Altered Visage

“Your little pink friend showed up asking if you’d come back again today. Unlike that nosy princess, she doesn’t know when to give up.”

Once my eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the lights turning on, I glared at Nutcase. It had been five days since I had been taken in by her. I kept as close track of the passage of time as possible given my circumstances. It wasn’t much, but it helped keep me sane. I doubted I’d be able to keep track for much longer before it all started blurring together.

“What? Nothing to say this morning?” She questioned with a slight frown on her face.

I remained silent, staring daggers at her. I’d spit at her too, but I learned earlier what happens when I do that and didn’t want to relive the lesson she gave me. I had developed a burning hatred for my captor, and I latched onto it with all my might to shield myself from the sorrow that always threatened to overtake me. Part of me knew that, much like how my ability to keep track of the passing days would fade, my ability to hold onto that anger would be worn away by the despair of my situation. But for now, I smoldered on.

“No matter. I have good news! I’m ready to try bringing Musty back again.”

“And who do you kill this time?” Pupa deadpanned.

“I dunno! I haven’t decided yet!” Nutcase practically danced on her hooves in giddy anticipation. She pointed a hoof at Pupa, and moved her hoof to point at another of us three with every word to follow. “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe! Catch a gryphon by the toe, if she hollers-“ Her childish rhyme was cut off by a sudden and intense shiver.

“What now?” Nutcase grumbled, her face contorting into a scowl. “Excuse me, boys, but it seems somepony is snooping about my door. If it’s that pink pony again, I swear I’m going to lock her up with you guys.” That last part was muttered under her breath. With that explanation, we three changelings were left alone in the silent basement again.

My thoughts drifted to the upcoming experiment. If Nutcase screwed up again, then maybe I’d get another human to talk to. I so badly wanted somebody around who would not only believe that I’m a human in changeling form, but be able to understand exactly what I was going through. Looking over my current two companions caused a pang of guilt for that desire, since the only way I’d receive it would be for one of them to die, and it would completely ruin another human's life too. Staring back at the floor, the inevitable thought came to me. What if I was the one chosen? I hated that place and wanted out with all my being, but I didn’t want to die to do so.

“If....If it’s me this time, then I just want to say goodbye.” I turned to Drymanid, wondering if he would continue. “It’s just that Visage didn’t get a chance to say goodbye before she...” He trailed off, choosing to chew at his lip instead of finishing that sentence.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad? I don’t know what happens after you...die...but it can’t really be any worse than this, right?” My attempts to comfort him didn’t exactly have the desired effect, as he flinched when I stumbled over the word ‘die’ and generally wilted at my uncertain tone. I felt my own spirits wilting with him.

“Maybe you should volunteer then, impostor. Maybe if we’re lucky Visage will come back.” Pupa spat out. He had never been friendly towards me, but the longer I was around him, the more hostile he had become.

“Impostor?!” I laughed. “This coming from a bug that makes a living impersonating people!”

“At least I am a changeling! You? You’re nothing but a mistake!”

“I’d lodge my boot up your ass, but it wouldn’t fit with that stick you’ve shoved up there.”

Dryma groaned in his cage between us as Pupa and I shouted past him at each other. Our screaming match continued for a few minutes as we slung insults back and forth, not stopping until we had both fully vented our frustrations. I doubted that either of us would have been nearly so combative if we hadn’t had a death sentence over our heads exacerbating our worries.

I faced away from my fellow prisoners and stared at nothing in particular, my breathing fast from the fight or flight response our argument had invoked. I slugged at the bars of my cage with a forehoof, hoping to work off some of the excess energy and aggression that the adrenaline in my system had infused me with. Unfortunately, it didn’t help. Now I was angry, had energy to spare and a sore hoof.

Energy. I definitely had plenty of that. Nutcase had been making certain that I wouldn’t be collapsing on her again. No sane person would ever call what she did ‘love’, but it seemed to be a good enough substitute for my bizarre, changeling digestive system. A few tears escaped my big blue eyes as my anger began to subside.

I hastily dragged a foreleg across my face and attempted to force back any future tears. If I started now, I doubted that I’d be able to stop. I had no intention of letting Nutcase see me crying when she got back.

As I put my hoof back to the floor, I noticed a rabbit staring at me from outside my cage. I blinked a few times then looked around for a moment before returning my gaze to the bunny that was very much still there.

“Angel....Bunny?” I whispered in disbelief, my jaw hanging open. Angel put a paw to his lips, indicating he wanted quiet.

Did I just get shushed by a rabbit? I wondered in disbelief.

What was he doing there? Did Fluttershy send him? Maybe Fluttershy was worried about me and sent him to spy on Nutcase? With all the badass characters in this world, was it going to the timid Fluttershy who saved me? Nothing against Flutters, I love her and all, but she was literally scared by her own shadow in an early episode. That she might be the one to free me was a surprise, to say the least. My contemplation was cut short by the sound of approaching hooves and agitated grumbling. Angel responded to the intrusion by hiding.

“You’ll never guess what just happened. I open the door and nopony is about. As I’m about to close it and come back here, I get hit by a peanut! A peanut of all things!” Nutcase was pacing back and forth in front of our cages, twitching every few steps. For my part, I tried to hold back laughter at that mental image. “I searched the area for whoever was responsible, being hit by a barrage of nuts all the while until I found a squirrel sitting in a tree aiming a final fucking peanut with his little paws, which landed squarely between my eyes. Then the little bastard had the nerve to wave at me before running off!”

The image in my mind was too much to bear, I burst out laughing. The giddiness at the prospect of being rescued combined with imagery of one of Fluttershy’s little squirrels pelting Nutcase with a stash of peanuts had me rolling in my cage.

“What’s so funny?” Nutcase stepped in front of my cage and snarled at me. The other two changelings stared as if I had gone mad. “Oh, that’s it! Let’s see how much you laugh after I use you to bring back my Musty.”

At the sound of my cage door unlocking, I stopped laughing. Angel Bunny’s presence may be a sign of impending rescue, but there wasn’t much one little bunny could do to stop a crazed unicorn from killing me. A rescue tomorrow meant nothing if I died today. You’d think that after all that happened with Discord that I would have learned not to laugh at those who had power over me.

I realized I had to do something or else I was going to die. Even if I didn’t stand a chance and it was futile to put up a fight, I couldn’t just let her kill me. When she reached for the cage door to open it, I rammed into it, causing it to violently open and strike Nutcase on the head with a loud crash. As she was knocked clear of my cage, I rushed out of it and leapt at her, prepared to pummel her into oblivion.

I managed to get only one strike on the face of my monstrous captor before the band on my horn began to glow a bright yellow and I was rendered completely immobile, staring down at Nutcase’s battered and furious countenance. Against my will, I found myself crawling off of her and climbed onto her examination table.

Within moments, Nutcase loomed over me, blood dripping from her nose as she strapped me into place. After testing my bindings to ensure I couldn’t escape, she released me from her control.

“I’d say that was very stupid of you and that you’ll regret doing that, but let’s be honest. I was going to kill you regardless.” She spit some blood from her mouth at my face where it slowly dribbled down my cheek.

“Please don’t do this!” I pleaded. “You want me to be your husband? I’ll be your husband! I’ll never let the disguise drop! I’ll buy you flowers, clean your home, cook you meals, make love to you, anything you want!

My pleading became muffled as Nutcase shoved a gag into my mouth. I writhed against the straps holding me down, my limbs soon burning with pain, but it was in vain. I wasn’t going anywhere.

As I continued to struggle, I noticed a little white rabbit out of the corner of my eye. Angel Bunny was sitting near my cage again. He had his paw covering his face and was slowly shaking his head. He removed his paw and glared at me. I stared back, trying to plead for help with my large, overly expressive eyes. He in turn rolled his own, gave an exaggerated sigh, and then a patch on his forehead started to glow green.

Wait, what?!

Before I could fully register what was going on, a bolt of green energy was sent hurtling towards Nutcase while Angel was engulfed in green flames. Noticing the flash of light, Nutcase was able to react just in time to set up a magical shield which deflected the green energy bolt harmlessly into a wall. Both the new changeling and Nutcase entered combative poses, prepared for a fight. For a few tense moments, nothing happened as the two stared at each other.

The staring contest was broken as the Angel Bunny changeling leapt at Nutcase, fangs bared, prepared to tear into her flesh. My two companions cheered him on, but Nutcase was not about to be caught off guard again, a simple magical burst of energy slammed into our would be saviour’s side, knocking him into the bars of Dryma’s cage. Before he could recover, he was lifted up in a telekinetic field. Nutcase made to toss the intruder into my currently empty cage, but the changeling’s horn channeled his own spell and the yellow magical field swiftly turned green before disappearing entirely as he dropped standing to the floor, breathing heavily from the effort needed to break her hold.

The changeling sent a volley of energy bolts, but Nutcase put up her shield again, causing them to fizzle out harmlessly. She threw her barrier forwards into her foe, striking him with a resounding crack and sending him to the floor facing away from her on his belly where he remained, groaning.

With a triumphant smirk, Nutcase levitated a magical inhibitor ring out of a drawer at her desk and approached the downed changeling. When she reached him, the changeling with one swift movement planted his forehooves on the floor and used the leverage that gave him to buck out at her with his hind legs. With a cry of surprise, Nutcase tried to dodge this attack, but was still hit solidly in her chest and lifted into the air by the power of the blow, collapsing to the floor as she landed. She returned unsteadily to her hooves, coughing.

While she tried to recover, the changeling charged at her again with a snarl, aiming to tear out her throat with his fangs. Nutcase managed to raise a leg to block the killing blow, but shrieked in pain as a mouthful of sharp teeth sank into her limb. Frantically, she reached out with her magic and grasped at the first thing she could find: one of the magical orbs she used to light the cave. The orb slammed into the changeling’s head, shattering from the impact like glass, and knocking him loose from her leg and back to the floor. He lifted his head, stained with blood from several lacerations and the wound he had caused to Nutcase’s leg, and saw several yellow bolts of energy about to strike him. He put up his own shield, but the bolts cut through the weak green barrier and struck him one after another, his screams echoed through the chamber. The two changelings still locked up stopped their shouting and sat in disappointed silence, leaving the only sound in the room the laboured breathing of Nutcase and the ragged gasps for air from her defeated assailant.

Nutcase laughed. Not a malevolent sort of laughter like you might imagine a monstrous villain doing in their moment of victory. No, this was a nervous laughter filled with relief, the kind a person releases when they are simply happy to have survived something they knew they shouldn’t have.

My heart sank. I was so close to getting out of here, and now instead of being rescued, a new changeling had been captured, or maybe killed if the damage he suffered was too great. With one short fight, my hopes were once again crushed. I thought bitterly that at least I wouldn’t be alive to suffer the guilt from facing the one who was caught trying to save me.

Suddenly, Nutcase’s laughter ceased as her ears twitched, a concerned look spreading across her face. She limped over to the stairway and pointed her ears towards the opening. I strained myself to try and detect what she had, and soon I could make it out too. It was a repetitive pounding sound, and it was growing louder. Her horn glowed and a faint wall of yellow energy was sent up the stairs.

After a few moments, Nutcase’s eyes widened and a look of panic spread across her face. She hastily limped away from the entrance, trying to reach the doorway to the bedroom. Due to her leg injury, she was much too slow. The sound was revealed to be three changelings running down the stairs as they burst into the room. Quickly noting the condition of the first four changelings in the room, all of which were locked up, tied down, or badly wounded, they approached the mare that had done it all.

“Give up, you’re outnumbered!” The largest of the three demanded in a deep, masculine version of the dual toned changeling voice, one I was instantaneously jealous of in my improperly gendered form.

Nutcase’s eyes twitched from foe to foe, trying to gauge her three new fresh opponents. Her response to their demand was to send a javelin of magic hurtling towards the one who had spoken. He dove to the side, barely avoiding the deadly projectile that gouged out a large hole in the wall behind him.

The second of the trio charged at Nutcase nearly immediately after she had attacked the first. Another volley of yellow energy bolts was sent hurtling at the approaching changeling, but they were deflected by a bright green barrier that the third changeling had put in place to protect their ally. Within moments, the second changeling collided with my captor with a bone crunching thud, both of them falling to the ground. A desperate, undisciplined burst of yellow energy sent Nutcase’s assailant flying through the air, though the changeling recovered in midair with a buzz of its wings.

Nutcase staggered to her hooves and stared down the changeling in the air and the one that had a dangerous level of magic charged up in its horn. Her eyes widened in fright as she realized she had lost track of the big one who had spoken. She searched the room for him only to hear the telltale sound of changeling transformation fire directly behind her.

She involuntarily jerked her head around to find the monster that had just popped up at her back and froze as she came face to face with a humongous bear. The other two used this distraction to strike simultaneously, the one in the air diving at her while the magician shot an impressive bolt of green energy. The dual pronged attack struck Nutcase full force and she fell to the stone floor, bloodied and unconscious. To complete her defeat, one of her own magical inhibitors was placed on her horn by one surprisingly dexterous bear.

The bear swiftly changed back into a changeling and gave a quick survey of those of us who had been held captive. My two caged companions were cheering at the rescuers and I could have sworn that the big guy was blushing as he took a great big, theatrical bow.

“Greetings, all, I am Webber, the transformation specialist and leader of the Hive’s Search and Rescue Squadron Thirteen. The lovely lady over there is Cocoon, our magic specialist, and that athletically built young stallion is our aerial combat specialist, Doppelganger. We will be your saviours today! Please, no autographs!”

After rolling her eyes at her commander’s flamboyant speech, Cocoon trotted up to my table, removed the gag from my mouth and set to work removing the enchantments on the magical inhibitor so that it could be safely removed.

“Thank you. You have no idea what she was going to do.” She gave a vague grunt of acknowledgement at my words and continued working on the inhibitor, horn glowing a vibrant green. “Do you think you could untie me?”

“Hmm? Oh, right”

With a quick flash of magic, my bindings were undone and I was able to move again, though she threatened to tie me up again if I didn’t stay still so that she could work on the magic inhibitor.

“This is quite the piece of work she’s got on you.” I found myself uncomfortable with the fascinated tone she took over the device of my subjugation. “It’s definitely not the standard issue inhibitors that most ponies use, probably custom built. Did it do anything other than stop you from using magic?”

“Yeah. She could use it to directly control me and my magic.”

She whistled at the news. “That is some powerful stuff. Gotta admire a mare that knows her way around enchanted items.” I did not share her enthusiasm for my previous captor’s abilities, no matter how impressive they may actually have been. Hoping for a change of subject, I spied Angel in the distance.

“Is he going to be okay?” I asked, indicating Angel who was being helped to his hooves by Doppelganger. He heard my question and limped my way with a little assistance.

“Nothing a little tender love and care from Fluttershy won’t cure.” He winced in pain as Doppelganger accidentally bumped into his head. Remembering how he had appeared as Angel Bunny, I couldn’t help but ask a question.

“Are you really Fluttershy’s rabbit?”

“Yes, for a few years now. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell her that, though. You can call me Angel, I’ve grown to really enjoy that name.”

“Angel here isn’t trained for combat. In fact, he was only supposed to keep an eye on things until we could get here. What happened?” Doppelganger asked.

“Chuckles here found you guys throwing peanuts at the madmare funny and thought it was a good idea to antagonize her by laughing.” Angel scowled in my direction, causing me to avert my eyes in shame. “If I didn’t do something she was going to kill her.”

“I thought it was funny too until she hit me with that rock. It’s why we took so long getting here. I was out cold for a solid ten minutes.” Webber piped in from his position near the cages of my fellow prisoners.

“How did you guys find us?” Drymanid interjected into our conversation from next to his cage, having been released from it by Webber.

“You can thank Angel for that.” Webber explained.

Angel bowed his head, cheeks slightly reddened with embarrassment over the praise. “Fluttershy told me she had found a changeling, so I followed her and her friends into the Everfree and to this place. The entire area reeks of despair, so it wasn’t hard to tell something was wrong. Even if Fluttershy hadn’t expressed her concerns to me over your wellbeing later, I still knew I had to help you.”

“He contacted Queen Chrysalis, asking for help in getting all of you out, and here we are.” Webber continued for him. “I distracted what’s her name while the others sneaked in. My team sent Angel ahead to find you while they waited for her to return from outside, then propped the door open, searched for my unconscious self and then we all came down here. You know the rest.”

“So....what are you then, a spy?” I questioned Angel, who glared at me in return.

“No.” He responded coldly and I wilted a little beneath his glowering gaze, only to have the changeling attending to my inhibitor growl at me to stay still. Webber’s reaction was quite different from Angel’s, he chuckled.

“Nah, he’s Fluttershy’s darling pet now, he’d never do anything to hurt his precious master.” His tone was jovial, his words obviously intended as lighthearted teasing. “He hasn’t been part of the hive for years now.”

“Wait, you mean to tell me Chrysalis-“ I began.

“Queen Chrysalis.” Doppelganger corrected me.

“Uh...right. You mean to tell me that Queen Chrysalis willingly sent a rescue team to help out somebody who isn’t even part of the hive?”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Doppelganger raised an eyebrow. “Even if we weren’t saving other changelings, being you and those two over there, he’s still one of us. What hive are you from that you would think our Queen unwilling to help out her own?”

There are other hives? Other queens? Wait, stop! Bad brain, he asked you a question!

I swallowed and looked around nervously, trying to think of how I could get past this question. How would they respond to me not really being one of their own? Most ponies didn’t exactly believe me, and Pupa certainly hadn’t reacted very well. Oh right, Pupa. If I didn’t tell the truth, then he surely would and I doubt he’d care about making me look sympathetic.

“Truth is, I’m not from any hive.” I nervously stated.

“You mean you’re one of the unbound like me? Or that you’re born to unbound parents?” Angel prodded.

“Uh...no. I’m not quite sure what an unbound is, but that’s not what I mean. I’m not actually a changeling.”

Skeptical eyes greeted me all around, and Pupa’s satisfaction was so intense that I could feel it. It seemed Cocoon had finally gotten my inhibitor off and I could sense emotions again. As the sense of dread and despair that had been overwhelming me on arrival returned, I realized that it probably wasn’t really a good thing that she had.

“Got it!” She exclaimed triumphantly, my inhibitor hanging in her telekinetic grip. I sat up and winced while the negative emotions washed over me.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great, Cocoon, now what do you mean you’re not a changeling?” Webber questioned.

“I...I...” Stammering was all I could get out as I looked into Webber’s accusing eyes. They said they had come out because they would help any changeling in need, but what about me then? I wasn’t a changeling. Would they execute me? Would they mind control me and use me as a source of love, like Chrysalis had done to Shining Armor?

“What she means is that this isn’t the first time that Nutcase had done her experiment. The first time, the changeling that you see in front of you died. This...thing from another world invaded her body and took it over. She is not Visage, she’s a monster.” Pupa had trotted up to my table, and I was visibly shaking by the time he finished.

Webber stared at Pupa incredulously before he turned his gaze back to me as if he were seeing me for the first time. My eyes flitted fearfully from face to face, each one staring at me with a shocked expression, except for Dryma and Pupa, who had a pained expression and a smug one respectively. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked past them at the stairway to my freedom.

“I think Queen Chrysalis will want to see Visage for herself.” Webber stated plainly.

In a panicked burst of energy, I leapt from my position on the table, bowling over Doppleganger and Angel and galloped as quickly as my legs would take me for the stairs. The injured changeling and his support shouted in surprise as they fell to the floor. Cocoon, however, was quick to react and blocked my escape route with a magical force field, which I promptly ran nose first into at top speed. It was like running into a trampoline, knocking me back flat on my rear. Getting back to my hooves, I turned to face Webber as he approached me. As he got close, I wildly swung a hoof at him, but he dodged easily.

I wasn’t a fighter as a human to begin with, and being in a foreign body only made it worse. My attack threw me off balance, which he took full advantage of by knocking me onto my side and pinning me in place. I struggled mightily to escape from him, fueled by the fear overwhelming me, but to no avail. Cocoon approached the two of us, horn glowing as she cast another spell. Before long, I felt my energy waning and I gradually stopped fighting as I drifted off to sleep.

___________________________

Pinkie Pie had been going to Nutcase’s home every day since their first meeting to try and see Chancey again, and, if Nutcase wasn’t as bad as she seemed, make friends with her too. Just because Twilight was too preoccupied with her foalnapped brother and sister in law to do so didn’t mean Pinkie wasn’t going to keep trying to find out what had really happened to her human turned changeling friend. There was absolutely, positifically no chance (hee hee! Chance! Get it?) that he would just leave her like that for good without saying goodbye no matter what Nutcase told her. They were friends, right? And friends definitely don’t do that sort of thing! It was in the rulebook right after ‘Do not kill your friends”.

Unfortunately, up to now she had little luck with her investigations, and today was thus far proving to be no exception. After searching the area for any clues or super secret passageways into the underground home, she had come up empty hooved again. The way things were going, she was tempted to start digging one instead.

A few days back, she had tried sneaking in through the front door in the middle of the night, but it was not only locked up by physical means, but by magical ones too! That wasn’t even fair! How’s a mare supposed to sneak into a house with that kind of protection blocking her way?

With her initial search complete, there was little more she could do beyond knocking on that door and hoping to convince Nutcase to let her inside. Sixth time’s the charm!

This morning when Pinkie knocked, instead of having to wait patiently for Miss Grumpy Grouse to answer and yell at her again, it opened inwards at her touch. Taking this as an invitation to enter, Pinkie did so with a slight bounce in her step. If Nutcase was letting her in so casually then maybe she was finally going to let her see Chancey again! She practically vibrated in excitement over the prospect.

Strangely, nopony seemed to be home. Even stranger, there was a stairway in the main room that hadn’t been there before when she and her friends had searched the place. Knowing an opportunity for an adventure when she saw one, she whipped out a black catsuit and had it on at such a speed that any sane pony would question just how Pinkie could have done it. Looking around she noticed with a disappointed sigh that nopony was around to be flummoxed by her actions. She loved seeing stunned faces filled with confusion over her antics almost as much as she loved seeing smiles. She wasn’t going to let that dampen her mood, though, as she had some super spying to do! She slunk as stealthily as a super spy should, just like in all those films she had seen with Rainbow Dash. She even had her own super spy theme music, which she supplied herself by humming.

Pinkie Pie now stood in an underground, cave like room. It was dimly lit by various faintly glowing orbs. Whatever magic that had been fueling them had noticeably faded, but it was still bright enough to see the horror. Cages, tables with straps for tying ponies down with, magic inhibitors scattered about, scorch marks burned into the walls and floor, and splotches of blood everywhere.

For the first time that day, Pinkie’s smile left her face as she ran back to Ponyville, screaming for Twilight the whole way.