A prison of change

            Nightshade awoke with a start. His dreams were haunted by thoughts of execution and never seeing his family again. He yawned and stretched as the bed creaked, or rather Nightshade thought it creaked. The sun shone through the barred window. It was just over the horizon. The changeling noticed a tray of food next to his bed.

' I can't remember the last time I've eaten anything besides love... if at all.' He gleefully began to gobble down his meal, his energy slowly returning. Even though changelings mainly need love to survive, material food worked in keeping hunger away, at least for awhile. Soon, food alone isn't enough, that's when changelings start to wither away. Nightshade had seen this happen to many changelings while setting up for the invasion. The thought of slowly withering away frightened him. His thoughts were interrupted as the room seemed to brighten. Nightshade turned to see a guard staring from the open door.

... No, not "a" guard. Shining Armor, the royal guard captain! He gave Nightshade a glare that could turn Discord to stone as he prepared to speak.

" Hold on..." Nightshade said, " My hearing is gone."

Shining Armor looked surprised then annoyed.

"I'm just saying."

Shining Armor then asked another guard for a pen and paper. His writing was bold and confident.

"The princess wishes to speak with you."

         Nightshade slowly nodded as he was lead out to the hall. As Nightshade was led down the hall he noticed other cells full of his brethren. They all had metal rings around their horns, which was probably meant to nullify their magic. Most seemed healthy enough though a few seemed close to withering away. ' I should complain about that later. No changeling should go hungry.' Shining Armor stopped in front of a wooden door leading to a staircase. After being lead up, Nightshade was taken to the throne room.

         The room was in better shape though Celestia looked a bit tired from doing repairs among more duties day and night. Celestia sat patiently as Shining Armor explained Nightshade's condition. Celestia gave a sympathetic look as her horn glowed. 'A pony having sympathy for a changeling captain? Never thought that would happen.' his thoughts were cut short as a tingling in his ears made itself known.

Celestia then took a parchment and wrote, "That should help your hearing return faster."

'Thanks... I guess. I'd better stay on her good side.', Nightshade then asked. "What have I been called for, your highness?"

"Some guards noticed that as you were brought in, some of the changelings refereed to you as 'captain'." Celestia paused before writing, "We could make a deal."

"What kind of agreement?"

Celestia then wrote "After your initial attack, my subjects have been on edge and fearing another attack."

' ...Wow, ponies are worried about us after a failure like that? Talk about Mass Hysteria.' Nightshade asked, " What does this have to do with me?"

" You have quite the authority in the hive from what my guards hear. I can't have ponies living in fear from a mostly neutralized threat." She paused before writing,

" We are curious about your species and your abilities so if you are willing to give information on your hive and your species, we will lower your sentence from execution to twenty years."

        Nightshade stood and absorbed all the information written down on that parchment. If he agreed he would be able to leave then see his family again... if they were still alive and hadn't withered away by the time he got out. He thought back to all those changelings in the cells below him. They were starving and crowded in small cells, they deserved to be freed first but that wouldn't happen. The Equestrians wouldn't let them go on a whim.

        " I would rather starve to death then betray my kin!"  Nightshade felt a confused and agitated gaze from Celestia as he continued.

" My friends, family, and comrades are dying after that blast and even before it! You expect me to help in the destruction of my kin?" Nightshade's multiple layered voice echoed through the halls. All of his anguish emitting from his voice. Then in his fit of rage he lunged at Celestia.

         A guard tackled Nightshade to the side. He yelled as a sickening crack sounded. His vision started to blur as the blunt end of a spear come down on his head. Nightshade's mind began to swim as darkness come over him.