Illuminating Aegis: Tales of the Changeling King

Namiro groaned as he... she... started to sit up. A hand almost immediately went to his-... her head as she began to look over herself. The form of the Royal changeling had more of the same rounded and smooth look as Patina had taken. She rubbed her eyes a little as she looked around the room, then blinked at the number of jars full of pink liquid had been stacked near the storage shelf. "Oh... wow... I... damn." She stumbled out as she shakily got to her hooves, using her tail against the bed to stabilize her new form.

The second thing she noticed was the empty chitin husk over near the table. "It was certainly a pleasure to harvest with you last night Namiro..." The deep voice had caught the Royal off-guard and caused her to yelp a little before directing her attention to the undisguised Infiltrator that was sitting next to the bed. He gave a small chuckle as he shakily got up. "I know that Royal changelings are able to store a lot of love, but you... wow... I... I think I know what Jade meant when she tried explaining that Cannabis stuff to me."

Namiro let out a small chuckle as well, closing her eyes to let emerald flames engulf her. As they faded, the stallion Aegis Armor stood in the Royal's place. "Yeah..." He began. "...I'm not sure even Cannabis is able to get us as high as straight love does." He shakes his head a few times and groans as he starts to arch his back again. "Wow... How many times did we go at it?"

"I lost track after twenty..." Crimson laughed before looking back to the Jade-green mare who was coated in several blobs of green slime. "I think we may have been a bit too much for her..."

"Too much for her? I could've sworn you were going to be too much for me!" Namiro chuckled as he stumbled over to the table. "Oh..." He moaned as he sat down. "I... I think I might just use a few of those examples with Patina."

Crimson smiled as he sat back down on the bed. "Mother would very much enjoy taking her time with you." He said as he pet the emerald-green mare's cheek, causing her to let out a groan as she began to wake up.

"Something... tastes like lemon pie..." the green mare slurred as she slowly sat up, smacking her lips a couple times. "...Oh yeah, your... uh..."

"Slime?" Namiro offered.

"Yeah! That stuff!" Jade replied with a small smile before putting a finger on her muzzle. "So... why does the slime taste like that again?"

Namiro and Crimson Hunter both shrug. "We don't know actually..." Crimson explains. "Every infiltrator has had similar results with the scent and taste being what our 'lovers' favor. Since you like that Lemon Meringue Pie stuff the slime that changelings make tastes and smells like it."

Jade opens her mouth, trying to say something but fumbling a few times before finally figuring out what to say. "You guys really are designed to please aren't you?"

Namiro gives a laugh. "We're androgynous... we shapeshift... the slime we make tastes like your favorite food... Yeah, I'd say we are."

"So... what do you guys make it from?"

"It's apparently what we make when we consume the same kinds of food non-changelings do." Namiro replied as he got up again, stretching once more. "I think it'll be a good idea for all of us to get clean..." He groans as his back gives a few satisfying pops.

Jade watches as his tail twitches with each pop. "You know... last night I forgot to ask why you two have different tails..."

"It's because Namiro is a Royal Caste changeling, the tails that they have are used to lay eggs for the hive." Crimson explained as they all began to make their way upstairs.

"At least, that's what we've known so far... with how flexible it is I wouldn't be surprised if there were other uses." The chestnut earth pony continued. "We'll probably find out a bit la-a-..." Namiro suddenly began to feel woozy as he reached the top of the steps, both the pony and changeling rushed to his side to catch him.

"Aegis!?" Jade exclaimed as she caught the disguised changeling, no matter how much both of them tried to wake him though, he wouldn't respond.

|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|

Namiro looked around curiously, seeing several buildings made out of very expensive materials; stone, slate, anything that would help keep out the cold that he felt was blowing his robe around. Turning to his right he saw a surprised lineup of several ponies, they were a mix of each race.

There were three unicorns, two had white coats with manes of a cool color like purple and blue, while the third one had a violet coat and similar mane of purple shades. Two pegusai and two earth ponies accompanied them, one pegasus was yellow while the other was a fairly lovely cyan color while the earth ponies were orange and pink.

The one that drew his attention the most was the slightly larger pony that had a horn and wings, something Patina had explained to him was an Alicorn. They were all looking at either him or something to his left, so he took a chance and looked off to the other side, shifting his grip on the saber in his grip as he noticed what they were staring at.

Across from him in a plaza-like area was an ebony-coated unicorn with a cruel-looking red horn, he practically stank of the dark side and the absolute hate was enough to make Namiro grimace in disgust as the foul emotion made him take a step back. In one small motion he brought his saber up to his defensive neutral stance and lit up the light-blue blade. The Royal changeling grit his teeth as the unicorn drew a blood-red sword from his cloak.

Namiro shivered a little just before the vision began to flash, one moment he would be evenly clashing blades against the unicorn and the next he was struck by the evil blade. Each cut burned at his chitin and quickly made him start panting as the clearly more-experienced sorcerer had the advantage in melee combat. Another flash and Namiro knew the sorcerer was just toying with him, he was on his knees... his cloak in shreds and his saber hilt sliced cleanly in half on the ground between them. He scowled as the sorcerer laughed at him. "You thought that someone just barely out of their training could challenge me? That a mere apprentice could succeed where the others have failed?!"

The changeling spared a glance around him as the ebony unicorn laughed, around him were the injured bodies of many guards, even the bleeding body of the Alicorn that he had seen moments ago was a testament to this new sorcerer's strength. "You kneel before me... beaten, broken... and now... you will simply be a new resource for me to build an army... Changeling..." the unicorn gloated as he leveled his blade at the changeling that was scowling at him.

The unicorn laughed for only a few more seconds before the hiss of a lightsaber was heard and the last third of a crimson blade pierced through the unicorn's chest, only to retract a few moments later and let the stallion collapse in front of the newcomer; a black-winged male with a very familiar Relic-model lightsaber hilt.

With a dark chuckle the newcomer threw his favorite one-liner, "There's always a bigger fish..." before the vision began to blur and fade.

|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|

Namiro blinked a few times as he realized that he could hear the sounds of a shower starting, everything was a bunch of blobs of color as he let out a groan. A red blob that he guessed was Crimson pressed something against his lips that got Namiro to focus his mind right quick as the spicy liquid made him cough and hack as his senses returned to him. "What... the... hell?" the Royal Changeling coughed.

"Anger, it's a great way to bring someone back to their senses."

Namiro gives another cough as he eyes the red-stained shot glass. "How long was I out?"

Jade looked over to him, still in the buff as she shook her tail at him a little. "About an hour, what happened?"

The Royal Changeling blinked and rubbed his throat a little before swallowing the lump in his throat. "I believe The Force gave me a vision... a Darksider that I know personally..." he shivers a little. "Once a friend, now an enemy..." the Royal took a breath as he began to compose himself. "I believe it may be something that will happen soon."

Crimson put a hand on the Royal's shoulder. "Let's get cleaned up first, then we'll worry about visions."