He woke up in the Everfree. His first instinct was to ask the Queen what was happening. When he called out, however, no one answered.
Confused, the changeling took a look at his surroundings. Lush shrubbery mixed with decayed plant life all around him. Vines hung from old branches, and a sinister ambience enveloped the area. A small dirt path cut through the entire forest, lifeless. Squirrels chattered above him, hares sped by underhoof, but no fellow changeling was in sight.
Chilled by the mysterious atmosphere, the changeling found his four hooves and, trying to organize himself, took the obvious turn and set off down the path. Taking a glance up at the sky, he realized today was a fine, sunny afternoon. It should have been brighter, but the low-hanging canopy above him blocked out a majority of the sunlight.
"Hello?" The changeling called out. "Is there anychangeling out there?" Once again, no answer, save for the eerie rustling of small creatures.
"Anyone?... I'm all alone." Nothing. The chilling feeling running down the changeling's spine quickly became a knot in his stomach. With fear growing quickly inside of him, he set out on a nervous trot through the forest.
Five minutes in, it all seemed to loop again and again, as if he was trapped in there forever. The thought frightened the changeling further, and finally the fear began to show. He began trembling visibly, and his face contorted until he looked like he was ready to curl up and cry.
More forest answered every time the changeling called out for someone. He was beyond terrified at this point, and took some time to simply drop to the ground and bury his face in his hooves, just so he didn't have to accept he was by himself, to pretend for just a few moments that none of this was happening. Almost immediately after, he slowly rose up on violently shaking legs. Looking ahead at the endless forest in front him, he whimpered, "When will it end?"
"Never," a heart-stopping voice answered behind him.
"What—" the changeling spun around, and at once his blood froze. The voice that had replied had belonged to another changeling; one that hammered every single piece of fear one could feel into the changeling's heart.
The changeling in front of him was broken and decayed, the chitin of his exoskeleton heavily cracked in multiple places. Instead of a horn, the changeling sported nothing more than a bloody circle of muscle, as if the horn had been ripped from its owner. The wings were tattered and looked akin to shredded curtains. Some of the holes in its legs had clearly been put there by force. He looked almost like a living corpse, a zombie. And he was licking his lips with a malicious grin.
At once, the changeling turned and ran. The monster followed, right at his heels. Complete and utter terror took over the changeling's brain, driving him onward and refusing to let him stop. He scrambled over a tangle of brambles and sped for somewhere safe. The thicket behind him withered and died when the monster drew near it.
"What are you?!" The changeling screamed over his shoulder. It was the worst thing he could have done. In that split second he turned his head, he slammed his hoof into an aboveground tree root. Fire spread up his hoof as he tripped and shot forward, into the air. Not long after at all, he hit the ground. At once, the monster was upon him.
"I am everything you have ever feared," it snarled into his ear. "And I live to consume weaklings like you, just like the fears that reside deep inside your mind."
The changeling was mute. He simply stared, terrified, at the eyes glaring down at him. Fresh blood from the cracks in the monster's exoskeleton dripped down onto its victim. It burned like acid. The spur of pain seemed to give the changeling his voice back.
"Please!" He wailed. Tears formed in his eyes. "I don't want to die!"
"Isn't that a shame?" The monster cooed. It bared its fangs and lunged for the changeling's throat.
"Nonononono!" The changeling desperately thrust his hooves forward. He shoved against his attacker's neck and became locked within a battle of wills as he pushed against the thing trying to end his life. The monster growled and pushed harder, seemingly unfazed by the force against its trachea. A constant lightning bolt of pain shot through the changeling's injured hoof.
Slowly, gradually, the changeling's elbows began to bend. The creature above him brought its teeth nearer and nearer to the changeling's throat. Smiling gleefully, it opened its jaws wide. It was less than an inch from claiming the changeling's life. He was going to die. Tears streamed from his eyes. "Stop!" he sobbed. "P-please, just stop!"
"What are you doing here?"
The monster holding him down vanished. The blood burning into his shell dried up and left no trace. His hoof, however, was still on fire.
He shot to a standing position on his three good legs and looked up. Just ahead, not twenty feet from him, was a pony. A horn and wings jutted from her body, pale pink, like the rest of her coat. An alicorn. A rich mane flowed outwards, partially covering one side of her face. From the top of her mane, a crown stood proudly out. She glared daggers at the changeling like she wanted him dead. She probably did.
"I, uh I—"
"Silence!" the alicorn barked. "I know what you are. You're a changeling. You and your Queen tied me up and left me to die while she impersonated me and tried to invade Canterlot. My husband almost married her!" The Alicorn advanced menacingly on the changeling. "I was hoping for a quiet stroll through the forest, and instead I find this?!" She pointed at the changeling. "Get out of here!"
"W-wait!" the changeling cried. "Don't leave me here! There's a monster here! It's—" he swallowed a fear-induced sob. "—it's trying to kill me!"
The alicorn raised her eyebrow. "Are you stupid? There's nothing here!"
"But you... but you saw!" The changeling was incredulous. "There was this other changeling, but he was broken and dead-looking and... well, just horrible! It was on top of me! It was trying to tear my throat out!"
"Is that what you were screaming and wailing about?" snorted the alicorn. "In case you're seeing things, there's nothing here." She turned around. "I want nothing to do with you. Goodbye and—if that "monster" is real—good riddance!" She trotted in the other direction.
"Wait!" The changeling screamed. "Come back! I just want to live!" He limped after her. "Please!" She wasn't listening.
"It's too late," snarled a voice. The monster's voice, behind him again.
"...No," the changeling whimpered. His barely-dried tears resurfaced. "Oh, no."
"Oh, yes!" A weight hit his back. He hit the ground again. The monster bared its fangs once more. "Nothing can save you now!"
"Get off!" the changeling screamed. "Get away!' He scrabbled against the earth, praying he could dig himself out from under the creature's weight.
"Will you stop?" Once again, the monster vanished. Once again, the changeling looked up. Once again, the alicorn was back. The hatred and scorn in her eyes was mixed in with annoyance. "I already hate you enough! Stop wailing about some monster that doesn't exist! You're lucky I haven't killed you yet!"
"But... but..." the changeling stammered. "It was right here! On my back!"
"Suuuure it was," the alicorn drawled. She leaned in close. "Look, I don't know what is causing you to act like this, but I've had enough. If you don't shut up and stop making up stories about this stupid 'monster', I will kill you like I should have killed your Queen." She pushed him back to the ground. "Now shut up and leave me in peace!" She spread her wings and shot through the canopy of the forest.
A deafening silence engulfed the changeling. Slowly, he forced himself back onto three hooves. Fear ran through him. What was he going to do?
Suddenly, he felt something tap his shoulder.
"I believe we have some unfinished business."
Because of their breeding expectations and hive sociology, most changelings are born with autophobia and trypophillia. This fuels their desire to stay close to one another; however, studies have shown that their autophobia is so strong that they are willing to be with anyone who won't kill them, including anypony that hates them. It is believed that if a changeling's autophobia is in effect for too long, they will begin to suffer hallucinations, usually seeing the corpses of fallen brethren walking and talking.
"Interesting," Twilight Sparkle said as she turned the page. Spike, who had been peeking at the book out of curiosity, asked, "Autophobia?"
"Yes." Twilight nodded. "It definitely sounds familiar, but I just can't quite remember what it means."
Almost on instinct, Spike pulled a large dictionary out of seemingly nowhere. He grabbed the Changeling information book, plopping the dictionary on Twilight's desk. "Here ya go, I guess."
"Thanks, Spike." Twilight opened the book and began searching. "Au...auto...Here we are! Autophobia!" Together, Twilight and Spike peered at the definition.
Autophobia (ah-toh-FOH-bee-uh) [n.]:
The irrational fear of being alone.
