Destinies

Chapters

Chapter 1: Part 1, or "The Queen/Late"
Chapter 1: Part 2 or "The Forest"
Chapter 2: "The Visitor"
Chapter 3: "Ponyville"

Chapter 1: Part 1, or "The Queen/Late"

A young changeling stood at attention, her bright emerald eyes the only source of light in the room. She didn't care, though. Even if her eyes didn't emit a tiny amount of light, she would still have been able to see. The rough mattress behind her did not enter her mind, nor did the curving walls or the small stone desk by the room's only exit draw her attention, though. She stood upright, nose pointed slightly towards the ceiling, as she often saw the queen stand when commanding the drones. She intended to impress her mother when she came for the day's training.

She stood there, silently waiting, until her eyelids resembled lead. She was starting to regret getting up so early, and her legs burned. She felt her head lowering and realized that she had closed her eyes at some point. Opening them, she realized that she was not alone anymore. The opening she had been facing was no longer empty, but was now taken up by the large figure of her mother.

"So, you think that pathetic display is going to earn you any respect? Do you think that letting yourself fall asleep just because you got up early that morning will earn you the respect necessary to run a kingdom? Or do you think that your drones will just follow you just because you love them? You have to command their loyalty!" She slapped the youngling, who straightened up, chin held higher than before.

"That's better. You must look the part if you want their allegiance. They will not give it willingly." Chrysalis stared right into the youngling's eyes and sighed. "Not that you have the strength to command their loyalty. You'll have to be smart, my child. If you ever hope to amount to anything and rule, you will have to find a method that you can actually utilize."

The young changeling's head drooped as her mother's words sunk in, but she straightened when she felt the wave of anger emanate from the figure before her. She lost her footing as a black hoof struck the side of her head, but she quickly recovered. "Did I say we were done? Did I say you could relax?" the queen shouted, bringing her face centimeters away from the youngling's face.

"No..." she quietly replied, and immediately regretted her response. She saw this blow coming, but did not dodge it, instead using the time to ensure she was still standing afterward. Green blood trickled from her nose.

"Shut up! You will not talk unless I tell you that you can. Is that understood?" The youngling was scared now. How many times had she drawn the anger of her mother? She knew there was no way to escape it, so she took the bait.

"I under-" she began, but was cut short by the pain of another powerful blow striking her face.

"No, you don't understand," the queen shouted, striking her again and again with her hoof. "You never will understand! You are too stupid for your feeble mind to wrap around such a simple concept." She struck the young creature before her yet again, watching as the youngling started wiping the blood dripping from her mouth, nose and face.

"No... Mother please, I..." the youngling started, backing away. Chrysalis roared at the youngling, and sent a blast of magic hurtling towards her. It impacted the young changeling, throwing her back into the wall.

She slumped onto the mattress, and Chrysalis slowly walked toward the blood covered mass. "You know what? I think you understand what you did wrong."

The youngling looked up at the monster above her, confused. She had never shown mercy, and she couldn't believe she would start now. Fear flashed across her face as she realized what the queen meant.

"No... Please..." she whimpered, barely able to speak. Chrysalis raised her hoof.

"I know you understand that disloyalty and incompetence is to be punished, and you know what that punishment is." She thrust her hoof down against the youngling's head. She took a step back from the twitching corpse and shook the goo off her hoof.

"Apology accepted."

The young changeling jerked awake. She rubbed her sore nose, peeling herself off the stone floor. Looking around, she pieced together what had happened, the dream fading from her memory already. She must have fallen asleep while standing at attention.

She looked to the door, and was surprised to see two bright blue eyes staring straight at her. "Ash?" she asked, and was relieved to hear clicking to the affirmative.

The changeling drone moved into the room, extending a hoof to the youngling. She took it, and stood. She extended her gratitude in the only way she knew was appropriate. The drone chirped happily as it fed on the love she felt for it.

She felt love for all the drones, but Ash was not a normal drone. The young changeling was her drone. He didn't serve Chrysalis, but instead served her, whether by choice or otherwise. The drone, just as young as she was, motioned to the door, signaling that he was escorting her to practice today, not her mother.

"How long have I been asleep, Ash?" she asked, dreading the answer. The drone didn't answer directly, and instead insisted that they should start heading towards the queen. "That's what I feared... Let's go!" They ran towards the queen's chambers, knowing the penalty for showing up late.

While running, the youngling's thoughts drifted to the drone that accompanied her. She remembered how the queen had summoned her to the throne room. At the time, it had seemed like they were going to practice commanding other changelings, but they had been interrupted by a pair of drones dragging a third, bloody changeling behind them. They were both shocked to find that, not only was his coat a slightly lighter shade than most changelings', but he was actually self-aware.

"No drones are supposed to be truly sentient," the queen had said, ordering the dark gray changeling to be executed, but the queen-to-be had stepped between them.

"Let it live, it might serve useful," she had requested, attempting to resemble her mother as best she could.

"Fine," had been the answer. "You're going to take care of it, though. I cannot afford to waste my time on such a creature." The drone had then pledged to serve the youngling, teaching her how to be a proper queen. At the time, the idea of serving had frightened the young drone, just as being served had scared the queen's daughter, but in the end, the two had grown close, the drone serving willingly, and the queen-in-training learning how to rule as a true queen should.

One time, remarking on his color, she had compared him to ash among charcoal, and thus she had named him Ash. She was still waiting for someone to give her a name, but it at least made Ash happy to have a name. Most drones didn't have a name, living and dieing undistinguished from any other drone. Only one drone actually cared, though.

She brought herself back to reality as the two entered a large room devoid of any furnishings, its black walls stretching far into the distance. They scanned the room, hoping to locate the queen before she noticed they were late. This was where the queen had decreed that they would practice magic, and where she was to be trained today, but the only inhabitants of the room had just entered.

"Where could she be?" the youngling asked, but the only response was a quiet click from Ash. Both knew that nothing good ever happened if the queen was late for something. She had never been late for practice, though.

Ash moved to the center of the room and flapped his wings fearfully. It was obvious that he didn't like the scenario playing out before them. Not only were they late, but the queen wasn't present. Anything involving either of those occurrences never ended well. They both decided to wait, but Ash was soon circling the room, his wings buzzing franticly.

The youngling looked longingly at the drone. She wished to be right up there with him, but her underdeveloped wings could only lift her weight for a few seconds before she became exhausted.

She went out into the hallway. "Maybe we should check her bedroom?" she asked, uncertain. She didn't know what to do. Should she stay there and wait for her mother to arrive, or should she take the initiative and go out and find her? Her mother always said that, if there was ever any doubt, she should follow the rules, but there were no rules concerning something like this. She cast one last look at her blue eyed companion.

"Ash, wait here. If she shows up, tell her i'm out looking for her, ok?" Ash dropped to the floor, chittering nervously. "Don't worry," she replied.

"If I find her first, i'll bring her here. If you find her first, you come looking for me." She turned and ran out into the hallway, leaving the insectoid alone in the dark room.

She ran down corridors until she found what she was looking for. Even before she had turned the corner, the light emanating from the room hurt her eyes. She slowed to a trot, letting her eyes adjust as she slowly approached her mother's room. She looked into the bright room.

It wasn't really that bright, but the dim light shining from the single candle in the small room was brightened significantly by the many emeralds embedded in the walls. It was much easier to see around this room than any others, but even her own room had more furnishings than this one did.

A single slab of dull black stone served as a bed, which had always confused her. How could the queen let her sleep on a mattress, which was actually quite comfortable, when she herself slept on a slab of rock? She dismissed the thought, bringing her attention back to the room. It was obvious that the queen wasn't here, but she did notice something out of place. She crept towards the only other item in the room, nervous.

A little black doll with emeralds for eyes sat next to the bed. It couldn't really be there could it? After all, Chrysalis had taken the doll and ordered it destroyed. How could it have gotten here? No matter. After deciding that it wasn't a trap, she used what magic she could muster and placed the tiny stuffed doll on her back. She felt the small emeralds begin to emit the magic she had stored in them so long ago. Ash had made the doll, and he had given it to the youngling when she had started having nightmares, as the similarity between it and her comforted her, as well as its strange magical properties, but when the queen had learned about the gift, her notorious rage had surfaced yet again.

"A queen does not need such things as toys to control their emotions," she had said, unaware of its storage capabilities. "If you can't control your fears, you won't be a good ruler. I WILL make you a good queen."

Shortly after, the doll had supposedly been destroyed, but she was glad to that it apparently hadn't. Not many drones were smart enough to even conceive of such a doll.

The youngling turned away from the empty room, and went back into the hall. "Where could she be?" she asked the air. She took a moment to feed on the energy stored in the doll, looking down the hallway. Trying to decide which direction to choose, she noticed a drone walking down the hallway. She ran up to him, resulting in a startled chirp from the drone. When he saw who she was, though, he attempted to move past the small changeling.

"Please," she asked, "where is the queen? I'm trying to find her." The drone chittered for a moment, trying to think. Soon, it pointed down the hall in the direction it had come from. "Thank you," she said, letting it feed on her love. It chirped happily before moving past the youngling and continuing down the hall. The youngling turned toward the direction he had pointed out.

The only thing up there worth noting was the outside. She moved up the hall, noticing how the tunnel seemed to start rising. Eventually, she came to an opening through which blinding light, brighter than any she had ever seen, flowed. She paused.

The queen had told her to never leave the hive, and the stories she had been told about the creatures on the surface had been one of the many sources of her constant nightmares. Would the queen be proud that her daughter was brave enough to outside to look for her, or would she find herself in a world of trouble the likes of which she had yet to experience? She looked around, making sure no other changelings were around to see what she decided. She sighed and decided to push through the fear. She would find the queen, and the queen would finally be proud of her daughter.

The light surrounded her as she stepped through the door.

Chapter 1: Part 2 or "The Forest"

"Dumb light," the young changeling muttered. She had stepped out several minutes earlier, but she hadn't expected her eyes to take so long to adjust to the remarkably bright light. She had been born in the tunnels, and had never left them. This was something new, and her eyes stung from the sudden increase in light.

She blinked and wiped her watering eyes. It really was brighter than she had thought it would be, but she was now able to see the ground.

She looked down at her hooves again, uncertain what to make of the situation. It appeared as if the very ground seemed to be sucking on her. She lifted a hoof out of the ground and examined the dirt on it. Unlike the dirt she found on the floor of her room, this dirt was wet. She thought back to what her mother had told her of the various strange things she could find on the surface. Only one thing fit the description. "Mud? Mud..."

Her mind raced to remember everything her mother had told her about mud. She instinctively brought her hoof her chin, but caught herself before she accidentally smeared anything on her face. Shaking the mud off, she looked around.

Her eyes were finally adjusting and what she could see amazed her. Never had she seen such colors and shapes. Thinking about the various stories she had heard, she listed off what she could see, trying to remember what each thing was called.

"Trees, leaves, bushes, berries..." she said, moving around the mound that marked the exit from her home. "Rabbit," she whispered as the small fluffy creature locked eyes with her. It stood for a moment before shifting its focus on something behind the youngling. It turned and ran, disappearing quickly.

The youngling sighed as it ran off, her gaze drifting toward a break in the leaves above her. A bright, yellow orb hung there, surrounded by blue. "Celestia. Wait... No, thats the pony that..." She lowered her sight from the break in the leaves, trying to remember.

Chrysalis spoke about Celestia all the time, and she said the princess raised the- "Sun! Is that it? Yeah! Ha. I knew I would remember." Laughing at her momentary forgetfulness, she turned around, hoping to see something else she had never seen before.

What she saw now, though, turned her laugh into a whimper. "Timber wolf." The growl confirmed her fears. As the timber wolf slowly approached her, she backed away, mind racing to find one of the many spells the queen had taught her to use if she ever had to defend herself. She remembered an offensive spell she had learned recently, but it required more strength than she had.

If only she had something she could feed on for a temporary power boost. She turned her head, aware of a pressure on her back. Fearing it was something dangerous, she was relieved to see her doll. Remembering its powers, she chuckled and turned back to the wolf.

It had gotten much closer when she had turned her head, and was now crouched, preparing to pounce. Thinking back to the spell, she crouched as well. Her horn glowed, and she felt the magic course through her. She fed on the energy stored in the doll, focusing the strength she gained into the spell. Just as the timber wolf pounced, the youngling released the spell. A large green bolt of energy smashed into the monster, resulting in a bright flash of color and sound. Smoke rose from the ground around the youngling as she stared at the flaming twigs in front of her.

"Wow," she said, sinking to the ground. "I wish someone had told me it was that powerful." The spell had drained her of what little strength she had. If not for the magic in her doll, the spell would have killed her. She sat for a moment, feeding on her doll.

Eventually, she regained enough of her strength to stand up, though it hurt her head to do much else. To fill her time, she tried to remember what Chrysalis had said about the area around their home. "The Everfree Forest," she said, thinking.

"The ponies are too afraid to come here often, and you should be scared of it too," the queen had said, almost as an afterthought while answering a question about the ponies. "Even the Princess doesn't come here. If a pony ever does come here, though, you can't let it go home. The ponies can never know we are so close to Canterlot."

The queen had continued, eventually talking about her plans to take over Equestria, but she didn't care much for conquest. She thought about the creatures rumored to live in the forest.

"Help!" The youngling turned toward the sudden sound. It wasn't the queen, but she didn't know of anything else that could be out here. She wondered if she should go back inside, or if she should help the creature. A scream echoed through the trees around her, and she ran in the direction it had come from. It needed help, and she wouldn't let its cries go unanswered.

After running for some time, she came upon a part of the forest that scared her just as much as her mother did. String spread from tree to tree, resembling a giant web. Strange white cocoons hung from the web in several places. One shifted, and a muffled shout erupted from whatever was enclosed. Before she could run to the cocoon and save the poor creature inside, though, a giant spider come crawling down from the canopy far above her. She watched in fear and horror as it crawled onto the cocoon and began to consume the being inside. The cocoon stopped shaking, and soon, wierd red blood dripped to the ground beside her.

She felt angry over the spiders actions, and instead of fighting her emotions, she embraced them. Her horn glowed brightly as her fury grew. That creature might have had a family back home. She imagined a small, young creature sitting in a dark room, wondering where her mother had gone. She refused to let it get away with what it had done.

The spider, much larger than even the queen, had noticed her and descended. It now stood before her, mandibles clicking as it considered the thing in front of it. Surely this strange, glowing creature would be just as juicy as any other meal. The youngling's rage grew as she realized it wanted to eat her as well. "No!" she shouted. Acting on impulse, she grasped the spider's legs with her magic. It struggled as she slowly pulled it apart. Soon, all that was left was the spider's body, held in the air by the youngling's magic.

A roar erupted from her as she thought about the creature it had killed. Looking around at the cocoons hanging from the web, she decided that it would never hurt anything ever again. The spider exploded in a fine mist, and the youngling took a few steps back.

The anger that had fueled her fit of powerful magic subsided quickly after she realized what she had done, and she was starting to feel the draining effects her spells had. She turned her head, looking for her doll, but found that it had fallen off during her spell casting. She had drained herself by casting those spells, and she could feel herself weakening as her body tried make up for the magic she had expended. She spun, searching frantically for the doll. She had to find it, or else she would... "Oh, my," she whimpered as she lost control of her body, flopping heavily against the ground.

Her mind wandered and her body turned numb. She should have shown more self control, just like mother had told her that she must in one of her many lessons. Her anger over the spider's actions had subsided, even as the strange red blood dripped on the ground before her face. She forced herself to focus, knowing what would happen if she didn't find something to feed on.

"Mother?" a tiny voice called. The youngling raised her head and tried to find where the voice had come from, but all she saw was the foliage around her. She felt the emotions of this creature flowing past her. It was sad and angry, just as she was, and it was also afraid. "Where are you mom? Where did you go?"

She took a moment to reach out and feed on the emotions of the creature, knowing that she needed to feed, or else she would die. It was wrong to feed on passing creatures without their permission, especially since the only emotions that really filled her were from those creatures that could think. It was a terrible breach of their privacy, but she had no choice. The moment she could feel her legs, she stood up and followed the trail of creature, hoping to help it before she returned home, annoyed by the forest. She stopped, realizing something. Turning, she looked at the cocoon the spider had fed upon, the gears clicking into place. This creature's mother had just been... She turned and ran in the direction of the creature.

When she caught up to it, she realized that it wasn't just any strange creature. The gray pegasus, whose blonde hair contained many broken branches, was surprisingly the same size as her. Never had she seen something the same size and shape as her.

The fear was evident in the filly's strange, yellow eyes, and she could feel its emotions rising at the sight of her.

"It's ok. I won't hurt you. Don't cry," she said, moving towards the filly. Maybe if she treated it like Ash, it wouldn't be afraid. It backed away for a moment.

"Please don't explode me like the monster," it said in its tiny, female voice. The youngling winced. She had hoped her brief fit had gone unnoticed.

"Its ok. Don't worry," she said, reaching for the tiny pony. It took another step back, fearful of the changeling.

"Hey, want to see something funny?" It looked up at her with its strange, crossed eyes and nodded. She obviously needed something to distract itself from the fear she felt. "Watch this." The youngling took a step back, preparing herself.

She hadn't done this in a long time. Forming a mental picture of the pony, she felt her skin shift. Even with her eyes closed, she knew the green flames around her put on a beautiful light show. When she opened her eyes, the pony in front of her was smiling. It ran forward and hugged the youngling, who now looked exactly like her, except for the crossed eyes. She had no idea how the pony made its eyes do that.

"I finally have a friend just like me," the pegasus said, tears dripping. The youngling hugged her back, happy for the friend. She extended herself, feeding on the creature's love and happiness. At least she could repay the pony for using it this way.

"Derpy! Derpy?" The two turned to find an older looking pony staring at the two of them. This one wasn't as small as Derpy, and her light purple eyes stared straight at the pair of them. It stood as tall as a fully grown drone. Her coat was a light gray, and her dark gray hair flowed a bit longer. She wasn't a pegasus, as she had no wings. She was a normal pony.

The shock of seeing the new pony caused the youngling to shapeshift back into her original form. When the transition was complete, the earth pony moved quickly, jumping between Derpy and the changeling. "Get away from her," the mare commanded, rearing up at the changeling. Derpy quickly butted in, though.

"She's my friend, Octavia."

"What? What are you talking about?" Octavia asked, turning toward the filly.

"Unfortunately, the two of them seem to have bonded. I must say, that was unexpected," came a familiar voice. Once again turning, they saw Chrysalis emerge from the dense foliage. Her enormous size dwarfed even Octavia.

"You know, I told you that these ponies can't know of our existence. Now that they do, we can't let them leave," the queen stated, turning from the youngling toward the ponies. Her horn glowed, and the youngling turned in time to see the two ponies seize up and fall over.

"Let them go!" she cried, unleashing a small blast of magic towards her mother. Chrysalis easily blocked it, but the spell she was using on the ponies faded. "Run!" the youngling shouted, throwing herself between her mother and the ponies.

They ran, and Chrysalis roared in anger. The youngling felt the anger roll off her mother, and she felt the same anger rising inside of herself. "Why are you so mean mother? They won't hurt us if we don't hurt them." she said.

"I can't let them tell their pretty little Princess Celestia about us. I can sense your anger, though. I can't believe it. You've grown up so fast." The changeling queen started to explain. "You know that anger you felt towards the silly spider?" The youngling was confused, but let it slide for the moment. The queen continued speaking.

"I knew this day would come, but I was hoping you would be a bit larger when it happened. And yes, I saw what you did to the spider. You're maturing, albeit a bit later than you should." She sighed.

"I have one more lesson for you. It's time I told you about maturity. You'll feel things you haven't felt before, my youngling. You'll grow more powerful as time passes, but as your power grows, your emotions will run rampant. The anger you feel is the most powerful of all these emotions, for reasons i'm sure you're aware of. You'll soon be able to overthrow me and claim the throne for yourself. I can't afford for you to interfere with my plans, however."

A drone trotted up from behind the queen, waiting for the queen's command. "Ash, you remember your good friend, right?" the queen asked the drone, pointing at the youngling with her hoof. Ash nodded, but remained standing at the queen's side.

"I have been working on a spell for a while now. It should allow me to control of the minds of my enemies, allowing me to take over Equestria. I needed something to test it on, though."

The youngling gasped. "You wouldn't dare."

"I already did. Now, all I have to do is deal with you." The queen paused to think about how to deal with this nuisance. "As much of a pain as you are, I have to focus on the future of the hive. You are the only heir to the hive, so I can't just get rid of you. I guess i'll have to keep you around."

The youngling stood there, both fearful of, and full of rage at the queen.

"You're the changeling princess, my dear, but I am the queen. If you want to stick around, I suggest you remember that. I know from experience you'll eventually want to take the throne."

The princess stood there defiantly. A thought coursed through her mind: Why not take the throne now? "I refuse to bow ever again, you monster. You'll have to make me."

"So be it. I have to keep you around, but I can't let you wander free." A flash of green, and the princess blacked out.

Octavia looked back at Derpy. She had promised to take care of the filly in case anything ever happened to her parents, but today was by far the worst day of her life. Not only had the filly's parents disappeared, but the filly and herself had almost been killed by whatever that THING was. At least now they were approaching home.

"Hey Derpy? Why don't you come over to my house for a few days?" she asked the young filly, looking for a way to explain that her parents had probably died.

"Can Ewony come?" was the response. The two ponies stopped.

"Who is- Wait, what?" She nearly jumped when she saw the tiny black doll hanging from the filly's mouth. "What is that? Let go of it, now." Derpy set it gently on the ground.

"Its Ebony, Octi. She's my friend. I found a doll that looked just like her in the forest." The two stood there looking at the doll.

Fear crept into the back of her mind, but she pushed it aside. The doll probably belonged to the the tiny creature they had met in the forest. She sighed. It had saved them from what had to be its mother. Octavia hoped the little creature would be alright, if only because Derpy had befriended it.

"Sure, Ebony can come along."

Chapter 2: "The Visitor"

The cave entrance loomed before the grey unicorn. He stood there in the snow for a moment before letting a chuckle drift from his mouth.

"This is where you're from?" he asked, looking around as if looking for something more magnificent. Then he sighed.

His horn started emitting a faint orange glow, similar to the orange stripes in his blonde mane. A small journal floated from his saddlebags. its simple leather cover was adorned with a single symbol: a flaming wolf head.

He paid little attention to it as it floated before him, but he finally turned his attention from the opening to the book as it snapped open. The pages turned rapidly until, suddenly, he found the page he was looking for. He read some of the writing scribbled across the paper, then noticed that a picture had fallen out of the book onto the snow.

His horn glowed slightly brighter as he brought the picture close enough to examine it. It showed two grey mares, one an earth pony with a dark grey mane, the other a young pegasi, her blonde hair matching her crooked eyes. The unicorn sighed again. "Poor kid..." he mumbled, stuffing the picture back into the journal, before closing it and stuffing it back into one of his saddlebags.

He turned his attention back to the cave. He paused a moment, thinking about something, then took a step towards the opening. Before he set his hoof down, though, something slammed into him at high speed, knocking him on his side. He had only enough time to see that a changeling stood above him before it slammed a rock into his face.

The queen stood in her throne room, two slightly smaller changelings on either side of her. One was a drone, though it was slightly larger than a normal drone and had a lighter coat. The other looked like a smaller version of the queen, though it was still bigger than the drone on the opposite side of her mother.

Chrysalis looked at the two changelings, glad to have them separated, if only by her. The two had become inseparable, and that had caused a few problems with her spell. Now, though, they two of them seemed docile, and she was able to focus her business.

"If you find the pony snooping around out there, take him down," she said, addressing the small army of drones in front of her. "Bring him to me if you can, but if he resists, kill him. Now go! You have your orders." The drones saluted in unison, and started exiting the room.

When the last had exited, the princess decided to share her opinion on the matter. "It would be wiser to take him alive, my queen. If we were to straight up kill him, we would never learn if he was here with friends, or if he is even affiliated with Celestia. He might be acting alone."

The queen turned to look at the changeling princess. "That's why I told them to bring him to me alive, if they can," was her response.

The changeling princess looked unfazed, and continued. "I know, but knowing the drones, it is likely he will be dead by the time he makes it here. That is why I suggest sending a drone or two to Canterlot proper."

The queen spun, shocked that the princess was able to consider such a thing. "Never," she shouted. "It is too dangerous. The drone might get killed." She took a moment to compose herself before continuing. "Let me explain. Now is when it is most dangerous. If the princess knows about us, and she thought her spy had been captured, she would be looking for a sudden appearance from somepony she had never seen before."

The princess looked annoyed, and replied quickly. "That's why we should send a changeling disguised as the spy himself." Chrysalis thought about it for a moment.

Suddenly, she got it. "And when the changeling got to Canterlot-" she began, but the princess interrupted.

"Princess Celestia would think it was the spy she sent. She would never know he was actually captured or killed."

Chrysalis was impressed. The princess sure had learned well, even if her loyalty was only guaranteed by the spell. "For this to work, though, we need him alive, at least for now."

The princess was about to say something else, but a drone suddenly ran into the room, chittering excitedly.

"What is it? Can't you see we're planning things?" The queen shouted at the drone, but it didn't faze him. He kept pointing to the door, wings buzzing.

"What's got him so excited, Chrysalis?" the princess asked, but the queen was having trouble making it out. Finally, it clicked when two drones came in, dragging a pony behind them. It was a unicorn, with an orange and yellow mane and a grey coat. Blood trickled from a wound next to his horn, and he was unconscious.

The queen put the pieces together and laughed at the picture. "He never had time to fight back, did he?" she asked, motioning toward the wound on his head. "Nice work. I don't think he expected us to come out there and get him. Take him to my room. Make sure he stays there until I get there." The drones dragged him off, and the queen turned back to her daughter.

"What were you going to say, my dear?" she asked.

The princess pointed to Ash, who was still sitting on the other side of the queen, and said, "I volunteer Ash to take his place in Canterlot." The queen laughed. Now she had a way of keeping the two changelings apart. Everything was turning out perfect.

"That sounds like a good idea."

The unicorn awoke in the dark. He couldn't see anything. Feeling around the floor, he realized he was likely underground. His head was throbbing. Suddenly, everything came back to him.

"Oh, come on! For crying out loud!" he shouted, slowly working himself to a sitting position. When he had finally worked himself into position, he took a moment to look around and realized that it wasn't completely dark. Emeralds along each of the walls seemed to emit a soft green glow, but it was only enough to illuminate the boundaries of the room. The unicorn turned to the darkest spot he could see, assuming it to be a door, and started talking.

"I know you guys are out there. What are you, changelings? Mind if I cast a light spell or something? I can't see anything." When he didn't get a reply, he decided to go for it. His horn began to glow, dimly at first, but eventually the light grew to the point where he could see around the room. It was a simple room, with a stone slab at one end, and a door at the other.

Through the door, he could see two pairs of bright blue eyes staring back at him.

"Ok," he mumbled. "One door, underground, and at least two guards. Oh well, things can't get any worse." A sudden voice startled him.

"I'm sorry to break the news, spy, but things just got a whole lot worse for you. As for me, though," a large - no, huge - changeling said, stepping into the doorway, "things just got very interesting." The unicorn was obviously unnerved. The changelings voice was strange. It sounded like many different ponies were talking at the same time, all overlaid on top of each other. There was only one changeling talking though. She was also so big. She had to be the size of Celestia.

"OK, miss..." he began, doing his best to sound calm.

"The would be Queen Chrysalis, spy," was the response.

"You think i'm a spy?" he asked, and Chrysalis laughed.

"Of course! Why else would you be snooping around our home?" She fully entered the room and was quickly flanked by two more changelings.

One was a smaller version of the queen. It looked slightly larger than he was, but the changeling on the other side of the queen was exactly the same size as him. It resembled the changeling that had attacked him outside, but this one was actually a dark grey, not black.

"Ok, then. Maybe I can explain myself. I'm not a spy, i'm a teacher," he began, but the queens horn began to glow green, and his saddlebags drifted in. They dropped to the ground, but a single book stayed floating in the air. His journal!

"How do you explain this, then?" the queen asked, motioning to the book as it opened to a page with several drawings of changelings and notes about their powers and how dangerous they are. He was about to explain, when he noticed the queen wasn't motioning to the book, but to picture that had fallen out. He lifted it close using his magic and realized just which picture it was.

"Octavia and... well, I don't know what they call her here. Either Bubbles, or Ditzy. Maybe Derpy." He paused, staring at the picture.

A single tear dripped down his cheek before he snatched the book from the queen's magic, stuffed the picture into the open page, and slammed the book closed. A moment passed as he set the journal gently down on the stone slab behind him, then turned to face the queen. "The book is mine, now. It used to belong to a friend of mine, but now it's mine. The picture, though... It's not mine."

"Who's is it, then?" she asked, prying for any information she could get, but it was too late. The unicorn trotted to the slab, and sat down.

"I... I'm done talking to you. You'll have to kill me, or you can talk to me tomorrow. I..." Suddenly he laughed. "You asked the wrong question." The queen's horn started glowing a bit brighter, and she might have been preparing to kill him, but suddenly, the smaller version of the queen, obviously another female, stepped between them.

"Let me talk to him. If nothing else, I can get Ash prepared for his mission." The queen eyed the other changelings suspiciously, but eventually consented.

"You have 15 minutes to either get some information out of him, or get Ash ready. I want to see his impression before he goes to Canterlot," the queen said before turning and exiting. The grey changeling stepped out the door, but it was obvious he was still nearby, and the other changeling approached the unicorn.

"Hello. Maybe we can start this conversation over, so let me start. I am-" She began, but the unicorn cut her off.

"I know who you are, princess. I know almost everything about you, thanks to our mutual friend." The princess was surprised, and she was obviously caught off guard.

"How could Derpy know-" she tried to ask, but she suddenly cried out, reaching for her head. A simultaneous cry from outside the hallway proved that spell had chosen that precise moment to start failing. He rushed over to the princess and raised her chin with a hoof.

"I need you to listen to me very carefully. Derpy doesn't know any of it, but I do. I do not serve Princess Celestia, but she just became my boss in Canterlot. I'm not a spy, i'm a teacher, and I have something very important to teach you." The unicorn looked out the door, then back into the princess's face. "Call Ash in here. Make him focus on you. Make him focus on the feelings you make him feel, and you do the same for him. The moment you two are free of the spell the queen cast on you, grab my book and run. Make sure you have the picture, you might need it. Meet me in Canterlot when you get the chance."

The unicorn stepped back as the princess stared at him for a moment, then took his advice. When she told Ash what to do, a bolt of lightning flashed across the room and connected both of their horns for a moment. When the moment passed, a little heart was floating around the room, which the unicorn quickly waved away.

As the two changelings gathered their wits the unicorn put up a temporary force field to keep the changelings outside from coming in and killing them, because it was obvious they knew something was up.

As they smashed against the transparent, orange wall, the unicorn rushed over to the two changelings and said to them, "You have no reason to trust me, but if you don't all three of us are dead." He turned to Ash, who had recovered faster and was now helping the princess up. "I know you can reinforce that shield. You don't know much magic, but I know you know that spell." The drone nodded, and moved over to the forcefield. A purple beam streamed from Ash's small horn into the orange forcefield, causing it to have a purplish overglow.

As Ash walked back to unicorn, the princess asked him what they were supposed to do now.

"I guess we run away to Canterlot? What about the other changelings? And if you know that much about me, you must know about the invasion my mother is planning." She paused. "And I still don't trust you, just so you know. I don't even know your name!" The unicorn stopped, thinking.

"I don't have a name in this world, but I guess you can call me Brimstone. How about Brimstone Blaze? Yeah," he said smiling. "I like that name." Suddenly, he disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the two changelings alone. They turned toward the forcefield and noticed the queen was standing outside.

"And what do you two think you're going to do now, hmm?" she asked.

The princess began preparing a simple mass knockout spell as she walked over to the doorway.

"We are going to Canterlot, my queen. I guess i'll go talk to Derpy and see how she's doing."

Chapter 3: "Ponyville"

Snow drifted through the air. It wasn't something most ponies would find strange. It was, after all, the middle of winter. Everypony was safe inside their houses, surrounded by their families, drinking cocoa, and sitting beside the fire. At least, most ponies were.

In a small town a day's travel from Canterlot, a cloaked stallion trotted through the thick snow. He paused for a moment in front of a large tree at the edge of the little town. On any map, the town was called Ponyville, but the only reason it was on a map was now towering above the stallion.

His hood fell back to reveal a gray horn, a blonde mane with a winding streak of orange running through it, and golden eyes. He was young, and his unsteady gait showed it.

He walked slowly up to the door in the side of the great tree. A golden plaque had been installed over the door, which read "Golden Oak Library." As the pony approached the door, he raised a hoof to knock, but quickly realized his mistake as he fell forward into the snow. He slowly made his way back to a standing position. This time, he carefully raised his hoof and knocked.

He waited for what felt like an eternity before his ears perked up at the sound of a door lock being undone. The top half of the door swung towards the young stallion, whose reaction involved falling backward, his hooves failing him once again.

A dark pinkish head popped out of the door, followed by two rose colored pigtails.

"Are you alright?" the pony in the door asked, curly pigtails bobbing slightly at each word. The stallion slowly worked his way back to standing, ignoring the pony's question. When he was certain he wouldn't fall again, he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking past the pony at her pigtails. "I'm alright, just confused. Who are you? I thought someone else was living here." The pony in the door laughed.

"It's ok, sweetie. I'm Miss Cheerilee. And no, I don't live here." She caught the confused look on the stallion's face and laughed. "No, i'm not a thief. I'm foalsitting for my sister, though my charge isn't really a foal any more." She undid the latch on the bottom half of the door. "Come on in. You must be cold out there."

As the stallion walked in, he thanked her, but couldn't keep his eyes off her pigtails. "Thank you for letting me in, but i'm actually confused by your hairstyle. I thought you let your hair hang down." Cheerilee looked at the stranger, trying to tell if she knew him, or how he could know her.

"Well, yes. I do normally leave my hair down. Octavia suggested I put my hair up for Derpy. She seems to like it." She paused, scanning the stallion for any feature she recognized. "Do I know you?" she asked.

The stallion was now looking around the main room in the tree. It was a library in a tree. It was a simple fact, yet it blew his mind. When he got over the fact that the library had been grown, he turned to face the pony.

"No, actually, though i've heard of you. Octavia told me about you in the brief time I got to talk to her." Cheerilee looked shocked.

"What is a Canterlot pony like yourself doing here? I can't think of a single reason anypony would come here, especially if you're from the castle itself." She chuckled, remembering something. "When she said she was performing for Celestia herself this week, I knew I couldn't trust her. Come one, tell me the truth. Who are you?"

The stallion cracked a smile. He began to explain. "She didn't lie, actually. I just happened to pop up in the middle of one of her sessions." He winced suddenly, and chuckled. "Since she's your sister, I guess you've probably heard what it sound like when she messes up." He laughed for a moment. "You should have seen her face. As for who I am-"

Cheerilee interrupted him, realising he had said something weird. "You said someone else, not somepony... Why?"

The unicorn frowned, sighed, and continued.

"Miss Cheerilee, we're both teachers, but what do you know about mirror universes?"

Ash stood in the snow. At least, he thought it was snow. It was certainly cold, white, and melted if you let it warm up, but he could never be certain about these things.

That was because he had never had the lessons his sister had. The princess had been given lesson nearly every day of her life, but he was just a drone. Sure, the queen had taught him a few magical tricks, like the powerful overshield used to amplify a standard force field, but he had never been taught about the real world. He had spent all his life in the caves the hive used as a home. Yes, he had gone outside once, but even then, he had been under the control of his mother's mind control spell. His only real knowledge about the outside world had come from when he eavesdropped on the princess's lessons. Only once had he ever even heard about snow, and Chrysalis had been talking about how to recognise it.

Now, he was walking through the powdery white stuff, shivering occasionally as snow sometimes found its way into the holes in his legs.

"If only I could see the Sun," he heard his sister mumble. He looked at her. She was staring up, looking for something. He looked up, but all he could see was the brown of the roof.

It was weird to see all those brown columns connected to an uneven roof, but whoever had carved this cave had somehow made the columns withstand the weight of all that stone. Maybe this strange brown rock was not heavy?

"Hey Ash?" his sister called. "Mind going up there and looking for the Sun?" He looked at her, and nodded his head, but she couldn't have missed the look of confusion on his face. "It's the big yellow ball up there, beyond the canopy."

He looked back up. So, the brown up there was called a canopy, and there was a big yellow ball called the Sun behind it? He hoped this canopy could be moved easily. He took off, moving quickly upward.

He paused at the edge of the canopy, and noticed a small gap in it. He could fit through it, just barely, and there was something behind it. It looked blue, like a drone's eyes. He squeezed into the gap, but when his head popped out the other side, he stopped.

The roof above the canopy stretched forever. He had a strange feeling, like he might fall up into that huge blueness that was the... he realized he didn't even know what it was. He got a grip on his senses.

The longer he was up here, the more time something could happen to the princess. He spun his head, but that only made him dizzy. That roof was really weird. The canopy didn't help either. It stretched forever, as far as he could see.

He kept looking, and finally spotted the sun. It really was a just huge yellow ball. He looked at it, and imagined he could see it moving slowly toward the canopy.

He went back down to the princess and stood there for a moment, realizing he liked the ground and snow a lot better than up there.

"Which direction is it?" the princess asked, focusing Ash's attention. He pointed in the rough direction he had seen it. "So that means that way is west?" she asked, but Ash could only try to memorize what she was saying.

West is a direction, he thought, and the Sun is in the west. How useful.

"Wait... was the Sun setting or rising?" Ash looked at the princess. Setting? Rising? She sighed, then said "Was it going up or down?" Ash thought, then pointed toward the ground. "That means it was setting, and the Sun sets in the east. Canterlot is in the west."

So if the Sun is going down, it's setting, and that means it's in the east? It was a lot more complicated being up here.

Ash realized that his sister was already walking away from him. He quickly flew over to her, landed, and continued walking alongside her. She glanced at him and mumbled something along the lines of "wish I could fly."

Just after the Sun set and the Moon began to rise, the changeling princess stepped out from the Everfree Forest.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "I was starting to think the forest never ended." She looked around, spotting the lights from Canterlot in the distance. Ash trotted up beside her, and she pointed him toward the city. "There it is. Canterlot." She suddenly noticed the town between them and the city.

"Huh. I don't think I was ever told about that town." Just a little ways towards Canterlot was a small town attached to the forest. This side of it was dominated by a huge tree, which didn't appear to be part of the forest itself, more like a part of the town.

"I wonder if ponies live there. If so, maybe Derpy lives there? Or the other one, Octavia?" She started trotting towards the town, but Ash suddenly sprang in front of her, fangs barred.

"Don't worry Ash. If you think it's dangerous, it probably is, but one of us should go over there and check." Ash indicated that he would, but the princess shook her head. "You need a disguise. You were under mother's spell when you were outside, so you can't trust your memories of what you saw. I remember seeing the ponies."

Ash's small horn glowed, and the book they had gotten from Brimstone floated beside him. The picture floated out. Ash looked at it for a moment, and suddenly flashed into green flame. When he was done, the princess looked him over.

"Her eyes are crossed Ash. Even I don't know how to do that." He shook his head vigorously, and when he stopped, his eyes were slightly crossed. It was the best he could do.

One more look over led to the princess blushing. "She's a mare as well, Ash. You're a stallion version of her." Ash got a pained look, contemplating his options. Finally, a look of resolve crossed his face. "Don't do it," the princess warned him.

Another flash of green flame, and suddenly it was the changeling princess and a pegasus mare standing in the snow there.

Both suddenly realized that Ash didn't have a horn anymore. The princess picked up the book and picture with her magic. "Since you're so intent on keeping me safe and going yourself, i'll stay here." She looked Ash over once more. "Ok, you'd convince me you were Derpy. Just don't open your mouth. Good luck."

Ash trotted off, slightly uncomfortable in his new body. At least this answered the question of whether or not the shapeshifting was only skin deep. Turns out it was much deeper.

As Ash neared the town, he decided to try out his new wings. A single flap later, and he realised just how much more powerful these wings were. The queen had taught him only a couple things, but he had been taught pony anatomy and physiology. With hollow bones, pegasi were much lighter than changelings, and these wings definitely had the force to lift his weight. He took to the air, learning quickly how these wings were different from changeling wings. Before long he landed next to the large tree on the edge of town.

His ears perked, and he realized he was hearing voices from inside the tree. He moved around the tree and found a door with what looked like a golden sign installed above it. The Golden Oak Library. Ash scooted closer to the door and put an ear to it.

"... sorry I showed up like this and started making demands, but you understand, right? We can't let normal ponies know about these things, and if what he said is true, then the changelings are already on their way." It sounded like a mare, and he heard a faint tinkle indicating that magic was being used.

Another voice responded, also a mare.

"I understand. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about the mirror, and if they show up, i'll send a letter to you, Captain."

There was a pause in the conversation, which the second voice interrupted.

"Captain, are you alright?"

Finally, the first voice spoke, but very quietly.

"You sneaky little bug..." Suddenly, an brownish unicorn burst out of the top half of the door, her short blue hair barely keeping up with her head. She landed just behind Ash, who immediately spread his wings to fly away.

"Ash! Stop right there," the unicorn commanded.

Ash hesitated. How did she know his name, and how did she know he was even here?

"I'll answer all your questions inside. Just don't fight back and I won't have to hurt you," she said as if she could read his mind. Ash decided to run for it, but just as he launched himself, the unicorn lept at him and caught him, causing both of them to tumble into the still half open door.

Ash landed on his wings and he could feel one of them break. He didn't make a sound, however, as he stared in shock at the pegasus whose hooves he had landed at. The pain in his wing was too much, though, and he passed out.

He did hear one sentence before the world faded to black.

"Not a bad job of mimicking me, for only seeing me once."