Author's Note
I apologize for any grammar mistakes, I know it's terrible lol!
Visions
It was the same everyday in the hive of Queen Chrysalis, while others scavenged around the lands to find food, some stayed and took care of the eggs bearing the children of their queen. The queen made a thousand eggs every two months to help the population of changelings grow bigger. She never helped tend to the eggs, for she never had time to consult herself in things, too busy finding new ways to feed off love and working on experiments.
Since she was busy, some from the hive volunteered to nurse the eggs and protect them till hatching time, which could take up to a year or two. The queen may create more than a thousand of eggs, but most of the time the eggs would have disfunctions or not grow properly, a common situation which makes less than twenty percent of the eggs hatching alive. They were kept way below, deep in an underground sanctuary where they were taken care of and daily checked up on.
The eggs were a bit more than halfway smaller when compared to the size of a full grown changeling, and the green eggs were in the form of cocoons. A bit more thin of material with a strange glowing goo protected the foal inside, slowly starting from a small speck of a living child to the size of a original pony foal. They were securely placed everywhere in this underground cave, the walls in shapes of the inside of a bee hive, only a dark and hard as rock.
In order to prevent cave ins, the queen uses the power of her magic to help create a protective shield around the cave and create a different bacterial goo that both she and her children can create that was rubbed along the walls to help keep it secure when the queen didn't have time or strength to cast the spell every week. Finding food now days was indeed tough, ponies were becoming smarter by the day so they've had to make themselves far more recluse than they used to be.
In attempts to seem like they have faded away, they only hunt in their homeland, but it has only a very few of creatures and they don't have much love to offer. Most are just harmless creatures that fear anything that comes near them, some are trolls hiding in caves that a changeling wouldn't dare go near. It's been two years since the last hatching, and now it was time for it again within one more month and the new children would be released from their egg cocoons.
It was a delicate process, for the skin of a newly hatched changeling was fragile in many places, and you had to be careful when getting them out of the slimy encasement. It was this time before hatching that most of the eggs are already dying and been disposed of. At the current counting, there were more than two hundred and thirteen eggs getting ready to break open, but the number was expected to lower within the past month before the actual hatching.
Now that they didn't need so many to take care of, they were able to keep an eye on more than they could before, being able to see errors sooner and in some circumstances saving the egg from perishing. Soon the dropping of the egg number steps within the next couple days of the beginning month before the day of hatching. No more lost eggs were to be expected, but one little egg sitting in the shadows began to peek the interest of the nursing changelings.
It still was a month till the eggs could hatch, and even though it wasn't a very long period of time, every second mattered or else the foal would come out as they would call it, a dud. It was a smaller cocoon than the others, it's glowing liquid duller than the rest and the top began to wiggle, the sound of mushing goo and the insides of the egg was heard just barely. But it's small sounds were indeed heard as two changeling began to walk over to the small thing.
As the two arrived, a crack seemed to be forming slowly around it, and a very weak force seemed to be struggling within it.
"What's it doing?" One of the changelings asked, one of the male changeling volunteers for taking care of the hatchlings.
"Isn't it obvious?" The one next to him questioned, this one being a female, a very rare thing to see. Females tended to only watch over the hive and were the ones to take care of the eggs more often than the males ever did. Didn't seem like a big job but was indeed a lot of work and patience.
"It's an early hatchling." The female rolled her eyes at the male, a bright green glow forming an aura around her horn as she brought out a sharp appendage on a slick and thin rock. It came from a small pouch all the nursing changeling held on their sides, keeping it with them wherever they are as to always have what they need when caring for the eggs.
"An early hatching? It's been a while since we had one of those." The male replied to himself, the female ignoring him as she brought the sharp black strip that glimmered in her magic towards the struggling foal inside the cocoon.
"Yeah well it's obviously a dud, a foal can't grow properly if hatched early as we all know." The mare mumbled to herself, a hoof coming down to the egg and holding it still. If born earlier within three weeks of its due date, the changeling will grow with disfunctions with magic and transformation abilities and come out weak in some parts.
It won't seem that way at first, the only difference when hatched early is that you have to be extra delicate with the foal. The real problem was when the the foal grew up, during that time the magical disfunctions would begin to occur. Chrysalis used to take care of these early hatchlings, but ever since learning theirs weaknesses and disfunctions with magic and abilities to suck love, she began to throw out any duds or early hatchlings.
"Go inform the chief that another one is gone." The female ordered just as she sliced open the chrysalis, goo falling out and the foal coming into view, completely covered in its slime.
"Yes ma'am..." The male grumbled with a bored expression.
The female had been about to take it out when something caught her attention. Looking closer with her bug like eyes, she could see that a black substance seemed to be stuck to the left side of where the foal was. Her face cringed at the liquid that looked like tar, sticky and a unpleasant smell began to fill her nose.
"Ugh!" She grunted in disgust, quickly cutting the egg fully from the caves wall. "It's beginning to rot...." She whispered, knowing she had to get the foal out and away from the others. This wasn't extremely rare, but there were also cases where the egg would begin to rot from having a problem from inside the chrysalis. If left too long, it would begin to turn into a sticky substance, black and smelling of a decaying body. And eventually it would soon turn hot and acidy, burning anything it touches.
The changeling mare had cut off half of the egg, half of the foals body was sticking out, it's mouth opening and closing and legs twitching as if struggling to find air. The mare quicky set forth to containing the rotten egg within her magic, soon unfolding her wings and taking off through the cave to find the exit, the buzzing of her wings echoing off the cave. A tunnel was formed as a short cut where they threw all the duds from the hive to.
After finding the tunnel just outside of the cave entrance, she flew through it at a fast speed, soon finding herself being bathed in bright moonlight. From outside, the hive looked like an ordinary mountain resting just outside the Everfree forest, a good hiding place for them and thanks to the abilities of their queen, she was able to camouflage any signs of their existence right under the Sun Princesses nose. She ventured down into the forest, flying past trees and avoiding any strange creatures coming her way.
Once she looked around her cautiously, she quickly placed the chrysalis down onto the dirt, and not with care as it made a small thud. With a nod she more time to make sure nothing was around to see her before flying back towards the hive in a quick hurry. Although many of the creatures living in the Everefree were nothing but magical predators, some intelligent life lived in some parts, most known as Zebra's.
It was completely quiet in the forest, nothing was heard except for winds that whisked through the branches of the thick Ever trees, and the owls cooing as they flew through the night.
It was a nightmare, a memory from so long ago but so fuzzy and unclear. She faced this dream every ending of every day, but when she woke, panting and sweat covering her skin she couldn't remember a thing from her believed nightmare. It was the same every time, the pain and the anguish, the terrible feeling of fear as you could tell you were alone.
No one was there, you were clueless, so cold and so dark but so hot and in pain. It was scorching through her skin, burning and tearing her apart bit by bit, and she could feel everything as it happened. She couldn't breath, she took giant inhales to find something to cure the ache in her lungs. But all she could get in was small puffs of air, other than that she choked on the liquid spilling around her in a pool.
She struggled, her limbs flailing and kicking in small spasms. It was getting worse, the pain in her entire left side was burnt by the acid of her chrysalis. She was wet, completely soaked and the harsh, ice cold winds that brushed against her made her shake, her jaw shiver. She was clueless, blank, confused, and so alone.
She wanted help, she begged for it, hoping and crying that something or someone might help but none came. So that's what she did, ripping her face from the tar like substance, a strange cracking sound from her skull, and letting out a broken cry. It was weak, not loud enough as her voice cracked and she began to panic, the air now burning in her lungs.
Her breathing was heavy and labored, another cry followed then a whimper as the fires scorched her delicate skin. She had been able to see something, very faint and bright as she looked up, but that soon began to fade, and her sight became black. She cried again, louder and sounding like a wail of a child calling to its mother, but she was abandoned, left to rot without a care.
Her life wasn't valuable, all she was to them was a sack, a clump of nothing that should be disposed of. The burning continued, she felt like she was in hell, the constant burn just wouldn't stop and began to get hotter, and hotter as time ticked by.
They didn't want her, she was different and wasn't meant to be a part of them. Soon she couldn't feel her left foreleg, it was numb, sizzling, and tingling at the shoulder. Did she do something wrong? Is this supposed to happen? Did she deserve it?
More pain, steam came from parts of the dark goo, bubbling as it got hotter. Small flashes of green, a flame flickered along the parts of her body that was hovering out of the acid. Why was she alone? What was this pain? Why wasn't anyone answering her cry?
Something shimmered in the moonlight, a sliver of silver that shined as it slid down the filly's cheek. Why couldn't she move? Why did they do this to her? Why did she exist?
She was crying, her cries coming out in loud and broken wails, she hiccuped and whimpered, whining, and writhing at the scorching fires that burned her. She was pale, her consciousness was fading and the ground beneath her felt like it was spinning endlessly, and she felt like she was falling into a bottomless pit.
Sounds ever so quietly were heard by her weak ears, the so small appendages twitching at the noise. Tapping, clomping, going at a beat of one, two, three, four. What was it? Was it danger? Fear was already filling the helpless foals heart as the organ prodded against her chest, hard.
The number of stomping was increased to ten, no twenty, thirty? She didn't know what to do, and even though every being in her body was afraid, she was desperate, dying for someone to help her. So she began to wail louder and faster.
If it was danger she didn't care at the moment, even if it was she wanted to lure it towards her, let it know if her presence so it could end her misery. But soon the sounds stopped, and everything became an agonizing silence, the now quiet filly only letting out heaved breaths and whimpering here and there.
There were sounds, voices coming from around her in all different directions. Everything was unclear from the loud ringing in her ears, and what she did hear she couldn't understand. What was happening?
"It's another one-" something very faint she caught in her ear followed by others.
"This is the first one-" the voices were appearing and fading every couples seconds. "-alive too."
"Should we leave-it-there's no-for this vile creature."
"They may be monsters-but if we do as much as let a hopeless life suffer we are no better."
"We should-camp-help it as much as we can."
"It may-already b-too late."
More mumbles were heard, but she could barely hear them before silence once again surrounded her and she began to cry again. Did they leave? No! Come back! Please! She squirmed and cried, her tongue sticking out as she breathed and eyes wide.
Soon she heard more, alerting her that something was still there and the she felt something. It wasn't cold, it wasn't hot or scorching, neither was it sticky or heavy.
Zebras with tribes of few lived within the forest of Ever Free, the only intelligent beings of Equestria to live in such a dangerous forest. With their magic and enchantments they were able to live safely with no fear of the terrible creatures that lurked within. A small group of Zebra's were just heading back from a meeting from the northern tribe of the Ever Free, and along the way they had heard the cries of pain and anguish. The desperate wails calling for help.
Right now, a hoof of one of the female Zebra's softly laid on the foals shoulder. The foal couldn't see what it was but as it began to move along her skin in comforting strokes, she believed it meant no harm. Her own free leg was reaching out, trying to grab the object and pull itself out of the rotting lump of goo.
It cried again, in both pain and eagerness to get close to the calming touch of whatever was touching her. She soon yelped as other hooves began to touch her as well, and very slowly, and painfully she was being ripped away from the cocoon.
It was a bittersweet feeling to finally be out of whatever had been causing such agony to burn in her bones. Although she was out, the tar substance was still stuck to her, still burning if not as bad and ripping away from it felt like her skin had been pulled off.
For what felt like hours of the passing minutes, she had been placed on the back of the female Zebra who had caressed her and they began to swiftly head back to camp to clean up the dying foal. It was agonizingly long, and she just wanted to be rid of the pain still tingling on her entire left side. But soon the sound of murmurs, more clomping, and sounds of material clashing down together echoed in her ears.
She didn't know what anything was still, and she wanted to understand the voices that were talking. Where was she? Where had they taken her? It was still so dark, so lightless. She was shivering from coldness of the wind, and thankfully the cold had eased up the burning heat on her left side.
Soon everything was quieter, and only soft murmurs were heard. As she listened she began to fade, losing the will to stay conscious over the sudden panic and overwhelming stress. But she was forced awake as she was lifted from the mares back, and with four hooves touching her, she was now laying in a warm but not hot liquid, she flinched at the touch but didn't struggle or refuse it.
It was very soothing, she could feel the sticky substance slowly coming off and beginning to cool. She was now cooing, sighing, and breathing lightly in great relief. She was still clueless and helpless about what was going on, but she was grateful that the pain had ended.
"Kirwan, you will be the one to take care of this filly." A masculine voice sudden came much clearer to the foal.
"Watch over it and take care of it. We will raise it as one of our own. We will not mention who she is to her or where she came from. Unless she herself asks then you Kirwan will be the one responsible to explain it to her."
A few more words were said to the mare he called 'Kirwan' asking if she was up for it.
"Yes I am willing to take on the burden of this foal. Of this changeling who I shall now call Einar. Meaning one, alone." The mare replied and they all bowed their heads.
After a couple minutes, they began bringing over bottles full of colorful liquid and making a mixture of ingredients along with plants, roots, and a long vine. She couldn't see them, only in her right eye could she see just barely shadows of many figures.
The male that had been talking to Kirwan came up to her and lifted her left foreleg.
"Her leg is ruined beyond repair, this vine will hold it in place so she will not stumble." He began, the vine glowing and softly humming as he placed it at her shoulder and began to wrap it around her leg. "As she grows, so will it."
"Thank you all, I will take her home. I promise to uphold my word and raise her as my own child." Kirwan said as she bowed her head, the others following her movement before she turned and left the tent, the filly being held In the crook of her foreleg.
She was blind her whole life, every day growing up she never experienced what it was like to see, to look the colors that she heard so much about in the books her mother read to her. She didn't know what she looked like, she never once cared as her mother and tribe loved her as family and she herself believed to be one of them.
Unknown to her, her blindness, her unstable leg, her half faded body of black that was now silver was all caused by the acid as a foal. It had burned everything, she was clumsy, her right eye looked that of a changeling while the other looked that of a pony, only her pupil was a bright blue that pierced into ones soul. Some of her hair was white, that of a normal pony, but the rest was messy, lifeless hair of a changeling. Her tail never fully grew and it only had a couple slivers of hair coming off it.
The only time Einar could ever see, could ever speak without her voice making that weird humming sound, to not be deformed was when she dreamed. She was free, happy, dancing with all the colors of the wind. She was at peace, but every night after she dreamt she had that nightmare, the same one over and over.
Einar at the age of sixteen sat up in her bed, it was late at night and everyone in the tribe was still asleep. Not too long ago she woke up from said dream and couldn't fall back asleep. Slowly, the mare pushed down the covers of her blanket, her hooves tentatively reaching for the floor.
She walked through the hut, most of it was part of a tree, the rest was weaved vines and planks of wood. She couldn't see anything, but she memorized her home after growing up and could walk through it with ease.
She knew that it was pointless, but she found herself walking over to one of the few Windows of the hut and opening it. The cold breeze hit her face immediately, blowing her hair back and chilling her skin by the touch.
But she didn't care, she was just wishing, dying to see the stars. She always dreamed of seeing the night sky, to see the morning sun, but she never would. It was a curse not being able to see anything, but she learned to cope with the reality that she would never see the true beauty of the world.
She was different from the Zebra's, she could tell as she had felt her mother, running her hooves along her face, feeling the creases and dips. She had felt herself and she was alien, holes covering her body. One side of her felt rough, strong and hard, while the other was soft and weak.
Einar never cared, never had and never will that she looked nothing like the others. At least that's what she beloved after feelings more of her tribe and being around them. She wasn't deaf though, some didn't approve of her and when she walked through the tribes road she could hear them whispering and murmuring to one another about her.
But sometimes she would do this, after waking up from that torturous dream and opening the window, foolishly wishing she could just one time see what the sky really looked like. They were just dreams, nightmares, but something inside her believed that this was a memory, a clue to the secrets of her true self. And tonight she couldn't help herself, every time that nightmare haunted her she couldn't help but ask herself the same question every time.
"What am I?"
