Author's Note

I would like an editor, if that is all possible. I hope you enjoy the read, and make sure to tell me what you think in the comments, even if it's a negative opinion.

Chapter 1:A Silence Broken

The slow tapping of water gave a mellow presence within the hall. The dark and damp stone walls were covered in an assortment of graffiti and nature’s vandalism of the stone structures. The gang signs mixing together with roots that cracked at the stone structures, giving it an eerily similar feeling as if traversing an egyptian ruin. With the markings of an old civilizations, and the skeleton of what was a once an architectural masterpiece, both now just hollow husks of what they once were. A perfect home for a character such as Rough Stone.

Rough Stone was a mare, but at first sight many have mistaken her for a stallion. Her large body was much too large to belong to any normal mare pony. It was less tall, but more stout and muscular, with thick, coarse, and chestnut fur. It’s texture similar to that of sand on a warm day. Hot, rough, but with a strange feeling of comfort if you let it consume a hoof you used to touch it. Her Dark brown mane cascaded down both sides of her neck, and several strands were known to fall over her face and muzzle. The unkempt clumps of hair tangled together with a thin layer of mud, and a thick layer of grease. The earthy smell giving emphasis on her feral appearance.

With her one eye closed, (a scar running down from the right brow, to the bottom of the muzzle below her right eye, forcing her to keep the eye closed from it’s damage), Rough Stone stared down into the dimly lit building. Her body straining as she stood up slowly, and looked all around the room. The shadows seemed to dance gently with the rain, but something was different than before. Before she could react one of the shadows jumped from it’s position, and tried to tackle the large mare down, but failed when met with the mass of muscles and strength. Her body overpowered the mysterious figure, and she used her hooves around it’s smaller figure to slam it within the concrete beside her. A crack was heard in the nearly silent building as the assailant laid on the ground, spasming from an injury dealt to the spinal cord. His world flashed black and white, before he was still ,and Rough Stone stood ready once again. The electricity filled the empty room, and though Rough Stone did not hear or see anypony within the room, she could tell by the tension still held there were more than just the possibly dead pony on the ground. A swift shuffle was heard from behind her, and she turned to see a shadow moving in the dimly lit room. Taking it’s chance, another figure came from the opposite direction, trying to flank the monster of a mare.

The figure came with swift zealotry, and leaped on the Mare combatant. It’s teeth sunk into her pelt, and tasted the muscle and blood, it’s dark teeth sinking deep in the flesh. The Mare’s cry of pain was swift, but she recollected herself and turned slamming her own body onto the ground, and crushed the figure. Wheezes of pain entered the air again, and another assailant came upon the fallen mare. It leaped on her, forcing Rough Stone to keep her assailant back by holding her front hooves up defensively. Bared teeth stabbed within the flesh of her leg, and she felt the sting of her muscles contracting on the the smooth, and obsidian colored teeth.

Green eyes beamed at the mare from the light darkness, and she could better see the twisted complexion of a changeling. It was not the first time Rough Stone had gazed in the twisted and empty orbs of green, but she still felt a lump clump in her throat, and her stomach turned in complete disgust. The Changeling dug deeper into her front leg, tearing at the flesh, but it was the last taste of flesh the changeling would ever receive as the giant Mare took his body, and fell forward. Landing and squishing the changeling, the sound of it’s shell cracking ringed like a boot crushing a cockroach. Green ooze gushed from in between the two, and the Changeling screamed into the cold air, before it was interrupted by another crack from it’s neck as rough Stone pushed down on the pony like bug’s throat with her hoof. The room fell silent once again, the gentle tapping of water filling the room once again, allowing the mare to calm. Blood trickled down from her forehooves, and neck area, and Rough Stone gave a pain groan. Her body tensing and flexing to the pain, and the sweet embrace of adrenaline and excitement began to leave her, leaving only the wounds to take her in complete suffering for the moments she spent on ground. Three changeling corpses littering ground.

“Time of lost contact?” Elusivema moved a strand of red membrane from her smooth, dark face. The changeling beside her cowering a bit, despite the Broodseer’s rather calm appearance. Though none of their mouths moved, they could hear their voices within the channels kepted mentally between every changeling within the hive. The only sound physically heard being the vibrating of the walls, and the sounds of tiny wings supporting the rather large bodies. The buzzing of the incredible wing speed of an army of changelings was an easy muffle for the sound of pony slaves, grunting from hard work, and the whipping of magic striking their muscles to work faster. Hundreds, to thousands that were located within the lower parts of the hives. Unicorns and Earth ponies were forced to break earth, as Changeling overseers watched over their seemingly tedious actions. Pegasus used to carry stone with their flying to higher points, but this job was in no way any better.

“Ten hundred hours, Madam.” The changeling thought, and bowed. His fear was clear as he cowered gently away whenever Elusivema passed beside him, moving beside the eggs she was responsible for upkeeping. Three hundred and twenty little changelings growing within Three hundred and nineteen (one egg had been so lucky to hold two, a sign of lordship within the Changeling community.). Their bodies spasming within the oceans of love and goo being used to develop their thick, black shells, and the thick, green fluid that ran through their bodies like blood. The Broodseer laughed maniacally, and the changeling flinched when she turned around once again to face the grunt Changeling. “Then send four next time. We need not worry about such little creatures when there are many more things to do. Go, and don’t come back with any talk of that Drifter..” The changeling bowed, but when he turned he was stopped by the Elusivema’s voice in his head once again.

“If I do hear of this Drifter before her “removal” I suggest you leave the hive. I would hate to ruin one of my own of such a little problem, but of course you know the rules.” The Changeling grunt swallowed, and left to carry out her command. The Broodseer sighed dramatically, letting the light red membrane fall infront her her face again as she looked down to the eggs before her. The green orbs of light glew like stars in the eggs, and she could look over the pile to see all of her precious little children growing.

Rough Stone took a short break from her long walk. Her left front hoof ached from the wound the other night, and her other legs just ached from the extensive traveling. The Barbaric mare plumped down in the middle of the abandoned street, not bothering to move from what would have been a dangerous place to rest. The reason was that no ponies walked those streets anymore, neither did they ride carts on, fly over, or even lived within the tattered buildings around the road’s path. The town was abandoned, like many that had once been fully populated with Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, and perhaps the occasional Dragon, Gryphon, or Zebra, and the only current occupants (or at least to Rough Stone’s knowing) was just Rough Stone and tiny critters that scampered around the old buildings.

The large mare looked at her leg, and watched the blood to continue to spread over the cloth she used to cover her injury. Her muscular neck flexing, and cringing to remind her of the two fang marks. Her mouth open, and she gave a loud, audible sigh in the morning air, which had startled a few of the bunnies that were in a rough street bush about three feet to her left. The roots embedded deep within the broken concrete, and shined in the dawn sun yellow and seemingly dead, but yet still thriving and growing without the constant trimming and upkeeping of a gardener. The squirrels, within the nearly abandoned houses, stepped outside of their homes to look and see what had made the rather deep and loud sigh. The powerful voice went silent once again and all the critters saw was a dirty, tribal looking mare within the center of the cobblestone path. Her body shaking a bit from the muscle strain she was trying to relax. Deciding the four legged animal to be boring, they returned within their foliage and attics to leave the pony alone once again for a short moment. Rough Stone did not know the power of that moment, and still did not have an idea of how much this very moment will change when she heard the first pony voice she had heard in years. The three year silence finally broken by a gentle and calm voice that came inside her ears as a comfort like food in her stomach when she had been starved, or water when her throat had been dry for so long.

“Um. . .Hello? Are you okay?” The yellow mare with a pink mane walked from behind a building. Her mane was dirty and unkempt, but decorated with flowers and other plants, perhaps to let the mare continue to feel pretty even though the source of bathing water in this wasteland town was very low. Rough Stone turned her head in disbelief, and yet there it was. Rough Stone stood up with an obvious strain, and readied herself.

She must be a Changeling.

Rough Stone’s thoughts rationalizing as her body flexed and readied herself for any bit of combat she may have to engage.

The Yellow Mare meeped at the sudden movement, and could not shake the feeling of being threatened. Sensing the other Mare’s confusion and fear, the yellow pegasus lifted her left hoof in surrender. “Mynameisfluttershy-” The yellow mare mumbled quickly, flinching from the Mare who walked closer. Taking a bit of courage Fluttershy look back towards the Feral Mare, who backed up a few steps seeing movement.

“-I just want to help.”