All around, the only thing he could feel was cold. And a pounding, throbbing pain in his head.
‘Ugh, my head...’
He groaned, slowly coming to, fitfully trying to get into a good position on whatever was under him. Something, however, was preventing him from moving in any direction.
‘What the hell happened last night...?’
Clarity returning to his addled mind, he opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a large cave, stalagmites glinting menacingly in the dark. Glancing down at himself, he realized he was firmly trapped on a torture rack.
‘Of course I do something THIS dumb on my first night off. Go home with her, they said. You’ll finally loosen up, they said. Well, look where that got me. Great job, Swift Strike, you’ve really outdone yourself this time.’
Then he did a double take.
‘Wait, how did I get on a torture rack? I’m pretty sure they’re not common in Canterlot... wait, there are caves near Canterlot? I know about the Crystal Caverns, but I don’t see any crystals around here...’
Swift struggled for a moment, but the ropes held tight. He tried harder, yet the ropes still refused to give. Letting out a strangled cry of defeat and frustration, he settled down for a moment to collect his thoughts, and possibly find a way out of this situation.
He looked around again and tried to find anything useful, perhaps to cut himself down with. Sweeping his gaze around the cave once more, he thought he saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, but whatever it had been was quickly replaced with black as it faded into the abyss of the caves. He blinked a few times.
‘Am I still drunk or something? What time is it? How in Celestia’s name did I even get here anyways?’
‘~Because I brought you here.~’
Swift froze in fear, pupils dilating into pinpricks. That was not his voice, and he didn’t hear anything spoken either. Madly thrashing about on the metal rack, he struggled with renewed vitality, but the ropes held fast. He would not be moving anytime soon, and Swift knew this. He was completely and utterly trapped. Looking left and right but seeing nothing, he heard hoof steps on the roof of the cave. He flinched in horror, and slowly turned his head up to look.
There, holding onto a stalactite, was a silhouette. It looked like a pony, Swift could at least tell that much. It had a horn, but it was...awkwardly shaped for a pony’s. It was the same deal with the ears. And fin-like mane. It had more in common with a-
A blast of pain went through his skull, focused on his eyes. He screamed, and the voice chittered, but in his head, he heard laughter. And not the friendly type. His eyes were in so much pain, but being strapped to a torture rack, he couldn’t do much but scream. They felt like they were burning, as if someone had ripped them out and threw acid in the sockets. He squirmed, desperately trying to give his eyes some relief, but failing thanks to the rigidity of the rope.
As suddenly as it began, it stopped. Tears still flowing freely and rapidly, he cracked open his eyes only to see two big bright blue pupil less eyes right in front of him.
‘~Hello, pony. Well, not for long anyway.~’ The thing smiled.
It opened it’s mouth, giving him a full view of those fangs. Oh Celestia, those big, sharp fangs that were coming right for him-
He blacked out.
Swift awoke for the second time that night with pain in his head, but this time, it was more of a dull ache that he was easily able to shake off. Opening his eyes once again, he was surprised to see, well, everything. Every nook and cranny in the room was illuminated with perfect brightness, and he could see much further into the cave passageway before it split off into a different direction at the end.
As Swift was admiring his newly acquired night vision, he heard a soft thud and the sound of hooves kicking over small pebbles and dirt. Unable to look behind him, he braced for the worst as whatever was about to come into his sight was surely going to kill him. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, preparing for the worst. When he heard nothing, he opened his eyes, only to instantly regret doing so.
His eyes widened in primal fear as he stared right back into the eyes of a changeling. He started hyperventilating, but the changeling remained passive. Until, that is, it raised a hoof and hit Swift, knocking him out of his trance.
Smack
Swift reeled in pain and shock (mostly pain) as his breathing regulated, but kept a quick pace. His face now sported a neat new black eye. The changeling hissed at him and he recoiled, it giving him a look that could only be described as predatory. It reached underneath the rack, and pulled out a hoof held mirror. It was busy readjusting the angle for a few seconds, before giving up and holding it in front of Swift’s face.
‘What the-'
His blood turned to ice as he saw his eyes. His icy blue, pupil less eyes.
‘No, no, no no NONONONO-'
Swift’s stomach fell as he saw the changeling lick it’s fangs pointedly in the mirror, and smiled. He screamed, and the changeling only smiled wider. He could smell the damn thing, it was so close. Or was that himself?
'I swear if I pissed myself when I was passed out I will never live that down...'
The changeling-she looked contemplative for a moment. ‘Probably deciding the best way to torture me until the inevitable.’ he thought bitterly. He looked confused for a moment until she flew on top of the rack and loomed over his body. Swift noticed this particular changeling was larger than the average drone, and, for the briefest of moments, attractiveof all things.
‘This is all just a bad dream...!’
The changeling frowned as soon as the thought flashed through his mind, hissing and closing the distance between their faces in only a second. It bared its sharp teeth and fangs, and slowly its lips curled upward in a smile.
‘~Oh no, I can assure you this is very real.~’
Suddenly, a hoof landed across his muzzle and there was an audible crack as something broke inside of Swift’s jaw. He howled in pain, which only served to aggravate the injury even more.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
His screams echoed around the cavern, down the caves, and eventually petered out somewhere a few miles away. Slowly, the pain subsided to a dull ache, although he could feel something was not right with his mouth. He couldn’t move it properly, couldn’t speak. Swift realized in horror that the only being he could communicate with was the changeling, at least for the time being. His face contorted in anger at her.
‘What the buck did you do to me, you stupid bug?!’
She chittered. Swift instinctively understood it as changeling laughter.
‘~Why, I’m making you one of us. Honestly, I thought you would be more angry about that broken jaw. No need to worry about it by the way, it will fix itself in time.~’
She flew off and landed behind him, picking something up with her magic, and then brought it in front of Swift. He looked at it with shock. It was a lock of his mane.
‘What did you do to my mane?! Celestia forbid, if you did ANYTHING stupid to it, I’ll-’
‘~Do what? Break out of the torture rack, and kill me? News flash, pony, your new changeling instincts won’t allow for you to consciously kill or otherwise bring substantial harm to your own. And, no, I didn’t do anything directly to your mane. Same with your tail.~’
The changeling levitated the mirror, and another one, from below the rack and angled them until Swift could see the back of his head. The first thing he noticed was that his mane was completely gone. The second thing he noticed, was the black spine-like fin that spanned the back of his head down to his shoulders. His jaw dropped, then slowly he took deep breaths and regained composure.
‘~There is no need to fear, soon you will be much better than a silly pony...~’
Swift looked down, noting his darkening fur and skin. Sure, it wasn’t perfectly white, more like a cream color, but he liked it. And his marefriend liked it, well, until they broke up. But now, it was quickly turning dark grey, and falling off completely at his hoof tips. Which he couldn’t feel, of course.
‘~Soon, you will be a perfectly loyal changeling in service to her majesty, in body. It may take a bit for the mental conditioning of the hive mind to do it’s work, but no pony part of you makes it out alive.~’ She gave a sinister grin at that last part, then jumped down off the rack.
'Glad I didn't ask if it could get any worse, because after that, I don't think this could actually get any worse.'
Hoof steps rang out at the end of the cave, and Swift craned his neck in hopes of seeing a contingent of Royal Guards, or really anypony to help him out, but that was quickly crushed as he saw a second changeling making his way over to the rack. He had a pair of saddlebags on. Their eyes met for an instant, until the two changelings began to speak to each other. Motherbucker, of course things can get worse...
‘*I see our brother has begun his metamorphosis. I can feel him over the hive mind.*’
‘~As can I.~’ She glanced at Swift. ‘~Which means he has long passed the point of no return.~’
They shared a laugh, but only for a brief second. Their stoic faces returned quickly. Swift noted they sounded ever so slightly different from each other in his mind.
‘*The queen will be pleased with this development. I will go inform her immediately.*’
He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, only to quickly seize up as the two looked to him in unison, with one of their horns glowing an eerie green color.
‘*But not before I speed things up a little. Consider it a little gift.*’
He shot a bolt of magic aimed squarely at the middle of Swift’s chest, whose fur had almost completely fallen off his hooves and legs. Swift flinched and closed his eyes, preparing for the worst, only to crack one eye as nothing happened. He slowly opened his eyes, looking at the two changelings. They were both smiling widely, prominently displaying their fangs and sharp teeth. Imagine waking up to that in the morning....
The second suddenly flew on top of him and shoved his muzzle in Swift’s face, and his new instincts took over as he hissed at the invasion of personal space, then snapped his jaws at the changeling, only for his eyes to widen in shock. Their smiles only grew.
‘Did... did I just do that?’ He didn't bother to hide his trembling as he looked to his side, and gazed into the eyes of the changeling off to the side.
‘~Impressive, not all react that quickly. You will be a good one, I can tell.~
‘*Indeed. Your teeth are coming in nicely, might I add.*’ The second changeling snickered, which was little more than clicks and raspy breaths. Swift was beginning to understand their mannerisms and quirks with terrifying clarity, which scared him enough, but that last statement chilled him to the bone. He rolled his tongue over his teeth, only to poke a very sharp canine-like tooth. Tasting blood, he quickly realized the changeling was correct. They are pretty nice. Wait, where had that thought come from? He wanted his plant-muncher teeth back! Absentmindedly, he sucked the drops of blood up, then frowned. It tasted good. Really good.
‘*Take care, brother. When we see each other next, you will be perfect. But, for now, it's time for you to sleep.*’
The changeling glanced at his sister, then back at Swift while he levitated a syringe of clear fluid out of the saddlebags, in full view of the hybrid. As it slowly started floating towards him, Swift felt his resistance shatter as he began whimpering and tears rolled down his face. There was no way he could realistically get out of this. He tried squirming away from the medical instrument in a pitiful last attempt, but it was all for naught as he felt the needle embed itself in his neck, and then black.
Swift stirred, then cracked an eye and groaned.
'I really need to stop waking up like this...'
He felt extremely groggy and his head felt like cotton, but there was a pressure in his brain that told him now was the time to awaken. As feeling slowly returned to his body, the first thing he noticed was that he was no longer out on the torture rack, which sat some meters away in a corner. He struggled to sit up, but eventually flopped back down on the side of the cavern wall as he brought a hoof to his face. He slowly opened his eyes, but they shot open as he saw what was in front of him.
Holes. All over his glossy-black foreleg. Swift’s brain short-circuited for a moment as he sat, just staring with his mouth agape at the offending appendage. He shook it a few times, wondering if he was dreaming. He looked the rest of himself over, finding his both his hind legs and forelegs were all hole-riddled, glossy and black. His chest was furless and grey, but not glossy. That, however, was changing as he could see it darkening quickly before his eyes. His back, which had thus far been untouched, began to stiffen up rapidly and Swift could no longer take the pain of sitting up against the cave wall. He whimpered, but got up to his legs, and began walking towards the exit.
He got about halfway before keeling over in pain as he clutched his midsection, falling to the ground face-first. His broken jaw exploded in pain and he screamed into the dirt until his voice gave out. Swift slowly got into a sitting position as something was tearing itself apart inside him. He rolled over onto his ba-carapace, before doing a double, then triple take at the blue armor-like shell. In fact, he was so enraptured at it he almost missed the two-no, four thin insectoid wings upon it that were still forming.
The pain inside his lower abdomen began to lessen up, and he craned his neck to see his belly. Or, what was his belly. It was a hard shell, not as hard as his back, but still formidable in battle. It was sectioned off into three parts, but there were no visible breaks in the chitin. Not questioning why he used the word chitin, or how he knew how well changeling armor stands in battle, the pressure returned to his mind, guiding his eyes to the cave exit.
Swift got up again, buzzing his new wings in anxiety before remembering he had no idea how to use them. Being an Earth pony-
A sharp pain lanced through his mind at the thought, and he instinctively corrected himself.
‘-I am a po-changeling. No, I’m a changeling! NO!-’
His voice seemed to take on a buzzing, distorted quality within his mind, further confusing the poor stallion. He grabbed the sides of his head as the pressure returned in full force. This time, however, it was his entire head that felt agony. Something was pushing out of his skull, he could feel it. Forgetting about his broken jaw for a moment, he cried in pain as a horn drilled through the front of his forehead. His head flashed with green fire for a long moment as his head was covered with the armor-like chitin. When the fire dissipated, he realized there was no more pain in his jaw. In fact, he felt fine, sans the fact he was now covered in a shell, like a bug.
The metamorphosis complete, Swift stood up, pain fading away until the only feeling was the throbbing in his brain, telling him to go. He didn’t exactly know where, but it was definitely not here. He started slowly moving forward out of the cavern, picking up the pace to a casual trot as he began feeling better. That feeling would not last long, however, as his ears swiveled up at two sets of approaching hoofsteps and voices. They were inaudible for a moment, before getting loud enough for Swift to hear.
“I’m telling you, I know I heard somepony screaming down here!”
“And I’m telling you, no pony in their right mind would even want to be here! Have you heard all the rumors of the changelings in these caves?!”
He looked at himself in horror. If they saw him, they would tell the Royal Guard, and then he would be executed! He frantically began trying to make himself look as he did before the transformation as the voices only got closer. Think, what did he look like before? His eyes widened in fear. He couldn’t remember.
The hoof steps were almost upon him, and he hid behind a stalagmite as the voices turned the corner.
“I don’t see anypony.”
“Figure that out all by yourself, Sherclop?”
“Buck off, smartass.”
Thechangeling stole a glance at the two ponies, taking in their features. One was a stallion unicorn with navy blue fur and a two-tone white and sky blue mane. His cutie mark depicted a hoof holding a sword. The other was a pegasus mare with a tan coat and brown mane. Her cutie mark was a sun hiding behind a cloud.
The stallion spoke up again, “Look, we’re here, there’s nopony, let’s just go back, alright?” The mare, however, was defiant. She turned to him with a burning look in her eyes.
“No! We’re not going anywhere until we find and help that pony!”
He sighed in defeat, knowing better than to argue with a mare on a mission. “Fine. But if we’re captured by changelings, I will never forgive you.”
They continued forward into the cavern, leaving the changeling alone once again. It peeked out from behind the rock, exhaling slowly.
‘-Okay, let’s figure out this disguise stuff before they come back.-’ thechangeling thought to itself. It froze. It had forgotten it’s name. It sucked in a breath, closing it’s eyes tightly, trying to remember...
‘-Why can’t I remember my name? Fast? Sift? Swing? It’s getting tough to remember much of anything anymore...-’
Memories passed him by; old friends, acquaintances, The Queen, his brothers and sisters in the Hive-
He heard hoofsteps coming closer towards him, jarring him out of his thoughts. Something deep within his mind clicked into place at that moment. He couldn’t be nameless. The Queen would not approve. But what to name myself? He looked down his muzzle and licked his lips over his fangs absentmindedly. His fangs.
‘-Fang...yes, that will do nicely.-’
With renewed vigor, Fang opened his eyes only to see the stallion and mare walk right past him, even though he was no longer in cover of the rock. He was confused for a tick, until a thought occurred to him, and he chuckled darkly to himself, which sounded like chittering.
‘-Silly ponies, they don’t have night vision...-’ He smiled, if only for his own sake. ‘-This will be fun...-’ Fang’s thoughts trailed off as he watched them with a hunger that he had never felt before. Instinct taking over, his horn lit up of it’s own accord and rapidly fired off two bolts of green magic. Two short screams could be heard a second later, followed by two dull thuds as their bodies fell to the ground, legs disabled.
Fang slowly walked towards the two downed ponies, drawing out his movements. His new body felt great! Wait, new? he thought to himself. I’ve always been a changeling. Right? Any further thoughts to his past were pushed to the back of his mind as he came upon the ponies. The mare was practically radiating fear, while the stallion was wearing a smug smile on his face with his eyes closed. They were both sitting up against the cave wall at the end of the passageway.
“A changeling! I knew it! In your face, Swift!”
Fang stopped dead as the name triggered something within his mind, but the pain from the buzzing in the back of his mind forced him to stop thinking about it. He shook his head, clearing the fuzziness out, before reasserting his gaze on the stallion, who opened his eyes and turned to Fang. The smugness was quickly replaced by horror at being proven right.
“H-hello n-n-nice changeling, p-please don’t eat us!”
Fang gave him an evil grin while narrowing his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but only clicks and a chittering noise came out.
“I-I c-can’t u-understand you, nice c-changeling.”
“He probably can’t understand us either! And by the way, did you forget you have a horn?!” Swift screamed.
Fang’s eyes widened at the same time as the stallion’s. Seeing the stallion start charging up his magic, the changeling hissed and flew onto the ceiling. A purple bolt whizzed by his hiding spot, but nowhere near him. There he hung on a stalactite, out of sight of the ponies. The buzzing was a constant noise, and he was used to it by now. It was almost as if he could understand it. A bolt of pain shot through his horn as he felt a presence bearing down on his conscience.
{Do *not** let them escape.}*
He felt compelled to obey the voice. ‘-Yes, my queen.-’
“We need to get out of here, Scabbard!”
“You don’t need to tell me twice!”
The ponies scrambled to get up, until another two green bolts flew from the darkness. Impossible to dodge at that point, they slammed into the wall. There the pair stayed, as they realized it was not magic, but a sticky goo-like substance that was quickly drying. The unicorn fired up his horn to try and get himself out of the goo, until a final bolt came rocketing and stomped out any hopes of resistance by covering his horn, and by extension, most of the top of his head.
Fang buzzed down from the ceiling, looking at his prey. Now they were properly scared out of their minds. Both ponies were frantically struggling to get out of their bindings. Not like they can get out of them anyway. The buzzing in his mind intensified.
{Good.}
He walked up to the mare, getting up close and personal. For a while, they just stared at each other, until she meeped and whispered fearfully,
“W...what are you going to do to us?”
{Turn them.}
Fang only smiled, knowing full well it made the pony that much more uncomfortable. His fangs dripped with a green fluid that was definitely not saliva, the mare noted with utter terror. Suddenly, he lunged forward, wrapping his jaws around her neck and sinking his fangs deep into the skin. Running purely on instinct, he pushed something out of his fangs into the mare’s bloodstream. Then he fed. Some blood squirted onto his muzzle, but most of it went into his mouth. He reveled in the delicious taste of blood and took a few gulps to regain his strength, before finally removing his mouth from the mare.
Licking the wounds, he noticed she had passed out in the middle of his feeding.
‘-Oh well. At least she tasted delicious-.’
Scabbard, who had been watching the two with silent shock, could no longer hold in his anger.
“WHAT THE BUCK DID YOU DO TO HER?! I SWEAR WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS-”
A bolt of magic silenced the stallion, muffling his screaming and yelling. Fang looked at him, slowly moving forward while making a show of cleaning the blood off his teeth and muzzle. The stallion was good and terrified after that. After all, Fang could sense his emotions. He wanted to draw this out for him, his terror providing a unique taste that accented the blood on his tongue quite well.
Now at Scabbard’s side, Fang chomped his jaws in very close proximity to the stallion’s neck. Flinching, the unicorn’s pupils became pinpricks as he could feel the changeling breathing on his neck. Running his tongue over the fur, the stallion was about to faint until, in a flash, there were two fangs deep in his neck. He could only keep his mouth open in a silent scream at the pain. He could feel the teeth, but more importantly, he could feel them injecting something into his neck. He immediately felt drowsy as a dull ache set in behind his eyes.
When the changeling removed it’s jaws from his neck, he cringed at the bloody smile it-he gave him.
‘-Soon. Soon, you both will understand.-’
Scabbard blacked out.
Fang looked at the unconscious stallion with a hint of amusement. The buzzing in the back of his mind grew in size and volume, and the presence returned.
{He will make a fine brother for the Hive. You have done well.}
He focused on the voice, or rather, the owner of the voice. Latching onto it, he sent the feelings of wanting to leave.
{Of course, my little changeling.}
His eyes snapped open, suddenly knowing the exact path to the surface. He could easily find his way out of here!
{You may need this too.}
Eyes unfocused, he sat still as a statue as the knowledge flowed into him. How to make a disguise. He didn’t question why he didn’t know it beforehand, when he met those ponies, but that problem was solved already. Shaking his head and blinking a few times, he stood upright and tested his new ability.
Green flames danced around Fang and licked at his forelegs, before covering his body completely for a moment. When it cleared, there stood the unicorn stallion, Scabbard. He grinned maniacally and let loose a few laughs, before looking around sheepishly, wondering if anyone had heard him. Or more importantly, if anyone had seen him! He berated himself for being so careless. The pressure on his mind returned in full force, yet it didn't hurt. Fang welcomed this change, then the Queen spoke to him.
{Your first assignment is to come meet your brothers and sisters.}
Fang broke out in a wide smile.
‘-Yes, my queen.-’
Six hours later...
“Scabbard! Oh Celestia, Scabbard please wake up!”
The stallion in question groaned and slowly cracked his eyes, before the memories came rushing back. Eyes shooting open, he remembered hearing the screams in the caves, Swift practically dragging him down there, and then the fight with the changeling. That went well. But why did it bite him and Swift? When he looked over at his companion, however, the pieces fell into place. His jaw dropped.
“Scabbard, why are you looking at me like that...?”
“Swift, don’t freak out or anything, but your eyes... they’re kinda... blue.”
She gave him a flat look.
“Of course my eyes are blue, you dolt. Are you just now noticing?”
He shook his head rapidly.
“No, that’s not what I meant! They’re completely blue! Like...like a changeling’s...” He trailed off, leaving the implications hanging in the air. The changeling’s final words rang like funeral bells in his head. ‘Soon. Soon, you both will understand.’
She looked at him incredulously.
“Really, if you’re going to try and scare me, then at least try to make it believable. Everypony knows ponies can’t become changelings, it’s simple science.” With that, she turned forward and continued struggling to get out of the green resin that bound both of their forms to the cave wall.
Scabbard, however, was staring at the ground, with his jaw still wide open.
‘Why isn’t she taking this more seriously?! We’re going to become emotion-eating bug-parasite abominations of ponykind!’
A thought suddenly occurred to him. ‘Wait. If she has blue eyes, that means-’ His internal musings were cut off as his eyes suddenly felt like they were melting. Squeezing them shut, his cries of pain resounded through the caves. Not that anypony was anywhere within hearing distance. Slowly, they gave way to whimpers and tears. Opening his eyes once again, he looked at Swift. She was staring at him, jaw on the floor.
“Y-y-your e-eyes...oh Celestia, p-please, let this b-be a bad d-dream...”
Scabbard, however, was more than surprised once he eyes opened. ‘...Huh. Of all the things I was expecting, night vision was definitely not one of them.’
Looking this way and that, he could see everything in the cave just fine. One thing nagged at him though. ‘Why is there a torture rack down there?’ Internally, he shrugged.
He cleared his throat. “Okay, just calm down. We’re going to be fine, now let’s try and get out of this....stuff.”
Swift looked at him as if he had three heads.
“Calm down? CALM DOWN?!” Her screams echoed all around them. “We’re turning into CHANGELINGS! How in the world do you expect me to calm down?!”
He scowled and glared at her. “Yeah, I know. But I should be the one screaming at you; you’re the one that just had to drag me along on this little adventure. Now look where we are.”
She gave him a hard look. “It’s not like you had to come with me, after all, I did ask you first.”
Scabbard felt his anger building quickly as his extremities numbed. “No, you pulled me halfway into the cave before even telling me what you were doing! Then when we agreed we wouldn’t go too far in, we get attacked by a changeling! This is all your fault!”
Swift gaped at him, trying to form words, but no sound came out. He smirked. “What? Thestral got your tongue?”
She continued to stare at his forelegs, and when Scabbard looked down, he saw why. Underneath the resin, slowly climbing towards his midsection, were splintered black lines, slowly covering his legs and forelegs in a hard shell. He tried flailing around reflexively, but the green resin held firm. He could only watch as the lines slowly filled in his entire foreleg, before sharp pinches of pain shocked him out of his trance. He grimaced, but it was much more bearable than the feeling when his eyes changed.
Looking up, he noticed the same thing was happening to Swift. Like him, all four legs were slowly becoming black, but unlike him, she still had some fur to lose. Glancing back down at his own legs, he whimpered and put his willpower to the ultimate test by holding back his tears. He failed miserably.
“M-m-m-my l-l-l-legs h-h-have h-h-h-holes in t-t-t-the-e-e-em...” he trailed off as the sniffles began. It was too much for the poor stallion to take. He began to cry.
Flashes of pain lanced through his midsection before it began feeling like his insides were being torn up into a slurry. At the same time, his back stiffened up to uncomfortable levels before a slight buzzing noise was heard. Scabbard, however, noticed none of that through the pain. He screamed at the top of his lungs while a veritable waterfall of tears cascaded down his face.
Swift could only look on in horror. ‘Is this what will happen to me...?’ There was a pit in her stomach, and if she hadn’t been securely fastened to the wall, she would’ve been shivering in fear.
Finally, the pain ended for the poor stallion. He couldn’t see straight down, but something told him he didn’t exactly have a stomach in the traditional sense anymore. Suddenly, Swift began screaming. He tried to shut it out, but his hooves refused to obey, still stuck in the resin. Coupled with the pounding in his brain, the discomfort from the onslaught on his ears slowly morphed back into excruciating pain as he reflexively shut his eyes. A green glow slowly made its way up his head and past his eyes, replacing skin with shell and vaporizing fur. His horn felt like someling had grabbed it and was twisting it to their will. The tip pulled it up and back, giving it a curved appearance. A ring of fire flew up around his neck, eventually covering his head completely. His mouth was etched in a permanent snarl while his ears morphed into that of a changeling’s as his mane was reduced to ash. A shell quickly flashed over his face, before expanding and covering the rest of his head. A black fin popped up where his mane used to be.
Opening his eyes, the now-changeling glanced over at his female companion, who was still screaming. He watched with fascination as a horn grew out of her skull, before her neck, head, and shoulders were covered with a green fire. As quickly as it appeared, it dissipated into thin air, leaving a second, complete changeling in its wake. He licked his fangs in anticipation of her reaction. She looked over at him before squeaking in fear, and promptly falling through the resin onto the floor. He started laughing, before coughing violently and feeling a heat well up in his throat. There was a green flash inside his neck, then the feeling disappeared. He tried laughing again, but all the came out was a chittering noise. He scrunched up his muzzle, before trying to speak. All that resulted were a few hisses and clicks.
‘~Great. Now how am I supposed to talk to...what was her name again?~’
The nymph perked up and raised herself off the floor before walking over to him. Her horn glowed for a moment, before he suddenly fell away from the resin with a resounding pop. He faceplanted into the dirt in front of the mare.
‘-As graceful as always...brother.-’
He froze. ‘Brother?’ Part of him rejected the notion. But that pulsing in his brain told him that, yes, they were related. She was his sister and he was her brother. After all, all changelings are related. He shut his eyes as the pulsing became more intense.
‘I’m not a cha-pony. I’m a po-changeling.’ He scowled. There was some sort of magic at play here, mixing up his words and doing unknown things to him as time passed. The nymph stomped her hooves in irritation.
‘-Are you quite done yet? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.-’
The drone looked up, before scrambling to his hooves.
‘~And how is she talking to me without moving her mouth?~’
‘-The same way you just said that. If I didn’t know you were a pony five minutes ago, I would call you a terrible changeling.-’
She gave him a wry smile. He only frowned and narrowed his eyes.
‘~You’re taking this awfully well despite what we just experienced.~’
Her face held an expression of confusion.
‘-What do you mean?-’
Now it was his turn to look confused.
‘~What do you mean, ‘what do I mean’? Do you not remember-~’ that was all he managed to get out before the pulsing came back, along with a buzzing that overpowered everything for a brief moment, before his eyes glassed over and drool started leaking out of his mouth. Shaking his head after a tick, he tried recalling the events leading up to then, but the buzzing grew to painful levels. His memories grew fuzzier and fuzzier, until all that filled his head was static. His mind barely registered a thump nearby as the nymph fell over, likely experiencing the same thing, as made evident by her moaning. The static continued to get louder and more painful, eventually causing a nosebleed in the drone. Mercifully, he felt his consciousness slipping away, even through the noises of his companion. Those were the last things he heard before going under.
The sound of dripping water was the first thing he registered coming out of a rather deep sleep. Opening his eyes, he felt...exposed. For one, he wasn’t wearing a disguise. If anyone were to wander down and see him, he would be immediately labeled hostile. He also had no energy at the moment. Thus, his best course of action was to hide, at least until his companion awoke. Instinctively, he knew she was an Infiltrator. He almost questioned how he knew that, before the buzzing wiped the mere thought from his head.
‘~Distractions, distractions...~’ he mused as he climbed up onto the ceiling of the cave, before settling on a stalactite. There he waited for his sister to awaken. He didn’t have to wait for long. She blinked a few times, slowly at first, before realization struck and she jumped to attention. His wings flicked out from under his shell, and they gingerly carried him down to the floor. He stood over her, mentally reaffirming his previous guess.
‘~What is your name, Inflitrator?~’
Her muzzle scrunched for a moment in thought, before looking him in the eye.
‘-Cocoon.-’
‘~Alright, Cocoon. First thing, do you feel that as well? That tugging in your head?~’
‘-...Yes. Should we follow it?-’
‘~Yes, maybe then we’ll have some answers.~’
‘-What are the questions, then?-’
‘~Don’t make things more complicated. Let’s go, I’ll take point.~’
With that, they followed the pull of the something in their brains. It seemed to be taking them out of the cave, at any rate, so they weren’t complaining. The only sounds came from their hooves on the dirt, otherwise all was quiet. That is, until Cocoon piped up from the back.
‘-You never told me your name, Soldier.-’
He hesitated, almost making the nymph bump into him. What was his name?
‘~Call me... Shift.~’
Apparently satisfied, Cocoon spoke no further and the duo continued onward in silence. About twenty minutes passed before they saw a sliver of moonlight up ahead. They paused at the mouth of the cave and took in their surroundings. They were near the edge of some forest on top of a hill, and further away, the lights of a small village beckoned them with promises of warm beds, warmer folk and hot food. At least, if they were ponies. The tugging in their heads was also directing them towards it. Shift turned towards to Cocoon with a stoic face.
‘~No sense in waiting.~’
Before she could think of a response, he started off on a brisk pace towards the town. She stared after him momentarily with a hoof in the air and wide eyes before galloping to his side.
‘-Waiiiiiit just a second there. We don’t know what we’re getting into here, and we’re not even disguised! This is just disaster waiting to happen.-’
He stopped for a moment, looking up in thought, before he resumed walking with an emotionless look.
‘~I imagine our objectives will become clear upon reaching the town; now whether that be infiltrate and observe or something else, I don’t know. Besides that fact, neither of us have enough energy to disguise. Any other concerns?~’
He could feel her agitation. He was not a changeling of high intelligence, but the soldier’s logic could not be countered. With no better plan, Cocoon mentally sighed, and fell in step next to him. She knew he wouldn’t budge.
‘-Fine, but speak for yourself. I can disguise myself, and that will be beneficial to our survival.-’ Shift gave her a sidelong glance, but remained silent.
That was the atmosphere during the remainder of the walk: total silence. The drone was scanning all around them for any changes, almost unconsciously. His status as a Soldier demanded nothing if not discipline and alertness. On the other hoof, the Infiltrator was lost in thought, replaying a thousand scenarios of possible first encounters over and over in her head. Stray ponies, guards, environmental hazards, streetlamps, and whatever in the world was dragging them to this town.
Eventually they reached the forest’s edge, and from there, they could see the border gates of the town. They could see a singular guard in armor sitting at the front gate. From their location, he would see nothing but darkness if he happened to look their way. Cocoon looked at Shift, who was scanning the gates. She tapped him on the shoulder, and he looked at her, exasperated.
‘~What?~’
‘-I have a plan to get in, so just stay here.-’ And with no further explanation, she dove into the bushes behind them. One flash of green fire later, Swift the pegasus climbed out of cover and onto the beaten dirt path. Shift noted her disguise looked beaten up, with cuts and bruises littered over her form. The unicorn guard perked up as she approached, and stood tall.
“Halt and state your purpose for entry, citizen!”
At those words, she collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily and tears soaking her face.
“P-please, you have to help us. My friend and I, w-we were o-out in t-the c-caves and got attacked by a changeling!”
Before she had even spoken, the guard rushed over to help her, but on the final word, he paused and gave her a pointed look.
“Did you say a changeling, ma’am?”
“Y-yes. Oh Celestia, it was so scary.”
“Right. And where did you say your friend was?”
“Just over by the treeline.”
“Lead the way, ma’am.”
“O-ok.”
They walked towards the forest edge, and when they were about 5 pony lengths from the first tree, she inwardly felt a bit surprised.
‘-Huh. I can’t believe it was that ea--’
A flash from behind, and suddenly she was sprawled out on her back with a pounding in her head. Dimly, she noticed her disguise was gone as well. With the changeling fully incapacitated, the unicorn guard delivered a swift kick to her stomach and was rewarded with a groan.
“Not tonight, insect.” He spat the word, hatred rolling off him in waves. He began circling her like a shark.
“We’ve already captured one of your kind today, but the higher ups don’t need to know about what’ll happen to yo-ack!”
While he was busy gloating over his fallen prey, he failed to noticed the second changeling slowly coming up behind him, before pouncing on his neck, silencing him, and dragging him to the treeline. All that Cocoon heard was rustling of bushes for a few moments, before a couple gulps followed by a thud as the guard fell partway out of the foliage, bleeding from his neck. He was there for a moment before being dragged back inside. Shift walked out shortly after, with his muzzle and fangs covered in rusty-colored blood. He licked them clean before closing in on the nymph.
‘~That was some plan right there.~’
Cocoon sat up and faced him with a hard expression.
‘-As if you had a better idea.-’
‘~I did, actually. We could have accomplished the same goal by simply throwing a rock.~’ He looked towards the bushes that held the unconscious unicorn.
‘~Now, I suggest you drink your fill.~’
She unconsciously ran her tongue over her fangs at the promise of a good meal, and gave a small smile.
‘-Well, we can’t say they haven’t been accommodating. Providing foreign dignitaries with a hot meal upon arrival, how nice of them!-’
He brought a hoof to his face before giving her the most deadpan look possible.
‘~Just go drink.~’
She needed no further encouragement, diving into the bushes with an enthusiasm not yet shown. All that could be heard was rustling and slurping. Shift didn’t know what she was doing, and wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Eventually Cocoon emerged, licking her muzzle and fangs clean. They nodded to each other, and a ring of fire surrounded each changeling. Once it dissipated, Swift and Scabbard stood tall. With caution, they trotted towards the front gate and let themselves inside.
The tug on their heads got stronger the farther they ventured into town. Sometimes they made a turn here, went through an alleyway there, but eventually they ended up at the doorstep of the local guard base camp. The tug was directing them inside. Unfortunately, there were patrols all around the camp that prevented them from walking in as is. Fortunately, they were called changelings for a reason. Acting on autopilot, they both transformed into guards, one pegasus and one unicorn. While their disguises would work for the moment, they would be caught if scrutinized, since they didn’t actually know what they were doing. Wordlessly, they walked side by side into the camp. Nopony paid them any particular attention, even when Cocoon got tangled up in some tarp that was lying around. They followed the tugging towards the edge of the camp, before it ended abruptly as they reached the flaps of a tent that was larger than all the rest. Voices could be heard through the fabric, and they paused to listen.
“...still don’t know where they are.”
“Great. Two citizens and one guard disappear in less than one day. This can’t be a coincidence.”
Peeking inside, the disguised changelings could see two figures, both unicorns. They were standing around a table with a map and figurines littering it, Behind them, however, was a changeling tied to a post, who was glaring at the stallions. There was some sort of ring around his horn. He perked up as soon as they looked inside, and met their gaze. There was a chuckle in their heads.
‘*Well, well, look who decided to show up. Fitting that you two end up saving me after I saved you from yourselves...*’
The two guards looked towards the tied up changeling, and one scowled.
“Now if only somepony would cooperate with us...” he trailed off, leaving the implication hanging. The changeling just hissed at them. His reward for that was a hoof to the muzzle.
“We know you did something to them, a changeling doesn’t just show up at the same time three ponies go missing!”
The two not-guards outside the tent had to struggle to suppress their instincts to help their fallen brother, but they knew doing that would just end up with their capture. Pulling back, the two ran behind the tent, and faced each other. Shift started to speak, but Cocoon cut him off.
‘-I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.-’
The two guards stared down at the bruised, battered, yet surprisingly defiant changeling. He was able to withstand all their interrogation techniques, as if he had prior knowledge of what strategies they would employ. He was nothing if not loyal, and they couldn’t fault him for that.
“He won’t budge.”
“I know.”
“So... what now?”
“I honestly don’t know. We could try-” Any further talking was interrupted by a rather large commotion outside the tent. Before they could walk outside, a unicorn guard entered with a changeling tied up on his back.
“Sirs! I caught this bug sneaking around the edge of town!”
They looked at each other before one took the changeling in his magic and tied him up to the post. He turned towards the first ‘ling, while the second guard enacted a self-sustaining soundproofing spell around the group.
“Looks like you get a friend to keep you company.”
He hissed again. A hoof met his jaw again. It was the same old song and dance as the last time they had witnessed this changeling’s defiance, but this time, the two put their plan into motion. The unicorn erupted into green flames as two green bolts of resin flew from his horn, wrapping around the two ponies’ legs and rendering them unable to move. Simultaneously, the second changeling’s “restraints” disappeared, while he shot two more resin-bolts at their heads, restricting magic use and quickly filling their mouths so they could not scream for help. Their noses remained untouched so they could breath. They remained stock still, but their eyes were darting around in their sockets. Not wasting any time, Cocoon untied both Shift and the mystery changeling, before they stood in a circle. The mystery drone cleared his throat (in their heads, of course).
‘*I suppose you would like some answers.*’
The duo looked at him, then at each other, before Shift spoke.
‘~Name?~’
‘*Fang. Yours?*’
‘~Shift, and she’s Cocoon. I think I know the ‘how’ we found you, but would you care to tell us why you were here anyway?~’
Fang almost looked sheepish.
‘*Funny story, actually. I made it into town before I was stopped by a guard detachment for a “random search,” got hit with an anti-changeling spell, and the rest is history.*’
Internally, Cocoon winced.
‘-Yeah, I got hit by one of those. Not fun.-’
‘~I don’t mean to be that changeling, but we really do need to get out of here. Only thing is...~’ Shift looked between the two with a sense of urgency.
‘~I haven’t the faintest clue of where. Any help would be very much appreciated.~’
At this, Fang smiled.
‘*Yes, I know exactly where to go. Follow my lead and we may yet escape this place undetected.*’
Cocoon bowed her head in understanding and agreement, while Shift didn’t look convinced. He held out a hoof in front of the changeling, blocking the exit.
‘~Not without telling us where first.~’
Fang looked at him, still smiling.
‘*The Hive, of course.*’
Shift nodded almost imperceptibly.
‘~An acceptable location. Lead the way.~’
Three green infernos later, and a trio of guards walked out of the tent and towards the exit. Not once were they questioned or detained, which was odd. They walked past a tent labeled “Missing Ponies.” Curious, Shift informed his fellow changelings of where he was going, and ducked inside, regardless of their warnings.
In the tent, there was a singular, sleeping pony in a corner on a military-issue bunk bed. In the middle, however, was a table with an open book, surrounded by ink pots, quills, and pictures of ponies. There were only three entries in the book. Walking up to the table, Shift read to himself.
Name: Swift Strike
Occupation: Guard
Age: 31
Last Known Status: Missing (High Value Target: Reacquire at all costs.)
Last Known Location: Between Ponyville and Canterlot
Name: Smooth Scabbard
Occupation: Blacksmith
Age: 27
Last Known Status: Missing
Last Known Location: Ponyville
Name: Sunny “Swift” Skies
Occupation: Flight Instructor
Age: 25
Last Known Status: Missing
Last Known Location: Ponyville
Shift’s eyes widened in realization, and he gave a short laugh, before remembering there was a sleeping pony in the room. Looking down at the book, he gave a sinister smile before grabbing a quill with his magic, dipping it into an ink pot, and quickly scribbling on the paper. Satisfied, he left everything as when he entered, and silently exited. It wouldn’t be until morning that the guard found the missing ponies info changed. By then, the three would be long gone.
Name: Swift Strike
Occupation: Guard
Age: 31
Last Known Status: Dead
Name: Smooth Scabbard
Occupation: Blacksmith
Age: 27
Last Known Status: Dead
Name: Sunny “Swift” Skies
Occupation: Flight Instructor
Age: 25
Last Known Status: Dead
“..zz-wha?!”
The guard in the bushes awoke from a night of restless sleep, plagued by visions of dark caves and even darker creatures that whispered his name into the night with the same inflection as if it were a foreign delicacy. Hammerhead...
“..ugh..I can feel my pulse in my face...”
Hammerhead pushed himself to a sitting position, before warily standing up and promptly falling over. Unbeknownst to him, he was about a liter of blood short and just beginning to undergo the first stages of a changeling transformation. He rested for a few minutes, before successfully standing and starting towards Ponyville. Before reaching the forest edge, however, something told him to go deeper into the forest. He knew he shouldn’t do it, he knew he should go to the encampment and report in to his superiors. But the call was too great to resist. With only some reluctance, he began walking briskly back into the forest. After a few minutes of walking in the direction his gut told him, he came upon a cave. He paused at the mouth and thought things over for a moment.
Dark, deep caves usually don’t have friendly things in them, so why do I suddenly now want to go down there?
As if to answer his question, there was a thud behind him and he quickly whirled around, only to see that a branch had fallen. Looking around to see who, or what had caused it, Hammerhead saw nothing out of the ordinary. He almost laughed at himself for being so skittish. Turning back around, he swore he saw two blue eyes staring at him from the darkness, but after rubbing his eyes, they were gone.
I must be going crazy. Scratch that, actually. I AM crazy. What they say about staring into the abyss is true...
He started slowly walking into the cave, hoofsteps echoing all around him, announcing his presence to any creature within.
May as well be ringing the dinner bells...
Continuing further down the path, he noticed two dark green stains on the wall, surrounded by drops and smears of blood. Hoofprints were also visible around the area, indicating a scuffle, but not much else. He ignored it, following his instinct. Finally making his way into the large room at the end of the passage, the first thing he noticed was the metal torture rack, and how out of place it was.
...I’m not even gonna question it.
Finding nothing conclusive, he turned around to leave, only to face two changelings who were looking at him with hungry smiles. He almost had a miniature heart attack, then one spoke directly into his head, and he did have a mini heart attack.
‘~Hello, brother.~’
...Brother?! No, he’s bluffing...
‘~Since I felt last night how much hate you harbor for changelings, and you nearly killed our sister here-~’ Finally, he found his voice and cut off the changeling.
“What do you mean, “our” sister? I’m a pony, there’s no way we can be related.”
A different voice answered him this time.
‘*He means you may not be our brother right now, but soon, you will be.*’
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"N-no...that's impossible...ponies can't become changelings!"
There was a thump behind him, but before he could do anything, something impacted the back of his head. Next thing he knew, he was getting up close and intimate with the dirt floor with a pounding in his head. Dimly, he was aware of a third changeling walking around him.
‘-I said the same thing...-’
His eyes widened and his pupils shrank to pinpricks at the implications of her statement, before it became too much for Hammerhead. The last thing he heard before fainting was chittering, or what he instinctively understood as changeling laughter.