Under the Shell

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 1

"Our hive is nearly lost, my Queen... half of us are scattered throughout the wasteland and Everfree; how are we to find them all?"

"Enough, my subject," the towering creature interrupted. "Those who are still strong will be able to weather the storm; those who aren't will be left behind—"

"But my Queen, what abou—"

"SILENCE!" The queen's voice bellowed through the cave, and so there was. Aside from the occasional clicking of chitin on rock, and wet droplets from the dampness of the cave, not a single sound escaped the small grouping of bug-like ponies.

The queen lowered her head down to the subject that had spoken. Her matted blue hair hung low, nearly to the ground as she spoke in a calmer tone.

"It pains me as well, Lieutenant," she muttered. "I do not make this decision lightly..."

Her expression turned slightly angrier, her glare unwavering. "But I will not tolerate insubordination because of this decision." Her gaze turned to her remaining hive. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, your Highness!" The bug-like ponies clicked their hooves at attention.

"Good... let us rest for the night," her gaze softened. "We have a long day tomorrow."

"Husk, would you come here? You too, Tennae," the Queen beckoned them with a hoof as the rest left the gathering. Tennae, a younger female changeling, turned her head nervously before approaching. In contrast, Husk was a much larger changeling, with what looked to be a dented helmet.

"We are a broken hive," the Queen muttered breathlessly, resting on her haunches. Tennae shrunk back, still a bit timid.

"Tennae, you will be turning to adulthood in the next few days, yes?" The Queen turned to face both of them. "I still remember when you were just a larva..." She smiled, beckoning the young changeling with a hoof. Tennae approached, and was pulled into a light embrace. "I apologize that your passing into adulthood is met with such struggle. I had hoped that things would turn out better..."

Tennae clicked a few times, before burying her snout against the Queen's neck, letting out small whimpers. "Shh... do not worry," the Queen calmed her, gently stroking the head of the young changeling with a hoof, covered in what looked to be holes. "We shall have all we need soon enough..."

"Erm..." the helmed changeling coughed. "What is your bidding, my Queen?"

"Ah. Yes, of course," her tone shifted to slightly more official-sounding. She bowed her head down to the young changeling. "You are ready for my assignment to the both of you, yes?"

Tennae's big blue eyes stared wide up at her queen, and she sniffled lightly before nodding. "What is your bidding, my Queen?" she mimicked the helmed changeling, stepping back a few steps to stand at attention next to them. Her voice was noticeably much higher-pitched than Husk’s, but she clearly carried the same air of respect for her Queen as he did.

"We have taken refuge in this cave due to many reasons," the Queen began. "One is the obvious danger of the creatures in the vicinity; safety in numbers, after all. But another is a far more subtle reason; the proximity to Ponyville, which lays right on the edge of the forest.”

A grin crept across Husk's face. "Would you have us enter this town and suck it dry?"

"Oh, not so quickly, Lieutenant; it is not our way to barge in uninvited, after all," the Queen let out a light giggle. "No, your task is far simpler. I wish for you to scout this town. Be wary, however; the Princess of Friendship resides there as well," she hissed. "At all costs, avoid her. She will not be as easily wavered as the other ponies of that town..."

Husk stood at attention. "Your word is my command, Queen Chrysalis. I will return with my report within the next few days—"

"And bring along Tennae as well," Chrysalis smiled at the young changeling. "I trust that is no trouble, Husk?"

Husk stopped abruptly, his gaze turning to the younger changeling. "Er, well, I—"

"Wonderful, I expect excellent progress from the both of you. The rest of the hive... will work in recovering whoever we can." she let out a sigh. "Now, rest for tonight... you may leave in the morning at your discretion."

"Y-yes, my Queen," Husk saluted, still standing at attention. Tennae retreated back slightly, still nervous. The Queen, sending her out on an assignment herself? Why?

"Good. You are both dismissed," Chrysalis smiled at both of them, waving them away. The two changelings returned to the crowd of chirping wings, as the Queen herself rested her head upon one of her drones' backs.

"Why them, my Queen?" He asked, his voice submissive and quiet.

"Because they are the perfect candidates..." she cooed softly as her eyes closed, the stress from the day overtaking her as she drifted to sleep. "He will teach her well, I know..."

“Are you fit to move?” Husk’s voice crept into Tennae’s dreaming as he slowly nudged her awake.

“H-huh…?” she blinked a few times, before staring up at the helmed changeling. “Are we leaving?”

He nodded, tapping his hoof on the ground. “The faster we get moving, the less likely we’ll get picked off by something in the forest before we get there.”

She shook off the sleepiness from her eyes, stretching her wings with a few light clicks before standing upright next to him. “I’m ready when you are!”

“Good. Let’s go, quickly,” he grunted, buzzing his wings before hovering out of the cave, Tennae following close behind.

A few moments of silence passed before Tennae broke the silence. “So… what sort of thing will we be doing for scouting?” she asked, tilting her head.

Husk remained stoic, eyeing the terrain in front of them. “We are to disguise ourselves as ponies, and live among the populace, while subtly sending our field reports back to the Queen every few days.” He paused a moment, stopping his movement and staring at her. “You… do know how to disguise yourself, correct?”

“Right!” she nodded, smiling. “I just… um, well… use my powers, right?”

Husk let out a sigh. “You’ve never transformed before, have you?” he groaned, slapping his forehead with his hoof.

“W-well, I never really had to…” the younger changeling pouted, the two of them continuing through the forest.

“I’ll help you get the basics down, I guess,” Husk said, turning to look for an open spot. “We’ll need to be quick though. Got it?”

“Got it!” she nodded, taking a ready stance.

“Alright. Focus your magic through your horn, like so,” he stood upright, his horn glowing an eerie green.

“Okay…” she took a deep breath, squinting her eyes as she began straining her magic through her horn.

“Don’t strain it, Tennae; focus, and imagine the form that you wish to take,” Husk grunted, tilting his head up. “Then, let the magic wash over you, and take on that form in your mind,” he said, the green aura showering him as his form changed to that of a brown earth pony with darker brown hair. “It’s important to make sure that your form is discre—”

A large wave of magic interrupted Husk as it erupted from Tennae’s horn, quickly enveloping the young changeling in it. Her body began to transform, taking on the form of a rather imposing black alicorn with a flowing red mane. She opened her eyes, looking down at Husk with glowing irises and a faded black sclera. “H-Husk, what’s going on? How do I turn back?!”

“Well, you certainly got the transforming part down…” he muttered, chuckling lightly. “Just use your magic to dispel the transformation!” he called up to her.

She once again strained, before a wave of green magic once again enveloped her, and she returned back to her smaller, chitin-shelled form. “That was… different,” she muttered, a shiver crawling up her spine. “I haven’t really had a lot of practice with that…”

Husk smiled. “Well, we’ll work on it on the way to Ponyville, and by that time you’ll have a fully-functioning transformation, how’s that?”

Her eyes widened as she beamed up at him. “Really?”

“Really. Now come on,” Husk beckoned her over with a nod of his head, “We’ve still got quite a ways to go before we reach the edge of the forest; I’d prefer to get there before nightfall.”

End Chapter 1

Author's Note

Well, this is certainly something I didn't see myself doing anytime soon. Let's see how this turns out.

~Wuten

Chapter 2

“No, no… try it again!” Husk grunted, waving his hooves frantically. “This time, no weird colors; focus your magic, don't use it all at once!”

“I’m trying…” Tennae reverted back to her original form, looking up at the helmed changeling. “It’s hard, though…”

“It takes practice, but we don’t have much time for that,” Husk sighed, sitting down and looking up at the sky. It was hard to discern through the trees, but it was definitely getting darker. “Let’s settle in for tonight,” he turned to one of the larger trees, eyeing it before hovering up to it with his wings. “It looks like this isn’t inhabited at all… we’ll dig in deep and rest here tonight.”

“Okay…” Tennae looked around as the area around them began to slowly get draped in a blanket of darkness. Night was quickly approaching, and any young changeling knew that to be caught out alone at night would certainly be a dangerous situation.

"Alright, it looks sturdy enough," Husk tapped his hoof against the trunk of the tree. "Come on, quickly," he beckoned her to him.

Tennae scurried over to the tree, carefully stepping inside the hollowed out trunk. "What is this stuff?" She asked, lifting her hoof and eyeing the strange substance that coated the tree's insides.

"Sap, I'd imagine," Husk grimaced, climbing in behind her. "Not the most ideal of things to-"

Husk cut himself off as Tennae licked off the sap from her hoof. "Hey, this is pretty good!" She smiled, scooping up another hoof worth. "Here, try it—"

"Sorry, not my type," he hissed softly, raising a hoof up to stop her. "Besides, we changelings don't usually ea—*HURK*" he continued, but was interrupted by Tennae shoving her hoof into his mouth; not in rudeness, but as a reflex as her ears twitched.

"Something's out there," she whispered quietly, turning her head towards the opening. It was slightly higher than their heads, so the only things visible were the leaves of the trees across from the hole.

Husk pressed her hoof down from his mouth, giving her an angry glare before sneaking up to the side of the hole, peering outside. "I don't see anything..." he muttered as Tennae took the other side.

"I know I heard something..." She looked outside, eyeing the immediate area; still nothing.

"Your concern and reflexes are good, but I'm sure it wasn't an—"

A loud roar rocked through the tree, shaking the two changelings deep in their exoskeletons. A few thumps shook the ground, and suddenly the tree itself shifted, seeming to lift up on its own.

"Oh no... MOVE!" Husk gasped, pushing the young changeling out the hole, and himself following close behind. "Fly, and don't look behind you!" He called out to her, his wings buzzing as they shot through the forest.

Tennae frantically buzzed her wings, trying her best to keep up with Husk. "Wh-what was that?" She asked, noticeably shaken up.

"From what I could tell, we decided to take refuge inside the mouth of an Ent… I should have been able to tell, but the forest here is too strange, even for me,” Husk called back to her. “Just keep going, they’re big but they’re slow! We’ll outrun it in no ti—”

“Grooooooooaaaaaaah!” the ent roared behind them, as the thundering steps began booming even faster and louder than before.

“Oh no… Tennae, keep moving!” Husk turned to look; the ent was right on the younger changeling’s tail, barely even ten feet between the two of them now. “Pull up!”

Tennae’s little wings vibrated rapidly and she lifted further off the ground, attempting to get out of the ent’s reach.

The movement wasn’t quick enough, however; the ent brought up one of its mighty branched arms, and swat Tennae out of the air like a fly. She landed on the ground with a sickening thud, and lie there, motionless.

“Tennae? Tennae!” Husk called out to her, but no response came. Husk cursed himself for trying, but mustered up his resolve and pulled back into a dive, directly towards the approaching ent.

His fast strikes worked in distracting the ent, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep them up for long. He needed to draw it away, somehow…

Landing, Husk deftly dodged a slam of the ent’s mighty branches, before traveling up its arm-like outgrowth. From there, he did everything he could; bite, hit, magical blasts from his horn, they all seemingly did nothing in the face of the mighty creature.

But he did get its attention away from Tennae, and that was the important part. Now… to get its attention off him.

“Tennae!” he called out as he tried his best holding onto the back of the ent. “You need to transform! It knows what you look like normally, maybe if you transform into something different it’ll leave us alone!”

Tennae’s eyes fluttered open as she heard Husk call out to her. She turned, and saw the massive ent swinging wildly in the air at some black object…

Husk!

“Husk?” Tennae’s eyes opened wide as her vision returned.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” he grunted as he ducked under a swing from the ent. “Transform, quickly!”

“B-but into what? I don’t have a grasp on it yet!” she stammered frantically, watching as he dodged yet another slam from the great branches.

“Anything! Just make sure it’s big and scary and can take on this thing!” Husk called out, before ungracefully receiving a glancing blow from the ent, sending him spiraling to the ground.

“Husk!” she gasped, her gaze returning to the ent, her horn glowing a brighter green than it had earlier. “How DARE you!”

A dense green aura enveloped her as magic poured from her horn. She tilted her head up as her body began to change; a long, flowing mane draped down her head and from her tail. Both it and her coat were now white as the purest snow, and her horn was now that of a unicorn’s.

The new stranger took the attention of the ent as it left Husk alone, turning now to the unicorn before it. It let out a bellowing roar, and Tennae almost immediately cowered from it.

“I… I won’t let you hurt him!” she growled, her horn glowing brightly, firing off a magical blast that even sent Tennae rolling backwards from the force of it. The blast struck the ent near the base of its roots, and it let out an angry roar and thumped the massive branches against the ground.

“Go away! I’m warning you!” Tennae called out to the ent, recovering from the blast. ‘I really hope that worked… I don’t know if I could do it again...’ she thought to herself, finding that she was short on breath after that.

The ent let out another roar, before charging at her. Tennae flinched, but opened her eyes as a new sound entered her ears; it wasn’t the roar of the ent, but…

“AWOOOOOOOO!”

End Chapter 2

Author's Note

Who could this mysterious savior be, hm?

I think we all know who.

~Wuten

Chapter 3

Tennae was confused, to say the least. She had expected the cold grip of death to take her in the form of a smash or a slam from the ent, but… all she heard was that call, and then a loud thud and a few cracks. She turned her head towards the sound, and saw a large, bipedaled creature standing in front of her, the ent collapsed to the ground in shambles.

“Well, that was a close one!” he laughed, turning to look at her. “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice a bit calmer now.

What was this creature? He seemed to appear out of nowhere… clad in leather hides of some kind.

Was he some kind of monster hunter?

He knelt down to eye-level with her, and waved a claw-like appendage in front of her face. “Hellooo? Anyone home?”

She immediately snapped out of her thoughts, nearly jumping back to the nearest tree, but then flinching from it in fear that it would also be an ent.

“Whohohoa, easy, I’m not gonna hurt ya,” the creature said, holding up both of his front claws to her.

But they weren’t quite claws, otherwise they would be pointed at the ends… what in Equestria was he? At least, she assumed from the voice it was a male.

“Hey, so… what are you doing out here in the middle of the Everfree?”

Quickly, she had to think of something! She couldn’t tell him she was a changeling, or—

“We were on our way to Ponyville,” Husk’s voice came from the other end of the crumpled ent. He limped around the side, having taken on his pony form from earlier that day. “We tried to take refuge in a hollowed-out tree, but it looks like we took on more than we could bargain for…”

“I’ll say,” the creature stood up to full height. He was massive, though not quite in the way the ent was. He stood at what Tennae could estimate was about two meters tall, even taller than the Queen herself; in the shadow of the night, however, she couldn’t make out any distinct features about him. “It’s dangerous for ponies to be in the Everfree, especially at night when creatures are roaming, or lying in wait…”

Wait, was he one of those creatures? Was he only saving them so he could eat them himself? He certainly looked big enough…

“My name’s Anonymous, but you can call me Anon. I heard the roaring from the ent from all the way at the edge of the forest, so I decided to see what had gotten it all riled up like this. Didn’t expect to see ponies here at this hour…”

“We got lost on our way here…” Tennae muttered, trotting up to the creature. “Can you show us the way to Ponyville?”

“Oh, sure!” Anon smiled down at her, squatting to her level. “What’s your name, by the way? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony like you before…”

“She’s an albino,” Husk stumbled in his steps, starting to get his footing back. “Been like that since the day she was born. We call her Celery Stalk, or just ‘Celery’.”

Anon eyed the white pony, before trailing to her flank. Tennae blushed lightly, but it seemed to convince the creature. “Well, I’ll be, you’re right! Guess I can see where the name came from,” he smiled, standing back up. “Alright, you two follow me, we’ll get through the forest real quick. You both got a place to stay tonight?”

“Unfortunately no, this was a bit short-notice…” Husk replied as the two began following the creature through the forest. “Is there anywhere in Ponyville we’d be able to stay at?”

“Bah, you can both crash at my place for the night. It’s not much but it’s enough to get by,” he said, pushing back a stray branch, ducking under it. He really was tall… “I sometimes come on out here with a few of the guys, we try and keep the population of creatures in the Everfree under control around Ponyville, but sometimes it’s hard even for us…”

“So… there are others like you?” Tennae asked, doing her best to lift her mane out from under her as she tried to walk. She may have overdone it a bit on the length… something to work on.

“Well, not here, per se. More where I’m from, but as far as Equestria is concerned, I’m the only human of my kind here."

A human… so that’s what the creature was.

“So you’re the only one?” Husk asked, trotting up to Anon’s side, letting Tennae trail slightly behind the two of them as they began talking.

What sort of place could this creature be from? Tennae had never seen a creature like this before; he was like a chimpanzee, but… stood more upright, and seemed much more sociable than what she had heard about from them. He said he was a human… a distant relative, possibly?

The three of them continued their way through the forest, Husk introducing himself to the human as Stone Walker, subtly having added a design of pebbles to his flank when the human wasn’t looking. After nearly an hour, it was clear that Tennae had grown tired, so Anon took the liberty of picking her up and carrying her instead.

“Your mane really is long, Celery; what’s up with that?” he asked after walking a few minutes, her mane draping down noticeably past his knee despite being carried.

“I’unno…” she yawned, curling up in his arms. “I never really noticed…”

“It’s tradition that albinos of our family never cut their manes or tail,” Husk replied rather quickly. “It’s… an aesthetic pleasure for the stallions.”

“Huh… that right?” Anon looked down at Tennae, raising an eyebrow. “How old are ya, anyway?”

“I reach… adulthood in a few days…” she yawned again.

“It’s tradition that the mares make a trek across Equestria before returning, so they can see the world before they are wed,” Husk nodded up at the human. “I’m her escort; a distant cousin.”

“Huh, alright,” Anon grunted, ducking under another branch. “Well, we’re almost there, so once we get inside we can get cleaned up and you can tell me all about it.”

Husk nodded, following the human as they reached the edge of the forest, a small cabin greeting them as they exited into the clearing.

“Ah, that’s better,” Anon took in a deep breath, sighing contently. “So, what do ya say we head on inside and I whip us up something to eat, hm?”

“Oh, we shouldn’t impo—” Husk began, but was cut off by not his stomach, but by Tennae’s. She scrunched her face in embarrassment, staring up at the human.

“Well, there’s your answer, then!” Anon laughed, smiling as he set the pony down. “You okay to walk?”

“Y-yes, I should be,” she muttered, a deep red blush on her cheeks as Husk glared at her behind Anon’s back.

“Alright! To food!” he grinned at the both of them, walking with a spring in his step as they approached the cabin, the moon raised high in the sky illuminating the terrain and creatures below.

End Chapter 3

Author's Note

It's a pone. A Celery pone.

~Wuten

Chapter 4

“Here we are!” Anon smiled, opening the door to the dimly-lit cabin. “Home, sweet home.”

Husk and Tennae walked cautiously inside, eyeing the walls and ceiling. Whoever this ‘Anon’ person was, he certainly enjoyed hunting in the Everfree. The human even had scales from a hydra mounted on his wall!

Tennae timidly walked further in, eyeing the mounted scales. If he could do that to a hydra… just imagine what he’d do if he knew—

“What do you think? Pretty impressive, huh?” Anon smiled, walking in and closing the door behind them. “Managed to get a good hit with my hunting knife, before it left a nasty scar on my leg,” he said, throwing a few logs into a makeshift fireplace.

In the light, Tennae could get a good look at Anon’s features. The light from the fire coursed across his toned body as he stoked it, his eyes staring intently at it. He had some scruff on his face, which she noticed he rubbed every so often with his not-sharp claws.

“So… you aren’t from around Equestria, then?” Husk turned to the human, curiosity on his face.

“Nope! From a place called ‘Earth’,” Anon responded, clapping his hands together as the fire reached a comfortable size. “Woke up one morning and stepped outside, and suddenly there was a forest right next to my hunting cabin. Been mingling with ponies on occasion ever since whenever I need supplies, but I usually keep to myself for the most part,” he said, standing up. “So, what’ll you have? I’ve got vegetables, potatoes, meat… hm, I could whip up some stew if you guys don’t mind waiting,” Anon turned to Tennae. “How’s that sound, Celery?”

It was true, Tennae was hungry… and this would probably be a good way to bond with the creature, see if he knew anything…

“I’ll be fine, thanks,” Husk smiled up at the human, waving a hoof. “I’m used to going days without something to eat. One night won’t hurt.”

“Nonsense!” Anon laughed, patting the stallion on the back, causing him to lurch forward in surprise from the force of the pat. “You both said you’re on some kind of pilgrimage thing, right? So you’ll need every last bit of strength you can get!”

“I… wouldn’t mind,” Tennae smiled timidly, looking up at the human. “I could eat just about anything right about now, to be honest…”

Anon grinned happily at her, before turning to Husk. “Your little lady here has the right idea! Now c’mon, I won’t take no for an answer!” he said, moving quickly to his cabinets to rummage through them.

Husk shot Tennae another annoyed glare, causing her to flinch a bit as he approached. He sat down next to her, and the two began whispering.

“What the hay are you doing?”

“W-well, it would be rude to refuse, right? Besides, I’m hungry…” Tennae let out a small groan, rubbing her belly.

Husk scoffed. “Fine. We’ll eat here, but we can’t risk losing our cover,” he turned to look at the human. “I don’t have a contingency plan right now Tennae, so don’t do anything that’d make him suspicious. If worse comes to worst, there’s two of us and one of him, and we can—”

“Husk, that human saved our lives all by himself, he stood up against an Ent!” Tennae hissed. “We couldn’t take on that sort of strength on our ow—”

“Dinner is served!” Anon turned towards them, a large pot on the stove next to him. “Come on up whenever you’re ready and I’ll get some for ya—”

“Me!” Tennae blurted ungracefully, scurrying up to her feet. She nearly stumbled from her mane on the wooden floor as she got up to the counter, placing her front two hooves up on the top of it, peeking her nose up over the top.

Anon snickered. “Now that’s just the most adorable thing!” he smiled, picking up a bowl and filling it up with stew, before setting it on the counter in front of her. “Eat up!”

Tennae paused, before hopping off the counter. ‘Alright, magic. Levitation…’ she thought to herself, her horn beginning to focus. A dim blue glow began to emit from her horn as the bowl lifted into the air, floating weightlessly towards Tennae’s open hooves. She smiled brightly, gripping the bowl out from the sky and began unceremoniously scarfing down the stew inside. ‘I did it! I did it! Levitation!’ she beamed to herself, feeling her strength slowly return from the food.

Husk remained sitting, hooves across his chest with a stern expression towards the other changeling.

“Hey, you gonna eat?” Anon eyed the stallion, walking over to him with two bowls of stew. “You’ve been sitting here pretty quiet lately, why not relax and enjoy some rest for the night?” he smiled, setting the bowl down in front of Husk and sitting next to him, bowl and spoon in hand as he began eating as well.

“We’re pretty wary of accepting hospitality from strangers, especially in their own house,” Husk replied, picking up the bowl. He sniffed it, hesitated a moment, and then began eating slowly. “But thank you,” he smiled, swallowing the morsels.

“Please, sir, may I have some more?” Tennae held out an empty bowl to Anon, staring up at him with her big, red eyes and the most adorable, almost pouting expression she could put on.

Anon and Husk both stared at her, their cheeks a light pink.

“Damn, that’s adorable,” they both said in unison, before turning to each other.

A few awkward moments of silence passed between all three of them, before they all burst into laughter. “Oh wow, that was great,” Anon wiped a tear from his eye. “You’ll go far with that, I guarantee it,” he snickered, swapping bowls with the pony and standing up. “Hope it’s not too salty for ya, I’ve noticed a lot of the meat I get tends to be a lot tougher than what I’m used to.”

Tennae and Husk both widened their eyes in shock. “M-meat?” Tennae turned to look at Anon.

“Yeah, don’t worry; I only used it to make the broth, it’d be too hard to eat with the rest of the stew,” he smiled, filling up his bowl once again with the stew. “I know how ponies get about that sort of thing. If it’s any consolation, I don’t cook anything from the Everfree; I buy all my stuff in bulk from gryphon traders that come by every so often, and freeze them for when I need them.”

The two changelings both let out simultaneous sighs of relief. Meat didn’t quite agree with a changeling’s digestive system…

“So,” Anon turned, his bowl in hand as he began eating, “You got a place to stay the night? I got a few extra beds folded up if you need ‘em,” he pointed to a few fold-up cots stacked in the corner of the room. “Got blankets and all that good stuff. You can stay overnight and I’ll make breakfast before ya head out in the morning, how’s that sound?”

Tennae smiled brightly. “We acce—” she began, but was cut off by a hoof from Husk, still talking into it.

“Thank you, but we must decline, you’ve already done so much for us,” Husk looked up at the human. “We wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Impose?” Anon raised an eyebrow, smirking. “I live out on the edge of the Everfree, with more than enough for myself. You two aren’t imposing at all!” he said, finishing up his bowl and drinking down the broth.

Tennae nudged Husk with a hoof. “I think we should stay,” she muttered out of Anon’s earshot. “He seems nice.”

“Ugh, fine…” Husk grumbled, eyeing the human. “You stay the night. I’m going to report back to the Queen.”

The sound of Anon starting to clean his bowl in the sink further drowned out their talking from him.

“You’d leave me alone? W-with him?!” she hissed, pointing a hoof at Anon’s turned back.

“Don’t worry; he won’t harm ponies, from the looks of it. Ponyville is too close, they would notice something was amiss,” Husk muttered. “And if worse comes to worst, you have magic. And from the looks of things, he doesn’t. There’s your advantage.”

Tennae let out a sigh, before nodding. “Okay. We’ll do it.”

Husk turned to Anon, standing up. “Unfortunately I have business that I must attend to in Ponyville before we depart in the morning. It’s the main reason we were in such a hurry to begin with; I’ll find somewhere to stay the night.”

Anon turned, setting his bowl in the sink. “Alright. Well, my door’s open whenever you guys come on through Ponyville on your way back—”

“Actually,” Husk paused, looking towards Tennae with a carefully acted thoughtful glance, “Would it impose too much if you let miss Celery stay the night? She seems comfortable with the idea of staying tonight and I wouldn’t want to take away her comfort, but I unfortunately must be off,” he turned once again to Anon.

“Uh, sure, it’s no trouble,” Anon waved a hand, walking over to the folded cots. “I don’t have a problem with it. Besides, it’d be rude to turn her down when I offered,” he snickered, picking one up and unfolding it, the mattress popping open. “It’s probably a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the forest floor. Or, in your case, the mouth of an Ent,” Anon grinned at both of them.

“R-right…” Tennae chuckled a bit reluctantly.

Husk nodded at him, turning to Tennae. “Alright. I’ll be back tomorrow, Celery. Stay safe,” he said, trotting towards the door, pushing it open before turning to Anon. “I trust she is in good hooves?”

“Hands, actually,” Anon wiggled his fingers at the pony, chuckling. “But yes, I’ll make sure she stays safe.”

Husk let a small smile of relief creep onto his face, nodding at the human once again before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Anon waited until his hoof-falls were out of earshot, before letting out a soft sigh.

“So,” he began, his eyes falling on Tennae.

“What were you really doing out in the Everfree?”

End Chapter 4

Author's Note

Looks like the jig's up, boys.

~Wuten

Chapter 5

“So… what were you really doing out in the Everfree?” Anon eyed the small unicorn, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall. “It’s not like it's already suspicious that you’re wandering the Everfree to begin with, but I’ve also never seen a pony like you before. What are you?”

“I… I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Tennae paused, looking down at the floor. “It’s just like mister Stone Walker said, we’re just passing through—”

“Bullshit, I couldn’t trust that stallion’s word as far as I could throw him,” Anon interrupted harshly, startling the mare. He stood up from the wall, brow furrowed a bit as he walked up to her. Her eyes trailed up to his face, and for a moment, she truly did feel small, as if the entire room was closing in on her. “Don’t you lie to me, Celery,” his voice snapped her back to attention, as he kneeled down in front of her, still nearly a head taller than she was. “I don’t like it when ponies lie to me. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes, sir,” Tennae’s eyes never left his; this authoritative tone of voice… she’d never heard anything like it before, even from her queen. She knew that if worse ever came to worst, she could overpower him with her magic, but that presence… he commanded it. This was his domain, his territory, and he’d made it clear that he would rule it with an iron hoof. Or hand, whatever the case may be.

“Good. Now, I'll ask once again; are you lying to me?” Anon said, his eyes as daggers piercing through her.

“N-no, sir, really, I’m not. We really are just passing through,” she muttered, trembling in place and trying to hide behind her long, silky white mane.

Anon smiled, nodding. “Alright then, I trust your word more than his; I can see it in your eyes. So, you’ll be staying the night? You’ll need some blankets.”

Tennae’s ears perked up. Blankets… “What’re those?” she asked, curiously peeking out from behind her mane now that he’d stood back up and sounded… nicer, than earlier.

“What, they call them someplace different where you’re from?” Anon chuckled, pulling out a few large quilts from a big, wooden chair. “Here, you can have this one,” he tossed one to her, the blanket completely draping over her and causing her to let out a light yelp of surprise. “Right from the crafty hands of Grandmama Anon.” The human smiled, warm memories of home coming to him. “Well Celery, you’d better rest up tonight; I bet Stone’ll be here in the morning for ya.”

Tennae poked her head out from under the blanket and nodded, hopping up onto the cot and rolling around to burrito-wrap herself. “It’s warm…” she muttered, feeling the fabric against her fur. Even if her fur was technically just an illusion, her touch receptors were still sensitive, and she could feel the slight fuzziness of the material as she buried herself deeper into it. It was like curling up next to a big bear, only it was dead and completely wrapped around her and probably not going to crush her. That, and it smelled a lot better than a bear.

“Here ya go,” Anon tossed her a pillow, the cushion hitting her in the snout. “I’ve got a few spares for when me and the guys crash for the night, so if ya need another one don’t be afraid to ask.

Tennae scrunched her nose at essentially having been booped at long range by this creature, but rested her head on the pillow cautiously.

It was the best feeling she’d felt in a long time. Much better than any sort of smooth rock or cave floor or dirt pile she’d managed to scrape together in the past. How could Anon live in such luxury, and yet seem almost… rustic?

Did he have some sort of other job that gave him all these things? She had heard that the ponies have many jobs that each one does, but those seemed to be based on a cutie mark, and to her knowledge, she’d never seen Anon’s cutie mark…

Probably because he wore all those clothes. Ah well, something to possibly look into in the morning. Right now, sleep was calling…

...Alternatively, she could also take the opportunity to observe him when he thought she was asleep. Yes, this would be the most tactical of acts, what Husk and the Queen would expect from her.

Occasionally peeking out from one eye under the blanket, she observed the human as he ate. He ate meat with his stew, so that would make him an—

"Om nom nom..." Anon chewed the meat, swallowing it before scarfing down a scoop of potatoes.

Omnomnimivore? Close enough. He ate plants and meat; a versatile diet, no doubt.

As he cleaned up, he seemed to carry a very relaxed disposition about himself; he obviously did not feel threatened by the presence of another species. A social creature, then.

She hadn't observed it, but it was apparent from him taking down the ent, as well as collecting pieces from different creatures, that he must have impressive strength and athletic ability as well; a direct attack would have to be left as an absolute last resort. So... diplomacy seemed to be the smartest option with him; manipulation and deception, two of a changeling's prime traits.

Yes, he would be a powerful ally. And it would be up to Tennae to initiate it...

She shuffled a bit in her blanket, snuggling closer into the pillow as she reflected on this. She was, in essence, the only one who would be able to act in a positive light with the human; he was already suspicious of Husk, so that was not an option readily available at this time.

Hm... what if she made him, from some kind of miracle... fall for her? Then she could easily use her power on him. And from that, the hive would not only have a powerful ally physically, but a powerful ally that could easily interact with the ponies, and work from the inside alongside the others.

There was a lot to think on tonight. And from the looks of things, Anon had the same idea as her. While she was contemplating to herself, she hadn't noticed him put the dishes away, change outfits into sleepwear (which, oddly, did not cover his torso like the other had), and turn the lights out. By the time she had snapped out of it, he had already curled up in bed, staring out at the moon outside.

"Anon...?" She quietly muttered, poking her head out from the blanket.

"Hm? Yeah, Celery?" He asked, sitting up and looking at her, the covers falling to his waist.

Eyes up, Tennae. No time for admiring right now.

"Thank you for letting me stay overnight..." she smiled at him, snuggling into the pillow. "...And don't be mad at Stone, he's just a bit cautious around others..."

"No worries, guess I just got caught up in the moment," he laid back in bed, pulling the covers up. "Guess it's just a weird feeling I got, that's all. I tend to speak without a filter," he sighed. "Sorry for swearing like that too, I know ponies don't usually like that—"

"No, it's okay, really," Tennae interrupted, giggling lightly. "I... I don't know why, but it seems to suit you." She smiled at him. "But do try to keep it to a minimum if possible, please. I don't think Stone would like me staying the night with a potty mouth," she giggled once again. Come on, buy it...

Anon snickered, wrapping his hands behind his head. "I'll try. No promises, though," he grinned at her. "I like you, Celery. You've got a good head on those shoulders," he said, winking at her.

"I- I do?" She blushed. Had she done it?

"Yep. Don't give me a reason to take it off now," he teased, pulling the covers up and rolling over, away from her, snickering the whole while.

Tennae’s eyes widened and she squeaked at that. She let out a huff, rolling back into her snuggle blanket. Looks like she had a lot of work cut out for her...

End Chapter 5

Author's Note

Fun times ahead for tiny bug pone.

~Wuten