The Rogue Changeling

Life as a changeling is not fun. You got nothing for everything. We rarely eat. The love from Chrysalis is not enough to feed us all. We're all hungry, all the time. We are nameless servants of the queen. I am the youngest in my hive.

I know Chrysalis tries to be a good queen, I know she tries to feed us, I know she cares, but I can't spend my life in the kingdom, even if the invasion succeeds.

I was given a room for myself and full access to school, so I often spent my time studying and transforming to pass the time. There is a good pony book called The Adventures of Daring Do that I love. I have the first three of them, and I read them over and over. Ponies must have very interesting lives. Beautiful, too, from the picture on the front.

I looked into the mirror and changed into Daring Do, smiling at myself, then changed back and went to bed.

Two guards came into my home and pulled me off into a training camp. "You have the wrong home!" I screamed, yet the guards still took me.

I had no time to adjust before they made me learn to copy fighting styles and sent me running errands, running water to every guard, while getting none myself. No group got water until after everything is done, from everypony.

"I won't survive here," I said as I sat down.

"It seems that way when you first get here, but I promise you will," said a bigger, older changeling as he sat next to me.

I looked up at him and asked, "So, why do we fight?"

The older pony sighed and said, "Our queen is misguided about how to receive love for us, and pain is all she knows. If you don't want to fight, you can abandon the travel when we go through the Everfree Forest. I assure you, it is close to a happy, loving town."

"Will you help me sneak away?"

"Unfortunately, no. I can't leave. Sorry, kid."

"Okay, thank you," I said as we continued our meals.

Later, I went to my barracks and slept, repeating the tasks every day, and meeting the stallion every afternoon. One day he was being dragged off by guards, and no one said why. I just know that I never saw my friend again.

No day was ever the same, and I just waited until we went to the forest. Once a week they took another troop. I assume for the invasion. Hopefully for the invasion.

With each group they took, we each got more and more to do. Every night, I would fall on my bed, sweating.

I finally learned the fighting style, but I was still too weak to bruise anyone, so they moved me to weights. I couldn't lift much, so they decided I would be used for disguising myself, so I learned to become the enemy. It was a long, rather easy training. I basically got to do what I did every day in my hive.

The next week, on a Tuesday, our troop was brought out to invade from the lower part of Canterlot, meaning our first camp was placed in the Everfree Forest. I had my chance to leave!

We marched off, setting camp fifteen miles from the closest home, assuring we don't get caught. We made a strategy to where we send three at a time, three times, to avoid suspicion.

The captain pointed at me and said, "You're going first with the two biggest, do you understand?" I nodded. He then turned and directed everyone else.

As we went through the next day, looking like ponies, I went and hid in a school yard, as it would be better fitting with my age than anywhere else. The teacher mistook me for a new student and brought me inside and sat me in the back.

"You can't skip school, little pony. Just take notes for now, and I'll give you a lesson," she said. I took notes and then I heard the best news a week after I got there, the changelings failed the invasion and were banished, so I knew they couldn't come and find me.

A few days later, I went and played with a few fillies and colts in a game I never heard of before called tag. Then the worst thing happened, my disguise broke and everyone ran to the door, which was locked so the teacher could finish her planning. I looked around nervously and grinned, trying to seem innocent. Unfortunately, my fangs showed, causing them to scream and the teacher to run out to see what was causing the commotion. She was scared and brought everypony in, screaming, "Come in, children! Hurry!" Luckily, by now, the others passed and I could hide out, so I ran and hid in a box, making it my home and collecting love from passerby's with romantic partners. Not the best way to end a day.

In the morning I changed into a pony and went into the library and searched for the Adventures of Daring Do books and found every book in the series. I started drooling a bit and grabbed them, then read them as fast as I could. By the time I got halfway through the fifth book, the library was closing, so I had to rent the book. "Uhhh... how do I do that?" I asked. She giggled and showed me how.

"You can rent as many as you want, but you have to return them in a week or you have to pay a fine," she said kindly. I nodded and ran off happily with the books.

I just kept reading and reading in my little box. I knew by now the teacher must have reported the changeling sighting to the mayor or even one of the princesses, so it was only a matter of time until they came for me. Maybe I won't get jail time because I'm so young, but Chrysalis always spoke of the ponies with a harsh tone. Hopefully I'll even be allowed to live here. I was told this is a loving town...