Chapter 1: The Queen is Dead
The Queen was dead.
Mirage stared down at the limp, bedraggled form of their beloved mother Chrysalis. Though the Queen’s chest had stop rising and falling some time ago, Mirage reached out and nudged Chrysalis’ wing encouragingly, as if that small gesture might somehow wake her from her death sleep. Already Chrysalis’ legs had started to stiffen…already her once magnificent black carapace had taken on a horrible pallor. Though the changelings begged, pleaded, and screamed for their mother to return, it was not to be.
Chrysalis was dead.
Their mother…was dead.
Changelings sobbed all around Mirage as they held a watery vigil over Chrysalis’ body. The scent of blood and death filled Mirage’s nose, and she knew in her heart that they would have to bury the bodies of the dead before long otherwise the vultures, or worse, disease might set in and claim the rest of them. So many of her brethren were still weak and injured; though Chrysalis’ sacrifice had fed them, it had not healed their wounds. They needed the menders of their hive to take care of them, but home seemed so far away.
Mirage looked around then glanced at the changelings immediately to her left and right.
Silverfang hung his head low, his single, silver tooth shining and wet with his tears. Mist Rider, his pale blue wings pressed tightly against his sides, turned his scarred face away as he tried bravely to hold back his tears. Despite his valiant efforts, several trickled down his cheeks and splattered on the dirt in front of him. He was one of the bravest of them all, and still he wept like a babe.
“Mist Rider,” Mirage whispered, her voice forcing him to look her way. “We have to bury them and return to the hive. We can’t let her sacrifice be in vain.”
Mist Rider sucked in a trembling breath, both good and blind eyes blinking back the tears. “I know. It seems so wrong, though, to bury her without the rest of the hive.”
“We can’t carry her back,” Mirage said regretfully and felt the sorrow constrict her throat. “Her weight will slow us down, and we might be hunted. We can bury her now, and once we’ve healed and recovered, we can have a proper funeral for her with the rest of the hive.”
Mist Rider stared at her miserably, but he did not refuse.
Silverfang, however, whirled on Mirage with anger in his eyes. “You want us to bury our Queen and mother in this barren wasteland? Where her carcass can be feasted upon by any matters of beasts?” His wings buzzed with stress and agitation. “How can you even suggest it, Mirage? She would carry all of us on her back if it meant we could be buried with the hive, where we belong.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Mirage hissed angrily. “Of us all, I know that the most, but we have to think about the hive, now. She would want us to leave her behind so that we can all return to the hive and to our families alive. I’m not saying it’s right, Silverfang, but we have to survive.” She pointed at their fallen brethren, the changelings that had died during the fight against Canterlot. “Unless you wish to join them in this dusty plane?”
Silverfang fell silent, his eyes darting to the dead changelings. So many had been killed upon impact, their heads, necks, or limbs breaking as they were thrown to the ground or against jagged cliffs. If only that bloody alicorn’s magic had thrown them a little further, maybe they would have landed in water, or someplace softer. But no, stone and dirt had greeted them, and so stone and dirt would act as their final resting place.
Mirage touched Silverfang’s back and walked away from Chrysalis’ corpse. She shuddered at the thought, unable to truly comprehend that their mother was dead. With a grunt, she jumped onto a large bolder, her purple wings flaring to help support herself when her tired legs slid. She turned to face the changelings and called to them. “My brothers and sisters…our mother gave her life so that we might live and carry on her name and her purpose. I know that it is tradition to bury our fallen with the rest of the hive, but we are weak, and we are injured. We must bury them here and return to our families before we too join our mother in death.”
Cries of anger and anguish arose all around her, but slowly, reason dawned on them, and the yells ebbed until only a few shouted or sobbed. Mirage bowed her head and looked at her beloved brothers and sisters.
“It pains me to leave Mother behind, but we will have a proper memorial for her once we make it home alive.” She swallowed and leaned forward. “Use what magic you have to dig holes and bury our friends. Write names on stones so that we remember where they are buried and can show their resting places to their families.” She looked around and her heart grew as firm as the boulder on which she stood. “This shall be hallowed changeling ground now. We will make it so no pony or beast will ever step upon the resting places of our families. I swear it.”
The changelings cried out in agreement and determination. Resolutely, they turned and began the painstaking task of pulling the bodies of the fallen towards Chrysalis and digging death beds for them all.
Mirage leapt down and walked towards Silverfang and Mist Rider. “We will bury Mother last so that we may all do it together,” she told them then stepped away on weary legs. She moved along the bodies, watching the changelings perform their tired and sad duties. Mirage leaned down and picked up a small changeling to place on her back.
Zapper…son of Cocoon and Quick Flit. His twin sister Zipper would be wondering where he was now. Zipper, as one of their healers, had stayed behind to tend to the pregnant changelings and the wounded. Had she felt her brother’s death? Had his parents? He’d died from a broken neck, and his leg had been shattered in the fall too it seemed. It bounced uselessly and awkwardly against her side as she brought him closer to their Queen.
Mirage committed his name and death to memory. She used magic and her hooves to open up a shallow hole that would serve as his resting place. Reverently, she placed him inside and crossed his hooves over his chest. “Rest, now, brother. The hive lives on.” Holding back the tears as best she could, she pushed the soil over the body until a mound covered him and hid him away from predators. She picked up a rock and used a little magic to carve his name into the stone before placing it at the head of his grave. As the tears filled her eyes again, she bowed her head and touched her nose to the stone. “I’m sorry.”
One by one the changelings gathered the dead and buried them, speaking silent prayers and asking the spirit of Queen Chrysalis to watch over them. Mirage buried her own fair share of siblings and repeated the names over and over again so that she would not forget them.
Zapper…Lil’ Wing…Virtue…Emerald Wave…Blue Eye…Secret….
The list of names went on and on, and as more were put to rest, Mirage walked along the stones and tried to commit those names to memory as well, but there were just too many.
I’m sorry, she said more times than she could count. I’m so sorry.
When it seemed as if their work was done, the changelings turned to the hardest task of all: burying their Queen.
Mirage lingered at the edge of the group as the changelings once more surrounded Chrysalis. By then, the sun had faded and night had started to set in. Wearily, the changelings called on their magic so that their horns glowed and provided an eerie, green light, like a handful of candles held up in reverence.
Mist Rider broke through the gathered changelings and looked at Mirage. “You should be at the front with us. She would have wanted that.”
“I don’t deserve that honor,” Mirage whispered to him as he stopped at her side.
He leaned over and nuzzled her cheek as a brother might do. “Yes you do, and the other changelings know it. It’ll be your responsibility to look after us now.” He reached down and tugged on her leg. “Come on.”
Resignedly, Mirage followed him through the group to where Silverfang sat beside Chrysalis’ head. They’d already crossed her legs and closed her eyes so that she looked as if she was lost in a peaceful sleep rather than an eternal one. Mirage could hardly look at Chrysalis’ face as she touched a hoof to the fallen Queen’s cheek. With a heavy heart, she looked up at the darkened sky, her tears blurring the blinking stars, and spoke.
“Begin digging.”
It was a silent affair, the changelings all working as one to dig the biggest grave of them all. Neither wound nor exhaustion could slow them in their task. They became a single unit and tossed the dirt off to the side, though not one speckle struck their Queen.
When at last it seemed the hole was deep enough, they gathered once more around Chrysalis and looked at each other. Slowly, their eyes turned to Mirage for guidance. She bit her lip hard and touched Chrysalis’ head. “Together. We’ll lower her down together.”
An emerald hue surrounded Chrysalis’ body, bathing and embracing her in a beautiful light. Each changeling offered power, miniscule as it might be. Mirage leant her own, and once all the changelings had a firm hold, they lifted their beloved Queen and lowered her body into the ground. The dull thud of her limp form settling on the dirt sent a shiver down Mirage’s back. She withdrew her magic, and one by one, the green lights blinked out until only moon and starlight shone down upon Chrysalis’ body.
No command was given; the changelings moved forward and began to push dirt down over their Queen. Mirage moved automatically, her mind still refusing to believe that this was it. This would be the last time that she would ever see her mother.
Inch by inch, foot by foot, the grave was filled with dirt. The mound reached the surface then rose higher as if none of the changelings wanted to finish their work because, then, Chrysalis would truly be gone. It was as they started to gather stones to place over the dirt that Mirage finally lit her horn and looked around at the changelings.
“Enough,” she said to them. “Let our mother sleep.”
The changelings shuffled away from the grave, save for Mist Rider who brought a large stone towards Mirage. “We…thought that we could use this as a headstone,” he said quietly.
Mirage looked at it and nodded. She lowered her horn and began to write Chrysalis’ name, using as much care as possible to make sure that every letter was in place. When she carved the last one, she sat back and stared at her work.
“Leave your marks,” she said.
With tiny blasts of power, the changelings left notches along the stone, symbols of who they were. The ponies might have cutie marks, but the changelings had symbols or scripts that belonged to just them.
Mirage picked up the stone and placed it next to the grave. She wished that she could put moonflowers beside it, but this land was so desolate, that the gift would have to wait until they returned to their hive. She placed a hoof on the mound then looked at the tired changelings. “We need to go home,” she told them.
There was no time to rest or to lick their wounds. They’d perhaps wasted that on burying the dead, but Mirage didn’t see it like that. They needed closure, and they needed time to come to terms and mourn, otherwise they would crumble on their long journey home.
Mirage took to the front and began walking with Mist Rider and Silverfang on either side of her. “Make sure that every brother and sister keeps up,” Mirage called behind her shoulder. “No changeling will be left behind.”
And so they began their long trek across the dusty, forgotten land. Mirage looked ahead, unable to see very much save for what the moon and stars illuminated. Chrysalis would watch over them this night, and Mirage hoped that their mother would help safely guide them home.
Silverfang limped along beside her, his eyes sad and focused on the ground before him. He flicked his ears back and tucked his wings tightly against his sides. “It’s too quiet,” he whispered to her. “And something feels like it’s missing. Something…wasn’t right about burying Chrysalis.”
“I feel the same,” Mist Rider said and glanced at Mirage. “Back at the hive, we always told stories of the brothers and sisters that died. I feel as if we should have done that for Mother.”
“There was no time,” Mirage said. “We spent enough of it burying them.”
Silverfang was quiet for a moment before he tilted his muzzle towards her. “We have a long way to go…there’s time now, isn’t there?”
Mirage blinked and looked at him then at Mist Rider. They watched her with hopeful eyes. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw similar anticipation in the eyes of the other changelings.
Closure…I said we needed closure. Perhaps this will provide it as well.
Mirage sighed to herself and allowed a tiny smile to touch her lips. “Mother would have wanted it,” she said. She looked at Silverfang and touched his side. “You go first.”
Silverfang grinned and lifted his head to look up into the diamond-filled sky. “I want to talk about the time when Mother first brought me under her wing…when I first understood what it means to be a changeling…”
Chapter 2: Silverfang the Runt
“I was the runt of the children,” Silverfang began. He let a sardonic smile touch his lips as he looked around at his changeling companions. “Fourteen brothers and sisters, and not a one of them seemed to ever remember that I was there.” His childhood had not exactly been the most pleasant, but that wasn’t why he was telling the memory. He looked up at the moon and imagined Chrysalis smiling down upon him, urging him to speak with his heart. “No one seemed to notice that I lived or had a voice, but Chrysalis…she saw…and she cared…”
~*~
Silverfang hunkered down behind a large boulder as his older brothers and sisters rushed towards Tall Tale with the rest of the changeling warriors. He pushed his too-big helmet up his face, only for it to slide down and clack him on the nose. Silverfang whimpered and rubbed his bruised snout as another changeling leapt over his head and soared into the sky as graceful as any bird.
Buzzing his wings, Silverfang lifted himself up and sat on the top of the boulder. Mother, Father, and his siblings had told him to stay back and out of the way, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t watch as their great Queen defeated Tall Tale and brought her children the food of love and happiness. Silverfang’s stomach rumbled with anticipation, and he stood up, flicking his tail back and forth.
A dark shadow crossed overhead and he looked up in awe as Queen Chrysalis flew over him, her great, blue wings carrying her to the center of town. Emerald magic shot from her horn towards several fleeing ponies, wrapping them in gooey, green tendrils that kept them pinned to the ground. The wind blew through her long mane and whistled around the holes in her powerful, black legs. She looked around and laughed as Silverfang’s father and three other changelings dragged a struggling stallion towards their Queen.
“Tall Tale is ours now,” Queen Chrysalis simpered and stomped her front hoof. “Kneel.”
The trembling stallion bowed low, and the Queen placed a hoof on his back. Throwing back her head, she laughed triumphantly and looked to the changeling army. “Feed! Eat your fill then bring as much as you can back to the hive!”
The changelings cheered in joy and rushed to the captive ponies to drink in their love. Silverfang leapt down from his boulder, but his back hoof caught, and he ended up tripping and rolling into the legs of two other changelings, his brothers no less.
Riot and Razzle, twins, fell on top of him and rolled over with yelps as Riot’s leg hit Silverfang’s tooth and Razzle was in turn stabbed by Riot’s horn. They dropped to the ground in a heap then turned angrily on their little brother.
“Silverfang!” they yelled.
Silverfang bowed his head and mumbled his apologies. “I-I-I-I’m sorry. I j-just wanted to feed.”
“Just stay out of the way,” Riot grumbled and pushed Silverfang back.
Razzle shook out his sore leg. “You’re always in the way,” he grouched. The twins exchanged an annoyed look and rushed towards a pair of unclaimed mares.
Silverfang huffed out a frustrated sigh as he pulled the helmet from his head. Why couldn’t he ever seem to do anything right? He just wanted to act like the other changelings and feed! Was that so wrong with him?
He pushed himself back onto his hooves and looked around as his brethren attacked the ponies of Tall Tale, drinking in their love and filling their empty bellies. It had been a long time since they had been able to feed on an entire town. The smell was delicious, sweet even, and it made Silverfang’s stomach rumble very loudly.
Three changelings, all of them Silverfang’s birth sisters, shoved two stallions down. Silverfang knew he wasn’t big and strong enough to take a pony for himself, so he ran towards his sisters, his wings buzzing as he flapped them determinedly. Carefully, he wedged himself between his siblings to get food for himself, but his sisters were the possessive type. Red Rain, his eldest sister, whirled on him and pushed him aside with her front hoof, her crimson eyes glinting.
“Go find somewhere else to feed, runt,” she growled at him.
Silverfang whined and tried to get closer, but Red Rain shoved him back a second time, hissing so loudly that it hurt his ears. He flinched away and headed towards Riot and Razzle again as they ate their fill from their captured mares. They stood near a precipice in the land that dropped all the way down to the sparkling waters below. Silverfang stepped carefully and got around them to a sleeping mare. Riot and Razzle were so focused on putting the other mare down, that they didn’t notice Silverfang creeping to the still pony. He leaned forward, opened his mouth, then yelped as Riot sprang at him.
“Go get your own!” Riot snapped and shoved Silverfang roughly with his hooves.
The young changeling fell and rolled while his brothers pounced on their prey.
Silverfang flipped a few times and was just about to dig his hooves into the ground to stop himself…but suddenly the land disappeared. Silverfang gasped in midair before his body plummeted towards the sand. He was so shocked that he forgot to even pull out his wings to save himself. He fell from the cliff, rolling down the wall and off of ledges. He grunted as his leg struck a stone and his wing bent under the force of another. His face smacked down on a rock, and he cried out as a white tooth flew off, leaving just his silver fang protruding from his mouth.
When he finally stopped rolling, he found himself at the water’s edge, his body sprawled limply across the ground. Cold water licked at his wings and legs, making him shiver. Carefully, he tucked his bruised and battered legs in and whimpered miserably.
I was just hungry…they never let me feed with them, he wept to himself. He should have just found his parents, but even they said it was important that he learned how to hunt by himself. He couldn’t always rely on them.
Silverfang bowed his head as a few tears slipped down his cheeks. It wasn’t fair…he wasn’t as big as his brothers and sisters. Even his little sister was larger than him. It wasn’t his fault that he’d been born in such a small body! He had a great heart, but that didn’t matter; he was useless to his family and to the rest of the hive.
“Stupid…useless and stupid,” he said through sniffles and sobs.
A shadow fell over him, and Silverfang winced away, expecting his mother, father, or siblings to start scolding him again. Rocks crunched beneath a heavy landing, and the wind rustled along insect wings. Silverfang tensed and kept his head bowed.
“I was just trying to feed,” he said. “I’m sorry. I’ll be better.”
“I’m not here to berate you,” a different, softer voice spoke.
Silverfang looked up in surprise.
Queen Chrysalis stood above him, the wind blowing through her dark, teal mane. She folded her wings along her sides and bent her legs beneath her so that she settled on the ground in front of him. “What happened, Silverfang?”
Silverfang opened and shut his mouth. How was he supposed to tell his Queen that he was a failure? That the simple act of feeding was beyond his capabilities? He whimpered and tucked his head beneath a hoof. “I…I was trying to feed from one of my brother’s spoils and I…he…he got mad and kicked me. I’m sorry, Queen Chrysalis. It’s my fault. I should be able to catch my own prey by now. I—”
“Hush,” Chrysalis commanded, but not cruelly. Her voice was gentle, full of understanding, which was not something that Silverfang expected. The great changeling leaned forward and lifted his chin so that he was forced to look up at her. “All changelings have to learn how to hunt and feed. Some bloom a little later than others.” She cocked her head. “Why do you think you can’t catch prey?”
“I…” Silverfang hesitated, but Chrysalis’ lovely green and blue gaze comforted him. He pulled his chin from her hoof and sighed. “I’m tiny. No pony is intimidated by me and…it makes it hard to hunt. I’m just a runt.” He grew quiet then sniffled as more tears filled his eyes. “I’m not good enough.”
“Silverfang,” Chrysalis said gently. She folded her hooves over each other and leaned her head down until it was near his nose. “Everyone has a purpose in the hive, and just because you are little does not mean you don’t play an important part. What you can’t use here,” she gestured to her body, “you can use here,” she added, motioning to her mind. “Being cunning and sly is sometimes more important than being big. Now come, tell me…how else can you take your prey besides using your brawn?”
“I…well…” Silverfang thought for a moment and glanced up towards the cliff. He could imagine all of his other changeling brethren feasting happily on their captured prey. Did they even care that he was missing?
Silverfang shook his head firmly.
No…no, I can’t think like that. Queen Chrysalis is expecting me to be smart.
He thought and thought, waiting for his Queen to grow impatient, but she just sat quietly beside him. Finally, Silverfang looked up and smiled. “I…I could turn into one of the captured ponies and run towards the other ones…tell them that I know somewhere safe to hide. Then when they follow and feel safe and happy, I…I can attack and feed.”
A slow smile worked its way across Chrysalis’ muzzle. “Very good, my child,” she praised. She leaned forward to nuzzle his cheek. “That is how you think like a warrior, and that is how you use your strengths to your advantage. You don’t have to be big and powerful like your brothers and sisters. You are smart, and you are brave, and that is what matters.”
Silverfang looked at his beloved Queen and felt pride swell in his chest. If she thought that he could be an asset to the hive, then he believed her. Why would his Queen steer him wrong? Hope filled him and, against his better judgment, he stood and crept closer to the Queen, thinking to nuzzle her. Maybe it would seem offensive…a lowly subject wanting to be so close to his Queen, but he had always looked up to her like a mother. In fact, in a way, she was the mother of the hive and all the changelings were her children, so was it so wrong that he wanted to be close?
Chrysalis eyed him, and when Silverfang paused in his pursuit, she made the decision for him. She swept her wing out to him close and wrapped her forelegs around him in a little hug.
Warmth filled Silverfang’s heart as he felt the loving embrace. He closed his eyes, nuzzling his face against the Queen’s chest as he sought her comfort. Her hug was warmer than one he had ever felt from his mother or his siblings. Her love felt real…undeniable, and he soaked those emotions in.
“You do not have to fear me, my child,” Chrysalis whispered to him. “All of the changelings are my children, and I love you all. It is my desire to help you become strong and happy in the hive, even if your siblings don’t think well of you.”
She hugged him again, but her hold pressed too hard on Silverfang’s wounded wing. He whimpered and looked down. The membrane was bent awkwardly to one side from his unfortunate fall. Chrysalis looked as well and she frowned deeply.
“Let me see that,” she said and set him gently on the ground.
Silverfang longed to be back in her arms, but he stayed still and watched her as she inspected him. She nudged his wings and looked over the wounds that bruised his body. Chrysalis clicked her tongue reproachfully before she sat down in front of him.
“Just stay still. I’m going to cast a spell that will help you heal,” she promised him.
Silverfang nodded, no longer afraid to put his trust in his Queen.
Chrysalis lowered her horn and let beautiful emerald magic pool around the tip. The light glistened in Silverfang’s eyes then leapt forward, wrapping him up in power that resembled a cocoon. He trembled at first at the feel, the magic tickling his body and nose. He sneezed roughly then gasped as the magic stretched out his wing and mended it. The rest of his wounds vanished and energy filled his belly…the energy of Chrysalis’ love.
Slowly, she set him back on the ground and broke the cocoon. Silverfang flapped his wings a bit and looked down at himself.
“I don’t hurt,” he said, amazed.
“I’m glad,” Chrysalis replied. She pursed her lips and reached down to lift his chin again. “Your fang is missing. I’m afraid that’s something that I can’t fix.”
Silverfang touched his mouth and sighed. “It’s okay…at least I still have my namesake, Mother….I mean…” He blushed brightly and lowered his eyes. “I…”
“You may call me mother,” Chrysalis replied with a chuckle, her smile growing wider. “I wish all of my children would, in fact. I am a Queen, yes, but I think of myself as a mother to all of you.”
Silverfang relaxed a touch and tucked his wings against his sides. “Mother…it feels right calling you that,” he admitted.
Chrysalis smiled and looked up towards the cliff. “I should return you to your family. They must be wondering where you are by now.”
“I doubt that,” Silverfang muttered and dug at the ground with his front hoof. He stared at the hole he made and sighed. “They probably wouldn’t even notice if I never returned to the hive. Mom and Dad have a hard enough time remembering us all.”
“That’s a shame,” Chrysalis commented, and where Silverfang expected sarcasm in her voice, there was only pity. She thought for a moment then held out a hoof to him. “Perhaps I can offer you something. If ever you feel as if you are being ignored or treated unkindly by your family, come to me…stay with me. You will be an adopted son of sorts.”
“You…you would do that?” Silverfang asked in a stunned whisper. No one had ever looked out for him like this. Sure, some of the changelings were nice, but more than once his brothers had told him that he would never amount to anything; he was more a nuisance than a valuable member of the hive.
Chrysalis’ eyes shined as she grinned down at him. “Of course. Now, come. You must feed.” She bent and spread her wing out to him. “Climb on.”
Rather than argue with his Queen and lose the chance to actually ride on her back, Silverfang climbed between her wings and settled down. Without a sound, Chrysalis crouched then leapt into the air, her wings sweeping and catching the wind. It carried her up and over back to where her children fed. Silverfang clung to her and looked down at his brethren. He found his sisters and brothers feeding together while his mother and father took care of another pony. Several changelings looked up as Chrysalis flew over them. The great changeling Queen landed amongst them and looked back at Silverfang.
“Go. Show them your cunning mind.”
Silverfang bit his lip and looked down at the fleeing ponies. Could he force them to trust him long enough to at least get one prey? Nervously, he climbed down and looked around. The changelings had most ponies surrounded but there were a few still scattered around. The fallen ponies were out in the open except for a stallion who was curled up off to the side, almost out of sight. Silverfang focused on the stallion’s appearance, his golden mane, brown body, and the fiery hoop cutie mark on his rump. Silverfang gritted his teeth, willing his body to change into the stallion’s form. His body grew and was suddenly filled with muscle, making him feel strong and powerful.
If only I could be like this in my natural form, he thought to himself as fur sprouted and a mane and tail rippled from his head and flank.
Silverfang scrutinized his body, making certain that not an inch of his changeling form peeked through the fur. He looked at the stallion and realized, belatedly, that he had no idea what the pony sounded like. Normally the changelings took their time getting to know the pony they were going to impersonate, but Silverfang hadn’t thought of that, and the stallion was already on the ground, unconscious. To make up for his folly, Silverfang created fake bruises along his neck and practiced a hoarse voice, hoping the other ponies wouldn’t notice.
“You’re running out of time,” Chrysalis warned him.
Silverfang looked up at her with gold eyes and nodded. “Yes, my Queen,” he said in a gravelly voice then bolted from her side.
Most of the ponies had either already been taken by the changelings or had gone into hiding, but Silverfang suspected that the deserters had not gone far. They wouldn’t want to leave their family members behind, no more than Silverfang would want to abandon his siblings and parents, regardless of how frustrating they could be.
He ran from house to house, ducking his head in and searching, but all were empty. He started to fear that his plans were for naught when he spotted three ponies darting to a house. Grinning inwardly, Silverfang ran towards them and waved a hoof.
“Here!” he called and coughed, his hoof going to his throat to massage it.
The trio, two stallions and a mare, turned quickly and ran towards him.
“Did you find some place to hide?” the mare asked.
Silverfang nodded and motioned towards a wooded patch. “Quickly,” he rasped. “While they’re distracted.”
Foolishly trusting what they thought was one of their own, the ponies followed Silverfang towards the woods, cutting themselves off from any hope of rescue. Silverfang put some distance between himself and the other changelings, not wanting his prey to be stolen from him. His brethren had carefully scouted this area, so when Silverfang and the ponies reached a cave that he knew had no exit, he smiled to himself.
The ponies hesitated at the entrance and glanced back at him. “We could be trapped in here,” a stallion said.
“I know,” Silverfang replied in his true voice and raised his horn. With a blast of green magic, he sent all three ponies to sleep. Silverfang stood proudly over his fallen prey, letting the false form slip away from him. No sooner had he stepped forward to feast than Chrysalis appeared once more at his side.
“Marvelous,” she said with a wide smile. “I’m proud of you, my son.”
“Thank you, my Queen,” Silverfang replied calmly while the child within him danced around crying, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Chrysalis looked over his spoils and nudged him tenderly. “Feed,” she told him. “You deserve this.”
Silverfang grinned and crouched down to suck the love out of one of the stallions first. The beloved nectar of life tasted so sweet and satisfying that Silverfang could have cried. This was his first prey…his first opportunity to show Chrysalis that he wasn’t just a runt. He could be brave and brilliant. Oh, he deserved this. All of this!
Silverfang licked his muzzle and went for the other stallion when he heard a noise behind him. Possessively, like his siblings, he whirled and bared a silver fang until he saw two young changelings watching him nervously. They were sisters of another pod, one that was much smaller than his. They huddled close together, their eyes lingering on the bodies in front of them. Silverfang glanced at his prey then back at the females. He should defend his food, like his siblings, but he saw the want in their eyes and knew what it felt like to be shoved away.
I can’t eat it all anyway, he reasoned and stepped aside.
“Go ahead,” he told them.
The little ones giggled and ran towards the mare, neither shoving the other. In fact, they seemed to have trouble deciding who got to feed first because neither wished to be greedy. Silverfang smiled to himself and looked up at Chrysalis who just beamed.
She bowed her head and nuzzled his cheek warmly. “You will make a fine hunter in the changeling army. Thank you, my little Silverfang.”
Silverfang basked in her attention and closed his eyes, a huge smile crossing his muzzle. For the first time in his life, he felt like he belonged.
~*~
Silverfang shook his head slowly as he finished telling his story. Changelings had gathered closer to him to hear better, their heads perked with interest. Some, he noticed, nodded along with him as if they too remembered how Chrysalis had touched their lives in such a warm, loving way. Others wept, perhaps missing that tender touch from their Queen. He blinked at them and rubbed at his face, feeling a little dampness on his cheeks.
He hadn’t realized he’d started to cry.
“I was lucky,” he said and chuckled as he thought of the fall he’d taken. “Had my siblings not knocked me from that cliff, Queen Chrysalis might not have realized the trouble I was having with my family.”
A young female moved a step closer. “What happened after that?” she asked. “Did you go back to your family?”
For a time,” Silverfang replied and smirked. “Riot and Razzle were so jealous that I’d gotten to spend time with the Queen, they didn’t speak to me for a week. My mother and father were frustrated that it had taken me that long to learn to become a hunter. I think they were jealous too, and maybe ashamed that it had taken the Queen to show me what to do. For a time, my family watched over me again, but then Mother had more children, and I realized that I would never ever have the attention I needed from them. So…I went to live with our Queen.”
Mirage smiled fondly at him. “I remember when you did. I was so angry that she had let you come into her palace, but she always told me that every changeling was welcome to be with her, despite my qualms.”
“You were quite the terror,” Silverfang laughed.
Mist Rider snorted. “She wasn’t as bad to you as she was to me. I thought she, more than my disability, might send me screaming from the hive.” He shook his head. “Had it not been for Chrysalis, I might not be alive today.”
The changelings were quiet for a moment. Silverfang looked at his dear friend and reached over to touch his shoulder. “Tell us,” he said. “Help us remember more about our dear mother.”
Mist Rider took a breath, and when all of the changelings nodded encouragingly along with Silverfang, he smiled. “It’s not an easy story to tell…But I will do my best to honor our mother’s memory.”
