until then?" I asked

"I think I've got something Mirror might like" she said, heading upstairs

Mirror and I followed her

Once upstairs, I noticed that all the blinds were closed

"Figured you didn't want to get captured again" Elaine said, noticing my confusion

"...yeah..."

"Wait, what capture?" Mirror asked

"I'll tell you later"

"You always say that"

I only smiled and ruffled her mane

"Here we go" Elaine said, carrying a box

"What's that?" Mirror asked

"A game called 'Monopoly'"

"How do you play?"

'This is going to take a while' I thought

X X X X X X X

"There!" Mirror shouted, slamming her deeds onto the table with her hooves

"Impossible..." Elaine said, jaw agape "You just made me go bankrupt!"

"Is that what I did? I'm so sorry!"

'My heart just might pop if she keeps this up' I thought

"No, no, no, that's the whole point of the game"

"Oh..."

As we talked, Mirror jumped up from the couch and into my arms

"What's the matter?"

"The scary thing is on the box!"

"What?"

I turned my head and saw that 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' was playing, it was near the end of the movie where Jack was fighting Oogie in his lair

"It's alright, it isn't real" I said, still holding her "Here, I'll show you"

Sitting on the couch with Mirror, I held her hoof with my hand

"Sam? Are you alright?"

"Yeah...I'm just trying to figure this out..."

"Well- try not to think about it, why don't we go show Mirror around town?"

"Really?!" she said excitedly

"Sure, as long as you're- disguised"

She nodded and transformed into the same little girl she'd met not too long ag

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that" Elaine said

"Believe me, I'm still not used to it"

"So...where should we go first?"

"I'm sure she'd enjoy going to the aquarium"

"What's an 'aquarium'?"

Elaine and I smiled to each other as I stood up

"How about we teleport there?" I asked, offering my free hand

"Are- are you sure?" she asked, unsure

"It's safe, I've done it a few times already"

She took my hand, just like Sady, she flinched when flesh met chitin

"Are you alright?" I asked

"Y-Yes, it just feels..."

"Weird?"

"Y-Yeah..."

My horn lit up and the three of us teleported to an open room

"Why is it so dark in here?" I asked, stumbling

"Sam? Mirror? Where are you?" I heard Elaine call

"Hang on" I replied

I cast an illumination spell, the light eminating from my horn Elaine jumped as the light came up

"Freaky...isn't it?" I asked

"Yeah..."

I turned and saw Mirror standing next to me

"So how do we get out of here?" Elaine asked

"The door is right over there" I said, pointing

"So how do we leave? We can't just go, someone would notice us"

I charged my horn again, and she and Mirror disappeared from my field of vision

"What did you do?" she asked

"Invisibility spell"

"Oh"

I slipped out of the room first, Mirror and Elaine following

"Can you take Mirror into the bathroom? I'll go into the men's bathroom and change, Mirror can do that in the girl's"

I whispered

"Yes, we'll be right back"

I heard them walk away, and I went into the bathroom

Heading into one of the stalls, I turned human and checked myself in the mirror

I walked back out of the bathroom and saw both of them waiting

"Ready to go?"

"Yep"

I paid for our tickets and we entered the aquarium, which was basically a long, twisting hallway filled with tanks of gallons and gallons of water containing fish and undersea life from different parts of the world.

"This is just like the hive" Mirror whispered, amazed

"Sort of"

Mirror was absolutely amazed at all the different kinds of sea life, some of her favorites being the electric eel, some sea urchins, and the jellyfish.

Her excitement left her, however, as we approached the gator habitat

"It's perfectly safe- see? They're all behind solid glass"

"Nu-uh! I'm not going in there!"

I sighed to myself and pinched the bridge of my nose

"Okay, if you really don't want to go in there, we don't have to"

"I really don't want to"

"Alright, that means we go backwards into the lobby"

She nodded and all three of us worked our way back to the entrance of the aquarium

X X X X X X X

About a half-hour later, we were back in town

I was napping on the couch when I felt Mirror hop onto my stomach

"Sam?"

"Yes?" I asked, cracking open an eye

"I've had something I've wanted to ask you..."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can I- er, could I, um..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not...exactly- Mommy told you that we were hatched, right?"

"Yes, you and your sisters were hatched from eggs she layed"

"...but we never had a daddy"

"So what's the- oh"

Her face turned a little red

"I'm not sure...do you really think of me like that?"

"Y-yes..."

"So what brought this on?" I asked, sitting up

She was silent for a few minutes

"We've just...been together since that first day you came to the hive...and- and-"

Her words soon descended into a string of stammers and mutters

"It's alright, you don't have to try and explain"

"I don't?"

"No, you don't-" I took a deep breath "If it's really what you want...then yes"

She gasped and wrapped her hooves around my neck

"Thank you..."

"No need to thank me" I said, returning the hug

"Can- Can I call you daddy?"

"Of course you can"

Elaine walked into the room, oblivious to the situation

"I hate to break you two up- but don't you think we should go tell your parents you're back, Sam?" Elaine asked

"Oh jeez! You're right! I totally forgot about them!" I said, almost throwing Mirror from the couch "We should get over there right now!"

A short trip later, we were at my house. I hesitantly knocked on the door, it opened, and I was immediately trapped in a tight hug

"Oh Sam...thank god...you're back! You're back..."

"I never thought I'd see you again either, mom"

"Is this your mommy?" Mirror asked as mom broke away

"Yes, she is"

Mirror charged mom

"Grandma!"

X X X X X X X

"Sam? Would you mind explaining?" Mom asked, a disguised Mirror still hugging her

"Er, maybe I should tell you inside"

"Oh, of course, please come in"

Mom let me into the house, and called for my dad and sister

As soon as they came into the room, I was tackled by both of them

"I missed you guys" I said

"Where were you?" Dad asked

"I was...I was in a different world"

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Should I show them?" I asked, turning to Elaine

"Would be as good a time as any" she said

Mirror and I dropped our disguises

The emotion levels around them immediately spiked, all three of them not wanting to believe what they were seeing

"S-Sam? Is- Is that you?"

"Yes, mom, it's me"

"How- How- you...it just can't be..."

"Do you need some time to process all of this?"

"I think...yes, we do..."

"We'll just...wait up in my room"

I walked up the stairs with Elaine and Mirror

"Do you live here?" Mirror asked

"I used to, yes"

"This place is really huge"

"Well, for humans, it's just right"

"Oh..."

We headed into my room and I sat on the bed

"I missed sleeping in here" I sighed, flopping on the bed "Not that sleeping in the hive wasn't comfortable"

Mirror giggled

"What was it like? To live on that other world, I mean"

"It was like living here, except we had to disguise ourselves; basically the same"

"Wow..."

"Yeah-"

"Sam? Sweetie? Are you sure you're alright?" Mom asked, coming into the room, followed by Dad and Sandy

"I'm fine mom, really"

"We've got a lot to talk about, mister"

"I know..."

We all headed downstairs and I began to tell them all about what had happened after the accident

"That's...I can't even begin to-"

"I know, right?"

"Well, I think it's time we-"

*Ding Dong*

All of us froze

*Ding Dong*

Mom got up and went to the door

"Mom, I don't think you should answer that"

"Why?"

"I've just- just got a bad feeling"

"Emotion detector going crazy again?" Elaine asked

"Off the charts, it's like-"

"FBI! Open up!"

"How in the world did they manage to find us?"

Time slowed as six or seven armed guards burst into the house, grabbing Elaine, Mirror, and I.

"Let go! Let go!" Mirror shouted

"Scan the house and make sure there aren't more of them here" one of the guards ordered

"Yes sir!" another responded

We were led out of the house and into the back of a black van.

'...this isn't going to end well...'

Of course, of course, of course, the neighbors were out on the sidewalk, wondering just what the heck was going on

Some of the guys from the school just happened to be passing by, some taking pictures with their phones, parents were shielding their children from Mirror and I.

"What are they mommy?"

"Will they hurt us?"

"Where did they come from?"

"I'm scared..."

Through an arduously long trip in the van, we wound up in the same facility I was brought to the first time.

"W-Where are we?" Elaine asked

"This is the place I woke up in, when I was captured"

"Daddy? What's going to happen to us?"

"I don't know..."

'Wait a minute-'

'Chrysalis? Are you there?'

Nothing

'Hello?'

"I can't contact Chrysalis...we're stuck here..."

"Oh no..." Mirror whimpered

"Who's Chrysalis?"

I heard the door open

I looked to who it was

There stood Sady

"Sady? What are you doing here?"

"They brought me here- same as you..."

"What would they want with you?"

"I have no clue, ever since I quit, I've had nothing to do with this place"

The door opened again, and guess who?

James.

"So wonderful to see you again" he said sarcastically

"Elaine, you might want to restrain me" I said

"Why?"

"I don't want Mirror to see me wringing his neck"

"Well come now, we've got more testing to do"

"We're not going anywhere with you"

"Oh? I think you'll change your minds"

He motioned outside the room

I suddenly found myself staring down the barrel of a pistol

"Don't shoot, we comply" I said, raising my hands in the air

"Wise decision" he said, motioning for the guard to pocket his weapon

I walked out of the room, Mirror tried to follow me, but James slammed the door before she could reach the threshold

"You are a very, very, cruel man" I said, glaring at him

His only response was shoving me down the hall

"Here we are"

I was forced into the room and strapped to the table, much like before

The only difference being that there was a large, one way window on the opposite wall, with scientists waiting to record results, no doubt

"What are you hoping to accomplish by doing this?"

"I believe I told you on your previous visit"

"And I believe I told you that it wouldn't work"

"What do you know?"

"A lot more than you, buster"

He went from test to test, doing this and that

"There, finished"

"Can I get up now?"

"No, now comes the fun part"

"What would that be?"

"Oh, nothing much" he said, picking up a scalpel off the tray

"No. NO NO!NO!NO!NO! You are NOT going to just cut me open!"

"I agree"

'What?'

"That's what the sedative is for"

'Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohno'

He placed the respirator on my mouth, and I struggled to stay awake as the gas took effect

X X X X X X X

*Slap*

"Ouch! What was that for?" I cried, waking up

"Get up" James deadpanned

I tested my strength, and found I was no longer strapped to the table

I got off the metal table, wobbling as I stood up

I held a hand to my stomach, where several strips of gauze were wrapped

"I don't feel too good..."

James rolled his eyes and led me back into the hall

Once to my 'room', I discovered someone was missing

And by someone, I mean two someones

And by two someones, I mean a someone and a somepony

"What have you done with them?" I said, rounding on James

"I have no idea" he said inoccently

"I'm not playing around, where are they?!"

"I said I don't know"

"Tell me where they are right now, or so help me-"

*Fwip*

"Huh?"

I looked over my shoulder, a small dart was lodged in my back

"Whaaaatttt'sss goinnnngg onn?" I slurred

My vision darkened as the tranquilizer took effect

X X X X X X X X

"Ohhhh, my head..."

I sat up, finding myself in an even smaller room than before

"Mirror? Elaine?"

I growled, remembering they had been taken from the room while James pretended to have his Ph.D.

Walking to the door, I tried the doorknob

Imagine my suprise when it was locked

I punched the door out of rage, it collapsed under the force and fell to the floor

'Well...that worked out nicely'

Stepping out of the room, I crawled up the wall and to the ceiling, hanging upside down

'Now where are they hiding them?' I thought, searching the hall

The obligatory 'Top Secret: Keep Out' sign was a big hint

"Mirror? Are you in here?" I asked, pushing open the door

"Daddy?"

Mirror bounded over to me

"Are you alright?" I asked, inspecting her "What have they done to you?"

She broke down into sobs as she hugged me

She was beaten and bruised, covered in cuts, and her ribs were showing-

I felt my blood boil at the sight of what they'd done to her, I clenched my fists and tried to calm down, but with no success.

"Daddy? What's wrong?" Mirror asked, sensing my rage

"Sweetie, do you know where Elaine is?"

"I saw them take her down the hall" she said

"I want you to go find her, and both of you to stay put, okay?"

"Okay...but what about-"

"I'll be fine"

She took off, leaving me in the room

'James, you're going to pay'

X X X X X X X

James was gathered with a few of the scientists, checking the results of the latest exams

"Sir! Sir!"

"What is it?"

"There's been an escape"

"That thing got loose?"

"Yes, sir"

"Well don't just stand there! Go and find it!"

"Sir, it's-"

He didn't finish as the entire wall collapsed, revealing Sam

"Ah, just the guy I wanted to see" I said, cracking my knuckles

"Guards!" he called

An aura of golden magic went up, blocking the guards' entrance

"You're not hiding behind your guards this time..."

The other scientists were shaking in fear

I walked to James, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt

"You give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you in a coccoon right now" I growled

"Perhaps we could talk about this like rational-"

"Rational? RATIONAL? You beat a poor defenseless filly! You call that RATIONAL?!"

"I-I-I-"

"I should-"

I was stopped as I felt something in my body shift, starting in my hooves- it came up to my chest

"What's going- going on?" I asked myself

I felt my bones pop, and a white-hot pain in my whole body

I didn't even have the will to speak, whatever was happening, I couldn't stop it

X X X X X X X

Chrysalis was awaiting the rest of her council to arrive, when she felt something in the back of her head

"Your highness? Is everything alright?" a changeling asked

"I- I am not sure"

"Mother? Are you feeling well?"

"No...I am not...somewhere, someplace...something is wrong, very, very wrong"

Chapter 8

"Which way did Sam go?" I asked, running down the hall with Mirror

"I don't know, he told me to find you and stay put"

"Well we can't just let him face those bad guys alone, now can we?"

"But-"

"No buts, let's just try to find him"

Both of us continued down the hall, searching each and every room, which took longer than I'd have liked

A loud explosion interuppted our search, we ran to the source, and found a gold force-field

"Sam must be doing this" I said

"But where is he?"

"I don't know, we'll have to go around and get a better look"

We scrambled to the other hole in the wall, also closed off by the aura

I peeked into the room, a group of terrified scientists were cowering in front of-

"Is- Is that daddy?"

"I- don't know"

The creature holding the scientist was almost nine feet tall, its head scraping against the ceiling, and its horn actually piercing through the tile

The shield faltered, I took my chance and grabbed Mirror as I jumped through

X X X X X X X

"I'll ask again, what's keeping me from putting you in a coccoon right now?" I asked

He only stammered as I held him at arms length

"You st-still need to f-find your fr-friends"

"I don't need you for that, I'll just tear this place apart to look for them"

"You'll never find them on your own"

My magic faltered, and I saw the sheild flicker before stabilizing again

"Daddy?"

"Mirror? Elaine?"

I turned from James, and saw both of them standing just inside my shield

"Sam? What happened to you?" Elaine asked

I looked away from her, and focused on James

"You wouldn't do anything to me while your daughter was watching, would you?"

I glared at him, and felt him shiver in my grip

I leaned in close to his ear, so only he'd hear me

"You listen, and listen well" I hissed "You are very lucky, if you even so much as think of hurting her again, I'm going to come after you- and I can guarantee they won't be watching"

I dropped him, and he scrambled to a corner of the room.

Without a word, I teleported Elaine, Mirror, and myself to our house

"Is everyone ok- ouch!" I said, banging my head on the ceiling

"Sam? Are you alright? What happened?"

"I- I- don't know..." I said, looking down at my new form

I was still human/changeling, but at least four feet taller than I originally was; my new wings were longer and sleeker than a normal changeling's should be.

'What happened to me?'

"Who's there?" Mom asked, walking in "S-sam?"

"Mom?"

"What did they do to you?"

"I think- I think this happened by itself..."

"How?" Elaine asked

"I don't know-"

I sat on my knees, so I was almost able to look mom in the eyes

"Oh, honey..."

She wept as she pulled me into a hug

"It's alright mom..." I said, more for myself than her

Wiping a few tears out of her eyes, she walked over to Mirror and hugged her, too

"Grandma? Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine, sweetheart"

She set her down and walked back over to me

"...can you at least stay for dinner before you have to leave?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world"

"Well, why don't I go and get your father and your sister?"

She left the room, and Elaine, Mirror and I sat in silence

"Daddy? Is that you?"

"Yes...it's me"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine- just a little different"

Her little hooves wrapped around my knees, then looked up to me

It was nothing less than adorable

X X X X X X X

The six of us sat around the dinner table, I was disguised in my human form to save space

We talked about what my plans were concerning staying on Earth or not, among other things

"So there's an entire hive of changelings?" Sandy asked

"There isn't just one hive, but yes" Mirror responded

"Oh..."

"You know, I still can't believe any of this" Mom commented

"Tell me about it"

We finished the meal and soon, we were saying our goodbyes

"Promise me you'll be safe" Mom said, hugging me

"We will, please try not to worry"

"Oh, I know you can take care of yourselves, I just can't help it" she smiled

I turned to Elaine

"It was great seeing you again, Lainey"

"You too, be sure to come and visit sometime, okay?"

"I'll be sure to"

"Sam-"

"Lainey-"

"You first"

"Er, okay, uh, now that you know what I am...we don't have to see each other again...if you want to..."

"Are you kidding? After all you've been through?"

"...you saw how I changed, who'd want to date me? I'm a monster"

"Maybe, but you're my monster"

I bent over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then opened the portal

"I'll try to visit when I can, and-"

"You'd better go, you'll miss your ride" she smiled

I smiled back, and headed through the portal with Mirror

X X X X X X X

We came out the other end of the portal, on the path to Zecora's hut

I prepared to change into 'Silent Night', when I heard a voice that made me stop cold

"Creature than tallest pyre, from where have you come, emerging from your portal of fire?"

I ever so slowly turned around, Zecora was standing just beyond the doorway of her hut

'Oh no...'

"Zecora, this isn't what it looks like"

"How did you know my name? You still must explain the flame"

"You knew me when I looked like this" I said, turning into my alternate-self

"Goodness! You and Silent are one in the same! Can I assume your companion also has a different name?"

"Yes...this is Mirror, my name is Sam"

"A pleasure to meet the real you, now if you come inside, you may help yourselves to some of my stew"

"What? But- but- but- I don't get it, you're not afraid?"

"Your true form is quite the sight, but it does not give me fright"

"Oh..."

Zecora, Mirror, and I sat and ate the rest of the meal in silence, I had felt considerably better since Zecora had discovered our secret. After we had finished, I told Zecora about what changelings were, how we fed, etc. etc. etc.

"...so she told me that nymphs at her age feed on Royal Jelly and Nectar" I finished

"This may seem like a blow, but it seems your supplies are running low" Zecora said, eyeing the few empty bottles in my back-pack

"I didn't realize I was that low..." I muttered "...would you mind if I go and get some more?"

"I wouldn't mind a bit, so long as I may foal-sit"

"I was planning on taking her with me, but if you really want to watch her..."

"'Twill be no trouble on my part, now your journey you must start"

"Mirror, I'll be back soon, you behave for Zecora- okay?" I said, hugging her

"Yes, daddy" she said, returning the hug

"Alright, I'll be on my way then"

I stepped out of the hut and dropped my disguise

Fanning my new, elongated wings, I hovered above the ground and took off, the little GPS in my head directing my flight

X X X X X X X

"Your- Your highness, you h-h-have a visitor" a drone said, bowing before Chrysalis' throne

"I do, do I?" she said, genuinely suprised "Very well, send them in"

The drone stood up and left the cavern

"So wonderful to see you again, your majesty" I said, giving a short bow

"Ah, Sam, I was wonder when I would see you again" Chrysalis said "What brings you here?"

"I'm, uh, came to get more food for Mirror..."

"How is she? I assume she is feeding well"

"Yes, she is"

"Something is on your mind" she said sternly

"Yes...might I tell you in private? It's...complicated..."

"I have some time to spare, let us retire"

She led me to her chambers, and turned to me

"May I inquire what this is about?"

I took a breath and dropped my disguise, a hoof shot to her mouth in suprise

"Goodness..."

"Do you know what happened to me?" I asked

"It- It- appears you ascended-"

"I what?"

"Ascension"

I gave her a confused look

"You apparently did something to be this way, your form has transfigured into that of a Queen...or 'King' in this case"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT- are you saying I'm...I'm royalty?"

"In changeling terms, yes...though how this came to be, I have no clue"

"Mirror had mentioned how there are other changeling hives, if they can sense me-"

As soon as the words left my mouth, several flashes of light filled the chamber

'Welp, I'm screwed...'

"Sam, might I present my sisters" Chrysalis said, motioning to the other changelings

There were two Queens, like Chrysalis

"Chrysalis, what is the meaning of this?"

"I shall call my drones to prepare the meeting hall" Chrysalis said, seeming to ignore the question "We may talk better there"

"Very well" the other Queen relented

"Might I ask what manner of creature you are?" One of the two asked "You are neither changeling nor pony"

"I'm am/was human" I said "recent events turned me into what I am now"

"What is a 'hue-men'?" the other asked

"A bipedal creature, sort of an advanced version of monkeys"

"See sister? His skeletal structure is that of a Diamond Dog's" the other queen pointed

"Not quite" I replied "but that's about as close as you could get"

"The meeting hall is ready, let us depart" Chrysalis said, two of her guards leading us out of the throne room

We made the trip to a smaller cave, and began our discussion, Chrysalis' sisters asked most of the questions, and I answered to the best of my ability

Some of them were a little personal, such as those concerning my...biology

I redirected the conversation as best I could

"...and of course, there is the matter of your own hive" Queen Metasis finished

"My- hive?"

"Yes, by all means you are the first changeling King in recorded history"

"I, er, don't have a hive..."

Chrysalis' sisters went bug-eyed (pardon the pun)

"He has only just ascended, he has yet to begin his hive, Cranius"

"Oh, would you look at the time" I said, spying my non-existent watch "I'd better be getting home soon"

"I suppose we had better return as well" Queen Metasis said, standing up with her sister

"Yes, we should get together more often Chrysalis" Queen Cranius added

The three sisters shared a short embrace before departing

"So, what shall I call you now, 'your highness'?"

"Either Sam or...hmmm, uh, Morphasi?"

"It does have a pleasant ring to it"

"Oh please, like I'm king of anything"

"That will be for you to decide"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Occasionally, stray changelings will join a hive of their choosing, they may come to you, now that you have ascended"

"Just what I need right now..." I face-palmed

"You will learn, just as my sisters and I had"

I smiled and bowed, then left the outer walls of the hive, on my way to Ponyville

X X X X X X X

I trotted through town, on my way to Zecora's (disguised, of course)

"Um, excuse me, sir?"

"Hmm?"

I turned around, and saw a grey pegasus with a blonde mane, a flyer in her mouth

"Are you Silent Night?" she asked

"Yes, I am- why?"

She said nothing, and passed me the parchment

Maybe I should explain, I thought I'd try to post an ad for babysitting to help out Zecora, for all she's done for us, (or is it foalsitting? Remind me to figure that out later) anyway,

"Would you be free tommorow night? I'm terribly busy"

"I'd be more than happy to, Miss..."

"Ditzy, Ditzy Doo"

"Miss Ditzy, I'll be sure to be there early"

"Thank you! My house is just down the street from the schoolhouse, and please, just 'Ditzy' is fine"

The blonde pegasus flew down the road, just barely missing Big Mac and the applecart he was pulling

I walked back to the announcement board and tacked the paper to it, in case I got offered to foalsit anyone(pony?) else

In the forest, on the path to Zecora's, the forest was unusually quiet

'That's odd...'

I shook it off and trotted the rest of the way to the hut.

"From your trip you have returned, I expect the nectar was well earned?"

"Yes, it was- these should last awhile-"

Mirror ran into the hut and jumped me

"Missed you, daddy!"

"I missed you too, squirt"

"Didja find what you were looking for?"

"Yes, I did"

'-alot more than that'

"Hey Mirror?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to be foalsitting tomorrow, would you like to come with me?"

"Would I! Who are we going to see?"

"A mare named Ditzy's foal"

"She sounds nice"

"She was, the short time I met her"

I let out a yawn, and laid on the floor

"Well, I'm going to sleep, goodnight"

"'Night daddy"

"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite"

X X X X X X X

"Are we there yet?"

"No"

"Oh...are we there yet?"

"No"

"...are we there yet?"

"Mirror, we've only been walking for a few minutes, and we're almost there"

I approached the front door of the house and knocked, Ditzy and a small grey unicorn answered

"Oh, hello Silent, I was just about to come looking for you" Ditzy said

"Yep, thought I'd get here a little early"

She nodded, and turned to the smaller unicorn

"Muffin, this is Silent and..."

"My daughter Mira"

"That's a wonderful name...they'll be watching you while Sparkler and I are out"

"Who's Sparkler?" I asked

"She's my other daughter, she's up in Canterlot visiting family"

'Wait, why didn't they go with her?'

"Oh"

"Well, I'd better get to work" Ditzy said "Muffin, you behave for Silent and Mira, okay?"

"Yes, momma" the filly responded, nuzzling Ditzy

Ditzy did the same, and left the house

I walked into the house and closed the door

"So, what should we do first?" I asked

Dinky and Mirror stared up at me, but I think Mirror was doing it just to copy Dinky

"Your home is very nice"

"Thank you" she finally said

"Are you very close to your mother and sister?"

She nodded and excitedly rambled on about Ditzy and Sparkler, all the things they'd done together

I should say right now that I almost choked on the amount of love coursing through the air (No, I didn't feed on her- I'm not heartless, or a Nobody, maybe somewhere in between? ANYWAY-)

I played with Mirror and Dinky for the next few hours, soon it was dusk, however, and it was time to put Dinky to bed, as per her mother's instructions

She trotted out of the living room and into her own

"Mr. Silent? Could you please tuck me in?"

"Well how could I say 'no' to those adorable little eyes?"

She giggled as I took the blankets in my mouth and pulled them over her

"Goodnight Dinky" I said, trotting out of the room

I stretched as I laid on the couch with Mirror

"Goodnight sweetie"

"'Night daddy" she yawned

Chapter 9

A few weeks have passed since that night Mirror and I foalsat Dinky, she and Mirror had become like best friends, Zecora had come into town for the first time, the ponies in town (including Twilight and her friends) didn't make the best first impression- but had managed

to make friends with her all the same

Later, when Twilight asked why I didn't introduce her before, I simply replied

"Because nopony asked me"

I was alone for a few hours, given that Mirror was off with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, andScootaloo- they'd be safe on their own, right?

Truth is, I'm going out of my mind worrying about her...

Ponies were giving me stares, I've been disguised when outside of the forest, give me a break,

walking on four hooves is difficult

While on my way, I ran into Applejack and her brother

"Hey there, Silent; ain't seen ya around lately"

"Eeyup"

"Yeah, been helping Zecora alot lately..."

"About that...Applebloom's been askin' alot about going back there, an' I was wonderin' if

you'd take her when y'all head back"

"Sure, next time I see her"

Both of them nodded, and trotted down the road with their apple cart

'What have I gotten myself into?'

X X X X X X X

"Are we almost there, Silent?"

"No Scootaloo" I sighed

"But it's taking sooooooo looooooooong" she whined

'I think Rainbow is having too much of an effect on her'

"We're almost there...just a little further"

"How much further?"

I sighed to myself and continued down the path with the four fillies

Minutes later, we arrived at Zecora's hut, the zebra herself waiting inside

"Zecora, we're back" I said, trotting in

"I am right here, no need to shout, are these the two fillies I've heard so much about?"

"Yes, you already know Applebloom, and these are her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo"

The CMC introduced themselves to Zecora, and talked excitedly with Mirror about potion-making

I immediately took cover outside the hut

"Just let me know when you're done! I'll be out here checking for weeds!" I called

Needless to say, getting blown up wasn't on my agenda

Unless...naaaaaa

X X X X X X

"Daddy! Look what we made!" Mirror said, hopping out of the hut with a jar of orange-ish

liquid

"That's incredible! Did you make that yourselves?"

Zecora trotted out of the house with the CMC, and nodded in confirmation

"I understand your glee, the made it without much help from me"

"That's wonderful!"

Scootaloo only huffed

"Yeah...all of that, and we still don't have our cutie marks..."

"I'm sure you'll get them eventually" I said

"That's what everypony keeps telling us..."

The Crusaders, plus Mirror, trotted back into the hut

"Zecora..."

She turned to me

"...I've been getting more ponies coming to me for foalsitting, and I've been thinking...I feel like we've been a burden, and I still need to talk to Mirror, but...she and I are going to be moving closer to Ponyville..."

"For moving away, I do not blame, but it will definitely be a shame"

"I know, I'm going to miss you too..."

Zecora nodded, and I went into the hut to get my backpack and the four fillies

After a tearful goodbye to Zecora- The crusaders, Mirror, and I were on the path back to Ponyville

The trip was short, and uneventful, so I won't go into the details

I popped my back as we arrived at Sweet Apple Acres

"Here we are, have fun girls" I said

"Can Mira stay for a little while longer?" Applebloom asked

"I guess that's up to you" I said, turning to Mirror

"Yes!"

"Alright, but I'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

"Okay"

She hugged me, and they all ran into the apple orchard

I sighed to myself, and trotted back towards town

'Got some time to myself...'

I stopped walking, realizing I had nothing to do...at least until Mirror and the Crusaders were finished with whatever it is they were doing

I could go and visit Elaine...nah, maybe tomorrow...

Maybe go check on Dinky? Nope, she's in school...should really get Mirror signed up for class sometime...

Well now what do I do?

Somepony cleared their throat, and I turned around, surrounded by five or more ponies; two of them unicorns, two earth ponies, and a pegasus

"Can I help you?" I asked

"Yes, would you happen to be Silent Night?"

"Uh, yeah, who are you?"

"Do you have somewhere private we can talk?" he asked, ignoring the question

"Yeah, follow me" I said, trotting into the Everfree

Once I was sure we were a good distance from town, I turned to the five mystery-ponies

"Now, what did you want?"

"First we must be sure, reveal yourself"

"Excuse me?"

"Pardon, your true form"

"Ah, you must be changelings" I deduced

"Erm, yes"

"Alright, we'll go at the same time"

"Agreed"

"3...2...1...0!"

On '0', I dropped my disguise, the other changelings doing the same

"Goodness..." the first changeling said, staring up at me

"What?"

"Nothing...I just didn't expect you to be so...tall"

"Thanks, I guess, now what did you all want?"

"I believe you know"

"Um...Oh, yeah, now I remember..."

'Chrysalis did warn me this might happen'

"We are under your command" the first changeling said, bowing with the other four

'There's nothing I can really do about it, is there?'

"Please don't bow" I said, blushing

The changelings stood up

"Now, I suppose the first thing to do would be to know your names"

"Hacker"

"Stasis"

"Refract"

"Frick"

"Frack"

"My name is Sam"

"Just 'Sam'?"

"Sam is my real name, but I also chose 'Morphasi'"

"Then what shall we call you?"

"Either is fine, just leave out the formalities"

"Of course, highness"

"Er, right- do any of you have somewhere to live?" I asked

"Not yet, we must construct our own hive"

'Well that doesn't make me feel guilty, but...according to them it's necessary...'

"Alright...there's a house down the block from the library, that's a house I'm planning to buy, you can dig a tunnel that leads from there to the hive- that way, you can contact me as soon as possible"

"Very well, we shall begin as soon as possible"

"Please, take your time" I said, feeling guilty for having them build a hive "There's no rush, if there's any problems, feel free to come to me"

"Yes, your highness"

I mentally groaned and transformed into pegasus form

"That's all, I guess, see you later"

They all nodded, and we all trotted back into Ponyville, the five reapplying their disguises

as we went

X X X X X X X

The next few days went by quickly, I finally got around to getting Mirror signed up for Cheerilee's class- I went to City Hall and was able to partially pay for the house I'd mentioned to the changelings, we were currently in the process of moving in

(It didn't take very long, given that we didn't have much to begin with)

"Daddy! Daddy! Guess what!" Mirror cried bouncing into the room

"What? Is the bathtub on fire again?"

She held back a giggle and pulled a red cape out of her saddlebags

"I'm an official Cutie Mark Crusader!"

'That's so adorable, but I still have to tell her...'

"That's great! But- uh, you know, you can't really get a cutie mark..."

"*Sigh* I know, but- we still get to hang out together!"

"I'm happy for you" I said, hugging her

"Heehee, I've got to get to school now"

"You want me to walk you there?"

"Sure"

She and I walked out the front door, I checked the lock before we left, and we trotted down

the road to the schoolhouse.

~

"Alright, I'll be here to pick you up later" I said, hugging Mirror "and be sure to behave for Cheerilee, okay?"

"Yes, daddy"

"I'm sure she'll behave herself" Cheerilee said, leading Mirror inside "goodbye, Silent"

"'Bye daddy!"

"Bye! I'll see you later"

The door closed, and I turned and trotted out of the schoolyard

'Well, what do I do now?' I thought, traveling down the main street of Ponyville

I could go back to earth for a little while, but then what?

'I've always wanted to visit New York...Mirror'll be occupied at school...I guess, I could...'

Before I knew it, I was back in my house, I transformed into an older version of myself, turning my hair black, and changing my eye color to blue

I opened the portal, picturing the city in my mind, and stepped through

X X X *P.o.v switch* X X X

"Mommy, I'm hungry" Ellen said, looking up at her mother

"I know, honey, we all are" I said, comforting her

She and my son sat huddled against me, all three of us sitting against the wall of an alley

"This sucks..." Jackson muttered

"It does, doesn't it?"

"Why did they have to take our house away?" Ellen said, tears threatening to fall

"Because they can" Jackson grumbled, looking skyward

"How did things come to this?" I sighed to myself, pulling both of them closer

I looked up, just as a shadow loomed over us

X X X *P.o.v switch* X X X

'Well...it's a lot nicer than I expected' I thought, walking in the direction of Times Square

I heard someone scream from one of the alleys

Now changelings, contrary to popular belief- are able to utilize echolocation, despite being able to see in the dark.

Crazy, right?

Anyway, peering into the alley, I saw an older man standing over a woman and her two

children, holding a gun

'Ugh, muggers...' I groaned

The mystery-man pointed the gun at who I assumed to be the mother, I felt my blood boil asfear poured out of the three

The gold flames went up, and I entered the alley.

X X X *P.o.v switch* X X X

The robber stood above us, gun pointed

"I- I- swear, we don't h-have anything"

"Gimme your purse, lady!" he shouted, bringing the gun closer

Ellen tugged on my shirt-sleeve

"M-Mommy, look" she said, pointing down the alley

"This- this isn't possible..." I said, disbelieving the sight

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" the thing said, rolling down towards us

The robber turned his attention to the dalek, he swore under his breath as he backed away

'Is it- is it saving us?'

He gripped the pistol, and fired

I hugged them closer, the bullet sped towards the dalek, then bounced off of it

The mugger then turned and ran out the other end of the alley

My eyes widened as the dalek continued to roll towards us

It stopped just short of a few feet away

My brain was currently trying to figure out just what the hell was going on

The thing caught fire, golden flames seeming to burn away the shell, leaving a taller, much more monsterous creature

"Whew, that was a first" the creature said, popping its back

Its voice sounded like two people talking at the same time, except it was the same person-

'How does that work?'

The creature looked like it jumped right out of a sci-fi film, a black horn poking out of its forehead, long, insect-like wings protruded from its back, one human eye on its human head, and a larger gold harlequin eye for the other, the thing's legs began as human- then tapered into black, hole-filled hooves.

"Wh-what are you?" I stammered

The thing turned its attention to us, and I withered under its gaze

"Do you need help?" It asked, seeming to ignore the question

"N-no..."

"You should be on your way home, then"

'If we only had a home to go to...' I thought bitterly

"W-we don't h-have a h-home" Ellen squeaked

"Then I suspect you need help then, don't you?"

I flinched, then shakily stood up with Ellen and Jackson

"L-leave us al-alone, p-p-please...I'll, I'll..."

"I see, I'll go- but remember this-"

Its horn glowed, and a portal of fire appeared in the alley

"-whenever a door closes, a new one opens"

The thing walked through the portal without another word

I bit my lip as the portal remained open, less than three feet away

"Wh-what'll we do, mommy?"

'We don't have anything going for us here...and no matter how hard I try, things won't get  any better for a while...'

"What do you think?" I asked "Stay here, or go wherever that portal leads"

"Where do you think it goes?"

"Anywhere's better than here..." Jackson muttered

I sighed to myself and edged closer to the portal

'What will I do? I can't just leave- can I? I have friends and family here- but if it came here, and that portal is open...I could always come back- right?'

I took both of them by the hand, and walked closer to the portal- it wasn't hot, by any means, it was almost cold, in fact

I hesitantly put my foot through

X X X X X X X

The inside of the portal was just like a subway tunnel, except, y'know, made out of fire

I felt both of them grip my hands as we made our way through

Before we knew it, we were out of the portal, and facing the tall creature once more

It was sitting on a couch with its legs (hooves?) crossed, a small smile on its face

"Greetings, Earthling"

Chapter 10

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 11

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Chapter 12

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Chapter 13

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Chapter 14

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Chapter 15

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Chapter 16

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Chapter 17

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Chapter 18

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Chapter 19

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.